The Road Back Home

[Gaja]

Much like everyone else Guhoo was quite relieved how this situation turned out. No blood was spilled, no lightsabers clashed and for that Guhoo was grateful. While he didn't know the former Grand Master in person he had seen him on the holovids many times, his name was one that Guhoo knew quite well. Both the Grand Masters that came after him spoke highly of him, though not often. Standing in the back as Master Ashara gave out orders Guhoo immediately saw to it that he report back to the Temple.

"Knight Armstrong reporting in. We have the suspect in custody, I repeat we have Jhon Cordatus with us and we're bringing him back to the temple. It appears the rumors about him being a Sith Lord were false. Guhoo out..." A heavy sigh was given out by the young man as he felt the aura that Jhon gave of. In this tense situation the man appeared genuinely happy. Approaching the duo that were Jhon and Ashara Guhoo respectfully spoke.

"We're ready to leave Master Ashara." Standing beside Jhon the blond noted what he was once told by the Grand Master. If he grew a beard and had longer hair he'd sorta be a blond Jhon Cordatus, the thought was most certainly amusing to the Knight, as was the sense of humor of their Grand Master at times. And with those words the trio would return to the speeder and make their way back to the temple.

It wasn't a long ride by any means though it was quiet and not wanting to appear childish and ask Guhoo figured that all the big secrets would be spilled in the Council Chambers back at the temple so let's fast forward a bit...

 

[GABA]

The holonet seemed to spill with continuous reports of the Jedi on the chase of their own, the flooding of Jhon's history filling in the time between what they had presently reported. He was fearing the worst would come, however, when Knight Armstrong reported in, his curiosity piqued, no one harmed, Jhon did not even put up a fight. Sigur gave the clearance from them to return to the temple, the temple itself still remained on high alert.

Jhon Cordatus was escorted by the Jedi team back to the council chambers where the Grand Master waited. Though he was pleased to hear it went with out confrontation, it wouldn't ease him too much, as far as Sigur was concerned Jhon could still be this Darth Vitium that invaded the holonet and the one Master Daw reported encountering. There were many unanswered questions and questions that were yet to be asked. Perhaps Jhon would be just as willing to explain as he did surrendering to them.

He stood in the room, he could feel their relief knowing they had successfully completed their mission without avail. Sigur accepted Jhon's lightsaber from Master Vashee.

"Thank you." he said, his eyes falling on each of the Jedi, "Your performances will not go unnoticed, a fine demonstration of Jedi teamwork. Some may rest a little easier knowing a Dark Lord - if that's the case - is not longer roaming the galaxy freely." Sigur quickly glanced to Jhon before his attention fell back on Ashara, "You may wait outside the chambers, in case you are needed again. Jhon and I have much to discuss."

 

[Master Maverick]

Thank the Force the journey went, relatively, smoothly. Not requiring to adhere to piloting laws Guhoo could drive without hindrance, which threw Ashara for a loop at some points. She wouldn't say anything, though. Perhaps later, but not now. A few times she looked at Jhon, ever curious and the urge to ask him countless questions, but she knew it wasn't her place.

Going to the Council Chambers, where the Grand Master was waiting, was quite tense. The Temple was cleared of younglings and less able-bodied Jedi, yet lined with Knights and guards all seemingly ready for a fight. Everything had happened so quickly and she was impressed that everything had been organized accordingly.

"Of course, Master." Ashara bowed to the Grand Master, bending at the waist. She felt honored being a personal guard of the leader and figure head of the Jedi. It was a bit unusual as well, though. Being tasked with such martial assignments wasn't her usual. She had to admit that it was a nice change of pace. She wasn't sure how she'd deal with the constant stress, however.

In any event, she stood outside the Council Chambers with four other Jedi Knight guards. Highly trained and disciplined, she felt quite out of place being much more relaxed and informal when they saluted her. She could only bow her head in response before going to sit on a nearby bench to focus on the Force. She couldn't yet lose herself within it. Not now. She wished she could, but that would come in time. It helped that she was curious to learn the man's fate, chasing off the urge to meditate to deeply.

 

[Dmitri]

Shi-Gel-Hu arrived in the Council chambers soon after Cordatus' escort. When he entered, he found that only one Councilor was in the room. His old student -now Grand Master- Sigur Vainkainen. Neither Skhai Baatch nor Gracelyn Maier were present; probably a good thing, in case Cordatus tried anything. After all, while Cordatus seemed a good guy, it was suspiciously too close to events of Darth Crux.

