The Search For Knowledge | The Je'daii Order

[Mariya Fleischer]

Time: 10:23 am, Galactic Standard Calendar
Weather: Sunny
Location: Azar City, Aurum

When was the last time she found herself in such an uncomfortable weather?

By uncomfortable, she referred to the warm rays from the sun and the unmistakable humidity in the air. Perspiration on her forehead never seemed to stop, coupled with sweat stains forming on the back of her shirt. One would think that the temperature would be moderated by the presence of the air conditioner in the local cantina, but the central unit had broken down this morning after deciding its years of thankless service to the local crowd had warranted itself a break. The repairman was working furiously on it, but it remained stubbornly silent.

Still, the blonde had found herself a seat under the fan and was thankful of the breeze, however little it was. The iced stimcaf on the table was being refilled by the waiter while she tucked in to the local delicacy consisting of some unknown protein and potatoes. The meal was nothing compared to what her own cantinas could serve back home, but that was millions of light years away. Even with the Corellian run, she would take a few days to get back.

Besides, she was not here for a food tasting session. She was seeking something else. Knowledge of the Force.

She had yet to disclose her sensitivity to anyone. Not since the incident with a certain Force Ghost that took the form of an old man and told her to shoot using her her rifle's iron sights. The rifle scope was not allowed to be used, some sort of test that she accepted. She did complete it, her vision suddenly magnified when her concentration told her to ignore everything else but the target she was given to hit. Yet the whole experience was surreal and blew her mind away.

Suddenly everything seemed to fall in place. Sol Damerin, the stony faced force user had told her that a lucky gambler was technically gifted in the Force. She was no gambler, but she considered herself to be a pretty lucky person. And why not? She had survived growing up in Nar Shaddaa, went through military and ran wild with an underworld cartel. All those years of putting her life in battles without losing a limb or her life yet.

In any case, she decided that she would need to find some way to seek out the Je'daii Order here in Aurum. Perhaps she could visit the Silent Archive. That tall white tower which seemed to reach out for the sky in the distance was her destination.

***​

Time: 11:46 am, Galactic Standard Calendar
Weather: Sunny
Location: The Silent Archive, Azar City, Aurum

She was glad that most of her equipment was kept in the room she had rented in the cantina, because armed weapons were not allowed into the library. Still, the metal detector sounded off, detecting the metallic rod implant in her left arm. A legacy of her complex fracture and the handiwork of a certain Dr. Aes'ona Terrani. The guards let her in after she casually showed them how her naked arm could trigger the alarm anytime.

Thankfully, the library was air conditioned, giving her a cool atmosphere that she had been craving since her arrival. The Archivist, someone who went by the name of Jeo Dundam, was not around, so she took it upon herself to explore the place. She wandered around curiously to examine the information gathered among the shelves and on the datapads, but knowledge regarding the Force was few and explained in layman's terms.

She turned around the corner, noticing a particular section where it was clearly marked restricted. Security was placed there, armed with weapons to stop intruders. There was an unexplained attention that drew her towards it. The sensation was stronger with each step, until she found herself standing just in front of the gates where the guards were standing.

"I'm sorry, but this section is restricted. Public access is not allowed."

Mariya nodded her head soundly, knowing better to try and break in. She was not here to cause trouble, but she had no idea what to do. There was definitely something behind those doors. A concentration of energy so strong that she could feel it radiating outwards, despite her lack of training.

---

[member="Arekk"] | [member="Cecilia Wissen"] | [member="Lothar Lundgren"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia put the holobook back into place with a sigh. That was the last book she thought might help her, and it was useless. She was looking for some information on training methods for using the force for multiple things at the same time. It was something she was particularly bad at, and one of the main reasons she hadn't started to learn Ataru yet. For Makashi, only force speed was usually enough to get by, and as such, she was quite good at the ability. However, the concentration she required to do something like combine force speed and force jump was intense enough that it broke the second she moved, which kind of defeated the point of using movement enhancing abilities in the first place. The only place she hadn't checked was the restricted section, and she had never tried to go in there. Not knowing how to go about it, she shrugged and picked up her comlink. She sent a message to Ar'ekk
"Hey, I'm guessing that since Jyn's busy today, you're not doing anything. Can you come down to the archives when you've cleaned up and help me with the restricted section? I have no idea how one gets in and if I even can. I'll buy you lunch after."

