Council Chambers

The guard had been commanded to remain outside the door, only Captain Dax and the prisoner entered the expanse and hallowed chamber of the Jedi order.

Uelis bowed to Aerendir, an honorific gesture and a mark of respect familiar amongst Jedi.

"Felicia is the planet I turned myself over to the security forces on; prior to this my assignment which I believe will be in on file was to Lemon in the unknown regions."

Uelis paused and looked patiently at the Grandmaster through his tangle wove of matted dank hair and waited for further questions.

This was indeed a good question and Uelis expected nothing else from the Grandmaster, he couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly at the question and the perceptive mind of the Grandmaster.

"I am, naturally aware of protocol, my communications device had been damaged and working at such a distance and undercover I knew that direct communication was highly unlikely. As it transpired I ended up in a situation that was less than desirable, I am not pleased to say but I and the mission was compromised and I did well to escape with my life, I never will look at a garbage chute the same way again, but needs must."

Uelis paused briefly.

"I digress, finding a transport and passage aboard it to return here was all well and good, the journey was uneventful. However I believed that I would be noted as missing in action and likely presumed dead. It may seem illogical but I wanted myself vetted to prove I am who I say I am. I knew I would be questioned anyway, besides I lacked a direct method of contacting yourself and I was fairly certain the security forces would bring me to you. I believed that it may be considered not disordinary for a Jedi to return after such a long hiatus however knowing my circumstances were far from regular I was hoping to make the process more streamlined. I didn't expect to just arrive at the temple and announce I was back and for no one to bat an eye. I knew I would have to be questioned about my whereabouts and asked to prove who I am. I saw the security forces helping that process."

He looked at the Grandmaster expectantly. He had to some degree used the security forces to get him where he wanted and secondly he hoped them having already conducted an interview and background checks, not to mention running their own investigation into who he was, he sought to try and help speed up the process. Regardless he knew full well there were only certain things the Jedi order could discover, namely because they would have all the original details of his mission and secondly the ability to decipher his encrypted Comms device. Only the Jedi order could fully access the device, the security force had accessed it but unbeknownst to them there was a deeper level to the device which was heavily encrypted and only algorithms for in the databases of the Jedi could the device be fully accessed. Furthermore even though the device was ineffective in terms of sing able to communicate it still tracked its owners movements and could record conversations.

Uelis caught what he thought was a brief flicker of a smile on Aerandir's face before it once again became calm, serene and reflective.

"I assume my records should be fully intact."

Uelis responded; there should be no legitimate reason for his records to have been deleted, that wasn't standard protocol for the Jedi Order.

Uelis turned his head and surveyed the Captain.

It had been a question Zuelis himself had pondered, Uelis knew that his weapon had been seized, yet when he himself had raised the question, the security force evaded it's whereabouts.

The Captain grimaced slightly he emitted a sigh and then reached inside a concealed pocket and held out a guard shoto hilt, this being the only saber Uelis had taken with him. Uelis eyed the Captain raised his eyebrows knowingly then shrugged and turned to face the Grandmaster.

"He had this on his person Grandmaster.....we retained it and kept it from our line of questioning as we felt the suspect may use it to credit his identity. We have not assertained where or how he came to possess the weapon, perhaps now we can shed some light on this."

The Captain finished his statement and then smartly presented the hilt to Aerandir.

"A guard shoto, tonfa styled hilt, it has dual phase capabilities, the crystals within are Velmorite and Rubat and the saber was constructed by my own hands, the crystals aligned and focused by myself."

Uelis response was simple and factual, not conceited of boastful. He knew Aerandir would both see and sense the truth, you see a saber carried the mark of its maker, every saber did, not a physical mark one could see, but through the force another could sense and feel the connection and kinship a lightsaber had to its creator and owner and unless the crystals within were replaced, or altered somehow then this saber would resound like a beating heart with a singinging symphony that called to Uelis.

Uelis turned to the Captain and he'd out his bound wrists and smiled kindly.

"No hard feelings."

The Captain grunted but nevertheless smartly stepped forward and released the cuffs before storing them away he went to turn away but stopped and turned to Uelis and extended a hand, Uelis took the offered hand and the two men exchanged a handshake before the Captain stepped away and saluted the Grandmaster.

"Thank you for bringing this to an swift conclusion, we value your wisdom and insight as always. I shall take my leave and dispatch a full copy of my written report regarding this matter by tomorrow."

That said, the Captain turned and exited the Council chambers leaving the two men alone.

