Jedi Library of Yavin IV

[Luke Skywalker]

This is one of the larger rooms in the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV. It's decor reflects that of the planet on which it resides. A Jedi library was a database containing information relating to the Jedi Order and its history. Jedi libraries were administered by Jedi librarians (such as Atris, and Jocasta Nu) and accessible only to members of the Jedi Order. Some were even restricted to members of having certain ranks, such as Dorak's library in the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, which was reserved for Jedi Masters only.

Perhaps the greatest Jedi library in the history of the Order was Odan-Urr's Great Jedi Library on Ossus, which was founded around 5,000 BBY and destroyed around 4,000 BBY, and the Jedi Archives in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, administered by Jocasta Nu around the time of the Clone Wars

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke brings the last of the holocrons into the library. He heads to the Council Only section. He has decided that until all of the holocrons can be explored and cataloged, it is in the best interest of everyone to "quarantine" the holocrons. He enters his code, and the door slides open. He enters and quickly unloads the hovorsled. He moves it over out of his way. He begins to go through the holocrons.

He is drawn to an older looking one. He picks it up and activates it with the Force. A tall Jedi with a reptilian face appears. "Greetings. I am Odan-Urr. I have been charged with the keeping of many of the Jedi secrets. The lessons on this holocron pertain to the art of Jedi Battle Meditation. Not all who seek this knowledge will be granted it. It is a rare ability." Luke shuts the holocron down. "Gert will be interested in this one." He stretches and decides to head to the apartment to see Mara and Ben. He locks up and heads out of the library and towards his living quarters.

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

Mara enters the library, not knowing exactly what she's searching for, but searching nonetheless. She stops in the first room, but nothing seems to pop out at her.

She sighs in frustration. "How exactly are these things supposed to work? You know how I am with this area of the Force."

[Luke Skywalker]

"Well Red, they are activated usually by opening yourself up to the Force. Then depending on the holocron, there are a few differnt things you could do.

Usually, only Force-sensitive users could access a holocron, while data holocrons did not require Force sensitivity to access. This suggests that holocrons were partially powered by the Force. Once opened, Force-insensitive users could communicate with the gatekeeper as well as Force-sensitive users.

Some holocrons were activated by taking them apart with the Force and then inserting a special crystal that made the holocron readable. The crystal was usually hidden away for safe-keeping by the founder of the holocron, but there have been instances in which a certain Jedi or Sith has protected the crystal at all times by keeping it on their person.

It will be trial and error. There's nothing to indicate what method is needed. This is where the Force comes in."

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

"All right." She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out, to get her focus. On impulse she reaches out and picks up a hexagon-shaped holocron. Mara stretches out to the holocron with the Force and immediately notices the familiarity.

"I've seen this holocron before, years ago when I was hanging around Katarn." She places it back on the shelf. "Interesting to find out how it ended up on Boz Pity."

[Luke Skywalker]

"That is curious. Hard to say." Luke choses a small cubic holocron from the pile. He opens himself up to the Force and trips the on switch. Immediately the image of Master Arca Jeth becomes visible.

"Greetings, Jedi. I am Master Arca Jeth, on the world Arkania. This was once the home of great Sith knowledge, and I came here with my students to prepare for the possibility that the Sith might return. Though we have done our best the darkness remains. Once it has touched something or someone, darkness grabs hold and never dies, although it can be subdued. This is what I have done here. And confident in its subjugation, some of my people have come to settle. As long as the light outweighs the darkness, life will prosper. Seek balance, Jedi. Only in this will you avert tragedy, and only in this will you truly succeed."

Luke shuts it down and sets it aside to study later this evening.

"Hey Red, find anything else interesting?"

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

While Luke is investigating his own holocron, another one catches Mara's eye. She was drawn to its intense green color. She picks it up and the image of a short green creature with large ears springs forth.

Mara smiles in recognition. She'd never seen the Jedi Master, of course, but after hearing Luke's description of him, there was only one being it could be. Master Yoda.

The image of Yoda explains several aspects of the Jedi Code, many she is quite familiar with, though the newer versions are slightly different. One particular part peaks her interest:

Conquer Stubbornness

Do not see a lightsaber duel as a choice between winning and losing. Every duel can have many, many outcomes. When you concentrate solely on winning—in lightsaber duels as in everything else—you sully your victory. Winning becomes worse than losing. It is better to lose than to win badly. And it is always better to end a duel peacefully than to win or lose.

Mara decides she knows a few Padawans...and even a few Masters that should pay closer attention to that. Even herself at times. She replaces the holocron back on the shelf.

