To Walk the Stars

[Kyyrk]

Voph was silent for a moment. She didn't want to leave. And somehow that scared him. She wanted him to train her. She wanted...him. Voph sighed quietly, removing his hand from the holocron. He avoided the topic the best he knew how. By responding to her misconceptions. He stepped over to the table by the sofa, and picked up a small picture frame, running his fingers over the image contained within. "You speak as a broken mind. Of one who understands only the agony of life. Not the joys of it."

He set the picture down, and turned to look at Seaja. "There is more to life than suffering and death." He gestured to the couch, as he took a seat across from it. "In all things, there is balance. A duality. Without light, there is no dark. Without dark, there is no light. Without sadness, there is not joy. Without suffering, there is no prosperity. Without the Dark Side, would we even know what the Light Side is?"

He fell silent for a moment then said, "Suffering is not the object of life. Not unless you make it so. I've seen countless wars, untold destruction, and more death than fifty lifetimes should bear witness to. And yet, there is more to life than this." He feel silent for another moment, his face growing distant as he reflected on ancient memories. "There was a warrior I knew. He was....like a brother to me, before his death. And...He told me something one day. Something that I have held close through all the wars I have endured." Voph turned to focus on Seaja, then repeated those simple words that had become his creed: "Seek strength. The rest...will follow."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja watched Voph as he moved about the room, stopping by a small picture. She listened carefully to his words, her eyes following his movements. “Life is a process of slowly breaking down something pure into something dirty, until it’s released back into absolute purity.” She responded. She didn’t see herself as any more broken than any other being - it was just the fact that she could see her own cracks that made her stand out. Most people glossed over them, turning their eyes away when the universe reflected the truth of their inner being back on them. She, on the other hand, soaked it in. She studied her cracks, her flaws and faultlines, getting to know them and making them her strengths. And when she turned this process on others, she learned how to destroy and manipulate them.

This was how she had learned to survive for so many years in the harsh conditions of her servitude. She manipulated and controlled both her fellow slaves and the pirate masters they served. This dark side had always existed in Seaja, at conflict with her selfless devotion to the wellbeing of others and her willingness to sacrifice for them.

Seaja found herself reflecting on this duality in her nature as she listened to Voph, and she rose, sitting across from him on the couch. He was unlike anyone she had met before. He wasn’t easy to read, to understand, to know. She didn’t feel like she could see into his brain and through his heart and understand how he worked and what made him tick, the way she felt when she looked at most beings. It was as if there were a thick fog surrounding his being, with only occasional beams of light shining through from the inside. She wanted to learn from him, to gain as much understanding from his as she could.

“The entire aim of existence must be to suffer. Pain abounds in every aspect of living, always the gentle thrumming beneath our consciousness, and it originates in needs inseparable from life itself. It is the concern of the conscious to see the pattern underlying our pain, and see that suffering is the general rule of life.”

She paused a moment, eyes downcast, thinking over her next words. Memories began to flood her brain: cold nights spent alone in chains, beatings for small missteps, acts of cruelty and barbarism heaped down on her and her friends right in front of her eyes, moments of savagery where she was forced to resort to unjustifiable acts in order to remain alive, and words of cruelty and denial burned into her memory forever.

“Strength and suffering are the same thing. Pleasure is just the absence of pain. Heat is the absence of cold. Evil is suffering, and suffering is that what makes its presence known. And only the strong can make their presence known, and act as a force in this world. Good things are merely the bad things taken away. Goodness and pleasure are negative forces of decay. Happiness and satisfaction are desires fulfilled, they are simply some state of pain brought to an end. This is why pleasure is never anywhere near as pleasant as we expected, and pain is very much more painful.” As she spoke, she began to move her hands, becoming more expressive as her shell fell away and she left her state of shielded perpetual self-defense. She had never had the chance to voice her opinions to anyone - the entire concept was new to her - and it was thrilling. That was another thing that confused her about Voph - he seemed to care for her. He was interested in what she thought, in engaging with her as a person. She had been treated and told her whole life that she existed merely as so much raw material, ready to be used for the purposes of those stronger and therefore better than her. She had been treated either as an obstacle or a means to an end, and when Voph spoke and interacted with her he did so as if he saw her as a thinking individual, and this was slightly bewildering.

