A Bit of Cold

[Darth Veles]

Snow and ice crunched under Avreet's black leather boots as he marched over the frozen plains of Rhen Var. Keeping his heavy leather cloak wrapped tightly around his body that was protected by nothing but the traditional Sith apparel, the Sith Lord raised his large domed head to look in front of himself, just for a second to avoid the strong wind taking off his hood. Everything lied buried under snow, cold winds violently tossing the falling snowflakes around, making orientation difficult. Completely ignoring the snow hitting his big amber eyes, the Mon Calamari Sith scanned his surroundings, both with the right, cybernetic, orb, as with his senses that reached out through the Force and expanded over the area, feeling the strong marks left by powerful long-dead Force users. This let him know he was getting closer to his destination, the ancient ruins left on the planet by the Jedi. The Light Side was not something he usually sought after without intending to destroy it, but his days with the One Sith have ended, leaving just one thing that still connected him to them. The Mark of Darkness that grew on his back, expanding over his skin ever since Lady Isolda had gifted him with it. No longer Avreet wished to bear the sign of the One Sith on his back, and after considering its nature, he came to conclusion that it could be only removed by the Light Side of the Force. Since the only healer he knew about was being held as a slave in a golden cage, guarded by her "friends", the amphibous Sith was forced to look for alternative means of getting rid of the cursed tattoo that itched and burned, reminding him of failing the Sith.

Searching for a powerful Light Side artifact seemed like the only option, something that would empower him with the Light Side enough to make his own Force heal capable of removing the mark adorning his back. He could not go to the Jedi or their Sith counterparts and ask them for one, obviously, meaning he had to try and find one himself. Rhen Var's inhospitable nature and past with the Jedi gave him hope of discovering buried secrets, be it an artifact or a clue of where to discover one.

The Sith suddenly stopped, his head turning to the left, catching a glimpse of a structure in the corner of his eye. This was it. Rotating his form, he immediately strode towards the ruins that lied in the middle of nowhere, partially covered by snow. Whether this used to be a Temple or a tomb, Avreet did not know. Approaching the structure, he strudied the walls that contrated with the snow all over the place before walking around, searching for the entrance, webbed claws of his right hand touching the wall beside him until his fingers touched nothing but air. His eye swiveled towards the gaping hole in the wall, seeing a room that bathed in darkness, the only light the one coming through the hole. Activating the low-light vision in the cybernetic eye, Avreet entered, removing his cloak and brushing away the snow before putting the cloth on again.

The first sight revealed nothing, until the Mon Cal turned his gaze towards the dark ground, noticing his footsteps over a particular section of the floor sounded more hollow. The cybernetic eye switched to another mode, looking for an energy source leading towards the ground, which would have indicated a switching mechanism. Unfortunately, it appeared whatever opened the floor had long since stopped working. This left Avreet no choice but to ignite his crimson blade and carefully draw it around the hollow spot in the floor, cutting through the metal. Once he made a small circle, the Sith telekinetically lifted the cut off section of the metal and placed it aside, looking over the orange-colored buring edge of the hole he had created. Stone stairs. Not metal? Mentally shrugging, he illiminated his way with the lightsaber, treating carefully on the stone as he descended into darkness.

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

It was time to set things straight. To let go of the past and stop thinking about what had happened all that time ago when she had flirted with the dark side for the first time. Too long had the events on Rhen Var clouded her mind. Enough was enough and she had to go there to face it or she would never get over it.

The planet was as inhospitable as she remembered it. The icy plains and hills. The mountains that had been frozen to the core from what seemed like an eternity of snow and slate. Yet it all had it’s own kind of peace and serenity to it. The reason why Qel-Droma had chosen this place - while not obvious - was understandable. There was harmony in the chaos, or maybe Kana just started to become a little bit delusional from all the snow.

Just this once she had covered herself in a cloak of her own to keep warm. It still felt better than a jacket but it definitely didn’t have the same kind of body-hugging warmth to it and it certainly dangled in the strong winds. With watchful eyes she scanned the horizon for the cave she had been in before but to her dismay it was gone like a mirage in a frozen oasis.

Catching glimpse of what looked like a spire in the distance she hastily made way across the frozen wasteland in an effort to get out of the snow. Step for step the feeling that she was getting closer to something warmer made her pace increase dramatically.

It would still take a while to get there though.

