The Jedi Knights of the Round Table

[Tysyacha]

"Right away, Knight," replied my Mistress, yet before she turned to leave, she gazed at my white robes, half-soaked with soapy water and sticky wax. "My goodness, Itreya!" She stifled a giggle. "You certainly put some elbow grease into your work scrubbing the Council Chamber floor. Don't be chagrined, my dear--I wouldn't have it any other way. Go and change, preferably into your silver ones for the meeting. After this, we'll all wear gray...gray being our funereal color. We'll wear it for three full days after my husband's funeral pyre is lit. Then, a wedding, an induction, and the claiming of the Order by its new Grandmaster!" She sighed. "It's certainly been a busy day."

 

I went to our mutual quarters, washed with fragrant soap (after all, cleaning floors is sweaty work!) and changed. My silver robes, I felt, would be too gaudy, so I settled for medium beige. Simple yet tasteful, a reflection of my modest duty as recorder. I thought about what my Lady had said about grey, not black, being our color for funerals. It seemed the Sith had lain claim to black as their standard, their banner. We would not wear it, not even for the most somber of occasions. I brushed back a tear.

 

"Our Grandmaster's dead," I mumbled softly, "but will the Jedi Order die with him?"

 

Not if the Masters had anything to say about it. I trudged to the Council Chamber.

 

*************************************************

 

1900 hours had never come so quickly, nor my heart ever beat as such...

 

"Greetings, Masters of the Jedi Order. As the widow of my late husband, the Grandmaster, I now call this meeting to order. Who is present tonight?" My Lady did this as a matter of course, as a "roll call". "Behind these closed doors, our dealings are private, so you need have no fear of premature revelation of our decisions. State your names, Masters, with boldness..."

 

(OOC: Sorry, ForceFight! I'll try to slow down a little. )

[ForceFightWMe12]

The way to the Council Chambers was a silent one, James having nothing to say and the Lady occupied with thoughts of all that was to happen in the coming days. Her husband was dead - the Grandmaster was dead - and from the looks of things, such an event might all but stop the workings of the Jedi Order for the next several days. Whether that would end up being for the better or for the worse, the young, unofficial Master had little idea.

 

But what thoughts turned his mind with a far more immediate sense of trouble was the upcoming meeting. He had had mixed feelings about it - hoping to be accepted, cementing his rite until the ceremony itself could take place, and at the same time, hoping that they would decide to exclude him - for, as one so new to this higher echelon, he had little clue about the inner workings of the Masters and so felt as if he could hardly make an accurate decision. He was certain that the Grandmaster had named an 'heir' of sorts - but with the fleeting fits of delirium he had suffered towards the end of his sickness, James wasn't entirely sure that the man would have been in the right state of mind to announce such a thing. Could he trust the rulings of the Grandmaster? Or should he listen to the debate in the Chambers before deciding? Perhaps, he should simply go on what is own gut was to tell him - or better yet, he shouldn't vote at all.

 

After several minutes of silent walking, he finally lifted his eyes from the examination of the surroundings to the woman who strode beside him. "If you would allow it, Lady Zhenevaru, I would like to offer my condolences." he said, quite formally. His hands were clasped behind his back in stark military fashion, even as he walked. "The Grandmaster was a great man and a fantastic teacher - I know his lost must come at a great price, both to you and those around you."

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

This was a Masters' conclave - could he introduce himself as anything but? "Master James Travestnie." he announced, clearly and bold as you like. Just because he was the 'new kid' didn't mean he was going to be quiet and reserved until someone showed him the way. He would learn as he went along.

[Tysyacha]

I noticed my Mistress smiling slightly at the young man. "Master Travestnie has not yet been fully inducted as such, but that is no fault of his. With the news of my husband's death, we have not had time to do so in the chaos that befell us. I expect that you all will welcome him with open arms, and I intend to let him vote at tonight's meeting if he so chooses." She glanced toward him. "Do you wish it, or would you rather recuse yourself, this being short notice?" She folded her hands in front of her.

 

"I also thank you for your condolences. My husband...was indeed great."

[ForceFightWMe12]

The words with which he was going to respond were on his tongue for half a moment before another thought occurred, and he promptly swallowed them. A short moment of silence followed as he debated with himself. "I think I shall look on for a time before coming to that decision, if you have no objection." he answered carefully. He wasn't about to completely sign himself off from this, regardless of the confidence - or lack thereof - he felt at the moment.

