Chapter 30 - "Who do you care about?"

Takodana

Ruins of the Jedi Temple

In all his years, Finn never felt so exposed, so naked than he did under the scrutinizing eyes of the Commandant of the Antarian Rangers. That in itself was something of a contradiction, he realized, considering how he was raised.

"Why do you say that?" Shrike asked quite suddenly, drawing Finn's eyes from the table which conveniently had a bloody imprint in it.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked, and Shrike shrugged, taking another puff of his pipe as he leaned back in his chair.

"I mean exactly that. You feel uncomfortable, exposed. And yet you also feel conflicted about it. Why?"

Finn's eyes widened before they narrowed again, "Did just you read my thoughts?"

"Not quite, but you also haven't been exactly quiet with your emotions this past hour now."

"Interesting," Finn mused as he sat back in his chair, staring into the man's eyes, "I thought you weren't a Jedi."

"Well," the man smirked, pulling out his pipe to gesture with it, "that really depends on your definition of a Jedi, don't it now?"

"I don't understand."

"Tell me, Finn, what do you think a Jedi is? If you had to put it in words?"

"Men and women with swords made of plasma, who have psionic powers." Finn answered simply.

"Oh, so you think anybody swings a neon stick and can move things with their mind qualifies, eh?"

"No, if I thought that, the Knights of Ren would be Jedi."

Shrike smiled and pointed at him with his pipe, "Good point. Tell me something, do you think Lor San Tekka, the man you and your buddies were sent to find, would qualify as a Jedi?"

Finn tilted his head with a shrug, "Considering he took out a few of my company, I was a bit surprised."

"Well, would it surprise you that the man held the rank of Master and had a seat on our Council? That a man, with no supernatural powers or destiny or any of that other crap, can sit at the same table with folks that some other folks consider Gods… and be considered an equal?"

"You're saying it's about the philosophy, the mindset, not the power that they wield?"

"Well, ain't you smart? Let me explain this little concept very simply. To say that any person who has powers is a Jedi by definition, by right, is the same as saying that a five year old who was born to nobility is fit to be the ruler of a world."

"An apt description. Would be humorous to see such a thing."

"Actually, we have. Her name was Padme Amidala. No disrespect to the woman or what she managed to achieve, but what genius came up with the idea of putting a 14 year old in charge of a planet?"

"Well, if history is to be believed, it was because of Palpatine."

"Uh huh," Shrike nodded, taking another puff of his pipe, "that's why semantics is actually important. It's why having clear definitions of things is important, and having explanation as to why they are what they are doubly-so."

"Explain the Jedi, then."

"Oh, it's very simple. If 1% of a population has the ability to tear a ship out of the sky with their hand, or," he tapped the side of his head with his pipe, "be able to read someone's mind when their guard is down, then you are going to have two exact possibilities of what that 1% will do."

"And they are?"

"The exact same choices everyone is dealt with. To be a samaritan or a jackass. Only difference is that now you have powers. The question then becomes how do you convince people not be a jackass?"

"You create a morality system; a unifying belief to uphold."

"No different than society as a whole. Y'know, that's actually the major difference between the Jedi and the Sith right there. It ain't really about the spectrum of the Force and all that, but instead the fact that the Sith don't believe in restraint. Don't believe that Billy-bob and Jaina-Joe are worth protecting or leaving alone; that their interests are the only things that matter. That they are above it all."

"So you're saying that the Sith are Social-Phylogeneticists?"

"Heh, that's a good way of putting it. Where'd you hear that term?"

"Parnassos," Finn shrugged, "Phasma once described the planet's tribes that way."

"Hmm, interesting," Shrike mused softly, "and so that's ultimately the point. The Jedi themselves use their power for good."

"Good? As in society itself?"

"No. Society is a malleable term, you can have any kind of society. Including the one on Parnassos. No, what the Jedi are dedicated to protecting are people in general. Billy-Bob and Jaina-Joe, the common man, doing common things. Don't matter what they're doing for a living, just so long as they ain't a jacksie, and are respectful of their fellow man."

"So… protect the common good?"

"No. Common Good and Greater Good have been the excuses for plenty of a genocidal, tyrannical jacksies. Take Palpatine for example. He said the Jedi are threatening the 'Greater Good,' and therefore must die. As I said, the Jedi protect the individual, not the collective. Because let's be perfectly honest, the collective has tried to murder us a couple dozen times now."

"I suppose so. How does that relate to Lor San Tekka?"

"Well," he leaned over the table, "Lor San was a teacher, an historian… even a philosopher. Believe me, he's practically the only one who could stand talking shop and morality and crap with me without ripping their hair out. He uh, kind of enjoyed it, actually. Said it was stimulating."

