Gray Jedi Ch. 05

"Sheesh, girl! You don't waste-"

Before he could react further, Serra had already sealed her lips around his, their tongues engaged in a furious duel. Malik couldn't believe the look in her eyes; she was ravenous, almost animalistic. While it did frighten him a bit, this served to turn him on for the most part. Soon, his hands began working their way down Serra's back and towards her magnificent ass.

"What's gotten into you, Serra?!" he asked as they parted, stifling his nervous laughs as best he could. "I've never seen you like this!"

"I've been hot for you all day," she replied, her words dripping with desire. "After all, we need to consummate our marriage. It's been all I could do not to jump your bones in front of Master Yoda. Now shut up and take your shirt off."

Malik complied without a fuss, sitting up and slipping his tan shirt off and tossing it on the floor. Meanwhile, Serra got to work on his pants, unbuckling them and pulling on the zipper. Stunned by her frantic pace, Malik had barely kicked his boots off by the time she had yanked his pants off of him. With her husband now nude on the bed, Serra stood and peeled off her black tank top, exposing her tantalizing breasts to him. After wriggling out of her tight leather pants, she pounced on him once more and attacked his lips with hers.

After a short yet heavy make out session, Serra could tell that she needed no further foreplay, her pussy juices already dripping onto Malik. As she pressed him against her entrance, she slid onto him with no resistance whatsoever, sliding down to his base in mere seconds. They had refrained from sexual activity for the last few days so as not to distract from their training, and Serra almost reached orgasm right then and there as a result. Placing her hands on Malik's chest and locking eyes with him, she began riding his cock with everything she had.

Malik was in blissful agony. He loved this woman with all his heart, and the fact that she felt the same way only aroused him further. Combine that with her shorter haircut complementing her incredible body and their aforementioned abstinence, and he was already close to blowing his load. He knew he could suppress this with the Force, but refused on principle to use his training for such purposes. Thankfully, Serra sensed this and slowed her pace a small amount, allowing Malik to pull himself back from the brink. Still, the vigorous nature of this lovemaking session was quite fun for him, and he knew for Serra also. Getting an idea that would allow them to keep their pace up as well as enable more endurance, he wrapped his arms around Serra.

"Hold tight," he said with a grin.

"Aah!"

Serra yelped in surprise as Malik rolled them both over, landing her on her back. But rather than resume from this position, he first slipped out of her, eliciting one of her pitiful whimpers. He then stood at the foot of the bed and pulled Serra by the ankles towards him, impaling her on his cock as she reached the edge. She didn't even have time to applaud his seamless transition before his pounding cock sent her screaming into a massive orgasm. Serra thrashed and squirmed, her pussy contracting all around Malik's length, but he did not let up. From this vantage point, he was able to control the angle of his thrusts to allow for maximum speed while also keeping his own excitement in check.

For the next several minutes, Malik continued to pound his wife, giving her two more orgasms in the process. Serra was soon a moaning puddle beneath him, barely able to support the weight of her own legs, which she had to prop up on his shoulders as a result. After regaining her composure, she suddenly got a wild idea. Pulling Malik out of her, she slid back on the bed and rolled over onto her stomach, pushing her ass up into the air with her knees.

"Malik, do me from behind," she pleaded.

Once again stunned at how animalistic Serra had become, he stood in silence for a moment to be sure he had heard right.

"Y-you sure?" he finally asked.

"Yes, baby. Please... I need you..."

Serra reached between her legs and began toying with her entrance, beckoning Malik to fill her up once more. Unable to deny her request, Malik knelt on the bed behind her and aligned his cock with her pussy, pushing forward and into her as she moaned in delight. He began his thrusts slowly, getting used to the increased stimulation of this new angle. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the dresser mirror to his right side, giving him a stunning visual of their amorous activities.

"Serra, look."

Glancing up, her eyes widened at the sight. "Holy shit, that's hot..."

