Here. We. Go!

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello was quite the nomad as of late, executing meetings of various levels of secrecy on various planets on a fairly routine basis. Today was no different...though the planet of Contruum was fairly innocuous.

Dressed in simple civilian clothing and a brown leather flight jacket, Marcello ducked into a cantina that seemed to be moderately crowded. Good. Making his way to a corner booth near the rear of the establishment, the Jedi Master ordered a glass of generic Corellian Whiskey.

Truth be told, he didn't drink, but it would be awkward to order nothing, and the point of using the cantina as a meeting location was to avoid...undue attention.

Now he just needed to wait for the woman he'd managed to contact through old Jedi Order records. This was certainly a meeting he did not need reaching the ears of most.

[member="Iella E'ron"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

It has been some time since Iella had the pleasure of having a drink in a bar. This took her back to her days on Tatooine patrolling the streets for the former CIS, and dealing with any trouble that issued from the infamous cantinas on that planet. To complete the picture, she wore her old brown leather trousers, white shirt and charcoal jacket under which she conceals her saber. Her long blonde hair plaited and hung down the center of her back, held in place by an old piece of leather lace. She had just finished her second glass of Corellian Ale and ordered another, the cool amber liquid exciting her blood and reminding her of her roots.

She felt the presence of the man she is to meet today, a strong lighsider entered the bar and positioned himself in a corner booth. Iella has never met this man, but knows of him by reputation, a Master of the Jedi Order, a sort of loner by recollection of files on the man. She head turned to consider him for a moment, before she took up her fresh Ale and walked over to him.

Her senses telling her all was calm within the bar for the moment, but that can turn in the blink of an eye but she can more then handle a bar scrap. "Mind if I join you?", she asked as she sat down in the booth regardless of his response. "A fine day for shooting the breeze", she grinned.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello's glacier-blue irises danced in the direction of [member="Iella E'ron"] as she approached. He'd half a mind to actually come to his feet and greet her, but there had been no time as Iella simply made herself comfortable. For a moment, the large Jedi Master shifted his gaze back in the direction from which the woman had come. A couple lingering smirks and leers remained since an obviously attractive woman had abruptly just left the bar to join him.

In an effort to mitigated the interest of the action to the lurking bottom-feeders, Marcello flashed them a brief smile and a knowing glance he'd seen males give each other in bars. While the Naboo native didn't drink much anymore, he certainly had in his past.

As his eyes returned to Iella, his smile gradually dissipated. "Indeed. Pleasure to meet you Iella, and I thank you for coming." Brushing long strands of blonde hair from in front of his eyes, Marcello reached for his glass and took a decent sip of his drink. The burning sensation washed down the back of his throat as warmth spread through this body.

As he placed the glass back down, he smiled once more at Iella. "How are things? Last I saw you I'm...pretty sure you were pregnant."

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

Take a long draft from her Ale, before placing it back on the booth table, "That seems like eons ago to me now. My apologies I do not recall your last meeting", she smiled. "Things for me are very good, busy of course. And how about yourself?", she asked as the small talk continued. However, her mind pondered on what the nature of the meeting would be. Was he another sent to talk to her about returning to the Republic? or is this just curiosity. Either way Iella is prepared to accommodate with the appropriate answers.

She recalled the last meeting with representitives for the Republic Senate, which, lets just say, did not go well. But Marcello is no politician, but a strong Jedi and she will always hear them out. The mood of the bar continued to be conducive to talks, the odd look from more influenced patrons but no other interest than that.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello smirked slightly at [member="Iella E'ron"] as he took another sip of his drink, hiding the fact that he was not at all used to the burning sensation working down the back of his throat. For being such a large individual, he probably looked like a teenager trying hard liquor for the first time. "It wasn't so much a meeting that we had. I just...well...I saw you and more or less sensed it."

Managing a thin, mischievous smile, Marcello shrugged his shoulders. "This is the first occasion we've had to actually converse." A couple seconds of silence followed as the Jedi Master considered something briefly. "You should know. I'm not here in any official capacity. If records are any indication, you've had plenty of meetings with Republic and Jedi officials about one thing or another. I just, personally, think we do a piss-poor job staying in touch with like-minded individuals."

