Extraordinary Council Session - VlPER

[Corvus Raaf]

He was not arrested or hunted down or even stumbled upon. He came to Ossus willingly and immediately contacted the Grand Master and asked to speak to the Council to answer historic charges levied during the Invasion on Manaan.

He'd recently escape the One Sith who'd captured him and...well that's his story, so Corvus decided the best thing to do was to allow him to tell it.

So she brought him with her into the Council chamber and offered him a seat next to a desk. On the desk was a glass and a flask of water.

Corvus took her seat - which was part of a horseshoe arrangement rather than their usual circle.

"In you own time Knight VlPER," she said, "Please tell us in your words what happened on Manaan and subsequently. Then, I am sure, my fellow Jedi will have some questions."

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Phylis Alince"] | [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper entered the chamber with Corvus and the other council members, casting a quick glance around the room to take stock of his surroundings. The chair offered, he did not take. Instead, preferring to stand. The glass and flask of water, he gave only a passing glance before turning his attention back to the Jedi that sit before him. Before starting in on his defense, he gave a formal and respectful bow to the council. In a calm tone, he started. "Very well. But first, please let me play something for you. Before arriving here, I searched for as much information as I could on the incident. Actual holo footage was minimal, while the news articles were of course endless. Still this is all I was able to find."

Placing a small holoprojector on the table an image of the scene which they doubt had viewed plenty played out. Notedly, a mere second before he killed Invicta to several seconds after. He watched the image play as well, but that initial second when he actually killed her, his eyes looked away for just a moment. Just long enough for the scene to finish before viewing the rest. He didn't care to witness the actual act again.

As the device flickered off, he stood at full attention and raised his eyes back toward those assembled before him. "Manaan, the day of the invasion was supposed to be a happy day. A celebration of the Aqua Games as well as the restoration of Ahto City. I had come there to visit my old Master. Then Grandmaster Kiskla. When I found her, she was in the middle of a speech. I hadn't gotten to speak two sentences to her before we realized we were under attack by the Sith."

"She decided we were to go protect the generator facility in the middle of the city. So I followed her to the Proper East were we were to hold the line and make safe the city from there. When we arrived at the entrance on that side to main generator facility which kept the city afloat, we saw that the Sith's vanguard of Yuuzhan Vong troops had nearly made it before we did. However, we managed to push them back. The small victory didn't last. Not long at all after that, two Sith approached. Darth Vornskr and his wife Invicta. They were followed by a few more Vong as well as some massive monster somewhere else in the city. It bellowed loud enough that it didn't matter where you were in the city. You could hear it clear as day."

Viper paused for a moment as he could still hear the ghastly sound ringing in his head. Shifting just a bit, he continued. "It was decided that we let someone else fight the monster while we focused on keeping the growing horde of Sith in front of us back with nothing more than ourselves and a hand full of brave troopers who stood by us. At that point, Master Kiskla moved off to fight Darth Vornskr while I squared off with Invicta. The fighting was fierce, but we were holding."

"We have now nearly arrived to the point of this cute bit of propaganda. Which by the way, I would like to point out as none of you were there, nor were we ever reinforced by a single Jedi or other trooper. This recording and only evidence against me, I would imagine was provided solely by the Sith." Pressing the button to have it replay again, he spoke while it went on. "What this well timed recording does not show you however, is the reason the situation had arrived where it did."

"During my fight with Invicta we both were wounded at nearly the same time. I, with a sword slice across my face and through my eye. Her with a nearly severed limb. Rather impressive armor that was. Anyway, we both fell backwards. I for my part, drew on the force to begin healing my wound as quickly as I could. She had dropped her swords and collapsed near a downed Republic soldier. My attention was momentarily drawn away from healing when I saw her slam her hand and nails into the chest that defenseless wounded Republic trooper and suck every last ounce of life he had to cure her own leg. A man who had been doing nothing more than laying there harmlessly waiting for aid. He was now nothing more than a husk. And she did this without weapon, piece of technology, or mercy."

"Disgusted, I resumed healing myself as quickly as I could when something even more astonishing taking place, caught my ear. Not to far away, I overheard Master Kiskla offering herself to Darth Vornskr in exchange for a cessation of hostilities." His calm demeanor had began to change at this point of his telling. Those trying to determine his emotional state would feel him becoming just slightly anxious, concerned, worried even. Almost as though, he could feel himself being taken back there to that terrible day.

"My mind raced. I could see we had lost most the troopers that had stayed with us. Nobody was reinforcing us, and we were on the verge of collapsing and losing the entire city. We had no idea how the other portions of the city were fairing. So all we knew was we fail, everyone dies. I knew full well the Sith would not honor his word to any agreement that came from Kiskla's generous offer."

