The Spymaster

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The Ession Reformation had come into full swing. Ession itself was now under control of the Jedi Lords and their allies. Order had been brought about on the once corrupt world, and for the first time in almost a decade, Sith did not hold dominion over the industrial world. The Grand Temple's construction had almost reached completion, and it seemed nothing was going to stand in the way of the Reformation's growth. To continue that growth, certain tools needed to be used to keep the fledgling government from collapsing in on itself. One of those tools happened to espionage...something the Reformation was sorely lacking in.

Graxin Rade sat behind his desk at the top of the Grand Temple, which also served as the seat of government in Reformation territory. He'd had an office built on the highest level of the massive structure to conduct meetings with important individual ranging from foreign dignitaries to mercenaries. It was quiet, out of the way, and designed entirely for the sake of privacy. So far, the office had served its purpose well.

Graxin ran a gloved hand over his scalp and took a quick glance around. The floors were hardwood, and the walls a warm tan color. Two massive window showcased the sprawling cityscape of Ession's capital city. The Jedi would always have a view of the world he kept safe.

His eyes drifted down to the datapad built into his desk. The visitor was supposed to be here shortly; a woman he had heard little about, but found himself rather eager to meet. What point would there be in denying the spy an audience, after all?


[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

A sigh graced the lips of Synthea as she made her way towards the room that housed the man that she had sought an audience with. Thoughts raced through her mind as she attempted to remain calm, however she began to wonder just as to what drove the man to bring about the faction known as The Ession Reformation. She had heard about the faction, through whispers within taverns, but she hadn’t paid attention to them until lately. The woman was unaffiliated with anything, which meant that no one paid much attention to her. Something that she preferred than anything else, however she was growing bored of her unaffiliated life. For she could go anywhere and learn much, but for what purpose? Purpose had fuelled her steps to leave her life as a slave, but she didn’t have any goal after that. No goal? Meant a bored Shi’ido whose veins burned with a never ending anger. When she got frustrated with such a thing, items tended to get knocked off of their ledge. It was a development that she hadn’t expected and as far as she knew, it wasn’t because of her race. For both of her parents hadn’t moved things, well, that she knew of. They did once have a private life and they had once done things that she wasn’t always involved with.

Slowly, she came to a stop before a very polished looking hardwood door and hesitated. Synthea had spent most of her pre-slave life burying her nose into a book of some kind. The content? Was mostly about the skills that were involved within the art of spying, it was the only thing that really grabbed and held her attention. Her hands lifted to slide down along the front of her long black coat, which was buckled up to hide the sheathed katana at her side. The hem of the leather coat, brushed the tops of her booted feet. Underneath the coat, she wore a pair of plain black pants and a simple white shirt. It was what she normally wore unless the situation called for something better. Quickly pushing back her black locks back over her shoulder, she entered the room, pausing only briefly to note the room that she had entered into. The main thing that she did note, was the man seated behind the desk and the massive windows behind him that showcased the city. It was beautiful, to say in the least.

The closed behind her with a soft click as she angled her head, her tongue darting out to lick her bottom lip. A smile curved her lips while her deep blue gaze trailed over the man’s form, well, of what she could see from where she stood. The woman saw passed the scars that were present upon his face, instead she had focussed upon his delicious chocolate brown hair that sported flecks of gray. It was a symbol of age and paired with the scars, it had meant that he had seen much and Synthea very much had a curious mind. She actually wanted to simply drop the topic of her working as a spy for the Ession Reformation and talk about him. However, to talk with someone about their life experiences, a bond of trust had to be formed. Which meant that she could attempt to do such a thing by joining the man’s faction and gain his trust by doing things that pleased him. Which meant, becoming a spy, gathering information for him and doing whatever else that he needed from her. However, gaining trust also took time. How much time depended upon the person, which meant patience was needed. With the smile still firmly in place she crossed the floor to stand in front of the man’s desk, holding her hand out to him as she spoke. “Evening, the name is Synthea Trills. The spy that requested the audience with you.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Once upon a time, Graxin had been the right hand of the Sith Emperor. That was many years ago, but during his tenure as Darth Vulcanus's favorite tool he had picked up a few skills. Most of them involved assassination and the various ways it could be done, but some involved the fancy word espionage. Before he was a Jedi, he was Sith, and before he was Sith, he had been an infiltrator. A damned good one too, though that was a portion of his life he rarely if ever shared with anyone. It wasn't something you just told people after all.

He had expected someone similar to himself, albeit a bit younger. An inconspicuous young man or woman like any other. What he received was a gorgeous young woman that no doubt used such traits to her advantage. Beauty was a powerful tool in the intelligence community, one that Graxin had seen employed more than a few times. It had always annoyed the Knight to no end. Now however, he caught himself staring. Sharp amber eyes met those deep blues, entranced for the slightest fraction of a second before he regained his composure. Graxin was no girl crazy teenager. He had a job to do, and that required discipline. Discipline he would not have ogling the young woman.

