Public Mountains Edge

[Maldor Mecetti]

""Hey, don't order my student around," Jasper snapped. "You will not be using him as a pawn for whatever it is that you're trying to gain here, sir."

A smile tugged at the edges of Maldor's mouth. Although this entire encounter had been an irritating obstacle from the outset, it now promised a certain degree of entertainment.

It was always interesting to see the serene Jedi unsettled, and by something so simple as people daring to seek wisdom from outside the confines of their order.

"It was not an order," Maldor corrected the Jedi, "but an invitation. And what I am trying to gain here is knowledge. Understanding. Perspective. Things a Jedi should value, but which have apparently been lacking in the current generation. War has made you polarized, close-minded... and afraid."

He shook his head at the statement of this being 'just rocks.' "You might as well say the Universe is 'Just Atoms' and seek no further clarification or knowledge. I can not believe you are so incurious."

"Truth is what you define it as, and understanding comes from forming your own perspective. Petty squabble or not, the Sith kill millions to extend their own lives... sacrifice the many for the few. You can't live between both worlds, not without going mad. Now, I see no reason to waste my time any further..."

Maldor blinked at the man. "So you invite me to form my own perspective, and then condemn my perspective in subsequent breaths. You are rife with propaganda and too-little open-mindedness. The polarization of the force has created countless wars over the millennia. And suppression of knowledge has not prevented the Sith from rising, again and again, over the many ages of mankind.

You have cut them down, over and over. Bathed in blood. Engaged in countless acts of violence while pretending to hold your head in solemnity over the necessity of it all.

But you do not question the necessity of it all. You have such Fear of the Dark that you refuse to let light shine on this information. You contaminate your own Light Side with this fear, creating a darkness at its core which will perpetuate violence forever."

But the Jedi had another concern, also born of fear.

""You have a weapon under that cloak," Jasper stated. "You stand like a fencer. Your shoulder keeps moving like you want to grab your blade. Am I correct?"

Maldor chuckled. "I am a Tapani Sector noble, Mister Jedi. Fencing is in our blood, and like a Jedi, I always stand ready to draw my blade in defense. Or is that privilege to be kept from anyone but those of the authorized religious devotion?

I thought only the Sith had Inquisitors?"

"What do you hope to gain with this re-found knowledge?"

The Padawan was much more curious than his master, and much less afraid.

The true answer to the youth's question was simply 'Power,' but Maldor was a politician and a man with more than two brain-cells to rub together, so he knew better than to give that reply.

"Before the Jedi, young one, there was the Je'daii. A people in balance with the Force, who explored all of it. They were at peace. Their peace lasted for ten-thousand years.

Then extremist groups arose.

Some for the Light, some for the Darkness. Both of them, mistaken in their extremist philosophies. They each sought supremacy rather than peace. Conformity to their way of thought, their methods of action. And they have been at war for nearly thirty-thousand years.

I think it's time for these religious crusades to end. It is time for supremacy and exclusivity to end. The Force belongs to everyone, but it has been taken from them by jealous and fearful censors for too long.

I think rediscovering the secrets of balance in the force is the road to understanding.

And I think understanding is the road to peace."




Jasper Kai'el
Braze

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Mountain
Tags: Braze , Maldor Mecetti

​

“You contaminate your own Light Side with this fear, creating a darkness at its core which will perpetuate violence forever."

“Are you ill?” Jasper asked. “Surely you have colleagues that remember the war. Their people were slaughtered after all. The Sith warpath killed trillions. Mawites rained hell on the Chiss home world and reduced it to an asteroid field, then they destroyed Panatha. When they were finally on the back foot they even blew up their own home with a ritual, Exegol. That isn’t even mentioning mass slavery, zombification of civilian populations, releasing of war beasts on dense urban areas. There is no peace to be had there. Propogada doesn’t kill trillions for fun. As a senator of the Galactic Alliance, I should hope you’d be educated on the war. You certainly seem to know a lot about the Je’daii.”

He scoffed, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Don’t be so jumpy,” he noted. “You aren’t ready to defend yourself, you’re ready to strike first. I felt your intentions. Murder. You wanted to kill my student. There’s no point in lying. I have no intentions of entertaining that.”

Jasper turned to Braze with a frown.

“Well, I think it’s time we make our way back to Coruscant,” the knight decided. “I believe we have a report to give to the Senate. Standard protocol, really. Messing with force artifacts can have adverse side effects. We just want to make sure no civilians will be afflicted by anything sinister.”

Braze could make his own choices. He trusted that much of his student. They had been through a lot, and Jasper hoped that he at least knew that he wouldn’t lead the boy astray. After all, his freedom was a very important thing.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el Maldor Mecetti

​

Braze's interest was piqued as he tried to decipher the true intentions behind the man's words. However, he couldn't shake off the suspicion that this individual, who seemed to align himself with Sith ideals, was not in pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. In Braze's understanding, knowledge equated to power, and power had a notorious tendency to corrupt. The Sith were a prime example, always seeking power, often leading to absolute corruption. This concept wasn't alien to Braze; he had observed similar patterns of corruption in celebrities who rose to fame and fortune rapidly. The galaxy was rife with such examples, and Braze had seen enough to be cautious.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what the man truly desired, but it was evident that he wasn't an ally. Braze knew all too well that sweet words could often mask sinister intentions. His curiosity about the site was intense, almost morbid, yet he sensed that it might be wiser to leave. He gave a brief nod in agreement with Jasper's suggestion and moved closer to his master, signaling his readiness to depart.

Despite his keen interest, Braze couldn't bring himself to trust the man. Jasper's advice, always grounded in facts and wisdom, resonated with him. It was a reminder that sometimes, the pursuit of knowledge had to be tempered with caution and discernment, especially when dealing with those who might have ulterior motives. As they prepared to leave, Braze's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and questions, but he trusted in Jasper's judgment, choosing the path of caution over reckless curiosity.

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

"Am I ill?"

Maldor shook his head, "I am the only clear-headed one in this valley. Divine your own corruption before you seek it in others, Mister Jedi. You are my colleague, as are those in the Senate, and individuals every branch of Galactic Alliance service.

You assume much, and understand little.

As far as jumpiness, that too is a projection of your own fear and suspicion."

Seeing that the Padawan was in alignment with his Master, Maldor waved them both away.

"Very well. Go. Make your reports. Flee from knowledge and enlightenment."

He took out a small electronic device, then- not a sword- and turned to photograph the stone seal with its mosaic symbols.

Unfortunately, just as this vault had failed to yield to Darth Umbril, he knew it would not yield to him, today.

It would only open to a pair, it seemed. One attuned to the Darkness... the other to the Light. Balance. There was only one possible use a Jedi could have been here, and even in that small service these interlopers were a disappointment. They were too close-minded to reach out and seize knowledge that was right in front of them.

Proceeding to the shuttle, Maldor boarded it.

There was no escape from this. Too many witnesses, with too much materiel close to hand. He could not kill them. Could not best their ship. And he could not avoid the charges they'd bring. In days, perhaps weeks, his life would unravel. Scandal would plague his house. And perhaps worst of all... the secrets he sought would go forever unrevealed.

He reached out to the console, opening a channel via the Holonet to his home.

The delay was brief. It was known that any communication with his personal code should be automatically rerouted. Soon, he was on the Provincial Lord's private communicator.

The stern, perpetually disapproving face of his father materialized in blue-tinted holographic scan-lines above the shuttle's holonet transceiver.

"Father," he said without preamble, "I am in trouble."

It was to be the understatement of the decade.


Braze
Jasper Kai'el