Master Jedi - Old Man Bellek
posted 30 June 2007, Saturday
Clack'dor VI was a barren rock before the Empire decided to terraform it. Only thirty percent was finished before the project was dropped and all extra manpower was diverted to the second Star Destroyer, but the beautiful forests and plains that were created were more than enough for its current residents. On the far east side of the terraformed land, a mile away from the rocky waste of the planets true nature, was a small, highly technological city simply called Green Leaf. It was nestled within the forest with the utmost care in order to preserve the environment and blend in as much as possible. It's residents, which consisted mostly of Bith artists and musicians, liked the peace and quiet afforded by the seclusion the city provided. Outsiders were generally not welcomed, and those allowed to visit were given at most a few days.
It had taken Luke two days to get the Mayor's cooperation, and in the end he had to promise a favor in return. He had tracked the councilman in charge of the Ridge Port theft and ambush to this city and was in the process of arresting him. Jina was in charge of taking him down and was currently pretending to be a shopper at one of the street markets. "He's heading right towards you," informed Luke from the top of the nearby building. "He's wearing a white shirt with a green vest." Jina simply nodded as she perused an assortment of pots and sculptures beside an alley. Luke again reported, "Here he comes! He should be passing you in five, four, three, two..." Jina turned around and with a quick glance identified their target, grabbed him by the arm and Force-threw him into the alley. He hit the ground and rolled a short ways before sitting up and instinctively pulling out a tiny blaster. Jina was ready with her lightsaber and when the shots came she easily swatted them away as she approached. With no more options the panicked thief scrambled to his feet and began running away down the alley, but only made it about twenty feet before the hilt of Jina's lightsaber came flying at his head and knocked him out cold.
"Nice work!" Luke praised as he jumped down in front of the unconscious criminal.
"Thanks," Jina smiled. "This wasn't that hard you know."
"Yeah, but it's when we let our guard down that we make mistakes," Luke gave Jina a disapproving look.
"What did I do now?"
Luke sighed as he walked over to a nearby pile of trash and retrieved Jina's lightsaber. "How many times have I told you not to lose this? What if that pile of trash was an air vent that went down for miles? What if I was a Sith backup you hadn't accounted for? Never, ever separate yourself from your lightsaber in the heat of battle... especially on purpose! A Jedi's first priority is to defend himself and those around him, and it's hard to do that if you don't have your lightsaber."
"He wasn't a threat... And I didn't feel like running after him." Jina snatched her lightsaber out of Luke's hand.
Luke looked up to the sky and pleaded, "May the Force help me!.
After dropping off their prisoner in the incredibly small, makeshift jail, that was rarely used, they made their way to the Mayor's office in the center of the city. As they approached the building Luke began patting himself down and searching through his utility belt - each pass more frantic than the last. "Where's the translator? Don't tell me I lost it!"
"It's right here!" Jina tossed it at Luke after removing it from her belt. "You told me to hold it. Remember?"
Luke sighed in relief. "I need to pay a visit to that Jawa that sold me this piece of junk. We'll be lucky if it lasts until tomorrow." Luke fixed the earpiece translator to his ear and tapped it a few times hoping that the static would subside then entered. Inside they were greeted by the one of the security guards and rushed up to the Mayors office where they were immediately ushered in.
[Welcome! Welcome! I hope you have found your stay here pleasant,] greeted the short, thin Bith Mayor in his own language as he almost jumped out of his seat. Luke raised an eyebrow at the overly welcoming Mayor and exchanged a puzzled glance with Jina. He suspected something was about to happen, but had forgotten the favor he owed to the city. [The warden has informed me that you captured your criminal, and you have finished your business here-]
"Well actually," Luke interrupted, "we need you to hold him for a few more days while we visit a nearby planet to... um... do some research. I hope that's not a problem." Luke tapped his translator as it started acting up on him.
The mayor clearly looked frustrated as he straightened out his purple and red suit for a minute. He then crossed his arms and paced back and forth for another minute. [No, no, no! That will be fine,] said the Mayor clearly flustered. [As long as you take care of our problem we will make an exception for you, but you must keep a low profile and as much as possible stay off the streets. Already there are rumors that my office is doing business with bounty hunters...]
"Take care of your problem?" Luke questioned defensively.
"The favor you promised. Remember?" Jina whispered to Luke in an annoyed tone as she stood behind him.
"Oh! Yes, Your problem. What is that we can help you with Mayor?"
The Mayor began to shake his head. [You see... for the last five years... Oh, I can't talk about it. You tell them!] The Mayor called on his assistant to relay the information.
[I'm sorry. The Mayor doesn't like to talk about this horrible situation. See, about five years ago we began finding citizens that had died in an unusual manner. They were pale with wrinkly skin, and no apparent cause of death could be determined. Now every year we find more dead bodies around this time, and we would like you to find out what is causing these deaths.]
[Tell him about the old man,] urged the Mayor as he covered his mouth with a handkerchief. The topic was clearly upsetting him.
[Well, there have been rumors that the old hermit who lives to the west of the city has been killing these people since he is said to have arrived around the same time the deaths began. However, our investigations turned up nothing.]
"An old man?" Luke doubted wondering if his translator had fouled up.
[Yes, an old man. Really old. These are just rumors, mind you, but people continue to say that they see him roaming the city at night. It's ridiculous I know, but there is little else to go on.]
Luke stroked his beard as he mulled over the information. "Do you have one of these body's we can look at?"
A block away in the basement of the City's hospital Luke, Jina and the Major's assistant looked over the most recent casualty of the City's mystery. They were in a sealed off area of the morgue designated for official City use. As described, the body of a human citizen lay dead on the cold, metal table looking incredibly pale and shriveled up. The autopsy report showed no bruises or marks of any kind. [Do you see why we need your help Master Jedi?] the assistant wagged his head as he looked over the body. Luke glanced up briefly after being referred to as Master Jedi thinking it odd but nice at the same time. "Jina," Luke called thinking their situation was a perfect training opportunity for her. "I want you to try and sense the last moments of this person."
