Meeting the Enemy

[GhostOfProtocol]

Slowly the small band in the corner lets out a slight tune. The grumpy bartender in the corner dishing out drinks and food to the odd person who trusts the green gunk in the glasses. Still, this place is classed as one of the hotspots.

The back room proves that. Everything from loud thumping music to lady's to dancing to shots. Everything a hotspot should have and more. The only downside is the fact you need to fork over 100,000 credits to get back there, the VIP area for you.

Jardo​

Those eyes staring into the glass. The liquid sloshing around inside, knocking across the edges of the dirty glass. Nar Kreeta was full of Cantina's like this, and he chose the biggest one to meet his client in. Okay, he hadn't actually told her that it was him, he wasn't stupid. He'd tried to kill her a few times, and he figured if he was recruiting her he shouldn't scare of her off before they even start.

[member="Lady Kay"] was a strange person. She hated the Hutts in the way Jardo could understand, but at the same time she got stuck in and did the dirty work, even though she worked in politics. She was a strange person.

Slowly Jardo looked up from his drink, twisting the Sith Hidden Blade on his wrist. The stolen hidden blade was still one of his favourite weapons to use. It would sneak out and just catch an enemy while you were distracting him with a lightsaber.

And now to wait.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Meetings, meetings, meetings. It seemed that everything came in waves. And after setting up trade deals for Commenor, it was as though it had brought her into more if a public light. People were recognizing her more and more and rumours were spreading of her actions against the Cartel. Kay was starting to miss being mostly unknown. This was going to make rescuing slaves that much harder. But she was up to the challenge. If anything it helps to prevent the Cartel from doing more harm to her than they already had. Her nights alone were never the same again and she tended to question herself more so than in the past. But this was the new reality that she faced and although it was more difficult than the fake reality that the Cartel presented her with, she faced it head on.

And now she had arrived on Nar Kreeta, with a couple of bodyguards in tow as she stepped into what was looking a bit like a seedy club. One of the bouncers in the establishment led her to the VIP room and once there, she kept one guard posted outside of the room while the other went inside with her.

Kay stopped in her tracks when she saw who was waiting for her in the room. [member="Jardo Snow"] . She signalled to her bodyguard to wait before he would act, glad that she didn't come alone this time.

"...Still trying to collect on my bounty, are you? One can say that you're almost as stubborn as I am."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

"Not this time Kay" he muttered lightly, the edges of his lips curling into a small smile. "Stubborn, probably" he muttered again, more relaxed than when he started. "I asked you here for one reason senator. I have a little.... business opportunity. You have a dislike for the Hutts my friend, and I have a dislike for the One Sith" he muttered, eyes still staring into the glass.

"I sense the force presence in you, I sensed it the first time we met. You would make a strong Jedi, a stronger Sith but an even stronger Gray Jedi... Dark Jedi if you will" he muttered again. "So here's the business. I believe I could make you strong, strong enough to take down the Hutt Cartel anyway"

"I hereby hold my hand out for peace. The Dark Jedi Order will rise at our hands... if you are to accept"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

She raised a brow. This was indeed, unusual to say the very least. How often is it that an enemy would lay down their weapons, so to speak and ask for peace? Was this just another trick by the Cartel?

Kay spoke from where she stood, close to the door if needed. "If I am to remain a Senator for the Republic, then my Force sensitivity must be kept secret. I have done well so far and don't wish to be discovered so soon....

"And as for me becoming Dark in any way, most that know me also know that I haven't a dark bone in my body. Peace, however, is something that I do wish for. But tell me, [member="Jardo Snow"] , what made you choose me? And why?"

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

"You share hatred of the cartel" he told her lightly. "I chose you for that reason, but I also chose you for another. You can teach me peace, things I would never be able to learn. The light powers within the force. You would make a good trainer for any new recruits we bring in." He told her again, nodding as he did.

