Gray Jedi Ch. 6

“That is my official designation. But as you well know, my friends call me Rex.”

“Yes… Captain Rex of the 501st legion,” Malik replied.

“The same, sir.”

“Also the legion that slaughtered all our friends in the Jedi Temple,” Malik seethed, gripping his lightsaber tightly.

“I had nothing to do with that,” Rex said calmly.

“Is that so?! Then which Jedi did you turn on, huh?” Malik shot back, taking a step forward, the tip of his lightsaber precariously close to Rex’s face. “These betrayals happened all over the galaxy, Jedi being slaughtered by the clones they regarded as friends.”

“I… I know…” Rex hung his head. “I cannot condone the actions of my brothers, sir. All I can say for sure is that I have never and will never betray my Jedi comrades. And I can prove it.”

“How?” Serra asked, not relaxing for a moment.

“Look.” Rex turned slowly to face away from the pair, keeping his hands up the whole time. “Here, where my neck meets my head.”

“What is that?” Malik asked, noticing a scar on the skin.

“That is where my inhibitor chip once was.”

“Inhibitor chip?” Serra repeated.

“It’s a tiny biochip implanted in every clone from birth,” Rex explained. “Its primary purpose is ensuring our absolute loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic.”

“Palpatine,” Malik spat.

“Correct. But beyond that, I made a terrifying discovery a few months ago. One of my men came to me bordering on insanity. He kept talking about a grand conspiracy to force us clones to commit a horrible atrocity, and that the cover-up went as high as the leaders of the Republic. He died before we could verify any of it, and Palpatine closed the matter straight away, but I continued to research his claims. Though I never confirmed the conspiracy itself, this led me to discover the existence of the inhibitor chips. Realizing that these chips could force us to commit the atrocity of which he spoke, I removed my own in secret.”

“And those chips contained the program used to nearly wipe out the Jedi Order,” Malik finished.

“Yes, sir,” Rex sighed. “I am only sorry that I could not gather enough evidence to convince any more of my brothers to follow my lead.”

“How do we know we can trust you?”

“You were always our best interrogator, sir. You could tell through the Force if any captives were lying. Am I?”

Malik concentrated for a moment before replying, “No… no you’re not.” He and Serra put their weapons away.

“Rex,” Serra said, “you were stationed on Mandalore with Ahsoka Tano, is that right?”

“Yes, ma’am. When the clones received the call for Order 66, she became an immediate target. Thankfully, she was out on reconnaissance alone at the time, and I volunteered to track her down myself. I caught up to her and warned her of the incoming danger, but by then my battalion had followed and opened fire on her. But thanks to some quick thinking on her part, she made it appear that she had killed me before making her escape. This allowed me to fake my death; hell, there’s even a tombstone with my name on it down there! A powerful and resourceful Jedi that one is. Just like her master,” Rex said with a smile.

“Um, Rex,” Malik began, but he then felt Serra’s hand on his shoulder.

“You deserve to know… Anakin didn’t survive the attack on the Jedi Temple,” Serra said. “I’m so sorry, Rex. I know he was among your closest friends.”

With a heavy sigh, Rex replied, “It was bound to happen sometime… as powerful a Jedi as he was, I have no doubt he was made a top target. And the 501st legion knew his tactics and strategies better than anyone…”

Before anything more could be said, the ship was suddenly rocked by an incoming attack.

“Shit! I left the cloaking device off!” Serra realized, rushing to the cockpit.

Malik and Rex ran after her, arriving in the cockpit to find her frantically working the console.

“It’s no good; some of the couplings came loose,” she said.

“Rex, can you fly this thing?” Malik asked.

“I can fly anything, sir.”

“Then get us out of here. Serra, go down below and get to work on the cloaking systems. I’ll get the weapon systems up and running.”

Serra dashed off to the engine area while Rex took her place in the captain’s chair. As Malik powered up the targeting computers, he noticed an immediate difference in Rex’s skillful defensive flying.

“What have we got, sir?”

“Looks like two recon fighters,” Malik replied. “Their fast, but not heavily armed. But I bet they’ve already called for reinforcements.”

“Why do you say that? They don’t know who’s on this ship, do they?”

“They caught sight of us as we made our escape from Coruscant in this thing, and nearly cornered us on Ord Mantell. There’s no other ship in the galaxy like this one; we’re a marked target,” Malik explained.

