Kneeling in the main command center of the Zakuul Main Battleship, Arcann the ‘white’ prince of the Zakuul Empire felt the awakening. It had been 4 days, he and his brother, the ‘dark’ prince had chosen to chase the remnants of the ‘Coalition’ fleet to the Dagobah system. More at Arcann’s behest than anything. Arriving in the system they found it empty, all traces of the ‘Coalition’ fleet gone. In his anger Arcann chose his brother’s way of dealing with things, taking a spot in a quiet area to meditate on the events of the past week. It had been an illuminating experience as his mind passed in and out of the Force. The all-knowing, all Seeing Eye of power that allowed him to browse and peruse the lines of time, searching for the one thing he was so interested in finding.
His head came up quickly as his eyes snapped open. This was going to end quickly for the small but lethal band they encountered. Doing a meditation session was unlike him, he left that to his brother the ‘dark’ prince, but his encounter with the Sith and the Jedi on Tantra changed him. That strange power, the one used on him by the large Mirialan made him reconsider his use of the Force. In feeling her awaken, he felt the craving in him awaken as well. It was like a hunger pain, but at the very core of his being.
The darkened room lit to the light from the sliding door as it opened, his brother the ‘dark’ prince smiling at his brother and his meditations.
“You feel better now? I told you…it has its uses.”
Arcann stood, turning slowly. What he seen was enlightening. It was time to bring the justice of the Zakuul to this galaxy and he knew much sacrifice would have to be made before that happened. Though he and his brother had been given their orders, it was the Core World as their objective; he felt her presence awaken in another part of the galaxy and he was hungry for more. Arcann craved the power, he felt it from her. The need to have it again, to experience what she could show him drove at his core. It did not matter to him that her time was running out, he had seen it. She would be finished before the conquest of this galaxy was even complete. Looking at his brother he cracked a smile.
“Yes, you were right. Illuminating…and I now have a clearer picture. We need to make a course correction….”
Kuat – Combined Forces Shipyards – Republic Flagship ‘Honor’
The fleet hadn’t left the safety of the Kuat Drive Yards. Since the ‘Coalition’s’ arrival, much had happened. The Sith Empire was under a ‘stand-down’ order concerning the Republic, though in their humiliation, the message was sent via written message to the Supreme Chancellor, with Darth Marr’s personal seal affixed to it. Jace handed the message over to RT as he smiled sitting back down across from him, the smirk was unmistakable as he looked at his friend.
“You will of course be given the rank commiserate with your new position RT, I can’t have you out here commanding forces as a Major…” RT was quick to stop him, if it had been anyone else RT would have snapped at them, but this was Jace. They had chewed way too much ground together. He was quick to jump at those words however, raising a hand and waiving him off.
“Oh no….I resigned. I meant it. You put whoever you want in command. I don’t want anything to do with that, besides…this IS a ‘Coalition’ mission. You want to place anyone in charge, you talk to my sister. This whole thing was started by Mrysti, not me.”
Jace frowned pursing his lips as he leaned back in the chair, “No way. You think the Supreme Chancellor was agitated when we spoke earlier, just think how that would go over…” He put on a mocking voice at RT, “…’Excuse me Madam Chancellor, but we are just going to hand the entirety of our Navy over to this Sith Lord, oh and by the way, lets just forget that a month ago she was a wanted criminal and the face on the ‘Prime’ card of a Sabbacc Deck’….” Jace of course referred to the Republic’s use of faces of the Empire’s most deadly adversaries on a deck of Sabbacc cards. They issued the cards to the Republic Military throughout the galaxy in an effort to get the Soldiers to ‘know their enemy’. They were going to play Sabbacc anyway, they might as well do some training at the same time. RT laughed, but at the same time he was serious. This had to be dealt with, there was no time for dalliances anymore.
“Jace, this could go on forever…we don’t know what the Zakuul want or where they are headed. Three fronts, all opened. I want to go to each, but I can’t be in three places at one time.”
At the earlier conversation, RT had been mostly silent allowing the Supreme Chancellor to do her ‘politician’s thing’ Gladhanding, thanking everyone for their service and roughly outlining what she wanted to happen. But everyone in the room knew that the real planning was going to happen after she left. Politicians had no idea what the military did, they never understood. So as the room cleared leaving Jace and RT alone, most everyone in the fleet stood with baited breath waiting to see what came out of the room. It helped that both men were friends and had served with one another, but Jace was going to do his duty to the Republic, friend or not. RT had to convince him that it wasn’t just the Republic’s problem anymore and he would have to do it again once the Sith delegation arrived. RT hoped beyond hope that his sister would be awake by the time that happened.
