Jedi Insurgency 111

Naboo was every bit as beautiful as advertised. A blue, watery globe filled with swirling white clouds, and green landmasses, Corvus looked out of the Falcon’s viewport, and smiled as a wave of harmony washed over him. 

The people of Naboo who had colonized this fair world did not tear it apart, or cover it with a concrete jungle. Instead, they had worked to beautify the scene with walkable buildings, and structures that were flush with vegetation. 

Naboo, unlike the extreme wilds of Kamino, depressing dystopia of Coruscant, biting coldness of Illum, or the subdued sense of slavery, and slow rot of the Zilo beasts’ demise on Malastare, Naboo was the one world that felt closest to ‘balance.’ 

Within the cockpit sitting next to, and behind him, were his two students. Each one of them were reaching out, and sensing the planet as he had taught them. As for Triss & Omega, whilst he didn’t mind instructing them from time to time, they were not his formal students, and did not share the bonds of fire and blood that had been forged with the two teens. In time, he hoped to find them Masters of their own. For now, his focus was on the two pupils of his. 

Between the three of them, their Force Bond pulsed, and a feeling of contrasting harmony spread throughout the group. Yet each sense of oneness was seen through the lens of each individual. Breathing in the ebb and flow of the humans and their artistic value upon nature, Corvus added this concept to their shared bond. 

Jax, with his understanding of the wild side of the Force, saw the beauty of nature. The brutal hunger of those deep sea creatures, and the gentle way of Gungan coexistence permeated his aura. 

Yon, meanwhile, was deep breaths all the way. The rain, the sunshine, the movement and warping of clouds as they brought life to all beings. 

Individually, their auras were impressive, but nothing spectacular. Combined, they were otherworldly. They had created harmony in the Force. 

The Lightside sang their names, and a great blossoming of purity entered their hearts. This metaphysical mystic state of being felt as if it had been an eternity, yet in reality, lasted less than a minute. 

Opening his eyes, Corvus felt twin drops of water pooling down his cheek. 

“That was beautiful, Master. What. What was that?” Yon commented, and then hesitantly asked, a trail of water likewise trailed his cheek. 

Jax silently nodded along, curious for an answer. 

“Something that the Sith can never achieve. Individually, we Jedi are typically no match for the strongest of Darksiders. Yet when we come together, and share our understanding of the Force, we are at our strongest. What we touched upon was the ability known as Force Channel.” 

It was cliché, but Lightsiders could literally use the power of friendship to become stronger. Technically Darksiders could do this too, but all it took was one of them to seize power, and turn the bond into something like slavery. Instead of willing teammates buffing someone to a higher tier, it would transform into stolen power. 

“I had never felt so powerful before.” Yon muttered. 

For all Yon's words, however, he did not appear to be as greedy or fervent for a new ability or skill as he had in the past. It seemed that he was simply making note of what had taken place. This gave Corvus hope for the lad yet. 

“It was a freeing experience. To live in such peace, it is a shame the rest of the galaxy can never feel such bliss.” Jax spoke softly, yet he was gazing out the cockpit window with a thousand yard stare. 

Corvus withheld a wince, as he suspected Jax was still sad over Order 66. Only three months had passed, and this boy still had the heart to bring peace to the poor & unfortunate. Considering the white haired teen had specifically asked to be taught [Heal] first, meant that his heart was in the right place. 

“Do not fret, Jax. All life returns to the Force upon passing. Unlike other religions, this is verifiably true. As for this type of power, one should accept it if it is thrust upon them, but never seek it out. To press the Force in any one direction, is to harness the Darkside. By simply coming together in peace, we have triggered such a phenomenon. Such cases of extraordinary harmony will become more frequent as our understanding of the Force grows.” Corvus said in a serene, almost ethereal tone. 

As soon as he finished speaking, Obi-Wan strolled into the cockpit. 

“My Master would enjoy debating such radical ideas with you.” Obi-Wan said with a meaningful look on his face. 

“Perhaps another time.” Corvus dismissed. “Have you made contact with the Queen?” 

Obi-Wan seemed like he wanted to roll his eyes, but settled for pursing his lips. After a sharp exhale through the nose, he ever so slightly shook his head in the negative. 

“No. But I did arrange a meeting.” Obi-Wan replied, then held out a dataslate with some coordinates & a picture on it. 

A fancy looking building with all sorts of banners was on the pad. 

“She wants us to meet at a museum?” Corvus asked in a skeptical tone of voice. 

“A trap, perhaps?” Jax quietly asked. 

As soon as Jax spoke those words, Corvus and Obi-Wan shared a look. The invisible strings of fate seemed to strum along at that moment, confirming that there was something wrong with this situation. The fact that Jax had sensed it before both him, and Obi-Wan was impressive to say the least. Jax's foresight was becoming more and more impressive. 

“I considered it.” Obi-Wan nodded along. “But even if it is, we have to go. Neeyuntee was a friend to both me, and the Republic.” Obi-Wan said with a strong level of conviction. 

“We'll follow along invisibly. Maybe even get a close look at La Roche's Primitive Naboo.” Yon added. 

Corvus raised an eyebrow, and looked at Yon incredulously. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Padawan?” He asked half seriously. 

Typically, Yon would most likely want to go balls to the wall, and smash everything in sight. Yet here he was, being cautious. Honestly, Corvus sort of didn't like this change that occurred after Yon's near death experience. He just hoped that this caution didn't turn into fear or cowardice. Fear was one of the number one prerequisites for a Jedi falling to the Darkside, with a lust for power being a close second. 

