Dark Tidings

[Rhea]

Prakith was a red ornament against the black backdrop of space as the Yusanis reverted to realspace and its sublight engines kicked in. Months had passed since she had left this world behind her on an errand to prove herself to Leviticus, the Dark Jedi who called the mountains of this red world home. She had hoped to return to him once she had procured the gift she'd promised, but new potential members also might be of use to him.

From the cockpit of her freighter, she stretched out with her senses across the vast distance which lay between he and her, touching his mind ever so subtly when she found him. To he who had felt her call once before, the sensation would be unmistakeable; he would know that she was coming and would be ready to receive her away from his other allies. She sensed that he had grown stronger than when she had left him, as she knew he would. She set the course to the rendezvous point into the ship's navicomputer, engaged the autopilot, and then turned to go and meet with her passengers.

She no longer wore the trappings of a Jedi. On this ship, she wore the black garb of her true self for the first time in too long. She found her passengers in the cargo hold, sitting around a dejarak table.

"We will be arriving in moments." She spoke mostly to the girl. The male never said anything to her anyways. "It is good that you have come here. It is my expectation that you shall find that you fit here more than you did in the Jedi Order. The Dark Jedi who started this retreat also have misgivings with the Jedi Order and can teach you much about power. You will find the leader to be rough around the edges, but, unlike many of his kind, there is intelligence to him and power to match."

She paused. Then: "Learn what you can from him. He is no teacher, but if you watch and observe him, I think you shall learn much. I will supplement what you learn from him with lessons about the Force when you ask for them. Above all, never forget what I said to you in those final moments on Ossus. Do not forget your talents. You may find them useful to you in your time here."

The ship landed minutes later, as the dark woman foretold, outside what had once been the cave where Rhea had first approached Leviticus. The cave had since been renovated into what looked very much like a crude and rudimentary academy... or was it to be a temple? Rhea wasn't sure. The architecture certainly suggested a rushed design, but it was the presence of the dark side here that surprised her most. It had increased manifold since last she was here.

Standing on the landing ramp, she whispered to herself: "Oh, Leviticus, you have been resourceful." Events were shaping up better than she had imagined them.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Deviant

 

[Darth Kravos]

While this world that he had quickly plunged himself into was a new one, it wasn't so unpleasant as he might have thought. The Dark Side was a tool he had always been averse to touch, but now that he no longer held onto any of his inhibitions, he wondered if there was something to be said for its strength. Of course there was, or not so many would have turned to it. Despite what the Jedi said, the Dark Side was already proving to be the stronger.

Perhaps it was the fact that he'd been making a slow descent into this darkness for years that made it so that taking that final step felt almost acceptable. Almost. Even now, there was a piece of him that seemed to scream at the back of his mind that the path he was walking was wrong, but with every cry he thought to the wrongs the Jedi had perpetuated and reminded himself that they were not the answer.

At the end of it all, he took a seat next to Alais as the woman came out, pointedly ignoring him again. Oh well, that was fine, he supposed. He didn't expect her to be particularly warm and friendly. He didn't get that vibe from her on Ossus and even less so now that she had on her full-Dark Sideyness.

As the ship set down, Kal prepared to disembark, half of his mind wondering if they wouldn't be killed outright for being here. But no, this was after having just killed a Jedi Councilor, and throwing together the largest Jedi upheaval since Ilum. An attack was unlikely. People were far too interested in Alais' power. He glanced back at her, seeing if she was ready before following the old woman down the ramp.

How do you know this "Dark Jedi?" he asked Rhea as she muttered almost imperceptible words, though Kal thought he might have picked up a name in there. He already knew what Rhea hoped to accomplish here - in theory - but that didn't mean he couldn't want to know more about what exactly they were walking into. Sure, they were both Exiles, but she wouldn't just lead them to any old Exile. There was a reason they were here.

