Onderin Starlisk

((My mistake. Thanks for the clarification.)) Jaren opened his eyes. He had thought a lot about the conversation he had overheard and still didn't think Mage had deserved what Scorpius had done to him despite the magnitude of his crime. Forgiveness was an essential trait for the Jedi. But that didn't mean that Scorpius could not transform if the he let the Force change him. Jaren's biggest concern was that he couldn't give the hopeful the training and personal focus that he would need to overcome his past. This man needed a Master, and Jaren could not fill that role. He immediately decided he would try and get in touch with the Council. "The Lehon wilds can be dangerous at night," he said. "I would recommend you sleep in the Temple during your stay here, but even I could not wake you after your friend put you to sleep." He figured it was safe to reveal that he had overheard. The more Scorpius opened up, the easier it might be for him to reconcile with the Force.

Jaren could never sleep much after a long day of teaching meditation. The Force had a way of replenishing and sustaining, and meditation was so close to sleep in a way that even as midnight approached he felt nothing but well-rested. So he had taken to wandering the grounds, keeping in touch with the Force and with Lehon itself. Every world he had visited had its own feel, its own resonance. Lehon had a way of being placid during the day but reminding him of the dangers that nature held when predators stalked the night hours. The majesty of an ecosystem played itself out in perfect balance, a sustainable entity that was seemed both chaotic and yet perfectly ordered at the same time. The Jedi Knight had always thought nature was the cleanest analogy for the Force itself, for the two were bound. Tonight something a little bit different was happening with their newest student. Jaren had no idea what was in the man's past, but it seemed very likely that he had fought in the war, as many of them had. Experiences varied dramatically, and it was always hard to tell how the Force would affect someone untrained in controlling their emotions. He headed toward Scorpius quietly, not wanting to disturb what was happening unless it was potentially harmful. There were definitely Force ghosts appearing, Jaren realized. He witnessed some of the conversation that took place, but without the full context he couldn't make too much sense of it. Scorpius seemed to have struck down his commanding officer, but it wasn't clear what had happened with the other man, Mage. Soon the vision had ended and Scorpius slept. Jaren shrugged and set up a small camp nearby to spend some time meditating where he could keep an eye on Scorpius. Maybe the man would wake up and find him there. Really Jaren just wanted to make sure some predator didn't come wandering along. There were some unusual things on Lehon, up to and including rancors.

Onderin started to move out of the room as he continued to search the Force for the influence. However, all of his senses told him that the Force user who was doing this was not here at all. But as he expanded his sphere of influence, he quickly started to pick up on other things. There was a fair amount of agitation in the area around the Social Hall and locally in the city. He suddenly found Qaela's presence, quite alarmed and angry, approaching his location. He suddenly hoped whatever had happened hadn't led her to killing someone. Even influenced as they were by the dark side, he couldn't protect her from the Bothan justice system. He knew she would kill for her children in an instant, but he hoped she would show the restraint he had witnessed in her over the last few weeks. "It's time to leave," he said to Ads, his voice suddenly taking on some urgency. He got the feeling that Kitt had been right about a war brewing, and that incidents like this were going to take place on more worlds than Bothawui. Maybe they already were taking place. If so, then he would have very limited time to act. He would need to make a call to Sabian, his old apprentice. Then make sure the Jedi Order knew the stakes. The Jedi Master headed out of the Social Hall to see Qaela standing in front of a guard who was barring her way and had his commlink out. "Stop," he said, intuiting the situation. "She's with me, let her in." He immediately noticed that Qaela was bleeding, and then he spotted the angry mob that was making its way toward the guard perimeter. "What's happening here?" Onderin was tempted to use the Force to calm the mob, but it would take some effort and might ultimately prove fruitless. Their ship was docked nearby, within the guard perimeter, so it might not be necessary.

((Sorry about the delay. This is a filler post anyway--you're the one driving the story here.)) Jaren finished the class and the Jedi returned to their quarters as night fell on this part of Lehon. A night guard was posted as always, and parts of the Temple never truly slept, but classes were over for the day and the jungle seemed to come alive.

