Dahar Raikanda

Dahar felt as though most of his business here was finished. He had made contact with Aryian Darkfire and would hopefully meet with him soon. It was a normal Monday at the temple. Students were training, learning, coming and going. He was becoming a familiar face around the academy now. The students knew who he was, or at least his title. He was not unapproachable but had rarely been approached. So he thought it prudent to hold sort of a school assembly to address all the padawans and knights who were there studying and teaching. That afternoon the population of the temple crowded into a large meeting hall. There were about 1200 padawans of varying ages along with a staff of about 150 Jedi Knights. Dahar stood at the front of the room in the most boring Dumbledoreish robe he could find. After all this was his first public address as the Grandmaster. Well, other than the message he had sent out through the Force. The message that had radiated across the galaxy with the power of the pure Light. Anyone intuned to the Light Side would have felt it and now be familiar with his presence. It would make sense, at least for the personnel that Dahar could write for, that his voice and presence would be associated with one of the purest most powerful associations of the Light Side they had ever felt. The kind that would be trusted. The address was being recorded and bounced out to the other temples. It wasn't encrypted, anyone who stumbled upon the signal would be able to see it. "My fellow Jedi. It is such a privilege and honor to be able to speak in front of you all today. I have spent my life serving our order. I have dedicated myself to the Light Side of the Force, to truth, liberty, and protecting the innocent. I have served the Old Republic and the Jedi in numerous wars. I've endured physical death. Yet I stand before you here today with the unbreakable will of iron. There is no Emotion, there is Peace. There has been much fear as of late. Many of you have been here for years in hiding. The threat of the Dark Side, of the Sith, is ever-present. For millennia they have stood in opposition to our ideals. To the principles of peace and justice. Believe me, I have the best people working on it. I have so many people working on it. They'll do it right. The first time. Together we are going to tip the scales to the side of peace. There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge. For too long the Dark Side has clouded our judgement. For too long our leaders have sat in ignorance of the evils the Sith have been weaving in the galaxy. Grandmaster Kitt was a great person, we were good friends. But he didn't have the gumption to stick to his lightsaber. When the going got tough, he disappeared. But do not fear. We are going to build a wall, a wall of pure Light Side energy around the galaxy. And the Sith are going to pay for it. We have the greatest intelligence specialists in the galaxy working on it. We have discovered the locations of almost all the Sith bases, intercepted almost all the plans for Sith terrorists attacks. Our team knows how to do things smart. I have the best Bothans working on it and they're all still alive. My bothans are the best Bothans. There is no Passion, there is Serenity. Some of you may wonder, with the changes that will soon be happening, does this man have the temperament of a Grandmaster? Let me tell you, I have so much serenity. Sometimes people say to me, Dahar, don't you ever get tired of being so serene? No. Never. There will be some out there who may see our plans and think they are too passionate. Wrong. Serenity." Dahar paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and slipped into a solid 15 seconds of Jedi Meditation. "See? So serene. So Grandmasterly. There is no Chaos, there is Harmony. When I was a young Jedi Knight, much like all of you fine beautiful people out there, this was the part of our code that I struggled with the most. It seemed to me that the galaxy was full of chaos. That there was so much chaos that there was nothing I could do about it. And where would this harmony come from? Well you see, my friends, the harmony comes from the chaos. The chaos is just the means to the eventual harmony. Harmony is the goal. And let me tell we are going to have bigly harmony. The best harmony. We're going to have so much harmony that you're going to get sick of it. There is no Death, there is the Force. My friends," here Dahar paused. His tone got a bit more serious and somber. "The Sith send the worst of their people here. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with them. They're bringing spice. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And none, I assure you, are good people. This culture of Death is over. We are going to usher in the age of the Force. We are going to do it together. We are going to Make Jedi Great Again! Thank you! I love you!" A bit of cheesy generic music began to play as Dahar waved and left the stage. The crowd all stood to their feet and cheered. A few of the more eccentric padawans threw their undergarments on stage. The Grandmaster, as faction leaders often do, had won over the love, admiration, and complete control of all the Jedi who had heard the speech. The signal was quickly bouncing to Lehon and the other temples. Soon the Jedi across the galaxy would pledge their hearts and minds to their cunning and handsome new leader. Dahar had accomplished all that he had wanted to on Tython. It was time to go. With a few button strokes on his wristpad a speederbike was summoned to be waiting for him outside. On his way out he took a long stare at the big front doors. He had entered with four friends. He left with control of the Jedi Order. His speederbike took him out through the forest and to the city of Ashla where a transport was waiting for him. At the helm of the ship he set a course to nowhere. He would drift through space until Master Darkfire contacted him. He programmed a series of mircojumps to cover his tracks and keep Tython safe and then blasted into hyperspace. As his ship drifted away he felt he could still hear the cheers coming from the meeting hall. For a moment he smiled. But then he remembered another scene from his favorite holodrama. The scene filled him with a deep and devastating sense of fear, anxiety, and almost a little regret. It replayed in his mind over and over as the calming influence of Tython, the anchor of the Light Side, vanished... "So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause."

