The Last Saum'riae (open)

[Janson Star]

Janson stood before the door. Inside were people. Lots of people. Different people. Unknown people. He would be stepping into the unknown. But how would that be different from any other day?

Slowly, cautiously, he walked into the bar, hand resting where the hilt of the sword his father had given him should. It was his right, as the eldest son of the eldest son, to inherit the Sword of the Star. It was the way of his people...the way of the Saum'riae. But the Jedi had insisted he disarm. He sighed, and walked on.

The Saum'riae were, or had been, very much like the Jedi. But there were differences...too many to describe. The Saum'riae had been described as many things. Warriors. Philosophers. Peacekeepers. All were true, yet all were false. The Saum'riae were the Saum'riae; nothing more, nothing less.

Janson sat in his corner, watching the world go by, alone. The word stuck in his mind. Alone. He had been alone for far too long. He was the last of his line. He was the last of his race. He was the culmination of millennia. His death was inevitable. Everyone died. How he died was important. He must die by the sword...either his own, or another. But how he lived...that was more important still. The memory of the Saum'riae would live on in his actions. He had better make them good.

[Shade Magus]

Shade noticed a young man sitting alone and reached out through the Force to him. He had a lot on his mind, that much the Jedi could tell. He picked up his drink and walked over to the man. "Care for some company?"

[Janson Star]

Janson looked up at the Jedi, almost confused by his question. It took several seconds for the message to register. Company. That would stop him being alone. "Please," he replied, nodding. He waited in silence as the Jedi sat, and made himself comfortable. "I am Janson Star," he said, attempting as best he could to produce a friendly smile.

[Shade Magus]

Shade held out his hand, from across the table. "Shade Magus. Pleased to meet you Janson."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

The shape and style of Janson's sword had not escaped J'ktal's eye when the man surrendered it to the four-armed doorman. Sipping his drink, the grey mongoose watched the newcomer wander in, and take a seat. There were few who still carried such a blade, and it was in J'ktal's nature to learn more about those who did.

Rising from his seat, the Death-Shadow picked up his drink and waited for Shade to have made himself comfortable before joining them at the table. "An interesting blade you carry," J'ktal said as he sat down. Sipping his drink--a Tom Collins on ice-- the mongoose continued, "I presume it is a family token?"

[Janson Star]

Janson smiled, and gripped Shade's hand firmly, his golden armour demonstrating how easily it allowed him to move.

Less than a moment later, their table was joined by another...a furry faced individual. He arrived, and sat down. Janson was intregued. He hadn't seen his species before. As he spoke, a pang of disappointment shot through him, and he realised how much he missed his sword. "It is the Saum Blade that has been handed down through the generations. The eldest son of the latest generation wields the sword." He sighed again, dragging his hand away from where it would usually rest on the hilt of his sword. "Saum means unbreakable in our language," he added as some sort of explaination.

"I am Janson Star," he said to J'ktal, "But I have no idea who, or indeed what you are. You're rather different to the other species I have met." He frowned, remembering. "Someone once told me about the...Shistavanen? The wolf-men. You are not one of those, are you?"

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

J'ktal took a sip from his drink, then set it down after Janson posed his question. His face lacking any form of visible emotion, the mongoose answered, "Were I a Shistavanen, I would not be wearing any pants. Though they are a sentient race, they have not yet discovered modesty. I am Death-Shadow Captain J'ktal Anajii, of Nehantish, and the Greater Jedi Order."

Straightening his posture, J'ktal continued, "It is an heirloom, then, your sword. I know the type of blade well. Perhaps you would permit me to see it once we leave. Oh, excuse me, I am forgetting my manners. It is my curiosity that makes me ask what brings you here?"

[Janson Star]

"Some would say that modesty is a way of hiding what you do not have." A small smile tugged at Janson's lips. "Some would say."

The smile faded as he spoke again. "If you know the type of blade well..." his voice dropped away. "You will know that those who created it no longer exist. I am the last of their kind. I am a warrior of the Force. I wish to be an warrior of the Jedi also."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"I spoke of the style, not the heritage of your own," J'ktal said, neglecting to adress Janson's modesty comment, for it was unimportant.

"The katana, while rare, is hardly an uncommon style, and it originated on my home planet as well, independantly of outside influence. Speaking of the Jedi, do plan to serve two masters--the Jedi as well as your own ideals, or to surrender wholly to the ways of the Jedi?"

[Janson Star]

"It is not a Katana," Janson said softly. "It is a Saum blade. There is a difference."

He spoke again, at his normal volume, meeting K'tal's eyes with his own. "My ideals are not as different to the Jedi's as it may seem. I may be a warrior, but I fight to preserve peace. And besides..." His voice be came hard, cold, and regretful. "The ideal began to die generations ago, and its life still fades. It is not strong enough to master anyone."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"My apologies for the misnomer on your blade," J'ktal replied politely, then finished his drink, the ice cubes rattling softly as he set the short tumbler back down.

"The reason I asked my second question is because unlike most Jedi, I do serve two masters, and from personal experience I was going to warn you that it is very difficult."

[Janson Star]

"I represent the end of an era, and the beginning of the new. If the new era requires me to serve the Jedi with every ounce of my being, then that will be the way of the Saum'riae from this day hence."

[Shade Magus]

"The end of the old and the beginning of the new. Such is the way of the Force," the Jedi Knight answered. He had been listening politely to the two's conversation as he had never met either one and didn't want to cut in.

[Janson Star]

"When one thing ends, another begins. Everything remains in equilibrium. That is the principal of Balance...the first Saum'riae concept. Wisdom and Balance are the others.