"Graxin Rade. I'm in charge of the Reformation--as I'm sure you've guessed. I also jumped off a two story building once, far more impressive really." He began, pouring himself a cup of caf. He brought the steaming liquid up to his lips, and eyed Synthea over the rim of the cup. Was she really here to help the Reformation, or was there an ulterior motive?

He resisted the urge to probe her mind. If he was going to do that, he would ask it of her beforehand. Better to keep her happy for now and not lose a possible asset. "Caf? It's fresh." He motioned toward another empty glass. "What's your interest in the Reformation Miss Trills? It's not the propaganda posters is it? The pictures really don't do use justice."

[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

Synthea’s blue gaze held a touch of humour to them while her simple smile turned into a small smirk, as she noticed the brief pause within their meeting. The offered hand dropped then so then the palm rested upon the top of the wooden desk and she paid attention to the smooth, polished surface. Everything about the office screamed that the man had a deep pockets and it commanded that one was to pay attention to the man within it. Slowly she edged forwards, before seating herself upon the edge of the desk, her blue gaze daring the man to tell her otherwise as she pondered upon the man’s words for a moment. While she didn’t like coffee, she could swallow a cup just for the sake of the meeting. ”I would be delighted to have a cup of caf.” She said before she grasped the cup with her left hand and the steaming pot of caf in the other hand. Slowly, she poured a cup of the liquid, feeling the eyes of the man upon her form. “To be completely honest with you, Mr Rade. I never saw your posters.” Once her cup was full, she settled the pot of caf down upon the desk and looked up at the man, studying him for a moment.

“I heard about your faction through whispers within a tavern. For you see, where I was, people don’t like…” She paused for a moment as she wrapped both of her hands around the mug of caf, almost as if she was searching for a word inside her own mind. “They don’t like those that wish to change the galaxy for peace, they quite like the chaos.” A smile curved her lips then as she angled her head to peer into the man’s amber eyes, ”As for my interest of the Reformation…” A simple rise and fall of her shoulders soon followed suit as she lifted the mug to her lips to sip at the bitter beverage, with holding the instant want to screw up her nose at the taste. “I find myself without a goal in mind and without a goal in mind, I get bored. I have no love for the Sith, so I figured, why not join a faction with a goal that may just suit my purpose.” Although, in reality, she found that the goal of peace, was very unattainable. Which meant, she would have a purpose to do for as long as she wanted. If she was able to join the faction.

A smile caressed her red painted lips then as she focused upon the scarring over his eye, it intrigued her to say in the least. “As for jumping off of a two story building… I couldn’t say that I would find that as impressive as running your own faction. For the two requires far different skill sets. Running a faction requires a more complex set of skills rather than just jumping off of a building.” She took another sip of the caf, this time her tongue darting out once more. It was in an effort to attempt to be enjoying the caf. Her gaze pulled away from the man’s facial scarring for the moment and her gaze drifted along his form more closely. She noted the extra scarring along his lip and his toned build. However, if her gaze wanted to keep going further downwards, she would have to lean further over the desk. For the moment, she resisted doing such a thing as he might stand up… eventually, and her gaze returned to the amber hues. “So, it looks like you have seen quite a fair bit.” The smirk from before returned to her lips then, while a hand pressed a palm to the desk once more and her weight leaned upon it. The cup of caf that was held in her other hand, was also settled down upon the desk. “I would also wager that you have met quite a few women,” she purred as she turned the topic onto him, in an attempt to wrestle just a little bit more information out of him. Indeed, she was testing the boundaries of his… limited trust.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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To the majority of beings, Graxin would have said something immediately. He had learned the skills needed for leadership from his mother--the Queen of Naboo-- and number one on the list of things not to do, was to allow your sense of control to falter. Yet, that happened to be exactly what he was doing at the moment. The Knight errant blinked up at Synthea, his eyes narrowing in private suspicion. To serve simply for the sake of entertainment often proved dangerous. Graxin had met those kinds of beings serving the Emperor, and they always turned traitor at one point or another. They were always seeking the latest thrill, whether that be war, spinning a lie, or fulfilling more carnal desires, they were a dangerous bunch.

"The Republuc does the same. Why not offer them your talents?" He asked the somewhat obvious, setting his mug down on the wooden table. His fingers steeped in a pyramid, and he lofted a brow. "They actively war with the Sith, we only work to preserve what we can here. It's true that we will battle the Sith, yes, but not yet." He continued. He bit down on his lower lip absentmindedly, trying to articulate the right words to get his point across. He would not be influenced by seductive words and a pretty face. His gaze remained locked on her eyes, though the temptation to allow it to drift lower was there. He was, of course, only human. "I've seen my fair share of the galaxy. I've fought Mandalores and armies of the Dark Side. I've been both Jedi and Sith. Experience is not something I am lacking in, Miss Trills."


