Fresh Air

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Legs crossed, Jacen managed to hold his head high as he turned to face the others in turn. Omai Rhen, [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Chevu Visz"] [member="Adele Adonai"] all sat before him in a semicircle. Holding Aela’s gaze was the most difficult. Several days of quiet contemplation had softened the memory of her look of abject disappointment.

There was little formality here, the group simply sat together on a grassy gnoll as of discussing the finer points of the Jedi Code.

“Well then,” Omai said gruffly. “Let's get to deciding whether Knight Voidstalker can come out of isolation. We all the know the risks it entails, and we need to decide what measures and restrictions - if any - we need to place upon them.”

Jacen nodded his head slowly and spoke up. “I'm not looking to get straight back into service,” he said quietly. “I understand that's out of the question at this point. However I feel I could come out of isolation now. Even if it's just escorted within the temple grounds. I'd rather not go back in the box, if possible,” he said, keeping his tone firm and even. It had been two weeks since that incident, and one since Ad’ele had helped him get back on the right path.

 

[Chevu Visz]

Chevu, one of the youngest leaders in the New Jedi Order, did not feel that she had a right to judge Knight Voidstalker. After all, the Mirialan only held the rank of Knight herself, and she was an untested one at that. To make matters worse, she was caught in her own ethic conundrum, emotionally wedged between the teachings of her former Sullustan master, a traditional Jedi, and her new master, fringe forcer Coren Starchaser. Chevu was struggling with a lack of clarity about her own philosophical stances to feel confident in assessing the situation. None of this she expressed out loud. The New Jedi Order could not take time out of their fight against the Sith to coddle her.

She knew this: Master Voidstalker had fought the Final Order, and in the process had used the Dark Side. No matter his intentions, what he had done was strictly forbidden. The great Yoda once said, "When you look at the Dark Side you must be careful, because the Dark Side looks back." As Chevu gazed upon Jacen, she did not see the Dark Side looking back. She saw a man who had lost his way, with sunken eyes that seemed to be haunted by the experience. She empathized. There by the grace of the Force went she.

The Mirialan turned to Master Rhen, her dark brown eyes desperately searching his for guidance. Then she made a suggestion.

"Is it too much to ask that Master Voidstalker be paired with a Master at all times? A sort of of spiritual guide? Perhaps his healer, [member="Adele Adonai"]?"

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Chevu Visz"]

Aela sat silently.

She was beside Master Rhen, bright orange eyes staring at Jacen with a more than judging expression. She was thinking, hard. There was a lot at stake here, and quite honestly she didn't really feel as though she were the person that should be making it. Of course she wasn't, that ultimately was up to everyone, thought Master Rhen more than anything else. Yet she was still a part of the decision, a piece of it. Aela knew that her word, spoken correctly, could condemn Jacen to prison. As grave a thought as that was.

Truthfully, however, she didn't want that.

Jacen was a friend, or at least she considered him to be so.

He had miss-stepped, that much was already proven, but didn't everyone? She had made mistakes, she had done things she wasn't proud of. Granted they were small, perhaps even childish things, but that hardly seemed to matter now. Her lips thinned as she continued to consider, her brow furrowing slightly as her eyes cast towards Master Rhen, then back towards Jacen. She considered again, but didn't say anything.

She needed just a little more time.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Omai Rhen idly ran his hand through his thick beard. He had found - no, saved - Jacen attempting to stop and organised gang of criminals. Gone rogue from the Jedi Order, he had still been attempting to do the right thing. They couldn't afford to lose able and willing men and women, but neither could they afford to let the dark side creep into the Order. Personally, he had been considering one of the more militant members of the Order to keep tabs on Voidstalker. Certainly he couldn't imagine Jacen causing trouble, he was more concerned the troubled young man might flee. Away from their guidance, he could fall.




Jacen cleared his throat to speak. "If I may," he said quietly. "I am not certain [member="Adele Adonai"] would be that keen on being taken away from her duties to escort me around the temple." He clearly recalled the discomfort evident when he had tried to engage her in conversation. Whether she had seen talking to him as taking her away from her routine, or outright disliked him she was hardly the ideal candidate.

