Dealing with Nyron

Chapter Twenty-One: The Jedi

Yesterday

The young Jedi Knight paced a little outside of the High Council Chamber, spinning the holocron in his hand. The Jedi wore plain white robes, and was lean, with short brown hair. He had three scars over his right eye, showing that he was no stranger to combat. Usually he would spin objects with the Force when he was bored, for practice, and, he admitted: to show off. However, he was afraid to touch this holocron with the Force. He knew he was being silly: Sith or not, holocrons could not be good or evil by nature, only the knowledge inside could actually lead to evil, but he was cautious all the same. Finally the doors opened, and a Miraluka walked past him, deep in thought.
"The council will see you now." Announced the two guards at the door in standard unison. The Jedi acknowledged them with a nod and entered the chamber.

"Greetings, masters." He said once he was in the centre of the room.
"Greetings, Dejo Khan." Replied Nomi Sunrider, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order and hero of the Great Sith War. Her features were sharp, almost unpleasantly so, but she was beautiful anyway, having aged well into her fourty-third year. Her hair, tied up in a bun which further exaggerated her high hairline, was white with streaks of reddish brown, and her pale blue eyes showed the wisdom of her age, although those that knew her said they had always been like that. She wore a white robe, with swirled patterns on the neck and sleeves.
"Please tell us about your mission." She said. "Was it successful?"
"Yes, Master Sunrider. The Korunar will cause us no more trouble; they have fallen far from the might of their Sith ancestors. There were only a few dozen left, none of whom were particularly powerful; they surrendered once I defeated their leader."
"So why did it take you so long? Surely that must have taken only a day or two, not a week!" The red robed Master Vrook Lamar pointed out. He was one of the oldest members of the council, and him had made him observant and cynical, so Dejo had expected this, and was prepared for it.
"Master, they surrendered, but some escaped into the hills, and so had to be hunted down. I couldn't just leave them to regain power, they had to be recaptured."
Dejo hated misleading the Council, especially since this one made him look incompetent, but Weon had been clear: they must not know where he got the holocron from, and so Dejo had to let some of the Korunar escape in order to string out his mission until Weon had it. Master Lamar was apparently satisfied with the explanation, although he also looked disappointed in Dejo's apparent failure.
"There's one more thing." Dejo said, bringing the holocron out from behind his back. This was the moment that mattered. Many of the masters recognised the red pyramid immediately, and gasped.
"The Korunar had a Sith holocron in their possession, most likely brought by their ancestors during their escape from Korriban. I trust you'll know what to do with it." He said, passing it to Master Sunrider, who took it gingerly.
"Do you think they used it?" She asked worriedly.
"No, as I said: they were weak."
"Thank you, Dejo. You may leave us now, you've given us much to discuss."

Nomi left the meeting with her friend Sylvar, a tall, muscular feline Cathar who had fought with her since the Great Sith War, and Dejo's master. They were soon met by Erema Yiron, Chancellor of the Republic, former senator of Alderaan, and a good friend of Nomi's. She was older than Nomi, perhaps between fifty and sixty, but had made an effort to look younger by dying her hair a youthful blonde, which was tied behind her head. She was thin, and her features were severe but friendly, characteristic of a successful politician. She wore a loose blue dress made from some heavy, expensive fabric to make herself appear distinguished.
"Nomi! How did today's meeting go?" She asked as she embraced her friend.
"Well, as usual there was good and bad news. You'll be glad to know that the dispute on Ganed was ended peacefully - Roala has become a very talented negotiator."
"Good! I hope I'll be able to use her skills a lot in the future."
"I'm sure you will." Said Nomi with a smile. "Sylvar's old Padawan, Dejo Khan, returned today as well - at last. Once again, it was a successful mission, but he recovered a dangerous artefact. We'll need to study it for a few days to find a way to dispose of it safely."
"What is this artefact?" Erema asked curiously.
"A Sith holocron." Nomi replied grimly. "Very dangerous."
"What sort of dangerous?"
"It contains knowledge of the Sith. I'm sure you realise that any knowledge from them is evil and corruptive. You know what happened to Exar Kun, and to..."
"We'll deal with it, Chancellor." Summarised Sylvar to spare Nomi any more bad memories, clasping her shoulder comfortingly. The memory of Ulic Qel-Droma was still fresh in both their minds; not as the Sith the galaxy saw, but as the tragic hero and friend they remembered.

"I'm sorry, Nomi." Erema said remorsefully. "But we both know there's a war coming, and when the senate finally decides to act on it we'll need all the weapons we can get our hands on. And if these things are as corruptive as you say, then shouldn't we keep them away from Jedi, for their own safety?"
"You're right." Nomi conceded. "But please, don't do anything with it. We can't use this at all, no matter how bad things get."
"Of course, the risk is too great. But perhaps we could keep it as a last resort, to be used only by the wisest Jedi?"
"She said no, Erema." Warned Sylvar.
"Alright, I won't do anything. But if it does get that bad, then the senate will decide what to do. It would be a matter of war, and that's for the people to act on, not the Jedi."
Nomi seemed to accept this, but Sylvar was worried. She trusted the Chancellor's judgement on things the understood, but she didn't understand the power of the Force, and that scared Sylvar.