Chapter Two: Another Word for Tyranny
Three days had passed since the Flesh Raiders' attack on the Jedi Outpost, and there had been no developments.
Canlyn had returned the stolen holocron to Master Yuon, telling her of the device's influence on Twi'lek hunter Nalen Raloch. She had also reported Nalen's use of the Force to collapse the cave. Yuon had listened gravely and gone straight to the Jedi Council, vowing that they would have to recognize this as a vital matter. She had asked Canlyn to prepare to testify before the Council a second time.
No summons had been issued. Nothing had happened at all. In the days that had followed, Master Yuon shut herself off, devoting all of her time to studying the holocron and trying to unlock its secrets.
This weighed on Canlyn's mind during her combat training. Master Caecinius observed her distraction, and asked her to remain after dismissing the rest of the class.
"You usually have perfect form and focus on the training grounds," he said. "Today, you were downright sloppy."
"I won my duel," she pointed out.
"I'd expect that answer from Ashara, not you. Maybe the two of you have been spending too much time together."
She apologized for her impertinence. Unexpectedly, the swordmaster smiled.
"A little impertinence from you is actually refreshing," he said. "But something's distracting you. Tell me."
And so she did, telling him about the holocron. About how Nalen Ranoch had purchased it from Calief, the human who had directed the Flesh Raider attack, and how the hunter was now clearly under the sway of the long-dead Rajivari's teachings.
"So Calief stole the holocron during the attack," Caecinius mused. "He must have sensed its nature."
Canlyn nodded. "And when he ran into a Twi'lek merchant with latent Force potential and resentment against the Order…"
"He saw a chance to sow additional discord," Caecinius concluded. "It may even have been the aim of the attack. There's no chance he believed the Flesh Raiders posed a serious threat to us." He frowned, continuing to mull over her report. "The Council clearly sees Calief as the greatest threat right now," he said, "and I tend to agree. You and Ashara recovered the holocron, and this Twi'lek is only barely discovering his Force potential. He may create some mischief, but I doubt he can do any real damage."
"Nalen," Canlyn said, stressing the Twi'lek's name, "is a man driven by a need to protect his people. He is not a villain. He's discovering his Force potential under the influence of the Dark Side. If we do not stop him soon, he may be forever lost."
Caecinius sighed. "Canlyn, the galaxy is full of harsh realities, and this is one of the harshest: Even a Jedi can't save everyone."
"I realize that. But it does not follow that we should refuse to save anyone."
He had no response to that.
"Thank you for listening to me, Master Caecinius," she said, with a formal bow. "I should find my Master. I wish you luck in your search for Calief."
She found Master Yuon in her chambers, working with the holocron. The old woman looked drawn and tired. Qyzen Fess, her Trandoshan friend, was with her.
"Yuon is soft thing," Qyzen was telling her. "Old soft thing. Do not overexcite."
Yuon looked indignant. "Overexcite?" she demanded. "I'm not quite ready to – " She broke off as she noticed Calyn. "Ah, Padawan, how pleasant to see you!"
"I agree with Qyzen, Master," Canlyn said by way of greeting. "You must rest."
"There will time for rest soon enough," Yuon replied. "I've discovered more messages. Rajivari discussing Dark Side philosophy, using anger to strengthen Force techniques."
"Nalen's lessons," Canlyn surmised.
"An unfortunate first exposure to the Force," Yuon groused. "We need to lock this data away, for study by only the most dedicated Masters."
Canlyn was more focused on the immediate issue. "For Nalen, these messages have been his only guidance. He was obviously unstable. I know the Council is focusing its energies on Calief, but I believe it is just as important to find Nalen."
She felt nervous saying this. She wasn't actually advocating going against the Council. Still, she worried how her words would be interpreted. She knew what Master Orgus would say: "So you believe you know better than the High Council, do you?" She could actually hear the scorn in his voice.
So it was a great relief when Yuon replied, "I agree. There are no current leads to Calief's whereabouts, but I have found something that may help to locate him. Let me show it to you."
Yuon placed the holocron into a projector, then focused her energies on it. The image of a figure filled the room: Rajivari.
