Nine years, five months, twenty two days.
She had left the Temple as an empty woman. No friends, no contacts, and no power in the Force. As full a state of isolation as anyone could possibly live in, without going insane. And yet, despite being stripped of nearly everything, save for her ship and the clothes she wore, she had also been given all the time in the galaxy to contemplate her existence.
In the preceding day, she had done just that. Celebration, ceremony and whatever else the rest of the Republic had in mind for them all had to wait. There was a critical task that she had to deal with before any one of them could finally rest. The future of the Jedi as a whole hinged on it.
"You're not seriously going to make me wear robes are you? I got nothing against the impoverished look, and giving up worldly possessions. But brown robes…"
Meetra cracked a smile in her fleeting look to Atton. "Say that a bit louder. I don't think you quite made it reverberate throughout the entire Temple."
His complaint did remind her to take a look at her own robes. They were scorched from lightsaber strikes, covered in char from Malachor V's ruined surface, and stiff from her inability to access a proper cleaning facility to date. Perhaps it was the time to explore new options in regards to the Jedi uniform.
Over her right shoulder, she heard Brianna speaking up before she could say more.
"Jedi robes are white, Atton. The cloaks are typically brown yes, but not the robes themselves."
"Great, more white. Another reminder that you're still around. All I'm asking for is a shirt I can keep tucked in!"
"Fool."
"Schutta."
Brianna scoffed at that. "You are so lacking in originality with your insults that it is becoming physically painful. At the very least, spend your time contemplating better ones!"
"And once again, the children fight amongst themselves…"
"Visas, you're ten years younger than all of us at the least. Thirty in Surik's case. If anyone is the child…" Atton stopped in his tracks with a mumbling groan. The realization had only just set in. "I get it. This is funny to you all. Ha ha, Atton is the funny guy! Let's call him a child! Let's make fun of his distaste for bad clothing!"
"Maturity is a subjective matter. Your assumption that we do not care about you, that we see you as something to be laughed at only proves it."
Atton was ready to go on yet another tirade. It had been a long trip, and the thought of being able to lie down on any surface for even a few hours was painfully sought after, keeping his mood sour.
Not an excuse in itself to be rude in response, but he wasn't concerned with excuses. "Maybe, just once in a while, you can actually show that appreciation. Like 'Thank you Atton for flying the ship around', or 'Thank you Atton for fighting the battles against all odds'. Would that be so hard?"
Bao Dur's interjection was quiet as always, but didn't go unnoticed. "I appreciate your presence in the crew, Atton Rand. Is that sufficient?"
The bickering ended with a gesture for silence from Surik. When she turned around to face all the others, she was in a state of peace. "We are standing right in front of the Tranquility Spire. This place, above all else, deserves our humility and respect. It is the literal foundation of the Jedi Order."
"Meetra, that's the Reconciliation Tower."
Surik looked back at the structure for several long seconds before looking back to Visas. "I uh…" She turned to look at the structure again. It did look newer than the Tranquility Spire base should have. "I'm sure we went north from the landing zone…" With a bit of fumbling, she brought up the holomap of the Temple itself. They were undeniably underneath the southeast tower, not the central one as she had expected.
Mira rolled her eyes before gesturing back towards the western direction, past the droids trailing on behind them. "Great, now we have another half hour of walking to do. Last time I ask a Jedi for directions."
"It's been just under a decade since I set foot in this place. Hell, that spire was barely five years complete when I left to fight in the Mandalorian Wars." Surik's brief optimism dropped off when she too gazed over the distance they had to walk. Of course, with a bit of focus, she could cover the distance in good time. The others were still less proficient with the Force, and wouldn't take kindly to being left behind.
All she could do was maintain some semblance of positivity. "We can visit the Tranquility Spire later at least. When we have all rested. I'm sure it will do all of us some good to meditate there."
"Speak for yourself. I'm still not sold on the meditation deal."
Meetra shook her head with her typical smile yet again. In her mind, there was no doubt that they would all come around to respect the true ways of the Jedi as she did.
Something she had also forgotten was that the lifts that would normally take them from the ground floor to the communication centre had been inactive for years now. And the long walk over had done quite the opposite of preparing the others for a good few flights of stairs.
"Look at it this way; It's not far up at all comparatively."
