A Jedi and His Apprentice Episode I: The Search for a Decent Title

[Dune Rhur]

Just Inside the Atmosphere of Alderaan:

It was remarkable that Alderaan existed again, Dune Rhur decided from the pilot's chair of the shuttle. He knew Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology had made it possible but it was another thing to see a world blown apart centuries ago whole. It spoke volumes about the evils of the Galactic Empire where destroying an entire world was but another thing they'd done. He couldn't imagine how sensing an entire world destroyed would've felt.

Below them, through the transparasteel viewing screen, they could see the snow-capped mountains just now. They were approaching the surface, himself and [member="Joza Perl"] his apprentice. The Bith wasn't entirely sure what to make of having a learner. It was exciting but also daunting to help act as a mentor to who he hoped would become a full Jedi one day.

This would mark their first off-of-Voss assignment together. It was simple enough, track down rumours of a supposedly dead Master. He suspected a simple mix-up, a case of mistaken identity. However, Dune would encourage Joza to lead in speaking to the beings here. It would function as a live exercise in engaging peacefully.

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Joza Perl]

During her time with the Galactic Alliance, Joza’s experience with exploring other words was limited. Most often in the form of dominions, and most often involved some sort of combat against Sith. So going to Alderaan on a more peaceful mission was something entirely new for her. Well…peaceful so far. She was transfixed with what she could see of the planet’s terrain from their view, curious to know what sorts of things would be waiting for them on the surface. Danger, possibly? The Padawan reflexively patted the hilt of the lightsaber at her waist at the thought.

“Master, if this person truly is dead…would we be able to sense their presence?” Joza turned from her perch near the viewing screen as she addressed him. Having a Master was something new for her too, and so far the Bith had proved to be an insightful teacher. While she’d been mentored by Knights and Masters during brief lessons or meetings before, she felt more assured with a guiding hand.

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Dune turned and looked at her.

"Joza, for the love of the Force, please stop calling me Master. We're not at a ceremony, we're in a shuttle."

He looked back to the viewing screen and then continued.

"Possibly as some are even strong enough to manifest into an image of themselves as they appeared in life. You may have heard of Obi-Wan Kenobi's spirit coming to advise the young Luke Skywalker in his times of need."

"However, most beings become one with the Force upon physical death. So, in a sense, they live on forever as part of everything. In that way, because you feel the Force, you feel their presence."

They'd begun to make their final approach to the spaceport after the Bith had requested permission to dock. It wasn't the capital city in which they'd gone to on this trip. New Aldera was too far out of the way. Dune guided them in for an uneventful landing where they disembarked and briefly met with customs officials who waved them on without much ado. Their Jedi attire announced who they were to anyone who could see.

"We're going into the city to rent a speeder and to ask for any information. The second part I'm assigning to you today. Consider it working on polishing your diplomacy. Remember, a Jedi spends much of their time fostering peace through those means."

He spoke to her as they made their way down the concourse and into the city itself.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

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Alexandra let her hands close around eachother as she stood before the tree which remained sheltered in her once cultivated compound. Inside it it remained clean but outside, in this garden it was grown freely and even in the place where they had grown the tree that was a beacon the garden had started to become unruly. "It is a bit of a surprise to feel these beings time after time... Hmm... Daeda. I have a feeling we will have more visitors today. Do go make sure the droids are powered down as im sure these ones will not need to fight my creations and are here for a different reason." Her smile aimed itself at the Ashlan wolf which had been able to reconnect with her, its pure white coat shifting and moving to do as she asked before she turned her eyes back on the tree which would look normal to such physical sight. "A treasure... you are the last thing left."​

​

It had been months since she had seen anyone from the past, there remained constant travelers though. Those with curiosities and today felt familiar. She knew there were more coming and when they arrived it would be this tree, on the top of a roof with the sheltered garden around it that covered the entire compound now both on and around the two buildings that once housed her order. "Vulpesen, Krest, Minna, Veino, and all the others... thank you for your help in creating my home." She smiled as her hand touched the tree and she let her aura tangle iitself into the tree's, remaining where she was until her new visitors would arrive and as far as the sight of the force was concerned, for those moments, she and the tree remained as one aura.​

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[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Joza Perl"]​

 

[Joza Perl]

“Sorry, sorry. I keep forgetting.” Joza rubbed at the back of her head, careful not to disturb the tight bun she had pulled her hair into. She was used to hearing other apprentices address their mentors as such, often forgetting that Dune didn’t prefer the title outside of formal situations.

