The Order

"Dante." The voice called to him. "Dante." The reassuring voice that had always been there.

"Yes, Master?" The young Padawan asked. "You're falling asleep again. Are you sure you don't want me to take you to your room?" The voice asked Dante. "Could I stay with you? I'm scared." The little voice asked the older, wiser and calmer person.

"Of course," the older voice replied. The sense of a smile was upon his lips. A very young Dante leaned closer to the form of a wiser man: Master Alec. Of course, the term 'Master' was more than a formality between the two. 'Master' was synonymous with 'Father' or 'Mother'. Holding young Dante, Alec merely smiled and hummed a tune. In the Code of the Jedi, attachments were forbidden, however the bond of a Master and an Apprentice was a unique attachment: it was seen as a necessity. More contradictions in the Jedi Order young Dante still didn't understand. He hoped he never would. Holding the Youngling, Alec carried the child in his arms to the bed that had been his own. He enjoyed spending time with the child and was secretly happy that he had been chosen by the Council to be the Master of Dante. The boy's brothers, the twins Nathaniel and Xavier, were much older. A difference in 7 years between them and Dante. They were still Padawans, however, it would only be a handful of years-no more than 4 or 5-- until they both reached the tests for Knighthood. Even though Exar Kun had left his mark in the galaxy, Alec was convinced more than ever that the trying times were over, though not all of the darkness within the galaxy had dissipated. Carefully putting the boy in the bed and leaving him to sleep as he went to meditate, Alec couldn't help but pause to smile at the innocence of children.

"Master?" Came the weary voice of the child. "Don't leave me, please."

Alec turned to the child, hushing Dante to sleep and softly said, "never for a moment, my young Apprentice."

"Master?" The voice was calling to him. It wasn't that comforting voice. It was something else entirely. A voice of desperation? "Master Dante? Are you all right? Master?"

Dante slowly opened his eyes to see a concerned Republic soldier looking over him. Dante moved to rise, feeling slight pain all over his body and a little annoyed at the soldier from waking him up. "Yes, I'm fine," came a tired voice and slightly pained voice. Something didn't feel right. Suddenly his eyes shot open. Master Alec! Getting up and looking around, the soldier moved back and noticed Dante's frantic look. "Where are we? Where's Master Alec?" The soldier looked back at Dante and felt really uncomfortable and sympathetic.

"He… uh.. he's dead, Master Ravenmoon. I'm sorry."

The words hit Dante with profound force. Dead? The memories came flooding back towards him. Dead. Memories of the Master making his last stand, valiantly struggling with his opponents while buying time for Dante's escape. Memories of the Master impaled with the two lightsabers of the female Dualist. Feeling pained and having to sit down for a moment, Dante groaned as the truth began setting in. It was his fault Alec had died. Had he disposed of that witch a lot sooner, he and Alec would have been on the Thunderbolt. Had Mumba not been late, both of the Jedi would have been alive.

He shot a look to the soldier, the field medic. What was his name? Gors. "I'm all right Lt. Gors. Where's Captain Mumba?" Gors looked at him. His sandy hair slightly covering his eyes.

"Captain Mumba is currently evading the enemy right now. They came out of nowhere." He said, slightly worried now because it was only at that moment he remembered they were in the middle of a firefight. "Ah, Master, that's why we were, uh, late."

Dante merely nodded, realizing that these men were fighting to get to them. It seemed it was very likely that both groups, the Jedi and commandoes, would have been lost. As he got back up from the bio bed, he made a move towards the cockpit, leaving the medical bay. He heard several shouts of "whooo!" It appeared the other commandoes were in the turrets mounted on the ventral, dorsal and aft portions of the ship, fighting for their very lives and enjoying it. Only commandoes would enjoy this, he thought bitterly. No, wait. The Mandalorians too.

He made his way into the cockpit to see streaming red lasers everywhere. It appeared that they had stumbled into a gundark's nest. As he sat down, he saw Mumba slapping buttons and evading close fire and missiles, all of which seemingly appeared to be aimed for the freighter. The bald, ebon coloured man enjoying the piloting and the fight that was ensuing still had time for formalities. "Glad to see you awake, sir. Thought we had lost you too." It was convenient Mumba had been focused on piloting at that very moment because Dante had felt stung when he heard those last words.

"Can you get us out of here?" He asked the older pilot.

In what appeared to be a rich Coruscanti accent, Mumba replied, "Of course, sir. But it appeared we have stirred up a gundark's nest."

