Dolash stood in the empty meeting chamber of the Order's masters, the High Council chamber on top of the temple. In this place, the voices of Jedi past and present still whispered, and could be heard by those truly attuned to the will of the Force. The grey giant was a pillar, towering upwards in the middle of the room, his eyes raised to the vaunted ceiling. For the first time in a long while, he let his minds slip into the currents that had been made by the wise and powerful who had once held court here.

The acidic spirit of Gash Jiren could still be found in traces, lashing out with passion and vigor. The faintest impression of Leia could still be felt from her last council, leaving a sense of calm and peace in her wake. The wisdom of Dolash's own Master Donovin could still be detected, mumbling secrets of the Force into the void. Silus, a dark and brooding man who frequently pursued his own interests left elements of his confliction behind. Vodo Bass, a paragon of balance and caution, yet also justice and action, could still be sensed.

Where did all the Masters go? Dolash mused, as he let the mental footprints guide his thoughts. Indeed, the Jedi Order had seen many rises to glory and drops to destruction in its' time, but now an even deadlier enemy battered at its' gates - stagnation, irrelevance.

As Dolash remained entranced, hearing the voices of the dead, the gone, and the forgotten, gears continued to move between his twin minds. Upon his shoulders, the problem of the Order's slow degredation had finally fell. With Silus retreating to private concerns, the only Jedi Master left on the Council of Masters who attended meetings or ran the Order on a regular basis was him. Barely a handful of qualified Knights remained to teach, most having drifted off to personal agendas or switching off their lightsabers for good.

For an Azguard, such a dismal spiral was almost unthinkable. Why did an organization dedicated to upholding truth, justice, and freedom falter at a time ripe for its' defenders to come forth and be counted? The smell of decay was all that greeted his nostrils now, which made Dolash wonder if there was not some link between the rise of darkness and the fall of the Jedi.

The whispers were louder now, going from a peaceful feeling of oneness into a splitting sensation, one of intrusion, voices clamouring to be heard. Dolash gritted his teeth, trying to muscle through the interference, but it grew in intensity and discord.

Finally, his own thoughts drowned out by the voices wailing back from empty seats, Dolash broke his concentration and drew his lightsaber to hand. In but one swift movement he slammed the blade into the floor.

Cracks shot out all along the floor and walls, and across the ceiling. Maybe I hit a fault in the stone, Dolash reasoned, as the cracking continued to spread but did not leave the area of the room.

Finally coming to rest, an intense latticework of thin fissures on the stone had formed all around him. As if driven off by this act, or having lost their grip on the material world by the first disturbance to shake the council chamber in so long a time, all traces of the voices that had lingered on were gone.

Feeling that a moment of significance had perhaps just passed, Dolash disengaged his lightsaber and hooked it back on his belt. Without speaking, he walked from the chamber and down the stairs leading back into the temple, using the Force to shut the doors behind him with a measure of finality. He doubted if he would ever have cause to enter that room again.



"... However, Palpetine's purging of the Jedi was not nearly as complete as most would have you believe." The speaker was Katria, a Jedi Knight, and she was addressing a small group of young padawan learners in the temple grounds.

"Though the Jedi had lost thousands in the Clone Wars, and thousand more were killed when clones turned against their generals, evidence today suggests dozens, even as many as a hundred cases of Jedi escaping death at the hands of the purge. Most died in the ensuring months as the Empire and Darth Vader sought to stamp out the last elements of the Order, but the fact that some escaped is relevant today.

"Just how many did escape? What impact did they have? Were they able to hide away any caches of knowledge, teachings, memoirs? What could we learn about the duplicity of the Empire and the corrupting of the Republic by discovering what those few left behind?"

One of the students, a Bith youth, scratched his domed head with great care as he considered a question. "The galaxy's a huge place, though - how would we ever find anything, even if they did manage to hide it?"

Katria smiled to the student in question, saying "The Force tends to naturally draw us forwards on our path, towards that we want to find and that we need. If there are any caches, survivors, or accounts left over, then there's no doubt in my mind that a Jedi will find them."

