Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Breela Po]

Breela had had a long and unpleasant day. She needed to recharge and was keen on doing so as soon as possible. She found her bunk and started throwing down bedding.


"Ye look like you wanna scream luv."

She tucks the bedding around the corners glaring. "I do... I hate everything about this. I hate that you guys are in danger."

"Keep ye voice down nightingale, we just got them to sleep didn't we?"
The cubs were curled up in a little ball in the adjacent bunk.
"One good thing came from the occupation didn't it? You can go back to your order like you wanted."

"No Khaji," she crinkles her face, "I don't want to go back. All I care about are you guys."

He smiles knowingly, "Ye don't mean that luv. You live for action, and besides you said it yourself. There's no safer place than with the Jedi."


"How'd that work out for us Khaj..." She said outloud.
She finished making the bed and sat in it.
"Force I miss you." She rubs her pendant absently, lost in memory.

[Tethys Carrack]

Since Tethys had been helping to document the barracks assignments earlier this evening, finding Breela's room is a simple matter. She knocks on the cold surface of the door, not hard, but firmly.

"Breela, can we talk? It's Tethys."

[Thy Yulani]

Thy was present as a quiet but hopefully wholesome presence.

The day had been odd.

[Breela Po]

"Breela, can we talk? It's Tethys."

As if Khaji wasn't bad enough, she chuckled, now I get to be lectured by a younger version of myself.

She stands up and bows to Tethys. "Please come in, make yourself at home."

She hadn't been expecting Thy to file in behind her. I'm in trouble now it seems.
There's a couple of chairs in the hallway. And Breela did find a makeshift rug to lay down by the bed.

"I suspect this isn't a social call." She grins.

[Tethys Carrack]

"No? What else would it be?" Tethys's lips quirk softly. After a moment's consideration, she drags in the chairs from the hall so she and Thy don't have to awkwardly sit on Breela's bunk. It's a bit of a squeeze, but she manages.

"Actually, I was wondering if you're all right. That's social, isn't it?" The look she casts at Breela is mostly neutral inquiry, with a whiff of concern. "The energy from that Sith ritual..."

Breela isn't vomiting in a corner, or punching holes in the walls, so that's a tentative good sign.

[Thy Yulani]

Thy added warmly, "I am just here for a friend, both of my friends."

[Breela Po]

"No? What else would it be?" Tethys's lips quirk softly. After a moment's consideration, she drags in the chairs from the hall so she and Thy don't have to awkwardly sit on Breela's bunk. It's a bit of a squeeze, but she manages.

"Actually, I was wondering if you're all right. That's social, isn't it?" The look she casts at Breela is mostly neutral inquiry, with a whiff of concern. "The energy from that Sith ritual..."

Breela isn't vomiting in a corner, or punching holes in the walls, so that's a tentative good sign.

She smiles warmly at their responses. "It was a Sith ritual, surely you didn't think it'd be sunshine and rainbows." She teases softly. "No... it, it was disgusting." The lingering taste of that nasty decoction wasn't going away either. "And I'm worried about Layne."

[Thy Yulani]

Thy agreed about Layne and then added, "That and Daz was attacked today, he won't say who but I have my suspicions. Whoever attacked him removed his weapon hand at the wrist."

"It's not painting a good picture."

[Breela Po]

Breela's stomach sinks. "You- you don't think..." She refused to finish it.

What the kriff Layne?!

[Tethys Carrack]

"I didn't expect rainbows. I didn't expect two of us actually joining in, either," Tethys says mildly. "Do you feel all right? You know I don't mean because of the taste."

What Thy has to say startles her out of this train of thought, though. "What? Daz? One of the Sith, or--?"

Layne was looking a bit rough earlier, but Tethys trusts her, certainly more than that, so her mind doesn't leap anywhere near the truth.

"Is he stable? We don't even have the medical unit cleared yet..." Logistics again, argh!