"All right, set a course for Dantooine. I have to report this startling chain of events to the Council there." Or hopefully we could return to the Jedi Council in Coruscant, he silently wished.

Dodging many of the lasers aimed for the boxy, rustic-coloured freighter itself, the Thunderbolt made its jump to light speed, leaving the chaos far behind them.

After the Thunderbolt had landed in the courtyard on Dantooine, three Jedi stood waiting to greet Dante. As the ramp lowered itself to the ground, Dante walked off the vessel with post haste and bowed respectfully towards the three Jedi. "Masters, I have important and, albeit, unsettling news for you. I must speak with the Council quickly."

The Jedi in middle of the three merely bowed and stated simply, "yes, of course Master Ravenmoon. It is sad to have lost Master Ness. Truly we have stumbled on to a much darker path if we have lost one such as him." The Master towards Dante's right, a green coloured Twi'lek merely bowed and spoke. "I had known Master Ness since we were mere Younglings. It is truly sad to have lost him. Come, you must rest, we will call you when the time comes." Dante bowed and made his way towards the enclave to find some rest. And hopefully have some more answers.

Watching the interaction between the 4 Jedi, Sekula looked grave. He knew that the loss of Master Ness truly spoke of the countless Jedi that have been lost throughout the war. Sighing, he went to his quarters on the freighter and packed up his gear. Time for this stuff to get replaced, he thought to himself. We'll be on this mission once more and there will be little time for rest. Looking at his other comrades pack up replaceable gear, he noticed the how weary Gors was. The poor soldier was tired, young and it seemed only a lifetime ago that he was full of excitement when he was selected for this mission. Finally, he cleared his throat and the commandoes looked at him.

"All right boys, I have a few things to say. First," pausing to look at each of them, "we all know we did the best we could to get to our comrades, only to have lost Master Ness. It couldn't have been helped, we were all outgunned and it was a miracle we got them, let alone escaped alive." They nodded, each looking grim. They had all enjoyed the company of the older Master and he had imparted to each of them wisdom at some point. One thing they all agreed on was that aside from Alec's charisma, the old man certainly had humour and fighting prowess. No one would dare to fight someone such as him. The fact that he was killed in combat was a shock to someone as skilled as he was. Though death was slowly becoming more commonplace, each and every soldier found that each time they were not in the fight; they were only biding time until they would die.

Sekula took a deep breath. Here it comes. "Secondly, it's been a pleasure fighting alongside each and every one of you. I am not one for speeches, so here it goes: if you want to resign or transfer your post, let me know. I won't hesitate to do it for you; each of you deserves a fate less cruel than this." Closing his eyes, he exhaled steadily, calming himself. When he opened his eyes, he noticed they were looking at the ground. "From water we're born, in fire we die." Sekula slowly speaking the code of the Army of the Republic. This had been a mantra to each and every soldier in the Republic. At the same time, they all spoke the final phrase: "We seed the stars."

As Dante strode into the Council room, he was impressed at the group of respectable-and legendary-Jedi Master. On one end of the Council sat Master Vrook, the stern and wise Master whose exploits had placed him on the Council in the calm meadows of Dantooine. On the right hand side of the 'hard as nails' Master sat another one: Master Kavar. This man appeared to be no more than his mid-to-late 30s, yet his prowess was not to be underestimated; a mistake many a foe had made. However, of all the powerful and nearly mythical Masters that had attended and formed the Council of the Enclave, none other deserved greater respect than Jedi Master Vandar. The green shaded, elfin creature sat in the center of the Council. He was truly the stuff of legends. It is believed by many Jedi-- including Master Vrook-that Vandar might actually be immortal; perhaps a descendant of a race long extinct; or, as some theorize, one of the very first groups of Jedi which hailed from the planet Ossus. Of course, Master Vandar had never fully admitted those rumours. Yet he never denied it either. It appeared that if anyone would survive the chaos wrought upon the Jedi and the Republic, it would be the wise, yet somewhat senile Master Vandar.

"Greetings, Master Dante. Truly a shame it is, to have lost Master Ness," the ancient creature said. Feeling the cold knot within him tighten, Dante swallowed and tried to push down the emotions which raged within him. He was in his traditional Jedi robes, along with his cloak, as his unconventional attire would undoubtedly raise scrutiny amongst the renowned Masters.

"Yes it is, Master. His death was a great blow to our Order," the young Knight replied.

