Chapter 5: Dorin

“You are the first to visit here since the Dark Wars,” the Kel Dor guide said. The Jedi Academy on Dorin was now the home of the Baran Do Sages. Zev, Arlynn, HanK, Kael, and their twi’lek pilot Filly followed him through an almost exact replica of the Jedi Temple. It was amazing, with tall columns and many rooms off the main hall for various training sessions. The primary difference between this hall and the Temple were the beautiful murals on the ceilings, walls, and floors.

“Who painted all these murals?” Filly asked. They depicted various figures throughout the past and future of the Jedi Order. Some of the faces were familiar, like Ulic Qel Droma and Exar Kun, and others like the strange Dark Lord made of black metal.

“Most of us have the sight, but it manifests itself in different ways,” he explained. “With this gift comes others, such as artistic ability.”

“They are amazing,” said Arlynn, soaking in all the visions. There were more of great storms and Kel Dor historical figures. The tour was like a visual history of the Sages.

“I believe you will be most interested to meet one of our artists,” the guide told them, bringing them to a room full of carvings, busts, and more painted depictions. However these were more familiar.

“Filly, that’s you!” Arlynn exclaimed rushing over one of the statues. It was a perfect image, right down to her pistols ‘Honey’ and ‘Baby’.

“I look good,” she cooed. “I need to meet this guy.”

“Me too,” Kael responded. He was still wearing his Mandalorian armor including the helmet to filter out the helium gas of the Dorin atmosphere. The others in the group were wearing personal gas masks.

They walked slowly around the room and took in all the artwork. The pieces had been brought to this room specifically from around the temple and the artist’s personal collection. There were depictions of them all including their allies that were currently on Kashyyyk… Jakk, Ishhkalwarr, Shan, and Asheemi. While they observed the pieces, the artist entered. Since none of them were familiar with the subtle difference between them, the two Kel Dor could have been twins.

“I am Koth Drii,” he said in Basic. The voice was smooth and comfortable. “I am the artist.”

“Love your work,” Filly said.

“Thank you, Bene,” he replied.

“What?”

“As we have not had the pleasure to meet until now, I have given my artwork names based on their, your, auras,” he explained. “It is that aura with which I address you now.”

“I assume ‘bene’ means ‘beautiful’?” she said smiling. “It means the Feint,” he explained. Kael laughed under his breath. The Kel Dor was the first one who put Filly in her place, and he didn’t even mean to.

“I am Zeven Thanas,” Zev introduced, “you can call me Zev.”

“Yali,” Koth replied. The other Sage nodded. “And Sayyadina,” he said in Arlynn’s direction.

“Arlynn,” she corrected politely. She was sure this wasn’t a negative term, but she liked being called by her name. Often the jedi referred to her as ‘padawan’ and Filly called her ‘sticky buns’. Being called Arlynn reminded her of her mother.

“Arlynn,” he said back.

“How long have you been having these visions?” Zev asked.

“I sculpted this at least ten years ago,” he said referring to the statue of Filly.

“Wow, I just got Baby two years ago,” Filly said referring to her heavily modified hold‐out . She still hadn’t fully grasped the way allowed the Sages to see the future. Even Zev and Arlynn, who had limited visions themselves, didn’t understand the clarity they were looking at in these depictions.

“This is all very fascinating,” Zev responded, “but unfortunately we are here for a more dire purpose. The believe this Temple holds an access point to the Jedi Archives. They are seeking information held within. We believe they will be attacking in force, and doing so soon.”

“Yes,” the Sage agreed.

“Will we win?” Kael asked rhetorically.

“The future is in motion. It changes with our actions,” Koth replied, “but you will bring a great storm.”

“Cool,” Kael replied.

The battle in the canyons went as expected. Although some of them were a little worse for wear, most of the team held their own against twice their number in Sith Troopers. Returning to the temple was the part none of them saw coming. The Sith Lord, Darth Chimera, was waiting for them. He hadn’t had time to execute many of the Sages, but they were securely locked away to keep from helping. The jedi and their allies fought feverishly against the dark jedi and his minions; armored Sith warriors attacked with , although their lack of sensitivity to the Force kept them from being truly effective.

Darth Chimera was a well‐known fallen jedi. He was a Chiss, a being from a frozen planet in the Outer Rim. It was thought he was killed by the Triumvirate during the Dark Wars. While he served the Order, he was a talented dual wielder and strategist. His loss was a great blow to the Order and might have helped turn the tide in the Jedi Civil War. Now they faced him as an enemy. With his strength enhanced by the Dark Side, Darth Chimera was going to be a difficult opponent.