Dahar pulled up his favorite puppy-dog holosnap filter, took a quick selfie, and replied to Mr. Darkfizzle. "I need you to help me finish what we started all those years ago. There are some questions I have. I can have a private shuttle meet you wherever you want."

Things were beginning to fall into place. The order was active and Dahar was pleased by the massive presence of Jedi he could feel at the temple. Most of what he perceived as his administrative duties had been finished up. He recalled a few lose ends he would need to take care of before moving on. He moved to the center of the room and motioned for the device that had accepted the Gala holocron, or Galacron as he gad grown fond of thinking of it. The shelf rose out of the ground. Through the Force he pulled the holocron out and into his hand, placing it gently in his pocket. Using his commlink, which was now tied in as the administrative head of the Jedi Order, he made a few administrative pushes of some administrative buttons. Before there had been one master of resources (the Grandmaster), followed by 12 spots (the council) that had equal access to resources under only the Grandmaster. Now there was a position between the two. No Jedi or other would have more control over the accounts, security, and assets than him. But above the council he created a secondary account. This account would have the ability to supersede requests made by council accounts, answering only to his. The account would be accessible only to Lord Paragrin. It wasn't that Dahar distrusted the council... or so he told himself... but he wanted to make sure Vos's mission was unobstructed and his own command as Grandmaster unfettered. Punching a few more administrative buttons he pulled up an encrypted channel, broadcasting it to what had been traced back to Raven Zinthos. She had not, in fact, introduced herself, but was easily identified by the archive computers. "Ms Zinthos. My name is Dahar Raikanda, I am the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. In future correspondences I would beseech you to speak only to me, or to my hand Lord Paragrin. We are the only two in the current re-structuring of the Order that will be of any administrative or tactical relevance to you. The concept of a Jedi "council" still exists but please note that with changing times roles are changing as well. I believe you and I may be on the same page regarding the Sith. I would like to discuss more in person. It would be prudent to meet in a safe and private place. You may reach me at my personal comm." The Grandmaster transmitted his personal comm address along with the message. "I would appreciate it if you kept this correspondence, as well as any in the future, private. Should anyone approach you claiming to be part of the council please respectfully decline to meet with them. Only myself and Lord Paragrin will be able to assist you with more than just an oath..." Dahar hoped that the implication of resources would be transmitted in the message. The message ended and quickly was shot out into the infinite ether of the galaxy. He reflected, just for a moment, on what he had said and what had been accomplished in the last few months. Then, almost inaudibly, a voice rang out in his head. A whisper. Was it his old master? His own conscience? K'munee Jamaru? Darex? Kirlocca? A little green man he had seen once in an old holodrama? "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." What did that mean? What has he afraid of? Then another whisper... "All who gain power are afraid to lose it, even the Jedi." He tried to shrug it off. Surely another quote from his favorite holodrama, the sixth and best out of an entire series of holodramas. But was he afraid? Was the power going to his head? Would all of this be a catalyst to the path of the Dark Side? He knew only one person who had mastered the Dark Side that he could confide in about such things. He hadn't spoken to this old friend in many years. In fact he wasn't sure if his comm would even be the same. But it was worth a try. He opened a secure channel and sent out one last message. "Aryian, old friend. I'm... uh... Grandmaster of the Jedi Order now? I need your help."

An encrypted comm arrived for Raven Zinthos. "Ms Zinthos. My name is Dahar Raikanda, I am the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. In future correspondences I would beseech you to speak only to me, or to my hand Lord Paragrin. We are the only two in the current re-structuring of the Order that will be of any administrative or tactical relevance to you. The concept of a Jedi "council" still exists but please note that with changing times roles are changing as well. I believe you and I may be on the same page regarding the Sith. I would like to discuss more in person. It would be prudent to meet in a safe and private place. You may reach me at my personal comm." The Grandmaster transmitted his personal comm address along with the message. "I would appreciate it if you kept this correspondence, as well as any in the future, private. Should anyone approach you claiming to be part of the council please respectfully decline to meet with them. Only myself and Lord Paragrin will be able to assist you with more than just an oath..."

