Star Wars : New Jedi

( Jedi Temple )

The lift ascended, carrying the two Jedi toward the distant Council Chamber, situated near the top of the south-west corner spire. Kyle was nervous, but the long trip allowed him to cool himself off.

"You must not have been before the Council in a long time if you're so nervous." Obi-Wan observed as the lift moved. "Don't worry about it. It's just the timing is all bad thanks to the war."

"Oh, I'm nervous about a lot of things," Kyle admitted. "Meeting the High Council wasn't on my list of things to do today."

Obi-wan could understand that. "If you don't mind my asking, what was your assignment before coming back for today?"

"I do odd jobs," Kyle evaded. "I was already headed back to Coruscant to deliver something to a Senator, a secure package when everything went down."

"Ah," Obi-wan didn't miss the non-answer, but knew better than to pry. Some Jedi were entrusted with certain duties that others could not be, and it seemed like Kyle was one of them. "Have you a Padawan?"

"Not yet," Kyle said carefully. He was supposed to be teaching, but he didn't have the sort of one-on-one relationship that the old Order had. There were too few Masters, and too many new Jedi to teach to go that route. "Why, want to offload yours?" He threw a verbal jab at Kenobi, who wasn't expecting it.

But he recovered nicely. "Perish the thought. I wouldn't punish another Master like that."

Kyle laughed. "Fair enough."

They arrived at the entryway to the Council Chamber, where a pair of Guardians stood at attention. They knew who Obi-wan was, but not the other Jedi. Even if it was the one whom they recognized, they still would have challenged him.

"Masters Kenobi and Katarn, reporting to the Council," Obi-wan said, relaxed. Beside him, he could feel Kyle's tension mount. It was very similar to the way Anakin acted on occasion. "Relax," he whispered again. "I doubt anything will go wrong."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Kyle replied as the doors opened.

...

( Jedi High Council Chamber )

Kyle walked into the open-aired vault, though slight forcefields kept the weather and sound outside at bay. The view was completely magnificent though, and if he had the time, he would love to take Jan up here for the sight seeing.

Of course that would have to wait until later. He and Obi-wan walked to stand near the center of the chamber. "Masters," Obi-wan said, bowing. Kyle mimicked the gesture poorly. "Master Katarn, as requested."

"Thank you, Obi-wan. You are dismissed." The young Jedi bowed again at the instruction from the former Grand Master.

"I will see to your request," he reminded Kyle.

"Thanks, Kenobi." Kyle said, watching with one eye as Obi-wan left the chamber, leaving him alone with twelve of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy.

That's alright, he reminded himself. They were alone with him too, so it was sorta fair.

"Does anyone recognize this Jedi?" the bald human said, leaning forward. "Because I do not."

Great, Kyle thought to himself. He mentally shifted to the defencive as the force around him was poked and felt at by many of the Masters. Given what he was sensing, he would have to place Luke above most of them, in terms of skill and power, which also meant that he was right up there as well.

"Curious, this Jedi is," Yoda, the only Master Kyle knew by name spoke. "Light. Dark. One and whole."

"I do not know this Jedi. Who taught you?" A Jedi sitting to the right of Yoda spoke, one with a huge conical head.

"Hey," Kyle said, snapping just a little to avoid the impending verbal pile up of twelve people speaking at once. "How about something a little more polite first? You know, like 'Could you please tell us your name'?"

The Jedi stiffened, but did not otherwise respond to the jab. "I'm Kyle. Kyle Katarn." He tilted his head at the diminutive green Jedi. "The only one whom I recognize is Master Yoda."

"You do not know who the High Council is?" A female Togruta said from behind Katarn. He would either have to keep off balance to respond to people directly, or pick a facing and stay there, ignoring the speakers. He went with the former as the motion would allow him time to respond.

"Nope. Can't say that I do. Seems we were all on the equal. So, how about it? Introductions?"

