The Council Chamber

[Kay]

The hooded form of the grand mistress, silent and unmoving in her council seat, meditated and listened with great interest to the murmurs which filled the chambers around her; her colleagues deliberating and philosophizing on all manner of topics, whether inane or fundamental, as time slowly passed.

It was all like a dream to her. As if she were not sitting there at all but rather drifting listlessly through one Master to the next, catching naught but the barest hints of that which was being discussed and yet, at the very same time, somehow reaching an almost intimate understanding of each exchange. It was a level of tranquillity she would’ve dwelled in forever if she had the choice and yet as reality struck, she realized she could not stall for a moment longer and so, with a heavy sigh, she prepared herself for the task ahead.

“Members of the council,” Eris suddenly yet gently interposed, pushing herself up shakily from the seat as a hush fell on the council, “While it vexes me so to interrupt such a rare moment to ourselves I feel we must finally discuss that which we’ve been avoiding for too long… the death of the esteemed Grand Mistress Ashla Aneem…” A pause was taken as she allowed the name to settle; her milky white eyes peering out from the dark shadows of her hood as she knowingly revived past sorrows. “And while I realize many of you consider the chapter closed, I feel it is not an event we can brush aside so easily.”

Her arms and hands, hidden by the sleeves of her billowing robes, hung loosely at her sides as she slowly shuffled to the centre of the chamber, continuing as she made her way. “I understand you’ve all noticed the increase in activity by our wayward cousins? Well, I fear this may not be a coincidence -- if the force ever allowed such to begin with in the first place -- and while we have the confirmed death of the Dark Lord I feel we should prepare nonetheless… Of course this means I will open the floor for suggestions as to how… but first…”

Upon reaching the centre, Eris once again paused, surveying the masters around her as she folded her arms into their opposing sleeves before once again continuing, “I wish to offer my own, more controversial, submission for the council’s deliberation.”

Another brief moment of silence passed, with Eris’s mind recalling the dialogue between Jace and Vreem just minutes before -- strangely appropriate considering the timing and quite inspiring.

“I propose that we warn the Aristocrats of the possible Dark Jedi presence and the likely consequences of dealing with them…” Wordlessly, Eris raised her hand at the sight of impending protests, signifying that she was not finished.

“While I understand many of you might see this as odd I feel that the aristocracy, if forewarned and on guard, could prove a hindrance to the expansion of any darths. And I say this confidently as we all know the driving force behind the Aristocracy is greed.” Again, she knew she was stating the obvious, but she hoped she could elaborate for her colleagues.

“I feel it is only a matter of convincing the aristocracy of the threat a darth could prove to its assets…”

And with that Eris signified the opening of the floor with a light, respectful, bow of her head; returning to her seat as she awaited the response of the council.

[Jace]

Jace who was in deep talk with Master Vreem hadn't even realized that the Grand Master had got up from her seat. He then listened to her suggestion carefully and attempted to understand her point to its fullest. The Chambers were silent for minutes, every master thinking, and maybe even hesitating to answer. Jace looked around the room, and figured that he might as well be the first to speak up.

"I guess I shall speak my mind first"

Jace looked around at all the other members in the room before continuing.

"I can see the Master Eris's point in warning the aristocrats but it is my belief that this may just amount to naught. Remember we can only warn these greedy politicians and tycoons with the dangers of loosing their wealth. The Dark Side has the ability to seduce, corrupt, manipulate to an unchecked level. A Dark Jedi, and even more a Dark Lord could offer more than we ever possibly could. They can offer Aristocrats, obscene amounts of power and wealth for their cooperation. I think the idea has merit but I believe their are more effective ways of taking a step against the dark side."

Jace paused for a few seconds, to collect his thoughts, and make sure he wasn't crazy.

"I believe we need to take a more proactive and maybe even slightly aggressive step to counteract this possible looming threat of Dark Jedi. These Jedi who have lost their way on the path of righteousness gain more followers with every passing day. As some of you may know, when I was a knight, I was assigned the rank of Jedi Shadow. Our decree was to take a more proactive step to root out evil organizations and dark side elements. I Believe this is what we must do now. We need to start sending more Jedi out on reconnaissance. We need to get more Jedi into posistions where they can gain possible information about the movements of these lost Jedi. These Dark side followers can use the situation with Sith Empire and Mandalorians to distract us. I am not suggestion we hold some sort of mass hunt but at least begin gathering information and places resources. If we do not, then we may have an insurrection on our hands before we know it. The Dark side clouds everything, we must be cautious"

Jace sighed once and then waited to see how the others would respond. He had just suggested an even more radical idea than the Grand Master and he had been quite forward about it.

