Chance Encounters Part C
Seen from the decaying structures of the old quarantine compound, on the southern edge of Tamro City, the old guildhalls seemed quite imposing. It had been many years since these halls had the great and far-reaching voice of there glory days. Still, it held Dentav in its grip and that was enough for it.
Guild control on the planet was near absolute, and totally corrupted. Pirates, cartels, and the powers of the galactic underworld took full advantage of this planet as the more upstanding patrons had moved to greener pastures. That guaranteed little law and even less order. It wasn’t safe for women or children to walk the streets of even this capital city in the day. The night made it unwise for any to try, unless you’re ready to die or kill.
The only good that Jol Tarkin saw that came from this world was the fact that he, his family, his people, had been given some manner of refuge here. It wasn’t a lot, it wasn’t clean, it wasn’t even much of a home to him, but at least it was starting to seem safe. Few came near the camp anymore, unless to sell or barter. After a few attempts to push their way in, gangs from the city had declared the place a No Man’s Land. The refugees tried to learn quickly to adapt to this world; now mere survival was enough to worry about.
The shiny chrome of the guildhalls still gleamed, as the chrome and paint of other towers faded and many of their infrastructures collapsed. Save for the Bannagossoss compound, the guildhall was the only viewable place of palpable splendor left to see.
Focusing in on the chrome and transparasteel structure of the guildhall, Jol Tarkin sighed a little, sitting on a large broken concrete block at the edge of camp. Being seventeen, he still clung, somewhat hopefully, to childhood dreams of heroics, great deeds, wonder, and the august beauty of the galaxy. But the requirements of adulthood tore and rended these things. Living seemed less and less to rely on heroics and great deeds, and wonder and beauty seemed a lot less obvious. His life seemed more and more to involve and revolve around jobs, duties, obligations, and obstacles. The burden of the future sometimes felt like it lay solely on his shoulders.
From behind, Jol heard a familiar crackle of energy. He sat motionless as a glowing silvery gray light blade flashed over his left shoulder and buzzed past his ear.
An older and serious voice spoke out behind him. “Do I have you attention, Jol?”
Slowly nodding, Jol Tarkin turned to look up at his father, holding his lightsaber out at his son. “Yeah, dad. I’m all here.”
Bringing the blade up, he deactivated it. “Good.” Returning the saber to his belt, he beckoned his son to follow. “Come now, you can’t continue to dawdle and sit about. That solves nothing.”
Mechanically responding, Jol said, “Yes, sir.”
Turning, Kanter Tarkin inspected his son. Looking at him he could see the man he was becoming. Tall, strong, handsome, all true. He was also smart, agile, and capable. Most important though, he was quite adept in the Force. He had a lot of potential and had learned a good deal from him. He was a fine being and would be a great Jedi. Jol made him proud, usually. But it still bothered him to see his son so distracted by restlessness and the outside world. That was never good in their calling, the Order of Jedi Knights. It was definitely a danger. Jol needed more discipline, meditation, and reverence.
The Jedi were and would continue to be a great and noble calling and destiny. Now was a dark time for them though. The corruption in the Old Republic had been quite severe. Most anyone with eyes could see it. But through inaction and indecision the Jedi and the citizenry had let things slip and flow out of control. They saw their dreams and aspirations die, and the nightmare of the Empire given birth to. Governments and organizations they once proudly supported and aided, century after century, turned on them. The Purge that followed was a painful and horrible experience. Kanter didn’t care to recall it, think about all that he and the others had gone through, or all the friends and family they’d lost. So many died so quickly. Those that were left began to fall one by one to the Emperor’s forces. It seemed hopeless, but the ways of the Jedi needed to be preserved by him, his son, and the generations to follow. That was why all these Jedi families still tried to stay together, in a community. This place, unwanted by the Empire, was their last refuge. Families, teachers, and others fled here to this gift of a possible tomorrow. All that came here clung tightly to this hope for survival. So far, as this group had moved from system to system, hope had been fragile and short-lived commodity. But for now they could rest, wait, and try to create some normalcy and prepare the next generation for what lie ahead.
This is what lie in wait for Jol, a legacy. But he was too consumed in the world around him and that was no longer a viable factor in their lives. It was a dangerous disruption of their training, and it was a growing danger to Jol. Kanter knew his son had begun slipping into the city to explore and see new things. He didn’t want his son to get himself hurt. Still, he didn’t want to deny his son some measure of freedom, in their already moderated life. Balance was always the key; a lesson he learned and his son would need to as well.
Placing his hands on his son’s shoulders, he tried to smile slightly. “Son, listen. I know you have things you’d rather be doing. I know our ways do not seem important right now. I wish it was a more interesting matter, but it is important. Right now we need to ensure that you and the others learn. We need to stand together and preserve our ways in our darkness. I hope someday you’ll be able to understand this, and why I need to act like this. Then we’ll have a true chance to talk of this as equals, as you teach and bring up the next generation.”
Jol looked at him for a moment before looking down and folding his arms. “I know father and I try to reach your expectations.” Looking up into his father’s eyes, just trying to compress his thoughts, he said, “I understand.”
Nodding, Kanter turned and began to slowly walk towards their domicile, letting his son catch up.
Allowing the silence to linger for a time, Kanter finally spoke again, “Perhaps…Perhaps we could go out into the city next week.”
A puzzled expression came over Jol’s face. Unsure how to answer, he stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “But I thought we were forbidden to leave? That it was a potential threat to the person and to our anonymity.”
“Yes, but, perhaps, we should try to stay aware of the city around us. It would be an excellent opportunity to put your training to practice among those less in touch with the Force. In implementation among unaware beings, things can be quite different.”
Moving to keep his personal desire to get out again out of sight, Jol tried to sound analytical and unbiased as he could as he said, “Yes…it would be a good learning experience. Do you think it will be permissible?”
Kanter Tarkin gave his son a look that made Jol quickly recognize that his father knew full well that he was slipping out already. “Yes their will be no problem, I imagine."
“Oh, good.”
As they moved further from the perimeter, into the encampment, they began to pass more and more makeshift homes. Dusk had begun to fall upon the Tamro City and parents were beginning to bring their young in for the night. Various dialects and languages escaped from the openings of these small homes. It filled the air about the father and son with laughter, arguments, revelry, and all the other sounds beings expect in life. Just a community, parents laid their children in bed, friends bellowed about problems and argued over opinions.
Jol had begun to enjoy these sights and sounds. Running and evading since his earliest memories had left him suspicious and uncomfortable with groups. The fact that the whole of the Empire would be willing to hunt them down and that their was no interest in mercy did not help his sentiment in the least. It had been some time before he was willing to be among these people without his parents.
But here he was beginning to see some of the good of having people around. He had begun to make friends, learn more about nonhumans and learn about all the wonders that others had seen and he could hopefully witness as well. It also made him curious about the outside and things beyond this collection of Jedi. True some, like his own mother Denna, weren’t blessed with his abilities, but life in here was still focused mainly on the Force.
Life outside was far different. Everywhere survival was a struggle, but outside was just…different.
Speaking of different, Jol began to notice a marked increase in aerial activity in the clouds of the overcast and darkening sky above. Keeping up with his father, he shook off his curiosity. They were safe here. The Empire had no clue they were here.
Book One Index