Star Wars: Chronicles — The Last of the Old (DarthVorath)/Story

THE LAST OF THE OLD


 * Yavin 4, 10 ABY

"I can't say I'm all too keen on this."

Walking through the halls of the Great Temple of Yavin 4, Xanus Baran glanced at the serpentine Thisspiasian slithering beside him. "Not to keen on what?" the Alderaanian asked.

Appa Nakil gestured around the temple's wide interior. "This. Setting up a Jedi academy in a place such as this; on a world like this one."

Baran frowned, scratching his head as he looked around. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Surely you know of the legends," Nakil replied. "That this temple was built by Sith Massassi warriors. That the Dark Lord Exar Kun fell on this moon thousands of years ago."

"Well, yes, I've heard of this moon's history," Baran said. "But I don't sense anything off putting about this temple."

"Neither do I," Nakil murmured. "And that's what worries me. What if the dark side is clouding our minds? What if there is some dark evil hidden in these jungles?"

"What if there's not?" Baran asked. "You might just be paranoid."

Nakil frowned at the younger Jedi in disapproval. "I would like to think that you would not dismiss such fears so casually. After all, you experienced the Sith's deception firsthand whereas I did not."

Baran's expression darkened, dark memories resurfacing. Neither men spoke for a long time until they reached their destination. As he moved to open the door to the meeting room, Baran looked at the Thisspiasian. "You're free to air your grievances to Master Skywalker."

Nakil shook his head. "I already did when he gave me the call. He said the same exact things as you."

Baran smirked. "Then that should tell you something."

Luke Skywalker lifted his head as the door to the meeting chambers opened, admitting Xanus Baran and Appa Nakil. Smiling, he gestured in greeting to them.

"Master Baran, Master Nakil. I'm glad you could make it."

A harrumph sounded next to him. "Nakil can hardly be considered a master," grunted Plun Kil, folding his four arms over his barreled chest. "He's never been trained."

"One needs not to have training to be considered a master," said Kro Sadoon, standing across from the Besalisk. "My time among the Baran Do showed to me that experience alone can take one far. And as I understand it, Nakil has more years on him than anyone else in this room."

Luke nodded. "Indeed. Plus, while not trained as a Jedi, Nakil is nonetheless a strong warrior, having protected the Blood Monarch of Thisspias from several assassination attempts."

At this, Plun Kil's eyebrows rose. "Is that so? Well then, I suppose we've already found our Battlemaster then."

Nakil chuckled lightly. "I'm afraid my warrior days are well behind me, my friend. I am perfectly content with overseeing the archives instead."

"Then I'm sure Master Gaaraddik will do just as well," said Van-Sar-Nodan, inclining his elongated head to the tall, brown-furred Wookiee standing near Plun Kil. "I've heard that you received lightsaber combat instructions from Jedi Master Tera Sinube."

Gaaraddik nodded in confirmation. Of the eight present, Gaaraddik was the only one who could not fully use the Force, although he was minimally attuned with it whenever he was in battle. Where he lacked in use of the Force however, he made up for in his exceptional lightsaber capabilities, surpassing even Plun Kil in skill and performance. As such, Luke saw him as a viable teacher for future Jedi.

Clearing his throat, Baran raised a hand. "Not to be rude or anything, but... I must also question the presence of one among our number."

Luke gestured for him to continue.

"It is Ean over there," Baran went on, inclining his head to the young Mon Calamari standing with Van-Sar and Sadoon. "He is by far the youngest among us -- younger than even you, Skywalker."

"What are you trying to say, Master Baran?" Luke asked.

"Well...." The Alderaanian paused, as if carefully choosing his next words. "What I'm trying to say is that... Sadoon, Kil, Van-Sar and I... we were all part of the Old Guard. We all survived the Empire's purge. Even Gaaraddik and Nakil, although they were not Jedi, fell under the Inquisitors' watch due to the connections they had to the Old Jedi Order. Ean, while no doubt an outstanding Jedi Knight, lacks the wisdom that we could import on your students."

Luke nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "I know. That's why he's here."

Baran's brow furrowed. The others bore similar confused looks. "I don't understand."

"While you are correct that the six of you are meant to represent the old Jedi, passing on what you know, Ean here is meant to represent the new Jedi -- the students with whom you shall be sharing your knowledge."

Van-Sar tugged at the small tuft of hair on his chin. "So he's our mascot then?"

