Green Jedi Enclave, Coronet City
Corellia
As a small fighter entered Corellia's atmosphere, an elderly man within the Jedi Enclave paused as he was just about to take a sip of herbal tea. Glancing in the direction of the ship, though it had already faded out of sight, the man dryly chuckled to himself before standing up and casually checking the area around him, ensuring nothing was unclean or out of place. Just as he had finished his brief inspection his gaze was once again drawn skywards to another fighter that was no doubt touching down nearby, even though once again he could not make out any details.
The Force was certainly eager to guide him, it seemed, but there were only so many details it was willing to give. Ah well. If he knew any more than that it would take any enjoyment out of the future conversations he was about to have. Having finished his inspection the man calmly strode over to the room's intercom and pressed a button on it, awaiting a response.
"Lord Cerulian," a firm and authoritative voice came over the line.
"How may I assist you today?"
"We are about to have two visitors," Cerulian replied. "They should be Jedi of some persuasion if my instincts are correct." Which they often were, but still. "They should be here within an hour or so, please ensure they are escorted to my chambers once they arrive."
"...I respect your judgement, Lord Cerulian, but I feel as though I must point out that these visitors haven't been vetted in the slightest-"
"Calm yourself. I suspect once they arrive their mere appearance alone will be enough proof of goodwill."
While he did not hear it, Ceruilan was well aware that the voice on the other end was sighing deeply, and smiled slightly.
"Very well, Lord..."
With that out of the way, Cerulian ended the call and moved to brew up a new kettle of herbal tea. If he was going to have guests, not being able to provide proper hospitality would be unthinkable. As he did so though, his eyes narrowed slightly as he started to get a better sense of the first guest's presence in the Force. It was mighty, without question, but there was a palpable sense of darkness within it. And yet...somehow a sense of tranquility to some extent. Curious.
Having finished getting the tea in question ready, Cerulian gently picked up the kettle and cups and moved them to the center of the room, where there was a small mat on the floor beneath a table, with a singular cushion on one side and a trio on the other. Raising his eyebrow, Cerulian reached out with the Force and moved the third cushion off into a nearby storage area. Hardly necessary, but he did enjoy keeping up appearances given the chance.
Now ready for the reception, he poured a cup of tea for himself, and took a gentle sip of it. Just as he set down the cup the doors in front of him opened, admitting the first guest. Cerulian raised an eyebrow as he took in the unmistakable sight of Anakin Skywalker - as insular as the Corellian Jedi were, it would be hard to
not recognize a celebrated war hero like him. He was slightly nervous, but more due to not knowing what to expect from the meeting than anything else it seemed as he entered the room. Before Anakin could respond, Cerulian gestured towards one of the cushions, and with a small and slightly confused nod, Anakin sat down in one of them.
"Lord Cerulian-"
Cerulian held up a hand. "Questions can wait, young man. For now I suggest you take a drink first. It will help calm yourself...and I assure you that you will not find better tea in the galaxy." Without waiting for a response he poured a cup for Anakin and used the Force to move it over to him. As Anakin took the cup in his hands Cerulian cleared his throat slightly. "Do not drink it all at once. Slowly. Feel the warmth move through your body." Though Anakin looked slightly exasperated at this, he followed Cerulian's instructions, slowly drinking the tea - and the Master could tell that it was having the promised effect as Anakin's body visibly lost tension. "Now then, how may I help you today?"
"I...was looking for some advice," Anakin said, gently setting down the cup on the table. "I'd heard how the Corellian Jedi were willing to allow their members to marry, and..."
"Ah, I'm sorry young man, but I'm afraid that I am more of a Jedi Master, not a matchmaker." He smiled slightly. "Though if you are looking for companionship, I know that one of the Padawans here is quite-"
Anakin politely but firmly cleared his throat. "That wasn't what I needed advice on, Lord."
"Forgive me, I must have misunderstood," Cerulian said in a tone that indicated he clearly did not. "I take it this is less of a matter of finding a relationship, and more of a matter of maintaining one, yes?"