Dahar took a long pause before answering. It felt like a twelve day pause to be honest. He could sense how much Adenna had changed. Long ago she had a mission in her heart to help the people on Thalassia. Adenna had always been proactive. Dahar hoped that perhaps some of that had rubbed off from him in her training. He had started her off and she had grown much since them. The Grandmaster could sense great power in her. He could also sense that she had achieved her mission. She had the feel of someone who had been through a lot, that it had taken a toll, but that she had not failed. "Adenna, as I'm sure you can tell by where we are, much has changed." Dahar looked at the council room, the room that was now his to lead. "I didn't ask for this. When we all came here, not that long ago, I thought Kirlocca would lead us. I thought wrong. Up until Master Dashel contacted us, me and Kirlocca were the only two masters I was aware of that were left. Kirlocca left abruptly and left me with the Grandmaster title. It wasn't something I asked for. But it is something I will do. I have... plans. I feel the whispers of the Force breathing into me. It's telling me to move. Not to react, as the Jedi have so often done, but to act. I have learned much of the Force since we were last together. I've learned that the concept of balance is an illusion. The Dark and the Light will always be forever swirling in an elegant dance. It's arrogant of us to think anything we can do can tip the scales. However, that's no excuse to just exist without purpose. There is a difference between the Dark Side and evil. There is evil out there. There are those who use the Force purely for selfish reasons. For the pursuit of power at the expense of everything else. We must take that power from them. We must take everything from them. We must destroy them. The Sith order have been a plague on this galaxy for thousands of years. And for thousands of years we have fought back, responded, tried to tip the balance towards the light. I have been awoken to the truth. There is nothing but the Force. And in that is everything. The first line of the Sith Code states that "Peace is a lie". That is what they want, how they've lived for millennia. We're going to give it to them. We're going to war against the Sith. We will seek them out, hopefully take them by surprise, and annihilate them." Dahar took a breath after his windy monologue. There were numerous seats in the room reserved for council members. He waved his hand over them. "Master Vos is no longer the agent of evil that we both knew him as years ago. He has embraced a deeper understanding of the Force. We are on the dawn of a new age and a New Jedi Order. I have faith in him, I trust him with my life. That is why he is a member of my council and now a Jedi Master. It has been a long time, Adenna, but I still feel the same way about you. I would trust you with my life. And I can sense how much you've grown. The formalities of old serve no use to me. You have proven yourself in your own personal trials. I grant to you the title of Jedi Master, and I'd like to ask for your help. For your wisdom and counsel. I'd also request that you choose one of the new recruits here at the temple to take on as your padawan."

Dahar wondered if Tobias had thought him rash in his decisions. In truth these were ideas he'd had for a long time. Now it seemed, for the first time ever, they were in his unobstructed reach. "Yes, I know who you are Tobias. As I said, you may want to learn to... cover up what you don't want others to see. As far as temple defenses, I would say a portion, yes. A decent amount of cover here, as this will now be our base of operations. Soon we will no longer be a secret and we need to be ready when that happens. I want you to find out, and get help if you need doing this, what the Jedi populations are like at the other temples. Allocate what you see necessary there." Dahar came in closer, quieter, "This army we are building," he really emphasized the word "we" because he knew it was going to be a team effort, "will not be for defense." "As far as an alias, resources, whatever you need. You will always be able to reach me on my persona comm." Her presence grew closer until it was just outside the open door. There stood Adenna, all those years later. Dahar wondered who she'd be most surprised to see. He gave her a traditional Jedi bow, and beckoned her to come in. "Adenna, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? You look well, and older." Being a Jedi had a way of showing wear that only fellow Force users could see. Skin could be treated but some scars were beyond cosmetic. "Like a true Jedi Knight. Please, come in."

Dahar gazed towards Vos, almost through him, as if seeing something just beyond. "We need allies, Master Vos. We can't do this alone. But we don't need to. I know there are plenty of Jedi who see things the way we do. I need to recruit some friends... Tobias, there may be those who will sense more darkness in you than may be safe for our purposes. I think, for now, it would be best for you to mask some of it. I know that is within your abilities. It may seem counterintuitive to you but I want you to try and embrace the Light. Don't deny yourself, but to get things done, to be a Jedi Master, the others will need to accept you, to follow you. That holocron I gave you a while back will be of some help in that... One more thing." Dahar began to pace toward his friend. Oh how the times had changed things. "You are now a member of the Jedi Council. There are endless resources at your disposal. Stores of knowledge... a near infinite amount of credits. I'm charging you with building us an army..." The Grandmaster thought back on the armies of old. Forces amassed by Force users and non-Force users alike. "Keep it quiet, for now. When we choose to return to the Galaxy, if we choose a side, we will be ready in a way the Jedi have never been before. Recruits, clones, droids," what else had Dahar seen or read about? He placed his hand gently on his Kiffar bro's shoulder. "I trust your judgement, whatever will get the job done." Dahar punched a few buttons into his wristpad. In the official records of the Jedi Order Tobias Vos now had the rank and resources of Jedi Council, Jedi Master. With another command he sent a private order to a member of the temple auxiliary staff. In the cafeteria a young woman, maybe in her early 20s, respectfully interupted Jedi Knight Adenna Alluyen conversing with her apprentices. "Master Adenna, pardon the interruption, Grandmaster Raikanda would like a word with you in the council chambers when you are available."

