[Closed] Jedi Code 101 - Class I

[Taruna]

Taruna took her time to hand out the Pad, giving the students some time to get their opinions out. She only felt the outburst in Verac only because she was actually reaching out her senses in the Force to determine how the students were faring and if they were attentive or not.

After handing out the pad, she looked at Verac and bowed a little forward to reduce her voice to a whisper, with less concern than the will of helping in her voice "Are you okay? anything I should be aware of?"

He answered with a statement that everything is okay and responded with "If you need anything, let me know"

With that cleared, she raised once again and addressed all the class "Discussion later, now we will take apart the Jedi Code as it is now and how it was originally"

The word Jedi Code now transformed in an animation into

<Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.>​

"There we go. On first glance, this seems to be self-explanatory. But what it means is so much more. Notice the word 'Guardian', for example. It does mean we are exactly that. We stand up when others do not dare to and do not pass judgement or sentences outside of the order. Remember that well. We are supposed to be the good guys."

 

[Arterius]

Leah raised her hand as Taruna concluded, and after a hesitant moment spoke up. "So, as Guardians it is our duty to protect. But i was wondering, a Guardian can often be called to arms, to be required to kill if the threat is truly dire... but murder, it is a slippery slope to going dark, isnt it?"

Leaning forward she opened a new page on her datapad for the answer, both those that her teacher and perhaps her fellow class mates would give. "So i suppose my real question is, when is it right for Jedi to take the life of another? Do we have the right?" idly a finger came to play with her padawan braid, it was a thin and subtle thing, barely noticeable amongst the long lockes of blonde hair. To those attentive enough they would be able to hear the nervous quiver to her ostensibly steady voice.

 

[Khivas]

"You see that womp rat there, Khivas?" The old man's voice asked.

"Yea, what about it?"

"Notice how it eats all the trash that gets dumped here, and on occasion insects and smaller creatures?"

"....Yea."

"What stands out about that to you?"

After some thought, the young boy spoke back up again, giving his answer. "I don't know, nothing really. It's just hungry, all it wants is to eat."

"Exactly, all it wants is to eat, feed itself and live on to another day. Yet we as Jedi claim all life is sacred and that we must not ever take a life as judge, jury, and executioner. That rat wants to eat and sustain it's life, yet we, the dominant species in this area, fight to kill off these rats so they do not overtake us and cause problems for the people living down here, from diseases that decimate to eating all of our food so we starve. In short, we take their lives to save the lives of others, the price of one for the many, a necessary evil."

That lesson came back to Khivas as he heard the bit about Jedi being Guardians of Peace and Justice throughout the Galaxy as a whole, and how Taruna said that Jedi do not pass judgement and sentencing outside the Order, and kill only when it's an absolute must. Admirable goals perhaps, but foolish ones nonetheless. Khivas knew damn well that killing was what was known as a necessary evil, that there will be times a Jedi will have little choice but to take the life of another in order to save the lives of many more, it was just the way of things.

"One For The Many..." He mumbled under his breath to himself, remembering that ever important lesson, and wondering if he would have to take the life of one to save the many in this instance when he noticed one of the padawans in the room having some sort of episode with himself. Very low key too, nothing like a seizure or a sudden onset of villainous monologue syndrome, just a simple second or two of what felt like something emanating from him....Pain perhaps? Doubt of some sort? Conflict was definitely present in what Khivas felt but it was far from anything particularly evil, but it also certainly wasn't peaceful, and since nobody seemed to have dire concerns at the moment, Khivas simply kept it in mind that something was wrong with the young man in the classroom, and simply let the lesson continue as normal, assured that Taruna would address the issues present in the room at the time, both seen and unseen.

 

[Sebby]

Something seemed to be catching the attention of a few other people in the room, the instructor included. Felix had no idea what it could be, but it all pointed to another padawan, Verac. The instructor had stopped to speak with him for a moment before returning her attention to the lesson. Felix was a bit too distracted at the moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, he got up from his chair and moved to the seat next to Verac with a friendly smile on his face.

"Hey, how's it going?" He spoke quietly so he wouldn't distract anyone else, but it was probably a bit too late for that. After his little greeting, discussion on the lesson seemed to be opened up again, and Felix tried his best to pick up the pieces from when his attention dropped off. From what Leah was saying, the subject was on when it was okay for a Jedi to kill someone. Felix had always assumed "never," but then again they were enemies with the Sith. Maybe it was only for self-defense. Felix himself knew how to simply run from a situation without hurting anyone, but he wasn't so sure about the Sith. Was it even an option? Did a Jedi and Sith have to fight every time they met?