[member="Arekk"] spent approximately all of his time with [member="Jyn Sol"] , but she was currently on a brief mission, and as far as Cecilia knew, had yet to come back. She still had not had lunch, as she hadn't done much more than clean up and come here. Her training session with Ar'ekk had ended less than 40 minutes ago, so he was probably in the same boat.

As she walked towards the restricted section, where she presumed Ar'ekk would come look for her, she spotted someone she had never seen before walking her way. Judging by the guard's shifting back to attention, she assumed the woman had just been denied access. No one in Aurum ever tried to enter the section, as they knew access was prohibited, so she figured the unfamiliar woman was an offworlder. She appeared to be looking for something. Cecilia spoke to her, to offer her help. "Hello, are you looking for something?"

[member="Mariya Fleischer"]

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

An unfamiliar female voice. Mariya turned her head around and did a quick glance at a rather young brunette. She estimated [member="Cecilia Wissen"] to be in her early twenties and the robes worn gave her a scholarly look. Perhaps she was one of the librarians or something from this place.

"No, I'm not exactly looking for anything," she replied, wondering how should she explain that there was something being the doors that had attracted her attention. To a normal person, that would totally sound like a ridiculous notion. But to a Force User, it would make more sense. The Force signatures behind the doors were strong. Multiple ones, but she had no idea what they were.

"Hey..." the blonde stared at the brunette again, her senses feeling a aura radiating from Cecilia at such a close proximity. It was almost as if she could reach out and touch the stranger through the air. "...you... you are a Force User," she said and brightened up suddenly. Perhaps the newcomer would be able to tell her where the Je'daii Order is.

"I am looking for the Je'daii Order. Do you happen to know where I can find them? Because I have come a long way from Kiribi. Name's Mariya, by the way."

The mercenary offered a handshake towards Cecilia.

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia accepted the handshake. "Cecilia Wissen, Je'daii Journeyer. Padawan equivalent." She took a step back and bowed to [member="Mariya Fleischer"] .

"If you're looking for the Je'daii order, then you've found us. This city is our home." She walked over to a nearby set of chairs arranged around a table, pulling two of them out, and sitting down in one of them. "Come here and sit. My friend @Ar'ekk will be coming soon, when he comes we can all go out to lunch together, and talk about the Je'daii. But for now, I'm interested in you. Would you mind telling me what brought you here? Your choice, I'm just curious!" Ceclila laughed, then smiled at [member="Mariya Fleischer"]

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Cecilia. Nice, so you are indeed from the Je'daii Order," she nodded her head, a little amused to see the padawan taking a bow after the handshake. She had never seen anyone doing two introductory greetings, but perhaps the culture expectation required bowing. There was still a lot of things that she did not know about Aurum and very little about the very Order that she had been looking for. She wanted to learn about the newly discovered ability within her, but decided not to entertain the idea of learning from a bunch of Jedi goody two shoes or savage Sithy lords.

Her view on the Force was limited, yet she never really considered it an easy thing to classify an action as merely good or evil, light or dark. Every action needed to be viewed from a complete picture. An impossible feat considering the limitations of a humanoid mind with selective bias.

As she plonked herself into a comfortable chair offered by [member="Cecilia Wissen"], her thoughts jumped to a simpler frequency. Explaining her own motives for coming to Aurum was much simpler. The blonde smiled and brushed a few strays from her forehead, "I am Mariya Fleischer and... I guess I am here to learn about myself. My Force sensitivity actually. Imagine all these years of living as a normal person, then one day discovering your ability to expand your senses. It's pretty confusing for me."

A pause to empathise her unusual circumstances.

"So instead of brooding over it, I am taking a break from all my work and assignments to hunt for some spiritual guidance."

