Different Paths

[Ra'a'mah]

Sharing another brief smile, Ra waited for Brent to continue on with the conversation. Giving him the time needed to put his thoughts into words, she knew dinner would be ready soon. Vincent would let her know when it was ready for them.

"There is a reason I allowed you to look at that book, Brent. While it only contained three codes and there are others that are lesser known. I follow the Sith code, but will never enforce it on anybody. It pays to be open minded and a businesswoman."

Almost everybody came from humble origins and Ra wasn't any different. What made her different is how she grew up. The story she was told by her master indicated this. Her parents were killed and he rescued her. Though their relationship was looked on like father and daughter of their people, it was anything but. Ra always knew he was the master and she his apprentice. There was never love between them, but she did respect him. He taught her to be a sith and how to understand the code. Use it as she did and not care about what others thought or believed. How to achieve goals and not be thought of as evil.

As time progressed though, he became what 'everybody' thought of as a sith and wanted to rule their small world. Hiding in the shadows until the time was right and slowly creeping up in power. It worked for a time...then the day came and he was killed. He named her a sith lord that day and then sent her off. Her memory was destroyed until she eventually learned the truth on her own.

In those years, Ra had taken on a business and still performed that duty from time to time. However, she was sith and craved knowledge. With that knowledge came power. Now she was gaining in power much like her master. Not yet though, the time wasn't right. Maybe it never would be. Time would tell.

"I will gladly share my views, but I never expect you to follow them. Unless you want to."

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Brent understood. He was sure there thousands, hundreds of thousands of other cults out there that studied the Force. With the billions of sentient species that had evolved seperately across the galaxy, and more being discovered or reaching sentience every day, it was only a matter of probability. Everyone came up with their own answers for the questions in life. We all had questions.

She mentioned how she would share her views of the Force if he was willing to her them. Brent gave a nod. He had come all this way, he was going to leave with as much info as he could. The next stage of his life would probably depend on what all he learned--or what he didn't. Maybe it was just his work, but Brent believed that the most precious commodity there could be was information.

"Well, I am here to learn," he said with a half shrug, "Anything you are willing to share I will listen."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Giving Brent a smile that held no touch of flirting, but was close to being friendly. After the moment of laughter they had shared a few minutes ago, any sign of her neutral and business façade had vanished. Now Ra looked close to normal as she could, it depended on how Brent viewed her.

"Would have it any other way."

She sat back in her chair, looked up at the ceiling Ra recited the sith code. When she finished, her gold eyes moved to meet his that he kept hiding behind those glasses.

"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion I gain Strength.
Through Strength I gain Power.
Through Power I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.

"This is my code and even I apply it only on a personal level. Again each line can be dissected and even I don't fully agree with it word for word though I apply it to me as much as I can. There is such a thing as peace, but it comes as a price. The passion involved is far more than that of a physical. It speaks to me on a mental level. One must have passion to see things through the end. When that end is reached, you are stronger and you have the power then to gain victory. Now the chains can be anything you can imagine and with victory you can break those chains. With the help of the Force and that code, you can be free."

Leaning forward, Ra took a drink of her caf finishing it off.

"Now many people take and want to apply that code on a grand scale, but I do not. It is very personal and close to me."

Looking away, she wondered how much of her emotions he would have seen in her eyes. The belief in her code, the truth that it was very personal to her and that she wasn't the type to enforce it on others. Somebody had recently said she wasn't as sith as she thought. In a way that doubt climbed into her mind again, but Ra pushed it down and hoped Brent hadn't seen it.

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

She said the code, and her views on it. Brent wasn't about to dissect it in front of her, she clearly knew more than he did on what it meant to be Sith. And it worked for some, on a real level it was better than the Jedi code. It could actually stand its own in the real world, instead of trying to run from emotions, it embraced them. Instead of avoiding conflict, it used it as a tool. It was a way to get things done.

With the help of the Force and that code, you can be free."

"That seems to be the point of being a Sith," he agreed, "Freedom. That sounds like the end game. Everything else just seems to be a tool for that. A means to an end. Freedom at whatever cost."

