Private Quiet Steps Make The Foe Unwary

[Ever Dawnracer]

The hardest step in any journey is always the first step.

For her, it had been leaving Nadiem behind to go to Ciomia and seek out Duru at the temple for the Jedi. That journey, leaving her home after the Republic had crumbled and her father had died, had taken her to a point of near brokenness that wasn't filled until she'd discovered the Matukai texts in the temple library. Everything had been centered on that reality since she'd discovered it. Even her return to Nadiem to help them face off against the menace of the Bryn'adul had been a part of her journey into becoming a Matukai. It had been the closing ceremony of several years of work, and it had gone well, though she lamented her reliance on the Ranger armor. Next time she faced them she would rely more on her own abilities rather than the abilities of technology. A true Matukai did not need such a shield.

For Jala , the first step had undoubtedly been different. She may not have realized it, but the first step happened before the two of them even met. It was what created the opportunity for them to meet. Without it, she could very well have wound up dead in a street somewhere, her full potential never realized. It seemed unlikely, however. The Force worked as it wanted, and guided those it needed, so it wouldn't have allowed her to fall in such away. It would have helped her, as it had during the fight with the goon squad. No matter what had happened, she had no doubt that the two of them would have met somehow.

Wearing traditional robes in the temple was allowed, but not required, and so she had chosen not to don them. She wore a simple tunic and relaxed trousers that allowed free movement. No boots, they weren't necessary. Learning to deal with the cold of the metal floors helped to draw one in tune with their own body. She did carry her staff with her, but she'd left the Ahktar tucked away in her quarters. It wouldn't be needed for a while. Training straight away with blades of that magnitude was not only dangerous, but also unwise. They wouldn't be starting with weapons anyway. The staff was more for instruction at the moment than practical use. She never knew when she'd have to knock someone upside the head with it. She guessed Kole would get the worst of that, not Jala.

Padding through the temple, she approached Jala's dorm and tapped the staff against it a few times to indicate she was there. After their trip, they'd all been tired and had retired. Probably they could use a few days rest, but that was why she was there. Working when exhausted was part of the Matukai way.

"Jala it's Ever," she said just loud enough she could be heard through the door. "Time to start your training."

​

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Temple of the Resolute, Ciomia
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Rise... and shine?
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Tags: Ever Dawnracer
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A gentle knock and the sweet muffled voice of a woman. The two were undeniably the last things Jala ever would've expected herself to wake up to a day back. The girl still found believing everything that she could recall of what had taken place increasingly difficult as she let out a long yawn. Jala felt an unfamiliar shiver run down her skin as she barely managed to sit up, the soft bedsheets begging for her to lie down again. And though her vision was still quite blurry, the unfamiliar cold air of the small room she found herself in paired with the slight throbbing pain in her bruised face that finally reminded her of itself were enough to assure her of not having daydreamed the last day or two.

However, that still proved itself undeniably a bit more difficult than one could imagine. Being rescued by two literal saving angels and promptly leaving the dusty hellhole she once called home, only to find herself snoozing in the depths of a gigantic abandoned cargo ship was something Jala could easily convince herself of coming up within her wild daydreams.

"Yeah, hey uh... Give me a minute!", the girl replied before hastily throwing aside the soft blanket and jumping out of the small bed she still found herself sitting on.

Jala hadn't exactly occupied her mind with the things Ever had told her and Kole about yet. Things like the cryptic Force and names like the Matukai hadn't exactly been on the top of her priorities when simply celebrating her victory was finally possible. The girl might've felt a tiny bit ashamed of herself when realizing she didn't know what to expect of 'training', but putting such thoughts aside she made sure to embrace the burning spark of curiousness it managed to light up inside her.

She left her usual outfit lying on the cold floor, instead doing her best at ignoring the chills running down her exposed skin that the navy blue tank top she wore barely covered. Leaving her used boots as well, the crude cybernetics that had replaced her legs also got their share of bright daylight for once. Jala hadn't ever paid too much attention to how much dirt and dust they were covered in and stained by, but saw it as a considerate move to quickly wipe off the worst offenders with her palm before opening the door.

After all, she couldn't help but feel as if she was under the eyes of some superior power that had taken control inside the colossal ship, and disrespectfully presenting herself likely wouldn't carry her too far if that was, in fact, the case.

Letting out one last yawn, Jala finally slid the door open with a slight groan. There was no telling for how long it had had the chance to rust, wither and eventually become a heavy barricade that the girl at first had some trouble pushing aside.