Master Rhen raised one hand. "I'm sure she can speak for herself. If anything I'm sure she has the patience," he said, before calling over a Padawan. "Go and fetch Knight Adonai please?" he asked casually.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Chevu Visz"]

"Knight Adonnai?"

The soft call of Ami V'ani, a dusky skinned Togruta padawan of the New Jedi Order would prompt the attention of the Iridonian healer. Pale, ice blue eyes would turn towards her, the Iridonian having been found in the atrium of the floating Jedi Temple. She was doing her rounds in the garden, tending to the herbs and medicinal plants that are of use to the Circle of Healers.
She wore tan bantha leather gardening gloves, a simple muslin apron over her white robes, and a large simple straw hat over her cowl. A subtle expression of confused curiosity would draw over her lightly tattoo'd visage.

"Yes?" she asked, straightening from her kneeling position.

"Master Omai would like a word with you."

A'dele gave a slow blink. For a few seconds she would remain quiet. Then, she gave a small nod. "Alright." Slowly, she came to her feet. Careful movements would slip the gloves from her pale hands. "Could you please continue the weeding?" she would ask the young padawan with a gentle request.

"Yes Knight Adonnai."

A nod of appreciation would follow the extension of the gloves. Slipping the widebrim hat from her head, she took a deep breath. The apron would follow, and both would be presented to the Ami. "I shall return as soon." she told the young teenager.

Slipping her hands into the slits of her robe, A'dele would quietly exit the atrium. A flutter of nervousness would trace down her spine. Her fingers would fist within the folds of fabric and she took a breath. In. Out.

A small query a few minutes later, and the Iridonian female soon would silently and gracefully enter the the hall she had been summoned to. There were four figures there. Master Rhen was not hard to miss, his larger form and peppered hair sitting to the right. Aela was next, her thick blonde braid plaited down to the middle of her back. She sat straight, proper. Ever vigilant. It was her scrutiny that would caution any to be extra cautious.

A steel of nerves and a renewed sense of concentration would relax A'dele's features into a serene visage. Chevu also sat there, as did... the shortly cropped dark head of the forth individual would turn, a rather sheepish expression rising over Knight Voidstalker's face.

What was this?

Coming in line beside Jacen, A'dele gave a slight incline of her head in greeting to them all, a brief glance directed to Voidstalker before settling upon Master Rhen.

"Greetings..." A'dele would begin, her words careful. "Am I requested for the Circle of Healers?"

 

[Chevu Visz]

"I understand, Knight Voidstalker," said the Mirialan, folding her hands neatly in her lap. She felt strange being given a voice among those who were more experienced than she, but it was given to her for a reason, and she would use it.

"It doesn't have to be Master Adoni, of course," she added. "However, she's been a through line in your progress so far, so it seems natural that she should continue to monitor you in some way."

Since she'd found out about the incident with Jacen, it plagued her thoughts. Was her own mind and its matrix of conflicting emotions fertile ground for the Dark Side? If a Knight with a galaxy of experience could slip and use fall from the light in battle, then what chance did she even stand?

[member="Adele Adonai"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Chevu Visz"] [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Adele Adonai"]

Master Rhen cleared his throat. There was a warm smile on his face as he continued. Jacen was so used to the old man's brows furrows, as he stoically considered a problem. He wondered whether the Grand Marshall was smiling for his benefit, or someone else's. Perhaps Jacen just hadn't observed the leader of their Order away from the battlefield enough. The dark siders that continually interrupted their social gathering were probably responsible for his never seeing Omai relaxed.

“I do not believe our troubled friend requires any more physical treatment, no. We are considering allowing Knight Voidstalker to leave his confinement and roam the Temple grounds. However, I agreed with his own assessment that this should be escorted. I had been considering one of my fighters, but Knight Visz suggested that you could perhaps keep a watchful gaze on him. I do not believe that he is a threat to anyone here and you have always been an exceptional tutor when it comes to self control and the code. And perhaps Knight Voidstalker would value some time spent focusing on a nice quiet few weeks of tending the gardens.”