Which was why Shi-Gel-Hu was surprised by Sigur's request to be left alone with Cordatus. "Grand Master, I don't think that would be wise, not until we can confirm Jhon Cordatus is truly not an agent of the Sith. Not a week ago another claimed Sith Lord arrived at one of our other temples. To be without caution could be a bad idea." Indeed, he didn't want something bad to happen to Sigur. He'd seen Grand Masters come and go. Even Garth Dovhann followed that period. His best friend was missing, but he didn't want the same fate to befall his old student. However, he decided to let go of his worries and trust his student. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he added, "But I shall abide by your judgment. If you feel he can be trusted, I shall trust you."

With a bow, Shi-Gel-Hu departed from the room. Unlike the other Jedi, he couldn't stay behind. He still had medical tests to complete, as it had only been a week since he woke from his coma. He exchanged farewells as he left.

 

[Gaja]

Being able to disregard the laws of traffic felt quite good actually, a little too good than Guhoo would admit. Seeing Coruscant cleared of all the traffic in front of them was probably a once in a lifetime thing and the blond haired man certainly didn't overlook it. Either way the short ride was fairly uneventful despite the famous man who sat in the back seat, no explosions, no sudden plot twist, nothing he just sat there sorta smiling. Guhoo for one actually calmed down and relaxed quite a bit when sensing the vibe Jhon gave of. It made him think, was he being unfair to the man.

Maybe he ran because he didn't want to return like this, maybe he was scared and was waiting for the right time to return. Regardless Guhoo saw the man as one of their own so once the speeder stopped and Ashara and Guhoo were to guide Jhon to the Council Chambers the Jedi Knight stood behind Jhon and at one point in time put his hand on Jhon's right shoulder saying. "Welcome back Master Cordatus." He had sort of a smile on his face, for it would appear that for all the bad that was happening lately something good happened too, and maybe some were missing it.

Though no one could really blame them given the state of things. Either way from there on our Guhoo remained silent and followed procedures, walking with Jhon and Ashara and retreating when the Grand Master said it. He wasn't on the Jedi Council, not yet at least, so he felt it was only fair that he leave the room. A respectful bow was followed by him exiting the room along with everyone else before he retreated in to the hall some couple of feet away from Ashara, a noticeable spark of hope in his eyes. Today appeared to be a good day... right?

 

[Wit]

Reserved.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

A silence fell upon the room as the last of the Jedi captors left the Council chambers, the door slamming shut behind them. There was a sense of cautious optimism from each of them; though they were concerned, they hoped that Jhon was not who the Imperials said he was. It was a source of comfort for him that they did not fully believe the lies of the Sith. The Jedi were at a critical moment and faced destruction at the hands of an invading Empire, but their resolve was still strong. They would need it in the days to come.

Jhon looked around the Council chambers, seeing them for the first time. As Grand Master, he commissioned the rebuilding of the temple after the Sith had destroyed its predecessor, but this one was different. This temple was modeled after the temple of the Old Jedi Order, not the New Jedi Order—he had last seen the previous Council chamber via hologram, before a bomb ripped through the room and killed the three Councilors who were inside of it. These chambers had a legacy to them, and he recognized them now only from historical images from the days prior to the fall of the Old Republic. There was something unsettling about standing here, knowing that this was hallowed ground, yet something welcoming.

Finally, he turned towards the Grand Master. They’d met one another once or twice, before Sigur was on the Jedi Council, but knowing of one another didn’t mean they knew each other. This would be an interesting conversation.

As he shrugged his shoulders and threw up his arms, he quipped, “I’m back!”

 

[GABA]

"Quite." Sigur spoke, not amused by Jhon's quip. He was silent for a moment, studying Jhon before him, more so for the search of deception.

"According the the archives, you're supposed to be dead." he begun, folding his arms into the sleeves of his Jedi robe, "You, well, someone, made a nice impression of you as Darth Vitium after Empress Teta was attacked and according to Master Daw's story, she also encountered a Darth Vitium." The Grand Master explained, he wanted to believe this man before was Jhon Cordatus, that he was never a Darth, nor had any association with the Sith. Though an unsettling thought fell on the Grand Master as he realized he would probably need to explain all of this to the Chief of State once he finds out.

Certainly this was probably an issue of galactic security, or at least the politicians would find it to be.

"In all that time you were 'dead', you never came back once to write what was written wrong...though I understand there can be circumstances in which prevent us from doing what we need to do. Firstly, what I really would like to know is, where did you go?" he asked.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

“I may not have been dead,” Jhon somberly admitted, “but, for a time, I wanted to be.”