"I wish for peace, I wish to be free. You must understand though, to be free I must, no, we must cause pain to be free. We must learn balance in the force and how to utilise the force to cause pain, but also to help those who need it. If anything we form the balance, we are the balance"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Rex Power Colt]

Another job, another paycheck. That's the life of a mercenary. Even with the endless possibilities that came with a conflicted galaxy, the jobs for a hired gun became typical. Body guarding was one such job. It only took a single eyeball with sight to figure out why anyone would hire Rex to be a body guard. It was the same reason that [member="Lady Kay"] had him by her side in the VIP section of yet another over priced bar in a seedy sector on a planet that poured too many tax dollars into advertisement for their planet.

It was because of that reason that Rex was now standing easy with his arms crossed over his chest and glaring at [member="Jardo Snow"]. The rest of the room was partially filled with people who were either doing drugs, ladies, food, alcohol, or were now calling their wife saying that they were "on their way home". It was easy to glaze over the rest of the things in this lavish room and focus on Jardo Snow since HIS POWER LEVEL IS OVER 9000!!! his words and demeanor were tripping Rex's Stranger Danger triggers.

 

[Kay-Larr]

She wanted to laugh at the thought of someone like herself, having never made it to Knighthood, teaching others how to use the Force. But instead she kept it all inside. There was no need to incite anything. "I am not at a strong enough level to train anyone, I'm afraid. I am still learning, myself. When I have the time..."

She glanced over her shoulder to [member="Rex Power Colt"] as he stood guard, looking at the very least, like an intimidating and imposing figure. Why anyone would want to mess with him was beyond her.

Kay then turned her attention back to [member="Jardo Snow"] as he spoke of causing pain to be free and constantly switching from 'I' to 'we'. "I don't like to cause pain. I would rather heal. I've never killed anyone either, nor do I plan to. Not even those that have tortured me would receive death by my hands.....What do you need freedom from? And why do you need to hurt others to do it?" Was this all some attempt at revenge at someone? She needed to get to the bottom of this and wasn't going to make it easy for him.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Spoiler

Yes I need to get the lightsaber bio edited to account for the blue crystals again

He shook his head, knowing how hard it would be to bring this senator over onto his side. "Lady Kay, you ask what I want freedom from. I want freedom from the One Sith, from the sides of the force that cause all of these galactic wars. I want freedom from the Hutt Cartel, the slime balls that are trying to take the country. I want what the republic want, but I work outside of them."

Everything he said was true, but there was still one question to answer. "Every war must cause pain Senator, you know this. To finally get freedom we need a final war. A war headed by our Dark Jedi council, which I offer you a spot on my friend. The head healer, head of training in the light. You are strong Miss Kay, strong enough to learn and train exactly how a Jedi should" he told her, nodding. "This isn't just what I want though, this is what the galaxy needs"

He removed his hands from his slides, placing them on the table. Slowly opening his left hand, he allowed the broken, twisted metal tube to drop onto the table, and using the force he slightly pushed it towards Lady Kay. His broken saber, the one he broke in the raid on Coursacant all those months ago. He'd gone back to get it, and finally it had come in useful.

"I offer you a blade my friend. My old blade, found in the wreck of Kuat on Coursacant and now presented to you. It doesn't look nice, no it doesn't, but it works like every other lightsaber. I have taken liberty to remove the broken red Syth Crystals, replacing them with the original blue inside. However seems as I am not a dinner guest with the Jedi and The Sith are not my greatest friends I couldn't get the materials needed to fix the look of it."


[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Rex Power Colt"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

My friend. That was still to be determined. His views were flawed to say the least. Or maybe she was just the voice of reason. What she heard didn't sit well with her and it went almost opposite of what the Republic was doing. Yet both sides were leading the Galaxy down the same path and it was not a good one. That path was dark and seemed to distinguish the light instead of preserving it.