[Vreem Took]

Even through the heated debates and attention grabbing voices of the charismatic Council Members presence, as soon as she spoke, Vreem noticed how instantly the room fell into a respectful silence. It had been the same in the case of the previous Grand Master, yet even during his short time spent on the Council in her presence, he could already see that the other members had not only respected her, but they were left in awe by her graceful and powerful figure. Truly Master Aneem had been a grand role model to every Jedi; always managing to keep her head no matter how worrying the situation. Her death had been… troubling, how one so powerful as she had managed to fall at the hands of the Sith.

After her death the boots seemed to large for anyone to fill. Of course, they, as members of the Council, had to see to it that a new Grand Master was appointed. Naturally members of the Council were the primary choice. In fact, Vreem himself had been a strong candidate for the position, but he was thankful that he did not have to bear that burden of responsibility. He knew the reason for the Council’s decision not to choose him. It was his past, no matter how much they all professed that it no longer had any effect upon his current standing, he knew that the memory would forever play some part in how he was dealt with, they would never forget. In fact, it had been a surprise that he had even been considered in the first place, at least it had been to him. True, there were those who knew little to nothing of his true abilities, or his past for that matter. They would probably think that it was simply his unorthodox manner which warranted him the discerning looks from some of the Council. But those who knew had been against the possibility of taking the position.

Still, he looked up to Master Eris with a great deal of respect, it was not an easy job she was taking on and she was still fairly young as both a Master and Member of the Council. It was also surprising that they had not elected someone who boasted great power with the Force. Eris was strong, but there were members on the Council who stood out as more powerful than she, he was not being critical of her, Vreem was simply stating fact.

But his mind had wandered and they were discussing a topic which would be extremely important in regards to the Order and possibly the future of the entire galaxy. And for that reason he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

When Vreem spoke, his eyes seemed partially glazed, as if he was looking into his own mind, into some untold wisdom which only came to him know by the will of the Force and he spoke the words like a true and faithful servant in usual bold and powerful voice. “We do not know how long it took us to discover the Dark Lord; he could already have had his claws deep within the Sith Empire. We can seemingly take for granted that if any group of dark followers has formed then they will require the military influence and strength of the growing Sith Empire. I believe we can rule out the possibility that this thread has been averted as the Force is still clouded by darkness. If that is the case and this fight was simply the prelude of what is to come then we most certainly need to have some form of plan to prevent the main performance. There are number of possibilities when it comes to the followers of the Dark Lord, I hope that it is a rag-tag group of Dark Jedi, in which case we will eventually be able to divide them, if they do not do so on their own. However, if the Dark Lord had managed to train an apprentice, then we could very well be dealing with the return of the Sith Order, and that brings a shiver to my spine to which no comfort can be brought.”

He stopped, realising he had spoken for a fair amount, for the most part he had simply explained the current situation as he understood, perhaps cleaning up any misunderstandings that some of the more… arrogant members of the Council may have. With a look of both concern and deep thought, Vreem listened to the words of Master Beleren. When the Master finished, Vreem felt compelled to respond. “Master Beleren, I believe one thing you should consider is the fact that the numbers of our Order are limited and you are suggesting we send out Knights on reconnaissance, if we move more of them away from the temple and split them, wont they simply become easier targets for any followers of the Dark Lord who may still be at large, it would make using the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy much easier for them. Yet I understand where you are coming from, something needs to be done now, before the threat is given the opportunity to grow further. However, I am still at loss for how we should do this.” It was true, no matter how many plans he came up with, he found them too easy to fault, no doubt a lot of the other members of the Council could say the same.

He still sat contemplating, hoping that someone else might put forward their view or opinion and give him the time to form some sort of plan.

[Jace]

Jace knew what Master Vreem had said was completely right, but he didn't know what else to do.

