Adult Training

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven had sent word to the owner of Corellian Digital quite awhile ago. He didn't have an appointment, he was just informed that everything had been completed and ready. It looked like an old Clone Wars facility all over again. There were starbases overhead, a drydock with a capital ship under construction, the hangar was vast but complete, even the settlement on the lower levels were fit in. It was clean, and it just felt right... it felt like home.

When the boy arrived, he'd be contacted by orbital security with a Redeemer and some Fighters floating around. He'd be given clearance to either dock in the starbase where he'd be refueled and essential cargo replaced and take a shuttle down to the base, or be given clearance to land in the actual hangar of the base.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The YT-2400 was such a small ship, making planetfall and then berthing in the hangar seemed the most practical approach.

As he emerged from out of the Corellian ship, the small Anzat was impressed with how quickly that Governor Solomon had been able to excavate, refurbish, and rebuild the old base. It was as if he'd stepped back in time nine hundred years. No small feat, to be certain.

The green cloak flowed behind the boy as he walked toward the back of the hangar, expecting to be greeted by Galven's first lieutenant. The stormtrooper fellow. Very diligent. Very precise. Galven's work was obviously as important to his men as it was to him, which said something of the man as a leader.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Viskis waved over to the boy as he realized he caught him in perfect timing, he had just finished inspecting some of the Hangar. Of course an engineers job, but Viskis was looking for other things, signs of spies or betrayers, more complex things than any engineer would look for. "Hey there, boy. It seems you got the Imperators message." Viskis was in a formal uniform, and not his armor. Sor-Jan could tell that most officers were not in their armor. "We didn't get to talk much, but you can call me Viskis," he said, reaching his hand out. "I'm the Imperators second in command, more or less. I don't have the rank that says that, but he refers to me as such." "The Imperator is hosting a party soon," he continued, walking with him to the turbolift, which was fixed finally. "I'm sure you saw the massive ship in drydock in orbit? In celebration of its birth, and for GOMM, the Imperator is hosting a party for all his men, and even some dignitaries from other companies and factions. I'm sure there will be a lot of business dealings, but there will be free drinks and food. And the word is, you'll be on the list." He grinned

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Imperator.

Interesting. A very archaic term. One which predated the Republic, and was the source for the more modern 'emperor.' Which obviously had its own history associated with empires. Imperator was a military title, originally meaning 'commander' but later coming to be associated with 'victory.' Ruling monarchs would later style themselves as 'imperator' based on the number of military campaigns won under their rule -- regardless of whether or not they had played any part in the execution of military strategy.

So it was a word with a rather diverse range of meaning, from 'leader' to 'conqueror.' As a student of history, the young Anzat could appreciate the title on a variety of levels. Not the least of which was that it was one of those words that had fallen out of use. The last time he knew of it being used had been during the Pius Dei heresy that had overrun the Republic in the veritable dark ages of the Old Republic.

So how did [member="Galven Solomon"] intend it's use? Militarily? Authoritatively? Given the rather libertarian nature of minarchism, the choice of the title 'imperator' was most curious indeed. The boy would be interested to see how things developed with the former Imperial Order.

"Careful dropping terms like 'free drinks' around a Corellian," the small Jedi advised with a wry smile. "Half the sector will show up. You may well feel you're being invaded by Talus and Tralus."

Anytime the Corellians were over, best to keep the good liquor under lock and key. And count the silverware. And that went for humans, Selonians, Drall, and anything else that came from any of the Five Brothers. On a more serious note, the Consular added, "Your men have accomplished a great deal with any one of a number of incredible feats. Not the least of which is this station. There is much to celebrate, and I'd be honored to celebrate with you."

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Viskis agreed, nodding to the boy. "Well you see, the good Imperator has the loyalty of nearly seven-hundred thousand people now. Originally, he had pull of only half that before leaving the old Imperial faction he was once a part of. But... that's a story for another time." He spoke as the turbolift stopped, and the doors opened.

"Right below this level, you wouldn't believe..." He continued, stepping out of the turbolift. "It isn't full of skyscrapers like Coruscant, or the structures on Mos Eisley, but it's a city right below us. Different levels for different shops, for homes, apartments. Just as clogged as Coruscant though, I promise that." He said as he approached the Imperators Office, two people dressed in formal uniforms guarding. "Alright, I'll leave you to him. Have fun." Viskis said as he waved and turned, walking away

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The young Anzat bowed his respects as the man left his side.

Then a second time as he acknowledged the presence of the guards outside of the governor's office. Making his way inside, the small boy took a moment to admire the interior of the space. All the while pondering the accomplishments of a man he'd barely met and hardly knew.