"There is a mistrust between Force users and non Force users as it is and you wish to broaden and strengthen that mistrust by causing a war to supposedly end all wars? Your views are misguided. Right now there are members of the Senate that wish to control Force users, to restrict them, catalogue them and worse. What you propose would only garner more Senators to that side. I can only do so much to hinder such bills to be passed before I am discovered. I try to avoid wars through negotiations and trade deals. My work against the Cartel is about saving lives and preserving their freedoms, but I am not about to start a war with them. I have allies everywhere, on all sides and I can assure you that none of them would want what you seek."

She looked to the lightsaber, having lost her own that her late husband had given her. It was her most cherished of possessions and an assassin had taken it away from her. Kay reached out and took hold of the hilt. It was twisted and had gone through a lot, just like she had. She traced her fingers along it's detail. "The Galaxy doesn't need more bloodshed. It needs less."

[member="Jardo Snow"] [member="Rex Power Colt"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

"Perhaps I would force the hand of the senate into categorizing force users" he muttered, shaking his head. She wasn't going to listen to him, but he was willing to give it one final go. "Senator, each war this galaxy has been through has shaped a generation. Each war has caused an uprising, that is the downside of war. You understand where I am coming from though don't you? I'm sick to death of all this fighting, I want to end it. You know as well as I do that to end it we need one final war. The senate would hate me for it, but I could hold them back long enough"

"Even without you, I will start this war. You've known that the whole time. Why do I want you on my side though? Not just for someone inside the senate. I want you because of what you could achieve. Anything from the negotiations to training." he told her lightly, eyes flashing around the room. "Think about it"

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Rex Power Colt"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

What he was asking of her was dangerous. But it wasn't as though she'd never been in dangerous situations before. But this.....not to mention his statement about starting the war with or without her. It could be unending. Would it be better if she joined him and did her best to keep things under control? It was hard to say at this moment.

"Yes, [member="Jardo Snow"], please give me time to think about this. I need to consult some of my most trusted friends. Please do not start anything yet. This isn't something to be taken lightly."

Already she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She looked over to [member="Rex Power Colt"] for any hint of what he thought of what was said, that is if he was paying attention at all.

 

[Rex Power Colt]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Jardo Snow"]

Lady Kay looked at him as though he had some enlightening knowledge on the subject. Pfft. He was just a hired gun. Politics got in the way...but then again, they were a necessary evil...sometimes. Who was he kidding? Politics were always going to be important in civilization. It was an innate part of any culture to bicker in comfort. He had been thinking during the course of the conversation and he did have at least one thing to say.

He turned to Jardo and said, "War is a part of the cycle of life. One generation won't stop that. The final war is the one that kills everyone. The One Sith are masters of not taking hits tricking their people. They have become a most vicious cancer in this galaxy. Without the utmost preparation and the experience of many veterans, all-out war with the One Sith will become bloody, destructive, and possibly fruitless."

He turned to Lady Kay and said, "War is a strong instrument of change. History sways to its outcomes. When the enemy is deeply entrenched, it'll take more than policy and bickering to get them out. For some problems, the only solution is war. War can be a gamble, though. If you're on board and win, you could become very influential. On the flip side, losing has severe consequences. There's so many angles to consider before a war, it makes my head hurt. If anything remember this: Be careful how "the bed's made" and decide whether or not you'd want to be found "in bed" with certain people."

 

[Kay-Larr]

She hated being put in this situation, yet she had more control and knowledge of the situation if she could see it from all sides. And that included [member="Jardo Snow"] 's side. With the Minister of Intelligence already having her spied on and possibly investigated for treason, Kay just had to be careful of how many notches she put in her belt to politically hang herself with. For if things go really badly, she could be arrested and executed.

"Some say that I am the voice of reason. So please listen to me when I say to take your time on this before you act. I will help you if that's what it will take......"

She looked to [member="Rex Power Colt"], having heard what he had said and hoped to have understood the meanings behind some of what he spoke of. For a bodyguard he was filled with insight and points of view that she lacked. So she valued his opinions.

Kay then looked to Jardo and waited to see if he would agree to slow down when it came to war.