Fuzzy Dice

[Jacen Voidstalker]

It had been some time since he had visited the temple on Yavin IV. The last time he could recall, Jorus Merrill had been cooking ribs for members of the Order. That same man was exactly why Jacen Voidstalker was here again, but this time the conditions were far more serious.

Jorus had long held connections to the Underground movement. For some reason when he had decided to step away from Galactic politics, he had passed on the holocrons to the new resistance movement building up a head of stream in what had been Omega space.

Burdened with heavy purpose, Jacen did not step into the temple as lightly as he had on that occasion. There was much to be discussed and arranged. The Holocrons would need to be placed back in their chaotic, deep space paths. What needed to be decided was who would hold the master keys and what additional layers of protection needed to be enacted. Quantum pairs were all very well, but they came with no additional security layers to give access.

Representatives of the Republic Jedi Order and the Silver Jedi had been invited, of course. They would by now have realised that access to the three precious holocrons had been lost.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

"Be at ease." A voice would ring out from behind Jacen.

The voice seemed to boom, echo with a stateliness that one would expect from a person that had been through much in their life. It emanated from Grand Marshal Omai Rhen, his heavy form suited in set of drab brown robes, his hair curled into a tight knot and his beard hanging wildly over his chin. Strokes of age ran across his face, sweeping into his features and giving him an air of kindness and wisdom that many younger Jedi would lack.

His eyes were a stark blue, and as he moved closer to Jacen he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We are not here to fight or argue." The old Master reminded his fellow Jedi. "But to reach an accord that benefits all."

He smiled down at Jacen, then removed his hand, placing it on the side of his hip. The old man seemed in good cheer today, a smile hanging on his lips that was barely hidden beneath the thick scruff of his beard. Despite that however there was a hard set to his gaze, a purpose that would ensure those that met him today would know he meant business.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She had received a request to go to Yavin IV. She’d only visited the place once before. It did not bring back happy memories.

That dress! The Jedi boots! The blue moustache! The attempted assassination! All in all eventful, but not exactly in a good way.

But she’d been asked here by someone she knew, so she landed at the hangar and wandered out into the daylight, her Jedi robes swaying slightly in the breeze but also due to the pace at which she walked.

Then she headed into the Temple, looking for Jacen Voidstalker. The reason for the meeting was not known to her, but to summon her here, it must be important. So she searched out the Jedi Knight.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen spotted the pale-skinned Grand Master across the floor of the Temple. Even with the artificial lighting, deep shadows were cast across the stone floor and he almost missed her. He’d always found these ancient temples somewhat foreboding. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant had always been the shining beacon for the people of the Republic, but had long since been lost and tainted by the Sith.

Voidstalker took a long breath as he approached Corvus, trying to push away his own insecurities. She was barely into her twenties, yet was Grand Master of the whole Order. She was fearless in battle, and had always seemed calm and collected. At that age Jacen had been expelled from the Jedi Academy, divorced from his first wife and in a very dark place. Now well into his thirties, he still didn’t have such accolades to his name as Master Raaf. No reputation to speak of, he was just a mediocre Knight trying to fight the good fight. He found her presence deeply intimidating and his was thanking for Grand Marshal Omai Rhen’s presence. It didn’t help that he had always found taller women slightly intimidating too.

“Master Raaf,” he called respectfully as they approached.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"][member="Aela Talith"][member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Grandmaster Raaf."

The call was warm, slightly amused, and jovial. It came from a blonde woman, hair streaked silver, happy blue eyes, and while certainly an elder, a lingering sense of mischief within them. It was Master Kira Talith, a Professor at the Yavin Jedi Academy. She worked closely with Headmistress M'ta, and was a familiar face for those of the Jedi Order. Decades ago, the former Master of Shadows turned missing in action. The aerie of events that followed culminated into a whole lot of joy for her suffering. She now had a loving husband who adored her with his life, four beautiful kids the Force had willed upon them, and a good life as a professor in the Jedi Academy.

With a crack of her lips in greeting, the petite woman would gesture for the brunette to follow her. "This way, we've been expecting you." A shift of robes would trail as the Lorrdian woman would tuck her hands into the folds of fabric. The Headmistress of the Jedi Academy, a graceful tall willowy Neti with kind green eyes, would join the professor not a few seconds after.

