Dathomir

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin considered. "It might be better if I propose our idea to Ads myself," he said. "If you're determined to speak with Qaela, I think you can head straight there. Hopefully one of the two paths will work. If not, we may have to find a way to smuggle you offworld, but I hope that it doesn't come to that."

 

Of course, it couldn't be obvious. It sounded like Arleigh was prepared to simply run from the Nightsisters. The problem was that she wouldn't have a way offworld. Disappearing immediately as the Jedi concluded their negotiations would be suspicious and could endanger any agreement. But a sufficiently clandestine arrangement and a mysterious disappearance days after the Jedi left could get the job done.

 

For now, though, Onderin had to hope for the best and put his effort into making sure their plan A or B succeeded.

[Arleigh Burke]

She bowed deeply, "Thank you master jedi, though I am afraid of what might await me in that tent, whatever you hear...or sense....Do not intervene, if I die from this." She held up a small vial, "My father said that the Jedi were masters of bringing back the dead to life." She inclined her head, letting her bangs fall across her brooding eyes. She stood, snapped her heels together and walked out the tent flap.

 

She deposited her equipment, including her weapons and walked to the Sister's tent. She disguised her emotions the best she could, then knocked firmly on the tent pole.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin let a few minutes pass by after Arleigh left before he took action again. He was already taking a large risk by having such a meeting with the young Nightsister, one that he hoped wouldn't jeopardize his mission here. Arleigh's reasons for going to Qaela's tent were somewhat unclear, and also carried some amount of risk. There was still some odd chance that the entire meeting was a trap, and Arleigh had successfully deceived him in order to get something she wanted for another purpose. There could be no proof if she was not observed entering or leaving this tent, so it seemed relatively safe... and besides, Onderin would walk knowingly into danger if it meant helping someone in need. He could no more ignore Arleigh's plea than he could have abandoned Sabian Devanus to his fate on the streets of Coruscant.

 

He would simply have to follow his feelings on the matter and trust in the Force to guide him toward the path that would serve the Order best.

 

The Jedi Master stood and headed over to the next tent over--the one where Ads was staying. He approached his apprentice and sat down close to him. He paused for a moment, studying the young man with a contemplative look on his face. Then finally he broke into a smile. "So something most unusual just happened," he said. "Remember that girl that approached us outside? Well..." He then went on to outline the conversation he had with Arleigh, including both of their proposals on how they might get her offworld.

[Qaela]

"Enter," Qaela said when the girl tapped on her tent post. When the girl came in, Qaela did not lift her gaze from her three sleeping children.

 

"Look at them," she said quietly. "They are my biggest weakness, but a weakness I gladly bear for the future of our people. These can be taken from me, threatened, or harmed by women who wouldn't dare directly attack me. With what I have learned and the strengths I acquired among the stars, I can destroy any one Sister here with ease. I could probably kill any two of them at once. That strength comes at a price, and it is a price I am willing to accept because I must."

 

She looked at the girl. "Our people are weak, but they don't know it. We have are strengths, true, but when it comes to raw power and strength, we are severely lacking in many areas. Centuries of inbreeding have left us with a diluted gene pool that has left us with a weakened ability to summon the strength behind spells. My mother, spirits curse her, knew this. The other Sisters knew this. That is why I was sent out into the stars to suffer and bleed, and I have done both in abundance.

 

"The result of my hardships and trials stand before you. My three children, sired from the most powerful spellcaster among the stars, is the hope and salvation of our people. Their blood is pure, strong, and full of potential. My daughter might be my heir, but it will be my sons that will sire an entire generation of daughters that will be full of the potential needed to ensure our people are strong enough to not just defend themselves against the Witches and offworlders, but to conquer and build an empire of their own. I will not go into the detail of genetics, but their bloodline will give the Nightsisters a definitive edge over the Witches and put us on equal grounds with the Jedi and Sith alike. No longer will we have to fear either, but rather, they will fear and respect us.

