Across the Trees

[Jairdain]

Kashyyyk the still new to Jairdain capitol of the Silver Jedi. She had spent very little time here with her duties taking her off world so much. Yet she returned from time to time for various reasons. This time she brought with her a padawan she had met and picked up on Ilum. Offering to bring here, they stepped off the shuttle and onto the planet.

"Would you like to find a place to stay before looking around, Thel?"

It was something she would have done in his place. Find where to sleep and then worry about what else there was around. Luckily she had been here a few times and knew where things were. If Thel wanted, she could show him around and get him settled in.

Looking in his direction with a friendly smile, she waited on his answer. There was a true confidence in how she carried herself and it showed clearly to him.

[member="Thel Antares"]

 

[Thel Antares]

It had been an eventful for Thel in the recent days; he had first made a trip to Ilum to find his Kyber crystal and had now travelled to Kashyyyk with Jairdain, who he had met in the crystal caves. This was his first time on Kashyyyk and the young Jedi was surrounded with a new and wonderful terrain. The shuttle ride down had exposed him to trees larger than he had ever seen before, many of them stretching hundreds of metres skyward. Houses attached to these trees housed the Wookiees, the native inhabitants of the planet. He had yet to meet one, but was sure this trip would change this.

"I would like somewhere to put my bag. If it isn't out of our way." Thel replied to Jairdain. He had been carrying his small rucksack since he left for Ilum the week prior and his shoulders had begun to ache with the weight.

Thel was lucky to of met Jairdain at Ilum, and it was even luckier for her to be so welcoming to him. He would step from the shuttle and follow in whichever Jairdain would travel, although he spent much time examining and enjoying his new surroundings.


[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

The life around them filled her senses and Jairdain had to stop and take a breath. She felt the Force around them and smiled. Kashyyyk she never felt she could call home, but maybe in time she could find a place here. There really was no role designated for her within the Silver's. One reason she had gone to Commenor and then the Fel when she and the Prince she advised separated. It seemed though she was bound to return to the arms of the Jedi though and here she was once again.

Thel might send the change in her. A sense of being touch with nature on a level very few people had. Around her projected that aura of calm and tranquility, even if this wasn't a home to her, she was comfortable.

Turning in his direction slightly when he answered, she nodded.

"Of course. I feel getting your room settled should come first. Follow me and we'll get your stuff away."

Not taking him by the hand, but allowing him to follow her she would point out some of the other areas on the way. Eventually she lead them to where she thought the rooms were. At least it was near to where her room was when she stayed on Kashyyyk.

Most of them were simple. With the needs of a room. Bed, refresher, desk and places to sit. Some had a little more to them, but not much.

[member="Thel Antares"]

 

[Thel Antares]

Although he was not as attuned with the Force as Jairdain was at this point, Thel also felt the strong presence of the Light on Kashyyyk. He had felt a much similar feeling prior to this on Ilum but his task had diverted his focus from it.

The padawan followed the master around the planet and they would eventually find themselves at the doorway of a simple stone structure. It was clear that these were rooms for those apart of the Silver Jedi. For now Thel would depart from Jairdain and enter the building. It didn't take long for him to find an empty room, put his bags down, and then return outside where she waited.

As he neared her, he would speak to her once again. "I have a room, but would prefer to spend this time doing something other than settling in, if that is okay with you." Excitement could easily be heard in his voice; Thel loved exploring new worlds and meeting new people.


[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Very much like when Jairdain had been waiting for Harris to return, she did the same for Thel. Luckily nobody questioned why a strange, blind woman was standing around. Maybe some people at least knew of her, but it had been a bit of time since she was a familiar face here.

As she thought about it, this was only the third time she had been to Kashyyyk. The two previous times had been under unfortunate situations, this one was different and would hopefully remain that way. Her aura and attitude fit in well here, but she was still different.

Leaning against the wall as she waited, when Thel returned, she stood back up. She nodded when he said he wanted to something other than settling in, Jairdain motioned to the planet around them. Giving him a little smile, her arms lowered back to her sides.

"Most certainly. It would probably be best to get you familiar with where everything is."

Once again, Jairdain took the lead and started to walk to one of the other areas.

[member="Thel Antares"] [member="Finley Dawson"]

 

[Finley Dawson]

((Small galaxy, heh.))

In one of the many dojos of the Silver Rest, Finley stood at the head of a small class of initiates, mostly younglings that barely came up to the tall man's waist. Meanwhile, the few older teens and young adults present were situated at the back of their rooms so that their juniors could see the Corellian.

"I'm honored to have you all with me today," he started, then bowed. All the students bowed to him in turn. "By now, all of you have mastered the basics of Shii-Cho to move on and dabble with some other techniques to ultimately find your own unique style. Today I'd like to provide a primer on one of my specialties, Soresu."