Onderin was stunned by Den'jki's sudden declaration and astounded by the strength of the swell of the dark side he had felt in the Force. Even as Ads pointed out the discrepancy, Onderin was on his feet along with the rest of the room. He meant to object to this sudden move, but the practical side of him quickly caught up. The resounding emotion in the room was that of support, not outcry. A Senator could never act against the wishes of her people, and the Bothan race did not go to war easily. A lot of really good arguments sprung into his mind about what Dirrm would have wished after all his years of service, but he suddenly realized there was no audience for such reason. Anything he could say here would fall upon deaf ears, no matter who he was. And a representative of the Galactic Alliance he wasn't anyway. He would report on this situation as soon as he could, and no doubt the GA would send someone to talk it over with the Bothan government, but it wasn't Onderin's job to start a debate. As a Jedi Master, however, it was his job to figure out what by the Emperor's black bones had just happened. He looked at Ads. "Something very powerful is influencing these people, just as they had a hand in Dirrm's death," he said to his apprentice, letting the roar of the crowd keep the words private between them. "We must see if we can find it." Onderin matched words with action and stretched out with his feelings, trying to find the echo of the disturbance he had felt and, if possible, track it back to its source. Such influence was typically short-range, he knew, though it had felt as though it were distant, and if he could stop the Sith--or whatever it was--here then he could prevent a war.

Jaren let Scorpius go. The path wasn't for everyone. He suspected that Scorpius would be back the following morning to give it another attempt, but Jaren didn't chase him down. He personally tended to shy back from the Force in places where there had been much death recently, and in battle it was often difficult to draw on it passively when he felt what the destruction of life did to it. He knew there were Masters who had spent years fighting in the war, and he wondered how they shut themselves off from that pain. He wondered if he could be that way, or if he even wanted to. The Jedi turned back to the rest of the class. "Clear your minds and start again. Let there be no questions, no doubts. The Force is only limited by your belief..."

Onderin watched Qaela walk away. It wasn't lost on him that this would be the first time she'd been without Jedi supervision since Ilum. It was possible that she would take this opportunity to just leave. She had certainly gained quite a lot, and only on her own honor would she hold her end of her agreement with him. Even if she stole or purchased transport back offworld immediately and he never saw her again, he would feel as though he had served the will of the Force in this situation and had made a significant impression on her which might just sow the seeds of change in her life. All that said, he expected that she would be back. They both knew that she had more to gain from Onderin Starlisk, and he was hoping that she would uphold her other agreement to learn a little about the way a Jedi used and viewed the Force. On that topic, Onderin thought Ads might be a significant boon. He would just have to wait and see how things played out. "Please, lead on," he said to the Bothan. Soon they were on their way to the funeral and Onderin mentally steeled himself. It was the right thing to do to be here and recognize the accomplishments that Dirrm had achieved in life. But being here at a time like this, where everyone would know who he was as Admiral Onderin Starlisk, Come to Pay His Respects, he would have to dole out and endure more than his share of fake smiles and muttered condolences. This was exactly the reason he hadn't gone into politics. That was for men like Rasil Talis. Still, it was worth it. He truly did respect Dirrm's life and service.

Jaren was quick on his feet soon after Scorpius was, approaching troubled man. Some of the students turned to look at the disturbance, but two of them actually managed to maintain their meditation. Jaren made a note of how far they had come along even in the short time they had been here. "When you touch the Force, it may show you distant places, the past and the future, and old friends long gone," he explained calmly. "I don't know what you've seen, but you're going to have to come to terms with it." It wasn't all that uncommon for someone to have a strong reaction to something the Force showed them. But it was a struggle he couldn't really help each student with. The Force was extremely personal, and everyone perceived it a little bit differently. Scorpius, just like every other Jedi, was going to have to find his own path.

Onderin almost refused Qaela's transfer of energy. She clearly still didn't understand why he was doing all of this. It was simply beyond her that he would help her not for his benefit and not even truly for hers, but simply because it was the right thing to do. Although she had gained a tremendous amount, he suspected that on some level this was still a game to her, trying to see how much she could get out of him. His first goal was to behave as a Jedi Master should and follow the will of the Force, putting himself aside in the process; his second was to show Qaela that same thing and so enact a change in her. If she at some point came to the conclusion that she could manipulate him into doing what she wanted, then both purposes would be lost. Most of the time, she was impermeable, and he couldn't quite tell if it had gotten to that point. Other times, though, he could almost see right through her. When Qaela had channeled her restorative technique, he had felt nothing in her that would indicate she had fueled herself with anger or any of the emotions that typically empowered the dark side. Her comment revealed that she was ashamed of it. Perhaps she was slowly changing, though she tried to hide it. Maybe the path forward was to keep on as he was doing, and hope that in time she fully understood why he was helping her, even if she didn't at first. For now he simply gave her a knowing look and turned back to the Bothan, approaching her. "I assume you're here about the funeral," he said. "I am prepared to attend. Ads, you should come with me. Qaela, you can choose to come or pick up the supplies you need for your children and meet us back at the ship."

