Dolash was surprised to see a policeman enter his impromptu office, waving a hurried printout.

"Are you the guy from the temple? Listen, the Minister of Justice sent me, the reports we've been getting are-"

Dolash lifted a finger to his mouth, shushing the man, who fell silent. Dolash turned back to a screen on the wall where an aged news reporter gripped a stack of papers in his hands.

"Breaking news this morning as Jedi are reported seen all across Naboo. Such a rapid uptick in Jedi activity has so far entirely shut down street crime in cities along the planet, stopped bank robberies, saved Gungans, and halted rampaging animals in their tracks. The Queen and her governemnt have yet to comment on this recent wave of Jedi activity, but sources close to the government expect a statement to be issued some time this morning..."

Dolash lowered his hand and turned back to the visitor. "What was it you wished to tell me?"

The man handed the sheets to Dolash, who began to examine them. "Your Jedi are all over the place! They've been spotted in starports, cities, forests, highways, mountains - everyone and their brother's seen them out and about, and we have no idea what they're up to, how many there are out there, or what's going on."

Dolash briefly scanned the printout before discarding it. "So you think I might be able to help you?"

"Well... yes. You're their leader, aren't you? How many men have you got out there?"

Dolash laughed, doing his best to keep it a kindly one. "How many have I out there? Very few indeed are following my directions, I assure you. I couldn't possibly tell you."

The aide quickly gathered up the papers again and started pulling them from the pile. "Well what about this one? A sixteen-year-old girl stopped a speeder-crash fire from spreading with the power of her mind until firefighters arrived. And this one, about twelve muggers being arrested in Theed within three hours? And the bank robbery case..."

"Yes, I heard about that one too," said Dolash, smiling. "Most impressive."

"Well what about this one?" said the aide, plucking a fresh sheet from the pile. "One of the thieves was found near scared to death with one of his arms cut off."

Dolash's smile dropped quickly away. "There are often problems when resocializing an organization as hermit-like as ours. I assure you we will do everything we can to assist authorities in the maintenance of peace and order, regardless of the offender."

Dolash sighed, and turned back to his small collection of odds and ends. "If you'll excuse me then, I have more work to do before today's press conference."

"Wait," said the aide, "How will we contact you again if we need you? Who's in charge of the Jedi? How can we find out how many are out there?"

Dolash shrugged "Do what your kind always does - form a ministry and give it to some competent clerk. I'll be here for most of today if he wants to meet me."

The aide left Dolash to his deliberations. Alone again, Dolash began to move through the new information, jotting notes down next to names. Now to start bringing everything together again...



Katria wandered the heart of the big city, equal parts uncertain and anxious about finding food and water in such a big place. People had begun to move about again as morning set in, and she stood out in her robes.

Yet food is hard to come by in a city, especially for those without money. She tried a few stores tentatively, appealing to charity or good-will, but found few takers. She had half a mind to head back and think of a new plan, or maybe retreat to the temple once more.

Quite to her surprise as she moved down a busy market road, she found herself accosted by a big, jolly woman in colourful clothing, holding a basket. "I heard you were looking for food," she said, her voice warbling with joy. "Well, my son Michael was saved from a mugger last night by one of your Jedi friends. I figured I may as well give this loaf to you as thanks!" With no other prompting, the woman handed over a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth and was on her way.

"Uh... thank you?" called out Katria to the woman as she walked away. Almost immediately afterwards, a gentleman in a dapper business suit appeared from the crowd.

"You're a Jedi, aren't you?"

"Y-yes, I am," she replied, recovering from disorientation.

"I was in that bank the other day while it was being robbed. If it wasn't for those Jedi busting in there, the whole thing could have turned into a disaster. Here," he passed Katria a bag of vegetables. "I was picking these up for breakfast, but you take them. I figure I owe you guys at least that much."

Before she knew it, others began to call her attention, carrying food, water, and more. The story of 'Jedi Children' in need had gotten out, and the people of Naboo - hardened by years of trouble and bitter disappointment - felt the stirring of embers of sympathy. By the time Katria left the market, she felt sure they had enough food to last the day.

"Funny to have such good luck," Katria murmured, as she carried the food back down the streets. "Maybe the Force was with us today then, huh?"