Finn let out a small chuckle, "I would have like to have listened to his lectures."

"I have recorded all of them. You're welcome to them if you like."

Finn nodded, "So he was a teacher?"

"Yes. He once said that knowledge was perhaps the most powerful tool ever created. That knowledge and the correct application of it could cure society of all its woes. I'm not sure about that last bit, but it's admirable regardless."

"Why do you say that?"

"Some people just prefer bliss. I mean, gotta control your own world, and the best way to do that is to make it as small as possible. But not Lor San. He found comfort in the knowledge of this very big, objective universe, and taught that to people. Taught them to think instead of hamfisting everything. So, he may not have had a neon stick or powers, but he had wisdom and the drive to change people for the better."

He took another puff of his pipe, smiling a little, "That, Finn, is what a Jedi is."

"What about you, though? Rey called you Master."

"Oh, I'm here for the opposite reason. I'm a realist and a pain in the ass. See, Lor San believed that people can and would do great good if you gave them the chance. I believe that people are just as bound to do ill and bad as they are to do good. In short, while Lor San promotes peace, I prepare for war. Well, until he succeeds and I'm no longer needed, but when do you see that happening anytime soon?"

"Fair. But you have the Force."

"Like I said, it ain't got nothing to do with it. Besides, I'm a weak connection. I only know tricks. Nothing concrete to build from, but that ain't what makes me, well, me. Same as Lor San, hell, more so in his case, actually."

"You were friends, weren't you? The way you keep talking about him, I mean."

"We were. He reminded me of my stupid twin. Mr. Hopeful with an insufferable smile. Granted, the difference was that Lor San could argue the point. Abe would just solve it with a stick."

Finn sat their pondering, his eyes grim, "Small comfort but perhaps Kylo Ren did the man a favor… killing him. The First Order would've tore him apart, trying to find out where, well, you went."

"And I wager your High Marshal, Mr. I-have-no-past-to-speak-of-beyond-conjecture, would've done worse?"

Finn didn't answer, but just shrugged. Shrike just leaned back in his chair, sighing in the fact he was about to slam his head into the proverbial wall again.

"What do you know about Hego Damask, Finn?"

"All I really know is that he apparently died shortly after the Naboo Crisis."

Shrike scoffed and shook his head, "And here we go again. Finn, I get it. You don't wanna give me anything beyond the hour long explanation that you grew a convenient conscience because even though you're sitting here, you're still trying to protect your family. Right?"

"How do you feel about the Jedi?"

"That they don't kill people willy-nilly? That they ain't out to put me down because I saw something I shouldn't have?"

Finn's eyes narrowed, "Remove the subject matter, how do you feel about the Jedi?"

"I see them as my family," Shrike answered neutrally, "the difference is, kiddo, they ain't out to start a war."

Finn looked to the side before looking back, "You don't know them like I do. There are some good men and women there. They are just soldiers, following orders."

"I know, and in a perfect world, I would give them the chance, but this ain't a perfect world. They will do what they can to kill us, and you, specifically. Like it or not, you are a traitor, and they will kill you if they are asked to do so."

"Then I shall die," Finn answered, his eyes darting to the table and the dent there, with its little speckle of blood, "for even if you throw me into a hole, I will not give you information that will lead to the death of my brothers and sisters. I can't."

Shrike gave Finn a look, as though he were searching him for something. Finn thought for a moment that he felt something off, like some foreign presence in his mind. But when he looked, it wasn't there.

"Don't worry, kiddo," Shrike suddenly said, catching his attention, "I'm not going to peak behind there. I could, with the right amount of pressure, but I don't want to."

"Why?" Finn asked, "You've probably done it before."

"I have, but this is different. You are different. Maybe it's a little bit of Lor San rubbing off on me, but I have a little bit hope for you."

"What hope?"

"Well, the fact you are a walking, talking contradiction. I mean, here you are, protecting the people you just betrayed by saving the life of not just an enemy pilot, but a Jedi Knight. You're also smart, observant, which is leading me to a bit of a conclusion that I just a need a few more pieces before it becomes clear."

"And what conclusion is that?"

Shrike didn't answer him, instead just staring at him for a long moment as he continued to smoke his pipe. Then he asked a question Finn didn't quite know how to answer, "Who do you care about, Finn?"

"I don't follow."

"It's as simple as it sounds, Finn. Who, in this universe, do you care about the most?"

"My fellow Troopers, Rey, and Poe."

"And if it came down to a choice between the two of them, who would you defend?"