Jina stood next to Luke shivering, trying to warm herself up by rubbing her arms. She wasn't too happy to be inspecting a dead body, but the cold seemed to have numbed her mind as well as her fingers. Trying to calm down, Jina closed her eyes and began focusing. "You can touch it if you need to," added Luke casually.
With a swift turn of the head Jina's eyes opened wide towards Luke, "I'm not touching it!" Jina complained before going back to her assignment. Fighting the cold Jina called on the Force to give her something, but no matter how hard she tried she could only make out a black void and a dark feeling. "I can't get anything," Jina sighed as she walked to a nearby chair and sat down.
"It's like this person never existed." Luke shook his head puzzled at the situation.
[Is something wrong?] Asked the assistant.
"No. Nothing for you to worry about. We're going to visit the old man you told us about now."
After showing the guards at the west gate their official city passes Luke and Jina began their trek through the dense forest in search of the mysterious old man rumored to have killed almost fifty of Green Leaf's citizens. Five minutes into the trip a faint dark aura could be sensed emanating from the west. "Do you feel that?" Asked Luke as he stopped for a moment and unhooked his lightsaber.
"A Sith trying to hide their presence?" Jina asked.
"I don't know, but you should stay away from being too specific. It can narrow your perception and lead you to misjudge a situation. Keep your mind clear and be ready for anything." Jina followed her masters lead and readied her weapon as they began walking again. After a mile or so they finally came to the tree line that opened up into a beautiful meadow that stretched out a great distance. To the right of them a small wooden house heavily camouflaged by the thick overgrowth barely poked into view. "The darkness is gone," observed Jina as they approached the residence.
"Stay alert, and watch your back," Whispered Luke as he leaned up against the wall and peaked in the window. Inside, a barely lit lantern illuminated an old man sitting at a tiny, round table set with drinks and sandwiches. Luke motioned Jina to stay back, then creeped up to the door and firmly knocked three times. "Come in! The tea is getting cold!" cried the voice of the old man inside. Is this a trap, thought Luke as he slowly opened the poorly hinged door. "Don't be afraid! Come in!" Luke cautiously opened the door and took a step inside trying to adjust to the darkness. The old house was one large room with a small bed made out of moss and blankets on the floor in the left corner directly in front of Luke and a fireplace on the right. A large metal container took up most of the space in the far right corner, and by the only window the tiny table where the old man sat motioning Luke to enter. "Come in! Come in! I've made tea and sandwiches for you," Beckoned the old man who could barely open his eyes.
"How can you be expecting us? We've never even met before?" Luke argued politely.
The old man laughed. "I have a way with this forest. It speaks to me! It told me I would have guests today."
Luke's eyes widened as he began to question the old man's sanity. Still he couldn't deny his foreknowledge. "We're here from the city to ask you some questions, but I guess you knew that too.
The old man laughed again. "Of course! Ask your questions and drink some tea. You've come a long way, why not sit down?"
I hope I don't regret this, Luke said to himself as he opened up his robe and put away his lightsaber. Jina did the same and entered the small home letting the door creak shut behind her. They both sat down across the old man who had a strange smile on his pale, wrinkly face. "I couldn't help but notice your weapon there. May I see it?" Asked the old man.
"I don't think so... um... what is your name?" Luke replied.
"Oh forgive my manners. My name is Bellek. Bellek Phrog."
"My name is Luke and this is Jina. Like I said we're from the city--"
The old man motioned with his trembling hand interrupting, "I'm sorry but I must know if that weapon you hung on your belt was a lightsaber."
Luke looked at Bellek suspiciously taking his time to reply. "Yes it was. What do you know about it?"
"Ah," The old man scratched his face as he nodded happily. "I haven't seen someone carrying one of those in a long time... a long time. I presume you are a Jedi?" The old man looked too interested in the subject making Luke even more suspicious and jittery.
"I am a Jedi. The last one in fact, but how do you know all this?" Luke slid to the edge of his wobbly chair ready to act at the first sign of trouble. This old man knew more than he was letting on and danger could be around the corner. Jina was too busy eating one of the delicious sandwiches to notice Luke's reaction.
Bellek laughed again tilting his head back. "No need to be alarmed son. You see, I used to be a Jedi too... a long time ago."
"A Jedi?" Luke's jaw dropped.
"Yes, yes. I used to travel the galaxy chasing after adventure, but those days are just a faint memory now."
"Wait. You didn't work for the Republic?"
Bellek shook his head repulsed at the thought, "Oh no! I was my own person and served no one but myself. I hated the Republic Jedi and the Sith equally."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Luke was extremely confused and was now more worried about answers than any type of danger. "I thought all Jedi served the Republic? That's where the Jedi Counsel was located."
Bellek took a long, slow sip of his tea then offered up a deep sigh. "No dear boy. The Jedi of the Republic were just a group of self righteous, do-gooders that made a name for themselves in the Galaxy. They weren't the only Jedi. They were just the most well known. See, when the seeds of the Republic were sprouting most Jedi kept to themselves or their own systems, but after it grew big a group of Jedi decided that they wanted to be the official guardians of peace. At first they were nothing, but with time they grew famous and it went straight to their head. They made a formal counsel that was politically linked to the Republic and started making special rules. Eventually they became the face of Jedi everywhere."
Luke ran his hand down his face trying to make sense of what he'd been told. "You're saying that the Jedi had political ties to the Republic?"
"Well isn't it obvious boy?" Bellek shook his head bothered by Luke's ignorance. "They were the lap dogs of the Republic securing its power behind the scenes. In return for executing the Republic's will they gained status and power. They called it fighting for peace and justice - I call it political back scratching." Bellek took another long sip of his tea. "Haven't you realized that their downfall was the direct result of their relationship with the Republic?"
"No. The Jedi were tricked by the Emperor." Luke argued.
