Faction Between Shadow and Light

[Colrenth Hanzo]

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The training room was silent.
It had to be.

That's why Colrenth picked it.

No teachers.

No teammates.

No distractions.

Only quiet.

He sat on the floor, legs crossed. His armor lay discarded beside him. His weapons were within easy reach, but he was not holding them. His eyes were closed, and he breathed slowly.

Meditation had never been his strong suit.

Awareness, control, patience - these were the Nightviper philosophies. Meditation was something else entirely to Colrenth. He wasn't attempting to clear his mind.

He was attempting to still it. The noises from the rest of the facility ceased to be. He was no longer aware of the vents pushing air. He tuned out the sounds of conversations in the hall, the armored boot steps of the troopers, and beeps and chirps of droids and consoles.

​

He inhaled slowly.

Out.

In.

Out...

Then he sensed it.

Another presence.

Colrenth snapped open his eyes. His hand instictive going to his weapons before he stopped

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Lily Decoria​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Outfit: Rebel Leader
Equipment: Arwr Da, Moonblade Hydrangea
Tag: Colrenth Hanzo

Lily was visiting a temple, getting an idea of what an enclave was structure like, the necessary elements of what made an enclave as she looked around. The Jedi Knight had not really considered what was necessary for an enclave to exist. Now that she was attempting to build one that fitted her own desires, and those that were beginning to follow her. Lily wanted to see how enclaves were constructed and what adjustments that Lily should be making to ensure that the one she was going to run fitted the mentality she had.

The training rooms were going to be one that held a significance in Lily's heart, she was Echani and throughout her time as a Jedi, training and being in the training room held the most importance to her. Lily was daily training to maintain her strong physique as well as honing her skills with a Lightsaber, melee combat and awareness in fighting. Lily was not someone that would allow those at her own enclave to miss the opportunity to master their abilities with combat skills and training was a crucial part of what Lily was as a Jedi so made sense to reflect in the enclave in some capacity.

When she entered on quiet room, there was another in, meditating who immediately went to draw his weapon. Lily blinked, it must be someone who has rarely found the time to meditate or be away from missions. To be on such an edge when they were not surrounded by enemies. "Must be hard to relax when you are always tensing for an attack to come?" Lily questioned, her voice soft, thoughtful with a heavy Echani accent.

 

[Colrenth Hanzo]

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TAG: Lily Decoria

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Years of training had made the reaction automatic.

The Night Viper Clan had taught him that a quiet room was never simply a quiet room. Silence could mean safety.

Or it could mean someone was waiting.

His fingers brushed the weapon's grip before he stopped himself.

Slowly, deliberately, his hand fell away.

"Old habit."

His voice was low and rough, carrying none of the warmth one might expect from someone sitting peacefully inside a Jedi temple.

He studied Lily from beneath narrowed eyes.

"Clan Night Viper teaches its warriors to survive by assuming the threat is already there."

His gaze moved briefly toward the doorway.

"Sometimes the threat is."

He settled back into his meditation position, though his posture remained tense.

"Sometimes it isn't."

A faint smirk crossed his face.

"The trick is learning the difference before somebody starts bleeding."

Lily's comment about relaxing clearly hadn't offended him.

If anything, it seemed to amuse him.

"You aren't wrong, Jedi."

Colrenth exhaled slowly.

"I don't relax."

A pause.

"I lower my guard."

His eyes returned to hers.

"There is a difference."

The distinction seemed important to him.

The Night Vipers had survived by making that distinction.

They were hunters, trackers, infiltrators, bounty hunters, and guerrilla fighters. Their warriors learned to sleep lightly, eat quickly, watch exits, and memorize faces. They didn't trust walls merely because they were walls. They trusted preparation.

"So what brings you here, thinking of building an enclave perhaps? This would be a good spot for it." he paused for moment

Colrenth scanned the temple once more.

"Training halls."

" Meditation chambers."

" Medical facilities."

"Living quarters."

"Archives."

He hummed lowly.

"That is what people think they want."

He nodded in Lily's direction.

"But an enclave is not rooms."

"It is students learning what they are willing to die for."

Colrenth rose from his seat.

"I know your halls are important. Believe me."

