suitably_heroic | The Ebon Hawk, Shortly After Last

Atton	They lost Meetra briefly on their way to the ship-- she'd stopped to talk to one of the Handmaidens, motioning them to go on ahead. Atton watched after her for a couple of seconds before forcing himself to go on ahead. He wasn't too surprised when, some time later, she walked into the ship with the Handmaiden. ...Surprised, no. Happy, also no. He would've said something, but the look on Kreia's face said don't say anything, so he didn't say anything. She'd been right, in a way - obedience did feel like a familiar pattern, something easy to fall back into. Guess that was his life now. Taking off from the planet was uneventful, for once - it had to be the easiest take-off he'd had in at least two days. (Had it been two days? He was starting to have trouble keeping track of time.) They met in the central room of the ship after Atton had maneuvered them into orbit, to discuss their next actions. "Now that we're off that dejarik board of a planet, I say we burn sky until we see lines," Atton said. The droid beeped.
Meetra	Meetra frowned and shot the droid a glance. "What's with T3?" she asked. The droid let out another series of beeps and whistles. "Slow down," she said. "I didn't get that first part--" More beeps. More whistles. Her frown deepened. "You downloaded Atris' archives?" The droid beeped a confirmation.
Kreia	"What is the machine saying?" Kreia asked. Dee-wreet-breep?
Meetra	"He said there was a holo record of my trial in Atris' archives," Meetra said quietly.
Kreia	"We seem to have found it," Kreia said, leaning forward. The droid activated the holo accordingly. There it was, then: the Jedi Council chamber, at the height of its occupance. A younger Meetra strode inside, wearing full Jedi robes, a lightsaber clipped at her side. "Do you know why we have called you here?" one of the masters asked.
Meetra	"I'm told you have called me here to answer for my crimes on Malachor V," the younger Meetra said coolly. "As Revan summoned you, so have you come full circle to return to the Jedi," the master said. "Why did you defy us?" said another, and now Meetra - current Meetra - recognized him: Master Zez-Kai Ell. "The Jedi are guardians of the peace and have been for centuries. This call to war undermines everything that we have worked for."
Atris	"Is Revan your master now?" a much younger Atris asked. "Or is it the horror you wrought on Malachor that has caused you to see the truth at last?"
Meetra	"The truth is the Mandalorians had to be stopped, or countless more would have died," Holo-Meetra replied firmly. "You refuse to hear us," Master Zez-Kai Ell said. "You have shut us out, and so you have shut yourself to the galaxy." Another Jedi Master - Master Kavar - picked up from there. "We feel that your true understanding of what happened at Malachor V will only happen in time. And it will not happen here, so near to the battlegrounds where you fought." "You are exiled," Master Lonna Vash proclaimed. "And you are a Jedi no longer." "There is one last thing," Master Vrook said. "Your lightsaber. Surrender it to us." There was no clear anger on younger Meetra's face - her expression was one of serene defiance. Instead of putting her lightsaber hilt in Vrook's outstretched hand she strode forward towards the center stone-- took out her lightsaber and lit it. Then stabbed it in deep, leaving a hole in the ancient artifact. She turned around and strode out of the room without another word. "Much defiance in that one," Kavar noted as the doors slid shut behind the newly-exiled. Zez-Kai Ell sat forward. "You were correct, Kavar. When she was here, I felt it. It was as if she was not there... more like an echo." Kavar frowned. "Revan's influence has grown among the youngest of the Order. He speaks to their passions, not their sense. The war has touched them - many of them have found themselves in the war against the Mandalorians." "It is as I feared," Master Lonna Vash said with a sigh. "And I fear we have played into the hands of the enemy."
