Black and White (Open)

[Kale]

Once there was a farmer who discovered an injured serpent in his field. Taking pity on the creature, the farmer carried it home, bound its wound, tended it, and nursed it back to health. When the serpent was healed, the farmer reached down to take it back into the wild, but the serpent bit him. As the poison filled his veins, the farmer looked sadly at the serpent and asked, "Why? After I've cared for you, fed you, and healed you, why did you bite me?"

Smiling coldly, the serpent said, "You knew what I was when you took me into your home. Why should you be surprised if I act according to my nature?"

***

Kale was meditating--well, trying, anyway. He knew the principle was to clear one's mind. But how were you supposed to do that when you were trying to learn the answer to a specific question?

He'd tried focusing on the question itself, running it through his mind like a mantra. Then he'd tried replaying the events as clearly as he could remember them. Finally, he tried focusing on a mental image of the person in question. But the more he tried to look within himself, the more convinced he became that he didn't have the answer. And the more he ran that pretty face across his mind, the more distracted he became.

Of course, it wasn't so much the face that had him distracted, but it was definitely part of it. He'd shared a dance, a drink, and a fight with her. Except for the fight part, and being in danger of his life, he'd enjoyed it. It was a rare occasion these days that he got to cut loose for a few hours without thinking about his Jedi obligations, particularly with such stimulating company.

The only problem was--she was a Sith.

At the time, he'd told himself he was doing the good, Jedi thing by keeping an eye on her and making sure she stayed out of trouble. Now he wasn't so certain. He'd hoped a little meditation might clear things up a little--problem was, his meditation skills were rusty under the best of circumstances. He had a hard time grappling with the abstract; he was more comfortable in the dirty real.

With an exasperated huff, Kale heaved himself up off the floor of the meditation chamber, grabbed his water bottle, and started pacing from one corner of the blank room to the other.

[Torn Dlo]

Torn was taking a tour of his new room and had just entered the training grounds when he had heard a sigh for somewhere close. He could also feel something about him, though he couldn't make out just what yet. Sometimes these organs do come in handy.

He turned the corner and found a young human pacing back and forth. He seemed preturbed from what Torn could assess, but the young Kel Dor couldn't be to sure. He did raise his hand to knock on the corner of the door trying not to interupt the man if he didn't want to be.

[Kale]

Kale saw the masked face peering through the window slot of the door. A Kel Dor... Kale was always a little leery around anybody who wore a mask. He knew it wasn't the alien's fault oxygen was toxic to his lungs, but Kale didn't like being unable to read a person's expression.

He paced back to the door and cracked it open. "Sorry, were you signed up for the room?" he asked. "Wait... Spada, is it?"

Spada was the only Kel Dor he'd met at the GJO, but that had been a while ago.

[Torn Dlo]

Torn shook his head as he slowly entered.

"I'm afraid not. My name is Torn Dlo," he said as he moved out of the doorway. "And no I didn't sign up for a room. Actually I'm just taking a tour as I had just been accepted in the Order a few hours ago."

[Kale]

Kale stepped back to give the Kel Dor room. The alien was bigger than he was--but then, most Jedi his age and older were. Kale was a lean 5'6", even after beginning to put on some muscle under Pierce's tutelage.

"Newbie, eh? Well, pull up a..."

He turned and indicated the featureless room.

"Never mind. What brings you to the Order?"

[Torn Dlo]

"The Academy on Dorin actually. It appears they have noticed my Force abilities and have sent me here to become a Jedi. To be fair they did give me a choice to come here or stay, but I felt that I mihgt be able to do the galaxya greater good here."

[Kale]

Kale walked back across the room, grabbed his black robe off the floor, and folded it over his arm.

"I've read about that place," he said. "Little bit, anyway. Oh, sorry. I'm Kale. I've been a Padawan here for a little over two years. You settled in yet?"

[Torn Dlo]

Torn shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but it is a pleasure to meet you Kale."

[Kale]

Whenever people said that to Kale, he always wondered how long the sentiment would last. For his own part, he preferred to reserve his judgment on strangers until he'd known them a little while.

"Sure," he muttered back, probably sounded ruder than it really was. "Well, listen, I was just doin' a little meditating here, and..."

He trailed off. He'd been about to hint, maybe not so lightly, that Torn should leave him to his quandary, but then something occurred to him--a way to get a fresh perspective on the situation. At least to give him a better idea of how to approach his Master about it. Even if he was a raw recruit, Torn sounded like his credentials were better than Kale's were when he first joined up.

"...and I'm probably ready for a little break," he finished hurriedly. "Hey, you, uh... you know anything about Jedi training? You think you have an idea what to expect?"

[Torn Dlo]

"I have spoken with another Padawan when I first arrived on planet, though I failed to catch his name," he replied with a hint of embarassment. Torn had always prided himself on remembering one's name, but now it seemed like he wouldn't be able to ask for that particular person.

