Face the Man

[Narsi]

Dantooine
Jedi Stronghold
@Valen Pelora
​

The stronghold was relatively quiet, beautifully serene even, the sunlight pouring down on it like a blessing from the living force itself. People going about their daily business like it were just another day, training, teaching, even sleeping. For Gren however, an Initiate currently speed walking down the halls, it was the farthest thing from just another day. Not every day someone had an appointment with a General, much less a Jedi General.

She was late, a quick glance at a passing clock confirming that she was even more late than she'd thought. Huffing with effort, she stepped up her pace even more, almost running now, clumping heavily on the aged wood floors with her heavy strides. She was keenly aware of the curious looks she was drawing, each gaze piercing her armored hide like a spear, a hundred times more effective than a Sith's lightsaber. Blushing a strange shade of red, Gren hunkered down a bit and fixed her gaze forward as she continued along, sighing with relief as she finally caught sight of her destination. Gren came to a screeching halt outside of the Jedi General's office, drawing a raised eyebrow from the secretary sitting in a desk out front. Gren offered up a sheepish smile as she stepped forward, bowing her head briefly before speaking. "This One is Initiate Gren, She was summoned to the office of General Pelora at this time."

The secretary, a human female of respectable age, stared up levelly at the young Barabel for a moment, eyebrow still raised before looking down at her datapad. She tapped it a few times, pulling up a schedule and looking it over before returning her gaze to Gren, eyebrow raising even higher than before. Gren gulped as the woman pointedly tapped a clock sitting on her desk, turning it so Gren could more easily see its face.
"Initiate Gren, you were due four minutes ago and," The woman paused to look up and down Gren's towering figure, "You seem a bit....encumbered for this meeting."

Gren froze as she too looked down on herself, gulping at the battle worn armor very visible underneath her cloak. Even more visible were the recent nicks and dings and assembled weaponry dangling at her waist. Gren hissed softly as she panicked inwardly at the sight of her combat gear. She was just so used to carrying it around that she'd simply taken off without a thought upon realizing that she was late. Gren stammered helplessly as she met the secretaries gaze, "...Th...This..This One was involved in an incident down in the crystal caves, Sith, She was busy helping to defeat them and She lost track of time." Gren finished off with a weak smile, which wilted instantly under the glare it met. Rolling her eyes, the woman pointed at the door behind her dismissively, " Go in, he's waiting, and take moment to collect yourself, I can still feel the battle lust on you."

Gren blinked a few times before hesitantly bowing her head and stepping around to the door. As suggested, she took a moment to take several deep breathes and look inwards. To her surprise. there was indeed still a coil of tension and power in her stomach, simmering slightly from recent events. Trying in vain to dispel it, Gren eventually shrugged and pulled her cloak about her tightly to hide her armor and weapons as best she could, thankful that she'd at least taken the helmet off. Then, under the iron gaze of the secretary, Gren opened the door and stepped inside.

 

[Valen Pelora]

Sith on Dantooine. Sith in the crystal caves. A cold pit had formed in Valen’s stomach the moment word had reached his ears. It had seemed impossible until he frantically searched the Force. He had sensed the pinpricks of Darkside festering in the caves. A stroke of good luck had landed the Sith in the middle of some of the Armies most dangerous warriors. He had received the report almost immediately that Soshat, Gren, and another Jedi, were engaging the Sith. Strangely, Kalen had shown up to offer aid. Again. Reinforcements had been immediately dispatched to the caves. He trusted Soshat, but he was not willing to take chances. The reports of how everything happened were still slowly trickling in. Valen was standing behind an old wooden desk, staring at a stoic looking Jedi Knight.

“How could this possibly happen?” He kept his tone even. He let the Force flow through him, calming his mind. “After everything we have been through, how could a Sith slip through.” He was not angry or afraid. He needed answers. This could not happen again.

“We don’t know, Sir. It’s almost inexplicable. There was no sign of their arrival or traveling to the caves. It’s as if they simply appeared.” Valen ran a hand through his hair. Why two rouge Sith had come to Dantooine at all was a mystery. It was clearly not a mission sanctioned by the Empire but a massive threat all the same. A transgression of this nature could not stand.

“Find answers and quickly. Post more guards outside the cave and extend the alert until we are certain how they got here, and they didn’t bring any friends.” The Stronghold has descended into lockdown as soon as the threat was identified. It would need to last a little longer. The Knight bowed and exited through a side door.

Valen was shaken by a small chime on his datapad. Gren. In the chaos, he forgotten he had summoned the young Jedi. This was a strange turn of events. The door slid open and Gren walked through. She was still wearing her battle attire and he could sense the emotions boiling. The battle lust was barely contained. This was why he had called the meeting, this was why he was concerned.

“Gren, please sit.” Valen sat behind the desk. His face and aura carefully neutral. “Your efforts today were commendable.” He slowly met the Barabel’s eyes. “But Gren. I can still sense your blood boiling, I could sense it on Umbara. I am worried. We are worried. It is why I asked you here.” Truthfully, he worried for all the younger Jedi. War was changing them.

@Narsi

 

[Narsi]

Gren stepped forward tentatively into the room, nodding once in respect to the Jedi Knight in the room, and once more to the General. Keeping her own face blank, she carefully analyzed the Mirialan's face and aura as she pulled out the chair behind the desk and sat down. To her immense frustration, the older Jedi's mask was absolute whilst she herself felt like an open book. Biting back a scowl, Gren pasted a toothy smile on her muzzle and only nodded again at his initial praising of her efforts.

To no one's surprise, least of all hers, there was a but and as the man continued, her scowl became strained and forced. Umbara, that's what this was about, she'd suspected as much, hoping futility that it had some other meaning. Already Gren could feel the irritation rising within her, adding on to the tension that already existed. Again, this insinuation that she had done something wrong, in confronting the Sith menace and doing her best to end their tyranny, why was this such a problem? If anything, she should be getting praised more for doing such a thing.

