M/VSD II Paladin

It was the first day of classes for the newest arrivals. Inyri’s blue eyes darted among her peers, most of them a fair bit younger than she was. Anticipation and excitement filled the air as Inyri made her way to the first class of the day, which would introduce her to the basics of the Brotherhood. After that, Inyri’s day was full of combat courses and an introduction to starfighter piloting, which suited her just fine. She hoped that she could get past the class work and get to something far more practical.

Still, for the moment, Inyri knew the drill. Just like at Corellian Security Forces Academy, the best approach was to keep her head down until she had to demonstrate her abilities, follow orders, and not attract unwanted attention. At least in her mind it was, there was no telling yet what the Shadow Academy’s instructors were going to do, and there had been whispers of some kind of purge not long after her arrival. It kept Inyri on edge, but for now, she’d observe and then react.

Inyri stepped into the classroom with the rest of her class, and found a seat towards the front, on the aisle side. She swung her satchel onto the desk and sat down, rummaging for her datapad and stylus when she realized there was someone standing over her. Inyri stopped and looked up, it was a Kaleesh male leering at her. Judging from his attire, he was also a student.

“Can I help you?” Inyri asked.

“You’re in my seat, Human,” The Kaleesh sneered.

“They’re not assigned. Find another,” Inyri replied and went back to her pack. She wasn’t about to indulge the student’s posturing. The Kaleesh leaned in, slamming a hand down on the desk.

“I said that you were in my seat, Human. So YOU find another,” The Kaleesh said with a harsh edge on his tone. Inyri let out an annoyed sigh.

“Or what?” Inyri asked.

“Do not test me, because you will not like the consequences, Human. Find another seat, this one is mine,” The Kaleesh continued to speak in a threatening tone. Inyri finally turned to face the Kaleesh again, her eyes narrowing.

“No.” Inyri’s gaze locked on the Kaleesh’s yellow eyes, as she spoke with conviction.

The Kaleesh responded by moving the hand he slammed on the desk to grabbing Inyri by the throat, clamping down to try and choke her. Inyri gasped for air, but as she did, her training kicked in. Her left hand went for his wrist, while her right leg wrapped around his left ankle and her right hand reached for his head. In one swift motion, she pulled his leg out from under him and slammed his head into the desk, using her grip on his wrist to break his grip on her neck and then twisted it to apply some pressure on him in return.

“Enough!” A voice barked from the head of the room. Inyri’s gaze turned to the speaker, the instructor for the course. As ordered, she let go of the Kaleesh’s wrist. Her attacker stood up, and drew back to punch her when his fist stopped dead in the air. She could then hear him gasping for air, clutching at his throat.

“I said enough! Defy me again, and you will be severely punished! Now find a seat so we can begin,” The instructor said. He wore ornate red and black robes that seemed quite voluminous, though Inyri wasn’t sure if it was for show or not, since many here favored robes it seemed. In fact, Inyri had forgone that attire for more straightforward clothing, a white shirt and black jacket, green pants and brown boots, since she saw no use in wearing robes.

The Kaleesh collapsed to the deck and then stood up slowly, slinking towards the back of the room.

“Initiate Ginovef, why did you see fit to use violence in my classroom?” The instructor asked. Inyri inwardly groaned but stood up, standing at attention like she had learned at CorSec Academy.

“Sir. I saw fit to use force to respond to force used against me, but I did not start the fight,” Inyri replied stiffly.

“Why did you not just strike Initiate Jorg when he first threatened you?”

“Sir. The situation had not escalated to requiring force until he escalated it. And I did not wish to indulge some first day posturing, sir,” Inyri replied.

“But you would have seen it through to its conclusion had I not intervened?” The instructor asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Sir. Yes, I would have applied all necessary force to resolve the situation. As soon as Initiate Jorg backed off, so would I, but otherwise, yes, I would have seen fit to use all available force to resolve the situation, sir.”

