Processional Way, Main Entrance, and Mezzanines

Jade frowned slightly. It would take a Sith on the level of Palpatine to be able to mask his presence from the entire Order that successfully. How had no one suspected? That was disturbing, though there was a similar-type situation unfolding on Corellia judging from the last communique she had received from Nalatua'lin. That was different in that Ceri Velit was a Jedi on some level, though buying a padawan and training him in isolation from the Order in a slave-type fashion was a whole different level of duplicity. With luck that had been caught in time to sort itself out. If not, Aleranus would pay the consequences of what his former Master had done to him.

Perhaps that was something that needed to be enforced once again within the Order, within each Academy if not within the Order as a whole on Coruscant. Masters and Padawans should not be isolated from the Order at large. It was not healthy and it allowed an environment in which dangerous trends could be hard to spot until they had already done their damage.

She herself had undergone extensive military training and service before joining the Jedi, and she could only imagine how different Gavin's perspective on things was by now.

"I can see how your Master warped your perception of the Jedi," she began, "and how do you see us now in reference to the galaxy?" If he was here, then perhaps he had not followed the Sith teachings, although, she was not ready to trust him simply because of a familial relationship with Akire Phoenix. Decades of experience had taught her the meaning of caution.

"By this point you must be aware that aspects of Bogan and Ashla are not compatible," she pointed out, one eyebrow momentarily arching in emphasis of what she was saying. Herself, while not so strict as many of the Jedi--in fact she was more like a Grey, she accepted many to one degree or another, attempting to understand the reasons behind the decisions they had made. Her path had once deviated from the Order to a large degree, though she had never practiced the dark side of the Force in the manner of the Sith.

He was not familiar with the concept of Bogan and Ashla? As in he had never heard of them? And Gavin's Master had been a Sith in disguise...

I am increasingly concerned by the trend in the Jedi Order of isolating padawans with their masters. It seems that we have laid the foundations for the abuse of that relationship and there has been a rise in Jedi being trained by Sith or other dark-sided elements. This is a matter for the High Council, and more specifically the Council of Reconciliation and Reassignment. Otherwise we will create our own destruction.

The Jedi Master blinked slowly, unfolding her arms and clasping her hands behind her back in a loose 'at-ease' posture as she silently paced a few feet back and forth before the taller male and then stopped in front of him.

"Bogan and Ashla, the two sides of the Force, Dark and Light as they are commonly called. They resemble the mythical 'yin yang' of Old Terran legends. The never-ending struggle that neither side can fully win."

The fact that Gavin Phoenix did not seem to realized the fundamental difference between the Sith and the Jedi was deeply disturbing, convincing Jade that he was indeed unsuited at this point to train a padawan. A faint smile twitched at the corners of her lips and vanished.

"I believe you are mistaken in your definition of 'Grey.' There is no distinct Order or teaching of the Grey Jedi, rather those who are labeled as 'Grey' are within the Jedi Order, they just believe that there is a bit more blurring of the line between Dark and Light. They see more easily solutions that would not readily present themselves to a traditional Jedi. We work within the Order, as Qui-Gon Jinn, the most noted of the Greys, did. We do not foster the splintering of the Order." She paused, unsure how to put this. "You will not find a true Grey who kills with the red lightning of the Sith. There are powers that the Jedi eschew."

He had blurred the boundaries between everything and muddled the Force into a discordance. If he had not claimed his willingness and desire to learn as the reason for his visit here, she would not have said anything. However, he had done so.

"There is a basic, presuppositional difference between the Sith and the Jedi. The Jedi are, as you say," she nodded in semi-agreement of his final synopsis, "compassionate. Jedi dedicate their lives to the service of others, the protection of the weak, the upholding of law e had blurred the boundaries between everything and muddled the Force into a discorand justice. The Sith, while powerful, have become so through their service of self and forwarding of their own personal goals regardless of the people around them. The Jen'Jidai are yet another faction, Dark-sided in tendency, though working for the advancement of a closely knit Order. They have mostly vanished from the influential arena of galactic politics."

She sighed, tiredly, clouds flickering through otherwise brilliant emerald eyes, "The Jedi and the Sith are galaxies apart...but between us there is hope for balance in the universe ultimately."