The irony that only days ago he would have gladly brought Jedi back to wipe out a location like this, and now he was here to join them, was not lost on him, but he pushed aside the potential repercussions for himself as he made his way down the ramp. The place had the cold pull of the darkness and it was taking time for the former-Jedi to overcome the instinct to resist that had been instilled in him for the last two and a half decades. This is your new home, he reminded himself. @Malon @Sreeya @Deviant

 

[Andraste]

Alais was silent the entire trip. Silent about the incident back at the Jedi temple, silent about the ordeal that almost broke her, silent about the ramifications of her actions. She even had thoughts of what happened between her and Kal floating around in her mind. The past day had been the most eventful in her life, and in many ways, it was the worst. Alais could still hear Fennex’s voice as he shouted after her, and she could recall the moment Evalyn broke. She had seen everything play out from her perspective, and that was not an image she would be able to forget.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Rhea arrived and addressed her. Alais had bloodshot eyes, evidence towards her having cried silent tears at some point in the journey. Despite what Rhea said earlier, she couldn’t feel any more pathetic. She was at rock bottom, and everything was strange and new. Kal was the only remaining consistency in her life, and even he was struggling with his own changes. Even more than her, she could feel his discomfort. He had left behind more than she had in many ways, and it pained her to think she had been the reason for it.

After Rhea spoke, Alais looked the woman in the eye for a moment, “Were you there on purpose? At the trial? Did you know it would unravel like this?” She had been aching to ask her the question. She had a prophetic way of speaking. Did that mean she had foreseen her killing Vao? The thought sent a chill down her spine.

After their discussion, she followed Rhea towards what looked like the rudimentary makings of a temple. She was curious about this Leviticus, and she only hoped this entire visit would yield more answers than questions. Alais fell into step next to Rhea, gazing ahead and feeling the dark side energies. It was as if she had just eased into the nicest and warmest bath ever, and she despised that. It felt natural, the Force immediately calling to her as if she was meant to be here, meant to manipulate and use whatever energy lingered here. She felt it come to her and embrace her, weaving around her limbs and fingers. It was so easy to control here, and it obeyed her every command. It was a surreal experience, and yet it felt so much more natural than being in a Jedi establishment. Alais felt her heart sink further at the realization.

@Malon @Deviant

 

[Leviticus]

…the events were shaping up worse than Leviticus had imagined them.

Already, he found his new retreat to be weeks behind schedule. The sanctuary was rushed, from the stone carved into the canyon side to the chambers within. His own plots and schemes had stalled from the lack of the initiative in the other Exiles, who instead thought it would better to loaf around Serenno or butt heads with one another instead of aiding this new order of Dark Jedi.

Every moment he stood waiting was a moment wasted, especially with rumors of the Jedi conclave on Ossus. Already, they were three steps ahead of them and moving fast. It would only be a matter of time until they properly united and ripped the Exiles from this world— root and stem.

Fortunately, not all his allies were complete buffoons. There was Rhea, the cryptic Exile woman he had met before on this desolate world. Her powers were a complete mystery to him, as were her many strange words, but Levi could not deny her importance to the Dark Jedi. She was the one who nudged him forward in spite of the odds. She was the one who fed him information from every corner of the galaxy, in particular, from the Jedi convocation.

Needless to say, she proved to be a key piece to the puzzle of the Exiles, so Leviticus didn’t doubt Rhea’s return would be a grand one. After all, the last time they had met in person, she had promised to return with a gift. And if what he thought was true— it would be all he could ask ever for.

The Dark Jedi stood not far from the mouth of the sanctuary, arms crossed and a blank grimace stitched to his face. As Rhea and two other strangers slid out from the confines of a ship, all speaking amongst each other, Leviticus stood there waiting. Once they reached the shrine entrance, he eyed the two visitors with a hint of curiosity. “Are they who I think they are?” He questioned Rhea, but he already knew the answer.

After a moment of silence, he continued: “The girl is a lot smaller than I expected.” Smirking as the Exile essentially towered above her, he glanced to the other man. “So what brings you two to my little makeshift haven? It’s not as impressive as the Jedi Temple on Ossus, but we make do with what we got.”