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

The first thing that caught his attention was the putrid smell in the air, clearly indicating no-one had been in there for quite some time. That was a good sign, though Avreet remained skeptical of the place's state. It was near impossible to find an artifact, but the desperation of getting rid of the last piece of evicence that undeniably connected him to the one Sith drove the Mon Calamari forward. Ignoring the stench, he pointed his lightsaber in front of himself in the same fashion in the same fashion Makashi duelists like himself often did in combat against other Force sensitives. This illuminated the cold, stone walls with the crimson light radiating from the plasma blade. This revealed a rather large passageway that appeared to be leading deeper.

Avreet could only imagine what lied within and what purpose this tunnel once served, but slowly and carefully advanced further, using the Force to silence his footsteps and bending the neutral signature he possessed to make it disappear, just in case there would be some surprises waiting for him ahead. Each step was painfully slow as he did not dare to rush and fall prey to a trap, therefore his cybernetic eye always inspected the ground and the wall before he ventured forth a few metres.

He did not know how much time had passed when he finally stood at the end of the tunnel, tight walls opening into a large chamber, or more precisely, a cave. The Sith Master took several steps in before stopping again, glancing around, his hand holding the lightsaber moving in the direction he looked at. Much to his surprise, he saw no exit, just the stone texture walls of the cave. Sighing softly, the amphibian knelt on the cold rocks that made the floor and decided to meditate for a while, hoping to discover another way through the Force.

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

Time passed, snow got in her eyes and her cloak torn away by a particularly powerful gust. Realizing time was running out she used the force to speed her movements up. She should know better, it left her exhausted but at least it made the walk through the snow faster, obviously. A small joyous laughter left her system but faded as quickly as it had arrived. There were footsteps in the snow.

She followed them and to her surprise she found a hole cut into the floor. The darkness of the place was unnerving but she kept pushing forward. She flicked her saber on and let the warm green glow be her guide. Something didn’t feel right here. The hole seemed fresh yet she knew by fact that Rhen Var was a deserted wasteland. Unless, of course, it wasn’t. Could it be people still went here?

She remained on her guard as she descended a staircase leading further into nothing but darkness. The idea from holovids that these places would at least come with a pair of lit torches suddenly seemed a lot more childish than she had originally thought it to be. Though perhaps that was simply because Kana was speaking from inexperience.

The musky, wet and cold smell around the room reminded her of the first time she had gone spelunking on this very planet. The occasional drip as the snow around the walls and ceilings slowly melted was almost haunting. Haunting yet calming, it would depend on the mood. Occasionally the sound as particularly powerful wind passed through the ruins would be heard.

Carefully stumbling into a big room Kana took care to sense for dangers. While she couldn’t sense anything she couldn’t help feeling observed, as if someone could see her, but who?

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

The large eyes of the Mon Cal flicked open when he felt another presence to appeare somewhere behind him. The signature appeared light with no trace of the Dark Side as far as he could tell right now, which indicated a Jedi. Now, while Avreet was by no means afraid of a Jedi, he did not want to be caught meditating, his back turned to the exit. Since he did not know the Jedi's business, he assumed the individual to be a guard sent to investigate the arrival of an unauthorized vessel. As such, the Sith Lord swiftly got up, soundlessly pacing to the far end of the cave where he became one with the shadows, Force cloak making him completely disappear from the world. There he remained standing, gazing into the tunnel that led back, patiently waiting for the Jedi to arrive. His left hand moved closer to the curved hilt hanging on his belt, not unclipping the weapon yet. If his words possessed enough strength, there would be no need for combat.

The first thing he noticed was faint green light coming from the tunnel. This light grew stronger and stronger as whoever wielded the emerald colored lightsaber approached. When the Jedi finally entered the cavern, their lightsaber illuminating their form, Avreet inspected the Jedi's appearance. A woman, most likely blonde... and as he studied her further, he frowned, as he realized she seemed awfully familiar. The Sith Lord had not met that many Jedi in his life, so he briefly went through the more public figures of the Jedi Order to the ones who have encountered him and lived to tell the tale. And truly, the moment he thought of Knight Raaf, the amphibian realized this was the other Jedi, the one who had picked her loyalty to the Republic over the innocents of Zeltros, persuading the other Jedi to do the same. Meeting her again was a very strange coincidence indeed, but it also strangely calmed Avreet, knowing she had not attacked him the last time she had the chance.

