The Quest for Knowledge (Q&A Thread)

[Akirapryde]

The Quest for Knowledge (Q&A Thread)
The New Jedi Archives
Inner Rim World of Imaginous
January 15th, 1944



A lone armed Jedi shuttle slips out of hyperspace at the far reaches of the Imaginous system. As it leaves faster than light travel, it switches to its sub-light engines so to make its final run towards the large planetoid known as Imaginous. This system is a long dead solar system with a small but very active pulsar at its heart. The pulsar, Sig 175 is more communally known for its one inhabited world since the discovery of Imaginous. Sig 175 is a very active magnetar type of pulsar which fills the system with waves of powerful belts of radiation and gravity wells. The worlds of the inner solar system were destroyed by Sig 175 when it went supernova long before recorded time. Today the Inner Solar System is filled with massive asteroid belts and pockets of deadly radiation. Traveling to and/or through the Inner Solar System would mean certain death for all but the highly skilled pilots of the Jedi Order and the Imaginous Defense Force or IDF. The worlds of the outer solar system are made up of several massive gas giants and their orbiting moons. Beyond these worlds lay a few lifeless rocks that still orbit this long dead star.

With its thick and vast magnetic fields, piloting in and out of the Imaginous system could be a deadly act. So dangerous that it is by Republic Law that only Jedi be allowed to navigate ships in and out of the system. Because of this, a special group of Jedi pilots who were specifically trained to act as navigators to bring ships in and out of the Imaginous system. Before the reformation of the Jedi Order travel to Imaginous was limited only to those pilots with enough daring to over come the dangers. For hundreds of years, the death toll from ships that attempted to travel to Imaginous could easily be counted by the large number of lifeless ships found throughout the system. The IDF set out last year to clean up these hulks in space as well as create navigable lines for in-bound and out-bound traffic. A year later, most of the ships have been found and recovered. The current tally of dead ships holds over one hundred. The Traffic Lines however have proven to be much harder to create than cleaning up hulks in space. The random actions of Sig 175 has so far made the creation of the lines harder. For all of its death hundreds of thousands of years ago, Sig 175 is still a brilliant and vibrant system across the non-visible spectrum.

A warrior poet from the Azgardian Warrior House, Macer wrote of Imaginous, "When we first arrived, this system screamed of death. The death of worlds, cultures and innocents. However, in this death at the heart, we found beauty of the likes that has never been seen by my eyes before. I could watch the waves of radiation pulsate over this system for a life time and never see the same pattern twice." However, none of the system's beauty has come to compare to the rare find that lay deep within Imaginous itself. Found by the local inhabitants and safe guarded by the Inner Light then later the Jedi Order, is theCave of Inner Peace. A place so strong in the Light Side of the Force that it has become a beacon to Light Siders from across the Galaxy. Prior to the Jedi Order making Imaginous its home, reaching this place of peace meant suffering possible death. Now, it is possible for anyone to travel to this cave and experience its wonder first hand. It is said that the Force Spirits of Great past Jedi Masters can be communicated here within this cave. While entry in to the cave is highly protected by the Jedi and the local inhabitants of Imaginous, both has allowed a number of travelers from across the Galaxy to explore the wonders of the cave. The reason why Master Heartman choose Imaginous to be the home of the New Jedi Order is directly linked to the Cave of Inner Peace.



Nestled just beyond the Inner Solar System's belts of asteroids is the planetoid of Imaginous. This large rock was once lifeless while other worlds in this system flourished from a long forgotten Ancient Culture. When Sig 175 went supernova, the culture was thought to be wiped out. As the waves of radiation and gravity wells finished destroying much of the inner solar system, Imaginous found its self in a zone of protection due to its distance from the star and the inner solar system. Imaginous and the larger system drifted from galactic attention. It became the prefect secret base of operations for a clandestine group known as the Crusade. From here, the Crusade launched attacks and missions to destroy Force using traditions. Imaginous became the center of research for the Crusade as they tried to understand the Force in hopes of better defeating the object of nature. Hundreds of force users were brought to Imaginous and were subjected to horrific experiments. Out of these experiments grew the local population of Imaginous today. There are two fundamental groups which make up the local population of Imaginous.

