It was a crisp autumn day on Corosuant. The vines that dangled along the "Room of a Thousand Fountains" started to sprout flowers of a wide variety. I always enjoyed watching the stream of water flow from the crest to the pit, splashing the new flowers with its life force. This time, however, the scene reminded me of the lack of life and force on other planets. The Jedi had just received the message that Mandalorians have decided to lay waste to Republic planets instead of the Outer Rim. Onderon was the first planet to fall as Basilisk War Droids covered the Onderon Sky bombing the planet to oblivion. The Republic could not react fast enough to defend the Onderon citizens. The Jedi were not quick enough to defend Onderon…
I was to give a speech to the Jedi Council about why the Jedi should aid the Republic against the Mandalorians. It was all I could think about as images of innocent civilians flashed through my head. Our inaction caused innocents to suffer. I had to implore the Jedi Council to see reason. I just had to. I rose up to my feet and started walking towards the Council room but before I could walk through the double-doors, I was stopped by a tall bald man wearing an orange tunic with a popped collar.
" Revan! Please do not go through with this."
"Malak, you know better than I do why I must go on." I promptly replied. Malak bit his lips trying to think of something to say. All he could do was stammer,
"Just let the council decide what the best course of action is." I could tell even without mind reading, Malak wanted to say something else. His gleaming eyes met mine but his lips did not dare move.
"If you want to say something, say it," I firmly stated. Malak made no initiative to reply so I entered the double doors hoping to illicit a response.
"I don't want to let you face the council's wrath alone. I do not want you to get exiled." Malak blurted as he ran towards me and grabbed my arm firmly. I turned to face him and saw the most serious of expressions. He had thought this over carefully. "If you must face your destiny, I want to stand by your side."
All I could say was thank you. He let out a small smile as he gripped my arm a tad harder. His eyes continued to make eye contact with mine. Perhaps he was waiting for something but at that time we both did not know what that was. I lowered my head slightly breaking eye contact. Together we walked into the council chambers.
It was a glorious room with beautiful pillars circling around us. The statues of famous Jedi stood brilliantly between the pillars and behind the couches that seated the Jedi masters of my time. I have only been in this room on a few occasions, one during my ascension to Padawan then subsequently to a Jedi Knight. I was even offered the title of Jedi Master just recently but after today's events, I knew that would never happen.
"A friend, I see you have brought." Master Vandar, the head of the council, chided.
"Do you wish to corrupt more Jedi to your cause?" Master Vrook asked trying to instill guilt, which was not Master Vandar's intention. However, it was clear was that all the Jedi masters felt some animosity towards us.
"Malak, would it be possible you can step out of the council chambers? This matter only concerns Revan." Master Vash gestured for Malak to leave. Malak stubbornly replied,
"This matter concerns all of us. I will stand by my friend."
"Then you wish to be submitted to the council's judgment along with Revan?" Master Kavar asked, trying to test out the strength of Malak's loyalty.
"I do." Malak replied.
"Reviewed your case, we have. Grant you permission to aid the Republic, we cannot."Mastar Vandar delivered the decision with a calm sense of authority.
"Failure to do as we say, will lead to your banishment away from the Jedi." Master Atris chimed in. It seemed that she took great pleasure in saying that line. She sat properly with a smug smile on her face showing a great disdain and superiority to Jedi who did not follow the code. Anger filled my heart. I could feel the emotion controlling my actions but I managed to keep it hidden within myself. There was no point in falling in the same pettiness as the other Masters had.
"Very well, then. I respect the council's judgment but I have to ask why?"
"You dare ask us why?" Atris and Vrook asked in unison. I did not take heed to their warning and insult.
"The Jedi are supposed to be the paragons of justice and protectors of innocents. How long is the council willing to wait even after millions have perished?"
"About hypocrisy, you bring a good point. Erroneous, though, the threat you have identified. Waiting rather than acting, the lesser of two consequences is."
"We believe that there is a greater threat corrupting the Mandalorians into attacking us. We have to draw the threat out by withholding our decision to attack." Master Vash clarified. The tone of all the masters was like how a mother would scold her child because the child did not know better. This child, however, knew everything what they were speaking of. I am not sure whether Malak felt that disturbance of the force, but I certainly had felt it. Something was corrupting the Mandalorians and I needed to find its source. The Jedi needed to find the source instead of waiting for the source to come at full strength. I originally was going to reveal my true plan in going to war but after witnessing countless acts of Jedi hypocrisy and arrogance, I could not anymore. They would not listen anyway.
"It does not matter what the real threat is. The Mandalorians are destroying what we stand for, and we should protect it. The Jedi is not an idle order waiting for certain events to fall into place. Clearly, you should see the folly of your reasoning." Malak stated with much furor, shaking the pillars holding up the chambers.
"Blasphemy!" Master Atris spitted.
"Stand down, Atris. We do not need to aggravate this further" Master Vash said plainly
"Gave you a chance, we did. Heed to our counsel, you did not. Exiled… you and Malak are." Master Vandar took a long pause saying the word exile probably knowing that the order would lose the two greatest Jedi of the era. To me, however, the Jedi lost its prestige and morality. Therefore, I remained resolute in my decision but I was not sure of my friend. I could not help but catch a glimpse at Malak's white face. His expression was blank, motionless but his cheeks were lined with streams of water. Exile was the greatest of punishments a Jedi could face.
I think I made Malak's character a little too much like a wimp but that will definitely change as the story progresses. Any person who experiences the corruption of the darkside will have an attitude adjustment.