Jedi Insurgency 321

Once he had his hands on the would-be killer back in the changing room, a simple application of [Shadow Mind Trick] was enough to get her to spill all her secrets. 

“Who do you work for, and what organization or entity directed this hit?” Corvus asked of the bound, and dazed Human female prisoner. 

Still wearing the bright orange safety vest, a small amount of drool dripped down her chin, and her eyes were slightly unfocused as she stared forward. Due to the sinister whispers plucking at her mind, she had no defense to his questions. 

“I am a free lance assassin, but I guess you could say I work for the-” She got out, then began to spasm, and foam at the mouth. 

“Just like the HoloTapes…Jedi, is there anything you can't do?” Jay asked from the side. 

“Heh heh, watch and learn, my friend, Revan is no ordinary Jedi!” Hondo smacked his lips as he took a big drink from a brown bottle. “If he was, I wouldn't be following him around like a Jawa eager for a sale.” 

Corvus scowled irritably at this cliché occurrence, and swiped his hand. Purging any untoward chemicals from the prisoner with [Heal], he reversed the state of near death, and asked his pair of questions again. 

“GenoHaradan, I work for them, everything is for the greater good.” The assassin said, regaining some color in her face. 

“Aye, she's a feisty one! To struggle like that…she is no ordinary pudda!” Hondo exclaimed with a small laugh, and salute of his drink. 

“GenoHaradan? I've never heard of them, why would they want me dead?” Jay furrowed his brow, and shook his head. 

Corvus, meanwhile, felt his cheek twitch as he recognized this ancient organization. Introduced to Star Wars in the KOTOR game, they were a group that frequently eliminated objectively ‘evil’ politicians, businessmen, and other powerful people. At least, on the surface that was their stated goal. They-to an extent-genuinely did good for some people. In a way, they were much like Robin Hood…only, ‘kill/steal from the rich, give to the poor’ was an extremist position when taken too far. 

There were plenty of people like Padmé, Mon Mothma, or Bail Organa who were loaded with credits, but were some of the best forces for good in the galaxy. If any organization attacked them, Corvus would be the first to label them as terrorists. 

As such, the GenoHaraden was an extremist group that took their ‘eat the rich’ ideas to the extreme, targeting anyone who stood in the path of achieving ‘the Greater Good.’

Seeing as Jay was a young, successful, financially independent individual with a rabid fanbase, it was no wonder he was targeted by such an intense group. 

“I fear you have been targeted by a group of econ-terrorists who view your transcendent wealth as a threat to society.” Corvus said with a sigh. 

“But I hold charity events every month, with all the proceeds going to pay the event organizers, and other struggling people. I only own one home, and a single private transport. Why am I being targeted when Zeltros is the vacation destination for countless billionaires?!” Jay questioned the prisoner with an extreme amount of righteous fury. 

The Human female struggled, seemingly wanting to bite her tongue, but under Corvus's sway, she could only comply. 

“Preaching true love goes against the Zeltron's ethos. Your culture has had your people freely share themselves with the poor, dissolute, and unfortunate, bringing brief moments of joy to the galaxy in an otherwise dull world. To take this from the people is a great sin, and would deal a hefty blow to the Greater Good.” She slowly grit out. 

Jay took a deep breath, and backhanded the prisoner, then rubbed his knuckles with a grimace. “Because I do not want my people to give themselves away at the smallest glance, you wish to end me? Because I wish my people to be free to choose with their thoughts, and not the pheromones in our body, you have labeled me a problem?! How many lives have you saved with your so-called Greater Good? I can tell you I've funded 192,444 life saving surgeries, housed 1.5 million people, and provided over one billion meals for free. Who are you to judge me?” 

Standing to the side, Corvus nodded along in amazement. Objectively speaking, this 19 year old kid had done almost as much as him when it came to positively impacting the lives of others. In fact, he was way more impressive than 80% of Jedi when it came to saving others. The more he looked at this young Zeltron, the more he found himself liking his character. 

Brave, outspoken, and willing to put his money into good causes. Jay may be an arrogant singer, super star, but his actions backed up his attitude, proving he wasn't all bark, and no bite. 

“We, we, we've saved trillions over the millenia-” 

“Not your organization, you. How many people have you personally lifted out of poverty? How many houses have you built with your own hands? Or meals you've spent hours laboring over the pot only to hand it over to someone else? I've got countless hours logged on the HoloNet, you're free to look at anytime. But you? Who are you?” Jay pressed, a somewhat magnificent aura-that befitting of a young monarch-suffused him. 

“I. You. You're. You're right. You're right.” The woman stuttered, and a massive amount of tears began to fall from her face like Niagara Falls. 

“Tell me your name.” Jay gently said, holding the woman's head up by the chin, his dazzling eyes stared into hers like gazing into the depths of her soul. He took off the construction helmet, revealing a short pixie cut of pink hair, and a tomboyish, cute face. 

“Samantha.” The girl-Samantha-said in a breathless tone. 

“Samantha. What a lovely name…I do not blame you for what you did. Truly. And you cannot blame yourself either. I was once ideologically captured too. Abandoning my friends, and family for my hatred of another. But the galaxy still loves you, and has a place for you. Come with me on my next tour, and I will show you I am not such a bad person.” Jay said in a soothing tone, and pulling a hairclip from his pocket, picked the lock to her cuffs with practiced ease. 

