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[Interlude] - The Jedi Archives
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| Rath_Deschain | Date: Thursday, 13 Aug 2015, 9:23 PM | Message # 1 |
 Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
| Even in the Archives, in the remnants of the place where the Jedi had once held court, Deschain felt no remorse. If anything, he felt a certain detachment and perhaps, just perhaps, a small portion of regret that it had been Darth Vader and the 501st who'd come here and swept the halls clear of Jedi. Therein lay one of Deschain's darkest secrets: long before he'd taken the name 'Rath Deschain,' long before Order 66 had been given, before even the fateful Battle of Geonosis, Deschain had 'gone dark' as they'd called it. In the Nightlands of Ryloth, he'd slain his own former Master, completing the transformation in his own mind. The records of the man, Syan Hool, still considered him 'MIA: Possible suspect. Approach with caution.' At least that was what the Inquisitorious had published. Deschain had never seen fit to disabuse them, or anyone, of his actions. Syan Hool was but one name of many that had gone missing, even prior to the Clone Wars, left to vanish into thought and myth until even his name was forgotten.
The Inquisitorious' own network had communicated the death of one of their own, Kraven. Deschain felt nothing on the matter. He'd known the man in passing; known of his bloodthirsty passions and love of combat. There was a time and a place for all things, evidenced by Deschain's own mastery of certain forms. Yet all things had to be in balance. It all came down to intent. If Force lightning was used to torture and kill, then it was 'dark.' Yet, if the same ability were used as a last resort to save innocents, then it served the 'light.' Such thoughts were what drove Deschain into his own hidden researches. After all, a Dark Jedi was such a cliche thing to be. Why stop there? There were two Sith, of course. Master and apprentice. There was no rule that stated limits to the number of candidates that might be waiting in the wings, however.
Even now, Deschain was an odd sort of knight-errant, set forth on a darkened quest for the hidden knowledge of the Sith. He had no desire to resurrect the ancient order. He had no desire to take an apprentice, to further the name or sake of the Sith. Let Palpatine and Vader, whomever the latter was under all that armor, rule the galaxy. There was pleasure to be found in knowledge, in the exploits of both material wealth and obtaining more knowledge. There was much that could be done, could be accessed, under the mandate of the Inquisitorious. That was what had brought Deschain to the Archives this evening; a dual purpose. Research on ancient Sith knowledge and sites... and attempting to track down the location of one of the outstanding Jedi, a Jace Varitek by name. By all accounts, the man should be no challenge... yet he'd gone to ground and that was proving troublesome.
Across the way, at one of the data terminals, sat the tall and spindly figure that Deschain knew to be Inquisitor Sturn. An oddity of the Inquisitorious; they did not see many former Masters go to the dark side. These days, it seemed, the status counted for far less amongst most of the Inquisitors, who put more stock in who came over to the Empire first or who was the current favorite of Vader or the Emperor. Meaningless pissing contests. Granted, failing multiple times tended to put one's neck at risk, but Deschain, armored and wearing his face-mask still, felt little fear of failure in his missions. He was, however, slightly curious as to what brought the blind Master to the Archives, and, rising from his own seat, he approached the other.
Rath Deschain
Inquisitor
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| Lyman_Sturn | Date: Sunday, 16 Aug 2015, 1:38 AM | Message # 2 |
 Trainee
Group: Users
Messages: 7
Status: Offline
| "Rath Deschain," Sturn's voice echoed in the cavernous Archives of the Jedi Temple, still bearing the scars of what had since become known as the 'Great Jedi Purge,' just as Sturn bore the scars of what the Jedi had done to him. But Deschain wouldn't see his black, unseeing eyes as he went about his work with both eyes closed, using the Force to 'see' the records he was searching through. He too had come here for information on a former Jedi, one Castor Vax. As he suspected, the Archives had a wealth of information about him. Vax had been a weapons master, proficient in shien, djem so, and juyo. But it was only information. It did not tell Sturn who he was as a person. He could only surmise so much; Vax was a fighter, probably considering the Force as one of many weapons at his disposal. A member of the 'Guardian' class, perhaps he fancied himself a blunt instrument of the Light Side. But no one could master juyo without a judicious use of anger, and he doubted that Kraven could have been defeated by anything less than the Way of the Vornskr.
A plan had begun to form in Sturn's mind, but he needed more information. Perhaps Deschain had come at an opportune moment.
