All the Knowledge in the Galaxy

[Arda Breaux]

Arda felt a moment of peace as she stepped off her transport on the scholar world of Obroa-skai, it was not from something that was entirely Jedi, but knowing she was able to access these worlds brought humility to her. At one point in her life she had dreamed about flying through the stars, to imagine what other worlds looked liked and how they felt to be in a place so different from her own home world. Though young and wishing to be anywhere else at the time, it seemed anytime before now would have not been right as she approached one of the prestigious libraries.

She kept to herself, the Force subtly keeping the gaze of others on their own tasks as she entered inside. She thought it helped that she was not dressed in her Jedi robes and instead took on attire more represented by scholars and monks. The shelves spanned what looked endless, eventually emerging on the center point of the building, that seemed to grow even further away as Arda walked down the halls. She was told she could meet in the nonfiction and was given a specific periodic code used to classify every item in the library.

Trying not to take up too much time in her arrival, she carefully, but quickly made sure to follow the numbers until she reached the correct row where she would find the Senator.

@Insalius

 

[Valiance Waszylla]

The Senator was not alone at that part of the library, surrounded by children who had been visiting the library perhaps as part of their general studies. Now they sat around the man as he had an old leather-bound tome open. He had been reading to them, old stories almost akin to fairy tales. The Sith had done their best to stamp out any mention of the Jedi, yet Valiance had learned that one trick that had been done on Obroa-skai had been to change the stories from Jedi to more fantastic elements. Knights and wizards slaying monsters and protecting the people of their 'kingdoms', they still inspired even if their truth was possibly obscured. It was one of these stories that he was reading for the children today, the gaggle of youngsters completely enraptured in their imaginations as each word created a new mental tapestry for them to explore. It was these moments that the Senator lived for.

"...And Sir Aravelle called out to the horde of Bladelings in the only way she knew how to aggravate them: She disparaged the sharpness of their limbs, the luster of their metal claws. They were proud beings and so turned to strike her down. She was not alone, though. The Knight of Wolves, Mikhail, stood by her side and the light of his enchanted sword blinded them. One by one her other companions joined her to break the surging horde until their dark will had been scattered to the four winds. The Kingdom of Tyr Thonia was saved. As for how it was rebuilt...That is a tale for another time." The children groaned, wanting to hear more. Instead, Senator Waszylla gestured towards his approaching guest. "My friend is here, children. She's traveled far and wide, I'm sure she has a story or two she can tell." He looked at Arda, giving her a smile with a twinkle in his eye. "It's our place to pass on our wisdom to those who will walk after we have stopped, right?"

@GABAdactyl

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda's senses felt warmth before she heard the senator speaking to a group of children who had gathered for a story time event. She stopped at the edge of the bookshelves, listening to the tale that was presenting to the younglings and Arda smiled as she listened also. However, she would not be honest with herself if she denied her feelings of disappointment that the story was cut short as the Senator introduced her to the children. They all turned to the woman with quizical and curious looks, the Senator spoke with genuinity as she took a seat at the front, facing the children.

He spoke of passing down wisdom and she glanced at him with a nod and looked back at the young faces, "That is correct, soon, you all will be the gatekeepers to that wisdom, but for now," the children's faces looked puzzled in what she meant by that, "another story?" and now it was something the children recognized and cheered with wiggles in their seats and small squeaks of excitement.

