Welmin's Cantina

[Writer]

"Hmm," the man said thoughtfully, observing the corpse. "Those would appear to be lightsaber wounds. If I had to guess, I'd say your dead friend was in a saber battle."

[Joetheeskimo]

"Who with?" Nik seemed to be rather upset.

[Writer]

"Hmm..." The man's voice trailed off into silence. He shrugged. "I'm afraid, I cannot help you." He stared at the corpse for a moment longer. "Were you two close friends?"

[Joetheeskimo]

Nik sat down heavily, staring at the floor. He let the man's body drop to the ground.

 

"Kilmor Katarn was my Master. Since I was 13."

[Writer]

The man was silent for a moment. "It is a difficult thing to loose one's master," he said finally. "I understand your pain."

 

Another pause. "I do not think it wise for you to share much more with a man you do not know... I am Caster Vol, once Jedi, now Exile."

[Joetheeskimo]

Nik looked up. "Well, it seems I could trust you...although, apparently you are a Jedi no longer. I've given away information. Why not do the same for me? What caused your exile?"

[Writer]

"A simple disagreement," Caster answered slowly, running his right hand over his short hair. "Something to do with my lightsaber, or some other such thing... I'll tell you, boy, the Jedi are becoming far to beaurecratic to be the true peacekeepers I envisioned them being when I first began training."

[Joetheeskimo]

Nik frowned. "Is that the most detail you can give?"

[Writer]

Caster laughed. "Alright, kid. I'll tell you. And it did have something to do with my lightsaber." He shifted a little in his seat. "As a peacekeeper, a Jedi must occasionally put an end to someone's life. It is practically inevitable. All Jedi know this, but most have a very strong dislike for the fact. I am not one of them."

 

"Two years ago, I learned of a man... we'll call him Lask. Lask was a tyrant of the worst kind, save only for Sith. He was a corrupt politician, holding his world under his thumb. The Jedi were begged to send help, to remove Lask from government. But when he learned of this, Lask came and spoke to the Jedi."

 

A short pause. "Lask was a master of disguising what he truly felt. When he met with the Council, he persuaded them that he was doing nothing wrong. I was the only one to doubt him. When the situation on his homeworld worstened, I begged the Council to allow me to act. They refused."

 

He sighed. "I knew that Lask would destroy his people if left long enough in his self-appointed role. I couldn't simply stand back and watch it happen. That wasn't what a peacekeeper was supposed to do!" He leaned forward. "So I acted without the permission of the Council. Lask was dead, the planet was happy, and I was exiled."

 

He snorted. "And when the Council called for me, they would only tell me that my lightsaber was poorly fashioned, signifying carelessness." He shook his head and fell into thoughtful silence.

[Joetheeskimo]

((ROFL! Did you just make that up on the spot? ))

 

Nik sat back, silent.

 

"...I believe I would do the same thing, but..."

 

Another pause.

 

"...Do you still have your lightsaber?"

[Writer]

((Yep ))

 

Caster gently placed his saber on the table. Unlike what he claimed the Council said, the saber was a sleek creation, the black leather grip fitting his hand perfectly.

[Joetheeskimo]

Forgetting his manners, Nik reached for the hilt.

 

((What color is the blade?))

[Writer]

((Dark blue.))

 

Caster watched in silence as Nik took the saber...

[Joetheeskimo]

With a hiss, the blade cast a blue glow on Nik's features. His eyes were fixed on the center of the blade, mesmerized.

 

He pulled his eyes away. "Wasn't the council afraid you would fall to the Dark Side when they exiled you?"

[Writer]

"They were terrified," Caster answered with a smile. "But that merely proves how little they knew about me. I could never join the Dark Side... only follow the True Light. I am what I believe the Jedi were supposed to be. Nothing more. Nothing less."

[Joetheeskimo]

Nik sat back and placed the hilt on the table. "Unfortunately, I can't understand what that is like. Perhaps I have become too much like those on the Council. To me, the Jedi seem perfect."

Suddenly, an idea seems to hit him. "How many years of training did you sustain? Did they exile you as a Master, or an Adept?

[Writer]

"I am not as young as I look," Caster said with a smile. "I was a Master and had trained four Jedi. One went on to join the Council. The other three were killed in battle."

 

He fell silent and his saber hilt floated up into his open hand.

[Joetheeskimo]

Nik stood up. "Then you could be my mas..." his voice trailed off. "Ahem." He turned and ordered a drink.

[Writer]

By this point, Caster's drink had already arrived and he sipped it, looking at Nik over the glass. When he set it down, he glanced over to where Nik had left the body of Kilmor Katarn.

 

"Kilmor Katarn, you said?"

[Joetheeskimo]

"Correct. Before you ask, yes, he's related to the other Master Katarn. Or, to you, Kyle."

[Writer]

"I thought that might be the case..." Caster muttered. He glanced again at the body. "Has Kyle heard of this yet?"

[Joetheeskimo]

"No, because I'm the first human to see it," Nik growled, "besides his murderer."

 

((This has to be the longest-going conversation in the history of LF's Role-Playing forum ))

[Writer]

"Of course," Caster said quietly. Suddenly, he seemed to be very intent on a person who had just walked in. In a low voice, he told Nik, "Here comes my second encounter with Jedi in two years..."

 

The woman who had just entered the cantina immediately caught sight of Caster and her eyes widened. She ran a hand through her long blonde hair. "Spast..." she muttered. Caster waved her over and she approached him.

 

((Joe, Nik will recognize this woman if he's ever been to the Council. She's a character of mine, but she's on the Council in my little world Her name is Alyssa Renolin. You may recognize the name from Shattered Night. She's a Jedi Master now and is one of the few on the Council who voted against Caster's exile... ))

[Joetheeskimo]

((I remember her. ))

 

Nik stared intently at the newcomer, and then brightened, and stood up. "Welcome, Master...uh...Master Runol...Renol something....Anyway, what brings you all the way here?"

[Writer]

"She is a member of the Jedi Council," Caster answered quietly. "Alyssa Renolin."

 

Alyssa approached the table and sat down quickly. The silence seemed rather full of tension. The Council Member and the Exile seemed to be sharing an awkward moment. Finally, Alyssa broke the heavy silence.

 

"Caster," she said.

 

"Alyssa," he answered. The silence fell again. This time, Alyssa turned to Nik.

 

"You seem slightly familiar," she told him. "But I do not think we have met." Her face lit up for a moment. "I know! You're the student of Kilmor Katarn." She glanced around and her eyes landed on Kilmor's body. Her face immediately fell. "Oh. I'm terribly sorry."

 

She looked away, glancing at Caster occasionally, as though trying to work up the courage to speak to him, but never quite managing it. Caster was reacting in much the same way to Alyssa's presence.