Getting Trial Ready

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic had decided to take a more invested interest in his former Padawan's trial training. He wanted Asaraa to succeed, while he didn't complete any formal trial himself, a lot of the trials he faced in one form or another. He knew that he didn't want to get too attached to Asaraa once more in a mentorship way, but he couldn't shake the need to help her with the upcoming trials she would face. Though there was little doubt in his mind that she would fail, even when he was her Master, she seemed fair more skilled than he was as a Padawan.

Setting up a suitable area in a clearing, Yuroic thought on the five trials. Skill, Courage, Spirit, Flesh and Insight, these were the five trials formerly given to Padawans back in the Golden Era of the Republic. Before the Clone Wars and the Empire's rise, these trials would determine whether or not a Padawan was ready to become a Knight. Yuroic thought on his own "trials", he had lost his right arm in combat which fulfilled his flesh, and in duelling several Sith Lords and Dark Jedi, Yuroic passed the Skill and Courage trials. His experiences in his gathering were fulfilling of Spirit as he settled old demons and his Insight was solved with ease due to his childhood of needing street smarts.

Yuroic leaned against a tree and waited for Asaraa to arrive.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The forests surrounding Silver’s Rest had once been a refuge for Asaraa, an oasis of tranquillity and nature she could escape to when the pressure’s of the Jedi’s life got too much. It was a place to commune with the force, full of life bustling and flowing around you and a place for training. The messages from [member="Yuroic [/FONT][/SIZE][FONT='times new roman'][SIZE=14px]Xeraic[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='times new roman']"] had been regular, often leading her to hunt down clearings or any other of the myriad of locations the Jedi had decided to visit. A nostalgic smile touched the girl’s lips as she glanced down at the commlink in her hand, this brought back memories, echoes of the past swirling all around her as her booted feet padded through the forest, leaves and twigs crunching beneath her step.

The world around her seemed to pulse, light falling through the branches to leave a dappled look across the surface of the floor. It was almost as if she’d been transported to another world, one which was no longer an integral part of her, though one she could still enjoy. Without having to close her eyes the padawan angled her direction of travel, the muted blaze of energy was still recognisable as Yuroic, a new target for her to home in on as she raised a hand in greeting.

 

[WelshPsych]

Asaraa was late, it didn't worry Yuroic too much, he had heard that the Padawan was becoming a significant member in the Order with at her low rank. She was definitely more active within the Order than he currently was or even when he was at her rank. Smirking, he could see her making Master well before himself, it didn't bother him as she was a smart and very capable Jedi. He had a bag of demons to deal with and was still plagued with nightmares that had him in cold sweats.

Seeing her, he gestured her to move closer so he didn't have to shout. "Today, we begin your trial training, like I said when I returned, you should be a Knight by now. Capable and you are an important member of the Order. Could easily be teaching other Padawans how to fight and use the Force. For now, we just need to prepare you for the trials, they can be tough and some of them you might have already completed during your missions. For now, let us focus less on the combative trials and more on the ones requiring insight and puzzle solving." Yuroic commented. "The Jedi Order long ago realised that their Padawans were capable fighters but could still fall foul of a smuggler, theif or common criminal. You need street smarts as well as an understanding of the Jedi way, this is how we will start. On Kashyyyk, it's difficult to simulate a scenario you might face on Nar Shaddaa, Coruscant or even Corellia. We are quite removed from the criminal underworld here, but I was able to think of something."

Yurloc smiled and wandered past a tree before vanishing from sight. "Now answer me this, how would you know if someone was tracking you, hunting you as an assassin?" He moved as silently as possible, tracking Asaraa. Preparing to take aim with his bow and a standard arrow.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The girl had started on her way towards Yuroic, her boots ruffling through the detritus of the forest, the fallen twigs and leaves that seemed to always litter the floor of the forests surrounding Silver’s Rest. She had only managed to cross part of the space between them as she approached her old master before he began speaking again, issuing his challenge before vanishing into the forest around them. The girl came to a halt, eyes opened wide, straining for any sight or sound of the Jedi who had vanished so easily.

