thefinaljedi | Appointments

['A calming influence'. Knives will withhold judgment on that one, until he has more information to work with. Meditation certainly never helped anyone where he was from. And what Luke follows it up with only lines certainty in that it doesn't help anywhere else either. The brief glance Luke's given is terribly, bitterly unsurprised.]

Pathetic.

[There's no real anger behind the word, but he does mean it.]

Species too stupid to know to not destroy everything they come across seem overwhelmingly common in the universe. I'd hoped to find out that my own people and the sandworms aren't the only peaceful races in existence, but the only commonality in almost every species I've heard of so far is how mindlessly hell-bent on warfare you are. The rest of us will be better off when you finally drive yourselves to extinction in an orgy of ignorance and ruination.

[It might be a peculiar statement to make, but Knives clearly doesn't consider himself among those violent peoples. Maybe he isn't; he's paranoid and suspicious, but he doesn't seem inclined towards destruction without considerable provocation.]

[Luke doesn't bristle, he doesn't react at all really. He just replies in a flat voice.]

Have you never dealt with oppressive governments then? Some men are mad for power, or just want to hurt people. And in my world, sometimes those people find themselves in positions of power, or with similar powers to my own. The reason wars happen is because ideologies clash. And because sometimes people can only stand so much. I've been in a war since I was eighteen. I'm aware of how pointless it is, but if someone tried to take your home and your life, would you defend yourself or not?

I've dealt with oppressive governments.

[Something dangerous edges into his tone, but it's restrained. Control is something Knives has long learned. A lack of it led to disaster.]

Those that made the mistake of opposing me I gave to the desert. Those who imprisoned and leeched off my people, I made pay blood for blood. And when their oppressive governments came to stop me..

[His smile is thin, humorless. Knives knows plenty of war.]

Those too were shown the ...errors of their ways. Don't think to lecture to me of what one might do to protect home, life and people. Because of that terrible task, to save my people and my home, hundreds of millions of human lives were reduced to one shattered city. But I didn't destroy their histories and works. Only their lives. One cannot learn from mistakes if there is no lesson left behind.

[Knives turns to watch the single sun rise, still half-expecting a second to rise with it.]

Perhaps your painfully short lives is why you wage war so carelessly. I sickened of bloodshed in a handful of decades, and kept on only to preserve my kind alive and safe. I was the only one who would, who could rise up and fight back. Ideology? Ideology alone kept me from wiping out the last remnants of mankind on my world, then taking the ships they came to kill me with and burning them from the galaxy.

[For Knives, it's a speech. The dangerous tone had long since bled out, leaving only weariness. He sounds, seems, much older than his apparent mid-twenties.]

I know plenty of warfare, Luke Skywalker. Of oppression, suffering and pain. But I learned ..am still learning, to walk away. To put hatred and fear aside and try to believe in someone else's foolish dreams for a better future. It isn't easy. His belief that life can be lived in harmony and peace is ignorant and stupid. It's a naive dream, but I've chosen to believe in it. Perhaps it would do your kind some good to do the same.

[Again, Luke silently bears it, calm, cool, and collected.]

Perhaps it's our short lives. I don't know about that. I'm human, and I can only speak from what I know. But putting aside emotions and trying to build a better future is exactly why the Rebellion rose up in the first place. And why others have. I don't know about your world, and I don't like using such blanket terms, but the people who've caused these wars, the Sith, are truly evil beings. They're consumed by their own lust for power, and they've stopped at nothing, time and time again, to take control over the entire galaxy.

That, Knives, is something the Jedi will not allow. They are our dark mirror, our opposite, and for the last thirty years they've ruled my galaxy. I won't bore you with the details, but when they're purging entire sentient races from existence and destroying planets with billions of lives on them, it goes beyond hatred and fear. It comes down to right and wrong.

Maybe we'll learn a better way in the future, but for my people there's only so many options when it comes down to fight or die.

[For a moment, when the plant smiles, it's not the thinly veiled unpleasantness from before. It seems almost genuine, and a touch sad. And it makes him look a lot more like his brother.]

There's always other options, if you look for them. I didn't think so for a long time, but that less-- [He pauses, shaking the thought off without completing the sentence. Thinking too much on his brother, his real brother, and the things that Vash had done, hurt too much in his absence.] Right and wrong, justice and injustice, are constructs of civilization; and civilization, as you know, is very, very easily rewritten. What you might call murder another might call revenge, or justice, or even mercy. Even 'truth' and reality itself is a matter of perspective.

