Operation Double-Edged Sword (SJO/CIS Mission)

[Josh Dragovalor]

SJO/CIS OPERATION: DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
Objective: Provide relief effort to a post-war world. Calm tensions if they flare up, with as few casualties as possible.
Operatives: Josh DragonsFlame, [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

Aboard The Final Dragon​

The SJO and CIS wished to strengthen their ties, and with that came the idea of joint operations between their members. Now a member of both factions as a show of faith, Josh had been sent on a mission with the person who both sides agreed he would likely work well with despite the differences in faith - Scherezade DeWinter. Josh knew that Scherezade was out of her element doing relief, but he hoped that perhaps she would be able to adjust well and get this done. With Josh here to help her out, that might be easier than it sounded. He'd be able to guide her a bit.

The mission was more... Mundane than he was expecting, but then again, what they had been told about the tempers flaring between the members of the town they were bringing relief for was concerning. By the reports, it was possible that the townsfolk, who had as of late been divided into two factions in differences in opinion, could break into an all out fight at any moment. Providing relief while keeping the peace between them without casualties was their job.

While the Dragon was in hyperspace, Josh had kept his word on one thing. The two had been researching into possible leads on what this "darkness" in particular was. When they weren't doing so, Josh had suggested that the two spar together here and there in the day or so it took to get to the planet. It was good to help Scherezade get her fighting instincts back. They couldn't afford a mishap like at Zeltros. While he knew that it was likely this wouldn't escalate into a fight, the reports still worried him.

With just hours to go before they landed, the two were making last minute preparations before landing. Josh meanwhile had gone to grab something from the cargo hold...

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

It truth, it was Josh that was making the final preparations before landing. Scherezade just sat there, looking blankly forward, taking a sip from her bottle every now and then. She had lowered the amounts she was taking in over the last few hours, diluting her liquor with some water. It tasted like bantha poodoo, but it was a compromise she could live with; less drunk, still drunk.

She had no clue what she was doing on the mission. She couldn't understand why she'd been chosen for it. For one, there were many people within the CIS that were better suited to work with the SJO on official fronts, and this was an official front. Secondly, this was not a get in and kill people fast sort of a mission. She was going to have to do things that did not involve infiltration, massacres, or other senseless violence that she cooped up from the back of her mind.

In other words, this mission had her completely out of her element, and since it was the first official mission of the kind, at least that she knew of, Scherezade had a feeling that the reports would be analyzed with great care, which meant she was going to be berated for it again, because there was no way she was going to be able to complete the mission to the satisfaction of whoever her superiors were.

The trip had been relatively quiet. She's chosen to keep words to a minimum, coming out of the room she'd been given only to do some research that led nowhere, or to get drinks. She was so tired of talking, so exhausted of it. It was the fourth o fifth time that she and Josh were meeting and she was just too tired to keep going over the same subject in endless circles, so she'd elected to pull herself back and remain mostly silent.

Besides, this was going to be a talking mission.

Scherezade still thought it'd go faster if they just killed people until the remaining ones realized it was better to behave.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej8or-DfrIY​

He knew Scherezade wouldn't be happy about a humanitarian mission, but honestly? He figured it could help her. She was upset about how she was seen in the CIS, would things get better if she showed capability to branch out and be more versatile as an asset to the Confederacy? It was a possibility, and that was part of why he had suggested she go with him instead of who they would consider a more competent asset. He also figured this might do Scherezade some good. Something away from violence and allowing her to see firsthand what a bit of compassion can do in the grand scheme of things. At the least, it was a nice change of pace.

"So I was thinking" Josh spoke as he would walk into the room she had been resting in, hiding what it was he'd salvaged in his robes. "Before the mission, it might be good to try to clear your head, relax a little, you know?" Josh would suggest as he would sit beside her and kick back with his arms behind his head. "Your head's probably filled with things. Just push it aside for now, clear your head, take a deep breath. See if if helps any" Josh spoke. He didn't know if it'd help but it was worth a shot. Deciding to be the example here, he would let out a deep exhale and close his eyes, doing his best to clear his head of all that he was dealing with and just leave it with utter emptiness. Emptying his mind, thinking of nothing.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade just stared at Josh as he tried to explain about the whole clearing the head thing. She blinked a few times for good measure as well, and then sighed. Over their last few meetings she had explained to him again and again that she couldn't do that, that her thoughts overcrowded her. True, she hadn't used those specific terms, but clearing the head was not something she was capable of, and no amount of deep inhales an exhales was going to fix that.

"If I knew how to do that, I'd never have to think again," she remarked, but otherwise made no move to even try. What was the point, anyway? "The few times I got close to it when almost falling asleep, things went bad. So thanks, but I'm gonna pass. Sorry."