"So, what's happenin'?", Jala said, greeting Ever with a relatively warm grin on her lips, but a noticeably weak, tired glimmer in her drooping eyes.

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

 

[Ever Dawnracer]

The call to wait was heeded. Ever stepped back against the bulkhead opposite the door and leaned against it. The cold metal was almost a comfort for her. The longer you spent around it, the more it became home. While the Temple wasn't her real home, it was also the only home she had left. Nadiem had been lost to the Bryn'adul. The house she grew up in was gone, destroyed by her own hand to keep the monsters from finding what was underneath it. Granted she'd also destroyed that, but she didn't know the extent of their living technology. It was entirely possible they had a method in which to regain access to destroyed electronics.

When the door opened she snapped out of her thoughts and was surprised to see a pair of metal legs attached to Jala . In the time that they'd known each other, chaotic though it had been, she had not noticed that her legs weren't her own. They also seemed older. Yet she'd displayed a level of athleticism she would have expected from someone with living legs. Perhaps her skill, hidden though it was to her, could extend even to her prosthetics. That was something interesting to note.

"Morning," she said, leaning away from the wall.

The staff that had been leaning against her shoulder raised and tapped her metal legs. Not in a negative manner, but in an informative one.

"We're starting your training with a run. I know you're tired still, but you're going to have to push through it. Matukai form a bond with the Force through their bodies. Knowing your limits, and pushing beyond them, is what makes us who we are."

A hand motioned down the corridor they stood in. It was a long one, and she knew that it connected with several others. When she'd found the ship, and begun working on it, she'd mapped all the corridors. She knew the best way to defend it, and she knew where every hall went and what was behind every door. Some of the doors weren't worth opening, and she'd fused them shut. It was easier than cleaning up the mess in some cases. Suffice to say, there was plenty of room for them to run in the safety of the temple, and they needn't worry about running into anyone other than Kole, but his training would take a different path. Two people on the same path would not push them to work harder than each other in the same way as seeing the other advance differently from them would.

"When you're ready, start running. I'll tell you when and where to turn."

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Temple of the Resolute, Ciomia
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Run
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Tags: Ever Dawnracer
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It was evident that Ever was quite surprised at the sight of the girl's legs- or more so the lack such. Her reaction got a slight smirk out of the girl as she felt the staff tap her iron feet.

To be fair, Jala wasn't the one to judge anyone who was taken back by her most distinguishable feature, yet which she typically used to hide from the naked eye. As one would expect, she had her reasons beyond simply protecting the pair from dirt and wear like any sensible person would, made evident by the distinct emblems and smudged handwriting on them. They were a bookmark in the girl's unfortunate history. One that she gladly would've erased if a chance ever arose.

A run, eh?

Jala allowed her eyes to follow the direction the woman led them to. She stared down the seemingly endless metal walls and the evident signs of nature taking over on them. Lush vines and thick trees growing through the floor panels were something Jala still found quite difficult to draw her eyes off of. Merely the color green was something the girl felt like would take her some time to get accustomed to.

However, although distracted by the view in front of her and on the brink of falling asleep, Jala still managed to keep herself aware enough of the woman's words to remind herself of the reason she was brought here for. The Force. The power that seemingly had the girl's whole destiny in its hands already. It brought the three together after all if Ever's words were to be believed, which the girl didn't give herself a chance at doubting.

"Huh? Ah- okay", Jala replied, her voice making it clear that she snapped back to reality at the moment the words escaped her mouth and her puzzled eyes glanced at the woman.

She didn't allow herself to unintentionally delay the moment any longer. Instead readying herself by stepping forward, slightly bending her stance forth and letting a gentle flow of fresh air fill her lungs, which in turn begged for the girl to yawn again, unsuccessfully for once.

Jala concentrated her sight on the end of the corridor, which seemed like an eternity away already.

An exhale escaped her glossy lips and the girl rushed forward at a noticeably swift pace. Her first steps were shadowed by her tiredness, almost managing to make her stumble. However, Jala soon fixed the stability between her steps and breathing, successfully keeping her balance and feeling the cold air hit her face as she did so.

