See Them Driven Before You [Sith raid on Yutan Jedi Temple]

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Darth Ferox"]

She breathed slowly and grinned wider as she drew the saber to her hand and held it, experimenting with it in her hand while she drew her focus to the situation. Her eyes studied it before she reached out with her other hand and closed it tight into a fist with the sound of another branch breaking and crashing into the ground off to Krest's right. Twice more she would do this until the branches were around Krest and she breathed in tight before holding out both hands and tying her command to those four thick wooden limbs now sticking from the ground. With a quick motion they shattered and splinters filled the air, floating like wooden leaves that were shifting from the wind.

Her eyes watched Krest and waited before narrowing, the shards of wood heading straight for Krest's body and looking to push into his body. It would not be damaging and no matter what she could do, they would not be able to reach far enough in to pierce any major organs. But if they could be lodged into Krest, even if only a dozen of the shards made it into the Zabrak's body, it would make things much simpler afterwards, a thought she was well aware of. This wasn't the end of her possible routes, but with her connection to the tree this was perhaps her most controllable outcome.

Would he charge her in that moment? He was near her staff and could use that but she had a feeling he would not do something that predictable. He also had that blasted knife but it was too connected to him for her to influence. It was a short ranged weapon from what she could see though so there should be less worry when it comes to that blade. Krest was not a predictable fighter though, she knew this and he had proven that much otherwise the Sith would have long removed of him had he been such. This left her with little options to get in close but she still had a few ideas left.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Ferox watched as his saber flew to [member="Alexandra Feanor"] 's hand, and in that moment he chose to charge. He didn't bother waiting for the sticks to begin to break around him before closing that distance. Haphazardly the Zabrak ran, seeming to ignore the fact that he no longer had a weapon while she did. Thud. About halfway of his run he heard the first twig slam down. Thud thud. There were the other two, but had she really expected him to just stand there and let her set these traps?

He was in striking distance of the Echani woman when he finally armed himself. Within his metallic thigh the compartment within snapped open, shooting another lightsaber into his right hand. Another snap hiss filled the air as his second saber came to life, and he struck. But not at her. At the last moment he changed his direction, putting the tree between himself and the woman. As he did so, he lashed out with the new weapon, letting his blade sink in and cut right through this tree of light. It had been her crutch for too long, and given how many branches she kept breaking off he figured it wouldn't be hard to cut through.

As the tree began to side and fall, his theory was proven right. As the tree fell, his red gaze would be seen by Feanor once more, and this time an overwhelming sensation of fear would try and creep up into the Echani's mind. Nek Am'Slaret. An ability of his ancestors, passed down through his clan. One of many, but the only one he knew. He wanted to unsettle Alex, knowing that a Jedi, or a Grey, was weakened when their emotions came to fruition.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Darth Ferox"]

The problem was, her fear was nominal as she had lost everything twice now, she had died before and experienced the hell of the Netherworld twice as well, so when he tried to pull on her fear he was met by three minds focused against him. Hel may have hated Alexandra, but without Alexandra the being would not have any hope for life, and as for Daeda, he was her partner and would not abandon his place in her mind as its guardian. What confused her more was the interest in his ability to cleave through the tree, not sure why he had chosen to do such but it was fine with her as she focused on it and severed their bond with one quick and very simple action.

The bark cracked but instead of shattering any wood like before a spark formed and the wood started to erupt in flames that curled around the trunk, killing the tree herself and using it as a weapon. His blade had already ignited enough heat, and even if she had broken off branches, it was not some sapling you could chop in half with a single effortless swing. Did that mean it would be difficult to cut? Well, more so than one would think, it was still an imbued being, and a tree that Krest should have known was originally chosen for its sturdier wood. He had tried to make amulets from its wood before and while this was a child of that specific tree, it was still the same kind of tree.

He would cut through it though, this tree was no great creation that could stop his blade. She was quite confused as he simply forced her to use her own power rather than the power of the tree after all and he of all people should have known she was no slouch in that aspect either. So rather than bringing the fight to her like he should have done, he had given her time to complete the breaking of those limbs and now she shattered them, still sending the shards of wood at Krest.