The first and most commonly encountered are The Artuosh or known as Dungeon Crawlers. While they come across as horrible monsters at first encounter. They are actually a very developed culture of beings with a high sense of honor and loyalty. The Artuosh are not capable of speaking Basic or any other language other than there own. These brave warriors fought and died at the highest rate during the Revolt of Imaginous. The other main group is the The Futuosh or Tree People. These people have the highest level of connection to the Force than any other group recorded in Republic History. It was discovered that they were the original members of the Crusade that survived a horrible chemical accident. The Futuosh and Artuosh are a tight pair of cultures that coexist and thrive on that existence. A third group of locals are made up of the scientists and researchers left behind after the revolt. Not all of the members of the occupational forces of Zall Industries approved of what was going on. During the Revolt, these few members risked everything to help free Imaginous from foreign invaders. Showing their thanks, the Futuosh and Artuosh allowed these men and women to remain on Imaginous while the other occupiers were demanded to leave.

While the facility on Imaginous was suffering from a near catastrophic accident, the galaxy found its self distracted by the war between the Republic and Azgards. Imaginous was quickly forgotten by all those but the highest levels of the Crusade. With the destruction of the Republic and the wars that followed, the Crusade found themselves pushed over the edges of history. Following many of the other large galactic organizations, the Crusade perished in the aftermath of the death of the Republic. Once more, the system of Sig 175 drifted in to the pages of history and was completely forgotten. It was rediscovered in the winter of 1936 by an expedition to find survivors of Chancellor Murl's doomed transport. The expedition was led by Xan Zall and his followers. After the uprising and revolt of the natives of Imaginous the control of the world was switched from the corporate giant known as Zall Industries back to the people that lived there. During the Revolt and uprising, a part of the Jedi Order known as the Inner Light, played a key role in supporting the local population in their fight for freedom. It was thanks to the leadership and bravery of Jedi Master Heartman who captured Xan Zall just before he was able to murder hundreds of locals and his own men during the Revolt. Now, Imaginous is its own independent world that plays honorable host to the Jedi.



Beyond its natural dangers, visiting ships arriving to the Imaginous system face other man made dangers throughout the system. One such danger is the massive Azgardian Battleship, Thor's Revenge, stalks the Outer System searching for possible threats to Imaginous or its system. The relationship between the Azgardians and the Jedi has always been one of love/hate, with more hatred from the Azgardians than Jedi. The Cultures of both groups has always been at odds against each other. With Azgard being a very war like culture with thrived on combat and war. While the Jedi have focused on ending wars through peaceful talks. This has led to the Jedi holding the leash of Azgardian Warriors during the hight of the Republic. It was the events leading up to and after the fall of the Great Republic has brought the two groups much closer together. This was made much easier by the fact that the Grand Master of the Jedi Order is Angelique Heartman, sister to Warlord Fiolla Heartman, leader of the Azgardian Warrior Houses. The appearance of an Azgardian warship placing a safeguard over the heart of the Jedi Order symbolizes this new found friendship.

Though Imaginous is not completely defenseless by its self. As the shuttle continues to make its approach towards Imaginous, controllers in the Imaginous Command Center or ICC watch the movements of the shuttle very closely. Massive turbolaser turrets hidden throughout the system track the movements of the shuttle while waiting for the fire order. While historically, this level of defense does not seem very Jedi like, there is a sound reason for this level of protection. Due to a number of attacks carried out by terrorist groups and during the Galactic War and also lately Imaginous has become a target of great value against any group hoping to strike a blow against the Jedi Order or the Republic itself. It is because of these attacks that the Jedi Council has accepted the level of protection that has become required. Though each on the Council has made it clear that in time it must be lowered to make access more open to those seeking to learn about the Force. After all, the Temple on Imaginous is to become the center of learning for all Force Using traditions. A goal that Master Heartman plans to make a reality. Today's visiting ship is a transport shuttle from the newly completed Jedi Temple on Fra. It has just passed its last scan and its IFF has been verified through the ICC. The Green Order has been issued to the shuttle to continue its approach and the defense turrets and to their Azgardian guards have been informed.

Slowly the shuttle turned its nose as it starts its downward approach towards the planetoid. Across the landscape of Imaginous, several construction projects can be spotted by the naked eye. None, however, are as impressive as the massive Grand Jedi Temple project on the Northern hemisphere. The Temple Project was started two years ago with the hopes of rebuilding the lost Temple on Coruscant. The Grand Temple will be an exact replica of the Temple that once stood on Coruscant. It has become Master Heartman's dream to turn Imaginous in to a place of safety for Force Users to come and seek knowledge regarding the Force. For hundreds of years since the fall of the Republic, untold scores of innocent Force Users were murdered simply because they sought to enlighten themselves about the Force. No organization carried out more murders of Force Users than the Galactic Church as they continued to attempt to purge the Galaxy of all other rival Force traditions. The Temple Project will become a beacon for all Force Users to come and study the Force without fear. For the Jedi to survive, Master Heartman knew that she had to draw on lessons of the past as well as forging new paths forward. It was because of this, she started reaching out to many different Force Using traditions throughout the galaxy. Before the fall of the Republic, the Jedi held a monopoly on the study of the Force. After the fall of the Republic, it was the Galactic Church's turn to attempt this monopoly. This was a mistake that Master Heartman wanted to avoid.

