I am the Force, or am I? [D1, ME]

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

"If you need a guide when you come back tomorrow," Vaya murmured to Verse, half-serious, "I seem to have a decent handle on things." She also watches Hulia for an answer. If I ever stop being whiplashed enough to get curious, there's plenty to learn.

[Sister Hulia]

“It’s an old story to a time when Bankor had many cities and people, before there was Aznuri, just those who would become Aznuri. There was great war, we call them the Sky Devils… I believe the word in your tongue is Mand-alorius? Something like that, they came and brought war,” Hulia explained.

“Those that would become Aznuri were split into three, the tribes of the Cursed lands, those who kept true and those sought to serve the Sky Devils. The Cursed lands were a dark place and from it dark and twisted things came it was the lair of the Darkness, a Sith evil.”

“The Repiublic and Jedi come to Bankor and fight the Sky Devils and they come to our lands and help our people become united, drive out the Sky Devils and then the Jedi came and cleansed the Cursed lands, this was our birth this is the Calm,” she makes a warding sign and smiles warmly.

“The Calm is where the ancestors go along the River, they rest and guide us, Peacewalkers commune with them, they are of all the tribes and all tribes end up in the Calm. The Jedi were friends and we learned from them, they from us but soon the Jedi never came back, we do not know. Bankor has been vibrant world, wild place and now this, many times over the history of the people but we remain and endure and have protected the Calm,” she finished.

“So yes we know the Jedi, or maybe we knew the Jedi.”

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

Vaya's jaw loosened slightly as the woman, previously brief to the point of cryptic, told her folk history. She resisted the urge to take notes. Wait till I tell Petrus.

[Verse Aura]

She nodded toward Vaya's offer, then listened to the story.

"Well, if it means anything, it sounds like the Jedi back then aren't really different from the Jedi order that I've known. Cleansing dark places and fighting evil. Perhaps we didn't come back for so long because Bankor and the Aznuri didn't need us until now. In any case, this Calm sounds worth protecting. Reminds me of home."

[Sister Hulia]

"We are Aznuri, we will endure," she said in reply as if it was obvious.

[Verse Aura]

"Of course, I didn't mean to imply you could not stand on your own. But even so, helping others is our way. And two are stronger than one."

[Sister Hulia]

"All tribes are one," she agreed.

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

Vaya had a thought that caused her stomach to do an ambiguous little flip, out of either excitement or fear. "Sister Hulia, did the Jedi from your story leave... anything behind? Any buildings, or objects? Ones that haven't totally fallen apart or rotten away?"

[Sister Hulia]

Sister Hulia looked at the woman and then said, "I cannot speak of such things with members not of the tribes."

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

"Sure!" Vaya waved her hands, as if to say, no problem, no problem. "That's good, actually." I didn't want to see them anyway, ha ha. "Stick with that, Sister. It's just that, the Empire has taken a real interest in hunting down, uh," she glanced at Verse, "the non-organic-and-still-walking-around aspects of the Jedi. And the Force. Part of it seems to be making sure they're the only ones who know about it, brush it under the rug and pretend it never happened..." she trails off, and looks at Verse. "I don't know if you listen to official broadcasts, but they've started to pivot from 'the Jedi were a group of powerful, dangerous traitors' to 'the Jedi? There weren't that many of them, just a group of obscure religious wierdos.' Anyway." She turned back to Hulia. "I don't know if all the Anzuri are as... open, talking about this stuff, as you are, but, people less good than me at taking no for an answer may start asking questions, if it comes to the wrong ears." She gave a small tight smile. "And I'm actually pretty nosy."

[Sister Hulia]

"We do not speak of such things outside the enclave, though I may be more brazen than most of," she said feeling a bit foolish.

"The Empire it is Sith, it is evil."

[Verse Aura]

Her curiosity was certainly piqued by the talk of things left behind by the Jedi of the past, though it quickly became apparent she wasn't going to be allowed to see any such things. At least not until trust was earned. The other woman seemed more disappointed than Verse was, though. A lot of pleading, even if she made a good point.

"The Jedi committed no treason," she said, as if making sure everyone knew that. "Anyway, I *would* be interested in seeing anything the Jedi left behind, as well as this Calm. But such things have been guarded by your people for a very long time, and I understand it is your place to decide if it should be so."

