trans_9 | Meet and Greet Part Deux: The Socialing

She patted the girl's soft brown hair. She had focused on the idea of the similarities between Avatar and Kwisatz Haderach too. A more conservative Reverend Mother would have advised killing him, 'just to be safe'. But Sheeana remembered Paul Atreides' own words: The safe path leads ever downward to stagnation! This 'Avatar' would have to be evaluated on his own terms.

"Because we were fools. All we could focus on was the things the Kwisatz Haderach could show us. We were so obsessed with the knowledge we could gain from him, we didn't bother to ask ourselves what would be the consequences of bringing such a being into existence."

The patting on her head was not something she'd been expecting, but it was not unwanted despite it catching her off guard. She simply blinked and listened closely to what her teacher was saying. She knew why too, and it wasn't just curiosity. She wanted to make sure an altercation wouldn't happen between the two of them.

"'Such a being?" You make him sound like a thing, like a kind of unstoppable force. But from what I read, his mother was a Bene Gesserit, and was born because of their influence. As far as I knew, wouldn't he be a good thing for them? What consequences came about because of him?"

Sheeana put her finger to her lip, trying to compose and summarize. To someone who had never taken melange and had not lived through her universe's unique and bloody history, there was a good chance this would be hard to explain.

"Yes, and it was the greatest mistake we have ever made as an organization. He was an unstoppable force. What he did...When I say the Kwisatz Haderach saw the future, you should understand that in doing so he locked the future into place, stole chance from all of us. When I say he was a hero, you should know how heroes distort the societies they inhabit."

Katara had to listen quietly to all of this: Sheeana was letting her know something that would be looked on as a warning, something that might make her not trust Aang. She had to make sure of two things: that Sheeana knew what Aang had done for her world, and what she would do for him in return.

"Heroes have to change things sometimes in order for things to change," Katara replied. "Being a Kwisatz Haderach is not a responsibility anyone ever decides they'll just take, it happens because they are born. This is the same for the Avatar in my world: when one dies, the next Avatar is born into a new body from another nation. The things Aang did only looked easy to other people: to the people that watched him, he was only starting to get the hang of it, and was risking his life every single time. I'm not saying that having a locked future with no chance is great, it certainly doesn't sound like it. But I also know that without him we would have no future. It would have fallen into the hands of killers and soldiers who's only concern was personal gain. Because of that, it is why I question the opinion of the Kwisatz Haderach."

It may have been the first time she and Sheeana ever disagreed on something, and Katara knew she hadn't lived the aftermath of what happened on Arrakis like Sheeana. But she also had her own experiences with those that cared about what Aang was doing, and those that wanted to hurt him or use him because of who he was.

Sheeana decided to lay things out on the table. Intrigue was a tool for dealing with those outside of the order. Ever since Katara had taken her vows, it had become innapropriate to hold things back from her.

"Let me make this clear. I do not think your Avatar is a Kwisatz Haderach. He is his own being and I will evaluate him on his own terms." Which didn't mean she was going to like him. "And I certainly would not have liked to see an Arrakis under Harkonnen rule...Or your world under the Fire Nation. However in this case the cure proved far worse than the disease. However, if you want to see it for yourself...His daughter is on board this ship. Ask her what had to be done to undo her father's mistakes."

Katara understood Sheeana wanted to make her own things clear: how Sheeana would view Aang, and how little Katara knew of her world. Both things Sheeana had done without a trace of anger or the slightest bit of hesitation. For that, Katara wanted to make sure that she had not stepped over the line.

"There is much I'm still learning about your world and others," she said. "If I seem lacking knowledge, that will change in time. I'm just talking from my own experiences. You got to see the aftermath of the Kwisatz Haderach: I was pulled from my world before we could see what peace in my world looked like, truly."

Ah, there's embryonic wisdom! Sheeana was momentarily pleased.

"Exactly. Wars are easy to win. A just peace is much more difficult." Truthfully, she also had the Kwisatz Haderach's son on board too, in a way...But that was a conversation for another time, when there were no ears to overhear them. She added 'learn the history of Katara's world' to her already long mental list of things to do.

"Not all wars are easy to win," Katara said, thinking of how long the war between the nations had taken place. "But you're right about a just peace. If people already knew how to make peace, there wouldn't be problems after the war in the first place. But I'd like to think its not completely silly to imagine we can out aside our differences and just let people live."

"Maybe." She shrugged. Sheeana had a cynical view of human nature. "I'm not holding my breath." It seemed at odds with the Bene Gesserit vision, but then, when you love someone, you sometimes expect good things from them even if you know you'll be dissappointed.

"Actually there's something i'd like to know more about: How is bending taught? What are the methodologies for imparting the four arts?" This was important. She had to know what kind of expectations Katara would have of her as a teacher so she could selectively go at odds with most of them. :-3.

Katara lowered her head. "I never said it would be easy. In fact, the hope I have isn't an easy hope to begin with. Peace takes work. I learned that after going to the Middle East. We were having people get together to enjoy time with their families and the insurgents came anyway. If peace is going to reign anywhere, it needs help."

Here, Katara had to pause. "Well, I had to teach myself mostly, because I didn't have a bending teacher until I went off with Aang. I learned from experience and scrolls, and then I got to learn from Master Paku. I can't say there's a real methodology, since every teacher is different. Master Paku was a pretty strict teacher though, and expected as much dedication from his students as he gave. I guess that might be why I talk the way I do to you: training with him could be fairly humbling."

