Acceptance and Other Things(Complete)

[Darron Wraith]

Effortlessly, the Jedi Master caught the foot Rosa had kicked at him with his mind and simply set it over in the pile with his senses. Through the Force, the Jedi Master could sense her joy and happiness. Guess I"ll leave her alone and let her handle her "politician" business. Though he tried his best to hide it, he had a very pronounced disdain for those who held political office. Too often corrupt men talked of peace while good men laid down their lives in defense of false ideals that where mere props for a much more sinister ideal. He had seen the ugly side of politics too much for his liking, he had even had to take out politicians who had let their power get to them. Absolute power absolutely corrupts...

Jaxton thankfully broke his reverie from politicians, his story was quite the interesting one. "So you played Grav-ball? Only a select few in the galaxy can play that sport, much fewer professionally. You must have impressed the man you were playing sabaac with. Good thing you heeded his words, judging from what I can feel you have quite the potential to be a great Jedi Mr. Ravos." Then Jaxton asked the question he had desperately hoped to avoid, guess the elephant in the room just walked front and center. No avoiding this now, best to address it and let it be I guess.

"Well back during my time I was always on assignment for the Council. Unfortunately I spent the last twenty years encased in carbonite and was only freed about two months ago to this day. That's why you haven't heard about me. I'm from a different time to be perfectly honest, and the Council won't allow me back on assignment until they are more than sure that I am the man I used to be if not better."

His words were came out cold, almost as if his soul died just speaking them. It was hard enough realizing that you had two decades taken from you. Even harder knowing everyone you had every cared for or loved was gone, with the exception of the lightsaber hilts at his waist he had no memories of the past besides the few possessions he had in his room. Speaking about it did little to comfort the man, even though he was still the same age and hadn't awoken to be nearly fifty, it still burned knowing he had been denied the chance to live and die with his friends. Remember Wraith, the Force works in mysterious ways. That was his training constantly rearing it's head to help him try and cope with what had happened. Twenty years of being trapped in carbonite with his mind still active had done quite the damage to his psyche, without his training he would have gone crazy.

The witty blonde Padawan again made a quip at him, and Darron responded with melancholy honesty.

"Yes, we Jedi actually make more mistakes than most. Believe me, I have seen the high perch that we have been elevated to in the eyes of society. It only showcases our fallibility more, and just because we have powers and mysterious weapons gives us little protection. I may be skilled at a few things, but I am a human and I have made far more mistakes than I would ever like to reflect on."
The Jedi Master let his words sink in as he made his way to his bag to put his boots on quickly before walking over to join Rosa and the Vice-Chancellor. Through the Force he could feel comfort radiating off of his Padawan and unease coming from the politician before him. She must be intimidated by my size, or just the simple fact that I am a man. I've heard stories about how the Hapan woman view men as the inferior race. Thick arms crossed over his broad chest as he listened to their conversation. "So you wish to see a lightsaber Vice-Chancellor?"

Darron reached down to his belt and grabbed the hilt that had belonged to his father, it's electrum plating was cool to the touch. The thirty centimeter device was oddly comforting in his hands, it was as if he grew that much more comfortable when he had his weapon in his hands, life seemed to make more sense. With the emitter pointed away from both ladies, the Jedi Master thumbed the activation switch. A snap-hiss broke the silence as the azure blade sprung to life, the smell of ozone flooded the air as the energy blade burnt the very air. The steady hum of his blade the only sound for a few seconds before Darron addressed the pair.

"A lightsaber is a Jedi's weapon of choice and a representation of everything we are. It is a tool, and a weapon, but at it's core a defensive device we use to protect all life. Each Jedi makes his own weapon, and it is a expression of who we are. This blade was my father's before he passed and I have carried it with me ever since." He deactivated the blade before flipped the hilt in his hand and extending it to the Vice-Chancellor. "Be careful if you activate it, the weapon has no weight other than it's hilt and is much more dangerous to the wielder than anyone else."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer had been one to fall asleep in the archives; it was really the only place she could get away from the crowds of people that inhabited the temple. The surge of emotion from the Master ripped through the force and forced her quickly awake. Everything Darron had experienced and set out into the world was connecting with her mind and gave her quite the headache. The padawan hadn’t learned to block anything out just yet. Gathering the books she shelved them quickly, she remembered every place she had pulled the books on ‘Battle Meditation’. Once she finished she gathered up her bag and headed up towards the source of the Emotional explosion.

