Private Murky Waters

[Syreeta Ming]

Colette​

Syreeta stood before a viewing window, peering into the room beyond. Rows of bacta tanks filled the space, all of them occupied by the wounded from Moorja.

Less than a week had passed since she assisted in bringing them to Naboo. The Halls of Healing were full to bursting with Jedi casualties from the attack. She was not a Jedi, yet she had stayed in the Temple while other non-Jedi moved on. One thing had kept her from leaving. The Jedi Knight she rescued - whose name she now knew was Aria Chant - had still not awoken. Her mind remained locked in a state of dreaming, tormented and unable to rest. Unable to fully heal.

Syreeta stared at the body floating in murky waters, her brow furrowed. Whatever horrors Carnifex had inflicted on her, Arya needed help beyond what the doctors could provide. Though just what could be done for her, Syreeta wasn't so sure. She only knew that she felt compassion for the Knight which was beyond the universal altruism which usually motivated her. After all, they were kindred spirits in a way...

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

It always felt wrong to see someone float in a tank. The patients from Moorja were being treated, but for some reason this one stuck out to her and she couldn't quite figure out why.

Colette didn't know this person, but as a councillor she still held responsibility for them. She understood that she needed to recognize that something had gone very wrong for Aria to end up like this. In truth they had failed to treat her properly and it was a rough reality for Colette to own.

She placed her hands on her hips. Her brows sunk and she couldn't help but pull her lips into a lopsided frown.

"I think we might have said it a few times before already," Colette said and looked at Syreeta. "But we're very grateful for your help bringing these people back."

Her eyes wandered around the medbay and the rest of the wounded.

"How have you been for the last few days? Eating properly? Sleep well?"

 

[Syreeta Ming]

It always felt wrong to see someone float in a tank. The patients from Moorja were being treated, but for some reason this one stuck out to her and she couldn't quite figure out why.

Colette didn't know this person, but as a councillor she still held responsibility for them. She understood that she needed to recognize that something had gone very wrong for Aria to end up like this. In truth they had failed to treat her properly and it was a rough reality for Colette to own.

She placed her hands on her hips. Her brows sunk and she couldn't help but pull her lips into a lopsided frown.

"I think we might have said it a few times before already," Colette said and looked at Syreeta. "But we're very grateful for your help bringing these people back."

Her eyes wandered around the medbay and the rest of the wounded.

"How have you been for the last few days? Eating properly? Sleep well?"

Syreeta blinked, turning to face Colette. She had been so lost in thought, she hadn't even noticed the other woman's presence. By now they knew each others' names, but that was it. Syreeta had not intended to stay as long as she had, didn't intend to become too familiar with anyone. Yet it seemed like everywhere she went, attachments were inevitably formed.

"I am happy to help," she replied, clasping her hands in front of her. "I am well, thank you. I don't need to eat or sleep." Should she have revealed that to Colette? It was too late now to take it back.

"Aria Chant's condition is... concerning. I found her after she and her apprentice had already dueled Carnifex, so I don't know what exactly he did to her," she continued, hoping to move the subject away from herself and her strange nature. "I understand that her Padawan did not survive the encounter. The loss, coupled with the traumatic nature of her injuries, could put her in a nonresponsive state. But this seems far beyond mere catatonia."

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

Darth Carnifex, a person Colette was all too happy having never met. Few people truly deserved to be called vile, but he was most certainly one of those who did. To have survived an encounter with him was no small feat and Colette couldn't help but give Aria a grim nod as she floated unconsciously in her tank.

"I'm not much of a healer." Colette admitted and frowned. "But I don't think anyone would fault her for…" A hand waved towards the tank. "This."

If anything it was a sign of strength. Extreme as it was. Colette had no doubts she herself would have been dead if it had been her in Aria's place. She had faced Quinn Varanin once, and that had nearly brought her to death. Had it been Carnifex instead there'd be no saying what twisted image of herself Colette would be now.

