Cold Beginnings

[Marcus]

Cold Beginnings
(Formerly Titled "Ilum Inspection")
Ilum Listening Outpost
@Bauren (Bau Zo), @Elijah Brockway (Sihkar), @Marcus (Marcus)​

Ilum. Cold, beautiful, powerful. Strong in the Force. Well protected by the Jedi. A new frontier for the Knights under the Jedi Lord. A respite from the threat of the Sith that was beginning to make the rumor mills.

The Jedi Knights that came to Bau Zo's banner were already beginning to reach out, like tendrils of the Force. So too would they be tendrils of the order. While the Council sat comfortably on Tython, the Lord, his Generals, and the Knights would be rooting out these rumors and trying to sort the issues out. And if it meant it, a lightsaber or two might be involved.

The leadership in this cohort, based on the cold, beautiful, powerful Ilum, were at the heart of coordinating these efforts. They'd still prefer to avoid combat, but with the Sith and other injustices in the galaxy, the times of peaceful negotiations were few and far between. That leadership was meeting this day, on the secret outpost on Ilum.

Jedi General Marcus had landed his Greycloak ship in its normal spot and found his way up to the command area of the station. He didn't see his fellow General there yet, but then again he had arrived earlier than expected, which was surprising for his hunk of junk ship. "My Lord," he said as he entered the main command center, finding Lord Zo there as he normally was.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

It didn't take Sihkar particularly much longer than Marcus to arrive at the listening outpost. For once his Bantha-class freighter was working properly, all systems functioning optimally - allowing its mechanically-challenged pilot to relax a bit as he flew. As such, he was in quite a good mood when he managed to dock at the listening outpost, powering down his ship without a single short in the electrical systems, and a very pleasing lack of blown fuses. It was just how he remembered the ship being back when he was a Padawan, rather than the way it normally was, suffering under his engineering ineptitude. After a short, blissful moment of peace, he stood, clipping his lightsaber onto his belt and drawing his heavy cloak about himself as he exited his ship.

Immediately he was buffeted by the winds. Unlike Marcus, he generally landed a ways away from the outpost proper, Sihkar's normally-used landing pad being attached at the end of one of the struts that stuck out from the listening outpost. After all, as he liked to joke to Marcus, he was the youngest of the three. "Might as well let my elders have the closer parking spots," he would often say.

Wrapping his cloak even tighter about himself, he began walking down the strut, almost daring the wind to attempt to blow him off, into the cloud-shrouded abyss below, a crack between two mountains. The weather wouldn't succeed, of course; he was more than able to root himself to the spot if needed. But testing himself against Ilum's fierce climate was always an amusement for him; as well, the idea of some elderly master finding his body half-buried in the ice and snow 3.6 miles below was also a strangely amusing thought, one which made Sihkar start to doubt the sanctity of his own sanity - before remembering that gallows humour and intrusive thoughts were rather common amongst everybody, Jedi included.

It took him a relatively short time to cross the distance to the entrance, which he simply waved a hand, exerting energy via the Force to disable the mechanical locks on the door that prevented it from opening without a passcode entered. Sihkar would normally say he was too cold or too lazy to actually try and enter the passcode, so he just circumvented the issue - in actuality, he never bothered to remember the passcode as it was.

Almost immediately, an alarm set off; Sihkar rolled his eyes, took down his hood and waved into a camera. Moments later, the alarm was shut off, most likely by Marcus or Bau Zo, who were used to this by now and could already tell that it had been Sihkar - both by his ship and its distinctive markings (from various dogfights), his ship's transponder codes, his appearance, his feel within the Force, the fact that he entered through the same entrance he always did, waved the same as he always did, the usual. Most likely he'd still get an earful from Marcus about having to use his passcode. Just like normal.

One of these days, don't worry. I'm sure I wrote it down somewhere.

He jumped into a turbolift, shooting to the command center of the listening outpost in seconds, where he strode into the space, beaming at his compatriots.

"Masters Bau and Marcus, I'm glad to see you're still alive!" he exclaimed happily (and slightly facetiously, as he was in rather regular contact with them and would have known quite a long time before if something had happened to them), his low voice reverberating within the room as it rumbled out from his throat. "Or should I say, Lord Bau and General Marcus? Regardless, it's nice to see that my friends are all staying safe, for the time being."

 

[Oreus]

Time had become a luxury for Bau Zo as his new mission became clear. It was no small task as initial reports had told them. Within the listening outpost he could put his finger on the pulse of the Galaxy; it was ill and needed a doctor. The Sith were a growing threat that generations of Jedi had failed to fully extinguish. As Lord of the Knights it was his job to succeed where so many had failed. No pressure.

"General," he said simply to Marcus as he greeted him.

He continued to meditate on recent events as he waited for the other to arrive. His two most trusted Knights had so recently been promoted to Master, his Generals, to assist his efforts. In his mind they were already among the best. The second arrived soon after Marcus in his usual manner. Bau could pretend to be mad but it was that childish mannerism that helped the light seem like an easier path some days. When it got hard, you need to know the Light is still good.