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"To be fair, you're a Sith. Clearing your head properly isn't exactly something you've been taught to do well" Josh would respond. "So was worth suggesting at least. But this darkness thing complicates matters, aye..." He admitted with an exasperated sigh as he would sit down with her. "This situation of yours is a lot more complicated than I had originally envisioned" Josh began to go on, just idly speaking what came to mind as he would relax with his arms behind his head. "I've been pouring over this for some time now, and yet the more that I learn about it, the more complicated that it gets. It is an endless circle of finding out more only to come out with more questions."

He mulled over it a bit idly. "I wonder if Jyoti could help. Another perspective, another fresh pair of eyes... She might be able to see something we can't. Suggest something we hadn't thought of yet. And she's a sweet lady, I'm sure she'd be happy to help."

Sitting up then, he would let out a yawn.

"So... I have something for you" Josh would reveal as he looked over at her, before pulling out a pair of lightsabers and handing them to her. Notably, the highlights were laced with a lighter silver to compliment the grey of the lightsabers. "I made these for you".

If Scherezade knew anything about Josh at all, one of the most obvious things was that he was a warrior, a warrior that took pride in being as such. And most importantly, he was a swordsman. That was what the galaxy knew him for being. He was a warrior, a swordsman who prided himself on the forms of lightsaber combat. To actually go out of his way to forge a weapon for her... And a pair of lightsabers to boot... It was an incredibly important gift coming from him. It was a huge indication of the care he held for her. Though the true care came in the thought that he had put into it's make...

"I thought a lot on how to build your lightsabers. The source of much of your burden has to do with wolves" Josh would explain as he would point to the silver colourings. "In folklore I've heard, silver was used in swords to ward off and slay wolves and lycanthrope infused people. While the silver on this is purely aesthetic... I thought it might act as a good luck charm, one that might keep you from having to deal with them again" He would admit. Sure, it was a bit of an... Odd line of thought, but the fact was that Scherezade had defined herself through her issues with the wolves, Gerwald and Katrine, to which he knew were accompanied by wolven spirits, they were, he knew by Katrine, embodied by the spirit of the wolf, he could sense it all over her. Josh had clearly thought long and hard on what was one of the biggest parts of Scherezade's life, and had decided on the subject of wolfsbane to go on for the lightsabers. It defined her. For her weapons to reflect that... He felt it fitting.

"And if they don't ward them off, and you find yourself intending to keep your promise to them..." He trailed off, with a shrug. He remembered that she had told him she had promised to kill them both if she saw them again. He had not forgotten. "... Then perhaps they will bring you good luck on the field of battle."

He did not approve of her intention to kill them if she found them again. It was a difference in philosophy between Jedi and Sith. But he also knew that it was important to her. So he decided to ignore their difference in values, to give her the gift and weapons that fit her and suited her, without personal bias. The best blades were forged without bias... Focused entirely on what the blades are for, and on the person wielding them.

"The crystal in the blades are infused with a bit of my pyrokinetic energy. Folklore says that wolves hate fire and smoke, and consider them a threat to them" He also added. "Might bring you a little security."

Unintentionally, he had also made it so that if she did decide to use the blades, she would take part of him with her wherever she went. It was his energy, after all, that he'd used to infuse the crystal. The lightsabers, when touched, gave off a bit of heat. While they would not burn her, they were very warm to the touch.

"Reason I constructed two is that I noticed back on Zeltros that you fight with two blades. I wanted to allow you to be able to mimic your blade style as close as you could" He also added. "The colour crystals aren't red though, I don't have any, I'm sorry..." He admitted with a frown. The only way he could get his hands on them was to kill a Sith and take their lightsaber. Which Josh didn't do. He always left the blade on the corpse of the fallen fighter. It was a sign of respect for one who had fallen in battle. It was a disrespect to take their weapon, in his eyes, unless there was no body to speak of. "You can replace them after, if you want... But I decided on green. Like your eyes."

Handing them to her, he would get up then. He didn't expect a thank you. Hell, for the most part, he didn't even think she'd like them. But he just... Found himself wanting to. It felt right. It felt right to try to give her a few good memories that were her own.

"You don't have to use them if you don't want to. I just... Felt like doing it" He spoke with a shrug. "I'll be in the cockpit to prepare us for landing, when you're ready. Take your time."

With that, he would give a gentle smile and walked out.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Yes, she was a Sith. No, it had nothing to do with clearing her hair. She hadn't exactly ever told Josh, but her training in the arts of the Sith had been lacking even before she'd been tossed into the Darkness. Katrine had trained her in Witch Spells and in Force Powers that were neutral, but when it came to powers that belonged to the Darkside... All she had managed was to find a person or two to give her some very basics, but it was nowhere near enough.

And she agreed, the Darkness always complicated matters. But she said nothing about it, at least for the moment. She didn't know what the questions that Josh had about it were. He hadn't directly asked any since their meeting on Naboo, and she wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable enough to share. Mostly, because she knew she wasn't knowledgable enough on her own. She didn't know exactly what it was, she only knew what it felt like, what it looked like, and what its effect on her was. And that it never lied.