“Please. I want to learn.” She said, once again trying to bring the conversation back around to the topic of him training her in the usage of the Force. She gazed the blind man in the eyes, knowing that he could see more than she could despite his handicap.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph watched Seaja silently as she spoke. She certainly had a very negative view of the world. And he couldn't say he blamed her. He could only imagine what she'd been through to this point. But...well, he'd seen a lot. His imagination was pretty good. His experiences were the same, for the most part. And yet...he had come to see the galaxy for what it was. What it could be. He had nothing else. No one else. Like he'd told an old ally, his outlook on everything had changed irreversibly on that fateful day. "I used to think the same. That the world was irredeemable. And nothing would ever change. But I realized that just as the strong may subjugate the weak, the strong may also protect them. And, for all the galaxy's failings, there is something still worth saving at the end of it."

Voph fell silent for a moment longer. "There was a time...Well before your birth...When the galaxy was consumed by war. Nowhere was safe. Fights raged in the streets, and wherever civilized life was found, so too was the war." He stood and raised his arms as he turned to move towards a display case behind him. "Here lies the last remnants of that war. The markers...reminders of that dark time." He opened the display case and reached inside to collect...something. He spoke, but did not turn to face Seaja, instead looking at whatever item he held in his hands. "Everything I ever knew or loved was destroyed by that war. And yet...I care more now for the galaxy than I ever could have before. I now understand, it is my duty...my burden to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

He turned revealing a small cylindrical object in his hands. A Lightsaber. He stepped over towards Seaja as he continued, "I told myself I would never take an apprentice. To never doom someone to my fate." He paused, looking up from the blade to Seaja. "Understand that if I train you...There's no going back. I can give you the gift of strength. But only you can decide how it is to be used."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja sat perfectly still, eyes trained on Voph as he spoke. She nodded along occasionally, absorbing his words. "You give me hope. If for every three strong men there is one who thinks as you do, there will always be hope." She had a feeling that a single warrior like Voph was worth a hundred or more of the pirating scum she had known as "strong men" for her entire life.

She leaned forward in her seat, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was getting from the display case. As he told his story, Seaja found herself wondering exactly how old Voph was - and what the entirety of his story was. As she had said before, his story inspired her. There was more to life than fear - he proved this. She could see he was disciplined, courageous, wise, powerful, caring - and very much alive. He had found some kind of truth, he had found a straight path to walk, and was taking it to the end. Seaja knew, despite his warnings (which she took seriously) that she needed to discover his secrets, and seek the truth that he sought.

As he returned to her, she stood, stepping confidently towards him, and placed her hand upon the lightsaber hilt, alongside his. "I am not afraid. I am not unready. I am not unworthy. I am ready to learn all things, if you are ready to teach them." This was it - she was ready to declare herself his apprentice. She would revoke whatever chance she had to escape, to find some quiet, peaceful word, start over, build a new identity, and live out her life in this way.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph allowed a pause after Seaja confirmed she wished to be trained. "This blade was special to me. The first. It was the marker of my new life. My new duty. And now, so shall it be for you." Voph released his grip on the lightsaber, moving his hand to thumb the activation trigger as he did so. The blade sprang to life, a brilliant beam of pure white erupting from the hilt. Voph stepped back, and folded his arms over his chest. "It'll do. Your first exercise. Close your eyes. FEEL the blade in your hands. And understand that this...This is your closest ally. Your fiercest weapon. Your greatest tool."

