The Perils of Diplomacy: Prologue (Ka' el)

[Figrin D'an]

The Temple bustled with activity, as students moved between classes, and Knights and Masters looked to complete any official business as the afternoon ticked away. The sound of hundreds of footsteps echoed off the wide expanses of the grand halls, and coversations melding together in the Jedi's ears as he walked towards the Living Quarters wing.

It had been a quiet day, by all standards. Not boring, but, pleasently, not wrought with the inconvienences and minor headaches that sometimes plagued his day. Although he hoped that the surprising trend would continue into the early evening, his years of experience told him otherwise. Something always came up. It was only the severity of matter that would be in question.

In this case... it was quite severe indeed.


Figrin turned a corner, his stride purposeful but not hurried. He took note of the numbers above the doors of each quarters as he continued down the hallway.

Diplomacy was regarded in some cultures as a coward's tactic. In others, it was an art form so highly refined that it inherently breed arrogance. The Jedi found that neither was a healthy perspective. He'd dealt with both extremes before. The premise of each point of view was flawed. Flaws were avenues of exploitation at the bargining table. Exploitation lead to concession. Concession lead to treaties. That's how the system worked. It wasn't always pretty, and it was never without unscrupulous under-the-table dealings. In his early days as an ambassador on the Outer Rim, he'd discovered the harsh reality that not everyone in the galaxy played by the same rules. It was a problem that every young Jedi would encounter sooner or later. Figrin had learned to adapt, and the lessons learned in those early failures paved the way for later success. Thought the current situation was tense and volatile, he had decided that it was an opportunity pass on some of those same lessons he had learned all those years ago.

The Jedi came to a stop at the door of the quarters belonging to his padawan, and tapped the electronic chime. The quiet day was about to get very interesting, indeed.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el had just gotten out of the shower, he had been training most of the day in the Academy, working on his saber technique. His master, Figrin D'an was a diplomat and a master of forms III and V; knowing this Ka' el had been brushing up on his own skills in those forms.

He had just finished dressing and was sitting to do some meditation when he felt it; the calming influence of his master, Figrin D'an. He felt the presence grow stronger as the Jedi Master grew closer. Then the chimes at his door.

"Enter Master, the door is always open for you," His young tenor voice called out. He stayed seated, still on the floor meditating on the lessons he had learned during the day and focusing himself after such an exerting physical exercise. He smiled as he heard his master step into his quarters and made motion with his hand for his master to take a seat as he finished his meditation or if he wished join him. He was always happy when his master came to see him.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin sat down, making as little noise and distraction as possible. Meditation was an important part of a Jedi's day, and a tradition for which he had the deepect respect. He needed relax his own mind and body, but his routine was rather fixed, and as such he would do so after he had eaten dinner and taken care of his daily reports.

He sat patiently, allowing his apprentice to finish his meditation exercises. The padawan's mind was calm and clear, for which Figrin was glad to know. He was curious to see how Ka' el would react to the prospect of going on a mission of such importance.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"Why do we let them do as they please?" Ka' el asked with an inquisitive tone; "We are much stronger than them and they are not doing what is right."

"Ka' el, there are many things a person must learn if they are to become a Jedi," The Jedi teacher responded calmly; "One of these lessons is that sometimes, no matter if we are right or wrong in our decisions, that those we are trying to help will not accept that and it is up to them whether they will accept our guidance. The second is; that a Jedi never uses his powers to Force someone into a decision, our powers are used for defense, to protect the weak and destroy the evil that lies in our galaxy. Someone who has a different opinion than us but is not harming the innocent with malicious intent is not a foe of the Jedi, you must learn this if you are going to become a Jedi Master someday."

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Ka' el was unsure why this memory of him arguing with an instructor about why a Jedi should or shouldn't use force to settle an argument, came to him while meditating. It was not a particularly fond nor painful memory, but it was a valuable lesson, but one that he was not aware yet would come in handy.

"How are you Master D'an?" Ka' el asked as he opened his eyes from his meditation. He rose to his feet and nodded his head in respect for his master. Ka' el saw in his master's face that something was on his mind. It wasn't a Force power per-se of the young Padawan Learner but rather a natural knack for reading someone elses expressions.

"Is there something you needed to talk to me about sir?"

[Figrin D'an]

The Jedi Master nodded.

"Yes, there is indeed."

He removed a data pad from his cloak, and tapped a few buttons. A small map of a planetary system was displayed. He handed the pad to Ka' el, whom looked at it curiously.

"That is the Chorax system... yellow sun, single planet... it's in the Rachuk sector. It used to be a popular port for smugglers and piracy during the days of the Empire. In the years since, the populous has managed to revamp the government and clean up their society. There are still some problems, but the progress has been rather impressive. The planet joined the New Republic just within the last decade."

He paused, realizing that all of that information was available on the pad for the padawan to read later.

"But, enough of the history lesson for now. Earlier today, the Senator from Chorax received a message from the system's planetary security ministry. There was bombing in capital city... about 30 people were killed, another 100 were injured... the target was a civilian financial center, but several ranking government officials were inside the building at a meeting when the incident occured. The Chorax government claims they have evidence that a small, militant seperatist group that has emerged in the past few months was responsible. The group, calling themselves the Chorax Liberation Front, claim that they had nothing to do with the attack, and the Chorax government is fabricating the story as an excuse for military action. There have already been a few skirmishes between the Security Forces and seperatists."

