Chapter 15

In the opulent office of the Supreme Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine stood at the panoramic window, gazing out at the Coruscant skyline. His face, usually a mask of benevolent concern, now bore a satisfied smirk. The plan had worked perfectly.

"My lord," Mas Amedda's voice came from behind him, "we've received confirmation. The Zygerrian attack on the Jedi transport was... successful."

Palpatine turned, his eyes gleaming with barely contained glee. "Successful indeed, my friend. Tell me, what of the boy? Kaedan Dorn?"

Amedda consulted a datapad. "According to our sources, he... exceeded expectations. In the heat of battle, after the death of a fellow youngling, he tapped into the Dark Side. The power surge was... significant."

"Significant enough that I felt it here, halfway across the galaxy," Palpatine mused, his voice taking on the deeper tones of Darth Sidious. "This boy... he's more than just another Force-sensitive child. There's something special about him, something... familiar."

The Sith Lord closed his eyes, recalling the moment he had felt the disturbance in the Force. It had been like a supernova of darkness, raw and untamed. For a brief instant, it had rivaled even young Skywalker's potential.

"Keep a close eye on young Kaedan," Sidious instructed. "I sense he may play a crucial role in our plans. Perhaps even as a... backup, should Skywalker prove less malleable than we hope."

As Amedda bowed and left to carry out his master's orders, Sidious returned his gaze to the Coruscant skyline. In the distance, he could just make out the spires of the Jedi Temple. His lip curled in a sneer. The Jedi were so predictable, so bound by their outdated code. They would no doubt be in an uproar over this incident, potentially pushing young Kaedan further towards the darkness.

"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen," Sidious murmured to himself, savoring the taste of victory on the horizon.

____________________

Meanwhile, in the Jedi Temple, Kaedan Dorn stood at the center of the Council chamber, feeling the weight of a dozen scrutinizing gazes upon him. The circular room, usually a place of serenity and wisdom, now felt oppressive and judgmental.

"Youngling Dorn," Mace Windu's stern voice cut through the tense silence, "do you understand the gravity of what transpired on that transport?"

Kaedan swallowed hard, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Yes, Master Windu. I... I lost control. I gave in to my anger and fear."

"Lost control?" Ki-Adi-Mundi interjected, his tone sharp. "You didn't just lose control, young one. You tapped into the Dark Side of the Force. Such an act is not easily forgiven or forgotten."

Kaedan felt a surge of frustration. These motherfuckers, sitting in their comfortable chairs, couldn't possibly understand what it had been like. The chaos, the fear, watching Zara die...

"With all due respect, Masters," Kaedan found himself saying, his adult mind pushing through the fear, "I was trying to protect my friends. We were under attack, outgunned and outnumbered. I did what I thought was necessary to survive."

A murmur ran through the Council. Some, like Plo Koon, nodded thoughtfully. They were indeed alone. Master Yoda can't be everywhere at once. Regardless of this fact others like Saesee Tiin, frowned in disapproval.

"Necessary?" Windu leaned forward, his eyes boring into Kaedan. "The Dark Side is never necessary, youngling. It is a corruption, a perversion of the Force. And this is not the first time you've shown... concerning behavior."

Kaedan felt his heart rate spike. He knew where this was going.

"Your rapid progress, your unorthodox ideas about the Jedi Code, and now this," Windu continued. "It paints a troubling picture. Perhaps we were too hasty in accepting you into the Order. Perhaps your path lies elsewhere."

The implications of Windu's words hit Kaedan like a physical blow. Expulsion from the Order? After everything he had been through, everything he hoped to change? He felt panic rising in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him.

Just as Kaedan felt he might lose control again, a sharp crack echoed through the chamber. All eyes turned to Master Yoda, who had slammed his gimmerstick against the floor.

"Enough, this is," Yoda said, his gravelly voice filled with authority. "Forget our own teachings, do we? Compassion, understanding – the Jedi way, these are."

The ancient Master hobbled to the center of the room, placing a gnarled hand on Kaedan's arm. "Young Kaedan, been through much, you have. Felt great loss, great pain. Natural, your reaction was, if not correct."

Kaedan felt a wave of relief wash over him at Yoda's words. The old Master's eyes held not judgment, but understanding.

"Go now, you will," Yoda continued. "Meditate on what has transpired. Learn from it, grow from it. The path of a Jedi, easy it is not. But abandon those who stumble, we do not."

With a grateful nod, Kaedan left the Council chamber, his mind reeling from the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days.

As the doors closed behind the young boy, Yoda turned to face his fellow Council members, his expression uncharacteristically stern.

"Disappoint me, you do," he said, his voice low but powerful. "Quick to judge, quick to condemn. Forget our own struggles, our own losses, do we?"

The other Masters shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Even Mace Windu had the grace to look somewhat chastened.

"Remember Qui-Gon, do you not?" Yoda continued. "Unorthodox, he was. Challenging, always challenging. Yet a great Jedi, he became. And Yaddle? Different, she was. Yet wisdom, she possessed that rivals any in this room."

Yoda's gaze swept the chamber, landing finally on the empty seat that had once belonged to Count Dooku. "And my own apprentice, forget him, do you? Dooku, great Jedi he was, before the darkness claimed him. Could we have prevented his fall, had we been more understanding? More compassionate?"

A heavy silence fell over the room. The weight of Yoda's words, and the implicit rebuke they carried, was palpable.

"The boy, Kaedan," Plo Koon spoke up, his modulated voice thoughtful. "There is something... different about him. A depth of understanding that belies his years."

Yoda nodded. "Noticed this, I have. A mystery, young Kaedan is. But judge him for it, we should not. Guide him, teach him, support him – this, our duty is."

"And what of his use of the Dark Side?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked. "Can we simply ignore such a transgression?"

"Ignore it, we will not," Yoda replied firmly. "But condemn him for it, neither shall we. A teachable moment, this is. For Kaedan, yes, but for all of us as well."

As the Council session adjourned, each Master left with much to ponder. The encounter with Kaedan had forced them to confront uncomfortable truths about their own prejudices and fears.

For Yoda, however, the path forward was clear. He would take a more active role in young Kaedan's training. There was something special about the boy, something that could tip the scales in the coming conflict that Yoda sensed on the horizon.

As night fell over Coruscant, two beings on opposite sides of the city contemplated the future. In the Jedi Temple, Yoda meditated on the best way to guide a uniquely gifted youngling. In the Senate building, Darth Sidious plotted how best to exploit a potential new pawn in his grand game.

And somewhere in between, Kaedan Dorn lay awake in his bed, grappling with the weight of two lives, the trauma of recent events, and the uncertain path that lay ahead. As he finally drifted off to sleep, Kaedan's last conscious thought was of his friend Zara.