Talak had returned to the same Ajan Kloss clearing that he had gone to after the funerals for the Jedi who had fallen at the prison break. It was a place he was comfortable. It was close enough to the compound to be approachable, but far enough that he was unlikely to be disturbed by others. He had much to meditate on in the coming hours and days.
He had already come out here several days in a row, consulting the holocron of the long-dead Jedi Battlemaster who he related to far more than any other Jedi he had found. A Sith who turned from that path. As a Sith, he'd heard a different story of Venator. The man had been treated as a potent power but ultimately misguided and led astray by the Jedi. Now he saw something else in the man. A kindred spirit for more reasons than simply because they used the same lightsaber form.
The conversation had given him much to think on and he knew the discussions would continue in the days to come. There was still much darkness within himself. The Arcanist was a force that was both powerful and dangerous, but it was as dangerous to him as to his enemies. He'd seen time and again how it had nearly cost the lives of innocent people, it had nearly cost him Trys, and it had nearly cost his freedom. It had corrupted others to the Dark Side, dragged them down to be less than they should have been, and the repercussions of its actions were still being felt.
But for all the negatives, it was not without its positives. He had broken up slave trading operations, freed innocents, and shut down spice production operations. Those were all undeniably good. So where was the line? What was the balance? Jedi still killed, but the Arcanist was labeled a villain and murderer for what he did.
It was this that the holocron had helped clarify for him. Though Corvo himself had stated he was a poor example of a Jedi, he was still hailed as one of the Jedi heroes of the era of the last Sith Empire. He must have done something right or at least found a balancing act between the Light and lingering Dark. Like Corvo, Talak had the skills of a Sith Lord, which led to the question: when were they acceptable? Did he always have to offer surrender? Could he strike first? Kill an unsuspecting opponent without falling back into the dark side?
And thus his mind returned to the Arcanist. A creature who had derived its power from hatred. Even hatred of injustice or cruelty led to a lack of control. Peace was a lie, there was only passion. But that passion may have led to "breaking of chains" but it simultaneously enslaved him to a new master. It enslaved him to hatred and irrationality. He hadn't separated the fighting from his own hatred. He fought and killed because it was personal, and that wasn't what led to serenity or harmony.
So what was his role in the Jedi? This was the question he returned to time and again. He had the skills of a killer in an organization of peacekeepers in a time of war. In 1000BBY, the Jedi weren't the Jedi Order they were the Jedi Army. Perhaps they needed to be that again or perhaps they simply needed individuals who were ready to be soldiers. Perhaps that was Talak's role: not as a redeemer - though open to such if the situation was presented - but as a soldier and hunter. Bringing to justice the Sith who would destroy the galaxy. Offering mercy when it was requested, but bringing about justice when it was required.
So what did that look like? That was his next question he needed to answer.
He had already come out here several days in a row, consulting the holocron of the long-dead Jedi Battlemaster who he related to far more than any other Jedi he had found. A Sith who turned from that path. As a Sith, he'd heard a different story of Venator. The man had been treated as a potent power but ultimately misguided and led astray by the Jedi. Now he saw something else in the man. A kindred spirit for more reasons than simply because they used the same lightsaber form.
The conversation had given him much to think on and he knew the discussions would continue in the days to come. There was still much darkness within himself. The Arcanist was a force that was both powerful and dangerous, but it was as dangerous to him as to his enemies. He'd seen time and again how it had nearly cost the lives of innocent people, it had nearly cost him Trys, and it had nearly cost his freedom. It had corrupted others to the Dark Side, dragged them down to be less than they should have been, and the repercussions of its actions were still being felt.
But for all the negatives, it was not without its positives. He had broken up slave trading operations, freed innocents, and shut down spice production operations. Those were all undeniably good. So where was the line? What was the balance? Jedi still killed, but the Arcanist was labeled a villain and murderer for what he did.
It was this that the holocron had helped clarify for him. Though Corvo himself had stated he was a poor example of a Jedi, he was still hailed as one of the Jedi heroes of the era of the last Sith Empire. He must have done something right or at least found a balancing act between the Light and lingering Dark. Like Corvo, Talak had the skills of a Sith Lord, which led to the question: when were they acceptable? Did he always have to offer surrender? Could he strike first? Kill an unsuspecting opponent without falling back into the dark side?
And thus his mind returned to the Arcanist. A creature who had derived its power from hatred. Even hatred of injustice or cruelty led to a lack of control. Peace was a lie, there was only passion. But that passion may have led to "breaking of chains" but it simultaneously enslaved him to a new master. It enslaved him to hatred and irrationality. He hadn't separated the fighting from his own hatred. He fought and killed because it was personal, and that wasn't what led to serenity or harmony.
So what was his role in the Jedi? This was the question he returned to time and again. He had the skills of a killer in an organization of peacekeepers in a time of war. In 1000BBY, the Jedi weren't the Jedi Order they were the Jedi Army. Perhaps they needed to be that again or perhaps they simply needed individuals who were ready to be soldiers. Perhaps that was Talak's role: not as a redeemer - though open to such if the situation was presented - but as a soldier and hunter. Bringing to justice the Sith who would destroy the galaxy. Offering mercy when it was requested, but bringing about justice when it was required.
So what did that look like? That was his next question he needed to answer.