An Old Man's Report

[Kane]

Jedi Temple--Jedha--1200 Hours​

Kane walked the halls of the temple purposefully, his steps hastened by the importance of his task. The Kyber crystal in his pocket weighed heavy on him, as did the whole report he needed to make. A young Jedi turned to the dark side and ended. Not a pretty story, not at all.

Of course the girl was still alive, Kane had convinced her to give him the crystal to present as proof of her "death" before joining the Matukai instead of the Exiles. This report was merely to make sure that the Jedi Order would not seek her out. However, he did not think of that at this moment. His mind was focused on a brutally difficult battle, sabers clashing in red and yellow flashes. Her eventually falling to a strike that was as much luck as it was skill before he ripped the tainted Kyber from her saber.

Finally reaching Councilor Dan'ela's chambers Kane knocked four times on the door, he had sent word ahead that he had a crystal and a report for her and hoped he would be finding her at a good time.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Evalyn Dan’ela]

Evalyn felt the Force vibrating around her. She sat cross legged on the floor of her chambers. The furnishings were simple, but the rooms were large. There were some perks of being a Councilor. The center of her sitting room bore a massive etching of the symbol of the Order on the floor. Titles created the ageless moniker. She sat in the middle reaching for the future. Evalyn always had a bit of a flare of the dramatic. She couldn’t explain the reason, but the Force felt closer here.

A frown was plastered on her face despite the river of Force flowing through her. The future was clouded. A dark haze hung over everything. There were no clear paths. She searched for answers but came up terribly empty. Evalyn tried to let go of her frustration. It was difficult. She felt there had to be some direction from the Force. Why would it not show them the path? The Council was more whole than it had been in years. That did not seem to make much difference.

The Jedi still felt listless. They were a ship adrift in the stars. Evalyn shook her head as she released the Force. She would find no answers today. The newly minted Councilor did not love the sandy Great Temple. She found it too difficult to return to Ossus. The Grand Library still stood but the painful memories of the Jedi’s failure could not be erased. She was left spending far too much time on Jedha. The other Temples were still shadows of what they had once been. Evalyn was shaken from her thoughts by a knock at the door. She stowed her misgivings and carefully rebuilt her mental walls. Calm fluttered from her in the Force. A wave of her hand opened the door. She had been expecting Kane. He would find Councilor Dan’ela in all her icy glory. Her grimaced slightly. His aura in the Force felt strange. “Come on now.” She stayed standing in the center of the room. @One For Sorrow

 

[Kane]

Kane had been moving his hand to tap the door one more time with his knuckles when it suddenly opened, causing him to stumble slightly as he met no restance where he was expecting it. He walked in and closed the door behind him, nobody else needed to be hearing the conversation they were about to have. "Councillor Dan'ela." he said, bowing deeply before approaching to about three feet in front of her.

"I encountered a young runaway by the name of Jaina Orsi on Alderaan. She tried to convince me another person was an exile but i saw through the ruse, she then confessed to me that her goal was to join the exiles. I attempted to bring her back peacefully but it was a fruitless effort ending in a duel, she fought well, but I weas ultimately victorious." he pictured a long drawn out duel with the girl in his mind as he reached into his robes and drew out the girl's crystal. "I recovered her Kyber, however before I ran her through her saber was destroyed." he handed the crystal to Councillor Dan'ela, making sure that the blue streak was facing up. "Now I noticed that the crystal was not fully bled. As you can see there is a sliver of blue remaining, there was clearly some light left in the girl and I believe there may be a chance at redemption for those who fall to the darkside."

Kane hoped the councillor would hear him through on his theories. He had brought the strange book hebhad acquired from the library with him to support his theories of redemption. "As the Kyber crystals can be purified I believe that the Exiles may also be able to be purified in a way as well."

 

[Evalyn Dan’ela]

Graceful. Evalyn suppressed the small smile as she watched Kane stumble slightly into the room. She couldn’t have anyone thinking she was softening. Kane wasted no time in bowing deeply and launching into a long tale. He had not explained the reason he wanted the meeting, only that he had a kyber crystal from an Exile. Evalyn saw part of the truth now. Her mind pressed against his. She stronger than Kane in the Force. She searched for the truth. Tasting the veracity of his words.

