The Untempered (group training)

[Tydeus of Tion]

The newly minted knight folded his arms as he surveyed the assorted group before him. Darron Wraith had been away on a secretive mission for some time now. What's more, he hadn't been present at Teta. "When we are doomed he comes to place himself into the jaws of defeat and when we lift our swords in hopes of achieving a victory he vanishes... I wish I could place my faith in that man." He thought. Yet he knew in his heart the hard truth. "Even the strongest sword may break. Even the mightiest among us can fall."

Marcello was evidence enough. His former master had given in to the Dark Side on Teta and joined the One Sith for all of a handful of minutes. He'd regained his head moments later, but the damage had already been done. Aaralyn Rekali, Sword of the Jedi, had been defeated thanks to Marcello's help. Instead of rejoining the Jedi, Marcello fled into self-imposed exile. Ryan didn't know if it was out of shame, or cowardice, or an unwillingness to operate with the Council. Frankly, he didn't care. An anger seethed within him, directed at his one-time friend. If he returned, all would be forgiven. But to abandon them in their hour of need? Ryan had thought him a better man. He'd been wrong. There were no "better" men in this galaxy, just earnest fools and honest thieves.

No time for such thoughts now... he had work to do.

Glancing to the side, Ryan called a training saber to him. It snapped into his palm with a solid smack. Grey eyes turned to regard the group of trainees before him.

"This will be Force Techniques 101," he began, voice stern, "followed by Introduction to Dueling. What are your names?"

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an had arrived on Typhon from Ossus earlier that day. He had come specifically to improve his lightsaber skills amongst the Guardians of the order. Ki'an made his way through the academy grounds on his way to the training room. Spending most of his time on Ossus now, Ki'an wasn't sure if he would know any of the padawans in the class today, but if not he looked forward to meeting knew people.

Ki'an wore his typical garments, a green tunic and pants and a charcoal grey cloak with hood. Hangin on his belt was his lightsaber, he had turned the setting down to allow it to be used as a training saber for todays training. He could have used a training saber provided, but wanted to practice with his own weapon.

Entering the class, Ki'an saw that Jedi Knight [member="Ryan Korr"] would be leading the class. Ki'an had heard of the Jedi through reputation alone and looked forward to the opportunity to study under him today.

"I am Ki'an Karr," Ki'an said bowing his head respectfully and then taking a seat with the other students.

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

"Welcome, Padawan Karr.'

Any humor at the fact that their names were separated by but a single letter was communicated through nothing more than a slight twitch of Ryan's lips. Stern grey eyes looked the Kel Dor up and down. He could read little in those foreign features. The anti-oxygen mask left body-language a difficult read. Troublesome, as humans tended to relay a vast amount of information through the unspoken.

Ryan decided he would launch a brief series of questions to ascertain the skill level of all those present, starting with Ki'an Karr. He had their dossiers, but he found personal interaction more revealing.

"Tell us the name of your master - if you have one - you preferred lightsaber form, the Force power you excel with, and the which techniques you find the most difficult?"

[member="Ki'an Karr"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Teta had been a disaster of the greatest magnitude, Jedi Masters and Knights had fallen to the Darkside, men and women had been kidnapped and in the end the result of the campaign was ambiguous. This all troubled Sardun greatly, in times of duress when the Republic was at its weakness the Order was supposed to be the glue that held everything together. Instead the metaphorical glue was losing its properties day after day, the last thing Sardun was going to do was abandon the Order now though.

Other men and women had lost faith and decided to leave the Jedi, but there were still good folk in the organization. Jedi who truly cared about their calling, and for them and for the citizens of the Republic Michael would continue on his duty. It was the only right thing to do.

Today there was a training session scheduled, by Pada-- by Knight Korr. Michael had to correct himself there, Ryan had proved himself during Teta. When his Master had betrayed the Order, Ryan continued on in the face of defeat. He had been promoted for that, and today would be the first lesson he would teach to the younglings and padawans of the Order. Michael wasn’t here to supervise, that wasn’t his role in the Order.