Again he stopped not really wanting to go through the events again, but knowing he must. Cracking his neck, Viper continued. "The only way I could see Kiskla's attempts to peace be remotely possible was to give her a little leverage." Yes,Viper realized this was probably damning word usage. But he was determined to speak the truth and relate the tale as it actually happened, and what he was actually feeling. He was never good at politics and trying to charm people with distorted but pretty sounding ways of saying things.

"Before Invicta could retrieve her swords, I forced pulled her to me. I admit I did pull a little harder on her wounded leg than anything else. The intent was to keep her distracted so she couldn't resist while also getting the attention of Vornskr. And it worked. I was able to subdue her and get the man's attention. It was at that point that I altered the deal. I bluffed that if he didn't call of his attack, I would execute his wife. And yes. When I said bluffed, I meant bluffed. It was never my intention to kill her. I spoke with all the seriousness I could muster so he knew I wasn't in a mood to negotiate. But I've seen Sith around things they care about. They can sometimes be reasoned with if the stakes are high enough. Rather than continuing to slaughter one another, I saw this as a way to end the bloodshed, save the city, save the Grandmaster, and save the innocent civilians lives. All in one single action." He said in a resolute tone indicating he truly believed what he said and that there was no malicious intent behind it.

"I did feel the smallest bit of anger though at this point. But it wasn't toward Invicta, it was toward Vornskr for forcing this situation. This emotion was fleeting, however. It disappeared the moment Vornskr called me on my bluff. It was then I was filled with a wide range feelings from shock and dismay to pity. I could feel Invicta and the betrayal she felt. There was something out of place with all this though. I suddenly saw a small child in place of Invicta. It took me a moment to realize that there was another player in this game. Someone behind me."

"Invicta, who at first was a pawn in my biggest bluff ever, was now a deadly anchor threatening to unravel this one small chance to save the city. In front of me stood her husband, a powerful Sith Lord by any measure. Behind me skulked an assassin about to execute me. Next to me lay a strong Sith Acolyte capable of killing me with nothing but her bare hands should I release her. And all around us a growing number of Sith troopers and Vong pressing down on what few troopers remained. To many Sith. Not enough Jedi. The only way to have any hope of salvaging the situation was to start leveling the field. Darth Vornskr's declaration also made it clear, he had no intention of calling off his attack no matter what was offered. So it was then I resolved to fight to the death to save whom I could."

His breathing had quickened. Viper knew this was the moment they all wanted to hear. And this was the moment that probably sealed his fate with the Jedi. He knew what was coming. At least he felt he knew. He came here hoping for redemption, for forgiveness. But he very much doubted he would find any. The bounties placed on him by his own brethren had convinced him of that long ago. But you just never know. It was said that there was always hope. But it had been years since he had any. Still, standing here before the council, he still dared to believe that he could still prove himself in their eyes. That he could still be a good Jedi. Either way, he would hold nothing against any of the people here. He had always skirted the edge, even as he tried his damnedest to do right by every tenant of their code.

Lowering his gaze away from the council for the first time since he began his tale, Viper continued. "And that, masters, is when I killed her. I went on to engage two other Sith as well as a few troopers before being overwhelmed. While they dragged my battered and beaten form away, my master let me go with these words. "VlPER. Do not justify your actions. A cold-kill comes from a cold-heart. Finish your fight today, for whichever side you choose. You started as a Jedi today, and fought with The force, but you are not leaving as one. Your victory is a failure. Do not return to the ties with The Order until you better your judgement and see with the clarity of ashla. All life, Viper. A Jedi respects all life." His face was expressionless, but his glassy eyes gave away his true feelings.

A silence fell over him for a few seconds. He blinked a few times then rose his head toward the Jedi. "From there, was thrown into prison where I got to rehear her voice in my head over and over, her cutting me off from the only family I had left. I was interrogated extensively by a Darth named Taeli. She played many mind tricks to try and break me. I may have faltered some when she began to show me the evidence of the Jedi turning on me. My resolve managed to hold long enough for her to give up and hand me over to a different Sith who used ...other methods to break me. Eventually, I caught a lucky break and managed to "escape". Though in truth, I believe they let me leave. Hoping my then resentful angry self would indeed return to the Jedi. But not in a peaceful way."

"After that, the whole galaxy seemed to fall apart. A few years had passed till I was finally able to calm my feelings of resentment for the order. I spent much time in meditation and finally resolved to return. But return as a Jedi....not as a failure." Reaching out with his hand, he called the small projector to it with the force. "And that is the whole of the events as I remember them."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Phylis Alince"] - [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian watched [member="VlPER"] enter the council chambers and crossing his hands in front of his face as he considered the man's story. Much of it bothered Kian but he would give the Jedi the benefit of the doubt and allow him to recant his story. As Kian listened, however, he continued to be bothered by the events of that day.

