"Hauum... superior?" Hion hummed. He shook his head, a sudden stern expression coming across his features. "No, no, the Jedi are not superior. That implies we are inherently better or more powerful than others. We are not. We have been granted a gift," a gift that Hion himself thought might be more of a curse, at least for himself. "We are just as fallible as the next, haruum. Perhaps more so, given our power. As the adage goes, power corrupts. This is true, even of the Jedi. You wish to know our history? Very well."
Hion settled to the ground in a meditative posture with a floor rumbling thud.
This would take a while.
"Some historians believe that the Jedi originated with the Followers of Palawa, or the Order of Dai Bendu. However, the general consensus is that the first form of the Jedi Order, known as the Old Jedi Order now, emerged upon Tython as the Je'daii Order. Tython is currently under the Republic, as it happens. We can visit it sometime if you wish. Yes, yes, there is much knowledge of the past to be gained from it. Old relics. Hauum, but I stray from the topic at hand. Let's see, yes, Tython."
"For many millenia the Je'daii Order was split between followers of Ashla, the light side, and followers of Bogan, the dark side. Perhaps not so clear a distinction, but for the sake of not submerging ourselves within a vast sea of philosophical debate, we will use such terms. The - perhaps inevitable - clash of the two factions began the Force Wars which ravaged Tython. At the end of the ruin, the followers of Ashla stood victorious. They declared Ashla to be the more just and proper side of the Force and thus broke off from the Je'daii Order, forming their own Jedi Council. This was the first time the official name 'Jedi' was recorded."
"One of the followers of Bogan formed his own order of Dark Sons, which was subsequently attacked and broken by the Jedi Council. Our predecessors were quite ruthless it would seem, though they wielded the light side. An interesting thought, yes?" Hion's head bobbed. He resumed, his words a hum of deep bass. "After the scattering of the True Dark Sons, the Jedi Order left Tython taking with them their considerable stores of knowledge and founding an academy on Ossus, far from the Republic, which was newly birthed. During this period of isolation on Ossus, the Jedi crafted weapons of durasteel imbued with the Force and, of course, the earliest versions of the lightsaber. Hauum. We have ever been driven to martial pursuits, it seems, even since our inception."
"It comes as little surprise then that again trouble began to stir within the Order. Xendor, a Kashi Mer, gathered a large following and broke off from the Jedi Order to found his own academy on Lettow. The Council saw their studies as near to Bogan. Old fears rose. The followers of Xendor were named the Legion of the Lettow. Many scholars debate whether or not this name arose from some of the warmongers within the Jedi, or from Xendor himself. Regardless, the Jedi moved to stamp out what they saw as dangerous teachings and raised an army for the purpose." Hion blew air through his spout quite loudly. He looked rather upset. "I personally believe this could all have been avoided with diplomacy, hauum. But apparently our progenitors were believers of... aggressive negotiations."
"This was the beginning of the Great Schism and a warning to us now to be wary of conflict and its terrible toll. Xendor tried to turn the Republic against the Jedi through use of propaganda, however it backfired. The Republic sided with the Jedi and the war raged in full. Jedi Master Pina is credited with slaying Xendor and effectively ending the Great Schism. Though it was but the beginning of darkness, as you shall soon see, my young friend."
"The Tionese war broke out soon after, but the Jedi played little part in that. No. What is of far more interest is the terrible horror that followed." Hion sucked in air before uttering four words. "The Hundred Years Darkness." He let them hang, his alien face taking on a sad cast. Big, black eyes mournful. "This was the true beginning of an end to peace. A faith arose named Pius Dea. Many complications arose within the Republic, assassinations, purges, genocide, and darkness. The Jedi again retreated to Ossus, but before long were drawn into the struggle. This time marked the first mass usage of lightsabers in combat. And terrible they were."
"After Pius Dea was all but stomped out, the Great Hyperspace War arose. You yourself can read of its history, for it is long and would take me many hours to recount. And I, in truth, know far less than the entirety of the Jedi Archives." Hion smiled. "Famous names arose during this war. Naga Sadow, Odan-Urr, and Freedon Nadd. More great schisms followed. More war. The Sith Wars, as they were named. This is where Exar Kun came to power... and lost it. He was a Jedi once, as were many of the Sith. Yes, yes, a terrible thing, the falling of Jedi. I would point this out to you, young padawan. For we are not superior, no. We are frail in our power. It makes us weak." Hion sighed. "Then came the Mandalorian Wars, then the Jedi Civil Wars. Each war unleashing new weapons upon the galaxy, each more terrible than the last. There were times of peace in between, yes, but they were merely like the gasping breath of a drowning man, coming up desperate for air." Hion sighed again.
"Hauum. I am sorry, this grows troublesome for me to recount. I too am affected by such weakness, as are we all. Shall we move on to lighter topics? The history of the Jedi is an endless retelling of war, near extinction, rise, and war again. A cycle of death. However, we stand against the darkness. At times our power wanes and the shadow seems victorious, but the light has never gone out and always sprung back brighter and more vigorous than the last. It is the nature of things. The true balance of the Force. Hauum."
