Jason's Big Trip

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Did you?" He teased. "And why did you join them, then? I'm sure whatever life you had before the Sith was better than the life you must have lived with them."

He knew the Sith were not like family. And the ones who pretended to be like family turned on each other eventually. It was in their nature, and the few that legitimately tried usually ended up dead before long. They were considered weak, after all. Still he would continue to listen as she would continue to respond to the conclusions he had found while doing digging on her. Not that she minded, he hoped. He had done it to protect Jason, and himself. It should have been expected that he would dig so thoroughly before journeying to an ex Sith's home.

Though her next remarks would cause the Jedi to quirk a brow. "Fake your death?" He inquired. "Become a droid?"

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"Well, to be honest, I was given the choice...join or die."

After that trained as an assassin, but allowed quite amount of freedom to do whatever she wanted. So she turned her focus to being a merchant and kept her sith alignment secret from pretty much everybody. She had lived like that for three years or so until going to Kashyyyk. And well the rest was known by Josh.

"Yes, well, I did attempt to overthrow a government. The leader there really did not appreciate this and placed a bounty on my head. It's all cleared up now thankfully."
​
[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Regular Sith fare then. I hear that story often."

The Jedi would shrug his shoulders. Of course she didn't give the whole story but he figured she would when she was ready. He could tell she did not wholly trust him yet, as much as he would like her to. But he supposed he could understand. He had not given her everything yet either. But mostly when it came to Jason, and rarely anybody was ever given that level of access to Jason.

"All cleared up now?" He would inquire when she brought up the bounty. "How so, exactly? If you don't mind my asking."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"I imagine you actually do hear that often enough. Not a route I would take personally, but then again...I'm not that kind of person. I wonder if he really would have killed me? I prefer the freedom to choose and would give the person that same freedom."

She had fed Josh bits and pieces of her life, but not everything. It wasn't something intentional on her part. More the reason was more simple in that the subjects just hadn't come up. Ra had done this to herself and should explain further.

"Well, close to something like a year ago I think, I did not like the way a faction was going I was involved with. When I noticed they were getting weak, I took the opportunity to strike at them. The leader didn't like this and put a bounty on my head."

Looking at Jason, Ra wondered if this was something to be talked about in another setting. Luckily he was still quite focused on eating and not paying much attention to what the adults were talking about.
​
"I talked to HK who arranged to fake my death. Did a recording of it and all. So in the eyes of this leader, I am dead."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Oh no, they usually kill otherwise" He remarked with a laugh. "The Sith aren't fans of the power to choose unless it solely applies to them. To them, total control and dominion over others is everything. Absolute power. Something about that tells you who the true monsters are, doesn't it? Not just wanting power... But wanting complete, total dominion. In a way, the old Republic was just as much monsters as the Sith were. But those things usually go down to natural selection eventually."

But the idea that she was ambitious to where she would turn on a faction, strike at them when they were weak? That was not something he'd expect from her. "Oh ho! So there is a bit of Sith in you, after all?" The Jedi would joke in turn. "Striking your own faction when they're weak... Are you sure the choice was join or die? All this time you had me thinking you weren't suited for the Sith at all... I dunno, Ra..."

He was just teasing, of course. Getting her goat. But it was an interesting thing to consider. As for Jason, Josh doubted he'd understand a thing they said and the glutton was far too interested in his food to care probably.

"So you faked your death. Yet I still hear you going by Ra. How does that work?"

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

She chuckled, her head a little and motioned to herself at something Josh said.

"Not all sith are like that, but then again...I no longer am one. Anyway, well, that government was just as corrupt as the sith. They weren't the sith or allied with them."

Shrugging slightly, Ra ​took a bit of her food as he continued on a bit.

"That government essentially force on whole populations the single choice that was given to me. Join or die. Not something I could stand for. So I made a move when I saw the chance to take them down. It actually sort of worked. That leader escaped though and is still out there spreading his fear. I very much want to disable him, but can't with who he has allied himself with and I don't think you appreciate me starting a war with the Confederacy."

Taking another bite of ​food and chewing on it, it gave her time to think of an answer to his question.

"That leader was sent a video of my death. So he believes I'm dead. Doesn't look further than that. However, I think I'm due for a change."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Mmm, I dunno... You seem pretty Sithambitious, if you know what I mean" The Jedi would tease, sticking his tongue out at her in turn. He would continue to eat as he would listen to her continue to explain her story. "Sounds like they were more or less Sith in all but name by how you describe it, and you as a Sith decided to be less Sithly than they. But you said that the Sith betrayed you, didn't you? If they're not actually Sith, how did the Sith betray you exactly?"

"What's a Siff?" Suddenly rang out from a voice beside them. Josh's head jolted toward Jason, who apparently had actually been listening this entire time. Jason still had food sticking out of his mouth when he had said it, as well, so he hadn't finished eating yet. Josh stopped for a moment to try and think of a way to explain it that Jason would understand.

"Bad people. Blech. Really mean, bad bad bad people" Josh decided to go with. "The kind of people that throw their toys at people."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"That leader now claims to be a sith lord..."