[Tysyacha]

"Very well. Who else is here?" continued my Lady, glancing at the crowd in the room and then toward me. I quickly wrote (or rather scribbled) each Master's name down on a pad of high-quality paper, thick and specifically milled for official documents:

 

"Master Bennok, Human male, is hereby present."

 

"Master Candrith, Human female--present."

 

"Ut gik oogle plat gurk ik." Quarren male. Master Zaquesh, if I recalled correctly!

 

The list continued, and I struggled to keep up. Who knew the Order had so many Masters already?

[Darth Kalverys]

Jasper slipped into the room, using the stealth generator equipped at his waist... but he stayed by the door, in case he needed to slip out quickly.

 

What the- how many masters are there in the Order? Jasper asked himself. And since when is the Council so huge? The archives show of no more than 9 ever on the Council... or at least, no more than 9 ever attended a meeting, but it looks like there are more than 20 in the room. Man, I would hate to be stuck over there with them... I'd be discovered. Looks like a bit of a tight squeeze in here...

 

Jasper looked at Itreya's face and then at her hands, which were furiously scribbling all over the page. Jasper stifled a laugh, to prevent the masters of knowing that he was there. This outa be interesting. Jasper said to himself, smiling.

[Master_Archon]

Master Onuu walked swiftly down the corridors of the jedi enclave, he had just arrived back from a mission. He was unaware of his uncle's death, and he had just been told of the Council meeting, though he thought it was the indoctrination of the new master, which he had arrived for in the first place. He didn't comprehend the fact that it was to elect a new Grandmaster. Though he had a a grim look on his face, he had felt something through the force, like someone reaching into his body with great force and tearing an organ out. He knew something terrible had occurred, he just didn't know what.

 

Onuu looked around quizzically, many of the padawans and knights were giving him weird looks, many were that of pity, and sorrow, some were even distraught, and angry. What was going on?

 

Two highly seasoned Jedi Knights stood at the Council Chamber doors, which were securely closed. Around in the hall it was empty except for the Royal Guards, who stood more motionless than statues.

 

"No one is allowed into the Council Chambers at the moment," one of the knights piped up as Onuu approached.

 

"I have business Jedi Knight Kaviss," Onuu said very forcefully, speaking the name of the knight who had spoken. And almost as if the man had just received his sight he recognized Onuu, "a thousand pardons master, I didn't realize it was you, please enter."

 

Onuu stepped forward and began to enter but was stopped by Jedi Knight Kaviss. "I'm so sorry for you Master Onuu, I wish you the best, I know it must be hard on you," the knight said with a great weight of sorrow in his voice.

 

Onuu gave him a funny, but confused look, "Uh, sure, making decisions like these are real tough." Onuu didn't quite realize the actual situation going on behind the Council Room doors. Onuu entered regardless, and paused as a huge wave of emotions hit him, yet, more or less, they were all the same one, grief.

 

Many of the masters looked at him, and almost all of them gave him the same looks he had been receiving from everyone else. He could only guess it was because of his attire, he wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion after all. He was wearing high leather boots his baggy tan colored pants had the pant-legs tucked into the them. He had a grey shoulder cloak which covered most of his left side as it came down from a small metal pauldron that was etched with many designs. His chest was covered with an iron-like metal material that had brown and red splotches all over it, giving it the appeal of rusting armor. Running diagonally across this was a bandoleer belt that came from his left shoulder pauldron, and connected to his brown leathery belt which had his lightsaber and powerpack visibly protruding from it. On top of all of this he wore a large, old, and rustic collared fur "cape", which looked like it belonged in a museum.

 

But that was only the half of it, he was hardly clean after all. His clothes were caked and padded with everything: Dirt, mud, dust, sand, food stains, and above all, blood stains, which were on every inch of his garments, as if he'd just gotten back from slaughtering a horde of nerfs.

 

He did however feel great waves of burden and stress washing over him from everyone, and he didn't understand, especially because the strongest waves were rolling off of the Grandmistress, whom was usually the calmest in any situation. So obviously this baffled him.

 

Onuu looked around for a moment, and then spoke, "Uh, sorry I'm late."

 

And that was all. With that he took his seat next to Senior Master 'Gravin' and waited quietly for the meeting to either proceed, or for someone to fill him in, or if worst came to worst, one or more of the masters giving him scrutiny.

