Mission to Angcord

The mission to Angcord was mission to the world of Angcord carried out by the Jedi Barnabus Vim and his Padawan Vix in search of mysterious Force artifacts, specifically the Echo Stone that had been a object of legend, capable of amplifying connections to the Force. They quickly found the object within the possession of the native citizens. After a small investigation, Master Vim detected that the Stone had been corrupted and amplified a dark side power within the Lady of Angcord. He was forced to order his apprentice to destroy the Stone, breaking the dark side hold over the planet. With the Echo Stone shattered into 3 pieces, Vim and his apprentice set out separately to hide the pieces of the powerful object.

Prelude

The Echo Stone was a powerful Force artifact that was capable of amplifying connections to the Force. During the days of the Sith, Darth Ravi sought the Echo Stone, and in an attempt to stop it from falling into his hands, the Stone was brought to Angcord where it remained in hiding for centuries, sustaining the islands that housed a kingdom. During the early era of the High Republic, Jedi Master Barnabus Vim and his Padawan Vix Fonnick set out on a quest to locate powerful Force artifacts. One such artifact that caught Vim's attention was that of the Echo Stone.^[1]

Mission

Arrival on Angcord

As Barnabus Vim and his Padawan Vix Fonnick arrived above Angcord aboard their ship, Vim questioned her master as to why the Jedi had sent them to investigate on a water world when neither of them were capable of breathing underwater. Master Vim simply asked if she had lost her breather. After Vim played coy about losing her breather, Vim put her mind at rest by telling her that the planet was only inhabited on it's land masses. He told Vix about the Echo Stone and it's origins. Vim also mentioned that the people of the planet had fallen silent and unresponsive to the larger galaxy, however he sensed a disturbance in the Force that felt most ominous when combined with the evidence that life on Angcord had not ended. They approached a large city citadel as they were finally hailed by the Lady of Angcord.^[1]

The Lady of Angcord welcomed the Jedi to the planet via a holo message. She revealed that she feared the planet was dying. Both she and the Jedi agreed that they had arrived in perfect timing. Soon after landing on the surface of the planet, the Lady of Angcord and her entourage of warriors and men met the Jedi as they disembarked their craft. She revealed to the Jedi that they had refrained from reaching out for help out of fear of opening communication with the wider galaxy, something Angcord wanted to avoid. She also explained that she felt the Force had abandoned them, all life that sustains them seemingly beginning to fail and wither. The First Pilgrim, leader of the force-attuned Pilgrims of Angcord who guarded the Lady of Angcord revealed their control over the Force. Interested by the situation, the Jedi followed the Lady and her people back to their home, where they watched a ceremony from beside the Lady of Angcord to become familiar with the culture of the planet. They watched as the Pilgrims of Angcord synchronized their thoughts and Force powers to build artistic paintings out of pink matter they pulled from the atmosphere (able to do so thanks to the amplification of their powers due to the Echo Stone's presence). Both Vim and Fonnick were in awe of the artwork and asked the Lady of Angcord how it was possible to achieve such manipulation of the Force.^[1]

Finding the Echo Stone

The Lady of Angcord revealed to the Jedi the location of the Echo Stone, noting it as the source of their power and called it a gift from the Force. Fonnick exclaimed that that must be the artifact they had been searching for. This alerted the Pilgrims and Lady of Angcord to the Jedi's mission, asking if that was all they had come for. Jedi Master Vim was able to put to rest the tension, promising the Lady of Angcord that the Jedi would not leave the planet with anything she did not willingly give. He inquired about their close relationship and protection over the Stone. The Lady explained that their fertile ground, the fish in the waters and the bountiful life they enjoyed on Angcord was a result to the Echo Stone, and losing it meant that they would lose everything. Master Vim sensed that there was more to the mystery of the Stone and requested time to meditate on the matter. He was granted the opportunity to do so.^[1]

Fight for the Stone

While meditating on the matter, Master Vim connected deeply with the planet, learning that the Echo Stone was responsible for the decay of the planet and was destroying the world. As he woke from a nightmarish vision in which he was engulfed by a squid-like creature into the depths of the planet, learning that death was a component to being close to the Force, he called for an emergency meeting in the Echo Stone chamber with his apprentice and the Lady of Angcord. They all met in the chamber, where Master Vim quickly revealed what he had learnt, announcing that the Echo Stone was destroying the planet. The First Pilgrim and his men produced their blasters and aimed them at the Jedi, fearing that they simply wanted to intimidate and manipulate the people of the planet allowing them to steal their greatest treasure. Vim explained that the Echo Stone was truly an amplifier and conduit of the Force, however reminded the crowd that the Force was not purely made of the light side. He informed them that the Stone also amplified the dark side that was present on the planet, and had begun to outweigh the light as a result of the dark side corruption passing through the Lady of Angcord. Vim tried to prove his theory but reaching out to the stone and try to break the connection he feared had formed between it and the Lady. He was proved correct as the Lady lashed out in anger, sending all around flying to the far sides of the room. She ordered her men to fire on the Jedi, denoting them as thieves. The Jedi ignited their sabers and fought back against their attackers, fighting in the name of saving the planet Angcord from darkness. As the pressure increased and the Jedi struggled to fight back, Vim ordered his Padawan to use her saber to shatter the stone. Both Fonnick and the Lady of Angcord leapt for the stone, one to destroy it, one to protect it. Fonnick was successful, reaching the stone first and destroying it.^[1]

As a result of the destruction of the Stone, the fighting ended. The Lady of Angcord was released from the amplification of the dark side that had grasped her. The First Pilgrim prepared to kill the Jedi for the crime of destroying the Echo Stone, but the Lady of Angcord stopped him, telling the Jedi that they must take the remains of the Echo Stone with them. The Jedi agreed, resolving himself and his Padawan to separating the 3 shards of the Echo Stone to separate corners of the galaxy in an attempt to stop the wrong person from ever combining them and using it's power. Master Vim promised the Lady of Angcord that he would bring together the forces of the Republic and Jedi to aid in the maintaining of life on Angcord. With the 3 shards of the Echo Stone, the Jedi left.^[1]

Aftermath

Following the deaths of Master Zallah Macri and her Padawan, Kevmo Zink, the Jedi Azlin Rell scanned the Jedi Archives for potential answers to their mysterious demise. He found a recording of the Mission to Angcord where he learnt about the existence of the Echo Stone, and that they had been separated by Master Vim and his Padawan.^[1]

Appearances

• The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi (First appearance) (In flashback(s))
• The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear 2 (In flashback(s))

Sources

• Star Wars: Timelines
• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia (First identified as mission to Angcord)
• Star Wars: The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collection
• The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic: Volume II

Notes and references