The role of Grandmaster was definitely something different than it had been in days of old. Tobias was right, things were going to happen whether Dahar liked it or not. The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order had traditionally never been a dictator. He didn't plan on monitoring everybody's coming and goings. But it did bother him a bit that this Jedi, his peer Jedi Master, had blindly accused him of darkness. "Most of us get the benefit of an early retirement, usually a lightsaber to the chest. The medical is good though, all those fancy Jedi healing abilities. As far as vacation..." Dahar wasn't sure, "I'll have to check with HR." He could tell Tobias was bit surprised by the offer. He couldn't read him further than that. "Don't you feel it? The power inside you? Power the ordinary can only dream of?" Dahar closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the Living Force flow through him. He had been strengthened today past what he thought would even be possible. The tiniest spark flickered off the edge of his finger as he thought about it. "We can do something with this power. We can bend the galaxy, tilt the scales in favor of justice." Dahar began to move towards the exit of the room, towards the door Tobias had stared at. "In the end, it's up to you. We've much to do."

"We don't know is out there, do we? Don't you think we'd be able to tell if there was that much of a void? Think of how many thousands of years our kind have been around. How many times we've vanished only to resurface centuries later." Dahar was referring to both the Jedi and the Sith. All manner of Force users had a tendency to flourish and vanish, a constant ebb and flow of balance. "I am ready to do what I must. There will always be an imbalance out there, I believe that is the nature of the Force. We're not meant to try and fix it. We're meant to play our part. I've watched the story for too long to think that it really leads anywhere. But here we are. We have now, this moment, and whatever future we steal for ourselves. Some of us last for a little while, some cheat death for millennia. But in the end everything ends... and then starts over again." Dahar began to circle the room. "I believe you and I may see eye-to-eye on certain things, Tobias, although I could be wrong. But I think we both understand that there is more to all of this, to the Force, than picking a side and running with it. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, as does absolute devotion to an ideal. When the Jedi have failed in the past, fallen out of view, it has been because of this unyielding devotion. The same can be said any time a Sith falls out of power. It's his devotion to the Dark that causes him to lose track of the bigger picture." The Jedi Master sighed, he hated getting lost in theoretical discussions. He was a man of action, not just of words within quotation marks, the occasional pronoun italicized. "As far as that message I will meditate on it. Now is not the time for us to rush to the galaxy's aid. Perhaps soon, but now now... Adenna..." Neither of them had spoken her name yet. "My old apprentice, she sure has grown quite a bit since the last time I saw her. You can find her, if you want, don't let me keep you. Just know that there is a place for you here," Dahar waved his hand over the council chambers, the empty council currently consisting only of himself, "if you so choose. You have more than proven yourself worthy of being a Jedi Master... at least in the eyes of the new Grandmaster..."

