Part 23 (1/2)

”Master Ma'Ning invited all the secondaries and their families, as well,”

Lorana told him.

”Secondaries?” Obi-Wan asked.

”Those with a small amount of latent Force sensitivity, too small for them to ever become Jedi,” C'baoth said, glowering across the room at Ma'Ning. ”What about you, Jedi Jinzler? Why aren't you attending to your duties on Dreadnaught-One?”

”Master Ma'Ning asked me to come,” she said, her voice a little strained.

C'baoth rumbled deep in his throat. ”I see,” he said darkly.

They waited in silence as Ma'Ning answered the question he'd been asked-something about ration redistribution for those whose children would be undergoing the training-and called for more questions. There were none, and with a final word of thanks he called the meeting to a close.

And as the audience began to gather themselves together, C'baoth strode down the aisle toward the front. Obi-Wan followed, Anakin and Lorana at his sides. As near as Obi-Wan could tell from the s.n.a.t.c.hes of conversation he could hear, most of the people did indeed seem pleased or even excited by the fact that they had future Jedi in their families.

Most of them. But not all.

Ma'Ning nodded in greeting as the group approached. ”Master C'baoth,” he said. ”Master Ken.o.bi; Young Sky-”

”What do you mean by bringing the secondaries to this meeting?” C'baoth demanded.

”I thought it would be useful to let everyone know at once why they'd been selected to fly on Outbound Flight,” Ma'Ning said. His voice was calm, but Obi-Wan could see tension lines at the corners of his eyes.

”Since the secondaries are the ones most likely to produce Jedi offspring in the future, I thought they should know what to expect.”

”That could have been dealt with if and when it happened,”

C'baoth growled. ”This is not how it should have been.”

”None of it is as it should be,” Ma'Ning countered. ”Children this age-and taking them from their families by force-”

”By force?” Obi-Wan put in.

”I don't expect force to be necessary,” C'baoth insisted, glaring at Obi-Wan and Ma'Ning in turn. ”The few parents who have doubts will undoubtedly come around. Certainly the children themselves will be thrilled to begin their training.”

”The question remains why we're even doing this,” Ma'Ning said.

”We're doing this because we're setting off on a long and dangerous trip,” C'baoth told him. ”We'll need all the Jedi we can get, far more than Master Yoda would permit me to invite.

Very well; so we will raise them up by ourselves. And please don't quote me that learned nonsense about how young a Jedi candidate has to be, because that's all it is: nonsense.”

”Master Yoda would disagree with you,” Ma'Ning said.

”Then Master Yoda would be wrong,” C'baoth said flatly. ”We don't train children or adults because we choose not to. That's the only reason.” He gestured at Anakin. ”Padawan Skywalker is proof that older children are trainable.”

Ma'Ning's lip twitched. ”Perhaps,” he conceded. ”But there are other reasons for accepting only infants.”

”What other reasons?” C'baoth asked. ”Tradition? Politics? There's certainly nothing in the Code itself that specifically speaks to the issue.”

”Actually, that's not true,” Obi-Wan put in. ”The writings of Master Simikarty are very clear on the subject.”

”Master Simikarty's writings are his interpretations of the Code, not part of the Code itself,” C'baoth said. ”More tradition, under a different name.”

”You do not approve of tradition?” one of the Duros asked.

”I don't approve of simply and blindly accepting it as truth,” C'baoth told him. ”Nor can we afford to do so. The lists of Jedi are shrinking all across the Republic. If we're to continue our role as the guardians of peace and justice, we must find ways to increase our numbers.”

”By forcibly taking trainees from their parents?” Ma'Ning asked.

”Especially considering the fact that none of these parents had wanted their children to become Jedi in the first place?”

”What makes you think that?” C'baoth asked.

”The fact that if they had, they'd have taken them for testing when they were infants,” Ma'Ning said.

”Perhaps there were other reasons,” C'baoth rumbled. ”But all right, yes, the parents have always made the decision whether or not their children would be trained. More tradition. But what about the child's wishes?

Wouldn't it be more ethical to allow him or her to make that decision?”

”But as Master Ma'Ning says, there are good reasons for accepting only infants,” Obi-Wan said.

”Most of which don't apply here,” C'baoth said firmly. ”There are no deep-rooted family hierarchies aboard Outbound Flight to deal with. Nor will the children be going hundreds or thousands of light-years away to the Temple on Coruscant where their families will never see them again.”

Beside C'baoth, Lorana stirred but remained silent. ”No, here they'll be merely a turbolift ride away in the storage core,” C'baoth continued.

”After some initial training, we might even consider allowing them occasional evenings with their families.”

”You're putting them in the storage core?” Ma'Ning asked, frowning.

”I want the training center as far away from noise and mental confusion as possible,” C'baoth told him. ”There's plenty of room down there.”

Ma'Ning shook his head. ”I still don't like this, Master C'baoth.”

”New ideas are always discomfiting, as are new ways of doing things,”

C'baoth said, looking at each of the others in turn. ”In many ways all of Outbound Flight is a grand experiment. And remember that if we're successful, we may return to the Republic with the key to a complete reinvigoration of the entire Jedi Order.”

”And if we don't succeed?” Obi-Wan asked.

”Then we fail,” C'baoth said stiffly. ”But we won't.” Obi-Wan looked at Ma'Ning. The other still didn't look happy, but it was clear he didn't have any fresh arguments to offer.

Besides, C'baoth was right. Something new had to be tried if the Jedi Order was going to survive.

And once upon a time, according to the histories, the Jedi had been willing to take risks.

”All right,” Ma'Ning said at last. ”We'll try this grand experiment of yours. But move carefully, Master C'baoth. Move very carefully.”

”Of course,” C'baoth said, as if there were no doubt. ”Then all that remains is to prepare the training center.” He turned to Lorana. ”Since you're here, Jedi Jinzler, you will see to that.”