Kian was on Manaan. He remembered well the chaos of the battlefield and the way that the joyous event had turned quickly into a blood bath. Kian had failed that day to protect the underground facility and to save the life of the progenitor. It was a failure that had cost the Republic dearly.

Kian was also there when news arrived of Viper's actions. He had been on the Council when the evidence against him had been reviewed and he had agreed with the motion to issue a writ of arrest for Viper. The video footage was damning, and although Viper seemed of the opinion that they based their decision on Sith propaganda, they had in fact based it on the reports of soldiers involved in the fight and the footage from Republic troops.

"Viper," Kian said leaning forward, his face masked by his antiox mask and goggles. "You've recounted your actions.....but you haven't indicated whether or not you feel they were righteous or wrong."

"Do you feel you did something wrong? Or that you acted as a Jedi should have?"

[member="Phylis Alince"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Ryan Korr"]​

 

[VlPER]

Viper frowned slightly at the question. It was not what he was asked to recount which was why he didn't offer that information. Truly, it almost seemed like Master Karr was trying to insinuate he was purposefully withholding information. "Master Karr. I feel I did the very best I could given the situation I was in to protect the innocent while trying to uphold the highest ideals of the Jedi in a galaxy that almost unanimously does not share our sense of right and wrong. However, with that said. I regret, and will regret for the rest of my life putting Invicta to death in the manner that I did."

He paused for a moment reluctantly going back to the exact moment he acted. "....Unless you have additional holo recordings from a mere few seconds before the actual act that I do not know about, then there is nothing else I can offer to prove the sincerity of my words."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Phylis Alince"] - [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus paused, in case someone else had a question but when a few seconds elapsed she decided to speak herself.

"Given your testimony and your recounting of the words of Master Grayson, my question is something of a follow-up from Master Karr's. And is twofold."

"Firstly, given the situation all over again, what would you do? And secondly, in our position, what would you consider our options to be?"

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper's eyes met Corvus' as she began to speak and ask her own follow up question. A smile almost began to tug at the corners of his mouth. It was an unexpected olive branch. He supposed he could claim hind sight now and imagine up a different outcome. But then, that would still no be taking into account the whole of the events. Because if he knew the city was going to be destroyed, he would have been trying to get people to life boats. Not fighting Sith in an attempt to save the city. What would he do? What should he say?

"Believe in the Order’s teachings and observe the Order’s directions." He started. "I always have and have always done my best to do so."

"Defend the Order before your other allegiances. While I fear this could cause a conflict in some scenarios for respecting all life....I tried to save Master Kiskla with what I felt was the only option left to me."

"Love your fellow Jedi and treat them, and all life, with compassion." A curious tenant this as he and Corvus have encountered this topic in a couple different ways now. "If my coming back now seeking the forgiveness of my fellow Jedi and making every effort to rejoin their ranks to help people is not a testament to my feelings on this tenant....I don't know what else I can offer."

"Combat the Dark Side in all of its forms, both within and without, but fight with mercy and passion, not with anger or rage. Per my testimony, the only moment of slight anger was the initial moment I was forced into that situation. But again, it went away as quickly as it came."

"Perform your duties to the best of your ability so long as they do not conflict with the Order. While this has at times been difficult for me, I believe I have done so."

"To lie or go back on your word is to conduct oneself against the Jedi Code. Which is why I have never done so, and spoken quite plainly here today even despite some of my own testimony being more than likely unhelpful to my case."

"Defend the innocent, the meek, and the defenceless, even at the cost of your own life, but know you are not superior to your fellow sentients or their judgement." Here he paused. Taking a long moment to consider this tenant. "The people of Manaan were the innocent. They were the meek. They were the defenseless. The Sith came that day with nothing short of genocide as their goal."

"In my view of this tenant, Invicta as the attacking Sith and per my testimony was neither an innocent, nor meek, .....nor defenseless. And I fought till my body failed me. I was simply not granted death in battle."

"Attempt to find a peaceful resolution; Only wield a weapon when no other options are available. I did. I offered a clear and simple trade to save both the life of the woman held in my grip, the life of my Master, the people of Manaan, and even the soldiers of both sides of the conflict."

"Seek to disarm or remove the ability to fight from your enemies over killing. I tried that too. They then used my subsequent attempt at negotiation as an opportunity to sneak up behind me and but a blaster bolt through my head."

Viper at this point let out a long sigh. "In my opinion, I upheld every tenant of the Jedi code to the letter. So again. I feel I did the best I could. I did what I had to do. And will continue to do what I must."

"If you are looking for me to feel regret. I do feel that sincerely. I regret there is a need for Jedi at all. I regret that there are people out there that make Jedi necessary. I regret that there are people who can't defend themselves and need protecting at all. Quite honestly, as long as I serve the Jedi, I will always regret at least a little bit, all my actions in this service."