The Sith ran into the action, slashing at Zev and Koth with each blade. Zev tried to parry the blow but missed and was seared by the weapon. Koth saw the attack the same as he saw it during his morning meditation, and dodged the blow easily. Zev was growing in skill with his own second blade, but he still had difficulty concentrating when trying to move and attack at the same time. Since Chimera had made the mistake of getting too close, he didn’t have to. Zev counterattacked with both blades simultaneously, landing both hits against Chimera’s blades. He was forced to his knees and twin bolts burned through his collarbone. Filly stood on the other side of the smoking blaster, smiling. A blink later, Chimera was on the ground with a hole in his chest, and it was Kael that was smiling.

“Body count,” Zev said loudly. He knew no one had been seriously injured.

“Here master,” Arlynn replied. She had already check out everyone visually to make sure no one needed attention.

“Acknowledgement!” HanK responded.

“In one fine piece,” Filly chimed in.

“Ditto,” Kael announced.

“Amazing,” Koth said, “to see you in action was better than in my dreams.”

“That’s what ‘he’ said,” Filly chirped. Arlynn had to suppress a giggle.

“Clarification: Are you referring to your Mandalorian lover or to the master who often dreams vigorously?”

“WHAT!” Filly exclaimed. “Zev, I had no idea…”

“It’s not what he means,” Zev clarified, “but I’m glad you are all in a light mood. Koth, where would they have imprisoned your brothers?” “I will release them,” Koth said with his eyes closed. It was his priority as well and he was looking for them through the Force.

“I hope he can teach me how to do that,” Arlynn said. Zev felt a familiar pang of shortcoming as a teacher.

Once all the Sages were freed, they thanked the jedi for their intervention. The assassinations of the Kel Dor knights during the Dark Wars had made the Sages suspicious that the affiliation with the jedi brought death to their planet. With this latest assault from a rogue dark jedi, it was clear that the Sith did not discriminate.

“What will happen to you, Koth?” Arlynn asked. “Will you stay here and continue your art?”

“Actually, Arlynn,” he said, using her name as she had requested, “I plan to come with you.”

“The Order could use the help,” Zev agreed. “Is this permitted by the Baran Do?”

“We do not limit the actions of our members,” the leader told him. “Koth is an important member of our circle. He is highly skilled, but learning the higher arts of the Jedi will strengthen our brotherhood. If you would permit it, we would as well.”

The jedi gathered around the Darkhorse Courier’s encrypted communicator. After explaining the situation on Dorin, Atris agreed that Koth should be invited to join them with full rights to the Order.

“There is another issue we wished to discuss with you,” she continued. “Arlynn, step forward.”

Arlynn usually stood back away from the screen in case Filly or Kael needed to chime into the conversation. Atris intimidated her, and she preferred to listen and not speak. She obeyed the white‐ haired jedi master and put her face nearer to the viewscreen.

“You have become very powerful, Arlynn,” she said. “Visas has felt your power grow, and everything Zev has reported back exceeds our expectations. As with your master, defeating a Dark Lord is a task reserved for Jedi Knights. Thanks to your participation in the defeat of now three denizens of the Dark Side, it is my pleasure to promote you to Jedi Knight.”

“Ha!” laughed Filly out loud. “Go girl!”

Arlynn was shocked. She just assumed that it would be years before she was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight. With the exception of , it took all of the contemporary jedi years and years to prove themselves. Arlynn had been with the Order less than a full year now, and already she was being promoted?

“I don’t want to question this too much,” Arlynn began, “but I thought there would be a great trial?”

“The Jedi Trials include three primary parts,” Atris clarified, “the , the Jedi Code, and the Final Test. You have accomplished all three to my satisfaction Arlynn. You are the most gifted padawan I’ve seen since Bastila Shan. We lack a proper master for you that can unlock your tremendous abilities. Instead you must now look inward. A Jedi Knight stays open to instruction, but must primarily draw from the Force itself to continue to improve. It is a very personal and individual experience, and one that you need to pursue immediately. There has been no clerical error… you are now a full Jedi Knight.”

Arlynn beamed, as did her master. His padawan was now a knight, just like he had officially become just months before. His ascension was different; it was a culmination of years of study, confirmed in the eyes of the Council. Arlynn had started from nothing, not even an awareness of where her power emanated from, and was now his equal in rank. She looked at him, and then fell into his arms in a large hug. Even though the jedi normally didn’t approve of such familial attachments, no one objected to her spontaneous show of emotion.

