The Tragedy of Kaya Suln
Posted: 2005-05-29 07:20pm
Well, I have a test today. So naturally, at 1:00 am last night, I decided that it would be a good idea to start writing a Star Wars fan fic. I think it's somewhat pulpy, but there's a prize of a *pat* for the first person who figures out what I mean by Kaya Suln. In any case, here's what I've written instead of studying or sleeping, and I guess there's more coming because it's not really much of a story so far. FOr some reason when I started writing it I envisaged it being a short story (approximately 2-3 thousand words), but I think I screwed that up. Ah well. It just means that I'll have to retain the same level of verbosity. I'm not even sure if this is very good. As I said, I started writing at 1am. It's now 9:20 and I didn't get any sleep last dark period because I was too busy procrastinating (there's a conundrum for you) and AAAH! I'm going to fail my test. I think I should start studying now. Thank God for caffeine.
Anyway, I present to you all:
The Tragedy of Kaya Suln
Chapter 1
Her legs folded underneath her, the young Jedi stretched her feelings out through the Force, sensing its movement. Through her meditation, the entire planet became clear to her. Here was the bright light of a new life being created; there was a dark ripple of anger. To Kaya Suln, Coruscant pulsed with the energy of all the people upon it.
As always, the seat of the Republic’s government, the Senate rotunda, was an enigma. A dark cloud covered it, shrouding it in mystery, although today the nucleus of that cloud could be felt moving through the building. The Jedi noted this, and then, having taken stock of the present, cast her thoughts into the future to see what lay there. The future was in a constant state of change at the moment. Lives were changing or passing at such a rate during the war that the threads of Force that they emitted were inconsistent.
She negotiated the lines of the future, noticing that they seemed to be reaching an end. Beyond two years, the future was blank. She focussed on a closer future, searching for the strongest possibilities. One Force tendril she recognised from long ago, back in her Padawan training – Count Dooku. Whatever is he doing above Coruscant? She wondered. She focussed on his future at that point, and she felt a spike of emotion.
“Please, Master, don’t kill me!” Shouting those words broke her trance, and that of the small, green Master who had been meditating opposite her.
“What see you, young Suln?” he asked.
“There is much confusion in the future, Master Yoda. The threads of the Force are unravelling. Too many lives are being lost. I see nothing beyond the next two years.”
“Clouded your vision has become. The Dark side could this be?”
“I don’t think so. The Dark Side has presence. What I felt was… nothingness.”
“Hmmm. Disturbing is this news.” Said Yoda. “You are the one of the Jedi’s strongest seers. If blind you become, bad news it will mean for the Jedi. That is not what brought you back, however.”
“No. It was not.” Kaya said. “I saw a battle above Coruscant. Count Dooku was there, with the Chancellor. I could not tell when it would be. The time seemed to be as yet undecided.”
“Hmmm. For Dooku to be above Coruscant is disturbing.” Yoda pondered. “Go you must, and tell the Chancellor of these visions.”
“Does it have to be me?” Kaya asked. “The Senate building is too dark. I lose my senses there.”
“These visions are yours,” Yoda said. “You are the best to tell the Chancellor what is in them.”
“As you wish, Master Yoda.” Kaya rose from her seat and left the room, bowing to Yoda as she left.
* * *
Walking through the Senate building was stifling. The air was heavy with darkness. Millennia of plots and political intrigue had stained the Force permanently. So twisted was it in this area that it was almost impossible to sort out the present from the past. Only one thing stood out against the muddy background – the dark core. It was darkness so concentrated that it would barely be noticeable were it not so powerful.
As she approached the Chancellor’s office, Kaya noticed that she was getting closer and closer to the black core. Perhaps, she thought, the dark core is the centre of all plots in the Senate – after all, in the end they all come back to here. Strangely, that spot – the darkest part of the building was almost comforting – at least it was something she could sense clearly. Upon thinking that last thought, Kaya immediately shunted the feeling from her mind. No matter how comforting the Darkness seemed, it would be wrong to embrace it.
Kaya entered the Chancellor’s office as an aide announced her through an intercom. In there, behind the Chancellor’s desk was a dark, tight knot in the force. Twisting out of it were the murky tendrils of dozens of political plots. Wrapped securely within it, and almost hidden from view, was a desire to save the galaxy, although from what Kaya could not fathom.
