Return to Tatooine -Offtopic RP Thread-

[Azrael]

Before I begin, I want to give a brief history lesson to whoever decides they wish to lurk on this thread.

Daniel, myself, and Sarah all met each other during the course of a Star Wars rp site we were all involved in. Taking place after the fall of the Republic during an AU timeline where Anakin Skywalker betrayed Palpatine upon discovering that he did not truly hold the key to bringing Padme back to life, it was a rather entertaining and relatively longlasting site until its closing by the owner.

If you've noticied in the chatbox, conversations about that site are commonplace here. Its no secret we miss the site, and wish that we could go back to it. Unfortunately, we can't. Currently, we have plans to begin a successor to the forum, but until then we have no outlet for our unresolved characters.

To this end, I have made this thread in the spirit of the old forum, for myself and Sarah. As such, I request that you do not post here. However, feel free to lurk and read our epic duel/duels that shall occur. ^^

- Azrael

------

Tatooine.

That was a planet he hadn't been to for quite some time. In fact, seven galactic standard years had passed without him setting foot upon its surface. The deserts which covered the world held many secrets, and retained many painful memories for the former Jedi Master, memories which were without a doubt better left forgotten. Memories of friends, enemies, loss... the things that no amount of wishing and praying could bring back. No, Jasten Macala had never wished to step foot onto the sand planet ever again. But alas, he had been forced to return on Rebellion business.

Rebellion business. The thought made the man smile. It had taken quite some time getting used to leading the Alliance to Restore the Republic. To be in control of a confederation of planets dedicated to bringing back past glory to the galaxy was not something someone could just walk in and deal with. In the begining, it had been hard, nearly impossible in fact, for Macala to lead his men and women. At the time, he had been occupied with attempting to restore the Order, as well as retaining Alliance independance from the growing Mandalorian threat.

Luckily, that was the past now. He had finally left the Order for good, becoming an exile and forsaking the Code, to allow his former pupil, Kira Silth, to take up the mantle of Grand Master. The Mandalorian leader, Kin Roth, had been killed on his newly created Star Forge, slain by the Grey Jedi Revan in a duel eerily similiar to one fought thousands of years before. With his death, the conquest of the Mandalorians had halted, ensuring the survival of the Rebellion.

For the first time in years, the Alliance was stable. But just because it was stable did not mean it was entirely safe, nor did it mean it was able to face the power of the Empire. Its one true ally, the Confederation, had been destroyed and its remnants absorbed by the Alliance following the death of Qymaen Jai Sheelah at the hands of Darth Bane and his apprentice, Tek'on, leaving the Alliance without anyone to call upon for support. Anyone except the crime lords of the galaxy.

That was why Jasten had been forced to come back to Tatooine after so much time away. Jabba the Hutt, one of the galaxy's most powerful of crime lords, had offered the assitance of his network of enforcers and spys to the Alliance, in exchange for a number of demands. As Jabba had refused to speak with any envoy save Macala himself, the former Jedi Master had been forced by neccessity to go and meet with him himself. He didn't like it... but if the Alliance was to prevail, sacrifices had to be made.

However, this was something his other great ally, the Jedi Order, did not look upon with favor. A year prior, the Hutt had sent several bounty hunters to kill members of the Order in order to collect contracts from the Empire. Twenty five Jedi had been murdered, and five had been captured. This had been a grievous blow to the rebuilding Order, one which had not been forgiven. Macala knew that most of Kira's Council had voiced their displeasure at his planned Alliance with the Hutts, and at least one of them had demanded they act with force against Macala. The rebel had been saddened to hear this from the people he had had worked so hard to help, but he understood their feelings.

By now, he had been expecting Jedi intervention at any moment. Many times, he had thought he had seen Fel'rol'ogor standing in the shadows, or Rahm Kota striding towards him. He could have sworn he had seen Kira herself trailing him, waiting for him to make that wrong turn into an ally an confront him. Surely, he was being paranoid, of course. He was wearing his Taozin cloak over his armour. Even Kira, as powerful as she was, would be able to confirm it was him without first seeing under his hood. Hell, even Shia Cruze, his oldest friend, would have had an issue finding him.

But that didn't mean it wasn't possible.

