Peace in Ferocity, Rage in Control

[Bryce Bantam]

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The early morning light of the Keshian sun gently prodded BB from his night of slumber. The new student of Solan Charr BB had slept in one of the many grand bedrooms of the royal palace. As he rolled to the end of the bed it notices a small stool had been set up with a folded robe and a note on top of it.

"Get dressed and meet me in the gardens"

A simple enough request which BB had no reason not to follow. As BB put on the robe he was amazed how comfortable it was. The white cloth slid onto his body like a warm caress. Now at this time BB had not known the touch of many women but if he had he assumed they would feel like this to be sure.

As he opened the grand double door he was greeted by a row of finely dressed people. As he approached the first in line stepped forward had held to a note to him.

"Till you make one of your own, choose your weapon for training."

Well, weapons training, now we are talking. BB was excited, his little Shoto saber always seemed too small and weak to him. Why he ever chose it in the first place was beyond him but he remembered on Voss the little saber seemed to call to him. Well now was the time to rectify that. As he looked back up he saw the people now raised silken pillows each having a lightsaber upon it. BB went by each one looking them over getting to the end of the row he was ready to grab the staff saber when it happened again, a saber called to him. Moving back to his left, he felt his hand drawn to a slightly smaller saber, a great saber. Picking it up he held it up and marveled how its chrome casing caught the light. It was heavier than his Shoto obviously and only felt good when held in his dominant right hand.

He chose not to light it at this time, even with the wide halls of the palace he worried about striking someone. Instead, he walked down the levels of the building and into the grand gardens beyond. Wandering for close to a half an hour till he found his new master he saw him performing some type of martial movement composed of slow attacking strikes and blocks. Not wanting to disturb him BB instead kneeled silently by a bridge till he was noticed watching with interest in what Solan now did.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Solan breathed in as he went through the movements he had been taught a while back. It was a form of meditation that Echani were more commonly used to using but not something he normally did, infact this whole teaching thing was mostly new to him so he couldn't quite say that he did anything that wasn't short of being a greenhorn when it came to teaching. Hell even in their first meeting he had been fighting the kid, not teaching him and even that took some effort to hold back on.

Bryce's presence was immediately noticeable to him and after a deep breath in he found himself looking over at the kid for a few long seconds before stretching his arms and yawning. "Hows it going Kid, got something good to eat this morning?" He collapsed down and sat on the ground while he talked, his hands pulling over a pot and a glass from a nearby table, pouring himself a glass of tea while he sat there, smiling as the heat touched his tongue. He was curious how Bryce would approach this session, impatience maybe? Or would he be timid and careful... it was curious to wonder about.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

BB hadn't eaten in fact. He had dutifully followed Solan's instructions and came to this point as requested. Seemingly qued by Solan's question, BB's stomach let out a deep rumble of dissatisfaction. A bit embarrassed BB tried to play it off and instead walked over and sat down beside Solan.

"I'm fine I guess, slept really well on that bed, it's way nicer than the ones I got on the Starr. As for breakfast well not really, kinda follow your instructions to the letter and all. Came straight here after grabbing this."

BB held up the training great saber to Solan, noting which one he had chosen. Holding it out he offered it to Solan to examine if he wanted to while he waited for his new teacher to instruct him further.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

He sighed as Bryce answered, while he was was happy that the kid was taking this seriously, there was a bit overdoing it that Solan prefered not having on his plate. For one, the kid should always eat before coming to train, otherwise his progress will only be hampered. Coming a dozen minutes late but fed is better than coming with an empty stomach and only working half as hard. Then the hand shot out to present the saber and Solan looked it over once before sighing and looking at the ground as he moved to sit back down.

"Bryce, please sit with me. Look i understand that you are excited to train with me and that fact makes me happier than you know concerning the fact of my few and failed students before. And just as you are excited in getting started, im more than excited to be here and to teach you, but you must understandd that no training can be learned in a day. No matter how small, everything must be taken slowly and with control over just what you have infront of you. Tell me, have you ever taken apart a saber?"

