USH'S STAR WARS GAME- CAMPAIGN II EPISODE IV (JEDI)- Purity

"Perhaps the Force wanted me to come to terms with my past so that I could move on to greater things in my adventures as a Jedi Knight?" Gallagher queries. "It certainly seems to have happened, and though I come away from this slightly embittered by the fact that nothing I could do would help, I will become a better Knight than I ever was going to be before. My past was a hinderance, and now it isn't. I have you to thank, Master Korth, for allowing me to become the Jedi I am today. I am sorry that I could not complete my training under your guidance."

(That explains why the others were told that Korth was in a coma, I guess.)

That was not actually as untrue as it seemed; he has spent most of the intervening time in one.

"You are seeing to your own traning now, Gallagher. And I will have others to worry about. I won't be fit for duty again, but I shall be training new Jedi at the Temple, I think."

"That is most excellent news," Gallagher says, smiling at his old mentor. "I will likely still seek your knowledge and guidance from time to time, if you don't mind. It is always wise to take advice from your elders, right? And though I doubt you will, if you ever need help with a particularly troublesome Padawan, as I once was, let me know if I can help."

"Indeed we shall see, Gallagher. We shall see."

-

Hopefully, Gallagher is feeling somewhat better now. Meanwhile, you all have nothing else to do here. The Council will be awaiting your report.

Talking with Master Korth has relieved Gallagher some. He wishes that he had had such guidance earlier but knowing that it was something that he needed to realize for himself before it would do him any good. While these famines will be horrible events, he will remain optimistic.

Gallagher will meet up with the others and go back to Roan's ship so that they can call in to the Old Folk's Home.

Any final comments?

I believe not.

Then this story is ending. There's just the wrap-up left.

You are back together for the return journey to Corsucant. Gallagher is with you, which was one of the reasons yuo came. Have anyone anything to say?

Andro is glad when Gallagher boards the ship, although he also finds it ironic. This is what he came to Mandragos for, but never would he have imagined the circumstances of the outcome of that mission. He still doesn't wish to speak, but before the ship lifts off, leaves this planet behind, Andro rises and cautiously approaches Gallagher. When he has the young Jedi's attention, he bows deeps to him and extends his hand. Even if Andro would speak, he would not be able to find the words that would be a sufficient apology.

Gallagher studies Andro for a moment, having stowed himself in the lounge of Roan's Corellian freighter and wrapped himself in a blanket to ward off the cold of space. He looks over the face of his friend and notices his inability to speak, but senses his intentions just the same.

"I am not sorry for what I said," Gallagher says. "It had to be said, you and the others had to realize what had happened and what had gone wrong here on Mandragos. But... I am sorry that I hurt you. You wanted to rescue me from an awful fate. I could not ask for anything more, my dear friend."

Gallagher takes Andro's offered hand and firmly squeezes.

"Above all else, I am here for you. I can sense that you are in turmoil, as I had been, but I want to help you find clarity."

"Andro smiles appreciatively at Gallagher and nods, touched by his words. But couldn't pysically speak if he wanted to. He bows again and returns to his seat, rady to leave this planet, and thoughts of Seinar, behind.

Jelena feels slightly ashamed of what happened on Mandragos and how her and the others confronted Gallagher when he was, in fact, already in control of his situation.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened," Jelena submits to Gallagher briefly. "I should not have doubted your dedication."

It is all she has to say and she does not allow Gallagher to respond before she takes her seat in the cockpit with Roan, watching as the leader of the mission shows his Padawan the controls of the freighter.

(I think we'll play the 'suns setting on Tatooine' music as your ship leaves Mandragos)

---

Back on Coruscant, the Council takes your story with surprisingly little objection. Unlike Sott, they are less certain that leaving things to their own devices will produce the best results. They WISH that were true, as then there would be no need for the Jedi at all, but history has rather shown that someone needs to defend peace, justice and balance. Taking a non-interventionist, non-violent stand is very noble, but simply letting the evil in the Galaxy do as it wishes would cause all to suffer. The Jedi believe that those withy strength should try and use that for the good of all; it just needs to be accepted that not even the Jedi can sort everything out 100% of the time.

