Demaia sat on her mat in a small chamber in a corner of the stone complex that everyone seemed to have forgotten existed. She was sitting quietly with her eyes closed, but her perception was a long way away.
She watched with a certain detachment as Niil and Collan walked up the boarding ramp, and out of her life forever. She was the last of the Sages, and last of the seers. No more would the surviving Jedi be guiding by visions. She felt a tug of sadness at all the secrets; all the ancient knowledge that would die with her. But such was the way of things. The Jedi Order had faced near extinction before, and had come back. Perhaps, generations from now, there would again be Jedi sages. But that was hope. The Nexus in Time had begun. She had done everything she could to nudge things down certain paths. But choices had been made, and now events were out of her hands. She felt sorrow for all the lives that would be lost, but coming out of the nexus, there were a few bright paths yet. Hope, slim and fading, but hope nonetheless.
And, she consoled herself, there were still repositories of knowledge untouched by the Empire. Ancient wisdom might still be found, though she could not see how or where.
She felt the other probing at her shrouds, as they had been constantly since she was first rescued. Demaia had been resisting those attempts for many days. She had been masking her presence, and that of Ch'lana. But now, there was only one course. The failed Jedi would not escape unless the enemy was distracted.
The Code taught acceptance, letting ones self be less important that the Will of the Force. This was the role that had been decided. Of all the paths open before her now, only one held any hope of a return of the Jedi. With a final sigh, she touched the minds of those she had tried to guide. She hoped they would find peace.
And she dropped her shroud.
*****************************
Far overhead, a man sat in a meditation chamber, straining with all his thought, trying to pierce the clouds that blocked his vision. With a suddenness that draw a gasp, his sight cleared. An instant later he found what he was seeking, shining like a beacon in the northern desert. The man smiled a wicked smile, the scars on his face twisting his skin in unnatural ways as he did so. Finally, she was found.
He pressed a switch. "Admiral. Commence firing at these coordinates, full bombardment. Every gun on the fleet. Do it now!" He cut off the comlink, and closed his eyes, preparing to savour what was to come.
***************************************
As the first turbolaser blasts started to fall on the Rebel compound, Demaia tried to ignore the screams - tried to block out the winking out of lights, of lives. Even for a former member of the Jedi council, it was difficult, and a tear escaped her eye to roll slowly down her cheek. Each life lost here was a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a mother or father. The deaths here would cause ripples through the Force. This too would provide cover for Ch'lana's escape, and improve their odds.
Her last thought as the roof of her chamber collapsed was about how, at long last, she could rest.
****************************************
The ship made orbit without incident. That was surprising, as a ship this size was not easy to hide. Collan was confident in his choice, but his thoughts were drawn for a moment to the path not taken, and he is gazing out of the view port at the ghosts of things that will never be. As the ship clears the atmosphere, flashes of light draw Collan's eye. A gasp escapes his lips, and he chokes out Niil's name.
Niil moves to an adjacent viewport, and Nightsade is drawn by the concern in Collan's voice as well. Even at such a distance, each of you can clearly see an unexpected six star destroyers in position over the northern hemisphere. Each ship is launching a full barrage of turbolaser fire down into a small point in the northern desert. For Niil and Collan, they both somehow know without a doubt exactly where the target is. The Rebellion on Karvis is being destroyed before their eyes.
A moment later, the stars explode into a thousand streaks of light and the ship enters hyperspace.
But in the instant before the ship transitions, both Niil and Collan feel a sense of peace fill them, and they understand somehow - despite the tragedy they just witnessed - the path they are on leads to hope.