From his belt, he plucked away a dull gray lightsaber hilt, visible scuff marks all across its length. A casual observer may have easily mistaken it for a simple hydrospanner or some other tool - just as intended.

His fingers were still as he gripped the saber, but the saber came on with a snap-hiss as wielder communed with the weapon through the Force. A brilliant blade of jade shot out of the hilt.

"Defensive in nature, it is a favored style among more diplomatic types along with Niman. Individuals of slight build may also gravitate toward this style as its less physically demanding. This is because Soresu prioritizes patience and analysis over raw power and aggression. It is not a dynamic style, but one that allows one to endure even the fiercest opponents and slowly pick apart their defenses. At the highest levels, you become like a mountain, unyielding as your opponents break against you."

He made a motion from behind him, and a door behind him slid open. From the door emerge a large sinister looking war droid, radiating faintly with a dark aura. Most of the Younglings tensed up at the surprise and couple almost grabbed for their own sabers in a panic, but relaxed as they saw the droid settle obediently at Finley's side, a training tool.

"Now, time for a demonstration."

[member="Jairdain"] [member="Thel Antares"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Padawan classes were something Allyson tended to avoid, mostly because it was usually the younglings, padawans, slightly older padawans, then Allyson. Looking around the class seemed to be mostly the younglings, luckily enough she did have some of the older teens with her in the class, but even then, they were just older teens. The Corellian sighed softly and focused as the Knight that was leading the class began to speak.

She nodded as he mentioned Shii-Cho, she was reminded recently that it wasn’t a form she could fully rely on. It was a good base, but not the best form of action. She began to get lost in her own mind until something started to tickle the back of it. Blinking, she noticed the droid moving – unlike others she had seen it had a dark aura about it which mixed with her own senses of its mechanical sources.

The children gasped, but then relaxed and Allyson smiled softly. Children were so precious. The Corellian shook her head slightly and then looked towards Finley, who mentioned there would be a demonstration.

[member="Finley Dawson"] [member="Jairdain"] [member="Thel Antares"]

 

[Thel Antares]

It didn't take long for Jairdain, with Thel trailing, to reach more complexes belonging to the Silver Jedi. From the design of the area and the congregation inside it became clear to the padawan that this was a training area. Much of current class were younglings which caused Thel to think back to his initial training all those years ago and how they shaped him into the person he was today.

Although he did not say anything, Jairdain would be able to sense Thel's interest in the dojo. As they neared the structure they would be given a better view of the class and the knight who was currently speaking.

The ignition of green blade belonging to the teacher made it clear that the class was on lightsaber forms and made Thel think of his Kyber crystal that remained in his pocket; he had yet to house it within a hilt but was in no rush to do so. The connection between the crystal and himself could be felt as he rolled the small rock through his fingers.

A darker presence would be felt, drawing attention back to the training at hand. A menacing droid approaches the teacher before he declared that a demonstration would follow. Thel spoke to Jairdain, "Can we stay for the demonstration?" Excitement could clearly be heard in his voice. As with many of the younglings, this padawan had never experienced training like this before and was curious about how it would proceed.



[member="Jairdain"] [member="Finley Dawson"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Jairdain]

As they walked, she pointed out a few of the various areas or at least gave him the directions on how to get there. She decided to lead him to the training area. A location where classes would be held that were open for everybody to come and go as they wished. Maybe at some point, she would hold another such a class and pass on more of her knowledge.

Hearing one of the ongoing classes, she listened to what was being said with half an ear and the rest of her attention was on Thel. Picking up on his curiosity, she actually stopped and nodded at his question.

"Of course, these classes are open to anybody that wishes to watch or join in."

Making a small motion, she would remain at the rear if he wanted to go closer. Wearing a little smile as if to reassure him, she wondered what else was going to happen. Her own training in saber forms was pretty limited and it actually rarely left her belt. Jairdain was not a fighter and preferred to provide support. However, general knowledge would be nice to have.

[member="Thel Antares"] [member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Finley Dawson"]

 

[Thel Antares]

It hadn't been long since Thel and Jairdain first met at Ilum and they had spoken a great deal since, but the padawan remembered what she had said about her dislike of violence. Thel knew that Jairdain kept a lightsaber on her person, although he couldn't imagine her using it; since he had known her she always seemed calm and a pacifist at heat like himself. Even though he had not seen her the extent of her abilities, he did not doubt her power. It was obvious that the master was highly attuned with the Force.

Casting his attention back to the class at hand, Thel watched intently from the side of the training area. He was eager to watch the demonstration with the droid take place and this was obvious from his demeanour.


[member="Finley Dawson"] [member="Jairdain"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Finley Dawson]

He took a few steps away from the war droid to create some distance, turned to face it, then raised his blade in a two-handed guard stance.

"Initiate protocol Theta-03," he said to the droid.