There wasn’t a sound, not a whisper or the slightest betrayal of movement, Yuroic’s stealth skills more than capable of covering his movements, his approach and actions completely unlocatable...well almost. A small smile pulled at the girl's lips as she knelt down to rest a hand on the floor of the forest. “A forest is a bad place for an assassin,” she remarked softly as she pressed her hand down. A wave of power seemed to explode out of the padawan, sweeping up the leaves and debris around her carrying it out in a wave that pulsed out in all directions. “If I know someone’s hunting me, then the best thing to do is to find a way to reveal my hunter, and in the forest, there are plenty of ways to spot them."

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic internay chuckled, Asaraa had attempted to use the debri to gain Yuroic's location. However, he had planned for that possibility and hidden himself behind a tree trunk as soon as she sent the debri flying. Placing the arrow back in his quiver, he climbed the trunk to gain a high vantage point. Using the Force he broadcasted his voice from all directions. "Sadly tricks like that are easily avoidable and do not guarantee you finding your assassin. The forests here and filled with wildlife, what if your trap covered one of them? You need precision Asaraa. Use your gut but also use your head. What if this was a bustling city planet? What if the assassin was hidden in a crowd of innocent people, how would you find them then?"

He shot his arrow, however using the Force he guided it to strike at Asaraa from a completely different angle to the one he came from. "Remember, this forest is my ally more than yours. An assassin chooses the location to strike, they know their environment better than others. No trained assassin would attack you if they thought you had the upper hand. Beware, I could be everywhere." His voice lowered to a whisper by her ear as he shifted through the trees. Ready to strike once more.

While the task seemed impossible to find Yuroic, a man who had spent half his life in the wilderness and the other half blending into the background as a slave and smuggler. He knew that if Asaraa focused, she would see the breadcrumbs he left her. Purposefully letting leaves rustle as he moved, the arrow coming from the directly opposite direction he was standing. These things were obvious to him, but needed Asaraa to be focused and noticing minor details.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Well now, that didn't quite work out how she wanted it to, the grand gesture, the opening move that had seemed so amazing had been rendered uselless by the very forest she had sought to turn against Yuroic. So much for showing off in front of her old master, show him how much she'd grown and improved. The girl's fingers clawed at the ground, wishing she could rend it apart so that it could open up and swallow her up. She'd been so sure she had him, had even seen the look on his face, the nod that she'd finally got him. Only he'd vanished, swinging away like the skilled huntsman he was.

The force around the girl seemed to roil with emotions, stretching and boiling off her as her eyes flicked open, for a moment a hint of amber dancing across her normally bright blue iris before that bright blue gaze flicked up towards the canopy of the forest as a smile pulled up the corner of her lips. There was the faintest rustle of the leaves as if there was a breeze blowing through the treetops. Well now, a breeze, or a person maybe? She could remember jumping through the tree branches herself, a fast and efficient way to travel while avoiding being spotted by the Jedi on the forest floor. If that's how it was gonna go then...

The pink-haired padawan reached up both of her hands, reaching out to the treetops with the forces as she dragged her hands down, reaching out through the force pushing up a rain of leaves as she pulled on the force, sweeping them up in a controlled stream towards the rustling in the treetops, like a conductor leading her orchestra.

 

[WelshPsych]

Feeling the frustration building in Asaraa, he understood the pressures of pleasing a mentor. He had tried all he had to show his old Master how far he had gotten in training, however, he never felt good enough. Didn't help she had been the Grand Master at the time as well. It was odd that Asaraa felt the same way, he thought he had always been positive and reassured Asaraa how talented she was as a Jedi. Perhaps something to discuss after the session however. For now, he had to observe her next actions.

