Shadows of Bankor

Petrus had also been at Oraka's cabin in an attempt to work on his lightsaber. He hadn't made much progress, but at least it gave him time to think.

He lingered afterwards, approaching the cabin in search of Master Oraka. He did his best to step softly in case Veras was asleep, but he expected that Oraka would be able to sense him coming.

His expression was thoughtful, but not quite troubled.

Xanna was there too having been spending time in the vergence. Petrus had seemed quite lost in thought but then filled with renewed purpose.

She accompanied him as he walked to the cabin in a companionable silence. The next day would bring many challenges. Perhaps even more than they knew.

Indeed, while Petrus glanced at Xanna with a fond smile, nothing needed to be said. They both knew what was coming tomorrow, at least as much as they could, and had prepared for it, at least as much as they could.

Perhaps it would even be enough.

Oraka watched quietly.

Everyone, it seemed, had been taking advantage of the vergence. Not Verse, no sir. Okay, Verse too. Just a few hours ago she had finished work on her lightsaber, and since then she's been doing a mixture of training, meditating, and a bunch of flips just for the hell of it.

It took a little while for Petrus to speak. Not because he was gathering his courage, but more because he was gathering his thoughts.

"Master..." Petrus finally began, still frowning thoughtfully. "About what we talked about before. I mean, with Neela and Valus, and the rest of the Resistance. I still have some concerns."

He spread his hands. "I'm not suggesting that we punish them, not at all. But... I'm concerned that if we don't treat the harm suffered by our friends, the Aznuri and the Mandalorians and others, that it'll fester into something worse. Like the Dark Side."

Oraka nodded and waited for him to continue.

Petrus chewed his lip for a moment. He wasn't as eloquent and calm as Xanna, or as confident as Qareme. This was harder than he thought. But he would do it.

"I think maybe it would be good if we did something to try to repay the harm done to them. I mean, there's the Empire to deal with first. But maybe we could promise that once that's done..."

He took a deep breath. "Maybe we could all work together on rebuilding their communities? Like we built up the Resistance base? Neela and Valus should help, of course, but I think maybe if we all did it, it might mean more? I don't know."

Xanna nodded. "Once the Imperial presence is gone and we can work openly, this is a good thing that we should do. Until then there is substantial danger simply setting foot in those locations." She looked around at the others, wondering what their thoughts were.

“I know Neela has been doing what she can, Valus has stayed in the Temple it is where he feels most mindful. This is a good course of action but we should expect that no matter the amount of aid they do, they may never actually forgive them and that is fair. I am sure they know this but we should all accept this, the call for vengeance is a strong one,” he said thoughtfully.

"Yeah..." Petrus said slowly, frowning as he worked it out. "But they're calling for vengeance because they're hurt, right? Maybe if we address the hurt another way..." He spread his hands.

Clearing his throat, he went on. "If we gave a promise, maybe it would help. Show that we care, y'know? And help people understand us a little better. I think that's important." He said. "Show them who we really are."

"What kind of promise?" Oraka asked.

Petrus spread one hand. "To... help. I mean, something specific. Like 'we hear your concerns, we are sorry, we promise to help rebuild your community once Bankor is liberated', or something like that." He shrugged. "Only... someone who can say it better. But I think it might ease some of the pain."

"Have we not already given that promise?" he asked curiously.

"Of course we'll help them rebuild! Like that family this afternoon, I owe them a house I guess."

She'd really screwed up. At least on that particular part of the encounter.

"But... I mean, promises don't mean much to people who are suffering right now, do they? And what if we can't keep those promises? How would that make them feel?"

"We make a commitment to help them as best we can, I do not like promises. Not because we can't keep them but because they build false expectations," he responded.