Jasten sighed. He was getting way to paranoid as he got older. True, he wasn't old yet, especially not by the standards of the Jedi. But he was older than he had been at the start of this goddamn war. And it was starting to take a toll on him. And this paranoia was only one of those symptons.

Either way, Jasten put his hands in his pockets and wrapped his hands tightly around two of his lightsabers. If anything happened at all, he wouldn't be getting caught by surprise. No sir, not at all.

[Amy Locke]

Ok, at this point who doesn't have a serious problem with Tatooine. It's sandy, it's hot, honestly it's a complete waste of space and it's a miracle that the empire hasn't vaporized it yet. But then again, there are the cantinas... It's possible that if this desolate rock was destroyed there would be an uprising within the empire.
After all, Troopers need their entertainment as well.

Is this what life has boiled down to in the galaxy? What's valuable and what isn't? Or maybe the years are finally starting to catch up with the former well... everything... Seriously is there a career that this woman hasn't tried? She's been on both sides of the line as an influencing factor, but on the arm of one of the most destructive men in history, nearly destroyed a planet on her own, nearly lost everything, and then finally started to regain some back .
Hell one would ask why she bothered at this point.

The answer is simple. Shia Cruze doesn't know how. She literally doesn't know how to stop fighting at this point. Even if the rebellion ended tomorrow. Even if the celebrations started and little teddybears started beating on Storm Trooper helmets, she wouldn't be able to stop. She'd be on the first ship heading out towards the outer rim. Out towards the unknown.

Why? Because what the hell has she got to lose now.

The battlefield has healed wounds... but without a doubt they would reopen the moment she lays down her sabers. Solution? Never give up. Never surrender.

Qymaen never did.

Maybe that's why she's here. Sure she's tracking down an old friend who in all probability didn't want to be found, but her real reason? To keep him from making a stupid mistake that could cost him the war. It could cost the galaxy the war. What good is an ally you can't trust your back to? Shia's been there... and the paranoia simply eats away at ones soul.

Until you can convince yourself to do things you're not normally capable of.

'Felucia'

The thought flashed through her mind once more, as it has done every day since her memories returned. A planet, burning from an orbital bombardment that she had called down. Three quarters of a lush jungle planet burned, as she stood on the planets surface and battled one of her oldest allies.

And nearly killed one of her oldest allies.

'Fel... how could he...'

She shook the thought from her head. The woman could meditate further on this issue after finding Jasten. The idiot... this probably ranks right up there with slaughtering that village on Kalee.

Oh yeah, right, that 'wasn't him'... nearly forgot.

For someone who is looking for redemption, she seems unwilling to believe in it. Then again the fact that she's chasing down the man on this forsaken spinning rock is probably a sign that she does believe.

Or at the very least, refuses to give up.

It's a sign, right? That or she figured that she's one of the few people in the galaxy who would be able to track him down. Which is true. She's spent enough time hiding to understand the properties of taozin, and that it's one of Jasten's favorite fashion statements. Add that to her time spent on Mandalore training, and she's probably now one of the most qualified people for this sort of mission.

Maybe that's why she got the call.

Force only knows really.

'Since when has that ever stopped me before?' She thought, slipping through an alleyway. This was her homeworld... it may have been years, but when it comes to this particular hive of scum and villainy, nothing ever changes.
Meaning home court advantage should things really go south... which in theory it shouldn't, but when does anything go according to plan?

Still, it didn't take much to track the man down... just look for the slick spot in the force. That small spot where the force parts and makes way for a moving object. Thank god Alene made her aware of the flowing force all those years ago... it has certainly come in handy.
Especially if you want to not so innocently bump dead into someone.

Like in this situation. Sure it had been years since they had seen each other, but knowing Jasten, he'd be as sharp as ever. Meaning that when Shia caught sight of the former Jedi hooded and making his way through the crowd, she didn't have to try too hard to get his attention. He is force sensitive, after all.

She simply focused on the flowing force about the area and redirected it towards her and down the alleyway. It would be impossible to miss for any force sensitive with training on Jasten's level. Besides, he'd more than likely recognise the figure standing at the mouth of the alley.

The same silent mandalorian that he met when he reunited with Fel all those years ago.

[Nihlus Callidon]

Jasten froze.

