In Pursuit of Knowledge (Ossus Jedi)

[Tiland Kortun]

Ossus- Jedi Academy

Tiland limped down out of the transport, leaning on his staff and adjusting the bag slung over his shoulder. Other passengers streamed by for various reasons. He could catch snippets of their thoughts, and their soups, but there were too many to pay close attention to. His focus, also, was not for them. Rather, he had come to Ossus to visit the library and speak with [member="Corvus Raaf"], leading expert on Jedi lore and history. His previous searches had led to no results. Well, no useful results. He'd found some old holodramas of various types. Adventure ones. Forbidden romances. Ancient stuff, from before the fall of the Republic. He was old, yes, but not that old, no matter what the children thought. The thought gave him a smile as he headed off towards the Academy, catching a ride from a kindly Jedi carrying transports who took pity on his apparent infirmity and kindred Force signature. He was after all a student, though not belonging to the Republic's order, or to be precise, any order. They rose and fell while he watched. Governments were birthed and died during the course of his self-imposed exiles. What was loyalty when viewed like that.

He gave a bow of thanks as the Jedi dropped him off at the base of the ziggurat. He frowned at all the stairs. That was not a very welcoming appearance, but he was not crippled. Just limping. So, up he trod, for what seemed like a great deal of time, before reaching the top and slipping inside the structure. It was cool and calm. Almost too calm. Surely there would be those who could what he was and hopefully it would not lead to any unfortunate incidents. Such things had happened with Jedi before. Not often, but occasionally.

He paused as a Jedi came to speak to him.

"I have come to visit the library and speak with Master Raaf regarding Jedi history and lore, when she has a chance," Tiland explained, leaning on his staff. "Do you have a place I can wait until she has time to speak with me?"

The Jedi nodded and led him through a hallway to a comfortable room where he sat and laid his bag and staff on the table. The Jedi departed. Tiland ruffled through his bag, pulling out a thermos of hot water and a wooden mug, crushing some leaves and scooping them into a small bag to steep. Nothing like a cup of tea while waiting.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus finished a class with an exuberant group of Younglings. She wondered how many had fully grasped the concept of Conquering Recklessness – given their youthful excitement. But then they were Younglings after all and for them it was quite a challenging lesson to take in at one sitting.

As she left the lesson, a Padawan came up to her. They exchanged bows. “Master Raaf…I mean Corvus, there is a Jedi here to see you. They are in the library.”

Corvus smiled. It made a change from a Sith or Dark-Jedi visiting. “Thank you Cano’milli. Now, off to your Djem So lesson.” She invariably remembered most lessons – a fact that often disconcerted young Jedi – and ensured they didn’t skip lessons. In equal measures.

Dressed in her traditional robes, she headed to the Archives and sought the Jedi in question. Her violet eyes scanned the room – her favourite on Ossus – and saw him. Drinking tea by the look of it.

She bowed politely and then smiled. “Jedi Kortun? I’m Corvus. A warm welcome to Ossus.”

[member="Tiland Kortun"]

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Tiland stood as [member="Corvus Raaf"] entered, and gave a bow. "Yes, that is me." He moved his stuff aside from the table, leaving the cup and thermos for the moment. "Thank you for your welcome. It is a wonderful academy you have here." He paused a moment, trying to remember something. Then he gave a quick nod and pulled out a second cup. "Would you like some tea?"

The challenging thing with being a wandering Jedi healer was that he had never actually been a formal Jedi temple. The one Sullust really didn't count, since it was so new and relatively informal. It felt very different than this one, which felt incredibly different than the places with the Levantine Sanctum that had he had stayed in, out on the edge of the galaxy. Things were different there than here near the core or whichever region of space this was. There were too many people, for one thing. So many bright candles with powerful soups. He opened his mind to the Force after that thought, and let it flood through him. Control and focus. That was what brought him here.

"I apologize if I take up too much of your time," He began, "But I have been trying to search the Old Republic Jedi Sect of Force Warriors and have found little... accurate information. Most are dramas and stories. Would you have any resources or knowledge on the subject?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. She was a frequent drinker of camomile and her sister had introduced her to a number of different varieties. She still tended to put milk in some – much to her sister’s dismay – but not the light and fragrant ones.

“Tea would be lovely, thanks.”

And she smiled again at his words. “That is precisely what I am here for, so no apology is required.” And then she mused on his words.

