Ask The Path to Balance: Courage

[Izel Thral]

Alsuna chuckled as Isen spoke about his love of action. Offering a humorous "Clearly." in return. As he spoke of his inevitable demise however she became a bit more thoughtful. The Padawan would be able to feel the negative emotions dying down as she became more and more comfortable in his presence. She was almost being casual with him now.

"I think you're being awfully pessimistic for a Jedi." She said teasingly, offering a slight smile, though there was a seriousness behind it. "Aren't you supposed to be all about hope and the triumph of the light?" She paused to giggle. "You're already talented Padawan. Never settle for thinking you've hit your peak. That's one lesson you ought to take from us dark siders. You're afraid you might die in combat? Dedicate every waking moment to your training. Make every cell in your body a part of a deadly weapon..." she paused, thinking, then offered him perhaps the most genuine smile she had yet. "And have faith that the Force really is behind the Jedi."

Izel watched Yulie, antennae twitching as she felt the flow of the Force around her. She wasn't reaching out. The Vratix remained patient however, and continued to speak in a calm and encouraging tone. "You're not asserting yourself." She explained. "Remember that your relationship to the Force flows in both directions. You are not simply a passive observer. The Force flows through you." She paused, trying to think. Eventually she came back to the water analogy. "Right now you're behaving like a stick, floating down a stream. Instead be the rock that alters the flow, makes the water move around it. You are two equal and opposite forces. Right now it is pushing on you, don't be afraid to push back." It was a difficult line to tread, and required confidence to do so calmly. Izel was aware it would be much easier for Yulie to use her anger and frustration to accomplish the task. "Plant your feet, feel the flow, and push it in the direction you want it to go." She said slowly, trying to promote a feeling of calm and control.

@Zohrael @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

"You're already talented Padawan. Never settle for thinking you've hit your peak. That's one lesson you ought to take from us dark siders. You're afraid you might die in combat? Dedicate every waking moment to your training. Make every cell in your body a part of a deadly weapon...And have faith that the Force really is behind the Jedi."

Isen smiled and shook his head slightly. It was bizarre for someone to tell him to train more. He hadn't heard that in a while. Isen had dedicated himself to the physical a long time ago. It was almost like he was back on Jedha and the Masters at Pilgrim's Point telling him that he wasn't put enough effort into his meditations. "I'm not afraid of dying. I've had my share of being afraid of a lot of things, but I'm not afraid of dying in combat." He leaned back and took account of her gang again to make sure they were all there and behaving themselves. "It's more of a realization of who I am. I don't see myself ever stopping jumping right in the middle of danger, and I'll either roll the dice one too many times or I'll survive until I'm so old even the Force can't help me enough to fight some younger version of me." He looked at her and shrugged. "It's the way I've always envisioned it, maybe even the way I wanted to go." He took a long sigh and gave her a knowing look. "I know that's definitely not the Jedi way, but it sure beats dying in my sleep after waddling to my cot with the help of a cane after I rousing session of teaching younglings how to lift rocks with just their minds and the Force." He lifted a few rocks between them via the Force as a show of it all. "Maybe those are my Dark Side demons trying to scratch the surface. I'm not real sure. I've had my struggles with the Dark Side, same as you."

The young Jedi Knight was happy to flip the tables a bit. "Speaking of you, have you thought about what you're going to tell the tribunal when they ask you about your crimes?"

@Reyn

 

[Yulie]

“Be a stone.”

Yulie nodded her head and gave it a shot. The metaphor made sense to her, so she tried to sense the difference between the Force’s effects upon her, and the Force’s presence within. From there, she’d at least have something to work with when trying to properly reach out and connect with a shard.

There was something. A reverberation of some sort. Motion within was reacting to motion from without, but at a different resonance. In meditation, she had found synchronicity, and this was different. The tough part would be making a connection with the proper object just by altering her resonance, but she held the mental picture of the shards as she had been instructed earlier.

Her head bowed forward. Skin bunched together, right where the forehead met the nose, pulling eyebrows closer to the middle, scrunching her eyes shut. Holding the mental picture of the shards felt unpleasant. The edges felt sharp, puncturing the thin membrane that separated the image from the emotions that were associated with the memories she had of the shards.

In the Vratix’s hand, one of the shards began to weigh heavier than before. Yulie managed to establish a tenuous connection with it through the Force, as if she were touching it with her finger. There was pressure from that touch, however little it might be. Yulie’s turbulent emotions made for treacherous waters, however.