@Malon

 

[Rhea]

"I know a great many beings in this galaxy, shadow," Rhea replied curtly to the male before Leviticus appeared. Her tone was not as hushed as his own. It was sharp, biting, and dismissive. "The how is mine to know. And the why... might become apparent in your stay on this world."

She saw Leviticus appear in the great archway that marked the entrance of his new makeshift temple. As they moved from the landing ramp and approached, she heard Alais mumble another question to her. The child was curious—a desirable trait, and one that needed continual cultivation for the moment. Rhea considered her answer a moment, adverting the girl's gaze to watch as Leviticus approached closer. Then, her eyes still on her counterpart, she replied. "There are ripples in the Force. Echoes, you might call them. The past creates them, but also the future. They act as harbingers of great events." She gave the girl a sideways glance. "Harbingers of death. I followed such an echo to Ossus, where the currents of the Force seemed to converge, and found you at their heart. So, in a sense, I was on Ossus on purpose, though I did not know the precise shape of the events that would unfold."

They were closer now, but there was a lesson from all this that the girl needed to learn. She would have to be quick. "Always be mindful of the currents, the ripples, the echoes, the eddies you feel in the Force. But be careful of visions. Do not trust them. To perceive the future through a vision is to look at it as if through a crack in a door." And, with that, she fell silent as they closed the remainder of the distance between Leviticus and themselves.

"These are not the gifts of good faith I promised you," Rhea said as Leviticus appraised the two exiled Jedi. "You shall have that, in time. For now, I present to you these two former Jedi and news from the Conclave. But I am ahead of myself; introductions are in order, which I shall leave to them." She stepped aside to allow just that to happen.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Deviant

 

[Darth Kravos]

And this was why Kal didn't bother talking to the woman. Her obvious disdain for him was matched only by his growing sense of dismissiveness of her. "I don't want to talk to you" is a much more effect means of getting your point across, he said with an intentionally indifferent tone, deciding that engaging with her further was clearly a pointless affair. He was fairly confident that she would have rather left him behind altogether, which in this world, he also took to mean she would "remove" him as quickly as she could.

Rather than dwelling on it at this moment, instead, he turned his attention to the other two: Alais and the Dark Jedi. Throughout dealing with his own pains and struggles, he realized how much he had been neglectful of what Alais had been going through as well, and he mentally kicked himself for it. He reached out, sensing flashes of her emotions and the pain that still lingered. Even with it, he thought he felt a sense of relief as they disembarked, as if she were happy to be here. He gave her arm a subtle, reassuring squeeze for the briefest of moments before turning his attention to the "Dark Jedi."

How was he supposed to make an introduction like this? He supposed it was the same as introducing himself to a Jedi, wasn't it? Just with more edge. Although, this one seemed almost normal, didn't he? He could have been a man off the street, smirk and all. Weren't they supposed to be much worse than that? That thought only gave him flashes back to the man in purple and he resisted the urge to rub a hand absentmindedly along the burn marks from the lightning that had licked at his skin. No, looks and first impressions could be very deceiving with these people.

Still, he gave a courteous nod to Levi. Kal Vox, he said, putting on his best "I promise I'm not being brisk" tone, despite the fact that being here went against what his mind told him. With that, he turned his gaze to the training academy. Doesn't look so bad. You built all this? he asked. Sure, it wasn't the temple on Ossus, but it was functional (he assumed) and if it was in such a remote location built by just this crew, that was impressive indeed.

He quashed the internal desire to begin scouting it for weaknesses and reminded himself for the millionth time that these were his allies, not his enemies. They were allies, and the two of them were here to gain allies, though he left to Alais to explain precisely what it was that their intention here was. She was the more diplomatic of the two, after all. @Malon @Sreeya @Deviant

 

[Andraste]

Alais took in Rhea’s words, committing them to memory. It only raised more questions about Rhea than anything else. What did she have to gain from all this? For now, she would keep those thoughts to herself, allowing time to unfold everything when ready. Alais watched as Leviticus approached them, quirking an eyebrow curiously at the mention of ‘gifts of good faith’.

