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There is no emotion... (A Jedi Order Quest)

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Voikirium said:
Mission 3 (The Mid-Rim, 1 Padawan, 3 Jedi Sentinels, 5 Jedi Guardians, 1 Jedi Consular, Councilor Visas Marr)
-Consular Zez Kyrido-

A powered capital ship could have swatted aside our impromptu squadron with ease. Instead I lured a mature sun eater to the vessel's coordinates; and seeing a source of energy close enough to a star it started, well, eating. Soon enough the thing was left adrift, and so we entered the vessel; and the pirates surrendered.

(+25 PP)
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Ha, nice. A decidedly Consular solution to the problem.
 
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Report on the War, Q1 3941 BBY
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    • Report on the War

    Good news and bad news fills the air as you meditate in the temple, waiting for the envoys from Iridonia who have shown some small interest in bringing the Hutts to heel and have the technological, military and economic development to punch them hard, with friendly agents like the Syncretic Cults at least. More than a few Iridonians have ended up enslaved by the cartels, after all, and there are resources, good and plentiful, which could be used to help repair the Zabrak sphere-- which has lain damaged, sundered even, since the one two punch of the Mandalorian and Dark Wars. As a son of Iridonia, though it has been many years since you have returned, there are figures, notables, you can speak to to make some things happen, even if the rest of the Republic would prefer it not be so.

    The good news first: The Cartel starports and bases littered throughout the Republic, the Cantinas they hire mercenaries at, the Bounty Hunter Guild strongholds where they find their assassins, mercenary barracks, they've all been smashed like glass as the Guardians cut their way through like a lightsaber through an ice sculpture, and not half as pretty either, culminating with a raid on Kromus that saw a number of scientists released from quite the gilded cage, making weapons for the Hutts. Quite a few Kajidii learned to curse Mira's name as she led the rest of the Sentinels to arrest them, their agents, their bankers, their chauffeurs, indeed everybody who they ever worked with; nothing quite so dramatic, but it hurt them, all the same. And the Iridonians and the rest of the Zabrak Sphere, as some are fond of calling it, has begun shipping engineers, mercenaries, and volunteers to the rebels, helping stiffen their resistance. They are starting to produce their own warships and so own, though they have not been subtle in requesting further technical support. Still, already rumors suggest they are planning a further offensive to push the Hutts harder next quarter, which the Hutts themselves are divided on, with some attempting to batten down and wait it out and others trying to burn them out.

    The bad news?

    You lost a Jedi. Naron Vahl, an Evocii who fled from the brutality of Hutt Space and made his way to your doorstep to be trained as Jedi, becoming a Knight last year. Young, and full of a just ambition, he ended up ambushed by an entire kill-team of Mandalorians, saving a ship filled with Twi-Lek slaves; not a one of the attackers walked away, but neither did he, only succumbing to his wounds after the last raider died for it. He believed in the cause, and you sent him to fight for it, and now he has shed his blood for it.

    You suspect this will not be the last time.

    (Hutt Rebellion resources set to Minor (at least 200 BR, 200 SR, 4I, 4F, 4N; at least 25 Exhausition to Hutt Cartels; -1 Jedi Guardian)

    However, this also leads you to a thought. It may require more than you alone to lead this fight. The Order's leadership, such that it is, is stretched thin. There are a few things you can do to try and rectify the problem, if you so desire:

    [] Make contact with Yuthura Ban, offering to let her coordinate the Jedi's war with the Hutts and the title of Jedi Master General. (Gain Jedi Master Yuthura Ban, +1 Jedi Master General, -40 PP for angry Republic for baiting the Hutts)
    [] Raise Jedi to fill the seats in the Council that are currently lacking. There are meant to be twelve, and the lack is sort of hurting you at the moment. (Promote four Jedi to the Council, -40 Knowledge)
    [] Maintain current course
    --
    Vote will open in roughly 24 hours.
     
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    • Well we lost our first Jedi and he won't be the last, but why our we suddenly trying to fill the remaining council seats I thought that would happen organically as we gain masters?
     