"Don't be so blindly trusting in the will of the Force, Katria." The voice seemed to appear from nowhere, before an insubstantial mist formed into the apparition of Barris. "The Force has an agenda of its' own, and it does not always have your best interest at heart, even if it's looking at the galactic picture."

Katria bowed to the ghostly Jedi, and said "It's good to see you, Barris. I should think your perspective would be especially useful for these students, considering you are - if you pardon the term - living history."

Barris sniffed a little at the term, but accepted the opportunity to share her experience. "What I have learnt of the will of the Force is that its' overall aim can often be impossible to read. In order to remove one villain - Palpetine - the Force guided a Jedi down the path of evil and had him oversee the slaughter of ten thousand guardians of peace and justice. Though Anakin's eventual redemption and defeat of the Emperor seems to have been the will of the Force, it came at a terrible cost, one that few sentients would have ever allowed.

"Maybe my experience has jaded me, but I would tell you to think as much for yourselves as you allow the Force to guide you. Remember that though it may do you good, it cannot be bartered with and it is not a living being or a kindly grandfather. Be wary at all times, and if you must choose, trust in yourself and not the voices in your head - you will be stronger for it."

"An excellent lesson as always, Barris," said Katria. "Tell me, what brings you to my little class today?"

"Dolash has asked that all residents of the temple gather at the gates. He has some sort of announcement he wants to make to the whole Order."



The multi-racial crowd that had gathered in the gateway crowded in the narrow space to see Dolash, who stood just beyond in the street, atop the roof of a speeder. Near the back of the crowd, the human Jedi Ian pressed forwards alongside the Rodian Jubaz.

"Wow," murmured Ian. "It looks like almost the whole Order is here. I don't see any Masters, but everyone else is."

"Yes," said Jubaz, with his normal curtness.

"It's got to be pretty important to get everyone crammed in like this. What do you think's gotten into him?"

"I don't know."

Ian sighed, and shook his head in frustration. "I've had better conversations with a busted hyperdrive. I think maybe he's starting now."

As the last Jedi filed forwards to see Dolash, the Jedi Master rose his hands forwards. Suddenly, to the surprise of the assembled Order, the huge gates of the temple closed ponderously shut. The many Knights, Padawans and other members of the Jedi Order were now shut outside of the temple itself. Once the surprise was over, they turned to Dolash.

"Those gates shall not open again," said Dolash, "until we have fulfilled our duty as Jedi. For too long we have been cloistered in the temple, loitering around the main gate, congregating in the training ground and giving no thought to those bold ideals that we promise.

"We promise the galaxy peace, freedom justice, and a return to the days of old when those things were ensured by the blood and sacrifice of the Jedi. Today, some of us have hardly even seen the galaxy we are sworn to protect. This changes now!

"I shall give you no further direction. As Jedi, you should be able to figure out the answer to the problem you have been faced with on your own. Go forth across the world of Naboo and reacquaint yourself with its' people, its' problems, and it's place. Earn your keep from it's citizens with honest work and assistance, and use the heightened senses of the Force to find your own path. I for one, shall do my own part."

"What about the padawans?" called out Katria. "We can't just let them wander freely!"

"The best training for a Jedi has always been in the field. We can no longer afford the stuffy and isolating policy of a Master and Apprentice being joined at the hip and isolated from all others, so go forth and follow your padawans or let them find their own way as you see fit. If you are truly Jedi, you will know the ones who will need help and help them. If no others are willing, then I shall do so myself." With that, Dolash scanned the group before reaching out at the gates again.

The gates creaked and shook, before grinding together. A distinct crack could be heard, and Dolash lowered his hand. "There's no going back now. Now begins a new chapter in the Jedi Order - one where we shall step out and act, not wait inside for the perfect moment to come to us. To advance and prosper, you will have to experience on your own instead of waiting for a Master to take your hand and show you the way."

Realizing they were still waiting, crowded around the gate, Dolash waved a hand at them. "Well? Be off! The galaxy shaln't right itself."

Silonik was stunned, frightened. They couldn't go back to the temple? The one place he called home for the better part of the year that provided him a safe place to learn about the Force? And Master Dolash expects them to go help the galaxy on their own?

