Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Training Retreat, Naboo

Jsc

Disney's Princess
The Capital
Naboo
w [member="Jyfo Draav"]

Karen Roberts waited at the Starport for her latest student to arrive back from his travels. She had reserved this private landing pad just for them. Situated just below and away from the grand junction ridgeline, it had a spectacular view of looking right up at the Citadel. Here amongst the hot concrete and rushing green trees, our two adventurous heroes could gather again for some training. Away from the prying eyes of the big city.

"Ah. There he is. It looks like his ship is right on time."

She smiled and shifted her helmet under her arm. Karen loved a prompt beginning. Perfect timing.
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo nervously wrung his hands as the shuttle descended slowly onto the landing pad. His training would finally resume. Although he had only been gone for a short while, he felt like he had grown in the Force much.

The shuttle touched down gently and the landing ramp slid out with a hiss. Jyfo bowed to the pilot and walked down the ramp and took in the beautiful scenary around him. Naboo was most certainly a beautiful planet. Both the architecture and the natural elements combined to create a picturesque view.

Jyfo noticed his Master walking towards him. He greeted her with a bow. "It feels like it has been years since I last trained with you, my Master," he said with a smile.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
"I'm sure it has. Welcome back Apprentice."

She paused and gave a middle bow. It was good to see that her newest student was still alive and healthy. It appeared the Sith hadn't eaten him just yet. Hehe.

"And just how was your lengthy travels? I trust you have learned much in your time away? ...Come. Walk with me. Tell me what you have experienced in our time apart. I'm sure you have many tales to tell."

Karen held her helmet under her arm and motioned for Jyfo to follow her. They could walk and talk under the trees.

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo followed his master through the gently swaying trees, wind billowing in bursts. "I do indeed have a tale to tell," he chuckled. "I suppose I never expected to be mistaken for a bounty and get assaulted while walking the streets, but this galaxy is full of surprises." He stroked his facial hair while recalling the adventure with amusement. "After sorting out the mess, I actually helped him track down his actual bounty, a murderer. We ran into quite a few thugs, and I got the opportunity to exercise my abilities in real combat."

Jyfo didn't mention the several times that he had to fight to control his temper, and the moment when he almost struck down the injured Wookie who no longer wanted to fight. But struggle as he did, he managed to control it; he at least knew he could do it again. At least... I think so. Giving into anger is so tempting. But it's a road I cannot take.

"All in all, it was a great learning experience," he concluded with a smile.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
"Then you have done well. The path of the Jedi Knight is one of constant hardship, service, and choice. Always striving to make the galaxy a better place. One adventure at a time. Hehe."

She giggled as she said that. How many of her own adventures had gone terribly wrong, she wondered? Probably too many.

"Now. Let's see if you've been studying that datacron I gave you. What can you tell about the Jedi Code, Apprentice? How might it be of service to you as you grow, and learn, and adventure?"

Karen wanted to review a few basic lessons with Jyfo before beginning their martial training again. She sensed he had not yet mastered his passions. Therefore, it was good that she review with him. Just to make sure that he understood the path of the warrior, and the path of the Jedi, a little better.

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo stopped and mulled over the question in his mind. It was incredible, really, how much information could be stored in a datacron. He had looked through it and studied some, but he felt he had barely scratched the surface of what it means to be a Jedi. He had previously memorized a section that he felt was the most important and tried to form it into words. "Jedi are the defenders of peace. Jedi use their powers to defend and protect. They respect life. They serve, rather than rule. And they always seek to improve."

He paused, trying to figure out how to conclude. "The Code will help me shape me into a better person, one who serves for the good of others and uses his abilities only to protect. And that is what I want. I do not wish to lose control and give into anger and fear." Jyfo shivered, despite the warm, sunny day; he remembered reading the words of an old Jedi teacher: "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." The dark side was a spiraling pit of despair and torment. That was not a path Jyfo would take. He had managed to control himself so far, with many opportunities to give in.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
She smiled. He understood. He had chosen. Jyfo was almost ready to face the Trials.

"You speak as if the Jedi are separate from yourself my Apprentice. ...Are you not already a Jedi in it's fullness? Do you lack any of their character besides experience?"

She gave a wave to herself. Dressed in armor with helm at the ready. What could he learn from her example alone.

"Am I not a Jedi? Have I not chosen my path and walk it daily? ...Must even I resist the darkness daily, like yourself?"

Karen paused to raise a finger.