There was a sense of satisfaction when her optimistic approach actually came through for once. The stairs were in fact few, and fairly spaced out by the network of corridors that lined each level of the tower. It had apparently been redesigned since her last visit as well.
More surprisingly, the party itself had actually gone quiet. Either they had just lost the will to bicker for the time being, or she had been too focused on one location being the centre of peace over another. It was a period of silence that she was all too happy to have while she took in the new surroundings, ironically in a rather dreary state.
Close to the centre of the tower, Visas spoke up. "There are two in the beacon chamber at this moment."
Meetra's suspicions were heightened, but she wasn't ready to draw her lightsaber yet. There was nothing dark to be sensed, and it was entirely possible that other Jedi had arrived early in the wake of their victory over the Sith.
Upon coming around the corner, she found the two occupants of the room attempting to repair the beacon table itself.
Bastila she had met on Telos just a few days earlier, while her Cathar companion was only vaguely familiar at best.
"It's alright everyone. These Jedi are friends." She approached the table slowly. Bastila had looked up from her futile attempts to make repairs, while Juhani remained entirely focused on them. "Maybe we should let Bao-Dur and T3 handle the repairs Bastila. It doesn't seem like the Sith stripped much out."
A soft grumble came from Juhani.
Bastila glared at her briefly, then dropped the mess of a circuit panel down on the table in front of her. "We were at it for over an hour. If your friend can do any better…" Her eyes followed the Zabrak closely when he got down and climbed in underneath the table before she could even finish speaking. T3 beeped at her before following after to assist. "I suppose that's good enough for me."
She briefly looked past Surik to the other members of her party, who had already started to disperse around the room. Most looked about as un-Jedi as she could conceivably believe, and there was a slight twinge of distate upon noticing HK-47 had been brought along as well. And the moment she noticed his head turn to her…
"Despair: Oh Maker, it is the mucus-lipped companion of the Master! Please Mistress, be so kind as to apply a direct lightsaber strike to my central processing core immediately, so that I might be spared hearing her speak another word!"
"I suppose there's no point in being polite to a droid anyway…" She was ready to push HK-47 out the doorway when Surik stopped her by discreetly taking hold of her was mild annoyance at not being able to rid herself of the droid for good. And the coming days would be stressful enough without having him around to bother her constantly.
Surik had other plans of course. "He's still upset about being left behind. That's something I wanted to discuss with you in private." She could still see HK-47 staring at them both. It was a bit unnerving to have no clue as to what he was thinking of at that moment. Complete silence in the presence of others wasn't like him. Or perhaps he was simply waiting for orders.
"47, we'll be organizing search parties soon. I'm sure there's enjoyment to be found in checking the weapon lockers and other key locations for traps, right?"
"Irritated Statement: That would be…" His vocalizer buzzed for several seconds, causing his head to twitch about notably. Just as abruptly, it stopped. "Confusion: Self-diagnostics have detected an error in my programming! This is completely intolerable, I have been the pinnacle of assigned target elimination for years! Except of course when the Mistress took it upon herself to make unwanted modifications."
Bao-Dur's muffled voice piped up from under the table at that moment. "When my work is done here, I will investigate the error."
"Beep-doo-woot-bep." T3 rolled back out from the table as well to turn to HK-47. "Zep-zip-dee-wop-uu-ri!"
"Agitation: Silence tincan! I do not require your condolences!"
T3 whined in response before rolling back under the table to resume his assisting duties.
Bastila needed the quiet moment to keep the impending headache away. "Go somewhere else to do your self maintenance then. I'm certain you have no interest in Jedi affairs."
"Correction: On the contrary, I have greatly invested interest in Jedi affairs! And I do not speak of the sort you had with the Master, rather-"
This time, Bastila did manage to throw him out of the room with a hard push. The clattering and wails that followed were bothersome to listen to, but certainly less intrusive than letting him speak further.
The central table lit up before anyone else had a chance to go and check on HK-47. A few mumbled orders came from underneath before Bao-Dur slid back out at last.
"I believe it will function long enough for your message, General. It will need replacement parts in the long term." The table flickered out before he could finish. After glaring at it, he banged his gauntlet down on the surface, to no effect. "That usually works…" He banged it again. Nothing.
