Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Origins of the Valyrian Jedi Order: Part 1: The Parents of the Founders
Luke found himself staring at the holographic echo of Master Belaerys, his mind filled with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The information she'd provided was a lot to take in. A splinter group of Jedi who had walked away from the Jedi Order due to ideological differences with the Jedi High Council...
"Including, presumably, Grandmaster Yoda himself," Luke realized abruptly, remembering that he knew his old, long-lived master had trained members of the Jedi Order for many centuries longer than the date she gave him for the creation of her holocron.
The young knight's eyes widened slightly, realizing that this revelation was a curveball that threw his admittedly limited understanding of the Jedi Order into uncharted territory. Yoda had been his mentor, his guide in the ways of the Force, and someone Luke deeply respected. To learn that Master Belaerys, his new mentor, had likely been at odds with Yoda, or at least the ways of the Jedi Council of their day, made him bite his bottom lip as a wave of apprehension stirred within him.
The Jedi Order he knew and respected had always been presented as a unified entity by his old mentors, and by what little research he had been able to rediscover, that had survived the Jedi Purge instigated by the Emperor. Of course, he had known for a long time that there were serious gaps in his knowledge of Jedi history, even dating back just a couple of generations, never mind a couple of centuries or even further than that.
That was just one of the reasons he kept trying to learn as much as he could from what pieces of knowledge had survived the Dark Times, so that he could try to follow Master Yoda's dying wish of sharing what he had learned of the ways of the Jedi and helping rebuild their order in the process. Still, the idea of such a significant division within the Jedi ranks was not only disconcerting to him, but it also threatened to upend his understanding of the Jedi's history and philosophy.
Yet, amidst the confusion and apprehension, he also felt a spark of curiosity. He was eager to hear more about this past conflict and to understand the reasons that had led these Jedi to break away from the Order. Their foresight, after all, had saved them from the Imperial-sanctioned purge and allowed them to preserve their own teachings in their isolation. It was a testament to their wisdom and the strength of character of their founders...even if he didn't like the implications that, by extension, they essentially abandoned the rest of the Jedi Order and didn't come to their aid during the Clone Wars or the Jedi Purge that followed.
As Luke grappled with his swirling emotions, he shook himself out of his silent contemplation after exchanging a glance with his sister's curious gaze, and that was when he realized she had been following the whirlpool of emotions that had suddenly sent his mind for a brief spin. He gave her a reassuring smile as he calmed himself down, marveling yet again at the growing Force bond he kept nurturing with his beloved twin.
He then took a deep breath and remembered...remembered Yoda's words about the importance of knowledge and understanding, so that he could find the inner peace to be able to discern the good from the bad. It was then that he nodded, realizing that he needed to hear all sides of the story to make an informed judgment.
So, he looked at Master Belaerys, his gaze steady and determined. He could feel the weight of history in her words, the echo of past conflicts and disagreements etched in the holographic light around her face. It was a lot to take in, but he knew he needed to hear it. To understand her perspective, to understand the choices she and her fellow Jedi made.
"I appreciate your honesty, Master Belaerys," Luke began, his voice steady despite the uncertainty churning within him. "I understand that this is a complex issue with many layers. It's a divergence from the history I know, but I want to understand. I'm eager to hear more about your experiences and your perspective on the events that led to the formation of your Order. And I want to understand the circumstances that compelled you and your colleagues to walk away from the Order, to diverge from the path the Jedi High Council had laid out."
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, before continuing. "So, Master Belaerys, please continue with your tale. I'm here to listen, to learn, and to understand."
Master Belaerys smiled warmly at Luke, her holographic form shimmering slightly in the temple chamber's soft light. "Just as you appreciate my honesty, Luke, I appreciate your willingness to seek further context and understanding," She said, her voice filled with respect and approval. "Especially given how I can tell some of my statements about the Jedi of my age have made you uneasy due to the implications involved."
She stared, her violet, holographic eyes meeting his. "This characteristic, this willingness to seek understanding even when confronted with uncomfortable truths, is an important part of being a responsible Jedi. It's an attribute that is vital in the diplomatic role we Jedi often find ourselves in."
She paused once more, her gaze turning thoughtful as she prepared to delve into her past. "Now, before I can begin, you should know the chain of events that lead to the eventual creation of Valyrian Jedi Order can be traced back nearly a quarter of a century before my twin brother Aurion and I were born; to a relatively isolated and sparsely populated system became the epicenter of a Dark Jedi Conflict. At the heart of this turmoil was a figure named Kinh Jeen. He was a promising senior Padawan of the Jedi Order who, just weeks away from taking the trials that would elevate him to the rank of Jedi Knight upon success, succumbed to the Dark side instead," She recounted.
Luke's eyes widened at this revelation, a sense of melancholy washing over him. The potential for good that had been twisted and corrupted was a heartbreaking thought. Likely sensing the questions swirling in Luke's mind, however, Master Belaerys continued her narrative.