Voph watched silently as the blade began to shift, a hue creeping into the edges of the blade, the white melting away as the Lightsaber attuned itself to Seaja. "You'll need new clothes, of course. I'll not have an apprentice of mine walking about the galaxy dressed like that. I'll make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, welcome to your new home."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

As soon as Seaja's hand touched the hilt of the lightsaber, she felt something. It was not some mere, mechanical, tool that she held in her hands. As blade hummed to life - literally, it felt alive in her hands - Seaja looked down upon it, awe written across her face. Her eyes widened, and she felt the power of the Force running through the lightsaber in her hand, up into her. It was nowhere near the same as the power she felt when holding a blaster. Listening to Voph, she did as instructed and closed her eyes, trying to feel the lightsaber as a living component and connection to the Force.

She could feel the vibration of the Force-attuned crystal within, pulsing in the same way she felt the pulse of her own heart. It wasn't just a rock, in the same way a love poem isn't just words. The lightsaber did not feel to her to be some corpse-like piece of metal emitting a beam of superheated plasma - she was not insensitive to something greater at play between her and the object she held. She felt that the lightsaber was a link for her to the abiding nature of reality. In the same way that the lightsaber cultivated the radiance of the blade, Seaja could cultivate her own experience of inner radiance with the Force. She did feel, though somewhere in her mind it sounded foolish, that she was learning from the lightsaber. Voph was right to call this simple exercise a lesson.

Still standing with her eyes shut, hand loosely but firmly gripping the hilt of the lightsaber, Seaja felt a prickling warmth spread out over her whole body, as if her whole body were on pins and needles. "I-I feel as if I'm on fire." She was bonding with the saber. As this occurred, the pure white light of the saber faded away, replaced by a steadily purple glow.

Opening her eyes, and lifting her head, Seaja looked over the purple gleam of the blade. "Thank you, Voph." She slowly moved the lightsaber in her hand, focusing on her connection to it and the Force as the blade hummed through the air. "Incredible." She breathed, her eyes locked on the blade, never leaving it for a second, as if she was mesmerized.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph smiled. Unlike the previous times he'd made the gesture, this one seemed....genuine. Natural. "It is always a special moment, being handed one's first lightsaber. Imagine how special it will be when you make one of your own." Voph turned, and shut the display case he had retrieved the lightsaber from, pausing for a second to look at the twin now lying alone on the display rack. Perhaps in time. But for now, Voph turned back to Seaja, and folded his hands behind his back. "There was a cave on Ilum. A...favorite haunt of mine, you might say. Home to a host of crystals, all...singing and calling to each other through the Force. It was there that I obtained the crystal now housed within that blade. Perhaps one day you will find a place such as that." Voph smiled wistfully at the memory.

"The cave is long gone, by now. Crystals taken or destroyed. Pity. I shall always remember it. If only for the comfort it gave me..." Before I died. Voph frowned slightly as the thought crossed his mind. "But, that is of no matter. One must not dwell for long on the past. A habit I am trying to break myself of." He stepped aside and gestured behind him. "When you are done admiring your new tool, I can show you to your room."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja's eyes remained transfixed on the lightsaber as Voph spoke, though she was listening. With the powerful tool humming in her hand, it was a simultaneously intimidating and exciting concept to think of one day constructing one on her own. That would be such a more... personal triumph. What she felt now was a general awareness of the Force and the power of the Lightsaber as a concept. To make her own, and wield that blade herself... she felt that to do that would require a large degree of self-knowledge, a certain kind of mastery that she had not obtained yet. But she was a quick learner.

Fortunately for her, unlike many of the other practices of the Jedi, she was familiar with the ritual of lightsaber construction and the role the crystals played. Lightsabers were a valuable item on the black market, and the pirates she was with had explained their nature and the source of their power. She had never heard the same information from a Force-users perspective, however, and Seaja was struck by the solemnity and respect in Voph's tone as he spoke of the crystals and their home.