Malik increased his pace to match their feverish tempo from before, watching Serra's face in the mirror all the while. The look of sheer exuberance in her eyes was incredible. From this position, he was far more dominant than he was used to being, yet she loved every second of it and trusted him completely. The fact that he got an unobstructed view of her jiggling ass and heaving breasts only served to arouse him further. After only a minute or two, Malik was already approaching climax. But a nod from Serra told him that's just what she wanted from him. Surrendering himself, Malik pumped his last into her, exploding into her pussy with a primal moan. He wasn't sure if she reached orgasm from that action or not, but the huge grin on her face told him it didn't matter. She had enjoyed every second of that.

Disengaging from him, Serra fell forward, hitting the pillow face first. When Malik joined her on his back, she rolled over to lay her head on his shoulder, kissing his neck and chest sweetly the whole time. As he returned her affections, stroking her hair with his fingers, she began to doze in and out of consciousness. Malik, on the other hand, was wide-awake, invigorated from their passionate and physical lovemaking. His curiosity could only be abated for so long, and he reached over to the nightstand, grabbing the handheld computer screen.

"Always the researcher," Serra said with a giggle.

"Thought you were asleep," Malik replied, kissing her forehead.

"Oh, in and out. You looking up the files Master Yoda mentioned?"

"Yep. Let's see... here it is: Gray Jedi." Reading the overview aloud, he continued, "There is no Dark Side, nor a Light Side. There is only the Force. I will do what I must to keep the balance. The balance is what keeps me together. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am the wielder of the flame, the protector of balance. I am the holder of the torch lighting the way. I am the keeper of the flame, soldier of balance. I am a guardian of balance. I am a Gray Jedi."

"Wow... that was their creed?" Serra asked.

"Uh huh. It says here that this creed was the core belief system of a Gray Jedi. All their actions are out of this idea of balance. Though I don't know if I agree with the assertion that there is no Dark Side or Light Side."

"Yeah, I can see where that would rub the Council the wrong way. Still, you've experienced a bit of that, haven't you?"

"True, when I used Force Lightning in the cave. Here's another version of their creed," Malik replied. "There is no light without the dark. Through passion, I gain focus. Through knowledge, I gain power. Through serenity, I gain strength. Through victory, I gain harmony. There is only the Force."

"Interesting, combining the principles in the Jedi and Sith creeds. Not sure how I feel about that... what else does it say?"

"Here we are, early history. Much of this we know from our own history," he said, clearing his throat. "The Gray Jedi had no official founder or Order of their own, but their origins can be traced back almost four thousand years. In those days, Jedi were decentralized for the most part, having no official academy and each master training their students as they saw fit. But when war erupted between the Republic and the Sith Empire of Exar Kun, the Jedi found that they were in constant danger as thinly spread as they were. Thus, the first Jedi High Council was established on Dantooine.

"As they sought to consolidate their members, the Council enacted new rules and restrictions, particularly on various uses of the Force that were deemed to be of the Dark side. For many Jedi, the final straw was the rule that they could not begin to train any student over the age of four and were prohibited from having families of their own. Once the war had been won, some Jedi, most notably war hero Jolee Bindo, abandoned this new Jedi Order altogether. This public declaration that they could no longer take orders from the Jedi High Council made them the first true Gray Jedi.

"Over the centuries, the Gray Jedi kept to themselves for the most part, but did manage to work with the Jedi Order in dire situations where the greater good necessitated their cooperation. In the Order, some Jedi viewed the Grays as misguided and a bit rash, yet still regarded them as allies. Others, such as Chief Librarian Restelly Quist, saw the Grays as dangerous mavericks that cared only for themselves, only becoming useful when they agreed to follow the orders of the Council without question. In more recent years, some Jedi were branded as Gray merely for disagreeing with the Council, even if they showed their continued loyalty to the Jedi Order."

"Huh... I wonder if that's what happened to Qui-Gon Jinn?" Serra mused.

"Well, let's ask him," Malik replied with a grin. "Master, were you in fact branded a Gray Jedi by your peers?"

I was by some, yes. I spent much of my life in disagreement with the Jedi Council, often disobeying their orders for what I knew to be the greater good. This, however, did not make me a Gray, merely fodder for being called as such.

