A Rite of Passage

[Lief]

[Shi-Yan Cala]

"We're taking some of the children on their Gathering,"

Shi-Yan peered up into the aged eyes of the Jedi Master, before rising and offering him a respectful bow of greeting. This was not the first, nor would it be the final, attempt to involve her in group activities. In response to her formalities the man shook his head, waved his hand, and bid her to return to her seat.

"You're welcome to join, if you like; Ilum is quite the marvel at this time of year, and I could do with some assistance with the Younglings."

The young Jedi peered past Master Kalin as she settled back into her seat. Four little ones stood there, clad in their robes and packs - presumably containing more appropriate garments - set upon their back. One sheepishly glanced in her direction, lifted a hand to wave and then thought better of it. Without warning the Youngling dipped his head into a bow, not too unsimilar to the way she had greeted Kalin, and stepped forward.

"Please come with us, Master Cala!" Shi-Yan cringed. The lack of a Padawan braid was to blame, of course, for the younger students insistence on naming her so. "Shi-Yan" she corrected, with a patient smile. Glancing briefly down to her datapad, she concluded that she could finish her work on their way over to the crystal caves. Besides, she had need for an adegan crystal or two.

"Very well, Master." She had, at this point, turned her attention back to Kalin. "Give me a few moments to gather some supplies, and I shall meet you down by the hangar bay." Rising up, Shi-Yan placed the datapad into her robes and strode out of the chamber, one hand moving out to ruffle the vocal little Youngling's hair as she passed him by. It would do her good to get out of the Temple for a while, at any rate.

 

[Lief]

As she wandered through the vaulted halls which echoed with each step she took, Shi-Yan could not help but frown. Ossus still did not quite feel right to the girl who had known no home outside of Coruscant; it was too quiet, and if she wandered outdoors she could go for hours without running into anyone else. Yet there was something serene about it, too. The birdsong, croaking frogs in the trees, rushing water descending down the side of a mountain. It was a beautiful cacophony of life.

With a blink she realized that she had reached her dorm. Punching in the code on the keypad the door opened with a snap-whoosh and Shi-Yan hurried inside. Without really paying attention she grabbed a backpack and threw in a thick overcoat, the datapad from her pocket and some tools incase anything happened within the caves. It wasn't too uncommon to hear of a rockfall or avalanche, after all. As she rose back to her feet she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and frowned.

Her hair looked messy and her fringe fell over her face. She also looked as if she hadn't seen sunlight in a few days. Well... The Archives had kept her busy. With a grumble she hastily threw up her hair, pulling back her fringe, and then brushed down her robes. It would not do to leave the Temple looking a mess, not when she represented the Order. Rubbing her temples she forced back an ensuing headache and instead shouldered her pack. The hilt upon her belt made itself known under the motion, slapping against her outer thigh.

Best she take that, too.

 

[Lief]

The others were already waiting as she made her way down toward the hangar bay. Two more Younglings had joined their merry entourage. Shi-Yan wondered if they had ever been on Starships before, at least that they could remember. This would be an interesting trial if not. "Master" she began, bowing toward Kalin, "I trust that everyone has appropriate clothing for trekking in the snow?" Addressing the Younglings this time, she bowed her head in the same instance. They may have been younger than she, but all life demanded her respect.

After there had been a unanimous concurrence the eight of them piled into Master Kalin's vessel and, as the starship ascended, the young ones watched in amazement as the ground shrank away until it was replaced by the black abyss of space. One of the children shivered, after all it was moderately cooler in space. Stepping over to him, Shi-Yan removed her outer robe and settled it about his shoulders. "Did you know," she began, as she settled into the seat at his side, "that the Force can do wonderful things..."

The boy's eyes widened as he peered up at her, silently listening, "but it can also do simple things that can be achieved through other means. For instance, it is capable of keeping your body at just the right temperature." She smiled down at him and settled a hand to his shoulder. "Yet we prefer to wrap up nice and warm when we are cold, and find ulterior methods of cooling down if we feel too warm," of course, had they been going to somewhere like Mustafar the Force would have been useful indeed!

She supposed that had they been a little further in their training, the little ones could have used it to keep them warm on Ilum too. But that would have been a waste of perfectly good coats. "Do you know why we choose to do this?" He pondered the question for a moment, and she could see his brain whirring so to speak. Finally he nodded his head. "Because the Force should not be abused." Shi-Yan nodded her head, with a soft smile. This one had certainly listened during his lessons. But as she rose up, she decided to voice another point of view, not that his reasoning had not been on point.

"It also reminds us that we are no different from the other people of the Galaxy, who would have to respond to temperature in the same way." The boy nestled down into the cloak and took out a datapad to begin his studies; Shi-Yan watched him for a moment longer, before deciding that studying was indeed a very good idea! Best she get back on that...

