Star Wars

These Shattered Stars

The Jedi Order

Scale: 2

One of the major differences between These Shattered Stars and "canon" (such as it is in the EU) is that the Jedi are "looser" than they are portrayed in the first two films. They are monastics, yes, and ambassadors plenipotentiary, but they are also scholars and philosophers, and they have not forgotten that just yet. The Jedi Order is a widespread organization with interests in many areas but dominance in none. The sole exception is the teaching and training in the ways of the Force, and this is only because the Jedi Order is the largest and most visible of the Force traditions; they also have an excellent reputation so far. As of yet, the Jedi do not have the need to restrict their induction to those less than 12 months old, nor do they (yet) see the need to place restrictions upon the expression of emotions. In general, the Jedi are leery but accepting of non-Jedi Force traditions, so long as those traditions do not harm others; a good example are the Sorcerers of Tund, and the Nightsisters of Dathomir.

Roakkana

Scale: 3

Master Roakkana of Kashyyyk is one of the few Wookies to have assumed the title of Jedi Master. He is about 400 Human years old, of which 100 years have been spent as a master training padawan learners and apprentices. Roakkana is a serene but not emotionless person, going about his business with an almost amused air, as if the Force was whispering little jokes about life to him all the time. Roakkana maintains strong ties with his extended family on Kashyyyk; he achieved some fame in a now-almost-legendary hunt which took place seventy Human years ago in the lower forests of his home world. He is well-regarded by the Council, but has never been offered a seat. He is a proponent of the Unifying Force over any other theosophy of the Force. At one time Roakkana wielded what would best be called a "lightsabre claymore," but after achieving Mastery (and whatever higher levels of learning there are at that degree) he has ceased to carry a lightsabre except while training.

Colburth

Scale: 5

Knight Colburth Moran of Corellia, Companion of the Fourth Gate. Padawan to Master Valkkaba of Dug, who died of natural causes. Second master, Master Democ Sath'ji of Thyferra, was a former Templar who eventually recommended Colburth to the Templar's Commander of the North. Colburth passed his trials and made a single solo mission to Banquist to help negotiate a trade dispute which was threatening to become violent. Afterwards he was made a Lancer of the North Wall, and later a Companion of the Fourth Gate. Colburth is known as a steady, stable, and orthodox (but by no means unimaginative) Jedi, even when he was a padawan. He has been a proponent of the (disputed) theory that packs of Sith have been preying upon Jedi.

Valsha

Scale: 4

Padawan Valsha Redcloak of Bandomeer. Formerly padawan to Master Mynas Mull of Sullust. Valsha Redcloak lived on Bandomeer until one year before the Sith invasion, when Master Mynas came and invited her to undertake training. He sensed the Force being strong within her, and they departed Bandomeer forthwith. Bandomeer was one of the first to fall in the Great Hyperspace War, and contact was lost with it immediately. It is believed to have become a subject-world of the Sith. The disposition of Valsha's parents and/or relatives is not known, though they are known to have emigrated to Bandomeer from the Koros system when Valsha was very young.