 

"You may think our ways are cruel, but they are necessary. The Galaxy is not a peaceful or safe place. The Sith are powerful and can teach us much, but they are dangerous, like playing with fire. The Jedi are pretentious, they look down upon any who do not bow to their restrictive dogma, and yet, they bind themselves down by trying to protect everyone. The masses find themselves caught in the middle as political forces and criminal elements battle each other. Millions of people--more than have ever lived on Dathomir--die in the resulting conflicts. We have been spared only because nobody cares about a planet as primitive and unpopulated as this, but that won't last forever. Soon, war will come to us and it is best that we be ready for it.

 

"That is why I brought the Jedi here. Through them, we can make a treaty that will ensure they will not come here to destroy our clans. I already have agreements with the leader of the Sith to ensure our strength grows and they do not come here to conquer us. War is brewing again, and I aim to maintain a balance that will allow the Nightsisters to gain experience in the Galaxy, technology to protect us with, and numbers harvested from the masses of women among the stars that can cast spells.

 

"The other Sisters know this for it is part of what I told them tonight. You are in a precarious position, young one. Nateth would still punish you quite severely if she were to discover you informed on her. I, on the other hand, do not fear Nateth and can offer you protection from her as well as a chance to grow strong. It has occurred to me that I will need to start training our people in the ways of the Force as I have learned them from the Sith. Our people need to know how to cast spells without speaking, and the incredible power that comes from drawing upon emotions. Our history spans centuries, but the Sith's spans millennia and in that time, they have learned a great deal.

 

"I do not wish to teach that knowledge to the likes of Nateth and her ilk. They are the old, we are the new. I aim to start teaching the younger Sisters this new power, and you could be the first if you are interested."

[Ads-Gop Flif]

((Sorry I took so long, I was on vacation and there turned out to be a problem with the wifi there but I'm back now so we can all celebrate.))

 

Ads watched Onderin, unsure of whether he should feel horrified or simply take everything in stride. His curiosity got the best of him and he finally spoke.

 

"Wait a minute," he said, his head bowing slightly to the right while his eyes pensively darted from a rock on the ground to the entrance of the tent and back to Onderin. "Am I supposed to actually marry this girl or am I supposed to just act like some kind of pedophile who goes for girls still young enough to think boys are icky? I mean, I'm all for getting her off of this messed-up rock but if we go through with that plan I hope they don't have standards here (and let's be honest, they probably don't) because this sounds like some teeny-bopper's fantasy that no one in their right mind would actually approve of. Or would they just see it as a happy arrangement that magically makes everything just dapper between us and them?"

[Arleigh Burke]

((Hilarious post. lol))

 

Arleigh was slightly offset by the calm demeanor of which Qaela spoke to her. Perhaps she did not yet know that Arleigh was planning to leave with the jedi. Even if the plan was childish, it was still better than getting each on of her molars cracked with the force, then getting dumped into the rancor pits. That was not her keenest way of dying. She glanced across the children, surprised that someone with Qaela's stature could safely carry triplets to term, even if she had all the power the stars had given her. Arleigh took a moment to consider, power and the pursuit of it had been her mother's path. Did she want that? Did she want these other women who would gladly torture and kill so carelessly to gain more power? Was the power offered by the Jedi lead to the salvation of her people? Those thoughts flew scattered through her mind as she looked at the other woman. She would have to speak carefully.

 

"The sisters here shun you, openly talk down on you for your lover from the Black Sun," She gestured to her belt, emblazoned with the sigil of Black sun that she had scavenged from the battlefield. "Do you really want to give sisters like Nateth power they would gladly use to kill you and these children?"

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin chuckled. It was about the answer he was expecting, but the situation was truthfully quite entertaining in prospect. "In all seriousness, political marriage is a powerful bond in many cultures even today," he said. "Still, I would hope that we would be able to get out of having a ceremony on the spot, if there even is one in this culture. I personally wouldn't expect you to observe any such arrangement after leaving Dathomir."