“The source of the material is scattered.” She’d lived in the Archives on Corellia from the ages of four to fourteen. "There is no single sourcebook. They were…a sect of Force Users, not just Jedi.” She wrinkled her nose as she pulled the data from her memory.

“No Holocron will help you, but after I tell you of what I know, feel free to scan the records here.”

“They focused on control. A blend of meditation and martial arts. They allowed the Force to flow through them and guide their strikes. Much like Center of Being in a way. It afforded tremendous power and precision. Much like a martial art such as Echani – but to a greater level. And like Teräs Käsi – or again Center of Being – they were able to predict attacks.”

“Yet despite the nature of the language I have used – and the fact they were known as Warriors, they were primarily peaceful.”

“So practical guides will be hard to come by. So my first advice is to study Center of Being. Again, it is a blend of meditation and combat and allows the user to defend almost unconsciously. And as for the offensive aspects? Study the Forms. You do not need to use a saber to employ the moves. Vaapad is as effective as a martial art as it is a saber Form. Or learn Echani or Teräs Käsi but allow the Force to guide you.”

“The key is to trust the Force. Implicitly. Allow it to guide your actions, not to be a tool to be used.”

“Have I helped? And is there more I can share?”

[member="Tiland Kortun"]

 

[Tiland Kortun]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Tiland nodded at the response to the tea and he studied the bag for a moment, lips pursed as he considered. Then he pulled out a few different leaves, crushing them with his palm and netting together. They seemed to be about as perfect as could be managed. He poured some hot water into the mug over the leaves and handed it to her as it steeped. He had considered what he knew about her and her role as Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. She carried a great deal of responsibility and was rather young for such a position. That was stressful and difficult. As a result, the tea he put together was to ease stress and sharpen the mind, with a refreshing mint after-taste. What good was tea, after all, if it tasted horrible?

He cupped his own cup and leaned forward over the table, listening intently. Not just Jedi then. That was not something he had been aware of. Center of Being was something he was vaguely familiar with, but had never been taught. It was rather difficult to use with a quarterstaff, as were most lightsaber forms. Some of the aggressive ones worked well, but his Anzati nature loved those. They took him far too close to the darkness that brooded within his genetics. But studying them would be invaluable, not so much as to use them, but to understand their weaknesses and how they could be defended against.

He mulled over her words, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on their tips. It certainly gave him a start, and where to begin looking. Some time in the archives would be beneficial. Perhaps he could also find records of Jedi from his own people. Or was he among the first? That was not exactly a portion of his identity he wished to reveal, so he would not ask such a thing.

"Many thanks, Jedi Corvus," He said after several long moments, words slow and drawn out, "That is of utmost help. You saved me from a long and fruitless search, although a study of the archives should be most beneficial."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened and nodded. “There is nothing restricted here. Nothing more than datacrons in fact – reference books in other words. So feel free to browse to your heart’s content. If you have any questions, I shall be doing some research of my own, so will be on hand if you need me.”

She smiled. “I don’t spend anywhere near as much time here as I used to. A pity in some ways. I always expected this would be my calling. But I return when I can. I am a scholar at heart.”

And she stood up from the table and bowed politely before heading to her ‘usual’ table and pulling out a datacron from a nearby shelf that referenced the Ruusan Reformation.

[member="Tiland Kortun"]

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Tiland nodded and stood as [member="Corvus Raaf"] did so, although slower than the much younger woman. That was to be expected, of course. Five hundred some years, even for an Anzati, tended to make joints and such a little stiffer unless constantly stretched and maintained. He had not been the best at that in the past and was still working to fix that error. That and part of it was psychological. He felt old, except in times of danger in which the Force seemed to rejuvenate him.

"My thanks, Corvus," He said after a moment, "Your assistance has been invaluable and saved me decades of scouring the Outer Rim." He gave a bow in return before placing his cup back in his satchel and slinging it over his shoulder. He ambled out into the library, seeking out the data in the datacrons on Center of Being and the Force. Some of the texts were esoteric and would put other apprentices to asleep but after five hundred years, Tiland had found his patience had increased. It wasn't like he had to rush anywhere because he would die of old age in a few decades. He could browse through here for centuries if needed, until the entire structure was abandoned and began to crumble into oblivion. He doubted the Force would allow him that much time, however.

He found one the Control aspect of the Force and decided to focus on that one first. Start with himself, master his own darkness, and then, only then, could he reach out to th darkness of the galaxy and heal it of its pain and rage.