He was hiding something. Evalyn was intrigued by the crystal. She had never seen kyber during the process. The crystal was in the midst of being corrupted. A streak of blue ran clearly through the center. She turned the crystal over in her hand. Interesting. It felt alien in the Force. Evalyn returned her attention to Kane as he finished his little tale. Redemption. A novel but foolish idea. She stupidly believed some could be redeemed. It was a hopeless endeavor. Once the Darkness took hold there was no going back. “A troubling tale. We lose too many young ones to the pull of the Darkness.” She flipped the crystal over in her hand, tossing it from side to side.

“But people are not crystals. They are not so easily redeemed. A person cannot be purified.” She knew that was true. Her eyes looked Kane up and down. “You haven’t told me the whole story.” She quirked one eyebrow. “Oh, I can see that carefully crafted duel in your mind. Where is the end?” Evalyn suspected Kane might be looking for some absolution. He would find it difficult to receive from the Onderonian Jedi. “We only get so many chances to make the right choice. We cannot waste those opportunities.” She knew that was true as well. @One For Sorrow

 

[Kane]

Kane knew councillor Dan'ela was stronger than him, he let go of the image of the duel though his conviction remained that the exile Jaina Orsi was no more. "My deepest apologies Councillor. I should not have tried to pull the bantha wool over your eyes. No, the duel did not take place. However Jaina Orsi is not an Exile any longer. She gave up that path for another more peacful one. So, though the duel was a fabrication in an attempt at an easier way out, the exile I met is dead. And I suppose you could say our conversation itself was something of a duel." he knew there was no sense in maintaining the lie, all that would do was get him in trouble.

Next Kane reached into his cloak once more and produced the book with the symbol he had acquired, offering it to Evalyn. "Perhaps 'purify' was the wrong word to use, however in this book i found several chapters speaking of redemption for those who have succumb to the dark side. A hard route to be sure, and I know we will likely have to kill more Exiles than we can save, but I believe the Force guided me to this book. I believe we CAN save at least some of them."

With that Kane stood silently, the book still extended toward Councilor Dan'ela. His back straight and proud. Perhaps his lie was wrong, but his deeds were not. He believed he had done the absolute best thing he could have on Alderaan, and he hoped Evalyn would have the sense to see that he was right; that violence and death were not the only path that they could take.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Evalyn Dan’ela]

There was no denying Kane’s conviction. Evalyn could sense he believed he had done the right thing. He believed he had defeated the Exile by walking her down a different path. That was not the choice Evalyn would have made but she would not chastise Kane for his decision. She simply hoped that neither of them would come to regret that decision. Evalyn had lost too many friends already. “Every trained Force user who walks away from us is dangerous. They are a weapon waiting to be gathered by our fallen brothers and sisters.” She raised a hand to stop any retort. “But, I will not lecture you Kane. You have lived long enough to make these choices for yourself. Not every confrontation must end in death. I admit it is not the choice I would have made but perhaps that is a good thing.” Kriff, she almost sounded wise again.

She focused back in as he held out a strange book. Evalyn did not take the text. She let Kane hold it forward as he spoke of redemption. She frowned. She did not recognize that symbol. She had seen references all throughout the archives about redemption. It could be done. That was never the question.

The question was should it be done. “Redemption is possible. We have always known this, but it is a horribly difficult path. You must want to come back. Why should we pour out our hearts and souls for those who would rather run us through?” Evalyn took a depth breath. “They can be saved but why should we? They don’t want it.” She had seen so many Exiles in the depths of their darkness. They did not want to be saved. They craved that horrible darkness. It destroyed even the best of men. No, saving them was not an option. @One For Sorrow

 

[Kane]

Kane nodded in understanding, returning the book to his robes. "I realize that the majority of the exiles cannot be saved and must instead be put down. All I am suggesting is that perhaps offering them the option would be a positive step for us to take. We currently assume a darksider is immediatly irredeemable, I challenge that assumption. On the grounds that only a darksider deals in absolutes. We Jedi were once compassionate healers who aimed to help the galaxy as a whole. Not soldiers. Not killers."

