Chapter 66 – Veil

While Layan was always occupied, Ood was as well. The New Order lack masters to teach the trainees and were also lacking real combat experience, not only this, but he also had other things to do.

He was still searching a way to destroy the veil of dark side he felt ever since his awakening. Whoever created it was an impressive master in the force and succeeded in shifting the balance of the force toward the dark side, making light side practitioners weaker, or at least diminishing their connection to the force.

When he talked about it to Layan after his awakening a year ago, he was surprised to learn that several decades in the future, this veil wouldn't exist anymore.

This veil, or tear in the fabric of the force was made by a Sith without a doubt but he was still unable to find the way to solve this problem even if he has a few theories. Whoever created it, it must have taken centuries to create such a concept, and decades to put it into application, if not generations.

He remembered the first conversation he had about it with Vima, and it gave him some insights on why didn't the jedis acted to counter it. Maybe it wasn't just a lack of solution, but simply that they were unaware of it.

"Vima neither can't see through the fog of this veil, as long as Vima remember, her visions were clouded by the dark side."

At the time, Ood and Vima were sitting in the room he would have liked to call the council room, but with two masters and two hundred students, he couldn't.

"So, it means that even after hundreds of years, the Jedi couldn't destroy this fog?"

"Vima don't think so. Except for the oldest masters Like Vima or Yoda, no one should have realized that it was artificially made by the Siths. Only someone like you or Layan who knew what the balance of the Force should normally be may realize its existence. Slowly, our skills decreased, but it was so gradual that no one realized it. Thus, the new Jedis always felt the force this way, unbalanced, tipped toward the dark side. Even now, they know that their abilities are reduced, but they don't realize how much."

Both of them, as well as Layan, knew that they will realize their decrease of abilities to interact with the force was gravely impeded at the dawn of the Clone Wars. They will discover the creation of the clone army, an army so large that it could fight on a galactic scale escaped their perception for over ten years.

"Maybe this Sith is even more terrifying than Layan thought. They tore the fabric of the force itself. This must be why their so-called chosen one was born."

"They bet their lives on an old prophecy while being almost blinded of the Force. Vima doesn't consider it a wise choice."

It was how their conversation ended. Even if the blindness caused by the veil of dark side impeded their abilities, several signs were big enough to raise serious concerns such as Jango Fett fighting with Dooku and at the same time being the example for the clones. The proof of corruption inside the very senate leading the Republic.

Even the Jedi Order lost a lot of its independence and military force after the Ruusan Reformation. Not being servants of the Force anymore, but simple servants of the Senate.

Ood may be slightly partial toward the Jedi order, but it doesn't mean he was blind by it. Even if the current order declined, it doesn't mean the previous ones were perfect. As the responsible of the Jedi Great Library thousands of years ago, and a famous great scholar, he was in possession of old documents the Jedis searched to destroy.

Several of these documents being an impartial tell of the first schism. They were few tells of it, even fewer partial ones in it. He learnt the truth about Xendor, the Jedi who wanted to learn and teach the dark side with the Council authorization but was rejected to do so. He left to establish his own academy, but the Council was afraid of him and obsessed to destroy the teachings of the dark side.

The first Schism who led to the exile of the dark Jedis on Korriban and the creation of the Sith was the Jedi's fault. All was their fault.

These dark siders were thirsty for revenge after being pursued, hunter down and killed by Jedis and even if they stayed trapped on Korriban for a long time, their descendants didn't forget. It may be why Siths and Jedis hate each other so much. Not only dark against light, but also a cycle of revenge. With each generation adding to the hatred.

If it didn't happen, then maybe dark sider and light sider could have co-existed rather than kill each other through millenniums, maybe that student of both sides like Layan would exist right now. It was sure that more moderate faction would exist right now, but those seated on the council were often old and conservative, refusing to accept change.

But it was just an if.

Ood himself had problems to accept Layan existence, he was more of shunning away the dark side like most Jedi, but Layan existence proved him the force approved the young man rather than Jedis or Siths in giving him a second chance and great powers.

"We really should find other peoples ready to help us teach the students. Even if we teach them everything we know, they'll need experience outside of Ossus and someone to protect them. We are only three, and that when Layan has free time to help us."

"I know, but with the necessary conditions to join us, it's tough to find one. And even if we just say that we are a group of Jedi who want to stay hidden, they will surely ask questions. For the moment, the only one we have in mind is Thracia Cho Leem, she is a bit of a wildcard doing whatever she wants even when she was still part of the Order."

Ood and Vima were currently talking in the huge courtyard in front of the temple. It was really pretty and full of life, a normal happening with such a concentration of force-users in a small place.

Fountains, trees and flowers beautifully disposed were creating a beautiful ambience and was one of the favorite places of the recruits to meditate.

"One person more is nothing, we need at least a dozen to start on good basis."

"I agree with you, but we can't just post a recruitment notice saying 'searching for Jedis' on the holonet, and even if we could, the jedis recruited should accept to change their philosophical views as the fear of the dark side and narrow-minded view of the Force led us to failure time and times again."

They were walking through the greeneries of the courtyard while the trainees were looking at them with respect.

"Get back to work and stop starring at us with these admiring eyes. Such a behavior leads to blindness."

The old crone said to the trainees when she saw the way they were looking at the two of them.

"Anyway, we need peoples."

"We need peoples but not sub-par otherwise the trainee's skills level will be levelled down the same way it happened for the Jedis after the Ruusan Reformation."

The two fell into silence, it was possible to create a new order with just the two of them but it would take decades and requires the emergence of several geniuses if they want to create a true order and not just a hollow shell of peoples swinging lightsabers left and right.

"There existed several hermit groups or martial sects in my time. Some of them developed interesting skills and philosophies. We could scout for them, to see if they still exist and recruit the most accomplished individuals. It's not a perfect plan, but better than nothing."

"Force based organizations are numerous and have their own philosophy and views but few really developed their skills in the force. As for the strongest and most remarkable one, the Jedi must already have scouted them and established some bond, like integrating members such as Plo Koon."

Ood idea was a good starting point but to Vima's mind, what they would get out of it would be more student than true masters, even though their cultures and views of the force could be interesting to learn.

"The most gifted will surely learn by themselves like most did in the past when masters where lacking, but as for others, they'll need more teachings and hence more teachers. Let's believe in the force, I'm sure we will one day find the peoples we are lacking."

"Vima hope so too, otherwise the Order will never be ready in the short span of time we have to create an efficient fighting force. It may be strange to be so hurried for a Neti like you who can live thousands of years."