Her time with Ashin Varanin had taught her a lot about her own abilities, it seemed the Dark Master had known people with similar talents. Still, she was new to all of this and her body hadn’t fully recovered from her time with the woman. Shrugging off a bit of the stiffness, she moved towards the source of the outburst, everyone seemed to be gathering so it wasn’t only her that had taken notice to it. Spencer poked her head in and listened a bit to one of the Masters talk about….lightsabers?

Pressing her lips together it was an interesting topic especially from what she had felt earlier. Her mind raced wondering what it was that she felt if this wasn’t the right place. She leaned against one of the nearby walls and pondered. A perplexed look covered her face as she bit her lower lip, with Ashin she had learned to pinpoint emotions and she as sure she was correct on her judgment. Looking up towards the man that was talking she was sure everything had stemmed from him.

Spencer’s ears perked up as she listened to the comments on making mistakes, she poked her head back into the crowd as she jumped a little and raised her hand to catch the Master’s attention.

“Aren’t emotions what cause humanity to make mistakes? Isn’t that why…the Jedi Code feels that emotions are what drive us to the darkside?”

Oddly she felt clever and included for once in the conversation.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

Teynara raised her eyebrow at Spencer's statement, rather shocked by it, at least, a little moreso than she would have expected to be. Sure, emotions are responsible for some of our mistakes, but we can choose to act on them, or not, and that's where the mistakes get made, she thought, her pale eyes narrowing slightly. She had heard that feeling could drive a person to the 'Dark Side', as some Jedi believed, but in truth, she'd never believed it. After all, the Archives say that the Dark Side is that which uses emotion as a weapon. Understanding one's emotions and having the ability to express them or not, having mastery over them...surely that would be our protection.

"I think an unemotional person would make just as many mistakes as one who allows their emotions full reign," she said softly in her gentle, lilting tones, turning her eyes to Spencer and smiling. "I understood that all Jedi need their emotions to experience the Force: it is the source of our intuitions, and only by acceptance of our feelings could we ever truly come to an understanding with it." She shrugged slightly, knowing fully well she could be wrong - after all, her training was nowhere close to being complete yet. "Compassion, empathy and the serenity we experience and are trained to feel are all derived from emotion as well. You can't be a Jedi without them," she concluded.

There did seem to be that odd sense of contradiction within the Order, though - she'd noticed it before. Emotion is the source of all our ills, some believe, but yet without them, would we truly be what we are? Feelings enabled us to evolve, and are an expression of our higher brain functions, our intelligence and, some believe, an extension of the soul. We can't turn our backs on them. The idea that one should banish emotion or put it to one side just struck her as a fair misunderstanding both of sentient nature and of the Jedi ideals in general. She wasn't about to go that way, anyway.

Perhaps it's misunderstanding or even fear of emotion that causes people to turn that way, she reflected. It's easy to fear what you don't understand, and one's own emotions are probably the hardest things in the Galaxy to truly comprehend: why you feel as you do, what triggers that, why you respond a certain way when a given emotion is evoked. It made perfect sense to her that some would find that uncomfortable, and even moreso when taken to extremes: it could easily unhinge a person, trying to run from an emotion they felt they couldn't control, or perhaps held under the sway of one that they simply hadn't the clarity to understand and bring into perspective. Dangerous for us to not try fully and understand, for sure.

