MAIN THREAD: Three Weeks Later (Ospion-RP, Closed/Ask)

[Ser Gregor]

Linora sat in a meditative trance on the shining roof of the Trust Compound's main building. A stiff breeze bathed her body, catching her black hair and sending it out in billowing waves behind her back, trying in vain to float on the wind. Arrayed around her were her fellow Ospion, Consul Sarus, Knight Selena, Lorn, and former Councilor Cade, a new arrival to the Ospion. Each mind was joined with Linora's, and vice versa, as they meditated on their success.

Chancellor Darkrose had left, along with all other non-Ospion personell, three weeks ago, leaving Linora and the others behind as a sign of good-will. At first, Linora was against the idea, but quickly she began to enjoy her stay here. Something pulled her to the Compound, secluded in nature with all the splendor and unnatural power of the city in union.

Over the past weeks, each Ospion had been kept bussy, helping Losk and his staff in any number of ways. Linora herself had taken a particular interest in Losk and his number two, Alexander... She could discourse with them in any number of obscure topics and find her mind stimulated by their disagreements with her ideologies. It was a most unexpected pleasantry.

A subtle shift in concentration and the trance was broken. Opening her eyes to the bright star Both sitting high in the sky, void of any clouds. "Something is bothering you, Cade," Linora vocalised what everyone had felt. "Come."

Rising gracefully to her feet, Linora turned around, surprised to see, off in the shadowed overhanging of the door leading into the Compound, Losk Bre'lev. His face was impassive, but his eyes were fiercely locked on to the meditative group.

"Four hours," he said as Linora made her way in to earshot. "How can you do that? You didn't move a muscle, none of you, for four hours." It was clear he was jesting, but Linora couldn't help but detect a subtle seriousness to his tone.

"Time has no meaning when immersed in the force," Linora replied, giving the standard reply to one unconnected to the force as she was. "It is an abstract concept."

"I'm used to those, you should know," he replied, smiling lightly, his fur rippling across his snout. Today he had favoured a more somber outfit, brown robes with a light pasely green accent.

"Not when it comes to this," she said with a smile, Cade standing beside her in self-brooding silence. A silence Losk seemed to pick up on.

"What's the matter with your friend?" he asked quite innocently.

"I was just about to talk to him about it, in fact," she said again with a smile, more polite than genuine. Gesturing with her left hand, gloved in leather up to her shoulder, "If you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Losk nodded, moving out on to the roof, allowing Linora to descend down the stairs.

'Everyone, do what he asks. There is something about him I still can't put my finger on,' Linora sent out to her fellow Ospion, nodding mentally in passing as she entered the building.

(((Posting order starts with Ols. We'll figure out where to go from there.)))

 

[Ols]

Cade stood before Linora had said for him to. He knew full well his presence in the force was edgy to say the least. He had been surprised he had managed four hours without disturbing the others, but he was glad for Linora's insistence that he join the trance, the last thing he needed now was distance from meditation, that would push him even deeper into his confused state. As he drew himself up to his full and considerable height, he adjusted the black hood of his cloak casting shadow over the blindfold, tied across his eyeless visage and messy, dirty blonde hair. He took a step forward, following Linora and as he did so his cloak opened enough to reveal the black and brown cloth and leather robes that were commonplace for him now. When the stopped in the doorway, and Losk asked Linora about him, Cade met the Bothan's beady eyes that seemed to leer up at him from his fur, with his blank black blindfold, his mouth stern, transmitting the message in his body language that evoked fear and intimidation to most. As Losk moved aside for them, Cade merely looked onwards, not casting the creature a second glance as they proceeded downstairs, into the vast halls below.

For a few minutes they walked along in silence, taking in once more the majesty of the building's interior. The artwork in the hallway they walked along could have filled a museum, so copious was its regularity, as valuable its origin. Cade stopped by a bay window that dwarfed even him, standing before it, the rich purple drapes en-clothing it just like his cloak, although where his aura of darkness created the effect of a black whole beneath his draping, the window beheld the bright light of the bright midday sun, the rays bursting through and bathing Cade in its warm glow. He turned back to face Linora. She did not even have to say a word.

