Templar Seeking Jedi.

[Dezoti]

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Voss​

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Just into Voss space a single freighter dropped out of hyperspace. It was a simple trading vessel, but it had only one reason to be here. A passenger had paid for a complete trip to the Silver Homeworld. A hailing signal was sent out to what ever defenses the planet may have. "Hello Voss! I'm uh, not sure what to say. I got a traveler looking for one of the Jedi here, any chance you could uh.. Get one on or something?"

In the back of the vessel sat a Zabrak, the cargo, who happened to just be listening. Wasn't sure what to say? A sigh escaped the mans red lips as he listened to the hailing call. He had been assured by the pilot he knew how to get a hold of the Jedi here, though it seemed to be a farce. At least he was a cheap trip. Blue eyes opened as Krest stood up, moving his way to the cockpit. Hopefully a Jedi would answer, and they wouldn't be shot down. Getting shot down would certainly be the low point of this trip.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was by chance that Connor was on Voss and Thurion and Coci were not that he had taken the call from the sweet Gran in the communications room responding to a somewhat confusing but seemingly peaceful message from above. Connor averted his course out of the Temple and returned into the building, up to the higher floor to the coms room.

Connor leant over the Gran, looking out on the read-outs – nothing alarming. His defences were always up now, especially after his meeting with the Sith on Anaxes and the desire for a certain someone to return to the planet.

This, however, did not seem like the Sith.

”Unidentified craft, this is Connor Harrison of the Silver Sanctum and Silver Jedi Order – please identify yourself, your cargo and your intentions for the Jedi whom you speak of And a their name, please.”

He would wait. The Rangers wouldn’t shoot anyone down, but if needed they would happily “escort” the craft to Voss or out of Sanctum space if they showed hostile intent. Then they would shoot them down on the Jedis command.

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

Rather casually Krest took the mic from the captain, speaking up hastily. Master Harrison? The Templar knew that name of course, though he wasn't sure how important the man was with the Silvers. "My name is Krest, of the old Templar Order. I've come to turn myself in for crimes against humanity that I've committed under the name of Darth Ferus. I simply ask for a fair trial, and I can't think of a better place than here to go for it, right?"

Well, there was the gamble. Krest was indeed here to turn himself in, and did intend to be tried for all the crimes he had committed in his quest to destroy Sith from the inside out. He had failed against the One Sith and did terrible things, it was only fitting he would be punished. And who better to than the Silver Jedi, possibly the most neutral group of Jedi left.

"Take me in peacefully is all I ask, I won't resist."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Listening, it took Connor a little longer to comprehend what this visitor was saying. Darth Ferus? Tried for his crimes? He stared into the communication relay, not really looking at anything, as he tried to process the information. He turned to the Gran.

”Raise the Shadows to amber warning, ready the Rangers ground and fleet and wait for my word. But keep it quiet – don’t cause a panic. Anything escalates, it’s my name on this, not yours. Don’t worry.”

Connor turned back and activated the com. He had a duty, to himself and the Order, and to this Sith. He paused for a second to decide what to do.

”Krest, you will be escorted to the Silver Sanctum. We will bring you in peacefully and we can address your situation. Our defences are armed and ready should hostile action be taken. I will meet you there.”

He clicked off and exhaled.

”Why me.”

Connor turned, letting the Gran ready the Jedi and Rangers to prepare for the arrival of the transport. Why was it the Sith seemed to sniff around Voss whenever he was around.

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

"Sounds good. Though, I won't be giving you any reason to shoot me down." With that Krest set down the mike and nodded to the pilot, who looked rather confused. Krest only offered him an encouraging smile before moving towards his cabin once more. On his way back he did call out once more for the man. "Don't worry. Just follow what they ask of you. I'm sure you'll even get the bounty on me, if there is one."

"I ain't too worried about that. You wanted me to bring you here so you could be put on trial? I just.. I don't.."

"Really, don't worry about it.

The door to the Templars room would close, leaving the Zabrak alone. He would settle down in a cross legged position, and just close his eyes. His fate was no longer his own, and for once he felt at peace with such a decision. The pilot would follow what ever escort would bring them down without any resistance, and upon landing Krest would remain in his chambers to wait for any armed escorts that would come pick him up.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

”When escort lands them, stick with me and make sure the eyes in the sky keep on him. You’ll know when to take offensive action, Corporal.”

