Faction Smoke and Shadows

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

He could hear him and moved staying there for a moment before striking the scale again with a resounding thud... but his voice came. Calm and effortless when he was focusing on it. "You came to me seeking, few do that unless they want to learn what a shadow among the jedi is... and even fewer understand." He said it and backed away as the beast was trying to get up and swinging its tail back and forth. The jedi master evading with a crouch and then a cartwheel as the tail thunked into the meat of the leviathan. He stood there and was watching it as his words came out. "Look to your archives, to your fathers knowledge and memories. Whenever the jedi needed to rid the corruption, the perversion of the darkside away they sent a shadow. Yes investigators, sentinels, guardians went first to investigate to observe and if they were unable to do what was needed the council would send another."

He said it and balanced on the tail when it came at him and stopped.. the thing tired and heaving its chest as it was panting. The jedi master digging a hand onto the scales when he anchored himself. "Did you ever wonder what a jedi like that must be like? A whole existence spent serving the light, but always with one hand dipped in blood." He said it and pulled him one hand up as he came away with a chunk of scale to disable the tail and weigh the things down more. "Would you ever really want to see a shadow?" He said it and lept off as the beast wa sheaving with blod coming from its mouth and the jedi master placed a hand on it to almost calm it. "Yes others have taken the name, they try and become more. THey serve their own interests, they use the darkside, they take liberties with lives that have not been checked. They lack order, vision." He remained there as he continued to sooth the beast and it slowly stopped breathing. The jedi master turning back to look at Connel.

"I'm a shadow. I kill darksiders while their loved ones watch. I turn cities into ash and salt. I even, when it is needed, evicerate the other creations they have perverted." He said it and stood there. "IT is not about codes names, it is not about secrets. It is about power and one thing." He said it and made sure there wasn't a pulse in the beast when he stayed there and held one hand covered with gunk before flinging it away. "It is about even within the order ensuring only those who serve the light and are dedicated are there."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

The reaction was unexpected, but not unwarranted. He did not mean the question to sound the way it did, Connel was mainly asking because he wondered if this was a part of some way of detecting others in the area or something. However this lambasting was what it was. He regretted asking the question, but it was too late now. He had to apologize and move on. He vowed to be more mindful in the future. Not the question I intended, but I understand your point of view.

The truth is, he did not truly understand what he was getting into and did not completely realize how high the stakes were. This was what it was to be a Shadow, what he saw. They did the dirty work, that they were in fact the “dirty little secret”, he understood that. Or at least he was getting to that point. He realized that he had to be willing to do what needed to be done, no matter how dirty it was. He knew that if he didn't, the consequences would be severe. He had to accept the risks and do what was asked of him.

My apologies. Whatever you have to teach, I am willing to learn. My intention for my question was if this was to set up something else, that is all, but that is in the past. It was not easy to humble himself like this, but it was necessary. He was willing to take responsibility for his actions and move on. He was determined to learn from his mistakes and become a better version of himself. He was ready to start anew.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

"This was to show rather then setup. Being a jedi like this is not something you teach, it is not something in a classroom. We are among the few in the order who do not take positions. We serve as needed. THe councilor of first knowledge assigns us if needed." He would say that their will is not their own but that wasn't entirely true, few he had met among the jedi were as strong as some shadows... it was just a mentality when you were required to fight. That was he imagined was one of the factors in why modern shadows he saw tried to form their own order and have a power structure. Or a flexible morality and viewpoint so that they didn't have to serve. He internally shrugged while moving with most of the creature while he stood there and spoke. "Alema send a message to Mira. We have taken care of the larger beasts." He said it and looked up and around as he was sensing the ship. "Understood master, message away." He gave a small nod of his head and turned his head to look towards Connel. "If you seek to learn, learn from the mistakes of those who came before. Become a better version of what we sought to build and foster."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

It made sense now. He was approaching this new path all wrong, and maybe that was why father wanted him to search Syn out. Now it made sense, he was approaching this like a Guardian and not a Shadow, he was using his own preconceived notions, and that was wrong. He could do so with the mask off, but when he put it on, he had to change his mindset. I get it, I do.

The talk on the comm-link was a little confusing. Was he here to help father, but to suit his own purposes? That was not really any kind of issue though as he left Connel some food for thought and a good path to follow to get there.

I will, thank you. He was not going to leave until Syn left, not out of mistrust, but he suddenly seemed to be looking for something. Maybe a ride?