But he had been there when Marcello had accepted the Darkness and after that fled the battlefield like a coward. If Sardun knew anything about losing friends, he knew that Ryan had a tough time. Somehow the General felt responsible, or whatever.

So that was the reason sat a bit further from the group, his eyes closed meditating and bathing in the rays of the sun. If Ryan had need of guidance or help, he would ask for it. Otherwise, Sardun would stay where he was, and listen to the steady beating heart of the Force, content on his vigil.

[member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Ki'an Karr"]

 

[Marcello Matteo]

A warm smile adorned the partially obscured features of Marcello's face. The many scars that had been taking a considerable amount of time to heal in the wake of the events on Empress Teta were finally beginning to recede. The Rogue Jedi had applied no direct effort in healing his wounds as he had in the past. A part of him wished them to remain...a reminder of all that had occurred. Yet...it was a very small part of him. Living in the past was what had put him in that predicament, and he'd vowed to move past that.

Marcello heard all the rumors, knew the variety of emotions circulating amongst those that knew him or saw him on Empress Teta. In the end, Marcello did not care. He would be judged by hypocrits that had fled the Order to go their own way in the past and those too young to understand the true complexities of life and the galaxy for no doubt many months to come. Had people suffered as a result of his actions? Absolutely, and it wouldn't likely be the last time. For any of them.

However, it was not the approval of peers or subordinates alike that he did what he did now, his presence in the Force manipulated to such a microscopic size as to be sensed for nothing other than simply molecules of oxygen. No longer a member of the Jedi Order and yet very much still in service to the galaxy, to the Republic. However, the things he would be called upon to do, required to do.. Well, they certainly could not be associated with the Jedi Order. He would not contribute to the degradation of a reputation that was only just starting to recover.

Draped in a somewhat tattered brown cloak, Marcello's glacier-blue eyes gazed from his position amongst the trees and across the great expanse to where his former apprentice and good friend, [member="Ryan Korr"], taught his current class. Whether the young man would ever know it, his elevation was not the result of the Council magically knowing his battlefield prowess or astute nature. Marcello had dispatched a message to the Council detailing all of the many reasons why he should be advanced. Even in the self-imposed exile of necessity he was currently executing, Marcello would forever have the young man's interests in mind.

So today - on a rare day of reprieve, Marcello visited not the woman he loved nor worried about catching up on a large amount of paperwork. He merely wished to watch his former apprentice, his hope for the future of the Jedi and the galaxy. It was warriors like Ryan Korr that would define the future of everything.

Marcello was content and invariably happy with that reality.

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an turned his head a bit as he saw the twitch in [member="Ryan Korr"]'s expression. K'an wasn't sure what he was seeing, with humans Ki'an still hadn't learned to read the expressions in their face. Perhaps he was humored by the similarity of their names...or perhaps something Ki'an had said. He wasn't sure, but Ki'an smiled beneath his mask. Ki'an had to push these thoughts aside though, for he suddenly found himself being asked a series of questions.

"I am apprenticed to Jedi Master [member="Talon Vosra"]," Ki'an began, "my preferred Form V, the Shien variant. I would say that I am fairly proficient in telekinesis, but given my Kel Dor physiology my strongest abilities are in Telepathy and mental manipulation." Ki'an said, he generally did not manipulate others using the force, and when he did it was usually to sooth pain or calm an individual.

"As for those I find the most difficult," Ki'an continued, "I would have to say I have difficulty with healing abilities. I can heal myself, to a degree, but am not good at healing others. Also, a particular weakness shown to me at Teta is my inability to protect my mask from force manipulation. I had it nearly crushed on me early in the fight and it would have cost me my life." Ki'an said. He hated to admit it, but his Kel Dor physiology would be a weakness until he could protect himself better with the force.