Kane knew he was likely overstepping now, and waited quietly for Councillor Dan'ela's chastisement.

 

[Evalyn Dan’ela]

Evalyn sadly shook her head. She had not taken Kane to be so sentimental. She did not know the man very well, but many of the older Jedi were more jaded than their younger counterparts. She would not rip into the older Jedi. Evalyn truly was not as harsh as some thought. There was a softer side to the prickly Jedi Master. She wasn’t all bad. “You’re more idealist than I would have thought.” She shook her head again. “We are at war. We do not have the luxuries of your ancestors. I was given to the Jedi when I was five, and knighted when I was thirteen. All I have ever known is the fight with the Exiles. The only way that ends is when the Exiles are gone.” There would be no peace while the Darksiders still stalked the galaxy.

“We have always been soldiers and killers. Peace did not exist because we healed all of the enemies of the Republic. The Cartel was restrained because they knew the consequences of breaking the rules.” There had been a time where the Jedi had not needed to always use shows of force. That time had passed.

They were not as strong as they once had been. “Not every Exile you meet must die. You can take them prisoner or strip them of the Force. To invite the Darkness back into our ranks is to invite death. We cannot trust those you were corrupted by the Darkside. This is not a sickness that can be healed.” She raised a hand to stop Kane. “I will not tell you to not try. You certainly may but it can only end it sorrow. I will not allow the rest of the Order to saunter down a foolish path.” She had seen where that path could lead. @One For Sorrow

 

[Kane]

Kane sighed lightly, not with exasperation or anything like that, just at the fact that he knew she was right in that it could never be done. "Perhaps I am becoming soft in my old age, who can say? I do realize that it is a distant hope and I know it would be dangerous and very VERY foolish to attempt to redeem all of them." his shoulders sagged a little. He knew the war with the Exiles would never truly be over and that he was perhaps foolish for hoping it would.

He stood awkwardly for a few moments, unsure of what to say. He wanted to bring up the Hutts and their bounty on lightsabers, he knew councillor Dan'ela was obviously aware of the problem, he wanted to try to do something about it but didn't know how. Nor did he have the people needed for that sort of an undertaking. He would one day bring this up, but not today. "Anyway councillor Dan'ela. I am sure you have more important matters to tend to than an old man's hope." he said, awaiting her dismissal.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Evalyn Dan’ela]

Evalyn looked down at the floor then up at the ceiling. She felt some of the air flutter out of Kane. She looked at the man while he waited for her to send him away. Evalyn’s face softened. She walked forward and placed a hand on Kane’s shoulder. She met the older Jedi’s eyes. She was not nearly as terrible as everyone pretended. It was mostly a front. Evalyn knew when to turn of the ice. “Dangerous and foolish? Yes. Soft and weak? No. Compassion is never weakness. You and I see the galaxy differently. That does not mean I am right and you are wrong. There is a place for both of us.” She smiled softly. “I believe in redemption, but I cannot allow myself to walk down that path. That does not mean you should give up. Continue to remind people we are more than soldiers. Speak out, be bold. The Order is best when there are many voice. Not just one.”

She nodded and returned to her position in the center of the room. “Don’t lose hope.” Her mask returned. “Now, run along before stories of you being gently tossed from the room start to circulate. I swear it’s usually an exaggeration. Usually.” Evalyn smiled and winked. She motioned for Kane to return to his duties. She did have work to do. The Order was in the midst of beginning to heal. She had more tasks during the day than she knew what to do with. Another long night awaited her. @One For Sorrow

 

[Kane]

Kane was surprised as Evalyn softened, his jaw actually dropped a little before he regained his composure. He then chuckled a little at her...was it a joke?..."Of course councillor Dan'ela. Thank you. I hope you have a pleasant day." he said with a grin and a low bow before heading out the door. He wandered down the halls to do old man stuff. Probably have a nap or something. @Valen Pelora

/end thread