"I'm sorry," he said. He did not know what he was apologising for. Breaking the trance? His coldness towards their host? His constant lack of stability? The fact he was always dragging Linora away to try to find answers that were not there? For what he was about to do? "I just..." he continued, but what was the end to the sentence? "I can't find any solace. Not in the tenets of the Jedi. Not in the tenets of the Ospion. Not in the Force. It's so bloody confusing. I'm meant to be using it, helping it, serving it and mastering it. It's meant to be telling me what to do, and where to go, and I haven't a clue about either."

He could guess he was not making the most sense. He raised his left arm forcefully, his hand open, and a large stone sculpture of a man raised cleanly off of the ground and hovered, rotating before them. "It grants me the power to raise things to the heavens..." he trailed off and with a grunt he clenched his fist into a white knuckled grip and the statue crumpled into dust and gravel that littered the floor, "...or grind them to dust."

"We have the power of gods," he said, "we can ruin worlds and destroy populations in the blink of an eye," he did not point out the irony of his being a Miraluka with his idiom, "or we can choose to allow them to continue, or more than that we can root out the bad and make worlds glorious, populations grow safely. Offer security or fear. We have the galaxy in the palms of our hands. Next to it this Republic and Alsakan bullshit is so insignificant. If we really wanted we could end it in seconds, take the galaxy for ourselves. But we don't, we observe, we keep a degree of responsibility with our power and we fear our own demise and loss of this gift. Or maybe we just can't be arsed with the hassle. If the galaxy was paradise, the force its Lord, then we would be the angels. And even angels can fall."

He ended his cynical commentary and turned back to the window. "There's more to why we're here on Bothawui than keeping stability, even if it's just a show of goodwill. You can quote me on that."

 

[Ser Gregor]

Linora listened to Cade in silence, nodding at the correct points so he would continue. When he was finished, she walked over to him, placing a strong arm on his shoulder. A good bit taller than her, she looked ten feet tall next to the broken man.

"I could give you warm, empty words of reasurrance, but that isn't my way. Everything you've ever known has been swept away in a great typhoon. You have to deal with the fact that, when what you know to be true and right is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions must parallel the truth. There is no other way.

"You need to look for these contradictions, Cade. Seek them out in the way you best can, through the force. I have been doing the same. Do you know what I discovered? That the Jedi, Xendor's followers, they were all blinded. They let their man-made morals dictate their view of the force. They created Ashla and Bogan. When I realised these things were but constructs, not found in the force, I cast them aside.

"What I realised then helped me through what you're going through now. My words won't make sense right now, but they will, soon enough. Look at everything you've been taught, that you now know to be wrong. Look for the things that don't make any sense anymore, and you'll find that, when studied through the force, those seamingly sensless aspects will be the only thing that makes any sense."

******

"Alexander, I can taste it. It's so near," Losk said in a hushed murmur, excitement pouring into the comlink he held in his furry hand. "The seeds I've planted in Linora are beginning to blossom. She doesn't know it yet.

"I need you to go up to the others, one of the younger ones. They'll be the easiest to draw in," he explained, his painfully polite voice cracking to reveal his true sinister self. "Plant the seeds of doubt, but remember subtlety, my son. We can't freighten them away, or everything we've worked for will be ruined."

 

[Lavi]

Amaterasu has been becoming more troubled and restless with each passing day upon Bothawui. The past week, she hardly slept at night, substaining herself through perserverance and training. Keeping her thoughts to herself was not doing much good, and more evil.

She slowly made her way down the hall, to arrive before the door in which Linora and Cade were present in. The echo of words leaked into the hall, and Amaterasu followed after the source after they ceased. She gave a short respectful bow to Linora, and Cade, before approaching the other. The Ospion Knight beckoned Linora to come closer, leaning forth to whisper into the other's ear.

"I need to speak to you in private. It's urgent," she spoke in a hushed tone.

 

[Ser Gregor]

(((OOC: lol, Lavi you'll need to delete your post to allow Sheo to repost. :p You'll probably also have to modify it. _-_)))

 

[Lavi]

((I was confused why he deleted it! D: ))

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"Yes my master." Alexander said in return. Dressed in his usual red and black robes, he looked more regal than most royalty though not in a gaudish way by any means. It was the way he carried himself. He took his steps slow and measured thinking of what would be done. No, there wouldn't be any special tricks tonight. This would be politics pure and simple, no matter how much it bored him. Perhaps though if he looked at it like a game it would be easier.

