Private Not One, But Two

[Iris Arani]

Denon showed her a lot. About what it meant to be a Jedi without being a Jedi. How to help people without relying on the Force, on her Lightsaber. It made her stronger. Even now she could feel how much stronger she was. Strength in her limbs she didn't think she'd get back after her injuries. Iris let out a sigh, lowering herself from the pull up bar she'd been working out on. Slowly, carefully. Arms tense to finish the last rep. Then she basically plopped down with a sigh and closed her eyes.

Daily exercises, accompanying her daily drills with her lightsaber to at least keep up her skill.

She more or less lived in a small apartment on Denon. More or less because it was an abandoned building she was squatting in, and because she lived more on Coruscant still. This was her temporary abode while she tried to fight crime. In between helping Silas and Cailen train for the coming war. At least without college she wasn't working herself too hard. Too hard. She lifted up her datapad, glancing through reports in the local area. Nothing stood out. Not yet.

They're probably be something later tonight.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Test

"Good to see you've kept up with the training, Iris."

While Iris went through the last reps, Valery had been standing in the doorway, watching quietly as her Padawan pushed herself to her limits. In the past, it would have been a strange sight, having Iris of all people focus so much on getting stronger physically and with her lightsaber. But ever since she had shown a desire for it, Valery sent drills, training instructions, and advice for her diet to help her out along the way.

It was especially necessary now that she had been focusing so much on her own training again.

For a while now, she had been training alone or with the Mandalorians, and it was starting to show. Somehow, she looked even stronger, felt stronger and her demeanor had changed a little. There was less brightness to her smile, and an even greater intensity burned within her eyes. The familiar face of her Padawan, who she cared for greatly, did help her adjust to being away from hard training a little, but she was perhaps changing in irreversible ways.

Despite it, she finally did offer Iris a smile that had a warmth to it.

"It has been a while, how have you been? And the others?"

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris practically jumped out of her skin.

She hadn't expected Valery to show up here of all places. Not on Denon. And certainly not without her knowing. She had some defenses set up here. Even bothered Zoar for some tips on how to make sure her blind spots were covered. Then again, well. It shouldn't of been a surprise that it was her Master that snuck in. Not the former shadow. Not the Sword. The brief stint of nerves faded as she offered a faint smile in return.

"I've been good. The others are keeping up, best they can."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Test

"I'm glad to hear it," Valery said as she approached, and stopped only a few inches away from her Padawan. Her hands came up to the sides of Iris' shoulders, and she clearly looked her Padawan up and down for a moment. A chuckled followed that turned into a brief but tight hug. "You look good, really strong as well."

Stepping back, she was clearly not just happy to see Iris again, but proud as well because of how much she was growing in a relatively short amount of time.

"I know I've put a lot of responsibility on you, and you've handled it so well. But now that I'm here, I figured it's time to teach you something new that can keep you busy for a while," Valery continued while she looked around the room for a moment. "I want to finally start your Jar'kai training."

"Just... we'll have to find a better place than this apartment of yours."

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

Well, at least there wasn't a lecture about the whole.. Vigilante thing. Not yet anyway. A smile did form, though. More honest, more thrilled. So she at least looked like she was improving. Was she, though? Question of the hour, but something to ask about later. The smile turned nervous as she glanced to the 'apartment', nodding slowly. Incredibly slowly. This was a.. Place, for sure.

".. Okay. Um. Lead the way I guess..? .. Jar'kai though. .. Wait, how did your training go? How are you doing? How were the Mandalorians?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"I'm doing alright, the training isn't over yet and has been taxing, but helpful," Valery said as she glanced around the apartment, taking note of a few things, before moving back out into the street. She made sure not to betray her thoughts, but she certainly had an opinion about what she was seeing and one she intended to share to some extent.

"What is all this about, Iris?" she finally asked as they stepped away from the building. "The apartment, you being on Denon of all places. Even your training — what has sparked the change?" Valery asked with a mostly neutral tone of voice. She didn't mind Iris being anywhere if the reasoning was sound, but she did want to know.

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

".. I don't want anyone to get hurt again. Not like I have been. So I've been training, as much as I can. There's a school here, for martial arts. That's why I'm here, yep." Absolutely no other reason, nope.

"For Silas, Cailen. And the others."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"Hmm." Valery hummed and let out a soft sigh, "Then perhaps I was wrong."

She stopped in the empty street that ran along the side of the apartment and many other buildings, turned around, and looked at Iris with disappointment in her eyes. Not the warmth from before or the proud smile she had when they traveled to Enclave space to deal with the Zombie threat.

"I can tell when you're lying, and while I don't know why or what you're trying to conceal, you should know better than this. You've been my Padawan for a long time, yet even the slightest bit of freedom and responsibility can't be handled maturely, and even honesty towards me is too much to ask for now?" She frowned and looked at the apartment building.