[member="Marcello Matteo"] [member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Vosra was a Sentinel and an excellent investigator, but Ryan had always looked upon his kind as being too eager to hunt out and exterminate the Dark Side, no matter what the cost. After all, what did it matter if they destroyed the evil only to become it themselves? And which was worse, the truthful villain or the well-intentioned murderer? Muscles in Korr's jaw writhed as he clenched his teeth, but he continued to listen to the Kel Dor.

Ah, Shien. Strong, powerful and aggressive in its counter attacks. The unorthodox variation with the reverse grip made for an interesting style well suited to defending against blasters as well as lightsaber combat. Interesting.

The telepathy part was to be expected from a Kel Dor. Ryan himself had no more skill with telepathy than the next Jedi, capable of basic mind tricks but little else. A lack of healing, yes, and ah, the mask. That would indeed prove problematic.

"Thank you, Padawan Karr. Wearing your anti-oxygen mask in combat does indeed pose a problem. I would suggest keeping a spare mask with you when on missions, if such a thing is possible. Additionally, we can study the art of breath control. I believe that would help significantly in the event of your mask being destroyed."

[member="Ki'an Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an bowed his head respectfully. He hoped that he would receive more training here in Shien. Ki'an was a traditional Shien user, he had never really found the unorthodox reverse grip style comfortable and preferred to wield his saber in a classical two-handed grip.

"Thank you, Sir," Ki'an said, "I will definitely start bringing a back-up mask, and the necessary tools to repair one that is damaged. I am also intrigued by breath control idea, as this will help me survive for a time if the mask if irreparably damaged. Also, if possible I'd like to learn more about protecting my mask from damage. I'm afraid I'm limited in my abilities to shield myself with the force."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Making his way outside, Tugoro would quickly walk through the courtyard in order to reach the other side of Tython's Jedi Temple. The structure was immense, there were many rooms fit for training, sparring, you name it. Though, his favorite classes were the ones that were held outside, in nature. Travelling through the brightly lit corridors of the temple, Tugoro would eventually stumble upon the door that lead to one of the unroofed chambers, one that was meant for studying and training one's self. The brown haired boy's arm would extend from his side, his hand exiting the long sleeves of his padawan tunic. His pale hand would press against the door's console, causing it to slide to the side, giving Tugoro entry.

Glancing forward, the boy would begin to recall that this was group training. However, there weren't many people here at all. Taking a brief moment, he would count out three, a confused look crossing his face. Was this a private study? Casting his gaze towards [member="Ryan Korr"] and [member="Michael Sardun"], the boy would pin the duo for Knights. Which left only [member='Ki'an Karr'], a long time pal of his. Lifting his arm into the air, Tugoro would call out before waving to his friend. "Yo, Ki'an!" He said, being more open to speak seeing as there were little people around. Approaching the duo, Tugoro would face the Knights, giving each of them a polite bow.

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

For a second time that day, Ryan's lips twitched enigmatically. Part amusement, part annoyance at the comical entrance of a young padawan whom he did not recognize. He had thought the address of 'yo' had fallen out of vogue long ago. Apparently not.

"Take a seat, Padawan."

Grey eyes returned to [member="Ki'an Karr"]. "Very well, Padawan Karr, we will incorporate Breath Control and small scale usage of Force Shield to protect your mask. We will also delve further into basic combat principles of lightsaber combat." The tall Vahla's gaze swept back to the new entry.

"We were just going through introductions. Would you tell us your name, the name of your master, your preferred lightsaber form, your strongest Force technique and your weakest?"

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Sesab Odai"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Stopping as he reached the small group, Tugoro would sit, crossing his legs over one another as he did so. The young boy would look up to [member="Ryan Korr"], listening to the words he spoke, not exactly noticing the facial reactions to his entrance. It really didn't matter to the young Taidarious, for he was only interested in learning. He did not know much about how the Keldor body worked, though the boy was smart enough to infer that they didn't require air to breathe. Techniques such a Breath Control and Force Shield sounded rather useful, but not for Tugoro at the moment.

