A knock at the door

[Master Yoghurt]

Dagobah

The murky and misty swamps of Dagobah, had an extraordinary bad smell this late evening. Perhaps it was the stench of gnarltrees. The huge and twisting trees with overexposed roots that were teeming all over the planet created the ominous scenery of a petrified haunted forest. As the trees grew, they would grow a specialized form of mobilized roots known as the gnarltree spider - a knobby white spider that often roamed the swamps and eventually would become a new gnarltree. It was under the giant roots of such a tree Yog's new and cosy mud hut resided. The warm dim lights from the hut beamed out into the clam fog. The smoke spiraling out of a bending chimney signalled the old Jedi Master was home.

<img src=http://www.thegjo.com/yog/dagobah/mudhut2.jpg>

It was time for food. For Jedi it was time to eat. And what better meal would there be than the warm and delicious stew of fresh root leaf?

"Mmmmm... hot.. good",

the creature said, as he pulled a spoon to his wrinkly lips, tasting the stew with an expression of great enjoyment over his face.

** knock - knock **

It was a knock at the door. Who could it be? The Jedi Master limped towards the door aided with his trusty gimmerstick walking cane. His eyes opened with surprise as he opened the door.. "Smoking root stew! Welcome to my humble home!, he said to the newly arrived visitor.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Ahhh, it had been far too long since he had been in the swamps of Dagobah. Teeming with life they were and he felt at one with The Force in this place. Dressed in his travelling clothes, already stained and worn, his boots slopped through the mud and leaves of the path he was now on.

The path to Master Yogurt's Mud Hut.

He came there, with a lot on his mind. He needed someone to talk to, to discuss and to reflect ideas with. Also, they were great friends, they went back to the days of the beginnings of the Jedi Order. They were alomst the olny two who knew of the days before the GJO came into being and Marcus was now the longest serving Jedi of all. They were both Force Masters in the truest sense of the word, the strongest of the Jedi by some margin and maybe the two strongest Force users in the Galaxy. Wise was Master Yogurt and it was that wisdom Marcus would need.

Yogurt also knew all of the secrets Marcus had, even in the days when Turbogeek was about.

He reached the door of the hut, knocked quietly, waited until Yogurt himself opened the door and greeted Marcus with surprsie.

"Master Yogurt.... it is good to see you once again. Might I come in?"

[Master Yoghurt]

"Good to see you my old friend. You just arrived in time for supper. Are you hungry? Root leaf I cook. Come in!"

The room was warm and dry compared to the cold and damp conditions outside. At a nearby wall, there was a small fireplace, heating the hut to a surprisingly comfortable temperature, concidering the harsh conditions outside. The muddy walls were decorated with the theatrical performance of light cast by the flames, giving the place a cosy atmosphere.

Yog moved over to his stove to attend the pot of stew that was now puttering and boiling. The root stew was ready. He found some wooden spoons, and filled two ceramic clay bowls with the stew, putting it on the small table in the corner of the room. To go with the stew, he served some tea of exotic herbs and roots that could be found exlusively in this local area of Dagobah.

"Supper is served!", he called out as he found some odd looking gnarltree root chairs, that strangely enough seemed to be ergonomically perfectly shaped for sitting in.

"Please, sit and have some stew, and I am eager to know about your latest adventures", the old man chuckled as he settled down at the table.

[Marcus Telcontar]

"Aye, hungry I am. It's been a long trip out from Arcan IV"

He took off the weather cloak he wore, then also unslung his bow and arrow set, with it's travelling swag. The sword went on top. Rarely was the rough and weatherhbeaten face of Marcus seen and in here, it seemed to fit with the surroundings.

"It's been a long time since I had some root stew Yog, far too long. It would be a pleasure to partake"

He waited for his friend to come back into the small room, before taking his place at the small table, crossing his legs and sitting on the hut's floor.

"Aye, only you know what type of adventures I can get up to. It must be a wonder for you to see me here, as I truly am, with no hint of a disguise or even a fake voice. Too long I had lived under different names, too long. Remember the days we poltted to bring TSE down from inside? Ahhh, if only the Jedi or the Senate knew of the way we have the databanks sliced, I'm sure there would be some upset beings"

A rare smile creased the Numenorian's face.

"Makes me almost yearn for those days once again... oh thank you" he added in his strangely accented voice as Master Yogurt placed a bowl in front of him. "Tell me, is it good to be home again at Dagobah?"