It was too daunting a task: he still had so much to learn. Where would he go? Back home? No, his family brought him here specifically so he could be trained in his special gift. His father, while now free of the evil spirit that had controled him, is a padawan himself and would be unable to really train him. A more experienced Jedi needed to do so, but looking up at the adults around him, he saw only confusion, many only thinking of what they would do, nevermind the most inexperienced.

Beside him he felt the only other Trandoshan padawan, his best friend Mortor, huddle close to him, his body trembling with fear that mirrored Silonik's own, though Silonik did not show it like he did. They were the youngest padawans in the temple, too young to strike out on their own as Master Dolash bidded them. The two younglings needed to be with another.

Silonik remembered the first two Masters that had given him any kind of continuous training. The first, Master Cole, had disappeared very shortly after his arrival: indeed Mortor had received more training under him then he. Master Leia had given him more training, was even the one that protected him from his father when Trazu was fully under the control of the evil spirit, the K'Satizitus: but she disappeared to. Now they got their training from whomever was offering it at the time, Katria and the ghost Barris being the most recent with their history lessons on the Jedi Order.

Now though, it seemed they wouldn't even have that now and as Silonik watched the older Jedi around them, he wondered who would take them in and guide them or if they would be forgotten completely. No one will notice us if we are under their feet. He thought. We need to get someplace high.

After some effort getting Mortor to dislodge from him, he cautiously moved forward, toward the only thing he saw that would give everyone else a good view of them: the speeder. Once he reached the speeder he climbed onto it's hood: Mortor though took some convincing to get him to even climb on. Now all they could do was wait....

The younglings of his Wolf Clan stood clustered around his knees, practically leaning against the thick spun fabric of his long cloak. He could tell that they felt just as curious as the older Jedi at this sudden gathering and their wild speculations shot back and forth between the lot of them in furious whispers.

Under less uneasy circumstances, some of their hypotheses would have been amusing, but the Jedi Knight was busy listening in on some of the theories of the elder Jedi. He had an odd feeling in his gut.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the Jedi Master Dolash stood but as he did so, the Academy gates behind them slid shut with the muffled grinding of stone against stone. The puzzlement of the entire Jedi body was almost tangible as it hung above their heads and they all turned to Dolash for an explanation for this display. Needless to say, his words were quite shocking.

They weren't to return to the Academy.

While his reasoning was valid, Kenshin himself was an advocate of learning by doing and had planned to eventually let his Padawans loose into the world to gain experience, he doubted anyone was thinking of the merits of training hands on when the thought of home being taken from them predominated their minds.

He could feel an undercurrent of panic spread and while he would have shrugged it off a few years ago when he had just returned from wandering, he could no longer do so.

He now had responsibilities to more than just the galaxy and to himself, he now had responsibilities to other Jedi he needed to fullfil. For the past few years, he had been the teacher of an entire youngling clan and his thoughts immediately turned to the concern of their well-being. Looking down at the little ones at his feet, he gave their frightened faces a reaffirming nod, one that he knew they would understand that everything would be okay.

"All of you hold hands and make the loop formation." He instructed, taking the Layla's own palm in one hand and Korin's in the other. He waited as the kids swiftly followed his command. It was standard procedure for them whenever they were to move through a crowd. It may have been odd looking but it worked. "We're going to go to the Academy's east wall and gather there..."

Shocked into obedience by the current situation, they nodded silently and let him lead the way. As they slipped through the sea of Jedi, Kenshin reached out to the minds of his older students. "Tatane, Darami, and Ben. Meet me at the Academy's east face."


OOC: Fixed font size

Ben stood outside the Temple grounds and slowly looked around to see if he could find any faces that he recognized. Like most of the students there, Ben wondered what this meeting was all about. Having never attended a Jedi gathering he wasn't quite sure what to expect and no one seemed to know what it was about.

He looked up towards the front and sat a Jedi standing there. A jedi that he guessed was one of the elders. The man looked important and was getting ready to speak. When he did, Ben's world suddenly turned upside down. The Jedi leader was asking them all to give up their new home and seem a new one. It was happening all over again to Ben, just when he felt right at home and was happy to have a place in which he was accepted.

