Third Time's the Charm

[Lok Xiangu]

Could he gain a permanent instructor that could teach him what his other two mentors had failed to do? He barely had any time with the first instructor who did taught him several skills and important fundamentals of the Force, and one lightsaber form that he barely used in combat. But, his training that he always looked forward to was delayed when the Galactic Republic attempted to liberate Empress Teta from the clutches of the One Sith. From that event his Master turned to the Dark Side and joined the Sith to aid them in their galactic conquest. At the same time when he had turned he left his young student alone with no one to teach him the ways of the Force and how to properly use a lightsaber.

However, he quickly found another Master that seemed more reliable and had no intent of turning towards the Dark Side of the Force. After finding a new teacher his training resumed back on the path that was meant to be on which was sure longer than his last teacher. He learned new things that he would use when it was appropriate or necessary without having him get in trouble with the Jedi Order or the law, for these things were useful in combat. Unfortunately, that training wouldn't long term as Hatake wanted it to be. After attempting to retake Alderaan from the Sith who were successful at conquering the planet in name of their Dark Lord he heard now word from his second mentor. He, in the Padawan's mind, was either missing in action or killed in action leaving the Jedi without a teacher, again.

Now, there was a saying that was said by lucky people that "Third Time's the Charm". For them it applied, but for others it did not. It was about if you were lucky or fate just brought you to that lucky moment of yours. Now, the questions was if this saying would or would not apply for the Jedi Padawan. If yes, then he would have a long term training with his third future instructor. If not, then it was clear he would have to rely on himself and textbooks in order to advance.

Outside of the Jedi Temple of Ossus Hatake was thinking and wondering with a trouble, confused, and lost mind. He was viewing at the beautiful landscape that was in front of his eye, and seeing all the living and nonliving things that were part of the ecosystem of this planet that was important to the Jedi. Even with the peace surrounding him at this moment he was still thinking and some Jedi, who could feel his emotions and hear his thoughts, would know of what was happening in his mind. Something that would attract people to him and help him resolve the problem.

[member=Corvus Raaf]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was wondering what to make of the Jedi Order these days. Some while ago – when she first arrived on Ossus – she and a few other Padawans needed guidance and despite a plethora of Knight and Masters, they were either too busy to teach or had no interest in taking Padawans.

Recently there had been a number of Knights and Masters showing interest in taking Padawans but the current crop of Younglings were unable to commit to the rigours of the training. Corvus didn’t blame them in a way. It was a selfless act to devote your life to the service of the Order – and not for everyone. But a number of false starts later and she was wondering if any of the young Jedi that had shown so much interest – and indeed promise – would make it through the training and trials to Knighthood.

Exiting the Temple to go and meditate in the Pavilion, she almost literally bumped into a Padawan. She recognised his face but not his name.

He seemed…troubled. Recently, under Veino Garn’s tutelage, she’d been able to access more of her emotions (a by-product of having strong Empathy skills was that the only way she’d been able to control the volume of feelings that bombarded her was to shut it all down). And so she was in tune with his surface emotions, although a non-Force User could have surmised as much from the look on his face.

“Padawan, you look like you’ve found a blaster but lost your saber. Care to walk and talk?”

[member="Hatake Mutashi"]

 

[Lok Xiangu]

Still tuned in his own troubled mind he, carelessly, was not paying attention to his surroundings or the external factors that were around him and part of the planet. From a person's perspective who never met or know this Padawan they would at first judge that he was mocking the stance and posture of a statue or looked like a soulless man with no emotions underneath his bandana and ask that concealed the left side of his face. Motions appeared past his right eye, but he paid no heed to them, and it seemed to the Jedi that he was going at a slow pave while others seemed to appear out of normality as if something from physics was broken such as space time, or relativity.

Now he was back from his own wonderland and daydreams when he had heard a voice calling out to him. His eye returned to seeing perfectly and was normal as he first saw the face of the woman. She didn't seem familiar to his memory. Or perhaps she was caught by his eye, but he paid no attention to memorize her face. Her robes distinguished her as a knight, for every rank held different robes and she wasn't wearing a braid, unlike him.

