First step into a larger world (Tionne)

[Ashin Varanin]

The Yavin Academy had been Shule's home since the Primeval took the Dantooine Jedi Enclave, and he was finally getting used to the jungle. His skin had adapted to the humidity at long last. Dantooine had been dry, especially in summer, and Tatooine had been downright austere, but after this long, he knew Yavin pretty well.

So when he slipped on rain-slick stone just beyond the hangar, it was his own fault.

He bit back a curse and picked himself up. It wasn't often he agreed to teach someone the skills that had been the core of his identity for, well, centuries. Time and tragedy had bound those skills up with guilt he couldn't shake. But in the end, looking too far inward at the exclusion of others' needs was a path to the Dark Side, so he'd agreed. [member="Tionne Thanewulf"] was a Jedi Watchman of the old school, in search of resilience against the Dark Side's effect on a mind. That, he could provide.

Damp robes slopping around him, he crossed the courtyard to the obelisk where the Jedi Code was inscribed.

"Jedi Thanewulf? I'm Master Windspeaker. Welcome to Yavin."

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Nothing had changed.

More than eight hundred years had passed, yet the edifice that was Jedi sanctuary stood unyielding, almost uneroded by the passage of time, its granite walls barely weathered by might of the elements. Thanewulf stepped out of the transport ship that regularly brought supplies and other Jedi to Yavin IV, her white boots immediately sinking into soft soil as she disembarked. The air, the rainforest, even the sounds of nature was like everyhing she remembered from the Older Order. Yavin IV was a home away from home, a place where she spent most of her teen years during Jedi training. Tionne looked up into the sky where rainclouds dragged across the horizon where afternoon sun still hovered over distant mountaintops.

Rain.

A hooded figure patiently awaited in the courtyard, by the obelisk inscribed with the Jedi Code. A short grey cloak protected her from a light drizzle that sprayed across the gardens as first dark fell upon the forest. She was here to see a mentalist she could only ever dream of becoming. Windspeaker was a legend, or so she was told.
"No need to welcome me, Master Windspeaker. This was my home once, long before it was yours." she claimed mysteriously, then turned to formally greet the former Grandmaster.

"Tionne Thanewulf, Jedi Knight and Watchman of Jedi Order serving with Galactic Republic." she introduced herself with a small bow - "Thank you for agreeing to meet me."

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"] was far from the first person caught out of time to be associated with this place. It rested on Rekali clan land, and the clan father who had rebuilt it was one such individual. So Shule took the comment in stride, with a nod. "Still, I feel it's important to welcome those who come here. We, the Jedi, have had two major schisms in ten years. This is a place where we hope to make those contentions and differences matter less." He rapped on the Code obelisk with his knuckle. "There is no chaos, there is harmony. Jedi respect all life, even each other."

He gestured toward the main hangar, the entrance to the Great Temple. "And considering a broken Order has been handed defeat after crushing defeat for the better part of that decade, really, this was the least I could do. So -- your message talked about being able to resist illusions and mental influence. I understand young Master Korr of the Republic's Council is skilled in that." As ever, he was careful to establish the specific council in question. The Silver Jedi had a High Council of their own, and the Levantines and many independents answered to neither. "I'm not asking for validation of my reputation or any nonsense like that -- I haven't had anything to prove for about seven centuries -- but I am curious what brings you here. If you don't mind talking about it, anyway. These things can get tied up in..." He gestured back at the Code obelisk with a shrug as they entered the hangar, which held Jedi starfighters and expeditionary ships of all description.

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Right. The explanation.

"I wouldn't exactly call Karr young, but I will make sure to extend your compliments." she answered with a raised ginger brow. This man was somehow different than the Jedi she encountered in the Republic; his aura was shrouded in mystery, his spirit felt almost as old as the pavement they were treading upon. Thanewulf followed him into the hangar, clasping hands at the small of her back and drawing in a lungful of air. Her exposition would take a while.

"Master Karr is proficient in mentalism, that much is true. I've agreed to join his Shadows on their mothership, before the Order officially signs a ship over for my personal use as Watchman. They insist on it, but I've found using public means of transportation much more suited to my work. It certainly makes me harder to track. Alas, I digress. What Karr can teach me, I already know - to defend my mind against illusionists. It's a trick I've mastered very early in my training as Jedi. More than eight hundred years ago, as a matter of fact." the redhead asserted as if it was no big deal, but opted to elaborate further.

