Title: The Change of Masters Author: Liz Skywalker My e-mail: lizskywalker@hotmail.com My website/archive: www.geocities.com/area51/atlantis/9010 Feedback: Yes. Constructive criticism only. Flames will be given in as homework assignments Category: Canon Spoilers: Read the Jedi academy trilogy. Rating: PG Disclaimer: I don't own star wars. I have no money, I spent it all on the books and fanzines. I make no money (I wish I did). Posting: Ask me. I'll say yes. Summery: 100 years have passed since the last Star Wars book and the galaxy is under the threat of another purge. It takes an apprentice, Kyp's grandson, and a mysterious Master to set the galaxy to rights again. CHAPTER 1: ZEKK Zekk Gilca was hopeful. He had spent almost his entire life in the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. He was almost 13 and hoped to be a Jedi someday. He felt that his hopes where to become reality soon. A Jedi Master was coming to find an apprentice whom they could teach as the Master did his duties that the Council of Masters provided for him. This teaching was what all the children in the Academy hoped for, for when they would be skillful enough for someone to apprentice them. Until then, they could only hope. Zekk had heard rumors that a powerful Jedi was coming to look for an apprentice. He pushed himself harder and harder everyday, so maybe the Jedi would choose him. His Jedi Master, Kyp Durron, grew proud of his accomplishments, which only made Zekk push himself harder. Soon, the Jedi would be at Yavin Academy tomorrow. CHAPTER 2: MASTER DURRON Master Durron made his way to the landing pad at the top of the Academy. In a few minutes, the shuttle would land and out of it would come the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. Known only as The Master now, The Master had been Master Durron's teacher, his father's teacher, his father's father's teacher, for whom Master Durron had been named, all of the famous Jedi were The Master's students and students of his students. The message had said that The Master had something vitally important to tell him. Master Durron did not understand why the visit was supposed to be covered up as a search for an apprentice, but now was not the time for questions, now was the time for actions. The shuttle doors opened and out came The Master. The Master walked over to Master Durron and he fell in step behind The Master. "Master Durron, do you know what is happening in Coruscant now?" The Master asked. Master Durron was sure that The Master knew that he did not know and Master Durron was not sure how The Master would know, being that The Master had been on a shuttle for a few hours. However a reply was not unnecessary. "No, Master. I do not know. Is it of vital importance?" "Only if you consider the survival of the Jedi important, Master Durron. Now on Coruscant, senators are forming together to pass a motion outlawing Jedi." "But that is foolishness. How could they get such an idea as that, and at this time?" "Patience, Master Durron, patience. A dark Jedi has gone to many senators and told them lies about the Jedi. The weak senators agreed to this plan. The dark Jedi plans to come and kill out the Jedi while the senate is in debate about this. The dark Jedi plans to make a Jedi purge greater than the one the Emperor and Vader committed. He must be stopped." "What shall we do, Master?" Master Durron's heart was racing. He tried and failed to keep his emotions in check. What a great Jedi The Master must be, to speak of such things in perfect calm, without betraying his feelings and emotions. "The first thing we do, Master Durron, is evacuate the Jedi Academy and go to a safe place where the children can stay and learn. Then we must get all the Jedi Masters together and make a case before the senate in the case that this motion goes to the floor, and I assure you it will. We must also send a message through the Force to the other Jedi that are scattered around to get undercover quickly. The Jedi must not be allowed to die. I did not train students for years just for them to be betrayed by one of their own. I am in the process of assembling Masters to find the dark Jedi and bring him to justice and the Force before anything truly evil can happen." "I will tell the children by dinner to pack up some things so we can leave. May I ask, Master, is where is this safe place that we will put the children there and how will we get them there?" "You may. This safe place is a planet called Jedi Home. It is in the Outer Rim. Hundreds of years ago, Jedi settled there but were killed by a dark Jedi. The dark Jedi then left the planet. Because of all the evil there once was there, the planet cloaks all that lives there from the Force outside the planet. On the plant though, you can feel outside. There are transports above Yavin 4 piloted by Jedi to take the children there. On Jedi Home, there are shelters and food to last as long as needed. Now go and inform the children, I will inform