Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Genius Loci

"Knowledge forbidden?
Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord
Envy them that? Can it be a sin to know?
Can it be death?"
- Paradise Lost
The Tomes, Temple Archives
New Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Galactic Federation of Free Alliances

Generations beyond counting of Jedi librarians and archivists would have looked upon the disorganized chaos that filled the still freshly reconstructed repository in horror and shame. The local scrivs and researchers had still been in the process of sorting through the already impressive records recovered in the aftermath of the planet's liberation from the One Sith, a project they had expected to take years to complete.

Now with the sudden and horrific loss of the main New Jedi Order sanctum on Sullust, the Coruscant temple's facilities were filled too with everything that could be saved in the evacuation. The librarians now had enough work ahead of them to last nearly a lifetime. And yet despite the tragic circumstances that had led these collected works to the heart of the galaxy, Knight Oros could not help but find some small pleasure in that thought.

Holocrons, data books, cubes, chips, sticks, and tapes. Memory banks and crystals, optical disks, microfilm, holodiscs, even Twi'lek story-chains. And then there were the physical tomes themselves, ancient and rarefied, but still numbering beyond most places in the known galaxy. Each one carefully preserved and encased for transport, just waiting to be filed and sorted.

The collection of Jedi wisdom was stacked high enough that in many places it obscured the view of the almost cathedral like architecture of the massive chamber, in effect creating a maze to be navigated. At the maze's center, the Celegian Jedi Knight's crystalline life support chamber sat with its repulsorlifts powered down. Suspended within the chamber's life sustaining cyanogen atmosphere, the sentient invertebrate appeared dormant but his mind was quite active, as he directed his fellow archivists in their work telepathically.

Coruscant was Alliance space, but in many ways as the beating economic heart of the galaxy it was also a sort of neutral ground, with many Jedi from foreign orders visiting the temple grounds every day. So the arrival of those such as [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] at the edge of his sense of perception was not unusual. Despite the many monks who worked and studied within the Tomes, there was an unusually permeating quiet that could only be found in libraries, as Oros' telepathic instructions only resonated within the minds of those for which they were intended.
 
Stepping into the archives of the New Jedi Order on Coruscant, Amilthi couldn't help but smile. The place looked exactly like a child would imagine Jedi archives, and that gave it an unreal, fairy-tale quality. Far from an appearance of orderly efficiency, it was like a living, grown and growing thing, shelves stretching all the way to the high-up ceiling, not in neatly arranged lines, but forming something of a maze, and at their bottom carts and boxes in apparent disorder, with countless Jedi busy in between - and this in all but perfect silence.

She wandered into this magical forest, towards what would be its centre, where she had been directed. After turning around several corners, she spotted a tank filled with yellowish gas, inside which floated a creature whose shape was similar to a brain with appendages. Amilthi did not known what a Celegian was, but having been told that the archivist was of this species, and warned not to be surprised, it was a fair guess that this was him. She approached the tank. "Master", she said, greeting [member="Oros"] with a bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amilthi Camlenn. I have been told you might direct a fellow student of the Force to the knowledge she seeks."

By herself, she wondered whether it had a microphone on the outside to relay auditory information to the inside, and indeed whether Celegians even had sensory organs to perceive sounds.
 
Come forward, young spark! Come now, do not be shy, a monotone voice with a faint melody similar to windchimes touched the surface thoughts of [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] as she approached the crystalline tank before her, Let me get a proper look at you.

The floating tentacled form pressed up against the side of the tank glass closest to his library's newest guest. Truth be told, distance didn't matter a whole lot for his species' perception, but Oros found that displaying scrutiny was an effective way to gauge humanoid reactions to his form. The more narrow minded would find it difficult to hide a sense of repulsion, while the empathetic tended to display traits of curiosity instead. His species' form of sight was difficult to explain in terms a non-Celegian could understand, but points of light in a not quite visual medium was the closest he had come to an acceptable analogy.

Of course, the Chief Librarian's senses were unique, in that he could also perceive Force adepts' auras so long as they were unconcealed. Sensitivity was exceedingly rare among his kind, he had only known one other in his considerable lifetime. So while he didn't have many frames of reference, the Knight had always believed that it gave him an understanding of the humanoid color spectrum that most Celegians lacked.

Librarian Oros, please, he insisted once his guest had bowed and made her introductions, releasing his tentacular grip on tank glass and drifting back into the center of the cyanogen chamber that contained him, And what knowledge has brought this particular student to the beating heart of the galaxy?

Shimmering Force illusions in the form of glowing strands of light manifested themselves upon the archive floors, branching out like a spider's web throughout rows and around stacks of datapads, memsticks, stored tomes and holocrons. Taking a few intuitive leaps of logic, several of the strands winked suddenly out of existence as the Jedi sage eliminated some of the more mundane categories in the archive's vast catalog. A selection to rival the libraries on Voss, and Oros knew the location of every volume.
 
