Traditions

[Azula Tindara]

Kalvin Das'crar moved through the crowded pub quickly, making a beeline for the bar. Always liked a drink, that one, Thrukk mused. He didn't bother to wave to his associate. A few hundred kilos of muscle with purple skin tended to stand out in every environment.

The bothan, who was relatively short and wiry even for one of his kind, made his way across the dingy cantina to the booth. Thrukk slid a bit further in, so the black and white striped bounty hunter could sit down.

"So, what's th' news?" Thrukk asked, before taking another swig of ale. It wasn't the best beer he'd ever sampled by far, it was warm and with a thick brown foam. Couldn't expect quality ale in a location like this, he supposed.

 

[Azula Tindara]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Expensive to obtain, but fairly quick," Kalvin replied. He took a sip of his brandy, before pulling a data pad from his jacket. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Nae worry. Sempra will pick up th' bill," Thrukk replied. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"You know I hate going to the palace," Kalvin replied, his fur rippling in the bothan equivalent to wrinkling one's nose in disgust. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Hah tay many scum fur ye!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Quite, packed into the palace tight."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Yup foo ay scum loch me," Thrukk replied, through a broad grin. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Exactly! One of you is enough for a lifetime," Kalvin replied with a smirk. They'd been working together for three years now. They both knew where the line was for insults. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"The honour of thieves, is as... "[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"No poetry today please Thrukk. After you recited that last one of you, what was it? 'A leaf on crimson sand" that was it. I'm now allergic to recited verse."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Tha' was wanna mah best works!" Thrukk protested. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"How many lines were dedicated to to the noise of a femur being snapped again?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Ah have a strong online followin'... "[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Who should all have psychological evaluations and background checks carried out," Kalvin interrupted.[/SIZE]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Thrukk chuckled before going back to the point. "Anyway, send a droid tae deal wi' it 'en. Ye ken hoo th' hutt gie abit doin' business in person," Thrukk advised. He tapped the huge finger of his artificial hand on the table next to the data pad. "What did ye learn?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"The Morgukai had a bit of a resurgence around three hundred years ago. There were temples all over Kintan. However during the dark times they became increasingly isolationist. As the Galaxy came back together again, their numbers dwindled as prosperity returned to the world, and bored youths could travel to exciting places instead of joining warrior cults. Now, it had been thought they'd all gone. However, they seem to be opening up again. Rumours are, there's a cult in a temple at the base of a mountain on the Pajong peninsula in the southern hemisphere. They've apparently been visited by select individuals from other renowned martial arts schools, trying to expand their ideas perhaps, or share their own. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"We're not the only ones to go looking for them recently. Some come back claiming the temple is deserted, others don't return. Others are found in the wastes, having died of dehydration. A Jedi investigator passed through these parts not long ago, looking to see if the rumours of a warrior cult dedicated to killing Jedi was true. They found him beaten to death and dumped at the outskirts of a nearby city. "[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Naive bugger could hae bin mugged," Thrukk mused, as he flicked through some aerial images of the temple site. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"What are you planning on doing anyway?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Ah'm thinking sempra is lookin' tae recruit. Fur now, Ah'm gunnae see if they're th' real deal!" Thrukk announced. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"We'll, they're supposed to hate guns, laziness and outsiders. So as your partner I'd suggest you leave that ridiculous cannon behind, work your gut off, and stop forcing that accent."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Hurt, I'm genuinely hurt," Thrukk said, feigning shock and placing a hand on his chest. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Oh come off it, you left the colony at five or six and didn't come back til you were nearly thirty."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Well a good job that I am an exceptional amateur poet with perfect elocution when the situation requires it, dear fellow!" Thrukk replied in his mock eriaduan accent. The bothan bounty placed his head in his hands and mumbled something to himself. Thrukk guffawed and drained the rest of his tankard. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"What ye lookin' at?" Thrukk asked as he slid out of the booth. The gran being addressed looked in another direction quickly. "Get ye another?" he asked. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The bothan kept his head rested on one hand, but held out his glass in response. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Glad you're staying. I have a new piece I've been working on and... "[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Make it a double then."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]"Sure,sure. Jedi killers eh? This should be fun," Thrukk mumbled as he headed for the bar. [/SIZE]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[SIZE=14.6667px]For a time, as Thrukk meandered down the ravine, he thought the temple must have been deserted. Through the odd hazy cloud of sand caught in the wind, the temple looked decrepit. Ravaged by age, the weathered stone looked as if it was ready to crumble.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]He paused at the foot of a series of steps that led up to a broad, rectangular opening. Even in the harsh sunlight, shadows veiled what was inside. He eyed the steps suspiciously. They were narrow, the stones cracked and damaged in many places. As large as he was, a trip down those could easily break a few bones. Thrukk mentally picked out the safest looking path, and put his foot down on the first step.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Immediately a shadow detached itself from the entrance. The Nikto stepped into the middle of the opening. He held a long staff that gleamed bronze in the sun. It was held with the base against the warrior’s foot, with the tip pointing out diagonally to the side. Thrukk guessed this was symbolised that the entrance was being blocked off. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“So, ye do exist!” Thrukk called up.[/SIZE]

 

[Azula Tindara]

There was no reaction from the Morgukai at Thrukk’s words. He decided to take a different tack. Thrukk gingerly placed one of his massive, booted feet on the bottom stair. The Nikto glowered, but took no action. Thrukk took a big stride up the stairs. That seemed to provoke a reaction.

