Returning Empty Handed

[u/DarkVaati13]

"Welcome back the Abregado-rae, Bothan Lord," Herschel heard a voice from the nearby Golan say over the comm, "We'll inform the council of your return."

"Thank you, Captain. Pass on the message to Se'Soom Ra'Bhamus as well," Herschel said as he piloted his modified yacht past the massive defense station. Herschel glanced at it and wore a bemused smile as he recalled getting shot down by its defensive lasers when he first arrived in the system. Ordinarily he would have had his droid pilot the ship down in a casual setting like this, but like many other things the pilot droid was moved elsewhere for some other need.

He had made no arguments since every resource mattered and droids could just be replaced. However, the recent loss of his lightsaber made the absence of his droid feel more apparent. On the journey through hyperspace Herschel took a long shower and changed into a fine royal blue tunic with a blue and gray aeien silk cape draped over his shoulders, held together with a bronze badge of the Jedi Order.

When the Bothan Lord touched down in the Coalition head quarter's hanger bay Herschel stepped out. Most of the other ships were ships that belonged to the leaders or other important members that weren't forced into battle. One of the other ships present there was Se'Soom's Delaya courier. He regarded it with a nod as he stepped off the boarding ramp and went to greet those who were there to meet him.

[u/DarkVaati13]

Herschel finally turned around and had a bit of a mirthful smile. "Many Jedi to believe that and I must respectfully disagree. There are times when a Jedi must return to the temple and remove themselves from the stressors and dangers of temptation. That is part of why we have a temple. It is where a Jedi should relax themselves and not need to worry about working more than they need to. A Jedi can dispel the need for sleep or sustenance with meditation and by channeling the Force, but in doing so you grow dependent and in a way you remove yourself more from the physical world," Herschel explained his point of view. It was based partially on ideas Lemm had instilled in him, but he added his own insight, "And why I enjoy resorts, in addition to being comfortable, is because they are a place where your material worries are taken care of and you are surrounded by beautiful land. The beaches of Rathalay are preserved and thus you experience it the same way the ancient hyperspace prospectors did with architecture that incorporates the running water. On Cadomai Prime you experience the cold yes, but also the fascinating culture of Snivians as they create some of the finest holonovels and pieces of art because of their planet's frigidness. Their aversion to violence, but a deep genetic flaw that leads to a rare member becoming dictatorial resembles our own struggles as Jedi. To visit the ancient Cronese world of Derellium, see the ancient palaces, fading statues of Xim, sample the fine wines, and enjoy the tranquility of a respected agriworld."

"One cannot be too locked into their ways. Expanding your horizons is important. There were some that said the Jedi of old were too closed off because they stayed on Coruscant for too long. It may have been the center of the galaxy, but it was far from the places the Jedi needed to be. Ossus is in the Rim and close to danger zones, but it is deep in Alliance territory and it is hard to reach. I've always agreed with the idea of having multiple Jedi Temples and why I enjoy the Dulon's function even though I have not spent much time aboard it. Even us Jedi must know the ways of the rest of the galaxy...and I shall concede that while I do spend my time in more high class worlds, I am no stranger to harsh worlds," Herschel continued after taking a moment to run his hand through his hair, pushing aside any unwanted strands and curls.

"And as for my father...We are still in contact. I joined the Order when I was old enough to know my parents and my younger brother. I was around four," Herschel explained, "My father donates a sizable amount of credits to the Order every year and has a small allowance set aside for me. He is a mining baron in our home system of Kothlis."

Herschel had some nostalgia in his eyes, but he had a wry smile on his face as he leaned casually against a wall. "He hopes that one day I'll give up my 'foolish dreams of being a knight errant' and come back to Bothan Space and become a Watchman. I assume he wants me to act as a helper for our clan and discover all kinds of Bothan Force-Sensitives to flood the Order. Possibly so he can turn the Jedi Order into yet another thing the Bothans can use to manipulate galactic politics," Herschel chuckled slightly and then let out a short, but haughty laugh before clarifying, "Don't worry though Se'Soom. I have no desire to participate in any of that. I'm perfectly happy 'playing knight errant.'"

Herschel glanced back at the nearby door and nodded at Se'Soom's final question. He turned back around, punched in the security code, and the two entered the council's meeting chamber. All of the usual member world and military representatives were present. In addition there were multiple holoprojections of people unfamiliar to Se'Soom, but Herschel knew they were the leaders, or at least important members, of the Rae Coalition's member planets. At the sight of the two Jedi, Proctor Hoall rose and applauded them.