"Welcome to Yavin, Master Raaf." Her voice would sound like sifting leaves, but there was a gentle kindness to them. As there was a wisdom in her gaze.

 

[Aela Talith]

Rhen didn't move from his spot.

Instead he stood in place, letting Jacen and Kira move forward to greet the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. He had received a similar greeting from the Jedi Academy earlier today, though his greeting had included a small tour around their temple and a meeting of several padawan classes. He had enjoyed the latter part the most, talk of diplomacy and war was always so tiring, teaching was far simpler, a calling that truly seemed righteous.

He smiled at the thought, the idea of a future where he could just teach.

It appealed to him, and perhaps one day he would be able to join Kira Talith as a teacher here in the halls of the Jedi Academy.

For now however, he had a job to do. That job included diplomacy, it included wars, and it included talking to the head of other Jedi Orders. Briefly he wondered if Heavenshield would also be here, or perhaps Jacen planned to speak to him separately. Eventually the aged man walked up behind Kira and Jacen, the lines of his face setting as he said the Grandmasters name in greeting. "Corvus."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

With or without the light, the Force made you aware you were not alone. The temple was in deep shadow but auras were always visible to those that looked.

And not one but three approached her simultaneously. The fourth stood his ground. She smiled – and she was prone to do – and then bowed. It was – for her – a mark of respect. She did not act on ceremony often – that was driven out of her by Kiskla and Marcello – but the greeting was the one time she reverted to type.

So she stood as they converged on her. She resisted the urge to wipe her palms on the hem of her robes – old habits die hard but could be suppressed at least. And she closed the connection between her inner and outer brain down. Of late she’d been using the technique that Veino Garn had taught her to limit the flow of emotions in and out – but it was a tap. It was on or off. And to allow her emotions access to her conscious mind, she’d have to allow her natural Empathy free rein – which felt intrusive given the company. So she was the person most remembered or had heard of. Corvus the cold-fish. Only logic was driving her behaviour now.

She cocked her head slightly. It seems she was at a disadvantage. She was expected but had no idea why. But time always revealed all, so she was patient. It was a virtue she had in droves.

Two of the four she recognised, two were unknown to her. But it mattered little. “Thank you for your kind hospitality,” she replied to the kindly Neti. “Only my second time here. And please…it’s Corvus”

And then the final host…she wasn’t entirely sure who else here was a visitor…spoke and she smiled again. Pleasantries over, Corvus expected the reason for her attendance would be shared very soon.

[member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Kira Talith"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Despite his attempts at presenting a confident visage, Jacen still rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, an embarrassed smile crossing his face. “By now you must know that the three holocrons that Jorus Merrill spent most of the last decade recovering and protecting have been taken off the library network. Well they’re…they’re in our possession,” he said. Jorus had recovered the holocrons countless times. The Republic has mislaid them frequently, only for Jorus to come to the rescue.

Jorus was a renowned resistance fighter, his Underground movement had done great work across the Galaxy to try and prevent the expansion of the Sith empire. Perhaps it was because of Coren Starchaser, his protégé in the Underground and Commander in the Alliance, that Jorus had seen fit to pass the Holocrons on to the New Jedi Order. However, despite his belief that the Republic Jedi Order was a floundering organisation, unfit to stem the tide of Sith, he knew they could not be left without some of their greater resources during such a trying time. He was also aware that if the Sith found out they had possession of them, it would attract a level of attention from the One Sith that they were ill-equipped to deal with at this time.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was aware that the three Republic Jedi Holocrons were not reachable. Once she was notified that one was effectively down, she’d checked the others. Three were no longer accessible – and she’d initiated the protocols to have the other artefacts in the Republic’s possession to be moved. And as only she and Jorus knew the location of the Holocrons, she knew you didn’t have to be a rocket-scientist to work out who had betrayed the Jedi Order.

[member=Phylis Alince] was now Caretaker of First Knowledge and the location of the Republic’s remaining artefacts would be shared between herself, Phylis and [member=Kian Karr]. Fool her once, shame on them…

The information that this was the reason she was here was a surprise, but her face was – as ever – impassive. Sure she had questions, but she could hold them for now. Like who the ‘our’ was that Jacen spoke of. And why Jorus would steal the Holocrons from the Republic and give them to whoever the ‘our’ was.