She remained silent where she stood, feeling Kal reach out to give her reassurance. It was a welcomed gesture, and she felt some of her thoughts melting away as she remembered she wasn’t entirely alone. As Leviticus referred to her height but addressed Rhea, Alais managed a grin. She could choose to dwell on her negative thoughts or she could simply be herself, “And you’re prettier than I expected,” Unlike Leviticus, she addressed him directly, “With a name as dramatic as yours, I was expecting a classic Holomovie villain with a face to scare children with.”

Without giving him time to work out whether she was insulting or complimenting him, Alais strolled directly past him and towards the ‘temple’. She took in sight of it, looking around and relishing the pulse of the dark side that lingered her. Her fingers reached out to trace along some of the outer walls, “So, is this where you do daily your sacrifices and rituals?” Alais tilted her head back to look at both Rhea and Leviticus, another grin threatening to break across her face.

At last she finally walked back to Leviticus, “Alais Drast. I’m a nobody, really. Hoped to find a new home here and.. “ She jutted her chin towards Rhea, “She seems like she knows what she’s doing so here I am.”

@Malon @Phoenix @Deviant

 

[Leviticus]

So, these were not the gifts Rhea had promised him. But again, if they were still who Leviticus thought they were, she would have already long nailed down his trust. The Exile only wondered what else this cryptic hag held up her sleeve and what more she was willing to offer. Certainly more than what the other Dark Jedi he had recruited before granted him, he hoped.

Halmo’de was a skilled and accomplished swordsman with a taste for kicking ass, but his ego weighed him down. Narri was similarly experienced and unsurprisingly clever, but she only reluctantly joined at Levi’s side, a sign of suspicion. Then, there was Valerian, a loyal servant and friend, but like an irritating bug that never seemed to leave the Exile alone. And Phyrenthius? He was an actual bug. While they helped to lay out the foundation of this temple, Leviticus hoped these two other fallen Jedi would prove to be far better company.

Needless to say, they already were. “Kal Vox,” he mirrored the man’s name, as if he was searching for its familiarity. “The Jedi Master, of course. It’s good to have you.” However, with one eyebrow raised, Levi glanced to him. “Not alone. This temple was built by a number of other Exiles— those who have come to this world for the same reason you now have: to freely live and understand the dark side of the Force.” He paused. In fact, they all had come together just to kill a bunch of Jedi, but he didn’t think to tell either of them that. Too soon, he thought.

The young woman’s comment, though, made him chuckle. With all of Rhea’s metaphors and Valerian’s sober attitude, it had been sometime he met someone with a little humor. Rather than brush off her compliment— or insult, whatever it was —he simply winked. “Just call me Levi.” But again, the girl elicited another chuckle from Leviticus, and he answered, “Sacrifices and rituals? Ah, yes. You just missed it, too. Lots of blood, lots of screaming, and a lot of stabbing. It’s quite the experience, I’ll admit. You should try it sometime.”

He smirked, clearly sarcastic. “But Alais Drast? A nobody?” The Exile scoffed. “That’s a real confidence booster. I wonder what that makes me?” Levi followed her glance back to Rhea. “And let’s all hope she does know what she’s doing, else she might be taking the title role in our next ritual sacrifice. Right, Rhea?” The humor was apparent, but beneath his sarcasm, the threat was there. He trusted her as a member of the Exiles and an important ally, but not her character. There was still much to learn about her past and her true purpose, no matter how many gifts she gave.

@Malon

 

[Rhea]

Rhea read the threat for what it was; Leviticus was full of such threats, that much had not changed in the months since their last meeting, but Rhea cared little for them and was quick to address it as such. "I do not have the years required — nor the desire — to indulge your idle threats. Now, hear what I have to say so that we may move on to more important tasks."