He stood up, and paced slowly as he continued.

"The Senator requested Republic intervention and aid to help to remove the seperatists threat. The Chancellor, prudently, wasn't keen on that idea, so she decided that a Jedi envoy could potentially defuse the situation before it escalates. So... you can infer for yourself whom she requested to go."

Figrin stopped pacing, and looked at his apprentice pointely.

"This is a prime opportunity for diplomacy and investigation... and, I feel that you have done very well in your training up to this point. I would like you to accompany me, to learn and to assist in this effort."

His face remained calm, though he smiled inwardly. He knew that his padawan would be excited at an opportunity to travel off-world.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el put considerable concentration into reading the data-pads. Though some of his instructors had labeled him head-strong and reckless, they all admitted that he was quite thorough with his preparations, especially when it came to reading something. As impulsive as he was, he didn't appreciate suprises.

"What do they wish to liberate themselves from... Ka' el thought to himself with a raised eyebrow. From everything he had read, it seemed that the government was almost a perfect example of a blossoming democracy. They had a system of checks and balances and a seemingly beniegn leadership that only had the systems best interests at heart.

"I'm guessing I should pack a bag," Ka' el said with a broad smile.

[Figrin D'an]

"We'll need to leave in the morning, so you can take the rest of the evening to pack whatever you need and prepare. Most of the background information is on that data pad. If you have any questions, we should have plenty of time to discuss them in transit to the system."

Figrin sat back for moment... he had been busy for the past several days, and hadn't had a chance to talk to Ka' el much during that time.

"I've heard you have been spending a fair amount of time in the training center. How would you say your skills are progressing?"

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"They progress more rapidly than I would have expected, Master Hazzard and the lady Xazor have been helping me with my control. I believe my control over my body to be very good. I've been working on my saber skills. As a boy wielding a saber was all I ever dreamed of when I became a Knight and I still harbor that respect and love for the mastery of that weapon even now. Though I do not believe my skills on par with some of our more progressed Padawans, I believe I could hold my own sir," Ka' el said quite matter of factly. He didn't think what he was saying was being boastful but rather he stated what he thought.

"However I am still struggling with mentalism, it is not my forte, I am too straight-forward, sublteness is not something I embrace quite often and there for I think I lack the discipline in that respect."

It was Ka' el's nature to always list something good with something bad and even when he spoke of himself he always mentioned his faults as well as his gifts. He wanted to look good before his master but he also didn't want to be dishonest. The Padawan still had much to learn about the Force, though he had perhaps been studying it from much longer than most others in the Order.

[Figrin D'an]

"Ah yes... mentalism," Figrin quiped. "Some of the concepts are abstract and difficult to grasp, even for those that are very gifted in that respect. Don't get discouraged, though. It's something that just takes a lot of practice and experience to feel comfortable with it."

He was pleased to hear about Ka' el's progress. The young man was indeed very straight forward, in his honestly was well as his approach. It was a trait that was important for a Jedi to possess, especially as a padawan.

"The trip to Chorax will take several days. Perhaps you will be able to show me some of the things you have learned," Figrin light-heartedly suggested. "Perhaps... we could even spar a bit. I'm certain it would be a valuable experience for both of us."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el's bright smile only broadened at the mention of a spar with his master.

To test my saber skills against the great Master D'an... he thought to himself in wonderment. He looked at his loner saber that he used to train and as his own personal weapon until he had honed his Force skills sufficiently enough to construct his own; the mark of a true Jedi. Calming himself with a deep breath he attempted to hold back his smile a bit, his youthful enthusiasm often was the source of embarrassement for the maturing teenager. He was at a precarious age, both in the Force and in his life were he wasn't quite a man yet but wasn't a little boy any longer either and it was difficult for Ka' el to cope with this.

"I would enjoy that very much sir and perhaps on the way you could help me with my telekinesis. It needs honing, I can push and pull quite well but my control over Force grip is not what it should be, especially if I am to build my own saber."

[Figrin D'an]

Inwardly smiling broadly, Figrin had a tempered, but clearly happy expression on his face. Ka' el had a youthful enthusiasm and a desire to learn that reminded the Jedi Master of himself in many years past... never satisfied with what he knew, always wanting to achieve that next level of mastery, no matter the skill. The key was finding the balance between contentment and overzealous goals... a way of patiently striving for something more. Figrin searched for years as a learned before he finally found that "centre" for himself. Ka' el would have to do the same, and only with time would it be realized.

"I look forward to it. We should have time to work on a number of things. It will make for a good break from briefing sessions we'll need to do before we arrive."

Figrin got to his feet.

"I'll leave you to prepare for the journey. We'll meet in at the main transport pad at 0800 in the morning. The other details should be on the data pad. Do you have any questions about anything thus far?"

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el smiled and shook his head, he was already thinking about what he would pack.

Both heavy robes, a few tunics, my boots...

He then looked at his master as if he were embarrased by his trivial planning and gave him a verbal reply.

"No sir, I'll see you there bright and early." Grinning from ear-to-ear. As Master D'an stood to leave the young padawan immediately leapt up and began packing his bag.