Chimply Unacceptable

[Valik]

Valik didn't often find himself at the headquarters of Rahvin Industries, but today was an odd day. Several new designs had been proposed, and Valik couldn't say he didn't have an interest in maintaining a watchful eye on the other builders and creators of the galaxy. He left, as usual, feeling unsatisfied with the creativity and mental capacity of the galaxy at large. Fools didn't understand what was possible when they put their minds to it. Normally he would have simply left afterwards but . . . something was different. Something made him want to stay. And oddly enough, he didn't wish to stay in the vast factories or offices of Rahvin, but the dangerous forests surrounding it. As if something were waiting for him there. Odd as the place had little more than Jungle Rancors and mosquitos, but perhaps Kara had been experimenting on the wildlife, or even releasing Sithspawn into it. Something for him to examine, figure out her progress he supposed. Little did he know what else was wandering around the jungle floor.


[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Tirdarius was, once again, missing. He had left her in the care of the Sith, a frightfully daring thing to do given Jyn's demeanour, much in the same way he had once left her in the care of the Atrisian Inquisitors. The whole thing left her feeling rather lost and at odds with herself. Eros had disappeared off world, likely to this new utopia she had overheard the guards speaking of. But Jyn was not so easily fooled. Where Sith lingered, nowhere was Utopian. Instead her world had become excruciatingly Dystopian, meagre and monitored. Constantly monitored. The woman leading the operation sent chills down her spine and left her feeling weak and empty. Heck, Jyn couldn't even really look at her icy gaze or snow white face these days. Not without the strength her Master brought her.

No, all that Jyn Sol had left in this Galaxy was all that she had taken from it. One single little monkey hiding in a satchel. Her only true companion. Her only real friend. How sad that was to confess, more so to come to the understanding of in the first place. There had never been anyone else, not through her family or any of the forgotten Orders she had been pushed through. The Sith Empire had imploded, the Imperium collapsed and the Atrisians dispersed. All that remained was this damned bunker she had been left within. She could feel an extremely strong emotion swirling within her core, one she had put off for so long, fought against for years under the cruel ways of the Sith and the manipulative words of the Inquisition.

What Jyn felt was a rage unlike any she had felt before, anger bubbling over until it pained her gut and left her feeling sick and exhausted. Her natural empathetic tendencies returned it upon her tenfold, and before she knew it she was no longer in the bunker, instead the outlying forestry, seething. She loathed all she had been put through, craved to be stronger, to carve her own path. It was true, she had allowed herself to become a pawn in a game that was not of her own choosing. No more. Fuz cowered in the satchel, sensing something off with the girl he so lovingly adored. Self-loathing, paranoia, fear, those were her usual emotions, if she showed any at all... Never this.

But she didn't care, and in a way it felt good to finally let it out. It took all her willpower to refrain from screaming and lashing out.

Instead she dropped to her knees, lost amidst the trees, and settled her head into her hands. She would not cry. Jyn did not know how to.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

Despite all manner of beast that called the fierce jungles of Teth home Valik heard not a sound, not the creaking of bugs nor the rustle of wolves, or the stomps of rancors. The silence was odd, unprecedented, as if something were amiss. Unlike many of comparable strength and power Valik was not a natural sensory being. He could not feel tremors or presences of the Force, nor use telepathy like a long-distance comlink. But if he focused he could look around for those who could touch the Force, like a beast sniffing out it's prey. He soon found what he was looking for, a presence . . . no. Two. One a small presence in the Force, untouched by training, or perhaps imply to young to appear as a stronger force. The second was barely there, like a soft whisper. An animal perhaps? He could not tell.

With his Ring of Aza'zoth seeing in the dark was no difficulty for the alchemist, and a few looks found the youngling, a small human or near-human girl with her face poured into her hands.