Amilthi reflexively smiled at the librarian, even though she consciously knew that a human's facial expression could only be meaningless to him. She had been on the receiving end of telepathy a few times in her life, but never had she experienced it with such clarity. Some Jedi practiced a form of telepathy that actually evoked what were essentially auditory hallucinations: they projected a voice into the other's mind. Others managed to convey pictures held before the mind's eye, or even feelings. But this was extraordinary: what the librarian was conveying to her had simply no sensory character at all: it was pure thoughts, unbound from language.

As the alien form floated up to one side of its tank, Amilthi regarded it with calm curiosity. She didn't know what species the Librarian belonged to, and his, her, or its demeanour made her wonder what their sensory modalities were. Did they have organs for the perception of light, heat, or electromagnetic fields? After a moment, she realised that looked at this body wouldn't do anything to answer any of these questions. She could probably ask any of the local Jedi here and they would know about the peculiar attributes of this keeper of knowledge. So she abandoned the attitude of inquiry she had thus identified as pointless.

For a moment, Amilthi felt almost impolite for addressing Oros in spoken words in return. She reminded herself that this was an entirely unreasonable concern, as the librarian was surely aware and understanding of the fact that many Jedi, like herself, did not have the ability of telepathy.

It seemed likely to her that this librarian was a sufficiently detached academic that he would not be disturbed by a very direct reply. "I have been studying what lore I have been able to find on the Seventh Form. I would like to, and believe I can, contribute to keeping alive this knowledge among the ranks of Jedi."

@Oros​
 
As the foreign Knight first mentioned her particular scholarly interests, one by one each supernal trail that filled the main archives shimmered out of perception. Oros' physical form floated back from the edge of its life support tank reflexively. Sensing a shift in auras within the chamber, a New Jedi Order Justicar posted outside the main entrance took a few tentative steps into the room before halting suddenly and listening. The Jedi Guardsman nodded sullenly in the direction of the tank partially obscured by a maze-wall of datapads, before retreating back to his post, but from the perspective of [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] no words had been exchanged.

What a burning flame you are, to come to this place and speak of the Way of the Vornskr so openly, much of the soothing nature behind Oros' telepathic communication had faded, but there was nothing aggressive in it either. To Knight Camlenn the effect was not dissimilar to humanoid wariness, Are you certain you know where you are? There are a select few in these halls who would see an outlander locked away and interrogated by Inquisitors simply for asking these questions too boldly.

The Chief Librarian immediately regretted the thoughts as he expressed them. It was not fair, either as an assessment of his more enlightened colleagues or as a form of intimidation against this young student of the Force. And yet while the Jedi Inquisitors were not in the habit of dragging adherents out of the archives and locking them away in some Galactic City prison, Amilthi could face scrutiny of a more unpleasant variety if she expressed her intent to the improper people in improper ways.

This will lead you to our more public records on lightsaber forms and their studies, the Celegian Jedi projected at last, an one of the light-infused illusory pathways reignited suddenly on a snaking path through disorganized records, What you seek, our surviving data on Juyo and its younger sibling Vaapad, are kept in our Restricted Archives. Typically, only New Jedi Order Masters or those granted special dispensation are allowed access to such teachings.

Oros paused once more, his physical form again taking on an unsettling stillness as the sentient invertebrate devoted all its focus to solving this social equation.

Take your time and peruse what we have on public file, perhaps you will find some of it nonetheless enlightening, he expressed to Knight Camlenn at last, In the meantime, as a fellow scholar I will allow you time to consider why your studies are deserving of such a dispensation. The knowledge you seek is dangerous, not only to your own spirit but to the well-being of those around you should you succumb to its darker influences. The librarians of this order are guardians, not simply of these Archives but against exposing such poisonous truths to the minds of those not prepared to contend with, and resolve them with the Jedi Code.

Go, and when you are ready come back and tell me. Tell me of your studies on Form Seven thus far, as well as why you believe such knowledge should be preserved for future generations despite the obvious dangers it presents to the uninitiated mind. If you have any questions in the meantime, simply ask. Despite appearances, within the confines of these rooms I am with you no matter where you step. I can even read over your shoulder, with your permission.
 
The librarian's stern, even harsh reaction proved that, far from being a being of the proverbial ivory tower, he was in fact very much concerned with the potential effects of the knowledge he guarded and disseminated in the wider world. This attitude seemed much different from what she had met at the Order of the Silver Jedi, who in comparison seemed to be so caught up in the events of the world that they did not find the time to reflect on them, and themselves. In comparison to this librarian, even their grandmaster gave off an impression that she didn't have all that much of an idea of what she was doing.

