Where The Streets Have No Name

[Coci Heavenshield]

"We Jedi do not ask others to kill, we ask them to defend people that can't defend themselves. We try and find a solution to a problem that does not involve violence, however that is not always how things go and yes at sometimes we need to kill in order to fulfill our duty to protect. Not everyone see peaceful solutions or want them, but first and foremost a Jedi should take the path to a peaceful solution. We do not stand idol in our duty".

"As for Théo, we did not order him there nor did we, and by we I mean Thurion and myself, ask our son to kill, the Silver Watch was entirely his idea. After loosing his grandfather, Théo experienced a great loss .. personal loss that hit him hard to the point he had to leave for a while. However, on his return he had changed greatly and had in mind his own direction to fulfill his sense of duty. He will kill, as all Jedi will at some point. The reason for the training is to prepare them to be strong enough and skilled enough for them protect people". She knew well enough this was a contradiction .. no Jedi that values life likes to take a life but in order to save other lives they must.

"Do not think for one moment I would not like to take my children away from such a life and hide them away from all dangers but I can't do that, nor can Thurion. Our families path is to be Jedi", she said hopeful he would understand her, this topic is vast to say the least, the complex nature between duty and family and not many Jedi experience it directly. Not blood one sees everyday placing themselves in the line of fire and with each day comes the risks of death. "I would not be a good parent if I were to not have both Nina and Théo 'armed' to the best of their abilities to not only fight for others but for themselves as well. A dead Jedi is no good to anyone .. but more importantly .. I do not wish to loose my family". So she trains continually, takes the part of teachers to those that wish to further their abilities and set their path onto the great good, and will offer such protection to those of the Sanctum she would to her family.

"Milk?", Coci looked around the street and spotted the shop on the corner that would provide them with what Boo required. "There, and here are some credits", she handed him the chip.

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[member="Boo Chiyo"]​

 

[Zak Dymo]

"Are you serious?"

Okay, maybe he could have phrased that differently.

...and perhaps not been so smart about it.

Still, it seemed that Master Théo's Mom was talking out of both sides of her mouth. "How else are you going to defend those people if you're not willing to do what it takes to crush your enemies?" And that meant not only asking Théo, but countless other Jedi in the galaxy to kill. "You're just... You're just rationalizing it based on a... a fallacy of peace."

Don't be so impressed by the eleven year old tossing around big words. They were not so much his own as they were his adoption of different treatises on the Code of the Sith.

Leading Théo's mom through the streets of Voss-Ka, the boy led the woman down an alley. Which, in turn, branched off down side streets until they'd clearly crossed into a part of town quite unlike the public visage of the city. As they passed one alley, a Voss man sat with his back against a dumpster, drinking a cheap, malt liquor from a bottle shrouded by a loub-paper bag. "That's Athal-Le," the boy said, offering a wave to the man which was vaguely returned in passing.

It was at the dead end of a cul-de-sac that the boy entered a rickety apartment high rise that looked to be two code violations away from being condemned. Passing the lift, with its faded 'Out of Order' sign, the boy ascended up the stairs to a fourth floor flat. The sounds of an infant crying could be heard through the door, which opened to reveal a child only slightly younger than Boo, who appeared to be home alone.

The girl in the doorway looked at Coci as though skeptical or anxious that the woman might be from Family and Children Services. Passing the milk to her, Boo asked about Sorcha-Kal. The child explained that her mother was working a double shift at her second job tonight.

"And this is how the other half live," Boo murmured quietly, as the girl went off to check on the infant, leaving the two of them alone in the doorway.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

"A peaceful solution does not equate to peace", she said as they continue down the streets toward the poorer side of Voss-ka. "Tell me Boo .. do you believe in peace?". Naturally, Coci was aware this was an open ended question, as the definitions of 'peace' not only vary from person to person, but in the meaning of it as well. What is peace exactly, and which one as there are many forms of peace, is one aspiring too?

It will be interesting to her to see what Boo thought on this, if he had any form of peace in his life. Most people in the galaxy when hearing the word 'peace' immediately think of war and the end of it. Whether that is the war between the Jedi and Sith, or between anyone willing to fight against crimes or injustice .. whether they are Jedi or no. She wanted to hear what he thought on the matter, what he deemed peace to be .. to him. And if he is to ask the same of her, she will tell me. And he might just get a surprise.

However, there was something far more important to be addressed then two philosophies butting heads. Coci paused in her step as they turned a corner and entered a street poles apart from the clean washed main streets of the capital. She had seen this life before, she had visited the lower levels of Coruscant often enough to know the sure signs of destitution and poverty, not only on Coruscant but many other planets as well, Coci had traveled the galaxy enough to have seen quite a bit of it. But here on Voss? Her brow pulled together in not only confusion but annoyance ...