“Then we’d better get the hell out of here.”

“Just keep us on course; I can’t program the hyperspace coordinates and fire the guns at the same time, but I can hold ‘em off until Serra gets the cloaking unit up and running.”

As Rex continued his evasive maneuvers, Malik brought the turrets online and returned fire. The fighters chasing them were quite agile, evading with relative ease while continuing to pepper their shields with blaster fire. The chase continued for several minutes, when Rex noticed another ship in the distance also being pursued by Imperial fighters.

“Sir, you see that?”

“Yeah, that’s odd… but we’re in no position to help them at the moment,” Malik replied.

“I’ve got it!” Serra exclaimed as she burst into the cockpit. “Engage the cloaking device!”

“Done,” Malik said, flipping a switch.

As soon as they had disappeared, Rex executed several swerves to throw off their attackers. As they scanned for any sign of the Jedi ship, a group of five reinforcement fighters arrived on the scene to assist, though they were as clueless as the first two. Deciding to give up on them for the time being, the group converged and went after the ship in the distance being pursued by an additional two fighters.

“Whew… that was close,” Rex sighed, wiping the sweat from his shaved head.

“Yeah, but that ship over there won’t stand a chance, not with nine Imperial fighters on its tail,” Serra said.

“Hang on, got an incoming transmission,” Malik said.

“…Concordia is in need of immediate assistance! This is Bo-Katan Kryze of the Night Owls Mandalorian Resistance Force! If anyone can hear this message, please render aid!”

“Sounds like our work’s not done,” Malik said to Serra.

“Yep.”

“Wait, you can’t be thinking of jumping into this fight!” Rex protested. “Bo-Katan Kryze killed lord-knows-how-many of my men on Mandalore last year!”

“And then allied with the Republic by saving General Kenobi’s life,” Malik fired back. “She put herself in danger to help the Jedi, so we’re going to help her now. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Besides, we have the element of surprise,” Serra said with a grin. “I’ll take the controls, you two go man the heavy guns.”

Rex and Malik rushed out of the cockpit towards the two heavy laser cannon installations, located on each end of the hammer-like bow of the ship. Though Malik had been able to control them remotely before, having gunners in full control would be a great advantage for them against the numbers they were about to face. Malik strapped in and activated his targeting systems, testing his commlink with Rex and Serra.

“Ok, we’re gonna stay cloaked as much as possible,” Serra told the pair. “Wait for my signal to fire.”

She approached the cluster of fighters converging on the Mandalorian gunship, lining Malik and Rex up to be able to take them out before they knew what was happening.

“Rex, I’ll take these three in front of me, you get the three nearest you. That’ll thin their numbers out a bit,” said Malik.

“Roger that.”

“OPEN FIRE!” came Serra’s command.

Malik and Rex fired in unison, targeting the cluster of fighters near them. Though each managed to destroy a pair, the remaining five ships recovered enough to scatter and try to regroup. Meanwhile, the two men stopped firing long enough for Serra to move them to another position, as they remained cloaked and undetectable so long as they weren’t firing their weapons. By now, the Mandalorian gunship had recovered enough to be able to return fire on its own, assaulting the fighters from a distance. Taking advantage of this distraction, Rex drew on his extensive training and took out another pair of fighters in quick succession. After Malik shot down another by using the Force to anticipate its movements, the remaining two fighters turned to retreat.

“That’s right, bugger off!” Rex cheered.

“Nice shooting, Rex!” Malik agreed.

Returning to the cockpit, the pair found Serra opening a line of communication to the Mandalorian gunship.

“Come in Concordia. This is the Middle Way. Are you alright?”

The face of a tall, slender, redheaded woman appeared on the screen. Malik immediately recognized her as the leader of the Night Owls.

“This is the Concordia. We’re fine, got a little cooked but no major damage. Thank you for your help. A few minutes longer, and we might’ve been goners.”

“Our pleasure. Will you be able to get out of here on your own, or will you need additional help?” Serra asked.

“We’ll be ok. Middle Way, huh? I’ll keep my eyes out for you; look us up if you’re ever in this part of the galaxy again. We Mandalorians repay our debts.”

“Will do. Middle Way out.”