"Yes, but what allowed that to happen? They were too complacent, too trusting of their political partner. Instead of asking questions they obediently kept the war machine in motion... and they payed for their blindness."
Luke leaned back in his chair wondering what to think, trying not to believe. "I can't believe it."
Bellek finished his tea and laughed, "I apologize if I was a bit too harsh on your heroes. I am biased you know. In any case it is getting dark and I must get to bed. You are welcome to stay if you like, though the floor isn't very inviting."
Bellek's take on history intrigued Luke so much that he decided to stay the night and question him further. His masters never portrayed the old Jedi Order in such a way, but then why would they? Obiwan and Yoda had kept the truth from him before, and it was time for another point of view. Jina didn't care to sleep on the hard wood floor. To her, the old man was just giving out another boring history lesson, and she didn't understand why Luke wanted to stay. His orders were to sleep in three hour shifts with Jina getting to sleep first. By now Luke didn't think the old man was much of a threat, but he couldn't let his guard down yet.
The uneventful night turned into another day of questions and long stories. The day quickly turned into two and then three. Luke found himself captivated by old man Bellek and his stories from the past. His claim to be a Jedi definitely had something to do with it - as if Luke had found a long, lost brother. Jina entertained herself as best she could taking long walks along the edge of the forest or training at Luke's urging.
It was a cloudy afternoon on their third day at Bellek's house, and Jina was in the meadow practicing with her lightsaber. Luke supervised off to the side finally breaking away from Bellek to spend some time with his apprentice. Jina was particularly energetic this day and was really working up a sweat as she jumped, flipped and rolled through the sea of grass. After jumping into the air from a handstand, flipping in the air three times and landing on the other side of her imaginary opponent Jina suddenly stopped and turned to Luke. "We're going back to the city today, right?"
"Huh? Well... I don't know." Luke looked lost in thought.
"We've been here three days already, and my back hurts from sleeping on the floor. I need to take a shower, and you haven't even asked him about the dead bodies!"
"I don't need to ask. Have you seen him? He can barely make it from his bed to his chair."
"Are you forgetting the dark presence we felt when we first came out here? He could be pretending. He could be--" Jina abruptly stopped noticing something behind Luke. He turned and saw Bellek slowly making his way out to them holding himself up with a thick wooden cane. "See!" Jina rubbed her point in Luke's face.
"Shut up and don't say anything." Luke whispered.
Jina resumed her training as Luke waited for Bellek to reach them. It seemed to take forever, but eventually he made it a few steps behind him. "Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen the elegance of a Jedi in battle," Bellek said. Luke turned around and walked back to where he was. "I wasn't too bad with my lightsaber back in the day," Bellek laughed.
Luke looked at Jina and reminded himself of their obligations. He considered the old man his friend now, but knew he had to question him. "We'll be heading back to the city today," Luke started.
"Yes. We all have our obligations."
Luke gave Bellek a strange look and wondered if he was reading his mind. "Yes... Before we go I wanted to see if you knew anything about a string of deaths that have been occurring in the city. People are dying and there doesn't seem to be a cause."
Bellek paused for a long while - too long. Luke was about to get his attention when he finally replied. "I'm sorry, but I don't go into the city very often. The last time I was there was last year, and I made the trip because my well pump broke." Bellek looked clearly bothered by the question, maybe even angered, but Luke couldn't sense his feelings either way. A realization that struck him re-awakening his caution. "You know, watching your student train has reminded me of an old technique I learned from a Mobian Jedi Grandmaster before the Mobians were wiped out by the Sith. He called it his Force ghost technique. Let me teach it to you!"
Bellek stretched out his left hand holding it in front of him as it trembled with age. "Watch now," he urged as slowly his hand began to tremble less and less until it stopped completely. With a flick of his wrist he began to move it through the air leaving ghostly imprints of his hand where it had been. He was able to control how slow the images lagged behind and how frequently they appeared. He stopped his demonstration after a minute and quickly collapsed to the ground prompting Luke to help him.
"Are you okay? That was amazing!" Marveled Luke.
Bellek sat on the ground breathing heavily, "I'll be fine, I'll be fine. I want you to learn that technique."
"I doubt I can learn something like that in a few hours," laughed Luke. "Besides, why would you want to teach me something like that?"
"Oh, I just want to pass something on before I die, and you seem like a good person to trust with something like that." Bellek grabbed Luke by the arm and looked in his eyes sincerely, "I want you to come visit me one last time before you leave. I'll write down how to do the technique and you can come pick it up. Is that alright?"
"Sure. I can do that." Luke felt like he was talking with his dear grandfather, and though he didn't want to admit it had grown terrible fond of the mysterious old man.
Night had fallen and back in the city Luke lay stretched out in his bed inside his government issued room. Before taking a shower and settling down he had a visit with the Mayor that went poorly and ended in him receiving strong hints that his welcome had worn out. At least I met the old man, thought Luke trying to find something good about the mostly miserable trip to the city of Green Leaf.
Unexpectedly the two toned chime of the door bell rang dragging Luke out of bed in nothing but his pants. "Who is it?" asked Luke as he opened the automated metal door causing it to slide open.
"You're not ready?" Questioned Jina on the other side fully dressed with her lightsaber in hand.
"Huh? Ready for what? I was about to go to sleep."
"You don't sense that dark presence that we felt in the woods nearby?"
Luke took a deep breath and focused. Immediately he felt the dark aura he and Jina felt in the forest, and it was very close. Calling his lightsaber into his hand Luke rushed out the door and onto the nearby building with Jina close behind. "You don't have any shoes on!" Warned Jina as they skipped from rooftop to rooftop.
"I'll be fine. I just want to catch this guy and get the Mayor off my back." Luke stopped a few blocks away from his waiting bed and searched the area from a ledge. "Jina, go two buildings in that direction and see what you find."
With her robe fluttering behind her Jina jumped ahead two buildings and began searching for the dark presence they were right on top of. Not too many people were out in the streets, but she knew her target wasn't the type to walk in plain view. Suddenly the faint clang of a can falling from an alley's trash can alerted her to the robed figure scurrying into its darkness. "Over here!" Jina called as she jumped down and went after him.
