A lone Jedi Knight walked the halls of the Jedi Temple, one corridor away from the Archives.
The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with dark black hair and soft brown eyes. He wore black robes—a departure from the usual brown and beige worn by most Jedi.
He held a datapad, his expression uneasy and distracted as he scanned its contents. The more he read, the more troubled he became.
"This can't be right. It shouldn't be missing."
"Oh, sorry," an apologetic voice said.
The Jedi grunted and waved his hands apologetically. "No, you have nothing to apologize for, my friend. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was—"
He looked up to see who he'd bumped into, blinking in surprise to find himself standing before three prominent Avengers.
"You're the Avengers," the Jedi Knight said with mild surprise, bowing slightly after a moment. "It's an honor to meet you."
"Likewise," Captain America said, extending his hand. "Steve Rogers."
The Jedi shook the super soldier's hand firmly. "Barel Ovair. Jedi scholar, at your service."
The scholar looked at the other two Avengers standing beside Captain America, studying them thoughtfully.
"Wait a moment," he said. "I believe I can identify you both, since you occupy the HoloNet half the time."
"Only half?" the armored man asked with amusement.
The red-haired woman hummed, and Master Ovair regarded them both analytically.
"You must be... Colonel James Rhodes. I hear the troops call you War Machine."
War Machine grinned and nodded.
Barel glanced at the red-haired woman and snapped his fingers.
"Natasha Romanoff," he said. "I heard about how you infiltrated those bounty hunters. Quite the impressive operation."
"You heard about that?" Black Widow blinked in surprise.
"Difficult not to, considering that particular group took the Senate building and several senators hostage," the Jedi Knight revealed with a laugh. "It's become quite a popular story among the clone troopers."
"Wonderful. Now that everyone knows about it, I can't use that approach again," Black Widow said flatly, causing the scholar to chuckle.
"My apologies," he said good-naturedly. "Running into the Avengers so unexpectedly like this. Though I admit, I'm surprised we haven't met sooner... then again, I only recently returned to Coruscant."
"You mentioned you're a scholar?" Captain America asked with obvious curiosity.
"It's always been my passion," Ovair announced, the enthusiasm evident in both his voice and eyes. "I've always found the study and mysteries of the Force fascinating. I've traveled to most of the known galaxy, studying at numerous active and inactive temples."
"There are multiple temples?"
"You thought the one on Coruscant was the only one in the galaxy?" Barel asked. Seeing them nod, he shrugged. "Certainly, where we stand is the only active one currently, but there have been countless others throughout history."
"Only one active temple?"
"Yes." Ovair's expression darkened noticeably. "Ossus was once the heart of the Jedi Order. The temple there still stands, and all the knowledge that hasn't been transferred here remains within its walls. Such a tragedy."
"But... I remember Master Fisto mentioning there are ten thousand Jedi Knights," Black Widow said.
"Nine thousand," Ovair corrected somberly. "This war has stretched my brothers and sisters across the galaxy. Before the conflict, many temples were occupied as centers for training and deepening our understanding of the Order and the Force. When war broke out, those temples transformed from halls of knowledge into strategic outposts."
"These places sound important," Cap observed. "Are you certain it's wise to abandon them?"
"Due to conflicts and doctrinal revisions within the Jedi Order, there have been significant changes over millennia. Expansions, schisms, factions, and so forth," Ovair explained. "But the advantage of these temples is that unless someone possesses knowledge of the Force, entry is extremely difficult. For that reason, we constantly dispatch teams to check on them, maintain security, and ensure nothing's amiss. That's actually the responsibility I just returned from fulfilling."
"You came back at a challenging time," War Machine said with a slight frown.
"I'm aware. I was completely unprepared for this Ultron to make his presence known," Ovair said, his expression grave. "That's why I actually extended my inspection and visited several nearby temples to ensure they hadn't been compromised. Fortunately, those temples remained secure and undisturbed."
"Good to hear," Cap said, nodding. Then he recalled their encounter moments ago. "But you seemed anxious earlier. What's troubling you?"
The Jedi scholar's expression turned serious. "There's a matter of great importance, Captain Rogers. It must be brought before the Council immediately."
"The Council?" Black Widow repeated for confirmation.
"Yes, this is quite serious and I must speak with them without delay," Ovair said urgently.
"Well, the timing works out then," War Machine said. "We're actually heading to meet with the Council and several Clone Captains and Commanders right now."
"Truly?" Ovair asked in mild surprise, seeing all three nod. "Regarding what matter?"
Captain America spoke two words with grave simplicity: "Ultron."
Ovair's expression darkened further, and he nodded. "Then it's fortunate we encountered each other. Shall we?"
"Lead the way, Master Ovair," Captain America said.
Ovair smiled. "No need for such formality, Captain. Just call me Barel."