"I am Mace Windu," the bald man said, his lead the others still followed, even though Yoda was in charge. "Master Yoda, know you already." "Ki-Adi-Mundi," the confrontational Jedi said. "Plo Koon." "Saesee Tiin." "Even Piell" "Coleman Trebor" "Oppo Rancisis" "Shaak Ti," the female Togruta. "Yaddle" "Eeth Koth" "Adi Gallia" "Depa Billaba"

"See, that wasn't so hard." Kyle said, glad he got that out of the way. "Now, you wanted to know who my Master was?"

"Yes," Ki-Adi said, "it is obvious you were trained as a Jedi, but you have never set foot before this Council before. I would know who taught you, to trace your teachings."

Kyle counted four people he could consider to be his 'teacher', two of whom were dead before they met him. It was best to give them some truth without revealing too much. "Master Tal," he said, naming the lead spirit that encouraged him and taught him combat as he entered the Valley of the Jedi. "He's dead now. I was also is a reciprocal Master-Apprentice relationship with Master Mara Jade."

"Names I do not recognize," Piell commented.

"A Reciprocal Mastership?" Shaak Ti observed, "That is a very old tradition. No one practices that any more. Why?"

Kyle shrugged. "I taught her the blade, she taught me more about other things. We were equal partners, helping each other out." He wasn't Battlemaster for nothing.

"Seen it before, I have." Yoda said. "Unusual it is, but extraordinary it is not."

"I see what you mean, Master Windu," Plo said through his breathing mask. "A Jedi comes before us, trained in our ways to some degree, but not of our Order. And now I can sense the Dark Side in him."

Kyle tensed. "Be careful what accusations you throw out, Master Koon." He gestured at Windu. "I can sense the Dark Side in him, and he's on the Council."

"I am not the subject of questioning here," Windu said, though it seemed like Kyle's words struck truer than he would have intended.

"And I am?" Kyle shot back. "What do you want from me?"

"Answers," Shaak Ti said. "And our apologies. These are trying days for all of us, and we are not ourselves on our best behaviour." She tried to mediate, and Kyle was willing to give her a chance. Even he would have problems against so many.

"I accept," he said. "I apologize as well. I too am under a great deal of stress, and this wasn't what I was hoping to do today."

"Then perhaps," Tiin said, "convening the full Council was excessive. Yes, I am interested in you, Katarn, but I feel that we would all be better served if there were fewer of us present."

"I'm fine with that. Don't want to keep you from your other duties." Kyle was glad for the opportunity to cut down on the people he would have to keep track of.

"Dismissed, those who chose," Yoda said as he kept to his seat firmly. "Recorded this is, for review."

After a couple minutes, Windu, Yoda, Shaak Ti, Plo Koon and Ki-Adi-Mundi remained. They had reseated themselves to present a unified semi-circle to Kyle, who was still standing. He was grateful for all the practice doing that back when he was a Stormtrooper officer-in-training.

"Begin, where shall we?" Yoda mused. "Many questions there are. Answers we will get, hrm?"

"You're the guys who called me up here," Kyle said.

"Perhaps we should begin with something simple," Shaak Ti took up the role of 'Good Jedi' in this conversation, a fact that was blatantly obvious to Kyle. Mundi would be the 'Bad Jedi', while everyone else was moderate. "Although I doubt it would be that simple to answer." She gestured at Kyle with one hand. "It is obvious that you have been touched by the Dark Side. Can you explain that to us?"

The Valley. His encounter with the Sith Holocron which led to him going to the homeworld of the Sith. Desaan? What wasn't there to talk about? But it wasn't something he needed to keep a secret. "I've been... I've Fallen" he confessed. "But I came back. The Dark Side is always with me because of the things I've encountered and done, and I can't get rid of it."

"You don't fight it?" Mace asked, his curiosity out weighing his worry that they had a former Dark Jedi in their midst.

"No. Not really." Kyle felt old for a moment. "The Dark Side thrives on conflict, on people fighting. Not only themselves, but others. Sith, they feed off that, violence brings violence. I've gone there and came back with the help of others.

I've been so angry that I was blinded to nothing but petty revenge." He wondered how he would have reacted if Jan's death hadn't been faked. Would Luke have saved him, or killed him before he became what Jerec and Fayar wanted to be?

...

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