Last Cut

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There was one more individual on Cedric's list. He was an unknown, much as some of the others had been, though that did not disqualify him from the knight's scrutiny. Ari had been mystery enough, and he had more confidence in her than any of the other candidates.

So it was that [member="Glavis"] was invited to meet with Cedric in the office of a warehouse on the edge of Ession's capital city. The warehouse was devoid of life, save for the lone Jedi Knight.

Seated behind an aged metal desk, Cedric entertained himself with an old leather bound book as he awaited the mercenary. He was confident that his senses within the empyrean would warn him of the man's coming far before he ever entered the building, but he was not arrogant to let his guard down entirely.

The sidearm at his belt was a testament to that.

 

[TK-1104]

A few days ago on Nal Hutta Glavis received a mysterious message. The message in its self-was nothing too interesting but the sender did peak his interest, so glavis did some checking around. His interest peaked Glavis finished his business on the hutt world and set off to meet this [member="Cedric Grayson"] and maybe even get paid.

Ession was a strange world to glavis, the scars of wars could be felt, a deep cool washed over glavis but whether it was the planet itself or something else he didn't bother finding out. Glavis was no fool he brought his vibro double-blade for protection, but if his research had any merit it would be useless against a jedi.

Finally, He arrived at the warehouse. Walking over what seemed to be old propaganda for the dominion glavis opened a door to an office, there the jedi sat reading a book. Glavis cleared his throat to get Cedric's attention.

 

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A slight smile creased the corners of Cedric's mouth. This one felt different within the empyrean, though it was not akin to that of the Jedi he'd come to know on Coruscant. That being said, it certainly was not normal either - he felt a conflict there, raw and instinctual in its nature.

This one would be interesting.

The doors parted. Cedric lofted a brow as Glavis walked in. "Ah, Mister [member="Glavis"]," Cedric's smile grew. It seemed genuine. "I'm glad you could come. This warehouse was getting a little boring all on my own," a hint of good humor laced Cedric's words as he rose from his desk, a hand held out to the man.

"Welcome to Ession." He paused, "I'm sure you've many questions, and I'm willing to answer them all."

[member="Glavis"]

 

[TK-1104]

A deep warmth washed over Glavis the minute Cedric spoke, a strange feeling but one that made glavis feel more at ease. Glavis sat down in front of the aging desk, bringing out a datapad with the message he received from the jedi.

"You asked for my presence but gave very little detail on why you wanted me here. So why am I here, to kill someone?" Glavis paused to think. "No, not likely I suspect jedi don't hire assassins, but you're not like most jedi I feel." Glavis tossed the datapad on the desk gently "Why is someone like you hiding like a criminal on his own world or what was your world [member="Cedric Grayson"]?

 

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The man had a point. Cedric met it with a smile.

"Don't worry, no one else received much information either," a hand gestured toward the desk between them. The top of the desk began to make a mechanical whirring noise, before pulling back to reveal a holoemitter that had been bolted into its surface. The Jedi Knight gestured once again, and the holoemitter came to life. It presented an image of an urban world pockmarked by blotches of green; the remains of forests that had once covered the entire planet. Even the oceans seemed to be choked with the lights of civilization.

"You're not here to kill anyone," Cedric's eyes shifted to meet Glavis' own. "Well, no I suppose that's a lie. You aren't here expressly to kill, but to fight." Cedric twisted his fingers, and the holographic world spun. "This is Ession now. Her economy has plummeted, and her people suffer. I'm hiding so that they don't have anymore suffering heaped upon them. This world is not part of the Sith Empire, but there are spies here. If they knew I was here there would be an invasion, of that I have no doubt."

It wasn't arrogance that drove Cedric's line of thinking, but past experience. The Zambranos had a distinct hatred for his family, courtesy of his father's deeds, and their patriarch had a particular disdain for him specifically. He'd seen that hatred enacted first hand.

"And no," the image faded, "I'm not like most Jedi, though there are very few of us left to compare myself to. Mister Glavis, I called you here because I am forming a resistance, and I need good men to fight alongside me. Records showed that you might be one of those men. You would be paid handsomely, of course. I don't expect you to work for free."

[member="Glavis"]

 

[TK-1104]

Ession was not a rare planet, in fact hundreds of worlds were just like it husks of their former selves. The parts he did see on his way here seemed rough though for a planet the not too long ago was prospering, war had a way of wearing down things. A thought popped into his head for a second, could this planet even survive the might of the sith empire with just rebels. It seemed a fools folly to glavis but he was not one to turn a blind eye to suffering anymore.

