Inquiry

[Fennex Zeerda]

"I'm warning you," Fennex raised a clawed finger and switched into his "Master Zeerda" voice, his little black eyes darting between the two Knights, "This task is not an easy one. The Council is burdening you both with great responsibility here- perhaps the greatest you have ever shouldered as Knights. It will be a true test of your spirit. If you aren't ready for it, better to tell me know."

The three of them were occupying a dimly lit room in the Jedi Academy that had obviously not seen regular use for some time, judging by the dusty and faded (but pleasingly plush!) cushions on the circular bucket chairs. He had just finished briefing them on the situation at hand- the mission they were being brought on board to assist him with, and he couldn't help but think that the room was fitting for the situation- dusty and dim, lost to neglect for far too long. Maybe when their task was complete he'd have the place cleaned up and restored to proper working order, hopefully mirroring the results of what they were trying to achieve with this mission.

"Any questions?" Fennex inquired, whiskers twitching as he eyed the pair.

He hadn't told them they were handpicked for this assignment after a careful review of their records among a number of other candidates. Fennex, with the Councils assistance, had selected them based on very strict criteria. While relatively young and less well established, both of the Jedi seated before him had impeccable reputations where it counted, and Fennex was certain they would perform admirably in their roles, if they accepted it. Indeed, he was relying on it because, truth be told, this was just as great a burden for him as well. Jon had been a good friend, and Fennex was determined to complete the fallen Jedi Masters final task with all the zeal and vigor he could muster. He could think of no better way to honor the Arbiters memory.

I will finish what you started.

@Shalken @Painus

 

[Galahad Vult]

Sitting attentively in his seat, Galahad listened eagerly as the Amaran Jedi Master warned him and the other Knight beside him of the dangers their mission, should they choose to accept it. While he understood the difficulty that this assignment would hold, the blond Knight would not be deterred. Ever since that fateful day when the Skyward Sword slew Grandmaster Sige and crippled Galahad, he had sorely wished for an opportunity in which he could be of some use to the Order since he could no longer serve as a Temple Guard. And now that such an opportunity was offered to him, there was no way that the Knight would back down.

"I am prepared for whatever trials may face us, Master," Galahad replied stoically. "When shall we begin?" Deep down, the former Guardian could not help but wonder why only he and the other Knight were the only ones involved. He'd maybe only seen her a handful of times, and certainly didn't know her name. In fact, neither of them held any special position in the Order — they were basically nobodies, just run-of-the-mill Knights ready to serve the Jedi. Perhaps that itself was the reason why they were chosen, but that would remain to be seen. For now, it mattered little why they were chosen, only that they were, and Galahad was prepared to do his utmost to complete the task at hand.

@Painus @Loco​

 

[Fiona MacBheathain]

Fiona leaned forward and put an elbow on her knee, planting her chin in the nook between her thumb and her index finger, and processed the information she had just received. This task was greater than any she had been assigned before – perhaps with the exception of the assault on Prakith, though this would be less dangerous, she figured. Ever since that horrible battle, she sought to help the Order however she could; through war, diplomacy, and now this. What confounded her was why she and the other Knight – a man she had not yet met before – were selected for this mission. She was anonymous, a nobody, but that may have been the reasoning for her selection. With a light shrug, Fiona straightened up, planting her hands on her lap.

She wanted to do this. This was a way for her to help fix the Order and prevent future suffering, a feeling it was all-too-familiar with. She did not know Galahad very well, with the exception that he was a fellow Knight. The same went for Master Zeerda; she knew of him, of course, but had never interacted with the Amaran before. She was eager to become familiar with them, as this assignment would undoubtedly bring them closer as they worked towards their goal.

She spoke up after some time, looking intently at Master Zeerda, ”Ah dornt hae ony questions, Master.” Her voice was distinct, perhaps the only in the Order of its kind. It was probably her only notable feature, really. Her eyes flicked around the room briefly, panning over the dusty and neglected furniture. It was eerily reflective of the state of things around the Order, though it could be cleaned up. It would be cleaned up. After a short pause, she looked back at Fennex, holding a finger up, ”Weel, mibbie yin. Whaur dae we stairt?” This was a significant task with many different angles to consider. The hardest part would be choosing where exactly to go first.

@Loco @Shalken

 

[Fennex Zeerda]

Fennex bared his teeth in a wide grin. He'd chosen well, he was quite sure. The pair seemed earnest and eager, but both had an air of stoicism about them that the Master particularly liked. Being a Jedi was a hard life, not for everyone- as had been proved time and time again over the last few decades of Fens life. Those who faces adversity and remained on the path wrlere the true believers, and the fox was sure that was the sort of resolve they would need in the days ahead.