"Tell me Apprentice. In your own heart. What separates you from your goal?"
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo let his Master's words sink in. "You speak as if the Jedi are separate from yourself," specifically struck him. Was he not a Jedi? He did feel outside of the term "Jedi." Jyfo felt he needed to pass the Trials before he actually became one of them. That was the bar, the standard, that he must prove himself. "I will not lie, I guess I do feel like I am not a true Jedi yet. There is so much to learn and master with the Force and the sabre; I simply feel inadequate," he said with some measure of disappointment. Realizing how pitiful he might look, Jyfo straightened himself and said with certainty: "Though I am up to the challenge and will always improve."

He pondered before responding next. What did separate him from his goal of becoming a Knight? That's when the revelation hit him: He was afraid of himself. Of his potential of losing control. His mouth opened slightly, and he began to perspire. "I... What separates me from my goal is... is fear. Fear of caving into the easy path of anger." He felt as if he was underneath a microscope, and his Master was looking down at him, into him, seeing every little secret and struggle he had within.

An odd sense of resolve filled him. A sense of determination. His fists clenched. "But I will not give in. Ever."

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
His honesty was a great blessing indeed. If a man can know his own heart he can become unstoppable.

"Then I would say that you are a Jedi already. For those are the words of a true Jedi Knight indeed."

She paused for a moment to consider. Letting the Force guide her to what to say next. Letting it teach her as she would teach him.

"Then it is time to prepare you for the Jedi Trials. A true test for a warrior's heart. But we must be ready. The unprepared face certain death."

She nodded. He was ready to begin.

"Come with me back to the landing pad. We shall begin your practice there."

___

The pair returned to the landing pad and Karen disappeared into one of the Flight Hangers. She soon appeared with a tall war droid in tow. Easily twice the size of Jyfo. Worse yet? It was made of pure Phrik. Not even a lightsaber could overcome that.

"This is Fear. A Mandalorian War Droid programmed to destroy Jedi. Fear is not always cooperative with me but today he has agreed to be your sparring partner. I do hope he decides to play nicely."

The tall silver droid made no comment nor reply. It's single red eye simple watching Jyfo. Examining him. Judging him. Ready to process his every move.

"All right Apprentice. Let's see those sword moves you've told me about. ...I'm going to give you only 60 seconds to spar with Fear here. See if you can damage him. After 60 seconds well take a break to see what you've learned thus far. Fear will be using a non-lethal stun blade. But do not show weakness. He can easily crush a man unprepared with his sheer brute force. You are not guaranteed to come away unscathed."

She held up a datapad and nodded to the massive droid. It did not flinch nor cease it's damnable staring. So Karen returned her gaze to Jyfo,

"Are you ready to face your Fear, Apprentice? You can always say no. ...Hmph. Otherwise! Take your opening stance. It's time to show your Master what you can do!"

___

*ooc: The goal of today's training is to prepare Jyfo for the Jedi Trails. To begin, we'll be mixing criteria. Your objective is to stay alive against Fear for only 60 secs. A, surprisingly, difficult task. Especially since it is currently impossible for Jyfo to win. Even using all of your character's Padawan skills at maximum. Fear possesses no Force Powers but his sheer metallic strength, and speed, is enough to flip a car and smash it back down to earth again. So... The test is not to see if you can win? But to see if you can stand back up again after you fail. A worthy test of sheer determination. Even when winning is almost certainly impossible.

Indeed. Fear will be your greatest opponent until you face a real Sith opponent in PvP. And when you overcome your Fear? You will be ready for anything. So take your opening stance and prepare yourself for a fight. I will be replying as the droid, as if I was your opponent. You may attack first or prepare your defenses. Either way? Good luck. Training begins now. :D :p
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo returned the droid's unending stare for a few moments, but had to turn away. The thing seemed to hate him, the way the red eye simply staring straight at him, into his soul. Jyfo shook himself and drew his lightsabre. He ignited it, the amber blade humming softly, and took his stance while pondering his first move. His tutor's instructions filled his mind. Always stay balanced. Stay on the offensive. The first five seconds of a duel are often the most crucial.

Without further waiting, Jyfo stepped towards the droid and began his first engagement with the hulking menace. He swung the blade horizontal, then downwards, then an uppercut. A simple, fast start that could help him gauge the war droid's speed and anticipation. Not knowing anything about the droid so far, he hoped his advantage, if any, could be speed.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
Fear ignited the stun blade in his right hand and remained without a stance. The droid was simply too tall and too strong to care for particulars. Fear blocked all the strikes made against him. His resolution and stability were like striking with rain against a mountain. It's Phrik arms did not bend nor waver against Jyfo's sword. Fear was quick and brutal in his defense. Stepping only lightly backwards with each crash of their blades. Horizontal, down, and up. Jyfo was fast and accurate. However, Fear moved like a machine. Effortlessly judging every incoming move with precision and mathematical prowess. And his cunning red stare did not abate.