"No doubt we're here for much the same reason," he said, his voice betraying nothing. He was neither friendly, nor unfriendly. But Lyman Sturn no doubt had a reputation that Deschain was aware of. Having once been known as 'the mad Jedi general,' Sturn had more recently tried to assassinate Inquisitor Jerec for reasons he'd felt no need to justify. Deschain would thus be aware that his calm demeanor could be misleading. But he would sense no turmoil in Sturn for the time being. "Perhaps we can be of use to one another," he continued, his eyes closed, never once looking in Deschain's direction. "What can you tell me about a Jedi named Castor Vax?"
Sturn knew that Deschain wasn't the man's real name, and moreover that he'd once been a Jedi. But who Deschain had once been mattered no more to Sturn than who he himself had been in those days. He had his theories about Deschain, entertaining the possibility that he might be Anakin Skywalker, whose fate had never been conclusively determined. But Vax was the Jedi he was interested in, not Skywalker. He waited to hear what Deschain had to say on the matter.
Inquisitor Lyman Sturn
Former Jedi Master
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| Rath_Deschain | Date: Sunday, 16 Aug 2015, 2:09 AM | Message # 3 |
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Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
| In his own way, Deschain admired Sturn, inasmuch as one Inquisitor could truly admire another. Perhaps it was less admiration for the man's personal accomplishments; Jedi Master, Inquisitor; than it was for his ability and deft touch with the Force, using it much as Jerec did to overcome a disability. Of course, many Force-users, with practice or skill, could augment their failures with the Force. Yoda himself could not fight well with a lightsaber, and had mastered Ataru to overcome his 'shortcomings.' The pun brought a smile to Deschain's lips under the mask as he considered the blind man before himself. Blind to the physical, yes, but not blind in the ways that mattered. Indeed, Sturn's reputation had carried, not only from his time as a Jedi, but his more recent transgression against another Inquisitor. Deschain was, for a small part, surprised to see the older man still among the living. A shame he had been a Jedi Master; the Inquisitor would have had much more use of a man who had knowledge of the ancient Sith ways.
"Castor Vax, Castor Vax," Deschain repeated, searching his own memory. "If memory serves correctly, he was a guardian, and a weapons master on top of it. Always preferred aggressive negotiations, to coin the pun from the Clone Wars. Deadly shot with a blaster, or practically any other weapon." Focusing in his memories, he brought forth what he knew of the man; the fact that he'd crossed paths with Vax on a few occasions did help paint a picture of what he knew. "He was always aloof from the other Jedi. Never trusted the clones, either. He ran his own little militia during the campaigns. They called themselves the Castigators. Damn fanatics is what I called them. Hero worship of the worst kind." Disdain was evident in Deschain's voice as he recounted what he knew. "He's not a fan of the subtle; his forms speak for him in that. He's a user of Juyo as well; I long suspected him as a sort who might be willing to turn to the dark side, likely in the name of some greater good." Giving a faint sigh, Deschain shook his helmeted head. "Your words, however, simply mean my assumptions were wrong. If he's still a Jedi, then there has to be a good reason for it. A shame he didn't convert, really. He would have been quite beneficial to our order." Pausing again, he added: "If you're looking to capture the man, I'd put out a target he can't resist. Something that would be a threat to the galaxy, and is lightly guarded. Even knowing its a trap, he may well come. Boldness and anger were his other strong suits."
Shrugging, the Inquisitor fell silent. He didn't mind exchanging knowledge at all with Sturn, but quid pro quo was always favored here. "Have you heard of a Jedi by the name of Jace Varitek? Well, Padawan would be more accurate. He should still be a young enough man." Even late thirties was young for a galaxy where humans could live to exceed a hundred years of age, easily. "He was demoted to the Agricultural Corps, according to the records. I wouldn't have found him, actually, had it not been for tracking down some rumors. A few traces among the Baobab Merchant Fleet and the testimony of a handful of farmers on Dantooine. Rumors of 'magic powers' and a lightsaber tend to draw one's attention." He'd run descriptions and fuzzy holorecordings through the Archives and Intelligence and eventually, 'Jace Varitek' had come to light. If anything, Varitek was untrained and a coward, in Deschain's own eyes. He'd make a perfect candidate for the Inquisitorious. The fact that Varitek had run and hid meant fear. Fear could easily be turned to anger.
"Anything you know would help me track him down and close the book on him, one way or another."
