A short respite

[Mantic Dorn]

The ship shook a few times before breaching the atmosphere and throwing itself and its crew and passengers out into the massive black void that was space.

Mantic watched the planet below shrinking as they still in sub-light were getting prepared to jump to hyperspace. He was getting tired and it was good to be given a few moments to rest on the ship during the travel back to Ossus.

He had a feeling that once on Ossus it would not take long before they would need to venture forth on the next mission. These were dire times and the jedi was needed on many places.
Jedi... Mantic pondered. The title was no longer the orders alone but used by many, another sign of the chaos that ruled so much of the galaxy. A dreadful reminder to Mantic who by most was considered an old fashioned regarding the various force user organisations in the galaxy. Still, he believed that he was doing more good then bad, otherwise he would not have so stubbornly stayed true to his beliefs.

While waiting for the crew to get to work Mantic strolled to the common area and poured himself a cup of tea. He wrapped his robes around him and held the cup close to his face enjoying the hot steam. It was good to have time to contemplate and mediate on the situation, present and the future.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus prowled the massive Kenobi Class Praxeum. Their return to Ossus on this vessel made sense. She had business to attend to and having finished, headed to one of the common areas to grab a cup of iced lemon tea – something she’d recently take a fancy to.

As she did, she glanced around the room and saw a number of faces she recognised and one more familiar than the others. So she sauntered over to where Mantic was – staring out in to space – and she bowed slightly before speaking. “A credit chip for them?”

She’d recently been fortunate enough to confirm the Jedi’s progress to Knight and knew from her own experiences it was a bigger step than many expected when they hoped to lose their braid. Expectations changed. People looked to you rather then you look to them.

So she smiled and waited to see what was holding his thoughts.

[member="Mantic Dorn"]

 

[Mantic Dorn]

Mantic looked up and bowed deep as [member="Corvus Raaf"] strode up next to him. He had met her on a few occations and rather recently they had even shared an experience, a sort of ut of body experience, he would not have thought possible only a few weeks ago.

"Grand Master," he stated as he recovered himself from the bow still balancing his own cup of tea in his left hand while the right gracefully uncloaked him.

"I am contemplating on matters that usually arise in my mind during moments like this." he motioned with his hand toward the small dot that was the planet they were leaving.

"I am tired of hearing that I worry too much about the old texts and customs of the jedi grand master. Many are those who consider me faulty in clinging to them. Perhaps they are right but if I am to be true to myself I must admit that I see it the other way around. It is because most people worry to little about the old ways of the jedi that the galaxy is in such a state of chaos." Mantic heaved his chest and drew breath. He was not aware on how much the grand master actually knew of him and what he usually spoke of among the fellow jedi. He plucked some with his cup and watched the tea as if some mysterious truth was hidden in its depths.

"I often think of my master, who is of the silver jedi. She is probably the most good hearted individual I have ever met. Who am I to claim that her order's teachings are unfit. Because that is how I feel. There isnothing wrong with the individual of the various force sensitive groups around the galaxy, but somehow I can not shake loose the thought of that this diversity will be our doom." Mantic fell silent. There he was again. Complaining on matters he could not affect, and to the very grand master of the jedi order. He bit his lips.

"I am sorry grand Master I should not have spoken so blunt on the matter." he tried and offered a small toast with his tea cup.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She smiled at Mantic. “Corvus…please.”

And she listened to him. When he had finished she took a sip of her own drink and replied.

“The simple answer is very simple – and comes from the Code. If there is truth between your heart and the Force, everything else is transitory. Some feels that is trite but I set a lot of store in it. If, deep in your heart, you know what you are doing is right…is good…is in line with the Code and its tenets…then why question it. Rather, you should do more of the same.”

“But it is also fair to say that the Code – and its tenets are confusing and to ate, there are no definitive explanations for many of the words. They are open to interpretation – which is never a bad thing. For that which challenges our understanding ensures we do not take it for granted. And speaking bluntly means we get to the crux of the matter, so never apologise for that.”

“Have you heard of Potentium? Both a sect and a philosophy in their day. Frowned upon by the Council. Their view was that there is no Light and Dark-side of the Force per se…but good and evil use of it. Clearly a dangerous thing to teach Younglings. But it is a viewpoint I keep returning to. There are those that use the Light side – but who do evil things. Things against the Code. And there are those that use the Dark-side and do not break the Code. Who is the enemy? Or perhaps, who would you rather have fighting alongside you?”

“The trouble is that…once upon a time…there as Light and Dark. The galaxy was a much simpler place. Now we have more shades of grey than you can count. So our old measure seems inadequate. In my opinion of course.”

“And even the Code bends from time to time. Marriage? Once allowed. Then forbidden for fears of dynasties, then allowed again. One Padawan per Master. Then opened up once the New Jedi Order was formed. Sometimes being pragmatic is something Jedi forget to do.”

“Is this helping?”

