"We welcome our new brother and sister!" Korta said from the raised speaking platform at the head of the audience chamber. The high ceiling and marble floors projected his voice across the entire assembly. The grand hall was at half capacity, the majority of those in attendance being older Knights and their pupils. This was the great bastion, directly affixed to the Imperial Palace on Raeth. This was the heart of the galaxy and he stood only meters away from its ruler.
The Emperor, Ytane Fyr'Raellia, sat behind and above Korta on a sparse seat. It was more a stool than a throne, but he did not seem uncomfortable upon it. He beamed, his weathered, bearded face creased with long lines. The popular image of the man was from long before it seemed. It was surprisingly informal, all things considered. The Imperial Guard stood unarmored by his side. Then Val had noticed that the Emperor carried a lightsaber of his own. Val hadn't known that the Emperor had once been a knight. The depths of what Val did not know about the man that ruled over his and so many trillions' fate was momentarily discomforting.
"Chiko, Val, step forward please." Korta said, turning to the Emperor and speaking something Val did not hear. Chiko shouldered her way through the crowd, stopping and kneeling respectfully at the foot of the stairs leading up to the platform. Val walked to her right hand and kneeled beside her. He shared a nervous look with her, one that she returned. That made him smile and as it happened, her as well. Footsteps drew their attention to the sight of the ancient man descending, Korta beside him.
"I once knelt where you do." The Emperor said, his voice surprisingly powerful. "It was the most terrifying moment of my life." he added as he came to the end of the stairs, stopping on the final step. He was hunched from age, but his eyes were wide and his mind seemingly intact. "Facing an enemy, however terrible, is easier than facing your own vision of yourself." he said with a wise smile. He leaned down so that they could truly hear him, "Our greatest adversary is the person we fear ourselves to be." he said, looking at each of them. He turned to Korta, whom produced a small box which the Emperor took.
"Chiko Suvan, rise." Ytane commanded. She did so slowly a serious look on her face. Val watched her as the Emperor held out the box, removing the lid. Inside was a crystal that glimmered with golden light. The emperor took her hand and placed the crystal in her palm. "Usually such things are provided by family." The Emperor stated sadly, leaning closer to say something only she could hear. Chiko's face changed, the seriousness was replaced by a gracious smile, her eyes welling with tears. "Thank you." she said, her voice breaking. She stepped back, cradling the item as the Knights in attendance began to cheer.
When the cheers faded, the emperor stood before Val. "Rise, Val Kidann." he said. Val did so with shaking legs and sweat rolling down his back. The Emperor turned to Korta, "Grandmaster, the honor is yours." he said with a smile, taking a single step back. Val's heart skipped as a thousand small pieces fell into place. Val filled the space where the Emperor had stood, holding out a familiar item. It was his lightsaber, repaired and reconstituted by Korta. "Take your weapon son." he said with a smile of pride. As Val grabbed it, Korta closed both hands around his own. "It is yours, Val." he said, the implication clear to Val. "Yes master." he replied, stepping away to join Chiko.
The emperor drew his own saber, holding it high, before igniting the weapon. He slowly lowered it, indicating for them to bow. They did as directed and then the Emperor spoke. "Go forth with my blessing, with my resolve and with bravery, defend your Empire and its people." He lowered his voice, "Be true and noble in the face of darkness, that is all that can be asked of you." he said, then lowered the blade above both of their heads. "Stand." he commanded, as they did he rose his own saber high, "For the Empire!" he yelled, his voice booming off of the walls. A thousand lightsabers roared to life behind Val, who turned to see every knight holding their own blades. Val turned to Chiko, tears in both of their eyes, he took her hand and together they raised his own blade high. "For the Empire!" the assembly chanted as Val and Chiko were greeted by their new brothers and sisters.
He found himself outside when he awoke, his head ringing. He felt terrible, as if someone had beaten him over the head. The memories flooded back to him. The taste of aged synthol cloying to him. "Oh ghosts..." he managed, his stomach churning. He clawed his way to his feet, using a vine from a nearby tree to steady himself. His dizziness slowly faded as his body began to awaken. The sky was slowly brightening above as a few scattered craft tracked their paths above the city surrounding the palace. In the far distance, the rising star, Rae, broke just above the horizon. Val moved toward the railing, leaving the garden behind him.
As he stepped through the doorway out onto the balcony overlooking the city, he turned to see Chiko. She was sitting on the long padded bench that was the sole furniture in the space. She didn't notice him at first, her eyes scanning the horizon, a smile on her face. He thought to leave, not wanting to break her moment of tranquility. He turned to do so, trying to remain quiet. "Val?" she asked from behind him. He turned back, leaning against the doorway, "Heeeeey." the word elongated unintentionally, his conscious mind screaming at him. She leaned in to look at him closer, then laughed.