"This sequence of events was set into motion after a team of Jedi sensed a powerful Dark side presence emanating from the planet Almas, in the Cularin system. This malignant energy originated from an ancient Sith fortress constructed by the Sith Lord Darth Rivan during the New Sith Wars, which transpired almost two millennia earlier. The Jedi Council, recognizing the potential threat the Sith Temple could pose to the colonists settling in the Cularin system, dispatched Jeen and his Master, Qornah, to investigate the citadel and assess the situation," She elucidated.
There was a brief pause then, during which Master Belaerys sighed heavily. "The pair traveled to Almas in a shuttle piloted by Qornah, landing on the planet's surface. Unfortunately, Jeen was immediately affected by the fortress' dark aura, the remnants of Darth Rivan's twisted legacy. The dark side whispered in his mind, tempting him to surrender to its will. It's unclear how long the promising Padawan was able to resist, but it seems that Qornah was oblivious to his apprentice's internal struggle. As they journeyed on foot towards the Sith fortress, Jeen ultimately succumbed to the dark side's allure. In a fit of rage, he murdered Qornah, striking his master down from behind. He then stepped over Qornah's corpse and entered Rivan's fortress."
Luke winced in dismay at the tale, and he could tell that Leia was also unnerved. It was then that she spoke up. "And just like that, his mind was twisted by darkness?" She asked, biting her lower lip. "Simply by being in the wrong ruin at the wrong time?"
Master Belaerys grimaced. "Unfortunately, yes. You have to understand, this was over eight centuries after the Sith were believed to have been exterminated during the final battles of the New Sith Wars. Over time, Jedi teachings had shifted in focus. With no organized resistance from an order of Darksiders, Jedi were trained less and less to mentally resist the Dark side energies saturating certain locations, which had become increasingly rare across the galaxy. This was, in fact, one of several changes in Jedi teachings that our founders, who would later form the Valyrian Jedi splinter group, had criticized the High Council for over the years."
"At any rate," She went on, "Jeen accessed the fortress' facilities and studied the ways of the dark side, becoming a Dark Jedi. He was also determined to subjugate the population of the Cularin system and to strike out against the Jedi Council. And so it was that several months after his arrival on Almas, he re-emerged from the temple and left the planet in Qornah's shuttle, to set out in search for potential minions whom he could enlist to help him carry out his plans.
"Also, in case you are wondering," The holographic Jedi chimed in, "we ended up learning all of these details because shortly after Jeen's departure, Qornah's body was discovered by the Jedi, and the Jedi Council sent the Order's most skilled psychometrics to Almas, to use their powers to determine how Qornah had died and to find out what had become of Jeen,” She explained. “The psychometrics experienced a vision of Jeen's fall and Qornah's subsequent demise, and their findings shocked them."
Like frowned at that. "Master Belaerys," He couldn't help but interrupt, his curiosity piqued, "I have never heard of the ability you referred to as psychometry. Could you explain what it is before you continue?"
"Certainly, Luke," Master Belaerys responded, her holographic form shimmering slightly as she began to explain. "Psychometry, also known as postcognition, is a Force power that allows a Jedi to perceive the history of an object or place by touching it. This includes seeing past events that occurred in the vicinity or that involved the object, as well as sensing the emotions of the people who interacted with it."
She paused for a moment, letting the information sink in before she continued. "It's a rare and often overlooked ability. Not all Jedi possess it. But those who do find it to be a valuable tool, particularly in investigations or when seeking historical knowledge. It's a power that requires a deep connection to the Force, as well as a high degree of empathy and intuition."
Master Belaerys' gaze met Luke's, but it was suddenly distant. “And while the original members of the Valyrian Jedi Order were still over half a century from formally splitting from the mainstream Jedi, the seeds of its founding were born that day, not just because of the conflict that followed but because two of the Order’s best psychometrics at the time were, in fact, my parents...not that the Jedi at the time knew that they were eventually going to get together, since they were twins," She added with a sigh. "Or that that family talent in the ways of the Force allowed them to see things about the young Dark Jedi’s past…and of the Bith Sith Lord he had previously met.”
Luke’s eyes widened at that, but after a glance at Leia he decided not to interrupt. Taking that as her cue to continue, the holocron gatekeeper started speaking again.
“Within the Cularin asteroid belt, Jeen eventually encountered a band of pirates who preyed upon shipping in the system, and he dominated their minds with the Force, to compel them to serve him. He used the pirates to recruit other criminals to his cause, and before long, he had formed them into a large and highly mobile army. After sending some of his forces to sabotage a power plant on Genarius, the Cularin system's third planet, he unleashed his army against the world's floating cities. The assault destroyed hundreds of homes, killed thousands of people, and began a war that later became known as the "Dark Jedi Conflict," She explained, a look of sadness in her features.
