Private Local Legends

[Starlin Rand]

“Your request for a pardon has been accepted,” Morgun Jai said. Like their last meeting, the Jedi Master was the very picture of serenity, despite the sternness of his brow and the frown on his lips. “You may go in peace, your crimes having been forgiven.”

Starlin breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, master.”

“Don’t thank me, thank the Circle.”

“Thank you, Circle.” Starlin started to rise. “Oh, right—I have one more question for you. If someone wanted to join the NJO, how would they do it? Is there like some forms to fill out, or whatever?”

Morgun blinked, realization slow to dawn on him. “...You want to join the NJO? Right after they just pardoned you for killing one of their members?”

Starlin nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Okay, look...” Starlin sat down again, though in a much more casual position than his meditative pose earlier. “I was with the Silvers because my master was with them. But I was born and raised on Coruscant, and I ain’t a traditional Jedi content to sit around and meditate all day long. NJO has always been the better fit for me, it’s just been… complicated by other things.”

Morgun cast a hard stare upon him. “I don’t think you fully grasp the optics of this situation.”

“Nobody needs to know I’m a member. I’ll stay invisible and out of the limelight, trust me. I just…” He looked around, then leaned forward, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I don’t want this pardon to be a one-and-done deal. I want to work to earn it, by serving the New Jedi Order. I’ll pay for it with my life if I have to, but I’ll do it defending peace and justice.”

The hardness in the Jedi Master’s gaze began to soften, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose there’s nothing stopping you from becoming a member of the Order now that you've received your pardon… But I strongly recommend against it, at least until a period of probation.”

Starlin thought of Rhis Fisto’s attack on Kashyyyk. “How long's that period of probation gonna last? Months, years, decades?"

"As I said, I do not recommend it. You would be better off retiring gracefully."

As soon as he uttered the word retiring, Starlin closed his eyes. He wasn't getting anywhere with Morgun Jai, but at least he had what he'd come here for. Suppressing a sigh, he stood up again and bowed. “Thank you for your time, master.”

Morgun returned the gesture, and the two parted ways. Starlin went outside to the Temple steps and sat down. His hands shook as he lit a cig. Savoring the smoke, he let it soothe his frayed nerves.

He felt a strong urge to talk to someone, tell them the news, but he'd have to be careful about who he spoke to. Probably best to only confide in his closest family and friends… heh, he didn’t have any friends these days. Except maybe Eli… well, Eli wanted a master, and if Starlin was an NJO Knight, that could actually work…

Fine, Eli it was. He whipped out his datapad and typed up a quick message.

I got pardoned. U still lookin for a master?

Send. Oh wait—

It’s Starlin btw

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Inhale, exhale, pause.​

​

Inhale, exhale, pause.​

​

Inhale, exhale...​

​

He peeked open an eye.​

​

"Focus, Initiate Dune." The words uttered were quiet enough that none of the other students, those who were actually experienced in the art of meditation, stirred. Eliphas closed his eye.​

​

Inhale, exhale, pause.​

​

Inhale, exhale, pause.​

​

As of late, this had been a whole lot of what his life had become. Tedious hours of sitting in place, and learning how best to breathe, how to rid oneself of distractions, and in turn process any thoughts and feelings which might have been gnawing down beneath the surface. Somehow Eliphas hadn't taken to it as easily as he was expecting to. He knew how to draw back his emotions, how to measure himself, and keep everything in check, he'd been raised to do all of that, but this?​

​

This took it to the extreme. He needed something stimulating; meditation it was, though. Learn the basics, before you could spread your wings. It was all proving much slower paced than he'd been expecting, in fact since that day with Kai Bamarri he hadn't even seen the inside of a real training room. Still, he couldn't lament his surroundings all that much. The Room of a Thousand Fountains was a beautiful place to waste his life away in. The sound of rushing water ever present, the grass beneath him, even the air felt cleaner. It was nice... For the first ten or so minutes. Then it was--​

​

Beeep....beeeeep....boooop....​

​

Eliphas tried to feign a meditation so deep it would have taken all the stims in the world to rouse him from it. He'd felt the noise vibrating from his pocket, and heard it with his own two ears. Evidently, so too had everyone else. Quiet murmurs rose up among the students, and when eventually he dared to open an eye he found the disgruntled stare of their teacher fixed solely on him.​