"Jina wait for me!" Luke cried out, but Jina was already closing on their mysterious figure. The alley was long and very dark, barely revealing the black robe worn by this unknown person that Jina was about to catch up to. She was fast and this mysterious figure proved no match for her in a race, but just as she reached arm's length the figure stopped and swept backwards with a violet lightsaber. Jina flipped over her attacker and came down with her own blade engaging in her very first lightsaber duel. The shadowy person jumped back opening some distance between them then came at Jina with what seemed to her like a lightsaber on a pole. His reach was twice that of Jina's which quickly put her on the defensive. She had never faced anything like this, and in less than ten moves her defense broke down. There was nothing she could do as she waited to be finished, but the final blow never came. Instead the robed, faceless figure waited for her to recover. Jina offered a scared, puzzled look as she stood wondering what happened.
Again the attacker charged at her stabbing high and low with his long-reaching lightsaber, and Jina once again found herself at a loss. With a downward stab her attacker pierced the ground right under her, then quickly brought his weapon up knocking Jina's lightsaber away. The attack should have sliced her in two, but as he brought his saber out of the ground he retracted the blade avoiding any serious harm. At that moment, as Jina stood shocked and helpless, Luke came down on the dark assailant with a Force powered two-handed swing that brought him to one knee and opened a crater in the pavement beneath them. The dark figure had blocked the attack, but now he was the one backtracking against Luke's furious barrage. "Stay back!" Luke shouted at Jina worried for her safety as he rushed in. The enemy held his own and showed tremendous skill, but he was quickly tiring and Luke knew it.
The movements of the mysterious figure began to slow, and at the first opportunity Luke jumped in over his lightsaber's reach and delivered the final blow. The attacker however, was now nothing but a faint afterimage. All the way down the alley ghosts of the attackers escape stayed behind painting a picture of what had happened. "Ghosts." Luke said as he stood staring at the images.
"We're not going to chase him?" Offered up a humbled Jina trying to be brave.
Luke just shook his head at the stunning revelation. After a few moments of standing around, taking in the events of the night, Luke walked up to Jina and gave her a hug. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Jina replied still shaken up. "He didn't kill me... He could have, but he didn't."
"You shouldn't have rushed in like that. You're not ready to fight on your own."
"I'm sorry. I just--"
"Just don't do it again. I don't want to make chasing after you a full time job."
Luke barely slept that night thinking about the inevitable confrontation that waited, and as soon as the sun began to rise he headed out west to old man Bellek's home. No one spoke a word the entire trip - Luke playing out scenarios of what might happen in his mind and Jina because she didn't know what to say. In an amount of time that was too quick for Luke they finally arrived at the old, wooden home. Luke unhooked his lightsaber and gave his robe to Jina. "Stay outside and be ready for anything," Luke whispered.
Reaching into one of the many gaps between the wood, Luke cracked open the front door to take a peek. Inside Bellek was sitting in front of his lit fireplace looking as old and incapable as before. His cane rested against the fireplace and a cup of tea sat next to him. Slowly Luke inched passed the door never taking his eyes off of Bellek. Jina sneaked up to the window to see what was going on inside. Quietly Luke took a few steps forward readying his lightsaber.
"I'm glad you came," Whispered Bellek in a sickly, tired voice.
"Why did you kill those people?" Luke didn't hesitate to get to the point.
"Sometimes when you do something for so long you forget why you're doing it in the first place. All you know is that you have to do it in order to feel normal."
"So murder is normal for you?"
"For about one-hundred and fifty years... I was a young Jedi in my thirties when I happened upon a Sith temple. They were going to kill me so I pretended to be a worshiper seeking to join their cause. Being a wanderer I decided to stay, after they took me in, to learn what I could before heading off again, and that lasted almost a year before a group of Jedi appeared who were hunting the Sith Lord who ran the temple. They destroyed the temple and most of the Sith with it. Of course I escaped, but not before filling my backpack with whatever I could find. I soon discovered that I had taken the Sith Lord's journal, and that inside were the secrets to the ultimate Sith technique; eternal life."
"You're saying that you're almost two-hundred years old?"
"And I had to kill many people along the way. To prolong your life you have to steal it from another. In the Sith manner it is cruel and selfish, and I let it consume me. I've tried to resist, taking fewer and fewer lives, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to stop. But now that you're here I will stop once and for all and take my place among the dead."
"But why did you attack us last night?"
Bellek laughed as best he could. "I wanted to feel young one last time - to feel the rush of battle, to run free. It took a military grade adrenalin pill to get me moving, and now my body is destroyed because of it. I can't walk anymore. All that's left is for you to end my life and put an end to the Mayor's mystery. My lightsaber and my journals are on the container over there. I want you to have them."
Luke looked over to the stack of books in awe, "You mean the secret of eternal life is over there?"
"Would you really want such a thing, young Jedi? I burned it many years ago during one of my many conflicted moments. Looking back, it's one of the few things I'm proud of. Besides, the Jedi have their own secrets for eternal life."
Immediately Luke thought about his masters, and everything started to make more sense to him. However, the thought of killing Bellek turned his stomach going against everything he was taught. "I'm sorry, but I can't kill you. Not like this."
"You would deny a man his final wish?" Bellek laughed inaudibly. "You are worthy of your title Master Jedi. Now would you be so kind as to hand me the timed detonator sitting next to my lantern?" Luke picked up the detonator disappointed that he didn't notice it sooner. He checked it to make sure it was off then handed it to Bellek. "You should take my things and prepare to get away from here. I'm setting this for three minutes." Luke picked up the things Bellek gave him and handed them to Jina who popped in the door to take them. "Thank you for coming today. I never would have had the will to arm this myself if I were alone. Now please, put it back next to the lantern where I can't reach it."