"It's not emotion that forces us to make mistakes," Teynara observed softly. "I think it's ultimately the way we respond to those emotions, and the sway we give them in our lives. It's finding that balance between feeling and reason that gives us the power to do great things." She spread her hands to either side as if to say 'I don't have all the answers, though!'. "Just have to place your feelings in perspective, same as we do with the rational half of our minds."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

As Master Wraith had expressed his pseudo time travel Jaxton began to feel regret for asking his question. 20 years was a long time, long enough for everyone you knew to have grown old when you returned. It had to have affected him, and not having any assignments to take care of and think about it probably only magnified the issue. He turned to give his apologies, but saw that Master Wraith had already engaged in conversation with an apprentice and what looked like the Vice-Chancellor of the Republic. He talked about a Jedi's ability to feel emotion, then demonstrated a lightsaber to her. Then a young woman entered and began to jump and down, exclaiming that emotion was biggest cause of the galaxy's mistakes, but one of the other padawans debated that emotions also made a Jedi a Jedi, and that it was a Jedi's duty to read their emotions well enough to stop catastrophe. Jaxton decided to keep his mouth shut and watch the conversation-

*BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP*

Jaxton's comlink began to chirp at him. "I'm sorry, if y'all will excuse me." Jaxton said and left the room to take his call.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa raised her eyebrows at Hanna's recollection of her comment in the club and gave a very small and panicked shake of the head, indicating for that comment to be kept well under wraps. The last thing she needed was for Darron to know what she said about him when he was out of earshot. Another wave of emotions rolled of her master, that niggling thing that always laid underneath his calm rose to the surface like a serpent before rapidly disappearing again

She reached out to him with the force a subtle gesture of support, as he replied to Tey, knowing that she was the only one in this room that understood the full extent of those words. She smiled again at Hanna as she asked about the lightsaber's. "I haven't made mine yet." she replied but no sooner had she said it than Darron appeared in front of them offering up his own.

Stepping to one side and letting him have his own moment of demonstration she moved towards Tey and Spence with a smile. "I with you on this one" she said to Tey, "Emotions don't just make us make mistakes but they also help us to do great things. Too much of the wrong emotion is what drives you to the dark side, not emotion itself." She could feel the purity in Spence and offered her a reassuring smile and offer both her and Tey her hand in turn "I'm Rosa."

 

[Hanna Ike]

Hanna couldn't believe it, he was letting her touch, no more than touch hold, and investigate his lightsaber, it was amazing, she had a rush of excitement and other feelings as she sort of didn't hear the rest of the room, her attention focused on the lightsaber before her, It was amazing, so simple and elegant and it was so light. How could such a tool be such a terrible weapon, and symbol of something far more.

Hanna held it awkwardly trying to get use to it, she had held a vibroblade before but this was so light. She took a deep breath and held it as she pressed the switch that turned on the magnificient thing in her hand. Hanna had ensured to hold it far the other way, from the others, not wanting to hurt them. She had to resist the temptation to touch it as the blade burned the very air. " Its... amazing, so light, and elegant" She said as she stepped away from the others and mad some simple sword motions, of a form that any beginner to a vibroblade learned, but it was wrong, it was so light she could hardly do the movement right, it was so foreign but she pressed the switch and looked at the man who had let her see it.

" Thank you so much for letting me see it, I find it hard to compensate for its weight. I have never held anything like it. " Every fiber of her being wanted to ask if she could make one, if she could learn how to use one, Then if... something like Hapan happened again she wouldn't be useless. She wanted to ask but she doubted they would do such a thing even for the Vice Chancellor but her face had been so alight during her experience with the lightsaber, anyone would be able to tell it was like a kid in a candy store.

 

[Davin Jusik]

Davin stopped his run to observe the Jedi training.

"If any of you want some hand to hand training or think you can take me, I'd welcome it. Need some more exercise."

He knew that the Master could almost definitely take him, but doubted the others could. He simply wanted to see which one was arrogant enough to assume they had the advantage because of the force. It would probably humble one of them before they got too air headed.

"I think an unemotional person would make just as many mistakes as one who allows their emotions full reign."