Jacen narrowed his eyes as he saw something in that smile. Had the old man’s smile looked mischievous as he pictured Jacen pruning thorny bushes for hours on end?

Ad’ele would almost certainly find an excuse out of this. There was no way he could express his gratitude for how she had calmed the seas down in that cell. It had been the turning point in his recovery. Ad’ele’s choice of proverb revealed a wisdom he hadn't expected and her soothing tones certainly had a calming effect on him. Once she had refused them he could suggest Knight Garkekt. He could probably while away the hours talking sports with the other veteran soldier.

He turned his head to the side. His gaze traced one of those lavender lines to find her blue eyes as he tried not to think of hot springs. Her expression gave nothing away, but he already knew it was not her eyes that betrayed her, but her hands.

 

[Aela Talith]

She had made her decision.

Aela would not speak out against Jacen, she would not try to keep him in his prison. Redemption was one of the things she had been taught was the most important, was what drove most beings. Her mother had once told her that her father had been a Sith, and he had in turn confirmed it. She had never seen him use the darkside, had never even heard him raise his voice, but Aela knew that her parents would not lie to her, at least not in this.

Her logic in this was simple, if her father could turn from the darkside, why not Jacen?

At the end of the day she was her mothers daughter, and like Kira, Aela wanted to see the good in people.

Jacen was at his core, a good person. Aela knew that. Even when he had lashed out, even when he had used the darkside, it had been at the anger and rage he had felt seeing those graves. She knew that because she had felt the same anger, the same rage. If she was to judge him, then she would judge him in the same way that she wanted to be judged. Aela would give Jacen the opportunity to rise against his own demons, and if he fell again, she would be there to put him down.

 

[Adele Adonai]

A pinch of fabric would roll lightly within the folds of A’dele Adonnai’s robe. [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] was correct in his observation, while the Iridonian’s visage would bear no semblance of anxiety or concern, a measure of her growing uneasiness would manifest itself by such a tiny tell.

A seemingly placid expression would maintain itself upon the resident member of the Circle of Healers, and her ice blue gaze listlessly went panning from Master Rhen, Marshal [member="Chevu Visz"], and finally Marshal [member="Aela Talith"]. She didn't dare glance at the man beside her as lids then fell as she demurely lowered her eyes.

“Jedi must put the needs of the community above the needs of individuals.” A familiar Jedi Tenet for those of the most orthodox philosophies of the Old Order. That A’dele would hold herself so strictly to that ideal would not be a surprise.

“I am but a servant of the Order and the Circle of Healers,” she said plainly, passively. One would wonder if the woman could even possibly have it in her to raise her voice beyond the seemingly calm, and eloquent timbre she maintained.

“I shall do as instructed, Master Rhen.” her low, tranquil voice would modestly profess.

 

[Chevu Visz]

With hands folded neatly in her lap, Chevu listened to all of their words, spoken by those older and wiser than she. She wondered how it would feel to be in Jacen's place, to be put in front of others and judged for a mistake. She knew it wasn't an intentional public shaming, but she couldn't help but cringe innwardly as she imagined herself standing in Knight Voidstalker's shoes. However uncomfortable it must be, it had to be this way. The Jedi needed guidance from their peers.

By these actions, Adele's words were made evident. “Jedi must put the needs of the community above the needs of individuals.” What was happening to Jacen was not punishment. It was duty. If one Jedi strayed from the path, they all did. There was no place for hubris or ego in their ranks.

She suspected that Knight Voidstalker was handling himself with grace than she herself would be capable of. Little did she know the event was a foreshadowing of sorts, and soon her own grace under fire would be put to the test.