Luke did as the old man told him. By that time less than two minutes remained, but he felt he couldn't leave without saying something. Jina was outside calling - silently counting down in her head. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances." Luke said as he rushed out the door feeling like he should have said so much more. By the time the house exploded they were both far away at a safe distance. The loud boom stirred up memories of the few good days Luke spent with the old man, and regrets of all the things he could have learned.
To Be Continued...
It had taken Luke two days to get the Mayor's cooperation, and in the end he had to promise a favor in return. He had tracked the councilman in charge of the Ridge Port theft and ambush to this city and was in the process of arresting him. Jina was in charge of taking him down and was currently pretending to be a shopper at one of the street markets. "He's heading right towards you," informed Luke from the top of the nearby building. "He's wearing a white shirt with a green vest." Jina simply nodded as she perused an assortment of pots and sculptures beside an alley. Luke again reported, "Here he comes! He should be passing you in five, four, three, two..." Jina turned around and with a quick glance identified their target, grabbed him by the arm and Force-threw him into the alley. He hit the ground and rolled a short ways before sitting up and instinctively pulling out a tiny blaster. Jina was ready with her lightsaber and when the shots came she easily swatted them away as she approached. With no more options the panicked thief scrambled to his feet and began running away down the alley, but only made it about twenty feet before the hilt of Jina's lightsaber came flying at his head and knocked him out cold.
"Nice work!" Luke praised as he jumped down in front of the unconscious criminal.
"Thanks," Jina smiled. "This wasn't that hard you know."
"Yeah, but it's when we let our guard down that we make mistakes," Luke gave Jina a disapproving look.
"What did I do now?"
Luke sighed as he walked over to a nearby pile of trash and retrieved Jina's lightsaber. "How many times have I told you not to lose this? What if that pile of trash was an air vent that went down for miles? What if I was a Sith backup you hadn't accounted for? Never, ever separate yourself from your lightsaber in the heat of battle... especially on purpose! A Jedi's first priority is to defend himself and those around him, and it's hard to do that if you don't have your lightsaber."
"He wasn't a threat... And I didn't feel like running after him." Jina snatched her lightsaber out of Luke's hand.
Luke looked up to the sky and pleaded, "May the Force help me!.
After dropping off their prisoner in the incredibly small, makeshift jail, that was rarely used, they made their way to the Mayor's office in the center of the city. As they approached the building Luke began patting himself down and searching through his utility belt - each pass more frantic than the last. "Where's the translator? Don't tell me I lost it!"
"It's right here!" Jina tossed it at Luke after removing it from her belt. "You told me to hold it. Remember?"
Luke sighed in relief. "I need to pay a visit to that Jawa that sold me this piece of junk. We'll be lucky if it lasts until tomorrow." Luke fixed the earpiece translator to his ear and tapped it a few times hoping that the static would subside then entered. Inside they were greeted by the one of the security guards and rushed up to the Mayors office where they were immediately ushered in.
[Welcome! Welcome! I hope you have found your stay here pleasant,] greeted the short, thin Bith Mayor in his own language as he almost jumped out of his seat. Luke raised an eyebrow at the overly welcoming Mayor and exchanged a puzzled glance with Jina. He suspected something was about to happen, but had forgotten the favor he owed to the city. [The warden has informed me that you captured your criminal, and you have finished your business here-]
"Well actually," Luke interrupted, "we need you to hold him for a few more days while we visit a nearby planet to... um... do some research. I hope that's not a problem." Luke tapped his translator as it started acting up on him.
The mayor clearly looked frustrated as he straightened out his purple and red suit for a minute. He then crossed his arms and paced back and forth for another minute. [No, no, no! That will be fine,] said the Mayor clearly flustered. [As long as you take care of our problem we will make an exception for you, but you must keep a low profile and as much as possible stay off the streets. Already there are rumors that my office is doing business with bounty hunters...]
"Take care of your problem?" Luke questioned defensively.
"The favor you promised. Remember?" Jina whispered to Luke in an annoyed tone as she stood behind him.
"Oh! Yes, Your problem. What is that we can help you with Mayor?"
The Mayor began to shake his head. [You see... for the last five years... Oh, I can't talk about it. You tell them!] The Mayor called on his assistant to relay the information.
[I'm sorry. The Mayor doesn't like to talk about this horrible situation. See, about five years ago we began finding citizens that had died in an unusual manner. They were pale with wrinkly skin, and no apparent cause of death could be determined. Now every year we find more dead bodies around this time, and we would like you to find out what is causing these deaths.]
[Tell him about the old man,] urged the Mayor as he covered his mouth with a handkerchief. The topic was clearly upsetting him.
[Well, there have been rumors that the old hermit who lives to the west of the city has been killing these people since he is said to have arrived around the same time the deaths began. However, our investigations turned up nothing.]
"An old man?" Luke doubted wondering if his translator had fouled up.
[Yes, an old man. Really old. These are just rumors, mind you, but people continue to say that they see him roaming the city at night. It's ridiculous I know, but there is little else to go on.]
Luke stroked his beard as he mulled over the information. "Do you have one of these body's we can look at?"
A block away in the basement of the City's hospital Luke, Jina and the Major's assistant looked over the most recent casualty of the City's mystery. They were in a sealed off area of the morgue designated for official City use. As described, the body of a human citizen lay dead on the cold, metal table looking incredibly pale and shriveled up. The autopsy report showed no bruises or marks of any kind. [Do you see why we need your help Master Jedi?] the assistant wagged his head as he looked over the body. Luke glanced up briefly after being referred to as Master Jedi thinking it odd but nice at the same time. "Jina," Luke called thinking their situation was a perfect training opportunity for her. "I want you to try and sense the last moments of this person."
Jina stood next to Luke shivering, trying to warm herself up by rubbing her arms. She wasn't too happy to be inspecting a dead body, but the cold seemed to have numbed her mind as well as her fingers. Trying to calm down, Jina closed her eyes and began focusing. "You can touch it if you need to," added Luke casually.
