For all of their humble demeanors the Jedi never shirked in the construction of their Temples. As a facility, Jedi Temples often displayed outwardly in opulence. Often decorated or constructed with the finest stones and materials. Jedi Temples were made to cast an aura of power to the surrounding area, be it in a city or slapped down in a wilderness somewhere. This was the case on Coruscant, the Main Temple and seat of power for the Jedi throughout the galaxy. The shape and the general layout of the Temple was constructed in a square of exacting dimensions. With four spires and a central fifth which were on all four axises of the square and mathematically exact in height and dimension. Total height has exactly the same as the total depth of the complete structure. The last part, a little-known fact to common everyday citizens and even some Jedi. The Jedi Temple was constructed on top of a former Sith shrine. Part of the reason for the perfection in dimensions and the emanations of power; both light….and the dark. It was constraucted as much to channel the Force as it served as a lock. Sealing in the power of the Dark Side located in the shrine it was constructed over. There was a reason, some of those being complex and ancient, the Jedi operated the way the did. Even the construction of their buildings had hidden meanings with seals and guards against unseen forces. And some of that knowledge was reserved for the very highest levels of the Jedi Order. Knowledge one would receive when either they were ready; or the Force guided them to the knowledge on its own.
Project Zero-One now known as the ‘Self-Exiled’ Jedi Master Élan Harbeck, slowly made his way up the marble stairs to the main entrance of the Jedi Temple. At the top of the large endless looking stairs were three Jedi, who of course were aware of the exiled Master's return. The two flanking the center Jedi were merely Guardians, there to ensure the peace was kept. The man in the center was a Jedi Master and leader of the Scientific Division Of the Jedi Order. Although they tried to temper their joy, Master Harbeck could sense a feeling of unease at his return. The message sent alerting them to his arrival was extremely vague, only relaying the pertinent information. Master Harbeck's self-imposed sabbatical was over and he was returning home. As he approached the smiling center man, Master Harbeck could sense the excitement in him. Apparently, they were acquaintances in his previous life and his excitement was at seeing his old friend. This was no coincidence. The Jedi wanted to put a face out front that knew and could recognize the exiled Master at first glance to prevent any subterfuge. Harbeck could sense the elder Jedi searching his aura looking deeply into their shared connection in the Force. Harbeck had no worries. For in his aura, was a great void of nothingness. Smiling politely as the elder Jedi searched his mind, the Jedi's face suddenly giving away the fact that he had discovered nothing in Harbeck’s Force Aura; Master Harbeck stuck out his hand gently, grabbing the other man's.
One of the lessons learned, patience. The Jedi had an abundance of it. They prided themselves on patience. All things would come in good time: Patience. Perhaps you haven't learned it because it is not your time: Patience. Those are not meant for you now, but perhaps someday: Patience. What they saw as a strength was actually a deadly weakness. It was because of patience the Jedi second guessed and doubted some answers right in front of their faces. Patience in ‘waiting’ on the Force to give its answers. In Harbeck’s view, the Force was omnipotent. All knowing, all seeing. If a God had the answer and placed it in front of someone’s face, would they then go beyond providing the answer by walking the person they were answering directly to it? Handholding, coddling those who were either too blind or too stupid to realize, the answers they sought were right in front of them the whole time. Obvious, forthright. No hidden meanings, no riddles or mysteries. Asked and answered. The Force gave it. It was because of patience and the Jedi’s lack of understanding that they sometimes missed the most obvious answers the Force gave them. Arrogant in their power, strong in their knowledge. They missed the most obvious things the Force simply handed to them. Patience was a failing. Not a strength.
"We are pleased you have decided to return Master Harbeck, there are many among us...friends; that thought you would never come back." Again, the elder Jedi was testing him. Master Harbeck decided to put an end to the 'testing' getting straight to the heart of the matter. He took on a stern look as he continued to shake the man's hand firmly.