“Jedi Master Kaya Suln, I’m very pleased to meet you. I’ve heard that you are one of the Jedi order’s finest seers.” The dark knot rose and greeted Kaya. She blinked in surprise, and then her vision cleared and she realised that the dark centre of the senate that she had felt was none other than the High Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the Republic.
“Thankyou, Chancellor,” she said. “I am honoured to meet you, although I wish it were in more pleasant circumstances. I have had a vision regarding the war…” she trailed off. The darkness surrounding the Chancellor was disconcerting. She would have to speak to one of the older Masters about it later.
“Ah, the war.” The Chancellor seemed to look through her. “I loathe the necessity for it. When it is over the galaxy will finally be at peace and this threat of separatism will be abolished.”
“You’re telling the truth.” Kaya knew the words sounded stupid the moment they left her mouth, but the sentiment there seemed at odds with the dark character in front of her.
“You sound surprised.”
“Yes, uh, no…” Kaya faltered. The Chancellor seemed unfazed by the darkness within and around him. “There is just so much intrigue here. It twists the Force; makes it hard to concentrate… it makes me feel dizzy and disorientated.”
“You must be very strong in the Force for it to affect you that much,” the Chancellor said. “Even Master Yoda and Master Windu do not feel that way by coming here.”
“They probably wouldn’t,” said Kaya. “I wouldn’t call myself strong, though. My particular strength in the Force is sensing its flow from the past to the future. When it comes to manipulating the Force, however, I do very poorly. Had I been judged on that alone, I doubt I ever would have passed my training.”
“I see. In any case, please tell me of your vision. I won’t keep you long in a place that makes you this uncomfortable.” The Chancellor beckoned for Kaya to sit down.
“Thankyou, sir.” Kaya sat. “I saw the war brought to Coruscant by Count Dooku. Unfortunately I could not tell when this would be, however I am certain that if I continue to look into the future it will be revealed to me when the time is right. It also felt as though he planned on kidnapping you. It might be wise for you to increase security.”
“Is this all there was to your vision? Did you sense what Dooku’s motives were?”
“Not his motives,” Kaya said. “However there was one thing…”
“Yes?”
“I felt betrayal.”
“Betrayal? Who was Dooku betraying?” The Chancellor leaned forward, seeming much more interested in this than in the battle that would one day come.
“Noone. I felt that Dooku was the one being betrayed.” Kaya closed her eyes remembering the feeling she had received form the future. “It was strange. He believed until the end that he was doing what was right. I guess even the Sith don’t consider themselves to be evil.”
“Indeed they do not,” said the Chancellor, looking more relaxed than before. “We all do what we believe to be for the best.”
“But the Sith are evil.”
“Not according to the Sith. To them, it is the Jedi who have oppressed them. You have to remember that good and evil are often just a point of view.”
“You seem to sympathise with the enemy a lot,” said Kaya. “Isn’t that dangerous for a man in your position?”
“Not at all,” said the Chancellor. “Politics and war are similar in many respects. The best way to win is to understand your enemy. It is only then that you can outmanoeuvre them.”
Kaya frowned slightly. She understood the logic behind the Chancellor’s statement; however it seemed like a dangerous course of action. Understanding one’s enemy was useful to an extent, but it made it easier to become the very enemy that you fought. Perhaps it was this constant effort to understand his enemies that had left the dark knot inside the Chancellor and covered up his original desires.
“Thankyou for your time, Jedi,” said the Chancellor. “Unless, that is, you had other news for me?”
“No… that’s it for the moment,” said Kaya. “I wish I could be of more use.”
“I assure you,” said the Chancellor, “your information has already proved to be very useful. If you have any more visions that you think I might be interested in, please don’t hesitate to inform me.”
“Yes, Chancellor.”
Leaving the room, Kaya almost ran into another Jedi.
“Hello, Anakin.” She remembered when he had first arrived at the Jedi temple. He was a nine-year old boy with no training, and she had been two years his senior, and still unable to craft the Force as well as he despite having trained her entire life. She had felt jealous for a time, however she had come to accept it as the will of the Force. She didn’t know him particularly well. He was stand-offish and surly, and had never truly fit in among the Jedi.
“Hello Kaya. I didn’t know you visited the Chancellor. I always thought the Senate building was too intense for your tastes.”