the rest of the Jedi that the time for action is now. I will then go and find more secure places for Jedi. I have The Apprentice in the Senate audience everyday. If they move the motion before schedule, The Apprentice will speak for the Jedi. During the trial of the galaxy against the Jedi, I will testify through The Apprentice's mouth. Now go, Master Durron and may the Force be with you." CHAPTER 3: Zekk Zekk could not believe it. One second he thought that the Jedi Master was coming for an apprentice, the next he learned that he needed to pack his bags and leave the Academy. And it wasn't just him; the entire Academy was moving. Master Durron would not say what was going on, but he did stress that now was not the time for knowing, now was for actions. He also found out that the Jedi Master who came wasn't just any master but The Master, the oldest and wisest Jedi, and that The Master had given the order to evacuate. Zekk boarded the transports and looked out the window into the seemingly endless masses of space. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice that someone had sat down next to him. "Can I sit here?" She asked him. "Sure, I don't own this place, I don't own anything here. Oh sorry. I'm being rude. My name is Zekk, Zekk Gilca. What's yours?" "My name is Trish Yirv. My mother owns this ship. My mom's pretty nice for a mom, I guess. What's your mother like?" "I don't really remember my mother or what she looked like. I came to the Academy when I was 3 years old. My parents let me go, saying that becoming a Jedi Knight was much more important than anything I could do at home and that being a Jedi would make them that much more proud of me. I was raised at the Jedi Academy. I have friends and teachers, but no parents. I might never see them again. Most of my friends don't remember their parents either. We all get to see our parents and visit them when we turn 13 or our parents come to visit whichever one comes first. My friends that know their parents know them because their parents are Jedi too. They met their parents probably less times than us whose parents aren't Jedi. They were brought to the Academy as soon as it was proven that they were Force-sensitive, usually when they are around a year old. But they are luckier. When they get to be Knights, they'll see their parents a lot more often. Sorry, I'm kind of mussing. The only home I ever knew was the Jedi Academy and now I'm leaving to go somewhere. I guess Master Durron would say that this is from the Force, that Jedi were meant to be wanderers. Do you know where we are going?" "No, your Jedi Masters won't tell me or my mom. A Jedi came to my mother and asked if he could rent our transport. He'd add to the fee if you Jedi were allowed to pilot the last legs of the journey to your haven. If we wouldn't, he'd pay normal and erase the memory of where you are from our minds. My mom took the first offer. Do you know what Jedi that was? He was so calm and did not get angry or anything when my mother quoted him twice the normal price and then some. He haggled and got the price down to the exact amount of money that I was thinking of that would be fair. He was really old and so calm, like you could dive into his calmness." "When did he come to you, this Jedi Master?" Zekk asked, mentally going through all the Jedi Masters he knew. "About a month ago, he wanted to hire us for a certain time and day. How could he have known that you were evacuating then?" "Well, if it's who I think it is, you met The Master. He can see the future." "What do you mean by The Master?" "Well, he's a Jedi..." Just then Master Durron came into the room. He told Zekk that he should get together with his friends and meditate the fear out them. It would be a purposeful exercise he said .The fear on this ship is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Zekk excused himself and joined his friends in meditation, but couldn't get the face of the girl Trish out of his mind. She seemed so innocent and so knowing all at the same time. Zekk wanted to spend more time with her and get to know her better. Maybe ask her where she had been in life and what she had done. He didn't know that he would never see her again. He didn't know that as soon as he left the room, she gasped once and died of lack of air. The second that Zekk had left the room, a bulkhead ripped open to space and the air lock snapped shut, not letting anything get in or out. The Force was indeed with young Zekk Gilca. CHAPTER 4: MASTER DURRON That's it, Master Durron thought, the last of the children are safe. Now I must get to Coruscant to make sure the rest of the Jedi will be safe, forever. He went over to the last room. Inside sat one of the older boys. He was kneeling on the floor, meditating. Master Durron felt this boy's confusion and saw that he was nearly old enough to be an apprentice. Master Durron knocked and went into the room. Immediately the boy rose from his meditation and bowed to Master