​

"Out" the teacher stated, with a brief gesture toward an exit unseen beyond all of the flora. "Until you learn to unburden yourself of such distractions, Initiate Dune, you and I will be taking these sessions in private. Now leave."​

​

Colour rose within his cheeks at the shame of being kicked from perhaps the easiest class he'd ever taken in his entire life. She didn't need to tell him twice though, he hastily found his feet and hurried from the group who were quick to refocus at the woman's urging. He was practically in a sprint by the time he reached the other side of the door, and therein his cheeks burned all the more fiercely.​

​

He pulled out the small holopad, and saw two messages from Starlin. No chit... Starlin was back?​

​

Though his cheeks remained flushed, some of the sting of his humiliation began to wane all at once. He reread the words once, twice, thrice, and then hurried along down the hall. Where exactly he was going, he didn't rightly know, but he had the feeling Starlin was somewhere around here.​

​

Meet me by the Great Hall​

​

After sending it, he cheekily tacked on a little extra.​

​

It's Eliphas, btw.​

​

Heh, sometimes he amused even himself.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Ok

Starlin appeared minutes later in the Great Hall, minus his cig, which he had put out on the ground outside. The NJO had always been rather lax when it came to the Jedi uniform, but Starlin, who didn’t even have the signature leather jacket, stood out like a sore thumb in his civilian clothing. For him, the hoodie and jeans combo is eternal.

“‘Sup, Eli,” he greeted the trainee upon spotting him. As he approached, he paused to squint at Eli’s face. “There’s something different about you, I can’t quite put my finger on it. Eh, whatever it is, it’s an improvement.”

He leaned his back against a pillar and crossed his arms. “Right, so it looks like everything has turned out fine on my end. How are things on yours?”

Starlin was trying to seem as relaxed and unconcerned as possible, but he was quite eager for an answer to the apprenticeship question. He also wanted to get the hell out of dodge—Morgun Jai’s words about not showing his face in the Temple were starting to haunt him, and the last thing he wanted right now after this whole ordeal was to deal with another Rhis Fisto.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Huh. Starlin was using emojis these days? Go figure. Eliphas just shot back an ok-hand-emoji, and then put away the holopad.​

​

They came upon the Great Hall at about the same time. Starlin was easy to spot, though Eliphas in his NJO issue jacket was a little more lost in the crowd. Not that there was really a crowd here, the Great Hall wasn't in use after all.​

​

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" he mused with a grin, lifting a hand to gingerly touch his nose when Starlin made mention of something being different. Had it set poorly? Or was it just the flush of his cheeks? No matter.​

​

"Glad everything's worked out for you man. So what now? What's in your future, Mr Pardoned Jedi?"​

​

It was weird in that moment, as they stood upon the cusp of something new, neither one of them yet making the move to try and establish what that might be. Despite the obvious power dynamic which came from one being a Jedi Initiate and the other a Jedi Knight, as well as the difference in age, they remained as casual as they had back on Alderaan. Long before the boy even knew of his sensitivity.​

​

Just two guys hanging out...​

​

"I mean, other than your messages getting me kicked out of afternoon meditation ---" he gave the man a look that both chastised as well as thanked him for that "-- I guess everything is just, well... More or less the same?" Some of the excitement which had been in his voice deflated a little at the end. He tried to brush on past it though. "Really good to see you though."​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

“Don’t tempt me to pop my eye out again just for shits and giggles,” Starlin said. Inside joke, heh.

But since Eli failed to broach the topic of apprenticeship on his own, he plowed into it like a bull seeing red. “I dunno, I was thinking about taking on an apprentice, and I was wondering if you knew anyone who needed a master!”

Mercifully, he wasn’t that loud volume-wise. Just excited, and hoping that Eli could take a hint.