He still didn’t know how he came back, or why he had found some measure of peace again, but the regret of how he had felt, and what he let himself turn into, ached into knots in his stomach. He wished he could take it all back, take back what happened between him and Skhai, and take back the fact that he abandoned Lana. Yet, he had grown in the last few months, and he knew that he couldn’t keep regretting his past. That’s what nearly destroyed him. He had to face it and overcome it.

“Certain... events conspired to put me into a bad frame of mind,” he explained. “I charged off to Imperial Space in search of something I’d lost. That’s when I saw Master Daw.”

Thinking back to that day, all the senses came back to him; the emotional roller coaster he felt, the stench of decay and garbage, the pattering of the rain and the cool drops of water landing upon his face. He breathed a sigh of relief when Sigur told him that Ebberla had recounted the story of what transpired between them. That meant she had returned, that she was becoming a Jedi again. Perhaps his time in Imperial Space wasn’t for nothing.

“I turned my back on the Force, but it didn’t turn its back on me,” he said. “I believe it led me to Master Daw for a reason. I pretended to be Darth Vitium when I saw her, and that led her to come back here. I don't know who Darth Vitium is, or if he even exists, but we can at least be be grateful that he allowed for that.”

 

[GABA]

"We sow our own seeds of chaos when we fail to act in harmony of the Force's will." Sigur said, listening carefully to Jhon. His words were sincere and the Grand Master felt himself relax as Jhon explained his reasoning behind his absence. It made Sigur feel better his suspicions of Darth Vitium being an imposter were proven to be true and that the Jedi were not as inept as their members seemed to be. However, there were still questions of curiosity as to what events propelled the former Grand Master into faking his death and exploring Imperial Space.

"There's war and now the Imperium is sitting at our doorstep, many Jedi are finding themselves in a a bad frame of mind. What made yours so bad that you felt the need to null your existence? Running around in Imperial Space isn't even a thrill for those looking for trouble."

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Jhon knew he couldn’t become an active part of the Jedi again. His “death” may have been on its way to being revealed as a ruse, but he still needed to lay low. Nonetheless, he was drawn to the Jedi predicament, and he wondered if there was a way he could help. He had faced his darkness twice and overcome it twice. Though he had no memory of what happened this time, how he overcame Ardos, and the men and women who helped him through it, were always in the forefront of his mind. Perhaps there were still ways he could help the Jedi who were facing their own demons.

Yet, he could only say so much. Sigur had many questions, and he deserved to have answers to them... but he couldn’t. There were certain things that Jhon still had to keep to himself, at least until he knew more about this Grand Master and if he could trust him. Still, he deserved some sort of explanation.

“Someone I love was lost,” Jhon told him, careful not to let on too much. “I blamed myself for what happened to her, and I tried to find out if she was still alive.”

He paused for a moment, before saying, “Skhai Baatch knows about all of this. You can ask her to confirm that I’m telling you the truth.”

 

[GABA]

The Grand Master nodded to Jhon's response, the man remained vague, but it was enough to satisfy his curiosity for the time being. Waiting was a game he knew well, it came with patience and in time, if more was revealed, then he would be ready to recieve it. However, Sigur would not push Jhon to reveal more as the Jedi before him suggested he would ask Master Baatch.

Sigur felt the bottom of his stomach drop, Jhon didn't know about the accident.

"Jhon, Skhai was in an accident." he started, his tone solemn, "It was only an accident, her ship they believed had a faulty hyperdrive." he explained slowly, the words left his lips heavily. The Grand Master was still taking it all in, the accident only occurring just a few days before, the shock of it still had not worn off. "I'm sorry Jhon."

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Jhon’s heart sank. Sigur didn’t need to say anything more. He didn’t say what happened as a result of the accident, but Jhon knew. The look on his face, his sorrow... Sigur told him without words. Jhon felt Sigur’s own sadness, but there was no way he could feel what Jhon felt. Skhai and Jhon had been friends for too long. They transcended friendship, transcended the typical idea of family. The Way made things different for them.

Now, the silence was deafening. He couldn’t hear her voice anymore, couldn’t look forward to a reunion, even if it was going to be a tense one after what he’d done. He just stood here now, trying to forget what he had heard. He felt a wave of emotion churning about within him; he knew his attachments, his feelings, his darkness could get in the way again. It was the same feeling he felt in the Jedi Archives when Kiro told him that Andraste had become the Empress and married Darth Exodeus. He couldn’t let that happen again.

Resolving himself to getting through this, Jhon said, “There is no death, there is only the Force.”

As he turned towards the window, though, looking out at the thousands of speeders buzzing across the cityscape, reflecting the light of the Coruscanti sun into the chamber, he realized what this meant. It might not have just been Skhai. It might have... no. She couldn’t possibly have been there. He couldn’t possibly have made a failure of that magnitude.