 

Although, he reflected, she would make an excellent padawan for him. That was assuming that she wished to follow the path of the Jedi, of course, and that Ads would be willing to take her on. But the amount of time before Ads became a Jedi Knight was growing quite thin.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

"Well that's a relief," Ads remarked as he let out a sigh of (you guessed it) reassurance (jk you didn't guess it). "And she knows it wouldn't be a real marriage?" Ads asked, aware of how unaware kids her age could be. "I mean, I don't think I would really have an issue with a ceremony here seeing as I don't follow their beliefs but things could get complicated if she feels otherwise." Very complicated, Ads thought, not wanting to make the nightly news in some Jedi-pedophile scandal that those damn anti-force fools keep accusing the Jedi of. As if a freaking Jedi couldn't get any girl he wanted.

[Qaela]

Qaela smiled at the girl's words. "They may look down upon me for that mistake, but if you would notice, they not only failed in defeating the Black Sun force, but also saw the wisdom in caring for me after the battle." She waved a hand dismissively. "Let them scorn me behind my back. None of them would dare do so to my face, and I have no problem looking down at them for their many flaws. The day you allow yourself to be dictated by whether others like you or not is the day you will be controlled by them. It is better for them to fear your power, or the power of your allies, than to like you for your personality.

 

"Besides, I would not teach anything to stubborn old crones like Nateth. As I said, she is of the old way, I am here for the new." She chuckled a little at how horrified her mother would be if she could see her daughter now. "I am not saying that we should treat our males as equals, but I am saying that the Nightsisters must adapt if we are to survive. If you prove capable enough, you could be on the forefront of that advancement."

 

She left her three children and walked across to the other side of the tent to a low table. The tent wasn't large, but it was larger than any tent she ever slept in growing up. Wordlessly, she used the Force to pull a teapot hanging over the fire and two cups toward her and soundlessly placed them on the table. "Come, Arleigh," she said invitingly as she used the Force to pour tea in to both cups. She had found out the girl's name and a small amount of her history while speaking with the other Sisters, but not nearly as much as she would have liked. "Tell me now: what do you think of our Jedi guests?"

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh smiled cooly as she considered the nightsister's words. A life without Nateth or the others of her mother's ilk would be a great relief. She started to follow the older girl to the fire then stepped short. Her leather boot scraped on the stone ground as she came to a sudden halt. Without a word of curse, she had elevated the teapot and cups. Arleigh would have called it witchcraft, but that was their specialty after all. She had heard the Jedi do such tricks, but she had never seen application of the force without words of power. The power was astounding, to use the force in a way that neither injured nor maimed. It shook her to core. It was a little thing, yet it meant so much. She could have freedom. Damn it all, freedom from this stone floor, the confines of tents, rancors, and nightsisters.

 

She accepted the cup, and blushed at the use of her name. What did she think of the Jedi? She pulled nervously at the hem of her skirt and considered her best path. Honesty to a point.

 

“I like them, they are hardly the horrors told at the campfire.” She bit her lower lip. “They have healthy bloodlines. And they are kind and enduring, something I am not used to.”

[Qaela]

Qaela chuckled at the irony of what Arleigh said. "Yes, they are very kind, and that is a weakness. They care for too many people and try to protect too much. One should never protect more than her Clan. These Jedi try to protect everyone and in doing so, they expose themselves to great pain when they invariably fail to protect everyone. They allow themselves to be lured by their enemies into protecting too much and stretching themselves too thin. If the Sith weren't too busy killing each other off in a pointless climb to internal power, they would have the Jedi running mad trying to protect everyone. That weakness does have its advantages for us. It makes the Jedi easy to manipulate. You need only look at me as an example of that very thing."