 

[Arekk]

AURUM​

JYN'S ROOM & THEN THE SILENT ARCHIVE, AZAR CITY​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mariya Fleischer"], [member="Cecilia Wissen"]​

The sunshine casted its light through the blinds of Jyn's room and Ar'ekk laid in her bed staring at the ceiling, pondering about the many things there are in life. It was still early to get out and "wake up" yet he decided to spend some minutes in the comfort of a pillow resting under his head and not wanting to do anything yet.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came through the commlink that was on the night stand next to the bed the young Jedi Knight was resting at. Cecilia had requested his presence by the Silent Archives, a place where he hadn't wandered into or around since he arrived to Aurum. Access was restricted, yes, and only Jyn knew the way to get inside. After all... she was the steward of such building.

Without replying back, Ar'ekk jumped out of bed and reached the wardrobe to dress up. Putting some light clothes that were good enough to cover himself and not die under the usual heat, the half masked man made his way to where Cecilia had indicated him to go.

Ten minutes later, he finally arrived. Seeing that his friend and fellow Jedi Journeyer had company, it felt necessary to make a friendly introduction to this new face. The Force was alive within her and he could sense it through the signature she emanated. It was obvious yet didn't comment on the matter.

"You're lucky I wasn't sleeping."

---

---

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

She could suddenly sense a new presence in the library. No, it was not just because of the doors opening, because that would only let her know that someone had entered. This particular individual was approaching their table, an individual with a Force signature that was complex. True enough, a male voice rung from the side, directing his comment towards [member="Cecilia Wissen"].

Emerald eyes looked up to the voice source, finding herself looking at a rather interesting man with a mask covering half of his face. She guessed the mask served as a breathing apparatus for him, judging from the mechanical breathing sounds that he made. He reminded her of the ancient Sith lords like Darth Vader and Malak, but his presence was not Sith. No, there was nothing overwhelming that would suggest him to be a crazy murderer or terrifying. Mariya could not place her fingers on what it was, given her newly developed instinct, but complex was definitely the right word to describe [member="Arekk"].

"Hello there," she got up from her chair. No handshake this time, but she bowed to follow what Cecilia had demonstrated. Whoever this person was, he knew Cecilia. That made him also part of the Je'daii Order.

"I'm Mariya Fleischer, currently living in Kiribi. Please to meet you."

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia stood up and smiled at [member="Arekk"], before returning his 'greeting,' "Good afternoon to you too Ar'ekk."

Cecilia nodded at [member="Mariya Fleischer"] when she introduced herself. "Mariya here seems to be in a similar situation as I am. Or was, two weeks ago. Living her life, found out she was sensitive to the force, tried to find out a way to connect with it, and came here." Cecilia looked at Ar'ekk.

"Let's go to lunch first?", she asked. Cecilia turned to Mariya and smiled. "What a ya think?"

"Oh, and Ar'ekk, guess what, I can levitate 11 books now! That's two more than yesterday!" To demonstrate, mostly for Mariya, she moved 11 books off the shelf nearest to her rotated them in a loop, around her a few times, and then back on the shelf.

"Anyways, shall we get going? And it doesn't count as showing off if everyone else id better than you." The second part of the statement was directed at Ar'ekk, and it was true. Even that simple demonstration had taken a lot out of her.

 

[Arekk]

AURUM​

THE SILENT ARCHIVE, AZAR CITY​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mariya Fleischer"], [member="Cecilia Wissen"]​

The half masked man couldn't help but reveal a sly smirk after the snotty remark, his quick-witted personality flourishing like it always did. Cecilia was in the company of a new person who promptly introduced herself with a respectful bow, whereas he returned the same gesture.

"Ar'ekk Daesharacor, pleased to meet you."

Apparently, the two of them had gained interest in entering the Silent Archive which was promptly restricted for anyone to enter. Ar'ekk knew that Jyn was the steward of this place yet didn't know a way to get in without explicit authorization. It was a futile attempt for now yet the lunch idea seduced him instead.

"It's pretty early, isn't it? We could eat something light."

