Part 5 – The Clash

Father’s Yacht was originally built to ferry people across the stars. However, thanks to the ingenious attitude of past Raavik, it was now outfitted with more lightspeed drives than most capital ships. It had barely enough room for Raavik and his three droids. Let alone the Jedi Master, five Jedi knights, three padawans, and six dark Jedi. 

The two groups sat across from each other. Raavik Yaan sat on a crate in the middle of the two groups. The sun let loose its last rays before it had set. 

“Okay, all aboard. Let’s go.” Raavik said as he stood and walked toward the Yacht. The two groups just continued to stare at each other. Raavik sighed. 

“You guys…”

“Why did you invite those ingrates?” Haas asked. “They seek nothing but power.”

“They wanted to come so I invited them. However, I did request that they start no fights.” 

“And you believed them?!” Another knight put in.

“I only invited two Jedis.” Raavik retorted. “Since he invited more, it would be rude of them to try and tarnish my hospitality before they were to receive any.”

The Jedi grumbled at that, while the Dark Jedi smirked and followed their leader onto the Yacht. Raavik motioned his arms and invited them on. “Last call.” He made his way on and the Jedi, begrudgingly, followed.

Raavik made his way past the Dark Jedi that had made themselves as comfortable as they could in the kitchen. He entered the cockpit and started the startup sequence.

The flight was mostly uneventful. The Jedi Master eventually made his way to the cockpit. 

“Forgive me and my fellows behavior from earlier.  I am Glork Ornok, Jedi Master. I hope that the current hostilities will not last inside your library?”

“It’s not mine.” Raavik answered as he adjusted his control of the ship.

Omok tilted his head slightly. “Did you not file the claim for salvager rights with the Republic? It is your claim, and thereby your property.” 

“I file claims for hyperspace routes, I do not salvage if I do not need to. Besides, the Nexus still has a viable population on board. Such a claim would be wrong for me to do.”

Omok leaned against the doorway, he could hear the groups chatting down the hall. “So the station has people living on it. Why did you not get food or water to sustain them?”

“Master Jedi, it seems that you are trying to grasp what the Nexus is by talking to me. The people on board are sustained by the Force. Does that surprise you? Of course it does, don’t even try to deny it. The powerful Jedi can only see the Force two ways, Light and Dark. But there is another way, Twilight, gray, or neutral. The true balance of the Force is what you seek, but I can feel your overwhelming power of the Light radiating off of you. Perhaps the Nexus terrifies you more than you first believed. An essence of unknown energy that has proven to be the undoing of one of your trusted students. The Light or Dark have very little to do with the power of the Nexus. Just wait and find out.”

Part 5 – Clash 

The Nexus Libria sat on the outside of the system. Out against the dark of the void, the dark library sat. Father’s Yacht made its approach and docked with the rest of the ships that were there. The groups disembarked and followed Raavik Yaan into the Nexus. 

“This is just the outer layer of the Nexus. There are millions of books and devices of information. Powers and wisdoms and knowledge are here for all to seek and learn. You may go wherever you want to in the Nexus and if you do not find what you are looking for within a day you may come back here and leave with no fault.” Raavik said this as he opened the doors just has he had when he first opened them when he first arrived. 

He motioned for them to spread out and go and learn. The dark Jedi immediately went forth and spread among the bookshelves and went deep into the gray and were never seen again.

Omok and his Jedi knights stayed within close proximity of each other and close to Raavik. 

“What are your plans, Apostle? Where is your master so that we may greet him properly?” Omok asked. 

“My intentions are to merely act as the custodian for the Libria Nexus. I do not offer guidance nor do I offer a direction. The choice for infinite wisdom is yours. For the Nexus’ doors have been opened and its power has been unleashed. Would you deny a kindness that is offered freely?”

“Everything has a cost in the galaxy.” Haas put in. 

“Of course you would think that. You that have grown up in the Republic can only think in matters of give and take. What is wrong with the gifts that are freely given?”

Two of the young Padawans had drifted away from the group and made their way to a stand alone table that had several books scattered around it. They both reached down and picked one up and began to read. The language may have been known to them, or they may not have. The Nexus made the text decenable to their minds and they read on.

 They were words of poetry and wisdom. Eye catching, emotions ran rampant in the fiery eyes, pages flipped and they put one down and went to pick up another. The Knights placed their hands on their padawans and tried to remind them to focus on the living Force. The influence of the Nexus was too great and the Knights were unable to coax their students out of the trance. 

“If the gifts are so free, why can’t they be denied?” Omok asked. 

Raavik looked very nonchantal in his response. “Is the will power of your followers so weak that they cannot even follow simple instructions? Look behind yourself two more have wandered off and a third is close behind.”

Omok did as instructed and saw that he was now alone with Raavik Yaan.

“Where did they go?” Omok asked, and it was in that instant that his eyes went wide for he was scared. “What is this place?”

“There are places in the galaxy that are strong in the powers of the Force, this place is no different.” The voice that answered was little more than a whisper and eerily calm. 

Omok glanced around the seemingly empty entrance hall. Even Raavik had left him. Now, all that was left to him was the door and the shelving with the wisdom of ages laid out in front of him.