Back to meditations [ME, D10]

[Niall Organa]

"Okay." Niall said one more time. He seemed to be saying that a lot.

He gave her a dry look. "Do you know who your master will be yet?" He felt like maybe he should warn them.

[Layne Hoshin]

Well, if she was aware of his feelings, she wouldn't have been surprised. Someone nicknamed Captain Alderaan was probably not the sort for philosophical nuance when it came to discussions of good vs evil.

"Officially no, but the force has revealed the most likely candidate. A different master could be interesting too though, I suppose. Either way, it will take me where I need to go."

[Niall Organa]

"Mmm." Niall said. "Well, that sounds good."

He was silent for a few moments. "Layne." He began. "I'm not a Jedi. I haven't the faintest idea of what it means to be one, or to feel the Force, or anything like that. But one of my main duties is the training of soldiers." He paused a moment. "Do you know what sort of person is the hardest to train?"

[Layne Hoshin]

"A dead one," she said.

Deadpan.

[Niall Organa]

That got a surprised chuckle from Niall. "Good point."

"Okay. Do you know who the second hardest sort of person to train is?" He frowned. "Since I'm sure you can come up with similar guess, perhaps I should just ask if you know what sort of person I'm thinking of that is exceptionally hard to train."

[Layne Hoshin]

"You're thinking that I'm stubborn," she said, "and that that makes me difficult to train. And you're probably right."

She picked up a pebble, this time with her hands, and studied it as she continued.

"But that doesn't mean anything I've said is wrong."

[Niall Organa]

"Very close." Niall said. "But stubborn ones have determination, which is good. So, for that, I don't think you'll have a problem."

He shook his head. "No, the ones I have the most trouble with are the ones who think they already know everything. Because first you have to get them to unlearn their way. And even before that, you have to convince them that it's necessary."

He offered her a smile. "So, it doesn't mean anything you said is wrong. But keep an open mind? Allow for the possibility of being wrong? That's just my suggestion. As a non Force-sensitive person." He shrugged.

[Layne Hoshin]

"You're laboring under some misconceptions here. You're asking me to *close* my mind, not open it. You're asking me to consider the possibility that things really *are* black and white. You're asking me to just swallow the same thing the Sith teach, only in reverse."

She threw the pebble away, watching it bounce a few times.

"The Jedi are flawed. Just as the Sith are flawed. Yes, one is obviously a better choice for peace and such than the other, but neither seems to appreciate the Force for what it really is. Both are just imposing their own prejudices on it. They don't seem to understand that the Dark and Light side are really just one and the same."

She looked back at him. "The Jedi have much to teach me, but I will never be exactly what they want me to be."

[Niall Organa]

"Hey." Niall raised his hands. "Non Force-sensitive person here, remember? I don't know much about what the Jedi will teach, and pretty much all I know about the Sith is their Code. If you're willing to learn, that's good enough for me."

Mirroring her, he picked up a pebble, studying it for a moment before tossing it away, a different direction from hers. "Sorry. I don't mean to ramble on like a prat about something I don't know anything about. Once you make Captain, the tendency to lecture becomes more ingrained." His lips twisted. "And I think you bring it out in me, too."

[Layne Hoshin]

"The man I came to your home to kill," she said, suddenly changing track, "I think you wanted to know why he was my target, didn't you?"

[Niall Organa]

Niall blinked, but adjusted quickly. "Yes, I did. Much more personal curiosity than anything else." He waited expectantly.

[Layne Hoshin]

"Galen Rist," she said, "Of the noble house by the same name. Assassin by trade."

[Niall Organa]

"An assassin?" Niall's brow furrowed. "What was he doing there? And..." He pressed his lips together. He had more questions, but they hinged on that one, and suspected that she might answer them all at once.

[Layne Hoshin]

"At that party? Probably just enjoying the perks of being nobility. But he killed plenty of people prior to that, selling his services to your planet's elite."

[Niall Organa]

Niall grimaced. "House Rist has an unsavory reputation. And there are certainly those who think that nobility means privilege, not responsibility."

He tilted his head, regarding her. "But that doesn't entirely tell me why he was your target."

[Layne Hoshin]

"All I know is that he was a threat to my former master's plans somehow. If I had to guess, Baras used his services from time to time. And when he became the minister of war, assets like Rist were loose ends to be dealt with."