Gray Jedi Ch. 9

Gray Jedi Ch. 9

The group made their way with care through a series of back alleys, heading towards one of Coruscant’s seedier entertainment districts. Rex was on guard and nervous the entire time with their traveling companions, but Malik and Serra seemed to know and trust these two. Still, he remained cautious; it’s what keeps a good soldier alive, after all. Soon, they arrived at a door that appeared to be the rear exit to an establishment of some sort. Jax stepped up to the door and knocked in a specific pattern. A moment later, a tiny window slid open in the door.

“Password?” came a rough voice.

“Coruscant has lovely sunsets,” Jax replied.

With a hiss, the door slid open, revealing a large, fat Besalisk.

“Jax, ya made it back I see.”

“Good to be home, Dex. Brought some friends.”

“Hmm… ya sure ‘bout that? One of ‘em looks like a blasted clone,” he growled.

“Why you disgusting-”

“Rex! Stop!” Malik ordered. Turning to the alien, he continued, “Dexter Jettster, Master Kenobi spoke often of you. He considered you a great friend.”

Dex smiled at this. “Obi-Wan was one of the best, as was his master, old Qui-Gon. Oh, the stories those two could tell… but all the same, what’s with this clone here?”

“He’s a fugitive like us,” Malik replied. “You really think Jax would’ve brought him here otherwise?”

“Suppose that’s true. Ah, but we’d better get indoors. Can’t risk those bucket-heads finding us.” He grinned at Rex. “No offense, ya understand.”

“Of course,” Rex grunted.

The group entered the building and found themselves in a dimly lit bar and lounge area. Malik could hear raucous laughter coming from the other side of the wall ahead of them, and surmised that they were in a VIP area of a bar or nightclub.

“Can I get ya a drink?” Dex asked, moving behind the bar area.

“None for me, thanks,” Malik replied. “Jax, mind if we chat for a bit?”

“I figured you’d want to,” he smirked.

The two men adjourned to a booth in the corner and sat across from each other. Malik flung his jacket on the seat next to him, and Jax turned sideways to prop up his legs on the bench.

“So, how’d you manage to survive Order 66?” Malik asked.

“I was lucky, even if there’s no such thing as luck. Was out running an errand for Master Drallig. When I returned, the attack on the Jedi Temple was already well underway. I couldn’t get in to help, as much as I wanted to. The clones spotted me before long, and I had to make a run for it. They chased me into this entertainment district, would’ve killed me if Laranth hadn’t saved my ass. She helped me go into hiding, change my clothes and appearance, and I’ve been hiding out here with her and Dex ever since. How bout you?”

“Serra and I managed to flee the Jedi Temple with Master Windu’s help. He got us to a secret hangar designed for emergency escapes. That’s the ship we used to come back here, got it hidden in a junkyard a ways from the Temple.”

“Awesome! So, Master Windu is-”

“He didn’t make it,” Malik sighed.

“Oh… damn. I had hoped he might survive…”

“Most every Jedi is dead, to my knowledge. Aside from you, the only other ones we’ve encountered are Topal Blut and Barriss Offee. Thanks for that, by the way. How’d you know Blut’s message was a trap?”

“Didn’t know for sure, but had a strong suspicion,” Jax replied. “It all seemed… a bit too perfect, know what I mean?”

“I do. We had that thought ourselves, but decided it was too important to pass up if it was legitimate.”

“I can understand that.”

“So are we safe here? You’re sure nobody tracked us?” Malik asked.

“Positive,” Jax said with a grin. “I took the most convoluted path possible to get here. Nobody knows about this place, I promise you that.”

“You always have been the over-thinker,” Malik chuckled.

By now, Serra had taken Dex up on his offer of a drink at the bar.

“Mind if I join you?” Laranth asked.

“Please.”

“Lemmie know if ya need anything else,” Dex said with a wink before sauntering off.

“So, Jax said your name is Laranth?”

“Indeed. Laranth Tarak,” she replied in her distinct Twi’leki accent.

“That was some impressive shooting out there. You’re quite the marksman… or markswoman, I guess.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a giggle.