His attention would remain on Ryan as he continued speaking, now once again addressing the young brown haired padawan. There were many questions he had been asked, which made him pause for a second in order to think of the answers. He would begin to list them off, with little to no detail. "Tugoro, none, soresu, telekinesis...Force speed." The lad would finish, pondering over the answers he had just given. After a moment, he nodded his head in confirmation.

 

[Sesab Odai]

Sesab jogged down the pathways and halls of the temple, searching for Ki'an Karr, his only current friend at this place. He turned a corner and saw a small room with a handful of people inside. Seeing that Ki'an was one of them, he hurried over and sat next to him, wanting to be included in whatever the Kel Dor was doing now. He bowed to the two standing Jedi and sat down next to his friend.

During his time as a Jedi, he had only truly met and talked to one other, and that was Ki'an. He had come to respect and admire the older padawan, and even see him as a sort of role model. He listened to what the other padawan there had to say, and then crossed his legs, wondering if this was training or something.
@Ki'an Karr
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
[member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an bowed his head to [member="Ryan Korr"] in acknowledgement of his response. He was excited by the chance to work on new force techniques, but his thoughts were broken by the arrival of his friends [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] and [member="Sesab Odai"]. Ki'an smiled and, as was his custom, placed his hand over his chest a bowed his head in acknowledgement of the two.

Ki'an was excited to be training with two padawans he had come to know and respect. He had faced both in training sessions and knew firsthand that they were both capable warriors. This would be an opportunity to learn alongside them and this brought a smile to Ki'an's face.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Having sat down close to [member='Ki'an Karr], Tugoro's arm would extend, it's elbow prodding at the Keldor's ribs, in order to get his attention. The brown haired boy would continue to push his luck with [member="Ryan Korr"], as he began to quietly whisper to his friend, assumingly while the Knight tended to [member="Sesab Odai"]. "Guess what?" The youth would question, a rather smug look spreading across his face.

"Went to Tatooine, defeated pirate gang."

 

[Kian Karr]

Ki'an's eyes widened when [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] nudged him in the ribs. Ki'an had opted out of a bacta tank following the Invasion of Empress Teta, instead working on his healing techniques to accelerate the healing of his broken ribs. Ki'an was not much of a healer and decided he would need the practice. Besides he wasn't planning on being involved in any fighting anytime soon. As such, his ribs were healing faster than if he had done nothing, but not nearly as fast as if he had used the bacta tank. They weren't still broken, but they were sore.

Ki'an grimiced and shot Tugoro an annoyed look. Tugoro would know that the look was fake, as Ki'an was smiling beneath his mask, and he was sure Tugoro would sense his amusement in the force. Ki'an brow shot up at Tugoro's words. That was an impressive feat! Bowing his head respectfully to Tugoro, Ki'an whispered.

"Impressive....now shut up." Ki'an said, still smiling and sending out feelings of amusement.

 

[Qun Vell]

The instructor decided first to speak to a Kel Dor on what his strengths were in the Force. Though Qun knew this was a lesson for padawans, newbies to the Jedi Order, the Kel Dor's response was admittedly unexpected. Not only had he been apprenticed to a teacher, he had enough experience to know his powers, strengths, weaknesses. Qun was hoping that this class hadn't been that far along, as he himself had no teacher, nor idea of his talents, nor any comprehension of the Force itself. Unlike the average Jedi Qun couldn't even feel the Force, at least not when he had his facilities all together.

Which admittedly was a bit of a problem. Qun barely remembered ever using the Force, more often then not hearing about his exploits later. His ability to use the Force came somewhere in the middle of the zones "Really buzzed" and "You're not going to remember this tomorrow." He had no issues getting hammered or drunk to the point of blacking out, but when someone was so drunk it made comprehending lessons more and more difficult, not to mention remembering what he'd learned later. Still, if he could manage to set up a sort of muscle memory in the Force perhaps that would serve him well.

In any case, it looked like they'd be using the Force in this lesson eventually, and that meant he needed liquor. Thankfully, alcoholic as he was, Qun always kept some on hand. Pulling out a flask of hard liquor with no effort to hide his actions he drank a double shot before shaking his head and capping the flask. It would be one of those nights to remember, that you never could.

