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Jedi Lord Const Rusan looked dishearteningly out of the window at the rising Coruscant sun. The bright light of the sun was just starting to peek above the far horizon. She was up at such an early hour because she called for a special early morning session of the High Council for today. The Jedi Lord wished to discuss the finer details of the previous weeks battle with the council. The elevator ring alerted Lord Rusan that the council members had arrived. Slowly and silently, they shuffled into the chamber and took their respective seats. Rusan continued to gaze out the window, gathering her thoughts for the briefing she was about to give. She finally turned around when she felt ready to address the others. “Now that you are all seated, I will begin this special session,” said Rusan. “I will talk, and you all will only listen. Please save your comments and questions for this evening’s meeting. First off, you all have no doubt read the report on last week’s battle, and unfortunately, defeat. We face a new threat that is in the form of our old nemesis, the Sith. Do not be fooled into thinking that they are up to their old predictable tricks yet again. Their ambitions remain grand. Their agenda is no secret. But make no mistake…their methods this time around are as mysterious as ever. A short while ago, I was informed that the Ssi-ruuk species have not only allied with them, but are bonded to them through treaty as well. As to the terms of this treaty, we do not yet know. In any case, this does not bode well for our order and for the New Republic.” The members of the council all nodded in agreement. “Furthermore, they have also captured the ex-Jedi Soran Zacom. Unknown to you all until now is the fact that she is an acolyte.” The faces of all those present in the chamber went into shock and disbelief, except for Rusan, of course. “At the end of our rescue operation to recover Master Buwat, she confronted myself and the Sith Lord Darth Raze. After a fierce duel that involved all three of us, I was able to escape relatively unharmed. I cannot say the same for her. We have received positive confirmation that she is in the custody of the Sith. As much as it pains me to say this, our best hope is that they execute her.” The council members all looked puzzled at Rusan’s comment. “I see that most of you are confused by my reasoning. To put it simply…if Zacom is in fact the chosen one spoken of by Master Skywalker, then she must not be allowed to join with the Sith.” The council members suddenly remembered the importance of the ex-Jedi in the prophecy. “If she is not executed, then it is possible that she will side with the Sith and aid them in their crusade against us and the Republic. I fear more deeply for our order right now than I ever have in my whole life, my friends. Much mystery and uncertainty remains ahead of us.” The council members continued their intense concentration on Lord Rusan, taking in every word. Their faces seemed to become grimmer with each comment. “Finally, I wish to inform you all of Master Buwat’s current condition. She is in the hospital and is recovering quite well. Unfortunately, her rescue has left us with yet another mystery. While I was at her bedside a few days ago, I caught her mumbling incoherently in her sleep. I woke her up and asked her what she was seeing in her dream. Buwat told me that after her capture on Dromund Kaas, she could only remember very little. She said that flashes of unknown memories were going through her head. This has led me to believe that she was brainwashed at some point during her imprisonment. The only solid memory she could produce for me was that of a dark figure, a Sith it seems. She told me that this dark figure was a person within the political structure of the Republic. In other words…a traitor who works from within the government and under our very noses.” Again, the council members were overtaken by shock and disbelief. “Master Buwat couldn’t remember the identity of this traitor, unfortunately. Rest assured though that we will gear our resources towards finding him or her out.” The council members all nodded in silent approval. “Until then, my brethren, we have our work basically cut out for us. This evening’s meeting will primarily be for a Q and A session concerning this meeting, and an overview of plans we have to take back Mon Calamari. I hereby adjourn this meeting of the high council.” The council members all stood up and bowed in reverence to the Jedi Lord. As they began to depart the chamber, Rusan went back to gazing out of the window. The sun finally broke free of its refuge behind the horizon. As she looked on, Rusan knew that no one else could quite comprehend the intense burden now placed upon the New Republic and the Jedi better than she.
THE END
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