So she waited and continued to listen.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Kira Talith"]

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Aela Talith"]


"Might I suggest relocating to a more comfortable environment." M'ti would lightly remind the group with a serene blink of lashless eyes. Standing out here in the open was not going to be comfortable if this discussion were to become lengthy. Traveling towards one of the nearby chambers would allow everyone to take a seat and discuss the situation at hand. Kira rocked on her heels, and gave a quirk of her mouth.

"Sounds like a fine suggestion indeed," with a nod, the cheeky blonde would smile at the group. "If everyone would follow me, we can go to the nearby hall and sit down in the Housemaster chamber. This was the area where various House Masters of all the Academies would congregate to discuss events, training, and to nominate students for escalation to master.

Moving towards the area would provide a measure of privacy and the ability to sit down for a proper discussion.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

When they were all sated Jacen continued. "The Alliance now has the three holocrons in a secure location. Whilst they can't be secured on any Republic world given the rate at which the Sith are cutting through your territory, they need to back into the library network. Jorus kept the holocrons safe when the Republic lost them time and again. We want to continue the methods he used before, with some minor tweaks. To start off with, we want one of the code keys, just as Jorus did," he said. He tried not to look too intimidated by the Grand Master and hoped Omai Rhen would speak up soon.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

If a picture paints a thousand words, Corvus’ face most likely shared a few hundred in the next couple of seconds. She was using the technique that Veino Garn had taught her — to allow a trickle of emotion in and out. So she could appreciate people’s feelings without being overcome by every living creature in the vicinity.

So as she processed the information, she clearly went through a range of thoughts before her face once more was passive.

“Oh dear,” she initially offered before her brow furrowed and she started again.

“So, one step at a time, so I fully understand. Firstly, I was correct in my deduction that Jorus was the one that stole the Holocrons from the Republic Jedi? Given they have been stored outside of the galaxy since I took office and only he and I knew of their location, it was a relatively easy piece of detective work, but it is worth clarifying.”

Her voice was calm, gentle even as she simply stated the facts as she saw them and clearly requested confirmation.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kira Talith"] | [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

“Stolen. An interesting choice of phrasing. It seems a strong word to describe the custodian of the Holocrons. If it had not been for Jorus Merrill, the Holocrons would not have been accessible to the Republic at all. Two times the Republic lost them and Jorus recovered them. The library network is of his devising to keep them safe.

“I believe he had decided to remove himself from the equation. Take a step back, as it were,” Jacen explained carefully, taking his time over his words. If Corvus had remained completely impassive in the face of this revelation, he would have wilted. A trained investigator, he didn’t miss the small details. Actually seeing the emotions quickly play out across her face made her seem more…human, something he could actually deal with.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to the Jedi fully before responding, given nobody else in the room appeared to be speaking.

“I have to say, I am unsure what definitions you use. Stolen means to take the property of others without permission, especially secretly. I’m really unsure how that doesn't precisely fit the current circumstances.”

“They belong to the Republic Jedi. Not me, not Jorus. I granted him permission to hide them on our behalf. I trusted him when I had no need to. I trusted him because my predecessor did. Clearly now an error of judgement, but we all live and learn.”

“They have been lost and found many times in history and for his efforts in returning them to the Republic Jedi twice you say? I thank him. The library network limits their use to Padawan level information but has been of sone use. But safe? They've been stolen by one of the two people who knew of their whereabouts and without telling me. Safe? I’m not entirely sure.”

“And removing himself from the equation? By stealing them, when he could have simply told me he didn’t want to be involved any more? I knew their location and could have made arrangements.”

“But given you now have the stolen goods and from your demeanour, have no intention of returning them to the Republic Jedi, I wonder why you’ve dragged me all the way here. To gloat?”

Her voice remained calm and impassive. “And just to clarify, he travelled outside of the galaxy, stole them and chose to bring them to you, yes?”