Balin Khoud

Scale: 3

Master Balin Khoud of Cerea. Padawan to Master Ooroo of Ossus, then later to Master Mal-Shi Vong of Corellia. He served as a knight for ten years before he was invited to join the Templars, and served with distinction during a number of incidents on Coruscant. Balkin Khoud was one of the more recent Templars officially allowed by the Senate to act in an official capacity off-world, sent as a Lancer of the East Wall to Balmorra to investigate the use of a number of droids of Balmorran make which had been used in a terrorist attack upon the Temple. The investigation resulted in the revealing of a droid smuggling ring. He assumed the title of master (thus officially and formally leaving the Templars) and took on three padawans in sequence; he became known as a steady, firm but fair teacher, and all three of his padawans went on to receive distinctions in various fields; two would eventually become Templars themselves. He was later taken on to the Jedi Council, while interestingly continuing to train padawans; few other Council masters could perform their Council duties as well as train a padawan. However, Balin Khoud was certainly up to the task, and became the Council Master in charge of training for the Order as a whole. Balin Khoud remains a strong proponent of the eventual triumph of Light over Dark, and has also been noted as being the most powerful, if not strongest, supporter of the controversial Master Roakkana of Kashyyyk. [NEW] Balin Khoud became a master twenty-five years ago. He is currently the newly-appointed Master in charge of operations and liason with Republic officals in the Balmorran Sector, particularly where it regards the issues of the war with the Sith. Since the invasion of Bandomeer, where he was abbot of the monastery at the time of the Sith invasion (and barely escaped with his entire staff and all Jedi at the monastery at the time) he has worked tirelessly to make Balmorra sector a bastion against further incursions by the Sith. This means: After assuming the rank of master, he became an itinerant master, training padawans for most of that time. About a year before the Sith invaded, he became the abbot of the Bandomeer monastery, which unlike the one on Marnaas was fairly major and had a praxaeum attached. Then the Sith came, and they fled to Coruscant. Balin Khoud was then made the Jedi master in charge of Jedi operations in Balmorra Sector, and liason to Republic officials. He doesn't run the entire war effort there, only the Jedi side of things -- i.e. maintaining commanderies of the Order militant; establishing cooperation and plans with local military, law enforcement, and intelligence forces; and addressing incidents and problems such as the master of the Marnaas monastery getting killed by his ex-padawan who converted to the Sith. The headmaster of the monastery's praxaeum at Bandomeer went on to be the abbot at Gyndine, but the seneschal remained alongside Khoud, and serves as his charge d'affaires. He currently has one padawan. She was with him at Bandomeer, she is about ready to start her trials. Two of his past padawans are Templars now. The third, the one right before his current, is a knight serving in the Brightstars company.

Derga Volc

Scale: 3

Knight Derga Volc of Shili. Volc was an early convert to the Sith, in fact he had just been tested for possible membership in the Jedi Order on Bandomeer when that world was invaded. He was shortly brought before Lord Ghang S'yiul and offered apprenticeship. He took to the training eagerly, but within six months had escaped back to the Republic where he was captured and interrogated. Very shortly afterwards, he was taken into the Jedi Order as a padawan to Master Savras'til of Nyfanor. The completion of his training was nothing less than meteoric, and his ascenscion to the rank of knight-captain was likewise quick. He was placed in charge of the Bilbringi provisional commandery. When the situation exploded on Marnaas, his company was activated, and the Company of Burning Spears was sent.

Derga Volc is widely beleived to have been destined to be a Templar if the Sith hadn't gotten him first, such is his devotion to the Jedi Order. Often, he has been almost rabid in his defense of the Order's actions against detractors, even of events as far back as the formation of the Syncretic Assembly. To him, the Order can do no wrong -- an attitude that has not endeared him even to the vast majority of other Jedi. Nevertheless, he is a capable guardian, and his unique blend of Sith and Jedi fighting styles has made him very effective on the training-grounds. He has some supporters amongst the masters of the Order.

The Templars

Scale: 3

The Templars are an ancient company of Knights within the Jedi Order, formed in untold ages past, early in the history of the Republic. They are the most strict adherents to the "Rule of Serenity," which some have taken to mean the "Rule of No Emotion." Legend has it that during one of the heresies within the Jedi Order many thousands of years ago, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was threatened. A certain band of Knights came together and protected the Temple for eight days and eight nights before reinforcements came to their aid. These Knights attributed their success to their devotion to the Force and the suppression of all outside influences. (It is said that one of the knights was forced to witness the slaying of her brother by the heretics, in an attempt to anger her and lure her to the Dark Side. The attempt is also said to have failed.) These knights would form the core of the Jedi Templars, the guardians of the Temple and the most dedicated and loyal fighters that the Jedi Order can produce. They are often called upon by the Council to undertake missions which are of vast importance to the Order itself.

Templars are chosen from amongst the ranks of the Knights of the Order; neither Padawans nor Masters are (officially) part of them, though some masters have strong bonds of comraderie with the Templars after they assume the rank of Master. The Templars choose only the best, brightest, and even then only those who are agreeable to the "passion for serenity" that the Templars exemplify make the final cut. Within the Templars are three degrees, roughly matching the ranks of Jedi external to the company:

