Ask Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Thrice Convinced

[Myrell’anay]

Plooma
159 ABY


She couldn’t blame them for losing faith.

These weren’t enemies. They weren’t even detractors, the kind to find fault in anything the Jedi did, to equate their imperfections with the Sith’s open corruption and carnage. These were leaders who wanted the best for their people. They’d thrown their full support behind the Jedi Order, once. Now they were doubting. And Myrell had to admit the question of whether their continued association with the Jedi was in their people’s best interest was a legitimate one.

They wouldn’t want promises or pretty words. They wouldn’t even want hope. They’d already had all of that. They’d want protection against the Empire. Insurance against Raze. Something real. And the Jedi had so little of it to give.

“Remember, we are guests here,” she told the padawan with her. Even that was stretching it. They were not invited. They might not even be welcome. “Let us act like it.”

How fitting that the young Alienor was the one accompanying her. Myrell remembered her well, the young padawan who’d been brave enough to speak up before the assembled Order. Like many initiates, her words had betrayed an idealism not yet tempered by reality. The older knight trusted this meeting would be eye-opening. Ideals their allies already had in spades; practical concerns would win the day.

“Do you have questions before we make our entrance?”

@Charndley

 

[Alienor Pom Blodau]

Alienor followed the older knight quietly, feeling like an errant schoolchild. Inbetween training sessions and trying to study the Force, someone had got the idea in their heads that a padawan like Alienor might be of use to a desperate, diplomatic overture. Maybe it was because they thought it would be good training for her. Maybe it was because of her background and some strange assumption that she might be able to help.

Between me and my brain, I'm beginning to have doubts about the Jedi's organisational capacity.

The seriousness of the situation hadn't been lost on Linny though. She nodded to Myrell'anay's instruction, intending to stay firmly in the respectful and quiet camp. The last thing that either of them wanted was Linny trying to take over things. 'Young padawan destroys alliance by stuttering' wouldn't look good on her record.

Questions, though? She had a hundred. How did they get into this state? What happened to make the Jedi be torn between different enemies in such a way? How did someone, or something, like Raze come to be? How could an Order like theirs, with their few resources and scattered people, hope to present a united front in front of all these dangers?

"Um... how are you going to approach it?" Linny finally asked, looking up at the older Twi'lek. "What are you going to offer?" She didn't know if she just wanted the details on her approach to negotiation, or just to feel some assurance herself.

"D'you want me to just... stay quiet?"

@Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

The first question earned a frown, like Myrell was still considering it herself. But her answer was measured.

“Well, that depends on how they approach it, themselves,” she said. “Doubt? Looking for solutions? Outright hostility? All warrant a different response.”

What they had to offer was harder to answer. Collectively, the Jedi hadn’t exactly put up much resistance against the Empire so far, and if they were to convince allies to stay on their side even as the guns were pointed at them, that would have to change. More knights would be expected, spread thin or no. As for the rest... it didn’t help that Myrell had received no instructions from the Council for this. What they could or couldn’t offer. But at stake was the support of almost a dozen worlds. A dizzying amount of resources, comparable to what the Empire funneled into their Star Destroyers. If Myrell had to commit the Order to preserve it, she would. Mandate from the Council or not.

“I heard you speak. You seem like a bright young lady,” she answered the final query. “I trust you to know when to be quiet. And if you are uncomfortable speaking up, you can always whisper in my ear for me to decide.”

The doors loomed behind. “Ready?”

@Charndley

 

[Alienor Pom Blodau]

Linny nodded in agreement with everything Myrell said. What more could she add? The knight was older, wiser and clearly going to be a more experienced diplomat that a teenage Annfyn. Still, she could watch. She could learn. And maybe... well, she could make some tea if tempers started running hot. This was something she should know about. She was the daughter of a noble house, her family dealt with negotiation and politics constantly. Not for the first time, Linny wished she'd listened more to her grandfather and spent less time in the mud.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Linny replied, looking towards the doors. Ominous. She'd follow the older Jedi inside, bracing herself.

Once entering the room, the two Jedi would hear spirited debate from the hall ahead.

"- not a matter of loyalty or principle, it is a matter of survival."

"What are we without princples? Are we just as low as the Sith-"

"Childish name calling will not strengthen your weak arguments."

"The reality of the situation is that the Jedi have not and cannot seem to provide the aid we need." The other voices fell silent as this one spoke. As the Jedi approached the hall where the leaders stood, they would see him. An older, Near Human man with greying hair and kind, tired eyes. "We are not here to denigrate or turn against the Order, but we must not delude ourselves that blind faith will ease our worlds and our peoples through the challenges to come. It is not wrong to consider the question. Are we truly better off with the Jedi?"