"In what was to be one of the bloodiest periods in Cularin's history, Jeen waged war on the system for several years," She went on. "From their bases in the asteroid belt, Jeen's pirate forces launched strike after strike against the system's population, then disappeared after each attack to hide among the belt. His warships attacked all transports that arrived in the Cularin system, and he inflicted suffering on countless innocent beings.
"Eventually, however, news that Jeen was in fact alive and behind these major pirate attacks reached the Jedi Order on the planet Coruscant, and soon after, Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, a Mirialan Jedi prodigy who once broke the record to achieve knighthood by passing her trials at the age of 15 and her Padawan were sent to the Cularin system to defeat Jeen and bring the Dark Jedi Conflict to a resolution. And that padawan of hers?" She added with a bittersweet smile, gracing her holographic lips. "He was my father, Aenar Belaerys."
Luke raised an eyebrow at that, even as he made a mental note to ask for more details about the prodigious Mirialan Jedi some other time. He still didn't know where this was all going, but clearly, the events that took place in that system ended up shaping the future of the Belaerys family, and he was getting increasingly curious.
“And then?” He pressed.
"Then," The holographic Jedi said slowly, "Master Vernestra and my father organized the system's inhabitants and trading concerns into an effective fighting force and lured Jeen's pirate army into a trap. In a fiercely-fought space battle that was to be the final engagement of the conflict, Jeen was overwhelmed and his pirates were defeated. My father then maneuvered Jeen into a vulnerable position and cut him down. But while the Jedi Council then considered the matter resolved, it only turned out to be the beginning for my father because, with his dying words, he heard Jeen mutter some supposed gibberish about how there were always two Sith, no more and no less and that they will avenge him one way or another."
Luke scratched his chin as she recounted those somber events. “The Rule of Two,” He mused. “I have read of it in passing, mainly from some of the few deeply classified files from the Imperial Palace on Coruscant that we were able to crack after the Emperor’s death in the Battle of Endor. But while I know it refers to the Sith, I lack details, and what little I know comes from conflicting sources at times, as if the Emperor was trying to obfuscate the fact that he was a Sith even in the most secure records of his palace, just in case. I take it you may know more about that Sith system than I do?”
”Probably,” Master Belaerys acknowledged. “And you should definitely know more of it as part of your education on the history of the Force. But we will cover that in more depth when I teach you about the past and evolution of the various Sith orders over the millennia. For now, however, suffice to say that before the Rule of Two, the Sith numbered in the thousands, but after the founder of the Rule of Two System achieved his goals, there were only two left. Worse, they allowed the Jedi and the Republic to believe they had at long last wiped out the cancerous growth on the Force that the darkness of the Sith represented, while in fact, the survivors had simply gone into hiding to scheme and plot from the shadows.”
Luke saw Leia grimace at the explanation. “Navigating politics is hard enough without knowing there is a secret cabal of mighty dark lords fomenting corruption gradually,” She remarked. “I take that meant the Sith were also able to take advantage of the fact that no one was looking for them to secretly undermine the institutions of the Republic over the centuries?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” The silver-haired holographic Jedi replied with a sigh. “Those of my order that tried to investigate details found little in the way of concrete evidence that could be directly tied to a past Sith Lord and most of that evidence was tied to being able to use psychometry on objects they had held before but we could make plenty of conjectures while working backward in regards to the historical record. “
“Still, to make matters worse,” She added “it appears that centuries earlier, a previous Dark Lord used the influence of his civilian persona as the director of the very wealthy and efficient Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B to lobby for a law to be passed by the Galactic Senate that would render information gathered through the use of psychometry to be inadmissible as evidence; making the case that the insight gathered from Force visions can be so open to interpretation that it would be a gross violation of sentient rights to condemn someone to jail with only that as evidence,” The Holocron’s Gatekeeper explained, all but twitching a bit across her intangible expression. “Since Anti-Jedi sentiment was at the highest it had been since the darkest days of the New Sith Wars centuries earlier back then, due to the scandals that led to Grand Master’s Fae Coven’s resignation as leader of the Order, the bill was regrettably passed and was still the law of the land across the Republic at the time my parents decided to investigate more of Jeen’s claims about the apparent survival of the Sith.”
Luke winced and Leia wasn't far behind. "Talk about a dangerous threat hiding in plain sight,” Leia ended up saying. “I guess this means Emperor Palpatine ended up following the path laid out by his Sith predecessors when it came to influencing business and politics from the shadows. Do you know the name of this secret Sith businessman, though?”
“Yes, although it took us a lot of effort to find out, and we weren’t convinced of our findings until after our Order split from the mainstream Jedi Order and the High Council was no longer interested in granting us the audience,” She added with a sigh. “His birth name was Lloycar Barcsdale and while there are still a lot of key details about his life we have not been able to piece together, we believe his Sith name was Darth Vectivus.”
