Public I Never Forgot...

[Aayla Shan]

That had been the motto hadn't it? The young woman knelt atop a pillar in one of the more advanced training rooms within the Silver Rest enclave; This pillar was about eight feet in the air, usually a simple floor panel, the entire room could be altered in any pattern the user wished, whether through input commands, or for most that used it, The Force. A state-of-the-art training facility, to say the least. The room was fully white, and huge. Every single block could be raised, pushed, pulled, and spun. Truly, it was a wonder of engineering. Today, her purpose in the room was nothing too out of the ordinary. She had gotten a new lease on life, so to speak, with the order clearing her for at least some autonomy in her actions, she wanted to make sure she was worthy of that. Not to mention, there was so much to think about, and consider; she could pick a Master? That wasn't ordinary... Though, what about her situation was?

It was late, or early, depending on who, and or what you were. A little after two A.M local, to be specific. Eyes closed, she focused on keeping that block raised, having turned off the stabilizers that generally allowed the blocks to glide, it took concentration to keep the huge slab in place, much less unmoving. Though, with nothing else to worry about, it was easy... It was child's play even. It was heavy, even through the Force she could felt the heft of it; the amount of concentration the block demanded to not slam back down into place was phenomenal. She had a good grasp over manipulating something in the Force, but that wasn't what this personal training was about. This was about maintaining clarity under duress; clarity, was a weapon for Jedi; if they could maintain their clarity, they were nigh unstoppable. From the records she pulled up, most were slain due to distraction, loss of focus, or overwhelming suffering in their vicinity. She couldn't simulate the last, but both former could easily be emulated.

Speaking of which, there was the first... The training droids that were programmed to hide behind several other blocks that were haphazardly placed around the room (to provide cover to the training droids) worked on a timer, and a sensor hooked into the cameras in this room. That was the concept behind the training, not so much simply giving her something to deflect, but purposely making her uncomfortable. Aayla had no doubt she was strong, but there were stronger. The main ace she had to even the odds was the Force, and she needed her connection to it unclouded. Free of doubt. The first droid struck, only barely peeking from behind a block at her seven o' clock. She stood, saber igniting with a angry hiss of plasma.
She didn't need to turn to deflect it, but as the bolt was deflected, the block she stood on dropped, about a foot or so, causing her to lose her balance; not to mention almost redirecting that relatively harmless bolt into her own shoulder. That wouldn't be good enough. Eyes closed again, she left the saber activated as the block she stood on was raised up to the appropriate level, the few blocks just around her that were on the actual system of the training room serving as a guide for how high hers should have been. When it was back at level, she steadied herself for a moment, moving to a crouch as she felt outwards in the Force.

At that point, she stopped. Riding that slab into the ground with a slam as it slotted back into the flooring.

"Hello!?" Aayla called out, suddenly feeling cold... No, not feeling, she could see her breath in front of her eyes, the temperature in the room had dropped a great deal...

'Am I not worth finding, padawan...' the voice seemed to come from everywhere, and immediately chilled her to the bone...

The lightsaber in her hand was being used on a training setting, but was turned up to the maximum before she reignited it. Aayla waved a hand at the nearby console, and each slab in the room would begun returned to their original positions; she walked around the room tactfully, eyes panning about to locate the origin of what she had heard.

"Show yourself..." she called out, the amount of places left to hide become far, and in between. Then she noticed one block sort of malfunctioning. It was trying to sink back in the floor, but seemed... Stuck, on something.

'You were to be a prodigy... Sen-' she turned, swinging the saber at air; her own breath caught in her throat as the voice became clearer. It didn't make sense though, the voice in question belonged to a dead man. At the very least, a missing party.

The Force lashing out at her? Why?

'It is time for you to leave this place behind... These cowards know not what you are capable of... Find me, to become strong enough to save the weak...' it spoke, though she continued on to investigate what was behind the block.

As soon as she got around to its blind side, it would glide into place like it always did, and the only thing she saw on the ground were a tattered set of Jedi Robes... A familiar one, though from a long time ago.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Modern intergalactic travel was a wonder. In an only somewhat-distant time it had been sleeper ships transporting beings from system to system over the span of centuries...by the time they arrived at their destination everything about their old lives was gone, bar the people they had traveled with. Forget about intergalactic communications; recordings and letters would have been carried on those same sleeper ships so there was no point. These days one could tap into the Holonet and have a live chat - maybe with a few seconds delay - with a person halfway across the galaxy. Or strap into a ship about eight meters long and arrive at a destination in hours.

