Revelations and End Times

[Zem Vymes]

The shuttle burst out of light speed, thundering through the blackness of space toward a small flotilla of vessels very few in the galaxy knew existed. On board, Zem Vymes waited. It had been nearly a year since he'd spoken with any Jedi other than Lok s'Ilancy. That the Jedi were still well gave him hope, but he knew that he carried knowledge of an approaching storm, the likes of which hadn't seen seen since the darkest days of the Purge. The Jedi order was nascent and growing, but they were still fragile and vulnerable. If they didn't act quickly, the work of the past decades would be for nothing.

"We're clear to land, Master Vymes."

He only nodded, seeing the familiar-looking wedge of a Venator cruiser dominating the forward viewscreen. Not too long ago, he'd seen similar sights, on the cusp of another approaching storm. The Jedi barely survived Darth Sidious's purge. They had to survive Darth Decepis's.

"Alert the council. I must speak with them immediately."

[Dashiel Starborn]

Dash gave the Jedi Knight a nod in reply and turned back to the shuttle's cockpit, where Charlotte sat in the pilot's chair. The co-pilot's seat was empty and he took his place there, sending a short encoded comm. message ahead to the Challenger. His fingers trembled so he folded them into fists as he sat back, exhaling, watching the Venator loom ever closer.

“Thanks again for helping out on this.”

He ventured a weak smile, that didn't at all speak to what he was feeling in his gut. There weren't a lot of people he would have trusted with the location of the Wheel, but Charlotte Tur'enne was definitely one of them. It was reassuring to have her on board, even if she wasn't fully aware of what he'd gotten himself - and now, by association, her - involved in.

“Once we've docked with the Challenger, it should be as simple as escorting Vymes to the Jedi Council. After that... we wait on Jane to send through our next move.”

[Charlotte Tur'enne]

Charlotte cast Dashiel a thinly veiled smile before forcing herself to look forward once more. His words were small comfort in her mind. It didn't matter just how short of a mission this was going to be, the simple fact it involved not just one, but multiple Force users set her completely on edge. If it had been anyone else but her occasional partner to ask...

"You so owe me a drink for this one." The words came out half muttered as if she may have been speaking them to herself for even considering agreeing to come along.

The sight of the rag-tag fleet didn't help much either. What the hell have we been doing out here...? There was a lot of hush-hush about all of it. Too much for her liking. The very existence of the Wheel was a complete shock, the fact the Rebellion was dedicating resources to it was alarming, and the fact that now she was going to be there, among them... She took a deep breath to push the thoughts out of her mind.

As the shuttle eased into the Challenger's docking bay and the familiar sounds of the landing echoed throughout the craft she forced another deep breath. One part down...

"Right then, let's get this done with." She didn't mean to sound so aggravated, but the fact remained that Charlotte had little to no idea as to why she had been asked to come along, just her partner's word. And well... that just didn't sit right. She figured she'd be having some words of her own to throw his way on their way back to base.

[Dashiel Starborn]

The main hangar of the Challenger was dimly lit and crowded with ships of all sizes. As the trio emerged from within their shuttle, Dash counted at least three – maybe four – squadrons worth of starfighters on deck, droids and engineering crews milling about amongst them all. He had expected an atmosphere of urgency, with crewmen running from one problem to another, but the deck looked like any other deck.

A voice called out his name and Dash turned to see a small group approaching. Flanked on either side by armed Alliance personnel, a white-eyed woman in a grey Jedi's tunic appeared to be in charge.

“Agent Starborn?” she asked again, coming to a halt.

Dash nodded, noting that she wore her lightsaber openly on her belt. “Yes, ma'am. This is Second Lieutenant Tur'enne, SpecForce, and – Master Vymes, I believe you know already.”

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Agent Starborn, Lieutenant Tur'enne, thank you for your assistance in this matter. Commodore Tyree assures me that quarters and rations have been set aside for your stay here, however brief.”

Daria nodded to the two representatives of the Rebel Alliance, but it was their passenger who drew the Jedi Knight's attention. She recalled him from their brief meeting on Cloud City. His aura had changed since then, grown dimmer somehow, and the young girl he had travelled with was gone. Her sightless gaze lingered on him a moment longer, then she spoke, lifting her eyes to the assembled Rebels.

“Please excuse us. The rest of the council are waiting.”

She gestured ahead and waited only a moment before setting off at a brisk stride with Zem Vymes in tow. Though privacy would be hard to come by on the Challenger's hangar deck, Daria waited until they were out of ear-shot of the Rebels before speaking again.

