Chapter 49: 49. Chapter

From the perspective of Ahsoka.

I was watching Nizzal alongside my master, as she shouted with a reddening face into the communicator on her collar. She even tried to pull it off, but the thing was actually made from beskar. It was also created in a way, that even with the help of the force, you couldn't dismember it from the inside, as it was made from a single piece of solid beskar. It was an ingenious design, or at least that was what Anakin told me. 

I sighed... 

-Nizzy, it's time to get a grip. You may need your stamina later. Don't waste it on cursing... 

She stopped grumpily after she heard my voice. I could see teardrops at the edge of her eyes for a second, threatening to fall, but she blinked them away stubbornly. She was frustrated and confused at the moment, as her anger began to give way to other feelings. It was strange to see so many emotions on one person in such a short time period. Or at least it was strange to me.

The jedi, even the padawans and the younglings, were usually very disconnected from the events that were happening around them, at least emotionally. It was a peaceful state of mind for sure. At least, more peaceful, than the average citizen's life, when there was not a galaxy-wide war raging around, so you guessed it, right. That time was not exactly now. 

In the last two years, I kind of realized what made me so quickly and heavily attached to this stupid twi'lek. She was simply more, present, more alive. She wasn't afraid to show her emotions to the world, and she didn't care about anyone's judgment. She did what she wanted, when she wanted, and in her own unique way. That didn't mean she did anything that would make others uncomfortable or hurt, except when there was no other choice left for her.

She just lived her life, while leaving others to live their own. She didn't judge anyone around her, because they tried to block her way or take her freedom away. She didn't try to fight with them either. That was always the last resort, and never unprovoked.

The Jedi Council acted, and still acts towards her, impatiently and stubbornly while still trying to capture her. Yet she simply accepted this fact, not even showing the slightest hate towards them. She just accepted their decision, adapted to it, but still continued to follow her own lifestyle and principles. Never even thinking of changing her ways, more than it was entirely necessary, and only until the very moment she was forced to do so.

She did it in the clone army, in the jedi temple, in the captivity of some random pirate group. Then again in the jedi temple, and now here, in the palace of a Zyggerian queen. However strange and dangerous a situation she gets into. She always finds a way to make it bearable, and if she can help it, she never chooses to confront anyone or anything head-on. She was much more of a peacekeeper than most of the present day jedi.

As if she didn't truly care that she was being turned into a slave. Wasn't she angry that she had to waste her life here? I mean, she is young, but life is not exactly long either. I couldn't understand how someone could have a "go with the flow" mindset to this degree. At least not until yesterday. Her statement wasn't able to completely sink into my consciousness yet... But this gray twi'lek was actually thousands of years old. She was that old, and still had the body of a kid. Come to think of it, how is that exactly possible? She was saying that her body is thirteen years old... Only her mind is older? 

A strange thought appeared in my mind, that made me really uncomfortable. With my research in the jedi library, I spent hundreds of hours there, reading through ancient documents. Some were so old, that it were actually written on paper. They were sealed in glass tablets to save it from further oxidation and other types of degradation. These ancient documents were from the time of the old republic, and even before that. And they were not that well censored, more like not at all. Back then, the rank of a jedi padawan was taken much more seriously. You could have access to more dangerous and therefore, more effective force techniques. 

This is how, I managed to accidentally find the description of a very effective Jar'Kai moving meditation technique, that I have since then integrated into my usual practices. Even master had to acknowledge it, when I showed it to him.

Moving meditation techniques were quite rare, as they were the first step to learning battle trance. Which is a really special technique, very effective and very hard to master. As a jedi, or jedi padawan, you are naturally dependent on the force to a certain degree, this dependency varies from your emotional state, your state of mind, tiredness and many other factors which are constantly changing. Mastering at least one type of battle trance is the first quest that is issued for every newly knighted Jedi Guardian. As guardians are the official fighters and defenders of the order and the republic. There are two other paths you can choose from. One is the Jedi Consular and the other is the Jedi Sentinel. 

In simple terms, the guardians were mostly focused on utilizing lightsaber combat. The consulars are mostly prioritizing the use of the force and civilized communication. While the sentinels were somewhere between the two. Also, the sentinels are known for their unusual techniques and abilities like, hacking, picking locks, picking pockets if needed, first aid, and any possible useful skill of basically any variety. 

Anyway, a battle trance is a technique that forces your mind into an ideal state to rely on the force's intuitions completely. What is even better is that you can enter into a battle trance quickly. Okay... only if you master the technique to a certain level. But still! When you succeed, to do it properly, it feels like an actual cheat. I had managed to learn it well enough to enter the battle trance in under two minutes. I can keep it up for about five whole minutes and that means five minutes of invincibility in any battle or duel.

