Jaina Solo Fel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo_sword) wrote2019-07-22 08:22 pm
solo_sword) wrote2019-07-22 08:22 pm
Jedi Temple- Coruscant- Monday
Jaina had taken Jag's concerns into consideration, and after some time to let things settle, decided to do the responsible thing and actually go to the Council and ask for more people. The school on Bastion was small, and while the planet itself was heavily fortified, it was a good idea to have some extra support in case of a Sith attack.
And the Council said no.
Their resources were spread too thin, they said. They were neutral now, out from under the employ of the Galactic Alliance, and it wasn't right to do the same for the Empire now. No one knew Allana had left Hapes, the Sith would take some time to lick their wounds… There had been excuses that Jaina had argued against for quite a while before realizing that she wasn't winning here. It was hard not to look at this and wonder if they didn't say no because she had this empress job now, that like always, she could just handle it on her own.
She could, if it was just her.
She was supposed to head back to Bastion tonight. It wasn't going to be fun to go home with this news, and she was hoping to be able to pull something off in the next few hours. And the easiest way to figure out how to do that was to clear her head.
By taking over a training room and beating up on a bag, because sometimes she was very predictable.
"I knew I'd find you here," Ben commented from the doorway a little wryly. "I take it the meeting didn't go well?"
"You know they say you should always ask because the worst someone can say is no?" Jaina asked just as wryly, hitting the bag again like it did something to her personally.
"They said no?" Ben said, eyes wide. "The school's so small! It needs something more than planetary defenses and the," he gestured vaguely, "will of the Force or something to be safe!" His face scrunched up into a stubborn expression he'd worn for the better part of two decades now. "It's wrong."
It had gotten a lot easier to say that the Council was wrong with his father no longer involved. He wondered if that was why the no attachments concept had been such a big deal in previous incarnations of the Order.
"It is. But politics," Jaina said, steadying the bag and then turning towards him. "I'm not going to convince them, at least not right now. Maybe I'll let Kyp yell at them for a while. But if they're not going to help, I need to figure out something else to do."
"Well, count me in on whatever you're planning," Ben said. "I can be packed for Bastion in three minutes." He grinned. "Brown robes are impossible to wrinkle in a go bag."
She tilted her head at him, studying him. "Are you sure? They're going to be pissed at you."
Jaina herself had no problem upsetting people. In fact, they expected it of her. Luke's son was another story.
"They said they weren't going to help," Ben said, "not that all Jedi were forbidden from offering assistance, right?"
"They definitely did not say those exact words," Jana agreed with a lopsided smile. Ben was one of the good ones. "Don't suppose you might know anyone else who might agree with you and would be ready to go in a few hours, do you?"
He smiled back. "I can do some asking. Are you doing the same? Because then I won't ask your people."
"I think most of the people who I have to ask are probably already on Bastion," Jaina admitted, and suddenly she realized this wasn't even the first time she'd asked for help and not gotten much for it. "There are a couple I can go to."
"In the best scenario, how many are you looking for?" Ben asked. "What did you ask the Council for?" He smiled. "And what can we work with when we don't get that?"
"I asked them for whoever they were willing to spare," she said, "so we're going to have to work with whatever we can get. Even if it's three people, it's better than what we have."
"You have me and whoever I can kidnap," Ben said. "...A strictly ethical kind of kidnapping, of course."
Probably.
[NFB, NFI, thanks tomomslilassassin for being my Ben for me!]
And the Council said no.
Their resources were spread too thin, they said. They were neutral now, out from under the employ of the Galactic Alliance, and it wasn't right to do the same for the Empire now. No one knew Allana had left Hapes, the Sith would take some time to lick their wounds… There had been excuses that Jaina had argued against for quite a while before realizing that she wasn't winning here. It was hard not to look at this and wonder if they didn't say no because she had this empress job now, that like always, she could just handle it on her own.
She could, if it was just her.
She was supposed to head back to Bastion tonight. It wasn't going to be fun to go home with this news, and she was hoping to be able to pull something off in the next few hours. And the easiest way to figure out how to do that was to clear her head.
By taking over a training room and beating up on a bag, because sometimes she was very predictable.
"I knew I'd find you here," Ben commented from the doorway a little wryly. "I take it the meeting didn't go well?"
"You know they say you should always ask because the worst someone can say is no?" Jaina asked just as wryly, hitting the bag again like it did something to her personally.
"They said no?" Ben said, eyes wide. "The school's so small! It needs something more than planetary defenses and the," he gestured vaguely, "will of the Force or something to be safe!" His face scrunched up into a stubborn expression he'd worn for the better part of two decades now. "It's wrong."
It had gotten a lot easier to say that the Council was wrong with his father no longer involved. He wondered if that was why the no attachments concept had been such a big deal in previous incarnations of the Order.
"It is. But politics," Jaina said, steadying the bag and then turning towards him. "I'm not going to convince them, at least not right now. Maybe I'll let Kyp yell at them for a while. But if they're not going to help, I need to figure out something else to do."
"Well, count me in on whatever you're planning," Ben said. "I can be packed for Bastion in three minutes." He grinned. "Brown robes are impossible to wrinkle in a go bag."
She tilted her head at him, studying him. "Are you sure? They're going to be pissed at you."
Jaina herself had no problem upsetting people. In fact, they expected it of her. Luke's son was another story.
"They said they weren't going to help," Ben said, "not that all Jedi were forbidden from offering assistance, right?"
"They definitely did not say those exact words," Jana agreed with a lopsided smile. Ben was one of the good ones. "Don't suppose you might know anyone else who might agree with you and would be ready to go in a few hours, do you?"
He smiled back. "I can do some asking. Are you doing the same? Because then I won't ask your people."
"I think most of the people who I have to ask are probably already on Bastion," Jaina admitted, and suddenly she realized this wasn't even the first time she'd asked for help and not gotten much for it. "There are a couple I can go to."
"In the best scenario, how many are you looking for?" Ben asked. "What did you ask the Council for?" He smiled. "And what can we work with when we don't get that?"
"I asked them for whoever they were willing to spare," she said, "so we're going to have to work with whatever we can get. Even if it's three people, it's better than what we have."
"You have me and whoever I can kidnap," Ben said. "...A strictly ethical kind of kidnapping, of course."
Probably.
[NFB, NFI, thanks to
momslilassassin for being my Ben for me!]