    ConfusedCanuck said:
    Well we lost our first Jedi and he won't be the last, but why our we suddenly trying to fill the remaining council seats I thought that would happen organically as we gain masters?
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    You are on the precipice of gaining quite a few Masters, it having been enough time since the start of the Quest. May as well try and leverage that to fill a hole in your organization.
     
    I'd... honestly like to do both. Dang. That's a toughie if we can only manage one. I'll likely choose to fill the Council - gives us a bit more versatility in terms of management; the Jedi Order has been getting ran by about half it's full staff, so filling it should make management easier.
     
    DaOneInDaCorner said:
    I'd... honestly like to do both. Dang. That's a toughie if we can only manage one. I'll likely choose to fill the Council - gives us a bit more versatility in terms of management; the Jedi Order has been getting ran by about half it's full staff, so filling it should make management easier.
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    137 PP (Note: I'm adding in the PP you got from the Andrados Freighters) and 26 Knowledge (Including valley of healing) by my count.
     
    Given the choice, I'm leaning towards contacting Ban. Three reasons.

    One, knowledge is harder to come by than PP. Losing that hurts more.

    Two, one new Jedi Master is a bigger mechanical boost than the small bonuses that existing Knights get from elevation.

    Three, we'll be minting new Masters soon anyway. I think we'll be okay if it takes a bit longer to start filling those seats.

    My second choice is nothing, I think. It's not a bad option; it avoids any possible unforeseen consequences from annoying the Hutts. (Possibly even more assassins, unless they want to take a swing at one of our outposts.)
     
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    Voikirium said:
    137 PP (Note: I'm adding in the PP you got from the Andrados Freighters) and 26 Knowledge (Including valley of healing) by my count.
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    Umm, counting from the previous Research turn, we should have 2(leftover) +18(Holocron in Research Results 3942) +5(Mission Report Q3) +25(Mission Report Q4) +25(Send a Jedi with a Republic archeological expedition) +14(Valley of Healing) +10(Mission Report 3941 Q1) = 99 Knowledge in all.
    Not sure how the per turn holocrons are calculated, so I left that out of calculations.
     
    Ternasta said:
    Umm, counting from the previous Research turn, we should have 2(leftover) +18(Holocron in Research Results 3942) +5(Mission Report Q3) +25(Mission Report Q4) +25(Send a Jedi with a Republic archeological expedition) +14(Valley of Healing) +10(Mission Report 3941 Q1) = 99 Knowledge in all.
    Not sure how the per turn holocrons are calculated, so I left that out of calculations.
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    Right, forgot to check the mission reports and the Negotiations.

    However, holocrons for 3942 would have been factored in to Research for that turn. So call it 81.
     
    Voikirium said:
    However, holocrons for 3942 would have been factored in to Research for that turn. So call it 81.
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    Ah, thank you for the correction. So we have sufficient to do both, that's handy. And no reason to hold off on doing both, considering we are at war. Incidentally, would recruiting Master Ban mean we only promote 3 Jedi, or is she not going to be on the Council? It'd make sense, since she's busy being a General.
     
    Ternasta said:
    Ah, thank you for the correction. So we have sufficient to do both, that's handy. And no reason to hold off on doing both, considering we are at war. Incidentally, would recruiting Master Ban mean we only promote 3 Jedi, or is she not going to be on the Council? It'd make sense, since she's busy being a General.
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    You can only do one, since they will put the Order into no small amount of disorder (the good kind, but still).
     
    Contacitng Ban seems like a good idea to do anyway, but I'm not sure phoning up someone we have limited trust over to immediately offer a council seat feels rather premature.

    Can we just contact her to recruit and look at promoting councillors internally?
     
    The Englanderish said:
    Contacitng Ban seems like a good idea to do anyway, but I'm not sure phoning up someone we have limited trust over to immediately offer a council seat feels rather premature.

    Can we just contact her to recruit and look at promoting councillors internally?
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    She will not join the Council, just be given the position of General.
     
    Omake: There is the Force
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    • There Is The Force

    ​

    Grandmaster Bao-Dur
    ​

    Dantooine
    3941 BBY
    ​
    With day ready to give way to night, everyone who was able had gathered outside the Dantooine Temple. Mira was in the middle of an operation, something she hoped would produce more arrests and actionable targets for the Guardian teams that had been on a rampage these last few months. Juhani and her team were still out of contact, a gut-wrenching worry I had to set aside for the time being. But the rest of the Council was here, along with many Knights, Padawans, and Initiates, somber faces gathered in two loose semicircles a respectful distance from the pyre.

