Next chapter up. Now the discussion begins. Enjoy and thanks for reading.
Marr waited several days before interacting with his prisoner again. No doubt she'd been preparing herself mentally for their next interaction. He wanted her to lose a bit of that preparation before starting with his plan. A few days delay would, hopefully, weaken her resolve just slightly.
Marr entered his interrogation room to find Vala pacing in her cell, much like the first time they'd spoken. To her credit, she no longer appeared to be fearful. Today, she seemed guarded. Ready. His desire to simply talk had surprised her, but she was prepared this time, even after a few days' wait. The Sith found the thought amusing.
"You seem energized today, little Jedi. Good. Shall we continue our conversation?"
Vala said nothing, only nodded.
"As I said before, I wish to discuss your Jedi code. If I remember correctly, it's separated into five parts. A couple of which actually do make a certain amount of sense."
Marr was thrilled with the surprise he sensed from the girl. She hadn't expected a Dark Lord of the Sith to agree with her code. She'd been prepared for him to rip it apart, to claim it all as false. No doubt she'd prepared many arguments to make regarding the code's validity.
"For example, 'There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge.' That line is quite accurate. If you have knowledge, of course there will be no ignorance. That section of the code is just common sense. Both Jedi and Sith seek knowledge to stave off ignorance. Both will gain knowledge before acting, even though what is done with that knowledge might vary from one individual to another. I don't think any discussion is needed here."
Marr paced a few times in front of the cell, arms clasped behind his back.
"Also, 'there is no death, only the Force." I've been around long enough to have witnessed many Force apparitions of long dead masters. Both Sith and Jedi. When one reaches a certain level of understanding with the Force, death takes on a whole different meaning. The former Sith Emperor, for example. He's been alive, in one form or another, for centuries. Death means nothing to him. The Force continues on, even after death. I think we can both agree with that idea."
Vala remained quiet, but Marr could tell his words held a certain curiosity to her. He had her full attention.
"There is no chaos, there is harmony. I'm afraid I must disagree with this statement. Chaos is what makes up everything around us. Nothing is created without the help of chaos. Building with wood or metal, the gathering of seeds, even a woman giving birth must bow to chaos in order for there to be harmony. The smelting or chopping of wood is not a harmonious process. Neither is the breaking of shells to obtain seeds. And I'm not sure if you've ever witnessed the birth of a child, but there is nothing more chaotic than the act of bringing life into the world. But after all those events, there is harmony. A home is built to protect a family, a plant grows peacefully in the ground and a baby lays sleeping in its mother's arms. So, your code seems rather incorrect. You can't have harmony without a little chaos."
Vala remained silent, though Marr could still feel her curiosity. He allowed her the silence to mull over his words. He did not wish for his ideas to break the young Jedi's mind, only nudge it into thought. Create a subtle twist in perspective.
"So, what you're saying is harmony isn't the absence of chaos, but rather the direct result of chaos?" She finally asked. She didn't sound defensive, only contemplative. Marr's rationale was making her think. Good.
"Precisely. Without Chaos, you would never know harmony." Marr stopped pacing and stood still in front of Vala. "Harmony without chaos would stagnate. All life needs challenges to strive for, obstacles to overcome, problems to solve, in order to thrive. True harmony can only be appreciated when it's worked for. Earned."
The young Jedi remained silent, lost in thought. This was exactly the state Marr wanted her in. If she were combative, his words would just bounce off her, but she seemed to be taking in what he said. This was very good. He allowed the silence to linger without interruption.
"I believe that is enough for the day. I'll leave you to… consider what I've said. We'll discuss more tomorrow." Marr bowed. "Sleep well, little Jedi."
Marr left the room, leaving the Jedi alone with her thoughts. His stay with his prisoner was deliberately brief. He wanted to make her long for the interaction. Solitude could break a person just as effectively as torture, if used correctly.
Vala was speechless, even as she was taken from the interrogation room to her cell, she found herself lost in thought. Thought pertaining to Marr's interpretation of the Force and the Jedi code.
She had been shocked to learn the Sith had actually agreed with parts of the code. Vala had been taught that the Sith despised the code and their beliefs were an exact opposite to the Jedi philosophy. Marr's thoughts on chaos versus harmony weren't opposite, only slightly skewed. And, she hated to admit, some of what the Sith said made sense. If there was no chaos, no chaos at all, how would you understand harmony? How could you appreciate it, when you don't know anything else?
Could the Sith actually be right?
Vala shook her head and sat on her small cot, nibbling at the food that had been left for her upon her return. No, the Sith was trying to trick her, confusing her into turning to the Darkside. Even though his words had been rational and seemed to make sense, they were not correct. There is no chaos, there is harmony. Those words were true. Of course they're true.
Vala tried to sleep that night, but found her mind was too chaotic to truly rest.
To Be Continued...