Then he added, 'This is not an attempt to grab power for myself. The Jedi Council will still oversee your order. But they will do so under the supervision of the Senate's Judicial Department. It is the only way we can heal the scars left by your wars against the Sith.
'The Republic is crumbling,' he continued. 'For the past thousand years it has slowly been decaying and rotting away. A rebirth is the only way to reverse this process.
'Many of the measures proposed in the Ruusan Reformation are symbolic, but there is power in that symbolism. This will be the beginning of a new era for the Republic. We will enter a new age of prosperity and peace.
'Let the Jedi show their commitment to this peace. Cast aside the trappings of war and assume your rightful place as counselors and advisers. Instead of this endless battle to hold back the dark side, you should help to guide us toward the light.'
Valorum finished his speech and looked expectantly at Farfalla. Johun held his breath, waiting for his Master's outburst of righteous indignation. He wanted to watch as Valenthyne expertly and eloquently refuted the Chancellor's arguments. He couldn't wait to witness the impassioned defense of all that the Jedi stood for and believed in that would justify everything General Hoth had done.
'I will speak to the Jedi Council and see that our order complies with your demands, Your Excellency' Farfalla said, his voice heavy.
'And I will send the order to begin the dissolution of the Army of Light as soon as the Senate passes your proposal.'
Johun's draw dropped, but he was too stunned to say anything.
'Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, Master Valenthyne,' Valorum replied, rising to his feet. 'Now if you will excuse me, I must call the Senate to session.'
At first it seemed as if he was about to escort them from the room. But when he glanced at Johun, he obviously sensed the young man was not quite ready to let the matter rest. The Chancellor hesitated, giving him a chance to speak.
Johun, however, remained stubbornly silent, Valorum exchanged a brief look with Farfalla, then nodded in deference to the Jedi Master.
'Please see yourselves out when you are ready,' the Chancellor said, before giving them each a cordial nod and leaving them alone in the room.
'How could you?' Johun demanded angrily the moment Valorum was gone, leaning across the table toward Farfalla.
The older man sighed and leaned backward, his hands clasped together and his fingers forming a steeple just below his chin.
'I know this is difficult to understand, Johun. But the Chancellor was right. Everything he said was true.'
'General Hoth would never agree to this!' Johun spat at him.
'No,' Farfalla admitted. 'He never could understand the value of compromise. That was his great fault.'
'And what's yours?' Johun shouted, slamming his fist on the table and jumping up so swiftly he knocked over his chair. 'Betraying the memory of your friends?'
'Watch your anger,' Farfalla said softly.
Johun froze, then felt his face flushing in shame and embarrass-ment. He took several deep, cleansing breaths-a Jedi ritual to calm and focus the mind. Once he had his emotions under control he turned and righted his chair, then took his seat again.
'I'm sorry, Master Valenthyne,' he said, struggling to keep his voice even. 'But this feels as if we are dishonoring him.'
'Your Master was a man of great strength and steadfast conviction,' Farfalla assured him, still sitting with his steepled hands clasped beneath his chin. 'No other could have led us through our time of crisis. But the galaxy does not exist in a state of perpetual crisis.
'The Jedi are the sworn servants of the Republic' he continued. 'We will fight to defend it in times of war, but when war is over we must be willing to set aside our weapons and become ambassadors of peace.'
The younger man shook his head. 'This still doesn't feel right.'
'Since the earliest days of your training, you have known nothing but war,' Farfalla reminded him. 'It can be difficult for you to remember that violence should only be used when all other methods have failed.
'But you must always remind yourself that a Jedi values wisdom and enlightenment over all else. The great truths we seek are often difficult to find, and sometimes it is easier to seek out an enemy to do battle with… especially when we hunger to avenge those who have fallen. This is one of the ways even good people can fall to the dark side.'
'I'm sorry, Master,' Johun whispered. The words seemed to catch in his throat, even though his apology was sincere.
'You are still a Padawan. You are not expected to possess the wisdom of a Master,' Farfalla consoled him. 'That is why I brought you here: so that you could learn.'
'I will do my best' Johun vowed.
'That is all I can ever ask,' his Master replied.
Thanks to the Holocron he had discovered in Nadd's tomb, Bane now knew that the strange crustaceans that had attached themselves to him were called orbalisks. He had also discovered, through his own trial and error, that they could not be removed.
In the moments after his escape from the orbalisk chamber, he'd tried prying the one on his chest loose with the hunting knife from his boot, to no avail. Failing that, he had tried to dig it out by carving away the surrounding flesh. He'd drawn the knife across his chest in a long, straight line, feeling the agony of the blade slicing deep enough to cut through skin and muscle. And then he'd watched in amazement as the wound healed itself almost instantly, the creature having somehow caused his tissue to regenerate.
Bane had tried the Force next, probing deep inside to better understand what was happening to him. He could sense the creatures feeding on his power, gorging themselves on the dark side energies coursing through every fiber and cell of his being. But though they were parasites, they were also giving something back. As they fed, they pumped a constant stream of chemicals into his body. The alien fluids burned like acid as they were absorbed into his circulatory system; it felt as if every drop of blood were boiling… but the benefits were too powerful to be ignored. In addition to his miraculous healing abilities, he felt stronger than he ever had. His senses were keener, his reflexes quicker. And on his chest and back where the creatures had latched on, their virtually impenetrable shells would serve as armor plates capable of withstanding even a direct strike from a lightsaber.
The relationship, he had finally realized, was symbiotic-as long as he could endure the constant searing pain of the alien fluids being absorbed and metabolized in his bloodstream. A small price to pay,
Bane had decided before turning his attention to the Holocron. Sitting cross-legged on the hard floor of the antechamber inside Nadd's crypt, he reached out tentatively with the dark side and brushed his hand against the small, crystal pyramid. Responding to his caress, it began to glow.
For the next four days and nights he lost himself in the secrets of the ancient artifact. As he suspected, it had been created by Freedon Nadd. Bane delved into the Holocron's secrets with the aid of the gatekeeper: a miniature hologrammic projection of the long-dead Sith Master responsible for its creation. The gatekeeper guided and directed his studies, serving as a virtual mentor to those who sought out Nadd's lost secrets inside the sinister pyramid.
Though Nadd had been human, his avatar was the image of a man who had succumbed to the physical corruption that sometimes affected those who delved too deeply into the power of the dark side. His skin was pallid, the flesh withered and sunken, and his eyes were glowing yellow orbs devoid of iris or pupil. Despite this, he still appeared as a formidable warrior: broad-shouldered, clad in heavy battle armor and the helm that had doubled as his crown when he had proclaimed himself king over the nearby world of Onderon.
Through the gatekeeper, Bane learned of the Dark Master's experiments with the orbalisks, and his only partly successful efforts to control their power. He discovered not only what they were called, but also all the details of their ecology. Some of the information merely confirmed what he already knew: once attached to a host the orbalisks could not be removed. But he also learned that, in addition to boosting a host's physical abilities, it was possible to tap into the parasites' ability to feed on the dark side to greatly increase one's own command of the Force.
