“I… connected with them. I’ve never been strong with the Living Force, always had trouble befriending animals, but in there… it was easier than it’s ever been before.”
“And why was that?” Bendu asked with a smile.
“Because… I love Malik. I’d do anything to save him, and in those moments, my difficulties with the Living Force hardly crossed my mind. It was what I had to do to reach my husband.”
“Yes… because you embraced love, believing it to be the will of the Force, you became a stronger Jedi than you ever would have otherwise. The stubborn teachings of the old Jedi Order would not have brought you to this level; only your love for Malik did this. Such as it is with the path of the Bendu. Now tell me, what do you know of the middle way?”
“Only a little,” Malik replied. “We’ve begun researching the Gray Jedi and their belief system. Much of it makes sense, but some parts seem to be at complete odds with the goal of peace and justice in the galaxy.”
“Such as?”
“There were several lines in the Gray Jedi creed that worried me,” Serra chimed in. “It talked about there being no good without evil. Is that to mean that evil can never be defeated?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Evil is not a tangible being; it is a state of mind. As long as there are hearts and minds susceptible to it, there will be evil. The only way to eradicate it would be to alter said hearts and minds.”
“Which would amount to the removal of free will, something we Jedi have fought against for millennia,” Malik finished.
“Indeed. As long as sentient beings have the power to choose their own path in life, some will choose good and some will choose evil. But in the interest of the middle way, this is still better than the alternative,” Bendu said.
“There was another part of the creed that caught my attention, about maintaining the balance between good and evil and being a soldier of balance. That doesn’t sit right with me, because it implies that a certain amount of evil must be done to ensure that the balance is maintained. Am I interpreting this correctly?” Malik asked.
“Hmm… I suppose some could interpret it in that way. However, I prefer to think of it as a statement of acceptance, rather than a goal. By the wording you just used, there is nothing to suggest that a Gray Jedi does not align himself with good, but he does accept the fact that evil cannot be eradicated, only kept in check. Thus, as a soldier of balance, maintaining the balance would mean working to keep evil in check so that it does not overrun good,” Bendu replied.
“Does that explain why Gray Jedi draw upon the powers of the Dark Side without being consumed by it?” Serra wondered.
“Indeed. While the Jedi use the terms ‘Light Side’ and ‘Dark Side’ as synonymous with good and evil, the truth is far different. Devotion to the Ashla does not in itself make one good, and drawing on the Bogan does not make one evil. The Ashla and the Bogan are differing philosophies in the Force, whereas good and evil are dependent upon our actions and choices.”
“Like Malik using Force Lightning to save lives,” Serra replied, beaming at her husband.
“Precisely,” Bendu agreed. “As you journey forward in your lives together, I would advise you to focus not on the Jedi philosophy you are so familiar with, but on doing good and keeping evil at bay. Help people. Disrupt the Empire, if you can. You may find many situations in which the ends justify the means. Of course, sometimes the ends cannot justify the means. You must decide for yourselves if seemingly dark actions will serve the greater good. The answers may not always be clear, but trust in yourselves and each other. If you do this, my friends, there is no limit to the good you can do in this galaxy.”
With that, Bendu curled his body up and began to sink back into the sand. His boulder-like hide was now the only part of him that remained visible. Soon, all was quiet, and Malik and Serra were once again alone.
“Wow… lot to think about, huh?” Serra remarked.
“Yeah… I know what he means about the ends justifying the means. Still, I don’t think we should strive to edge too close to the Dark Side unless absolutely necessary. We’re better than that.”
“I agree. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a situation with a horrible ethical choice arises at some point. We need to be prepared for that eventuality. If we have to act decisively-”
“Then we will,” Malik said with conviction.
*****
The pair arrived back in the rocky clearing to find their ship undisturbed, all quiet in the area. As they approached, the main entrance ramp opened, and Rex stepped out towards them.
“Oh, it’s you!”
“Everything ok, Rex?” Malik asked.