[Tysyacha]

With the roll call finished, my Lady motioned for me to sit down, and I did so. She then turned to the throng before her, dozens of Masters upon Masters crowded into the Council Chamber like so many robe-clad gizka. Her gaze was tender yet sorrowful.

 

"I do not wish to rush this decision," she began, "and yet it almost seems as if I must. These 'Sith,' as they call themselves, the followers of the Dark Side of the Force, wait for no funeral to occur before they strike. If our latest intelligence reports are true, the day will soon arrive when their numbers are at least equal to ours. We will not let that stand. We will never...As for me, I'm all right, yet still shaken. My husband's death was sudden, though I believe I should have seen it coming. Severinus--had been ill for quite some time, and not in his right mind some days and moments. Our medics tried the best they could to heal him, along with myself and other Jedi, but our efforts were too weak. What was this disease he had? To this day, none of us know.

 

"Let us bow our heads in remembrance of our Grandmaster, the head of this sacred Order. Let us also recite the Jedi Code in honor of his leadership."

 

Slowly, we lowered our faces and shoulders and then called out in unison:

 

"There is no emotion; there is peace.

"There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

"There is no passion; there is serenity.

"There is no death; there is the Force."

 

As I said these words, I shuddered with sobs, biting my lip in order to keep silent. I believed this last part of the Code with all my heart; therefore, why was I so uneasy that the Force had not claimed him yet? Surely it would...

 

Once we lifted our eyes to the podium where my Mistress spoke, she said:

 

"My husband would have wished for Council business, and the daily routines of the Jedi, to continue as soon as possible after his passing. Having said so, his funeral pyre shall be lit tomorrow at dusk. Remember to wear your grey robes and cloaks for this solemn occasion, and for three days afterward. Then there will be an induction of our new Grandmaster--and a wedding!"

 

I saw the Lady smile, and even though it was through tears, it was genuine.

 

"We have gathered to decide this very subject: who will lead our Order now? All Masters of the Jedi may cast votes and put forward nominations. I thusly nominate--not myself, for I know I'm not fit to take Severinus' place--the Jedi Master Gravinustus, for his most disciplined and exemplary leadership of Padawans and Knights alike. He is my choice for Grandmaster. Who is yours?"

 

Master Candrith spoke next. "Master Dinadan, for his prowess in combat."

 

"I nominate Candrith," said another, "for her deep knowledge of the Force."

 

The Quarren--after a translator interpreted his speech--nominated Zhar.

 

Someone said--and I forget who, for he blurted it out--"I vote Travestnie. Let us see how this new Master leads us, for his reputation precedes him!"

 

Sniffs and uncomfortable coughs followed. My. This was a development...

[ForceFightWMe12]

It was a tennis match, it seemed - from one face to another, his gaze bounced without settling for hardly more than a moment. Sitting back in his chair, he steepled his fingers, looking over his gloved hands at the rest of the Masters present. Nominations of men and women that he had only ever heard stories of, only one or two of them that he actually had met face-to-face. He had become acquainted with Master Gravin before he had left the Temple all those years ago - but beyond that, he knew very little about him, other than what he had gathered from the tales of others. Stories of each name, perhaps a face, but little more...

 

Such was the speed of each announcement that, when he heard his name shouted from the rabble, he could not find the speaker. His head snapped almost instantly in that direction - and yet, Jason could find no source. He set his teeth slightly, expecting an almost immediate negation...but none came. The room fell silent, with almost every person's eyes on him. They were...waiting on him, then?

 

Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, and shook his head. "I can't accept that nomination." he said, flatly and quickly. "Perhaps I've shown myself worthy of the title of Master - but there is still much for me to do and learn. I can't possibly find myself to be ready to take on such a position as the Grandmaster." A quick decision, a flight of words that he hadn't given full thought about - but as he sat back in his chair, his eyes flicking first to the Lady's and then to Gravin's, he said, "And that being said...I second the nomination for Master Gravinustus."

[Tysyacha]

"Very well, then," replied my Lady, not averting her gaze from Knight Travestnie for one single moment. It struck me how liquid-blue her eyes were, how transparent and yet how opaque. Was she disappointed in him? Proud? Neutral? I couldn't tell.

 

"As it stands right now, the nomination for Master Gravinustus has been moved and seconded. There are also votes for Master Candrith, Master Zhar, Master Dinadan, Master Uther, and Master Ondaga. However, none of the others have received an official seconding. Has everyone cast their vote, Itreya?" she asked me. I nodded.

