Conclave (Jedi and Jedi-allied Force Sensitives only)

[Green Ranger]

Ever since the attack, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant had been little more than a broken ruin, wrapped in spiderwebs of scaffolding with the quiet background hum of repair work echoing through the halls. Few Jedi tread here anymore. Well, not until now.

Murmurs had been rising for some time now, at first questions of curiousity, replaced soon after by increasing frustration. The galaxy was in turmoil, and the Jedi moved slowly to act. For the average Knight, most didn't even realize that there was any action taking place at all. To the masses, the Council remained silent and unwilling to move against the enemies of the Republic. This frustration had reached boiling point.

Ardell Andross had returned to the Jedi after an impromptu leave of absence, hoping that in his time away that things would change, that the Order would finally move against the threat of the Hutts. Unfortunately, not so. With what resources he and every Jedi had available to them throughout the galaxy, the words were slowly spread from enclave to enclave, a quiet creeping message that went out even to allies of the Order. The message was simple. A Conclave would be held on Coruscant.

By the time the Council recieved such a notification themselves, it was too late to stop the assembly from going forth. Members of the Order from every corner of the galaxy and many other Orders came to the ruins of the old Jedi Temple, expecting to finally hear word from the Council of what was to be done. Instead, they were greeted only by a Jedi Knight. Many turned away instantly at the disappointment, but far more were intrigued - how one man could have assembled such a large number of people in such a short period of time was extraordinary. Perhaps he was sent on behalf of the Council? It was impossible to say.

[Commodore]

Dimitrije arrived on Coruscant a few days ago. He still had the apartment in the lower districts but hadn't heard much more about the Raider's Coalition. Perhaps they had gone away or something had happened to them. At least one criminal organization was gone from the face of the galaxy though many remained and the Hutts were still prominent. But today, the mysterious Bogan presented a problem, and maybe, fellow knight Ardell Andross had a solution to them.

Wait, a fellow knight? That sounded a bit odd. After all, if Ardell could summon a conclave, so could he. Perhaps he would later should it be necessary but for now, the Conclave was Ardell's and maybe something important would be decided. Maybe the new Jedi fleet could be used. Certainly would replace the little missions here and there against the Hutts and Bogan and improve it with a real shot against them that might actually stop them dead in their tracks.

[Johnny]

It had been ages since he had been to Coruscant. It had been ages since Belyael moved so openly among the masses. The Shade Grandmaster had also heard the rumblings of discontent and was interested in what had to be said. Although he had no animosity towards the Jedi. A misconception some had when they thought of those leaving the Order is they did it out of spite or anger. Belyael simply left because he wanted to view the Force without bias. He understood the Jedi belief, he just didn't agree.

The other reason Belyael came himself was to offer the backing of his small order to help combat the Hutts and these Bogan characters who had arisen as of late. Something needed to be done to ensure peace and a sleepy and stagnant Jedi Order would do nothing to help the process.

[Phil]

He told them that if they needed help, he would come, and that is what Valek Dagger was here for. He arrived shortly after his former Grandmaster Belyael Oderyn arrived, wearing his traditional black leather trench coat and helmet, with his black shirt and pants covering up his light weight armor underneith. His magnum and lightsaber tucked into his pockets while his shotgun was strapped to his back, saftey on like the rest of his weapons were as his hands remained inside his pockets. This was some sort of summit for the Jedi and other users of the Force, something Valek would not attend too on his own accord. The reason it was formed was why he left the Shades, he knew they would not make a difference in the war, and did not want to become apart of it. The Jedi's light side meant to him about as much as the Boga's dark side did, and no matter the outcome, the Galaxy would just move on like it always had.

"You sure this is even Necessary, Oderyn?"

Valek asked in his emotionless, monotonic voice, looking around at the others in the area while keeping his hands pocketed. Already he had a small migrain from all those around him, and did his best to keep his distance.

[Xenomorph]

There are often times when a person would feel unwelcome. Sometimes it depended on where they were, sometimes it depended on who they were around. But with River Elluras, this concept rarely applied. Not to say she felt welcomed everywhere she went, but Riven would rarely feel unwelcome, or rather, unwelcome enough, that she would leave. In her mind, the galaxy has no real owner, so she felt that she could pretty much go wherever she wanted, and didn't really care what others thought about it. Suffice to say, her defiant demeanor was partly out of sheer amusement. However, on seldom occasions, River would truly feel out of place. This was one of those times.

Rumors had spread throughout the galaxy about a Jedi conclave, a gathering on Coruscant. Despite the fact that the last time the Jedi held a conclave, it resulted in a schism that eventually led to the skirmish that destroyed the Coruscanti Jedi Temple, the news traveled relatively slowly. From her own estimate, she assumed the Jedi probably wanted to keep the conclave at least somewhat out of the spotlight. Considering their position and influence in the galaxy, the Jedi Order probably could have advertised the occasion over the entire HoloNet. But regardless, it was unheard of that the Jedi would invite even non-Jedi. And that perked the interest of even the Shade Order's Grandmaster.

