A Grand Uncertainty

Si Quan entered the Jedi Council Chambers, making his way to the center of the room and lingering in place out of pure habit. Si had been in these Chambers many times before, though until recently not as a member of the High Council. After only a slight hesitation, Si located what was now his seat along the circle of seats within the Council Chambers and took his place. The change in perspective was definitely going to take some getting used to.

Even having been away from the Galactic Capital, Si Quan was all too aware of the purpose of today's meetings. The absence of Grand Master Beleren weighed heavily on the minds of all on the Council, his empty seat alone commanding more attention than any of the masters present. No one in the room seemed even to have noticed the fresh bruises on Si Quan's face. Si Quan looked as if he'd just stepped away from a bar fight... and he had. The meeting had been called just as Master Quan had been leaving Metellos, and there had been no time as of yet for Si to undergo Bacta treatments for his injuries. Si hardly minded. The vacant seat of the Grand Master dominated his attention as well, that is until Master Took broke the silence.

Vreem Took was a spirited young Master. He was an Epicanthix like Si, but that was about where the similarities ended. To Si it appeared as if Master Took fancied himself something of a vigilante, swinging in on a chandelier to rescue the galaxy from injustice. Such a romanticized view of the Jedi's role in the Republic was becoming more and more common place among those in the Order, as the presence of "The Blades" attested to. Si never much liked the idea of the Jedi as an army, however, his opinion notwithstanding, Si could agree with his Epicanthix colegue that now was not the time to argue about the war.

Though the matter of what had happened to Master Beleren had hardly been resolved, Si could agree that action was needed. He himself had been skeptical that the Sith could have been behind Jace's disappearance, but his recent run in with them on Metellos had been enough to convince Si that just such a scenario was very possible.

Vreem nominated Roq to be the new Grand Master. The logic of the selection was immediately apparent as the Graarl's greatest selling point was that he offended both sides of the war debate equally and had no obvious opinion on the matter. Si wondered whether this could even be called a virtue, let alone qualify Roq for the position of Grand Master. A more decisive choice, even should they be among the Blades, would at least provide direction for the Order.

Despite his reservations, Si couldn't deny there to be wisdom behind the nomination. There was more to merit Master Roq's selection, after all, than his views on the war. Roq likely was the safest choice, if not the best choice.

"I agree," Si Quan said finally, shifting forward in his seat, "Our unity is crucial, now more than ever. However, now is hardly a time for indecision. Whoever is to lead the Jedi Order moving forward cannot be content to play arbitrator while the Order continues to fade from relevance. That being the case," Si exhaled, settling backwards, "I too feel Master Roq should be Grand Master. I believe he will be equal to the task."

Today, these robes upon his back felt like boulders upon his back as he walked into the doors of the council room, his face not showing the toil fresh in his mind. There s no emotion... he reminded himself as his eyes glanced at one curiously empty chair, like darkness amongst the light. They said that duty was heavier than a mountain, and he could only wonder how much one could take before it lead to their demise.

The strain of this war, for Mordin could no longer pretend it was anything else, had aged this Aquitan beyond his years, and the timing of this event could not have been worse. Right now his concentration should be on the battle to come, and the fight hat he had to keep up, not mourning. The force was alive with the darkside and it hung bout him like a cloud even now in the chambers of the council. Without a sound he moved towards his seat, to hear what would no doubt be about that empty chair.

He remembered, Ziost, that had been where he had first met Jace, upon that wintry night that now seemed so long ago. They’d close to died that day, but somehow the two of them, with another on the council, Master Roq had managed to beat the enemy forces back. That was back before the war was a true entity, and things had been much simpler. A mission had once been something of ease, but now they only seemed to strain him to his full capacity.

It seemed as if everyone had now entered the room, and were making their way to one of the twelve seats that they inhabited, but there wasn’t much talk. Everyone knew what this was about no matter how much they wanted it to be something a little less dismal. There would be no happiness in this decision, no joyous party or feast to celebrate a new Grand Master. Or at least if there was it would only be out of tradition, too many plans needed to be made, and too little time. The blades in their ever entrenching quest of peace had stripped him of his time as well as he’d begun to work with Master Vreem to solidify their cause. There were still those who felt that pacifism was the will of the force, but he would not sit on his chair while innocent cried for help.

