Sirul

It was hard for Sirul Vulfric to feel anything but alone. The 23 year old shistavanen languished in the brig aboard the Fairwind, thinking back on how he had come to be a prisoner of the Jedi. He expected better treatment than this, having willingly surrendered on the surface of the scarred world of Ruusan. After all, he HAD offered information. While the war drew to a close on the planet below, the Fairwind was oddly peaceful. Sirul looked around through the field of his force cage at the rest of the prisoners. Sirul realized that he was the only Sith lord to have surrendered. After all, it was clear to any sentient with any degree of sense that the war was over once the Sith blockade over the planet was broken. Sirul's musings were interrupted by the arrival of one of his meals. Time on a starship is not easy to measure. Sirul was used to the 23 standard hour day of Ruusan. The content of the meal usually helped him to determine the time on the planet's surface. He was given a plate of something resembling scrambled eggs and a glass of blue milk through an opening in the field before it shut again. He noticed that the one bringing the food wasn't the usual guy, but a female red-skinned Twi'lek Jedi carrying a datapad in one hand. She was obviously one of the rare Lethan subspecies. Lethans were known for attractiveness and this one was no exception. She sat in front of the field, facing Sirul.

Doubtless, Sirul must have looked terrifying to her. He stood up to his full 1.8 meter height. His right arm and shoulder were protected by armor of an unknown alloy which was angular and sharp in it's design. His lower legs and knees were similarly armored and he wore a harness over his vest which held on his chest an angled panel designed to protect his neck. His left arm was left totally exposed, showing off his thick grey fur. "You're not the usual food guy," he said in perfect basic. "Who are you?" The Twi'lek girl stood to try and meet him at eye level.

"I heard that a Dark Lord willingly surrendered. And to see if he'd make good on his promise of information. I'm Elara. I'm an archivist."

"A pleasure," Sirul said politely. "I'm Sirul Vulfric, formerly of the Brotherhood of Darkness. Why'd they send an Archivist?" Sirul was expecting a Republic interrogator. But that might have been the case were he captured by the Army of Light. "Did they want to hear the story from a Sith perspective?" Elara shook her head and her lekku flopped about.

"I want to know how such a little farming world became so important to the Brotherhood."

"Not sure if I can help you," the shistavanen said. "I was called from the academy on Dathomir not too long after the Fourth Battle of Ruusan. Kaan needed reinforcements from anywhere he could get them and I answered the call. I heard a lot of stories about Lord Kaan and his charisma. How he bravely crushed the Republic at the First Battle of Ruusan with a legendary power called Battle Meditation. I was honored to have met him, brief though it was."

"I have to stop you there," Elara said. "Did that image actually hold up?" Sirul shook his head after finishing a forkful of eggs and chasing them down with the blue milk. Each time he was stopped was an opportunity to eat some of his breakfast.

"No. The longer the war raged on, the more the image I held of Kaan started to break down. He started pacing, screaming at people and muttering to himself about some doomsday weapon. He's probably set it off by now. As far as I could tell, the blockade was broken by one of the Dark Lords on the ground. Someone wanted Kaan to crack. And it clearly worked." Sirul stopped for a moment to finish off his eggs and down the rest of the blue milk. "He was obsessed with beating Lord Hoth and he was prepared to do anything."

"He has set it off. But how did you know what the Thought Bomb was?" Elara asked, taking everything Sirul said down on her datapad.

"He kept muttering about it. And being a shistavanen gives me excellent hearing. I also realized that his charisma was a product of his abilities. He subtly manipulated the minds of his followers."

"So, how is it that you were unaffected?"

"Maybe I'm just too stubborn. It's probably like how Jedi mind tricks only affect the weak-minded. The longer the war dragged on, the more the Brotherhood started tearing itself apart. It's a miracle the empire lasted as long as it did."

"I bet. I should be going." Elara got up and headed away.

"Wait," Sirul shouted. He had felt the ship start to move and shifted to maintain balance. "The war is over, isn't it?" Elara nodded. "Then where are we going?"

"Coruscant," Elara answered before leaving Sirul to his musings. Sirul never liked the idea of Coruscant. All his life, he was told that it was the center of a corrupt and decadent Republic where all manner of wrongdoings were carried out by a government that had no right to rule. Nor did Sirul understand how a city that spans the planet could ever be constructed. And then, while en Route, Elara returned with Siruls lunch. "You mentioned you were trained on Dathomir. Do you remember where your academy was?" Elara asked, sliding the tray through a hole in the force cage.

"I might," Sirul remarked, picking up the tray and sitting down. "I know where most of the academies are. But I can only give an exact location for the one on Dathomir. I know where you should search for the others. But information is a commodity. And all commodities have a price."

"And what's yours?"