 

[Bryce Bantam]

"Well no, not really."

Being studied in engineering one would think BB may be curious about the inner workings of a lightsaber. In fact, he had been, but instead of taking one apart he had studied them through text and illustration. Droids, ship components, heck even handheld weapons, BB had tinkered with them all but a lightsaber was no mere trinket. No, BB had seen what a wonder they could be in the hands of a skilled artist and so came to view then as a mystical creation rather than a simple weapon. It was this belief that most likely stayed his hand from experimenting with them.

"Do you want me to?"

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Solan nodded lightly before he looked at the saber. "If you would please try. You must learn the parts intimately and further understand how every piece fits together. If you have one in the future, you must know every bit of it and make sure that you are connected to even the smallest piece. Its alot to try and do at first, so focus on taking it apart for now." He stared at the hilt and waited for the young man to begin. There was more to this than simply taking it aparat though. There is a reason only a force user can put a saber together, and he was devoted to making sure that it remained that way.

He wondered how long it would take for Bryce to do it on his first try. He didn't expect spectacular results, but he was interested.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

BB stared at the saber for a moment, from the literature he had acquired on Voss and other places he understood the mechanics of a saber inside and out. Taking one apart was a holy different matter. Closing his eyes he slowly concentrated on the weapon before him till he felt it lift as he used his limited telekinesis to hold it aloft. Now the weapon was elevated BB turned his concentration to the pommel cap and unscrewed it allowing it to float to the ground shortly followed by diatium power cell, power field conductor, power vortex ring and an inert power insulator.

Sweat was begins to form on BB brow as he had used this skill very little before now. Undaunted he next focused on the emitter, concentrating on it and slowing removing it from the blade emitter shroud allowing it to gently descend to the grass soon to be joined by the magnetic stabilizing loop and ring tuning flange.

Finally BB though of the saber crystal itself. Through the force he could here it sing with a bold resonance that echoed through his thoughts. Slow he pulled it from the saber hilt and held out his hand allowing it to land in him palm. The final components were disconnected as BB held the crystal in his fist. Once all the remaining pieces of the saber lay upon he ground BB opened his eyes and held the crystal to his face. The crystal seemed to call to him as he gazed upon it invoking though of calm and strength within him.

At peace BB looked over to Solan,

"How did I do?"

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Solan watched him take the saber apart, watched it be twisted and taken from a single creation, and being turned into that pile of parts that Solan looked on now with curiosity. Bryce had done exceedingly well in his taking apart the saber but the strain was obvious as he noted the sweat that had collected and the look on his face. Solan's own smile rose as his hand touched the crystal that had been retrieved and he looked at it carefully before shifting his gaze to Bryce. "Bryce, have you ever thought about a crystal for a saber, have you ever felt the wanting to know what kind might choose you?"

Solan's eyes watched Bryce as he placed the crystal back down, holding a hand over the pieces and letting them slowly return to their counterparts. Almost in slow motion the pieces fit back together, creating that work of art, that puzzle that was a tool of war. It was a process Solan had done a million times and yet even this time felt like it was the first to him. Not in terms of strain but in terms of the actual motions. "I thought about it when i was a child. My parents both had their own sabers, their own crystals. But i never found my own, instead it was theirs that i was given, and it was theirs that i still use. My point is that you will need to find one in the future, one that is your own. Maybe it will take decades like it has for me, or maybe you will find it when i bring you to construct a saber.... but first, you need to be able to do this without breaking a sweat." He paused and smiled a bit wider. "Though, for a first time, i must say that was impressive."

 

[Bryce Bantam]

BB considered Solan's words, he would eventually need to build a saber of his own, and would need to study up on crystals as well. He didn't know much about them but what he did know was that a lot of what made a saber special to the user was defined by what crystal it used. That decision would need to wait a bit though because today was all about construction it seemed.