The thought made her shudder.

"How did you find her?" Colette turned to Syreeta.

 

[Syreeta Ming]

"I suspect Carnifex infected her mind with the Dark Side," Syreeta continued, elaborating on her theory. "I can sense her fear. It is great even now that she is within the safety of the Temple. The stress it inflicts on her body has slowed her healing. If it continues, she will die." What was to be done about it? "I do not know how the Jedi would handle this. But I could dreamwalk in her mind and help her conquer her fears."

Colette's question brought with it an unexpected tension in Syreeta. "I was evacuating delegates to a transport, when I sensed someone calling for help," she began. "It wasn't Aria. She was already in the state she is now. The call was from a man called Jax. Carnifex was trying to capture his wife. She was heavily pregnant." Syreeta looked uncomfortable. "I joined the fight. That was when I saw Aria. Carnifex had passed her on to his acolytes. That was when I grabbed her.

"Others responded to Jax's call and came to aid them, but his wife... She seemed resigned to being abducted by that monster. I sensed that Carnifex desired her and her child. I did what I could to help - I even cast a spell to try and force Carnifex to have a conscience. A foolish thing, perhaps, but I've heard that no one else has ever even tried to redeem him." She smirked at the idea, but her smile quickly faded. "Once the woman stopped fighting back, I made the decision to just save Aria and left."

She still wasn't sure if it was the right decision. The fate of the woman and her unborn child weighed heavily on her conscience. But the situation had been complicated, and even now she didn't fully understand it. Perhaps the woman had given in to save her baby from harm, counting on a rescue at some other date. A rescue Syreeta hoped would succeed.

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

No one else has ever even tried to redeem him. They were words that embedded themselves deep in Colette's mind. She always believed in redemption, but there were also plenty of historical examples for why Carnifex himself most likely wouldn't go through such a process.

"I'm sorry to hear that you went through that." Colette gave a solemn nod. "I don't have as much battlefield experience as the others, but I'm aware of the chaos."

There was a dangerous line to walk here and Colette was all too aware of it. Some days it felt like she had seen more spreadsheets and numbers than people ever since she'd taken up the role as quartermaster. Resources were easy to distill into something so concrete. People were not. Or rather, they very much could be but she refused to.

"There are no good choices to make in a situation like that." She frowned. "In the end you made a choice. Sometimes that's all you can do."

"Aria lives. If she pulls through, she might be able to try and rescue the woman and her child. With help, of course."

 

[Syreeta Ming]

"Your optimism is... refreshing," Syreeta said, her tense posture relaxing somewhat. "Not many people are so hopeful these days.

"What exactly is your role within the Jedi?" She asked out of curiosity. Up until now she had assumed Colette was a Padawan, both due to her youth and her seeming lack of experience. But she wasn't actually sure of her rank or her place in the Order's hierarchy.

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

Colette blinked at what Syreeta said. She hadn't exactly thought of hope as something optimistic. Aria was still alive and as long as there was life there was hope. Or maybe Syreeta was surprised given how detached Colette tried to be to problems like these. She knew how she preferred to present herself, she didn't exactly wear her heart on a sleeve around strangers.

"I'm the quartermaster." Colette said and crossed her arms. "I was also the one who ordered the medbay to be cleared on your arrival."

"Who are you, Syreeta? Not sure if I've seen you in our roster before."

 

[Syreeta Ming]

Quartermaster? "I had thought you were a healer," Syreeta confessed sheepishly. "That was why I discussed Aria's treatment with you…" Welp. She'd have to find someone else to help with that.

"I am not technically a Jedi," Syreeta replied. "But I was saved by one. Perhaps you know Master Starlin Rand? He is the one who brought me to the Light."

"Before that, I was a cultist. I was not a willing participant in their evil religion, but a victim of their vile practices, forcibly assimilated into a hive mind. I have no memory of my life before the Cult. But now that I am free, I serve the Light." She shrugged. "I have taken to simply calling myself a sorceress."

