Nu Lendai

"I looked around and weighed my options. I saw that the choices presented were either the neglection of self, or exaltation of self. We claim that only sith deal in absolutes, yet we are more guilty of it than anyone else. How many perfect jedi are there? Everyone broke the rules every now and then, and who is worse off for it? Placing unrealistic expectations on Jedi, younglings no less, and adding more pressure in times of hardship only encourages unfortunate events like the lost twenty. Channeling emotions toward others is wrong, but locking them within yourself is unhealthy. I seek to achieve."

- Nu Lendai's reasoning for becoming a grey jedi

Nu Lendai was the only recorded Sotirsian jedi. One year prior to the Great Jedi Purge, Nu Lendai left the Order and became a grey jedi after serving as a Jedi General during the Clone Wars. Because of this, he survived the Jedi Purge by faking his death. He then located other survivors and set up the Secret Order, of which he would later become the Grand Master.

Initiation by Ki-Adi Mundi
"I know your secret. You seek to trick me into thinking you are a youngling, whereas, in truth, you are the equivalent of an adult. Stop; Don't protest. If you are to be the first of your kind to be a Jedi, then there is room for experimentation. I too was brought to the order at a much later age - not to the extent that you shall be, but late nonetheless. I need to know one thing. Are you willing to learn, and more importantly, learn with an entirely open mind, and shed all previous clouds of judgement?"

- Ki-Adi Mundi

Sotirsians had rejected jedi requests to adopt their force sensitives for millennia, due to their policy of segregation from the Galaxy and much of it's customs. However, the troublesome and force sensitive Nu Lendai, who had just emerged from his early adolescence and had begun to question much of the ways of his people. Realizing that he could become a liability, and that giving a force-sensitive youngling to the Order would be beneficial, the Grand Ministry permitted Ki-Adi Mundi, who had traveled to the planet as a Jedi ambassador at the time. They passed off Nu Lendai as a youngling, despite the fact that he was the equivalent of a young adult in terms of other life forms. Though the Cerean master detected this in him, he also noted that there could be unpredictable results as Nu was the first Sotirsian Jedi. While his mind was as mature as that of any other, he had still only been alive for just under a year, and thus may not have been as imbued with modern lifestyle as a young adult of another species would be. Thus, the two formed a deal, that Nu would keep an open mind to Jedi teachings and forget the secluded ways of his past. Nu had been no fan of the politics and policies of his home-world, and this was, thus, little problem for him.

Introduction to the Jedi Temple
Upon reaching the Temple in Coruscant, it was determined that putting Nu with the younglings would be a folly, whereas he did not have enough training to start with the padawans. Thus, he was to be given special training under a Jedi Master. Lendai had grown increasingly close with Ki-Adi Mundi over the trip back to Coruscant, and he respected the logical courage and wise honour of the man. Naturally, Nu hoped he could be placed under Mundi's teaching, and his wish was partially granted. Mundi would teach him, but the duty could not be given to one master, as Mundi was unable to attend the lessons all the time. Yarael Poof also frequently taught Nu Lendai. After four years of this training, the council decided that because Mundi and Lendai had been going on several missions together, the training was complete, and Lendai was essentially a padawan. There was no further reason to keep him apart from the rest of the group. If he was to be a Padawan, he would, naturally be designated a master. Again, Lendai hoped this duty would fall to Ki-Adi Mundi, but as fate would have it, Yarael Poof was given the role. In 29BBY, Nu Lendai became a Padawan of Yarael Poof.

The death of his first master
"I'm afraid your master has perished in his latest mission. His death was nobler than many of us could hope for."

- Mace Windy

Nu Lendai gained a certain reverence for his master. Poof was a master of mind tricks, and preferred using them than drawing his saber. Lendai's temple-given blue saber saw little use during his time as Poof's padawan - but he learned to use his natural Sotirsian gift for illusions with expertise, as Yarael did. The two became notorious for their manipulation of the mind. However, two years into Lendai's life as a padawan, Yarael was called on a mission of extreme importance. Lendai wished to accompany him, but unfortunately could not, as Poof insisted on going alone. Ki-Adi Mundi again became responsible for the padawan in Poof's absence. His master died on that mission, and in 27BBY, Lendai became masterless.

Oppo Rancisis
For the following month, Mundi and Lendai reforged their old partnership. However, the Council decreed that due to Lendai's unusual beginnings of a jedi, he would have an extended period as a Padawan. He was then placed under the tutelage of Master Oppo Rancisis. Rancisis was his master for the longest period, and just as Lendai learned the arts of illusions and mind tricks under Poof, he learned the art of battle meditation under Rancisis. In 22BBY, at the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Lendai was still not deemed ready to become a Knight, paying for the skipped years of training as a youngling that he would have had. However, in 21BBY the Council granted him status of a Jedi General, even if he was technically not a knight. Before Rancisis left for Saleucami, Lendai was finally granted the status of a Jedi Knight. He was one of the few students of Rancisis who mastered the usage of Malacia. Upon becoming a Knight, Lendai abandoned his blue blade and went back to Sotirsis. There he sat on a hovering platform in The Abyss, and meditated, with the materials for his lightsaber. He knew there were lightsaber crystals in the crust of Sotirsis, and planned to use one. However, he fell unconscious, and lapsed into a trance, during which he became overwhelmed with the enormous amount of knowledge in the ancestral spirit shrine. When he awoke, he found a blade with mysterious carvings on it, evidently made by him. He has spent years attempting to decipher them, and learned many great lessons from it. He claimed that any one puzzle could be seen in dozens of ways. Proud, he set off on his career as a Knight, however, there was to be a liability. Rancisis died on Saleucami, at the hands of Sora Bulq. Lendai, now a fully acclaimed Jedi knight and general, saw the fruit that emerged from the seeds of doubt in his mind.