 

[Elijah Black]

[member="Tirdarius"]

"Of course" she said, almost sarcastically when he informed her she spoke of things she did not understand. "But you do" she smiled that knowing smile that she had found so frustrating as a Padawan, perhaps suggesting that they were not so different, that their perceptions of each other were not so different. "Don't be so quick to dismiss me. You still have to do the killing part" the playfulness was back in her tone, and she resisted the urge to eagerly twirl the hilt of her lightsaber. She wasn't quite ready to be so easily written off as a cooling corpse on the floor.

"I think this is where we differ. You see freedom as dark and dangerous, and assume that if we could we would all act as you. I would still be doing this. I did not chose to be taken in by the Jedi, but I chose to stay. I chose to help people" there was the argument that it was hard to escape an establishment once one had been indoctrinated into it, but she had had plenty of opportunities. She had changed. Had she not been a true believer after the fall of the Republic, she would not be standing her, let alone wearing the traditional robes that seemed to represent everything she had been taught as a child. In time she had overcome her flaws, though far from all, and in time she had come to agree with what she had once disagreed with.

"I don't wish you dead. But I will not allow you to harm anyone here" she wanted to be clear on this. In a perfect world she would say the words 'you are under arrest', and he would accept this and comply. However she had a feeling he would not go quietly. She would try to bring him in if she could, but as she had learned, with Sith this sometimes became more of a hindrance than anything else. If she fought with fear of seriously injuring him, she fought at a disadvantage. She did not expect him to hesitate. Though Zylah did not take quite as an aggressive stance as her first master once had, she did believe that once battle had been the selected course of action and their lightsabers were drawn, then the consequences of such actions were accepted in advance.

Now she smiled again. It wasn't quite friendly, but it was the most cordial he would have seen it at to this date. However it would hardly distract him from the fact that she clenched the hilt of her lightsaber as tightly as before. "Forgive my prejudice, but I've never had a conversation with a Sith last this long. They always seem rather keen on stabbing me at the earliest convenience." and perhaps this was the closest he'd get to a concession that not all were evil and deserved death simply through who they associated with. However, there were a few details that could not be overlooked... "What is your name, Sith? What is your purpose? You are here to slaughter the temple yes? I believe your words went somewhere along the lines of wiping us off the face of the planet"

"If that's the case, our interests collide dramatically, and I will have to ask you to stand down."

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

| [member="Zylah Dvale"] |​

How ironic. I was just about to say the same to you, he thought, reflecting on her comment that their opposite numbers always seemed so intent on acting with violence towards the other. Even this one had demonstrated such, to his mind: the way she was so quick to judge him evil, though he had done her no harm, nor knew of any that he had. To dehumanise him was to make him one that she might kill without having to concern herself with right or wrong, without having to regret it later. By making our enemies less than they are, we justify their deaths as a mercy, not as a murder. His own experience with Jedi in his time as a Sith had ever tended towards dealing with the more militant ones: the type that wanted him dead just so that they might feel the Galaxy was that little bit brighter.

And yet by my death do you feed the Darkness. Undoubtedly that was not a thing they ever wished to face up to.

Of course she couldn't see freedom as anything other than the natural conclusion of the Light: but true freedom was utterly akin to anarchy, the chaos that ensued when there were no rules, no laws to follow, no right and wrong but that which one might choose for themselves. And so the Jedi invariably ended up as agents of a government that might provide them, and therefore had to stand by and watch the corrupt politicians, the opportunistic lobbyists, the various parties vying for a bigger slice of the pie. And thus true freedom is trampled while the illusion of freedom remains.

Freedom required choice, and those choices would ultimately ever conflict with those of other people: left to themselves, without laws or codified ethics to guide them, people would seek the best advantage to themselves, and that would place others at risk. The Jedi wanted to believe that, deep down, everyone was 'good', but they also knew better than that: their sense of optimism could not entirely deny the reality that people were out for themselves. Indeed, the easiest condemnation the Jedi had ever been able to offer the Sith was to remark on this: to believe that the Sith were selfish, with no regard for others and only ever out to empower themselves. A shallow perception, but there it stands.

