Prince Vegeta Isolder

Isolder remembered Xen-Que's words well. He had indicated the one who stole the weapon had disappeared from his senses, but still lived. Isolder thought it a logical connection to Darth Barrabas' presence here, just as Hou-Jo's recent tirade seemed associated with the dreaded Esrever. However, correlation did not equal causation. Isolder had to at least try to be more certain. At least I know Moon's on the ball. He has detected the former Emperor was present faster than I could. Very impressive. Isolder was glad he'd happened across the true Moon Knight. Given Fett's association with the ancient order, Isolder absolutely knew he could trust him. And he knew he had great skill. That was a rare combination and one that he would likely need if they were going to do something about this threat. "Perhaps there are further signs of him nearby. Why don't you scan or detect or do whatever it is that suit does?"

"I doubt the weapon is here." At least I hope not. As a Blademaster, Isolder feared little. He spoke with the dead on a regular basis, so death did not have the same mystery for Isolder that it did for others. But this sword troubled him. Perhaps it was his own regret of past sins that gave rise to Isolder's fear. A Ral'tah has command of the light and the dark side. But Isolder still believed in living by a code of honor. Ten years ago next week, will be the anniversary of my violation of the code. Isolder remembered the event on Coruscant vividly. Jareth Vermillios a Sith surrendered himself to Isolder. Isolder was angry over the actions of the Sith. He had just killed a Jedi. In his anger, Isolder struck him down, defenseless. It was not a kill in battle. It was murder. What made it worse was that some of the Jedi had consoled him, told him it wasn't really murder, that Jareth deserved it. Isolder knew better. The event and the immoral acceptance of the Jedi haunted him. I know what I am capable of as it is, should I turn against my nature, what will I do then? Isolder vowed not to let that happen. "If we do find the weapon though, I suspect you will be immune to its effects. I can't guarantee that, but if it is the case, and if somehow I should be affected by the sword, you will kill me immediately. I will not ask you to swear it, it is not a request. It is your duty as Moon Knight." Isolder walked in front of the Temple leaving no room for argument. He could see there had been some damage recently. "Odd. What do you make of this?"

Isolder looked gravely at Ara. "Hou-Jo has always been a fool. Now he's gotten himself in over his head." His rebuke of the absent Hou-Jo complete, the Blademaster debated his next course of action. Kirana seemed distracted, and he felt Xen-Que's suggestion was very important. If there was something they could do to stop this weapon, they had to start trying. Isolder thought about pursuing Hou-Jo, but there was no proof the man had been affected by the sword. Even if that was the root cause, he was already turned. In Isolder's mind, it would be less likely to help them find the Esrever than the Blademaster spirit's advice. The path was clear. "That sounds wise Armiena. But I must pursue a different course for now. I will follow the word of Xen-Que and go to Gala. If you wish to follow me Kirana, I will welcome the company. The choice is yours." Isolder departed abruptly, returning to where Moon had landed the ship. He entered, "I trust you heard everything that was said. I believe it is our duty to do as Xen-Que asked. But since this is your ship, the choice is yours my friend."

Isolder shared Xen-Que's shock at Hou-Jo's betrayal. He had never much cared for Hou-Jo, but the man had always displayed loyalty to the Jedi. The conduct of Faust and the subsequent actions of Hou-Jo were very strange. Isolder had a strong feeling they might be related to the missing super weapon. Of course, perhaps Hou-Jo just went insane. I can't ignore that possibility. Isolder was not sure what was going on for certain. But he did agree with the newly wedded Aryian. It was probably wise they vacate as soon as possible.

Isolder was surprised to see the spirit of Xen-Que again. It seemed wherever the dead Blademaster appeared, trouble followed. Isolder did not know Kirana at all. He had heard of her skill however. "I do not have much of a choice. It is my duty to intervene." In truth, Isolder was unsure the rest of the Jedi were interested in this weapon. He was beginning to feel if something were to be done about it, it would have to start with him. "I have no problem investigating with Kirana, if she will accept another with us. I have a partner named Moon Knight now."

