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The Return
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| Sun_Tching | Date: Wednesday, 19 March 14, 11:27 PM | Message # 1 |
 Sergeant
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| He felt a rumble which shook him down to his very soul; the essence of his being. Suddenly, he felt as if he was slammed back into his quarters at the Jedi Temple. It was certainly not as dramatic as it felt to him; to any observer it would appear as if his eyes suddenly opened and his pupils would slowly return from being dilated. When everything came into focus, he found himself in fact not alone in the room as he was when he entered his daily meditation. Staring at him, in similar meditation pose was his former apprentice, R'khakh, who had been recently promoted to Master. His other apprentice, Kandar Terep was standing in seeming vigil at the doorway, as if he were serving as some sort of doorman. He also found a young Twi'lek, who he recognized as a Jedi Healer, but could not recall her name, in meditation with R'khakh. He then noticed Master Yaddle in a corner of the room.
"It appears I missed something..." he said simply, startling each occupant of the room to a jump.
"Master!" exclaimed Kandar, showing his more emotional side, which he checked nearly instantaneously. He looked over at the Twi'lek, who seemed to beam with pride and happiness, which involuntarily illicited a raised eyebrow from himself.
"Master, you've been on the brink of joining the Force for some time," said R'khakh, in a rather matter-of-fact for him. He shook his head and simply looked to Master Yaddle. It was enough of a cue for the small, green Jedi Master to enlighten the Master of the Order.
"For four months, in meditation, have you been. Watch over you, R'khakh has, during this time. My intervention for the last month was required. Demanding of your body, your meditation was," reported Yaddle, with a happiness in her face, but a certain sadness in her voice. Perhaps, it was more dread or fear he heard. He had no idea of the events that had occurred for the past four months, and it was likely Yaddle was sensing the coming conflict on the High Council with his return.
"I must return to the Council. I must inform them of what I have seen," he said, rising, slowly and heavily. He felt as if he weighed double what he had when he entered meditation.
"Disagree, I must. Rest you need. Weak your body is, Master Tching," said Yaddle, not moving from the corner.
"I thank you, Master Yaddle, for your guidance, and I defer to you in all matters of healing; but as Master of Order, I must overrule you at this moment. Once I speak to the Council, I will return to your care."
At that moment, Yaddle's face lowered, and her ears noticeable shifted with the movement. "Master of the Order, you no longer are..."
His eyes widened at that statement, he felt a brief surge of anger which was quickly subdued. He motioned to R'khakh and Kandar, who both immediately helped him walk out of his quarters and towards the turbolift to the Council Chambers. They would in kind, help him out of the turbolift and into the Council Chambers. As the door opened, he began to speak before even seeing if anyone was in the room. "I am to understand I have been removed from my position as Master of the Order?"
Jedi Master Sun Tching
Holy Order of the Jedi Knights
Warrior Master
Second Seat of the Jedi High Council
Master of the Order
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| Tobias_van_Zant | Date: Friday, 21 March 14, 9:11 PM | Message # 2 |
 Sergeant
Group: Users
Messages: 21
Status: Offline
| "Master R'khakh, Padawan Terep, leave us please," Van Zant's voice boomed throughout the Council chamber, far louder than Tching's voice, enfeebled as it was from four months of disuse.
Van Zant had been alone in the room, seated in a the chair that had once belonged to Tching, facing the turbolift door as if expecting him and his duo of former apprentices to enter precisely when they had. He wasn't surprised, because he'd been surprised ten minutes ago when he'd sensed Tching awaken from the meditative trance that had him captivated for so long. Van Zant had felt Tching's absence like a phantom limb—there, yet not. But now, his presence was unmistakable: Sun Tching was back.
Tching and Van Zant had frequently butted heads with one another on the Council, but only because they were so similar. Then again, so were the Jedi and Sith, and they'd still be at war if one hadn't finally destroyed the other. Van Zant hoped that the metaphor was an imperfect one; he didn't want Tching as an enemy. In fact, Tching could be very useful to him.
"Your understanding is correct," Van Zant said, motioning for Tching to be seated. Hiding his emotions from Padawan Telep had been simple enough, and nor was Master R'khakh particularly insightful. But Tching was his equal in almost every way—his feelings both of contempt and admiration for Tching would be apparent. But what he was thinking, only Van Zant knew. "I am the Master of the Order now, and I have a great deal to discuss with you."