"Same goes for us," War Machine added.
"Excellent," Ovair said, and the four proceeded toward the designated meeting chamber.
They quickly arrived at their destination, entering the conference room to find a substantial gathering already assembled.
Nearly half the Jedi Council was present: Yoda, Windu, Fisto, Mundi, Luminara, Plo Koon, and Obi-Wan. Also attending were Aayla, Anakin, and Ahsoka.
The clone representatives included Rex, Fordo, Ponds, Gree, Wolffe, Jet, Bacara, and Cody.
From the Avengers, only four were present: Scott, Hope, Sam, and T'Challa.
"Seems we're all here," Windu said, regarding the three Avengers entering the room. He blinked when he noticed another Jedi following behind them.
"It's been some time since we last met, Master Ovair," Yoda said, nodding to the scholar.
"Master Yoda." Ovair bowed to the Grand Master. "I bring encouraging news from the temples I've inspected with my Padawan. All remain secure and undamaged."
"Welcome news indeed," Luminara said with a slight smile. "It's good to see you again, Barel."
"And you, Master Luminara," Ovair said, offering her a warm smile. "Forgive me for not saying so sooner, but congratulations on your appointment to the Jedi Council."
Luminara's expression fell slightly. "I wish it had come under better circumstances."
At this, both Ant-Man and the Wasp showed visible regret and guilt.
"Your arrival is an unexpected pleasure, Master Ovair," Plo Koon observed. "And you come with the Avengers. What brings this about?"
The Jedi scholar stepped into the center of the chamber. "I had intended to report my findings to the Council privately, but given what I've discovered, I believe this is information everyone here should know."
With that, everyone in the meeting hall focused their complete attention on the master.
"Something is... deeply troubling," Ovair said, his expression growing serious and uneasy. "When I returned to the Temple and learned of Ultron's attack, I immediately went to the Jedi Archives. I was grateful to learn from Master Jocasta that nothing was disturbed by that droid threat."
A brief pause settled over the large assembly.
"However..." Ovair frowned deeply. "When I cross-referenced the records, I discovered that certain information has been taken."
The room fell completely silent as everyone stared at the Jedi scholar.
"What information?" Obi-Wan asked, breaking the silence.
Ovair sighed reluctantly, walked to the central projector, and input data from his pad.
After a moment, a holographic lightsaber materialized for all to see.
"A lightsaber?" Falcon said aloud, confused.
Ovair shook his head, his face grim.
"Not just any lightsaber. This is the weapon that belonged to Exar Kun."
Several Jedi Council members visibly froze, unmistakable horror crossing their features. Some of the Avengers and clones noticed this reaction immediately.
"...Okay... so what's the significance?"
"You're unfamiliar with Jedi history, I take it?"
Falcon gave the Jedi a flat look. "Forgive us. We've been more focused on learning about galactic geography, understanding Basic and other languages, et cetera. We haven't exactly studied ancient Jedi history in depth."
Ovair looked apologetic. "Oh, yes... of course. My apologies. So how do I explain this concisely..."
He snapped his fingers and input additional commands into the datapad.
The lightsaber projection shrank, and moments later, the weapon appeared in the hand of a human male in his early thirties.
He had black hair, three prominent scars on his right cheek, and some kind of symbol carved into his forehead. The lightsaber in his grasp now displayed two blue blades as he assumed a battle-ready stance.
"This is Exar Kun," Ovair explained. "A Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side and became a Sith Lord over four thousand years ago."
"Four thousand years?" Ant-Man whistled. "And you still have detailed images of him?"
"Quite a few, actually," Ovair said calmly. "He was once an exceptionally popular member of the Order—highly skilled in lightsaber combat and ambitious to expand his knowledge of the Force due to his extraordinarily strong connection to it. However, his peers began noticing his growing hunger for power. When he eventually departed, he devoted himself entirely to his studies and research, which became increasingly concerning. Through a series of events too lengthy to enumerate individually, Exar Kun became a Dark Lord of the Sith."
"A fallen Jedi," Captain America murmured to himself, crossing his arms. "Isn't Count Dooku, who leads the Separatists, also a former Jedi?"
Yoda looked down at the floor with slight shame, while Anakin's mechanical hand clenched involuntarily.
"Darkness can emerge from anywhere," Obi-Wan said grimly. "Even from an Order dedicated to protecting the light."
Despite the temptation to continue this philosophical discussion, Black Panther chose to refocus the meeting on the immediate matter.
"So what makes this particular lightsaber so concerning that its absence troubles you?"
"Several factors, actually." The central section of Exar Kun's lightsaber was highlighted, clearly outlining the crystal within the hilt. "First, the kyber crystal. This represents the earliest known instance in recorded history of a crystal being corrupted and turned to the dark side—long before the synthetic crystals commonly created by the Sith."