On Sharp Seas and Dusty Tides (Teynara)

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Three. No, four. He was certain of the number now. Their feet continued to kick up minute amounts of dust around their feet as they started moving again. They'd been surprised at his striking out against one of them, but that didn't last long enough for him to take real advantage of it. They were all four moving again, shifting around them at the behest of their dead masters. This was certainly not in their favor, but at least he was aware of what they were up against.

With his back to her, even though she spoke, he didn't immediately notice that she was offering him her lightsaber for his use. He didn't dare shift his attention away from the creatures because they would strike if he did. In fact, they were now starting to close in upon them, and he knew that they were each going to strike at the same time, which meant that he wasn't going to be able to fully fend them off, regardless of what he did.

"I have no intention of doing harm to them. I hope to free them and convince them to accept me instead. You may need that, yourself. I can't promise I'll be able to hold all of them off."

Here they came. His speaking to her had made them think that he was distracted and now they were attacking. He unleashed blasts of the Force that sent two scattering away, and twisted about in time to jab his armored arm out near her head, catching the jaws of one on the duraplas and armorweave bracers. Teeth gnawed at it, rending the material slowly and he knew it was going to eventually break through.

"On your right, another is charging. Protect us from it."

Her concern was touching. Few possessed such truthful feelings towards him. The Sith amongst his order only said for him not to die because he was useful, not because they actually cared about his well-being. It was easy to see that she was genuine in what she said.

The one biting his armored arm was now visible. These were not friendly looking creatures by any means. He reached his other hand over and placed it on the creatures head, reaching into its mind. Now he was completely vulnerable, and he had to rely on her knowledge of the Force to keep them safe for the moment. If she could do that, then he could lessen the threat against them, he was certain.

Inside it's mind he found the link and severed it. The spirits no longer controlled the creature, but it was still as dangerous as it was before. Though it briefly stopped biting, it turned back to it in short order before. He began to cloud it's mind, confusing it with images that exhibited feelings. He was impressing a feeling of desire, of harmony, of comfort, of feeling fed and we'll cared for. Mixing them with clouding of its mind caused it to stop biting and back away. It shook it's head, but he continued.

"Almost.... Don't let them bite you."

This one stopped suddenly, looked at him, and lay down upon the ground. Yes. He'd done it. One converted. A new ally on the field. He'd entered it's mind and given it a taste of what it could have if it bent itself to his will. He'd pressed it's mind, giving it little choice, and he'd clouded it to keep the spirits away. They now had a Hssiss on their side and only three more to deal with.

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

That he had declined use of her lightsaber was mildly surprising - Teynara had frankly not imagined a Sith to have qualms about killing in his own defense, but this one apparently sought more peaceful resolution. And yet I am the one contemplating violence. The irony of that felt unescapable, but Ignus perhaps had means available to him that ensured another path. Tey couldn't even sense the creatures coming, and had only their physical indicators to go by. Nor can I touch their minds, as he is, and try to push them away from attacking.

She frankly got the impression that a burst of calming energy would probably do little more than enrage them further. These were creatures steeped in the Dark Side, and her abilities would undoubtedly be anathema to them. And so, one must fight aggression with some of your own.

Her lightsaber dropped to her lap, a sudden sharp weight that the Healer was barely cognizant of as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. The Jedi path taught their adherents that the way to the Force was through calm, a level of inner peace that could only be achieved by patient practice and strong mental discipline. You had to let go of your self, relax the ego that constituted you, and simply open yourself to the energies around you. She'd always been taken by a simple metaphor: if you are a jug, the Force being water, then one must empty the jug before the Force can fill it. To muddy those waters with her own thoughts and emotions was to push the Force aside.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as the Force made contact, though she felt utterly disembodied by the feeling, almost the way you might when a light anaesthetic was starting to kick in and have an effect. Her nerves tingled as though she had just been subject to a mild electrical shock, but the feeling of warmth that suffused her was a pleasant sensation, one she'd always enjoyed, even as it scared her, just a little.

A roar came from close by, an animal jumping to the attack, full of rage and predatory instinct. She could feel it now, though her eyes would not have seen it even had they been open: a shape full of concentrated energy about to let go, an instinct that simply had one intention and, behind it, she suspect, was a darker intent still that did not belong to the creature that now housed it. Perhaps we're both playing conduit today, she thought distantly.

Energy flowed from her now, her hand pushing outward to grasp at something her fingers could not touch. The Force whispered through her senses and showed her a way, and it was this that she reached for. A boulder, perhaps slightly bigger than her own head, struggled against forces trying to rip it from the ground, shuddering and casting dust all around it, before finally being yanked away by some invisible force. A firm wave of her hand and it was cast forward at speed, tearing through the air along the path that she sensed that feral hostility coming from, hurtling to meet it with a little hostile intent of its own.

When an unstoppable object meets an immovable one... she thought idly...

The rock struck something, the impromptu weapon veering off suddenly, as though deflected by another solid object. The Hssiss became visible at that moment, the point of contact perhaps knocking loose whatever was causing that remarkable camoflage. Stunned, but neither rendered unconscious nor dead, she noticed. It was sizeable, dark scales rising at sharp angles to offer a menacing appearance, only enhanced by intelligent reptilian eyes and sharp teeth obvious in a jaw that was, even now, being shaken side to side as it tried to bypass the lethargy that no doubt sought to give in to the sudden sharp pain that has assailed it.

Not so easy to protect yourself against, huh?, she thought with mild dismay, noting that her attack had not stopped the creature, but rather only delayed it. Part of her hoped that it might now withdraw, but Ignus had said the Hssiss were being encouraged on by spirits that wanted her dead. An unintelligent mind would back away, fearing pain. One driven by malevolent will would simply drive forward, to kill that which hurt it.

Should have known it wouldn't be so easy...

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

This was difficult, even for him. The most he'd ever succeeded in taking on at a single time, wild minds that is, was two, and those two had not been influenced by ancient Sith spirits. Arus and Milan were both back on the ship resting. He'd chosen not to bring them out because he hadn't thought it necessary, and because he didn't want the spirits trying to get into their minds to alter his impressions upon them. Loyal though the two were, all beings of a non-sentient nature were capable of having their loyalties diswayed away from their present master. It was unfortunate, but it was the truth, and he hadn't been about to let that happen.

With one creature now under his control, he stood back in front of Teynara and surveyed the others. The two he'd sent away had risen and were coming back. The third, he noticed, was standing in stunned confusion. Having not seen what she'd done, he couldn't surmise how she'd accomplished this task. Not that it truthfully mattered. The only part that mattered was the fact that it wasn't now gnawing on her face. That would be most unfortunate because he had to admit she was rather pleasing to look at, which made talking to her all the easier.

Reaching his hand down, he pulled off the now crushed bracer and examined it for a moment. It had held, briefly, but he could see where the teeth had gotten through the duraplas and were threatening to break through the tikulini hide beneath it. He'd need to have a new set of bracers made just in case. Tossing the useless trinket aside, he turned his attention back to the three other Hssiss that were on the battlefield. Each was just as dangerous as the next. Together they were enough danger that a sensible person should probably have fled from them. He wouldn't do that, though, not when there was something to gain, and not when doing so would leave Teynara to fend for herself.