"I could use some counseling, Master," accepting the offer with that sentence. Hatake at this point did not know, temporarily, how to start a conversation. Not with everything that happened to him, of course. Perhaps he could keep a conversation going and going, but beginning one was something he did not want to do at this point.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. The Padawan in front of her seemed one of the more traditional Jedi – robes, braid and the use of formal titles. She smiled because she always struggled to call Knights by their correct title. Padawans were easy. Masters were easy. Your own Master, regardless of Knight or Master rank was easy – they were ‘your’ Master. But what do you call a Knight? Knight Raaf sounded odd – even to her own ears – so she let the title slide.

Sometimes all you had to do was offer to talk and the floodgates opened. Other times you had to remove the metaphorical dam before the conversation flowed. She suspected this was the latter.

“I am always happy to talk and even happier to help. All I ask is that if you ask a question, you are prepared to hear the truth. I cannot and will not sugar-coat my counsel. I simply tell it as it is.”

“Now, if I haven’t frightened you off – let’s talk.” Careful not to try and start the flow too quickly and risk him avoiding the subject he clearly needed to discuss (even if he didn’t want to), she started slowly. “I am Corvus Raaf. Born on Corellia, spent some time as a Green Jedi, lost my way, travelled the galaxy for a few years as a result and then came here. I’ve had,” she counted them on her fingers, “Three Masters – two here on Ossus – and was made Knight after completing my Trials a short while ago. A lot of Jedi think I’m bookish and sometimes grumpy and – perhaps I am – but I’m honest and I work hard.”

She deliberately didn’t ask a question back, allowing the Padawan to follow her lead, pick his own topic or let the silence hang.

[member="Hatake Mutashi"]

 

[Lok Xiangu]

They continued to walk on the concrete path that was constructed with the Temple. He could offer back a smile to her, but his mouth was concealed and it would waste some muscles that was required to have a smile appear on his face. Fortunately, for him the female Jedi begun a conversation with the Padawan. Something that he had join in for a while.

"I think I need a lot of help, actually. And I expect to hear the truth from someone, not a lie." While it was easy to say a lie that could replace the truth it was more illogical and stupid to say one. You never know how long you can keep a lie going, especially if they are smarter than you or have experience with liars.

He listened to her brief, simple, short story of her life and her some parts of her history. He know knew what rank she held within the Order, but was interested in her travels of the Galaxy. After hearing her history he caught on to the fact that she had three Masters before she became a Knight. Interesting. Was she in a situation that was similar to Hatake's that he was going through at the moment. He would find out, after all he could ask her questions and she would respond with an honest answer.

After hearing her brief story of her life the Padawn decided it was time to open up himself to Corvus. Seemed fair after she disclosed some information to him, and he could really need the need to talk to someone. Something that he hadn't had in a while.

"Well, my name is Hatake Mutashi," the young Jedi began opening in a similar introduction similar to Corvus', "and I was born on Alderaan. I had two Masters that, unfortunately, failed me and left me with no one to take their place. One turned to the Darkside and the other went missing in action. I may look mysterious to you due to my face," he stopped and had one finger point towards his face, the left side of the face that was concealed by a garment attached to his clothing. "And I, like you, work very hard and I do not screw around."

And to add on to his short speech he then asked her a question.

"What is a Green Jedi?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was pleased the silence did not last for long before the Padawan spoke. And she gave him her undivided attention.

“Padawan Mutashi.” She formally bowed to him after he introduced himself. Corvus was very old-school. She had warned him she was going to be honest and if she shied away now, any trust might be lost – even if she risked offending him.

“Alderaan? Sadly I was there recently.” Her hand went to her shoulder – healed but still scarred. “I wish we could have done more – and in time we shall.”

“A wise Master once told me to trust in the Force. Governments will fail you. People will fail you. Even you will fail you. But the Force will never fail you.” She wondered how many times she would quote Master Vosra’s words?