"Great, and here I was ready for that big speech of hope, but now no-one will get to hear it."
Brianna rolled her eyes yet again. "Close your mouth Atton."
"Bite me."
"I would not like the taste."
"Silence please." Surik was already walking over to the pair, and promptly moved them well apart to put an end to the bickering. "Whatever has come up between you two again, it needs to stop. Follow Juhani's example and be patient."
The Cathar blinked at that.
After further tinkering, Bao-Dur finally got the table operational again. "It should be stable now General." He moved to the side while the others approached the table. Atton was close on his left, while Brianna had taken the right side. Hardly a comfortable position to be in.
Surik waved her hand over the table before resting both behind her back. The holo scanner whirred into life, projecting her image onto the table itself so she could prepare for the beacon's activation. She could feel the growing anticipation of all those around her. They had all fought long and hard for that moment.
"Registry confirmed; Meetra Surik, Human, Jedi Master. Overriding command lockouts, intilizing transmission."
For a moment, she could feel the shift in the Force across the galaxy as the hologram was being projected out to every single system, every relay, and even every Jedi communicator. So many others who had been trapped in hiding for years had reached the long awaited day. And they were waiting for her.
"Some of you might already recognize me. From the Battle of Telos, my efforts on Nar Shaddar, Onderon, Dantooine and other worlds. Maybe even from the Mandalorian Wars, or before that when I served the Jedi Order." She swallowed down the rising tension. "For those of you who don't already know, I am Meetra Surik, acting leader of the Jedi Order."
She looked to Bastila, who bowed her head in acknowledgement of her assumed role. "The Sith have been defeated at last, but we are hardly out of danger yet. To those in the Imperial who have not yet surrendered, I implore that you consider what I am about to say. The same goes for any remaining Sith."
"Our group on Coruscant consists of a dozen Jedi. I know there are many more out there, both from the old Order, and those who have lacked the opportunity to join until now. This is an invitation to return here, not an order, a demand, or a threat. Change will be coming to the Jedi ways, so I do not blame any one of you for choosing to wait before leaving the lives you have taken up to hide from the threat of death. Just know that all will be greeted with open arms, regardless of what may have happened in the past few years. Few, if any of us have a clean conscience…"
She took a slow, and very deep breath at that, making eye contact with Bao-Dur. He too nodded, though it was in a very solemn manner. For both of them, moving on would take a long time indeed.
"If any of you have doubts about my intentions for the Jedi, know this. I will be leaving the Order, permanently, once it has been reestablished and set on the right track. It is my intention to find and assist Revan in his journey, wherever that may take me."
Again, she looked to Bastila, who was crying just a little.
"For those outside the Order, know this. We will not be taking initiates forcefully any longer. Joining the Jedi will be a purely voluntary decision of the person in question, whether they are in fact sensitive to the Force or not. Those here have already agreed that it has been a bad practise, and we will no longer follow it. Our focus is solely on training those who have a genuine desire to learn and follow our ways."
A long winded sigh followed. Every key point that had been weighing on her mind for the past three days was finally out in the open. The rest would have to wait for the actual return of the other Jedi, however many still remained.
"Our resources are extremely limited, so I would also ask that any other Force order that we once called our ally send a representative to us as well. Hopefully this time, there will be far greater co-operation between all of us. The days of inactivity, of bystanding, and of ignorance are behind the Jedi." She relaxed her posture at last to wave her hand back over the table. "End transmission."
A feeling of relief went around the entire circle. Every one of them could feel the change now. Jedi and those who believed in them had taken to message to heart. The nightmare had been brought to an end. They all had hope to cherish again, and a new purpose to follow.
It was a truly pleasant feeling, one that could have been cherished for a lot longer easily. But they had a lot of work ahead of them already.
Surik had to wait for HK-47 to return to the table before working out her assignments. "Alright, we've got a lot of space to cover, so listen up. Atton and Juhani will do a quick sweep of the living quarters and other facilities. If we have guests that moved in I expect them to be well treated."
Atton looked over to Juhani, who glanced back at him with her cold stare.
"Mira, go with HK-47 to the weapon lockers I mentioned, and the landing bays too on the way. You both know the indicators of traps and mines better than any of us." With no argument from either of them, Surik continued on. "Visas, Brianna, check around the lower sections of the Temple. A lot of artifacts were stored below, we need to know exactly what the Sith took with them."