A snap of his fingers and the Hssiss he conquered rose. He pointed to where one of the advancing ones was and the creature turned itself invisible before streaking towards it. The two of them would tangle, which would leave him and Teynara to deal with the other two. One was already susceptible to him thanks to her attack. Its mind was clouded with lethargic swirls of confusion thanks to being slammed by the boulder. He could take advantage of that if he could hold the fourth one at bay as well. If. This was no small task and was going to show him just how capable he was as a Sith.

"Keep your eye on the two that are fighting. If the one I control loses tell me."

By now the two should be visible, their attentions on fighting and killing each other. He hoped his would come out on top, but their relative strengths were similar. It was a game of chance he played with that altercation, but every encounter in life was a game of chance. Situations could change in a heart beat. One moment you were sitting on a rock enjoying a pleasant conversation with a rather remarkable Jedi, and the next you were fighting alongside her in defense of your lives from creatures that could kill you with a single bite. Not something either of them could have anticipated, though he'd known the Spirits would not be friendly to her.

First he reached out to the free roaming one and unleashed a bout of the Force upon it, assaulting its mind in a way that attacked the firing neurons within. Effectively, he deadened every sense it had. It was unable to see, feel, hear, taste, or smell its surroundings. It wasn't as potent as he would have liked, and would only last a short time, but it would do for a brief reprieve, as the creature came to a stop because it could no longer tell what it was doing. Even the will of the spirits wouldn't be able to make it move when it couldn't understand what was happening around it.

This was tiresome for him, however, and he fell to a knee, breathing deep beneath the mask. He wasn't used to this much strain on his body. Weakness. He'd have to work on that. Still, he reached out to the dazed one then and began the same process as he'd used on the one he'd taken control of earlier. First he broke the spirits hold upon the creature. Even as powerful as they were, they were confined to the temple itself, and their reach was not insurmountable. That and he was stronger than them. So much had been gained in the time between their height of power and his own that they couldn't begin to be as strong as him.

It would only take a few more moments...

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

Her eyes flashed open as she heard Ignus speak to her once more, warning her to keep an eye on the Hssiss that he had someone managed to force under his control. That in itself was remarkable: few Jedi would have considered dominating the mind of another living creature, whether sentient or not, but this person had done so without second though - and, perhaps more importantly, he had done so successfully. Even though danger was upon them, Teynara could not help but appreciate that moment of insight.

That Ignus was doing the greater share of the work here was bothersome to her, but he had a level of connection to this place that she did not, as well as skills more likely to be of use in such circumstances. Her focus had always been on the more benign arts that the Jedi could offer - she had some skills in telekinesis and with a lightsaber (though those felt considerably more limited now she was in her hoverchair), but the healing arts had been her focus from early on, and they felt of little use here.

Lucky for me that the Sith is feeling in a benign mood.

Teynara could only but sense that Ignus was doing, unable to see any overt actions on his part, beyond the odd concentrated blast of burst telekinetic energy striking forth from his hands to attack one of the Hssiss. It was an interesting application of the skill, and one she might have to try upon her return to Voss. Certainly wouldn't hurt to have a little extra surprises available to me. She might even have to ask him how that was done, though perhaps it was that their powers sprang from such different sources that she would have as much trouble with that as he might with her healing abilities.

Ignus dropped to one knee and she could feel his struggle through the Force. It was one of the dangers of drawing upon the body's innate reservoir of Force energy: though you could draw more from the environment around you, every use of it ultimately cost you to some extent, and so the more of it you used, the more drained you would become. She remembered her first few lessons with manipulating the Force back on Tython: the exercises she'd conducted had drained her such that she'd slept for twelve hours straight that night. Stamina in such a respect grew over time and with practice, but she sensed that the Sith was rapidly approaching a limit of some form.

The blonde woman touched her hand to the control yoke of her hoverchair and pushed it forward to bring her to rest beside Ignus. There wasn't much she could do to help with the fight, but she could help with this. At his height, it was an easy thing for Teynara to reach out and touch him, even though he was kneeling on the dusty ground beneath them. Her left hand moved to rest on his right shoulder, the soft light-green fabric of her sleeve brushing back a little where it made contact with his armour.

"Just relax. This won't hurt a bit," she said reassuringly, gathering some of her own energies and drawing them to her centre, into what she often thought of as her energetic core. It took little effort to begin drawing on the Force energy that existed beyond her, gathering it into her cells in the same way that a single breath drew oxygen into the lungs, and then sent it all throughout the body. This, she'd often felt, worked much the same way, though it did not need to focus upon any particular area of the body, rather suffusing it in its entirety.

A soft breath, then she projected, pushing the energy outward from her core and up towards her shoulder, then down into her arm, along her wrist and jumping the microscopic gap that existed between her hand and the cold metallic armour that covered the young Sith. A soft light glowed around her hand as she did so, allowing her energy to flow into him to revitalise and refresh him, to banish some of the fatigue from his limbs and stabilise the energy that he was himself using to do...whatever it was that Ignus was doing.

It was a Healer's art, but perhaps the most appropriate thing she might do at that moment. If she could not use her own energy to fight, at least she could offer it to him so that the Sith might.

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

What she did gave him what he needed. This woman acted out of kindness, and necessity, and concern. It was truly a remarkable thing to behold, though he didn't have the time to dwell on it at that particular moment. If someone had been watching them, they certainly would have found this whole scenario disconcerting. On one hand, you had a Sith doing what a Sith did. On the other hand, you had a Jedi doing what a Jedi did. Together, they were assisting each other in staying alive, while staving off the natural realm around them, as it was being egged on by darkside forces that wanted them both erased from existence.

This was how it should be. Though each embodied their own belief, their own side of the Force, together they brought it together and made it one. With their combined efforts, they proved that it was possible for them to live and work in harmony with one another. Ignus, a creature of habit and darkness, was a master of beasts. He did not enjoy killing, and only did it when necessary, but he felt no qualms when doing it. His darkness was a thirst for power that he equated to necessity for making the Force whole again. Teynara was the curious embodiment of the light, using her powers to keep him whole.

"Thank you."

He took a deep breath and focused again, slamming his willpower into the brain of the Hssiss and ultimately rending it unable to accept anything but his dominion. Then he turned it upon the one that was in stasis. No, he would not kill the creatures himself, but with two of them now thoroughly on their side, it was safe to say he could spend less energy by having them fight each other rather than fighting them all himself.

A hand reached up and gave hers a pat as he remained knelt down before her. She'd given him plenty of energy, but he was choosing to remain as relaxed as he possibly could for the moment in order to keep energy in reserve in case the Hssiss managed to fail to defeat the controlled ones. Speaking of the battles, he turned his gaze towards the initial creature he'd taken control of. It was fairing alright, though it was wounded. Neither beast seemed to have the advantage over the other. With that in mind, he reached out again, and used his connection to the Force to cloud the senses of the spirit controlled creature, giving his the advantage. The two Hssiss he now controlled would make short work of the creatures that could no longer sense their surroundings.

"Always so tiring when I do these things. I've never had to do it in such an intense situation before."

Shifting, he put both knees on the ground and sat back onto his calves.

"Always in dangerous situations when dealing with dangerous creatures, but never so outnumbered and when dealing with thralled creatures. An unintended test of my abilities."