No longer bending light, sound and his own Force signature, the Mon Calamari revealed himself like a ghost, becoming transparent at first before he became completely visible. Taking three steps forward, he stepped into the light of the Jedi's lightsaber. "Hello!" he greeted her, his tone friendly, accompanied by a smile warm enough it just might melt the snow, "Is Corvus here as well?" The young Sith could not feel the brown haired Jedi, but there was the possibility of the young woman hiding her presence or being far away.

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

Sure enough the woman had been observed, by a mon calamari of all people. Something about him was familiar. She hadn’t met a lot of mon calamari in the past yet she still needed to retrace her steps to find out who it was. Had she seen him in the shop on Alderaan? No, that would have been way too big of an coincidence. She continued staring the Mon Calamari down without answering his question.

He knew Corvus somehow yet his aura was dark. Wait, his force aura was dark. The only Mon Calamari she had met before that was an actual force user was on Zeltros. The one sith who had not actively engaged her, or that she hadn’t engaged at first. The sith that she let go because of her duty despite knowing better, she remember him. If she didn’t then her conscience would.

“You?” Her eyes began darting around the room as if looking for someone. “Where are the rest of them? The other two?”

She raised her saber as if she expected the man to attack her. In the back of her mind she was so certain he’d have a go at her. He may have been playing nice on Zeltros, but this wasn’t Zeltros and she was alone.

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

The warm smile partially vanished, leaving an amused smirk as it took the Jedi a while before she recognized him. Not that he blamed her for not remembering him immediately. So much had happened on Zeltros that day, and a Sith who did not even attack her or Corvus surely was not interesting enough to remember. Briefly glancing at the emerald plasma blade that illuminated much of the cave and washed their bodies in its beautiful green color, the Sith then raised his gaze and locked it with the blonde's eyes, his left hand disappearing under the cloak to be ready in case she decided to take her chances and attacked him. The blonde's question caused the Sith Lord to widely open his eyes in surprise, as he understood it as if the Jedi had seen two more Sith around.

"You have witnessed two other beings entering this cave?" Avreet asked calmly and swiveled his cybernetic eye around, scanning the place with a vision mode other than the normal low-light vision. Cutting through all shadows, the Sith Lord observed everything with infrared vision. He spotted no other person around, though he had noticed one fairly interesting thing; the Jedi's right leg produced no heat. Avreet guessed it t be a prosthetic replacement, much like his eye and the right hand.

"I am afraid you must be mistaken. Unless you have brought Corvus with you, we are the only beings here, Jedi." The Mon Cal said politely, having no interest of angering the young woman. It was then that he realized "Eh, please forgive me. My name is Avreet Zatarus, formerly known as Darth Veles, Sith Lord of the One Sith. I am no longer with them." The Mon Cal once again smiled at the woman after introducing himself, as if asking her to do the same. She did not trust him. He could feel it in the Force. A nice introduction such as this could melt ice.

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

She wanted to tell him to prove it but how would he do that? A sith was always a sith were they not? Still, he was willing to approach her like a civil being. She would be wrong not to return the favor, wouldn’t she? Her face scrunched up in unease as she lowered the lightsaber without turning it off. The small feeling that this was still a trick remained.

“I am Kana Truden, knight of the jedi order.” Kana tilted her head in an informal bow. “How do you know Corvus’ name? What are you doing here?”

She couldn’t help it. The whole situation was just way too convenient. He had appeared out of nowhere like a dark presence. Which he was in a sense. He certainly wasn’t a light presence but he acted like one. Perhaps, just perhaps, she could give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed amicable enough, for a sith.

“I take it you were the one who created the entrance.” Kana shuddered from the cold. “I expected the other two sith to be with you.”

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

Luckily, the situation had yet to escalate. Avreet was glad this [member="Kana Truden"] chose to use words instead of her lightsaber, which was tragically the more common approach among the Jedi Order. No doubt the blonde saw him as a predator waiting for the right moment to attack, while the Sith Lord was trying to show she was not his prey. Avreet appreciated these rare moments when two enemies picked the more civilized and diplomatic path of solving their problems. It has proven to be quite a good indicator of the better Jedi from the Jedi Order, those who did not attack unless being attacked themselves. Like Corvus, for example, someone Avreet could respect for her dedication to the Jedi beliefs instead of bending the Code whenever she saw fit. His fondness for the "true" Jedi was offset by his incredible hate for their dark counterparts though, Despite the Jedi's courtesy, he did not return the bow though. As a Sith, Veles believed bowing to be a sign of weakness, as it showed submission to another.