“Go back! You leave!” the Morgukai warrior shouted, but Thrukk held his position. The warrior raised his staff and started to step down the stairs. The warrior’s intentions were clear, so Thrukk took a step back down to the sand below as he closed. If it came to blows, he didn’t fancy trying to shift his bulk around on those crumbling stones.

“Ah just want a chat with yer boss,” Thrukk started to explain.

“Leave!” the Nikto shouted. Thrukk eyed his feet carefully, looking at his distribution of weight and how he held the polearm.

“No,” Thrukk stated flatly. The warrior sprung into action, bringing the stave up high and swinging it down at Thrukk’s shoulder with a terrifying speed.

Thrukk was no longer there. The staff inexplicably hissed through the air and hit nothing but sand. The massive Houk held his arms out wide and shook his head, trying to show that violence was not necessary. The guard seemed to disagree. He came at Thrukk with an acrobatic display of prowess, thrusting, swinging and leaping.

There was a limit to how quickly Thrukk could shift his bulk and the fourth swing caught him under the ribs. The metal stave met a loud thud as it slammed into his wide torso. “Now tha’ tickled!” Thrukk growled, dismissing how much the powerful strike had hurt.

His two-handed mace swung down from his back and into his hands, blocking the next probing strike. For all the Nikto’s agility, Thrukk’s experience seemed to keep him out of harm’s way and each strike either caught air or was deflected.

Finally, Thrukk decided to block a horizontal sweep with his mace held upright, angled forwards. As the weapons connected, he shifted forwards. With the mace leaning towards him, and Thrukk towering over him, the Nikto was in a poor position. Thrukk’s legs pumped and he drove the guard back, leaving two channels in the sand.

Thrukk broke off, and with a speed that would not be expected to match his size, he swung for the guard’s shoulder. Off-balance, the Nikto barely stopped the blow. However, Thrukk had foreseen this and brought his knee up suddenly. His knee caught the Nikto around the sternum with enough force to send him tumbling to the ground. He stayed there.

“Enough!” came a call from the Temple. Thrukk turned to see an elderly Nikto at the top of the stairs. “Where did you train?” came a question. The tone suggested intrigue.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Thrukk decided to shoulder his weapon. He offered a hand to the downed warrior. The Nikto refused to take it. Instead he slowly got back up off the floor and walked to his masters side. He did not walk without the odd wobble, Thrukk noticed.

“Ten years in the Rattakan fighting pits,” Thrukk explained.

“I am Supreme Mogul here. You are here then, I assume, to train?” The elder Nikto called.

“Aye,” Thrukk replied. It worked for him, so he went with it.

“Then you will organise for one of my own to train at these ‘fighting pits’?”

Thrukk paused to think about that. It could be done, he decided. There were enough people around who owed him favours and if that wasn’t enough Sempra could foot the bill. “It’s not what you’d think of as a normal fightin’ school,” Thrukk explained. “There is training from dusk to dawn. There are no luxuries, no possessions, your whole life is controlled there. It’s mostly for slaves. Your man would be forced to fight…to the death. And if they survive that, there’s always the risk one of the other fighters might shank ‘im in his bed!”

At this, the elder Morgukai smiled. Thrukk found this distinctly disconcerting. “Students from many schools have gone to this place since we decided to teach and learn. They have come from…childish schools…where people play rather than fight. What you describe sounds perfect,” he said slowly. He chattered something in their native language to the guard, who grimaced in pain before heading into the temple.

“When can you arrange for the transfer?” the Mogul said as he stepped down the stairs.

“Within the week,” Thrukk replied.

“Good. First lesson then…” the elderly Nikto started to say. Like a flash he darted down the last two stairs and delivered a kick to Thrukk’s jaw. The world span and Thrukk found himself starring at the harsh sun wondering how such a small person could kick so hard. “…you do not strike a student without my express permission. Is that understood?”

“Aye.”

 

[Azula Tindara]

For two weeks Thrukk went without being spoken to again. He was shown to a recess in the wall that functioned as his stone bed. The rest of the Morgukai seemed to stay in silence, so all he did was follow the nearest warriors. He ate simple meals with them at the crack of dawn. The rest of the day was a brutal physical regime, only broken up by meals and breaks for water. Thrukk was rapidly approaching middle age and he enjoyed his food. It was apparently how much his fitness had deteriorated.

The first few days were brutal, but after a week he was becoming much more comfortable with the routine. His gut wobbled considerably less as he ran too. On the fourth day a speeder had arrived to take one of their bravest students to Rattaka. Poor sod, Thrukk had thought.

