Power and Betrayal: Chapter 25

When the Tribunal Council dismissed everyone from the room to deliberate, Galadina came directly to visit Kendsel again. His condition hadn't really changed. Still, it was comforting to be by his bedside, knowing that she had made a couple of enemies in the last hour--but at least he wasn't one of them. When the announcement went out that they had reached a decision, she didn't even bother to return to hear it. She already knew what it would be.

"I hope I did the right thing, Ken." she said quietly, knowing that he wouldn't respond. "Kari is probably going to hate me for the rest of her life, but I had to do it. Dianiss HAS to go to Belsavis if I'm ever going to be able to go back to--"

"Master Galadina." a familiar Imperial-accented voice said from just outside the doorway, interrupting her. The voice's owner strode in quickly, with purpose.

"Zedemm." she responded with a smile. "I was hoping to talk to--"

"Do please tell me why miss Kari was taken below ground to a cell." he said sternly, interrupting again. With a raised eyebrow he added, "And you would do well to keep in mind that I already know the answer."

Dina's smile melted away. "She attacked me in open--"

"I see you did not correctly infer my meaning, so allow me to restate the question more plainly: How is it that the Jedi Order have come to pronounce my sister a Sith and sentence her to indefinite incarceration?" Now there was genuine anger in his voice, something very unusual for him.

"Zed . . . please. There are bigger things going on right now--things that I really can't tell you about . . . not yet. Do you trust me?"

Zedemm gave her a long, hard stare.

"How could I?"


Those three words hit her like a punch to the gut. Of all of the people in the galaxy, HIS disapproval hurt her more than she realized was possible. This was the man who--uniquely--had encouraged her to follow her own path when she was a Padawan. This was the man who took the time to train her in a way that he had never done with any student before--or since. He was someone she had always admired and thought of as her own big brother, a mentor, a personal hero, and a role model. She was proud to call him a friend.

She even, at times, felt a certain physical attraction for him, though she would never admit it and often rationalized it away as the influence of Dianiss' prurient tendencies due to the bond they shared (even if those feelings did pre-date the formation of that bond).

And now, suddenly, he was completely rejecting her. With all they'd been through together, she had never even imagined that it could be possible. She tried to push back the emotion that was welling up inside her, but this one fought back and refused to be reasoned with.


"But congratulations on your appointment to the High Council." he said, with practiced irony. "It's a pity what you had to become in order to merit it."

As her mind raced to figure out what to say to salvage the situation, he reached into one of the pockets of his robe and took out her lightsaber. The outer casing still bore some of the scratches and burns that it had suffered on Malachor, but it looked otherwise intact.

"I expect you'll be wanting this." he said to her with obvious condescension in his voice. He casually dropped the saber on the floor in front of his feet, making no attempt whatsoever to hand it to her. "Don't break it again. I promise I shan't rebuild it a third time."

Without another word, he left.

The Jedi warn against forming attachments for a number of reasons, and Dina was starting to experience one of them with excruciating clarity. The pain of having those attachments get broken was something very, very real; and a Jedi had no room for heartbreak and the dark places it can lead an otherwise clear, centered mind and soul.

She tried to reach out and use the Force to pull her newly-repaired lightsaber up off the floor and into her hand, but right then, in that moment, it refused to budge. In fact, in contrast to the absolutely stationary lightsaber on the floor, her outstretched hand was shaking, and she couldn't make it stop.

There is a commonly-held misconception that Miralukas never cry--or that they can't cry--and it's not entirely baseless. Their vestigial eye sockets have no need for tear ducts or lubrication, so tears--in the conventional sense, don't happen. But when overcome with emotion, a Miraluka can still get choked up, can still have her nose get runny, and the backs of those eye sockets have blood vessels that can break and bleed under certain kinds of stress--in much the same way humans can sometimes spontaneously bleed from their noses. It's one of the reasons her people, as a part of their culture, wear masks.

And so when Galadina walked over and bent down to pick up her saber, instead of actually picking it up, she simply sat down on the floor next to it and started to cry as only a Miraluka could.

Zarvell found himself increasingly amazed at just how deep the caverns under the Jedi Temple extended. As he followed the Jedi Guard down to where Kari was being held, every time he reached the bottom of a stairway or ramp, there seemed to be another one that had been just out of view until he got there. At some point, he'd simply stopped counting because it just became amusingly absurd.

But beyond that, he had to admire the cool logic of the Jedi. Anyone trying to escape would be forced to climb UP this long, long path and would have to either hurry and tire themselves out in the process, or take it slow and give their captors plenty of time to react. In either case, most of the Jedi population of Tython would be waiting at the top to recapture them.