"But I believe it to be the right thing to protect the helpless. And thus, I fight to see that they have that protection."

He shifted in his place, uncomfortable with the second question. "As for options....deciding what options should or should not be afforded me is not my place to say. It is you, the council that must find the wisdom to render a judgment, based on my words an deeds. But whether you view my opinion as valid based on your interpretation of the code is not something I can say. I'm sorry." He bowed his head humbly as he finished before resuming his at attention stance.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus looked VlPER in the eyes and listened to each and every word.

When he had finished she spoke again. "In truth you have not answered my question...at least I do not believe you have. Would you do the same thing again under the same circumstances?"

"And I cannot speak for the others, but I expect nothing from you except what you believe and feel. I have no prescribed emotion I was anticipating hearing or sensing."

"A Jedi will not kill an unarmed opponent, so I'd be keen to hear your response to this aspect of the Code's tenets."

"And Honor Life. A Jedi may only kill in a life-or-death struggle. Again, please clarify your situation, as from your remarks it did not sound as if your life was in jeopardy when you committed the act."

"And rest assured, we are not here to find you guilty or not of breaking the Code. History is a rear-view mirror. What is equally as valid..." she looked around the room, "Perhaps more so in my opinion, is the future. Given a similar set of circumstances what course of action would you take. That is key. We have accepted former Sith into the Order and some would like us to fight alongside those that use the Dark-side. But one thing is common. They would all commit to following the Code. Not some of it. Not most of it. All of it. And would lay down their life rather than transgress it. For it is the Code that separates us and defines us."

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[VlPER]

A downright shocked and confused look played out on Viper's face as she basically repeated her question and then asked more questions which he had answered in great detail. Had she been sleeping when he relayed his account of the events? He wasn't sure if it was just some mind game or if...ah. He suddenly felt he knew what she was looking for now. It seemed she was simply looking for a confession, and promptly followed by his begging for forgiveness or a solemn vow he would never make another mistake ever again.

His expression quickly returned to its more neutral state. "A Jedi should never kill an unarmed opponent. I couldn't agree more. As for my situation. Like I said in my testimony. At the time of my killing Invicta, I had assassin about to put a blaster bolt in the back of my head. Invicta had never surrendered to me. I simply managed to subdue her. It was completely reasonable and quite frankly, to be expected that if I was to release her to deal with the assassin, she could simply reach for me with her bare hands and start draining my life away. An act which she had already shown without a stitch of mercy to be both completely capable of and in fact quite effective in the technique. Ergo, she was never a prisoner, nor was she unarmed. She was simply a momentarily subdued Sith. Also, not sure if anyone noticed, but she was not human. She was an energy vampire. So even without the aid of the force, she was still an extremely dangerous enemy yet again without needing a single extra weapon. She herself was a weapon."

"And forgive me, Grandmaster Corvus, if I also answer your question with another question. But at what point in your mind does a Jedi finally become in enough danger to be allowed to protect themselves via your version of the code? Because I believe I have shown with my many, many examples that I was completely justified to defend myself, the city, Master Kiskla, and every other law abiding innocent on Manaan by killing that Sith. And if you have not come here to simply find me guilty, then why is it that you keep spitting rhetoric about following all the code at me as if you have already found me guilty and are simply waiting for me to admit it? And if this is true, when does mercy, compassion, and temperance finally come into the picture?"

"Did I not come to you to heal the breach between myself and the Jedi order? Did I not volunteer to explain the situation without deceit, and indeed without any motivation other than to see peace between all of us once more? You know what, this brings to mind something else. When did my word become so untrustworthy? Before this event I was a Jedi in good standing. Having actually recently risen to the rank of Knight, right behind you in fact, Grandmaster. It seems to me you people must have some pretty damning evidence against me to now doubt and ignore everything I say. I would respectfully request to see what it is that you have on me that makes you so unwilling to believe anything I say."

"However, before that. You asked if given the same situation, would I do it again. My answer, I will regretfully, but unashamedly have to say is YES! Now if you could be so kind. Can, you please show me the reason you have for being so hesitant to trust me at all?" At this point his expression had become more stern as he had become tired of repeating himself.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"Our faith in your word faded when we watched, via holorecordings, the blatant murder of a hostage in your custody." Kian said shaking his head at the man before him. Kian didn't understand why it was that the young man before him couldn't see why they were concerned.

"Because she was a Sith or an energy vampire, we are to allow execution?" Kian asked. "At what point do we stop? Do we allow the execution of unarmed soldiers because they have training in hand-to-hand combat?" Kian posed the question to try and help Viper see why they were concerned by his seeming lack of concern with his decision.