"A long time ago, in a galaxy not too far away lived a farmer. On many mornings the farmer went out to his crop and had seen someone or something was coming in the middle of the night to take his food. The farmer eventually grew angry and vowed he would find those thieves." Arda shook her fist mimicking the farmer in her story and some of the kids smiled, "So he gathered some supplies and camped outside to watch for the thieves, the night grew long and he could not stay awake, falling...falling..." Arda yawned, "falling asleep Zzzz." she faked snored and the children laughed, telling her to wake up, and Arda startled awake, "OH! The farmer realized that after he had fallen asleep, the thief came back and had taken more of his food! The farmer stood up, furious and said, 'I will find that thief and I will put a stop to this forever!'" Arda acted out the farmer, gritting her teeth and shaking her fist, and the children also shook their fist, "However, as the farmer went to get his rifle, he was stopped by a traveler, a wise one at that, who asked the farmer what was wrong. The Farmer explained that his food was being stolen and he was going to stop that thief. The wise traveler seemed concerned for both the farmer, because his food was being stolen and for the thief because they were going to get hurt. So the traveler said, 'I will wait with you tonight for the thief to come, and we will find out why they keep taking your food'. The farmer huffed and was not liking this idea, but agreed, 'Fine, we will wait, but they need to be punished!" Arda paused, judging the children's interests as they seemed to all keep their focus on her, "And so they waited all night, and when they both seemed to grow tired, the thief arrived!" the children gasped, "The traveler stood up and so did the farmer, his rifle raised and pointed at the thief" she mimicked the farmer pointing the rifle, "But what the farmer saw was no ordinary thief, but a father and his son, both were entirely frightened, 'Please sir, we are just hungry, we did not think you would even notice.' explained the thief, and the Farmer lowered his weapon and looked at the traveler, realizing the mistake he was making in assuming the thieves were there to cause him and his farm harm. The traveler then spoke, 'Is this the thief you were expecting?' the traveler asked, 'Sometimes the intentions of others are not what they seem.'" Arda paused, her voice growing soft, "It is that the Farmer decided he could spare some of his crops for the father and his son, he knew it would be the right thing to do and thanked the traveler for their help." Arda looked around to all the children, "And you know what happened?" they shook their heads, "The farmer and the father made a bigger farm and were happy to help anyone who came to them for their food. The End." Arda smiled and the children cried for another story in their cheers.

The Jedi Grandmaster glanced at the Senator for his reaction.

@Insalius

 

[Valiance Waszylla]

Valiance clapped as the story ended, the children completely taken in by the magic of the tale. "That is quite the story, my friend. And it's a good lesson. Things may not always be as they appear. Even if we're hurt, or angry, acting on impulse can cause misunderstandings or create even more pain and anger in others. Too much and it could create a cycle, trapping those involved and making life very sad for those people." He stood up, book under his arm, and the students stood up as well knowing the impromptu lesson was over. They thanked the two adults and ran off down the path towards the entrance of the library to return to school. As she passed, one of the smaller children looked up at Arda with bright, wonder-filled eyes. Then with a smile she took a flower she had pinned to her lapel, something her parents had probably put there, and placed it into the Jedi Grandmaster's hand. With a pleased giggle she ran off to join the others.

"I was unaware the children were here, though I think it worked out for the best. It's the duty of our generation to guide and teach the newer ones, right?" Smiling, Valiance walked over to his guest, holding out the book to her. "This is one thing I had wanted to give you. I'm not sure if you have a copy of these tales, yet the old Order seemed to have gone through quite the effort to convert these into a format that wouldn't be burned by the Empire, so I figured it might be of use to you. Ah, but where are my manners." The Senator gave Arda a polite bow, though his glasses nearly slipped off his face when he did. "Welcome to Obroa-skai, 'Anne'. I know there are some here that would not approve of your visit, yet a library should be a sanctuary for the inquisitive mind. I hope you have had no troubles here. I've worked quite hard to make this planet as peaceful and conducive to study as possible. What can I do for you?" It was obvious he held the Jedi in high respect.

@GABAdactyl

 

[Arda Breaux]

She left the group in awe, but it did not deter them from moving on to whatever was planned next for the younglings. Even with her learners at the temple, keeping children focused on tasks was challenging, their minds seemed to run so much faster than what the rest of the galaxy could keep up with. However, she was pleased that the Senator enjoyed the lesson in the story. When he stood up, Arda followed, watching the younglings disappear into the lanes of shelves, some running, and one unmistakably cried out for them to stop running. She smiled when she heard someone tell them to be quiet. However, one youngling turned back, approaching the Grandmaster who knelt down to accept the gift from the little girl. The white flowers gleamed in the overhead light and Arda smiled, pinning the broach to her own clothing as the Senator spoke again.

