Private Actions and Consequences [TJO Council]

[Ala Quin]

The council chambers were rarely empty. Many on the council found it to be a great place to meditate, and meet with one another for private discussion about matters pertaining to the Order. As a result of this, while people came and went, there was always someone available to give counsel and offer judgment on matters of importance.

So, Ala sat in her seat. Contemplating, and spoke to those present within the chambers at the time. Matters needed to be addressed.

"I seek your counsel regarding disturbing reports that I hear of Bastila Sal-Soren, while she was on the Lightspire Station. It has been shown that she was the last one in a room on the Spire that was devastated by a lightsaber...well...tirade. If this truly was Padawan Bastila's doing, there a serious reprimand and counselling will be in order. What do you think of this matter?"

"Another matter to discuss is our former council member, Aiden Porte. Recently, he sought my counsel and with his permission I searched his mind for the darkness that he claims has bonded to him. The Force showed me a vision of a dark future. But I would dare not leave Aiden to his fate alone. But should precautions be taken to protect others?"

| FYI: Bastila Sal-Soren Aiden Porte @Jedi Council |​

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Ala Quin​

Lorn kept his back to the chamber, his gaze fixed on the jagged peaks of the Naboo horizon. The sunlight felt too bright for a room filled with such heavy talk. Every word Ala spoke felt like a physical weight pressing against his spine. He should have been sitting in his seat, projecting the calm authority expected of the Sword on the Council. Instead, he felt like an intruder in his own life.

I am failing her, he thought, his chest tightening as he imagined Bastila's blade carving through the station's walls. He had tried to be the anchor she needed, but she was drifting into a storm he couldn't see. If she was lashing out with that much rage, it meant he had missed the signs. He was her Master, yet he was the last to know her heart.

The mention of Aiden only deepened the ache. He had promised Kahne he would look after the boy, a silent vow to a dead friend that now felt like a lie. Aiden's life was a cycle of trauma, and Lorn's guidance had done little to break it. Am I the common denominator in their problems?

The vision Ala described sounded like a premonition of his own inadequacy.

 

[Colette]

Lorn Reingard / Ala Quin

Cause and effect.

Two very funny concepts. Colette had no idea what kind of cause someone would have to destroy vital monitoring equipment on a space station of all things, but the effect of it was undeniable as she looked at the very real costs they had in her spreadsheet. Part of her bet nobody in this room knew what a tri-planar hydropcoptic marselvane was and how much it cost, and she hoped they never would.

Her eyes set on Lorn who was by far the most connected to Bastilla. He looked devastated.

Then she looked at her pad again. She was aware of the darkness Aiden carried, and she still stood for what she had told him then. For the moment he seemed able to contain it, but she also knew better than banking on 'hope' to solve something.

"A potential reality, and a very real reality." Colette began and shifted in her seat. Her presence here still felt surreal. "Aiden is a friend to all of us. Makes this difficult. I've talked to him in the past about this and he seems to have a good grip on it for the moment."

"What bothers me most is Bastila's actions." Eyes wandered to Lorn. "Do we have any idea what caused this outburst?"

"Is there anything I should know about her, and more pressingly — can the Sal-Sorens be made to pay for these repairs?"

 

[Ala Quin]

She was concerned for Lorn. His distance, and lack of contribution to the discussion was more like the pre-Ala Lorn. More like the time when he was so sunk down in his old wounds, fear of new ones being created...that he was closing himself off again. It would not go unattended, but not now. There would be time tonight over dinner to needle him with silliness before he finally spilled the beans.

"I agree with you, Colette . Aiden has my trust. He has proven himself a faithful member of this order. It would be prudent though to keep senior members of the Order on notice to watch for any out of character instances. Even debriefings with the Padawan that go on missions with him. We can tell Aiden this will be happening. He will not mind, I am sure of it."

The issue with Bastila was more pressing.

"The Sal-Soren family can easily afford to pay for repairs, and that suggestion will be implemented immediately. My concerns for Bastila are only increased with her brother's recent departure from this council, and the Unblessed's resurgence. The connection to her father will be a hard burden to bear. I am recommending that she see a Master for weekly counsel and observation."

| Tag: Lorn Reingard Bastila Sal-Soren Aiden Porte |​

 

[Sela Basran]

SHIRAYA'S SANCTUARY
JEDI COUNCIL CHAMBER
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"Troubling," Sela murmured, almost to herself, as she reviewed the report of Padawan Sal-Soren's alleged outburst. Her dark eyes traced over destruction. It was more than mere vandalism. With just images, just a vague report, it was insufficient to make Sela suspect that the Padawan was in danger of falling to the dark side, but the violence needed to inflict that kind of damage... it would be irresponsible to ignore it.

Her gaze went to Colette briefly; the two had been invited to join the Council at around the same time. She might have found the younger woman's first instinct -- to discuss the cost of the repairs -- to be a concern, but if anyone on the Council had the prerogative to be concerned about that, it would be the Quartermaster. If it was her job to look after the property and good order and upkeep of Order equipment, then it fell to the rest of them to inventory and care for the souls of the Order's members. "I confess I do not know Padawan Sal-Soren well," Sela spoke up, turning her gaze back to the Council at large. "I do not know, for instance, whether she would be more inclined to have an open discussion with those who she knows better, or a disinterested -- that is, someone not part of her family or social circle, not uninterested in her well-being -- third party. I defer to my colleagues on that matter. But if you feel that a third party may be more effective, I am happy to meet with her."

The matter of Aiden Porte was different. Sela Basran was not a disinterested party. "Regarding Knight Porte," she began cautiously. "I am in the process of searching the archives and other sources for artifacts with similarities to the one he described. There may yet be something we can do for him before..." Sela was uncharacteristically challenged for the right words and her lips drew together in a frustrated twitch. "... before the worst should happen," she concluded delicately. "I will keep the Council apprised of my progress, of course. And I am friendly with the young man. I occasionally visit when he is at home on Naboo. I believe he understands the danger as well as any of us -- probably more -- and would not consider some monitoring to be inappropriate."

She nodded her concurrence with the Grandmaster's verdicts and then, almost timidly, half-raised her hand, indicating that she had something for the Council to discuss. "Grandmaster, if I might? As you all may know, I liaise with the Senate while a formal appointment for that purpose is vacant. And as you all have likely heard, recently Senator Monaray Dod of Toshara was assassinated in his office at the Senate by an explosive device. The Senate has requested the Jedi to investigate the crime, on the theory that we are a neutral party. Unfortunately, the issue was already politicized before Jedi involvement was proposed, so while I wish I could say that the Jedi would not be within a hundred meters of a potential political mess, I cannot."

She spread her hands, as if to release the issue to the floor. "Thus I submit it to your wisdom, Grandmaster and my colleagues: ought we dispatch a Jedi investigator or two to look into Senator Dod's assassination, understanding that there is potential for some political scrutiny on the murder already?"

Ala Quin | Colette | Lorn Reingard | Jedi Council

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