Anakin nodded firmly. "More than that even. There are probably better people who can help with relationship counseling, I'll admit...but I doubt most of them would have any advice about potentially falling to the Dark Side."
Cerulian's response was to take a sip of tea - and quickly cast his eyes towards Anakin's shadow, which seemed to be deeper than any light source present should have made it and didn't seem to quite match his appearance. "A grim topic," Cerulian said after finishing his sip, "though sadly one that does have to be addressed with people like us. That being said, what you are asking is rather broad. Perhaps a few more details would help me determine what kind of advice I could give."
Anakin went silent, visibly pondering his response before he spoke again. "I've been told again and again that attachments to others bring about emotions that lead to the Dark Side. Fear, that the people I care about could be hurt. Anger, towards things would try to harm them. Hate, towards people who would want to take them away from me." He took another sip of tea, visibly making sure he stayed calm. "I guess I'm just trying to figure out how to come to terms with all of that, since...I don't think those feelings are ever going to go away."
"They will not," Cerulian replied without hesitation. "What you have been told is true, and I will not patronize or mock you by claiming otherwise. However," he raised up a finger, "while those words are true, they are...let us call them an
incomplete truth. The bonds with people we love can give us courage, serenity, and hope."
"I know," Anakin replied, barely audible. "I don't doubt the good that can come from them. I'm just trying to figure out..." He trailed off, no longer able to find the words.
"Ah...now I'm beginning to understand what you are looking for," Cerulian said with a gentle smile. "This..." His pause became more noticeable before Anakin responded.
"Woman."
"You love, do you have faith in her?"
"Of course."
"You have faith that she can choose the best possible path for herself?"
"I do. But it's the path other people would choose for her that I doubt."
"So you would seek to control that for yourself, then?"
Anakin visibly winced as Cerulian asked that question, and his shadow seemed to move in place slightly. "N-no." Cerulian offered him another cup of tea, which he quickly drank, letting him calm his nerves slightly. "Thank you. I..." Anakin mulled over the question before he spoke again. "She's a Senator, Master Cerulian. Every time she so much as speaks, she puts herself in so much danger. I..." His face fell. "I want to protect her, but at the same time I know,
I know, that I could
easily go too far trying to do that."
"So the question you've really wanted to ask me is: 'where do I draw the line with the desire to protect the ones I love?'" Cerulian replies, taking another sip of tea. Anakin responded with a small nod, and Cerulian set down his cup. "I can see why you wanted to see a Master specifically then, that is certainly a difficult question to answer." He tilted his head slightly. "Hmm...I have
an answer in mind, though you will need to bear with me a bit. In your experience, how reliable has the Force been when it has shown you visions of the future?"
"...That's a bit of a difficult question for me to answer, Lord," Anakin replied as his shadow seemed to move in place once again. "At the very least, it's been fairly reliable when it's told me of oncoming danger."
"But never
completely reliable, yes? You've had to use your instincts and cunning to figure out
exactly what it is trying to tell you I assume?" Anakin nodded, now curious about where Cerulian was going with this. "The future, much as some would like to tell you otherwise, is an uncertain and ever-changing concept. We can predict our immediate futures to quite a reliable degree, but the further out it gets the more difficult it becomes to discern."
"All you get is vague feelings and sights of things you don't quite understand," Anakin commented, nodding along with what Cerulian was saying. "I've had those kinds of visions too. And I'll freely admit that they are what I don't know how to cope with."
"Then I can get to my point far sooner. Wanting to protect the futures of the ones you love? Understandable and respectable. Wanting to
control the futures of the ones you love? There is nothing crueler in the world." Cerulian's eyes visibly narrowed. "My answer to your question is this: when you're about to do something for the sake of this woman you speak of, ask yourself if the end result of your actions would be something that she would be proud of when all is said and done. It is
far easier to justify your actions to yourself than it is to others. That being said, do not take my answer as an unassailable truth. There are always other people you can look to for support should you need it."