”Absolutely,” the Ranger said, holding his blaster rifle in both hands, face hidden behind his visor.

Connor walked with purpose down the winding exterior Temple steps to the path outside, lined with grass and soft dusty-brown stone. Looking up, he waited for minutes before three dots came into view, two with blinking orange lights. The Ranger escorts brought in the Sith ship, which was smaller and less…horrifying than he had imagined.

Security was ready, but not as much to evoke panic with Younglings and raise concern. Connor would know when it was time to panic.

He stood back, letting the Rangers welcome the pilot out into the open and taking him for confinement, of the most comfortable nature of course. He wasn’t a prisoner, but precautions had to be taken. There was no Force aura from the pilot, which was a relief.

His fingers rubbed together as they waited what seemed a while, and he was tempted to enter the ship himself, but he didn’t need to. The Rangers came with a Zabrak with skin as red as blood and rather elegant clothing. Connor waved forward with his fingers and walked to meet the Zabrak halfway down the landing pad. The two Ranger ships on either side were like hulking protectors.

”Welcome to Voss, Krest. Forgive me but this is rather a surprise – shouldn’t you have surrendered to the Republic for your crimes? I have to say I have no recollection of the name Ferus.”

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

Krest remained seated as [member="Connor Harrison"] and the guards came in, both hands kept in clear view on his lap. Beside him was his sword, something that he couldn't just leave behind. Bright blue eyes looked between the men, and a single bow of his head was offered. "I apologize for the intrusion, but the Jedi of the Republic had once demanded my head in a blood lust I had not seen from anyone but the Sith. I ask for a trial, not an execution. To my knowledge, the Silver Jedi would be the best bet for this. As for the name, I'm not too surprised. I did try to keep the name from spreading around more than the Sith themselves."

The Templar would stand then, holding out his sword in one hand. "I assume you'd like my weaponry. Asides from this blade, there's another built into my arm, and a lightsaber in my thigh. I've been caught weaponless before, so I figured I'd take advantage of my cybernetics. If you need to disable my arm, as the weapon can't be removed like the one in my leg, I will not resist." The Zabrak was calm, his face with just a hint of a smile. He was at peace with this choice, and the fact he wasn't dead yet made it far easier to be content with it.

"And please, don't harm the pilot. I hired him off of Tatooine. He has no connection to the Sith, that I know of at least."

 

[Connor Harrison]

”Don’t worry, we aren’t going to harm anyone. We are just taking precautions. He’s having a hot drink right about now hopefully. Come.”

He took the blade from Krest, a fine weapon. He started a slow walk from the landing pad to the Temple, the blade down by his side carefully and with respect for another's property.

”I will certainly see if we can grant you an audience with the Council. I am not currently on it, but that shouldn’t be an issue for them to hold conclave.”

The best route would be, as most things to be kept quiet, through the side and down into the depths of the foundations where the holding cells and medbay was. Anything that was not for younger eyes and ears to see, was out of reach for most.

”May I ask why you are willingly handing yourself over? There seems to be a shift in the objectives of the Sith recently. Many in their ranks seem to be losing their way to find a glimmer of humanity inside their souls once thought corrupted.”

[member=Krest]

 

[Dezoti]

Krest kept right up with [member="Connor Harrison"] , both of his hands down by his sides. He wasn't handcuffed like he had expected, but with the Jedi's explanation he had no reason to worry about it. "I'm not a Sith. I'm a Templar. My mission was to infiltrate Sith organizations and destroy them from the inside, and the One Sith was the last I tried with. I failed, and killed many trying to prove my worth and get into a position to destroy it. Having failed, I was going to turn myself into the Templars, but they're gone. So now I'm here." It was odd, explaining it. It seemed like there was so much more to it. But, there wasn't. It was a simple story, and now he was going to pay for his actions.

 

[Connor Harrison]

”A Templar? I see.”

Connor hadn’t encountered the Templars, but had heard about them over time. So Krest wasn’t a Sith – he had simply tried to do what Connor had done one time; understand and control the Dark Side to battle it and be one unifying warrior of Light and Dark to fight for good.