It was this drive that pushed Master Heartman to form her Jedi Council the way she did. She asked three ranking Masters from both the Inner Light and the Sabbat to take seats on the Jedi Council. Both were leaked to the Jedi Order before the fall of the Republic but each held nearly completely different views on attachments and emotions. Both groups were happy to be a part of the Council and each sent three Masters to hold the honored seats. She then asked King Makaw Y'drit of Lorta to join her Jedi Council. She also asked Captain Ogon Koo'Lak, of the Republic Navy, to take his place at the Council. It was the most confusing selection of all, but no one questioned her wisdom as Captain Koo'Lak took his place on the Council. Her next selection for the Jedi Council was seen as a honest effort to bridge the gap between Force Traditions. She selected the Former Knight of the Galactic Church, Canny Dagwa to join the Council, whom agreed to join the Council. To honor the sacrifices made in the past by hundreds of thousands of loyal Antarian Rangers, Master Heartman asked the new leader of the Antarian Rangers, Rose Sheridan to take a seat on the Jedi Council. Rose Sheridan became the First non-Force User to take a position on the Jedi Council since the founding of the Order. With her Jedi Council formed and its eleven members seated, Master Heartman made her last change to the Council. She eliminated the role of permanent positions on the Council and the role of Grand Master. She wanted a Council of Equals who had the ability to step down should the Force lead them elsewhere. Still Master Heartman has been seen as the unofficial voice of the Order.



As the Jedi Shuttle turned to make its final approach, it was hard for on-lookers to ignore the degree of weapons mounted on the small Jedi ship. The markings along the side of the shuttle indicate the shuttles role and place within the Jedi Order. The shuttle belonged to the reformed Antarian Rangers under the leadership of Rose Sheridan. During their long history with the Jedi, the Antarian Rangers have always been the military arm of the Jedi Order. This gave the Jedi a wider range of options which didn't have to include the Republic or its military units. While some fear that this move is taking the Jedi back down the very same path that led to its fall with the Republic. Master Heartman argued that it was a militarily strong Antarian Rangers which was able to save many Temples and their members. During the fall of the Republic, many smaller Jedi Temples fall victim to raiders and those who would attempt to take advantage of a weakened Order during these chaotic times. While the Jedi will always remain defenders of peace, law and Order, Master Heartman ensured that the Antarian Rangers would be the defenders of the Order. This move proved its wisdom when a band of Reich raiders attempted to capture the Jedi Temple on the Core World of Mearisa.

The larger underground Temple of Mearisa was once the homeworld of the Inner Light till the invasion of the Reich in the fall of 1936 forced them to flee. As the Republic and its allies pushed the Reich from the world, the some members of the Inner Light returned to their home temple. Shortly there after, a large group of Reich raiders penetrated the Temple and captured a large number of Inner Light Jedi who had returned. It was those who escaped the attack alerted the Jedi of what was going on. Ranger Sheridan led a group of rangers to secure the release of the hostages. With Knight Dagwa and Captain Koo'Lak supporting the operation from a distance, Ranger Sheridan and her Rangers were able to secure the release of the hostages with little bloodshed. The move for the time being had silenced the debate over rearming the Jedi Order through the Antarian Rangers. The Rescue of Mearisa was the first major operation where Ranger Sheridan and her Rangers acted with nearly no Force User involvement. It also went far to give a level of acceptance of Ranger Sheridan among her fellow Rangers and those within the Jedi Order. Being a former spy who had worked closely with Xan Zall, Ranger Sheridan had not been able to over come the suspicions by those around her. The Rescue of Mearisa removed those suspicions once and for all and sealed her place as Leader of the Antarian Rangers.

Welcome to Imaginous!