 

"Is there anyone who would like to speak before the nomination is final?" she queried.

[Darth Kalverys]

"Not that my opinion matters in this, but... I agree with Jason." Jasper said, deactivating his stealth belt. "Although... I do have to say that I would find it quite amusing if Jason were to be the elected leader."

 

Jason walked to the mistress.

 

"Mistress... please forgive me for eavesdropping on your meeting, but I was quite curious as to how this would turn out... plus, you let Itreya in. And I promised that I would always be there for her." Jasper said, glancing over at the other knight. "My actions at breakfast were only to see if Master Gavin would be that of the popular vote... until now, I wasn't completely sure he could do the job. With two masters wanting Gavin, I see now that it could be that he would make a great leader. As I have already stated, my opinion matters little in this, but... I have always been one to voice my opinions, wether they are heard or not. But should it matter, I would ask that we vote for Gavin... he has proven his worth."

 

Jasper bowed slightly towards the mistress. "I am sorry for intruding, and I will leave... unless you want to punish me."

[RobQel-Droma]

Camevon drew his breath in sharply. What was that? He scowled. Jasper was a fool - always wanting to make grand entrances to scenes, even in the middle of council meetings. No discretion. Who asked his opnion anyway? Jason would have made as good a Grandmaster as any.

 

Regaining his composure, he leaned back, his hands still on the door that he just had his ear to. He forced his mind back to the issue at hand. They had nominated his Master.... and he had not accepted. What are you doing? You could be the next Grandmaster.

 

He gritted his teeth remembering the last few words. "And that being said...I second the nomination for Master Gravinustus." There it was. Travestnie was giving his nomination away, just to support Gravin. Though he struggled, Camevon could not for the life of him understand his Master's refusal.

 

Cam reached out with the force, trying to pinpoint that voice that had shouted his Master's name. Nothing. He dared not exert his energy any further without alerting those inside to his eavesdropping. It's done, then. Now, there will be nothing to stop Gravin from becoming the new Master.

 

Fool! He almost shouted, feeling the frustration build unexpectedly. Why refuse the nomination? Cam felt unnerved at the sudden loss of control inside him.

[Tysyacha]

I saw my Lady stumble backward one step and catch her breath. "Goodness! You've given me quite a fright, Knight Vontrapar, and I would appreciate it if next time you would ask before attempting something such as this. Stealth is a skill that is best applied in serving the Jedi, not in eavesdropping upon them," she announced. "This is not only a breach of rank, but a matter of breaching security as well. However, I do understand your reasoning for doing so, and thus your punishment shall be a light one.

 

"You shall test your combat skills against Master Gravinustus after this meeting is concluded, whether or not he is voted into a new title and position. The sparring duel shall take place in this very Chamber. All of us shall watch and critique your skills. If you are found wanting or weak in some area, then Gravinustus shall remedy this."

 

I gasped. Not that I believed Jasper couldn't handle himself, but as for "Gravin"...

 

"Do you accept this punishment, this gauntlet which I have thrown down for you?"

[Darth Kalverys]

"I do Mistress." Jasper said. "However... I am dressed poorly, plus I am sopping wet from helping Itreya... if you would allow, I would like to change into a new clean set of robes."

 

Jasper bowed again to the Mistress, then turned to Gavin.

 

"I look forward to sparring with you..." Jasper said, then he turned to Itreya.

 

"What's wrong?" He asked.

[Tysyacha]

"I--I didn't know you were in here," I stammered quickly, blushing again. "I seem to have forgotten the words to say when I...see...something that disquiets me. Jasper--he will own you. Gravinustus is no fool, and neither is he a runt in combat. Even when he spars, I hear he pursues his opponent with a single-minded focus that neither inner nor outer distractions can disrupt. Ask for another punishment. I wish--I don't wish to see you disgraced." I looked down at my folded hands. "You're too good."

 

Had I really said that? Yes, I had, and I glanced around at the other Masters, whose mouths were agape. Most of them looked puzzled or shocked, although a few were angry. "What the Force?!" cried one, a Master Uther, who'd been nominated. "My noble Grandmistress, my Lady! Since when do we deal with such disrespect for rank and knowledge by sparring duels? Such whelps have been demoted in past years!"

 

"Make him a Padawan," suggested Candrith. "It's not as harsh as what we could do."

