Beginnings

[Jsc]

Republic Station
Denon

It was the fringe of Republic space. Just another busy space station amid the frantic traffic of the hyperlanes. Here there was a quiet cantina just off the market center. The perfect spot for a meeting of the minds. Commander Roberts had taken a seat in of the booths nearer the back of the restaurant. She'd ordered lunch already and was quietly enjoying a good holo-drama at the moment too. Equipped in her brown traveling attire, she looked very plain and ordinary. Just another drab traveler in just another dark cantina. Mm. Just the way she liked it.

Not long ago she'd heard the name [member="Vykter Orade"] . One of her scouts brought his message to her attention and so she'd gone ahead and scheduled a meeting here. This very afternoon aboard Republic Station. Right here in her favorite shady spot too. So? Let's see if he decides to show up? Or not.

 

[Vykter Orade]

It wasn't a particularly bad spot for a meeting. Open layout, lots of people. It would have been the perfect place for business, had Vykter been here on the sort of business he usually practiced. Still, old habits did die hard and as such he had already done a twice over of the market and the cantina before he casually strode through the front door.

In accordance with what he suspected was civilized for this type of meeting he had left his armor aboard his ship, making his stride far lighter than usual. He seemed to himself to walk in an almost jovial fashion as he neared the booth whose sole occupant was the dark haired woman he'd come to meet. He'd opted to hold onto his personal blaster, because in his years he'd learned to never be caught without at least one defensive option even when walking into a peaceful meeting.

He did his best to smile at her as he approached the woman whose name he knew to be Karen Roberts from her message. Though he'd done some investigating into her past and knew of her great feats in the mystical world of the Jedi and the hard ways of the military, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback at her presence. She conveyed a sense of authority and confidence that seldom touched the beings of the galaxy as she met his gaze.

"Good afternoon ma'am. I believe you were expecting me?"

 

[Jsc]

Roberts paused her tablet and looked up at the fellow. My my. They were the same height and everything. Facinating,

"Hello. And yes I was. Please, have a seat. I've taken the liberty of ordering lunch and was just finishing up. Can I get you anything? My treat?"

She eyed the droid waiter and gestured for [member="Vykter Orade"] to make himself at home.

"I also have been informed that are looking for a mentor in the Jedi Arts? Is that correct? ...If so. We might have something to talk about. Mm."

Roberts smiled and remained completely pleasant. These was something business-like about her which betrayed her simple clothing. She was punctual, sharp, and well spoken. Carrying herself as a woman who feared nothing and had seen everything. Her hands were well scarred and battered too. The subtle sign of a woman who made her living on the battlefield. Though, she wore just enough make-up to keep her cheeks from showing it too. Indeed. A completely complex woman. Orade had either just found himself a Jedi Master or a very, very strange Naval Commander. Well. Probably both.

 

[Vykter Orade]

Vyk sat across from her and eyed the approaching droid. He'd eaten before coming, in his line of work you never expected to be fed when you were doing business. Still, he didn't want to be rude so he thanked her and ordered a dark Corellian beer and ordered his thoughts. It wasn't easy.

The events that led him here were a tangled mess of loss, random jobs, betrayal and fellowship. He didn't know why he was here for sure, he'd found friends in places he hadn't thought to look but it just didn't seem to be enough. He still raced after odd jobs in a vain hunt for riches and fame, but he felt hollow inside.

"Indeed, yes I am looking for someone to teach me. In all honesty, I can't be certain I'm not wasting your time. For the most part I get these weird feelings before things go sideways, and my intuition is eerily accurate a lot of the time." He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I've also thrown people across rooms. Not without provocation, they were definitely threats, but I don't know how I did it." He tried to push the memories down to keep the pain away. This wasn't the time or place.

He looked the woman in the eyes. "I've had the feelings my whole life, they've served me well. But the other ability? That's new and it scares the Dar'yaim out of me." He shifted his gaze as the droid set his drink down. He took a sip before continuing in a softer voice. "If you can help me with that, we might have more to talk about."

 

[Jsc]

Karen seemed surprised that he hadn't discovered more by now. The whole galaxy was a mess with wars between Force Users and had just almost been destroyed by a Force God. How could anybody remain ignorant of the magi now? They were everywhere. Well... Still a statistical minority, yes. But every single massive event that had happened for the last ten years was dominated by Force Users and Space Wizards. So if poor Vykter hadn't figured it out by now? Mm. He was really, really behind the times.

"Then I'm going to skip introductions and jump right in."

She placed her hands together and became very serious,

"What you have is called Force Sensitivity. It's a gift given to sentient beings at birth and allows them to sense, and interact with The Force. A cosmic energy field that builds, knits, and pulls the galaxy together. Individuals who gain this sensitive had the potential to become some of the strongest and most powerful beings known to man. ...And, some of the most destructive. As such, there are two Orders of Force Sensitivities that seek to gain their membership. Your, membership."

"The first of these Orders is who we usually call, The Sith. They are dark twisted people who believe that their talents should be used for personal gain and to dominate the lives of others. Subjugating the entire galaxy is usually their daily routine. As such, they are very bad people and I highly recommend you stay away from them. If only so you live longer."

She took a moment to sigh. It was amazing she had to even say all this. Poor guy.

