Rosa watched the landscapes of Ruusan shift and change beneath her as the autopilot glided her through its atmosphere towards the Valley of the Jedi. She could feel it's quiet hum in the distance, the nexus no longer as great as it once was. She had passed vessels in orbit that bore the republic seal and her stomach had twisted tightly. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, pushing her anxiousness aside.
Seroth had told her months ago that the healer Boolon had been looking for her, and she had brushed the matter aside not out of nonchalance but because she simply wasn't ready to discuss Roche nor its aftermath. It was a huge assumption to make that Boolon want to talk to her about such things, but what else could he have possibly wanted from a broken woman, but to try and heal her? A chime from the ship told her she was nearing and she deactivated the autopilot taking control herself, setting it on the outskirts of the Valley.
The hum was louder now, the force energy made the air vibrate. Descending the ramp she paused at its foot, closing her eyes she extended her senses outwards, picked a direction that called to her most and let her feet do the rest. She trusted the force to guide her, so guide her it would. Whether it was to Boolon or not was another matter.
-
There had been any number of Jedi here, while Ruusan was still being reclaimed, rebuilt, regrown. There had also been any number of former Jedi in Boolon's sights. Perhaps not quite as many as the first list. But then again, Boolon and Aleidis Ijet had tracked down more lapsed and former Jedi than anyone in the history of ever.
Rosa Mazhar had been on the list since day one.
A rippling, burbling Ithorian smile crossed Boolon's face as he loped toward the ship that sat on the Valley's edge. As the ship's ramp descended, Boolon raised a hand in greeting.
"Welcome to the Valley of the Jedi, Rosa Mazhar. I am Boolon Murr."
-
Rosa looked up at the Ithorians greeting a soft smile finding its way to her lips despite the sudden retwisting of her stomach. She pushed the anxiety aside forcefully, her slender legs carrying her gracefully towards Boolon. She bowed her head in respect before allowing her eyes to meet his.
"A pleasure to finally meet you Boolon. Word has it you've wanted to speak with me for some time. Perhaps we can walk?"
-
A long hand gestured at a path which bent around the valleys edge. Another path led down to the small Jedi enclave, modeled on the ancient enclave on Dantooine. This path overlooked the miniature twmple from a stand of freshly planted trees.
"I take it Seroth found you, friend Rosa. You both belong to a special subset - defectors of conscience. Those who have left the order for the sake of principle or injuries dealt by the order itself. That is, at least, what I undefstand your case to be. I too have ponderesdd leaving the Republic; they have done me wrong. But for years now I have sought those who feel as I do...in order to beg them to help me restore the worth and the integrity of the Order from the inside. Your voice is needed. Forgive if I come on strong. I am a healef and cannot bear to see people or institutions jn pain. I wish to rectify this as much as I wish to rectify the sadnesses and triala of your life"
-
The pair walked slowly, the smell of freshly turned earth filling Rosa'a nostrils, her eyes moving over the lines of freshly planted trees. Boolon did not hold back, nor waste time with unnecessary niceties. He hit his marker and left Rosa in a stunned silence. She took a moment to gether her thoughts together before replying. "It would be foolish of me to blame the Republic for my pain, Boolon. It wasn't of their making. It was of my own. Granted I would not have been at Roche were it not for them but..." she shrugged "such is the way of a government that pushes its boundaries in order to better the lives of its people, what it costs on the front lines is irrelevant to them." She had been the daughter of a Senator, she had served the Republic as a politician, she knew exactly how they worked.
"The Order has lost its way. It has become a tool for the Republic to use as it sees fit, gone are the days when the force would guide it. I understand your want to rectify this, but I don't see how. Nor do I see how my voice would make any difference."
-
"To explain, I should say something that may come off as controversial -- but that has rarely stopped me before, when it was truly necessary. The Jedi should be more separate from the Republic, and I mean fully separate. No senator for Tython, though Hion has always done an exemplary job. No answering to the Chancellor, no integration into war efforts. The Jedi have a higher calling. I say this as someone who has served in eight major Republic campaigns as a battle healer. The Order must divorce itself from the Republic, go back to how it was in the days of Teferi Efreet. If enough voices say that, within the Jedi and without, it may come to pass."
-
"I'm sure I said something similar to Darron when he came back from whatever dark hole he crawled into after Roche." she nodded, forehead creased in thought as she chose her words with care. "My voice I can give you, Boolon, but nothing more than that. I have my own path to follow and I have yet to see where it is heading. I have a lot more to learn before I can even comprehend going back to the Order...perhaps, when my journey is complete I can offer you more than words. Force alone knows you will need it to make the changes that are needed, the republic will not let their leash on the order go so easily. They've become a valuable weapon."