He waved his hand at the room.

"If a warrior cannot fight. They are useless."

His face became stern.

"But a warrior who will only fight. Is just ammunition for someone else's weapon."

He paused for a moment.

"My clan understood that."

Colrenth's words were slow to form, as if complimenting someone wasn't something he did often.

"The Night Vipers teach their children how to hunt. How to fight. How to track. How to survive. And how to kill if they must."

His eyes grew dark.

"But they also teach when not to kill."

"The easiest person in the galaxy to kill."

He pressed one finger to his temple.

"Is the person who thinks killing is the solution to every problem."

​

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[Lily Decoria]

Outfit: Rebel Leader
Equipment: Arwr Da, Moonblade Hydrangea
Tag: Colrenth Hanzo

Nodding her head slowly, "knowing when to draw or sheathe a weapon is the most important lesson a warrior should know." Lily knew plenty on how to approach battle and how to observe the behaviour of others to make sure that they are appropriately assessed before she took any action. Though Lily also knew how to avoid having the element of surprise favour her opponents. Sometimes it was far more valuable to allow them to think they had the opportunity to strike when there was not a chance they would be able handle her speed and counters.

"There is, but that does not mean that relaxing is not crucial. One must be able to take a moment and enjoy the scenery, take on a hobby, rest and recharge the batteries while relaxing. Otherwise you risk burning yourself out and causing serious harm to yourself and those around you." Lily knew that less from being told about it and more based on her own experiences with refusing to relax and refusing to stop moving. Lily as a Padawan worked her hardest, chasing Sith, missions and whatever she could do. Nearly drove her insane and she almost gave up the life.

So she was very aware of what others needed to do.

When he mentioned the temple and seemingly knew instantly why she was here with no reference to who she was or what she was looking for, Lily raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Seems you have an outstanding intuition. Perhaps you should be seeking out to be a Jedi Sage, having visions and attempting to decipher the future with that ability." Lily teased with a laugh.

"Just getting a refresher on how temples look and feel. It is important to have the basics but I also like to see how others add their own feel and backgrounds into these buildings. They aren't just carbon copies of each other, they reveal similarities but highlight the differences as well. And the differences are what intrigue me the most." Lily mentioned as she looked around the room.

When Colrenth gave his thoughts, Lily laughed a little, "you are preaching to the choir. While I am a warrior and I am fully aware that the Jedi should not be what I am. They deserve the chance to be more, and I wish to make sure that they get to see that chance. But right now, war is inevitable and the Jedi need to be part of that fight." She shrugged, "but that is mindset, I am sure you disagree, seems every Jedi has their own vision for the future and how one might achieve that path."

 

[Colrenth Hanzo]

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TAG: Lily Decoria

Colrenth didn't say anything more, simply listening while keeping his hood shadowing his face. He smirked slightly when Lily mentioned rest.

"You're correct."

It almost sounded begrudging.

"That may very well be the part I despise most about being correct."

He gestured toward the temple surrounding them.

"I've seen warriors push themselves to literal bone because they believed exhaustion equalled discipline. It does not."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Tired minds make mistakes. Mistakes kill."

He paused for a moment.

"But you would have me appreciate the view."

He chuckled softly, though there was no humor in his voice.

"For someone who trained for years learning to keep your eyes on the next threat, that's quite the order."

Colrenth raised his gaze to meet the temple ceilings. The upper windows allowed pinpricks of distant stars to shine through past the architecture.

"Possibly why places such as this were built."

He refocused back on Lily.

"Not so warriors grew weak."

"So they remember there's something worth fighting for once the battle is over."

He smirked slightly at Lily's insightful comment.

"Jedi mentor?"

"No."

Colrenth replied immediately.

"I have no desire to walk the path of a Jedi."

It wasn't said aggressively, but his voice brooked no argument.

"I am not Force sensitive. I wield no lightsaber. I do not hear whispers of the Force guiding my actions."

He glanced down, eyes briefly hardening.

"I learned to survive by watching others."

"...By learning from the mistakes they made when they thought no one was watching."

"That is not foresight."

He paused.

"It is experience."

His hooded gaze shifted back up to the temple around them.

