The speech Satele Shan was less practiced than she might have hoped, but that she had practiced at all might surprise some of those sitting on either side of her. Trust was a fickle thing; once broken the only way to repair that trust was to try again. So Jaslyn betrayed the trust of the Jedi Order in fostering a link with a Dark sider, as much mentally as physically. Casting her out, sending her to some far reach, would do nothing to begin rebuilding that trust. The vote was tallied quickly. She could've done it without looking, just let the opinion of each of her fellow Jedi Master wash over her--but old habits died hard. There was no dissent, which she found oddly less than reassuring. The vote, and the result, were quickly filed away into the computer system. "And so Padawan Jaslyn Dayne remains within the Jedi Order, stationed on Tython. Until further notice she will be unavailable for mission detailing."

And so the Jedi Council went on. Of Selene the vote was swifter still, and Supreme Commander Malcom had already moved to setup the Republic task force that would escort Selene to her new home on a prison planet built with high powered Force users in mind. It was a hollow victory of the Jedi Order; Selene wanted to get caught, she wanted to be sent to prison. That alone wasn't all that difficult to figure out after speaking with the Dark Sider for half a minute. She was running. From what? The Jedi Council discussed it, but it was Satele who sighed softly, leaned forward on a knee in her Council seat, and explained what she felt:

"It's not what is chasing her, it's who. She believes the Emperor himself is after her. I'd like to say she's wrong, and I can't say she's right, but there is an odd mixture of presence about her. She is watched, by spiritual and living entities alike. We cannot try to outfox the future, all we can do is make the best decision available to us in the present." And that, the vote reaffirmed, was sending the girl off to a prison world and hoping the key was lost. Had Satele felt the Emperor? No. Not first hand, at least, but it was enough of an unsettling feeling to warrant real caution. 

The next item on the agenda was the Mandalorians. It was basilisk war droids. It was armor thought destroyed, at the very least lost to time. It was about arming a Mandalorian Clan with weaponry some Jedi thought best left in the past. Satele had explained the situation. She was left with very few options, and an extreme form of diplomacy seemed not too much of a stretch given the circumstances. 

Master Bakarn furrowed his brows, "Extreme diplomacy, indeed." 

Satele gave the fellow Master a dull stare for a few lingering moments continuing: Grim had taken most of Madog and began raiding any relatively easy targets in disputed territory. They weren't hostile to Republic forces in the area. They had even shared some Empire movements. It was a start, Satele hoped aloud, though one of her fellow Masters was less than excited at the prospect of counting diplomatic victories in mere starts. 

That alone would have been memorable enough of a Council Meeting had Satele not taken up the topic of attachment and possession. It seemed unfair to call the point of agenda contentious. Half the Masters present stated their discomfort at the mere idea, while the other half seemed more open to the concept than even Satele might have suspected. "We're talking marriage within the Jedi Order, let us be clear."

"As opposed to outside the Jedi Order. In secret."

Satele didn't hesitate. She nodded, hard, and went about the unpleasant work of opening her past. "Yes. I tried to start a family outside the Order, Master Kiwiiks. Yes I kept that a secret. I have no plans of marrying Jace Malcom, if that's your concern."

"A marriage between the Jedi Grand Master and the Supreme Commander of Republic Forces? Who would be concerned with such a thing, Grand Master?" Master Din smiled even as he spoke, even if his words were not entirely just to tease. It was a very real concern, Satele freely admitted, but it was misguided. 

"I am past romances, I should think, I merely concern myself with the future of our Order."

"And this is wisdom?"

Satele chuckled, "This is a discussion of ideas. Wisdom comes later after we've all discussed until we're blue in the face and half-sure which way we want to vote. May the Force guide us." Not even Satele could keep the playful hint at the corner of her pink lips from showing. There was a promise by all to bring the discussion up again, perhaps even tease the idea out for reception, but quickly the session ended with questions and details of Satele's mission to Corellia, mostly by Kyla. They had even agreed to let Satele borrow a few other Jedi, such as Balthasar. 

The Jedi Knight was scary with a lightsaber. They could train, they could train with Brye. It would represent a wonderful chance to escalate the young woman's combat training, much as Dxun had been an introduction by fire. Satele was left smiling at the thought of the training, but the smile faded quickly as she swept from the Jedi Council Chambers and into the surrounding corridors. Jaslyn Dayne was surrounded by those relieved, while there were others watching from the sides--less than thrilled at the result of the Jedi Council's decision. All it took to find Brye was to close her eyes, and simply reach out. 

[i]The Starshine at 2000 ready to go. Knight Balthasar will be joining us. We've got a detour at a casino before Corellia, bring your lucky robes, Padawan.[/i]

Satele slipped down a set of stairs just across the corridor. A few Padawans near leapt out of their skin when they rounded up the first set of stairs and found Satele descending. A quick smile and quiet hello to both and she was going down one level of stairs, then a second, winding off the second level below the Jedi Council Chambers to the new location of their honored guest. There was a last request.

Selene's darkness looked even darker in the bright light of the chamber she was kept, Balthasar and Jace near her. The Dark Sider had come to call Balthasar a shadow, only for Satele to tell her that the Jedi already had something called Shadows. It was the biggest smile Satele had seen on the Dark Siders face since reading the memories between Jaslyn and Selene of their time alone. Selene had a secret to tell Satele, and only Satele.

"Lower," the Dark Sider insisted.

"Closer," the Dark Sider whispered, until Satele Shan was literally cheek to cheek with the girl. Selene's skin smooth and startlingly cold to the touch, the Dark Side girl smelled of travel and perspiration. And then Selene whispered her whisper, and Satele stood still as her mind wrapped the words up tightly, carefully, in her memory. Selene was a Queen. Her sister was a Princess of a Republic planet. 

It was uncomfortable news for the Jedi, but Selene's sister and her sister's family could be innocents. Satele would find out, and help them if they were loyal to the Republic, she promised the Dark Sider. Balthasar led Selene himself to her transport, as Jace lingered behind. "She has a family. A Republic family. I promised to help them if they turned out loyal to the Republic."

It wasn't what Jace stayed for. In a heartbeat it seemed the two of them were embraced, Satele's arms clinging to the giant man's waist, his massive arms grabbing her and bringing her completely into his possession. "I'll see you again."

"Alive."

Satele smiled another tiny smile. "They haven't killed me yet. I'll make sure Theron survives Corellia. I'm heading there soon. Jace?...don't go on that transport with the Dark Sider." There was no real reason for the words to come out of Satele's mouth, but she heard them come all the same. Surprised of them as she was, Jace stared hard for a second before managing a little nod in her direction. He had little love for her mysticism...but it had kept him alive more than once before. 

"Good luck."