Star Wars: The Eternal Slumber/Chapter 8

Obi-Wan shook hands with his former mentor, Qui-Gon, as they departed the Can-Cels. "Master, it has been to long."

"By far, my friend. I wish we were to meet upon better circumstances, however." He said, looking toward the Can-Cels. They'd lost a lot of men back there. All the guards but Mace, Nomi, and himself had fallen in the battle. Mara also survived the fight, but was outside the rest of the survivors groups. The Grey Jedi had tried to take back the base, but were to few in number for the attack. Few survivors beyond the inside of the temple had come back.

Obi-Wan could see that many other Jedi had been brought back from other parts of the netherworld. People with loved ones and family in the cities of the non-force sensitives had come from far away by Can-Cel. While there was a decent amount beyond the enclave, however, it wasn't enough to take back there home.

Qui-Gon lead the masters through the camp. It was a small and humble place, far different from the enclave. In fact, few people knew of this place beyond the leaders of the Jedi and the citizens of some cities. The camp was built in a barren snow covered barren landscape, close to a small snow covered cave that reminded Obi-Wan of Hoth. The Netherworld of the Force's landscape was odd, Obi-Wan had always thought. The enclave was on one edge of the land, cradled between a mass rainforest and a mountain barrier on one dared go beyond. The mountains led along a mass grassland, towards, on the opposite edge of the enclave,. a barren desert the Sith call home. Beside the grassland, a small sea cut the grassland from the icy shores of the non-force sensitives landmass. Snow went on for miles upon miles, which made this land even more barren than the mass grasslands. On the edge is a city as large as Coruscant itself laid. Beyond that was grasslands, jungles, deserts, gas filled caverns, basically any type of land a sentient species would live. It went on for a long time, the extent of many planets, and it seemed a new land was found every day. With no vehicles and only living animals to travel long distances, it seemed that the whole netherworld would never be fully explored, especially since the recent discovery that whenever a species was born in the real world, more land seemed to magically appear beyond the lands known. Each race had there own portal, and each member of that race came their when they died. The exception, however, was Force users. Somehow, the complex art of dividing up Light-siders from Dark-Siders, was separate from all others. The Vong, also, had no gate. In fact, in the history of the Netherworld, no one had ever seen any Yuuzhan Vong here. Obi-Wan always put it aside as a simple fact of them not being apart of the force, but others believed it could be a matter of time before they attacked the netherworld, just as they had the real galaxy. Mandalorians were not an exception, however. They spawned with their species. A mando would pick them up and take them to a place they used to have in the grasslands before the uprising, but now no one knew were the armored mercs made their home now. Grey Jedi had, for a long time, stayed with the Jedi, but, once Jolee had died so many years ago, he decided he didn't agree with the masters council of his time. He never meant the revolution that followed. There was no fighting, but Jolee had inspired hordes of Grey Jedi to follow him into the snow caverns they now call home, and the Triumvirate that still stands to date, with Jolee as Chancellor. He had no true power, for every citizen had a vote. Jolee had kept, throughout his time, a friendship between the Jedi and the Gery Jedi Triumvirate. The Triumverate was made up of three former Jedi; Jolee Bindo, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Leor Hal.

"Ah, here we are." Jolee said from ahead of him, jerking him out of his thoughts like a smack to the face. The masters, him, and Mace, Mara, and Nomi were gathered around Jolee and Qui-Gon in the Grey Jedi equivalent of a senate rotunda. "You may take refuge in the guest chambers, for the time being. Consider yourselves citizens of the Grey Jedi Triumvirate for the time being, while we work together to stick it to those Sith scum."

Nomi looked up in amusement. "Jolee, you seemed to have changed from the grumpy old man you were into more of a leader. I'm impressed."

"Save your breath, Nomi. I'm just a figurehead.  A grumpy, old man, who happens to be in charge without having the hassles.  On the inside I'm still as stubborn as I was back then."

Nomi's smile broadened. "Whatever you say, Jolee."

"Bah! I'm the stubborn one?" He waved a hand. "Qui-Gon, you want to show them the way to there rooms?"

Qui-Gon shooed the Jedi out of the ice cavern and into the halls. "He seems...." Mace trailed off.

"He's a good man, just a bit toughened by the years." Qui-Gon said.

"Whatever you say." Mace grunted.

"Wheres Leor?" asked Obi-Wan.

"We've got him with the Sentient Republic, setting things up for a partnership. Anyway, the rooms are to halls down.  I'll have my guards protecting you throughout the night.  Tomorrow..." He said with a smile, "We've got a treat for you. A treat that will bring an end to the Sith."

Anakin looked around the huts that surrounded him. He was surprised to find the Mandalorian base so close to home. They'd been missing ever since the revolution, and no one seemed to know were they'd made their new home. What made it worse, they were in mass again. They'd carved themselves a little base out of a hidden indent in the mountain. They'de hidden it well enough that no one could see it from the ground or the sky, and couldn't just simply stumble upon it.