As Serra broke the connection, Malik wondered aloud, “Why was the Empire attacking them? Bo-Katan was the one who got the Republic to help Mandalore back when Maul first took it over.”

“Not sure. I know Maul managed to escape Mandalore, despite the best efforts of Ahsoka and myself to capture him,” Rex replied.

“With the Siege of Mandalore pretty much over, we can only assume that the Empire has taken firm control of the planet. After all, their persistent neutrality was seen as a heavy burden for the Republic during the war, and most in the government wished they hadn’t been so stubborn,” Sera mused. “If the Empire has taken control of the entire Mandalorian government, I would bet Bo-Katan and her crew are fleeing into hiding. I remember reading a report that they refused to accept Maul’s leadership, so why would they submit to the Emperor after that?”

“It’s as good a theory as any,” Malik agreed. “They might be helpful to us someday.”

“Be careful, sir,” Rex cautioned. “Bo-Katan is still a merciless warrior. Trusting her crew could be a fatal mistake, believe me.”

“Never said I would trust her, Rex,” Malik replied with a grin. “But there is that old saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Sounds like we share a common foe with her.”

“So what’s our plan?” Rex asked. “We’re all fugitives now, need a good place to hide out.”

“Well, before we picked you up, we were on our way to Atollon,” Sera said.

“Atollon? Why? I mean I’m all for hiding in remote locations, but there’s nothing there! No villages, trading posts, nothing of the sort,” Rex protested.

“Let’s just say it’s… Jedi business,” Malik replied. “But I completely understand if you want no part of it, Rex. Just say the word, and we’ll take you wherever you need to go. No questions asked.”

“Well… I suppose there’s no harm in traveling with you two for a while. That is, if you wouldn’t mind. I don’t want to impose-”

“Done,” Serra interrupted. “You have a place on our ship as long as you want it, Rex. You’re more than a mere soldier to us; you’re our friend.”

“Thanks, that’s all very sweet, but shouldn’t we be in hyperspace by now?” Rex asked with a chuckle.

“Got the coordinates programed. Hang on,” Malik replied, activating the Middle Way’s hyperdrive unit.

“Malik, why don’t you assign Rex a bedroom? Give him a place to rest his head, ya know?” Serra asked.

“Sounds good. Rex?”

“Agreed. Haven’t slept in two days…”

The soldier followed Malik from the cockpit and down the main hallway of the ship, first passing by the entrance to the captain’s quarters. They soon made their way to the bunk area, containing four rooms with a pair of beds in each. Malik opened the nearest one and entered, beckoning Rex to follow.

“Here we are, all yours.”

“So I won’t be bunking with you, sir?”

“Nope, you’ll have the place to yourself,” Malik said with a grin.

“Good… that’s good…”

“You ok, Rex?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry, I guess it’s… we clones aren’t allowed to get used to the idea of having a place to call our own. Goes against our loyal soldier programming. Our lives are not our own.”

“I understand,” Malik replied. “With the fall of the Jedi Order, Serra and I have had a lot of things to adjust to as well. This is a new world we’re living in, and it can be frightening.” Sighing, he continued, “Listen… there’s something I want to go ahead and fill you in on. You’re going to find out at some point regardless, and I don’t want it to be awkward for you or anything.”

“Sir?” Rex asked in confusion.

“Serra and I got married yesterday.”

“That’s wonderful, sir! Congratulations!” Rex said, grabbing Malik into an excited handshake. “Why would you think that awkward?”

“It’s something that Serra and I are still getting used to, being in love. It goes against everything the Jedi Order ever taught us.”

“Hmm… I can relate to that, I suppose.”

“What do you mean?” Malik inquired.

“Well, we clones were forbidden from that as well. Not only from falling in love, but also from any sort of physical intimacy. It’s part of our programming, to prevent any corrupted genetic material from replicating itself.”

“The Kaminoans didn’t want to make copies of copies…” Malik mused.

“Exactly.”

“But I would have thought they would simply have prevented that by making you and your brothers incapable of having children?”

“I’d have thought so too, but apparently not. I actually encountered a clone deserter once. He had left the army in secret, settled down, married a beautiful Twi’lek girl, and had a couple of kids even. At first I hated him; saw him as a traitor. But…”

“But you saw how much he cared for his family, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Rex replied. “In spite of his actions against his brothers, the man lived his life with honor. He’d do anything to keep his family safe. The experience was a tough pill to swallow, but I’m still glad I didn’t turn him in.”