 

She sipped some of the tea and smiled at its refreshing bitterness. Too many drinks in the rest of the Galaxy were full of sugars. This tea was plain, healthy, and lacked all of the pointless frills of those beverages. It also had an added advantage that those drinks wouldn't have. "You have strength within you. I can sense your hatred of the older, established Sisters and that makes you potentially valuable to me. I need someone who is of the younger generations to train, someone who is old enough to understand what I am teaching, but not so old as to have to unlearn what she learned before. Tell me, would you submit to my authority and take the gift of power I offer, or was I wrong about you?"

[Arleigh Burke]

Kindness a weakness. Arleigh almost laughed bitterly. The only weakness she had ever seen was her mother, strange even she had died in the aftermath started by Qaela. Her father would no doubt be thought of as weak for his kindness, but he had been strong. Strong and kind in the face of evil that her mother propagated. Arleigh looked up to Qaela then back at the floor.

 

Her words were soft. “I...I don't want power, I have seen what it does to those you love...” She though of her father, “I, I could not. I would not.” She closed her eyes. “If I have strength within me it is not destined for darkness. I could not spawn hate and hurt....” She looked up to the older sister's eyes almost apologetically.

 

“I do not wish to disappoint you Sister.”

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin nodded. "I'm sure the two of you will have a chance to speak before we have to finalize anything," he said. "I personally believe that a political union won't be required to allow us to take her with us, but I just wanted you to be aware in case it came up." A twinkle entered his eye. "I didn't actually come here to arrange my padawan's marriage."

 

Once again he wished he could start Ads' lightsaber training, but this was an even worse place than the shuttle on the ride over from Bothawui. He couldn't imagine the Nightsisters being pleased about lightsaber sparring sessions within their village, especially given Qaela's suggestion that they not even carry the weapons here. Ads knew almost everything else that there was to teach, fundamentally. Now all he needed was time, experience, and practice, and Onderin could do little at this point to sponsor such activities.

 

And so he found his usefulness here concluded. "I'll be in my tent if you need anything," he told Ads before getting up and relocating back again.

 

Back to meditating, perhaps.

[Qaela]

((Sorry for shortness, China is not fun))

 

Qaela listened quietly as the girl responded. The Force told her more than what her crude physical senses could and she sighed in frustration. Poor girl, so young and naive as to think that she didn't want power because it harmed those she cared about. She stood up and said slowly, "Oh but you have disappointed me."

 

"Power is not what harms what you love, power protects them. Even the Jedi employ power in the ships, weapons, and money they use. Power, used to your benefit, is what protects what you care about from other people who want to take it. Those without power are only ever destroyed or used by those who have it. Power can be abused and cause people to turn on those they once protected, but do not think that the Jedi are immune to this. They are the worst because they believe what they are doing is somehow morally superior to everyone else, even when they do the exact same things as those they fight."

[Arleigh Burke]

Of course she had disappointed her. It was only natural that she disappoint everyone she ever thought a hero. She had never cared about power. How could she tell this older sister this? Power was nice, but it held no appeal. She had seen her mother possessed by the pursuit of power, and she did not want to follow her.

 

She chose her words carefully, thinking about what whispers she had heard about Qaela. "My mother killed my father and scarred me forever because of this 'dark' power. Our people are hunted for it. Have you not lost friends or lovers because of the lust for power? Is not hurting others abusing power? Why would I want that?"

 

She took a sip of the boiling hot tea and grimaced.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

After Onderin left Ads' tent, Ads lay down to go to sleep, assuming it was night time. If it wasn't, he decided to try meditating, first thinking about the plans involving the girl. But he fell asleep pretty quickly. So either way he was asleep, really.

[Qaela]

"I do not lust for power, child," Qaela replied coldly. "There are those that do, I do not deny it. I seek power so that I can keep myself and my own safe. Had I that power, I would never have needed to come to this planet and fight my mother. I would not have lost my children in the first place. Power for power's sake is foolishness and vain, but power for the purpose of protecting yourself is never wrong."

 

She swept her cup aside and sat back in the chair. "Leave me, weak one," she said with a wave of her hand. "I can see why your mother was disappointed in you and why Nateth choose to sacrifice you."