That stopped Finn in his tracks. His face was like if the man across from him had just slugged him, and that was ironically what Jacen Shrike was hoping for.

"We'll come back to this later. Now I want you to answer another question. How old do I look to you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Just answer the question, kiddo."

"I don't know. I've seen a photo of you standing at the Concordance some thirty years ago. You don't look much older than that, and you look like you're just in your fifties."

"Well, would it surprise you that I am actually 83?"

"It would," Finn said evenly, "I've heard of people living long lives with our current medical technology, but 83? And you look like this?"

"You should see Shaak Ti. She's ten years older than me and she looks younger. I tell you, that woman does not age."

"How? The Force?"

"Yes, both cases. In hers, she became quite the savant to the healing arts and spent some two decades on Felucia. I on the other hand had an office on Ruusan on and off for the past three decades. Benefits from being so close to a nexus, I suppose."

"Then… then you would've been in the Clone Wars?"

"And before. I think you can see where I'm going with this."

Finn nodded, "You saw the rise of the Empire."

"And it's fall, and you wanna know I learned from living through the declines of two different governments? That none of it matters."

"I never took you for a nihilist."

"No no, you're missing the point altogether. Governments, Finn, don't matter in the end. They rise and fall all the time. Whether it be 25,000 years or 24, it's all the same. It's an unending cycle of rise and decline. It might be for a different reason, but the result is always the same."

"So you're an anarchist."

"I'm not saying that either. No, what I am saying is the thing I learned, and the thing that ultimately dug me out of the pit after I lost everything and everyone I ever cared about, is that people matter. The Billy-Bobs and Jaina-Joes of the universe. Because for every bad egg, there are good people, too. People who just need a little help from time to time, and I think you know that too. It's no accident that you felt sympathy for those folk in the village, afterall."

"Lot of good that did," Finn spat, "I still shot them."

"Sure you did, and then you broke Poe out. And then you went and saved a Jedi while you're at it."

"That doesn't absolve me of what I did to those people."

"No it doesn't. You're gonna have to live with that for the rest of your life, but maybe you can do something here and now to ensure that doesn't happen again. That no more of your brothers and sisters have to do what you had to do, because we both know that the First Order is going to do it again and again, until they either get what they want or are stopped. Even then, there's no guarantee the killing will stop with the former."

"But if I talk, if I tell you anything, you'll use that information to kill my brothers and sisters."

"Maybe, but that depends on what you tell me. Maybe what you give will be enough to stop this war before it even begins. But that will only happen if you tell me what you know."

Finn stared down at the table for a moment, his mind a great big giant mess of things that could be and things that would. He stared up at the two way glass in front of them, imagining them behind it. He nodded once, sighing as he did, and then he finally spoke "It was a great surprise."

"What was?" Shrike asked.

"When the Imperials retreated into the Unknown Regions, they found the Knights of Ren and a small interstellar empire waiting for them. They greeted them with ships and weapons modeled after GAR and Imperial designs but altered just enough to use the advantages of both while mitigating their weaknesses. They were the First Order."

Shrike leaned forward, his eyes alite with surprise, "You mean to tell me the First Order has been around before the fall of the Empire?"

"I'm saying they were around before the rise of it," Finn replied, "that's why they call themselves the First Order. They see themselves as the true successor of the Sith, and that Palpatine was just a failed pretender."

"And Hego Damask? How is he involved in all this?"

"He's the one who founded them. The Knights and the Order. I don't know who he really is or why he faked his death-"

"His death?" Shrike asked, "Are you talking about when he died just after the Battle of Naboo?"

"Yes. I don't know the exact details, but it was rumored that he was a supporter of Palpatine until he learned the truth about him, and Palpatine tried to murder him."

"What truth?"

"That he was not interested in bringing order to the galaxy. That he was more interested in becoming a god of a chaotic cesspool."

"That's one way of describing the Empire," Shrike nodded slowly as he chewed the end of his pipe, "so, Damask survived Palpatine, and then used his wealth and influence to go into hiding. To start building his own empire."

"That's the working theory," Finn nodded.

"Stars, the guy's had sixty years. Sixty years. How big is the First Order?"

"Best estimate? Several thousand planets, perhapes lower tens of thousands, maybe more."

"How many military installations?"

"I don't know. All I know is that every world we have has been developed in the interest of waging a war. Every world has been built up, fortified, and every citizen trained to fight and fight well."

"Damn… I mean surely they know that the New Republic and her allies outnumber them by a factor of, what? 1500 to 1, at least?"

"But how many of those worlds are dedicated to war production, and is your populace entirely devoted to an eventual conflict?"