"How much do you remember?" she asked, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. Val remembered everything up until a Tagruutan girl had poured a small glass and handed it to him. He hadn't fully heard what she'd called it, but remembered the burn as it sank and settled. Another memory struck him suddenly, Chiko's laughing face as she'd pulled him through the halls away from the welcoming party, then the blissful peace of unconsciousness. "Everything up until the Tagruuta", he said with some embarrassment.
"Well that's pretty much everything." She said, the last of her laughter forming a tired smile. "I dragged you out of there just after that, you were making a fool of yourself." she added. Val nodded, "Yeeeaaah." he managed, leaning against the balcony. The synthol was still burning out of his system. Chiko pulled him back toward the bench with one hand, "Let's stay away from the railing, okay?" She said with some concern. "Good idea." Val said with a chuckle. The head pain was growing fainter now as he allowed himself to slump into the bench. He stared out over the city as the light grew across the distant horizon.
"It's very beautiful." Chiko said. Val turned to see her laying back next to him. "But it's not home." She added with a sigh. Val agreed, even with all of its similarities and carefully cultivated beauty, Raeth was not home. "It's better in some ways." He said with a sad smile. Chiko looked at him doubtfully. "Those being?" she asked. He met her gaze, searching for the right words. "I'm just saying, I'm glad it's not the same." he said, exasperated. "Things are more complicated on Taris." he looked at her seriously, "Can you imagine what our families would think if they saw us now?" he asked.
Chiko looked back toward the horizon, but didn't respond right away. He cursed himself, it had been the wrong thing to bring up at this moment. They sat in silence for a moment before she broke it. "You saw what it was like." she said plainly. Val had done more than see it, he'd lived it through her memories. "Yeah, I saw." he replied, unable to look at her. "I knew what you'd went through before the visions we shared, but it seemed so distant written on a page." She looked at him, he looked back at her, "I didn't feel like this before." She said angrily. "They trained that out of me, it was a mercy." She dug her fingers into the padding of the seat. "After what we shared fighting Korta I can't stop seeing your brother's damned face." she said, her voice somewhere between a growl and a sob.
Val watched as she fought a battle within, her eyes growing momentarily wild. He didn't know what to say at first, nor if he should say anything at all. Then the words came to him, simple and with conviction. "I hated you." Val said calmly, almost detached, as if that sensation were as distant as the void between stars. She looked at him, calming somewhat, then nodded, "Yeah, I hated you as well." she responded. "Everything about you, actually." she added with a mirthless grin, "Your family didn't deserve to rule, my father's words." Val smiled, "A rabid pack of mongrels unwilling to accept reality." he shook his head, "My father is a bit better with his insults I think."
She nodded, "Yes, the house of Kidann is always prepared to insult their lessers." she agreed mockingly. "The Adrass make it too easy for us, what with the incompetent plotting and heavy-handed politicking, your father has no class." he said laughing. Chiko nodded affirmatively, "That we agree on." Val looked at her again, finding that she meant it. It shouldn't have been surprising, knowing what he did now. "Nobody chooses their parents Chiko." Val said reassuringly. Chiko stared back at him, "You can't escape the truth of it Val, I've got more than a little bit of him in me." She said sadly, "Just as your father is with you."
Val smirked and averted his gaze at that, "I'm not like my father at all." he said, then looked to her, "And you're far more pretty than old Grom." he added. Val had meant it as a joke, a small amount of levity, but he'd meant it as well. They both looked away for a moment as a silence grew between them. "I'm sorry." He said with a nervous chuckle, "I'm still pretty drunk I think." he lied. Chiko turned back to him, a small smile touching the corners of her mouth. "Well it was a compliment I think." She said, "That's a step forward for us." Val raised his gaze to meet hers. "A big step." he added with a smile.
It was a slow thing, an incremental synchronized movement that began with a shared thought. The star grew brighter, larger as it crawled across the far horizon. The flying craft grew in number as the day slowly banished the night. It was cold but growing warmer as the distant star began to warm the air. Val reached out to take her hand only for her own to meet his. There was a flash of sudden memory as they again shared the link they had forged. As they sat and watched the sunrise, they recounted their memories, both horrible and beautiful.
Through his eyes she saw Ben for who he truly was. A passionate and brash boy yes, but caring and deeply protective of those he loved. She faced the pain and loss that Val had faced, first his mother and then Ben. She saw Zeya, Tae, Miri and Sharr, the people that her actions had harmed. Val saw a lonely, tortured girl where once had been a monster. Through her eyes he experienced the tribulations imposed upon her by an ambitious and bitter man.
