Jedi Academy on Yavin IV (open to the Jedi Order, regardless of faction)

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]
Jacen nodded and meandered through the trees to the edge of the platform. Leaning forwards, he rested his elbows on the wall and looked out to the horizon. He'd seen the tell-tale signs of the emplacement fit as he'd walked across the platform. Standard fits for every bit of military hardware existed, defined and documented by the military suppliers to allow all of them to compete for lucrative contracts. Voidstalker had stood by, transported and guarded many such standard fit weapons in his time. He couldn't help but wonder if the corporations that profited from death were as guilty of maintaining the endless conflicts as the opposing ideals that inevitably ignited the paper.

"Nice spot," he said to the Jedi Master. "Peaceful with a good view. And hard to find," he added with a sheepish grin.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

"Yeah, the Bafforr seem to like it," he admitted, straightening up. He slipped the pruning shears into a little leather sheath on his belt. "So -- what can I do for you? Counseling, bladework, mindfrakkery, illusion, seeing through illusion? There aren't too many reasons people search me out; most of the other teachers are better at everything else than I am."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]
Jacen turned back from the view, gaze shifting upwards for a moment to look at the trees. "Not familiar with them," he admitted strolling back over to a sensible distance for a conversation. For a moment, he thought he sensed something between the trees. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to turn his novice senses on it, but lost the feeling.

"A little bit of everything but the one in the middle I suppose," Jacen replied honestly, with a shrug. "I'd heard you had a talent for teaching defensive forms, and I'm not a huge fan of the notion of Sith messing with my mind. But I suppose it's mostly because I've heard you can be a very down to earth tutor. Perhaps you'd indulge me and field a few questions about the nature of the Force?"

Hearing the last sentence out loud immediately made him cringe, that hadn't sounded quite so rude in his mind.

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

*Yet another time training in the courtyard, long before either of the previous ones when Mark is around 7 or 8*

Mark sat alone in the center of the courtyard. A small stone about the size of his own fist sat on the ground in front of him. His eyes were shut tight, as if in sleep. But, this was not sleep. Mark was attempting picking up an object while in meditation again. He'd attempted it several times since he'd been taken in by the jedi to start on this path, but hadn't been very successful. All he could manage to do was to get the rock to wiggle. He always used the same rock, believing the fossil that it held was lucky and might help him. It may have seemed to be nonsense, but that was a kid's mind for you.
Mark's recently assigned mentor, Jedi knight, Avi Merron, had told him to focus in and keep practicing. Mark was sure that with some practice, he'd get it eventually.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Shule caught the cringe. "The big questions, we don't talk about them as much as we talk about other things, or at least not in the same breadth of contexts. In a lot of ways, that means the only language we have for all that can be a little awkward. Stilted, formal, tough to wrangle. I've found that, anyway; maybe you have too. If we're talking about the nature of the Force, out first step has to be agreeing that the words we have for how it works just sometimes aren't sufficient. Language isn't enough -- and our ability to experience the Force intuitively will never give us a complete picture of things. Most of what we think we know about the nature of the Force is contradictory guesswork, and every Jedi winds up with a slightly different impression. What matters is where we draw the 'heretic line.'"

 

[Alan]

Darin's eyes danced over the inscription on the marble slab. His hands were wrapped around the opposite forearms, in the traditional Jedi pose. He was studious, to say the least. And the opprotunity to travel to Yavin IV for an academy and a whole new Jedi experience- was to say the least, exciting for the young Jedi. However, his facial expression betrayed that. He was about as stoic and as unchanging in his emotions outwardly as the marble itself. He slid his hands out of the robings, letting them fall to his side. He ran his hand over the marble, his fingertips making contact with it. He felt the weight of the stone as soon as he touched it, strong and durable.

However, he found the words etched upon it more encouraging and enlightening than the respectable stone. The Jedi code, and some of the tenets were there as well. Important things to a Jedi, moreso important to a Jedi learner such as Darin. He blinked for a moment, before taking in the rest of the courtyard. He had only arrived, and doubted that the marvelous centerpiece was the only extraordinary thing that Darin was going to experience in his time at the academy.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

Jacen's brow visibly furrowed as he followed Windspeaker's words. It took him a few moments more to mull over them before he replied, and even then he wasn't sure he'd followed the gist of his reply.