"You are right Master Vreem, I misspoke, forgive my naivety. I had not thought about how it would divide our forces and leave use vulnerable at our home. I still have no idea how to go about this, I still council that we take some sort of proactive step against this coming darkness"

Jace remained quiet and just went inward and tried to sort out these issues in his mind. He needed to clear his mind of all anxiety and pressures and everything from the outside. Then and only then would he be on the path to achieving a proper solution.

[Kay]

Eris simply sat and listened as Vreem and Jace brought forward their respective suggestions and opinions, especially glad that Jace’s relative newness to the Council hadn’t dissuaded him from taking part in this crucial discussion. After all, it was always welcome to hear what fresh ideas such recent members of the council normally brought to the table. Although, she couldn’t help but frown as he apologized to Master Vreem on top of suggesting himself naïveté. The last thing Eris needed was for council members to be afraid to step forward with their ideas and so, she couldn’t help but swiftly speak out.

“Nonsense,” Eris interjected, giving a light flick of her hand as if to brush off the very notion, “Presenting your thoughts or suggestions are certainly not signs of naïveté, just as having the possible flaws pointed out is not a sign that you have misspoken. Especially when you consider that whichever route we finally decide to take is very likely to be a gamble in itself."

She allowed a brief pause to ensure those last words had the opportunity to sink in before continuing, "To put it simply, all we’re doing here is identifying which entails the least risk, for the best results. And so really, we’re open to all ideas at the moment. If anyone understands this better, it’s Master Vreem.”

As Eris began that final sentence she gave a brief glance in Vreem’s direction, hoping he didn’t mind her answering for him. With that little bit out of the way however, she proceeded to lean back in her seat, her hand disappearing in the shadows of her hood as she rubbed her forehead in thought. After a short moment though, she finally began to speak, sharing her thoughts on the situation.

“Frankly, my plan came with its own major flaws… That is to say, if Master Beleren were correct in believing the only fault was that it might amount to naught, I’d have already dispatched delegates to open up negotiations … Unfortunately though, most Aristocrats see us as an arm of the Republic and a very credible threat to their ambitions. Thus, it’s highly likely that they would misinterpret our attempts to negotiate as fear and jump at the opportunity to instead support that which we wish to warn them of.”

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as the Grand Mistress conveyed this to the rest of the council, obviously with very few alternatives to suggest herself.

“I feel Master Beleren and Vreem are correct however in that we should take a proactive step but as Master Vreem said, it’s difficult to say what our next course of action should be… especially when we know absolutely nothing of what we’re dealing with...”

[Iota]

Iota stormed through the halls of the jedi temple as hemarched up into the council chambers, he was not angry nor upset. He was determined to inform the council of his newsand he hoped they would not repeat the same errors as they had in the past. He walkedinto the centre of the chambers, he bowed with respect.

"Masters, i have come bearing grave news" Iota's facial expression remaining neautral "i have had an interesting discusion with the senator of corellia..he is an ex military man and is very wise when it comes to planning for war. it is his belief aswell as mine that the sith empire have been quiet and dormant for far too long... i have suggested a plan of reinforcing stronghold planets to the republic with subtlety so the sith do not realise or catch on whats happening and evacuating planets that arenot as important..that way the republic can maximise its defenses with minimal casualties. He is in full support as he showed me incriminating evidance that if the sith did attack that most of the out laying sectors would fall relatively quickly" iota paused for a moment to breathe.

"I have sensed and surely no doubt you have to wise masters that there is a form of a gathering of the dark side on Mygeeto.. this tremer i felt disturbs me and i believe we should form a plan just incase..for the republic..for democracy." iota bowed once more as he finished his speech.

[Jace]

Jace was surprised at The Grand Mistress comments, he wasn't expecting it, but it reassured to know that his ideas were not unwanted. Just as Jace was contemplating what to do about the current situation, a Jedi Knight entered and presented another dilemma. Jace once again found himself the first one to respond, it seemed to be a pattern these days but it didn't really bother him.