“Oh sure… aside from the gigantic spiders that came by while you were gone!”
“What happened? Did they hurt you?” Serra asked with concern.
“Nah, I managed to get back inside and seal the ship up. Still, I had the weapons powered up and ready to go, but right when I thought they were gonna attack, they stopped, turned around and left altogether. I dunno… it’s like they were called off or something.”
“Huh… never can guess how wild animals will act,” Malik said with a knowing grin. “Anyway, I’m famished. How ‘bout some food?”
“Sounds good to me,” Rex agreed.
The trio made their way inside, and the Jedi were surprised to find the food already waiting for them at the table.
“What’s this?” Serra asked as they sat.
“Ah, it’s the least I can do after you saved my ass before,” Rex chuckled.
“Anytime, Rex,” Malik replied, digging into his rations.
“Oh, forgot to mention this. While you were gone, I managed to intercept a transmission, encrypted of course. I’ve been working to try and decode it, but haven’t had any luck. It’s got some security protocol I’ve never seen before.”
“Hmm… what sort of protocol?” Malik asked.
“I don’t really know how to describe it… where there would usually be a password input screen, there was just a bunch of floating triangles. They looked to be moving at random, but there might be some sort of pattern I haven’t noticed. What do you think?”
“No way… I’ve seen exactly what you’re describing!” Serra realized.
“Where?” Malik asked.
“That security protocol was developed by Anakin Skywalker himself. He designed it so that only a trained Force-user could access the files it protected. It was never widely used by the Jedi Order, but several individuals have used it, so it’s plausible that this transmission could be from a Jedi.”
“Think you can decode it?”
“Gimmie a crack at it!” Serra said with a grin.
Their meal now finished, the group made their way back to the cockpit and got to work on the transmission. Serra pulled it up on screen, discovering that it was just as she remembered Anakin’s security checks being. As she reached into the computer with the Force, the floating triangles began to become less random in their movements. She worked them for several minutes, until she had finally pieced them together into a rough image of the Jedi Temple. With that, the image disappeared and a holographic message began to power up.
“See? Nothin’ to it!” she said with pride.
“Nice!” Malik replied. “Ok, there’s a message in here. Let’s see…”
“To any Jedi that receive this message, this is Topal Blut, Jedi Knight and the last survivor of the Jedi Temple guards. I am being hunted by… something. Please, if any are still alive, I need your help. The attack on our home was awful, but I know there are still some of my brothers and sisters alive. I am hiding in the deepest floors of the Jedi Temple. Hurry.”
Malik rubbed his chin as the image of the Pau’an Jedi began to fade, pondering his message.
“Hmm… I’m having trouble thinking in here. Conference room,” he said.
The group adjourned to the meeting area down the hall from the cockpit, sitting around the circular table.
“Ok, will you play that message again?”
Serra activated the message once more, playing it in its entirety. As it ended, she stared at her husband for several long seconds.
“What are you thinking, Malik?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Malik, I know he’s your brother, but going back to Coruscant would be nothing short of suicide,” Rex stated. “We wouldn’t survive the landing, I’d wager.”
“But Rex, we can’t just leave him to die!” Serra protested. “In these dark times, we Jedi have to find a way to stick together.”
“I’ve lost enough friends in this war, I don’t want to lose anyone else!” Rex fired back.
Serra’s brow furrowed in disgust. “I had no idea you were such a little-”
“That’s enough, Serra,” Malik cut her off. “Fighting amongst ourselves isn’t going to get us anywhere, and especially if we delve into name-calling.” He took a deep breath and continued, “I see your point, Rex. There’s no disguising the danger we’d be in if we do go back to Coruscant. But as Serra said, we Jedi have to stick together to survive the Empire. If Topal Blut is really in trouble, then we have a duty to render aid. Of course, there is a third possibility…”
“What do you mean?” Rex inquired.
“This message could be a trap in and of itself.”
“Huh? A trap?” Rex replied in confusion.
“Malik…”
————-
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