"The Order is in good hands Grandmaster..." with those words the Wookiee warrior exited the room and left Dahar with the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. As he watched his friend depart he couldn't help but feel like it would be the last time he would see him... that those words would be the last he would hear from Jedi Master Kirlocca. It was Kirlocca who had decided Dahar fit to be considered a Master all those years ago. The man was a legend, not just among the Jedi, but in the known galaxy. And who was Dahar? He was confident in his place as a Jedi, that was certain. But Grandmaster? He thought back on previous holders of the post. Kitt Fitt was the man in charge when Dahar first joined the Jedi. Would he be able to fill those shoes? Would he be able to live up to the reputation of other Jedi Masters he knew? In the days of old there was a council of twelve who voted on the Grandmaster. But those days were gone. He and Kirlocca were all that remained of the council, at least here, and Kirlocca's time had passed. He watched as Tobias entered the room and took a spot by the window. There was more to him now than when they first met. It seemed like pieces of his former self were slowing pull themselves back to him. Different Force energies, different memories, swirled around in a beautiful puzzle. But he still had no reason to fear Tobias Vos, and at this point plenty of reason to trust him. "Grandmaster by default, quite a position, eh?" Dahar slowly moved overed and joined Vos in gazing out the window. "A galaxy sized bulls-eye on your back, and that was in the good old days. Now there's that on top of" Dahar motioned his hand figuratively pointing at all of the temple "all of this to piece back together. It will be quite a task." Dahar didn't really answer the question. "There are, though, things I want to do. Things I want to accomplish. I hope they are the will of the Force. And if not, well, perhaps the Force will bend to my will." He walked to the center of the room and with a wave of his hand a small console popped up from the ground. He took the holocron recovered from Gala and placed it into the console. It clicked in, lit up, and receded back into the floor. He could feel the effects of the holocron quickly rushing through the temple. That device had powered the Gala temple and was now combining with the awesome Light Side energies here. The Force was swirling around him. The Grandmaster reached deep into his core. His very being began to mend with the Living Force and radiate light from his pores. It must have looked pretty badass and cool. He drew upon the Ashla that was ingrained in the very fabric of Tython. He drew upon the temple, now magnified exponentially by another holocron. And he drew upon himself. In a display of raw Light Side power unlike anything he had ever experienced he beckoned the Force to speak through him. The energies of the Living Force would carry this message to every corner of the Galaxy, to every Jedi, every being closely attuned to the Light Side: "Jedi... friends of the Light... I am Dahar Raikanda, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order... I speak to you as a humble servant of the Light... We keep what we have only with vigilance, and just as freedom for the individual comes from the Force, so freedom for the Order springs from our traditions... As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well... The time has come to return home..." Dahar tried to keep the message short and to the point. It was was what the Force had wanted him to say, he was sure of it. He had never felt anything like that before. The energies that coursed through him had gone out to the reaches of the galaxy. He felt connected to everything in a way never known to him. He felt the pure Life of the Force flowing through him. His entire existence had been changed in that moment. As would be expected from a minute as a pure conduit for the Force. He knew that any Jedi receiving the message would know that "home" meant here on Tython, the birth of the Jedi Order. He looked over at Tobias. It was as if a nuclear bomb of Light Side energy had gone if in the room. Surely there must have been some effect on him. Whether it was good, or more like radiation poisining, Dahar couldn't tell. And then suddenly felt her... Had it been decades? He locked eyes with Tobias. Adenna had been Dahar's first apprentice and a trusted friend. But he senses her connection to Vos ran deeper than that. He could tell that Tobias knew she was here. "What are you thinking, right now?"

"When has it ever been any different, Master? When have our enemies not tried to destroy us? But times have changed. Look at the Order. We might be all that's left. And the days of the purists, of the unyielding resolve to the Light Side, the strict aversion to the Dark. Those days are gone. How could either of us assume any leadership role and pretend we haven't seen and done the things we have? I don't know about you, but for me, learning the balance and discipline in the waves of the Force has shaped me into who I am. I spent my life studying under the Jedi and what I learned of the Dark, in just a few months under Master Darkfire, has been just as valuable. To fight our enemy we need to know it, to name it. The Force is quiet now, yes. And that is why this time is so dangerous. The Sith will always be out there. Lurking... plotting. It's not the Dark Side that we need to fear, it's those that can't see past it. To them, to the Sith, it is the only way. That is why they will always cause the imbalance. I think we need to be proactive in seeking and snuffing out the fires that would try to burn this galaxy." There was a refreshing familiarity to the temple as the two journeyed onward towards the council chambers. Dahar had worried that the Order had all but vanished. In truth it was hiding. Without leadership or direction. But that would all change soon. "Master Kirlocca, what I recovered from Gala was none other than the holocron that powered the facility. When I set off the self-destruct all those years ago it refused to come with me. But now, it is ours again. I am certain that, combined with the powers of this temple and the abilities that you and I possess, we can put out a message through the Force so powerful that it could reach the ears of Jedi clear across the galaxy. But what do we want to say? Should the survivors come here? I think we need to regroup... Are you ready to lead?"