 

"Oh, come now!" scoffed Master Zhar, a young Twi-lek, perhaps a bit too young to have attained such a high rank so early. "Let the two duel, and if Gravinustus wins, then let him decide what he'll do to the upstart. I want to see how well they spar."

 

"Gravinustus?" asked my Mistress. "What say you? Will you duel Knight Vontrapar? Let us not act in anger or in a spirit of punishment, but a desire to learn and teach. We are Jedi, after all, not warring Mandalorian raiders intent on settling a petty grudge."

[Darth Kalverys]

"Demote me?" Jasper asked. "That is the most insulting punishment... I'd just as soon leave the Order and be a rouge. If master Gravinustus wishes to duel me, then afterwards, I challenge you to duel... if he doesn't wish, then let it begin immeadiately."

 

Jasper turned to Itreya. "Don't worry about me... I'm not as easily as defeated as some of these people think. The worst that will happen is that I'll leave the Order... but don't worry about that. I wouldn't think that someone that was nominated for Grandmaster would demote me... I think he would be rather... annoyed at another Jedi telling him what to do." Jasper smiled and his eyes glowed gold. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, but I WANT to do this... I've wanted to spar against him ever since I was a padawan. I have a few tricks up my sleeve..."

[RobQel-Droma]

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve..." Cam laughed. Yea, I'm sure you do. Maybe you could really learn something from this, Jasper, like she said. Maybe not to be such an arrogant little....

 

Camevon wasn't exactly sure why he had so much disdain for him. He loathed the other's seeming arrogance - for that was what he considered it to be, just arrogance and feeling of superiority. While some part of him supposed that he might be slightly harsh in his judgment, and that Jasper might not actually be the kind of person he thought he was, Cam still disliked him. He saw the recent scene as merely another show of Jasper's arrogance and attention-grabbing.

 

A blinding pain entered his forehead and he gasped, shuffling away from the door so that he would not be heard. Rubbing his head, and trying to soothe the pain with the aid of the Force, he opened his eyes, seeing little black spots swim in his vision. After the few moments of incredible pain subsided, shook his head, and steadied himself.

 

Cam sighed in relief as the pain went away. Not the first time, he told himself. This had happened before, and he was not unduly worried. Cam remembered the pain when he had experienced it as a young child, still growing up, away from the Jedi Order. Absently he wondered if it was some kind of head injury he had received that caused the headaches, or if he had some kind of disorder.

 

At the moment, he didn't really care. The pain forgotten, Cam almost smiled as he remembered when the Jedi had first found him. His past was never something he wanted to overly dwell on, but there were always those times when it came rushing back to him. They had come, he had been found force-sensitive, and they had taken him. Away from the oppression, away from the small dirty town that he had been born in, away from arrogant and corrupt leaders.... away from his family.

 

At first, Cam had felt a feeling of excitement unrivaled by any that he had previously felt. And what had there been to be happy about in that small village? Finding enough food to survive for another day? Hearing the machinations of the greedy to strip all they could from the struggling farmers just to get as much money as they could?

 

And, after a while, the excitement had faded. He was very strong in the force, almost immediately taken by one of the Masters. He was proud of that. And yet, Cam still felt lost. Even here, even in the Order, even after the Grandmaster died, he still felt petty jealousy and arrogance.

 

Or was he wrong? Was he merely feeling emotions that were not there? Cam realized that he could be wrong, but... the Force was giving him these feelings. If he didn't trust the Force, then.... Cam shook his head. He was second-guessing himself. The only thing he could rely on was the Force. Even more than any of the Masters here, even more than his own Master.

 

For some reason, he felt closer to the Force than any other person alive. He couldn't bring himself to become truly one of them. Cam couldn't recall ever "liking" someone. All he remembered was respect, or no respect. Perhaps his Master. But then again, that could just be that he had so much respect for his Master he mistook it for friendship. Because all he respected was his power and their wisdom - as a person, he hardly knew him.

 

It doesn't matter. As long as I find the path I'm supposed to take, I won't be lost anymore. And with that resolution, Cam returned to the door to listen more intently.