Widening his eyes at the mention of Cecilia's growing knowledge of the Force, he nodded and smiled. That meant he could teach the young Je'daii girl more advanced techniques in Makashi and hopefully Ataru once she was proficient enough. For now, it wasn't enough to reach that point but it was a good path. Ar'ekk was happy for her.

"That's great! The Force is alive within every single one of us, you just have to reach out with your feelings. Be mindful of your sorroundings. Let it flow through you."

For the last remark though, he decided to stay silent. It spoke louder than words.

---

---

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Hello Ar'ekk, the pleasure is mine. Sure, we can grab a bite,"

Mariya had eaten not too long ago, but was more than willing to order a snack or a drink in order to tag along. She knew that one of the best ways to understand the Je'daii Order was to observe the behaviour of [member="Arekk"] and [member="Cecilia Wissen"]. The topics they would discuss. Their beliefs and values. Their actions and interactions with others. She needed to know as much as possible in order to gauge her compatibility with the Order. Before she joined the Commenor Systems Alliance, she had spent some time talking with Lady Kay to understand her values and beliefs. This was going to be no different.

The mercenary was being herself. Slow to trust but always ready to help her friends.

She raised an eyebrow at Cecilia's Force power and said nothing. In certain places, force users would attempt to hide their sensitivity to avoid trouble. In Aurum, the presence of the Je'daii Order appeared to be an open secret with no such concern. That said, she had wondered herself if she could even levitate an object. She had yet to test her own strength. Perhaps later.

"Any recommendation for food? I am definitely going to take some notes while I'm here for my business. My food and beverage company," she added.

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia shrugged, and spoke to [member="Mariya Fleischer"] "I don't usually order anything particularly crazy. Aurum right now isn't in the best of states, so we are hardly a gathering ground of unique culinary masters." Cecilia paused, then added hastily "Ehh, not that the food's bad here at all. Quite good actually."

Cecilia turned back, so that she could address [member="Arekk"] too. "Thanks you guys for coming here!" she said with a grin, which slowly gained a mischievous twist as she continued, "I woke up late and couldn't eat breakfast, so I'm a bit hungry." Returning to a normal expression, she added: "It also works as a great place for conversation."

Cecilia addressed her next words to Mariya, "So obviously you came here because you had questions about the Je'daii Order. Shoot."

[member="Mariya Fleischer"] [member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

AURUM​

THE SILENT ARCHIVE, AZAR CITY​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mariya Fleischer"], [member="Cecilia Wissen"]​

The young Knight prefered to walk along with the girls and keeping the utmost silence, allowing Mariya and Cecilia conversate freely without any interruption whatsoever. He was a better listener than talker, anyways.

Ar'ekk's stomach rumbled at the mention of breakfast due to him skipping that part today, craving for some delicious delicatessen that Aurum offered every morning by one of their stalls near the fountain.

"You're welcome, Cecilia."

Being in the presence of people who wanted to learn was something that the half masked man always appreciated and his interest peaked when the young Je'daii Journeyer spoke about Mariya's apparent curiosity over the Je'daii culture.

He could sense the Force flowing through her yet also sense it wasn't fully developed, an all much familiar feeling.

---

---

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

The trio exited the library, walking down the stairs towards the city center which was bustling with activity. Mariya had been here for just a day, so almost everything was new to her. She gleefully tapped on her hololink, activating the holo camera mode and snapped a few photos along the way, including the very library that she had visited earlier. On other days, she might even consider using the video mode to record a selfie video, but decided it might be too awkward to suddenly do that in front of the new acquaintances.

Speaking of acquaintances, [member="Arekk"] remained pretty silent. She secretly nicknamed him "The Silent Mask", just like what she had done to her other colleagues. From the Collective, Evoros was Lady Boss, Janeth Ferr was Iron Lady and Ghorua the Shark was Jaws. From CSA, Lady Kay was simply The Queen and that Kei Raxis was The Silent Jedi. She had not thought of a nickname for [member="Cecilia Wissen"] yet. Maybe "Miss Cheerful".