The Knight tilted his head back to get a better look at her. The mention of women was not something he had been particularly prepared for. Why did his past with those of the opposite gender matter?

"Met them, yes. Along with men." He answered plainly. The Knight knew exactly what she had been getting at, and carefully deflected it. He leaned forward, and let his eyes travel down her raven lock, and linger down toward her hand. The spy was getting awfully close for a complete stranger. Mentally, he echoed the Jedi Mantra. It brought him some semblance of peace. "And good. The posters are for the easily swayed anyway--I don't take you for one of them."

[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

The man deflected her question and an inward sigh fell into her mind while she simply leaned backwards. Synthea would have pushed, but she knew before he had even said it, that he had experienced much. The shi'ido recognized that chances were, no amount of pushing would help her cause. Some men just have a one-tracked mind at times, she whispered to herself as her gaze flickered over the man’s form before looking past his shoulder and out the window. The night sky was filled with millions of stars and other planets. There were many places to be explored and many things to experience. “I hardly think that you lack the experience Mr Rade. In fact, I would love nothing more than to stick around and pick your brain, find out about everything that you have experienced. However, I have a feeling that you are very focused upon the reason of this meeting, which is, why do I want to join The Reformation.” She paused for a moment as she drew in a deep breath and she told herself to be patient. The woman didn’t expect the job, in fact, she half expected to be sent away because of the simple fact that she didn’t have a pure reason to be there, other than the fact that she wanted to.

“I could just go and join The Republic, or I could just simply remain unaffiliated.” Another pause followed her words for a while as she pressed her lips together her left hand lifting to gently tug at her black locks, thoughts swirled within her mind. Thinking, she was always thinking, never did her thoughts rest. Drawing in a slow breath, another shrug soon followed it as she looked back into those amber eyes, tempted to peek into that mind of his. However Synthea with-held the temptation and simply spoke her mind. ”I am simply here to give my… talents a purpose, for the moment I lack such a thing. I don’t have good, nor do I have ill intentions.” Slowly, she slipped off of the edge of the desk and turned to view a wall, taking a couple of steps towards it as she clasped her hands behind her back. Give her a target and a goal to reach, whether it be to find out information or to seduce someone, she could do it. However, this was faction talk and it frustrated her to no end. She had been unaffiliated her whole life, the inner workings of politics simply bored her to death. How could someone convince another to take them on, just because one wanted to be a part of something, to give their life a purpose other than to just satisfying one’s own needs and frustrated anger?

The man probably had other means of acquiring spies, much like The Republic really, so why would they need her? Or more specifically, why would they want her? If she joined The Republic, she would just simply be a number. Did she want that? However, not only did she want to join The Reformation to simply put her talents to use, but also to back it because of her dead parents and her hatred for slavery. From her understanding or from what she had heard, The Reformation killed those that practised it. The woman didn’t want to reveal to the man her past however, for she didn’t speak of it to anyone. It brought questions, questions of how she escaped. Synthea, did not even want to reveal herself as a shi’ido to anyone and so she lived a life of secrets. Anger burned through-out her being, she felt it burn through her veins. Then suddenly, the cup that she had previously held, flew off of the desk and into the opposite wall. She spun around quickly, her blue eyes wide for a moment before she lifted a hand to pinch at the bridge of her nose, her gaze sliding closed. “My apologies, that… just happens occasionally.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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This was no chance meeting then. Graxin had been too enamored in the physical to focus upon the metaphysical. The force shimmered around the woman like a beacon--force sensitives just had a way of finding Graxin-- and Graxin bit down on his lower lip. He stared down at the mug; his expression an unreadable wall. Whatever thoughts were going through his mind, he did not give voice to them. Force sensitives were a rare commodity, and not claiming this one for himself would be thoughtless.

"That would be the force." He said plainly, tilting his head back to look up at her from his chair. The Knight had himself a good view of the shi'do now, all curves it seemed. While that might have distracted him a moment or so before, it was of little concern. The force always took precedence over trivial matters. "You didn't tell me you were a force sensitive." He added quietly. Mentally, he was weighing the risks of seeing the woman trained. She was far older than most Padawans, and she seemed to give in to her carnal desires whenever the situation allowed. Such a trait was poisonous to a Jedi Knight.

"I think you'd do well with us, Synthea." He made a point to use her first name. "But I need to be sure of something first. I will probe your mind as best I can to assure myself of your intentions. Then, I'll happily allow you into my circle." The Knight pushed up to his feet. He was all of two meters tall and then some. He was draped in the leather robes of a Jedi Knight. They hung down to his feet and were the dark shade of ebony. He strode around his desk, trailing a hand along the wooden counter top. One hand was clad in a thick leather glove, while the other was naked and the same tanned shade as his face.