"In any case, I've been around Jedi long enough to know that the future is clearly something you argue about endlessly."

There was a hint of dry humor in his tone.

"Some of you see destiny."

"Others see choice."

"And some of you see a meaningless ancient proverb and decide it needs a council to interpret it."

Slowly, a smile crossed Colrenth's face.

"Yet you are right about one thing."

He nodded at the temple around them.

"All places have stories. They tell you about those who built them."

Walking toward one of the walls, he studied it closely.

"The materials they used can tell you what they valued."

"The buildings they erected can tell you what they feared."

"The archives they left behind can tell you what they wanted others to remember."

He stopped, glancing toward where the hall connected with other corridors of the temple.

"And every home tells you who they really are."

He faced Lily once more.

"If I were building an enclave, that is what I would focus on."

She had one final thought she wanted him to consider.

*The Jedi need to be part of that fight. *

Colrenth's face darkened.

"No, that is where you and I disagree."

Creeping closer to Lily, he leaned in conspiratorially, his voice dropping low.

"Not because I believe you're incorrect about war."

"It will come. Perhaps it has already begun."

His eyes hardened.

"But warriors grow very fond of war."

He stared at his hands for a long moment.

"I have seen what fighting does to men when it becomes their identity."

He paused, staring into space.

"They start forgetting whether or not a battle is necessary."

"What matters is winning."

His gaze lifted and met Lily's once more, his tone earnest.

"I am no Jedi."

"I know nothing of the Force."

"But I know soldiers."

His voice dropped even lower.

"And I know what war demands of them."

Walking toward the entrance of the temple, he continued quietly.

"So if you're building your Jedi enclave, when you build that training hall."

He gestured with his hands.

"Make sure you build something after that where they can sleep."

"Take off their armor."

"Live as people, rather than warriors."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"But more importantly, build somewhere they can lay their weapons down when it's over."

Colrenth's eyes flicked back to Lily. His voice became quiet.

"If they ever forget how to do that..."

His expression turned grim.

"...someone else will ensure they never have the opportunity to protect your Jedi."

"They will do it for you."

He pulled his hood up around his face, whispering the last lines.

"People always have to save people."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Outfit: Rebel Leader
Equipment: Arwr Da, Moonblade Hydrangea
Tag: Colrenth Hanzo

Shaking her head, "one can be fully rested and still not relax. Stress is the killer that comes from never allowing yourself a moment to relax. Constant vigilance turns into anxiety which turns into stress and from there it is all too easy to develop physical ailments that send you to an early grave." Lily spoke from experience and an understanding of such cycle from learning a little on mental health treatments from her aunt. It was a dangerous cycle to find oneself in. "I don't order you to do anything, that isn't my place, I merely point out that it is important for everyone to take a moment to truly relax. Enjoy the quieter moments while we have them."

"The Force whispers through everyone's actions, only those Force Dead are able to avoid it." Lily stated, "just because you cannot hear it now, does not mean that will always be the case." She explained, everyone had the chance to hear the Force and connect with it, just took training and dedication. Didn't mean that they would become the most powerful but they could perform feats with the Force. "Visions are only understood after what is envisioned has passed, seeing glimpses of the future with no context or understanding of what could happen. Errors are inevitable."

When he claimed that she was wrong, Lily laughed softly, it had been something she heard plenty at the present moment but it was also a problem since they did not understand her point at all. And this was another case. "The Sith dominate the galaxy, they rule through fear, oppression and no ordinary soldier can stand against them alone and win. Especially the older Sith Lords who have lived decades unchallenged." Lily pointed out as she held herself firmer, "do I believe the Jedi should always fight and always be warriors? No, I want myself to be one of the last warrior Jedi to exist. However, I see the state of the galaxy and I see a need for the type of Jedi I am, far more than a peace keeping pacifist. I am a warrior, I do not revel in battle or crave the death of others, but I do see why we need to fight and why we need to be more offensive."

"The Jedi have spent too long not doing enough, we need to be willing to step away from the peaceful life and tackle the real issues that the galaxy faces now." Lily stated.