"The second Order is who the galaxy calls, The Jedi. They are benevolent wizards who believe that they should their powerful talents for the good and prosperity of all free peoples. Whether in defense of tyranny or in the healing of worlds, these are the grand efforts of the Jedi few. And, one of the Orders I myself used to represent. However, today my company and I are more 'Gray' in our magical applications. We simply seek to place ourselves in a position where we can accomplish the most good. Even if that just means killing Sith forever."

Karen leaned back in her booth and nodded. That pretty much summed it up.

"So? Now that you know a little bit more? I suppose it's time for you to ask a few more questions. ...Go ahead. Don't be sky. Time you figured this out anyway. Though, I should probably be charging you by the hour for this. Heh."

She smiled and waved him on. No doubt there was more he needed explained before they could really start talking.

[member="Vykter Orade"]

 

[Vykter Orade]

He listened intently as she weaved the picture of the last 25,000 years into those simple sentences. Unbeknownst to him, the struggle she spoke of was one that had embroiled the peoples of the galaxy for all time. Also unknown to him was that he'd recently been sucked right into it all, despite 23 years miraculously spent out of the reach of the galaxy at large. Some of the things she spoke of he knew and understood from stories, but he'd never had it all put to him in such a direct and well worded manner.

" I know of the Jedi, and I know of the Sith. It's not that I'm ignorant of these things, it's that I've chosen to stay as far from them as possible." He took a long draught of his beer before continuing. "I left my world at 15 and started working with a Mandalorian mercenary. He didn't care for hocus pocus, therefore I developed the same mentality. We worked with and fought both Jedi and Sith on occasion, ultimately leading to his death in a battle on Aeten II as the greater Mandalorian army took the Sith's last stronghold there."

He hadn't told the story, even so vaguely, since it had occurred all those months ago. It was strange that it wasn't as difficult as he had thought it would be. "That's why I am here. I'm all for killing Sith, but I'm tired of my life being nothing BUT killing. I want to do good AND kill Sith. I also don't want to become one, and as I understand it you Jedi preach control like it's going out of style so here I am." He hoped he wasn't being too direct or irritable, but this social interaction business was still pretty new to him. He sat back and did his best to smile at her.

"I guess you could say I'm looking for a place to start over."

 

[Jsc]

She pursed her lips and nodded. It was an honest answer.

"Well. I'm not running a school here Mr ...Orade, yes? I'm running a company. So if you're looking for a mentor for your new condition, I can schedule you in? Times, dates, the usual. However. I'm not a Jedi Councilor nor a member of any official Force Orders. So can rest assured my preaching will be kept to a fine minimum. My goal, as with all my many students, is to get you to a place that's comfortable for you and your new abilities. Then you can decide for yourself what to do with it."

Karen leaned back and looked around the bar. Yeah. That sounded about right.

"So. Do you think that's something you could work with?"

[member="Vykter Orade"]

 

[Vykter Orade]

He patted his beard thoughtfully for a moment, taking in everything she'd said. It wasn't really a hard decision. She seemed devoted to doing the right thing, even if it meant killing everything in the process and Vykter shared a similar mentality of no half ways.

And she didn't preach. That was a winning statement on it's own.

He took his beer in one hand and, holding up a raised index finger with the other, finished it in two titanic gulps. He set the empty glass down gingerly and said, mostly to himself, part of an old Mandalorian drinking chant Karrik had taught him. "Buy'ce gal, buy'ce tal. A pint of ale, a pint of blood. Basically means "It's all the same, and it gets you what you need."" He offered out his right hand to her. "Where do I sign up?"

 

[Jsc]

She smiled and shook his hand,

"You just did."

Karen looked across the room and snapped her fingers. Two shady gentlemen sitting across the room gave her a nod and stood up to leave. She wouldn't need her bodyguards for this part.

"Now. Just to be clear. This agreement doesn't make you apart of my company. You're a freelancer receiving training. You can come and go as you wish. I'm not your boss, I'm your instructor. So I expect you to consider my lessons and assignments as... Mm. Homework. Not something you get paid for. The usual."

She pulled out her tablet again and began making notes,

"Let's see... Okay. Meet me on Denon in this location in two days. That's were your training will begin. It's a studio downtown were an old friend of mine teaches martial arts. You might have to take the elevator to find the right floor. No big deal. ...Oh. And here's my cell number so you can get a hold of me. Just in case we need to talk."

Roberts put her tablet away and finished her drink. All done.

"Okay. You're punched in Mr Orade. All very official. Now, do you have any questions for me before we part ways? As I said, you're a free agent now. So. Come and go as you please."

[member="Vykter Orade"]

 

[Vykter Orade]

Vykter found he also appreciated her concise and completely professional handle of the situation, and he definitely enjoyed the unveiling of the security across the restaurant. He was beaming at this point and full of confidence with his choice. He stood and gave her a slight bow, as he'd often seen Jedi do to one another. She stressed she wasn't orthodox, but it couldn't hurt.

"No ma'am, I'll handle what needs handling and I'll meet you Denon." He turned to leave, but stopped as one last question did occur to him. "Just out of curiosity, what does it take to be one of your company?"

 

[Jsc]

"Don't worry about that for right now Mr Orade. To be brief? We call you. You don't call us."

She said it with a smile and very casually. However, it was far far from casual.

"I'll see you on Denon then. Good luck and may the Force guide your steps."

/end