"If you agree, don't put up any resistance." He didn't mention that his skills with mentalism were mediocre. If one allowed him to look into their mind at a close range, he could, but any resistance would shatter his concentration. It simply wasn't something he had a talent for.


[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

The man spoke and she especially paid attention to when he called her by her first name. Her hand dropped away from her face as her blue gaze watched him rise from his seat before they drifted down over his form. The ebony shade of the robes, seemed to suit the male very well and her gaze then rested upon the bare hand. She was a force sensitive? It was the first time that anyone had said such a thing to her. Of course Synthea knew about the Jedi, but she really didn’t know much about it. No one else had spoken to her about it either, almost as if there was some kind of secret to it. However, her gaze flickered back to the robes as she remembered that one man with the dark robes and the deep blue eyes all those many years ago. He had seen her from the shadows of whence she had lurked, but had said nothing to all. There was no way that she could be a force sensitive, for she didn’t know anything about it. If this new… power stemmed from being such a thing, then why hadn’t she been killed by the Sith when she had been ensla… A sudden question then invaded her thoughts, had her parents been force sensitive?

Synthea angled her head slightly as she took in Graxin’s face once more, he wanted to probe her mind? She hadn’t let anyone inside of her mind, but it seemed that if she were to be allowed into the Reformation, that she would simply have to let him in. The shi’ido took a deep breath before she slowly took the necessary steps to bring her form to stand directly in front of him. For she knew that if he was going to use telepathy, that it worked much better with less distance between the two. Especially if they were not familiar with each other. She forced a smile to her lips then as her blue eyes peered into those amber depths. “Graxin, I don’t normally let people see inside of my head, in fact, I don’t exactly get close to people.” A pause and another breath, “But, for you, I’ll make an exception.” The tone of her voice dropped along with the forced smile, “So long as afterwards, you tell me just what it means to be force sensitive.”

Yes, she was nervous. Yes, she had objections to the man delving into her mind. However, if this man was just as experience as he said he was, then her small bit of tragedy was more than likely something that he had already seen before. That didn’t mean that she wanted him to know that she had been through it. That the reason why she really wanted to join, was because that their cause about slavery and the Sith, hit so close to home. That she wanted to join in on something that meant something to her and would give her something to keep busy with. “And although I know that I’m not really in the position to ask for your silence, but whatever you see or hear inside of my head, I ask that you keep it to yourself.” She knew that he was under no obligations to grant her that request, but she did have to try. Synthea had tried so hard to project the image that she did, strong, confident and over-all seductive. It helped her to get into the minds of others without actually having to expose anything about herself. Men, even women, actually got quite distracted when a beautiful woman got close to them and displayed a sexual interest. It worked very well in her favour… Until now.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Tell her about the force? There were so many things that could be said. So many things that could be conveyed wrongly. Graxin had become a seasoned Jedi Knight, but he wouldn't dare to consider himself a master. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps one day he would become a master of the force, but certainly not this day. He settled a pace or so away from the woman, and tilted his head forward in a silent nod. He would keep her secrets for whatever they were worth, so long as she trusted him with them.

The Knight drew in a deep breath. Entering someone's mind was a difficult and somewhat foreign concept even if they were allowing such. There were masters of telepathy across the galaxy, men and women who could breach the minds of whoever they wished with a simple thought. Graxin was not one of those masters. The concept of telepathy had been an uncomfortable one when Graxin was a Padawan, and even as a Sith he had refrained from learning the art. Breaching someone's privacy in such a way was, to Graxin, as terrible as sin as cold murder. It simply should not be done.

However, when one gave consent, the matter was different entirely.

"If that's your bargain, then I'd be a fool to decline." He mumbled just barely above a whisper. His eyes narrowed as they made contact with hers, and the artificial light that had flooded the room seemed to seep away leaving only the vibrant neon color of the city below to light up the office. "Though you must know, I'm not as easily swayed as the men you might have encountered. Your act is alluring, but Jedi are trained to keep themselves above such base desires." He continued as he began to reach out. His eyes closed as he allowed the force to take him, becoming a specter of sort in its aura as he pressed onto Synthea's mind. "Otherwise those desires would consume us..." He breathed as he became fully enveloped in the task.

His physical form remained where it was, but his spirit and mind traveled to Synthea's own, attempting to see just what came together behind that pretty face.