“We all know the reason we are gathered here today,” Vreem’s voice began as he unofficially called the meeting to start. With all the controversy of the Blades as well as his position among that, Mordin didn’t think he’d actually nominate himself, and might actually decline a nomination in and of itself.

Vreem had never been one to strive or seek power, but then again neither had Jace, in all honesty. His rise to being the Grand Master was strange indeed, but it had been the Force’s will, it seemed to put the man as their leader. Now the Force had a different path, and part of Mordin hoped that his journey was of his own accord, and not that of abduction. While it would be slightly betraying to leave the order without any word, there was part of the Aquitan that would not condemn the action. There was no way to see into the former Grand Master’s mind to see what he’d gone through, or the events leading up to it. They also said death was lighter than a feather, and Mordin could take solace in the knowledge that if his friend had died, he would finally be at peace.

Vreem spoke of unity, and fighting the dark that was upon them all leading up to a name he’d not truly come to suspect in full, but not surprising at all. Roq, the Graal that had been with Jace and himself at Ziost could not be a better candidate for the job. Mordin himself had seen his wisdom, and it was unparalleled. There was no one who could truly fill the void where Jace sat, but Roq would create his own space next to the memory. In time the pain would leach away, and even Mordin would only remember it in nostalgia, and then not at all.

He was just about to say something as another member, Si Quan spoke up. A newly appointed Council Member that Mordin himself didn’t know much about, but he allowed him to speak as he calmly awaited his turn. Once he had finished, the Aquitan figured there wouldn’t really be a better time.

“The Force has brought us here today,” His voice called out as he began, “I think it isn’t for want that we meet, but out of necessity. No matter the reason, I also agree with Master Vreem and Quan, and this is no time to divide us even more. Talk is for later, in peace. Now is time for decision, for truth, and for progression.”

Even if there was a better choice, which Mordin highly doubted there was, he believed that to divide the council even further would be sure death. Derision amongst the council could tip the precarious balance of this war, and in that case it would not be in their favour.

As the modern Jedi of the era begin to see themselves as an insitution built for warfare in positions of power to extend their strength over preceived enemies and threats. Lamilia had begun to feel stressed in such an enviroment, one where war was the primary concern, the supposed excuse that the war was for the people. As if war was what 'the people' needed. Lamilia was finding it more and more difficult to find her center within the Force at the Jedi Temple with all the anxiety, fear, and desire for war that was becoming so popularized and campaigned within the Order, especially among the more younger members newly becoming Knights all too eager to prove themselves.

All Lamilia could see it as is an ignorant involvement in seeking death. After all, while saying they are fighting for the people, they unwittingly are aiding the Sith in setting the galaxy on fire. It is for that reason that the people often cannot tell the difference between Jedi and Sith, that the lines get blurred, and the difference becomes merely in name only. There is the repeated argument and often childishly done that the Sith started it with a pointed finger. Who or what started a war is inessential to seeking its end and undergoing the process for peace and non-violence. Eventually someone needs to be the adult.

The focus must remain off of the battlefield and square upon the philosophical, and not to be sucked into the Sith's need for destruction. For all of "the Blades" propoganda for fighting for the Republic by engaging warfare, the more the Jedi engage in warfare eliminating soldiers--those are family men and women, the very people the Jedi--the Blades once swore to protect, that they are killing by their own hands. Those families remember such things, and those memories remain for generations seething and cultivating more hatred and prejudice with time. It is difficult to make enemies into friends when you have been killing them.

She found it even more disconcerting with the nihilism toward the Jedi desire to try to prevent the death of the Sith military soldiers under the reasoning of the ones who have committed brutal acts or those charged with protecting Sith Lords--as though those units encompass the millions under Sith tyranny. Which in turn blatantly ignores the very fundamental understanding and oath as a Jedi to not just seek for peace of the Republic but for the galaxy, and the galaxy includes the Sith and not their deaths but their survival, i.e. sparing and saving their lives--if even from themselves. It should never be about the Sith accepting the Jedi philosophy or vice versa, but just either side living in peace; and further understanding that the view of that goal being impossible is what is making it impossible.