"You see, I've spent eight centuries frozen in carbonite. All this fractured Jedi makes little sense to me, as I come from a time where Jedi were one. But rest assured, my allegiance is with the Force. We Watchmen are a different kind of Jedi; we spend most of our lives away from the Order, outside of that egocentric bubble of self-admiration. For most part of my Knighthood I've walked around pretending not to be Jedi; missions required me to do so. I have no pride in me for being a part of the Republic or Jedi Order, nor do I always endorse their ways or their interpretation of the Code. Above all, I have a mind of my own." she stated, matching her stride with that of Master Windspeaker.

Tionne was practical and down-to-earth, a rare trait among Jedi of any time period.
"What you can teach me, no one else can. When I was just a padawan, I encountered a powerful Sith Illusionist. She tried to warp my mind and skew my sense for reality, but failed. I was able to resist her without any substantial training in Force block techniques. The sheer fact that I survived such an encounter told volumes of my natural aptity in mentalism. This didn't surprise my master, who already knew I was somewhat of a child prodigy prior to my arrival to the Jedi. After all, I finished two advanced university degrees before I hit puberty. It was then decided that my training should focus on that aspect of the Force, given I was not too proficient with lightsaber. Today, I can fend off any mental intrusion if the need arises, even from a Sith Master, I believe. Hence, this is not the knowledge which I seek. You will find me far less selfish."
A meek smile crossed Tionne's plump lips, one hand flipping back the hood of her cape and revealing long ginger locks.

"I seek to learn how to protect others from Sith maladies caused by Force Illusions they cast. Also, to counter them by feeding them some of their own medicine. To taunt their minds, play their senses. The One Sith are growing strong and Republic has no trained Jedi mentalists at their disposal. Karr can protect himself, but he cannot shield others, especially Guardians who comprise most of our forces who directly oppose the Sith on battlegrounds across the galaxy." Tionne peered deeply into his eyes, her grey orbs the colour of rain clouds from which rain poured outside.
"You need to help me. You are my only hope."

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

Her explanation lasted the length of their walk through the hangar and up into the Great Temple. Shule listened without comment, taking in not just her words but her deftness in navigating the Academy. Caught out of time, then, rather than immortal -- that confirmed her carbonite anecdote. Someday he would need to sit down and figure out why so many people had been picked out of that time period and deposited in this one. At a guess, Akala was to blame.

"I can give you at least half of what you're asking," he said, coming to a halt. They'd reached a panoramic balcony that overlooked the jungle and the town of Port Shardrock. "Yes, it's possible to shelter other people from illusions and mental influence. Think of it as a function of classic battle meditation or battle-meld. It's very difficult, but not impossible. The other half...I'm not comfortable using words like 'taunt' or 'play', or with 'giving them a taste of their own medicine.' The abilities I'll teach you can sap the enemy's will to fight, but I can't and won't share fully offensive illusion and mental assault techniques with you. It's just not something I'm comfortable teaching anyone, even if you were a Master. Frankly, it's not even something I'm comfortable doing.

"But yes, I can give you the skills to proactively weaken the enemy's coordination and fighting spirit, while protecting your allies from hostile interference. Before we start, I need you to be absolutely certain you know what you're getting into. We're talking about battle meditation, not in some esoteric big-picture sense, but in the sense of touching hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of minds and altering the connections between them. We're talking about techniques a stone's throw from low-grade mind control, and mind control is absolutely of the Dark Side. You're confident in your abilities, but I've led and halted and destroyed armies and fleets with these techniques, Jedi Thanewulf. The greatest regrets of my life are bound up in them -- greater than the guilt I carry from my time as a Sith Lord -- and I've lived a long time with those regrets.

"Are we clear? And are you certain?"

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

"Yes." she replied simply, her voice laced with determination. Tionne knew how slippery the ground she wished to thread was; Mind Control was reserved for the Sith. She was only allowed to help those who granted access into their minds so that she can wrap it in a protective layer of the Force. Sure, her mental aptitude could be directed at breakin into someone's consciousness, but that would bring her dangerously close to the Dark Side.

Thanewulf gazed through the viewport almost absent-mindedly as she took in everything Master Windspeaker said, but decided without even a moment's thought. The Coruscanti was willing to put everything at stake to win the war they were currently losing.
"I'm aware of the consequences. Master Karr was instructed to dispose of me should I go astray. What happens to me is of little concern. On a cosmic scale of things, I am irrelevant. But if I can help tip the scales in our favor, my life is a small price to pay." she said and inhaled deeply. The air was damp and heavy, just like she remembered it. Whoever trained in this atmosphere could do well anywhere in the universe.

