Chapter 20: Je'daii Scientists
As what started as just a field of bodies soon became a makeshift camp, a second ship, that was recognizable as one of the new orders ships landed. Out came Corran followed closely by his battle droid Roger. Corran's hands were full of books with bags hanging off his shoulders. His android was equally burdened with a humongous bag strapped to his back.
"Galen," shouted Corran as he stumbled through the sand towards the boy. "Can you grab the last bag for me it's on the ramp."
Galen grumbled, "I'm glad you came," he said to Corran.
"Oh please," enthused Corran, "strange mysteries, force mysteries, this is what I live for- oh senator." Corran made a beeline towards Padme "I have been meaning to talk to your office for a while now," he exclaimed. "I would like to run a study on Naboo's head statues."
"Certainly," agreed Padme slowly "but may I ask what for."
"It's very interesting, I found some ancient writings that made a connection between the statues of Naboo with the Je'daii and the people who constructed the pyramids, the ones that carried all the Je'daii to their home planet Tython all those years ago. Either the statues were made by the same creatures or the Je'daii made them with the same technology in memory or something like that. As you know there's a saying on Naboo about wisdom being the third door."
"Yes, that's a very popular saying in Naboo."
"I think it's literal. Wisdom is kept in the head I think that there's a hidden door in the head, so if open, will lead to some sort of secret chamber. I don't know the details yet but I would very much love to study the statues."
"I think we can arrange that. Things are a little crazy right now with the war but if the archeologist teams agree I think you will be allowed to once everything calms down."
"Why don't you come with us right now, Luke discovered something here on Kessel, you can see our process and exactly how we investigate." He turned to Obi-Wan and without catching his breath asked, "where's Yoda? I thought he will want to be here to see what we find."
"What did you found. This is the first time I have heard this."
"Luke found something interesting in a cave, and what are you talking about? Didn't Luke call you guys and that's why you are here." Before Obi-Wan could respond Corran moved on, "oh well it's probably best if I show you guys and then you can contact Yoda and tell him to come here. Let's go come on Roger," he shouted at the android before running off to the building.
Galen followed behind, "you better stay close to me, it's going to be a labyrinth."
They took the mine's elevator farthest reaches there, waiting for them, was Luke, "I'm glad you came he shouted follow me, where's Yoda, I thought you were going to tell him Corran."
"I thought you were," defended Corran.
"I thought one of you guys were going to do it. I'm just a muscle here or the packed meal as it turns out."
"You see this is why we need to always have a thorough plan," claimed Luke, "so we don't have miscommunications like this. Well, follow me anyways you can always tell Yoda." The group followed Luke as he continued to speak. "After Galen cleared out the prison I went into the mines to help those who are working them get out. As I was scouting I found something hidden even further down, behind some rocks. Come on follow me," he shouted as he led them down a hallway that judging my the rubble right outside had been recently excavated and more likely by Luke.
"How far does this go," asked Padme.
"Oh about a mile," Luke called back, "but it's after the mile that it gets twisted."
"What you mean?"
"I discovered a pathway, very old, older then the prison has been officially running. The inhabitants close off the surface portion of the tunnel centuries ago, I doubt that the warden or anyone knew about it despite all the digging."
"Wait," called Padme, "you're saying that someone lives down here."
"Yes and for centuries according to them, long before the prison. Follow me," he shouted. They followed him through the newly constructed pathway until it ended in a winding little tunnel that was about half their size. "This is where the real fun begins," shouted Luke as he wiggled his way into the crack, "it goes like this for a couple of miles."
"Aw come on," shouted Roger. "You want me to carry all of this in."
"We may have to team lift some of this stuff," said Galen. "I don't think they will fit any other way."
The group was forced to squeeze themselves through the boulders to follow the path where the only light was coming from Luke who had lit a torch and was leading them into the small cresses.
"I wish we had to change our clothes," joked Padme to Satine.
"Seriously," joked the woman back.
The group finally reach the end of the path where the road opened up to a large cavern. In the cavern was an underground city.
"Wow," whispered Padme when they enter.
"From what I have been able to understand," called Luke from the front. "They moved down here during one of the Sith wars, I don't think they even know which ones. They started as merely a tribe of sullustan who had to abandon their home during the violence. They found Kessel with a path leading from the surface to the depths already dug out but abandon centuries beforehand. They went as far down as they could and then the seal up the entrance tunnel so the sith wouldn't be able to find them. A few centuries later the Kessel mine open up and nobody knew."
"So the path was here for longer," asked Obi-Wan.
"Yes, that's why I called Corran down here. According to the inhabitants the trail keeps going on but they stop here because the end is inhabitant by ghosts."
"Ghosts," asked Obi-Wan
"Spector they see, they take the form of balls of light that can even go through solid stone. Often enough they will occasionally be flying through the city, coming and going from the end of this tunnel which leads to a small little cavern. So the inhabitants decided to leave the end of the passage alone and build their home about a mile away."
"Incredible," called Padme as she looked around in wonder. The walls were lit with a glowing moss. Homes attached to walls and she even saw a few farms burrow into cracks along the cavern. "They created an entire civilization down here."
"Yes but that's not the important part," snapped Corran showing his true love. "They move down here during a Sith war, aka they are younger than the Je'daii period, which is what we are here to search. Base on what Luke found in the room this was once the outpost for the Je'daii."
"That's impossible instead Obi-Wan the Je'daii never left there home on Tython. That's one of the things that separate them from the Jedi."
"Are you sure," asked Luke with a giant grin. "Come on follow me." He led them through the village and to another small little cavern, but this opening had strings and ribbons handing down the entry. Attach to many of the strings were notes written in a foreign language.