Leaving things to the Force can sometimes have good results, Barris's whispers replied within Katria's mind. Don't think I ever counselled against that. You just have to know when to trust it.



Ian was walking.

Even Jedi - some of the mightiest beings of the galaxy, commanding powers far exceeding the understanding of civilizations millenia old - sometimes have to walk places. Right now, he was walking from one town to another, making his way towards a port where he knew he could get a flight back to Theed in time for Dolash's inevitable press conference.

Walking was so... low-tech, for Ian's taste. What he wouldn't give for the hum of a speeder's repulsorlift hurtling him along at hundreds of kilometers an hour, just inches off the ground. Unfortunately, he was broke, so walking it was.

As he followed the winding road that cut through the picturesque green countryside of Naboo, Ian spotted a dustcloud coming along the road fast. He was hopeful that this might be a friendly traveller, one willing to take on a hitchhiker, and stuck out his thumb. The speeder hoved into view and came to a quick stop just next to him.

"Thanks buddy, I-" Ian pasued as he squinted at the occupant. "Slim?"

"Huh?" The speaker was Johq "Slim" Piquins, a Duros with an unnaturally narrow profile for one of his race, and a fellow Jedi from the temple. With him were two Jedi compatriots, equally surprised to see Ian on the road half a planet away from where they'd started yesterday morning.

"So, um, can I grab a ride from you guys?"

"Yeah, sure..."

Ian got in next to Slim, feeling a twinge of awkwardness in the air. They took off again, and Ian resolved to break the silence.

"She's got a good hum going. Where'd you buy it?"

"Oh, this? It was, uh, free."

Ian gave him what could only be described as a 'Flat' look. "Free."

"Yeah."

"As in...?"

"Well, the original owner didn't need it any more. He was in jail, you see."

Ian sighed. "I don't know what you learned from Holo-movies, but just because someone's in jail doesn't mean you can steal their stuff."

"But we needed it!" said Slim, somewhat surprised by Ian's belligerence. "Come on, the guy was due for murder, he'd be inside for life, and we needed a ride to get a flight back to Theed. Where's the harm?"

"Oh nothing, unless you end up in prison with him," said Ian sarcastically. "I know it's easier, it's even for a good cause but that doesn't mean you can do it, we're not above the law."

"But-"

"No ifs ands or buts, Slim! We're not above the law here on Naboo, stealing is wrong." He paused, the tension in the speeder cabin palpable. "It's a good speeder though. I guess if you were going to steal any speeder you might as well have made it this one."



"Which way did they go?" exclaimed an excited Proq, as he tried to look at Jubaz's handheld scanner over his shoulder.

"Uncertain..." Jubaz replied, before further scrutinizing his device. "Wait... there are coordinates."

The two of them were still mounted on their travelling beast, only now sitting outside the gates of the Jedi Temple. Not so long ago they'd found one of the ships in the temple to be missing. Though Proq had at first guessed it was some fellow Jedi seeking a ride just like they had been, Jubaz firmly believed thievery was at work.

"There," said Jubaz, pointing at his scanner. "Last known direction."

"Great," murmured Proq. "Direction? That's a good start." He slid off the back of the beast and Jubaz followed "Come on, let's get another shuttle and follow them then. I'm telling you, it'll just be some of ours who didn't like walking."

"We shall see." Jubaz leapt the wall again, as he had done before, with relative ease. The physical Force was his mastry of choice. Proq struggled a little more, but with a bit of a run up managed to clear the wall to the inner courtyard and followed his Rodian friend to the launch bay.

"You sure you can fly this thing?" asked Proq, as he followed Jubaz into the back of the beat-up shuttle.

"Licensed," replied Jubaz. The Rodian strapped himself in and hit the ignition - the shuttle started with a jerk. "...Barely," he added.

Proq gripped the arm rests tightly. "May the Force be with us," he murmured. "And God help us if Jubaz gets this thing out of the landing bay!"

After a few false starts, they blasted out of the landing bay and out into the open sky. Without hesitation, Jubaz's hunting instinct took over, and he began pursuit of the last ship to leave the temple.

Ben's previous vision unfolded into reality right before his eyes as the heavy door slid open. On the other side was darkness and three shadows standing in close proximity to one another. The alley was not lit, but enough light got through from surrounding building so that one could make out the figures and see almost all their actions.