"My name?," he asked rhetorically, more surprised by the question than he had expected. So few bothered to ask, overwhelmed by the perception of what he was, rather than who. "Among my brethren, I am known as Tirdarius. And your name?" It felt appropriate to exchange an introduction: even if it came to blows in short order, at least he'd know who it was he had killed. He could inform the Jedi of her death by circuitous routes, ensure they added her name to the list of honoured dead in their Archives. That much seemed the least he could do.

"My purpose is fairly simple," the Sith Lord remarked softly, taking another step towards the young woman. "Slaughter is the providence of those who hold a grudge against your Order, see them as a scourge to be wiped out before real change can occur: to them, you are an obstacle to be removed." He shook his head at that: in truth, it had taken many years before he could accept the brutal nature of the long-standing grudge between the two groups, a family argument with deadly consequences. And many more before I understood the necessity of it. Only with the Sith and Jedi no longer at each other's throats could the Galaxy see peace. "The Jedi are misguided, cousins that have stepped off the path and wandered into a vast abyss they cannot escape from. My purpose is to correct their mistake, guide them back to the path."

The tight grip she held on her lightsaber, the palpable tension that existed now between them, in the heartbeats that moved with the thought that one or both might soon be silenced: all suggested that the moment of truth was coming soon. Would she fight? Would she surrender? Would she turn and run? Would death exist between them now, or might life persist, even as the odds were stacked against it? All questions he wanted answers to, and ones that would shortly be resolved. That much was the only certainty.

 

[Elijah Black]

[member="Tirdarius"]

Tirdarius. She had a name to put to the face. That is of course assuming he gave her the right one. Yet she did not sense any deception here, nor could she find any motivation why he’d want to hide. She certainly would use the resources available to her to look up the name. But at the forefront of her mind she was more eager to monitor him in the future. She would watch to see if his name would come up that would link him to other crimes. Even with all of that in mind, she had no problem revealing her own name. It was only right, after all, it would be rule to skip out on that vital part of making introductions. “I am Zylah” no last name was offered, though if he really wanted to find out she was sure he would have little trouble doing so.

This time when he took a step closer she felt a strong urge to take one back. However she did not, she did not flinch. She could sense conflict was approaching and she told herself she was ready for it. Truth be told her track record had not been great, when looking back at her Sith encounters in her Padawan days. Now things were different, though. Or so she hoped. If not, had her training counted for nothing? Her last clash had been when the Sith had captured a certain Zeltron Jedi of the Silvers, and Zylah had called them in for a daring rescue mission. That had went fine, but again… This felt different. Tirdarius was no agent of the Sith, he was one of its masters. Yet retreating in the face of darkness was not permissible. If she did it would be allowed to grow. It was pretty much in her job description to prevent that from happening.

True enough, slaughter seemed to be the favoured course of action of many of his kind. He was different? She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or even more alarmed. “Guide them back to the path? And how do you plan on doing that?” familiar methods that came to mind were such as torture, capture, and other forceful coercion techniques. Was he perhaps here to steal younglings and Padawans and turn them into apprentices of the dark? “I think you chose a bad time. Perhaps you should’ve swung by before your brethren came to try to murder us all.” or would the chaos somehow benefit his goal? She tried to unveil his true intentions, not quite persuaded that they were as calm and peaceful as he seemed to give an impression of. “Let’s reschedule a coffee date. Even if you’re not here to kill, your friends are.” She felt like she either had to deal with him in some way, whether fight or somehow evict him. People were dying, but she could not in good conscience leave him alone. "I can show you the way out in case your forgot."

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

| [member="Zylah Dvale"] |​

A cup of Stimcaf would be pleasant, but I expect the next time we meet, it would not be on such an even footing. Her invitation was tempting, though no doubt intended in jest, a diversion that would allow her to move him along. And thus, you survive, never having to face your reality in the face. She was correct in that the timing of his presence was perhaps inopportune, but he had found his path under similar conditions: a Jedi out of his depth, forced to recognise reality at the tip of a lightsaber, death being the only other path available. Oh, yes, that had been many, many decades ago, but it had created a simple truth: conflict were the only conditions sufficient to push the mind to see past its illusions.

