Chapter 5: Meeting the Past and It's Judgments

The vast cityscape of Coruscant stretched endlessly before them, a shimmering sea of golden and white lights. The Raven's Claw cut through the planet's upper atmosphere, mild turbulence rocking the ship as Jan guided it into a stable descent.

Kyle sat in the co-pilot's seat, arms crossed, watching the planet come into view. It should have been comforting—a rare constant in the galaxy, a world that never truly changed.

But this wasn't his Coruscant.

And something felt wrong.

Jan flipped the comm switch. "Coruscant flight control, this is the Raven's Claw. Transmitting identification codes now. Requesting clearance to land."

A brief hiss of static—then silence.

Jan frowned, tapping the console. "That's weird."

Kyle shifted slightly in his seat, exhaling. "Yeah. They're usually faster than this."

Jan tried again. "Coruscant control, do you copy?"

This time, a voice crackled over the comm.

"State your business."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. That wasn't standard protocol. Coruscant always monitored incoming traffic, but this was different—colder, more controlled.

Jan shot Kyle a quick look before responding. "Delivering cargo. Plus, I've got a Jedi on board."

Silence.

Not the kind where someone was too busy to answer—the kind where people were deliberating.

Jan arched a brow. "Okay, what is this?" she muttered, clicking the comm again. "Control, do you copy? Are we cleared for landing, or do we need to find a different docking bay?"

A few more seconds of dead air.

Then—finally—a reply.

"Raven's Claw, you are to proceed directly to the Jedi Temple. Transmitting coordinates now."

Kyle sat up a little straighter. The Jedi Temple?

Jan stared at the nav screen as the coordinates updated automatically.

"The Jedi Temple?" she repeated. "Since when do inbound ships get sent there?"

Kyle frowned, his gut twisting. "They don't."

Jan leaned back in her seat. "They didn't even ask for more details. Just—boom, straight to the Temple."

Kyle didn't answer immediately. A feeling—not quite a vision, not quite words—pressed against his mind.

A nudge.

The Force was guiding him.

But toward what?

Kyle exhaled, rubbing his jaw. "So much for keeping a low profile."

Jan sighed, her hands tightening on the controls as she set course. "Yeah, I have a real bad feeling about this."

Through Coruscant's Traffic Lanes

Coruscant Control sent a flight plan to the ship's navcomputer, which Jan immediately integrated into the queue. She knew from experience that Coruscant's air traffic lanes were hell to navigate—one wrong move, and you could end up in a midair collision or detained by security forces.

That's why Jan always took the lead when they visited. She was the pilot, the one who knew how to weave through packed air lanes while avoiding unnecessary attention. Normally, Kyle left her to it.

But this time?

Both of them knew their destination shouldn't exist.

As Jan carefully maneuvered through the traffic lanes, Kyle's thoughts drifted back to what Control had said.

The Jedi Temple.

It was real. It was right there, standing tall in the distance, exactly where history said it should be.

Kyle's instincts flared. He immediately reached out through the Force, testing for any deception or illusion.

Nothing.

No manipulation. No mind trick. Just that subtle resistance—the veil pressing back against him.

Kyle clenched his jaw. It was bothersome. It was wrong.

But it wasn't going away anytime soon.

With nothing else to do, he leaned back and closed his eyes. His mind drifted to a calming technique Luke had taught him and the other students at the Praxeum—a simple, steadying rhythm meant to clear the mind of distractions.

He let his breathing slow.

It didn't solve anything. But it helped.

For now.

Arrival at the Temple Landing Pad

After half an hour, they finally arrived at the designated landing pad.

The Raven's Claw descended smoothly, repulsors firing as Jan eased them into position. The ship settled with a final hiss of compressed air.

Then they saw them.

Kyle's gaze locked onto the six figures standing on the platform.

Jedi.

They weren't just waiting for them—they had formed a perimeter around the landing zone.

Jan let out a low whistle. "Well, that's not intimidating at all."

Kyle's fingers unconsciously tapped against his knee. This wasn't a friendly welcome.

They weren't even trying to make it look like one.

Kyle exhaled sharply. They had no choice but to face this head-on.

"Let's go see what this is about."

He and Jan moved toward the exit ramp. Kyle reached for the control panel, hitting the button to lower it.

The hydraulics hissed, the ramp slowly descending.

Neither of them moved at first. The six Jedi remained still, watching them as they stood in formation.

Kyle inhaled once before stepping forward.

Time to find out what the hell was going on.

As soon as Kyle stepped off the ship's ramp, a dark-skinned Jedi approached, his posture calm but firm. His voice carried the weight of authority, clear and unwavering.

"Please come peacefully. The Jedi Council would like to have a few words with you."

The words were carefully measured, diplomatic in tone—but they left no room for argument.

Kyle immediately felt it.

A subtle nudge through the Force, a gentle but deliberate suggestion, encouraging compliance. It was a classic Jedi technique—not outright mind control, but a firm mental push in the desired direction.

Kyle recognized it instantly. His first instinct was to push back—to answer the suggestion with a Force-based counter of his own, to let them know he wasn't so easily manipulated.

But then he took in the six Jedi surrounding him.

Causing a scene here would be unproductive. And it would probably earn him an instant neck slap from Jan—if the Jedi didn't handle that themselves first.

So instead, he exhaled, forcing himself to relax.

Play along—for now.