"what happens after? Will you stay and rule over this world once more driving it into the conflict you had before or will you walk away?" Glavis met Cedric's stare.

He stood up to leave but a gut feeling was calling to him to stay, almost like a whisper. just as he reached the door he stopped "I might just join you but if you take the role of a warlord after or even if we succeed I will leave your service." Glavis turned back around to face Cedric.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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A brow was raised.

"I am a Jedi Knight."

The words were answer enough. Cedric let them hang there for a few moments of silence.

It was only after he'd stared the man down that he chose to elaborate. "Everything I have done or will do has been in service to the people, and the force thereafter." Another half-answer. How did this man know of his past?

"I don't intend to drag Ession into my campaign," his brow furrowed. "And even if I did, it was always ruled by its senate. I served as its military mouthpiece. Now I serve the people alone."'

[member="Glavis"]

 

[TK-1104]

Irritation Glavis could feel it.

"Calm yourself." he spoke softly " I didn't mean to speak so plainly but what you suggest, a rebellion holds grave consequences. Even if it isn't your intention, your people will suffer."

Glavis sat back down

"So how do you plan to fight the sith back with just mercenaries and I assume local militia? You also seem to have questions for me I assume."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"I'm quite aware," Cedric did well to keep his irritation from reaching his voice. He didn't need a stranger to lecture him on the gravitas of his choices; he did well to keep his opinions hidden. "As for my plan, it's far more than just mercenaries and militia."

Another gesture and the holoemitter sunk back into its place within the desk.

"There are more than just me; cells spread across imperial space." His gaze flickered back to Glavis. "More importantly, other Jedi to lead them. We're already quite organized." He paused a moment, his senses extending out toward Glavis. His probing of intention was obvious, but also very difficult to stop. Cedric's talents had always lain within the realms of the mind.

"I do," the knight's expression was steely. "You were recommended by a number of variables. Those variables are without fault, but I do not know who you are, nor do I know what you stand for."

[member="Glavis"]

 

[TK-1104]

"I am just a man, a nothing and nobody worth mentioning. I have nothing to hide from you nor do I think I could, as for what I stand for that is lost on me as well." Glavis stared for a moment as if he was waiting for an answer to appear, but snapped out of it with the desk closing once more.

"There are few jedi nowadays, I won't question how many you have but why now of all times to fight the sith empire?"

A question remained a very serious one to glavis. "Who told you about me?" his voice kept calm, no visible shakenness but a fear grew. He attempted to buried this fear, after so long hiding was there someone out there who still knew of his true self. Apparently so, calm a whisper coming from nowhere, glavis untensed.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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The knight's expression relaxed somewhat as Glavis gave his piece. Either the cyborg was telling a very convincing lie, or he was sincere in his lack of understanding. A few moments of pondering saw Cedric settling upon the latter option. "You're force sensitive, so there's that," the knight mused.

His smile grew. "We fight the Sith Empire because no one else will. If the allied powers are too survive, they need a diversion. That's where we come in."

A pause. The man asked as to where information about himself had come from.

A brow was lofted. "I have no idea," Cedric answered honestly. "Your name came up via the algorithms of a machine. I don't know what details you have, only that you met the algorithms requirements to be here." The knight's gaze did not waver from Glavis' own.

"You don't know anything then?"

[member="Glavis"]

 

[TK-1104]

Confusion filled Glavis's face at the Jedi's words. " I think you are confused I'm not a force user." he spoke honestly. The thought never crossed his mind that the whispers that would come to him or the chills a planet gave him could be connected to the force, but it would fill in some blanks he thought.

" I'll trust you don't know anything for now." the fear from before gone, now replaced by an unease "I'll join you but I don't do suicide missions."

"You don't know anything then?" Glavis wondered if Cedric was talking about glavis or himself. " I only know what most of the galaxy knows about you, and your dominion before the rebellions tore it apart. A wave of conquest filled this part of the galaxy, systems fell to you and your army's, it was more surprising when it all fell apart but as I said war has a way of wearing one down."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Cedric gave [member="Glavis"] a curious look.

"Then perhaps you and I will come to learn things together." Cedric mused, his arms folding about his chest. "If you say you're not force sensitive, then I'll let you go on believing that. That being said, I won't deny that there's something off about you Glavis. Still, that isn't necessarily a bad thing."

A hand was offered. Within it was a piece of flimsi with a comm code scrawled along it.

"Pay is 25k a month. I expect you to rendezvous with me on Ruusan by the end of the week." The knight smiled. This one was real. "And I hope you'll come to find that the galaxy only knows the slightest bit about me and my comrades. So far as I'm concerned, you're one of them now."

[member="Glavis"]