Exasperated, she put her hand on her hip. She reminded herself that, while Leviticus was often relied on bravado to appear in control of a situation he often was not, he was both intelligent, powerful, and—if this temple was any indication—highly resourceful. Now, with these two powerful Dark Jedi in one place, the future could really begin to move forward... with the proper nudge.

"The rumors were true," she said plainly. "The Jedi have called a conclave on Ossus; it might be taking place at this very moment. Their ranks are divided by philosophical fissures that shall not soon mend. And your new allies have insured that it will remain that way for some time." She left out the details of what Alais had done on Ossus. Did Leviticus already know? She doubted as much, but even if he did, it would be interesting to see how the girl approached informing her new companions. "That is why I have brought them here, to this sanctuary you have built. You will find them to be kindred spirits. Both are, as we, victims of the Jedi Order's hubris."

She paused a moment to appraise him through the Force. Yes... much had changed within him since their last meeting. His power had grown... but the struggle within him was still there. He had yet to seek out the knowledge she had advised him to seek. This was good, in a sense. The girl would see that the struggle she faced was not her own. And perhaps their similarities would cause them both to grow. But first, a question:

"Have you given any more thought to what I told you when last we spoke?" She eyed him from underneath her cowl. "I sense your frustrations. Remember, the Jedi Order must be united again before it is ultimately defeated. The crude act of gathering powerful followers alone will not ensure your success. In order for your enemies to truly be vanquished, you must first allow them the comforting illusion of unity. Only then can you break them forever." She was still a moment, then glanced over her shoulder at Kal and Alais. "Perhaps, these two, with their knowledge of the current Jedi operations could help you in such an endeavor."

She said just enough to get Leviticus thinking, to stoke the fires of revenge in Alais, and to pique Kal's curiosity, though she hid these intentions deep within herself, behind a wall of her own outward curiosity at what Leviticus's response might be. All around her, the eddies of the Force were becoming whirlpools. A storm was brewing in the dark side; and these two, undoubtably, held the key to its future. She merely needed to watch and wait, prodding them only when the moment was ripe to push that vision forward.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Deviant

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kal gave another nod to Levi, It's good to be here, he agreed. But was it really? Was he comfortable with being here? This place seemed like the type he wasn't supposed to be, but there was a freedom here that he didn't have with the Jedi. This was his new home, wasn't it? The thought of living a free life without the constraints of the Jedi certainly seemed appealing, but at what cost?

Once more, this was not the time to be asking these questions. There were other things to deal with, and he could leave such introspection for a time when he was alone. I suppose I should be thanking you, then, he said, as he gave a nod toward the main facility, For offering us a place to stay. Because we're not exactly welcome most places, he didn't add.

Rhea's words about seeing the Jedi unified so that they could be destroyed certainly caught Kal's ears, and not so that he could object. He knew the Jedi needed to go by the wayside if they were going to be replaced by something new, and for that, the two former-Jedi could prove invaluable. It will be no small task, he said, knowing that if the Jedi were united, they would once more pose a formidable force. But hunting them down one at a time was not a viable long-term plan.

We need to wait to bring them back together until we're ready to strike. If they rally before we're ready, it won't bode well for us, or the cause. "The cause?" He couldn't quite believe he had just said that, but that was what it was now. He was on board with this now, and the only path to victory was through the blood of Jedi. Even those he had been friends with. That was the painful part: even if he wanted the Jedi gone as a religion, there were still those there he cared for. What would he do with them?

 

[Andraste]

Alais eyed Levi with curiosity as he made the sarcastic comment after hearing her name. Did news truly travel that fast? Then again, if he had established himself so far, it paid to be well connected and informed. The little nod towards sacrificing Rhea caught her attention, and Alais gazed over at the older woman. Was she truly subservient to Levi? Could she truly be like that to anyone? Alais watched Rhea for a moment, taking in her face, her eyes, pondering on her mind. There was an intellect there that was…dangerous. Alais admired it, and it reminded her of herself. She didn’t regard Rhea as a woman to cross.

