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There is no emotion... (A Jedi Order Quest)

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[1] Reparations to the Domo
[4] Sensor Data
[2] Extradite War Criminals
[3] Czerka Intel
 
[1] Reparations to the Domo
[4] Sensor Data
[3] Extradite War Criminals
[2] Czerka Intel
 
[3] Reparations to the Domo
[4] Sensor Data
[1] Extradite War Criminals
[2] Czerka Intel
Establish order, ensure galactic security, THEN make nice with the locals. Mical was a stuffed shirt remember?
 
[1] Reparations to the Domo
[4] Sensor Data
[3] Extradite War Criminals
[2] Czerka Intel
 
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    • The thing about power is that producing it also causes heat.

    Of course, there are methods of dealing with that: ways to shunt it into hyperspace, hyper-efficient meta-materials, low-running fusion generators and more, all designed to allow ships and other powered entities to run stealthily.

    But a bunch of lowest-cost, cut-to-the-bone corporate sociopaths like Czerka would never toss that sort of support to their disposable mercenary scum. Too expensive.

    And so for the long, long years that this war has continued, the One World Star Corp has known where Mercenary Headquarters, codenamed Arc of Deceit by the Domo, is.

    Of course, that is all rather irrelevant to any Jedi (or Sith, or Other, for that matter). No, the thing that lets you know where they are is their own mind.

    You can feel it, all of it. The oil-black hatereds, the greasy-smeared chorus of greed, the little, discordant notes of fear, they leak out and let you know exactly where the enemy is. For you are Brianna, daughter of Arren Kae, among the last of the Jedi.

    Lightyears away, the majority of the mercenary forces are negotiating with the Domo forces, accepting their surrender. Here, you are breaking whatever resistance is left.

    The wide, squat, Domo vessel bursts into real-space, followed by a veritable swarm of fighters and a thicket of frigates, cruisers, and dreadnaughts. The holoterminal in the center of your transport bursts to life; one of the mercenary leaders, a black-haired, pale-skinned mercenary, a Mandalorian by the look of things, glares at you (Shock of shocks, really). "Jedi."

    "Mandalorian."

    "Surrender, peacefully. Think of the lives lost; think of what you have to lose."

    You can feel the tension in the others, the grunts, as they realize what is about to unfold.

    "Think of the glory, to be the last true Crusader!"

    And with that comms cut, and the battle begins.
    --

    Combat W1: 20+3=23
    Combat W2: 17+3=20
    Combat W3: 10+3=13

    The room is on fire.

    And it isn't your fault.

    You are Atris, once a Master of the Jedi Order, now a student once again.

    But, you reflect, as your lightsaber cleaves through Mandalorian flesh, the way it should have so many years ago now, when Revan, and Meetra, and Mitsil went off, not for practical lessons.

    Three times the Mandalorians come, three times they spit death; and three times you show them why they will never be the third edge of the Blade.

    They call Jedi arrogant?

    Ha!

    If it is arrogant to become a vessel of the Force; if it is arrogant to become the conduit that follows the will of another; if it is arrogant to dedicate yourself to a higher mystery; then how much more arrogant is it to burn the galaxy to the ground because you want to?

    Distantly you hear a rumble; and then a great crash before the galaxy becomes fire.

    The next thing you can comprehend seeing is a mech suit, a hastily converted cargo loader. It has enough firepower to destroy a platoon, what looks to be a small missile launcher, and a shield generator on the front.

    You smile and roar and feel your blood pump as you keep them from realizing where, exactly, the others are.
    --
    Wisdom (Unopposed): 20+5=25
    Padawan Tharador shifts a bit, uncomfortable.

    Master Kyrido moves, breathes, shifts; and a moment later they are no longer on the Domo vessel.

    Instead they are one with the universe, with all things, foe and friend alike.