She could leave out the part where she fought him. That Sheeana could learn about later.

"I see." She would have words with this Master Paku if he ever appeared here. He had given the girl skill but almost destroyed her urge to question. There were teachers who let their abilities go to their heads. Not even the Bene Gesserit were immune, though they tried to eliminate them from the organization where possible. One more reminder and if Katara didn't take it to heart, well she had other ways of driving the lesson home. Hilarious ways. So she kindof wished she would and kindof wished she wouldn't. "You know, while I expect you to train the things I ask you to, I do not expect you to do it unquestioningly. Critical thinking is a large part of what you will learn too."

"Yes, I think I'm getting very bad at that!" Katara said, laughing a little at herself. "I gue4s I'm just a little anxious, because this is still so new to me. I'm glad for the training, and I really don't mind the extra work, but I have to try so hard to be a blank slate! It would be disrespectful to my people."

She didn't understand herself why she was being so diligent. Was it because a part of her wanted to be accepted so badly? No, she thought she might know, thinking about it a bit more. It was just the first time she'd ever been in an order where it had been exclusively women fighting, and she did not want to fall behind or look arrogant because of what she'd been able to accomplish already.

"Could you tell me, then, a little about Alia?"

Sheeana put that aside for later. There would be time to teach this lesson that was far more important than any physical teaching.

"It's not a happy tale. When Paul Atreides disappeared, fifteen year old Alia was placed in charge of the empire he had ruled. The stress proved overwhelming and by the time she was thirty, she was taking increasingly large doses of Spice, looking for prescience to guide her. She was also having difficulty with the voices in her Other Memory demanding attention from her constantly. She began make increasingly rash and despotic decision, ruthlessly executing dissenters and seeking distraction in the beds of her high priests."

She gave Katara a moment to absorb this.

"It was into this milieau that the Memory-Life of the Baron Harkonnen, her maternal grandfather entered. Even in death he had not forgotten his hatred for the Atreides. He presented himself as a helper to Alia, advising her and silencing the other voices within. What he was actually doing though was quietly taking over more and more of her mind. Things came to a head at the wedding of Ghanima, when Leto appeared to claim his place on the throne. The Baron's voice came from her mouth, declaring his hatred for all Atreides, especially her 'Bene Gesserit whore' of a mother. Alia, by effort of will, took her body back for a moment and plunged her crysknife into her heart."

Katara listened, and something went off in her head. She remembered that she'd read about a condition that could sometimes be suffered by certain babies that were Bene Gesserit, but it wasn't any guarantee that she was right. At the moment, she couldn't remember it.

"That's..." Katara was speechless. She had only met Alia for a little while, and while there was something off about her, she could also clearly see the wisdom there. "That's horrible. So because of all the stress, she couldn't cope, and the Baron took over her mind? I couldn't imagine a sadder history."

And then it occurred to her.

"The Abomination?"

Sheeana nodded solemnly. "That is her. I do not know how far our Alia's condition has progressed. But she is dangerous either way. She hates us, considers us responsible for her condition. And The Baron was no friend of our organization either...Small wonder, considering his rampant misogyny."

"Oh," Katara said, and that was something she wished she didn't learn. "I thought we were getting along, but she seemed a little reserved about certain things. I wondered if she had her own opinion about what the Bene Gesserit meant to her."

Katara made a face. "In that case, the Baron and I would not get along. But if she means us harm, we would defend each other, wouldn't we?"

Sheeana smiled and her blue within blue eyes looked like those of a mother wolf for a split second. "Sister, if someone attempted to harm you I would spill their water on the ground two milliseconds before their third heartbeat had passed."

Katara was glad she was starting to learn to control parts of her body, so she didn't blush when Sheeana said this. She did, however, give her teacher a determined smile.

"That makes me happy to hear Sister. I abhor the idea of killing anyone, but if they meant to hurt you, I would make sure if they were not dead, they would still be in a lot of pain."

Severe frostbit was no joke.

"So I guess there;s no way Alia can be an ally?"

Sheeana solemnly shook her head. "The best we can hope for is that we will not come into conflict. Even if she can fight off the Baron's influence, she will never forgive us for making her what she is." She laid a hand on Katara's shoulder. "It has been a long mission. You should rest."

Sheeana's advice was sound, and she knew that, but a part of her still felt really bad to hear about Alia's plight and her hatred for Bene Gesserit. All she could do now is continue her training.

"I hope she can see is for what we are, and remember why she was one of us," Katara said softly. "And maybe that's just something a fool like me can pray for."

"If all of us were as sweet as you, noone would hate us." They might not get much done either, but Katara deserved some kind words after all the work she'd put in planetside. "Now come on. Rest so you can train tomorrow morning." She gently began to lead her away with her arm on her shoulder. Darwi must have been rubbing off on her.

Here, Katara was reminded of what she'd said to Alia: that she had to balance both her waterbender side and her sisterhood side. Something, she thought glumly, that also meant paying the price when you had too much power and could become corrupt. Walking the path of the Bene Gesserit, she was seeing, meant sometimes you got dangerous enemies.

Better that Sokka would never learn this, he'd flip.

"Ok Sheeana," she said and took a deep breath. There was the silent acknowledgment that she still had a lot to learn, and that sometimes it was dangerous to try to stay passive.

But she didn't mind Sheeana's friendly gesture either.

Meet and Greet Part Deux: The Socialing

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