On the ninth day, he woke to find a semicircle of warriors around his bedchamber. They parted as the Mogul approached him.

"It is time for your second lesson. The path to fighting a Jedi is before you, but you must be single minded in its pursuit. Discipline of mind and body - these must be achieved."

 

[Azula Tindara]

The wind whipped around him, sweeping a trail of sand with it that stung his thick hide. Thrukk held up his hand against the harsh midday sun, as he listened to the Elder. The dunes stretched out to the horizon. A small party of Morgukai and their land speeder seemingly alone in the wilderness.

"You must learn discipline of mind and body. The Jedi can play tricks with your mind, deter you from your goals. The desert, she has this power also," the Elder said. "You must learn to shut out all distractions. You must hone your mind to the point of the lance, and follow your goal inexorably.".

A pair of Nikto came behind Thrukk and stripped him to the waist. His water was taken from his belt.

"No matter what, follow the green posts. Do not deviate from the path. We will meet you at the goal."

Thrukk looked out at the dunes ahead of him. The closest post was just a few metres ahead of him. It was a simple wooden pole, it's green paint mostly flecked away. He gave a determined nod and started walking out into the desert. He didn't even look back as the land speeder whined away behind him.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Thrukk raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. Again he found that this only served to rub more scorching sand against his burned skin. He felt as if he was going to combust, such was the heat. He stumbled as he climbed the dune. He took a knee and his right hand plunged into the sand to halt his fall. It was like putting his hand in boiling water. It served as more than enough motivation to get back to his feet.

As he crested the dune he shielded his eyes and looked at the path ahead. His heart sank as he spotted another six posts in the distance. There was still no sign of the end of the course. Looking back, he could still see the dark trail he'd left behind. His species was heavy and bulky for something that moved on two legs. He was not built for scrabbling across dunes.

Thrukk was not the most well read of people, but he was aware of mirages. The one he could see to the south however, appeared to have trees. He was pretty certain that mirages just appeared as shimmering water. It could be a real oasis. Real water...cool real water.

But the Mogul had said there could be no deviation. Despite his parched throat and peeling skin, he had no option but to press on. Thrukk grimaced as he steeled himself for the next part of the course. If he broke down what had to be done into small parts: a journey from one post to another; moving from one dune to the next; down to taking each step in turn, then he could focus on each manageable piece of the task. It was the way he had survived years of arduous work in the Rattakan pits, where he had been branded slave from such a young age.

When he reached the next post he had gone beyond the point where determination alone could drive him forwards. The edges of his vision went dark and he stumbled at the top of a dune. Thrukk lost his balance and went into a tumble. The hot sand blistered his already raw skin as he went. He came to a stop and crumpled into a heap. With his whole body shaking, his arm reached out and dragged him across the sand a little further. He managed to crawl, wriggle and pull himself another four metres before losing consciousness under the baking sun.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Thrukk wearily blinked his eyes opened. He tried to speak, but nothing escaped his throat. The Elder Mogul appeared in his view, but Thrukk’s focus shifted between the Nikto and the temple ceiling.

“You have passed,” the Mogul said with a nod.

“Eck,” was all Thrukk managed to say.

“This was not a test of physical fortitude. Particularly as your kind is not best suited to the desert. This was about approaching a goal with single minded determination and letting nothing distract you. The Jedi has many tricks, not least the ability to trick your mind, to cloud your thoughts.

“You have much to learn, but you have shown me that you have the aptitude to learn this skill.” The Mogul stepped away and out of Thrukk’s view. He was left with the ceiling.

It was nearly a week before he was back on his feet. In the meantime, he had to recover from frequent bouts of nausea and dizziness. His skin peeled several times, and when this finally stopped it was left red and raw.

 

[Azula Tindara]

The next few weeks involved far less physical conditioning, but they were far more brutal on his body. His body was far harder than it had been in years, with several inches of fat last in training and from his desert sojourn. However, that made every blow was felt even more.

It was explained that keeping the Jedi from influencing your thoughts was only one aspect of the mental discipline required. The Jedi could also read your thoughts. Not even just that, if you planned out a course of action, ripples from the future could influence the Jedi’s ability to react with super-human speeds.

All this meant that a Morgukai had to “live in the moment”. The Elder Mogul explained that he had seen this already in Thrukk’s style. Without adhering to any style, Thrukk worked off experience and fought on reflexes. Yet the next few weeks showed how much more work he still had to do.

When he duelled, there were always more Nikto to the sides. They studied his style and thrust shocking spears into his path. If he repeated manoeuvres or tried to plan out a fight in a similar style he ended up getting volts through his torso. Somehow he had to fight whilst being completely unpredictable.

He was forced to fight on a tight beam above a pool of ice cold water. Again, there would always be more students on the sidelines, using long poles to try and push him off balance. He reflexes and balance were pushed to the limits. His body was bruised and battered. There could be no turning back.