When he mentioned about having other rooms that were not based on training, Lily sighed, this was another reason that she was frustrated with people jumping to conclusions about her desires. "My enclave's construction has the training rooms intended to be built last. Because I believe that the intention of going to war and being warriors, that should be a last case scenario. Every other option should be explored first and I desire for myself to be obsolete."

Lily never saw herself as the gold standard for what a Jedi should be. There were others that better represented that, what Lily was, she was what the Jedi needed to be right now.

 

[Colrenth Hanzo]

Outfit: X
Weapon: x
TAG: Lily Decoria

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Colrenth stayed silent for a few moments, eyes drifting over Lily instead of answering her question. There was no trace of anger behind his brown eyes, only contemplation. Colrenth always seemed thoughtful about everything.

"The first part may be true."

He glanced around the small room.

"Peace doesn't come from rest. Believe me; I know that better than most. My people taught me that warriors who lay down their watchfulness die. At some point, you learn to sleep with one eye open; you learn to listen for footsteps that aren't there; you learn to wake when the air shifts half a degree."

His lips twitched into a small smile devoid of humor.

"The problem is that when your whole life is built around staying alive, those habits become a prison."

He turned back to face Lily.

"So maybe I need to learn to sheathe my blade sometimes."

There was a long pause before he spoke again.

"But the Force?"

He shook his head minutely.

"I will not claim to understand something that I can't see. Perhaps you're correct. Perhaps there is some connection out there for me to find. Perhaps not. Until then, I will not base my life's choices around something that I can't hear."

Colrenth remained calm.

"I've been taught my whole life that only certainty is dangerous. Even visions can be misinterpreted. Intel can be wrong. People lie. Sensors fail. Memories get warped over time. The Force might whisper to you, but word comes that even those who can hear it can apparently misinterpret its message."

He shrugged.

"So trusting it is foolish."

That was true until he mentioned the Sith, however. At the mention of heretics, his expression became stone.

"I will not deny that there are times when the galaxy needs warriors."

Colrenth's hand rested loosely on his belt. He wasn't being threatening with it; he simply wasn't thinking well enough to move it out of habit.

"But what I will deny is that becoming a warrior should be who you are."

His attention focused fully on Lily.

"I grew up around people who thought of themselves as weapons. My clan bred assassins. We were damn good at our jobs. Too good. Some of us became exceptionally good at telling ourselves that every target was deserved."

His tone dropped to a whisper.

"And that," he hissed through clenched teeth, "is how you end up killing children."

He took a deep breath, slow and steady.

"You said you wanted to become obsolete. That I understand."

For the first time since she climbed into his bed, Colrenth looked as though he genuinely respected Lily.

"A Jedi who thinks they always need to fight is no better than the murderers we purge from the galaxy. Maybe even worse." He paused. "At least we thieves have the chance to turn our backs on the life."

Colrenth straightened up from where he sat on the wall.

"If you want to become unnecessary, then maybe you're more Jedi than you realize."

He turned to look back at her.

"Fight if you have to. Stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. But don't make a religion out of being the one who has to do it."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Otherwise one day, you'll stop questioning if the galaxy needs a warrior and start questioning if the warrior needs the galaxy."

They sat in silence for a long moment.

"That's what my clan became."

Without another word, Colrenth turned and walked away, leaving the quiet between them.

​

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[Lily Decoria]

Outfit: Rebel Leader
Equipment: Arwr Da, Moonblade Hydrangea
Tag: Colrenth Hanzo

"I am Echani, I know all there is to being a warrior and coming from a warrior culture. It is why I know rest and taking breaks is so important. The body is not designed to be active and on edge every moment of the day. It needs to rest and feel relaxed at times." Lily pointed out, she was not someone without the cultural awareness of what a warrior is trained to be. Lily had spent most of her life training in warrior culture ways, being a Jedi was something she had started after that education. She was fully aware of what one needed to do in order to avoid pushing themselves to breaking point and becoming worse than useless.

Lily shrugged, "you are only as uneducated as you allow yourself to be. Learning on the Force, how it is taught, that isn't something that everyone tries to do when they believe they cannot touch the Force but it can help. Taking those lessons elsewhere in life. And you are at a Jedi temple, why be here unless you wished to know more on the Jedi ways." Lily asked as she looked to the man, he was clearly seeking something from the Jedi.

