Ask Dantooine Crazed Expectations

[Clove Vanhoop]

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Every meditation technique and mantra the Jedi ever taught Clove came in handy during the journey to Dantooine. Sure, she was no longer a Jedi, but when jumping out of the Sundrop felt better than facing this meeting, it was far more than necessary.

But she couldn't put off the meeting any longer; after meeting with the Jedi Councillors, she needed to meet with a Sith of comparable level. And that, much to her dismay, was Raze. The Sith she met in her nightmares every night. No matter where she looked or who she asked, the answer was the same: Raze was the equivalent of the Jedi Councillors. The Sith Empress was the other option, but getting a political appointment with her was nearly impossible, especially with the Killik crisis rippling throughout the galaxy. To make matters worse, it wasn't until she saw the appointment confirmation that she realized where they were going; Dantooine. The planet she had sworn to never visit again. The planet filled with nothing but horrid memories.

And yet, there she was, flying to Dantooine in the Sundrop on autopilot. Dressed in a flowy rich green maxi dress that covered most of her body, black strap heels that were a tad bit more tactical than most of her heels due to the wedges, and her curls, which were still enhanced by hair extensions, held together at the back with a flower and petal shaped pin.

Clove's ship finally arrived in Dantooine's orbit after the longest flight of her life. She was cleared to land near the designated location, and the ship landed perfectly on the landing platform thanks to the auto-pilot. The half-Annfyn took another deep breath and recited the crystal code one last time before grabbing her leather bag full of documents in case Raze wanted to see any of them. Yes, she was nervous and borderline terrified, and just seeing the planet brought back memories. But she was here for a reason far more important than her own fears and emotions. She was going to talk with Raze with a raised head, and she was going to be fine. The Star Guardian project was worth it.

She shoved any emotions deep into the mental drawer with a tight lock, a lock she had to repair after her first meeting with Raze, raised her chin in the air, straightened her shoulders and began to walk down the ramp with—slightly fake—confidence in her steps. Clove was greeted by two imperial soldiers near the landing pad, to whom she quickly showed her ID. They nodded and began escorting her towards the building they agreed to meet in.

After another round of ID checks and passing through another layer of soldiers, Clove was finally in the building, making her way towards the Dark Lord of the Sith's room. Her fist rose towards the door once she arrived, and with a deep breath, she knocked.

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Tag @Sreeya ​

 

[Darth Raze]

Clove would be led to a large room that looked more like a meditation chamber than anything. She may have been expecting dark energies and uneasiness, but there was an essence of unnatural calm. Raze came here to meditate for days to temper himself and reconcile with Emryc, and the impact left the halls with a strange tranquility. Almost mockingly, it actually would remind her of some of the chambers in the Jedi temples.

She would be left alone there for a moment before Raze arrived. The calm ambiance was joined by a frigid chill. She would feel goosebumps lining her skin and would know he was coming. His presence was daunting even before he arrived. Even then it wasn’t the Dark Side that she felt, but an unsettling cold feeling that was his very own signature.

Moments later, the Dark Lord of the Sith strode into the room to greet her. He wore the same armor and helmet she would recognize from the battlefield. His massive frame towered over her, and now he was close enough to where she could even catch a whiff of an appealing earthy and spiced musk. Raze said nothing at first, the crimson visor taking sight of her. She would suddenly feel as if she were on stage and slowly stripped down to her deeper layers. If he recognized her from the battle or if he could see directly into her thoughts then, there was no indication either way externally.

“Ms. Vanhoop,” The modulated voice stated curtly, “State your business,” He commanded, not in the mood for frivolous informalities.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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The chamber was everything but what she had expected. It was so soothing, so... like home. Perhaps not fully, but with a slight squint, it could almost look and feel like the Jedi Temple on Dantooine. Oh. How cruel. She stood there, eyes closed, soaking in the peace while she could. Clove knew very well how unearthly Raze's aura felt, and that was from a distance. She couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be once he was there, up close and personal.

And she didn't have to wait long or try to imagine anything. An icecold breeze curled through the room, except, there was no wind. It crawled through her skin, just as it had when they first met, but ten times worse. Her eyes opened, her nostrils slightly flaring. Where the room beckoned her to relax and embrace the light within, his aura urged her to flee to the hills. It was a darkness so dense, and so cold, that even the strongest would shrink.

