Legacy of the Aether

[Lord_S_Gray]

Chapter 46

Milaea

“Knights fall back…second line…Command this is Master Gentris…we have lost control of 12-H…six losses!”
“Requesting immediate assistance Zone 36-B…We are surrounded…there’s…oh Maker…a woman handing out thermal deton…..”
“Colonel, Colonel are you there!”
Voices from all over the planet filled her head…small disasters to take the focus away from true targets…cry east strike west…if it wasn’t the oldest trick in the book it was damn close, right next to send a dozen pawns to distract the Knight. 

The glare from the bubbling works grew brighter as she got closer…fortunately it didn’t seem to have gone critical yet….not like the Force itself just had…and she needed to ensure it didn’t.
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She leapt from the hover car down toward the inferno…the power station was boiling with heat, the air unbreathable…She pulled the force into an insulating layer around her and stilled the oxygen in her body...her biology…her Aethan blood as she now knew it to be…granted her greater heat tolerance and oxygenation capacity than most any humanoid…if necessary she could switch to anaerobic cellular respiration - with the force as well she could survive this and almost anything else…

The alarms were blaring, the metal turning a deep red in the geothermal plant…geysers of molten mantle plumed at intervals…she could see the workers, their heads wobbling in a force trance…she didn’t have the time to pull them out. 

From the gantry she could see the emergency hyper-coolant dispenser and heat shields all fused shut by what she guessed was Kiraea’s aetheric flames…it was…unnervingly precise, she as not just a master strategist she was a consummate genius in small scale telekinesis and engineering…even without the Aether they were designed to be more intelligent and quick thinking than almost any species in the galaxy.

Still…what fire could forge…fire could melt…It was strange to say but each time Kiraea had used an ability Milaea had gotten the…feel of it…deep in her mind…like she was learning how to do something by being near Kiraea doing it…yes the empathetic neuro patterned learning…she remembered now that was how they learnt so quickly.

She concentrated her mind and positioned herself as near the geyser on the catwalk as she dared…then let her energy flow…

A coursing bubbling line of amethyst fire arced toward the welds, hitting it she guided it into the molecular structure of the metal increasing the surface area of heating…boiling the fused metal apart…she had six lines all flowing from her hands at once…the heat was rising, the geysers more frequent…she was having to use the aether…the force…the force…to bounce back globs of molten mantle.

A hiss…the coolant started to shift in its container…the metal plug fell into the yellow magma…detecting the opening, the temperature shield disengaged and the coolant poured in, heavy steams of different minerals filled the facility with noxious gas…then the thermal doors final loosed under her flames…heavy clanks and ratcheting sounded as they closed over the incandescent flows.

If she could’ve she would’ve breathed a sigh of relief…but the night was far from over.
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 “Command Knight Y’star has…he’s out of control…something dark has taken hold of him…I…no…no…”
“Zone 14-G is secure…fourteen Officers down…three Jedi…civilian losses…we’ll need time to tally…”
“Squad 312 no time to tally civilian losses move immediately to 14-K reports of at least two Gand clans out of control…watch out for poison gases…”
“Evac 168-C…Evac NOW”
“168-C Heavy Squad inbound, hold position,”
“No…The Jedi…They’ve Gone mad!!!”

She switched off the Jedi Emergency Comm system…feeling it in the force was bad enough without having to hear it…

She could see it all in her minds eye…

The Ecumenopolis was tearing itself apart, towers coughed out smoke where mad men had unleashed their rage, the CSF were tired and worn holding barricades against frenetic rioters armed with whatever they could get their hands on.

Looting had overtaken the mid-levels as CSF forces were redirected to prevent the rioters getting any higher.  In the Senate district private security forces and body guards kept the wealthy protected…by summarily executing anyone who looked poorly dressed and even glanced at their sacrosanct areas of the city.

Realising the advantage a plague of madness represented Crime Lords and Senators alike would have their agents murder their opponents and make sure to leave a bizarre mess so they would be counted among the insane when control returned…A thousand oaths of vengeance and a thousand more petty insults were satiated with blood under the guise of Madness.

The Jedi on the frontline were harassed, abused, attacked, scores were injured, dozens killed…those assigned to deal with the mad men witnessed horrific acts of random violence as sentients slaughtered their own families, crashed their hover cars into buildings, set fire to their workplaces.

And the crowning achievement….already deep into battle, already killing and maiming the Jedi were vulnerable to falling into anger…the Breaking of the Balance in the Force would send the weaker ones into a frenzy…their blood already up they would not be able to calm themselves and turn on any and all around them.

Order strove for dominance against Chaos seeping back to the fore as Milaea sped back to the Temple.

Was this the Republic the Jedi strove to serve…a thin veneer of civility so easily turned to anarchy…was this worth her life or anyone’s life to protect?

