Private Chance Encounters [Cordelia of House Marr]

[Balun Vale]

“The truth is you are going to be abandoned in the end. No one stays, no one shows they are worthy of the trust we give. The Sith offer secrets, secrets of the Force that the Jedi forbid. This knowledge is dangerous, and many burn down like trees in a blaze because they could not handle the power they have attained. The philosophy is to mistreat, to chide, and even break a soul, because the galaxy is gonna do it at some point anyway. ‘The dark sde is about survival.’ And The Sith see their path as empowering the individual, granted first you must be torn down, much like how elite military boot camps have to strip down the potential soldiers before rebuilding them into fighting machines.”

Balun frowned as Cordelia Dimitte explained her perspective of why she valued the lifestyle of a Sith, yet the boy she was talking to was an optimist in life, a youth full of hope for his future, despite the life that had been laid out for him by the actions of his would-be parents. Even so, Balun still hung on to the belief that life was what you made of it, and if he wanted to live a good life, then he would make it happen one way or another, and certainly not by stepping over other people to get there.

"Doesn't that all sound a bit too depressing? Life seems difficult enough without expecting everything and everyone you talk to is going to let you down, use and abuse you. By that way of thinking, then you must think that I'm going to manipulate or let you down somehow, despite you admitting to being intent on manipulating me only a short while ago; If you go about expecting everything to be so horrible, the way you act and talk to others is only going to make it happen, don't you reckon? I mean, if you keep your guard up around me, we probably wouldn't be talking so honestly right now," Balun responded, speaking far more plainly than the way that Cordelia had articulated her views, though Balun spoke from the heart rather than a rehearsed ideology.

"The way I see it, if you treat people right, they will treat you the same," Balun added as the pair walked towards the City limits. He did not think of asking anyone for directions as he had suggested mere moments ago; rather, he was too engrossed in their conversation to consider how they might find their way. "You acted like my apologizing was something totally foreign, but I was being polite. I show other people that I respect them, and if it's not mutual, then that's their loss. Just like it would have been a shame if we'd not spoken like this, but I guess it's a good thing I don't think like you do, huh" he smirked back at her. If he did follow in her views of the world around them, and of life in general, then he would have declined her request for help and kept going about his business. They both would have missed out on sharing each other's company.

 

[Cordelia Dimitte]

Cordelia comtinued to walk with @Balun when she responded,
“It is more of a conditioning thing. Its not paranoia. The reality is people will fail you and Sith training is to be able to weather betrayal and abandonment..” She paused as she then addressed him further, “I do not expect you to manipulate me because you were trained to be a Jedi. My concerns of being puppeted is more of within the ranks of the dark side, and the galaxy at large.”

She considered how to articulate the point further, he had labeled the point of view as depressing.
“Depressing.. that may be so, but I’d rather be prepared for deception and desertion, than dig my head in the sand and hope everyone will treat me well.” She shook her head, “presuming to know what I think is ill advised..” He tone shifted from softness before to a sharp coldndss, and her red eyes crackled like burning wood. “I am explaining The Sith philsophy, just as you no doubt are expressing Jedi views, well.. maybe they are your own, though a hopeful disposition tends to be their nature.”

She then circled back to something he said. “Treat people right and you will so be treated? I have found the opposite to be true. That sentients will take advantage, and the reward of kindness can be to reap fire into your lap. Good deeds never gp unpunished, the cruel will exploit it and the weak will need more.. more help, more saviors.. never learning to rise on their own ro tackle their dilemmas. The Force helps those who help themselves.”

The summation of her point of view would not doubt chaff against what he had said. She wished she could believe in people, have faith in them and not face the same pain again and again and again. But to adopt such a trust in the galaxy was dangerous, there were Crime Lords, other Dark Siders, and not so saintly Jedi looking for someone to take in and take down. To open herself to them would show a lack of discernment, and doom her to their devices. This is something she could never do, she was a Demitte on a chess board of a great galactic game. There were many who if they could would use her against her Father. It was easy for a Former Jedi with no ties and smile to throw caution into the win, he had removed himself from the board. She never would be able to be free of The Game, no matter if she wanted to be free of it. She was born into nobility and that came with obligations.

