oratorical | IC Contact

Luke has had them before.

[He's told her as much anyway, and she believes him, even if she doesn't know what it was he saw specifically beyond some vague version of what was happening on Cloud City.]

Maybe Ezra should talk with him, if there's another chance for it.

I'm sure Ezra would love to. I know I'm thankful to have so many Force users around here to share our experiences and perspectives with. I haven't experienced anything even close to this since I was a Padawan, and Ezra - never.

[ Honestly all that's missing right now is Depa Billaba, his own Master. ]

I know Luke hasn't, either. He's had teachers, but nothing like you and Ezra have.

[Which is sad, she thinks. Luke would have had a better time of everything had he had a more constant ~~and not blue and dead~~ presence teaching him directly, or at least would have someone to talk more about the Force and the Jedi with that understood more than the others in the rebellion without that first-hand knowledge.]

He's learned from Master Kenobi - one of the best.

[ Kanan will never deny that. But still. ]

We lost a lot, when we lost the Jedi Order. A lot of people - a lot of younglings - got cut adrift, with no support or guidance.

[Well she knows Luke was attached to Obi-Wan, and she knows he's learned something from him, but how much he learned is something Leia doesn't really know. She doesn't even know much about if Obi-Wan and Luke knew each other well before her call for help.]

He did, for a while at least. I don't know much about how close the two of them were, but Luke did seem fond of Obi-Wan.

Yeah, it doesn't always take long. I think a lot of us didn't get enough time with our Masters, honestly. I know I didn't.

Who was your Master, if I can ask?

[She doubts she'll know much about this Jedi, but it's a nice way to know a bit more about Kanan and his experiences.]

[ Kanan leans forward a little, elbows on his knees as he thinks back to his own time as a Padawan. ]

Her name was Depa Billaba. She was a member of the Jedi High Council, like Master Kenobi, and a General in the Clone Wars. That all sounds very grand and aloof, but she was actually warm, and funny, and kind.

No, I know by now that most Jedi are kinder and more approachable than lofty titles like that would imply.

[Stories she's heard about the Jedi were less about individual Jedi on a personal level and more about the heroics and the good the Jedi did during their time. But having met several Jedi here personally, she knows there's more than just those stories to them.]

[ Kanan nods, and then he offers something else - something a bit more personal than the heroic tales. ]

She called me her "tactician". I always asked a lot of questions, always needed to know why. She said that was part of why she took me as her Padawan. I think because she was like that, too.

[There's a lot about how the Jedi Order was that Leia doesn't know, and probably won't ever know due to not having a chance to interact with it in person. The finer points of Padawan and Master relationships is one of those, beyond the obvious. How Padawans are chosen for certain Masters, and whether a master even takes a Padawan in the first place. Those are all things she probably won't ever have answers to. But aside from that--]

I think I'd like her, if that's the sort of person she was. She sounds like a good teacher.

[ To be fair it was always both simple and complicated, and encompassed by the phrase "let the Force guide you" - difficult to explain to someone not enmeshed in the philosophy of the Jedi, anyway. ]

I think she would've liked you, too. And Ezra. She was the best teacher I could've asked for. If I'm even a halfway decent Jedi, it's basically because of her.

She'd be proud, I'm sure.

[As far as Leia's list of halfway decent Jedi goes, Kanan is definitely toward the top. Not that it's a long list, but even if she knew more Jedi, Kanan is still someone she's fond of and respects.]

Was she close with Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan?

Thanks.

[ He's not always sure he believes that, but it's nice to hear, anyway. ]

I don't think she was especially close with either of them, no. She, uh. Well, she was a little controversial.

Controversial how?

[ There are a lot of ways he can answer that one, because Depa Billaba confided many things in him, and he heard many other things about her, back in the day. But he settles for what he thinks might be most relevant to Leia's knowledge. ]

She disagreed with the Council, sometimes. She was a General in the Clone Wars, I said. She was a good one, too. The troopers all respected her. And yet, she believed the Jedi made a big mistake in inserting themselves into the chain of command. And she wasn't afraid of saying so.

[Leia furrows her brow, trying to place Depa Billaba's view of the Clone Wars with the others she's heard. She knows her history--the true history, and what the Empire would have the galaxy believe--but what she doesn't know is much about the Jedi's philosophy or why, exactly, that would be entirely controversial.]

The Council, I assume, was far more receptive toward an active role in the war?

[ Kanan shrugs. ]

The Council's official stance was that the Jedi got involved to protect the Republic and its citizens. I assume that was - the majority that agreed with it, but I couldn't tell you how many or which ones disagreed, exactly. I just know my own Master's opinion, because she explained it to me. She didn't believe it was the role of the Jedi to be generals, to give orders, to tell soldiers to kill.

[both sides of that are something Leia can see the reasoning behind, even if her ultimate take on things is biased by the knowledge of what happened to the Jedi. If they hadn’t been involved, if they hadn’t been preoccupied with the Clone Wars, would the Empire have risen in the first place? Who knows.

She’s always heard stories of the Jedi as peacekeepers, coupled with tales of heroics that saved entire populations or allowed and to reach people in need. Even knowing that, obviously, the Jedi were involved in the clone wars and were ordering troops around, it’s still an image that’s hard to blend with that legacy, in her mind.]

I can understand that.

[she may not be a Jedi or want to be one, but—]

The role I have in the Alliance isn’t one I was ever meant to have in the beginning. It isn’t the same situation at all, but it’s not very Alderaanian of me to give those orders, either.

They offered me a formal title, you know.

[ The Rebel Alliance. ]

I turned them down, because my Master was right about the Jedi. I'm committed to helping bring down the Empire, because it's evil and it causes nothing but suffering. But I'm no military commander. That's not my role.

I can't say I'm surprised. You're a good leader.

[~~And the Alliance offers titles to literally everyone, anyway.~~]

Luke accepted a title. He's a Commander, and leader of Rogue Squadron, but it is true he's taken a step back from battle recently.

[When he got more serious about his Jedi training, based on what she's heard from him about what he was doing before.]

[ Kanan nods. ]

Ezra's climbing the ranks, himself. But I leave it to him, and Hera. In my condition - [ He waves a hand vaguely to indicate his blindness. ] - I'm not as good a pilot anymore, for one thing. But... I'm pretty sure the Force has other plans for me. And ultimately, that's what I serve. The Force, and my family.

[yeah that would make being a pilot a bit harder, to say the least. She can completely understand leaving it to Hera and Ezra from that alone.]

I've been learning to step back slightly and focus on myself and my family, but it's difficult.

[Not just because of her own stubborn determination to things she's decided to do, but because her entire life has been dedicated toward helping and improving the lives of others first. So the fact that Kanan can take a step back from the Alliance to focus on his immediate life is impressive, to Leia.]

Hera's a General, you know, in my time.

Finding that balance always is difficult, yes.

[ Kanan stepped back a little too far and nearly paid the price, himself.

But at Leia's next words he can't help but grin a little. ]

I didn't know that, but I'm not surprised. Hera has always been incredible at inspiring people to follow her lead.

Until recently, the Rebellion is all I allowed myself to have.

[As an indication of how difficult it is for her to step back. It's not something she's discussed much here, but also most of the people here already know this, so there's no real point.]

There isn't much I can do to help surviving Alderaanians as one of the Empire's most wanted, so working to end the Empire is the least I could do for them. Focusing on anything else felt like a betrayal, almost.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject