Overflowing with advice…

[Corvus Raaf]

Lets be honest, who likes paperwork? Corvus loved to read and learn but the pile of correspondence stacking up on her datapad relating to her role as GrandMaster was growing daily. So she set aside an afternoon to review as much as she could.

Some was largely routine and could either be deleted or dismissed quickly. But one dossier caused her to stop and go slowly. It was entitled, “Artifacts and Security.”

She scanned it quickly and then re-read it. It appeared a lot of responsibility now fell on her shoulders as GrandMaster, so she did her best to get a quick grasp before deciding that she needed to hear all about this first hand. Green, Blue, Amber, Red and White levels? And which of the artefacts were still in the hands of the Jedi Order? And given the rise of the Jedi Academy Network, how could she ensure that Jedi form other Orders could access these items – as although she’d not discussed it with the Council, she felt that was an appropriate thing to do.

So she contacted the man named on the file. It was someone she’d met three times in her life – each one etched in her memory for different reasons. The first time she was a raw Padawan, only days into her tenure on Ossus when he’d allowed her on his ship and given her access to the greatest holocrons they had in their possession. How ironic?

The second time was at the ‘capture’ of Ket – which proved to be a waste of time, but through no fault of anyone present. His appearance had been fleeting but she recognised him. And the third was when the Council was reconvened and he’d been brought in to discuss the security of the Jedi Order’s artefacts given the GrandMaster’s abduction. Fourteen years, three meetings and the last some six years previously. And that would no doubt form part of her conversation.

So she called the contact details given in the file and sat in front of the holoprojector, waiting for him to answer.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Jorus answered at once. His promptness had something to do with the fact that he lived in one starship or another; his time in any given planet's gravity well didn't add up to much. This particular ship was the Gypsymoth, a battered old YV-929, modified within an inch of its life. He'd called it home for the better part of two decades -- no, longer, come to think of it. He'd raised his kid here. The greatest holocrons in Jedi history had spent significant time under his pilot's seat after he'd saved them from the fall of Coruscant. As the holoprojector flickered to life, he knew the pickup would be getting a good view of his spacer's attire, his five-o'clock shadow, and the Gypsymoth's cockpit.

Corvus Raaf had always struck him as a good kid. A long while back, that one time he'd brought the big-name holocrons to the Praxeum ship, she'd been the most curious and driven of the Padawans. At the time, he hadn't understood much of what she was asking the holocrons, but now, after many, many years as Kiskla Grayson's Master of First Knowledge, he could look back on Raaf's inquiries and approve.

"Grandmaster," he said with a nod. "How can I help you? Council decided whether or not to take my recommendation yet?"

He was referring to the last time he'd spoken with them, in the aftermath of Grayson's loss. He and Seydon had run themselves ragged, blitzing around the galaxy and locking the Grandmaster's codes out of the Library Card system. Since its inception, only he and Kiskla had had the physical quantum-comm access to be able to call back the major holocrons and the most dangerous artifacts from their cloaked, extragalactic, mobile resting places. With the Grandmaster taken and undoubtedly tortured, the security risk had been too great, and the procedures they'd agreed on saw him disabling her comms' access. That had left him as the only person capable of calling the artifacts back from their hiding places, a profoundly uncomfortable responsibility given that various Sith knew he had that responsibility. Some days, most days, he wondered if he'd have accepted Grayson's request to join the Council as Master of First Knowledge if he'd have known it would make him a fugitive for over half a decade. Him, and his family too.

So he'd contacted the Republic's new Council, and Aaralyn Rekali had come to visit. She'd asked to be the one to carry the second set of codes -- all new encryption, all new quantum-linked comms -- and he'd told her he needed to hear it from a Council member who wasn't her. So she'd left and he'd never heard from the Council. Then Ryan Korr had contacted him on the Council's behalf, and Jorus had been asked for his recommendation as to who would get the second set of codes. He'd recommended Kian Karr, an experienced Jedi Shadow, one of the most levelheaded Jedi that Jorus had ever known. Then he'd never heard from the Council; so far as he knew, he was still awaiting a final decision.

