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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Feb 19, 2014 16:37:22 GMT -8
"Interesting. So you believe theorizing on the nature of the force is more or less useless? That attempts to classify it only make the practitioner weaker?"
This certainly wasn't what Chazz had been expecting from his first interview. Force users were known as highly ritualistic, with complex views on the the nature of their powers and how best to use them. Eralam seemed almost nihilistic by comparison. To Chazz it sounded as if The Force was nothing more to him than gravity, magnetism, or any other more common force. "Do you feel your powers come with any sort of obligations? Most jedi, for example, condemn using the force to kill, even if they might use a lightsaber strike in the same situation."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 16:49:50 GMT -8
"Weaker? Not really. They needlessly complicate things, but that doesn't necessarily make them weaker. Doesn't do any favors for their life spans, mind. Jedi tend not to learn to deal with emotions well, and when they snap, they do so in grand fashion. Sith tend to fall apart at the seams. Some make it told old age, but most don't."
Eralam trusted the scholar to be up enough on history to know what the Shard was talking about.
"I do believe that power carries a certain level of responsibility. What those responsibilities might entail depends largely on your world view, but it's still there."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Feb 19, 2014 17:18:37 GMT -8
Chazz nodded. Even with all the facts and figures in his head, he couldn't name many Jedi or Sith who died in their sleep. "True. Still, I'm in sure that's unique to their philosophies. Force users in general tend to be the 'burn twice as bright' type. I wouldn't wager on any of them living longer than the average member of their race. Not even you, with that armor to protect you from erosion. So tell me, are thre others that hold the same beliefs as you? Did you come up with the philosophy on your own?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 17:52:41 GMT -8
The age remark elicited a snort of electronic laughter.
"I am exceptionally long lived, even for a member of my species. Hell, I'm older than a fair few civilizations, believe it or not. I've had a long time to figure this stuff out."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Feb 19, 2014 18:21:25 GMT -8
"So you worked that out on your own then? Your belief system is pretty much unique?"
Though he wasn't sure he believed Eralam's claims of longevity, Chazz wasn't about to grill him for references on the subject. Even if it were true, proving something like that might be difficult, if it was even possible. Besides, he was an observer, here to learn about force-users, not challenge their claims. "And before we get too far off the subject, coffee... you wouldn't happen to have any, would you?"
No, Chazz thought, he probably wouldn't. Not as if a shard would have any use for caffeine.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2014 12:52:55 GMT -8
"Most Iron Knights come to that conclusion, after a while. The first generation of true Iron Knights, that is, the first Force using Shards to call themselves that, were pretty caught up in the Jedi dogma, but the order has since moved away from that. I was kicking around before they got off the ground, didn't have much to do with them, and they weren't too eager to listen. So while they were exiled, the rest of us moved on without them."
As if on cue, one of the gunsmiths that worked in the back of the shop brought out a steaming cup of coffee and some packets of cream and sugar.
"Sorry that took so long," the burly tech said with a grin. "The boss isn't all that good at playing host to us organics."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Feb 20, 2014 15:13:42 GMT -8
"Ah, thank you," Chazz said in response to the coffee, taking it and adding some sugar. "Afraid I got rather addicted to the stuff during my tour with the Republic. We made some long forays into the Rim. Everything out there was controlled by Hutts, pirates, or worse. Weren't allowed to trade with the locals, it would have 'funded the enemy', so you can imagine we didn't have much in the way of luxuries. Captain did make one exception though. Picked up a huge cargo of coffee from some Toydarian traders near Mon Cal. Lasted though the entire tour. Like you said" He raises his glass slightly in Eralam's direction. "Mostly water. Haven't been able to kick the stuff since."
He sips the coffee for a few seconds, thinking. "Earlier you agreed being sensitive to the force gives you a responsibility to do something with that power. What do you feel are your responsibilities, in particular?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2014 18:23:22 GMT -8
"I've never understood the appeal of the stuff myself. Tastes awful, and my HRD chassis doesn't get anything from caffeine, but military types seem to live off the stuff."
When questioned about his views on responsibility, the robotic visage gave off the impression that he was grinning in a disturbingly feral manner.
"I don't go out of my way to start trouble anymore, but let me catch certain kinds of scum and see what happens. Rapists, pedophiles, slavers, I'm more than happy to make their transition into the Netherworld a painful one. I'm also a sucker for a damsel in distress. It's bitten me on the ass before, but..." He shrugged. "Some of us take the whole 'knight' thing a bit more seriously than others."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Feb 20, 2014 19:43:43 GMT -8
"I didn't realize you could taste things. That is to say, I know prosthetics can be made to see, touch, even taste in place of humanoid body parts, but that's all sending replicating the normal nerve functions. I wouldn't have expected a mineral brain to be equipped to process that sort of information." Chazz sipped his coffee.