    Along with the Jedi stood representatives of the ship of former slaves saved by Knight Vahl. Men, women, and even a child, individuals and families who had refused to accept an offer of transport home until the stranger who had given his life for their freedom was laid to rest.

    Among Jedi and Twi'leks both, some eyes were wet. Some were stoic. Some looked lost. The child looked the bravest of them all, the girl carefully holding a lightsaber wrapped in cloth as though all the worlds depended on it.

    Colonel Soren, commander of the Republic military detachment safeguarding Dantooine and the Temple, stood opposite me at the foot of the pyre with ten soldiers in a perfect line. All of them in spotless dress uniforms, as unmoving as statues.

    The Colonel had found me early in the morning, and insisted that the Republic military would be contributing an honor guard. "That boy fought like a hero, and he died defending the Republic," he told me. "It doesn't matter that he didn't wear the uniform, he died one of us. And we honor our fallen."

    I simply thanked him. We all grieve in our own way. We all honor and remember the dead in our own way.

    As daylight disappeared over the horizon, I stepped forward from my place at the head of the pyre and ignited my lightsaber. People lost in reverie turned to me at the sound.

    It took only the lightest touch for the prepared wood to catch alight. Flame quickly encompassed the shrouded figure laid out on the pile, filling the circle with light that warded off the dark outside.

    I stepped back, deactivated the blade, and returned it to my waist. For a long moment I simply cast my gaze around at those gathered, meeting their eyes. Sharing in the pain and grief, to offer whatever silent comfort I could. Then it was time for me to speak.

    "We are here because Jedi Knight Naron Vahl - our friend, our brother - has joined the Force. Knight Vahl stood against an entire team of Mandalorian mercenaries, hired by Hutts to recapture a ship of innocent people to make into their slaves. He stood alone, but he did not retreat, because he knew that behind him were people who would suffer a fate worse than death were he to fail them," I recounted.

    I met the gazes of those present, and put steel in my words. "Knight Vahl did not fail. Despite overwhelming numbers and terrible wounds, he stood his ground and defeated every one of his attackers. He ensured the people he acted to protect were safe, and only then did he join the Force."

    I let the words sit for a long moment.

    "I hope that all of us will live to die old and at peace. But we are Jedi, and if the Force requires it of any of us, then may our ends be as Naron Vahl's. An end met with determination, with skill, and most of all, with purpose. The Jedi teach that there is no death, only the Force," I said. "The Force comes from life. I believe it wants us to live. To grow. In serving life, we serve the Force. In serving the Force, we serve life. In saving three hundred and twenty seven lives from a fate worse than death, Knight Naron Vahl ensured that the good he did will echo on into the galaxy in ways we can only imagine. One life has ended, but many more have begun."

    I took in the audience once more, hoping the words had brought at least some comfort. "There is no death," I prompted.

    "There is the Force," the Jedi chorused.

    The Colonel made a subtle movement of his head, and he and the soldiers with him snapped precise salutes.

    Once, twice, thrice the darkening sky above us lit up with brilliant flashes followed by auroras of cascading colors. Then came the booms. Distant thunder, like the tolling of a bell.

    A capital ship ion cannon, discharged in the upper atmosphere. My eyes went to Colonel Soren. He must have cleared air traffic from a quarter of the planet for that.

    He met my gaze and offered the slightest of respectful nods.

    I returned it, and then made my way to kneel before the child.

    "Thank you for bringing him home safe," I said, loudly enough that those gathered could hear.

    The girl ever so gently placed the bundle in my offered hands. "He saved us. Take good care of him," she said, and sniffled.

    "We will," I promised, offered her a smile I didn't truly feel, and stood.

    My next steps took me to Mical. "Counselor," I said formally.

    "Grandmaster," he replied.

    I unwrapped the bundle to reveal Naron Vahl's lightsaber. "A Jedi has fallen, and returned to us. This is his weapon. Take it for the Archives. It shall rest there so that we do not forget, and so that it shall stand ready if the Force ever calls upon it to protect the innocent once more."