He mentioned Jyoti again. The Jedi Grandpoobah. Would she have more to offer? Scherezade sincerely doubted that. Still, now was not the time for arguments. She was actively trying to lower these around Josh. He was doing so much for her, more than she'd ever expect from anyone even before the Darkness. It was the least she could do, at least until he stepped on another one of her mental little toes.

Josh said he had something for her. Scherezade blinked, took a swig from her bottle, and suddenly there were...

No, she hadn't known that he was a swordsman. They'd never talked about that part of his life. But she knew her weapons. She knew by the hilts that these were exuistitly made. And she knew... This was a gift. Only then did it register in her mind. Josh had made them. Not found them. Not had storage he had to get rid of. He. Made. Them. For her? Yes, that was what he said.

She was still blinking, tearing her gaze away from the lightsabers as she looked at him. He was talking more. He was always talking. She tried to focus on his words, listen to what he was saying, describing. He made these for her. He put thought into it. He added silver because... Yes, the folklore. Scherezade suddenly realized she knew about the folklore, it was right there with the rest of the information her grandmother had planted in her head, though it never had a reason to surface before now. It was purely aesthetic, yes, it wouldn't actually hurt a Lupine (not that she wanted to, at least most of the time), but... The thought that went behind it. The care that went behind it. The aesthetic didn't mean danger for the Lupines. It meant protection from the Lupines that had hurt her, that had been the final hit of the hammer to break her, after she had come out of the Darkness cracked all over, threatening to shatter.

Fire and Smoke... Yes. He hadn't named them, but he'd said those two words, and suddenly she knew what the names of the lightsabers were. Later, she would as him what he meant about infusing his energies into him.

He'd noticed her fight with two knives on Zeltros. He... He actually remembered that? He was on a mission, she was drunk as... Well, very drunk. She'd held two Cerzka knives her hands that day, and most times that she fought. Two in the hands, ten in the air. And now... Now he was gifting her... With two lightabers. Two in the hand...

There was no reason to put red crystals in them. Her grandfathers were the only one to use red crystals. Her grandmother had used purple, her own mother had used pink. Scherezade had never even thought about what hers might be. But Josh had gone... With the color of her eyes.

And then he just left for the cockpit, leaving Scherezade sitting where she was, overrun with emotion.

Her lightsabers. Her. Lightsabers. He made them for her. He had poured time and energy and care and thought and he made her weapons. They were in her hands now, warm to the touch. Her fingers wrapped around them carefully, as though they would break, and she gasped, only now realizing she was holding her breath during most of the time that Josh had been explaining what he'd done.

Breathing. Breathing was important. She took a few breaths, a single high squeezed pitch coming out of her. He'd made her weapons.

She didn't know how long it had taken before she was able to shove herself off the couch. It could've been a minute. It could've been an hour.

But eventually, Scherezade was standing. She carefully placed the lightsabers where she'd been sitting, and made her way to the cockpit.

Touching was usually a big no no. But she didn't care right now. Her face had become wet during those moments she had tried to get up, but for once, those weren't tears of pain.

The Sithling's arms wrapped around the Jedi as she hugged him tightly, whispering the only thing she could, the overwhelming of her emotions all too clear in her voice. "Thank you..."


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

One of the last things that Josh had expected was the reaction that Scherezade would have. He was completely focused on entering coordinates and making sure that R4 knew exactly where to land. But he would find himself turning around when he sensed Scherezade's presence, giving her a warm smile as she entered the room. "Hey, are you ready for-"

He stopped. She was crying.

"You're crying. Why are you crying? Is everything ok? Did I do something wrong-"

She had hugged him, to his surprise. She had hugged him, tears falling down as she said "thank you". It had caught him completely off-guard. Not that she hadn't hugged him before, though even just that was still a surprise... But it took him a few moments to understand why and what she meant. He smiled then, as he would close his eyes and wrap his arms around her, holding her tight for what felt like hours, even if it was probably just a few minutes at the most. Still, he'd found himself relaxing into Scherezade's embrace.

A happy memory. Finally, a happy memory... A happy memory to call her own. It didn't involve Gerwald. It didn't involve Katrine. This moment was hers.

And he was happy that she was happy.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

It had been uncomfortable, bending like that to hug him while he was sitting. It was only seconds later that she simply sat herself on Josh, allowing the embrace to resume. The tears continued to leak down her face, ending up with a stain on Josh's shoulder. She closed her eyes, just... Just letting herself feel some sort of joy in this. Her emotions were still overwhelmed, her hands still warm from touching the hilt of the lightabers, her mind still looping around endless around the thought that someone had gone through the bother of building her not one but two lightsabers.

An eternity later, she finally broke the hug, wiping her face on the back of her hands. It was... to be honest, slightly embarrassing. She wasn't sure why though, it was hardly the first time he'd seen her overwhelmed or crying.

Scherezade stood, dusting herself off in an automatic movement.

