Prologue: The Yavin Address
5, Second Month, 5 ABY
Senate Building, Chandrila
Jeyda Akim had attended every meeting of the New Republic Senate since its inception. She wasn’t a senator herself, but ever since moving to Chandrila from Corellia she couldn’t stay away. It was simply, magnificent. Jeyda had been born twenty standard years ago to the day, and thus had never known anything but Imperial rule. Standing at the Senate building, she was in direct contact with a reminder that the Empire had truly fallen. She smiled up at the boldly waving banners of the Republic above the steps to that wonderful structure. While they had only met here four times before, this particular Senate meeting was rumoured to be of great significance. She walked up the steps into the main lobby area, quickly finding a door into the senate chamber itself. Jeyda positioned herself as close to the Senators themselves as possible, but she stayed within the boundaries of the observation area.
The Council of the New Republic was there, on a platform central to the theatre-like room, being directly in the middle of it all allowed them to be addressed by anyone at any time. Jeyda thought that was a good idea but wasn’t so sure it would work as well once the Senate grew to a more significant size. One of the council members rose from their seat, and moved to activate the hovering speakers around the chamber, as security personnel closed the Senate doors all around.
“The Senate of the Galactic Republic will now come to order, Councillor Organa-Solo presiding,” her voice echoed throughout the massive theatre of discussion. Jeyda Akim tended to refer to the whole thing as simply “The Republic”, despite its official name, many in the galaxy still used the “New” prefix. It certainly was new, but she wasn’t sure if attaching such a prefix was really the best idea for its longevity.
“Before we begin, Senators, we have received a message from former General Skywalker.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A wave of murmurs rippled across the crowd of observers and was repeated throughout the Senators booths. General Skywalker’s exploits were well known across the galaxy, but he had dropped somewhat off the radar around just after the destruction of the second Death Star. What was about to be played throughout the hall of the Republic Senate and across various holonet devices throughout the galaxy would come to be known as “The Yavin Address”.
A massive hologram of Luke Skywalker, wearing his signature black Jedi robes, filled the Senate Chamber, and he began to speak, instantly capturing the attention of any onlooker.
“Honoured Senators of the Republic, esteemed citizens across the galaxy, and all who tune in via holonet: I am Luke Skywalker. Like my father before me, I am a bearer of the Jedi legacy.
For millennia, the Jedi Knights have stood as bastions of peace, hope, and justice, in the Old Republic. We have weathered tempests and endured great darkness, and we have always emerged with the intention to serve, to defend. As this New Republic ushers in an era of renewal and promise, so too must the Jedi Order rise once more.
I stand at the heart of the ancient Massassi temple on Yavin IV, once a sanctuary to the old, now the foundation of the new. This shall be our beacon, the haven for all those touched by the song of the Force. I urge all who feel its call – come to Yavin IV, come to the Jedi Academy. Let us weave together the tapestry of a bright future.
To the remnants of the old Jedi Order, those who’ve sought solace in shadows and solitude: The galaxy calls you. It beckons for your wisdom and for your strength. Cast aside the veils of your exile, emerge from your sanctuaries, and let us once again be the torchbearers of light and hope.
Together, as one united force, we will guide this New Republic to an age of prosperity, understanding, and unity. May the Force be with you.”
The words of Grandmaster Skywalker seemed to linger in the air of the Senate Chamber, hanging as an almost visible weight of duty over the crowds on Chandrila and across many New Republic worlds. As Jeyda Akim listened to the speech, however, she felt something else. Something almost like the first few notes of a faint song in the back of her mind. She looked around confused at first, curious at who was playing such notes in the midst of such an address. But she slowly felt a rising pressure in her mind as well, a feeling more than anything, a calling. She didn’t quite understand it at the time, but she was feeling the call of the Force, it called her to Yavin IV.