Coruscant: Jedi Temple-- Council Chamber-- Nick's Mind

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It was a while before Nick was able to place the familiar sounds he was hearing, so disoriented he was from suddenly finding himself in a thick cloud of whiteness.

'Moonlight Sonata'. So lovely--- and a personal favorite. How could he have failed to recognize the piece for even a moment? He beathed deeply, feeling a sense of calming peacefulness settle over him, sending out its explorative roots that entwined about his troubled psche. And, gradually, his opaque surroundings filled with familiar images that went from transparent to solid.

He was back in his Toronto loft, only this time the memory was of no concrete event in time: just himself, fingers expertly tickling forth music from his piano. Relaxing.

"Play it well, you do. Tell me, de Brabant, what this thing is called."

Master Yoda was smiling at him from his leather couch. Nick stopped the music and almost groaned aloud. For a few blessed minutes he forgotten about aliens, and mind trials, and all other strange things farther away than the moon itself.

"Master Yoda," he started to rise, but the green Jedi Master waved him down. Instead, the old gnome levitated himself and moved about the Loft's rooms, humming and chuckling to himself as he poked at this and that item with his gimmer stick. Nick felt annoyance as his 'guest' nearly toppled over an expensive and irreplaceable artifact--- until he remembered that all of this was merely an illusion--- a dreamscape plucked from his memory.

"So dead this place is. So little of the Living Force is there. Little wonder unhappy you were." Yoda mused aloud as if to himself.

"Is that why you brought me here? To critique my choice in decor?," Nick prodded a few keys absently: the beginning notes from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice', "or have you developed a taste for Earth's Classical music?"

Yoda glided over towards him until he was hovering at the knight's eye level, the gimmer stick raised to prod Nick in the sternum as he looked Nick full in the eye, a slight smile turning the corners of his mouth. "Disrespectful to your home guests, are you?" Quick as thought, Nick grabbed the gnarled cane and pushed its woodish point to one side.

"You're one to talk of respect. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't point that thing just right there," he quipped drily, but with just a hint of gold fleck coloring his eyes."

"Touchy, are you?"

"Let's just say I'm not overly fond of such items."

Returning the gimmer stick back to its normal, vertical, position, the Master perched himself on top of the piano, fixing his 'host' with perceptive eyes. "Understandable it is," he nodded sagely, "and critizing your decor I am guilty of," the large eyes crinkled with amusement, "but bring you here I did not."

"Another Council member?" Nick's inquiry was met with a slight negatory movement of the ancient's head. "Who, then?" He hardly had the question uttered aloud before a blue-aura materialized at the other end of the piano, peering into the large instruments workings with a child's look of pure delight. Nick recognized the face at once as the self same that had so startled him in Master Jinn's mirror.

"Ayar?"

"Yes." Yoda nodded in affirmation. "It would seem that the padawan has decided to return to us for a visit." He glanced slyly at the human. "Or... to *you*."

"Don't tell me he wants his body back?" Nick laughed nervously, only half joking.

The little Jedi Master's ears perked slightly in keen interest as the centuries old pair watched the blue ghost continue its thorough inspection of Nick's piano, Yoda gnawing thoughtfully on his much-abused staff. "Know, I do not. Not speaking to me, is Inav Ayar." He turned his head to look thoughtfully at the human. "It appears Ayar wishes to intervene in your Trial. Perhaps of the Anaran of that question you should ask, hmmm?"

Nick considered this for a moment, then thought: 'What the hell.' He cleared his throat. The furry humanoid, just under five feet high, Nick judged, ignored him. Looking back at Yoda, Nick shrugged as if to say: 'Hey, I *tried*.'

Yoda used his staff to hit a high note on the ivory keys three times in rapid succession. The startled face of Ayar looked up--- to center on Nick, in patient expectation.