Malik walked up to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “And now, it’s your turn to build your own future. I don’t care what your original programming says; your life is your own now. You have every right to live it as you wish. That right is what we Jedi have fought our entire existence to preserve. And if you want to fall in love with a beautiful girl,” he continued, poking Rex in the chest, “you have every right to do so.”

Sighing, Rex said, “Thank you, sir. I… I know it’ll take time, getting used to this new freedom that’s been thrust upon me. But I’m glad you two found me. Sounds like it’s what the Force wanted to happen, if one believes in that sort of thing.”

“I happen to think this is the will of the Force,” Malik grinned. “We don’t just happen upon a clone trooper, we happen upon the best soldier in the army, and find that he refused to betray the Jedi! If that’s not the will of the Force, what is?”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Oh and one more thing: don’t call me sir. It’s Malik. That’s an order, soldier.”

“Yes s… er, Malik.”

“Sleep well, Rex,” Malik said, closing the door behind him.

“Night.”

Now alone with his thoughts, Rex paced around the small bunkroom, contemplating all that had happened in the last several days. Faking his death with Ahsoka, helping her avoid detection during her escape, these things were all within the realm of expectation. But leaving Mandalore in an escape pod and immediately being found by two Jedi? And not being stabbed on sight? Beyond anything he had ever expected after what happened to the Jedi. Rex supposed that he’d find a desolate planet filled with traders somewhere in the Outer Rim to live out the rest of his days in quiet. Never had he imagined that he’d have a bed to sleep in, and crewmates that considered him their friend!

Everything was so topsy-turvy for him, especially the revelation of Malik and Serra’s marriage. His time spent with Kenobi and Skywalker had made it quite clear that such behavior was forbidden to Jedi. By his limited understanding, he knew it had something to do with singular attachment, but had never considered it much beyond that. Besides, it was always a point of contention between Skywalker and Kenobi, and the last thing he wanted was throw fuel on the fire. By those limited interactions, he had always pictured a Jedi losing complete control emotionally because of that singular attachment. But here on this ship were two Jedi not only in love, but also in complete control of their situation. Could it be that the spats between Kenobi and Skywalker over this issue were all for naught?

One by one, Rex peeled off the pieces of his armor. He was without helmet, but that suited him after what his brothers had done to the Jedi; he no longer wished to be seen as a member of the Grand Army. His armor now piled in the corner, he stripped off his skin-tight undershirt and pants, leaving his hardened, muscled form completely nude. Climbing the ladder into the top bunk, he lay back on the pillow and pulled the sheets up to cover his body. A small part of him resented Malik for telling him of his relationship with Serra. At this very moment, they were probably ravaging each other, and their bed sheets a tangled mess around their bodies. For the first time in his life, Rex felt… lonely.

Without even realizing it, his hand began to travel down his body, and before he knew it, his fingertips were brushing against the hard length of his cock. He pulled back at first on instinct, but soon resumed, feeling the strange sensations of stimulating himself. Rex had never done this, even in all his years serving in the Army of the Republic; none of the soldiers ever had any privacy, and such behavior was against their programing in any case. But without his inhibitor chip, it seemed as though he couldn’t have stopped himself if he had wanted to, which he didn’t. As he continued to stroke himself, his thoughts turned for some reason to his life up to this point. He had known nothing but training, combat, and strict obedience to commands. Yet now, he was free in a sense. Free from the orders of Palpatine, at least. But could he ever be free from his clone programing?

As his orgasm began to build, the answers seemed to escape him, and he instead focused on the incredible feelings bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. He thought of no one person individually, simply enjoying the new and forbidden sensations. Harder and harder he pumped his cock, now using a full loose fist. He groaned, his eyes rolled back into his head, and his cock began to twitch with every little movement he made. Soon, he shot several jets of hot, sticky cum into the sheets, the smell of his seed filling the room. With a heavy sigh, Rex curled up on his side, feeling the call of sleep wash over him. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, one final thought went through his mind.