"That is a good point, but even then, we still outnumber you."

"That is true. Why do you think the First Order is moving hell and chaos, trying to find the Star Forge?"

"How long have you been searching for it?"

"Probably before I was even born. The Unknown Regions are not known for its stable hyperspace routes. It makes it difficult to explore and travel. And that's not even including the less than friendly neighbors."

"Yes… we got plenty of that from the flamboyant pirates and the space lizards. I'm curious, did they pass through your territory before they came knocking on our door?"

"If by passing through you mean gave us a bit of a warm up? Yes. But they aren't even the worst neighbors we have."

"I know of one. Mnngal Mnngal, the thing the Chiss call the Mischief God."

"My superiors don't consider him a neighbor. They more consider him an invader."

"What did he do?"

"He took out a colony."

"What did you do with him?"

"We conducted Base Delta Zero and glassed the planet he was on."

"And that stopped him?" Shrike asked skeptically.

"If he has no life to consume, he can't grow. We haven't heard or seen from him since."

"Huh. Any chance the Knights of Ren were there?"

"They were, of course. They are our best weapon against our enemies."

"And what exactly is your government's relationship with them?"

"They… cooperate. I don't know the full extent of it, but they exist outside of the normal command structure. We cannot directly command them, nor can they directly command us, but we both answer to the same man."

"High Marshal Damask."

"Yes."

"Which begs the obvious question: is he a Force user himself?" Shrike asked Finn.

Finn shrugged, "Any and all personal information of Hego Damask was known only by himself and the High Lords of Ren, and even that is just speculation on my part. The rumor is that not even High Command knows all the details."

"Why do you say that?"

"Damask is an extremely private individual, essentially a recluse. Rumor has it that Sidious heavily disfigured him in his murder attempt."

"If he's a recluse, then how does he run his affairs?"

"He does it through proxy and hologram, most notably through Praetor Ren, Master of the Praetorian Guard."

"Praetorian? That's an old Aquillan term from their Imperial days. Why are they using such terminology?"

"That's because Praetor, and by extension his brother, Primaris Ren, are Aquillan. They were the first Lords of Ren, and some believe to be Damask's personal students."

"The first, huh? Then that means Damask has had contact with the Aquillan long before we did, and they only came out into the grandstage after Endor and Jakku."

"By about thirty six years, if I had to guess."

"And how many of these 'High Lords of Ren' are there?"

"Seven, at least as far as I know. They each command a fiefdom and a different part of the infrastructure within the Order."

"And those are, exactly?"

"Well, you know Praetor, he's the closest to Damask. Then there is Bal'Win, a feudal lord and the Master of Strategy. He's called the 'Lion' by his people."

"And they're all Force sensitive?"

"Yes, as far as I know. There is also Mechos, Master of the Forge and Archon of a client race who construct war machines for us."

Shrike held up his hand and pulled out a holo-projector, setting it on the table, "Skip to 22 minutes, 34 seconds," Shrike commanded, and the image of the black armored Reaper Droids in combat suddenly appeared, "are you referring to these machines?"

"Yes, one of them, at least. I don't know much about them other than they were built to take massive punishment. I saw one with a large hole through its center, I presume from my… ahem, Lor San's lightsaber."

"Noted. Continue."

"Following him is Typhaen, the Gorgon of Hydrus. I don't know much about her, to be honest. Or even if she is a she."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a changeling, a Shi'ido. All that I do know is that she has been operating deep in the Unknown Regions for the last several years, looking for something."

"The Forge?"

"I don't know, but I don't think so. Her title is Master of Beasts, after all."

"I see. Continue."

"Then there is Hussar, Master of Shadows, though that might be giving him a bit too much credit."

"How so?"

"He doesn't command a Fiefdom. That instead is run by Praetor."

"Why?"

"My superiors say the man is insane. That he cannot communicate beyond grunts and screams. It's also said that he was once an Inquisitor of the Old Empire."

"Which one?"

"I don't know his name, only his title: Lord Inquisitor."

Shrike frowned at that, "There was only one person in the Empire who held such a title. His name was Sedress, and he died on Jakku. The mission reports says he went down with his Star Destroyer."

"Apparently not, unless this is a different Lord Inquisitor."

"No, there was only one during the duration of the Empire. The Inquisition was very picky about its rank and files."

"Then that could explain his mental state."

"Possibly. I believe you have one more to name."

"Two, actually, and these are a few years recent. The first is Talon, the Master of Vengeance. I've actually seen her once."

"Describe her."

"She was wearing a mask at the time, but she was clearly a Twi'lek, red skinned. She was also a former Jedi."

