by Diane Lau
I rose and discovered my energy quite recovered. I had a crazy idea to go to the training rooms and work with my new lightsaber. It was not, in fact, such a crazy idea: I did need to familiarize myself with the weapon.
As I practiced with a target droid, a thought returned to me from the morning’s experiences. A Jedi learned many killing blows, but as I had realized when contemplating my Master, a Jedi rarely used them as such. It dawned on me that I might not have had to kill the Tusken Raider. My conscience was mostly clear; he had definitely intended to kill me and I was defending myself. However, I wondered now if there hadn’t been other alternatives. Master Brenan would know this, and I would have to ask him soon.
But everything was happening so quickly. There was much I craved to learn from my new Master, but it would have to be largely in the line of duty. At that moment, duty seemed like it would be a pleasure, for I would have this amazing lightsaber by my side. It was unbelievable how well suited the weapon was to my size, my fighting style, even my psyche. I had been good at this before, but this saber augmented my skill tremendously.
“Good to see you using your time well. No one likes a lollygagging Padawan.”
Brenan had managed to sneak up on me. Of course, with his current powers he could sneak whenever he wished, even in regard to me.
“This lightsaber is amazing, Brenan,” I said, extinguishing the beam and turning to him.
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
He held himself as strongly as usual, but there was weariness in his eyes, and spirit as well.
“It pleases me more than I can tell you,” I said, “but right now what would please me most is if you would get some rest.”
“I must, soon,” he agreed.
He gave me a long look. It was not the sort of look he had given me before. His eyes hazed over slightly as he studied me. Then, in a low voice as if to himself he said, “Strange that someone so small should contain so much power…”
“Master…?”
His countenance focused again. “I’m going to rest now. Come to me tonight after supper, we’ll tackle the next task. And you should be sure your things are packed, I know we’ll be headed to Naboo very soon.”
“Yes, I’ll be ready,” I told him. I said it calmly, but I confess my bowels knotted up with fear.
Brenan was not about to miss that. He put his hand on my arm. “We’ll both be ready,” he told me reassuringly.
That evening we again performed the link, and it was easier to initiate, even sweeter to experience, but left us more exhausted than the first time. My Master didn’t seem to care; his eyes were afire once more at the success we achieved. “Their minds are open to me, and they don’t even know I’m there,” he told me. He had extracted much of the plan but wouldn’t share it with me, which I didn’t mind. He was determined to go at once to Yoda with his discoveries, but he could barely stand.
“Brenan, Master, can’t it wait until morning?”
He made a valiant effort to appear capable of the task, but his spirit came to me as glowing low, like a dying fire. He didn’t try to rise from his chair, but said with a weak smile, “Such an upstart Padawan.”
“Perhaps, but I fear you won’t even be capable of travel tomorrow unless you sleep at once.”
He nodded, capitulating. He barely had the strength to drop himself in his bed, so I drew the blanket over him as he had done for me earlier. He didn’t open his eyes; he was already unconscious.
How easy it would be for them to kill him now, I thought, if they knew who he was. Eventually they would know, and all of this would become much more terrible. Would we even sleep safely the next night? Who knew?
I sat down on the floor next to the bed, resting my hand on the hilt of my lightsaber, and meditated upon my guardianship of this man. Yes, I was afraid of what was to come, but I didn’t want that fear to prevent me from keeping him safe. I had been taught how to deal with fear, but never in the context of facing genuine danger. But I applied what I knew, I sought the Force in its serene vastness and indeed it reassured me that we were stronger than I felt. After a time I was certain enough of that to rise, touch my sleeping Master’s hand, and go wearily to my room for the night.
* * *
It was on the transport to Naboo that I finally learned of the plan that had been made for our infiltration of the Sith compound. Brenan and I had been given a private cabin on an official Council transport so that he could prepare me for the mission.