Anakin pondered Cerulian's words for a moment before nodding. "I appreciate the forthrightness...and agree with what you're saying."
Cerulian smiled lightly. "I suspect you were already coming around to that line of thought even before now, but I can certainly understand wanting to speak with others and make sure that you weren't moving down a wrong path."
"Very true on both counts," Anakin replied lightly, before blinking and turning to the second cushion. "I'd meant to ask, are you expecting someone else?"
"Oh yes, and said guest should be appearing..."
"Well now. And here I was expecting you to vanish into the Unknown Regions again." Anakin shook his head in exasperation as Obi-Wan took the other seat next to him. "What brings you here? Last I checked, meditation and tranquility never really interested you."
"Now now," Cerulian replied before Anakin could. "We are not
just about meditation and tranquility. In fact, we offer relationship counseling for young, strapping Force users like yourselves. In my experience, any Force-sensitives at your ages tend to need it," he finished with a wry smile.
Anakin's eyes slowly moved over towards Obi-Wan, and the Jedi Master gave him an exasperated look in response. "Don't you start now. I get enough of that from Lady Ciaran."
"My word! Such a bold catch, and might I say, not the type I would expect from a man such as yourself, Master Kenobi," Cerulian said as he casually took a sip of tea, clearly masking a grin with the motion.
"No," Obi-Wan flatly replied. "Dealing with her on a weekly basis is bad enough. If it were on a daily one, I'd probably die of stress within the year." He shot a look towards Anakin as he was about to open his mouth, though Anakin continued to smile regardless. "Much as I would enjoy bantering further though, I'm afraid I am here on far more important business."
"And what business would that be, Master Kenobi?"
"...I think you'd understand what I mean," Obi-Wan said slowly and respectfully, "when I say that the proper form of address is now 'Lord' Kenobi."
The sound of Cerulian's teacup hitting the table echoed throughout the room. He did not slam it or anything of the sort, but the sound still seemed to be far louder than it should. "I trust you understand the gravity of that title?" Cerulian said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"What is going on, Master?" Anakin said, slightly concerned.
"Your Master here has apparently decided to claim the title of a Jedi Lord," Cerulian explained, his eyes locking onto Obi-Wan's. "And it is not a matter of ownership if you are using it here, in this place."
Obi-Wan nodded grimly. "I can only provide so many details as of right now, but..." he leaned in, as though others could hear what he was about to say. "We are rebuilding the Army of Light."
Cerulian went silent for a long moment. "The Army was meant to save a galaxy that could not protect itself from the Sith. You telling me this would mean that the galaxy has once again reached that tipping point."
"It has," Anakin responded, causing Cerulian's attention to shift to him. "It may not seem like it on the surface, but if that description is even remotely accurate than I agree with Obi-Wan's course of action completely."
Cerulian's eyes flicked between Obi-Wan and Anakin before he stood up. "What exactly are you looking for from me, Master Kenobi?"
"Allies, however many can be spared," Obi-Wan replied without hesitation. "We all know how fractured the Jedi Order is right now, and the Sith are gaining power by the second. We need all the help that we can get."
There was a long silence before Cerulian wordlessly gestured for Obi-Wan and Anakin to follow him. They did so without argument, and as they followed Cerulian through the Enclave he began to speak again.
"The Cerulian line has always considered themselves to be the archivists of the Corellian Jedi, a tradition I have done my best to uphold myself," Cerulian explained as they entered a cool room filled with bookshelves, they in turn containing rows upon rows of old tomes. "Hah, now that I think about it, I wonder if either of you have even
seen tomes like these before."
"Only on the rarest of occasions, I will admit," Obi-Wan said softly, and Anakin nodded in agreement. Both of them could feel a sense of gravity in the room that neither of them wanted to break.
"Let me see, where was it..." Cerulian said to himself as he moved through the shelves. "Ah, here we are," he said as he used the Force to pull out a tome, with a faded red cover marked with a golden fleur-de-lis. "A record of the original Army of Light," he explained. "How it gathered under Lord Hoth to protect the galaxy...and how it was cast aside once he died at Ruusan."