From Solan's comments, BB inferred that to progress he would need to work on his skills, especially his telekinesis. Unlike many of the fighting and saber arts he found the limited info he had on the subject to be very vague. There was no forms to practice or drills to perform. Everything about it just seemed to be based on, well just thinking about stuff and move it.

"How should I become better at this, any tips Solan?"

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

"First, try to take your time. Patience and making sure you are prepared for training is far more important than being prudent and on time, atleast for when you deal with me. Sleep as much as you want, eat as much as you need. I want you to be more than ready for anything and i cant work with someone who is only half ready physically..." He paused as his hand went to pull his own saber off his belt, setting it on the ground and holding his hand over it, slowly taking apart te saber with his eyes still focused on Bryce. "With that said though, I want you to become proficient at taking the saber apart and putting it back to gether, of course the latter part is much easier than i am making it seem. Reassembling the saber can be one miniscule mistake from causing irrepairable damage to yourself and others...."

He looked down, the parts separated before the two of them then back up at Bryce. "Disassemble yours once more, so that we may see what is within the saber and so that we can make sure you are truly familiar with how the pieces go together. Ok?" He would wait for Bryce to begin once more. There was no great lecture in building a saber, nor in dismantling it. No great drills or lessons. It was simple repetition, muscle memory so to speak, but instead of Bryce's body being the muscle, it woul be his connection to the force.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

BB did as asked and disassembled it again. This time a little easier but still a cumbersome task. As he completed the next practice run his stomach let out a large grumble. BB was usually on his own timetable and so he ate pretty much what he wanted when he wanted. Not wanting to offend his new teacher BB had skipped a morning meal and his body was letting him know about it.

BB wasn't sure if Solan had noticed the "disturbance" in force but BB sure did. Kid was hungry but again not about to inconvenience Solan he kept at it and began to try and re-assemble the saber to begin the process over.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

Solan reached out and placed a single hand on the saber before smiling just as wide as he always did, eyes focusing on the young man with a sigh. The kid was pushing himself too hard for Solan, something he would not abide by because of his time around the old lady. Training must always be done with the mind and body both at its peak condition, where the mind was not tied to its yearn to follow and the body not tied to its weaknesses that life had afforded human beings. Humans must eat, and this master-apprentice bond always created a yearning to impress a master. Maybe he felt that way because of his own past with having to teach himself almost all he knew, but that was likely only a part of the situation before him.

"Bryce, i need you to take a break and get something to eat. You are pushing yourself way to hard and you have no need worrying about impressing me or trying to push your abilities past the state that they are at. Training takes time, alot of it, and rushing anything will simply cause yourself harm. The easy path is never the right one, and the risky path will only get you hurt... please go get something to eat and don't worry about being on time if it means skipping meals, ok?"

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

 

[Bryce Bantam]

BB had retired back to the palace for a little breakfast on Solan's advise. Well, "little" might have been a poor choice of words because with a whole royal kitchen at his disposal BB had gone a little nuts when ordering. So one stack of pancakes, 3 eggs over easy, probably a pound or so of the local bacon and force knows how many slices of toast he was well stuffed. Still remembering the words of his master BB went back his room to "meditate" but really just needed to sleep off the food coma. By the time he arose again it was late morning and he decided to rejoin Solan in the gardens.

Walking up to his master he was he was once again doing some type of slow moving art.

"What is that?" BB asked Solan.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Solan looked up from the dark blue flower in front of him, the stem of the plant curling around his forearm as he sat there and smiled.

"This is one of my own creation, its called an Eternal Mourner... I grow them for when someone dies. They are special though because while the body itself decays far off, these flowers will remain, or so far they have. They don't die during the winter, nor in a desert, instead they remain and feed on the soil most of the time but can sustain themselves on the force itself... it was a creation that i had come to... grow often." His head motioned to a nearby patch, where lines of the same flower were there, so close together that it looked like a field of blue petals and yet lined up so neatly that they looked like beautiful gravestones, nameless and honoring a different person each. They were not the only patch though in the Garden known as the Circle Eternal. Should Bryce look around, there would be more sections with patches of them, the number of flowers easily exceeding what one could count in a single sitting.