Ironically, her thoughts much mirrored his own: it was truly impossible to retreat from the Dark. It was not, as some Jedi believed, present only when the Sith were, or there only in moments when beings let go of their careful control and gave in to their emotions. The Darkness was everywhere, always. It exists even in the hearts of those who see themselves as pure. More often, in truth, because their vanity blinded them both to the light and to the dark, such that they did not see the shadows swallowing them. Of course, the girl no doubt saw the darkness as an obstacle to be overcome, an enemy to be pushed back. But it is part of you, no matter how much you might try to deny it.

He could sense it within her: that steely will, knowing that she might have to kill him if he declined her gracious offer. The clear anger she held towards his kind and their actions. The fear that he might be here to cause harm to others, or to seduce their hearts away from the Light. You're full of the darkness, girl, but you deny it because it terrifies you. Understandable, he supposed: the Dark was a truly terrible thing if you weren't strong enough to swim in it. The Jedi denied the Dark, and thus would ever be missing the pieces that they would need to realise they were living a lie. And to call us 'evil' ensures you never succumb to the temptation that you feel consumes us.

"You malign me, Zylah," he said, offering her a half-bow in recognition of her name, now that they had been introduced. "I have not hurt you or yours, nor will I, unless they raise a hand to harm me." He smiled calmly as he straightened, grey eyes reflecting it softly. "Death is a tool that life uses to teach us to value what we have, to make the most of our lives while we have them, for one day we will be one with the Force once more, servants of a different sort."

In truth, that the Sith were killing some of the Jedi here was simply ushering them forth to that end: did not their Code say that there is no Death; there is the Force? To die simply meant their journey moved them forward, not backward. They were not diminished, but elevated. A good lie, isn't it? Perhaps the Sith should have thought of that: to them, life was all that mattered, and death diminished them. True, the Force would continue to flow, and they might rejoin it, but it nullified their joy, their engagement with life, their ability to truly affect change and see something magnificent come to the Galaxy.

"Would it grieve you to take my life, I wonder?", he asked, raising his eyebrows, a curious expression crossing his features. "I would feel sorrow at yours, even though I would accept it as a necessity. Many of those who have died today need not have done, but they did because they would rather stand in defense of an easy lie than to admit to a hard truth." No doubt she would not see it that way, but it was the eternal argument between their two groups: how their power might be used. "We came because the Jedi continue to protect a corrupt and bloated institution that cares nothing for the sacrifice of your lives, beyond that they get to enjoy their time in the sun a few moments longer." He shook his head again, anger evident in his eyes for but a moment. "It is that we would bring down, but you stand in our path, as you have always done."

He'd heard the reasoning far too many times before: that the democracy the Jedi served was the only true way for freedom to exist, when all had a say in their society. And yet how many of your Senators would accept a holocall from a constituent if there was no benefit to it? How many times have you seen one stand to advocate a change that would benefit everyone, not only the rich and powerful? Oh, yes, the Jedi knew who and what they served, but they would never admit that their path had been turned: better to support the decadent bureaucracy than admit a mistake. The Jedi remained pawns in the game, and the politicians who held the reins would sacrifice them all for another roll of the dice, and think it a good bargain.

"We might have this conversation over a cup of Stimcaf, or a glass of wine, but only in conflict do you reach a crucible," he noted calmly, a hand gesturing towards the sounds of destruction and death that echoed through the corridors unabated. "A civil discussion in a civil setting invites no conclusion, as your Senators know so well. Here, we force you to recognise the truth of your position: you stand with each other, but otherwise alone." A soft sigh escaped him then, expressing a weariness long felt. "Does your demise really serve anyone?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

One almost had to admire the tenacity of some Jedi. For all their doctrine and would-be pacifism, they knew how to keep themselves alive. Oh what powerful beings some Jedi would be if only they accepted the true nature of the Force. As red clashed against blue and green, the flashes of light illuminated parts of the Sith Lord's face. A wicked smirk played over her lips, displaying the white glistening teeth and contorting the palid flesh of her face.

