Disparate Jedi
by ardavenport
- - Part 2 - -
Narimoyak stared back at the woman.
"Forgive me," she continued. "I'm Administrator Gelemas Toolay. I'm Director of Trademark Enforcement for the Central Government of the Republic." The office meant nothing to Obi-Wan though it sounded official enough. Dyuda's face was completely neutral, but Narimoyak still looked confused.
"Oh, I know it sounds much grander than it is." Administrator Toolay's nervousness had completely vanished, as if the confession of her mid-level government position had absolved her of all guilt. "It's really a minor department in the Republic Judiciary. We handle all the Trademark enforcement for the Senate and Courts, the Chancellor's office, all of the Executive, in fact, the Judiciary, of course, and. . . . the Jedi Order."
Narimoyak blinked. "The Jedi Order has trademarks?"
"Yes. We do," Dyuda Plum's low voice affirmed. On Obi-Wan's other side, Qui-Gon Jinn finally stirred to look toward the Ikto Padawan.
"Along with the name of the Jedi Order, all associated mottos and phrases are trademarked as well. And all interior and exterior holos of the Temple. Likenesses, artwork and images of any Jedi, living or dead, may only be used for educational or other non-commercial purposes. And the Jedi Code is copyrighted under Republic Law and through any trade agreements shared with non-Republic entities. And all of it is enforced through your Office, I believe." Dyuda inclined his head toward the Administrator, his dark horns dipping before him.
"Oh," Toolay smiled, obviously pleased by Plum's knowledge. "You must be familiar with the Extra-Governmental-Entities Department, and Sub-Administrator Lubus?" Dyuda nodded with a sad smile. Master Narimoyak looked at her Padawan with astonishment.
"Master Yumang sometimes served as liaison between the Jedi Order and Republic Judiciary," he replied, naming his previous master.
"Ooooh." Toolay put her hand to her face, her expression transforming to concern. Her pink nails matched her suit. "Is he the one who was sick?" Plum nodded. "I am so sorry for your loss. Oh, I know you're not supposed to think of it as a loss at all, but I can't imagine he won't be missed. It was so unexpected."
"Master Yumang was the most surprised of all by his illness, and his decline was. . . . unfortunate." Obi-Wan saw Narimoyak carefully watching her Padawan as he spoke, but his voice was as calm as it had been when he had ordered lunch, though Obi-Wan detected a current of sadness through the Force.
"Was it any business of the Jedi Order that brought you to Tamet?" Dyuda asked, changing the subject.
Toolay sat back in her seat. "Well, actually it was. I hardly ever have to do anything other than personnel actions and approve the budget for that department. And it has been awhile since I've had to do any legal footwork myself, but this time. . . ."
Administer Toolay told them about a large and successful manufacturer, prominent on the world they had just left, Tamet. Among the many products that this consortium of companies produced were security systems. The consortium's marketing board had thought that a good way to advertise one of their newer products was to use the slogan, "So secure, it can defeat a Jedi." Toolay gave a little when she repeated this.
None of the Jedi around the table returned her laugh. Toolay moved on with the story.
The consortium's executive board, a body of apparently brilliant and determined individuals, had gone so far as to use their political connections to try to get a couple of Jedi to bolster their slogan for their advertising campaign. That had been when the Jedi Temple had found out and immediately contacted the Judiciary to terminate the whole business.
"I couldn't just send Lubus for this one, since the Fla'athed Consortium has quite a lot of visibility and government contracts." She sighed. The Jedi remained expressionless. Next to her, Kokom remained perfectly still, but attentive under her robe. "It wasn't all that difficult to shut them down. As soon as I walked into the meeting I could see that all their department heads knew that it was bad idea and they were just aching to find a way to get out of it without getting the company board mad at them. You would think that their bosses would have had enough intelligence in the first place to realize that."
The door to their compartment opened. The droid entered with their food. All conversation ceased as the droid efficiently laid out the various items from its tray and left with a reminder that they were free to call for service at any time before reaching orbit over Coruscant.
All of the dishes were beautifully presented and garnished. Obi-Wan's edut bread and meils also came with pieces of fruit and vegetable, carved into flowers, and his juice was chilled in a large, decorative cryst-plast drinking cylinder with a sparkly sipping straw. Qui-Gon poured his tea from an elegant golden teapot decorated with a swirling silver pattern at the base. The aromas of food and drink made Obi-Wan more hungry and he finished his first slices of bread and meils in a few bites.
"Well," Toolay resumed her story. "It wasn't very difficult at all to end this scheme to use Jedi to sell Fla'athed's security systems. Their lawyers did not put up much of a fight; they knew the whole idea was ridiculous, too." She sipped her caf from a white, glossy thin-plast cup with a golden handle.
"I am pleased to hear that your mission was successful," Qui-Gon said, stirring his tea. "I would not look favorably on becoming an advertising icon." Toolay laughed.