@[member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""] Teynara Jeralyr

"You've never faced a Syndicate hit squad then sweetheart." Davin said with a chuckle at her statement. "Lack of emotion is a huge advantage on the battlefield unless you're drawing on it for rage or something that'll help you live. Unemotional typically means calculated in a firefight."

 

[Darron Wraith]

Darron intently watched the Vice-Chancellor, making sure she did nothing to harm herself with the weapon in her hands. Her elation practically radiated throughout the Force as she played with the lightsaber, taking the Jedi back to his youth when he first got to touch the very same weapon. He could remember it vividly, how excited he had been, yet terrified of messing up. His parents had been very patient with him, and he extended the same courtesy to the Vice-Chancellor. Deep inside he could feel a spark of the Force within her, maybe if she wasn't a high ranking politician she could be trained. The thought lingered only momentarily before she deactivated the blade and spoke to him.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it Vice-Chancellor, yes it is a very elegant and lightweight weapon. It took me years to become skilled in it's use, the absence of a weighted blade is very challenging. It can be a danger to you when you learn the more aggressive forms of lightsaber combat as you only have your senses to tell you where the blades are. That is why we try to only teach Force-Users how to use them, you also must use the Force in creating a lightsaber. Should you ever want to get your midichlorians tested let me know."

Very gently, the Jedi pulled the hilt from the Vice-Chancellor's out reached hand and clipped his father's hilt back to his belt. Darron nodded to Jaxton as he left the room to take the call with whoever was on the other end. Noticing that Rosa was no longer that close to him, he headed over towards the group of Padawans and listened as they talked of emotion. Each one of them had their own views and interpretations of it, and even the soldier chimed in on emotion. Are we debating the semantics of the Jedi Code and emotion this early in the morning? Oh the joys of being back at the temple full time...

"From my experience, I've seen the dangers of letting your emotions rule you. Some of us struggle with greed and attachment, I personally have a hard time letting go of people." He made his way next to Rosa and allowed her wave of calm to roll over him before continuing. "I've been known to take risks for people, even directly disobeying mission objectives or orders because I refuse to fail people. Learning to not let attachments rule me, and to see it for what it was, an extension of greed helped me become a better Jedi."

He rested his arms behind his back, contemplating his next words. "How we handle our emotions is what makes us Jedi, Sith allow their emotions to rule them and power them. We see them for what they are and handle the situation and our feelings by releasing them into the Force. The code gives us an ideal to strive towards, to try and be a machine like it suggests is impossible. Our mandate is to serve and protect life, to do that we must care and sometimes that love for all life can cause problems. Its how we handle them that makes us Jedi."

The soldier talked of hand to hand combat, and Darron simply gestured for him to pick who he wanted as his opponent. Whoever he chooses is going to get a handful, he thought to himself.

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton walked a fair distance from the gym and answered his comlink to hear the voice of a disgruntled Chiss. Must have been Borallik, his agent.

"Where have you been Jaxton? Nobody's seen you on Corellia for months,. You know your contract expires after this season? If you do as well as you've been doing I could probably negotiate you a 15 to 20% increase, but I can't do that if you don't show up for training camp Jaxton." Borallik roared at him. Now that Jaxton thought about it, he'd only been to Corellia once in the past three months, and that was whole Centerpoint debacle. He'd just been training on Tython and taking trips to Coruscant every once in a while. It made him homesick to think about it, but he needed to be training. Jaxton loved playing Grav-Ball, but training was far more important.

"Tell the team I've been conducting my own training, that I won't be showing up for camp, and when I come back I'll be a better player this season than I've ever been." Jaxton told Borallik in a bold statement, as he began formulating a way to get him off of his trail.

"Better than you've ever been? I don't think you can make that promise Jaxton. How the hell have you been training that you even think that's possible?" Borallik replied, confused and mad but also intrigued. It was a hard question to answer, so Jaxton decided to envelope a lie in a little truth.