    They give courage to beleaguered friendmen, letting them push on to new heights. The Companions, already mighty warriors, near peerless in this part of the galaxy, push on to godlike feats of war-making, fighting twenty, thirty to one unbroken.

    They sap the will, resolve, composure of foes; more importantly, they give them the courage to surrender.

    Most important of all, they make sure no AA guns destroy the fiery, red-streaked escape pod that bears such precious cargo.
    --
    Hundreds of tons of armor is turned to ash and broken as the pod streaks towards smashes through the station's armor, modified for just this task. Inside Brianna, master Jedi, meditates.

    Finally it stops as she reaches her target. The top of the pod pops off; and a moment later a slugthrower barks. With reflexes born of the Force she grips it in an iron will and sends it back; the scattergun shatters as the pellets rip through it. A vibroblade hums as the mercenary grabs it and cuts at her, only for her twin lightsabers to block the blow then riposte, opening the trunk of his body as the superhot plasma rips through his armor.

    Running off adrenaline, in shock, the mercenary's activates his gauntlet mounted knives.

    They dance the dance of death for a moment, but in the end he stumbles; and Brianna's lightsabers find their marks.
    --
    You are Mical, disciple of Meetra, and your communicator has just beeped, letting you know you've won.

    Excellent.

    "Now then, let us get down to business..."
    --

    (Results for negotiation up soon)
     
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    • Ironically I think Atris and the other members of the Jedi Council were correct when they argued the Jedi should not join the Mandalorian Wars. All indications are that while the Mandalorians were a threat to the Outer Rim and could cause a lot of damage to the Republic in their rampages they had no realistic chance of actually defeating the Republic. The Republic had defeated them a few decades earlier in the Exar Kun War and while they had rebuilt and expanded their industry while conquering and incorporating the population of several neighboring wars there industry and population was just too small to honestly compete with the Republic.

    In effect they are Japan trying to fight the United States in WWII and the truth is that while the Japanese failures at Pearl Harbor to destroy the U.S. carriers and at Midway shortened the war they didn't really effect the Outcome. Japan could have sunk every warship stationed at Pearl Harbor destroyed every United States carrier at Midway and it still wouldn't have changed the Outcome. Similarly had Revan not intervened the war might have been longer and more costly but the Republic would still have won and had he not intervened the end result would probably have been a net benefit for the Republic since they wouldn't have had to fight his Sith and certainly better for the Jedi who wouldn't have lost so many members first to Revan then to the Triumvirate.

    At the same time the Jedi were still recovering their numbers from Exar Kun, tracking down surviving Sith who as the members who joined Revan's Sith show were not all dead, and dealing with groups like the Jedi Covenant and all the problems they brought. As such its understandable the Jedi Council who have to look after and dow hats best for the entire order even if its not popular refused to support intervention. That said its in character for Atris to regret her decisions and also in character for Meetra's disciples being trained by one of those who followed Revan to war to not necessarily recognize that the Jedi Council was ultimately correct.
     
    sciencefiction said:
    That said its in character for Atris to regret her decisions and also in character for Meetra's disciples being trained by one of those who followed Revan to war to not necessarily recognize that the Jedi Council was ultimately correct.
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    Which is the moral compromise? To hold one's ideals as higher than the happiness, suffering, and death of countless others around you...or to prevent that suffering at the cost of not meeting your ideals? </Kreia>

    Okay, Kreia might not have said that but after writing it I realized it sure sounded like her.

    Does being a Jedi require, even with precognition, that others suffer before you begin to come to their aid? Where is the line between ensuring a peace that minimizes suffering and becoming an arm of a government which may not serve all peoples?

    The Jedi Council was wrong to dismiss the suffering of countless thousands. Revan was wrong to compromise the ideals of the Jedi. There are no good answers. Only good questions and earnestly pursuing an answer you can live with and defend against others' questions, with the benefit of wisdom of the past and visions of the future.

