A Bar Thread. (Everyone Welcome!)

[Simon Crell]

A loud roar of laughter burst from Simon's mouth. Quickly he threw a chair that was nearest to him at [member="Pravis Sharman"] seeing as he was about to ruin all the fun. "I'll kill all seven of you all!" Simon yelled. He didn't bother waiting to see if the chair hit Pravis or some other patron.

With a quick look back at [member="Darth Ophidia"], his smile seemed like one a child wore when entering a lolly shop.

Simon quickly side stepped a punch, and went crashing into another patron. He used the bottle and stabbed it again into the man's throat, although this time it smashed completely leaving shards of glass all through out the mans neck and throat.

[member="Hogan"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

While he didn't have much choice in doing so, Josh knew full well that it was very likely he had outed himself as a Jedi to anyone who was a force user. At this point, he didn't even care. But he would shoot a playful smirk toward [member="Darth Ophidia"] when she would offer her vibrodagger, politely refusing it with a wave of his hand. "You'll need it more then me, dear. I already have a melee weapon perfect for the occasion" He spoke calmly, yet playfully and perhaps even a bit flirtatiously. It was in a joking matter, of course. He wasn't a forward guy, he was laid back and fun-loving, and loved to joke around. Even if it included a flirt or two.

But it was when Hulk [member="Hogan"] turned Hollywood Hogan that things went to chit. Playing coy, the idiot would start firing, raising the ire of the others, who would immediately begin firing. There would be no hiding his Jedi alignment now, Josh had no choice but to try and deflect the blaster bolts trained on them. Quickly, he would throw off his cloak, revealing himself, when the only thing they could have seen before was a hooded figure under a black cloak, the only thing they might have been able to see before was his nose and mouth. He had long blonde hair, brimming brown eyes, looked to be in his early 20s. He had the look of a warrior, in expression and in body, for sure. But the one thing that proved who he was, was when the young man would find himself with a lightsaber in his right hand, igniting the blade, as a blue beam of light sprouted from it while it hummed loudly. Under the cloak was a black leather jacket, with a blue t-shirt underneath, along with black pants and black boots. That wasn't the only thing underneath, of course, and I don't mean just underwear, but we'll address that situation if he gets shot.

To be honest, he was quite upset at the whole situation, especially at Hogan. To the point where he didn't even care that the other guy was going to try and kill him. Normally, he didn't like unnecessary death, but at the moment he was too focused on stopping this situation to let a maliceful douche like him have a bodyguard. He was too busy blocking blaster bolts, sending them into the walls.

From the corner of his eye, the man he was defending decided to toss a chair at [member="Pravis Sharman"]. Alright, that was it. Joshua would distance himself from everyone in the room, friend or foe, before raising a hand and sending the chair full speed sailing right back at [member="Simon Crell"]. He honestly hoped that the chair would knock the idiot out. He didn't care for defending him now, [member="Darth Ophidia"] could if she wanted to. He needed to subdue the violent ones.

The Jedi Master would charge through the blaster fire, deciding to go for the ones shooting first, and go for the ones that were brawling with their fists second. His lightsaber remained up at all times, deflecting what he could. Once he reached one of the men firing, he grabbed the barrel, pulling the man forwards and driving his elbow square into his temple, knocking the man cold.

But there was still more to go. Time to get to work, he thought.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

If there had been any doubt about [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] being a Jedi before, then it was extinguished by his sudden display of jedi-ness. She would estimate he was at least a Knight, perhaps even a Master. This was turning into one interesting night out. Ophidia stopped directly protecting anyone, but herself. [member="Simon Crell"] seemed able enough to both stir up trouble and hold his own in a brawl. Light blaster shots burst against the beskar breastplate of her armour as Darth Ophidia placed the helmet on her head. The dimmed light became clear as day, and the sounds crisp as the sensory aids of her armour kicked into gear.