"I'm getting off track. Rape is almost ubiquitously illegal, but slavery and pedophilia laws vary quite a bit from system to system, and people in the habit of committing criminal acts don't tend to advertise that fact. What prompts you to target certain activities? Have you ever been in a situation, since you started 'staying out of trouble,' that you had the opportunity to take on what you consider the 'scum' of the galaxy?"
While Chazz agreed with Eralam's sentiments for the most part, he did his best to remain impartial in the questioning. He waved a hand toward the holocam. "We can keep this answer off the record, if it involves any criminal activity. Normally I'd offer to change your name for the article, but in the case of a force-sensitive Shard older than the Iron Knights... I don't think a name-change would do much in the way of ensuring anonymity."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 8:35:02 GMT -8
"It's part of the bond with the droid brain. It supplies a lot of our perceptions of the world around us."
The scholar's next question was an interesting one.
"You don't have to worry about that; there's really not much anyone could do even if they did want to prosecute me for vigilante activities. Seems like an arrogant thing to say, but" the Shard shrugged again "it's true. There are only a handful of beings that could take me down, and most are smart enough to realize that it's just not worth it. Besides,"he said cheerfully, pointing to his lightsaber, "this thing is better than a badge on most worlds.
"For what it's worth, I don't act off of mere suspicions. Between the Force and a way above top of the line sensor suite, it's not hard to be sure. You learn what to look for, clues that anyone can spot in passing, and it's just a matter of following the breadcrumbs."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Feb 21, 2014 12:10:41 GMT -8
Chazz nodded. He knew all too well that the Jedi were a law unto themselves, and it didn't surprise him to hear that even without the backing of the republic, other force-users were treated with similar deference on unaligned worlds. Sensitives were well known for raising armies and striking down governments they didn't agree with. "Well, it might not be due process, but it's good to know you put some legwork into that sort of thing."
"You've expressed a very minimalist philosophy overall, but you mentioned the Netherworld. As long-lived as your species is, you aren't immortal- you can succumb to old age, correct? Do you have any beliefs regarding an afterlife?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2014 13:31:10 GMT -8
"Entropy catches up with everyone in the end. We don't age like organics, but time takes its toll."
The Shard pulled his Colt out of its holster and set it on the counter.
"This pistol would be a museum piece by any reasonable standards. The design predates both Jedi and Sith by a considerable margin. It has survived through exceptional luck and care. It's the same story for our crystalline bodies. So long as they're protected from harm, there is no upper limit on the lifespan, as far as I can tell. I certainly haven't run into it yet. Entropy most strongly preys on the mind of the Shard. Eventually, the sheer weight of life drives most of them to reject the physical world and retreat into the solace of their own minds. To an outsider, they appear to be just a dead lump of rock."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Mar 1, 2014 7:08:53 GMT -8
Chazz scoffed audibly. Eralam might have been old, but this was too far-fetched to accept unchallenged.
"The Sith have existed for over ten thousand years, and the Jedi ten thousand more before that. While I have no record of just how long you've existed as a Shard, your gun can't be that old. Please, this is for science, so try to keep your exaggerations in check, and leave the tall tales in the backwater cantinas where they belong. Now, you said most Shards 'shut down' after a time. Do you have any idea why this is, or why you seem to be the exception? Does force sensitivity play any measurable role in this timeline?"
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 16:57:51 GMT -8
"The design predates space travel. Never said the pistol was that old, though it does have several hundred years of history. Mind the wording, scholar. This is, as you say, for science."
Though his face remained as immobile as always, Eralam's tone softened the rebuke. He was enjoying the interview. It was rare to find a anyone interested in the various philosophies of Force users, outside of the orders themselves.
"As for me, my exceptional longevity seems to be the result of my time with the Whills. Membership in their order conveys a number of unique abilities, near immortality being one of them. I may have been cast out and stripped of all but a token remnant of my powers, but without an aging organic body, my mind has resisted the ravages of time. Assuming they don't fall to combat or mishap, Force using Shards do seem to remain cognizant of the outside world for longer. The oldest 'normal' Shard turned inwards at about 800 years, while there have been instances of Iron Knights surviving two to three times that."
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Post by Chazz Orcuul on Mar 5, 2014 9:36:33 GMT -8
"Those are still very long lifespans by most standards. Worlds can rise from early mechanization to space travel in less time."
Chazz wondered about the origins of the weapon, but pushed those questions to the back of his mind. He had been getting a bit off topic; as much as history fascinated him, he had come here to discuss philosophy. Perhaps the pistol was a topic for another time.
"Can you tell me a little about the Whills? You must have learned a great deal working with them. How do you think your tenure with them affected your philosophy?"
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2014 8:52:13 GMT -8
"It's made me grumpy, is what it's done."
We won't go over how Eralam managed to scowl, but he did.
"Cosmic observers, always watching, never doing. They have the power to bend the universe into a pretzel, but all they use it for is voyeurism. You have to damn near break the universe before they intervene. I wasn't cut out to just watch, and now I'm not a Whill anymore."
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