Durron. "I didn't mean to disturb you, Zekk. Is something wrong?" "Oh no, Master Durron. It's just that the Jedi Academy was my home and now I'm here. I don't even know where here is. I was meditating because I didn't understand something. Before we landed, I attempted to do an exercise, trying to sense the living planet below us. I couldn't feel it. Now I can feel out, but I'm doubting myself, that maybe I can't feel the Force anymore and can't be a Jedi." "Don't worry, Zekk. I should have warned you and all the children. The reason we are on this planet is because this planet, and everything on it, is invisible through the Force. There is darkness ahead for the Jedi and it was necessary to hide all the students at the Academy. I am going to Coruscant in a few hours to help defend the Jedi in the Senate trial." Master Durron found himself saying. Why was he revealing all this to a 12-year-old boy? "Master, can I go with you? I will not get in the way. I will do all that you tell me to do. Please Master?" "Alright, but if you are to go with me, you must be content with just watching. No participating. This is a job for the Masters alone. Do we have an agreement?" "Yes, Master. We have an agreement." "Good Zekk. Pack your things, we leave in an hour. Meet me at the place we came down to. Tell of this to no one though." "Yes Master." Master Durron left the room, wondering just why he had agreed. Well, what's done is done and the if Force decreed it so, the Force would see to it that the boy came. Just then Jedi Master Hale came up to him and told him that there was an encrypted Holonet message for him. He went to his office and played the message. He was surprised to see The Apprentice had sent the message. "Greetings Master Durron. I have bad news, I am afraid. The Senate has decreed that the trial will start in 24 hours. You must get here quickly with the Jedi delegation. I will do all I can to stall them, but it may not be possible. You must make all haste. If you can, contact The Master to tell him all I say. I will be contacting him as soon as the trial starts but he may wish to be there in person. In the event that The Master does not come, I will testify for The Master. Out." With that, the image of The Apprentice vanished as if it had never been. Master Durron sighed and went around to collect the Jedi Masters for the delegation to Coruscant. He made all haste. CHAPTER 5: ZEKK Zekk couldn't believe it. He never had seen a city this big before. Coruscant is a planet that's entirely one city. He kept wanting to look up and see if he could touch the sky. He certainly felt like he could. He rushed to keep up with the Jedi delegation. He had been told in no uncertain terms that he was to follow them quietly and not get in the way. During the senate trial he was to sit in the seat assigned to him and not make a sound. It was hinted that he might have to take the stand as a witness for the Jedi but it was highly unlikely, but not impossible. He walked behind the Jedi until they came to a room that was very large. Actually, enormous might be a better word. It was easily a kilometer across and a kilometer wide and probably larger. He sat in a seat near the edge of the defense box and watched what was going on in front of him with wide-eyed interest. The Jedi called up a young man as their first witness. Well, young man was a bad term. He was young looking, but his eyes spoke of experience and wisdom that looked more at home on an old man. He was The Apprentice. The Apprentice walked over to the witness stand. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The Jedi defender, Kale Mary, asked. "I give my word as a Jedi and as an honorable man that I will speak the truth." The Apprentice answered calmly. "Please state your name for the record." "I am called The Apprentice." "What was the name you were given when you were born?" Kale Mary asked, not really expecting an answer. "I do not know what the name I was born with is. Only The Master knows what it is. I will learn it when I have learned all it is that The Master has to teach. I am simply called The Apprentice." "Okay, Apprentice. How long have you been a Jedi?" "I have been training since I was 5 years old. I do not know how old I am now. Time has no meaning in the Force." "I intended to call up The Master as my first witness. Tell me why the Jedi put you up instead." "I am to speak for The Master. I contacted The Master the minute the trial started. Ask The Master a question directly, and The Master will answer through my mouth, he will see through my eyes." "All right, I now am addressing The Master. How long have you been a Jedi?" "I have been a Jedi since the Republic was born." The Master's voice came from The Apprentice's mouth. "I do not understand your answer Master. How old are you?" Kale asked, obviously taken by surprise by the claim that The Master had been a Jedi for over 100 years. "Let me not answer that directly. Let me answer that through a story. Once