[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

Synthea felt the man press into her mind and a wince crossed her facial features. Not in pain, but more in fear. Her right hand reached out to lightly grasp at the desk’s edge in an attempt to not grasp at the man in front of her. Her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip before she took a deep breath to steady herself. Having just been told that she was force sensitive had un-nerved her, for she hadn’t really thought herself to be anything other than a non-force user. It had been something that she had counted as lucky, for not everyone was willing to talk to someone that they suspected to be able to use the force. Anger was her trigger, this she knew, for whenever she was angry or frustrated, random things went flying. So, she just had to attempt to be calm, a trait that she was not very good at whenever some topic such as slavery or the Sith were mentioned. It reminded her of the manacles that she had worn when her parents had first been killed, of the void that she had retreated into after she had been sold to her master.

The woman paused within her thoughts for a moment, as her gaze continued to stare into those amber eyes, eyes that indicated that they had seen much. They made her pay attention to him, made her want to know this man, however the factor of trust was just simply not there between the two. His whole demeanour had told her that he most definitely did not trust her with anything, especially when he kept mentioning to her that he was not easily swayed. In fact, not only did his robe remind her of the blue eyed man, but the way he stood also reminded her of him. While the two were not the same person, they just had the demeanour of someone important. A lot of the times, she regretted severely that she hadn’t spoken to the man eight years ago, for maybe he might have been able to tell her about all of this force stuff. However, her master would have beaten her should she even dare to speak to a customer. It was then that she remembered the presence of the man within her mind and her grip upon the desk tightened. Every fibre within her being told her to attempt to shut him out, to force him out, but she held still her form stilling in its movements altogether.

“So…” The woman grasped for anything, something to say, but she was coming up blank, especially considering that he had basically told her that her ‘act’ was alluring but not tempting. Perhaps it would have to be something that she should work on. What was she to do after this meeting? She would, if not given anything to do, go back to where she had come from. Nar Shaddaa. Slink off into the shadows, spy and coax information out of people, drink and generally stick to herself. Maybe she could even go off and spend the night with someone. Or, she could probably go off to find someone to actually train with her katana. For although she was basically a novice with the use of the blade, she knew that to actually stay alive, she was going to have to learn to defend herself. When she had previously returned to Nar Shaddaa in search of the owner that she had escaped, she had learn that he had basically dropped off of the face of the earth. Granted, he had been old when she had escaped the man’s grasp, but after eight years, she kind of expected him to still be alive so then she could kill him herself. Her thoughts trailed on as she remained still, her frustration at her own idle thoughts building.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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She was sincere. That fact utterly surprised the Jedi Knight. He had expected her to be pulling some kind of trick, perhaps for her own amusement, or something far more sinister. It seemed, however, that Synthea Trills truly wanted to help the Reformation. That, and she seemed to have a starling interest in him. The realization sent a shiver down the Archlord's spine. It was one thing to know a woman was trying to use her body to sway your thoughts. It was another to know they had a genuine interest in you. He had no idea what to think, let alone how to confront it. Best to let it be, for the moment anyway.

"Welcome to the Reformation." He said simply, hands falling deftly down to his sides. His eyes opened, and he breathed a quiet sigh. It was a simple induction, but one with monumental weight. He was accepting her as one of his own, something that rarely happened as of late. The Knight reached out with his gloved hand, and set it firmly on her shoulder. "The force is an energy field all around us. It binds us all together. It keeps the galaxy flowing, and shows us our true path. It's a guiding light to those who hear it, and a bloody tool for those that abuse it. The Jedi call upon the power of the light through introspection and serenity to protect all. The Sith use their selfish feelings, their anger, hate, and lust to dominate innocent people and slaughter anyone who may challenge them."

he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze to pull her back into reality, and allowed his grip to falter. Any further physical contact might have been...inappropriate. The Knight folded his arms over his chest, and offered a small smile. "We accept those willing to help others into the Order. The force is a gift, best not to waste it Synthea."


[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

Finally, words parted his lips and she felt the man retreat from her mind. So… She was now a part of the Reformation, which surprised her to some degree. She had half expected to have been turned away, but the man seemed to accept her instead. His gloved hand then reached out to grasped her left shoulder and a simple blink soon followed afterwards as he began to talk to her about the force. Synthea wanted to reach out to gently place a hand against his cheek and simply forget about being force sensitive. Although, the moment that he mentioned the Sith and what they used the force for, a frown creased her forehead. “But anger seems to trigger when I accidentally use force for anything. It’s what moves the objects.” She finally said. Was she Sith and didn’t realise it? Light was most definitely not something that triggered anything. In fact, being calm was not one of her strong suits, but being patient was. Did that count? “So what is my true path?” She said softly as she angled her head to view the hand that gently squeezed her shoulder to bring her back to reality.

