Twenty One years before the instigation of Order 66

Aounam

A sharp bang drew the attention of the youngest member of the class back to the class's instructor. The cane that the instructor had been leaning on had fallen sharply onto the student's desk, causing the datapad and holocube on it to jump nearly as high as the student did.

"If you are now paying attention, youngling Belwynn?"

Rafe Belwynn nodded, embarrassed as much by being caught daydreaming as by the use of the term 'youngling'. At seven years old, he was still technically a youngling, and deserving of the appellation. But something about the way that Master d'Oreines said it left him feeling distinctly younger than those around him, rather than merely a few weeks younger than the next youngest.

It was a warm day, with Neatfar shining down through the open sky with a gentle radiance, when by rights they should have been outside, playing with the local children, or taking their lessons in the shade of one of the umbrella-like sasseyyapha trees. Instead, their lesson had been moved indoors, to the mild disgust of most of the class. The room was on the wrong side of the temple, catching all of the sunlight, and without sufficient ventilation, leaving everyone feeling overheated and tried.

Master d'Oreines returned to striding around the classroom, and to the topic at hand, ignoring the heat. "Many of you, as you continue your training as Jedi, will find yourselves experiencing visions," he explained, a hand making expressive gestures in the air by way of emphasis. To Rafe, Master d'Oreines always appeared, in his fine robes and with his theatrical manner, more like an actor about to embark upon some famous soliloquy rather than a Jedi Master. "In many cases, these will be vague, glimpses of a future that may not come to pass, or of a past that might be long gone.

"To many of you, these visions will show hints, clues, and only by meditation upon them will you be able to fully appreciate what they may mean. Some of you will find that visions of the future come more easily to you, and will be chosen to join the ranks of the Seers. Some of the greatest of the Jedi have been Seers, chosen to guard the Order against that which has yet to come to pass, and to find the optimum path for both the Republic and the Order to follow to the perfect future."

A sneer touched Master d'Oreines lips as he paused. "Some of you, may find that visions of the future or past escape you altogether, and that your powers of observation focus on what such individuals call 'the Now'."

A part of Rafe stirred at this. He had read enough outside of his lessons to know a little about the Now, and the Seekers that pierced its depths, and to know that he was interested in learning more. That Master d'Oreines apparently had a dislike of the Seekers was only further incentive to learn about them.

"The Now is something that all Jedi can access however, only by the greater harmony achieved by a group effort. Seekers, those who are able to see into the Now on their own, do so in a haphazard manner, without the guidance and support that a group effort will provide. This capability also leaves them with a vital flaw; they are blind to all but the barest hints of the future."

A ripple of shocked ran around the classroom, as various students took in the enormity of what this would mean. For the Jedi, being able to get hints of the future was a normal thing, and many of them had already recounted visions that they claimed to have received whilst meditating. Mostly these had been singularly unhelpful, and in fact misinterpreting such a vision had led one student to quite neatly offending a padawan. But with time and experience they were assured that such things would become clearer, or at least would carry less of a potential for damage.

That Seekers might be blind to the future though left an empty feeling in Rafe's stomach, which he felt echoed across a number of other students around him. The idea of the Now had sounded so impressive when he had managed to read up on it, but if it meant being blind to the future...

"Pity not the blind man," a new voice declared, startling everyone. "For he has known a world that you will never find, though you should hunt through the heights of space and the depths of the stars."

Rafe smiled as he turned with the rest of the class to look at the intruder, his nose twitching excitedly at the spicy, woody scent that came in with him. Master Sirrin was popular with all of the students, both as a familiar figure when he was around, and as an enigma when he was not; often vanishing for months at a time, the Caamasi would suddenly reappear without any notice, bearing tales of the galaxy beyond the Serpent.

Master d'Oreines was one of the Masters who clearly had little patience with Master Sirrin, despite the legendary partiality that Caamasi tended to draw from anyone that they met. Even if he didn't need another reason not to get on well with Master d'Oreines, Rafe added this to his list.

"Master Sirrin..." Master d'Oreines gave a flourished bow, over-dramatic and insulting, but not in any way that someone could raise complaint about. "You have chosen to grace Aounam with your presence once more."

The Caamasi accepted the insult calmly as Rafe had known that he would; it took a lot of effort to ruffle a Caamasi's fur. "Master d'Oreines. My travels have once again brought me back to this world, and just in time it seems. I believe you were about to educate these younglings on a topic that I should be tutoring them on."

This got the attention of several of the students, especially Rafe. No one had been willing to admit what type of Jedi Master Sirrin actually was before now; there were plenty to choose from, ranging from the Guardians and Consulars that most people knew about, through the more secretive Sentinels, the prophetic Seers, the diplomats, the healers, and the scholars. But from what he said now, Master Sirrin was a Seeker, a part of the Order that other Jedi spoke about infrequently, despite Aounam supposedly being one of the most prominent training centres for them in the galaxy.

"The Now is, as Master d'Oreines has told you, a thing that all Jedi can see, with help. Seekers however, are able to pierce this stratum of the Force without the aid of others, though even we will not do so lightly." He stepped up to the front of the classroom, his manner calm and confident as ever. His simple robes seemed somehow honest beside the finer robes of Master d'Oreines, which had never looked right for a Jedi to Rafe's mind.

"The Now is more than a vision of the future, or a glimpse of what is happening at this moment that a Seer might provide. This is its danger; the Now is Totality. To look upon the Now is to see the galaxy spread before you, not merely as a holograph might appear to shimmer before your eyes, but as the Force feels, filling, overwhelming... Seekers approach such hazards with care, and other Jedi will tread carefully upon such grounds, even in groups.

"But in Totality lie the great things that a Seeker will witness. Many of your might not be here were it not for the Seekers, for that is our principle function within the Order; to find new Jedi, shortly after they are born. Each of you shines in the Now like a beacon, and it is our duty to find such as yourselves. Everything is visible to a Seeker, as it happens. And that is our curse, as well as our blessing, for while a Seer may receive a disturbing vision and attempt to thwart it, anything that a Seeker sees has already happened..."