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Jex Saranth walked briskly towards the Jedi Grandmaster’s Chambers. His breathing was calm, almost meditative. His footsteps were equally measured, and his mind was at ease. Under his breath, the Jedi Knight was muttering the Jedi Code up until he approached the door. Without so much as a knock, Jex waved his hand and the door opened. His eyes locked on the two padawans. He slowly walked forward, turning his gaze towards Padawan Farlance. ”You may take a walk. I wish to speak with Padawan Dayne. Alone.” His voice was firm and deep, and his expression was stoic and stern.
As the door opened, Brye was half expecting Satele to walk in; instead walked in someone who she hadn’t really seen much, but she still knew who it was. Jedi Knight Saranth, though is first name eluded her.
He was quite stern as he spoke, even more so as his gaze fell on Brye. Although unintentional, Brye was half glaring at the Knight at his tone, though she did not hesitate for a moment. She turned and left the room in the next moment, not even sticking outside the door. She would find somewhere that she was needed more.
Jaslyn watched Brye leave and sat up straighter. She waited for Knight Saranth to speak. And waited. And waited. Well we are either waiting on Brye to get out of earshot or this has already started. Possibly both. I’m gonna go with this last one.
Jaslyn studied Knight Saranth. He is physically imposing. If he hadn’t been in the temple I’d have assumed he was a normal street thug. Maybe a laborer that worked with his whole body. I don’t remember seeing much of him around here.
Jex simply stood still, and he moved his hands behind his back as his feet were shoulder width apart. His eyes focused intently on Jaslyn for a moment, and the rest of his body seemed still and locked in place. He turned his head to scan the room, before his eyes fixed back on Jaslyn. While his hands remained firmly behind his back, Jex spoke with the same deep volume, but ditched the same sternness from earlier. ”I am Jedi Knight Jex Saranth. My purpose for being here is to determine what exactly transpired between you and the Force Sensitive earlier today, why you used your lightsaber against a fellow Padawan, and what you experienced. I am not here to pass judgement, and I am not putting you on trial. I am looking for the truth. Let’s start with how you ended up alone with the Force Sensitive.” Jex’s expression softened slightly as he spoke, and his eyebrows furrowed as he finished as he seemed to show signs of concern.
Jaslyn watched him warily as he made his speech. She relaxed at his tone. It was much different from San’s, Battlemaster Kyla’s, Grandmaster Shan’s and even Brye’s. He sounded like he wasn’t passing judgement like he said. Jaslyn nodded. “I had been out roaming the hills checking on sensors as well as practicing my forms. I like to practice the movements without a saber and I prefer the challenge of utilizing the terrain around me. I saw Selene...uh the Force Sensitive crash into the rift. I took the bike that I had over to the Rift. As I was in route I saw Battlemaster Kyla’s ship pass over and they landed before I got there. I followed them down into the Rift. We were able to locate the wreckage but not Sel-the Force Sensitive. We were then attacked by something...wrong. We quickly ascertained that it was a group of them. Knight Elav held them off and was wounded. He’s dead now they tell me. And apparently I’m to blame for that.” She pulled a grimace that spoke of self loathing at that thought spoken out loud.
Jex’s only movement was a slight nodding of the head to Jaslyn’s words. He did his best to keep his expression stoic at the news of Elav’s death. From what he had heard, the deceased Knight was a good man. But Jex put that aside for now. It was something to deal with after this matter was sorted. ”Your actions alone did not kill him. His death is part of the cycle of the Force, and he honored our order by sacrificing himself for the sake of others.” His voice had softened significantly, but hardened again after Jex took a deep breath. ”They told you he was dead after the fact. Where were you? Were you separated from the others?”
Jaslyn weighed his words. My actions alone...still held accountable.
“We fell back at my suggestion, since there were six of the beasts, and climbed to the top of the Rift. I had started climbing first and was in a position to observe someone, presumably the Force Sensitive, climbing to the surface and upon reaching the surface I noticed that someone was in the ship as the doors were closing. I made the decision to get to the ship and that is when I was separated from the others. I requested assistance from the Force Sensitive and was told that I was to get out or sit down. I made the decision to see what she was up to.”
Jaslyn sighed. And that is the part that will get me in trouble.
Jex gave a curt nod as he closed his eyes at the last part of Jaslyn’s explanation. He tilted his head, and his expression seemed to scrunch up in confusion.”Then you spoke with the Force Sensitive? Did she say anything else to you? Even just a name?”” While he was typically able to keep his emotions under control, a small well of frustrated anger grew in the center of his chest. She just left the others behind out of curiosity… Dangerous.
Jaslyn nodded. “Her name is Selene. Or so she said. We had a slightly philosophical debate about the Jedi Order. She expressed her truth I expressed mine. Besides stalling for time and trying to find out why she’d even come down here. Then we didn’t talk because we were in the Silent Desert.”
Jex began his pacing at this point between Jaslyn and the door, each step equally paced to the last. He churned through the thoughts in his mind. ”Do you believe that Selene, an individual with a strong connection to the Dark Side to the point this planet reacted as if it wanted to tear itself apart, shared her ‘truth’ with you? And what made you believe that you could discern a truth from Selene that a Knight or Master could not?” He was growing more impatient internally. Externally, he seemed rather stoic and contemplative, as he did when he was trying to solve a case. Before Jaslyn could answer, he added one final question. ”And what happened from the time you entered the desert to the time you and Selene were found?”