“And to be honest, I’ve stopped wondering about people being different. It is our variety that makes us strong. Our respect for the Code cannot vary but as individuals, it is our different strengths and approaches to life that make the Jedi Order what it is today.”

“Green Jedi? On Corellia, we are by nature proud of our planet and somewhat insular. The Green Jedi – so named because they wear green robes – are a…” she seemed to be searching for an appropriate word, “Cousin of this Order. They believe in the same Code but are different in two ways. Firstly they allow marriage and relationships within their Order. It is not a belief I shared if I am honest – I am more traditional in my views. And the second is to consider the welfare of Corellia over the needs of the wider galaxy.”

“So, tell me about your former Masters. What training have you received?”

[member="Hatake Mutashi"]

 

[Lok Xiangu]

In an act of respect he returned the bow to Corvus. Hatake felt ashamed and disrespectful that the Knight bowed to him first when it was suppose to be the exact opposite. The Padawan bows first, then the Knight or Master. His eye then caught of Corvus' hand reaching towards her shoulder when he mentioned about Alderaan. Apparently, she was also there when the tragic event happens to both the Republic and the Jedi.

"I, too, was there when the Sith invaded. I fought another Sith who had cybernetic limbs instead of organic ones, and he was much stronger than me because of that. But, I held my ground against him." The Padawan still remembered the stab that he received from the Sith's lightsaber that impaled his left arm. But, the Jedi also returned the favor when he, also, damaged one of the Sitg's synthetic arm. Time would, hopefully, reveal that the Republic will regain all the planets that they had lost and the end of the One Sith.

Failure was something that he did not like, but one benefit from failure was that it could teach you how to evade from the obstacle that confronted you, and, perhaps, other failures that could be evitable. "I acknowledge those facts, but when you fail you could learn from it. The only thing that I find useful whenever I fail something."

"Everyone is different which is a good thing, otherwise we all would be clones sharing the same personality, but with different faces. And as you mentioned it makes each individual stronger and have different ideals." Which is why the whole Galaxy was diversed with not just races and ethnicities, but with personalities and behavior patterns.

"So you are now a traditional Jedi? Or do you still share some beliefs when you were a Green Jedi?" Odd that you cared about the welfare of one planet, but you prefer to maintain that general welfare than other worlds. A selfish act in his opinion.

He predicted that she would ask him about his mentors that did not succeed to make him a Knight. "Well, the first one taught me telekinesis, Makashi, Force Jump and speed, and some tutaminis. But, then my training was delayed when he the Sith corrupted him and turned to the Dark Side of the Force. The other taught didn't taught me as much as the first one. He only taught me how to become more powerful with telekinesis." But that wasn't all that he knew

"However, other instructors and Masters did taught me other techniques and abilities. One taught me the form Soresu and another taught me both Diem So and Shien," Diem So was a form that he enjoyed and used mostly in his duels, but he didn't mention the fact that he liked the form. For the fifth lightsaber form consisted of enhanced strength and aggressiveness, and he was very aggressive when using the form. "And a few Padawans and I went with a few Jedi Knights and Masters to a construct our own and personal lightsabers."

It wasn't that much and, probably, not comparable to Corvus' knowledge, but it was something that was much better than nothing.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus wasn't surprised Padawan Mutashi was on Alderaan too. Many Jedi were and she only knew of a fraction that served.

"We all learn from failure in some way. But it is important not to focus solely on winning. In doing so, it can become worse that losing. It is better to lose than win sorely. So the Jedi Code teaches us."

"And I agree with your philosophy about variety. You are wise Hatake. I did not always understand this and I am pleased you have already worked this out for yourself."

When he asked her about the Green Jedi, she shook her head. "I am traditional - and that is perhaps one of the reasons I left Corellia and the Green Jedi. I could never put the welfare of one planet before that of the Galaxy. To me such an un-Jedi view. You have good insight - this is a very positive aspect to you."