Onderin was keenly aware of the exhileration that flooded into Qaela, and even more so of what was going on in Ads-Gop Flif. The younger Jedi still had a few things to learn, but he was actually holding up quite well. There was no shortage of potential in him, and though he had never finished his training, he had built a strong foundation over the years. The specifics would come in time, but Onderin was beginning to realize that there was not actually that much that Ads needed to know. That firm foundation was what took the longest to cultivate--the rest was just technique. But now he pushed onwards to the second child. Again, he started the slow process, this time taking into account what he had learned the first time through. It was still a challenge and required considerable finesse, but soon the second child had been restored as well. Sweat started to bead on his forehead as he concentrated on the final of the triplets. He was already getting much better at this, but now stamina was becoming a part of the equation for both him and Ads. Still, what he had learned already was enough that this final one took much less time, and then, just like that, there were three young beacons in the Force, strong enough to match those of the two Jedi and one dark sider. Onderin took a deep breath as he released the Battle Meld. "Well done, Ads," he said to his new padawan. "Soon, you're going to need to fill me in on what you've been taught so far. You seem quite strong on at least the basics." He turned to Qaela and slowly got up. The movement was a little bit shaky--the technique had clearly taken a lot out of him. He glanced past her and caught the eye of the Bothan woman who was waiting impatiently outside the room for him, but gave her a look that clearly said he was doing something important and she would just have to give him a minute. Turning his attention back on Qaela, he gave the slightest hint of his confident--and very Corellian--smile. "I believe the children are suitably repaired?"

"Ah, excellent," Jaren said. It seemed someone had beat him to that part of it. "We have a class of new ((NPC)) hopefuls starting in just a few minutes. I'm leading it, so I should actually get there now to set up. You're welcome to tag along." So saying, he got up and went over to a courtyard. Lehon was a beautiful world, and the Temple had been set up to take advantage of that. Especially with weather as nice as what they were having now, the courtyard was tranquil and surrounded by life. It was an ideal place to take those first steps into the much larger world of the Force. Jaren went about setting up for the class. Not much was required other than putting down some mats and pads in case the hopefuls wanted to sit on them instead of on the tiled stone floor. He also retrieved a basket full of random supplies, including a set of smooth plasteel balls of varying colors. A few other hopefuls started to come around, but Jaren knew it wasn't going to be a large class, and that was the way he liked it. This kind of training was still best done by Masters, and with a smaller group he could give more individual attention to each member. Soon, he had six hopefuls gathered, including Scorpius, and it was time to start. "Welcome, students. Let's begin," he said with no further preamble. He sat down on one of the pads he had put out at the front of the group, facing the hopefuls, and indicated for them to sit as well. "The first thing you have to become comfortable with is touching the Force. Not all of you are doing this for the first time, but it takes some practice. It's a little different for everyone, but I recommend for these first steps that you close your eyes and stretch out with your feelings. Empty your mind of questions, doubts, and emotion. The Force is everywhere, generated by all living things. It's like the background hum of the universe, but a tangible current that you can feel when you open yourself to it. "Try it now," he said, his voice growing soft.

Onderin turned his focus on the first of the three triplets, and he could feel Ads' hold anchoring the Force net in place around the child. "Good," he encouraged the other Jedi. "Now hold tight..." Onderin reached through the web, to the small flicker of the child's Force presence that he could still feel on examination. Then, carefully at first, he started to draw the presence through the net, as Kitt had described. As he tugged, the net seemed to contort and tug back, barring they way forward. Ads' grip nearly faltered when he tugged too hard. But Onderin found that by decreasing the metaphysical speed of his psychic extraction, he could limit the strain on the net and, slowly, the Force presence filtered through. Soon, he had pulled the entire thing through for the first child, and suddenly the presence shone like a beacon in the Force compared to the muted signature he had felt a moment before. It was like trying to track an insect by sound and then suddenly hearing a blaring kloo horn. He was startled enough that Onderin's eyes popped open for a second and he glanced at Qaela, nearly losing the Battle Meld for a second, before shutting his eyes again and reinforcing the link between him and Ads. "I think that worked! You're doing well. Let's see if we can get the other two."