With a swift turn of the head Jina's eyes opened wide towards Luke, "I'm not touching it!" Jina complained before going back to her assignment. Fighting the cold Jina called on the Force to give her something, but no matter how hard she tried she could only make out a black void and a dark feeling. "I can't get anything," Jina sighed as she walked to a nearby chair and sat down.
"It's like this person never existed." Luke shook his head puzzled at the situation.
[Is something wrong?] Asked the assistant.
"No. Nothing for you to worry about. We're going to visit the old man you told us about now."
After showing the guards at the west gate their official city passes Luke and Jina began their trek through the dense forest in search of the mysterious old man rumored to have killed almost fifty of Green Leaf's citizens. Five minutes into the trip a faint dark aura could be sensed emanating from the west. "Do you feel that?" Asked Luke as he stopped for a moment and unhooked his lightsaber.
"A Sith trying to hide their presence?" Jina asked.
"I don't know, but you should stay away from being too specific. It can narrow your perception and lead you to misjudge a situation. Keep your mind clear and be ready for anything." Jina followed her masters lead and readied her weapon as they began walking again. After a mile or so they finally came to the tree line that opened up into a beautiful meadow that stretched out a great distance. To the right of them a small wooden house heavily camouflaged by the thick overgrowth barely poked into view. "The darkness is gone," observed Jina as they approached the residence.
"Stay alert, and watch your back," Whispered Luke as he leaned up against the wall and peaked in the window. Inside, a barely lit lantern illuminated an old man sitting at a tiny, round table set with drinks and sandwiches. Luke motioned Jina to stay back, then creeped up to the door and firmly knocked three times. "Come in! The tea is getting cold!" cried the voice of the old man inside. Is this a trap, thought Luke as he slowly opened the poorly hinged door. "Don't be afraid! Come in!" Luke cautiously opened the door and took a step inside trying to adjust to the darkness. The old house was one large room with a small bed made out of moss and blankets on the floor in the left corner directly in front of Luke and a fireplace on the right. A large metal container took up most of the space in the far right corner, and by the only window the tiny table where the old man sat motioning Luke to enter. "Come in! Come in! I've made tea and sandwiches for you," Beckoned the old man who could barely open his eyes.
"How can you be expecting us? We've never even met before?" Luke argued politely.
The old man laughed. "I have a way with this forest. It speaks to me! It told me I would have guests today."
Luke's eyes widened as he began to question the old man's sanity. Still he couldn't deny his foreknowledge. "We're here from the city to ask you some questions, but I guess you knew that too.
The old man laughed again. "Of course! Ask your questions and drink some tea. You've come a long way, why not sit down?"
I hope I don't regret this, Luke said to himself as he opened up his robe and put away his lightsaber. Jina did the same and entered the small home letting the door creak shut behind her. They both sat down across the old man who had a strange smile on his pale, wrinkly face. "I couldn't help but notice your weapon there. May I see it?" Asked the old man.
"I don't think so... um... what is your name?" Luke replied.
"Oh forgive my manners. My name is Bellek. Bellek Phrog."
"My name is Luke and this is Jina. Like I said we're from the city--"
The old man motioned with his trembling hand interrupting, "I'm sorry but I must know if that weapon you hung on your belt was a lightsaber."
Luke looked at Bellek suspiciously taking his time to reply. "Yes it was. What do you know about it?"
"Ah," The old man scratched his face as he nodded happily. "I haven't seen someone carrying one of those in a long time... a long time. I presume you are a Jedi?" The old man looked too interested in the subject making Luke even more suspicious and jittery.
"I am a Jedi. The last one in fact, but how do you know all this?" Luke slid to the edge of his wobbly chair ready to act at the first sign of trouble. This old man knew more than he was letting on and danger could be around the corner. Jina was too busy eating one of the delicious sandwiches to notice Luke's reaction.
Bellek laughed again tilting his head back. "No need to be alarmed son. You see, I used to be a Jedi too... a long time ago."
"A Jedi?" Luke's jaw dropped.
"Yes, yes. I used to travel the galaxy chasing after adventure, but those days are just a faint memory now."
"Wait. You didn't work for the Republic?"
Bellek shook his head repulsed at the thought, "Oh no! I was my own person and served no one but myself. I hated the Republic Jedi and the Sith equally."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Luke was extremely confused and was now more worried about answers than any type of danger. "I thought all Jedi served the Republic? That's where the Jedi Counsel was located."
Bellek took a long, slow sip of his tea then offered up a deep sigh. "No dear boy. The Jedi of the Republic were just a group of self righteous, do-gooders that made a name for themselves in the Galaxy. They weren't the only Jedi. They were just the most well known. See, when the seeds of the Republic were sprouting most Jedi kept to themselves or their own systems, but after it grew big a group of Jedi decided that they wanted to be the official guardians of peace. At first they were nothing, but with time they grew famous and it went straight to their head. They made a formal counsel that was politically linked to the Republic and started making special rules. Eventually they became the face of Jedi everywhere."
Luke ran his hand down his face trying to make sense of what he'd been told. "You're saying that the Jedi had political ties to the Republic?"
"Well isn't it obvious boy?" Bellek shook his head bothered by Luke's ignorance. "They were the lap dogs of the Republic securing its power behind the scenes. In return for executing the Republic's will they gained status and power. They called it fighting for peace and justice - I call it political back scratching." Bellek took another long sip of his tea. "Haven't you realized that their downfall was the direct result of their relationship with the Republic?"
"No. The Jedi were tricked by the Emperor." Luke argued.
"Yes, but what allowed that to happen? They were too complacent, too trusting of their political partner. Instead of asking questions they obediently kept the war machine in motion... and they payed for their blindness."
Luke leaned back in his chair wondering what to think, trying not to believe. "I can't believe it."
Bellek finished his tea and laughed, "I apologize if I was a bit too harsh on your heroes. I am biased you know. In any case it is getting dark and I must get to bed. You are welcome to stay if you like, though the floor isn't very inviting."