She watched him pull his hand away from her shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest. To her it was an indication that she was getting far too close for his comfort and she turned away from the man to take a few steps back before turning back around to look into his amber eyes. His eyes reminded her of honey, of the light as it shone down from the sky and lightened the path before him. “For some reason, I can only see the force as a curse. It is more uncontrollable than anything for I cannot help it when it does…” She swept a hand out towards the broken mug that had shattered upon the wall before it tumbled to the ground in pieces. “That.” She said as she too turned her gaze to view the pieces. Generally it didn’t matter as to what item it was, she had even accidentally thrown someone when they had gravely angered her in their pursuit. Especially because she hadn’t been very interested in the person. “I’m not exactly the most level-headed person, in fact I’m probably the opposite of such a thing.” The shi’ido turned her gaze back to the man then and she shook her head, she was supposed to be impressing him, not be a raving lunatic about something that she didn’t have control of.

Get a hold of yourself Synthea, she scolded herself as a smile drifted across her lips then. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure that if I am in any trouble, I can just tap into my anger.” She said in an attempt to smooth things over with a lame joke. Her gaze then drifted back down over the man’s form, what else was she supposed to ask? She silently asked herself as the hand that she had swept out, lifted to gently tug at black locks. “Tell me, is this the only chance that I will get to meet with you? I only ask because I assume that being a leader of a faction would be rather… busy.” If that was the case, she might stick around Essaria in order to get more face time with the man, instead of just waiting to get a call following orders from some random stranger. Yes, she was serious about getting to know the man. The shi’ido wanted to pick his brain, to find out just exactly what he had seen and been through. Who knew, perhaps she could even find out about something of the force, something that might help her to control the so-called 'gift.'

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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The Knight bowed his head forward. Everything she said made sense. Calling upon the Light required training and dedication. It only ever came naturally to those with the kindest of hearts, be them healers or something similar. Graxin himself had started his path as a Sith Lord; far from the man he had grown into in recent times. "Anger and hatred are natural. They help you call upon the force because they are the first steps upon the easy path. The Dark Side, while monstrous and evil, comes to any who ask of it. It's easily mastered, and easily conquered. The Light requires dedication and training. It takes time, and in the end brings perfect peace. If you were to become a Jedi, that is the path you would take."

He dropped his arms down to his sides, and strolled over to the window. A soft rain was beginning to fall over the surface of Ession. Wordlessly, Graxin watched as globs of freezing rain splattered across the outer glass like pain strewn over a canvas. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and canted his head over his shoulder to meet Synthea's eyes. "No one is born Sith. To become Sith is a choice, a choice made by the selfish and corrupt. If you were to master your emotions and learn our teachings, you could become a Jedi. I sense the force in you. It's strong enough."

He paused. "But you would need to be sure of that decision. To become one of us would be to change your life. The base pleasures you might indulge in would be restricted, your path forever altered. It's something you must think about before making a decision. We would teach you to master your emotions." The Knight turned about then, and leaned back on the glass. It was bulletproof, and easily held his weight. Still, seeing the city on either side of himself was both disorienting and exciting. It got his adrenaline pumping.

"See me? Quite a bit, I'd think. Our intelligence network reports directly to me. You might see me on an almost daily basis--does that matter to you?"


[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

A sigh drifted upon Synthea’s lips as the man mentioned peace and she glanced to the side, her deep blue gaze suddenly interested in the polished wooden floor underneath their feet. “Look, I do have to be honest with you about something. I have joined your cause because I do feel strongly about it, however is there truly such a thing as peace?” She lifted her arms, crossing them other her chest as she licked her bottom lip before continuing. “For thousands and thousands of years, there has always been someone vying for power, for domination. I mean, it’s just as you said, anger and hatred is a natural thing, but with that, it can also bring selfishness and corrupt the person. How could the Reformation ever seek to bring peace if there isn’t such a thing as peace?” She had to admit, the woman had been tempted to be selfish more than once. It would be easy right? Just to bend someone’s will to her own. All she had to do was project false impressions through her gift of telepathy. Slowly she lifted her gaze to view the man by the window, the one that just commanded another to look at him by just simply standing. Did he ever feel at peace with anything? Had he conquered his demons for the good?

Slowly, her arms fell to her side as she too crossed the floor, stopping only when she stood in front of the massive windows. She peered down at the city that was illuminated by the soft neon lights. She watched the rain fall down upon it and for once, she began to truly think of everything, of the galaxy and the things that dwelled within it. She lifted a hand to lightly press a hand against the cool window pane, her voice soft as she spoke once more. “I honestly don’t really know if there is such a thing. The more I think upon it, the more I get confused. For where is the balance if we have one without the other? Why be good if you cannot indulge in base pleasures? Why be evil if the only thing it will do is bring you loneliness?” The woman shook her head from one side to the other in a slow motion before she looked up at the man beside her. “It is why I tend to think of the force as a curse, you have to be one or the other. Why can’t we be both?”