Little Miss Cheerful had just gave her a free rein to ask questions. There were tons of them, but she decided to go with a direct one.

"So, what is the Je'daii Order's philosophy on the Force? Why do the Jedi and the Sith insist on using the Light or Dark Side and ignoring the other?"

In her opinion, the Force was just the Force. Light and Dark were part of it, both sides of a credit chip.

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia wasn't fabulous at judging people, but the Force helped a bit, and she was reasonably certain that that was what [member="Mariya Fleischer"] had just been doing. Though since they just met, that was really to be expected. Mariya reminded Cecilia a lot of herself, but she seemed much more experienced than Cecilia who had been a part of no battles ever, and had not really had anything of not happen to her.

"Why do they insist on using one side or the other? The Jedi fear corruption by the dark side, so they banned it. If a Sith attempts to use the powers of the light side, they become less able to resist the physical corrupting effects of the dark side, so they don't," Cecilia explained, "the Je'daii order on the other hand, views the Force as something that we should study and learn from, to better know both our selves and the universe. If you want to truly understand something, you have to look at every aspect of it, so we do so. Light and dark. But always in balance, for our relation to the Force is that of scholar and mystery, and the best scholar is unbiased. Does that help? Feel free to keep asking, 'kay?"

She wondered if that answer was the one that Mariya had wanted to hear. She briefly glanced at [member="Arekk"], looking for his approval. Hopefully she had explained it well.

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Hmm... okay. I sometimes think of it as a psychological question."

Mariya had indeed been thinking about this question for a while. In the past, she used to dislike the Force Users because she felt the Jedi were too stubborn in their way of thinking and the Sith were, for a lack of better word, lacked empathy. Perhaps it was also her youth, where all young adults would think that they knew it all. Now that she was approaching her thirties and discovering her own Force sensitivity, she was forced to re-examine herself. There was little information about the Jedi and Sith beliefs unless you were part of them, but the belief of a person was driven by the mind.

So she ended up reading a psychological holobook about beliefs.

"Maybe a Jedi is someone who wants to always be at peace. Control emotions. A little difficult to preach to me who thinks love is important. Family love, friendship, romance. As for the Sith..." she shrugged a little, "Acting all tough and powerful suggest a lack of empathy. I just feel both sides show little vulnerability in presenting themselves. But... "

She stopped, realising that she had been blabbering in front of the Je'daii members and decided to add a caveat.

"Since I know nothing much about the Force... I might just be totally wrong in analysing this from a psychological point of view."

---

[member="Cecilia Wissen"] | [member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

AURUM​

THE SILENT ARCHIVE, AZAR CITY​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mariya Fleischer"], [member="Cecilia Wissen"]​

To listen the different views of the Force by multiple people was an interesting thing to be a witness of, Ar'ekk had studied about the Jedi, the Sith and the Force for the entire of his life now. All his beliefs and thoughts were based on this religion that was once called hokey and useless.

It was no secret that the Jedi and the Sith had way too different views of this power, of the gift that they were given and both were wrong and right when it came to using it.

"The Sith and the Jedi aren't too different from each other. One uses the Force to gain power and is blinded by rage while the other uses it for knowledge but becomes arrogant. It's something I've experienced personally yet I won't dive into any details to that. However, Mariya, your view of both is far from being true in the present. Love is not forbidden for a Jedi in this time and age, that's just an old rule from ancient orders. "

He took a brief moment to think and formulate his answer before continuing the monologue,

"Love doesn't lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled... but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love... that's what they should teach you to beware. But love itself will save you... not condemn you.

Perhaps you were expecting some surprise, for me to reveal a secret that had eluded you, something that would change your perspective of events, shatter you to your core. There is no great revelation, no great secret. Only what I've said."

To break silence, it was good to always say something important.

Sharing your knowledge with others was key for the development of ideas and strengthen the connections built up to that instant. His view were not bias and were raw, just like the Force.

They were strong with it and balance would make them much more compelling, sort of speak.