Kiraea had seen the truth of this world, like her the violence was always there…just beneath the surface…she only needed the slightest prompts in the right places to let it out…it was not madness it was truth that Kiraea had exposed…violent chaotic truth, the forces of order that relied in the end on coercive power shown to be ineffectual against brutal reality. 

One woman had started all this…And Milaea had let her go…

Every explosion, every Jedi that turned, every life that winked out as she cut through the skylanes now empty for fear, was a fiery blood sacrifice that had been offered to her by her people…a sign of their loving determination to see her reunited with them…to save her from her ‘confusion’ and Jedi ‘captors’…

No she would not hold herself or them responsible for this…for any of it…why should she….whatever their prompts Kiraea and whoever else was with her could only remove the false civility not create animal violence in so many…perhaps Kiraea had liberated them from the chains society placed on their minds….

As she felt the deaths rising…the force seeping to black…she worried if Kiraea was alright…she shouldn’t have left her alone…she should’ve helped her…gone with her…

On the horizon of her mind she sensed the turmoil emanating from the Temple…The Jedi had no chance of ending this…Kimar was too arrogant, Soryu too compassionate, Yoren too conventional…Together they were too at odds…Gurrlum’s unconventional boldness and Yoda’s steadying influence were the two missing components they needed to effectively counter the three Aethans…but one was dead the other gone.

She couldn’t condone their actions…their destruction…even if she could understand it…the simplicity of Us Versus Them was so appealing…But nor could she bring herself to seriously harm them…

She realised she was thinking of Jedi just now…

She chuckled to herself as sirens blared past her, green and red lights blinking on the transport overhead…The Aethans were destroying the city and she was admonishing the Jedi…Why…

Why…

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[Illyiss]

And so the base of who she is, genetically, and the implanted goddess, begin to subsume the nurture, as the pretty shrouds of the Republic burning away in the chaos her kind has sewn.  Her Jedi upbringing is struggling, but weaker and weaker it becomes, and more and more does her difference of basic genetic makeup, physiology, call out to her, extolling her superiority over these base animals...

[Karmack]

Like I was saying in the Interludes thread: The Aethans do NOT understand the importance of that veneer of civility that is the basis for any civilization.  CIVILization...  :-)

Milaea is struggling.  The question is: Will she return and impose order on the Jedi, bring resolution?  Or leave them in chaos and confusion and follow the calling of her heart and the implanted goddess?

[Illyiss]

Like I was saying in the Interludes thread: The Aethans do NOT understand the importance of that veneer of civility that is the basis for any civilization.  CIVILization...  :-)

Milaea is struggling.  The question is: Will she return and impose order on the Jedi, bring resolution?  Or leave them in chaos and confusion and follow the calling of her heart and the implanted goddess?

I don't know, I think when  culture reaches the point when a veneer is required to be civil, there is a problem.  I think the Aethans are of the same mind, especially since they don't really have secrets from one another.

[Karmack]

I don't know, I think when  culture reaches the point when a veneer is required to be civil, there is a problem.  I think the Aethans are of the same mind, especially since they don't really have secrets from one another.

True.  But the Aethans also have a very homogeneous society.  What would happen with the Aethans if a small group of Aethan refugees were introduced who had adopted the worship of the Maker, for instance, and rejected the authority of the goddesses?   Would they be accepted?  Would the learn to get along, to accept concepts and beliefs that are foreign, or would they exterminate them or exile them?

Add in the dynamic of how the force users are a VERY small minority in the larger universe.  Never mind ones with the raw power of the Aethans.  In the larger galaxy force users are present in nearly every race - but are always a very small minority.  So there was never any temptation to think of one group or the other as "non people" the way the Aethans tend to think of EVERYONE else.  And because of that both force users and non force users adopt what at least seems to be a reasonable set of restrictions on the force user's expression of power.  Toss in the old saw - power corrupts: absolute power corrupts absolutely - and the lessons of the Infinite Empire and the Sith and how they used the force to outright dominate and enslave, and you see how these restrictions came about.  The Jedi limit their usage because they are wary of having to much power, and they don't want to be swarmed under by a massive uprising.  I mean, think of the Battle of Geonosis at the beginning of the Clone War.  One fairly small droid army killed large numbers of Jedi.   Later on Order 66 pretty much wiped the rest out.  They are powerful compared to normal people, but stack up the odds against them high enough and even a Yoda or Palpatine will fall.

But I digress...  In order for society to work, there have to be some common rules everyone agrees to.  For the most part, those common rules are pretty basic:  Don't take my stuff.  Don't kill me.  Let me engage in economic activity that will allow me to provide for me and those I am responsible for.   And I will do the same for you.   You need to have these things, these common basic agreements between individuals to make any society work.