Yet for the wonder that was modern intergalactic travel, it still made a mess of time zones. Sure that communication could occur, but it could be three in the morning on one planet instead of one thirty-seven in the afternoon on the other. Large-scale transports typically tried to minimize this sort of time difference for their passengers but private ships were just that...private. The onus was on their pilots or navigators. So even though Audren's body was telling him it was barely four in the afternoon, Kashyyyk local time was actually somewhat after two in the morning. That was right on the border between whether he wanted to try sleeping or not, but from past experience he knew that it would be better for him to simply stay awake for the eighteen or twenty hours, sleep hard, then be up and functional the following day.

There were only so many people awake despite the Jedi Order's galaxy-spanning nature. Most of those were hard at work and had neither the time or permission to speak with him unless it was official business. To avoid accidentally falling asleep the Sephi typically worked through a few low-intensity combat drills. It allowed him to stretch his muscles and keep his heart pumping without necessarily burning him out for the day ahead.

It seemed he wasn't the only one with that thought. One of the rooms ahead was lit and he could barely hear the hum of a lightsaber and hiss of a remote's sting bolt. Then a voice talking, just one. The Jedi was curious so he bypassed the room he'd reserved and stopped at the open door of the occupied one. Inside was a girl - near human at least - with a lit lightsaber. She was looking around the other side of the lone elevated block even as it slid back into place on the floor, and he could see some clothing there. Nothing special.

"Most people talking to themselves at this time of night would be accused of sleepwalking. That doesn't seem to be the case with you though."

Well, words were never his strong point. It was one reason he hired negotiators instead of doing the negotiating himself.


Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

Given the situation, the voice had startled her. Causing her to turn partway with a jerk, her saber rearing a bit when she noted just who it was; seems she was just on a roll for running into war heroes this week. The saber was collapsed immediately, and she offered the Jedi Master a bow. "I was just thinking out loud, Master... Sykes, right?" she offered, in the back of her mind the robes on the ground were still a blaring paradox to her sanity, and she looked again, to verify they were still there... Yes, there they lay, a strange phenomenon, considering she would've very much noticed them before she had begun her training.

Eyes locking back on his form, she sighed, then moved to pick them up. Seeming to take care with them, folding them in two and draping them over her wrist. Exhaling a bit, she would begin to walk in his direction, which happened to also be the exit. Once a little closer, she took stock of him... Stoic, cute, and authoritative. That was her initial diagnosis. She would move to within four feet of him, and slow to a stop, taking her mind away from whatever in the heck had just happened to her. Breathing out, she noted the room temperature was the same as before. Perhaps that was an illusion too. "Your reputation precedes you.." Aayla offered, shifting her body weight to her left side. Not for any reason in particular but to feel comfortable.

The robes were draped over her right wrist, while her left hand held them there, almost a defensive pose taken with the clothes.

 

[Audren Sykes]

The instant Audren spoke, the other person responded. She almost jumped as she turned, lit lightsaber moving with her. An admirable response, and though in a perfect galaxy she wouldn't have been surprised by his presence - having of course sensed his approach from dozens of meters away - he could by no means fault her. Even Masters ran into 'tunnel vision' from time to time. Her reply, however, surprised him. She knew him on sight and said that his reputation preceded him as her blade shut down.

In all honesty, he'd been distant from the Order long enough that he was surprised to even still have a reputation. Unless it was for leaving, that was quite possible. Then again, he was mildly surprised to have a reputation in the first place. Sure, he was a Master but those were almost a cred a dozen now. He'd never been a powerhouse like Thurion had been, never been a spotlighted leader of the Order, and in fact had never trained a Padawan. He tended to work in the background, be one of the many faces that lent their hand and strength to the efforts.

The momentary thoughts were banished with an exhale, and he returned to the subject at hand. The other had gathered the clothing and now stood a bit over a meter away. The clothes - were those Jedi robes? - were draped over a wrist, while the other hand held them in place. It was a relaxed position, and respectful of the robes to a degree that few showed, but at the same time hinted at defensive. Almost as if the pieces were special and couldn't fall to the ground, let alone that they'd been on the ground when he'd first arrived. Or maybe it was so that he didn't grab them? What an odd thought. The robes were obviously not hers...she was clothed after all.

"I wasn't aware I had a reputation. Tend to try and form my own opinions instead of relying on someone else's."

Let alone not staying in place or being around Jedi enough to actually hear those reputations...

"But that also results in missing out on learning about many others, which means you have me at a disadvantage."

For all he knew this one could be the newest Grand Master of the Silver Jedi. Her apparent age was not much different than his, but that could be misleading. His features - barring catastrophic lifestyle changes - could stay as they were for the next several hundred years. Her ears didn't seem quite human norm, so there was no way he could tell her age at a glance.


Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

She found his response humorous, and would indeed smile in response. Letting him speak, she would shake her head a bit.

"I study a lot... I know a lot about Jedi Masters I've never met before.. Like you... You were ahm... Ord Vaug? Kiffu, I believe... The archives outline that day very well, you saved many lives."

Aayla would say to him, noting how she was holding onto those robes, her hand moved from clamping them to her wrist, to holding her own shoulder, albeit very lightly. Her mind had left the idea of training after that, and to be honest... She was very happy to not be alone in the current moment. It was then the cogs in her brain seemed to spin again, and she realized he was asking who she was, without asking. Again, a bow.

"My manners, I am called Aayla Shan, my full name is Aayla-Senn Shan.. I'm a Pa-.. A padawan here." she said, identifying herself to him. He didn't strike her as the type to be too inquisitive, but didn't want to give him the chance to question her age; she'd heard enough of that, and it would've been the fourth time this month she had to explain the reasoning behind it. Instead, she turned partway, looking back at the now very empty training room.

"Were you coming to train? Master?"
Audren Sykes

 

[Audren Sykes]

He had to blink at that. Ord Vaug and Kiffu...he remembered those, barely. They'd been with the Galactic Alliance though and he didn't realize the two Orders had traded records. Or maybe he had turned in the records himself; anything was possible back then. Kiffu had been a learning experience while Ord Vaug had indeed been a mission. He didn't remember saving a lot of lives in either place, though he did wonder if he could Mind Trick a Bothan now.

Her hands shifted positions, then she seemed to realize something and bowed. Audren responded in kind; it was a sign of respect and greeting used throughout the galaxy and she deserved respect no less than he. The rank was a stumbling block for her but he thought nothing of it...it was around two in the morning after all. Nor did he question her age in relation to the title as he'd been a legal adult when initially joining the Order too. Look where he'd turned up, and without a formal Master to boot.

Then again, maybe it was best if she didn't follow his example in that case.

"Pleasure to meet you Aayla."

The Sephi purposely did not use her full name or title. This was not a formal situation by any means, and even if it were he tended to not be the most formal person unless absolutely needed. Two in the morning was not such a time.

"The room I reserved is a few down, but this room's lights were on and the door open. Just got in so my body still thinks it's mid-afternoon, and training is something productive to do when most others are asleep. Though if your out-loud thoughts could use another perspective I'd be happy to help."


Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

She had already begun moving past him when he spoke his words, causing her to slow. Eventually stop. All such records were open to the public of course, and while tense, the GA and SJC were still on some level allies, it was better to disperse information than hoard it. Not to mention, she had been on what could be considered house arrest for over a year. There wasn't really much else to do but train, and read. Though, for some reason when he spoke she found it difficult to leave. Something about his passive tenderness. Perhaps he didn't even intend it, but he was cautious.. Considerate. She could sense that. As such, when she reached the doorway, she wondered something about his training room. She could've asked him of course, 'hey are you training with anyone'. Though, that didn't seem right. It wasn't her.

"You want to help?" she asked, turning and resting the robes by interior corner of the doorway, and taking her saber from her waist. She held it at an angle, using her thumb to lower the blade back to a training setting. She said nothing else, but simply held the weapon out in front of her, wondering if he would understand her drift. Her eyes locked on his, more than interested in sparring with someone like him. She was going to stay in this room until morning had he not came anyway; but now that he was here, it was always welcome to have something to fight that could actually fight back.

If he didn't want to spar her, for whatever reason, she would smile and leave, but if he seemed agreeable she would wave a hand; allowing that door to close and walk back towards the center of the room. Audren Sykes

 

[Audren Sykes]

She had already started past him, but at his words stopped just inside the doorway. He had no idea what she was thinking; in a stronghold of Jedi thoughts ane emotions things should be private unless broadcast. There was no need for him to pry in this situation; either she wanted help or she didn't. The situation was entirely unknown to him so his 'assistance' might instead be interference and just make things worse. People were tricky that way.

Much to his surprise, she set the robes by the inside of the door while asking if he'd like to help. She pulled the lightsaber hilt from her belt when turning back to face him. There was no malice being broadcast so he assumed the wordless positioning of the hilt was an offer to spar. His choice; it was clear she was waiting for an answer. It didn't take much thinking: the options were robots or a living being. The automatons were good - teams of technicians routinely updated them and the best of them learned from the engagements they were in. Even so, the person was the clear choice every time.