Corvus raised an eyebrow at this, noting how swift the kid's movements were, then narrowed his eyes. There was more to this pretty boy singer than met the eye. 

Hondo bumped Corvus in the ribs, and wriggled his eyes in a lewd manner. “Eh? Eh? Isn't my Jay O-Be everything I promised, and more? He kind of reminds me of you, actually.” 

Corvus shooed the drunk away, and intently stared at the developing scene. The fact of the matter was…the kid actually did share some of his qualities. To be able to get this assassin to talk so readily was a skill! Certainly, she was still under the effects of [Shadow Mind Trick], but for this performance, Corvus had dialed it back to the bare minimum. A trained killer from the GenoHaradan could easily snap themselves out of this weak mental hold. And yet she didn't, or rather, she had no desire to. Jay's persuasiveness was affecting her on another level. Both through his own charisma, and something else. 

“I, I want to follow you. But they'll kill me if I do.” Samantha said, hanging her head in a great deal of shame. 

“Perk up. I'm here. And if I can't hold up the sky, then Revan will do the heavy lifting.” Jay quietly replied, and patted her hair with a comforting rub. 

Upon hearing that name, Samantha snapped her gaze up, a trace of fear showing on her face. 

Rolling his eyes, Corvus decided to play along, and at that moment, a well of shadows coated his form, blocking him from view. The room shuddered, and all the light was swallowed for an entire second. Then, walking into the light, a masked man wearing all white robes stepped forward. 

“It has been over three thousand years since I eliminated a generation of the GenoHaradan. Curious that you should recognize me, little one.” Corvus said in a deep voice. 

Trembling in place, the girl looked like she was going to have a seizure. 

“Revan, if you would. Please step back. You are scaring the fine maiden.” Jay said in a commanding tone. 

“Uh, huh? Ah, Jay, don't, don't say anything drastic now!” Hondo drunkenly slurred, then turned to Corvus with his hands out, as if to stop him from drawing a weapon. “M-Master Revan, the boy, he doesn't know what he's saying, he-” 

“Heh, I like precocious brats the most.” Corvus laughed, materializing out of the shadows just behind the prisoner. 

Casting [Valor], he paused the assassin's shivering, and finger flicked the kid's forehead. The super star glared at him, and shook his head. 

“If you want Zeltros to be allies with the Jedi Order, this is not how partners will treat one another. I had thought we could be friends when I saw your skills at the piano, but now I'm thinking otherwise.” Jay said hotly, very unhappy with Corvus's behavior. 

“Friends? I think you're misconstruing our relationship. From now on, you, Jay O-Be, are more than a friend, but an un-official Padawan of the Jedi Order.” Corvus said in a deep voice. 

“Padawan? Who would want to be a follower of a war criminal old man like you? Just because you've done some good in the galaxy, doesn't mean I'll be your sycophant." Jay said, crossing his arms. 

“Aye, don't be so against it, ma boy. The General might be a bit, err, crazy, but there isn't anyone in the galaxy he supports more than his disciples. He'd tear entire planets apart if it meant saving them.” Hondo emphatically stated. 

“Then I even more so do not want to become one of his.” Jay snorted, and turned away, waving them goodbye with the back of his hand. “Thank you for saving me earlier, but we do not have any further fate together. Goodbye.” 

Corvus heartily laughed as he saw the many deathlines connected to Jay's shadow, and simply left the room without another word. The super star didn't want to be a Jedi, but after the dozenth life's saving grace, could he really and truly say no? 

As soon as Corvus had left the changing room, Jay rolled his eyes, and stole the bottle from the Weequay's hands. “Uncle Hondo, did you really have to bring that masked creep to see me? I can become King of Zeltros just fine.” 

Hondo sighed, and placed his knuckles against his own forehead. 

“Revan is a great killer, a healer who can raise mountains of dead back to life, a man who controls trillions of credits worth of goods, one who can destroy a city under his own power. A million men would throw themselves in front of him to catch a bolter, upon his shoulders rests the fate of several hundred billion. I've always appreciated you for your music, child, for your vision, and independent streak…but you have no one to protect you. I worry about you.” Hondo said, all supposed drunkenness gone from his words as he stared the Zeltron in the eyes. 

Jay's lips were on the bottle, but he didn't drink a single drop as he stared Hondo down. 

“But your pirates-”

“Have commitments. Besides, Uncle Hondo has luck on his side, and experience. Holding large scale events like this…not even I would be confident guaranteeing my own safety! My advice? Learn from the Jedi, and if you don't like what you see, leave.” Hondo said, waving at Jay as he walked out of the changing room. 

“...my teachers have many oral traditions about Revan. I think. I think you should learn what you can, take the good that he can teach you…and then use your own judgement to evolve upon it. At least, at least that's what I'm learning from you right now.” Samantha whispered with her head down. 

Jay ran a hand through his own short pink hair, and looked up towards the ceiling. 

Damnit. 

~~~~~~

AN: I don't think he'll be Corvus's student, still waiting on Starkiller/Luke/Leia/Mara Jade to grow up!