Isolder shifted uncomfortably. A decidely un-Blademaster-like notification that he knew more about that particular subject than he had let on. Isolder had been on Maltauros after all. That was how he knew of Ara's activity there. Isolder hadn't expected Skye to be brought up though. I have not heard anything about her in at least two years. I did not think she still lived. Isolder was not sure what to do. He had never sworn to keep what he had seen their secret. And he had expressed his displeasure with it during his visit. But he had found the daughter of Skye a pleasant person, in spite of her father. The Blademaster had never spoken of what he'd seen there out of respect for Skye. He felt in many ways his pledge of silence was an unspoken promise as binding as if he'd sworn it aloud. But certainly Ara has proven herself countless times and I was quickly willing to judge her. Should I not hold Skye to the same standard? Is this crisis not enough to justify releasing any secret I hold? The truth is I liked Skye and her daughter more than I liked Ara. I was angry over other issues in my dealings with Ara, and this was the root of my attitude toward her and my unwillingness to speak about Skye. Such a childish stance. Isolder had allowed his relationship with the Jedi to tarnish his role as a Ral'tath too many times. He had accepted an honorary rank of Jedi Knight. He had even trained a few at the behest of past Jedi leaders. But it had clouded his objectivity. He had refused to intervene in what he'd witnessed on Maltauros and now the galaxy was paying the price. If Armiena had suspicions, it was irresponsble of the Ral'tath not to speak what he knew. He spoke, his eyes betraying how sad he felt at what he was saying. "Skye will know much about it. She had a child with Tzeentch. A daughter at least, I knew of no son. Let us hope she forgives me as well, but we all must realize right now there can be no secrets. I have long ago dissolved the bonds of a Hapan Prince for the sake of the galaxy. I abandoned my family in favor of my duty. All of you should accept right now that any loyalty of friendship you feel means nothing in comparison to the crisis we face. If anyone else can shed some light on Tzeentch or any of the other so-called gods, you must not hold back. What happened is in the past. Do not fear repercussion for past sins. Fear only the genocide that will take place at the hands of the Esrever." The Ancestral Spirits know I am guilty of many sins myself. Isolder had never ran with any wicked Chaos god, but he had made his own fair share of mistakes. He was a Ral'tath, and they were not meant to be the Judges of the galaxy. Only the Executionors. This crisis was more important than self-righteousness and misplaced guilt.

Isolder had no more answers for Ara. Anything he said now was mere conjecture. "I have no idea how the weapon can be overcome. It seems a catch-22. If we can even find the one who wields it, and manage to take it from him or her, it will simply corrupt any one of us next. Perhaps it can simply be destroyed." Isolder doubted it would be that easy. Besides, they didn't even know who had stolen it or where they were. It was that Isolder hold Armiena's claim. "You have an idea Master Jedi?"

Isolder was not convinced by Ara's denial. He knew many of the Jedi had been fooled by the Chaos phonies. But the Blademaster let the matter pass. "It was not my intention to insult your character Master Jedi. You have my apologies." Isolder's yellow eyes took on a glazed look as he tried to picture the events on Tatooine. The Hapan was struggling to remember the exact words of the message while trying to hold his tongue at Hou-Jo's remark. He failed in the latter case. "Are you suggesting I am lying Poleb? I feel I should remind you a Blademaster of my talents would have more knowledge of the spirit world than a Jedi like yourself can comprehend. Please keep your questions to the matter at hand, and try to avoid embarassing yourself." Isolder knew he wasn't behaving, but this was a matter of great importance. He didn't need people second guessing him. "This problem is serious. Do not entertain any thoughts otherwise. The blade gives an individual all manner of god-like power. Far more than any of the Chaos gods wielded individually. But it only seems to work in that way for the one who wields it now. For the rest of us it turns the wielder against their nature. For example, Master Poleb would be forced to turn to the dark side, and would suddenly become intelligent. The power in the hands of one of us would be uncontrollable and devastating. But the powers of the blade are both unlimited and focused in the hands of the one who wields it however, because he or she is immune to this effect. I do not know how to stop it. We don't even know who has taken it or where they are."

