Part 45 (1/2)
After hours of waiting, s.h.i.+gar's moment had come.
”We find you ready for the trials, s.h.i.+gar Kons.h.i.+, ” said Master n.o.bil. ”You will be unsurprised, I think, to learn that mastering your psychometric powers was only the smallest part of your journey. ”
s.h.i.+gar wasn't surprised, but at the same time he couldn't hide his relief. He bowed deeply before the holographic images of the High Council members, many of whom he had yet to meet in person: brooding Wens Aleusis, brilliant Giffis Fane, young Oric Traless, the newest member of the Council...
”Thank you, Masters, ” he said. ”I'm sure I won't disappoint you. ”
”Tell me how you resolved your agreement with Ta.s.saa Bareesh, ” Master n.o.bil said. ”That was not mentioned in your debriefing session. ”
”I'm afraid it remains unresolved, ” he said. ”The agreement was expedient at the time, but it was always likely to become a liability. She used a homing beacon to find the world herself, so I have no qualms about allowing the Republic there first. She can claim no disadvantage, since the world itself has fallen to no one. ”
”There's the damage to her palace on Hutta, ” said Master Fane, ”and the very public loss of face. Suudaa Nem'ro must be rubbing his hands with glee. ”
”And there must be ramifications for dishonoring her, no doubt. ”
”Yes, Master n.o.bil. I believe there is a price on my head. ”
”We've all had one of those, at one time or another, ” said Master Traless with a wry smile. ”Don't lose any sleep over it, but do keep an eye out. ”
”Thank you, Master. I will. ”
s.h.i.+gar knew what they were trying to say. Don't expect to play this game without breaking the rules. You've done it once, and you'll do it again. Get used to it. It was Larin all over again.
The squabbling of Hutt crime lords didn't worry him in the slightest. He had much bigger concerns.
”May I address the Council freely?” he asked.
”I think you should, ” said Grand Master Shan, the first time she had spoken during the discussion. He had almost forgotten she was there, standing quietly in the corner of the audience chamber they had requisitioned. ”There's been something on your mind ever since Sebaddon. ”
”It's true, Master. I'm not sure where to start. ”
”Start with what pains you the most. ”
He had never thought of his new understanding as painful, but he saw that it was true. It burned in his chest like fire.
”So many people have died, ” he said, ”for nothing. Don't tell me that this is what it's like in wartime, because officially we're not at war. Xandret and her hexes weren't our enemy; Darth Chratis was in fact our ally for a while. Yet they are all dead. I see no sense to it. ”
”Go on, ” said Master n.o.bil.
He tried to explain himself clearly. ”This whole affair is endemic to the current crisis. The Sith are on the rise. We are on the wane. The Mandalorians and the Hutts stand between us, creating confusion and jostling for advantage. Our options are limited. If we do nothing, millions of people die. If we fight back, we engage with them at their level. ”
”Tell us your solution, s.h.i.+gar, ” said Master Traless.
”Attack now. The war is coming-we all know it-so why sit on our hands waiting for the Emperor to make his move? Preempt him before he has a chance to consolidate his power any further. Use the element of surprise while we have it. Don't expend lives for nothing. ”
”The owners of those lives might question the necessity of it, ” said Master n.o.bil. ”There is much talk of how we caused the current misfortune by making enemies of the Sith in the first place. Starting a war now would not ease those misgivings. ”
”When we've won the war, people will see the necessity for it. ”
”And if we lose?” asked Master Fane.
”We must not, ” s.h.i.+gar said. ”We cannot. And we will not if we act quickly enough. With every day the Emperor grows stronger and we grow weaker. How many spies and traitors erode the fortresses we've built around ourselves? How many fruitless battles must we fight before everyone in the Republic deserts us? How many other Sebaddons are out there, waiting for us? The next one might be the one that finishes us. ”
”Our mission is to promote peace, ” said Master n.o.bil. ”Have you forgotten that?”
”Never, Master. But there are degrees of war, just as there are degrees of peace. An early strike might spare the galaxy from total war. ”
”But at what cost? Remember, s.h.i.+gar, when you used to argue for justice for the billions of ordinary people, caught between the two sides in this conflict? If we act now, their deaths will be laid at outdoor. Do you want that on your conscience, my young warmonger?”
”No, Master. That is, I don't-I just-” He looked down at his hands, so startlingly unburned after holding so much power on Sebaddon. If he could do it, why couldn't the Jedi Council? That was the one lesson Darth Chratis had taught him. ”I just think it's worth considering. ”
”We have considered it, ” said Master Fane. ”And we will continue to consider it until the proper solution presents itself. ”
”You're not the only one who feels this way, ” said Master Traless, leaning forward. ”We have a thousand young Jedi just waiting...”
He might have said more, but a glance from Master n.o.bil stilled his tongue.
”Your pa.s.sion is undiminished, young s.h.i.+gar. You must take care that it never rules your head. Thank you for your opinions. Come to Tython and finish what you started. When you are fully installed as a Jedi Knight, then you may play your part more fully in the times to come. ”
But what is my part?
He let those words sit silently on his tongue as, one by one, the images of the Jedi High Councilors flickered and disappeared.
”We will go together, ” Grand Master Shan told him. ”The trials are difficult. Many try and fail, so I advise you not to be complacent. ”
Her face was unreadable.
”I'm sorry if I've displeased you, Master, ” he said.
”You haven't displeased me at all, s.h.i.+gar. I am simply tired. Like you, I wish a speedy resolution to these times. ”
”But not through war. ”
”Not if it can be avoided, no. I understand that you don't see it this way, though. You are a product of your time. ”
He started, recognizing her words from the vision he'd had on Sebaddon.
”I know what you're about to say, ” he said. ”I've seen it. You're about to tell me that I must confront the times ahead with great care. But I've already said that, so now maybe you won't. ”
She smiled. ”It's disconcerting when what you've seen doesn't quite turn out the way it's supposed to. ”
That was true. The conversation had already headed off in a different direction, thanks to his intervention. Next she was supposed to warn him that the Sith were the enemy and that he shouldn't become like them in order to beat them.
”So the future isn't always laid in stone?”
”No, and I am glad of that sometimes, s.h.i.+gar. ” She put a hand on his shoulder and guided him toward the door. ”You will learn to be, too, I think. ”