[member="Adele Adonai"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Adele Adonai"]
[member="Chevu Visz"]
[member="Aela Talith"]


Jacen raised one eyebrow, perplexed that she had made no attempt to avoid having to babysit him, even though he caught the sign of that grasp of fabric. At least it would be pleasant to see daylight again, he thought to himself. Walking the Temple grounds, even tending the gardens or sorting artefacts would be preferable to that isolate cell.

Master Rhen inclined his head as A’dele replied. “Servant is not a term I am particularly fond of,” he said softly. “If it would be of too great an inconvenience another can be found,” he said, leaving a pause for her to respond.

Regardless of her answer, he would then look to his two Marshalls. “Are we then agreed that Knight Voidstalker is to be permitted to roam the Temple grounds with an escort?”

The tension would visible recede from Jacen's features. Fear was too strong a word, but during the meeting he had certainly been attempting to keep his concern at being sent back to the cell hidden. No matter how relaxed he could be, or how successfully he could follow A'dele's mental exercises, being isolated was unpleasant. Or was it for everyone? he thought as his eyes once again turned to the Iridonian.

 

[Aela Talith]

She remained silent for a moment more, looking around the room to observe the faces of the others.

Finally, she spoke up. "Aye."

Aela was willing to be the first to say it, though the agreement was met with a look towards Jacen himself. Bright Orange eyes stared at him. There was no judgment present, but a good deal of weariness. Perhaps it was because of what had happened, how she had taken him down on that world, or maybe it was simply difficult for her to trust. Either way, she tried to communicate a silent plea, a question of Jacen if he could stay within the light.

It was a small request, but it would be difficult.

Her father had once told her that the darkside of the force was like spice, the worst kind of spice that could ever exist. It gnawed and bit at you, chewed at your mind and called to you, it was more than a compulsion to use it, more than a small nagging, it was an overbearing call. The way that her father had described it made it sound more like a pestilence than anything else, and Aela feared that Jacen would not be strong enough to resist it. Though she had hope that he would.

 

[Adele Adonai]

[member="Aela Talith"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Chevu Visz"]

One breath.

The placid expression would linger upon A'dele's face, unreadable save for her seemingly pleasant cordiality. Again, she would repeat selflessly, "I shall do what is in the best interests for the Order, Master Rhen." she said, not a single treble to her inflection or tone. All the while she kept her eyes down cast, but at her throat a flutter of her pulse would kick.

"The Force is ever my guide." came her reaffirmation, hearing the soft call of the agreements to allow Knight Voidstalker freedom out of his cell and captivity. Her tongue would dart out to sweep across the fullness of her lower lip, moistening flesh that had gone dry. As well as she meditated to ensure she would remain the poised and steady representation of tradition, it was hard to completely ignore the slight stiffening of her spine.

Having another with her for a few hours was one thing. Having an assignment that could very well take up the bulk of her time was an entirely different story.

Especially one with Voidstalkers' skillset.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Deep brown eyes cast an appraising look across the iridonian. He was being freed, allowed once again to roam the temple. Conversation, damn but it would be good to have conversation again, he thought to himself. And yet he felt a growing unease. Jacen was perfectly content to have Adele as his minder. She spoke in soothing tones and was a skilled teacher. Her proverbs betrayed a wisdom one would not expect from her relative isolation.

Whilst he felt nothing through the Force, something made him realise the feeling was not mutual. Was it his penchant for asking blunt questions? Did she just dislike him? Had something happened that left her uncomfortable to be around others, or perhaps men in particular?

Voidstalker looked down at the ground before him, then to each of the assembled masters in turn. “My thanks to you all for this decision. I intend to never let any of you down again,” he said. Lest the feisty one tackle me before I know what's what, he thought to himself.

As she had said herself, it was the Order, not the individual that came first. “I shall get on with any work you wish,” he said to Adele directly. “Even if that means maintaining complete silence and simply permitting you to carry on with your usual duties,” he said. Jacen did mean it, but he couldn't help the slightest hint of a mischievous smile appearing.

“I hope I will have the opportunity to aid the Alliance again,” he said seriously, looking back to the group as a whole. “One way or another.”