Since she couldn't tag along with the Grandmaster, who had left before her, River arrived on her own, wearing her black coat, with her distinctive visor, and her lightsaber and blaster well concealed. She usually traveled lightly, so inconspicuousness was a strong suit of hers. Although Jedi were not her favorite group of people - despite never having met one herself - she was attracted to the attention it had gathered. As "peered" around, she finally noticed Grandmaster Oderyn, who had Valek Dagger nearby. That surprised her a bit, as she didn't realize there would be other Shades arriving. Moving through the crowds, she moved to catch up with them and follow. She didn't know exactly where the gathering was being held, and figured 'when in doubt, follow the important people'.

[Samuikion]

Haar left his shuttle the moment the boarding ramp lowered itself. The landing bay at the temple was, thankfully, mostly undamaged, so ships were still safe to land in the area. He continued on his way, nodding greetings to the workers in the area and checking to his side only once to see if his student was following. Many did not think that Haar would pick up a student of his own, thus were momentarily surprised, but whether a master would teach a student or not was not a huge deal, anyways.

Moving slowly, Haar allowed his student to take in the view of the Jedi Temple. It was just as magnificant, if not more, than the temple on Ossus. He has traveled here several times before, but his home is the Jedi shuttle that he frequented: being a constant traveler.

He took note of the Shade Grandmaster and another man passing by, but said nothing of it. If Nuka was interested in them, all she needed to do was ask. For now, it was important to figure out who called the conclave, and who hailed the call. Another garbed in black was also following them, but Haar thought little of it; it was probably just another member of the Shade Order, since he felt nothing menacing eminating from her

Looking about, he saw Ardell. Judging from the reactions of already-present Jedi, it seemed he was the one who called the conclave. The Jedi council member kept his thoughts to himself, deciding that it would be best to deal with Ardell after seeing what he had to say.

[Ols]

Raphael Caelestis had arrived before most of the crowd that had formed around Andross, back from his recent abscence. Living on Coruscant, currently inhabiting the temporary Jedi buildings in the Temple's vicinity, he had had to make little effort to arrive early. A few rescheduled appointments and tasks, but little else. Compared to the Jedi having to travel halfway across the galaxy, he had lucked out with Ardell's choice to host the meeting locally. The news of the meeting itself had been quite surprising to the councillor, nothing he had heard from any memo or message mentioned such a meeting was scheduled, and the lack of most of the other council members in advanced only confirmed his suspicions that this was not something that had stemmed from the council itself.

Dressed in dark blue trousers with the look of jeans but with more give, low fitting, more comfortable black boots than the Jedi standard and his black leather jacket, zipped up to his chin, the cylinder that was barely visible on the belt of his trousers was the only indication that he was a Jedi at all, let alone a Councillor. He lent against a large pillar side on to Ardell, unmoved since he had arrived, and the crowd had built up around him. His eyes were fixed on the knight, not too far away, standing there. In his peripheral vision he saw Belyael Oderyn, almost starting at first, believing that it was Elijah (of "Springing Banik Kelrada from prison" fame), before he remembered Belyael, the Shade grandmaster, accompanied by someone in a helmet that looked stereotypically Dagger...there was a Dagger on the Shade council, if Raphael remembered correctly.

He remained silent in the shadow of the pillar, waiting for whatever the Knight had to say.

[LionheartGEN]

(( Wasn't sure whether to join, or not, I still can't get PMs out. Nevertheless, without further ado, here I am. ))

When Mikelus had heard of the secret conclave on Coruscant, at first he had been hesitant to go. He had duties to attend to on Ossus, afterall. He had places to go, but they were among the halls of the grand temple of the Jedi. He had people to see, but they, too, were in proximity to his rest nearby. His garden needed watering. His various tools and weapons needed tending. Yet the call to Coruscant somehow planted a nugget of discontent in his heart that Mikelus knew could only be satisfied if he attended. And so he would.

With a rumble and a jerk, his ferry dropped out of hyperspace, and swam through the expanse between the system's entry and the planet's atmosphere. It was passed by various larger and smaller craft, coming and going in an endless procession to or from the city-planet ahead. Mikelus was content to wait; he had been meditating since they first left Ossus. He would resume his meditations when he returned. The focus of his action now was the conclave on the world ahead - in the ruins of the former headquarters of his Order.