"Ah, one of the many brothers lost we have in this war. The power of the Dark Side, underestimate it, do not." When did Vandar decide to speak in this manner? Last time Master Alec had spoken to him, Master Vandar seemed to speak normally. Could he truly be going senile? He quickly stifled his thoughts, feeling that perhaps the wiser Master might have sensed him. Smiling at the incredibly younger man, Vandar merely said, "Old we may be, but failing we are not."

It was Vrook who finally intervened, speaking the thoughts that had been on the minds of the other Masters. "What is it that you needed to report to us, Jedi Knight?" the old man asked, stressing the last word. "You did come a long way from where you were last. What is so important that you couldn't have used the Holonet to report to us from your location?"

Dante, ever the stoic Jedi, calmly addressed the group of Masters. "It would appear that the Sith have been one step ahead of us every time we have reached a planet. Their presence at our last location was not merely a coincidence. I know it would eventually be a matter of time until Darth Malak would send out a party to search for the Holocron; however, they were at that specific planet, within that Temple we investigated. The crew assigned with us has proven, exemplarily, that they are capable. Our largest issue is that we are undermanned and outclassed against our opponents." There, it had to be said.

The Council appeared unmoved by what the young Jedi had said. And it appeared that no one was considering the subtle request. It was a moment longer before Master Vandar-of course-spoke up. "So Master Dante, request more soldiers and Jedi do you? Suggest removing valuable resources and sacrifice more lives, hmm?"

Feeling somewhat ashamed of the elder Jedi's inference, Dante quickly tried to clarify what was needed for a mission so great. "Master Vandar, I do not suggest pulling people and allotting resources that are greatly needed on the frontlines. I only request that I take a few more Jedi and soldiers, as well as refit certain things on the vessel in which we travel for our journey. I know that the Order is desperately needed to continue the fight as more of our numbers dwindle, however, I also know that if this Holocron does exist, the Sith will be waiting to strike at us with everything at their disposal." He paused to look around the Council, around the semi-circle which had surrounded him, before he continued. "Including, our numerous fallen brothers and sisters. They will not stop until they have allowed the Darkness to consume the entire galaxy."

Several Masters had looked at each other, though it was Vrook who spoke first. "I sense that you may be walking down a very dark path, young Jedi. Would you risk taking that path and pulling many more of your brethren down with you?"

Staring calmly into the eyes of the fabled Master, reciting the Jedi code in his mind, Dante spoke softly, "Master, if it were to come to that, then Malak has already won. The path I would take, would be mine alone. I would ask no one to join me in that endeavour."

Vandar closed his eyes for a few moments after Dante spoke. The rest of the Council looked at each other and it was clear that some weren't sure what to make of the star-pupil of the late Master Alec Ness. After a few more moments of the Council murmuring amongst themselves and Dante still waiting calmly in the center of the semi-circle, Vandar opened his eyes and spoke. "Hard to see the future is; the Dark Side clouds everything. Take a fleet with you to scour the Outer Rim, you shall not. To add more to your number, though, we shall confer. Rest young Jedi, the grove you should go, find peace within yourself, you must."

Knowing that the conference had come to an end, Jedi Knight Dante Ravenmoon bowed respectfully to the Council. "Very well, Masters. May the Force be with you." The young Knight stood erect and left the room to seek solace and perhaps some rest. Too much had happened since the loss of Master Alec. If only you were still here, Master, he thought to himself. Only you would have convinced the Council of our dire situation. It will only be a matter of time until Malak beats us to the Holocron.

After Dante's departure, Vandar looked around and before he had risen to leave, he merely said, "truly the dark times have come."

Master Kavar spoke quickly, "has it truly, Master Vandar? Revan and Malak thought they could win the against the Mandalorians 4 years ago; they returned as conquerors, yet they were slaves to the Dark Side. Young Dante on the other hand; he has much of his old Master in him. He may yet find a way to restore balance to the Force."

Master Vrook looked at the younger Jedi and replied, "but at what cost? And have you considered that Dante's similarities to Alec might yet prove to be his undoing? The man was undoubtedly wise, yet he was also headstrong. That might have proven to be his downfall." Vandar refrained from leaving the room a moment longer, only to observe and hear the troubled minds of his colleagues. It was the enigmatic Zez-Kai who spoke the final thought.

"Perhaps it might be the will of the Force to usher in a new era of darkness, if only to find a way to bring about its own balance both within and without the galaxy and of itself."