The Ways of the Jedi

[Master Maverick]

OOC​

A certain individual essentially forced this class upon the Sage Master. It was worrisome, actually, that Knights and Masters were not spreading this knowledge well enough to permeate the Order effectively and make sure the events she was mulling over did not take place. Perhaps it was just a fluke, though. Perhaps she was overreacting and blowing this out of proportion.

However, it could not be allowed to just continue without check. It was her duty either way to ensure all Jedi were receiving proper education and training.

An open forum had been posted on all Jedi boards. The largest lecture hall in the Sage Halls had been set aside for this very talk, as a matter of fact. two hundred twenty humanoid bodies could be seated comfortably inside the hall with plenty more space for those who would be fine with standing. Furthermore, the talk was to be recorded for future use and the Sage Master was tasked with editing the data for a contribution to the Archives.

Near one hundred souls already scrambled for seats in the hall while the Togruta stood in the middle of the domed room, her figure displayed via holo above her head so all could see her. A microphone was attached to her cheek to amplify her voice as well, to make sure all could hear her. The class had been outfitted with microphones for the students as well, so they wouldn't need to yell in order to speak. These were controlled by the Sage, of course, so things wouldn't get out of hand.

She'd wait for the hour to finish out before beginning, rather eager to get started with this already wonderful turnout.

 

[Vaatu]

After recently having been accepted as a Jedi Padawan, everything had gone so fast for young Vaatu. To his mind it seemed only a few days ago since he'd still been strolling around Coruscant's streets before being transferred over to Empress Teta. Now however, he's had his first basic classes ranging from philosophy to basic lightsaber handling. And again, here he was in one of his next classes, about to ponder over the meaning of the Jedi Code.

As he seated himself in one of the front rows, looking directly at the host of this class, he peeked at his datapad to see if he still remembered the Jedi Code properly. And indeed he did, however being a very fresh Padawan he was still in the process of grasping what it meant. This open forum would be ideal for him to gain a better understanding of the Jedi Code. Or so he hoped.

While he observed the Togruta Master in front of him, he repeated the lines of the Jedi Code in his head. Unbeknownst to him, his lips somewhat moved and spoke some of the words automatically, which meant other people could easily see he was reciting them.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von found her seat around the middle rows, and sat down. The microphone at her side was a little discomforting as she worried it might pick up random noise and cause a commotion, but she refused to touch it for two reasons: One, she might need it, and two, it might pick up the noise of her touching it and cause her immense amounts of embarrassment. She had no idea the Sage Master actually controlled them.

She saw Master Vashee, and waited calmly, but her mind was running at lightspeed. Her own previous training was very haphazard at best, and this class would help even it out. Plus, she still wasn't entirely sure what being a Jedi meant, so she hoped the Sage Master could tell her.

 

[Mattoxz]

Markus Kavos sat in the middle of the class, though at the edge of the row. You never know if you would have to make a quick dash out, right? While he had been staying at the Temple for two years now, he only recently been accepted as a Padawan. Not only that, but this would be his first class that he attended, officially, at least. Hiding outside of the door and listening in had to suffice before, but now he could actually be a student to the Masters, and not just a pest that the real students would bump into as they left. While actually being apart of the class was exhilarating, it was frightening at the same time as well. Large crowds always made Markus nervous, even if he didn't have to worry about a single person in them. Reaching into his pocket, the increasingly anxious young man pulled out his familiar medicine bottle.

In a very quick and seamless motion, Markus had managed to pop one of the pills from the bottle into his mouth, and quickly put the bottle away. 'Hopefully nobody noticed...' He thought, swallowing the medicine. Instantly he felt more at ease, his mind growing more sated for the class. The environment had risen his emotions to much, causing a reaction within his mind. Hopefully this open lesson would give him some advice on how to keep his nerves in check, or at the very least give him a better understanding of the Force, a topic which had always interested him. His attention finally settled on the Togruta at the front of the class, she appeared to be the teacher. Relaxing himself, he focused on the teacher, waiting for the discussions to begin.

 

[The Derp of Hooves]

Salem sat in the middle row, his hair today was rather simple, buzzed nearly baled and bleached blonde. He laid back in his seat hands holding his head as he took a nap, waiting for the gathering crowd to fully assemble. The reason for his apparent lazyness was quite simple, he had been one of the early arrivals to the class and grew bored and tired of waiting. Therefore he didn't notice the beautiful Zeltron take her seat next to him, nor the young padawan who had taken a pill for his nerves. Opening a lazy eye he sat up right and straightened himself rather fussily, he knew he looked like someone who had crawled out of the sewers, which infact he had done so just the morning.

