Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 203-205 - The Decaying Jedi Creed

Coruscant, the Coruscant Galaxy.

Korusa Sector.

Baris Orpheus pulled her Zedb cloak tighter around herself and quickened her pace toward the depths of the Jedi Temple.

Although the temple corridors were emptier than usual after the war, the atmosphere inside was unusually busy.

The Jedi Knights, dressed in brown robes, came and went in a hurry, no longer displaying the composure they had in peacetime.

The tension was comparable to that on the eve of the Battle of Geonosis.

This is rare in the history of the Temple.

Even the usually composed Jedi Masters and warriors could not hide their solemn expressions at this moment.

But Paris knew what had happened.

Separatists destroyed Eliadou.

They used orbital bombardment to turn that world into scorched earth.

The distorted fluctuations that can be felt by the Force in all Jedi throughout the galaxy.

The radio signals from the Eriadu galaxy, which represented life, suddenly fell silent.

For a densely populated, highly industrialized planet like Eriadu, such complete silence means only destruction.

The news didn't reach Coruscant until a week later.

Satellite telescope observations from Uvina's primary star confirm that Eriadu's biosphere has been almost completely wiped out, and its atmosphere has descended into a chaotic and turbulent hellscape, with strange storms and hurricanes ravaging the planet's surface.

The exact number of deaths... is impossible to estimate.

Worse still, the observatory on Uvina's main star also discovered signs of a large number of new self-replicating robotic factories and industrial eco-buildings on the planet Eliadu.

With grief and anger burning in his eyes, the senator delivered a historic speech.

This is strikingly similar to Padmé's speech a few months earlier, in which he strongly called for the complete elimination of the separatist alliance, prompting the Republican Senate to pass a new bill.

This bill not only granted the Speaker's office a series of unprecedented executive powers, but also forced the nationalization of armed forces on many independent planets and sectors located in the core world.

Therefore, all resources and energy will be devoted to ensuring the core world is protected against separatist attacks.

As for Paris... all of this only further confirms that the Republic is terminally ill and rotten to the core.

Faced with such atrocities, they did not show the appropriate, just anger.

They did not seek justice.

No action was taken to punish the real culprit.

They were only concerned with their own safety.

The Republican Senate’s response seemed so hypocritical.

They forgot that the same cruel things were done to Atlaken.

As Ryan Bontry told her when they first met, and as she herself realized the truth after the Atlantis incident, it now seems like a prophecy coming true.

The differences between the republic and the confederation were merely superficial.

War itself is the real enemy.

The longer this massacre continues, the more stubborn both sides will become, the lower the line of depravity will be drawn, and the more easily atrocities will be accepted.

This is a vicious cycle that can't be stopped, like a constantly turning millstone, crushing everything below.

Unless something is blocking it.

If no one is willing to be the one who gets stuck in the millstone, then Paris will be that person.

Paris turned away from the window and went into the burial chamber, where the bells echoed in her ears.

These bells once represented a special and solemn ceremony, announcing the end of a Jedi's earthly journey.

Nowadays, the bells ring almost every day.

The shuttles returning from the front lines continuously brought back Jedi bodies wrapped in shrouds, and many more bodies that would never return.

Once, funeral burial chambers would be packed with Jedi, echoing with hymns and eulogies.

Now, the tomb is often empty, with only a few lonely figures standing beside the stone coffin.

These people were the deceased's closest relatives... master and apprentice.

After the prayers, the sarcophagus sinks into the ground, and the deceased becomes one with the Force.

Paris ignored all of this.

Thousands upon thousands of Jedi have fallen on the battlefield, and only a few dozen remains have been buried deep within the Temple.

The funeral was permeated with an atmosphere of hypocrisy that she deeply loathed.

The Jedi seem to be trying to pretend that as long as they continue to follow these funeral customs and procedures, everything will remain the same as before.

Paris sighed.

Funerals are never meant for the deceased.

Funerals are for the living.

Death does not exist; only the Force endures.

Only by being devoid of emotion can one find peace.

Only without passion can there be peace.

This is the Jedi Creed.

Paris couldn't accept this.

Why must we calmly accept the fact that so many people have died in battle?
Why must we calmly accept the fact that war has destroyed countless homes and livelihoods?
Why must we detach ourselves from the fact that billions of people have died in Eliadu?
Fear is a natural human emotion.

Grief should be accepted.

Anger is a normal reaction.

Fury can also be just.

If a person can be indifferent to something like Atlasken... can he still be considered alive?
Experiencing emotions is proof of life, not a sign of falling into darkness.