As in the vision Ben had seen, two of the thugs had the man in the trench coat pinned against a fence. He could hear them argueing with the men, but could not make out anything they said. What Ben did realize, almost instantly, was that both men had heard the door slide open.

In slow motion the men turned towards Ben and Darami. One of them brought up his hand and Ben could see, even in the dim light, that it contained a blaster pistol. At the same moment Ben was filled with fear and also disappointment that he had not acted quick enough. His hands shot up to cover his eyes so that he would not have to witness his own death. The last thing he saw was the gun fire off a red laser bolt at his direction.

Ben was not sure what happened next, perhaps it was an inate self preservation instinct, but a massive wave of force energy surged through him. It made him feel light headed as he power went through his body, tingling every muscle, before pushing forth out of him. This energy surrounded him, but gathered mostly in front to form a soft of field, or shield. The incoming laser bolts impacted this field and bounced off harmlessly.

He did not know what was happened, but felt some of the impacts and was pushed back just a little. Almost as soon as he did, he heard one of the men cry out and the other yell as well. Ben could not see, but knew and felt that no more fire was coming at him. His arms slowly dropped down and his vision began to once again adjust to the darkness of the alley. What he saw was one of the thugs down on the ground, not moving, and the man with the briefcase struggling with other thug. That one was bigger and heavier. He pushed the trenchcoat man against the fence once more and Ben could see his right arm jab forward quickly into the other's stomach. With a groan that man covered his stomach and sank down onto the ground.

Darami was beside Ben while this was happened and acted quickly afterwards. He reached into the force himself and lifted the thug off the ground and away from the other man. As he held this man in the air, Ben ignited his training saber and rushed forth, slashing against the man's chest. With a short spasm the man fell unconscious and Darami lowered him to the ground.

Under Ben's request Darami rushed over and started to tie up the stunned thug, while Ben moved to the other man's side. To his relief the man was still alive and breathing. He sat there holding his stomach and tired to stop the blood that was running out over his fingers.

"Don't worry sir, we're going to get you some help. You're going to be alright." Ben said to the man and almost instantly hear people running towards them from the open end of the alley.

Light fell all around them as a group of Naboo SWAT members run towards them. Ben let them know they were both jedi and that one of men needed medical attention. After all was explained a medical team suched to the area and started to take the trenchcoat man away on a hover stretcher. Ben and Darami followed the medics and before the stretcher was loaded onto the landspeeder, the man on it looked over at both the Jedi and motioned them over.

"You two much complete my mission. Please you must help me. Take this case to Stellar Enterprises Office branch. It's very important, please..." He groan and started to slip back into unconsciousness.

Before he did, the man reached over and had the scanner on the cuffs take a reading of his finger. In seconds the cuffs unsnapped and the case started to drop to the ground. Ben quickly reached out and caught the briefcase, but when he straightened back up to looked at the hurt man, the other was laying still with his eyes closed.

As the medics took the man away Ben turned to Darami. "I guess we have a new mission. Lets go see how the others are."

With that both quickly moved back into the bank to see how Jesmin and Tom were.

It wasn't long before he had come upon his next test, a group of rough'n readies, obviously looking for some kind of trouble. From his initial evaluation, he counted five in all. Waiting for them to make their way down the much narrower end of the corridor, would seemingly give him the advantage, as if a Jedi would need any help dispatching five lowly thugs.

If only it had been that simple.

"Nice night for a walk," the specter questioned as he appeared before them from the shadows that flooded the alley-way.

The group, despite their initial reaction of WTF, shot the cloaked one a chorus of menacing grins. The fun they had been looking for would have to wait till after this appetizer.

"Waiting on you, baby, what’s with the fancy threads? Your mommy make those?" The would be captain of the criminal brigade responded.

Beneath the mask that covered his face, Marek couldn't help but smile has he prepared to respond to the remark.

"You've got one chance to turn-around and go home...or the alternative"

Their leader stepped forward, annoyed at the proclamation. "Are you threatening me? Nobody threatens me. Nobody threatens any of us." The small collective began readying for combat and as they did, their front man turned to observe the preparation, though only with a momentary glance, he gave the specter a much anticipated window of attack. As he swiveled his head to re-face the target, he was met with a flying drop kick to the face that sent him pummeling into the men behind him like a bowling ball hitting a strike. From that point on the ensuing battle became a plethora of flying fists and elbows, with a kick thrown in everyone once and a while.