All of a sudden, he felt a familiar presence invade the area, one he hadn't felt in years. It was... hard to place it, exactly. Something about it reminded him of Felucia. It wasn't Fel, it wasn't Kota, and it wasn't Kira. Perhaps one of the padawans Kira had gathered? No, that couldn't be it. Kira wouldn't have been stupid enough to send someone who could only have made it to Knight by now. She knew how stubborn Jasten was, and the potential for a conflict was high when someone tried to stop him from doing something. It would have been suicide for the knight. No, clearly, it had to be someone else.

He noticied a small shift in the force around him, and realized someone was directing him towards them. Turning his hooded head ever so slightly, Jasten glanced towards where it was flowing towards. Slightly in front of him, and off to the side, there was an alleyway. And at the foot of the alleyway, there was a figure clad in black and-

Jasten tightened his grip on his lightsaber as he realized who he was looking at. That same Mandalorian from years ago, on the surface of Felucia. With Fel. A Jedi. The first thing that came to his mind was that the Order had actually gone ahead and straight up put a hit on him, and hired the Mandalorian Fel seemed to know so well to fullfill it. He barely managed to press back his growing anger as he realized that was a stupid idea. If the Mando'a was there to kill him, they wouldn't have been so kind as to point out their location to him.

So what then? The Jedi had hired a Mandalorian to stop him from making it to the Hutt's palace? If that was the case, it was inevitable that a fight would break out. Jasten was going to see the Hutt, no matter who got in his way. Hell, they could have brought Alene back from the grave and sent her to stop him, and he wouldn't have stopped. This was bigger than any friendships he might have. This dealt with the survival of millions of people who were all counting on him. He would kill any of his friends if he had too.

However, he couldn't say he wasn't glad that they hadn't showed up themselves.

Jasten started walking again, the few remaining yard that seperated him from the alleyway, and stopped again. He turned to face the Mandalorian, and took his hands out of his pockets, the lightsaber hilts held tightly within them. He didn't ignite, them, not yet, but he wasn't going to be caught with his weapons sheathed if things went bad.

He stepped slightly closer to the Mandalorian, stopping about five yards in front of them, before speaking. "You. Why are you here?"

[Amy Locke]

Well someone hasn't changed a bit. Maybe a little older, but still just as jumpy. Shia watched in silence from her position as he quickly pinned down her location. She had expected him to after all. Still, there was something about his body language she didn't like. Jasten was a formidable opponent in the past.

There's a reason why he was the Battlemaster.

And she wasn't here for a duel. At the very least not intentionally. She very rarely draws her sabers first (a leftover from her Jedi days), but when she does death generally follows.
Simply disabling one's opponent is generally not enough to truly stop them.

That's something she had to learn from the Sith.

Everyone has something to teach you, if you just take the time to listen... course some are more willing to share it than others. Still, she knew that Jasten wouldn't be turned away from this course of action by some strange mando he's met only once. And at that, she never spoke during the first encounter on Felucia.
He never knew that the Mandalorian with the red visor was his former ally.

Which could make this conversation pointless. He wouldn't even listen to his former padawan, the now Grandmaster Kira Silth, he most certainly wouldn't listen to a strange force-adept mandalorian. But maybe it would cause her words to have more meaning if she held off on revealing just who exactly she was.
The taozin laced in the underarmor of her suit would aid in that end at the very least.

"Simple. To stop you from making probably one of the biggest mistakes of your life." She said, with her voice distorted by the helmet. It seems that he insisted on showing that he was willing to fight by holding a saber in each hand in plain view. Funny, actually, as Jai'kar is not only her preferred lightsaber form but the same one that she utilized to defeat, maim, and nearly kill Fel on Felucia all those years ago. Still, she carefully moved and swept her Kalee-style cloak so that her hands were perfectly visible, but her sabers were not.
If the man has any memory at all, he would recognize them. And she didn't need her secret blown right off the bat.

[Azrael]

Jasten laughed, his own helmet giving it a slightly creepy, mechanical sound to it. "Biggest mistake of my life? You know nothing of my life, Mando'ad. You don't know what I've done." He shook his head. Who did this woman think she was? Surely, Kira would have given the Mandalorian intel. She would have told this woman that it was nigh impossible to negotiate with him when he set his mind to something.