"Guess it's time to go planetside and start killing things," she said, her voice utterly serious, "you're also going to have to teach me how to use those sabers. I've never actually even ignited one."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Not that he minded her sitting on his lap. Not even in just a perverted fashion. He just didn't mind in general. He didn't seem to mind the tears on his shoulder either, he mainly just focused on the embrace, holding her tight, letting her let it out. She was... Happy. He could sense it. For once, she was genuinely happy. And he couldn't help but feel joy from that. For so long, he'd been trying to help her find some semblance of happiness, wanting to see her smile, see her laugh, anything... He supposed breaking down in tears of happiness counted. Wasn't what he had expected, but it was just nice to know that for once she wasn't completely miserable. It was surreal, to finally see her happy. To see her just... Not unhappy for once.

When she broke the hug, he gave her another warm smile. He wanted to encourage that sort of happy feeling, after all.

Though he couldn't help but laugh a little when she would note killing. "I don't think we're supposed to kill" He corrected. "And, really?" He asked when she would note that she'd never used a lightsaber. "Well... I didn't take the title of Battlemaster by sitting on my arse. Being a lightsaber instructor is what I do."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Really," Scherezade nodded, "I couldn't ever find someone to teach me. My training was... Lacking, even before the bad stuff happened. I have a lightsaber hilt but..." she sighed. No. This wasn't going to be another event that Katrine got to ruin for her, "I never even ignited it. I had my knives, and then I had more knives, and I trained like a beast on my own to come up with ways to use them. Without anyone to actually teach me I had to do it all on my own. And I guess... I guess I was kinda good at it. There was freedom on the battlefield, even if I came back from it with more new holes in my body than any human ought to."

She was supposed to be happy. She had been happy a moment ago. But now she could feel it seeping out of her, those precious few minutes in which she had not been in pain now coming to an end, the bad memories crowding her mind again.

You are weak, child.

Happy memories or no, she was still Scherezade. There were still truths about her that Josh had been unwilling to accept, such as her weakness of her inferiority. But he'd see it with time. If he didn't run away first, he'd see.

Wordlessly, she left the cockpit and went back to where the... Where her lightsabers were, strapping them to her belt. She also had her usual dozen knives on her body, as well as the slugpistol that carried her Glitter Bullets.

She was ready to kill.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He could feel that happiness slipping away and he began to frown. She'd begun to recall a bitter memory and soon enough, she was back to the old, grumpy Scherezade again. Josh let out an exasperated sigh. All of that, and it was just for a few minutes. He supposed it was a start. And besides... It was a good memory he was sure she'd revisit multiple times. He'd given her something she could cling to if need be. Sometimes that was all you needed to survive, until you could make more happy memories.

It was how he had done it, in a similar position.

He decided to follow behind her, and when she had outfitted herself with her gear, he would wrap his arms around her from behind gently in a hug. After a few moments, he spoke.

"We still have a good two hours or so before landing. Why don't we teach you how to use them in the meanwhile?" He suggested. "They're no use to you if you're just going to cut your own head off, after all. While we're a bit time constrained, I think I can at least teach someone of your blade skill the basics enough to keep from killing yourself with it."

-----------​

​

Recap:​

​

- Josh first pointed out that lightsabers had a power setting for the intensity of the blade. He suggested she turn it down low for the lesson to keep from cutting off her head. He suggested she keep it that low for this mission unless they deal with a major threat. At worst it will burn to the touch, but not cut off limbs, thus she can fight a bit more easily without worries if needed.​

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- He will have then taught her the Jar-Kai form, the duel blade form, to start her off. They will then have lightly gone over forms 1 through 5 for her to learn to defend against each as well as to use one blade if she loses the other.​

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- They will then have gone over some tips in combat such as practicing using Saber Throw with a lightsaber without cutting off your own head.​

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- Refinement, ensuring she can safely wield the lightsaber without hurting herself.​

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---------​

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-Later-​

Once the lesson had concluded, Josh and Scherezade would step off the Final Dragon once it had landed. The small town was nearby, and Josh and Scherezade would both bring out large packages of resources. Mainly food, tools, and other things they would need to survive. This was all part of the relief effort, of course, after faction fighting had crippled this town when they had gotten caught in the cross-fire. He wondered what caused the reported civil hostilities though...

"Good afternoon!" Josh would chirp as he would place down the stack of packages. Behind him were an R4 unit that would finish pushing a smaller package, and an HK unit that had tried to hold an even larger stack than the Jedi, though was beginning to get pretty wobbly before Josh recommended they set it down as well. "We're representing the Silver Jedi Order and the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. We've come to provide relief effort for your town" He spoke politely with a gentle, respectful bow.

"Oh boy, another crate of supplies that Harro is going to no doubt waste trying to make homes for the needy, oh la dee daaaa!" A disgruntled villager would remark. "Like that's going to do us jack when we're all dead!"

"Well, you're welcome for the supplies..." Josh would sassily grumble under his breath, taking a deep exhale in turn. Ungrateful, disgruntled people were part of the job. Another villager would walk over, glaring daggers at the first villager. "Not build homes for people that need it? Shame on you! All Belen wants to do is hunt! He doesn't even do it for the food, he doesn't even hunt right! You just do it for the sake of slaughter!"

