[fic] The Choices we Make

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Summery:The Exile weeps for the dead. And at the same time hopes to change the present for the better.

 

Location

Ebon Hawk: Somewhere in deep space.

 

 

They were all dead.

And it was her fault.

No one else's.

And she knew it.

 

Shil'ya began to cry as she remembered what her friends had accomplished.

 

Brianna the Handmaiden. Killed by Atris and her Force lightning. Because she had failed to get to the Polar Academy in time because the Hawk had been damaged in the battle for Citadel Station. Brianna had managed to take Atris out with her, with her final burst of strength, Brianna had managed to Stab Atris directly in the heart with her lightsaber before succumbing to her various wounds. Shil'ya had held her while she died.

 

Atton Rand. Killed By Darth Sion. Because Darth Sion had kept her from getting to him in time. Shil'ya had managed to kill the Lord of Pain and had found Atton laying on the ground, bleeding heavily from various wounds. She had cried as he died. He had smiled as he died, she still didn't know why to this day.

 

Visas Marr. Visas had died by her own hand on the Bridge of the Ravager. Her sacrifice had allowed Shil'ya to destroy the Sith Lord and save Telos. Shil'ya had begged her not to do it, yet she had done it anyway. She took her own life to weaken Darth Nihilus. Visas had begged Shil'ya to stay with her as she died, and so Shil'ya did. She had comforted by the dying woman and helped her ease her pain.

 

Mira. Killed by Hanharr on the blasted and barren world of Malachor 5. she had died without a sound, but she had managed to take the insane Wookie with her by way of a rocket. Shil'ya had come running at the sound of the explosion, but when she had arrived the only things she saw were the charred bodies of Mira and Hanharr, locked together in eternal battle.

 

Bao-Dur. Killed by overwhelming numbers in the attack on Citadel Station. He had held the hordes of Sith and Dark Jedi back long enough for Shil'ya to reprogram the security system to better aid the fight against the sith. He had died with a smile on his face. He had the look of a man who was proud. The guilt he had carried for so many years had finally released him.

 

HK-47. The psychotic droid had died doing what he did best. Killing. He had returned from the HK factory and had been in the process of joining up with Shil'ya when he had run into a Sith trooper squad. The droid had happily begun blasting sith troopers and was in the process of moving onto another squad when a Dark Jedi had managed to get him with her lightsaber. Even in death it seemed HK wouldn't stop killing meatbags. He had activated his self-destruct and had taken the Dark Jedi and the remaining sith troops out with him.

 

G0-T0. The droid had died by Shil'ya's blade after the battle of Citadel Station. She had caught him over the remains of T3-M4. Shil'ya didn't even give him a chance to defend himself. She had cut him in half.

 

Kreia. The old witch had shown her true colors at Dantooine when she had killed the last of the Jedi council. Shil'ya had chased her to Malachor 5 and fought her to a standstill. The old woman had said nothing during the fighting. She had simply smiled as Shil'ya had battled her. The old woman had looked Shil'ya directly in the eyes as Shil'ya finally managed to break through her guard and stab her in the stomach with her lightsaber. Even as she lay dying, Kreia had said nothing. Kreia's death had brought Shil'ya closer to the darkside then she had ever been before.

 

Canderous Ordo. The old mandalorian was still alive. After Malachor 5, he had simply returned to Dxun and had remained there with his Neo-Crusaders. Ever since Malachor 5, the mandalorians had

been keeping mostly to themselves. They wouldn't even allow Shil'ya to visit the camp anymore.

 

 

Now Shil'ya was the truly the last of the Jedi. She had already begun to train a few young men and women in basic force techniques, but she knew in her heart that she was the last. She didn't know what she was going to do. She was no master! She didn't even work that well with the students she was teaching!

 

As much as she wanted to quit, she couldn't.

The Fate of the Jedi order depended on her.

 

She was a Jedi! She should have been able to control her tears! But yet, she couldn't. Every time she thought of the dead, she began to weep. She looked at the collection of Holocrons that she had taken from Atris's academy. They were a mixed bunch of holocron's, some had been created by Jedi, others had been created by the hands of Sith.

