An empty mind is a tidy mind…

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus considered Knight Adonai the moment the subject of Battle Meditation training came up. Despite her demise, Corvus still considered Adele an active Jedi. The problem was contacting her.

They’d checked the records and knew the path they must take to attain the learning and that long journey started with Emptiness. All three were committed to the task in hand but lacked a starting point.

But as ever Corvus trusted in the Force. She’d mostly come across Adele when she’d been at a place of Jedi learning, so she’d talked Knights Karr and Adonia into travelling to one of the Jedi Kenobi Class Praxeum ships. It was truly an impressive ship – although for Corvus it was the volume of learning inside that amazed her most, whereas most were inspired by its physical beauty.

Having landed, Corvus headed to where the various holocrons were securely stored. They were moved around from time to time for security reasons, but typically one of the three major ones were here at any moment.

Once they’d arrived, Corvus simply sat on the floor, cross-legged and meditated. Connecting with the Force, she simply trusted in the Force. No more. No less.

[member="Adele Adonai"] | [member="Ta'mur Rokar"] | [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian had been on Alderaan when Jedi Knight Adele Adonai had fallen in combat. It had been the first time Kian had personally witnessed a Jedi die before and in that day two had fallen at the medical facility before his very eyes. It had been a harrowing experience and one that had stuck with Kian ever since. The chiming of the proximity alarms pull Kian from his thoughts and he opened his eyes as a droids voice came over the intercom.

"Sir, we have arrived at the Praxeum ship. Docking will begin momentarily." The voice said and Kian slowly rose to his feet.

"Thank you." Kian said to the droids flying the ship. Kian wasn't much of a pilot and when possible, he preferred to allow droids to do the flying for him. He had spent some time on Carida training at their academy when he was a padawan, but flying just wasn't something Kian put much work into.

When the ship docked, Kian entered the Jedi Praxeum and headed towards where he was expected to meet with Jedi Knight Corvus Raaf and Jedi Knight Ta'mur Rokar. Corvus was a friend of Kian's whom he had known since her time as a padawan....but Knight Rokar was a new name to Kian. He was eager to meet the man. When Kian came to where the holocrons were secured, Kian saw Corvus meditating and he hung back in the shadows not wanting to disturb her. As he did this he glanced around the room. He'd been on a Praxeum ship before, but he still marveled at their design whenever he was aboard.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Adele Adonai"] - [member="Ta'mur Rokar]​

 

[Ta'mur Rokar]

Ta'mur Rokar was a Trianii Ranger. He was an elite warrior in every capacity. He was a star fighter ace, martial arts expert, a brilliant tactician a swordsman and now a firmly committed Jedi. He had been away from the Republic for sometime taking a sabbatical that was not a vacation in the slightest. Violent outbreak had occurred on his home world of Ekibo and he had elected to be the Jedi representative to bring relative peace to the sector.

He wasn't too familiar with the dealings of the Jedi order currently. He was work his way back into the inner workings of the Jedi order and the Republic itself. He knew of the Sith resurgence and he knew they had to be stopped by any means necessary. Battle Meditation was the means to the end. The Republic Armies were losing ground to the tyranny of the Sith and Ta'mur knew something needed to be done.

Ta'mur had arrived much earlier in the day and had been getting a feel for the local population. He returned to the agreed meeting place and witnessed the two Jedi already in place. [member="Corvus Raaf"] was meditating and [member="Kian Karr"] was standing back. He approached and knelt down next to Corvus and closed his eyes and waited further instructions.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus became aware of the presence of the other two Knights. Coming out of her meditation she stood. Bowing to them both she smiled. "Thank you for coming. So far, the plan has gone exactly as I expected. The next part is...shall we say more fluid." Her face was smiling but didn't convey absolute conviction. "If we trust in the Force, I am sure Knight Adonai will join us. It's just a matter of time."

She sat again and turned to the Jedi she knew virtually nothing about. Kian had been known to her since the day she'd arrived at the Order - a Knight that was always kind and willing to share his knowledge and experience. Or just help you out. But Knight Rokar was a closed book at the moment.

"Forgive me, but we may be waiting here some time. And as such, I wondered if there was value in us learning a little more about each other? I mean beyond the fact we're all Jedi. I have to admit I know next to nothing about you. You carry yourself like someone sadly accustomed to combat - but looks can often be deceiving."

"Kian here, for example, has a regular spot every Zhellday at the Mos Eisley Cantina. Best stand-up comedian they've ever had." She winked conspiratorially. "I am, of course, kidding. It's Coronet City."

[member="Adele Adonai"] | [member="Ta'mur Rokar"] | [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian listened as [member="Corvus Raaf"] talked with @Ta'mur Rokar and laughed when she made her joke about his standup routine. Coming over Kian joined them both, kneeling down with them so that they formed a triangle, each facing each other.