[Luke Skywalker]

Having set aside the one holocron to study, Luke selects another one that catches his eye. It is a four-sided pyramid and fits in the palm of his hand.

Luke opens himself up to the Force, but nothing happens. He tries again, and gets the sensation that it is not a Jedi Holocron, but in fact a Sith Holocron. Dark side powers are required to activate it. Feeling slightly nauseas, Luke puts it over on a shelf by itself.

"Mara, I think I found a Sith Holocron. It requires dark side powers to activate. Whenever we get ready to go, I think I'll take Master Arca Jeth's holocron and study it at home. "

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

Mara looks around at the rest of the holocrons, contemplating trying to find one about her father. Deciding they're going to be here a while, she pulls out two of the many ration bars she always seems to have on her. She passes one to Luke and starts eating her own.

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke takes the ration bar, "Thanks. How'd you know I was hungry?" He munches on it for a few minutes, finishing it hungrily. He reaches for the holocron he set aside earlier. He opens himself up to the Force and the holocron comes to life. Master Arca Jeth talks about the Jedi's knowledge of the dark side of the Force.

Then another master begins to speak. Ood Bnar tells what he knows of the dark subject. "Evil began in a time before recorded history, when magicians made themselves into kings…and gods…using the powers of the dark side of the Force. The weak-minded have ever been ready to obey one who wields great power. Those who learned the powers of the dark side were quick to exploit this weakness—to make war. Again and again the dark side has surged forth, like a storm…devouring whole worlds and entire star systems. Those who mastered dark power became dark power. They unleashed destruction, for no other reason for selfish gain. They despoiled nations…destroyed whole civilizations. Some of them, I am ashamed to say, were Jedi."
¯Ood Bnar

The holocron goes on to reveal that the dark side of the Force, called Bogan or Boga by ancient Force-sensitives, was an aspect of the Force. Those who used the dark side were known as either Darksiders or Dark Jedi when unaffiliated with a dark side organization such as the Sith. Unlike the Jedi, who were famous for using the light side of the Force, darksiders drew power from raw emotions like pain, hatred, passion, and love.

[Luke Skywalker]

This section of the holocron finished up with The Four Stages of the Dark Side. This was a thesis presented by the Jedi Master Tolaris Shim that outlined her beliefs on what constitutes a complete fall to the dark side. Based on the events surrounding the fall of Ulic Qel-Droma, Master Shim studied deep into the histories of those Jedi whose personal motivations drove them to the dark side for one reason or another. Sometime shortly after the end of the Great Sith War, Master Shim presented her findings to the Jedi assembly. These findings would be the standard by which Masters identified the signs of one's potential corruption by the dark side.

Stage 1: Temptation

"Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. They fear you. In time they will destroy you. Let me show you the true nature of the Force. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the dark side of the Force, and you will be able to save your wife from certain death."
¯Darth Sidious to Anakin Skywalker

Tolaris Shim believed that because a Jedi was in tune with the Force and could use it to whatever ends they saw fit, situations would arise that tempted the Jedi toward selfish applications of the Force. Rushing to help friends, facing obvious perils, and ending disputes quickly were all acts of haste that according to Master Shim would result in steps onto the dark path should the individual act first and contemplate later.

Knights like the charismatic Exar Kun were less "honor-bound". Intrigued with tales of the dark side told by Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, Kun was easily seduced by what he perceived as unrestrained power—power that was his for the taking. This power was that of the dark side, and it did not hesitate in coercing other young Jedi to follow.

Stage 2: Imperilment

"Like you, he believed the dark side could be conquered from within. Such was not to be. The dark side seduced him utterly…and anger became his path!"
¯Odan-Urr, warning Ulic Qel-Droma

According to Master Shim, a hasty, indecisive Jedi can be quite a catastrophe to themselves. Also, any Jedi who believes that a "shortcut" through the path of the dark side will be lined with signs redirecting him back toward the light is only deluding himself. Shim felt that a Jedi cannot be blinded by the idea of doing what they perceive to be right, by any means necessary. She also believed that if one accepts the darkness by which they are surrounded as a means to power, then the next stage has no bearing on their concerns. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker was conflicted in this manner. To save his wife from impending death, Skywalker believed that he could do so through the power of the dark side, while remaining uncorrupted by it. Because he accepted the dark side as the power necessary to bring about good, he was completely given over to it. He too, like Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma before him, succumbed fully to the wiles of the dark side, yet as Darth Vader, Anakin did not realize that he may have had to turn in order to bring balance to the Force.