Turning his head, he looked at her, now confident that they would be fine so long as the spirits didn't have any more Hssiss to throw at them. He didn't expect them to have an arsenal of creatures, and was honestly surprised that they'd had Hssiss. Granted, they'd had to have had some way of taking care of those that had ventured to the place before. After all, few had ever left Krayiss that had come to it in search of the temple.

"Are you alright?"

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

As the Sith continued with the use of his manipulations, Teynara relinquished her contact with him and sat back in her chair, exhaling softly. It wasn't overly tiresome, to offer her energies as she had, just something that required a depth of concentration that was somewhat difficult to step back from, a mental fog that needed a moment to dissipate before clarity could once again be sought. At least it's not as bad as proper healing, the blonde thought reflectively. That often leaves me with one hell of a headache.

Then again, maybe it would have been worse if anyone other than a Healer tried that one - she honestly couldn't say for sure. They were all trained to be able to sit or stand for long periods of time, channelling energy into their patient as a means of promoting healing that standard medicine might not be able to do nearly as effectively. Although that sometimes means spending a dozen hours sitting next to a patient, practically as unconscious as they are, she thought with amusement, her mind slowly beginning to clear.

One deep breath: a slow inhale, a pause of a handful of seconds, then an equally slow exhale. It was practically the first thing the Jedi were taught in Temple: how to regain one's inner equilibrium. Of course, for newer students, it took considerably more than just a few heartbeats and a breath, but with practice, it became far easier. Teynara felt herself feeling far calmer just from such a simple thing, all sense of concern over their lives pushed aside as she found her sense of inner psychological balance.

"I'm fine, thank you," she murmured breathlessly, less from exhaustion and more just slowly emerging from that inner introspection long enough to realise that Ignus had spoken to her. Amusing that he's asking after my health when he's the one that was dropping from exhaustion. The young Sith had an interesting sense of irony, but it was nice that he was still observing the courtesies.

The Hssiss were continuing to battle amongst themselves, spurred on no doubt by Ignus' powers, though part of her did wonder why the Sith didn't simply kill them quickly, cleanly. It might, perhaps, have been better than this: turning them on each other. Perhaps the acquisition of a new target or the pain that ensues from their fight clears their senses of the spirits urging them on. She couldn't say, but then she felt that she still had a very limited understanding of how those spirits worked, and just what they were capable of.

"It's always a little odd using your skills in the field for the first time," Teynara remarked, her voice strengthening, though her grey-blue eyes did not deviate from the scene before her, knowing well that the spirits might regain control over the Hssiss at any moment and send them rushing back to attack the two Force Users. "Aside from when teaching, I've always found it to be the sort of time when you learn the most about your abilities. You have to adjust the theory to match the situation. You should feel good that you're coping with it," she finished.

Though, frankly, Teynara had no idea whether that was even appropriate for a Sith: Jedi were encouraged to be proud of their actions, insofar as they needed to take responsibility for them, but humility was always at the forefront of their minds. A Jedi who is arrogantly proud is one who will invariably open themselves up to having that pride exploited. As for the Sith? Was it their way to enjoy what they were capable of, or were they more self-recriminating in their quest for perfection, always angry at not being able to achieve more? She honestly couldn't say for sure.

"You did well with the Hssiss," she said, offering a little praise even though it was unlikely that a Jedi had ever thought to do that with a Sith before. "But if the spirits want us gone, or me in particular, I can't help but feel we should either leave and deny them another shot, or go and deal with the problem at the source." The blonde woman looked at her young Sith companion speculatively. "I suppose it depends how much of a challenge you feel up to."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Getting into the temple is nigh impossible. The only exposed portion is the obelisk."

He pointed to it briefly, as if reminding her it was there, but then turned his mind back to the Hssiss. One of his had managed to kill its opponent and was now moving to assist the other. One dead creature, three living. Two under his control. He could feel the spirits trying to retake control, but he reached out to his two in turn and shielded their minds from their influence. These were his now. They belonged to him. They might as well have been his children, for all intents and purposes. He would not allow the spirits to harm them. Nor would he allow them to harm Teynara. Perhaps she was right that they should leave.

"I am what you might call a Beast Master," he said as he turned towards her. "I tame creatures because I enjoy their company. Beasts such as these have simple wants and desires and are easy to appease. They are less prone to stabbing you in the back than sentient beings are."

Reaching his hands upward, he undid the clasps of his helmet where they connected to the hide armor. A small gout of air would resonate from within, and he waited a moment or two for that to complete before fully undoing the clasps. A nudge back sent the hood falling down to his back and then he lifted the helm off completely, fully revealing his face to her. This was something he would not normally ever do. It was dangerous for people to see who he was, because they might then associate him with the CEO of Ignus Industries, and the company wouldn't be able to continue doing what it did, which was providing goods at reasonable prices to whomever needed them.

But he trusted her with seeing who he was. Ignus was a name, but it wasn't his birth name. It was the name he had chosen fro himself because of his devious nature, but also because he saw himself, a little sardonically, as a light in the darkness because of what his end goals were. Sith, yes. But not all Sith were pure evil. He didn't consider himself evil, except perhaps as a necessary form of it at times.

"My real name is Leos Palle, Teynara. I figure you ought to know that."

The other enemy controlled Hssiss was now dead and his two approached now. He could feel them coming, so he turned towards them and stared them down. They stopped a few paces away, wavering, and then lowered themselves to the ground. He didn't take his eyes from theirs. When each averted their gaze, he knew they were firmly under his control and had subjugated themselves to him. These were now his pets and companions. They would have a better life with him than they would have with the darkside spirits that inhabited this place. Trapped here with nothing but darkness for companionship. A drab existence at best.

Turning back to her, he lofted a brow.

"What do you wish to do? Do you want to seek entry or would you prefer to leave. We could continue our conversation in space aboard my ship, if you wish. There is plenty of room aboard and I can assure you that my crew won't harm you."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

Should have known he would not have initially given me his real name, Teynara reasoned calmly, though she wasn't nearly as bothered by it as she would have thought. The Archives would have given her reason enough to suspect a pseudonym: how likely was it that any of the Sith used that 'Darth' title of theirs with their real name attached? Perhaps adopting a new name and casting off their old one is part and parcel of their training, she thought. Offering me his real name is a gesture of trust, though perhaps as much as hiding behind a fake name is a deception.

Then again, he'd also removed his helmet, and that allowed her to look him in the eyes for the first time. He wasn't some monstrous being, but a green-skinned Mirialan, looking as normal as did she. Well, almost: there was something unnatural about his eyes, the way they shone with a queer orange light, as though burning with some inner fire that she could only speculate upon. If nothing else proved him a Sith, that would be sufficient, she thought, knowing it to be a common physical trait of those who were saturated by the energies of the Dark Side: not merely exposed to them, but having embraced them.

She couldn't entirely trust those eyes, nor the man they belonged to: whatever the civility of their conversation, and the co-operation they had both shown each other against the threat that had followed, they were both philosophically opposed to each other: enemies by virtue of their differing allegiances. Though the Sith were known to be brutal, merciless and entirely too ruthless in pursuit of their goals, there were those who were subtle, and tended towards patient machinations and charming manipulations. Could this all have been orchestrated to gain my trust?

As cynical as it was to think so, it wasn't something she could rule out.