"You seem to think that murdering the Sith was the only option. Did you consider a non-fatal alternative?" Kian asked. "Rendering her unconscious or hamstringing her so that she couldn't pursue you in your fight?" Kian asked leaning forward on the table before him.

"You were in danger." Kian said nodding. "That is apparent. But Jedi go into danger every day....being in danger doesn't give you free reign to abandon our teachings."

"You say that you would do it the same again.....and that bothers me deeply." Kian said sitting back. "If you feel that you did the right thing.....then I do not see how you could rejoin the Jedi Order." Kian said, regretting the words. Kian had hoped that this could be a conversation about redemption.....a conversation about accepting wrongdoing and moving on.....but instead it had turned into a conversation meant to justify actions. Many a Sith felt completely justified in their murders and it was a sad day when a Jedi did as well.

​

[member="VlPER"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Phylis Alince"] - [member="Ryan Korr"]​

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="VlPER"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

Phylis watched the interview with a growing regret and sadness. She had followed the Manaan story before, and now Viper was back here to explain himself.

“It’s a bad business,” she said finally. “Whilst I do not agree with your methods and the results, I can understand why you did what you did. My concern mirrors Master Karr though; the unwillingness to admit that you would do the same thing again is disturbing. In the heat of the moment we have all done things we regret, but being a Jedi is being able to understand where you erred and learn so you do not repeat that mistake again. I am not sensing any such regret or understanding about what you did was not our way. Is this a true statement?”

 

[VlPER]

The reality of the situation finally overcame his small glimmer of hope. The Jedi would not see reason. They would stubbornly expect him and every Jedi to die for no reason other than to ensure that a monster didn't perish without some sort of piece of metal in their hand. If the Jedi taught him anything now. It was that he made sure to stick some piece of something in his enemies hand so he could at least say they were "armed". Their inflexibility and lack of any discernible ability to judge by the spirit of the code instead of the letter of it, which he still did not believe he violated, would eventually be their downfall.

"Master Karr. I didn't say I did the right thing. I said I did the best I could under the circumstances. There is no right action in war. War is murder, sheer bloody murder. Let me pose the same scenario to you. You have an assassin behind you about to pull the trigger and blow your head off. You have an energy vampire with superior reflexes naturally, now aided by the force who is able to grab your leg and suck the life out of you at your feet. You have her husband who is a powerful Sith lord by any measure not far away in front of you staring you down with all the hate in the galaxy. And an army of Yuuzhan Vong and other Sith troopers who have wiped out your support troops around you just waiting for a chance to take a shot."

"With all of this in mind, you truly believe you would have had the time to withdraw your grip of Invicta, knock her unconscious somehow, which she may have been able to move out of the way of, and somehow manage to mount a defense against the assassin, Sith Lord, AND enemy troops ALL before they could pull a trigger, unleash force attacks, or try to suck the life out of you!? My apologies Master Karr, but if anyone could pull off such a feat, the galaxy would have already been subjugated by that one long ago. Because at that point, they truly would be a god."

(Added in after seeing Phylis' post) "Master Phylis. If you understand why I did what I did, then you would understand how I was clearly in danger and had every right to defend myself. My god, you both had said I was "clearly in danger"! According to the Grandmaster's version of the code, that means I did NOTHING wrong! And since I did nothing wrong, I have nothing to say I would do differently. But as I said before, I still do and will always regret having to kill Invicta the way I did.")

"Still, you have offered absolutely NOTHING as evidence against me. Not a single holorecording to prove I'm lieing, even though I specifically requested it. Not a single witness that would speak against me. And I know why you have no recordings or witnesses. You know how I know? Because I watched them all die around me as not a single one of you who were there came to support us. We fought till the last man and till we were all finally over run. And then the city sank and the planet was taken over by the Sith. If you had a "witness", that man is the liar. Yeah sure, you probably had your reasons for not coming to our aid. Perhaps you were even in as bad a situation as we were. But don't you dare sit there acting all high and mighty thinking yourselves superior to me while you ignore every stitch of evidence presented to you. Jedi Code tenant number seven. You have ignored all, and only followed your preconceived notion of what happened."

"If you sincerely believe me to be unworthy of the title Jedi and worthy of banishment because of this one singular instance, then the Sith will never be destroyed by the likes of you." At this point Viper stopped. Perhaps, he had gone a little too far. But he wasn't about to let them stomp all over the Jedi tenants while claiming to uphold it and banish him for not following them. At least not without speaking of their blatant hypocrisy. But now that he had said it, he regretted it. He had stooped to their level and given in to his baser instincts. Taking in a deep breath, he let it all out.

