Faction Necessary Precautions [Vonnuvi Jedi Enclave, New Jedi Order]

[Jalen Kai'el]

Vonnuvi
Tags: Valery Noble

Delta-7​

"Just know that even if you're prepared, you're a Padawan yourself. There's no shame in having to take steps back or feeling as if something is too much for you."

"It's fine," Jalen insisted. "This is what I've been preparing for, right? I'm not exactly a kid anymore anyways. They need healers, so I need to be out there."

Jalen was pretty quickly reminded that Valery had, indeed, had one more child added to her family very recently. All things considered, she had bounced back from her paternal leave pretty well. The aspiring doctor in him couldn't help but swirl with concern, if only for a moment.

"The baby is in good health, I hope?" he asked. "Stress of the mother is known to have some effect on little ones. Mother and child is a rather symbiotic connection..." Jalen gave a sympathetic smile her way. "I'm sure everything is fine, but the medic in me had to ask. I... imagine you must be under a lot of pressure. War isn't a happy time to bring up a family."

He sighed, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"My brother's finding that out the hard way," the padawan noted with a frown. " Braze being injured on Tython had him beside himself with guilt. Not that he could have changed anything, and of course he knows that... but you know how Jasper gets."

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Fine," Gatz rasped, clearly not fine, "just a long couple of days, that's all."

"It's nothing to worry about, Master. I've survived much worse."

Inanna didn't believe him, of course. Not when he looked like death warmed over, and failed to even notice she was there until she said something. "Are you sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just because you've had worse doesn't mean you should endure suffering. Not when there are things that can be done to help."

She was operating on the assumption that he was sick, maybe with a bug that had been going around. Or it could be something more serious. After all, her apprentice was smart enough not to go days without sleep. He wasn't that stupid, was he?

"Maybe the Chief Healer could help." Turning, she waved to get the attention of Amani Serys and motioned her over. In the process, she caught Ashur trying to steal another snack from her plate. "Hey! That's mine." Ashur tried to hold it out of her reach, so she resorted to tickling him until he relented.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Rayia Si]

Shan Pavond Eloise Dinn @Others

---

Rayia shrugged at Shan’s refusal, seemingly non-plussed. She’d offered out of politeness. But Shan was right, she did need to eat. She couldn’t fail to catch the slight discomfort and cringing coming from Eloise as she watched her eat.

Flicking her ear with something akin to chagrin, Rayia picked out the shard of bone from beneath her teeth before chewing and swallowing. Then she twisted her head so that the sight of her eating habits wasn’t in direct view of the other two. ‘Great, you’ve already made a fabulous first impression with the far travelers…’ Rayia thought to herself.

Perking up slightly as she heard Shan recount his recent endeavors, Rayia grinned. “Sounds like you’ve been keeping busy,” she said. Though the wane smile that flickers across her face as the corners of her mouth twitch at his words about her mission seems sad and knowing.

“I… don’t know if it was,” she admits. Though Rayia appreciated the attempt to salve her pride, she had actual doubts as to whether or not she was really contributing. ‘…I did free a few hundred people. But still… was it really the most efficient way to spend my time considering the serpents slowly encroaching on Galactic Alliance territory?’ Rayia thought to herself.

Then, with a shake of her head as if to banish the thoughts plaguing her, Rayia turned to Eloise. “So, I already kinda know what Shan’s been up to. Same patch of dry willow-weed that’s been trying to burn up the savanah for the past few years, so to speak. State of the galaxy and all that. But what’s it been like here?” She asked.

 

[Shan Pavond]

"What's that got to do with him gassing up the dorms?

"Just that he was probably doing something with animals or plants, and didn't think about how they might affect the dorms. Oh. I'm Shan by the way. Nice to meet you and everything."
There was no need for him to act as formally around his fellow Padawans as he might with Knights or Masters. Taking a quick glance between both Rayia and Eloise for a moment, listening to them talk.