"I want to defect. I was forced into life among the Sith. My parents thought it would be an opportunity for me. But I always thought I would have done better as a Jedi."

"You're certain? Life in the order isn't an easy one." Sirul nodded.

"I did surrender willingly, after all." Elara didn't necessarily want to admit it, but Sirul did have a point.

"We'll be docking soon. I can give you an audience with the council, but I can't sway their decision."

"That's good enough," Sirul said. He started on his lunch, which was thankfully still warm. There was still a good deal of time before the Fairwind slipped out of hyperspace to make the approach to Coruscant. Sirul decided to meditate for a bit. He had just made a major decision. A voice in Siruls head started calling out to him.

"Traitor!" It shouted. It was Kaan. "You left us. Surrendered. You have brought dishonor to the Sith."

"The Brotherhood was dying. You killed it. What ever manner of spirit or memory you are, be gone," thought Sirul as he reached out with the force to shield himself from the voice of his former general. In his cell he waited, hoping that the Fairwind would reach Coruscant soon. Sirul was thrown from his trance as the Fairwind came out of hyperspace. Elara came around again with another meal "Back so soon? Did you want to hear some more war stories?"

"No," Elara said, shaking her head. "We'll be arriving at the Jedi Temple soon. If you have anything you want to say to the high council, you may want to think of it now." Sirul said nothing. He sat back down, crossing his legs and entering a meditative trance. Sensing his deep focus, Elara decided to leave the shistavanen to his thoughts. What WOULD he say to the high council? He knew that the Jedi did not believe in killing their prisoners. After all, Revan had done far worse than Sirul could manage and he was given a second chance. Perhaps bringing Revan into the discussion was not the best idea. Sirul knew what the Jedi had done to Revan. That prospect didn't seem appealing to him in the least. This clearly deserved a lot of thought. Especially since he would be seeing the high council. He could hear now the sounds of the Fairwind docking with the Jedi temple through his force-enhanced hearing. As the noises ceased and the Fairwind finally docked, Sirul stood up as he saw Elara approach his cell carrying a pair of stun cuffs.

Elara shut off Sirul's force cage and the Shistavanen stepped out with wrists out, waiting for the cuffs. They were on him in one fluid motion, which Sirul thought an archivist incapable of. "Are these strictly necessary? You know I can unlock these with the force," Sirul said, surprised that he wasn't given some kind of neural restraint.

"It was the only way the high council would agree to meet with you. You should be more grateful." Elara had a point. Sirul decided to at least play along, especially if it would help his plea for a place in the order. He was led by Elara through the Fairwind and eventually out to the unloading ramp. When Sirul first stepped out the door and saw the massive spires of the Jedi temple, he was stunned. Here was a building that must have taken hundreds of years to construct in a city that must have taken Millenia to build. "You can admire the sites later. You wouldn't want to keep the high council waiting." Elara yanked on Siruls stun cuffs and led him into the temple. Sirul was surprised at the beauty and purity of the interior, but was more worried about what he would say to the high council. He was led into a turbolift that would take him to the council chamber. Sirul was visibly nervous now, his hands trembling. Elara placed a soothing hand on his left shoulder and the lift reached its destination.

The council chamber was flooded with sunlight, almost blinding Sirul as he stepped forward to meet the council. The first to speak was a female Jenet. "Lord Sirul," she said, "I am master Fae Coven. Elara told me that you had information."

"I do," said Sirul. "But do not call me lord. I hope to abandon that title."

"Elara tells us you seek to redeem yourself for your actions during the war," Fae said. "Is that true?" Sirul nodded.

"A better question would be this; do you think I CAN be redeemed?"

"I have looked over the observations made by our scouts during the war and I believe you can be," Fae began. "Your unit took deliberate steps to avoid civilian casualties. Even going so far as to evacuate an area before fighting started." Sirul nodded.

"That put me at odds with lord Kaan. Even if he never said so himself."

"But that you cared at all shows a great deal of compassion," said one of the masters, a human male. "It seems that the Jedi order will be a better fit for you than you may even realize. This assumes your information is good."

"It is. Can you pull up a starmap of the galaxy from here?" Sirul asked. Fae nodded and as if on command, a ceiling mounted projector displayed a three dimensional map of the galaxy.

"The warriors and marauders were trained at Gentes, Honoghr, and Gamorr." Each world Sirul named lit up on the holomap like a beacon. "You all know about the academy on Korriban, where the masters of the Brotherhood trained. I was trained on Dathomir, and other acolytes like me trained at Iridonia. And the assassins were trained at Ryloth, Umbara, and Nar Shadaa. I can give you the exact location of the Dathomir academy, but that's all."

"I sense that you are telling the truth," said Fae. "We must have time to deliberate. Elara, Sirul, Please excuse us."