As her first blade missed the hilt of the blue and was violently knocked away, the second stepped up to intercept any immediate advancement from the Jedi while the first hand recovered into a hanging guard. Ms. Labooda's use of trakata was certainly admirable, but she was not the only one who dabbled in such techniques.

"So forceful - So aggressive."

The creep of her voice was laced with flirtatious mockery. In response to the staccato movements, she applied fluency. No matter the strain or effort she put into the attacks, the assassin looked as though moving with a nonchalant effortlessness. Rather than opposing each blow, she parried and redirected the energy while shifting her weight through precise footwork.

As Shmi launched her diagonal cut, Ophidia stepped back while slashing down into the green blade's trajectory, guiding it out of reach. Springing from her backstep, she made ready to lunge in retaliation when she noticed the subtle shift of the Jedi's form through the lingering shadow as she activated her blue blade. With a shift of her hip, the Sith twisted out of its trajectory and raised the left blade to intercept. However, she had been a moment too slow; the blue plasma burned through the layers of cloth and left a trail of burned flesh on her upper, right arm. An angry hiss escaped through her clenched teeth as she sprung to the side under cover of her two blades.

But the Jedi Master was relentless. Ophidia met the crossed blades with one of her sabres, then stepped back once more to absorb the strength of the blowback; she had to funnel the Force into her body in order to sustain the pressure. Knowing full well it could be another trick of trakata, she instantly followed up the block by swiping her left blade towards the lower arms from underneath which would then be swiftly followed by a flicking cut towards the head, or more specifically the eyes.

She did not look at [member="Darth Abyss"]. Her opponent was far too skilled for such actual nonchalance. Through their bond, forged as master and apprentice, she caught some sense of his intent - unless he wished to hide it from her. Either way, the Pale Assassin knew to draw advantages from his presence and tried keeping Shmi from getting a good line of sight against both at once. The more their opponent had to twist and turn to respond, the more chances they would get at making the vital strike.

[member="Shmi Labooda"] [member="Darth Carnifex"]

Spoiler

I am so sorry this comes so slow. Life and stuff.

 

[Elijah Black]

[member="Tirdarius"]

“I am not so sure.” Zylah said at his remark on not having hurt any of hers, nor having any intention to do so. “Our definitions of harm may differ. What I call deceit and corruption you might call enlightenment. We have different values, we walk different paths. Your plan, whatever it may be, will not benefit the Jedi.”

With the way he talked of death he did not sound too far from the Jedi. Was that his intention perhaps? To show how they were not so different. To picture him more like a caring father, coming to tend to those of his flock who had lost their way. Yet pain and suffering made the paving stones of the Dark Side. One did not walk them untouched.

“I wonder as well.” Zylah confessed while maintaining unflinching eye-contact. Jedi were taught not to grieve. The dead were honoured in different ways. Ultimately, if that became his fate then it was his own choices and decisions that had brought him to that end. Her blade was then merely a consequence of his actions. But was it really that simple? Could her own involvement be so easily be detached from murder? “We need not find out if you simply turn back or turn yourself in. You will be treated fairly, you have my guarantee.” Though just as she found the word of a Sith something dangerous to trust, he likely would not put blind faith in her. However if he, doubtful as it was, at any point became her charge, she would do everything in her power to see to it that he was indeed treated fairly. Discovering the opposite would only shake her faith in the establishment further.

Even if no blades were drawn, no strikes were made, she was beginning to realise she was already in battle. This Tirdarius was dangerous. His silver tongue was testing her faith, seeking into her psyche and trying to find ways to make it crack. Prolonged conversation with him, as interesting and enlightening as it was, it could very well be as dangerous as a physical confrontation. She was for a moment reminded of Darth Timoris, the sister of her master, who had during their confrontation brought Zylah to tears and nearly utter defeat, merely with her words. She had been a Padawan then. Now she stood before Tirdarius, a Jedi Knight. Had she really grown that much? Was she truly that different from that girl? But she had to hold on. The fighting was dying down. Many had been slain. On both sides, though she imagined hers had suffered the greatest losses. However not all was lost, as she sensed an evacuation in process. She was doing her part, in a way. If she held her ground here long enough she bought others time to escape. Then in the last moment she would attempt to seek a way of freedom for herself. She didn’t imagine his Sith friends would treat her with much kindness.