 

[Balun Vale]

Balun could not help but feel disheartened by the notion of Cordelia Dimitte seeing his morales as a result of his Jedi Training, the idea translating as though without the Jedi, he would not be the good person that he believed himself to be today. "Jedi Training does encourage compassion and integrity, I agree...-But I've also seen some Jedi that are hardened by their training and their experiences. I've met Jedi Shadow for example who have no issue with taking a life if it means achieving the objective of a given mission..." He explained as the pair of them continued on their journey, soon reaching the main gate of the Capital City where Balun would slow his pace momentarily to conclude his point; "My choices are my own, and choosing to treat you with respect and to trust you is my decision, one that the Jedi would certainly discourage as you are Sith" he smirked, unable to hide his pleasure in skirting their would-be lectures for favour of making his own decisions and forming his judgements of others.

Now that the pair had arrived at one of the departure points, a Mygeeto Sec-Officer had taken note of them and appeared to be waiting on their approach. "Good morning Sir, my friend and I are heading into the Tundra. Is there anything we need to be aware of?" Balun greeted him, taking no time to make enquiries as he handed over his datapad confirming his previous NJO identification. The Sec-Officer studied the image and Balun's credentials before glancing over at Cordelia momentarily, soon to turn back to look at Balun with a noticeable ease of the shoulders.

"Greetings young master. Recent reports have been positive save for the wildlife out there. Nothing that a Jedi cannot handle I am certain, however if trouble does present itself, please report in and we will ensure help is on the way" The Officer replied confidently, returning the datapad to Balun, and soon motioning to the boy's Commlink still at his belt; "Security Frequencies have not changed since the last visit of the Order, six-oh-eight three-five-nine" the man confirmed before stepping aside and signalling to his cohort to allow the pair on through.

"Apologies Sir, but a quick question. Would you happen to know any Kyber deposits in the region? My master has asked that we collect a sample for the construction of our lightsabers and your help would be highly appreciated" Balun asked, speaking with the utmost respect and a well-mannered selection of words.

"Certainly, though mind the Corps that are pillaging the wastes master Jedi. I'll send the coordinates of a less frequented site for your assignment. I wish you and your fellow student all the best" The Sec-Officer soon gestured for the pair of them to carry on as they were. Moments thereafter, Balun's datapad would render a notification that hailed from the officers given frequency.

Once he and Cordelia had moved beyond the walls of the Capital and out of earshot of any would-be listeners, Balun turned back to look to her with a rather pleased smirk, ever proud of himself; "See, it pays to be respectful. Anyway, back to our discussion, I had an idea..." He chuckled softly, pulling his robe more tightly around him. "How about we make a bit of a wager? While we're hanging out and still getting to know each other, you try to convince me of the Dark Side and the ideology of the Sith, and I'll try and encourage you towards the light. Nothing manipulative but given we're spending time together, I figure we can have a bit of fun while still being good to each other. What do you reckon?".

 

[Cordelia Dimitte]

Cordelia was pleasantly surprised when Balun Vale mentioned the coldness of some Jedi. She had encountered it a great deal more often than with just Jedi Shadows, most of the Guardians of the Peace had a tinge of stoicism, detachment that they claimed helped them better serve the galaxy. To her it was inhuman to deny your feelings, to try to act dispassionately. What was the point of this breath? This life with all its senses if you were just going to dull them? When he mentioned that he made is own choices, that stirred something in her. She was chained to a chess board of her family, but was she really? Coukd she not as he decide to rend the shackles? Was that bot the tenet, “My chains are broken, The Force will free me,”?
To this she wanted to ask Balun how he done it, removed himself from the claws of control. But she was unable to form the words.

As they made there way to the Spec Officer, and Balun inquired about caves with crystal deposits, she could see the man giving him a curious glance. No doubt he sensed it, the shadow inside her. It was like a vapor on a cold night, when sue breathed all could see. The Officer gave them a map to a less tapped cave, which was a relief, she did not want to encounter other Jedi who might be less forgiving than Balun and keen to make her a prize of their training. As they walked beyond the walls, The Former Jedi proposed a wager where tthey would convince one another of their disposition and seay the other. She smoled and said, “I gladly will tilt philsophy blades with you..” she then wity a pause said something unexpected, “but I will not treat you as someone to proselytized.. I like you the way you are, and I suspect that has something to do with The Light.” This was sheer heresy, a Sith was mandated to convert or kill, she had forgone the ladder, and now was shirking the former. Something was happening.. Cordelia was beginning to see how much control was behind everything. Trapping people with words like destiny. Insteaf she said, “You can listen to my perspective, and make your own choice. I will not seduce you, merely instruct you in the dark side, just as perhaps you can show me the Light. Just promise it won’t blind me.” She made a full lip smile, and winked, her red eye disappearing for a moment beneath the lid.