He held the tome gently in his hands as he looked at Obi-Wan with a neutral expression. "What makes you, a member of the Jedi Council no less, worthy of such a legacy? Why should you be the one to restore it when you help lead an Order that consigned it to the dustbin of history and undid everything it stood for?"
"I won't try to justify the actions of the past," Obi-Wan responded without hesitation, "and I understand your distrust and skepticism. I...no,
we were blinded enough that we could not see the shadows gathering out of our sight. We were content to treat the symptoms of the growing darkness and never once considered how it could have grown so powerful, we were so sure of our victory. That ignorance...it cost me the life of my Master, Qui-Gon. That ignorance has led us to the Clone Wars, and in turn the Temple Massacre. I know it is too late to undo much of the harm that has already been done..." He gently laid a hand on the tome for emphasis. "...but there is still a chance, a slim one, that with your help, and with the help of others, that we may yet make things right."
"You have not fully answered me. Why you, then?" Cerulian questioned.
"I trust him," Anakin responded as Obi-Wan looked at him, slightly surprised. "A lot of Jedi do, even now. It's not a matter of him being a Jedi Master or not. I have faith that he'll do the right thing..." Anakin looked at Obi-Wan and grinned slightly. "...but he might need some help on occasion."
"Much as I would like to disagree with him, he's right," Obi-Wan responded. "I am
not going to lead the Army alone. I will freely admit that part of the reason I am here is to seek counsel and wisdom from the people closest to it, in the hope that I might better understand what needs to be done. Perhaps that makes me unworthy, but I would rather be 'unworthy' and wise than 'worthy' and a fool."
Cerulian was silent for a long moment before he nodded slightly. "I see. I cannot speak to how the others will respond to this, but I will see what can be done, Lord Kenobi." He held out the tome. "Though I would at least suggest that you study this. Learn from Hoth's triumphs and failures."
Obi-Wan gently took the tome from Cerulian's hands. "I certainly shall."
"Gathering the others will take time, let alone convincing them to support you without further information," Cerulian continued before holding up a hand. "I trust there is a
reason you are being vague about the nature of the Sith threat, Lord Kenobi, and I understand that these walls can be thinner than one would like."
"True that may be, but here I feel as though they are thick enough for at least some details," Obi-Wan conceded. "The Sith in question has infiltrated the upper echelons of both the Republic and Separatists, and has been using the war to gather more and more power in their own hands. I would rather avoid exact names for the moment though - barring Count Dooku himself, naturally - since I don't know how committed anyone here is going to be as of now. If they don't commit, I'd rather let them have plausible deniability in all this...for what little that may be worth if things go wrong."
"Understandable, though Dooku..." Cerulian sighed at that. "A pity, that one. He actually trained under the great Thame himself, yet still fell." He regained his composure. "But that should be enough to quell at least some nay-sayers. Have you been to Kamparas or Cularin yet?"
"Not as of yet, no," Obi-Wan replied. "My next destination was going to be Cularin given that its academy is also somewhat distant from the Order."
"A wise course of action, though I suspect they will be far more eager to lend you aid than anyone here will be," Cerulian said, before noticing that Anakin was glancing around the archive. "Is there something I can help you with as well?"
"Possibly, though you're free to refuse what I'm about to ask you," Anakin said as Cerulian raised an eyebrow. "It's actually a favor for the previously mentioned Lady Ciaran-" Anakin ignored the exasperated sigh coming from Obi-Wan - "she mentioned how when she first arrived there were details about the er...'New Sith Wars,' was it...? Something like that, apparently some of the archivists might have been trying to keep her away from something?" Anakin shrugged. "Like I said, you're free to-"
Cerulian chuckled, inadvertently cutting off Anakin. "I suppose I should have known better. I could tell just how stubborn that woman was from the moment we first met. Certainly a charm point of hers, though it's equally frustrating at times as it would seem." His expression became more serious. "That aside, I know exactly what they were trying to hide from her. If I could have that back for a moment," Cerulian said as he gently took the tome back from Obi-Wan. As he did, he opened it up and began flipping through its pages. "I know Ruusan was rediscovered recently during the war, but even with that it is still hiding its greatest secret." He came to the page he was looking for and held it open for Anakin and Obi-Wan to see. "The final resting place of the Army of Light: the Valley of the Jedi."