It was his first trip to Empress Teta, and he had thought he'd do a little exploring. Sooner, rather than later, he had found himself underneath the cityscape of Teta's main city. Salem was always one for exploring, he had always volunteered in his family when they had found a new place in Coruscants underbelly. He wasn't too worried about the dangers, for he didn't face any down there and soon found his way out. He had found a shortcut underneath the city that led close to the Jedi Sage Halls where the class was being held. He found himself an early seat and waited as the class began to fill.

Turning towards the Zeltron he held out a metalic left hand and decided to introduce himself, "Hey there beautiful, I'm Salem Darknife."

 

[Shapeshifter99]

Suuji Bakumara calmly took her seat amidst the other padawans. She had been a padawan for the past few years now, but she had never heard of an occasion when all the padawans were gathered together. The Miraluka and human hybrid glanced around for a familiar face. She had a few padawan friends in the Order, but she couldn't see any of them yet, so she simply stayed where she was, her light silver eyes roaming the lecture hall. She was feeling a bit self-concious, being terribly shy by nature, and didn't attempt conversation with anyone.

Finally, her gaze focused at the front, where Master Ashara Vashee waited patiently for all the padawans to get settled so the class could begin. Suuji shifted in her seat; being a padawan herself, she knew this might take a while.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Young Xan made his way into the lecture hall, observing it`s large interior as he entered. A very spacious room indeed, able to hold at least two hundred attenders. He took an empty seat among the many Padawans that are waiting patiently for the lecture to begin. He glanced around, trying to notice someone familiar, but couldn`t notice anyone he knows. He then brought his hands together as he looked towards the Togruta Jedi Master and the holographic figure displayed above her.

Cracking his neck, he adjusted his position in the seat as he waited for the lecture to begin.

 

[TAC]

The life of a Jedi was a very difficult one. No matter their rank or prestige, from Padawan to Councilor, a Jedi was constantly faced with difficult decisions that may very well not only have a monstrous impact on their own lives, but on the lives of every citizen in the entire galaxy. Indeed, every decision needed to be coldly and calmly calculated. Although it was impossible to imagine every outcome, it was necessary for every Jedi to act with purpose and sense.

Master Jedi Larik Novan dealt with every kind of obstacle, from mass murders to the massive headache that came with training a padawan, let alone three. Every day he faced questions and situations that tested his patience and trust not only in the Light Side of the Force, but in the very fundamental values that Jedi subscribed to. He worked very hard to stay true to those ideals and values, though, intent on leading by example for the other Padawans, Knights, and Masters to see. There was no aim for self-gain there, he simply held himself at a high standards, and wished that others would do the same for themselves.

The Corellian had just arrived on Empress Teta, and the Jedi Temple which was the closest thing to 'home' that he had. The man had hit the refresher and written his report, sending it off to the Council and the records as he always did, before fully redressing himself. Sagemaster Ashara Vashee, one of Larik's favorite teachers and a legendary Jedi, was teaching a massive class open to all Jedi. Larik had forwarded the message he had received about it during flight on to all of his Padawans, stressing that it was a good idea for them to be there.

Most might assume that Jedi Masters had the code figured out. And that was true: you could not achieve the rank of Master without not only an intimate understanding of what the Jedi stood for, but also an intimate implementation into their own lives. Every Jedi had a slightly different perception and understanding of the tenants of the Jedi, however, and Larik had never passed up an opportunity to hear from others what they thought about certain aspects. There were, of course, parts that were unarguable, but the world was so fast and cultures so different that the tenants took on a wide range of definitions.

For that reason Master Novan walked into the large hall, as well. It was about half full at the time, mostly with Padawans and Initiates. Larik was a very social Jedi, and could often be found utilizing his spare time simply walking and speaking with other Jedi- not that he had much free time. He recognized a good number of the Jedi, even the Padawans, for this reason, and being one of the few Jedi Masters he was undoubtedly recognizable to most of the Jedi in the room. He really did do everything- training three Padawans at once, working closely with Sagemaster Vashee, and even helping organize alliances for the New Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance just to name a few. His face was a recognizable one, for sure.

Apparently none of the upper-level Jedi he knew, or even any of his own Padawans, had shown up or been able to yet, unfortunately. He smiled as the heads turned towards him, regardless, nodding to anyone that greeted him as he walked by. The Corellian spotted the Xan-Dar Sulati, the Padawan of Knight Arikka-Mar, who had been one Larik's most promising students during her time training with the Corellian. There was an open seat next to Xan, even though he was in a section with only Padawans.

