Chapter 18 – The Great Jedi Library

Using the force, he slightly raised the door and pushed it delicately on the left. The door revealed a large dark hallway covered in dust. Layan led the group inside with his lightsaber to gave light, Lyn took a flashlight out of one of her belt's storage.

They were just at the entrance and the building appeared to be huge, but not only. The floor was covered with pebbles and parts of the ceiling leading to the next floor had collapsed.

"T3, land the ship near our position and meet us at the entrance. I'll need your help."

Layan called in the comlink to use the droid sensors to scan the structure and everything they would find inside. The structure appeared to be damaged, and even if it was still standing after more than three thousand years, it could collapse on their head at any moment.

The 'Phoenix', was the name he chose to name his new ship was above them all this time, as T3 was in alert in case of ambush. R2-T3 landed it near the door of the library, as the recess was the only place around flat enough to land a ship of this size.

While waiting for the droid to arrive, Layan looked at the remains of the library with further attention. The towers of the library crumbled, and the facade was as good as non-existent. The Library was blended in with the bleak landscape of the barren world, a mountain of crumbling rock amid the wrecks of ancient star cruisers and old battleships.

"Beep. Beep."

The black and bronze droid passed through the Ysannas tribe members while beeping to inciting them to let him pass and finally stopped when he reached Layan legs.

"T3, scan the structure and tell me what you can find about it."

The droid emitted a blue light scanning up and down the walls and the ceiling of the old library. The droid soon got results and announced them in binary.

"The structure is damaged and needs a good reinforcing but shouldn't fall except if something damages it further like an earthquake or an impact. Good, let's explore this place. T3 gives us more light."

The astromech did so, and they finally started their exploration of the huge building. They zigzagged beside the rubbles of the hall and look at the statues left standing and the statues head still intact on the floor but Layan could barely identify a few such as Shaela Nuur, Freedon Nadd, or Nomi Sunrider.

All of these jedis were prominent members of the orders who become famous through their actions, and all of them were either native or student here on Ossus before the Cron supernova that made of this world what it is now.

Passing through the damaged hall, they walked through a corridor before finally arriving in a vast room in the same state as what they saw before with part of the structures crumbled in the room.

"Books, I never thought I would see these things nowadays."

Layan was flabbergasted, the room was filled with bookcases, old antics, statues or paintings. Several of these bookcases have been destroyed by the fall of rocks from the ceiling. The same things could be said for all the items that were lying on the ground either damaged or totally destroyed.

"The Ysanna tribes forgot the exact nature of the Library after centuries of protection, and its exact location became talks of legends. We are lucky that the sacred tree shown us the way to the library."

Roc, the leader, elder, and strongest magician of this Ysanna tribe said as he came beside Layan who was looking at the old room in wonder.

"Don't worry Roc, your people will rediscover their legacy and become Jedi once again. Even though I'm afraid the time to come will be hostile to the jedis."

Layan talked to Roc while walking toward a bookcase before taking delicately hold of an old book with a red cover with the Jedi symbol cover in dust. These books were thousands of years old but were still in a really well-preserved state.

"What is it, master?"

"Our language seems to have evolved with time, but I can still read a good part of it. Apparently, this is a manual to learn a force skill named 'Similfuturus'. It looks like an ability called Force Projection or Doppelganger I heard of, but the actual way to use it is said to be lost."

In fact, it will be lost in the near future, only a few where able to use it like Dooku and Shaak Ti couldn't teach as she didn't remember every techniques like the back of her hands.

"We found a lost technique! That's awesome!"

Lyn was ecstatic, learning powers that no one knows of is pretty an appealing idea, but Layan made sure to calm her down as this place may contain Siths artifacts or other forbidden artifacts.

"Yes, but calm yourself down, and don't touch the artifacts. We will only examine the books, for the time being, some Sith Artifacts can contain the spirit of their old master and wait to take possession of an incredulous victim. From what I know, this library is known to have been a place where you can find Sith's Holocrons."

This way, all of them started to go in a direction, trying to find inestimable treasures. Some started to rummage through the piles of books laying on the desks in the center of the room, and others started to search the bookcase left standing. A few curious started to move the fallen stones to see what was underneath.

Layan didn't move and continued to examine the bookcase he was looking at. Most of these books were force skills manuals, and it gets Layan full attention. The majority of these skills were well known and Layan even mastered some among them. After about 5 minutes of reading through books, he found a famous technique.

"Battle Meditation."

Several big names of the Jedi Order and Siths were known to be able to use this skill that can change the course of a battle. Among them are Yoda, Bastila Shan, Nomi Sunrider, or Naga Shadow..

While he was reading through the manual, his force-heightened senses picked up sounds coming toward them from the outside of the library.

"Everyone, someone is at the entrance of the library. I think they are waiting in ambush. I'll take the lead, prepare yourself to shoot them down."

As Layan lit his silver frost lightsaber and was ready to step outside, Roc stopped him with a hand on his shoulders.

"Wait, maybe other Ysanna tribes knew about the library and wanted to protect it from intruders. Let's try to talk to them, I know the leaders of the surrounding tribes and are friends with a few of them."

Listening to Roc and learning that others Ysanna inhabited the planet, Layan was more than ready to let them live and make of them his subordinates.

"Okay, but if they try to attack you, I won't hold back."

"Thank you, my friend."

After thanking Layan, Roc stepped out and walked toward the new Ysanna tribe. This tribe seems to be smaller than Roc or they didn't come at full strength. They were encircling the only entrance and exit of the library.

"Okko, my people didn't come to pillage, the sacred tree has awakened and new jedis came to visit us. We will become jedis."

"The sacred tree has awoken?!"

The news of Ood Bnar awakening seems to shock the leader of the other tribe. Who wouldn't be? Neti's were barely known in the civilized parts of the galaxy, and on Ossus it was a myth similar to a god.

The man was surprised and doubtful of Roc's statement. This tree was a central piece of their culture, it was chained at this tree that young ones became adults passing their initiation ritual.

"You invited outsiders to the library!! All of us will go see the sacred tree if what you said is true, I will let you go, otherwise, I will kill you."

"They are not outsiders, but the jedis I spoke of. That man woke the sacred tree from his slumber."

Roc was talking on their behalf, but Layan didn't like the tone of this Okko guy. He looks like a traditionalist man and may become a hindrance in the future. He could easily take care of them, their number was almost equal, and he was far more skillful than all of them in the mastery of the force.

They got out of the library under the watch of Okko's tribe and headed toward the tree, during their travel Layan talked to Roc to know more about the Ysanna people.

"The Ysannas are all over the planet?"

"No, several tribes are settled around the sacred tree, Master Ood Barn. He is an essential part of our culture, all our rituals are made around the sacred tree."

"How many tribes there are and how many members there is in a tribe on average?"

Roc wasn't the least bit doubtful of Layan and continued to explain.

"I don't know exactly. There are twelve tribes and around 200 to 300 members in total."

Finally, they reached Master Ood location, and the resolution of this conflict began.