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Master Artax’s creepy milk white eyes and matching hair were not supposed to be unsettling, but they were. The thick, cream colored robes trimmed in Service Corps cyan and the Argricorps patch on his epaulets were supposed to invoke calm and competence, the bronzium saber clipped to his belt meant to convey peacekeeping authority. Instead, they invoked a feeling of coldness and dread.
Saul Karath could ignore it all, and could even ignore Carth’s nervous shifting three paces behind the Jedi. Saul spared half a thought as to if he would be intimidated by the Green Jedi of his home world, but quickly dismissed it. Let Onasi grovel before a saber, it’s what his people are good for, I suppose.
“It is good of you to assist in this matter, Admiral Karath,” Artax said. “We must prepare Telos’s citizens for any possibility.”
Their heels made an eerie echo through the halls of the empty broadcast station. They and the droids were the only ones who occupied the building.
“I don’t see how recording this will help Telos in case of the worst,” Carth complained. “Wouldn’t coming up with evacuation routes or plans on how to...y’know...fight back be a better option?”
Artax spun on his heels with a smoothness and alacrity that no human could match, causing Carth to fall back half a step. “As a Telosian, I would think you would be more understanding about why none of our citizens can allow themselves to be captured.”
To his credit, Carth straightened and looked Artax right in his pupil-less eyes. “I’m not with the Corps, Master Jedi. What you’re asking is…”
Artax scowled. “Are you sure you weren’t in the Corps, Commander? I could have sworn I sensed…”
Carth held up his hands in mock surrender. “EduCorps orphanage was the closest I ever got.”
Artax shook his head and snapped back on the act of Jedi dignity. “I see. But you know that there are many of our Corps on the planet, and many of their offspring among the colonists. Even one in the hands of the Sith is a far worse fate than the contingency. The things the Sith do to even the weakest Sensitive would make death a mercy.”
“And because of that, we’re going to ask the entire planet – people like me and our families…” Carth couldn’t even finish the sentence. “Seriously?! And the Republic approves of this?”
“We must overcome and let go of what we fear to lose, Commander Onasi,” Artax said. “Telos is under Jedi protection. Your people need not fear unless all hope is lost. If the Force is with us, this holo will never be played.”
CONTINGENCY MESSAGE REEL LOCATOR: [TS-393-15A]
TO BE USED ONLY IN THE EVENT OF COMPLETE SURRENDER TO INSURMOUNTABLE SITH FORCES
PUBLIC BROADCAST ONLY UPON CONFIRMED CONDITION
[TWELVE ALDERAAN SOLEMN CERTAINTY]
The filming room was barren. Normally, this room would be used for recording Tri-D video; Four blank walls and a single camera droid that could be positioned from a console in the booth on the other side of the east wall. Children’s programming would use this to generate virtual reality images of historical events or a night sky so that the instructor being filmed could move and point to the projected objects like he was at the site itself and not just a flat screen, giving an illusion of interactivity.
The only physical object in the room was a single cushioned footstool. Artax strode in and sat on the cushion with his back ramrod straight. His face calm and stony, eyes unblinking as he spoke, the Tri-D walls covered in pastoral scenes from the planet’s landscape – the rolling hills green with sprouted gains fading to the skyline of Thani.
CONTINGENCY MESSAGE WILL NOW BEGIN.
“Attention people of Telos, this is Master Artax of the Jedi Order, head of the Service Corps. The worst has come to pass. Despite the might of our Republic Fleet and the sacrifices of the Jedi Order, the planet of Telos has been forced to surrender to her enemy.”
PLEASE COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US.
In the broadcast booth, Saul grumbled as he looked over the control panel. “Oh for kriff’s sake. Couldn’t Artax have found one of the station techs to do this?”
Carth monitored the equipment, doing his best not to focus on Artax’s image on the screen. “I can’t blame Artax. Some civilian sees this and they’ll get the wrong idea. You’re commander of the forces in this sector, Saul. So, like it or not, you have the right to know about any contingency – even the worst case ones.”
“And what do you think about all this?”
Carth shifted in his chair nervously, and looked at Saul for a long time. When Saul didn’t say anything, he pinched the bridge of his nose and turned back to the console. “I’m thinking same as Artax. If the Force is with us, this will never see airtime.”