She smirked behind the obscuring mask of her helm as she descended upon the brawlers, vibrodagger firmly in her right hand, if he wouldn't use it then she would. Chairs werebeing thrown, and not only by the drunk. Ophidia ducked under one and as she stood, brought her head crashing into the thrower's chin, breaking the jaw like a lollipop under a steel boot.Her knife flashed as she ducked and weaved into groups, avoiding the heavier blasters. The shell spider silk of her robes could take on small arms, and the beskar took the worst, but she was never safe and that was exactly how she liked it.

It would become apparent how different she fought from the Jedi, the drunk and the smuggler. She fought with a swift brutality, and with every drop of blood her vibroknife drew, she could feel the anguish of her victims more clearly. She had to keep it under control, if she got too carried away, then her masked force alignment would falter. Could she take them on? She could probably escape in any case. A swift exit was her forte after all.

[member="Hogan"] [member="Pravis Sharman"]

 

[Pravis Sharman]

Pravis looked away from [member="Hogan"] to try and focus on was hurt in the bloody firefight, only to see a chair hurtling at his face. He stumbled backwards, when he noticed [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] raise his hand and send the wooden chair soaring right back [member="Simon Crell"]. "Hey, thanks man!" The Kaleesh shouted as he swung himself over the bars counter. His attention was drawn to [member="Darth Ophidia"], as she carved cleaved her way through a swath of rowdy patrons.

"CHIT! There's no way of savin' them." He muttered to himself. Pravis crouched low to the ground, as he scurried around grabbing as many wounded men and women as possible and laying them outside. He needed to save as many innocent people as possible.

 

[Simon Crell]

OOC

Spoiler

Sorry about that delayed respone my dears, internet decided to have a heart attack.

Simon was about to throw his fist into a poor Weequay's face when a chair slammed into him, sent him sprawling onto the floor. He hit the floor with an audible 'thump'. Simon layed still and unmoving before the Weequay took the advantage and began to hit his fist repeatedly against Simon's head.

"Get the ka-" Simon took no more, he brought his leg up, using his knee to send the Weequay over his head, but that was all the man could manage before the dark abyss of unconsciousness took him.

[member="Pravis Sharman"] [member="Darth Ophidia"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Hogan"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

With a bloody path carved, Ophidia soon found herself standing in an open space as the patrons of the bar were reluctant to attack her straight on. Even drunks know fear, and even without the Force she knew how to instil it. Not many of the people she had cut were mortally wounded, though some were likely to bleed out. Most of them simply had bad injuries such as broken arms, cut ligaments and shattered teeth.

From inside her beskar helmet, she surveyed the crowd. Her vibrodagger held out in front of her, the other holding the collar of a wounded Trandoshian she had put between herself and some blasters while effectively strangling the lizardy creature with his own shirt. She was very close to letting go of her disguise, and it was very tempting. How would the Jedi react to a Sith in their midst? They would pursue her, most likely. In her adrenaline-rush she found it quite an attractive idea. Yet, she did not let go just yet. She felt her lightsabre, tucked close to her body. It practically itched to be unleashed, to bathe the room in the light of its bloodshine blade, and to litter the floor with the unfortunate dead. She dropped the Trandoshian and rested her left hand right by her concealed lightsabre. So close, so very close.

[member="Simon Crell"] [member="Pravis Sharman"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Jemima Armandé]

Jemima entered the chaos that was happening in the cantina and immediately saw [member="Simon Crell"] lying unconscious on the ground. She groaned in frustration, the idiot had gotten himself into trouble again, great. She knew Simon well enough that he was crazy. Jem didn't particularly care for him, she just didn't find it fair for him to get hurt by other people since he probably didn't understand what he was doing.

"Who did this?" she asked loudly, taking one of her blaster pistols out as she was aware, though unfazed, of the brawl that appeared to be taking place around them.