Seroth had told her months ago that the healer Boolon had been looking for her, and she had brushed the matter aside not out of nonchalance but because she simply wasn't ready to discuss Roche nor its aftermath. It was a huge assumption to make that Boolon want to talk to her about such things, but what else could he have possibly wanted from a broken woman, but to try and heal her? A chime from the ship told her she was nearing and she deactivated the autopilot taking control herself, setting it on the outskirts of the Valley.
The hum was louder now, the force energy made the air vibrate. Descending the ramp she paused at its foot, closing her eyes she extended her senses outwards, picked a direction that called to her most and let her feet do the rest. She trusted the force to guide her, so guide her it would. Whether it was to Boolon or not was another matter.
-
There had been any number of Jedi here, while Ruusan was still being reclaimed, rebuilt, regrown. There had also been any number of former Jedi in Boolon's sights. Perhaps not quite as many as the first list. But then again, Boolon and Aleidis Ijet had tracked down more lapsed and former Jedi than anyone in the history of ever.
Rosa Mazhar had been on the list since day one.
A rippling, burbling Ithorian smile crossed Boolon's face as he loped toward the ship that sat on the Valley's edge. As the ship's ramp descended, Boolon raised a hand in greeting.
"Welcome to the Valley of the Jedi, Rosa Mazhar. I am Boolon Murr."
-
Rosa looked up at the Ithorians greeting a soft smile finding its way to her lips despite the sudden retwisting of her stomach. She pushed the anxiety aside forcefully, her slender legs carrying her gracefully towards Boolon. She bowed her head in respect before allowing her eyes to meet his.
"A pleasure to finally meet you Boolon. Word has it you've wanted to speak with me for some time. Perhaps we can walk?"
-
A long hand gestured at a path which bent around the valleys edge. Another path led down to the small Jedi enclave, modeled on the ancient enclave on Dantooine. This path overlooked the miniature twmple from a stand of freshly planted trees.
"I take it Seroth found you, friend Rosa. You both belong to a special subset - defectors of conscience. Those who have left the order for the sake of principle or injuries dealt by the order itself. That is, at least, what I undefstand your case to be. I too have ponderesdd leaving the Republic; they have done me wrong. But for years now I have sought those who feel as I do...in order to beg them to help me restore the worth and the integrity of the Order from the inside. Your voice is needed. Forgive if I come on strong. I am a healef and cannot bear to see people or institutions jn pain. I wish to rectify this as much as I wish to rectify the sadnesses and triala of your life"
-
The pair walked slowly, the smell of freshly turned earth filling Rosa'a nostrils, her eyes moving over the lines of freshly planted trees. Boolon did not hold back, nor waste time with unnecessary niceties. He hit his marker and left Rosa in a stunned silence. She took a moment to gether her thoughts together before replying. "It would be foolish of me to blame the Republic for my pain, Boolon. It wasn't of their making. It was of my own. Granted I would not have been at Roche were it not for them but..." she shrugged "such is the way of a government that pushes its boundaries in order to better the lives of its people, what it costs on the front lines is irrelevant to them." She had been the daughter of a Senator, she had served the Republic as a politician, she knew exactly how they worked.
"The Order has lost its way. It has become a tool for the Republic to use as it sees fit, gone are the days when the force would guide it. I understand your want to rectify this, but I don't see how. Nor do I see how my voice would make any difference."
-
"To explain, I should say something that may come off as controversial -- but that has rarely stopped me before, when it was truly necessary. The Jedi should be more separate from the Republic, and I mean fully separate. No senator for Tython, though Hion has always done an exemplary job. No answering to the Chancellor, no integration into war efforts. The Jedi have a higher calling. I say this as someone who has served in eight major Republic campaigns as a battle healer. The Order must divorce itself from the Republic, go back to how it was in the days of Teferi Efreet. If enough voices say that, within the Jedi and without, it may come to pass."
-
"I'm sure I said something similar to Darron when he came back from whatever dark hole he crawled into after Roche." she nodded, forehead creased in thought as she chose her words with care. "My voice I can give you, Boolon, but nothing more than that. I have my own path to follow and I have yet to see where it is heading. I have a lot more to learn before I can even comprehend going back to the Order...perhaps, when my journey is complete I can offer you more than words. Force alone knows you will need it to make the changes that are needed, the republic will not let their leash on the order go so easily. They've become a valuable weapon."