"At least we'll get to eat!" The first villager would retort. "Under Harro, our town will starve!"

Josh looked from them, and back to Scherezade. And them, and then back to Scherezade.

"Enough!"

An older looking man, accompanied by an elderly woman with tribal markings on her face, would step in. "Enough" Repeated the older man. "We have been graced with assistance when they could have ignored us. Please say your graces to those that have lended their aid."

The two villagers would turn, and bow to the two, before walking away. Josh's HK unit would lean over to say something in a low tone. "Eager Query: Master, shall I dispose of those two while their backs are turned? I have been growing ever tempted ever since they began to open their flaps, and the disrespect they have shown my Master is absolutely unforgivable!"

Josh shook his head. "No" He whispered back. "If Scherezade can't kill, neither can you. Take R4 and head back to the ship."

"Affirmative: Yes, Master."

The droids would leave, and Josh would let out an exhale as the man and woman would turn to them.

"Please forgive us, sir and madam for the rude welcome. We're sincerely grateful for the help that you have given us. I am Harro, the Mayor of this village. If you will step into my home with me, I may be able to explain what just happened here."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

To be frank, she had adapted to fighting with the lightsabers quicker than she had anticipated. The sweat had still poured down from her as she sparred with Josh, applying the techniques he thought her. Pretty early on the alcohol had evaporated from her body, and thanks to already training beforehand, her mind had become laser sharp and focused as it used to be while she trained and fought prior to the Darkness. If she'd pause (and she didn't), she'd have realized that what he was seeing now was a glimpse of the old Scherezade, a glimpse that he had not seen before beyond those very few seconds on Zeltron, and this time it did not end with her collapse. Her body sang out as her limbs stretched and moved, as new bruises formed, as the fact that the lightsabers were set to their lowest settings kept her from accidentally decapitating herself at least five times. She wasn't smiling though. This was not a moment for smiles. The color of her eyes seemed to shine brighter in those moments, as the air of the broken girl went to conceal itself, and the dangerous predator became to come out. In more ways than one, it was good that this was a battle lesson. It would not last though. Once they were done, the usual expression settled on the Sithling's face again. She was drenched in sweat and headed off to the refresher, the bottle already in her hands and half empty before she even turned the tap on, waving away the thoughts that threatened to crowd her mind. Escape was only temporary.

She was indeed grumpy again. There were droids to carry packages for them, so she couldn't understand why Josh insisted she (and he) carried them as well. It was grunt work of the stupid kind, and after the first case she opted to stop using her hands and started using the Force instead. The hilts of the lightsabers Josh had gifted her gleamed at her waist, but her usual arsenal of weapons was present too, forever hidden beneath her clothes.

She openly glared at the first villager who decided to make comments before deciding that he and his kind were nothing but buttholes. "If there aren't enough homes, we could always trim parts of the population," she remarked to Josh, "kill him off and give his house to someone who doesn't have one." Was she serious? Was she kidding? Josh was going to have to figure that one out for himself.

When the two villagers began to bicker, she just rolled her eyes, ignoring Josh's looks. He didn't have to worry about her. She wasn't going to kill them. Yet. Instead, she took another swig from her bottle and waved her hands in the air, bringing more of the supplies out of the ship and onto the ground.

Now, that MK droid, she liked.

When the Mayor finally put a stop to things, she was still not impressed. However, she did stop dead track in her actions, her eyes solely focusing on the woman beside him.

As Josh and Scherezade followed the two into their home, she still could not rip her gaze away from the woman.

Her apparent age, the tattoos... It reminded her of... Of... Of Endelaan. Back home, that woman would have probably held the title of the Ancient One. She sent forward the smallest licks of the Force, tasting the woman's powers, and nodded to herself. Definitely an Ancient One by the standards of her ancestral home planet.

"Why do you need our help if you've got her?" she asked, almost innocently, once they had all settled down, her gaze still on the woman.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCOz36vIsIk​

​

Josh just stared at Scherezade when she said that, clearly unamused. Though HK couldn't help but interject before leaving. "Concurment: Yes, Master. Why don't we just thin the herd to make resources plentiful for everybody? I dare say I like Miss DeWinter's way of thinking."

"No."

"Resigned Response: Yes, Master."

The droids would leave and the two were escorted to the man's abode. It seemed to be a bigger house than the others. A position of power, perhaps?

"They need us here because we're here delivering supplies and helping with the relief effort" Josh would explain to Scherezade as they walked inside. "The Silver Jedi Order and The Confederacy have resources and manpower, these guys need resources and manpower... That's the open and shut of it."

Once they were inside, the man would motion for them to sit down.

"I am Mayor Haro. My apologies once again for the unwelcome reception" The man would greet. "The woman beside me is our Shaman, Kata. She has guided our town for generations. We sincerely do appreciate the aid that your factions have brought, so please, have some tea. It will be finished shortly."