Malik and Serra really are lucky…

*****

The next morning, Rex awoke relaxed and refreshed, even though he probably could have used a few more hours of sleep. Nonetheless, he was up and wide-awake, deciding to go ahead and shower and dress for the day. After raiding the pantry for a ration packet, he slipped his armor back on and made his way to the cockpit. As he approached the door, he grinned at seeing Malik in the pilot’s chair with Serra sitting playfully on his lap, kissing her way down his neck. He was about to make himself scarce and give them some privacy, but Serra came through the door as he turned his back.

“Morning, Rex!” she said.

“Oh, uh, morning Serra.” He stammered a bit, continuing, “I w-wasn’t snooping or anything, I just…”

“Rex, Malik and I are married, and we aren’t ashamed of it. It’s taken a lot of work, but we’re very comfortable with our relationship now. More public displays of affection are becoming a part of our norm. Of course, if that makes you uncomfortable, we can always tone it down.”

“Um… nah doesn’t bother me. But I didn’t want you to think I was watching ya or anything.”

“Not at all. Come on in, we’re nearing Atollon.”

Following Serra into the cockpit, Rex now saw that Malik was seated in his usual copilot’s chair.

“Morning, Rex. Sleep well?”

“Very,” he replied with a grin, taking the seat behind Serra.

“Ok, coming up on Atollon,” Serra said.

“Planetary readings are coming in,” said Malik. “Barren planet, very hot and dry, few signs of life. Pretty much the opposite of our last stop.”

“Where was your last stop?” Rex asked casually.

“Sorry, but it’s kinda classified, Rex,” Malik replied.

“No worries. I get it.”

“Any sign of where we should set down?” Serra asked.

“Let me see…” Malik stretched out with his feelings, trying to sense any creature strong with the Force. “Think I’ve got something… yeah, near the equator in the western hemisphere.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. I just felt a massive spike in the Force coming from that area.”

“Alright, bringing us in for landing.”

Serra maneuvered the Middle Way through the dry atmosphere of the planet, scanning the desert below for a safe spot to land. Seeing a clearing in the middle of the rocky outcroppings, she decided that was as good a spot as any, bringing them gently to the ground. By the time they landed, the pair noticed that the sun was beginning to set, causing the temperature to plummet.

“Looks like we’ll need our cold weather gear,” Serra mused.

“Agreed. Rex, you good with keeping watch over the ship?”

“No problem. I have no clue what you two are up to on this forsaken rock, but good luck out there.”

The two Jedi bundled up in their heavy jackets before venturing out into the crisp twilight of Atollon. With great concentration, Malik was able to sense the presence of a being strong with the Force nearby.

“That way… through that canyon.”

“Let’s go, then,” Serra replied, taking his hand in hers.

As they made their way through the rocky outcroppings, the Jedi began to sense a presence following them.

“You feel that?” Malik asked.

“Yeah… it’s almost like… we’re being hunted.”

“Wait! I thought… I saw something up top.”

Serra looked up to the lip of the canyon. “I don’t see anything, Malik.”

“Yeah… it’s probably nothing. Come on, let’s keep moving.”

As soon as he finished speaking, they were startled by a strange hissing sound coming from behind them. The Jedi spun around, Serra drawing her lightsabers from her back. Though they saw nothing at first, there soon came a hoard of human-sized spiders approaching them on the canyon walls.

“LET’S MOVE!” Serra shouted, taking off down the pathway.

“Right behind you!”

Realizing they’d be sitting ducks out in the open, the pair sprinted for a nearby cave, the creatures nipping on their heels the whole time. Malik kept them at bay with a few well-timed Force Pushes, and they had soon reached the cave. They concentrated together, collapsing the rocks around the entrance to block the spiders from chasing them any further… for the time being.

“Whew… that was close…”

“I’ll say,” Malik agreed. “This is a dangerous place. Still, no more dangerous than Coruscant would be by now.”

“True.”

They soon found that the cave was actually a short tunnel leading to an exit from the canyon. Now back out in the open, the Jedi emerged in a large clearing of sand with rock formations scattered throughout. In the center, the sand dipped down to form a large bowl, complete with a massive pile of boulders in the center. In spite of all the formations being natural, the whole place felt very much like a temple.

“The Force is strong here… we’re close,” Malik whispered.

Serra nodded and stepped forward beside Malik. They strolled through the clearing, inspecting each of the rock formations as they went, each as unmoving and unremarkable as the last. After fifteen minutes of quiet inspection, they moved towards the bowl in the center, jogging down the hill towards the pile of boulders. Serra approached first, brushing her hand along one of the rocks while reaching out with the Force. Still, nothing happened.