Atris	"We have not lost a Jedi this day," Atris argued vehemently. "You felt it! She has lost herself. She is no Jedi. She walked Revan's path - but she was not strong enough." There was a brief silence. "I fear," Master Zez-Kai Ell said slowly, "it is our teachings that might have caused Revan to chose the path he did." "We are not the ones who taught him," Atris said pointedly. "We take responsibility, Atris," Master Vash said. "Not cast blame." "The choice of one was the choice of all. Revan's teacher intended no harm. And he has had many teachers since," Master Kavar said. "And yet they all stem from the same source," Atris said. "Her teachings violated the Jedi Code and lead all who listen to the Dark Side, as they did the exile." Master Vash sat forward. "You are wrong," she said quietly. "The Dark Side is not what I sensed in the exile. Surely the rest of you sensed it as well. That emptiness... she has changed." "Whatever that wound was, it was of the Dark Side," Atris said dismissively. "We should not have let her depart. She will simply join Revan again. Or perhaps worse." "What would you have done with her, Atris?" Master Zez-Kai Ell asked her pointedly. "Be mindful of your feelings! This is not Revan who stood before you. This one walks a different path." "We let her go because we must," Master Kavar said. "Where she travels, she carries her destination with her." "Malachor V should have been her grave," Atris said coolly. "You saw it in her walk, and in the Force. It was as if she was already dead." "No, not dead,," said Zez-Kai Ell. "Many battles remain for that one. But the future is a shifting thing, and she cuts like a blade through it." "We should have told her the truth," Vash said thoughtfully. "A Jedi deserves to know." "No good would have come from it, even if what you believed was true," Vrook replied. "There is still the matter of Revan, and such truths could leave us vulnerable on two fronts." Master Kavar sat back. "Perhaps in many years, we will call her before us and explain what happened to her and how she may be healed," he said. "Until then, she must accept her journey." "But she may never discover the truth," Vash said. "And she will never know why we cast her out."
Atton	The holo ended abruptly. Well, that had been... something. "Those Jedi sure love their secrets, don't they?" Atton said dryly. Dwoooo, T3 agreed.
Meetra	"So they knew what happened to me," Meetra said slowly. "They all did." Dweeeeeet, T3 replied, then lapsed into a series of whistles. That snapped her out of it. "Atris has a list of the missing Jedi?" she said. "Let me see it." Another holo popped up on the screen. A series of images passed by in quick succession. MASTER VROOK: DANTOOINE. MASTER ZEZ-KAI ELL: NAR SHADDAA. MASTER KAVAR: ONDERON. MASTER VASH: KORRIBAN. MASTER ATRIS: TELOS. "I knew all those Jedi Masters," Meetra said softly.
Bao-Dur	"A strange coincidence," Bao-Dur observed.
Kreia	"It is no coincidence," Kreia said. "There is some larger plan at work here. And we are walking into it. This is too convenient to be anything but a trap." Set by Jedi, perhaps? Or by whatever force hounded them, sent bounty hunters after them? Kreia had her own ideas.
Meetra	"Be as it may," Meetra said, putting her hands down on the display. "We need their help against the Sith."
Atton	After that, they all spread out across the ship - they drifted to their own sections as if they were called to them. Atton returned to the front, to the pilot's seat - they were pulling out of orbit and into the galaxy at large. Meetra joined him, after a while. She sank into the co-pilot's seat with a sigh. He looked over and immediately wished he hadn't - a painful twinge shot through him, making him feel like his heart was contracting. "I don't know what it is, but you look different," he babbled. "It's hard to explain, but it's-- uh, it's good to see."
Meetra	"It's hard to explain," Meetra said quietly. "But even with everything that's been happening - I feel at peace."
Atton	"It shows," Atton said. That thing he'd felt just now - it had to be envy. Anything else-- anything else would be stupid. Wait. Maybe inspiration? Yeah. Sure. "It's kind of inspiring, to be honest. Anyway, I just wanted to mention it. I think the others have noticed it, too."
Meetra	Meetra nodded. She propped her foot up against one of the few panels that didn't have any controls on it and stared out at the stars.
Atton	Atton let her - for a moment or two. It was nice, this. Almost calming. Made up for-- stuff. "So where are we going?" he asked, finally.
Meetra	Meetra shut her eyes, shifting a little. She felt tired, all of a sudden - like the last few days were catching up with her. "Dantooine," she said. "Maybe Vrook has some explanation for me."
Atton	"Dantooine. All right." Atton reached over to the console and punched in their new trajectory. Reached down for another console and pressed a few buttons. Then he sat back and relaxed. They watched, together, as the stars blurred together into the fine white of hyperspace.