"Your attempts to elicit a familiar response from me will be unsuccessful I'm afraid...I do not remember why I left the Temple...", he purposely smiled shyly, "....Nor do I remember you, my friend. They cannot tell me how I ended up on that planetoid...wounded, my mind wiped..." He allowed his voice to trail off thoughtfully as he slowly released the elder Jedi's hand looking up at the Temple in front of them. It ebbed power. Harbeck could feel it. The Force, moving through and around him. Stronger than he ever felt it in his short life. Master Harbeck's slightly emotional display was meant to cloud the elder Jedi's force sensitivity and it worked as the man placed his arm around Master Harbeck's shoulder positioning and pushing him toward the entrance to the Temple.
"It is of no consequence, Master. You have returned, you are home. We must all be patient. The Force will revel those reasons in good time. To you and to all of us. There is a reason you left.” The elder smiled kindly. “And now, there is a reason you have come back to us. Come, the council wishes to greet you. They are waiting in the council chambers."
Patience. The Jedi had an abundance of it. And the Force had no patience for those who didn’t wish to heed its warnings.
Crossing the threshold at the entrance, Project Zero-One made a conscious decision to leave all of its laboratory life behind. Entering the Temple, ‘Zero-One’ made a significant first step and up that point clung to the part of him that had been genetically engineered. He WAS Master Élan Harbeck now, he had to be. His mission, to unite the Force, demanded it. That was his drive. The reason he was created. It was the only thing in the universe worth his and everyone else's existence. Already he was seeing the failing of the Jedi who greeted him. The Force was screaming, dropping more than blatant clues as to who and what Harbeck was. But the face, the demeanor of the man had them all fooled. Who, but a Jedi Master would walk up the steps and proclaim he come ‘Home’? How could there be subterfuge when the face was right in front of them?
In his mind, he felt a slight flash and an audible pop as the memories of the lab, the Grandmaster's death, his training at the cave and his journey to get to that point simply fizzled and disappeared. ‘Zero-One’ was brain-washing himself. Becoming the ruse to perfection. He, the only one among the four who walked toward the council chambers heard the Force and its blatant call. A deliberate statement. That all was not as it seemed with him. The defense mechanisms genetically encoded into his being did the only thing it could to perfect the disguise. Erase the last vestiges of who it was. Ensuring no one could detect the ruse. Or hear the Force cry out. It would stop, it had to. Once the Project was gone and only the man reminded in its own mind.
He was Élan Harbeck. Now and Forever. Making the turn in the large grand foyer, his flash memory telling him exactly which lift he needed to get in to travel up to the council chambers; he entered the lift with his Elder Jedi friend in tow. Looking at him he smiled kindly as the other Jedi hit the control to begin their ascent. There were no words as the two ascended. Harbeck could still feel the gentle probing. The fingertips of the others mind, softly peeling back layer upon layer of psyche. It wasn’t out of curiosity now. But concern. To help Harbeck regain the parts of himself he lost. Harbeck didn’t resist, turning slightly to smile at his ‘friend’. Reassurance that the gentle probe was welcomed, secure in the fact that there was nothing there to find.
Stepping off the lift, the other Jedi Master signaled him gently to remain behind while he entered through the large vaulted door. They were in the center spire. The seat and apex of the awesome power contained within the Temple. Master Harbeck clasped his hands behind his back holding them tightly as he closed his eyes. His mind racing, there was so much to do. So many Jedi and Sith to reach out to. To find and bring into the fold. The Force was still screaming, only the screams were no longer there for all to see and feel. The words were only for him. It was not a matter of convincing. These Jedi and the Sith he was yet to find, they would concede to his wishes. They would do so, or find themselves on the wrong side of the Force. His Force, he owned it. That voice, speaking to him. Only for him.
The door slid open as the elder Jedi from before gestured him forward to the center of the room. There was no table as the Masters all sat in a circle, eyeing him cautiously as he walked in. Others smiling a knowing smile. Harbeck looked at them all, the knowing smiles were from those that were his former friends and colleagues. Bowing rather formally, Harbeck smiled warmly opening his hands to the seated Masters.
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"It is my pleasure to be back among you..." Holding his smile for a moment longer than necessary the members of the Jedi Council tried to hide their sidelong glances at each other. It was the new Jedi Grandmaster that broke the momentary silence.
"For us as well Master Harbeck, we were beginning to think you would not return. We hope you found what it was you were seeking..." Harbeck maintained his false veneer gesturing to the elder Jedi who met him.