The Aethans have shown a devastating ability and willingness to ignore this compact with anyone but their own kind.  As Milaea said in this last installment: The havoc and mayhem, death and destruction, was all just a loving attempt to bring her back into the fold and rescue her from her Jedi captors...  And she doesn't blame them for trying.  Nor does she seem particularly torn up by the deaths they've caused.  She admonishes the Jedi and Republic for the "veneer" of civility, but its really the Aethans USING MIND CONTROL TO FORCE ACTIONS THAT THE INDIVIDUAL WOULDN'T TAKE IF THEY WERE SOBER AND REASONING ON THEIR OWN that sow the seeds of destruction.  Yes, there are elements of the Coruscant society that freely take the opportunity to act in ways that are uncivilized once external controls are removed, but THAT'S WHY THOSE EXTERNAL CONTROLS ARE IN PLACE.  To protect the law-abiding (almost always the vast majority of any society) from those who would wantonly break the law.  What the Aethans have done to Coruscant is EVIL, in it's purest form.  Whatever the story argues, however much we sympathize with the Aethan characters, they are responsible for wanton death and destruction of PEOPLE.  Their own indifference to the fact that these are in fact people they are killing is no more defense than a speeder saying they shouldn't be ticketed for speeding because they're a trained driver driving a superior vehicle. 

*whew*  Sorry, I really didn't mean to preach.  I fall into sympathy for the Aethans as I read, but in the final analysis they are wrong.  There's no other possible conclusion.

[Illyiss]

Right and wrong are based on point of view, and that's the rub, perhaps the real lesson as well. 

I will disagree on one thing in your analysis of requirements for society, and perhaps more a clarification; economic activity.  In cultures where everyone is provided for by the community at large, economic activity becomes moot.

[TheDutchman]

Right and wrong are based on point of view, and that's the rub, perhaps the real lesson as well. 

I will disagree on one thing in your analysis of requirements for society, and perhaps more a clarification; economic activity.  In cultures where everyone is provided for by the community at large, economic activity becomes moot.

For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume you meant "in a perfect world" e.g. Rousseau's Democracy.  Otherwise (at least in human nature), there will ALWAYS be a disparity with "haves" and "have nots."  Now, without getting into politics  , I also think that SOME economy would be in place, be it a barter system, currency representation, etc.   Even in a "self-sufficient" paradigm, there is always SOME method of economic activity.  But that's just my opinion 

But I absolutely agree that "right" and "wrong" are subjective, especially as social utility is concerned.  And that's why the Aethans' plan makes for good pathos.  After all, was it not Kimar that had enacted his "kill policy?"  But for devil's advocate, that doesn't excuse the Aethans' of their responsibility in the deaths of uncounted people, innocent or not.

Since I don't have such Olympian views, the Night of Madness is an event of sheer terror.  At what point does the purview of war become terrorism?  And one person's "terrorist" is another's "freedom fighter."  And there's the catch; just how far is too far?

[Karmack]

Right and wrong are based on point of view, and that's the rub, perhaps the real lesson as well. 

I will disagree on one thing in your analysis of requirements for society, and perhaps more a clarification; economic activity.  In cultures where everyone is provided for by the community at large, economic activity becomes moot.

True.  I will concede that point.  I don't know of any such culture that has worked, though.  Not even small farm communes in the USA were able to last before someone made off with the kitty.  And the first attempt at Socialism - Plymouth - failed utterly until they scrapped the communist view of the community working as a whole and went with a free-market model.

But that's another argument - and political - so we need to abandon it.  LOL  :-)

[Karmack]

For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume you meant "in a perfect world" e.g. Rousseau's Democracy.  Otherwise (at least in human nature), there will ALWAYS be a disparity with "haves" and "have nots."  Now, without getting into politics  , I also think that SOME economy would be in place, be it a barter system, currency representation, etc.   Even in a "self-sufficient" paradigm, there is always SOME method of economic activity.  But that's just my opinion 

But I absolutely agree that "right" and "wrong" are subjective, especially as social utility is concerned.  And that's why the Aethans' plan makes for good pathos.  After all, was it not Kimar that had enacted his "kill policy?"  But for devil's advocate, that doesn't excuse the Aethans' of their responsibility in the deaths of uncounted people, innocent or not.

Since I don't have such Olympian views, the Night of Madness is an event of sheer terror.  At what point does the purview of war become terrorism?  And one person's "terrorist" is another's "freedom fighter."  And there's the catch; just how far is too far?

I agree that the pathos of the story is extremely compelling.  There are no "good guys", and that's what LSG was after.  But there are a lot of innocent people being killed, and one side *cough* Aethans *cough* are primarily responsible for that.  I can see an INTELLECTUAL attempt to shift responsibility to the Republic and Jedi, since the conditions they exploit are pre-existing, but the nature of the methods used - forcing people to act against their own judgement and conscience, or just outright killing and/or removing existing barriers to lawlessness - makes it clear who is really responsible.