He'd been unwilling to continue being the sole tangible link between the Jedi, all the Jedi, and the hidden holocrons. Thus, hhe'd finally entrusted a set of callback codes in secret to Eyal M'ti, the centuries-old Neti Headmaster of the Yavin Jedi Praxeum, just in case he got captured or killed -- a daily risk. So far as the Council or, indeed, anyone knew, he was still waiting on the Council for their final decision as to who would get the codes, and it also happened to be true. The sooner a set of keys was in the hands of someone on the Republic's Council, the happier he'd be. Considering this was the main outstanding business he'd had with the Republic's Jedi leadership, apart from his repeated decline of his old Council seat, it was uppermost on his mind as the new Grandmaster's image flickered into existence above the Gypsymoth's comm panel.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled and approximated a bow from her seated position. “Long time no see,” she started. She liked someone who got straight down to business and who chose to cut the small-talk – mostly because she possessed none.

“Artefacts and security. The Council has changed a little in the last six years. Aaarlyn left, Ryan is MIA, Phylis is…Phylis and Kana Truden has joined. I’m looking to review all of that, but that’s not why I’m calling you, and yes, I need your help.”

“With all of the kafuffle last time around over who should get access codes in the GrandMaster’s absence I guess we never got around to making a decision. But times have changed and decisions need to be made. So logic says it should revert to the way it was – if you’re still agreeable.”

She shifted in her seat, body-language said she was uncomfortable about what she was about to say. “And I mean that last bit but…” And here came the but! “I don’t know you at all. Kiskla clearly trusted you and on the face of it, that ought to be good enough for me – I bet you’ve risked your life plenty of times over what we’ve asked you to do. But I don’t know you. For all I know, you’d hand over Jedi Order property to known criminals.” She chuckled.

“OK, strike that, stupid example – and do you know what – stupid train of thought. I trust you because Kiskla trusted you. I trusted her with my life and therefore what I said first stands. If you’re willing, I’d be glad for you to carry on looking after their safety, I just hope I haven't offended you too much - but I tend to speak plainly.”

“In terms of next steps, I’d like to return things to the way they were. As the elected GrandMaster, what Kiskla did I need to do. But a few pointers would be handy. For example, what should keep me awake at night, have we lost anything in the last six years and finally, how can I ensure that the Jedi Academy Network has access to our holocrons?”

She omitted to tell him she didn’t have Council approval for the last part. Not yet, anyway.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

That remark about criminals was a little too pointed for his taste. There was no way she could know about the datacrons he'd allowed Raxis to hang on to as part of her rehabilitation, but she could be referencing the Baas holocrons. One in the hands of Vaudin Miir, who'd helped discover it -- a Republic senator, but an exceedingly disreputable one -- and the other in the hands of Seydon of Arda. Seydon was a good man, trusted by quite a few Grandmasters in his day, but Sith Poison and an enemy's alchemical experiment had limited his ability to access the Light Side. He used the Baas holocron as his conscience, his soul-mirror, and he'd always kept it safer than anything Jorus could have devised. But he had a bloody and taciturn reputation, and Raaf could easily be referencing that. Maybe it was a backhanded reference to the tenuous balance the Gray Paladins, led by Miir's apprentice Malvern, had eked out on Nar Shaddaa. Or perhaps it was another Jedi poking at Jorus' relationship with his sister before her suicide. He'd never given her access and she'd never asked, but there'd been accusations.

Then again, maybe the remark was entirely innocent despite its odd specificity. And it was certainly beside the point. If he'd known Raaf better, he would have known whether she was the sort to play that kind of subtext game -- a major reason he'd never found much value in working with Alince, DragonsFlame or Roberts.

As her explanation wound down, Jorus found himself scratching his jaw. He really should have shaved, but even at his age, too close a shave made him break out. "So the long and short of it is, you're the new Grandmaster and you want the codes. I've got'em cooked up with the new hardlinked quantum comms to match, and you'll get the same briefing Grayson got after she had me set this up. You're going to need a place to hide the comms, and I mean deep. I keep mine buried about a hundred parsecs from anything important, covered in nullification resin and taozin amulets, and I wipe my navicomputer's recent memory after I'm back from accessing them. You need to have that kind of security just for the comms that'll give you the option to put in codes that you'll never, ever write down or put in a holocron. A Sith good at picking knowledge out of the aether might be able to intuit the codes if they got their hands on your end of the quantum ansible comms. It's rare, but it's been known to happen. The nullification resin will help with that, but you'll need really high-grade stuff, and you'll need to change out the taozin amulets every three months or so.

