Open Ajan Kloss The Cycle of The Force

[Kraud]

Kraud took a step back again when Oren began talking. He had arranged this meeting, so the Whiphid found it suiting that he would be the first to give his opinion on the matter at hand. He was no fool, however, and noticed that his fellow Jedi found it difficult to fully express himself. It was never an easy task, especially in front of a group like this. But that was also part of being a Jedi, wasn't it? To dare and speak up, instead of staying silent in a corner. And Kraud was most pleased to see that Oren didn't disappoint. His opinion was in accordance with the code, mentioning a path that seemed to be the most straightforward and logical option. Fight their injustice with justice. Counter their cruelty with compassion, and have faith in the Force. Faith in the Order.

Oren's speech was further emphasized by Mila, who made an attempt to encourage her fellow Jedi. And likewise, she was right. Their Order had survived for thousands of years. No Hutt with a large sum of credits could possibly be the end of the Order now. In the middle of her speech, however, Kraud noticed that she, like Oren, had trouble conveying how she felt. For a second, the Whiphid almost forgot that she had encountered these Dark side practitioners on Mustafar; something that still seemed to torment her. A smile played about his lips as he realized how much courage it must've took for her to speak about this in public.

The third person to speak up raised a good question. Who would take a helping hand from those portrayed as murderous zealots? The response came from an older Knight, although it wasn't really the answer he had expected. His response was basically "What has been said and suggested shouldn't need to be discussed", only to suggest the exact same actions Oren had proposed mere minutes ago. Namely go out there and help those in need. What was the point of his entire monologue, if he gave the same answer Oren had given? More importantly, did he accuse his brothers and sisters of being 'killers?' Was this man for real? Did he come here just to criticize and belittle those around him? That wasn't what the Whiphid expected from a Jedi.

The fifth speaker, a female Cathar, raised another good point. The galaxy didn't even see them as guardians or protectors. Like the others who had given their opinions before her, she seemed to agree with the fact that they had to show the galaxy what the Jedi truly were.

The sixth person to speak up was a lot more agitated than those who had come before him. Kraud raised an eyebrow as he listened to the rather insensitive man, who Kraud doubted was truly deserving of the title of Knight. He seemed unstable, but perhaps his actions spoke louder than his words; or so the Whiphid hoped. At least the Knight nearing his 50s had brought ideas to the table; suggesting to work with the sector rangers and further investigate the red lightsabers. Kraud could respect that. But this rather rude speech? Absolutely not. It did raise some questions, however.

"It has been stated several times by those willing to share their ideas and opinions." the Whiphid stated calmly. "We should focus our efforts on building alliances, investigating these Sith, and taking a more active role in helping those we wish to protect." He summarized, glancing at those who had spoken, namely the Cathar, Oren and the middle aged Knight, to check if they wanted to add anything before he continued. "Although I have a question concerning these Dark side practitioners. Once we encounter them, and we will, how should we proceed? Attack them on sight? Try to reason with them?" Kraud asked, knowing that the former seemed against the code, while the latter could result in even more carnage.

He then turned to Mila. "Knight Tesara. You have encountered these 'Sith' before. Can they even be reasoned with?"

@TWD26 @Killa Ree @Nefieslab @Algarus @Lyrael @Shax

 

[Oren Zapan]

It seemed things were starting to lose focus. Several others had begun to give their responses, calling to show the galaxy what it meant to be a Jedi. He agreed for the most part, they were supposed to serve and protect, to treat others, but he knew that not everyone had seen the same view. Within any group there would be those who bore the semblance of a war hawk, he knew that it was sometimes necessary, but dangerous. He would peer towards Ash who he had only met one other time at this point and was clearly still suffering from something in his past.

Oren would tap his robotic fingers against his chin as he listened to the discussion, sensing their emotions, "No one has ever claimed that the Hutt in question was someone of virtue, but Maxims is right..Arguing about his justifications for this bounty is beyond the point. The fact of the matter is that there are people dead and citizens across the galaxy are scared." He'd sigh as he rubbed his face, his facial markings glowing slightly as he contemplated his next words.

