Jedi non gratae

Posted on Mon May 28th, 2018 @ 8:47pm by Bomoor Thort & Thane & Sotah & G2-O7

4,206 words; about a 21 minute read

Chapter: Chapter V: Unbound
Location: Vault, Red Raptor
Timeline: BACKPOST: One day before Coda's arrival

BACKPOST

Aside from the gentle hum of the Red Raptor's usual mechanical rumblings, there were few other noises echoing about the ageing former smuggler's ship - a fact that was even more conspicuous with the departure of the boisterous young part-Aquar who had called the ship home for a time.

Now, the ship had more empty berths than ones lived-in, and its three remaining crew members had been fairly withdrawn from one another since the calamitous events that had taken place on the ancient penal colony-turned-Mandalorian lordship of Jericho. Each having suffered their own share of pain courtesy of Zrad Rezer and his maniacal delusions of conquest.

In the days since then, Bomoor had resigned his own position within the Reborn Jedi Order, just as Thane had some months before. Prior to the Second Outer Rim Conflict, where dozens of Jedi Padawans, Knights and even Masters shunned the Reborn Order in favour of serving the Outer Rim Alliance and their newly formed Rift Jedi, resignations and defections were almost unheard of, not least of all because of the immediate stigma attached to such individuals when they did so.

Grand Master Quellus, a scion of the legacy of his predecessor Junun Waay, the architect of the modern order and a famed figure from the ages of the Grand Proclamation in recent centuries that brought about the advent of the Third Galactic Republic, had fostered an atmosphere akin to that of Waay, where those dissenters risked accusations of a collapse into darkness, or even terrorism, as they had attempted with the Rift Jedi. Although it was arguably true in the case of Thane, and indeed to a lesser extent Bomoor, who was also dabbling in Sith holocron like his friend, they were not enemies of the Republic, and did not deserve exile or imprisonment, as had happened to some of the handful of former Jedi in the Order's recent history.

Admiring the one of the two Sith holocrons currently present, with Darth Krayt's currently in Bomoor's cabin whilst he consulted with it, the object was securely nestled atop its specially designed pedestal and sealed within the expensive security systems that had recently been installed, whilst the other pedestal remained empty for the moment.

Thane was pleased with the workmanship of the sentients who had assembled the new vault within one of the Raptor's largely-unused holds. The decision to have it built was an obvious one, Bomoor and Thane had decided, particularly after their titanic success in finally obtaining a shard of the infamous Kaiburr crystal, which was in yet another carefully constructed and sophisticated protective device, simultaneously a marvel of modern technology and a suitable means by which to view the spectacles they had gathered between them thus far.

It had been an expensive venture for the pair, but chiefly Thane. At the insistence of the gatekeeper to Darth Bane's holocron, the young aspiring Sith had formally accessed his family's accounts on Caanus, which he was unsurprised to discover were not being monitored by his father or his court, the elder Human apparently still in the throes of his decades-long depression. What he did find surprising, and vaguely bothersome, was the unexpected meddling of Vuul, the current senator for Caanus, not that the supposed-regent had been able to limit the Heritur, or rather, Crown Prince in Basic, of Caanus from claiming what was rightfully his.

Thane had made a mental note to make more enquiries surrounding the withering politician's activities, beyond merely his Senate voting behaviour, which he had always vaguely followed as a matter of principle anyway. As far as he knew and understood, having been away from the world of court intrigue for so long, Vuul was a lord - a skaal - from a minor house in the territories of Thane's own royal house, but there was little else documented about him - other than he insisted on attending all of the popular and fashionable events on Coruscant, where he predominantly spent his time.

Even so, the near interference and consideration that his actions, by extension those of his companions, could be coming under further scrutiny now that they would be considered rogue agents, Thane had split his funds across different accounts, and had even made the purchases for the amendments to the Raptor through his newly-christened Sith name. As far as the prying eyes of any meddling or overzealous financial investigators would currently be able to surmise, Serus was a wealthy man with an interest in the arcane, good-living and a consideration for his own safety and longevity.