They shared all of this with the other. Every flaw and fear, every hope and prayer, all that they dreamed of revealed to the mind of another. It was painful but it was also the end of their pain. As they withdrew from the vision they took grim solace in their companionship. They shared something few in the galaxy truly knew, something precious beyond compare. They understood one another, implicitly and totally. Every desire was laid bare.
It was a slow thing, but when the realization finally arrived, it was shared between them. They opened their eyes together, a single thought bringing them suddenly back to reality. The day was nearly upon them and with it every rigor that accompanied their new stature. A singular thought flashed between them. Their lips met as they embraced, their hearts matching pace and rhythm. They held there for a long time, as they allowed themselves a long moment of peace. Together they lingered there until day broke above them.
It was nearly evening when Korta summoned them back to the palace. They'd spent much of the day touring Imperial City's most famous sites. It was a pity to have to return to their duties so soon. Had they known the reason for their summoning they might have ignored them until agents were dispatched to bring them in.
Val knew immediately upon seeing Korta's grim visage that something had gone wrong. The Grandmaster was standing beside a holo display, a map of the Zyllovan sector glowing blue-white in scale. Many other Knights stood in attendance, including Malo, who wore a grim smile. They moved to their master's side and waited as the remaining invitees filed in. Val shared a nervous look with Chiko before leaning in, "I'd forgotten, this was the secret I'd mentioned." He said regretfully, "I got so caught up in everything..." he added apologetically before Chiko silenced him with a low wave of her hand. "Don't worry, I'd have learned about it at some point." She said with a smile.
Val pulled back as the door closed and locked behind the final invitee. Korta waited for the room to settle before speaking. "It is war." he said calmly, pointing to the map, "Zyllovan has sent a list of demands by the hand of their newly elected 'Supreme Guardian'." He paused for a moment as the news propagated throughout the room, sharing a quick look and reassuring nod toward Val and Chiko. He turned back to the assembled knights, clearing his throat before continuing. "Were the demands sent by the hand of the appointed governor the Imperial seat may have considered the proposed measures." Korta stated calmly, "The 'Supreme Guardian' chose a more dramatic route." Korta said, tapping a button on the display.
A small ship appeared moving slowly away from the planet. A moment later three new ships appeared, dropping from hyperspace around the craft that Val now recognized as an Imperial Corvette. "The governor was ambushed while fleeing the planet with his family." Korta explained as the recording played. The batteries of the three ambushing warships engaged in tandem, reducing the smaller ship to burning scrap within seconds.
The room went silent as quiet anger spread through all in attendance. The deaths of the Governor and his family stung, but it was the presumed deaths of the Knights guarding them that inspired the true rage burning through those assembled. Val was overwhelmed by the collective fury he sensed among those around them, even beginning to share the feeling as he was immersed in it. Korta turned off the projector and leaned against it, using it to steady himself. Val noted that his was the only energy that differed from those surrounding him. It was a cooler emotion, an emptiness or resignation that Val understood as grief.
"When do we attack?" A female voice shouted from the back of the assembly. This broke Korta from his trance as the murmurs slowed and added ascent. The grandmaster stood tall again and began to circle the projector leisurely. "A proportional force will be dispatched within the week." Korta replied calmly, fully silencing the murmurs surrounding him. "A full deployment cannot be ordered without the ascent of the Master's council-" Korta explained, cut off suddenly by Malo. "Or by the joint order of the Emperor and Grandmaster!" The devaronian gelled, his voice full of anger.
The silence was deafening as Korta ceased his stride. "The council will convene two days from now to discuss the matter." Korta said, his eyes affixed to Malo. "We shall decide the fate of Zyllovan when the full situation is understood." The Grandmaster said, redressing his subordinate. Malo's face twisted in revulsion as the ruling was given. "They have thrown down the challenge, Grandmaster, it would be shameful to respond with anything less than our full strength." Malo said, many of the Knights around him giving ascent to his statement.
"We cannot commit our full strength to a conflict that we do not yet understand." Korta explained with some frustration, "We must investigate and assess before we act, lest we fall headlong into an unnecessary massacre." Korta said, dismissing Malo's claim. Malo made to speak again, but Korta silenced him with a wave of the hand. "This is not a debate Knight Malo." The Grandmaster turned and addressed the entire room, "I will depart tomorrow for Kuat to take command of the 3rd fleet. I have already dispatched orders to those of you who will accompany me." Korta turned back to Malo, "For those of you whom have not been selected, know that it is not a matter of skill or respect, merely pragmatism." He keyed a button below the projector and the doors opened again. "This meeting is adjourned." Korta said, looking to Val and Chiko, "Come on children, we must get you equipped for what comes next." He said grimly.