[member="Darth Ophidia"] [member="Pravis Sharman"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]'s rather violent way of dealing with her opponents did not go unnoticed, as Joshua noted it from the corner of his eye with a raised eyebrow. Did she have to be so damn violent? Yeesh. Some of those guys were going to bleed out without help. Didn't she know a damn thing about going nonlethal? The Jedi Master let out an irritated sigh before having to leap up, using the Force to assist him, onto the chandelier when two of the rowdy fools would go after him with fists at the ready. Or so he thought. The Jedi Master hung onto the bottom of the chandelier with one hand, the other one grasping his lightsaber, which he would quickly have to use to deflect a series of blaster bolts when they started firing at him. The Jedi would quickly take advantage once their rounds needed to reload themselves, swinging himself forward below and kicking them both in the face, sending them both to the ground. He'd deal with the girl later, he hoped that she wouldn't kill anyone. Most likely, if anyone were to start bleeding from a dagger wound, they could likely trace samples back to her weapon. He didn't know how that worked, but he'd only suggested a melee weapon for blocking, not for stabbing and slashing people.

Of course, even a Jedi had to be rough at times. And that was evidenced when one of the more rowdy sorts decided to leap off a table, hoping to clobber the Jedi with some velocity, seeing that he wasn't using his big laser sword for slashing people like the crazy lady was using her dagger for. The Jedi Master would quickly lower his blade before catching the man in the air with a strong grip. This was where his strength would come into play, and be shown on full display, as with just one hand on the chest, he would let out a war cry and slam the man through the nearby table, hard, shattering the table in two.

Luckily, he was aiming to bruise, not kill. Or these folks would be in trouble.

 

[Pravis Sharman]

Pravis ran around trying to gather as many wounded patrons as possible to chuck out the door, only to see another person storm in to the firefight. "HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP AND HELP PEOPLE 'STEAD OF TRYIN' TO SHOOT 'EM?" The Kaleesh roared as he crouched low to the ground, trying to avoid the hail of blaster fire flying around his head. He swung his shotgun up and pulled the trigger, aiming at Darth Ophidia. Luckily for her, these rounds were meant to stun and bruise her instead of ripping her insides out, but if she got hit, it would hurt.

After firing at the joyous killer, he went back to collecting the injured, hoping the blonde man would help take care of them, and prevent more deaths.

[member="Simon Crell"] [member="Darth Ophidia"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Hogan"] [member="Jemima Armandé"]

 

[Jemima Armandé]

"Why would I help these people? They should defend themselves." Jemima said, quickly ducking to avoid blaster fire. She looked down at the person who addressed her and frowned. Jem always had her blaster set to stun unless told to change it, it saved needless deaths. The smuggler aimed her blaster at [member="Pravis Sharman"], Jedi?

 

[Darth Ophidia]

It was all fun and games until she felt something collide with her gut. Not a blaster, no. This was far more solid. Like the fist of her master when he punched her in the gut during practice. If she weren't wearing a cuirass of one of the strongest metals in the galaxy, then it would likely have put her out of commission. Now, it was just that last drop of hurt to tip her over the edge. Feth subtilety. Her cloak of forcelessness dissolved as lightning started to crackle about her form. The shot had made her double over, giving other patrons a sliver of a chance to attack her once more. Darth Ophidia was not hiding any more and as she stood up in her full height again, her arms lashed out to either side. A blast of the Force threw the attacking patrons back as she took a moment to revel in the freedom of letting go. She reeked of the Dark Side and frolicked in the pain of the room. 'Did she have to be so violent?' they had wondered - Yes, it was her nature.

The patrons surrounding her were thrown back, breaking chairs and tables while landing on one another. The face of her helmet turned to [member="Pravis Sharman"] as her right hand returned to the sash in which she kept her lightsabre. Though her eyes were hidden, it was a challenge to the padawan. Either he let her be, or she would retaliate. She also kept her senses on [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] in case he had any funny ideas about getting in her way.

[member="Jemima Armandé"] [member="Simon Crell"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Those were the words that rang through the bar once the Force Lightning had been shot, before the Jedi Master would hold out his hands to the sides, unleashing a Force Wave that would reverberate from him around the bar, sending the bar fighters (NPCs), and anyone else who wasn't able to hold on flying a little ways. With the fighting escalating, and the now revealed Sith firing lightning everywhere, he'd had just about enough. It wasn't an angry yell, but a firm, commanding one for sure. When he'd done that, the shooting and the brawling had at this point stopped. Any rowdy ones that hadn't gotten hit upside the head, after seeing blondie guy not only take down several of them like a modern day Bruce Lee, but use magic powers, and then psycho girl not only start stabbing them with a vibrodagger but also start firing off lightning like some kind of witch, many of them were in "Screw this" mode.