Given Serus was now meant to be the truth of who he was, it was hardly far from reality anyway - not that he had currently made Bomoor aware of these particular financial and spiritual proclivities. It did not seem necessary, and whilst Serus had provided ample funding on this particular occasion, the Ithorian was not lacking for his own finances, courtesy of a frugal lifestyle and opportunities presented by his herd on Öetrago.

Two princes, Serus mused as he activated the final security systems by the room's exit, both tampering with Sith holocrons and turning their backs on the Jedi Order.

After a few audible beeps and clicks confirmed the system was doing as directed, the Human gave once last look over at the few assembled objects with a dark pride and stepped out, the new reinforced barrier that separated the vault from the corridor sealing. Satisfied, the dark side adept turned from the vault and stepped slowly towards the opposite side of the Raptor, placing his half-mechanical right hand in the pocket of his trousers, the sensations and feeling of clunkiness still somewhat alien and frustrating to him, although he had been assured by both Useless and Bomoor that this was a more mental issue than real one. Regardless, it was a real enough frustration to him.

The heels of his boots clicked ever so slightly as he moved towards the other hold they had converted. Although no longer shiny, the black footwear was typical of his Jedi garb, although the dark grey robes he wore were more form-fitting than the standard worn by his former colleagues and peers.

The door to the hold they had currently designated as the 'strategy room' was already open, and if the presence of Bomoor in the Force had not already betrayed the presence of his friend in the room, that certainly would have.

As ever, Serus found the sensation of the Ithorian's familiarity comforting, akin to settling into a childhood home after too long away. It was calming and engaging all at once, and whilst Bane's data echo might revile such a thing, Serus was not yet willing to abandon that.

Spying the globular G2 robot busying itself unnecessarily near Bomoor's trunk like feet, the Caanan banished it from the room before bringing himself beside his friend at the console he was working at, offering him an easy smile.

"Everything working properly?" He asked, almost cheerily, both his and the other former Jedi's features brightened a slight blue by the nearby star map that consumed a large portion of the room, tied as it was to both the HoloNet and the ship's navicomputer in an effort to maintain the relevance of their work.

His large reflective eyes still facing the screen as he typed several characters onto the terminal, Bomoor replied, "It is all excellent equipment: the galactic charts are far easier to read here than on the navicomputer and we get updates on anything the Republic puts out. However, our HoloNet feed may pose some security risks, particularly now we are trying to lay low. I was just working with G2 regarding setting up a proxy connection, so that our activity cannot so easily traced back to the Raptor."

He swivelled the chair around to face his friend, "But I know neither of us like to talk tech for too long. How about our other new room? Do you think that will suffice?"

"Very much so," Serus confirmed, although he found thinking of himself with that particular moniker somewhat more peculiar in the presence of Bomoor than he did on other occasions. As he considered it, he deduced that it was not entirely surprising; Thane was, in another sense, the truth of his relationship with Bomoor, as it always had been - and perhaps always would be.

"I feel much more content knowing that the shard, holocrons and whatever other oddities we collect are safe and secure - or as best as they can be ship-side - in the vault, rather than under bunks, on our persons or away with some actual bank," the Human went on, coming to rest himself on the console beside Bomoor, the Ithorian swivelling again slightly to remain facing him.

Of course, should any invaders truly desire, they could easily claim the vessel and set about dismantling the machinery and technology as best as possible. Knowing the stubbornness and single-mindedness of the Jedi, it was a given they would eventually claim the treasures within should they set themselves to the task. It would not be so straightforward, however, for mercenaries or even one of the Axion's cultists to crawl their way within, and that was the main focus. No passer-by would succeed.

"How are you finding your freedom from the High Council?" Serus then asked, his arms crossed over his grey tunic as he examined the jet black narrowed eyes of the Ithorian.

Whilst many struggled to see the emotion conveyed by the herbivorous species' trademark eyestalks, those who had spent copious amounts of time around them, as Serus undoubtedly had, it was not quite the arduous struggle many found it to be. Although, like with most sentients, there were numerous ways to deduce a person's thoughts and feelings, Serus had always preferred maintaining eye contact where possible.

Since the apparent betrayal he considered both of them to have been subjected to by Quellus' Council and their reaffirmed commitment to one another, Serus had been concerned about his friend's well-being, especially after his own momentous decision to resign his position as a Knight.

Sending to monitor to sleep, Bomoor turned his full attention to his friend, "In some ways, easier than I expected; I thought that some part of me would be dependent on the Order to give my actions some purpose but, in fact, without the weight of councils expectations, I have been more active since. Still, there is some measure of guilt towards those I still care for within the order: Thurius, Sotah, Olus... I feel that there is some debt to them that will someday have to be paid."

It was true, since leaving the Order, Bomoor had set about to fill his time as much as possible. When not honing his Force abilities, he had been sourcing the ship's upgrades and attempting to access some of the available planetary databases for information on the Kaiburr shards and reports of Cult activity. He had not stopped to question whether he was really free from the Jedi, or simply still running.

"Perhaps, when we show the Republic that we have stopped a great threat from manifesting in its great era of peace, the council will be forced to see reason," with some sad hope in his eyes, Bomoor added, "Maybe then we can meet some of them as friends once again."

"Perhaps." Serus considered that with scepticism for a long moment, eyes narrowing, now looking away from Bomoor as he aimlessly examined the floor. Whilst he also admitted there were a few within the Order he had quiet admiration for, not least of all his old master and those others named by Bomoor, he also did not feel that their actions could truly sway them away from the ardent philosophies they had latched themselves on to. He decided to not to mock the notion of the 'great era of peace' the politicians had seemingly tricked themselves into believing.

"Loyalty to the Republic has never been in question," he finally said, once again looking at the Ithorian. "And there are good Jedi out there, that see things in much the same way as we do. Convincing them to speak ou-"

His words were interrupted by a series of bleeps emanating from the holoprojector beside them, its interface shifting from the amorphous blob depicting the political factions of the galaxy to a series of letters and numbers in Aurebesh, indicating an incoming transmission from Coruscant.

Serus frowned a suspicious look which was shared by Bomoor, before then stepping over to the console situated at the base of the holographic display. More digits scurried across both the projection and the small display screen, and an artificial representation of the Third Republic's capital appeared, which quickly magnified to pinpoint the origin as being the Jedi Temple.

Only a brief scowl crossed Serus' pale features, as he quickly recognised the personal identcode flashing in front of him. Instead, an expression of slight confusion replaced his former scowl, whilst an unwilling sensation of dread began to seep, flushing away most of his previous good humour.

Bomoor could not quite see the screen clearly from where he sat but he recognised the display of the planet that had been his home for most of his life. He felt a flicker of emotion in his friend, but it was very brief and quickly extinguished.

“Do you know who it is?” he questioned.

"It's Master Sotah's personal code," the Human explained, doing his best to not betray his inner worry, a talent he was wholly committed to trying to master. Evidently, that was not yet the case. Not having spoken to his former Jedi master since his own departure from the Order on Coruscant, he had been in two minds about contacting the Selkath consular since then - partly from his Sith dabblings, and especially since Loren's death on Jericho. His actions there had left him with feelings of great self-loathing and indeed a deepening hatred for the High Council as well, but he knew Sotah deserved none of that ire, and was undeniably worthy of an explanation, or at least some form of connection from the former Jedi Guardian.

After all, Sotah had been a wise, kind and encouraging figure to the young Thane since his earliest troubled days within the Jedi Order, a stalwart bastion of support and mindful tutelage. And Serus had robbed him of both of his apprentices in some form - another sentiment he knew Darth Bane's gatekeeper would abhor.

But none of that was Sotah's failing, not that the kindly Selkath, or even his fellow Jedi, would ever view at as such.

Bomoor stood up, almost too quickly as he felt an urge to answer the call, but he slowed himself down and looked again to Thane, “I know what I was just saying but we must be cautious here. As I warned, we have limited security measures installed at the moment and I don’t want us to be traced.”

Serus gave a small nod, although he was largely distracted by the looming prospect of addressing his old master. Entering a few further commands into the standardised layout of the console to engage security measures, it was a few short moments before a transparent blue holographic figure shimmered into existence where the map had previously been displayed.

Although the display was somewhat distorted, with the image shuddering or adopting fuzzy lines every few seconds or so, the distinctive and familiar sight of the Selkath Jedi was clear enough, as was the unfamiliar countenance of deep sorrow that tugged at his usually cheery aquatic expression.

"Master Sotah," Serus greeted his old friend and mentor with as much considerate kindness as he could muster, although it was not false. Despite the details surrounding Loren's death, he did share in his grief. A combination of feelings set upon the younger Force user, as he found looking upon Sotah's visage both a comforting and deeply unsettling experience.

Beside Serus, Bomoor gave his own respectful greetings to his friend's old mentor, a man who had taught him much of the Living Force, which he still held dear.

"It warms the cold shallows of my heart to see you both looking so well," Sotah said with pronounced sadness, his lisp-like enunciation of Galactic Basic obscured further by the weak connection between the Red Raptor and the Jedi Master's location on Coruscant. The image did not betray Sotah's exact whereabouts, but he addressed them with his robe's hood up, which only added to his appearance of deep mourning.

Serus could not think of anything especially supportive to say, caught between numerable factors both physically present and within his own psyche. Eyeing Sotah, there was a great deal he felt they had to discuss, and there was much that he also wanted to genuinely air to his master and, as of later years, close friend - a man he knew he had betrayed in some measure. Much like Bomoor, Serus knew the elder Consular to be a wise and understanding creature, who had never considered any topic taboo or beyond debate. If there was anyone else within the Reborn Jedi Order he felt he could discuss his new aspirations with, or even make a confession to, it was Master Sotah.

Instead, however, he took a couple of small steps back to stand beside Bomoor, improving whatever view of them Sotah had on his end of the transmission, and said, "Based on the circumstances, I'm imagining this is a risk for you?" Further implications, based on previous suspicions, flooded Serus' mind, washing away some of his prior self-doubts and restoring some clarity to his troubled thoughts.

Intelligent, forlorn eyes fell between both Serus and Bomoor, and the usually-effervescent Selkath bobbed his head. "Somewhat," he admitted glumly, "but there are a great many things in this broad galaxy worth challenging the Jedi Council for, and that has always been honesty and justice - two things I feel are growing increasingly wan in these recent years, despite the best efforts of good sentients. The shroud of the dark side clouds all, and Grand Master Quellus grows increasingly hawkish in his hyperbole, which is why I felt compelled to contact you both."

Sotah's hands found each other, ferreting themselves away within the loose sleeves of his blue robes in front of his chest as he continued speaking. "He sees foes in imagined shadows all about him, distrustful of all but his closest confidants. Less and less frequently does he hold full High Council meetings, instead keeping his own counsel. Thurius, Veldryl, Olus... as often as not, we are excluded from his hushed meetings. Master Asha has even resigned, instead seeking solace training the new initiates. I have also heard it whispered that many Jedi Shadows have been recalled from their assignments back to the Core Worlds, which I consider can only mean one of few eventualities."

Subtly illuminated in the blue emitted by the hologram, Bomoor visibly shivered at the implication of a mass recall of all the Shadow agents across the galaxy. They had only recently been reminded of the efficiency even one Jedi Shadow could possess in hunting down and pursuing her target. If Quellus' closed Council intended to task multiple Force-trained hunters with finding the two former Jedi, then all the security-encrypted systems in the Galaxy could not stop them from finding their target.

"We are not safe..." the Ithorian spoke his worrying conclusion out loud, "...and, from the sounds of it, neither is the fate of the entire Order, if this fear mongering and distrust continues to be perpetuated by the Grand Master."

Bomoor felt a certain amount of distaste at still thinking of that bitter old Chagrian as Grand Master of anything, "Do you still stand by these decisions? Surely you have your doubts to risk this much in calling us?"

