HoloNet News The Jedi Lie

[Darth Malicia]

Malicia stood to the side, out of the holofeed but close enough to watch the Sullustian as he spoke. Her Cadre armor and mask hid most of her features outside of her size as she gazed at him.

On the holofeed, a lone Sullustian stood. "Dear galaxy, dear free world alliance and independent worlds, I am chief executive Bakon Mal, and I broadcast this to deliver a warning: do not fall for the Jedi lie," his voice rasped and his eyes remained firmly in place to stare directly forward. "The Jedi claim they're peacekeepers."

Blurry images of the battle on Sullust appeared, and then they flicked to a ship being crashed into the fortress. "Yet they launched an attack on Sullustian soil, committing an act of war, claiming the lives of dozens of Sullustians. Soldiers, a maintenance crew and a pregnant visiting dignitary lost their lives during the attack. An attack the Jedi paint as a rescue mission." There was no crew, no pregnant dignitary but he'd been instructed on what he had to say, and Malicia knew the galaxy at large could not prove there wasn't.

"Yet the truth is, the woman they came to "rescue", Trys Aran, willingly came to Sullust." A feed of her ship landing on Sullust flickered to the screen, as did Trys walking off the ship with no gun being held to her head. Her ship logs appeared briefly as well. "We do not know why the Jedi jumped to the conclusion that she was brought to Sullust against her will, if it was a failing of their Order or a smoke screen to wage a religious war."

Yet again, the holofeed switched back to the Sullustian, who continued to speak, "Both leave one inevitable fact: their judgment cannot be trusted. And their actions prove they're aggressive and willing to start a war with not just the Sith but the Sullustian people."

He leaned forward, "Do not trust the Jedi. Their actions at Sullust prove they cannot be trusted. And know that all the Jedi that attacked Sullust are criminals. The Sullustian government will pay greatly for their captures."

His image purposefully lingered at the end, it was a message that many would not understand, and then the broadcast cut out.

OOC: Open to reacts only.

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias back "home" or at least what could be considered his home. He was on the temple in Yavin 4 and in one of the identical rooms that was always open for passing Jedi. He was only shirtless as a towel hung around his exposed neck, bruises littering his body from his fight with the cyborg. It had been a minute since he had actually rested and the feeling of cushions was one he had desperately missed.

Elias dipped his towel into the bucket of water between his feet as it soaked up the hot water. He placed it against his neck and moved it slowly across his head, the heat soothing him and his muscles as his dirty blonde hair became darker. The heat made his eyes start to close but that's when another score would come on from his holo as there was more breaking news and interrupted him. He let out a soft sigh before just tossing the towel on the rim of the bucket as he directed his attention to the screen. Of course, another announcement, there had been a flurry of them recently.

As the Sullustian spoke, the Jedi's eyes grew wider and wider. What? It was the only question that kept repeating in his head as he listened to more and more of this speech. Holes were forming and grown to a gaping size as the man continued on. Trys had willingly offered herself to the Sith? As if they had forgotten that her son was still alive and had been kidnapped by them in order for them to force the lieutenant to do anything they wanted. In fact, he was with the Jedi and by their side currently, safe. Crix would be easily able to break that apart with just his words.

The Sullustian then spoke of an act of war but only showed a ship crashing into a base as their proof. A Sith base and one filled with loyalists to them but that wouldn't be obvious unless pointed out. There was no other footage of a fleet in orbit or of soldiers landing on the planet in order to perform a hostile takeover of the planet. There wasn't even footage of them attacking Sullustians. Were they trying to pass a rescue team of a dozen people or less as a religious invasion force of a planet? The rescue of a sector ranger? Elias was surprised and curious why they were choosing this to use as their example.

On the deaths of the innocent people, Elias never heard of a report of collateral damage such as that but he also hadn't been there physically and couldn't confirm it. He doubted it but he knew what a fight with a Sith could turn into. While the methods used may have been questionable at best, it nowhere constructed the illusion of a religious war. In fact, there have been no hostile actions from the Jedi against Sullust after the rescue to help push this message across.