“I thought that was just a legend.” She arched a brow, recalling hearing the story of how the Master Jedi occasionally appeared from beyond the grave to his apprentice. Such a thing didn’t seem possible to her, but then again she still had a great deal to learn about the Force.

She followed his lead after landing and disembarking from the shuttle, adjusting her robes as they passed through easily. Even something as simple as investigating a lead had her both excited and nervous.

“Wait—me?” She leaned her head forward to get a better look at him, as if she were searching for any hit of sarcasm on his face. “You know I’m more of the lightsaber-swinging type. I mean, I know Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers above all else, but what if I end up offending someone or something?” As eager as she was to expand her abilities, her people skills were limited to ferrying around drinks at a club on Zeltros.

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

"Yes, you. Don't worry, this is Alderaan where civility and culture are considered great virtues. If this was Trandosha, you'd be right to be nervous."

Out into the streets, the hustle and bustle of a middle-sized city went on around them. It was still morning here and the day had just gotten underway in earnest. In the temperate climate, the day was pleasant if a bit cooler than Voss. "While we're on the way to rent the speeder, you can ask. We have an idea already of where, but we lack for details."

OOC: You can detail conversations or hand-waving magic us on to the speeder and we can chuckle at some hijinks.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza opened her mouth to respond but could find no argument. Dune did have a point, after all. This was a peaceful world and she did need to practice her diplomatic skills. “Just—stop me if I mess up too badly.” She conceded, smoothing back a few flyaway strands of red hair. She preferred to keep it up and out of her face now, but it still rebelled no matter how much product she used to keep it back.

The next part hadn’t gone too bad. Nervously, Joza approached locals trying to appear friendly—but not too friendly, because they were on a serious mission. Wait, was it even that serious? She supposed that it could turn out to be, but she felt no sense of urgency from her mentor. The Zeltron had no trouble being civil as the people were generally polite toward her, but she still seemed as if she was trying too hard to appear a wise, knowledgeable Jedi. While the act did garner a few raised brows, they had gleaned a bit of interesting knowledge from one man. He was an elderly, scholarly type who began to go off of on a tangent about the topography of the area, seemingly glad to have someone to speak to. Joza’s eyes had begun to glaze over when the mention of an aging building covered in overgrown flora brought her back to the present. Wasn’t that the sort of thing Jedi Masters liked? After inquiring further and learning that the man had no more information of the area, she thanked him quickly.

“So, uh…did I do alright?” Joza asked as they sped through the forests of Alderaan in search of the temple the old man had described. In the back of her mind she felt a little bad that she had cut things off so quickly as he had seemed excited speaking on the subject.

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Joza Perl"]

"That went well, though speaking with venerable members of a species can occasionally require patience," he kept his expression neutral but the consternation on her face when the man kept on and on amused him. She'd been trapped between being respectful but wanting to escape the musings of a lifetime. Dune had found it interesting, his Bith brain processing the unrelated information for some later date. He'd also have to make a point of adding it to the archives.

"The interplay between local flora and Vongforming is exactly as records described. They play off of each other without overrunning."

He was commenting on the landscape as it passed by. Joza may not have had a chance to go in any depths into the libraries as yet, he thought. For him, being Bith meant a natural ease at absorbing large volumes of knowledge so he looked forward to research. Some species, not so much.

"Ah, there just ahead. The man's description proved accurate."[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Joza Perl]

As much as she tried to be patient, Joza was particularly excited about that bit of information that could help, especially considering how the last three or so people they’d talked to weren’t able to provide anything of much relevance. She couldn’t understand how the Bith half of their duo could absorb so much knowledge and seemed to actually like it. The young Zeltron much preferred to act rather than sit and think, though she was aware that inner reflection was a big part of being a Jedi. Gradually she’d become more comfortable in meditation, finding the practice to be soothing at the right time. Previously she’d only been able to find solace in lightsaber training, the physical act helping her to focus her energy elsewhere.

Green eyes took in what she could of the scenery, finding it far more interesting than the old man’s ramblings. She perked up when [member="Dune Rhur"] pointed out the compound they were speeding towards, finally feeling a bit of excitement spark in her stomach. Steadying herself, she focused on the building in the distance and reached out with the Force, curiously probing to see if she could feel anything.

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Bringing the speeder in for a landing, Dune set them down about 200 meters from the Temple. Once safely parked, the Bith pulled up the cowl of his robes before exiting the vehicle. He too reached out and he felt a presence that stood out immediately. It was strong and the Jedi would guess stronger than himself.