“Great work, Arlynn,” Zev whispered to her.

“Thank you, master,” Arlynn said back happily.

“Now you have to call me Zev,” he reminded her. She pulled back and looked at him.

“Not ever, master.”

Koth Drii watched through the pristine screen of the Darkhorse Courier as the only world he’d ever set foot on grew smaller. He had seen this moment before, but visions were paled in comparison to experiences. The ship’s twi’lek owner, Filly, piloted the ship with ease past orbit into the space lane to plot their course through hyperspace. The course was set for Coruscant, so Koth could be tested by the Jedi, and accepted into their ranks. They longed to reunite with their friends and meet their other newest ally, a who had trained himself in the jedi arts.

Filly swiveled her chair to get a better look at him. He didn’t stand in the cockpit, but at its threshold. His hands were in front of him, enveloped in the sleeves of his robe, and likely clasped as well. She watched him for another half minute. As good as she was at reading people, she could glean nothing from his demeanor. His eyes were now covered with opaque goggles and his hideous nose and mouth cavity area were covered by a breathing apparatus. Whatever signals his species gave off, she was not tuned into. It would be much easier if he had head‐tails.

Finally, she spoke up. “Leaving home for the first time isn’t easy” she said, faking nostalgia about leaving Ryloth. Her life there hadn’t been pleasant, but she left the planet a teenage slave. She wasn’t violently mistreated, but what she was made to do was not of her free will.

“Parting with friends and family is a sadness” he began, his voice oddly not sounding much different through the breath mask, “but a place is only a place, even if it is home.”

“Isn’t home is where the heart is” chirped Arlynn before quickly closing her mouth as tight as she could. She stood behind the Kel Dor and next to her mentor and until very recently, her master, Zeven. She ducked her head a little when everyone moved their heads to look at her.

“Indeed, Saaydina…, Jedi Arlynn” he said, looking down at her. He waited until she looked up at him before returning his gaze to the view screen. “I said goodbye to Dorin long ago. I am prepared to appreciate what I meet.”

Koth turned from the stellar scenery and nodded at Zev. The handsome Jedi nodded back and led him to where they would be seated for entry into hyperspace. As he passed by her, he gently nudged Arlynn and winked at the newly christened Jedi Knight. She smiled at his approval. He constantly told her to be more assertive; that she would not always be a padawan learner and regardless of her own misgivings about herself, others would view her as an authority. Koth’s power radiated from him and was easy to sense through the Force, but in terms of galactic knowledge, she was the wiser.

“Boy,” sighed Filly, “must be easier to not sweat the trouble you guys get into if you know the outcome already. Do me a favor, clue me in before I get caught in some scrubs autofire range next time. Thanks!” It didn’t take the Force to detect her sarcasm as she turned back to face her console. Her Mandalorian beau and co‐pilot smiled and nodded as she waited for her passengers to secure themselves. When she had the all clear, she hit a few buttons and the stars transformed stars into lines.

Kyybecca was the picture of strength. He stood two and a quarter meters tall and was covered in rich, brown fur. Unlike other , he dressed in a long robe, slightly more drab brown than his fur. His lightsaber hung at his side still, and calm. He yowled a long, slow acknowledgement to his opponent. The two stood ten meters apart, polar opposites. Asheemi looked like a rodent about to be mauled by a horned kath hound. Her bright red skin was hardly covered by cloth strips and her features were highlighted by cream‐colored birthmarks, enhanced by identically matched war paint. Her small, black eyes dotted the circles on her face. They were wide with anticipation at the indication to start. She stretched out her fingers until her knuckles ached, then relaxed. She then touched her sharpened fingernails against the print of her thumb in rapid succession.

Their Cathar instructor stood in the viewing booth above the gladiator ring. Each of the combatants watched each other closely, hands at their sides, and muscles tense.

“Begin,” Shan called over the intercom.

Their practice lightsabers extended. The training weapons were based on the same technology as a shockstick. It wouldn’t do any permanent damage, but they were similar enough to a true lightsaber to work on proper form. Kyy rolled back his shoulders and screamed. His vocal chords exhilarated his entire being. Blood and adrenaline rushed into his shoulders, biceps, chest, thighs, and legs. He crouched slightly and then charged the smaller jedi. She held her weapon underhanded behind her as she would her self‐made lightsaber. She stood her ground with no fear.