Though the decision obviously would favor the specter going into the third round had the battle been timed, the balance of power quickly shifted as a make shift shank found its mark just above Mareks hip where it broke off. The sharp intense pain halted his attack and gave his attackers their own window of opportunity to do some damage. The first barrage of hits came so quickly that his pain preceptors didn't even register, but after more strikes piled on the strain on his body was growing more rapidly. In an act of desperation he forced push the pile of Cretans off of him and into the adjacent wall. The hum of an ignited light saber was the next tide turner. As one attacker rushed, the Zolar caught him with a quick upward slice across the chest; a second was struck down with a hard slash just below the shoulders. With two down, the remaining three decided that this little party was over and they fled into the night. Breathing heavily, his left hand keeping pressure on his wound and his right clutching his saber, the specter watched as his latest endeavor disappeared just as the first had.

As for the specter, this night no doubt was over. He needed to find a med kit and a place to rest a while. But before he set out for medical attention, he gave the unluckiest of all that had been involved a final look.

"Nobody threatens you huh?"

As he sat there in the cockpit of the aged YT-2000, checking the various displays that were part of the prefight checklist, Ben thought about all the events that had transpired in the past 24 hours. This last day had been the most eventful of his still young life. Almost everything that could have happened did.

He had been kicked out of his home at the Jedi temple and then after that he had taken part in the stopping of a bank robbery. It had been exciting and a little nerve wracking at the beginning, but he was proud of what Darami and him had done. It was true that they had almost been killed at one point, however, they did save lives and that was the main fact that Ben focused on. He was on the path to becoming a Jedi and that meant this wouldn't be his only life or death situation.

While running his hand down the control panel before him, Ben remebered somewhat vagely what had happened after that man had been taken away to the Theed Hospital. He had been so high on his own adrenaline that it seems like everything had happened really quickly after that. He remembered talking to Jesmin and Tom and being thankful that both were well. Ben had thanked them for everything they had done and was thanked in return by the two. It had been really nice to feel like part of a real team and know that he made some difference on this world.

As he looked down beside him, Ben's eyes focused on the briefcase that lay there. His mind went back to the moment that the man had dropped it into his hands and layed this great responsibility upon him. He had taken the case to the office that the man talked about, but there they was told that the very man was supposed to pick up a transport and fly for the rest of the mission. Since the gentleman was now in the hospital, he could not complete his mission and Ben found out that it was very imporant. For that reason, he decided to volunteer for it.

Ben didn't know what he got himself into, but knew that he would have to fulfill it. The case was now his responsibly and he had to keep his promise. This was also the first time he was doing work of this kind, but there really nothing else for him to do. They people at Stellar Enterprises had offered it as a sort of job. Now that he was no longer in the Jedi Temple, Ben understand the need to earn money when he could. He would now have to pay for his own room and board wherever he went.

Now here he was, getting ready to pilot this transport that had been given to him by the good folks at Stellar Enterprises. Ben had learned how to pilot when he was a boy, but had not done it in many years. He was sure that he would be able to retrieve that knowledge quickly once he actually started to fly the vessel.

Once he was through the checklist and confirmed that all systems were operations and in the green, Ben contacted Naboo Air Control and let them know he was ready for flight. The automated controler quickly replyed with a free exit vector and wished a pleasant flight. Upon this acknowledgement, Ben reached over and applied some power to the replusors to lift the freighter off its struts. Satisfied that the ship wasn't going to come crashing down, he lifted up the nose and slowly pushed the throttle control stick foward. He felt the whole ship vibrate as he easied out of the landing bay slower than all the other freighters around him.

Ben felt embaressed at his slow pace, but he also knew that he couldn't yet trust himself to quickly fly the ship. With deep breathes, Ben guided the ship out of the hanger and pulled up on the controls a little harder, letting the transport gain altitude. With more confidence building inside him every moment, he opened the throttle up more, feeling the ship slowly accelerate towards space.

Ben looked out ahead of the freighter and thought how peaceful it was here. The air was beautiful as clouds moved through it and flocks of birds flew from one direction to another. A smile slowly crossed his face as the blue white atmosphere slowly gave way to the mix of darkness and light of space. Beyond him stars twinkled, while below him now the beautiful world of Naboo rotated slowly on its axis.

