Public To Speak In One Voice | New Jedi Order

[Spirit of Knowledge]

Centych Aler had never been the best of padawans. With his master killed in the war against the Sith, he’d spent much of his time in the classes at the Coruscant Temple, awaiting the trials that would allow him to become a Knight. Those that taught him saw his struggle with grief but told him only to do what was best for himself. Study, meditate, carry on. With no master nor true guidance he became sparse, disappearing for days at a time; twice he left Coruscant citing family issues. He was an orphan.

The padawan became distant, shrugging off attempts to counsel him, and began to isolate himself. After all, if he chose not to listen to the wisdom of his betters there was no true authority in the New Jedi Order that might sway him. The decentralized -- almost chaotic -- nature of the New Jedi Order’s structure meant Centych slipped through the cracks. The boy went under the radar for nearly a month.

Until he was found in his room with an opened Sith Holocron.

An attempt at escaping ended with a Temple Guard’s saber splitting his chest.

The event has left the Order shaken. On Coruscant and the Prosperity both an air of unease has descended upon the Jedi. The younglings and padawans -- especially those without masters -- lack direction and are unsure of their futures. After all, any number of things might lead to the Dark Side.

​

In an effort to address the concerns that have arisen from the event, a meeting has been called aboard the Prosperity; a forum for all Jedi to speak to their fellows. There is no shortage of evil objects in the Archives. Is it time to dispose of them? Some might argue yes -- after all, depriving the darkness access to young Jedi might protect them. Others believe that is precisely why they should be kept; better understanding such things and why they must be opposed is the foundation for a Jedi. Ignorance is not among the Jedi tenets.

Then again, some believe that darkness itself is not among the Jedi tenets. Destroyers of darkness, or protectors of all things? Who is to say what a Jedi is?

Make your voice heard.

Spoiler: Tag

Tempest Yore
Alana Sunrider
Westenra Mina
Lon Vondon
@Andrik Perris
Jannik Morlandt
Cambria Zadira
Leon Gallo
Kathryn Foster

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

A good trader could barter the gigantic ship - ancient and fully modernized - for a planet or twelve. It represented colossal resources. It made Quill profoundly uneasy, and not just through cognitive dissonance. But the question at hand was important enough to pry the hermit out of his shell.

The Visitor settled creakily onto a massive hangar deck. Quill disembarked and began searching for wherever this meeting was supposed to be. The signage left him baffled. He wandered for a little in the general area of the hangar. Eventually he found it necessary to approach a random Jedi.

"Excuse me, ah...do you know where...?"

 

[Shaka Sunstar]

Amon ran a hand across his forehead and over his hairline, brushing the tightly woven locks of hair out of his face.

Leaning back into the seat of the X-Wing, he sighed before rising up to disembark from the fighter.

The proposed meeting and the event leading up to it was something to be concerned by. But, his Master had told him of things like this in organized Jedi Orders. Congregations occurred often in days past, and decisions would be made. Some would follow, others wouldn't. The New Jedi Order didn't even have a Grandmaster or a Council - what was the point of even talking then?

Brushing at his shoulders while he was on his way, his attention was drawn to the sound of Jend-Ro Quill plea for assistance.

Surprise spread across his features to be addressed, caught up in his thoughts, but a smile quickly found itself on his face and settled there peacefully.

"The meeting? Yes, it's..." A pause while he scanned the nearby exits of the hangar and bobbed his head up in a different direction. "This way."

 

[Auteme]

Jedi | Jend-Ro Quill Amon-Olu ​

Now this was a difficult one.

Auteme personally believed in the balance of all things. Not light and darkness, per se, but the balance of life and death, time, the Force. To say that there was only Light was vanity, to say that the Jedi were only vanquishers of darkness was a quick path to falling into that darkness. There was creation and destruction in the galaxy and Auteme believed that some were better suited to one or the other. The Jedi were not destroyers but protectors -- of people, life, knowledge. There were no divisions or priorities other than that.

Still, she knew others might see that as weakness. She would never kill, always show mercy; even to those who had committed evil acts. The truth was that change was constant in the galaxy. Those who had done wrong could atone no matter the evil. Even if they failed, striving to improve and do good was the truest pursuit for any being.