There's no blame attached to you for anything that happened. Sienar's plan was too well advanced by the time you met him. If anything, the Council accepts its own responsibility for niot having sensed the danger, but then that is the nature of the Dark Side- beyond which, Sienar really was clever. Anyone sensing that future would sense lots of death... but then the potential for famine was alredy known. It wouldn't look suspcious. Only Gallagher's personal connection broke that barrier, but his journey was personal.

(Nonetheless, you sense disquiet from the Council about the sensing of the future. The recent talk of the Sith has them worried)

The Force, of course, is a powerful tool and it can be twisted for evil end, and in that respect it served Sienar very well. Sienar's fate is very tragic in many ways; he realised there was no tangible end to his path. Sadly, the madness of the Dark Side took him and in his own self-destruction he elected to destroy as much as he could, and the corrupted Force aided him there as well. There's little the Council can do now but watch and wait. They have n proof that anything specifc is going to happen- not that they do not believe Gallagher's vision, just that it isn't really ground sfor action. And what could the Jedi do? Call for something to be done? Sienar just made that same call.

They'll ask one question to you though. Sienar's talk of weapons was unusual. But past that- what do you think Sienar's last words meant?

Gallagher having not been present for Sienar's final moments, after Roan sank his lightsaber into that mobile corpse of a body, he feels that he should allow the others their comment first.

"So little time," Jelena repeats to herself. "Maybe... it was related to the weapons? Something far worse than the famine may be coming, if Sienar felt that weapons would be purchased with the funds meant to help stave off the famine. It fits with his penchant for destruction. I find it hard to believe that Sienar was merely commenting on the shortness of life."

Tricky. Well, something to ponder.

Other than that... they think you guys deserve some time off- you all just did two missions back to back, after all. They want you back in a month. They think the best way for any of you downhearted to get over this is to get stuck back into a rather more straightforward case ASAP. That being the case.. they want Roan to head up a major operation. But the details can wait... fow now.

Jelena is relieved to hear that the Council wants to give them time to rest so that she can recooperate from the tragic events that have occurred on Cassilis and Mandragos, and cleanse herself of the heavy sensation of the Dark Side that came from both places, with the Gunslinger and the Archimandrite.

She also cannot wait to do something much more simple, but she somehow knows that it will only sound simple and end much more complicated...

Well, they didn't say simple, they said straightforward.

Quite a difference, there.

Also, given what Jelena said concerning what Sienar said about weapons and what she thinks might be coming, she will be giving more thought to that as she also had that vision of herself surrounded by white-armored soldiers.

Only time will tell.

---

It is eighteen months later when Andro, wearing plain clothes an in a seedy bar, sees the news report on the vis-screen above.

"Continuing delays in aid shipments to the stricken Lascaux region of the galaxy continue to cause controversy. In a prepared statement, a spokesperson for the Mandragos Committee said that strict protocols in the distribution of aid must be followed in order to prevent waste of taxpayers' money, but that a special sub-group was looking into resolving the major obstacles by the year's end. Meanwhile, evacuation has already begun from Alcar VI as the planet can no longer sustain its population. Surface reports indicate rioting due to insufficient available transports.

"Charity groups have condemned the slow progress of the committee, saying that it was betraying the vision of the deceased Ferradyne Archimandrite Sienar. One commentator in particular was directly critical of the Senate and the entire infrastructure that had led to the current crisis.

(A tall man in a black cloak and grey beard is being seen interviewed on screen)

"The outer regions of the galaxy look to the prosperous inner regions to survive. Is that not the point of the Republic? That resources are to be shared, so that all might thrive? Yet under the Senate, these people are left to suffer and die whilst at the galactic centre life goes on as normal. The outer worlds are very naturally becoming disillusioned with this situation. Perhaps if the Republic can no longer serve their needs, some other organisation is needed that can."

"Count Dooku went onto pledge another large personal donation to keep supplies flowing into some of the worst affected areas.

"In other news..."

But by this point, Andro has already stormed angrily out of the bar.

End.