Star Wars: A New Dawn

"Just like your sister, the woman you killed was someone close to my master. Hmm... Maybe not quite as close perhaps. But alas, a traitor as well.", Darren answered. He paused. "I am sorry that you didn't get to reconnect with your sister. However, if you wanted to, you could embrace that grief.", he suggested. "Turn it into something powerful."

Neri took awhile to answer, "I learnt a long time ago that it doesn't do well to dwell on grief and what you've lot and don't have. All the tears in the world won't amend things, restore what was. But what has occurred is that my whole existence...my last member of my family died when she did. If you think I have a purpose well that's better than what I can think of."

"Everyone has a purpose. Even those who may think they're lost have a purpose.", Darren said. The ship neared the hangar of the star destroyer and Darren steered the ship to dock it inside.

Once the ship had landed, Darren walked down the platform with Neri ahead of him, letting a squad of troopers take care of her. "Get her a private cell and tell my master I've returned."

(Have to hope he comes back with us on soon. But I'm sure he won't mind me powerplaying so you have something to do.)

Neri caught the last bits of his words and groaned at the mention of a cell, she couldn't protest or fight, her legs buckled and would've fallen if it weren't for the troopers holding her. They took her away just as a figure in black approached.

"That won't be necessary... I am here. Who... is this...Jedi?" Maeror asked.

"Master.", Darren said and took to a knee. "Master, she is the sister of the traitor formerly known as Darth Sestra."

The master walked closer and moved his arms from being by his side to cross them at his chest.
"An unfortunate series of events, but all the same, heavily predictable. I would ask why you have brought her here, but that answer is rather obvious. I should warn you though, even if it works and she becomes one of us, the child of Arden Lin will seek out her revenge. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for them both. What part will you play?"

"I suppose we will soon find out, master. But say if Arden Lin's daughter would have her revenge on the Jedi, then wouldn't that still be beneficial to you? In regards to her training, master. It will surely fuel her hatred more than anything. Oh, and even if she doesn't wind up killing Jedi, then you will still have yet another subject to turn over to the dark side and Case will continue to be spurred on by her hate."

Maeror considered this carefully, "you have some good points. It must be done wisely, history has shown what happens when people come into power too quickly.

Also... I forgot to ask, I saw visions of Arden Lin prior to her final downfall already being stabbed. Can you shed light on the matter?"

"I'm afraid not, Master. I was occupied when she stumbled out of the cave already wounded. I assumed that whoever Arden had faced met the same faith since I did not feel any other presence dwelling in the cave."

"Good..." the master replied, "I don't need any further issues arising. Hopefully as we speak, Angalacon is successfully breaking the young girls' defences. It will happen. I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be.

But for the other one...the jedi you brought here, she's nothing to me. If you can turn her to the dark side, that will be most beneficial to us, but if you fail then kill her. And if that does occur I will hold you accountable for bringing her here in the first place."

The corner of Darren's mouth quirked into a subtle smile. "I will not fail, master."

The master looked over Darren but couldn't pick up anything from his body language, whereas many others were open books with full colours displaying their emotions.
"Anything else?"

Darren shook his head after pretending to give his question some thought. "No, nothing, master."

A guard approached and muttered something to Master. He nodded.

"The Jedi's awake and putting up a rather good scene in the cells. It appears that her lack of an arm hasn't made her learn to stay quiet. Shall we find out if she likes her other one?"

"Yes, master.", Darren agreed and stood up off the floor, ready to head to the cellblocks.

Darth Maeror walked down the corridor first towards the cells and the guard opened the door for them. Neri sat up hearing them approach a few cell blocks before reaching hers. She caught a glimpse of Maerors black cape and turned her head not acknowledging him.