Destruction may not be inherently evil but Auteme did not believe it was the Jedi's place to destroy or kill. Another dilemma -- were the avatars of Sith Holocrons sentient? They represented a person, perhaps even a conscious one. And if they were, could they be redeemed? Could they change? Auteme did not know, just as she could never be sure if a droid was truly sentient. There was so much she did not know.

Today, though, she did not consider such things alone. The meeting called was for all Jedi and Auteme would be a terrible representative if she didn't go. While no one had put her up to it -- after all, there was no High Council to truly structure such things -- she'd decided that she'd attempt to moderate the discussion aboard the Prosperity.

She arrived a half hour early, setting herself at the table at the center of the grand meeting hall. Soon enough it had filled with Jedi. Her thoughts wandered to the young Padawan Aler. She hadn't known him. Did anyone here? Did they know the tragedy that sparked the assembly today? Did anyone grieve for him?

She took a deep breath. A silence had descended upon the room; a tension, expecting someone to break it. Even those who had come closest to the center, even at the table, waited a few moments.

"We are here to discuss the number of dark side artifacts in our Archives," she began, using the timbre she'd picked up from listening to Chancellor Chandra to carry her voice across the room. "But we cannot forget the people that are here. Your fellow Jedi who you discuss with, the Archivists who have safeguarded these items for so long, and the many we have lost to these relics. Be mindful. Be respectful."

She didn't truly feel the need to remind them of that.

"Would anyone like to speak?"

 

[Kenth Ordo]

Well, this was an awfully new experience.

Kenth Ordo was no stranger to socializing with others, but he felt like a fish out of water when it came to the plethora of Jedi that surrounded him. He, on the other hand, was the furthest thing from a Jedi at the table.

He hadn't even wanted to join the New Jedi Order, but his friend had insisted he try it out when they found out he was force-sensitive and casually let it slip to one of the recruiters while Kenth was deployed on Prakith. Kenth had gone into that interview with the intention of telling them he wasn't interested, and he left a (begrudging) padawan.

Why was he here if he didn't want to be a Jedi in the first place? Not even he knew the answer to that yet, and he was quite frankly worried that it was starting to grow on him. Perhaps if he didn't stick out like a sore thumb today, he could gain some valuable insight into this whole Jedi thing and go back to pretending to read 'Introduction to the Force' so that nobody bothered him the rest of the day.

Resisting the urge to put an earbud in and ruin his hearing with some classical Huttese music, Kenth took a tentative sip of caf from the thermos he brought into the meeting. Now that it was starting in an official capacity, his eyes fell upon a young woman who spoke up, listening intently as to what she said. When the question was raised as to if anybody wished to speak, Kenth instinctively shrunk in his seat and took another drink of caf.

A long day, this would be.

Jend-Ro Quill | Amon-Olu | Auteme ​

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Amon-Olu

"Thanks, friend," said Quill in great relief, and shuffled off that way.

###

In due course he found himself at the back of the room, the nosebleed seats of the cavernous meeting hall. The place was set up so you could participate wherever you sat. Once Auteme asked if anyone wanted to speak, Quill pushed a button in hopes of getting his part over with.

"I've been through a couple of Sith holocrons. Apart from details on weak points of some of their, uh, alchemy beasts and locations worth knowing about, I've never found anything that justifies keeping them intact with all the risks involved. Copy down relevant information, Force Light the holocrons to dust.

"In light of diplomacy and common enemies and such, it's also a good time and way to assure the Jedi that we're still committed to opposing the Dark Side."

 

[Gabriel Pryce]

Old "Ice Pick" Quill. His name was one of some renown. Though he seemed the feeble and quiet old hermit she'd heard stories, likely exaggerated, of him fighting off entire hordes of Bryn'adul. His prowess in combat wasn't even his most well-respected attribute however. He was a phenomenal lecturer, wise if not clipped in tone, likely a holdover from spending so much time alone on Hoth. Something had happened in the man's past that made him see fit to rarely leave the icy planet, though the threat of the Bryn seemed to be thawing that tradition.

His other noteworthy skill was channeling Force Light. He was truly a savant with this power and used it to solve every Dark Side-related issue you could think of. Got a boil from dabbling with Sith poisons? Force Light it away. Have a potentially possessed Jedi Master in your midst? Force Light the ghost away. The Dark Lord of the Sith hiding in your autopsy? Force Light the bastard until it burned like the city skyline of Mirial.