OOC: Minor character dictation to move things along... let me know if it's too much. IC: Onderin seemed unconcerned by Qaela's threats. She could speak if she wished about the consequences were the technique to fail. This journey had come too far to end in something so petty, and he suspected that Qaela realized herself that her threats were somewhat empty. He refused to believe that she hadn't come far enough to be able to restrain her impulses when they bought her nothing and in fact could cost her quite a lot. Who would be there to care for her children if she should swear revenge on the Jedi and die? Even if someone did wish to take care of them in her stead, how could they find them in the Force, cut off as they were? Even claimed by the dark side as she was, certainly Qaela would reach those conclusions if only she thought it through. So far, since he'd met her on Ilum, she had been in the habit of thinking things over. It didn't matter, though; the technique would not fail. "Let's go someplace more comfortable," he suggested. He headed back indoors and soon found an abandoned room with some basic furnishings. Once everyone was inside, he sat cross-legged on a chair and touched the Force. "Ads, join me if you will. This is going to take a certain amount of coordination." When Ads had also touched the Force, Onderin extended to him what was essentially an invite into what was traditionally considered a Battle Meld. It had been most recently used for close coordination between Jedi in a combat situation, but Onderin wanted to use it now to help unify himself and Ads as they performed the technique. When he felt Ads' own consciousness enter the meld, communication between them became significantly easier. He reached out to the children in the Force, three tiny presences barely detectable unless focused upon. "Can you feel them?" he asked Ads through the bond, helping to direct him through their meld. "There, around the children, is a wall of light... or more like a net. I need you to grab hold of the net as firmly as you can... keep it from moving no matter what. Can you do that?"

That sounded promising, Onderin decided. He had the tools to make this work, and no embellishment of the truth or deception would be necessary. He could continue his policy of being absolutely honest with Qaela while achieving both of their goals. "When Kirlocca did what he did, he believed that he was protecting the children by hiding them from Furion and Ar-Pharazon, as so he felt it was justified. The Council disagreed--it was wrong for such a technique to be used on the defenseless, especially without consulting the Council--and Kirlocca has been removed from the Order." That part was regrettable, if necessary. Now he offered a slight smile. "I have learned, however, that your children can be restored to the Force by two Jedi working in concert." He looked at Ads. "Ads, Kirlocca has asked me to see your training through to conclusion. I am prepared to accept you as my padawan. I believe that the two of us can perform the technique to bring the children back to the Force immediately." His eyes darted back to Qaela. "That is, with their mother's permission. I suspect that the technique may be somewhat intrusive." She would have to trust both Jedi to do the right thing. Onderin had been careful since meeting her to give her no reason to do otherwise.

Jaren nodded, satisfied that he had been understood and that Scorpius had at least a basic idea of what he was getting himself into by joining the Order. "I'm pleased that I could help," he responded. "If you're still determined that this is your path, then please take some time to get situated here at the Temple. We can set you up with a room here, and there are a series of ongoing courses for hopefuls to gain basic proficiency with drawing on the Force as well as a few basic skills like telekinesis. They run almost constantly, so basically as soon as you're ready you should be able to find one. The hope would be that you would then be chosen by a Master for more in-depth training. Once he or she is satisfied that you have learned enough, you will be subjected to a set of Trials to enter Knighthood, at which point you will become largely autonomous and perhaps take an apprentice of your own." It was all fairly standard but important information. The path forward was not a short one.

"And with you," Onderin replied as Kitt made his exit. Once he was gone, the Corellian Jedi glanced over at Darex's hologram. "I suspect that we'll need to meet again soon, Darex, if Kitt's interpretation of his vision is accurate. Take care." He bowed and then left the room as well, headed back outside. He quickly spotted Qaela and Ads-Gop Flif, the padawan who had been suddenly--however justly--thrust upon him. Ads seemed young, but Onderin remembered him from a ways back in the war. He'd seemed to have been an apprentice for an exceptionally long time and under a variety of masters, many of whom had perished or simply vanished for a time. He wondered at the path the Force had directed Ads down, and considered the fact that he would be the one to finally finish what so many others had begun. Unless, of course, the Force decreed otherwise. Onderin could perish at any time--he knew this an accepted it. But would his tenacity be enough to overcome the paralysis that seemed to haunt Ads' previous masters? Qaela and Ads seemed to be engaged in spirited debate, and for that Onderin was glad. Ads had seen enough and been around long enough that he could be a good advocate for the Jedi, and frankly he wanted Qaela to be exposed to as many of those as possible. Just the same, he was eager to push matters forward and gauge Qaela's reaction to the result of the proceedings. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" he asked as he approached the pair.