One of the biggest tools of an FOSB agent during an interrogation was doubt. Brent had learned to recognize it anywhere, and here in Ra's eyes he could see a flicker of it. She was good at hiding it, but he was just good at seeing things like that. He didn't know why, but he had his own guess; maybe she saw the flaws he did. The pursuit of freedom at any cost was, in essence, a slavery to itself. Every man and woman was a slave to something in Brent's eyes, some just had the liberty of choosing what that was. Then there was the emotion. Passion was good, passion was vital to anything and everything. But passion over the wrong things, led to slavery itself. Or self destruct. The flaw with the Sith he saw was their largely self-destructive nature. Their very creed lended to a lack of self control, and that lended to sith usually falling on one another in murder and torture.

"Now many people take and want to apply that code on a grand scale, but I do not. It is very personal and close to me."

"Religion should be personal," Brent agreed. "Some just get too zealous and think they should make it personal to others too." Brent tapped his glass for a second, searching for the right words to say next, "And, its not wrong to decide to change too. Changing what you believe can be the sign of maturity, if you asked me."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"Freedom is what I value the most personally. To think what I want to, I also offer freedom to people. Not by being sith of course, but slavery. My servants here are all former slaves. I offered them freedom and they chose to stay. Vincent has been with me the longest."

As if on cue, he opened the door to inform them dinner was ready and waiting in the kitchen. Ra gave him a nod and looked back at Brent.

"Care to join?"

Standing up, the conversation on codes on hold for the moment. ​

"Sometimes the change can be for the worse though. It all depends."

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Brent wasn't fond of slavery or oppression. Just because we were all slaves to something, didn't mean that any sentient had the right to own another. It was an odd perspective for an agent of a regime that was notorious for censorship and control.

"Its a laudable thing," he said setting his cup of now-warm caf down. "I can't say that I support it either." The agent inclined his head slightly, "Its rather something. Most Sith I've heard of use their power to enslave others. Sounds rather selfish and self-contradictory to me."

"Care to join?"

"If you will have me," he said with a wry smirk.

The agent rose to his feet, buttoning the lower buttons on his trench coat and adjusting his sleeves. He was used to a certain standard of immaculate presentation. It paid off, such details tended to help keep him from bringing evidence with him or providing evidence to any potential witnesses. The more invisible he was, the better. But sadly, such things rarely stayed in the field. He found himself with those habits in the day to day, and a compulsion to stay rather tidy.

"Sometimes it is," Brent agreed with a nod of his head. He fell in line with her to follow the servant to dinner. "But at the same time, I think that's what we make of it too," he smirked fondly, "When I was a young boy I had a crush on this girl named Yvette. Yvette was the prettiest girl around at the time, and I was only 12. I had a crush on Yvette for years, until I finally had the nerve to tell her that and you know what happened?" he paused for a second to give Ra a chance to reply.

"She laughed at me in the hall in front of all my class mates," he continued, "I was pretty embarrassed, I was sure I'd never recover, you know how it is as at that age," he said looking at her knowingly. "That week she started going out with the star Shock ball player, Ral. And I was sure that my world was over. But that Monday someone new transferred to my high school. And she and I are--" Brent stopped himself, the optimism in his voice fading a bit, "were together for quite a few years." He shrugged, "Change is what you make of it."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Smiling a knowing smile at his words about the usual sith crossed Ra's face and she nodded.

"It makes me different from many."

She had planned on having him say for a while or as long as he wanted to stay. If duty called, Ra understood and even if he wanted to leave, she wouldn't hold him. It all had to deal with freedom, even if he didn't know or realize it just yet.

Walking next to him, they were almost the same height, they followed the old man. She listened to his story of his childhood crush and when he did speak his mind to her, he felt like dying. Chuckling a little, Ra could tell that woman really had meant something to him. Whatever had happened, it had changed him and she nodded.

"I was never given the chance to have a crush. My master growing up made it clear to me that the emotion of love was a weakness and that it could be exploited. So that is something I have never known. Going along those lines...well, maybe you can guess."