After another sip of his drink, Marcello recounted a brief story in the effort to build some level of rapport. "I exiled myself from the Order not long ago. I've returned, sure, but I needed the time to engage in some level of self-discovery without the weight of the Order's former methods and movements sitting on my shoulders." It was a really nice way of saying the Order had made some stupid decisions in the past, but it was all part of life. "I guess you can relate." Marcello's smile lingered as he brought his glass to his lips once more.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

Returning his smirk in kind, Iella raised her own glass of Ale to her lips and took a good sized mouth full, relishing every drop of it. "Yes I can relate, very well in fact". She chuckled now. "Most of the meetings I had with the Jedi Order were fine and understandable, the meeting with the Senate representitive however, not so much. But there is only so many ways I can say the same thing over and over again and yet we are still considered in a less then favourable light shall I say".

She shifted in her seat, as she remember exile herself, twice in fact and on each occasion laced with turmoil of some sort. However, the last one was of her own decision. "I was a member of the Jedi Council the day I finally made my decision to leave the Order. I did not make the decision lightly, in fact it had been months in the making and after .. certain events, I knew I had to leave". She did not know or remember if Marcello was present for that period of history.

"I must say this arena you have picked for a meeting is far more affable, chambers can be so cold".

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello was...around when the whole debacle went down, but he had been pretty adamant about being zero percent involved at the time. Things had, obviously, changed now with him seemingly accepting greater and greater responsibility amongs the Order. One could say that he'd found his...purpose?

In response to [member="Iella E'ron"]'s statement, he could not help but smile thinly. "I appreciate discretion when merely engaging in a casual conversation." Shrugging his shoulders, the Jedi Master continued. "I spend enough time in meeting rooms or some other form of artificially contrived setting. Though there is something I wish to make known..." Leaning in slightly, Marcello allowed his smile to widen ever so slightly. "The Senate has no more place to judge than any Jedi. In this life we all make decisions we view to be right at that time." Leaning back, Marcello straightened ever so slightly in the seat, still smiling. "I'm curious though. Was the treatment of Dragonsflame really the...tipping event to the mass exodus which resulted in the Silver Jedi Order?" The question was innocent enough.

Well it was mostly innocent. Marcello thought the man had been passionate but distinctly foolish when it came to making any sort of informed, logical decision. Rest assured, Marcello Matteo thought a lot of people had a propensity for foolish decision making. He was curious to see if the Jedi Order, in general, had been judged much in the same way Iella was unhappy to be judged by the Senate. No conclusions...merely intrigue.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

"Whether or not one liked Dragonsflame or his methods is the rights of individuals to hold, and they can have their own opinions etc, however, the method in which he was unseated was nothing short of disgusting and made me ashamed to wear the Jedi symbol on my robes. It was not the entire reason for me leaving, as I said I had been thinking about it long before that event but it was the final straw yes". She said straight forwardly.

"I am not going to go over old ground on this, who said what to whom and so on, the records can do that for me. As for the mass exodus well, I will have it known that I did not approach anyone to leave with me at all, they all come willingly and of their own decision. The reasons for their decision are these however, I do believe that event would have been part of their decision making process. I am not the only one that has a distaste for public character assassinations". She leaned back in her seat and looked directly in Marcello's eyes.

"My decision to leave the Order still remains a correct one for myself, as for what the others of the Silver Order think you will have to ask them". Iella reached for her ale and grinned at herself, and how she had changed over all this time. She is happy to speak to Marcello. in fact she is delighted he is so open and candid about this and so to she.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Except...Marcello really only asked if the treatement of Dragonsflame was the tipping point for her departure and so many others from the Order. He'd, purposefully, kept his own personal thoughts on the man to himself. The Naboo native was harsh on many in life, especially those vested with any level of responsibility and authority. In truth, he was harshest on himself...evidenced by the trials and tribulations he'd subjected himself to over the preceeding months. Even that was irrelevant, however, everyone did what they thought was right.

"You're quite passionate about that which hastened your departure. Also...I'm not one to mince words, and I apologize if 'mass exodus' was not received in the appropriate term. I will refer to them as the 'crapload of people that left on or about the same time as you to journey forth a creat the Silver Jedi Order'." An easy smile settled on the large Jedi's lips as he took another, much longer sip of his drink. Clearly...it was becoming much easier to digest, courtesy of his distant past and trouble in...various drinking establishments.