[The smile fades.]

I should like to be bored with the details of these Sith and their rule, actually. If there is true, genuine evil I would like to know what it is before I encounter it, if I am not already in that category myself. This place draws all kinds.

[Knives isn't evil. He's troubled and damaged and violently suspicious but he has a stronger grasp on the light than the darkness. Did trying to change from the killer he was matter in the face of 'right and wrong'?]

I'm not sure the Empire or the Sith could be written as anything less than evil. They've wiped out entire star clusters, destroyed suns and planets, and poisoned more worlds than can be counted. [All true. Luke's voice gets a slight edge to it now. He doesn't really like thinking about Alderaan, or what they did to Mon Calamari, or Taris, Dantooine, and other worlds in just his lifetime alone.]

But if you want to know more. The Sith are an order of Force Adepts as well, tapping into the Dark Side of the Force. It's viewed as a quick path to power, and the Dark Side actually twists the body and mind. They use fear, anger, aggression, and hatred to draw out more of the Force and it leaves them scarred and in some cases quite mad. This is converse to the Jedi philosophy which, while not perfect, rarely leads to destructive rage and madness. As for their rule...well, there have been several times they've had great power but the most recent one was by far the most successful.

Thirty years ago, a Sith Lord masquerading as a politician managed to gain a lot of political power in the Republic Senate. He used this influence to spark a war, and as it came to a close he took complete control and staged a military coup that killed the majority of the Jedi protecting the people. He turned the Republic into an Empire, and put into place a harsh government, proclaiming himself Emperor. Some of his policies included harsher treatment for non-humans, xenophobic slavery, experimentation on living sentient life, and even women not being allowed to hold rank in the military anymore. Several species were brought to the brink of extinction and entire worlds were harvested for funding to create superweapons. One had the power to destroy a planet in a single shot, another could do the same to a star. They were used a few times, and billions if not trillions died. Ruling through fear was their goal, but a rebellion formed, and the Emperor was defeated. He's been dead for about three years now but the Empire still fights in his name.

[Knives doesn't seem to care if there's an edge to Luke's voice, either unconcerned about painful memories or simply not thinking they're relevant. It's hard to tell, and he's not explaining. Instead he's listening; he did want to know, and even if Luke's original statement hadn't been an offer, the plant was going to take the not-offer to explain anyway.

All of it is placed against what he already knows and weighed as to whether he'd categorize it as 'evil'. Politics didn't matter much, or harsh governments, but he could weigh slavery and the stripping of resources and superweapons. It's all weighed and measured with thoughtful consideration, far more thoroughly than anyone probably should. After all, it should be obvious these are acts of heinous evil, shouldn't it?

.. Perhaps not. Aliens do have different views than humans, after all.]

How long was this Sith Lord in power for? A generation? Two? More? How long was it from the Empire's inception to rebellion by its populace? Where did the rebellion start?

[Each question isn't posed precisely rapidfire, but with measured care, each one thought about before it's presented. Knives wanted to know, but he wasn't just asking questions for the sake of questions. If he was going to bother, he was going to make sure his questions weren't foolish.]

Is this 'Force', in both its light and dark aspects, natural?

Palpatine was in power for two generations. And the Rebellion began immediately following the Empire's foundation. It didn't gain traction until about sixteen years ago, when several senators were able to take a stand after traditional planetary governments were displaced in favor of military and martial law.

As for the where? Corellia. A major population center near the center of the galaxy. That's where the rebellion ceremonially began, though the first actual act of rebellion predated it by a year, on the Rim World of Kamino.

[Now Luke can't really understand why Knives is asking so many questions, about places and people who he's never heard of and will likely never visit or meet, but if he wants answers it's the polite thing to provide them.]

The light is natural, the dark unnatural. The corruptive influence comes from an outside source that we have never really understood fully.

[Luke hasn't had the ~~good~~ fortune of being exposed to Abeloth yet, for example.]

[It's hard to say that he might never meet such people, in this place of all places. That he'll ever see these worlds? That's unlikely; Knives doesn't have the lifespan anymore to even try to see if he might be in the same galaxy, just some forgotten region.