Something ahead of him slowly began to resolve and Ben realized it was a massive space station that seemed to be pretty much complete. He did not remember seeing it during his arrival to the planet, however. The reddish station looked massive and he wondered at how something that large could exist.

Before he could think about it any further, the computer beeped at him to correct his course in order to line up on the proper vector. Ben remembered seeing the galaxy map Stellar Enterprises had showed him and that they had indicated upto three different course corrections along his entire journey. A journey that would take him to a planet had never heard of, to meet a people he had never seen or heard of either. All he knew was that they were called the Kashan and the case he was looking after was ment for their Commodore.

Once more the computer beeped, this time letting Ben know that he was on the proper vector and could engage the hyperdrive at anytime. With a deep breath Ben reached over and pushed the engage button. For a long second nothing seemed to happen, but then instantly the ship lerched forward and the stars all around him shot past. The bluish white tunnel that was called hyperspace materialized after that. Ben was now slowly on his way to Genon.

Dolash frowned at the erratic pile of notes, datapads, and the like stacked in front of him on the little desk. If he squinted, they - well, they still looked like a stack of paper and datapads, but fuzzy.

In all truth, he hated paperwork of all kinds. It got in the way of action, of leadership, of purpose. Nevertheless, today had not been his day of action - today had been a test for others. For a whole Order. Perhaps he should have felt more humble about grading the results of a fellowship of warriors given such a momumental task as the Jedi, but the thought barely passed through Dolash's minds. Action before doubt or paperwork.

"I'm ready," he declared, just as the policeman from earlier returned. Before he could say anything, Dolash swept his notes from the table and into the policeman's hands. "Here, take these for me, would you? I must meet with the queen."

"Now, wait a min-"

"Hm? Oh, yes." With a little more spirit and a wave of his hand, Dolash repeated "I must meet with the queen." He made a mental note to get on more friendly terms with the palace staff.

It seemed luck was still on his side, for barely a few steps out of his impromptu office Dolash encountered the queen, who seemed equally surprised to see him - although perhaps somewhat less pleased. "Ah, master Jedi," she said. "I take it you finally have something to announce?"

"Yes I do, your majesty," said Dolash, bowing low. Now was the time for dignity and decorum. "I set a test before my fellow Jedi, and in doing so removed myself personally from the proceedings to see how they fared on their own, without much real direction. Now that test is over, and I wish to announce the results - and what they mean for the future. If it pleases you, could a press conference be called for this announcement?"

"Anything, good master, to get you out of my hair," replied the queen with a sigh. "A meeting of the press can be ready in an hour. I take it you wish to keep your results secret until then?"

"If it please your majesty," Dolash repeated, bowing again.

"Not especially," she remarked, as she and her entourage walked away. "But I know all about Jedi and their secrets, and that it's better to leave them alone. Carry on, master Jedi."

Dolash plucked his comm from the teetering pile carried by his policeman assistant. So far he'd had little success contacting his fellow Jedi directly, having only indirect word of their deeds by witnesses and observers. Now however he would have to attempt one more contact.

Turning his comm on to all Jedi-employed channels, he announced "In precisely one hour, I will be announcing the result of this exercise on the palace steps. All Jedi within reach are asked to respond to this summons - urgent news on the fate of the Order shall be relayed. That is all." Before anyone could possibly buzz him a question, the Jedi master promptly plucked the power pack from his comm, which went out with a fizzle.

It was dry, understated, and irritaitingly formal. Maybe that would bring them back in, if only to glare at him? "The life of a Jedi master is perhaps harder than I thought," Dolash mumbled, as he wandered to the palace steps.

Had his comm-unit, which conveniently rested near him, not have chirped, Marek in all likelihood would have remained lying on his back, with an arm draped across his face, trying to avoid the harsh rays that accompanied daylight. Making matters that much worse was the four inch scar that extended just above his waistline. For an amateur, his stitch work came out fairly well; however his sanitization measures were another story entirely as the doctored wound began to show the early signs of infection. Despite the ever increasing annoyance the contusion was causing, he listened as Dolash's message transmitted.