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

 

[Ever Dawnracer]

Running was a morning ritual for Ever. At least, when it could be. There were times it wasn't plausible, like when she was traveling, or on some hostile world. The menace of the Bryn'adul kept her up at nights as it was. Ciomia was well within their sights, but she felt they would be safe from them given that they wouldn't find a local guide to bring them there. It was likely they'd end up cut off behind enemy lines, soon, but it wasn't worth mentioning that to the new Matukai apprentices. No sense in getting them feeling trapped. They did have means for leaving, after all. She'd shown them where the three corvettes they owned were stashed when they'd landed.

For her the run was easy. Though her body was somewhat tired from the goings-on of the previous days, she felt no ill effects from a short night of rest and had plenty of energy coursing through her. She also knew she could go for several days without needing any sleep.

The long corridor zoomed by and she directed Jala to turn at the next corridor. They weaved around one corridor, through another, down another, and entered yet another long corridor. The apprentice seemed to be keeping up nicely, but this wasn't about a warm-up. There was no warm-up most days in life. They could be faced with a Sith menace or something worse at a moment's notice and they needed to be ready to react immediately. An enemy would not wait idly while you took a few laps to get ready for the battle. Enemies knew that it was best to have an advantage over their foe, not to allow their foe to even the playing field.

"Faster," she said, lightly pushing on Jala's back. "Run like you never have before."

The goal here was to push the girl beyond her limits. Limits were meant to be broken or break you. She knew she was right about Jala. The Force was there within her, she just hadn't drawn it out in a manifestable way. Pushing her body until it broke didn't sound appealing, and though she may end up hating Ever for it for a time, it was necessary. The end result of this training would make her stronger, faster, and capable of handling things even better than the vast majority of Force practitioners in the galaxy could. Even the strongest people in the galaxy could be challenged by the might of a Matukai and she wanted Jala to have that.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Temple of the Resolute, Ciomia
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Run
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Tags: Ever Dawnracer
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The clanging noise of her metallic feet hitting the equally hard floor under them grew louder as Jala kept dashing forward. If anything, the pair of cybernetics had proven themselves useful in similar conditions time and time again as a result of them being incapable of feeling tired or sore any time soon. They were perhaps the only thing the girl was thankful for when it came to the costs of her past self's decision making.

There was no questioning the fact that the brunette was made to run from the beginning. Having enjoyed the pure rush and a slight bit of adrenaline on top for as long as she could remember, Jala was in her essence when having to rely on her feet; and indeed, that showed in her performance so far.

Jala kept her usual pace, having a nice balance between feeling somewhat exhausted but being able to keep going for much longer if she absolutely had to. Left foot down, exhale. Left foot down, inhale.

However, something in the way Ever told her to pick up her pace and run like all hell was raging behind her back managed to convince the girl of doing so. Though she might've already started to heavily regret instantly going in full speed, she still managed to disregard her exhaustion. A tiny groan escaped her lips as the first signs of tiredness finally hit the girl, her lungs gradually starting to force in more air one corridor at a time, despite her attempts at controlling them. Jala was built to be fast, not to last.

Yet, she kept going. There was no telling what the power inside her telling her to carry on was. Not that the girl even had time to pay attention to such thoughts anyway.

​

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

 

[Ever Dawnracer]

When she'd seen the prosthetic legs she'd known that Jala would have a bit of an easier time at this, which was why she'd resorted to pushing her faster so soon. Normally she would have allowed them to warm up first. The girl had too much of an advantage and a lack of need for warming up and Ever had done plenty of stretching as part of her waking routine. Not to mention she'd been doing this long enough, now, that pushing herself beyond normal capacity was a regular undertaking. She could run much faster than they were for a really long time if she needed to. It was a necessity, at times, to be able to escape a superior foe, and live to fight another day, just as she'd seen on Nadiem.

As her apprentice began to push herself faster, Ever kept pace, though she kept creeping closer and gently nudging her in the back to get her to go faster, even as a groan of exertion was emitted. It was barely audible above the sound of metal feet hitting the floor, but it was there.

"Faster," she urged once more.

The most interesting part of the whole thing was the fact that she seemed to be transferring energy from her body to the metal legs. She'd heard of those who could control machines through the Force, but she didn't quite think this was the same. It seemed to her that Jala was making the legs an extension of herself through the Force, as if balancing out her connection to it through her entire body like one would if they had living legs. It seemed a subconscious effort, but it was clearly apparent as she kept pace with her that this was the case even though they were pushing close to the limit of her physical energy.