• Lancer of the Wall: A Knight who becomes a Templar finds his first duties to be continuation of his padawan training, with a Templar twist. He is expected to meditate upon the Force several hours a day, perform humble labor about the Temple, and on rare occasions accompany Council members on missions. They often serve as honor guards. The Jedi Temple is square, and the Lancers are divided into four divisions called the North Wall, the South Wall, the West Wall, and the East Wall. An ancillary title for them is "Seekers," since they perform much of the intelligence work for the Templars (and, it is rumored, for the Jedi Order as a whole, supplementing the Jedi Watchers which is the Order's semi-formal intelligence group.)
• Companion of the Gates: The Companions are considered the "rank and file" of the Templars; it is the degree most people think of when they hear the word "Jedi Templar." They serve as the guards of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and form an honor guard for when the occasion permits. There are always guards at the gates to the Temple, and they are always Companions, hence their title. The Companions are divided into eight divisions, one for each of the gates to the Temple, and reflecting the eightfold symmetry of the ancient Bendu symbol adopted by the Order.
• Commander of the Tower: Commanders are the highest degree in the Templars, and they serve a variety of administrative positions. One Commander is on duty at all times. The central tower of the Jedi Temple is the most distinctive feature of that edifice, and as it is where the Council meets, it is only natural that it's protection is of the highest priority to the Templars. Thus, the Commander for the Center Tower has a very important role, and this position is usually filled by the Knight the Grand Commander has chosen for his deputy and his successor. A Commander is also in charge of training the Templars. In all of the history of the Templars, there have never been any more than twenty Commanders at any one time, and more often than not between six and ten.

The traditional role of the Grand Commander of the Templars is as security advisor to the Council, particularly when conflict comes to Coruscant. During the Great Hyperspace War, the Grand Commander is a frequent sight at Council meetings.

The existence of the Templars has never been without controversy. Some see them as the "hatchetsabres" for the Council, as inquisitors who hunt down any hint of heresy within the ranks of the Order, and/or as enforcers of internal policy, despite their mandated role as protectors of the Temple. While it is true that sometimes Templars will be sent to apprehend a renegade Jedi, nothing official has ever been said otherwise. Officially, the Templars are the guardians of the Temple, the most reliable and loyal forces available to the Council, almost above reproach, and the elite of the elite.

Unofficially... well, there are plenty of rumors.

Jedi Paladins

Scale: 4

Though not as ancient and respected as the Templars, the so-called Jedi Paladins are similar in origin. During various campaigns during the Heresy Wars, a company of Jedi distinguished themselves in the fighting as quick, intelligent, and, interestingly enough, compassionate, offering quarter before each battle and never cutting down an unarmed foe. Made up mostly of consulars, this company came to be the bodyguard of the Red General, and that person's most trusted soldiers, diplomats, and observers.

The Bright Company of Paladins became one of the few long-lasting companies of Jedi in the centuries following the Heresy Wars. When the Jedi Order was named plenipotentiaries of the Republic, the Bright Company of Paladins became a path which some few Jedi Knights choose to take instead of assuming the degree of master. While they remained primarilly consulars, they also welcomed guardians and healers into their ranks. To be a paladin was to carry a distinction of being amongst the most trustworthy, reliable Jedi in the Order.

Over time, fewer and fewer knights chose the path of the paladins, instead helping to train other Jedi by becoming masters themselves and swelling the ranks of the Order. It was only at the outbreak of the war with the Sith that any significant number of paladins rose up. While a paladin is eminently qualified to become a master, and may in fact bear some mastery of the Force, they do not take padawans and may not occupy leadership positions within the Order beyond those permitted to knights; interestingly, no paladin has yet accepted leadership of a company.

The paladins have no formal structure; there is a loose-knit community but no structure, and no one paladin speaks for them all. (Despite this, it is interesting that, if rumors are correct, someone on the Council found two paladins to guard the entrance to the chambers for even a short period of time.) There is, however, a person generally accepted as a representative of the paladins, and that person is Jedi Sein of Keidriss, a Mandragolan and forty-year veteran of the Order, having started as a healer and eventually becoming a consular. She then turned down the chance to become a master when the Great Hyperspace War began, and instead became one of the first paladins in almost seven hundred years. Other knights soon followed her lead.

The hallmark of paladins is that they are understated -- they do not speak much, nor do they seem to have much patience for infighting. Also, they do not limit themselves to battle. Perhaps one of the least-known paladins is Jedi Vorte Shil Kon Werte of Ossus, who declined to assume the degree of master and yet remains the foremost field scientist of the Jedi Academy College of Archaeology.