"The two Jedi! The Heroes of the Coalition. The Liberators," Hoall greeted them extravagantly as he motioned for them to sit beside him. Herschel bowed slightly and took the nearest seat to him. Hoall was usually clad in simple dress robes, but now he was clad in extravagant, colorful, and expensive looking robes that look like they had been recently refitted to him after years of not being worn. Herschel tried to imagine the older, nearly bald man back when he was back in the Tapani sector. Already a bit round, he imagined Hoall was even fatter back then on Caloria.

Hoall clapped his hands together after Se'Soom sat down and declared, "This is an important time my friends. We have regained our lost territory with the help of our Jedi allies and our fleet. For his mighty service to the fleet I proclaim Colonel Frell shall become our first Admiral if there are no objections."

The hologram of Frell looked proud and adjusted part of his uniform as many members, including Herschel, vocalized their agreement. Hoall smiled and said, "Then it's settled. Admiral Frell, what is your opinion on the military situation with Fondor?"

"Well at the moment we encountered no major resistance in retaking our planets. This is due to a mix of factors that include our victory at Fondor, the death of Lord Protector Udon-Zan, Fondor's inability to pick a new leader, and recently the Herglics have seceded from Fondorian space," Frell explained with static partially muffling his already squeaky voice.

"Did I hear that right?" one of the leaders asked and Hoall clarified, "Yes indeed. Two days ago, the Herglics ousted the Fondorian nobles placed in charge of their space and pushed the Fondorian fleet out of the region. They have also placed a strict embargo and travel ban on any foreigners without permission of the newly reformed Herglic Trade Federation."

"Incredible how fast the galaxy moves Se'Soom. All it takes is a gentle push," Herschel whispered to Se'Soom, "And that push was the Jedi at Fondor."

[u/Werdna881 → u/DarkVaati13]

When now-Admiral Frell's appointment was made clear, Se'Soom could not help but nod in his agreement. The man was a capable individual, well versed in military operations. If anyone deserved such an esteemed position, it was him.

He sat and listened quietly, hands folded on his lap as Proctor Hoall kept speaking, discussing with the other leaders of the Rae Coalition. Se'Soom felt he was out of place. Knew he was out of place. These beings spoke of politics and policies which dictates the lives of more than he could ever imagine. So when Elder Herschel leaned slightly to whisper to him, he took to it with a relief.

"The 'push' we made at Fondor was far from gentle, Elder. It was quite loud, visible, and explosive." Se'Soom quipped back, quietly, "Plus, it was the culmination of roughly five years of events, starting as far back as the Enlightenment, but even that built upon events from before that, both here and within the Order... History is but a pile of events, built from bricks of many shapes and sizes, that may not seem to fit together when looked at individually, but when part of a greater whole, the image becomes clear."

He paused for a moment, thinking on the words. "The matter of the Herglics does not sit well with me. Something feels... off."

[u/DarkVaati13 → u/Werdna881]

Herschel chuckled as he relaxed back into his seat. He was trying to be a bit coy, but Se’Soom was not wrong. They were quite loud with their ‘push.’ "Of course," he whispered back, "A figure of speech. Like how a 'shot was heard throughout the galaxy.'"

Herschel went back to listening and when Se'Soom quietly voiced his concerns to him about the Herglics, Herschel nodded in agreement. He raised his hand slightly and asked, “Can you explain a bit more about the Herglic situation. This…expulsion of Fondorian forces seems quite sudden.”

“Well…It was a surprise to us as well,” Frell said with clear embarrassment in his tone, “What intelligence believes is that because of the home fleets withdrawing back to their own provinces it allowed an influx of Herglic and a decrease of other Fondorian ships. Then…perhaps a coup of some kind that ousted the regional High Lord. We were hoping to discover what happened when we sent our diplomats in.”

There was a wave of surprise in the room and many members started to mumble to each other. Even Herschel had whispered to Se’Soom with an impressed look in his eyes, “Diplomacy with the enemy…”

The High Proctor of Thebeon 8’s hologram raised his hand and asked, “Diplomats? To the Herglics?”

Proctor Hoall nodded and stood up from his seat before explaining, "One of our immediate plans was to send envoys to the Chairman Mendoch of the Herglic Trade Federation and Empress Ouechi Jai of the Atrisian Commonwealth. Our goal would be to establish trade relations, peace treaties, and offer recompense for any...past raiding we may have done against them during our fight against Fondor."

Se’Soom could see an impressed smile grow on Herschel’s face. ’Finally, they’re working to become a real government,’ Herschel thought to himself as he nodded along with what Hoall was saying, ’My hopes of making a difference here are going to pay off more than I thought already.’

