Uncommon Times

[Darlyn Excron]

Commenor had fallen.

It was a hard thing to admit, but Commenor was no longer free. And no doubt the Sith would order those they deemed dangerous to die, certainly the Minister of Defense would top their lists. A powerful master of Lightning, with enough firepower to match platoons of troops, it would be no hard thing to imagine. Thus, Darlyn had taken advantage of his surroundings, and made his way off world alongside the Silver Jedi, seeking with them some measure of safety. His child was still safely off world, away from everything, until such a time he knew where she could remain safe. She was why he had come to one of the places he dreaded most, a place filled with enough Light, and fearing the retribution they might hold in their hearts.

He didn't exactly have many good experiences with these kinds of people.

So unsurprisingly, he opted to remain within Mandalore's armor, his lightsabers strapped to his hips as he followed directions and guards to the Master of the Order's office, wherein he would find sanctuary, or condemnation. With an almost grim determination, he pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

A heavily armored man entered Jyoti's office while she was sipping on tea, exuding a dark aura.

Any other time, this may have been a cause for alarm, but the Echani remained composed, expression serene. She didn't miss a beat, enjoying another sip of her tea as he stepped through the door.

Minister Excron had been expected.

"Ah, you're finally here. Please make yourself comfortable. I set some tea and cookies out on the desk if you'd like some refreshment."

She motioned for him to sit at one of the empty chairs before her desk.

She balanced her cup in both arms, looking down at its dark contents as her expression grew more somber. "I can only imagine what you may be feeling now. It's not quite the same as home, but I hope you've been comfortable during your stay here."

For now, the Minister had been set up with a room inside the main temple itself, but arrangments were being made to give him a more permanent residence once the security situation was figured out. Excron was quite safe from the onslaught of any Sith armies, but a crafty assassin or two could always slip past even the most formidable defenses.

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"I'd be afraid to break the glass, if we're to be honest Miss." Darlyn pulled the seat out with the Force before seating himself casually into it. It wasn't a show of power either, if it were it would be a poor demonstration. Rather he simply didn't think much of it, being so intimately close with the cosmic force. "And I'm afraid I'm quite used to being without a home. I'm more concerned with how Shoden will handle herself.."

The adopted daughter of Darlyn, yes she was the thing on the fore front of his mind. "Though I can't say you haven't been welcoming thus far. Considering the circumstances I doubt there's much more, comforting conditions to be under." Darlyn was sure to maintain a polite tone of voice to his hostess, she was being quite generous to allow him to stay despite his, everything. Yet he was fully expecting there to be a cost to this hospitality, nothing was free in the galaxy after all. "However I doubt you've called me here to discuss this alone, Miss Jedi."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She noted how casually Excron made use of the of the Force and how he called her Miss Jedi. She wasn't much phased by the former, being quite proficient with telekinesis herself through constant practice, but the way he identified her was quite intriguing. Was that how people viewed Jyoti and the rest, just as Jedi?

"Minister Excron, Miss Nooran will do just fine," she gently corrected. "Well, actually I did. My concern first and foremost is your well being. You seem to be doing fine, and your daughter is as well, though if she requires protection, we can help her as well."

"However, since you did bring it up, I do have some other questions if you're willing to ask. Do you know the status of the CSA at this point? Too soon to say that it's gone for good?"

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Protect Shoden? Just keep armies away and the girl will be fine. She'd play pranks on her guards anyways, and continue the long standing tradition of sneaking away from whoever's supposed to watch her." A small smile at the corner of his lips, the girl did him proud with her talents. And for a little bit it seemed like the darker parts of the Force, which clung to him like a thick, second skin, brightened just a bit.

It returned to normal as the topic, and his thoughts, drifted away from Shoden. "What a farce of an alliance that was. Kay and her bleeding heart are too pure for the galaxy. She'd hoped to help people in breaking the Blockade, and our allies left us to our own devices before the battle on Commenor. Will it stay gone, for good? I'm not sure, but i cannot foresee it coming back anytime soon. Not as long as the Ministers who made it prosper are in exile and the Sith reign over it."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti allowed herself a few chuckles as Minister Excron injected some levity into the conversation. She was glad to see he had a sense of humor, sometimes that's all you had to get through the grimdark nightmare that was their galaxy.