The Jedi Master suspected he did not truly understand, but she was not overly fussed as a result of that. She'd lived too long and had dealings with too many people to take offense over something as trivial as this right now. If he had been training a padawan the matter would have been different. Green eyes glittered in the light as she mentioned something,

"The ever-present threat of the Sith provides focus to the Jedi Order, but you would be incorrect if you concluded that I am not familiar with the Sith. It is likely I would not be here today if it had not been for an 'agreement' with a Sith some decades ago. At the very least I would have collected some more scars."

She smiled in an almost predatory fashion at the memory of what had happened on Galantos. Unfortunately, there had been losses, and she had missed the look of realization upon her enemy's face as he realized just how far out of his depth he had ventured.

Jade nodded and carried on, "One is always learning something, if the mind is open and receptive to such. The Temple here has much to offer in that way. Also, I would advise speaking with Master Raylia Venci: she is a noted archaeologist, though finding her may be somewhat tricky as she likes to keep busy. Her office, when she is in residence, is in the lower levels of the Archives---have you ever seen them before?" She broke off to inquire, as the Archives here on Coruscant were indeed the largest receptacle of Jedi lore in the history of the Order, and could be considered something of a 'tourist attraction' among the younger students of the Jedi ways as well as the older masters.

"Well then, come with me."

She turned, leading him deeper into the edifice that was the Temple proper. Spaced along the walls were a multitude of information kiosks and data-terminals from which one could access various information including maps of the complex itself. She pointed these out to Gavin for future reference if he found himself in need of some direction.

"You would be aware then that Sinistra of Kuat, recently declared Emperor, formerly asked alliance with us during the latter stage of the Mandalorian Force Jihad?" she inquired in passing, "An interesting turn of events when Sith and Jedi fought side by side against a common enemy. Almost eerie in a way as if it opposed an underlying natural order. Although," she nodded, "this is not to say that individual Sith do not have things to recommend themselves."

She had experienced hospitality from Sith before, as well as extended it herself. But, the basic principles and worldviews of the two Orders were entirely different, not only in their ends, but in their use of means.

Though she gave no outward indication of interest the diminutive female was aware that he carried a plethora of lightsabers almost as if he was a walking museum. Or perhaps he had not forged that lasting bond between a Jedi's soul and their weapon. She thought it was a bit of overkill, unless he was given to using them as projectile weapons.

Her voluminous outer cloak swayed as she preceded him further into the Temple. At his question, the barest hint of a smile twitched at the corners of her lips, though it was not reflected in her eyes. She stopped and turned to face him, arms folded in front of her, left hand clasping her right upper arm. The light glinted off three brilliant Corusca gems in an unobtrusive ring on her left hand, simple and yet priceless.

"I am one of five Masters that sit upon the High Council and administrate the affairs of the Jedi Order as a whole, promoting unity, stability, and peace within the various academies of the Order, not to mention my other responsibilities."

While this was true in itself, the reality was that two of the High Councilors had not been heard from in some months. Councilor Aerandir Calmcacil rarely set foot off Felucia, and currently Councilor Mike Frantz was on Yavin IV dealing with a situation that had arisen there in the aftermath of the Mandalorian Jihad.

Jade's deep green eyes were momentarily veiled by long dark lashes before re-opening into narrow slits as she considered Gavin, her head slightly tilted to one side. The latent fondness in his voice as he spoke her name was most surprising, and she would have had to be deaf in order to miss it. Black eyebrows arched steeply, inquisitively, for a moment before she dropped her arms and loosely clasped her hands behind her back.

"One might inquire why, upon such a short acquaintance, you find yourself called upon to address me in such an," she paused for one second, "---intimate fashion?"

A human might not have batted an eyelash. A human might have enjoyed it. A human might have missed the inflection in Gavin's voice when he pronounced her name. But Jade's hearing was much keener than a human's, and subtle ways of expressing affection were fairly normal for one of her culture.

"Oh?" was her only query, as he then followed up his statement with further explanation. She said nothing as he clearly displayed his emotions for the moment, probably reliving a few old memories or something of that nature. She was a bit surprised that he would do so in public in front of a relative stranger, but then, weirder things had happened.