Ean chuckled, speaking for the first time. "At least we Mon Calamari are endearing, unlike the Quarren. It's the bulbous eyes that do it, really."

Nakil smiled. "I think I see Skywalker's point. Today is supposed to mark a new day in the history of the Jedi. Rather than clinging on to the past, we should look forward and see what the future has in store for us."

Luke nodded. "Exactly. We are not the last of the old... but the first of the new."


 * Corbos, 12 ABY

"I can't say I like this."

Glowrod in hand, Toah Jarsan looked over his shoulder at his friend and fellow Jedi Kyle Katarn, who was trudging along beside him through the mines of Corbos.

"Why?" Toah asked. "You've got a bad feeling about this mission?"

"It's not the mission," Kyle said, shaking his head. "It's Kyp."

Toah looked up ahead at the man in question. The young, dark-haired man was conversing with their leader, Master Skywalker, and did not seem to have overhead Kyle's mention of him.

"What about him?" Toah asked.

Kyle frowned. "Has Luke not told you yet?"

"I've only just got back from Devaron, Kyle. I haven't gotten the chance to speak with him due to cleaning up the Praxeum and all."

"Right, right. Well, right after you left, Kyp got into contact with an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith named Exar Kun."

Toah's eyes bugged out. "Are you for real?"

Kyle nodded. "Exar Kun essentially possessed Kyp and tried to use him to steal an Imperial weapon called the Sun Crusher. However, for whatever reason the weapon would not work for him and we were able to capture Kyp."

"How did you get rid of Exar Kun then?"

"Tionne had found a few books on exorcising evil spirits and we used them to get Exar Kun out of Kyp's body and banish him for good."

Toah let out a low whistle. "Wow. I missed that and Desann's attack? You guys seem to have been getting all the fun. Meanwhile, I spent six months listening to Master Nakil drone on about the Force Wars."

Kyle smirked. "After everything I've been through, that really doesn't sound so bad."

Eventually, the group of eight were brought to a halt by Luke. The Jedi Master turned to Streen, who held a scanner in his hands.

"Any readings yet?"

"I'm picking up large life signs, ten miles up ahead," said Streen. "They're moving towards another colony, I think."

"Yes, I can sense them," Luke murmured. "Come on. We haven't got any time to waste."

As the party pressed onward, Toah turned back to Kyle. "So what is it about Kyp that you feel bad about it?"

"Even though Exar Kun's been banished, I still feel like there's a cloud of darkness hanging over him," Kyle replied. "As if any minute now he's going to fall."

Toah frowned as he thought over this. "I don't think Master Skywalker could handle losing two of his students in such a short span of time."

"I know," Kyle muttered. "That's why I think we should keep an eye on them."

"Who? Kyp or Luke?"

"Both."


 * New Holstice, 27 ABY

Koria Tyrnak was silent as she walked alongside her master, hood raised over her horned head. All around them were similarly dressed Jedi, all converging towards the same point. A giant cylinder of light laid ahead, beckoning to the procession of Jedi.

Tears stung in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her breathing. As if sensing her emotional state (which he almost certainly had), her master turned his head towards her.

"Are you all right, young one?"

"I'm fine," she lied, her voice cracking.

"I thought we already talked about this before coming here."

"I said I'm fine," she retorted, her words coming out harsher than she had intended them.

Master Viron rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do not despair, my apprentice, for that can lead you onto a darker path. Instead, take solace that our brothers and sisters are at peace now, at one with the Force."

Koria bit her lip. "It's still not fair."

Viron sighed quietly. "Life rarely is, young one. That is something we simply all must accept."

The two of them fell silent as the procession neared the cylinder. Now that they were closer to it, Koria could see what was projecting the light: hundreds of thousands of glowing moths, fluttering up towards the sky.

"Memory moths," she murmured. "And here I thought Tal was pulling my leg...."

Viron chuckled lightly as he produced a small container. "Yes. For once, that fellow wasn't joking about the existence of something."

Koria turned to him and looked at the container. Inside it were two memory moths. "Are those...?"

"Yes." He opened the container, releasing the two moths. He caught one of them while another fluttered over to Koria. "You know what to do."

Koria took a deep breath and held the moth close to her face. Eyes closed, she whispered a name to it, which the memory moth immediately echoed back to her.

"Luke Skywalker."

She then released the moth, allowing the tears to roll freely now as she watched the ball of light join the many within the cylinder of light.