"Uh... hello... Padawan Ayar.." Nick began, glancing at Yoda for guidance. The self-assured green gnome ignored him. Well, that was a *help*. Somewhat irritated, Nick had the fleeting notion that Yoda was not so much wise as he merely projected the image of wisdom by virtue of his mysterious demeanor and by keeping his mouth shut.

|| Heard that, I did. ||

"Err..." Nick started an apology before the little Master did something nasty to his mind imagery, but musical laughter stopped him. Ayar was shyly smiling at him as he cautiously crawled part way out from under the piano's soundboard, grasping the right support leg, slowly stretching out to his full heighth once more.

"Nik-ah-las," the pleasant voice made his name sound like the beginnings of a song. Nick couldn't help but smile in return.

"Nik-ah-las, good song sound. Yes? Good music makes also." A small hand caressed the laquered wood. "Naht anger much. Keep anger still."

"The music? I do find it calming," Nick agreed, then thought that he had better get to the subject before the dead alien dematerialized. If his past encounters with such things was any indication, this ghost's appearance would be brief. "Ayar, can you tell us what is happening?"

The dead padawan ruffled the fur on his throat, looking thoughtful. "Nik-ah-las hurt. Much hurt. Much anger. Must still such. Inav naht able to come as One." The shaggy bangs flew from side to side as the figure shook its head and rumbled aloud in frustration. "Force need Nik-ah-las ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?" Nick asked warily. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wasn't going to like the answer.

Ayar's eyes went dark, his expression troubled. He tilted his head slightly as if listening to something neither could see. "Coming Darkness. Need keep still. Nik-ah-las know. Jedi know naht much of. But Nik-ah-las know. Met and fought. Need fight again. Good fighter, Nik-ah-las is."

"What do you mean?" Nick frowned, confused. He was a stranger to this universe. How could he have more knowledge about it than a Jedi Knight? "What do I know that the Jedi don't? I'm not even from here, Ayar. Maybe you should discuss all this with Yoda, here, and his Council."

Ayar blinked at him. "Here? Yoda naht seen. Only Nik-ah-las see." He sighed aloud, "Apologies, Nik-ah-las. Hard to speak now. Darkness. Not joined are Nik-ah-las and Inav."

"Joined?"

"Become One. Nik-ah-las need Inav. Inav need Nik-ah-las. Strong fight as so. Nik--aah-las agree?"

"I.. do I have a choice?" The crusader thought uneasily of the demon that had temporarily possessed him not all that long ago in an attempt to use the Vampire Beast for its own ends. Suffering a repeat was definitely *not* an idea he cared for.

"Always so. Force wish. Inav and Nik-ah-las agree or not. Inav agree. Nik-ah-las wish?"

"Well.... it *is* your body," Nick sighed grudgingly. He didn't really want to--- but his conscience was picked and would not leave him alone if he abandoned the little Anaran to his limbo state. "All right. What should I do?"

"Go home. K'tlysa help..." the words faded off as Inav shuddered, his image wavering.

"Inav?" Nick held out a concerned hand, although how he thought he could help a ghost...

A disgruntled voice sounded from behind him. "What is *he* doing here?"

Nick half twisted his body from the piano seat to see Knight Ki-Adi-Mundi scowling at them. At first he thought the Council member was speaking to himself, but he soon realized the alien was speaking of another: the Cerean made no attempt to hide his obvious dislike of the shivering blue phantom. Nick could sense that the other was responsible for the little Anaran's sudden pain, and it brought his protective streak to the fore. He glared at the Council member, rising a little more from the bench.

Yoda motioned him down, his demeanor calm save for a slight tightening around the largish eyes. "Could ask Mundi much the same question, I could. Already have chance to confront de Brabant, you have. Why this interruption?" the old Master demanded, his icy tone implying an unspoken: "And your reason had better be good!"

Mundi acknowledged Yoda with a short, but respectful bow, "I sensed the presence of another not invited to the Mind Trial and came to warn you," he explained, hoping to ease the elder's displeasure. Yoda did not look mollified, but the Cerean decided to continue on anyway. "And what do I find invading the sanctity of this ceremony, but Ta'okin's ill-mannered and irresponsible little whelp. I shall remove his presence for you.." Mundi raised his hands, beginning a Force pulse that made Inav's presence fade even more.