Asheemi mostly practiced against more experienced knights because her racial gifts made her a more formidable opponent in a melee fight. Arlynn and Yulaaz mostly fought the droids Zev and Bao‐Dur programmed for younglings. The wookiee thundered across the floor two steps and was almost upon her. She sprinted forward a step into his charge. As he swung at her, she executed a cartwheel past him. He attacked again; two strikes that came at her faster than Shan or Zev ever did. She dodged one of the attacks and was caught off balance by the second one. The shock burned through a cream line of body paint on her shoulder blade and turned it black.

As Asheemi felt the contact, she immediately broke it and slid to the ground in a split. The wookiee nearly tripped on her and had to stop his assault to catch his balance. She slid between his large legs and tumbled backwards back to her feet. Her agility reminded him of the katarn mothers who fought tooth and nail to defend her young. He swung his blade under control to force her back to the ground, but she dodged the blow by performing a backbend and then straightened up to swat him with her own training saber. The larger jedi hardly noticed the pain the hit inflicted.

The Togruta reconsidered her attack. This creature was used to striking once and forcing submission. She would need to tire him out. She concentrated on the Force, calling upon it to dull the pain she knew was coming. He swung again and instead of dodging the blow, she extended her left forearm to meet it. The shock cracked loudly in the air and her arm blacked with the direct hit. Surprised by her boldness, he didn’t flinch when she whipped her own blade forward and it cracked against Kyy’s shoulder. The bolt of electricity passed through the cloth and his fur and burned his skin. He swung at her again, but this her montrals flattened as she ducked the blow. He whipped the saber back to catch her in recovery, but again she was not there. She was behind him and struck him along the spine to deliver another shock.

“Enough,” the Jedi Knight declared.

Kyybecca was wild‐eyed and reared back to strike, but he stopped. She was holding her practice saber in a defensive position, ready to parry the blow. He pulled back and calmed himself, returning to the peaceful being he had been since joining the Order. Asheemi stood with her guard down and practice saber at her side. She blinked wide‐eyed at him, signaling that she did not threaten him. He acknowledged her with a bowl and a low howl.

“Asheemi, why did you allow him a second hit when the contest was to three?” Shan asked.

“He did not expect it, master,” she responded. “I thought standing up to his frontal assault would make him less able to predict my movements.”

“It did that,” Kyybecca responded in his native language. “I lost my focus and could not finish the fight.”

She smiled, understanding just enough to know that he was impressed with her. She admired the physicality of the wookiee and that he was completely self‐taught with a lightsaber. But, she also dared not fear any enemy, because that could cause someone close to her to be hurt.

“Congratulations Asheemi, you are the victor,” Shan confirmed.

Clad back in her robes, Asheemi walked down the long hallway at her master’s side. The long claws on her master’s feet clicked against the tile floor. Asheemi, barefoot, padded alongside silently. Shan was dressed in similar robes and a tunic, looking like most of the other jedi wandering through the Temple on Coruscant. Asheemi still wore her traditional hunting straps under her robes, but it was closed tightly to cover her unconventional trappings.

“What do you think of Kyybecca?” he asked her.

“He is strong and capable, and I’m amazed that he can control his rage,” she responded excitedly. She didn’t think that she would be allowed to spar with him, and she was even more proud that she won.

“He is to be made a Jedi Knight,” Shan told her. Learning the Jedi Code was difficult for him because of the language barrier, but Kal and Filly spent time helping him speak it. The meaning of the Code, however, was intuitive. Shan guided him through building his lightsaber, and his innate wookiee understanding of mechanics helped him excel at this test as well. All that was left was for Atris to hear his tales of spending fifty years protecting his kinsman without their knowledge or reward. His display of selflessness and ability was all she needed to recognize he had all the training he would need.

“That is wonderful, master,” she said with a wide smile. She was quite fond of Kyybecca since traveling from Kashyyyk with him on the Rhoba Steak Express. She and the two wookiees spent a lot of time together in the cargo hold while Kal taught them to distract them from the noises Jakk’s ship made in hyperspace. Gambling was much healthier than worrying about coming too close to a supernova.

“You think he is deserving then?” he asked.

“Oh yes, he is a powerful warrior,” she responded, imagining their battle with the terentatek and her sparring matches with him afterwards.

“Hmmm,” he said back solemnly. “While on Dorin, Arlynn and Zev faced another Ssssith.”