[member="Mantic Dorn"]

 

[Mantic Dorn]

Mantic raised an eyebrow and he did offer a slight smile at [member="Corvus Raaf"] s offer to call her by name. He was most likely the last to put aside the titles, but the offer was still genuine and Mantic appreciated it for what it was.

"Yes Grand Master, you do shed light on my concerns. Except, you cant teach an old dog to sit. Your are a servant under the name of Grand Master and I mean to remind you with that title as often as protocol bids it." Mantic tapped his nose. Of course old dogs could be taught to sit but the phrase fitted the moment he thought.

"These are very hard times for the order, perhaps the toughest since the time of the Galactic Empire and the near extinction of our order. I suppose the burden of our history tricks the minds that we are still as numerous as we once were. Even powerful force users seem to think that is the case." Mantic cupped his hands around the tea-cup as if he needed its warmth. All these thoughts needed to be organized and contemplated upon. But everyone needed help to keep the course straight at times. Especially force users who with a small step could cause so much wrong to the innocent. In fact, that is why the order exists. To make sure the force sensitivities do not abuse their power or end up taking matters in their own hands, in the long run that was a dangerous path. Those long hours listening to history lessons in the academy had taught him that, and it made sense.

"Then Grand Master, how can I serve the order better from here? I am not your most powerful asset in the order I am afraid, the force did not open up to me in a more broad fashion until late in my life, but I am experienced." he chuckled and added "... as in I am not a young man."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled in a friendly fashion. When she'd arrived on Ossus from Corellia, it had taken a long time to come to terms with not calling the Knights and Masters by their titles. But it was as symbolic to drop them as it once was to uphold them. The Jedi were - in Corvus' eyes - a meritocracy. But she could live with being called anything if the sentiment was genuine.

"If history has taught us one thing, it is that we shall be fighting Sith in another thousand years, so don't worry about becoming extinct. My greater worry is the obsession with Light and Dark at the expense of good and evil. Once upon a time the two were synonymous. Now? But I am in danger of repeating myself."

"I ask that you follow your heart in this matter. Not in an emotional way, but as a check and balance to pure logic. Teach the Code. Follow the Code. And if the Code feels wrong, speak to me. I am not suggesting we go against it - but context is often relevant."

"Your knowledge and work ethic are well-known. Use them. Train the next generation of Jedi. We live in times where we have more than one Padawan per Master. That is necessary. As long as you are not short-changing any, this should be your focus."

"And anyway, compared to Yoda, you're still a very, very young man."

[member="Mantic Dorn"]

 

[Mantic Dorn]

The pure innocence in the sentiment of her speech was comforting. The grand master was strong in the force and she held an aura in the light that few could match.
Mantic had sensed more powerful individual but they had all the taint of darkness in them. [member="Corvus Raaf"] was a worthy gran master and protector fo the ancient order.

Mantic could only hope to be just as worthy in protecting the path she was leading them into.

He inclined his head.

"I usually try not to compare myself with Yoda but in this particular matter I do find the idea appealing grand Master." he joked back.

"I take your words as encouragement to expand my teaching to those I can touch. There are few padawans left in our order but even fewer knights and masters. I will serve in this role to the best of my ability." Mantic took a symbolic bow

"To teach others is, as a bonus, after all the best way to teach one self." he added and smiled.

"You must not hesitate to ask of me if you require anything else from me grand master."

"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She smiled as he took her good natured banter well.

“I suspect there is a cause and effect with the number of Padawans. The more Knights and Masters we have, the more Padawans we can train. So the more we train, the more we can promote. And so the cycle grows in a positive direction.”

“Sadly many leave us when they reach Knighthood – unable or unwilling to put back into a system that developed them.” She inclined her head. “But that is their choice and I do not hold them in any way accountable.”

“My greater concern is the desire to be…” she looked as if she were searching for the right words, “A Jedi with an edge. To be a maverick and ignore the Code and its teachings. It has become more prevalent in the past few years for some reason. If they are all doing good, then I have no issues. If that means they do not wish to be a Republic Jedi, so be it. We can only do what we can do.”

“All I ask of you is to keep truth between your heart and the Force. If you do that, you will have done everything I could wish for. But if any specific assignments come up? I’ll be sure to let you know. And you in turn should ask of me anything you need. That is why I am here.”

[member="Mantic Dorn"]

 

[Mantic Dorn]

Mantic pondered the grand masters words for a moment letting the greater wisdom of her words sink in. Or at least he tried to let them.
The jedi order was a shadow of what it had been but he could still not see how he could serve the force in any better way.

"These are times when the young and innovative govern..." he said as much to himself as to [member="Corvus Raaf"]

"A master in the order once told me that. While I dont see what age got to do with this I can see that the order need to be a modern version of itself. I simply pray that it is not the same as abandoning the core of our teachings." he smiled

"I will do my best to tutor those who will accept me as master, although they are fewas it is."

"Thank you Grand Master for your time, I will meditate on your advice and if I have any further questions I will return to you."

Mantic bowed.