She let the name hang in the air for a moment and Luke got a sudden tingle down his spine, as if that unfamiliar name should be significant to him in some way. He couldn't see why, exactly, but before he could ponder on that to deeply, the tingle passed and after scratching his chin, he refocused on the holographic Jedi.
"But I digress," Master Belaerys acknowledged. "What matters here was that my father was disturbed by Jeen's dying words. The Jedi Council of the day ended up regarding them as the dying, rambling words of a madman, unable to believe that the Sith could have survived in hiding for so long without their knowledge. My father was not so convinced, however, and eventually, after achieving the rank of Jedi Knight and managed to gain enough freedom of movement to select his own missions, he started picking assignments in the Cularin system so that he could try and examine objects with his psychometric abilities on his spare time that he had reason to believe were once held by Jeen or his men.
Another pause happened, and Luke couldn't help but notice the distant look that reflected in the holographic light of the Jedi's eyes. "And it was during this time that he found Jeen's old lightsaber in the vacuum of space, which had been lost when he had barely escaped with his life during the final space battle. My father realized he was only going to be able to get one good reading with his powers before the ruined, highly deteriorated lightsaber likely crumbled from the pressure of the environment and his Force ability, thus, he summoned my mother so that they could both read the memories themselves at the same time, thinking that this way, there would be another witness, so to speak."
Master Belaerys sighed. "They delved deeply into the prized possession of Jeen. And what they eventually saw, surprised them since, one day, the Dark Jedi returned to the reawakened fortress of Darth Rivan to discover an elderly male Twi'lek and a middle aged Bith engaging in a lightsaber duel inside the Sith Academy he had previously claimed...a duel that the Bith ended up emerging victorious from. And their lightsabers? They were red."
Luke grimaced at that, realizing the implications of what she was saying, even if he still lacked some fundamental details. "They were the Sith Lords of their day. And Jeen witnessed the Bith apprentice overcoming his Sith Master."
The personality matrix nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, the heavily damaged lightsaber broke apart soon after they gathered that bit of insight, and so they were unable to prove their findings to the unusually stubborn and set in its ways Jedi Council of their day. But they were able to gather one final bit of insight and my parents made some educated guesses to fill in the blanks. Mainly, that this Bith Sith Lord, who Jeen heard during to the duel to been referred to by his dying Master as Darth Tenebrous, ended up establishing an alliance with Jeen, backing his pirate faction with funds from their opaque bank accounts and telling him that if he proved himself, he would take him on as his apprentice."
"Personally, however," Belaerys went on, "I think this Darth Tenebrous had other plans for what he had in mind when looking for his own Sith apprentice and instead decided to use Jeen as a lightning rod to draw away the attention of the Jedi Order while he wreaked havoc on Republic aligned space; knowing that as a former Jedi himself, they would automatically assume he was a Dark Jedi instead of an trained Sith Lord. And since it seems that he never actually did trained him, he lacked any major Force abilities that would have aroused much suspicion in the Jedi Council that he had actual Sith training. Unfortunately, he turned out to be right about that assumption, baring a very small minority in the order at the time."
Luke shook his head, thinking about major opportunities wasted. "But wouldn't your parents' testimony to the council have counted for something, even if they couldn't use their psychometry on the damaged lightsaber again?"
The holographic Master sighed. "Under normal circumstances, perhaps it would have," She admitted. "However, my parents were not exactly trusted by the Jedi Council of their day. Even before the conflict with Jeen reached its climax and they started growing suspicious, the Jedi siblings had grown unpopular and, more importantly, deemed biased and unrealiable due to their close involvement with another order of Force users that Jedi looked on very warily from an ideological, societal, and Force-wielding standpoint, even if they weren't a Dark side oriented order, strictly speaking."
Like raised an eyebrow at that, his interest peaking since he hadn't heard of many other Force-sensitive orders aside from the Jedi or the Sith. Before he could ask for more details however, the Jedi sighed in exasperation and provided.
"And as it turned out, it was, ironically, this smaller order of Force users who ended up supporting our parents in their subsequent investigations of the secretive Sith, trying to find proof of their survival before they eventually decided to trust in the guidance of the Force visions they kept receiving and relocate their slowly growing number of Jedi followers to this isolated planet we called Syrax as a result," Master Belaerys explained with a sad smile. "Many of their members actually accompanied the founders of the Valyrian Jedi Order to this planet and established their own settlements outside of this island, in the continents further north. They have been our most reliable allies in our quest for answers and then, in our quest to safeguard as much as we could of the Jedi Order in the Unknown Regions so that, once the approaching Dark Times would pass as our visions indicated that they would, the future generations of Force-sensitives would not have to reinvent the wheel as a new Republic was formed. They are known as... the Voss Mystics."