As for art??? 

“Yon, I didn't know you appreciated art?” Corvus said, his eyes going slightly wide in surprise. 

“It isn't that strange, right? I like to paint in my spare time too.” Yon scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and looked at the ground. 

“Oh? I'll have to see your work sometime.” Corvus smiled, and spoke encouragingly. 

He never would have guessed that this problem child of his could be so expressive.

“I'll paint you a portrait, Master.” Yon said, and looked up with a shy smile. 

“Charming. However, we do have a meeting to attend.” Obi-Wan's accent was extra thick at that moment, as he interrupted their bonding session. 

Corvus wanted to rib Obi-Wan about his own student, but given recent events, figured he'd just leave it alone. 

“The museum is called Star Palace. It's a four story structure with 800,000 square feet of space. The coordinates that Master Obi-Wan shared will take us to the wild life enclosure. Here are the schematics for the building.” Jax-who had been silent throughout most of this conversation, suddenly said. 

Pulled up on a console in front of the white haired teen was all the information he had just conveyed, and more. 

“By the Force, are all Jedi Shadows like this?” Obi-Wan muttered to himself, and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Corvus could only wryly smile. He wanted to say that he had no part in this, yet he recalled the many, many times he had hacked computers, and could only shrug his shoulders in acceptance. 

“Master taught me well.” Jax cracked his eyes open ever so slightly, and for the smallest of seconds, seemed to direct a hint of malice Obi-Wan's way. 

The man briefly wilted, and Corvus sucked in a breath. While he didn’t want to throw stones at the man, Order 66 could have been prevented by Kenobi. It was like being a parent and knowing that your kid was going to be a school shooter. Staying back and doing nothing to help the child was essentially what Obi-Wan had done. Darth Vader had made himself, but damn if Corvus couldn't sympathize with Jax, and everyone who had suffered at Vader’s hand. 

Surprisingly, it was Yon who broke the tension. Not through words, but by action. The short, black haired teen breathed in a way that harnessed upon that feeling of harmony from earlier. The Lightside once again fell upon its followers, and lifted both Obi-Wan, and Jax's spirits. 

“Nice one, kid.” Corvus whispered, and ruffled Yon's hair. 

“What'd I do?” Yon whispered back in confusion. 

Corvus closed his eyes, and sighed. 

“The Force works in mysterious ways. I am always grateful to receive wisdom. Whether it be from the lowest of the low, or even from a Padawan learner. You have my thanks, young one.” Obi-Wan cupped his hands together deep within his robe, and slightly bowed to Yon. 

Jax also cracked his eyes open, yet instead of some Zilo beast's majesty, what came forth from those crystal clear blue eyes was curiosity. It was as if he was truly laying eyes on his rival for the first time. 

Corvus, seeing that Yon was embarrassed, and seemed to have acted in a trance, decided to get the ball rolling. They had a Queen to rescue, or at the very least, an ambush to foil. 

“Right, we know that someone is using the Queen to lure us out into the open, we all sensed it. But could it be that she is in on the ambush too? That this trap isn't as relatively simple as it seems?” Corvus asked aloud, as the entire situation stank. 

Obi-Wan had called his contacts, and all they had was a meeting? Furthermore, the animal enclosure seemed like an odd choice for a venue, what was up with that? 

“Impossible. Neeyuntee was strong during the Blue Shadow Virus scare, and is compassionate, much like Padmé was.” Obi-Wan instantly denied. 

“I think you’re probably right, Kenobi. But because of her kindness, and willingness to trust…perhaps she has been misled. Naboo gave birth to an Emperor. To assume that he has no sway over local politics would be the height of arrogance.” Corvus shook his head in rebuttal. 

Both men were slightly hot under the collar. One unwilling to think that he could be betrayed by someone he had worked so closely with before, whilst the other was preparing for the worst. 

“The meeting isn't scheduled for another 5 hours. The initiative is ours.” Jax stated open endedly in a gentle tone barely above a whisper. Yet his words almost took on a sinister quality, as if the situation might escalate at any moment. 

“Why don't we raid the palace? See for ourselves why this meeting is so hush-hush. We want Master Kenobi elected to the Senate, right? What better place to gather information on our opponents, than the center of power?” Yon spoke, and took a deep breath. His nose twitched, and his aura soared, as if he experienced unseen answers to unasked questions. 

“Is this what the Jedi Order has become?” Obi-Wan muttered to himself in morose resignation. 

Corvus, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, and stood up, clapping both of his palms on his disciples’ shoulders. 

“Yes, why must we play the hero, and knowingly walk into a trap? We shall do as you two say. Jax, prep CF-99. Yon, use my ISB credentials to research the Queen's movements. As for you, Obi-Wan, keep that sarcastic wit on standby, the people of Naboo are counting on you!” Corvus said with an infectious smile, and sat right back down to pilot the Falcon. 

“I'll certainly try.” Obi-Wan drily replied before walking away. 

His students were acting more and more like Jedi Shadows, and it was glorious. 

He could only imagine Palpatine’s heartache once these two baby eagles left the nest, and caused chaos in the Empire without his direct oversight. By the end of the year, a Jedi Insurgency will have risen up, and there was nothing the seething Sith Lord would be able to do about it! 

Corvus grinned to himself, and set course for Theed.