“And that, class, is the distinction to make between the Jedi, the Sith, and the Grey. You may feel that Initiate Ginovef should have tried harder to defuse the situation or just outright tried to kill Initiate Jorg for crossing her, she chose an option between both. All three sides must exist for there to be the Force, it is a balance, and all three have their places in the Brotherhood. It is not the path you walk that makes you intrinsically superior, but rather what you do with that path,” The instructor nodded, “Be seated, Initiate.”

Inyri nodded and took her seat, realizing that flying under the sensors was out of the question. She had just painted a target on her back, and now she would have to prove that she was not going to fall prey to anyone or anything here. Excellence was now going to be her only way to survive around here.

Ragnos Cathedral
Kar Alabrek

Inyri walked along the granite floors of the Great Promenade of Ragnos Cathedral, left to her own thoughts for the moment. News had spread of some pitched war ending, but when Inyri had gone to observe the services at Ragnos Memorial, the events that had unfolded had left the Corellian with a lot to think of. Evidently, the Clan had been involved in a conflict with another Clan on the world of Mygeeto, which Inyri only knew of vaguely from History classes, something about a final battle site during the Clone Wars.

For Inyri, it was a reminder that she had left everything she had known behind when she came to this place, and she was still something of an outsider. Unlike her peers, she did not wear robes or a uniform, but rather just a simple attire of brown boots, green fatigue-style pants, a white shirt and a black jacket over it. During the sermon, because that’s exactly what it felt like, there was a lot of mention of the “will of the Force”, something that meant nothing to Inyri. She didn’t believe in fate, and the “will of the Force” sounded a lot like fate, which in turn was just an excuse to her. Fate and the Force did not dictate anything, only someone’s actions did. But, surrounded by so many who seemed to not share her beliefs, Inyri kept her peace during the event at the Memorial and left for Ragnos Cathedral soon after.

There was much that the newly arrived Grey had to learn, she was willing to admit that much, and what little of the Force she had begun to learn was showing her a pathway in life that had not been previously seen to her. Combat was not unfamiliar to her at a theoretical level, she had some training from Corellian Security, and she had accepted that she was going to have to enter combat in order to take on injustice and defend those who could not defend themselves. But what Inyri was sure she would struggle with was the realization that these people, the Brotherhood, had some customs and ideas that she would continue to object to. And this recent conflict only proved to highlight this concern.

To Inyri, that it was acceptable to have what was a civil war, and that this was not the first nor the last, it was insanity. Sure, the war between the Empire and the Republic was over, but as history had always proven, there was always someone out there with the might and will to shake the galaxy to its core. And that these people were content with blowing each other up over what sounded to be some seriously petty gains, and that this was essentially sanctioned from top to bottom, Inyri was just not sure at all she would come to terms with that reality.
If this was the way of the Sith lingering to this day, it only served to highlight that she was right in her beliefs of their destiny to always fall, just as it was the Jedi who refused to lift a finger to actually effect change. What she was learning just had pages upon pages of history where the Sith consumed everything, themselves included, in their never ending pursuit of power, while the Jedi pursued power on their own terms, which usually meant they would never act unless it was their only option to avoid destruction.

Inyri’s father had once told her that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. And if that was true, then she had just submitted herself to the asylum run by the inmates. Everyone was expected to take part in these constant civil wars, sanctioned no less, and this was expected to somehow make things better. If there was something bigger out there, waiting to make itself known and to drop the galaxy to its knees, then this was only going to serve to see the Brotherhood washed away in the tides. Purges, internal strife, violent rivalries, it was all making Inyri seriously question if she had made the right decision in being accepted into the fold.

Drawn from her thoughts, Inyri looked around at the people milling about, and she could see the looks of defeat on some faces, while others were either unreadable or didn’t care. But she had the distinct feeling that everyone here would be entirely content to see yet another conflict with another Clan break out again, perhaps the same one from this last conflict. That would be perfect, to get revenge, if it wasn’t for the fact that it was just a vicious cycle that would repeat. Because as Inyri saw it, logically, it would lead to more revenge.

Inyri let out a sigh of frustration to herself, and started for the exit out of the Cathedral. If change would not come from within, it would come from the outside, and it would be forced upon the Brotherhood. And Inyri just quietly hoped that it would not cost too many lives before change happened.