Chapter 37: A Talk in the Temple Pt. 2
The Admiral snorted at this and responded, “Indeed I did. We worked together for some time.” In a voice that contained a frustrated undertone, he finished, “I found him rather naive and troublesome. If he had listened to my warning, much could have been different.”
Rey’s mind was reeling at this point, and she held her head with a hand. Her heart was racing as she tried to process everything she had learned thus far. It seemed every question she had answered simply left her with more questions. She looked at the grey-haired man, confused and baffled by his seemingly endless convection, and asked, “What do you mean? When did you meet? What did you warn him about?”
Primidian waved dismissively at this and spoke curtly, “If that boy didn't tell you anything, it means he realized I was right in the end.” His gaze again grew stubborn as he added, “What I will say on this subject is that we met many years ago, a little while after the destruction of the second Death Star. He was like you are now, looking for a place to build his temple and other Jedi relics. It was a fateful encounter brought about by the will of the Force.”
Rey blinked at this, having learned a little bit about the Admiral's life but nothing more. She felt like pulling her hair out but claimed herself but still grumbled, “Do you enjoy toying with people or something.”
The Admiral appeared amused and responded, “Oh, you would have loved the old Jedi Order. They spoke mostly in riddles, and that was at the best of times.”
Rey, at this point, did grab her hair while gritting her teeth. The man's implication that he had had the chance to at least speak with the Jedi of old was confounding. After letting out a groan, she inquired, “You wouldn't happen to be willing to tell me more about them, would you.”
Primidian smiled widely at this and responded, “I'll even do you one better. I'll show you.” He brought up his arm with the computer/energy shield and pressed a few buttons. Suddenly, a hologram was projected throughout the room. It included around a dozen children around the age of ten and a couple of older ones, while at the centermost seat was a strange green frog-like creature. Rey was captivated by the symmetry of the scene with the space around her. It was clear that the hologram was a recording of this very room.
All of a sudden, the frog-like creature began to speak in a strange, backward manner, “ Mysterious, the Force is. Connecting and nurturing each of us. Now then, which one of you will tell me? The Force, what is it? ”
A moment of silence passed before a child that was situated half imposed into the Admiral's body raised his hand and spoke, “ The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. ”
The frog-man nodded at this and responded, “ Very good, very good young Petter. A textbook response you have given us .” Then, in a more sagly tone added, “ But only the beginning, your answer is .”
At this point, the hologram shut down, and Primidian revealed a bright smile, “The Jedi of old may be gone, but by a stroke of luck, I managed to recover many hours of the temple's security footage. Most of it is useless, but there are a few minutes here or there that offer some useful insight.”
Rey was almost drooling over the idea of possibly getting her hands on footage from the Old Jedi Order. She felt so lost all of the time and longed for a teacher or guide to show her not only how to use her power but also when to use it. The Jedi Order of the Galactic Republic was gone, but their teachings still lived on. In the Jedi Sacred texts, rare devices called Holocrons, and now these recordings. She eyed the Admiral and asked, “Are these recordings part of our agreement?”
Primidian nodded slowly, “They can be, but that is a discussion for once you uphold your end of the bargain.” His eyes seemed to glitter as he asked, “Now then, any more questions.”
The Jedi focused her mind and recalled why she had originally approached the man. Her expression grew grim as she asked, “How come you haven't aged. Minerva showed me a picture of when she was a girl. You haven't changed at all.”
The man smiled at this and answered, “That is quite simple. I have many friends in the medical industry. With the right connections, it's not impossible for a normal human to live even two hundred years without appearing to age a day. I always enjoyed rubbing it in your grandfather's face that I could achieve everything he desired: eternal youth and long life.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Rey was surprised by this but had heard there was technology that could extend a person's life span. It was expensive and could only extend one's life by one or twofold, but it was not impossible. She decided to investigate this further later and moved on to a more serious matter, “If you knew Snoke was Palpatine, why help him rise to power again. You could have crushed the First Order, couldn't you.”
