Private Consultation on Qi-Ko

[Coren Starchaser]

He'd made the trip to Qi Ko. There were many that Coren Starchaser called friend, called family. He would come to them for their assistance, but this was something different. His recent conversation with Ashin Varanin had awakened something different in Coren Starchaser. And the one who he thought could help? One of the greatest and wisest Jedi he had known.

Tiland Kortun

The Tachyon Rising had landed on the world, Coren's home away from home. He had many things to do and while Celeste understood, he didn't want to uproot the whole family. The Dawn Chaser was already moving around, keeping the twins safe, and providing a landing platform for Jedi and other light siders as they continued whatever mission they sought. But this? Coren was thankful for the connections the Rimward Trade League, and the Alliance.

It was giving him thoughts. Since Sullust, he worked with Jedi, Witches, Zeison Sha… he had many people he had learned from. Perhaps Ashin was correct?

Maybe he was more than a Jedi?

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

Tiland looked up as the sound of the starship engine rumbled through the quiet atmosphere, and a familiar presence grew closer as the ship approached the monastery, where he sat at the base of the hill next to the stream. Above him, in the monastery proper, he could hear the sound of the adepts and novices of the Light Hand in their gentle buzz of conversation, and the sound of training across the dojo in the central courtyard.

Coren was coming, which would be nice. Tiland considered the leaves in front of him, selecting a few and crushing them gently with his fingers as the aromas wafted into the area, mixing with the clean fresh scent of the stream. He would wait here for Coren. The others in the monastery would be able to direct the man to where he sat.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

There were many beings in this galaxy that didn't comply with the dichotomy of the Jedi and the Sith, the light and the dark. He had spent some time among the Aing-Tii, and even other time among the Witches of Dathomir. Factor in the Order of the Light Hand, the Jensaarai, and the Zeison Sha, and there were shades of gray ranging from dark to light. But Coren lay in the side of the Jedi fairly surely.

That was until recently.

As he landed, the Jedi was greeted by others he knew, and made his way to the Monastary, where he would find one of his oldest friends, and a long time advisor, in Tiland. Being directed towards the inner courtyard, the Jedi Master, in navy and gold robes bowed as he entered.

"Master Kortun, thank you for meeting with me." With the bow, it didn't pause his approach, and the Corellian human made his way towards the Anzati. "I have a few things I'd like to discuss, and I couldn't think of one better than you."

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

"Ah, Coren," Tiland said, looking up from where he sat on a low cushion and gesturing to the low table. "Please, come in and take a seat. And no need for formalities here, I think."

He set out a second cup and turned up the heat on the small brazier. The small flame leaped and danced in the small breeze. The leaves, he dropped into the water of the tea-pot and set it on the brazier.

"What can I aid you with, my friend?"

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Mellowing out in his current age, Coren smiled as he approached Tiland. The Anzati was wise beyond years, when measured from a human's viewpoint, at least. Tiland was ancient, compared to Coren. He smiled as Tiland dismissed the formality and found a seat on the cushion opposite of the Iroh. Never one really for the taste of tea, aside from fruit centric black teas that his Witches on Kattada have provided to him, he smiled as the second cup was placed before him.

"No, I don't see us needing them, but you have your students, and I don't want to step on your internal formalities." Kattada was run like a former mercenary base, a retirement for spacers who found a new life in the exploration of the galaxy, and beyond.

Also, well, a socialist technology-centric world, where technology was an assistance, not a hinderance.

"I would like to have an open discussion of the Force, and my place within it. I had recently come across one Ashin Cardé Varanin , and she opened my eyes to some things..."

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

Tiland waved his hand idly, "Oh, we stand little on ceremony here, except while training. Qi-Ko, I think, does not lend itself to such formalities at all times."

He cradled the cup of tea in one hand as Coren sat and leaned back, waiting. At the opening statement, his eyebrows raised.

"Ashin Varanin? The former Sith empress?" He nodded slowly, considering, before shaking his head in surprise. "I can believe you would want to reassess things after speaking with her. She is... very intelligent, from what I understand, and not placed into the usual boxes that many would like."

He took a sip of tea before giving a small wave of his hand. "Please, do go on."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The Corellian barely stood on ceremony himself. His Jedi students and explorer initiates were encouraged to journey the stars, the various temples, and from other groups to have a very balanced understanding of what the galaxy had to offer. By standards, he supported the Jedi Order, both of the Alliance and Concord, though he called neither home beyond his religion and actual residence… when he and his family weren't aboard a starship.

"No, I figure it does not. Kattada we hold a very loose schedule, blame the Witches who live there, or the tides, but it is very much a relaxed atmosphere." Tropical, and calm, honestly.

"My assistance was requested, by the Jedi Coalition, to apprehend her. She was a Sith, but I don't believe so any longer… or something beyond the Sith. I had a chance to speak to her privately. There is darkness without the Sith, but is there light without the Jedi?" He thought there could be, and definitely was… But was it stronger, or weaker than having the tenets of the ancient religion?

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

Tiland nodded, "I have noticed that tropical planets are rarely overly formal, compared even to ecumenopolises." As Coren continued, Tiland settled further on the cushion, listening carefully. After a few moments, he set the tea cup down and steepled his fingers, listening carefully, nodding appropriately.