"The mind is not meant to be shared. If it were, evolution would've made telepathy the rule, not an exception encoded in genes. If I don't go mad from it, I may end up doing things I will regret. Yes, I may. But I also may be able to stop the Sith. That probability, no matter how small, outweighs all potential risks." the redhead turned to face Windspeaker, crossing arms over her chest - "Teach me and I will not disappoint you."

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

Shule's eyebrows rose. "Dispose of you? I'd say that warrants further explanation -- if I wasn't already aware that the Republic's Council has no hesitation when it comes to that sort of thing. Well, there'll be no disposing of people at this academy so long as Headmaster M'ti is in charge. Nor as long as I'm an instructor here. And there'll be no going mad, and there'll be no falling to the Dark Side. Around here we just have better safeguards than fear."

He grimaced and looked out over the jungle. Jedi respect all life, even each other. "All right, let's start with insulation. You're a highly experienced or at least highly capable Knight, by all accounts, so I'd imagine you can probably learn to extend this kind of protection to dozens or even a couple of hundred people. After a few years of this, and after you hit Master, small armies, entire warships, eventually entire fleets perhaps. I wouldn't put too much store in that hope, though. It took me a very, very long time to reach that level with protection this profound.

"As for how we train this, when we don't have a handy Dark Side mentalist to oppose -- well, there are ways." Without any special fondness, he thought of a certain sleeper agent inside the highest echelons of the One Sith. "We'll start with something fairly low-wattage in terms of the power you'll oppose and the intelligence of the minds you have to touch both individually and precisely. I'll give this a level of control appropriate to your average Sith Lord -- I won't make it easy for you. You'll get the victories you earn."

Far out across the jungle, a swarm of piranha beetles rose in a cloud and began to approach the Academy.

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Thanewulf kept silent for the time being. She'd rather die than join One Sith, the Council knew this. Betrayal was not an option, nor was the fall to the dark side. If it were to occur, her fellow Jedi knew what to do. The last thing they needed was another mentalist joining Sith ranks, one that knew every weakness of Jedi. Tionne could tell how much Windspeaker disapproved of Council policy; the Jedi were truly fractured, just as Raaf said. And now, out of all times, when future of Jedi was at stake.

"I will dedicate as much time as needed and expect as little progress as possible. I am modest in my forecasts, yet dilligent in my training." the redhead pledged, trusting the Master to conduct training in best manner possible.
Grey eyes opened widely as a swarm of piranha beetles swirled towards the Academy. They were a perfect example of how coordination between miniscule entities can pose as a serious threat. The training had already started.

"Ganglia are simple enough to control, one at a time." she said and focused completely upon the incoming pestilence - "But not as easy when they act as one coordinated entity."

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

"They're hungry," said Shule absently, eyes distant. "They've forgotten they stripped a predator to the bone this morning, and they're passing through the wards I and others have set around this place to make predators disinterested. They're driven, they're dreaming of meat, and in about five minutes they'll smell the Academy. I'll let no harm come to this place, so you have six minutes to overcome my influence, or we'll have to start again."

There was, in truth, no swarm of piranha beetles. Deep in the White Current, he was creating the swarm with Fallanassi arts. These illusions, at his level of specialization, imprinted themselves on the fabric of reality so powerfully that even Masters, droids and starship sensors would have been unable to tell the difference. They drew on the reality of the piranha beetle for the detail of their form: a close examination, like the neural-level Sense focus that Tionne was using, would find them to be infinitely detailed and utterly real. Except, of course, they weren't. The purpose of this particular exercise wasn't to see if Tionne could pierce the illusion. Without a great deal of specialized training in the White Current, and concurrent immersion in the Current, she couldn't. The White Current wasn't a mentalism-based or photokinetic illusion. No, the purpose of the exercise was exactly what he'd said: to see if she could put forth enough coordination and protection to shield them from the utterly real influence that drove them. The entire framework was not unlike a simulation. He would sense how powerfully and how deftly she attempted to influence reality, and whether she was on the right track. Only then would they move on to the genuine article, in another place.

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Tionne had mastered quantum physics in her early teens. Unlike other Jedi, she was very familiar with the true nature of matter. There was no reality; what we thought we see, touch, feel, it was all a rouse orchestrated by our senses. The observer was the fabricator of reality, the world nothing more but a collapse of wave function once a measurement had been made. Light was a wave when it entered the eye, but a particle when it did not. Hence, it was irrelevant if Windspeaker was weaving an illusion; the threat was real. If he wanted, he could've warped reality so that they reach the Academy in the end. Indeed, the understood the fabric of the universe.