Which course to take now? Proceed to try and find a way into a Temple that even Ignus was reluctant to enter? Part ways in civil discourse and be glad to have left in one piece? Or accept an offer that may well have been offered with deception in mind? Common sense screamed to get out of there, report her encounter to the Council, and stay away from Krayiss Two for the foreseeable future. And yet this is not an opportunity that I will ever gain again. That was the part which bothered her the most: if Ignus was on the level, she could stand to learn a great deal.

"If I accompany you, I want your word that I will be free to return to Voss at a time of my choosing, unharmed," she said sternly. Teynara desperately wanted her trust to be legitimised, a reflection of an actual reality rather than an illusion beneath which danger lurked. Of course, any manipulative Sith would give their word and simply retract it later, but she wanted it nonetheless. "I'm willing to come with you, but you must know I can't trust you completely, Leos," she continued, using his real name for the first time.

It was a holdover from the damaged relations between their two factions, she knew that, and perhaps in reflecting them, Teynara might disappoint his expectations of her, but caution was something firmly ingrained into the mind of every Jedi: it had to be, given that their every action might carry grave consequence. How many Jedi could truly say they had been extended an invitation to spend time aboard a Sith vessel, without being incarcerated, tortured or interrogated? It was such a rare opportunity...

As long as he didn't try to turn her into a pet, the way he had done with the Hssiss. If he does, he may find me a much sterner test, she reflected. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

If he hadn't known better he would have been insulted. But, she was right to suspect him. Not because he actually intended to double cross her, or because he was attempting to manipulate her, but because of what he was. If she lost that mistrust towards Sith, one of them would finish what the other had started, and she'd be lost to him altogether. That was something he could not bear the thought of. This was a special Jedi, and he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe so that they could talk. He enjoyed it. Talking with the other Sith was taxing, mundane, and typical. They all wanted power. They all wanted control. Teynara just wanted to learn and change the future. He liked that.

"You have my word you won't be harmed and that you are free to leave whenever you wish. As for the other, you are wise not to trust a Sith, and I don't expect to be trusted unless I earn it."

He rose then, tucking his helmet beneath his arm. Giving one last look to the obelisk, he dismissed it. The knowledge within was too difficult to reach, and had already proven to be an endeavor that would cost too greatly. With that in mind, he could not even guarantee that the knowledge held within was worth gaining. It could be nothing more than rhetoric, or something that was duplicated elsewhere. What he did know was that it wasn't safe for her there, and he didn't want her harmed. The safest bet was for them to leave that world and go somewhere safe to talk.

Beckoning for the Hssiss to rise, he ushered them ahead of them and then motioned for her to follow him as he started walking across the dusty landscape. He made absolutely certain to not move too quickly, as he didn't want to outdistance the pace of her chair. The Hssiss would keep them safe for the time being, and they seemed keen to do so. As the Eidolon wasn't parked too far away, they wouldn't have ample opportunity for the spirits to ambush them again. He suspected that since they were leaving, they would be left alone regardless. Though the spirits had lost the battle, they had essentially won the war by exhausting him and pushing them away from the Temple. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

As they neared the corvette, two other creatures sauntered out of the ship. Maalraas that slunk along the ground towards them. They neared the Hssiss and there was a lot of immediate hissing and growling and posturing.

"Arus. Milan. Enough. Let them past," he said to the two creatures.

Both balked at his command, but eventually moved aside and the Hssiss continued onwards. Milan loped over to him, walking beside him and eyeing the woman in the chair. She was the more protective of the two, and no doubt would keep an eye on the Jedi from then on out. If Teynara shifted her attention to her, and then looked back for the other, she would find that Arus had disappeared, cloaking himself in the Force as he trailed the two Hssiss. They were new and he didn't like new so he was going to make sure that the new kept themselves in line. Those three would enter the vessel ahead of the others.

When he entered, with Teynara and Milan, he ushered the Hssiss into a side chamber that he reserved for new acquisitions, and then instructed one of his crew, a Duro, to ensure that the creatures were fed and left largely alone. With that taken care of, he would lead Teynara further into the ship, Milan remaining at his side and Arus loping around them out of sight.

"Do you need a moment? I can offer use of one of the empty quarters if you do. Otherwise we can go to one of the lounges and relax."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

The presence of additional creatures only served to stir up further misgivings on Teynara's part: although Leos seemed comfortable with their presence, she had been witness to the actions that had caused the Hssiss to become...domesticated, and the Jedi could not but imagine that these other creatures - Maalraas, if she was any judge - had been dominated in much the same way. Leos seemed content with his power over them, and though he spoke kindly and firmly to them, she still could not shake off the fact that he had brought these creatures into their pet state through overriding their own natural will.

The Sith ship that loomed before her and rapidly came into view as the two moved briskly towards is was bigger than she'd expected: her own purposes were served by use of a simple shuttle with a basic hyperdrive that allowed her a modicum of independence, such that she wasn't cooped up on Voss unless that's where she wanted to be. And, right now, it might not be the worst idea to be home. The Corellian corvette in front of her looked to have been modified from what she understood of standard design specs: more streamlined, lacking a lot of the hull protrusions from the factory-issue design. She had to wonder what other modifications the Sith had made to the place.

They'd boarded the ship quickly enough, and rather than being met by a squad of troopers and escorted to an interrogation room, she found herself largely alone with the Sith, aside from the presence of one of the two Maalraas that had met them earlier. Ugly looking things, she noted on closer inspection, though from a scientific perspective, she had to admire the way they were very clearly built for stalking and predation: long curved claws that would easily disembowel prey, teeth that would serve as well for eating as for protection, and armoured scales that would function in the latter capacity with ease. And this is what you keep for a pet, Leos? There were definitely some unusual sides to the young Sith.

"I think relaxation might evade me a little here," the blonde noted in blunt reply to Leos' inquiry. True, he had been nothing but courteous to her so far, but lowering her guard would still be unwise, particularly since she was now formally in Sith territory. She'd returned her lightsaber to the compartment on the side of her hoverchair, but she was still conscious of the fact that she had it. "But I don't need any privacy for the moment, and your ship would likely not meet my needs if I did," she added.

Her own shuttle had been adjusted at her request to take her disabilities into account: most of the rooms she might use on a day-to-day basis had guardrails built into the walls that would allow her to move out of her chair for a little while, if she needed to, perhaps to haul herself into bed, or the sanisteam unit. The chairs in the cockpit were gone, too, and the etheric rudder pedals had been replaced by controls she could use by hand, since she couldn't depend on being able to use her feet to push against them, or slide them to one side. It seemed doubtful that the Sith ship would have any such amenities available for her use.

A little meditation wouldn't have hurt at this point, but that was often more a luxury than a necessity, so it could wait until they parted company and returned to her own ship - provided she was allowed to do so. As it was, she was eager to continue their conversation, but that sense of wanting to return to a state of normality persisted at the back of her thoughts, the way one might wish for silence in a crowded room, but never express that outloud in any fashion.

"You do have some curious hobbies," Teynara noted, turning her eyes briefly towards the Maalraas, before returning her gaze once more to the un-helmeted Leos, measuring him with her grey-blue eyes narrowed slightly. "I've never had pets, but as I understand it, most people seek out more benign creatures, and train them with conventional methods. What got you into doing so as you do?"

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Fair point. Not the most accessible of ships."