He smiled slightly. "I remember when my grandfather taught me about them. He told me to imagine a set of scales. Both sides are at the same hight. Balance is when this occurs. Wisdom is knowing that this occurs. Understading is knowing why this occurs."

"The Force is the same. There must be Balance. We know there must be Balance. We know there must be Balance, because without it, there would be chaos. Balance, Wisdom, and Understanding." He smiled again, marvelling at the simplicity of it all. He had been only 5 when his grandfather had taught him this, but he remembered it like yesterday.

"I am relieved to know that the Jedi have some understanding of this concept...perhaps my new life will not be so different from my old."

[Shade Magus]

"Are you a honorable man?"

[Janson Star]

The smile faded from Janson's face, leaving only a stony expression behind. His voice became hard and cold, as he struggled to contain his emotions. "You don't know about my culture, so I'll let you off. But in future, I'd warn you not to question the honour of a Saum'riae. Asking me that is like asking a woman if she's faithful to her wife. Only..." Janson's eyes narrowed. "I might do a little more than slap you."

[Shade Magus]

"If that is your opinion then a Jedi you can not be."

[Janson Star]

Janson took a deep breath. "I...I'm..." he sighed. "I'm sorry. You have to bear in mind that the Saum'riae has been the only thing I've known. I will change..." He looked away. "But some changes will take longer than others."

He looked back, his shining a little with the beginnings of tears. "I'm about to end three thousand years of history. Thats not an easy thing to do."

[Shade Magus]

"No it isn't. I know because I am one of the last of a dying race. Only very few of my people exsist anymore, and most prefer to live as regular humans."

[Kyashi]

A throat was cleared from behind the three men. Sitting at a near-by table, with his usual cup of tea, Kyashi had been watching the three discuss the beliefs of Jedi, and whatever race this new one was claiming to be. He looked like a normal human to the boy...

"I believe a woman would be faithful to her husband, sir. Not to her wife. A simple slip of the tongue, yes, but I'd hate to think what kind of impression you'd be making on our Jedi hosts." He smiled softly, taking a sip of his tea. "Many races consider themselves to be "honorable", from killers and thieves to great warriors and Jedi, what makes you different from the rest?"

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Very true, youg man," J'ktal nodded to Kyashi. "For instance, I am considered honorable, yet I have murdered men and women in their beds. All in the name of justice, though," he smirked.

"And, the scales which the Jedi use are not so evenly balanced as yours are, my new friend. An even scale would mean you are a horrible Jedi, and are just as close to being Sith as you are Jedi. You should never have such balance, but have the wisdom to keep the ill side of the scale empty, letting the good side bear as much weight as possible. It is the Jedi way."

[Janson Star]

Janson turned and frowned, the new question floating through his mind. A good question. He thought, and an answer resolved. "Nothing."

Expecting the confusion his answer would create, he began to clarify. "Honour is a word. Like many words, it means a different thing to a different person. Death is the perfect example. To a Jedi, you become one with the Force. Some religions believe in an afterlife. Some in reincarnation. Others believe it is merely the end. Like death, honour is not a finite term. Thieves believe themselves honourable because of some unwritten pledge between them. Great warriors and Jedi draw honour from doing what they believe is the right thing."

The words flowed from a part of Janson's mind that he hadn't used for a long time. He hadn't used it since his childhood, when he had argued the ways of the universe with his grandfather. It was a part that he was glad to have found again. "It would be more fitting, I believe, to ask why you do not believe I am honourable."

Janson turned back to his furry companion. "And you...to you I ask this. Why must the dark side be evil? It is not, in its own right, an evil thing. The person who wields the Force decides if it is evil or not. Dark powers can be used for light means. My sword was forged by a method you believe is evil, yet it was used in battle on the side of good. On the reverse, the Jedi created lightsabers, yet the Sith use them. Because they use something created by good, does that not make the Sith good also...by your logic?"

[Kyashi]

His mug hit the table a bit harder than he would've liked, but he couldn't wrap his mind around what this man was saying.

"Why do you think they call it the "Darkside"? Because, it's the Force wielded with evil intent. Where the Jedi use the Force with a clear mind and good intentions, Darksiders do the opposite. They twist the Force with their hate and self-interest and use it as a weapon. Yes, Sith and Jedi use lightsabers, they also use the Force. It's what's driving them that decides which side of the coin they are on, not the tools they use."

A slight smile appeared on the boys' lips. "As a Darksider myself, I would be ashamed to see a Jedi use the Darkside as a weapon. It's not..fitting. Very unbecoming of a Jedi."

[Janson Star]

Janson's eyes narrowed. "Ever heard of a guy called Anakin Skywalker? There's no mistaking the fact that he was evil. Yet he rid the galaxy of Darth Vader. Thats not a bad thing, as far as I'm concerned."

He shrugged. "Besides, unbecoming or not, it is who I am...or at least who I was. I don't claim to know the future...I only know the past. If I never use a 'dark' power again, then that is in the future. But, in the present..." He rose to his feet and streached. "I must get some sleep. It has been a long day." He bowed to his two companions. "I bid you good night."

[Shade Magus]

Shade looked rather shocked at Janson's sudden departure. "Well that was quick..."

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira shot a strange look at the Saum'rae as he left. Shrugging it off, he took a seat at J'ktal's table, setting a tray in front of him that heaped with food.

"Moral relativist, I gather?"

Anbira spoke with a gravelly, low voice, shrugging his broad shoulders as he dug into a big lunch. Breaking a piece of bread in half, he plunged it into a saucer of dark liquid before following that up with a chicken leg. It almost seemed comical, especially to those who knew the Jedi Master, or at least his old self.

[Shade Magus]

"Still not sure on that one."