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh sighed deeply. "As you wish my lady."

 

She sat the cup of tea down gingerly on one of the makeshift tables and with a bow, ran from the tent. She considered stopping by the Jedi's tents, but she figured that it would do her no good.

 

She collected Wally, and made her way back to her own tent.

[Qaela]

((Many apologies for delays. This site is very slow to load and I have been very busy in my first week of classes. I am going to move us onward and hopefully free the three of you to RP.))

 

It was nighttime and most of the camp was sleeping. Only a few of those who were still awake even noticed the shadow that moved silently through the outskirts of camp, and even then, they quickly forgot what they saw. Qaela hated traveling in stealth through her own Clan's camp, but that was necessary. The Jedi had put her in this position, and she had nobody but herself to blame. Compassion is a weakness she thought over and over as she cursed her actions. Compassion is a weakness.

 

It had been a harrowing week for her. The Sisters were not comfortable with Jedi in the camp and did not hesitate to make that displeasure known. More than one challenged her and more than one had to seek the services of the healers. They weren't the Sith and none had been killed, but Qaela knew at least three would never fully recover. Sith or not, their techniques were strong and effective against lone Nightsisters. If her Sisters had come at her in a large group and united their spells, they would have overwhelmed her, but alone, they posed only a small challenge.

 

Other Clans had arrived and the discussions began. Few of the women seemed truly interested in trusting the Jedi in the first place. It had taken a full hour of her threatening, pleading, and persuading just for the Council to listen to her proposal of peace with the Jedi. Then, it had taken the rest of the day of intense discussion and threats to come to a decision. She had briefly thought of presenting the Jedi to the Council for direct discussions, but that notion was quickly and unchangingly shot down by the women. Those two men would never be able to come before the Clan Leaders. Perhaps if she had thought to bring a female Jedi, they may have listened to her, but there was no way they would allow males to address them. It didn't matter that one of those males could tear any two or perhaps three of those women apart, they would have none of it.

 

Things had been going well until the separate issue came up. It was then that Qaela made a decision that she had never wanted to make. Compassion is a weakness. There was no going back now, not with what she had done. It was a sacrifice, one made to repay a debt because she still had honor. At least, that was was what she told herself was the reason. The real reason was near unspeakable and would definitely have gotten them all killed.

 

Silently, the shadow approached the master Jedi's tent. She knew better than to attempt to ambush a Jedi who was probably quite on edge in a camp like this, so she lowered her shields to allow Starlisk to sense her presence. Compassion is a weakness. Without a word, she slipped into his tent.

 

"Starlisk, we must leave now," she said quietly without preamble. "The Clans have reached their decisions. You have your peace, Starlisk. The Nightsisters will not attack any planet allied with the Jedi for as long as the Jedi do not attack them. Your time here is up, you must be gone by sunrise. Ready yourself and your apprentice, I shall return and escort you to your ship."

 

She darted back outside before he had a chance to respond. Time was too short, she needed to move quickly. Compassion is a weakness. Starlisk would have to take care of his own, otherwise it would all be upon his head. She could only do so much, and facing an entire village plus the Clan Leaders was beyond even her.

 

She quietly sneaked outside of her encampment and into another one. Here, the danger was even greater. If she were exposed, the consequences would be lethal. They had to be that way. Compassion was a weakness.

 

Another tent, a small one, loomed before her. This time, she didn't bother with trying to reveal her presence: the one inside wouldn't be able to sense her anyway. The tent was dark, but Qaela didn't need light to see when she had the Force. She reached into the mind of the creature inside and stilled it. Such a thing was no difficulty, not when she was capable of taming wild adults of that species, but it was necessary to make sure it didn't alarm the camp to what she was doing.

 

She entered the tent and went straight to where the Arleigh was sleeping. She clamped her hand over the girl's mouth and shook her awake. In a low voice, said, "If you wish to live, do as you are told and come with me. If you attempt to raise any alarm or give me any difficulties, you will be dead before your body hits the ground. Do you understand?"