"We're going back to Coruscant, this Apartment will be sold or given up, and things are going to change." She turned around again but began to move to the nearest taxi point. "You'll be staying at the Temple, and we'll train and work from there."

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris blinked. Slowly.

This wasn't a color she was used to seeing. At all. No, she didn't even like it. The color alone was upsetting. What Valery said next more so. "I- Huh? Wha- No- Wait hold on! I'm not leaving, Master. I might be hiding things, but I'm not hiding them without reason. You can't just come back after leaving for your own training when there's war just around the corner and treat me like I'm a child. I'm getting stronger, to protect your other Padawans, who I've been training. Why don't you trust me?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"Treat you like a child?" Valery raised an eyebrow but remained calm while she continued. "The relationship between a Master and Padawan relies on trust, and I've trusted you to look after the others while I was gone for a little while. That's part of life, the Jedi life," she stressed.

"I can't always be here, and you will experience it yourself one day when you're a Knight. Sometimes assignments or training separate you from your students for some time and they must be able to stay focused. But you're hiding things, and I don't care if you have a reason for it. I put my trust in you, a lot of trust because I felt you were ready for more responsibilities, and I expect you to trust me as well."

She paused and looked at the taxi, "You are leaving, Iris, unless you can give me a very good reason as to why you're here. An honest reason. If you can't give me that, after everything we've been through and accomplished together, you haven't earned the trust to be responsible for others."

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"While we're off fighting wars, the people here have to deal with drug barons selling Spice in their streets. A Jedi's help won't do anything, not here, not right now. So I've been helping, where I can, without people knowing who I am."

Fine. She didn't want to say anything, because of the others she involved. Especially because of the others she involved. It was their secret to reveal, and she certainly wasn't going to. Her eyes focused on Valery's, surprisingly calm. And determined.

"That's all I can tell you, Master."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

Without people knowing who she is? Valery raised an eyebrow but it wasn't that hard to piece things together. She was here to help people, which didn't surprise Valery at all — Iris' intentions had always been good. But the method was visibly something that bothered her.

"So you believe you're above the law, then?"

She let it linger for a second but continued, "I don't need you to tell me more. I know enough to tell you that it's going to stop," she said, her voice giving no indication that it was up for being challenged. "I know you have good intentions, but wanting to help people should never put you in a position where you believe it's justified to put yourself above others, and I understand how difficult it is for people here, and in other parts of the Galaxy." While Jedi were allowed to break the law in extreme circumstances, it was always paired with the knowledge that they'd also have to accept the consequences of those actions.

"But it's so crucial that those who enforce the law and stop these terrible people can be held accountable for their actions as well. If you run around, acting like a vigilante, that's no longer possible, and it's wrong."

She paused a moment and let out a soft sigh.

"You don't want to be treated like a child, so it's time that you start acting responsibly. We're going back to the Temple, and this little Denon adventure is over."

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I am not above anyone, Master. The laws on Denon put those with money above everyone else. And put the people who need the Jedi's help in a position where we can't legally do anything. I will break any law that makes someone suffer, if it means I can help ease that suffering."

Iris closed her eyes for a moment before glancing back to the little abandoned building she'd been living in, on and off. And smiled, faintly.

"If that still deserves punishment, though, I understand. I'll go back with you and accept whatever you deem necessary. Just know that I don't regret anything I've done here, and given the chance, I will come back and do it again. The people here need help." And others who put their trust in her. Ah, Corin Trenor will likely be annoyed that she stopped coming around.

He'll have to forgive her.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"You're not getting punished for wanting to help these people, Iris, but I am very much questioning the methods you're using to do it. You can't take matters into your own hands when it suits your needs and hide behind some mask to avoid being held accountable. What if you mess up and things go terribly wrong?" She asked with a frown.

"You have a choice, either you're a Jedi, or you're a vigilante - there's no mixing them."

This time she turned as the taxi arrived, and gestured for Iris to take a seat with her. Once inside, she relaxed and made sure the droid pilot would bring them to the spaceport.

"There are many other ways to help these people that aren't illegal, and I'm putting my trust in you that you're not going to return here behind my back to do this again. If you want to help these people but don't know how without breaking integral parts of being a Jedi, come to me and we can figure something out together. That's what I'm for - to help guide you, but I can't do that if you go behind my back and lie straight to my face."

That was perhaps what hurt her the most — not the fact that she was trying to help people, and her methods were flawed, but that she lied to the one person who was there to help her.

After a moment of silence, she let out a soft sigh, "For now, we have other training and assignments to focus on, but if you want to help make a difference here on Denon, let me help you, okay?" she asked, and now her more gentle side returned again. At the end of the day, she wasn't here to just scold her Padawan — she genuinely wanted to help.