If this was a tactic it was brilliant, most Jedi got on soap boxes saying “beware of the dark side,” and Sith said, “it is useless to resist, it is your destiny.” This in effect was manipulation, but tell someone they had a choice, that gave an agency that could he more potent than beating someone over the head with sermons.

Their adventure was now about to begin, as they left the safety of Capital and stepped into Tundra. The cold made her shiver, the furs helped, but where she was from there was no ice or freezing temperatures, only the unnatural chill of the dark side.

 

[Balun Vale]

“but I will not treat you as someone to proselytized.. I like you the way you are, and I suspect that has something to do with The Light. You can listen to my perspective, and make your own choice. I will not seduce you, merely instruct you in the dark side, just as perhaps you can show me the Light. Just promise it won’t blind me.”

Cordelia's response had pleased Balun greatly, as he had anticipated they would be on uneven footing with the rules of the proposed game he had suggested. To his gladdened surprise, she offered a genuine answer that mirrored his desire to treat her with as much respect as he had hoped she would offer in return. "Perfect!" he exclaimed with a broad grin, "I was hoping as much. I was going to suggest playing by some sort of rules so that it was a bit of a game done in good fun, not the whole 'Knife in the back' thing that you'd probably expect from another Sith".

No longer sheltered by the walls of the Capital City, the winds had picked up and swirled around and against them, forcing Balun to place more effort into his every step while trying to keep himself as warm as possible with his limited clothing. Your standard Jedi Robe and tunic, the few belongings that he possessed since taking his leave of the Order. Going about the frozen wastes would be difficult without the Force to assist in keeping his vitals warm and functioning, so he soon broke off from their discussion to steady his mind, slow his breathing and reach out with his senses summoning the light inwards unto his center of being.

A sensation swept within him, as if having just swallowed a mouthful of hot stimcaf and feeling it fresh in his belly, only this warmth gradually spread from his midsection, reaching out to his limbs, shoulders and head. The New Jedi Order had taught him some beneficial skills for survivability in hostile conditions, and this ability was known as Tapas. Releasing a sigh of relief, his breath escaped him with visible effect, heat unto the cold ear like steam or fog.

"Are you going to be okay in all of this?" He'd soon speak up once more, turning to glance to Cordelia Dimitte out of concern, wondering if perhaps her recent purchase would keep her warm enough for the pair to go the distance to the Kyber Cave they had been directed to.

 

[Cordelia Dimitte]

Cordelia amiled though her lips were frost bit, that Balun wanted to follow guidelines in their game of converso, though honestly she meant ehat she said. She did not want to seduce Balun Vale to the Dark, she found the warmth in him, probably that Ashla a sun she was basking in through his words and eyes.
With a nod she replied,
“No backstabbing, I swear on my Reverand Mother’s bald head and cross my heart..”
She made the shape of an x from shoulder to waist on both sides. This was the sacred sign of the Sith, The Eye of Bogan was often in the center of a X.

The bite of the cold hit her skin like microscopic needles and yet it made her feel exhilarated. She embraced the chill and harnesses it with the Greater Cold of the Dark Side within her, the two meeting and forming into a combination that created a field across her organs and veins so that she now was shielded where it mattered from the elements.

It was just as she had done this that Balun like a true gentleman and chevalier asked if she was alright. To this Cordelia resched out her hand covered in furr and touched his hand. There was a spark, which made her jolt a little as she smiled, her lips red and frozen like a shell of ice.
“Let me hold your hand a while to warm it.” She smirked to convey this was a plot, and tried to bat her eyes but frost was now on the eyelashes which prevented a good flutter. They were coming to the mouth of a cave in near distance, and there the prospect of new weapon, her first lightsaber of her own. She had used ones already forged, and knew their materials, and how to dissemble and re-assemble them.