"I've worked with several knights in this room, we have done our part to free slaves, work with the poor, fix water systems. I've met rangers and those within the cartels who had been forced into a bad situation. Not all of them are bad, it's a matter of circumstance. Enacting war against the Hutt will only provide strength to this individual. He wants us divided and he wants us to break."

"I don't know if he's sith, he could be, but to think that the Jedi are the only beacon of light is vanity and the same goes with the Sith." He would sigh, "The fact of the matter is that we should be among the people, protect them if you come across these darksiders, but do not blindly attack, remember the code."

He would peer towards Mila, someone that he had known met with these individuals on Mustafar, "Before you head out to the regions of space, it's important that we know who they are. Mila, you told me you met them before? Can you explain?"

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Once again the Jedi all spoke and either agreed with each other but argued regardless or let their emotions guide them. He eyed the Knight who had passionately argued for the furthering of hostilities with the Hutt and the suspected Dark Siders with more than a little bit of caution. ( @Shax )

"I agree that we need to take action but if we act on emotion we risk proving what the galaxy fears to be correct; that we are a dangerous cult of mystic warriors answerable to no one but ourselves." he frowned slightly, "We must actively investigate the rumors of these 'sith' while doing what we can to avoid a war with the Hutts. Right now it is a father lashing out over the death of his child - if we find the real killers then justice can be served."

But one of them had already encountered the Dark Side users?

This was... alarming.

He looked between Oren and the Whiphid for a moment with a frown. The twi'lek as well come to think of it. She had seen evidence of Dark Siders in the Galaxy once more and the first the Order as a whole heard of this was after they had revealed themselves by way of messing with the Hutt Cartels? By throwing the Galaxy in chaos?

He said nothing to it for now but he was far from pleased. How was the Order to act as a united front when some of their number were already keeping things secret from the rest?

 

[Mila Tesara]

There seemed to be a flurry of voices now at work, as each voice that piped up had some sort of input, most of which the jedi knight had been listening to, until one word by Max sent her back to Mustafar, as her mind recalled the crimson blades of the dark siders that she had been trapped with in the depths of Vaders fortress. Red and green lights, burning in a dark abyss. It was suffocating, endless. 'Nema, stay behind me.' She had tried to warn the padawan, as the mutilated corpses pushed forward. She heard the screams, the tearing of flesh, the snap of bone, and was left alone in the dark. The fiery visage of some alien entity stood over her, flames and ocher holding its mangled body together, as it strode towards her, the flames it produced clashed with the icy darkness that substained it. It was one thing to read about an evil, it was another thing entirely to feel at it's mercy. Her hands trembled as she stood in quiet contemplation.

She snapped back out of it not longer after, as Kraud seemed to have the floor now, the jedi motioned to Mira, as did Oren, as she was now asked about what she had witnessed during her mission to Mustafar. She looked to the two men, as her expression of confusion slowly worked it's way into a sense of relief. To the more keen eyed, a small bit of moisture streaked down the side of her cheek, but the young Twi'lek carried on regardless. "My experience with these 'Sith', if they are to be called that, was....confusing. They do not carry themselves like the Sith of old. Rather, they carry themselves as scholars. Though I suspect that is merely a ploy they utilize, as while they backed down from conflict, the taint of the dark side was instilled within them." Mila paused, thinking back to her encounter with the one called Edwin, and thought back to the idea of redemption. Her gaze faulted, as she looked to the ground, he brow furrowed in thought. They hadn't seemed 'twisted', but there was something wrong with them. Her talk with Brahe on Naboo was starting to make more sense now, as she had to confront a terrible truth now, the Sith has never truly died, but merely adapted. "Forgive me, I had thought this might have been handed down by the council by now, but apperently not everyone is aware of this." She sensed a tidbit of frustration from Max and frowned ever so slightly toward the knight, wondering what was the trigger behind his current stance. "As I was saying, these new Sith, if that is indeed what they are, they are crafty, clever. They speak with honey sweet words, but have no sincerity behind them. I suspect they could be hiding in plain sight, perhaps far longer than we may have initially thought. Engaging them directly is folly, as they seek to build up strength in the shadows before making their move. Least from my interactions, that is what I was able to discern." Looking to Kraud once more, Mila only shook her head. "Perhaps they can be parlayed with, but I would not trust them. Had the Sith I encountered not expired, I suspected they would have tried to betray my party." Mila looked around, feeling like she might have let loose a flood, and was to withstand the brunt of it.