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you everything." Those were different. They had to be different, at least in Iris's mind. Everyone had reasons not to say everything in their heads. It's why she never pushed, not unless she thought it was important. But, she nodded. Frowned. The Padawan took a seat in the taxi, once more glancing to the brief base she'd made here.

".. How can we help people who need it when the rules get in the way? The people here, the laws in place, they're corrupt. Obviously corrupt. Why can't we just do what needs to be done?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"Please. You told me you were here for a martial arts school. You were lying," Valery said with an unamused roll of her eyes. Even if there actually was such a school, it didn't change anything, and it would be in Iris' interest not to argue this. Turning her eyes to the city skyline, Valery sighed and finally relaxed in her chair a little.

Sometimes training Padawans really was demanding.

"The planet is in Alliance territory, so civilians are protected under their law. The local laws could be troubling, but it's more like what you said — corruption. The laws might not always be the problem, but those who are supposed to enforce it don't, and look the other way when shady business is handled here."

She paused and looked at Iris, "You can try to stop as many criminals or help as many individuals as you'd like here, but nothing will change until the root of the problem is addressed." She suggested somewhat indirectly the investigation of law enforcers, which could be done without breaking laws.

"As for why you can't just do what you feel needs to be done - it's because of what I said, you put yourself above the law, above those who do enforce it, and even the people you're trying to protect. You go down the rabbit hole of justifying any actions to do what you believe is right, and in your case, it's masked too, so you can't be held accountable for when you mess up." she tried to explain.

"There are plenty of cases where people try to get justice themselves, take matters into their own hands, and create complete catastrophes."

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Then how does anything get done? This planet, Denon has been this way for years, Master. Years. We've been so busy with the wars that these people don't even feel like they matter, that they're worth the Jedi's time. We can't ignore them. But how can we handle the corrupt laws in place? How do we go about removing those people that doesn't take forever? That doesn't involve political schemes where they can make it drag on for years? These people needed help years ago, they can't wait any longer."

Maybe it was just a bandaide, but Iris truly didn't see another path forward to help the people who needed it. "I don't wear a mask for me. If they knew a Jedi was here, the gangs, they'd only make the people suffer more. At least with a mask they can hate it. With the mask, they can't just target people and think it'll stop me."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"Years? Planets like Denon and Coruscant have had an underworld for thousands of years," Valery said with a frown. "Jedi have been involved, and many figures have acted as vigilantes believing they can make a difference where others fail, but nothing much has changed because, at the end of the day, there are always people who commit crimes, always corrupt law enforcers who make it worse." Valery paused a moment to let the reality of the Galaxy sink in a moment.

"It has, however, improved some over time, but slowly. What you think is helping just provides short-term solutions to small-scale problems, but you change nothing about what happens on his planet," Valery continued before she addressed the final point Iris tried to make.

"The gangs don't give a damn whether it's a Jedi or not. What do you think will happen when news of a masked Vigilante stopping criminals daily spreads around? You might as well have been a Jedi in their eyes, or a 'hero of the people', and they will still turn those citizens against you and others who do the same thing. Your mask changes nothing, and all you do is waste your time thinking you're helping, while the actual problems are never addressed because it's too slow in your opinion."

"There is simply no easy or quick solution to help these people completely, there never will be. It's not something to be happy about, but you realize what reality is like if you want to change it. We can help them with supplies and acts of kindness as Jedi without breaking the law, but changing the criminal underworld is a whole different beast."

Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris blinked. She was quiet for a moment. Not being able to help people, the people who needed help now, it was frustrating. Super frustrating. There were people suffering that needed help, but there's nothing she can do that will actually help in the long term? She shook her head. Frowned. "I don't care about the criminal underworld. It's the people at top. The Corpo's on Denon that just let these gangs run around, keep people oppressed. They need us, Master. Not to bring them food or supplies, but to make sure they can sleep in their own homes safely. I can't tell you how many times I had to stop intruders in people's homes because Corpo wanted to save money on security or local law enforcement."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Denon

"Both are the problem," Valery tried to reason, "Just because the Corpos don't do enough to stop the criminals doesn't mean the underworld should be left unaddressed. You should care about the underworld, as it's far more influential than you might imagine, and even if laws were properly enforced, many of the same issues would still happen. Things that happen here could have been sparked by decisions on the opposite side of the Galaxy, and vice versa."

She leaned back in her chair and looked out the window as the spaceport came into view for them both to see, "But again, I'm not worried about you wanting to help people, it's the methods that must change. We'll come back to Denon and I'll help you in ways that can have a more profound impact on the people. But we have other things to attend to first."

Iris Arani ​