In a surprise, he shifted to almost bemoaning Kay as he believed her to have left the CSA in a bad spot. Jyoti didn't necessarily disagree with him - in fact, she agreed with his assessment wholeheartedly - but she felt the need to be diplomatic in her response as she didn't want to come off bad mouthing everyone.

"I'm sure Kay had the best intentions at heart, but it was a great deal of hubris on her part to believe that everyone could just be talked down or depend upon the mercy of others. This left the CSA weak against opponents who could never be reasoned with, like the Sith Empire. Much too late, has the lesson been learned."

"What will you do now in exile?"

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Oh don't get me wrong, I know it was. I even admire her determination to stick to her beliefs as long as she could. But as her friend, I can't bear to lie about her failings however noble they are. If I did I'd be letting her down." Perhaps he had come off as a bit, aggressive. He didn't wish to give the impression he and Kay were not friends, he was simply speaking honest truth. His admiration of his friend would not allow him to blind himself to when she erred in judgement.

To her question though, he gave a small shrug. "Oh nothing unusual. Settle Shoden in for however long we'll be stuck away from home, build a rebellion, destroy the Sith Empire, kill however many Zambrano family members I can with whatever method fits their crimes best, free Commenor, and if I manage to find the time I'll double check on the Commenori brandy this year, make sure it's up to standards."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She had been hesitant to be so candid with a former CSA official lest she hurt some feelings, but Excron didn't really seem to have an issue with it, being quite frank himself.

"See, when people say things like Kay being deadset on remaining true to her beliefs, I get the feeling that she put herself before the best interests of Commenor and the Systems Alliance."

This is why she never liked the idea of empires or monarchies, which is what the CSA and Comenor were, respectively. No one should have the power decide the destiny of an entire nation on her own. Even Jyoti had a council to answer to for every decision she took as Master of the Order.

The jokes didn't stop coming, as Excron gave her his future plans in a most humorous manner.

"That's a tall order, let's see if we can't secure the brandy first. Birth of the Rebellion right there."

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Most of us were on board with her though, that's the thing. She may have had ultimate authority, certainly as far as Commenor, but she consulted with us before taking action. Not to mention if she ever seemed to act against our interests intentionally, I had full authority to arrest her. Besides the point, there was a senate. They ultimately disagreed with the CSA's final actions, at least as far as retribution went, which was perhaps the only time I can think of she herself acted against the collective's desires, though they only voiced disagreement well after the fact. Though I won't say I don't get what your thoughts are on the matter. Truth be told I feel Kay herself hoped not to be kept in such a position, it was her idea to form the Senate after all."

Not that Darlyn cared, senate or not he'd been paid by Kay and her alone. So he would do his job, loyal to her and Commenor. Even though he evidently had little say in how Justice would be executed now. Then she mentioned securing the brandy first...

"See I would, but right now the Sith have a stranglehold on the planet. I love my brandy, but I wouldn't be able to rest with the people like that. Public servant and all that. I have my duties even if the Sith disagree."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti nodded along, obtaining a better understanding of the internal politics of the CSA. It was interesting he brought up the Senate, as she had believed it to have been dissolved. It might as well have been if they were just rubber stamping every policy from the executive branch.

"About that last decision. I actually found it out of character for the CSA to take such aggressive action against the Sith Empire in the end. A noble gesture, I suppose, but not one that the CSA was ready to take. Seeing as people are still willing to fight, I only wish that more patience had been exercised to build up its forces and coordinate better with its allies. I think most of us were taken completely by surprise, which is what you may perceive your them abandoning you. It's a fair assessment to say she - the CSA - underestimated the Sith's military capabilities and their capacity for cruelty."

They had grown soft, she wanted to really say. Many of those states within the CSA had been in the GR during the war with the One Sith, and had let the memories of that awful conflict that they had done everything in their power to avoid any more, but in doing so, they had invited violence upon themselves once more. It was beginning to dawn upon them, much like the Silver Sanctum, that they had only enjoyed some semblance peace while their enemies were distracted by more pressing targets.

