[h3]Damar[/h3]
[b]Coruscant - Processional Way[/b]
[i]Seeking Guidance[/i]
[hr]

Damar stopped as he was greeted by another knight, who wanted to know his opinion not necessarily on the issues at hand, but on Revan and Alek as Jedi, and where their true intentions lay. Damar nodded and greeted the man with a smile. 

"Yes, I am Damar Maadik. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Knight Zale." He looked towards Revan and Alek where they stood, still giving speeches and answering questions or debaters from within the crowd. He put one hand on his chin, and paused a moment before he spoke.

"I wouldn't say the Council plans to do [i]nothing[/i]...Currently, I believe their plan is to [i]wait and see.[/i] I believe they have some foreknowledge of what is to come...but for some reason they've deigned not to share it with the rest of us. I personally don't agree with their methods, but I respect that they are more capable and wiser than the rest of us. I would be willing to follow their orders if not for Alek's zeal and...my own shortcomings." He sighed. "But, nonetheless, you asked about whether Revan and Alek's hearts are in the right place. Currently...I am not sure." He turned back to the other knight, who seemed to be--at least part--Balosaurian, due to his antennae. "They speak eloquently and with conviction, but I am unsure whether they mean to achieve justice and peace by pushing back an otherwise unreasonable enemy...or if they want revenge for their Jedi brothers and sisters who have fallen. Or even--and this is only my own assumptions, mind, based on what I have heard them speak of--even perhaps, they might seek glory among the ranks of the Republic fleets." He shook his head. 

"I don't believe that the Jedi Order should become an engine of war, soldiers on the battlefield meant to meet the Mandalorians head on. But I do believe that there is something more we should do, something more we should learn, for this conflict. That is originally why I intended to head to the front lines myself, to not only assist where I can--not on the battlefield, unless need-be--but to learn more of what is going on, to see it with my own eyes before I make a decision. That is my shortcoming, I am afraid; I'm too curious for my own good." He smiled ruefully. 

"As for whether or not there is another way...I would say most certainly so. In the case of Taris, which has already been ravaged by battle, it may be possible to wait out the Mandalorian occupation or infiltrate it to give aid to those left in the wake of battle. Medicine, food, other supplies, and effort that will surely be needed to rebuild what has been destroyed. One could also help other planets better prepare themselves, or attempt to act as a mediator...but from what little I know of Mandalorian culture, I do not think they could be reasoned with. I think that, given their lust for battle not for the sake of destruction, but merely for the glory of it, the only way they could be dissuaded from attacking a world would be to present defenses too impregnable, or capabilities too great, to take such a world without the destruction of a majority of their own forces. Hopefully they are not so battle crazed as to cast themselves into a self-destructive battle on purpose." He once again glanced towards Revan and Alek. It seemed that it would not be long now until their speeches were over and their band of like minded followers would be solidified.

"I myself will follow Revan and Alek, not to join their cause wholeheartedly, but in the hopes of doing what I can to guide and restrain the impulses of those whose hearts might be overcome with emotion. I am sure you have felt it too, rippling in the force...some of them feel a great compassion for their brethren and the peoples who have been devastated by this war. They want to help, so badly. But that same passion may very well overwhelm them." He sighed again. "Such is the start to the creeping influence of the Dark Side."