Chapter 11: Brief (but attempted) Rapprochement

Kandria watched with a steely gaze at the elevator and the presence she felt coming down it. Her fists clenched and unclenched in a mix of worry and rarely seen anger. While she sensed that Anakin and Ahsoka also felt this worry directed at the man coming down that elevator, she could also sense the apprehension and worry they felt towards Kandria's behaviour.

The reason for all of this was that, just moments ago, the most concentrated and powerful burst of anger she had ever felt had suddenly flared from the Council Tower. Such an outburst of emotion in the Council Tower would have worried any Jedi, whether they be padawan or master. There was another reason however for their collective worry and her own minute anger. The fact that the source of that outburst was almost certainly Vancil, who Kandria knew to be an extremely dangerous and capable Sith.

She felt angry because, despite her training in controlling her emotions, Vancil had very likely done the something unbelievably stupid up there. She felt anger at this because, despite her distaste for the Sith's attitude and the order he belonged to, she had absolutely zero want to see him fail. In fact, she wanted him to succeed. And while this desire of hers did at first result in some initial internal conflict, she had since reconciled them.

And so, when the steel doors opened to reveal Vancil and Master Drallig alive and well she had only one thing to say at that moment.

"What the hell did you do up there?" She said in a manner almost akin to a snarl.

Now, Kandria had no idea what she expected Vancil to say. Maybe he would apologise profusely and explain that it was all a misunderstanding. Maybe he would even proudly declare that he had slaughtered the entire Jedi Council and taken Drallig captive. What she couldn't have predicted however, was for Vancil to calmy walk up to her and give her a light tap on the shoulder.

"Tag, you're it." He said with a hint of amusement before he promptly turned away and began walking…somewhere.

Confused beyond belief, Kandria could only gape after him as Drallig spoke to Skywalker, "The Council has decided to allow him access to the archives, but they wish to speak to young Kandria here first."

Kandria perked up at the mention of her name and tension she didn't know had built up released itself at the confirmation of Vancil's success. She was…glad that he had gotten what he wanted. After all she more than anyone knew what he must be going through right now. A light smile also came under her mask as she realised what he had meant by his brief sentence to her.

Drallig looked after the Sith that was now shrinking further down the hallway before giving an apologetic glance to Anakin, "Apologies, I really must go after him to make sure he doesn't do anything."

And with that Drallig speed walked after Vancil, somehow maintaining his air of prestige and sternness as he did so. Kandria's attention then turned back to Skywalker as he gestured towards the elevator, she never thought she would enter. Her breath hitched as the group stepped into the contraption, and she couldn't breathe as it rose. This was it. She was going to meet the Jedi Council, face to face. It was every young Jedi's dream, to stand before the Council. Even if it wasn't the Council, she knew it changed nothing.

And yet she felt quite…queasy. Jedi were trained from a young age that fear and all its successive emotions were to be avoided at all costs, lest one fall into the clutches of the dark side. She had actually seen it happen before with one of her fellow classmates, so she of all people knew that she shouldn't listen to her fear. But it did not change one undeniable fact.

She was scared.

This feeling wasn't exactly the cause of one particular thing, that much she was sure of. It was just this innate fear that she felt. Where she was. What she was doing. Kandria was sure that without her Jedi training she would have long since been a shivering mess, curled up in a corner with her eyes closed.

It just didn't make sense. There was no reasonable argument for why she would be feeling like this. And the worst part was that she had been feeling even more scared she arrived in the Jedi Temple. And standing there, in that rising elevator, she wanted nothing more than to turn it around and run with all her might.

She even briefly considered it for a moment before a hand rested on her shoulder left shoulder, jolting her out of her downward spiral. Looking to Anakin, she found a reassuring smile on his face, and a face that radiated understanding.

"It's okay, seeing the Council is always a nerve-racking experience." He said, clearly sensing her fear and interpreting it as nervousness at meeting such high-profile individuals.

Kandria remained silent before returning her gaze forward, "I know. I'll try to not let that control me."

It was okay that he didn't understand that was the reason for her fear. The fact that he had even tried to reassure her was enough. Soothing her boiling emotions, she released the breath she had been holding as the doors finally opened.

Hardening herself mentally for what was to come Kandria stepped out into the Council Chambers walking straight into the centre of the room. She didn't even realise it, but in an attempt to hide her fear, she had subconsciously mimicked Vancil's way of walking, holding her back straight and head high. This brought a curious look from all of the Jedi Masters present, except for the dark-skinned human Jedi whose gaze narrowed in suspicion and recognition.