But of course those ideals never work out, and Krest had seen that. However Connor straight away had a good deal of respect for the man willing to face his actions.

”Krest, I understand partly what you have tried to do. While I am a Jedi, I am not a clean-cut Jedi. None of us claim to be here, all with demons or mistakes we would like to compensate for that makes us who we are.”

He thought carefully about what he was saying on such a tender subject.

”I’m in no place to clear you conscious, but to me it feels your actions were not done through malice or bloodlust. I feel you simply…lost your way. I am sure if you want help to find it again we can direct you there. Make you feel worthy again.”

Connor looked at the weapon in his hand, holding it to gauge the weight.

”Tell me, Krest, what exactly did the Templars strive to do, where did they see themselves?”

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

​"Weirdly enough, I don't feel unworthy. Or that I need to clear my consciousness. My honor demands that I stand trial for my actions, no matter the reason behind them." And that was true. Not a single part of him regretted his past. He may have failed his mission with the One Sith, but he had succeeded twice before. Still, his actions, the blood on his hands, someone had to pay the toll. That was the burden Krest took on when he took the mission, and he had no intention of simply dropping it.

"The Templars are guardians of freedom. The Sith promise this, but in the end you become a slave to the dark for power. Jedi, at least in the republic, don't allow any personal freedom. You're not allowed to be a politician if you could use the Force. In the Templars, in the CIS of old, you could be who ever you wanted, so long as you didn't interfere with the freedoms of others. A Force User wasn't conscripted as a baby and brought to the Templar temple to be trained as a Jedi without a choice, nor were they sent to a barren planet to fight to the death and become the strongest. It's a choice, one there is no pressure to make. Being a Templar means you use your gifts to fight the best you can, similar to being a soldier." A brief description, certianly. There were many sides to the Templar, but that was essentially it. Being a Templar was a choice, and becoming one meant you protect the freedom of others at the cost of your own. Perhaps it was similar to Jedi more than Krest would admit to [member="Connor Harrison"] if he was asked, but to the Zabrak Jedi and Templar couldn't be anymore different.

 

[Connor Harrison]

”Sounds like the Templars and the Sanctum would get on in the greater scheme of things,” Connor said, ”so don’t close all doors yet.”

Connor took Krest through the hangar, the Rangers behind, so nothing totally out of the ordinary. If anything the red-skinned guest looked more like a VIP being shown around than a criminal wanting to stand trial.

”May I ask you something. You say the Templars are no more? Would you consider using your knowledge and skillset within the Sanctum? Say, if your crimes had a way of being dismissed within the trail itself.”

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

Join the Sanctum? A single brow raised in bewilderment on the Zabrak's face as he looked over to [member="Connor Harrison"] . Honestly, Krest had expected a recruitment pitch to become a Jedi, not remain a Templar and help. His gaze drifted back off to the surroundings, noting how alone they actually were. Not that he doubted the Rangers capability of taking him down, just the fact that to make things as normal as possible for the common folk they didn't parade Krest around like the mass murderer he was. They're pretty good folk here.

"I.. Don't see why not. I plan one day to rebuild the Templars though, so if that would be alright here with the other Jedi, I'd stay and help where I could. Though, I don't see the crimes being easily dismissed. A lot of blood stains my hands after all."

 

[Connor Harrison]

”Well, why not? We are a collective bunch here from varied different backgrounds, all with various abilities, ages and species. I think your heart is in the right place, Krest. I can understand why you did what you did. I think you’d fit in well, passing plenty of knowledge to others and maybe even finding Jedi who wish to help you in your quest to bring back the Templars.”

Connor turned into the Temple from the hangar, starting through the spacious hallways leading into the main lobby, after a few twists and turns along the way and passing by various rooms and lecture theatres for the Younglings.

”It’s up to you. I can take your case to the Grandmaster, on the quiet, and explain the situation and ask him to take you in with my word your sight is only attuned to the Light, and avoid a trail...” he waved his hand nonchalantly – ever a rogue with twisting rules, ”or we can do it your way. I just don’t want to make you feel worse than you already do for a situation we have no facts or evidence for except your word.”