@TWD26 @Powerfullhorus @Nefieslab

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Music OOC

Spoiler

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The Jedi knight had come attired in her white robe with blue highlights, hood pulled down to reveal a darker blue of hair and skin. Apart from sipping tea from a vacuum flask, Vayla had sat in silence from the meeting’s beginning throughout its proceedings, having felt no immediate need to chime in. Not much had been discussed overall apart from emphasis on the meaning of being a Jedi and the repetitions of this truth. Oren had ushered in that statement and others were quick to expand upon it, in some way. It was only natural to convey a focus on the fibers of their being—getting out there and acting like Jedi.

Yet, Vayla hadn’t been invited to this meeting to learn about code of character, or especially to suffer the bubbles of agitated tempers. She came here for answers, or at least the questions that would lead to them through further investigation; a notion that at least a few had so far spoken toward. She scanned the faces all about, namely those who had spoken or were speaking, dissecting countenances like flesh on a table. The comparison was certainly morbid. The bodies. The limbs. The blood. The fire. She watched the video play back behind her eyes, that dark figure with a red lightsaber, and the slaughter that followed. Carnage. Absolute carnage.

Moments later and the Twi’lek, Mila Tesara, was feeling the weight of the questions directed toward her. She had apparently encountered darksiders before, against all odds, and now was elaborating on that particularly curious sliver of truth. There was some tension in Vayla’s being as she considered it, right down to the bones. The aroma of sapir tea steaming from her flask was calming, at least.

As Mila moved to relay her experience, Vayla’s prosthetic eyes watched her closely, spotting a bead of sweat trickle down her face. I’d be sweating too. Goodness, dear, what happened? The Jedi knight answered that question then and there. If this information had been handed down by the Council then Vayla, for one, had missed it. Sith scholars? She didn’t like the idea that there were dark scholars out there—she considered herself to be something of a scholar as it were—haunting the galaxy with cold whispers from black books. Sorcery that could blanket the cosmos in millenia of darkness. Her thoughts threatened to drift away again so she blinked herself back into focus. Ignorance, yet knowledge.

“Strength in the shadows…” Vayla spoke under her breath, able to be heard by those sitting beside her or anyone who was particularly aware, but it wouldn’t matter. Her eyes drifted from the tendrils of steam curling upward from her flask to settle upon Mila once more.

“I think it is safe to say that these darksiders, Sith or otherwise, have already made their move.” Her voice was broadcasted to the room at large now. “Sorry. Vayla Mirana. Jedi Knight.” She introduced herself simply. “They ignited lightsabers and explosions. One of them flung lightning from his fingertips. The killing we all witnessed in that footage was nothing short of brutal. Whether these were isolated attacks or part of a larger scheme, the galaxy is now looking for us but, amid our daily healing, we should be looking for five individuals and however many more.”

Vayla paused just long enough to sip her tea and collect her thoughts. “It is in some way a convenience that the butchers from Durr the Hutt’s broadcast were recorded. Who knows what other destruction this new threat has waged without being captured by cameras? We have an opportunity here to find out who these people are and what they want. I feel…” She shook her head, catching herself.

“...I feel like this could be the beginning of a war, the kind that hasn’t been seen for over a century. A war between Jedi and Sith? Between Force users and the rest of the galaxy? The point is that we should not wait to find out. I echo another’s input: investigate this threat. Study the footage as a first step, perhaps." There was more than one figure in the footage, but one imposed himself upon her pupils. Red blade raging. A shadow of death and hate. "Keep each other close. Cooperate with the Sector Rangers and show both them and the galaxy that the Jedi are not their enemy.”

Vayla measured her gaze with the faces around her, from Oren to Mila and anyone in between. “We are hunted, my friends, but that does not mean that we cannot also hunt. Not for blood but for truth, and truth is much thicker."

 

[Giran Latt]

Giran gave Izel a half hearted smile.
"I'm surviving, I'm sure your master is as concerned as everyone else. People just show it in different ways" Giran offered stuffing his own anxieties into the back of his mind.