Before moving closer, he took in the surroundings. The white stone was overrun in some places by creeping vines and trees brushed against the walls with their branches. As a whole, it looked abandoned but sight, smell and sound didn't tell the whole story. He could also hear birds chirping and rodents skittering around with his sharp ears. The presence had been here long enough to no longer disturb them.

'Perhaps there's something to these rumours', he thought silently. Still, it could've been the Temple itself or an artifact such as a holocron. His mind approached things from different angles as he considered. Too there was the fact that the flora and fauna were not in an way twisted by malevolent energies which suggested something not of the Dark Side.

"Let's go," he said aloud as he started forward. "What have you noticed?," he asked the young woman, wanting this to be a chance for her to expand her senses in the physical world and the Force.

 

[Joza Perl]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Joza arched a brow in mild curiosity as the Bith obscured his face partially with the hood, wondering if it was something proper Jedi do or just a personal preference. Regardless, she fell into step behind her mentor just as he prompted her.

Pausing for a few moments, the Padawan refocused herself, extending her presence outwards to feel out as much of the area as she could. She’d felt something as they had drawn closer on the speeder, but she had yet to deepen her bond with the Force enough to be able to cleanly discern what it was without heavy concentration.

“Someone is definitely here,” A stray piece of hair ticked her nose and she scrunched up her face, blowing upwards quickly to move it away from her. “Or something. Who or whatever it is, it’s pretty strong.” She gave up, tucking the red strand behind her ear and fiddled with the pins at the back of her head.

Originally she had thought the task to be boring but necessary, and now she had instinctively raised her guard. Although she had a Jedi Knight with her and sensed no dark presence, that didn’t mean that something couldn’t go wrong.

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

The Bith nodded as he walked. That was partially correct, but she'd missed the subtle details. He stopped midway and pointed to the flora and fauna in turn. "You've noted the obvious but look there."

Some Jedi were so caught up in the Force that they missed the mundane world. They needed to have one foot firmly planted in each realm. This was his lesson to Joza whom he intended to teach this balance. His own Master had taught him the importance of paying attention to nature.

 

[Joza Perl]

“At what…?” She blinked, green gaze following his hand as he pointed to the wildlife. Was she supposed to glean something from this using the Force? A frown tugged at her lips as she realized that she did not sense anything out of the ordinary.

“The plants and animals? What about them?” She continued to scrutinize the area, wondering what sort of answer her was looking for. “It looks like whoever lives here didn’t bother to take care of the weeds.” She mused, brushing a hand against a cracked stone wall where a vine had twisted itself into. “I guess the animals don’t seem to mind it either.” She shrugged. “If there was something bad about this place, they wouldn’t stick around, right?”

[member="Dune Rhur"]/[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Alexandra Feanor"]

The Bith's lips twitched into a virtually imperceptible smile.

"Precisely."

She learned quickly, he thought with approval as he began to move forward again. The archway at the entrance now loomed overhead. Whatever the presence was, it was waiting for them. Master and student crossed the threshold and into the ruins.

The interior was just as overrun with verdant fauna. Sunlight dappled the floor through windows and past branches. The marble was cracked in places but pristinely white. Birdsong filled the interior with it's gentle notes.

Just ahead, a woman sat on steps leading further in. She was the presence, there could be no doubt. The Jedi stopped and for a moment he remained silent as the woman and Bith watched each other. Finally, Dune bowed formally and he spoke.

"I am Dune Rhur, and this is my Padawan Joza Perl. We come from the Silver Sanctum Coalition."

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza mouthed a soft “oh” at the unexpected affirmation. As she moved to catch up with him, she wondered what he was trying to make her see. Was she too caught up in trying to see things through the Force that she’d missed the more physical cues? There was probably some hidden lesson that didn’t exactly register, but she figured that now wasn’t the proper time to sit down and meditate on it.

Quickening her pace so that she caught up to Dune, Joza kept her eyes peeled for anything of note. The strong presence they’d felt seemed to persist and she figured it would only be a matter of time before they stumbled upon it…or at least she had hoped.

When the pair happened upon a woman, Joza froze for a moment. There’s someone here! Even though it was obvious through the Force to her before, she was still surprised to see someone else. Curiously she poked her head over Dune’s shoulder after he’d introduced them, a delayed reminder to bow ringing in her head a few moments later. She dipped her body accordingly before straightening herself, waiting for some sort of reaction from the woman.