The Watchers

Scale: 3

The Jedi Watchers are a relatively recent organization, formed three thousand years before during a time when a number of sepratist groups were rising up. The Watchers were formed as the Order's intelligence unit. While the various Republic intelligence and security agencies were well-suited to their missions, the Watchers were formed to supplement them, to give the Republic a venue to make use of the Force abilities of the Jedi in a strategic sense. Obviously, this was not reallly able to be done until the Jedi had become the acknowledged guardians of peace and order within the Republic.

The ways and means of the Watchers are relatively unknown; few who enter into it's ranks speak of what they do. And while the Master who is in charge of the Watchers makes frequent reports to the Council, the way the information in those reports was gained is revealed only in closed sessions. Telepathy and mind-probes, infiltration, and reconnaissence are all within the Watchers' purview. They are expressly mandated against performing "wet work," assassinations as well as subversions and use of agents provokateur. The security surrounding the operations undertaken by the Watchers is second to only that used by the Templars to secure the Jedi Temple; some, in fact, believe that there is some connection between the Watchers and the Templars.

[NEW] Jedi who are assigned to the Watchers as overt security personnel do not often take on distinctive insignia; for some official business, however, the security personnel of the Watchers, as well as the Master of the Watchers, adopt a black sash beneath their sword-belt as a distinctive mark of their membership in the Watchers. These Jedi are almost always seen within the chambers of the Watchers at the Temple, and rarely outside except as couriers or providing special protective services. Interestingly, they tend to generally be consulars, and have often been seen working in conjunction with Republic Intelligence and local law enforcement agencies where incidents have involved Jedi. There is no especial fear or dismay assosciated with the black sash of the security Watchers.

Knights Errant

Scale: 3

The phenomenon known most often as "knight errantry" began early in the history of the Order of Jedi Knights. Occasionally, some members of the Order would find themselves dissatisfied with the structure and procedures of the Order, and felt an incontrovertable urge -- some claimed it to be the will of the Force -- to simply wander. At varying periods in the Order's history this was met with either approval or disapproval -- at only one time, three thousand years before the Great Hyperspace War, was there a large enough number of knights errant that one was almost as likely to meet a knight errant as one was to meet a "regular" knight.

Knights errant presented some unfortunate problems for the leadership of the Order. Knights errant tended to ignore or deny the authority of certain Jedi leaders. While most attempted to be frugal with the Order's resources, they nevertheless were a moderate drain, since they traveled as the "will of the Force" took them... which could mean more than just simple wear-and-tear on their ships, and not insignificant fuel use. Also, a distressing number of knights errant wandered out of the Order's fold, or even outright fell or were consumed by the Dark Side; a number of knights, too, sought penance after becoming tainted by the Dark Side by turning to errantry. Currently, the Order officially frowns on errantry for any reason, and will dissuade members who are considering it. The Order will not, however, stop a Jedi from becoming a knight errant.

The Jedi Academy of Arts and Sciences

Scale: 2

Perhaps foremost in the minds of Republic citizens is the peacekeeping role that the Jedi Knights perform. No less important -- at least in the view of it's curators and assosciates -- is the role of the Jedi Academy. Separate from the Praxaeum -- the annex to the Temple in which initial Padawan training is undertaken -- the Jedi Academy is an academic research body. From the halls of the Academy come Jedi scholars, able to wield a lightsabre but more inclined to study and research and explore than fight. Generations of scholars have studied in the Academy, and thousands of Jedi researchers have travelled throughout the Republic and the galaxy at large in the business of the Academy.

Jedi archaeologists are perhaps the most well-known of the Academy's representatives. In a galaxy where ancient artifacts may have some obscure, possibly even dangerous, link to the Force, a Jedi is sometimes the only person who can glean some understanding from a potsherd, or a little bit of stone carved ever-so-slightly differentely from others. (As yet, Jedi archaeologists are not in the practice of "quarantine and confiscate." Though some have pushed for them to take up this role, the faculty of the Academy have been opposed to it stringently.)