As the gates closed behind them, his heart sank. Somewhere in his mind, he understood what the Master Jedi was saying and why it was important. Ben just didn't think this was the right way to go about accomplishing that goal. Closing the home of numberous children and other people without families wasn't right and shouldn't be stood for. They were even given notice of warning. It was so sudden.

It hit him like a full blow to the chest. Ben remembered that he had left his picture and bag inside his room. He could not leave it there, it was all he had left of his mother. Turning towards the gate, Ben started to push through the crowd of people all around him. He had to get back inside somehow and for the first time a in very long while anger filled him inside, making his skin tingle as the force current all around him moved into his body.

He didn't call upon it consciously, but it was there. It was moving through him as he moved towards the gate, prepared to anything he had to to get into the Temple and retreive his belongings. Ben was almost at the gate, with his hands balled into fists and his breathing coming in heavy when Kenshin's voice filled his mind.

He paused in his tracks a little confused. It was the first time his master had talked to him in such a way and Ben was a little caught aback. He had never felt of experianced anything like it and it seemed that this voice had interupted his anger. Ben felt it wash away from him, draining through his body as took a deep breathe and tried to calm down.

His master would help him, Ben hoped. He was a good man and would hopefully help Ben in his mission. If he did not... Ben would have to go alone. It would be his first step into the independent road layed out by the Elder Jedi's plan.

Lost in thought, but somewhat more hopefully now, Ben slowly made his way towards the Academy's east wall. As he moved closer he could see a man standing there with little kids all around him in a small circle. Ben could also see Darami walked towards them form another location, he had received the message as well.

As Ben stood before Kenshin, he bowed gently. "Master, you summended?"

Ben asked as he eyed the kids around the Jedi. Most seemed a little concerned and some frightened. Ben was sure they weren't the only ones.

On the outskirts of the gathered crowd, Marek took his place. He listened intently to Dolash's proclamation, giving the occasional glance to those around him as they reacted, most of which looked on with shock and bewilderment painted upon their faces.

Amongst their angst, due mainly to the fact that they had no other place to call home, Zolar was certain many would not continue on with the lifestyle accustomed to a Jedi. Others would most certainly meet their end, whether it be at the hands of a Sith or just an utter lack of experience. Marek himself was even beginning to question his own commitment to the order. Sure it had offered him an escape from a reality that absolutely would have resulted in his death many times over, but now, the order itself, a ghost of its former self would be put to the test in the coming months. With the temple now being sealed up, there was no haven for the Jedi, there was no salvation in a galaxy that would rather eat them up and spit them out than offer a helping hand.

The sheep were being left to the wolves.

As the crowd began to disburse, many of the abandoned cleaved to each other, vowing to remain together until each had completed their training and in some cases until true justice had been restored to the galaxy. Their intentions were noble, no question about it, but would their vows comes to fruition, chances were, they wouldn't.

The old pirate made his way through the clumps of beings, thinking to himself, that this could possibly be the very last time this amount of force sensitive’s and users would ever be gathered in one place.

"May The Force Be With Us All," he spoke quietly to himself in a half defeated tone.

The occasion called for a drink and he could think of no better place than the Bar he had first visited, when he had arrived on Naboo almost a year before.

A short distance away from the crowd a figure watched and shook his head in disbelief. He had heard the Master’s speech and understood the reasoning behind such a desperate act, but it was a very reckless act. He knew those in command of the dark side, should they hear of this event, would pounce upon the chance to wipe out the Jedi Order completely. The Empire would recruit these inexperienced Force users into their mockery of the Jedi Order: the Jedi Corps, where they would ultimately only serve to increase the spread of injustice in the galaxy. There was nothing he could do though, for the Master’s mind was quite set, good intentioned as it was.