But so did Thanewulf, having spent most of her childhood learning about the intricate mechanics of existence. Her understanding was more literal and less ethereal. Knowledge and memory she possesed, on the other side, was unmatched by the Jedi of her time. Without wasting another moment, the Jedi woman stepped closer to the viewport, extending a hand onto the glass in the general direction of the swarm. She slowly let her consciousness be overtaken by the Force, eyes rolling back in her head. The sensation felt like drowning in a deep, cold pool.

Her mind then extended outwards, into the wilderness and towards the menace heading for the Academy, her sheer willpower navigating her to the destination. Thousands and thousands ganglia were syncrohonous, forming almost a network of interaction that helped these simplistic creatures coordinate. Tionne let her mind sink into each and every clump of neurons, almost effortlessly. When the mental meld was complete, the Jedi woman stumbled back, breathing heavily. To connect one's mind to that of an insect was a unique sensation. There were no words to describe how it felt to be a sentient in a body optimized for non-sentience.

"Argh..." she mumbled through her teeth, feeling her head swell like a baloon. Grey eyes shot open and narrowed at the swarm.

Insecticide.
The Coruscanti remembered the smell of it, as the Jedi used it before the Praxeum was embued with the Force to fend off predators. The scent was distinct; sweet and sour, like something edible. Tionne invoked those memories, which were still vivid in her mind. She remembered the scent and implanted it into each simple neural structure, stimulating the parts of ganglia responsible for scent. The swarm slowly began to disintegrate, but so did Tionne's connection to the Force. Pressing her head against the duraglass of the viewport, she struggled to endure through the entire process. Hopefully it would've been enough to convince Windspeaker to take her on as a student.

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

"Well played" said Shule as his reverie ended. "I thought for a moment you couldn't see the forest for the trees. Going too deep will net you information on billions of cells and particles, and that can and will overwhelm you with more complex organisms and larger numbers. But you managed to pull it all together, and you got results." Out there, the illusory piranha beetles descended into the trees and retreated; he let the illusion dissipate, not caring whwther she detected the trurh or not.

"Our next step is to increase the complexity of the subjects, the enemy influence, and the situation. Obviously we're not going to find a full-scale mentalist Sith Lord at our convenience, so for the moment we'll have to make do with a location. Meet me in the main hangar in half an hour. We're bound for the planet Vjun."

A morose and lethal place, Vjun. He'd trained Masters there, more than once. And sometimes expeditions or settlers set up shop despite the acid raid and the overwhelming ennui. One such group had put down roots recently, and was already experiencing emotional difficulties. Their request for Jedi aid was on file, available both in the waiting E-25 starfighters and in whatever records Tionne might browse in the next thirty minutes.

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

There were very few places in this galaxy where Thanewulf did not set her foot; Vjun was one of those places. She read about the planet and the profound connection it had with the Sith, where they flourished after the fall of the Sith Empire. A foul, dreary place, with barren landscape and acid rain that instanlty peeled flesh off bones. Tionne had no immediate idea of their business there, but knew she would soon find out. When the two parted ways, the redhead scurried to the nearest commlink and used her old access codes to enter the database. Indeed, traders had asked Jedi for asistance, as they suffered from insomnia, hallucinations and nightmares they could not distinguish from reality. Dark side ran strong on the planet, with Force knows how many Sith artefacts lost in ruins of Malreaux castles.

Less than half an hour later, Tionne eagerly waited in the hangar bay. She leaned on one of E-25 starfighters, somewhat disappointed she will have to fly on her own. Astrogation was not her favourite activity since her Master made her fly through an asteroid field while wearing a blinding helmet. A great way to hone one's Force Sense, but the Coruscanti was only fourteen and had only one prior session with her Master. The experience was somewhat traumatic.
"You don't expect me to fly one of these, do you?" she asked from across the hangar, her voice echoing against the durasteel walls.

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

"Vjun is close to here," he said with a shrug. "Not a difficult flight. If you're not rated for starfighter piloting, though, we can take one of the Skyspirits."

He gestured across the hangar at an angular light transport in diplomatic red. Sienar had its dubious moments, but the Skyspirit was an unimpeachable ship, the mainstay of Jedi diplomatic flights for the last decade or so. Nearly as fast as an X-wing, with light but respectable armaments and no crew requirement to speak of, it could haul a light freighter's worth of medical supplies and half a dozen passengers. Shule loved his E-25s, and had deeply fond memories of Naboo N-1s, but if a transport was required, Skyspirits were his go-to choice. Those, or the Redstar patrol ships that had been used to such great effect at the Battle of Polis Massa.