"No!" Nick's eyesight went crimson as he launched himself at the invader, lion-like growls issuing from his throat. Angry hands grabbed the Cerean's beige tunic at the shoulders and spun him around until his snarling mouth was mere inches from the back of Mundi's throat. He licked the tips of his extended fangs in anticipation of draining the blood from the Enemy who had dared to harm one of his blood family.

{{ Of his blood... ? }}

The thought made the Beast hesitate. Something was wrong. He looked for the small creature that some part of him declared to be of his family line, but the azure being was gone. The vampire growled softly in confusion.

Mundi, meanwhile, was looking triumphantly at Yoda. "Do you see? It is as I said--- de Brabant is of the Dark Side!" He executed a twist that freed him Nick's relaxing grip, aiming an accusitory finger at the changed human, whose reddish eyes had quickly morphed to solid yellow as he had extricated himself, and were now sporting generous spottings of their normal blue.

Nick slid down to the bare floor, nervous hands running through his hair. "Dark Side?" he mumbled to himself.

"He should be put to death before the Dark Side uses him for great evil," Mundi affirmed.

That made Nick stiffen. He raised his head to stare up at the Cerean with hard eyes, "And attacking Inav was your idea of the Light Side? Because if it is, I dare say I don't think much of either shade of this Force your Order wields! In fact, I don't see much difference between the two at all!"

The Loft faded out as the Cerean looked taken aback. Instead, Nick found himself sitting on the cold floor of the Council Chambers, bracketed on either side by the stiffly standing figures of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Both were clutching their unlit lightsabers---as yet still clipped to their belts---facing off with Ki-Adi-Mundi who had left his seat with his own weapon powered and pointed toward's Nick's face. The nearly all of the Council members were also up, standing in front of their chairs with varying degrees of shock written on their faces.

"Blasphemy!" Ki-Adi-Mundi addressed them all. "The stranger called Dark and Light as One!" A nervous muttering began as nine of the Council debated his words.

Qui-Gon's green blade thrummed into life. A second later, Obi-Wan's did likewise. Both kept their silence, but the meaning in their stone-cold eyes was clear--- neither Mundi nor any of the others would be allowed to wield judgement on their charge until he was officially sentenced. Only Mace Windu seemed unruffled by events, and Yoda... where was he?

A snort of comtempt from above him told Nick exactly where the Jedi Master had gotten to: hovering just above his head. Yoda glided down just before Mundi, and with a wave of his hand, turned the Cerean's yellow blade off. Ancient eyes swept around the room, assessing each of his coworkers. One by one the others bowed and retook their seats. Behind him, Nick felt Jinn and Kenobi relax; the glow of their weapons disappearing as they also stood down.

"A fine example of the Light, we are," Yoda huffed. "Are you all so *fearful* of the Dark that you rush ahead in a panic like new Initiates just at its mention? Warping the words of others to match your insecurities? Faah!" He struck out with his gimmer stick, hitting Mundi in the ankle before the Knight could dodge. "Sit!" he ordered sternly.

Mundi opened his mouth to protest.

"Sit, sit, *sit*!" the gnomish Master admonished in a louder voice, until the younger Jedi bowed in submission and went back to his seat like a chastised toddler.

"Masters, Knight, and Padawans" Mace Windu announced formally. "Perhaps it would be wise if each of us partook of a small break in order to meditate on *all* that has happened. The Council Head saw Kenobi blush a bit at the reminder of his part in this troubling turn of events, while Jinn looked not the least bit disturbed. Not that he expected Qui-Gon, good friend, old rival, and general thorn in the Council's side to feel chagrined for having drawn his weapon in the Chamber without Council permission. Not that he hadn't felt just as irked at Mundi for pulling his own stunt--- and during Yoda's turn, no less! He would have to have a talk with Ki sometime soon.

"Master Jinn will hold full responsibility for de Brabant. Council will reconvene in one hour for a verdict."
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End of Part 11