As if to prove his point the Knights began to speak and it was clear they were all scared. It manifested itself in different ways: anxiety, anger, frustration but under it all was fear. His own master was, in Giran's opinion, the most open with her turmoil. She began to recount her own experience of this new threat. Giran thought he knew his master well and could see the pain the memories brought her through the trembling of her hands and the small bead of sweat trickling down her face. He saw Brahe too quiet and meek so unlike himself. Something had happened to the two of them and he'd been so wrapped up in himself he'd failed to see it.
selfish
Well there was nothing he could do about the past but he could do something from now.

He looked at each of his new family in turn: Fiach, Brahe and Mi'la and took courage from them. He drew himself up out of usual meek slumped position and went and took up position behind Mi'la's left shoulder. Looking as imperious as he could muster, he stood guard over his master who had done so much for him. If they were to be hunted as master Mirana said then he would find the courage to meet them.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

One, two, three, four, five, six... Hannibal counted on his fingers, grin slowly widening on his face as he listened to the little speeches by this and that Jedi. He had counted the word 'Dark' used in some capacity at least six times, not including references to darksiders, and a similar number of references to 'Light'. Was there some kind of Jedi playbook for giving rhetoric-filled speeches? He could barely help his expression, though he had the sense of decorum not to start laughing when he also noticed the speeches were starting to come off as an echo of each other one way or another. Hannibal himself was only really paying full attention when the one who looked as disappointed in the other speeches as himself started speaking (@Nefieslab) and kept up from there, noting Ash's aggressive attitude towards the Hutt in particular. He'd have to ask about that later.

By the time a twi'lek Jedi was saying something about thick truth, he was getting a little irritated. Not much said seemed to have been an actual plan so far, just the vague outline of an echo of one. To him, it seemed as if many of the Jedi were focusing on the past and the future, but not what to do right now to get things moving. Investigate? That's wasn't a plan, that was an okay start, and Hannibal really hoped someone was already doing that by this point.

The young man straightened up, having been standing in a slack sort of way he tended to when he got bored of tedious meeting, and spoke out clearly, "Dark, light, something, something, dark side blah." His tone was not the least bit respectful, dripping in sarcastic mockery. He knew full well it was rude, but he had little doubt it would draw attention, which was the actual point. "Sith or not, what this amounts to is a trick, a bad joke. An attempt to turn the people we help into a threat, but also a chance for us to turn it back on the culprits." His grin flashed brilliantly, seemingly either immune or ignorant of any negativity his abrasiveness could draw his way.

"Someone is pretending to be a murderous Jedi, and his actions angered a Hutt. If we work with the Rangers and find a way to bring the Hutt around to how we see things with whatever proof we can dig up, we turn this little act of trickery back against them. To counteract that, this group or individual, or whatever, is probably going to try and keep up this new image they want the Jedi to have. They'll keep trying to make us look bad by acting in our name." He looked around at the gathered Jedi for a moment. "We do know how many Jedi there are and who they are, yes? Someone bothered to write that down? I suggest we give limited files on the Jedi to the Rangers in advance, so they know who is a Jedi and who is an asshat carrying a lightsaber trying to cause trouble. That's probably a good start in building trust and working together. And, if it's not too much trouble, maybe try figuring out where those Jedi-colored lightsabers in the video came from? Unless someone here happens to have lost theirs?" On that point he found himself a seat, leaning back into it and placing a cigara into his mouth, though he was polite enough not to light it just yet. "Speech over, carry on."

 

[Ke Eoto]

@Vayla Mirana

Ke Eoto strode into the room soon after Vayla Mirana, following behind his master in smooth, long strides to attend the meeting. He was dressed in long robes of tan and brown that hanged somewhat loose over his tall but slender and skeletal body. As he stepped inside, the alien scanned over the others gathered. The golden, vibrant plates of chitin on his face shifted and pulled in, compacting over his features to form a smooth hardened mask, only broken by the split of his beaked maw and offering a slight suggestion of the usual snout-like shape of his face.

His pale blue eyes found some of his fellow padawans: Giran, Fiach, Brahe, and Izel, whose name he had habit of mispronouncing. He gave each of them a deep nod, or a slight bow depending on the perspective, in a silent greeting before taking note of other Jedi. It was rather heartening for him to see that a good amount of more senior Jedi were aliens, and not near-human ones like his master either, in an order that seemed to him to have been mostly dominated by humans.