“Sounds like you’ve been keeping busy,”

"Nah. I'm just doing what's expected of me. I mean, I'm still in one piece so."

That was technically more than could be said for Ko with his eyesight. Or Braze with his arm...Come to think of it, did Braze even still have a broken arm? He hadn't seen the little ruffian in a while so Shan wouldn't know to save his life. That thought was interrupted by Rayia saying she was unsure if she was actually contributing to anything. He decided to hold his tongue for now, there was no point just spewing out positive words, especially when they were going to be pretty useless.

"Yeah. How is it here? You're the expert here and everything? Anything Master Serys is part of has to be great at the end of the day."

Eloise Dinn Rayia Si

 

[Eloise Dinn]

"Just that he was probably doing something with animals or plants, and didn't think about how they might affect the dorms."

"Nah, he filled his room with the gases of his homeworld so he could breathe without his mask," Eloise said. "He probably thought it would be okay as long as he covered up the vents." Clearly it wasn't. "I already know who you are. We fought together on Ukatis."

She couldn't totally blame him for not remembering. Apart from both having been in the same general vicinity, they had no interactions with each other. On the other hand, she also paid attention to who was in her classes and what news spread in the form of rumors. She had heard Shan was among the Jedi who were abducted by Darth Nwul, and one of the few survivors of that ordeal. But that was about it. He wasn't a super standout guy, out there causing drama and making everything about him. He was just Shan. In Eloise's book that made him tolerable, at least.

“So, I already kinda know what Shan’s been up to. Same patch of dry willow-weed that’s been trying to burn up the savannah for the past few years, so to speak. State of the galaxy and all that. But what’s it been like here?”

"Better than the Coruscant Temple," Eloise muttered, picking up her drink and taking a sip. She had been sorely tempted to downplay the Vonnuvi Enclave in hopes of maybe convincing them to feth off to Prosperity instead, but trying to use reverse psychology like that could've just as easily backfired. If they heard it sucked, they might decide to stay and "make things better". "I prefer it here, anyway. It's smaller and not as grand, but at least you don't have people kissing the Nobles' asses to get ahead. And instead of acting like we're just an extension of the Alliance military, we do relief work and restore planets."

Rayia Si Shan Pavond​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani kept to herself as more people shuffled in and began to find their little nook for the night. She was content brooding on her own thoughts of recent events. Perhaps her husband was rubbing off on her. After a time, she glanced out the corner of her eye and saw Inanna trying to get her attention. Amani offered a flat smile and quickly obliged.

When she got there, she noticed Gatz as well, who seemed quite exhausted. This seemed to be something that happened pretty mcuh every time she saw the padawan. Amani sighed softly, figuring what the reason for her coming over was. Inanna had her son with her, and he used the opporntuty to try and steal from his mom's food. Amani watched and softly chuckled, before turning to the group as a whole, "Uh, hey. What's going on?"

Inanna Harth - Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Inanna Harth Amani Serys

"Maybe the Chief Healer could help."

"That's really not necessary, I'm just a little overworked—"

Too late. Gatz sighed as Master Serys-Organa approached. The last thing he wanted was to bother her with yet another thing. She was, quite literally, the very last person he wanted to see him like this. Every choice he'd made since returning to the Order—including the returning itself—had been influenced or inspired by the example she had set for him, that day on New Cov. He'd thrown himself at every problem the Vonnuvi faced—whether it was as big as scouting Ithor, or as small as patching a fuel line on her Defender-class corvette—all as a way to earn his keep as one of her enclave's many students.

And yet, all he'd done is prove himself lacking, time and time again. In his studies, in Force Healing, and now in his ability to actually perform his Jedi duties. A small part of him was angry with Inanna, for wanting to show off to a Jedi Council member just how inept her student was. Except... it was concern that graced her face, not anything else.

Being angry with someone who was worried about him was stupid and childish, so he swallowed that feeling and accepted his fate with another sigh. He probably wasn't going back to Coruscant tonight.