It hadn't been modified much. Mostly just the small things. Yes, he'd had it reupholstered because he liked comfort. It wasn't the worst thing in the world that he could have done, and even though it wasn't necessary, he rather enjoyed it. So did the crew when they weren't working. A happy crew made for a better functioning ship, so it, in essence, killed two birds with one stone as the saying goes. Not that there was any killing involved. That would be strange if he tried to make the crew comfortable by killing them. Not exactly his way of doing things, though he had killed the original owners of the place so maybe he shouldn't say that.

Leading her onward, they approached an ovular shaped room with several seats in it. He moved to one and lowered himself, aware that she would probably remain in her chair. Milan curled up at his feet, and Arus jumped up to lie on one of the couches as he trounced in after Teynara. He really was a bugger, that one.

"I've always found I have an affinity for the natural realm. Even when I was younger I felt closer to nature than I did to the people around me. Initially I started collecting creatures as a hobby, but then it developed more into companionship. Arus and Milan are more like my children than anything else. I take care of them and they help keep me safe."

He reached for his commlink and called to the one of the crew members to bring them some refreshments. Mostly he wanted a glass of water himself. He wasn't overly partial to alcoholic beverages, and he was rather parched from spending all that time in the dust bowl. Plus he'd worked up quite the thirst while dealing with the Hssiss. A nice, cool glass of water would do him wonders right then, and he figured she might like something to drink as well. But, since he didn't know her preference, he'd made sure that the crewman brought a decent selection of things for her to choose from.

Milan, for her part, was still watching Teynara with wary suspicion. Arus didn't seem to care and was soon snoozing on the couch.

"I found these two on Dxun. Many dangers on that world. But these two, and their ability to tap into the Force for their own gain, have shown me that we as beings have much to learn from the Force if even non-sentient creatures can tap into it. They've also kept me safe from the kinds of Sith that see me as a threat. Maalraas are naturally blaster resistant. Their scales deflect the bolts. Their bones, as it happens, are lightsaber resistant. You can cut through their flesh, but not their bone, and the flesh will heal them back to a functional state.

"And no, I haven't tried it, but my research in various libraries have turned up people that have. All of them dead now, mind you. I don't take these creatures and lock them in cages just so I can own them and use them to fight for me or anything of that nature. I'm in the process of building what I'm referring to as my Bestiary. You might liken it to a zoo, but wide open. A preserve, I think, would be a better term for it. A place to study these creatures, but also to spend time with them. They are well cared for, and in turn some of them, like Arus and Milan, serve as my direct companions on my journey through life."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

There were moments, listening to Leos, when the words he spoke sounded more appropriate to a Jedi than to a Sith. Affinity for the natural realm, his pets being like his children... these were sentiments that didn't feel like they entirely fit with what she understood the Sith to be. Which probably means I simply fail to uncompass all that they are, or over-emphasise part of their nature and neglect the whole. So far, Leos had done little more than surprise her, so that perhaps ought to have been something she ought to be used to by now. Though whether he is atypical among Sith remains to be seen. The Healer couldn't say for sure either way - not with any certainty.

Their conversation was interrupted once again by the entrance of one of Leos' crewman, bringing in a large tray with a variety of different drinks, as well as a small selection of cups and glasses. There were several exotic-looking beverages on display, several of which she suspected might be alcoholic, but the crewman had also been thoughtful enough to bring a jug of water as well as a metallic container filled with what smelled like Stimcaf, freshly brewed. Which is perfect.

It had always been a particular vice of hers, Stimcaf: first thing she wanted when waking up in the morning, even before her usual sanisteam, something she could enjoy while reading daily reports or listening to her received messages on the comm. She selected a metallic mug from the tray when it was offered to her and allowed the crewmember to pour some of the steaming black liquid within, warming her with a flurry of steam emanating from within, carrying the fragrant scent of roasted beans, perhaps with the slight tang of something spicy that had been added to it.

"Don't the other Sith have a problem with you taming such creatures for those purposes?", she asked carefully, taking a moment to inhale the aromatic scent of her Stimcaf, though it was clearly too hot to be drank just yet. "I'd always understood that Sith sought to be entirely self-reliant, and so would not depend on lesser beings for protection. Even the men and women who serve in your armies are there to follow and do as they are bid, servants rather than equals. Am I right in thinking so?"

Probably not. She was learning more and more about the Sith of late, and one thing she was certain of is that they were not what she had been told. Correction: not all of them are. There were definitely those who continued the brutal, ruthless traditions that the Jedi understood of the Sith, and that were more than prepared to kill any who got in their way, whether through acts of quiet subtlety or from a level of malevolent force that would serve as both end of an opponent and a lesson to those who might later consider serving in such a position. My own experiences with them certainly speak to their thoroughness in that regard, she reflected sadly.

"It's a strange thing to see you offering care to something that, as I understand it, most Sith would largely consider a lower lifeform, unworthy to be used as anything other than toys, weapons or distractions," Teynara added softly, taking a slow sip from her cup once she had finished. Ah, that's just what I needed, too. "Jedi consider all living things to be sacred, so to harm one is something that runs against our creed."

It happened, of course - sometimes the choices one had in the field were very limited. To a Jedi, to ever be forced to violence was to have failed in their duties. That took some reconciliation, of a sort, since Jedi were trained to take life if they had to, but invariably also had to struggle with the ethical implications of actually doing so, if that moment ever came. There are simply moments where we must acknowledge that our idealism must be balanced with a more pragmatic reality, whatever we might wish privately.

"You can imagine, I think, the trouble we have with the ease with which Sith kill to achieve their objectives," the blonde woman added, looking over her mug of Stimcaf to stare at Leos once more. "To us, having to kill is sometimes an unavoidable tragedy. But to kill because we can...that seems wasteful."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Probably."

He had to admit that it was likely they wouldn't be too thrilled with the idea. Him amassing an army of critters as companions and friends would be highly suspicious to them. Which was, he had to admit, a part of why he chose to do it. She didn't know that the group of Sith he belonged to was such that they lived in a state of feudal tension. How could she? Honestly, his companions were also a severe deterrent to the other Sith making moves against him. Sure they'd seen him with the Tikulini worm, but they hadn't seen him with the Maalraas. Not all of them, at least. And nobody but Teynara knew that he had the Hssiss now.

When the crewmember had brought the drinks, he'd been surprised to find her choice as stimcaf. Apparently she enjoyed it. Or maybe she was tired and wanted the pick me up that it could provide. Either way, he chose a glass of water which he took a single long swallow from before refilling the glass and dismissing the crewmember with a small wave. He didn't speak again until they were alone, mostly because he was allowing her to finish her thoughts. It would, after all, have been rude of him to interrupt.

"Sith are a great many things," he said when she had finished speaking. "Some look at all life aside from their own as inferior. Some think themselves inferior and so strive for greatness by killing others to prove that they are not inferior. Some kill for sport. Some never kill anyone or anything. Some take people as slaves. Some protect the people they care about, regardless of the cost. There is no one way to define a Sith which truly encompasses everyone that is a Sith. In truth, the term Sith does not actually encompass the Sith. These are meaningless stereotypes which are, actually, dangerous to you to know.