"I feel your suggestion has warrant, it is I believe at least a beginning step for our plans. This somewhat relates to what the council was just discussing, but I think we have all agreed that we need to take proactive steps against whatever hostile entity whether it be the Dark Jedi or the Sith. The Sith Empire has been quiet lately and it has been troubling myself and others on the council. One of the problems I see here, is the evacuating of planets. While this works somewhat in our favour, it also signals the Sith Empire of the republics intentions. They no doubt have spies all over various planets in the universe, if we start evacuating, they may take it as the opportunity to begin attacking. For it will be the time when we are the most vulnerable. This idea has merit, but what say the rest of the council?"

Jace knew that the Sith Empire was the other main problem with threatened the republic. The Jedi were not soldiers but they are defenders of the republic, and should the Sith get too ambitious, things may turn nasty for the republic and the Jedi.

[Kay]

Eris listened attentively to both Iota and Jace, nodding with silent agreement to her fellow master’s opinion before speaking up herself, “Jace is correct, besides the economic hit that the system would take from evacuating entire planets, there’s no way the Republic would be able to hide such an exodus from the eyes of the Sith. At best, it’d distract the Aristocrats from their usual bickering and skulduggery as they’re forced to band together in the face of a common enemy. Of course I’m not denying that steps should be taken to minimize possible casualties but perhaps we should consider all options before mobilizing for war. I, for one, am sure there are subtler methods the Republic could employ in regards to how they ready their forces.”

Eris leaned back in her seat, quietly contemplating the choices they had before them and the likely consequences of each. Really, whatever the Republic decided, the council had little say in the matter at this point. It was now in the hands of the senate and Republican Generals/Admirals. A responsibility Eris did not envy them for.

[Iota]

Gaius Fal'kirk, Falleen and jedi weapon master majestically stepped into the council chambers to take his seat, he bowed slightly out of respect to his fellow councilman before actually resting upon his seat. His seat had not been sat in for a few months as he had been pre-occupied watching over his former padawan who just took on a new jedi youngling as his own, their mission was a tricky one and Gaius went along just incase things went sour.

"Greetings friends, i do apologise for my absence..i guess old habits die hard" He paused for a moment as he smiled shortley before his face turned to a more serious tone "no doubt, like me..you have also sensed a disturbance or...shift.. in the force..this perplexes me..i also fear that our gaurdians are going to be targetted, hence in grave danger.. this threat will come at us swiftly yet violently.. and i just pray we are ready for what these dark forces .. who ever it may be." Gaius closed his eyes to reflect on his feelings and thoughts.

[.:Falcon:.]

Talarian moved silently through the halls of the Jedi temple. Two lightsabers hung at her belt- one, her own training saber. The other, the one she had taken from the Dark acolyte. She wore the traditional robes, her usual tunic. All in all, she looked normal. But she certainly didn't feel normal. Inside, she was...well, what was she, exactly?

It was somehing she had never felt before- she had been disappointed, happy, even angry a time or two. But this- it felt as if a deep pit had been carved out of her stomach, and then just left. She hated it.

But why did she feel this way? Ah, there lay the sting. She had abandoned her Master, left him to die. All because he told her to. True, she was supposed to obey him. But she had been with him less than a week, and something had already gone wrong. "Maybe I wasn't meant to be a Jedi." she muttered.

She finally reached the Council doors. They were large, imposing, and Tal felt a momentary shrinking away. She didn't want to go inthere, didn't want to face all those Masters, didn't want to have to tell them she had failed, didn't want to admit what she had done.

She squared her shoulders, and bravely stepped up to the doors. Then, she paused. What was the correct procedure for this? Just go in? Knock? Get a comlink and call them? She wasn't sure. She knew her indecision was not proper, but she didn't care. Making her decision, she boldly pushed open the doors, and stepped in.

There they were, looking at the doors. Tal swallowed hard, and dipped into the customary bow. "Masters." she murmured, then waited...for something, anything.

[Cavalry King]

Atu Soka, the recently readmitted Jedi Weaponmaster and now council advisor was one of the few who were still in the Council chambers, he was not sure where some of the others were at the moment and he knew he could not make any decisions on his own yet so he would have to wait. Perhaps he could simply talk with her and listen to what she had to say. He sensed her approach from when she was still far off and could feel great confusion inside of her. Those emotions such as Hate and anger are two that a Jedi should not harbor for long. He figured whatever she had to say had something to do with these feelings.