"Of course, master," Elara said. Leading Sirul by the stun cuffs. Elara took him down to the archives while the council masters debated what to do with their shitavanen guest. Sirul sat in front of one of the holonet terminals while Elara removed his stun cuffs. Sirul rubbed at his wrists, surprised that Elara let him go.

"So NOW you set me loose?" Elara only nodded.

"I'm sure you would have done something by now if you were planning on it. I think it'll be safe to let you wander the archives while the council deliberates. Let me know if you need help finding anything," Elara said with a smile. "However, I need you to hand in your armor. At least until we determine that there's no inherent malice in the design. As far as I can tell, you should get it back soon enough." Sirul began the process of stripping off his armor, revealing the Sith robes underneath. Piece after piece went to Elara and she gave them to one of the analysis droids to take for evaluation. Sirul, however did have something Elara could help him with.

"Can you help me find anything on Lightsaber construction?" Elara was taken aback by Siruls question.

"You NEVER built your own lightsaber?" She asked. Sirul nodded.

"Among the Sith, you had to earn the right to carry a lightsaber. Once you did, you were provided with one. I am sure I will have to construct a new lightsaber once my place in the order is determined."

"Very well," said Elara. "Follow me and I'll get you in the right direction." Elara handed Sirul a blank datacard and helped him gather several texts on lightsaber construction from various masters of the art. All in datacard form. Sirul thanked Elara and made his way to one of the terminals. Sirul sat down and inserted his blank datacard and the first one that Elara gave him. He first loaded a report on Sith lightsabers filed by a Jedi armorer. He was surprised to find that, in comparison to Jedi sabers, Sith sabers are noted for shoddy construction. Sirul shut off the report and put in a datacard on Jedi saber construction.

A lot more went into constructing a saber than Sirul ever realized. He copied a list of necessary components onto his datacard and read more into how the Jedi made their sabers. Apparently the components and alloys had to be fused at the molecular level through manipulation of the force. Furthermore, there was no mention on the use of synthetic crystals. Sirul wondered why that was the case. Throughout his time on Dathomir, he was always told that the synthetic crystals produced stronger blades than the natural crystals favored by the Jedi. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that only the Sith knew how to create synthetic crystals. However, the Jedi had no problem adopting double-bladed lightsabers despite them being based on Sith designs. Ironically, all modern sabers used technology based on Sith design. If it weren't for the Sith, lightsabers would still be using belt-mounted power packs. Sirul copied the finer details of construction to his datacard and even copied down the details on some of the more esoteric varieties of lightsaber.

"Look, master!" shouted a young human girl pointing at Sirul. "That man's a Sith." One of the masters, a male twi'lek followed close behind.

"If he's here, he must be trying to turn over to the light. Remember, everyone deserves a second chance," said the twi'lek. Sirul was noticeably cut off from his task by the girl's interruption. The twi'lek approached Sirul with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry about Mayla. She can be a bit too blunt. But I am curious why you're here."

"I wish to join the Jedi, like you said," Sirul began. "The council is deliberating about what to do with me"

"I meant here in the archives."

"Elara trusted me enough to turn me loose." The twi'lek nodded in understanding.

"For what it's worth, I hope the council sides with Elara. You had the good sense to defect, after all." The twi'lek motioned to the young initiate. "Come along, Mayla. You don't want to miss combat practice."

"YAY!" shouted the youngling as she and the twi'lek left Sirul alone to continue his research. However, the shistavanen was not left alone for long. Elara came back and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The council has made their decision. Finish what you were doing and follow me." At her command, Sirul finished up transferring the data he needed and withdrew his datacard, tucking it into his sleeve. Elara led the shistavanen back to the council chamber. Sirul stood once again before the council, shaking like a leaf.

"Sirul," Fae began. "It is the decision of this council that you be allowed to join the Jedi order. Your record from the war and your genuine remorse are what ultimately won us over. That you came here willingly makes you exempt from the Trial of Spirit. And the losses your unit faced must have touched you deeply."

"I have always regarded successful missions as total failures when I lose a soldier. My sergeant was close as any friend could be," Sirul explained. What he hadn't said was that his sergeant was the one who convinced him to join the Jedi order as soon as it was clear the war was over. She surrendered with him, and was likely awaiting trial for her actions during the war.

"I am going to give you a pass on the Trial of the Flesh as well. Until you've passed the remaining trials, you will need a suitable master. And you will be needing to construct a new lightsaber. You will have everything you need after you have been paired with a suitable master." Sirul had some difficulty containing his gratitude. He was shocked by the decision. The Sith had no problem accepting former Jedi during the war. Sirul even knew several of them. He always had doubts that the jedi would take him in. Perhaps more of the Sith had surrendered, hoping to turn over to the light. And Sirul was standing there stunned. He had earned a pass on two of the five Jedi trials.