This was the bartering time, the give and take between Jace and RT as they decided what was and was not going to be deployed and to where. One fleet had already departed with Marstel, it was the least Jace could do under the circumstances. That third front that opened that the rest of the galaxy did not yet know about had to be contained. There was little convincing of the need for it to be done as Marstel and the 7th fleet of the Republic Navy departed for the Moddell Sector. RT laughed at that when he left. ‘The 7th fleet, Karolin would have a Nerf if she knew Marstel was in Command of her old fleet…’.
“RT, I understand what you want…I get it. But understand this and you will get this same response from the Sith, we and they are going to protect the assets we have. Planets outside our Empire’s are on their own…Hutts, non-aligned systems…all of it. I have my orders, when I return to Coruscant that’s where I will be and the bulk of our forces withdrawn to the Core Worlds….that’s how it is old buddy, I’m sorry.”
Making a face like he smelled something foul, RT tapped the conference table looking off. He figured that response, but he had to try. Still there was the Sith and they had not yet arrived, “Jace…at the very least re-enforce the ‘Coalition’ fleet. I will go out to Abrion myself. That was the original plan anyway. You go re-enforce the Mid Rim and the Core, I will try to convince the Sith to do the sam—“ Jace smiled as RT spoke, his eyebrow coming up, “—what? What’s so funny?”
“Good luck with that, word has it Darth Marr himself is coming here. And he WILL NOT want to talk to you…if you get my drift.” Jace got up straightening his uniform. RT knew exactly what he meant, Marr would want to deal directly with Mrysti, “But…it's done. You will get the re-enforcement to the ‘Coalition’ fleet. Leave for Abrion as soon as possible….” Jace looked down shyly, here he was ordering RT about as he had over the course of the past 20 years. When they met RT was but a Corporal and Jace a low ranking Captain. That was gone now and he knew it, his eyes said ‘sorry’, but he didn’t voice it, “Sure, you won’t change your mind about that Commission? ‘Admiral RT’ or ‘General RT’ sounds awful good…” He smiled waiting on the answer as RT rose to join him already moving toward the door.
“No Jace…I am not going out like that. I am just plain ‘ol RT. You give me a good Commander, I will make it happen…”
--
That prickling touched her mind, it seemed to make her image of the galaxy spin as it zoned in and zoomed in on the location of the touch. Arcann felt her, knew where she was. It had been almost four days of coming in and out of consciousness. How did the ‘boy’ manage that? To use the Force with the power of a Seasoned Master? Suddenly her eyes opened in the Kolto Solution as she tried to look through the green haze and out of the glass. Arcann was coming, he was coming to Kuat and he was coming for her.
Ripping at the mask on her face, Mrysti kicked against the glass of the tank. The Doctors and technicians in the room jumped at the sound looking at the thrashing Mirialan in the tank. The mask already floating freely, she closed her eyes a moment and harnessed her power as she launched another foot at the glass of the Kolto Tank. The Doctor’s got the message as one of them keyed the intercom for ship board communication.
<“Alert in the Med-bay….Alert in the Med-bay…will the ‘Coalition’ Commander please come to the Med-bay…STAT.”>
Tython
Satele climbed the embankment looking around. Isolated as Karolin had kept herself the past couple of days, the Grandmaster was dismayed to hear from Karolin’s mentor that she had went into seclusion, claiming to be pursuing a pilgrimage to an ancient temple somewhere on Tython. Knowing Karolin the way she did, but also stopping by her room to look, Satele knew that was most likely not true. So Satele climbed the high embankment to get to that spot she knew Karolin would most likely be. As she crested the top, she was rewarded to see the lithe Mirialan sitting and watching the waterfall. Her smile faded however as she approached, the scattering of liquor bottles and other assorted things Karolin liked to get into lying around her.
There was no chastising as Satele sat and looked out at the waterfall next to Karolin, both women staying silent for a long time.
“I suppose I should say something like, ‘This is unacceptable’ or ‘You will never find what you are looking for if you keep this up’…” Satele put her arm around Karolin, “…none of that means anything when it comes to your children. I know a little of what you’re going through…”
Karolin didn’t react to the arm around her, keeping her eyes fixed on the ever moving waters of the falls. Her eyes were glassy from tears and from the near half a dozen bottles of liquor she consumed, not all at once but over the course of the past three days. Satele may have know a little of what she was going through, but she didn’t have Karolin’s visions. And knowing what she knew about the future, by letting her Son go she may have also sealed his fate. Finally, Karolin turned a little giving Satele a sideways glance.