Stage 3: Submission

"I pledge myself…to your teachings…to the ways of the Sith."
"Good…Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Anakin Skywalker, you are one with the order of the Sith Lords. Henceforth, you shall be known as…Darth…Vader."
¯Darth Sidious anoints Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader

Master Shim believed that once a Jedi accepts the dark path, having to justify the end by the means is of no more concern. Situations like attempting to destroy the Sith through infiltration, or trying to save loved ones from death have caused several famous Jedi to explain away their actions based on the desired outcomes. At this point, their fall to the dark side is nearly complete.

On occasion, Jedi who wander away from the light suddenly become aware of their poor decisions. According to Master Shim, these Jedi are not so far beyond redemption. Jedi Master Atris, having succumbed to the dark side influence of Sith Holocrons in her possession, was restored to the light following a fierce confrontation with the Jedi Exile. Some Jedi, such as Exar Kun, found the power of the dark side intoxicating and so fully surrendered themselves to it. To Master Shim, these individuals are no longer orthodox Jedi but twisted perversions of their former selves. It is then the responsibility of the Jedi to either bring the dissenter back into the fold, or eliminate them.

Stage 4: Redemption/Atonement

"The Dark Lord Revan is dead. I am a servant of the light now."
¯Revan

Tolaris believed that a Jedi who is only slightly tainted by the dark side could atone for their actions through meditation, reflection, and absolution. She also believed that a Dark Jedi was beyond atonement, and therefore only eligible for redemption. According to Master Shim, a redeemed Jedi is one who has performed a selfless act of heroism without using the dark side to obtain results. Such acts include saving the life of another through completely selfless action (such as Darth Vader saving his son from death by destroying Emperor Palpatine), or helping to right a wrong one has helped to create (such as Ulic Qel-Droma assisting in the defeat of Exar Kun). This happens from time to time, but on many occasions Dark Jedi were beyond enlightenment, some outright refusing to be restored. To this effect Master Shim noted that a Dark Jedi who does not want to relinquish his powers cannot be saved.

While pondering the ideas behind Master Shim's dissertation, Tionne Solusar was interested in how Tolaris would view certain Jedi of more recent times, Jedi who were corrupted, restored, and believed redeemed by their colleagues. Tionne provided an account of the dark side journeys of Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, and Kyp Durron, but Tolaris' interactive holorecording passed the same judgments on all three: that any Jedi who kills innocents while succumbing to the dark side cannot be redeemed.

Luke shuts down the holocron for now. It has given him quite a bit to think about. "Mara, have you found what you were looking for?"

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke's comm goes off. It is one of the librarians. "Master Luke, Sacrifice was inquiring about some of the holocrons we have here. Mostly informational stuff. He's already left, but I believe him to be on planet still."

Luke thinks a moment. "Thank you, we will handle it from here. Skywalker out."

He turns to Mara, "Come on. I think I know where to find him." Mara follows Luke out of the library and the Temple, and head to a familiar section of the jungle.

[Gert Yonsz-Kenobi]

They show up at the Jedi library, three over full hover sleds between them, Pap is leading the line of sleds, Gert following at the rear running the slaved controls on the sleds with a small hand held control unit.

Pappy punches in his personal pass code and the door slides open with a soft sigh.

They walk in and a library aid, a young padawan under the tutelage of Master Bron greets them. "Masters Kenobi, we have been expecting you. I hope your return home was productive?" The young quarren asked them politely. "I'm not authorized to follow you through the part of the library you'll be taking these to but I can lead you to the correct area." The boy blushes "Only High Council members may access this portion of the library."

Pap smiles at the boy. "That's fine son. Just lead the way."

The padawan shows them to a section of the library towards the back and away from the many windows on one side. He then stands aside to let Gert and Pap key in their pass codes and enter.

"Thank you for your help...?" Gert asks the boy

"Nrin mam."

"Thank you for your help Nrin. We can take it from here." She smiles gently at the boy.

He nods and bows then turns to return to his desk near the entrance.

"All right, lets get thees unloaded." Pappy says. "It looks like Luke and Mara made some attempt to keep the ones they shelved in some sort of order. Lets try to figure out what they had in mind."

"Ok." She says, "I'll start with this sled." pointing at the one closest to her.

[Pappy-Wan Kenobi]

After a half hour of hard work and due diligence they complete their task. Pappy opens the door to the main Library where a service droid he summonsed is waiting. "Take these back to the Stalker....once they are loaded and you are off the ship com me." As the droid leaves he closes the door. "Well I'm tired how about you? " he says to Gert.

[Gert Yonsz-Kenobi]

"I could use a long hot shower... a back massage, maybe a hot bowl of gornt and vegetable soup." She smiles at him. "But a 'nap' would be nice too."