[steven]

"For having such a great and wise mind of a Jedi Knight, you sure don't seem to like being left out of the loop at all, do you?" Asked a voice which used small strange muffled and mechanical tone. Turning around would show the voice belonged to Mike. Beneath his mask, the Nautolan smiled at the sight of the Jedi Knight's ease dropping. Mike knew little about Camevon, expect of his rank and that he was the apprentice of Jedi Master Jason Travestnie, something Mike envied him for. Not because who his master was, but because he had a personal master to train him. Mike on the other hand was trained by everybody and nobody. During his time in the temple, he had only learned the Jedi way through group training sessions, holocons and practice.

 

"So have they had made an overall decision?" Mike asked stepping forward, following the knight's example and giving in to his curiosity.

[Rexraptor2000]

Gravin’s demeanor had not so much as shifted an inch since the beginning of this meeting, and one could begin to wonder whether or not it could change. This was reinforced by when he spoke, for his tone held none of anger or surprise, but just calculation and observance.

 

“Though it would suit us better off to demote the Knight Vontrapar, considering the premature age at which he appears to have been promoted to his standing, I will spar with him.” Gravin replied and then motioned to the Council with his hand. “But first we must deal with the current matter at hand.”

[Master_Archon]

Onuu was in utter shock, his uncle was dead! Like that he was gone, and nobody felt the need to tell him. Half the people in the room knew he had been on a surveillance mission gathering Intel on the sith, and that he had no way of communicating, no way of receiving a transmission to tell him of his uncle's death. Yet they acted like he was supposed to know, and just unashamedly vote for a new Grandmaster like it was no big deal, they acted like he, Onuu, didn't care, like he didn't matter all because he wasn't related to the Grandmaster through blood.

 

Then again, since his uncle had no son, he himself was supposed to be next to be Grandmaster, ((Sorry for saying this, but that's true, in Arthurian legend, Gawain was next in line for the throne, but he never took it up though. )) but he would feel absolutely horrible if he accepted that role. Senior Master Gravin was the oldest Master in the order, or so he recalled, he was the deserving one. But with his mind in such a shock from the sudden news, Onuu wasn't thinking clearly, he didn't want things to change, he didn't want anyone taking his uncle's place. And most of all he felt appalled, and absolutely ashamed of the Masters as they squabbled over who would be next in line for Grandmaster, had they forgotten he was in the room?

 

In Onuu's eyes they had degraded themselves lower than even the sith, they were dishonorable, degenerate fools, and they soiled his uncle's honor and memory by even holding this meeting. Onuu stood, many Masters grew quiet, he simply began walking towards the door.

 

"Master Onuu, are you alright? You haven't cast a vote yet," one of the masters spoke out to him.

 

"I'm not going to," he replied solemnly. "I'm ashamed to even call myself a Jedi, let alone a Master right now with all of you disrespecting my uncle," he told them, the Masters whispered to themselves as he said this.

 

"We haven't disrespected him, we honor him, and hold him in our hearts as we discuss who shall succeed him," said another Master.

 

"That's it! You shouldn't be discussing it, it should have been known and decided the moment my Uncle died who would succeed him. You show a great lack of faith in the Force and it's will," Onuu retorted rather calmly, but accusingly. "And Knights," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Jasper. "Should not question the decisions of their betters," he said, still his voice calm, but there was a threatening undertone. It seemed Onuu had already figured out that Jasper had been smart mouthing the Masters and their decisions since the Grandmaster's death.

 

"You may all think I am acting out rashly, and like a child I throw a tantrum at the knowledge of my uncle's death. But I say no. I am acting as I acted so many years ago when I met the challenge of the Strange Force Wielder who shamed and dishonored my Uncle in his very presence. If it weren't for the fact that you are all of the Jedi Order, I would challenge you all, just as I challenged that man, who's title only I know," he told them.

 

"You should all feel ashamed, especially for putting forward Jedi Knight Travestnie as a candidate. He denounced himself, and I agree with him, he has neither the full skill, nor wisdom to deal with the position of Grandmaster. I don't say this to degrade his honor and skill as a Jedi, on the contrary, I feel he is very deserving of the position of Master, but to put him so readily forward as Grandmaster was just pure ignorance and stupidity, and whoever did nominate him should feel the greatest shame of all," Onuu said to the quieted congregation of people.

 

"I had no intension of preaching to you all, so I must take my leave before I shame myself further," he said, walking slowly towards the doors. "But if you must have my vote," he said, his hand on the door. "Then I nominate, myself," he spoke in a neutral tone.