"In return for a fair bit of donations and work to helping build an academy, the Jedi have given me a few Knights for me to train with. I've been thinking for a while that nobody back home is athletic enough to keep up with me, so I got some unnatural athletes to play with." Jaxton said. It was mostly true, he was training with the Jedi, and that would make him a better ball-player, and he was helping to build the academy on Tython, but Jaxton still felt guilty saying it.

"And uh, Borallik. This might be my last year in Corellia. I'm thinking about getting traded to one of the Core Worlds after this season. Put some feelers out for some other teams and make sure the Rouges are paid well when I leave." Jaxton said then hung up the comlink before Borallik could protest as he wiped a tear from his face. He loved Corellia, but Grav-Ball was secondary now, and it would be better if he lived on a planet closer to Tython and Coruscant. He took a minute outside to buck up and shed any sign of sadness, then walked back into the Gym.

"I'm sorry, I had an important business call come up." Jaxton said as he reintroduced himself to the group and then turned to the soldier. "I'm not the best hand to hand fighter, but I wouldn't mind a match." Jaxton invited the soldier. In a no Force, no weapon brawl he knew the soldier would probably beat him, but Jaxton enjoyed the opportunity to learn more.

 

[Davin Jusik]

"Well that doesn't sound quite fair does it?" Davin said with a smile.

"Anyone who is confident they can defeat me besides Master Darron here?" He asked with a gesture toward Master Wraith.

 

[Hanna Ike]

"I'm glad you enjoyed it Vice-Chancellor, yes it is a very elegant and lightweight weapon. It took me years to become skilled in it's use, the absence of a weighted blade is very challenging. It can be a danger to you when you learn the more aggressive forms of lightsaber combat as you only have your senses to tell you where the blades are. That is why we try to only teach Force-Users how to use them, you also must use the Force in creating a lightsaber. Should you ever want to get your midichlorians tested let me know."

"Sure I wouldn't mind as it would be a learning experience for me as well. " She said wondering what that meant get your midichlorians tested... she wouldn't mind learning how to use a lightsaber and if a test let her, well then she would take the test. She had no interest in their fight though. " So what are midichlorians? " She said, largely confused why emotions were so important. but she knew that if anyone could answer her question that she would rather ask Rosa but she phrased it openly as in a room full of jedi she was sure one could answer her question.

 

[Davin Jusik]

Since no one else volunteered Davin nodded to the Zeltron and moved away from the others, taking an opening stance and setting his blaster to the side or "posting up" as some would call it. Feet parallel. A strong stance for the tall infantryman.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa shook her head at Davin's request of a combatant. "Thanks, but no thanks, when I feel a little bit better about my hand to hand combat I might give you a shout though." She flashed him a sweet smile and glanced at Darron as he gave his own opinion on emotions. If there was anyone that knew about the Jedi's stance on emotions it was him.

When Hanna appeared close to them again she realised that this conversation must be completely confusing to her. Slipping her arm through Hanna's she led her to benches where they could watch Jaxton and Davin fight. "Midi-chlorians are tiny life forms that live symbiotically in the cells of all living things. Its what allows us to detect the force." Settling down she let her formal manner slip "How is everything going?"

 

[Hanna Ike]

Hanna smiled and looked at Hanna," just great, though I am getting overwhelmed so I escaped here, and somehow lost my guards.. they are probably flipping right now. How is training going? you seem to be fitting in well here. You already have a secret code language to talk to the other jedi in. " She smiled and was curious what this test she had just agreed to entailed. It wasn't everyday you got such an offer. She then smirked and spoke to Darron, " Nice statue by the way"

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton walked over to where the soldier had put his blaster and then put his lightsaber beside it, then retrieved a couple of pairs of gloves and threw them at the soldier. He put on his gloves and got a fair starting distance from the soldier. As he waited for the soldier to put his gloves on he began thinking of how he was going to spar the man. He hadn't studied unarmed combat in his short time with the Jedi, so everything he knew was from him street fighting as a kid back when he was in a gang. None of that experience could really help him here, because none of them were trained either so the bigger, quicker man won. Jaxton soon realized his size was his only advantage. He had a height advantage of 5, maybe 6 inches, and probably outweighed the soldier by at least 60 pounds. His best strategy was to use his length, and hit quick and hard to end the fight as quickly as possible.