Finally a smile would spread over her lips then before she glanced to the desk, almost as if she had snapped out of her thoughts again. “Oh well, no use dwelling upon it when there are probably no answers to it.” She turned back to view the rain that fell upon the city sprawled out below them. “I only asked, because I would very much like to see you again. You intrigue me, to say in the least. So yes, I guess that it does matter to me. You’re much different to those that I’m used to. You could say that I’m used to the riff raff, the easily swayed. You on the other hand…” She paused for a moment to turn so then her blue hues could peer up into his amber ones. “You are a mystery. I had thought that seeing as you were a leader and obviously… single, that perhaps you might be lonely. However, if you are such a thing, you keep a tight reign upon your own wants and needs. It’s just plain interesting to me and I wonder why you do such a thing. Is it perhaps because of the force and you being a Jedi?”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

But Graxin would dwell on it. Where people often assumed there to be no answers, the Knight often had many. He was a historian at heart, and philosopher next. He looked through the annals of history to find the answers to the galaxy's greatest questions. In the ideals and the history of the Jedi Order itself, he had found the truest answers. There was no other explanation for things. The Jedi Order had stood as a bastion of peace for thousands of years. That much history couldn't be wrong, could it?

"Peace is real, and it's been achieved before. For over a thousand years, the Republic had peace. People lived happy lives. Everyone was prosperous. The Jedi protected the galaxy. We did, at a time, have peace." The Knight began. He turned to face the spy, and shook his head. "That peace was lost because of the Sith. The Sith are the chaos to our order, the decadence to our innocence, the antithesis to all that is good in the galaxy. We can have peace, Synthea, but we must make things right first." He spoke with a conviction that many politicians could only hope to achieve. Graxin believed this to his very core. He felt it in his blood; it resonated in his bones. Peace, to him, was entirely possible.

"Jedi are allowed to be people, Synthea, we simply have to control ourselves. If our emotions get too tangled, we might hurt people. Jedi have married. Jedi have had families. Jedi have enjoyed themselves in sleazy clubs." Graxin continued. "But we keep tabs on ourselves. We have to set aside our attachments and emotions for the greater good. Doing so is so very...satisfying as well. It's hard to explain. Having a profound connection to the light; feeling its serenity, it makes you feel like you belong. Like you have a purpose. A destiny greater than yourself, greater than the Reformation. A duty to the very galaxy itself."

He offered her a small, albeit genuine smile, and pushed off the else. "That's where my self-control comes from. I call upon the force for its aid, ad it delivers...as for loneliness and relationships..." Graxin slowly shook his head. "I have my Padawan to keep me company, and I fell in love once. The girl broke my heart and almost drove me to the Dark Side. It taught me to be cautious about such things. I don't look for love, I have my duties before a personal life." he explained. The Knight faltered only for a moment. Behind his facade of a dedicated Jedi teacher and general, he was still a young man. At times, he yearned for a simpler life, a nice girl, perhaps a child. those thing however, were not for him. He fought to preserve them for others, and thus he remained stalwart in his duty.

[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

Synthea clasped her hands in front of form, her gaze dropping to view the interlocked fingers as she listened to the man speak. He spoke of a peace that had once existed but now did not and he spoke of peace in the future. His words were spoken with a conviction that she felt throughout her entire being. “Every day, someone is being hurt, killed or enslaved. One of those people will breed hate like a disease, a cancer underneath their skin. Then once they find out that they are a force user, their hate will consume them to the point that they feel that the only way to save themselves is to become a Sith.” She paused as she bit down upon her bottom lip, for she was mostly speaking for herself. She had been enslave and she had fostered the hate that dwelled within. Now she had found out that she was a force sensitive? Was it possible that she would tread the path of the Sith? Every indication kept pointing in that direction, but the man beside her spoke of a path of light, but a path of light didn’t let their emotions control them. She on the other hand, had followed her emotions, for most of her life. Before that, she had been nothing but a blank sheet, devoid of life as she simply walked through life. The robed man had simply awoken her from that state, for what? She didn’t know. She also didn’t know if the man had been Sith or a Jedi. "There is no way that you can stop the stream of Sith, for there will always be someone that will grow into one. Why? because there is evil within the world. What is that saying? The death of one's family creates another evil being."

The shi’ido turned once more to the view the rain. “There is no such thing as love, Graxin. Only lust. We see something that we like and we take it.” Her deep blue eyes reflected within the window’s surface and she stared at the reflection, for the eyes that she had taken on, were the same eyes of the man. She had taken on such eyes, to remind herself of the fact that he had awoken within her the desire to escape her prison. “However, to place your duties before yourself sounds lonely. Can you not chase the things that you want and still do your duty to the people? Hold a balance within your life?” A sigh caressed her lips before she turned away from the window, to view the man. “I guess that’s the fault within myself, I just want for once, something that I had never had for most of my life. What that is?” She shrugged, “I don’t know. I have never been satisfied, nor simply content with just sating the lust of the body. I just hope that working for the Reformation will give me some semblance of peace within my own mind.”