Yes, just a simple game, he thoughts brooding behind his dark brown eyes. Wordsmithing as it were. The Ospion were already distraught. That much had been made clear from their time here. It seemed Losk's timing was, as always, perfect and miticulously executed, something Alexander too hoped he had learned from his 'father'. Lost in musings he went up another level on the compound through the elevator and out into the hallway. He heard the tale end of Cades speech and the reply from his master through the open doorway.

As he approached the door he stood tall, his dark shoulder length hair going well with his ensemble, not to bad even for a human. As he entered he could feel the tension in the air and noticed the look of unease upon Cades face, but would not rush it and rather introduced himself once more to the group. "A pleasure to see you all again my friends." He said a welcoming smile on his face that quickly feigned a look of concern as his eyes swept across the faces of the fallen jedi.

"Ah Master Cade, you seem troubled. Come, would you indulge me once more as I have with others and yourself during your stay and speak your mind with me?" He asked beckoning the Ospion out into the hallway that would eventually lead to a conference room with a balcony overlooking the property.

 

[Ser Gregor]

(((OOC: So it's Ols' post, than I'll reply to Lavi.)))

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

((Bumping....FOR GREAT JUSTICE!))

 

[Ols]

Cade turned back to the floor to ceiling windows, allowing the sunlight to wash over him once more. He took a deep breath and sighed as Linora replied and he grunted softy in a careless agreement. He felt a presence approaching a second or so before he heard echoing footsteps. He noted the familiar signature of Ameratsu Selena without even casting his gaze in the force over her. The young woman spoke quickly to Linora and Cade looked back, "You two stay here, I'll go for a wander," he said, politely. As he was about to move off, he again felt someone approaching and turned back around as Alexander, the human adopted son of Losk, spoke. Cade nodded in a friendly manner and proceeded to follow the man out through the room and onto the large balcony.

Although Alexander would never know, for Cade, a powerful master, kept his feelings perfectly hidden, he had deep disdain for the would-be Bothan. Honestly, Cade did not know the true reason. Alexander had been friendly and welcoming, but there was something that did not sit right with Cade, not concerning Alexander or Losk. If anything, he would have said his feelings were borne of instinct, more than logical thought. Their courtesy, it seemed false, almost too welcoming, as though they were trying to hard to put them at ease. And all this grandeur. He could not put his finger on it, but there was something wrong about this picture. The problem was he could not for the life of him find the true reason. Looking out over the complex, beautiful and picturesque in the Bothan wilds he spoke, keeping his voice in the same friendly and gracious he had used whenever addressing his ever-courteous hosts, "What is it you would like to speak about, Alexander?"

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

Alaxander followed the Jedi Master out to the desired location for conversation. Masked by the force his emotions inside were extatic, the Master, not realizing the need for secrecy kept his emotions hidden well, but from a trained force user such as himself he did more than just glance the surface of the pond so to speak. As he walked down the corridor he was thinking of where to start, it was a complicated task that unfolded before him. One that left him both excited, and slightly nervous, but only minimally so.

He listened as the jedi spoke then looked out over the view, a vast stretch of land, buildings, development and many other things going on, the occational speeder going by some distance out in the sky lane. "I am no jedi Master Cade, nor am I Ospion...but I did hear the end of your...worries." He said carefully choosing his words. "I'm curious though, I thought those who trusted in the force worried about little...that it was to guide them or some such thing. That is what I've read..and to be honest is the extent of my knowledge on such things with the jedi and ospion." His voice rang out honest concern as one who truly believed what he said. He was concerned, but not for the reasons one would assume, within himself his devilsh nature smiled at the play unfolding before him.