Thoughts seeped into his mind of the first conclave, many years ago, where the Jedi had first split and made war with one-another. The temple had been destroyed, the sides had been drawn. A silent war had boiled beneath the surface of the galaxy's affairs, ever since. Mikelus knew it would come to an edge, soon; and it would be the edge of the lightsaber's blade that determined the outcome of their constant feud. There could be no darkness that was allowed to live unabated as it shadowed the light. Dariim Varis' teachings had been clear on the subject of Dark Jedi; and Mikelus was highly reverent of his former master, and devoted now, more than ever, to the survival and prosperity of the Jedi and the people of the Republic. He could tolerate no enemies. He could tolerate no agitators to the peace they fought so desperately to find.

In truth, Mikelus could tolerate no 'heretics', either. It was one of his greatest failings, and a result of the helplessness and confusion of his youth, and the merciless Gauntlet he had bested before ever he took the trials of Knighthood. Varis did not train passive philosophers and mediators. Varis trained judicators, defenders, and warriors, for he believed they would be needed as the new age dawned. Mikelus was his star pupil, and as such, Mikelus was the very definition of what Varis had believed was necessary. The other beliefs of the Jedi had been instilled in Mikelus by himself and the other members of the Order and the Council; he became at once Varis' greatest achievement, and his greatest threat.

And Alexander Mikelus, Member of the Council, Jedi in high regard, would have it no other way.

The shuttle made greater time as it was pulled into the atmosphere of Coruscant. It shot through the clouds like a bullet, hasty now to see its passenger to the place where the Jedi and their allies would meet, if they chose to come and remain to hear what was said. The temple came into view through the transparisteel cockpit shield, and Mikelus' eyes opened to behold it once more. It had been too long; but he was almost sad to see it in such a state.

The shuttle slowed, and idled into the dock beside Master Haar's own ferryman. The landing gear extended, and the craft came to a steady rest. Mikelus drew his hood up, but the very size that he possessed would doubtless expose who it was beneath. The deep grey coat had been his stay for many long years, and it would remain for many more, if he had his way. He did not like much change to his person, nor to the Order he protected and served.

As Mikelus left the shuttle and stepped foot onto the hallowed floor of the temple at last, he suddenly had a very bad feeling about the affair. He hushed his own worries, breathed steadily, and entered the main chamber as silently as he had been on the way. He detected many different and unusual kinds of Jedi in the halls, but one in particular was familiar enough to draw the towering Council member toward him. When he came beside Haar and his pupil, he stopped, and folded his arms together against his chest. He vaguely recognized the Knight who had called the crowd before him.

There were others there that caught his shadowed eyes - Oderyn, Grandmaster of the Shade Order, and two others who had accompanied him. Several other Jedi or unaffiliated (but, as far as he could discern, friendly) Force users were also present. One last presence, bleak but legible through the Force, remained to be seen. The seven foot tall Mikelus' head vaguely drifted upward, his eyes scanning across the expanse of their meeting chamber and the beautiful-but-scarred stonework above. There was no one to be seen. The feeling remained, the presence was unmistakable, but he could not tell who it was.

They were not alone, but Mikelus could not leave to hunt the intruder down. He would have to be content to wait and watch to see what would unfold. If there was violence, he would be the first to see it undone. If there was unrest, he would be the one to see it unmade. Until such occured, he was merely a spectator - granted, a spectator from the very High Council that Andross had likely hoped to sidestep in calling such a gathering here, of all places. There were others here, now, capable of seeing to it that any violence or wrongdoing was righted.

Mikelus would hear what Ardell Andross had to say.

[Keinushi]

Nuka walked down the ramp after Master Haar. She stopped for a second at the top of the ramp. After a quick scan of the entire area and a prob into the force, which was muddled by the sheer number of strong force users present, she felt sure enough to follow her master. Her training blade felt nice at her side, its weight and rhythmic motion providing a calming effect all its own. She had often borrowed blades in the past when off on group missions with the other padawans. this design had always been her preference. Her own blade would probably be modeled after this own when she attained permission to make it. She had already learned the technique via several holocrons in the library and was looking forward to the fateful day she final received the crystal necessary to build it.

The temple, even in its shattered state, was still quite a site to behold, maybe Master Haar would allow her to paint it before they returned to Ossus. No holovids could do it just however.

[Monday]

It had been a long time since Hector had been on Coruscant. His particular affinity with the force often made it a thoroughly unpleasant experience, one he chose to avoid whenever possible. But today, it would seem, was one of those unavoidable situations. His lack of love for Coruscant meant that while he respected it, he had no great love for the temple here. He cared for it's destruction, having lost those he called friend in the attack, but it evoked little response in him. Making his way towards the gathering, he eventually found himself a decent sized chunk of debris to lean upon, and simply watched. He was fairly sure that this was no official conclave, and upon arrival, was proven right. The center of the already sizable gathering was a man he didn't recognize, which meant he was not of the council.

Which did not make this conclave any less important, rather, significantly more interesting.