"Very much so, Senator." she spoke agreeing with his observation about being guides for the generations to come; he handed then handed the book he was holding to the Jedi, offering it as a gift, stories lost to the oppression of the Empire. Arda no doubt accepted it, a little surprised just from the fact it was unexpected, "Thank you, Senator, I have many students engaged in restoring history that was lost."

The woman flipped through some of the pages before closing the book. She grinned when he called her Anne, finding she liked that name very much, "The lies of the Empire still run rampant throughout systems, but in time, I hope beings will discover their fallacy and decide for themselves on what they truly believe is right." she paused for a moment, finding the right words to proceed next, "The Jedi are not just warriors, in fact, Jedi do not do well engaged in war for long periods of time. It was why we were weakened centuries prior, it is why we continue to be weak in the eyes of the galaxy, Senator." she glanced at Valiance and then back down at the text. "Though, many Jedi are healers, diplomats, negotiators, navigators, and scholars. We have many who would wish to build the archives as they once were on Ossus, but we need a point to bridge the knowledge which was once lost." Arda explained.

@Insalius

 

[Valiance Waszylla]

Valiance was silly, but he was not stupid. He could feel the hint of a request in the Grandmaster's words, yet he was unsure exactly what she was looking for. With a smile he gestured for her to follow him deeper into the library, down towards the older vaults that held the tomes and information requiring more than an inquisitive mind to access. While knowledge should be preserved, some could be dangerous in the wrong hands. That, or people would feel threatened by such knowledge and attempt to destroy it. As they came to the atmosphere-controlled rooms with rows of specially built shelves to house these works, from political manifestos to potentially heretical musings on the nature of the Dark Side of the Force. Nothing of real power, nor anything that on their own could be considered dangerous to any one person. It was the ideas that they could instill in their readers, though, that made their potential dangerous. This was perhaps the only place they were allowed to exist during the days of the Imperial Republica, under the express condition that not a single soul would have access to the information stored here. Of course, with the fall of the Empire, that request was now no longer enforceable.

"Our archives here are vast, not perhaps nearly what they were on Ossus, but as best as we could handle them. You're the first person in generations to have access here, besides for the scholars and caretakers required to maintain this place. I do not have the Force, or it is not strong with me, but when I look at some of these books I feel an...uneasiness. I know the power of knowledge and what it can do in the wrong hands. I also know the pain of it's loss to said wrong hands as well. The Jedi's loss is a true crime against the galaxy, all that wisdom lost...Though, if perhaps there were more archives, or vaults, on places where the Sith or others didn't think to look, that might help preserve what is still known against the uncertainty of the future. Though, that's just the ramblings of a silly old man." He gave her a kind smile, wondering if his potential rambling had wandered into a topic close to why she had arrived there that day.

@GABAdactyl

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda knew his experience and even his humor cued that he would catch on to more than what she was saying. She was told that Master Jedi were supposed to be experts in cryptic messages, and it seemed perhaps there were some senators such as Valiance who knew how to interpret such messages. Arda thought it was refreshing. Regardless, she walked with the Senator as he lead her to restricted areas of the library; she couldn't help a shiver from an unknown chill as she approached. Her feelings told her to be cautious, but as he lead her through the area, she understood what she was seeing and what he wanted her to see.

She set down the book that had been gifted to her and picked up a text that had to be centuries old from the early days of the Empire. Valiance explained his own thoughts and feelings about what he felt in there and Arda glanced at him, "There is an uneasiness." she reassured him, "Most of it is residual, but there may be things in here that only the strongest of the Jedi may need to handle." she said nodding, as she glanced over another text, one of propaganda from the Republica. "History, regardless of the pain that had been endured should never be forgotten. Your scholars have done well here, Senator, you should be proud of them." she said setting down the text and picking up the book that was gifted to her from him.