[Master Yoghurt]

"Yes, much refreshing it feels. Here, I may focus on the basics of the Force. The forest.. the creatures.. so much life.. I much prefer it to the smog, the duracrete and industrial carpets of the cities. At this place, I may find myself in harmony with the Force. Its a rare opportunity at a time when the galaxy is in such a state of chaos and change. Sometimes, I can see the future, and it feels good to say, it is going to be a brighter one than it has been for a long time. The curtain of Darkness is collapsing.."

The Jedi Master paused to have a sip of his special herb tea.. he stirred the tea with a tiny wooden spoon as he thought about the past, present and future. He smiled lightly, looking at Marcus as he continued talking.

<img src=http://www.thegjo.com/yog/dagobah/yogshut3.jpg>

"The Jedi Order has changed much, it may once again have the influence on the events of things it had a long time ago.. before the Dark Times.. the good old days"

The wind from the outside was howling across the small wooden shutters that made the huts 'windows'. It started raining. The falling raindrops drumming on the hut's roof made a concert, to contemplate the nostalgy of the two old friends sharing memories from a long time ago.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Marcus nodded, eating the stew - and reflecting on the truth of what MAster Yogurt had said,

"Indeed - The Sith Council is gone, The Sith Empire is gone, the Sith Order is weak and I percieve dying, the Black Hand looked dangerous, but it's own inaction kills it..... Even the Imperials are fragmented and now without real power, except over local systems. The New Republic spreads and the Jedi grow and finally prosper once again. It is indeed like the days when you and I served on The Council and I led the Jedi."

Marcus picked up a cup, indicating he would like some tea as well, His fellow Master complied and after Marcus had contemplted the tea in the cup, hiw took a sip, savouring the flavours before continuing.

"And I am back amongst the Jedi. For all on the surface, all is becoming well and right. Yet, my mind is troubled. I dont sleep well and my dreams are filled with images. Helenias, her gift of foreseeing has grown in her time in the Order and she has seen where Dasquain Belgaric and I could well die. The birth of Xazor Leo Dawnstrider's child is a harbringer of doom and it has been heavy on my heart. Other things have been a burden on me as well. Tell me, have you heard of the Lost Twenty?"

[Master Yoghurt]

"The Lost Twenty.."

If Yog had much of an eyebrow, he would have raised it now in puzzlement of Marcus' question. The Jedi Master gave Marcus a thoughtful expression as he recollected some of what he knew from the Jedi Archives..

".. they were a group of Jedi Knights. Highly respected and honored protectors of the galaxy. Some of them were even members of the Council. They were extraordinary skilled in the use of the Force, strongly resistant to the corruptions of the Dark Side. Yet, despite this, they suddenly disappeared, renounced their vows, leaving the Order. One of these Jedi was Count Doku, who would later ally with Palpatine. The Jedi Order had run for thousands of years, but never had something similar happened. But this is a long time ago, at the time of the Old Republic, before the Clone Wars.."

[Marcus Telcontar]

"is it a long time ago, my friend? Or if you read what the Lost were, do you think it might be said that.... there is another?"

Marcus sighed, his mind clearly troubled.

"My thoughts have also been dwelling on the Lost - why they did it, who they were and what they became. Yogurt, I came back to the Order, thinking that I could make a difference and that it was my path - that Helenias was a Jedi and Xazor, my firend, she is a Council Member. Yet, I find myself more distanced than ever and finding I do not agree with a lot of the Jedi. I also find that I have seen that the Jedi's real enemy is no longer the Sith, but something else and I do not believe anyone will listen to me before it is too late. So, what is it I should do?"

[Xazor Elessar]

Suddenly a light rasping resounded throughout the small hut as a knocking came at the door. It was none other than Xazor...and she appeared a bit...wet. Her red robes had a green film upon them...and a sort of weed from the seas and lakes...seemed to be growing out of her hair, or at least it appeared as such. She wore a smile nonetheless...though she was a bit cold and shaking. Her eyes shifted to a window and after not receiving an answer at the door, she moved over to it slowly and peered inside...seeing Marcus and Master Yoghurt speaking to one another over a hot meal. Her stomach growled and she noticed that she was famished...but had been told to wait in Marcus's ship for a while until he called her. She could not wait that long anymore and had become restless...she needed to walk...and instead, found herself face down in a large mucky puddle of some sort. The Knight knew better than to even imagine what was in the water there...so instead, she embraced the life and natural beauty of this planet that she had never seen before in her life. How curious it was indeed...and she would do some exploring when time permited. For now though, she wished to be let inside...so she moved back to the door and knocked once again...hoping that they heard her.....

