A Lunch in the Garden

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli sighed as she sat down on her favorite bench in the Ossus Temple's gardens. It was such a nice and quiet spot to enjoy a good book and her chosen lunch for the day, especially after the meeting she had just attended. A blast from the past indeed, but she was actually glad that he wasn't wallowing in a Sith dungeon or even worse. It meant at least one mistake she had made had been righted ... now she just needed to figure out how to get Sophie to see sense before she did something drastic to get her attention.

Picking up a spoon, she started to eat her soup. Floating in front of her was the latest book she was reading, a detailed account of Grandmaster Skywalker's journey into the Kathol Rift with his son. It truly was a fascinating read, and definitely gave her some more information on what she could expect one she traveled there herself.

Flipping the page, she took a bite of the sandwich next to her and focused completely on the paragraphs in front of her.

[member="VlPER"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper had been aimlessly wondering through the temple, going nowhere in particular. Instead he was simply going over the days events in his mind, trying to consolidate all that was said and who he dealt with. It was then that he remembered Taeli. What hell she must have gone through to make her rather large transformation. He still had a hard time processing his interrogator as a Jedi. Perhaps he should seek her out and see if they couldn't catch up, but finally in a good way.

Nodding his head to himself, he decided on doing just that. It didn't take him too long before he found her, reading a floating book while eating both a sandwich and...soup, perhaps? Well she had a healthy appetite if nothing else. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he approached his one time enemy. "Good afternoon. May I join you for a moment?" He inquired pleasantly.

Though not sure how she felt about his actions, he still at least wanted to thank her for the kind report. Viper knew very well she could have worded it in a way to make it way worse if she really wanted to.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="VlPER"]

"Of course," she said, moving a little bit to give him room to sit down. Her book closed on its own accord as it would be impolite to read while talking with someone after all.

"So, I guess I finally learned your real name," she said with a smile. "I'm glad you got away though, I'm truly sorry for everything you went through while you were a Sith prisoner. It was one thing I hoped to atone for eventually, I have several mistakes that need righted and your fate was one of them."

She took a sip of her soup and set the bowl down next to her, book in her lap now.

"I'm guessing you have a few questions for me?" she asked, her head tilted out of curiosity. If she was in his position, she would be very inquisitive about how she had ended up among the Jedi as she was.

 

[VlPER]

Viper frowned when she mentioned about knowing his name now. It was not something he shared to anyone really, even other Jedi. So why Korr decided, while knowing full well he had only ever gone by 'Viper', to now repeat it over and over for everyone really had made him uneasy. Pushing the annoyance aside, he finally smirked as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Aye....I guess you did. Don't go spreadin' it around though, please. Really. It's just Viper." If she'd want more information on his reasoning, she'd have to dig for quite a while. Or at least so he thought.

Maintaining a smile, he waved off her apology. "Don't worry about it. Really! I can handle a little interrogation. It was the other bastard that I want an apology from." He finished with a laugh, making light now of his time being tortured. "But since you bring up questions, you have to tell me. That girl you had me with. Was she really a prisoner? I swear there was something downright odd about her behavior? I thought I smelt a rat, but couldn't put my finger on why. And then probably the most obvious one...how the kriff did you end up here!? No offense, but you were honestly the last person I expected to see. And Corvus' sister no less! I had no idea she had family still."

It was then he wondered if Taeli knew that they had trained together as padawans or not. But then decided it wasn't really relevant or important.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="VlPER"]

"No, that girl was my apprentice," Taeli said, smiling slyly. "I thought it would be a nice touch to the whole experience to use her as a second front, so to speak, in questioning you and trying to turn you. So yes, your instincts were right about her. We parted ways badly though, tried to kill me on Vjun when I was studying Bast Castle. Wasn't even with the Jedi yet and she attacked me out of hysteria and rage. She never did figure out my teachings in the end I guess."

She sighed dramatically, but she smiled at the man. He wanted to know how she had become a Jedi, well that was a tale and a half.

"Well ... it's a bit of a long tale, but I guess it's best to start at the beginning," Taeli said, sighing a little. It was still a painful time for her, the beginning part. "It started when I went to visit my parents on Lorrd, they didn't know I was a Sith see. Well, when I told them, they didn't take it well at all. They disowned me, told me they never loved me, that I was adopted and it was a mistake to do so ... needless to say, I was devastated. So much so, I lost control of my powers and ... they died. That hurt more than anything else, and while most Sith would just chalk it up to them freeing themselves from a chain ... I couldn't view that way ... it was the most painful experience of my life, knowing I'm the reason my parents died."

Taking a breath, she continued.

"The house was a mess, but I stumbled around it for a little bit and I found this locket right here."

She lifted a small silver locket from under the collar of her robes so he could see it before dropping it back down.

"That had a note from my birth parents on where I could find them, but by the time I reached Corellia ... they were dead too. A bounty hunter went after the Raafs because of Corvus, so here I was with no family and on the verge of just collapsing when I realized someone else had been there before me and they had dropped a baby picture of me. That someone, being Corvus, had traveled to Lorrd to find out about me ... and we got in contact and met each other on Corellia after I called that house over and over again."

