Getting Drop Kicked by the Force

As soon as the doors of the light freighter - which Mace could now see had clearly been modified as a smuggling ship - closed, the girl turned on Obi-Wan with a guarded expression.

"How did you know just who we'd want here for our explanation?" she demanded, her question immediately causing the others in her party to tense. 

Mace spied Cody and Ponds, who had escorted them in, no doubt to provide an extra layer of protection for their generals, whilst the non-Force Sensitive human had frowned, but acquiesced to their presence with a nod.

Obi-Wan, ever the smug bastard, just smiled knowingly.

"Your mental channels for speaking are very strong, but you all still project some thoughts," he informed them gently. "It was quite easy to overhear them - thought I was the only one close enough to."

The girl pursed her lips and squirmed slightly, but she nodded and stepped away, retreating so that she was standing in line with the two other humans of their party. The Wookie had retreated from the room they were in with a garbled roar that Mace hadn't understood, as he had not elected to learn Shyriiwook in his time. However, Obi-Wan had not reacted, so Mace assumed that the Wookie would not harm them.

Obi-Wan quickly explained what he and Bail had seen and learnt back in the temple.

Mace would find time travellers from the future difficult to believe if it wasn't Kenobi. At this stage in the war, he may as well just accept it. He was too tired to summon the appropriate amount shock, even if he was inclined to show it on his face, which he wasn't.

This was meant to be a simple mission.

"We may as well sit down," the male Force User - Finn - said. "We have over fifty years of history to cover."

His companions nodded in agreement, gesturing to the various couches around the living space. They waited until they were all seated, including Cody and Ponds before they all squished themselves onto one side of seat shaped in a semi-circle around a holoprojecting table, with Bail and Obi-Wan on the other side and Mace, Cody and Ponds on their own chairs that had been pulled up to the table.

"Where do we start?" Finn wondered absently, as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

The other human male - Poe - hummed. "I know that General Leia has been teaching you and Rey about the Clone Wars."

"She's been telling Rey about the politics and the Jedi for longer - I was usually only around when she got to talking about the clones."

Both men glanced at the girl, who was sitting on the right edge of the seat, next to the male Force User, who was sitting in the middle. Rey sighed and stood up but didn't complain.

"I may as well get straight to the point," she began, crossing her arms. "The Clone Wars are pointless and were constructed, and are being drawn out by the Sith for the sole purpose of destroying the Jedi and for cementing their reign over the galaxy."

Cody and Ponds stiffened in their seats.

Mace blinked. He felt Obi-Wan's shields wobble.

Senator Organa straightened. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's true," Poe said. "His Empire lasted twenty years before the Rebellion managed to defeat him."

"So the Separatists won?" Ponds asked with a slight frown.

Rey grimaced. "Not exactly."

She hesitated, obviously choosing her next words carefully. "The clones were supposedly commissioned by a Jedi who had visions, or something along those lines, right?"

Mace fought to keep his expression under control. That information wasn't exactly public knowledge.

"That is correct," he confirmed. "Master Sifo Diyas."

The girl's hands tightened around her arms and she shifted onto her other foot.

"The… accounts are not sure, but it is theorised that his visions were planted by the Sith Lord… or that Darth Tyrannus took control of the project quickly enough to alter the original order."

She took a deep breath. "The few surviving sources say that that after the main Separatist leaders were killed, that the Jedi discovered the identity of the remaining Sith, but those that were dispatched to arrest him were defeated - betrayed by one of their own, who allied himself with the Sith at the last moment."

"Then," she went on, breaking off for a second to glance nervously at Ponds and Cody. "He activated an order on the control chips, which are embedded inside every clone troopers' head."

Her eyes lowered and she swallowed. "Order sixty-six: execute all the Jedi."

Mace went completely still even as he saw Cody and Ponds recoiled as if she had shot them. Obi-Wan's eyes widened and shock reverberated through the Force, mixing with Mace's own.

"You lie," Senator Organa claimed. "The clones are loyal to the Republic."

The girl's head snapped up, a glare flashing through her eyes and hardening her features.

"I do not."

She looked away, breathing deeply.

"We have proof," Finn interjected. "History books, recordings, diaries. They should be tucked away somewhere around here. We always carry out study material with us."

"Our two clearest sources of information on it are the diaries left by you, Senator Organa and General Kenobi," Poe explained, looking at them. "I know General Leia has had Rey read them closely."

Obi-Wan's gaze jerked to them. "I survived?"

Poe nodded. "Until almost the end."

"It wasn't your fault," Finn informed Cody and Ponds, his voice strained as he stared at them desperately. "The chips. They-they overtook you. They erased you. You didn't have a choice."

Mace could tell from the horror leaking into the Force around the troopers that his words brought them no comfort.

"Who is the Sith Lord?" Mace asked.

Rey looked at him, breaking out of the haze she had been lost in.