"Dangerous artifacts?"
Surik nodded solemnly.
"We will be thorough, and locate a list then."
With another nod, she continued on. "If you could continue doing what you can to restore functionality to the temple Bao, that would help greatly. T3 will go with you of course. I want to ensure that the place is safe before we bring in repair crews to assist."
"Of course General."
"Bastila and I will investigate the holocron vault, Council chamber and other key locations. Keep your communicators active, and stay sharp."
The party wasted little time in heading on to their assigned search routes, save for Atton who was already having hesitations. Juhani had retrieved one of the speeder bikes Bastila had mentioned, and was clearly waiting for him to hop on as well.
Until then, he hadn't been forced to look at her directly. The slitted eyes and mean glare were far more intimidating than anything Brianna had ever brought on him. Death for stepping out of line was written all over. And he had to sit behind her, and pray to the Force that she wouldn't take sharp turns while he was holding onto the back of the bike itself. There was nothing that would bring his hands within a metre of her waist.
"Don't tell me, you fly ships but have a fear of land vehicles."
"Uhh…" For once, his dumbfounded look wasn't actually a ploy at all. He really didn't want to walk back over to the dorms. And there was literally no polite way to explain what he was in fact afraid of. More precisely whom. "I was just thinking that… maybe I could give it a spin actually. Obviously it's your bike, or borrowed bike, but it's not that far to where we're going is it?"
Juhani frowned at him.
He took a nervous step towards the bike. The constant glare wasn't helping in the slightest. "Look, I've been stuck on a ship with several crazy women and a Mandalorian for the past several weeks. One of which happened to be a Sith Lord. Not that I'm implying you being a woman is a problem…" Inspiration finally came to Atton. "Oh, you were friends with Canderous, right? I think that was our guy in the helmet too. Visas mentioned something about it."
Yet again, he was met with silence. Quite unexpectedly, the frustration that it gave him was actually enough to forget about his apprehensions and mount the bike at last. "I take it back. Jedi women are either too quiet, or messing with my head. You might just be the first to do both at the same time."
Atton's grip remained firmly on the holding bar behind his seat, and his gaze was fixated on Juhani's tied-back hair. Not once did he let his eyes wander down.
Something else had become apparent while they crossed the Temple at speed. It was a lot easier to ignore all the signs of ruin and destruction that lay around them.
At the first of the dorm sections, that painful reality was thrust back at them.
The Cathar's head was low when she dismounted the speeder bike. The first thing she had noticed was the decayed remains of a humanoid. What little skin remained bore traditional Mirialan tattoos.
"Master Kabodan. We became friends after I returned to the Jedi Order. We…" Her hand began to clench, but just for a moment. It was no longer a true challenge to keep the dark thoughts out of her mind. "Better that he died here in battle, than as another victim on Katarr. This is not the time to reminisce on the fallen." A very careful search around his remains was enough to conclude that they had been looted a long time ago.
Atton was already feeling ill from the sight. Fresh corpses were easy to ignore. They didn't have the unpleasant colours of death, or the horrified looks that skulls projected.
"That's one way of looking at it I guess." Unsure of what else to do, he placed a hand on her shoulder, still a little uncertain. "Maybe I should go on ahead. You take your time with paying respects and that. I'll call out if I find any 'guests'."
"I am done here." Juhani drew her lightsaber and ignited it well above her head. The dark corridor ahead was illuminated to reveal a long trail of rubble and general trash that had collected in the absence. Compared to her own memories of that very corridor, it was a true disgrace.
"You really should stop berating him."
For the third time in an hour, Brianna went to glare at Visas, having momentarily forgotten that threatening looks were useless on Miraluka. Harsh words on the other hand…
"His sort never learn from kind words and a helping hand. They become content and lazy. I still have my doubts that he was ever a soldier of any calibre."
"And that is how he will kill you, Brianna. If you push too far, he will strike you down before you even notice. Misdirection is a tool that is second nature to him." Visas stopped immediately upon sensing a dark presence at last. It was faint, and flickering in nature. The source had been weakened in some way.