“We are eager to hear what news you bring, Master Vymes.”

[Zem Vymes]

Zem's face was stoic, but grim.

"Daria, I think once you hear the news I have, your eagerness will wane."

They continued on at a determined pace.

"We've been blinded, just as we were a generation ago. If we don't act quickly, I fear a betrayal so enormous that it may threaten our existence once more, and scatter the Order to the wind."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria nodded. Alliance Intelligence had not provided confirmation of the exact nature of Zem Vymes news, save to say that it was a matter of grave urgency. “It is unfortunate that we are reunited under such circumstances.”

The Jedi Knights wound their way through narrow corridors that ran parallel to the hangar bay, working their way towards the superstructure that contained the bridge. A short turbolift ride carried them to the forward observation station where a small group of robed figures stood gathered in silence before the panoramic view-port.

The hiss of the turbolifts doors parting before them announced their arrival, followed moments later by the muted click of boots against the deck as the moved out into the stillness of the observation room. One of the Council turned to regard the pair. Though she was counted as one of their number, Daria dipped her head in respect.

“Masters.. Jedi Knight Vymes comes before us today with information critical to the very existence of the Order as we know it.”

[Serena Laran]

Serena Laran was no stranger to the others gathered in the room, but she was not usually privy to Council matters. Since the Enclave had formed during her incarceration, she was still feeling out her place on the Wheel, and with her fellow Jedi.

She was content to stay in the background and listen, but as Knight Nytherciria gave her proclamation Serena was struck by a wave of dizziness and her eyes suddenly went dark. The vision she had been puzzling over since her trip 'home' with her padawan Morgan Evanar flashed before her unseeing eyes again: the two dark figures on an Alliance ship. It was over almost before it began, other than a moment of unsteadiness.

The vision was tied directly to what Knight Vymes had to say, that she was sure of. "Then it is true. Another Sith..?" She had spoken before she could stop herself, her trademark calm somewhat diminished since her rescue, and found herself blushing lightly. "Apologies. I have been troubled by visions, but they were not clear until... Apologies. Please, Knight Vymes, tell us your news."

[Rev Solomon]

Beside Serena, directly underneath a projection globe on the ceiling, stood a shimmering blue image of Reverend Solomon in his black suit and clerical collar. It wasn't ideal to open such a sensitive meeting to holographic communication, but Solomon and the Exodus were three days away in the Kesh sector scouting for sympathetic sources of much-needed resources. A telltale flicker disrupted his image every three seconds or so as his transmitter and the Challenger's transceiver constantly updated their encryption algorithms.

Solomon stood with his hands clasped before him, grim-faced as he awaited Knight Vymes's ill tidings.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Signs and portents, visions clouded by the dark, and the bearer of grim news was a moments breath away from revelation. The precipice of change brought a sinister overcast amongst everyone here. Everyone could feel it. The shift of balance in the Force.

Brown eyes shifted underneath the hood and glanced upon Laran - who's face did not reflect her namesake, nor did her voice. Navaria Tarkin opted to remain silent and wait for Vymes to explain. Laran had encouraged her fellow Knight to continue and all waited with earnest anticipation.

[Zem Vymes]

Vymes nodded to Serena, confirming her premonitions.

"It is as you say. Two Sith, to be precise."

He looked to the assembled Masters and Knights of the Council, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Darth Decepis, and Darth Acera. The master, Decepis, has been masquerading as one of our closest allies for...decades now. It is General Dan of the Rebel Alliance's fourth fleet."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria inhaled deeply, calling upon the Force to fill her with the presence of mind she needed. There is no emotion, there is peace, she repeated silently, but her heart wasn't in the oath. It was back on Onderon, years ago now, sitting opposite a spacer blowing cigar smoke into her face.

“We just want you to take the boy,” he said, with a casual nod towards young Wyl Staedler.

Just the boy. Just. As it was nothing more than that.

It had been her first dealing with the Rebel Alliance – her first meeting with the woman who now served as the Rebellion's Director of Intelligence – but far from her last. From the outset, she had held misgivings about allying herself with the Rebel Alliance and now it transpired that a senior member amongst their military was Sith.

The Jedi Knight shook her head.

“The security of this convoy has been compromised.”