"The forest is no place for a child." He said as he approached, his voice soft, unabrasive. "Unless one believes the predators of the jungle to be less dangerous than the hunters of civilization. From where are you lost? Or, perhaps, from what do you run?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Wrapped up in the aftermath of her anger, the child did not sense the presence of another near her, much less hear his approach. Thus, when the words struck her hearing they came as quite a shock, causing the girl to immediately cast her gaze up, eyes setting to the man before her. Instinctively she clutched the satchel containing Fuz, protective of him. Genuinely, the satchel held nothing else. The forest was the only place she had ever felt safe in, whether on Atrisia, here or otherwise. Had she not the mind enough to hold back she might have told him as much, but instead her barriers revealed themselves within her and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Creatures are only as dangerous as you permit them to be" she bristled; Jyn had a natural knack for pacifying and somewhat controlling animals. Why she would not do it for sport or leisure, she would not hesitate to call upon it where necessary. It also enabled her to better understand Fuz and his needs. She had kept at bay worse than this forest had to offer. "The most dangerous of predators is man." Slowly she began to rise up, her back pressed against the tree. "And I am not lost, or running..." Well, maybe she was just a little lost, but she wasn't about to tell this complete stranger as much. She was still a little angry, albeit not as much as before. Part of her wasn't certain if she even cared that Tirdarius was gone. It was more her present situation that kept the rotation of anger and weariness cycling.

Once Jyn might have been more courteous, even respectful, but she had been put through a lot. Korriban had failed to break her, but there was nothing more difficult to fight away then ones own mind.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

Eyes moved first, then the hands clutching her satchel. Otherwise however, the girl didn't move. Identify the threat, protect her cargo, whatever that might have been, but don't run. That meant she either felt safe here, or thought that running was a futile effort. Interesting. Further conversation showed she didn't fear the animals of the jungle, a reinforcement that perhaps she saw this place as 'safe'.

"That is true, but it's not often men prey on children. At least, not normal men, nor normal children." He countered. "Then again, normal men and children fear the beasts of the forest. Yet you remain unperturbed. Almost as if you prefer it here, as if the wilds are safer than the cities of man. If you are not lost, nor running, then why do you stay here? Surely one who sees the true predators of the galaxy realizes that hiding here will buy you little time at best."

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"It happens more than you would think."

She had seen it. Numerous times, all across the Galaxy. In the art of war men rarely took note of age, children were taken as slaves, slain or abandoned. "It is safer here than elsewhere. This forest is rarely disturbed by the touch of men, animals can be calmed or controlled... It's harder to do so in concrete jungles worth of men. Men are too fickle." She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, before slowly exhaling and closing her eyes. "Because there is nowhere else to be." Because she had been abandoned... Because she had never belonged.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

"Safer here than elsewhere?" He mused at the girl's conclusion. It seemed her age belying her mental acuity. Beyond simple Force sensitivity this girl had potential. "Again, tis true. It is safer here, and animals are easier to control, but that doesn't mean the woods are safe. Nor does it mean the predators of man won't find you. Sure you could live your life here, blissfully unaware, or uninvolved rather, at the politics of the galaxy at large but the chances of that? Insubstantial. Eventually someone will find you as I have. When that day comes what will you do? Run? Hide? Fight? Bend their will to yours as you do the animals of the jungle?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Yes" she immediately retorted. She had always felt more safe and been more at home in the wilds of forests and jungles, with naught but herself and her thoughts for company, allowing Fuz to roam freely. "At least here I only have to deal with situations when they present themselves, as opposed to being led into them." And then abandoned. She breathed in slowly, allowing one of her hands to move into the satchel without opening it, gently reassuring Fuz with a tender stroke of her hand. "I would deal with it as was required, as was necessary. If that means run then I would run. If it means stand and fight then so be it." Jyn did not care any more. She was done being a pawn.

Yet at the same time she doubted her own words. She knew they were a byproduct of her anger, and that she wasn't thinking rationally. That only made the rage bubble within her again, colour rising up the back of her neck and into her cheeks. "What does it matter to you?" she finally asked. She was exhausted, human contact had that effect on her.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

Valik put up a small grin in return.

"Quite honestly, it doesn't." He answered honestly. "You could continue your life here, spend your years away from civilization with the rancors your only allies, or be killed by a man passing by, or even worse and it wouldn't effect me. I'd live my life, you'd live yours, and we'd never see each other again."