"As my esteemed colleague has no doubt informed you all...I have no idea if I found what I sought, or if in fact...it found me." The Grandmaster leaned forward in his seat at the statement, steepling his hands in front of him.
"Ominous...do you think that you were attacked, by that which you sought?" The Grandmaster skipped all of the small talk. The entire Council had been briefed on Master Harbeck's recovery. Harbeck took on a stern look glancing at each Council member in turn, as he spoke.
"What I am sure of is this...whatever I was after, I believe it found me and left me with something...." All of the Masters again tried to hide their glances at one another, "...I have had a vision, given to me by the essence of the Force itself...from the very Midichlorians that run through our veins and bind our connection to the Force..." Harbeck again extended his arms out to encompass the room. "...the end to almost three centuries of unmitigated hostility between us and the Sith. I believe that it is my duty to unite the Force...it is time to bring the light and the dark....together."
There was a visible rumble among the assembled Masters, to include a couple of very loud scoffs to Master Harbeck's statement. It was the Jedi Grandmaster who stayed deadly serious as the others on the Council talked among themselves. In the confusion of considering Master Harbeck's statement and the possibility that what he was saying was even possible, most of the Jedi lost their focus on Harbeck; who still stood center stage. His arms spread wide in an inviting manner, looking at the assembled Masters.
"What you state is...quite outrageous, Master Harbeck. And you say that...the Force itself gave you this vision?" As the assembled quieted down, Master Harbeck lowered his arms at the Grandmaster's statement. "Before you departed, your work was mostly in the Geographical Division...it seems unlikely that one not tuned to the intricacies of the Force, not tuned to see and interpret visions would be inclined to have such a vision." It wasn't that the Grandmaster was suspicious. He knew that Master Harbeck was having a memory issue. More to the point the Grandmaster wanted to re-enforce to the others just where the man's background truly lay. But, Master Harbeck had an answer for that, smiling falsely at the Gramdmaster's statement.
"It would seem...and while I am sure my work in the Geographical Division was important, there can be no doubt that this was the reason I was called away. Part of the reason I left the Order in the first place had to have been a calling, from somewhere beyond. I am sure I was called by the Force to encounter something out there, to receive my vision and bring it home...for the good of us all. No one can determine when they are called. And we do not pick who it is among us who could have such a vision. Such is the Will of the Force." Harbeck again turned looking at them all one at a time. "My Friends, my esteemed colleagues...it was with great reluctance that I returned here today. For weeks I debated on whether I should even bring up the fact that while I was in a self-imposed exile I had this vision. And I know...with most if not all of you, having served in some capacity in the last war you may find this revelation of mine hard to accept. But, I assure you all that this is legitimate. I have spent many hours in personal meditation pondering over the meaning and purpose behind it. It is the only thing on my mind because it is the only thing IN my mind. The Force having stripped me of who and what I am or allowing to be so. Now, being here with you today has only re-enforced my resolve."
Some of the faces in the room changed as they considered the words. The others maintained their skeptical glances, but the more important fact was some of them were changing their minds or considering it. Those facts weren’t lost on the Grandmaster as he sat back in his seat comfortably anxious to break the trance caused by Master Harbeck's speech. Reaching out in the Force he felt no malice in Harbeck's words, no hint of the Dark side. More troubling to him was that he felt nothing in Master Harbeck. It was like looking into a great dark void of nothing.
"Thank you for sharing that with us, Master Harbeck. I am sure that we on the Council will consider your words and we are anxious to hear more...however, you have only just returned. Allow us to meditate on this. Besides, you must be tired from your journey. Please go to the infirmary with the others and have yourself checked out. Perhaps after a thorough evaluation we may be able to discover a way to recover your lost memory. Maybe even discover the source of your vision." Harbeck pursed his lips, the Grandmaster was stalling. Harbeck's speech had reached a few of the Jedi Masters and that was troubling to the Grandmaster. The fact that he wanted him in the infirmary was more proof that the Jedi still distrusted him. No doubt, they would give him a DNA scan just to see if he was who he said he was. Harbeck bowed slightly glancing at each one of them again.