[Rev Solomon]

Solomon felt the air go out of his lungs, as if a great pit had opened up inside him and was threatening to swallow him whole. The last time he'd felt like that was when he'd crawled out from the ruins of a bunker on Geonosis to find Master Tau dead at the hands of the Clone army. Once a Sith had overturned the Galactic Republic and decimated the Jedi Order because he had wormed his way into the Chancellorship under the Council's noses. By comparison, a general in the Alliance military was a smaller foe to topple, but that general was in position to put his boot on the neck of the resurgent Jedi Order while it was still in its infancy.

And then there was Lok. Dan was the father of her child. Was it possible she could grow so close to a Sith Lord without knowing? Possible that she could escape his influence?

The reverend swallowed to force some moisture back in his throat. On one hand, he wished he were in the chamber with his fellow Jedi so he could sense their minds and draw strength for them; on the other, he was selfishly glad they didn't feel his conflict.

"One of our order is very close to this General Dan," he said. "Master Loklorien s'Ilancy. Knight Vymes, do you know what's become of her?"

[Serena Laran]

Serena wanted nothing more than to sit down as Zem Vymes spoke; his proclamation was not followed by a gasp from the room but stunned silence. She steeled her body, careful not to lock her knees, and remained standing. Sith in the Alliance, and her home in exile under the control of the Empire. Her mouth was dry.

As Sol queried about Loklorien, the first Jedi Serena had met after emerging from exile, her eyes sharpened and she stared at Knight Vymes, wondering what he would say. She had just spent a great deal of time with the woman, but she was not on the Wheel now. Did she know of Dan? How could she not?

Serena inhaled deeply, a stab of betrayal finally reaching her calm, and she walked slowly to a chair and sat down.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria felt her face marred into a fierce scowl. She had harbored great respect for s'Ilancy - the Knight had aided her and Daria in the past, but this was unsettling and only the Force knew how long they had been blinded by traitors in their midst.

Vymes did not have to confirm what everyone in the room felt was true, but they all waited in anticipation.

[Zem Vymes]

Solomon's query was an understandable one, and a difficult one to answer.

"Master s'Ilancy...is under some influence from the Sith Lord and his apprentice. To what end, I'm not certain. All I know is that she isn't lost to us."

It was a cryptic and frustrating answer no doubt, but the only answer he could give. For his sake and for hers.

[Serena Laran]

Serena closed her eyes lightly, and then opened them. "What should we do, to ensure our safety? I am loathe to suggest we scatter, but with our new enemies firmly entrenched in the Alliance and in our very convoy it seems... impossible."

She looked from Zem to Daria and then back again. "Does the Alliance even know of this threat?"

[Morgan Evanar]

*Bump bump this thang*

[Zem Vymes]

Zem was very familiar with the feelings of discomfort and unease he felt from his colleagues. He'd wrestled with the implications of his knowledge for a very long time.

"My escape was engineered, albeit by accident, by Alliance Intelligence officers. They know of my appraisal of the situation, and they have their own reasons to suspect a conspiracy in their ranks. Apparently Dan's activities have resulted in the disappearance of one of their agents, Byl Laprovik."

Steepling his fingers together before him, he continued, looking to Serena.

"We don't yet know Dan's reach yet. In terms of hierarchy, he commands a major fleet task force in the fourth fleet, but that in and of itself is probably not enough to affect some kind of coup over the whole Alliance. Whether he has control via other means? This is difficult."

His legs were restless, and he stood.

"I worry that if we disperse, there won't be a second chance to bring us together. At the same time, we risk real danger isolated as one community in the ether, flying blind. My suggestion is to engage any sympathetic parties in Alliance Intelligence, and put our own talents to use in unlocking this mystery."

He sighed.

"It's what we Jedi did a long time ago. Maybe it's time again."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria nodded at Zem's words, hearing grim truth in them. Since the formation of the Wheel, the Jedi as a whole had grown – complacent to an extent. Theirs was not a comfortable life, but everything they did as a group was a reaction. They ran when they were found, hid when they were chased. It was time to act.

“As the Jedi Shadows once did.”

[Rev Solomon]

Solomon took in a long, slow breath. For centuries the Jedi Shadows, like the Sith they hunted, were widely thought to be phantasms of a bygone age. The Sith may have crawled their way back from the nightmare pages of history, but Solomon was just as glad to leave the Shadows where they had fallen.