Jacen was a career soldier, and that came with a particular culture. Those who gave orders in a circumlocutory manner tended to get four letter responses.

"Alright then, awkward question. A Sith lets the Force guide his actions. Does the dark side give him guidance that furthers his twisted goals, or does he just twist the Force to his will?"

Great, you manage five minutes of a Master's time and you manage to sound like a simpleton. Good work Voidstalker. Go tell the Headmaster that you still don't know how a lightsaber works next.

 

[Grozurra]

Grozurra's armored bulk rested comfortably in one of the few chairs in the galaxy designed to acomodate a creature the size of a Wookiee. The ship he flew, like he himself, was Mandalorian. Accomodation of bulky armor was a design feature of nearly all Mandalorian products, but this one in particular had been modified for Grozurra's personal use.

The wookiee's stomach lurched as the ship exited hyperspace and returned to reality. From the cockpit, Grozurra could once again see the familiar blackness of space dotted by pinpricks of distant stars and galaxies. Dominating much of this view, the yellow-orange gas giant known as Yavin Prime stood out in start contrast of the black and white field of space which she called home. Sensors beeped and updated the wookiee with his current coordinates and readings on nearby celestial objects. The moons of Yavin Prime filled his holoprojector as the Astromech Droid plotted the best path around the giant and to his destination, the Jedi Temple of Yavin IV.

Ordinarily, the Jedi would not be tolerated to come and go as they wish within Mandalorian space. But Yavin IV was a special case. Here was the home of the Rekali clan, and it was upon their word of trust that the outsiders were able to navigate freely as they traveled to and from the planet. And while few Mandalorians had any trust for the Jedi, it was their long history of standing against the Sith of the galaxy that had truly earned them the tolerance of the Mandalorians. It was also that long history that had inspired Grozurra to seek them out.

The young wookiee had not been a Jedi for over a hundred years, but he once had the honor of calling himself padawan to a wise and merciful master. In the time since then, he had embraced the Mandalorian way of life and adopted their culture. He was far more a Mandalorian than he had ever been a Jedi. The Mandalorian view on the force, the Mandalorian love for war, the Mandalorian value of family... each of these things was now at the core of Grozurra's very being. But once... once upon a time, Grozurra had desired nothing more than to win the approval of his master and help bring peace to the galaxy.

They were fond memories for Grozurra. No matter what would become of the wookiee, his memories of his first master would always be a treasure. She was a kind and beautiful woman that had given everything to stand against the Sith. And that more than anything, was something that would stick with Grozurra until the day he died.

When fighting against the Sith, you give your all.




Grozurra stared out the cockpit window as the patrol ship flew on autopilot towards Yavin IV. In the distance, Grozurra spotted the silhouette of a Concordance Mining Barge within the swirling clouds of Yavin Prime. Even after six years and a galactic disaster, the ship still rested comfortably within the upper atmosphere of Yavin Prime where she dipped her tendril-like Gravity Tethers into the crushing depths of the planet as she fished for Corusca Gems. Nearby, but well above the atmosphere of the planet, Grozurra could also see a pair of Keldabe Battleships that guarded the precariously stationed mining ship that had taken its position so many years ago. Between them, a fourth ship sporting a Mandal Hypernautics logo haunted the void above Yavin prime. This one, a prison ship, was the one that Grozurra loathed. Even from such a great distance, Grozurra could feel the hole in the force created by the ship and her complement of Ysalamiri.

Officially, the ship was stationed in such a position out of convenience. She was a prison. What better place for her to orbit than in close proximity to a pair of battleships?

Unofficially? She was stationed there by Mandal Hypernautics as a not so subtle reminder to the guests of the Rekali clan. Being asked to leave and being forced to leave carried two very different consiquences.



Grozurra shuddered at the thought of being imprisoned upon such a ship and tried to instead focus on the path ahead of him. He too would soon be a guest of the Rekali clan. For it had been far too long since Grozurra had received training

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Shule shrugged. "I can't speak for all Sith, but when I was a Sith Lord, my impression was that the Force's guidance to me, both philosophically and practically, centered on my instincts, my priorities, and the ambient information visible through Force senses. Your question is closely tied to a rare ability -Sith battle coordination, the kind that lets you intuitintuit how every tactical puzzle-piece fits together. It's downright revelatory, the highest expression of what you're talking about, but it's still about factors to do with me, not the will of the Force. Does that answer your question?"