"And Corvus here is a walking encyclopedia." Kian said and he too winked at Corvus.....which was completely lost due to the fact that he was wearing his goggles and anti-ox mask.

"Introductions do seem like a good idea. As Corvus has stated, I am Kian Karr." Kian said placing a hand over his chest and bowing his head to the newcomer.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." As Kian said this he sized up the Jedi Knight before him. Kian hadn't ever met one of his species before and he was looking forward to getting to know him better. Especially here on the Jedi Praxeum ships, they were a wonderful place to be.

 

[Adele Adonai]

Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.
- New Jedi Code, Luke Skywalker


There is no death. There is the Force. This was a living, or perhaps, not so living testament for Jedi Knight A'dele Adonnai. Her death had been documented in the Invasion of Alderaan, having fallen under the blade of Darth Mierin with Master Boolon attempting to protect the medical facilities.

However, death did not mean gone forever. One with the Force, the young Iridonian female would often prove to be a guiding point or resource for the Jedi from time to time. No one was really sure when she'd appear, but her cordial voice and warming presence would come for those who sought knowledge without the intention of abusing it.

It was for this exact reason that the lingering presence of A'dele would silently observe the trio before her. She'd would not reveal herself yet, as she was curious just what brought them here.

 

[Ta'mur Rokar]

Ta'mur opened one eye from his meditative state. He smiled, with one side of his mouth, at their little banter. It seemed as though they were a little hesitant trusting him. He understood. So many had fallen to the false promises of power the dark side offered. Given his imposing stature and multitude of scars he knew exactly the perception he was giving off.

"My scars hold no deception." He said with a nod and an unwavering smile. "I have met my fair share of strife." His voice was gruff yet melodic. "I have made peace with fighting evil and I'm sure you have as well." He kept his words short and succinct. He was not a being of many words though there was much more he could say on his experiences. He had some difficulty expressing himself and opening up to those he had only just met though he attempted in all his social encounters to make those around him feel comfortable.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus reflected on Ta'mur's words. "Actually I'm not sure I will ever be at peace - but then I suppose it depends how I consider the concept of fighting." Corvus could often come across as blunt. She was honest and plain-speaking - which for those that didn't know her might come across as confrontational. But she was who she was. Her heart was firmly on the sleeve of her Jedi robes.

"As a Jedi, I am a peace-keeper and I serve the Republic in upholding the greater good. In my ideal world there would be no Jedi as we'd have no evil to oppose. A Utopia, I accept, but as a Jedi, I always plan to succeed first. But then I plan for failure and realise that there are times we need to be involved in supporting the Republic in peace-keeping duties. And of course, in looking to redeem those that would use the Dark-side of the Force. This is where I am most uneasy. It is too simple to point to the Sith as the sole 'enemy' to be dealt with. I see too many who call themselves Jedi choose to ignore the Code, use Dark-sided abilities, take lives when no other option has been explored."

She looked at the ground now. Her voice was more of a mumble as she finished. "That's just how I see it." Of late she had been doubting that she was in the majority in her views any more, and it troubled her greatly.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Adele Adonai"] | [member="Ta'mur Rokar"]

 

[Ta'mur Rokar]

Ta'mur opened his other eye and gazed upon the woman with intrigue. He wondered if perhaps he fell into her definition of the enemy.

"You need to allow peace into your heart, young one." He said with a truly warm smile. "A troubled heart is a great weight indeed believe me I know. I have been there." He once believed in utopia as well and that all his deeds could be the bridge for that world, but we all have our places in the universe and all he could do was make it just a little bit better. If that meant killing Sith... that is what he would do. Sometimes you needed to cut cancer from the body to save it.

"Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of the Force." He said. In spite of his hesitancy speaking, it did not mean he did not have the ability. He had wisdom earned from his many years in this galaxy.


[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Adele Adonai"] [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"Even in a perfect world....a Utopia...there would perhaps still be need for Jedi." Kian said running his hand over his mask like it were a beard and glancing at [member="Corvus Raaf"] "We just wouldn't be warriors. We would be sages....scholars....individuals bent on a better understanding of the force. For this is already what we are and what we should be."

"Necessity made us warriors, but we should still strive to be more then this. Diplomats, scientists, healers, scholars....there are so many duties we hold and so many paths we walks, warriors is but a part of it. A part that could die out and still we would be Jedi." Kian said thinking on the prospect of a war entirely at peace. He would always strive for peace, but he knew it was an unrealistic endeavor....but that didn't mean one shouldn't pursue it.

