Author Note: It's been a long time since I've had my muse. Let's see if I still got the charm.
Disclaimer: By the way, I do not own Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi or any of its characters. They both belong to Dark Horse Comics respectively. I also take no credit for the Je'daii Code or Oath itself. I merely explained the Code from a character's first person perspective. Specifically, Daegen Lok's.
A warning to you readers, this might contain some spoilers from the Dawn of the Jedi comics, so if you haven't read them yet, then I either recommend that you do so or don't continue reading this so the series could be ruined for you, if only slightly.
The Code: Daegen Lok
10,665 TYA
When an individual is discovered to be a Force-sensitive at an early age, they are removed from their families and brought to the Great Je'daii Academy of Padawan Kesh on the planet Tython, the homeworld of the Je'daii Order. They are given the rank of Initiate when they begin their formal training at the Academy. Some were recruited from the Settled Worlds of the Tython System, others…. well, they came from Tython itself obviously. There were also orphans as well that were taken in by the Je'daii. How generous of them, yes?
You wonder about myself? Very well, I will indulge your curiosity a little. I was born on Tython around two and five years before the Despot War. I have little to no recollection of my parents, the Je'daii caretakers told me that my mother died giving birth to me. My father, I never knew him. The man was never there for me. He was always too 'busy' with his duties as a Je'daii Master or whatever excuses he made for himself. Although, I always did wonder that it was because he couldn't stand to be near me since his wife died after I came into the world, hmmm? I never saw much of him in my life, so you can imagine how I must've felt when I learned that he died. The only thing I ever received from him was my name, Daegen.
Ironic, isn't it?
During our early years, Je'daii Initiates were taught many things at Padawan Kesh so that one day, they may rise throughout the Order's hierarchy. But the one thing that was critical in a Je'daii's training to learn was the Je'daii Code or Je'daii Oath. The Code taught responsibility, control, duty. The whole reason for the Code was to remind Je'daii to stay in balance between Ashla and Bogan.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no fear; there is power.
I am the heart of the Force.
I am the revealing fire of light.
I am the mystery of darkness
In balance with chaos and harmony,
Immortal in the Force.
The Je'daii Code was not a strict one, not in a necessary sense. But to remind us of the eternal struggle between the light and dark sides of the Force and to help us stay in balance should we lose out way.
But I know better.
The Je'daii can preach about as much as they want about balance or the light and dark. In the end, they are but mere cowards and hypocrites who rather stay the way they want rather that evolve and stay in their temples while darkness approaches.
"They say, "There is no ignorance; there is knowledge." But they would rather remain ignorant of the mysteries of what surround us; The mysteries of the Chasm, the Old City, where we actually came from, et cetera. Whenever new knowledge is brought to light, instead of acting upon it, they would rather shun it. They would let their superiority go their heads, thinking that nothing could defeat them.
"There is no fear; there is power." Yet, they would rid themselves of everything that they don't understand because they cannot understand or control it. They have become stagnant and arrogant in their power. They believe that whatever comes to challenge them, they will swat it aside like a gnat. But their power is not enough to defeat the Dark Side Aliens that will invade Tython. No, a different power is needed.
"I am the heart of the Force." True understanding is needed to guide the Je'daii through the dark times.
''I am the revealing fire of light.'' Ha! The light!? What a farce! Honor, self-sacrifice and peace are useless concepts. They carry no power, only serenity and pacifism.
"I am the mystery of darkness." The darkness is deep and foreboding. Unlike Ashla, Bogan offers great power, and carries much within its dark depths. We must contemplate it order to understand, and I have understand plenty. Ashla is too passive, Bogan offers much more than we ever could. That much I have discovered for myself.
"In balance with chaos and harmony." The Je'daii are limited in this aspect. How foolish are they to believe that Balance will help them? Bogan is not evil. It is a part of life. Life cannot live without it. Balance will not server the Je'daii against the Shadow Army.
Only I can lead the Je'daii against the Shadow Army. The vision I and my brother Hawk Ryo saw in the Chasm The ones who carry the blades of fire. The Je'daii must embrace the Dark Side in Order to survive.
But alas, when I told the Council of my vision, they deemed me mad. As a result, they sentenced me to Bogan until I renounced my vision. I stay there until I tell them the lie they wish to hear. Hawk has already deluded himself into believing that what he saw beneath Anil Kesh was a mere hallucination. Part of the "madness" of the Chasm as well as my own. The Council bought his story and allowed him to leave Bogan, the fool.
They are all fools! Pathetic narrow-minded buffoons! Why do they not understand? I know exactly what I've seen, what the Force has called me to do. I am not the one that needs to change. They are the ones. They will follow me….
War is coming like we have never seen before. The Dark Side is needed to face the darkness that approaches. I alone can lead the Je'daii against the Shadow Army. That day has yet to come. But when it does come…everything will change forever and darkness will triumph over them….
Immortal in the Force.
Okay, this was the first story I've had in a long while. Feedback is appreciated!
This was the first SW comic fanfic I've written. I just hope that's it's good enough. I've tried to get Lok in character. From what I've read, he did genuinely want to help the Je'daii, but he was somewhat misguided and somewhat crazy if you ask me. As for his birth date, judging from the flashbacks, Lok appeared to be in his late twenties to his early thirties when he was sent to Bogan, although this is only my guess.
If you're wondering, and if you hadn't read Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, TYA means Tho Yor Arrival. It is the zero mark for the dating system of when the Tho Yor arrived on Tython. 0 TYA started in the year 36,463 BBY. So for instance, the current year is 25,793 BBY in the Dawn of the Jedi comics. You subtract the founding year by the current year, and it's 10,670 TYA in the current storyline.
I hope this inspires other readers to start writing. Just write in that box below and press the button. Till next time!