But Force Lighting every Sith artifact? No. She stepped forward to speak, pulling back her own heavy brown hood.

"Destroying knowledge like that makes us no better than the Sith who only seek destruction," She narrowed her blue eyes at the old man. "Just because one is afraid of what we may find, does not mean we should simply destroy it without thought. The real problem here is mentorship. It is no secret that this Order lacks leaders. We are too nebulous, too stubborn to fall in line to keep our young learners like Padawan Aler, may the Force guide him."

Jend-Ro Quill Kenth Ordo Auteme Amon-Olu

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

On reflection, Gabriel Pryce was at least partially right. Quill reconsidered his stance - again, at least partially - and kept his seat in silence to let the point stand unopposed.

 

[Sapphire Cerulean]

Sapphire Cerulean
Location: Prosperity
Action: None

Sapphire had often wondered what had gone into constructing such a large vessel, the Prosperity was a gargantuan feat of modern engineering. Her eyes danced along one of the viewports, examining the city beneath them and more important the height of which separated her and the ground. What could ever make anyone believe that such a monolith construction of the Jedi could ever fall, crashing down to the depths below Coruscant.

Anything can fall I guess, but it seems today we’re discussing where it begins. . .

While the idea of debating philosophy had always been encouraged by her teachers from time to time, it was never a fancy of hers to say the least. The idea of discussing ideology was often accompanied with grey hair and wrinkled old faces. Nothing ever fanciful or even exciting, at least to Sapph. Her hands continued to rotate frozen crystallized water droplets, the act itself was an old exercise from when she was just a child, though these days it helped her focus.

Keeping to herself, and her floating water crystals, she walked into the auditorium where many other Jedi were present. The meeting hall often held boring lectures, and not nearly enough sparring sessions, but for the moment it was exchanged for the words of Knight Auteme. Her words carried throughout the meeting room and some held deep thought of the issues at hand. It was rather unfortunate that a padawan had found himself succumbing to the tempting whispers of the Dark Side, but Sapph had found it particularly interesting that an open session was called forth to discuss such a topic.

Are we like the Senate now?

Thus started the argument to keep the Sith Artifacts held within the Jedi vaults under their supervision, or to destroy them all and never allow another Padawan to be tempted by such corrupting forces. One of the Jedi spoke out against such blatant disregard to knowledge, in truth Sapph felt inclined to destroy such artifacts if she was given a chance to do the destroying personally.

It would be rather cathartic to see one of those Sith Holocrons shatter into a million frozen pieces. Sapphire mused at the entertaining thought, her hand continuing to juggle the frozen water crystals above her palm.
​

 

[Shaka Sunstar]

The old Jedi made his point quickly.

Copy the information. Destroy the constructs.

While seated, Amon couldn't find fault in that reasoning, giving a slow look about the meeting hall to try and determine other peoples feelings towards the sentiment. While he himself deliberated internally, a Gabriel Pryce spoke up to defy the old Jedi's words.

He agreed. How many times will it take for a woefully under prepared Jedi to sneak a peek at a Sith Holocron and become spellbound to the knowledge, the fountain of information that flowed from it?

It was his turn to speak.

"Hi." He started. His was an unfamiliar face. "I am Knight Amon-Olu," he introduced, just to be safe as he rose up to his feet to speak to the assembly of assorted Jedi. He wouldn't presume anyone in there even knew who he was. "We are Jedi. It is our duty to learn and to teach. I'm sure there are many Jedi, even in this room, that could attest to yearning for knowledge after being apart of an Order for any significant amount of time," he went on to say, sure to look about the room as he spoke, searching for agreement, or even reassurance to continue. "It is natural for young Padawans to want to know more, like Padawan Aler."

"Destroy the artifacts, keep them in the vaults, or better yet, toss them into a hidden Ysalimir pit that spans for miles. It is the negligence of this Order and the Masters that killed Padawan Aler, more than any Holocron could." He spoke boldly. Some of the looks he gave were for those Jedi that often trapped themselves in library halls, too deep in their own searches to truly care for their peers until it was too late, if at all. It should've been his peers to save him before any mentor or librarian or archivist.

Inaction. That's what got them to this point.

"There is no ignorance. There is knowledge.

Locking away these artifacts only creates a taboo yearning for what they hold. Therefore, I... Propose, the only options we have, aside from the continued apathy that brought us here today are: Destroy them, as suggested. Or, teach their contents."