“You sure this is the right place?” she asked.

“Oh yes… I can feel it,” Malik replied. “There is something here. Something of… immense power.”

“Indeed there is,” came a deep, ominous voice.

Malik and Serra jumped back as the boulders seemed to spring to life, a gigantic creature rising from beneath them. The rocks did not fall off of the creature as they had expected, rather clinging to it like armor or thick hide. As it continued to stand, the Jedi finally got a good look at the owner of the deep voice. The creature appeared somewhat humanoid, standing on its hind legs and hunching over to balance with its arms. Its chest was covered with reddish-brown fur, which extended up to the creature’s face in a thick beard. Upon gazing into its eyes for the first time, Malik noticed that the creature had a cattle-like appearance, like that of a full-grown male nerf.

“Welcome, wielders of the Ashla.”

“Wow… Are you… the one known as Bendu?” Malik asked.

“I am.”

“Our apologies for awakening you, but we were instructed to seek you out. My name is Malik Ran, and this is Serra Keto, my wife. We are Jedi Masters.”

“So… not all the Jedi have passed on. Interesting,” Bendu replied.

“No, though our numbers are teetering on extinction as is,” Serra said.

“Yes, I have felt it. The Bogan has grown strong…”

“Bogan?” Malik inquired.

“Of course, I shall explain. All living creatures are one with the Force, as you well know. The Jedi and the Sith are opposites, devoted to the Ashla and the Bogan, or what you refer to as the Light and the Dark. I am the one in the middle. I am the Bendu.” He gazed at the two of them before continuing, “Tell me, why were you instructed to seek me out? Who would know of my existence?”

“Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn,” Serra replied.

“Hmm… I do not know him, but his name is legend among the Living Force. But I am given to understand that he has been dead for quite some time.”

“He is, but before his death, he discovered a secret allowing him to retain his consciousness after death. This has how he has been able to council us from beyond the grave,” Malik explained.

“Fascinating… so it is possible.” Bendu hunched over further, lowering his face closer to the Jedi. “And why would he send two Jedi Masters to me? Surely as Jedi Masters, there is nothing left to learn, yes?”

Malik grinned, detecting the sarcasm dripping from his voice. “We are always learning, Bendu. Learning is not an event; it’s a process. A journey.”

“Ah… you are quite in balance with the Force, young man,” Bendu said with a smile.

“Thank you. As to why Qui-Gon would send us here, it’s a bit complicated.”

“Most things are,” Bendu agreed.

Taking a deep breath, Malik continued, “With the fall of the Jedi order, we survivors have taken pause to consider all the reasons for our failure. Our delusions of joining the Clone War as a noble crusade, the stubbornness of the Jedi Council, and disillusionment amongst the ranks of Jedi Knights, all these things contributed to our downfall.”

“Master Yoda blames himself more than anything,” Serra chimed in. “He knows that our actions and stubbornness made us blind to the rise of the Sith. He feels responsible, that he should have been able to stop them in time. In his meditations, he has now come to believe that stopping the Sith and the Empire will require Jedi who are willing to do what is necessary when the time comes. Violence is not the Jedi way, but should be used when it is for the protection of the innocent. And in these dark times, the innocent are more vulnerable than ever, as you can imagine.”

Malik nodded. “Master Qui-Gon believes that Serra and I have the ability to walk the path of the Gray Jedi. As we began to research their beliefs, he suggested to us that we seek you out, that you might be able to guide us.”

“Hmm… I see. You wish to discover the middle way,” Bendu surmised.

“That’s correct. We still hold true to many Jedi principles, but we have already broken others for what we believe to be the greater good,” Serra answered.

“Such as your union into marriage?” Bendu asked.

“Exactly,” said Malik. “I personally believe that, in their stubbornness, the Jedi Order became disconnected from the will of the Force. We held firm to our traditions for so long that we often lost sight of the bigger picture. Serra and I are together because we believe it to be the will of the Force. It does go against Jedi teachings, but…”

“Singular love is not always a weakness,” Bendu finished. “Yes, I understand quite well your newfound beliefs. By surrendering yourselves to the will of the Force, and thus to each other, you two have become stronger and more complete than you ever would have on your own. The Force permeates everything.”