The question echoed lightly around the hall. Many of the leaders looked deep in thought. A couple drummed their fingers in irritation. One frowned, eyes wandering around the room until they fell on both Jedi. She looked at them disbelieving, as if they were a pair of unwelcome hallucinations, until reality set in.

"It seems we have visitors," she declared, as all chatter stopped. Every eye on the room was on them now. Staring. Judging. Evaluating.

"Ah." The older man sized them both up from his position. "Do I dare to presume that you may represent our friends in the Order?" Cold whispers fluttered from the back of the room, along with glares. There was a chill in the room.

We weren't meant to be here.

@Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

Myrell’anay strode through the cold glares and whispers like she didn’t notice them.

“You do,” she spoke up without a hint of hesitation. “We represent the Order in everything we do, Counsellor. What are any of us if not the sum of our actions?”

Her words were weighed. Actions. Not thoughts, not best intentions. Set the tone. Of course their uninvited presence would cause some pushback. They couldn’t let it shrink them lest they be as good as driven out. Meet it head-on. Don’t flinch. And Myrell had another trick she itched to use, cheap but oh-so-effective.

“Representative. You come from Bimmiel,” she remarked, finding someone across the room. “Tell me, how fare the Bim desert facility? Still operational, I hope? And you, from Birgis,” she continued. “How glad am I to hear the Senator’s daughter made a full recovery.”

“I see the Gree are present as well.” The short cephalopod would draw looks anywhere in the galaxy. “That I was granted to visit your homeworld in its time of need honors me to this day.”

Finally, she locked eyes with the one person present she knew personally. “Colonel. What a relief it is to see you here. I heard rumors you died over Bastion and I did not want to believe them.”

“To those who do not know me,” she said proudly, head high, eyes sweeping the room like to acknowledge everyone. The whispers persisted, but something had undeniably changed in the room’s atmosphere. “I am Jedi Knight Myrell’anay. With me is Padawan Alienor Pom Blodau. We have come to hear your concerns. And right some wrongs.”

At that, the Twi’lek looked to Alienor, encouraging her to say a few words.

@Charndley

 

[Alienor Pom Blodau]

What words of wisdom could a teenager add to this kind of ominous occasion? Linny felt her mouth turn dry as Myrell'anay looked to her, expecting and encouraging her to say something. How could the Twi'lek be so confident and at ease with so many serious people staring her down? She took a breath and stepped forwards.

"It is a great honour to be here," she said, her voice sounding very small and high-pitched as it echoed around the meeting hall. "I hope we can work towards something positive," she told them, recalling something she'd once heard her grandfather say in the Annwfynn Parliament. It sounded vaguely diplomatic, anyway.

Mutters passed around the collected delegates and leaders, with some quiet opposition to their very presence. It remained formless though, with the occasional mutter of "a child" and "no place for them here." Those named by Myrell'anay observed their courtesies, acknowledging her words.

"Ah, yes it is, operational and quite productive, Master Jedi,"

"Thank you, it was a great blessing when he heard the news."

"You were a significant black bisector in the approach of the blue nonagon. Your presence at this vertex pleases us," came the heavily droid-assisted acclaimation from the Gree delegation.

The mood had improved and it seemed that the Jedi were going to be tolerated. They were far from 'welcomed', but they were not about to be forced out. Linny wondered if they might dare tell them to get out, but that would be a strange impasse to meet. A few more at the meeting looked at them thoughtfully, considering their options.

"I think our concerns are obvious, Master Jedi," the older man finally said, "The Order promised us protection and support. The Order is currently at war with both an expanding Empire and trying to deal with the threat of Raze. You are currently losing on both fronts." There wasn't any malice or spite put into his words, just a weariness. "What practical help can you give? When the Empire's legions appear at our worlds, what will you do?"

"If Raze appears in our orbit, can you stop him?" came another voice, followed by murmurs of agreement. Difficult questions, Linny thought. She looked at the Twi'lek and hoped her nervousness didn't show.

We can give everything. But is that worth anything?

@Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

For a moment Myrell considered the questions. Fair, simple and entirely expected, yet the answers were anything but easy. If they were, they wouldn’t be here.

“I will be blunt, Counsellor,” she addressed the last point first. “If Raze appears in your orbit there is not a force currently in the Galaxy that can stop him.”