“Were there any other victims?”

 

[GABA]

"Skhai's padawan, Terris Rolan was said to be on that ship also." Sigur replied. He watched Jhon turn his gaze to the window, feeling his struggle to come to belief as what had transpired for the crystavain master. A silence settled in the room as Sigur observed the cityscape of Coruscant also.

Even for the Grand Master, death of Jedi were all too common these days. He had become desensitized by the constant reports of Jedi falling in battle, whether it was turning or death. However, Skhai's death wasn't something he was immune to and it was a reminder that simple tragedies like accidents could still bring just as much pain in the dark days that continue to spread ahead of them.

"I suggest you should stay a while with us." the Jedi finally stated, "Out of the public eye while you're at it. Billions if not trillions saw you as Darth Vitium and with your show today, they will be curious to know what was done with you." he explained and unfolded his arms, "And to be honest, I am not ready to explain Sith deception and your crusade to find a lost loved one."

The Grand Master examined Jhon's lightsaber and extended it to the man, "It is a relief to know you didn't become a servant of the Empire Master Cordatus and I welcome you back to the Jedi Order."

 

[Brandon Rhea]

The Force was with him, at least somewhat. Skhai’s death was one of the great losses of his life, but the words he dreaded hearing—that there was a small child aboard—never came. That begged more questions for Jhon, such as where Lana was, but he would find her. He had faith that the Force would work its will and the future would unfold as it should.

He breathed a visible sigh of relief, not concerned that Sigur would see him do so. That would raise more questions, but, at this point, Jhon was alright with that. He felt that he and Sigur had established a boundary, where Sigur knew that there were things Jhon was not yet ready to tell him, and therefore wouldn’t ask. Jhon wouldn’t blame Sigur if he did ask, of course, but he was grateful to at least be in a position where he could reasonably expect that Sigur wouldn’t.

Most of this meeting went better than Jhon expected, actually. To be welcomed back to the Jedi was a welcome relief, an indication that at least the Grand Master, like the Jedi who brought Jhon in, never believed in the Darth Vitium lie. At least, it meant that they didn’t take it too seriously, even if it did give them pause. There was a thought crossing Jhon’s mind that it made the Grand Master naive, but he had very little idea as to the internal discussions about Jhon’s so-called ‘fall,’ or if Darth Vitium made any other HoloNet appearances. Whatever Sigur’s reasons were, Jhon was just grateful.

“Thank you... Grand Master,” Jhon said, pausing before saying the title. “Forgive me for being uncomfortable in saying that. The last Grand Master I knew was me.”

He chuckled at that last part, knowing the absurdity of his entire situation, but such was life. He couldn’t keep getting caught up in the past, and he knew that now. There were some things that he still had to put to rest, but he was ready to begin moving on. He was ready to go home.

“With your permission, Master,” Jhon continued, “I’d like to go home, to Tython. I can lay low there and become acquainted with the Jedi again.”

 

[GABA]

"I'm still not used to hearing it." Sigur replied to Jhon's comment on his title returning a subtle smile. Relief washed over the Jedi, he was glad Jhon was back. Too many Jedi leave, young and old, the troubled and even ones at peace, few ever return. But to have them return when they do, like Jhon's case is what grew Sigur's faith. The hope was still there the light still burned in those willing to see it again. The Jedi were still very much following the Way.

"Tython is a good place to lie low." agreed Sigur, "We can arrange you a transport, with escort of course. Don't be surprised if you get a sense you may be feeling as though you are being followed." explained the Grand Master, "I guarantee you probably will be for a given time, they call it standard protocol. Undoubtedly many will be pleased to see your return Master Cordatus."

 

[Brandon Rhea]

“I understand.”

That was true, even if he wasn’t completely comfortable with it. Jhon knew it would be strange to go to Tython and sense people watching him; not just those curious about his return, but people whose job it was to make sure he wasn’t actually a Sith Lord. To be on his homeworld, with some level of captivity, was an uncomfortable event, but he would accept it. This was the only way he could fully earn the trust of the Jedi Council.

He happily accepted his lightsaber back, gripping his fingers tightly around it for a moment before putting it back onto its belt. Had he not gotten that back... The lightsaber meant a lot to him, more than any of them could know right now. Perhaps someday, though, they would understand.

“Thank you, Grand Master.”

With a respectful bow, Jhon turned for the door, eager to move on from the problems of the past few months and return home. As he left, he gave a polite nod to Ashara and the other Jedi, smiling while pointing to the hilt back on his belt to let them know that the Grand Master had indeed come to the conclusion that he was not a Sith Lord.