A wounded Padawan

You focus on this single body tossed aside from where the fighting was thickest, unable to make any identification through the still thick sandstorm from the Lucrehulk's crash landing, but as you touched down you're finally able to put a name to this unfortunate victim of battle.

This was Barriss Offee, Mirialan apprentice to Master Luminara Unduli and one of several Jedi who would end up turning to the Dark Side towards the end of the Clone Wars. You recall her being among the Jedi who entered the Arena to rescue the "golden trio" of the prequels yet you found it strange that neither her Master nor the several other Jedi Knights that were supposed to have accompanied her out of the Arena were nowhere to be found. Unfortunate for them, as you intended to take her as your own; your first project in manipulating a Jedi. Kneeling beside her, you assess her wounds and find she had taken a nasty blaster bolt to her side, strong enough to burn through to her internal organs. She was likely then thrown away by the shockwave of the crashing Lucrehulk and subsequently passed out from the stress. Upon careful inspection, you find that she was still breathing but only barely; she wouldn't last long. Pocketing her lightsaber and gingerly picking her up in a bridal carry, you flash away back to the Star Forge to heal the young padawan.

In a few minutes, you reappeared in a much smaller bedroom on the deck just below your personal chambers. It was sparsely furnished with a simple twin bed, private bathroom, miniature kitchen area with a food synthesizer, and a holoterminal. Laying her down on the bed, you place a hand on her blaster wound and channel the healing energies of the Lightside into the torn and burned flesh. Organ tissue and muscle knit themselves back together under your careful guidance until unblemished, olive skin remained. Upon completion of your work, you're pleased to find that her breathing had steadied and calmed.

Stepping backwards to lower your hood and remove your mask, you wait patiently for the padawan to regain consciousness, her hazel eyes fluttering open as she groaned with discomfort. She sits up slowly and presses a hand to her temple in an attempt to quell the dizziness and sense of vertigo.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," you greet her with a small smile.

She flinches at your voice and looks upon you with scrutiny and suspicion.

"Explain yourself, Sith."

You cock an eyebrow in surprise.

"Sith? Is that what you think I am?" you ask her with amusement. "Do you believe a Sith would not only spare your life but save it, Padawan?"

"You have the look and feel of the Dark Side about you," she states. "And though you've healed my injuries, you've not returned me to my Master which means I have no reason to trust you."

"This is good. I'd be disappointed if you weren't guarded, and you have wisdom beyond what I would expect from a mere Padawan," you praise with a nod of approval. "Master Luminara has taught you well. Rest assured though that I am no Sith. The Sith are weak and limited but more importantly self-destructive, and though I have very worldly desires and ambitions, I don't go out of my way to bring harm to others or myself."

"Then who and what are you, and why have you brought me here?" Barriss all but demands as she crosses her arms.

"I am Michael Hazelton, simply a man strong in the **** called to do great things in this Universe, and I have brought you here as a sort of... intervention," you explain as you begin weaving your story. "This war that has erupted is going to bring about the deaths of many Jedi, including your own so I saw fit to begin making my own changes with you. The **** works in mysterious ways and has placed me in a most precarious position of power, most notably being this station we are currently aboard. Tell me Barriss, how well versed are you in Jedi history?"

Her suspicion gives way to curiosity at your mention of her academic studies.

"I spent my free time regularly in the Temple's library," she answers with a hint of pride. "I loved learning about the past and the Jedi in it."

"What about the wars that occurred 4000 years prior?" you venture.

"You mean the Jedi Civil War? What about it?" she asks.

"What was the focal point for Revan and Malak's conquests?"

Her eyes widen in understanding.

"You haven't..." she says with disbelief.

"I have. We are aboard the Star Forge, an ancient factory used by the Rakkata to create an "Eternal Empire" across the Galaxy."

Barriss jumps to her feet and backs away from you, lowering in a defensive stance.

"You are a Sith!" she exclaims. "The Star Forge was an artifact of the Dark Side used to slaughter millions across hundreds of worlds!"

"Historically yes, solely because of the whims of the masters who used it," you state. "Reach out with your feelings Barriss and tell me; can you sense the Dark Side here?"