    There is a splinter Jedi sect I am rather fond of, thousands of years from now, whose code consists of a three-part harmony: Be Good. Do Good. Ask Good Questions.

    I do not believe it is as simple as you might say. All the same, I am pleased to see philosophical thought dedicated to these questions.
     
    The problem was that the Jedi were already dealing with a significant problem with Sith infiltrators and surviving cultist of Exar Kun that honestly sending forces to fight a war that the Republic was already going to win was a distraction from. Haazen recruited hundreds of Jedi into the Jedi Covenant basically acting unknown to them as a potential Sith army that came terrifyingly close to killing the Jedi Council, much of the Jedi Order's senior masters, and probably a significant amount of the Republic leadership since it was suggested that after taking out the Jedi Council Haazen's next target would have been the Republic government to allow him to replace them with his puppets.

    At the same time the casualties from the Exar Kun war the Jedi were still recovering from meant they did not have the forces to do both jobs. As such the Jedi had to prioritize and focused on the Sith threat they specialized in rather then the more conventional threat the Republic military could handle. Even the Jedi will reluctantly admit they can't solve every problem in the Galaxy and have to prioritize which is why the Jedi don't go after the Hutt empire for instance.
     
    I'll admit, my Old Republic history outside of the very specific actions of Revan and Meetra is kinda weak. It's quite possible you're right. There's more going on, though.

    From a Watsonian perspective, sure, the Jedi can't do everything, and Jedi arrogance and secrecy and the lure of the Dark Side prevent them from ever accomplishing everything their ideals want them to be.

    From a Doylist perspective, if the Jedi were actually able to stand up and take care of business, there wouldn't be a story left. Hutt Space is always deemed "More Trouble Than It's Worth" as a source of narrative tension. The Sith, the Mandalorians, they exist to create proper narrative tension and to ensure sufficient conflict to create a Star Wars Story worth reading and worth writing.

    Why do you suppose that the side the audience is supposed to cheer for always has face-revealing helmets and is encouraged to have individual personalities both in and out of combat, while the side the audience is supposed to root against has their faces obscured, their personhood obscured, and they are encouraged to fall in line and be agents of their large and powerful organization? It's because Star Wars grows Watsonian justifications for Doylist concerns more regularly and more excellently than any other franchise I can think of.

    The tension, the question of "with limited resources and limited capabilities, which do you sacrifice: your ideals or the well-being of others?" That's an interesting story all its own, if told well. Your opponents don't have to be anything special, just enough to force the question.
     
    Important thing to remember about the Mandalorian Wars is that one of the main reasons why it took so long for the Jedi to join the war officially was that the Council sensed that whoever was behind the war wanted the Jedi to join it (which was what Vitiate really wanted). But that wasn't something you could really prove in front of the Senate or the Republic populace, so to them it really seemed like the Jedi were just sitting around, doing nothing, while they had to try to determine which was worse: letting the Mandalorians rampage, or stepping into this trap of unknown origin and purpose.
    Voikirium said:
    You can feel it, all of it. The oil-black hatereds, the greasy-smeared chorus of greed, the little, discordant notes of fear, they leak out and let you know exactly where the enemy is. For you are Brianna, daughter of Arren Kae, among the last of the Jedi.
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    Their emotions betray them.
    Voikirium said:
    But, you reflect, as your lightsaber cleaves through Mandalorian flesh, the way it should have so many years ago now, when Revan, and Meetra, and Mitsil went off, not for practical lessons.
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    Whose Mitsil?
    Voikirium said:
    Finally it stops as she reaches her target. The top of the pod pops off; and a moment later a slugthrower barks. With reflexes born of the Force she grips it in an iron will and sends it back; the scattergun shatters as the pellets rip through it. A vibroblade hums as the mercenary grabs it and cuts at her, only for her twin lightsabers to block the blow then riposte, opening the trunk of his body as the superhot plasma rips through his armor.