It doesn't keep him from listening, and building a small mental timeline. It didn't strike him the same way it did Luke. True evil seemed... different, to him, than simple destruction of worlds and lives. Terrible things, yes, but not the worst.]

If you don't understand its source, how do you know it's unnatural?

[There's absolutely no sense that Knives is arguing that the Dark Side IS natural, simply.. thinking aloud. He's never encountered this sort of thing before, but all power was just power where he's from. How it's used is what makes it bad or good..]

It might only seem so to you, because the 'light side' is your natural habitat so to speak. A fish might find the air unnatural and deadly, but it isn't to things meant to be part of it.

[Luke shakes his head, huffing a faint laugh.]

Unnatural might be the wrong word. Tainted is probably more right, as it seems into the essence of things that use it and changes them. It does have a mind of it's own. I know from experience.

[As close an admission as he will give that he's dabbled himself. Luke Skywalker is no stranger to the Dark Side and it's offers of power.]

The fish analogy would work better if you thought of it more as a fish in oil. It can survive there, but eventually the oil will overcome it. It's the same for the Dark Side. It will eventually consume and kill anyone closely associated with it.

[The plant weighs this.]

Although it's stretching the metaphor to silliness, as I know very well what you are intending at this point, it is still overwhelmingly tempting to point out the bacteria that can still live and thrive in and on oil.

Not so much this 'dark side' of yours, I imagine.

[Questions with purpose, though stalled for a moment. It was best to know and not need the information, than need it and not know..]

I suppose you would be disinclined to explain further about it having its own will. Does the 'light side' have a will of its own as well?

[If Luke was adverse to the negative, perhaps he'd be more open with the positive.]

And so can some fish, at least where I'm from. But they've evolved differently, because of the influence of the oil. Changed by the outside influence.

[Star Wars has some weird fish.]

I wouldn't be disinclined at all. The Dark and the Light both have their own will. The Light often guides people towards answers, and sometimes offers visions to point people in a direction. When it exerts it's will, an adept will experience a moment of clarity. As for the Dark, it brings out violent urges, accompanied by rage. It too offers visions of the future, but often warped, and they aren't quite as accurate as the Light Side's.

Life finds a way to adapt to any environment it seems. There is little oil on my world to adapt to, but the desert has many other things living in it.

[The likes of which Luke might well be able to make reasonable guesses at, being raised on a desert with binary stars as well.]

If both the Dark and the Light offer obvious benefits, else nobody would use them at all.. given the drawbacks of using the dark's power, such as uncontrollability, why would anyone turn to it at all? Is it stronger? A simpler path?

[Knives can't use the Force. The power he had was.. fairly different and he had no intention of using it. But it's interesting to know.. and if he ever happened across another Jedi he wouldn't be completely helpless by way of information.]

...Though, warped how? Have you experienced visions from both sides of the spectrum? Is there a neutral medium between them, or simply black and white?

[That's an easier question to answer.]

It's far simpler to grow angry than it is to master your own emotions. The Dark Side is a quick route to power, and in some ways, mainly ways to destroy or hurt, it is more powerful. But it can't heal or shield like the Light.

[Luke nods at that question, too.]

I have experienced both, yes. During my training, I was confronted by visions from the Dark Side, and it's something my family struggles with. Steering clear of our tempers. As to the...grey? Yes and no. That's a matter of debate between different philosophers. I personally feel there are some aspects of the Force that are entirely neutral, and some that are good and some evil. Others feel differently, but as I don't agree I can hardly speak on their behalf impartially.

[This, Knives can't deny. He struggled to keep his own hatreds and fears at bay on a daily basis and at least maintain outward calm and not act on those destructive, violent habits. Anger came so much easier than calm, but he tried.

He tried very hard. One day he wasn't going to succeed..]

Rage provides little power that I've experienced. Only the blindness to ignore all else in favor of the target.

[It's not an argument for why anger is good. Far from it.]

Were I younger, perhaps such a quick route to power would be tempting indeed.

[Knives still sticks on the idea of power itself being evil. It didn't feel right to him somehow. What one chooses to do with it could be wrong or right, but the power itself..? He thinks about it a moment before putting it aside.]

It's a good object lesson. You should try it, for practice. To weigh another's perspective as neutrally as you can, and to keep one's own biases and expectations out of it is an incredible struggle but often valuable. ..Perhaps on something not quite so potentially corruptive as this Dark Side, but other things.

[Luke nods, completely agreeing.]