 

And every time Shil'ya looked at them, she began to weep. These Holocrons had been bought with blood, the only reason she even took them was because she needed to teach the new Jedi.

 

Might as well study on the way back to Telos.

 

Shil'ya took a promising looking Jedi holocron and activated it. The gatekeeper was a small green colored twi'lek.

 

“Greeting padawan. I am Master Shi're, how may I assist you this fine day?”

 

Shil'ya smiled slightly at the gatekeeper's enthusiasm, this hologram certainly seemed eager to teach her.

 

“Master Shi're, I am Shil'ya and I need to know what to teach a new group of Jedi students.”

 

“Why are you teaching them?”

 

Shil'ya stared at the hologram of the dead Jedi in confusion. This wasn't supposed to happen. Gatekeepers were supposed to answer the questions that students posed to them, not ask questions themselves.

Shil'ya chose her next answer carefully, “There are no masters to teach the new students.”

 

The gatekeeper looked at her in confusion.”That's impossible padawan! The Jedi are everywhere! How can there be no masters?”

 

Shil'ya looked down at the gatekeeper with anger evident in her eyes. “Listen to me closely, Hologram. The Jedi order is finished! Nearly all of the Jedi were killed in the Jedi civil war and the Sith got the rest of them in the purge! Does that answer your question?”

 

“No. I have many more questions for you padawan.”

 

“And if I refuse to answer?”

 

“Then I refuse to help you teach.”

 

“You can't do that! Your programmed to help Jedi!”

 

“Try me.”

 

Shil'ya started the the gatekeeper and the gatekeeper stared back at Shil'ya. Finally, Shil'ya began the tale of the Jedi civil war and the great purge that followed. The hologram listened intently during the whole thing.

 

Finally the gatekeeper spoke. “What of the Jedi who traveled with the one who called himself Revan? I'm sure they could help your training dilemma.?”

 

“No one can find any of Revan's former companions. The only ones that were seen again were two droids and a mandalorian.”

 

The gatekeeper looked at Shil'ya thoughtfully

 

“I see you dilemma padawan. Return to me in two days time. I will have made my decision by then.”

 

“What decision?”

 

“I must decide if I can give you a second chance or not.”

 

Shil'ya was about to ask the gatekeeper what she meant when the holocron turned itself off. She looked in confusion at the holocron.

 

“What the hell is going on with this holocron?” she asked the empty ship.

 

Of course, no one answered.

 

Two Days Later

 

Location: Deep space.

 

“Padawan...padawan...wake up padawan!”

Shil'ya awoke with a start. The gatekeeper was staring at her in amusement.

 

“I have made my decision regarding you.”

 

“And?”

 

“I have decided that you deserve a second chance.”

 

“A second chance at what?”

 

“You deserve a second chance to save your friends and possibly the Jedi Order itself.”

 

Shil'ya stared at the Gatekeeper. “That's not funny.”

 

“I wasn't joking.”

 

“And how do I do what your suggesting?”

 

The gatekeeper smiled up at her. “Within my memory banks are many things. Information thought lost to the galaxy, coordinates that lead to worlds that you could only dream of, and force abilities that would amaze you, yet terrify you at the same time.

 

“And how did you manage to collect all this information?”

 

The gatekeeper frowned. Before the Great Sith war I was a traveler, I traveled the galaxy and learned many things, some of the things that I learned had been forbidden by the council, but still I traveled and my knowledge grew. I learned a technique from a race known as the Aing Tii. I learned much from them, including an ability known as Flow-walking. With this ability, I could travel time and learn even more. The Aing Tii told me that no one before me had ever managed to learn this technique as quickly as I had. Eventually I managed to lean another time travel technique known as Flow-travel. My time with the Aing Tii was well spent, I learned much from them and they in return learned a little something from me.

 

Soon however, my quest for knowledge came to an end. The Great Sith War began and I returned to the temple. Soon after I returned, I learned what Exar Kun was doing. And I vowed to stop him.