Sapphire Cerulean Jend-Ro Quill Kenth Ordo Auteme

 

[Auteme]

Jend-Ro Quill Amon-Olu Gabriel Pryce Sapphire Cerulean Kenth Ordo ​

For a man who often spoke of his insecurities when it came to interacting with people, Master Quill always seemed to be quick on the draw when it came to discussions such as these. Still, Auteme was happy to see him out and participating among the Jedi again. His position on the matter was practical and she appreciated his input. The bit of insecurity slipped through at the end; he seemed eager to sit back down after saying his part. A fair few Jedi voiced their agreement.

Master Oren was next, speaking in opposition of what Quill had said. The point she brought up was true regardless of context -- the New Jedi Order had few leaders. In truth the authority of the few masters they had was waning. The influence of her own role as representative had only been granted to her by Ryv. While she'd grown into the role she'd never believed that she was the best for it. She, too, garnered support from those gathered.

Yet there she was, the one at the center, listening to the Jedi speak and trying to balance them.

It was difficult to balance given the extremes here. Knight Amon-Olu went a step further than Master Oren, recommending that they teach the knowledge from the Holocrons. Auteme was surprised but understood the benefits. If enough Jedi understood the point of view of the Sith and why they were flawed it might eradicate the Sith without the need for war. Education was among the greatest powers in the galaxy, perhaps even beyond the Force. Even so it was just as understandable that some Jedi disagreed with him.

"Thank you, Knight Amon-Olu," she said, jumping into the discussion again to seize control of the room. "I understand your point of view, but I'm sure you can see why some may disagree with you.

"I can see that this is not entirely a discussion about these artifacts -- though they are important -- but rather the best way to ensure that our padawans and younglings, and thus the Jedi as a whole, are kept safe from the Sith and the Dark Side." She nodded to Amon-Olu and Master Quill. "If we are to engage with these artifacts, or even just destroy them, how do you propose we do so safely? Even Jedi Masters can be susceptible to manipulation."

There was a glance to Oren. "Master Oren, too, makes a good point that we lack the structure and leadership to keep some from going astray. But even in the Old Republic, where the Jedi Order was well organized and widespread, with many councils and masters, there were still those who fell to the dark side." Of course, there was always uncertainty in these things. "How might we organize the New Jedi Order to better protect ourselves?"

It was easy to ask questions. She only wished she had answers.

 

[Kenth Ordo]

It had only been about five minutes into the meeting and Kenth's thermos of caf was dangerously close to being empty. Still, even as this crisis unfolded in his hands, he still managed to somewhat pay attention to what the others were saying. Some wished to simply copy the contents of the holocrons then destroy them, while others wished to preserve them. The young woman who was practically shepherding the entire meeting spoke up again, prompting Kenth to blink as he considered what she said.

He had something to say, but he was deathly anxious about speaking up so soon. Everybody else who had spoken held the air of a Jedi around them, while he was sitting there in a stitched-up shirt and oil-stained trousers. He was a mere peon compared to the others, yet something in his head nudged him to man-up and talk.

Clearing his throat, he made his move.

"Hey, yeah. I'm Jedi...Padawan...? Jedi Initiate? Jedi Whatever Kenth Ordo. I'm pretty new here, but I think I've got a few ideas. Most of us here seem to be simply addressing the symptoms rather than the ailment itself. Like Master Oren said, you guys lack the leadership to reign in the wave of padawans coming in from all across the Galaxy." He said loudly, pausing to drink the rest of his caf. "But I don't think throwing a couple of masters into a circle, calling it a council, and hoping it sticks is going to fix things. We need more than that, we need some sort of routine to follow - classes, training, like back in the old days, that can teach us what we want to know instead of forcing curious kids to look for the information themselves."

"When I was in the army, a lot of us used to say that a Sith's day was about as rigid as the hydro spanner up their-" He stopped just short, noticing several of the raised eyebrows in his direction, "I'm not saying we start treating padawans like they're in army basic, but maybe herding the loth cats a bit would cut down on those that stray from the beaten path? Maybe start with some sort of program that assigns masters rather than us having to find them like a bounty hunter tracking a mark?"