He hadn't seen whether or not his arrow hit Asaraa, he never meant to hit her with it but just offer an idea on the importance of protecting herself. He was about to fire another three or four arrows, that was when she used to Force. The push knocked him off balance, as steady as he was, trying to be sure footed on a branch was tough. Instead he allowed himself to fall into the bushes and hide in the overgrowth. Using his arrows, he fire three to four of them at Asaraa, watching her closely as a predator watches their prey.

"Clever work, you figured out where I moved to. However, you still need to prepare yourself for attacks, know when someone is friendly and when they are not."

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

There was the barest whisper in the force, mere seconds notice given as the arrows came whistling through the air towards her. It was all Asaraa could do to throw herself backwards, out of their path as Yuroic's attack went flying by. The pink-haired padawan found herself sprawled out on her back as she stared over at her old master, blue eyes affixed to his face. He'd just shot her with arrows...again!

The girl rolled over, to her side, pushing herself out of the line of fire as the remainder of the arrows thumping into the ground next to her as a shark's grin spread over the girl's features. "Except you're on the ground now...and you forgot about that." As she spoke Asaraa made a gesture with her hand, slamming her palm into the ground as the rain of leaves she'd used to force Yuroic out of the treetops swam around like a snake, raining down to slam into the ground the man was standing on.

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic was pleaser to see that his former Padawan's reflexes were still up to par as she dodged the arrows coming for her. The large grin and comment didn't faze Yuroic, he had remembered he was on the ground and predicted her next attack to follow suit. Pooling the Force in his palm, he waited till the ladt moment then erected a Force Barrier, dispating the leaves and foliage around Yuroic harmlessly. Waiting till her Force Repulse ended, Yuroic held the barrier then vanished seconds after he dropped the barrier.

"You seem to underestimate me Asaraa, never use the same move twice on an opponent. Be unpredictable, never let your enemy stop guessing." Yuroic called out from all around the clearing. He moved quietly in the shadows to his quiver, there lied his true weapon. An arrow a Force User could not sense or block. Taozin skin and voidstone shaft made this arrow deadly. Shifting to a shadowy place, he observed.

Suddenly he prang up like a predator, shooting the arrow at her calf from behind. He didn't worry about injurying her as he could heal the wound afterwards. Failure was a powerful teacher. Yuroic knew all too well failure.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Well, so much for improving, for matching him. After everything that she'd been through, all the improvements she'd made Yuroic still managed to see through her tricks and traps like they were nothing. Asaraa clenched her hand into a fist, slamming it down into the ground in frustration. She'd thought she'd have him this time but no, he still remained out of reach, as if she were one of those small lizards sniffling around in the leaves staring up at the birds wheeling in the sky.

Those lizards, sniffling around disturbing the fall of the leaves and leaving trails in the leaves behind them. The world around the girl seemed to hang in the air, everything slowing down and freezing as she stared at the lizard before closing her eyes and casting out her mind. This time she didn't try to touch anything, move anything spreading her mind out as thin as possible, as wide as she could. Watching those leaves scattered all over the ground by her attack on Yuroic's barrier. If he was anywhere he'd disturb those leaves and...there.

Even as the man sprang up, the arrow loosing from his bow Asaraa had thrown herself forward into a role. Fast, but not fast enough as the arrow swam through the air, drive into the flesh of her leg, breaking her roll and leaving her sprawled out by [member="Yuroic Xeraic"]'s feet, her eyes bright with pain as she panted, staring up at him. "If I had a sword right now."

 

[WelshPsych]

He watched her roll into his arrow with a slight wince. He had hoped that she would be able to dodge the arrow but the chances were slim and this was evidenced by the arrow embedded in her calf. Her comment on having a sword made him sigh a little, she had come a long way but there was still much she needed to learn. At least, in his mind there was plenty to learn. "No, you needed to understand your opponent better."

"A sword would not have saved you, weapons can be blocked. What would have happened if I broke the sword with my right arm?" He gestured to the cybernetic arm made from Imperium, it was capable of breaking tough metals with its intense grip. "Never rely on a weapon to win. Never rely on a piece of armour to save your life. I did both and lost my arm to a Dark Jedi cyborg. But you, I won't let you down as Arisa let me down..." He still remembered that day.