Ke Eoto's good mood would not last however as his gaze was directed to the recording of the attacks and the massage that was carried along with them by the Hutt's speech.

He listened silently at first, not feeling completely that it was his place to speak on any of these matters, his gaze fixated upon the recording for the most part, diverting away only when his master spoke. Finally, when there was a break in the discussion, the Blood Carver saw it fitting to speak up, at least briefly,

"I am only a Paa-dawan, but would it noot be fitting to try and parlaay with these 'sko-lars' even if chance of success is slim? There is more balaance in nego-tia-tioon than exter-mina-tioon."

The alien croaked out the words in strange intonations of his nasally voice and prolonged syllables as he forced out the sounds through xenos vocal cords still unacquainted with Galactic Basic.

"I conk-ur that co-opera-tioon with the Sector Rangers is fitting, and with permisi-oon of my Master, Vayla Mirana,"

In a smooth glide of his hand, he motioned to the blue-skinned Jedi standing next to him,

"I would like to volun-teer to accom-pany the Sector Rangers on their daily roo-tines to establish direct partnership."

The Blood Carver sounded out the words in his strange accent with a measure of strain and focus required for him to speak the language at least somewhat intelligibly, falling silent afterwards to signal that he concluded his part in the debate for now with the proposal.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel nodded in response to Giran, but wasn't very reassured. She lowered her head thoughtfully as her antennae twitched constantly with the ongoing debate. It was immensely disconcerting how caught off guard by all this the Order seemed to be. The emotions whirling around the room were so disparate and powerful that she had to retract inwards somewhat to keep from being overwhelmed by them. There were certainly good ideas among the arguments: investigating these "sith", continuing to reach out and help the galaxy to set an example, cooperating with the sector rangers. But Izel herself couldn't help but feel their problem was more fundamental than that. A problem that seemed to plague the Order throughout history from what she had read in her history books.

"We're alone..." She said quietly to herself, most likely inaudible to the room at large. "Small... No one understands us..." She looked around at the others in the room. Summoning her courage she stepped forward and raised her voice.

"We've been too insular." She said. "It's like Nashyr said. Most of the galaxy doesn't even know we exist. I myself didn't even know what the Force was until I first learned of my sensitivity and my parents explained it to me. How is this possible? The Jedi have existed for thousands of years!" She began pacing about, frustrated. "How can it be that the Jedi are nothing more than a myth to so many, despite there being irrefutable proof of our existence? How can the public be so easily swayed to think we are savage murderers when our philosophy and values have been written in text for millennia?" She paused for a moment to glance at some of her fellow Padawans, thinking back to their previous conversation about opening the order. "It's because we have never made a concerted effort to help the galaxy understand what we truly are. Helping others is all well and good, but the way we operate they see us as urban legends, appearing out of the ether to do good and then disappearing without asking for a reward or anything. No wonder so few believe we exist, it's like something out of a children's story! We need to make a greater effort to be seen and heard by the galaxy, and to hear what they have to say about us as well. We need to do more than cooperate with the sector rangers, we need to incorporate ourselves into their organization, and have them incorporated into our order as well. We need to do more than help ravaged worlds, we need to establish a permanent presence on those worlds, and teach even those who are not Force sensitive the ways of the Jedi, so that they may understand us. We need to ally ourselves with other governments and work together to expand our influence. It should be our goal to make the entire galaxy aware of the existence of the Jedi. Our teachings should be common knowledge. Let us do away with this isolated monastic mindset and truly become an inextricable part of galactic society. That is how we resolve this conflict, and all the conflicts to come." She stepped back. She had grown confident and animated during her speech, but now her nerves were quickly catching up with her. She bowed her head. "But, uh, that's just my opinion... My humble opinion. Masters." She looked around, waiting for a response.

 

[Nashyr Ris]

None was more surprised than Nashyr when a Kaleesh stranger nudged her from behind, encouraging her to finish what she spoke of earlier. But they were all losing focus... and she was surprised to see worry written in the lines of each expression, even those whose species were not even Near Human. Master and student alike were talking now, earnest in debate about what they wanted to see done with the Order. And many had the same ideas, it seemed... which was odd.

