Chapter 13: The Jedi Council

Luke Skywalker stood before the eleven Jedi Masters, the last words of his story reverberating through the great chamber. For a long moment, there was silence as the masters sat in contemplation. Luke scanned the circle; except for Master Rancisis, Master Junda, and Master Kcaj, Luke had taken a part in training all of them. About a third of the masters had survived the massacre at the end of the Clone Wars, and some of them had grown up under Imperial rule. All of them had made tremendous progress here on Yavin-4, and all had shown mastery of the Force.

Yet as Luke observed the masters in contemplation of his story, he began to feel fear at their capacity to meet this new threat. Masters Rancisis and Kcaj were both elderly, and their duties were educational. When not teaching Padawans, they archived their collective knowledge to support a small, but growing library of Jedi lore. The younger masters might not have achieved that rank during the height of the Republic due to more stringent tests, and there were times when either their physical skills or their discipline were wanting. They all had Padawans, and for a long time, Luke had taken an active role in supporting each master in training their pupils.

Master Melso, a younger Master who had seen his planet devastated under Imperial rule and his parents hunted down by Darth Vader was the first to speak. His clear, forceful voice echoed through the chamber as he asked, "And what of Ben Solo?"

Luke turned to Master Melso and replied mildly, "He recovers on Coruscant. He has received a prosthetic hand and will soon be fully recovered."

"You misunderstand, Master Skywalker," corrected Master Melso. "I mean to say, Ben Solo volunteered to mentor the Padawan Kira."

"Yes," Luke replied, feeling apprehensive about where Melso might be going with this.

"And that Padawan nearly killed Master Rancisis during the trials when she succumbed to the Dark Side of the Force," he continued, an edge to his voice.

"Master Melso, we concurred on this point: if a Jedi uses the Dark Side of the Force, it is a cause for meditation and guidance; it does not mean they have succumbed," corrected Master Junda, a scarred, female human Jedi who had been among the first Jedi that Luke had found following the Emperor's downfall.

"And if the girl was on Xarthax fighting an alien Force user, she would not have been devoting much time to meditation, would she?" replied Melso, something hard lurking below his calm visage.

"I'm afraid I must concur with Master Melso," responded Master Rancisis in his wheezing, rattling voice. "Ben Solo was tasked with guiding her through her meditations to bring her back to the right path. Master Skywalker, I have made my feelings clear on attachments. Ben Solo acted on his attachments, endangering himself and his Padawan."

Luke had been worried it would come to this. He had presented compelling evidence that a powerful, Force-sensitive being had appeared on Xarthax and had nearly killed a fully trained Jedi and his apprentice. The available evidence from Jax suggested that a vast, but hidden armada of ships and a fully equipped army posed a significant danger to the peace established by the New Republic. And yet, here the older masters were resurrecting a debate about attachment that Luke Skywalker had forcefully put to rest years ago. Luke suspected that, in his long absence, Master Rancisis and Master Kcaj had begun to pontificate on abandoning attachment, and as Luke scanned the faces of the assembled Masters, he could see the division crystallizing. Half of the Masters appeared concerned and uncomfortable at Master Rancisis directly contradicting Skywalker. The other half seemed to approve. It was a rift that had long troubled him, causing him to seek counsel with Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin.

"I have made my feelings quite clear on the matter, Master Rancisis." Luke was calm, but there was a hint of finality in his voice. He was content to debate Master Rancisis privately on the subject, but it was clear that the old Master had become more vocal and critical in his absence. "This council is here to debate action on the emergence of unknown Dark Side wielders. We are not here to rehash old arguments."

"And what have the Departed Masters had to say of this?" Master Kcaj interjected.

"Master Kenobi was present. He guided Jax through the city and to the Millennium Falcon. He gave him rudimentary guidance on the Force, as he often does with new foundlings," Luke explained.

"But where is Master Kenobi now?" countered Master Melso.

Master Junda took it in turn to intercede on Luke's behalf, "I second what Master Skywalker has said. We must deliberate on what action we are to take."

Master Rancisis responded again, "Action? What is there to act on? Ben Solo and Kira encountered a creature and defeated it. We have the word of Master Skywalker that there is more to come. But where shall we look? Whom shall we send?" Master Rancisis paused to allow his words to sink in, then he continued, "I am afraid that, until more comes to light, there is no action to be taken."

Master Kcaj, another challenging holdover from the Old Republic Order, added, "And Master Luke, you still have not explained your absences from the Council. Much has occurred in your stead. We wish to know what you have been doing."

"As I explained before," Luke responded, fighting to keep the irritation from his voice, "I have long sensed the Dark Side growing. I remind the Council that many of you have felt it as well. I have been seeking out answers and clues, although I have often found only more questions. I am not prepared at this moment to share what discoveries I have made. This issue is of more concern."

"Then we must put it to a vote," declared Master Junda. "For those in favor of investigating this matter more deeply, say 'aye.'"

Luke counted only four ayes.

Master Melso spoke next, a hint of triumph in his eyes and voice, "There you have it, Master Skywalker. The council does not have time to investigate mysteries when it has needs to attend to in the present moment – including the matter of your nephew's recklessness with his Padawan. I expect their immediate return to account for their actions."