It was intense, he was broke from his injuries, crippled with his shins shattered and his arm mostly severed. He was so angry, so broken and he demanded to see Arisa, his Master, to see her reaction to his injuries, to his suffering. Then Grand Master Kitra revealed her untimely passing, that hurt more. The anger couldn't be dropped on his Master and he was left to deal with it all. Looking at Arisa, he shook his head, he wasn't going to fail her.

Jerking the arrow in a quick motion, he then covered the wound with his palm and healed to hole. "Stand. Tell me best way to spot an assassin on a metropolis setting." Yuroic ordered in a cool tone.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The girl hissed in pain as she felt Yuroic pulling the arrow out of her thigh; the cool relaxing feeling of the force sweeping across her flesh, knitting the muscle together leaving her with a faint stinging sensation in her leg as she reached down, pushing herself up to her feet as she hopped in place, unwilling to put too much weight on her leg while it was still tender.

The look she gave Yuroic was one of confusion, sure she’d let herself be taken by surprise, surprise in a way that could be deadly in a fight but that didn’t mean he needed to throw that level of vitrol at her. There was something deeper going on there, slowly the girl closed with the man, gingerly testing her leg.

“It’s almost impossible to spot a good assassin in a metropolis, their attacks can come from any range, any direction. What you have to look for is someone who is keeping tabs on the target, not necessarily working towards them, but someone who is always aware of where they are. They’ll probably not seriously engage with anyone and constantly be on the move, never stopping in one spot for too long. A less skilled assassin is easier, they just don’t fit in, too trained, to separate from the crowd to really blend in, they’re easier to spot, no less dangerous but at least you can plan around them. And there’s the force, but a skilled opponent will know it’s limits, and as you showed, it’s to easy to use it against you.”

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic nodded as he watched Asaraa closely. His eyes intense as he gave away nothing. "Would you not use the Force to sense someone's intentions though? If there were thoughts of murder of killing then you would be able to feel that, no?" It seemed like he believed that but to him this was a trick question, there were people out there that a Jedi could not sense, could not tell what they were thinking.

Asaraa was right to not depend on the Force. "Also, you can notice some assassins due to the weapons they carry. Most cities we travel to, one is either lightly armed or not at all. Anything beyond a pistol one must ask why they carry such a large weapon. Now if you have missed the signals of an assassin and they fire at you, what do you do?"

This was dependent on the assassin not using a bullet like his arrow. Though voidstone was unlikely a suitable material to make bullets due to fragility of the material.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

"You'd think that the force would let you know wouldn't you," a small grin spread across Asaraa's face as she waved a hand, indicating the arrow grasped in Yuroic's hand. "The fact of the matter is the force is just a weapon, a tool like anything else, and a smart assailant can avoid it, or even turn it against you. And if they do then you're in even more trouble than you would have been beforehand. You shouldn't become too reliant on any tool otherwise it could be turned against you."

Stepping back slightly the girl tilted her head to the side in thought, "Hmm, if he's already shooting at me, I can fall back on my defences, but I'd rather not let him shoot where other people can be caught in the crossfire. Dodge out of the way and get out of sight, then work my way around till I can close on him without him being able to turn too much firepower on me. If I can get in close then chances are I can take him down without anyone else getting hurt."

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

He shakes his head. "The Force is not a weapon Asaraa, all beings are connected to the Force, it flows through everything, even the flora. We use it in destructive manners, but if you think about it, we can heal others and use it in non-combat terms. We utilise it as a tool or a weapon, we take that control but the Force is just there. We get visions from the Force that we don't want or demand from it, it can guide us as much as we guide it. Never think of the Force as something you can control. That is how the Sith perceive it but they are controlled by it as much as we are."