It was a slight test to see if he could figure out that bit of trivia about her. She knew of passion, but not really of the physical nature. Her passion was in belief only.

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Different from many was an understatement, if not the understatement of the century. He shook his head with mock derision, "And you say that you keep the Sith code as an internal thing, but here you are believing everyone deserves to be free. Sounds like you need to ge your facts strait, ma'am."

He was purely kidding of course, and his voice showed it, but just slightly.

Ra mentioned how she had never been allowed to love, and told that love was nothing more than a weakness. He could put two and two together, it sounded like it made for a miserable life. He couldn't disagree more with the statement that love was a weakness. And he couldn't imagine a life without love. It was cold, and hurtful, and he couldn't survive that way. He was almost certain that could extend to other areas too for her. Areas that love generally led to.

"Love is far from a weakness," he objected, "Its the strongest motivator there is. I've seen men do things for love that they never could have done for anything else. Ironic," he reflected, "Freedom. And every emotion allowed, but love. Please tell me I am not the only one who sees that."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

He was good to catch onto her little ploy so quickly. A small smirk was on her face and her eyes glittered slightly. Catching the humor in his voice.

"Freedom is very important. However, even as a free person, so many are slaves and don't know it."

Arriving at the kitchen,​ Vincent led them in and motioned to the table there. Ra went over and took her seat. The old man then left the room to allow them to eat in peace. The amount of food appeared to be more than two people could eat, but none would go waste. She did not require any special treatment from her servant and ate the same food that they did. Anything she and Brent didn't eat, they would get the leftovers.

"I can see love going both ways, Brent. The love you have for your family is a strength and motivator to you. However, it could also be a weakness and exploited."

It would again strike at him, but it was unintentional. The past he kept secret from her and what he had done for the love his family that somebody had attempted to exploit by kidnapping them.

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

She mentioned slaves and how they didn't know what freedom was. He didn't have any arguments with that. The hard part was when people would have to be separated from their families, their friends, more than anything else.

When he sat down at the table, Brent's table manners were not horrible. They were very homely, Dosuun was quite a far ways from the Core, where the seats of power, prestige, and what was considered nobility presided. He wasn't a slob, or a horribly filthy being--but he ate more than his fill. The man had an incredible appetite, spurred on by a very active lifestyle, and a history of not knowing when or where his next meal would be. Field work was hard--sometimes he'd spend days behind a scope with nothing more than a bottle of water and a single ration pack to sustain him. To put it shortly; there would be no survivors.

I can see love going both ways, Brent. The love you have for your family is a strength and motivator to you. However, it could also be a weakness and exploited."

Her words stopped Brent in his tracks. He set his fork down slowly, careful to swallow and wipe his mouth before speaking.

"It was," he said gravely. "Once. And the ones who did paid dearly for it. I left none alive," the man folded and set his napkin back beside his plate, careful to square it against the edge of the table. He didn't look up. The man didn't want to think about it, and he never wanted to tell that story again, or relive it but the words were coming out of his mouth and he couldn't stop them. "They were kidnapped once, after I angered the wrong man. He said he would keep my family if I left his organization alone. I wasn't about to let that happen. Piece by piece, I tore his empire a part. I made examples of anyone and everyone who stood in my way, but I always gave them a chance to turn back. Few took that option. So he decided to," Brent's hand clenched the napkin, causing it to wrinkle, undoing all his work as his throat got tight and his words became forced, "send me a message. I found him, I offered myself up for them, but he broke his word and--did horrible things to them," he smoothed the napkin over once more and let out a sigh, looking up at Ra. "So I killed him. Love is a powerful motivator."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

As they each got their food, there was a few minutes of silence. Her comments about even free people being slaves to something and then about love being all that was said. A change came over Brent though when she mentioned his family. A very brief message was given and Ra nodded in understanding to a degree. They had been kidnapped and he really had done anything to get them back. Even then, they had been abused and tortured. Shaking her head, even she wouldn't do that to anybody. Ra was not an evil person.