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

He looked down at him and raised an eyebrow behind the sash. "Have you ever met Master Mira? Maybe not she is different and one of the few who stayed over from the Silver jedi. She visits the temple of the three daughters as well as Ahch-To." He said it and was walking in the shadowlands as things remained quiet around. "She is also the councilor of first knowledge, one of the few who understands this vocation of the jedi and who determines when they are sent out and how much they should unleash." He said it while moving though and leading the way for Connel. "You will likely meet others, Matsu has recalled her masters. Bringing them back from assignments at the edges of the galaxy and beyond. It will benefit the temple here like the rest of the ones that have been built."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Pulling his mask off, Connel was visibly bewildered at the name and shook his head “no” at the question as to whether he had met a “Master Mira” or not. He looked around, as if expecting the person to appear, then shook his head again. He got up and walked round, muttering something under his breath.

Muttering was not out of disrespect, if Syn could read his lips, he would see Connel clearly repeating the name and trying to jog his memory. Connel was confused and frustrated. He was certain he had met the person before, but he couldn't recall their name. He was determined to figure out who it was.

The thought of meeting others was a good thing, after all, if Master Ike was bringing in her own from all over the galaxy to help build up The Shadow Temple, then that was a great thing. He was glad for father in that regard.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

The jedi master looked at him and could hear it more then seeing it.. the sash over his eyes not just for style as he spoke offering a small chuckle. "If you had, you would remember her. tall, athletic and a zeltron who welcomes everyone." He said it while moving as he touched a tree and pulled himself up to crouch while pondering. "You may need to organize some of the students or some of the instructors to come out here from time to time and just make sure nothing large is trying to move in. As the temple grows it may be easier but Caltin will want to make sure there is a means to keep predators at a distance. Even if it is just for protection should there be younger students or the wookie trabe he has befriended."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Connel nodded at the explanation of “Mira” and the type of sentient he was, Connel clearly had not met her, but that was alright.

Again nodding at the directive, he answered I’ll let him know, we can make the arrangements to train in this manner, at least for tracking purposes.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

"Good." He said it and remained in the tree for a moment... allowing the force to spread out from his body and he could sense everything connected to it. He could feel much more as his senses expanded outward further and further. The world was still teeming with life and from the surface to the canopy and all of the villages he knew there waas a whole lot more happening... more dangerous things. He looked more at the boy and spoke remaining where he was and going still in position. "There is time now before something big comes. What has your father told you about the war?" He said it and was more curious... there were a strange number of clone wars era jedi and soldiers... even sith but it was always interesting to hear what they thought or remembered.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Caught a bit off guard by the question about the war, Connel could only help but wonder “which one?” So he took back to those stories as there were many, but decided on the ones that were the most direct and told of a summation of the wars themselves. He shared the stories of how the war began, how each side fought, and the eventual outcome. He made sure to emphasize the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought and died. He also talked about the lasting consequences of the war and how it shaped the world today.

The Bryn’adul war took a lot out of the galaxy as a whole, not just the Jedi. Father watched his oldest friend and “sister” my adoptive “aunt” Ala Quin be broken in front of him. There was the war with the Maw when they tried to destroy Tython, it was inspiring to see so many stand against them to drive them away, even at a cost. Then there was the Clone Wars, where he basically became the “closed off grouch” people think he is. He laughed at the last comment. He could feel something out there, getting stronger as if coming closer. That might be what Syn was referring to.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

He chuckled "I remember the Clone War, the way the temple burned, the faces of jedi destroyed in the force. I saw a third of the jedis legion fall and the creation of those who were much worse. I stood with my brothers and watched more fall We tore their rebel thrones from the tower." He said it and remained there for a moment. "Things were so different then in some ways pure and from the number who seem to have survived and been put in eternal sleep it makes it interesting in other ways. For them it was a moment... they closed their eyes and came back to a world changed. For others... the time went on, nine hundreds years moves no faster for anyone else." He did have a small grin on his face though as it had done other things.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Connel listened, not only surprised that Syn had survived so long, but the fact that yet another Jedi was of that time. “What was he?”

It didn’t matter. If anyone could show him the way, it was Syn, he learned more and more by the moment.

I’m surprised that the two of you haven’t swapped stories. Did you know him? He asked, curious. To him, Caltin was just “father”, but he wanted to know about Caltin the actual Jedi.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

Hahahaha "We might have at one point but it was a very different time and we were all very different people." He said it recalling a little and he didn't say it, he didn't have to if they had met it would have been on opposite sides but he has had the time to become this. "I was a very different person and had so little idea of what we had been made into. By the time a few of us wanted more it was far to late and there was a time I regreted it but looking back it is more like stars. All you see are the old images of them." He said it but remained for a moment. "Besides, I am fairly certain if we were in a room at the same time... we would destroy a planet."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Wow… okay…

No doubt, the comments were a bit “shocking”, especially the part about “Destroying a planet” but people can change. It made things a little different, but did not change Connel’s outlook. There was something to learn here, and he was going to continue.