The technique boosts the user's sense of danger to an incredible high level. It's almost as if you can see into the future for a few seconds ahead. It is also very precise. I can sense clearly where the attack is aimed at and how I need to move to intercept or avoid it with the slightest effort. My mind at least, can sense it. True mastery over the technique means that your body can keep up with your mind, and you also have to prioritize which danger or attack to block or dodge first. Someone who is good at dueling will attack two or more different spots simultaneously. Or create combos that flow from one attack to the other. Those are extremely hard to interpret and defend against it continuously. Skyguy told me, that the best defense against such type of battle trance is to use your own against it. That way it will turn into a battle of attrition. The one who makes the first mistake loses.

That, or simply be quicker than your enemy so much, that they fail to keep up with you. Easy for them to say... 

Anyway, if there is a need, I could keep up the technique for about twelve minutes. Sadly, that would tire me out so much that I wouldn't be able to fight after that for hours. Leaving me entirely vulnerable to any remaining enemy. This is why I made my five minute rule. Well, that and Master Obi-Wan took his sweet time lecturing me on this after Anakin boasted to him about the new technique I picked up in the library. Completely missing the fact that I wasn't actually allowed to use such a technique as a padawan, well, I didn't know it either at that time. My master should probably still know such things.

He is my master, after all. Then Obi-Wan told me, that the exact reason why it was banned from the eyes of the padawans was that it gave the user a false sense of invincibility. Well, I was guilty... and busted. Unexperienced users many times became intoxicated from the feeling which eventually led them to make stupid stunts or careless openings only to end up in an early grave. This is why in the present only proper jedi knights could access these types of techniques and masters of course...

I had already memorized the technique, when they realized that I had managed to get my hands on one, and since it was a pure accident they only lectured me for an hour and let me go. They didn't even forbid me to continue to practice it... probably they realized that it was a futile effort.

That was the moment when Equ shouted that a ship was closing on the balcony. All of us rushed out to the balcony and watched as the clearly ancient ship quickly reached us and began to hover on the level of the balcony while lowering its ramp. To our utmost surprise, a mandalorian woman was standing on the ramp. The woman even had a few pieces of beskar armor plates attached to his otherwise typical mandalorian armor. 

I sneaked a glance towards Nizzal. She wasn't surprised by this seemingly mandalorian woman appearing as our rescue team, so I decided to not bother about it either. 

Nizzal jumped first, she landed on the ramp without any problems. I decided to follow her, after me master levitated Equ over to the ramp, and at last he also jumped, landing on it without a hitch. He gave a suspicious look to the mandalorian, as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end dropped it, for now.

We walked further inside the ship, in silence while following Nizzal's lead. The mandalorian woman was the last in the line. We all could sense as the ship began to accelerate, but not to the extent that it would be able to leave the planets gravitational field. We were not leaving this planet. That was clear to us. 

We soon reached a more spacious room, then sat down around a table following Nizzal's example. She seemed kind of drained since her emotional breakdown. I wasn't surprised, she thought, that she would have to die in unbelievable pain, only to be told that they forgot to notify her, that there was no poison... What type of shithead forgot to tell her something like that?

She always seemed somewhat tired, but her current expression was of someone who had just won the galactic lottery only to realize that she lost the ticket somewhere. 

She sighed loudly, then asked.

-The damn droid? Where is it?

-He thought it more prudent to not welcome you personally. ~Answered the mandalorian woman. 

-Of course it did... That little bastard... And who are you? 

-I am Laora Tring. I am a member of the Grey Guards. We had the fortune to meet before, for a short time. I didn't have my armor on back then, so I don't blame you for not recognizing me. I am here to congratulate you on this happy occasion. 

-... You are that woman, with that guy... who used my room for... Sigh... This day keeps getting better and better... Now you even gratulated me? For what? To not die from slowly killing poisons which didn't even exist? Thanks, I guess it really warms my hearth... Do you know what else would have felt good? If you would take your precious time to notify me about the fact that you and your friends removed the poison.

Said Nizzal, with thick sarcasm.

-I understand your anger and rightful disappointment in us. Lord Thirteenth, but hear me out, and you will understand its necessity. I have confidante information that I was told to... 

-You can say it... I trust them... They already know many of my secrets. One more wouldn't make a difference, really.

-As you wish. You have been chosen by the Immortal Conclave to be the next Living Grandmaster. Your trials have been successful and the majority of the conclave members have accepted you as the next Living Grandmaster. Your initiation as the new Living Grandmaster will be held in the High Temple of the Order. It's location I am not allowed to enclose in front of anyone who is not a member of the order. Therefore, I will not say it here. I also think that you should already know its exact location.

After that burst of information, a deathly silence descended on the room. 

Everyone looked at Nizzal, with a certain level of suspicion, while waiting for her reaction. Then she said.