So why was she talking and not trying to kill him?

Heh. It came to him as he thought about it. Clearly, the Mandalorian was trying to lull him into a false sense of security before she struck. Something like that wouldn't work on him.

Jasten grinned beneath his helmet. He hadn't made it this far without knowing the tricks. That was the oldest one in the book for a Mandalorian who knew they faced a very, very dangerous foe. Either that, or ambush them. Jasten felt almost honored, to think that the Mandalorian thought him worthy of that tactic.

"You know... I just remembered. My master once taught me a Mandalorian saying. Ke nu'jurkadir sha Mando'ade. He believed it to be a very wise piece of advice to follow. I, however, have a hard time following it. So far, I havn't had reason to regret that." He gave out a small chuckle, and put one of his lightsabers back in his cloak. He held out the other one, however, and ignited the violet blade, recovered from the body of his form instructer, Master Windu.

Ignoring the startled sounds and glances that came his way from the nearby bystanders, Jasten took a step forward towards the Mandalorian, his lightsaber held up in his customary ready position, held in his right hand, blade forward. "Now, I'm a reasonable man, however impatient I might be. Go back to Felucia. Inform Grandmaster Silth of the Order that unless she sends the entire Order, rather than a mere Mandalorian di'kut." He emphasized the last word, in an attempt to annoy the Mandalorian. "I am not going to back down. Or, you can go ahead and die. Either way, I'm fine with it."

[Mara]

Shia smiled beneath her helmet. Oh yeah, he hasn't changed one bit. Still just as eager to get into a fight if it meant that it would get him closer to his goal... or was he more so that way now? By the force it's been so many years that she can barely remember. Still she had been right on one thing. A strange mando had no chance of convincing him to turn away from this course of action. Though his assumption that Kira had sent her almost hurt.
Also brought on from the fact that he thought her to be another gun for hire.

"Smart man your master. Mace Windu, wasn't he?" Shia replied cocking her head to one side to show curiosity. "Only had the pleasure a few times, though I prefer the version 'Ke nu jurkad ti Mando'ade, burc'ya!'. Much more fitting."

Then he ignited his one blade, the one once used by Master Windu. Well, she probably shouldn't have baited him like that. Figures, somehow she kept being thrown into these damn diplomatic missions but she never had a knack for them. Then again she was no Consular. He then proceeded to threaten her life, but her armored form showed no sign of faltering. She's been threatened before by Jasten, so hearing the words literally meant nothing. At this point she had nothing to lose.
Nothing at all. She lost everything in the last Sith War excluding her life.

And that? Hell, Jasten could have it if she thought it would do any good.

But knowing him, it really wouldn't.

"Funny. I remember you being slightly more patient in the past. But then again, it could simply be a figment of my imagination. It has been years since we were last on Tatooine, after all." She replied, very nonchalant even though she was facing her friend on the field of battle once again. Still he had not moved to strike and she would not further matters by grasping a weapon. Not yet.

"Still, I will see that Grandmaster Silth gets your message... though I have not yet met your former padawan myself." Shia knew exactly what she was doing here. She had information she shouldn't have if she didn't know the current Grandmaster... and with Taozin, he couldn't tell if there was some deception going on. Though so far she has been truthful. "Perhaps this will be the catalyst I have been waiting for."

[Shadow Daviks]

Jasten snorted. "I would hardly consider myself a mate of you, or any bounty hunter for that matter, so I don't find it fitting at all." Well, not exactly. He had been friends with a couple of bounty hunters, though none of them were like the majority. For instance, Gregor Inshabel. That kid had been different. Jasten wondered what had ever happened to him. Last thing he had heard, he had fought alongside Qymaen against Bane and Te'kon, years ago. If he had survived, he'd be almost thirty now.

Good kid. Jasten hoped he lived.

This thought was shaken from his mind, however, when he realized exactly what the Mandalorian had said. She had mentioned his former mentor, Mace Windu. Not many people outside of major galactic affairs knew of Master Windu. Even fewer people these days than before the galaxy went to hell. Who the hell was this? Sure, there was the possibilty that Kira had mentioned Master Windu in the briefing... but really?