[Thy Yulani]

Thy said, “Daz is in stable condition, Baesal said she was working on replacing his missing limb with a cybernetics. He won’t say what happened, I doubt he would be so silent if a Sith were at fault and well.. Layne has been… disturbed as of late. I sense Darth Baras may be involved but we can’t go around just pointing at Sith that disturb us.”

“On top of that, having Jedi engaging in the Sith ritual might send the wrong idea. Which is another matter altogether,” she finished with.

[Tethys Carrack]

That is a disturbingly good point. Daz would have no reason to be secretive with other Jedi if a Sith had been the one to injure him. Tethys nearly grinds her teeth.

"I was... getting used to not worrying about Layne," she says, in a tone somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "That was nice. While it lasted."

She closes her eyes and rubs the bridge of her nose with her fingertips, not quite succeeding in massaging away the vertical line between her brows.

"Baras," she grimaces, "claims he and I have some kind of rapport. Probably more poisoned hot air. But if we need to sound him out sooner or later, I can do it. At least that way no one else would have to be exposed."

She drops her hand and blinks twice more, and the moment of visible frustration is mostly past. Mostly.

"But Layne is Layne and Baras is Baras. That's not what I..." She sighs. "Breela, I could feel the fear and suffering in that ritual from the back of the room. Couldn't you?" And if you felt it, why--?

[Thy Yulani]

Thy found a spot to meditate, and contemplate the events of the day. She trusted that Tethys could handle this.

[Breela Po]

"But Layne is Layne and Baras is Baras. That's not what I..." She sighs. "Breela, I could feel the fear and suffering in that ritual from the back of the room. Couldn't you?" And if you felt it, why--?

"-To send a message to the Sith. An olive branch as it were." She says simply. "It may become misconstrued. The Sith may end up spinning it that the Jedi are weak. That's fine. Nothing a quick speech can't clear up."

She chuckles, "After all, my willingness to participate in their ritual means they'll be compelled to participate in one of our doesn't it. Like, say... some guided meditation."

[Tethys Carrack]

The double line has reappeared between Tethys's brows again. "An... an olive branch? That's why? You thought you were being polite?"

This is, genuinely, not anywhere in her original top three hypotheses as to what might have been going on in Breela's head when she took the tainted cup.

Tethys squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, opens them. "So. How do you think they actually, ah, construed it?" she asks, not without a certain sardonic note.

[Breela Po]

The double line has reappeared between Tethys's brows again. "An... an olive branch? That's why? You thought you were being polite?"

This is, genuinely, not anywhere in her original top three hypotheses as to what might have been going on in Breela's head when she took the tainted cup.

Tethys squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, opens them. "So. How do you think they actually, ah, construed it?" she asks, not without a certain sardonic note.

"If they sensed my thoughts as I drank and told the darkness to kriff off, confusion. But given Sith proclivities, I'd say their minds started spinning the second that disgusting red ichor touched my cheek." Breela yawned. "There's a throw in Tae-jitsu called the sacrifice throw. It's best used in a clench. When you're so wrapped up with your opponent it's hard to see where one ends and the other begins. Then, just as they think they've got you, you drop your weight and send them flying."

She crosses her legs and leans back casually.

"Everything I'm doing is calculated. I'm not saying it won't backfire, anything is possible. But we're in the clench now regardless."

[Tethys Carrack]

Tethys looks... unconvinced.

"That's a complicated way to tell me you think doing this has given you some measure of leverage on our Sith neighbors. What leverage, though?"

She straightens her shoulders against the cold surface of the wall behind her and regards Breela levelly. "Before you answer, let me tell you how it looks to me, without any complex metaphors. I saw you watch this Darth Zhorrid summon the forces of hate and fear, torment a living animal to death to harvest its mortal suffering in exchange for power from the Dark Side of the Force. I knew what was happening, and I know how long you've been a Jedi--longer than me."

"Knowing this, seeing this, you chose to make that exchange. You took the bloody power from another living thing's miserable unwilling sacrifice into your body. It's still there now. You made all of that a part of you." Her voice scrapes a little. She'd kept her cool while observing the ritual, but walking it through in this way clearly bothers her. "Sacrifice throw. Isn't that a little too on the nose?"