Jend-Ro Quill | Amon-Olu | Gabriel Pryce | Auteme | Sapphire Cerulean ​

 

[Asmundr Varobalder]

PROSPERITY // CHAMBER OF CONCLAVE
Auteme // Kenth Ordo // Jend-Ro Quill // Gabriel Pryce // Amon-Olu // Sapphire Cerulean

The ancient Viking was rarely found with an opinion. There were many far more astute and widened than he. Perhaps that’s what made him the simplest of fools — he’d aged before he’d grown wise.

Still, conversations aboard his Praxeum that affected those within it begged his curiosity, less so his participation.

With hands folded in front of him, the giant Warden observed the discourse. The Padawan’s plight was a tragic one.

“We are Wardens of the Light, we must be cautious with how we handle these dark teachings — ones that were important or powerful enough to seal away and be accessed when needed.

Padwan Aler was not the first, nor will he be the least curious student of The Force. It seems we are somewhat resolved in our maintenance of these artifacts, but access and supervision is a spot for discussion.”

Negligence was a silent killer. Responsibilities either ignored or reallocated. From what he’d observed, the most active of the New Jedi Order were a militant bunch — far too young to live up to the necessity demanded by knowledge seekers.

And as for Masters.. they were also left to their own devices.

His first reunion with the Jedi had been under Grandmaster Grayson’s regime. There’d been a council for a time then. As far as he’d observed, they handled issues of varying sizes from discipline to wartime effort. And then it had been dissolved, for the purpose of autonomy among Jedi. Since then, the Jedi had been in somewhat of a disarray. Self-organization seemed a weakness.

“Do we have any qualified for supervising and executing these lessons?” The Warden spoke up, the baritones of his voice a contrast to those who’d already participated. “For handling this darkness and instructing parts of it without misconstruing the information or leading any astray?

Very well to discuss this in theory, but again, is this a responsibility we are equipped for? And if not, how do we get there if that’s something we want to be?

Jedi Denko-Durren, you spend the most time amongst our artifacts and organizing these sorts of dialogues. Perhaps you’re qualified to give an opinion.

And Jedi Ordo, what sort of oversight are you seeking from a master? Is it continuous attention and accessibility or reliability?”

PROSPERITY'S GUARDIAN
NEW JEDI ORDER​

 

[Auteme]

Asmundr Varobalder Kenth Ordo Jend-Ro Quill Shaka Sunstar Gabriel Pryce Sapphire Cerulean ​

The deep voice of Prosperity's guardian cut right into Auteme's mind; his words a reminder to check her own curiosity often. She didn't believe herself a slave to knowledge but she had seen what such pursuits could do to someone. AMCO was a man consumed by (himself) the search for every alchemical secret there was, and the Sith so happened to be amenable to his quest. If there was any way for her to join them, it'd be because she decided to be too curious.

Still, it was the... experienced padawan, Kenth Ordo, who she was most struck by. It took courage -- a soldier's courage, perhaps -- to stand in front of a room of one's elders to give an opinion. She knew the feeling well enough. Then again, Kenth's background was far from her own. A soldier turned Jedi. Some in the room found his testimony vulgar, but Auteme nodded in response.

She chose first to reply to Asmundr. "I've seen the Archivists do diligent work to contain dangerous artifacts," she said. "Nullification resin, lots of focus and precautions, never alone, especially with a Holocron. But as curious as they can be, intentionally studying the artifacts is very rare; only for specific reasons. Honestly, how padawan Aler got his hands on it..."

Auteme would never advocate to restrict knowledge, but more safeguards might be needed to protect the Jedi.

"That being said, I don't think anyone could say with certainty that teaching about the dark side would be as -- or less -- dangerous as having the items simply sitting in our vaults. Even with the proper precautions, there's always the chance that a Jedi might go too far. Helping them understand the Sith and the dark side may have merit but we can't be sure what effect that would have. Perhaps a joint effort by some of the masters, just to see."

Her gaze turned to Padawan Ordo. "But I also understand that that isn't the only part. Lessons, structure... I've spent a fair amount of time with the Silver Jedi on Kashyyyk. It's almost less a temple and more a school. Classes every day, many dedicated to teaching...

"The New Jedi Order isn't like that, not most of the time. Our Order came to be fighting alongside the Alliance, and so often that meant many were away from the Coruscant Temple. When I'm not away, I... I spend my time in the Archives reading, recuperating, preparing for the next Senate meeting or next diplomatic mission. I haven't paid enough attention to the padawans and younglings, and I'm sure there are many here who are the same."

