Scholars Of Different Teachings

[EmilyHuene]

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Jedi Base of Operations
~Dantooine~
@EmilyHuene ; @Braden Drake​

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"Go. Explore. See for yourself the Jedi temple and the Light we carry with us."​

These were the words Valerie Black was given when she was dropped off on Dantooine. She'd been traveling with the Jedi Master who'd been instructed to keep an eye on her after rescuing her from a Republic prison. She was charged with murdering some high end thugs though the system deemed her actions self defense. It was the nature of her killings that had the Republic worried and in turn the Jedi. Fearing she was some Sith spy, they took the girl into custody and interrogated her. Once cleared of any suspicion she was then handed over to the Order and allowed to leave.

So here she was. Valerie felt like her whole life just got flipped upside down. One day she's living the high life as a well known actress and model and the next she's being carried off to some Religious temple. She was given Jedi robes to wear to look the part but she couldn't have felt more out of place. Her whole life she'd been nurtured in the Dark side though she'd never gone so far as to torment or torture another soul. Well....her brother didn't count. That was a story all in its own. So now, in this temple...base....whatever they wanted to call it, she could feel hundreds of eyes watching her. Valerie was used to people staring or tacking photos of her, it was the life in the spotlight. But this was different. She could feel them judging her. She desperately tried to hide her Force aura since it was as stained as tar, but that didn't stop her from feeling like everyone could right through her....

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[Braden]

Clovis had only recently landed on Dantooine, it was not one of his preferred locations. It was to busy, to military for his preference, he preferred the more tranquil worlds that the Jedi inhabited. But the Jedi base had its uses, it was one of the last bastions of knowledge of the light side and a place where ones new to the order could begin their journeys in the face of darkness.

Clovis wondered through the open ceiling corridors the light of the afternoon sun shining down, warming him through. He wondered his mind in the book before him, it was a history of the core worlds, narrated by an ancient Jedi, it was not he most interesting read but the Jedi's thoughts on how the force had purposefully guided the many races of the galaxy to colonize certain parts of the galaxy was an interesting proposal. Though from what he had heard from the librarian when he took this book from the archives it was not a proposal that was every expanded on.

He was dressed in a simple robe of dark grey and purple, though he had left the cloak in his quarters due to the warm afternoon. Turning the corner he felt a flow in the force, something dissimilar to everyone else around, a darkness in the light. Looking up he spotted the source of the disturbance, a young girl, barely an adult though her face showed more. If he could not feel that small echo of darkness, her body language would give it away that she was not used to her surroundings. Closing the book her stopped before young women and smiled.

"You do not look comfortable young Padawan. Perhaps try removing the cloak, it is to warm for that." He gestured for her to seat at a nearby bench. "My Name is Clovis Seifer, have you been on Dantooine long?"

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"You do not look comfortable young Padawan. Perhaps try removing the cloak, it is to warm for that. My Name is Clovis Seifer, have you been on Dantooine long?"

The girl nearly jumped as someone was suddenly talking to her. She hadn't expected someone to approach her so quickly, and in her mind they were they to interrogate her. She would look at the man and...whoa! He was handsome. Her eyes quickly looked away and down at her cloak. Oh dear. Was she blushing? She had to be. He gestured for her to sit at one of the nearby benches and at first she was hesitant to move. She looked behind her at the Jedi who'd brought her here...but he wasn't paying attention. He had said for her to explore, to meet others. So she would. Valerie slipped off the cloak giving him a smile of appreciation and then sat down on the bench; she would begin folding up the cloak so she could set it in her lap.

"My name's Valerie," she would say without giving her last name. She wondered if he recognized her. For many years now she'd been in modeling, but her first big experience was when she took a starring lead in a teen drama series. That's what really brought her fame. She wondered if he knew of her work and that's why he decided to come and see her. Even if he didn't, surely he'd seen the news going around. It wasn't everyday that a celebrity turns out to be related to Sith and gets in trouble with the law. Ok maybe that last part was more common. But still. Trying to change the subject she would then add, "Clovis huh? My grandfather's name was Clovis. He died before I was born, so I never met him."