Before speaking up, Avreet noted the blonde's shudder. This would very much influence his future actions... "Pleasure to meet you, Knight Truden," the Sith Lord said kindly and took a careful step closer, "It is a shame Corvus did not tell you about her encounter with me, perhaps you should ask her next time you talk to her. Instead of fighting, we talked, and I have discovered she is a very strong Jedi. As for her opinion of me, you will have to hear it from her." The only explanation he could think of for Knight Raaf not sharing her experience with her friend was that the two had yet to meet, as encountering a Sith Lord would be something a Jedi wanted to tell about to their friends.

The webbed hand hidden underneath the cloak suddenly reached out, not holding any weapon as one might have expected, and instead removed the cloak from the Sith Lord's body, revealing two curved lightsaber hilts on his belt, which might have given away Kana faced a Makashi user. "I honestly don't know what other Sith you're talking about," the amphibian shrugged, "I am alone here, searching for a Light Side artifact powerful enough to help me with a certain thing that connects me to the One Sith. Before we do anything else though," he handed the heavy cloak to the woman, "Please accept this. You must be freezing." The sense of chilvalry once again resurfaced upon seeing the young woman shiver due to the cold nature of the planet, and giving her his cloak seemed like the right thing to do.

 

[Kana Truden]

It felt wrong to accept the cloak. Not because she needed it but because of who gave it to her. A sith playing nice wasn’t like the stories she had been told of. Where was the blood lust and suffering? The coldness and despair? It was unnerving yet welcomed. She wrapped the cloak around her and closed her eyes as the warmth set in.

“Thank you.” She kept her eyes closed despite knowing better. “You really shouldn’t have, but thank you.”

She opened her eyes and let them set on the Mon Calamari. She would have turned her saber on but it was the only source of light they seemed to have for the moment. The light reflected on something metal shimmering on his belt. Two hilts, curved ones at that. A Makashi user? Kana raised her eyebrow on reflex. How peculiar.

“I see you favor Makashi.” She spoke calmly, trying to rid some of the tension. “Elegant footwork, quick and precise attacks that don’t tire the saber wielder with pointless spectacles such as acrobatics.” She nodded slowly. “I approve.”

Kana got into the Makashi ready pose as a joke. A very inappropriate joke considering the circumstances.

“It’s my preferred form.” Kana held her saber hilt out for looks. “I just didn’t know it when I built this thing.”

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

It took no more persuasion for the Jedi Knight to accept the Sith Lord’s cloak, an act that certainly helped to show there was little to no ill will between the two “enemies”. Avreet acknowledged her thanks with a simple nod, his large eyes following her gaze and noting she took interest in his lightsabers. At first he worried the sight might have scared her; many Jedi took seeing someone other than themselves armed with a weapon as an act of aggression that was punishable by death and more often than not over-reacted, attacking the other person in “self-defense”. The Sith Lord had witnessed such behaviour before, therefore he would not be taken by surprise if the same happened again.

Despite that, the Jedi had still managed to surprise him. Instead of attacking, she commented on his preferred style of lightsaber combat. The tension was gone by that moment as Avreet saw not an enemy in her anymore, but a fellow Makashi user. Truly, it’s been too long since meeting one. Smiling, one could almost see sparks in his big eyes when the Jedi Knight spoke of the greatest of all forms. He even chuckled softly upon seeing the lightsaber hilt, a typical cylinder instead of an elegant curve. “Oh! I think you should consider creating another lightsaber, then. As a master of Makashi, I can safely say curved hilts are much better for being held in one hand.” The amphibious Sith advised. It was unbelievable, such a small thing they had in common, and he immediately forgot all suspicion he might have felt for [member="Kana Truden"] earlier.

“Makashi is a clean form. Light cuts and jabs, excellent for disarming your opponent. Superior reach allows you to keep your distance and gives you more time to react. It is clearly the most ethical of forms too, as most other styles focus on cutting your opponent into large chunks of meat. So barbaric!” Avreet shook his head, “Do you practice with both hands equally? It is important, as it gives you the introduction to combat with two lightsabers even before studying Jar’kai. In fact…,”

Glancing around the cave for a few seconds, he searched for a clue to reveal the purpose of this place. It might have been a tomb at one point. Just as well as a wine cellar. Probably a tomb, since Avreet could feel faint Light Side presence in the air, one that did not belong to the Jedi Knight in front of him. The cave was empty now though. “It seems I will have to seek help elsewhere… I should have known all artefacts have been taken away. So what if we left this cold, dark place, Knight, and found a better place to talk? I have to admit that real Jedi fascinate me, and it is not often I meet a Jedi who does not wish to murder me, so I’d like to learn something about your philosophy from you, if it’s alright.”