We sat in two facing chairs at the window, and with the cabin lights dim, the passing stars cast a pale illumination over my Master’s face. He regarded me with calm eyes. “First, you need to know about our adversaries. Our spying yesterday gleaned much information in that regard, we knew practically nothing before except the identity of Darth Maul, the previous Apprentice who was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
“What did you discover?” I leaned forward, eager to start acquiring some knowledge—and therefore ammunition—against our foe.
“The Sith Lord calls himself Darth Sidious. The one thing he hides too well is his real identity—that I still can’t tell you. But he has indeed found himself a new Apprentice, or rather, Darth Lyrus found him and presented himself for consideration.”
“And won his favor.”
“Yes, easily,” nodded Brenan. “Lyrus is remarkably gifted. Unique. It’s a tragedy he’s not on our side, but there’s little hope of that. His ego rules him. In fact, it is his greatest flaw; were it not for that, I believe he could easily supplant his Master.”
“His powers are that great?”
“His powers begin with very human ones. He is completely charming, able to present himself in any persona according to the situation. A winning personality in the literal sense: he wins over the trust and sympathy of others with remarkable ease. But his unique skill lies in a strange gift: he is able to suppress people’s wills. I don’t believe he actually destroys them, but he weakens them into total dormancy. Stripped of their wills, the Jedi are left powerless to fight the influence of the Dark Side as Lyrus channels it.”
“Incredible. It’s hard to believe that’s possible, especially with Jedi. Especially with Jedi Knights!”
“Which is why their usual targets have been Padawans. The Knights that have been taken have not been our most accomplished. Not to speak ill of a friend, but Puer Xis was given more to ale and games than was always fitting. Duty came first, of course…but his commitment was not the strongest at all times. Nevertheless, Jedi of any kind are well trained and able to be used for the Sith Lord’s purposes.”
“Which are what, exactly?”
“Sidious has enough men and women in thrall now to begin sending them out on missions, attacking individual Jedi or small groups and killing them—or better yet, capturing them to be will-suppressed as well. The advantage they will have in such conflicts will be our unwillingness to kill our own people, regardless of who they fight for. So the Sith Lord depletes our ranks while filling his own, till eventually the balance of power turns.”
I sat back and pondered this scenario critically, rather than emotionally. “The weakness of their plan is that it appears destroying the head will release the body,” I told Brenan.
He nodded. “Very astute, my Padawan. And even the head is divided against itself: their loyalty to each other goes no deeper than to exploit the other’s usefulness. If Lord Sidious could do without Lyrus, he would certainly dispose of him—his ambitions are too threatening. And if the Apprentice were spiritually disciplined enough to execute the plan, he would do it without Sidious.”
“Nevertheless, it is quite a powerful body that protects the head. How do we propose to get past it, especially when we don’t want to kill it?”
My hands were resting on the table, fingers laced. Brenan put his right hand over them and said, “We will introduce a cancer.”
“A cancer?”
“A part of the body itself that is mutinous.”
I neede
d to hear no more. “You mean me.”
Brenan looked into my eyes and I could feel he was monitoring my reaction. “Yes. I have already put the suggestion into Darth Lyrus’s mind that he seek you out. As I said, his ego is his weakness. We made sure he is aware that the famous Auri-Owan and his new Padawan are coming to Naboo. To steal your loyalty from me would be quite a trophy. If he hadn’t thought of it himself, I made sure that he did.”
I huffed. “Stealing loyalty by such means is cowardly. I can’t see what pride he could take in it.”
“Nevertheless he is the sort who will, and you must convince him he has been successful.”
I eyed Brenan with concern. “Am I to let him be successful?”
“No, I will need you to remain quite on my side, Aeli. From within their compound, you will show me how I can gain entrance, where the weaknesses are. With your help I’ll be able to determine how to gain access to the head while preserving the body. When the time is right, I’ll come to you and the deed will be done.”
