Star Wars : New Jedi

( Third Floor )

Kyle got up here easily enough thanks to the lifts. He got quite a few odd looks, but there was too much going on for the memorial service for the Jedi who died in the Battle of Geonosis to raise a fuss over his appearance. "Excuse me," he said to a pair of Jedi who were standing quietly near a door.

"Sorry to bother you, but have they moved the commissary recently? I'm supposed to find Master Jecinda for some robes," he tugged as his shirt, "and it's not where I remember it."

"Oh, yes!" The Jedi looked at Kyle, his eyes going wide for a moment. "Yes, um, down that way to the second hall, then to the left. You can't miss it, it has the large open entryway."

"Thanks!" Kyle smiled, though on the inside he started to wonder why people reacted like that when they met him? The only thing he could think of at the moment was the Dark Side. But that wasn't an issue any more, thanks to a lot of people. And killing Desaan. That was always good. But he walked away without seeming like he was in a hurry, if only to keep away from the people who may corner him about his ties to the Force.

Following the directions, he soon found a large open space that would have been a full on mall on any other planet. He asked around for Master Jecinda and was directed to one side where piles of clothes were laid out in all sorts of styles.

"Master Jecinda?" Kyle called out, not sure who he was looking for. "My name is Kyle. I was told I could come to you to borrow some robes?"

"Yes, large build, human, male. You've done a lot of physical activity," a species he didn't recognize walked around from behind one stack of clothes. "What is your rank, Jedi?"

He didn't want to lie, but there was no way he could prove the truth. "Master," he said. "You are Master Jecinda? Thank you."

"Silly humans, slow memory. Forgetting of things." The other Jedi walked at a sedate pace over to a pile of robes that were neatly folded and stacked. Kyle fell in behind him... her... it. "Not first. Not last. I know this through the Force."

"Sorry about that," Kyle apologized as Jecinda took some clothes from their piles. "I'll return these after."

"No need," Jecidna said as it moved over to the pants. "Yours as Master. Foreseen it, I have."

"That's great and all, but I wasn't planning on..." Kyle stopped himself from saying anything else. The Jedi had divined that he would be needing these robes in the future, and that meant there was a good chance it was right. "Do I owe you anything?" He said, changing the subject.

"No. All is free for Jedi." Jecinda finished collecting what it knew was right for Katarn. "Here, put on. Will send old clothes back to your ship."

"The Raven's Claw," Kyle said. "Thank you again, Master Jecinda."

He stepped into a privacy booth and quickly changed from his casual clothes into the more formal Jedi Robes of the here and now. "This is uncomfortable," he complained to himself as he adjusted his belt, hanging his saber openly from his right hip and concealing his pistol on his left side.

Stepping out, Jecinda looked him once over. "Acceptable," it pronounced. "Other clothes?" It held out a hand, and Kyle handed over his folded shirt and pants. "Will return to your ship. Go now. Return to Great Hall, proceed to middle of Temple. Follow other Masters to service."

"Err... thank you?" Kyle was confused. This Master knew he needed directions, and simply gave them.

"Not from this Temple," Jecinda sensed his reaction and explained its actions. "Know all who have come here for clothes. Do not know you, so you are new to this Temple. You have come to pay your respects, no harm meant or brought with you, so no trouble for aiding you."

Great, he was already busted. But it was by someone who didn't care. "Thank you again, Master Jecinda. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Katarn."

...

( Great Hall )

Now that he was dressed as one of them, Kyle no longer got the same looks as he did on his way up. And because he just blended in, he was able to get a better read on what was going on.

In short, a lot of people were in various stages of shock and grief. The battle that opened the Clone Wars officially had caused a lot of deaths, so many died to violence that the Jedi here in the Temple had no idea how to respond. So they were wallowing in their guilt and sadness without knowing how to let it loose.

Kyle didn't have that problem. Him and death, they knew each other, and while he understood where all these Jedi were coming from, he didn't know where to begin to help them.

Following the directions Jecinda gave him, Kyle walked up a huge flight of steps, past a pair of statues that rose a good fifty meters or so into the air. He had no idea who they were, though he supposed anyone who had been trained in the temple would know.

He recalled the names of Masters from this era, but the only ones that came to mind were Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader – now known as Anikan Skywalker.

Kyle wondered what he would do if he met the later. Strike him down now before he has a chance to fall? No, that would be wrong. Everyone had a chance to be redeemed. And maybe he could cut off the future Sith before that became an issue, show him how to better channel his Dark Side...?

He stopped, completely floored by the options in front of him. Save Darth Vader? Use himself as an example? That...

There was a war going on, and if he remembered what Luke had taught, he still had a couple years before things got really serious on that front. But the sooner, the better. Maybe he could arrange an 'accidental' meeting with Luke's father to figure out how close to the Dark Side he was?

Feet on autopilot, he followed the Force and the crowd into a smaller hall where large numbers of Jedi were lined up in rows. There didn't seem to be any specific order, so Kyle stood off to one side, and focused on not making a scene, and just sensing the flow of feelings in the room.

It was worse here than outside. Everyone here, it seemed, was a Master, or a high ranking Knight if their strength was any measure. And these people... some of them were survivors of the battle, they felt their emotions more strongly, and they were affecting many others in the room.

Kyle frowned, then focused on himself, on the peace he felt even in the worst of times. If they were going to fret and worry and all that, then the least he could do was offer a proverbial soothing hand on the shoulder.

There was gentle conversation, though around Kyle is subdued as his stillness of mind affected the nearby people as well. They were still aware of themselves, but for now, they could feel that he was in control, and they could use him as an example and alter themselves accordingly.

"Thank you all for coming," a voice full of power and wisdom said, causing Kyle to open his eyes and look up. He had lost track of time, and now the room was full. At the far end were a dozen sentients, powerful Jedi all.

He recognized Yoda, and presumed that the rest of them were the Jedi High Council. The speaker wasn't Yoda though, it was a human male with dark coloured skin and no hair. Kyle didn't know his name.

...

Hey guys if you like the story please throw some power stones to Elevate the ranking.

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if you want to read ahead of the public release you can go to p@treon :

 [email protected]/Rage_moon