She then walked a few paces away from the man, “But every time that I try to view my future, or think about it, I cannot see it” She mumbled softly before she shook her head. “I guess I’ll just have to deny the force side of me as best as I can until one side or the other tempts me enough.” Synthea finally said as she lifted her gaze and turned to view the man. The woman had opened too far open for this man and it made her nervous. For anything that he saw within her head, or anything that she had said, he could use against her. She needed to push her defences back into place. Slowly a smirk returned to her painted lips as she made her way back to the desk, sliding to seat herself back where she had been previously upon the desk's surface, her head angling to the side as a soft purr entered her tone of voice. “That’s enough out of me. Perhaps I should be getting to work, instead of lingering within your office talking about such things that I know nothing about. Such thing as the force.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

Graxin parted his lips to impart some sort of wisdom to the woman. He wanted her to see why the Jedi did what they did. Why they called upon the light rather than the dark, and why it was so very rewarding. It was a feeling of truly belonging to something bigger than yourself, bigger than the galaxy. There was no feeling that could ever come close to matching it, but Graxin could not force her to see that. If she truly wished to cast her connection to the force aside for now, then he would offer no argument. The Reformation needed a spymaster rather than more Jedi as of late anyway.

"Love exists. I feel it for my sisters and my mother. Every action I have taken since childhood has been out of love." He added quietly as he swept himself over toward the desk. Graxin no longer felt that particular love as of late, but he knew it existed. He had killed for it. Turned on himself for it. Cast aside his morality and sense of being for it. It existed--she simply had not experienced it yet. The Knight settled back into his chair, and steeped his fingers into a pyramid of sorts.

"There is a Master by the name of Ozamu Ztang. We have sources indicating that we may know where he is. Take some of our forces with you. Find him, bring him to our side." He ordered. It was a test of sorts, something that lacked danger to see if she was capable. That, and they did desperately need Ozamu within the Reformation. "The information as to his whereabouts will be on your datapad...and Synthea, if you ever wish to talk, I'm usually here."

[member="Synthea Trills"]

 

[Shalita Verd]

Synthea’s smirk faltered for only a second before it returned, her blue gaze following the man’s form as he too made his way back to the desk. Graxin spoke of love and it sounded as if he truly believed that it existed, but the woman didn’t believe. For if love existed then all through-out her one-hundred and sixty years, maybe she would have found someone to love? Granted, she had been captured at the age of eighty, but she had only still been considered young then. Shi’idos were only considered adults when they reached the age of one-hundred and fifty. Although, ever since her escape, she hadn’t really let anyone get close to her either, she hadn’t let anyone see a side of her that one might be able to love. She preferred to remain shut off from most for the moment, putting on a façade, an act to get the things that she wanted. She denied herself a lot of things, getting to know people on a personal level, was one of those things. She didn’t want to be reminded of the pain that came with losing someone that one had gotten to know. While she had freely admitted to getting to want to know the man and what he had experienced, she didn’t want him to know her, for it would be easier to split should things go south.

“Oh please.” She said, the smirk forcibly remaining upon her lips as she moved to rise from her position upon the desk. “You and I both know that I don’t talk with people and besides, I’m sure that your history is completely more interesting than my own.” She turned away from the man seated behind his desk, viewing the shattered mug for a brief moment. It was a shame that she was force sensitive, for she had hoped that the strange power that had manifested within, was something completely different. In fact, she really wanted to back-track upon this meeting, so then she wouldn’t find out that she was force sensitive and remain completely oblivious to the fact. That way, denial would be her best friend. Slowly she would then turn, almost as if she had forgotten to say something. Which she had. “Oh! But I will talk with you in regards to you, I’m always interested in listening to you talk about you and your experiences.” Her smirk turned into something that resembled a smile as she angled her head, her deep blue hues glancing over the man’s figure one more time.

While he had told her that it was likely that they would cross paths again, she knew that things could change. That events could happen and suddenly, one or the other was no longer there. Her gaze lingered upon his amber depths for a moment, before the smile returned to simply being another one of her smirks. “Well, I best be off then, for I have to make arrangements to retrieve a Master.” She gave the man a nod of her head before she turned back to the door, her quick strides taking her to stand before it. Her right hand reached out to open the door and she turned one more time, “Our paths will probably cross again Mr Rade, but for now, I hope that you enjoy your evening, for it is a pleasant one.” It was then that she exited the room, gently closing the door behind her. A breath of relief parted her lips as she simply stood there for a moment. As the meeting had started to close, she had grown rather nervous for some reason. Perhaps it had been because of the offer that he had extended to her? A simply shake of her head soon followed this thought and she would then walk away from the room, her thoughts attempting to focus upon the task now at hand.

[member="Graxin Rade"]