"You seem well versed in the saber - but a Jedi should know all Forms as it helps to understand potential foes. And you have a good grounding in many skills. Tell me, what sort of training would you like next? What do you see as most beneficial?"

[member="Hatake Mutashi"]

 

[Lok Xiangu]

Now, Hatake was all about winning. Something that he was not proud of, for he would do anything to win even if it meant going beyond the limit. If he had lose a duel he would feel weak, but he would train and learn from his mistake and the duel of what he could improve.

He had no comment to Corvus' perspective view of winning and losing, but he was somewhat surprised to hear her compliment of his knowledge and wisdom. Something that the Jedi barely had heard. "Thank you," he said in a surprising tone, "for that compliment. I thought that would never come from you. But, I think you are more wise than me." Which was probably true because she had more knowledge than him.

And another positive compliment came to him again. Been a long time since he had received a compliment from anyone. "That's good. That would seem a bit selfish of one to just be concern over just one planet than the rest of the Galaxy. And thank you for that compliment."


"At the moment, I am good at handling with a Lightsaber, but I want to focus more on Force Techniques. As for what to learn next, I said I want to learn more of the Force but I need to more broader than that. Well, what do you know so I know what I want to learn next."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. “You sound as though you rarely receive compliments. Either you are too modest or you have not received the praise you have so rightly deserved.” Realising this comment might open a can of worms concerning Hatake’s previous Masters, she moved the subject quickly along.

“And do not confuse wisdom with age or even experience. A datapad gives us data as a rule. Facts and figures but little else. Holocrons tend to contain information. That data is transferred into a context that allows us to compare, contrast and better understand. Next comes knowledge. Our brains make sense of the data and the information and we can apply our learning to new situations. Wisdom is…let me put it this way. Knowledge is knowing the tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad.”

“I hope that wasn’t too boring, I can get carried away at times.” She smiled again.

“But back to training? You say you do not have a Master currently? I would be honoured if you would chose me to be your Master. I can oversee your development into a Knight and also provide some specific training in Force techniques and the lightsaber too. Just because it is a strength, it does not mean you should neglect it.”

“If you were to choose something to start that I could show you from a position of strength, I would initially suggest any of Center of Being, Force Sense, Force Sight, Telekinesis or Telepathy.”

[member="Hatake Mutashi"]

 

[Lok Xiangu]

It was true that he rarely received any compliments from anyone. "Indeed, but I think it's the latter that will fit in than the other." He had no other comments to say about the lack of compliments that he received.

The Jedi was somewhat confused when Corvus explained to him about wisdom and knowledge. He his it away easily with his half concealed face, but what she tried to explain finally made sense and was easy to interpret. He enjoyed the example she gave about that a tomato was a fruit and not vegetable. Many people would do a debate to see why a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. "I guess that makes sense, kind of. And I didn't find it quite boring. I'm fact, you made it interesting and fun when you mentioned about the tomato is a fruit, and not a vegetable."

When he had heard of Corvus saying that she would be honored to be his new instructor it put a smile on his concealed face. And this also meant, to Hatake, that she had much more initiative than his previous mentors just because of what she said to him. It almost sounded as if she was volunteering herself if you looked at it from different angles, but he didn't care. He was going to have her as his mentor. "And I would be honored to be your student, as you would be honored to be my teacher, Master." He answered back to his new mentor.

"I would be delighted to learn techniques of the lightsaber and the Force. And I believe that I am very adequate with Telekinesis, but I think I would like to learn Force Sight first."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. "Delighted to make this formal my Padawan." Some people felt uncomfortable at being on the receiving end of these words. Corvus herself was delighted the first time her most recent Master used this phrase. It made her feel as though she belonged.

"Force Sight it is then. Until tomorrow." And she bowed to him and then rushed off to whichever meeting she was late for. She took solace in [member="Kian Karr"]'s words. A Jedi is never late. He arrives at precisely the time he intended to!

[member="Hatake Mutashi"]