The Jedi Master would give a look toward [member="Pravis Sharman"] that told him to hasten his pursuit to help the wounded, and one toward the bartender to call for emergency help for the wounded ones as well, not to mention the law to round up the ones who had started the barfight (He was sure the bartender would be able to point them out). Once the fighting had stopped, he would turn toward the obvious Sith, [member="Darth Ophidia"] and would walk toward her. He kept his lightsaber drawn in case she attacked in case she attacked as he stopped in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"The fighting's over, please calm down" He spoke calmly. He didn't care if she was a Jedi, or a Sith, or any other walk of life. She'd done him no harm, and she was capable of calming down and not fighting like any other rational human being. "And if anyone here attacks again, then you're free to do as you wish with them. I'll even help you" He chirped with a small smile and a chuckle, stopping to gaze around the bar, as if making sure that the message was heard loud and clear that if anyone dared try to start the barfight again, he wouldn't save them from the stab-happy Sith. He then cleared his throat and spoke to everyone in the bar.

"Alright, folks. We've caused quite a mess here, and a lot of damages. Everyone that was involved in the barfight, I'd suggest that we each chip in some credits onto the counter to make up for it, as a show of good faith, annnd so that none of us gets kicked out of the bar for life, since I'm sure some of us would still like to come back for drinks" He remarked, looking at each and every single conscious person in the bar. "Even I'll chip in, first, even, to show the example. I broke a table, self defense or not, I'll own up to it" He spoke, tossing a few credits toward the bartender as his part for chipping in for the damages.

He would turn back to Ophidia again, and his head would tilt slightly. "As for you, annnnd you" He began, glancing at [member="Pravis Sharman"] before looking back at Ophidia. "While some of your methods were a little... Unorthodox, still did a decent job of stopping this little scrap. But we all came here for a reason, which was to have a few drinks and have a good time. So.. If you can calm down a little, put the weapon away, why don't we all sit down, relax, have some drinks, and have a chat after all this?" He would offer.

"Hell, first drinks on me" He remarked, a cheeky grin crossing his face.

He figured for [member="Simon Crell"], his friend [member="Jemima Armandé"] would probably pay for damages on his behalf, take it from his wallet or something. He sort of hoped he pitched in extra for damages, he was the one who started this thing after all. Though he had to admit, he was tempted to punch Hulk [member="Hogan"] for bringing them to the point of no return.

Still, someone had to play peacemaker here. Even if he had to buy a drink for the Kaleesh and the Sith girl. Hell, he didn't care if she asked to make it a bloody date, he just wanted this whole thing over with so he could get back to his day off and drinks.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

A roar for ceasefire. Ophidia's opponents backed off and she stood clear. Her head turned to [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] as he reached for her shoulder. Should she attack? No, there was no reason to aggravate an opponent when she herself was outnumbered. Furthermore, the Jedi had not done her any harm, nor was this a battlefield or he a chosen target, yet. With a single fluent motion, her hand wiped blood from her knife onto her cloth before dropping it in its sheathe. As a sign of good faith, she removed her helmet.

"If anyone draws a weapon, then I will not be holding back. Jedi, or no Jedi"

Her eyes, glided over the crowd and settled for a moment on [member="Pravis Sharman"] before moving on again. She reached inside a fold in her skirts and rummaged a little. When she pulled her hand out, she kept it in a tight fist as she walked over to the bar, shrugging off the Jedi's hand. She put her hand on the desk of the bar while looking into the Bartender's eyes. When she removed her hand, there lay three gems on the counter. From the sight of them, more than she had to pay for her role in the fight.

"This should go a long way for reimbursement. Make sure they are used right, or I will come for your head. Is that understood? Excellent"

She signalled for another drink and turned around while leaning on the bardesk.