Dahar couldn't help but hang on Tobias saying "our kind". It was a newer revelation that had slowly been opening itself up to him. In his youth it had always been the Jedi against the Sith. But now both sides seemed to have retreated into the shadows of the galaxy. Perhaps there was some common enemy out there. This could be true... but whenever it seemed like something was plotting to destroy the powers that be it was usually an even stronger Sith hidden away. "I can't believe we're all that's left. We'd be able to feel the imbalance. Sure, things are off, but not that off. Master Kirlocca and I will attempt to reach out to the others when in the council chambers." They were entering the temple now. The flow of the Light Side was strong here and it strengthened those who knew how to draw upon it. With each breath Dahar felt refreshed and restored. He was happy to see that this temple hadn't fallen into ruin. There were people here, many of whom he could sense were not force users. There was always a crew of civilians, locals, who took care of the grounds and some of the goings-on of the buildings. There were, also, some ambiguous Jedi Knights who held to the duties of the temple. The library needed to be kept in order, people needed to be fed. Things were strange here thought, as if it the place had been cut off. There were no younglings. There were, however, a group of minimally educated teenagers who appeared to have been trained by a skeleton crew of knights, and the holocron that powered the library. The Force had pushed them along in their journeys but without skilled teachers the students had made little progress. None of the council was present. Dahar would have been able to sense another master. No, it was just him and Kirlocca. Other presences flickered in and out of his mind though. Dahar had met some of these people and could sense their signals calling out not to him but to his companions. "Yes, you're right Tobias. The medical facilities here are sure to be in working order. It would be a great help to us if you would go with Xae." Dahar turned to speak to Xae, "You sense something, someone, no? The Force will guide. You'll find Master Kirlocca and I if you need us." And lastly he spoke to his towering Wookiee friend. Dahar held some important tools on him. He was pretty sure Kirlocca could tell. "Shall we, my friend? I think a vacant council chamber awaits us."

Dahar continued with the party through the forest. The path stretched before them like an amber-stone-trail. "Yes, I feel it. It's like something stirred, pushing us all up to the surface. I mean, we never really vanish right? Some of us die... temporarily or forever... but those of us who touch the Force will always find our way back to each other. Like... force osmosis or something." "As far as the others, I honestly don't know Xae. I'm hoping to find that out. Master Starlisk, Master Trevelian... I feel like they're gone. I don't know for sure but I feel a void where their large presences would be. But there are other Jedi out there. Other lights in the darkness. Some bright and some dim. I suspect Kirlocca and I aren't all that's left of the old council. We shall see." The party moved on the woods disappeared suddenly.

Dahar was the last to exit the ship. The sunlight of Tython hit his face and sense of warmth enveloped him. Dahar grew up on Adumar but to those strong in the Light Side Tython always felt like home. There was a sense of serenity that permeated the planet. He caught up to his compadres. "It's a brief walk through the forest to get to the temple, shall we?"

"Well, my friend, you are in good company. You've got two Jedi Masters who are seemingly returning from self-imposed exile. A former Sith who rose from the dead. I think we're all a bit confused about who we are." Dahar gently placed his hand on Xae's shoulder. He looked deep into her eyes with a gentle yet serious tone, "You are a Jedi. Don't ever forget that. And the gift that you have is one that most of will barely ever even be able to touch. You have purpose. You have meaning. The Force will show you what it is." He removed his hand, now speaking to both of them. "I think our first point of order should be attempting to reach out to whomever else may be out there. Starting with our friends on the old council. The toy I grabbed from Gala should be of some help in that." Dahar looked over to Kirlocca, "It may difficult, old friend, but I know we have it in us." "Xae, get Tobias and meet us outside the ship. We'll have to walk from here. The temple is in a black-out zone. None of the ship's guidance or comm systems will work past this point." The ship was touching down in the city of Ashla. There was a spot that the Jedi preffered to land in. Just outside the forest that would lead them to the temple.

"Yes, that did happen. I remember it. I was definitely a bit more quick to act back then. Especially since it was my job to protect the praxeum and a known Sith had weaseled his way in the front door. But that isn't the Tobias I know now. I do sense that after our encounter on Gala, the brush with the Dark Side, that the ghosts of his past have been whispering louder and louder. But that is what the darkness does, and will always do. Attempt to seduce and corrupt. There is a newness to him now and a strength that has been sharpened and tempered by fire." Dahar sighed and leaned against the wall. The ship was beeping indicating that they were approaching their destination. "There is still darkness in him though, an inner turmoil. You have seen it, we can read it in you, Xae. You've seen things that he may never show us. When we arrive on Tython I am assigning you the task of watching over him. You and I may be the only people in the known galaxy who known the current Tobias. And from what I know he has no intention of seeking retribution, of becoming one of us. And now is not the time for bold philosophy. Tython has a history of balance. It is not devoid of the Dark Side by any means which is why I want you to with him."