Being able to accomplish what Brent had also indicated he was more than a mere trooper. It was possible her eyes displayed this, but again, he would speak on his life when he was ready.

"As we have said before, at the end of the day, your word is all you have. I would give you mine and say what happened to you would never happen by my hand. Is your family okay?"

She didn't mean in the physical sense, but mental and indicated as much with a tap to her head.
​
[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Brent washed down his words with a drink from his glass of red wine. The man listened to her words and he saw it in the subtle way her eyes gave it, the jig was up. Pretty much any scrap of hope he had left of veiling himself as just another retired meat can was now long gone. Regular storm troopers didn't bring down criminal empires single-handedly or attract that type of attention.

"They are in therapy," he said sadly. "Even soldiers and agents with training in that field often don't get through things like that without scars. Let alone civilians."

She had mentioned again that her words was good. Maybe it was. If she had wanted to kill him or milk him for information, Brent knew that she could have gone about it another way. She could have already drugged him and tied him in her basement or just did him in any old way with truth serums or other medical contraptions. Brent knew he wasn't supposed to trust anyone, but at the same time his instincts--the latent Force sensitivity that had kept him alive through the impossible--told him she was alright.


"I believe you," Brent said, "Bad people are everywhere. He was just a crime lord, running drugs and guns in the local systems," he leaned forward with a wry smirk, "I suppose its rather obvious at this point I'm not just a washed up storm trooper. I'm an agent. FOSB."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"At least they are getting the help they need and have you on their side. I don't think I would ever want to find myself facing off against you, Brent."

If he stayed with her long enough to learn more than the basics of codes and actually got into Force training, he would be a far stronger opponent than Ra had faced before.​ Knowing what he could be, she let out a small snort and dry smile. Taking a sip of her own drink and nodding when he accepted that he believed her.

"Well, Agent Smith. Is there anything else you're keeping hidden from the scary sith lord?"

The question wasn't meant entirely seriously, but in a way it was. She didn't know what else he had or had not gone through. It also made her realize just how much she had told him of her own life. Not many people truly knew her past and she liked it that way. Nobody in the Sith even knew it.

"I'm going let you in on one about me. There is one woman in my life that I would do anything for and have. We have adopted each other as sisters actually. I've helped her twice now. Once to find her husband and then save her world. She died, but I actually able to save her life..."

Nobody knew that about ​Ra except the other woman herself.

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Brent wasn't sure if she was kidding or being serious about not wanting to face him. He was just an agent, there were thousands like him through the galaxy. They were pawns in the grand scheme of things, and usually to others like Ra or the Ren. Then, she could also be flattering him or trying to make herself seem like less of a danger than she was. He didn't know if she really meant it--but he had taken down more than his fair share of Force Users.

"I never underestimate what a simple blaster or trick will get you," he said with a smirk, "But I'm just me."

"Well, Agent Smith. Is there anything else you're keeping hidden from the scary sith lord?"

"Oh yes, lots," he said, keeping with the same tone, "But if I told you, I'd have to kill you." he shrugged, "That's how the business works, after all."

It was true, that's how the business went. But, ironically, sometimes the "super secret, your eyes only" intel only ended up being rather trivial and nominal intel. How much actual deadly intel he knew was a lot less than most beings expected. He didn't have any secret plans to a super weapon or a bank vault with trillions of credits--but he had the trivially dangerous stuff like key codes to enter Dusuun under government business, or pass codes to get through the beaurocracy to gather valuable weapons--or cripple the infrastructure of an FO world.

Ra mentioned that she had someone close to her. He expected there was at least one, beings were that way. They couldn't live without love and total isolation, even just one person to love made all the difference.

"We all need someone like that," Brent reached into his back pocket and pulled out a picture from his wallet of his brothers with him. They were at a park, caught in the middle of rough housing. Brent's solemn face was frozen in boisterous laughter, and the two boys on him, one only 12, the other a mid teen, had gleefully teamed up on him. "My two brothers. Fenn. Yarr."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"I quite often rely on more mundane means to accomplish my goals than I do the Force. Probably why my eyes are still natural in color and not corrupted. I think I pointed that out before though. We don't need to go over that again."