"General," he replied simply in kind once more as Sihkar entered.

There was little time to waste now that the three had found time to gather. A call had been sent to Jedi far and wide to recall to Tython for initiation into the Jedi Knights initiative. Ex-Councilman Bau Zo had chosen to step down from administrative duty to lead the Jedi's efforts against the Sith. Soon they would arrive and the crusade could begin. To destroy a weed you must kill the root. Pushing them back would never be enough. Generations of failure had proven that.

"The Peacekeeper has been prepped. Our allies await us on Tython soon," he spoke up finally. "Are you two still with me on this?"

In truth there were doubts. All Jedi had them. He was tempted to give up on his idea, to ignore the growing problem for the next generation to handle. The dark side was not always obvious. It was sublte in suggesting the easy path. Even a Jedi Master is not immune to temptation. He needed the support of his Generals. Of his friends.

 

[Marcus]

Well that just meant that Marcus had to leave the Greycloak behind. It actually was not that upsetting, as it was an older piece of junk, if reliable. But flying in their cruiser would be just fine with him. It would make a grander entrance at Tython.

Marcus looked on as Bau Zo spoke, giving a quick bow of his head. "Of course, master. The Sith are out there, and have grown in time. Darkness looms."

The man looked over to Sihkar and then back. The two were the Lord's most trusted men, as it were, each with a unique set of talents to help lead this effort. And without getting into too feudal of a concept, Lord Bau Zo had been granted a unique method of confronting that darkness. Ilum was ready, the Peacekeeper was ready, and these men right here were ready. "What holds so dearly to Tython might lose, and what grasps our future might win." Marcus could be so serious, but it was a gripping set of statements nonetheless. "I want to win, my Lord." The general made fists at the end of his arms at his side, perhaps noticeably anxious to get these campaigns underway.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

Sihkar raised an eyebrow when Marcus didn't rail on him for his usual disregard for security, before Bau Zo spoke up. He pursed his lips momentarily, thinking through his response while giving Marcus time to speak. Of course, Sihkar was watching the older Jedi closely while he spoke, gauging his response both via words and via nonverbal communication. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man's clenched fists, rather unused to seeing that sort of reaction from his fellow Jedi.

"Marcus speaks the truth," he said after a moment. "I don't wish to impugn the council's reputation, but this passiveness of theirs can all too easily lead to complacency and stagnance. I was always taught - even by the council - that the Jedi were supposed to be proactive in guarding the galaxy. Not inciting war, but also not sitting back and waiting for enemies to strike. We seek the darkness to remove it, we don't wait for it to attack us before we cut off its cancerous growths." He fell silent for a moment, turning to look more directly at the most senior of the Jedi in the room.

"I will, as I have before, stand with you. I haven't spent so much time already seeking out the taint of the dark side within the galaxy only to join some of my fellows and ignore it now. We must be active, and we must be alert; you're the one who has chosen to lead such efforts. The only choice I can take - true to myself and true to the light - is to follow you."

He fell silent again, losing himself in thought a second time. Like both of the others, he had seen the holos from the old war, and all the wars previous. He knew that the costs would be as high as they always were, if not higher. If they failed, then that meant that the galaxy would still be forced to suffer the same pain and conflict it had always known. But if they succeeded, then the chance for a true and lasting peace would be so much more achieveable, even with its costs. He shut his eyes, sighed, and shook his head. It wasn't often that either Marcus or Bau saw him so serious, but they were seeing it today.

"By the light, I can already feel the pain this will cause..."

 

[Oreus]

"There is little time to waste then," Bau Zo started in response, inspired by the words of the Generals. "It's time the Jedi step away from the fringes and into the fray."

The Kiffar motioned to a hallway behind them which led to the Jedi Defensive Hangar within the outpost. Fighters and Shuttles were kept there so Rangers or even Jedi could quickly defend space above Ilum if required. A shuttle would be awaiting them alongside a fighter escort. The most trusted of Antarian Rangers and Jedi Knights manned the ships and ran security at the listening outpost. In their absence, reports would be forwarded via secure channels (also known as couriers). It would take longer to reach them, but hopefully they would only be out of the loop for a short time. The Peacekeeper would hold over Tython for the first time in recent memory soon. An occasion that marked the beginning of a new era for certain.

"Tython is home to the Council and it is where we must meet the Knights," he mentioned quietly. "Yet, Ilum is where we must base our crusade. The harsh weather, the ancient temple, and this listening post are more ideal for a time of war. Tomorrow we gather the troops, inspect their resolve, and prepare them for battle. Next week.. we jump in head first."

Bau could lie to himself and say he wasn't worried they would fail. Even this listening outpost couldn't get a full reading on what was going on deep within the Sith influenced space. The Jedi had done well in not forgetting the Sith too easily, but their training in combat had grown less urgent. That mistake could cost them if the enemy had been given too much time to prepare. War was on the horizon for the Jedi no matter what they found out there. They could no longer ignore the expanding darkness. It was time to turn on the light.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus nodded to the General before he turned to head down a hallway to the main hangar. He couldn't help but notice Sihkar's glance - Marcus was a bit amped up. Part of it was excitement of returning to Tython - he had some friends he would see there. Part of it was still the angst of his slain former master. Part of it was that, while he was a Seer at heart and technician by trade as a youngster, he was beginning to agree with the warriors like Bau Zo who wanted to actively pursue and fight the Sith. It was troubling in a way, to let those emotions, or maybe opinions, fuel their motives. They were not giving into the emotions in any sense, but they easily could.