The woman would examine the two of them, and quirk a brow. "Interesting..." She mused aloud. "The two of you are an interesting pair, I must say. One of your souls lies in the light... The other seems to lean toward darkness. One of you is set, while the other appears unsure. To see light and dark working in tandem is... Unique, to say the least. And yet despite that, I can sense a close kinship between the two of you. That too, is even more rare. And yet, despite your being opposites, light and dark... Your hearts are much the same."

Josh would listen calmly, as he would take the tea when it was brought over, bowing his head lightly in thanks.

"It's no trouble at all" He spoke, referring to the apology. "But what has caused all of this strife?"

"Ah..." The Mayor would respond. "For a time, the warfare on our planet caused us to go through a serious famine after one of the warring parties had left us open to be looted and pillaged. A man named Balen would be our saviour, day and night hunting nonstop and providing food for us all. He saved us all, yes... But now many of the people wish for him to be the Mayor over myself. The problem is that while Balen is a skilled hunter, he only does it for the sadistic thrill of the kill, and not for food. And hunting is all he cares about. He cares for nothing but his own personal vices, and would use his position to expand on them, and has stated as much. But people are too wound up on wanting more food, and in their admiration for him when they don't realize he doesn't actually care for them. If he were to be Mayor, we would run out of food sources very quickly. We would have a large stock for some time... But that stock would go bad if left too long. Then they would starve. Many of our people do not realize that. Our town is divided in a struggle for power, and tempers flare constantly."

Josh mulled it over, it was indeed a pickle... And it was clear that they were heading toward a confrontation.

"Well, we're here to deliver supplies and try to provide a bit of manpower. You asked for Force Users to aid with using our powers to help with fortifications and building homes, yes?" Josh asked. "Yes. If you can help, that would be very much appreciated" Haro would respond. "Just don't let the people backing Belen bother you."

Josh nodded his head as he would get to his feet, holding out a hand to help up Scherezade. "We got work to do."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Delivering supplies and helping with relief efforts didn't entail going to the mayor's house for tea. Scherezade might not have had a lot of experience with these sort of things, but she at least new that. If the visit had to include the mayor's place, it was usually after they were one and just before they left, not the other way around. Still, she said nothing, and took another drink from her bottle. She didn't want tea. She didn't even like tea. It was a waste of otherwise perfectly good water.

The mayor gave the woman's title - a Shaman. Scherezade took another drink from her bottle to cover her eye rolling. The Mandragora used the same title. She had once thought it was a form of respect. After certain conversations with Josh about the spirits... She no longer did. It seemed more like a mockery of potential, something that even those who used it, did not fully comprehend.

And then the woman went into her monologue about light and dark. Yeah, she was a Shaman all right. Not an Ancient One at all. An Ancient One would have known not to speak those words, even if they were true, but they were not. Scherezade said nothing, and listened then to the mayor speak.

In truth, it was... Stupid. But they weren't here to meddle. They were there to... Okay, she didn't recall being told she was going to build houses. She had absolutely no intention of building any houses. She didn't even know how to build houses.

The Sithling rose without Josh's help, the expression on her face all too clear about what her emotions regarding their predicament was.

Only once outside, did she speak.

"That Shaman is a sham," she spoke sharpy, her tone harsh to Josh once they were out of ear shot, "powerful or not, if she was truly a Shaman, she would have solved the situation before we ever stepped foot on this planet. And she and the mayor are expecting us to take care of it, or they wouldn't have shared it at all." The solution, to her, was simple, "get rid of the mayor and that other guy. Let the people solve it on their own. Why the frak are we expected to build houses?!"

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"If she was able to, I'm sure she would have. But the hearts of others are not so easy to influence with so many factors. If they are in dire need enough to want our help for their situation... Then we should help if we can, instead of looking down upon them" Josh spoke calmly when Scherezade would complain about the whole thing. "Have patience, approach this calmly. And remember that not everyone is blessed with the abilities that we have. They have asked for help and our factions have accepted. Let's do our jobs, and leave. If an opportunity comes to help with this situation... Then we will take it.

I also don't think getting rid of either leader is going to fix anything" He added. "It will just de-stabilize them further. They need unity and balance. While it's clear that this Haro fellow isn't perfect, it sounds like the other guy is only in it for himself and seems less easy to influence to do the right thing. The Haro guy at least seems reasonable... If we were to actually pick a side, I'd side with the man, only because perhaps eventually he can be seen to have balance, and listen to the concerns of others more. An empire with an emperor that only is in the job for self insert... Is the emperor of an empire that will inevitably crumble.

Though admittedly, I don't think there's a way we can help their political situation" Josh would admit, once he had given his views on their political situation. "While they have indicated we should give a hand if we can, our job is to provide relief. If a chance to help comes up... All the better. But for now, let's focus on the relief effort. If no opportunity comes up... I'll talk to Grandmaster Kitra about trying to influence Mr. Haro to find balance and find a proper compromise."

They would be stopped by the Shaman, who had gotten up to go to them as they headed toward their destination. "A warning before you go" She spoke. "I sense... Something wrong here. Something malicious in the souls of those who support Balen. Please watch yourselves."