"Well we have plenty of refreshments on hand. You should take a break. We're no use to Commenor ragged. Besides, the Sith are expecting immediate retaliation. As we're currently not in a position to prevent any retribution against the people, we'll need to bide our time anyway."

"So, why the Silver Order? You could have bounced after we rescued you from the planet, but still kept in contact for material support. Is there something else you're seeking from us?"

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"She took some of the harsher words to heart more than perhaps she should've. My own words were, measured I believe, but i doubt I am free of blame. No... we all made this bed we lay in. We had hoped in the wrong path and suffer now for it. Of course, I can't help but wonder now what will happen. They've won the battle, but before a politician I was a hunter. What new vulnerabilities will be made, extending so very far from home? I'm itching to learn."

Despite the raging inferno of hate and anger, at himself and the Sith, Darlyn kept his tone even, almost gentle as he spoke. Lashing out and needless conflict were the way of the Sith, not he, and the first step to controlling such actions was to control one's voice. It would help... fool himself... into quiet ease.

And then the question he hadn't quite expected to be asked so, plainly, yet very much in a leading way. Something he sought from them? He couldn't even stop himself from giving a single, short laugh. "Hardly. Where better is there to seek refuge from the Sith than with the Jedi? Even if you hate me I guarantee you hate them more, and I guarantee you'd protect Shoden even if you wouldn't let me stay. Not to mention you were already there, so why not just follow through with it?"

He didn't mention the anger he'd felt on Commenor, the pain and rage. The thought to kill consuming him, staved off barely by his concerns for Shoden, and the almost oppressive amount of Light the Jedi had combined among them pressing back in his mind. He couldn't mention it.

"Besides, living without some semblance of a stable home... kids don't deserve that. Shoden doesn't deserve that. Not after what we've been through."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She nodded, accepting that in the end, she couldn't blame Kay for all that had happened. There were many to blame for the current outcome with the CSA.

"As for the future of Commenor, it may be in Sith hands for the near term. Commenor has no chance of resisting the Sith Empire on their own, but we're not exactly overflowing with reliable allies at this moment."

The Silver Jedi could probably engage the Sith Empire. What the SJO couldn't do is engage the SE, ME, and FO at once, a multi-front war is likely to result in the event of an open conflict. They had to bide their time and keep building.

"I suppose if there is a silver lining to all this, it's that it's only being Commenor being affected by all this. Meanwhile, the Sith have largely ignored the rest of what we knew as the Systems Alliance. With basically all the other systems intact and free of hostile influence, we have a large base to work with when it is time to fight again."

"This is something you can help me with, you and other CSA officials still around."

She frowned a bit as he continued, finding issue with the suggestion that she may hate him. It seemed like the Minister had quite the chip on his shoulder, even if he was just joking.

"I do wonder, what makes you think I'd ever have a reason to hate you. Right now, you sit there comfortably (I hope) safe and sound enjoying a civil conservation. I trust that's a good sign that I don't hate you."

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Because I'm a violent individual with a distinct love of explosions, graphic violence, and firing the biggest gun I can find in any giving combat scenario? I don't know about you but that is a pretty damn good reason to hate someone. And as to being civil, civility and hatred are not mutually exclusive. You could absolutely hate everything I am and that I stand for yet recognize that civility is necessary to make use of resources I may have access to, or in fact be myself, and be pragmatic about it all. I'll be frank, why it isn't everyone who hates me I find genuinely astounding."

TO be fair, in his own eyes, he had a point. Kay liked him because of shared experiences, he understood that, and Shoden was near spoiled by his affections for the girl, but when it came to everyone else? Well frankly it made no sense. He'd made a distinct observation once, with another Minister, that he was no hero, he simply happened to be better than the villains. At least in his eyes he didn't see himself as a person a Jedi could really stand to be around.

Again, the fact he wasn't currently in a cell kind of astonished him. "And I mean there was also the fact I probably wouldn't have shed much of a tear if one of my explosives nicked any of you, had I been given the chance to use them. Obviously I wouldn't aim for that, that'd be stupid, but to be frank if I still hit my target I'd have been perfectly fine with some friendly fire. I don't think that was exactly a secret either..."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]