"The future is never certain, nor do I think you're rambling like an old man, Senator." smiled the Grandmaster.

@Insalius

 

[Valiance Waszylla]

"Well, that's always good to hear. Means I might be able to survive re-election!" He chuckled again, though after a few seconds he became serious. He gestured for Arda to follow him again, going back to the turbolift and going even deeper. When they exited, what they found was...white. empty rooms, sterile white walls, and even more security than the last section they had been in. For the time being the jovial nature was gone from the Senator's eyes, completely serious as he looked around the rooms then at Arda. Perhaps this was the main reason he had wanted to bring the Grandmaster to his world, despite the Mandalorian risk to them both. He took out a datapad, information already filled out that would hopefully be of use to the Jedi.

"This place was made fairly recently, commissioned by the Empire just months before they were dissolved by Darth Tagus. Understandably, as we're under Mandalorian control, the whole thing had to be kept hush-hush. They wanted to store more than tomes, here. I think they wanted to store artifacts, maybe even things like holocrons. However, with the dissolution came the scattering of the initial investors. That led to a vault that should be able to withstand Mandalorian scrutiny, has been paid for, but is unable to fulfill it's normal purpose. It was put up for auction by the construction firm that had the contract to build it and, well, let's say a certain handsome Senator put i the winning bid." He smiled as he handed the datapad to Arda, the ownership paperwork for this area filled out for a company called 'Jedd and Aya's Discount Yoga Emporium'. "I made a non-profit organization to handle this space, but in my aging state I find I can't quite run it well. I'm sure a strapping young woman like yourself can find a use for this kind of space?"

@GABAdactyl

 

[Arda Breaux]

Arda grinned at his quip and followed him when he gestured for her to move along. She tilted her head in curiosity as they went further into the library back to a turbolift where they headed down into the basement levels. She could sense his demeanor change, his eyes spoke mostly, but Arda did not sense any unease; the chime of the lift alerted them to their destined floor and Arda stepped off with the Senator finding themselves in a newer, sterile environment. Arda found it uncomfortable but when he explained it had been commissioned from the former Empire, it then made sense.

He explained further what it was destined to be and where it had recently gone, it took her a moment to register what he meant by a handsome Senator putting in for the winning bid until he handed her the paperwork. She read it over and she felt her cheeks redden with the bashful gratefulness for the Senator's generosity. "This is spectacular and absolutely wonderful, Senator." she said feeling her faith in the Force and those who supported the Jedi and their cause.

"So many of our young learners are eager to continue to preserve artifacts from the Order, so much had been lost, but this would be perfect in keeping things safe." she said nodding in approval, her eyes light up with excitement to begin to send Jedi here to catalog and record. She handed him back the papers and reached into a pouch pulling out a semi-opaque blue stone. She looked at the gem and then set it on the shelf, "There, now it is started officially, the Gift of the Bendu."

Arda took a step back to admire the stone and then looked at the Senator, "Thank you again, I and the Order hold your gratitude and generosity in highest esteem."

@Insalius

 

[Valiance Waszylla]

Valiance gave a bow of respect to the Grandmaster, happy that his gift was so well received. "I apologize I can't do more than this. The Mandalorians have our hands tied, especially since they run this planet. Getting you here was already quite the task, but I think it was worth it. Even if we cannot protect your order directly, we can at least preserve it's history and culture for future ages. Perhaps thousands of years in the future these archives will exist to help teach others the wisdom of the Jedi. For now, though, we should return before people get suspicious. My mother, especially, would want to know if I was about to finally take a wife. She means well but could nag a Sith into marrying a Mandalorian if she tried hard enough." He chuckled at the joke, leading Arda back into the turbolift to return to the library proper. He knew they both had work to do for the future, he just hoped she would live to see some of it. He already knew he would be long dead before peace returned.

/Endthread