Serus remained silent silent, the rage he had felt when Bomoor had admitted his previous subterfuge to him once again boiling to the fore, and although his eyes were currently thrown down to the gun-metal floor as he mulled Sotah's words, he felt something quite palpable from Bomoor. Shimmering on the edges of the Ithorian's being was the peaceful man's own dark hints of fear and frustration.

"Your feelings serve you well, Bomoor," Sotah said, breaking his former apprentice's chain of thought as he addressed the pair. "Jundal Quellus has declared you both personae non gratae," he went on, his Selkath tongue carving the words out in High Galactic. "Since the departure of you both from the Order and the... loss of Loren, an edict has been issued for your apprehension by any Jedi who may come into contact with you. It seems he considers your resignations tantamount to declaring your allegiance to the dark side, a clear betrayal of everything that you once were."

Sotah shook his hooded head glumly. "It does not sit well with us all, and whilst Quellus continues to enjoy good relations with the Supreme Chancellor, the Third Republic does not recognise the Grand Master's declaration." There was a pause as he allowed the two former Knights to consider what he had told them, before he continued, "But pl--se kn-- you still -- friends -- the Jedi. Not -- -- so easily -- by Que--- misguided mantr--"

The holofeed began to judder, the image of the Selkath Jedi phasing in and out of hazy focus, his lispy words becoming broken and lost to the failing transmission. Serus immediately set upon the controls, attempting to regain the communication, suddenly feeling an internal compulsion to hold onto the conversation with his old master.

"Master Sotah!" He said, fingers both biological and mechanical running across the display and the various buttons therein connected as his visage was sporadically lit up in the dying blue light of Sotah's artificial form. "Master Sotah, can you hear us?"

Sotah's voice could still be heard, attempting to break through the failing communication, but no distinct words could now be made out, and only a blue cloud existed where his robed image had previously been. After a few more short seconds of Serus trying and failing at the controls, the transmission died with finality. The Human let out a frustrated sigh of exasperation as one hand fell from the controls with defeat and the other smacked palm-down onto the projector.

Standing still as his friend grasped at the controls with futility, Bomoor was still trying to process the Selkath's words. A part of him felt as though he had fled a sinking ship, leaving his comrades to burn or drown as their home collapsed around them. He thought of the many younglings of the Order who still would be looking up towards the council, with minds eager to be taught. While Bomoor had never seen eye-to-eye with Master Asha, it was at least comforting to see that she valued the training of these young minds over the council's politics.

"We are very far out," Bomoor spoke, stepping forwards and placing a comforting hand on Serus' shoulder, "It is perhaps merely a relay failure, although I did not sense anything positive about the current predicament on Sotah's end. Either way, his warning cannot be ignored."

Serus patted the reassuring hand of his friend before sloping a few steps away to lean on a wall, crossing his arms as his eyes found themselves cast down to the floor again, narrowed in suspicious thought and anger. "No, it can't," he admitted to Bomoor, commiserating over the things left unsaid thus far to both the Ithorian and to Sotah. "Our allies grow ever thinner in numbers. I wonder now if they are devoting more resources to finding us than they ever have to stopping Axion's Cult. I'm sure the embarrassment of losing two Jedi Knights is far more paramount than stopping an occult cluster of warriors from cutting a swathe of destruction through the Republic(!)".

Releasing a derisive huff from his two mouths, the Ithorian moved back over to his seat by the main terminal, "I have always found that baffling, as though Quellus has some agenda that we cannot see that blinds him to the truth. I am sure his true nature will be revealed soon though, if these events continue as we anticipate."

He sat down and pulled up the galactic map again; the blue tendrils stretching out from the bright orb swirled in a slow, comforting way, "But you and I, my friend, shall not be so blind. Thanks to your old Master, we have a chance at staying ahead of Quellus' Shadow hunters. Speaking of which, I think it is finally time we returned to our favourite smuggler's moon and had the transponder codes changed on the ship."

The map zoomed in to the Y'Toub system and its bright yellow star, "The dense fog of life will also mask our own Force energies while we plan our next move. As we well know, it is the perfect place for personae non gratae."

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