"I sensed a growing tide of darkness that paled in comparison to my mission. I've had visions of a dark smog like cloud seeming to smother and choke the very life out of the galaxy. I assume you have felt it, you know what this means."

He knew the answer, for during his return, this feeling had grown stronger. The dark side moved and clouded things, it's murky depths stirred but he could not see through, he could not pierce the veil, he only knew one truth, and that was, where shadows crept he would move against them to cast a light against the darkness and hold back the swath of a growing dark tide.

Underneath the lank matted dark mass of hair Uelis brow furrowed.

Aerandir's words concluded the forecast of his vision; a long time ago Uelis had learned not to dwell too much on visions , especially ones of the future, not to mention that a vision could be tampered with or even cast, so naturally he was suspicious, however in this case it seemed there was founding evidence that supported the growing movement of darkness. The Sith once more sought to upset and tilt the balance, although even the Grandmaster seemed uncertain in what way they moved or operated. This too was nothing knew to Uelis, the Sith usually operated within the shadows, they wielded uncertainty, deceit and distrust like a cloak, it was a weapon they had honed and used well.

"These Knights, were they in league with the Sith or merely puppets sent forth to bide themselves time?"

There was no reason from Uelis point of view not to assume, despite his current condition there wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed with a hot sanisteam, rest and being well fed.

"A day at most would be all I need Grandmaster, you have but to ask it of me and I will do all I can."

Uelis missed the humour of the joke, clearly Aerandir was marking on something either personal or from a previous experience, the hint was clear that lately other Jedi too had turned up in not dissimilar conditions and too likely been immediately dispatched, this rose within Uelis a growing concern that the Order's numbers were once again dwindling, but this was a matter to be addressed at another time.

"Well, what's not to like, I mean with all the trees and variety of creatures that can kill you in a variety of ways..."

Uelis returned Aerandir's grin. Then chuckled softly before nodding.

"One day and I will be ready and able."

Uelis idly stroked his chin as he thought.

It seemed he had some catching up to do on galactic events, however judging by Aerandir's response the Grandmaster didn't stress any urgency in 'dealing' with either these Knights of Rennie the Sith. Uelis expected nothing less, the Grandmaster no doubt knew more than he divulged but it was clear there wasn't as yet a clear goal or manner in which the Jedi could meaningfully tackle the Sith. It was a case of patience, perseverance and watchfulness.

Uelis smiled he was happy to be granted his request and happier still to discover his quarters were still his own; Spartan and simple but home nevertheless.

"Thank you Grandmaster."

He bowed politely and respectfully than noting the Grandmaster motioned for him to take his leave he turned and exited the Council chambers.

*Aerandir stood by the window overlooking the gardens as Vakim entered. He turned to face the Chistori, picking up a faint hint of confusion from the newcomer.* "There's something wrong, but not with your mission. Well done. No, there's something else." *He gestured towards a holoprojector in the center of the room. At his command, a map of the galaxy came to life, zooming into the outer rim, highlighting the space around the planet Dubrillion.* "We picked up a distress signal near Dubrillion... a Jedi one, but a rather old one." *He stepped partially into the projection, disrupting the space around Dubrillion, as he looked closer at the planet.* "Deep into enemy territory..."

*Glancing back at Vakim, he added,* "Yet I don't suspect a trap. I believe a rescue is in order. I'm sorry to do this to you so soon after returning from a mission, but your timing was perfect. You're free to decline, but I'm going to need a small infiltration team to sneak in and extract. Will you help us?"

*Aerandir nodded gratefully in response to his lack of hesitation. When asked about the age of the signal, he answered,* "From the Clone Wars. That's one reason I don't suspect it's a trap; the Clone Wars are nigh on ancient history by this point. And, shockingly, it wouldn't be the first time. Granted, if the First Order were made aware of this, then they could play off of that to spring a trap, I realize. However, it's less the data that convinces me, and more the feeling."

"Just this." *Aerandir gestured to the hologram, where it highlighted the number of First Order ships in orbit over the world.* "This scan is from when we first picked up the signal. There are more ships than are usually present over a First Order-controlled world. Reports corroborate increased security on the planet, though reasons are unknown. The Galactic Empire once had a weapons factory there, as well as where they built and tested a prototype superlaser for the second Death Star. I'd hope this information is irrelevant."

*Turning to Vakim again, he said,* "As for the signal's origin, the simplest explanation? Someone just broke free of stasis. There are various other more complex possibilities that aren't exactly impossible but are best left unimagined for the time being."