"Relying on these teachings, these ideals of what Sith are, is just as wrong as killing someone needlessly. In fact, it can often lead to killing someone needlessly. Many times have Jedi killed Sith in the name of doing what is right. Can it honestly be said that every Sith ever killed at the hands of a Jedi really deserved to die? I'd wager the answer to that is no, and yet the cycle continues unabated."

He contemplated her point about killing as he took another sip of water. It was a fair assessment. Some Sith certainly saw indiscriminate slaughter as enjoyable or a means to an ends. But not all of them did. He, for example, preferred to solve issues without resorting to violence if at all possible. This was chiefly because he didn't feel like killing everyone in the galaxy to achieve his goals if he didn't have to. There'd be no point in succeeding if everyone was dead. This was a point he found was often lost on some Sith. Balance was a genuine goal to achieve. If they killed all the Jedi, there'd be no one to balance them out and they'd end up ripping the galaxy apart because they'd have nothing to control their dark desires.

"Killing isn't something we all take lightly. I have no qualms doing it, that's true, but that's no more because I'm a Sith than it is because of my vision for the galaxy. Even still, I don't prefer it over other methods of achieving my goals. Not all Sith are killers, and not all killers are Sith. It's not a baseline identifying trait for us, but it's taught to you as such in order to ensure that you, in point of fact, hate us. I know you'll say that you don't hate us, but I also know that deep down, even a Jedi can't control subconscious thoughts. These notions of us as monsters seep into those thoughts and cloud your opinion of us, and so we become monsters to you, even if we aren't."

A small smile touched his lips.

"I'd honestly rather love a Jedi than kill one. There's no point to the killing."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

Perhaps that's true, Teynara mused, her expression closed off for a moment while she pondered that particular notion. A Sith need not be any one thing, but many things, or none of them. That's an odd one: how, then, do they define their ideology? Is it purely about power, or something more? She'd never heard anyone speak this way of them, but it made her wonder once more at how dangerous an enemy they proved themselves to be. If you cannot define your enemy, you cannot beat them. Perhaps that was but one of the reasons that the Jedi had never overcome them. Still, there must be more to it than this.

Leos was certainly correct in noting that not every Sith killed by a Jedi likely deserved it - anymore than the reverse was true. So often we fight just because that's what we've always done. It was an absurd reason to wage war: as far as Teynara was concerned, it existed now both as memory and as a simple disagreement over political ideology. The Sith wanted power, the Jedi rejected it. That had always seemed to be at the heart of the issue - but she'd often wondered why there could not be compatibility between the two.

Perhaps the Sith are right, and that rule by the powerful can be a pathway to peace. She honestly didn't know - but Teynara did suspect that the bureaucracy and absence of foresight by so many of the Galaxy's fracturous governments had gotten far more of its citizens killed than the war between the two groups of Force Users ever had. Why not one ruling, the other safeguarding, she reflected. Perhaps that might be the way out - though the blonde was fairly certain neither group would ultimately put aside their differences to work together in such a fashion. It was far too rare a thing to last long.

"You're not a monster," she breathed softly, practically whispering, but Teynara suspected that he would hear her even so. It was the truth, too: he was complicated, certainly dangerous, perhaps ethically challenged in some respects, if her observations of his skills in domination were accurate, but even so, he'd not harmed her, and even gone out of his way to offer her his protection. That was not the act of a monster. "One thing we are taught at the Temple is that Sith are never quite what they seem," the young woman remarked. "That certainly stands true for you, Leos."

She took another slow drink of the Stimcaf in her hands, enjoying the warmth of the steam as it touched the skin of her face, the scent as it assailed her senses, the sharp taste as it burst onto her tongue with a blessed familiarity. Teynara already felt some of the stress of the past few hours melt away, and she had to admit, she had even put aside thoughts of being harmed by this one. He'd had ample opportunity before now, and continued to refrain. I may not know all that he is, but I do believe I know what he is not, and a monster counts among the latter.

"Perhaps that's a reality so many of us struggle to face: that the overt face of the Sith is never the true face of it," she remarked, lowering her cup so that it rested clasped between her hands, the heat seaping through to warm her hands. "The Jedi deal with the Sith as we do because of the threat we feel they represent, and because much of our mutual history only serves to reinforce that. Truth be told, though, we don't really know why you do as you do." That much had been made clear to her through her studies in the Archives: the Jedi concluded that the Sith sought power only for themselves, so any sense of a greater goal seemed elusive. "We see that casual disdain for live, and stand against it, because our belief in life's sanctity is incompatible with that destructive force."

Not that Leos had yet to display that - he could have slaughtered those Hssiss, back by the Temple. She had even offered her lightsaber, knowing that protecting their lives might require him to take theirs. The Jedi had been prepared to observe death, but the Sith had not. I'm not entirely sure what that says about my priorities, she mulled, frowing slightly at the thought. Perhaps he's simpler more powerful than me: I could never have done what he did. That he had done it at all gave her considerable pause, though.

"But if the killing is unnecessary to both sides, why does it continue?", she asked, her expression relaxing from the pensive frown into a more open, earnest expression. She leaned forward in her hoverchair, her blue-grey eyes narrowing slightly, evidence of her investment in the question. "And what can we hope to achieve while it continues? Must we wait until one side eliminates the other, or until we succeed in eliminating everything else, and fail in our duty to the Force?"

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

A smile touched his lips when she said he wasn't a monster. Could he honestly agree with her? Though he didn't really think himself a monster in comparison to many of the other Sith throughout the galaxy, he knew that was yet another subjective term. It depended entirely on the opinion of the person using it; the judge. To him he was simply a Force powerful being with a set of goals that sometimes required the necessary sacrifice of individuals that stood in the way of those goals. To him, his goals were noble, just, and the only pathway to an end to violence that he could ascertain. The only legitimate way. Similar and yet different to what the Emperor had desired.

He sipped his water again as she spoke further. Yes, this was the argument that he'd been getting at. You don't know what you face until you talk to the person you face. To merely judge someone because they are Sith or Jedi, and engage them in battle, is to lose the war before it starts. That is why it has always continued. Both sides have already lost, but they are unwilling to admit that as the truth. It would take serious effort on the part of both Sith and Jedi to reconcile the differences between them, and truly strive for something better for the galaxy.

"The threat you FEEL they represent. Not that you KNOW they represent." He emphasized those words specifically because they were the key factors in what she said. "Both sides do this because it is what they have done since the split. Doesn't make it right. Truthfully, we've both already lost this war with each other, we just refuse to accept that as the reality we live in. There is never to be a winner and a loser, there's only to be losers. At least, as long as the current way of things continues.

"As for why the killing continues, it's because we are all closed-minded. Well, most of us, anyway. And by we I mean both sides of this conflict. We all believe that we are right in what we do, and that the other is wrong, so we fight them. In reality, neither of us is right or wrong when we are apart. Separated, we are simply wrong. Two different shades of wrong, but still wrong. The refusal to accept this, to reconcile difference, is purely because we are all foolish mortals, each with our own desire for power in our own way. Even Jedi have the desire for power, usually in the thirst for knowledge to overcome Sith."

Her last question made his smile broaden. Of course he'd thought of the answer to this before. In fact, he'd hoped that their conversation would lead to this because he found that he actually trusted Teynara's strength of will and presence of mind. With any other Jedi he'd have been forced to do battle, but not with her. She'd come with at least a somewhat open mind, and had embraced his own in an effort for mutual understanding. That being the case, he knew it was the right time to be having this conversation, and that indeed the Force had sought to bring them together for this very reason.