"Thank you, Master Fae. I promise I won't let you down."

"Elara, I trust you to find Padawan Sirul suitable quarters and some new robes," Fae said.

"Right away, Master," said Elara as she led the Sirul out of the council chamber and to his new quarters. The accommodations were basic, not unlike what he dealt with on Dathomir. However, everything was decorated far more tastefully. The sun was beginning to set on Galactic City and Sirul thought it would be a good time to get some sleep. He let Elara leave and disrobed before lying on his new bed. He threw a blanket over himself and drifted off to sleep for the first time since the end of the war. When he awoke the next day, he found a set of Padawan robes at his doorstep. He took them inside and got dressed. This was the symbolic start to his new life among the Jedi. He began to meditate once he had made his bed. By the time he had entered a deep trance, he was interrupted by three sharp knocks on his door. Sirul opened it and was greeted by a female selkath clad in the robes of a Jedi knight. The lightsaber clipped to her belt was a double-bladed one with a wooden handgrip carved to the unique contours of the selkath hand.

"Are you Sirul Vulfric?" asked the selkath in almost perfect basic.

"I am," said Sirul, still groggy from the abrupt end to his meditation. "Are you the master chosen for me by the council?"

"Yes. Shala Zora is my name. I must say you are not what I expected."

"I could say the same. I had always thought Manaan wanted nothing to do with the rest of the galaxy." Sirul knew the reason for this, of course. During the days of the Jedi Civil War, Kolto was the preferred method for rapidly healing soldiers. Since then, it has been replaced by a synthetic compound called Bacta. Sirul personally preferred Kolto, as it has a better track record with blaster burns.

"The same could be said of Uvena. Yet here you are, Padawan. I trust you are eager to begin your training." Shala was also eager, but for a different reason entirely. Sirul was actually her first Padawan. And she was made aware of his situation. Since he only needed to pass the trials of Courage, Skill, and Insight, he was her shortcut to the title of master.

"Yes. I have a datacard on lightsaber construction. I was hoping we could tackle that."

"In due time, Sirul. First, I would like to take you to the room of a thousand fountains. I would like to see if you know the Jedi code. And crucially, if you understand it." Shala lead sirul down the hall past the younglings headed for their morning lessons to the room of a thousand fountains. Sirul found the sound to be soothing at first as he sat in front of Shala, both of them crossing their legs in a meditative pose. "If you know the code, Sirul, go ahead."

"There is no emotion," Sirul began, "there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

"The exact words of the code," Shala said. "But do you understand them?" Sirul tried to focus as best he could, but as the sounds of the fountain kept going he found it difficult to focus. "Let's start with the first precept."

"A Jedi cannot allow emotion to cloud their judgement, even compassion can stand in the way of good judgement." Siruls explanation was indeed satisfactory. Shala smiled, at least as best as a selkath could.

"That is true. Sometimes the right thing to do is walk away."

"Which is why a Jedi needs the knowledge to determine the best course of action. Ignorance benefits no one." Sirul explained. "Back on Dathomir, we were discouraged from digging up the past in the archives there. It's different here. And I am grateful for that. There is wisdom to be gained from the long dead. Like Masters Revan and Shan."

"That is true. Revan's story teaches us that anyone can be redeemed. It does mean surrendering passion, however."

"Because passion is the fuel for the dark side. Passion is raw, untamed, and uncontrollable. It's unbecoming of the Jedi. Untamed passion is no better than pure emotional chaos. Paradoxically, it explains why some of the more rational Sith were not as powerful as those who lost themselves in their emotions."

"These are surprising insights, Sirul. The dark side must not have been very strong in you, then," Shala said.

"Truthfully, it wasn't. All were equal in the brotherhood, but there was no harmony. Chaos ultimately spelled their end."

"Do you mourn any of them?" Shala asked. "Did you have friends among the brotherhood?" Sirul shook his head. All of his friends were among the soldiers he led on Ruusan.

"Even if I did, they're probably dead. Maybe some of them survived in the academies, but I never formed attachments with other Sith. They are one with force now, for better or worse. Although I doubt I'll be seeing their spirits."

"That's rather amusing. Even as a Sith, you carried yourself like a Jedi. We may need to go to Ilum sooner than I realized." Shala said incredulously.

"I would like to scrounge some of the markets here first. I have some rather specific requirements."

"I'll see if I can get us an assignment here on Coruscant. I know which markets will have the materials you need." Shala finished speaking and entered a deep meditative trance and Sirul followed suit, attuning himself to the light side of the force for the first time. His life as a Sith would hopefully become a distant memory now that his life as a Jedi has officially begun.