"Uh, hey. What's going on?"

"I'm fine," Gatz rasped, sounding not-so-fine, "I'm not sick, I'm just tired. There's a war going on. There's too much to do, not enough time to get it done, and not enough people to do it. What are a few skipped meals and a few hours of lost sleep when entire worlds have been invaded?"

Considering the way he was using the wall as a cane, a few hours of sleep might actually have been something important.

 

[Braze]

Although his mental shields were taught his body language spoke volumes.

TAGS: OPEN

Braze had to do something... He needed to do something to work out his frustrations. He decisively headed to find the training areas, finally discovering the dojo. Observing it with curiosity, he noticed that many people were off enjoying the feast. Stepping in, he squinted as the lights flickered on automatically. He went to the light controls and dimmed the lighting in the room, creating a subdued atmosphere that matched his mood. He stepped out into the middle and drew a slow, heavy breath.

Holding his position in the center of the dojo, Braze reached for his lightsaber, the familiar weight of the hilt grounding him. With a flick of his wrist, the blade ignited, casting a sharp green-blue glow that sliced through the dimness. Closing his eyes momentarily, he centered himself, focusing on the emotions swirling within him.

Opening his eyes with renewed intensity, he began to move. At first, his actions were slow and deliberate, each step and turn measured and precise. He transitioned into a sequence of movements that, while fluid and controlled, carried an underlying aggression. The sharp snaps of his saber cutting through the air grew faster and more forceful, the blue light tracing erratic patterns as he let his instincts guide him.

Each motion was a release, a way to channel the turmoil inside into physical form. Juyo—the seventh form of lightsaber combat, although wild and aggressive, suited his current state perfectly. Unpredictable and relentless.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna didn’t heed Gatz’s pleas not to intervene. As Amani approached, she gestured to him. “Master, I’m concerned about my Padawan. He doesn’t look well. I was wondering if you could have a look at him.”

"I'm fine. I'm not sick, I'm just tired. There's a war going on. There's too much to do, not enough time to get it done, and not enough people to do it. What are a few skipped meals and a few hours of lost sleep when entire worlds have been invaded?"

“If everything ground to a halt whenever there was a war, we’d never get anywhere,” Inanna muttered. “Life must still go on, you know.” Her tone was gentle, knowing, as she raised a cookie which Ashur had already taken a bite out of to her mouth and ate it.

Gatz Derrevar Amani Serys​

 

[Thalia Senn]

Braze
​

"Storms, if you fight like that in the field," Thalia said from a corner of the dojo, "You're going to cut your own arm off before you hit anything." She pushed away from the training rack she'd been leaning on as she watched the Padawan swing with reckless abandon. It clattered, the training bokken and staffs rattling in their wooden slats.

"Who is your master Padawan? I ought to give them a blasted thrashing for this sloppy work." Moreover the youth shouldn't have been practicing Juyo on his own. Who had okayed this? She stopped herself just short of the Padawan her gloved hand reaching up to the lightsaber hilt strapped to her chest. It slipped free of the leather strap and came to life in her hands with a snap-hiss, the silvery white blade erupting from its salt-weathered casing.

"Well?"

​

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Thalia Senn

Braze's attention snapped toward her voice. He had been intensely focused internally, keeping his shields tight and withdrawn from everything else, so her presence came as a surprise. He twirled his blade, flourishing it as he straightened up to a normal pose, watching her draw near while idly toying with the weapon in his right hand.

His gaze swept over her, eyeing her from head to toe and back again. His green eyes studied her form, her gait, and the tenseness in her muscles as she moved. He didn't know her. Curiosity painted his expression.

Braze, ever quick to parry words as well as blows, spoke up. "Well, at least I won't run out of limbs before you run out of critiques."

He took a few steps toward her with a more calculated motion, adopting Makashi and falling into the soft paw steps he was accustomed to, a sense of excitement roiling beneath. He was worked up and in an aggressive mood that was starting to turn playful—a dangerous combination for Braze.