Amilthi was neither intimidated nor did she feel the need to defend herself. She listened calmly, and her posture did not change - as before, she stood there confidently resting in herself, neither recoiling from her surroundings nor projecting influence outward. These Jedi would not be entirely unreasonable to refuse a stranger simply on principle, especially if they lacked the attention to spare to come to know the stranger well enough to make a more informed decision. Though the librarian had already suggested that they did, in fact, have attention to spare. If these people were close to anything that deserved the name of Jedi, which Amilthi had no reason to doubt, this was nothing to worry about.

She looked at the still form of the Celegian with a detached and expectancy as he took a moment to contemplate his next communication. There was a chance that he would send her on her way immediately and that her journey would have been in vain, and for a brief moment Amilthi found herself tempted to return to her past reasoning and double-check whether the openness with which she had approached him had really been the optimal strategy. But she resisted the temptation, there was no point in constantly second-guessing herself. There was no justification for distrusting a decision she had reached after lengthy consideration, and an unfavourable outcome, whose possibility she had always been aware of, did not mean that her choice had been any less rational. All there was to do was to wait and see how things would play out, and then work with the consequences.

A fine smile appeared on her face when Oros revealed that he was prepared to hear her out and not altogether unwilling to consider her request. Her gaze briefly followed the tendril of light, but she turned back quickly. The other lightsabre forms were not what was of greatest interest to her, nor, in her estimation, of greatest relevance to her endeavour. "Thank you, Librarian", she said with a slight bow. "There will be much to speak about, no doubt. But I understand that this is not the hour. I shall be most grateful for your order's hospitality if only I am allowed to stay until someone might find the time to see me."

"I am sure you have collected many writings on meditation techniques from all over the galaxy. If in the meantime you could direct me to them... Swinging a lightsabre is not of the essence", she added with a wry smile, automatically, and then wondered if the particular way she meant to say these words could even come across to the Celegian.
 
All are welcome within these halls, some of the lustre flooded back into Oros' projected thoughts, once again taking on an almost melodic tone. [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] had remained respectful and pledged patience in response to his proposal, the hallmark of a true Jedi. It was a promising start if nothing else, I have already directed the temple stewards to prepare lodgings for you. They will be modest, I am afraid, our Order is a strong proponent of strict asceticism. But I will attempt to arrange a view of Galactic City at least, if such a thing would interest you.

The Celegian Jedi had no idea if this was Amilthi's first time on Coruscant or not, but no matter how long he found himself here it never lost its fascination. Trusting that his newfound charge had been sufficiently warned as to the dangers of provoking the New Jedi Order's orthodoxy in matters of teachings that some might consider borderline heretical, Chief Librarian Oros turned his attention to her latest request. Sending a ripple of cyanogen bubbles up to the surface of his life suport tank, the mound of tissue that made up his physical form seemed to vibrate. In any other species it would likely be cause for alarm, but for a Celegian it was an expression similar to humanoid laughter.

Indeed it is not! Oros' thoughts were tinged with amusement at Knight Camlenn's subtle play on words, Now that young spark, is something I most certainly can help you with. I believe you'll find our Archives to possess one of the most complete collections on meditation techniques in the known galaxy. From heji tal as annotated by the Skywalker himself, to the ancient art of Alchaka. We have even acquired several most illuminating volumes on the Findsman techniques of Gand. Fascinating people, they believe the ever-present mists of their homeworld to by a physical manifestation of the Force itself...

He prattled on in this way all while illuminating a path for Amilthi that led directly through the disorganized Tomes to their records on meditation. The life support tank never left its post in the library's center, but Oros' thoughts never lowered in intensity or drifted, as if he remained right by her side. He even commented on the occasional datacron or ancient handwritten scroll whenever she passed something of note.
 
For a brief moment, Amilthi was mildly irked by the fact that the librarian seemed to find it necessary to mention the order's commitment to asceticism to someone who stood before him in peasant clothes and had spent years of her life on desert planets. But perhaps this particular being had more of a justification for himself than most other members of this order, confined, as he was, to a small container that shielded him from a foreign and inhospitable environment. To be on Coruscant, at the heart of the Galactic Alliance, must mean much less to him than it would to a human or most other species.

She smiled lightly at the palpable change in mood that her request for direction had evoked in the librarian. She followed his directions unhurriedly and contently, with a calm happiness at the harmony that their common interest created. While Amilthi was familiar with the Jedi's favoured techniques, the richness of this library's records on other traditions of the galaxy was astounding, and it comprised many the had never heard of. There was, perhaps, a reason why they were lesser known among the Jedi. Tradition, surely, had selected those practices that were most accessible to the majority of Force-sensitive individuals and that were most conducive to an understanding of the Force. Amilthi's interest was not driven primarily by this concern. She had found her own mind curiously malleable, more so than other people seemed to, and this opened new opportunities as much as it posed challenges. In exploring a wide range of possible states of being, whether they implicated the Force or not, she hoped to satisfy not only her curiosity, but also to add useful tools to her mental instrumentarium.