Jedi healers also pass through the Academy, learning not only the ways of healing through the Force, but also the most advanced medical techniques as well as healing by the use of simple herbs and plants in primative cultures. This last, however, is seeing less development, as the sheer number of beneficient plants throughout the galaxy is staggering and overwhelming; if not for the happy (and occasionally less-than-happy) fact of finding similar if not identical species of plants (and animals!) on many planets in the galaxy, the study of herbology would be reduced to simply local regimes.

The Academy also maintains it's own intelligence unit, though it is hardly called that. The Acquisitions and Information Support Staff of the Academy will occasionally seek out rare or unique artifacts which have illegitimately fallen into others' hands, and will go to certain lengths to discover certain points of information. (It should be noted that the Academy will not condone theft when an artifact was acquired legitimately, no matter what the artifact is, a point of contention between them and the Watchers.) In fact, it was Jedi from the Academy who discovered the initial incursions of the Sith and began the seminal work in documenting the Sith Force tradition. This they did even as they were being pursued, hunted, and killed off, diligently sending as much information to the Academy as they could before the Sith eliminated them. The Watchers readilly admit that those Jedi showed an extraordinary level of courage.

The Academy, in contrast to the Temple, has an open-doors policy: anyone may enter the Academy and avail themselves of the information within. This is the main reason why the Academy is located outside the Temple. While this has raised some security concerns now and then, the open nature of the Academy (and a set of Jedi Knights who volunteer to help to keep security at the Academy) and it's policy of making it's information available to any who ask has endeared it to the Republic at large. More than once, when economic harship came upon the Republic and the Jedi Order was considering drawing back the Academy budget, large numbers of Senators would earmark additional funds to the Academy to keep it running at it's usual, growing levels.

Tribunals

Scale: 3

Jedi don't often get into serious trouble with their superiors. For centuries the Jedi have relied on the precepts of social and offical censure, in which the wrongful actions of Jedi are spread by word of mouth until the Jedi in question is simply not trusted anymore. One is never truly not a Jedi. Even Jedi who are on the verge of falling are not delt with harshly; the vast majority of masters believe that a padawan or knight must learn their path on their own, even if that means possibly falling or becoming tainted. Many masters, in addition, have a very strong fondness for their padawans or former padawans; even if the Jedi threatens to fall completely, some masters will turn a blind if tearful eye and let their ex-student follow the course their heart takes them. Others will refuse to give up hope that the Jedi can be redeemed, pursuing them to all corners of the galaxy. The "reclaimation" of fallen Jedi by their masters is generally so successful that the Jedi Council has allowed the practice to continue.

Of course, that was before a rival Force tradition with enough power and adherents to oppose the Jedi Order showed up, namely the Sith. Also, letting a fallen Jedi follow their own course changes as soon as a they use their abilities to harm others. In such cases, a tribunal is called. For padawans, three knights or masters must be gathered. For masters, the Jedi Council must be convened. A tribunal is a very solemn and serious affair, yet the laws of ettiqute in them have never been formally set down. This has changed somewhat in the past centuries, and the Dilkan Protocols are nowadays the accepted means of running a tribunal.

Under the Dilkan Protocols, a Jedi is innocent until proven guilty, but the Jedi's actions are given more weight than their words. A Jedi facing the tribunal must represent himself, and likewise no "special prosecutor" is appointed by the tribunal. In addition, the Protocols strongly> recommend that the Jedi submit to a mind-probe; this has sometimes been interpreted into refusal to submit to a mind-probe, or more than natural resistance to same, is a de facto admission of guilt. This has not always been the case outside of the past seven hundred years, but has slowly been gaining acceptance with the Council, and even more so since the war with the Sith Empire began. The mind-probe is not the most horrible thing that can happen to a person, but it is embarrassing, as anything that is discovered becomes a matter of court record. (These records are put into the Archives, though they are sealed by the Council.) Because the Jedi's master or former master must be present at a mind-probe, this has often resulted in near-terminal embarrassment. Despite the Academy insisting that such probes tend to push the accused even further to the Dark side, the practice continues.

It is up to the members of a tribunal to decide three things. First, if the Jedi is indeed guilty of criminal activities aided and abetted by their use of the Force, then tribunal must decide if it will remand the Jedi to the custody of the Republic Guard. Second, if the Order is to retain custody of the Jedi, the tribunal must decide what punishment or atonement will be required of the guilty party. Third, the tribunal decides what status the Jedi will have following their punishment, wether they will remain in the Order, be reduced in rank, or be expelled. The Protocols state that a fourth must be decided upon, that being what can be done to prevent this case from occurring in the future, but over the millenia time this has been neglected.