 

[Kana Truden]

The cloak weighed heavy on her shoulders, or maybe it was just the festering doubt that grew inside of her. They had been friendly, Kana had even given the man a weird sort of compliment on Makashi. They had been discussing things and now there were talk of getting out of here and somewhere warmer. She felt dirty, like she was fraternizing with the enemy and if the others found out she’d be in big trouble.

The thought went on repeat. What would Corvus do? If his freedom and warm attitude was a sign of anything it’d be that she talked things over before letting him go. She smiled and nodded at the tips on Makashi before going back to her internal struggle. Was that really who Kana was though? She had let him go on Zeltros and that had done nothing but weigh down on her. All those lives, just lost. Still, he was just asking to exchange philosophies. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

“I guess.” Kana stared into the blank void in front of her before she let her eyes set on the Mon Calamari. “I fear you may be disappointed though. I am hardly as well-read and good with words as my friend.”

“But if it means I get warm, then I guess there could be worse topics.”

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

"I definitely would not talk about disappointment," Avreet quickly reassured [member="Kana Truden"], moving past the blonde Jedi and into the tunnel, "Corvus may be the strongest Jedi I have ever met in my life, but I have already heard her beliefs, listened to her words. The fact you have not attacked me and neither branded me a monster made out of some evil energy speaks highly of you." The Sith Lord said with clear signs of admiration in his voice, further showing he had a great deal of respect for the Jedi. Hopefully it'd last for long, but first he wished to get out of this cold place. The world in front of him disappeared into pitch black darkness, only penetrated by the small point of light at the end. "Now, I am going to ignite my lightsaber to see the way. Please do not stab me," he joked, hoping they have moved past that point of expecting the other to attack.

Crimson plasma blade of the lightsaber hummed to life, illuminating the tunnel with its red glow. The way back was much faster since the Sith Lord already knew no surprises awaited him. Once he walked up the stairs, the amphibian turned off the lightsaber and clipped the hilt back on the belt, turning towards the female Jedi. He felt significantly colder without the cloak, yet he did not shiver or made his discomfort known by any other way. He considered himself to be strong, a Sith who turned his own pain to power.

"The only suitable place I know of is my ship... which, I understand, may not the place you'd like to go to. That, and I don't have much to offer you except for hot tea," the Sith Lord chuckled. "You probably have your own ship nearby... Or perhaps you know of another suitable place? Please, tell me where you'd like to go."

 

[Kana Truden]

She did not attack him as the sabers turned on. A part of her wanted to but she sensed no malicious intent and that was enough for her to stay her hand. She was slow to give her complete trust but hopefully he had understanding for that. The last few months had been full of stories about the sith horror. Wait maybe was it years? She truly had lost track of time at this point.

“I have Corvus’ ship a bit further away from here.” Kana shook her head before the Mon Calamari could get his hopes up. “I, uh, borrowed it.”

As she always did. Su casa es mi casa, except this time it all applied to ships instead of houses. Though from what Kana suspected the custody twist over ‘Raven’ - as Corvus had named the ship much to Kana’s dismay - was a minor feud that would linger on for quite a bit longer. At least it meant Kana didn’t have to use the other protector-class ships. Really, she could, but using ‘Raven’ was a lot more fun.

“I’d say your ship is better, if it’s closer.”

Also he said tea, which Corvus ship seemed to have a distinct lack of...

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

Avreet made no comment towards the borrowed ship, though the look in his eyes, a strange mix of confusion and understanding at the same time, said it all. His knowledge of the Jedi Order did not extend to their system of getting their very own spacecraft, so he accepted the term of “borrowing” for what it was. He had to wonder if it was the same ship Corvus had crashed during their little adventure in the desert. If so, it spoke highly of the Republic engineers. The Mon Cal never would have believed an ordinary person living in the fascist hell of the Republic could produce a quality spaceship.