“They survived?” she asked, concerned. She hadn’t felt their passing through the Force, but she had also not lost anyone close enough to her to know if she could.

“Yesss, with minimal injuries,” he confirmed. “Filly and Kael helped them with another. A Baran Do ssssage who will be joining our efforts.”

“Am I to learn about the sages?” she asked, trying to get to the lesson. It was not easy for her to wait on her master to get to the point.

“Arlynn has been made a Jedi Knight,” he told her, carefully reaching out to touch her emotions. He didn’t want her to shield her thoughts.

“She defeated the Sith?” she asked.

“No, the Mandalorian took the final shot,” Shan explained.

“She attacked him directly?” she continued.

“Along with the otherssss,” Shan confirmed.

“Will she now lead the pack?” Asheemi asked. Her manner was getting agitated.

“Would it bother you if she did?” he asked, leading her.

“Yes,” she answered honestly. “We have received the same training, but not the same opportunity. I excel at the lightsaber, but if I realized I should be concentrating on moving through the Force, I would have trained harder at that. Why am I being trained on what is not important?”

“Do you ssssee me or Zev use the Force to move things as Arlynn and Yulaaz do?” Shan asked.

“No,” she answered.

“But you resssspect our leadership?” he continued.

“You have always led the pack,” she said, continuing to get frustrated with his lack of direct language. He was avoiding the point deliberately.

“And you wish to?” “Yes,” Asheemi declared, “it is my destiny to lead. If not here, then back on Shili. I was a better hunter than most of the females, and I am better than Arlynn. She could not survive the Shadowlands, or even Shili. Why am I here if not to lead?”

“Must you lead to be effective?” Shan asked.

“No,” she admitted. She had learned to fight better with her jedi pack than with any hunters on her home world.

“Being the best doesn’t make you a leader,” Shan lectured. “And leading any pack is not better than leading your pack. You are correct Asheemi; you will lead a pack, maybe thissss pack, but not now. Arlynn has surpasssssed you because of her calm, her focus. It is not the techniques that she has massssstered are of more value. You are not always calm, and you are not fully focused. As in your fight with Kyybecca, you show exxxxtreme promise, but that promise is unfilled.”

“I know this master,” she said, “but I am trying.”

“Trying is good,” he replied. “Trying is what we expect from a padawan.”

“When will I be ready?” she asked emphatically.

“It will not be up to you or me,” Shan said, “sssso put it out of your mind. What do you want to do?”

“I want to learn from Kyybecca, and Zev, and Asheemi to be like them,” she told him. “And you master. Being around those with ability invigorates me.”

“I know,” he told her. “Listen to this desire. Observe and absorb their teachings and make them your own where you can. Your time is close; you have learned all that you can through study. Live like a Jedi Knight, and you will become a Jedi Knight.”

She pondered this for a moment, and set aside her jealousy. It snuffed like a candle flame. She loved Arlynn like a sister and was never mad at her. She was happy for her success, but angry at her own shortcomings. She could have had the same conversation with herself in meditation, and was ashamed she hadn’t. It was obvious to her now that she wasn’t ready. She calmed herself, breathing in and out, and reached out for the Force. Her impatience for status was gone, and she again was filled with wonder and excitement for her journey.

“Very good, Asheemi,” Shan said, using her name so she would know he was pleased. He reached out and rubbed her montrals softly and she rubbed back against his large paw. Cathar cubs needed physical affirmation, and Asheemi reacted to it as well.

“Thank you, master,” she said. “Will Arlynn be back soon? I want to congratulate her!”

“I know you do,” Shan replied smiling, “and yes, they will return to the temple tomorrow.”

The padawan cocked an eyebrow. “Do you want to spar, master?” she challenged.

Yulaaz shed his robe and tunic and removed his lightsaber. He placed both in the waterproof locker next to the pressure door. He waved a hand at his mentor, Shasa, who activated the valve. The chamber filled with water until Yulaaz was submerged in frigid water. His skin tightened and the layer of fat cells under his epidermis merged into a protective shield for his internal organs. He blinked several times until another thin membrane covered his eyes. The Selkath spent so much time on the surface that it took a few moments for his body to remember life at the depth. Once he was comfortable with his environment, he spun the wheel on the pressure door and pushed it open.

The swim to the Rift was not far, but the extreme pressure from the depth made the path difficult. Great, sleek firaxan sharks cut through the thick water with ease. As large as they were, they moved with amazing agility at this depth. Two took an interest in the strange intruder to their hunting territory and swam closer. Yulaaz noticed them and stretched out to the animals. In their minds, they saw another firaxan, larger and more threatening than themselves. Both swam away, deciding to yield their territory to this more deserving predator. The Selkath continued on undisturbed.