The more the Jedi culture within the Jedi Temple begun to turn against or simply be blind to its core philosophies and doctrines, Lamilia felt it best to start anew. With the Jedi resoldifying themselves upon Tython she felt it best to turn her efforts there, and try to help build and consolidate a culture for Jedi to understand what peace truly is--that in order to combat war, to end a war, peace needs to be sought foremost. Whether that is labelled as pacificism or not is simply academic and far from what the concern needs to be. The fact that even among Jedi masters that pacificism is demonized, even in the higher echelons, it is clear to Lamilia that the Jedi Order has lost its way and what it means to be Jedi is losing its original significance.

Then at a time like this the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order disappears, and the Order is left wanting for a figurehead to lead it. However, with yet another crisis having hit the Order once more via it being leaderless at such a time. It did not seem to affect Lamilia as the surmounting internal philosophical problems within the Order had, but no longer does. Her time spent at Tython thus far has been good for her, she has been able to find her center with a far more ease since getting away from the hyperbole of supposed Jedi equating pacificism with the Order's death; when funny enough indulging warfare historically each and every time has brought the Order to the brink of extinction, and thus creating an institution of greater severity.

Getting away from the generated anxiety and somewhat narcissistic perspectives of many Jedi, namely the Blades and their propoganda that only they and their call to arms can possibly save the galaxy from the preceived Sith threat, has as stated proven quite good for Lamilia. She has regained her focus, her equanimity, her center not just within herself and the Force but within the light. In a way she has reclaimed her clarity, and now with the debate of who should be Grandmaster of the Order she meets the problem with zero difficulty.

She strode into the Jedi High Council Chambers with a peace and grace that she had not felt in some months. The tension within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant sadly she felt was steadily becoming an enviroment not welcoming for a more peaceful mind and disposition as the eagerness for war--it had become stifling. For her at least, this proved true, and the solidification and infrastructure efforts for the Jedi at Tython has been a form of therapy in a way.

It would not be too much to say she found herself again at Tython, and within that she learned to shine so bright within the light once again. *The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins--but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than candle. Love can ignite stars. The very fundamental teaching of the Jedi is compassion for everyone, an unconditional love for all. To be able to truly call oneself Jedi, they need to learn to love everyone, they need to learn to love the Sith. How can one learn to have true compassion for someone that they are gearing themselves to kill in visceral warfare? Teaching such forms of compassion is precisely what Lamilia has spent much of her time doing at Tython while aiding in soldifying it.

In any case, with her regained sense of poise and composure within the light, she quietly walked to her seat within the Council Chambers, and sat. She really did not have much to say on the matter, especially who was proposed to be the succeeding Grandmaster of the Order. After all, she agreed with the choice, and had little more to say on the issue outside of, "Agreed."

((Edit: fixed typoes and whatnot.))
((* Italicized sentences taken from Revenge of the Sith novel.))

Ki'ang Hsun was already sitting in his seat as the other Council members entered the chamber one by one. His seat was wide, almost a small couch, with green upholstery that matched the color of his scaly green skin. He sat silently with his clawed hands folded in front on him, deep in thought. Unlike many of the others here, he had known Grandmaster Beleren very well. Ki'ang had already taken up the position as Watchman of Carratos, and consequently spent little time at the Temple, by the time Beleren had passed his trials to become a Jedi Knight many years ago. He had only returned to the Temple full-time in the last few months.

There were many differing opinions among the Council members. There were those who favored an active role in the war. There were those who seemed to advocate inaction. Ki'ang wasn't entirely sure where he stood on the issue. Not at either extreme, but there was a lot of space in between.

They had been talking, and now they were looking at him. "Oh, yes, waiting for me?" He coughed and cleared his throat. "I suppose Master Roq is a little on the young side, but aye, he'll do."

Roq listened somberly as his name circled the room. The Graarl's tail swished silently alongside his pedestal, and his wings were tucked tightly against his spine. His expression was unreadable, neutral and steady -- until, that is, Ki'ang spoke, and he cracked a bit of a smile.

