Brene

"The war will come to Dantooine, Master Jedi. The Republic asks only that the Council be ready for that inevitability."

Brene watched without word as the woman sat across from her master at the end of the long table. She had felt her lekku twitch in anticipation all throughout the officers meeting. Her master, an old Whiphid by the name of Taan shifted his cane in his hands. Brene could sense the truth in the captain's mind as she extolled various timetables, charts, and graphs to her master, but when she tried to touch the Whiphid's mind, she found only the cool serenity of her master deep in thought. What could he sense in the captain that she could not, Brene wondered. She had not felt her master throughout the entire meeting, so she could only assume he was giving the captain his full attention, a rarity, Brene noted.

"Thank you for your time in bringing this information, Captain Pott." Taan's voice was low and raspy, guttural on levels Brene could hardly comprehend. Taan had the wheezing of old flimsi; dust coated every tired word. "But Dantooine can do nothing without Coruscant in full agreement."

Brene watched Captain Pott shift stiffly in her military maroons. Her thoughts turned to the future, toward her inevitable report.

"We will do as we have always done. We are not your warriors. Tell your admiral what he has been told before: more time is needed to assess this matter."

Anger rose like a fire inside the captain, but Brene noticed she contained it well. Lashes of temper were unbecoming to command. She began to gather her materials. In a crisp waterfall of her hands, she smoothed her uniform. "Master Jedi, do not let the drawling of your council lead to more tragedies like Althir Three. The Outer Rim is not safe, not even for you Jedi."

"I believe that before this is all over, Althir Three will be a small footnote to the conflict," Taan said.

The captain stood from her seat. "This is not a conflict anymore; this is a war."

"And the Jedi have had their fill of war, Captain Pott."

"'Protectors of the galaxy' my exhaust port. I see that Admiral Nonconna was correct in his assessment that the Jedi are little more than dusty relics only fit to waste away in their monasteries."

Taan rose at the bait. Standing over two meters, the Whiphid dwarfed the petite captain. Brene closed her eyes as an outpouring of aggression welled up inside her master, then ejected in practiced meditation.

"I will not be lectured on the natures of war by a pup barely old enough to stand on her own two legs. Do they not teach of Exar Kun? It was not long ago. Do they not make clear the hatred and pain of war?" Taan's voice echoed within the meeting chamber. Augmented by the Force, Brene could see the memories in her mind that drove her master's speech. "I was there; I was at Ancrossa, saw the massacre of the Two Hundred and Eleventh. I saw the burning fleets of Crovit Prime. I watched powerlessly the annihilation of entire systems. I have seen what horrors the Force in war brings, and I will not abate a return to such barbarism. You may feel for your subordinates, Captain, but I feel for all sentients across the galaxy. I cannot recommend to the Council we throw away decades of peace for a small border skirmish."

Pott took a moment to regain herself. Brene imagined no dossier could account for the Whiphids' natural aggression, even among their few Jedi. "Then that is your final decision, Master Jedi?

"Yes, yes it is." Brene felt him calm again. His voiced lost its thunder. This matter has been discussed at length; I will not bring tired matters to the Council."

"Then you will condemn millions more to die."

"So that billions may yet experience the peace we all strive for," The Whiphid closed his eyes and relaxed once more in his chair.

"Brene." The sound of her name roused the Twi'lek from her thoughts. "Brene, please escort the Captain to her ship. We're done here, and I'm sure she has quite a glowing report to file with Coruscant."

Brene stood, letting her lekku fall from her shoulders. She motioned to the captain. "This way, please."

She halted the Brene with a silent hand. "Master Jedi," he voice stuttered, and then cleared. "Thank you for your time. I will make sure to be less wasteful of it in the future."

Taan simply nodded, his heavy eyes and long face held down in thought. Brene offered the captain the door. With military fashion, she left the room, and Brene followed.

When they were sufficiently away from the chamber, Brene spoke. "I apologize, Captain, for my master's outburst in there." She caught the eyes of several of her classmates who had stopped to watch the two. Quickly, the group averted their eyes and resumed the mulling of the temple. "He's normally very stoic, even reserved."

Pott laughed. "I suppose even you Jedi have feelings then."

"Please do not think the Jedi uncaring. War affects us just as and if not more than it would you. My master has seen war, and it haunts him. He simply wishes to avoid more suffering."

"Thank you, Master Jedi, but I fail to see how purposefully removing yourselves from the war will in anyway avoid more suffering."

Brene was taken aback at being addressed as master. She understood that most sentients in the galaxy had only a passing knowledge of the Jedi, but having lived her entire life in the temple, she often found her dealings with non-Jedi filled with little idiosyncrasies she was not equipped to deal with. Rather than correcting the captain, she let the comment roll of her consciousness.

"I don't pretend to know what the Council's plans are, and if I can in any way assure you, I would. We do not wish to see the galaxy suffer."

"Admiral Nonconna spoke highly of Master Taan. I had hoped he might be more sympathetic to an old friend."

"A Jedi cannot let ties interfere with judgment, especially on matters of this severity." She felt a certain pride come into her words. "We treasure the bonds that hold sentients together, but we recognize the Force as our ultimate bond."

The pair crossed the threshold of the temple and stepped out into the lush pastoral of Dantooine; in the distance, the spaceport was abuzz with activity.

"Must be a lonely existence," Pott quipped.

Brene's lekku twitched. "With solidarity, all matters can be reconciled."

Pott stopped before her shuttle. With a hiss of steam and the creak of mechanics, the ramp lowered. Two marines in the red and gold stood inside the shuttle. "I didn't quite catch your name, Brene?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Well, Brene, if you or your master's Council can bottle that solidarity of yours and ship it to the soldiers who are dying in your backyard, the Republic and I would be much obliged."

She put a hand on Brene's shoulder. Brene could feel a tenderness underneath the woman's military veneer. It soothed her. "Take care of that Whiphid of yours, and when you see him next, tell him: Admiral Nonconna sends his best."

"Yes, Captain."

Pott smiled. "Good. Now get on back. I'm sure your master will breathe easier knowing I'm spacebound."

"Of course, Captain."

Brene watched as the captain walked up the ramp into the shuttle. Pott said something unitelligable over the hum of the engines coming to life to one of the soldiers, and the ramp began to close as the shuttle took the sky in the light of midday.