He didn't have time to ponder this, however, as her next comment hit him with the force of a charging Wookie. Did she say Tatooine? Last met? Former Padawan? That last bit especially was not common knowledge. Hell, there were people out there who didn't even know Jedi had apprentices. The fact this Mandalorian, a random mandalorian, knew this, was too huge to be a coincidence. Throw in the reference to Tatooine, and a connection started forming in his head.

Felucia. She had been at Felucia. Where Fel'ro'logor was. Where Shia Cruze's best friend had been. A surprised look crept across his face, hidden beneath his helmet. The signs pointed towards one thing. But it was impossible. Qymaen would have told him... right? Right?

Right?

No.

Qymaen didn't trust Jasten, even after they had came to the understanding they had. They had a friendship. But it had its limits. Shia's wherabouts had always been something Qymaen kept secret. His entire story often shifted. Jasten had gotten used to the idea that the former Sith would keep his information on Shia to himself. Jasten could understand that. He wasn't stupid. He had sensed something wrong when her name had been brought up.

But had it been because she left him to join the Mandalorians?

No. Shia hadn't joined the Mandalorians, had she? He would have known. The entire war, he would have known. She would have no doubt been placed in a position of power within the military. Jasten had known Kin Roth's style. He knew the Mandalore would have utilized Shia's talents to her fullest. And those talents layed in combat ability. So, she would have been on the front lines.

Of course, there was the possibility she had never been with the Mando'a. She wore the armor, and spoke the language... but nowadays, Mando'a was practically a trade language.

And maybe.... it just wasn't her. But a highly informed mercenary trying to play the deception card. Kira knew him well... too goddamn well. She knew his emotions ran barely contained. There was a reason he had become a master of Vaapad, and that was to contain his otherwise hindering emotions. He wouldn't hesitate to kill Shia, or Alene, or Kira, or hell, even Mason for that matter here. But he did hestitate when it came to deciding how he would.

And it was going to get him killed.

Unless.

"How do you know these things... who are you?"

[Mara]

Shia remained relaxed as the cogs whirled in Jasten's mind, trying to put the pieces together. She had certainly given him enough to get close, maybe even hesitate for a second. In fact she knew she had given him enough when he stopped trying to coax her into losing her temper and shut up for a minute. There was a momentary look of shock.... well naturally.
She's supposed to be dead, by all accounts.

Including her own.

Hell, Qymaen had believed (unwillingly) she was dead for quite a while and even after she revealed herself she had insisted on secrecy... one assassination attempt was enough for her, thank you very much. If only she hadn't... maybe Qymaen would be alive today...
Well, now isn't the time to wonder over the past. There's too much at stake now.

Meaning that when asked, Shia slowly reached up and removed her helm. She figured that that was enough of an answer, plus it gave her a reason to air out the suit for a few minutes. This is a fucking desert planet after all.
"I may have a lot of explaining to do," Shia said, sweeping her brown hair out of her face. "Mind if we do it over a cool drink and perhaps without the..." Well she merely motioned to the saber. After all, that's all she wanted... a civil conversation.

Hopefully with him understanding that he is so very wrong.

[Shadow Daviks]

It was her.

Holy shit fuck, it was her.

After so many years of being convinced that he would never hear from her again, here she was. Shia Cruze was standing in front of him. For a moment, his entire mind overloaded, and came close to exploding. The entire idea of her being here, searching for him, was utterly mindblowing. It had never occured to him that he had done anything or had anything that would cause Shia to come out of hiding. Or Death.

And then... he sighed. The first few moments of mind blowing inconcievability passed. Sure, he was still surprised beyond belief, but nowadays? A reappearance from an old friend really wasn't all that new. First Mason, then Alene, now Shia. Supposedly dead, yet they kept coming back. Jasten couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought. He had picked some of the most durable sonsofbitches in the entire galaxy to be his friends.

"Still as pretty as ever. Figures. Wish I could say the same." He smiled beneath his helm softly. She looked almost exactly the same. Slightly older, more mature, but roughly the same. Of course, that was more than he had expected, if any of the rumors were true.

Either way, better than what he looked like, that was for damn sure.