Unphased by Jyfo's first flurry, Fear simply leaned low and rammed towards his opponent with his hulking shoulder. Encased in Phrik, Fear didn't even bother exposing himself. Lightsabers couldn't hurt him and he knew it. ...If the droid could have smiled as it charged forward in it's tall shoulder ram, it probably would have.

Karen nodded from the sidelines. This wasn't about winning. It was seeing just how much punishment Jyfo could take before he quit. It was time to test his fear by putting some into him. Broken bones and all. 60 seconds against the darkness. Just how long could he last?

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo wouldn't lie; when he saw how effortlessly the huge droid blocked what would be an effective first strike, he felt a little discouraged. And when the behemoth lowered its shoulder and rushed him with speed he didn't know it had, it took all of Jyfo's strength to dive to the left. The hastiness of the dive resulted in a rough landing, and the droid was on him again as he was getting up. Fear swung hard down at him, and Jyfo barely managed to roll away and jump up. Forget trying to hit the infernal thing, I just have to avoid it.

How much time had passed? 5 seconds? 10? Jyfo realized the difficulty of the challenge before him. He couldn't focus on attacking anymore, just dodging this droid. Jyfo knew he was fast, but the real question was: was Fear faster? He braced himself in a defensive stance for the droid's next assault.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
Roberts smirked as her student began to catch on. She knew all too well that feeling. What do I do now? How can I beat it? What happens next? ...Oh yes. All too often had she herself felt such tensions rising. Faced with an overwhelming opponent? What can a Jedi do? Where is my salvation?

Fear. Fear did not care for such things. The droid knew only one purpose. To destroy Jedi. That was his center. His very being. There was no choice for Fear. No frustration, no pondering. Only crushing. A machine does not feel the temptation of the Dark Side of the Force. It simple is. A droid simply... Destroys.

The raging behemoth switched gears in an instant. The ground bending under the tremendous breaking and pulling of his weighted frame. He switched from a ram to an overhead crush. Almost eager in his destruction. Thirsty. Hungry. The robot demanded his protocols be maintained. This Jedi must suffer. So Fear brought up his rod and aimed to send Jyfo spiraling. The droid brought it sailing down like thunder, aimed just past the Padawan's back leg. A blow so heavy it could crack the ground asunder.

Karen squinted hard against the sun and the eastern breeze. Safe and calm. She too was watching the battle unfold. Thinking. Anticipating. Trying to measure if Jyfo would give into panic, or bloodlust, or rage. Or would her Apprentice keep a cool head and calm temper. Even in the face of certain doom. Mm. She squinted hard against the warmth of the sun. The Jedi Master would test his true metal. And she would accept nothing less.

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
The droid smoothly switched direction and came after Jyfo again. So, it will be unflinching in its assault, he noted. I'll have to be continuously moving. As the droid raised its stun blade in preparation to send it crashing down on him, Jyfo dashed and rolled to the right. He could feel fatigue at the edge of his awareness, taunting him, letting him know he was getting tired. Jyfo shook it off and ran to the opposite side of the landing pad.

Jyfo took the brief moment of reprieve to gather his surroundings and look for any advantage he could use. The pad was pretty bare, but there was a large antenna on one corner. Perhaps, if he climbed it right, he could launch off of that and buy himself more time away from the droid. Seeing Fear come after him again, Jyfo took off running for the antenna.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
Ah. A natural tactician. Her Apprentice was a quick study. Fascinating. That brought a quiet smile to her face. He would be a survivor indeed.

Fear however, did not like reprieves. Cat and mouse was more his style. Or, Lion and mouse. If a droid could choose his own words lightly. The towering construct did not understand Jyfo's tactic however. It was not programmed to outsmart Jedi. Nor to consider how it's surroundings might be used against it. Other than terrain advantage, that is.

Fear turned on a dime and began to pursue Jyfo to his objective. It was fast. Very very fast. Unless Jyfo managed to use the Force to speed himself up or leap high into the air? He risked being trampled from behind. After all, one cannot outrun a Freight Train. And Fear might just have been faster than that too.

As the ground shook from the rampage of her war droid, Karen looked at her watch and began to wonder out loud. Oh dear. If Fear broke anything around here? She would have to pay that bill. Good grief...

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Jyfo's breath was pounding as he sprinted for the antenna. He felt each tremor of the hulking war droid's steps as it slowly gained on him. If he was going to reach the structure, he would need to jump for it soon. Remember. Your focus determines your reality. The old Jedi saying ran through his mind as he closed his eyes and felt the Force all around him. Letting it come to him, even while running at full speed, he leaped upwards towards the antenna, just past the droid's blade swing. Landing on his feet, he ran vertically on the metal structure for a brief moment, higher than the huge droid itself. Kicking off, he flipped backwards and sailed through the air.