[Master Yoghurt]

"Master Marcus, the reason I say 'long time ago' is, I never concidered you a lost Jedi. You simply did what your heart told you. Yes, there were times when you left to find answers or to resolve matters on your own. Yes, you walked your own path, often in an entirely different direction than the other Jedi, like a lonely crusader. Yes, you would often digress with the Council's opinion, because you always rather believed actions speak louder than words.. but despite all that.."

The Jedi Master paused, smiling gently as he continued.

"Despite all that, you believed in the Jedi ideals and goals. Your call was to fight the Darkness, even if it meant to do it on your own. In a way, you never really left the Jedi."

*Knock-knock-knock!*

"Now if you would excuse me.. there is a knock at the door. Wonder who that could be.."

With small strides, Yog moved his three-clawed feet across the muddy floor. Calmly, he pulled the door handle, using the other hand on his gimmerstick walking cane to push for extra leverage. Being a heavy wooden door, it swung open with a squaky noise. He smiled when he saw who was standing outside in the rain.

"Xazor.. what a surprise. Please come in. It is cold outside. Supper is ready"

The Jedi Master hurried to the stove to ready another bowl of root stew for Xazor as she entered. "Please make yourself comfortable, and have some stew."

[Marcus Telcontar]

"You might not consider me lost - but then I have always made clear to you what I am doing and in someways, you have helped me plan and execute...."

He paused while Xazor was let in, the young woman shivering and sitting down next to Marcus. He sighed - again. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"Xazor, I thought I told you to say on Razor. I dont want that droid of Helenias' alone, unless....." A small beep announced that the droid - if you could believe it, R2-D2 itself, how had Helenias managed to get that droid? - rolled in.

"Never mind. Xazor, really. Your pregnant, you should not have come out here. "

Seeing her stricken expression at Marcus' dressing down, he sighed, again.

"Come, sit with me and dry off, I only speak because I am concerned for you. Master Yogurt and I are discussing the same thing we were talking about on the way here - the Lost Jedi. Yog,, meet my new partner in what I am about to do - Xazor Leo Dawnstrider, Jedi Knight, Warrior and adopted daughter to Helenias. She is my other half..... and by that we share a secret that none know. We have a Life Bond, accquired in first place to save her life. She knows most of my secrets and I know hers. But even without that, we think very much alike. We see things the same way most of the time. And thence, she is the Second of The Lost. I am The First. Leace the GJO we will not.... but suspect that the Council will not approve what we have to do. Yog, as I told you when Tohmahawk was bought into being, times took a different approach. We needed armed strength and the NRSF gave us that. Now, we need Shadows. We need those whom move on the fringes and can handle battles the likes the Jedi are not prepared for - political ones, using the populace as pawns. I have seen the beginning I think - the media seem to try to portray the Jedi badly. As almost no-one knows about me anymore, I propose to begin to fight this shadows battle. I see that I need to move outside of the Jedi once again, but not fully. I need 12 to form what I am naming The Lost. I must be seen to disappear and not be found. I am the skifter our enemies wont know of until too late. I dont want much from you my old friend, all I want is your understanding... and I hope, your blessing"

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor sat down beside Marcus and was taken a back by his words....until he explained to her.....again, that he was concerned for her well being. This she understood...but did not view her pregnancy as a plague as others did. They treated her as if she had a disease now...something which bothered her to the extreme. Sighing, she took the bowl of Root Stew from Master Yoghurt and smiled, bowing her head to him in thanks. She took a few bits of the thick substance as she listened to Marcus speak. He was good at these things....putting out his propositions and ideas so freely without having to think much of what he was going to say. She, on the other hand, had to plan and even then, was nervous when speaking of something of such importance.

"Yes, we need to move in the shadows.....unnoticed now for whatever the Jedi do....the media does point fingers and twist stories, making people believe things that are untrue. Yes, our numbers are up as of late, but the Jedi who actually complete their training are dwindeling because of such reports.....I have seen this first hand. We need action and we need it soon......so yes, I am the Second of The Lost, following closely beside Master Marcus.....if you will give us your understanding and blessing....."

She said softly, then decided it was best to leave the air open for the little green one who held so much more power than she could even fathom about the Force. Her words were not said to be disrespectful, but she thought that her opinion was important as well.....and hoped that Master Yoghurt would see their point as valuable.....