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Aayla smiled gently while Harry talked as if he was the first person to come up with that idea. There were actually nonprofit groups devoted to trying to stop the slave trade, but they didn't have nearly enough influence across the republic to make much headway.
She leaned forward gently, kissing Harry on the lips, pressing her body against his as both of their physical bodies stiffened slightly before she pulled away, ending their connection as she physically turned to him. "Harry I love the fact you want to help, and I agree the Order should be doing more about making people aware of the issue. But please don't get your hopes up about that making a difference right away. Slavery is too deeply entrenched, and far too wide spread in the Outer Rim let alone the Core Worlds with their 'indentured servants' for even the Order to make much difference."
"What are you two talking about?" Fay asked, looking up from her patient. The young woman, a human female of around 24 must've been a slave for at least six or seven years, and bore the scars both on her soul and body to prove it. She was still beautiful of course, but the scars were there, for those with eyes to see. Fay had already started to deal with many of the physical issues, but Master Unduli and other local specialists, psychologists and medical personnel, were all around them as well.
Harry explained as around him more than a few of the helpers either frowned or looked away as Harry talked about how morally reprehensible it was to simply ignore the issue of slavery. Aayla noticed their reactions and shook her head. Sentient nature being what it was they would no doubt have forgotten about it in a few hours after they left. But perhaps, just perhaps they would put more effort in helping the ex-slaves right in front of them for now.
"I agree with you," Fay said after a moment, "However, the Jedi Order doesn't have the resources to pull something like that off. We barely have a PR department all, let alone one that would be up to that kind of a challenge. Nor does the Order as a whole ever make such large, sweeping statements as what you are describing."
Harry nodded sadly before going back to work.
It took the rest of the day, but eventually the repatriation process was fully organized, all of the slaves medically cleared and given housing for a time. It would take several weeks to get them all home of course. Many of them after all had come from planets which had no connection with Sorenno at all, and others were simply on the far side of the galaxy from Count Dooku's home planet. But now that it was organized and the local government involved it was going to get done one way or the other.
That evening, while Harry and Aayla went to the beach together with Master Quinlan in order to catch up with him Master Fay checked in with Komari and Luminara. She was happy to see that the progress the two of them had been making had not slowed down in her two-day actually agreed with Master Unduli that Knight Vosa should be allowed to carry her lightsaber once more. She wasn't going to sign off on Komari going all out on missions anytime soon, but the younger woman had enough mental and emotional balance no for Fay to believe Komari could practice training once more and not become a danger to herself or others.
That evening Lily showed up before Harry, Harry and Aayla now walking around the grounds of the estate, having more 'us time' as Lily put it.
Hearing that Master Unduli shook her head. "I still do not understand why you are so willing to look the other way on this issue. I know I can sense their connection, but even so attachments like that will lead to jealousy. They always do. You probably do not know but when I was younger, a knight by the name of Shan-Ree fell for a young man, a Antaran Ranger. But she eventually fell to the Dark Side when they could not spend enough time together, and he gradually fell out of love with her."
"Then perhaps you should listen to what you just said," Lily retorted tartly. "They could not spend enough time together. That certainly won't happen if Harry and Aayla are allowed to stay together."
"You're missing the point Lily. We Jedi, with our connection to the Force emotions such as love can all too easily be turned around entirely. There is a corrupting effect to the Dark Side, anger, hate, fear, aggression. All of these emotions once you feel them can become a part of you, can corrupt you. If their love turns to jealousy…"
"You misunderstand the nature of their bond." Lily said, looking over at Fay who nodded, indicating Lily could tell Luminara what they knew of the bond. "It isn't just a Force thing, it's a full mental connection. They literally feel one another's emotions and thoughts. Admittedly I thought maybe this could lead to some moments of friction, but I haven't seen any yet. And until I do I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. That is something you Jedi seem unable to do, you're unable to admit that you should take people as they come rather than as you believe them to be. You always put your own opinions above anyone else's until the fact you're wrong is rubbed into your faces."
Luminara winced at that attack, knowing it did hit on a problem with the Order: Jedi tended to trust what the Force was telling them over what they could find out in others ways, and it did indeed cause problems at times on missions if the Jedi didn't make allowances for the need to find physical things to back up his or her feelings from the force.
"As for the idea of anger and hate corrupting, I haven't seen the phenomenon, but Fay has, and she believes the effect is real." Lily went on calmly. "However again you are basing that argument on their love turning around on them, and again I say their mental connection would make that next to impossible so long as it remains intact."
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