 

The masters gasped and began mumbling and whispering amongst themselves with great shock, as if it were the greatest sin in the world to promote one self's own position, as if he were being selfish. In all truths this was to the contrary, he was after all, the Jedi of Purity, he did not believe in the selfish promotion of one's own power and position, he only did this to honor his uncle, by stirring the masters to action, as words would get them nowhere. And as all these events occurred, Onuu only stared at Master Gravin, who sat quietly, observing the situation. Master Onuu held more respect for Master Gravin than anyone else, as he was a respectful person in his own right. He knew that he would win the nomination to Grandmaster, this situation would only help that fact, and he would gladly serve Gravin.

 

He gave Gravin a small nod, and turned to leave, only to pause again to look at his Aunt, the Grandmistress. He gave her a long hard, and sorrowful stare, before he shook his head as if to say that he was ashamed of her the most. And then he left. He wished Senior Master Gravin the best, and if by some miracle of the force he himself was voted to become Grandmaster, he would readily decline and give the position over to Senior Master Gravin.

 

As he closed the door behind him, Onuu realized that the two seasoned knights were gone, and that they had been replaced by a curious juvenile knight, and a padawan. He stared at each one quietly, his face blank. He moved past them without a word.

 

He paused, "don't get caught." He said to them in a quiet and sad voice, moving off towards the Youngling Quarters, where he could drown out his sorrows in the innocent joy of the children, they were after all, the wisest of all people.

 

((Slow down Tysy, I can't keep up!))

[Tysyacha]

The silence that followed engulfed the room, wrapping us in a funeral shroud. The shroud, however, was not for the Grandmaster, but for all of us in the Jedi Order. Master Onuu's words had rung so true that no one stood to speak--or dared to breathe. We were all to blame for this dishonor of our leader and his sacred memory. How had we succumbed to bickering and powermongering so soon after his death?

 

"It is I who shoulder the greatest responsibility," said my Lady, the Grandmistress. "I should have trusted in the words of my husband's Page and nominated Gravinustus immediately. The Force works in mysterious ways, and through holding this meeting, I've shown a supreme lack of trust in its will. Master Onuu is correct in that we have behaved in a manner worthy of Mandalorian raiders, not Jedi Knights and Masters. Thus, I shall bring this Conclave to a close in short order. No other outcome will do.

 

"The nomination of Master Gravinustus to take my husband's place has been formally moved and seconded. No other Jedi Master has received a seconding of his or her candidacy. Does anyone else wish to do so?" She raised a thin eyebrow. More silence. I couldn't tell whether we were silent from shame or if we had nothing more to say.

 

"Then, in Severinus' name and that of the previous Grandmasters of the Jedi Order--and especially in the name of the Force--I hereby proclaim Master Gravinustus, known as Gravin, as Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Go in peace, and may the Force be with you." She lowered her head and hands, looking very much like an aging widow.

 

"Mistress?" I asked, timidly stepping to her side. I lay my hand upon her upper back, and I noticed that even though she was trying to hide it the best she could, she was trembling. I felt the weight of sorrow pressing on her spine, threatening to crush it.

 

"Stand down, Itreya," she said sadly. "If you wish to watch the duel, then you may do so, but as for me, all I will say is that I hope the discipline and respect we all share--or shared--will soon return. Go and see Onuu when you can. I'd like to hear his preliminary report on the Sith, although he may be insulted that I didn't come myself."

 

"Very well, my Lady. As you wish," I replied, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. "I don't know if Onuu knows me, my being your humble servant, but I am a Knight as well. I serve the Force as well as all of us and need to hear such news."

 

"The duel, the duel!" she cried, her head jerking upward suddenly as if out of a trance. Several Jedi Masters, most of them in fact, were clearing out of the Council Chamber, forgetting they would watch and assess the skills of the Knight in question. "Knight Vontrapar, if you are ready, you may take position on one side of the circle, and Master--Grandmaster Gravinustus--will take the other. Itreya? What say you?"

 

"I will watch if the combatants wish it," I answered sadly, "but I would fain (rather) see Master Onuu as soon as possible. Jasper? I am ashamed of what we all have done. My advice to you is to stand down, for my sake and that of all of us. Would Grandmaster Severinus have wanted a sparring duel to take place on the very evening of his death? I think not. I'm sorry--I'm just so--why, why did he have to leave us?"

 

"Excuse me," said the understated voice of the Padawan Page who had announced the dire news that had unsettled us all at breakfast. "My lady Linieva? It seems...it seems that your husband's body has not yet become one with the Force. I am sorry."