Finally, Seaja flicked the lightsaber off, and lifted her gaze to Voph. She had a quiet, but sharp, kind of focus upon the man when he spoke, as if she were determined to hang on to every word, and soak every bit of meaning from it that she could. Still holding the lightsaber reverently, in both hands, she nodded, showing she was ready to move on. "Yes - I would like to see it, please."

She did not quite know what to expect. It was clear that Voph was quite rich, but he was also a disciplined and militaristic man, who had a somewhat Spartan attitude towards life and didn't overvalue luxury. She expected nothing lavish, of course. But nonetheless, she was thrilled. She had never actually had a room, for herself. Her own space. She had always been forced to share quarters with other slaves during her captivity, and when she escaped, she was perpetually homeless. She found private spaces as much as she could, but never a home, or anything that could resemble one. Just shelters, or as close to shelter as she could get. She was trying her hardest to conceal her excitement, however, but she stood straighter, her heart rate increased, and she seemed to be itching to see her new living space.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph led the way out of the lounge, heading towards the back of the ship. He paused at a door near the end of the hallway, and waved his hand to open it. The door slid open to reveal a room decorated in soft blues and purples, an array of potted plants sitting in the corner and on the desk within. The bed was large enough for two occupants, and draped with a blue blanket that matched the rest of the room. A rug sat on the floor beneath it, soft to the touch and a light brown to accent the rest of the room.

In the corner, a desk and chair sat looking out a window across the port side of the ship. Beside it, a large wardrobe for the occupant's clothing. The design was...simplistic, yet the level of ornate decor seemed simple only to nobility. "In better days, we played host to nobility and politicians from all manner of worlds. Now, these rooms hardly see much use."

Voph gestured to the door near the bed stating "Refresher's in there. Should still be fully stocked, but if not one of the droids can...hold on..." Voph turned to the wall, noticing a picture there that...frankly seemed out of place. While the imagery on the wall depicted great events of history, this one simply showed five dark figures, standing with Crimson lightsabers held at the ready. The most prominent of them stood head and shoulders above the rest, clad in heavy armor with massive spikes protruding from the shoulders.

Voph stepped forward and pulled the painting off the wall. "I thought the crew we're supposed to remove this. No matter..." He tucked the painting under an arm, and turned to Seaja. "I would wager you have no complaints?"

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja stood in the doorway, shaking her head and blinking for a moment, as if expecting to wake from a dream, or see through an illusion. Her eyes flicked around the room, taking it all in. It was more comfort and luxury than she had ever lived in, of course. She had seen and been around riches before, but always as an inferior or an outsider. To her, the room was beautiful. It was perfect.

Stepping into the room, she walked up to the desk in the corner, and ran her hand along the back of the chair, then over the top of the desk, her fingers feeling the smooth surfaces. "You know, I always wanted to have my own desk, one day." It had always symbolized for her the path she'd never been able to take. "To sit at a desk and read, or write, and be on my own terms - to look out of a window and not of a cage." For a moment, gazing silently out of the glass, Seaja seemed to forget Voph was there. She stood completely still, hand on the desk, eyes far away. Then, snapping out of it, she wiped her hand quickly across her eyes and turned back to Voph. She watched him take the painting down, chewing on her lip.

"It's wonderful - perfect. I'll be more than comfortable here, no complaints." Her sincerity was in her voice, and she moved her hands to emphasize her words. "But, um, Voph, is that painting - is that from when you were in the Sith?" She tilted her head forward, nodding at the painting in his hands. She had gotten an okay look at it, and though she didn't want to pry or be nosy, she thought she would test the waters by asking.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph stepped over to the door, and pressed a button on the console near it. A chime sounded somewhere in the distance, and the sounds of robotic clanking could be heard in the hall. "It was. A reminder of a time long forgotten." The door slid open, and a protocol droid stood on the other side. Voph wordlessly handed it the painting, and the droid scurried off back down the hall. "It was in celebration of a new arrival. There was a council, a gathering of eight lords that sought to bring the Sith to a new era. To understand their full potential. The being pictured... He was the youngest ever appointed. The only to ascend to the Council before attaining the rank of Darth."