Am I witnessing the final blow to the once strong and proud Jedi Order? He thought, shaking his head again. To think I had hoped to take up the saber once again…

He had been in the Order once, a long time ago. Even then he saw the problems the Order had, but his concerns had fallen on deaf ears. So he left the order, just shy of becoming qualified to become a Knight, to pursue his own way. He never forgot the lessons he taught, but he little used the Force in those years of wandering on his own, preferring his innate talents instead. In that time he had seen the Empire grow in size and the Jedi Order grow more and more isolated and inactive and now threatened to disappear completely. He found himself longing to help those padawans that looked so lost and unsure of themselves now, but there were far too many for he alone to help.

Seeing the situation hopeless he started to turn away from the scene, but something made him pause and look back. Two very small padawans had made their way to the speeder the Master had perched himself upon and climbed onto it’s hood. Not just any padawans he realized, but Trandoshan padawans, one of them reminded him strongly of another, one that was the other reason he had come here.

Trazu? He thought, looking at this Trandoshan toddler with curiosity. He recalled when he met the smaller-then-normal Trazu on Talus, about twelve years ago. The then eleven year old Trazu had run away from home, unable to take the ridicule from his peers any longer. He had taken him in and raised him as if he was his own, mentoring him on how to live off the land and enhancing his already sharp swordsmanship. After seven years together he finally broke off from him, knowing it was time for the now adult Trandoshan to strike out on his own. He kept tabs on him over the following few years, knowing he had married and finally discovered his heritage, including a nasty little ‘heirloom’ called the K’Satizitus.

He wished he had sense that evil entity in him back then, but the spirit from what he heard was very crafty and knew how to keep itself hidden even from powerful Force users. It had distressed him to no end when he heard rumors of Trazu falling to the Dark Side because of the spirit. Beyond that he heard little else, besides hopeful rumor he had heard recently that he had finally banished the spirit and had been pardoned by the Jedi Order for his crimes. Hence the reason he was here: he wanted to confirm the rumors and see where his once pupil was now as well as see if the Jedi Order had improved since his departure.

Now the question that was in his mind was who this little Trandoshan was: could he be Trazu’s son? The physical resemblance pointed to that conclusion and he looked to be the right age. Only way to find out was to ask, but he felt a bit wary about him, a complete stranger to not only the kid but to the Master as well, approaching and asking such a personal question. He found himself desiring to do the one thing he never had a chance to do: to train a padawan as his own. Indeed he knew Trazu to be Force Sensitive, but the Trandoshan’s adamant refusal to believe the Force even existed back then threw out any hopes of that. His son though, his is apparent time of need….

Trazu would go ballistic if he heard his son was left out in the cold…. He thought, scratching his chin. It was of course doubtful the Master would leave any padawans unattended to should another not step forward. However even a Master could only tend to so many padawans at once and if he could take at least son of Trazu’s son off his full hands it would be better for all. How to approach the Master about this though….