"In precisely one hour, I will be announcing the result of this exercise on the palace steps. All Jedi within reach are asked to respond to this summons - urgent news on the fate of the Order shall be relayed. That is all."

A sigh of dread escaped his lips, as it would undoubtedly serve him best to be in attendance of the special meeting. Perhaps he might even come across some-one with access to a better stocked med-kit, other than the half empty one he had lugged out of the temple. One thing was certain, he'd leave the theatrical get-up and correlating tools behind here in the hotel flat he'd been renting since the departure. No need drawing anymore attention than what was called for, which was none.

Carefully, as to not re-open the injury, he dressed himself, and then headed towards the palace steps to await the new proclamation.

Something felt different.

It had been many months since Jedi had actively gone out into the galaxy, or even ventured far beyond the gates of the Jedi Temple. Vodo himself had been here for quite some time, not leaving, and not seeing much reason to leave. The Galaxy at large had forsaken the Jedi, and they were mostly ignored. Insignificant, it seemed.

Has the Jedi really become... insignificant?

With the rise larger governments fighting over the various resources and planets of the Galaxy, there seemed to be no need of the Jedi.

It was a sickening thought. Almost made Vodo feel like he had nothing left to contribute.

But that was then.

And now, it seemed like things were on the verge of a change...

And he wasn't about to be left behind. He walked out of the Jedi Council chambers, long empty since the glory days of powerful Jedi past, and stepped out onto the steps leading up to the Temple gate...

Slaskia posts:

After Rane had split up with the Jedi he shifted his form slightly so he looked the part of a Jedi: he doubted he would get any aid if he stayed with the ‘scruffy’ look. He wandered the streets, looking for likely willing donors, but not finding much luck.

It was getting later in the morning and he knew the kids would be up by now.
So he was about to give up and return to the shelter when he noticed some youths holding up what looked like a housing store. Not about to pass up this opportunity, Rane entered the store to put a stop to it.

Immediately he noticed how nervous the youths were: no doubt the reports of the Jedi stopping crime everywhere lately has put them on edge. “Hurry up old man!” One of them said with a nervous edge to his voice. “Hurry up before some nosy Jedi comes!”

“A bit late for that.” Rane quipped, a smirk on his lips. The color in their faces drained: they clearly feared for their lives. “What did you hope to gain from this?” He asked them. “A bit of money? Money that this man needs to keep his shop open and to feed his family? How would you feel if you were in his position?” The youths looked at each other, a hint of guilt on their faces: that was all Rane needed to continue. “Instead of lowering yourselves to a life of petty crime, why not offer your youthful strength to help him manage it instead?”

The owner of the store was catching on. “I could use some help around here.” He said. “This aging body can’t move things around like it used to anymore. I have put up offers to hire a couple of folks but no one is taking.”

“There you go.” Rane said with a smile. “Why not take him up on this offer? The money earned will be worth much more in the long run and you won’t risk getting caught by the law, or by a Jedi.”

The youths looked at each other and were silent for a moment. Finally one of them said to the owner. “What would you like us to do first?”

The man beamed and started giving them instructions. Rane smiled and started to head out when the owner stopped him. “How can I repay you?” He asked him.

“It’s part of the job.” Rane said. “However if you have any thing you could donate to a shelter we are trying to set up in town, we would appreciate it.”

The man thought a moment. “I have just the thing.” He led Rane to the back storage room. “These blankets have been sitting on the shelves for years and I could never sell them. I was getting ready to send them off to a charity in another city, but if you are trying to set up a shelter here in Theed then they would be better served here. I’ll even have them delivered.”

Rane gave him his thanks and gave him the location of the warehouse where the kids were currently staying. Once the arrangements had been finalized Rane started back, feeling better now that he had accomplished ‘something’ on this excursion. Halfway back another Jedi stopped him and informed him that Dolash was going to make another announcement at the palace within the hour. Wondering what the Jedi Master was going to say this time, he started making his way there instead.

Katria ladled out more soup to the children, who were eager to have something to eat at last. "Go ahead," she said, smiling. "It's good for you, you know."

As she served soup, however, a dark mass moved towards the building. Noticing it out of the corner of her eye, Katria turned to see what approached. A gang of men was nearing, rough and hardened men. Immediately she remembered the old man's warnings about the area and felt a chill down her spine.