He sighed again at her mention of his lightsaber. Yeah, that might not be helpful in a conversation. Jasten deactived the blade, and stuck it on his belt. Considering where they were, he already knew were they would be heading. That damn cantina they always went to. Unless, of course, Shia had changed THAT much over the years. "Lead the way..."

[Mara]

Well, so far so good. At least it had been enough for her to get a drink with her old friend without weapons aimed at each other. She could settle for this being a start. Besides, they both knew exactly where they were going. That little hole in the wall cantina, if the Empire hadn't shut it down by this point. Unlikely as that might be.
Though knowing this galaxy, anything is possible.

Cruze placed her helmet under her arm, and grinned over at her old friend. By the force, it had been much too long... and she definitely had a story to tell him. But that could wait until they both were inside. She motioned to one side and lead down the alley with the same zeal as she would have all those years ago. Some things never change, even with what someone in their position has seen and done.
And yet, some things do.

Time waits for no one, after all.

It didn't take long to reach their goal... a shady, seedy little cantina just enough out of the way that most troopers would avoid it. Perfect for hatching plans or simply attempting to relax. Either of which is hard to find in the more civilized portions of the galaxy. Then again when do the words Tatooine and civilized fit together in a sentence?
Aside from a joke?

Shia glanced around the cantina. No one seemed to take notice of their entrance... and the exits were all within easy reach. If anything were to happen, they'd at least have an easy time getting to an open area. Not that they really had anything to worry about. Jasten was Battlemaster for good reason. And Shia? Well... she can handle herself.
But a Mando sitting with what could be some form of bounty hunter? They shouldn't be bothered anyway.

Thankfully a corner booth was vacant, so Cruze strode over and slid in, placing her helm on the edge of the table. Might as well make it blatantly obvious to the other patrons that they didn't want to screw with these two. She waited until Jasten had sat down before starting.

"Look... I'm sorry about the deception." Shia said, motioning to the helmet that was currently staring down the bartender on the other end of the room. "I'm sure it's a little bit of a surprise... considering what happened, I hope you can understand why I couldn't just come back."

[Azrael]

As he walked alongside Shia, Jasten couldn't help but grin underneath his helmet. It was... interesting, walking alongside one of his oldest friends again, especially considering years of their life had been spent on opposite sides of wars. It had been ages since he had spent any amount of time with those he considered his friends in a non-combat setting. Let alone her.

They arrived at the cantina, and Jasten's grin widened. Now here was a place he hadn't gone to for ages. This place had so many memories. The owners over the years might not realize it, but the little dingy cantina had been where so many of the galaxy's most famous and infamous names had made crucial decisions regarding the galaxy. It had also been home to a god awful amount of firefights between those same people... but that was way besides the point.

The people inside seemed to ignore their arrival, something that Jasten was thankful for. Tatooine might be pro-Rebellion, but they were under the control of the Empire. And those Sith bastards had a tendancy to have spies and agents everywhere. Seeing no one react was a good sign. Generally. Usually. Most of the time.

Jasten took a seat at the corner booth that Shia found, across from her. Upon sitting, he pushed the hood back off his helmet, and then unclasped the helmet from his armor. He pulled it off, and set it down next to Shia's helmet. Helmet off, he smiled, before turning back to Shia. He was interested in seeing what Shia's reaction would be to his appearance. Knowing her, she wouldn't be too surprised, especially since it had been years since she had seen his face, but still. The eyepatch covering his right eye was new... as were the multiple scars on the same side. His hair was nearly comical, especially to anyone who knew him. Jasten having a streak of purple through his hair was something none of his friends could possibly have anticipated.

When Shia spoke, he shrugged. "Its fine, Shia. I understand. After all, we haven't exactly had the best interactions these past few meetings. I'd have done the same."

[Jessica Kint]

Shia could only return a weak smile to Jasten. He may have understood but that didn't make things difficult. She came out of the Sith war with no idea who she was and with multiple parties playing for her loyalty. Even Roth had his own agenda. Aside from all of this she couldn't quite get past Jasten's hair and eye patch. Her head cocked to one side for a moment as she processed before finally speaking.
"Tell me you didn't try to beat a wookiee... I hear they're rather disagreeable when they lose..."