Though the heart was inclined to soar with pride at such compliments, Roq instead weighted it down with the heavy knowledge of the gravity of the situation. No genuine Jedi desired that sort of power. Roq was aware of his own weaknesses, and painfully aware of the damage those weaknesses could wreak, if given power. That was the safety in humility -- while one's merits perhaps did not get the praise they deserved, one's faults could not render the full of their destructive potential. Roq knew that he did indeed have the skill and the knowledge to lead the Jedi order, but he also knew that no soul was immune to the corruptive force of Power.

"I am humbled by your faith," Roq said, his rich voice filling the room. "And honored that I might be chosen to aid the Jedi -- and the galaxy -- in this way. I don't like any of the corners the Order has been backed into, first with the division relating to the war, second with the disappearance of Jace, but they are challenges we're going to have to deal with, all the same.

"However," Roq said, his tone lightening ever so slightly, "Since you all have voted me in, you're going to have to be responsible for making sure I don't do anything stupid." He grinned wryly. "I am but one Jedi, so I dearly hope you will always hold me accountable to the standards this order has always stood for, even as I attempt to hold the Jedi as a whole to the same."

Roq paused for a long moment, then something struck him. "I'm going to have to come up with a 'first order of business', now aren't I? Well then. I do believe the most pressing practical issue is not whether or not the Jedi are going to war, but whether those who have chosen not to will willingly support those who have. While there is a certain line of conduct that must not be crossed," Roq cast Vreem a glance that was more encouraging than judgmental, "Measuring its location to the exact millimeter is of far lower priority than than determining our unity as an order. Two half-steps in the same direction make far more progress than two full steps in opposite directions.

"What are the lingering concerns as to supporting -- which does not necessarily mean joining -- the efforts of the Blades, and vice-versa?"

Roq's gaze scanned the room, as the Graarl was eager to listen, eager to set to task on the problems at hand.

He was glad to see that there was unanimous support for Master Roq, now their new Grand Master. It was not an easy position; Vreem had seen witnessed the increasing hardships that Jace had to face, especially when there was the matter of war to contend with. It wore on him how they had to proceed now without Jace, for the time being. The Jedi Lord wished he could offer to lead the search for his friend, but he couldn’t betray all those who he had sworn to protect in this war.

He listened to the issue Roq raised; it was quite a significant one, and one that, as per usual, he had a bit to say on. “It is an interesting question to pose.” Vreem moved forward in his seat. “I’ve stated within these chambers and to those who wish to support the war, and will continue to state, that our primary objective is to defend and to protect the citizens of the Republic as best as we can. I continually caution the Jedi who join the cause that participation in this war, fighting against the Sith, will not be an easy task. It will increase the likelihood of falling to the Dark Side, simply by the fact that war is such a horrible spectacle. We will have to endure loss and continually struggle against a strong and corruptive group. These are things I caution about, because those who join the cause must always keep these things in mind if they do not wish to succumb to the Dark Side.”

“But I do not want disunity between the Jedi Order and those who wish to join the ‘Blades’. By going against the initial decision by the council to abstain from war, there are Jedi who are looked down upon and almost ridiculed for their choice. If there could be some sort of official recognition and acceptance of this decision by the council and its members, then we can avoid any major disunity. As I stated before, this war will be hard for those Jedi who choose to fight in it. If they then face nothing but ridicule and deprivation from their fellow Jedi, those who did not choose to go to war, well, I fear that would only further any descent into the Dark Side’s maw.”

“I feel as though there are perhaps some members of our Order who forget that whilst they have come to learn, experience and understand the Jedi Code in their own way, there should be variation within almost every Jedi Knight’s acceptance of the Code. Obviously there will be large and core ideals that are inherent within all Jedi, but whilst under the Order we have all walked different paths and shared different experiences. I think that if it can be expressed that there is a mutual understanding, and an acceptance of that understanding, between those who wish to go to war and those wish to abstain, then we can perhaps begin to fill the rift that has begun to form within the Jedi.”