Shutting her mouth at the sound of Jason speaking up next to them, it was probably best to continue this conversation later. Ra took another bite of her food, but it gave her the chance to think on her answer when the chance came up to do so. Maybe once they got to the petting zoo.

Jason might be too busy petting the animals to pay attention to the conversation between his dad and her.

Chuckling at the answer given to the boy, it fit for his age.

"I never threw toys..."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh meanwhile made a note to be more aware of his surroundings when Jason was around. He had clearly very much underestimated the boy. He was smarter and more aware than he had priorly given him credit for. Though he did make note that the "leader" of the faction apparently was not actually a Sith Lord. Figures. It more or less illustrated his point but they could talk about this further later, when Jason was more adequately distracted.

Jason seemed almost horrified at the revelation that bad people apparently threw toys. That would teach him not to throw them anymore. Josh would laugh at Ra's reaction though. "I don't know, I'll bet you threw a few when you were his age, Miss Baroness" He teased, now just using the title as a little pisstake as if to portray her as a spoiled noblewoman that threw toys as a child. Not that he thought she actually was that, he just wanted to jab at her.

"Finish your food, Jason, then we can get to the animals."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Blinking at him with the tease he made, Ra finished off the last of her food and put her trash on the table in front of her. It would make it easier to clean up when they were all done. At his age...maybe she had thrown toys around, but it was a part of her life that was still much of a mystery to her. Conflcting memories would do that. Maybe that would be something they could do...actually find out what her real history was. Not today though. Something to mention in the future.

The reaction of Jason was epic though and the look he gave was something she would remember. She also figured he would forget the lesson and throw toys around in the future again. Part of being a child.

"I'm ready to move on when you two are."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He couldn't help but tease her over the Baroness title. It was there, he had to do it. As the lot of them would finish their food, Josh would stretch out, letting out a yawn. In a bit of comedy, Jason would watch his father, and immediately stretch his arms out and yawn in the same way. It seemed that Josh hadn't caught on that Jason was purposely imitating him yet.

Once the food side of things was squared away, Josh would get up and take Jason by the hand, giving him the part of the food he was meant to be eating on the way there while Josh would have his own fries in his free hand, holding it up to his mouth here and there to steal a fry using his teeth. But it wouldn't be long before the trio would make their way to the zoo. It was a much smaller thing than the one he intended to take him to another day. Mainly just banthas and other lower-key animals. But it would do.

"What do you see here, Ra?"

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

The respective motions of Josh and Jason weren't missed by Ra, but she made no comment on them. To be oblivious to them was something she was sure he was. Not Jason though, he loved his father and wanted to be like him. So he emulated him and she noticed. At another time, she would point this out to Josh though.

He held onto Jason's hand as they walked and since they were all still snacking, this left her hands to be free. Once in a while she would point something out to Jason and watch as his eyes lit up.

"You know I think a walk through the mirror house would also be fun."

Arriving at the small zoo, she looked at the collection of animals and smiled. Walking up to a small bantha, she started petting it and looked at Josh when he asked what she saw.

"You...I see you here, along with Jason and all these animals. Do you think there are anything exotic? I'm not really seeing any animals that are."

Returning to their side, she waited to see Jason wanted to also pet something like she had that bantha.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The trio would scan the zoo when they came to it, and Josh would try to see if he recognized any of the animals. "I recognize the banthas, those are pretty common cattle animals. Fairly zoo common" Josh spoke as he would then notice a pen he didn't recognize. "Hmm? What's this?" He inquired as he would finish his fries and take Jason by the hand to the exhibit, curious of what would follow.

Inside were a few fox-like creatures who's skin was entirely encased in crystal. "What in the world are these?" Josh would inquire. They were beasts he had never actually seen before. Jason though, would stare at them, his eyes widening in wonder.

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Having traveled around the galaxy a time or two, Ra had seen quite a few different things. The banthas were common, along with the womp rats and the akk dogs. However, there was one group of animals none of them had ever seen.

"Apparently they are called the vulptex. They certainly look cute and rather fox like."

Pointing to the sign, it was clear they could be pet, but care would need to be taken.

"Are you sure you want Jason petting these guys? Those crystals look rather sharp."

Just a sign of her own sense of wanting to keep the boy safe.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Vulptex, huh?" Josh would respond as they would approach them. They could be pet, but care had to be taken...

"Jason should be alright, but I'll be sure to guide him" Josh would reassure Ra. "With how much you worry, starting to wonder if you're actually the mother" The Jedi would joke as he would hoist up Jason, who was completely taken with this new creature. "Jason, these are vulptex. Be careful if you pet them, their crystals can be sharp" Josh would warn as one of them would come forward. Josh would guide Jason's hand to pet the head of the beast, which used to human domestication would nuzzle it's head against Jason's hand. Jason would let out a gasp in turn, and then begin breaking out in a fit of giggles. Clearly, he was very much enjoying himself.

Josh could only smile at that. It made him happy to see him happy, and he knew that Jason loved animals.