    Mical accepted the lightsaber, cradling it with both hands. "It shall be done, Grandmaster."

    I nodded in response, and the ritual was done. I joined the ring of mourners after that. People looked into the flames lost in their thoughts, or spoke softly to one another, offering words of comfort or memories of Naron. The soldiers departed first as a group, then the Twi'leks, and then the Jedi by ones and twos. Only a few of us remained to watch the dawn. The flames had kept the dark and the cold at bay the whole night.


    Mical entered the open door to my cluttered office and took a seat. "Bao-Dur," he said, by way of greeting.

    "Mical," I answered. "What's on your mind?"

    He took a breath, visibly gathering himself. "I wanted to talk to you. I've...spent much of my life studying the stories of the past. In that time I've observed that there is great power in those stories. A power so subtle and pervasive that it reminds me of the Force itself, at times," he said, as serious as I'd ever seen him.

    "What do you mean?" I asked.

    He leaned forward. "Stories have a special hold over us. Over our imaginations and memory. But right now what I mean is that the right story can communicate past barriers. It can make an impact and be remembered when people's minds are closed and all other words are just noise."

    I fixed him with a look. "Where are you going with this?"

    "The funeral," he said. "I recorded it."

    "...For the Archives?" I asked, knowing there had to be more to it.

    "Well, yes. Of course," he responded, and his tone became intent. "But also because I want to put it on the holonet where the whole Republic can see it. One of the oldest and most powerful kinds of story is the story of the fallen hero. I know it wasn't your intention, but Bao-Dur, I don't think you could possibly have crafted a more perfect demonstration of who we are than that funeral if you tried. There are so many people out there who think little or nothing of the Jedi. Who don't know us, or what we stand for. Or who don't think the Hutts are worth fighting.

    "I want every one of them to hear you recounting Naron's story. I want them to see his pyre and know the price Naron willingly paid to save that ship full of people. I want them to see those crying people he saved, and that brave child. I want them to see the Republic soldiers honoring his sacrifice. I want them to see us, bearing witness, and here. I want them to know that we exist. That this is what we believe in. That in a galaxy full of compromises, we are the Jedi and we do what is right. Even if it costs us everything." Mical pressed a hand to his heart. "Because that is who we are. Because that is our story. People need to know, Bao-Dur. Please."

    Feelings swirled, and I struggled to find the calm. "I...see what you're saying, but it feels like using a Knight who just died for us as a political prop, Mical."

    He shook his head. "Not as a prop. As an example. Naron lives on in the Force, but he can also live on in people's hearts and minds. His story, true and unvarnished, might help shift the narrative in the Republic. Change some people's minds about who we are and our worth, and about the necessity of tackling the evil of the Hutts. Both of those things could save lives. Would you deprive Naron in death of one last chance to do good, when that's exactly what he gave his life for?"

    I gave it a long moment of consideration.

    "We should talk to the Council before everyone leaves," I said.
    ​
     
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    • Omake rewards, only @TaliesinSkye gets to vote:

    (Remember, please vote with an 'O'):

    [] There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge: A Yuuzhan Vong explorer was aboard the vessel Naron Vahl gave his life on, and has sent incontestable proof that the Jedi are not, simply, charlatans. +20 PP for making the Republic look good, improve Vong relations.
    [] There is no Passion, there is Serenity: In a galaxy that seems bound and determined to ruin them, the deeds of Knight Vahl have restored some dignity to the Evocii. They will not forget this; indeed, they will fight the harder for it. Increase rebel recruitment in all categories by 1, gain 1, one-time recruitment dice for the Jedi Order.
    [] There is no Chaos, there is Harmony: The Republic hardened its heart to the suffering of slaves, but AV transmissions from the Abolitionist reminded them of the real cost; and while many humans may have a quiet bigotry, that was quite a lot to see. May increase the chance of success for one proposed legislation during future Reports on the War.
     
    Beautiful omake. We have our Ganner Rhysode. Perhaps not quite as epic but serving a similar purpose.

    I would favor Yuthura.
     
    I really need to get back to that one I had cooking last year. It keeps getting in a vicious cycle of the quest state moves on so I need to rewrite bits of it.
     
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