The kilometers of water above him blacked out any natural light from the prime star of Manaan’s system, but as he approached the Hrakert Rift, the glow of the kolto within lit up the sea around him. He took in the area around him, watchful for more predators, but then saw something he never expected. A shark, ten times the size of the previous two, approached him. Instead of sleek and black, it was bulky and orange in color. It gazed on him with no eyes, feeling him through the energy in the water…, and through the Force. He communed with the beast, the Life Giver of his species. It swelled with the Force, binding all of Manaan to its will.

“Progenitor,” he asked through his mind, “what do you wish for me?”

He felt it read him and then he sensed its approval of him. It willed him to continue on his path.

He swam to the wreckage of the harvester vents. Master destroyed the vents to save the Progenitor, almost sacrificing the Republic’s access to kolto at the same time. The beast was grateful, and Yulaaz watched it happen again through his communion with the beast. As he lifted pieces of metal looking for one to craft, the silt that had settled on it for decades slid off. He searched until he found a shard as long and as wide as his arm. He pulled it free and swam to the Star Map. It was still extended, showing the other locations of the Star Maps and the final resting place of the Star Forge. It radiated with the Force, and the Progenitor was wary of it. He approached the technological beacon of the Force, as he was instructed to by Shasa. As he neared, the shard began to feel hot in his grip.

He settled on the ground near the Star Map and began to attune the shard. He gripped it tightly with both hands and focused on the piece of metal in his flippers. He felt his power flow into the shard, and it returned to him amplified. He gripped it so tight that a jagged piece cut into his hand, releasing a puff of blood into the water. The firaxans wandered back toward the Rift, attracted to the smell of the Selkath’s wound. Yulaaz didn’t react; he just continued to focus on the shard, trying to complete the ritual before he was attacked. The sharks circled him and came at him from both sides. The sharks’ hostility flashed through the jedi’s mind and he bellowed into the water around him. A blast of force radiated from him and crushed the gills of his attackers. They floated quietly upside down, peaceful in their passing. The ritual was complete; the blade was his.

He gripped his new weapon and swam back to the makeshift temple built from the station. He again searched out the Progenitor, but it was gone. He reached the pressure door and re‐entered the building. As it drained, his skin relaxed and the protective film on his eyes tucked back into his lids. He removed his robes and lightsaber from the locker. The inner door opened and Shasa walked in proudly.

“Congratulations, apprentice,” she said proudly, taking the shard and feeling its power. “You have completed the Trial of the Rift. Through death, you will protect life.”

“The Life Giver approves,” Yulaaz exclaimed happily. “She communicated with me in the Rift.”

“The Progenitor no longer lives in the Rift,” Shasa corrected. “She has not come near for many decades.”

“But I saw her, master,” Yulaaz corrected.

“You probably saw a vision, it is not uncommon,” she said impatiently. “The Life Giver has much more important duties than to watch over the Order.”

“But,” he interrupted, not doubting himself.

“Do not argue, apprentice,” she corrected angrily. “But knowing that the Progenitor approves of your ascension comforts me. Since the days we trained on the Sith base, I never doubted you would become my apprentice.”

“Yes, but I wish Galas could be here,” Yulaaz said, allowing himself a moment of sorrow for the fallen.

Shalas’ face turned hard. “There is no death, there is he Force,” she said. “You will learn that the strong survive and the dead empower the living. I am glad your time with the jedi allowed you to grow your power. You will be a vital member of the Order of Shasa…, a vital part of what is to come.”

“Thank you, master,” he said with a bow.

“Come,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, guiding him to the council chamber. A small audience awaited them both.

As they walked through the inner door, there were dozens of Selkath trainees sparring, practicing their telekinetics, and studying pyramidal holocrons. Yulaaz had been amazed that Shasa had replaced the fallen three‐fold in just a few months. These trainees were from unfamiliar families, but stronger than any of his previous classmates. When they entered the chamber, a human woman in pitch black robes approached the two of them and removed her hood. Once she was full of youth and beauty, but the years had taken it away. Her hair was layered with gray, matching her skin tone.

“May I present Yulaaz, Knight of Manaan, my master,” Shasa said, handing the metal shard to the woman. She examined the blade, then the Selkath with yellow tinted eyes…, and smiled.