Ever was left to wonder if, at some point, the prosthetics would give out under the strain of training. A Matukai's body was strong enough to break metal when it needed to be. Would Jala run right out of her prosthetics? If she does I'll have to see if we can find someone to make her something better. Something that can channel the Force to strengthen itself in the same way she strengthens her body. That might be beyond Duru, but he might know where to look. She continued to keep pace with Jala, pushing her to run faster. She was trying to run her into the ground. There would be no doubt about it.

At least here it was meant to help her. Out there, most people would do it to harm her.

 

[Jala]

☵☴☵ ┈┈┈┈┈┈☵☴☵┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☵☴☵​

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Location: Temple of the Resolute, Ciomia
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Time: #### AM
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Objective: Run
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Tags: Ever Dawnracer
┈┈┈┈┈┈

The utter lack of burning dust and hot, heavy air hitting her face as the pair raced on was something Jala only now recognized. Mere moments ago the girl could've sworn she felt the familiar pinches of pieces of sand cutting tiny scratches on her skin, almost like a memory that took an earthly form. The girl might've even found a hint of odd melancholy and homesickness deep within, though such thoughts never actually got the chance to influence her conscious mind as she was yet again urged by Ever to push herself to the brink.

Holding her eyes locked directly ahead, Jala did her best at trying to ignore feelings of exhaustion building up inside her as she pushed forward, her breaths growing more uncontrollable as she felt herself kept on going faster by the minute, her hair already flowing wildly behind her. The turns and the new corridors behind them just kept coming and the girl couldn't help but wonder how deep in the ship's wreck they really were.

However, her exhaustion was pushed aside as the girl noticed an odd feeling of sensitivity starting to build up inside her. At first, she logically thought the mild effect was the sum of her increasing exhaustion paired with the lost hours of sleep, but as it grew stronger the young woman struggled to ignore it. It was as if the girl could start sensing every single tiny bit and piece of the ship around her, as if she could feel the air pulsating with life in a way she couldn't describe to herself.

But before she barely had a chance to merely take greater notice of what was happening, an invisible shockwave smashed against the running girl like an impenetrable barrier. Caught off-guard, Jala stumbled in her steps and narrowly avoided falling right down on her face.

She was left standing still, her breaths growing deeper and more tired as she basically collapsed down to the floor with a groan as the built-up exhaustion finally hit her.

"I-I... I could've gone for so muh-... much longer I- I don't what... I felt something I-", she tried to explain herself, turning over to lie on her back as she did.

Jala decided in favor of letting the woman grasp whatever meaning she could from the girl's words. She was simply too tired to even attempt to explain what had taken place to both herself and the woman standing next to her panting figure.

​

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[Ever Dawnracer]

There. She could feel it. The push had broken something and the feeling of the Force welling within Jala was plainly evident. It grew stronger and stronger until suddenly she slammed into an invisible barrier and lost it, coming to a stop before falling to the ground in front of Ever, who had slowed along with her. She was breathing at an express pace, but she didn't seem all that worse for wear in comparison to her apprentice. That was why she was the adept, though. Suffice to say, she was pleased with how well she had done, but she was just as pleased in how Jala had performed under the circumstances. She had exceeded what Ever had guessed she would do.

"Yes, I felt it when you did," she said, looking down at her. "But you lost it just as quickly as you got it. It's to be expected since you just started. Mind that you don't get frustrated over it."

Frustration had been an issue when Ever was first learning. She'd been so enthused when she'd gone to the training room that first time and gotten right into everything, only to come crashing back down when she broke her focus. It had taken her weeks until she no longer had to focus on that connection with herself, and it could have been faster if she'd been better at controlling her emotions. Everything had come to a head at that point. That frustration had been a turning point in her life. She'd gotten better because of it, and now she was a Matukai adept helping to train two new apprentices in the ways of the Matukai. Perseverance was ever an important part of being what they were, as Jala would learn.

Reaching out a hand, she helped the girl back to her feet, and then pointed past her.

"Run."

She knew Jala was exhausted, that she was basically out of energy, but that was the point. That barrier had been broken, and now she just needed to push herself until there was no barrier ever again. That meant potentially exhausting every ounce of energy in her body until she collapsed and Ever had to carry her back to her quarters. It wouldn't bother her to have to do that. Getting Jala to the point where she realized it was simply allowing her body to do what it needed to that connected her to the Force, that her tiredness was just a mental barrier blocking her connection, was essential to her training. To emphasize that point, she gave the girls legs a harder wrap with her staff.