Leaving the Order
"Why put Jedi on edge, making them ticking detonators, treading softly on red tape and forbidden emotions. Why is compassion so wrong? Is it not wiser to teach Jedi how to use it, rather than avoid it? My fellow Jedi are surprised I think this, for I seem logical and cold.. But I believe you can be logical, and compassionate. Who really, fully follows the rules anyway? Or does so happily? From the tales of your past that you entrusted me with, master, I know that you have certainly felt the embrace of compassion. I sense it whenever you mention their names. You loved your family. You miss them."

- Nu Lendai questioning Ki-Adi Mundi about the ways of the Jedi Order

The Jedi order was flawed in Lendai's mind. His unusual origins put him at the perfect standpoint to see it. He asked those he could trust best to offer an explanation but received none. Recognizing this, he left the order, becoming a grey Jedi. Apparently, one of the puzzles engraved on the hilt of his new, violet blade led him to this decision. He promised that he would stay true to the code, or at least most of it, he would not harm anyone or thing, and he would help the republic when it was possible. However, he could not remain part of the Order.

The Purge
"I sat there. In meditation. In a mental realm.. I was suspended, in absolute darkness. Around me, there were dozens of strings. Thousands of them. I was familiar with them. Their significance was partly defined by the Jedi part of me - Those of great attunement with the force. It was also defined by my other aspects - those who were close to me. Friends, mentors, family, idols... Those of greater significance were closer. I could feel a disturbance reverberating between them... Then one snapped. It was a big one and it sent vibrations through my mind. Master Mace Windu had died. How could that be? What could kill him? Then, one of them twisted, turned rusted and violent, sending a menacing cacophony through my mental realm. Skywalker. He'd been corrupted horribly somehow. Then it began. First, one more snapped. Then another. Then another. Each one sending a sharp discord through the halls of my mind. I watched as thousands of strings snapped and vanished. The purge had begun. Jedi everywhere were being wiped out. I felt the third death of a master of mine. Master Mundi was gone. Gone, with so many others."

- Nu Lendai describing his experience of the purge.

At the time of Order 66, Nu Lendai had been hiding in a farmland on Nubia. Due to his telepathic link with much of the jedi killed, the purge greatly disturbed him. He responded to it by leaving Nubia immediately, covering his tracks and making sure the villagers there would admit to seeing him and informing the republic that he had fled to Coruscant. Lendai did indeed flee to Coruscant. In what appeared to be an attempt to attack Palpatine, he was in fact attempting to fake his life. Lendai successfully made to Coruscant, as he was thought to be one of the jedi returning to the temple as part of the trap. Upon arriving, he managed to avoid detection until he reached the senate building, where he attracted attention by taking out a group of Clone shock troopers. GAR troops then pursued him to the roof of the building. ARC-170s then fired on the Jedi from above, hoping to take him out unexpectedly. He managed to deflect their fire at first, however, but then used his force powers to further upset the already damaged part of the roof. The section crumpled and gave in, crashing down onto the floor below. He created an illusion to show his body torn apart by the blaster fire from the aircraft, and crushed and impaled by the debris, making it seem like the roof collapsed on it's own. He then escaped, the illusion complete and the remnants of his "body" having been removed by the cleanup service.

In search of other Jedi
"The Jedi was caught attempting a last-ditch effort on an assassination attempt after his Order fell. He was executed by troopers, but unfortunately not before he used explosives to destroy part of the senate building."

- Sate Pestage's file on the "termination" of Nu Lendai

Lendai quickly realized that the ways of the Jedi had become obsolete in these new times. The Sith were prepared for the old ways of the Jedi, and they had not changed. Thus, he set out to find any surviving Jedi. He realized that simply forming a resistance against the Sith wouldn't work, and instead realized that preserving the order was a much wiser idea in the long term. And thus he offered his assistance in protecting the identity and location of any surviving Jedi, by faking their deaths as well. He ran in to the Jedi Conclave and attempted to persuade them to change their plans, but they were determined to attempt to kill Vader. Lendai recognized that they were too adamant to have their minds changed, and diverted his attention elsewhere. He succeeded in drafting many Jedi to make a conclave of his own, which intended to survive the storm by making it seem as if it did not exist, a remaining a permanent "Insurance policy" for the ways of the Jedi.