Another breath.

"Corvus accepted me for what I was, and we spent that day together and I think that was when the seed was planted. It started to grow after the Sith executed a friend of mine, but I brought her back from the dead but it was the start of many selfless acts on my part. When I met my sister for treasure hunt on Tython, the spark of light only kept growing and growing until we were on another hunt on Ruusan when it finally hit me how much I had changed."

Looking off towards a small fountain nearby, she smiled a little about that meeting.

"I couldn't leave the Sith yet though, I needed to get my people out that worked for my company. I moved my entire operations out of Sith controlled space to neutral worlds, got everyone and their families out. Then I sent a notice to a Voice of the Dark Lord I was going out to study the mysteries of the galaxy and fast forward a bit and I was on Ossus and in front of the Council. Probation was boring, stuck in a cell for a few weeks with no good reading material, but then they let me help out in the infirmary for the rest of my probation. My last test was learning Force Light from my sister to see if I had truly embraced the light side. And that's the short version."

 

[VlPER]

This interchange between himself and Taeli was so receiving. It seemed a great many questions that had just forever gone unanswered were suddenly all revealed. Being the inquisitive person that Viper was, it had always been annoying to have so many questions without answers. A smirk came to his face. While sad the person was just a plant, he was at least happy to know his instincts in the matter had still been sharp.

His smirk faded when she spoke of her apprentice turning on her. Should he feel sorry? They were both Sith at the time, and he certainly wouldn't have felt so then. But now with her as his sister in arms....why did this galaxy always seem to be upside down?

By the time she reached the topic of her parents, the earlier smirk had completely disappeared. He had an understanding on how it felt to lose ones parents violently. Mercifully, it wasn't by his own hand that this happened, so he could only imagine how much more heightened her pain was.

The tale of woe and grief didn't end their. As she went on to relay about her friend being executed, he shook his head. He'd never understand what it was about the Sith that was so alluring. Why did people seem to get some sick pleasure out of being cruel, by at the same point being forced most times to lose those they cared about violently more often than not. But then he realized he was glad he'd never understand. Gave him a feeling of normality in the galaxy of crazies.

As her story turned toward her redemprion, Viper leaned forward, listening intently to every detail. She really had been different from other Sith. And even though she was trying to turn over a new leaf, he was still slightly surprised at her efforts to save everyone along with herself. It caused a warm smile to return to his face once more.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise that she had even managed to get so far in her redemption so as to learn force light. "A stirring story. Sounds like it should be turned into a holo. Seriously, you'd make billions." He gave a half hearted laugh, but soon became more serious. "I am sorry about your parents. I know how it feels to lose family violently. I'm all that remains of mine." He gave a shrug suddenly surprised he had made the utterance. He didn't usually speak of it, and to this day only a few people knew his story. "But at least you still have Corvus!" That's awesome to still be able to pull out a reunited type of ending out of it all."

"So." He continued deciding to change the topic to more current events. "What do you do within the Order, if you don't mind my asking? Anything specific, or just a peacekeeper like most of us?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="VlPER"]

"I already make billions, I don't need to deal with the headache that is the holodrama world," Taeli said, smiling more pleasantly now. "Well, I have Corvus and an even younger sister who is still with the Sith. One day I hope to save her, but that day is still a long ways off I feel."

She took a bite of her sandwich before she answered his new question, she was starving after all. Plus, she had been talking a lot just now and didn't want to neglect the food the chefs here had made for her.

"I'm a researcher mostly, you should see my private library," she said after she swallowed. "I have books on just about every subject, even the tomes and other things I collected as a Sith. Don't worry, you can't get into my quarters unless you have authorization or share my DNA, so no overzealous Padawans will be getting anything out of my quarters that is dangerous. I also own several technology companies, I know weird for a Jedi, but because of that I can develop and provide a lot of things to the Republic and the Jedi Order. These robes and those worn by the Jedi Shadows and my sister are examples of that."

To demonstrate, she tapped a button on her wristband and the robes shifted colors to blend into the background before she shut them off again.

"Photoreactive fibers, embedded in cortosis-weave and armor-weave fabric," she said, smiling even wider. "Won't short out a lightsaber, but they can take a hit from one just fine, just shorts out the fibers so they need replaced later."

 

[VlPER]

Viper let out a chuckle with her initial comment. "Well in that, I can't say I blame you." His smile faded some however, when she mentioned she still had a sister that was a Sith. While he was somewhat jealous she still had a family, he could imagine how hard it must be to have a sibling who was technically an enemy.

The man gave no indication whatsoever that he was in any way put off by her continuing her lunch. If anything, he would feel like he was imposing. But as she soon continued to speak, he would brush those feelings aside and continue to listen. "I wasn't concerned." He'd say simply to her defense of having Sith tomes. When she demonstrated her technological developments though, his eyes widened some. He was not used to seeing a whole lot of technological development for Jedi. It was something that took him by complete surprise.