The decision has been made and the Sith Lord simply nodded, turning around and going back the same way he came arrived to this place, he strode through snow and ice. “It is close, indeed, Knight,” he said, “We’ll be there in a few minutes.” One of his eyes occasionally darted back to look if the Jedi still followed. Without any protection against the wind, he felt the icy breeze penetrating his tunic with no effort, showering him with snowflakes during particularly powerful gusts of wind. Resisting the urge to cross his arms and hold the last bits of warmth near his body, the Sith Lord’s mind focused on the ship, imagining the warm interior and the cup of tea...

Walking around one big mould of snow, he spotted the back of the ship hidden behind. Not the best way to mask a massive spacecraft, but its white color ensured it would be hard to spot in a brief glance over the icy landscape. “Here we are,” the amphibian announced as his steps carried him to the far side of the ship, he inserted the access code into the panel next to a large hatch. This started extending a ramp for the two to reach the hatch, which opened, inviting the unlikely due to enter the ship’s bowels. Avreet let [member="Kana Truden"] enter first before following her inside, closing the hatch behind them.

The Sith Lord was never one for personalizing the interior to his liking. He enjoyed if his surroundings were clean and orderly, meaning all rooms in the ship showed little signs of someone using them. Avreet led the blonde Jedi straight to his living room. The area they entered almost appeared as an office; cold and impersonal, containing a large grey colored working desk with a set of modern shaped chairs, the only thing making it appear a little bit alive were flowers placed in the back corners of the room, small tree-like plants in pots.

"Please," the amphibian pointed at the chair and seated the guest before retreating to the corridor they came from to go to the small kitchen, but not before turning on music by telekinetically activating the player built in his table. Few minutes later, the Sith Master emerged, carrying a tea set. Setting it on the desk between an empty chair and the place occupied by Kana. "Beautiful music, isn't it?" he commented while pouring the black tea into one of the cups, followed by opening the sugar bowl.

"How many sugar cubes would you like?"

 

[Kana Truden]

It didn’t feel right to be wearing the cloak when it’s rightful owner needed it more than her. She had nobody but herself to blame for the loss of her own cloak and to use this one just made it feel as if she was abusing his hospitality. At least it helped as they went on their way through the snow and ice. Not that it took especially long to reach his ship but it was still something she was not completely comfortable with.

As the white ship stood in front of them and she was offered entrance she gave the man a nod before stepping inside. It was… Cold and sterile. Not that Kana was truly surprised, but when the living room reminded her a bit more of a morgue than a living room she couldn’t help quietly laughing to herself.

She still couldn’t shake the bad feeling. She’d have to add ‘slow to trust’ to the list of things that she was not good at. As the man asked her how many sugar cubes she wanted she shook her head and gestured a flat horizontal motion.

“The bitterness of it all is half the enjoyment.” Kana grabbed her cup. “The energy boost would be a quarter and the warmness the rest of it.”

She would have taken a sip but holding onto the cup as the warmth burned through the ceramic shell had it’s own appeal. As she held the cup in front of her face she couldn’t help thinking what was coming next. He talked philosophy but for some reason she suspected he actually meant a questioning. Why had she left all those people to die? What is a jedi to her? It wasn’t really the kind of things she liked to ask herself but maybe it would help spread some clarity on the subject for the man.

“Well, what did you want to discuss?” She took her first sip and scrunched up as the bitterness kicked in. “Pretty sure we’ve got nothing but time here.”

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

Nodding, the amphibious Sith closed the sugar bowl and took [member="Kana Truden"]'s cup. "Please," he said kindly, moving it closer to the Jedi Knight before taking his own cup and pouring in the dark liquid as well. The Sith Lord took the seat next to the Jedi woman; sitting opposite of her would have expressed his authority over her, making this meeting look more formal. He did not want it to appear that way, despite the look of their surroundings; Avreet wanted the Jedi open up so they could openly discuss many, many things. Similar to the situation with Corvus, only instead of being stranded in the middle of nowhere, the two could enjoy the warm comfort of the tea inside a safe place. Taking the cup into his palms, the amphibian warmed his hands, slowly raising the cup towards his large mouth and taking a small sip, smiling at the excellent taste of his favorite tea.

"I'd like to discuss many things," he answered, placing the cup on the desk, "Before we begin, I'd like to give you my word as a Sith Lord that I will not try to make you fall to the Dark Side." The amphibious Sith Lord promised, his face serious, expression showing no malicious intent.. "After talking to Knight Raaf, I have realized true Sith and true Jedi are not that different. Since you were kind enough not to attack me and prove your hate of the Sith is stronger than your ability to reason, I'd very much like to tell you more about us, the Sith. Before I begin though, please tell me, what is a Sith to you? Have you ever met one before Zeltros? Have you ever been in the One Sith space?"