Inwardly, Luke sighed. The Order he and Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin had worked so hard to reforge had now devolved, in his absence, to an indecisive body fractured along dogmatic lines and unwilling to risk further action without more certainty. This was not the vision of the Jedi Order he had imagined when he set out to be true to Yoda's urging to pass on what he had learned. Some of the Jedi had accepted what he had learned – the value of friendship, the power of love, the potential for redemption. Other Jedi had maintained an ancient dogma that he, and only he among the council, understood to have tragic consequences. Many times, he sat awake late into the night discussing with his father the choices leading to his fall to the Dark Side, and every time the conclusion was the same: had the Jedi not forbidden his attachments, they would not have been a secret, and Anakin Skywalker might have retained his trust in the Council and therefore remained a Jedi.

Yet, here Luke stood, harboring his own secrets from the council while reaping the harvest of mistrust. As Yoda occasionally reminded him, he clearly had much to learn.

Luke cleared his throat and then spoke to the Council, "Very well. The Council has spoken." And then, scanning the room and making eye contact with each Master, he continued, "But I warn you not to underestimate the danger. Ben and Kira are skilled Jedi, and they were nearly killed. If more of these creatures exist, we may find ourselves pressed beyond our capability if we do not prepare. I, for one, am not going to rest with the Council's inaction. I will continue my seeking, and I will report back to the Council with what I uncover.

Sparing the recalcitrant members of the Council one last, uncertain, apprehensive glance, Luke swept from the room.

***

Kit had returned to her old office in the Intelligence center to begin preparations for their scouting mission to uncover the location and extent of the Order of Ren's forces. While waiting for Secretary Nadine's orders to go through, she poured over backlogged reports that came through between her trip from Coruscant to Xarthax and back. The conditions had worsened on Savareen, and now the neighboring planets were refusing to harbor the refugees. This morning she had read the proclamation that the Chancellor was inviting the refugees from Savareen, Batuu, and Jeddha to Coruscant, where they would be housed in abandoned buildings on the planet's southern hemisphere. Kit knew the decision was made to maintain the support on the Constitutional vote from the planets involved, especially Hosnian Prime, which had the political clout to sway dozens of systems one way or the other. But Kit winced as she read the reports of widespread protest spreading through the streets at the introduction of the refugees.

Coruscant had struggled with poverty in its massive working class for decades, and this class was seldom shy about making their voices heard after their role in overthrowing the Imperial government after Endor. Kit knew that the new Constitution would go a long way toward mitigating the issues affecting the working classes, namely the corruption of local and regional governments, but there had been a steady stream of disinformation, much of it originating from the Kuati Senator's coalition of business interests, which had many of the lower classes believing that Leia had betrayed them. Many on Coruscant had begun to perceive Leia as prioritizing even poorer people from backwards worlds. The working class saw this as a red line, spurring mass protests outside the Senate gates.

The intensity of the protests had increased exponentially since the announcement, and Kit knew that it must have pained Leia to risk fighting in the streets to enact the Constitution. As Kit looked over the news, her comm pinged. Excitement rose in her as she registered that Niven, a biologist who occasionally did forensics work for intelligence, was here to share his findings on the samples she collected from the dead Acronemsis. She reached for the comm, and said, "Come on up, Niven."

A minute later, the disheveled Rodian entered the room. He dropped a chart on top of the cluttered pile of papers and data pads, then sat down in the chair opposite her desk. Through his translator, the Rodian explained, "The specimen you shared is not a known species in this galaxy. Its molecular composition is unlike anything I've ever seen. It appears highly acidic, and its blood has a high percentage of sulfuric acid. I suspect the sulfur functions similarly to how oxygen functions in most sentient species."

Something about the term sulfuric acid rang a bell for Kit. She shuffled her papers and data pads around but did not find what she was looking for. She switched to her computer screen, then pulled up a report. She scanned the report, then asked Niven, "Hey, what was the final breakdown on the atmospheric shift on Rakata Prime?"

Niven cycled through his own data pad, then responded, "Oxygen content decreased to negligible levels. CO2 up. Nitrogen way up. Sulfur rose to levels equivalent to previous oxygen content. Other trace gases…"

Suspicion rose in Kit, and she interrupted "And the creature we killed on Xarthax – based on your data, how would you expect that creature to survive on a planet with Rakata Prime's current atmosphere?"

Niven smiled, and answered jovially, "Oh, it would thrive!"

"And the last team that went to investigate on Rakata Prime? What did they find?" Kit asked, feeling her anxiety rise.

Niven's smile faded instantly. "Lost. No signal. No report. No survivors. My cousin was on board."

"I'm sorry, Niven," Kit said before her mind shifted back to trying to make sense of this information. The pieces, which had long been scattered, ill-fitting, confusing, and maddening, were suddenly fitting into place. She stood up and walked toward the door, leaving Niven surprised in his state of sadness over his cousin.

"Where are you going?" Niven asked, alarmed.

"I gotta go find Jax," she replied as she rushed out the door.