It was then he was realizing what at amazing asset she was to their cause. For the first time in years, he felt he could see a glimmer of hope for their people. Perhaps with people like her, they would actually stand a snowballs chance in hell of being able to gain some ground in this everlasting war that had no end.

"Tell me...if it is not to bold to ask. Would you have any skills force wise that I might be able to learn...or that you'd be willing to teach me anyway? Mostly the thing that has annoyed me the most is the Siths ability to make seemingly anything they desire with their alchemy knowledge...."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="VlPER"]

"I know a few things," Taeli said, her smile turning sly for a moment. "I am a former Sith alchemist and sorceress so I know a thing or two about how their spells and alchemy work, and I've been helping Master Alince work on a version for the light side. We just got done making a new sword in a process we came up with. Promising results so far indeed."

Tapping her chin, she thought about other techniques she knew. She wasn't going to teach Viper just yet, Corvus would need to okay that as the supervisor for his probation. No need to step on her sister's toes, so to speak.

"I know Art of the Small as well, manipulate molecular structures into something else, cryokinesis, and a few other things. You actually caught me as I was reading about the Kathol Rift. Planning an expedition there soon, should be fun. Personal trip to learn new things, you know how that goes I'm sure."

 

[VlPER]

The man listened intently as she spoke, especially about the part with the light sided version of alchemy. It really was a topic that irritated him when it came to Sith. They had been able to maintain an advantage in equipment for what seemed like forever because of it. "If you wouldn't mind, that all sounds fascinating." He could sense a bit of reluctance from her. No doubt it had to do with the meeting they had just been in so he figured he might as well just add, "But I'm assuming you'll want me to prove my loyalty first as well?"

He smirked knowing full well he had no desire to become a Sith, but it seemed everyone else wanted this trial period just to make sure. Viper still found it a little odd as well that he was actually asking for training from her of all people. Seven years ago he would have spat in her face. Now they are on the same team. Was just crazy.

"There are just a few things i'd like to try and make. Been tinkering around with ideas for Jedi equipment for a while, but never had the ability to do anything about it. Not a lot of things. But a few." He shrugged his shoulders.

"As for the trip, yes. Personal trips like that can be very good things. Not only for learning, but also for reflection and self improvement. I hope you find success there in your search."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="VlPER"]

"Well, I can always assist you in those endeavors," she replied, smiling still as she finished her sandwich. "And my journey to the Kathol Rift will most likely be very educational and down-right thrilling to say the least. I'm not sure if you are familiar with that region of space, but the Aing-Tii live there and they have some rather unique Force powers and are completely isolationist. Not to mention the Rift itself has some very strange effects on outside Force Users, hallucinations of spiders being the most common. I'm rambling a bit, apologies, I tend to do that when I get excited."

Scooping up some soup, she held the spoon in front of her mouth for a moment.

"It's not a matter if I think you can learn from me, it's the others," Taeli said, taking the spoonful and swallowing it before continuing. "I think you'll find I'm not exactly the most traditional of Jedi, definitely not like my sister. You could say, having been on the other side of the fence, I know certain realities that most Jedi don't. Certain things that have to be done."

 

[VlPER]

"That would be wonderful. And don't worry about it. I tend to ramble to when I get fired up about something." He replied cheerfully. "And if you need any assistance with your trip, just let me know. I'll be around."

When she got on about how she wasn't the traditional Jedi, he smirked. "Yeah...I guess I'm not really either. I tend to take a logical point of a view on things. Tends to make people a little testy when you look at things with less regard for emotions than most." With a shrug of his shoulders he cocked his head to the side slightly in a curious manner.

"How have the Jedi been treating you actually? I mean what with coming over from the other side like you said." He was very curious considering all the flak he has gotten, and he never actually fell to the dark side.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="VlPER"]

"They treat me nice enough," Taeli said. "I mostly keep to myself though, and not a lot of the younger Padawans or Knights know about my past. All in all, it's a lot quieter than before. Master Korr might not find my presence to his liking, but I've helped the Order more than people know."

Pointing down a trail of stone that broke off from the main path nearby, she smiled a little.

"Down that path is the Forge of Tython, Sis and I were able to recover it before the One Sith took Tython," she said, smiling brightly. "Took a bit to carry it, and we had to deal with Flesh Raiders, but we recovered an important piece of Jedi history and ancient technology. I'm in charge of rebuilding the Ruusan Academy, I've fought against former colleagues and given away secrets. I guess they view my actions from then in a slightly different light, like I was another person. Which is true I suppose, many Sith choose new names and form new lives around those names to hide from their past."

 

[VlPER]

Viper simply nodded back to her reply. "Well I'm glad to hear things seem to be going so well for you." Her answers so far had been somewhat vague, and that was if she gave a response or answer to a particular statement or offer at all. It was something he was quickly becoming accustomed to, so he didn't say anything else. No sense trying to push for something that couldn't be right now.

"Alright, well I will let you get back to your lunch. I'm sorry to have held you up with my questions. Was just rather curious. Anyway. I suppose I will see you around the academy some time." He gave her a small bow and then prepared to leave her to her meal and book once more.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]