“You got kicked out of afternoon meditation? Ha!” Starlin threw back his head with laughter. “Wow, that’s amazing. So did I. Every single time, in fact. The instructor started kicking me out as soon as I walked through the door, just to save time. And it’s good to see you too, man.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Anticipation bubbled up within him.​

​

It became full blown excitement when Starlin uttered the words he'd been too chicken to broach for himself. The kid was practically bouncing up and down on the spot at the notion of learning from him, of traveling the stars, and warding off evil, and, and, and... His excitement shrouded any sense of, well, sense he might usually have displayed. He was still a fresh faced recruit, after all. But in that moment he wasn't thinking about pacing himself.​

​

Starlin had plowed on into other things, reminiscing about the days when he'd also been thrown out of meditation sessions. "I just, ahh... I don't mind meditating, don't get me wrong, but maaan they can spend literal hours in that place. And I so much as think a thought or open an eye and it's like she's staring into my soul..."​

​

Then he stared the man pointedly in the face.​

​

"Might know a guy who's interested, by the way. Heard he's done naught but get himself into trouble since coming here though... You sure you want all that on your plate?"​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Well, the idea is supposed to be discipline—you’re disciplining yourself to be able to focus despite distractions. But even I couldn’t focus with some lady breathing down my neck.” In all contexts, that sentence was true.

“Anyway.” He peered at Eli. “I have nothing on my plate at the moment. My plate is empty, devoid of food. I am starving, actually. But that can be fixed with a quick trip to Huttaburger. Your guy, however, needs a teacher—a proper one, not an overworked instructor who has to juggle a dozen other students.”

He spread his hands. “So, what does your guy want to do? Guardian, Sentinel, Consular?" Did Eli know about this stuff yet? Could he understand a word Starlin was saying?

Lief​

 

[Lief]

A slight pout overcame his expression, there for a moment then gone as quickly as it appeared.​

​

"I know it's important," he assured the man, "And I think I could learn to like it, I just... Why does it have to be for such a long time?" It felt as though they were purposely trying to bore him to death.​

​

"Huttaburger?" he inquired, raising a brow, before realizing he'd interjected and falling silent. Starlin had nothing to do, wanted to dedicate his time to something, wanted to help train someone. Mhm, that much they both understood, even if they were still beating around the bush like morons.​

​

When this question had first been posed, the one about future paths, Eliphas had not been in a position to answer it. This time though there was little hesitation. "He wants to stand in defense," the boy stated, with a nod. "Guardian seems the right path."​

​

Then he faltered. Something in his expression dropped. What if Starlin was confused? What if he truly thought Eliphas had a friend who was looking for a Master... Oh, oh no...​

​

"Uh... It's me, by the way," he whispered, cheeks turning red at the thought of confusing the Jedi. "I'm the friend..."​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Uh... It's me, by the way. I'm the friend..."

"I know that, ya fethin' clown." The insult was delivered with a huge grin, lacking the slightest trace of actual cruelty. "Guardian it is. Y'know, I wanted to be a Guardian when I first started out. I think it's technically still listed on my forms and records and all that shit..."

He was about to lead the way out of there, but paused. "Oh, do you have other classes today? Just cause you're my Padawan, doesn't mean you get to skip school." Another pause. "Did I hear you right just now? Have you seriously never heard of Huttaburger?"

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Ope.​

​

Eliphas blushed deeply in response, a colour which deepened with the pretend insult. Then he laughed at the stupidity of it all. "Oh.. Yeah.. of course. I knew that..." He rubbed the back of his neck. Real smooth, Eli. Real smooth.​

​

Talks turned to Guardians, and Eliphas found himself ever so slightly surprised by the revelation. Had Starlin told him that before? Maybe he had, but it felt like new information in that moment all the same. "But then you learned the uh, spells? And didn't want to be a Guardian anymore?"​

​

He supposed that made sense. Being able to adapt to new information and changes in circumstance was an important trait to have. Doubly so when one was a Jedi, he reckoned. Would Eliphas remain as a Guardian? Well who knew? But for now it felt the most fitting.​

​

Tipping his head to one side, he regarded Starlin as the man asked him about any classes etc he might have had. To that the boy shrugged. "Nah, meditation's been pretty much all I've done lately," he confessed, scratching an itch which formed upon his chin. "Maybe they think I need to better focus. Wouldn't entirely be a lie. Anyway, is there anything we need to do... To uh, you know, formalize all of.. this?"​

​

He gestured between the two of them.​

​

Force, hopefully the awkwardness would wane soon. Why was it feeling so awkward??​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"But then you learned the uh, spells? And didn't want to be a Guardian anymore?"