When he ended the Jedi couldn't be trusted, Elias couldn't but chuckle softly. It was as if the galaxy had forgotten when Corellia had been attacked by the Butcher and his point had been that the Jedi weren't too different from the Sith. Now, the Jedi were the ones to be untrusted. Elias understood that it was propaganda, one that was supposed to cause unrest as his fist tightened uncontrollably in anger. But he exhaled softly as he pushed those feelings away to not cloud him. He wouldn't let simple lies attempt to bring down what his people believed in or what they achieved.

With a loud groan, Elias stood up from the bed and slipped his shirt back on. It seemed his time for rest was cut short.

 

[Talak Rand]

All he had left to give was rage. He was broken beyond words. He'd weathered all that had happened, made foolish mistakes, and nearly kept himself in check through all that had happened. He was done. They'd turned Trys into a vegetable, and now had the audacity to say that it was all voluntary?

He was done playing with his hands tied behind his back. If they wanted to see what a Force sensitive "criminal" could do, then fine. He could play that game.

Bakon Mal, he filed the name away in his mind. He was lying, and if that was the case, then there was someone higher up the food chain who was feeding the lies. The Eternal directly? No, probably not. Did the peons matter, though? No. He needed to pick his target and he needed to do it carefully. No more being irresponsible, no more cuffs, no more oversight.

You created your own demon, he said, looking at the screen with a look that could have cut someone down.

For a moment, that gaze was broken and he cast a glance over at Trys. Crix was with the Jedi and could tell them what had happened. They could go through the channels. Crix could bring evidence of what had happened to Trys. That was what he told himself, because he was about to go off the rails.

I'm sorry, Trys, he said. Still no answer. He walked over to her and placed a kiss against her forehead perhaps for the last time.

I wish... What could he even say? He wished that he wasn't going back to this path? He wished that he had been able to save her? He wished that he could have repaired her mind? Perhaps the dark path still could. Alchemy had powers over the mind. She would awaken and want nothing to do with him, but she'd be alive.

I wish a lot of things, he said, his eyes stinging as he left the room. There was no outrunning destiny.

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Reporters outside the senate building? Not unusual at all and Max himself was here specifically because he knew that they would be there. He had taken it upon himself to answer for the Jedi Order, to respond to the questions that were being asked by them in general. Standing in front of a short podium that had been erected, Max held his hands out for calm as the amassed Reporters crowded and all shouted questions at once.

"Sentients of the press, I am here to answer any questions you have in regards to the holo broadcast from the Sullustians and their Sith allies." he assured them all, speaking clearly into the microphones, "But I shall be answering questions one at a time. So please... how about you to start?"

He gestured to a tortuga reporter at the front who pushed ever so slightly further to the front and held up a recording device.

"Cragasti Pulmena for Corellian News Network." he introduced himself quickly, "Jedi Tionson, how do you answer to the accusation that the Jedi have killed a pregnant sentient in their attack on Sullust?"

Max bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of the question and it's subject matter. The loss of any life was regretable to him... if said loss of life had actually happened of course.

"The Jedi Order, myself personally, do not relish taking life. It is never our primary goal in any instance and as such we limit attacks to valid military targets." he assured the crowd, "But in this instance I would draw attention to why, how and, indeed IF, such a dignitary, was touring a Sith military prison. If actual proof could be provided, I would, of course, be horrified and give an unreserved apology at the bare minimum but I'm afraid I do not believe we can simply take open supporters of terrorists at their word on something so important."

He gestured to another reporter, who stepped up to be addressed.

"Glenda Tutta of The New Alderaanian. What do you have to say about the evidence that shows Ranger Trys Aran arriving of her own free will?"

Max's smile tightened ever so slightly.

"A woman coerced or blackmailed may arrive under her own power, as is the case here I do believe." he countered before raising his hands again, "There will be an official answer to this by the Jedi Order within the day, I can assure you and to avoid over-lapping on any of those points I will not speak further on these issues."