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

It wasn't the first time that her age made people unsure who she was. Colette was very young for a member of the Council and she knew it. She took the sheepish smile and the explanation from Syreeta about why she had spoken to her with a measured bow of her head before she glanced back at the patient again.

"I'm aware of Starlin but I don't know him personally." She turned back to Syreeta while the latter continued to speak about her past. Cultists, unwilling participants, and hive minds were far beyond the reaches of what Colette herself was well-read on. She nodded her head and hooked her hand to her chin.

"That sounds rough." Colette let her hand fall back into her crossed arms. "But you made it through to the other end. There's strength in that."

"Light or not, I'm grateful that you helped these people get their chance to do the same."

A moment passed. The electric whirr of machines and droids mixed with groans of pain from all corners of the medical station. Colette's gaze watched over each person she could see before she motioned her arm for Syreeta to follow her outside.

"Come on," she said. "We'll let them focus on recovering for now. We can talk outside if there's anything more you'd like to bring up."

 

[Syreeta Ming]

"He has stepped away from his duties as a Jedi to focus on his family," Syreeta said. It explained why Starlin and Colette had never met.

She followed Colette out of the medbay. No doubt this was not the last time she would be seeing the inside of that place. But for now, the rest of the Naboo Temple was a welcome respite. She walked down the corridor alongside Colette, her hands tucked into the long sleeves of her white satin gown, her hooded head bowed.

"The Jedi Order intrigues me," she said suddenly. "Your long and storied history, your steadfast devotion to peace and justice... I wonder, what would it take for someone like me to join your Order?"

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

To call the Jedi Order's history long and storied felt strange. It was accurate, but it was still strange. The Jedi and Sith had both been around for longer than anyone would care to count. But that wasn't because of any single order. There had been far too many, none of which had lasted.

The way in which someone could join an order had varied greatly, but it was pretty simple for the one that Colette was a part of.

"You just apply, really." Colette frowned. "They'll have you go over some basic questions. Go over your past and who you are. Get an idea for if you're a danger if we teach you what we know and things go wrong."

"The process is very straightforward. As long as you're honest about who you are and what you want, there shouldn't be any issues. Especially after bringing our members back from Moorja."

 

[Syreeta Ming]

"Really?" Syreeta was surprised. "You don't have to be taken in and trained from childhood? It's that open?"

The process sounded so simple, it seemed almost concerningly nonchalant. Like applying for a job rather than joining a religious order. Though perhaps it was only that simple on the surface. If someone like her tried to apply, perhaps things would get complicated.

"Who would I need to see in order to apply? Who participates in the vetting process?" she asked. Was she asking too many questions? Maybe. She tried to slow down and give Colette a chance to answer.

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Syreeta Ming

Colette blinked.

"Okay, uh, let's start from the top." She let out an uneasy chuckle. "We only recruit people who want to join. It's that open."

"In order to apply you would just need to reach out, like you are. I can't quite tell you who is part of it since it changes depending on who is available. But generally, expect the grand master of the Order to be involved to some degree. Directly or indirect."

"I take it you'd like me to talk to her on your behalf? Start the process?"

 

[Syreeta Ming]

"How are you able to maintain your numbers?" Syreeta couldn't help but ask. The Jedi were in constant conflict with the Sith and other Dark Siders. Surely the majority of the population didn't want to devote their lives to crusading. It was done out of necessity, for the good of others. A draft would prove unpopular, but there were many young orphans with Force sensitivity, and just as many families who might give up their children for training. The Jedi Order had long practiced such...

But she was getting off topic. Colette offered to start the process of her joining the Order.

"I... If you would do that for me, I would be very grateful," Syreeta replied. "I am not sure what the future holds in store for me, but I sense that the Force has led me to the Jedi for a reason. I would like to know if this is the path it has set out for me."

Colette​