"Nah, like I said, I'm still technically labeled a Guardian. 'Jedi Sorcerer' isn't a real class, it's just what I call myself." Starlin had learned early on that despite how casual his training under Syd Celsius had been, he still had to work within the system of the Jedi. If nothing else, knowing its rule structure had allowed him to get things done that needed to be done. Like his pardon.

As for formalizing things, Starlin immediately started speed-walking to the appropriate office, disappeared inside for a minute or two, and re-emerged with pieces of flimsiplast. "We just gotta fill out some forms..." He breezed through them, scrawling his signature, checking boxes, scribbling information, and handed Eli a few as well. Padawans didn't have as many to sort through; it was mainly just consent forms, but Eli was free to peruse the contracts before he signed anything. Starlin wouldn't rush him.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"Huh..."​

​

For some reason, he genuinely thought that Starlin was some sort of Sorcerous anomaly even where the Jedi were concerned. Evidently not, just a self-made title. That had him grinning some. "Sweet..." He'd unintentionally chosen the same Class as his newfound Master - that was exciting. He wondered about all the things he'd come to learn under his tutelage. How much would change... Would things change?​

​

What did Eliphas know?​

​

He walked alongside Starlin as they made their way to the relevant office, then waited outside as he did whatever it was he was doing. Paperwork was produced, and once the Knight was done filling out his part it was time for Eliphas to do the same. He glanced over each and every part of the form, taking his time to read each part of it several times - Oskar Dune would have been proud to see it. Then once he understood what he was filling out, and why, and any agreements lay within it, he began to fill it out.​

​

For a Sect formed around an inherent core of mysticism, it was, uh, very bureaucratic.​

​

Once done, he swallowed back the rest of his doubt and glanced over at Starlin. Was that it? What happened now?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

In the time it took Eli to read through the forms, Starlin found a chair and took a nap.

Just kidding. Once all the accursed paperwork was filled out, Starlin shuffled it off into the office again, then returned with a bright, almost dangerous gleam in his eyes.

“Okay, now that that’s over with...” He rubbed his hands together. “...I have no clue where to start.”

He thought back to his own training. Sure, being trapped in those ruins had been a nightmare, but there was no uncertainty about what to do. They were working towards an escape, and he was learning the necessary skills to survive as needed.

Neither he nor Eli were in that kind of desperate situation. They were just a couple of idiots at the Temple. Starlin didn’t want to just drag Eli into a training room and have him wave a lightsaber around, but where else were they supposed to start?

“Oh, I know! Let’s get you a lightsaber, you definitely gonna need one of those. You’ll have to collect the parts to build it, so we might as well go see my buddy Val down by the starport. He’s a lightsaber expert with a huge collection of sabers and spare parts…” Having a lightsaber was absolutely necessary for any Jedi Padawan. Starlin had built his on his first day of training, Eli would have to make his too.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Starlin emerged from the office looking excitable, a man with a plan... And then stated he had no clue where to begin.​

​

The boy was unable to keep a straight face at the dichotomy of such, and shook his head. Typical. If that didn't sum up Starlin Rand then what did? All the same, Eliphas oddly found himself in no rush. If anything nerves had begun to rise up within him as he realized the monumental nature of that moment.​

​

"So, uh," he began as he waited for Starlin to figure out what they were doing, "Does this mean I have to call you Master from now on, instead of Starlin?"​

​

Whatever answer the man gave was utterly eclipsed however by what came next.​

​

A lightsaber?​

​

Eliphas' eyes widened, though he followed Starlin out toward wherever it was they were headed. The starport? Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of ceremony involved with creating a lightsaber? Gathering a crystal, muttering some code or another? All that jazz? He'd heard some of the other initiates excitedly talking about it.​

​

But who was he to question his Master?​

​

Nope. That still felt weird to even think. It would come with time he knew, but for now he still just saw the drunk half asleep at the foot of a mountain. It felt like a lifetime ago now.​

​

Might well have been.​

​

"I don't really know how to use one" he told the man, falling into step alongside him. Nerves. Nerves galore. Oh boy, was he ready for all of this?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Does this mean I have to call you Master from now on, instead of Starlin?"