[Breela Po]

"I'm a brawler, therefore ambiguous," Breela remains calm, "and it may be a tad on the nose. But neither you, nor I, could do anything to stop them from sacrificing that poor goat. We're not in the cozy confines of the Jedi temple. We're in a conflict zone. Which means we need to start thinking several moves ahead. And be ready to make sacrifices."

She sighs audibly and shakes her head.

"Tethys, I understand your concern. For me, and for optics. But if we the Jedi hold our own ritual. A guided meditation led by either Thy or..." she chuckles, "... or Jubbers. One that does basically the same thing - but for the moral majority. Meaning that it reaffirms our convictions, our dedication to the light. Think about the good that will do. A ritual that doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth." Pun intended. "A ritual that doesn't leave a lingering sense of revulsion and discomfort. And consider the hook I've placed. There will be some Sith who join us out of curiosity, there will be others that feel obliged to follow in Layne and I's footsteps." The irony of Layne's participation was not lost on her. "Now tell me you don't see the sense in my actions. A gamble though they may be."

"Knowing this, seeing this, you chose to make that exchange. You took the bloody power from another living thing's miserable unwilling sacrifice into your body. It's still there now. You made all of that a part of you."

"Finally, to address the dark elephant in the room." She winced, "My attachments are going to drag me down. That's what attachments do. But the funny thing about the dark side is it requires commitment. I can assure you I've no intention of falling." There's a deep turmoil in her bosom as she thinks about her children.

[Tethys Carrack]

"No. You're mistaken. I'm not talking about optics at all, and this is one thing that's not ambiguous or up to chance." Tethys leans in a little, hands braced on her knees. "Optics, from the Old Coruscanti word optikos--something to do with sight or seeing. It implies someone watching. But who do you think that is? This isn't Alderaan or some diplomatic conference. There's no one external the Sith need to impress, and it is against their code to return a courtesy if it won't benefit them to do so. Not one of them will feel obligated to you for this."

Remembering the gleefully vicious way Darth Baras had reacted to a simple polite apology--surely the most basic and instinctive of courtesies--Tethys winces a little.

"Anyway, all that is a distraction from what matters most, and I think you know that. I didn't come here because we needed to talk about what some other people did that was better or worse, or what other people think. Or the value of whatever you think you can buy from other people with little pieces of your soul, if you cut them off and cash them in."

Tethys shakes her head slightly, frowning uneasily. "The Jedi are my family, and at least part of yours too. Please don't try to spin this flashy dance around me like I'm one of your opponents in some boxing match instead of your... your kin, or comrade. Just stand still and look at yourself."

[Breela Po]

Here we go, Breela sighs.

Tethys shakes her head slightly, frowning uneasily. "The Jedi are my family, and at least part of yours too."

If that's true then try being in my corner.

"And what should I see? Or more in point of fact, what is it you see?" Or if we're being completely honest with ourselves, She thought, what is it you want me to see?

[Thy Yulani]

"This is about her children," Thy said softly.

[Tethys Carrack]

“It is and it isn’t, I think,” Tethys says, her eyes flicking to Thy briefly before returning to Breela. “Wild unrelated gestures that won’t have the results you think… that brings us no closer to finding them. Although,” she winces as another thought occurs to her, “maybe, while you’re keeping busy telling yourself you’re making five layers of plots with five different objectives, it means you don’t have to sit still with your worries about the children, for a little while? I don’t know.” She shrugs one shoulder. “You could tell me? I’ll listen.”

She touches cool fingers to her temple for moment as if to chase away a headache, or perhaps refocus herself too, amid the dance of distractions.

“Ill-considered overtures to the Sith won’t help find them. On the other hand, the quick and easy power of the Dark Side that Darth Zhorrid offered… if you use that in the search, it would be one way of going about it, but I believe you that you don’t seek more of that power than what you already bargained for tonight.”

