I Missed The Bus [MM6]

[Galen Sol]

"I've seen prey in danger. I've been prey in danger." he said. "The urges to fight or flee can easily overtake you and the conflict can prevent you from doing either. You become paralysed. Even if it's just for a moment, it is enough to mean death. Peace ends that conflict and allows a reasoned choice."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Discarding it allows you to shift roles. The hunted becomes the hunter. There is immense strength in letting your natural instincts guide your reasoning rather than acting against them."

[Galen Sol]

"That shift comes through peace." he shook his head. "When you are in conflict, without peace, you can't decide which instinct to follow. If you are suggesting that you've resolved to always choose to fight, then you've eliminated conflict and found peace."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"I think you conflate peace and resolve, Galen, and use convenient semantics to justify your rejection of what you think constitutes a Sith. I don't blame you, honestly. Most people are like you, conveniently flocking to the comforting ideas of the Jedi. Being a Sith is a pure challenge, no excuses. There is only one prize, at the end of the road, the ultimate one. But perhaps your time as a slave has defeated the urge to be free in you."

[Galen Sol]

"I think the Sith and the Jedi suffer from the same problem." he shrugged. "You each have your dogma that many of you embrace without question. How can you understand something, if you don't question it? Why does it have to be one way or another? Uniformity is not natural. Adaptation is."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"It's not a nice thing to say to a lady that she's a moral and mental fossil." She laughed. "Except the Force does not leave much space for a middle ground. If you think you're not aligned with one of its sides but exist in some nebulous grey zone, you are fooling yourself."

[Galen Sol]

"Of course not. But, that doesn't come from some agenda. I am where I am due to the multitude of choices I've made in my life." he explained. "There are still countless choice ahead of me which may change me entirely, as it is for everyone."

"And, I meant know offense." he added. "You have your beliefs. You find strength and comfort in them. Others don't. The universe is large enough for us each to find out own way through it."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Fair enough. The Force guides each of us in different ways." She relented. "Are your plans to stay with the crew of the Starcross then?"

[Galen Sol]

"I don't know." he admitted. "I was content there. I've never had a family before. But, I think things are changing. If I'm going to learn more, I will definitely be c hanging."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Neither side of the equation is particularly fond of unaligned Force-sensitives. There had been many Force traditions once before the Jedi committed their purges. Mine is practically the only larger one that survived. So I imagine they will take keen interest in you sooner or later, if they haven't already. Especially with your predilections."

[Galen Sol]

"I am aware." he nodded. "It doesn't change my position. I am willing to learn from whomever is willing to teach, but I won't serve at the whims of another. Not without proper payment."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Payment is not exactly how it works." Moyr chuckled. "But I understand your position. I suppose my teachings wouldn't be of much worth to you?"

[Galen Sol]

"It depends on what you teach." he shrugged. "But, I will have no more masters."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Well, basically that's what I teach. How to have no more masters."

[Galen Sol]

"Why would that require teaching?" he gave a skeptical look.

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Because freedom from those is not something you can take for granted, but something you must win. And those who can destroy you are those who have power over you. You can keep pretending that your daily decisions what to eat, how to make money or where to flee are freedom though. It's certainly not enough for me."

[Galen Sol]

"So, what is freedom to you?"

[Moyr Ahaya]

"The capacity to consistently do what I consider right without being thwarted."

[Galen Sol]

He nodded. "That certainly sounds like freedom. How do you resist matters out of your control?"

[Moyr Ahaya]

"As you become powerful with the Force, there is less and less you cannot control. Those who would like to enslave you to their will end up either deterred or defeated." She didn't have to think much about the answer, not did they sound contrived. It was not a pep talk. There was genuine conviction ringing in her voice.

[Galen Sol]

"Less and less, perhaps, but there will always be things beyond your control." he shrugged. "The universe is always in motion and we will always be affected by things beyond our scope of influence. "

"Power can certainly keep you free from others, but isn't the power you need defined by those oppressots?"

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Power comes in many forms. I'd argue that it's best to acquire the kind of power one's oppressors don't possess or expect to be used."

She said thoughtfully, apparently relating to it.

"Liberation can only come through the mastery of the Force. And while I have yet to discover how it is, I believe that the impossible stops to exist as a category once you've broken out of oppression."

[Galen Sol]

He shrugged. "I'm still not sure who these oppressors are, to be honest. But, if you're free enough to pursue the power necessary to defy them, surely you have options to pursue other things you may enjoy more."

[Moyr Ahaya]

"Well, I know who mine are. It's not like you and I share them through, apparently. Paths to freedom vary in details." She shrugged, then nodded. "This is not mutually exclusive."

[Galen Sol]

"Very true." he nodded. "We all deal with such challenges differently. I let nature take mine away. There will be others, I'm sure, but I will deal with them as necessary. I can appreciate your perspective, however, and I hope you gain what you need."