@Braden Drake

 

[Braden]

Valerie, that was an interesting name, not common among the Jedi at least, they were used to either something obnoxious or overly fitting to the orders value. He had heard a number of Padawan's named 'Hope' or 'Spirit' over the last few years. She turned away when he first spoke, perhaps embarrassed but he was unsure, plus she was much younger than him so suspected it was nothing.

"Is that true, Clovis is not the most common name, but it is a lovely coincidence. How long have you been with the Jedi? Your manner tells me not long, what were you doing before this?" He was relaxed, the closed book on his lap his hand folded over the top. He tried to project calm and relaxation, he could feel the tension in the young Padawan and did not want her to close off.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Is that true, Clovis is not the most common name, but it is a lovely coincidence. How long have you been with the Jedi? Your manner tells me not long, what were you doing before this?"

Valerie tried to offer up a smile, she was good at faking it thought it wasn't sincere. "Yeah supposedly he was a Jedi actually. Clovis Lighthawk. This would have been....sixty..." she tried to do the math in her head but didn't really know how long it would have been, "Sixty seventy years ago". She shrugged it off and went to answer his next question.

"As for me...well I've been in movies." She let that sink in for a second before naming some of her works. "But I really got my break from doing *Blood and Brother*. The series? I was only on for four seasons then my character died. It was a lot of fun."

 

[Braden]

Ha, their was the ironic Jedi name, he smiled at his own inner thoughts, which probably appeared like a sincerer smile to the young Padawan. When she had explained she was a famous celebrity he turned and looked at her, scanning her facial features a little more, he did believe her face was familiar but was not 100% sure he actually did know who she was, it could have just been his mind playing tricks on him.

"I am sorry to say I did not recognize you, I have never been good with names and faces from the Holo, plus I have spent most of my life in the outer rim working for the Jedi so little time to watch anything outside of the news. Though this does explain why those two Padawan's over there have been staring at you ever since you sat down."

He nodded in the direction of two young Padawan's couldn't be much older than fourteen, just at the start of their formal training, enough free time to watch tv series and films. When they noticed Clovis looking at them they made a quick departure around the corner, though he doubted it would be long before they would peak back around the wall.

"So famous movie star, to Jedi Padawan, that is not a path many have tread, though I have heard of one going the other way. She was a very interesting women that I can say. I am surprised with your fame that you were not noticed by the Jedi earlier in life. Have you had any training to date Valerie?"

He could still feel something odd, dark around the youngling though from her outward appearance their was nothing to show. Perhaps the result of her being an actress, if he was not connected to the force he perhaps would never had noticed it. Though he was not sure if this darkness came from pain, anger, hate or sorrow, so he would allow her to open up first before he would look to shine a light into her soul.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"I am sorry to say I did not recognize you, I have never been good with names and faces from the Holo, plus I have spent most of my life in the outer rim working for the Jedi so little time to watch anything outside of the news. Though this does explain why those two Padawan's over there have been staring at you ever since you sat down."

She would look up as they rounded the corner, but paid little attention to them, "It's...honestly kind of refreshing. You not knowing me, I mean. Everywhere I go I'm mobbed by people wanting to take pictures of me or ask me to sign something for them. It's nice every now and then, but sometimes you just need a break."

"So famous movie star, to Jedi Padawan, that is not a path many have tread, though I have heard of one going the other way. She was a very interesting women that I can say. I am surprised with your fame that you were not noticed by the Jedi earlier in life. Have you had any training to date Valerie?"

Ah, the topic she didn't want to talk about. She would sigh and look at her hands. Guess it was time to come clean. "My mother was a Sith." She let that sink in for a minute before continuing. "I was raised in the Dark side. Learning to fight, to kill. Never to show mercy. But my mother didn't want us joining the Sith. Technically she had left them before I was born. I guess I should have started with that. But anyways, she wanted us to be able to defend ourselves and be independent. We kept our training secret while I tried to make a life for myself as an actress." Her voice got a little quieter. "I made a mistake. These men came after me. I killed them. The Republic found out. Now I'm here."

