A shiver briefly ran down Adrian’s back at Gash’s mention of the Sith, and he was felt through the force that the unpleasant sensation was not only harboured by him. Looking around the auditorium from his seated place just adjacent to the entryway, he noticed many young Jedi lean forward in anticipation of what Gash was about to tell them, if anything at all. Not an eager anticipation, but one of a knowing that the information, however burdensome, would be of necessary use later. While some attempted to relax further, there was no doubt that Gash now held the undiluted attention of all Jedi present, including Adrian himself.

Turning back to face front, Adrian waited patiently like the others to hear what Gash had to say.

Gash began to shake involuntarily, as he brought up his arm's datapad and began to read as the words scrolled across. A sneer sometimes entered his voice as his lips formed the words slowly, and clearly.

"The Sixth Prophecy of Xal Kra:
In the age of the Talon and Turncoats,
The Talon will spawn one whose evil is innocent.
Blood falls without blame, without effort.
The Talon's spawn will love him,
Though the Talon will despise that wretched work.
The age of the Talon and Turncoats,
Will be brought to fruition, though not beginning or completion,
As the Talon turns from Hell to Heaven.
But the Talon's spawn will remain in Hell- a demon always.
The Spawn of the Talon will bring forth the armies.
The Spawn's forces will bring the darkness upon the galaxy.
Light will be shunted, and destroyed.
The tears of the Gods themselves will be no consolation,
As the forces of darkness rush upon them,
Whisking away that which they hold dear.
The fate, though uncertain, will be decided between,
The Talon and his Spawn.
As the dark and light clash,
One will live.
One must die.
When this comes to pass,
The Age of the Talon and Turncoats will end."

As he finished reading the first prophecy's words, he looked up, letting his gaze fall darkly on each of the Jedi Masters. At his feet, Rakili nudged him, urging him onward.

"It gets worse.
The Seventh Prophecy of Xal Kra:
Blood, fire and hell,
In the streets will flow.
No planet is safe, no planet.
Death will reign, in the age of the Talon and Turncoats.
For the age of the Talon and Turncoats is also Part,
Of the Time known as the Time Of Tainted Blood.
Creations of man and devil create wars spanning far and wide.
Wars of man and machine.
Wars of Sith and Jedi.
Wars of politicians.
When it comes time, all of these will meld together.
When this comes to pass,
The Time of Tainted Blood will be."

The last word of the Seventh prophecy rolled off Gash's lips onto a lake of silent Jedi, bringing looks mixed with fear and morbid curiosity. Gash wiped a hand across his weary face, closing his eyes and tapping his arm's datapad again. He opened his eyes again, and the crimson orbs swept over the gathered Jedi as he began to adress them.

"The first prophecy... refers to myself."

Gash brought his left, prosthetic hand up once again, and allowed a single claw to slide out of an extended index finger.

"The Talon." He said, wrly. "I created a spawn, a clone of myself, with powerful DNA of Recon Klain, Qual Zaiso, and a Jedi, Nomi Sunrider. Right now, his position is confirmed as on Coruscant; he is going to find the prophecy and fulfill it. The turncoat labeling refers to the turn to the light of two powerful Sith; myself and Xylon Hexyra.

"The second prophecy refers to that war, as well as one of politicians, and one of man and machine. I believe the war of politicians is one in which I participate; the war of the New Republic and the New Order.

"I have only scant details of the other; it seems that one Dr. Gleret, at a Naboo hospital, created some sort of computer network which runs on implants in human brains. It became sentient, and now can turn it's hosts into living shells to carry out it's bidding."

The Jedi sat, stunned, staring at Gash as he delivered these earth-shattering theories. Gash looked away, down to Rakili, who nodded. The truth is hard, but a necessary pain it is, his voice rang in Gash's mind. The Jedi Outcast nodded, and spoke to the congregation again.

"The wars will merge; become one, and envelope the galaxy in a struggle. This cannot be allowed to happen. We must strike now, strike early, strike hard. We must attack the planets where our enemies reside, destroy their assets! We must amass our forces by whatever means necessary.

"The prophecy speaks of separate wars becoming one; but the wars have not yet fully begun. If the Jedi become involved in each, right now, and strike quickly, we may be able to stop them. If not, the price... will be to horrible to imagine."

Gash sighed.

"Look beyond my Sith past, I beg of you, and look past that I base this on a Sith prophecy. Look beyond the Jedi Code. If we do not do this... no one will."