Eventually, at what he'd estimated was approximately 15 stories deep, they came to a roughly-circular area with a half-dozen small natural chambers in the walls that had forcefield generators installed at their entrances. Inside one of them was a familiar blue-skinned Twi'lek sitting on the floor with her lekku curled up in front of her chest rubbing her hands up and down the thickest parts adjacent to her head. At the far end of the "circle", yet another ramp led even further down to who-knows-what-else.

"Welcome to the Hole." she said, sounding tired. "Three guesses how it got its name. Oh, and PLEASE tell me you brought me something for this headache." she pleaded as he approached the translucent 'wall' that barred her from leaving.

"I'm afraid not. But I did come with some news, both bad and good."

"Okay, I'll play. What's the bad news?"

"Well, first, Annie has been found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in stasis. It appears that there was a great deal of deliberation, but the vote was two-to-zero, with Master Yaya abstaining."

"Anya always was a good egg." Kari mused. "And the good news...?

"I've spoken to the Master Justice about your case, and--with your approval--she'll allow me to be your advocate and I'll be able to petition for your release."

"I'm not so sure that qualifies as good news, Mister gartro-smartro." she interjected. Then with a smile, she added, "You literally just got done telling me that you LOST your last case, so this doesn't necessarily inspire me with confidence."

"Well you certainly have the option to refuse my assistance if you so wish."

"Nah." she said dismissively. "Anyone else I'd have to pay to do it, but you work pro bono, right?." She turned to the Jedi Guard officer standing behind Zarvell and said, "You can tell Miss Needs-to-get-out-in-the-sunshine-more-often that I accept him--"

"Approve." Zarvell interrupted.

"What?"

"Approve is the proper term. 'Requirement of Approval' if you recall."

"Um . . . sure, okay." she said with an are-you-for-real? tone in her voice, and picked up where she left off. "...that I approve of Lord Zarvell here as my Advocate. So what comes next, Mister Advocate?"

"I won't be able to do anything until tomorrow at the earliest. Securing your release will require a directive from the High Council, and they have other business which must come first--not the least of which is the official promotion of Master Galadina to--"

Kari suddenly interrupted him with an outburst of moaning painfully at the sound of Galadina's name.

"Are you . . . all right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Fine." she snapped.

"I don't suppose you'd care to explain...?" he asked. The curiosity on his face was obvious.

"No." she responded curtly. "Yes." she added after another moment passed in silence. "After what that shutta did to Annie, I just want punch her in her smug little face right now-owwwwwwwww...." she started to say, but trailed off as a new round of headache pain hit her. She closed her eyes and resumed rubbing her lekku.

Zarvell quickly put together what was happening. "They used the Force to dissuade you from thinking violent thoughts toward Master Galadina, didn't they?" He observed her for another moment, then--with a raised eyebrow--added, "...and you're resisting it, aren't you?"

Kari just nodded her head and kept rubbing.

"While I'm mildly impressed that you are able to do such a thing, I'm at a loss for a reason why you'd want to."

"Annie taught me about it a long time ago--what it feels like and how to break it. It's not easy, but at least my people have a genetic advantage there." she said, pointing at her lekku. "As for why . . . it's good practice. Plus I've got nothing better to do with my time. Might as well spend it sticking it to the man while I'm here."

"Well then, carry on, I suppose. But do try to get some rest as well. We have much to discuss once you've been released."

"Yeah, like how when I see her I am SO gonna take my shotgun and blast her right in those stupid empty eye sock-OWWWWWwwwww...."

It had taken some time for Galadina to compose herself again, but when Master Annanya had arrived at the infirmary to escort her to meet with the High Council, Anya's timing was so perfect that Dina suspected her of waiting silently outside and cloaking her presence in the Force until the time was right.

Once the two of them entered the Council chamber, Master Satele Shan wasted no time getting down to business. "Galadina, Knight of the Jedi Order, you have demonstrated patience, compassion, wisdom, and a fierce devotion to the Jedi Code. In recognition of your accomplishments and leadership, you stand before the Jedi High Council this day with an offer of the rank of Master and an invitation to join us. Will you accept and become the Order's newest Jedi Master?"

"Of course I will." Dina responded. "I am honored . . . and humbled . . . that you consider me worthy."

"And, in turn, will you accept the appointment to the Jedi High Council, and lend your voice, your wisdom, and your experience to those who have accepted the solemn duty to lead the Jedi Order through all things, all times, all trials, and all for the protection of the Republic?"