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

"While I appreciate it, Templar's don't believe in light or dark in the same way Jedi do. Here." Krest stopped then, to lower his voice. It wasn't same, or a need for secrets, but there were younglings around. It was out of respect to the Jedi that he would keep it quiet, instead of making an impression on the young minds.

"We few have been chosen for greatness. ​

We are not called to be slaves to the instincts of beasts, nor do we shun the passions of man. ​

But we distinguish ourselves as those who have pledged fealty to the Realm; and now live out our days as wardens of the People. ​

We ascribe to the highest standard of discipline, justice, and wisdom; and use the Force as our tool to conquer and defend. ​

The innocent need not fear our coming; but for the realm's liberty, we shall gladly stain our hands in blood. ​

We shall fight the good fight with all of our might; and through our deeds earn the right to bear the name Templar."​

​

A shrug was offered to [member="Connor Harrison"] when Krest was finished. His blue eyes darted around for a moment, just to make sure no one else around may end up asking questions. "To a Templar, the Force is a tool. There is no philosophy on Light or Dark, just doing the right thing no matter what. It's a sword, it's a shield, not a way of life."

 

[Connor Harrison]

”An interesting theory, and to be fair…I think it’s not far from what many within these walls think like.”

He directed them to the side away from the main area and stood by, just a small congregation talking and nothing out of the ordinary. The Ranger respected this and stood away.

”I too see the Force as a tool. It has to be a tool. It is a tool to be used to cut away the Dark and preserve the Light. But your believe of good and bad, I choose to see the Light as the good, if I didn’t I wouldn’t know where I was or what I was doing, but I feel it should be used to do what is asked, for good, no matter what. It’s there to be used, not to be admired.”

Now it was his turn to offer a shrug.

”It’s that view that’s got me where I am and given me the label of one a little rough around the edges than most, but in these dangerous times, you have to be rough around the edges to protect yourself.”

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

"True, very true." Krest listened [member="Connor Harrison"] , and he understood. Everything the Master had said rang true in the Zabraks head, and he could only chuckle. This is not what he had expected when he went to a Jedi planet to turn himself in as a Sith Lord. Armed guards, handcuffs, beatings. That's what the Templar had expected. And he was thankful that wasn't the case.

"Well, then I don't see a reason to not use your suggestion. Bring me to your Grandmaster, and perhaps he can put me on a more private trial, as you suggested."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor gave a nod of the head, turning to the Ranger and dismissing him, which was well received and understood.

”[member="Thurion Heavenshield"] is a good man – a fair man – and I will inform him of your request and all you have told me,” he gestured forward with his hand to start another walk around the main lobby, ”and I am sure he will instigate something, or get me to. Or his wife [member="Coci Heavenshield"] – she’s a tough one.”

He smiled at Krest.

”Looks sweet but packs a punch. I’ll help you as much as I can, and if you want to make some introductions to the others, please feel free. I guarantee they’ll be interested in your experiences.”

[member="Krest"]

 

[Dezoti]

Another chuckle escaped the lips of the Zabrak as he listened to [member="Connor Harrison"] . Krest followed the master into the lobby, casting a glance around. It was.. Peaceful here. Very peaceful. So different from the Sith Temples he had to walk through. "The pair sound like good people. I look forward to meeting them at some point." Though, now that Krest wasn't really under arrest, he held up his hand, a faint, yet embarrassed smile on his face. "Could I get my blade back though? It feels wrong to not have it is all. And.. Whats the plan now?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

A blade wasn’t always just a weapon; a blade was what defined a man and carried everything about them. Connor remembered he was holding Krests and promptly returned it back, hilt first.

”Of course,” he said. ”I think now we need to get you in front of the Grandmaster if you so wish, and see how he deems your thoughts and where your place could be. I don’t see the good it will be for us to act as a jury for your sins when we really know so little about you and the role you played before – I’ve had second chances granted me five or six times for my sins, so maybe we can offer you yours?”

There was plenty to go on – faction introductions, council meetings or even seeing if Krest could get involved in the thick of current excursions and dominions. The choice was his, and how ready he felt in himself and his abilities.

[member="Krest"]