"Palpatine," she breathed. "Chancellor Palpatine was the Sith Lord."

Mace instinctively wanted to deny her. The Chancellor couldn't be the Sith Lord. He was the most powerful man in the Republic.

And yet.

There had been many instances in which Mace had, privately, questioned his decisions. He knew that a few of the 'debates' he had engaged in with the Chancellor had hurt their standing with him. But none of the Senate, nor many of the Republic citizens, were willing to trust the Jedi anymore.

And who had been the one to suggest that the Jedi lead the war. The Chancellor had denied his involvement but the man had not discouraged the idea when it had quickly gained popularity.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mace saw Obi-Wan tense.

"What is Anakin's role in all of this? You talked of him with each other."

Poe glanced down and Finn's jaw tightened.

Rey turned her attention to him, her eyes holding a deep regret.

"No," Obi-Wan breathed, his shoulders hunching forward slightly.

"Darth Vader was one of Emperor Palpatine's most effective weapons," Rey murmured. "But, at the very end, he did turn back to the light. To save his son."

Obi-Wan curled into himself and Mace felt the wave of pain and sorrow pulse out of him before the other master slammed his shields back into place.

"We are here now, though," Rey said firmly. "None of that has happened yet, and our knowledge can help you stop it."

"Yes," Finn agreed readily, still looking mostly at Cody and Ponds. "We can start to de-chip the clones and work on a way to deactivate them en-masse."

"It won't be easy," Poe cautioned. "Didn't you guys tell me that the Jedi were powerless to prevent their fate, even if they had known about it?"

Rey frowned and nodded. "Yes. They do not have the political power to make any significant move. Which is why we need the senators to start working. We have the information they need to start changing the system. They just need to get the physical evidence in this time period."

Senator Organa glanced around at his still shocked companions, and cleared his throat, startling all three of the time-travellers.

"You said it took around two decades to defeat the Empire, yet you are from fifty years in the future. What is the state of the galaxy in your time?"

Mace nodded his agreement with the questions.

Poe let out a shaky sigh. "Yes, the Empire was defeated the first time. Though not without heavy casualties. Alderaan was destroyed. The Mandalorians were wiped out almost as thoroughly as the Jedi. Countless lives were lost. And we still could not prevent the First Order rising from its ashes."

It was the Senator's turn to jerk back in surprise in pain. "Alderaan was destroyed?"

Poe nodded. "Yes, by a weapon called the Death Star. Capable of destroying whole planets. Luke Skywalker and his twin, your daughter, Leia Organa helped destroy it, along with the second one they built a few years later."

Rey went on, "Finn, Poe and I were there when its successor, Starkiller Base, was destroyed. Not after it destroyed the Hosnian System, the capitol of the New Republic first though."

"Though Poe did all the heavy lifting with his X-Wing," Finn said, shooting a smile at the man beside him.

Poe gave him a fleeting smile in return, barely a twitch of the lips.

"It wasn't enough though," Poe murmured, his voice thick. "The Resistance was losing. Many planets would rather submit to another tyrant than fight, and there was nothing we could do to stop them from invading systems and growing their army."

Finn stared hollowly at the table in front of him. "The Empire's stormtroopers were a poor mockery of the original clone troopers, meant remind Imperial citizens of them but have very little of their effectiveness save in their overwhelming numbers. But the First Order's stormtroopers… we were modelled more closely to our predecessors. Taken from our planets as mere children and raised to be the perfect little brainwashed soldiers. They even started chipping us in the end, when more and more started to defect - refusing to carry out the horrors they asked us to."

He stopped abruptly, looking down at his lap and taking a deep, shuddering breath as Poe rubbed a hand across his back.

Rey smiled at him sadly before turning purposefully to Senator Organa.

"I have little love for the Senate," she claimed and Mace had to suddenly suppress a smile at her frankness. "It failed to protect the Republic twice in fifty years, and all because of its corruption and general uselessness. However, Leia has told me stories of senators who could have changed it, if they were given enough time and manoeuvrability. I'm sure we have more than a few political texts that can inform you of just what corruption is being hidden in the shadows and behind the closed doors of the rotunda."

Senator Organa, who had paled drastically since the start of the conversation, swallowed and nodded. "I think you are right."

Poe smiled sharply. "I'll start looking for some of our books."

With that, he pushed up off the couch, sliding over Finn's lap and left.

"We will contact the Jedi Council, but what of your stories?" Obi-Wan asked. "What of your training? Surely some Jedi survived."

Rey shrugged. "I heard that a few did. Many of them died during the Rebellion. Most of the survivors were wiped out by the First Order when they destroyed the New Jedi Order. Any remaining would have gone into hiding, and I haven't exactly had the time nor the opportunity to look for one. Besides, Luke Skywalker has been… assisting me with using the Force. He was going to take Finn on as a padawan any day now."

Mace frowned. "Not you?"