"Your call. I can switch over the flight plan and get started on preflight easily enough. The Skyspirits were designed for Jedi as much as for patrol forces, so they've got a good-sized gas tank. No waiting around for refueling."

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

"I'd prefer the Skyspirits, if you do not mind, Master Windspeaker. I'm really a lousy, lousy pilot." she admitted with slight shame. There were things Thanewulf was not great in; piloting starships, healing, precognition, saberwork - in that exact order. On the other hand, she made up for all of that with her exceptional mental skills.
"Hope you won't hold it against me." Tionne added as they traversed towards the red ship. Secretly, she also hoped Windspeaker would get them off the planet, through hyperspace and onto Vjun.
"Yes, really bad idea to stay on Vjun longer than needed." the redhead asserted, referencing to planet's dark past. A few codes and commands later, the door of Skyspirit opened with a hiss. Thanewulf waited a few brief moments before saying anything else, as the Jedi Master seemed busy with changing the flight plan on one of the datapads.

"What do you suspect we will find there?" she asked, crossing arms over chest - "An artefact, a tomb of some sort, an actual dark sider? There must be some source of this disturbance."

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

"That would make our job easier, wouldn't it," said Shule with half a smile as he ran through preflight. These Skyspirits were kept more or less ready to fly. "But I doubt it -- Vjun's history is enough. The entire planet's population died in prolonged terror and despair. Since then, the last thousand years or so, everyone who's spent any time there has started to...catch an echo of the tragedy. Nothing as blatant as Dark Side spirits, just a powerful, pervasive impression of what happened. Long-term facilities, settlements, or expeditions on Vjun eventually start to lapse into depression, sometimes over the course of days or weeks, though usually longer. The Mandalorians controlled Vjun until recently, and there's a retired or lapsed Jedi Master among them. He generally kept a lid on the place. Now Vjun is in nobody's territory, so every few months we have to go out there and share a little light with some expedition or settlement attempt."

The Skyspirit hummed to life. "All right, buckle in. I'll get us to Vjun. Focus on what you've learned. There's a world of difference between shielding some bugs in training conditions, and shielding a few dozen or hundred sentient beings from a low-level but pervasive Dark Side nexus the size of a planet. No, Vjun can't be fixed. In some ways I suspect it shouldn't."

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

"You are implying matter has memory." she stated, somewhat blandly, before the sudden lift-off made her stomach stick to her spine. The sensation of being airborn was not Tionne's favorite feeling; oftenly she became nauseous after a while and had to take pills to sleep through rest of the flight. Hopefully, the sensation would subside once they were out of the atmosphere.

"My professors at Coruscant Science Academy would call you insane. They dismissed my explanation that telemetry, a Force power inherent to Kiffar, was actually based on quantum mechanics. They just couldn't accept matter had residual noise from past interactions on quantum levels. Usually, they explained telemetry as some form of advanced tracking, where people detected scent particles coming from objects of interest and were able to recognize them. I wanted to design an experiment to test this, but they wouldn't hear about it." Thanewulf digressed, but then returned to make a point just as Skyspirit grazed last layers of stratosphere.

"Most of galaxy is not Force sensitive to begin with. It's a genetic mutation. To them, it's all mumbo-jumbo. I'm surprised how settlers on Vjun even sent you a request. One would think they'd solve this problem with sedatives and anti-depressants. Do they even believe there is a dark presence there?"

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

Shule shrugged. "Events echo and linger. Whether that's from subatomic particles having some kind of memory function, or from another side to existence entirely -- I honestly don't know, and to Jedi philosophy, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that you, as a Jedi, approach the Force primarily on a spiritual level, shun the Dark Side in all its manifestations, and act with responsibility, integrity, and humility. Beyond that, feel free to understand the Force however you like.

"As for Force-sensitivity being an aberration, of course, without midichlorians life couldn't exist. Your average Jedi has a count around five to ten thousand, give or take. Your average prodigy can be upwards of twelve. But your average quote-unquote non-Force-sensitive human has about two thousand to twenty-five hundred, with no sharply defined cutoff. There's a reason the Matukai, the Fallanassi, and the Aing-Tii, among others, can teach the Force to people who consistently fail all Force-sensitivity tests, even if it takes decades: all people are Force-sensitive to a tiny degree, because all people are connected with the Force. There's also a reason that Force-sensitives are born into bloodlines without any history of Force-sensitivity. Genetics isn't the complete picture; that's been studied more or less exhaustively. Some say the Force chooses its representatives, though I wouldn't necessarily go that far."