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin wasn't exactly pleased by the Nightsisters' unwillingness to involve him in the peace discussions. Even before arriving on-world, he had told Qaela that he expected the talks to be undertaken as between equal parties. Not giving the Jedi any representation at all except by Qaela herself did not guarantee that the terms arrived upon would represent both parties' interests. Instead the Jedi Master was left to sit and wait, wary of interaction with the witches and seemingly unable to affect their perception of him.

 

Thankfully, there was very little Qaela could do to damage the relationship between the Nightsisters and the Jedi, if her stories had been true. They had a common interest in this situation, so he trusted her well enough to see it through, as cowardly and conceited as the Dathomiri Council was.

 

When Qaela barged into his tent one night, the former Admiral was in a light sleep and immediately came fully awake. A skill he had picked up back in the war, and one that he had found once again useful in this place of mistrust. She spoke only a few brief words before vanishing again on another errand. Well, he decided, at least it means we can get off this world. The peace terms as she put it were simplistic enough that they would be enforceable, but the complete lack of involvement from the Jedi representatives was still suspect. Apparently, the witches took it entirely on Qaela's word that the Jedi even desired peace.

 

Onderin rose and headed over to Ads' tent. "Come along, Ads," he said to the young man. "We are going to collect Arleigh and get off this world." He did not, of course, know that Arleigh's tent was Qaela's next destination, but had no intention of leaving the girl if it could be avoided.

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh lay on her makeshift cot, breathing softly, trying to get to sleep. She blinked away futile tears. Everything seemed to be falling apart, and she clutched the flimsiplast photo of her father close to her heart. If the Jedi did not come through, she knew she would not survive the next few days, perhaps not even the next few hours. No doubt Qaela was already spreading the words of her failure. Her eyes flickered open as she heard the curtain swing aside. She drew in her breath and prepared for whatever axe would cleave her neck. A hand clasped over her mouth, Arleigh tried to scream for a second but bit it back. There was something strange in her voice.

 

"If you wish to live, do as you are told and come with me. If you attempt to raise any alarm or give me any difficulties, you will be dead before your body hits the ground. Do you understand?"

 

Arleigh nodded, "As you wish madam." She quickly stood and shrugged a thin tunic over her bare skin. She grabbed her satchel and bowed to the Lady. "Where are we going? No doubt this would mark her end, but she was ready to face it, no matter the cost.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Hearing Onderin's voice, Ads shot up as though he had overslept and needed to make up for every lost second. Until he realized they weren't planning anything and the Nightsisters didn't seem to be attacking them either. He'd had a few encounters with the Sisters that had threatened to turn ugly until Qaela was able to alleviate the situation. Or sometimes she just made it uglier. Either way, he'd practically been expecting to be attacked at any time and was keeping to his tent to avoid any confrontations. Finally having a chance to leave the wretched backwater planet he was stuck on raised his mood quite a bit and allowed him to ignore how tired he was. Ads threw the small pile of dirty clothes next to his bed into the top of his pack and set out after Onderin after making sure that he would be able to grab his lightsaber using a quick Force pull.

[Qaela]

Qaela nodded at the girl's pragmatism. Arleigh still might cause problems, but at least she didn't have to knock her out and carry the girl out of here across her shoulders. That would be most problematic considering the young rancor. She needed to be able to keep an eye out, not worry about mind controlling a beast.

 

She ignored the girl's question and motioned for her to follow. Compassion is weakness. She was a fool soon to be surrounded by fools. They all were.

 

A muttered curse escaped Qaela's lips as she saw the Jedi approaching. Neither was even attempting to conceal their presence and shown out like beacons of misplaced goodwill and that worst of emotions: compassion. Compassion is a weakness. She had secured their safe passage, but that didn't mean the Sisters would appreciate her sneaking off in the night with them. Some of the others had some direct ideas as to how to send the Jedi off, and sufficed to say, she doubted either Jedi would be exactly thrilled by be blessed with a dark aurora of binding to seal the deal. Knowing them, the Jedi would probably believe such a ritual would taint them for years.