"But then again, the opportunity. Regardless of your current strength, or lack thereof, it it obvious you have a keen mind, or at the very least a perceptive one. Aware in a way most don't achieve, and apparently flexible in your dealing with problems. Resourceful enough to live in the wild unaided by other sapients. All qualities that make an evasive prey, or a cunning predator. Perhaps I'm curious to see what you do with that, or what you might grow into."

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"I've heard it all before" she said, with a small sigh and a frown which suggested that somewhere deep inside she wished she could believe him. She wanted another shot at having a real future, rather than sitting around... waiting. Waiting for what? People to come and go as they always did. She was always swept up by their waves then dropped when the current settled. A hand rose from her side, running through her hair. She had to keep herself calm, controlled, contained...

She wasn't usually this way, was she? Surely not.

"I apologise" she finally muttered, with a subtle bow of her head. "I don't want to remain here, not really. But it's here or back there where nothing awaits me. I don't want to be a pawn any more." She took a side step away from him, keeping the satchel close.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

Her words spoke of tired experience, yet the simple sighs and brushing of her hair gave away her lack of ease. Though she continued to maintain her hardened words cracks began to show in the system. His words were breaking through, if only slightly. She apologized before offering a bow, then offering her explanation of why she was there. Her step hinted at caution, but he wagered she'd still listen to what he had to say.

"You say you don't want to be a pawn but yet you bow as an apology. For what? What have you done to offend me? What have I done to earn your respect? I haven't shown you power worth fearing, nor have I equipped you with food, clothing or strength. It is not your position that made you a pawn, nor is it the power your enemies or overloads held before your timely escape. It is your temperament, your willingness to accept what life has given you, rather than twist it to suit your goals. You will always be a pawn, until you will and work yourself into becoming a queen, or die trying."

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"I apologise for being rude" she said, frowning more so. However she realised that he didn't take offence to it. She halted in her movements and turned her gaze across to him softly. For a moment she was lost in thought, before a small sigh escaped her lips. "There is no way for me to become anything like that" she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I have nothing save what you see me with now." She couldn't deny what was said, however, that she had always known to be true.

She wanted to, how she wanted to make something of herself. But all she had known was the twisted Sith she had been raised with, truly not as real Sith were or should be. "I don't know how" she finally confessed, her rage bubbling again. How could she allow herself to be so weak? Without warning she took another step backwards and the moment of weakness was locked back behind a chilly outer wall.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

"That is because you cannot see beyond yourself. You speak of 'predators' and 'prey' and 'pawns' but all you recognize is the system, the pieces. You look at yourself and your position and you see a problem, your weakness, but you don't attempt to solve it. Instead you analyze your situation, bemoan your lot in life and the power other's have over you, when your knowledge changes nothing. What you are is a slave, enslaved to the ideal that you cannot change your self. Enslaved to the fear of the men and women your better. Enslaved to the viewpoint that you are what you are. Power is not something that comes with age, nor is it something bestowed. It is something earned, taken by those with the will to chase it, and the cunning to get away with it. You say you have nothing but what I see but all I see is a body. I don't see your story, your knowledge, your intelligence, your desire, your will. The resources you seek are not a means of self-advancement, they are a result, a side-effect. All one needs to gain power is time, a keen mind, and the willingness to do wahtever is necessary to succeed."

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but she did not interrupt him throughout his speech. Had it been Tirdarius then she might have done, in fact she often did. But this was not her Master. She had no idea who he was or how he would react. She wasn't entirely certain whether she believed his words, was it true that she couldn't see beyond her immediate self and surroundings? Potentially, but that didn't mean she didn't see the wider picture. "It's not a matter of what you believe my viewpoint to be. The problem is not knowing. This Galaxy has shifted much since I first left Korriban, and I've been in the centre of it all, the eye of the storm. I have watched Empires fall before my very eyes. It is easy to say that resources aren't necessary - but I have no means of leaving this planet. It is rare that anyone comes or goes, and I cannot pilot a ship." In her backward way, which Tirdarius had learnt to understand so well, she was asking for... Advice? Perhaps. More like another pair of eyes and consideration on the matter. Teth was such a quiet world.

[member="Valik"]