[Tra Kize]

Having just woke up and showered, Tra makes his way to the Rec Hall in order to start going through data on Operation Defiant Nexu and familiarizing himself with the tactics expected from their enemy. He seems completely at ease relaxing in a chair as he goes through it all. He's found in the past that presenting a calm exterior in the presence of the soldiers, while focusing on the mission at hand does wonders for morale. A confident superior officer can really improve the mindset of the soldiers. He may not be a superior officer in the strictest sense of the term, but that would be the role he would play later during the mission.

[Aran Enfas]

Aran came in at a serene walk, his head held steadily forward but giving the clear sense of being on a search. Almost immediately he oriented towards the seated Kel Dor. Stopping a small distance away, he offered a bow from the waist. "Admiral Kize?"

[Tra Kize]

"Retired, but yes," he says with a nod, looking up from his datapad. "How can I help you?" he asks indicating a nearby seat if the man wishes to join him.

[Aran Enfas]

The padawan -- probably appearing far more a boy -- nodded in thanks and sat.

"It is your retired state that is why I sought you out," he said in a quiet, even voice. He paused, then cocked his head. "In your career, did you see much of the Jedi?"

[Tra Kize]

"I've met a fair number, worked for two directly during specific operations that only lasted weeks each. A few times I've seen them among the Halls of the Naval academy, though that's not overly common. The order tends to not learn from military facilities, tending more towards learning from masters that are familiar with warfare or cultivating relationships with military advisors they trust."

A very young man calmly asking about Jedi in a Strike Force camp. No weapon, tools, or uniform present and a calm demeanor. His show of skill during that monk ceremony. He observes the young man, and comes to the conclusion that he must be a Padawan. The Kel Dors easy demeanor doesn't change, more than happy to help the young man out with whatever.

"We're you interested in a specific Jedi or something more general?"

[Aran Enfas]

Aran saw the analytical look he was getting and ducked his head humbly. "I am sorry, Admiral. I did not mean to be mysterious, but I forgot my manners in my search for knowledge. I am Padawan Aran Enfas."

"I am interested, if I can impose, in becoming one of those last Jedi -- those ones with military advisors." He sat with the poise of someone who was purposefully not shifting nervously. "I have been on one task independent of my Masters before this, but it was a civil matter. They sent me here, they said, to learn -- but I find the whole experience... baffling." He shook his head. "I had seen violence, and fought, before Bankor. But war, battle, the military..." he trailed off.

[Tra Kize]

"It's not what you feel suited for," Tra says with a knowing nod, tucking away the datapad. "The truth is, more people in the military than you would guess are not cut out for violence. I count myself as one of them. It's why post traumatic stress is a significant problem for soldiers. They are driven by a sense of duty, but that type of person is generally also decent at heart and witnessing the extreme violence in war can break them. It is alright to feel overwhelmed by it, especially at a young age like yourself. That overwhelming feeling can be enhanced by the expectation that is placed on you by your role as a Jedi, expected to be a leader and symbol of hope for the soldiers."

"That overwhelmed feeling, there isn't much I can do to help deal with it, as I'm not a psychologist and I don't have the training in helping others deal with their emotions. Your master will be a far better resource on that front. But I can and will help you with the lessons I've learned being a commander and officer. To help you learn how to acquit yourself capably as a military leader, and understand the importance of that role and how to perform it to the best of your ability. I've found that the losses suffered and the pain experienced are blunted by the fact that I am always seeking better understanding of my specialty. The more effective I was at my duty during my career, the more soldiers got to go home to their families. Constantly seeking to improve your ability to do so goes a long way in helping take on the burden."

[Aran Enfas]

Aran listened intently. He began nodding at the second half. “You advice is helpful. I have found myself most at ease when I have been able to aid in line with my strongest skills, and less when I have tried to be purely a warrior.” He produced his small lightsaber seemingly from nowhere within his robes, then returned it. “However, it is not the violence that troubles me. Or, not merely.” He bowed his head. “The loss of any life, and any suffering, is tragic, and to have it on such a scale is more than the sum of its parts.” He raised his head again. “But the Jedi cultivate serenity, even as they train to fight and kill. As I said, I have seen violence before -- my previous assignment was to the underbelly of the Core Worlds, where there is no lack of greed and desperation. But...” he trailed off again. “I understand what might drive someone to steal a speeder, and perhaps kill someone in passion, or by accident during a crime. But to steal a planet... to assault a whole people... and the things that whole people are driven to in their own defense....” He shook his head, out of words.