"Everyone's got their style. Mine just happens to be a bit more... avant-garde," he said, flourishing his blade once more before saluting her with it, as if readying to launch into a volley at any moment. "My master? He's likely off on another mercy mission, looking for a cure to my 'hopeless case' of swordsmanship and obsession. He's all about saving lost causes, you know."

 

[Thalia Senn]

Braze
​

Lightning cracked behind Thalia's eyes as the youth spoke. The irony of a smart mouthed youth who thought they were the best duelist since Anakin Skywalker did not miss her. She tried her best to keep the storm from rising. The winds were howling though, and this youth didn't have an errey's shell or a storm shelter to hide under.

She smiled.

"You only get to add your 'avant-garde' when you can perform the form properly." She said. Her arm whipped around, a strike that came hard and fast like a strike from the barbed tail of a vornskr. She fully expected the boy to catch the strike, she'd telegraphed enough...Right? Juuuust in case the blade had been set to stun for training. The white blade hummed through the air as it careened toward the youth.

​

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Thalia Senn

Braze loved the thrill of banter as much as the clash of blades. He drew his sword, parrying her strike by sweeping his blade up from below to meet hers. Although her position was initially more advantageous, Braze executed a cross-step to his right, moving diagonally forward and closer to her. He pressed against her blade, skillfully guiding its momentum past him as he maneuvered to her outside.

"I thought Juyo was about bending the rules. Am I doing it too soon?"

He was intent on testing her with some unorthodox maneuvers, eager to gauge her skill level. As his blade shifted around hers, he cleverly redirected it, seizing the advantageous position. With a swift side step, Braze found himself closer on her outside and launched a riposte aimed towards her face.

Braze couldn't help but notice the ferocity and fluidity with which she wielded her lightsaber. It was clear she was using Juyo, and she executed the aggressive movements of the form with an impressive level of skill. This realization didn't escape him, his own novice attempts at the form seeming rough in comparison.

A wry smile played on his lips. "Should I be calling you 'Master' now, or do we save the formalities for when you've officially beaten me?" he quipped, his tone teasing yet laced with genuine respect for her prowess. The way she moved, seamlessly blending attack with artful maneuver, prompted him to consider the gap in their skills—and the cheeky challenge added a playful edge to the spar.

 

[Thalia Senn]

Braze​

"You only get to bend the rules," she said, allowing her blade to be redirected, her movements flowing with his own, "When you understand why they are there in the first place." A lesson she had learned the hard way, had been taught through pain- her own and the pain of others she loved. She twisted away, appearing to stumble back but snapped her blade up to defend against the lad's blow to her face. She could feel the warmth of his blade, the low hum of his blade harmonizing with her own. Good, training mode.

"Should I be calling you 'Master' now, or do we save the formalities for when you've officially beaten me?"

"Storms no!" she shouted, a look of pure terror crossing her face. Her lip curled up disgustedly, as if she'd just tasted sour meliroon. She gagged, the idea of having a padawan strapped to her hip after so long being free was horrifying, but she let the moment pass.

"There is strength in your strikes. But you haven't earned the right to train Juyo yet." She smirked and finally moved into the traditional opening stance of Juyo, blade up, point fixed to her left. Her feet were wider than the traditional stance, a modification she made for her usual jar'kai fused Juyo. The Way of the Vornskr never sat well with her. She had grown up on Pamarthe in a pastoral community of veterans from a dozen wars. Her nearest neighbors across the northern bridge had a pack of vornskr of the Mandalorian variety and they'd never seemed so ferocious to her.

The only beasts that scarred her were the Sky Eels...And the Pamarthen Lion.

She moved on him, letting the waves of the Force guide her hand. It wasn't often she had the height and strength advantage over her opponents. Even in his heeled boots she almost towered over him. She flashed a toothy smile as her blade came down ferociously. Zone 1. Zone 2. Zone 2. Zone 1. Her blows crashed down on him like an angry wave, or a hungry beast. She felt the Tempest rising within.