Her answer caused an uproar with several representatives, to the tune of ‘Well what good are you then?’, but that was to be expected. Myrell relented as they got their protests out of their system, only to speak again, louder, when after long moments the commotion had exhausted itself enough that she could just be heard over it.

“That is the truth of it!” she doubled down. “If he took Coruscant, why could he not take Helska or Lorrd? I am not here to win you over with lies or empty promises. I am here to show you why your best interest still lies with the Jedi.”

“The Galaxy over, peoples and governments declare their support for the Order as the best chance against Raze and his abominations. Despite what you imply, we are not idle, or have you not heard? Our foe is fearsome. Fearsome and mysterious. But as we fight them, on Coruscant, on Byblos, we learn about them. They are weak to the Light. They use infiltrators. Through the use of Light side nexuses, we hope to safeguard worlds against them for good. We are not yet at a point where these ideas can be deployed at scale, but make no mistake, Representatives. No other faction has done as much as we have against Darth Raze. The Galaxy is beginning to realize it. Turning your back on the Order now would be extremely shortsighted.”

@Charndley

 

[Alienor Pom Blodau]

The full brunt of Myrell's words seemed to echo around the assembled politicians. Disgust, eye-rolls and full blown arguments seemed to erupt from the collective, which deflated Linny's hope a little. She could understand why they felt that way. The way that she'd been so sure that, if Raze appeared, there was nothing that could be done.

Linny watched and listened as Myrell turned it back against them and told them that, whilst there was nothing that could be done right then, only the Jedi had the chance. Her words about other governments supporting them caused a few knowing looks and muttering towards the back. One of them threw their arms down, muttering something resembling "didn't I tell you that" to an obstinate diplomat.

Finally, Linny felt like she could say something. A memory slithered back into her mind from the first time she had met Myrell. She raised her hand up, as if she were still in a classroom, before the curious looks and frustrated stares forced it down. "I just wanted to add that... I'm quite sure that out of everyone here, Knight Myrell'anay is the only one who has been to Coruscant. She's been on the ground, actually taking the fight to some of the darkest parts of the Galaxy. Who would be better to have on your side?"

Linny felt the silence surround her, wondering if she'd done the right thing. More muttering followed, along with a few hard stares at her. She looked over quickly at Myrell, as if to say I really hope that meant something before a couple of questions started to emerge. The tone now was less fierce, less defiant, more desperate.

"These nexuses, you're planning to deploy them on every world?"

"You survived on Coruscant?"

"What can we do? How can we help towards it?" came a call from the middle of the crowd, drawing yet more looks. But it was soon followed by a couple more shouts of "Yes!" and "Hear hear!"

@Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

It filled Myrell with pride to witness the Order’s allies rally to her words. It was far from definitive, of course, and they hadn’t even broached the subject of the Empire yet, but there was visible progress being made, and considering the circumstances of their arrival, even that had to be worth something. Often assemblies like this only had ears for what they wanted to hear, and in these cases Myrell’anay’s brand of blunt realism was quick to have her ostracized. Never had it succeeded in making her change, though. As a Jedi, she valued truth higher than persuasion at all costs.

“I did survive Coruscant,” she confirmed. The knight gave Linny an odd look, which would be hard to read for someone unfamiliar with Myrell, but she’d been surprised and even a bit amused at the padawan’s words. She’d expected praise for the Jedi’s joint efforts; she hadn’t expected the young Annfyn to play cheerleader to her personally.

“I was far from the only Jedi to do so,” Myrell added. “Nor the most skilled or the bravest. But thanks to our efforts, records from the Grand Medical Facility were preserved from the onslaught, survivors were saved from their bacta tanks, and we gained what we hope will lead to a breakthrough in understanding our foe. For even one life saved, I would do it all over again.”

She moved on to the next point. “Every world would be ideal, of course, but impossible with the scale of the galaxy we inhabit, as I’m sure you realize,” she answered. “As of now, we plan to begin with key strategic worlds, those most likely to be targeted by Raze. For better or worse, none of your homes makes that list. Planets with a strong Jedi presence are among the least likely targets, in fact. As you know now, Raze’s monsters are weakened in our presence.”

“As for how you can help...” Myrell’s eyes again swept the room, like in defiance. “That is a far simpler question to answer, esteemed representatives. Stay the course. Keep your support behind the Jedi Order as we unravel this threat. Your assistance is invaluable. More resources mean more Jedi deployed to more worlds. Now is not the time to falter.”

@Charndley