"Meh, I don't give a shit what you call me, to be honest. Starlin, Master, 'hey fethface', whatever floats your boat." Starlin's laid back nature belied his own discomfort at the idea. He liked having an apprentice, but he didn't know how he felt about actually being called Master.

"I don't really know how to use one."

"Neither did I when I first started out." Starlin led the way out of the Temple and to his speeder, keeping up the conversation along the way. "Actually, you have some fencing, uh, skills? Experience? Whatever that was you did to Oona Zelda. I didn't have even that. I had to... oho, yeah, I had to absorb instant knowledge through alchemized chalk. Now that was some freaky shit, lemme tell ya..."

Hopping into his speeder (the same sleek ride he had driven Arc to Ishani's office in), he started the engines and told the story as he drove, provided Eli was willing to listen.

"My first day of training was real hectic, right? Fighting for my life in cultist and droid guardian-infested ruins. So my master says 'you need a speedrun of the basics, so you at least have a fighting chance'. She takes out a piece of chalk and tears up some old parchment she found in the archives, then writes different things down on the pieces with the chalk. It's all in magic runes, she says, and if I touch the paper I'll absorb the knowledge of that subject, but I could only pick, eh, I think three of them? Or else I'd get overloaded with too much information. So I had to choose wisely. That was how I learned my first lightsaber form, but it was just the knowledge, not muscle memory or anything like that. I still had to practice it to get good—"

“You drive like old people screw!”

The voice came from somewhere behind them. This part of Coruscant’s skies was especially congested, and most of the airspeeders around them were speeding through the lanes like they had a flight to catch, as one would expect from people on their way to the starport. Their rear neighbor was evidently displeased with Starlin’s relaxed pace. Never mind that they were currently stopped at an intersection.

As Starlin craned his neck to look back, however, the grin on his face suggested he knew the guy. “Yeah, you would know!” he shouted back.

“Your mother seemed satisfied!”

“Then how come your wife prefers my company to yours? You know it can't just be my speeder she likes!”

The exchange of insults became increasingly vulgar (and increasingly silly) before the lights changed. "Smell ya later, nerf herder!" Starlin called out before hitting the gas. To Eli he muttered, "Anyway... what was I talking about? Oh—would you like me to beam a lightsaber lesson directly into your brain?" He could barely get the sentence out with a straight face.

Regardless of how Eli answered, they reached the starport with no further interruptions.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Starlin then.​

​

For now at least.​

​

Until this all became a little more comfortable for the both of them.​

​

One day he knew he'd break that, he was a boy of honour and nobility, and titles were second nature to him, expected, desired even. It helped to know where one lay in the grand scheme of things. But this was fresh and unfamiliar territory for the both of them. Best they ease into it.​

​

As Starlin explained his first few steps into this strange life of his, Eliphas remained quiet and contemplative. The speeder was sweet, sleek, it purred despite how little throttle he gave it. Apparently that was a point of contention for another driver behind them, and the boy was left to stare and blink in bewilderment as a back and forth was started between them. Many, many insults later, Starlin returned to present conversation.​

​

Eliphas didn't know whether to laugh or cry.​

​

Either way the question broke his silence.​

​

"Uh... No? But thank you... I think I'm okay with learning uh... Naturally..?"​

​

Lessons beamed into his head. Even for a Force User that seemed bewildering and strange.​

​

So very strange.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“All-natural Eli,” Starlin nodded in approval. “Just as well, because I don’t have any of that chalk she used.”

It had been weird as hell, but also sort of cool in a way. She’d explained to him why Jedi didn’t just beam all their lessons into their students’ brains, and it had something to do with necessity and how it was better to learn the traditional way—better chance of retaining the information in the long-term. Not that Starlin had forgotten what he’d learned, but he’d been only fourteen, with a malleable mind and excellent recall.

At the starport, he led Eli through the hustle and bustle to a particular hangar bay. He knocked on the door (well, pounded on it with his fist) and it opened to reveal… a ballerina.

She was dressed like one, at least. To outward appearances, the tutu, tights and pointe shoe-clad woman appeared human, but in the Force it was obvious she was an HRD. Starlin greeted her as he would anyone else, however.

“Hi Tamara. Is Val here?”

“Yes, he is. Who’s your friend?” She glanced at Eli.

“My new apprentice, Eli Dune. Kid needs a lightsaber.”