Voph turned to look at Seaja. "There are things about me you should probably know. Not just that I was Sith. I was...more than that. The figure in the holocron. That was me. A reflection of my old life." Voph stepped over to the bed, and sat down on the edge of it, lowering himself down gingerly so as not to anger the twin wounds on his chest. But to Seaja, he simply appeared to be an old man, crushed under the weight of the world. "By our reckoning, I was born in the Sixtieth year before the treaty of Coruscant." He paused, drawing a deep breath. "By modern reckoning, that would have been the year Three-thousand Seven-hundred and Thirteen before the Battle of Yavin. The Empire I once served no longer exists, having died out long ago, to the likes of Darth Bane and Lord Hoth."

Voph paused for a moment to let this sink in. He knew what a shock something like this could be to others. "I am nearly ninety decades old. I was killed, and have been brought back. I have fought in countless wars, and borne witness to events no being should ever have to witness. Everything I have ever known is gone." He smiled at her, but with a grim undertone. "This..." He raised his arms to gesture around him, indicating the Scion, and the other ships around them as they traveled through hyperspace. "...small fleet is all that remains of the Council I once served with. Destroyed, utterly and totally, by the Zakuul Empire. Those of us that remained formed a Covenant. A promise to stand fast in the face of extinction, and protect the galaxy from another Armageddon."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja looked upon Voph, sitting wearily on the edge of the bed. He appeared so tired to her. Looking upon this man, with all the thousands of years weighing down upon him like a personal burden, Seaja suddenly felt very ignorant. Very dumb. She understood now more clearly his words about wishing to escape the past. Moving slowly, delicately, Seaja came forward and stood before Voph. She could not imagine to lived as he lived, to carry with him what he did.

"It must be painful." Seaja said, softly, after he had finished speaking. She thought she had known imprisonment - to be a slave, owned by another, acting and moving as they commanded. But she realized, looking upon the weary old man before her, that Voph knew a different kind of prison. Unable to learn to forget and always haunted by past things - it truly must be painful.

Seaja did not seem very shaken externally, but her presence in the Force was quite the opposite. There was a storm of mixing forces as she stood there, looking across at Voph. Both her heart and mind were racing, trying to absorb this new knowledge and all its implications. "For no matter how far or fast you run, your chains run with you. That which you thought had been destroyed, returning like a ghost to disturb the tranquility of each later moment. The past fills with power, doesn't it?- But it is a heavy power, a burdensome power." For a brief moment, Seaja felt fear. "This was why you were hesitant to take me as your apprentice. You know that once you have shown me what you have known, I will never be able to escape it. This is the danger of truth - it is inescapable."

"Well, do not worry. I have felt the power of the Force, the raw truth of its being that you can show me. I will not flee, I will not break like some scared beast that is glad to immediately revoke its connection to the world and see themselves really perish, sinking back in cloud and night and vanishing forever." Seaja paused, and as she did so, the tempestuousness of her Force-presence calmed, and she became more floored. "I... I feel that those eyes which do not turn from the Force can never be closed. And I am not scared of too much wakefulness."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph did not stir for a moment, musing on Seaja's words. He was impressed by her introspectiveness. Not typically a trait found among people from her background. "It is not the Force that scares me. It is what can be done with it." Voph lifted his head to look at Seaja. "The experiences of the past are simply that. The past. I would certainly hope the galaxy will never again face such events as the Dread Wars, or the Zakuul Invasion."

Voph placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "My reasons for never taking an apprentice are my own. But it was not because of my fears for their future." Voph's head inclined to the side momentarily as he watched the girl. "Fear is nothing to run from. Nor are any of your emotions. The Jedi would teach you to suppress them, to bury them. And in doing so, they lose their humanity. They lose...themselves. Do not be afraid to let your emotion fuel your being."