"That's true, I guess. By what we've read, you'd have to draw on both the Light and the Dark without succumbing to the Dark Side. From all accounts we've read on your life, you never came anywhere close to that," Serra said.

Indeed. I fear that the feeling of superiority some Jedi got in branding others Gray Jedi is one of the reasons for the fall of the Order. As Yoda mentioned, our stubbornness and inflexibility on matters that challenged our preconceived notions were our undoing. For some Jedi, it was easier to call someone a Gray than it was to actually consider the value of the difference in opinion. Such differences are where the greatest growth and learning often come from.

"I agree. Even if we end up not agreeing with all the doctrines of the Gray Jedi, I think there is great value in what they have to say, particularly in these dark times," Malik replied.

Hmm... in that case, you should travel to Atollon. There resides an individual there known as Bendu. He is not a Jedi, nor is he a Sith. He calls himself the center point of the Force, the middle way if you will. I do not know for how long he has been alive, but his wisdom is immeasurable. If you wish to adopt some of the practices of the Gray Jedi for yourselves, I think it would be good for you to speak with him. You will learn much of your inner balance, or lack thereof.

"Atollon... I'll look it up in the morning. Thank you for everything," Malik said, placing the screen back on the nightstand.

You are most certainly welcome, my friends. And do not forget: I am always with you, for I am one with the Force now. Do not hesitate to ask if you require my council.

Malik quietly nodded in understanding, seeing that Serra had fallen asleep on his chest. After switching off the light, he soon joined her in unconsciousness.

*****

As the newlyweds made their preparations to leave the next morning, Yoda stopped by to see them off. Though he was sad to see them go, the old Jedi Master couldn't have been happier at their growth over the previous week. He paced through the halls of the oldDefender-class ship and reminisced over the many hours he had spent uploading files from the Jedi Archives to its memory banks.

"It's almost time, Master," Serra said from behind him.

"Yes," he replied in a sad tone.

Seeing his emotion, Serra walked up to her old Master and knelt before him, wrapping him in a warm hug. "We'll be back someday."

"No, come back here you should not," Yoda sighed. "If a frequent destination Dagobah becomes for you, easier for the Empire to find me it will be."

"I... I understand," she replied.

"We have to do what's necessary," agreed Malik, entering the hallway with them. "Master, I know we are not strong enough right now, but someday we will challenge Vader and the Emperor. We will be able to set right the galaxy."

"Admire your conviction I do. Strive for this you should. But more important is to do good, and if possible, outlive the Empire."

"I suppose that is the simplest form of victory in all this," Malik said.

"Now, be on your way you must. Important things to accomplish you have," Yoda said, bowing to Malik and Serra.

"We won't disappoint you," Serra answered.

"You two? Disappoint? Never!" Yoda shot back with a laugh. "One thing more. Considered have you what to name your ship?"

"You're not the first person to ask, Master. And I actually had a thought on that just last night," Malik replied. "Something Master Qui-Gon said to us last night. He was telling us of the being known as Bendu."

"Yes, familiar with him I am. Wise I know him to be, but in quite a different way from the Jedi."

"Qui-Gon said he was the center point of the Force, the middle way. That's what struck me as the perfect name for our ship: theMiddle Way."

"Hmm... a worthy name it is."

"I love it," Serra agreed, kissing Malik on the cheek. "Guess it's about that time."

"Yeah." Malik turned to Yoda. "Master, thank you... for everything."

"My pleasure it was. Great things you two can accomplish."

"We will be thinking of you, Master."

"And I as well, Serra. May the Force be with you both."

Yoda departed with a sad smile and the two Jedi powered up the ship for departure. Before long, they had left Dagobah behind them, heading towards their next destination.

"Ok, Atollon. Let's see where it is..." Malik muttered as he studied the star chart.

"There! Wow, that's quite a distance from here, almost across the whole galaxy."

"Yeah, and we'll have to plot our course with care. Look, almost every path takes us through occupied Imperial space."