Placing the drink back on the table, Marcello waved a dismissive hand. "Also I'm not here to change anyone's mind or bring anyone back to the Jedi Order. We make our own decisions in our own time. Let me ask you this, however. Do you still consider yourself a defender of defenseless, a champion for those that do not have one, and a warrior for those otherwise incapable of effectively fighting their own battles? Or...are you content to be indifferent to tyranny that sweeps the galaxy so long as it does not directly effect you?" Alright...two questions. Whatever. The blunt nature of his comments were not designed to insult, and if [member="Iella E'ron"] took offense...well...he'd just have to soothe her emotional state, then.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

She could only smile at his words as she took yet another mouth full of the Ale. It had grown low in the glass and it was time for another. Without hesitation Iella signaled the bar keep for another round of drinks which arrived promptly.

"I would have thought the 'mass exodus' would have told the Jedi Order something? that they got it horribly wrong?", she grinned more. However, she too was not here to go over old ground, as they say, as that event was like eons ago now and she is still very much happy with her decision. Even if the Silver Jedi were to fold tomorrow she would not return. She even doubted she would be welcomed back. But Iella cares little for that.

"Marcello, of course I am all that, do you think we just sit and knit for something", she laughed, "As the old saying goes, ' there is more then one way to skin a cat' ". For the moment she allowed herself to delight in the fresh Ale, feeling the coldness against her skin on her palm and the coolness soothing her throat.

"There is more evil in the galaxy then the Sith, I know you know this. The planet systems that come under our protect enjoy the freedoms we can afford them with the resources we have and the members. And of course we will defend them if threatened. We are not the Republic, we are not a government and do not enter into each planets governance. If there is a problem and our assistance is required then we go. I do not like what is happening within the galaxy with the growing forces of the new Sith groups and I will tell you once more, if the Jedi Order required our help we would come even though things are not .. well .. on good terms shall I say". Simply put Iella did not know how many times to say it.

"We are not looking for rewards, or recognition or anything, but we are not cowards or doing anything .. odd. I have no doubt you have intel on us, what does that intel tell you?".

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello happily accepted the new drink. Raising it to his lips, he inclined it slightly in [member="Iella E'ron"]'s direction by way of thanks before taking a sip. "I think what occurred around the time you and several others left the Order did send a message. I just don't think it was necessarily the message you were hoping to be sent. Abandoning the Jedi Order when it clearly needed effective leadership and people was not the answer. It was a selfish act born out of rage and irritation. You did not make yourselves or the Order any better that day. If nothing else, you merely doomed the future of so many young Jedi to wallow in whatever problems remained."

Yep. Nothing like a little liquid courage to loosen Marcello's already extremely blunt tongue.

"Nevertheless, I challenge the reality of your last statement. The Jedi Order and Republic have certainly needed you and yours on countless occasions. Yet, I do not recall seeing much in the way of any actual support." Pausing, Marcello raised his free hand. "Full disclosure I stay out of the politics because I just don't care about them. What I do care about...are the people of this galaxy. Not just those that fall under Republic protection or whatever. I don't serve the Republic, and our...temporary...direct affiliation with them is certainly something a great many of us are advocating changing." Flashing Iella a mischievous expression, Marcello shrugged his shoulders. "I'm happy to fight alongside anyone that is willing to stand up for what is right...regardless of the implications, consequences, or likelihood of success. I think you will find the Jedi Order that you are describing and remember...no longer exists."

That, of course, presumed that it ever existed. Marcello was not so sure he shared the woman's appraisal of what happened in the past. Bullying was never a great thing...but being an idiot was arguably worse. Exhaling heavily, Marcello leaned back and ran a hand through his long blonde hair. "Things are rough all over, and we will forever be challenged to uphold that which is right, Iella. I am happy for this insight from an actual member of the Silver Jedi Order, and I would hope that people are adult enough to realize this division is stupid when we all have the same end-game in mind. I am realist though, I don't expect common sense to prevail on either side of the equation, so I will settle for extending the hand of friendship...and hoping that we can both count on each other for assistance whenever it is necessary to defend the helpless."

Leaning forward, Marcello extended his large hand to Iella as his glacier-blue gaze held her own intently.