No matter what Breela might tell herself about telling the darkness to kriff off at the same time as inviting it in, Tethys is fairly certain the Force doesn’t work like that. There was no way to drink from that cup and not be touched by its power.

“What I see, what I think you see too… or maybe you’re afraid to…” She winces again, hesitates, but masters her fear and continues. “Perhaps someone who, when she does find her family, won’t want to be be so lost in cheap compromises and dark bargains that she isn’t the mother she wants to be.”

[Breela Po]

“What I see, what I think you see too… or maybe you’re afraid to…” She winces again, hesitates, but masters her fear and continues. “Perhaps someone who, when she does find her family, won’t want to be be so lost in cheap compromises and dark bargains that she isn’t the mother she wants to be.”

Breela had been completely honest. At this point it was becoming cringe. The jab was pathetic and ill considered. But the simple fact was that Tethys was so far wide of her mark that Breela was starting to get a headache.

"What I see," she sighs after a moment of rubbing her own temple, "is an order that is fracturing into pieces. A 'family' that is so bent out of shape that its members are jumping ship to other 'orders'. If you want to help me find my cubs, fine. If you want to rub salt in that incredibly old wound, fine. If you want to voice your concern, report me to the council, throw me under the speeder, do whatchyu gotta do. But stop sitting there pretending you know everything."

She continued calmly but firmly.

"These 'overtures', as you say, may be futile, but they are anything but ill-conceived." She sneers, "Or do people like Layne not turn away from the Dark? Then again, she's rapidly circling the basin while I'm trying to juggle finding my kids, building some sort of unit cohesion, and dealing with this 'politics as usual' poodoo. And that's something else you haven't bothered to consider is it?"

She stares bullets at Tethys.

"A few rooms away sleeps or plots the people that likely killed my husband." She says through gritted teeth, "Just down that hall are the people that made my life a living hell. It was probably one of them that snatched up my kids and sold them into slavery in the first place. And yet here I am, ready to forgive and extend an olive branch. Why?" She relaxes the tension in her body but levels you with a cold glare. "Because even though none of us like it. We're now in the same foxhole. This is a conflict zone, we're at war. These are the materials at our disposal. You can either plot in the corners like them. Or you can get up and build cohesion with me."

"Finally if you want to help this family. Stop preaching and try listening, try helping. Actually be there for us. Ask us what we need."

She'll stand up and bow to both of you.

"Thank you for your visit."

[Thy Yulani]

Thy rose and said, "May the Force be with you, Breela. I do not agree with your assessment on the Order but I won't disregard your concerns either."

"I will say that if we can't find understanding if we are ready to attack each other, if we can't have honest and sometimes hard conversations then we are lost. This situation is not ideal, but the scars not one way, they are struggling with their own horror stories from all these conflicts. Suffering begets suffering."

She turned and departed.

[Tethys Carrack]

"Do people like Layne turn away? I suppose we'll find out." Tethys's lips quirk ruefully. "But either way, no one cajoled and manipulated Layne with 'optics' into joining the Jedi. We can't trick the Sith away from the darkness by pretending to act like them. These changes are between one person and the Force, they always will be. We can offer a hand, try to be an example, but if someone tells you that your actions pushed them to one side or another? In my experience, they're lying, either to you or to themselves."

"I know exactly who's in here with us, and that is why it's more important than ever not to compromise what matters." She stands up, the metal stool scraping a little on the cold flooring. "If you won't hear me, if you won't believe I care, that's your decision too. I can't trick you or manipulate you, and I don't want to. I do want to help. If there's any task I can do, you only have to ask; if you want to touch my mind and learn that you can trust me that way, go ahead." She opens a hand. "But I won't lie to you when I think you are doing something that will cause needless suffering, to you and others. I won't lie to a Jedi. If that means I should leave now, because I can't tell you what you want to hear, then I'll leave."

Her hand is on the door; unless actively stopped, she'll

/exit.