Viron released his next. Then Master Baran and Zin Jato. Then Master Sadoon and Kyle Katarn. Then Taana Di and Master Kil. Then Master Nodan and Nira Maren.

As the memory moths flew towards the cylinder, carrying with them the names of the fallen, Koria looked around the procession and noticed a hooded figure standing across from her, cradling something wrapped in cloth. Beneath the rim of their hood, she saw the face of a woman she did not recognize. Strands of red hair cascaded down the woman's shoulders and Koria caught a glint of jade green eyes.

Before Koria could say anything to her master, she saw Master Baran stepping up to the podium, preparing to give the eulogy. When she looked back, the woman was already gone.


 * Tython, 41 ABY

"See? What did I tell you? No cake."

Jacen Solo looked forlornly at the crumb-covered plate that had once held the very tall cake made for Anakin and Tahiri's wedding. He supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised, considering the number of people that had been invited -- especially when Chewbacca's family was among them.

"Not to worry," Toah said, moving down the buffet. "I see the Horns brought their caramel treats."

Jacen followed him over to the pan of sweets, which was already half gone. After he and Toah had each gotten one, they looked for a place to sit. Pretty much every table was already occupied by friends and family alike. Just as he was about to suggest moving outside, he saw Kyle Katarn waving over to them, sitting in a secluded booth with two others. Motioning to Toah, the two Jedi moved over to the booth, where Kyle greeted them heartily.

"It's been a long time, old friend!" Kyle said to Toah, raising a frothing mug. "I've never gotten the chance to properly speak with you since your return."

"Guess I've just been busy," Toah said as he sat down. "How are you and Jan doing?"

"Well enough. She's over there with Mirax and Iella, doing whatever it is women do when men aren't around." Kyle took a large chug from his mug, earning him a disgusted look from Kam Solusar, who was still eating his slice of cake. Slamming the glass down, Kyle wiped the residue from his beard before pointing at Toah and Jacen. "But who cares about that right now? I want to hear what the Jedi Order's two wanderers have been up to for the past five years."

Toah nudged Jacen. "You first. I've been wanting to hear your story for ages."

Jacen blew out his breath. "Right. Where to start? Well, after deciding to go on my journey, I first went to M'haeli, where I learned the gift of foresight from the H'Drachi seers."

"Not to mention...." Toah inclined his head, eyebrows raised.

Jacen sighed. "That was before this. It wasn't during my sabbatical."

Toah's eyebrows went up even further while Kyle and the others looked confusedly between the two. "You guys have lost me," Kyle muttered.

Jacen waved a hand. "It's not important. Anyway, my next stop after that was Dorin, where I was taught by the Baran Do...."

He went on with his tale, describing the many Force-based sects he had visited during his travels, as well as how he rediscovered the Jedi Temple on Tython and his brief trek into the Unknown Regions before returning to Ossus.

When he was finished, Kyle leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his beard. "Impressive. Well, I'm glad to hear you had fun while the rest of us dealt with Glorians and Sith."

Jacen sighed as he looked at Toah. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

Toah simply shrugged.

Setting his plate down, Kyp Durron cleared his throat. "So! What does Master Solo have in mind for the future of the Jedi Order?"

"Well, construction of the new Jedi Praxeum is already underway, Master Solusar has agreed to oversee it, while Tionne and Lexa are rebuilding the archives."

"I hear that there's going to be a bit of restructuring," Kyle said.

"Nothing major. I just want the order to be a bit more... open. Not necessarily follow such a strict and ordered structure. I know Uncle Luke already tried to do that when he started his Jedi Order, but I fear that it slipped back to its old ways when it fell under Masters Baran and Sadoon's leadership."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Rather bold of you to speak of the dead like that."

"He's a Solo," Toah remarked. "It's to be expected."

"Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for them and for what they did to bring us this far," Jacen said. "I just think it's time to start looking forward; to start a new chapter in the history of the Jedi Order."

"I'm all for it," Kyp said, "so long as there isn't another Spira incident."

Now it was Toah and Jacen's turn to look confused. "What Spira incident?" the latter asked.

Kyle raised a finger to his lips. "Shh. We don't talk about the Spira incident."

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that Master Baran cancelled all of the vacation plans for--"

"I said we don't talk about the Spira incident."

Toah rolled his eyes. "Well, here's looking to a bright future for the Jedi Order."

"Luke would be proud," Kam said dryly.

Toah smiled. "Yeah. I think he would."

THE FIRST OF THE NEW