And then, standing in the middle of the room, Kandria realised her greatest blunder. She had absolutely zero idea what to do next. Gulping she remained frozen, as though if she even tried to move, she would be disintegrated on the spot.

"So, Padawan Kandria," The Kel Dor spoke first, a hint of hesitation in his voice, "We have looked through our records on Padawans, and there does indeed seem to be an entry for you. You were Master Coval's padawan, were you not?"

Kandria's eyes dulled at the mention of her master. In her desperation to stay alive and the confusion and fear she felt she hadn't even spared a thought as to his fate. Coval was perhaps the closest thing she had to family. This was the norm of course, as attachment was strictly forbidden for Jedi and so the closest you could get was an apprenticeship to another Jedi.

"Yes, he is master." She replied, trying to make sure no sadness leaked into her speech.

The Kel Dor nodded, "I see. This confirms our initial assessment. You see, Master Coval has been dead for over three thousand years. This also matches up with when a Sith Empire was active, which lends credence to your confusion over the lack of an empire."

Kandria gulped as the Kel Dor finished speaking. Three thousand years. It made sense she supposed. Everything was so different. One thing was absolutely on her mind however. One thing that had been bothering her ever since it had first been revealed that no Sith Empire existed.

"If there is no Sith Empire, then who does the Republic war with?"

The room fell deathly silent, and the Jedi all cast glances at each other. She just didn't understand. From what she had seen the Republic was in full scale war mode. The only times she had learned of where such cases had been necessary for the mass mobilisation to fund battleships was when a Sith Empire rose. And she was certain that clones were not cheap to produce or buy. And then they had held what was essentially a war parade when they marched Vancil into the temple. That was only necessary for morale boosts or prestige. All of that ruled out skirmishes with pirates or even conflict with the Hutt Clans.

The Republic was at war. And the Jedi were too.

The small green Jedi tapped his stick lightly against the ground, "Hmmm, difficult to explain, the situation is."

A bearded human male spoke up next, his voice slightly garbled due to him only attending via transmission, "Currently we fight the CIS, who are led by Count Dooku. They are a separatist movement against the Republic that rose up in the Outer Rim."

Kandria tilted her head in confusion, "What? But…why?"

"The separatists command massive droid armies. They conquer worlds and displace the natives of those worlds. We tried to intervene but that…didn't go so well. Now we fight as leaders of the Republic's armies." He continued, every word bringing further horror to Kandria.

She gulped and a bit of panic managed to weasel its way into her mind, "But…that doesn't…"

Another conflict flared within Kandria once again. The Republic was basically in a civil war. In a situation like this the Jedi should be peacekeeping and looking for an end to the conflict. But…that wasn't happening. The Jedi were instead leading the armies of the Senate into battle against the rebels. The movement must have been massive too if it necessitated such a large military response.

A Jedi leading troops into battle was nothing new to her. It often happened during the war against the Sith Empire. But this? This was Jedi leading troops not against Sith, but against people who want to leave the Republic. This…This…

"This is wrong." She blurted out, shocking herself immensely.

This shock apparently also extended to the members of the Jedi Council as all of their eyes widened. Realising the hole she had suddenly jumped in Kandria, in that split second went the only way she reasonably could.

"The Jedi shouldn't be doing this. We should be…trying to find a peaceful solution through negotiation. Not finding peace through more violence." She said, looking down at her feet as her eyes widened with every word she said.

The dark skinned male frowned, "We have tried to establish a peace. The separatists are the aggressors, and they remain aggressive no matter our efforts."

Kandria shook her head slowly, "That's no excuse. If your Outer Rim is similar to the Outer Rim I know of, then they are very likely exploited significantly for their natural resources. You said it yourself. They want to leave."

The dark skinned male's frown deepened, "Well then the way they are going about it is wrong. We are servants of the Republic, we will safeguard it against those who wish to tear it apart."

Kandria shook her head again, "No. The Jedi are supposed to be servants of the people, not the Republic. If the people want to leave the Republic the Jedi should support them."

The dark skinned male's eyes narrowed, "If you disagree with the way this Order is run, you are welcome to leave. I encourage it in fact. This is not your galaxy, and you come from a time of war and death. For you to immediately go back into another war would be cruel of us."

Kandria's gaze turned to the male. She could hear it in his tone. He didn't actually expect her to leave. She couldn't blame him for thinking so either. Jedi were free to leave the Order at any time. Many didn't however, simply because the Order would have been all they knew, or all they believed in. There was one thing he didn't count on though.

This wasn't the Order she knew. And it wasn't the Order she believed in.

Holding her head high she looked him directly in the eye, "Yes. It would be cruel for someone to fight for something they don't believe in. I wish to leave the Order."