"As for a troubled heart," Kian said turning toward [member="Ta'mur Rokar"] "well, that isn't always a bad thing. We should be troubled by some things. We should be troubled by the fact that the One Sith are advancing....we should be troubled by those who amass fortunes while others struggle to feed their children....we should be troubled by the murder of the innocent. But we shouldn't allow ourselves to be overcome by these troubling things."

"We should always have hope." Kian said, knowing just how hard that was sometimes. How hard it was to keep that perspective when all around you was chaos. Hope was one of the most powerful things a person could have and it was sometimes one of the easiest things a person could lose.

[member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded as both Jedi spoke. "Indeed. I had hoped as a Youngling back on Corellia to be a Librarian or even a Consular. Not traditionally roles associated with combat. But we are at war and I am a Jedi, so..." Her voice trailed off for a few seconds.

"Perhaps it is the term 'warrior' that I find difficult to relate to. I see myself as a peace-keeper. It feels and sounds to me like a word for someone that protects the weak and defenceless. But 'warrior' sounds almost too proactive, too aggressive. I know it is semantics, but when I think of the Code, and of the pillars, I still get an overwhelming feeling that it is my role is to save lives, not end them." She shrugged her shoulders and was aware how maudlin she was making this conversation.

"Hope." Her voice suddenly brightened. "I can relate to that. Only recently I conversed with someone that traditionally would have been branded an enemy. Sadly some of our Order might have killed him without conscience or even conversation. He was entirely reasonable and by the end of our odd predicament, he had left the One Sith and was pursuing a new life. He suspected the Sith would track him down and kill him for deserting their cause - but he did it anyway. Now that gives me real hope." Corvus was aware she hadn't told anyone this story before (apart from Kana) and it might sound quite odd out of context. But she didn't think the telling of the entire story useful. It was the analogy that counted.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Ta'mur Rokar"] | [member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Ta'mur Rokar]

Ta'mur scratched at the fur on his chin contemplating the woman's words. He didn't know how corrupt the order could be. Certainly redemption was something to strive for but even so there were things he had to know about this... reformer.

"This conversation you had revealed to you.... a change of heart?" He asked curiously. "And of his crimes... assuming he had committed crimes... You felt his change of heart gave him pardon?" He was confused at the concept. As a trianii, he had a particular brand of justice. He believed criminals should serve penance for their crimes and if they were too far gone elimination was the unfortunate answer. "Or did you take him to the courts to receive justice?" He asked. From the sound of it, it seems as though she let a criminal... and potentially a murderer walk free. Ta'mur knew that the dark side once accepted into the heart was hard to remove. He believed murderers had to strive for forgiveness... and they could never be forgiven as their victim could not forgive them. The balance of Life was curious like that. Murders put peacekeepers in a strange position because no one had the right to forgive them. Perhaps those who loved the victim... but even then it was a strange concept.

True he did not know the whole situation and thus he asked questions to better understand.


[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus wasn't sure if Kian was going to say something. But as he seemed to be waiting for her to speak she continued.

Looking at Ta'mur, she said, "His only crime as far as I could tell was to be a member of the One Sith. And yes, I genuinely sensed a change of heart. He could have killed me many times over - but actually saved my life at one point."

"Was I conflicted? Of course. There was a point early on where it would have been easy to end both our lives. But in my heart it did not feel...right. I am not afraid of joining the Force. It will happen one day. If today is that day, I understand it is the will of the Force. But pardon is not mine to give, any more than summary justice would be."

"In truth I am still concerned about some of my conversation with him. The things he told me about what he had seen. But without evidence they are hearsay and I'll not fret over rumour. I do not believe I know evertything and I am always willing to learn new things. I have spent the last fourteen years studying the Code and still it speaks to me in new ways - as my knowledge and experience grow."

[member="Ta'mur Rokar"] | [member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"Some of the Jedi in our Order have come from dark beginnings...." Kian said nodding as [member="Corvus Raaf"] spoke. "We can not give pardon to their crimes, but nor are we judges. What we can do is provide them the means to atone for their past actions......and give them support in doing so. There are some individuals whose crimes are so great, they would surely have to be turned over to the authorities to punish......but there are those who can seek their redemption amongst us." Kian said sitting back.

It was a tricky thing, atonement. The first goal in dealing with a Sith should always be to reason with them....to bring them back to the light. Kian was aware that there were individuals so far gone that this would not be possible, but for many redemption was always an option. If they turned every single person who came to the Jedi looking for redemption over to the authorities to execute or imprison....the likelihood of their willingness to change would decrease. Better to bring them into the fold and allow their actions to speak for their atonement.

Saving a thousand lives might not wash away the blood of murder, but it did speak to a change of heart. History was full of individuals who had walked a dark path, only to turn back and become beacons of the light. It was their duty to help those lost souls find their path back to the light when the opportunity presented itself.