When Brent said he had other secrets, but if he told, he would have to kill her. Ra let out a chuckle and nodded.
​
"Those I understand fully. Back in the day I was head of intelligence within the Dominion. In that position, I was privy to a great many secrets."

He drew out a picture of his brothers and provided their names.

"You're a lucky man and ​they are lucky to have a man like you. I'd repay the favor, but I don't keep a picture of my sister around. As you know it could be used as something to exploit. My servants, I would protect in the same way though. If something happened to any of them, whoever did the harm...would be in a very bad position after I got my hands on them."

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Brent smirked, the irony was all but overwhelming that they'd once more reached square one that they had discussed at their first meeting. Brent raised an eyebrow, surprised at Ra's statement of once serving as the Dominion's head of intelligence.. She was clearly a leader type, but he had never marked her as the type to be involved with any sort of spy or subterfuge.

"I guess you were pretty good," Brent said with mild amusement, "because I never would have guessed. You haven't struck me as the spy type. But you know what this business is like, and I'm sure you understand my need for discretion in telling you my line of work."

When she had seen his brothers, Brent placed the photo back in his wallet. She said he was lucky, and Brent couldn't agree more. They were supportive of him, they didn't hold what had happened against him, and growing up they had been his built-in best friends. As an older brother he had always tried to be someone that they could look up to. He earned their admiration and his parent's respect. His family life was good. They were what he did everything for. He had joined the service to provide for them, he stayed to protect them from everything evil that would try and ruin their lives.

"That is what we usually call love," Brent replied playfully when she said she would do anything to protect her servants. He took a sip from his glass of red wine, careful to set it down exactly where it had been before. "Love takes a lot of forms, Ra. It's my opinion we don't set out to love someone. But we do anyway because we can't stop it from happening. One way or the other we will love, its only natural."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Taking a sip of her wine after finishing eating, Ra noticed the surprise from Brent.

"Appearances can be deceiving. You should see the old office I have set up here."

In truth, she still had her connections from those days or most of them at least. They would forward her information as they got it and she would file it away. Nobody made use of her these days, but it was good to have the lines working.

"I wasn't so much the spy as the assassin. Taking care of the more clandestine operations within the Dominion. However, the information gather was priceless and not open to be revealed. So yes, I understand entirely."

When Brent said that what she felt for Vincent, her other servants and her clan sister was often called love, a single eyebrow rose. When he finished speaking though, Ra looked into her glass. Trying to make of his last sentence, she knew he had at least a little interest in her. Yet indicated he wasn't ready pursue a relationship beyond what they currently had. Did he mean to imply they would love each other? Leaving the question to herself, she set her empty glass down and sat back in her seat.

"I always looked at it as protecting what I view as mine. Not in the property way, but I guess a lot like family..."

Maybe it was love, but it was nothing romantic in what she felt.

"It's confusing to me, really."

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

"Appearances can be deceiving. You should see the old office I have set up here."

Brent tilted his head to the side, just a fraction. He knew that appearances were deceiving. He got pulled into the FOSB because he just happened to look exactly like a man of high priority and was able to slide into the role they needed just when they needed it. Brent had done his best to remain as underwhelming as he could be during his service time. The less people thought of him, the easier it was for him to get by unnoticed. He was just another face in the crowd, another nobody just passing through. "Sounds like you will have to give me a tour some time, if its not off limits of course."

She understood, and he relaxed a little. That was good. Some women understood, some didn't it was a hit and miss with this business. Being in the FOSB was generally terrible for making friends, even worse for making deeper relationships. A lot of the time, women claimed to understand and be ok with it until the reality checks began to roll in. Usually women didn't really understand or were ok with it, unless they were in the business. And then that usually ended up being even more dangerous because you usually had to end up choosing between shooting and kissing each other.

"I've done a few assassinations," Brent said with a sobering nod. "I hate them, they are my least favorite kind of job. But, with my past, and training in combat, I do have a leg up with combat-variant jobs that most agents don't have. I love intelligence and counter intelligence. There are few things more thrilling than successfully planting false data and taking away the real stuff."