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Thalia Senn

"You only get to bend the rules," she said, allowing her blade to be redirected, her movements flowing with his own, "When you understand why they are there in the first place."

"Then consider this my advanced course in creative interpretation," Braze said, his voice tinged with both challenge and amusement. "After all, what's the fun in mastering the rules if you can't test their limits every now and then?" Recognizing the need for the best form to counter Juyo, he reluctantly shifted to Soresu. This form demanded calm and control, providing minimal openings for an opponent to exploit and requiring the patience to wait for the perfect moment to strike back.

Braze was not fond of Soresu—it lacked the fiery dynamic of more aggressive forms—but he knew its value and when to deploy it. To transition into this state of calm, he took a deep breath, striving to quell the burgeoning fire in his heart. Practitioners of Soresu are known for their ability to outlast their opponents, making Form III ideally suited to withstand the intense, offensive barrage of Juyo.

"Storms no!" she shouted, a look of pure terror crossing her face. Her lip curled up disgustedly, as if she'd just tasted sour meliroon. She gagged, the idea of having a padawan strapped to her hip after so long being free was horrifying, but she let the moment pass.

"There is strength in your strikes. But you haven't earned the right to train Juyo yet."

Braze wanted to seize the momentary shift in her emotions to launch his attack. Even though he found himself on the defensive, he struggled to maintain his focus. He yearned to match her intensity blow for blow, but he knew such a tactic would likely end disastrously.

She was, in truth, a magnificent sight—her form and movements compelling and nearly impossible to ignore. Undoubtedly, she was impressive, and Braze found himself challenged to meet her blow for blow. He was cold reading her, a stranger as an opponent, and he had to work overtime to catch a glimpse of her rhythm as he blocked and parried, guiding her blade's momentum past. Positions 4, 6, 6, 4, then back again—a pattern he began to recognize and anticipate, though it was too soon to be sure.

On the back foot and losing ground to his taller opponent, Braze drew a slow, heavy breath as he moved to align his blade with hers. He attempted to move into her inner circle, reaching out with his braced left arm in a bid to tap her as he passed, trying to disengage from her fierce onslaught and put some distance between them, and to see if he could tap her.

"And what does one do to earn that right? What did you do to earn it?" he asked, his voice steady but filled with earnest curiosity, even amidst the intensity of their duel.

 

[Thalia Senn]

Braze
​

Thalia frowned at his shift in forms, his blade defending from her savage blows in halting, loathful Soresu. She broke off the attack and began to circle the padawan, twirling her blade once every few steps to keep her momentum going. She cocked her head curiously, eyeing him up and down, and stopped.

"And what does one do to earn that right? What did you do to earn it?"

She had been taught in the pits of the Maw, the hungry gaze of Darth Solipsis watching her every move. That creature she had called Master put her up against hordes of Moon Children to hone her ferocity and beat into her himself the forms of Juyo and Vaapad. And so she answered a question with another question.

"Who taught you Juyo, Padawan?"

​

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Thalia Senn

Braze mirrored her steps like a reflection as he gracefully circled around her, copying not just her movements but the very essence of how she carried herself and the pace she maintained. He was in full imitation mode, absorbing every detail—a rare opportunity he was not about to let slip by. He wanted to be like her. He wanted this very much.

He smiled at the question. "A little birdy shared some secrets with me," he stated coyly, deliberately vague about his source. His previous admission to Jasper Kai'el about where he had acquired the black and red-tipped feather for his Padawan braid had nearly given Jasper Kai'el a heart attack. Braze decided it was best not to volunteer any more details about his time spent with Teresa Pelles | Darth Pellax .

Braze's attitude had undoubtedly shifted; he was genuinely having fun. It was a cautious, curious kind of enjoyment, tempered with a desire to dive into more spirited aggressiveness, yet he restrained himself—almost painfully. Nonetheless, he was exhilarated.