 

[Ols]

Well that was a lie. Cade thought. If Alexander had, as he had said, heard only the end of Cade's speech he would not have heard that he was unsure about his guidance, for he had only mentioned that right at the beginning of his and Linora's conversation. It sounded to him as if Alexander had eavesdropped upon the whole thing. Cade remained silent for a moment, going over Alexander's words. He certainly was not a Jedi or and Ospion, Cade would have known him, and he was too young to have left before Cade's time. He did not doubt that of what he had said. It was the next part, his curiosity. His speech was laced with qualifications and excuses and if he could not feel the young man's intent, the goodwill that seemed to flow with his words in the force then he would have been beyond any doubt that he was lying. As it was, to Cade's experienced ear, it did sound like an untruth, but he could not tell where the untruth lay. If Cade didn't think he knew better, he might have thought Alexander had undergone similar training that certain members of the special forces went through to resist interrogation by force users, masking their true intents with red herrings. As it was, Cade could not pick the man apart, so he decided to simply go along with the conversation amicably for now.

"Well, those who trust in the force do worry little about their path, Alexander. My concerns are not about where the force is taking me, more why, and a little to do with how, at times. This may sound confusing, but it is difficult to explain to one who cannot feel the force."

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"Ah but difficult things are often the most interesting once fully grasped." He said after only a moments thought. Hmm...a man of few words then? Alaxander thought to himself, wondering if or when he would earn the full confidence of the Ospion Gaurdian who stood before him.

"I'm often reminded of the idea of gods, primitive though they are. In my formal studying I delved into ancient history for a bit before moving to recent matters. I find things of antiquity can often be applied to our lives...but I go off track. The gods of ages past were sort of the fore-runner of your force as I understand it. They guided things as well, just as I assume from your words the force does. Pages upon pages were written about these ideals of pre-destination. Can you control your own life, after all, if it's being planned by another?" He said pausing to let the idea sink in. "Or could you control it at all. Some who claimed to use sorcery, magic and the like saught to control lesser gods for their own work to achieve such ends. Interesting philisophical concept, though I don't know if this even hits home with the troubles your speaking of."

 

[Ser Gregor]

Linora nodded, dismissing Cade to do as he pleased, before turning to Amaterasu.

"What bothers you, Selena?"

(Shortest. Post. Ever.)

 

[Lavi]

((I've made shorter posts.))

She waited long enough for Alexander and Cade to leave the room, and used the Force to ensure that the door was shut. At Linora's question, Amaterasu paused for a moment, to figure out exactly how to word what was on her mind.

"When we first arrived here, I noticed that there was a feeling of darkness encompassing Bothawui. It was too mingled into all other things to tell for sure, but I knew it was there. There is something clouding my ability to see into the Force, even when I am concentrating heavily on it."

Amaterasu let that first bit of information sink in. Linora definitely knows of her extraordinary levels of concentration, allowing the knight to more easily focus on Force-related abilities than many others. It was her inability to detect even the slightest clue that frustrated her.

"I am beginning to question what we are really here for. We have been here for three weeks. Helping the Bothans with their daily work was not what I had in mind when the Republic sent us here. Not that the tasks are beneath us, but the Bothans do not really need help from the Ospion to perform their tasks."

 

[Ols]

"Ah but difficult things are often the most interesting once fully grasped." He said after only a moments thought. Hmm...a man of few words then? Alaxander thought to himself, wondering if or when he would earn the full confidence of the Ospion Gaurdian who stood before him.

"I'm often reminded of the idea of gods, primitive though they are. In my formal studying I delved into ancient history for a bit before moving to recent matters. I find things of antiquity can often be applied to our lives...but I go off track. The gods of ages past were sort of the fore-runner of your force as I understand it. They guided things as well, just as I assume from your words the force does. Pages upon pages were written about these ideals of pre-destination. Can you control your own life, after all, if it's being planned by another?" He said pausing to let the idea sink in. "Or could you control it at all. Some who claimed to use sorcery, magic and the like saught to control lesser gods for their own work to achieve such ends. Interesting philisophical concept, though I don't know if this even hits home with the troubles your speaking of."