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kira Talith"] | [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Disappointing that you would feel that we would bring you here to gloat. He did not leave the Galaxy, he recalled them in the manner previously arranged. If I were to hand them over to you now, would you store them on one of your worlds or would you put them back on the library network and out of the reach of the Sith? Would you permit the Academy network and our New Order on Sullust access to the Holocrons?" he asked in a polite, but curt manner, placing his chin in both of his hands. He gave no further reactions to the accusations of theft.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus remained impassive. “I was simply struggling for a reason as to why you asked me to travel all the way here. You have the Holocrons, the Republic Jedi do not. Only your conscience dictates what happens next.”

She was still unsure who ‘we’ were, but carried on regardless.

“This is a most odd turn of events. The Holocrons were stored outside of the galaxy and they were connected to the Library Network. Access to the Academy Network was taken before my permission was even sought. Actually no, my permission was never requested. But I knew what Jorus did and did not oppose it. The Republic Council was asked to decide on access rights but did not agree to allow the Academy to be given sight of them. But I chose to take no action. The information stored there is for all Jedi. Those that follow the Code and act for the greater good. But given it’s only Padawan level access, there is a limit to what even those Dark-sider’s that frequent the Academy can learn from it.”

“So, why did Jorus go to all the trouble of taking them, handing them to you, just to have them put back again? I truly do not understand.”

“But you have asked an important question that deserves a straight answer. If the Holocrons were returned to the Republic Jedi, I would do precisely what was done before. I would store them outside of the galaxy and restore their connection to the network. If you are part of the network, you would naturally have access. But I do not dictate who can access the network, I presume someone at the Academy does?”

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kira Talith"] | [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

“I had thought that you, Jorus and the Master of the Academy held the keys that could recall the Holocrons, or dictate access. A quantum ansible is a dumb two-way transmitter. Jorus’ motivations were his own. What we need to decide now, is the security wrap we place around the holocrons in future. I don’t understand the details, but we need something that allows each regional academy to dictate access control decisions, and to have an audit system in place so we can see who is being granted and denied access.

“The other key decision of course, is to decide who holds the master keys that enable reconfiguration of the library network to do things such as recall the holocrons. I imagine such a system will include lots of phrases like ‘biometric’ and ‘multi-factor keys.’

“I am proposing that the Academy master and a suitable quorum must be present to remove the holocrons from the library network. We will need to make some kind of preparations in case all parties are on the same battlefield with the Sith at once. If all were lost in one engagement, the holocrons could never be recalled if the network was compromised…” Jacen paused, to see what the Grand Master's reaction would be.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

If there was one thing Corvus was good at, it was impassive.

"Jorus gave me codes to the location of the Holocrons. My understanding was they had to be fetched physically. I have no key to recall them automatically."

"As to their future? You've made it entirely clear that's entirely in your hands...yes?"

There was, in truth, nothing else to say on the matter. It seemed to Corvus there was no intention to return them to the Republic Jedi, and therefore her time here was apparently spent. Why she had to travel all this way was still beyond her. A waste of time, effort and it left her with a very bad first impression of her hosts who no doubt purported to be Jedi but were not above receiving stolen goods. What part the Academy played in all of this was anyone's guess.

"Is that all?" she asked, standing to leave, wondering how she would explain all of this to the Jedi Council - and those in the Academy on Ossus too.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kira Talith"] | [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Jacen was intimidated by the Grandmaster. His guts turned in knots as she stood up from the table looked down across them and made clear she wanted to leave. Unfortunately Jacen was far from perfect, and when put on the defensive, tended to turn to sarcasm or rude remarks.

A sardonic smile appeared on his lips as he leant back and crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll let you know when we've prepared your key code," he replied curtly. "You can come back over then to get it locked to you. You know, biometric access and all?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus bowed to the gathered ensemble. “I shall take my leave. The journey shall afford me the time to best explain all of this to the Council. Not as careless as losing a planet, but none the less, probably the one thing I’ll be forever remembered for.” There was no bitterness on her voice. Not even a resigned pragmatism. It was flat and essentially sounded nothing more than factual in tone.

She turned specifically to Jacen now. “If you let me know what I must do but primarily why I must do it, then I can make an informed decision. Time is precious after all. May there forever be truth between your heart and the Force.”

She bowed once more and left, wondering how many meetings she’d missed…and for what?

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]