"Good luck." Jaxton said as he extended his left hand to bump the fist of his combatant, then waited until they both had their arms back into position, then lunged forward with a right jab.

 

[Darron Wraith]

The statue, oh I'm going to kill Rosa..

Darron tried his best to not scowl at his Padawan, even if it was in sarcasm. That statue was everything he detested about his time away from the order, and in his mind it idealized what he considered to not be something that worthy. He wasn't even going to go down the path of thought that had haunted him for weeks, the Jedi saw fit to memorialize me and my exploits. Yet they couldn't muster a greater search other than a few parties roaming the Outer Rim for a few months? To say it still bothered him would to be putting it very mildly, yet as with all things he just exhaled and re-centered himself. The Force was the balm that healed all wounds and allowed him to find peace when his heart wouldn't allow it, guess my time in carbonite did help mellow me out a good bit. A smile crossed his lips as he looked at Rosa and the Vice-Chancellor sitting together whispering after the remark about the statue.

"Thank you Vice-Chancellor, although if you ask me for my opinion. I would rather rip the stone apart with my mind and make a few benches out of that dreadful creation. Also, I know who told you about that....and she will have extra training because of that." The last part of his statement was full of sarcasm so Rosa would know he was kidding.

His body relaxed as the tension worked it's way out with each breath he took, he willed himself to be calm and to not let anything bother him. After all Wraith, that's why they are all here this morning, it's because you can't keep your venting to a low volume. Blue eyes searched the training room, and he surveyed the area where he had created the mess. The Padawan who had chastised him had been correct, he needed to try and relax despite everything. It was no ones fault but his own that he had been gone from the galaxy for two decades, despite what his heart wanted to say. Every action and every choice he had made had led him down the path that led to that, hell, the Force probably willed it so I could learn a few things while kept alone for that long. The truth of the matter was that had he not been frozen for that long, he most definitely would have either fallen to the darkside or simply died from a broken heart.

Guess in a way...I should be grateful for the carbonite, without it I would either be an old man or not here anymore.

The soldier and Jaxton soon put on gloves, and Darron's attention couldn't help but be drawn to the pair about to square off in the middle of the room. You will never change Wraith, always wanting to watch a good fight. Or any fight for that matter, the grin across his face grew at the last thought.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

So far, our ruse has worked perfectly, the Sith Lord thought, looking for all the world as though he were a fresh-faced twenty-year-old Jedi, wrapped up in the typically bland tan-and-brown robes of that Order, though the truth was far different. Things are going to plan, which is just as we need it. He wasn't alone aboard the shuttle, of course - he had brought several others, one Master and several apprentices, all well aware of the potentially suicidal risk they were taking in coming here. The Jedi Temple was a very dangerous place for a Sith - they would be slain on the spot if the Jedi realised who they were. And they will, but only when I'm ready for them to know it.

The plan as he had presented it to the others had been simple: dressed in the homespun robes of the Jedi, a strike force of Sith would make their way to Tython and use the Jedi Order's own transports to admit them to the far more heavily-protected Temple on Coruscant, an illusion maintained jointly by the two Lords disguising their true appearances from the eyes of their adversaries. "If successful, we will have achieved a deception of considerable import", he had said, and two weeks later, here they were.

The hard part hadn't been deceiving the Jedi at all - that was fairly simple, as it turned out, since the Sith were exploiting that trusting nature possessed by the Jedi, along with their complacency. The hard part was finding Tython, Tirdarius thought. The Sith knew that the planet was located in the Deep Core, but the treacherously-shifting Hyperspace currents made it near impossible for anyone to locate the place without receiving an exact copy of the route in. Of course, we found it the same way the Jedi do: with the Force. As it turned out, one of their number was skilled with the ability classified as 'Instinctive Astrogation', and it had been this they had used to find the appropriate route through Hyperspace. Waiting at the other end...a world untouched by the Sith for thousands of years. And still remains untouched by our presence, in truth. We're Jedi, after all.