a long time ago, the Jedi were the guardians of peace. They had watched over it for 1000 generations. Someone took siege to a planet then and the Republic sent an ambassador. This ambassador was a Jedi and his apprentice. The Jedi found startling things there so they decided to head back to Coruscant. On the way there, their ship broke down and they were forced to land on a backward planet. When they left the planet, they took a young boy who had the potential to be a Jedi. The Council, after a while, decided to let the boy be trained as a Jedi. The boy turned to evil after completing his training, and sought out to kill all of his former Masters. But before he turned to evil he had a son. This son grew up never knowing who his father was. The son grew and fought against his father's evil ways. The son was taken in and taught by some hidden Jedi. The son, once fully a Jedi in mind and spirit, confronted his father, the boy, with his evil ways and the father saw the error of his ways and repented. The son forgave him. Soon after the father died and the son went around the galaxy trying to bring back what his father had thrown down. He succeeded in doing so and brought back the Jedi. He taught Jedi for many years, undoing the evil of his father. The boy was called Darth Vader. I am the son. Years are changed with every government. I was 20 at the battle of Yavin. Does this answer your question, Jedi council?" "Yes and no. This is a very interesting story. But the son of Vader is dead. How could you be the son of Vader, being that he only had one son?" Kale Mary asked, not really believing that this Jedi could be 150 years old. "I am the son of Vader. Luke Skywalker is dead. The name of the hero is gone. I am what's left." "O.K. next question. You are saying that you are over 150 years old. How long do you expect to live?" "I do not wish to know. I will become one with the Force when the Force will have me. Until then, I will train Jedi. You cannot kill the Jedi. Vader and the Emperor tried and failed. The Jedi will continue and nothing can stop that. This had been ordained by the Jedi Masters of old. The Jedi will live on. But the dark Jedi sitting to the right of you will not." CHAPTER 6: MASTER DURRON Master Durron watched with a concealed smile as the man sitting to the right of Kale Mary jumped up as if to defend himself. Master Durron looked closely at the man and saw dark ripples of the Force come from him. He had to admit that the dark Jedi hid it well. Master Durron had not known that this was the dark Jedi, but of course, The Master could see it. "I will kill you all! All you Jedi will die!!!" The man screamed at the top of his lungs, "I, Darth Disci, will not let you Jedi sorcerers continue!" "You can not stop what you cannot find. Tell me Darth, where are the Jedi children?" Master Durron asked him pointedly, mentally swearing that if he knew it, he would renounce the Force. "They are on Yavin 4..." Darth Disci's face scrunched together for a few minutes then anger passed over his face. "You Jedi sorcerers!!! You hid the children and all the other Jedi so it would seem as if the only Jedi in the galaxy were in this room!!! Well, nothing can stop me!" Master Durron looked to the boy Zekk to see how he had taken all that had transpired in the trial. He looked stunned and subdued. Master Durron then looked to The Apprentice. He was slumped into a Jedi Hibernation Trance. Master Durron belatedly remembered that The Master had told him that The Apprentice could not take evil and would go into a Trance when he saw it. This was why The Apprentice led a sheltered life with The Master. Master Durron watched with horror as Zekk jumped out of his seat and toward the dark Jedi. The dark Jedi brought out his lightsaber and slashed at Zekk. But Zekk wasn't a fool and he already had his lightsaber out, parrying the dark Jedi's slash. "Zekk! Stop! That's an order!" Master Hale yelled to Zekk. "Hush, Master Hale. Look at the boy's eyes. That look isn't of a 12-year- old or of someone governed by rage. The Master is in Zekk's body. Zekk isn't doing this. It's The Master's doing. Perhaps this was the reason the Force wanted me to bring Zekk here. Let's all meditate and add our strength to The Master's and channel it through Zekk. We will add light. This can serve a double purpose. It will keep Zekk on the light side of the Force and it will serve as a physical blow to the dark Jedi." With that, Master Durron and the Jedi clasped hands and concentrated on making sure the boy would not turn. CHAPTER 7: KALE MARY Kale could not believe it. One minute he was questioning a witness and the next minute the witness was slumped in the chair and a boy was having a lightsaber battle with a grown man. Worse off, the Jedi were not even trying to control one of their own, weren't trying to stop him. They all looked calm and composed not seeming to care that one of their boys was about to kill himself. No, they were just doing some sort