Even if they had, they wouldn't have found much, Anakin soon realized, as he was pushed into a cavern at the edge of the cliffs. Most of the place was underground, hidden from the eyes of the passersby. The caverns seemed huge enough to house armies. Anakin wasn't surprised that Venku had kept this place a secret from the rest of the Jedi, hell, if he was a Mando, he'd have done it too. What really threw him for a loop was that Tyvokka hadn't seen it; or, if he had, he'd never told the council.

The caverns were carved deep into the ground, with some Mandalorians still digging deeper into the mountains. The Jedi were brought to a small cavern with four laser cells along the wall. The Scouts pushed them each into their own cell. One Mandalorian took of his helmet, he was an older clone, he realized, and gave them a serious look. "None of that Force stuff, friend. We'll feed ya, keep ya clothed, but right now, your to much of a security risk to keep in a room.  You try tio break out, the Mandalore Council won't bother hearing your cases, and'll just make ya prisoners.  Tomorrow, you go before the council."

Another Clone took his helmet off, this one in matte black, and flashed them a grin. "Enjoy your stay at Manda plaza, remember, we're number one in family fun."

The other clone rolled his eyes and pushed his brother out the door. "C'mon, Fi."

Anakin laid on the bunk and stared at the ceiling. It was going to be one long night.

Revan watched as Jolee scrutinized the imperial knight that worked on the heads up data display int eh middle of the tactical chamber.

Jolee had promised he had inside information from the sith that would alter the face of the war. What this could have been, however, was beyond him at the moment. His thoughts did not lay with the tactical meeting, he had to admit, but with his love. He could feel the pain from the torture she had at the hands of the Sith like a stab in the heart. He wanted to go to her now, no matter what the patrol, but knew he could neither do it, nor would she want him too. As much as it grieved him to know it, his only chance was to fight the war first, then worry about Bastila.

"About time." Jolee grunted, guiding the Knight out of the room and dimming the lights. He nodded at Qui-Gon, who started up a slideshow of key sith figures and installations. "Now masters." said Qui-Gon, "We've discovered from an inside source we have in the Sith Empire that a major change in the army is about to occur.  It seems Revan wants control of the sith back, and plans a shism in the near future.  From what our contact has told us, Both Revan and Bane have drawn the lines and set up a hostile take over.  In the small amount of time between the start and  the end of the schism looks as if it would be the best time to strike."

"So, we take back the enclave in the confusion, amass the army, and march straight for the Sith?" Revan said slowly.

"In essence, yes." Jolee said. "But while you did that, we'de have the Non-Force Sensitive armies attack from the sea, chacthing them off balance. Then the two forces corner them in the mountains."

"One small problem." said Odan-Urr. "If we force them to retreat into the mountain that runs between there northern border and ours, they have a great chance of coming back for a future assault, and in greater strength."

"Seems, it does, the only option we have." Yoda said slowly, fiddling with his cane.

"If we could somehow mass a three pronged attack..." Qui-Gon began.

"Would never be effective." Revan stated. "In order to do that we'd have to position three armies, and the Grey Jedi don't have enough troops for such an attack."

"True." Jolee admitted.

"Even if you did, the amount of time it would take for you to position yourselves there could possibly decide the battle." Revan said slowly.

"So its settled, then." Jolee said. "I'll get in touch with the sentient Republic. In the meantime, we train for the attack.  It shouldn't be long before he Sith make their move."

Anakin did have a rough night. Even after the bright lights went lout, the energy field kept the cell to brightly lit for his liking, and the hum slowly turned him crazy. Even when he did get close to falling asleep, he would suddenly become increasingly aware of the guards Mandalorian war styled visor, the light shooting from the helmet as if it were a flickering ghoul.

When morning finally came, the blue armored guard took them farther into the complex, until they met with a group of Mandalorians, two older taung, three Mandalorian war members, two Deathwatch Mandos, six more modern armored warriors, and three clones, all in matte black. They escorted him into a dark chamber, all made of a dark rock, with a large table circling the camber from one edge of the door to the other. Seated at the table were Mandalore the First, Mandalore the Indomitable, Mandalore the Ultimate, Mandalore the Preserver, also known as Canderous Ordo, Mandalore the Lesser, Mandalore the Vindicated, Ung Kusp, Jaster Mereel, Jango Fett, Mandalore the Resurrector, also known as Alpha-O2, Fenn Shysa, and finally, Boba Fett.

Mandalore the Ultimate scoffed from under his mask. "Jetii di'kuts..."

Jango Fett cut him off with a slice off his hand. "Jedi, why have you come here? Why did you lead Vader to our home?"

"Sir, they've been chasing us since Naga's base. We didn't have a choice, and we didn't know you were here.."

"Maybe we should give them to Vader as a gift." Boba Fett said.

"You forget, the Sith are not our allies. Vader would make the deal for them and then take the base.  We still have priority on the Sith's hit list, even if its not high." Canderous Ordo scolded.

"And you forget..." Mandalore the Ultimate said. "That the Jetii are not either. We have had quite the history of war, have we not?"

Jaster Mareel cut in quickly, seeing the tension rising in the room. "I think that this is a debate we should perform in private. If agreed, we should send the Jedi back to their cells for the duration of the meeting.  All agreed say aye."

A chorus of Ayes ended the session before a bewildered Mandalore the Ultimate could say anything.