 

[Braden]

Clovis smiled at her comment of being left alone, the Jedi way was one of detachment of breaks away from the galaxy. It is easy to spend years like Clovis did well away from the trials and tropes of the galaxy at large and just be alone, perhaps this was a treatment that Valerie needed, time to be with herself and find herself. He put a little mental note away to speak to the powers at be, to see if an assignment like this could be made for the young Padawan. Though with her next statement he scratched out that mental note, now was not the time to be alone. He struggled to hide the surprise about her past, though he was confident something showed. How was she not being followed, allowed to walk to easily among the Jedi, younglings so easy corrupted.

He caught himself in though he was being harsh on the girl, it was not her fault that she was brought up this way, he could be in her place if not for the planet of his birth. Any Jedi could be Sith and Sith a Jedi if not the smallest of margins. "Mistakes are easily made by all, young and old, Sith or Jedi, Senator or Crook. What matters is what you learn from your mistake and where you go with that lesson."

Clovis straightened his back and stood up from the seat, holding the book at his side. "This training you had, was it all physical? Or was their anything mental, philosophical behind it?"

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Mistakes are easily made by all, young and old, Sith or Jedi, Senator or Crook. What matters is what you learn from your mistake and where you go with that lesson."

His words were kind, but he was giving her too much credit. The fact of the matter was, she'd enjoyed killing those men that came after her. That wasn't just a mistake. Her only mistake was getting caught. But he didn't need to know that, nor did the council. She was here because her past got in the way and made her into something she didn't want to be. She didn't want to be the killer she enjoyed being. She just wanted to live in peace, in the wealthy life. Parties, movies, sex. She wanted that life back.

"This training you had, was it all physical? Or was their anything mental, philosophical behind it?"

His words brought her back from her own thoughts and she would look up to him while she thought about her answer. "It was mostly mental I guess; I didn't really like the fighting part. My brother was always better at it. I'm not really sure about the philosophical points of it though. You mean like The Code right?"

 

[Braden]

Clovis turned on his heels so he was looking down on the young girl. He wondered behind those eyes what was going on? Was this a long game by the Sith perhaps a ruse hidden in plain sight to infiltrate the order, or was she just a young girl brought up in the wrong side of the force. Her words of a brother was perhaps a point of discussion for another time, he could only help one lost soul at the moment anyway.

"The Code is one way of putting it. Though the Code his just guidelines, I have been taught that their are more variations of the code that we can practice in our lives. Some will call it simply morals, but it is much more complex, it is a state of mind and of character. These philosophical components alter a person's very way of thinking, of acting and in the sake of a force user allows them to more identify themselves with the Jedi or Sith." He took a brief pause, before he gestured the young women to follow him. He never liked to stand still and talk preferring to move. As they began to walk down the open roofed corridor he spoke again.

"If you have been taught only the physical and mental aspects of using the force, with no true philosophical training you are only going to fall down the path of darkness. This training is first and foremost the way to become a Jedi. More than ones power in the force or strength in their blade." Continuing his walk he turned his head to look at her. "Do you know the Jedi code? And perhaps that of the Sith?"

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"The Code is one way of putting it. Though the Code his just guidelines, I have been taught that their are more variations of the code that we can practice in our lives. Some will call it simply morals, but it is much more complex, it is a state of mind and of character. These philosophical components alter a person's very way of thinking, of acting and in the sake of a force user allows them to more identify themselves with the Jedi or Sith."

Following after him she would speak up, "I guess that makes sense. I can't really say that my mother and I really had those thoughts. She just taught me to trust in my power, and use my emotions to further them."

"If you have been taught only the physical and mental aspects of using the force, with no true philosophical training you are only going to fall down the path of darkness. This training is first and foremost the way to become a Jedi. More than ones power in the force or strength in their blade. Do you know the Jedi code? And perhaps that of the Sith?"