Punishments for guilty Jedi vary. In theory, only the Republic may implement execution. (This they tend to routinely do for Jedi remanded to their custody. A Force-user is extremely dangerous, and generally if they have been handed over to the Republic, their crimes were sufficiently heinous to warrant severe punishment.) The Order itself can sentence Jedi to expulsion from the Order, but this is rarely done except for those weakest in the Force. Others are ordered to perform long pilgrimages, spend a certain amount of time under strict tuteledge under a new master as padawans, or certain periods of humble labour. Invariably, the Jedi is forbidden from carrying a lightsabre.

It is not yet officially a crime for a Jedi to engage in "heresy," that is, to practice Force traditions antithetical to the Jedi. With the Great Hyperspace War raging, however, there are constant deliberations by the Council as to wether the Sith are a heresy or not. The definition of "antithetical" has also had considerable debate; some very reactionary masters have said that even the ancient order of Bendu monks (of which there is but a single monastery remaining in the Galaxy) is heretical and should be subsumed completely into the Jedi Order.

Jedi Armor

Scale: 4

It is a truism that armor is of no use in the modern age. This is slightly incorrect. Armor is certainly helpful against concussion weapons and the new blasters being developed. Certain types are also useful against vibroweapons. However, most are of no use at all against a lightsabre. That, at least, is the common knowledge.

The Jedi know about cortosis, and they tell all of their padawans about it. Cortosis is a material that resists the blade of a lightsabre; it does not achieve nearly the penetration that it would through regular armor. While wearing a cortosis breastplate, it is possible to survive a direct slash from a lightsabre with relatively minimal injury. Cortosis is difficult to work, however. While the Jedi have theorized ways in which the Force might be used to work with cortosis, only the Sith ever made a concerted effort to produce cortosis armor in any quantity. Large numbers of darkside smiths on Korriban produce not only sith swords but also armor for the Sith lords.

As of yet, the Jedi Council has not authorized widespread use of cortosis armor. As more and more Sith see advantage in making use of lightsabres, however, this may change. It is known that in the most ancient times, during the Heresy Wars within and between the Jedi Order and other Force-using traditions, armors of various types were worn, sometimes for ornamentation, sometimes for practical use. Certain Jedi battlemasters have been seen wearing elaborately-decorated -- and perfectly functional -- armor, and the Grand Commander of the Templars has been seen wearing a breastplate of what is said to be cortosis.

Jedi at War

Scale: 3

The Jedi Order professes peaceful negotiation as the first, best option for any conflict, but acknowledges combat as a possible but last resort. To this end, the Jedi have always trained in the arts of war as presented by various pre-Republic military philosophers. That is, war is of greatest concern to the state, and the goal of war is to defeat the enemy without fighting, rather than inflicting casualties upon the enemy.

Guardians are trained primarilly in the use of the lightsabre and in peacekeeping actions; they are mainly policemen, not soldiers, though they can hold their own on a battlefield. The key is, "hold their own." Most Jedi are not trained in small unit tactics. The Jedi Templars are the exception; they are perhaps the most well-trained guardians in the Order, and are experienced (in training) in working together as a team, their abilities complementing each others' synergisticly. They are not normally permitted outside the Temple, however, simply because they are some of the best warriors the Order has to offer. (The Senate has repeatedly passed resolutions barring the Jedi Order from permitting the Templars to operate outside the Temple.) The Order's best warriors, however, are not the Templars, though they are much less numerous.

