NJO Book II | Chapter VI - Keeping Council

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It was the warmest day the Jedi had known on Ator Hollos so far. Unfortunately, any comfort gained came at a cost, and soon they learned that summer was also the planet’s wet season. Heavy rainfall had been pummeling the Monastery since the early hours of the morning. 

For initiates like Druffin, who, as a Talz, was covered by a layer of dense white fur, the subtle rise in temperature and the not-so-subtle rise in condensation was a portent of many months of scratching and discomfort to come. Meego watched him itching at breakfast and silently thanked the Force for his own basically-hairless form. 

Per Nokori’s instruction, passed along by RU-D4, the Jedi students gathered in the late afternoon in an inner hall of the Monastery, a place where damp moss covered the stonework and intricate circular patterns marked the walls. Unlike many other rooms, the ceiling here was mercifully free of cracks or leaks, a rare luxury, one Lynus was coordinating efforts to address. 

The instructors stood talking to one another, and slowly the students all took their seats. Asa and Lynus leaned against the back wall. Ma-Riki rocked back and forth, humming quietly.

"Welcome, Jedi,” Aemos greeted, his hands folded inside his wide sleeves. “Let us not waste time; following the conclusion of the mission to the town of Ossar Kolv, Jedi Imani, Jedi Jin-Wa, Ma-Riki, Mr. Fendry, and myself have spent time deliberating about the implications of the information gathered in the last five days. You have been summoned so we may—as Ma-Riki has put it—'bring you up to speed'."

Ma-Riki smiled. Aemos cleared his throat, immediately regretting the reference.

He turned. "Jedi Imani?"

Nokori leaned on her staff while she looked out at the students standing around the room. Her face was bright. Nokori always seemed to radiate a strong inner peace, touched with a hint of knowing good humor, but what shone through most of all was her affection for her fellow Jedi. She was the most trusted instructor in the Monastery. There were a lot of good reasons why. It didn’t hurt that Jun and Aemos were, you might say, acquired tastes. But Nokori Imani was the kind of Jedi all Jedi hoped to be one day. 

"Each of you has done very well,” she said, meaning every word. “In your training, in your duties, in how you care for this Enclave and for one another. Those of you who traveled with us to Ossar Kolv faced many unexpected dangers. That situation might have ended quite differently. Our relationship with Ossar Kolv might have suffered damage that could not be repaired. It may have ended with far more bloodshed than it did. But because you all kept calm under pressure, peace spoke the final word. You met every challenge in a way that honors the name of Jedi. We are honored to be your teachers. Thank you.” She smiled, and looked at Jun. "Jin-Wa?"

Jun acknowledged the cue, while Noko stepped back. He cleared his throat, gesturing loosely with one hand.

"Yeah. Obviously, Ossar Kolv was shadier than a Canto Bight pyramid scheme. You don't need to be a Jedi to pick up on that.”

The rain outside grew louder, and he began pacing across the flagstones. 

“The Elders don't seem happy with us, but at the end of the day, our focus is to help their people. We only need to keep the bigwigs friendly enough that they don't get in our way.”

Aemos growled, apparently displeased with his colleague’s expression of the situation. This was not unusual, and Jun did not seem to notice – or at least, didn’t seem to care. In fact, he took things even further.

”I won't lie; the more we saw of that place, the way those guys threw their weight around . . . there’s a part of me that wants to just go in swinging. Start a fight."

Nokori bit her lip, but besides that, was impossible to read. Aemos was an open book. He raised a sharp eyebrow and leaned forward, like he’d need to step in at a moment’s notice to put out a fire.

Jun shrugged, glancing at his colleagues while he said, “But starting fights isn't how we do things," then he turned back to the students. "We'll play things cool — do a little trade, pitch in with their work, be helpful, do what Jedi do — but hey,” his tone turned serious, and he directed a sharp look at his students. “Keep your eyes and ears open. There's more going on here. Keep your minds on the here and now."