Rey gave him a close-lipped smile, something in her eyes causing Mace's gut to twist. "Master Skywalker does not think I am suited for the path of a Jedi. And he may be right. I… I struggle with control. Of my powers and my emotions. And I know that anger can be dangerous when accessing the Force. I have spent hours almost every day meditating for the last eight months and I still haven't made much progress."

Finn scoffed. "That's a load of banthashi - er - I mean, that's not true and you know it. Besides, you're a lot less angry than most would be in your situation."

Mace tilted his head to the side, his mind whirling. They were both already very powerful, especially Rey. Shatterpoints surrounded all of them as if they had smashed a dozen glass bottles at their feet. They would need to be trained, regardless of their suitability. Their connection to the Force was open too far for them to go untrained.

But, he would like to know if they could really grow to be suitable Jedi.

"Situation?" he questioned.

Rey looked to him and smiled sadly again, her dark grey eyes becoming shiny.

"My parents… sold me to the junker on Jakku when I was five years old and I spent the next fourteen years waiting for them to come back."

Mace's eyes widened and he felt everyone around him look sharply to the girl. However, before they could touch anything, there was a tumultuous crash which had a panel in a door swinging open and small one-wheeled droid with a cone-shaped head come barrelling out of it.

"D-O," Rey greeted quietly, kneeling down as the droid approached her.

"Rey," the droid said, "I missed you."

Rey smiled and carefully smoothed out one of the three antennas poking out of the back of his head.

"I can't believe you brought him along," Finn muttered.

"I wasn't very well going to leave him. He doesn't like being away from me for long."

Finn hummed non-committedly. "You know, you never told us where you got him. He just turned up after that mission you and Jess went on a few months ago and started following you around."

Rey stilled, glancing up at him as she stood up, rubbing at one of the arm bindings that ran up her arms.

"I found him on my parents' ship."

Finn pursed his lips. "So they're - "

"Dead. Yeah. The First Order got them. Or the Empire. Whatever they were calling themselves then. The chest has everything they left to me. I haven't been able to read through all the datasticks yet."

Finn nodded solemnly as Rey joined him on the couch.

"I think Finn would make a great Jedi," she announced. "We've been looking at what little we could find of you, and he's everything you want. He's kind and thoughtful, and doesn't let his emotions overwhelm him."

Finn rolled his eyes. "All of that could describe you as well."

He looked between Obi-Wan and mace seriously. "She talks of how her power could lead to the dark side, but if she was going to Fall, she would have done it by now. Something awful happened on Dandoran, but she didn't let it affect her and managed to pull like three and a half dozen TIE fighters right out of the air. At once. There was no dark side; she was calm as a desert."

Mace felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. That was not small feat. Even for the most skilled of masters.

"It's not like you haven't had to do your job before when Poe was being threatened," Rey shot back.

"Yes, well, he hasn't…" Finn trailed off before he could finish the sentence, but the damage was already done.

Rey's expression crumbled and she looked away, needing to scrub at her eyes before she looked back up.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I think we've heard enough to tell the Council. And we have just enough time to comm them before we must leave. Regardless of the outcome, I imagine you will be leaving with us."

-----

The meeting did not actually take that long. They used their most secure lines and still did not dare reveal the full extent of what they'd been told, only that they had uncovered something of import regarding the Senate and that they would convene with any councilmembers physically on Coruscant as soon as they returned.

As for the time travellers? Not unexpectedly, the Council voted to train the Force Users, whilst allowing the others to accompany them. It did not seem like a good idea to separate them. Especially if they found a way to return them.

They, of course, would not be telling the Senate that the newest padawans of the Order were time travellers, at least from the future. Officially, the group had been caught in a stasis trap for hundreds of years, which was only released by Commander Cody accidentally brushing a specific rune. It would explain their unusual ship, which was actually not that old, but had been modified beyond recognition from its original model, and it would explain their lack of training, as the Jedi had not always had the reach to collect as many Force Sensitive children as they did.

"Now, we must decide who will train them," Obi-Wan said, rubbing his chin as the session began to draw to a close.

"Decided, it already has been," Yoda announced.

Mace glanced at his companion before they returned their attention to the holoprojector.

"By whom, Master?" he asked, keeping his voice level.

"Brought them to you, the Force has. Train them, you must."

Mace sighed. He knew he was going to say that.

"We are both far too busy to properly train a padawan, Master," Obi-Wan tried to reason only to be stopped by an imploring look.

"The best choice, you are. Sense it, I can."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, but had no argument to that.

Then, Yoda had the gall to laugh.

"Stick together, you two will, for the foreseeable future, whilst you train your new padawans."

Mace was going to kill him. The Force knew he loved and respected Obi-Wan as a friend and fellow master, but that did not mean he wanted to be partnered with him, which would also, inevitably mean being partnered with Skywalker more often, especially after recent revelations. The man was a trouble magnet if Mace had ever known one.

Even if he didn't hate the idea of training them.