Voph pushed himself to his feet and patted Seaja's shoulder as he withdrew his hand. "Fear. Courage. Anger. Compassion. Hate....They are all worthy allies, regardless of what the Jedi or Sith might tell you." Voph held up a finger in warning. "But never rage." He smiled sadly, knowing full well that he was the most prone to rage of all of them. "Rage is for those who have nothing left to loose."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja dipped her head, stewing on his words. She realized, with surprise, that she may have missed his original point entirely. Looking back up at him, she sought to explain herself. "I have not had any interest in what the Force can actually do, and have put no thought into what I actually plan to do with the power of the Force once I have discovered it." She knew that training could grant her incredible abilities, but it was not really these manifestations of the power of the Force that interested her. "It is simply the discovery of the power of the Force that is compelling to me. I feel like... maybe there's something there, in the Force, that will bring me peace. Understanding."

Seaja listened silently as he continued, wrestling with his words inside of herself. "I know why we can't let our rage out. The other emotions you named, they cannot rise without their opposition spiraling to its own peak beside them. When sadness cuts into our being, it is only so that the hole may be filled up with joy. But rage, rage cannot rise without the death of its opposition, the slaughtering of restraint. Death cannot come without birth. The respective feelings of pleasure and pain of two animals, one of which is devouring the other, are codependent and tied to one another. But rage is an upset of this balance." Seaja spoke hesitantly, testing out her thoughts as she spoke, avoiding looking at Voph until she had finished speaking, when she looked up at him as if seeking confirmation, wanting to know if she was understanding the lesson he had for her.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph shook his head quietly as Seaja finished her thought. "No. Rage is simply the easiest to surrender to. In combat, you must be in full control of everything you do. Your thoughts, your emotions, your actions. Rage...and anger, to a lesser extent, are the easiest to lose control entirely. When you are consumed by rage, one becomes reckless...sloppy."

Voph inclined his head again, folding his hands behind his back. "I assure you child, there is very little hidden meaning to my words. Though you do well to think of the world in such terms. In my finding...there is a balance, however. And that balance does not care who you are, or what you do. It shall continue on, with or without you. And any action you take, should it upset the balance, shall be corrected. Be it by your hand, or another's. The Jedi and Sith have deluded themselves into thinking they are two halves of the same whole. And yet the Force does not discriminate between Light side and Dark side. There is simply the Force, and the intent behind its use."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja scrunched her face together, thinking hard. "I see what you mean, I think..." Despite his assurances of the simplicity of his message, she still found herself thinking it over and over, testing out all of its implications in her mind. "Is there really an 'I' to control, Voph?" She asked hesitantly, after a moment. "You have just said it - the Force-user is not a rope-dancer who walks a tightrope between Light and Dark... The Force is not a way to be walked..." It was clear Seaja was finding it difficult to explain her thoughts, struggling in her search for words. "The Force-user is just the Universe's recognition of its own unity. A melting away of the irrational urges of the life-impulse, a bit of mind that can become free of thought, free of itself by merging within itself... There are not two beasts, one devouring the other, each acting as representatives of opposing cosmic forces. They are both united as the origin of each other, one the mother of the other and vice versa. So... isn't escape into the Force not really an act of self-control, but one of self-surpassing? Life's natural creation of something beyond itself?"

Suddenly she stopped, almost as if exasperated, and stood up straighter. "I must begin my training right away, Voph. I cannot wait." She lifted her hand, fingers outstretched, and turned her head towards the desk, glaring at it fiercely. After a second of this intense concentration, the lightsaber hilt shook, and whipped off of the desk, flying into her palm. "As long as I feel the Force within me, bubbling and colliding with itself, I cannot rest." There was eagerness in her voice. "I want to learn - actively."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph stared blankly at the girl for a while. "I must congratulate you, child. For one who speaks in riddles, even I cannot discern the meaning behind your words." He waited for a moment, then arched a brow as Seaja called her new lightsaber to her hand. "There is more to the force than the blade, little one. Patience is a virtue, and perhaps the most neglected one. And yet, perhaps it would be wise to teach you some of the basics. Come. I've a training room set up already." Voph turned, and led the way through the ship towards nearly the exact center of the ship, opening up into what might have been a cargo bay.