This was a precursor to Force Choke, an ability deeply rooted in Yulie’s fears. Using that Technique was an instinctual crack of a whip, and this soft pressure lacked the swiftness and strength otherwise typical for her. The breathing exercises were helping, keeping her centered and her head above water. Were it not for that training, she might gone under.

Yulie struggled to remain focused on the shards. The sound they made when they clacked against each other reminded her of the night that she tried to sell the lightsaber to pay off her debt and walk free. When there were no buyers at all, she spent hours sulking in an alcove, throwing them bitterly against the wall, hating Stormkirk and herself. The way they clacked against the flooring sounded the same as them clacking against each other.

Be a stone.

She remembered their weight when she held on to the image. That person at the kiosk on Mon Gazza had slapped them upon the ground, and Yulie had to desperately crawl around on her belly to get them back before they all got trampled. That was soul-crushing day if there ever was one. Frantically scurrying from one rejection to another.

Focusing on her breathing, Yulie tried to set the memories aside so she could concentrate on simply holding that mental picture. The more she succeeded, the less pressure there was upon the shard. In weaker moments, the pressure increased.

“It’s not working.” She growled in frustration, a residual effect of her simmering emotional state. Just touching the Dark Side had a corrosive effect on one’s personality; though she held on to self control and was calming down, her posture was different. She stood fully upright, and was as light on her feet as a dancer. The pressure upon the stone vanished, the tenuous connection lost.

“If I float on the water, I can clear my head and stay focused. But when I try making my own currents, my memories get more intrusive and it’s hard to concentrate.” She lowered her hand and took a breather. It would not be long before she settled back into her usual posture, slightly shrunken, less confident, her body weight shifting closer to her heels.

“I used to dive into those feelings because it made me fight better, but you said that’s using the Dark Side. I have an idea that might work, but I should clear my head and get some rest first. It involves using a different memory, and I’d need to keep one shard in the meantime.” Given the dangers of corrupting objects, Yulie was pretty sure that the chances of this were rather small. It still felt like an important piece in the thought experiment, so she explained her idea.

“I was always worried about the shards being lost or stolen, because they were the last of my possessions that I could actually barter with. If I had to trade one, it’s because things got really bad. But I don’t think I was in a bad spot when I gave you all my shards; you were pretty understanding and this day was…mostly successful…so if I can hold on to that moment, I might be able to hold a connection with a shard and levitate it back to you.”

@Reyn
@Isen

 

[Izel Thral]

"Assuming the Republic or someone else doesn't demand I be handed over to them for a trial?" Alsuna asked Isen before leaning forward. She grew quiet as she took some time to consider the question, knitting her fingers together and pressing her lips against them as she stared down at the fire, a thoughtful expression furrowing her brow. "I'm certainly not going to beg for mercy if that's what they want to hear." She said finally, still not making eye contact with the young Kiffar. "I'm not going to apologize for leaving the Order, or for killing the family and the people on my homeworld that made my life so miserable. As far as I'm concerned they got what was coming to them..." Slowly she looked up at Isen, only to glance off to the side again. "There are... A few things I regret though..." She didn't elaborate on this, but it wouldn't be too hard to guess that she was speaking of killing her master and the other Jedi that previously pursued her. After thinking on it a bit more she sighed and leaned back in a more relaxed position. "I suppose I'll tell them the truth. I left because I was dissatisfied with what they wanted me to be, their perfect paragon of justice. I left because their Code is no longer sufficient for me. If they want to imprison me for that, or kill me, then so be it. I'm not about to go back on my decisions now." It was clear that Alsuna had accepted her defeat, but she still clung to her personal view of the Force and attunement to the dark side. She was no Sith, but still far from anything resembling an ally.

Meanwhile Izel and Yulie remained by the lakeside, conducting their training exercise. Izel was patient, but could tell this wasn't getting anywhere. Yulie was still wrapped up in all her negative thoughts, and any progress she made was only with the use of the dark side. It was a positive to see her fighting against this influence though, and making the conscious decision to stop when she felt herself slipping too far. The Vratix listened quietly as the Dathomirian made her suggestion, clicking her mandibles thoughtfully. "Okay..." she said finally, after a few moments of silence. She handed one of the crystals back to Yulie, pocketing the other for the time being. Of course she didn't intent to keep any of this permanently. They were the girl's property and she wanted her to have them, but if she was comfortable with the Jedi master holding them for the time being that was alright.