“You would bring it down…” Zylah paused, repeating the words thoughtfully. “and replace it with what?” and here came the challenge. “Corruption exist. We try to stem it out. No system is perfect, but we all do our part to see it improve. I won’t lie to you, I often view politicians with skepticism. Power corrupts, as I’m sure you are aware” though again here she imagined their ideologies collided. “I don’t stand for the politicians. I stand for the people. And I imagine they will fare much better under the current system than the tyranny of the Sith” Zylah found it hard to imagine their model of rule would improve the standing of anyone. If freedom was a lie in their current way of life it would not be under the Sith, the lack of it would be a blatant truth for all to see.

“I would like to think I can do more in life than in death.” she said with a smile. “But abandoning my beliefs for fear of death serves no one. I will continue to be a Jedi the only way I know how. If death claims me, so be it. I know the risks. But for now I will keep my mind in the present. And right now I am very much alive.” whatever his plans for her future may be...

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

| [member="Zylah Dvale"] |​

Turn myself in? Ah, how trusting she was, to imagine that the wheels of justice would ever turn properly for one such as he. There was naivete in that request, but also a belief in an ideal that reality rarely ever matched up to. Of course she would believe he might be offered a fair trial among the Jedi, or their allies. Naturally she believed that he might face justice if guilty of crimes, or exonerated if none could be laid at his feet. That was how the world was to work, was it not? The guilty punished, the innocent acquited and acknowledged as such. He knew differently, of course: his guilt was determined by his allegiance, the ultimate penalty the only response to who and what he was. Whether deserved or not, all I would receive is death amongst your kind.

Of course she would offer her guarantee, give her word, her own honour at stake if he were to be treated in any fashion other than with civility. But honour is a word we use only when we can truly guarantee that our actions cause no harm. Hers would be forever blemished if he accepted her custody: the Jedi would incarcerate him, place him on trial, condemn him for actions not of his making, and see to his execution, all the while claiming that this was 'justice'. Would her honour be tarnished then, or would see she it as right and appropriate? It was an intriguing question, but not one he would see answered.

Part of him had to hope that her words were drawn more from idealistic hope than from being blind to the realities: she spoke of recognising the corruption, the moral decadence, the simple elegance of how the people who she stood for were inherently oppressed by those who ran things. She knew this, and yet did nothing. Better the devil you know, yes? That was ever the Jedi way: far better to embrace political corruption of a known entity than to embrace the...how had she put it? The tyranny of the Sith.

"Tyranny is an interesting concept," he remarked, knowing well how she imagined it: under Sith rules, enslavement would be common practice, death an easy answer to every problem, oppression and harsh conditions the natural way of life. How quick you are to judge us. "To give people the illusion of freedom while they are nonetheless quietly oppressed by a financial and political elite: this is not tyranny? You know as well as I that the shining beacon of democracy is a front. Decisions are made in dark rooms, negotiated behind closed doors, and only ever expressed when finalised." He shook his head, recalling many such experiences he had witnessed. "Lobbying by the rich, shadowy manipulations designed to undercut real choices, power exercised by force or credits. That is tyranny, and yet this is the nature of the government you support."

Of course, the Jedi had ever imagined that Sith government would be far worse: the Sith policy of strong central rule had invariably led the words 'dictatorship', 'tyranny' and 'autocracy' to be thrown around with little understanding of how that might be used. The Sith themselves had ever exemplified freedom: the will to act as they saw fit, but with reference to a common structure. That was true political unity, an honest freedom. Live and work within the rules, and you could do as you wished. Fail to do so, compromising others and their right to live frely, and you would suffer the consequences. Justice is a sharp sword, double-edged and ever-ready to descend upon those who would restrict the voice of others. It was a truth the Jedi did not truly understand.