The smile returned then dissipated once more as she caught sight of her helmet. To her the suit was a symbol of everything that had gone wrong so far but she couldn't seem to rid herself of it. Like a terrified child after a trauma she clung to it like a life raft. It was a symbol of being prepared for anything and she'd be damned if she would be caught off guard again.
Not again.

Still her friend deserve an explanation as to where she has been... why she was 'dead'...

Problem was, it's a long story. He hadn't asked yet but he had to be wondering what had happened to her. She had gone from one of the most publicized figures to falling off the god damn map. The fact that he said he would have done the same meant nothing to her. He didn't know, couldn't know what she had gone through. What all had happened. There's no way he could have.

"You probably would have, but it didn't make things any easier." Shia replied, looking a little distant. She paused for a minute before glancing up at him. "You remember the skirmish on Coruscant that removed Qymaen from the postion of Dark Lord? That wasn't all that happened there. I had returned from Felucia after... after razing the planet with an orbital bombardment. I had come to the conclusion that I was losing my grip on what was right or wrong... on where to draw the line anymore.
I had nearly killed Fel on that planet.

I made a holocron. I honestly don't know why... maybe because I was so torn. Bane's crusade was tearing both sides apart and I suppose I wasn't in the best state of mind. I found myself at the old Jedi temple... went inside with young Lerak at my side." She paused. The story may have sounded a tad convoluted. She had trouble holding onto the pieces but considering what happened she couldn't be entirely be blamed for it.

"We were attacked. Bane had somehow known I would be there with minimal guards. I was drugged with glitteryl and then all hell broke lose. I don't remember much of what happened there because of the drug... I somehow got out, and Roth got a hold of me and Bane. The bastard started feeding me some line about how I was his apprentice... didn't work..." Here she pulled out her jedi blue blade, and set it unactivated on the table. It looked like it had survived several wars, and honestly could have used some cleaning up... but the sentimental value of it made Shia leave it be. She then followed it by it's more sinister looking sibling. "I remember looking at my hilts being utterly confused on how I had a sith blade. I must have left so that made sense, and I remembered you and Mason being furious with me, but why would I then carry my Jedi blade? I realized he was trying to fool me and that's when Roth stepped in. Apparently I was in more danger than I had realized.

If I had bought Bane's line, he would have killed us both. Instead, Roth offered me sanctuary on Mandalore in exchange for my services. I was retrained, and spent my time training his troops on how best to destroy a force user. Meanwhile most of my memories were gone. I didn't know about Felucia or Qymaen... my own wedding... I remembered leaving the order but not why.

This made Roth nervous for some reason, not that he'd show it. He couldn't guarantee that I would be on his side if my memories returned so I was constantly under surveillance. It was only after the war had died down that I was able to get off world. Started taking some jobs... working from myself. Roth loosened his grip seeing as I wasn't such a security risk anymore. I found myself drawn to Kalee... by this point my memories had been surfacing and I have to say I was a little confused.

That's where Qymaen found me. Like nearly everyone else he was under the impression that I was dead. We decided that it would be best if I stayed that way... " She glanced at her now one eyed friend in an attempt to read his expression. It was quite the story after all... you can't make stuff like that up...

[Bezaliel]

Yeah, her reaction was pretty much how he expected.

At her comment about Wookies, Jasten shook his head calmly. No, not Wookies. Much much worse.

Jasten listened to his oldest friend's story intently, taking in every detail. It was quite in-depth indeed. When she brought up the skirmish on Coruscant, the battle which had essentially started the chain of events which led to his alliance with Qymaen, he nodded. "Absolutely." How could he forget? He might not have been there to witness it first hand, but goddamnit if it wasn't galactic news. When a Dark Lord gets kicked off his throne, a throne thats on their capital world, people tend to take notice and talk. His spies had informed him of the events even as they happened. It had been quite interesting to hear, indeed. And, despite the casualties that had occured in the process, it had been essential to the survival of the Rebellion.

Her mention about the holocron made him raise his eyebrow. Jasten was surprised to say the least. It hadn't occured to him that she would even remember how, or for that matter, have the tech available to create one after all these years. Then again, he hadn't been to the Temple in... well, ages. Who knew what shit was still there? Smiled slightly at her mention of Lerak. The boy. Jasten had never interacted with him, but he had enjoyed the company of his father, regardless of how many times the man had tried to kill him.