The image did not meet Canlyn's expectations of the first Fallen Jedi. He was not disfigured, his flesh was not corrupted, he did not speak in a rasp. Instead, she saw simply an old man – bald, heavily wrinkled. He spoke brusquely, but his voice was not unpleasant, and his manner was belied by a gentleness in his eyes.
"Activation protocol begins," Rajivari said. "If you have accessed this message, then you have started on the true path of the Force. It is clear by this point that my efforts have fallen short. The Jedi Order will be dominated by the tyranny of the Light."
Grief shone in his eyes. This was probably his final message. How many of his disciples had he seen fall? Canlyn could not condone anything the man had done, but she still felt compassion for his losses.
"I have left true wisdom behind," Rajivari continued. "Bring the light of my teachings to the sanctum where the First Blade points. All else is fleeting. Restore balance, at all costs. Message ends."
The old man's image vanished.
"He is not what I expected," Canlyn said.
"History says he was a great teacher," Yuon told her. "What made him so dangerous was that he truly believed he was right, and was able to convince many students of his beliefs. He came perilously close to shifting our entire order to Darkness."
Canlyn bowed her head, mourning for a moment the loss of such a mind, even if it had been millennia ago.
"I believe he is speaking of the Fount of Rajivari," Yuon continued. "After he fell, there were rumors that he had left behind an archive of his knowledge and teachings. The Jedi scoured the Nine Temples for it, found nothing. Generations of Jedi continued to search, following any scraps of rumor they could grasp. Gradually, all reputable scholars came to regard the Fount as a hoax."
"Nalen Ranoch saw this hologram?" Canlyn asked.
Yuon nodded. "It had been accessed, quite recently."
"He is untrained and unstable. More of Rajivari's knowledge could make him incredibly dangerous."
If Master Yuon heard her, she gave no sign. She was deep in thought, working at Rajivari's message like she might at a puzzle box.
" 'Bring the light of my teachings to the sanctum,' " she mused. "Kaleth?" She looked up at Canlyn. "Kaleth was the Temple of Knowledge, and Rajivari prized knowledge above all. The name 'Kaleth' means 'sanctum.' The message must point to those ruins."
"To 'the sanctum where the First Blade points,' " Canlyn noted. "That sounds like a specific location."
Yuon nodded. "The old library. Rajivari valued knowledge above all." Her Master opened the holoprojector and removed the holocron, extending the crystal to Canlyn. "You will need this, I think."
Canlyn could still feel the darkness from the crystal, and took an involuntary step back.
"I sense it too, Padawan," Yuon said in a reassuring tone. "But Rajivari clearly says, 'Bring the light of my teachings to the sanctum.' What else could he mean, other than his holocron?"
She held it out again to Canlyn. When the padawan accepted the holocron, she felt as if she was touching Darkness incarnate.
Ashara saw Canlyn leaving the training grounds. She waved at her friend and dashed over.
"Where are you headed?" she asked.
"The ruins of Kaleth," Canlyn replied. "Master Yuon found a clue in the holocron. With any luck, we can follow the trail to Nalen Raloch."
"Want some company?"
"Do you not have your own assignments?"
Ashara gave an exaggerated yawn. "Master Ryen wants me to practice balancing bigger rocks on top of smaller ones. He says it will teach me focus. Mostly, what I'm learning is how boring rocks are."
"It sounds like your time is already accounted for."
Ashara grinned. "He said to practice balancing rocks, he didn't say where. I can play with stones along the path."
Canlyn hesitated. Technically, Ashara was correct – But her Master would still be displeased.
"Tell me you can't use my help," Ashara pressed her.
Canlyn sighed. "I would be glad of your help, and your company," she admitted. "You will practice with the rocks?"
Her friend raised her right hand. "On my honor as a Padawan."
To Ashara's credit, she did spend the first half hour of the hike balancing rocks in midair. She quickly became bored, however, and her attention turned to chatting. Specifically, to complaining about the makeup of the Council.
"Grandmaster Shan is a human," Ashara said. "So is Master Orgus. And Master Syo. And Master Jaeric, and Master Wens. That's almost half the Council!"