It's something I'm trying to work on, myself. My apologies if I came across as harsh. This is something I've had a lot of personal experience with, and none of it positive.

[There is a brief flash of displeasure through Knives' carefully maintained calm. Luke should be apologizing--

The thought is shaken off.]

I've had my share of unpleasant lifelong experiences. They color one's views pretty indelibly, that you experience the same is no surprise. Your actions and reactions nonetheless are superior to what I've come to expect from your species.

It is not something that fits in the reality I am from, however. In that reality, all power is simply power. What one chooses to do with it can be good or bad. The idea of an 'evil' force of nature is difficult to come to grips with as much as it is hard to grasp a 'good' force of nature. Like a sandstorm, such things simply.. exist, in No Man's Land.

[Luke raises an eyebrow but nods at the somewhat backhanded compliment.]

Our worlds are different, as are our experiences. I can't really say more than that. Though, time will lead to new perspectives I feel. Who can say, especially in a place like Luceti?

Entire realities may differ. The power of one galaxy may not fuel the next, and so on. Luceti might not be the best place to acquire new perspectives.

[His tone sours a little.]

It's a prison. Individuals do not act normally when imprisoned, no matter how pretty the cage is.

It is a prison. Thankfully, someone else sees it for that.

[He shakes his head and stares at the false sky.]

Frankly, I think too many people are starting to feel too settled here. And far, far too comfortable. We should be focusing on finding ways to protect ourselves. Too many barriers have been broken by the Third Party, and the Malnosso are seemingly always too slow to react.

There are a few who do, it seems. But not enough. We are caged here, to be used, killed and dragged back at the whim of our captors. It is not a good, peaceful life.

[Knives has learned to manage his hate pretty well, but this sort of ... of slavery hit on every single trigger that was most likely to induce bloody rage. It's probably for the best he lacked the power he once had.]

Protecting ourselves is good. Being able to fight back is better. They've found a way to hobble the power of most people here, surely there would be a way to shut it off.

[He doesn't sound like he believes it, but hope is a fragile thing.]

I will never .. be settled here. It is a miracle, this much life and this much water, but the price for it is too high.

[Luke nods in agreement. The cost is far, far too high for what little benefit is offered]

Time. Give it time, and we'll find some answers I'm sure.

I disagree.

[Luke is given a brief, unreadable glance, emotions subdued.]

The people who have been here the longest are those most settled into this life. Time is our enemy.

[Time is his enemy. How long did he have left? Weeks? That wouldn't be long enough to see Vash freed from this place..]

[He can't agree with that assessment.]

I don't know, have you met Law and Raine? They've been here for years, and they're all but hellbent on escape. Shikamaru, Ami, Albert, Gai...there are people who have been here more than five years and they're just as bent on escape as you or I.

I wouldn't say time is our enemy, necessarily. Time is the enemy of some, but those are the people who've done little to change the situation, from what I've seen.

I have met none of the people you have mentioned. Nor have I heard anything greater than even the mildest of discontent with this place, save from you. Not even my brother seems concerned.

[Knives' smile is thin.]

You could say I don't spend a lot of time chatting with humans.

[Action with a brew]

thefinaljedi - 2013-08-02 05:53 (UTC) - Expand

[Action, slightly beer flavored.]

knifesedge - 2013-08-07 01:23 (UTC) - Expand

Appointments

[Action with peppers and onions] AND VERY BELATED AAAAaaa sorry

[Action with steak and potatos] s'ok

[Action with an apple]

[Action with a pair of pears]

[Action with a stolen pear]

[Action with a borrowed peach]

[Action with a pineapple, unsliced] Sorry for delay, job's been brutal ;_;

[Action with a ripe tomato]

[Action with a cucumber]

[Action with a pickled radish]

[Action with a tiny pickled onion]

[Action with a smidgen of pigeon]

[Action with a pinch of finch]

[Action with a salty winch...for loading boxes]

[Action with a stethoscope.]

[Action with a periscope! Dive Dive!.] And sorry this is short.

[Action on a bouy] NEVER FORGIVE

[Action on a pier] NEVER FORGET

[Action on a piece of driftwood]

[Action on a piece of mind!]

[Action on peas of mind]

[Action on bit of rind]

[Action with carrots]

[Action with carrots]

[Action in a stew]

[Action with a brew]

[Action, slightly beer flavored.]