"You've clearly been through a lot today." She went on. "We'll try this again once you're well rested. And hopefully a bit better fed as well." She added with a lighthearted chitter before turning towards the lake. "For now, just watch me. Not only with your eyes, but try to reach out and feel both the general current of the Force and my own signature within it. Feel how I alter the flow without pouring my emotions into it, so you can emulate the technique the next time we try it." Izel would reach out her hand towards the dark waters, but didn't start immediately, instead giving the young Dathomirian time to re-center herself and observe. Then she would lower her head, antennae twitching as she gently started to reach out with the Force. In combat situations she had learned to do all of this instantaneously, making connections with objects she had no former attachment to and affecting them through the Force at the speed of thought. Now she moved very slowly and deliberately, her extension of energy probing outward and weaving with the flow of the Force as though they were two dancers, one leading the other but both working together to create a great work of art that could only be seen by a Force-sensitive. She reached out to the lake's bed, fifty or some feet below the water's surface. The lightsaber was easy enough to find. Even broken and without a central crystal, it reeked of dark side energy that made it stick out from the rest of the lake bed like a sore thumb.

Izel's extension through the Force grasped the device gently, like an invisible hand, and slowly began to lift it back towards the surface. After a minute or two of the two of them just standing on the shore, looking like nothing was happening to any outside observer, the Jedi weapon sprouted from the water and floated a few feet above the surface. With a twitch of her fingers Izel altered the flow of the Force again, and the lightsaber steadily moved towards her. Just before it reached them on the shore the Vratix used her free hand to reach into her bag and pull out a long piece of cloth. Rather than touch the lightsaber with her bare chitin, she held up the cloth in both hands and plopped the lightsaber into it, then promptly wrapped it up and stowed it away as she looked back to Yulie. "Did you feel anything?" She asked, curious to see if the girl had grasped any understanding of the connection.

@Zohrael @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

Ever watchful of Alsuna's goons, Isen looked back and forth between her and her gang. He nodded as she talked, not giving any hints of emotion away as she did. When she finished he looked at her with a quizzical look. "Why would assume that I would want you to beg for anything? Forgiveness, mercy, anything?" He shook his head and leaned back to get more comfortable. "I can't imagine there is anything that I would beg for, and I wouldn't expect anyone else to either."

He folded his arms and stared at her for a long while. Not to admire her beauty, which was evident, but rather to try to figure her out. "How can you say you will tell them the truth but you will not go back on your decisions? What if your some of your decisions were...wrong? You said yourself you have regrets. If you could go back and change decisions, it certainly sounds like you wish you could. Why would you tell the tribunal or any court something different? And how could that be the truth?"

The Kiffar Padawan shrugged at her and said, "We're a lot alike. You're stubborn. So am I. But when I'm clearly wrong, I have the strength and self-confidence to say so. Do you?"

@Reyn @Zohrael

 

[Yulie]

Yulie received the shard graciously, and snaked her hand through the slit of her pants where a pocket used to be and slipped the kyber back into its pouch. With it safely hidden away, she grew more confident that she’d be able to connect with it during the next lesson and lift it properly. One good memory, that’s all she needed. Once she could move one thing, she was certain she could flex that mental muscle to move something else.

Standing upon the shore where the waves would slide over her feet before receding back into the lake. There was duality in the rhythmic flow, the sensation of water leading to the cold touch of air, an alternation between standing upon the bare ground and being marginally submerged. It was getting easier to settle her mood to its baseline, her training indeed helping her find stability.

She made herself attentive as she could, watching the waters before closing her eyes, sometimes mistaking the gentle breeze for some action within the Force. Nothing. Just the motion of nature…but when Izel’s weave wrapped around the lightsaber, Yulie felt something. Her eyes opened in surprise, and she looked upon the water, that sensation still lingering. No, she hadn’t imagined it.

The adversarial relationship between Darkness and Light did not require living beings to act out this struggle in glorious battle or through a perversion in the food chain—their conflict permeated through all things. When Izel wove through the cosmic tapestry to ensnare the tainted relic, the diametrically opposing signatures resonated.

The escape pod was effectively a resonance chamber, isolating this clash from the background flow of the Force. She may have been poorly developed in her sensory abilities, but that reaction was well-suited for her to notice, and it took place within a surviving piece of the Grey Phoenix, a place she’d been attached to.

