Rescue Efforts on Ilum | 467.03
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2026 1:41 pm
Rescue Efforts on Ilum
Name: Kaddigan Thorne
Rank: Padawan-Learner
Date(s): 467.03
Location: Ilum
Members of the Jedi Order present: Azar Ahlan, Vosden Palooran
Public Information
Level of Exposure: Sector
- Potential spread of parasitic organism throughout multiple systems neighboring Ilum. These parasites represent a critical threat to both individual health and societal structure due to their ability to manipulate the mind and motor function of their hosts.
Padawan Security Clearance
- At the request of a Knight from the Ilum Temple, Master Huerter coordinated a search team consisting of Padawans Thorne, Ahlan, and Palooran to find a group of students that had set out from the temple to investigate an unknown anomaly and had gone missing for approximately one week. Of the six that set out, three were located alive and returned to the temple.
- A parasitic organism capable of manipulating its host was responsible. Multiple members of the team became infected, and began to attack and murder other members of the search group.
Knight Security Clearance
- Members of this original team almost entirely consisted of youths and operated in the tundras of Ilum without Knight supervision.
- Prior investigations into this string of outbreaks by Master Huerter uncovered a datalog recorded by a prior host, who was able to consistently log his experience of being infected and slowly losing control of his body over an extended period of time.
- The parasite has demonstrated the ability to fully control deceased specimens, and though rate of incubation seems to occur over a long span of time in living hosts, it is able to quickly detach itself from its host and escape the body in a quick manner to avoid capture or death.
- No specimen has been collected. One escaped into the snows of Ilum, and we are yet unsure if it has died to exposure or found another host. Another parasite was forcefully extracted from a host and burned entirely with the blade of a lightsaber.
- Parasitized hosts seemed to be able to access memories and attempt to mimic the behaviour of their hosts, yet did not demonstrate any usage of Force powers or could defend against the powers of others. Usage of a lightsaber was clumsy and unrefined, to the extent one host even accidentally severed its limb after being pushed down.
Related Events
Confirmed: Prior small-scale outbreaks of this parasitic organism within the area. The matter is currently being investigated by Master Huerter.
Summary and Actions
I recall working with Master Shai when he was head of the Diplomacy Department as he made efforts to bring a peaceable resolution to the conflict in the Gordian Reach. One of the most harrowing details I remember hearing from his efforts were that children were being deployed by the Jedi Order into active warzones as combatants. Similarly, I have witnessed prior a youth of this branch being sent down into a hazardous mineshaft on the verge of collapse and suffering mechanical failures, seemingly to subdue and escort back a dangerous criminal, as another, unobserved and unaccounted for, ran down into these mineshafts only to be stopped by me. While the Ilum branch could not have anticipated an alien life form would make its way onto the planetary surface and inflict the damage it did, the fact remains that it was a disastrous choice to allow a group as young as them wander out into the tundras without any form of Knight supervision, and had a Knight been present, things may have gone much differently.
These three incidents are presenting me with a disturbing conclusion that this Order may be engaging in negligent practices towards many younger students, exposing them to dangers they are not prepared to defend against, which can cause bodily harm, physical and mental long-term trauma, and untimely death. I sincerely believe that strong action needs to be taken to rigorously limit the degree of exposure Initiates and younger Padawans have to areas of immense risk and/or danger, and to go to greater lengths and exercise greater diligence in watching and accounting for them.
With a parasite unaccounted for, Ilum has entered a state of lockdown until such time that it may be located and destroyed. Efforts will no doubt be handled by them for now. However, similar cases may very well erupt on other planets around Ilum's system. It is believed that a ship, be it mercantile, civilian, or even Jedi, has been responsible for transporting these parasites onto new planets like a form of invasive species. The rate of incubation seems to span weeks, and so in the near future we should be monitoring the region for any reports of sudden bouts of violent crime, seemingly unprovoked or being committed by those who showed no prior inclination towards deviant behaviour nor violent tendencies.
At this time I am unsure how, but a specimen should perhaps be collected under safe conditions. It poses a great risk, but we need to learn more about this creature before we can properly cull it. At this point the only successful extraction method has been through manipulating the parasite with the Force, yet this required a great deal of patience, focus, and coordination. It is unknown furthermore if this method inflicted any traumatic injury to the host. As such, we have no feasible cure for a parasite infection at this point in time. This must be rectified, as soon as is reasonable.
My recommendations are as follows...
- Review current policies set in place regarding young students and their involvement in dangerous areas or missions which entail a degree of risk. Tighten restrictions to ensure that youths are no longer put at risk of serious injury or death. Implement protocols to tighten oversight and accountability of young students during field excursions to ensure that groups which wander into potentially dangerous areas have Knight supervision, and that none wander off on their own.
- Monitor inhabited systems surrounding the Ilum System for reports of sudden outbreaks of violence, strange crimes, and violent attacks by perpretators who showed no prior record or risk of displaying unlawful aggression. It's likely that these places will be the ones affected by parasite outbreaks.
- Attempt to capture a live specimen to be studied and examined. Some form of treatment or even immunization process could be determined by our Medical Department through rigorous study and experimentation.