The Uncertain Path

3

Obi-Wan sat between Nield and Cerasi at a huge round conference table.

The Young had taken over the bombed-out Melida/Daan Unified Congress Building. It had stood intact for only three years, during a period where the Melida and Daan had tried to rule together before war had broken out again.

The Young had taken it over as a symbolic gesture of unity. There were certainly more welcoming places they could have chosen. They had tried to clear most of the rubble, but they were forced to leave the heavier fallen beams and columns. The windows had been blown out, and more than half the roof was gone.

Obi-Wan was damp and cold and uncomfortable, but he was thrilled to be here, forming a new government. The days were long and difficult, but he never felt tired. There was so much to think about and so much to do.

The Young had won the war. But the hard part was just beginning.

Before, they had all been in agreement. They had simply wanted peace. But now the Young waged a war of words among themselves. There were too many decisions to make and too many opinions.

The city of Zehava was a ruin. Many people did not have heat, and food was scarce. Hospitals needed supplies. Fuel for floaters and transports was low. But the worst problem was the amount of arms still carried by the citizens, most of them former soldiers. Tensions ran high, and any small conflict could escalate into a serious battle.

The Young were in the majority on Melida/Daan, especially since the decimated Middle Generation had thrown their support to them during the war.

It had been easy to reach an agreement to elect Nield as temporary governor.

In addition, an advisory council of ten members had been set up. Obi-Wan was on it, along with Mawat and other Young leaders. Cerasi headed the council.

As governor, Nield was required to follow any motion that was voted by a majority. He cast one vote as well.

Nield and the council had gone to work immediately, forming squads to address the separate problems that Zehava faced. Obi-Wan was head of the Security Squad. It was the most dangerous duty, involving a house-to-house weapons sweep of the entire city. Until further notice, only members of the Security Squad were allowed to carry weapons. All others were directed to turn their weapons in to a warehouse until the tensions eased. Obi-Wan had not been surprised when many people did not want to cooperate. Even some of the Young were reluctant to hand over their weapons. They had all lived with conflict for too long.

The policy had been discussed at the first general meeting. There had been shouting and furious arguments.

Cerasi had faced them all down. She had stood in the middle of the ruined building and seemed to meet every eye in the packed house. “Peace isn’t just a concept to me,” she had said. “It is life and breath. I will never pick up a weapon again. I have seen what they can do. If a weapon of destruction is in my hands, sooner or later that weapon will be used. I will not contribute to one more death on Melida/Daan!”

After a silence, the Young had burst into cheers. Cerasi had flushed with happiness and pride as boys and girls streamed up to the council table and handed over their weapons. It had been a proud moment.

“First order of business,” Cerasi now said crisply, breaking into Obi-Wan’s thoughts. “Let’s get progress reports from the squad heads. Nield, would you begin?”

Nield stood. He was head of the New History Squad, which was in charge of demolishing the symbols of hatred and division in Zehava—war monuments, military statues, and the great Halls of Evidence, which housed holograms of warriors telling tales of hatred and bloodshed.

“As you all know,” Nield began in a ringing voice, “the building of a new society can only take place if the old rivalries are stamped out. How can the fragile peace hold if both Melida and Daan still have places to go to fuel their hatred? I say that the destruction of the Halls of Evidence should be our first priority!”

Many onlookers cheered. But Taun, the head of the Utilities Squad, in charge of bringing back power and heat to the many ruined buildings, raised his hand.

“The people are cold and hungry,” he said. “Isn’t helping them more important?”

“It’s when they’re cold and hungry that they blame the other side,” Nield answered. “That’s when the lines at the Halls of Evidence grow long. People would rather warm themselves with hatred than blankets.”

“What about the med centers?” Dor, a quiet boy, spoke up. “The sick can’t line up at the Halls. They need medicine.”

“And the orphans?” someone else called. “The care centers can’t handle the overflow.”

“I would say that rebuilding housing is our first priority,” Nena, the head of the Housing Squad, spoke up. “There are so many who were displaced by the war.”