"To compare the force to a deity would not be so far fetched," Cade replied slowly. For one who had little idea of the force Alexander seemed to understand its philosophy fairly well. And if Cade was not mistaken is initial comment was almost asking him to explain its nature to him. He turned to face Alexander, "There are many fully fledged Jedi Knights, current and...left, who do not truly understand the way the force works. Although, you do seem to have a good understanding of it, and I think it's probably easier to understand this concept of it if you aren't that familiar with it, for various reasons, for example one who can feel the force tends to form opinions of how it works and struggle to understand other notions," he paused. Without even realising it he had forgotten his problems and slipped seamlessly into the role of teacher, so naturally, as he had as a Jedi Master. Almost subconsciously he was aware that Alexander knew more than he let on about the force and it would probably be fruitless trying to explain this to him, but as long as he was doing this, he was not confused.

He continued, "The force does not map out your entire life for you with a definitive route. But it will highlight certain events that will occur. For example force visions always come true. More often than not, it's in trying to stop them that people cause them to occur. But irrelevant of that, these events may in a sense map out a person's destiny. For example a warrior might have the destiny of slaying a dictator and that will be set in stone, but his choices will get him to that point and there is an infinity of paths he could take to reach it. Just as some examples they could be as diverse as him dying in killing the dictator, or murdering him in cold blood, or killing him in self defense. It's similar to imagining a painting, just one picture in a story. When you see that painting you can build your own story around it, and the only real constant is that one frame. You see what I mean?"

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

He paused for a moment to take in what Cade had said. "I think in a way I do...the destination is set, as it were. It's the path and the road we take next that isn't?" He asked curiously, though it was more of a rhetorical question, he had a more pressing point to go on with. "But if thats the case why so many restrictions? I don't know much about the Ospion, but the jedi are reknowned for their strict moral philosophy. But I mean, if the ending is set, why does the way we get there matter? Wouldn't it be better to make the next path you chose one that better suits yourself? Certainly one who is lucky enough to control the force has such power?" He mused aloud.

 

[Ser Gregor]

((I've made shorter posts.))

She waited long enough for Alexander and Cade to leave the room, and used the Force to ensure that the door was shut. At Linora's question, Amaterasu paused for a moment, to figure out exactly how to word what was on her mind.

"When we first arrived here, I noticed that there was a feeling of darkness encompassing Bothawui. It was too mingled into all other things to tell for sure, but I knew it was there. There is something clouding my ability to see into the Force, even when I am concentrating heavily on it."

Amaterasu let that first bit of information sink in. Linora definitely knows of her extraordinary levels of concentration, allowing the knight to more easily focus on Force-related abilities than many others. It was her inability to detect even the slightest clue that frustrated her.

"I am beginning to question what we are really here for. We have been here for three weeks. Helping the Bothans with their daily work was not what I had in mind when the Republic sent us here. Not that the tasks are beneath us, but the Bothans do not really need help from the Ospion to perform their tasks."

"No, they don't need our help. And I've felt the same... cloud that's been hanging thick over the planet. The Republic left us here to keep up busy and out of their hair, I fear. The opposition we're facing in the Senate is being spearheaded by Alcor, and he's gaining momentun," Linora explained, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's Losk. You can't read him. Normally I can pick apart a sentient's mind with minimal resistance, but not Losk. It may be his strong will, or something is blocking me. Either way, I'm determined to figure it out. The best thng you can do at hte moment is to continue trying to penetrate the fog."

 

[Lavi]

"I have a bad feeling about this; a very bad feeling," Amaterasu answered. "However, I'm relieved that you have also noticed, and I will be sure to continue in my attempts to penetrate the 'fog.'

"The darkness has been brewing more vehemently than I can remember, even before the schism. I hope you remain cautious in whatever you have in mind for Losk..." Amaterasu paused, momentarily closing her eyes. She checked the immediate area to see if anyone was eavesdropping. When satisfied, her eyes opened again, leaning towards Linora.

"To be honest, I do not trust the Bothans," she finished in a hushed voice.

 

[Ser Gregor]

"Do not waste resources worrying about me, I'm capable," Linora replied with a smile, looking around the room, visually scanning it for any eavesdroppers. "Losk has asked that we accompany him and Alexander to the city to help quell some... friction they're experiencing, if anything is going to happen, I'm betting it'll be then.

"As for the Bothans, it's natural to distrust them. They're opportunists and manipulaters, never willing to stick their necks out to much further than the rest, but will quickly leap at any opportunity given," Linora commented. "Don't give it to much thought."