I nodded, silently. I knew better than to evaluate the possible chances of this scheme; logic was irrelevant where the Force was involved. I put such considerations out of my mind.
Brenan leaned back again. “All right, now for Darth Lyrus’s technique. He first approaches his victim under the pretext that he is a great admirer of the Jedi; then as the acquaintance progresses he reveals his supposed history. He claims to have proper blood to become a Jedi, but that his family refused to let him be considered. He says his father was so violently opposed to the idea that he swore to kill his son if he made any attempt to join the Jedi order.”
“Not too believable,” I commented.
“Coming from Lyrus, anything can be believable. Be sure not to underestimate him.”
I nodded silently.
Brenan went on, “That particular lie is designed to persuade the Jedi he should swear he will keep Lyrus’s secret. So now he has gained his victim’s sympathy and confidentiality. He wins a little more trust, a little more allegiance. Then he proposes to meet privately with the Jedi for a demonstration of his ‘raw abilities,’ purportedly to get advice on whether he should consider defying his father. It is during this psychic exercise that the unsuspecting Jedi is conquered.”
As Brenan spoke, I pictured myself in the victim’s place, already imagining how this step of the plan might play out. “But if I’m only faking…are you sure he won’t be able to tell?”
“He won’t be able to tell.”
There was clearly more to it than that, but I could be patient until my Master chose to reveal the details. “And then?” I asked.
“Once the victim is claimed, he or she is obviously completely cooperative. Some stealthy means is devised in each case to spirit the person away, and they end up at the Siths’ quarters.”
“And do you know now exactly where that is?”
“Mace Windu happens to be very familiar with the shadier districts of Theed. I gave him enough description that he identified the place as an old rooming house—more recently a brothel—that used to be quite well known by the local authorities. It was bought a couple of years ago by owners no one seems to know much about. Mace contacted some of our people in Theed and there’s been nothing suspicious associated with the building…in fact, it was assumed to be vacant.”
“With all that activity, someone would have noticed people going in and out…”
“People may well have noticed, and then…forgot.”
“Of course!” I said. “If this Lyrus is so good at suggestion.”
“Exactly.”
For a minute or two, I reviewed all Brenan had told me. Then I concluded, “So it will be us…pursuing two men with 50 ruthless Jedi bodyguards…”
To my surprise, my Master gave me his most brilliant grin. “I like the odds,” he said.
That smile had always been irresistible. Even now that he carried himself with the dignity of a Jedi Master, Brenan still possessed his cocky sense of humor. I grinned back.
“For now, one thing at a time,” he told me. “We must get you into Darth Lyrus’s hands without letting him into your head. There’s not much of a way to prepare, just rest and meditate.”
I nodded calmly. I was strangely unafraid.
“I have a good idea how we can do this,” said my Master, all earnestness now. “When the time comes, you will simply have to trust me.”
I returned his steady gaze. “I intend to,” I said.
* * *
We took our lodging at an inn in Theed that was in a reputable neighborhood but within walking distance of the Sith headquarters. That first night we did our link and Brenan learned Darth Lyrus’s specific activities for the next day. I would be able to run into him “by accident” easily. It would be my task to make sure he knew where we were staying, to facilitate a future meeting.
In his mind Brenan showed me what our enemy looked like. I don’t know what I expected, but I was admittedly taken aback by Lyrus’s appearance. Not only was he handsome, but in an almost boyish, innocent-looking way. He had raven black hair, and dark eyes which held a childlike beauty. He was tall and slender, unimposing in physique. If I had met him unprepared, I would have liked him on sight.
And so, as it turned out, I did.
I met Lyrus in the marketplace the next morning. He had been occupied with exchanging money for information from a spy, some plans for the whereabouts of Jedi forces over the next weeks. I made sure I was along his return route, conspicuously wearing my Padawan browns. He noticed me right away and followed me for a few minutes before pretending to collide with me as I turned a corner.
