Shiraya's Odyssey
Following
Mother Askani
's prophetic vision known as The Burning Truth, the Jedi High Council began work on a contingency initiative to address the potential reality of the grim future she'd predicted. These measures were categorized through the use of highly encrypted Jedi Holocrons, and filed away in the restricted area of Shiraya’s Sanctuary, only open and available to select members of the Jedi High Council. With the continued spread of the dark side, the rapid rise of Imperialism, and the galaxy destabilized by events of unprecedented magnitude, it became increasingly clear that war was not some distant, amorphous abstraction, but a steadily approaching inevitability.
Thus, the first iteration of the Underground took shape.
Initially conceived as a relief network, its design was built around the extraction of Force-sensitive individuals, dissidents, refugees, and at-risk populations that were stranded beyond Republic protection. These civilians would then be relocated through clandestine routes that eventually led them to the safety of the High Republic.
Jedi operatives assigned to work within the network conducted the transfers of their charges through intermediaries, functioning as controlled conduits between checkpoints. Should a Jedi or civilian collaborator be captured, interrogated, or subjected to invasive Force or torture techniques, their knowledge extended no further than their last objective.
Over time, as the Underground expanded in reach and reliability, its function evolved beyond its original humanitarian mandate, gradually developing into a resistance lattice.
Rescued civilians sought to remain as volunteers, expanding the Underground’s mission and capabilities as they contributed their unique skills and assets to the cause. Safehouses originally established to act as simple waypoints across multiple sectors, were repurposed over time to double as listening posts, serving as early warning systems tracking enemy movement and funneling actionable intelligence back to the Jedi Order.
From there, militarization began to take shape. Early warning systems alone proved insufficient as mounting threats intensified, necessitating limited air support and interdiction capabilities for future missions.
Covert discussions followed with select members of the High Republic Defense Fleet regarding operations beyond formal Republic oversight, aimed at disrupting threats before they had the chance to escalate beyond containment.
Volunteers answered the call, and a reconstituted Rogue Squadron emerged, with its first deployment during the annihilation of Atrisia marking the moment the Underground stepped beyond a simple rescue and relief operation, and into overt resistance, formally adopting the symbol of the defunct-Foundation as its standard.