"Yes, Master Kirlocca, that is the one thing I am sure of. The galaxy will always need us. She is right, even a few of us can do what needs to be done." Dahar couldn't help but think back, now, on the events of the battle. He sensed that Xae had something on her mind that wasn't being spoken, or perhaps she didn't want to bring it up. "The call of the Dark Side is deafening, hard to ignore. The power that it offers is unlike anything I've ever experienced. I studied under Master Darkfire for a time, during his exile. I've seen and learned things that I can't unsee or unlearn." Dahar could feel the Force around them. The darkness was always there, ebbing and flowing with the light. He had spent his whole life fighting it, externally and internally. "That is why I'm able to do things that might seem... not right. What happened back there with that beast, with the lightning. When you learn to let go of fear even the most dangerous ideas can be your ally. It takes a strong will to walk that thin line. But this is my life. It's all I've ever done." Dahar motioned to Kirlocca, implying the strength that comes with being a Jedi Master. "Look at Master Kirlocca. I'm sure he could have done the same thing. Everything isn't black and white, light and dark. But those who submit to the Dark Side, who kid themselves into thinking they can bend the will of the Force. They are the real danger." The ship was taking the necessary jumps to cover their tracks. Even in this age a trip to Tython would need to be done in secret. "I'm sorry, how are you feeling? Are you doing any better? We are going to Tython, the birthplace of the Order. Have you been there? It will be a good place for you to heal."

Dahar smiled at Kirlocca's sincerity. "Interrupted? No. We're going to Tython, you and I both know that. But Tobias, well, he used to be a Sith. It's not like atonement has never happened before, Sith have become Jedi. But that's not what's happening here. He's definitely changed over the years. But he's not one of... us." Dahar put special emphasis on that last word. They had all worked together on Gala. But the truth was, despite everything that had happened, Dahar and Kirlocca were part of something. Something bigger than themselves. Or at least that was what Dahar believed. "I spent a lot of time with him before you and Xae showed up. It had been years since I had seen another Jedi. And then Vos shows up. He has a lot of ideas, beliefs, thoughts, that ake sense to me. The light and the dark, we're all part of the same puzzle. But, we're not the same. We're all different pieces. Sure we can work together at times but there will always be people out there who want to do evil. And for that reason there will always be a need for people to fight them." Dahar was becoming more impassioned and almost angry. It was more so at himself. For a time he had let himself believe that the inherent oneness of things would keep things in check. That things would always balance out. But that belief was slipping. He pounded his hand on the wall beside him. "Dammit, the galaxy needs US. The galaxy needs JEDI!"

Tobias's words were loud and clear. And true. Dahar had also come to sense what the kiffar had said. There was indeed more. Light and dark was such a broad term when in reality there were at least fifty shades of grey... "You've seen some things, man. And some stuff too. Part of me is a bit envious of the experience. Like I told you before, I've died too. A few times. But it was nothing like what you got to behold. I can't help but wonder if there was some reason that gift was given to you." Only a fool would forget the past. There was a time where Tobias and Dahar were sworn enemies. When Dahar had trusted him alone in a temple and that trust was betrayed. So he wouldn't forget. But a Jedi didn't hold grudges. There is no emotion, there is peace. "If you want your own ship there will be one for you where we're going." Dahar he knew Tython would have any of the resources they needed.

The ship was no longer in the area that could be considered Gala. They had drifted out of orbit. But they remained out of hyperspace with no clear destination. Dahar and Tobias were alone in the cockpit as Kirlocca was tending to Xae in another section of the ship. "Tobias, what you did down there was amazing. You were able to do something the rest of us weren't. For that you have my thanks. Also, you're seemingly unwilling manifestation into my life helped pull what's left of the Jedi together. I thank you for that too... I have to find out if we are all that's left. If no, we can pull together whatever Jedi are out there. The galaxy needs us. And if not, we'll know to start over. Where we're going is a very special and sacred place. Not in millennia has an outsider been allowed there. Even the Sith haven't been able to find this place. It's our most carefully guarded secret. I don't know if Xae even knows how to get there. But it's where we're going. A temple, a resting place... What about you? Where are you going? What are you going to do? I feel like I already know the answer to this question, but do you want to become one of us?" Deep inside his mind Dahar pondered the meaning of that word, us. Why did lines and affiliations define them? He shrugged and sighed. "I'm sorry, you are one of us. Years ago when you left Gala I marked you as an enemy of the state ((I went back and looked at some old posts when Tobias killed some dude and Dahar got riled up)). But you've redeemed yourself, at least in my eyes. I suppose the will of the Force will always prevail. What do you want to do?"