“What’s your background, if you don’t mind me asking? Bounty hunter? Smuggler?”

“No, I am actually a former Jedi myself.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yes. I broke from the Order some years ago, before the Clone War started. There were just too many things the Council demanded that I could not reconcile with my view of the Force.”

“I can understand that,” Serra replied with a sigh.

“So for the last several years, I have worked with a group known as the Gray Paladins. We are former Jedi that are still dedicated to the Force, yet we do not answer to the Jedi Council. Most of us even go as far as to refuse to use a lightsaber, and even to rely on the Force itself as little as possible.”

“Interesting… I take it that your marksmanship capabilities are no coincidence then?” Serra inquired.

“Quite true. While most Paladins try not to use the Force so directly, I personally make use of the Force in the form of my shooting prowess. I am able to make shots that are considered impossible for even the best mercenaries in the galaxy. My awareness, prediction, and reaction capabilities are second to none when I am drawing on the Force with my all,” Laranth replied proudly.

“Impressive, though I will need to see a demonstration,” Serra laughed. “I take it the Gray Paladins weren’t targeted by Order 66?”

“No, but it is only a matter of time. All the Paladins I am aware of have gone deep underground into Coruscant’s underworld. I was to join them myself, but I became sidetracked in saving Jax from Order 66. We have been hiding out together since then.”

“Will the two of you join the other Paladins?”

“I have tried to convince him to join me, but he has since refused. He has such a sense of justice, and still wants to do good, even if he must conceal his true nature. I admire him for it, though his stubbornness does infuriate me sometimes,” Laranth giggled. After a few moments of silence, she continued, “May I ask you a… personal question?”

“Sure,” Serra replied, cocking her eyebrow.

“Please forgive me if I overstep my bounds, but I could not help but notice the way you and Malik looked at each other during our journey here. Is there… something going on between you two?”

Serra blushed in amusement, unable to speak for a moment.

“Again, I apologize if I have embarrassed you. I sometimes cannot help but notice these things. We Twi’leks are quite… attune to these sorts of emotions,” Laranth said.

“Don’t worry about it, no embarrassment. But yeah, you could say there’s something going on between Malik and me. He’s my husband.”

“Your husband?!” Laranth whispered. “But I thought Jedi were not allowed to marry, let alone fall in love?”

“True enough, but he and I have had strong feelings for each other for quite some time, even back before we were knighted. We always seemed to bring out the best in each other, balance each other out, ya know?”

“Indeed, I know the feeling.”

“After the fall of the Order, there was no more Jedi Council, and we had to make our own path in the galaxy. Laranth, it wasn’t just physical attraction between us, though there’s plenty of that too. No, we are truly, deeply in love. So much so that we managed to conquer one of the primary weaknesses the Council always spoke of in regards to singular love: the fear of loss.”

“How do you mean?” Laranth asked.

“Well… we don’t want to lose each other, but we know we probably will, sooner or later. It’s just the nature of what the galaxy has become. We accept that. In the meantime, we’re going to spend what life we do have left together, doing as much to help the galaxy as we can,” Serra explained.

“Oh my, that’s so romantic,” Laranth gasped.

As the women talked, Rex sat alone on the other side of the bar, cleaning and inspecting his weapons and equipment. After a few minutes, a glass slid across the bar to him.

“On the house, friend,” Dex said.

“Um… thank you,” Rex replied. “Sorry about… what I nearly said out there.”

“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior myself.”

“Still, I was out of line. It’s just… the last Besalisk I met was a Jedi General named Pong Krell who turned for the Separatists. Tricked my men into fighting their fellow clones, just to see how much he could get away with before being discovered.”

“I hope ya put an end to him,” Dex said, clearly displeased.

“One of my men did. Executed him before he could do any more damage.”

“Good!”

“So what brings you here, Dex? Last I heard you were operating in CoCo Town.”

“Yeah, but war tends to affect things. Business started gettin’ bad, regulars stopped coming as much…”

“So, no truth to the rumors that you salted your food with addictive spices to guarantee repeat visitors?” Rex asked wryly.

“HAH!