At first it was difficult to separate the two in her mind and tell one signature from the other. The way they were mixed together was like pouring two drinks into the same glass and telling them apart, but as the lightsaber plopped into the cloth, the two signatures separated like oil and vinegar, and each remained present in her mind.

“I didn’t feel anything until you started moving the lightsaber, but now I feel both it and you!” It was strange and wonderful at the same time. Although the rest of her surroundings remained beneath her perception, it felt like a veil had been lifted and she knew she could find a way to improve on it and become mindful of her surroundings like a real Jedi.

Something about the lightsaber reminded her of something back in her time of captivity.

“Back in the prison, there was this boy who got beat a lot. I think he was being raised to be a fighter, because good fighters are always in demand and freedom can be earned faster. But he didn’t take well to the training, and he always found some deep place where no one went to and he’d just…scream. Not in terror, or rage, just the worst sound you ever heard. I think the lightsaber might be doing the same thing. Stormkirk and I found it in an unlit crevasse within abandoned wreckage, and it found its way into such a place again. It carries an old pain…from…before. I don’t think Isen should touch it.”

@Reyn
@Isen

 

[Izel Thral]

Alsuna let out a somewhat exacerbated groan at Isen's response. "Because I don't believe everything I did was wrong." She replied. "I don't regret leaving the Order for a second. I wish we didn't have to become adversaries, but that was inevitable. My way of doing things flies in the face of your Code. The Jedi are duty bound to stop me. That's why you're here." She sighed. "But I'm tired. Like you said it was only a matter of time until I met my match." She smiled a bit as she looked back at the Padawan. "We are alike. The martial path is not for those that want to grow old." She paused, thinking. "If the Jedi see fit to turn me loose on their enemies perhaps we can be allies of a sort. I certainly wouldn't mind fighting the Sith. But I'm not going to turn away from the dark side. It's the only way I feel like myself. I'm not giving that up."

Izel chittered a bit as Yulie seemed so excited with her new revelation, but as she started telling her story from her old life and relating it to the lightsaber the Vratix fell silent. "I agree." She said with a nod as the Dathomirian suggested against Isen touching it. "Based on your description of where you found it this lightsaber must have belonged to a Jedi who fought in the Clone Wars. That conflict had a horrific effect on our Order, a tragedy we nearly didn't recover from." She looked down and placed her hand on the bag where she had stowed the weapon. She could feel the darkness seeping out of it. "No doubt it felt it's master betrayed and slain, and still mourns their loss." She looked back at Yulie, antennae twitching a bit. "Perhaps you will be the one to heal that pain." She added, trying to turn the conversation on a more positive path. Having retrieved what they were after, Izel would start to lead the way back towards Alsuna's camp.

"But I'm glad you have felt this." She continued as they walked. "It means you're making progress. Hopefully, now that the worst of our troubles are behind us, I can dedicate myself completely to your training. Isen's apprenticeship is essentially over, so you will have my undivided attention. All that remains is for you to be formally accepted into the Order for training." She looked at Yulie, a warmth and reassuring tone to her voice. "And you will be accepted. I'll tolerate nothing less." Whatever happened in the future Izel was committed to making sure Yulie received the training she needed. As far as the Vratix was concerned anyone who wanted to learn was worthy. She had faith the Council would feel the same.

@Zohrael @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

How did Alsuna lose her way like this? That was the question that was rolling through Isen's mind. Perhaps she was not Sith, but she was still dealing with absolutes all the same. Either this way or that, no middle ground. Isen snorted and shook his head. "Nobody said you had to regret every decision you made. But if you made mistakes, and if you have regrets, you clearly did, you should be strong enough to admit those."

Isen picked up a pebble and tossed it absentmindedly. "What is this all or nothing defense mechanism of yours? You're too talented and too smart to let that level of simplicity define you. If you want to be a Dark Jedi, then so be it. But own it truthfully. The things you are not regretful for, tell them that. But for those things that you feel were mistakes, tell them that too. If you can't do that...you aren't as strong as you think you are."

The young Jedi would nod and lean forward. "My guess? If you ever want the Jedi to advocate for your release, you better be strong enough to do exactly that. And for what it's worth, I hope you are strong enough to show the Jedi tribunal exactly that."

@Zohrael @Reyn

 

[Yulie]

I’ll tolerate nothing less.