"It's probably only a last resort," Felix finally said. "If you can't resolve it peacefully at all, what else is there?" Then, Felix's thoughts from earlier in the day began to resurface. If his sister did become involved with the Sith, would he be able to do that? If she wasn't willing to come to the Jedi and continued to harm others, what would he do? "But what if it's someone you care about? Like...a family member. How would you go about something like that?"

 

[blstrgmr]

Verac tried his best to scrawl notes on his own tablet, but the small bout of emotion from before was really taking up a lot of his concentration. Then Felix sat down next to him; the young boy didn't even notice him at first until he said anything. "Oh...hey. It's all fine here." He'd say quickly and quietly before listening to the new questions and discussions posed in the classroom.

Harming and striking another sentient being was probably one of the pinnacle points between the Sith and Jedi code. "Well...I'd imagine that if it is truly unable to be solved peacefully, then complete elimination of the threat is needed. If it gets to that part, then it must be so forgone that mercy and peace are unable to accomplish anything. Plus, being efficient and dispatching an unsolvable threat such as that protects innocents by association, correct?" It was a very strange way of thinking, for a Jedi. If he had learned anything growing up on the Daedalus, it was that a drawn weapon demanded blood. Verac had never pulled his blaster without the intent of shooting somebody. Otherwise, he had tried to use some form of charisma to get himself out of a situation. "Am I right to assume that because the Jedi have this buffer, rather than using force as a first resort, that we are more inherently 'good' as opposed to the Sith?" Verac was awaiting nervously for another number of students to trounce his statement and question, like at the beginning of class.

 

[Krajin]

Kade listened to them and twitched his tail a bit "It is situational. If you have to kill a man to save a hundred. Sometimes it is better to do so. That third option or resolving something peacefully doesn't always happen. Of course.. one can always apply Mind Tricks to situations." He adds. "Though it comes down to perceptions. What do we see Guardians as? What do we envision them as? The Jedi act as peacekeepers. We are not the 'good guys' as such. That seems to me to be a terribly incorrect term to use and all things considered, wrong. Much like the Sith could see themselves as the 'good guys' in what they do. Or the Imperial Soldiers that carry out their orders. Of course, if you need to use such terms to help you cope with or justify your choices and decisions then that is on the individual." Kade said, tail tip twitching lightly. "Mind you, this comes from someone who has fought in a bloody conflict."

"Sometimes to protect peace and justice, you must go to war. It may not be pretty, but sacrifices sometimes need to be made."

 

[Taruna]

Taruna would have smiled upon this starting conversation, having had this kind of conversation quite a few times, and it seemed to be a everlasting thing all across the Galaxy and ages.

Once again she raised a hand, thus gently requesting their attention "We are once more trailing off quickly and go ahead of the topic. Please believe me that I really wish to deepen the topic of justification of killing and the definition of bad guy with you, but if I allow this to continue, we will use up all the time allotted for it without reaching a census. Because of there are exactly as many views as eyes to it. It will, whatsoever fit nicely to the comparison of the two codes, so please just use some patience. I am sure the rest of the code will hand you some more fuel for that, and even the code will address that topic. So.. Take a look at this" she turned around to show how the line changed again, this time to

<Jedi use the Force only for the pursuit of knowledge, to defend, and to protect.>​

"I am sure you immediately notice the intended appearance of vagueness. What to protect? Who? When?" She smiled and looked at the students, already feeling their eagerness. Somehow this made her a little proud. "Let's do it like this: each of you can comment on it, tell me your version of how to read it. The others make notes and when we got all lines together, we can take a look at the whole picture and I am sure it will allow you to already see why there are so many discussions on that"

 

[Arterius]

Though hadnt received the answer she wanted, she nodded in compliance and made a note in her datapad as her teacher continued. It was easy for Leah to continue, she understood why Taruna felt the need to continue- after all, if the comparison could address her question, then so be it. She would wait for the comparison.