At this, the Admiral frowned and let out a sigh before answering, “Indeed, at the time, I could have suffocated the First Order, be it with difficulty. However, I was not the only person that was aware of the Emperor's intention to rise again. I have built up a strong foundation for myself, but even now, my fellow Admirals can keep me in check if they try hard enough.” He shook his head dejected and contained, “As to why I didn't stop him aside from the difficulty. I will rather ask you this. Even if the First Order never rose to power, could the former New Galactic Republic have stood against Starkiller Base.”
The Jedi was surprised by this and considered the subject before responding, “No, but you could have disclosed its location. The entire Galaxy would have a trend on them in a moment.”
Primidian nodded slowly, then countered, “Indeed I could have and allaintded myself from the Emperor.” His eyes flashed with immense rage for a brief moment before he went on, “Next question, even if I disclosed the existence of Starkiller base and it was somehow destroyed. Could the New Republic have then defeated the Exogal Fleet? At the time, they could barely agree on a new system of government, let alone manage the creation of a Galactic Navy.”
This gave Rey even more to think about as she offered, “If you knew about the fleet, then you knew about Exogal. You could have set up a become and guided others through the spatial storm.”
The man shook his at this and responded, “The only way to navigate the storm was with a Sith Wayfinder. When I traveled to the planet, Palpatine personally used the Force to tear space itself to bring me to him.” Rey was stunned by this concept, though they had experienced this same power before with Kylo Ren. She was about to press on when the Admiral raised a hand and continued, “Even if I did manage to set up a beacon and the New Republic managed to defeat the exogal fleet. Do you believe they could have killed the Emperor? Remember, at that point, he was still disguised as Snoke and able to transfer his consciousness if the need arose. Even if his armies were defeated, he could slip away and bide his time till he could regain power.” He shook his head, growing grim, “Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice for the greater good. To let evil sew the seeds of its own destruction and ultimately pull it up by its roots.”
Rey contemplated this deeply and met the Admiral's sad but solemn eyes, “So you're telling me there was no other way. You just let all those people die.”
Primidian didn't waver but seemed to only grow more resolved as he responded, “As to whether my actions were the only way to destroy Palpatine. They were not, but it was the only course of action I believe in.” His gaze grew cold and piercing as he finished, “As to letting the people who died die, their deaths were the Will of the Force. Be it dark or light, the Will of the Force encompanies all of it and guides all things.” A blistering hatred seemed to appear behind his eyes that caused Rey to shiver as he finished in a tone so cold it frightened her, “I would rather a few billion die than let countless trillions be slaughtered and enslaved under Palpatine's rule.”
The Jedi felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped by ten degrees. She thought over everything the man had said and asked in a quiet voice, “How could you be certain that inaction would lead to the Emperor's downfall.”
Primidian chuckled at this with a knowing expression, and his cold aura dissipated, “Perhaps I saw the future.” His eye grew playful as the Jedi frowned and continued, “Or Perhaps I already knew a girl with a peerless affinity for the Force had been born. A girl who would one day grow to defeat her grandfather and ensure the Force remained in balance.” Rey was a little surprised at this but didn't let it show as the man finished with a shrug, “Either way, I was not entirely inactive. You would be surprised at how many interventions I have made in the last few decades.” He let out a sigh, growing calm once more, and gained a peaceful expression, “Now then, anything else you would like to ask.”
Rey had learned much from their conversation thus far, perhaps even too much. Her mind was left reeling and cautious as to the validity of the man's words. After a moment, she couldn't help but ask a question that had been nagging at her: “If Palpatine was so powerful, why couldn't he predict everything like you say you can.”
Primidian laughed at this hartley and whipped his right eye with a sleeve. After recovering, he responded, “There is a vast difference between strength and wisdom. Palpatine was powerful, but his power stemmed from his strength. He was certainly wise in the way of the dark side but was fixated in his belief that with enough strength, he wouldn't have to learn the intricacies of the Force.” His expression turned complex and mocking for a moment before he finished, “I, on the other hand, devoted my long life to gaining wisdom. Not only learning from the classics but more abstract avenues of thought as well. I not only learned that which had been passed on through the generations but also sought out new knowledge. Wisdom is the source of my power even if I lack strength in the force.” With a glint in his eye, he finished, “Your grandfather longed for the secrets I have locked within my mind, though he was never able to grasp them. I believe you experienced this when you attempted Submergence. Did you not?”