"Hello, Padawan Sulati," he commented as he approached the young man, shuffling past the other Padawans. He nodded his head and took the seat next to the Padawan.

 

[Master Maverick]

"Good evening, all." she welcomed, her voice augmented by electronic means. She'd wait until the talking and murmurs would silence themselves before speaking further. It would take but a few moments as all were here for a single purpose and Jedi were not known to be rude.


"I welcome you and thank you for attending." Her head bowed a couple inches to express her gratitude. It was then that she turned to look at all in attendance. It wasn't going to be possible to pick out every face present, but she would have plenty of time, she thought, to find someone she might know. For now, she'd get started.

"Now, the Code of the New Order of the Jedi," she started while she tapped a few times on her datapad. In good time, the code in question replaced her figure in the holoprojector for all to see. "It is what we as Jedi follow. It is rather straightforward in it's meaning, but why do we follow it? What is it's purpose? Do we need it? If so, then what makes it so important that we, as Jedi, need to follow it? If not, then why have it at all?" Any were more than welcome to ask for an explanation of the Code, if needed, but she wanted to get to the real meat of the discussion. She figured most knew what it meant, but hoped that those that did not would be brave enough to speak up.

 

[Mattoxz]

Markus knew many things about the Code. That could be credited to how much time he had spent in the library reading about it. Though he knew a book was never quite as good as the explanation from a Master. And now that he could actually get the attention of one, why not? "Master, I have a question about the Code. If we as Jedi are supposed to respect all living things, what about the Sith? They have no respect for us, and only seek to harm the galaxy, so why must we respect them? Evil should not be looked at in any positive light, should it?" The young Padawan asked, standing up in order to be seen. It most likely was a very easy answer that every student would know, yet he wanted to know the answer in any case.

 

[Dnarion]

Dnarion had been one of the very first students to arrive in the class, and now he listened with rapt attention his Master speaking on the New Jedi Code. Her question intrigued him, but before he could answer her...another Jedi had spoken up. The question puzzled Dnarion for a moment, because the answer seemed obvious.

In his thinking, it was not the Sith that should be respected...for the Sith was an organization...not the person. Every life had to be respected...even those that were of evil organizations. It was the living force of the person that had to be respected...not what they were doing. Evil was still evil, and good was still good. Yet, he was so new to the Order, and waited with great anticipation on his Master's answer. It was still very surprising to realize that he was the apprentice to the Sage Master of the Order.

The room was filled with a host of various different kinds of Jedi, and he could feel the Force from each and every individual present there...including Master Ashara. It was a lot to take in, but not as much as it had been when he first joined only a couple of months ago. Such would have nearly overwhelmed him once before. This was no longer the case, because Dnarion's training on Tython had helped him with his control.

 

[Master Maverick]

A fair question, but decidedly shortsighted and naive. He was young, though, so it was more or less expected.

"Life is life. Going around and killing for the sake of ridding the galaxy of something we do not understand spreads the Darkness we, as Jedi, are sworn to diminish." She paused for a moment before adding, "Unnatural death, the untimely death of any living thing, sentient or not, has been known to create tears, deviations within the Force. In these places, Darkness gathers and grows. A single death only creates a small, indecipherable rip. These build upon one another, however, in short order.

"More importantly, however, is to remember that individuals who happen to be Sith are no more victims of their fate than slaves. It is a choice, surely, but one made out of ignorance, of pain and suffering, of loss and hate. Unbalanced and crazed are the Sith. It is what makes them so dangerous. It is only chance that you all are here and not with the Sith. For some, it is forced upon them. For others, they choose it out of what I described. For those who fall..." She paused again, remembering her once dear friend. "For those who experience the Light and turn their backs on it... it is a failure of the Order of the Jedi for not strengthening the constitution of those fallen to resist the Darker aspects of the galaxy, of their own selves."

There were surely plenty of questions with this explanation, and that was fine. She was more than happy to make sure all were on the same page before moving on. Indeed, moving on was only detrimental if one did not have a firm base.

"Life is to be respected. Ending life must be done carefully, through Right Intention, Right Action, Right Effort and Right Mindfulness." Rather than keeping with her initial question, she chose to allow the class to flow naturally. As such, a few taps on her datapad saw the eight aspects of the Eightfold Path appear on the screen. It was merely the words themselves, not a description of each. They were each supposed to know these already. If not then they would surely be explained in time.

"What do I mean by this?"

 

[The Kyzer]

Von raised her hand, feeling only a little foolish to do so.

"By using Form Zero," Von answered. Then she felt a bit foolish. Looking around, she noticed that most of the other students were looking at her. Her anxiety started to swell, but she quickly supressed it.