 

During the Great Sith War, I fought on the side of the Jedi, my padawan however, did not. He grew stronger and stronger in the darkside until I was forced to search him out. I found him, deeply immersed in the darkside. We fought, and many times during that battle I thought my time in this world was over. My padawan was strong in the darkside, but during the battle, I could sense a small spark of light in his heart. Eventually, he struck me with his lightsaber, the wound was terrible and I knew I could not possibly survive and so did my former padawan, I thought he would finish me off, but in that instant when he struck me with his lightsaber, after seeing what he had done, after seeing what Exar Kun was doing to the Jedi Order, he managed to return to the light. I was able to stay with him shortly after he struck me, I instructed him to gather my holocron from my tent, and then I taught him how to transfer my consciousness into the hologram. The process had to be done quickly but he managed to do it.

 

That was my padawan's final gift to me, he managed to keep me alive within the holocron so I could continue to gather knowledge for as long as this holocron is working.

Shil'ya looked at the gatekeeper. “I guess that explains a few things. So...how does any of this help me save the order?”

 

The gatekeeper shook her head in mock despair, “Have you listened to anything I have said padawan? If you choose, you can use the Flow-travel technique and go back and save what remains of the order.”

 

Shil'ya eyes lit up with hope. “Alright! Teach me how to Flow-Travel!”

 

“Very well, but before we begin we must discuss what the repercussions will be if you choose to go through with this. Take the Handmaiden's sacrifice against Atris for example; if you save the Handmaiden, who will defeat Atris?”

 

“I can handle Atris.”

 

“I don't think you can padawan, from what you told me, the only reason the Handmaiden managed to defeat Atris was because Atris thought she had defeated the Handmaiden. You must consider what actions your flow-travel will have on the present. If your friends survive and help you train a new generation of Jedi, that would be a great asset to the order. But, What if you were to miss a potential student because you and your friends are too busy training the Jedi that you have already found? This person that you missed could grow up to one day become a Sith Lord and could end up destroying the Jedi order. These things that are the sort of things that you need to consider. I want you to go and meditate for a week. You need to think about what will happen to this timeline when and if you decide to flow-travel.”

 

“As you wish Master Shi're.”

 

One week later:

Location: Deep space.

 

“Padawan...Padawan...Snap out of it Padawan!”

 

Shil'ya snapped out of her meditation with a start, she looked at the gatekeeper with irritation evident in her eyes.

 

“What?”

 

“It has been a week padawan.”

 

Shil'ya was surprised, it seemed like she had just closed her eyes and begun her meditation.

 

“Have you reached a decision padawan?”

 

“Yes I have Master Shi're.”

 

“And?”

 

“I wish to use the flow-travel technique.”

 

“Tell me why padawan.”

Shil'ya had to struggle to word it right, “I believe if that if I train the next generation of Jedi, they will be corrupted by my teachings, I think I saw it in a vision.”

 

“Tell me what you saw padawan.”

 

“I-I saw the galaxy engulfed in a second Jedi civil war, this one much bloodier then the last. I saw thousands of ships fight one another simply for the sake of fighting. I saw the Jedi turn on the republic and destroy it from within.”

 

“Quite a vision you had there.”

 

“Master Shi're, I had a second vision before you woke me from my meditations, I feel I should share it with you.”

 

“Go ahead and share then.”

 

“I saw the Jedi order rise again with my old friends as teachers of the new Jedi. I saw myself waving good-bye to them and traveling into the unknown regions for some reason. And then I saw the Jedi order utterly destroyed by men in white armor who killed us by the thousands.”

 

The gatekeeper looked thoughtful as she pondered the visions that Shil'ya had had. Finally, the hologram spoke; “It seems that no matter what course of action you will take, the Jedi order will be wiped out. However...If it were my choice I would go with the second vision.”

 

“Why?!”

 

“If what you saw in the first vision was true, the entire galaxy would suffer because of the second Jedi civil war, possibly billions of lives would be lost because of your teachings, however, in the second vision you said you only saw Jedi killed, that means that either the Jedi were betrayed by someone in power, or we gave out lives in the service of the republic.”