People of Telos, Children of AgriCorps:
“Though they may occupy our skies, our streets, and our homes, the Sith will never occupy our spirits. That is why all of you – Corps and Telosians alike – are now called upon to preserve ourselves, clear and bright, untarnished within the Force.
Know that if I have not fallen in battle against the Sith, I will be the first to act upon this contingency. Now, I must ask every Telosian -every man, woman, and child -to do the same to preserve themselves from falling to capture by the Sith, and the terrors of the Dark Side.
Let our united resolve echo through history: Even in defeat, we refuse to yield to the forces of Darkness.
Even in defeat, we claim The Light.”
HONOR THE LIGHT. LET GO OF ALL FEAR.
“What a load of nonsense,” Saul said, tapping his foot impatiently. “Darkness, Light. None of that matters outside their silly religion.”
“You’ve seen what those guys can do. There’s nothing silly about it, Saul.” Carth wasn’t looking at Saul, fixated on the mixing board. “And remember, my people are tied to the Jedi. If we weren’t raised in a temple or an EduCorps orphanage ourselves, our parents or grandparents were.”
“On Corellia, we would fight to the last man. The Sith would have to burn the entire planet and even then, we would fight as long as we could.”
“Corellia is a Core World. You’d get support there – the Senate would send help as fast as they could rally it. Not us. Not out here. If we go down and the Jedi go down, no one will come to help. And what the Sith will do to my people…” Carth rubbed his forehead. “Artax has a point about some things being worse.”
“Onasi, don’t you think that’s all the more reason for you to get a very bad feeling about this?” Saul thumped his fist against a wall, looking at the ceiling as though searching for invading ships.
ALL WILL BE ONE IN THE LIGHT. DO NOT BE AFRAID
“Use whatever method is at your disposal. A home blaster will be ideal, but farm implements will suffice, as will many household chemicals. Regarding your children, speak to them in a calm voice and tend to them before you tend to yourself. Remember, the Sith will not show them mercy, especially if they display even the weakest affinity with the Force...
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE
After the contingency message was recorded and the lone copy of the recording was sent off with Master Artax, Saul made the offer to drive to a nearby bar. As it was midday, they were the only two patrons there. The servers and bartender were all droids. Carth opted for a mild ale while Saul decided Telosian whiskey was more to his liking.
“Can’t believe Artax dragged us into that farce,” Saul complained, glumly looking into his glass.
Carth shrugged. “He’s a Jedi. They have to factor in all the contingencies and possibilities of the future. They see things we can’t and carry the galaxy on their shoulders. It can’t be easy.”
“It’s certainly easy for him to tell the population of your planet to lie down and die!”
Carth made a hasty “Keep it down” gesture, despite the fact they were the only organics in the bar. “The Jedi won’t let that happen. They live their whole lives being the servants of the galaxy, remember?”
“Yes, they like to think of themselves as servants to the galaxy. But what does that make your people, Carth – slaves of the servants? Where is your pride, man? Haven’t you thought about not being a servant but being a man, taking some power for yourself?”
There was something about the way Saul said it that made the hair on Carth’s neck stand up. “We took an oath to protect the Republic, Saul. Jedi oaths are more serious than even ours. And...this planet...look, our relationship to the Jedi is a little weird. I know Corellia’s got their own branch of Jedi, so maybe you don’t get it.”
“Damn right I don’t.” Saul drained his glass and signaled for another. “How about you try to explain it?”
“There are a lot of Force Sensitives in the Republic, more than anyone wants to really admit to. The Jedi can do their best to take as many of them into their care early enough so that they know how to turn the thing that makes them dangerous into something productive and good. But if someone isn’t cut out for a Jedi, they go to Telos. The Jedi protect the Sensitives here from the Sith, the Hutts, and sometimes ourselves.”
“And in return, they treat you like livestock.” Saul growled. He took the refill from the droid, downed it in a gulp and signaled for yet another refill. “Again, show some damn pride in yourself, Onasi. Have you ever considered your people are getting the raw end of the deal and it’s time to re-negotiate?”
