"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.
Qui-Gon was in his quarters when he got the message that he was to report to the Jedi Council immediately. He was most likely being called to report on what had happened with Obi-Wan.
He rose with a sigh. He had returned to the Temple for peace. Instead, he was forced to relive the situation over and over.