"Ah, Circe, Circe... You patronize me" the Grandmaster chided with a chuckle. "How long ago was it that I was a simple Padawan, standing beside you and Jak at your wedding? Not a thought in the world of what you truly were. Trust in you like a sister, faith in you like a close friend. On Dagobah, even when it was obvious where your true allegiances lie, and your only reason for helping Aleidis and Codi being just so you could cash in on them at a later point when your plans as a Sith had begun... I still trusted you. I shouldn't have, I should have had you locked up before you could cause anyone harm. But I was too compassionate and trusting then, Lord Savan. I was naive. How could I have known that such a sweet woman could turn out to be such an evil, conniving, murderous, manipulative witch?"
"I watched you manipulate everyone around you, Circe... And most of all, I watched you manipulate my best friend like a toy, before tossing him like garbage. You ruined his life, Circe. Omega Pyre wants him dead because of you. And how do you repay him, Circe? Do you repent for your sins and stop this madness when he gave you a chance to throw it aside and be the wife you could have been? No... You throw him to the wolves for a couple of brownie points with an Emperor that soon would be King Nothing...."
"You always have an agenda, Circe. It's how you've always been. Trusting you is trusting a mutant rancor not to eat me when I turn around" he chided, shaking his head.
"But I disgress... If redemption, if help... Is what you truly seek... The Jedi are your salvation"
He sighed. "You remember Tracyn Ordo, correct? A very close friend of mine, before your blasted Sith Poison turned him into something I didn't even recognize anymore"
He shook his head. "We were able to plunge your poison from his body. We worked tirelessly to help him. In the end, no, the poison had worked it's magic, Tracyn was off on a path we couldn't stop..."
He sighed, staring dead into her eyes. "You killed him, Circe. Even if you didn't deal the killing blow, you set him on a path toward his demise. One of my best friends is dead because of you. The other one doesn't have direction"
He chuckled a bit. "You're lucky, then.. If I were not the man I was, I'd cut off your head before you could say a word... Avenge Jak... Avenge Tracyn... But... The Jedi are about forgiveness. The point stands, Circe. Even in his darkest hour, the Jedi worked tirelessly to give him peace, to erase his demons. And when he went loose, we went after him. We tried to turn him back, even if your poison's effects kept him from seeing the reason"
There was no conflict in his mind. Merely a small twinkle, a shimmer, that wondered... Would it be the right thing to help this monster... Or cut off her head now and avenge Tracyn, and save the innocence and lives of hundreds more?
But that was not how Josh acted... Even now, he acted with compassion. It was the Jedi way.
"Go to Coruscant, Circe" he said calmly. "Surrender to the Jedi's custody and ask for help. They will give it. If they do not believe you when they say it was my advice, I will back it up" he said.
He got up then, finishing his drink. It was time to go.
"But... One thing, Lord Savan..." he said, looking back at her.
"If we do this... You can no longer fight against us. No aiding our enemies. No kidnapping on Coruscant... While you will likely not be allowed in Republic space for quite some time due to your past, at least until it is seen fit down the road that you are redeemed... No attacking people, no crimes... Nothing against us. While I doubt you can be made a member of the Republic, we will no longer hunt you if you stay away once this is over if you redeem yourself... Of course, if it turns out you haven't been redeemed and you continue your nonsense against, say, our allies... Then we will be inclined to get involved regardless. This is your one chance to get help from an Order that you have wronged so many times... Don't squander it"
"Oh and Circe...." he began, looking back at her with a smirk. "If you dare stab us in the back, during or after this ordeal... The consequences will be far more severe then you can imagine. We do not like having our trust abused" he warned. "This is your golden ticket. Abuse it, and you may not live to talk about it"
That was more harsh (Even a tad bit surprisingly vicious) then what normally came from Josh, but Circe needed to be handled sternly... And with that, he paid for his drink and walked out. It was time to head back to Coruscant...
References: @[member="Tracyn Ordo"], @[member="Jak Sandrow"]
@[member="Circe Savan"]