Tobias Van Zant
Jedi Master
Master of the Order
Chief Jedi Phenomenologist
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| Sun_Tching | Date: Monday, 24 March 14, 2:13 AM | Message # 3 |
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Sergeant
Group: Users
Messages: 24
Status: Offline
| A part of him, out of instinct, had the immediate urge to chastise the man sitting in what was his seat in the Council Chambers. He felt as if he had found a young Knight or Padawan who had snuck into the room on a dare from his peers to sit in the Master of the Order's chair. Yet, it was Master Van Zant sitting in front of him, a colleague of many years on the Council.
"If you have a great deal to discuss with me, perhaps you would honor me by allowing me to sit in my old seat while we spoke?" he asked. It was both an admission of fatigue from the great ordeal he had come from mere minutes ago as well as a play for some sense of authority in the situation. In his mind, he was still very much of the Master of the Order.
"Other than fulfilling that simple request of you, perhaps we can begin as to why you are claiming my position in the Order?" he asked before Van Zant could answer the first question. There was slight annoyance in his voice now coming out, which could as easily be attributed to his rare state of confusion.
Jedi Master Sun Tching
Holy Order of the Jedi Knights
Warrior Master
Second Seat of the Jedi High Council
Master of the Order
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| Tobias_van_Zant | Date: Monday, 24 March 14, 6:02 PM | Message # 4 |
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Sergeant
Group: Users
Messages: 21
Status: Offline
| Van Zant felt a flash of pity for Tching. The man wanted to feel as though he was in charge. So be it, Van Zant thought. It wouldn't change the reality of things. Van Zant stood from Tching's old chair and watched the poor old bantha ease himself into it. Tching's desire for the trappings of power seemed improper to Van Zant, but he wouldn't say so. He sat on the arm of the chair adjacent to Tching's, crossing his arms over his chest. "You've been in a coma for four months, Master Tching. Eriadu, Pius Dea, corruption in the Senate—the Jedi could not go on without a Master of the Order. The High Council unanimously removed you from that position in an emergency session convened by Master Yoda. Surely you can't blame it for doing so. I am the Master of the Order now," he paused.
"And I need your help."
He stood from the armrest and wandered to one of the spacious windows of the Council chamber, looking into the distance—to some other time and place. "Master Farseer passed away at last," he said. Rugo Farseer, an old and respected Gungan Jedi Master and Sage, had been on his death bed for months prior to Tching's meditative trance. "Before he died," Van Zant continued, "he told me that Master Nataya's death heralded the beginning of a time of troubles for the Order. I must admit, I've had feelings of unease in my meditations. For this reason, I'm interested in what you sensed these last four months. Master Yaddle tells us that you were as close to oneness with the Force as living being can possibly be."
He turned away from the window to regard Tching gravely. "You must have peered into the Great Mystery itself," he said, "What did you see?"
Tobias Van Zant
Jedi Master
Master of the Order
Chief Jedi Phenomenologist
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| Sun_Tching | Date: Monday, 24 March 14, 11:24 PM | Message # 5 |
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Sergeant
Group: Users
Messages: 24
Status: Offline
| When he sat, it had quickly become less of the assertion of power he was hinting at and more of a genuine need to sit due to the exhaustion his body was experiencing. He slightly groaned as he took the seat, and gave his thanks once Van Zant rose from the chair arm he had perched himself on a moment later. He then sat and simply listened.
"I do not blame them, now that I am aware of the situation that unfolded. You will have to forgive me... to me, I entered my nightly meditations mere moments ago." He shifted in the seat to be come comfortable. Having been sitting on a mat for four months in a cross legged position made this a fruitless endeavor and he merely found the closest spot to comfort, enduring the discomfort that his lower half was screaming at him.
"I did...," he answered, closing his eyes to better recall what he had just witnessed. "This was unlike any other experience I have ever had." It was taking him some time to find the words to give the experience justice; but this was also a fruitless endeavor, for to give word to the experience of looking into the Force itself was to attempt to find air in vacuum.
"I stood on the galactic plane. I could see the galaxy stretching out, as far as I could see. I could make up, however, its appearance. I stood on Coruscant itself, and the plane was even. I was immediately distracted by two dark orbs. No matter how hard I tried to look at them, they constantly shifted and remained just at the edge of my vision. As I continued this visual chase, my vision would continually blur, making it harder and harder to see," he said, slowly and methodically speaking of the experience, his eyes still closed.