When she entered he was sitting calmly on his chair meditating on the Jedi teachings and reaching out to her in the force, trying to calm her nerves. He opened his eyes after she had stopped in the main chamber of the council room. He looked at her with a small smile and said, "Welcome young padawan. I was not aware you were coming, neither were the other council members. Others should be here soon."

He remained motionless, reclined in his chair contemplating the situation that was before him. He could not give final judgment, not yet anyway, but he could give advice should she ask it of him.

[.:Falcon:.]

Tal nodded to the man. "I'm sorry I didn't send notification of my arrival. I was..." she paused, thinking it through. "Rather preoccupied. I'll remember next time." If there was a next time, she reminded herself. She had only been a proper Padawan for a very few days, after all, and just a youngling before that. It was quite possible they'd just put her back in the youngling ranks.

And then she'd get drummed into the agricorps when she turned 13. Everything in her revolted against that. She wouldn't. She wouldn't go weeding topatoes, and planting silly weeds in the ground, even if it was an important job. She would be a Jedi.

She shifted, and looked back to the Master, uncertain whether she should speak out or not. Mostly ignorant of the Council procedures, she wasn't at all sure it would be proper for her to speak out. So she just stood there, waiting.

[Jace]

Jace watched as the young padawan walked into the Council Chamber. It didn't both Jace all that much that she didn't make a formal appointment, some others may have. Jace leaned forward and didn't smile yet didn't look hostile either and he spoke plainly.

"Speak young one, why have you come to the council?"

The question was straightforward, he sensed the young girl had much on her mind, she it was better if she spoke soon before she did something rash.

[.:Falcon:.]

Talarian jumped as another spoke up. Very much on edge at the moment, she swallowed hard, and fastened her eyes on a spot above the heads of the Council members. She opened her mouth, and started speaking in a voice much more steady than she felt at the moment.

"My master, Council member River Moonflow, and I went on a mission to Onderon. We were seeking out the Lords of Kressh. I think that's what they were called, anyway. We went to a tomb below the palace, and we ambushed by a group of Dark Jedi. The chamber collapsed, trapping my master and the dark Jedi inside."

She stopped, searching for any other details she might want to add. Thinking of nothing, she shifted, and waited for their acknowledgement.

[Iota]

Gaius sat quietly in deep meditation, he had felt the young padawan's anger dwell up inside. He remained silent as jace spoke and waited a few more moments before eventually opening his eyes to look at the young jedi hopeful.

"your master sacrificed himself for you.. do not mourn him, or blame yourself for his passing on from this mortal coil..rejoice in his teachings, rejoice for the life he lived and finally...rejoice for your master, as he is now at one with the force" he nodded softly "Self-Sacrifice, my child... he let himself die..so you would not..so you would live..."

[Cavalry King]

The others had spoken, now Soka could really say what he wished, respecting their positions by allowing the first real words of advice. He had heard of this member and now he was lost to the order, to join the force. Soka nodded, "Truly a loss to the order, he will be missed. I know you might hear us say in unison not to mourn him, and think us callous and insensitive to your plight, but we have all experienced the loss of friends in the line of duty. It is best if you not dwell on such matters for, doing so will not bring him back. He gave you a second chance, and I hope you will not make his sacrifice one he did in vain."

Soka thought for a moment, there had to be more to her coming than to simply report the death of her master, that information could have been sent in a message. She was looking for somthing, a favorable outcome to this meeting. He stroked his beard and asked her politely, "Perhaps I am not wrong in saying you are not here only to report the death of your master, while he was important, such information could have been sent here in a message. Did he give you any information to give us? Or is the activities of the Lords of Kressh that concern us?"

He had an idea as to why she really was here but he would wait to see the response of the others and herself.

[.:Falcon:.]

Talarian bit her lip. She cleared her throat. "oh! As we were waiting, we heard them talking. They were gathered, planning to use the power of Freedon Nad to ressurect a 'Lord'. They seemed to think this Lord had great powers, and would help them. Theywere waiting for someone...Freedon Nad, I guess."

She stopped, and thought. She couldn't think of anything else. But, taking the bantha by the horns, she spoke up again. "Will I have to go back to being a youngling?" she asked tentatively.