“I also believe that for those who wish to abstain, the threat posed by this new group of Sith is something that should still require some form of action. We know very little about them other than they seem to have a greater number of members than we’ve seen in any Dark Jedi group reported for the last few centuries. We also know that they are working in tandem with the Sith Empire to some extent, but beyond that we know very little for certain. If the Jedi are to act against the Sith in areas other than war as well as face them in combat then we must work together. But we must address ways in which those who do not wish to fight in the war can act in order to uncover more about this threat and how it might be weakened.”

He looked around the room. “Apologies, I fear I may have raised issues faster than may have been intended, but there is much to be said.”

The motion went around the room and each master present agreed to recognize Roq as the new Grand Master. It was a fine choice, and one the Order desperately needed. The most evocative argument for that was right in front of them in the form of silent, empty seats. There were only five masters in the High Council chambers for this meeting, Si Quan included. The leadership that had once united the Order was waning. The Jedi had been fractured, perhaps irrevocably, and the war was the wedge driving them apart.

Si listened in silence as Roq raised the Sith and their war as a subject of conversation. Not surprisingly, Master Vreem was the first to answer. Si shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. Vreem's words proved what Si Quan, and certainly every other master in the room already knew to be true. Though they all spoke of unity, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Si shook his head, "It would seem you've already made up your mind, Master Vreem," Si spoke softly, gently stroking the short hairs on his chin, "You speak passionately of unity, but I'm sure even you can't be so naive as to believe it. This Order is broken. Even now our numbers are split between Coruscant and Seraphim. This Council no longer holds the trust of those it is supposed to represent. Discussions like these are now little more than meaningless exercises as the Blades circumvent the will of the Council and take matters into their own hands."

"Do not misunderstand my meaning, however," Si continued after a pause, "I do not hold the Blades responsible for the fallen Jedi, nor even for the fracturing of the Order. This split is but a symptom of a much larger problem. The Sith demand action, there can be no doubt of that. But to meet them in their arena, to wage war on the Sith while, by Master Vreem's own admission, bathing ourselves in the temptations of the dark side. I'm not much of a military tactician, but were I the Sith, that's exactly how I'd want it. We will not win playing by their rules. Learn from the past. The Sith have swelled their ranks with our pupils, our masters... our peers. My vote is for patience."

Si let out a loud sigh, slumping back in his chair. He'd said all he needed to say. There was nothing more he could do. This was a decision that each Jedi in the Order would need to make for themselves.

It was going to be his first time, accessing a council meeting in a long time. It was also the first time he was going to do it from a remote location. He looked at the comms system controls, before waving his hand, activating the system.

His holographic image flickered into view in the council chamber, filling his seat as if he were there in person. The truth was, he had been devestated when he heard the news of Jace's disappearance. He had set out himself on one of the Republic's Origin Class Dradnaughts searching for the man he would have followed blindly into the deepest circle of hell. It wasn't a topic he enjoyed lingering on. As yet, he could not find a trace.

"Fellow council members, it seems that I have reached this meeting late." He said, bowing his head to each in turn as he spoke, "Although it does not matter so much now, I also agree that Roq is the ideal candidate for the role. In all of our meetings he has been the only voice of reason, and the only ears to hear both sides. Congratulations, Roq." His eyes traced around, moving to Master Quan before he continued.

"Master Quan, I do see your point of view, and I do appreciate your views, however I wonder if fractured would be the correct way to view the Jedi Order? Yes, we have two arms, both of which are heading in opposite directions, but in reality, the two factions moving as they are, does not create a fracture, having opposing beliefs would. The two groups both, as a basis, have the same views, that of the code. The difference is that there is a small difference in the way that the code is perceived. This is not weakness, this is not the Order falling apart, this is life. People see things differently."

He turned back towards Roq and Vreem before saying, "I have to agree with the words of Master Took. The issue is not that there are factions, the issue is how the factions view each other. To expand on Master Took's words, however, I would say that both factions view each other with similar apprehension. Those who are not actively fighting view the Blades as being brash, aggressive, war mongerers. The Blades view those not fighting as being overly passive, and careless." He paused for a moment before saying, "We need to remind the order, that every one of us is still Jedi, at the end of the day. We all have the same goal, we are just getting there a different way."

He shrugged, then finished, "We are all Jedi. We aren't Blades and non-Blades."