Clove faced the Dark Lord of the Sith, her hands clasped in front of her body. Seeing his visor up close was almost as bad as the aura that emanated from behind it. And the way those same visors lingered on her, ripping away any outer layer protecting her... It only made matters worse. Every emotion, every memory encircling Raze, threatened to break free and send her spiraling.

But she knew it was going to be uncomfortable, and after making the horrid long journey to get here, she wasn't going to back down. Let him judge her... or recognize her... or whatever it was that the man was doing. Although, to be honest, she was taken back by the way he skipped the chit-chat and went straight to commands. She took another deep breath, quickly recollecting herself and within a few seconds, she was speaking. "Lord Raze," Her tone was similarly curt, albeit less cold. "I'm here for the Star Guardians Project."

How in-depth did she have to go? Or how beautifully did she have to paint the picture? No. He dropped the informalities, so she'd go straight to the point as well. "To be direct, the plan is to build complete neutral hospitals all over the galaxy where everyone, regardless of who they are, can receive free medical care without fear of bein' arrested, unless they act hostile within those facilities. After that, the next step will be to create large ships that can enter war-torn areas an' provide aid to refugees an' injured soldiers." She took a deep breath in.

Okay. Commit, Clove. Push through. Do it. "I'd like to offer the Sith the same treatment in those hospitals: free help without fear of bein' arrested, no matter where the Sith are in the galaxy. This includes refugee help in Sith space." She paused. "In exchange, I only ask that the Sith follow these 'rules' of neutrality an' allow us to help without fear of the Sith attackin' members of the Star Guardians or those they are tryin' to aid. Which will range from wounded Jedi an' Sith, to former crime boss Gareth Gin, to the average citizen who is uninterested in the war an' war-struck refugees."

The half-Annfyn lowered her shoulders slightly. That's it. It was on the table, and there was nothing she could do but wait for his response while standing as tall as she could beneath his crushing aura.

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Tag @Sreeya ​

 

[Darth Raze]

Raze calmly listened to the pitch, his still poise making it difficult to discern what he thought of the idea. As was his nature, he let her finish before offering his queries, “And who will be enforcing these ‘rules’ within your camps should any altercations erupt?” He asked after a long moment of silence. Organizations such as hers usually depended heavily on handouts and donations and severely lacked any actual talent, “And how are you ensuring the qualifications of your medical staff and the quality of care provided? Counting on brilliant minds coming out of medical school with insurmountable debts to work for free?”

There was no mockery in his tone, the questions genuinely curious and constructively critical. He wanted to understand the logistics behind her proposal. Was her organization driving the funding or was this simply a shaky structure built up from the goodwill of bigger governments?

“Where are you building these large ships and who is paying for them?” Was she expecting unrestricted access to shipyards from Imperial or Alliance planets to churn out exclusive ships for her project? The Dark Lord patiently awaited her responses, but the engagement from him made it clear she at least had his interest on the topic.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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The silence that followed was terrifying, especially when she was facing Raze and resisting his aura as best she could. But, where she would've fled a few years ago, unable to handle the stress, she now stood firm, her gaze fixed on Raze as he... well, she had no idea what he was doing, but she assumed he was thinking.

He finally responded with genuine and thoughtful questions, much to her surprise. No mockery, no belittling, just logical questions. She remained silent for a moment, debating how to respond. Explaining the security would give the Sith insight into the project, which could backfire. But they would have to trust the Star Guardians if she wanted to gain neutrality with the Sith. And in turn, she'd have to start trusting the Sith.

"There'll be two layers of protection. The first layer will be hired guards, both organic an' droid, who will serve the Star Guardians. Droids because they are unbiased, an' organics because they are less fragile. If either the organics or the droids fail, the other can step in." She developed the system just a few days before meeting Galek, but she was nonetheless proud of the strategy. Then came layer two, a brand-new strategy. "The Star Guardians will form the second layer. While many will be doctors an' healers, they will all be trained in basic self-defense. An' those on the field will require basic combat skills." She had wondered if she could train the Star Guardians combat medics to be as skilled in combat as herself, but that would have to wait for another day. For now, the basics would do.

"In terms of ensurin' quality, many of those comin' out of medical school will be hired." While she was fortunate in that most of her medical school was paid for by her parents and helped by the Jedi Order, she was also aware that many others were not. And they could use the credits. "An' while the Star Guardians will take volunteers, the core staff will be paid an' trained to ensure quality. An' before they can help, volunteers will be required to demonstrate their abilities in the medical field. Anyone can claim to be able to heal, but not everyone can mend a wound with the Force or have the medical knowledge to do it practically." Clove shifted on her heels, inhaling deeply. "Of course, both security an' doctors are expensive to hire. Therefore, the Star Guardians will produce all possible medications internally, they will accept donations an' investments, an' I will invest any available credits."