The battlemasters are a very select few. Despite their name, they are not combat machines. Rather, each and every one is a high-level master, usually in hermitage far from the politics of Coruscant and the Temple, who has devoted countless years to the honing of their mind and body. Indeed, while a battlemaster is proficient in most modern and archaic weapons, only a few actually carry lightsabres or even more arcane implements; most are weaponless, but are far from unarmed. Most wear a cortosis breastplate, but it is more of a badge of distinction and uniqueness. The battlemaster is also an exemplary strategist, able to use the Force, his years of training and discipline, and massive experience to bring an end to a conflict quickly. In the past several thousand years, five conflicts have erupted in which a battlemaster intervened. In all but the most recent, the opposing forces were simply outmaneuvered and made to surrender with very few casualties on either side. In the fifth, the divisionists simply surrendered when they learned that Master Ketha Yi Ral was being granted authority over the Republic Guard forces. (The Republic is notoriously reluctant to allow any Jedi to take command of military forces, though the Guard and the Order enjoy a strong working relationship. Usually, a conflict has claimed far more lives than is even remotely considered "reasonable" before the Republic grants a battlemaster even limited command authority.) The identities of battlemasters are not typically known, but the Order has found that it is worthwhile making it known that a battlemaster has been called into a situation.

Despite the legends of the Heresy Wars, when the Order was forced to organize companies of knights and train them to work together in combat, large-scale battlefield operations involving many Jedi have historically tended to fail. For this reason, contingency plans had been in place, and with the start of the war with the Sith, and the nature of their enemy becoming apparent, the Order set up commanderies of Jedi. While the monasteries were places for Jedi to gather and meditate and congregate, the commanderies were more military in nature, devoted to the organized training of Jedi guardians (and some consulars and healers, besides) particularly in small-unit tactics. (A Jedi hostage rescue team, according to some Republic special forces personnel, has got to be seen to be believed, as reasonably effective as it is.) A commanderie is organized under a master, and is usually placed on a world near the front lines of the war, though a few commanderies have been set up on worlds closer to the Core.

Some commanderies which have seen action against the Sith have developed personalities all their own, and while some see this as a good thing, there has been some talk that such would allow conflicting companies to arise within the Order (much as the Templars arose in the Heresy Wars.)

The Army of Light

Scale: 4

The Army of Light is the name given to the forces militant of the Jedi order, but only when organized for war. The last time that such a body was organized was during the Heresy Wars, and the Army of Light then was a disparate, almost squabbling force. The modern organization of the Army of Light is, and has been for millenia, a "shadow organization" beneath that f the Order as a whole, and while it has never been seriously proposed to rise again, there has been some talk that it should be deployed in the modern era against the Sith. These proposals have been repeatedly shot down by moderate and conservative elements within the Jedi Council, and it has been "strongly suggested" by various Senatorial overwatches (and, according to rumors, sources within the Chancelry) that the Jedi not form the Army of Light.

In the modern era, the Army of Light would likely be organized around the various militant commanderies which the Order has formed, each one providing a company of knights. The sector priories would become the command headquarters for large assemblages of companies. The Templars would play a special role in this, being the Jedi warriors on the forefront of the Army of Light's battles.

The original Army of Light was formed in reaction to the formation of a darksider group called the Khomm Triad. This group was in turn descended from one of the Force traditions which saw itself as suddenly frowned upon following the formation of the Syncretic Assembly and the adoption of entirely lightsider philosophies by it. The Khomm Triads were formed as a direct result of the Dark Jedi heresy, by dissatisfied darksiders who saw the Jedi as vulnerable. They would fight the Order of Jedi Knights, and these battles made the leaders of the Order organize a "great Army of Light, against which the darkness will surely cower from." These words, spoken by Grand Cross Knight Jeit Naal Fio, would prove incorrect. The Khomm Triad did not cower away, and in fact fought back viciously.

The Army of Light was under the command of a knight holding the rank of Knight-Cardinal (the rank of Master was not in common use yet.) Three Jedi held the position of Knight-Cardinal, the first two falling to wounds suffered on the battlefield within five years of taking command of the Army of Light. The third Knight-Cardinal held command of the Army for an incredible thirty years. This being, who is now only known as the Red General, is widely believed to have been the first battlemaster of the Order, and it was through the Red General's efforts that the Heresy Wars not only were eventually, quietly resolved, but dd not explode into a galaxy-spanning conflagration. In point of fact, the Heresy Wars became the vehicle by which the Jedi Order asserted it's dominance over the other Force traditions of the Galaxy. After the Wars, the Army of Light was disbanded, and the Red General began the tradition of battlemasters living in hermitage, disappearing from view and knowledge by all but the highest-ranked of the Jedi Order.

Some believe that the one thing really preventing the Order from reforming the Army of Light is the lack of a person of the Red General's caliber.

The Starbird Livery

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