Rath Deschain
Inquisitor
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| Lyman_Sturn | Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 2015, 1:32 AM | Message # 4 |
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Trainee
Group: Users
Messages: 7
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| "Hero worship," Sturn had repeated, disdainfully. He shared Castor Vax's low opinion of clones—not once in the Clone Wars had he felt the slightest affection for or from them. But he had an even lower opinion of these so-called 'Castigators.' The clones had fought for the Jedi because they'd had no choice, whereas the Castigators continued to fight alongside Vax for years, sacrificing themselves for his Jedi crusade, which of course was doomed to fail in the long run. That 'run' having been rather 'long' already only signified that its end was nearer at hand now than ever before.
'A target he can't resist,' Deschain had recommended. Yes, Sturn was already thinking along similar lines. 'A threat to the galaxy,' perhaps not. But a threat very near and dear to Castor Vax? Yes, that could be done.
He put the thought aside for the time being and pondered Deschain's question. Jace Varitek? No, it wasn't familiar. Wait, perhaps—yes, a Padawan named Varitek had once challenged him on the concept of a 'will of the Force.' How could the Force have a 'will' if it wasn't a thinking being? The Padawan had asked a question the implications of which he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Sturn had devoted a significant amount of contemplation to the issue, especially in his years of meditation during the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire. He had sought answers to two questions; 1.) is there a 'will of the Force'? and in the midst of the Jedi purge, 2. is it the will of the Force that the Jedi be destroyed?
It took him years, but Sturn had discovered the answer to both questions, though he'd kept this fact from Vader, Deschain, and the other Inquisitors. It had cost him his eyesight, but as a result he now 'saw' more clearly than a Harch.
He told Deschain what he remembered. "... An anti-social brat," he concluded. "Too smart to be a Jedi. Demoted to the AgriCorps, where nothing ever became of him as far as I know. I believe he was in Plo Koon's fighter squadron at one point, so must have been a decent pilot. Poor with lightsaber, though. In many ways the opposite of our Castor Vax. I suspect that finding Varitek may be more a matter of simple detective work than anything else. Perhaps you were an Investigator in your past life, 'Rath Deschain'?"
Inquisitor Lyman Sturn
Former Jedi Master
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| Rath_Deschain | Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 2015, 2:49 AM | Message # 5 |
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Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
| Sturn was far more a deep-thinking man than Deschain ever was. For Deschain, it wasn't so much as to whether the Force had a will or not, or that there was a 'light' and 'dark' side. Rather, it was a case of things he was able to do; things he'd learned, experimented with and been taught, and things he hadn't learned yet. Some days, Deschain still surrendered to the Force and let it guide him, while other days, he grasped it and bent it to the purpose he wished served. Why limit oneself to specific aspects of one side or another? Let the scholars debate and those who were men of action, act. In that regard, Deschain would never be able to see eye-to-eye with his fellow former Jedi-turned-Inquisitor.
Despite Sturn's obvious dislike and misunderstanding of why the Castigators followed Vax, Deschain could well see the value in what the other man derided as hero worship. True, the cause was doomed, and true, Vax and his Castigators were past their time; expired, in terms of galactic sitting, but the fact that the man commanded such loyalty, and not from fear, gave the Inquisitor pause enough that he'd often wondered if removing himself, from time to time, from his lofty place of relative power in the Empire, to go down among troopers and the lower ranks to attempt to find some sort of flame that could be kindled, might be the better path.
It was a thought never acted upon; in the end, the Empire would suffer no individuals taking away from its own importance; powerful in his own way Deschain might be, but he was still a cog in a much, much greater machine. Nor was he ready to challenge the powers that be. On that path lay only death. He didn't need a Force vision to see how such an attempt would turn out. He'd seen it enough in the real world, with every Jedi cut down, or converted. Rats, deserting the sinking ship of the Republic and their way of life.
"I was never fond of the Investigators," Deschain admitted, partly answering a question Sturn may have posed, by eliminating a branch of the Order for which Deschain hadn't worked with. "It always struck me as far too pretentious to waste people tracking down things all over the galaxy. No... I'll simply continue along the same path, looking for the bits and pieces of clues through the Force. Weak though Varitek may be, he's managed to avoid the radar until now. Any detective work, as you say it, can be done by the proper detectives. It shouldn't be too hard to conscript a few of the CSF to the cause." His last words sounded musing more than anything. Extrapolating data, cross-referencing worlds Varitek had been seen on, or noticed, along with all the ships coming and going, would be nearly impossible. He had to find a way to narrow it down; the common denominator, as the case may be.