"A lot of plannin' will be necessary for these big ships. My idea is to locate a ruined ship in a ship graveyard an' see if there is a neutral shipyard willin' to help." Clove paused somewhat uncomfortably. "I'll admit, though, that this is somethin' for the future. There's currently not enough credits or space for any of them. So, unless someone somehow decides to donate one, it's not our priority for the time bein', which is why there's no concrete plan in place." She had to play an open book, as much as she loathed doing so. And this was a part of that open book.

Clove straightened her back slightly, hoping that her answers would be convincing enough for the Dark Lord of the Sith. If not, she had tried, hadn't she? Yet... still, it had to be enough. Without the Sith's agreement, none of this would be 100% possible.

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Tag @Sreeya ​

 

[Darth Raze]

This was curious for Raze. Emryc was more present now and the half Sephi had dabbled enough in businesses to know most operating models. This one sounded shaky at best, and it certainly didn’t have a defined source of sustained income - a question she skirted around. Raze mused that, through ISC, he was going to be paying for this anyway.

“What separates you from just plain Jedi?” He asked after a moment, “After all, should true Jedi not heal all those that require it without discrimination?” It was more of a rhetorical question than anything, but one that he found amusing. He may have been the Dark Lord, but he didn’t get here without having a semblance of understanding of what made a good Jedi.

“The Sith will sponsor your efforts within Imperial borders,” He stated flatly, “And you will be provided Imperial troopers as auxiliary security for the hospitals and camps in border planets. You are permitted to conduct recruitment drives for local staff,” The Dark Lord eyed her for a moment, “You will be provided credentials to facilitate your travels within Imperial space. I trust you know better than to become a nuisance for the Empire,” He wasn’t concerned about her being any kind of spy. She knew exactly what he was capable of.

Raze crossed his arms over his chest. Though he kept his eyes trained on her, she would get the uneasy feeling as if she was wasting his time as people often did standing across him, “Do you require anything else?”

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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Many things happened today that Clove hadn't seen coming. Many things that caught her off guard. But it was the rhetorical question that froze her on the spot, causing her eyes to bat at him more than she'd like. She stared in silence before snorting, her face showing amusement for the first time since the meeting. "Let's just say, Lord Raze, I wish there wasn't such a separation, but here we are."

She suspected Raze knew she was a former Jedi; if he had done even a smidgeon of research before the meeting, it would have been one of the first things he'd discover. Not to mention the possibility that Raze remembered entering her mind on Dantooine. Or how she hadn't bothered hiding her own Lightsided aura, which was noticeably yet passively trying to shine just a tad bit brighter to avoid succumbing to Raze's ice-cold dark ocean. But regardless of wherever he knew or not, it mattered not.

The more professional conversation continued, and her amusement vanished as quickly as it had arrived; the mask returned to her face, and she focused closely on what he had to say. And, as with Galek, it was far more than she could have imagined. All she wanted was neutrality, but thanks to a sponsor, a facility in Sith space became possible. She could begin construction on a new facility once she had more credits. While Clove's face remained relatively closed and difficult to read for anyone who wasn't stripping her outer layers away, her bouncing ears revealed just how happy those words made her. "Thank you, Lord Raze. We will not do anythin' to become a nuisance to the Empire or jeopardize this trust an' neutrality." Because, well, she knew what Raze was capable of. Very much so.

She'd had enough of the Sith-Jedi war. She wouldn't interfere with Sith or Jedi plans as long as she could protect civilians and refugees and heal whoever needed it.

"No, this is all we need; thank you for your generosity an' this opportunity. As long as the Sith an' Star Guardians remain neutral, the Sith will be more than welcome in all facilities an' camps." Clove's large brown eyes froze on the visors of the Dark Lord, taking one last close look. While she had kept her cool throughout the meeting, the sight, combined with this strange odd feeling that she had to leave, was enough for her heart to pick up and flutter in absolute fear, her shoulders slightly raising. She was on the edge of losing the calm she fought to maintain throughout the conversation.

Clove exhaled deeply and took a step back, her hands still clasped in front of her body. "With your permission, Lord Raze, I'll take my leave to finalize the details of this agreement an' send them to the person I contacted for this meetin'."

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Tag @Sreeya ​