“It’s my first time here,” Kaya admitted. “I hear you’re good friends with the Chancellor, though.”
“Yes,” said Anakin. “He’s watched over me ever since I came here. He’s been a good friend.”
“That’s good to hear. May the Force be with you.”
“And may the Force be with you,” Anakin bowed to her and entered the Chancellor’s office.
Kaya quickly left the Senate building. Outside, the Force was clearer and less clouded with ill will.
Anyway, I present to you all:
The Tragedy of Kaya Suln
Chapter 1
Her legs folded underneath her, the young Jedi stretched her feelings out through the Force, sensing its movement. Through her meditation, the entire planet became clear to her. Here was the bright light of a new life being created; there was a dark ripple of anger. To Kaya Suln, Coruscant pulsed with the energy of all the people upon it.
As always, the seat of the Republic’s government, the Senate rotunda, was an enigma. A dark cloud covered it, shrouding it in mystery, although today the nucleus of that cloud could be felt moving through the building. The Jedi noted this, and then, having taken stock of the present, cast her thoughts into the future to see what lay there. The future was in a constant state of change at the moment. Lives were changing or passing at such a rate during the war that the threads of Force that they emitted were inconsistent.
She negotiated the lines of the future, noticing that they seemed to be reaching an end. Beyond two years, the future was blank. She focussed on a closer future, searching for the strongest possibilities. One Force tendril she recognised from long ago, back in her Padawan training – Count Dooku. Whatever is he doing above Coruscant? She wondered. She focussed on his future at that point, and she felt a spike of emotion.
“Please, Master, don’t kill me!” Shouting those words broke her trance, and that of the small, green Master who had been meditating opposite her.
“What see you, young Suln?” he asked.
“There is much confusion in the future, Master Yoda. The threads of the Force are unravelling. Too many lives are being lost. I see nothing beyond the next two years.”
“Clouded your vision has become. The Dark side could this be?”
“I don’t think so. The Dark Side has presence. What I felt was… nothingness.”
“Hmmm. Disturbing is this news.” Said Yoda. “You are the one of the Jedi’s strongest seers. If blind you become, bad news it will mean for the Jedi. That is not what brought you back, however.”
“No. It was not.” Kaya said. “I saw a battle above Coruscant. Count Dooku was there, with the Chancellor. I could not tell when it would be. The time seemed to be as yet undecided.”
“Hmmm. For Dooku to be above Coruscant is disturbing.” Yoda pondered. “Go you must, and tell the Chancellor of these visions.”
“Does it have to be me?” Kaya asked. “The Senate building is too dark. I lose my senses there.”
“These visions are yours,” Yoda said. “You are the best to tell the Chancellor what is in them.”
“As you wish, Master Yoda.” Kaya rose from her seat and left the room, bowing to Yoda as she left.
* * *
Walking through the Senate building was stifling. The air was heavy with darkness. Millennia of plots and political intrigue had stained the Force permanently. So twisted was it in this area that it was almost impossible to sort out the present from the past. Only one thing stood out against the muddy background – the dark core. It was darkness so concentrated that it would barely be noticeable were it not so powerful.
As she approached the Chancellor’s office, Kaya noticed that she was getting closer and closer to the black core. Perhaps, she thought, the dark core is the centre of all plots in the Senate – after all, in the end they all come back to here. Strangely, that spot – the darkest part of the building was almost comforting – at least it was something she could sense clearly. Upon thinking that last thought, Kaya immediately shunted the feeling from her mind. No matter how comforting the Darkness seemed, it would be wrong to embrace it.
Kaya entered the Chancellor’s office as an aide announced her through an intercom. In there, behind the Chancellor’s desk was a dark, tight knot in the force. Twisting out of it were the murky tendrils of dozens of political plots. Wrapped securely within it, and almost hidden from view, was a desire to save the galaxy, although from what Kaya could not fathom.
“Jedi Master Kaya Suln, I’m very pleased to meet you. I’ve heard that you are one of the Jedi order’s finest seers.” The dark knot rose and greeted Kaya. She blinked in surprise, and then her vision cleared and she realised that the dark centre of the senate that she had felt was none other than the High Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the Republic.