***​

The exploration on which the librarian had led her had absorbed Amilthi easily. It was on the morning of the fifth day of her stay that she resolved to return to the original purpose of her visit. Her morning meditation had left her in an energised state, full of purpose and confident in her resilience in the face of what might become a difficult conversation. The sun was only just rising over the skyline of Galactic City when she left her little chamber to venture once more into the archives, which at this hour were scarcely visited as most Jedi occupied themselves with meditation or breakfast.

[member="Oros"]​
 
Between his species' natural abilities and decades of study among the great sages of the New Jedi Order, no part of the Coruscant Archives were hidden from him no matter where his physical location might be. And yet there was also much that demanded his attention be focused elsewhere, primarily his duties as Chief Librarian but also the occasional youngling lecture or training seminar for new scribes. Still he had found a few sparse occasions to check in on his newest charge [member="Amilthi Camlenn"], for that was how he viewed every Jedi who came to make use of his library, over the course of the next five days.

By now she had no doubt worked out the signs of his comings, the Celegian always took care to materialize a shimmering distortion of light and the faint sound of celestial chimes as his consciousness drifted, in that way his omnipresence did not feel quite so intrusive on the privacy of those with more limited humanoid senses. On the dawn of this new day, the fifth since her arrival, Master Oros' physical form was exactly where she had located him the first time. In the center of the Tomes, only since she had made her introductions much work had been done in clearing out the haphazard stacks of holocrons and data scrolls, as those precious artifacts salvaged from the fallen temple on Sullust found new homes reorganized by a small army of scribes within the draconian labyrinth of the Archives' ancient filing system.

He had no need of breakfast as most vertebrates perceived it, only retiring to the subterranean quarters that had been constructed for him sparsely to overcome any passing claustrophobia and shut out all the psychic noise that filled every square meter of Coruscant's sprawling urban surface. His physical body, which had been drifting motionlessly in meditation, twisted around as he felt Amilthi's presence draw near and tendrils pulled him along on cyanogen currents until his bulbous head was almost pressed against the glasteel of the life support tank.

Knight Camlenn, you honor me with your presence. And so early, Oros had a feeling he knew why she had come, but had decided to let her restate her request in her own time, Is there anything specific I might direct you towards today?

It was a leading question. He knew full well that by now most of the Archives' general layout was familiar to her, and had not required assistance in comprehending the intricacies of locating a specific volume in several days now. The only section that remained a mystery to her, is the one which contained the very material which she sought. The library's so called Restricted Archives, where material deemed too dangerous for public access by puritanical zealots who held a comfortable majority among the New Jedi Order's senior masters.
 
Amilthi couldn't help smiling at the lively movement inside the tight confines of the Celegian's tank as, roused, he floated close to the transparent surface, the bizarre structures of his body becoming very visible. She bowed politely. "I hope I have not disturbed you, Master."

"When I arrived", she continued, "you asked me why I think the knowledge I seek ought to be preserved. If you will still hear me out, I shall tell you."

She knew that these were the gates to lands of conversations that to most people were dry and irritating environs. But she hoped that an archivist, by virtue of his natural mindset, would understand and perhaps even appreciate this.

"Because it can be effective. I do not like to fight - but when I must, I don't intend to lose. We should not limit our means out of fear when we know that it is possible to use them."

"Which, of course, raises the question of why I should be one to possess and employ this knowledge. Master Windu is said to have developed the form so as to utilise for a good purpose an indelible darkness within himself. I find the same, or something similar, in myself. It can be terrifying, but it is not a selfish darkness, that is why I believe it is... suitable."

The mental state she was referring to was of a curious sort with several elements not normally encountered in sentient beings. A description of it in words might have sounded contradictory, and yet it made perfect sense. It was a state of ice-cold clarity in which she could attain razor-sharp focus on an objective and cast aside all distractions and call into doubt all assumptions that would hinder her, including what many would conceive of as unquestionable ethical constraints. She thought herself capable of doing quite shocking things in this state, but it was driven by an ardent desire for the good of the universe, never by egoism or malice. It gave her strength by setting her free to single-mindedly pursue that desire no matter the cost. There was even a certain perverse pleasure in it - the pleasure one received when one excelled at solving a problem in a clever way, through a hack that others had been blind to. Properly controlled, it could be a source of power otherwise unavailable. The trick was to become better at entering and exiting it at all, and in figuring out precisely to integrate it with her swordplay.

"I'm sure you are concerned that it might lead me astray nonetheless. This" - she smiled wryly - "is a charge difficult to answer. You may think me naive when I say that I simply don't see why it should."


[member="Oros"]​
 

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