Chương 23: Interlude: The High Council

Most beings ask whether an action was right or wrong. The wiser question is why the answer became necessary. –– Collected sayings of Master Yarael Poof ~*~*~*~ 59 BBY – 941 ARR – Alderaan"We shall take your words into account." And finally, after a two and a half hour long debrief with questions, Master Jocasta Nu and Padawan Rann Crys were dismissed from the Council chambers. It had been two weeks since the debacle on Alderaan, which had become a part of the news cycle and Temple gossip alike.

Watching them depart, Katri was somewhat amazed that it had been them to be at the center of an intergalactic scandal. While Nu was certainly no wallflower, she didn't seem the type to openly disobey the Council. And the little padawan, Rann, had been fidgety but held up well against the scrutiny of the High Council, something not even some full-fledged Knights could claim. Clearly, both had more mettle than met the eye.

As soon as the doors closed, there was a brief moment where each councilor transitioned from the spoken word they used to receive reports to the deep meditation they tended to prefer for decision-making. Katri closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall deeper into the Force, feeling the faint pull of Yoda's own connection, which in turn brought her closer to her fellow councilors. Today was a full session, which was somewhat of a rarity, as it was normal for one or more councilors to be unable to attend.

And as soon as she was 'in' the shared meditation, there was cacophony. Many councilors had strong feelings on the matter, while others had clarifying questions. She chose to hold back and wait for order to be reestablished, and noticed Yaddle doing the same.

"Enough. This is not productive," said Poof, letting his 'voice' in the mindspace overpower the others. This brought about a tense, somewhat grumbly silence." Before we discuss punishment, we must clarify who is being punished, and for what. Are we to punish the padawan for directly breaking orders? Master Nu for implicitly encouraging such? Both, for working together to subvert the Council?" He paused to let his audience time to absorb his questions.

The Quermian Master was well-known for his command of illusions, but rarely was it considered the mindset that could produce such a mastery.

In her time on the Council, Katri had learned that Yarael Poof considered every problem as something to be picked at from every angle before being engaged, and could challenge even the most basic assumptions of his fellow councilors with impossibly confounding questions and a wry sense of humor. Because of this, all knew to let the Master continue.

"Furthermore, what exactly are we punishing them for? Is it for disobeying the counsel of the Council? Or the actions taken, urging a padawan to disobey orders on the part of Master Nu, or Rann's meetings with his parents and meeting with the Queen? Or, perhaps, do we feel a need to punish them because of the outcome?" With that, Master Poof receded somewhat from the mindmeld, signaling that he was giving up the floor. Which was immediately filled by Poli Dapatian.

Though old age had slowed his body and made his voice raspy, none of that was apparent from his ornery, clear tone in the meld.

"I say all the above. They chose, as a team, to disobey direct orders from the High Council. That the results were so disastrous only adds insult to injury. We must take a firm stance against such action, lest others repeat it." Katri listened with polite boredom. Poli was a staunch disciplinarian, who tended towards viewing the Council's authority absolute. From what she had been told by other councilors, he and Yula Braylon had tended to vote together consistently.

"Agree, I do. Ignored the Council, they have, and a large incident, they have caused. A history of disturbing the peace and ignoring the authorities, Padawan Crys has. Checked, this must be, or other padawans, it might influence." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She all but physically flinched at Yoda's words, and it seems like it caught most of the other councilors off-guard as well.

Yoda tended to wait until the end, when all other voices had been heard before offering his own opinion. She supposed it could be due to his disapproval of Rann. Much of the Temple knew that Mace Windu was something of a pet project of his, and that he viewed their relationship as potentially harmful to Mace's development.

"I must express a firm rejection," broadcast Master Dooku, to no one's surprise. Dooku and Yoda rarely agreed on anything, and could argue about everything." It is indisputable that the Organas and Aldes were plotting, and that failing to act would have allowed them to gain much at the expense of others. Master Nu and Padawan Crys simply saw the injustice taking place before their eyes and took action. Action which the Council should have given sanction.

If they had not, the Great Houses could likely have swept this under the rug even if it were revealed later, and damaged the political systems of Alderaan greatly."

Katri felt Dooku was pushing his argument a touch too far at the end, as Alderaanian politics was practically built off of backstabbing and intrigue, but could appreciate the argument as a whole nonetheless. She was somewhat astounded that Dooku would criticize his fellow councilor's decision-making so openly, and some of the most senior ones at that.

She had only been on the Council for a year, and rarely felt comfortable enough to express herself half as openly when surrounded by Masters whose experience could be measured in lifetimes. It spoke to a large ego, but she reckoned such a thing was necessary to survive Yoda's direct tutelage. After another brief descent into chaos, it was Master Sinube who called them back to order. He then shifted his attention to Oppo Rancisis.

"It is clear that there is much to be considered. But since the point of potential damages has been central to our discussion, I believe that it would be beneficial to clarify. Oppo, I do believe this is more your domain than mine. Could you offer us your perspective?" The Thisspiasian sighed." I must admit, when news of this first broke, I was likely the most strongly crossed. But now that time has passed and I have heard both Nu and Rann's brief twice, my feelings have calmed dramatically.

As for the outcome of this debacle, some things have become clearer with two weeks' time, while others remain hard to predict."

"First, Alderaan has recalled Senator Malden Organa and are likely to replace him with Bail Antilles. It is unclear what the long-term ramification are, as this scion is young, a mere 27 years old, and a recent graduate of the Anaxes War College. He was top of his class and apparently well-liked, so it could mean that House Antilles views him as the most qualified on the galactic stage, or most able to grow into the position. Or it could signal another withdrawal from the galactic system.

Second, when last I visited the Senate, Senator Organa of Carida pulled me aside to assure me that the Alderaanian branch of the family had been acting alone and that he was as appalled as anyone else. A lie I'm sure, but it is reassuring how quick the rest of the House has been in distancing themselves and reach out to us. The Senator also assured that this incident would not interfere with our cooperation with the Alderaan Relief Network, as Malden has stepped down from that as well.

I suspect that with time and effort, this incident can be forgotten." The Council then sits for a while, absorbing the information.

"Be that as it may, they still disobeyed Council orders-" began Poli.

"-Orders that never should have been given!" Said Dooku, unwilling to let the point drop gracefully as none had actually challenged him when he said it.

"The rectitude of the order is immaterial to the fact that as Jedi Knights, they do not have the authority to countermand them," fired back the older man.

"Following bad orders is a betrayal of the Code and the oaths sworn," snapped Dooku, real heat in his voice."" Enough,"" said Yarael Poof and Tera Sinube simultaneously, drawing the argument short.

"A solution, I have." Came the voice of Master Yaddle, whose presence in the mindmeld suddenly bloomed.

"Disobeyed direct orders without truly dire need, have my padawan and grandpadawan. But for good reasons, they were. Correction and time to reflect, yes, but to harm and punish, perhaps not. A year of confinement to the Temple, so they can meditate, but not interfere with Nu's reforms or Rann's education."

"Broken many rules, brushed against many more has Padawan Rann," said Yoda.

"Reflection alone, is not enough."

"Then to Kamparas, I will take him," Yaddle replied with aplomb.

"His actions speak well, to my line of work." The oxygen left the room at that point. Essentially giving Rann to Yaddle was… unorthodox but not unimaginable. Tentatively, conversation resumed as the Council debated the fates of a master and padawan. Eventually, they landed on Yaddle's proposal, as most knew they would. She rarely spoke, and even more rarely offered solutions. But it was even more rare for her solutions to not be taken up. And so, the Keeper drew another into her fold.