"Master Kiwiks is a Togruta, like you," Canlyn pointed out. "Satele Shan's predecessor, Grandmaster Zym, was a Kel Dor."
"Yes. But there is one Togruta on the Council. There is one Nautolan. Right now, there are five humans. Tell me that isn't evidence of pro-human bias, Lyn."
"Many non-human Masters were killed on Coruscant," Canlyn replied. "The Council is chosen from the wisest Masters, those with the greatest strength in the Force."
"Council members are chosen by the Council," Ashara countered. "Humans dominate the Council. You read history. Once humans have gained influence, when have they ever let go of it?"
"We are Jedi first, our respective species second. I would add, Togruta are regularly members of the Council. Cathar are not. If either of us should be bothered, surely it should be me."
"Yeah, right. Like you're not going to be on the Council someday."
Canlyn shot her friend a shocked look.
"What?" Ashara said. "You're, like, the perfect Jedi. Always calm, always in control, totally analytical, super strong in the Force. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how much your teachers single you out for attention. Even Master Caecinius, and he doesn't even like you! They're grooming you, Lyn."
"I doubt that," Canlyn replied. "But if you're correct, that would argue against your theory of pro-human bias, wouldn't it?"
The Temple of Knowledge at Kaleth had once been an enormous stone structure with four tall spires reaching up to the sky. But the Force Wars had engulfed Tython thousands of years ago. The Order had abandoned the planet, and its nine temples had fallen to ruin. Master Yuon had spent much of the last twenty years excavating the ruins, finding and restoring lost knowledge of the Jedi's origins.
The library was in the southwest tower. Little remained of the spire beyond some moss-covered stone walls. But Yuon's excavations had uncovered a sealed entrance to an underground chamber. Within that chamber, many ancient texts and artifacts had survived more or less unscathed.
It was here that the Jedi had recovered the holocrons of the original Masters. It was here that Master Yuon believed Rajivari's secrets waited.
Canlyn and Ashara systematically searched the chamber, seeking some hidden spot at which to insert the crystal. If it was meant to be placed within a book, Canlyn reflected, then they would never find it without additional clues. The library was vast, the texts stored there seemingly infinite.
Ashara pointed to an ancient holoprojector. Unlike modern projectors, this was bulky, practically a block pedestal. But like many of the surrounding marvels, it still functioned, powered by crystals that had not decayed.
"We could try putting it in there," Ashara suggested.
"Be serious," Canlyn replied.
"I am." Her friend seemed hurt. "It's a place in the library where the holocron will fit, isn't it? And it would have been here during Rajivari's time, wouldn't it have? Just because it's the obvious answer doesn't mean it's wrong" She shrugged. "If nothing else, you can play the message back. Maybe it'll give us another clue."
Canlyn glanced about the chamber. She had to acknowledge that replaying the message had merit. They weren't likely to find anything simply by poking around the walls.
"Very well," she said. She inserted the crystal, and the projector came to life. Rajivari's image stood before them.
What came up first was his default message, the one string of data that had not been hidden.
"The Jedi Code is important, but it and all of our teachings should be treated as guidelines, not as dogma. It is noble to preserve peace… But not at the cost of standing by while the innocent suffer. It is critical to enforce justice… But without judgment or compassion, 'justice' can become another word for tyranny. Every life has value, and we are all diminished when a life is cut short prematurely."
Ashara's breath caught as she watched the kindly old man deliver his message. Canlyn tested the interactivity of Rajivari's surface message.
"What of the greater good?" she asked him. "What if the Jedi are moving in the wrong direction, and setting things to right requires violence?"
Rajivari's image flickered as the holocron found a suitable response.
"Every individual life is unique and valuable," he told her. "It might be necessary to sacrifice one life for the sake of many, but this should never be done lightly. To value a dry code or philosophy over any life? I call that what it is: Evil. Message ends."
The hologram flickered out.
"That's the first Dark Jedi?" Ashara said.
"He is not what you would expect," Canlyn acknowledged. "At the very least, it is clear how he was able to influence so many."