Onderin nodded. He suspected the Force would make the path clear, since he believed he was serving it by undoing this wrong. Abstractly, Kitt's process seemed workable, but certainly not the kind of thing he could have concluded on his own. Perhaps they could still bring this issue to rest. It would all depend on Qaela now. The Jedi Master gave Kitt one more good look. "Was there anything else, Kitt? If not, I think this meeting can be called adjourned, although I suspect we'll need to meet again soon if and when this war Kitt speaks of begins." He considered for a moment inviting Qaela in to the meeting for the proposal she had mentioned to him, but he and Darex did not a Council make. If her idea was so important, perhaps they could catch up with Darex at some later point or call a full Council meeting. ((I.e., with Kirlocca gone and Darex not posting for a few weeks, Qaela really wouldn't have anyone to make her proposal to...))

((Oh, yes. She's perfectly fine. Just has no good Internet connection.)) Jaren frowned at Scorpius' version of the code. The man had claimed to know next to nothing about the Order, but what he had recited was a very old, archaic version of the code which he personally suspected was mistranslated. Emotion and passion could be quite dangerous to a Jedi if left unchecked. "Central to a Jedi's beliefs is acting passively, and I do not believe that version of the code reflects that," he answered carefully. "I would certainly not say that we are soldiers of the Force, as battle is often a last resort. When we act based on emotion or even our own intellect, we apply a bias, knowingly or not. Often that bias is self-serving. What makes the Sith fall into darkness is that they give themselves to their selfishness and lust for power, valuing themselves over others. They are willing to go to any lengths to gain that power, and they draw on the Force using raw emotion and ambition. The Jedi are selfless, and how can we be truly selfless until we remove our own needs and emotions from the equation? "Is it easy? Certainly not! But the galaxy is a better place because of the Order that had stood watch over it for millennia."

Onderin was startled when Kitt said that he wouldn't do it, but once the man had explained, he understood that it made sense. He couldn't honestly predict how Qaela would react if she found out he was alive, especially if she learned that he had been the one who had performed the technique on the children initially. It ultimately didn't matter who restored them, as long as it was accomplished, and if he did it himself, Onderin might be able to paint the Council's decision in a particularly good light in front of her. Hopefully it would be enough to satisfy her, for otherwise, Onderin would have no choice but to side against her. And so when he hoped she would accept it, he hoped so for her own sake. It would certainly go a long way toward proving that she was not a danger. "That sounds like a good solution. Can you teach me how to restore them so that I can do so with Ads?" He had touched the children in the Force earlier, and what he had found was much like a cage. He had no key, however, and no idea how to go about opening it.

((Darex is out of town for the next several weeks. I'm taking over for him, at least for the time being.)) Jaren watched in quiet amusement while Scorpius devoured the sandwich with more voracity than a Krayt Dragon would snap up an ostracized dewback. It seemed that he hadn't eaten in a while, which wasn't a problem. The Jedi Order took care of its members. "Being a Jedi means serving the Force," Jaren answered. "We learn to draw on the Force when he are calm, at peace, and passive. When we do so, we forget ourselves and act as an extension of the will of the Force. This commonly means protecting the innocent, standing against evil, and seeking to bring peace to those around us. The Jedi Code is our beliefs distilled, and it governs how we should act; learning it should be one of the first things you do here. It goes like this: "There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force."

Onderin nodded. "Then I think the only thing we can do is move mindfully forward. Once the war starts, the Council can make it clear what the Order's stance is going to be..." he said. That was about all he could do right now. The problem was, some of the other Masters on the Council were impulsive. He might be able to restrain himself and stand by without getting involved, and he was certain that Darex would be able to, but could they convinced Dahar and Dashel to do the same? Only time could tell, and this war could end up being divisive as many wars had been in the past for the Jedi. The future was indeed very much in motion--Onderin only hoped that he could see clearly enough to do his part in avoiding some kind of disaster. "Kitt, I noticed earlier that you have hidden yourself in the Force, and to me it feels much as Qaela's children feel," he said, changing the subject. "I had intended to ask Kirlocca to restore the children to their original state, but I feel he has already left the planet. Can you do it?" He suspected that Kitt was the originator of the technique. Qaela was no doubt displeased that Kirlocca had been able to walk away with his connection to the Force intact, but if the children were restored, perhaps her grievance would be settled.