[member="Ta'mur Rokar"]

 

[Ta'mur Rokar]

Ta'mur looked about and sighed compulsively. He remained silent. He closed his eyes and returned to meditating. His brow furrowed and he dug the claws on his fingers into his leg. He heard the screams he could not forget. He saw crimes unfold in his mind's eye. He simply did not believe what they did. He had seen the face of true evil and that was one of the many scars he carried. He had been to the darkest corners of the galaxy where fiends hurt the innocent beyond repair. He had seen the fates worse than death and to say that hadn't affected him would be a lie. Rabid animals got put down so they would harm no more innocents. That was why the Force chose to manifest itself within him. Yes there was a time for being the savior, but where was the savior for the innocent victims as they cried themselves to sleep. Where was their savior? Chatting with some troubled Sith about how he should feel sorry? Sorry just didn't cut it sometimes. Yes he saw the blissful Jedi's stance but would she feel the same had she seen everything? He also saw the point the Jedi that she had condemned had made. Stand. Fight. Don't give them another yard of land to distort. Not another body for them to enslave in their world of social death and tyranny, where everyday their victims fear is the last. Hope has died in the many eyes of Courascant. They know we aren't coming... Tea time with Darth Vader is too important.

Emotion yet Peace.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian awaited a response from the Jedi Rokar, but when none was forthcoming, he considered the man for a moment. He seemed to now be deep in thought and he seemed.....conflicted. Perhaps he didn't agree with what Kian or [member="Corvus Raaf"] had said, or perhaps there was something else weighing on his mind, but without anything indicating that, Kian couldn't be sure.

Turning back to Corvus, Kian smiled warmly beneath his mask.

"If you don't mind my asking.....who was it?" Kian asked. Having fought with a series of One Sith in his time with the order, he was curious if it was anyone he had ever faced off with. There were some among the One Sith that Kian had considered redeemable.....those who followed the Sith because they believed that it was the key to galactic peace and who followed strict codes of honor. Then there were those that were truly and utterly lost....monsters who preyed on the weak and innocent.

In his time among the Jedi, Kian had fought both types of Sith and he would continue to fight them. Whether they were the monsters in the dark, or those seeking order, they were wrong in their actions. Kian had and would continue to stand against them. But he would never abandon hope for redemption.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Adele Adonai"] - [member="Ta'mur Rokar"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

"I knew him simply as Avreet." Corvus felt no need to withhold any information. Perhaps Kian knew of him? If she had been at fault, she would like to know of it. "He was on Zeltros and was the Sith that Knight Truden and I came across that was actually stopping the One Sith from murdering innocents."

So Corvus waited to hear what Kian had to say on the matter as she valued his judgement greatly.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Ta'mur Rokar"] | [member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian nodded his head as he heard the name Avreet. Kian had known him as something else. He had known him as Darth Veles.

"I fought him as a padawan on Empress Teta.....he was called Darth Veles then." Kian said. It had been a learning experience for Kian, facing off against a Sith Lord. Kian had survived, mostly due to the fact that Darth Veles had been severed from the use of the force.

Turning toward Corvus, Kian could sense doubt in her. She seemed to be unsure if she had done the right thing.

"Avreet has a long road to walk to achieve redemption......his crimes I am sure are great." Kian said, "But if he was sincere in his wish for redemption, then I believe you did the right thing." Kian said, unsure if his opinion on the matter was what she was looking for, but he offered it none-the-less.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Adele Adonai"] - [member="Ta'mur Rokar"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus didn't seem to perk up at Kian's words. If anything she seemed more troubled. You're sure his crimes were great? Oh! I was conflicted then and I am conflicted now. I am sure of his future but unaware of his full past. As a Jedi I feel unable to judge. To seek the truth yes, but to pass judgement, no. I am partially comforted by your words Master Karr - but not entirely so. But if being a Jedi was easy, everyone would be one, eh?". And a frown formed on her brow as she clearly reviewed her actions with regards the former Sith.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Ta'mur"] | [member="Adele Adonai"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian nodded his head at why [member="Corvus Raaf"] had to say.

"Part of the problem is I am unsure of his past. As a member of the One Sith, the assumption that he has committed crimes is easily drawn.....but it doesn't make it a correct assumption." Kian said, trying to explain himself. "I assume he has crimes for which he must atone, but without further investigation I can not be certain of this."

"As far as passing judgement, I feel you are correct. Passing judgement is not the duty of a Jedi. It is our duty to follow the will of the force and to defend the weak." Kian said, wishing he could offer more comfort.

"Trust in the force and trust in yourself."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Ta'mur Rokar"] - [member="Adele Adonai"]