Jaslyn’s jaw set stubbornly and watched Knight Saranth pace. “We all believe in something. What matters to me may not matter to you. The way I see things is no less important than how you do. We all have ‘truths’ are hers the same as ours? I know that you won’t believe me if I told you that she believes what she said.”
Jaslyn looked away then sighed and looked back at Knight Saranth. “Leaving the ship, to whatever destination was programmed in it, we leapt to the surface. She seemed to know where to point the beast and have it open the way to…” Jaslyn looked fascinated by the mystery as she went on. “I’m not entirely sure what it was exactly. Tho Yor. Symbols that looked older than Aerabesh. It was almost alive with the Force. It had a pulse, almost. Or a call. I’m not doing it justice but there are few words that would.”
Jaslyn trailed off and was staring a hole into the floor contemplating what it would mean if she explained what happened to her in the Tho Yor.
Jex closed his eyes as Jaslyn got defensive. He knew this would be the reaction, and she was clearly taking the bait. What did surprise him was her description of what happened next. He stopped pacing, and his brow furrowed in a confused expression as he turned his gaze towards her. ”A call? What do you mean by that?” Jex took a few steps toward her, his expression seeming to show the tiniest bits of curiosity that the Jedi Knight didn’t bother hiding. This was becoming more interesting as things developed. ”What is this… Tho Yor?”
Jaslyn looked back at Knight Saranth as his questions pulled her out of her morbid contemplation. “I’m not sure this is accurate but, ships that brought early Force Users to Tython from...possibly from all over the universe. Do you know anything about this planet’s past? The Je’daii?” Jaslyn was curious to know that what she was told could be corroborated by facts.
Jex folded his arms, shrugging his shoulders. ”If you’re interested in these ‘Je’daii,’ I’m sure you can find something in the archives. My areas of expertise are focused on the present, not the past of our order.” His eyes focused in on Jaslyn’s, his expression returning to his bitter stoicism. ”This… Tho Yor gave you some sort of vision, then? Or spoke to you? Told you that about Tython, I suppose.” Jex’s jaw then began to clench for a moment, before he gave a sympathetic sigh. ”What none of this tells me, however, is why you never attempted to stop this Dark Sider. Nor why you lifted a saber in defense against a fellow Padawan. Please… just help me understand why you’re here.”
Jaslyn sighed and ran her hands over her hair to the ponytail positioned high in the back of her head. Then finger combed her tangles as she talked. “I am not equipped to make any of this right, as much as others wish it so. I knew that I didn’t have the power to turn the ship into something that could be used to break atmosphere. I knew I didn’t have the ability to stop her from taking the ship. I knew I didn’t have the ability to cast her off planet with a thought.”
Jaslyn leaned over and tapped the arm of the chair lightly but firmly every other word. “Yet knowing all this I chose to observe. Knowing that at some point someone would be needed to say why she was here. And after all that risk to my reputation and everything that I’ve worked for to have a fellow Padawan undo all of that was unacceptable.” Her hand made a fluid slashing motion in the air as she shook her head. She winced slightly at a tangle that was particularly knotted that pulled when she shook her head.
Making eye contact with Knight Saranth directly Jaslyn went back to finger combing the snarled places in her hair that were left. “My risk of self was fine. I was willing to take that punishment but I was not about to let anyone else suffer. Killing Selene out of hatred served San no purpose but to further her down a dark path. I did her a favor, even if she does see it as such yet. In short, I did what I could do to help knowing that I was risking more than my life.”
Jaslyn was done finger combing through her hair by the end of the speech. And although that is the truth I doubt that anyone is going to believe it. That’s why I was pretty much treated as if I’d betrayed the Order.
Jex shook his head, placing his hands behind his back, giving a small sigh. He had gathered what appeared to be all the information he was going to receive, yet the normally reserved Jedi Knight stayed for a moment and turned his eyes to Jaslyn. ”The Jedi Masters and even the council will see your actions as a failure. While you claim you didn’t have the power to stop or impede Selene, I believe that you could have if you had chosen to. It could have come at a terrible cost to yourself, but that’s a price a Jedi is willing to make.” Almost as if anticipating a response or backlash, Jex raised his hand and continued speaking. ”The path you chose, however, was in part inspired by the Code. Your choice to defend Selene by turning against a fellow Padawan who was succumbing to the dark side was a sign of courage. More so, you sought a path of peace and knowledge. Your master should be proud of that much, Padawan. Two words of wisdom, however: Jedi must always be willing to sacrifice themselves even when the odds look unwinnable, and don’t trust those trained in the Dark Side. Their lessons are rooted in fear and power.”
Jaslyn nodded at Knight Saranth and massaged her temples. She noted he made a motion to stop an outburst as if she was supposed to interrupt him, which she had no intention of doing. “I understand. I hope to do better in the future. Am I released to my quarters then Knight Saranth? I’d like to change if possible.”
Jex shook his head temporarily. ”Stay here, for now. Given recent events, especially regarding your fellow Padawan, I would prefer if you stayed here until someone comes for you.” Jex gave a slight nod, his face changing from stoic to melancholic. ”May the Force be with you, Jaslyn.” And with that, Jex turned on his heels and exited the Grandmaster’s chambers, waiting outside the door for Brye to return and resume her watch.