 

Then there was this damned girl. What a heap of trouble, what a horrible waste. Compassion was weakness, that much was without a doubt. It appeared to be a weakness that Jedi fully embraced. No doubt, Qaela had benefited from Jedi compassion, especially that of Starlisk, but there were limits to how much she could tolerate.

 

She shook her head in dismay at the foolishness of the Jedi. Did they think she fetched them in the dead of night because it was convenient? "You are fools," she hissed at them heatedly. "All three of you. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible before the other Sisters are roused. Come on, and try not to broadcast your sickening light all over the place like a sun."

 

After casting a quick probe around to reassure herself that they had not been already noticed, she head off into the dark. As they reached the edge of the village, she retrieved a black pack from behind a bush and hoisted it upon her shoulders. Once it was secure, she grabbed a seven foot tall spear and headed in the direction of the Jedi's ship.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin was relieved when he saw that Qaela was bringing Arleigh along... but also confused. Surely she hadn't known about the clandestine talk that he'd had with the girl and his intentions to smuggler her off of Dathomir. When Qaela approached him, she snapped at him angrily. He pulled in his Force presence appropriately, but was willing to take a bet that Qaela was irritable because she was irritated with herself. That empathic leap made it easy to make a logical attempt at what had happened. He gave a slight smile as they headed out of the encampment.

 

Only once they were out of an earshot of the Nightsisters did he address the two young women. "Welcome, Arleigh," he said first, giving her an almost-fatherly smile before turning his gaze to Qaela. "I appreciate your representation to your council, as well as your willingness to help the girl. Did the treaty come with additional terms of which the Jedi should be aware? And why the subterfuge?"

 

It did seem like a strange way to leave, given that a peace had truly been established. It seemed that even in peace, the Nightsisters were completely unwilling to associate or even interact directly with the Jedi. It seemed that they were either unusually afraid or unusually vain to not even hold audience with them. Either way, Onderin was quite glad that a peace had been met, as he hoped that the Jedi and Nightsisters could exist completely separately, much as they had been before the Sith had entered the picture.

[Qaela]

"You have your peace, Jedi," Qaela snapped, "be happy with it. The Sisters were happy enough to no longer fear the Jedi; you should be happy not to worry about Nightsister attacks against your people. They were quick enough to agree to the peace, though be careful if you invade Sith worlds because we may yet aide our dark brothers there. We could not entirely alienate such powerful beings, even if they are in decline."

 

After that, she fell into a brooding silence as they began to near the Jedi's ship.

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh kept very quiet as they ran almost silent after Qaela. The underbrush was thick, but their footing was sure. She smiled softly at the Jedi Master, and he smiled back. It reminded her of her own father, now long gone.

 

She had no doubt that whatever this silent escape was about, it was likely her fault. Hopefully no one would be injured or there would be no pursuit. She fell back slightly and notched an arrow. Just in case. Her ears were sharp, and any Rancor would not be silent.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads hung back a few steps, silently watching the three dark shapes before him. He was unsure of why everything had to happen so quickly in the middle of the night but Onderin seemed to trust Qaela and that was good enough for Ads. It intrigued him, though, that Qaela brought the young girl with her. Ads wasn't aware of Onderin telling Qaela of their plan but there had to be some reason. It was good that Ads didn't actually have to marry the girl. It was quite comforting to him to no longer have to worry about that. They had approached the ship when Ads noticed that Qaela seemed to be unusually quiet. He kept alert, unsure of whether or not she had something planned for them. She had been good to the Jedi thus far, but she was already acting strangely, who knew what she had planned?