"Please forgive my rudeness council members. I apologize. However, as this has turned out exactly as I imagined it would, I ask that you please render judgment and allow us all to move on. If you choose to dismiss me from the Order, I will be disappointed greatly, but I will accept your judgement." He finished speaking and stood there as a man defeated. But not defeated by any Sith, rather as one defeated by his own people.

[member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Phylis Alince"] - [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian shook his head at the words. "Taking her life was certainly the easier of the options before you....but that doesn't make it the right choice."

"As for your claims that we are judging you based on no evidence....I can assure you that is not the case. You were judged in a previous session following the Battle of Manaan. The evidence used, as stated, were holorecordings from the city. These holorecordings where then validated by your testimony here." Kian was unsure why the man before them felt that they were judging him based on anything other than the evidence before him. Kian hadn't had much interaction with the man in his time as a Jedi, but they had certainly never been at odds.

"The rest of your statement is not worth responding to." Kian said matter-of-factly in regards to the accusations of biases and failure to act. Kian was also bothered by this sudden notion that there is "no right action in war" that Viper had offered up. The Jedi were certainly getting too involved in war if they were losing sight of the righteous path. Being in war did not excuse them from following the code and acting as a Jedi should act.

"If you wish us to vote on the matter now, we certainly can." Kian said sighing and sitting back.

"Every Jedi, from padawan to master, is a representative of the Jedi Order." Kian said, after a moments thought. "We are judged by our actions and we follow a code of ethics that guides us in making the proper choices and following the path of the light."

"It is my opinion that, in killing the Sith known as Invicta in the manner in which you did, that you violated the Jedi Code.....that you crossed a line." Kian said putting his thoughts into his vote so that Viper and the others knew where he was coming from. "That, in and of itself, does not bar you from returning to the Jedi."

"However," Kian said raising a hand, "the fact that you would do so again, given the opportunity, and the fact that you seem to believe the actions were necessary and justified, I have no choice but to vote no on your returning to the Jedi Order." Kian said with a heavy heart.

Turning toward [member="Phylis Alince"] and [member="Corvus Raaf"], Kian awaited to hear what they thought of the situation.

[member="VlPER"]​

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

The grim-faced human sitting opposite [member="Kian Karr"] let out a soft, derisive snort. The lines of his face contorted, highlighting the silvery scar upon his cheek, but oddly, his eyes were closed.

"I don't need a recording to tell you're lying, Malcolm."

His eyes flared open and their grey depths bored into [member="viper"] like twin augurs.

"I can feel it. You reek of entitled arrogance, but even more disturbing are the lies you whisper to yourself. As if we can't sense them. As if the Force cannot strip away your petty raiment of self-deceit."

Korr gripped the arms of his chair.

"You broke the code. Twice. Once in your attachment to Kiskla. Once in your reliance on a swift end."

His knuckles grew white.

"And now you come before us in a manner of defiance. Daring us to find evidence with which to perjure you. Do you not realize you've damned yourself? Don't answer."

The Jedi leaned back one hand coming up to stroke his chin. He regarded the man for a silent, brooding moment, aware of the disapproval from the others. "Let them simmer in their impotence." When he spoke again it was the voice of a man worn to the bone by the galaxy's cruel machinations.

"We are high, Malcolm, and we are proud. Our position and power breed such traits. What excuse do you have? Fed up with dying for a cause? No. Better we all die than turn into them. And you will turn into one of them, Viper. The pieces are all there. You resent our judgement. And after our decision, you will resent the Order. Such resentment will breed anger. Your anger will turn to hate and eventually you will give in to the dark side, whether it be to stop the Sith or to wield it against us.

"That is why I also vote to expel you from the Order.... Prove me wrong."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus held up a hand. This was gathering pace and justice was rarely served at speed. Surely the case in point was proof.

And something VlPER had said had niggled at her. How she missed it, she had no idea.

"There is another I'd like to speak to before VlPER has his say and anyone considers voting. VlPER, you have mentioned evidence on more than one occasion and I concur. The more information we have, the better."

Corvus took a communicator out of her pocket. "Please ask Master Raaf to join us. No...the other one. Thank you."

Corvus stood and took the chair VlPER had chosen not to sit on and arranged it to the side of the table - awaiting the new arrival, who was offered the seat.

"Taeli, you remember VlPER. Please share what you can on the matter on Manaan that might be relevant. We could all benefit from hearing as much evidence as possible. Thank you."

[member="VlPER"] | [member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] | [member="Phylis Alince"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="VlPER"] [member="Phylis Alince"] [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Kian Karr"]

She really wanted to be disrespectful when she reached the Council chamber, grumble something about having a young Padawan interrupt her research and this had better be for a good reason. Then, she entered the room and immediately knew this was going to be an interesting experience. Kark it all, sis.