of meditation, probably trying to understand this. Ha! "Council Mary, stop your clients at once. They are in contempt of court. I will not have innocent people killed just because of an internal Jedi problem!" The Judge yelled to him. "No can do, Your Honor. Only the Jedi can stop this, and they seem to be aiding the battle." Kale yelled back and turned to watch how the dual was going. Surprisingly, the boy was still alive and not even panting hard. He seemed to be going on an inhuman strength, which a non-Jedi probably couldn't even understand. The boy back flipped over Darth Disci and continued fighting. Suddenly, the dual seemed to turn with Darth Disci pushed back and back until his lightsaber was blown in half by the boy's lightsaber. It looked like the battle might be over. But it wasn't. The boy hooked his light saber on his belt and looked around as if not understanding what he had just done and what was going on. Just then, Darth Disci stood up and cracked his fingers. Blue lightning came out from his fingertips and surrounded the boy. Amazingly, the boy didn't fall. He stood straight up and the lightning fell around an invisible shield around him. Kale Mary looked to the Jedi and saw them sweating and straining, trying to keep the Force shield up under such circumstance. Suddenly, as if it was planned, the Jedi undid their hold on the boy and descended from the Jedi platform. The Jedi went up to Darth Disci and encircled him. A small blue light came from the Jedi circle. Darth Disci seemed to be driven back by this and without warning he disappeared. A Jedi Master went over to where boy lay. The boy had gotten about a minute of the blue lightning and looked dead. The Jedi Master put his hands on the boy. All the other Jedi did so too. The boy slowly rose into the air and his body lost his burns and scratches. He stirred and woke. CHAPTER 8: ZEKK Zekk didn't know what was happening. One minute he was sitting down watching the trial, the next he was standing over the body of a man he had never seen before. Darth Disci had gotten up then and surrounded him with lightning. He could remember nothing else after that. He woke to find himself suspended in air, his body slowly healing. "What happened, Masters?" He tried to croak. They understood him anyway. "It's okay Zekk. The evil is gone and all will be well again." Master Durron assured him as the Force mended Zekk's broken body. "But what about the trial Masters?" Zekk needed to know. "Yes, about the trial," The judge started, "in my opinion, if a Jedi boy could do all that you just did without killing anyone, which is what Darth Disci said you would do, kill innocents I mean, you Jedi really should stay the guardians of the peace. Council for the prosecution?" "Yes Your Honor. On behalf of the Republic, I withdraw all charges against the Jedi." The prosecution stated, looking ashamed that he had tried to destroy this. He looked at the touching sight of a dozen men in long robes crowd around a young boy to heal him. As far as he knew, no other people would show that much concern for a minor. Belatedly, he remembered a saying about how all Jedi were like a family. They all had talents that might seem dangerous but they used them to help other people and they cared for each other. It was enough for the prosecution to wish that he was part of such a close community. "You wouldn't have been able to kill us out anyway. The Jedi are survivors. And above that, we are a species. The Republic is made up of many species and no discrimination is made in between species. If you would have called for the Jedi's extermination, then some species might feel threatened and reconsider their membership. When the Republic was young, you could have gotten away with killing the Jedi, but now, we have a job to do and that is to protect others and look out for each other. All the evil in the universe can change that," said someone in the doorway. All the Jedi turned and saw... "Now who are you?" Asked Kale Mary, fed up with not understanding half of what was going on. "I am called The Master." Said the man in the doorway. "Why do none of you Jedi have names? Is there something in the Jedi Code or Mantra against names? Is their something against knowing how old you are? Huh?" Kale Mary asked, clearly exasperated and was taken by surprise when all the Jedi in the room laughed at what he had just said. "I'm almost 13 and my name is Zekk," said Zekk, trying to help the defense, but didn't succeed when he started laughing again in the middle. "Ah yes, Zekk. There is something that I want to ask you..." The Master started. CHAPTER 9: MASTER DURRON Master Durron stood watching as the last of the children went back into the Yavin Jedi Academy. He slowly turned and walked back inside. He was so preoccupied that he almost bumped into The Master. "Going inside, Master Durron?" "Yes, Master. Did you want to speak to me?" "Yes Master Durron. It's about the boy Zekk. Is he apprenticed to anyone?" "No