She shooed the kids away, moving to the doorway of the tumbledown building. "What do you want?" she asked, eyeing the newcomers warily.

The man in the lead - a huge, giant of a man with hairy arms and dusty overalls - narrowed his eyes at the tiny woman before him. "You that Jedi I've heard so much about."

Standing her ground, Katria replied in the affermative. The giant man smiled. "Good."

All around behind him, the other men started bringing out hammers, saws and... paint? Nails? Spare wood?

"My wife told me about running into you at the market," the big man explained. "Said you were living out of an abandoned building out here. Figured the least my boys and I could do is fix it up a little. S'been a while since there's been a proper homeless shelter around here anyways."

Massively relieved and surprised, Katria wiped her forehead and smiled. "Thank you... so much, sir. It really means a lot."

"Think nothing of it," the giant said smiling. He paused before walking off, and added "Oh, you better get yourself to a radio, I hear a top Jedi's about to make an announcement."



Dolash ran every possible cycle of his two brains, reached out through the flow and eddies of the Force for answers, and in the end found nothing to counter his decision. So far as he knew, the other surviving masters - Vodo, Silus, Leia, and others - were unreachable, leaving the power up to him to decide. After all, if they had wanted to take up comment, wouldn't they have come with the closing of the temple doors? Such was the reason he employed to boost his confidence as he approached the palace steps.

There, the media had hastily assembled. Apparently the words of the Jedi Order still carried significance in the galaxy, even if it was much reduced, as a mob of microphones strained forwards to catch his words. The queen herself stood to one side, detatched, observing as police guided Dolash to a prepared position for his announcement. A galaxy hung upon his words.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and my brave colleagues of the Jedi Order;

"When the doors of the Jedi Temple were closed, for the first time in far too long we Jedi were confronted with a situation we could not ignore. So long as the doors remained shut, the Order would be denied its' ability to operate, and we would have to adapt to a life withou it and the comforts of the temple. Since then we have seen some acts of heroism, despair, and survival, but there is one thing we have not seen. We have not seen the Jedi Order.

"We are a confederation of individuals, tied together only by a building and a name - the Jedi Order. Today we have seen that when freed from these restraints we can go forth and accomplish much, while when restrained we are apt to fall into old habits and accomplish nothing.

"So it is in light of this revelation that I will not seek to open the temple doors again. Instead, I march back to the temple for my own purposes. For those who have found a place on Naboo or elsewhere for your powers and to walk the Jedi path, good, stay there, return, or wander freely as you see fit. The Jedi Order isn't what makes you Jedi - you are still who you are, but I will not be the one to reopen the way to isolation. That is all I have to say to you, so to you I am Master Dolash no more. Good day."

The crowd exploded with questions. Are you stepping down? How will the Jedi get back? Is this the end of the Order? Ignoring them with the practiced ease of meditation, Dolash passed through the crowds and - on foot - began to make his way towards the Jedi Temple. It would take an hour before the meaning of his speech really sank in, but it wouldn't be until he reached the temple that it would take effect. With every step, Dolash felt more certain about his decision. The die shall be cast.

As Dolash threaded his way through the crowd and started back for the Jedi Temple, a cloaked figure fell into step about 50 meters behind him, and silently began to follow.


Leia Organa Solo pulled the hood of her cloak down further over her face, and redoubled her efforts to mask her Force presence. Her only concern at the moment was catching up to Dolash unhindered, and she knew that she would be mobbed by the curious press and other onlookers if she let her identity slip.


Ahead of her, Dolash finally reached the gates of the <st1><st1>Jedi</st1><st1> Temple</st1>. </st1>Instead of going any further, he seemed to have decided to pause for a moment of contemplation at the gate, giving Leia plenty of time to cover the rest of the distance between Dolash and herself.


“Dolash…”


If Leia had startled the Jedi Master with her sudden approach from behind, there was no sign.


“I heard the news, and came as quickly as I could… I guess I had to see for myself. Bonadan is just so far away… “
<o></o>

Leia paused and looked past Dolash, up at the great spires of the <st1><st1>Jedi</st1> <st1>Temple</st1></st1>. As she did so the deep hood of her cloak fell back, revealing the troubled expression on her face.


“Looks like I almost didn’t make it, huh?””