Bellek's take on history intrigued Luke so much that he decided to stay the night and question him further. His masters never portrayed the old Jedi Order in such a way, but then why would they? Obiwan and Yoda had kept the truth from him before, and it was time for another point of view. Jina didn't care to sleep on the hard wood floor. To her, the old man was just giving out another boring history lesson, and she didn't understand why Luke wanted to stay. His orders were to sleep in three hour shifts with Jina getting to sleep first. By now Luke didn't think the old man was much of a threat, but he couldn't let his guard down yet.
The uneventful night turned into another day of questions and long stories. The day quickly turned into two and then three. Luke found himself captivated by old man Bellek and his stories from the past. His claim to be a Jedi definitely had something to do with it - as if Luke had found a long, lost brother. Jina entertained herself as best she could taking long walks along the edge of the forest or training at Luke's urging.
It was a cloudy afternoon on their third day at Bellek's house, and Jina was in the meadow practicing with her lightsaber. Luke supervised off to the side finally breaking away from Bellek to spend some time with his apprentice. Jina was particularly energetic this day and was really working up a sweat as she jumped, flipped and rolled through the sea of grass. After jumping into the air from a handstand, flipping in the air three times and landing on the other side of her imaginary opponent Jina suddenly stopped and turned to Luke. "We're going back to the city today, right?"
"Huh? Well... I don't know." Luke looked lost in thought.
"We've been here three days already, and my back hurts from sleeping on the floor. I need to take a shower, and you haven't even asked him about the dead bodies!"
"I don't need to ask. Have you seen him? He can barely make it from his bed to his chair."
"Are you forgetting the dark presence we felt when we first came out here? He could be pretending. He could be--" Jina abruptly stopped noticing something behind Luke. He turned and saw Bellek slowly making his way out to them holding himself up with a thick wooden cane. "See!" Jina rubbed her point in Luke's face.
"Shut up and don't say anything." Luke whispered.
Jina resumed her training as Luke waited for Bellek to reach them. It seemed to take forever, but eventually he made it a few steps behind him. "Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen the elegance of a Jedi in battle," Bellek said. Luke turned around and walked back to where he was. "I wasn't too bad with my lightsaber back in the day," Bellek laughed.
Luke looked at Jina and reminded himself of their obligations. He considered the old man his friend now, but knew he had to question him. "We'll be heading back to the city today," Luke started.
"Yes. We all have our obligations."
Luke gave Bellek a strange look and wondered if he was reading his mind. "Yes... Before we go I wanted to see if you knew anything about a string of deaths that have been occurring in the city. People are dying and there doesn't seem to be a cause."
Bellek paused for a long while - too long. Luke was about to get his attention when he finally replied. "I'm sorry, but I don't go into the city very often. The last time I was there was last year, and I made the trip because my well pump broke." Bellek looked clearly bothered by the question, maybe even angered, but Luke couldn't sense his feelings either way. A realization that struck him re-awakening his caution. "You know, watching your student train has reminded me of an old technique I learned from a Mobian Jedi Grandmaster before the Mobians were wiped out by the Sith. He called it his Force ghost technique. Let me teach it to you!"
Bellek stretched out his left hand holding it in front of him as it trembled with age. "Watch now," he urged as slowly his hand began to tremble less and less until it stopped completely. With a flick of his wrist he began to move it through the air leaving ghostly imprints of his hand where it had been. He was able to control how slow the images lagged behind and how frequently they appeared. He stopped his demonstration after a minute and quickly collapsed to the ground prompting Luke to help him.
"Are you okay? That was amazing!" Marveled Luke.
Bellek sat on the ground breathing heavily, "I'll be fine, I'll be fine. I want you to learn that technique."
"I doubt I can learn something like that in a few hours," laughed Luke. "Besides, why would you want to teach me something like that?"
"Oh, I just want to pass something on before I die, and you seem like a good person to trust with something like that." Bellek grabbed Luke by the arm and looked in his eyes sincerely, "I want you to come visit me one last time before you leave. I'll write down how to do the technique and you can come pick it up. Is that alright?"
"Sure. I can do that." Luke felt like he was talking with his dear grandfather, and though he didn't want to admit it had grown terrible fond of the mysterious old man.
Night had fallen and back in the city Luke lay stretched out in his bed inside his government issued room. Before taking a shower and settling down he had a visit with the Mayor that went poorly and ended in him receiving strong hints that his welcome had worn out. At least I met the old man, thought Luke trying to find something good about the mostly miserable trip to the city of Green Leaf.
Unexpectedly the two toned chime of the door bell rang dragging Luke out of bed in nothing but his pants. "Who is it?" asked Luke as he opened the automated metal door causing it to slide open.
"You're not ready?" Questioned Jina on the other side fully dressed with her lightsaber in hand.
"Huh? Ready for what? I was about to go to sleep."
"You don't sense that dark presence that we felt in the woods nearby?"
Luke took a deep breath and focused. Immediately he felt the dark aura he and Jina felt in the forest, and it was very close. Calling his lightsaber into his hand Luke rushed out the door and onto the nearby building with Jina close behind. "You don't have any shoes on!" Warned Jina as they skipped from rooftop to rooftop.
"I'll be fine. I just want to catch this guy and get the Mayor off my back." Luke stopped a few blocks away from his waiting bed and searched the area from a ledge. "Jina, go two buildings in that direction and see what you find."
With her robe fluttering behind her Jina jumped ahead two buildings and began searching for the dark presence they were right on top of. Not too many people were out in the streets, but she knew her target wasn't the type to walk in plain view. Suddenly the faint clang of a can falling from an alley's trash can alerted her to the robed figure scurrying into its darkness. "Over here!" Jina called as she jumped down and went after him.