“Hello, nice to meet you.” She held out a delicate hand for Eli to shake. “Here, I’ll go get Val.” She turned around and glided toward the ship parked in the hangar—the Stardust, a beautiful silvery vessel with a smooth hull.

Once she had disappeared up the loading ramp, Starlin turned to Eli. “How you hangin’ in there so far, kid? I know all this is kinda weird, but y’know. You’ll get your lightsaber, talk to Val a bit, then we’ll skedaddle.”

He couldn’t help but notice that Tamara was taking a while.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"Where does one even acquire such chalk" he pondered aloud, before shaking his head. Probably made it, right? He doubted there was some great mine out there wherein some magical chalk was carved into existence. Not that it mattered, he didn't want to use it anyway.​

​

He was led from the speeder to a hangar, and when it was opened he was stood face to face with a strange woman. A dancer, for all intents and purposes, in fact she held the poise and grace of one even beyond just her attire. Something about her felt off though.​

​

He couldn't place his finger on what.​

​

Eliphas remained quiet as Starlin did all of the talking, but when the woman extended a hand he shook it gently. "The pleasure's all mine," he responded, before the woman left in search of Starlin's friend. The ship caught his eye more than anything else, a shiny beauty. Far cleaner than the rustbucket he'd rocked back up to Teta in.​

​

The boy glanced over to Starlin as he asked how he was doing. He swallowed, then shrugged. "Good I suppose, it's a bit weird but... Hey, we've overcome more than a change in circumstances." He paused, then frowned a little. "Uh, for curiosities sake, how is this going to affect things?" Would it be a rollercoaster of a ride henceforth, or would things remain more or less as they were with just the added bonus of one on one lessons?​

​

Force, there was so much Eliphas didn't know or understand about the arrangement, about the Jedi in general.​

​

He needed that to change.​

​

Fast.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Eli seemed to be doing good. Starlin didn’t really know how to answer his question, though.

“Uh, well… you’ll still be living wherever you are now, and you’ll still take some classes at the Temple. But I’ll be around to teach you.” His living arrangements had been all over the place as of late, but if he was going to take this thing seriously, he supposed he’d have to move back to Coruscant, even if he was living out of his starship. “We’ll do lessons, training, all that stuff, and go on missions to other places sometimes. We’ll work things out. It’ll be fine.” Hopefully that would help to ease his Padawan’s mind.

His Padawan. Oh, sweet Yoda…

Tamara still hadn’t come back. Starlin checked his chrono, then peered around the hangar, checking all corners. “Something’s not right here,” he admitted in a whisper. “I have a bad feeling about this…”

Right before a blaster bolt came arcing toward him.

Starlin’s lightsaber was already in his hand, the blade deflecting the shot. He grabbed Eli and practically dragged him into cover behind some storage crates, his lightsaber humming.

“Don’t tell me Val got into trouble again,” he muttered. Then, raising his voice, he shouted, “Hey! We’re Jedi! Don’t shoot, or you’ll be sorry!”

He heard a growled threat in a guttural, hideous language, and his eyes closed with a sigh of dread. “Oh great. Mawites.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Yep, that definitely helped to ease his mind. All things he'd secretly been expecting, but it was nice to hear them uttered into existence all the same. He nodded his head, grateful that not everything would be upheaved again, then noticed as Starlin seemed to become a little.. fidgety. Anxious. Glancing at his chrono.​

​

No sooner had the words about a bad feeling left the Jedi's lips, than a blaster bolt came drifting toward them at high speed. Eliphas hadn't even seen the lightsaber enter Starlin's hand before it was ignited and deflecting the bolt, causing the boy's eyes to widen. That was.. some level of reflex.​

​

Little time to ponder it, before he was pulled down behind some crates; Eli ducked his head for good measure, and turned around to lean his back against the cargo. He reached down for his blaster, and--- chit.​

​

He didn't carry his blaster these days. Not around the Temple at least, certainly not to meditation classes.​

​

"Psst, Mr Master Man," he uttered, despite the severity of the situation, "Wouldn't happen to have something I can use, would you?"​

​

Already though he was glancing around their immediate surroundings in search of something that could constitute as a weapon. He wasn't about to die the very same day he became his Apprenticeship, dangit!​

​

Starlin Rand ​