That made Shrike's eyebrows rise in surprise, "Do you know her real name?"

"No, but she couldn't have been older than thirty, so she must've been one of your newer students."

"I see," Shrike nodded, his eyes rolling to the right as he chewed on the tip of his pipe, "and the last one is Primaris?"

"No, Primaris was killed here. I'm talking about his successor, Kylo Ren."

"Poe's Man in Black. What station does he hold?"

"Master of the Fleet, which also counts as his Fiefdom. I've never seen it, but I'm told it's made up of older, repurposed ships from the previous wars."

"And what can you tell me about the man, personally I mean?"

"I can't tell you much. I know he was recruited after Talon, that he's at least thirty years of age, and that he also inherited Primaris' title of First of Ren. And… well, he and Lor San Tekka seemed to know each other. Lor San said he taught him as a boy."

"Lor San taught a lot of people."

"And considering that he was a member of your Council… would that make Kylo a Jedi as well?"

Shrike didn't answer, instead his eyes ran to the table before them. After taking a puff of his pipe again, staring at the smoldering tabaco, he asked, "Did Lor San say anything that might give a clue as to Kylo Ren's identity? Anything would be helpful."

Finn took a moment to think on it, "I could barely make it out, but I think he said, 'was it easy? To betray your own family?' Kylo answered him back, 'no,' and laid him to rest."

Shrike's grip on his pipe tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white.

"You know who he is, don't you?" Finn asked.

Shrike stared up at the two way glass, seeing his own reflection amid the smoke staring right back at him, "Let's call it a day, Finn. You've been great help thus far."

Finn nodded slowly, resisting the urge to rise from his chair, "What happens to me now?"

"Well, you're not going in a cell, and until I say otherwise, you're Ranger property."

"Understood."

"You're free to the grounds, but never alone. You'll have someone close to you at all times."

Finn nodded, "And may I ask who that will be?"

Shrike smiled very slightly, his eyes moving to the dura-steel door as he mouthed 'three, two, one,' but nothing happened. He sighed and got up from his seat, grumbling, "Every frickin' time."

He walked over to the two way window, knocking on the glass, "Um, that's your cue?"

The door opened to reveal Poe and Rey, the latter of whom smiled embarrassingly at the pair of them, "Sorry. Always had bad timing."

"Speak for yourself, sister!" Poe scoffed, "I did it on purpose. Hey man, how you doin'?"

Finn shrugged, "I never took you for being petty, Poe."

"Hey, I'm an equal opportunity joker. I can be forgiven for being vindictive once in a while."

"So long as it's harmless, Commander?" Shrike asked with a smirk as he took a puff of his pipe, "You do realize that me and the Old Man are friends from back in the War, right?"

"Uh heh, yeah. Yeah, I know."

Rey chuckled at that and Poe shot her a scornful look. "He's just following protocole, Poe," she then looked over at Finn, "it's nothing personal."

"Honestly? I would be surprised if this sort of thing didn't happen."

"Well, the last time we took in a supposed defectee, the massassi temple was blown to hell." Shrike pointed out.

"Now that you say that," Poe shook his head, "I can definitely understand that."

"Good for you, Poster Boy. Go back to flying X-Wings and leave me to do spy work, hmm? You're dismissed. Oh and you two? Our boy never leaves one of your sights, or otherwise, he's going in a cell."

"Don't worry, Master," Rey smiled cheerfully, "we won't hang ourselves."

"Dear, stop being so cheerful. That was Tahiri's job."

"Well, she's not here, so I've got to compensate."

"Sure. Now git. And don't blow up my Temple again."

"Hey, that was not my fault!" Rey called as Poe pushed her out the door with Finn following close behind.

Finn stopped a moment and turned his head to Shrike. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Giving me a chance."

"Hey," he smiled, "you ain't the first person from the other side of things who grew a convenient conscience. Ask Rey about her dad one of these days, he's a class example. Now, git. Treat it like leave, just you can't leave the planet."

"Yes sir," and he was gone. Shrike sighed in that moment, collapsing into his chair as 83 years of pure exhaustion seemed to wash over him. He felt his age in that moment, and he suspected he looked it.

He pulled the pipe out of his mouth, staring at the small inscription on the underside of it that read 'To a friend.' Shrike's eyes twinkled in that moment, his mouth opening a little by impulse. Then his gloved hand tightened into a fist, and in a sudden flash of rage, he slammed it into the table, leaving another dent in it.

He breathed out, shuddering with regret and shame as he stared out at the ruins of the home he had helped build… and had helped destroy.