Isolder could recognize the sarcasm in Armiena's voice. He had acted a bit foolishly. He was not a god, anymore than the Chaos pretenders were. "Of course, the leader of the Jedi should be able to understand such things, just as a Blademaster should be able to humble himself in front of equals. This is a problem we must face together. I do not know for certain which of the Chaos gods is involved. However, when I visited Maltauros, Tzeentch was in charge. It stands to reason it would be a weapon of his creation. Of course, Ara-lai Kaipi could tell you more about that than I could. She was running with Tzeentch at the time." Isolder had been disappointed then at how quickly the Jedi had fallen for the tricks of the Chaos gods, and not much had changed in that regard. Of course, Isolder had not chosen to confront Tzeentch on Maltauros, so even if he did not participate, he did not stop it all either. This weapon had been unleashed onto the world, and they were all to blame as much as its wielder. "I received the information from a deceased Blademaster, a source beyond impeachment. He warned not to go to Maltauros or to try to wield the weapon, for it would be uncontrollable. I think the latter warning is sensible, but I'm not so sure about the former."

Isolder was visibly displeased with what had occured thus far, and Armiena was not making things much better. The Blademaster was too used to working on his own as of late, and had forgotten himself. The tendencies of royalty he had worked to purge had begun to return after his long period of solo activity. It appears the requirements to lead the Jedi have been significantly lowered. "Well, I could understand if someone as inexperienced as yourself could so easily brush off my warning. If it was just a matter of your life, I would leave you to your insolence. But since trillions hang in the balance, I will explain to you the gravity of the situation." Isolder concentrated to remember as much of the warning as he could. He wanted to be as exact as possible. "Through means a normal Jedi would not understand, I received word from the next world that a weapon of the so-called Chaos deities has resurfaced. It is called Esrever and it resided on Maltauros. The identity of the one who took it is unknown, but the power of this weapon is unfathomable. It makes the Sith freaks who called themselves gods look like children. I cannot express to you how dangerous it is. Do with this notification what you will."

Isolder had no knowledge of the current workings of the Order. The last time he had visited the Jedi, a large wookiee had been in charge. Isolder's only contact since then was through the Alliance. This is why he chose Onderin. The Blademaster moved to Onderin's location, speaking to Moon before he left. "Perhaps you had better stay here. I will carry a comm, so that you can monitor what is said." Isolder left Moon and quickly located the Admiral. He was extremely annoyed at having to relay this message, and was doubly insulted by the lack of speed the Jedi displayed. "You said you wanted a pretty good explanation? I'm afraid that's not my job to determine what is and isn't a good explanation." In the days of old, the Jedi would never have questioned the wisdom of a Blademaster in the first place. "How about you bring whoever our current Jedi leader is to my location, I'll give him or her the message, and then I can get out of here? Would that be too much of an inconvenience for the esteemed Admiral?"

Isolder gave Fett the required coordinates. Then he sent a message to Onderin Starlisk. "This is Prince Isolder, the Hapan Blademaster. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I have discovered something that makes all of that moot. You must assemble as many Jedi as you can to this location, or the galaxy will be lost forever."

Isolder moved quickly back to Moon's location. His face was stricken with the reality of the message he had been given. "I have had a terrible vision. I cannot explain now. You must take me to Manaan. I will tell you why when we arrive. We must go quickly."

Isolder trusted the words of the spirits. Even though such warnings had never come to him quite like this, he felt he had no choice. If there was even a possibility this was true . . . "I will do my best. I can go to the Jedi immediately. Is there anything else you know about this individual or this strange weapon?"

"We choose a planet, and start a resistance. When we have overthrown the Imperial presence there we move on. It is very simple. As long as we use the populace it is unlikely they will find us. Of course, that may cause many deaths. It will be a fine line to walk." Isolder was suddenly struck by a vision of a spirit before him. It was rare that the Blademaster experienced these sorts of things without calling them forth. It suggested to him the issue was urgent. "I . . . need to take care of something. Think it over. I will be back in one moment." Isolder shuffled to an adjacent room. It wouldn't be sensible to have Moon watch him talk to an invisible spirit. He had no interest in being committed. He spoke to the being before him. "I am listening."