"Master Jedi, you said something about a drink?"

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

(Wanted to wait for the others since I just posted right before Ophidia, but nobody's posted since the 13th so I'm going to just post freely until activity besides the two of us kicks up)

The Jedi Master would smile faintly to her response, nodding a bit. He was able to get a good look at her again when she removed her helmet. "Well, such a shame that such a beautiful face was obscured during combat, you might have been able to charm these men into dropping their weapons" He would joke cheekily. A Jedi flirting with a Sith? Unheard of. Well, not really. He'd even heard rumors of them marrying Sith, some even within the Jedi Order. It was a strange circumstance, but not all that new. Hell, even he for a time had been entangled with a Sith, but she had left the Empire of her own accord before he'd committed. It was a little difficult to have a relationship when the people you worked for were at war with each other at the time. Sadly, Sith weren't too keen on people who left. They struck her down a few months later, ending any chance for a happy ending.

To the reminder from [member="Darth Ophidia"] about what would happen should someone draw their weapon, he would nod. That was a fair deal, anyone who was dumb enough to attack now, quite frankly, deserved it. "Deal. If anyone attacks, I won't stop you from bloodletting them" He cracked. She'd probably be doing the galaxy a favor. After he waited for the bartender to nod fearfully to her warning, he would smile and nod to her request for the one free drink he had promised her. He nodded over to [member="Pravis Sharman"] that he could join them at anytime. He could hear sirens in the background, it seemed that the doctors had arrived to take the wounded that Pravis had helped out of the building.

But as he would begin to order the drink, someone, whether by sheer arrogance, or just out of drunkenness, would decide to try. They would take out a blaster and fire, hitting the Jedi Master dead on the back. The bar would go silent. All eyes went first from the Jedi Master, to the man who'd fired, a Rodian, who stood there with his blaster pointed at the Jedi, with a likely intention to shoot him again if he survived. The Jedi Master didn't even seem to flinch, though his eyes were closed, he was still leaned on the counter. Finally, his eyes opened, and he would slowly turn to stare dead, figuratively into the soul of the Rodian. Whispering could be heard around the bar? How could he have survived, much less tanked the bolt like it was nothing? Truth be told, it was the Magnus Armor under his robes and clothing that did it. He'd begun wearing it again after carelessly going without it had caused him to be wounded when he carelessly sacrificed his body to protect a young and foolish Padawan from a Mandalorian mercenary who'd deigned it necessary to kill the child in the middle of a royal party for spite. His armor was adept at absorbing blaster bolts, and that he was lucky for.

The Jedi was mere seconds from turning toward Ophidia and saying "Well, we had a deal" but the Rodian seemed to have a change of heart and quickly ran away, out of the bar, as fast as his legs could carry him. All eyes went on the Jedi as he would watch him go, shrug and turn back to the bar, ordering a drink for himself and for Ophidia. He smiled as he slid Ophidia's drink to her. "First one's on me, miss. But I never did catch your name, did I?" He would ask, seeming rather unphased by the disruption.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As the shot went off, she turned in a single gliding motion and set her fiery eyes in the Rodian. With [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]'s words, a smile spread across her lips, and small sparks trailed between her fingers in a display of potential use of the Dark Side. However, she knew it was unnecessary. The small-time crook had made no serious harm, and fled the scene as soon as he saw his attack was ineffective.

"Tikzha."

She turned her gaze to the Jedi and her hand deftly snatched up the drink. She gave it a quick sniff to check for poison before drinking from it. Old habits die hard, and some of them she would rather keep alive. She was briefly reminded of her time on Glee Anselm, the poisoning of the Anselmi Warcouncil and the bait she had left behind, the truth she had fabricated. It was her first true mission; good times. Of course, these thoughts did provide any disturbance to her calm exterior. It was one of the many tools of her trade. Giving off a sense of calm made her less predictable.

"And your name, Master Jedi?"

