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Mutiny 2001 short story by Louis Turfrey Thirty-six
years after Episode IV – A New Hope The shuttle from the Dawnrider touched down lightly on the landing area of Paladin
Base on Rai. Its landing pads retracted slightly under its weight. The door
opened and the ramp extended. Blake took a deep lung full of fresh air,
reminding himself why he liked this planet so much and looked forward to
meeting the new trainees that had recently arrived. He relaxed into the
Force, silently sensing the people around him. One other Jedi Master, four
Jedi Knights and eight trainees. Good.
It would make his job easier. He waved to the pilot of the shuttle, who
closed the ramp behind him and started to bring the repulsors back on line.
Within seconds Blake was left alone on the landing area, his travel holdall
at his feet. He sensed somebody approaching and picked up his bag. He waited
whilst the personnel hatch cycled. A young boy, no older than twelve,
approached him. “My name is Quan
Lai Sun, I am padawan to Jedi Maarsquith. Welcome to
Paladin Base. May I ask who you are?” Blake was a little surprised by the comment, until he
realised that he had never seen this youngster before. “Blake De’Athe,
I’ve come to see Master Zeboden.” The young boys’ eye’s widened sufficiently for Blake to
assume he had heard of him. Good, it helped to have a reputation. He followed
the youngster down the ramp towards the airlock. The base had changed very little since he had left those
few months ago. He noticed some subtle changes in decor and a few additional
security devices, but there were few other changes of note. He was shown to
Zebodens anteroom and the young apprentice took Blakes bag to his quarters.
Within a minute he felt the approaching presence of the giant Jedi Master. “Blake my boy,
good to see you! Let’s go into my office.” He grabbed Blake affectionately by
the shoulders and his grip caused Blake to wince. Master Zeboden was a Crilik
Humanoid. Crilik was a small mining planet at the edge of Wildspace; it’s
higher than normal gravity meant that its occupants developed stronger
muscles and tougher bone. Because he had been born and brought up on a
mountainside plateau, Zeboden also had a larger than normal lung capacity. The two friends entered the office and the door closed
behind them. Zeboden pressed a button on his desk and a slight hum pervaded
the office. “Anti-spy
field.” He said in explanation. “Now my lad, lets get down to business, shall
we.” He took a data card out of his drawer and slotted it into his reader on
the desk. Blake noticed the concentration on his face. “What do you
think? It’s a long shot, but I’m sure that it’ll work.” Zeboden smiled and
raised his head. “So am I my boy,
so am I. Might I ask what brought about this idea?” Blake looked a little
nervous and Zeboden noticed this. “Come on, come on,
out with it.” “I had a visit
from Ranth. In fact I’ve had several visits from Ranth.” Zeboden looked shocked for a moment. Then a big smile
broadened his features. “Ha, always knew
that death wouldn’t keep him down.” He stood up and approached the window.
“Have you told the Jedi council about your little plan?” Blake walked up
beside Zeboden and looked across at him. “No. I’m hoping
to make it a foregone conclusion by the time that they get to hear about it.
I’ve already made overtures to some of the Setnin council and they jumped at
the idea. I also have it on good authority that the crew of the Dawnrider are soon going to be
transferred to Setnin control. When that happens they will continue to act as
our system escort and support ship. What do you say master. You’ve lived in the Setnin Sector for over
a century. We can’t just leave them to flounder, can we?” Zeboden looked across at Blake and shook his head,
placing a hand upon his shoulder. “No Blake, we
can’t. They need all the help we can give them.” He paused for a moment, as
if in reflection, then turned to Blake with a smile
back on his face. “Okay my boy,
I’m in. What do you need me to do?” The main chamber of Paladin base was barely a quarter
full, yet all the Jedi and their padawans were
present. All seemed pleasantly surprised to see Blake, though he sensed an
undercurrent of unease at his presence. He stood forward to the podium. The
room went silent. “Gentle beings
and fellow Jedi. I come to you today with a proposition that will test your
loyalties and your conscience.” He paused, surveying the small crowd before
him, reaching out to them in the Force so that they knew what he was saying
was the truth. “I am classed by
some of our fellow Jedi as a dangerous rebel.” There was some laughter at
that comment. “As such, they posted me back to the Setnin Sector to act as a
trainer, teacher and commander of this facility. As you know, I recently left
the facility in the hands of the man who really deserved to run it. What you
don't know is why I left Paladin Base.” He paused again,
making sure that he had the full attention of the crowd and strengthening his
bond between them. “I objected to
the way that a fellow Jedi Master, and a citizen of the Setnin Sector, used a
valuable Jedi Knight as a spy. This was bad enough, but the person in
question was a friend of mine, whose loyalties to the Setnin Sector were used
as a means of pressuring him into the mission. The information that he
uncovered was extremely valuable and should have been used tactically.