Her silent gesturing guided them into a circular room. The walls had been lined with resin, which had cracked and crumbled from lack of care. In the centre lay the artifact, suspended above the ground by its own power. Several rotating rings of resin-coated metal were apparently containing a sparkling core within. It looked far smaller than what the rings had been designed to contain originally.
"It is not Sith in origin. Nothing here resembles the artifacts I studied during my training." She circled around to the left of the object, her right hand constantly raised as a protective measure if the object itself tried to attack them. She could tell that Brianna was exercising even more caution around it.
Every attempt she made to peer into the core itself was unsuccessful. The constant rotation of the rings disrupted her gaze, and the spark itself seemed to be pushing away. "Either the Sith had no use for it, or they could not determine what it was, or how to move it safely. Surik and the other Jedi Masters will have to deal with it."
"Agreed. I believe we should barricade this room up in the meantime. If there are others already living here, now would not be the time to have them release this 'spark'."
Visas nodded as she made her way back out of the room. With only one doorway to seal, blocking it up with a few wall panels and some loose metal bars was trivial. For further safety, she inscribed a warning symbol onto one of the wall panels.
"I feel better already." Brianna took a quick look around to determine their next search path. A lot of the corridors they had been through were badly wrecked from lightsaber fights, usually indicating the danger of what had been protected. One corridor in particular stood out to her for being nearly untouched however.
She proceeded down the passage, still not sensing anything notable. If it was merely a set of empty rooms, some Jedi would have surely sought shelter in them from the chaos. There was still no indicator of anything at all. "I do not like this Visas. These rooms have all been built to house a particular artifact. There should not be spares."
"I concur. Ready your blade." Visas readied her lightsaber in a defensive stance. There was a room not far ahead of them, but she could not see the contents inside. And this time, it was not because of an abundance of nullifying resin.
Brianna was the only one who could see the faint blue glow emanating from the room. Moving closer, she realized it was too large to be the glow of a lightsaber. The very faint vibrations in the floor was confirmation enough that it was something big. Her lightsaber was in position to strike when she turned into the doorway.
It nearly fell from her hand when she saw what the room contained.
"My god… We need Surik here. Now."
f"Meetra, about what you said in your speech…"
Surik didn't look to Bastila, not immediately anyway. The dreary state of the Archives had taken most of her attention. In their rush to ruin the Temple, the Sith had scattered explosives throughout the place with little thought for maximizing damage. It would be a painful task to sift through what of their history could be recovered, and what was lost forever.
She did eventually take the provided opportunity to redirect her thoughts elsewhere. "They were the first of many hopeful revisions to the ways of the Order. Nothing drastic I assure you, I just feel we need to be absolutely certain another civil war can be prevented from brewing. But they must be discussed by many voices and opinions first." From the way Bastila chewed on her lip, she could tell that was not her main concern. More to be said.
"I am not sure how we can define a Jedi that does not use the Force. I have tried already…" A slight stutter followed. A fleeting moment of emotion that she couldn't hold back. "My son lacks the sensitivity of his parents. These past years, I have started to worry about his future…" Her hands were now shaking slightly. All she could think about was the sad realization at the moment of his birth. A complete absence of that connection between them, that went beyond what any mother and child shared.
There was enough for Surik to guess for herself was the problem was. Or at least what it centred around. "I didn't know that until now. The intent was to keep the Order open to all. People deserve the opportunity to prove themselves when they feel the need to. And I don't want more cases of families being separated from each other anymore. We must strengthen those bonds."
By then, Bastila's nervous shakes had stopped, but only because new concerns had been raised. "Meetra, I appreciate that you are trying to reassure me, but there have been countless cases…"
"Of Jedi falling from grace because of family bonds? What about those who have fallen because they lacked the friendly company of others, either through despair or self-importance." Surik's lips tightened yet again. Bringing up Revan's fall was something she had intended on avoiding for Bastila's sake. "Abstinence may have worked on the surface, but we both know it creates its own problems. I feel that temperance is the way forward. We must be supportive of each other, not judgemental and scrutinizing"
It made logical sense, and that only pained Bastila more. Her adherence to the traditions of the Jedi had definitely been shaky at times, and even strained in the time surrounding her son's birth. And yet, it was far from easy to have those ideals swept away before her in favour of new ones, however much sense they seemed to make on the surface.