The first thing the passengers aboard the shuttle have a chance to see of the massive complex of Imaginous, is that of the underground hanger. Ever so slowly, the shuttle hovered to a stop then drifted down to the deck of the hanger. During the final hours of the revolt, the Main Hanger was the site of the last battle fought for Imaginous' Independence from the evil Zall Industries. Here, watching safely from behind a meter thick reinforced transparent steel, Xan Zall watched as his forces were unable to stop the forward motion of the revolting locals. The very same scientists that he had personal selected to come to Imaginous and rip the secrets of the advanced technology which was found here, had turned on him. They were overriding his control over the massive base and its automated defenses. In a last ditch effort, he gave the order to open the hanger bay to deep space and vent the combatants within the Hanger to the vacuum of space. Even his own men would have been murdered by this action. At the same time, he ordered his men to flood the base with toxic gases that would kill everyone who had betrayed him. It was here, in that moment, that Master Heartman stopped Xan from carrying out his plans and ended the fighting on the world. With the capture of Xan, the revolt was over and Imaginous was free from Zall Industries. A small silver plate on the wall lists the names of those who gave their lives for Imaginous' Independence.

As the shuttle starts to power down, its long journey from Fra to the Heart of the Jedi Order has been completed. While the shuttle's journey might be over, the journey for its passengers has just begun. The rear ramp slowly lowers as a pair of Jedi walk up to the rear section of the Shuttle. A small band of Jedi Younglings make there way down the rear ramp of the Shuttle to greet their waiting host. At the base of the ramp they are met by Inner Light Master Kalor Salaban of the New Jedi Council.



"Greetings Younglings, and welcome to the Jedi Temple on Imaginous" He said with a stern and cold voice. "I am Master Kalor Salaban of the Inner Light" he motioned to his own padawan.



"This is my Padawan Julet" He said smoothly and calmly. His voice, that of like a ghost that seemed to penetrate deep in to the bones of the group of children before him, "Like all of you. She took the very same journey here, that each of you just took. Like you, she was filled with a overwhelming level of emotions, yearning of attachments and filled with uncertainty. We will work on separating those emotions and teaching you how to control them. Your attachments will be shown to be what they are. Your journey to become Jedi has just begun. Before you is many different paths. But before you take any single path, you must fulfill those questions in your mind. So to remove uncertainty. You may address any and all questions you might have. Ask me about the history of our Order, our galaxy, anything you want or wish to know about. I shall answer everything you ask. Also look to the questions of other younglings here and see if you might find your own questions already answered."

He looked carefully at each youngling, "Here the quest for knowledge begins. Please phrase your questions to address me from a Master's prospective point of view, or address your question to my Padawan for her point of view as a new Padawan's view. Together we will do our best to answer all your questions."


Credits:
I would like to thank the following for the use of their images.

The images I used for the Jedi Shuttle came from the The Freelancer, Star Citizen Wiki

The Hanger and Crystal Cave are the remarkable work by Yobarte
Please check more of Yobarte's work out

The image I used for my Azgardian Warship came from Sci Fi Spaceship Wallpaper

Master Salaban image was used from the swagonline

The image of Julet was used from the remarkable work by AnariaZar-Rel (Oh she is a customer, so I bet she does take orders )

[Padawan Julet]

"Master, can you please tell me who is currently seated on the Jedi Council?"

Narrator Edit:

"Yes youngling, I can. You will find your answer Here. Follow the link and read your answer."

End Narrator Edit

[mastersamurai3]

1)Sir, how safe are we on Imaginous?
2)Where are we to sleep?
3)Master, how long has the new Jedi Order been formed and what is some of its founding history?
4)Pardon me, are there any local dangers on Imaginous?
5)Does the new Jedi Order have any allies among other galaxies and/or systems?
6)Miss Julet, is there anything to eat or drink around here?
7)Mr. Salaban, will we ever get to visit our home worlds and loved ones again after trainings over?
8)If we are underground, does that mean there are hostile locals above?
9)Are there currently other organizations that are against the new Order?
10)Julet, when does our training start?
11)Sir, if I may, who is going to be training us?
12)Yeah and when do we start using light sabers? *mimics light saber sounds*
13)Are there any other neighboring planets in this system?
14)Excuse me miss? Will there be other trainees and are we assigned into groups?
15)Besides the council, sir Salaban, is there some sort of hierarchy within the Order or when training in the ways of the force?
16)Wow! I've never seen this kind of technology, how does it all work?
17)Master... as big of an organization this is... are there nobles supporting the new Order?
18)I've got a question for you. Have any Sith come looking for the new Order?
19)Perhaps Mr. Salaban could tell us what the main mission of the new Order is and how is it different than the old Jedi Order?
20)Do you happen to know what resources are most abundant in this system?
21)What's the success rate of all the graduating Jedi?
22)Sir,Is there a place for those of us who aren't force users?
23)Miss Julet is it true that any one who wants to learn about the Force is welcomed? No matter how gifted, age or what race one might be?
24)When the training is all said and done what are we suppose to do then? What will be asked of us as graduates?