It was then that Leah cast a low glance around the room studiously, examining each of her fellow students, trying to get a feel of them through the Force. There was a minor disturbance somewhere, she could feel that at least, but she couldnt exactly pin point it. Not yet. That would no doubt require more training tonight when her nightmares forced sleeplessness upon her once more. At some point she'd have to try and make some friends, she knew that, but it was... difficult... with her mind so steadfast on other endeavors. Leah was more concerned with learning than anything else, learning and training, and it could put quite a dent in her social skills. In fact, it already had.

 

[Krajin]

"I read it simply. We are to protect and defend those around us, but not take from them the strength and learning they would gain solving their problems on their own. If we hand hold someone through a crisis, they will gain very little from it and we would take what would of been something far more useful to others. We can watch, observe and catch if they fall in a manner that will end in nothing but their death or great devastation upon which they wont recover. As I did with another during my training in the Matukai." He starts.

"Pursuit of knowledge, now that's a tougher one. See, knowledge can be a dangerous thing to get a hold of. Especially if it is knowledge that you are not ready for. However that is a direct thing.. hm. I'd say every day we are learning to, every day we gain new knowledge. About us, our world.. the force can show us things we may not see or would miss. Sitting in a storm whilst feeling the living force surge with the natural weather can be an enlightening experience as an example." The kushari said.

 

[Khivas]

Kade knew what he was talking about, and like Khivas, he too had been forced to use this knowledge in a very real world and bloody application in order to survive, and knew damn well what all of this entailed. Khivas was impressed with his answer, and with this he too was prompted to give his own insight to the question and consequent task posed by Taruna. Starting off with his own line of discussion, Khivas piped up and lent his point of view to the room. "Ahem, if I may be so bold. I view it like this..." He started.

"Firstly, Using the Force to pursue Knowledge. As my Kushanari friend here stated, Knowledge is dangerous, very dangerous, but also holding a great deal to do good. As our own code states, there is no ignorance, only knowledge. In this case let's focus on the fact that people fear what they do not understand, in as a Jedi it would be our duty to pursue knowledge on their behalf, illuminating them and their lives as best we can. And that's just one facet of that no less, other ones include seeking out ancient history and bringing it to light, using that knowledge as best we can to try and avoid repeating history."

"Something we've been terrible at recently, but hey, can't win `em all." Khivas thought to himself as he went on.\

"That's what knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge means to me at least. Be careful of what you find, and have the wisdom to see what may be a light to illuminate the way for others, or a flame to burn everything down with. Now moving onto Defending and Protecting." He said, clearing his throat and drinking from the canteen on his belt before continuing. "This is one I have firsthand knowledge on, from fighting on Corellia to the recent battle on Naboo, and many stuff in between and since then. In the short of it, the point is that you do not seek out a fight, not ever, and trust me, as Jedi the fight will gladly find it's way right to you. The point of this bit here however, in my opinion and interpretation at least, is that Jedi are Defenders of the Galaxy, mainly those that cannot defend themselves. We won't pick the fights exactly, but others will pick them for us when they raid a village, attack a city, mug a person, or act a damn fool and openly attack us, and we'll respond in kind every single time. Personally, I've actually tried to avoid fights, but more often than not I would find myself having to take a life or limb in order to save my own, and in some cases many others. A good example of this would be Naboo, where I was having a peaceful drink when a platoon of Stormtroopers tried to take out the bar I was sitting in. As you might have guessed, it didn't end well for them, and it usually never ends well for people openly seeking conflict. If anything to take away from this, know that if you're going to fight, it had better be the last resort you have or for a damn good reason, like removing the Sith from the Galaxy for instance."

And that was it, Khivas had said his piece and sat back into his chair once again, and gave the floor back to Taruna, his task fulfilled as best he could manage.

 

[Taruna]

When Taruna felt that the attention of the students were back to her, very well noticing that there was a building eagerness to exchange experiences. It was such a warming feeling to see the future of the Jedi order in front of her eyes.

So she applauded. "Thank you. I see some of you already did have experience with the Code" she gave Khivas a small wink "Although it's the old one, and a certain point of view about knowledge. I will get to the knowledge point later," and proceeded speaking "And you need to understand that right now for you that the code is a guide, not defining who you are and what you have to do. It's an ideal all Jedi all strive for. Protecting the innocent, defending the galaxy and all that sounds fun, and avoiding fights may sound like a good idea in general, but as Khivas already mentioned.. We are Jedi. We as role models life for high ideals and are often the beacons of hope. As it is a beacon's nature, on the other hand.. it is visible wide and far. Not only for the good things, but also the bad. That is what your training in the Force and the Lightsaber is for. Can't risk losing you before you all made your impact to the Galaxy, can't we? Just keep the following in mind: There will be times when we are powerless to injustice, but there must never be a time when we cease to protect."