In the end, your actions define you.  I am so sad to see the Aethans defined by these actions.    I really, really like them.  I want them to be good guys.  But...  :-(

[Illyiss]

True.  I will concede that point.  I don't know of any such culture that has worked, though.  Not even small farm communes in the USA were able to last before someone made off with the kitty.  And the first attempt at Socialism - Plymouth - failed utterly until they scrapped the communist view of the community working as a whole and went with a free-market model.

But that's another argument - and political - so we need to abandon it.  LOL  :-)

Agreed, though I will leave you with the thought of tribalism. 

[Taegin Roan]

Great discussion going on here. Too bad it is getting to much on the "No Politics" side of things. Anyways, in general, I agree with what Karm is saying. There is never a time when wanton death and destruction is not bad. Killing in just about every single culture without a good reason is considered wrong. So how can mass killings (even if they are being committed by a people who's morals are drastically different than anyone else's) not be wrong? They can't. As much as we want to like the Aethans, and want them to be in the right, they cannot possibly. At least not right now. True, Kimar and the Jedi are also to blame, which is why I am extremely glad that Yoda is not here right now. On his return, he will see the effects of the Jedi's views, and then change them. If he were here right now, there is a good chance that he would also fall (whether that be death, or turning away from the light, or whatever), but because he is not present, he has a chance to see what is going on from a different perspective, and then change the Jedi Order so something like this never happens again. And I'd say that he succeeds. Yes, the Jedi end up falling to Order 66, but that was not specifically their fault. It was the Republic that put Palpatine in a position of influence and power, not the Jedi.

Okay, enough of that. In regards to the chapter itself. . . wow. Just wow. Some scary stuff going on here. Milaea is finally realizing who (or what) she is, and is starting to see the rest of the galaxy from the point of view of an Aethan. True, her Jedi upbringing is still an influence (thankfully), but will it be enough, or will it be as Illyiss says, and weaken to the point of breaking. We will just have to wait and see.

[Illyiss]

Great discussion going on here. Too bad it is getting to much on the "No Politics" side of things. Anyways, in general, I agree with what Karm is saying. There is never a time when wanton death and destruction is not bad. Killing in just about every single culture without a good reason is considered wrong. So how can mass killings (even if they are being committed by a people who's morals are drastically different than anyone else's) not be wrong? They can't. As much as we want to like the Aethans, and want them to be in the right, they cannot possibly. At least not right now. True, Kimar and the Jedi are also to blame, which is why I am extremely glad that Yoda is not here right now. On his return, he will see the effects of the Jedi's views, and then change them. If he were here right now, there is a good chance that he would also fall (whether that be death, or turning away from the light, or whatever), but because he is not present, he has a chance to see what is going on from a different perspective, and then change the Jedi Order so something like this never happens again. And I'd say that he succeeds. Yes, the Jedi end up falling to Order 66, but that was not specifically their fault. It was the Republic that put Palpatine in a position of influence and power, not the Jedi.

Okay, enough of that. In regards to the chapter itself. . . wow. Just wow. Some scary stuff going on here. Milaea is finally realizing who (or what) she is, and is starting to see the rest of the galaxy from the point of view of an Aethan. True, her Jedi upbringing is still an influence (thankfully), but will it be enough, or will it be as Illyiss says, and weaken to the point of breaking. We will just have to wait and see.

While I personally don't disagree, the point where perspective makes it all murky is the part where "without good reason" comes in to play.  The Aethans, in this case, consider their reasons good.  The Jedi (and most others) would disagree.

[Karmack]

An excellent point.  :-)

I have to admit, I'm still interested to see just what happens in the final end-game of this.  Milaea is still on the fence, Kimar is still alive, and Sofa and Soryu are still "in the wind" in a sense.

Should be an interesting wrap-up...

[Lord_S_Gray]

Wow what a conversation! I am both humbled and grateful to see just how much you have each bought into my story and the themes within it!  This chapter in a sense goes hand in hand with Ari's interlude (thanks again Dutchman!) Showing two very different sides and as Karm noted there the introduction to the galaxy each group experience d has catalysed Thier reactions.  And yes as Karm noted there is an attempt from Milaea to blame the Jedi/Republic as she tries to rationalise her mixed up feelings - faced with such desolation I imagine it is a defence mechanism to avoid cognitive dissonance.

An TR hit on a good point re Yoda - would they have dared tried something so bold with him there? And if not does that mean they know alternative strategies but still chose to unleash?

Anyway watch this space... remember Ari is Aethan too and get ready for the last 4 chapters!

[Karmack]

LOL   Somehow I KNEW the Vhal Dan Civil War was going to play into this....  :-)