"That's the nutshell. I'll forward you the specifics, memorize and delete. About half of it's tied in with the Library Card network, and administrator comms and codes do very specific things that you haven't been cleared to know before now, so get familiar with that as soon as I send you the material.

"What should keep you awake at night? There's a reason I don't sit on the Council anymore, Grandmaster, and it's that between running guns and recon flights through the Core, keeping these holocrons out of the hands of those that want'em, raising my kid and keeping Levantine free space safe from what comes poking around, not to mention doing my level best to mend the idiot grudges that've kept the Jedi splintered for the better part of a decade, I've already got enough to keep me up at night. Meanwhile you've also got to deal with the politicians and the fact that the vast majority of Jedi don't answer to the Republic's Council or you -- a state of affairs I've been working for a long time to solve. I don't envy you. But if we're talking directly relevant to the security of holocrons, there's no question that the biggest problem is the Belia Darzu holocron. It's secured at the highest level, just like our greatest holocrons, but without a Library Card link, obviously. I designed these security measures because my sister told me that she knew of Sith who wanted it badly -- Sith who were skilled in technopathy and mechu-deru. That's why the Library Card links are Force-nulled and connect only to little microphones and speakers. Not a pleasant thing, keeping the Force entirely out of our links to the holocrons, but completely necessary. That's why the Library Cards refuse to get into anything dangerous or intensive -- the holocrons can't identify listeners' readiness or allegiance through the Force anymore, not through that link, so they have to assume everyone's a Padawan or new Knight. I've given Library Cards to most Jedi Masters, including the housemasters of every enclave I know. One or two Library Cards have been captured, but all they can do is get Padawan-level answers out of Jedi holocrons -- they're useless to the Sith. I snip the captured links out of the network within twenty-four hours anyways to keep the lines from being flooded with, I don't know, metal music or something. What matters most of all is that you understand that having these codes will eventually make you even more of a target than you already are.

"As for actual artifacts and holocrons being lost...no. Nothing at those levels of security has ever gone missing or been captured, not since Grayson hired me right after the One Sith took Krayt's holocron. A few lesser holocrons and datacrons have been entrusted to reliable people that need them for guidance and are capable of keeping them safe; those arrangements are usually temporary, and generally involve material that Alince has backed up already. And none of those have ever been lost either. Holocrons, of course, can't be duplicated reliably -- piece by piece, entry by entry, if ever, and it's impossible to know that you've recorded everything in a holocron, let alone something like the Great Holocron, Tionne's holocron, or the Codex of Tython. The Jedi archives contain backups of a substantial fraction of what the holocrons hold, but they can't be exhaustive with the deeper stuff."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She really hoped she hadn’t offended him, she was known as a straight-talker and with her emotions under lock and key both in and out, it was easy to offend people – and worse not realise it. But he seemed a straight-talker himself and if she’d only met him three times in that many years, he could just as easily argue the same.

His explanation was…detailed. She got 90% of it at the first run and had a decent enough memory to run the remainder over and over until she got it all. The key part was that under no circumstances could she allow anyone access to her head – and that meant anyone. So she nodded frequently to show she was definitely listening and processed it all as quickly as she could.

When it came to reasons to keep awake at night, she could have listed most of them herself. The senators and bureaucrats worried her. They’d already tried to get her involved in the politics and she’d resisted for now. She was a Jedi – she didn’t decide which planets to save and in what order. It was not a coward’s stance – but a servant’s one. She took an oath to serve the Republic and for as long as it remained and stayed legitimate, she’d honour that allegiance.

And she was used to Jedi of various stripes allied to the Republic. Some she would be proud to call allies whereas others used questionable methods, ignored the Code and dabbled with the Dark-side. But then there were those that called themselves members of the Jedi Order that were equally dubious, so she was never going to be one to point the finger.

And it seemed he was ahead of the game – handing out access to the Jedi Order’s holocrons to members of the Jedi Academy Network. This made it doubly important she convinced the Council of this course of action.

And she picked up on the risks associated with holding the Codes – and reflected on her predecessor. Six years a Sith prisoner? There was no knowing what she’d have had to endure.

Aware she was listening only, she nodded again and made agreement noises to show she was paying attention. At least no artefacts had been stolen – and Corvus had personally overseen the evacuation the essential items from the Academy and every Enclave – leaving behind only useless datacrons containing atlases or encyclopaedias or history texts. Not that it would stop the Sith looking to symbolically burn them. Except she knew it would backfire. New Enclaves built out of the ashes would demonstrate a new hope.