That had been the obvious thing to do: Coruscant was far more heavily guarded than Tython, simply because it was easily accessible, and a central point for interactions with the Jedi Order. Tython's protected by it's location, and the Jedi likely never imagined we would ever find it. Apparently there was much that the Jedi didn't realise that the Sith knew, but the planet's actual location had always been theirs - after all, had the Sith not first emerged on Tython, as the Jedi Order had? It is our ancestral home as well as theirs, Tirdarius reflected. Korriban is merely the one we chose when forced to leave.

Now, however, they were here, brought by a Jedi unsuspecting of their true natures - fooling the Zeltron Jedi pilot had been simpler than donning these chafing, badly-tailored robes. These Jedi have neither a sense of style nor the strength of will to pierce a simple illusion, Tirdarius thought. Still, that was but a small handful of Jedi - those that had witnessed them boarding the shuttle that they were aboard even now. We should not underestimate those here, however - our task is no simple affair, and our enemy will not make it easy for us.

"Remember your tasks here: disruption is our goal, but only ultimately that secondary objective," he remarked cooly, his illusion-cast blue eyes looking at the other youthful faces of the concealed strike force. "And if you must talk with the Jedi, keep your anger in check, or you'll feel mine, should you survive," the Sith Lord instructed, adding a slight edge to his voice to prove that he meant it. A wave of his hand and a deft touch of Force energy caused the shuttle's boarding ramp to lower - the Jedi that had brought them hadn't stopped long enough to even watch them disembark, so they had stayed long enough to see if they had been passively detected. "Move out," he said firmly. "Do not engage the Jedi until I give the signal, unless you have no other choice. Go."

 

[Lord Ghoul]

An overwhelming sense of peace settled over Mikhail as he stepped off the shuttle. He frowned. it was like a freshly dryed coat that settled over him, warm and gentle. But it did nothing to sooth his inner darkness. Indeed, this feeling of what he surmised must be the lightside of the Force only illuminated the turmoil within him. Perhaps this was why the Sith Code read as it did. The peace lied to him, only a semblance of rest. A falsity. He grimaced. At least the Jedi will not be able to sense my darkness. Even if all the other Sith still can. Even if I can...

The illusion would ensure that the individual apprentices were not revealed by the taint of the Dark Side. Something a Jedi would easily recognise. Best to remain on my guard. I can't trust anyone. Even my own kind. Because they are my own kind, heh. Shorn was not sure of the exact range of the illusion and he did not trust the two Sith Lords. Sure, they wanted the mission to succeed. But they would likely have no qualms dropping the illusion when they were ready... without telling him first. The end result would be a dead Mikhail. Probably stabbed to death by a bunch of younglings, with his luck.

Some opted to change their features with the illusion. Shorn did not. None of the Jedi knew him and with his dark hair, pale blue eyes, and sharply cast features, Mikhail would be considered to be attractive by most. And why change perfection? Mikhail scratched at the rough homespun robe as he walked toward the temple entrance. What the hell are these things made out of? Stars, I'm going to have a rash in tomorrow. Forced to forego his usual leather jacket and comfortable attire, Shorn looked fairly miserable in the itchy brown robes. His pale blue eyes glanced at the surrounding skyscrapers that towered near the Jedi Temple. Ah, Coruscant... center of the galaxy. The brilliant lights made the whole world seem surreal. Giant statues loomed ominiously. The faces of ancient Jedi who had done great service to the order. The faces seemed to stare accusingly at Mikhail. He looked away. The temple itself was an incredible structure, meant to be a place of beauty and light. Nothing like the harsh sandstone structures of Korriban. We'd reduce it to rubble in a day. In fact, we'll probably blow most of it up today. He sighed mentally. This is why we can't have nice things.