"I was married myself once. It was not a pleasant experience." Her fingers curled into a fist as she spoke, but relaxed almost immediately. Better things had happened since then, although decades later. "I suppose the correct response would have been 'I am flattered' or something along those lines--" she frowned, before carrying on.

"You have been isolated then, not even getting news I should think." Jade paused and reflected for a minute. "The Order has been united for some years now, at least a decade. The High Council is well established. Historically speaking of course you must be aware that the High Council goes back hundreds if not thousands of years during the Old Republic." If he denied that it would be beyond the realm of belief since it was unheard of for someone within the Order for some years to not know at least basic Jedi history. 

"Call it being in the right place at the right time, or the leading of the Force. I was not seeking you. Our paths simply crossed." In fact, she'd finished a meeting with Nik Arreni and just received a package from Corellia accompanied by a message from Nalatua'lin, Chief Healer of that academy. It had given her pause for a bit, but she had reached a decision and was in the process of acting upon it when Gavin Phoenix had strayed across her path looking lost. It still amused her that Jedi would wait outside a Temple for an invitation to come inside when technically they were coming home. If they were Sith on the other hand, they probably would not have made it past the Sentinels outside.

Gavin's opinion depended entirely on how one was brought up of course. To some cultures marriage was more of a social contract or political alliance rather than something based on 'feelings.' At her age, Jade had seen a good bit of the world and was far less susceptible to tender feelings in general. Not that she was emotionless, but after a lifetime of self-discipline and control, she was not one to talk about things of that kind with an almost complete stranger. After all, Gavin was not Akire Phoenix.

"Hmm. Forty years?" She looked at him sideways. "How old are you then?" He seemed young, at least in mind, definitely in body. While she herself did not look her true age as humans reckoned years, neither did she look like someone in their twenties. A keen observer could see that she was older than that from the chiseled angles of her face which no longer displayed the softness associated with youth, it could also be seen in her eyes, among other things.

"Be that as it may," she shrugged noncommittally, "our paths crossed, and you are no longer quite as lost."

"That begs the further question, who are your people?" It was an oddly preserved longevity, and he'd been trained among Sith. Perhaps he'd unwittingly learned to wield alchemy and the Force to lengthen his life, and not just lengthen it in time, but in youth. Jade shrugged, that kind of appearance was not one she'd ever sought or desired.

"You are welcome of course, but similar information stations are located in most of the Jedi academies. You may never be lost in such a fashion again if you so choose," she stated quietly.

Of course the Jedi Master was suspicious, not very much so at the moment, but enough to be uneasy about him. However, she did not give him an indication of this. Personally, she was determined that as far as she was concerned he would not take on a padawan within the Order until a few things had been settled one way or the other. To just welcome people blindly and hand them responsibility would have been a dereliction of duty on her part as she had been chosen to be one of the guides of the Order.

"Naza Prime is not marked on any of our starcharts, nor are there records of Nagarien." Jade remarked after a few moments, wondering how he saw himself fitting into the universe. When he spoke of a Kiffar ancestry, she looked at him askance. "How is it then, that you seem to be lacking the normal facial clan markings of a Kiffar?"

Fully aware of the fact that Gavin was attempting to confide, she could not help but wonder why if this was so private he was informing her, a stranger that he'd only met once in his life, of these things. Jade had walked a tightrope for years, juggling many responsibilities, and she had become a very private individual. Only three beings knew her background, and of them, only one knew anything close to her full history. Disgruntled by Gavin's presumption of familiarity, presumably upon the basis of her old relationship with Akire, Jade took a step back.

Moving through the milling crowd of Jedi a courier paused at Jade's elbow after making his bow.

"Councilor Jade?"

The petite Jedi turned.

"Yes?"

He held out a small parcel and a datapad. She took the parcel, noting that it was from Corellia, and quickly signed off on her receipt of the delivery, noting that Nalatua'lin had evidently sent it in some kind of haste.

"All the way from Corellia, expedited delivery."

"Thank you," she replied, in a polite, but curt dismissal. As he left she opened the parcel, noting that it contained a datastick and short note, both of which she pocketed for later perusal.

Turning back to Gavin, "The recent rebirth of the Empire under Sinistra's command has occasioned more busyness within the Order, as there is once again a feeling of menace spreading throughout the galaxy."