We have to take off our shoes called Luke as he removed his own. The village head said we could investigate but only if we show the proper respect to the spirits and the biggest one was removing shoes. But don't the path isn't like the one we used to reach the village. The people took care of the path to make it as smooth as possible so they can enter it when they need to.
The group followed Luke's lead, except for Roger who just stared awkwardly at his robotic feet. They followed him down a smother path until finally, they arrive in the cavern.
"Whoah," said Obi-Wan "is this…"
"Yes," agreed Luke "it's exactly that."
Two hours later
The express shuttle from Coruscant touchdown at the makeshift camp. Obi-Wan, Corran, and Galen were waiting to greet them. Out came Yoda, Bnar, and Jocasta the head librarian. Follow closely behind them were a few younger Jedi archives and one person draped in orange.
"I thought that you were going home with Ventress after you dropped off Bnar," asked Obi-Wan to the woman dressed in orange.
"It was my plan," admitted the woman, "however I couldn't call myself a medic and just leave him with the Jedi without first assisting if the Jedi were capable of supporting him."
"Of course," smiled Obi-Wan kindly enough.
"Solar," shouted Alina walking up to the group. "I'm glad you are here I could use some assistance. We have already remove everyone capable of traveling to Mandalore. All that remains are those who are in no condition to travel. As you can see it's a majority of the people and the sooner they are well enough to travel the sooner I can get them away from this desolate planet."
Solar nodded and then turned to address the young members of the group. "Look after the elders until I return," she ordered before leaving them. The young Jedi stared in bafflement at being ordered by the non-Jedi healer to do something that wasn't in their job description. Not to mention the confusion on whether or not they should obey her. She wasn't there superior, but her order was to protect their superiors. So did they listen to her or not? The elders in question found this funny and chuckled at the young members, who got, even more, confuse with this reaction.
"Its good to see you Bnar," greeted Galen, "I am glad that you came, although I am surprised by it. No offense but you don't seem like the type to travel.
Bnar smiled I have came to the decision that I can best help my Jedi brothers by being a translator for your order and theirs. After spending time with both I had come to the discovery that despite being named the new order, yours has much in common with the pre-republic order. As an early republic Jedi, I am squarely in the middle of your twos orders.
"Really," asked Obi-Wan. He quietly went through what little was known of the first Jedi. They were nomads who assisted wherever they went, they travel in small groups and didn't have a strong central control. They also allowed marriage. He then compared it to the new order and realized that Bnar was right, the new order are travelers, they had a grandmaster but he didn't have ruling authority over the others. Galen was even married and the group prided themselves in not being under the republic and thus free to help with the Kessel slaves and anyone else who needed their help.
Now Luke won't just have Yoda to contemplate with."
"Excuse me."
"Luke. He spends the majority of his time either meditating or discussing the philosophy of the force. He is always looking for people who share his love of discussion. And he doesn't understand why youngster like us want to join him."
The elders chuckled as well. "Yes, I am quite interested to see this excavation," called Yoda. "Mysterious on the phone, Obi-Wan was."
Obi-Wan blushed slightly before leading them off. "We excavate as much as we could while waiting for you to arrive. It will still be narrow in some parts."
"Lead on," shouted Yoda, "time for my size to benefit me."
The Jedi were curious about the small underground village and found Padme and Satine talking to the villagers who were more curious in the living being then the ancient Jedi site. Finally, they made their way to the small little cavern. "Hmm," said Yoda, "quite mysterious, interesting this is."
"Exactly," shouted Luke. He had been sitting cross-legged on the floor facing what looked to be a lamp. It was made out of a metrical crystal that was shape wrought iron in the form of spirals going up. Inside was what appeared to be a large sphere of light that wasn't attached to any source but floated in the center of the lamp. As they watch it small orbs of bright light, under their control would come through the walls and enter the lantern before leaving it again.
"Fascinating," said Yoda joining Luke down on the floor. Bnar followed.
The younger archeologists tried to stay away from the elders as they exam the workspace.
"It seems to be some sort of lab or workspace," explained Luke as he continued to stare at the light.
"Theories have you," asked Yoda.
"Well, I touched one."
"You did not," chuckled Jocasta.
"I did and that was the most amazing part," animated Luke turning to his esteem elders. "When I did I saw many different things from the present and the future across the galaxy. I think that these orbs collect data and bring it back here like some sort of early data gathering system."
"That makes sense," called Corran from where he was the station from one of the desks. One of the things I have discovered in my ancient research is the use of the force. Picture it back long ago before ships before any of the technology that we have come to see even communications. Corran always turned into a professor when he was speaking about the past. None of the technology that would allow that existed yet but what we did have was the force. And through the force you could make a weapon, computer, heck we are even capable of communicating through the force and we still do. Imagine if the only type of distancing communicating was through our bonds. If you wanted something back then you needed to use the force and I think that this was one of those devices, they harness the force to serve a purpose in this case knowledge. It gathers all the knowledge in the universe. If this is as old as we think it is it may have lead the early Je'daii to other beings that share their view. This could be the first sign of the migration of the force sensitives to Tython. If so this site predates everything we have ever found about our origins.
The group was silent as they absorb what Corran said. The elders sat down and meditated on the knowledge while the younger members continue to study every aspect of the room. Finally, the elders got up. "Study extensively of this site we will," admitted Yoda as he turned to face Luke and shook his hand. Appreciate I do, of you telling us. If you make any more discoveries…
Luke laughed. "You will be the first person I call."
Authors Note
I know it's been a while. The truth is that was several chapters into the story when I remember the Kessel plot and I had to work on it before posting those chapters. So I will be posting this along with several other chapters to get us right back on track.