@Ki'an Karr [member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Michael Sardun"] @Tuguro Taidarious [member="Sesab Odai"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

The red-haired Knight nodded at [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]' abrupt answers. Straight and to the point. Perhaps he woul- were the padawans elbowing each other? And whispering? His lips pursed into a thin line. They did realize he was standing basically right in front of them and could hear literally every word they- another late attendee entered the room, some aquatic alien whose species Ryan didn't recall at the moment.

Oh, and then the Besalisk initiate on the other side of the room pulled out a flask of what Ryan could only assume was liquor and started drinking. Korr's jaw hung slightly open. He took a deep breath, hand moving up to massage his temples. A finger found the scar just under his right eye and he traced it gently, recalling a painful memory. He needed to remember why he was here, but he also knew he needed to let them have their moments of levity. Sucking the fun out of life would just make it easier for them to turn to the Dark Side as a source of relief. Ryan would not bring that upon them. They were his responsibility now. He would not fail a second time.

Ryan released his breath and stood up tall, clasping his hands behind his back. "Right, welcome all of you. We've just been going over a few basic introductions with Padawan Ki'an Karr and Padawan Tugoro, let's start with you next," he nodded toward the besalisk with the flask, "and why it is you feel the need to drink so early in the morning." Korr gave him a thin lipped smile.

[member="Sesab Odai"] [member="Qun Vell"] @Ki'an Karr [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Not Ordo]

Ket went to the back of the group and listened as the others made there introductions. This was going to be problematic. He was mute, and he forgot his droid vocoder for his datapad. He would just have to type his response and show it to the gathered group. The Nautolan folded his arms across his chest and quickly decided it was a poor choice of stance and simply put his hands in his padawan robe's sleeves. His black eyes watched each face and listened carefully to every word as he stood among the others. Tython was such a nice place. He couldn't help but wonder what a thought of a bomb would do to the place. His training saber hung from his belt and the realization that he may need a Master someday came and went as he pulled out his data pad and wrote down his information.

<<Ket Vistas, Nautolan, no master, interested in Telekinesis and Shii-Cho.>> when it was his turn he tapped the Padawan in front of him and handed the Datapad forward.

[member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Qun Vell"] [member="Ki'an Karr"] [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Sesab Odai"] [member="Michael Sardun"] [member="Marcello Matteo"]

 

[Qun Vell]

As the Knight in charge continued to talk to the trio of padawans across from him Qun could see the Jedi heading towards him. Uncapping the flask he quickly downed another shot or two as his head began to spin a bit. If he wasn't sitting down he'd probably feel a bit wobbly. He attempted to hide the flask as the Jedi Knight came over but was not quick enough to conceal it, the flask being capped in a pair of his hands as the Knight asked him why he was drinking so early.

"It's easy Knight Red Car." He said, already beginning to slur the names of his teachers. "You teach Force. I can't Force without drunk." He said, with a neutral, if slightly happy expression on his face. While the alcohol wasn't yet permeating his breath, it's effects on the besalisk were obvious.

[member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

"Can't Force without drunk," Ryan repeated, eyebrows raising above grey eyes that danced with an even mix of amusement and confusion. Of all the sorry excuses he'd heard this one really took the pedestal. Unless he was telling the truth. But that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? Korr frowned and glanced to the side at [member="Michael Sardun"], who sat not far off bathed in a ray of sunlight that shone on him in just such a way as to give him an otherworldly appearance.

Korr's eye twitched.

"Sardun," he called, rousing the Knight from meditation in an entirely too unapologetic manner. Look at him sitting there, meditating, being a pillar of light and justice for the rest of the padawans to look up to... bah. Ryan wasn't sure if the self-righteousness was contagious, but it was making him sick. "Have you ever heard of someone only being able to use the Force when they are inebriated?"

[member="Michael Sardun"] [member="Qun Vell"]