"But from what I gathered, it would be as hard as life at the Academy, though in the end it will be decided by you Master."

[Kale]

"Well, I can't speak to the Academy, of course," Kale said. "My background was... well, different. But, yeah, it can be intense."

He leaned back against a wall and dug his hands in his pockets. As awkward as it was, he needed this next part to sound natural. "An' it's not all about physical training, or even Force-training. You also have to be able to think on your feet--you know, make quick decisions. It's one thing to say, 'Trust your instincts,' but you gotta remember that what you do has consequences, right?"

[Torn Dlo]

"That is correct," Torn said as he thought about his own people's sense of right and wrong. To the Kel Dor peoples, things were black and white. There was no gray in the middle for them to become confused about. If one was caught stealing on Dorin, it wasn't that out of place for them to executed then and there.

Because of this all the young Kel Dors are taught to trust thier insights when it came to this. They were given a clear and simple representation of what was right and wrong: helping people is good and hurting people is bad.

[Kale]

Kale nodded, looked like Torn was with him so far.

"Okay, so take this example... you're walkin' down the street in the Southern Underground and you find someone--let's say it's a teenaged girl--lyin' on the sidewalk. She's injured, an' you know if she doesn't get help, she'll die. But when you get closer, you realize somethin'. She's a Sith. Do you help her or not?"

[Torn Dlo]

Torn paused for a moment. He thought about it and then spoke carefully, thinking of his wording. "Yes...because though she claims to be Sith I would not be able to know if she has actually hurt someone. Prehaps she is merely bluffing. If in the case you mind out she is Sith later and has hurt and killed you can take the appropriate measures then."

[Kale]

"But there's the trick," Kale said. "The problem with Sith ain't just what they've done, but what they keep doin'. If she ain't done nothin' wrong, at least, nothin' you know about, odds are she's plannin' on doin' somethin'. And a little act of kindness probably ain't gonna change her mind--if anything, it'll make her hate you more. How do you deal with somethin' like that?"

It was a strange thing to ask someone you just met, certainly--and Kale seemed to know a great deal about this hypothetical situation.

[Torn Dlo]

Torn thought for a moment and studied the questioin in his mind. At first he couldn'tunderstand why he would be asked such a question, but he reasoned that it was a test of his abilities to make descions.

"I stand firm that as long as she has done nothing you can tell of then she is by all rights I know of innocent. All I can honestly think of would be if you were to spy on her and catch her in the act then punishment would be dealt with," he said after some time. Then hesitantly, afraid of embarassment. "Or...you might actually try just talking to her about it?"

[Kale]

Kale wished he could see behind that mask--see if Torn was experiencing the same hesitation and second thoughts he was.

The Kel Dor's answer made sense, but Kale didn't have the luxury of holding Kathrine innocent until proven guilty. She'd trained on Corellia. She used the Force, and it wasn't the Lightside. Kale had searched the Jedi archives for the name "Southstar" and had come up with several documents he wasn't authorized to access. All his instincts had told him she was Sith--an apprentice, sure, but Sith nonetheless.

"Sometimes talkin' takes you nowhere but in circles," Kale replied. "But to be honest, I'd give the same answer."

Kale felt a little better about it now. Of course... what really mattered was what Master Tondry thought.

He coughed self-consciously. "Sorry, I know that was sorta out of the blue."

[Torn Dlo]

"It was no trouble. I thought I was under some sort of examination anyways," Torn replied in a rush, relieved it wasn't a test he could fail. "But I must ask the nature to your question. Or is there questions like that all the time to ready one's self for the future?"

[Kale]

Kale shrugged. "Well you never know. Some masters are like that..."

And then he felt a twinge of conscience. Torn had been more than fair in humoring him... it was only fair to let him know.

"But, specifically... I asked 'cause it happened to me. Last night."

[Torn Dlo]

Torn stood there for a moment before speaking, carefully choosing his words as to not offend anyone.

"And where is the girl now? Is she here?"

[Kale]

"I left her in an urgent-care clinic near the place where she was stabbed," Kale replied. "I told them to keep me updated. Well, they sent me a com. this morning. She ran off as soon as she was stabilized."

[Torn Dlo]

"I see...," he replied. "And what will your course of action be? Surely you will tell your master this."

[Kale]

"Well, sure," Kale replied. "I don't think I can do anything else about it until I see what he says. He gets back from a conference this afternoon, so I..."

He trailed off. He'd already said a little more than he was comfortable saying to somebody he'd just met, Jedi or otherwise.

"Anyway... You say you got in a couple hours ago. You got any idea who you'll be learnin' from? Where you're stayin'?"

[Torn Dlo]

"I have asked for a Jedi by the name of Liam Jinn to instuct me, but I haven't heard anything from him yet. As far as living arrangements, I've looking into the rooms, and I suppose I would get an empty room and then it would be motified for my living conditions."