[Iota]

Gaius nodded slowly as he listened to the young jedi before shaking his head slightly "if they believe they can ressurect a long dead sith lord..who by the way.. was buried into a casket made from mandalorian iron which lightsabers cannot penetrate... they suffer from illusions of grandure..... it is not un-common or unheard of for the ghost of a long dead sith lord to arise, but they cannot really do much except annoy the people with in his or her tomb.. it wouldn't be anything to worry about." he nodded.

Several seconds had passed before he spoke again looking to each council member before hand "you were chosen to be trained as a jedi.. just because your initial master became one with the force.. does not mean your career ends there... you will be assigned a new master or a new master will chose you.. patients my young friend." he smiled in a friendly manner before sitting back in his seat.

[Regnier]

”Another of our number lost? I see…”

From behind the young Jedi, Kellick sighed and shook her head as she stepped through the doors and into the chamber. She did not, however, sit, instead choosing to stand just off to the side of her seat. She did not mourn at the news of another Council Member lost, not even one so soon after the losses of so many others, though it did indeed bring sorrow to her heart. It was becoming a trend she did not wish to see become recurrent, but knew, in her very bones, that more death was to come. There were times that knowing what the future would bring was a gift she greatly valued; others, it was not something she would wish on her enemies.

”Dark times, these are. Dark times, indeed, that the young should be subject to such things. Young one, I sense a great deal of unrest within you, and though I do not feel surprised at such a thing, I feel I must also say as the others have; you must not mourn for his loss. No, it is not wrong to feel sadness or grief over such a thing as death; it is something no one should have to bear, but it is something that all must, in time, as you now do. But you must not dwell on such things, nor let them gain power over you…grieve for your Master, and remember him and what you learned from him always, remember him as he lived, not as he died. The Force works in ways even the wisest of us cannot possibly understand, it takes and gives life as it will, and there is nothing, in the end, we can do to change that. Master Moonflow was destined to fall as he did; you must see that it was no fault of yours, and you cannot begrudge those who took his life. From experience, I can tell you without doubt that those things will take you to places you do not wish to find yourself. Master Moonflow with live on, as long as we remember him for what he was, and that, my child, is your last duty to him. He would ask of no more.”

The Onderonian turned her head slightly to focus on Master Soka. Nodding, she turned her attention back upon the girl before the Council. The Weaponmaster was correct; while much of this Padawan’s mind seemed to be on the death of her master, as one would expect, there was another question that rolled through her thoughts. It wasn’t hard to guess what that question was, once one was to stop and think about it. The Padawan appeared very close to twelve or thirteen years, and her master had just been killed. One not as well-versed in the ways of the Jedi may very well believe they might be returned to the status of a youngling in such a situation. Fortunately for her, as the Falleen stated, such was not the way things were done. A Padawan she would remain, to be taken by another master in due time. She nodded in agreement to his words. ”Indeed, Master Fal’kirk speaks the truth. You shall continue to bear the rank of Padawan until the Council decrees otherwise. When you will be taken by another master, none can truly say…you must trust in the will of the Force.”

Turning again to face Gaius, she paused, an empty smile forming across her face. ”I feel as though I must disagree, however, with what you say of ghosts. In my studies, there are mentions of powerful Force users overcoming death, and I can say first-hand that a ghost is capable of far more than simple annoyance.” Just thinking about it made most of the bones in her body ache. Salim had left numerous scars in just a few minutes, both physical and to her mind, and she was certain he would have killed her had it not been for the intervention of another. And Salim wasn’t the only ghost she had encountered. Maybe it was just her luck that she happened upon the dangerous ones, but she found it unlikely the ghosts of the dead should be regarded so…lightly.

[.:Falcon:.]

Talarian resisted the urge to let out a triumphant 'yes!' as the Masters told her she would not be returned to the lower rank of youngling. As it was,she couldn't stop a bouncing- going up on her toes, and back down.

She listened to the swirling of admonishments- don't let his death bother you, he's gone to be one with the Force, he'd want you to be happy in that knowledge....and on and on it went. She ignored it. She had already figured that out for herself, and she'd do her best to follow it from now on.

After all, you couldn't find a Master if you were full of anger. She looked around the room, and bowed slightly. "if that is all Masters, I'll go." she said.