She focused her mind on the holocron, trying to locate its hidden messages. She focused on the First Blade, hoping the term would trigger the message she had viewed in Yuon's quarters.
It was a different message that appeared.
"The First Blade," Rajivari said. "From this beginning, lightsabers came. In a galaxy of chaos, Jedi must be more than philosophers. We must be warriors, as well. My peers are good men and women, but they are blind. They fear emotion as a child fears the dark. They cling to dogmas like a blanket, all the while arguing for mediocrity and weakness."
His tone was regretful, but his bearing was strong and confident.
"I have laid my plans," Rajivari continued. "With my followers, I will purge this council. Only my apprentices and I will survive. It is a painful sacrifice, but necessary for the sake of an ordered galaxy. From Kaleth, we will begin anew, and will mold the Jedi into what we need to be. If we failed, then it falls to you, seeker, to take up my work. Take up the First Blade. Follow the path to the Fount of Rajivari. It is time."
The message flickers out.
Ashara snorts. "So much for the value of individual life."
Canlyn felt saddened. For the sake of his own dogma, Rajivari had become guilty of the very thing he warned against - and judging from the recording, he had never even realized the contradiction.
They heard a click. A compartment opened in the base of the projector. Canlyn knelt down. Inside the compartment, perfectly sealed against the ages, was the hilt of a lightsaber.
"The hilt of the First Blade," she breathed.
She hefted it in her hand. It was solid, with more weight that modern lightsaber hilts. In a way, that solidity lent it a more tangible sensation. To wield this blade would be to feel every blow and parry, to become one with the weapon.
Runes were inscribed in the hilt. Very old, too old for Canlyn to decipher. However, she could guess their nature.
"Coordinates."
Ashara started to say something, then froze.
"What is it?" Canlyn asked.
Ashara's Togruta montrals were picking up movement.
"We're not alone," she told Canlyn.
She turned. Canlyn looked in the direction of her friend's gaze, her cat-like eyes piercing the shadows. Three Twi'lek had entered the library, concealing themselves in the darkness. Two men, one woman. Seeing that they had been detected, they stepped forward, the woman in the lead.
"You were at the Festival," Ashara said. "At Kalikori Village. Allia, right?"
"Yes," Allia acknowledged, clearly surprised that Ashara remembered her name. "Please don't make this hard, Jedi."
She was definitely the one in charge. The two men hung back, allowing her to do the talking, waiting to follow her lead.
"Nalen said you would be coming here," Allia told them. "He said to wait for you. He needs to find this 'Fount of Rajivari' to keep defending our village."
Canlyn sensed hesitance. The Twi'leks could have attacked while she and Ashara had been focused on the hologram, might have even had a chance at overpowering them, but they had not. They were loyal to Nalen, but they had doubts.
Ashara sensed this too, and stepped forward.
"We met Nalen at his camp the night of the Festival," she said. She spoke directly to Allia, ignoring the men. "He didn't seem like he really had it together."
"He seemed unwell," Canlyn agreed.
She expected Allia to become angry, to rush to Nalen's defense. Instead, she and the other Twi'leks exchanged uneasy glances.
"You don't understand," Allia said. "We're all… We're scared." She glanced down at the floor, seeming ashamed of the admission. "Nalen barely comes to the village anymore. He barely eats or sleeps. When he talks, his eyes…" She shuddered faintly. "His eyes are strange."
Canlyn stepped forward, past Ashara. "We can't give Nalen what he wants," she said. "But if we find him, we'll do what we can for him. I promise that."
Allia looked on the verge of tears.
"Something terrible's happening, isn't it?" she asked. "Please – don't hurt Nalen. Whatever he's doing, it's for us. Or at least, it started that way."
"We'll do what we can," Canlyn repeated, making no promises.
Allia turned to go, then wheeled back, anger flashing in her eyes.
"You and your cursed Jedi artifacts!" she snapped. "I wish you had never come to Tython – any of you!"
Canlyn stood in place, bowed her head. Accepted the woman's anger.
Allia's fury drained away as quickly as it came. "Help him," she pleaded.
Then she was gone.