Instead, I am led to understand that it has been sidelined. It has been
sidelined because we as Jedi are supposed to support the Galactic Alliance
and not get involved with the wars and politics of other sectors. Well I
think this is wrong.” There was some murmuring of agreement, most of it from
the Padawan learners. Blake smiled. “I see that some
of you agree with me. Good, that will mean what I say next will be easier to
swallow. I’ve talked to Master Zeboden about this,
and some of the other Jedi at the academy. They all seem to agree that this
would be the best way to go. As a consequence of their advice and some
conversations I had with an old friend, I would like to put the following
proposal to you all. If you accept it then we will continue to go about our
daily routines very much like we do now. If you decline it then I will leave
and not bother you again.” He paused, ready to drop the bomb on the crowd. “I propose,
that from the end of this day, all Jedi based in the Setnin Sector become
independent from those based within the Galactic Alliance. We will formally
declare our independence from the interests of the Galactic Alliance and
continue to serve this sector and the rest of the galaxy when needed. This
will mean a more proactive approach to mediation, defence and training and we
won't be entirely following the path of the old Jedi. However, this is a new
era, with a need for a new breed of Jedi warrior. So I propose that this be
put to a majority vote. If the consensus is yes, then anybody who voted no
will be allowed to continue to stay here if they wish to do so. There will be
no recrimination, as that is not our way. May I remind you of something
though? Most of you are Setnin-born, some of you have been repressed by the
Empire of old and the rest of you have seen what this sector has to offer.
Why should we stand aside and let them fall beneath the feet of an invading
force? Our mandate is to defend the innocent and the weak. At this point in
time, the Setnin sector is the weakest it has been for many decades. It needs
us as champions as much as the rest of the galaxy does. We are a symbol of
everything that could be right about the galaxy. Let's not let them down.
Thank you.” He looked at Zeboden who pointed to his chronometer. “We'll meet
here in one hour to make the vote.” He stepped down from the podium
to a brief silence. Then the room exploded into discussion and confusion.
Blake nodded to Zeboden and they both left the room. Letitia Arkensaw sat at her desk
in her office and double-checked the daily intelligence reports. She noted a
couple of viable snippets and marked them for the attention of the governor.
Her communicator bleeped on her desk.
“Yes?” Her aids face came up on the
communication screen.
“Master Arkensaw, you have received a coded communication from the
Galactic Alliance Council. Shall I pass it through?” Letitia nodded entered the unlock
code and sat back to wait. Within a minute the message had been decoded and
decompressed. She pressed the play stud. The face of her fellow Jedi Master,
Ren Juddma, appeared on the screen.
“Master Arkensaw, I'm afraid that I have some disturbing news to
impart to you. Blake De'Athe has returned to Paladin Base and has instigated
a mutiny of sorts. Somehow he has managed to persuade several of his fellow Jedi that it would be in the best interests of the
Setnin Sector if they declared their independence from the Galactic Alliance.
As you might guess this has caused some consternation from within the Jedi
Order and Galactic Alliance high command. However much he assures us that he
had not turned to the dark side, we cannot take the chance. He must either be
stopped or brought back into the fold. He quoted something called the Setnin Way, we're checking what
files we have on the sector so that we can find out whether this is a new
form of Sith training.” Letitia smiled at this, she knew
exactly what the Setnin Way
was. Her compatriot continued.
“Now, this leaves us in a
political minefield. We can't allow them to be seen as a disparate entity,
yet at the same time, we can't allow the Setnin Sector to fall in to the
hands of a bunch of rogue Jedi. We must also be doing what we can to avoid
openly helping or involving ourselves with them.” He paused changing his
stance slightly.
“Tell him that we do not accept his reasoning, and that we will not
supply him with any help and supplies as long as the Setnin Jedi still remain
independent. He'll need them if he is going to continue to run that base, so
we're hoping this will put the squeeze on him. I want him out of there as
soon as possible. We're hoping that he will see sense, but be careful, this
is a hot cake and he knows it. He may continue to get in touch with yourself
or Governor Gabe. If so, then I want you to liase
with his little group, try and find out what his true agenda is, what they
plan to do and how they plan to work. That's all for now, but you should be
aware that I want to know as much information about what happens on Rai as
possible. Juddma out.” The screen cleared and Letitia
stared at it silently. She remembered the words that Blake had spoken just
six months ago and had the feeling that an avalanche had just been set free.
She pressed the communicator button on her desk.
“Prepare my shuttle and contact Governor Gabe. Tell him I have an
errand to run." Blake stared out of the window in
his new office and watched the transport shuttle as it took its final
approach. He reached out and found the mind of his wife, waiting eagerly to
see him. There was a knock on his door.
“Come in.” Zeboden entered,
a satisfied smile on his face.
“Well, it seems we have their attention. Governor Gabe has informed me
that the Dawnrider has been
placed at our disposal. Letitia is also on her way to us. Congratulations
Blake. It would seem we have a won a
victory for common sense.” Blake looked at Zeboden, his face solemn.
“Then why do I feel like I've just released a flock of Mynocks?” Mutiny 2001 short story by Louis Turfrey Thirty-six
years after Episode IV – A New Hope Histories – The
next chapter in the building of the Jedi base in the Setnin Sector, the Paladin Base on Rai. Eager to cement their influence as a force
for good, Blake
De’Athe and Master Zeboden push their cause. Cast
of Characters Blake
De’Athe Master
Zeboden Letitia
Arkensaw Quan
Lai Sun Ren
Juddma |