[center]~| 8:40 - 9:01 GST |~[/center]

While Miasa did have patience, she saw no benefit to continue watching the fight. It was obvious that the Jedi most likely would not win, seeing how they were unarmed, and she had no wish to explain to Darth Nyiss why she did not interfere if they did somehow manage to beat Lord Sish. Sure, it would have been his foolishness, but even brutes like him had their uses and he must have done something right to rise to the rank of Sith Lord.

She looked at the volunteer, a narrow-eyed human who appeared to be older than most of the other prisoners. It would be interesting to see what she had to say, to see how skilled she was. “It is time, prisoner. Time to go.”

The words took a second to register in Andri’s mind, and she whipped her head around to look at the Sluissi Sith. She had been waiting patiently before; why interrupt now? But, Andri supposed, the fight was doing no more than delaying and possibly prolonging [i]someones[/i] time under the hands of the Trandoshan, who was also getting angrier as the conflict dragged on. Perhaps...though the Epicanthix didn’t want to just abandon her fellow Jedi, she hadn’t exactly helped them any by jumping into the fight as she did. Now that she had thought about it a bit as the scene dragged on between the Sith and the Jedi, Andri had to admit that her fellow prisoners weren’t doing themselves any favours.

Glancing between the scene in front of her and the Sluissi off to one side once more, Andri sighed softly and fell out of her ready stance. The black haired woman took a step back from Xid and the others, and reluctantly answered the snake-like woman. “Very well. I’m sorry, Xid, that I can’t help any further.”

Miasa smiled at the Jedi being obedient and wise enough not to object. While she would have preferred not to ignite her lightsaber, she would have had no problems doing so. Just as she would not have had any problems aiding Lord Sish. She led the way to the turbolift in the prisoners’ sanitary facilities, coiling herself up inside while waiting for the Jedi to enter as well, who did so with one last look at the scene between the Trandoshan and the other prisoners. Just as the doors shut on the turbolift, she could sense in the distance that the ship was exiting hyperspace and entering orbit above a sparsely populated planet. She had no idea what planet it was, but did not care overmuch. She would learn eventually.

She led the way around the arena, taking the prisoner not to one of the small rooms along the sides, but through the Sith common room and into one of the rooms dedicated to Sith Quarters. She had claimed one of those shortly after arriving, knowing it was empty. Eventually, when some of the Jedi turned as she knew they would, she might let some move in there too. The doors opened up at her approach, having been keyed to an object she carried. There was a small control panel beside it, but she did not need that now.

It was sparsely furnished, having no chairs, but a few large pillows piled in practical places around the various crates she had had moved over from her personal shuttle. The crates were all still shut, of course. She had not needed any of the gear within as of yet. The way the crates were stacked could look haphazard, but she knew exactly what was where. A suitable level of seeming chaos ensured that she alone knew what was where.

Andri glanced around the room as she followed the Sluissi woman into it, noting that there was no need for a security code or anything to open the door. It was possible that the woman hadn’t set any sort of security, but the Epicanthix doubted it. It was far more likely for her...current captor to have used a device or the force, which meant the likelihood of Andri being able to do anything with the knowledge was slim.

Noticing that there were no chairs in the room, though it was understandable as a Sluissi wouldn’t have any need for one, Andri settled into a stance that was comfortable when it came to standing for long periods of time. “By the lack of torture equipment readily available, I’m going to assume you have more subtle methods in mind.”

“Yes… Torture, while it breeds anger, is unrefined. Tell me about yourself. How do you see yourself serving the Empire?”

“To be honest, I don’t. The Empire has shown me nothing that appeals to me; what little I have seen of it is, as you said, unrefined anger and brutality, and betrayals around every corner.” Andri clasped her hands behind her back as she spoke. “At least in the Jedi Order, I have friends, I have been treated with respect and never have to fear that the person I help today could stab me in the back tomorrow. I am free to help people however I can; which I do by trying to negotiate peace between worlds. I aim for peace, and nothing the Empire has ever said or done has come close to convincing me even in the smallest amount that their aims are the same.”

“Peace is a Lie. No matter how many prepare for peace, others will prepare for war. In the Empire, if you are strong, you will be respected. I once was a fool, thinking only to gain more power. Darth Nyiss taught me a lesson. She was the stronger. I serve her willingly, for she is worthy. I help those who deserve it. Under the Empire, no worlds go to war with each other. Criminals are punished as they deserve. Can you say that there is no crime in the republic, that the laws are obeyed by all, or even by the vast majority? My apprentices serve loyally, and they are as friends to me.”

“The only lie I have seen is the belief that peace is impossible. It is darker emotions such as fear and anger that make peace difficult to obtain; I try to counsel against these emotions, which makes peace that much closer when two warring world can put aside these emotions and work together. My achievements are only small in scale, but if everyone were to work together then the small achievements would amount to something great.” Andri’s brow furrowed as she thought. “All beings deserve help, whether great or small. All beings deserve a chance to prove that they are more than they have been taught by their forebearers - where does the bully learn to fight but from those who provoke him? Where does the broken man come from but a broken home?”

“And as for there being no war within the Empire; that is through fear, which then gets channeled to the Empire’s enemies. At least in the Republic, a world that fails at something does not have to fear being overrun by someone looking to ‘earn more power’, often through force. A family that sits on hard times can rely on the support of the community to make it through and come out all the better at the end. And of your apprentices - how many would willingly stab you in the back if you showed but one small moment of weakness? A true friend would help you through the weakness, and you would both come out stronger than before.”

“Oh, peace is possible. But that doesn't make it less of a lie. People, by nature, prepare for war. Denying that does not make it less accurate. For a thousand years, the Empire has worked towards a common goal. There has been anger, there has been hate. But there has always been progress. Unreasoned hate and anger is pointless, a flaw. Focussed hate and anger will make you strong. The broken man may pull himself together and earn respect and power. If he earns it, he will be helped by others who believe as he does. It is the way of life.” Miasa smiled. It had been a long time since anyone had discussed properly with her. She moved over to the holographic console, pressing a few commands into it, activating it and revealing a hologram of Nal Hutta.

“See this world? It is proof your argument is false. Nal hutta, formerly known as Evocar, was just such a world. The hutts turned it into a festering swamp, chasing the Evocii away, stealing their planet, all to earn more power for themselves. In the Empire, they would not have been permitted to do so. The Evocii would have had defenses preventing the hutt's from taking their world. As for my apprentice s… None would stab me in the back after a momentary weakness. I train them better. Betrayal benefits them not. Loyalty is rewarded, just as my master rewards my loyalty.”

Miasa found the discussion invigorating and wondered how the Jedi would take it. She had no rush in converting the Jedi. One seed planted would suffice for the day, nonetheless, she would continue.