Master. He is not. Why do you ask?" Master Durron asked, trying to understand what The Master was asking him." "The Apprentice is ready to face the galaxy. He has learned all that he can and is ready to face his duties as a Jedi, including evil. He hates it, but can stay conscious in the face of it. I need to take on a new Apprentice to whom I can teach the secrets of the Force. I was thinking of taking Zekk. I have met with him many times in the past few months and he is ready for apprenticeship. I wish to take him on as my new Apprentice." The Master said calmly. "Master, if you want to apprentice him, he's all yours. May I ask though, what's the catch? What's the reason you needed to ask me?" Master Durron asked, fearing the worst. "Master Durron, it should not be known the name of my Apprentice. I would need to take this out of your memory and the memories of everyone that knew him. I would also not let him see his parents. I know the children usually see their parents at age 13, he would not be able to. This is why I need to ask you." Well, it's not exactly the worst he could have said, Master Durron thought. "Master, it is alright with me, but would his parents agree? When I took him from his parents, I promised them that they could see him around his 13th birthday. I gave my word." "Do not worry about his parents. If he is to go with me, we will make a stop on his home world to see his parents. Anything else?" "No Master. He's yours if he agrees." CHAPTER 10: ZEKK "I agree Master." Zekk said his heart jumping. He had just learned that if he went, he would first see his parents and then all his memories of Yavin, his parents, his friends, even his name!, would be locked in his mind until The Master said a trigger word. He had asked that the trigger word be his name or his father's and The Master had agreed. "Good, Zekk. Get ready to leave. Meet me on the platform in 20 minutes. Speak to no one." 20 minutes later, a shuttle lifted off from Yavin 4. It's two sole occupants were on their way to making history. AFTERWORD: THE NEW APPRENTICE Zekk came back to Yavin 4 after 15 years of intense training. He was now called The Apprentice and he could no longer recall his name. He was met by Master Durron and Master Hale. "Apprentice, why are you here?" They asked him. "I am here, Masters, to tell you of some serious tidings. The Master has fallen ill and requests the presence of all the Jedi Knights and Masters at his bedside. I am to take all the Jedi from here that can be spared. We must leave immediately." The Master was feeling very ill, this was true. The part not said was that he had come to terms with his past and was ready to face the Force. The Master had made himself sick. But he needed to speak to the Jedi one more time before he became one with the Force. He also needed to tell Zekk the trigger word. In came all the Jedi. The Master Started to address them: "Jedi, I am to meet my end soon. Let this not weaken your spirits because I have had a fruitful life. Most of you are my students. Those of you who are not are my students' students. I have given birth to the Jedi and nurtured them until it is time for them to stand up straight. Now is that time. I will be leaving you soon. Pass down what you have learned to the new generation of Jedi. Battle the dark side, always, you will." With that, The Master fell back on his pillow. He motioned for all the Jedi to leave the room. All but Zekk. He started speaking very slowly to Zekk to make sure all his words came out. "Apprentice, you are ready to face to challenges of being a Jedi. You will become a Jedi Master one day. Take up an apprentice. Teach him all that I have taught you. The Jedi and the galaxy need you, Zekk son on Cirrau." On the sound of the trigger word, Zekk looked up, suddenly remembering all that had transpired that he had forgotten. "Master, I won't leave you!" Zekk cried out, in the pain of his lose, "I will never leave you!" "Never is a large word, Zekk. You may not leave me, but I will be leaving you, at least for awhile. I will be there when you need me Zekk. Pass on what I have taught you. Zekk." "MASTER!!! Don't go! MASTER!" With that Zekk started to cry out in anguish. "Don't become angry Zekk. Anger leads to the dark side." The Master reached over to stroke Zekk's face. When he finished, The Master breathed his last and vanished. Zekk kneeled over in sadness and the sudden feeling of being alone. He had been like a son to The Master and now the man who was like his father was gone. Outside the room, the Jedi could hear Zekk's sad sobs and mournful screeches. But they wouldn't, couldn't, interfere. The death of The Master was felt through the Force like a gigantic hand had reached across them and ripped them open. All through the galaxy, Force-sensitive babies started crying in beat with Zekk's weeping. As Yoda had done, so to his student had done. One dies, another is born. Such is the way of all life, the way of the Force. THE END