I think you would be surprised if you two were in that room today, but I respect it. It was honest, he was not trying to convince the man, He simply acknowledged the situation and accepted it. It was an admirable display of maturity and respect.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

"Perhaps." He said it more as a thought and while he might doubt it... the boy wasn't wrong. "There seem to always be more from that time appearing. Though my children might not fully understand it all." He shrugged more like what are you going to do before he was moving his hands to his sash and he took it off. Retrieving some water and making sure it was clean as well as the gaps for his eyes. The thin membrane never really growing over thick enough. HE finished cleaning it and slid the sash back over while he remained there a little longer. "You were sent to me, what more to you sense out here?" He said it and looked at Connel with a raised eyebrow as he tied the sash

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Well…

To be honest, Connel was not thinking about what was around him, the feral beasts. There was nothing that he truly did not sense, but Vanagor was so used to it that he was able to just assume that it was normal.

Stopping and truly paying attention to the surroundings, Connel was slowly able to discern different sentients out there. He was not able to yet figure out which was which or truly how far out they were, because of the lack of experience with this, but he was sensing them…

There is either several smaller things, or one big mother out there, not that far away...

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

"Only several?" He raised an eyebrow and moved down from his position with a leap. Landing on all four limbs almost silently except for the air moving the leaves and branches. The jedi master rising up and he pointed with his hand to indicate. "You focus on the large, even smaller creatures that would normally be food to the others are larger then some of the more dangerous things. It isn't all fangs and claw. SOmetimes the most dangerous thing will be the small gnat that spreads a flesh eating sickness to a soldier the moment they expose their skin at camp or on the neck of a jedi. If you are going to travel in the places of the galaxy others won't tread you need to be aware of everything within it. From the rocks and soil to the bugs and birds... parasites or even some of the lesser predators that given time will be able to kill anything."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

Uhhh yeah?

Did he miss something? Judging by the reaction of Syn he clearly did. He missed a lot the sheer number of things he missed was and should be mind boggling. However none of it caught Connel by surprise at all. In fact he took it in almost excitedly. He did sense more than he mentioned, but he was wrong to assume.

Truth is, it all made perfect sense. It was better to be “paranoid” for no reason than to be relaxed and exposed. Connel of all people understood this with his father. Taking it all in like a sponge, Connel soaked in the information and sensed further.

Okay… let me try that again… Closing his eyes for a moment, Connel reached out and waved away a harmless looking plant that had a parasite that could enter the bloodstream and eat you from the inside out. Syn would no doubt sense it as well as if waiting for him to pick up on it.

 

[Syn]

Connel Vanagor

He was doing better and the jedi masters hand came out pushing leaves and everything away from him. A repulsive shield making space while he spoke. "Better, if what I do is what you truely seek to become. It isn't just outside forces you will be searchign for. The smallest things, the smallest indications of a threat... small ripples in the force that can grow into bigger problems. There was a time when they might have just been eliminated but now you bring this before the councilor of first knowledge and they investigate." He was walking and moved quietly but backwards guiding his footsteps as it went through the underbrush of the shadowlands and listened. "If other turn it will fall to you to make sure they are stopped and there is no thanks in it. There is only the hunt for monsters."

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Shadow Temple | OBJECTIVE : “Not getting a day off apparently” | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Syn | TAG (FOE) : @

”Thankless job” indeed.

It was not so much about “being paranoid” than being one step ahead of the opposition. Thinking like others, and looking at everything. It truly was a “lonely” life, but that was the life of a Shadow, appar… obviously. It was something he had to commit to. Connel had skills and this worked to his skillset, but this was something that was needed. Something truly for the greater good.

At the expense of the individual…

It was also a “friendless” life in many respects as you were the one who was expected to take down those who fall to the Dark Side? Wow. He was going to have to put this to thought. He had to decide if this was a life he wanted to continue. He knew it would be lonely and difficult, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He was determined to make a difference. He knew he had to be strong and steadfast. There was no doubt in his mind that he would make a difference if he was determined to do it. He took a deep breath and made up his mind. He was ready.

I’ve been learning about the Dark Side and how to address it since childbirth. I was on Iridonia not that long ago and learned to push my limits there. I have been in countless operations already. I still have a lot to learn.