"Hm. I think you hear warrior and you hear someone willing to kill and be a blade no matter what. That is not what a warrior is for me." Lily moved around the room, "I am not killing children, I would never and it is heinous that others deem it acceptable. Being a warrior is defending those who need me, placing my life on the line to protect innocent lives who cannot fight for themselves. I learnt how to fight from the moment I could walk. So, I have been trained in warrior ways for a long time now, far longer than most of my peers. The Echani fight in a manner that speaks, confesses things that other Echani read and understand. We learn about the ways that our enemies fight and we adapt to those methods."

Shaking her head, "how I am, that is never how I ask other Jedi to be and I do not wish to be worshipped as the best of the Jedi. You are leaping to conclusions that are not even close to what I desire. No, I do what I do because it is necessary right now and it is the duty of a Jedi to protect lives. Sometimes, we must be proactive in protecting those lives. But that does not mean we kill senselessly or without reason. I have never been okay with the lives I have taken, they were necessary and I would not be alive if I did not do that. But that understanding of the cost, it shall not go away."

 

[Colrenth Hanzo]

Colrenth didn't interrupt, listening patiently as Lily continued. He'd listened to warrior after warrior justify their people's traditions before. It wasn't her claim that she understood war that sparked his interest. It was the notion that there was a difference between *being a warrior and thirsting for violence. *
Slowly, he nodded.
"Then maybe I accused you too hastily."
He looked away for a moment before holding her gaze again.
"My clan conditioned me to believe that the reason you were a warrior was so you could become good at killing. The easier you could make it for yourself to dispose of a threat, the better warrior you were. The NightVipers taught me patience and control, discipline and timing – but above all else, they taught me that mission success was defined by whether or not your target was still breathing when you finished."
A small smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"You see success differently."
He crossed his arms over his chest.
"You fight not because you like fighting. You fight because there are innocents out there who can't fight for themselves, and somebody has to stand between them and the people who would prey upon them."
Colrenth paused.
"I can respect that."
His response to her question of why he was there caught her off guard slightly and his expression darkened marginally.
"You're correct on that account as well."
He stole a glance at the Jedi Temple that surrounded them.
"I didn't find my way here by chance."
He seemed to hesitate for a moment as if considering how much he really wanted to share.
"The RIS shows me how to study and analyze threats. My clan taught me how to become one with those threats. What neither have taught me is what I should do once the mission is over."
His voice dropped lower.
"I know how to identify our enemies. I know how to study their inner workings and find a way into the heart of their operation. I know how to take them out. I know how to walk away alive."
His eyes met Lily's.
"What I don't know how to do is understand the Force without having to reach for my weapon."
There was a moment's silence as they considered each other.
"It may be why I am here."
He drew in a deep breath before continuing.
"I do not intend to walk away from this seeking to become a Jedi. Nor am I looking around wondering if there's some burgeoning power inside of me just waiting to be unlocked. I'm simply looking to learn more about the people who fight alongside the Republic and what motivates them."
His lips twitched up into something that resembled a smile.
"And maybe learn if there was anything my clan failed to teach me."
Colrenth looked away briefly.
"When you talk about what violence costs you, that is something I am familiar with."
His fingers twitched at his side where they rested lightly on the hidden hilt of his NightViper blade.
"I've killed people. Some of them deserved it. Some of them would have killed others if given the chance, so taking them out was justice in and of itself. But not once did those deaths become anything less than just because I could logically explain why they had to die."
He shook his head briefly.
"That," he gestured between them, "is the difference between training someone to be a weapon and training them to be a person."
He met her eyes again.
"A weapon doesn't question your orders. A person will have to live with their actions."
His tone remained steady but there was a weight to his words now that hadn't been present previously.
"No, I don't believe being a warrior makes you bloodthirsty. And fighting doesn't make you any less of a Jedi."
He gave a slight nod.
"I believe the problem only arises when you start to believe that violence is the solution to every problem simply because violence is something you're good at."
A small smirk spread across his face.
"I guess I've been arguing against your stance this whole time and you haven't even held it."
He inclined his head.
"It seems I may have learned something from this place already."

Lily Decoria