[Solved] NJO Book II | Chapter I - Unwelcome Guests

This entry has earned 12XP

A dozen people, cloaked and armed, stood on the foggy hill outside the gates of the Ator Hollos Monastery. Many of them sat atop tall, long-legged beasts, saddled for long-riding.

The Jedi watched from the battlements, joining one by one as they were told what was happening.

For the many years they'd been stranded here together, old Lynus taught the cheerful loadlifter droid Rudy a strong fear of outsiders, one that went against her nature. However, the last month with the Jedi had eased her instincts. She'd gone out to meet these visitors, as cheerful as always. They interpreted the approach of the giant droid differently, and responded by cleaving off her right leg, leaving her hobbling, confused and disoriented, across the grass. She spat sparks as she tried to reach safety, gargling through her vocoder as she struggled to compute the attack.

Jun stared out at the scene. "Immortals, right? Like the ones that took Katarn. I wondered when we'd see them again. Why aren't we out there?" He grunted.

Aemos folded his arms. "This is not the time for hastiness. Keep your mind clear. We do not know what they want. This could be merely a distraction."

"Scuf that. We gotta go get her before they shut her down for good. I'll teach them a lesson about messing with our people."

The others glanced at Jun. He was watching the twelve visitors with a frighteningly dead look in his eye.

Nokori started. "Jin-Wa, you can't—Jin-Wa! Jun!"

But Jun was gone—he launched himself from the balcony into the air. 

The duelist landed easily outside the walls of the keep. With the Force, he called his lightsaber to his hand. It flashed up from his belt, igniting instantly into a brilliant sapphire blade.

Several of the visitors recoiled. Three tensed for battle.

Jun's robes flapped in the wind. His weapon buzzed in his hands. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Only curious travelers," replied the glowering leader. The man's skin was bright pink - the hue of a Zeltron. A wide-brimmed hat cast a shadow over his sunken face. He shifted his weight, lip curling into a sneer. "I am Gonng Zall. We have come to see the trespassers of the sacred monastery for ourselves. You are . . . disappointing."

"This is an enclave of the Jedi Order," Jun told them grimly. "You attacked our droid. That wasn't smart."

Gonng Zall tossed his head at Jun's threat, and planted the butt of his spear into the soft ground. "Your droid should have kept its distance. We come with a warning—stay away from our settlements, or we will destroy you. You are not welcome here."

The lightsaber felt heavy in Jun's hand. His hair whipped across his face. He sized up the twelve, took in their mounts--strange, amphibian-looking creatures. "Where is the man you took?" he shouted. "Where is Katarn?"

"Who?" replied the leader, spitting the word. "Your babbling means nothing to us, trespasser. We have taken no one."

"You took him on the cliffside. Pulled him away in chains! I have killed hundreds of men." His lightsaber buzzed viciously, humming as it slid through the air. He flicked it loosely, but danger simmered in his taut muscles. "Tell us where he is, or the six of you with the worst luck will join them."

His threat had an effect. One of the men could stand no more of the rising tension. Shaking where he stood, he threw down his spear.

"Do not harm us!" cried the man. "It was the Immortals who took your man! We are from the town of Ossar Kolv!"

Jun could not hide the surprise on his face. He saw it now; they wore rags instead of armor, and painted their faces, but not with skulls. These men were not the cultists; they had not taken Kyle. He swore under his breath.

Gonng Zall regarded Jun with haughty eyes. He was a cunning man; this misunderstanding had been his aim from the beginning. His trap had worked.

"This is how the Jedi receive visitors?" He shouted, affecting outrage. "A war droid and a clumsy threat! Make no mistake; we shall tell the village Elders of this, with no detail spared. They will know what sort of tribe are these 'Jedi.'"

As soon as he saw that Rudy was damaged, Lynus broke free from the others, and came stumbling down the hill with his scattergun in hand, shouting at the men as he drew closer. 

"Lynus!" buzzed the droid.

"Get out of here! Get away from her!" the older man hollered.

The men were unconcerned, though one of them looked guilty. One by one they turned, mounted their steeds, and Jun watched in silence as they disappeared into the swirling, wet fog. Lynus rushed past him to Rudy's side, pushing back the sweater sleeves off his thin arms and trying to help the metal giant to her feet. Her servos strained as she did most of the work. Jun returned to the present, saw Lynus struggling and stepped in to take his place, helping the droid back up the hill.

His welcome was not a warm one.

"What happened?" Aemos demanded, mouth pressed thin above his tawny beard.

The duelist helped Rudy to a wall, where Asa took over. Two initiates ran out to the hill to gather her damaged parts. The others crowded in to make sure she was okay.

Jun brushed sweat off his forehead as he turned, dull-eyed, to his colleagues. He had made a mistake, been played for a fool. 

"They weren't cultists," he relayed. "Some guys from a nearby village with a bad attitude. We didn't get on too well."

"What did you do?" Noko asked, her expression serious.

"He was so brave!" Rudy told them all cheerfully. "Mr. Jun threatened to kill half of those guys to protect me!"

The Jedi turned to stare at Jun, who—after a twitch of his eyebrow—simply passed it off with a shrug. 

"Maybe."

Nokori turned to the droid. "Rudy, I'm glad you're okay. Did you record the encounter?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Play the recording, please."

There was silence among the Enclave's denizens while the recording played. It finished, and the Initiates watching the instructors' reactions.

Aemos shook his head, pinching his flat, wrinkled nose. "Fool."

"So much for a peaceful first contact," Noko said heatedly. "Your anger made you stupid,"

Jun stood stiffly, his expression odd. "How should I have known? They attacked the droid. She's one of us."

"Perhaps you could have used the Force? Perhaps, if you had not been so quick to act, you might've had insight enough to know that threats would not help the situation. That those men weren't who you thought they were." 

"They were trying to trick us on purpose. They wanted a fight."

She stared at him, her dark eyes ablaze with frustration. "You gave them exactly what they wanted. You might have sensed that earlier, but you are clouded by passion. You are a poor example today, Jedi Jin-Wa. Let your recovery from this mistake be a better one."

"I . . . "

Jun glanced at each of those gathered, hoping to find someone on his side. He saw Meego in the crowd, looking . . . disappointed. 

The duelist's shoulders slumped, and wordlessly, he walked away.

Noko turned to the Initiates. They shrunk back—they weren't used to seeing the instructors talk to each other this way. Sure, they sparred and disagreed and debated, but they had never rebuked each other. Especially not Nokori. 

Her face softened when she saw their reaction, her eyes regaining their usual light.

"My apologies, students. There's no time to waste: we must go to their village and make peace, before things get any worse. They need to know we have no love for war. I need volunteers to accompany myself and Jedi Jin-Wa."

"You can't go empty handed," Ma-Riki shook her head dubiously, stringy gray hair swinging back and forth. "You need to take a gift!"

Noko tilted her head, considering it. "That's a worthy suggestion, Ma-Riki. But we have no goods, just rations. What might we offer?"

The old woman grinned wide, taking out a tightly clasped bottle of fermented milk from her satchel.

"I've got the perfect thing."

"We mean to avoid a war, not hasten its coming," growled Aemos. "Offer our services, Jedi Imani. Make it known that the Jedi are servants of all living things. Stave off the anger of this people. This . . . Ossar Kolv."

Thank you for looking.