"Then I am happy to be of service to the Jedi," she said, picking up her spoon. "I assume that you were all successful in your missions as well?"
"Reasonably successful, "Dyuda agreed. "At least, the missions we know about." His eyes flicked toward Tekta's robe, but he said nothing else. "We're just returning to the Temple on Coruscant."
"Oh." Toolay nodded. "I've seen it of course, but not the inside, except through holos. You Jedi hardly ever allow visitors, even for business," she noted over her soup. She snapped a wafer into it.
"The Jedi Temple is sacred ground," Qui-Gon explained. "Visitors can be disruptive in unexpected ways."
"It is best to avoid those problems in the first place," Narimoyak agreed. Obi-Wan silently ate a flower-shaped vegetable.
"Visitors are allowed at the procession way and at the formal entrance at the base. There are small halls there designated for meeting visitors." Dyuda pointed out, lowering his stew scoop. "Master Yumang and Master Zazan would use them whenever the Sector Ecology Sub-Committee wanted to argue over the Temple's quotas."
"I didn't know Master Yumang was liaison for that." Holding a cana stick, Narimoyak looked at her Padawan curiously.
"It's actually a rotating position between several Masters," Dyuda explained. "No one wishes to serve in that post for too long. It is very difficult."
"I can understand that," Toolay agreed. "The Sector Sub-Committees are notorious. One wonders that Coruscant is inhabitable at all, if their politics are even half as vicious as people say they are."
Obi-Wan had no experience with Coruscant's Sector Sub-Committees, but he certainly knew about them. Since the surface of Coruscant was completely covered by its continuous city, leaving none of the planet's original ecology left, the management and recycling of air, water and solids of the whole planet was directed through a planetary Ecology Committee. Under that, the planet was divided into thousands of sectors, each of which was managed by it's own Sub-Committee. A structure as large as the Jedi Temple was not only expected to maintain it's own ecological balance, it was also required to fulfill air, water and solids quotas that contributed to the immediate area and the environment of the whole planet.
Plum and Toolay shared anecdotes about petty committee members and political back-stabbing. Qui-Gon and Narimoyak grimaced and expressed dismay over the horror stories.
Obi-Wan silently listened and ate. He dutifully recognized the importance of the ecological balance of Coruscant was, but the details comprised the core of some of the most tedious, boring and mind-numbing studies that any Padawan Learner had to endure. Qui-Gon had instructed him to both respect those details, and to stay as far away from them as possible. Qui-Gon taught by example on the second point for which Obi-Wan was most grateful.
Obi-Wan realized that Dyuda Plum's deceased Master must have been very senior and his illness easily could have been related to his age. Temple operations were mostly directed by elder Masters not inclined to be sent off-planet on missions all the time.
"I have known quite a few servants of the government who are worthy and honorable in their profession," Qui-Gon said, nodding toward Toolay, acknowledging her own professional status. "And sometimes I have had the misfortune of dealing with some who are. . . . not."
Toolay smiled, accepting the implied compliment, "You don't have to tell me about those types of people. I work with them every day. I do envy that you only sometimes have to deal with them." She put her cup down and gestured toward Qui-Gon. "And you are. . . . ?"
"Qui-Gon Jinn." He indicated Obi-Wan, who was helping himself to a plin-sugar cookie. "And this my apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"That's Kokom, next to you," Narimoyak said, pointing. The small Padawan, still covered up under her robe, straightened. "And that lump over there is her Master, Tekta."
Toolay froze. Her face paled.
"Tekta?" Toolay whispered.
She turned and they all looked toward the brown robe in the corner. The quiet snoring had stopped. Three eyes pushed their way out from under the hood of the robe.
"Narimoyak, you have a big mouth," Tekta announced in a grating, annoyed voice. She pushed her hood back
Obi-Wan, his mouth full of cookie, quickly looked back at Toolay. She gasped. He felt a wave of panic through the Force.
"Enjoying your lunch?" Tekta asked. "Irma?"
Weakly crying out, Toolay pushed back in her seat, away from the newly revealed Jedi Master. Then she leapt up and fled the room.
"Aaaaaauuuuuugggghhhh!!!" Simultaneously throwing her robe off and leaping completely over the table with a huge and sudden push of the Force, Tekta followed.
"Kokom, keep these idiots here while I handle this!"
Obi-Wan had an impression of a swirl of white and green, blue and red, before Tekta disappeared through the door after the terrified lawyer.
Qui-Gon was next out of his seat. He swept one arm before him, pushing the door open again with the Force. He scooped up Kokom, who was uselessly trying to bar their way, with his other arm.
"AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEOOOOEEEEEOOOOAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!"
Obi-Wan stumbled, covering his ears from the horrible sound suddenly assaulting him. He managed to avoid colliding into Qui-Gon, who was also bent over in the doorway. But Dyuda didn't.
The Ikto's heavy body crashed into his back and they both fell.
- - end Part 2 - -