 

[Lief]

The journey from Ossus to Ilum was remarkably quiet, considering the majority of the ship's passengers were beneath the age of ten. While it shouldn't have taken too long, a few days of intense travel at best, they had to avoid One Sith space and thus had to make use of the Braxant Run which sent them in the opposite direction for quite some time. They made their way up past Gallos and then veered around Crina, avoiding the planet itself, then back down along the Unknown Regions. During this time the students resumed their study and training as normal, under Kalin's trusty watch.

Not wanting to step on anyone's toes during this leg of the journey, Shi-Yan opted to find herself a quiet room in which to continue her research. For the past few weeks she had been looking into the Great Hyperspace war, especially curious about the internal conflicts the Sith faced. While Jedi had known their fair share of schisms and differences of opinion, it was on a whole other ball field from the likes of Sadow and Kresh. The most interesting part, however, was the fact that the majority of her sources stated that Sadow purposely incited war with the Republic, which would be ultimately his own undoing.

Shi-Yan could personally not see any good explanation for it. Even with the tussle for power, even with his great illusionary powers, she could not see how making such a gigantic risk was in any way beneficial. War should be a last resort, not someone's preliminary intentions. Although she had seen and heard of many Jedi enticing war through the Republic... It was quite the sad reality at times, the Jedi and Sith were not so wholly different if you looked at them in isolated cases. Even events in recent times, such as Metalorn where even some Jedi Masters took it upon themselves to massacre indiscriminately, could paint Jedi as the monsters.

Of course, for the most part they were the anomaly... Right?

 

[Lief]

And so they descended upon the frigid world. As they did so the children threw on thick overcoats and gathered what few things they required, with Shi-Yan following suit. While she could have used the Force to keep herself warm, to do so would have defeated her earlier conversation with one of the younger boys. Unlike the children, however, Shi-Yan took nothing else. Her lightsaber hung at her waist, of course, after all Ilum was dangerously close to One Sith territory, but otherwise she brought only herself.

The ensuing trek from the ship through the snow and into the caves was bitter, even with the extra layers. The children huddled together like strange little penguins yet none uttered even the slightest complaint. She found it most admirable, given their age, Kalin seemed to be doing a very good job mentoring them - after all he oversaw their Clan. Taking up the rear the older student surveyed the scene, ice capped the sharp mountains, their faces wrought with grey stone which had stood for millennia.

Once inside the sharp blue skies were replaced with an eerie darkness, through which a thousand eyes, in a multitude of colors, could be seen. Each crystal glowed, and Shi-Yan could hear their quiet whispers as they hummed through the Force. No doubt as the children began to meditate they would begin to hear it also, but more so than that one would sing louder than the rest - so to speak. It was a marvelous thing, the Gathering. Most Jedi only ever had one lightsaber, which meant the three crystals which inhabited it were extremely special. Two focusing, one color. It would be the latter they found today, after all focusing crystals tended to be standard issue.

Separating herself from the group as they entered a meditative state, Shi-Yan ventured to one side and knelt against the rough terrain. Her eyes closed and she inhaled through her nose, feeling the path the air took through her system as a way to count down and clear her mind. As she exhaled the Force began to flow about her body, heightening her senses as she sunk deeper into her calming meditation. She had been meditating three times a day for as long as she could remember, likely from the moment she could understand enough to do so. It came as naturally to her as blinking did.

And the further she sank, the more the crystals sang their song.

Emotion, yet Peace; Ignorance, yet Knowledge; Passion, yet Serenity; Chaos, yet Harmony; Death, yet the Force; There is no Emotion, there is Peace; There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge; There is no Passion, there is Serenity; There is no Chaos, there is Harmony; There is no Death, there is the Force; Jedi are the guardians of peace in the Galaxy; Jedi use their powers to defend and to protect; Jedi respect all life, in any form; Jedi serve others, rather than ruling over them, for the good of the Galaxy; Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

The cycle continued within her mind, each code a mantra which had been firmly set within her memory. The girl rose up from the ground and began to walk with the guidance of the Force, her eyes did not open nor did they flicker - so deep was her trust in the mystical energy. As she neared the hum which called out to her specifically her lips parted and she muttered under her breath.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade; The heart is the crystal of the Jedi; The Jedi is the crystal of the Force; The Force is the blade of the heart; All are entwined, the crystal, the blade, the Jedi, we are one..."

It had been quite some time since she had need of the Crystal Code. Truth be told now was not the time for it at all, it was typically uttered upon the alignment of the lightsaber crystals, during the hilts assembly, but she felt the need to utter it all the same. She was not seeking one crystal today but two, which would work in unison. And such was no easy feat - especially not in the presence of so many others also searching the caves. She only hoped that she did not intercept a calling meant for another.