Need a Little Company?

[Joza Perl]

The pink girl nodded slowly in understanding as he spoke. Although she felt as if would be easier to have someone directly responsible for her training, the Jedi of the Galactic Alliance were sometimes spread too thin. She didn’t want to miss out on anything, but she felt that she wouldn’t as long as she kept up with her studies.

She’d heard about the Dark Side and its temptation, but fortunately hadn’t experienced it. She was sure that she’d encounter it at some point. Maybe sooner than she expected, but who knows. Still, it was a comfort to know that she had someone to look to for guidance. Sliding her arms behind her back, she gripped one of her wrists in her opposite hand as she tilted her head in thought before speaking. “What do you think tempts people to the Dark Side?” She was aware that he had grown up in it, and valued his perspective.

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Oh, where do I start...

Krux made a noise in his throat that sounded like he was expecting this question to come up. "I believe what most Jedi will tell you is that the temptation comes from a lack of understanding of the ideals behind the Jedi Code and what we stand for as a group. I find that to be...somewhat true. Many Sith or Dark Jedi who fall will say it's the freedom that tempted them. A lot of people in the galaxy think the Jedi are too strict and don't let their students fulfill their destinies to their fullest. The Code, when looked at from a...certain perspective, tells them they are forbidden to feel anything, which is what makes a person...well, a person. The Sith Code teaches it's students to use your feelings and your emotions to make yourself stronger. What makes you human also makes you powerful.

"Perhaps for past generations of the Jedi, that might have been true, but the Jedi i've met since I left the Sith have told me the same thing. They don't want you to give up what makes you human - what makes you a character in the galaxy. They don't want emotionless robot servants running around the galaxy. They trust their students more now because too many in the past gave up on this life because they felt they were not given the same freedom the Sith were." his voice trailed off, turning to look at her. For a second, he probably could have thought of many other reasons why people fall, but for now he just asked:

"Does that answer your question?"

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

“A lack of understanding…” Joza repeated the words softly as he finished, a thoughtful look settling onto her face. There was a lot that she didn’t understand yet. She supposed that since the Jedi Code was old, it could and had been interpreted in different ways. If she tried to obey it in the strictest sense, Joza figured that she wouldn’t have been able to, at least not without extensive training. Throwing away her emotions sounded impossible and scary. Luckily, things didn’t seem to run that way here.

“Kind of.” She admitted, rubbing at the back of her head while she thought. He did answer her question well, but that only spawned more questions in her mind. “If the Jedi are allowed emotion, how can we not use it? How do you know where the line is?” She looked up at him, green eyes burning as if she were trying to stare a hole into his mask. Maybe it was because the Zeltrons put their emotions into everything they did, that she was having a hard time understanding.

“Bettering oneself extends from passion, right? At least, it does for me. I’ve heard that the Sith rely on their passion, but I guess it depends on how you use it…I think.” She shrugged, letting her shoulders fall. She was still unsure of so many things, and was probably in a little over her head. But she was constantly being reminded of the push against the Dark Side, so she wanted to understand it better.

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

"The knowledge and reason behind that is for...safety. I don't know if you've seen a Jedi get angry, but when they do, the intense amount of power they possess is...deadly. They can do so much damage to so much. What's a noble way for one so benevolent to lose their temper and judgement? Love. Love is what is tricky, and I can say this from experience. Fall in love, then lose them. Your heart breaks. You lose control. Thousands perish by your hand because you lost control. You got too angry. The Dark Side took control of your actions." he said, voice wavering. "That is why that line is there. Back in the old days of the Order, Jedi were completely forbidden to form such emotional attachments, as they became a burden that caused many to fall to the Dark Side, like Darth Vader. It made him almost completely destroy the Jedi Order completely. Because he fell in love."