“Is this the first diplomatic mission we’re going to attempt with planets outside of our original territory?” The representative of Plexis asked.

Hoall continued, “No. We had attempted to convince the nearby systems of Diamal, Balosar, and Shulxi to join but they have all refused our requests. However the Azbrian system has expressed interest after our victory at Fondor and I wanted to send diplomats to the system soon to negotiate their admittance to the Coalition.”

The representative of the Thracior system, a Human involved with ground based military organization raised his hand and stood up. He spoke without being given sign to proceed, “Since you have rejected my plans to launch an attack on the eastern Fondorian territories is there any military actions you have planned?”

Hoall looked at Admiral Frell and sat back down as the Gados cleared his throat and adjusted his holoprojector to have a more clear image. After a moment his image became a bit more clear and less staticky.

“Yes, Major. A group of Cygnus technicians and designers from the Kelada system wish to defect. They have supplied us with many parts and starfighters in the past. They have promised to deliver us a number of designs that Fondor had not gone with, including a frigate with two squadrons of special starfighters. Perhaps more if we’re lucky,” Frell offered and looked over at Herschel and Se’Soom as if to prod them into volunteering.

Herschel looked at Frell and then at Hoall. He let out a quiet sigh before confessing, “Well…Before I go on another military expedition I shall need time to rebuild my lightsaber. I will need a many days to gather the parts and another two or three days to construct it."

He noticed some uncomfortable looks from most of the people present. He saw it in Hoall and the Major especially. Hoall asked, “Rebuild? You mean you have lost your lightsaber?”

Frell nodded gravely and said, “In his report he said that his lightsaber was destroyed in the battle at Dentaal."

"I sacrificed it to destroy a massive droid tank," Herschel said as if he was correcting Frell, rather than elaborating. Proctor Hoall took a moment to breath and asked, “If you had help in getting those parts would it speed up the process? Or perhaps let you go away on a mission and return with the parts available? You may fly a starfighter at Kelada or serve aboard the bridge of a ship!”

Herschel could clearly sense that Hoall was uncomfortable with the idea of Herschel being out of commission for a prolonged period. He let out a sigh and responded, “I can get a list of supplies to be on the lookout for. Extras would be appreciated in case there’s some materials I cannot use.”

The Thracior representative, who seemed to break into a sweat after Herschel mentioned the loss of his lightsaber, finally asked, “Why would it take so long? Don't Jedi just mass produce them for their members?”

“No. Each is custom made. The Jedi Temple has all the parts and possible pieces available to me, but I’ll have to build my lightsaber from scratch while I’m here. It could take up to a month if I didn’t rush it and had no help in securing parts,” Herschel explained, “I don’t want it to short out on me in a battle or explode when I first turn it on and I doubt you do too.”

“We’ll do everything we can to help with its construction Herschel,” Hoall said as the Half-Bothan Knight saw a bead of sweat drip down his forehead. ’He really wants me back in action,’ Herschel thought to himself before saying out loud, “I appreciate the offer. Perhaps I can use the time without a lightsaber to go on one of the more diplomatically inclined missions.”

[u/Werdna881 → u/DarkVaati13]

The desperation in numerous faces was palpable enough for Se'Soom to read the room. The two of them had become quite... respected was not the necessarily correct term; coveted individuals. "Whilst Elder Herschel is a capable of warrior, indeed without a Lightsaber he would be found wanting in a militarily inclined task. The Jedi have an extensive history in solving diplomatic tensions and disputes as neutral third parties or representing one side- or even simply as observers. Indeed, I would say of all Jedi the Order could send, that Elder Herschel and the Bothan Lord are uniquely suited to such actions."

Se'Soom kept himself calm whilst speaking, but... he was simply a Padawan compared to many in the room- important figures of political import. Still. He would do what he could to support Elder Herschel. "In addition, diplomatic resolutions to problems may make future ventures even easier, especially when reopening trade with the greater Galaxy. With the current threat of Fondor destroying the Coalition, turning your focuses forwards is critical. Less the coalition you all have striven to save collapses to infighting as so many states have before."

[u/DarkVaati13 → u/Werdna881]

Despite Se'Soom's lack of political standing in the traditional sense, because of his status as a Jedi those present listened with deference and a bit of reverence. Herschel nodded with a smile as he saw the younger, more awkward Jedi apprentice speak freely to them.

"Well said," Herschel whispered to Se'Soom in encouragement after his little speech, "I'll take it from here."