Valerie shook her head, "No. In my teachings, if you could even call it that, we were always told that the Jedi were stupid. No offense. But that's why you're losing this war after all. Anyways....not trying to pick sides. She didn't much care for the Sith either. They were just as simple minded and prone to failure. The Sith were always more quick tempered, and they betrayed one another. That's how my father died I guess. We never were able to find out. But they came after my mother soon after and we fled. We never did anything wrong. Or she I mean. So by the time we were born we were on our own. Just her and my stepfather when she married him. He taught us to fight, she taught me how to strengthen my powers to the Dark side."

 

[Braden]

He laughed at her comment about the Jedi, some did call their order, their thoughts on life and the force as stupid, as mumbo jumbo, useless facts and faith. And yes they were losing the war. But that was perhaps for another time.

"I understand, as I said before training without proper purpose is the path to not only the dark side but failure. Seeing as you have dabbled more in the dark side than the light, shall we start with the Sith code?" He waited for her answer before beginning.

"These are only my own thoughts, take them absorb them, come to your own thoughts, your own comments. Peace is a lie, there is only passion, Through passion, I gain strength, Through strength, I gain power, Through power, I gain victory, Through victory, my chains are broken, The Force shall free me.'

'Peace is a lie', this is the one line of the Sith code I do agree with in a sense, though i am not happy for it. There can be no peace in the galaxy, it is the nature of the galaxy to be in conflict. People are jealous and greedy, wanting what other's have. Culture's clash, Idea's do not mix and one person always believes they are right. Case in point, the Sith and Jedi we have been at almost constant war for generations only just because we differ on our views of the force. I do wonder how many died because of this. But internal peace this can be found, look at those around you, many have found internal peace, or have made peace with the fact that the galaxy is in a constant war.

'there is only passion', again I agree. Some people can forgoes some passions but overall passion is what defines us as human beings. How can we love, care, protect, strive for progress if we do not have any passion? Though the the Jedi code says differently, we will speak on this after.

'Though passion, I gain strength', yes and no. Passion can cause weakness, this is one of the fundamental flaws in the Sith the relay on there passion potentially to much and this passion can lead to over confidence, mistakes and loss of life and ground.

'Through strength, I gain power' Strength is usually able to be transmitted to power, however the way Sith believe strength is gained can backfire. I also see negatives in what the Sith usually cast as Strength, this is usually in arms or the force. They forget those who are mentally strong, or skilled in other wordly matters.

'Through power, I gain victory', victory through power alone is short sighted. Another aspect of the Sith which i would consider a flaw, there is more to victory than just power and strength.

'Through victory, my chains are broken', chains can be broken through victory but also new chains can be added with victory. The higher you climb the ladder the more people grab on trying to pull you down. Hence why one government can last forever.

'The force shall free me', the force is freeing I cannot fault them there."

Looking down at the young women he titled his head. "What are your thoughts Padawan?"

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"I understand, as I said before training without proper purpose is the path to not only the dark side but failure. Seeing as you have dabbled more in the dark side than the light, shall we start with the Sith code?"

"Yes, that will be fine." She continued walking with him and nervously moved her hands/arms in different positions because she wasn't quite sure how to hold herself. It was weird being here, talking with a Jedi, about politics and policies. Everything was so foreign to her nowadays.

"These are only my own --- your thoughts Padawan?"

Once he was done she took a moment to gather all of her words. It was her time for a big speech. And believe it or not, she had so much to say, "You're right about peace. There will never be such a thing. Each side has been fighting since the beginning, over power in some form. As far as we can tell no society has ever found true peace. There might be times were war and hatred are almost nonexistant, but how often does it last? The Jedi, the Sith...whoever loses this war will simply build up their strength to fight again. That's what's always happens. When the Sith lost last time, they hid in the sdhaows of the outer rim and waited for the time to once again strike. Passion? Well I guess my passion has always fueled my power. That much I really understand. My mother taught me to build my fear and rage to let the Dark side give me that strength I need. It helped me fight, it helped me defend. It saved my life." She was referring to the most recent attack where she'd killed the men who came after her.