What truly leads to depravity is allowing emotions to completely consume you, like Pom Krall. Those who let their darkest side take over are no longer human.

A variety of intense emotions surged within Paris, propelling her forward and giving her strength.

Fear that the Milky Way is falling into an abyss.

The grief over the enormous loss.

Anger at the injustices that ravage the Milky Way.

Outrage at the horrific atrocities that occur every day.

If the desire to change all of this is the path to the dark side, then she is willing to embark on that path.

Despite the turmoil in her mind, she entered a funeral chamber and let the darkness envelop her.

The door slid shut silently behind her.

Paris saw a body wrapped in a shroud lying on a stone coffin, waiting to sink into the ground.

There were no bystanders in the tomb chamber, only three people standing nearby.

"Who is this?"

"I asked," Paris asked, her inner turmoil known only to herself.

“An unnamed warrior,” Master Adi Gallia replied, “perhaps not even a Jedi…just a clone soldier sent by whoever he is…you know, the one who fought Hydra and defeated Rhys Alrix in Sallust.”

Paris involuntarily held her breath.

“No,” she said truthfully, “I don’t know.”

“Baris Orpheus!” a woman of unusually tall stature spoke up. Her skin was deep red, and her eyes were clear, bright blue. “I once sought out Master Pom Krell, a master of dual-wielding lightsabers, and I wished to learn from him.”

“He can’t even control himself,” Paris replied expressionlessly. “How can he become a master to others?”

The alien shrugged. "Have you ever actually fought on the side of the separatists to bring him to justice?"

Yes, you've confused me a bit.

“Iskat Akaris,” Iskat Akaris introduced herself with a hint of apology, “my master is Senber V.

Paris sized up the alien.

She was slender and extremely tall, about the same height as Anakin Skywalker or Ryan Bontry, with long limbs and particularly long, thin fingers.

Her facial features were well-defined, and her posture revealed her superb combat skills.

Barris judged that she was no match for Iscart in a direct confrontation.

On the other hand, the Force appears restless around Iscart, suggesting a lack of control over her.

And speaking of her master...

"The Battle of Geonosis?"

“He died in the desert,” Iskar replied.

Paris noticed a dried bloodstain on the hem of Iscart's robe, which was almost black in the dim light, but she didn't point it out.

The person standing opposite Iscart was completely different.

It was a tall but robust human, with dark skin and a resolute yet round face, who looked like the kind of person who was used to laughing heartily.

Paris noticed that he had a holster for a blaster pistol hanging from his waist, but no lightsaber.

He wasn't wearing a Jedi robe, but rather casual clothes, which looked perfectly natural on the streets of Coruscant or Lax.

But he was definitely a Jedi, because he stood lightly, and the Force seemed to surround him naturally, like a thin mist.

Paris suspects he is a spy.

And the two of them... their mastery of the Force was just as exquisite as anything she had ever witnessed.

Paris could clearly sense that the evil forces of the dark side were like thorny vines, coiling around their souls.

“Bod Akuna!” Bod Akuna introduced himself with a smile, “from the Jedi Intelligence Department.”

Master Gallia retorted without hesitation: "There is no such thing as a 'Jedi intelligence department,' Akuna."

“Sorry,” Bode raised his hands, but his face showed no apology. “What I mean is, Jedi agents stationed in the Republic’s intelligence service, welcome to this mysterious organization. Barris, this time, don’t choose the wrong side, will you?”

Paris was so stunned that she couldn't speak for a moment, although she remained outwardly calm.

He actually said to Master Gallia that she had "chosen the wrong side"?

Iscart was less composed; she gaped in astonishment.

This made Paris feel that she wasn't alone in this matter.

She felt a subtle sense of camaraderie, so she moved closer to the red-skinned foreigner and gently touched her arm.

Iskart clicked his tongue and shut his mouth.

Master Adi Gallia cleared his throat, the tentacles on his head swaying slightly. "Ready to accept the mission?"

Bode Akuna immediately straightened up, his lips pressed into a serious line.

Barris and Iscart tried their best to mimic his stance, but they were not as experienced spies as Bode.

“I’m all ears, sir,” Bode replied.

“Very good,” Master Gallia said succinctly and decisively. “Our mission is to hunt down a Sith Lord.”

Deep within Baris Zedeb's robe lies a device that can be held in the palm of your hand.

At this moment, however, it felt as heavy as if it were pressing down on a mountain.

it has started.

Paris Orpheus narrowed her eyes.

Right here, right here, I will change the Republic.

If I can't change it, then I'll destroy it.

P.S.: The Aqdur storyline will begin tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)