[member="Pravis Sharman"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Tikzha, hm? Beautiful name" The Jedi would tease with a playful smile toward her as he would take a seat gingerly, inviting her to take a seat either at the one next to him, or the one across from him - her choice. "My name? Joshua. But it's easier to just call me Josh" He would add with a chuckle escaping him. Why Josh? Because introducing himself by "Jedi Master Joshua DragonsFlame, Former Grandmaster Of The Jedi Order, Former Republic Grand Admiral and Weaponmaster Of The Order" was a little too formal for his tastes. He himself had taken a sniff of his drink, reaching out in the Force in an attempt to discern possible poisons. Joshua had ended up with a few close calls. He knew now to be more cautious. The last time he'd let his guard down, he'd ended up with Zeltros specialty spiked drinks... And the rest... Well, it didn't go well for him. He was lucky he escaped only without his modesty that night, and having to deal with several uncomfortable meetings with his aggressor afterword to sort things out. But he supposed that it still beat having been murdered. Even as a Master, lessons still needed to be learned.

"So this is an interesting sight. A Jedi and a Sith sitting together drinking and talking. The stories they would tell. Not the first time I've gotten in trouble with the Republic's Jedi Council for apparently doing something I'm not supposed to do, they're still on my arse and I quit like a year ago" He would joke cheekily. "Conversing with dark siders this, oh he must be giving away precious secrets and selling us out that. We need to scan your memories this. Such a pain" He would crack. Not that he didn't understand their reasonings, sort of. But they were being quite paranoid about a guy who had told them to kark off like a year ago."Granted, I really don't care what side you're on, if you didn't figure that out already" He would remark with an amused smirk. "Neither of us are involved in warring factions, and we're just drinking, not really any reason for us to be at one another's throats. Course, tell that to my old Order and they'd just point at you like you're a witch to be burned at the stake" He added, shrugging with a chuckle escaping his lips once again. These weren't secrets, of course. Anyone who knew that place now knew this sort of thing. It'd been a rapidly changing thing for over a year. Their blindness was one of the reasons he'd left. And sadly, that fact was common knowledge.

"So tell me..." He began, smiling over at her. "What made you become a Sith anyway?" He asked. "You seem a little too... Ah, what's the sodding word... Competent, to be the type of Sith that most Sith I've met seem to love" He would add. "You're obviously intelligent, you have a brain in your head, and you're willing to sit down and have a drink instead of being all kill kill kill, destroy all the bars, burn all the crops and torch all the houses, destroy all the alcohol" He cracked. Even with a bit of truth to it. Now that he'd gotten his drink and relaxed, he was willing to loosen up, let his hair down, be himself a little. If it backfired somehow? Well, he could easily go back to cold and stoic, and nobody likes that.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"I prefer Joshua. It has a better ring to it. Josh is so... Childish. You don't strike me as a child."

She took the seat opposing to him, and put her beskar helmet on the table while the former Grand Master spoke about the trouble this sort of conversation could get him into. Indeed, the Jedi had struck her as an Order who would pursue and suspect their own members for simple conversation. The One Sith were more lenient, as long as one did not show mercy when the time came to strike down those one had conversed with. Ophidia had no qualms. She was the Pale Assassin, one of the most trusted assassins under Darth Ferus' council of the four Aspects. Still, it was not worth her time to kill all and everyone who brushed her elbow.

"Certainly, the Jedi should have more trust in their own. Is that not part of their ways?"

She took another sip from her drink.

"As for why I became Sith. They found me, and they offered me freedom with only one condition: The strength to claim it for myself. Yes, many within our ranks have more passion than brains. That is the danger of the Dark Side, it consumes those who are too weak to master it. The Sith Lord, Darth Sidious once said: A master without an apprentice is a master of nothing. Equally, we don't destroy what we wish to claim or build, only that which stands in our way. Currently, you are not in my way."

Her head gestured to the last of the wounded, being carried out.

"He was."