A hand was offered to her.

"May I see your hand for a moment? I promise to answer your last question, but I want to lead into it. And of course I won't harm you or use the Force on you or anything of that nature."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

Hesitancy gripped her momentarily at Leos' request, unusual as it was. Nobody had ever asked for that before, certainly not since she'd ended up in her hoverchair, and it struck her as a request of unusual intimacy - odd, given that their lives had been in peril earlier, and they'd worked together without thought of betrayal or duplicity. Yet I know find myself reluctant? Get a grip of yourself, girl!

She lowered her cup of stimcaf so it rested on the table sat next to her, just off to the side of her hoverchair. Her skin still felt the warmth of it permeating through her, a gentle heat that relaxed her, in contrast to the stimulant the cup had contained, which served to strengthen her sense of mental clarity and physical alertness. True, Teynara did not entirely trust the Sith - indeed, he had warned her not to - but it was a simple enough request, and she'd hold him to his word. Though deception now would only serve to prove all of his other words a lie, she reflected. Something told her that Leos would not be so foolish as to sacrifice any progress made between them in such a crude fashion.

Which isn't to say he won't be prepared to sacrifice it at some point, she thought morosely. Is it not said that the Sith will be willing to sacrifice anything, if it meets their goals? Leos himself had admitted as much, after all. What remains to be seen are what those goals are.

A soft sigh escaping her lips, Teynara extended her right hand, palm upwards, and placed it over the top of the one that Leos had proferred, so that he might do whatever it was he had in mind. Somehow I doubt he's one of those mystics that will pretend to read the future in the lines of my palm for a decicred she thought, a slight chuckle catching her at the idea. It seemed ludicrous, really, but with everything she had been taught in the Temple, it wasn't a thought that could be entirely ruled out: plenty of those things that had seemed absurd before she began her training were far less so now. Though having Stimcaf with a Sith is definitely way up there.

"Just remember, it's rude to assess a lady's age by reading her palm," the blonde woman added with a faint smile, half-joking, but really hoping that wasn't what the Sith had in mind. That would certainly ruin some of the enigmaticism.

Leos wasn't wrong in any of what he had said to her thus far, though: both sides had already lost the pointless war between them: hundreds of Jedi and Sith dying each year paid testament to that, not to mention the constant upheaval on all worlds where either one held dominion - in truth, the cost was not to be measured in their own lives, but rather in the lives of those who suffered injury, death or displacement because Force Users had decided to exchange fire over their worlds. And that is a cycle which would end only if we both co-operate and put our differences aside, or if both cease to exist.

The latter wasn't likely, but even then, it often seemed more probable than the idea of the two co-operating in any meaningful way. Which doesn't mean we don't try now. Teynara would just have to trust the young Sith and hope he intended to follow through on his word.

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

He couldn't help but laugh at what she said. The woman did have a healthy sense of humor, though he suspected it was likely a coping mechanism for any anxiety she felt about the situation she was in. Not that it bothered him either way. Laughing was good. Of course he had no intention of reading her palm to determine her age, or anything of that nature. It would require that he know how to do that, which he didn't. Though if he did, it would have been rather funny to try and figure that out and make her feel embarrassed or something. Not that she was old. Clearly she wasn't that old. If anything he guessed that she was roughly the same age as him.

No, when she put her hand upon his, he moved his other to rest over top of it, and then turned their hands vertically. He didn't do anything else to them, but held them. The point he was about to make was both critical and non-essential at the same time. A paradox, but still truth. He could have gotten away without utilizing it, but at the same time, doing so really hammered home the point he was trying to make, which was why he'd opted to do it in the first place.

"I, Leos Palle, am a Sith. I follow the tenants of the Sith, but I know restraint and purpose. You, Teynara, are a Jedi. You follow the tenants of the Jedi. Apart we are mere half representations of what the Force is. We pale in comparison to the full potential of the Force by virtue of our split existence. We are opposites. And yet, here with sit, two opposites, parts of groups that have slaughtered each other for thousands of years, close enough to be holding hands, and without a shred of inclination to do each other harm. Why? Because the Force wants balance, and the Force needs people to actually push to achieve it."

There, his point. Apart they were nothing but pawns. Together they could be moving cogs in a machine that was long defunct and inoperable. The missing pieces that could turn the wheel of the galaxy and write it back on track. If even one of them was missing, the wheels would not turn. They needed each other.

"My goal for the galaxy is balance. This can't be achieved alone, and I've always known that, but I was waiting for someone to come along that could help me achieve it. The methodology for this is reminiscent to times of yore. It will require sacrifice and harsh reality. It will require a vast Empire to control the galaxy under one government. A totalitarian government, but a fair and just one where all are equal, regardless of stature or placement, and all are treated the same. It is not an easy task to do this. Most will oppose it, and many will have to die because of it. That is no small thing to consider, but sometimes death does serve a purpose.

"The reason this can't be achieved by a mere Sith is because of opposition. Everyone will oppose me for the simple fact that I am a Sith. I need Jedi, like yourself, to provide the balance necessary in decision making and dealing with the public as a whole. Your reason and desire to protect life counters my reason and desire for power and knowledge. Yes, I want power over the galaxy, but not so that all will bend to my every whim. I seek it in order to save the galaxy from destroying itself, as it inevitably will if we continue down this dark road of perpetual warfare."

He grasped her hand tightly and leaned forward towards her.

"I need your help, Teynara, to save this galaxy from itself."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

His grip on her hands was just tight enough to be uncomfortable, the intensity matching that carried along with his words. She didn't make a move to pull her hand away, nor to push him away and release her in turn. Teynara recognised the depth of feeling that Leos had in his words, the level of passion and drive that made it clear enough that this was no deception, but truly something he wanted. He was being open and honest with her, even though he was revealing plans that she, perhaps, might want no part of.

Part of her agreed with him - the Galaxy desperately needed some stability, in one form or another. War had been a constant part of the day-to-day lives of so many ever since the Four Hundred Year Darkness, and perhaps that was even natural now. But it was never those that directed the wars that suffered in truth: it was the citizenry that lived and died at the whims of their leaders, or at the hands of those who wanted those leaders deposed, and felt that the people should suffer for their misplaced allegiances.

The irony was that, for the most part, all people wanted was to be left in peace to live as they saw fit.

That wasn't the way of things now, though. Death was a constant thing, and that heavy sense of oppression could be felt even on worlds like Voss: even when there was no war being fought in the skies above, or on the lands below it, there was nonetheless that sense of potential threat. War might not have come to your shores, but it could very rapidly do so, and it made the idea of planning for the future a very risky proposition indeed.

Leos proposed a solution, and she could see the sense in it, but also the darkness that threatened it. Best of intentions always remain such until the killing starts, she thought reflectively, wondering how many times someone had thought to step up and establish a little control, only to find that the galaxy would reject it out of hand. And then one must either step aside, allow the opposition to kill you, or you must kill them. The way things were, there would be considerable opposition, both from the Jedi and the Sith. And so the end result? War, just as before. The only difference would be how the sides divided themselves up - and fighting for a new cause would mean a great deal more fervor, and therefore a greater intensity of violence.