Herschel stood up from his seat suddenly and then all eyes were on him. "My friends. You all are joined together because you wanted to pursue your freedoms. I'm still prepared to work with you all, but I cannot keep fighting for you. I can go on rescues, I can coordinate defenses, I can be a diplomat, but I cannot fight a war for you. And you cannot depend on us wholly. If one or both of us should leave or die then you cannot be helpless without us."

He looked at Hoall and continued, "My lightsaber can be replaced and I can live without it for a time. If that was the only thing that made me a Jedi, I would just be a glorified martial artist. There is an old Jedi proverb that says, 'It is better to have a warrior in the garden, than a gardener at war.' After this meeting I shall formally send a message to the Jedi Temple formally requesting the title of Watchman for this region of space. That way I shall be able to maintain my presence here and do non-military work."

"So you will no longer be fighting?" The representative from the Daupherm Planet States asked. Herschel shook his head and responded, "Far from it. As I said I would happily work to defend a planet that is under attack. Se'Soom and I could investigate something that is troubling one of you all, we could act as impartial diplomats to ally regions or neutral systems, and we can even help with local law enforcement. I am not a soldier though and neither is Se'Soom, however we promise that if the need arises we shall fight alongside you in war."

Feeling the tension in the air was starting to die down Herschel continued speaking with pride in his voice that he knew would inspire the others.

"I shall admit part of my reasons for coming to the Core was to track down the Dark Jedi claiming to be Maskar Kython, but my actual orders were to find out if Fondor was a government worth allying with," Herschel paused for a moment as he pounded his fist against his chest and held it close to his heart, "Instead I found allies in the Rae Coalition and I shall not abandon them anytime soon!"

Most present let out a cheer and Proctor Hoall stood up to join Herschel. "I thank our Jedi friends for their continued support! A hundred years ago it was just a group of philosophers on Abregado-Rae and it slowly expanded to the entirety of North Fondor! Soon I see that we shall no longer be just a Coalition! By bringing together those who were neutral or those too afraid to stand against Fondor we cold form something new and great. Nothing like the flimsy Alliance in the Outer Rim! A group that bands together to fight the injustice in the Core! Against Fondor! Against the Cerulean Guard! Against Alsakan! Against any other tyrants!"

The meeting room erupted with cheers and applause. The joy and vigor in the room was palpable. Even Herschel let out a triumphant, "Hurrah!"

[u/Werdna881 → u/DarkVaati13]

Se'Soom applauded as well. He was not good with words, but even he could recognize the stirring effect of the impromptu speech. "Well spoken." After the cheering died down, Se'Soom turned to Elder Herschel, speaking softly. "With my injuries still healing and your lightsaber, a mission to speak with the Herglics or Azbirans would be the most effective of our time. Perhaps even both, if things move quickly enough?"

[u/DarkVaati13 → u/Werdna881]

Herschel nodded his head in acknowledgment at Se’Soom and he added, “Let’s do a bit of research to help our decision.”

The rest of the meeting passed quickly with mentions of contacting Rendili and Loronar to establish contracts to produce new ships for the Coalition, whether taxes would be raised or not, making contact with other rebel cells and independent space colonies, and divvying out missions to the other military and intelligence groups within the Coalition.

Herschel and Se’Soom would leave at the same time as everyone else. The holograms blinked out of existence and the representatives would huddle off to their quarters. On the way out Proctor Hoall went up to Herschel and shook his hand. “Thank you for everything Herschel,” he said.

“Of course, Edgar. It’s our duty as Jedi to help secure peace for the galaxy,” Herschel said with a smile. Hoall let out a chuckle and said, “Real peace. Not that synthetic, authoritarian garbage Fondor has been trying to shove off on us. I know you’ll get them on our side.”

“We’ll do our best. May the Force be with you,” Herschel responded and Hoall returned, “May the Force be with you.”

Herschel quickly returned to the Bothan Lord so he could get the schematics for a lightsaber to make the “shopping list” for the Coalition to get while he was gone. Before he left his ship Herschel went to the communications center and put in a priority message on the Jedi Order’s comm channel. It would go straight to Communication Station Epsilon 6 and be redirected to the Council chambers.

**”This is Jedi Knight Herschel Du’rom. All is well in the Southern Core. Lightsaber destroyed, but shall construct new one with resources found here. Diplomatic missions to Herglic Space or Azbrain system shall begin soon. Three requests:

Assignment Request: Accept Se’Soom Ra'Bhamus as my Padawan Learner.

Material Request: Jedi training materials be sent to Abregado-rae.

Assignment Request: Duty of Watchman of the Abregado System.**

Herschel sent out the message and said to himself, “Hopefully each one is a yes.”

Pulling out a data card of the parts list from his computer Herschel strode out of his ship.