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi would chuckle in response. "Joshua it is then, fair lady, feel free to call me as you like"

Of course... If she were to mention this aloud, he would probably laugh. He hadn't spoken of Jedi in general, of course. Merely the Republic's Jedi Order, flaws and all. But he had his ins with the One Sith... They weren't perfect either. They had their problems, their political issues... They were no better then the Republic and their equivalent to the Jedi Order. The One Sith just stabbed each other in the back more. No brotherhood, no unity... Just death and selfishness. How they managed to function as a unit long enough to become a force as they were was beyond him. It was funny, really, when he thought about it. With all the Sith running around in the One Sith, what were to happen if they won and took control of the galaxy? Simple, really. They'd reign as a tyranny, and everyone would be miserable. Then they'd all turn on each other in a bid for power, and they'd collapse, and the galaxy as a whole would be worse off then it was during the war. The Republic in control... Well, while they weren't much better, they would at least be able to keep from collapsing due to in-fighting, at least a hundred years longer then the Sith would.

There was no black and white with either Order... No good or evil. One was just the lesser of two evils, as much as he hated to admit it. Even the Silver Jedi, now the Silver Sanctum, were just like the One Sith and the Republic Jedi Order. Governing bodies with force users serving it like soldiers, assassins, killers... It made him sick. It cheapened the Jedi, hell it even cheapened the Sith. They were not mere servants to governing bodies, even if the One Sith's leader was a Sith themselves apparently... It was a shame. Even if he wished for peace, at the very least he figured it should be Jedi and Sith going at one another if it had to come to that, not both hiding behind governing bodies. Leave the governing to them, why did either have to fight their battles for them? And in many cases, they fought ALL their battles... Like special forces soldiers that didn't get recognition for it. Nothing more.

But back to the topic at hand... It was funny, actually, who she was under... Ferus, or Krest as his real name was, was a friend of his. Ah the laughs they would have if Joshua knew he was talking to one of his girls.

"It's part of their ways, yes" The Jedi would answer. "But each different Order handles things differently, and changes... That particular Order doesn't have the same qualities as every other Jedi Order, just as every branch of the Sith is different. The Republic's Jedi Order is a little more aggressive, less tolerant of dark siders, as I have found out firsthand. They weren't always like that, of course. I'd been with them for a good 15 years of my life before these changes happened. With each new Grandmaster comes change, and when Halcyon took over, she demanded change to suit there being war. That changed things. The problem was... They never changed back. There was this man I knew... Krest, was his name. The moment he was outed as a darksider in public, they pretty much called him witch and wanted to burn him at the stake. He wasn't doing anything, just a darksider, minding his business, that happened to end up in the presence of Jedi. The wrong Jedi" He would explain.

Of course, he hadn't gone into detail at all on the subject. There was no need to. Still... The thought of it brought bad memories to light. Ones he'd rather forget.

He smiled sadly. "But while it's disappointing, that's just how things change. Luckily... Not all Jedi are like that. Not all of them have forgotten who we are. That's the company I prefer. I left that particular branch because it wasn't the same one I'd sworn my oaths to. When it changes so dramatically, those oaths and vows become kind of null and void, don't they?" He remarked with a soft chuckle. "So... I guess you could say the answer to your question is yes - and no. It's part of the ways I'm used to, but not the ways that're in effect for every branch of the Jedi" He explained.

The Jedi listened attentively as she would explain her reasonings for joining the Sith, and he tilted his head in response. "Freedom? That's an interesting reasoning... But may I ask... What freedoms exactly were you given that you did not have before?" The Jedi would ask. "It sounds like they freed you from some kind of captivity... Only to lock you in a new pair of cuffs and chains under the guise of freedom. You serve a Dark Lord, no?" He would ask. He wasn't trying to turn her, of course. He had no reason to. She was a grown woman, she could make her decisions for herself. All he could give was the gift of knowledge to let her make decisions for herself based on them.

"Are you actually free?"

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

There was a flash in her eyes as the name of 'Krest' was mentioned. While she had never known her master under the name, she had heard it. Perhaps it was a different Krest? The galaxy was vast, after all. Even so, a darksider of the same name as her teacher. It was an amusing prospect. The [member="Darth Ferus"] she knew now was likely a far cry from the Krest of the past. Especially after the massacre of Fresia, where she personally witnessed how her master gathered and put to death two million people and created the greatest alchemical basin in the galaxy. Since then, her master had adopted a darker shade. After the split second's flash of her eyes, she regained her calm composture as the topic shifted.