"I suppose the question is this- does the Light exist without the Jedi or do the Jedi create the Light?" He paused to tap a finger together. "I think we can choose to serve either Light or Dark without being Jedi or Sith, or even their potential existence."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

"I believe its either that they original inhabitants of these worlds know something the rest of us never learned, or that just the approach to life when its warm and wonderful outside just changes." He was Corellian, the Golden Beaches, fortunately. Born with an almost golden spoon. Maybe not golden, but close. Not Aurodium either. But back to the matter at hand, even Coren's Jedi robes were made of a looser material, one inspired by the witches from the world of Kattada, to keep him cool when it was warm and keep him warm when it was cool.

"I agree on that. Seeing the groups who supported the Alliance from Sullust shows that its not the Jedi who make the light. And seeing the way even those who are not Jedi behave. Its foolish to think the light is a Jedi only … property?" That wasn't the word, but it was close.

"I suppose a major question, is being a Jedi too restrictive to the Light? I see the Pilgrims, and the Church, they all approach the Light as well…"

This was going to be a bit of woolgathering for Coren.

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

"It is certainly possible," Tiland agreed, "Perhaps a closer attunement to the natural rhythms of the Force, or perhaps just relaxed enough to not worry." He grinned at Coren. "An excellent lesson to learn."

He sipped the tea slowly, considering Coren's questions "It is true. The original Alliance on Sullust was quite different from the current one. It was far more diverse in its perspectives."

And that was the crux of the question, wasn't it? Did the Jedi hold exclusive theological correctness to the Light? Were they necessary?

He pursed his lips to consider for a moment. "I think the Jedi can indeed be perhaps too... exclusive in our understanding, especially in light of the number of Light aligned traditions that developed independently of the Jedi. Pilgrims are Jedi, albeit much more flexible than traditional orders. Better examples might be the Fallanassi, or the Witches, or Baran Do Sages."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The Questioning Master smirked and nodded. "Its maybe a bit of both? I know when I was basing on Sullust the galaxy felt like it was always on fire. It felt like I had to be something that people could follow. That meant a Jedi." They were the ones who always sent messages and people could focus on.

Looking at the tea, he sipped it with a small nod. "We had many approaches, because the galaxy was in shambles. It was not only a Jedi fight. It was a fight for the very nature of life." And balance, against the darkness. The galaxy was teetering on an edge back then.

Now more groups were open, and darkness was still there, but it was on the downslide of everything. And maybe there was room for something new to be created. A Jedi Advanced, as it were. The idea had a strange set of merit. He had approached the Jedi his entire life from one doctrine that was maybe a doctrine that didn't exist, from Masters Luke and Mara Skywalker. Legends…

But there were Sith and Jedi, then Dark Side Adepts, but nothing else on the Light?

"I know that I am now a Wayseeker, but I'm unsure if that is enough…"

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

Tiland paused for a moment to set down his tea and pursed his lips, considering. This would be... perhaps indelicate. Or maybe insensitive.

"Coren, is the galaxy not always on fire? Perhaps not torn by galactic shattering wars, but there is still suffering, pain, greed, corruption, environmental damage, poverty." He waved one hand gently in the air to indicate even more.

"Sith are not the only darkness in the galaxy." He paused for a moment, tapping his fingers, gesturing to himself. "The line between Dark and Light run within all sentient beings, so life always teeters, does it not?"

At the final question, he nodded slowly. "Perhaps the question is not, are you insufficient, but, are you attempting to be too much?"

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The way Tiland came out and said it, that was lifetimes of experience in the field of trying to be a hero. Perhaps it was time for him to truly step away from the front lines, and find another approach to being the hero. "There is… The galaxy, with all its beings and all its wars and all its problems, need solutions. The Jedi are designed to provide that… But there are places Jedi can't go…" Jedi were still beings, filled with emotions as much as they wanted to disband them from the beings within.

"The darkness I want to be ready for, and watchful for is the Sith. I know its governed by thoughts in the past, but it is… hopefully not as all encompassing as it once was. And there are other issues, the environmental concerns of the Scar Worlds comes to mind…" He honestly was trying to help all out.

But with recent arrests, and discussions, he wasn't sure that things were going the way he wanted. And he tried his best to assist the Jedi, and while many were going in a right direction, it was not the direction he was hoping for. It was active but restrained. Coren felt he needed to do more.

And that was why Tiland's next statement resonated so well. "Maybe I am attempting to do too much, but then, what do I remove? My crusading days are long behind me, but I am a researcher and a defender of the light… Is that too much for a Jedi? Am I being a Jedi correctly?" How did Tiland balance it all.

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Coren Starchaser

Tiland set down the tea cup and clasped his fingers, listening as Coren spoke. Those were excellent questions, good questions. Life and the galaxy did not play by the nice and simple rules that sentients tried to use to categorize things.

Good, evil. Sith, Jedi. Gray. Light. Dark. Useful categorizations, certainly, but they were that only. Categories, metaphors, ways of attempting to understand the great cosmic mystery that surrounded them.

He paused after Coren finished, and held up a single finger. "Perhaps rather than asking how to be a Jedi correctly, ask, how you can be Coren correctly? Jedi walk many paths, all unique. How can you harmonize your path with that of the Force? What paths allow you to include the best of the Jedi, the best of your own life experiences, and make the choices you find most important and fulfilling?"