"And keeping to the Code," Von continued, "Killing is a last resort, with actual combat being it's immediate predecessor. They are the last two things a Jedi must resort to. All other options must be expended, or a Jedi is unable to do so. All the while we must keep a clear mind, devoid of any emotion, and seek guidance from the Force."

 

[Shapeshifter99]

Suuji listened patiently as the other padawans discussed with the Sage Master. She felt a tiny stir of awe as she watched what seemed to be a Zeltron of sorts stand up and call out. She herself, being terribly shy, found it extremely difficult to speak up at all. Her silver-eyed gaze turned back towards Master Vashee, waiting for her response.

 

[Master Maverick]

"As a sentient being it is impossible to be devoid of emotion," she argued, but not in a harsh manner. It was merely a statement. "Rather, as Jedi, we seek to understand our emotions, understand where they came from, and release them unto the Force. To understand the self." Her fingers tapped at the small datapad in her hands and Right Mindfulness expanded with a definition below it. It was certainly large enough for all to read, no matter where they were.

"'The mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness.'" She recited that bit of the description provided in order to put emphasis on it. She paused for a few moments before changing the display to the concept of Right Effort. "A prerequisite for the other principles - to prevent and abandon unwholesome states." Then she quickly changed it to Right Intention in order to connect her single thought in a way that would be followed by the class. "The wisdom of Jedi, the mental energy that controls our actions. One's intentions of harmlessness, but also that of good will. These will seem to conflict at time." Then Right Action came up on the projector. "One's actions are supposed to prevent unwholesome states of mind. However, as Jedi we must learn to abandon those already arisen as they are sure to grow within each of us at one time or another. Again, we are only sentient beings. There is little we can do in contest to the copious mistakes we will all make in our lives."

She paused and watched as many furiously wrote down notes while others scribbled some things, probably already with recordings and, thus, not that invested in the practice as it could be done at a later time. She would wait until most were completed with their notes before, again, changing the image on the holo to her mission report for the incident on Coruscant with one Knight Asalla Loani.

"Several months ago I worked a mission in the lower levels of Coruscant. I had chosen to end the lives of eleven Dark-Side Force Users. The Eightfold Path clearly denounces such action. I could have incapacitated them instead and bring them in for questioning, I could have simply run away and wait for CorSec to arrive. I could have surrendered and let them take me as their prisoner for a time and escape later. I could have offered myself as a martyr..." She obviously could have gone on, but her point had been made at this point.

Once more the Eightfold path appeared below the Code of the New Order. The projector had expanded to three times it's original size in order to incorporate all the text that needed to fit. "Why am I not exiled from the Order, then?" The answer was remarkably simple, but she wanted to see how they grappled with this problem, how they controlled their thoughts and did not get swept away in finding answers where they might not be so obviously.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von again raised her hand and stood up.

"I can think of two possibilities, Master," she replied, trying her best to keep her voice level, "The first is that perhaps the Force told you that you were needed far too much to surrender then."

Von then took another deep breath.

"The second possibility I've deduced requires you to have omitted information," she continued, restraining the sudden shaking in her left hand by sheer will, "And that would be that there were innocents present that needed protection and..."

Von faded off as a third option revealed itself.

"I was wrong," she said with a bit of inner strength, "There is a third option. It could be that by ending their lives, you have saved countless others, and have ensured that you may do so again in the future. That's what the Jedi are here for, right? Protecting those who cannot protect themselves, presently or in the future?"

 

[Master Maverick]

"The Jedi are not to elevate themselves above others." Ashara responded with a terse tone to the first possibility proposed by the young Jedi, female by her voice. Ashara turned to look for the individual and quickly found her standing. The light pink skin suggested a few possible species, but that didn't really matter at this point.

The third was, really, a combination of the first two. "The greatest good," she started, but paused for a moment. "for the greatest number of people." She looked around, wondering what they were all thinking.

"This is dangerous, however," she warned. "If one must die for five to live, is it worth it? Should the five thugs die after stealing, raping and killing dozens? What if they could be rehabilitated and become a positive force for good? If you kill them, you will never know." She paused again, bringing herself back to the original point.

"We will never know if those individuals could have been turned into successful and productive Jedi. It is a consequence for my actions and I have taken responsibility." Finally she turned back to the young woman who first proposed the ideas.