"I want to say I agree that strength is power. But as of late I can't. My brother...he wanted strength. That's why he killed our parents. He wanted their power and he wanted the strength of the Sith. He even attacked me...until I defeated him. His desire for that strength put him in a situation he could not overcome and it cost him his life. Would things have been different if he didn't want that power? I think so. But I cannot alter time. The rest of the code seems too corrupt even from within the Sith. Power, victory, chains. It all seems the same to me. The more power and strength you have the more victories you overcome. You break those chains and do as you see fit. I'd value that respect. I wish I could just do as I pleased. But...we can't, can we? Life gets in the way. The war gets in our way. Doing what we want clashes with other people who wish to do the same thing. So how do you solve a problem? That's the real question isn't it? My brother?..he came to me challenging me because he wanted to go off on a stupid crusade. I told him no, just as Mother had. We fought. I won."

Valerie didn't realize it but she'd begun to cry. It wasn't a sniffling kind of cry, more of an emotional flow of tears that she just couldn't stop herself from having. She wiped her eyes and laughed awkwardly, embarassed for letting her emotions get the better of her. "Sorry..."

 

[Braden]

He slowed his walk as she began to speak, he did not want to be in a crowded place if she said anything potentially damning about her past. Clovis was forgiving but some of the more zealous in the Army where not. When she started to tear up, he paused slightly, he was never good with tears be them male or female, young or old. He only missed a single step but caught up quickly with his longer strides. He placed a hand on her shoulder, only lightly, a comforting hand.

"You do not need to apologies. Emotions are part of life, though what we do with those emotions defines us as either Jedi or Sith." He gave her a reassuring smile, before going back to some of her earlier questions. "No, we cannot do as we please, you will always have someone who depends on you. Humanity, all civilized life live in packs, we depend on each other, for strength both physical and mental."

They reached the end of the corridor, turning right they entered one of the larger open spaces of the compound, it was empty but from a pair of service droids. "Sometimes we have to fight and sometimes we have to kill. This is a fact in the universe and in the war. Again it is why we choose to fight that defines us and what side of the spectrum we fall upon. Now why did you fight your brother? Think about it before you answer."

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

"You do not need to apologies. Emotions are part of life, though what we do with those emotions defines us as either Jedi or Sith."

"Thanks," she would say, appreciating his gesture. She then patted his hand which was still on her shoulder and he'd take it back. She didn't really like being touched...

"No, we cannot do as we please, you will always have someone who depends on you. Humanity, all civilized life live in packs, we depend on each other, for strength both physical and mental. Sometimes we have to fight and sometimes we have to kill. This is a fact in the universe and in the war. Again it is why we choose to fight that defines us and what side of the spectrum we fall upon. Now why did you fight your brother? Think about it before you answer."

"He killed my parents," she said like it was a dumb question. "He tried to kill me. If I didn't fight him I would have died too. He wasn't thinking straight, he was...corrupted by the Dark side."

 

[Braden]

"Could you have avoided fighting him? Could you have run away?" She may think this was a dumb question, or even a pointless avenue of thinking, but it was important for Clovis to look into the girl and find out what truly made her click. "More importantly, did you want to fight him? How did you feel after his death?" That was the most important question of all, this would decide potentially who she was or who she could be, and how much Clovis could really do to help the young girl.

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Could you have avoided fighting him? Could you have run away? More importantly, did you want to fight him? How did you feel after his death?"

For a second she was speechless. But not because of what she wanted to say, but because of what she didn't want to say. Valerie was distraught at how things had turned out. She murdered her own brother. Who wouldn't be upset? How could anyone not have remorse for the things she'd done? Maybe that was the question Clovis really wanted to know. Did she care...or was she a Sith?

"Killing him was the biggest regret of my life," she finally answered him. "He wasn't just my brother, he was my twin. We grew up together. We ate together. We did...everything together. When he came for me, I was so scared. I did run, Clovis. I ran as hard as I could. But he was determined to see me fall to him. He wanted me to join him, to follow him to the Sith. I couldn't do that. Not after he murdered our parents." The tears would start falling again. "I wasn't just fighting him for revenge. I was fighting for my life. If I was stronger maybe I could have ended it without killing him. But...I wasn't strong enough." She was now practically balling and couldn't seem to continue talking she was sobbing so hard. Her legs were starting to get weak and she fought the urge to sink right there and then.