At his acquiescing nod Aayla walked back towards the center of the room and let the door close. The Sephi hadn't missed her thumb dialing down the intensity of her blade. He, however, did not do the same: there was no external switch to do so. He'd long considered that to be a potential liability; turning up the intensity during a duel carried dangers, but an enemy turning down the intensity during live combat could be the difference between life and death. A mental flick moved the internal selector and altered the power to training mode. At the same time his right hand unhooked the hilt from his belt and ignited the orange blade. He made no move to attack yet, giving her time to get into position.

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

His actions caused a pent breath to escape her. In truth, she didn't see herself as much. There was just this path to follow, and she had a few tricks to help her along it. She was never the most diplomatic, and even bumbled her words at crucial times. This was where she was comfortable, the flow of combat. A spar, a duel, or a downright deathmatch; that was all that made sense to the Padawan. Not to be noted as any sign of aggression, but another fork on the road many had taken before her, and many would take after. In any case, as he activated his blade she walked back into the center area of the training room. Her own weapon taken from its clip with her hand, activated and manipulated with a flick of the wrist into fighting fashion.

With that, she stood there, staring across the way at him for just a moment. She didn't know what style of fighting he used, but in the end did it ever matter? What the other person did? It always boiled down to the actions taken in the present, and the present was where her mind was.

She darted to him, blade spinning once with a flick of her right hand, then right before she had made it to her opponent, she used the Force to switch her saber hand, swinging with her left at his chest. Outside of the showmanship, it was a simple attack, though she had already begun playing pazaak with the other. It was hard to ignore how an opponent attacked you. The hand, the foot, the angle, it all mattered. Something as simple as switching the dominant saber hand before she struck would pan out if not in the next strike, the one just after, or perhaps after that.

Audren Sykes would notice a great deal of pent up anger in her, however. Her strikes carrying malice, and anger. Something that didn't resonate from her, but yet still was palpable in her fighting. There was something eating her from the inside, and it was up to him to intervene, or not. Hells, with the speed, and finesse of her saber forms he might not care to notice such trivial matters, but it may have helped her in the long run to be educated.

 

[Zenda Tano-Bonteri]

Zenda had chosen to help with the younger younglings that night, and, being nocturnal, was wide awake to do so. She was walking a particularly fussy toddler around the Silver Rest, hoping they would eventually go to sleep. It had worked for her daughters as babies. The Togruta picked up the sounds of a lightsaber duel and went to check it out, the Weequay at her hip. The Knight watched from a distance and smiled a few minutes later as she felt the child fall asleep.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Once Aayla reached the center of the room she turned to face Audren and ignited her own weapon. The blue blade came to life with a simple flourish into a fighting position. Such was in stark contrast to his own rather relaxed stance: body pointed straight at her while the hilt was held loosely and the blade nearly touched the floor. For a moment their eyes met, and in that brief span she might be able to see when he focused on the Force.

As a Master, the Sephi was always aware of the Force. Well, almost always; he was still a living being and thus fallible. It didn't constantly occupy the forefront of his attention however. If he could do something, he should do something instead of using the Force to do it for him. While he could use the Force to eat, he was perfectly capable of using dining utensils. His method of accessing the Force was fairly basic, at least to his mind. While the Sith obtained Force power through emotion - and some Jedi too through positive emotions - he found it better to simply focus on the task at hand. The emotions were still there but they had no affect on him.

As his opponent began to move the elfin Jedi sensed two presences enter the room and spared a glance. A woman carrying a child, not getting involved in the spar. Unless she was planning on using the nearly-sleeping child as a weapon...which would be terrifying.

By the time his glance was complete Aayla was nearly on him. His blade came up into a simple guard position: hilt near his waist and tip of the blade pointing roughly at her chin. At the last second her lightsaber blurred into her left hand and struck at his chest from the unanticipated direction. He'd already decided to fall back on Form I - the basic one that pretty much everyone learned - in lieu of his more typical responses. The orange blade shifted to block with just enough force to prevent it from smashing through, which actually caused both blades to recoil somewhat. From there the hilt came up over his head and his left hand joined the right, only to bring the blade back down in an attack of his own. He used the bit of angular momentum provided by the first block to shift what would have been a purely-vertical strike to a somewhat diagonal one, roughly aimed from her right shoulder to left hip.

The Master didn't count this as "going easy". He wanted to see how she fought, what she brought to the table so to speak. Some Padawans fought in a frenzy or brought out their best tricks from the beginning in hopes of catching their opponent off guard or impressing them. Others kept their tricks in reserve, sometimes being so hesitant as to not use them at all before the spar was over. The best were consistent. If she called him on the basics used he might claim a warm up period or some other nonsense. He also wanted to see if the anger he sensed stuck around or melted away; it was definitely there and colored her actions...but was it transient or more deeply rooted?


Aayla Shan Zenda Tano-Bonteri