EXCERPTS FROM THE AUDIO JOURNAL OF QUI-GON JINN, JEDI MASTER
Coruscant, Jedi Temple, 3:4:4
It is almost amazing how quickly time elapses, but even more amazing is how the mind can retain the memory of long-past events, so that they look as fresh as if they have just happened.
Most of the time, these memories deal with something pleasant or joyous, but it is not always so.
Twenty-five years ago, on this very day, I saw my son for the last time, and yet it feels like it happened yesterday.
The memory of that day is burned in my mind and heart. I have never been able to forget it, no matter how much I have meditated on the subject.
If I am completely honest, and I wish to be, I have never really tried to release those memories to the Force. I have held onto them with all my being, the exact opposite of what the Council had wanted me to do.
At first, I kept all the memories regarding my son secret, putting strong shields around them, so that Master Yoda could not see them during our shared meditations. However, as I grew older and became more critical of the Council's ways, I stopped hiding those memories, and made them known, with pride and defiance.
They have been both my comfort and my torment during these long years, and they have influenced some of my actions—something, I am sure, the Council would be appalled to know.
My eyes fall on the compartmented wooden box open resting on my knees. I made it with my hands, and it contains twenty-five stones, one for each on my son's naming days.
These are the gifts I bought for you, Obi-Wan -- that I have never be able to give you.
I often wonder what you must look like today. Are you tall like me? Or did you take after your mother's family? What are you doing now? Are you a pilot? A lawyer? A doctor?
Would I recognize you if I happened to meet you? I wish to believe I would. Your Force signature was so strong, so beautiful, so unique…
I should stop entertaining such wishes. The galaxy is so big, the chances of meeting my son are practically non-existent, no matter how much I confide in the will of the Force.
And speaking of the Force and its will, it is best I concentrate on what awaits me tomorrow—-my first joined mission with a Sith.
I cannot deny it, I am very excited I have been given this
opportunity. I know the Code states Jedi do not crave excitement, but I have the feeling this mission will be important for both the Jedi and the Sith.
I put away the wooden box and try to remember everything I know about the Sith.
Their order was created about a thousand years ago, when a group of rebellious Jedi knights left the Temple in disagreement with the Council and the Code. They believed emotions to be important and refused to release them into the Force, even the negative ones; those considered to be a pathway to the Dark Side.
A bloody war followed the rift, but it ended with no victors, too many deaths on both sides and a still-standing peace treaty.
Since then the two orders have co-existed, not as enemies, but as rivals and sometimes allies, because they both serve the Republic, albeit in different ways.
Where the Jedi are mostly diplomats and negotiators, the Sith operate in situations where the diplomacy has failed.
The Jedi work to prevent and avoid wars; the Sith work to end wars.
The Jedi negotiate the release of hostages; the Sith rescue the hostage when the deals fail.
The Jedi are guardians of peace; the Sith are warriors.
The Jedi release their emotions into the Force; the Sith hold on them.
The Jedi are servants of the Light Side of the Force; the Sith always tread near the thin line separating the Light Side from the Dark Side of the Force. They live in a perpetual grey zone, and this is one of the reasons for they are also called the Grey Order. The other reason is the colour of their Jedi-like uniform, which are comprised by light grey tunics and trousers, dark grey robes and black boots.
The rivalry between the two orders is a known fact— even if the Jedi Council keeps on denying it — especially regarding the recruiting of new members. Sith and Jedi are always competing over the Force-sensitive children, with each order set to convince their parents to trust their sons or daughters to them.
The life of a Jedi is usually less dangerous than a Sith's, but the members of the Grey Order are allowed to keep in contact with their families and to visit them often. They can also marry, which is seen as a plus by "normal" people, who often cannot understand the rigid discipline required by the Jedi. On the other hand, the Jedi are much more admired, respected and requested in the Republic than the Sith, and this is useful to compensate the other issues.
My partner in this mission is called Dest-Parce, and he is a Sith master. He is about my age and according to his Order's archive, he has a very good service record, but given the Sith's modus operandi, it could mean everything and nothing.
Haughtiness is unbecoming for a Jedi, a voice has just whispered in my mind.
It is right, of course.
The years spent as a diplomatic envoy have taught me not to judge people basing on pre-concepts, yet I am behaving like that. I must not do it.
Tomorrow I will travel to Naboo with Master Dest-Parce, and my mind will be open and not clouded by prejudices.
All my resources and attention must be directed to convince the Trade Federation to dismantle the blockade around Naboo. This what Chancellor Valorum has asked me to do— and this is what I will strive to do.