When was the last time she'd spoken to a padawan or youngling of the New Jedi Order? Truly spoken, not just a passing comment to help them find the right book or holofile. She'd thought the title of knight wouldn't change her, but she suddenly realized just how distant that world had become.

"We should be doing everything we can to make the Coruscant Temple and the Prosperity a safe and productive place for new Jedi to learn and grow as much as they can. The galaxy's turbulence will often draw our focus, but the future of the Jedi lies here." She nodded to the padawan. "I don't know you well, Kenth, but I can promise I will do what I can to make sure you and your peers become the best Jedi that you can be.

"I think we all can agree on that," she said, sparing a glance to the others in the room.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Through a series of events which the Narrator is not at liberty to describe at this time, Nimdok found himself in the conference hall of the Prosperity, despite not technically being a Jedi. That is to say, he was not an official member of any order (at least, not under the name of Nimdok) or sect of their religion/philosophy. But his knowledge and experience with Jedi and Sith artifacts meant that he was drawn like a moth to the flame of the discussion.

Arriving just as Jend-Ro Quill first spoke, Nimdok stopped in his tracks, stared wide-eyed at the back of the Jedi Master's head with something resembling horror at the old man's words, then whistled under his breath and quickly made his way to a seat. To think Nimdok used to admire the man!...

Of course, within a few minutes Quill had changed his mind after hearing Gabriel Pryce speak, taking a position more in line with what Nimdok would have expected from him. (They had a handful of brief interactions a number of years ago, but Quill probably wouldn't recognize him now. Long story.) Then Shaka Sunstar pointed out that curiosity was natural for students and they should either destroy the artifacts (ack! no!) or teach their contents. Kenth Ordo suggested teaching reform—not a bad idea, but given that they were on the verge of a schism, it probably wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. Asmundr Varobalder questioned who would even be qualified to teach about the Dark, which was an excellent question... but once again, the blasted schism stood in the way. War, what is it good for? Not learning, that's for sure.

Much to the pointy-eared, long-winded professor's delight, he discovered buttons on the arms of the chairs which allowed each attendee a chance to speak. Vowing not to filibuster (a promise he knew he couldn't keep), he pressed the button immediately after Auteme finished speaking for the third time.

"I have no desire to sound insensitive, but if you'll allow me to probe deeper into the tragic death of Centych Aler, what exactly do we know about his motives and intentions? Was he just a troubled boy looking for guidance from the wrong source, as seems to be the official story, or is there any possibility that he was simply curious? And what about his death—you say that he was killed while trying to escape, but did he attack the guard first? More than that, did he try to escape with the holocron, or did he abandon it upon discovery? Do his actions indicate he was ashamed at being found with the holocron, or merely afraid?"

Steepling his fingers, Nimdok waited for answers to his questions, then spoke again.

"The reason why I ask, is because I want to be sure that this boy was not killed just because he had dared to open a Sith holocron, or even because he was terrified of what would happen to him once he was discovered. I admittedly have a hard time wrapping my head around how any of you could see knowledge itself as a bad thing in need of destroying or hiding—after all, that would include killing those who are already 'in the know', if you truly want to obliterate this knowledge. Then again, I am a teacher, not a Jedi—any and all knowledge is worth preserving and studying as far as I'm concerned.

"But if some of what I'm hearing here is any indication, I can't help but wonder if the main problem is how much emphasis you put on the evils of certain kinds of knowledge, to the point where even just studying it is considered akin to committing heresy or blasphemy. You've created not just a chaotic learning environment with too few teachers and too many students, but a suffocating one where your students are shamed for their curiosity. Given such an atmosphere of fear and loathing, is it any wonder that so many are going astray?"

 

[Kenth Ordo]

Kenth listened intently as others began to respond after he said his piece about Sith and hydrospanners, nodding along as Auteme pledged that she would try to help the Order become a better place for padawans like him. He turned to face Asmundr Varobalder as his thunderous voice drove him from his caffeine-imbibing, asking him to elaborate as to what he wished for. Thinking quietly, he set down his thermos and steepled his hands on top of the table, breathing in deeply.