"That may sound all well and good for those like us, who have already chosen the future we will pursue. I am not confident that giving such open choice to the newer, and younger members-"
"Surik, we need you here now! We found an occupied cryostasis tube!"
Surik lifted her hand for silence before responding. "Well that certainly is an incredible discovery, but there's nothing I can do until we get a medical team over to handle it…"
"I don't think she went in there willingly. And I don't like the look of these bodily scars one bit."
"Bodily scars…" There were a few possibilities that came to mind. None of them were good by any stretch of the imagination. "We still need to wait for medical assistance. Lock down the room and continue your sweep." She was about to put the communicator back on her belt when something else occurred to her. "When you say 'bodily' markings…"
"Yes. Yes she is. Visas still doesn't know…"
"I do not know what?"
"For the sake of whoever it is inside… Oh, just throw a sheet over it if you can. And don't tell anyone else. I'd rather find out what's going on from her personally, if she wakes up at all."
She couldn't tell if Bastila was scoffing at the absurdity, or feeling disgust at what it really implied. The latter was already on her own mind. Jedi didn't execute their prisoners certainly. But, imprisoning them in stasis, and hiding them where no-one would find them ever again…
"If you need to attend to it, I will inspect the vault alone. I think time amongst the holocrons will be a good distraction from this ugly discovery your friends made." By then, they had reached the outer door of the vault itself. After a few attempts, the locking mechanism finally registered her identity and began to unseal itself. Grinding gears and creaking metal concealed her shuddering sigh. "How many other dirty secrets are we going to find, Meetra?"
Surik slowly turned away from the vault door. That same question was now being circled in her own mind. Her knowledge of the unpleasant side of the Jedi Order was clearly far more limited than she had first expected.
"Too many, Bastila. Far too many."
The following hours had blurred into a rush of activity as far as her memory was concerned. Once their own search had been conducted, civilians and soldiers alike had been brought in to begin assisting with the clean-up, repairs and lockdown duty.
A few Jedi that had taken to hiding in Coruscant's underworld were the first to actually answer the summons.
In the midst of it, Bao-Dur had mentioned a meeting on one of the many balconies of the Tower of Reconciliation. The particular choice felt specific, and it worried her a little while she made her way there.
Seeing the night sky of Coruscant when she finally reached the balcony in question took her breath away. Her childhood and early years had been spent looking at that exact sky, and no other planet came close to matching that sight.
Bao-Dur himself seemed to be taking the view in. She made no sound or attempt to interrupt that moment, even while leaning on the railing beside him as well. In the quiet moments, with only the faint ambient of thousands of vehicles rushing around in the distance, she found insight into what he intended to discuss at last.
"I believe we both knew this was inevitable, General."
With a weak smile, Surik finally nodded in agreement.
"I have done all I can with the trust you placed in me, then and now. I have followed you into battle twice. But, I do not feel capable of following you into a life of peace." He too smiled just a little, a rare event for him. "I know you will not take me on your journey. I do not seek another battle to fight. I simply believe that the Jedi is not where I will find my final rest."
"Bit early for that surely? You've still got good years ahead of you." A faint sigh followed from her. She already had the ugly feeling that her future would be painfully short.
Bao-Dur had taken a while longer to think on his response, eventually looking to make eye contact. "I applied to the Engineering Corps for a position as an instructor. It will more than likely be approved, but they are waiting on my final decision. I felt an obligation to tell you first, in case you had objections."
"No, no I'm happy that you didn't wait on my behalf to get things going. I want being part of the Jedi to be a free choice, both ways. You don't have any obligation to stay here." She took another calming breath. He was right in that there were issues that would inevitably come between him and the Jedi. How could she possibly be upset with him for not putting the burden on others around him?
"Then, there is nothing further that must be discussed. Thank you General."
"Any time. For however long I'm still here that is." She clasped his shoulder before leaving what was likely to be their last private conversation. If events had not put her on a path towards the unknown, she might just have stayed longer to talk with him as a friend. But given her set plans, it would ultimately make things harder on them both.
And she had someone else to discuss matters with.
The room that they had left their 'guest' to recover in once given medical clearance had been guarded by four Jedi on regular rotation since. The attending guard made his report when she approach, in short a great deal of angered demands and unpleasant words had been issued from within the room itself. No attempt to escape had been made.