"Our way is straightforward: the law is everything." Society absent rules, lacking order, was nothing more than pure anarchy: and in such a society, all would ultimately suffer. "Those who live within them exist peacefully, protected from the chaos that stems from those who exist outside the law. Chaos is the natural state of the Galaxy, death and destruction commonplace. Only we, those who have touched the Force, have the power to put an end to it: to offer sanctuary from such dark forces." He flashed a faint smile, one that was perhaps more expressive of his personal feelings than anything he had offered thus far. "We choose to fight fire with fire. If you seek to oppress others, you shall yourself be oppressed with utter finality."

No doubt such was an expression of 'evil' to her: the pragmatism of the sword was ever terrifying to those who feared to be next beneath the blade. For many within the Galaxy, life was miserable: struggling to survive, to create something for themselves that might endure, lacking true purpose and knowing that their government was powerless to protect them, even if they felt so inclined to. Piracy, slavery, extortion, murder, theft, smuggling... One could lose their life to no end, and what would the governments of the Galaxy do? File a police report.

"Have you never felt helpless, Jedi girl?", he inquired, the smile fading from his features, a calmer look of curiousity replacing it. "Do so, and you might understand the 'people' you serve. Helpless before a government that cares only for the maintenance of an oppressive status quo, that cares only that things remain calm and stable." He shook his head at the foolishness of it. "The people stagnate, live and die never knowing anything better than what they have, and for what?" Anger crossed his features then, eyebrows contracting in a scowl. "So that those at the top of the pyramid never have to encompass their struggle. This is what you would support?"

 

[Elijah Black]

[member="Tirdarius"]

The fighting was dying out. Undoubtedly many had fallen, but not as many as the Sith would have liked. There were those who escaped. Some were still in the process of doing so. But the evacuation was underway. She did her part. She could not abandon Yutan, not yet.

“It is not all a front. Not all politicians are evil by nature. I reject your suggestion that because certain democracies are flawed we should simply surrender to tyranny. We have to try to preserve it, and safeguard it as best as we can.” Zylah couldn’t get herself to abandon the people simply because there were parts of the process which she didn’t like. “In a democracy, politicians are responsible to the people. When their deceit is brought out for all to see they can be brought down. Sith are not responsible to the people, only their own self-serving ambition. Everything else can be excused in the moment.” and this was something she had seen many examples of. Sith justice. “I will follow the Jedi Code and do what’s best for those I’m sworn to protect, always. I will not organise and create empires. And I and mine will do our best to keep the Sith from doing the same” she said with a little smile as she left him with that promise of her intent.

“The law is everything? That should pose a problem for your kind.” though perhaps not. It was not a law of the people, after all, but a law of Sith. It was already built in their favour. “You are above the rules. The people are subjected to them. Perhaps you are a Sith of a different caliber, of a different persuasion, but you cannot deny that there are plenty of those of your order who are not so law-abiding. They see their titles as assigned with diplomatic immunity.” and this was the ultimate problem. Even if she trusted this Sith, which perhaps was something with time he could prove himself worthy of, she could not trust his kind nor his ability to control them. Though even Zylah and Tirdarius were quite far away from trust at present time. “You wish to rule. I wish only to guide. The people don’t need a master. They need a guardian.” she paused, eyeing him for a moment. He was strong, probably. But how strong? Strong enough? “Unless you are the Dark Lord of the Sith and can control other Sith, I don’t think you can protect them.” by them, of course again she was referring to the innocents, the people, those whom she cared for.

“I have” Zylah replied calmly when Tirdarius inquired whether she had felt helpless. They were moving onto personal questions now, and she became wary. This was where he could dig and use her words against her, try to manipulate her to his way. She wondered how many had fallen to his rhetoric. It was not a difficult thing to imagine. He was calm, calculating, and no doubt intelligent. He would shatter the impression many young Jedi had about Sith, perhaps leaving them to feel deceived by their own. “Perhaps ironically to your point, it was the Jedi who saved me.” her life would’ve been very different if not for that Jedi intervention. “Do you do a lot of charity work, Tirdarius?” she asked curious, finding it hard to believe he truly cared for the people and their struggle.