"However you try to phrase it, Leos, it still sounds like war," she said bluntly, a soft sigh carried along with the words, resignation evident in her tone. "Jedi and Sith might stop fighting each other long enough to stand in opposition to your plan, and they will oppose it, if only because of the other." That much felt obvious to her: Sith would oppose it if Jedi supported it, and the Jedi would fail to back such a move because it contradicted both their beliefs on power, but also because the Sith were involved on some level. "How do you know that what you propose won't cause more suffering than harm?"

It felt like something that you might reach for with both hands but that might fall from your grasp thereafter. The idealism was there, as was the brutal reality of what might be in front of them, if they commited to such a path. But it is always easier said than done - and how many would have to fall to his swords and his pets before idealism became reality? That was what worried her more than anything. Jedi, Sith, their allies, and those who had nothing whatsoever to do with the conflict other than being caught in the middle: how much would need to be sacrificed? The thought scared her more than a hundred Hssiss would have done. At least then only my life would be at stake.

"That the two should come together seems right," Teynara remarked, her voice a little stronger than before. "Reunification is in everyone's best interests, but you mean to force it," she continued, looking slightly sceptical at that moment. "Your fellow Sith alone would kill you for suggesting it. Can you imagine how the Jedi might react?" The young woman sighed again, more forcefully this time. "To see order and peace established would be a fine thing, but how could this be done?"

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

The problem with leaving people to live in peace as they saw fit was that they rarely ever got along with others that wanted to do the same. Every one had their own ideal of what it meant to live in peace, and what they wanted out of life. That was the problem. You actually couldn't let everyone live in peace as they saw fit. Doing so put other people in their path of danger. Rules and laws were necessary in order to preserve the safety and sanctity of all. Fair rules and laws, that applied across the board, gave everyone the same shot in things. The reason that other galactic governments didn't work was because they didn't apply their laws to everyone, just those who weren't the leaders.

As she spoke, he got the impression that she was a bit uncomfortable with the hand holding, so he eased one hand away, and therefore wasn't actually gripping her hand. The other, the one she'd initially placed her hand upon, remained positioned as it was, keeping contact with her hand. It had been quite a while since he'd made physical contact with another being and he found it rather delightful. Plus he felt it strengthened their connection in a way.

"Yes, it will require war. There will always be those that resist change, even change for the better. Some people will come around to the idea simply by discussing it with them, but not everyone will be so swayed. I wish that it would be easy, but real change is never easy. It requires sacrifice, and that's never easy, either. But it's necessary, and the things that are necessary are rarely ever easy."

When she asked about suffering and harm he sighed.

"Teynara, you and I sit here in relative safety and peace, but outside of this ship is a galaxy in turmoil. Hundreds of wars are being waged right now in the name of one thing or another. People who want nothing to do with battle are slaughtered, maimed, and orphaned every minute of every single day. That is the state of the galaxy. Some worlds may see peace, but they are relatively few in number, and jaded to what's happening elsewhere. That is dangerous. To turn a blind eye to the galaxy's plight is what our people have done for thousands of years because we've been so focused on killing each other.

"I wish that were possible to avoid causing harm to people to save the galaxy, but it's just not possible. Some will see reason, but others won't. That's why we need both Jedi and Sith for this to work. It cannot be done by one alone. As we've seen, it's not something that's going to happen unless people step up to make it happen. Otherwise the circle keeps turning unhindered. It must be forcibly injected into the cycle of the galaxy in order to break the galaxy off of its path towards self destruction."

He paused for a moment to take a drink. His tongue was starting to feel rather dry from all the talking. It actually sort of hurt.

"How we do this is simple. We work together to get our kind to see reality. We explore the possibility of others joining us in this quest. And we need people who cannot touch the Force as well. Balance requires those people, too. We work together to grow in number, and we work together to find worlds that can see reason. Then we build up our forces and announce ourselves to the galaxy. Many will come to challenge us, which is why we will need a strong military, preferably of volunteers because they'll fight for the cause which makes them stronger of will.

"It's a huge undertaking, what I'm asking you to help me with. It won't be accomplished over night, and it will take time, but I already have some of the pieces in play to help us. I need you, though. I need your mind and your heart to help me."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

Why is it so hard to argue with him?, Teynara had to question, knowing that she was normally always inclined to offer contrast to her conversations, examining an issue several different ways before concluding it in a way that at least felt as though she'd not simply carved her way through to a judgment. His words made sense, but even so, part of her wondered at being swept up by this particular maelstrom of persuasion, knowing how dangerous such a thing was.

It was hard to deny the suffering that existed beyond the hull plating of his ship - it was easy enough to sense, especially on a planet like this, a world that was full of well-remembered anguish and pain. That state continued on so many of them that it was hard to escape to a place where it remained absent - even Voss had more than its fair share of such things. You can't deny a truth that stares at you so carefully, she noted. Even the kind that stabs you with the sort of force normally reserved for a Sith.

It would be an undertaking, and then some - that was also true. Frankly, if I walk up to the Grandmaster and tell him that I've been enjoying a conversation with a Sith, and want him to have one with the same being, he'll probably think me insane. Even if he was my student for a time. Honestly, she'd not have blamed him, either: part of her did think that she'd perhaps taken leave of her senses. After all, did not the Masters warn us all to be wary of Sith offering the hand of friendship? Usually they'll take yours and use their free hand to shove a lightsaber into your stomach, her thoughts added with a touch of wry amusement. Leos had not done this - quite the opposite - so there was far more reason to trust him. Even so, the Jedi would be wary.

"You don't dream small, do you?", Teynara asked rhetorically, eyeing Leos with a faint smile to show that she was not being critical. What he suggested would certainly not be easy, but the part that struck her most was that it was possible. No doubt it would take work of a considerable amount, and perhaps years before they gained any headway, but she could see it happening. And why not? What do we have to lose by trying? "Small dreams have little effect, though, so maybe that's just what we need."

"But very well. You can count me in, Leos," the blonde woman continued, affirming in her own mind the simple fact that it was a worthwhile goal that seemed right to pursue. That violence might eventually be required disturbed her, but in truth, she knew it couldn't be nearly as much blood as the war between the two factions had already spilled, and at least those that fell would do so because their lives were the obstacles to peace, rather than the domination of one side or the other. "I don't know how the others will react to this, but I somehow feel summoning a Conclave to discuss it would be the wrong move."

Let's face it: too many among the Jedi distrust the Sith so much that they would try to kill Leos on sight, Tey recognised. It was wrong, but was she going to be able to stand up and stop them? Of course not, particularly since I can't stand up, she thought, a touch of resignation tainting her thoughts. The key to it all, then, would be secrecy: a movement started in the shadows, for now, something to be brought to light to a select few, until things were ready to move forward. His way is better than mine in this regard.

"It's the Jedi you'll need to worry about, by the by," she added, knowing that to be an obvious truth. The Sith were more overtly threatening, but always busy fighting themselves as much as anyone else, and such a thing might leave them too fragmented to be a threat - not to mention that many would stand to one side and see if things might turn to their benefit given time. "If they decide that you're on the wrong path and a threat, they'll move in concert to stop you. And me. They won't believe that you're not trying to turn me, and they'll simply assume that I've fallen to your manipulations."

The fact that she felt that such words had to be uttered were, to her mind, the most damning thing imagineable. But you can't hide from the truth. It always finds you eventually.