"Even in servitude to the Dark Lord, I am more free than was before. My only "shackle" is the one I place on myself, and the only limit is what I can reach. I choose this, and I make it with my own will and might. That is how I am free."

She sat back and swivelled her drink in the glass. She had no intention of delving further into her affiliation with the Sith. Some would say she had talked too much about it already. She had been in service to different leaders before. Mercenaries, bandits, warlords, "peacekeepers", but they had all tried to hold her back at some point. When they found out what she was capable of, they had hidden her away or even tried to have her killed in fear that she would usurp them. Of course, there was a clear possibility she would, but the way they were ruled by their fear was pitiful. Among the Sith, she had learned to rule her emotions and use them to empower her.

"What happened to that friend of yours, Krest?"

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Krest and Darth Ferus were, unfortunately, the same. The Krest he had known long ago was much different from the one he knew now. While that disappointed him, there was naught he could do. But Joshua would nod to her explanation. It wasn't the best explanation, or the most rational, but that was her mindset. "Well, if that's your definition of freedom, I suppose" He responded with a casual shrug. "My definition of freedom is... Well, look at me. I'm not really bound to anything but the Force, to a lifestyle, being a Jedi, that I choose to be in because it allows me to do what I love to do. I'm a man who finds joy in helping people. Not because of any sort of ego or wish for riches and glory. If I wanted that, I'd go be some war hero, put myself in the limelight, let people eat it all up and reap the benefits. But I see this galaxy for its innocents that aren't able to protect themselves, the people that will harm them for their own desires... And the selfish ones that will do nothing, because all they care about is self preservation. I think... If I don't, who will? Helping people, keeping peace in the galaxy... Someone has to do it" He spoke, chuckling a bit as he casually sipped his drink, having almost forgotten it was there with the chatter.

"But the key thing is.... I can walk away at anytime. I harbor dreams of one day settling down, starting a family, and hoping that the work I've done spurs on others to take on what I've laid the groundwork for. But if I walk away... That's it. I'm free, no attachments to anything. No Jedi Grandmaster sending Jedi Assassins after me no matter how peacefully or what terms I walk away on. I'm not bound to any order, or governing body. I can walk away, and nobody will bother me. That's true freedom, to me" He added, with a small smile.

"And don't lie and tell me that you can do the same so easily as a Sith... Trust me, I know" He added, suddenly looking her dead in the eyes. The expression on his face, that look in his eyes... That told he probably had a more personal reason for knowing this, possibly firsthand.

To be honest, he was getting into a lot of detail on himself, he had already noted. Of course, with him, he was blunt, didn't have much to hide. He saw no point, really. He was a Jedi Master. He'd been the Grandmaster, he'd been a high ranking figure at one point, and even held a military position. Hell, at one point he'd even singlehandedly prevented the Republic from going to war entirely during one of its weakest and most vulnerable times. In a way, it was because of him that the Silver Jedi even existed, due to the waves his little one man rebellion of sorts had caused. It was him who had brought attention to the changing aspects of the Republic's Order, it was him who had left because the Jedi Order had become something that it was never supposed to be. His name, and his reputation were well known... He didn't see the need to keep much of his life hidden, because he knew that people would just dig into it anyway because of who he was, whether he liked it or not. That's what you get for doing what you think is right, he supposed. He felt it worked to his benefit though, as just when people think they have all the answers... He changes the questions.

To her question, he tapped his chin a little while he thought back on it. "I'm not sure, I didn't stay at the scene for long, for personal reasons" He explained. "But seeing as I saw him once since a month or so later, a casual running into one another at a bar, he probably got away. It was fun, we had a good laugh, swapped some stories, and had an even bigger laugh when he tried to pick up a girl at the next table over" He remarked with a grin. "Can't remember if he succeeded, or if he had a drink poured over his head though. It's been quite some time"

[member="Darth Ophidia"]