He made his way up the stairs and entered the Temple foyer. He raised an eyebrow at the beautiful structures within. Sith could appreciate art too. Well, some of us. The rest of them are probably thinking about how to steal it. Shorn's view of the Sith was a cynical one... at best. He passed by the occasional Jedi without comment. They seemed to sense nothing. Yet. He wandered farther into the temple, but he kept a mental note of where he was, where the nearest exit was, and where the other Sith were. Sometimes, being a paranoid Sith was a good thing - actually, considering the occupational hazards, it was most of the time.

He smiled rakishly at a very attractive human female Jedi as he passed. Would Tirdarius be mad if my form of disruption consisted of getting laid by a Jedi? He imagined those steel grey eyes in disapproval and winced. Some other time. He wandered further, exuding non-chalance and confidence as he strode toward his objective: the power core. And after that, the youngling training center. Dun Dun Duuuun.

 

[Darth Hauntruss]

This was an …unusual circumstance for Val’Ryss. With the help of Master Tiberius, Val’Ryss had altered her appearance. Her red-skin was concealed under an elusive paler Dathomiri skin-tone, her dark robs and corrupt witch-armor were replaced with calm tan robs of the jedi, along with her appearance, her dark-side marked golden eyes were covered by a brown clothe. However, both her sabers and some extra "tools" were well hidden about her person. She had understood her mission, she would wander into the Temple and find its most sacred points, weakest links and destroy them. As she left the shuttle, her usual cold demeanor was replaced with a gentile and timid facade. However, darkness still bleed from her being, but this would be used to her advantage. Indeed, she wasn’t going to lie- well not a lot. She had been born into darkness and ripped from her home by the Sith, now she sought the “Jedi that saved her from the darkness”.

As she approached the Jedi Temple, she gazed through the cloth at its structure and frame. Slowly the tan-robbed figure lurked closer and closer. Other Jedi stopped to watch her and others merely went about their way. But the darkness that lightly surrounded her being would not go unnoticed; it unnerved the Jedi around her. But, that was all a part of the plan- a neat distraction so the other Sith servants could go about their business. The story she had prepared of the “rescued dark-orphan” would play to Jedi’s attraction to empathy. Secretly Val’Ryss smirked but quickly undid her cynicism when she came across some Jedi training in the nearby chamber. Here, she thought. Here it would begin.

@[member="Darron Wraith"] @[member="Spencer Jacobs"] @Teynara Jeraylr @[member="Hanna Lissiri"] @[member="Rosa Mazhar"]

As Val’Ryss approached the Jedi and their company, she from a distance politely bowed. Her head flowed down so that it was almost at a forty-five degree angle. Her black hair dangled from the hood of her robs. Raising her head, she turned and continued on her journey. But, she knew that she wouldn’t get far, the bait was set- the slight darkness that fills any Dathomiri born would be enough to attract their attention. She would find the information she needed- and the jedi would lead her to it.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer opened her mouth to speak up, but decided against it. She had learned her skills with emotion and influence from someone other than a Jedi. The last thing she needed was someone questioning her more on who this woman was. Spencer removed herself from the group and started to head towards the youngling center. It was the only place she felt comfortable in the temple. The younglings were not complicated with their emotions. They were just happy and that helped Spencer feel the same way. She stopped in the middle of the hallway as people passed her, something struck her mind as she remembered these emotions. They were out of place in the temple.

Looking over her shoulder, her blonde hair whisked across her back as she gasped, they were not apart of the temple. The face that smiled at her she had seen before, she recognized him quickly as the young apprentice that seemed to love attention. Spencer opened her mouth, she wanted to say something to speak out against the intruders, but nothing happened. She looked down at her boots and shrugged. The Jedi never listened anyways. The only people that actually did listen to her was Phylis and Ashin, neither were here so why should she speak up.

Silently pleading with the Force to keep people safe, she continued towards the Younglings. If anything she would be able to keep them safe if she was right on her gathering of emotions. Spencer knew she should say something, but what use would that do.