The left page of the book showed a faded map of the planet of Ruusan, with a point on it marked by a fleur-de-lis. The right page showed a more detailed map of the area in question with a point marked with faded text, and just beneath it was another map of a cavern system that led to an image of what looked like a mausoleum decorated with massive statues - at least if the scaling was accurate.
"Even now - according to legend at least - the souls of Lord Hoth and the Jedi who bravely followed him into his final battle are still trapped there, and the Valley still holds immeasurable power. I doubt they knew that this specific book had this specific map, but even then if the Valley were to fall into the wrong hands...I can understand why they would ensure that no information on it would be given out."
"How is it that no one has found it yet?" Anakin asked, visibly incredulous. "I...I was
there! At Ruusan at least! Surely I would have been able to sense it!"
"The area itself was chosen as the final Sith holdout for a reason," Cerulian explained. "Whether it is a natural occurrence or because of the Sith fortifying it I cannot say, but either way the caves in the Valley...dampen the Force around it, for lack of a better word. You would not be able to sense its presence until you enter the cave systems leading to it. It has also been partly buried in the years since; the Living Force in the local plant and animal life also helps to mask its presence."
"This is quite a large amount of trust you place in us, Lord Cerulian," Obi-Wan noted, "if what you are saying about the Valley is true."
"I have a good eye for people, Lord Kenobi. I trust in your wisdom and Skywalker's sense of justice. That, and in these dark times, with the Army of Light reforming, I fear that it would only be a matter of time before less savory individuals managed to locate the Valley themselves." Cerulian looked at Anakin. "Whether or not you share this information with Lady Ciaran is your own discretion. You certainly know her better than I do."
"I understand."
Cerulian nodded before handing the tome back over to Obi-Wan. "Now, before you both go, might I interest you in one last cup of tea?"
The two men looked at each other before Anakin shrugged. "I think we'd both appreciate it, Lord Cerulian," Obi-Wan responded.
"Where exactly are you headed now?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin as they both headed towards the spaceport. "If you don't mind me saying, it would certainly
not kill you to stay put for a few weeks."
"That's a shame, then, because I'm still planning on being on the move for at least a bit longer," Anakin dryly replied. "Taris, though, if you're wondering. I'm heading there to pick up one of Incom's new fighters."
"That's a surprise. I didn't imagine you'd ever give up your Delta fighter after you'd put so much work into it."
"Oh I plan on keeping that around, don't you worry. But I've been hearing nothing but praise for those X-Wings, and I want to take one for a spin myself. See how it holds up."
"Well
when you crash-land it, be sure to at least do it somewhere where it doesn't get anyone hurt and a rescue ship can easily reach you."
"Come on, Obi-Wan. Look at me. I'm the
picture of responsible piloting."
"...Do you want my counterarguments in a chronological or alphabetical order?"
"Neither, thank you."
Reward: Location of the Valley of the Jedi found. Further rewards pending due to [REDACTED].
AN: Probably my most dialogue-heavy interlude yet, though one I very much enjoyed writing.
Not much else to say aside from two things: the first being that if you don't recognize the good Cerulian (understandable), he was introduced in this canon omake right
here. (I'll be trying to do this sort of thing as much as I can to keep people from getting confused.) Second, that detail about the Valley being Force-shielded isn't
technically canon but would explain why no one was able to find the damn thing despite Ruusan being frequented by smugglers and the like before it was rediscovered. Apparently. Good old EU plotholes...*sigh*
That's all for now, enjoy~