Upon hearing his voice command, it sprung into action, shifting with a loud whirr of servos, drawing its own weapon from the maglock on its thigh. With a click, the lightsaber came alive producing a massive blade at least a half a meter longer than Finley's. It was no mere lightsaber, but a lightclub.

There was a moment of pause between blade activation, the sith bot's photoreceptor flashing crimson as it sized up it opponent, then it moved.

With surprising speed for its size, the war droid almost instantly closed the distance between them, whipping its lightclub downward with crushing force. A novice that simply blocked the blow may have been thrown back or even had their own lightsaber pushed back onto their chest, but Finley held his ground, momentarily locking blades to parry and redirect the energy away. At the same time, he shifted ever so slightly to the side to create a more opportune angle for a counter, just extending his blade to make a quick thrust at the armpit.

Being a droid, it was quick to recover, swinging its blade again to bat away Finley's and drive it backward. Again, Finley shifted to move out of its arc and deflect it away.

This cycle happened over and over again, the war droid attempting to batter the Jedi Knight into submission with its aggressive Djem So, reminiscent of a certain Sith Lord, but he did not buckle. He kept his cool, maintaining careful footwork, and never getting greedy with his counters to avoid creating any big openings against himself.

Patient and conservative, he scored small hits here and there which triggered degrading performance in the droid as part of its programming. As it began to slow down, Finley became more aggressive, more passive parrying become ripostes, then a full-on assault to finally disarm his mechanized opponent.

[member="Thel Antares"] [member="Jairdain"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Thel Antares]

The demonstration between the Jedi and war droid had begun. Thel watched in amazement at the spectacular display; he had never seen a droid using a lightsaber before. Each attack came with a ferocity and strength that would not been seen in any average organic but the Jedi was able to remain calm, parrying every attack. Eventually the droid would slow down and the teacher would make a disarming blow.

Thel had heard stories of cyborgs and droid confronting both famous Jedi and Sith in lightsaber combat. Whereas the droids were capable of much faster movement and stronger attacks, it was the force users who always usually prevailed due to their wits and unique connections to the Force. The padawan hoped that one day he would make accomplishments such as these and, perhaps this teacher would help him on this journey?

"Did you see that, Jairdain?" Thel would ask his friend. It was a strange question to ask a blind person, however Thel was currently distracted on the lesson occurring in front of them.


[member="Jairdain"] [member="Finley Dawson"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Jairdain]

There really wasn't much for Jairdain to do at the moment. Living beings had presence and emotions for her to see, a droid did not. The sabers it held though she could see. Training she had not long ago gave her a much greater insight on how to fight. Finding it great the lesson was about Soresu, she smiled at the display. Giving Thel what encouragement she could, when he asked if she saw it, she nodded.

Her sight would be different than his, but she could see it to an extent. Through the Force, she focused more on what the Knight was doing than the droid. She could see him far more clearly and it was his actions she was interested in. Closely watching his movements, she followed them easily and almost did some of the motions herself. However, she maintained her controls and did them mentally instead.

This wasn't yet open for others to ask questions and approach the teacher, so beyond watching, this was all there was for her. An answer to her padiwan though was needed and giving him a slight nudge closer, she nodded her head in that direction.

"I did. Quite impressive isn't it?"

[member="Thel Antares"] [member="Finley Dawson"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The droid and the Jedi teaching the class sprang into action. She watched his movements, he was careful and seemed to be aware of more than just the droid that was attacking him. The Corellian had learned there were a few different forms, different techniques that made up lightsaber technique. She had glossed over them in reading, but Allyson was a visual learner so seeing it in action made the words that she read make sense.

The younglings and other padawans seemed excited to see the boy move around flawlessly against the droid. It put a small smile on Allyson’s face as she agreed with the kids that it was enjoyable to see. Once the droid was disarmed a small round of applause for Finley echoed from the class. Allyson felt a little excitement as she hoped they would get to try out the moves on a target…one that was taller than her waist hopefully.

As she glanced around the class of younglings, she caught eyes with the pair that had appeared during the demonstration. She had never seen either of them before, but no one was questioning them. Allyson waved, hopefully she’d be able to gauge if they weren’t supposed to be here, though Kashyyyk was well guarded. Which meant her suspicions were misplaced? Shaking them from her mind, she turned back to Finley.

[member="Jairdain"] [member="Thel Antares"] [member="Finley Dawson"]

 

[Finley Dawson]

As Finley ended his demonstration with the reconstituted Sith Warbot, he was treated to a round of applause from some in the class. That took him by surprise, eliciting a sheepish grin. He deactivated his lightsaber and tapped the back of his head with the hilt as if to scratch an itch.

"Ah, well, as you can see, you don't need any fancy moves or even much power to prevail. Again, it's all about being patient, carefully analyzing your opponent, and then figuring out when it's best to strike."

Finally, he clipped his hilt back to his belt. "Now I can take some questions before I have us run through some exercises."

[member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Jairdain"] [member="Thel Antares"]