"Does it bother you?" Deschain asked, suddenly curious. "Does it bother you, not knowing who I am?" Unlike Sturn himself, unlike the late and un-lamented Kraven, unlike many within the Inquisitorious, in fact, Deschain was one of the few who wore something to hide his face, always. One of the few who'd managed to have the records so altered and changed that hardly a trail was left behind. "You always struck me as a man who wanted all the answers."
Rath Deschain
Inquisitor
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| Lyman_Sturn | Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 2015, 3:43 AM | Message # 6 |
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Trainee
Group: Users
Messages: 7
Status: Offline
| For the first time in this encounter, Sturn stopped what he'd been doing at his computer terminal and leaned back in his chair, a contemplative silence filling the dark, cavernous room. "No," he said truthfully, then gave the matter some thought. Some questions had answers, others didn't. What was Rath Deschain's true identity? There was an answer to this question, to be sure. Was there a 'will of the Force'? Many would argue that this was a question without any answer. Mere philosophy. Most, in fact, might consider Sturn a madman for spending years of his life obsessing over this question. But what concerned him was truth—not mere facts, such as who Deschain or Vader were, or had been.
Felanil Baaks, who had tutored Sturn in the ways of the Jedi artisan, had believed that the act of creation was the truest expression of the 'will of the Force,' and he had employed this idea in the construction of lightsabers. But a lightsaber, no matter how elegant, was a tool of destruction. Somewhere in this seeming contradiction was a single truth, and that is what Sturn sought. These were questions and answers that were larger than Sturn, or Deschain, or even the Empire. Rather than considering himself a cog in the Imperial machine, as Deschain did, the maniacal Sturn saw himself as a servant of a far greater purpose—indeed, an agent of the will of the Force itself.
The Republic had come and gone. So would the Empire, and so would Deschain and Sturn. But the Force was forever.
In the meantime, Deschain had proven himself to be a more interesting character than Sturn had presumed. When the time came, he would make Deschain's death as fast and painless as possible. "There is some appeal in attempting to discover your identity simply for the challenge of it. But no, it is enough for me that we are on the same side," Sturn answered cryptically. (That he and Jerec were on the same side apparently hadn't been a consideration for him.) "A more intriguing question, I find, is why you disguise who you are," he mused. "I don't suppose you'd shed some light on this? Figuratively, that is. Light is of little use to me in a literal sense, of course."
In fact, Sturn knew there were only a handful of reasons Deschain would conceal his identity. To protect loved ones? No, Deschain almost certainly didn't have any. Because he was ashamed of himself or of something in his past? No, Sturn had never sensed any emotional turmoil in him. So Deschain was keeping his options open in the event that the Empire lasted fewer than the thousand years that Palpatine said it would. Should the rebels win (and since the very recent destruction of the Death Star, it was a distinct possibility), 'Rath Deschain' could remove his mask and simply disappear, resuming his old life and claiming to have been a Jedi in hiding. Or perhaps he had another cover identity prepared.
If he was right, Sturn didn't blame Deschain for 'hedging his bet,' as it were. He too suspected that the Empire was not long for this galaxy. It was too dependent on Palpatine's cult of personality, and probably wouldn't endure without him. Not in its current form, at least. And sooner or later, Palpatine needed to die, as they all needed to die. And if the rebels couldn't do it, Sturn would do so himself. But in the meantime there were many Jedi, such as Castor Vax, to preoccupy him.
Inquisitor Lyman Sturn
Former Jedi Master
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| Rath_Deschain | Date: Thursday, 20 Aug 2015, 0:21 AM | Message # 7 |
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Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
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| Hearing Sturn's initial response put Deschain somewhat more at ease. There were already far too many Inquisitors attempting, for no other reason than insatiable curiosity no doubt, to uncover whom Deschain had been in his past. He allowed it, tolerated it even. If the records were not meant to be removed, he'd not have gained permission to do so from the highest authorities. A man had to have a few secrets, after all. No doubt the Emperor, or Vader, for that matter, enjoyed the fact that they could reveal his name and face when and if they chose. It was power they wielded over him, in part, and also the reason he rarely strayed from the path he was on.
Sturn's second part of commentary, however, drew an amused smile under the mask as well. "We are on the same side, yes..." He drew the last word out, letting it linger before he continued. "However, that hasn't stopped members of our order from interfering with others in the past. Personal reasons, no doubt, but our late comrade Kraven, if you recall, took the arm of Inquisitor Peek when the latter attempted to edge in on a Jedi hunt Kraven had been orchestrating." Kraven was indeed an easy sort to make an example of, but it was also a not-so-subtle reminder that Deschain recalled the altercation between Jerec and Sturn.