"You do have a point, though - we are far more useful alive than dead. You must be careful with this line of thinking, however. Clearly it can quickly lead to an elevation of the self over others. Even so, with this idea, if you can get away in order to go back another time, then do that. Those that you were to bring to justice will continue their evil deeds, but you will generally have a greater chance for success given more time." That statement could be expanded quite a bit, but she didn't want to get into it unless someone else wanted to.

Philosophy was always a bit difficult to teach. But it was an exciting challenge.

"They are dead because they sought to kill me. My judgement was that I would not be able to reason with them, though I could not be sure. I protected myself and decided to do so in a permanent fashion. I had determined there was no time to deal with them more than once, and my actions were backed by the Council at the time." It was weird to think of that. It really wasn't that long ago that she had joined the Council. Everything she had done before that point... looking at it from the perspective she know held might have caused doubts on her actions. Now, though, was not the time to think on those.

"As far as the Code goes," she started after a bit of a pause to wait for those taking notes to finish. During this, she tapped her datapad, bringing up the Code of the Jedi.

"Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.
Jedi use the Force only for the pursuit of knowledge, to defend, and to protect.
Jedi respect all life in the galaxy, in any form it may take.
Jedi to not rule others, but serve them for the welfare of the galaxy.
Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge, training, and self-discipline."

"Did I follow it in my actions as I have described them to you?"

 

[The Kyzer]

Von, still standing albeit uncomfortably, raised her hand again.

"Well, that depends," she began, "on if the Code had parts that are more important than others. You DID follow tenets one, two, and five, with the fourth not exactly applicable to the situation, but you broke the third..."

She trailed off for a minute, then restarted, "No, wait, you DID follow the Code as you respected your own life as well, and weighed that you were more vital to peace and justice as stated in the first tenet than those you fought. You clearly judged that defending your own life was more inline with the Will of the Force than dying, at least on that occasion."

 

[Raydo]

Reland had remained quiet up until this point. This had been his first large group session he had attended as a padawan and had just arrived on the planet the day before. As the padawan that was speaking before him sat down he slowly stood and waited for the Jedi Master to acknowledge that it was his turn to speak. "Master, the Jedi teachings say a Jedi should empty themelves from themselves? ould this not suggest that a Jedi should remove themself from the equation will looking at a situation? Choosing to end their lives without exhausting all other possible options beforehand go against both tenets three and four. Deciding a life is not redeemable would be a form a judgment which could be a form of control, and at the same time the Jedi Code dictates a Jedi respect all life even if that life has been deceived and led astray by the dark side."


He said this in way that was not judgmental and looked at the situation from a purely academic stand point as he continued "It seems that in some situations the Jedi Code can contradict itself in a situation. The defense of others often includes the taking of life. In that case I would assume it is up the the Jedi to let the Force guide him/her in their decisions and then take responsibility for their actions. So while it seems you may not have followed the all of the Jedi Code you still could have made the right decision." As he sat down he hoped he had not over stepped his bounds. He knew he had much to learn about the Jedi and the ways of the Force.

 

[Master Maverick]

"We are not speaking of 'coulds' and 'shoulds', but what is." Reland made it. That was good.

"That particular line states that a Jedi should respect all life." She waited for a moment to see if they would pick up on it. "That means the lives of those the Dark Jedi had taken before their time, those lives they had worsened from their crimes, those they had stolen from and beaten." Again she waited, this time for the explanation to settle in their minds.

"Even so, my own personal feelings should be taken into account. I do not disrespect their lives by taking it from them. They were worth something to someone," she started again, using a synonym to put it into different terms so they might understand it a bit better, or look at it from another perspective. "I do not dispute that, and I understand quite well they are worth something. Indeed, it is why they were used in the first place. But when taking the fourth line into account, to serve the galaxy, that is what I was doing - providing a good to the galaxy as a whole for the end of those particular lives."

She waited another couple moments before adding, "Killing does not always equate to disrespect, or thinking they are worthless. It is a mindset. However, it is clear that this is a convenient line of thinking to justify murder. To, as you say, pass judgement on others." She had motioned to Reland with that particular statement. "It is our mindset we must be mindful of. We are responsible for the well-being of the galaxy, yet no one can over see us. It is a responsibility, a great one, that we have. Sentients have taken advantage of this and become corrupted. Many would say we are, currently!" Her inflection raised in order to make the point. "To kill without remorse, mindlessly, and willingly goes against the Code we follow. Not the act of killing itself. It is this that dissuades us from killing in the first place, however. It makes us question our actions, keeping us self-aware and to check our actions where no one else can. It is what sets the Jedi apart from all others."

Her eyes scanned the room to see how everyone was doing with this revelation. Questions were sure to follow, so she waited a few moment for them to formulate in the minds of these young Jedi.