"It's confusing to me, really."

Brent gave a tight smile. He couldn't agree more. She had made her own family, without even knowing it. Love put people to do dangerous things, crazy things, wild things that were insane.

"Its confusing to everyone," Brent said. "I think we just try to make it simple. But real love hurts," he shook his head ruefully, looking down at his plate. "My brothers and I don't always have sunny days. Sometimes we fight it out, sometimes we are screaming at each other and then the next sitting down and playing video games. Sometimes love hurts, sometimes love makes you angry, and love is sometimes very stupid." he looked back up, "If you are going to love, your going have to be ok with being confused."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"Since the Dominion is no longer around, I can show you the room I had set up. Being at the head, I didn't have to often get my hands personally involved in the assassination. I would be the one that assigned the operative to do it and provide them with the information needed to do the job. Only if the threat was serious, only then did I get involved personally."

As Ra thought about it, it was both. She wasn't herself the spy, but the master behind everything that pulled the strings then.

"I only took the information and didn't plant false trails. All a part of the cog we are all in."

Maybe a greater role than Brent had, but still one piece of the whole. In time, he could work his way up and fill a similar position she had, but it would take work and patience. Ra wondered if he had the stamina to see it through the long path. What little she knew of him, she suspected he did.

"I guess growing up with a family like you did has made us just that much different. Honestly, I don't think I love my servants, but want to protect them. Same for my clan sister. And that's love? That need to protect them?"

It was too early for her to feel that way about Brent, but in time it could grow to encompass him.

[member="Brent Smith"]

 

[Brent Smith]

Brent couldn't imagine what would be so dangerous that it would merit sending out the head of intelligence. His handler, Desshim, hadn't been in the field for even one of Brent's jobs. The agent had to go solo, even when he was marching strait into hell itself and facing off Force Masters in the process or going in all but totally blind.

"Those must have been some intense missions then," he said. "I'd be glad to see that room. Sounds like a plan then."


Brent had already been offered a few promotions in his time, all he rejected. Promotions were safer, and they paid more. He could have more time off, and he'd have the guarantee to sleep in his own warm bed every night. Plus he wouldn't have to worry about going out into those hellish conditions of extreme heat and extreme cold. The food was better. But every time he had turned down the promotions. Brent couldn't see himself pushing paper every day across a desk, and he couldn't see himself sitting back. He had to be in the front lines, to make sure that his family was safe every night in bed. But there was another aspect. Promotions came with political chains that he couldn't take on and didn't feel like tying himself to. Brent preferred to keep his enemies where he could shoot them without impunity.

"I guess growing up with a family like you did has made us just that much different. Honestly, I don't think I love my servants, but want to protect them. Same for my clan sister. And that's love? That need to protect them?"

Brent folded his hands in front of him. The irony that she was a Sith, who's creed was based on pure emotion, and she was asking him about the emotion of love was not lost on him. He didn't blame her for not knowing or look down her for her lack of knowledge. She had been raised in a very toxic environment, with people who hadn't shown her what he considered the most important part of growing up. And it was almost guaranteed she had affection withheld from her. The very thought sent a pang of compassion through him. Brent had been raised in such an affectionate home, he could only imagine what it was like for her to never experience that growing up.

"The problem is a lot of people mistake like and lust for love," Brent explained gently, "When you like someone, you think they are fun, you enjoy being around them. You can like a lot of people and enjoy their company, but that isn't really love. You can lust after a lot of people too," he shrugged, "I'm pretty sure you know what that is. Its hard not to. But real love is deeper than that. It can be protective. But you know you love someone when you would do anything, and I mean anything at all to protect that person. You'd protect them when they are in danger, or you'd go so far as to join the force and become a storm trooper to provide for them," he gave a wry smirk at the example, "or like my mom, you'd wake up every day and help take care of your crippled husband and work as an elementary teacher. Love isn't cheap, but we will settle for cheap knock offs a lot of the time because its easier, and fills the void faster."