She doesn't lower her guard but you can feel as she reaches out into the station with her senses.

"No..." she slowly admits.

"Exactly. The Star Forge is simply a tool like any other whose use depends on the hand grasping it. The Rakkata and later Revan used this station solely as an instrument of war, churning out droids, weapons, and ships at unnatural rates that were used solely to destroy. The Dark Side manifested naturally in the Star Forge so that it could properly serve the will and desires of its dark masters."

"And you? What is your desire?"

You give her a small smile.

"That remains to be seen," you answer cryptically. "I've yet to formally pick a side in this war. I may even remain a third party as I know both the CIS and the Republic would greatly desire the Star Forge as their own, and will no doubt try to take it from me by ****."

"Then side with us!" she soon pleads. "Help the Jedi and the Republic end this war before it spreads!"

You shake your head.

"You still have much to learn about this galaxy and how it functions. The Jedi don't fight for peace and justice anymore, you saw such when they stepped onto Geonosis as warriors and not mediators. They fight for a corrupted government who wishes to use **** to reign in systems seeking independence. What exactly about that picture is justice?"

You watch as Barriss takes in deep breaths to calm her rapidly growing emotions. Your words were getting to her just as you had planned.

"The Separatists built those armies to fight the Republic," she tries to explain. "They took two Jedi knights and a Republic Senator prisoner then sentenced them to ****. It was a declaration of war."

"Geonosis was an independent world simply contracted to build the droids for the CIS and therefor not under the jurisdiction of the Republic. The CIS which is composed mostly of mid and outer rim planets with little economic or political power knew they would never be taken seriously by the ruling Elite of the Core Worlds without some show of ****, therefor the Geonosians with their extensive raw resources were approached and hired by Count Dooku to give these worlds a fighting chance should the Republic try to aggressively bring these systems back into line, which of course they ended up doing. One of the knights you mentioned trespassed on Geonosis and conducted espionage on a non-Republic world rather than use diplomacy with its leaders. The second knight and the Senator then arrived with the intention to break the first out of prison, murdering many Geonosians along the way and causing extensive damage to one of their factories. Of course the natives are going to be angry with this conduct and, by their own laws, sentenced them to ****."

You pause to let your words sink in and you can feel a wave of doubt and uncertainty wash over Barriss.

"If that still doesn't convince you, consider the final nail in the coffin. The Jedi and the Republic then invaded an independent world with a massive military **** unlawfully constructed long before the Chancellor was given his Emergency Powers. By the end of today, Geonosis will declare allegiance with the CIS after driving the Republic from its soils and the Clone Wars shall begin in earnest. So tell me again Barriss Offee; who fired the first shot?"

Barriss doesn't answer your question as she sits back down on her bunk. Growing tired of this conversation, you turn to leave the Padawan to her thoughts, but her voice stops you.

"What's going to happen to me?" she asks with resignation in her tone.

"That depends on you," you tell her candidly. "For now, I simply want you to meditate and think on the Jedi's role in this dispute. Ask yourself if the Jedi are fighting for the Republic's people or its institution. Feel free to use the holoterminal and read up on current events. I recommend the politics currently driving the conflict so you can fully understand what it is you're fighting for, but don't bother trying to send a message for help. I've designed this room to be incapable of sending any transmissions. You'll also be restricted to this room until I'm certain you will neither map out this station to take back to the Republic or even sabotage its functions."

A sour expression forms on her face.

"So then I'm your prisoner here. This won't last; Master Luminara will come for me."

You shrug without care.

"She will eventually, but I think by the time she gets here, you won't want to go back. Think on what I've said. I'll see you again soon."

Not waiting for another answer, you leave the room and shut the blast door behind you.

A/N: I know, no sex for the last couple chapters. Don't worry, we'll be getting back to the dirty stuff soon with what I have planned. For those of you who haven't noticed, this specific thread isn't porn without plot. I don't like just writing smut all day everyday if other ideas are popping up. As for those who were hoping for Padmé this update, don't worry as I have something very special planned for her in later chapters of this thread. In the meantime, those who want to go straight to Bone Town with the sexy senator of Naboo are free to start their own thread in the previous chapter.