It seemed like in a blink of an eye they were out of the ruins and on the ship. As the craft lifted into the sky Dahar stared down at the remnants of what used to be. The Jedi Master had knew that he needed to come here. He knew long before Tobias had showed up at his home. It was deep inside of him but remained muffled for quite some time. Things had come full circle. The evil that had been here had been vanquished and a balance had been restored, at least on Gala, at least for those souls that had been caught. The path was no longer as clear. The four of them had come together and, to the knowledge of each other, were the only force users left. Dahar and Kirlocca were all that remained of the council. Xae was the only Jedi Knight they knew of. Tobias was strong in the Force but his future, at least to the Jedi, remained unclear. Dahar thought of the words his friend had spoke to him on his death-bed long ago on Taris. "Jedi never die, they just fade away." Had the Jedi simply fallen out of view? The ship left Gala and drifted away from its orbit. Dahar nodded to Tobias who had come to the rescue yet again, this time with a ship. "Tobias, we need to talk, in private if you don't mind." ((moving the thread over to Space))

Before Dahar he knew it he was on the Wookiee's back and plummeting down the shaft. He had figured that going down would be easier than going up, perhaps he'd shimmy down or kick from wall to wall. But the lift made the trip a lot quicker. They found their companions waiting in the same spot. He put the satchel down on the ground next to Xae. "How are you feeling?" The Jedi Master asked the question while simultaneously injecting a high-powered bacta shot into her abdomen. He tossed the vial to the side, it was a local brand called Godd-Moad. "This stuff always seems to work wonders." With his hand left hand hovering over her forehead he offered up some basic Force Healing skills. It had become a necessity to know some of them as a warrior.

It had been a long climb out of the lower levels. For a while the two Jedi Masters pondered their own thoughts. It felt like, perhaps, five days since either of them spoke aloud. They reached the top and pulled themselves out into the hallway. The temple was still a mess but the overwhelming feeling of darkness had been lifted. Dahar had spent enough time here that he could have navigated the area without vision if he had needed to. It wasn't long before they had reached the medbay. Dahar found a satchel off in the corner among some rubble. The room had help up fairly well having been designed to not collapse upon itself in an emergency. A safe medical area was always good to have in a catastrophe. He rummaged through some shelves and grabbed a few of the highest powered bacta shots. "This should do the trick. I hope you enjoyed that climb. We're going to have to do it again... and this time you may have a passenger on your back. I guess we'll see how she responds to the bacta."

The two were nearing the top. Between them they represented the pure strength of the Force that the Jedi could posses. As a human Dahar didn't have the natural abilities of a Wookiee but he had spent his life honing his physique. Unfortunately this wasn't the original body that he was born in and there was only so much they could do to craft a worthy clone before that mystical power of coming back to the dead, after what seemed to be a standard and almost regulated three day period for anyone who died. But each time he took over a new casing he brought it up to par. This was his third, he thought to himself. "You may be right, Master. But I can't discount the fact that he found me on Taris when nobody knew where I was. Or that he helped us here." Dahar thought about the different paths his only life had taken. "I spent some time with Master Darkfire, you know. Learning about the Dark Side, trying to find a balance. What I discovered was jarring. It almost seems to me that there is only the Force, that the idea of light and dark is inside each of us. That being said I found it quite difficult to keep a balance. I made a conscious choice not to tap into those abilities I had learned. Lightning, for example, that power the Sith Masters hold so dear. At first it seemed innocuous, I was just learning to charge the particles around me with electricity. But intent comes in to play when you use a power like that. It took more restraint to use it as, I don't know, a stunning ability. It is naturally harmful. When we were down there and that beast hit me with lightning I was able to pull it in, make it my own, and fire it back on him. But did I do it with good intent? To protect my friends? Or did I do it because I hated him? Is there such a thing as healthy hatred.? My friend, do you hate the Sith? Do you hate evil?"

The elevator had come crashing down with Tobias and Dahar in it. It was only through the Force they had been able to slow the momentum enough from killing them. The Jedi Master peeked in and glanced up. It would be a bit of a climb. The cable holding the elevator had broken but there were auxiliary wires running up and down the walls. He gave them a quick tug to see that they'd have enough strength to hold the two. "Strange things have been happening recently. Tobias manifesting out of the nether-realm onto my doorstop for starters. A strange fate that brought him and I here together. Years ago I tried to stop him from infiltrating the temple. And now I walked him in through the... well shattered front door. Do you think it would be safe for him to come with us to Tython? For an outsider to learn about the whereabouts of the temple? I'm not sure of his motives. I don't sense the same darkness I used to but I also don't think he means to become a Jedi." Tython had been a secluded home to the Jedi for millennia. Dahar began his climb up the shaft.