"Well this is awkward," Taeli said, looking around at all those assembled, her eyes landing on Viper last. Last time she had seen him, he had been in the dungeons underneath the Sith Temple on Coruscant and being all full of bravado and snark. She had gone off to do other things, leaving him with other Sith ... and then well other events had played out.

"Can I first say, I apologize for what happened with the whole capture and psych chat we had in the dungeon," Taeli said, speaking directly to Viper first. "I deeply regret anything I did during that time, although I don't recall doing anything but chatting."

Turning to address the Council, she knew this was a sticky situation if Manaan was involved. What a mess. If he was here, it was because of Invicta Zambrano and that whole situation. What a bloody mess indeed.

"I met Viper here when I was still a Sith Knight, serving at the Battle of Manaan," she started, the Council knowing she had been a Sith after all. "I arrived after the fight with him and Invicta Zambrano had ended and the action that I'm assuming is under discussion was done. He was engaged against one of Kaine Zambrano's bannerwoman when I joined the fight."

Sighing a bit, she took the offered seat.

"Invicta was killed by a claw across her throat and a lightsaber through the head," she continued saying, knowing these words were probably not the best things to say for the man under scrutiny. "A rather brutal mode of execution, but I suppose time was not on his side as the bannerwoman was trying to put a blaster bolt through him. There were no other Republic forces nearby that could come to his assistance, the then Grandmaster was fighting Kaine Zambrano at the time, and I sent the bannerwoman away to tend to Invicta's body while I finished the fight."

Looking at the man again, she sighed again.

"Later, during the time he was held in the dungeons and I was, to my regret, trying to break him, I asked him about the event," she continued. "He was ... non-responsive to put it mildly, mainly some snark and bravado, but I did pose the query of why he didn't just knock her unconscious or turn around so Invicta was in his other attacker's crosshairs. Time might have been an enemy."

"I'm not sure if he regretted the, to put it bluntly, execution as he never really told me," Taeli said. "Again, that is understandable, but I do know that while it wasn't the way of the Jedi to do that to Invicta, it was the middle of a battle and enemies were on their way to his position or threatening him. Should he be cast out? That's not for me to have a say in, I'm neither on this Council or in a position to judge him as I was a Sith. I will say that if he would answer my question I posed him so long ago, it might help. So, Viper, I ask you again ... what did you feel when you killed Invicta? Short and concise would be best and leave yourself open to the Force so the Council can feel either honesty or not in your answer."

 

[VlPER]

Shocked. Flabbergasted. Either of these expressions could have described Viper's facial expression when Master Korr finally spoke. Did he truly just say they all indeed were proud high and mighty figures with every right to feel so because of the positions they had been privileged to attain!? Did the man really just assert that he was beyond redemption and from this point would only accomplish evil!?

What part of the code made the master feel so entitled so as to proclaim such an outrageous fate as fact over his own future!? Was it not only Sith that dealt in absolutes? Viper would have told him so as a retort had he not been caught so off guard and bewildered by his antagonistic comments. He had about recovered and was going to speak when Corvus raised her hand calling for silence. He can't say he wasn't grateful. It prevented him from saying something else that was probably to rash for his own good.

When he heard Corvus calling in a "Master Raaf", he raised an eyebrow. She has family in the order? Or was it just someone else with the same name? He couldn't tell, but was nevertheless grateful for the breif break while they awaited this masters arrival. It gave him a chance to center himself and remain calm.

Whatever calm he felt though was jettisoned right out the airlock when he saw who this Master Raaf was. For the second time in less than an hour he been taken by surprise in ways he never thought possible. Indeed, one more surprise like this and he'd have a heart attack.

He was completely unable to speak for a while. Only giving a slight nod when she apologized for her actions so very long ago. While she relayed her accounting of the events, Viper sat there trying wrap his head around the current situation. The ironies of his life would always continue to amaze him.

When she asked the same question she did back in that Sith dungeon, only then was he able to close his mouth which had been slightly open in disbelief that whole time. Viper huphed a small laugh while giving her a feint sad smile. "You've come a long way and had to wait a long time to hear this answer, haven't you?". The question of course was rhetorical.

A moment later, his face returned to the neutral expression he had been wearing for most of this conversation. "What did I feel? I could feel her pain. I could feel her sense of being betrayed by the one she loved. But I also felt pity. Pity and regret so much so much so that I couldn't help but share my regret and apologies with her right before I took her life." Viper's stance stiffened and his face hardened as he tried to calm the whirlwind of emotions trying to eat away at him. All the while though, he stared into Taeli's eyes no longer seeing an enemy, but a friend. And no matter what happened here today. He would count himself honored to have finally have been her fellow Jedi, no matter how brief a time that similarity lasted.