"I will."

"Then kneel, and let all members present bear witness." Satele said, looking over to Masters Kinnan Sig-lapp and Gwyniss Jethos, who were present along with Masters Annanya Yaya, Bela Kiwiiks, Shol Bestros and Cedral Gend (who was in attendance via holo).

But not Zedemm. Dina thought, as she knelt down in front of Master Satele. She had expected, right up until his most recent visit, that he would be here too to share this moment and congratulate her for this honor. His absence tugged at her and the regret of it completely overshadowed any sense of accomplishment she might have otherwise felt.

"We are one voice, one order, bound together by the Force." Satele continued.

Master Kiwiiks spoke next. "Through her actions, this Jedi has proved worthy, before our order and the Force itself."

Master Bestros followed, saying, "We grant you the rank of Jedi Master and recognize you as a member of the High Council. Protect and guide both the Republic and the Jedi Order, as the Force guides you."

Satele completed the ceremony. "Rise, and may the Force be with you."

As Dina stood up again, Annanya smiled that warm, matronly smile she was known for. "Congratulations. It is a pleasure to welcome you as a fellow Master--AND the youngest member of the High Council in 477 years."

"Thank you." Dina responded. "I'll strive to always be worthy of this honor."

"Well then," Satele interjected, "you can begin right away. There is a very old tradition on the High Council that whenever a new Master is appointed, the Council will give great deference to your first act as a leader of the Jedi Order and see to it that it is carried out."

"Yes, Master Yaya did explain this to me ahead of time." Dina said.

"Good." Satele responded with a smile. "It's not a part of the tradition to put you on the spot, after all. Others before you have used the opportunity to set the tone and character of their leadership, right a wrong, or even begin something new for the Order. Now it is your turn."

"Thank you. I've given it quite a bit of thought, actually."

"So, Dear," Annanya asked, "how would you like to begin your journey as a Jedi Master?"

Dina paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "There are two things that I believe I should do right away. First, my recent actions in pursuit of justice have been . . . controversial, and while I do not regret those actions, they have caused pain to those involved. To begin healing those wounds, I would like to drop the charges against Captain Kariharra and release her immediately. I would also like to allow her and her father to escort Dianiss to Belsavis--with supervision, naturally--so that they can have the chance to say their good-byes."

"Mercy is something that we can all agree upon." Bella responded.

"But after that," Dina continued, "I will need to authorize and lead a return expedition to Malachor V. There is a great darkness swirling around us all, and growing . . . I'm sure many of you have begun to feel it already . . . a sense of impending doom throughout the Force. I'm convinced that it's the reason that Jedi Kendsel is in the infirmary right now, and that the key to stopping it is back on Malachor."

"There's no catch." Dina answered. "There WILL be a price to be paid to recover the prize, but as you said: this is your life's work we're talking about . . . and I'm pretty sure that the actual method was your idea in the first place. Do we have a deal?"

Kinnan was still a little confused, but his hesitation was brief. "I think we do."

"Good." she responded. "Then the first thing I'll need from you is some of your expertise with computers."

"Okay...." Kinnan's tone ran right down the middle between sounding like agreement and sounding like a question.

"I'll need you to create a program that I can load into the stasis chamber controllers that will allow the occupant inside to be awakened."

"But . . . that already exists. It's there so that the prisoner can be visited."

"Yes, but it requires access and approval from the warden, and it's designed to be only temporary. I want her to be awake the whole time she's inside. Can you do it?"

Kinnan was becoming nervous at the coldness with which Galadina had said that. The whole point of stasis was for the prisoner to be unconscious. It was considered extremely cruel to maintain someone in a state of alertness while simultaneously cut off from all forms of stimuli from the outside world. It was something the Sith were said to do to torture their victims into madness.

"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult." he said, thinking the problem through. "It could really just be a matter of connecting the visitation protocols to another empty chamber rather than the holo-communicator. Are you . . . really sure about this?"

"I told you: I have this connection to her. But what's going on right now needs to stop . . . and I'll do anything I have to to make that happen . . . including making her suffer."

Kinnan looked her over carefully and slowly went from merely nervous to almost horrified at the realization he came to. First it was her words and tone of voice. Then it was the sense of Dina's emotions in the Force that she made no apparent effort to hide or hold back. Finally, it was the subtle things like the calmness and evenness of her blood pressure and respiration that he could read with the enhanced senses that his ocular implants provided.

All of them were in agreement and telling him that she was being deadly serious.

Continue to Chapter 26 . . . .