She once again turned around to the projector, speaking "Let's take the lines we got and the next one together and see if they may be an answer to.." and so the Jedi Code changed to:

<Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.
Jedi use the Force only for the pursuit of knowledge, to defend, and to protect.
Jedi respect all life in the galaxy, in any form it may take..>​

"Is killing allowed? Is it acceptable? Is it a solution?"

Her face got serious now "The answer is simple: No." and took a breath, marching to the left and right while speaking as so many teachers did and how she promised herself she would never do "But sometimes not avoidable. Not everyone of us can end a sparking conflict with a handwave or some well chosen words. Not everyone can convince the enemy to surrender. There are people who just want to see the Galaxy burn, but we as guardians are not to kill just because the other one may be evil. Don't get me wrong there. You're padawans, on your first steps to become a Knight. And you will find with each step on the way that it's more and more easier to make the Code not only a ideal or guide, but something worth acting upon. You may learn to do the famous hand wave. Or you may learn to be so imposing that the enemy rather surrenders. But not today, maybe not this year, but never forget to respect the others. Even Sith are only human. And if you ever find a way to avoid the kill, you may be able to show them that the Light side is not so bad after all. Not at the first meeting, but maybe at the meeting after or the meeting following"

Leaning towards the holoprojector, she looked at the Students, now smiling again "It may not be avoidable to have to kill every time. But never, and I really mean never think of it as 'necessary'. Instead, meditate on it to see if there may have been a better solution, and learn from it to do better next time. Even Grand Master Lovak was sitting in classes at the start of his life, never forget that"

 

[Arterius]

"Is it possible?" she asked suddenly, though hesitantly, a hand awkwardly half risen in the air as the words left her lips "Is it possible to save someone who has fallen to the Sith ways? To the Darkside?"
And there it was, the question she had for so long pondered in her sleepless nights and it would circle her mind like a caged animal.

Taruna's words motivated that animal to break free, and she couldn't rightly stop the words leaving her lips. They may seem silly to some, but to her the question was one of extreme importance. Leah did not want to kill anyone, she wanted to save, and if it was possible to save the fallen then she had to know or she would damn herself for never finding out. There were many of the school that the fallen were gone, or dead, but Leah did not believe that or more accurately could not... there had been examples to the contrary dotted through history, tales and stories however rare, that always gave her hope.

To those around her, especially the teacher, they may through the force be able to feel the hope within her... a powerful thing that held residence in her chest as she awaited the answer.

 

[Khivas]

"Yes." Khivas blurted out, taking zero hesitation in saying such a thing until after he had already said it. "Erm, yea, Leah, you can redeem somebody that has fallen to the darkside. Or in my case, redeem somebody who didn't even have a say in it and was born a Sith, both literally and figuratively. The man I knew has since gone into a bit of a meditative retreat, but he was a full fledged Jedi Hunter when we met, and he very nearly killed me too."

Letting loose a chuckle after that last bit, realizing how odd it must sound to these people. "Of course he didn't since I'm sitting right here in front of you all, and believe it or not he came around rather easily to the Light. Bit of a long story really, tell you about it some other time, but just take it to heart that it is indeed possible to redeem those of the Darkside, even pureblooded Sith born directly into the Sith Order."

 

[Sebby]

Felix shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the discussion on the Jedi Code continued. He was still thinking about all of the possibilities in his head about what could have happened to Nia. So much that it was making his attention on the lesson drift off elsewhere. Even the most clueless of people would be able to tell that he was troubled, try as he might to hide it. Verac's response to his greeting was what finally brought him back to this room and the lesson. He turned to look at his fellow padawan with the same friendly smile again.

"Great," He said, relieved that everything was fine on Verac's end, even though he didn't even know if anything was wrong in the first place. The discussion drifted to a Jedi's pursuit of knowledge, which Felix didn't really have an opinion on. Kade had said before that knowledge could be dangerous, but that was only when it was used in the wrong way, right? And whatever the "right way" was would probably depend on the Jedi.