Aware that he’d stopped now, she cleared her throat. “You’ve been frank and thorough. I appreciate that. I look forward to your file and will follow all protocols to the letter. I don’t know if we’ll look back at the last six years as the dark times or the foreshadowing of even worse things to come – but I’m pleased to have you as part of the team and if there’s anything you need, please ask. If you’re ever on Ossus or Ruusan, let me know, I’d hate to think it would be another six years before we meet again. But before I go, do you have any questions of me? Sometimes I’m too honest for my own good, but if you ask a straight question, you’ll get a straight answer.”

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"I guess I've got one, yeah," he said slowly, "come to think of it. Something to chew on. Maybe it's the 'crons making me pensive. Here's my question, Grandmaster: What do you want your legacy to be? Teferi Efreet, Darron Wraith, Ben Watts, Selena Halcyon, DragonsFlame, Grayson -- every Grandmaster in the last fifteen years has burned out or been taken out of commission. No administration lasts forever. Sooner or later, hopefully later, you'll be gone, so what do you want to have accomplished? Teferi, Watts and Grayson were unifiers who brought an awful lot of people into the fold and showed them how to honor the Code. I was one of'em -- I'm a Warden of the Sky, Grandmaster. Never had much patience for the Republic. Cleaned up after too many of its atrocities, and I don't use that word lightly. But Grayson brought me in and showed me that even if we couldn't fix the schisms, we could at least show all Jedi, everywhere, how to recognize each other as members of the same Order. 'Jedi respect all life, in all its forms,' including each other. I don't know what kind of a Grandmaster you intend to be, but if you'll take an old spacer's advice, there are worse legacies than being the Grandmaster that went after the lost sheep rather than slap labels on'em like Halcyon and DragonsFlame did. What's the old line? The Code makes bad men good and good men better?"

He grimaced. "Sorry. Didn't mean to turn that into a rhetorical question. I just...I look at the work that was done to fix the divides, smooth over ruffled feathers, and get Jedi to acknowledge each other as Jedi. I look at the Convocation, back when you were a Padawan, and I wonder if it's my fault it hasn't happened again since. I've got enough connections to put together tentative numbers, and it's pretty grim. About one fifth of Jedi answer to the Council you sit on, and around the same amount answer to the Republic. Another fifth are off in Levantine space with me, desperately trying to stay out of politics. Another section answers to the Silver Jedi Council and Grandmaster E'ron. The other forty percent of Jedi are off doing their own thing, drifting, supporting the causes they believe in. Those are really, really rough numbers, don't quote me on that, but you know as well as I do that three-quarters of the Order is off being offended somewhere.

"My goal, my biggest goal, is to be able to calm enough people down to sit down every Jedi of every stripe, like Luke Skywalker did during the Dark Nest Crisis, like Odan-Urr did at Deneba, and like Nomi Sunrider did at Exis Station. And like I did at Sigma Station. You know the term 'existential crisis'? That's what we're facing now from the Sith, no question about it, but instead of meeting in convocation and solidarity like Jedi are supposed to do, all I'm seeing us do is use the rhetoric of existential crisis against each other. That's why we're losing, and dying, and falling, and forgetting who we are, and it's got nothing to do with holocrons. If we can meet again in convocation, if we can find ways to cooperate and respect each other, those may just be the first tentative steps toward a united Order that respects the Code equally, has one Council, and has a Grandmaster elected, or at least recognized and ratified, by everyone."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

What was it they say, don’t ask for something and then be surprised you get it? But the nature of the question did shock her and it was written all over her face.

“A legacy?” If at all possible, the blue hue of her face paled slightly. “I honestly hadn’t even considered a legacy, I was just trying to…” her voice trailed off.

“Listen, I’m a simple sort. When I was younger – and yes, I was even younger than this once upon a time – all I wanted to be was a Jedi. And to serve. And with prompting and development I realised I wanted to be the best Jedi I could be – but that still only raised my aspirations to be a good Jedi and to serve the Republic, as it was my sworn duty.”

“Then one day I met a Force Ghost – Adele. She pushed and prodded me and made me realise that I needed to step up. To stop being part of the crowd and adopt a leadership role. To be the ‘candle in the dark’ as she put it. That resonated with me and I stopped waiting for others to take the initiative.”