Why, then, argue?

"Stop."

She sighed, rubbing her brow. "I'll admit, I'm... very, very new to this way of life. Perhaps too new. But I lived in a place, once, where the Hutts were the only thing that kept you protected in a galaxy that was full of lawlessness." Her gaze landed on Max's, and a soft smile touched her lips for a brief moment... and then it was gone.

"But am I wrong in assuming this is not the first time someone's wanted to blame the Jedi? We all want the same things... but fearing for our lives isn't the way. If we want to survive--- and, pardon a new blood for stepping in--- we need to work together. The Sector Rangers is a good beginning," she nodded, "and though I'm not familiar with dark siders, I'm sure their cause has been the antithesis of ours for a long time. The galaxy doesn't care about noble deeds, it cares about credits and justice, by lawfulness or not. I should know, I lived in it." Her smile turned a little bitter, but then she shrugged. "I leave it up to you to decide; I changed my alliance because I believe in helping others and protecting those in need of our help. But my life is not something I hesitate to put on the line in the name of balance. We all agree that the time for quiet and solitude are over. It's time for us to know the Light side of the Force triumphs beyond accusations and the dark side. We are Jedi."

She gazed about herself a moment, and glanced at the Kaleesh, then each of the others that had spoken in turn, giving a small bow of her head. "Excuse my monologue... but that's about all I wanted to say." She stepped back once more, content to blend once more into the crowd, and stand next to Hannibal.

Why not? He was a cute young man, and besides... Max was on the other side of the crowd. She was content to listen; let those with more experience and wise words speak, but she was getting tired of the banter. Even a Cathar had her limits.

@Nefieslab @Mr. Teatime @TWD26

 

[Rhea Nadal]

Rhea couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. "Cooperation? With the Sector Rangers? Those people are little more than bounty hunters with a badge and some forms, a poor mans law officer and a pitiful attempt by the Alliance to seem like they still have any real authority. You're placing an awful lot of faith in the good intentions of people you don't know anything about, suggesting we basically give them full documentation on who is and is not a member of the Order, and try to make an amicable settlement with a Hutt kingpin. First of all; any one Sector Ranger is just as likely to put a hole in your head and sell off your saber as they are to give two shits about justice." Her tone was markedly less respectful then when talking to... basically any other Master, but it seemed that Grayza's (@Mr. Teatime ) flippant attitude made her response equally tactless.

"Secondly, you don't understand what kind of organization you're dealing with in the Hutt Cartels. This is as much about power and respect as it is anything approaching love for his kid. He was made to look weak, and on his own turf no less. He doesn't want justice or revenge so much as he wants to make an example for everyone to see, to show them that he won't be cowed; even by opponents as dangerous as those caught on holovid. All he needs is dead bodies and sabers, the perpetrators themselves would just be a bonus."

She sighed, pausing a minute to catch her breath, pinching her nose. She was aware that she was letting her emotions on both subjects get to her somewhat, but she couldn't simply let this go without at least trying to present how she felt in some sort of logical manner. She looked up at her fellow Padawans, her expression and tone softening as she did so. "I understand how you feel, believe me. Before I was found on Corellia, the 'Jedi' were about as real to me as a fairy-tale. But we are hidden away for a reason. If you forgot, the galaxy was against even our existence not a hundred years past. To your average person, there is no distinction between a Darth Vader or a Luke Skywalker. And that's not even accounting for the facts of our founders ancestry and the incredible amount of baggage that carries."

"I would love it if we could stop skulking around in the shadows, if we could show people our intentions and open ourselves up to them, but it's not realistic. I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but if I'm honest, you're coming across to me as incredibly naive about the realities of the world we live in; think this through."

 

[Ash Valentine]

Is that not what we were? A semi monastic order answerable to only ourselves? What government do we hold ourselves responsible to? Ash had killed people on places that he would easily be charged with murder for and yet he was a free man. Most of the time it was unavoidable, or so he told himself. He never felt like he actively wandered into fights to the death, but what did he know.