Nield suddenly brought his hand down on the table with a sharp crack.

The buzz of conversation stopped.

“All of these problems come from the endless wars!” he cried. “And the endless wars spring from the endless hate! We must destroy the Halls first. It will give the people hope. Hope that we can bury the past as easily as we bury the symbols of our division!”

A hush fell on the room. Everyone stared at Nield. His words rang true.

“I know destroying the resting places of our ancestors is asking people to sacrifice their memories,” Nield continued. “That is why I’ve chosen the resting place of my ancestors as the first Hall to be demolished. I want to remember my parents as people. Not warriors! I want to remember them with love. Not hate! Come with me now,” he urged, leaning over the table, his voice carrying to every corner of the room. “Let me show you what a great mark of unity this will be. Are you with me?”

“We’re with you!” the Young shouted.

Nield sprang up and strode down the center aisle. “Then come on!”

Boys and girls jumped up and ran behind him, cheering. Grinning, Obi-Wan and Cerasi followed.

“Nield will always be able to bring us together,” Cerasi exclaimed, her face glowing.

The crowd followed Nield to the Daan sector, where a huge Hall of Evidence was located on a large, glittering blue lake. The low black structure hovered on repulsorlifts, covering almost the entire surface of the lake.

Already, workers from Nield’s squad were carrying out the stone markers on small speeders. They dumped them in a growing pile.

Mawat waved Nield over as soon as the crowd arrived. “Hey, I made sure they saved these intact,” he told Nield in a low voice. “I didn’t know if you wanted to keep them.”

Obi-Wan looked over at the stone markers. He saw the name Micae chiseled on one, with the warrior’s birth and death dates. Next to it was a marker for Leidra. They were Nield’s parents.

Nield looked down at the markers. “I’m glad you saved them,” he murmured to Mawat.

Obi-Wan exchanged a surprised glance with Cerasi. Would Nield reconsider his position now that he was face-to-face with the last evidence of his parents?

Nield caressed the golden globe that activated the projection. His father appeared in hologram form, brandishing a blaster and wearing armor.

“I am Micae, son of Terandi of Garth, from the North Country,” the hologram began.

Nield turned and activated the hologram of his mother, Leidra. A tall woman with Nield’s dark eyes appeared. “I am Leidra, wife of Micae, daughter of Pei of Quadri,” she began.

The two voices combined, each drowning out the other. Obi-Wan could pick out isolated words and phrases about battles fought and won, ancestors dead, villages destroyed.

Nield picked up a beamdrill. Now the crowd had gathered around him. A solemn look was on his face as he turned to the marker for his father.

“I was but a boy when the evil Melida invaded Garth and herded my people into camps,” Micae was saying. “There—”

Nield attacked the marker with the beamdrill, shattering it into pieces. The hologram dissolved into glittering fragments, then disappeared.

Only the voice of Nield’s mother remained.

“And to my son, Nield, my treasure, my hope, I leave my love and my undying hatred for the filthy Melida—”

Leidra’s voice was cut off as Nield set to work on her marker. The hologram wavered, then dissolved. The harsh sound of the beamdrill filled the air. Stone splintered and chips flew, cutting Nield on his arms. He didn’t seem to feel it. He operated the drill until his parents’ markers were ground to small chunks of stone.

“Now they are gone forever,” Cerasi whispered. Obi-Wan saw a small tear trickle down from the corner of her eye.

Nield turned. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a forearm. Blood from his cuts mingled with the dust covering his face. He leaned down to pick up one of the chunks of stone. He held it aloft.

“The remnants of these stones will be used to build new housing for Melida and Daan to live together in peace,” he shouted. “Today, a new history is born!”

A great roar rose from the crowd. Many rushed into the Hall to help dismantle it. Others hoisted pieces of stone and cheered.

Obi-Wan stood next to Nield and Cerasi. It was a historic moment. He had helped to shape it.

He had no regrets about leaving the Jedi. He was home.