Yuroic then listened to her explanation on what she would do if attacked. "What if the assassin starts taking innocent lives to force you to surrender? What would you do if it was the life of an innocent at the line to kill this assassin or accept capture or execution?" It was a fair question, most assassins know that Jedi would never put an innocent life on the line.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

"That's not entirely true though is it?" The girl reached out a hand, a twig rising through the air to dance over her palm before she let it drop to the ground. "On a macro scale you're right, the force sweeps us through life, but I see it more as a river, it pushes us in a direction with an unrelenting force but...at a micro level we do have the ability to make our own choices. Free will has to factor in somewhere right? At a micro-level the force is a tool, it doesn't control my actions in the right here and now, I do that and I'm the one who has to take responsibility for when I screw up and when I don't. The sith try to impose their will on the direction of the river, but they can't, all you can do is do the best you can in any situation based on your choices...even if that means you get shot in the thigh."

Philosophy wasn't what she had expected to have to deal with today but it did make for an interesting conversation, and slightly less morbid than assassins. Although, "I guess it depends if were in a situation when I can get him if he kills the civilian then I know he won't. But if he's in a situation where he has a lot of people held hostage..." the girl's voice trailed off for a moment and she gave Yuroic a sad smile. "I want to say I'd sacrifice myself. But honestly, I have no idea what I'd do then."

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

"But if we end up where the Force wants us, how much free will does one has? If we follow the river then end up in the same place than those who believe that every choice they made, is that really free will or control by the Force making us think we have free will." Yuroic commented as he watched her idly playing with a twig.

Yuroic understood Asaraa's position, he had pushed her in a difficult corner with his question but that was the point of this. "A Jedi would surrender themselves, sometimes only the mere threat of innocent lives would have them surrender. However, I want you to be more aware, find a way to trick or prevent harm coming. Myself, I would sacrifice the innocent life, an assassin with that little remorse could end up killing the civilian even if your surrender."

Yuroic also did not believe if surrendering to anyone, he would let many die to prevent that. He would be no one's slave once again. That chapter ended with no chance of opening once more.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Asaraa tilted her head to the side, watching the twig dancing across her palm as her lip worried at her lower lip. “You might be right, but all rivers have branches, forks in the path and if I have control in a moment I get to choose which of those paths I walk down, or float down. That’s where free will is important if the force controlled everything, then we’d be able to read the future clearly, and the past all the way through to the start of everything. That the future is not set down for us to see means free will has to play a big part in things right?”

The girl fell silent for a moment before looking up at Yuroic, “And if you don’t take care of the assassin, then all the people he kills, and the ripples from then on, that’s all on your head too. One life for all those lives in the future…but if I can save everyone, I’ll try.”

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic shrugged as he was not offended that Asaraa did not agree with his point of view, however, she brought in an interesting idea. "But, we only assume that the Force cannot give us clearer visions of the future. It could be the opposite, it could be that the Force is being purposefully vague so that you fulfil that vision. Guiding you down the path in the fork without you realising it." Yuroic offered as he crossed his arms.

Listening to Asaraa's explanation for what to do, "good, I am glad that you agree. There is no point risking your own life to save a few lives that are not guaranteed to be saved." Yuroic stated as he crouched into a sitting position, watching Asaraa.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The girl lowered herself to the ground, knees pulled up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees as she glanced over at Yuroic. "Well, if the force has that much control and say in our lives then we're in even more trouble than before we even begin aren't we? It the force controls, or you know guides everything then my free will has only a limited value because it has a predetermined path for me. If we fall to the dark or if we stay on the light would all have a place in the force's master plan. But that abrogates responsibility from us individually to take responsibility for our actions. How do you balance the two? Though, it sounds like you feel the force is alive and capable of planning that far ahead."

As the girl settled she glanced away from Yuroic, surveying the trees around them carefully. She wouldn't put it past hte man to have left a trap of some kind to try to trick her. "You know some people back at the temple would say that is exactly our job, that we can't do anything less. I just, don't wanna die if I can help it. especially if it doesn't change anything."

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"]