"The Jedi Shadows worked in secret," he said. "They sacrificed all other Jedi duties, even their very identities, to hunt down the last vestiges of the Sith. I agree that this threat must be confronted, but I'd be cautious about invoking the methods of the Shadows. There aren't that many of us to go around."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria lowered her head for a moment. Their lives were one unending series of sacrifices, setting aside everything aside their servitude of the Force.

“We can afford to take no half-measures in protecting the Order, as it is. If two Sith have managed to insinuate themselves into positions so close to our own, others may do the same – may have done the same already.”

[Zem Vymes]

Zem nodded.

"We have to be prepared to assume this. The threats against us are existential threats. We can't be complacent simply in the false security that there are more of our number than a simple handful, as we may have once felt during the purge or beyond."

He paced about, coming to a stop at the center of the room.

"Any chance to unmask Dan for what he is, and to give us the advantage when the time comes to fight, we must take these chances. If that means we work with Alliance Intel, I think we should. If that means working outside the Alliance and possibly even against their interest, I think we should."

[Serena Laran]

Serena's eyes traveled to where Sol's hologram rested, and she wished that he were solid and with her in the room. Her mouth was dry, her legs were shaky... She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Wind in the trees... leaf on the stream...

The other Jedi were speaking, and she finally felt calm enough to participate once more. "It is dangerous to speak of working against the Alliance while on an Alliance ship, Jedi Vymes. Our very lives are wrapped up in this Wheel - if they were to abandon us we would be more than vulnerable. If they turned against us..? The years have not softened my memories of Order 66.

"I believe that working with Intel is the best course of action. To sever relations at this point leaves the Enclave with no allies. This way we can determine how deep the rot goes, and work to excise it."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“If Master s'Ilancy is indeed in the... thrall of this Sith then we find ourselves facing threats from within and without. We must use all resources at our disposal to see this matter to its conclusion.”

Daria cast a glance around the room. Though she could not see the expressions of her peers, she felt the uncertainty emanating from all of them. Each of them had faced trials of their own in the past, but Zem's words were a lot to take in.

“It would be wise to begin scrutinising the men and women closest to us, military and Jedi alike.”

[Zem Vymes]

Zem nodded.

"It may also pay dividends to work closer with the Alliance on their missions, in order to make our presence felt, but also to gain any possible insight into what we're up against."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"In order to find a Sith..." a voice spoke from the dark corner of the chamber, echoing against the metallic plating on the walls - "...you have to know what you are looking for."
A moment later, Tionne Thanewulf emerged into the dimmed light of the viewport and stood before fellow Jedi, clad in black leather from tip to toe. The electrum hilt of her saber shone strapped at belt, a sole reminder of more glorious times the Order had seen.

"How many of you have confronted a Dark sider to begin with?" she asked, turning around to address everyone in the room - "Or seen a friend, a colleague turn into a demon before your very eyes? How many of you have taken a life of such a friend to save your own?"

Tionne let a few idle moments pass to let the questions she raised settle with the crowd. Before even giving anybody a chance to answer, the redhead continued in a rather determined tone -
"Hunt or be hunted. I have experience with Dark siders in abundance. Let me find her, him or them and bring them before the Council. I will bring them to justice, or have them killed in the process."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Agreed,” Daria said, gratified to hear that she and Zem Vymes were of a similar mind.

As Tionne Thanewulf made herself known, the Miraluka watched her fellow Jedi Knight with seemingly sightless eyes. There were few people who knew Daria's history prior to being found and enlisted by Dasquian Belargic as an ally of the Rebellion. By virtue of her age, she had been spared the horrors of the Purge – but had spent much of her childhood in flight from a Sith Lord nevertheless. She knew the Dark Side... more intimately than she might have liked.

“This is not a task that one Jedi alone can accomplish.”

[Zem Vymes]

Zem nodded in agreement with Daria, working to find concord with Tionne's new suggestion.

"For our younger students that may very well be true, but we do have some with experience like yours. It's invaluable experience to have, but Master Daria is right. We can't act like the old Order did. This is an existential threat. We must all commit to fight it."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“For those of us who already deal with the Alliance on a daily basis,” Daria went on, “This should not be a difficult task to accomplish. Our skill sets are... unique and invaluable. Though the Republic has called upon us before to aid them, I have no doubts that they would welcome our assistance in many more matters than we already find ourselves involved.”

Her head dipping for a moment, the Jedi Knight crossed her arms over her chest as she considered her next words. “Many of us would not be here, gathered as we are, were it not for agents of the Rebellion. Let us draw upon these connections to investigate further.”