Though once the lesson had moved on, it went more toward the topic Felix had been thinking about since early on in the lesson. The question of whether Sith could be turned back to the light side or if they were lost after being touched by the dark at all. The question was very quickly answered with a "yes" and Felix breathed a sigh of relief. "Why do you think people can get turned to the dark side in the first place? Besides being born into it, I mean..."

 

[Khivas]

"Simply put," Khivas began, trying to answer in his own way Felix's question, "It's a corruption of sorts, bought on either by lingering around the darkness too long, or seeking out power for whatever- often short sighted- reason, in such vastness that it twists and consumes you. An old saying tells it the best; Power corrupts, and Absolute Power corrupts absolutely. I'll let Taruna explain that bit in detail if you honestly want to know more about this, just know that studying the Dark side of the Force is usually a fast track to falling from grace. Also a fast track: Giving in to your anger and fear." He said, nodding to Felix.

"Welp, that's enough out of me!" Khivas declared as he slunk back in his seat and closed his eyes. "I'm not sleeping by the way, I promise."

 

[Krajin]

He didn't see the point this girl was asking about saving a Sith from the dark side. Kade shook his head and looked to the Teacher "Why should it not be thought as a necessity? If an individual is to dangerous to be allowed to live, it should necessitate the need to remove them as a factor. We may not be executioners but it does fall under the purview of being a protector." He said, leaning back a bit and looked around. Then looked to the girl "To convert another to your own belief system is like what the Sith do though. You can try to perform such a thing one can imagine. But that can be a double edged sword for they can more than likely do the same to you in the process. Bring you to their side instead."

 

[Taruna]

Clapping her hands once, not too sharp but sharp enough that everyone in the room could hear it, the teacher now assumed control of the conversation, mostly because she had a certain reason to do so "Okay. I know this topic of converting someone to a different believe is indeed a interesting one. But at this point I need to interrupt you all there. You already said it yourself: Knowledge can be dangerous. So can be a Lightsaber, but every Jedi does wear one. That's because we learned how to handle it correctly. That does have the same meaning for knowledge. And let me warn you at this point: Almost everything even dipping into the topic of the Dark Side does have the tendency to work like a slow poison. Since I do not want you to do the wrong decisions, I would like to teach you how to recognize if something is dangerous before I let you loose on said Topics." she once again looked into the eyes of everyone "Are you all in agreement that we will handle the topic of the Sith code and conversion at a later time, either within this class or in one done tomorrow? I can only pour so much knowledge into you all in one day"

 

[Arterius]

"I can agree to that" she said with a soft nod, returning to her quietness as she looked back down at her datapad, inputting notes of everything people had the say on the question she raised. It was enough for her, for now, but the topic would be one she would be keen to revisit in the future. It was comforting though that some thought it was, more so that Khivas seemed so adamant in his stance that saving someone from the shadow was possible... it would take more research for Leah, but it was nice to someone else who was just as hopeful.

 

[Krajin]

Kade flicked his ears in mild irritation "Alright then." He nods. It seemed pointless to him for all to agree seeing as one individual had to question on it. He leaned back and fiddled with his datapad, listening.

 

[Taruna]

With that settled and all students being in agreement and attentive, Taruna proceeded "Two lines remain, with this one being a line of special meaning..." The lines where joined by another line

<Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.
Jedi use the Force only for the pursuit of knowledge, to defend, and to protect.
Jedi respect all life in the galaxy, in any form it may take..
Jedi do not rule others, but serve them for the welfare of the galaxy.>​

"The last one is as well the most restricted as it is the least disputed among all Jedi. It's also a grim reminder that we are to be aware not to get drunk by our power, as we are Force sensitive and thus capable of doing extraordinary feats. And that does not even include the ability to wield the so far mightiest of all short range weapons: A Lightsaber" while speaking, she mentally unclasped her own pair of weapons and let them float in the air between her and the students, rotating idly around each other like a pair of twin suns "there are very few things you can not cut with it, and simply drawing it can end confrontations before they begin. Igniting it can have an intimidating effect. So... My preferred sword form is form zero, where you do not even need a single blow. But I derail again, my apologies."

She turned back to the hologram again for a moment, totally forgetting the sabers who still flew around there "The history of the Jedi is full of times where we took administrative positions, from the Army of Light at times of Darth Bane to our envolvement in the Clone Wars. Each of the exceptional situations and times of desperation. And almost each time it did not end well for the Galaxy, never good for the Jedi."