This cold place was to be her forge, where she would awaken the kyber and bleed it in a ritual as old as The First Dark Jedi. For this was a rite of passage on her path to becoming a Darth.. was that what she still wanted? Had Balun began to sway her? She would decide later when she had her new weapon. The daek side had served her well, why now would she abandon it?

 

[Balun Vale]

Balun reached out, his hand to meet with Cordelia Dimitte 's. He could feel the warmth the fur coat had provided as their fingers laced, and his eyes were torn away from the mouth of the cave to glance back at the girl. This was all entirely new territory for him, the first time he had held a girl's hand before, no longer among Jedi to try and redirect his attention from his buried yearning for acceptance and love, Something that his parents had denied him at birth. It wasn't easy to know how to feel. The more significant part of him felt good, having Cordelia's hand in his own, and yet that voice in the back of his head always spoke of caution and mistrust, an egging notion that he would only be let down in the end. A product of his growing up that had never entirely left his psyche.

"Looks like this is us", Balun spoke softly, though Cordelia might read into those words a little more despite the boy's gaze returning to the mouth of the cave. His left hand, still free, reached over to his right hip and detached his Lightsaber from his belt, activating the weapon in a sudden eruption of amber light, the snap-hiss of his blade echoing throughout the Kyber Cave as the pair of them stepped inside and began their descent beneath the mountain reigning high above.

Without the open ground for the wind to wrap around their forms, there came a sense of ease as the two delved further into the cave. It was dark there, though Balun held his Lightsaber high in front of his head so they could see a little of the ground they tread. Ice, rock, and uneven terrain threatened to topple them should they slip or lose their footing.

"Be careful where you step; this place is insane. Force knows we're going to have to take care not to get lost as it is".

 

[Cordelia Dimitte]

TAG: Balun Vale

Their hands touched and then held as one, the a Jedi and Sith, there fingers wrapping around each other as The Force inside them also swirled. Normally Light and Darkness struck as kyber does, neither bending, but this was differrnt.. the darkness inside Cordelia was softly stalking The Light in Balun.

His words, “This is us,” what a perfect description of what was transpiring between them. Her heart skipper when he immolated his saber blade with its peridot fire, it was not that she feared he’d turn it on her, but the sudden sound of kyber being snapped to life at the cave. As they were bathed in the amber, she realized this was his essence in the Force, for Jedi were chosen by their crystals, and his was beautiful like the the brilliance of the sun, The Light. She drew her face close to the blade and slid her free fingers along it and looked at him with her red eyes,
“Pretty.. not a common color among Jedi, with those blues ans greens. Is it true that it means you retain a pure connection to the Force?”

He warned her to watch her step, she could feel the Kyber, it was screaming already at her presence. Looking into his eyes she said,
“What I am about to do is considered a defilement.. your Jedi instructors would say it is a perversion, are you sure you want to bear witness to a bleeding?”

She could sense the curosity in him, to know why The Sith silenced the Kyber and made the crystal run red. Still she did not want to take away his purity, to be privy to a bleeding was a rite, and the dark side would be greatly felt. Despite her devotion to Bogan, she did not choose as other Sith did to seduce, she preferred to leave it a choice. The use of destiny and journey was deceptions Lords used to make converts, to make acolytes. She knew such methods in the short term bore fruit, long term most Dark Jedi, Darths who were Jedi relapse and complete The Fourth Stage of the Dark Side.. Redemption.

 

[Balun Vale]

"I couldn't say, honestly. The crystal was one I found back in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I don't know who it belonged to, but I felt it call to me. It was on display in the Jedi Archives, and I grabbed it the day I left. To me, it represents my being different from the other Jedi back there because I struck it out on my own instead of doing what was expected of me" Balun explained his version on the Amber colour of his Lightsaber, revealing that he hadn't found it in some cave similar to the one they currently stood in; He had stolen it from the Archives of the Jedi Temple. Balun wasn't afraid to admit it in the presence of Cordelia Dimitte ; after all, she was a part of the Sith Order and the least likely person to judge him for acting on his own impulses rather than considering the needs of the Order at the time.