"As I was looking for the two orbs, I was taken back by how a dark cloud had consumed part of the galaxy. It appeared to be the Seswenna Sector or that general area of space. In addition, a large fog had settled upon what appeared to be Hutt Space. As I stared at one, the other expanded. No matter how I tried, only one could stay in focus, and the other grew while out of it. When they merged, the darkness flooded into the fog. Out of this now massive dark cloud, a legion of shadows rose up, facing me. At this point, I noticed that the galactic plane had become shifted, the weight of the dark cloud tilting the plane. I stood, defiant, stoic, and without reaction against the cloud. As I did so, the two orbs I had been chasing earlier shifted into two separate dark figures, who stood at my back. This made the plane unbalanced, and constantly shifting. I attempted to find the dark figures, but to no avail for as when they were orbs, they remained only at my peripheral vision. As this went on, I was eventually flung from the galaxy itself, which is when I came to."
Jedi Master Sun Tching
Holy Order of the Jedi Knights
Warrior Master
Second Seat of the Jedi High Council
Master of the Order
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| Tobias_van_Zant | Date: Tuesday, 08 April 14, 5:09 PM | Message # 6 |
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Sergeant
Group: Users
Messages: 21
Status: Offline
| Van Zant considered Tching's words in silence for a long moment. He didn't usually have much patience for visions. So often they were simply dreams of no consequence to anyone. But Master Farseer's ruminations had felt true to Van Zant. Since becoming Master of the Order, there had been no serenity in his meditations. Only a sense of dread. Tching's vision had a similar feel to it; faceless enemies, hidden in shadow. Van Zant moved away from the window, his shadow moving with him across the floor of the chamber as he sat in the chair adjacent to Tching's. It was Master Poof's chair, as poor a fit for Van Zant as Yarael Poof was for the High Council, in his opinion. "I don't want to," he sighed, "but I feel I must tell you something, Tching. I won't use the word 'fear,' but let us say that I'm concerned for the Jedi Order. The extinction of the Sith has made the people complacent. They remember only peace, and forget the sacrifices of Lord Hoth and the Army of Light. To many, the Jedi are a relic from another era. They doubt us. They question us. At Eriadu, they defy us. They disrespect us. And now, a Jedi Master can be murdered and the Republic does nothing about it. We do nothing about it!"
Van Zant paused. There is no emotion, there is peace, he reminded himself. Peace. Laser sword-wielding Knights seemed out of place in the 'Great Peace of the Republic,' but if it weren't for the Jedi, there would be no peace. "I see this as a failure of the Consular class," he went on, only now feeling uncomfortable in Master Poof's chair, "We have become servants of the people, but no one respects a servant. Despite the Service Corps, despite the diplomacy, despite everything we do for the people, they disapprove of us in the opinion polls and the Senate in larger numbers than ever before. Respect, Tching. That's what the Order needs, or else I fear where this thousand-year trend shall take us. So did Rugo, and I think you do, too."
"You're the Battlemaster of the Order, Tching. Surely you must agree with me," he said, "We must be a fighting order again, if we are to survive. This, I have come to believe as strongly as I've believed anything else in my sixty-three years."
Tobias Van Zant
Jedi Master
Master of the Order
Chief Jedi Phenomenologist
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| Sun_Tching | Date: Wednesday, 23 April 14, 11:34 PM | Message # 7 |
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Sergeant
Group: Users
Messages: 24
Status: Offline
| "I agree entirely. That is why I sent Havoc to Eriadu...," he said, realizing one of the last orders he gave before his meditation incident. It was also one of many points of contention between himself and the Chancellor, over the course of a climatic few months that began with Master Nataya's death. In a moment of clarity, he was not surprised Grand Master Yoda sought to replace him as Master of the Order so quickly; if anything, it at least rid the media of reports of the antagonistic relationship between himself and Pryce.
He would not go far as to say the current situation was a failure of an entire class of Jedi, but it was undeniable that many of the Consular class were part of the problem. Van Zant and himself, at least at the moment, differed in that he believed the solution lied within the Jedi Order as a whole, not select sections. He did often look to Hoth and the other Jedi Lords for inspiration on the matter of the future of the Order, and he was certain that time would lead them down a similar path as it had nine-hundred years ago.
"Former Battlemaster... I gave up that post when I became Master of the Order, if you remember. But yes, I do agree with you. Tell me, what has happened at Eriadu?" he asked. He was curious as to what became of the mission, and had hoped sending Havoc sent the appropriate message. He had no idea of the actual events of Havoc's mission or the treachery of Master Kadek.
Jedi Master Sun Tching
Holy Order of the Jedi Knights
Warrior Master
Second Seat of the Jedi High Council
Master of the Order
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