"I suppose what I'm looking for the most is the reliability. I'm not asking for masters to be watching us padawans day and night, but having somebody you can go to and ask these sorts of questions about the...uh...Shadow Side? Wait, no, the Dark Side." Kenth rambled, giving a sheepish grin. Going silent once again, he turned his attention to Jacen Nimdok as the man began to speak, nodding along in agreement. From what he had heard, the dead padawan had done what he did out of curiosity rather than abject malice, something that was likely spurned by the New Jedi Order's strict adherence to the Warm Side, er Light Side.

Shaka Sunstar | Gabriel Pryce | Sapphire Cerulean | Jend-Ro Quill ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Tea?"

He held out a cup to the man he was addressing. It had been a while since Cotan had last seen Jend-Ro, travelling through Firefist on an expedition with the OPA. They hadn't run into each other much, considering the younger man spent much of the expedition clearing space ahead of the main convoy...or getting stuck in a tomb full of ancient dark side spirits, following some sort of calling from the Force but not paying quite enough attention to what he was feeling drawn to. Still, though, he enjoyed the elder master's quiet, moderately asocial demeanour. It was relaxing, compared to being around most beings in the galaxy.

Of course, that didn't mean he didn't plan to speak up today himself, despite the fact that he liked such occasions about as much as Jend-Ro seemed to.

"Hey, hi, dumb guy that almost got thrown off the council tower a few years ago here," Cotan said, speaking up so that the others could hear him. Casually leaving out that it was Darth Carnifex who had nearly done that, when the temple was ravaged by a Sith attack, of course, but he doubted most people present would need to be reminded of what happened on that day. "I'm not going to moralize or lecture on balance and what it means to different groups in the tradition and all that nonsense, because it'd be pointless and nobody wants to hear it anyways. But, from when I was still a Padawan, I think I can offer a perspective on this matter."

He reached into his pack, withdrawing the holocron he'd inherited from his old master. "So, my master was an archivist. To say that I've got experience with Sith holocrons and what's in them would be a bit of an understatement, because while he never expected me to go in his same path, he wanted me to have greater knowledge than just what was commonly taught. A lot of that went into this holocron, too, and I'm glad for it, because this holocron is what saved my life—or, at least, my devotion, you could say—while I was held as a Sith captive some time ago." He set the holocron down on a small table, the crystalline structure refracting the light that hit it in numerous fantastical patterns across the surface.

"Guided, careful study is safe—at least, as safe as we'll ever be. It's important to understand your enemy, know how they think, know how to counter them on a level that deep, both for your own protection and the possibility that you can save them down the line. If it weren't for the amount of Sith knowledge that went into making this holocron in front of me, and the study that enabled all the previous contributors to be able to outline defenses, counter-arguments, and the like is what allows me to stand here today, rather than rotting in some Sith Lord's dungeon on Atrisia."

He held up a hand, gesturing to Nimdok next. "It's a sad fact that there will always be some that manage to gain access to knowledge that is kept away for their own safety, either through breaking rules for the sake of breaking them—" he gave a small, self-mocking smirk at that, "Or simple curiosity, or anything potentially worse. It's been a problem since the origins of our order, and it will be until this galaxy has split apart into nothing but free-floating subatomic particles and loose photons in an empty void. But to destroy knowledge for the fear of what it represents, what it might encourage, is foolhardy, in my view, and that of the masters before me that added to this device I have. Truly knowing what you might face, both physically and spiritually, and being able to create strategies and arguments to defend yourself and others is the path of wisdom here."

He nodded over at Kenth Ordo next, inwardly marvelling at the man's...overly aged appearance. Ex-soldier, he seemed like. "Reliability, mentorship—even unofficial—from more senior members of the order, both go a long way towards fostering the health of the order, and the safety and growth of its learners. So does encouraging accountability between Padawans, Knights, and fellow Masters; even if it's the ideal, it seems lacking all too often. How much of the success of Luke Skywalker's early trainees in defending themselves from corruption should be attributed to his oversight, and how much was due just as much to their own support network with each other? You could make an argument that the ones that fell or were lost were the ones that existed outside of it, or intentionally forced themselves out of it. While the latter is much harder to deal with, it's not impossible—and it may be that honest, intentional friendship and compassion could've helped protect Centych more than any oversight or counselling could have. That's a lesson I think Jedi of every stripe have been trying to learn for the last few millennia, I think."

Auteme Kenth Ordo Jend-Ro Quill Jacen Nimdok Asmundr Varobalder Shaka Sunstar Sapphire Cerulean Gabriel Pryce