[member="Dune Rhur"]/[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Joza Perl"]

Alexandra's eyes forcused on the man first as he approached her home, having moved from the garden to the first place in which the man would come in to see. The droids needed a tune up for letting this area get over taken but atleast the rest of her home was cleaned to a degree that didn't allow the vegetation to overgrow. Yet that mattered not for a moment as she lowered herself down onto the stairs and waited for the presence to appear to her in person and her eyes would draw over him when he did.

He was a new sight, not many of his kind had been those that Alexandra had the chance to talk to. On the other hand his apprentice was more than obvious to her the species for which she would call her own. Its been a while since she'd seen a Zeltron but the last one she had seen was a pain if ever there was a being that could be associated with the word. Oh Balaya, she would need to ensure she was there for when Balaya was paid back for the pain she caused.

None the less though the two showed themselves to her and she looked them over for a few minutes without saying anything and being absolutely silent. It would be an awkward silence for most but for Alexandra it was the chance to study the two of them as she sat there without a single word to greet them or tell them anything about this place or herself.

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"] [member="Joza Perl"]

Dune too remained silent, aware that many would find it unnerving. Perhaps it was a tactic she was employing to make him reveal something first. The Bith was comfortable in waiting and he folded his hands in his sleeves. As the woman on the steps studied them, so too did Dune study her.

The Force told him nothing beyond what he already knew. She was powerful and neither entirely of Light nor Dark. Beyond that, she'd shielded herself off in her feelings. Even if Dune had been versed in telepathy, he doubted he'd get very far.

The minutes ticked by and the Jedi wondered. Perhaps she was unaware that Bith didn't require sleep. He could literally sit there until she passed out from exhaustion. The though made him chuckle in his mind.

 

[Joza Perl]

As silence fell between them, Joza furrowed her brows in mild confusion. Was the woman deaf or something? Maybe Dune hadn’t spoken loud enough, but it would have been hard to miss his words from where she was seated. There was little background noise in the temple aside from the wind gently rustling the leaves of trees and other plants and the chirping of birds.

The silence, she decided, made her uncomfortable. Wasn’t it rude not to introduce yourself in a situation like this? If this mysterious woman had ill intent then Joza would have ignited her saber long ago, but there was no hostility about her. The Padawan would have actually preferred to have her weapon activated, because it would be less awkward than whatever this was.

“Uh…did she hear you?” Joza’s gaze went from the other woman back to the Bith, finally returning to the silent woman before clearing her throat and calling out to her. “Hello there. Is…this your home? We mean no harm.” She tried to sound friendly, though her last statement was redundant as she would easily be able to sense that the pair had no bad intentions.

[member="Dune Rhur"]/[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

"I heard him, simply studying him and yourself young one... while at the same time ascertaining how far in your training you are and it was quite simple to tell you are a new student for the Jedi, are you not? I noticed first that you are a bit more impulsive than your master here as your body is a bit tenser, your brow is furrowed and your questioning tone is a bit too exaggerated in the attempt to sound... not sure if you mean to be friendly or respectful." Her voice was light, soft, and flowing as she spoke, holding not an ounce of any emotion past a gentleness to the voice and tone.

With the end of her words though she started to stand and waved her hand to a small white furred creature that disappeared off to the side down the hall. As this happened Alexandra's own body started to approach the master and apprentice, her strides nearly matching the observation of her voice in how she touched the ground and moved her body, graceful and light, her breath gently leaving her chest.

This would bring her slowly past the master and looking on at the padawan instead as she looked her over more closely. "Hmm... a Zeltron is an odd one to see as a Jedi but certainly an effective student for them. Its good to see that you are not a complete novice though... i can tell that much from your aura and as for your master..." Her eyes switched to him in curiosity now. "You are interesting in your own right, i don't see many Bith. Much less those who are fully trained Jedi."

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"] [member="Joza Perl"]

Dune's gaze shifted to Joza as she spoke. He said nothing but made a note to mention it later. Then the woman spoke and he nodded and ever-so-slightly smiled. Her tone befitted an old teacher meeting a prospective student.

Not moving, the Jedi watched her move towards them, gesturing subtlety to a small white creature. It flicked out of his vision and his eyes shifted back to the woman as she walked between the two. Standing, his arms folded, he was ready to move in a flash. But he sensed no ill intentions towards Joza.

Clearly, an astute observer, Dune concluded. Almost nothing would escape her notice. This too the robed Jedi took note of. He decided the direct approach would work best.

"Bith Jedi are not unheard of," he replied whilst referring to historical records. Now it was time to get to brass tacks."We're here to investigate your presence."