He looked over as Aemos stepped forward. ”Anyway, here’s Aemos again. You’re up, pal.” 

Jun folded his hands in his sleeves, and Aemos addressed them all once more. He took a deep breath before speaking, perhaps to shake off any lingering opinions about Jun’s address. More serious thoughts prevailed.

"During the Ceremony of the Chosen, several of you communed with the creature called the Makoy Vangal, or the Blinded, before its death at the hands of the captain of Ossar Kolv's guard, Gonng Zall. As Jedi Jin-Wa and a number of you have described it, the creature momentarily broke from its feral nature and communicated telepathically with some measure of lucidity. I have spoken to each of you who heard it, and from your recollections have established that its message approximated the following..."

He repeated its words from a scroll in his deep, rumbling voice, echoing off the stone walls. The air around them seemed strange. Rain pattered on the walls outside.

"I am One sent by Many Minds, Together. Join Song, Jedi Knights. End the Liar, cruelest Liar, Servant of Our Foe. Alone, never Won. Together, gain the sweetest Colors."

He lowered the scroll, and looked down at them all. 

"It would have continued, had it not suddenly breathed its last.While the precise meaning remains unclear, there is much to glean from the fragment we possess. Given the Blinded's apparent targeting of the Prophet Oku, its purpose was, as it said, to 'end the liar, the servant of our foe.' There is some hidden aspect to the Prophet, this much is certain. His hold over the town of Ossar Kolv presents a challenge and a danger, particularly if, as the Blinded accused, he can be truly characterized as a 'Liar'. We know not the identity of this 'Foe'. Perhaps the Blinded are opposed to the Atoran and their King of the Wood, and it is he of which it speaks. Or perhaps, it is something with which we have yet to cross paths. 

Now, a number of you have reported a theory concerning the nature of this creature, a theory we too have entertained as a credible possibility. Commendations are in order for your close studying of your texts.There are passages in the Jedi Path that concern a race of Force-powerful monks living hidden within the Kathol Rift—the Aing-Tii. It is said the Aing-Tii possess the power to travel through space and time by way of the Force. Considering the manner in which the Blinded appeared in Ossar Kolv, and our present location within the Kathol Rift, we believe it possible that these monsters are, in truth, living members of the Aing-Tii race. If this is true, they are hideously corrupted by the Dark Side and infinitely dangerous, far more so than we knew. Nothing is more urgent than finding them. 

The Elders of Ossar Kolv would have us exterminate these creatures in whatever den they call their home. Given any possible alternative, we will do no such thing, Too long have we ignored the woods and those that dwell within. We know now that the Atoran and the Blinded both are intelligent creatures, creatures from whom we might learn truths about Ator Hollos. About the darkness that infests this place.”

The room had grown dark as the storm overhead had intensified. No lanterns were lit. Aemos' flashing eyes, unnerving at the best of times, glowed dimly in the dark. In the waning light, his words seemed more serious, almost prophetic. Deeply ominous. 

“Our mission is clear: we must find these creatures. In communicating with them further, we may uncover the meaning of their message, discover the cause of their corruption, and learn more of their 'foe'. And we must find them first. Before they are slaughtered like vermin.”

On that note, Aemos stared at them a moment longer, and receded into the shadow to return to his seat. When Nokori took his place, there was an almost audible sigh of relief from the seated students.

“We will announce mission assignments in the morning. Tonight, enjoy some well-deserved rest.”

Meego’s mind flashed back to what it had been like when he’d first seen the Blinded. He wondered if any of the other initiates felt as nervous as he did. Probably not. Druffin never seemed afraid, and Lyra was more likely to get mad than scared. He met Jamidua’s eyes, and was almost happy to see a bit of his own trepidation reflected back at him. Ma-Riki announced dinner (spiced gnarj root stew, with lakeweed mash for protein) and they all filed out of the hall, talking in whispers.

But there would be no rest that night, for their sleep was full of dreams. 

One dream in particular, one they all shared.