[Onderin Starlisk]

It wasn't quite what Onderin had been hoping for. It had been his desire, and a major part of his goal for coming here, to keep the Nightsisters from associating with the Sith. A pledge to keep them from attacking the Jedi was a step in the right direction, but Qaela knew as well as he did that the Jedi would never be able to commit to putting aside their war with the Sith. Onderin himself had been a staunch proponent of actively battling against evil instead of sitting back and reacting.

 

"If the Nightsisters ally with the Sith, I can make no guarantee that they will be spared," he said. "If your people strengthen our enemies, then there is no foundation for a mutually beneficial arrangement. Please ensure that your council is aware of this when you head back..."

 

He paused for a moment as they reached the ship. Qaela hadn't brought her children with her, but she had brought a pack which seemed to suggest she wasn't heading immediately back to her camp. "Unless you're planning on coming with us?" He hadn't really thought now that they were here that she would do anything but stay among her people. She had her children and tenuous peace with the Jedi. It was a great distance from where she had been when she was locked up in the Temple on Ilum. He felt like she was better for it, but that she still had a long way to go.

 

Of course, he would not deny her if she decided to go with them. He had begun to make an impression on her, but it would more time and varied circumstances in order for her to truly understand, and only then could she change herself for the better. Or she could turn away and he would let her go. He could not force her to change her mind.

[Qaela]

She heard Starlisk's warning about helping the Sith, but ignored it. The Jedi hadn't bothered with her people before and the Sith were far more dangerous to consider. More importantly, completely abandoning the Sith was more dangerous than angering the Jedi because the Sith were vindictive and would attack if for no other reason than to make a point. Jedi were too peace loving and weren't willing to do what was necessary to destroy her people. She had seen that long ago, but withheld that information from her Sisters in order to increase her bargaining power when she brokered a peace.

 

That had, of course, been before. Things hadn't worked out entirely as she had planned, but she had debts to pay and believed this would cover most of what she owed. She absolutely refused to owe a Jedi, even one as helpful as Starlisk had been. There was a cost, of course, but she had known that going in and it was too soon to truly regret that.

 

She remained in silence until she sensed realization dawned upon the senior Jedi about her intentions. During their trek, she had wondered how to broach the subject, but had not entirely decided how. She was glad that he asked first because if she had been forced to, it would have been even more humiliating than it already was.

 

"It is a possibility," she said noncommittally. "This one," she continued while jerking her thumb at Arleigh, "is weak and will not survive among the Nightsisters. It is truth that she would have already been killed except that the Sisters did not wish to cause a scene while you were here. She was spotted entering your tent and, knowing you, I can only guess that you wish to claim her for your own. I owe for freeing me and my children and hope that giving her to you will help balance that debt. If you do not wish her, I will kill her now and be done with it, but I did not think that was the case."

 

There was a pause as she fumed inside at the thought of her last meeting with the Elders. "The cost of her life was not light. Normally, when one of us shows such weakness, we are executed. However, my strength gave the others pause and none wished to attempt to kill me. Instead, the Elders and I made an agreement. For the girl's life and my weakness, I am to be exiled from the Clans for one year after which I may return for evaluation and further judgment. In return for my agreeing to depart peacefully, the Clans will watch over and protect my children."

 

She shrugged, "If I do not travel with you, I will make my way to a ship and find my way offworld to contact the Sith. It is no matter to me, but know that I would not go with you if I must submit to the light side. I am what I am and will not change. In darkness was I born, in darkness will I die. If you can accept that, then I will travel with you and perhaps assist you where I can. If not, then we part ways here."

[Arleigh Burke]

Arleigh kept herself silent as they ran through the forest. She sighed slightly as various comments were directed her way, but she did not mind. She wasn't going to die tonight. Se listened harder through the sound of their movement to hear the sound of anyone else in pursuit. Nothing yet.

 

She looked at the younger jedi knight and smiled. No doubt he was glad to get out of whatever method to smuggle her offworld.

 

She wanted to thank the lady sith for her life, but felt that it would distract from the conversation Starlisk and Qaela were having.