"As you wish...Masters. I shall do as you request." Moving toward the large vaulted door, Harbeck could hear the Grandmaster adjourn the Council as several other Masters began to leave their seats. Harbeck slowed his pace to the lift outside the door, curious to see who would approach him. It wasn't long until he got his answer. Several of the Council members approached as he stepped on to the lift, they did not enter; merely standing at the entryway. One of the three spoke first.
"Your vision has given us pause, Master Harbeck. It is not unheard of for a Master outside the Circle of Sages to have a defining vision that changes the course of destiny. We believe your vision...perhaps it may even be ‘The One’." Harbeck smiled genuinely at the Masters.
"You honor me....Masters. I cannot help, but be touched to hear that." Harbeck moved to the side to allow the Masters to enter. They did so as the one who spoke before continued.
"We would like to know more. Would you be so kind as to share some of the details with us...perhaps on your way to the infirmary?" Punching the button to take him back to the main levels Harbeck nodded reverently.
"Of course, my visions are for us all..."
Watching the Council members board the lift with Master Harbeck the Grandmaster stood alone in the Council chamber. There was something more to Harbeck and his arrival. The Force was strong with him. Stronger than he was purported to have been with it before his departure. Something elusive about Master Harbeck was troubling and The Grandmaster was sure that the man was hiding something. The Grandmaster didn’t rely on the Force to tell him any of it. Harbeck's statement was grandiose, outlandish. And so over the top that it was believable. Punching a button on his seat in the Council chamber the Grandmaster answered the voice that echoed to him through the speaker. "Have all of the relevant data and personnel records on Master Élan Harbeck send to my datapad...and send me the reports of his recovery. I would also like to talk to the personnel on that planetoid. Who owns that facility he was recovered from?"
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In the infirmary a team of Jedi and medical personnel poured over him as they administered tests and analyzed results all disguising their true motives...to test and see if he was truly Élan Harbeck. His face relatively impassive, Master Harbeck allowed them all to test whatever they wanted. Harbeck's trust in Tarkin was absolute, he knew Tarkin and the Czerka corporation would not have allowed him to be implanted in that identity if they had not covered all their bases. During the identity surgery, Tarkin used a bit of the original Harbeck's DNA in his personnel file to implant itself in Project Zero-One's own code. Thanks to the advancements within Project Alpha, genetic replication at a cellular level was absolute.
But, it was still a risky procedure. In most clones only a partial DNA implant could be attempted as the body would almost always reject the procedure, reverting back to the DNA of the host. But Zero-One was unique. His sequence was like a painter's canvas morphing and changing to suit whatever design and environment it saw itself in. Not only did it make the identity surgery successful, it made it flawless. For all intents and purposes Project Zero-One was Élan Harbeck. Unfortunately for Tarkin his goal of trying to replicate the experiment was far out of reach. Harbeck's goals and Tarkin's goal were now no longer aligned. And Harbeck had a mission.
The procedure so exacting, that as the part of ‘Zero-One’ continued to disappear and Harbeck continued to take over, it was creating its own new and unique path. Interpreting the Force from an uneducated and unskilled mind. What Harbeck heard as the screaming of unity from the Force, was anything but if heard by another Jedi. And it wasn’t. Harbeck was clouding the reception. Holding the words and the Force at bay. His strength increasing every second, he continued to assume the identity and the last vestiges of the Project were swept away. All that mattered, the singular most important and overriding thought coursing through the clone was, the mission. And eventually, that mission would remove Tarkin and Czerka from the equation. For now, they had their uses. Tarkin and Czerka were a resource and resources were to be exploited until they were no longer useful. Rolling down the sleeve of his robe after the scanner was removed, Harbeck stood up much to the chagrin of the Jedi and the medics standing by.
"I believe we are done here. If you will allow me to return to my duties..." Harbeck gestured for the door as one of the elder Jedi uploaded the results to the Grandmaster's datapad. He had asked to receive the results as soon as it was available. Now Master Harbeck was cleared. Clear to pursue his goal, but first there were obstacles to overcome and people to win over. He had to create a following. And the next meeting with the Council was a chance to do that. Things started moving faster. Harbeck could feel it. The calling.
The time to make his move was coming....