“I’m not the guy to do the re-negotiations, Saul.” Carth was thinking the second beer the droid put on the table might be a good idea, but his stomach was knotted too much for drinking to be comfortable. “Sith don’t negotiate, and given what they do to anyone who is a Sensitive -”
“What if I decided to turn my fleet on Telos? Bomb the whole thing tomorrow?” Saul’s words were a little slurred by now. One of the good and bad about Agricorps worlds – you got the finest tasting and most potent alcohol in the galaxy, even if Corellians would be Corellians and think their drinks were better.
“That’s not funny, Saul. This is is my home planet. Given your posting here, it’s your home away from home.” Carth tried to make light of it. “You wouldn’t destroy the place where you keep all your stuff. You’d blow any chance at your pension.”
“Oh, for kriff’s sake, Onasi. We just got a blatant demonstration of how little regard the Jedi have for your people.” Saul took another swallow of the whiskey and cleared his throat. “Say that damn vid starts playing on the Tri-D in this bar. Would you go and follow its instructions? Go lie down and die on command?”
“By then, I’d be dead defending the planet. So it wouldn’t matter.”
“No, really. Would you and Gana ‘see to’ Dustil? Oh, he’s twelve now. I suppose he would be old enough to take the family blaster himself and put to the roof of his mouth like he’s been instructed. Or would you tell them to shove off and think of your own survival and that of your family?”
Carth slammed his bottle on the table. “It’s not going to happen, Saul. The Jedi are going to fight to the last to protect this planet. Same as us. You heard Artax, the Jedi -”
“Sat on their shebs while the Rim burned. Artax wasn’t one of the fellows who went in the trenches with us. They sat and contemplated the so-called Light while we waded through the fire and blood. Revan and Malak were the ones who aided us, not the likes of Artax.” Saul took another swallow of the whiskey. “Ever think about that, Onasi? How much would they stick their necks out to defend your world? Can they? Would they?”
“Jedi are defenders, Saul. We saw them. They saved us from the Mandalorians.”
“We saw Revan’s Jedi.” Another swallow of the whiskey, another refill of the glass. Another long drink down to the bottom in silence. One more refill. “Ever think we’re on the wrong side? Or even just the losing side?”
“We can’t afford to think that. Even with what we saw today.” Carth reached for the whiskey, since Saul had clearly had well past enough, but Saul was still able to move it out of reach.
“Artax will throw you and everyone else here into the eighth hell if it saves his own skin. And the Republic hitched itself to cowards like him.”
“You had too many of those, Saul. Let me call the server droid and handle the tab. You can sleep it off at my place.”
Saul sniffed and dialed up a transport using his comlink. “I’ll take a hire speeder, and I’ve already pre-paid the tab.” He got up, bracing himself on the back of the chair. “I’ll tell you this much – maybe I know better about your life than you do. And maybe fighting or dying means nothing if it's for the losing side. Think it over, Onasi.”
Something in Carth was screaming, and without thinking, his hand curled around the handle of his blaster. This was all wrong, very wrong. Artax’s message, the day’s events, the alcohol, Saul’s words…
Saul's back was turned as he was headed for the door. A quick draw of the pistol, a moment of anger. No witnesses. Those words were all but treason, right?
No...calm down. He had a couple beers. Saul had several glasses of whiskey strong enough to be used as rocket fuel. Saul vented when he was drunk. He did a lot of that when the Mandalorians were handing them their shebs. Artax’s message was just some horrible, last ditch contingency in case the Sith arrived.
Carth took his hand off the blaster then gripped the table, his head still spinning.
They just needed to sleep this off and things would be fine.
THE TIME HAS COME. AS A CITIZEN YOU MUST ACT NOW
Two weeks later, Carth was running through the streets of Thani, nose burning with smoke and ears burning from the screams. On the last functional Tri-D in the sector, Master Artax’s recording played on a loop.
“Everyone can and must do their part. There is nothing to fear. There is no death, there is only the Force.”
“This is Master Artax. Head of the Service Corps. May the Force be with us all.”
--
THIS MESSAGE WILL REPEAT UNTIL THERE ARE NONE LEFT TO HEAR IT