Alais continued to watch her as she spoke, and she remained silent. She began to walk around, still taking in sight of everything around her. She brushed her fingers along the walls, glanced over at Levi, walked around him, and took in sight of everything else. For a moment, it appeared as if she paid no heed to any of the discussion going on, but she was withdrawn deep into her thoughts.

After Kal finished speaking, Alais looked over at them and grinned, “What’s the point of it all?” She shrugged, “What will killing the Jedi prove? I didn’t come here for petty vengeance or to take a fight to the Jedi,” Alais spun around slowly, “Look around. Look at the small, tiny state we are in. We are nothing but moody little children kicked out of home. Why go back to that home? Even if it’s to destroy it?” Alais smiled at them, “Why did I come here? Because I couldn’t resist. Because it was intoxicating. I couldn’t turn away from the Dark Side. The Jedi are teetering on the edge of that, but what does the life of an Exile promise? Hiding in little shitholes like rats,” Alais looked over at the temple before looking at Levi, “No offense..” She gave him a wink, “I came here to make this a home. To build the foundations of something that goes beyond just being an Exile. To make a statement that we exist, that we are here, and that we’re not going anywhere. We don’t need to give a flying kriff about what the Jedi are doing to do that. If we collectively create a place that's as intoxication as the dark side can be, we will grow in strength on our own. The Jedi are too caught up in their petty squabble to risk taking the fight outside of their borders. They are content being comfortable where they are."

@Deviant @Malon @Phoenix

 

[Leviticus]

Kal was right. Despite all of Rhea’s cunning, she had to understand that a united Jedi Order held both an advantage and a disadvantage for all Exiles. “Agreed,” Leviticus said, mirroring the other man’s own words. “And of course I’ve given thought to what you’ve told me before, Rhea. A unified Order would certainly make it an easier target to shoot, but who’s to say we even have the ammunition to fire?”

His hand waved over to the makeshift temple. “We have no leader, no army, and half a temple. Even with the element of surprise, our chances are next to none. As of now, at least.”

His voice, needless to say, remained at a murmur by the final remark and was directed mostly to the older woman. The fallen Jedi had only just arrived, and Leviticus didn’t want to unnerve them with such dreadful news. Not now, not so soon. Even still, it seemed the younger woman, Alais, didn’t care at all. In fact, her thoughts didn’t lay on taking revenge or slaughtering some Jedi, unlike Levi. No— she was looking beyond the scope of petty vengeance. She wanted something more.

Leviticus simply stared at her. He wasn’t sure if he should start cracking up at her little monologue or actually agree. Because, in a way, she was right. He had been so carried away with seeking revenge, he had forgotten what it meant to be an Exile. Perhaps it was time for them to take on a new role in the galaxy. Perhaps he had found himself a new leader, a new Queen.

Instead, Levi shrugged off the thought and chuckled aloud. He had heard a great many things about Alais, but with her apparent youth and stature, he found it hard to take her seriously. “Perhaps,” he still said, choosing not to completely overlook her words but at the same time not take it to heart.

@Malon

 

[Rhea]

Rhea listened and watched as her charges interacted; she was far more interested in that than what they had to say. To her satisfaction, both seemed to grasp the concepts that would make them the movers of the future. They had the puzzle pieces. They merely needed to fit them together. She could see, for instance, the glimmer in Alais's eyes as she surveyed the outside of the temple—the way her fingers glided across the smooth stone exterior, the way she circled Leviticus, appraising him as one might a piece of art. She examined everything as if she were surveying her own belongings. Her ambition was already beginning to blossom.