"We start now," he began. He handed each Knight a datapad displaying the information Jon had discovered before he fell in battle, along with what Fens own brief inquiry up til now had revealed. It was scrubbed of extraneous information the council had given him access to, presenting only what information the Knights needed for this mission. "This is what we know so far."

"Master Atreides had Master Talus' mission and access logs pulled when it was discovered that the Exile Silas used them to access the academy. She's done little traveling of late- most notably Coruscant, Zeltros, and Andara. She returned several orphan initiates to Ossus after the Sith attack on the temple, but her presence at Jedi facilities drops sharply from there." He gave them a few moments to process before continuing, "I looked into her adventures on Coruscant and Zeltros. Republic authorities informed me she's the subject of an underworld bounty, along with Silas."

It wasn't a lot to go on, Fennex knew. From there, the data showed she had left for Andara, where she seemed to be spending a lot of her time. She'd not been present for many Masterly duties since she started visiting the planet- no councils of Mastery, no new missions undertaken, no presence on the battlefield... she had practically disappeared. The council might have contacted her, if not for the apparent connection to Silas. Fen was old enough to remember the Knights exile, though they had never met. He couldn't remember the specifics of the incident, only that it frustrated him at the time, having two able-bodied Knights removed from their duties because they couldn't follow the basic tenants expected of all Jedi. Now, so many years later, Silas was a wild card. For all the Council knew, he'd completed his fall to the darkside and lured Master Tulas to her doom- or worse, turned her too.

"Silas operates an orphanage on Andara," Fennex continued his brief, "I'll need one of you to follow up there and look for signs of Master Tulas presence. The other of you will go to Coruscant and Zeltros and see what you can learn. Meanwhile, I'll research the both of them and monitor for any new movement..."

Just then, the Masters datapad buzzed. Distracted, Fennex looked down at the blinking aurebesh characters displayed there, his mouth still hanging half open in surprise.

"Scratch that, you're both coming with me," he told the Knights as he dropped down from his seat and headed for the door, "sometimes the Force works in mysterious ways."

@Painus @Shalken

 

[Fiona MacBheathain]

Fiona took her datapad in hand and gave it a cursory glance, listening to Master Zeerda speak. Master Atreides had quite the portfolio on this investigation, though that came with the territory of his duty to the Order. It was all very alarming, to say the least. It was not often a Master came under investigation for accusations of infidelity to the Order, especially with an Exile.

An Exile. Fiona had to read and re-read that particular descriptor a few times, shaking her head slowly at the thought. They had fought the Exiles for over a century, and now more Masters were being accused of colluding with them. This had become an unfortunate trend among Jedi leadership in the past few years, despite every effort being taken to reduce the likelihood of falling to the temptation of the Dark Side. Still, Fiona read on and listened to Master Zeerda.

She found it odd that they would recover Force-sensitive orphans and bring them to the Jedi, given the man’s status as an Exile. Still, Fiona remained skeptical and refused to take anything at face value, especially under the current circumstances. As the Master continued, Fiona looked at him bemusedly upon mention of a bounty, but nonetheless remained respectfully silent.

She found the Master’s absence among the rest of the Order unsettling, but unsurprising, given her company. With a curt nod of the head, Fiona acknowledged their mission, finally speaking up, ”Ah’ll travel tae Corus-“ was all she managed before Master Zeerda stopped and stared at his datapad, incredulous. She promptly shut up as he stood upright and headed for the door, beckoning the two of them to follow. She gave Galahad a confused look, but pushed herself up and followed behind, curious as to what the Amaran had in store.

Today would be interesting.

@Shalken

 

[Galahad Vult]

Pleased to hear they would begin their investigation immediately, Galahad grasped the datapad that was handed to him and began to read over the information carefully. Nodding as Master Zeerda filled them in on the details, the Knight examined each piece of evidence carefully, slowly beginning to understand the gravity of the situation. While it did not seem as though the exile 'Silas Rin' was immediately associated with the Sith Empire, they could not leave out the possibility. The fact the two of them had bounties placed on their heads did not bode well.

Hearing that Silas operated an orphanage on Andara intrigued Galahad, but it did not entirely set aside his concerns. But something about that planet name rang a bell... ⋮⋮ Andara...orphanage...Silas...why do these sound familiar? ⋮⋮ Then it all finally made sense to him. On Galahad's recent journey with Austin to Chalacta, he had met and assisted a young girl named Isola. She had mentioned her master, Silas, and something about 'returning to him on Andara'. The coincidence was almost too perfect. "I know of this Silas. I met with one of his apprentices in my travels of late — I will go to Andara and continue the investigation there," Galahad bemused.

However, it seemed the Force had something different in store for them, as Fennex received an urgent call and abruptly instructed the two Knights to abandon the investigation and follow him instead. "Of course, Master," Galahad obeyed, rising to his feet and grasping his brylark staff. Little did he know that the day's adventures had only just begun.

Fin​