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Kaia Vullen] | [member=Zylah Dvale]

Des Kovak had secluded himself a bit from the comings and going of the other Jedi. He sat cross-legged in the tall grass that reached just past his knees, hands resting palm upwards on his legs. He was comfortable here, amidst the grasses and trees, and the sounds of twittering birds. It felt like his home planet Haruun Kal had felt, before he'd been exiled away from the jungle to live in the capital city of Pelek Baw. It felt alive. Dressed in his signature sleeveless tunic and breeches, Des was not even wearing any shoes. He was used to getting a little dirty, and the grass was soft to the touch.

Des breathed deeply, closing his eyes once again. This was about the fifth attempt, or perhaps the sixth. He hadn't been keeping count. He tried to let himself fall into a meditative trance, but as usual, meditation came very difficult for the impulsive Korun. The crease on his brow became intenser as he frowned with the effort of concentration. The Jedi, some distance away, were breaking his attention. Every word they spoke, every footstep on the stone tiles of the Temple, every rustle of their robes, they all disturbed the gentle balance of nature's song around him. He could no longer hear the birds, or the gentle breeze playing with the leaves. All he heard, all he sensed was a garbled mass of people, echoing inside his own head. The trick, he knew, was to ignore it all, to let it glide off him like a waterfall of the rocky shores of a freeflowing river. But there was a huge gap between knowing and doing, and Des had no means to bridge. Unbeknowst to him, instinctively, Des' fist closed around a handful of grasshalms and squeezed. Finally, he opened his eyes and pounded his fist on the soil.

"Damnit! Will all of you be quiet! I'm trying to be a Jedi over here!" he cried, but nobody gave any reaction. The distance was too great, and they did not hear him though he heard them all too well. 'Trying to be a Jedi', indeed. It was not easy.

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

He focused harder, but felt no success. What could be the secret to this darn trick?
"Darn. I just can't do this." he said to himself, with a hint of failure in his small voice.
"There must be something that could help me master this. If I can't even pick up a rock, what makes me worthy to be a jedi in the first place?"

 

[Kaia Vullen]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Des Kovak"] [member="Taneek Santii"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Among the sounds of rustle and voices was Kaia Vullen. Her high-pitched giggle tore through the rustle and hum of fabric and serious voices. The padawan was looking up at an older comrade, Zylah Dvale who had just told her something very funny. There was a visible difference of some four years between the two of them. Kaia stood at about a head shorter than Zylah despite making a valiant effort at looking taller.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]They had just turned a corner and stepped out into the tall grass when they heard Des exclaiming; Kaia froze like a startled deer. She stood on one leg with her arms splayed for balance and her face turned in the approximate direction of Des. He was a way away, but she could see him with her inherent Force Sight. Her mouth contorted into a mischievous smile, her dimples flaring in her freckled face. “Come sister!” She gripped a hold of her friend’s wrist and tugged, sprinting towards Des. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]She had seen Des Kovak before. He was bigger and older than she was -Then again, so was Zylah- and he was very hard during sparring. However, she never saw him with people, and Kaia could never abide by a loner without reaching out a hand. Ever since he beat her, she had been determined to befriend him. This was of course one of the reasons why she had brought Zylah this way.[/SIZE]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Shule Windspeaker"]

Jacen thought he did exceedingly well to keep his jaw from dropping at that revelation. We'll, no better to answer that kind of question, he imagined. "That... Yeah that does. More food for thought, perhaps," he replied.

"I'll think on it further. So, can't help myself... You were a sith lord?"

 

[Elijah Black]

[member="Des Kovak"] | [member="Kaia Vullen"]

Zylah looked down towards Kaia with a broad smile, laughing in unison with her. Her joke had been well received. She loved Kaia's laugh, and by natural extension, she loved making Kaia laugh. It was the sound of pure glee rooted in carefree happiness, inviting the listener to forget all of their troubles and concerns, inviting them to forget that their world was surrounded by darkness. That laugh made Zylah feel four years younger. The day the galaxy no longer heard that laugh would be a sad day indeed.