“And to me, Kiskla’s lasting legacy was to make the Order a meritocracy. To flatten the structure as much as possible. And I care as passionately about that now as I did then. The term GrandMaster does not denote someone with a greater power than any other Jedi. Some different responsibilities yes, but I do not for example vote when the Council meets – unless it is to break a deadlock. And even then I would choose to discuss further and take a fresh vote over making the final decision. For I saw it too often in my past. People waiting to see what the GrandMaster thinks before choosing themselves. Jedi should think for themselves, not decide based on what I think. I am not the Order, and for all he did that was bad, Dooku’s views on a Jedi’s self-importance were entirely accurate.”

“And I think that my tenure is irrelevant up to a point. How people view me is similarly unimportant. If I can end my time as GrandMaster and know there is still truth between my heart and the Force, then I shall be satisfied. What I leave behind is vital – but I’d rather hand over a strong and united Order that considered I did nothing to help it rather than a solid and slightly fragmented Order that thought I was the best GrandMaster they ever had.”

“Is that an accomplishment? No not really. It’s just sentiment I guess. Now I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I’m a Jedi. First, foremost and only. And your words have struck a chord. You see, when I was a Youngling I was trained at the Corellian Academy. The Green Jedi operate slightly differently to the rest of the Order. They broadly honour the Code but differ in two key respects. Firstly they allow relationships and secondly they put Corellia ahead of the Republic. Or at least they did…”

“But anyway, I left that Order because I could not reconcile with these differences. I could not honour that Order and still go to bed and believe there was truth between my heart and the Force. And don’t worry I’m getting to the point eventually.”

“The recent galactic crisis – rather than the One Sith threat – caused me to rethink my beliefs because they are conflicted. I have sworn an oath to serve the Republic. And I have sworn an oath to be a Jedi. And I take both seriously. And the Jedi Order I am currently part of allows me to discharge both duties with a clear conscience. There is the old adage of not changing something that isn’t broken. Yet I am acutely aware of atrocities carried out – and this time I’ll include the One Sith – that mean if I sit on my hands I cannot sleep easily. If service to the Republic means ignoring the plights of innocents in another democracy, that is not compatible with the Code. And I mean the basic version and its tenets, not the Skywalker one written when there was no Republic to reference. Because, although there is once more a Republic to consider, would a Jedi from another galaxy sit and write a Code that recognised artificial borders. Defend a planet and its people when a certain government is in power but not if another took charge?” She shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but you opened a can of worms in my head when you asked this question - but I am frank and always give full disclosure. I am no dictator, so any move to a unified Order would not be my decision to make – although not for one second did I think you were suggesting it. But it is a discussion the Jedi of the Order should have – and soon. The meritocracy shall prevail – as Kiskla would have wished. If I withhold my views I risk doing everyone a disservice. If I share them, I may influence. But then, isn’t that what a candle in the dark is for? To guide those who may be lost?”

“Your arguments are compelling for the unified Order, and it would be difficult for any individual to find fault in them, unless it conflicts them so they cannot sleep easily. For me? I have questions I guess – but fear the asking suggests criticism. My overriding worry for the unified New Order is twofold. Each Order that joins will want its voice heard and its leadership to remain true leaders in the direction the Order takes - and will wish for their differences to be maintained. My second is how to keep politics out – as I worry who can truly only serve yet also make the decision which planet to save and which to let burn. That's the realm of politicians, isn't it?”

And finally, she was finished…

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Well, let's talk about the Code then, and history. As for your first concern...What differences? For the last two decades easily, I've seen the Code kept better outside the government that currently calls itself the Republic than inside it. Most of the Jedi who've left the Republic have done so because they couldn't keep the Code and remain part of that government -- and that includes most of your predecessors. Think of your recent history, Grandmaster. The government that currently calls itself the Republic didn't exist twenty years ago, and no Republic has existed in a serious way for centuries. It doesn't operate like the Old or New Republic did, it doesn't follow the same ideals or principles or practices -- all it has is in common the name. That is the argument you're up against, and I gotta tell you, it's been a compelling one to an awful lot of Code-abiding Jedi, including most of the people who've sat in your seat.