With a heavy sigh he strode forward, toward the speeder where the two Trandoshans and the Master were perched. The words he was going to say coming together. He knew the Master had to be aware of his presence as he approached, so he made sure his appearance and form was none threatening. In fact he chose the form he had assumed when he first met Trazu, though aged appropriately….

~~~

Silonik was starting to despair that no one would notice them. Granted he did not mind that Master Dolash would take them in if no one else would, but it was still disheartening. Mortor had resumed his huddling, though now it was more like clinging to the older Silonik, as if afraid to be separated from him. He nuzzled his companion and best friend reassuringly, even though now he was starting to doubt himself this day would end favorably for them.

“It seems you are no longer accepting new applicants.” A voice said behind him, making both of them jump. Silonik turned, though with a bit of difficulty with Mortor clinging to him as he was, to see the speaker. It was an older man, looking to be a human in his late sixties, dressed in clothing that was well worn but not ragged, a standard sword clipped to his belt. His skin was well tanned and a bit wrinkly due to age, hair and scruffy beard half grey and half black. The eyes were a warm brown and had a reassuring look to them. He smelled like he had been out in the wilderness a while, bits of mud and fresh grass on his pants and shoes. “Though I wouldn’t consider myself exactly…’new’…if you get my meaning.” The man continued, looking up at the tall Azguard.

As the tall figure stood before the many Jedi that stood beside him, Darami felt an aura of authority and purity emanate from the soul of the figure and Darami wondered what such an address could mean. An address towards the Order seemed strange yet Darami knew that it would affect him in some form.

As the tall figure spoke, Darami hung onto the words as strands of wisdom that, one day, Darami hoped to provide. The figure spoke of fulfilling the duties of the Jedi, pathing the way to new found hope and searching in new directions for the peace that the Jedi long for. Darami knew that such words were imminent and it came as no shock as the man spoke.

Darami wondered whether the Jedi training that was provided by Master Katarn would be effected. Darami had always wondered about self-training and had a dream of learning the techniques of the Jedi in the field. It seems that the words that the figure spoke were that of Darami's dreams. He wondered whether he should contact Master Katarn to speak with him.

As the final words were spoke to the mass of Jedi that crowded the Temple, Darami walked from the crowd in search of a place to meditate and relax. He would ponder over the words of the Master and think about working in the field. Master Katarn seemed to be so busy and it seemed logical to find new forms of life and destiny without the need for Master's and training in the Temple.

As Darami walked towards a naturalistic area, filled with forestry and beautiful landscape scenes, Darami turned towards the crowd and saw the figures filing away from the Temple. The words had affected not only Darami, but the Jedi Order. And so the journey begins.

The chaos that followed the next few minutes did not escape Dolash's attention. Some were angry, some surprised, some scared, and some resolved. Already, a few of the oldest and most experienced drifted away from the crowd. Others, especially the youngest, clung together as though the outside world was a cold wind whipping at them.

Before long, however, a knot of the Order's members had gathered around Dolash. "You can't just dump everyone out of the temple like this!" Katria exclaimed. "What about the young ones? The totally inexperienced?"

"If you want, you can task yourself with caring for them," said Dolash indifferently. "Simply take it upon yourself to find those who need help and gather them to you. Find more experienced Jedi to assist you in their protection and organization. Do as you will."

At this point, an old man in ragged clothes and bearing a sword approached the group, stating his message. The desire for such an old man to join the Order barely phased Dolash, who simply gestured to Katria. "If you want to help someone, Katria, then consider starting with this man. I myself have a job to do, and cannot."

Angrily, Katria grabbed the bewildered old man's hand and pulled him away to find the young students who would need help.

Five of Dolash's closest companions, however, still crowded him, pressing with questions. After a moment staring into space, Dolash waved for them to be silent and stated "I understand your concerns, honestly, but this is for the best. Anyone who can't simply survive a few days outside of the temple has not the strength to be a Jedi."

"What about the Sith?" said Proq, a nervous Twi'lek Jedi. He drummed his fingers nervously on the hood of the speeder Dolash stood on. "What if the Sith or the Jedi Corp or someone with a grudge hears about this and comes gunning for us? Have you thought of that?"

"If they wanted to hunt us before, Proq, some low stone walls would not long have stopped them. Even if they do come for us, it is better we face our enemy in disarray than not at all."

"But what about their lives?" the speaker was Shillia, a Devaronian. "The Jedi Order hasn't done anything like this in years! We've got children here now, the old, the inexperienced... it's not a military force - we can't just 'face the enemy', don't you get it?"

"Indeed I do." Dolash leapt neatly from the speeder and turned to face Shillia, who was still more than a whole head smaller than him. "What place do children have in an Order that should be training for battle? What place do the uncertain or the incapable have? Shillia, by sending them out now, I am protecting them from the enemy by weeding out those who should never cross swords with them."