 

This time, my Mistress did not care if she hid her tears or not, and summarily wept.

 

I bit my lip. What would Jasper do, and Master--Grandmaster--Gravinustus?

[Tysyacha]

(Please don't let this die! It's getting really interesting!!! )

[RobQel-Droma]

Even though Camevon never was good for social interaction, he welcomed the chance to talk to someone. "Quite a bit has happened," he responded quietly. Mike joined his side at the door. "Onuu just came in extremely angry and berated everyone for even daring to nominate my Master Jason, if I heard him right." Cam scowled. "Then the arrogant little schutta nominated himself."

 

To be truthful with himself, Cam realized that he really had never met Onuu before this instance, and it might be a bit selfish to judge him so soon, but.... Onuu had irritated him with his remarks toward Jason. And he had become irritated even more with the apparent arrogance that had, yet again, reared it's ugly head.

 

"But, it seems that they've finally nominated Gravin. And, for his first act as Grandmaster, he's going to start by dueling Jasper." He smiled grimly at Mike.

[Master_Archon]

Master Onuu sat on a bench, his smile was small, but full of warmth as little younglings clambered around him, trying their best to catch his eye and grab his attention.

 

"Masta On', Masta On', looky here, looky, looky!" Said one overly excited Twi-Lek child, as he attempted to balance on a window ledge, which was fortunately low to the ground, which meant Onuu had little worry about the young one hurting himself.

 

"That's good little one," Onuu praised the child, who smiled the biggest smile he could, as he was proud of the Master's praise. "Okay everyone, time to show Ol' Master On' how much you've improved since he was gone," he said to them.

 

They squeeled with excitement at this opportunity to impress the Master, though in most cases they wouldn't have liked to do such a thing, Master Onuu, or Masta On' as the little ones had dubbed him, was one of the few people they enjoyed practicing and training with, as he made everything fun for them.

 

Onuu smiled to himself, and chuckled as the younglings shuffled around aimlessly trying to figure out their positions. But his smile faded as his thoughts ventured elsewhere. He was thinking of the meeting, had he really done the right thing? And was his uncle really gone? If so, why did he have to go? Onuu was very sad, and very weary. Onuu leaned back and gave a sigh, aimlessly fiddling with the folds of his auburn robes with crimson trim, which he had changed into before going to see the youngling, as blood soaked garments were not the best thing to speak to younglings in.

 

"Masta On'? Masta On'!" One of the younglings shouted, snapping Onuu from his trance. Onuu stared at the half-hazard formation of younglings as they stood with their little practice sabers, and their blinder helmets. Onuu laughed, "okay kids, let me help you there."

 

Master Onuu got up from the bench, and walked over to the children, and began herding them around into their proper places. 'I wonder if my Aunt will come and see me? She should after all that ruckuss in the Council Chamber,' he thought to himself as he ushered the young ones around.

[Tysyacha]

Silence. The weight of it oppressed me, far more than even the blazing words of Master Onuu had. Now there was to be a duel--sparring duel, but a duel nonetheless. What had this Order come to when we settled all our problems through lightsabers? Mayhap we had always been this way, and I had been too naive to realize it before.

 

"Itreya, I tire of this," said the Grandmistress, seeing that neither Master Gravinustus nor Knight Vontrapar had made a move to begin sparring. "I wish to hear the report from Master Onuu about the Sith, and I feel my talents would be better served there. As for you, keep an eye on things, and I shall communicate to you through the Force. We have a keen connection, you and I, a bond of friendship and apprenticeship. I shall sense your alarm if this sparring duel becomes more than that." She turned to leave.

 

"My Lady has spoken," I said as I brandished my dvukhplanochniy, my double-bladed lightsaber. Its silver beams split the air with a quick whiff of ozone and chill. "If this duel turns into more than a test of skill, I shall be forced to intervene with mine."

 

Ah! Nephew--it is good to see you again. The Grandmistress' thoughts spoke. Please forgive me for that outrage of a Council meeting, which disgraced the memory of my husband and your uncle. I've left my servant in charge of the farce that is to take place between Grandmaster Gravinustus and Knight Jasper Vontrapar. Hopefully, this will teach them all a lesson in humility, for they would dare not harm each other. As for me, I wish to hear your intelligence report on the Sith. What are their plans?