"Some other historical details from the holocrons. Relationships and families have been banned for roughly one thousand years out of the thirty-seven thousand years of Jedi history, and haven't been forbidden for close to nine hundred years. And even when that policy was instituted, it was because of political pressure, not because of doctrinal change. Doctrinal justifications were invented after the fact, in order to keep the peace in a specific set of circumstances. In short, that's not part of the Code, and can't be enforced as such. What it is, is a matter for individual conscience, with no stigma attached to the many, many Jedi from every era who've raised families. Ki-Adi-Mundi. Nomi Sunrider. And whether you realize it or not, Grandmaster, when you make that a difference worth switching allegiance for, you do stigmatize it.

"As for Skywalker's version of the Code, that was adapted, minimally, from one that was current and official when Kenobi was a Padawan, when the Republic was at its strongest. None of those changes had anything to do with the fact that the Code, both during the Republic's height and after its fall, didn't say a word about a single government and did talk about civilization, peace, and democracy. If you dig deep enough into the holocrons, there was even a thousand-year period where the Jedi left the Republic entirely, and actively worked to oppose it because of what it had become. Eventually they helped to overthrow it, and every Jedi since then has lauded them for their decisions.

"If you intend to be able to convince Jedi that the Code mandates them to serve, first and foremost, the tiny fraction of the galaxy that currently calls itself the Republic, you're going to need counterarguments to all of that. You're also going to need to overcome the example of Kenth Hamner, the Grandmaster who put that one government before the galaxy and was opposed and removed by the entire Jedi Order, including the whole Council, the previous Grandmaster, and the next Grandmaster. This is history; this is fact.

"What I'm trying to say, Grandmaster, is that when you reach out to other Jedi, you need to be much more clear that 'Republic first' and 'no relationships' -- and, in fact, pretty much every difference between you and the Jedi outside the Republic -- are matters of your personal standards, and not what the Code actually requires. History proves, completely, that pretty much every variety of Jedi Order we currently see is well within the standards of the Code. The only exception I can think of would be a couple of the fringe elements within the Silvers and your own group, just a relative handful of individuals who haven't grown up yet, and that whole Jedi Lord experiment from the thankfully defunct Ession Reformation. Jedi have always tried to 'make a hedge about the law,' creating rules and interpretations that make the Code easier to keep. Where Jedi arguments and schisms arise, it's almost always because those rules and interpretations conflict as different Jedi try to figure out how to adapt to changing times. I've been Master of First Knowledge and Keeper of Holocrons for the better part of a decade. Telling you all this is my job, even if neither of us like it much.

"And if you'll take my advice, don't let peripheral concerns become central; that way lies division where, by the Code, none needs to exist. There have been three serious Jedi schisms in the last decade, and we're on the edge of a fourth. There's also a powerful opportunity here to recognize each other as valid without trying to impose derivative standards on each other. I've made contact with Jedi of every stripe, in every faction, and I can tell you unequivocally that the vast majority of them follow the Jedi Code, with personal interpretations well within the bounds of validity. Once you get to know them and how they operate, you'll realize that the only part of this situation that's against the Code is the disunity that comes when those personal differences are labelled as something that makes them 'not true Jedi.' There is no chaos, Grandmaster, there is harmony. Every lesson of history points to that line being, primarily, a direct reference to unity. The kind of unity that comes from mutual respect and recognition between Jedi. That's what the Code demands, explicitly: recognition that we are all one Order under one Code, and that the lives we choose to lead are all, within common sense limits, valid for Jedi to lead. So for the most part, your first concern -- recognition of differences -- isn't and shouldn't be a concern. There will be minor matters of standards, but none of that is insurmountable.

"Those are the holocrons' answers to your first question. As for how to keep politics out of the Jedi Order as a whole, the Code answers that too. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. If peace is a Jedi's first duty, knowledge is the second. The Code requires every Jedi to become as informed as possible, investigate all questions, formulate their own opinions and take moral stances. The Code requires Jedi to make informed and principled stands, and to recognize that honest disagreements over matters of conscience are a sign of a healthy Order, so long as labelling isn't a concern. There is no chaos -- the Ossus Conclave established that the Jedi must be Jedi first and foremost, before any and all political allegiances, and that includes what calls itself the Republic now.