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"They are native to Krait. Ever hear of it? As a merchant I've been many places and heard of many more. Not this one though."

Smiling when Josh made his little quip, Ra squated down before he could fully see the look on her face. However, she did feel the need to actually respond to him.

"I don't think I could ever replace his mother, but I would like to be one. When the time is right."

She reached out her own hand to pet the vulptex and smiled when Jason started giggling. As much as Josh wanted his old family life to return, Ra wanted just the chance at having one.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Never thought you'd try. But I'm sure you'll find yourself a mother one day" He quipped in turn as he would let Jason pet the crystal fox thing. "I think you'd do well at it, you have the capacity for compassion and empathy that believe it or not, not enough parents have. Not even some Jedi have it. Why do you think so many of them never become parents?"

To return to family life was his single greatest desire. But he wanted to do it right too. And while he sorely missed having a complete family, he could admit having to take responsibility for Jason had made him a far better father too. Jason had truly become his entire life, even if his professional life might have suffered a bit for it as his availability decreased. But... That was okay. It was something he had been prepared for since the day Jason had been born.

"Never thought I'd see a former Sith desire a family though. One would think they'd ensure you never had the capacity. To them, it'd breed weakness. Give you a weak spot, something to exploit. Any actual Sith parents, likely through accident or through a desire to use them as a tool... Well, we did just talk about having the proper capacity. Not all parents are good parents."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

When Josh said he was sure she would find herself to be a mother some day and why, she was silent and just chewed on her lower lip slightly. How he described her, she may not feel was entirely accurate. She was changed, but still did not feel like the right kind of person that could be called a mother. Aunt maybe, but not mom. In time, she may end up eating those thoughts and it would be proven she could be, but until that day happened, she didn't think so.

"How can a Jedi not have those? In a way that makes them like sith, does it not? Just using their ability for the light and not the dark."

Maybe it was a good thing they didn't reproduce more, but Ra felt the future of the galaxy was in the children.

"He tried to make that not be a possibility. I was told that have love and a family was a weakness and well look at me. Unmarried, no family. That master did a good job at convincing me. Even got me to believe love is nothing more than a myth. But I think we had that conversation before."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Yes" He spoke. "It does. But that's just how some Jedi are... They don't hold the same empathy and compassion they should. They're no better than the Sith, and typically... Their methods are no better either. Which is what makes the Silver Jedi Order different" Josh would explain. "The Silver Jedi Order encourages the sorts of things you see from Master Nooran, Grandmaster Kitra... I suppose it might be egotistical to say, but myself as well. Not our individual traits, to be exact... But we all hold empathy. Compassion for others. When someone is suffering, we hurt for them. When someone is suffering, hurting for them motivates us further to help them. We can't ignore them. Compassion is needed because to truly be able to help people... You need to be a person yourself. Not every scenario... Can be solved with a blaster, or a lightsaber, or Force Powers.

Sometimes the power to help someone is in your heart. And not every Jedi has that. Most of the Silvers? They do. That's why we are different from what you've grown to see over the years. The other kinds became a bit of a majority... But that's something I'm slowly seeing change. It's a vision I've had for a long time, and I'm happy to see it come true. The Silvers... They're different. They're just... Right. You've been to Kashyyyk, you were in the Rest, people could sense you. Nobody once accosted you and pulled weapons on you just for a sense. Nobody attacked you blindly, nobody tried to hurt you while you were not a threat. And you turned out to not be one. That takes empathy and compassion, that takes patience and understanding. It's a set of traits that many Jedi, especially of the old school... Don't have. And that's why we have the Republic, why we had the thousands of incarnations of the Army Of Light... And many of those Jedi turned to the dark side in the end.

In the end... They had the same problem your Master did. They didn't know love. And look where it got them."

Jason meanwhile, had been put down when he realized he could pet them through the fence and seemed to get the hang of it. This kept his attention until he saw something that he hadn't seen before - a tail. Not knowing what it was, the child proceeded to yank it. Hard.

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Ra'a'mah]

She listened to everything Josh said and didn't attempt to interrupt him, but she wanted to at one point. Even going so far as to raise a finger at something. Waiting until he finished though, Ra did start to speak. It wasn't about too much of what he said, but one of the points.

"Only you could sense what I was. Granted you likely passed on the information once you learned, but nobody else could. You see I had to maintain a mask of not being a Force user, let alone the sith I called myself. The Metal Lords and Coalition hired me because of me being a merchant and by merit alone. Their stance on sith and anybody that followed darker paths was made clear to me. So they never learned and made my living with them. To the best of my knowledge they still don't know. If they learned it now, it wouldn't be as much of a deal as it would have been before."

Having limited her exposure to Jedi in the past, Josh was the only one she had extended interactions with. The names he said meant little to her. Only having heard of Kitra, the other meant nothing. Her look would indicate as much.

"I think he did know what love was, but chose not to allow it. Since he called it a weakness. He never showed me any."

Shrugging her shoulders slightly, her eyes grew wide at the pull and she looked down at Jason.

"That's not very nice. As pretty as the tail is, that's like pulling hair. Would you please let go?"

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]