Reasons

[Cedric Grayson]

The boy's words made Darius pause. He had heard similar words before, but they had come out of his mouth. They had been spoken to both [member="Varus Shatterstar"] and [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] after Master Sedaire had gone off to restore Corellia some time ago. Back then, he had been nothing more than a child: a boy looking for his place in the galaxy. The training he had received had molded him into the man he was today, and one of the few Jedi Knights of the shattered order that still adhered to the old traditions. They had taken him in just as Master Sedaire had and set him on the path. He'd always considered himself a dutiful student, even if he never contacted his teachers anymore. So far as he knew, Master Shatterstar and Master Shel'tah had disappeared. Master Sedaire was...well, they had a difference of beliefs.

Was he ready to take on that very same responsibility? Could he open himself in the same way his teachers had, even with the knowledge that his student might choose a different path as he had in the end? Was that a pain he could stride through? Darius had never thought so. He'd resigned never to take a student for fear of the failure that might followed, but Arken seemed lost. He bore little resemblance to the child Darius had been, and yet he was all too familiar.

A heavy sigh fell from the knight errant's lips as he came to a halt.

"Jedi aren't weak. We're just broken," he said quietly, an air of grief to his voice. A short silence followed, one that Darius broke just as he had started it. "Arken, I can teach you what I know, but I'm...well, I had a strong disagreement with what the different sects of the order were doing. It's why I'm here. I follow the old teachings. I had this dream of reviving the heart of the order here, but..." he bit down on his lower lip, " - if you want to learn, I'll show you what I know. You can quit whenever you like, but I think you might be the first step in realizing that dream. I don't believe in chance -- there's a reason I found you here. We just have to find out what it is."

 

[Arken Lussk]

Arken was merely trying to exist, to find a reason for continuing whatever he was doing. Right now, he was nothing better than an animal. Just living day by day, eating the rations he was assigned, carrying out menial tasks, and spending his free time exploring the great nether that was the HoloNet. Boredom and a desire to live and progress fueled him more and more each day. He was only days away from carrying out his plot that entailed stealing one of the supply ships that regularly came down and returning home to seek employment with his father's old friends. They'd surely take care of him - or take advantage of him. The latter probability was the entire reason he was asking Darius to take him under his wing.

Maybe there was more than met the eye with this whole Force thing. The HoloNet and its infinite knowledge had granted him just enough experience with the Force to grasp the basics. Instructional courses, analysis by scientists, and the varying videos of Jedi and Sith waging war against each other. Arken had no desire to fight, to wage war simply because you didn't like someone. He just wanted to use this talent of his. It felt wrong not to use something that's been given to you.

"I want to learn," he replied, his lips forming a thin line. "Teach me."

And so, this was the beginning of one journey that would spark many more.

[member="Darius Sedaire"]

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Teach me.

The words rumbled within Darius' skull. His lips pressed into a thin line, the shadow of doubt falling over his features. He had consigned himself to this, and now it was do or die. There were many young people like Arken lost throughout the galaxy that needed guidance. They were to be the lifeblood of the reforged order, and yet Darius knew of no masters to teach them. Those within the Silver Jedi Order had their own affairs to take care of, and they did not hearken back to the old beliefs as Darius did.

There was no one that thought as he did, and so there was no one else that could truly teach. A quiet sigh fell from the Jedi Knight's lips as the reality of it all crashed down upon him, like some great tidal wave shattering against his body. He withstood it for now, though his stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels with all the anxiety such thoughts brought him.

"Then I will take you on as my padawan," Darius spoke, the words feeling as if they came from someone else's voice as they fell from his lips. "I will teach you what I can, and when you are ready, you can choose to follow the path or not. Either way..." the knight errant turned. "I need rest. The Dominion is sending a fleet out to Ventooine tomorrow. If you join me on that expedition, I will know you truly mean your words."

The knight errant did not await a reply, his instructions serving as their parting words. In silence, Darius Sedaire exited the dueling hall.

[member="Arken Lussk"]