"Its something ive been doing for years..."

 

[Bryce Bantam]

While BB took in his master's response he looked around at the gardens before him. Eternal Mourners huh, BB thought. As he looked closer at the sea of blue before him he wondered how one could mourn so many. Had seen that much death in his life, did he mourn for any who he had to personally end? It was a deeply emotional memorial and BB could feel the strength and sorrow that surrounded the field, it was palpable to any who stopped to observe.

As BB looked around further he observed more of the gardens covered in the bittersweet flowers, and still further patches beyond that. An entire garden surrounded them, a living tribute to the dead. BB stood awestruck as he processed the meaning, only once he thought he fully understood the scope of the garden did he respond to Solan.

"So this is how you honor and remember them, practice among them as a reminder of your purpose?"

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

"Honor and practice to simply add more to this garden. Those who kill only deserve to if they themselves are ready to be killed Bryce, and as such every flower here is meant to honor those who were killed by the actions of madmen, or by the actions of my own hands because of their place in this galaxy. Slavers and victims alike are here Bryce, and with each flower carries the memories of their final moments which my mind snatched up because of its own nature. That is why i grow these to both remember those that died and those that were taken by my own hands." He looked at the flower in front of him, separated from the last as instead of with others it sat among flowers of silver and bright oranges and reds.

He glanced over his shoulder at Bryce and looked at him for a few seconds before thinking on this. "Bryce, have you been forced to kill anyone yet? Have you learned what its like to see someone's life drain from their eyes at your own hands have you blissfully been unawares of the natural reaction within yourself at the first life you must take in a galaxy like this. The Galaxy is a cruel place, more so than ever with the recent wars escalating and with enemies at every corner. You must deal with the First Order, and those Q Confederation people, but i ask you this. It is no secret i want to expand out and encompass the Outer Rim in my ideals, to wipe Slavery from its face and to do to other worlds what ive done on Kesh... What would you do if that some day interferes with the Outback's plan and we are forced on other sides."

 

[Bryce Bantam]

BB paused and didn't speak at first as he let the full meaning of Solan's words sink in. He knew death all to well. Remembered the first person who he had ever killed, his first teacher and pseudo-father Cague who was infected by the rakghoul plague. So many others, up to a few dozen at this time but they were all evil people, all who had left him no choice... Well this was not entirely true, a few in recent memory were not totally pure. BB had taken their lives while in a dark rage. This was why he had accepted Solan's offer, he needed to learn how to control the beast inside him and ensure that he never lost control again.

"I do know death Solan, a few have been ended by my hand..."

BB didn't elaborate much further, preferring his tone to speak for him. Instead, he thought back to Solan's second question and a troubling one it was. Solan deserved the truth and even though this may end his training with his new master he spoke both openly and honestly.

"It depends, on who I feel is right. I will not blindly follow one over another without just reason. Be it you or the underground, I will always try to do that which is right."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Solan's smile grew to return as he heard Bantam answer him and for a few moments his hand hovered over the flower before turning his head to Bryce. "That is exactly the words i hoped to hear. I did not want a student who would blindly follow out of the simple wanting to get stronger, your answering my questions showed me that you are exactly who i prefer to teach Bryce." He turned his eyes back on the flower as he continued to speak. "Its an ideology that a friend of mine imparted on me, where there i no master and apprentice as the first denotes absolute servitude. She believes that is why Jedi and Sith are so flawed is because they bow to that notion of always following rather than making their own decisions and that is why she imparted that understanding on me. I don't fully agree, but i do agree the title of Master and apprentice is... confining. That's wy i'd rather use my name or only mention me as your teacher, rather than a master. Ok?"