And what she was witnessing would not be tolerated. The Sanctum does not interfere with the ruling of this planet but they do have a strong say in matters concerning Voss and Voss-ka it seems that a visit to the leader of Voss was in order. Coci knew [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] would be most displeased with poverty been permitted to flourish in their capital city.

"Good evening Athal-Le", she offered the man a respectful bow as they passed and entered a cul-de-sac and before she knew it they are before a small child with a sense of fear in her heart.

"Boo .. ask her if she would like us to keep her company until her mother comes home .. if not we will remain outside the door until she does".

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[member="Boo Chiyo"]​

 

[Zak Dymo]

C H A P T E R • F O U R​

♫​

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."​

- Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.​

The small boy's head rolled atop his shoulders.

Even though he was looking away, Coci could probably imagine the sight of the young Pantoran rolling his eyes at the question. "Peace is a lie."

There is only passion.

It was the very first thing the Sith taught their apprentices. And the Primeval weren't ones to disagree. Peace implied complacency. A state of being that wasn't chaotic, wasn't changing. That very idea was incompatible with the notion of Halrormalenth's flawed creation, or the transformative nature of Balagoth's shadow.

At her second bequest, the boy had started to address the girl when a series of unfortunate events seemed to cascade like a house of cards that was tumbling down.

The windows of the apartment were cracked open. The environmental controls either off-line or as non-functional as the lift. Echoing from out of the alley streets was a sound. Muffled, short, sharp. It might have been a scream, except as the mind work to try and identify what it was hearing another, more familiar, sound rang out.

It was a blaster shot.

A single, reverberating blaster shot. Echoing up from the streets of Voss-Ka.

The first thought that came to him was that Athal-Le was out there. Tearing himself away from Coci's side, the young Pantoran dashed back to the staircase they'd ascended. Jumping the banister, the youth plunged four floors below. A layer of frost spread through the lobby, as the scent of blood rolled through as the boy reached out with the Dark Side of the Force to slow his descent.

He was afraid.

And that fear gave him power.

"Come on, Jett!"
"Oh, chit, man! Oh, chit!"

Someone was laughing, the sound echoing through the now quiet streets. The first thing the boy saw as he emerged from out of the apartment was that Athal-Le had been pushed to the ground. As the man rolled on his side, pushing himself up from the sidewalk, the boy's gaze caught a second form there on the street. A still form crumpled back against the side of the building.

It was Sorcha-Kal.

Her fingers were bloodied. Scratched, as though she'd had something ripped from her grasp. That was when the boy realized that he frequently saw her with a purse. An item that was missing from where she lay.

His eyes darted back to the shadows retreating further up the alleyway. He could still hear the echo of one of them laughing.

It was a moment of choice. To stay or pursue those escaping shadows.

If Coci came out to see the scene for herself, she would find the young Pantoran attempting to give first aid and start CPR on the Voss woman. Their eyes might meet for only a moment, in which the boy would say, "Welcome to Voss-Ka."

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Before she could comment on Boo's answer to her question, the force spoke of the threat of danger, "Lock the door little one and don't come out until either Boo and I return or your mother". Boo had already gone down the stairs, and after the little girl had done as requested without hesitation, Coci followed him.

The sound of the second blaster bolt come to her as she found Boo. He has by the side of a woman, her hands bloody and on the ground like the man they had passed. "Wait here with her", Coci said sensing the man further up the street, the identity through the force was enough to give her the culprit. She could feel his sense of achievement, which was about to short lived.

Running toward the man, he spotted her coming and decided to waste no time hanging around to see what the woman wanted. However, his glee soon turned to fear as Coci began to close in on him at a rapid pace. He turned and shot down the street at her, the bolt caught in her hand using the force to absorb the energy from the blast. Another and another, bolt .. dealt in the same way. As she gained on him, her already out stretched arm took hold of him with a grasp that stopped him dead in his tracks and pinned him to the nearest wall.

Approaching the man, "I believe this belongs to the lady you stole it from". She in turned ripped the purse from his grasp. The sound of blaster fire had attracted attention from the local authorities which soon descend on her location. "Take this man into custody, charge him with theft and assault on two accounts". The authorities recognised the Jedi Master and Master of the Sanctum, and did so without question. As the man was led away, she stood for a moment considering the event of the streets of Voss. This would not and no longer be tolerated and a visit the leader of this planet and the mayor was in order now.

Coci returned to Boo, to see how the woman was doing and led more assistance to her healing if required. "How is she Boo?", she asked holding the woman's purse for her to take if she could.

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[member="Boo Chiyo"]​

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Spoiler

Apologies for the late reply, I am going to be a little slow with replies for a week or so now