[member="Taeli Raaf"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Ryan Korr"] - [member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Shock and confusion bled from the accused like water through a sieve. And anger. Anger directed at them. Korr well knew the frustrated ire that such a self-righteous group as the council could embolden. For years, he'd harbored it himself. Even these days a feeling of hopelessness overwhelmed him. He'd thought he might be able to change the council by being a part of it. But in the dry savanna of bureaucratization, his dreams had withered into naught but parched ideals, all vibrancy sucked from them until they resembled more hollowed stone than the lofty thoughts of a young man.

Perhaps the reason Ryan's inner storm spun so violently now was the resemblance between his feelings of six years ago and that of Malcolm's current state. And what of Quinn? Could he condemn a faithful man in one breath only to offer pardon to a murderer in another? He was so rife with hypocrisy that he wondered if even the whole council added together could compare.

Korr watched the proceedings, once more silent. [member="Taeli Raaf"] entrance and subsequent witness bearing left Korr with the bitter taste of irony. How twisted was the galaxy, that a former Sith would now level the finishing blow against one of their own?

They were ruins. A shambled semblance of a once just and proud Order. Korr felt the resent building inside and wondered at the trembling of his heart, as though it might burst from all it held back.

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="VlPER"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Ryan Korr"]

Phylis watched as the awkward scene of having a former Sith give evidence came out. It made Phylis uncomfortable on a number of levels, even though she rather liked Taeli. The less reminders of Arcanix she had the better.
“Forgive my confusion, but you returned to us here knowing we would want you judged for your actions. I sense much anger and confusion in you and…defiance. I feel as though you are challenging us to punish you…hoping for it? Hmmph, will that be a more acceptable burden for you, the prodigal son of the Jedi Order, cast out for ‘no reason’? So I ask you, what did you expect? Did you expect us to simply accept without question your actions?”

She shook her head sadly, containing her irritation.

 

[VlPER]

Returning his gaze to Master Alince, he responded. "I came here today expecting to be given a chance to defend myself, to explain what actually happened. Of course I didn't think you would simply accept me back like nothing happened. Not without reason at least. Which was why I wanted the chance to explain myself, to give you that reason to believe in me. I have no desire to be banished and be some martyr. I had faith that if I came to you voluntarily, openly told you the whole truth, not sparing any details, you would see the sincerity in my heart and in my words. And see that all I desire is to serve the Jedi cause in a way befitting the Order and our code....all of it. Nothing more, nothing less." Averting his eyes from her, he was becoming too weary of this fight to even desire to continue. Why couldn't they see....?

[member="Phylis Alince"] - [member="Ryan Korr"] - [member="Taeli Raaf"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[VlPER]

Viper continued to stand there in silence while nobody else offered up any more questions or comments. So did their earlier votes still hold even though a new witness had been brought forward and more questions asked? The situation was becoming awkward the longer they stood there staring at each other. Unable to stand it any longer, he decided to say his final piece.

"I suppose, in light of the report offered by ...Master Raaf here, I will offer my final closing arguments on the matter pertaining to my defense. In a combat situation, you have precious little time to respond. Knocking out the prone woman was an ideal option if I'd had more time. But I had a Sith Lord and an assassin bearing down on me and I feared if I left her alone, she'd simply make it a three onto one attack on me. Was my force excessive? Yes, but done under stress and heavily outnumbered. I'd just seen my Master taken after all."

"I had no cuffs to use and even if I did. I would not have had sufficient time to use them. Knocking someone out is an inexact science and as I say, I had two others preparing to attack me."

"Given the time this hearing has gone on for, and with time to reflect and second-guess it would be easy to say that I would not do the same again.Would that be entirely true? No. Because you have to factor in the circumstances. How many fatal wounds given in a duel could have been turned into debilitating injuries? But to second guess is a dangerous thing."

"Perhaps if my control of the Force had been greater, a different option might have presented itself, but given who I was and where I was, the only option that presented itself other than the one I used was to stand there and allow three Sith to attack me. Is that truly what the Code says?"

"Do I regret killing her? Yes. Would I choose to kill again? No. But I was in a life or death situation - you can search my memories if you don't believe me. And I saw what I did as self-defense.Let's be clear, she was without a weapon but she was not subdued. She had weapons at her disposal and had not surrendered to me - and the evidence will confirm this. She was not yet a prisoner and she was not defenseless."

"But I say again. I do not wish to take life and genuinely believed it was a life-or-death situation for me. With that mind-set, I feel I have honoured the Code. For these reasons I would feel compelled to act in a similar way again. It was no execution of an unarmed prisoner. And that's what's key here and what the Code speaks of isn't it?"

His final questions were rhetorical. Given their sudden silence, he didn't actually expect them to answer. But he hoped he could at least get a confirmation that their votes still held, or if by some assistance of the force, they had changed. The next few moments would tell the story.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Phylis Alince"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Kian Karr"]