    Running off adrenaline, in shock, the mercenary's activates his gauntlet mounted knives.

    They dance the dance of death for a moment, but in the end he stumbles; and Brianna's lightsabers find their marks.
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    He put up a really good fight, but didn't have much of a chance.
     
    Things likely wouldn't have been near as bad if the Order itself had provided a unified front of support in attending to the Mandalorian Wars. Part of what made people detest them was due to their waiting, their inability to participate due to fear of an outside threat. Instead, the Jedi split in two, many felt as if the Order was arrogant and had allowed so many to die without just cause.

    While they believed there was more to be worried about, which was true, it was in part their inaction that damned them in this situation. Vitiate succeeded regardless so the time spent in their civil war was all the better for him.

    That's how I always saw it.
     
    Yeah, while I can understand why the Jedi Council was hesitant to intervene directly in the war, the fact was that they played directly into Vitate's hands by doing so. Granted, even the entire Order committing to the war effort would have suited Vitate just fine, but at least the schism might have been avoided.

    Not that Revan and Malak handled things terribly well even before they fell to the Dark Side. They did some pretty horrible stuff during the Mandalorian Wars, and while it's debatable whether joining the Republic Military as generals and commanders was inarguably wrong choice as it was for the Clone Wars Jedi, it was still a pretty questionable decision.
     
    they made a decision that was not necessarily the right one, but even in hindsight it might not have been wrong either
    basically they were in a bad place, overstretched and had only the faintest clue what their enemy was planning
     
    Priorities
  • Threadmarks
    • [1] Reparations to the Domo
    [4] Sensor Data
    [2] Extradite War Criminals
    [3] Czerka Intel

    Without the sword of Tetis hanging over all your heads, the Domo negotiators are allowed to go to the knife's edge in getting what they want. First and foremost, they positively rip into the Mercenaries, pulling out their logistical, materiel supplies, grisly feasting on the mercenary chapter's Czerka backed supplies like some starving, primordial predator. Every cent Czerka ever paid them is being claimed by the Domo, and good for them.

    The mood sours, however, when you get to the matter of war-criminals. It seems a number were of a more...independent sort, and so fled even as the rest of the mercenaries either surrendered when they heard what had happened or prepared to give their lives deeply. While the Butcher of Grasp will be tried in Domo court, as will a score of other, lesser war criminals, by and large most of the worst escaped justice by the skin of their teeth, and are currently doing God knows what with God knows who, God knows where.

    As part of their reparations to the Republic for aiding her enemies, they offer you, the Jedi, both Czerka's records and their own scans of various planets, civilizations, and travel routes in the Unknown Regions, primarily, though not entirely, to the galactic south. At the least it will allow you to integrate Naboo much more smoothly into galactic affairs; who knows what it will allow at most? Certainly a few of these scans seem...interesting to you. Especially the ones from the Deep Core.

    In any case, with a treaty drawn up and the blasters powered down, it becomes time for peace, such that it is, to reign.

    Results:

    Domo very impressed with your efforts. (+5 PP for making the Republic look good, will be invited to build facility in Domo Space)
    Broke the last bit of Czerka aligned resistance (+30 PP)
    Major Bonus to Colonization and First Contact chance, and reduction to involved DC
    Reclaimed Jedi Knowledge from Czerka, +30 Knowledge, ??? (1/3)
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Voikirium said:
    by and large most of the worst escaped justice by the skin of their teeth, and are currently doing God knows what with God knows who, God knows where.
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    Shouldn't this be the Force?
    Voikirium said:
    Domo very impressed with your efforts. (+5 PP for making the Republic look good, will be invited to build facility in Domo Space)
    Broke the last bit of Czerka aligned resistance (+30 PP)
    Major Bonus to Colonization and First Contact chance, and reduction to involved DC
    Reclaimed Jedi Knowledge from Czerka, +30 Knowledge, ??? (1/3)
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    Nice, nice.
     
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