As she began to describe what happened in the temple, Jasten put his arms on the table and leaned forward, intrigued. Bane, eh? That son of a bitch had drugged Shia? Yet another thing to add on to his extensively long list of bullshit he deserved to die for, it would seem. He could feel his anger building up, but it began to go down as she described how Kin Roth had found them both. Despite popular belief, Roth had been, at one point, one of Jasten's favorite fething people in the galaxy. The man was a military genius, who led the Mandalorians with courage and honor... right before he was warped by the dark side. It really had been a pity he had to be slain by Revan. Alas, thats what happens in this god-forsaken galaxy.

Jasten smiled weakly when Shia withdrew her lightsaber. That hilt looked like it had been through hell and back, and then once more into hell just for good measure. Kind of like his own hilt, the original one which he never used anymore, but kept on his person anyways. Sentimental value, sentimental value. His smiled got a little bigger. The memories that Shia's lightsaber hilt conjured up were good ones. All those times they had adventured together, fought alongside each other. All of those times, kept within that little piece of metal. None of the bad memories could stand up against those.

His smile turned to a frown once more as she continued however. That tricky nerf herder. He had successfully managed to get her on his side, and kept it a secret from the entire bloody galaxy. Well, except for Bane, and most likely Tek'on, obvious. But that was besides the point. He could almost applaud Roth's chess manuvers there. Three men had successfully hidden one of the galaxy's greatest secrets for years. Or four and a tree, now that he thought about it. Darth Revan would have known. He wouldn't have likely cared, of course, give that, as far as Jasten knew, he had no ties to her beyond being on her side before Qymaen was dethroned. And then Fel. He had to have known. After all, that day on Felucia wouldn't have made sense if he didn't. And though he wanted to hate Fel for staying silent on the matter, he knew it was for the best. Besides, Fel had never trusted him. Jasten knew that well. Something like that never would have been told to him.

Shia brought her story to a close, and glanced at him, trying to read his expression, he supposed. For a moment, his expression was pretty much blank, before he bit his lip and started nodding slowly. Though he might not have shown it outwardly, Jasten was utterly surprised at the chain of events, mostly about Bane drugging her, and Roth pulling a fast one on the galaxy. He was absolutely surprised, no doubt about it. But when it came down to it... it made sense. It made so much goddamn sense, it wasn't even funny. He knew Shia. He knew her better than almost anyone in the galaxy. Only Fel could compare. That blasted tree.

Jasten smiled.

"Well, for one thing, you can most certainly not make that fodder up." You really couldn't. Had anyone other than Shia told that story, he would have been sure they were high and drunk, and half dead. But the sheer ridiculousness of the story was just like Shia. It really was.

His smile became weak as he thought over the story again. It seemed that Bane had taken things from both of them in the past. It was a pity Shia had been the one to bear the brunt of his attentions. It really was.

[Mara]

"No... you really can't, can you?" Shia responded quietly, looking at the sabers and the helmet on the table. So much history contained in those times.... no one would ever really know. So much of her life occurred out of the spotlight, in the background, trying to make sure that those close to her survived... That their ideas didn't die with them. It was a sad place to be... so much of the time she was alone. Even when she had her love, the Qymaen... The Kaleesh tried, and he honestly did change for her, but there were so many fights that involved their ideologies.
Shia always believed that the dark side was a necessary portion of the force. You can't define one portion of the force without it's other half. Kind of like a person that only embraces one side of the force is exemplifying only one side of their personality.

It's still a fine line to dance, and she's tripped more than once... but there were so many times that she couldn't have done have of what she did without that mindset.... she never would have fallen in love... Opposed her husband in the training of Saturnis Lerak, and offering him the choice in what path he wanted. Her choices have brought so much pain, razed a planet to the point that if she would ever set foot on that once lush world without taozin to hide her presence, it would try to kill her instantly.
But even with all of this... going down in history as a Sith Empress at the hand of General Grievous... She wouldn't have changed a minute of it.

Why change anything, when the Rebellion has survived it all? How did it matter what happened in the past to her... at some point, someone from her past would probably succeed in finally killing her. Hell, for all she knew, it could be her old friend that was currently sitting across from her.
"What about you, Jasten? The rumors I've been hearing can't all be right."