 

The hologram looked up at Shil'ya and smiled. “So padawan...will you use the Flow-Travel to save your friends?”

 

“I thought about it for the entire week of meditation, and I've decided that...yes. I'm going to use it. If I have a choice, between the second Jedi civil war, the amount of destruction, the lives that it will cost, and the second vision, that had the Jedi order die defending the republic, If the Jedi my friends and I train can keep the peace until that day, then I'm content.”

 

“Very well padawan. Do you wish to find out how to Flow-travel now?”

 

“No time like the present.”

 

Epilogue. And so Shil'ya studied. She studied the technique for many weeks, trying to find the exact point in time she should travel to. She eventually settled on the point just before the Ebon Hawk left Telos for the first time. The ability to travel through time was not what Shil'ya had expected, she had expected to have to hide from her younger self until the critical moments she had come back to change. But instead, she found herself in her own body, with the knowledge of what was to come. With her newfound knowledge, she managed to save the Handmaiden and redeem Atris, she was able to save Bao-Dur from the hordes of sith by bringing troops along with her and the Zabrak when they went to reprogram the Citadel's security system, She had managed to warn Mira that Hanharr would be waiting for her on the surface of Malachor 5, she had managed to get to Atton in time to save him from his various injuries,she had managed to convince Visas that together they could defeat Darth Nihilus, that she didn't have to sacrifice herself to weaken him, she had managed to save HK-47 by sending troops to escort him to the rendezvous point with Shil'ya, She had gotten T3-M4 to leave the ship during the battle of Citadel station and aid the techs during the battle, thus sparing him his death at the hands of G0-T0.

 

Somethings however, had remained the same no matter what she did.

 

Kreia still died on the blasted world of Malachor 5, Shil'ya had once again fought her to a standstill, but this time around she died not by Shil'ya's blade, this time around she was able hang on to life long enough to give Shil'ya one final gift; she had told her what the future had in store for her friends. And as Shil'ya listened to what was to come for her friends, she couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and sorrow. Mira was going to die on some forsaken world, but she would give her life to save others, Brianna the Handmaiden was to become a teacher of the New Jedi order.

 

G0-T0 still died. This time, he had not died by her blade, but had instead been killed by HK-47 and his newfound HK-51 allies. Shil'ya couldn't say she was sorry to see him go.

 

And even as she waved goodbye to her friends as she departed for the unknown regions to search for Revan, she couldn't help but think; that no matter what, the Jedi Order would always live on.

 

 

The End

[Endorenna]

That was an interesting concept. To be quite honest, the Flow-Travel reminded me of the tacion particles and kronaton fields in Star Trek. Or is it tacion fields and kronaton particles? I don't remember. Anyway, back to the review.

 

My main problem with it was your grammar. You left out several quotation marks, periods, and commas. I suggest typing your story out on Word before you post it. The grammar-checker has helped me countless times.

 

Well, my $.02.

 

Keep it up, Chev!

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This was typed out on word. I tryed typing it on Licasforums but i lost the story twice so i gave up on that idea

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I just want to say that I appreciate everyone who looked at my story. I just want to thank you all for taking your time to check out my entry.

[Marius Fett]

Interesting story, Chevron!

 

As we would say here in the Valleys of South Wales:

 

Tidy.

[JediMaster12]

This is an interesting concept and I am surprised that even the messing with time ever came up. From my experience, Jedi accept everything that happens. Death is natural and you accept it. Of course there are exceptions i.e. Qui-Gon's feelings after Tahl's death. It was a nice foreshadowing of the clones executing Order 66.

 

Endorrena already said it but you do need to work on your grammar. I do suggest typing everything on Word first, run the spell check and then let someone else read it. We have some great beta who advertise their skills in the Resource Centre and I encourage you to use it. It will make your stories nice and crisp and people won't be too distracted by bad grammar and such.

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Like i said, word does not work. I tried typing this on word and it did not catch anything...I hate my vista...