Josh nodded his head. "Thank you" He spoke as he would lead Scherezade to where they would get started. Before long, they were continuing to deliver supplies and resources from the ship, and using both their hands and their abilities to help with constructing homes to speed up the process. Josh would show Scherezade how she could use the Force to lift boards and materials and hold them in just the right place before using her hands to hammer them in properly. Body and mind were as one as the hours would pass. They'd made a great deal of progress and by the end of the planned day, they had helped near completion of several homes, and the relief center for the stranded village folks that still didn't have homes was near completion as well.

No opportunity to help their goal had come about, but they had made a difference for these people, who in the meanwhile had been able to expend more manpower to hunt and to find more supplies, and watch the children of those who had been drafted to work.

Josh would let out an exhale as he would give Scherezade a smile. "Let's head out. I think we've made a difference for these people" He would speak softly. "While I'll need to talk to Valae about their situation, it appears the reason they needed aid was due to the tight spot they were in. Too little housing and relief, too little material and food... And too little manpower to go around. While I'm sure the Shaman helps, I noticed her tending to the wounded earlier, she is only one woman and she seems to be catered toward being a healer. People like you and I... We're worth ten men in regards to manpower when on the field, with out capabilities. Offsetting the difference for awhile, I think they're now in a better position to be able to fend for themselves again."

With that, Josh would let out a yawn as he would start heading for the ship.

"Help!"

Josh would glance back then when he heard the noise, to see that the relief center was suddenly on fire.

"What in the chitting kark-"

Josh would immediately take off back toward the village to find that many of the villagers had suddenly begun attacking their own people, and had begun smashing the work they'd spent the last few hours doing.

"Haro doesn't know what is best for us! Burn it all and those loyal to him! Balen commands it!" One of the attacking villagers would cry out. As Josh and Scherezade would approach, several of them would notice them.

"Get the freaks! They're using their magic to help the oppressor make his case against Belen!"

As they would charge them, notably drawing vibroblades, Josh would look toward Scherezade as his lightsaber would fly into his hand and activate. "Low power, Scherezade. Our job isn't to kill. Besides... Something about this seems off."

He motioned for her to look closely. The invading villagers all had droopy, sleepy looking eyes... All with a red iris.

Something indeed was off.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade built maybe one or two planks before she tossed the equipment away from her. This was dumb, and a waste of time.

"Josh, the CIS has millions of droids, including droids for these sorts of things," she groaned, "there is no force-damned reason for us to do this manually. It's a waste of our time."

But since Josh insisted, the Sithling simply picked a spot on the ground, sat there, and drank while he worked.

Occasionally, she'd glare at the stupid Shaman who was so obviously failing at her job to be a Shaman.

When the time came to leave, she didn't say anything, though her walk was slightly more crooked than usual.

And of course, just as luck would have it, that was when someone called for help. Staggering, Scherezade followed Josh, looking at the idiotic villagers who were smashing the hard work Josh had been wasting precious time doing. She sighed. Idiots gonna idiotize.

But no, where Josh was planning on using his weapons to de-escalate the situation in a way that for this or other reason didn't include just killing them off, Scherezade simply rolled her eyes.

The dark side of the force could be tasted in the air as she lifted her arms, weaving an invisible web over the villagers. A few probably had the time to come at Josh, since he was in front of her, and she was drunk enough for it to take more seconds than it otherwise would have, but once Josh had a few hits out and defended himself, all the red eyed idiots were standing still.

Not frozen, but simply looking at Scherezade, blinking.

It was the first time she'd tried to implement Dominate Mind on a group rather this way. Usually, she just instilled a few secret messages to keep guards from finding her and... Well, yeah. This was a new way of using it.

"Which of you buttholes is going to tell us why your eyes are red and why you're smashing houses that Josh has wasted too much of his precious time building for you?" she asked, her voice booming over the area.

No one responded.

Scherezade sighed and snapped her fingers.

Most of the villagers under her effect went down on their knees, gripping their heads.

"Before your brains explode and I make you believe your fathers were married to hamsters," she said, the annoyance almost tangible in her voice now, "what the krak is going on here?! Don't test me, I can make your outsides wear your insides. Also-" she focused on one of them for an instant, and he suddenly got up, running away. "Don't worry about him, he's gone to fetch me a bottle." she said calmly to Josh.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Of course, Josh wasn't happy with her at all. He had suggested them for this because it would teach Scherezade to expand her range beyond just killing. Instead, she had acted like a spoiled brat, thrown a tantrum like a child and just did nothing. Jason was better behaved than she was. And he was a literal child! Scherezade had some serious growing up to do, but he would deal with that later. Instead, he would get his blade up as one of them would swing at him, accompanied by another who he would shift his blade to be able to get both their blades stuck. The low-powered saber would come up and slice across one of their torsos, the burning causing them to double over before Josh would use the stunned gaze of the other to kick them in the jaw and send them back. That was when Scherezade's magic would come into effect and stop them.

