Separation of Order And State

[Fromikeable]

Horst needed to thank Saul for finding him a tiny office to commandeer. Tight as it was, the little refuge had proven invaluable for getting some work done. Insurrection or not, they were both still Chiefs of Staff, and that meant that they're responsibilities still went beyond basic command. Saul had likewise proven to be a massive help organizing the Republic Navy, but there were still armies to deploy, garrisons to expand or shrink, fortifications to build and destroy, defense networks to manage, intelligence to protect...

It was no wonder that after about an hour, Horst found himself in need of a drink. Thus he'd escaped the small office and landed himself in the officer's lounge, sipping a whiskey and still idly reading away.

The one thing that just couldn't seem to escape his mind today were the Jedi volunteers. Horst was no stranger to them or their abilities; he'd seen plenty during the war, especially the Battle Of Coruscant. Some of them were geniuses. Others were basically feral rancors in a fight. Some could lift a corvette with the flick of a finger. Others could wave their hand and make a soldier live their worst nightmares for the rest of time.

If Horst had been a more religious man, he might have regarded them as the demigods they seemed to be.

That's just the thing... Adopting a look of stern thought, the general seemed to stare down at his holopad with grim interest. Sipping his drink, his thumb scrolled with deliberate slowness, his eyes flicking over the face of every volunteer, every piece of information on their battle records, and every piece of intelligence the Republic had about them.

He knew he was being paranoid, but damnit all, if it didn't feel justified sometimes.

[DreadPirateMike]

Meditation could take a great many forms. This was indeed fortunate, as the crowded tumult of a Republic battleship amidst preparations for combat was hardly conducive to the sort of solitude and tranquility most people imagined when they heard the term. Those with a great deal of practice could, of course, learn to tune out such corporeal distractions and even things a good deal worse. Nevertheless, meditation did have one thing genuinely in common with the sleep it was sometimes jokingly equated with: the quality of the experience was not always constant. And when going into a life and death situation, Master Jaidan Shatani very much preferred that his mind be as clear, his concentration as pure as possible.

Fortunately, while he was certainly capable of "traditional" meditation - Eyes closed, legs crossed, and so on - he'd never taken to it so naturally as to more active methods. His daily repetition of the Echani forms in which he had trained since the time he could walk provided the tranquility of comforting rote, and nothing reinforced his connection to the ebb and flow of life around him, and therefore the Force, so much as a fresh reminder that he was a part of it. The trickle of sweat down his brow, the familiar strain of muscles being carefully but firmly pushed to the limit of what could be asked without injury. This was how he felt most alive and most attuned to his proper place in the order of things. This form of meditation required a bit more in the way of open space, of course, but the Anenke's gymnasium had served more than adequately, and the presence of other warriors had done nothing to disturb him. In fact, his discovery upon completion that he'd attracted a small audience had led into some rather enjoyable light sparring.

Thus, by the time he'd emerged from a quick shower and donned a fresh set of robes, he felt he could confidently say he'd given a concern of his all reasonable consideration. Yet a concern it remained, and it would not be resolved by any amount of private introspection. Fortunately, his participation in this mission meant a chance to seek out one of the few who could help him, one normally hidden behind mountains of bureaucracy and scheduling conflicts even from one of the High Counil. Such a chance had indeed factored into his decision to involve himself in said mission in the first place. It still took some time and a visit to an empty office to seek out the man, but eventually he found himself in the ship's Officer's Lounge, entry granted with only minimal awkwardness upon his introduction of himself as "General Shatani, Retired."

"Bourbon, please," he announced with a smile at the bar. "Menkooroo, if you have it. Neat. And, uh...there we are."

Eyes locking on the Chief of Staff, and then on his glass, he cleared his throat and raised his voice far enough to carry.

"General Stellar! Care for another?"

[Fromikeable]

Horst paused his scrolling as he reached the Jedi, the two names presented him earning hard inspections. Tapping the first, he let the text load as he finished his drink, sitting forward on his stool.

Jaidan Shatani. A knight during the war, and apparently a former Blade. The official entrance of the Jedi Order to the war had come nice and late, as far as Horst was concerned. It had taken Taris, the worst of the worst, the decimation of a planet of billions for them to drop the bullshit pacifism angle and use the laser swords they all carried on a daily basis. The Blades, at least, had treated the Sith Order like the threat they had been and continued to be. There was an argument to be made for hindsight, but still.

If they'd just signed on from the get-go, the Sith would have lasted all of a week.

There was plenty of front-line service to read about, but Horst's brow raised as he got to the meat of it all. After Taris, Shatani had apparently been content to command and take a promotion to the rank of Master. Never quite absent from the front lines, the man could be found in reports of a number of major engagements, often leading troops himself. Ballsy, to be sure. War had apparently suited him quite well.

And now he's on their damn council. The Republic had no ground to stand on when criticizing other governments and how they ran, but six Corellian hells, if that wasn't some rich bullsh-

"General Stellar! Care for another?"

Looking up from his holopad, Horst turned his head to see the very same Jedi general standing down the bar. Considering lightly for a minute, the Corellian nodded, deactivating his holopad. "I'll never turn down a free drink, Shatani." Waving at Jaidan to come and sit, he grunted in approval.

"Was just reading 'bout you aaaaaaaaaaaaand..." The word was held only long enough for Horst to flick the holopad on and off again, gleaming the other name. "Kol Gedyc. Tryin' to figure out what kinds of operations to assign you two once we get to orbit."

[DreadPirateMike]

"Ah yes. The Hero of Yaga Minor."

Having acquired a second round of the General's preferred whiskey from the bartender, Jaidan paused only long enough to slide it across the table to the man in question before gratefully accepting his silent invitation. Once comfortable, he helped himself to a liberal pull off his own glass, draining it by around a third with an appreciative wince. His palate, alas, had never been quite discerning enough to properly appreciate the subtle notes and flavors and whatnot that connoisseurs liked to go on about in a quality liquor, at least not while ALSO contending with the antiseptic burn universal to liquor in general. He'd long ago, therefore, taken to facing that bracing punch right off and in full force, that he might have the rest of the glass to appreciate at his leisure.

"Based on what I've heard of you, I suspect you'll come to like him...assuming that's a luxury you mean to allow yourself. He's something of an atypical Jedi in several respects. And who knows? I've heard the same description applied to myself."

Taking the first of those more measured sips, he chose to press on quickly. Whether by design or otherwise, General Stellar had gotten right at the intended point of this pleasant little gathering.

"As to how best you might use his talents, or mine for that matter, my advice is course at your disposal. I fear, however, that I only possess half the information required to be useful to you in that respect. One would also need to know what sort of operations the situation on the ground may require, that may or may not be a sensible fit. And frankly, your holonet post aside, I know little more than anyone else with access to the evening news feed. This was not always the case, you understand. Once, I'd have received the same briefings you had."