Moments of Truth/Part 21

After the weeks the Jedi had insisted they spend on Guudria leading up to the battles, Zaella was surprised they left within three days.

When they emerged from the tomb, they piled Maia and the dead Guudrian guards on the hilltop and burned them, then hiked back to the Second Chance. They swung around for one pass to blast the tomb's entrance with the double gun and bury it under rubble, then landed some twenty kilometers away and all promptly collapsed from exhaustion; Jirdo fell asleep on the deck, face pressed into the metal without a pillow, and Tirien didn't even make it out of the pilot's seat. Zaella could have passed out in a trice, but she lay awake for a little while, biting her lip, pinching herself, even tweaking tchin's tip, as she listened to Narasi's breathing. When it hadn't slowed after five minutes in the dark, she said, "It's okay now. It's over."

For a second she wondered if Narasi would feign sleep, but then she whispered, "Yeah."

That had been the most Zaella's body would give her before it insisted on passing the kriff out, but it was better than nothing. Once she wouldn't have bothered—and she didn't, for Jirdo—but she had seen the way Narasi fought the chance to kill her. And Zaella knew what it felt like to have someone else control what happened to her body.

Even Tirien slept for hours on end, so by the time they were all up, showered, dressed, and functional, it was almost noon. They arrived in Marekka to stunned disbelief; after the devastation wrought in the village the day before, it hadn't taken too long for the Guudrians to give up on them. Tirien gave the village leaders a condensed version of what had happened, and Zaella watched all their checkered eyes widen with awe. When he informed them in no uncertain terms that the Jedi monarchy was finished, which Jirdo tripped over himself in his haste to agree to, messengers were sent to neighboring villages to spread the word and convene a meeting of the village bosses in Marekka.

Tirien took Jirdo and a dozen Guudrian volunteers in the Second Chance to ransack Kharkûskyat and liberate any goods or cultural treasures that had been "given" to the queen. Left behind to help the ravaged village, Narasi spent the afternoon pulling down fire-scarred structures and replacing burnt thatching on roofs. At first Zaella had been astonished at Tirien's callousness in leaving Narasi behind, but as Narasi worked and got drawn into one conversation after another with bereaved Guudrians, Zaella conceded—if only internally—that maybe Tirien was on to something; staying engaged with people and having work to do drew out Narasi's instinct to help. Zaella had little interest in a mercy mission herself, but Narasi wouldn't be diverted, and so Zaella found herself flicking her wrist here and there to telekinetically brush debris into a growing pile.

"So what now?" she asked when they had a moment without somebody moping over what had once been his house or the ruins of the damned tree.

"We'll probably help them transition, and then go back to the Crescentia."

It was almost upon them, then. Turning a charred piece of beam over in her hands, she became conscious of the lightsaber on her belt as she hadn't been since getting it back. "And me?"

Narasi dumped a load of ruined thatching into a pile, wiped her brow, and said, "We'll stick up for you."

"You might," Zaella grumbled. "Tirien—"

"You're right to trust him," Narasi insisted. "He won't let you down. He never has me."

Tossing the beam into the pile too, Zaella sighed. "And then? You put in the good word for me with the Jedi bigwigs, and then…what?"

Narasi hesitated. "Become a Jedi?"

"Me?"

"You've fought with us this whole time," Narasi reminded her. "You didn't have to come to the tomb, but you did. You stopped Lord Brokkodd; you saved me."

"That's just because you're my friend," Zaella complained. "That doesn't make me a Jedi."

Narasi smiled. "Hey, that's how it starts. One day you're intent on dominating the galaxy, then you make a friend and all of a sudden you're hugging younglings and begging for more chances to meditate."

Zaella shuddered and stuck out her tongue as if to get a bad taste off her mouth. For the first time since the tomb, Narasi laughed, giving her a playful shove. "Just think about it."

It would mean giving up everything she had worked for all her life—making all her sacrifices and suffering meaningless. But at least Narasi was asking, not lecturing, so she grunted, "Yeah, fine."

By sunset they and the Guudrians had gotten most of the ruins cleared away, making space for the builders to descend the following day. Tirien, Jirdo, and the looting crew returned well after dark with a treasure trove of Guudrian artifacts and a good quantity of offworld tech, most of which was stored in the Big House until each village boss could reclaim her antiquities and divvy up the novelties. Though Zaella suggested the Jedi take a cut and several Guudrians voiced support before Tirien could stop them, when he finally got control of the conversation again, he claimed only some technology he had looted from Maia's ship.

"You've been complaining about the sensor display," he told Narasi. "Here's your chance to upgrade."

She worked on the sensors into the night, and the cockpit looked like a tornado made of spare parts had come through when Narasi called it and slumped into her bunk. Zaella didn't share her mechanical inclinations, so she spent most of the time sketching; while waiting for Narasi to come in and put out the light, she threw Gizmo's ball a few times until she realized what she was doing, scowled at the gizka while he wagged his tail, and hopped into her own bunk.

They all joined Jebba for meditation the second morning—even Jirdo, though he kept his head down and refused Jebba's half-hearted invitation to guide the exercise. After breakfast the four of them steadied what remained of Marekka's Tree with the Force as sorrowful Guudrians chopped it down, lest it fall and smash nearby structures and their occupants. The four Force users together were enough to guide the tree to the ground, where the Guudrians set upon it with axes and long faces.

Zaella suggested they go for a swim, and after fretting about her shoulder, Narasi indulged her. Zaella had forgotten some of Narasi's lessons, but she was a quick study and they spent a good hour swimming back and forth across the length of the river before laying out to let the sun dry them.

"Are you ready to go back?" Zaella asked.

"Yeah. It'll be good to see everyone.  It'll be weird not sleeping in my bunk, though."

"Looking forward to comming…what was it, 'Aldayr'?"

Zaella rolled her head to the side in time to see a smirk creep across Narasi's lips. "Might be possible."

That night, Marekka had a solemn feast on the spot where Marekka's Tree once stood, commemorating the fallen symbol of the village and those slain in Bras's rampage. Jebba—now Boss Jebba, Zaella understood—presided over the feast, though he asked Tirien to invoke the Force's blessing on the meal. Jirdo sat off to the side, eating little and alone, until Narasi and Jebba drew him over to their table. Zaella was given a place of honor with the Jedi, which she had mixed feelings about, but at least nobody asked her to give a speech.

Narasi got the Second Chance ' s new display system working after a few more hours' work, and they all settled in to sleep. Far too early, though, Zaella found herself being shaken away. "Wutizzit?"

"Come with me," Narasi whispered. "I have an idea."

"I dun wanna."

"C'mooon!"

Zaella dragged herself out of bed and put on her boots with much muffled grumbling, not wanting to wake Tirien or Jirdo. Narasi towed her into the sleeping village and to the Big House, where she knocked until Boss Jebba was brought down to her in his night shirt. When she told them both her idea, Zaella blinked herself back enough to consciousness to stare, but Jebba looked thoughtful for a long moment.

"A new beginning…" he repeated Narasi's words. "Yes…yes, I think you're right. What do you need?"

And so it was that a handful of the Boss's assistants accompanied an excited Narasi and a growling, sleepy Zaella to the shrine of the false religion, where they labored for a while before returning to the village square. The sunrise had silhouetted the horizon when they were finally done, Narasi and her Guudrian work crew coated in sweat but grinning, Zaella just coated in sweat. Boss Jebba came out in time to meet them before Tirien and Jirdo showed up, and when they did, Tirien's face went from confusion to amazement to pride in the space of a few seconds. He mussed Narasi's hair with a smile. "Well done."

"Thanks, Master," she answered with a grin. "I thought it was time for some new beginnings."

She glanced at Zaella, who rolled her eyes, but mustered a mordant smirk back. As the Guudrians emerged from their homes, they showed the same surprise and amazement Tirien had, but it gave way to wonder. Narasi pushed the Guudrians with shovels to the forefront while she stepped back with Tirien, Jirdo, and Zaella, giving the villagers a chance to view Marekka's Daughter for themselves, replanted in the exact spot where her mother had stood for so many ages.

Unable to stand so much wonder and joy, Zaella went off to take a shower. Once she and Narasi had cleaned up and returned to Tirien, he looked at Boss Jebba and said, "We're leaving today, Jebba."