“Thankyou, Chancellor,” she said. “I am honoured to meet you, although I wish it were in more pleasant circumstances. I have had a vision regarding the war…” she trailed off. The darkness surrounding the Chancellor was disconcerting. She would have to speak to one of the older Masters about it later.
“Ah, the war.” The Chancellor seemed to look through her. “I loathe the necessity for it. When it is over the galaxy will finally be at peace and this threat of separatism will be abolished.”
“You’re telling the truth.” Kaya knew the words sounded stupid the moment they left her mouth, but the sentiment there seemed at odds with the dark character in front of her.
“You sound surprised.”
“Yes, uh, no…” Kaya faltered. The Chancellor seemed unfazed by the darkness within and around him. “There is just so much intrigue here. It twists the Force; makes it hard to concentrate… it makes me feel dizzy and disorientated.”
“You must be very strong in the Force for it to affect you that much,” the Chancellor said. “Even Master Yoda and Master Windu do not feel that way by coming here.”
“They probably wouldn’t,” said Kaya. “I wouldn’t call myself strong, though. My particular strength in the Force is sensing its flow from the past to the future. When it comes to manipulating the Force, however, I do very poorly. Had I been judged on that alone, I doubt I ever would have passed my training.”
“I see. In any case, please tell me of your vision. I won’t keep you long in a place that makes you this uncomfortable.” The Chancellor beckoned for Kaya to sit down.
“Thankyou, sir.” Kaya sat. “I saw the war brought to Coruscant by Count Dooku. Unfortunately I could not tell when this would be, however I am certain that if I continue to look into the future it will be revealed to me when the time is right. It also felt as though he planned on kidnapping you. It might be wise for you to increase security.”
“Is this all there was to your vision? Did you sense what Dooku’s motives were?”
“Not his motives,” Kaya said. “However there was one thing…”
“Yes?”
“I felt betrayal.”
“Betrayal? Who was Dooku betraying?” The Chancellor leaned forward, seeming much more interested in this than in the battle that would one day come.
“Noone. I felt that Dooku was the one being betrayed.” Kaya closed her eyes remembering the feeling she had received form the future. “It was strange. He believed until the end that he was doing what was right. I guess even the Sith don’t consider themselves to be evil.”
“Indeed they do not,” said the Chancellor, looking more relaxed than before. “We all do what we believe to be for the best.”
“But the Sith are evil.”
“Not according to the Sith. To them, it is the Jedi who have oppressed them. You have to remember that good and evil are often just a point of view.”
“You seem to sympathise with the enemy a lot,” said Kaya. “Isn’t that dangerous for a man in your position?”
“Not at all,” said the Chancellor. “Politics and war are similar in many respects. The best way to win is to understand your enemy. It is only then that you can outmanoeuvre them.”
Kaya frowned slightly. She understood the logic behind the Chancellor’s statement; however it seemed like a dangerous course of action. Understanding one’s enemy was useful to an extent, but it made it easier to become the very enemy that you fought. Perhaps it was this constant effort to understand his enemies that had left the dark knot inside the Chancellor and covered up his original desires.
“Thankyou for your time, Jedi,” said the Chancellor. “Unless, that is, you had other news for me?”
“No… that’s it for the moment,” said Kaya. “I wish I could be of more use.”
“I assure you,” said the Chancellor, “your information has already proved to be very useful. If you have any more visions that you think I might be interested in, please don’t hesitate to inform me.”
“Yes, Chancellor.”
Leaving the room, Kaya almost ran into another Jedi.
“Hello, Anakin.” She remembered when he had first arrived at the Jedi temple. He was a nine-year old boy with no training, and she had been two years his senior, and still unable to craft the Force as well as he despite having trained her entire life. She had felt jealous for a time, however she had come to accept it as the will of the Force. She didn’t know him particularly well. He was stand-offish and surly, and had never truly fit in among the Jedi.
“Hello Kaya. I didn’t know you visited the Chancellor. I always thought the Senate building was too intense for your tastes.”
“It’s my first time here,” Kaya admitted. “I hear you’re good friends with the Chancellor, though.”
“Yes,” said Anakin. “He’s watched over me ever since I came here. He’s been a good friend.”
“That’s good to hear. May the Force be with you.”
“And may the Force be with you,” Anakin bowed to her and entered the Chancellor’s office.
Kaya quickly left the Senate building. Outside, the Force was clearer and less clouded with ill will.