 

[Kana Truden]

“A sith to me?” Kana lowered her cup and placed it in her lap. “It’s a hard question to answer, all I really know them as is my enemy.” Kana had no problems admitting her ignorance. “They follow their own code from what I’ve heard, but I always expected there to simply be two of them. Zeltros proved that wrong.”

“As for me turning, don’t worry. I would never turn on my friends and if you were going to try the only part of me you would be able to convert would be my dead body. I refuse to abandon my friends and I admit half the reason I am here - and not dead in the ruins - is because of Corvus. If she saw fit to trust you, as well as let you go, then I guess I can at least give you the benefit of a doubt.”

She took another sip and turned her head slightly towards Avreet.

“I don't mean that with disrespect, I just have a hard time trusting people." Kana sighed. "Anyway, to answer your question, Zeltros was my first experience with anything outside of the temple since knighthood. I was sent there to keep track of the spaceport due to rumors of… Well, you know the rest, really.” Then came the final answer. Would she give the truth or not? “No, I’ve never been to Sith Space.”

A lie depending on if they were talking about it before or after the Sith took it.

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​

 

[Darth Veles]

"Hmmm." The Sith Lord took another sip of the tea, bringing the cup towards his mouth and using it to hide his smile. The blonde knew nothing of the Sith, but who could blame her? It was no different for the other Jedi. Even Corvus was slightly clueless before the amphibious Sith Lord discussed this matter with her.

"Falling to the Dark Side is not the same as converting," he started, speaking calmly and politely so the Knight would not take his correction in a bad way, "Falling to the Dark Side means a Light Side user, most often a Jedi, abandons the Light Side and embraces the Dark Side. The act itself has nothing to do with the Sith, as the Dark Jedi that is a product of such fall can remain on their own." One small sip and he continued, "Converting means a Jedi is persuaded to join the opposing side. Falling may happen, but it is not a rule. I have converted a Jedi to our side without making them fall to the Dark Side. The Jedi still followed the Light Side and stayed true to most of her beliefs, she'd just switched her allegiance. She was a Jedi healer, you see, and believed the Sith to be the lesser evil."

Without further expanding on that, Veles moved to a different topic. "Now, you told me a Sith is an enemy to you. You've never been to the Sith space and the unfortunate event on Zeltros was your first time meeting a Sith." He gave her a warm smile, slowly taking another sip of the liquid in the cup. "I have studied your ways. Your Code. Your customs. Your beliefs. You are supposed to be peacekeepers... protectors of the weak, defenders of the oppressed? Something like that. Tell me, Kana; how do you know it is not your Jedi Order or your Republic that is evil? How do you know they are not the oppressors? As you admit, you have not seen this conflict from the other perspective. How do you want to make the right decision of who to protect and who to judge if you follow what you were told without investigating the truth of that claim yourself? Have you ever considered that Sith might want peace as much as you do... and that they fight for survival?"

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

“My government may be wrong just as your government may be wrong. How do you know that your government aren’t the oppressors?” Really, Kana had seen enough from her one encounter to form her own thoughts on the subject. “I may not have seen how the One Sith treat their citizens but I’ve seen how it treats those that aren’t. Monsters running through the street slaughtering innocents, the usage of force powers to burn those who oppose them and then laugh at it.”

She slowly shook her head in disapproval. Just like she was of the mind that her ideals were better he thought the same of his. They both had that blind little spark to them. He did not want to see the jedi code as the good ideal just as she didn’t want to see the sith code as the good ideal.

“I can still remember it…”

The mind came to a complete halt as she vividly relived the images and the smells of the burned skin from the small room that the Sith Knight had set fire to. The panicked and soul-shredding screams for help as the trapped civilians inside that very room all slowly but steadily quieted down one after another. Her face turned blank and void of emotion as she stared off into the distance. She didn’t want to admit that the brief moment she had been on Zeltros had phased her but it had.

“So answer me this,” She shook herself awake. “How can the sith be fighting for survival and peace when they were the ones who attacked Zeltros for no reason whatsoever? Countless of civilians died for nothing in an attack that will come to haunt millions of people for years. That is not what I call peace.”

[ [member="Avreet Zatarus"] ]​