"I suppose neither of us is eager to kiss and tell?" he teased, hinting at their mutual reluctance to disclose their mentor in Juyo. The stigma and taboo surrounding this form, especially when practiced without controlled aggression, were concerns they likely shared. After all, unbridled hate was seldom a good look for Jedi.

 

[Thalia Senn]

Braze
​

The thought of kissing that old salt cursed face of Solipsis made her grimace again. She'd heard that some Sith took their apprentices as partners or concubines, obssessed carnal power over others as much as the power that lay in the arms of the Dark Side - and there was power there, no doubt. She had been lucky that Solipsis was obsessed with the power promised by the Dark Side itself and not the petty trappings of power many Dark Siders fell into.

"A fallen Jedi Knight," she said simply. "During the war with the One Sith, he fought alongside my mother. He vanished during the conflict, but came back a few years later. He was killed when the Maw attacked Coruscant." In a way, the young Jedi Knight Kaigann Fossk had fought with her mother- in that they both fought for the Republic against Sith, and he had returned. It was a common enough background for the Jedi who roamed the stars in these uncertain times. She shook her head and deactivated her blade.

"Being a Jedi is no game, lad. The traditions, forms, and education you receive have purpose. Though you may not care now from where you learned your techniques, every action we take has consequences." She wouldn't pry any farther into the young man's life. Her lightsaber slid neatly into her chest holster, the leather conforming to the shape of the weapon.

"There are dark storms ahead, deep water. Make sure you're learning to sail these winds the right way. And make sure you learn how to swim." With that she turned from the boy and strode toward the dojo doors.

She paused at the threshold and turned to him. "That was a fancy trick, the way you turned my blade in the beginning."

​

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Thalia Senn

Braze fell silent as she spoke, his attention fully captivated by the mysterious figure before him. He wondered about the identity of this fallen Jedi Knight. His smile faded as he absorbed her words, his expression gradually shifting to a frown, his brows furrowing in thought. Her analogy about learning to swim evoked a vivid set of memories, driving her point home and making him reluctantly concede to her wisdom, even though he disliked admitting it.

Her final words caught him off guard, and a faint, subdued smile returned, softening his previously tense and poised demeanor. With a hiss, his blade deactivated, plunging the room back into dimness.

"Thanks," he said, his voice carrying a mix of emotions. He truly felt and thought many things at that moment. Though he didn't know who she was and she didn't know him, something about their encounter felt right, as if he was better off for having met her like this.

 

[Rayia Si]

Eloise Dinn Shan Pavond @Others

---

Rayia lapsed into silence for a bit, listening to Shan and Eloise debate why Ko had set off the alarms. Having lived with her fellow Padawan aboard the Reaper for some months now, Rayia could guess at the real reason. “I’m inclined to think with Eloise in this case. He nearly did the same thing aboard ship,” Rayia said.

Shan’s next words caused her eyes to widen with some alarm. “Hey, don’t jinx it. The galaxy has a cruel sense of humor,” Rayia chided. She had lived with Ko before and after his eyesight had been stolen. It had an effect on him in the beginning that she didn’t wish to see shouldered by others. ‘I’m not afraid for Shan. He’d be resilient enough to make the most of it like Ko did. But there’s no reason to draw trouble to himself,’ Rayia thought to herself.

Rayia’s eyebrow arched a tick at the undercurrent of spite in Eloise’ tone. Rayia had never properly stayed at any temple. Instead, she often flew around with Jonyna Si and learned on the move. The closest thing to proper life in the temple had been their brief stint on New Cov, if anything. ‘What does the Coruscant temple have to do with anything? Ah, whatever. I’m not going to fix the knots in her tail,’ Rayia thought to herself.

“It sounds quite nice here,” Rayia replied thinking about how she had helped on Ukatis. Knowing there was a whole faction doing as such helped soothe some of her nerves.