[Sister Hulia]

"I cannot decide such, but I know that such a request would be met with offense if not anger," she said honestly.

"You see it as just a place, it is not so for the tribes, it is our home, the place where the waters go to take our souls when we return to the Force to rest with our ancestors. It is not just a place, it is the heart and soul of the Aznuri. Would you simply let anyone into your heart and soul at a mere request?"

[Verse Aura]

"Well, one of the old masters... or I think he was a knight... he said that compassion is essential to a Jedi, and that it could be defined as unconditional love. So in a way a Jedi must take everyone into their hearts. But I do not wish to cause offense. These are your places, and I do not wish to harm a potential friendship just because I'm curious."

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

Vaya watched the exchange, happy to let the much-younger woman be a stalking horse for her own keen interest in seeing these places. Then something clicked. "Sorry, is that literal?" she said, and then waved her antennapalps while blinking twice, a sort of shaking-ones-head-to-clear-it gesture. "I mean, the bit about the Empire being the Sith. I mean, I know that literal isn't always a cross-cultural concept..." she changed tack suddenly, realizing she was about to put herself in a place where she'd have to either be totally incomprehensible or explain Windiscanian language games. "When you said 'the Empire is Sith,' did you mean 'it's bad because it's evil' or 'it's bad because it belongs to the ancient noetic-political tradition of Sithism,'" she continued. "Because while I, uh, have come to realize that maybe the Force is less legendary that previously thought, the Sith were all wiped out a millennia ago." She cleared her throat. "Or, uh, so I've read."

[Sister Hulia]

"It has evil of Sith as in the old ways, Sith come to Bankor long ago, created the Cursed Lands," she said to the woman.

"Empire is Sith, you understand, yes?"

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

"No, not yet," Vaya said, with no false humility. The University could be much more of a pit of vipers than a shining beacon of the life of the mind, and she hadn't gone there for the joy of pure discovery, but she had still picked up the principle that in intellectual pursuits, you couldn't find out what you weren't willing to admit ignorance of. "Are you saying..." and she held up figures as she listed off possibilities, "The Empire is run on Sithist philosophical tenets, the Empire is run by, uh, Forceful beings," she glances at Verse, as if seeking confirmation on the terminology, or at least checking to see if she's offered offense, "who are inheritors or adherents of Sithism..." she trails off. "You mean that last one right? That's the worst, so it's probably true." Another sound intellectual principle, that one learned in the Balosar econo-arcologies.

[Sister Hulia]

"I believe it is all of those things, but only from what I have seen and experienced," she offered.

[Verse Aura]

"Yes, I believe the Empire is run by the literal Sith, or at least force-sensitives who walk the same path. I don't know too much about them myself though, I was never very good at history and lore. But I know the Sith have shown up and vanished from history many times. They try to overthrow the republic and Jedi, and when they are defeated, they go into hiding. I guess, like how those of us Jedi who survived their coup were forced into hiding. I only hope it won't be another thousand years before we can come back out again."

[Sister Hulia]

Hulia nodded appreciatively at Verse's sentiment but said nothing.

[Vaya Mer'darrow]

“Well… kriff.” Vaya tapped her fingers on the table, her antennapalps bobbing in similar time, then straightened and looked guiltily at her host. “Uh, pardon my language.” She looked between Julia and Verse, and then at the table. “If possible, I’d, uh, like to come back tomorrow when you meet with Sister Viati.” She pauses, as words catch in her throat. I’m a scholar and I’m curious makes her sound at best prying and at worst predatory, and she has problems saying things like I once felt in tune with the Universe, even just to herself, without feeling like her eyes were going to roll out of the back of her head. “I’m no… Jedi... “ hahaha no definitely not “but it’s, uh, important to me.” She picked her eyes from the table, but wasn’t sure which one to look at.

[Sister Hulia]

"I will see what I can do," she said optimistically.

[Verse Aura]

"Well, I don't have any objection," Verse said

[Sister Hulia]

"Then tomorrow we shall meet, and hopefully my Sister will be willing to receive you," she said pleased rising.

"I am honored that you came to visit us this day, Master Jedi, and you as well, Vaya as your people say; may the Force be with you."

[Verse Aura]

"Oh, well I'm not a master but..." she rose up as well, "thank you for being so friendly despite my tresspassing."