With a slow nod, he fell into step behind the lead Jedi, the remaining five flanking him like an escort detail.

Jan, walking just a step behind him, muttered under her breath. "So much for pleasantries."

Kyle smirked slightly but said nothing.

Because despite the calm on the surface, he could feel it.

A heaviness in the air.

The Jedi weren't just here to escort him to a meeting.

They were sent to make sure that he complied and didn't act out aggressively.

Kyle had a sinking feeling that that he and Jan were about to step into something that they weren't exactly ready for at least not yet.

Jedi Temple – High Council Chambers

The massive doors to the High Council Chamber slid open with a deep, resonant hum. Inside, the circular chamber bathed in the warm hues of Coruscant's skyline, but the real weight of the room came from the twelve Jedi Masters seated in a perfect ring—silent, watchful, waiting.

Kyle stepped inside first, his posture calm but guarded, taking in the layout. He'd been in war rooms, intelligence briefings, and trials before—but this was different.

This wasn't a room where negotiations happened.

This was a room where decisions were made.

Jan followed a step behind, her expression neutral, though Kyle could tell she was cataloging every possible exit route in the back of her mind.

At the center of the chamber, Mace Windu sat motionless, his expression unreadable. Unlike the others, he wasn't just watching Kyle—he was feeling him, extending his presence in the Force, pressing against Kyle's own signature like a silent interrogation.

Kyle resisted the urge to react.

It wasn't the first time someone had tried to read him through the Force, and he knew better than to flinch under scrutiny.

Across from Mace, Master Yoda observed them with keen interest, his expression neutral yet contemplative.

To the side, Ki-Adi-Mundi's brow furrowed in thought, while Plo Koon remained eerily still, unreadable behind his mask. Saesee Tiin and Oppo Rancisis exchanged a glance, while Adi Gallia kept her arms folded, studying them intently.

Kyle could already tell—they weren't just curious. They were wary.

Mace exhaled slowly. His voice was measured, even, but carried the weight of authority.

"You are not a member of the Jedi Order."

It wasn't a question.

Kyle inclined his head slightly. "That's correct."

Mace leaned forward just slightly, though his posture remained composed.

"And yet, you wield the Force. You carry a lightsaber. You claim the title of Jedi."

Kyle didn't blink. "I was trained in the Jedi ways. But not in the way you would recognize."

That got a reaction. A flicker of curiosity from Yoda, a subtle shift from Ki-Adi-Mundi.

Mace, however, didn't look satisfied.

"Clarify."

Kyle took a slow breath, choosing his words carefully.

"Where I come from, the Jedi don't exist the way they do here. The Order I knew… was different."

Silence. A noticeable shift in the room.

The weight of the Force stirred slightly, and Kyle could feel the way their collective focus honed in on him.

They already suspected something.

Yoda's ears twitched slightly. His voice, though calm, carried a deeper weight than before.

"Different, how?"

Kyle hesitated. Not long, but long enough for Mace to notice.

The Jedi Master's presence in the Force tightened, pressing just slightly—not a direct intrusion, but a deliberate pressure.

Kyle ignored it.

"Where I come from, the Jedi Order wasn't what it is today." He let the words settle before adding, "And it's not what it will be in the future."

Another silence.

This time, Mace's gaze sharpened.

"Explain."

Kyle exhaled through his nose. This was the part where things got complicated.

"The truth is… in the time I come from, your Order doesn't exist anymore."

That got their attention.

The Force pulsed—a ripple, barely perceptible, but it was there.

Ki-Adi-Mundi sat up straighter. "Impossible."

"No," Kyle said evenly. "I wish it were."

For a moment, Mace Windu said nothing.

Kyle felt it before he saw it—a slow, deliberate shift in the Force. Mace's focus tightened, his gaze boring into him, searching for any trace of deception in the stranger's words. But while he found no falsehood, what he did discover was far more unsettling.

Then came the words.

"You've touched the Dark Side."

Jan stiffened beside him.

Kyle didn't react immediately. Because Mace wasn't wrong.

The Council's collective presence shifted slightly—not outright alarm, but wariness. Mistrust.

Kyle exhaled slowly. "That was a long time ago."

Mace didn't blink. "The Dark Side doesn't fade. It lingers."

"I'm aware," Kyle said, his voice steady. "But I don't walk that path."

Mace's gaze didn't waver. He didn't believe him.

Yoda, however, did not react with the same severity.

Instead, the Grand Master merely observed. "Yet, in darkness you do not dwell now."

Kyle nodded. "Because I made sure of it."

Another pause.

Then—Jan finally had enough.

She took a step forward, arms crossed. "Alright, this is getting ridiculous."

The Jedi turned their attention to her, and she let out an exasperated breath.

"You pulled us in here like criminals, Kyle hasn't done anything wrong, and you're treating him like he's about to go Sith at any moment."

Plo Koon tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words.

Even Yoda looked amused.

Mace, however, remained unmoved.

"You have a power we don't understand. You claim knowledge that should be impossible." His gaze locked onto Kyle. "If you were in my position, would you trust you?"

Kyle held his gaze, unflinching.

"Trust? No. But I'd give myself the chance to prove I wasn't a threat."

Silence.

Then, Yoda finally nodded.

"Remain, you will. Watched, you shall be."

Kyle exhaled slowly. He'd take that as a win.

For now.

Mace, however, wasn't done.

"And in the meantime, we will find out exactly who you are."