There are No Accidents

[Akio Diachi]

The Chiss looked down with a sheepish smile. She was right, he knew truly very little about how people worked. He knew it too.

"You are right, I have little knowledge on the ways of humanity," he agreed. "But would the self-preservation of human nature acknowledge that change to survive and co-operate against the darkside be wise?" he chuckled, 'But I suppose it's easier to stand from afar and state an ideal solution than it is to state one in the moment."

She was right, after all. Jedi were still people and people still made mistakes in bounds every day. The key was to try and learn to overcome them.

"I see," he said at last. "Forgive my ignorance. I supposed that being a Jedi was not being a better being but more so a commitment to--" he searched for the word, "the commitment to try and be the best one could be." he supposed it was time for a subject change, or at least a slightly simular subject he was also interest in. "I prefer the blade to the lightsaber," the Chiss said tapping his cortosis katana. "do you suppose that is wrong? A hinderance, per se?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen remained standing with an eye to his words. Watching as he tried to find something strong, something lasting, that could cement his opinion of the Jedi into the right. It was hard to observe actually. She knew it too. Sometimes... Sometimes you just have to let go.

Then he mentioned swords,

"Ah. Well. Philosophically? No. But, scientifically? Yes. ...Well, perhaps."

She shrugged,

"I mean. I've seen a lightsaber eat through a durasteel bulkhead in a matter of seconds. Watched gloriously dense metals become butter to the pressure of the Force. So? Yes. I suppose your sword would need to be a glorious mastercrafted piece of equipment. Hehe. Especially if you dane to enter into the fantastically physics-free realm of Jedi swordsmanship."

Lightsabers were a twink weapon. Not a trick weapon and not a standard weapon. They were weighted strange, behaved strange, and drew their power and construction from the magical realms of even stranger fantasy. The Force.

"As I've told all of my students though? Fight with whatever tools you feel most comfortable in bringing you victory. Simply remember that adaptability and malleability is one of the greatest skills to be found in nature, construction, evolution, and in the Force. And that, is the spirit of combat in a nutshell."

Again she could only shrug. Much like the faults towards idealism? There was no 'perfect' weapon. No 'always victorious' choice. To every tool was given an advantage. To every tool was given a weakness. Such was like the circle. Such was like the fashion of eternity.

Karen stopped again and turned her whole body towards [member="Akio Diachi "],

"Master Diachi. I'm curious. Why does pursuing the Force interest you so much? Is it because it is apart of you now or is there something very specific that you wish to gain? Some great knowledge or holy salvation perhaps? Eternal life or the blessing of your chosen Gods? Perhaps. Perhaps it some great untouchable hunger that consumes you, even now? Mm? Tell me great pilgrim. Where do you find your center in this deep voyage?"

She bladed her eyes and wondered upon his soul. Wondering if the hard center of Akio Diachi was just another pilgrim's fantastical ideal. Fluttering in the wind. Or, if perhaps there was some good truth at the heart of his endeavor. Something worth striving for.

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio chuckled, "I see. So the training of the person and proper tactics are more important than the weapon itself then?"

The Chiss licked his lips, gathering his thoughts for a moment. He wasn't sure how exactly to explain what he was about to say, and even more than that he wasn't even fully sure he understood it either.

"My memories come occasionally in flash backs," Akio began slowly. "They are sporatic. Bits and pieces. Some things come and go and," he swallowed. "Some of them terrify me. Dark things. Blood. Death. And I--I was at the center of it. Like the eye of the storm. I don't--" he balled his fists in a moment of frustration. "I don't want to be that way. I don't want to be a killer."

Akio took a deep, sighing through his nose. "I am looking for who I am. To unlock my memories and find out if they are true. And I want atonement for my actions. For the murders, if they are real. I want to do more good in this galaxy than bad, you could say I have red in my ledger."

The man hesitated. "And--there is a woman. I see her in many of the flashbacks. I want to find her. I don't even know her name but I know she is important and I want to find her. And when I find her, I want to be the man she deserves. Not the man I was. Or am." Akio ran his hand over his long hair, calming himself and resuming his Chiss composure and politeness. "Why did you begin on the path of the Jedi?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

There was something noble in wanting to find yourself. Wanting to be better than the past. Something that Karen found herself enjoying. Thinking about a brighter future for [member="Akio Diachi "]and just what roles she could play to help bring that about. Far from perfect herself, Roberts was beginning to see some very familiar ground between the two of them. A lot more than she had ever thought she could share with a Chiss.