Voph, however, veered off, leaving Seaja to approach the room by herself. He cited the need to change into something more appropriate, and retrieve his own blade. When he rejoined her, he was clad in a rather ornate tunic, appearing rather robe like in nature, yet keeping movement unrestricted for combat. The room, as Seaja had time to explore, was rather simple. Clearly intended to facilitate training, it was stocked with training probes, combat droids, the works. In fact, most militaries didn't have access to this kind of training facility. Voph stepped over, and activated one of the droids. The small sphere rose into the air. "Your first lesson. Defense. You cannot fight when you are dead. The lightsaber, as you may be aware, is capable of deflecting blaster bolts. The droid here emits a low charge pulse. It will not kill you, but it will not tickle either. The point of this exercise is to recognize the Force warning you of danger, and reacting. Focus. Calm your mind, and reach out through the Force. See the droid at all times."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Seaja felt eager to begin her training, and she nodded understandingly at Voph's lecture, though she was more focused on learning to wield the lightsaber in her hand than absorbing that particular lesson.

She glanced over her shoulder at Voph as he veered off, but once he was gone she turned back and entered the training room. Peeking around, she slowly explored it in a state of quiet excitement, studying each of the objects in the room one by one. As she moved around the room, she held the lightsaber close to her chest in both hands, as if it were some precious object she wished to protect. When Voph re-entered the room, Seaja was waiting for him, and she took a moment to study his robes, admiring their mix of beauty and utility. Nothing about Voph or his life seemed to be done halfway - everything was created with maximum efficiency and taken very seriously. This, it seemed, extended down to wardrobe choices.

Seaja stood still and straight, watching Voph and the droid floating through the air as her first lesson was explained. As Voph spoke, her hands dropped to her side, and she stretched her arms, fingers, and neck, eyeing the droid hovering about her. She knew the power of the Force could do incredible things - she had dodged blaster bolts before, a feat she knew was impossible for nearly all other living creatures, and was only possible for her through the Force - but to intercept one, with something that isn't even part of one's own body, that was on an entirely different level.

Nodding slowly to Voph's instructions, Seaja took a deep breath, Seaja let herself feel the Force flowing through her, letting her mind tune in to this immense power and tap out from all of the small, minute details it normally had to wrestle with at any given moment. Honing the intensity of this moment of connection to the Force, Seaja leaned back, settling into a centered and balanced stance, lifting her arm, and igniting the blade of her lightsaber, which filled the room with a violet glow and a soft hum. As she did this, the small droid whipped back and forth, zig-zagging and whirling around above her as it scanned her stance for an opening. Finally, twitching to one side, it blasted at her, releasing a charged pulse of heated plasma. Weirdly, Seaja felt as if she could predict its arrival, as if some guiding hand led her movements, pushing her and leading her forward to sway her body, swing and dip the blade around, connect with the blast, and redirect the pulse into the floor. All of this happened in less than a second.

Whirring electronically, the machine zipped backwards and re-oriented itself, before releasing a quick stream of shots, five one after the other. Again, pushed by an invisible energy, Seaja anticipated and blocked the shots, relying on the protective and guiding power of the Force. A look of awe and joy spread across the girl's face as she realized what she'd accomplished, and her face lit up, her lightsaber lowering for a moment. This was all the droid needed, and it shot again, this one hitting the unprepared Seaja right in the shoulder. "Ow!" She exclaimed, deactivating the lightsaber and clutching her shoulder as she recoiled in pain, stinging from the unexpected attack.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph held up a hand as the girl shouted in pain. The droid powered down to a hibernating state, and Voph stepped forward. "Impressive. I've never seen someone take to this as quickly as that. But, you have also learned another lesson. Never assume your opponent is defeated until they are dead, or running." Voph smiled softly. "A ploy I have exploited on many occasions." Voph turned, and plucked a training saber off the wall. A simple metal rod was offered to Seaja, and he took one of his own.