She chose her words carefully, mulling over each sentence before giving them voice. "This One......is simply a little worked up after being engaged in battle. There is no need to be worried about her in the slightest." Gaining certainty with her explanation, Gren met the General's eyes evenly as she continued, "Umbara was much the same, a stressful situation in which This One got overexcited when battling Sith. Really, there was no need to order her and her companion to come here so....abruptly.
@Valen Pelora

 

[Valen Pelora]

Valen’s face was blank. His hands rested on the desk, fingers interlaced. The Lightside radiated around the Jedi. Dantooine was a beacon of Light in the encroaching dark. It was easy to slip into the ocean of the Light, to ride the waves of the Force. It brought him peace. It kept his mind calm. There had been a time in his life such peace had eluded him. Even now, he could sense the taint of the Darkside spreading throughout the galaxy. He refocused his mind on Gren. Valen could sense the frustration and irritation rising inside the young Jedi. She did not understand why he was worried. She saw the death of a Sith as a truly pure act. They were the enemy, they were meant to die. A whole generation of Jedi had been raised on this principal. It was dangerous thinking. He took a small pause before answering, carefully considering his words.

“Gren, I sensed more than excitement in you and Lanna. There was genuine glee. A desire to kill those Sith.” He fought off a sigh. He knew how he sounded. The overbearing, unknowing leader. He tried to keep the ’I know best’ tone from his voice. “The war is not black and white. Good versus evil. I used to think it was, I thought I knew best. There was a time I wouldn’t kill anyone and a time I did it without a thought.” He paused again. Thinking.

“It’s not that easy. Every life we take, the Darkside wins. Killing is not of the Light. There are times we are given no choice. There are times we must kill to save others but only as a last resort. Never with hate or anger in our heart.” He looked into Gren’s eyes, imploring her to listen. “The Sith have done terrible, unspeakable things. If we take pleasure in their deaths we will become something worse. We can’t let that happen.” He didn’t expect Gren to agree with him, not right away. Yet, the young Jedi had tremendous promise and he would not see her walk down a dark path.

@Narsi

 

[Narsi]

Gren had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as the older Jedi spoke. At first she'd listened carefully, though not happily, dutifully interested in the General's words. It'd taken the first sentence for Gren to realize this was gonna be one of THOSE talks, the kind she'd been getting from her old master and every other Jedi she'd studied under. The "This isn't the way" talk, all bout how she was being to eager and she shouldn't be so happy about death of any kind. Gren's lip curled up ever so slightly in response, the only gesture of contempt she was unable to curve in the face of the man's words.

It was all nonsense of course, just like the last million times she'd heard it. This was war, the Sith had made that particularly clear throughout the years. They'd burned numerous worlds, destroyed the peaceful order, enslaved billions, even killed her master. The ONLY way forward was to exterminate them all, destroy every temple, burn every tome, smash every corrupted crystal, end them completely and utterly. Besides, the death of a Sith was an act of light, an act of pure justice. And that's why she was doing it, not out of revenge or hate, but because she was a Jedi and it was her duty. To suggest otherwise, to implicate that SHE was somehow as bad as them...that DID raise her hackles.

Biting her tongue to hold in the words, Gren took several deep breaths to try and calm down, thinking up a response that didn't involve yelling at a superior officer while still getting her point across. "This One," She started, "Is INSULTED that you would insinuate such a thing. She only wants to stop the horrors and menace wrought by the Sith before others, as herself once was, are hurt, though the best possible means. This One remembers her history lessons, how the Sith were once defeated and driven away. Look how that worked out, they came back, and they've more or less made up for that exile. Death IS the best possible means, and the only way to insure their defeat and that is why This One acts as such, NOT because she is being influenced by the dark side!"

Gren sat back suddenly as she finished her tirade, realizing she'd been leaning forward aggressively while she'd spoke. Taking a second to swallow and digest what she'd actually just said, she offered up a quick after line to try and ease the bite of her words." This One will take your advise under consideration however, and try to do better in the future."

@Valen Pelora

 

[Valen Pelora]

Valen could sense the heat rising in Gren. He knew this was not an easy thing to hear, he knew she had heard it before. She needed to hear it again. He would not sit idly by well the war corrupted the heart of the Jedi. Their struggle against the Sith could only be won with death. The Sith would not slink away or surrender. They had to be captured or killed. He accepted this hard truth. He accepted the Jedi asked teenagers and children to take lives. There was a cost to pay for what they asked. He was not the only one who worried what future they were making. He had had this conversation with Anileen more times than he could count. Valen continued to listen carefully as Gren’s inner heat came pouring out. Her indignant tirade did not fall on deaf ears. He kept still as Gren leaned forward. His face stayed smooth, his aura undisturbed, and he hands folded before him. He waited for Gren to finished before he leaned back.

“I did not ask you here to accuse you of being something you are not. I can sense the Light in you, Gren. I can sense how deeply you want to do what is right.” He paused for a moment, looking inward. “The Sith are a perversion. When I first joined the Army, I refused to fight. I stayed behind the lines cleaning up the mess left by the war. I could not find it in my heart to kill.” Valen paused again. He believed in being truthful, even with the young Jedi. “I watched the Sith do horrible things and my mind changed. I realized there were times we had to take lives. We are going to win this war, we are going to defeat the Sith. When it is all over and the Sith are gone, I fear what we will be.” He leaned forward again. “I don’t expect to change your mind in a day, a week, or a month. I only ask you think carefully before the next life you take. Please.” Perhaps, one day he would make it through to Gren.

@Narsi