Onderin frowned and understood just why Kitt had seemed focused on him. To Onderin, it was utterly essential to the Jedi that they remain fully engaged in all major galactic ongoings. To help those in need, to make sure that good always triumphed over evil, was critical to the Order's vision. The Force had a will in all things, and to stand by and let events unfold without being involved was to ignore that will. Kitt had always been on the other side of that spectrum, it seemed, and for a time he had tried to prevent the Jedi from getting involved in the final days of the Galactic Civil War--in the time when they were most needed to ensure that the Empire was finally defeated once and for all. Of course, Onderin had been locked in an Imperial prison at that time, so he didn't know the details. He simply could not see what standing by would accomplish. On the other hand, if what Kitt said was true and that this was a war on the Force itself, then perhaps his intuition is not what would serve the Order best in this case. But weren't the Jedi called to serve even if the cost was high? Onderin met Kitt's eye. "You know how I feel about standing by when we can accomplish something good by getting involved," he said, knowing without a doubt that the former Grand Master did. "What would the consequences be if the Order were to participate in this future war?"

Onderin stretched out with the Force again, trying to get a sense of what Kitt was feeling. He had indeed been desensitized to death during the war, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel the impression that had been left on the room. The first thing he noticed was the lasting echoes of Kirlocca's presence, and not from the conversation they just had. It was likely that the wookiee had been here when Dirrm had committed suicide. He also got a glimpse of Dirrm's own presence, but he was much less familiar with the Senator than he was with the Jedi. He found, however, that he had literally no idea what Kitt was talking about. The fact that CoreSec wasn't investigating this room meant they knew the circumstances of Dirrm's death--at least the facts, if not the motivation. There was something else there, deeper than Kirlocca's and Dirrm's presences echoing around the room, but he didn't recognize it. ((At least, I assume he doesn't. I'm as much in the dark here as Onderin is.)) He looked back at Kitt. "Perhaps you should share your thoughts, Kitt," he said.

Onderin was just starting to think about how he inherited a padawan when Kitt stepped onto the scene. He raised his eyebrows in surprise--he had addressed the man specifically outside and not even suspected who he was. It was remarkable that Kitt had been able to hide himself so adeptly... in fact, it was almost impossible. Onderin touched Kitt with the Force as Darex addressed him. At first, he could feel nothing. There was nothing that suggested this man was actually Fitt, certainly not the strong presence of a Jedi Master. But then, as he focused, he realized with a start that he could feel something like a wall of light... the same thing he felt when he focused on Qaela's children. In order to hide, Kitt had essentially cut himself off from the Force. Which meant more than anything that it could be undone. That would have to wait a moment, however. Onderin was indeed glad to see Kitt alive and well, but for now the former Grand Master was revealing why he had come around. Onderin frowned at the news about Dirrm Gir'tey committing suicide; that didn't seem at all like the man he had served with in the war. Unless the man had come down with PTSD or some other post-war related disorder, it didn't add up that he would simply give up on life. Which made Kitt's presence all the more important. "You're going to use psychometry to find out what happened," he concluded. That was a technique that Onderin had always wanted to learn, and he hoped maybe to get a chance at some point. As someone who had served in CorSec during the early years of his adulthood, the ability to look back in time based on an object or location fascinated him. It was the ultimate crime solving tool.

Even though he had recommended a similar punishment, a heavy weight settled on Onderin when Darex delivered his judgment. Kirlocca had been a staple of the Order for a very long time, a fierce warrior against the forces of darkness. It hurt to see him diminished in such a way, so caught up in the war against the Sith that even decisions like the one he had made had seemed clear at the time. The burden on Onderin was heavy enough that he almost wished he hadn't started all of this, but still he felt the will of the Force had been served in this matter. He had done the right thing to bring this here, and Darex was doing the right thing with this punishment. It was simply a very poor situation, and a regrettable one, but what had needed to be done had been. Onderin had little doubt that Kirlocca would continue to serve the light side, and even during this temporary sojourn from the Order, would stand in staunch opposition to the forces of darkness. Onderin was rarely gifted with visions of the future, but when he touched the Force he knew that Kirlocca still had an important role to play in the Order's future. Indeed, he could very well end up saving them all.... "Kirlocca," he said as the wookiee began to leave. "May the Force be with you. Please don't think I respect you any less than before." The last thing he wanted was for Kirlocca to think that he had prosecuted him in order to lay him low. He considered Kirlocca one of his few friends in the Order, and if it came down to it, he would still trust Kirlocca with his life and would lay down his own for the wookiee. He only hoped he got a chance to prove that. As he left, Kirlocca gave the floor to someone else, and Onderin now turned his attention in that direction.