"But there is no chaos also requires that all the Jedi in that flattened command structure are perceived as having the agency to make their own judgments within the bounds of the Code, just as they're expected to talk out significant differences while still respecting each other as members of the Order, as required by any sensible interpretation of there is no ignorance. Those judgments include, must include, questions of liberty and principle and integrity that lie at the heart of a lot of political opinion. And while the Jedi have patience with each other's differences of opinion, they still put the Order first. That's why it's so vitally important to take the steps and have the discussions that may eventually lead to one Council, acknowledged by all -- because while every Jedi has the responsibility to make his or her own informed judgments, as mandated by the Code, they make common political decisions by common consent and by delegating their active authority to the Council. When they can. When the system works, when there is harmony instead of chaos, the Council makes the decisions in the political realm that are in the best interests of the Order's ability to follow the Code. So long as the Council makes decisions that make it impossible for the majority of Jedi to follow the Council in good conscience, there is chaos, and that needs to be rectified.

"A fourth schism in fifteen years can't be allowed to happen, not when the three that came before it were avoidable. All three, at their heart, were about the Republic's sins, and an Order that could only keep its oaths by leaving, and subsets of Jedi that called them oathbreakers for it.

"History, Grandmaster. That's the final word of the Master of First Knowledge, after seven years' consultation with the holocrons. We listen to history, or we die alone."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus looked overwhelmed. “I’m not sure if we’re in agreement anymore - but not for the reasons you're probably thinking. I thought I said your arguments for a unified Order were compelling and that I was going to speak to the Order about that very fact. I almost feel it is I that now have to convince you.” There was a small chuckle at this point.

“There will always be differences. Some take the Code more seriously than others. I was never pointing fingers, I thought I said that – but then I spoke a lot. As long as there is strong leadership this can be overcome I am sure.” Corvus was sure to keep this speech short, to avoid confusion.

“I don’t intend to convince Jedi that the Code mandates them to serve, first and foremost the Republic, you're mistaken. Again I’m sorry if I confused you. I intend to meet with a few chosen Jedi Masters that you could recommend to see how this could work and then I can speak to the Jedi that serve the Republic to see if they’re willing to make it work.”

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Don't feel you need to convince me of a united Order, Grandmaster. What I'm trying to do is show you where the obstacles lie, and what steps need to be taken to get there. Thank you for clearing these points up, and I'm glad we're on comparable pages." He'd gone on too long; too many years watching conflict happen; too many years thinking about what he'd say if anyone ever asked. Out of 'Master of First Knowledge mode', his voice started to slip back into the cadence of a career spacer. "Couple things to note. If you're going to meet with these people, just...well, avoid statements about some taking the Code more seriously than others, or what differences you found important enough to make you change allegiance, or how you couldn't have a clear conscience in regards to the Code if you served any other Order or had a relationship. Too easily misinterpreted as offensive or superior, regardless of what you mean by them. It's a wording issue. Remember that most of'em may be going into this meeting expecting to be talked down to, like plenty of Republic Jedi have done to'em.

"I can arrange a meet easily enough, at a safe place. I'll call in the Silvers, and the Jedi who help patrol Levantine space, and send out the word to the rest. There's a few others that've definitely strayed from the Code, but I won't invite'em. You'll be meeting folks who are respected as leaders of one kind or another by over half the Jedi Order, at a guess. Ilias Nytrau, Grandmaster of the Order of the Selab; Eyal M'ti, headmaster of the Yavin temple; Coci Sinopi and Thurion Heavenshield if I can get them off their glacier; Kira Liadain if I can pry her off her honeymoon or out of her youngling classes; Grandmaster E'ron if these rumors I'm hearing of her death aren't true; Jaxton Ravos -- the old Sword of the Jedi -- if he's survived his One Sith infiltration." He scratched his chin. "Kana Truden's smart, and you or I should give Kian Karr a call; he's always a level-headed sort. Maybe a couple others on top of that. Don't bring Korr or Alince; they're dicks, not diplomats. Pardon my Huttese."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus felt they'd finally reached a point where they both agreed that they'd agreed.

“My suggestion was for myself, Kian and Kana to meet the names you put forward – I’ll take my own counsel on that one. And if it makes you feel any happier, I won’t raise any of my concerns in a way that risks offending anyone. But this will not be my meeting, so I won’t get too hung up on anything. Just let us know when you’ve got it arranged and we’ll be there. And thanks.”

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Agreed. Clear skies, Grandmaster."

Jorus cut the connection and leaned back in his shock couch, staring at the viewport. Progress? Maybe. Maybe he'd done enough, maybe too much, maybe it didn't matter at all. No way to know yet.