"Perhaps you would fare better by learning properly." Minutes turned to hours, and soon Voph had lost track of how much time had passed. He explained the intricacies of bladework to Seaja, teaching her the basics of lightsaber forms, and how they came to be. Naturally, he began with the basics. Shii-cho. A devastating form in its own right, if practiced properly. And a solid foundation for beginners. He guided her through the basic strikes, defenses, and offered commentary throughout.

As they slowed to another pause, Voph stepped back, lowering his training saber to his side. "I think that will be enough for tonight, little one. I still have the matter of your robes to see to. And one can only learn so much in a single sitting."

[member="Seaja Linata"]

 

[Seaja Linata]

Rubbing the feeling back into her now numb shoulder, Seaja ruefully nodded at Voph's words. She certainly would be more mindful of that in the future. Seaja was determined to not forget any of the small lessons that Voph had taught her, even though they built up with increasing quantity and depth with every small interaction they had. She did not want him to think she was unworthy, or that he was wasting her time. Most of all, Seaja did not want to waste what she saw as an incredible opportunity, a brilliant twist of fate that would turn her life around and ultimately save her from a much worse fate. Apprenticeship under this Master made her future seem promising and filled with wonder, and it was a worldview-shattering change from the empty future she had envisioned for herself before meeting Voph.

Seaja buckled the lightsaber hilt to her hip, and took the training blade in her hands, hefting it and mentally analyzing all of its features. Though heavier and requiring more brute force and strength to wield with the same power as a lightsaber, the simple metal staff-like object required much less skill, precision, and focus. The weightlessness and gyroscopic effect generated by the plasma blade of a real lightsaber made it much harder to wield, requiring more dexterity and elegance in form. And, besides that, Seaja was slowly learning that to properly wield a lightsaber, one had to have masterful attunement to the Force. The lightsaber required more than a simple sight for its use, like a blaster. The blade of the lightsaber itself was given its coherence and form through the power of the Force, and the weapon was therefore itself a weapon of the Force. Seaja did not yet have the understanding to explain or articulate this, but she knew that one had to be strong with the Force to use a lightsaber properly, but once put in the hands of such a being, the lightsaber became an almost unstoppable weapon.

For now, though, she was not training her mind or her connection to the Force - she was training her body. Going through and rehearsing motions, building confidence and control of her body and the practice saber as an extension of it. Voph was an excellent teacher, his skill shining through and surpassing any expectations Seaja had held. He truly moved and acted like a warrior, someone who had learned and honed his talent in hundreds and hundreds (and possibly more) life-threatening engagements. Seaja was a focused and determined student for the entirety of their exercise, continually pushing herself to try harder and staying attentive to everything Voph said and did, replicating all of the physical mechanics of his motions.

By the time Voph stopped them, Seaja was completely worn out. Her stomach ached with a new hunger, her muscles were screaming for rest, and the exhaustion of many nights of little to no sleep were weighing on her heavily. Stumbling backward slightly, Seaja let her sword dangle loosely from her hand, nodding in respectful acknowledgement of Voph's words. "Thank you for the lessons, Voph. Nobody's ever... Nobody's ever taught me things like this before..." She spoke self-consciously, trying to communicate the significance of the moment without being overdramatic or making herself too vulnerable. "...And I enjoy learning." Her weariness was clear in her voice, and in her slouched posture.

Despite this, Seaja still found herself wanting to continue training, and it was with reluctance that she stepped over to the wall and hung her saber back in its place, then turned to Voph and took his saber, doing the same for him. Standing by the door, she shuffled her feet for a moment before speaking. "I am very tired. May I go to my room, and get some rest?"

[member="Voph"]