“Even singular love,” Serra realized.

“Especially love, in all forms!” Bendu said with a booming laugh. “While the Jedi may have been stubborn traditionalists in the Force, their teachings are still rooted in love and commitment, even if they restrict singular love. But the Sith will always be doomed to failure, for they fail to grasp that the way they call upon the Force is unnatural. Yes, Jedi have become Sith supposedly in the name of singular love, but their descent into the Bogan always stems from a thirst for power and a focus on the passion of their love, rather than the commitment it symbolizes.”

“Whereas our relationship is built on trust, compassion, and a desire to help as many people as we can, together,” Serra finished.

“Precisely. I like you two. To receive my teachings best, my students must be in perfect balance with the Force… and with themselves,” Bendu said, lowering his head in meditation. “Malik… I sense that you still doubt yourself, yes? It seems… you have tapped into a power so great that you fear what you are capable of with it. Is this true?”

“It is. I’ve discovered the power of Force Lightning, and have perfected using it without drawing on the Dark Side.”

“An incredible feat. Young man, you must trust yourself. You are more in balance with the Force than any I have ever met. Conquer your inner fears, and there will be no limit to what you can do.” Bendu then turned to Serra. “Serra… I sense no fear in you whatsoever. You are strong and courageous, and would gladly give your life for those that you care about. Yet a greater balance with the Force can be achieved, with the right motivation of course.”

“I… realize that, as strong a warrior as I am, my knowledge of the Force pales in comparison to Malik’s.”

Bendu chuckled. “Perhaps, but I believe the distance between the two of you is not as great as you may fear, young lady. If you wish, I can help you gain perfect balance with the Force.”

“Of course!” Serra replied, her eyes lighting up. “What do I need to do?”

Bendu said nothing, but hunched back over, pounding the ground once with his massive fists. This caused a shift in the sands, opening up the entrance to a tunnel off to the side of the area. Before either of the Jedi could comprehend what was happening, a group of the spiders from the canyon emerged and began to surround the pair.

“Where did they come from?!” Serra exclaimed as they drew their lightsabers.

“You will not need those,” Bendu said, pulling their weapons from their hands with the Force. “This puzzle is one you must solve without violence.”

“What?” Malik said, seeming to detect something in his statement.

Before anything more could be said, the giant spiders swarmed in and surrounded Malik. Distracted as he was by Bendu’s wording, the creatures swooped in and placed him on their backs, dragging him into the tunnel with them. Serra gave chase as best she could, but he was gone from sight before she could even get close to him. Enraged at this turn of events, she turned back to Bendu.

“What is the matter with you?! Why would you do that to my husband?!”

“Calm yourself, Serra. Malik is in no immediate danger. The krykna spiders are terribly misunderstood creatures. Venture into their home and find your husband. In doing this, you will find balance with the Force.”

Realizing that she had no other choice, Serra turned and peered into the tunnel entrance. She saw nothing but pitch black, yet heard the now familiar hissing of the krykna spiders. One last time, she turned back to Bendu.

“If anything happens to Malik-”

“I have no doubt the repercussions that would befall me,” Bendu interrupted with a grin.

Sighing in frustration, Serra collected her courage and stepped into the darkness.

*****

“What do you think, Lord Vader? You have been observing these potentials for the better part of a week. Would one of them fulfill our needs?”

“They are intriguing, my Master. She seems to be far more susceptible to the Dark Side… turning her would not be difficult. He, on the other hand, posses far greater potential, I believe.”

“Yes… if he could be turned, he may well be an excellent apprentice for you, Lord Vader. But in the end, we need one of them to rise above the other. Which one would suit our purposes best, I wonder?”

“Perhaps we should allow them to decide, Master.”

“You propose pitting them against each other?”

“No, that would be far too simplistic. Rather, they should each be given the same task to accomplish, one of great danger that will test their resolve to abandon the ways of the Jedi for good. In the course of such a test, surely the superior individual will be revealed.”

“Ah, a wise plan, my apprentice. While I have no doubt that she would accept these terms, he may be more difficult to persuade. Can you manage this?”

“I will not fail, Master. He will agree to the task… I will make certain of that.”

“Very well… I leave this assignment in your capable hands.”

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