And Leviticus... He was still skeptical, hesitant—still second-guessing his own movements, but she sensed that he now saw in Alais what she herself had seen. Her charisma, her vision, had already begun to affect him and he had noticed it and seen the possibilities it brought. In her, he saw the leader they were so desperately in need of. There were still roadblocks... she still needed to prove herself to him... but the fact that he saw it proved to Rhea that her suspicions had been right all along.

"You are right to be cautious," she said to the both of them, pleased that they were wise enough to see it; she had worried that Leviticus would be all to quick to give in to the voices of his other companions and join in the slaughter that was becoming more common in some corners of the galaxy. They did need to strike at the Jedi, but several more components needed to fall into place first. "But remember our past conversation. The Jedi have defeated armies—armies of greater darkness than you could possibly imagine. Simply raising another will not achieve the results you desire. You must prey on their fear—you must root it out, nurture it, grow it. Your strikes must come from nowhere; they must be surgical; and then you must vanish as quickly as you came." For once, she actually turned and addressed Kal in a manner that did not reflect her contempt for him. "Work you should be familiar with, Shadow." Then back to Leviticus: "Only in that way can you succeed where so many before you have failed."

Then she rounded on Alais. The girl had vision. One day, her vision might extend to oversee the entire galaxy, but, first, there were some minor fine-tuning that needed to take place. Slipping back into the role of a benevolent, if not mysterious, mentor, Rhea said, "Your ambitions are noble, but your perceive only a fraction of the truth. Your actions on Ossus have assured the Order's continued fracturing... for a time. But do not presume to ignore the Jedi or the threat they present to you — to others who follow the dark side — to this place."

"Imagine, for a moment," she went on, "that you discovered a companion of yours had developed a cancer. The cancer is treatable and can be eradicated. Would you sit idly by while it ravaged them? To the Jedi, the galaxy is their diseased companion, we the cancer. They will not turn a blind eye to us — to you — especially after what transpired at the trial — forever." Pausing a moment, she let the warning sink in before finishing: "Build up your presence on this world if you must, but know that the bigger you build and the stronger you become, the more evident you will be within the Force and the more they will hunt you."

She would give no more advice than that. If she was too forceful, both strong-willed Dark Jedi would pull away from her and turn from her suggestions in the future; so, she fed them just enough of a warning to get their own gears turning. Both had proven themselves resourceful. The information she provided, she knew, would remain at the back of their heads until such a time as they needed it.

@Deviant @Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

He caught parts of Levi's words to Rhea and pondered them. No leader, no army, and half a temple. It seemed Levi had begun work on the temple, Alais may yet have the makings of a leader (they all saw it), and how convenient that Kal happened to know how to make ten men feel like a hundred.

There were pieces that each of them had, but they didn't seem to put the last bits of it together. It's not about revenge. If we're just going after the Jedi for vengeance, we'll fall apart and lose direction. It's a pointless and self-consuming endeavor, he shook his head, as if to affirm that vengeance was the wrong course.

In some ways he thought he could feel flashes of anger from Levi as they spoke of the Jedi. Whatever had happened with him, Kal could only assume that it had left a particularly foul taste in his mouth for Jedi, as every time it was mentioned, he thought he sensed the contempt. But they won't be ignoring us. Hunting down random Jedi won't help, but if we are going to build something out here, it will draw attention and when it does, if we haven't done something to destabilize them - stopping their masters and councilors - there's a very real possibility we will find ourselves in more trouble than we need to be.

He paused, letting that thought sink in and allowing them each to ponder a Jedi Order bereft of its leadership or direction But if we strike down the shepherds, and create a haven of darkness with the answers people are looking for... he said, motioning to Alais and referencing what she had just described ...the sheep will come.

While building from the ground up and cultivating alliances may not be his strongest suit, stopping large organizations from spreading and thriving certainly was something he could invest time in. But when they inevitably, come we need to have already laid the ground work, he said, resting his argument before turning his attention to what they were trying to build. And whatever it was, he knew would take shape in time, but the lay of the land was changing, and they needed to shift with it. @Deviant @Sreeya @Malon