Yulie expected to be evaluated by the Order with a wary detachment, scrutinized as closely as a sniper would study distant images captured within the lens of their scope. They would measure the length and depth of the shadows weaving through her, judging whether she might be a target or a threat. Perhaps someone of interest for closer observation. Izel may not actually hold any power to challenge the Order’s ruling.

“Thank you.” Yulie said, not for what might have been an empty promise, but for caring enough to try. Even if the Order formally rejected her application, she was grateful to have anyone champion the cause. Even doomed efforts held meaning, and that would be more than any Nightsister ever offered.

When Yulie faced the Clan Mother, she had no voice to vouch for her but her own. None of the huntresses or scouts leveraged their reputations oh her behalf, though Yulie considered it kind of them to have allowed the meeting to even happen. Some were skeptical, a few of them clear on that, and Yulie had been grateful for them keeping these opinions to themselves. Looking back on that, it made Yulie feel a little sad that a Jedi was more committed than any of the Clanswomen.

“You can tolerate it if they refuse me, though. You’re already doing more for me than anyone else ever did.” And a ‘Dark Side cult’ is probably less strict than the Jedi about using the Dark Side.

Izel knew better what the Jedi were looking for, and Yulie couldn’t see inside herself those things. However, until the door slammed shut in her face, she could be happy that someone was at least willing to walk her up that path this time. She tried not to get her hoped up, but Izel’s encouragement was infectious. Against her better judgment, Yulie allowed herself to indulge in more optimistic thoughts, thinking about healing that lightsaber’s pain and perhaps her own.

Maybe she’d wield a more traditional blade like Isen’s, respect the process a little more and refrain from indulging in modifications.

@Reyn
@Isen

 

[Izel Thral]

Alsuna's brow furrowed as Isen spoke. "Is that not what I've said?" She asked, a bit annoyed. "I told you, I'll be honest with the Council. I'll tell them why I did what I did. And I'll tell them what I regret doing. I think you're misunderstanding me Isen. It's the Order's reaction that will be 'all or nothing'. If I'm not willing to turn from the dark side, and I'm not, it won't matter to them if I regret any of what I've done. The Jedi can't tolerate dark siders. They'll condemn me, you'll see." The woman sat back more comfortably. "I'm surprised you would think any differently. Since when has the Order ever tolerated Dark Jedi? Use of the dark side goes against everything they stand for."

As they continued their trek, Izel watched Yulie out of the corner of her eye. She could feel the girl still had doubts. That was understandable. The Vratix had fears of her own about the Dathomirian's future. But she believed that the Jedi would see her capacity to be redeemed. “You can tolerate it if they refuse me, though. You’re already doing more for me than anyone else ever did.” The girl said.

"That's because I believe the Force brought you and I together for a reason." She replied. "Think about how many factors had to align perfectly for us to meet? There are only a few hundred Jedi in the entire galaxy you know. Some would call what has happened statistically impossible. And yet here we are." She looked at Yulie directly. "The Force has a desired purpose for everyone, even you. I believe it brought us together because it intends for your instruction, so that you can overcome these troubles that plague you. And I believe the Council will agree with me on this."

Before long they arrived back at camp. Thankfully it seemed everything remained under control, and Isen was conversing with the Dark Jedi. That worried Izel somewhat, and she approached. "Is everything alright here?" She asked, looking between her apprentice and their captive. Alsuna smirked.

"Just me trying to seduce your Padawan to the dark side." She said jokingly as she crossed her arms. Izel didn't visibly react much to the taunt beside a slight twitch of her antennae. Then Watam would approach and nod to both Izel and Yulie.

"The ship is ready to go." He informed them, and looked at the captives. "We can drop these scumbags off with the authorities in the Umbaran capital and then go... wherever you want to go I guess?" Izel looked between her gathered allies, waiting if there was anything more to be said.

@Zohrael @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

“You can tolerate it if they refuse me, though. You’re already doing more for me than anyone else ever did.”

The padawan shurgged. He could sense that his Master was nearby. She had nearly returned. "I just try to do what is right. Not right by me, but just what is right."

When Izel and Yulie he allowed the quip about trying to seduce him to the Dark Side to get by with no so much as a grin. He knew it might cut Izel a bit as she was the protective kind. Isen stood finally and said quite deadpan, "You have nothing to worry about, Master. I prefer brunettes."

Whether or not that would annoy Alsuna, he was unsure, but Izel knew full well that Isen was a very orthodox Jedi who fully intended to never get involved in a romantic relationship.