Then he asked another question,

"Oh. Well... I actually wasn't given much of a choice, to be honest. By the time I reached womanhood? I was already indoctrinated for years as a monk. Having been raised since childhood to become something for stranger than human."

She touched her chin and tried to think back upon the early years,

"I was lucky enough however to persuade my Masters that a university education far away from the Conclave was exactly what I needed to finish my training. So, with some hesitation, they let me go. Hehe. ...And out there in the big bright world I found a whole new way of life. A whole universe. Just for me."

She smiled and thought of all those grand adventures. Meeting Grant, flying with Abby, learning how to be a woman, and how to handle cash. She'd done a lot of growing up in those early formative years. Rebelling maybe? No... More like... Learning a second trade. Rebuilding yourself in to something new.

"I was very much like you are now. Just... A lot younger I suppose. There was the old me. The little girl from the monastery who lived for wooden swords. And then... There was the new me. The teenage girl who just wanted to be a real human woman. I think I just wanted to be like my mom. ...Normal. Ya know."

That memory brought a great big smile to her face and she stopped her musing. It was enough.

"Anyway. I think it's very noble of you to decide to use your time and your journey to rediscover yourself. Hehe. I also think it's even more amazing that you've realized how to let go. How to evolve yourself. ...How to become something new. Mm. And I very much think you'll have success too."

She paused and nodded for a moment. Unsure if to continue.

"I'm not sure if the Force or the Gods beyond themselves can grant a man forgiveness of all his sins. But I know they can forgive and I know they can give us the strength to carry on. And I think in their own way? They want the best for us. A brighter future for the galaxy and everything that lingers there-in. ...So. You know what? I think I'd like to help you on this journey [member="Akio Diachi "]. I think I might just be able to give you some of the guidance you're looking for."

She brushed her long aside and winked,

"Ya know? If you'll have me, that is? Hehe."

 

[Akio Diachi]

The chiss felt a wave of--well honor. She could have handed him over to a random stranger a friend or someone she felt was owed a bit of payback.

But this was personal she asked for him specifically. Akio felt even move honored as he heard why, that she identified with him. After feeling so isolated, alone and left out on his pilgrimage for so long..... He felt a personal connection. As a student.

"I would be honored, Mrs. Roberts," he said at last. Tactically he also knew that she was the right choice for a teacher. Logic said she brought a humanness to her ideology and learning that would balance his idealism. A humanness he could certainly learn from and incorperate into himself. And she was streetwide, learned in the ways of how the galaxy really worked on a deeper level of its machinations. "There is no one else I would like to learn from," he gave a slight smirk, "Ordinarily I would suppose I'd need to pack my things but," he jerked his thumb at the pack on his back, "Already done.

I suppose it would be wise for me to set my things aside. Is there a specific living arrangement you would prefer I take?" He would be satisfied even sleeping in a hut or on the streets. He had, especially recently, done both. Being a Pilgrim of course, came with a large level of self-denial.

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen beamed. He had said yes.

"To start. We're gonna have to throw tradition out the window. Hehe."

She waved a hand around the DAS to demonstrate.

"This ain't no Jedi Temple and you ain't got no Library Card. Hehe. So... Here's my terms. The rest I'll leave to you to figure out."

Roberts paused and then continued.

"I hold a class here, in the DAS holo-deck, every Wednesday morning for four hours. Beginning at ten. ...So? If you show up? I'll train you to master your talent. For no cost what-so-ever. That's it. That's the deal."

She folded her arms over her chest and nodded. It was just that simple.

Now. Did that leave a huge amount of space for [member="Akio Diachi "]to move around? Yeah. But there was no free room and board. No handouts and no idle equipment. She wasn't paying for his gas and she wasn't recommending hotels. Training was once a week and it was free. That was it. Sink or swim. Live or die.

Spartan for life.

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio gave a slight grin. Finding things out his own way, he could live with that. He had been doing it for quite some time that way--actually he was sort of proud of his own autonomy. It made him stronger, self-reliance was the key to the vigorous life and reliance on the Force.

"I find that amicable," he said with a nod of his head.

He was confident that she would teach him the best there was--or at least what he needed to know. And from there he would have to learn the rest himself. He had subsided on his own foraging, hiding away, but now he had a feeling that something new would be required for him. Denon was a different kind of planet, one that would require him to learn a new set of skills.

"I suppose as soon as we are finished with this holocron," he said giving what had brought him here a tap, "I should make my exit and see what I can do to begin setting up these arrangements."

He had come in for a repair and found a master. Huh. Did the Chiss think that was an accident? No, to him there were no such things as accidents.

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen smiled,

"I think that's a very good idea, indeed. Hehe."

And the rest, is history.