That renewed energy swept him up at times and he had to keep it at bay. He would unleash that energy on the battlefield. But for now, Tython, and from what he had read from initial intel, perhaps Rhen Var was in his future. Ice planets - what the heck was the deal with that.

Marcus continued as they boarded the shuttle. "Lord, does the Council still have reservations? I mean, there were earlier rumors when you first began planning, that even the Republic was afraid of what we might do. Is there any truth to that?"

His question was rhetorical in a way, although he did want opinions. The news they received out here and everywhere did paint a picture of a rather strangely fractured political galaxy. The Jedi really did have to act on their own understanding of the Light of the Force. But that was the exact reason Lord Bau and his two generals were boarding the Peacekeeper this day. The Jedi would fight the Sith, even if the Sith were a mere perception in a corner of the galaxy. The fact was that the perception was real, whether the galaxy recognized it or not.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

"Our brothers are peaceable, which is admirable, but might not always be the best solution," Sihkar said, giving his own reply to Marcus's question. Simple information that Marcus knew as well as he and Bau did; the galaxy was not served by inaction. Of course, Sihkar had his own reservations as well. It would be far too easy to fall into the temptations of war, much as their former brothers among the Sith were prone to do. Sihkar himself knew the strength with which the rush of battle pulled at you, luring you with promises of glory, power, and dominion. The Jedi were vulnerable to it, while the Sith embraced it, and that was one of the inherent differences between both orders; however, that vulnerability was a great weakness, as it could twist good intentions into the actions of evil, making them no worse than their enemies.

"There's no doubt that they have reservations over this proactiveness of ours...But at the same time, it has always been the Jedi who rose up in order to protect the galaxy, the Republic, the very people within it. It is our duty to do what we can to aid everybody; unlike them, we will not be reactionary. We will not wait for the conflict to escalate to galactic levels again before we do our duty, but we will seek to ferret out this darkness that is present in the galaxy. They are the fire, whilst we are the torch." His lip curled into a small smile, always managing to find humour in some situation. "Hopefully we don't burn ourselves."

 

[Oreus]

"The Council has approved of our actions, but do not want to dedicate the entire Order to this cause. There is just too much disagreement for that. Those of us willing to fight, will," He said simply to the other two, moving towards the inner hangar.

The ship was already warmed and ready to go when the three reached it. Bau would enter first and head to the cockpit to sit near the pilot. He never quite trusted someone besides himself to fly the ship without his watchful eye. The ship should take them to the Peacekeeper in orbit which had received orders to prepare for departure. A mobile temple, Peacekeeper was the flag for the small fleet of Jedi ships. Most of their space assets were fighters and shuttles, but this destroyer was one of the few reliable modern warships in the galaxy. The trio of Jedi Leadership would lead it to Tython and bring the full might of the Jedi to bear against the Sith.

"You two will have a lot of responsibilities soon. You're young, strong in battle, and ready to lead. This is why I chose you," he spoke up during transit at some point. "I know you might have mixed feelings, but we need to end this threat once and for all, before they get strong again."

A trip to Tython aboard the Peacekeeper from Ilum would take some time. Despite the somewhat frequent travel by Jedi, the path was no set by hyperspace lanes. It was a slow trip with manually calculated jumps, taking three days to complete despite the lack of systems between Ilum and the core. There would be plenty of time for planning and discussion among the leaders of the Knights during transit.

 

[Marcus]

"Sometimes I feel older than you, sir." Marcus cracked a half-smile, easing the tension a bit, although acknowledging the issues that this new war effort might bring to the Jedi, the Republic, and the galaxy as well. It was not a simple fight - it was a full engagement of a great many Knights.

The trip to Tython was not without merit - several days of meditating and focusing and practicing were good for them all aboard the destroyer. Marcus preferred to call it a cruiser, but it was a warship indeed. It still had a great place for him to camp out, read scripts, investigate a holocron or two that he happened to bring, trance and far-see what he could. Portents brought him little on their Tython endeavors, but he did see good things happening. To what end and scale, was unclear. But this would be a good trip in several ways.

When they arrived at Tython, there would be formalities, followed by some free time, likely followed by more council meetings and inquiries before they left. But they would be leaving with a great many Jedi on board the Peacekeeper, and that was the important part. Many had signed on already, tacitly at least. Several supporters greeted their arrival on the surface even as their shuttle landed, happy to see all three. And as they strode from the landing platform towards the temple complex, Marcus couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and peace by being on the Jedi homeworld once more.

"My Lord," Marcus finally asked as a last-minute effort. "Is there anything we can do or say to help you today?"