"The figurative light, yes," he reached the end. If Deschain could have ready the thoughts of Lyman Sturn, he would have had to agree, in part, that the blind former Master's method of thinking was correct. The ability to vanish with impunity, however, was somewhat hampered by the beings who did know his face. "Two parts, then," Deschain continued, bypassing the obvious reason of being able to break from the Empire and vanish. "First, it occupies other Inquisitors. Those that waste their time on idle things, such as figuring out my identity, are wasting time being valuable to the Empire. While they think on such, I can be out searching for Jedi, or tracking them down via other means, or even serving the Empire in any way or form I can. My prestige is heightened, whereas they remain in a lower place. Secondly: fear and distraction. The mask I wear," he gestured towards the covering, "Makes people wonder. 'Is he scarred?' 'Is he an alien?' 'Can he read my thoughts, my thermal signatures?' 'Is he Mandalorian, like Boba Fett?' All thoughts that distract from the truth, whatever they may be. Even a Jedi will know to expect this mask. If he sees it, he will either run or fight. If he chooses the former, and I know where he is going, or where to track him... Well, simply remove the mask and change clothes. It may not be that same day, or even that week, but a friendly enough space they've never seen before may pop up and before they know it, they die. Anonymity, Inquisitor Sturn, is a weapon more powerful than any other... but it can cut both ways."
Rath Deschain
Inquisitor
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| Lyman_Sturn | Date: Tuesday, 25 Aug 2015, 0:39 AM | Message # 8 |
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Trainee
Group: Users
Messages: 7
Status: Offline
| "Sound reasons, all," Sturn remarked simply, his brevity revealing to Deschain just how much Sturn had learned about him, if perhaps not his identity, while betraying nothing about himself. He had a diplomat's penchant for listening a great deal and saying little. In contrast to Deschain, however, there wasn't much about Sturn that wasn't already known. Known, perhaps, but not understood. It was tempting to dismiss his more erratic behavior as simply the manic episodes of a mad man. But there was a method to his madness that only he knew. Why he did what he did was a secret that he guarded jealously, the result of his years of meditation (or so he'd convinced himself).
But aside from this, Sturn was not a secretive man, nor an especially talkative one. Deschain had provided him with useful information, but he suspected the man's utility had come to an end, at least for now. And so had this conversation. "Perhaps our paths will cross again in our respective Jedi hunts?" he mused. Crossing paths with Sturn was not an altogether pleasant notion, depending as it did on 'the mad Jedi general's state of mind at that time. But Deschain could be reasonably assured that they would, indeed, meet again. It had probably occurred to him that a time might come when he was called upon to eliminate Sturn, should the old man become a liability to the Empire, as he'd been Cularin. Whether Sturn himself was aware of this, Deschain couldn't be sure. But he would be wise never to underestimate Lyman Sturn.
Inquisitor Lyman Sturn
Former Jedi Master
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| Rath_Deschain | Date: Tuesday, 25 Aug 2015, 2:13 AM | Message # 9 |
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Ensign
Group: Users
Messages: 13
Status: Offline
| The items Deschain shared were thoughts, of course, all possibilities. When it came down to the wire, however, there were many days when even the Inquisitor himself did not know how the chips would fall. Telling Lyman Sturn was no issue for him; even with what he'd said, the use of the mask, and his manner of thinking, changed from time to time. In some ways, Deschain was terribly indecisive, especially when the mood struck. Nonetheless, he was a good soldier in the respect that, when he found work, such as Varitek, he stuck with the job until it was complete. Alas, their brief time together was at an end; both men had their tasks to fulfill.
"Perhaps," Deschain replied, noncommittally. One could never tell when an Inquisitor would run across another. The galaxy was smaller than it seemed, some days. The thought of elimination of Lyman Sturn had crossed Deschain's mind, but there was nothing to be gained from it. Erratic or not, reputation or not, Sturn was an asset to the Empire, at least until he stopped being one. There was no call to remove him, or make an attempt. Nonetheless, Rath stood ready to remove any potential threat that the Emperor ordered, down to Vader himself, if it came down to it, though Deschain doubted his odds of survival in such a pairing.
"May your hunt go well, Inquisitor Sturn." It was time to depart.
Rath Deschain
Inquisitor
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