[Tra Kize]

"The mentality of a people is often far more terrible than the mentality of a person. It is easier for an individual to commit acts that the group considers necessary for their success as a whole. When an individual decides to act on behalf of the group it grants a sense of justification for actions they would never take on their own. With myself as an example, I would never order an orbital strike on an industrial center to help my own career when I was active... but I did do so after discussion with advisors and fellow officers. The munitions produced there were particularly heinous and it robbed the enemy of important supplies that threatened Republic targets. For the good of the people I identified with, in agreement with their majority, I ordered an attack that doubtlessly caused collateral damage in hundreds of lives. I feel bad for what I did, because I had no issue with those people as individuals. But I don't regret it because I did so for my people."

Tra looks at the young man for a long moment, before continuing. "But other things also contribute to just how brutal such actions can be. Fear, anger, desperation or even a continuous warlike culture such as the Mandalorians' can make even further violence more palatable to the collective, even if the individual people would never commit such acts on their own. It is the nature of society to place the needs of the whole above the comfort level of it's parts, and then pressure those most suitable for it into action."

[Aran Enfas]

Aran sighed. "I think that is part of what I find so hard to grasp. Many of these Mandalorians are not desperate. They are not, as a people, desperate. They do not have to do these things. And yet..." he opened, palm up, one of the hands that were folded in his lap, as if letting something fly away out of it.

[Tra Kize]

"Their desperation is not for resources or survival. It is for relevance. Despite their demonstrable capabilities in battle and their long history of war and conquering, they seek glory as a culture. If they fall into obscurity then they lose their reason for being, the reason they came together and became relevant in the first place. To them, dying peacefully in obscurity is an affront to their way of life and so they feel a driving urge to seek out battle. With the peace brokered between the Empire and the Republic, they no longer have people willing to seek out their honed talents and so turn them on targets that will provide challenge or perceived glory among their own number."

"That is how some of their clans are as people, and there is little that can override that cultural memory and tradition. Glory is not an uncommon desire for any man, but among the societies of the galaxy it is most prominent in them. But that is the Mandalorian way, not your way or the Jedi way. It is a foreign concept from those that seek peace and are willing to fight for it. They are the opposite. They seek conflict and will pick fights to find it, so that they can prove their worth as warriors. Their life is the life of a warrior and a dedicated warrior without a war is not truly living. Just like myself: I am a teacher and if I cannot teach then I'm not truly living."

[Aran Enfas]

Aran sighed. "I have heard some say -- of the Mandalorians, of the Sith -- that there will be no peace without their annihilation. I do not wish to believe it."

[Tra Kize]

"That is not necessarily true. I also believe there won't be peace. But I don't think that annihilation of a culture will help to find it. The concepts that drive Mandalorians and Sith to war are not unnatural or foreign things to the intelligent mind. It may give peace for a time because of the power vacuum it would create, but someone would fill it in."

[Aran Enfas]

Aran nods. "I feel gladness, of a sort, that there is no true victory to be found in such horrors. But the Jedi always seek balance. I do not want to believe that peace is an unnatural state to the galaxy."

[Tra Kize]

"Peace is not an unnatural state for the Galaxy, but it is an untenable state for life forms. It will eventually deteriorate and devolve into fighting, and eventually those fighting will become exhausted and find peace. Societies experience cycles just as the planets have seasons and life has generations. It is possible to maintain a lasting peace, but not an eternal peace. Aggressive natures will always seek outlet."

[Aran Enfas]

Aran nodded. "The Force is always in balance. That means that not all things can be light, all the time, even though we must all strive to seek it." He rose and bowed from the waist. "You have given me much to think about. I will meditate on this."

[Tra Kize]

"Of course. Glad to be of assistance," he replies. "Anytime you wish to speak, feel free to contact me."