Jebba, Narasi, and Zaella all started; Jirdo just sighed. Jebba said, "You're not going to wait for the gathering of bosses?"

Tirien shook his head. "Jedi have governed Guudria long enough. You all need to choose your own way forward, without our hand guiding it."

Jebba looked at Jirdo, who said, "Maybe…maybe I should stay. I helped Maia and Bras make this mess, I owe it to the people here to put things right however I can.  It'll be like…like penance, sort of."

Jebba hesitated, and Tirien said, "Recognizing the wrongs you did is a good first step, Jirdo, but Guudria has drawn out the worst in you. Remaining here would be a temptation to evil; you're better off far from here."

"I appreciate your desire to help Mas…Jirdo," Jebba added. "But I think Master Tirien is right—all the other bosses and I can take the good of the last sixteen years out of the bad, and use it to make Guudria even better."

Jirdo scratched his wispy beard, looking thoughtful. "Well…"

"He's being polite," Narasi said. "What he means is 'no'."

Jirdo cleared his throat, and Zaella added, "She's being polite. What she means is 'get your ass in the ship'."

Tirien massaged his eyes, Jebba averted his, and Narasi pressed her lips together so she didn't smirk while Jirdo flushed. Rising with what was left of his dignity, he started for the Second Chance, but stopped and turned back. "Jebba, I…well, I can't, er, give you orders anymore. But some advice—the shrines have to go.  All of them."

"I agree," Tirien said. "Tear them down and reuse their materials or burn them to ash, but they all need to come down."

"Why?" Jebba asked, surprised. "Surely there is some peace to be obtained from meditating on the Force and its will, even if we're not Jedi?"

"There is," Tirien conceded, "and if you want to build new shrines, do so. But these were part of the Sith Lord's plan; they've been tainted with the dark side since the onset.  They must be destroyed."

After a moment Jebba nodded, and Jirdo vanished. Narasi hugged Jebba, who said, "Thank you for everything you've done to help and protect us, Narasi. Go with the friendship of Marekka."

As she turned to go, Zaella made to follow her, but Jebba held out his hands. Zaella raised an eyebrow, but after a moment she sighed and let the little creature take her hands.

"You fought for our people too—even when it was not your fight," he said. "May the Force be with you, Zaella, and may it guide you to a light that will show you the good person we have already seen."

"I…well…" Zaella wasn't quite sure how to respond to that; she gave his hands a squeeze before pulling hers back. "Thanks. Good luck with being Boss."

He sighed. "Thank you; I'm afraid I'll need it."

"Go on, prep the ship, I'll catch up with you," Tirien said. Zaella got the hint that he wanted the last word with Jebba, so she followed Narasi out.

"How's your shoulder?" Narasi asked.

Zaella rotated it; she hadn't worn the sling since the morning after the tomb. "A little achy. Maybe swimming was a bad idea."

"You know, I feel like I said that…"

"Yeah, yeah, the all-knowing Jedi to the rescue again." Zaella endured Narasi hugging a handful of her little kid friends, though this time she was smart enough to stay farther away. When they finally made it out of the village, she said, "Want to show off your Jedi omnipotence and heal it for me so I'm not stuck asking the new prisoner for help?"

It was oddly cathartic to be on the side of the guards, although power had that effect. Then again… Am I enjoying having power over the failure, or do I just enjoy their trust?

Zaella made a face, but Narasi said, "I'll give it a shot, but I'm still learning; if I can't, is Tirien an acceptable compromise yet?"

Zaella thought about it. He wasn't her friend as Narasi was, but he was leaps and bounds ahead of Jirdo Yushari. And, after everything that had happened, Jedi or not, she really did trust him. "…yeah, I could live with that."

They let Jirdo into the Second Chance; Narasi went over to run the ship's activation sequence while Zaella threw Gizmo's ball and glowered at Jirdo, who leaned against the opposite bulkhead, determined to avoid her gaze. When Tirien came aboard he closed the ramp behind him, and Narasi took the ship toward space. Tirien went toward the cockpit, and Jirdo followed rather than be left alone with Zaella. Zaella looked at Gizmo and sighed.

"Well, come on," she grumbled, and, picking the gizka up by the tail, she carried him with her to the cockpit to watch the jump.