Upon stepping across the threshold, she was met with a chilling environment. One of the more prominent indicators of the dark side. And their guest seemed to thrive in it. Just as she had feared.
"Do you know who I am, what I am? What my people were?"
Surik nodded sagely. She had been forced to crack several top level security parameters to find records about their guest, but they had told her enough.
"Then I do not see any point in you being here. You certainly won't let me leave this wretched place. And I will not go back into stasis. So, find someone to execute me. Last I checked, Jedi refuse to give prisoners that mercy."
"You're not a prisoner. Not anymore." Surik took a step closer, wary of the notable temperature drop. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she had a clearer sight of the other woman across from her. "The old Jedi Order is gone. What they did to you was wrong, you are far from the only victim of their mistakes. I want to correct that."
The guest laughed at that, almost to a point of hysteria. It took the biting edge off her cold presence at least. "You can't just correct what your kind took from me. You can't correct the atrocities committed. Spare me the hollow words of a misguided idealist and leave!"
Her words were accompanied by a strong impulse to do just that. It took a good few seconds for Surik to overcome the mental force being applied. "I want you to join the Jedi as an equal, first off. Second, I want you to help us to bring the Sith back to the light. I think that process will do you good, whatever you may think now."
She already knew the proposal itself was absurd, and would be more than likely brushed off as such. But it was her best way to show the full extent of her determination and honesty.
To her surprise, it made the guest turn around to look at her, even if it was a scrutinizing glare.
"Join the Jedi? Wear your robes, chant your lies, indoctrinate former allies? You're beyond deluded, Meetra Surik of Dantooine." In the dark of the room, her irises were glaring beacons of light, slowly moving towards the Jedi Master. "There is such a thing as unforgivable. I don't care about the Sith, or your plans for them. I've seen nothing to make me believe you're any different from the pigs that put me into effective purgatory."
Surik drew her lightsaber at that moment, though it was not to attack or defend. She held it out between herself and the guests, activating it so that the blades grew out to either side, casting their red glow across the room.
"I have no pretence about being a perfect Jedi, about being completely safe from the temptations of the dark side. I've walked the grey line between the two, and I know what it is like to be the sole survivor of genocide." She sheathed the lightsaber and placed it back on her belt with a small smile.
That had definitely gotten the receptive kind of attention, allowing her to push her point forward. "To a degree, you will be free to pursue your own path within the Jedi Order. Projects will be supervised and approved by the Council, and funded by the Republic within reason. Departure from Coruscant will be at Council discretion, as will be your autonomy. Helping us to rebuild the Order, and cleanse the Sith ideology from our lost brothers and sisters will be significant steps towards earning trust. Those are the terms."
The guest narrowed her gaze further, watching Surik's face for any sign of deception. She saw none at all. If anything, there were signs that she was actually pleading for her co-operation in a subtle way, which surprised her even more.
They were certainly far better terms than what she had been forced into by the previous iteration of the Order, before her incarceration. They still weren't entirely to her liking. "I won't wear the robes, speak a word of that wretched Code, or pretend a lightsaber is of any importance beyond being a physical weapon. Those are my terms, Surik."
"That's perfectly reasonable. I want indoctrination to stop, and I can't argue that they weren't part of the problem to begin with."
By then, the cold atmosphere of the room had subsided altogether. The lights also came on at last, in a gradual build-up. She could see the attire that the guest was wearing at last, very indicative of her race. The old Order had apparently kept it around, for whatever reason she didn't know.
She turned to leave her alone at last when a final thought came to her. "The records didn't provide a name. Now I understand if that is something you kept private from them. Identifying names can be used against oneself as I know from experience. However…"
The guest rolled her eyes, having already deduced what was being asked of her. "Documentation is the eternal bane of privacy." A hand moved to the side of her head to relieve the mounting pressure within. She wasn't entirely happy with having to co-operate, but it had become her best option. "Put me down as Dana Lauran. The original is long dead by now anyway. Only bitch in the Order who gave a damn. I will just have to get used to being called that."
(Given that the chapter took far too long to write, even considering its length, I am no longer holding myself to such unmanageable standards as far as writing quality and structure goes. It's too stressful, so I will be going with what I feel most comfortable doing in future. Chapters will be posted as they are done from now on.)