Another gesture and a rather oddly dressed man pushed his way to the front, demanding to be asked. Max indulged him.

"Thomas Beckk of the Daily Coruscanti."

... if Max's memory was right that wasn't a good news outlet but he didn't let that mean he ignored him.

"Yes Mr Beckk?"

The man in question straightened himself up.

"Jedi Tionson, at the end of the transmission the Sullustian government appeared to declare you and yours enemies of their state." he raised the recorder higher, "Are you intimidated at all at you, personally, being considered a wanted man?"

Max smiled a little bit wider.

"Unfortunately, sentients of the press, I shall have to mention that this shall be my last question. I must leave for a meeting with senators and @Emryc Thorne on Naboo." he admitted with a nod to the landing pad over to his right, "But to answer your question... how do I feel being a wanted man? How do I feel about the Jedi being wanted? The truth is I don't see a single thing has changed."

Enjoying the way they murmured, he explained.

"As Jedi we have always been opposed to the Sith and their Allies, such as the Sullustians. This has meant that they have come for us time and time again for existing and nothing more." he pointed to a patch of sky that was the vague direction of Ajan Kloss, "They attacked my home, the Jedi Temple of Ajan Kloss before they had any knowledge of our presence on Sullust. They have fought us time and time again and this? This announcement does nothing more than add a thin vaneer of legitimacy to their hatred of us. And to that I say? Nothing has changed and we shall stand against Sith and their allies until the Galaxy is truly free once again."

He took a step back from the podium.

"Thank you for your time - and long may freedom continue to reign over the Free Worlds of this Galaxy!"

Waving, Max allowed the senate security to keep the reporters in check so he could board his ship for his trip to Naboo.

 

[Crix Aran]

Watching the news was something that his Jedi Master recommended that he do whenever he could get the time. Considering Hannibal often liked to have him doing lots of physical training it had taken him an almost embarrassingly long time for him to realize that he could do both at the same time - he didn't need entirely free time to just listen to the news after all.

The usually warbling tones of a Sullustian was enough to have Crix lower his practice sword and move over to the screen for a better look. Ever since... well ever since his time visiting Sullust he had been waiting for something on the holonet. His mom had been a Ranger in a high enough position that she had had to worry about the most dreaded thing a Ranger ever had to face.

PR and the Press.

The more he listened and the more he watched, the more he knew that this was a kark storm. Swallowing thickly, Crix felt his right hand beginning to shake as they spoke about the Jedi attack on Sullust and casualties that had resulted from it. He had seen some of the damage on his flight away from the base but he couldn't really speak to who might have died.

A dark part of him whispered against the sound of drums that they had deserved death for what they had done to his mom... he pushed that part of himself away, trying to focus like his Master was teaching him. But the moment that the Sullustian on the screen spoke about his mother, his tentative grip on his emotions disappeared.

His right hand shaking like a leaf in the wind, he watched with wide eyes as they played footage of Trys landing her ship and getting out. His... his mom going into the belly of the beast because of Him. The details of what had brought her to Sullust weren't something he knew but he knew, on an instinctive level, that they came from the memories that Sith witch had pulled from his mind.

His mom walked down from her ship and down into the dungeon he had found her in, because of him.

Growling in sudden anger, drumbeats pounding in his ears, Crix threw his practice sword at the screen when the Sullustian said that the Jedi had 'jumped to conclusions'. Jumped to conclusions? Was it a conclusion they'd jumped to that the Sith had broken into his mind to abuse his mother's trust in him? Was it an excuse for the Jedi to wage a religious war when the Sith tortured his mother again and again?

Was the way his mother had been so very, very, reduced by her treatment at the hands of the Sith... was that all a Jedi Lie?

No.

Crix slumped back against the wall and slid down it, head in his hands as he shook. No, there were no Jedi Lies involved in what had happened to his mom. There were only two guilty parties in what had happened to her, in the way she had been mentally ripped apart. The only two guilty parties were the Sith for committing unspeakable acts... and him.

For not being strong enough to protect his mom.