But before much could be done, they would suddenly break free from her trance and attack again, this time faster than before.

"It looks like you're not the only one using Dominate Mind" Josh would point out as he got his saber up again. "It seems that whoever we're dealing with here is a lot stronger in the Force than you are. Though whatever they're using... It's powerful, I can sense it. It might be a problem for me, as well."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

It wasn't working.

Now, Scherezade was just pissed off. And the problem with being pissed off was that that it upped her mental barriers towards the effect of the liquor. She was still drunk, but not nowhere near where she had been before her mental domination had been broken.

With a groan, she took a step forward, placing a hand on Josh's shoulder. She wanted to kill them all, but she'd promised she wouldn't without good reason. She was saving her good reason for when they found out who was responsible for this.

"Mighty spirits, bring forth the mist, bring forth the fog. Spread forth around here, hide me now." the words came out of her, the Force gathering around her with every spoken word. It was the first Witch spell that she had ever learned. She wouldn't forget it even if someone slashed her brains out. It was also a spell she'd tried to use when that stupid Jedi tried to kill her, thinking it would buy her time. it hadn't.

But now was not then.

Immediately, the mist began to form, and within a single breath, the entire area was surrounded by a thick fog of the kind that kept you from being able to see you own hand in front of your face.

At least now they wouldn't be able to destroy any of the houses.

"Any great ideas up your sleeve now or can I kill them?" she asked Josh, her hand still on his shoulder so he would know exactly where she was.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Scherezade would cast some sort of Witch spell, and a fog would engulf the area and blind the lot of them. Taking a deep breath, Josh would close his eyes and try to feel for Scherezade, though she would place a hand on his shoulder that would null the need for it. Well, at least she was at least trying not to kill them straight away. It was an improvement.

"It seems like whatever we are dealing with has been preying on their emotions over the political situation for some time, and has been using it to influence them into having it take over them, making them easier to be dominated as they are now. There's a good chance this has been coming for awhile... But it's no convenience that it happened while we were here. We need to disable them. It's why I told you to set your saber down to low power" Josh would remark. "Go for areas like the knees with your saber on low power, and it should be enough to take them down without causing permanent damage or killing them. Mix that with hand to hand if you know it. There's no point in killing them. It will only make the post-mission process harder for us. Harder to explain to HQ, as well. Let's just cut out the possibility of that problem cropping up because neither you or I want to have to deal with it later."

Since morals didn't work, Josh switched tact to practicality for how to explain to Scherezade the importance of things like this. He doubted she wanted to get anymore chit from the CIS than she already did. It was better to nix the possibility when the opportunity to do so presented itself.

As the mist began to fade, Josh would duck down and suddenly disappeared from view. He would be completely devoid from her senses, detection completely impossible unless one could touch him - or could touch the Current themselves - as the dominated villagers would begin to attack again. Josh would suddenly re-appear over the head of one of them, and with a hard kick knock them flat to the ground, out cold. Josh's eyes had become steel, as he would switch tacts to disable them quickly instead of trying to go for drawn out combat. Mind domineered or not, these villagers were not trained combatants. As he hit the ground, the sudden approach taking them by surprise, Josh would activate Force Speed and draw his lightsaber, the Jedi Master suddenly a blur as one slash to the side or shoulder after another would begin toppling them one by one in succession...

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade rolled her eyes as Josh explained the situation. She'd deducted as much as well, or at least would have if she'd cared enough to think about it. But she didn't. The possessed villagers didn't really interest her, and knocking them out required more energy than just taking them out entirely.

Not for the first time, she wished she'd had some of her grandmother's powers. It would have been so easy to just rip the ground open and drop them all in there until they chilled. But she wasn't, and she couldn't do that.

With a groan, Scherezade ignited her lightsabers. Their settings were already set to low since she hadn't changed them since the training session Josh gave her on his ship. There was one main problem though; with a saber in each hand, she couldn't reach for her bottle, and she really wanted a sip right now.

Sighing, the Sithling walked forward, her sabers spinning in her hands. Their green blades served to illuminate her eyes, which were glowing with anger. The deWinters never did the red eyed thing. For them, it had always been green to represent the power, the passion, and the strength. Scherezade had come out of the pebble without the light in her eyes, only a dim version of the green that reigned supreme in her family. But the glow had begun to emerge a little before the Jedi had almost killed her.

And it was glowing fiercely now.

There were no thought as her body moved across the battlefield, hitting the possessed villagers everywhere she had to. Every muscle she had was singing the song of battle, thanking her for the movements. Her moves were fluid, almost water-like as she moved from villager to villager, going not just for the knees, but for back of the heads as well. If she couldn't dominate their minds, she'd put them out, at least temporary.

Vaguely, she was aware enough of Josh's presence. They were working opposite ends of the field.

When it was all done and all the villagers were on the ground, Scherezade blinked. She stood there awkwardly, turning her sabers off. There was no blood on her, not a single drop, and this displeased her greatly.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]