Landing hard and rolling, Jyfo ended up tripping and lay sprawled a bit behind the droid. So that's what happens when adrenaline and the Force come together. I like it. Picking himself up, he gasped for air and silently prayed that the 60 seconds was over.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
Fear spun about as Jyfo rocketed over him. It was truly amazing how his prey could do that. If his creators had given him a jetpack, he probably would have enjoyed it too. Alas. Now the mouse had landed again. Time for crushing.

The hulking mass of iron did not tire in it's pursuit. Almost refreshed actually. Now his quarry was sprawled and anxious. Just the way a war droid likes them. Easy to kill. Fear jumped into the air and raised his rod high above his head. His leap was incredible. Amazing even. The droid could have easily sailed over a whole car with that hang time. It lingered in the air just long enough for Jyfo to see his whole life pass before his eyes. A falling anvil of terrible smashing power. This was the end.

Roberts lifted a single finger and tweeked the droids optical perceptions just a bit. Just in case her student failed to scrabble. Poor Fear just wouldn't hit his mark with this one. Can't be squishing her students just yet today. It wasn't even lunchtime yet. How rude. A true Master doesn't squish her students until at least supper time. It just wasn't proper Jedi training any other way.

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
Just as he got up, the shadow of the war droid fell upon him. It had leaped after him the moment he landed his acrobatic attempt. Jyfo's muscles ached; he knew he couldn't get out of the way of this. He made the splitsecond decision to trust the Force. I can't push this thing away. But maybe I can move it just far enough so it doesn't crush me. Time seemed to slow down around him.

Your focus determines your reality. He just had to move it a couple feet. Sensing it through the force, he willed it to move sideways just a small amount. Come on. Even in this seemingly slow-motion state he was in, Fear still raced towards him. Just a little bit... more! He felt the never-ending energy of the Force respond to him as it nudged the droid over to the right slightly. Jyfo opened his eyes and saw that his idea worked. Mostly.

The droid had indeed been nudged away, so that it wouldn't land on him, but its arm, still grasping the stun blade, flashed out and struck Jyfo square in the chest. He gasped and fell backwards. Almost had - ow! - it. The pain was intense, but it only lasted a brief moment.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

Jsc

Disney's Princess
The droid took footing and raised it's arm once more. But before the monster could smash Jyfo into little bity pieces Karen waved two fingers in the air. Instantly his red eye went out and Fear stopped moving at all. He had been turned off.

"Your sixty seconds is up Apprentice."

She smiled at him. The pain was temporary. His trial brief. But the victory and preparation he had gained today? That would last forever.

"You did well Apprentice. It is rare to find a Padawan who can keep his head on straight during life or death combat. Your self-discipline and trust upon the Force did not go unnoticed this day. You have won a great victory. If only for yourself."

Roberts moved to Jyfo's side and touched two fingers to his shoulder. Hmm. Scanning his body for injuries. Nope. Nothing serious. She was confident he would survive.

"Ah. And it appears you will live through this trial too. Excellent. You may yet live to be a Jedi Knight just yet. Hehe."

She stood up and looked to the droid. It had preformed well indeed.

"We will not speak now. The Hanger Bay just over there has a refresher. Please take the next fifteen minutes to clean up and get your bearings. We will not discuss the Force further until the adrenaline has left your system. Return to me when you have washed your face. Then we will conclude."

Roberts waved him to the Hanger. It was break time. Besides? She needed to rewire the droid anyway. Turn off 'kill mode' and back to 'nice droid mode'. Something the Mandalorians never actually bothered to install themselves. Meh. Go figure.

[member="Jyfo Draav"]
 

Jyfo

A lost past, an unknown future
He did it. He had conquered the challenge. Well, by conquer, he meant narrowly survived the horrifying death machine, then yes. Jyfo pulled himself up and thanked his Master. He was grateful for the break, but only fifteen minutes? He could've used a week to recover. I guess this is why everyone's not a Jedi. All at once, the exhaustion flooded his bones. He sighed and trudged over to the hangar.

A sliver of doubt unexpectedly crept into his mind. Could he really succeed as a Jedi if he could hardly last one minute in a fight? Jyfo shook his head with disgust to dispel the thought. Fighting off fear, doubt, and anger each day would certainly be a challenge. Meditation is what he needed. Closing his eyes as he sat in a nearby chair, he began regulating his breathing and clearing his mind. Cleared it of the doubt, the fear, the fatigue. Of everything. He sat like that for thirteen minutes, then opened his eyes and felt the relaxed and calm state of mind.

Washing his face and cleaning up, Jyfo returned to his Master and awaited the next lesson.

[member="Karen Roberts"]
 

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