Hyperspace blurred past the cockpit. Shule settled deeper into the pilot's seat. "Every time I go out to Vjun, there are those who believe in the Force, those who doubt, those who disbelieve and those who don't care. Pretty much all of them, though, are aware that something is uniformly affecting their mood, regardless of environmental seals and so forth. They've also heard from other expeditions who've received Jedi aid for the same problems. Antidepressants have been tried. Some are still trying them, and there's more good than harm in turning to scientific medicine for an issue like this. Frankly, I prefer to work with minds that are strong enough to face that issue and make that choice. And they'll be relying on each other and antidepressants after we've left; we can't offer long-term solutions. We're going there to give them a few days of relief."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

***​

​

The Skyspirit touched down on Vjun after a day's flight; Vjun was near Yavin, but the hyperroutes weren't exactly straightforward. The best shelter, a rocky ledge, didn't quite cover the courier. Shule ran through postflight as acid rain began to score the paint on the ship's nose. The exit ramp, though, would be covered.

"Turns out I got my wires crossed. The expedition is a Clan Rekali operation after all." He grimaced. "Their clan father is a retired Jedi Master, but he's getting old and hardly anyone's seen him in years. His granddaughter Alec is the heir apparent., and she's your age or close enough. Alec Rekali is clever, but she doesn't have a Jedi's experience, or her grandfather's skill with Force Light. If Ember Rekali isn't able to protect his clan anymore, that's got implications. Plus Clan Rekali isn't just Mandalorian -- it has quite a few Dathomiri as well. No wonder they're having problems. We may have to find a way to recommend that people be transferred out before they can become dangerous. Let's hope the shielding we bring gives their Force-sensitives enough of a paradigm shift to know that would be a good idea." Left unsaid, of course, was that Clan Rekali controlled the Yavin system, and that the Jedi Academy personnel were the clan's guests.

Outside, the rock ledge gave enough shelter to reach the nearest door without entering the acid rain. The facility was a durable prefab base with an odd sheen to it. He paused at the doorframe, touching the glossy bulkhead. "This is anti-acid lacquer. Expensive stuff. The Rekalis must be serious about a long-term presence."

The door opened, revealing a handful of Mandalorians, some of whom had Dathomiri runes on their armor. He felt the Force in several, all at the apprentice level.

"Su'cuy gar," said Shule with a bow. "I'm Master Windspeaker, and this is Jedi Thanewulf."

"Su'cuy gar," said one of the Mandos; he couldn't quite tell which one. "Welcome to Port Imbris. Thank you for coming. If you need to meet with all of us-"

"No need to disturb you. A quiet place to work will do fine. I'm teaching Jedi Thanewulf how to counter the influence of the Dark Side on the minds of multiple people. If any of your Force adepts want to sit in with us, they can learn how to keep their own minds protected." A little local goodwill never hurt, especially when the necessity of this operation might be in doubt.

***​

In fairly short order, the Jedi found themselves in a supply room, with crates as seats. Four Mandalorians joined them, two with Dathomiri markings on their helmets and pauldrons. They removed their helmets and sat as well.

"All right," said Shule, pleasantries out of the way. "It's important to recognize that this isn't your fault. You know Vjun's history. This place is strong with the memory of what happened here. Your expedition is far from the first to experience depression. The four of you may even have had temptations in the direction of the Dark Side. That's completely to be expected, and there's no dishonor in requesting a transfer back to Yavin or Dathomir. I can have a word with your clan leaders if necessary. Better a transfer than potentially slipping into the Dark Side. That said, I think you're strong enough. I don't feel any deep-rooted darkness in any of you, and sensing the nuances of minds is my specialty.

"So let's talk about how to keep that from happening. We'll teach you how to insulate your minds against Vjun's influence. You'll be able to operate without losing your equilibrium, though you'll still be able to feel the sadness of this place, and the spiritual cold. There's no royal road to immunity; we're just giving you the tools to keep your minds your own. I'll also teach Jedi Thanewulf how to extend our protection over all of Fort Imbris. The plan is to give all your clan brothers and sisters a few days of rest -- some time to do their jobs without worrying about the depression. Jedi Thanewulf, while I make some preparations, would you mind showing our hosts how to protect their minds against the worst effects of a Dark Side aura?"