"Hmm... the most direct route would have us passing near Coruscant. I don't think that would be the wisest course," Serra agreed.

"Looks like we can take a route almost as direct around this way," Malik surmised. "This way, the only major system we come close to is Mandalore. Still occupied by the Empire, but the siege has been ongoing there for months. They'd be too distracted to track us."

"Sounds good."

Malik programed the hyperspace coordinates, and soon the Jedi were speeding across the galaxy. A while later, they received a warning of a heavily occupied part of space ahead, necessitating their exit from hyperspace. As they dropped out of lightspeed, both knew exactly where they were.

"Shit... we're right in the middle of the Mandalore system. And those are Imperial ships on the scanner; better power up the cloaking systems," Serra said.

"On it."

Now flying silently, the pair made their way with caution through the mess of Imperial warships. Along the way, Malik scanned various radio channels to see if he could pick up on any of their transmissions. Most were encoded, but a few came through unhindered. It seemed the Empire was on the hunt for a fugitive thought to be on the surface of Mandalore. The messages gave no indication about who the fugitive was, but did make it clear that whoever it was had turned on the Empire before fleeing. Finally past the fleet of ships, Malik was about to reenter hyperspace when he picked up a nearby distress signal.

"Let's see what we've got," he said to himself. "Huh... the signal is heavily encrypted, using the same frequency Senator Organa used. What do you think that means?"

"Not sure," Serra replied. "I've got a lock on the signal. It appears to be a small escape pod of some kind. I say we check it out; could be a Jedi on the run."

"Agreed."

Serra piloted the ship towards the signal, soon spotting a tiny one-man escape pod approaching. They dropped their cloaking systems at the last second, drawing the escape pod into the cargo bay by way of their tractor beam. As they prepared to go investigate, a thought occurred to Malik.

"Serra... do you know who's been stationed on Mandalore?"

"No, who?"

"Ahsoka Tano. I'd bet this is her we've picked up!"

"Really?! I thought she had left the Order?" Serra asked.

"Yes, but she still wanted to assist with the war effort. Started out with intelligence gathering, which led up to the Siege of Mandalore. But when Obi-Wan and Anakin were called back to rescue the Chancellor, she returned to active duty to command the battalion of clones. As far as I know, she's been there ever since."

"I hope it is her... she's been through so much, I just want to know she's alright..."

Malik grimaced at remembering Ahsoka's expulsion and trial. He had come so close during that time to leaving the Order himself, but he decided to stay after a long talk with Serra and Cin Drallig. The fact that Obi-Wan had furiously defended Ahsoka in spite of the Council's majority opinion gave him hope that the possibility of a better future still existed. Shaking his head, he pushed those painful memories from his mind as they entered the cargo bay, finding the escape pod sealed shut.

"Let's see what we've got," Malik said, reaching for the hatch release.

"I'm ready, just in case," Serra replied, a hand on her lightsaber.

Malik nodded in agreement; no sense in being careless. They did not yet know if the occupant was indeed friend or enemy. He pulled the lever, and the pod hissed as it depressurized and opened. Malik peered inside, but the occupant was hidden by a shadow.

"Good lord, I can't believe somebody found me!" came a gruff male voice.

Malik tensed up; he knew the distinctive voice coming from the pod, as he had been surrounded by that voice throughout the entire war. As the occupant stepped forward, Malik drew his lightsaber, Serra responding in kind.

"Clone trooper," he seethed.

"We've gotta do something before he contacts the Empire!" Serra protested.

"Wait! I mean you no harm!" the clone replied, throwing his hands up. "My guns are on my hip; take them as you please."

"What are you doing here, clone?" Malik demanded with more than a bit of hostility in his voice. The last clones he and Serra had seen had tried to kill them, and had already slain many of their friends. As he spoke, Serra used the Force to disarm him of his weapons.

"My name's not clone, General Ran."

"You know me then?"

"Know you?! You saved a dozen of my men from certain death on Geonosis!"

"No... CT-7567?!"

"That is my official designation. But as you well know, my friends call me Rex," he replied with a grin.