"I'm trying to be a Jedi over here!" a voice boomed. Zylah heard it, but she gave no indication that she had heard it. It became a sort of background noise, one that she didn't grant any attention. The frustration someone else had with their training was none of her business. Kaia seemed to be of a different opinion, however, having frozen in her place, leaving Zylah to stop a few steps ahead of her younger friend, looking back. "What?" she asked casually, examining the Miraluka. "What?" she repeated in a more sceptical tone upon seeing Kaia's mischievous smile, Zylah's eyes narrowing slightly. What was Kaia plotting? Before her analysis of Kaia's face bore fruit, the young padawan had grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her along. Zylah nearly toppled over. She was taller than Kaia, but the sudden sprint had taken her off-guard, and Zylah found herself trying to keep up and not fall over.

Zylah had managed to catch up with Kaia, and she ran alongside her sister towards Des. As far as Zylah understood it, Miraluka often referred to their fellows as either brother or sister. Kaia seemed eager to extend that title to as many as possible. It was a term Zylah had grown used to, and she was happy to be included within its definition. It spoke to the kind character of Kaia and her willingness to form a community, involving as many as possible within it.

The pair now stood before Des Kovak. Zylah was not able to identify him as the same who had cried out in frustration earlier, but it was a fair bet given Kaia's behaviour immediately after it was heard. She eyed the two, exchanging looks between Kaia and Des, looking for any signs of familiarity. "Friend of yours?" she asked Kaia before returning her focus to Des. They were definitely interrupting. Zylah didn't offer more in terms of conversation, but her facial expression remained friendly and receptive. She assumed they had history, and waited for the following exchange between the other two, as well as waiting for Kaia to introduce her. Zylah still wasn't entirely sure why they were there.

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Kaia Vullen] | [member=Zylah Dvale]

Des frowned as two of the Jedi came his way. They looked young, but Des was convinced they had come to lecture him for his outburst anyway, as so many had. As they approached, he stood up and brushed a few loose grass halms off his breeches.

When he looked up, the pair was already right in front of him, having advanced rather faster than Des had anticipated. He was taken aback by the sudden proximity of the shorter of the two, who stepped up right in front of him and grinned. It was hard not to imagine large, glassy eyes underneath the cloth she wore. There was certainly no subtlety about this one. What little interaction he'd had, even with the higher ups, had been cautious, or steeped in the polite social conventions of the Jedi society. This was something entirely different.

To his surprise, there was no lecture, no be mindful of your emotions, Padawan. Instead, the taller Jedi suggested he might know the other one. "I am not familiar with you", he said, straining to find the right 'polite' words expected of him. If anything, Des just wanted to get rid of them. "If you'll.... excuse me", he said hesitantly. "I am very busy. Much practice to do." He could think of no other excuse, and he decided he should make it clear, at least, he prefered to work by himself. "Alone", he added, putting some pressure on the word the only way he knew how to: intonation. He hadn't yet learned to put the weight of the Force behind his words, as seemed to come natural to the Jedi.

 

[Kaia Vullen]

[member="Taneek Santii"] [member="Des Kovak"]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Kaia stood on her tiptoes, her face turned up against Des with a perpetual grin. “Perhaps not, but you will be. I am determined to befriend you, Des. Don’t fight it.” She put one finger determinedly in Des’ chest for emphasis, her other hand firmly on her hip. Kaia had no patience for subtlety, though she did pay intense attention in the diplomacy lectures.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]There were no glassy eyes behind her red cloth, but still she stared at him intensely. She had sometimes wondered what it would be like to have eyes, see ‘colours’, and not to be able to see the radiance of the force in every living thing. “By the way! This is Zylah. Zylah, meet Des, Des Zylah.” She took a quick sideways step, not to be in the way of their interaction. “Her head flicked back and forth between them and her grin settled into a content smirk.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Looking at them, Kaia saw as many similarities as she thought she would. Close to the same height and age, though Zylah was a tad bit taller and most likely a year or two older than Des, who was, however, clearly the broader part. His share mass was intimidating, but the Jedi always said that she should not be governed by fear, so she decided to embrace this intimidating mass of muscle. Not a physical embrace yet, but that would come in time. ‘Soon’ she thought to herself as she surveyed the -to her- awkward interaction between the two older Padawans.[/SIZE]

 

[Elijah Black]

[member="Des Kovak"] | [member="Kaia Vullen"]

Zylah watched the exchange between the two. She attempted to remain neutral, but was in the end unable to restrain a laugh. The way Kaia met Des' discomfort, and his attempts to dismiss them, with her ever energetic determination simply got to her. That Miraluka was something special. That girl did not give up. How Des would be able to resist her charm, she could not fathom. "She's serious you know. Once she sets her mind on something she goes all out. Don't fight it" she repeated Kaia's words, and again the thought of the two of them brought her out into cheerful laughter again.