"I've never seen the Sith process for acquiring a Kyber Crystal", Balun soon added, moving to Cordelia's reason for coming to Mygeeto. "Though I'm not surprised that it would be something the Jedi considered a perversion. The way I see it, I can learn more about the Sith by seeing it first hand, And I'm not going to keep you from making your own choices, as long as it's not going to be harming anyone else," Balun told her, giving his approval to go ahead. Their private wager was one made out of genuine hope that Cordelia might one day come to see what Balun saw in the Lightside of the Force, but she was also her own person and were the time to come, she would need to come to her own decision, not be forced by anyone else.

"You do you, Cordelia. I'll be here either way," he concluded with a firm voice, his conviction evident in his words.

 

[Cordelia Dimitte]

The admission he pilfered a crystal from The Jedi Temple that was not his own made her smirk and say, “A Jedi Thief? See that would get The Order more converts, they arn’t tapping the whole Scum and Villainy demographic.” She gave a sassy wink with red and very cold lips opening to reveal her white teeth in a beaming smile to compliment her batting of eyes.

The conversation turned more serious when they discovered The Bleeding Process. Balun Vale went on and on about why his Jedi contemporaries would object. For her the issue was not them, rather it was her concern for Balun.
“I do not think you understand.. the Bleeding Process will call forth a great deal of the dark side, and the crystal will be harmed, its death shall make it my servant. The Force is both about life and death no? We Sith tend to magnify the ladder, Jedi the former, though both are necessary for life to be sustained. Overpopulation, too little death and an ecosystem collapses, too much destruction like extinction and you also mess up The Cycle of Life. There has to be a balance.”
She wondered of her words would be surprising to Balun. They were not the conventional dogma of the Sith, and that was a badge of honor to Cordelia. She did not fit in labels nor enjoyed the stifling of free thought and the desire to question beliefs. If the beliefs were true, they could withstand doubt and questions. The Sith tended to claim mysteries and queries were welcome, and yet when you divined the masters felt threatened if you knew more than they. The Jedi in contrast feared certain questions, particularly ones like “is the dark side necessary?” and do “The Sith serve a purpose in the Will of the Force?” Those probably could be grounds for ‘rehabilitation’ mind wipes she heard about at Dantooine Enclave, particularly what was done to Darth Revan. They essentially lobotomized him and used a woman and a Force Bond to manipulate him back to The Light, when it is his Sith Holocrom, not Darth Bane’s that contains the Rule of Two and reasons why it is sound. Perhaps that is why she and Balun were a perfect match, neither fit in their respective orders, “too many questions..” (Riddler, Batman Forever).

 

[Balun Vale]

“I do not think you understand.. the Bleeding Process will call forth a great deal of the dark side, and the crystal will be harmed, its death shall make it my servant. The Force is both about life and death no? We Sith tend to magnify the ladder, Jedi the former, though both are necessary for life to be sustained. Overpopulation, too little death and an ecosystem collapses, too much destruction like extinction and you also mess up The Cycle of Life. There has to be a balance.”

"From what I understand, yeah, Life strengthens the Force, and the Force flows through all living beings", Balun answered as they continued to move throughout the Crystal Cavern. As of yet, he hasn't felt any particular pull towards any specific formation of Kyber. "But these are just Crystals we're talking about. Sure, the Force is all around us, but how is bleeding a Crystal any worse than any other Darkside ability you'd use? The Jedi will always argue that the Sith are wrong in everything they do, and the Sith will do the same to the Jedi because neither side is willing to judge one another as individuals but instead by their alignment, and for what? Out of Fear?" Balun spoke his thoughts aloud, leaving no time spared in his ease of self-expression, words that came without apprehension in the space that they two shared.

Balun shrugged, not truly knowing what he was getting himself into. Obviously, Cordelia Dimitte understood the process better than he did; this was the first time he had the opportunity to witness such a thing. Still, he held firm to the belief that you needed to bear witness to the experience and ride it out to understand something. "I suppose if you're concerned, that does say something. After all, you're used to this sort of thing, and you're worried about doing it" he chuckled under his breath; "It's up to you, Cordelia. This is what you came to Mygeeto for, isn't it. You wanted to do this?" he concluded with the question, wondering if she wasn't suddenly having second thoughts.