"Complacency must end," said Jubaz. The battle-scarred Rodian took up a position next to Dolash. "Dolash is right. The Order must be shocked to life."

Shillia was about to retort when the mighty Fwar rested his multi-jointed hand on her shoulder. "Be still, Shillia. Come, we shall make the city safe for our kind - it will give you peace of mind, correct?"

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Shillia said "I still think you're making a big mistake... but all right. If you're sure, we might as well go make sure everyone knows we're coming."

With them gone, Dolash turned to Jubaz, who bowed. "The others do not understand the importance of triming the fat from a lazy beast. I shall use this opportunity as intended - to hunt evil on Naboo. Come, Proq, we have much work to do."

"Looks like you found his muse," muttered Proq, as he passed Dolash. "That's the most words he's ever said at once."

With all of them gone, Dolash was left briefly alone. Almost. As he turned, Dolash spied Ian fiddling with the controls to the speeder. A mild expression of annoyance passed over Dolash's features as he leaned over. "What are you doing?"

"Looks like you've been making a lot of trips around Theed lately," said Ian, who looked up from the guidance computer. "Stopping all around town, too. City hall, the old palace, everything."

Dolash crossed his arms and looked down at Ian from his commanding height. "What is your point, Ian?"

"You've always dreamt big, Dolash," said Ian. "This, though? This is huge. I just want to know you know what you're doing."

"A bit of fresh air would be good for the Order," said Dolash. "Why should everyone fear becoming reacquainted with our neighbours?"

Ian shrugged. "You're the boss-guy, I just fix stuff. I'll give your challenge a shot and see what can be done on the far side of the world. You call me if anything turns up, okay?"

"Gladly," said Dolash, who watched the scruffy young man saunter off towards the city. Now alone, Dolash turned to observe the milling crowd around the temple gates.

They numbered a couple hundred, tops. A very small number were pre-adolescent, but most overall were only in the first few stages of their training. Some stuck around the temple doors, wondering if they would reopen. Some were now leaving in small groups. Some still looked panicked or uncertain, but that number dropped as the reality of the situation set in. Playtime was over for the Jedi Order - it would relearn its' duty, or it would drown.

Personally, Dolash was none too concerned which would occur right now. He had business to attend to. He leapt back into his speeder - which was still a tight squeeze, considering his huge Azguardian frame - and set it to motion, cruising towards the city streets.

As he drove, Dolash checked the glove compartment, finding a package inside. Content that everything he needed was still there, he closed the compartment and continued on to the city center.

Tatane shivered somewhat, wringing the remaining, excess water from her hair even as it began to dry. She frowned, not bothering to search her robes for the usual manner in which she bound her hair, finding that in Kenshin's voice there was some sense of urgency, not as if he was in any hurry, but as if the situation required immediate attention. She knew better than to ignore such a tone of voice, or thoughts, and she had no time to worry about keeping her hair out of her face. Right now, things were different; things were different than what she could have ever expected upon arrival.

I'm on my way, she replied, already close enough to actually search of Kenshin's face amongst the crowd. But she wasn't looking for his face in particular. In fact, he could be more easily identified by his entourage of younglings, and it was this simple trait that attracted her cool, observant eyes. She made her way through the crowd, a smile on her lips as their curious faces remained in the back of her mind.

Tatane breached the hubub of moving figures and moved to where Kenshin and the younglings were, her hair already and unfortunately mussed by the robed figures that had so unwittingly made it wild. She quickly proceeded to tame it once again, so that its errant locks wouldn't make her seem like some forest creature, though she was absent at her work at best. She was already noticing Ben and Darami amidst the little collection, and she smiled to them both in turn.

"Master Katarn," she breathed, "Darami... Ben... Younglings." She greeted them all with her gentle words, her expression soft and yet mingled with curiosity of the exact nature of the situation. "I trust you've all been well," she concluded, mixing the obviously important situation with a casually mannered comment. It would help to ease the younglings' nerves, if anything.

OoC: Apologies for the shortness of this post.

Ben stood next to his teacher and the group of younglings. As he waited for the others to show up Ben knelt down and smiled at the little kids, he petted some on the back and let them know that everything would be alright. It was painful to see these small kids afraid of having no place to go and of getting kicked out of the only place they ever called home.

While he was talking and playing with the kids a little, Ben didn't notice Tatane coming up towards them. When he did he smiled and slowly stood up. At her comment about being well, Ben laughed a little and shrugged.

"Greetings Tatane, how are you? The day could be worse." He said as his hand rubbed on of the younglings shoulders to make the small child feel better.

In his mind Ben was still going over this situation. He hopped he could still complete his training, but most of all he wanted to get back inside the Temple to retrieve his things. Ben looked over Tatane and then towards Katarn, wondering what he will talk about and what they will do now.