She managed to calm her laugh as Kaia introduced her. She gave a friendly nod and a brief wave. "Hi. Nice to meet you" she said politely. Zylah could relate to Des' frustration on some level, as she didn't seem to possess the Jedi virtues of serenity and patience. Her eyes scanned him as he stood up. They seemed to be about the same height, she figured they were similar in age as well, though he was probably a bit younger. He was bigger though, more muscles, and probably looked older than what he was, she reckoned. Already comparing the two, she refused to acknowledge his size as a sign that he was stronger. He had his assets, she had hers. She wondered though, who was stronger, who would last longer in a sparring match. He seemed like a fun and challenging opponent.

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Zylah Dvale] | [member=Kaia Vullen]

When the girl put her finger on Des' chest, he slowly brough up his hand, curled it around the Miraluka's wrist, and slowly, forcefully pushed it away. Perhaps he squeezes a little too hard, but he wanted to make a point. He kept her wrist locked in a vice grip for a moment, before finally letting go. Des communicated in the only way he truly knew: though brute strength and mute messages that spoke nonetheless of power. The message was clear: he was the more powerful of the two, or so he hoped, and he would not tolerate the kind of insolence this Jedi had just displayed. It was a brute's way of doing things, but Des knew no other way. "You know my name," Des observed, the statement in itself redundant, but again the question should be clear: How?

With the introduction to the taller girl, Des crossed his arms in a defensive posture. This one had already laughed at him openly, and she was a strange, white colour. An albino of some kind, perhaps? In any case, she had already challenged him with her laughter, and she looked like she might be able to back up her challenge. Unlike her companion, who was clearly more diminutive, this Zylah was taller than him, and clearly confident. The casual greeting came over as an assertion of her own comfort as opposed to Des' lack of such. Des' frown only deepened, and he did not reply. "What do you want?" he asked instead, not even bothering to ask the Miraluka's name. He had no interest in these things, and he imagined he'd forget this albino's name just as soon if she did not meet her hinted, conniving challenge with a real one.

 

[Kaia Vullen]

[member="Des Kovak"] | [member="Zylah Dvale"]

[SIZE=10.5pt]For a brief moment, Kaia was actually startled. Her wrist hurt from Des’ vice-grip, but she was not deterred. ‘I should have expected that’ she thought to herself as she held her wrist and rotated it thrice to relieve the pain. She already knew he was the more powerful in body, but she plain did not care and if anything, it would encourage her insolence.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]“Yes, I know your name dim-brother.” She smiled slyly and crossed her arms across her chest, puffing herself up a little. The more she knew about Des, the more powerful she would be, undeniable in a sense, or t[/SIZE]hat was her idea. In the end, he would have no choice but to recognize her. She would defeat him with familiarity.
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Kaia watched the interaction between Zylah and Des closely, soaking up their mannerisms and reading into their words.She knew Zylah well and knew Des would be tricky to befriend; the fact that he ignored her so completely testified to this. A confident smirk spread once more across her freckled face, the dimples in her cheeks becoming deep pits like polar images of stars. Looking at Zylah, she felt very grateful for her friendship.[/SIZE]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Kaia Vullen] | [member=Zylah Dvale]

"dim-brother" To that word, Des immediately stepped forward. His right arm suddenly lashed out, a closed fist flying for the Miraluka's jaw. "You are not my Dôshalo!" he cried as he aimed to knock her to the ground. Whether the punch hit home or not, and whether the girl sprawled to the ground or not, Des would now stand towering over her, the albino Zylah forgotten. "My Bôsh is on Haruun Kal, where I belong." He looked up, at the ziggurats of the ancient Jedi Temple on Yavin IV. "I do not know how you learned my name, but you know nothing of me. I do not wish to be here. I do not wish to know you." With those words, he turned his gaze to the albino, the fierce light of warning in his eyes. "Any of you."