-What trials? What the hell are you talking about? Is this another shitty joke from HK? It's done I 've already decided to melt him down. Is this supposed to be a distraction while I go on looking for this inicialization, he will get away again?

-No, absolutely not. Let me explain the trials you have taken, and you will see. 

-Go ahead... 

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-There are seven of the so called Grandmaster Trials: Trial of Emotions, Trial of Lies, Trial of Silence, Trial of Vigilance, Trial of Blood, Trial of Servitude and Trial of Death.

-First is the Trial of Emotions: Because one should know to do the right thing, even if it pains thine heart.

-Second is the Trial of Lies: Sensing the lies behind good intentions is just as important as feeling the bloodlust behind your enemies blade.

-Third is the Trial of Silence: When one speaks, thou shouldst speak words that are worthier than silence itself.

-Forth one, Trial of Vigilance: Even the mightiest of warriors fall, from the lack of caution.

-Fifth one, Trial of Blood: Without the will to act, power and knowledge are meaningless.

-Sixth one, Trial of Servitude: For those with great power to serve who entrust it to thee, thine must.

-And the seventh is the Trial of Death: To accept thine own death, is to shread the influence of fear.

As Laora stopped her explanation, another wave of silence fell on the ship. It was broken by Nizzal this time, too. 

-You are actually serious? It would be an uncharacteristically complicated lie even from HK... 

-Because, it's not a lie.

-Then tell me, how did I pass the third? Trial of Silence was it? 

-You didn't share any crucial information that would risk the order's future with anyone, even when threatened.

-Well... come to think of it, that may actually be true until now... Since you have shared quite a bit of information in front of them! 

-You told me that you trusted them, so I decided to trust your judgment. 

-...

-...

-...

-...

Anakin chose that moment to swiftly interrupt their banter, hoping to gain more knowledge of their order from this clearly more outspoken person.

-So what is this Immortal Conclave?

-It is exactly what it sounds. ~Said Nizzal with an amused shake of her head to Anakin's surprise. - They are the dead masters of my order, who have managed or decided to regain their consciousness after death. They are immortals, spirits of the force, if you like that description better. They are called the Immortale Conclave.

-What are you talking about? How would anyone regain their consciousness after death? What kind of nonsense are you spewing! That is impossible!

Shouted my master, suddenly, hearing this shocking explanation. 

-Everything we ever learned from the force states that the dead return to the energy of the force, and that is it... And believe me, I would know if there was something like that in the archive! I looked into this topic, quite deeply, searched all the holocrons, that I could find, in the jedi order's library! 

-I don't care, if you believe it or not, you asked a question, I gave you my answer. Do with it what you want. I must say though, that the Jedi order, truly wandered far from its path, to even forget about this essential knowledge. A pity it is. 

I decided to ask my own question, too. 

-What did you mean, Laora, by saying that Nizzal would become the next Living Grandmaster? 

This time Laora gave the answer, and as Nizzal was still exchanging words with Anakin, who seemed to manage to annoy her with his obvious disbelief and rude scepticism. He was calling her a lier, and it was kind of rude... 

-In our order, there are always two grandmasters at the same time. One from the living and one from the dead. This way, tradition which represents stagnation, can exist in tandem with revolution, which represents change. The Last Living Grandmaster was Nizzals master, Joseph Grey, who passed away two years ago.

-Wait... How, how can that be? I don't remember anything from this whole grandmaster thing? I should know about this, since I have his memories! ~Nizzal interrupted our conversation with a sudden spike in annoyance and suspicion. 

Wait, she has his memories? What?

-The Grandmaster of the order, knows a technique to manually change the archives information. It can only be used with both the grandmasters blessing and presence. It was simply changed or sealed away in the memories before you got them.

My master asked another question after hearing that.

-Changed memories? Before she got them? Are you saying that you can change peoples memories and share them between your members as you please? Are you insane?

Laora looked at him with a cat like smirk.

-Of course not. There are much more serious restrictions on how to do it.

-I thought so... ~Said Anakin, then stopped as he realized what she actually told him. -Wait, you mean that you actually can do that?

So, this is how Nizzal must have got her memories making her mentally older in the process! That means she is actually just a thirteen year old girl, with a lot of memories, information pressed into her brain... But... aren't memories what make up your personality? Isn't that saying that her personality had been completely changed by those new memories? They must have turned her into a different person... That is just cruel and inhumane...

A memory of Nizzal from our short time that we served back on the Venator came to my mind, while she was asleep and in her sleep crying for her lost master... Even back then I noticed that her voice and choice of words were very different, more sufficient for her actual age. Yet I didn't think much into it, thinking that it was only because she was dreaming... Now, it seems that that was her actual personality... without all of those conscious memories weighing down on her psyche... This is infuriating... 

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