To her question of the Sith's passion, he nodded, "Sith encourage such emotion. They are right in saying that emotion unlocks their potential. Really, emotion does make you stronger...it just makes you too difficult to control, too. You become corrupted by the power at your fingertips. You lose your better judgement because passion clouds your mind. Jedi have to hold themselves back a little bit so they don't lose control over their abilities. The Sith...well, that's why most are monsters who want to see the galaxy burn. To them, the galaxy is just their playground full of people to destroy, corrupt, and influence, while they sit on the thrones of steel at the very top."


[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza swallowed softly, biting her lip as she swept her gaze back down to the floor. She could feel the depth of Krux’s words, resonating with a past she didn’t know of and was too afraid to ask about. Something had to change in the man for him to come to the Light Side, but as far as she knew it wasn’t as common as those from the Light Side falling to the dark. The temptation wasn’t as strong, or perhaps not there at all. She wanted to know what his reasoning was, but it was not her right to know and she wanted to respect his privacy.

The way he put everything made it sound so…scary. Scary but real. Joza was grateful that he didn’t sugarcoat things, she’d rather be made uneasy by the raw truth of things, or so she told herself. But she couldn’t stop thinking about how love tied into this. A brief memory from the long night she’d spent on Zeltros with a young man flashed in her head, but she willed it away. “On Zeltros, love is a good thing.” She spoke softly, her voice reflecting the conflicting thoughts she was having. But she didn’t fully understand the difference between infatuation and love.

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as she played her earlier words over in her head. At first she didn’t understand how love could have such a destructive power. And then, she recalled watching visiting women become angry with their men for succumbing to the charms and pheromones of the pink women of Zeltros. At least where she worked, anyway. But wasn’t it the same? “Love” could give way to hurt, betrayal and jealously. Almost like a magnifier of emotions. And in the hands of a powerful Jedi…

“I’m sorry you had your heart broken.” All of the information he had given her to think about, and this was the only thing she could say. Still, she was sincere, speaking in a soft voice. Even without her empathetic abilities, she could tell that his thoughts were troubling to him.

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

"Love...is a good thing. Heartbreak is not. It's destructive. Destructive enough where the Jedi of older times felt forced to outlaw love entirely to eliminate any possibility of heartbreak. That didn't work. The Silver Sanctum Coalition realizes this, so we do not outlaw it. Hell, the Grandmaster has a wife and two kids. It's...just a matter of self-control, which is hard to fully grasp." he could hear the uneasiness in her voice, and even the sincerity of her final words. He couldn't help but crack a smile under his mask as he looked toward the ground again.

"I am too. But it's a problem I face another day. I will be ready when the time comes...I am sure of it."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza hummed in thought, clasping her hands behind her back. So love wasn’t the problem? It was what could come from love. Well, one of the outcomes, anyway. Her thoughts drifted back again to the dark-haired young man she had met on Zeltros, their discussion of the Jedi and Sith, and what had…followed after. She was aware enough to know how volatile her own emotions were, but only as aware as a teenager could be. And in a way she didn’t realize, she was intimidated by her own feelings. She admired how Krux seemed to have such control over his own.

But it could be done, she figured, as Krux had mentioned. Tilting her head to the side, she allowed herself to dream for a moment, of a happy, complete family she could make for her own. She wanted to give any children she had a more stable upbringing than her own.

“I imagine that Voss is probably different than…what you’re used to?” She cleared her throat, referencing the capital planet of The Silver Sanctum Coalition. “I’ve never actually been there myself. But I hear that it’s beautiful, more tranquil and…not covered in lava and noxious air.” She chuckled softly as the last few words left her lips. Really, why did they choose to build a temple here? The Silvers had it right.

[member="Krux Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Krux chuckled as well in full agreement. "I often wonder the same thing. I imagine it has to do with hiding. I'm sure the Sith didn't think the New Jedi Order would build on such a hellish world. But yes, Voss is one of the most tranquil worlds i've ever seen. It's lovely there. Perfect place for a Jedi to find the peace he strives for. You could come around someday. I'm sure the Sanctum wouldn't mind" he said, nodding.

[member="Joza Perl"]