---

---

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia nodded at [member="Arekk"] . He had spoken the truth, the rather ironic one, the great revelation that there was none. "Ar'ekk is right. Your view of the force, your relationship with it is... well, yours. Whether you join the Je'daii or not, you should discover the truth yourself, not just believe what someone tells you. I discovered that myself very recently. It doesn't matter what you believe, or what other people think of it. All that matters is your conviction in your truth. Personally I believe that the Je'daii order provides the best environment to discover what you believe. Paradoxically, I say 'No statement is absolute.' And balance encourages you to find the exceptions."

Here, Cecilia paused in front of a door, and opened it. One would have realized it was a restaurant, though perhaps not immediately. The place didn't ostentatiously advertise itself, merely stating its name and purpose with a relatively small sign, and it really didn't need anything more. With it's small population and limited competing enterprises, word of mouth was often more than enough to keep one in business in the recovering Azar City.

"Here we are." Cecilia announced.

Cecilia didn't say anything after this, both because she had finished her remarks, and because they were entering the restaurant-- well that made it sound too formal. Perhaps 'bar-less food serving establishment' was the most objective description. Though by name it would be 'Togal's Table,' a small place near the edge of Azar city, an area noticeably quieter than the rest of the city. It was owned by a middle aged Abednedo named Togal, whose cooking kept the place in business, despite its location. Cecilia as well as several other Je'daii liked to go here, a result of its good food, genial manager/head cook, and relaxed atmosphere.

The trio sat themselves down at a table, as was the practice at the place.

[member="Mariya Fleischer"]

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Good to know love is not forbidden. Heh, forbidden love..." she nodded her head in agreement to [member="Arekk"]'s comments. [member="Cecilia Wissen"] was right too. The Force probably had a different meaning to each and every individual. Just like there were many ways to travel from one place to another, no faction should dictate what each individual should or should not do during their attempt in understanding the Force.

"Oh... we reached," she found herself taking a good look at her surroundings when the trio entered the food establishment. It was certainly nothing fancy and a far cry from what her own cantinas looked like. Still, she was more interested in the food being served. New dish ideas were always something worth exploring and today was no exception. She sat herself on the table and saw the menu being displayed on a datapad. She reached out to retrieve it with her hand and suddenly stopped herself.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the datapad in front of her. Just thirty centimeters away. Perhaps she could... use the Force to move the object towards her. Nothing too difficult, if she was really Force sensitive. She glanced at the object again, her concentration increasing and trying to imagine it levitating.

Come on... come on...

Her vision was now a tunnel, focusing on the datapad in front of her. It trembled slightly. Then it picked itself up from the table and flew towards her face, which she gasped in surprise and tilted her head away. Her right hand deftly grabbed the pad just as it edged past her hair.

"Ahem, might have... tried too hard," she blushed slightly at her clumsy attempt.

 

[Arekk]

AURUM​

TOGAL'S TABLE, AZAR CITY​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mariya Fleischer"], [member="Cecilia Wissen"]​

Truth be told, being that early in the morning gave him the strongest of hungers. Togal's establishment wasn't as refined as the ones that Ar'ekk ate in Nar Shaddaa where all the waitresses would come to hand him the most expensive plates without him even asking, out of fear probably. He never understood why they feared him, despite all the good deeds done on behalf of The Hawk's Circle, maybe the reputation of the Smuggler's Moon reigned over his deeds. There were no good things in there.

"This isn't a bad place at all. "

Ar'ekk's gaze dragged towards Mariya who was hardously focused on using the Force to bring a datapad from an adjoint table. It was amusing to see but he made no commentary once it made its way near her face, almost hitting the girl.

"The Force truly is a gift but you must be careful how you handle it. Good actions are well rewarded, even if you don't expect anything in exchange."

This wasn't a lecture about Mariya's mundane use of her "gift" as Ar'ekk catalogued it but rather a lesson for the future. Abusing and making use of your privilege wasn't ideal, flaunting its uses as you levitate stuff or other examples would give you a bad reputation. Use them for good, for the right deeds.

That's the idea behind Ar'ekk's commentary.

---

---