“Have a lot of Son’s willing to die for you these days?” Karolin half-smiled as Satele dropped the arm looking the direction her Mirialan Jedi was watching.
“Not exactly…” Satele looked down smiling weakly, “My Son and I are not on the best terms…he is more like his father like that….” Karolin now watched her fully. Satele was revealing something she didn’t want to talk about and Karolin was not going to force the issue.
“So I suppose I should prepare myself for some sort of punishment…I mean having the Damn Grandmaster of the Jedi find you surrounded by this….” Karolin laughed to herself as she gestured to the bottles, “…honestly, Satele…I can’t wait to be finished here. I need to get out there and be useful.”
Standing and brushing herself off, Satele was relived Karolin placed the focus on something else. She looked down non-chalantly still rubbing the dirt off her tunic, “Then why aren’t you?”
“What? Finished?...I don’t know, I guess I am still waiting for something….”
Moving back the way she came, Satele started down the path, but stopped looking back at the still sitting Karolin before continuing onward. “If you are waiting for something…some kind of grand sign or a lightning bolt to hit you…you know as well as I do, the Force doesn’t work like that. If you are waiting for me to tell you, ‘Karolin…it’s time for you to go, you’re done…’ You will be waiting a long time, I am never going to say that…”
Karolin stood still a little woozy from the amount of booze she drank, but dusted herself off as well looking at her Master. There was a question, but Karolin just shook her head. She knew what Satele was saying, she knew that the Grandmaster was right. But, there had to be something else, why did she not feel right about it yet.
Satele moved back toward Karolin and stood over the smaller woman. Taking a finger she placed it in her chest and smiled.
“What am I doing, right at this moment…what am I doing?”
Karolin looked at the finger, she hated the Jedi way of getting something across to someone; all of the riddles and innuendo. The constant self-discovery, it got old after a while. Sighing exasperatedly, Karolin slumped and answered annoyingly, “You’re pointing your finger at me…what?!?! I don’t know…”
Still smiling, Satele kept the finger up on her friend’s chest, “I am pointing at the only Master in the world that can tell Master Karolin Alpha that she is done.” As she lowered the finger, she opened her eyes a bit wider, “You. You were ready to leave the moment you got here, not in spirit, but in power. You are not here because you can’t do it Karolin…you’re here because YOU don’t believe you can. And the moment that Master Karolin Alpha decides that she can, then our journey together has come to an end….” Satele reached forward and hugged Karolin, “That first moment I met you…back on Coruscant, till you became my adjutant…everything we have been through together one thing has remained constant…” As Satele pulled away, as she looked as Karolin with a sad smile, “…I knew someday we would come to our end. I wish you luck, my friend….no matter what happens….”
Karolin watched Satele leave and stood watching the leaves blow across the path long after Satele's shadow retreated down the side of the mountain. Taking a deep breath, she held it a moment the Force already working to burn the booze out her system. Her face twisted in a sneer as she reached out with a hand grasping the water in the fall and twisting it above her. Karolin screamed in fury as she twisted and shaped the water moving it about her in a snake like fashion. When she was sure she had control of that element and thoroughly under her control she launched a hand down toward the ground at her feet. It began to rumble slightly as she launched a pillar of the dirt and rock into the air to join it's brother water. Karolin twisted them both, as she played with the elements; moving them about quickly and snaking around her. It was time...this was Karolin's way of parting with Tython, for perhaps the last time.
Launching her hands into the air in the Force she sent the Earth of Tython and the Water of the Planet into the air and as they both came back toward her threatening to crush her with their elements, Karolin closed her arms tightly around herself, bending at the waist and in a final explosion in the Force launched all of her power, everything emotion she had at the falling elements. The Force consumed the elements and as she stood still smoking from the assault, Karolin looked out over the landscape. Whoever was threatening the galaxy had just awoken the smallest giant in the Jedi Order; MASTER Karolin Alpha was ready.
The hillside exploded in a Supernova, as Satele already at the bottom looked back up at the light emanating brightly from the hillside. She saw a little of the waterfall as well as the dirt and rocks from the explosion of light launch itself in every direction of the spot Karolin was standing, though she could not see her friend through the blinding light. Satele smiled as she turned back, whispering to herself and making her way back to the Temple.
"Goodbye, My friend....Force be with you...."
