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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2914979" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 340It was still somewhat unnerving to see all of the Jedi that were actually present at the Academy. Sure, most of them were children or, at least, very young, but there was something in the air beyond the tension in the Force that made it...different than any other place either Marix or Jyren had been.    “For the moment,” Kam Solusar was saying, “We’re safe here.”    They were in a fairly large room that had probably once housed some kind of command room, but was now more of an open area with a few computer consoles here and there. The center had a large holoprojector, and above it was a map of the galaxy, with a small red blur representing the current, short, path that the invading Yuuzhan Vong were taking. Jyren was actually surprised that they were being shown this much, but it was probably due to...other reason beyond just being friendly.    It was Marix that shook her head and reached up to touch the holo where the Imperial Remnant was, “They deviate just slightly one way and they’ll take the Remnant easily...the other way...” she trailed her finger over to the other side of the red, “...and they go straight through here.”    The Jedi nodded, “There is a reason for the defense we have...however, there isn’t any strategic gain for taking this system.”    “Resources,” Jyren cut in, thinking out loud, “Help them gain what they need to push for the Core.”    That brought about an uneasy silence...not because of what he’d said, but because of the assumption he was making. A worried look flashed across Kam’s face for a quick second before disappearing to a neutral one again when he carefully asked, “Why do you think they’re pushing for the Core?”    Jyren took a deep breath, not wanted to outright say that he and Marix had sources with the same intelligence reports that the New Republic had, and instead tried a different angle, “Its what I would do. Hit the government center of the galaxy and throw everything else into chaos. Simple divide and conquer strategy.”    The worried look returned quickly to the Jedi, and this time it seeped through his voice. But instead of asking another foolish question, he went straight for the important point, “You know how long they’ve had scouts here.”    Deciding it wasn’t worth arguing, Jyren just nodded, but before an accusation could be made, he quickly added, “Again, simple strategy. Learn about your enemy before you attack. I believe they’ve already proven that they aren’t idiots.”    Slowly, the Jedi nodded again, but this time reached down and switched off the holo. With the blue-green light of the galaxy gone from the room, it was fairly dark again...not that it bothered any of them. Silence hung in the room for a long few minutes as they stood there thinking, but it was Kam that broke it with something that Jyren had not actually expected.    “You should stay here.”    The idea was so different from his last encounter with these Jedi that it threw Jyren off completely, “Wha...?”    Marix, however, was not that easily lost, and said simply, “He can’t.”    Kam’s eyes turned to Marix, “I meant both of you. Obviously you’ve both got a good amount of training and the Jedi Order could use your skills”    “We can’t,” Marix folded her arms over her chest and tried to ignore that Jyren was still catching up, “We have...other responsibilities.”    She was polite enough not to insult them or even hint at other beliefs in how the Force worked, but that was due to the fact that she really was not in the mood for this kind of discussion. It was not a discussion, as they simply could not, and would not, do it. There were too many risks, both in staying away from the Empire and the possibility of being discovered as more than just Human. The latter being the most worrying, as it would bring up many questions as to who they really were and where they came from and then...with a little checking, the fact that bounties were still out on a Shadow and Akan would be easy to discover.    But the Jedi did not seem to be at all hurt by this stance, and simply stood up straight and motioned towards the turbolift, “I can’t make you stay. But I know everyone here would appreciate any assistance you could give...or take. However, that is up to you and I won’t push it anymore...” he trailed off then read the both of them perfectly, “Now I believe I should show you to some empty quarters. With most of the Knights out doing their best to protect people its left us a little light here...not that you should expect to be able to just drop in anytime. This isn’t a resort.”    “I know,” it was Jyren who answered for the both of them as they all stepped into the turbolift, “But it’s a safe place in a dangerous part of the galaxy these days. With all of the tension towards Force-users in general lately its good to be able to rest safely on a planet instead of in a ship. And I’m very sorry, Kam, but I am not the kind of person you’d want in the Order. Neither of us are. We do things our own way, and many times I know that even non-Jedi would raise an eyebrow.”    Right on cue, Kam raised his eyebrow at that, “I can’t help but wonder why you’re telling me that, of all things.”    “Because while we may not be staying, we won’t just abandon people if this war grows,” Jyren put an ‘if’ where he knew a ‘when’ should have gone...but for some reason he felt the need to ignore what was going to happen and put a slight note of hope in there. It was definitely something he wouldn’t have done many years ago. He sighed and waited for the turbolift to stop and open to a small corridor before adding, “And if its needed, you’ll have my blade at your side to help.”    If the Jedi made a response as he showed them to their quarters, neither Marix nor Jyren heard it...mainly because of what Jyren had just said. Through the link, Marix growled. [I should have known you’d try something like that. You know we can’t get involved in this!]    Jyren waited until the door was closed behind them in the meager quarters before turning to face Marix and responding. [And you know that I can’t just sit back and watch this war spread. You, of all Alraxians, should know how bad it is to be an isolationist! You’ve even stopped most of it and opened up the people! How can you think about sitting back and hiding at a time like this?]    There was silence through the link for a long moment, but finally Marix said. [Because this is not like before. This is not personal...this is not our fault. This is war, Jyren, and not like anything either of us or our people have ever experience before. If we get involved in this, we may never get out.]    [And we may not have a choice...] Jyren ‘said’, adding an outward sigh before taking a step closer and drawing her into a hug.    Marix sighed, too, and leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder(well, as best she could manage with the current height difference) before saying very quietly, “Knowing our luck we won’t.”</blockquote>

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