"Jina wait for me!" Luke cried out, but Jina was already closing on their mysterious figure. The alley was long and very dark, barely revealing the black robe worn by this unknown person that Jina was about to catch up to. She was fast and this mysterious figure proved no match for her in a race, but just as she reached arm's length the figure stopped and swept backwards with a violet lightsaber. Jina flipped over her attacker and came down with her own blade engaging in her very first lightsaber duel. The shadowy person jumped back opening some distance between them then came at Jina with what seemed to her like a lightsaber on a pole. His reach was twice that of Jina's which quickly put her on the defensive. She had never faced anything like this, and in less than ten moves her defense broke down. There was nothing she could do as she waited to be finished, but the final blow never came. Instead the robed, faceless figure waited for her to recover. Jina offered a scared, puzzled look as she stood wondering what happened.
Again the attacker charged at her stabbing high and low with his long-reaching lightsaber, and Jina once again found herself at a loss. With a downward stab her attacker pierced the ground right under her, then quickly brought his weapon up knocking Jina's lightsaber away. The attack should have sliced her in two, but as he brought his saber out of the ground he retracted the blade avoiding any serious harm. At that moment, as Jina stood shocked and helpless, Luke came down on the dark assailant with a Force powered two-handed swing that brought him to one knee and opened a crater in the pavement beneath them. The dark figure had blocked the attack, but now he was the one backtracking against Luke's furious barrage. "Stay back!" Luke shouted at Jina worried for her safety as he rushed in. The enemy held his own and showed tremendous skill, but he was quickly tiring and Luke knew it.
The movements of the mysterious figure began to slow, and at the first opportunity Luke jumped in over his lightsaber's reach and delivered the final blow. The attacker however, was now nothing but a faint afterimage. All the way down the alley ghosts of the attackers escape stayed behind painting a picture of what had happened. "Ghosts." Luke said as he stood staring at the images.
"We're not going to chase him?" Offered up a humbled Jina trying to be brave.
Luke just shook his head at the stunning revelation. After a few moments of standing around, taking in the events of the night, Luke walked up to Jina and gave her a hug. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Jina replied still shaken up. "He didn't kill me... He could have, but he didn't."
"You shouldn't have rushed in like that. You're not ready to fight on your own."
"I'm sorry. I just--"
"Just don't do it again. I don't want to make chasing after you a full time job."
Luke barely slept that night thinking about the inevitable confrontation that waited, and as soon as the sun began to rise he headed out west to old man Bellek's home. No one spoke a word the entire trip - Luke playing out scenarios of what might happen in his mind and Jina because she didn't know what to say. In an amount of time that was too quick for Luke they finally arrived at the old, wooden home. Luke unhooked his lightsaber and gave his robe to Jina. "Stay outside and be ready for anything," Luke whispered.
Reaching into one of the many gaps between the wood, Luke cracked open the front door to take a peek. Inside Bellek was sitting in front of his lit fireplace looking as old and incapable as before. His cane rested against the fireplace and a cup of tea sat next to him. Slowly Luke inched passed the door never taking his eyes off of Bellek. Jina sneaked up to the window to see what was going on inside. Quietly Luke took a few steps forward readying his lightsaber.
"I'm glad you came," Whispered Bellek in a sickly, tired voice.
"Why did you kill those people?" Luke didn't hesitate to get to the point.
"Sometimes when you do something for so long you forget why you're doing it in the first place. All you know is that you have to do it in order to feel normal."
"So murder is normal for you?"
"For about one-hundred and fifty years... I was a young Jedi in my thirties when I happened upon a Sith temple. They were going to kill me so I pretended to be a worshiper seeking to join their cause. Being a wanderer I decided to stay, after they took me in, to learn what I could before heading off again, and that lasted almost a year before a group of Jedi appeared who were hunting the Sith Lord who ran the temple. They destroyed the temple and most of the Sith with it. Of course I escaped, but not before filling my backpack with whatever I could find. I soon discovered that I had taken the Sith Lord's journal, and that inside were the secrets to the ultimate Sith technique; eternal life."
"You're saying that you're almost two-hundred years old?"
"And I had to kill many people along the way. To prolong your life you have to steal it from another. In the Sith manner it is cruel and selfish, and I let it consume me. I've tried to resist, taking fewer and fewer lives, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to stop. But now that you're here I will stop once and for all and take my place among the dead."
"But why did you attack us last night?"
Bellek laughed as best he could. "I wanted to feel young one last time - to feel the rush of battle, to run free. It took a military grade adrenalin pill to get me moving, and now my body is destroyed because of it. I can't walk anymore. All that's left is for you to end my life and put an end to the Mayor's mystery. My lightsaber and my journals are on the container over there. I want you to have them."
Luke looked over to the stack of books in awe, "You mean the secret of eternal life is over there?"
"Would you really want such a thing, young Jedi? I burned it many years ago during one of my many conflicted moments. Looking back, it's one of the few things I'm proud of. Besides, the Jedi have their own secrets for eternal life."
Immediately Luke thought about his masters, and everything started to make more sense to him. However, the thought of killing Bellek turned his stomach going against everything he was taught. "I'm sorry, but I can't kill you. Not like this."
"You would deny a man his final wish?" Bellek laughed inaudibly. "You are worthy of your title Master Jedi. Now would you be so kind as to hand me the timed detonator sitting next to my lantern?" Luke picked up the detonator disappointed that he didn't notice it sooner. He checked it to make sure it was off then handed it to Bellek. "You should take my things and prepare to get away from here. I'm setting this for three minutes." Luke picked up the things Bellek gave him and handed them to Jina who popped in the door to take them. "Thank you for coming today. I never would have had the will to arm this myself if I were alone. Now please, put it back next to the lantern where I can't reach it."
Luke did as the old man told him. By that time less than two minutes remained, but he felt he couldn't leave without saying something. Jina was outside calling - silently counting down in her head. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances." Luke said as he rushed out the door feeling like he should have said so much more. By the time the house exploded they were both far away at a safe distance. The loud boom stirred up memories of the few good days Luke spent with the old man, and regrets of all the things he could have learned.
To Be Continued...
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