"What? No witty banter? Pity, I had built up so much enthusiasm towards meeting- oh no no... you're not going to bury yourself in the corner waiting for the time to die to come. You think you have nothing to go on with, that your whole life has been taken from you. It hasn't...not yet, so when you feel ready, we'll start thinking about giving a little back. Thing's you've never seen, never even heard of."
"Not interested."
"That's right... your whole life's purpose was to find your sister. You found her and she was already destroyed. But what if I gave you the one that was responsible for it?"
"What-"
"You are not strong enough to face him yet."
"No...the jedi don't support the idea of revenge."
"But that is not what you want... what you are feeling deep down? I can read your thoughts you know."

Neri got to her feet and walked to the entrance of the cell, "Stay out of my head!"

Maeror crossed his arms and moved away back down the corridor, leaving Darren with her. If she would defy him at the moment, maybe with Darren being the one that saved her, she would open up to him more?

She sighed and turned her eyes to Darren, scoffing, "You think I give a damn about justice? I know exactly what kind of justice you have in mind. You want me to feel rage and anger, and become a killer. I've finally learned that true justice isn't here, its what we tell our feelings. Are you even interested in justice or just showing off with that lightsaber?"

"Rage and anger are only the means of breaking through and reaching your true potential. Holding yourself back is the very thing that leaves you with these quandries when the answers are right infront of you.", Darren spoke softly. "And you might be right. About justice. It's something we tell ourselves to justify our own selfish needs. But is that so wrong?", he said and sat down with his legs crossed infront of the cell. "I used to be like you. Restrained. Thinking I had everything in control. But when you try to be the steadfast boulder in the torrential stream we call life, you either periodically get chipped away at through time or eventually swept away."

He took a deep breath through his nostrils. "I got swept away. Bashed against the rocks. Drowned in the rushing water. But if you let yourself go instead of fighting it, then the current will shape you into something stronger. Something that has adapted to survive. Darth Maeror was the one who shaped me, showed me where to direct anger and focus it into something useful when I no longer had a purpose.", he said and paused.

"Justice exists, differently for everyone. However, what everyone has in common with their sense of justice is that they're all in principle a goal to strive towards. Fuel to the fire. A constant reminder that you're doing the right thing for yourself and those that have the same strong sense of urgency to fulfill that goal.", he said and lifted a finger to point at her. "Your whole life's purpose was to find your sister. You've found her and your ideas, questions and theories have not been answered. Not yet. Because you haven't found your true ideal, your true goal, your true... justice. Until today. And today is your chance to have it in your grasp."

Darren finally stood up and slowly removed the hood from his head, revealing his scarred eyes and white pupils. "I was robbed of my chance at justice. Of fulfillment. Only now after all these years I know what it is and I know how to achieve it. Through hardships and heartache. Like everybody else. Like you."

Neri stood listening and the words hit hard, they were just as she was feeling. When he removed his hood and she looked on him, she found that she wasn't angry or that it was a face she would want to kill.

"That man- that Darth Maeror... he didn't save you. How can you possibly be saved when you carry these horrible scars? And you cannot hurt the ones who did this to you?"

She turned away conflicted, "Maybe what I really want is to stop all this constant game playing where people hurt one another. Two sides of a coin and neither are perfect. Don't get me wrong, the jedi were good to me, but I forgot, or I stopped thinking about it, or maybe I didn't want to think about it. The fact remains that we are always fighting someone... someone's always lurking in the shadows ready to come after us. When does it stop?"

"These scars are reminders of what I am striving for.", Darren told her and lifted the hood back over his head. "When it stops is up to you. How far you're willing to go to design your own fate.", he said and then turned to leave. "Think about what I said. I will return."

"I'll consider it..." Neri replied, "But you're not the one I need to see again. I want to know what he meant about my sister. Was this orchestrated, and if so by who?"

"I wouldn't know.", Darren replied. "But he seemed to imply as such, didn't he?", he said and then promptly left.

Neri slammed her hand on the wall in frustration. It never dawned on her that she might not be getting out of this mess in one shape and possibly even alive, until now.