Luke Skywalker sat forward, shaking his head violently. After a moment's thought, he stood, glaring at Gash Jiren. The audacity of this man...

"No, no. You speak heresy, Searthen. The Jedi Code strictly forbids premptive action; it is too open to error, too open someone carrying it to far. Too open to greed!

"This is of the Dark Side. If we were to strike now, we risk innocent deaths; we risk your own fall to the dark side, and that of any involved. This is an attack, not a defence; there is a difference, and if the line begins to blur, and Jedi begin to take this easy, violent path, we will plunge the galaxy into a time so horrible you cannot imagine it.

"The Jedi Code was put in place for a reason! And that is to stop Jedi from violent, pre-emptive, easy paths like this: to stop them from falling to the dark side. And that is what will happen, should this plan be excecuted."

Luke turned to his sister, who was still seated.

"I implore you, Leia! This is wrong, this is against the code. If he is wrong, then we will be slaughtering possibly innocent people! Even if he is right, it would be so easy for those involved to go too far, to slip into darkness. Do not take the path he proposes."

Leia remained much more composed than her brother, and instead fixed Gash with a fiery stare. She chose not to go on Luke's track, either, and started her own.

"How do you even know this is true, short of your own knowledge and assumptions?"

Kahn kept his thoughts to himself, though he agreed with Luke on many points. Totally ignoring the Jedi Code, which outlined defensive action rather than offensive, was certainly folly. But, on the other hand, if they did not do something, there was a chance that what Gash spoke of would come to be truth, and a terrible truth indeed. A hard decision it was, but a decision was needed. This was too large an issue to ignore or postpone. Privately, Kahn believed Gash was speaking of what he thought was right, having no influence from the Dark Side at all, and yet that didn't mean his ideas of what to do were correct. Deciding to keep his silence until others had spoken, the Knight allowed no emotion to show in his face.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Corran looked up to where Master Skywalker sat.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->
"Master Skywalker it is not my place to argue your wisdom but it appears to me that if the prophecie comes true which I believe then we would be making a grave error. The rumours of the merging of the Ziost sith and the Naboo Sith Order could be clues of them preparing for such a thing. It will happen. Gash will face Xireon. What we must do is help him achieve that goal with less bloodshed on our part and on the part of the civilians on Naboo, Bothawui, Kuat and Fondor and Bastion and Garqi. They deserve our protection. But if we don't have a bit of support or house advantage from the beginning we will lose civilian casulties. Our job should be to mimnize the losses. And destroying the opposing groups assets does the trick very well. I believe that if we're careful we can do this without many civilians dying."

Gash nodded a silently thanks to Corran, and turned back to Leia. He tried not to pay attention to Luke; right or not, he was not here to give the other side a justified chance.

"Corran, I speak not only of facing my son, I speak of pre-emptive action on the side of darkness in each war, thereby preventing them.

"And Leia, other than my own assumptions and interpretations? None; I ask faith. I ask you look at these prophecies, and know that if they come to pass, then the fact that we did nothing to stop it will make us personally responsible for the consequences thereof."

Teebo sat silently, taking it all in. He didn't know what was right. One side of him told him not to disobey the Jedi Code, but the other side said the only way to do it was to disobey the Code. He did not know which was right. He was not sure if the prophecies were true. They most likely were but it is possible that they weren't. He sat in silence looking up at Gash.

Kahn watched as the other Jedi spoke, waiting for a brief moment of silence to have his say.

"It seems to me, we're caught between a rock and a hard place. If we attack the "enemies'" assets, we risk injuring or killing innocent civilians, as well as disobeying the Jedi Code. But if we don't, then we risk a galactic war breaking out, if the prophecy is true."

He paused for a moment.

"Why not spy on the enemy, and if we have proof that they would launch an offensive against us, and that innocent lives are in danger, then we can strike with clear concience, as well as upholding the Jedi Code, as we would be protecting others in attacking first."

Gash shook his head.

"We already have the proof we need, right here. The wars have already begun; do you doubt the New Order's willingness to strike? Do you doubt the willingness of the Sith to do the same? Or that of this evil machine? I do not.

"By the time we coul recieve warning like that, it will be too late. Spy networks take months to be effective; we may only have days."

The Jedi Outcast waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal towards Kahn's Jedi Code comment.

"We must strike now. Before it is too late."