He almost wanted to laugh at the arguments being presented. And he very nearly did laugh when Hannibal started being the disrespectful little schmuck he was. But he listened, because he knew the man, at least a little bit. And what he said, Ash was honestly surprised he was agreeing with. Though not so much about the Rangers, honestly what was preventing the Jedi from doing the investigation internally? It just didn't seem smart to give out important information like that to a galaxy spanning group of lawmen, they couldn't all be good.

Again, he felt a strange twinge of pride when his own Padawan began speaking once more. Honestly Ash didn't have much interaction with the Sector rangers, so he was willing to defer to this alleged student's wisdom on the matter. But he did have experience with the hutts.

"We shouldn't roll over for anyone in the syndicates. Because the moment we do they are just going to push harder an harder until we break." He rasped again, almost gnashing his teeth. It wasn't a secret that he disliked the syndicates, he honestly assumed every sentient being was against crimes against life, but maybe that was just him. But for him it was personal, the syndicates were the biggest reason he was scarred as he was. "The Hutt Clan aren't going to stop with just this bounty, and I'm honestly not sure where you get the idea that they would take it down if we found proof of our collective innocence." He growled.

"They loose face if they back down after posting the bounty, and they loose face if they admit they were wrong. We are just going to have to deal with the fact that we are in this already, there won't be making any peace with these kinds of scum!" He continued, not really aware of just how he sounded. He did however manage to omit saying 'alien scum' due to the variety of people around him. He respected them all, but he wasn't going to waste sympathy or respect on people who want to kill him.

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren peered towards the group's conversation, his chocolate eyes shifting left and right with each new face that spoke. Everyone had a point, they all came from different backgrounds and ideas, each person's path through the force was ultimately different, All of them had strengths, and each of them had weaknesses. Certain people could handle or very much tow the line of investigations, while others would be better off aiding and healing.

The Hutts could care little about who it was, 'Sith' or 'Jedi', instead they cared about controlling their power through fear. Oren had met several of their cowardly kind before, they seemed strong, but they were weak and would wither away if they felt themselves pushed. Truth be told, plenty of Jedi had already conducted operations against various pirates, the group of them within this room did not represent the majority.

Ash was correct, they needed to know who these other force users were, to prepare themselves, lest they end up like the orders of old. He wasn't sure of the details, but it was said that often the order fell because of the insidious shadow hiding within every space. They could be on any planet or ship. But, fear was not the emotion they needed at this time. Ignorance, yet knowledge. We may have not known, but now we do. We should learn about what they are and prepare ourselves for possible outcomes. The Rangers would be good to work with, but it would be unwise to make the order a political faction or puppet to a regime. What may be the protectors of peace today could very much become the slavers of the galaxy tomorrow.

"We've said much," he'd say towards the group, "And I believe we all know what we must do. Prepare yourself, remember the code and search within yourself and truly find who you are as a person." His words were sharp and narrow, "Only you know who you are, are you the sword or the eyes of the order, one who can protect the weak or possibly kill with little emotion? Are you a Gardner, better suited for nurturing the youth and the sick, or healing those in need? The time has come for the Order to do what each individual member does best--you must find your path in the force. Those of you with contacts in the Outer Rim, blend in and investigate, find leads on these supposed 'sith', if they attack do as the code demands and defend the innocent. But, this isn't war..not yet. Continue to fight against injustice such as piracy or slavery, work with those in the community that are looking to solve their problems--if it's rangers, then work them. But, remember, we are Jedi first and foremost."

He would pause, "For those of you who cannot stomach the possibility of fighting, go out and heal the sick, feed the poor as a member of the community. Plenty of Jedi are doing this currently, continue to help them. For those of you learning, continue your studies, challenge yourself and build your relationship with the force. Remember the code, and play to your strengths. If we gain information about anything that could be a problem within the galaxy, share it with us, and we can prepare for it. The only thing we must not do, is apathy..for it'll be the death of our order and possibly the death of trillions in the galaxy." He'd fold his hands as he gave a gentle bow towards them all, "Go now, we all know what must be done...and remember, may the force be with you..always."

/End Thread

OOC: basically if you can manage sneaking around and not causing drama, go investigate. If you think it's too emotionally charged and you may be tempted to fall, continue to work on yourself. Just do something!