“Oh pardon me, good Jedi!” he said graciously, steadying me with a light grip on both my shoulders. “Are you all right?”
I straightened myself. “All in one piece, sir—no problem.”
“A Padawan,” he said, beaming at me. “Are you pledged long, if I may ask?”
“Not long at all. I’m quite green, but hopefully the Force, and my good Master, will make something useful of me.”
“Typical Jedi modesty,” said Lyrus.
It was difficult indeed to believe this fellow was the Sith Apprentice. He had a cheerful, open face, an utterly disarming smile. These he turned on me now in full force and I found myself wondering if I had the right man.
“I’m Lyrus Mosté, humble citizen of Theed,” he said with a slight bow. “And you are?”
“Aelida Camil, late of Coruscant of course. Please, call me Aeli.”
“Ah, the Jedi Temple. I have always wanted to see it, with all my heart. But say…after that insulting collision, could I make it up to you with a refreshment? There’s a shop just up the street that has fresh colbia juice.”
“Oh, Lyrus, you don’t need to—”
“My motives are purely selfish. I’d love to hear about some of your experiences at the Temple, I’m always trying to learn more about the Jedi.”
He regarded me with raised eyebrows, a look of such hope and eagerness that I sincerely wanted to talk to him. So far playing my role had been quite easy. And Lyrus certainly had his down to a T.
Just for safety’s sake, I reached out inwardly to Brenan, who was at that moment back in his room at the inn. He replied wordlessly with vigilant reassurance.
Lyrus and I sat at an outside table and had cups of colbia juice, which he explained was a current craze in Theed. From such small talk we proceeded to a long conversation of my experiences as a trainee. Lyrus was careful: he didn’t probe too deeply into matters which a Jedi would hesitate to discuss; he conveyed great interest and enthusiasm without seeming fanatical. As for me, I appeared open and at my ease and let him know I was enjoying the conversation. And to be truthful, I was. He was funny, charming, attentive. And if he offered no other positive qualities, there was the plain fact that he was positively angelic to look at. I couldn’t help but wish circumstances were different, and he was simply what he pretended to be. All in all, it was a curious experienc
e, reacting to Lyrus and observing these reactions with such care. I had to be wary, and yet act naturally.
Then the conversation turned to the subject of my new Master.
“The Auri-Owan?” Lyrus asked, awe-struck.
I nodded with a modest smile.
“Is he as great with a lightsaber as they say?”
“He is the best.”
Lyrus sat back, shaking his head and smiling. “What I wouldn’t give for a lesson…” he said absently, then caught himself and looked a little stricken.
I knew where he was going with this, and played along. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed. If I hadn’t been able to become a Jedi, I know I would still dream of being one.”
He looked at me with a dozen emotions running over his face. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it. He looked miserable, and I was amazed to feel sympathy in response. Then at last he spoke: “Aeli? I know we’ve just met, but I feel like I can trust you.”
“Of course you can, as a friend as well as a Jedi.”
“There’s something I wish I could tell you, but…I just can’t. Maybe sometime, but—”
I leaned across the table and touched his shoulder. “If and when you’re ready, say the word, Lyrus.”
“You say that as if you’ll see me again.” He brightened. “Will you see me again?”
“Master Auri-Owan is assigned here for at least two weeks, maybe longer. Of course I’ll see you again.”
We made plans to meet for supper at the inn the next night.
When Lyrus and I said our goodbyes, I returned at a leisurely pace to the inn, and the room of my Master.
“He’s quite a man,” I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“Sensing your reactions to him was interesting, to say the least,” commented Brenan with a slight smile.
I didn’t find this too amusing. “It’s just disturbing thinking what a good…good man he would make, if he could be turned back from the Dark Side.”
Brenan regarded me pensively for a moment. “Sensing Lyrus’s reactions was even more interesting,” he told me. “Without you here I couldn’t get the clarity, but I can tell you he’s quite agitated. I don’t imagine that came across.”