"We can drop these scumbags off with the authorities in the Umbaran capital and then go... wherever you want to go I guess?"

Isen turned to look at him. Scumbags...perhaps. Lots of definitions could fit for individuals such as these. For most of the galaxy, scumbags fit. Isen was starting to see things differently, so he decided to address it, and loud enough for Alsuna to hear. "Not Scumbags, Captain. Prisoners perhaps. Criminals, yes. But not scumbags. Nobody is beyond redemption. These prisoners included. And through the Force, maybe they'll find it."

Isen turned his attention to his Master who had seemingly found another padawan. Isen could only think about how the galaxy keeps on moving. His time with his master was now at an end, and ready she was with another pupil. He knew it, and he bowed with a nod to her with a reverence and glimmer of emotion that was rare for him. "I can see our time is almost over as Master and Padawan. You have been everything I hoped for and everything I needed. You have been an amazing teacher and you are a better friend. Thank you, Master. I hope my actions as a Jedi in the future reflect well on you."

@Reyn @Zohrael

 

[Yulie]

Yulie smiled. She knew her doubts would eventually get to her and give her some stage fright when she’d ultimately stand before the Council, but for now, Izel’s certainty was something worth believing in and that allowed Yulie to indirectly believe in herself as well.

The factors that Izel spoke of was a long chain of bad experiences and painful memories, endured under harsh conditions. Conditionally exiled from Dathomir, too young to be put to work in Mon Gazza’s mines, attacked by patrons in a spice den, refused passage again and again…the Council could very well disagree which aspect of the Force led Yulie to Izel.

However, were it solely the Dark Side that wove the threads of chance into her circumstances, guiding her steps from the shadows, Yulie could only see them moving her as far as Ambria. She stood before the Obelisk and was tested, a test that she passed. Perhaps Izel was right to recognize that the Force had a more ambitious purpose for her than succumbing to the Dark Side on a dead planet. If Izel believed she had a brighter future, why wouldn’t the Council?

“Careful, Izel. You’re starting to get my hopes up. I’m not sure if you’re ready for that.” She said in jest, smirking as though wide-eyed optimism would be an insufferable change.

She arrived back at the camp in better spirits, but frowned to see that Alsuna hadn’t been sedated or locked up tight in the brig. Suffering was pointless, but prisoners shouldn’t be enjoying themselves with smug grins on their faces. Yulie held her tongue, opting not to provoke the woman with some snide remark. Also, it would have been speaking out of turn to address the prisoner without permission, which demanded Yulie’s silence ever more strongly.

Izel seemed a little concerned, asking if everything was alright, but Isen wasn’t troubled by Alsuna’s glib response. Her efforts were futile because Isen preferred brunette’s, a fact that made Yulie both a little more relaxed that the Dark Jedi wasn’t contained more securely, a little self-conscious about having very light hair of her own.

@Reyn
@Isen

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel chittered lightly at Yulie's remark, and briefly patted her on the shoulder. A little humor was always preferred over more doom and gloom. They'd all had quite enough of that. Back at camp she was relived to hear Isen was a rock as ever, and felt a bit guilty for even feeling nervous in the first place. He might have had his shortcomings, but the young Kiffar never failed her. Alsuna only snorted at the Padawan's remark on brunettes.

Isen's words about the gang as well earned an admiring look from his master. "Well said." She commented proudly. Watam seemed less impressed, but went about ushering the prisoners onto the ship all the same. The Vratix listened to what her apprentice had to say, and was truly touched. The emotion he displayed, what little it was, was more than enough for her to understand. She returned his bow, and when she spoke her voice was edged with bittersweet emotion. "You could never disappoint me Isen." She replied softly. "You will make a fine Jedi Knight. And it has been my greatest honor to bring you here, my friend."

The Jedi watched as their captives were loaded onto the ship. Everything was going smoothly. Soon they would be brought to justice, hopefully they would see the error of their ways and learn. She hoped the same for Alsuna. As horrible as the Dark Jedi's crimes might have been, the Vratix knew now that killing was not the answer. They needed to turn their enemies to the light, or they would be fighting forever. But it had been a long journey, and Izel was eager to return home. Looking between her old apprentice and new, she finally spoke. "I think it's about time we left this Force-forsaken jungle, don't you?" And made her way to the ship.

@Zohrael @Isen
/End Thread