As an Imperial, the two would seem destined to be at odds. And, yet, Sor-Jan found more common decency in the work of this Imperial officer than he had the actions of the Galactic Republic. So strange, how the enemies of the past may become as friends in a different time. The different places they now occupied on a map so very different from the one he'd departed in the centuries that time had now forgotten. And still a time very real in this place.

In many ways, the young Jedi enjoyed his interactions with the Imperator for that very reason. It challenged his preconceptions of what an Imperial officer was. What they represented. How they governed. He was very interested to learn more about what the G.O.M.M. had in store for the future.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


As the boy entered, he caught Galven fiddling with his display case. Medals, awards, patches, badges. Shelves littered with them, even some models of ships, of old ships... from the Old Republic Era, beyond that, and even the Clone Wars. As he realized Sor-Jan had entered, he swiftly closed the display and smiled, slowly walking over to Sor-Jan. "Sor-Jan," Galvens face lit up as if seeing an old friend. "I have the urge to pick you up and swing you, but we both know you're no child." He sighed, walking past him and walking a little bit in his office.

"My my my... the things you did have progressed us so far... so fast," he continued, looking at a picture of himself in his most formal attire, from when he was still in the Imperial faction before turning to Sor-Jan, "You saved me so much expenditure, you've propelled my people and I so far... Have I ever told you why I wanted to make this faction? Why I committed High Treason against the Imperials? To risk my life and thousands of others? What purpose could be so great?"

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Not a child.

Not a human child, perhaps. But clearly the Imperator hadn't heard about the cupcake raid on Aetan II. Or the ice cream raid on Ossus. Or the second ice cream raid on Ossus for that matter...

And then there had been the water blaster battle inside the atmosphere baths on Formos, which was a whole different sort of something. And why the spa policies now specifically mentioned that Jedi were not exempt from the 'parental supervision' requirement for younglings in the public baths. "Ah..." the boy began, wondering just how he should address that point. "I think you can only say that because you haven't gotten to know me quite yet," the small Jedi offered finally.

Jedi were taught at a young age to abandon emotion for reason, which could give the illusion of maturity. The fact that the boy's company was primarily centered around video game design might have been one indication that the Jedi Knight wasn't entirely grown up just yet. The passage of years and experience not withstanding.

When Galven turned the discussion from Sor-Jan to himself, the boy merely listened as the man posed what seemed hypothetical questions. Still, the boy offered a reply. "I imagine you believed in what you doing, and felt strongly that you could make a difference," the young Consular remarked in answer.

And from what Sor-Jan had seen of the man's following, he had made a difference.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven clasped his hands together, rubbing the palms against each other as he was in thought, "I felt our petty, civil squabbles should be ended, so that we could protect our families and loved ones from things like Rakata, plagues, Yuuzon Vong, oh and that nasty artificial intelligence that forced the galaxy into four-hundred years of darkness. Sometimes, I believe I am the only person left that actually cares about some random, and perhaps, insignificant life. These new Republics, Alliances, and what-have-you, they don't care unless it gives them some kind of benefit or profit." He stopped and smiled, putting his hands behind his back in a formal manner and dipped his head down, looking back up at Sor-Jan, seeing him as an equal, ignoring any childish tendencies he may have, because he has experience and knowledge, fit for any man. "Before Icontinue to ramble... how about we get to what I contacted you for, lightsaber combat?" He grinned.

When the conversation was finished, they would head down to the barracks to the training area and he'd ask all the soldiers to leave. "Your choice, should we train with Vibroblades or our Lightsabers?" he said, walking over to look at the vibroblades on the wall, his Lightsaber Shoto on his belt.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy listened.

The idealism was something he thought everyone could agree on, but the execution was where bureaucracy tended to get in the way. But bureaucracy was also somewhat of a necessity in governance. So, while what Galven said was certainly a Utopian ideal conceptually, it didn't seem entirely pragmatic from a more basic economic approach to government. "Whether to consider something a threat is a debatable issue by itself. How to respond to a threat an even more controversial one," the young Consular noted. "A government position on any issue will have opposition, and so benefits -- or profits, to use your term -- become points that breed either consensus or agreement on the expenditure of resources to achieve an objective goal."

And that held true to any form of government, from representative government to authoritarian regimes. The costs of undertaking an effort could generate enormous polarizing effects among populations. And the more people debating the credits, the more programs and oversight were implemented to monitor and justify costs. Which made the governments response something representative of a checklist, protocol, or regulatory. At which point, it often became burdened and even more costly by virtue of the bureaucracy. Which resulted in the assistance being de-funded.

Intent was laudable. Actual government in action... much more complicated.

As for the practice...

"Lightsabers and vibroblades are very different," the young Jedi remarked, in response to the question of whether the practice should involve the use of vibroblades or not. "A vibroblade has physical presence and weight in the blade, whereas the lightsaber is cohensive energy."

A common theme that the boy had learned was to 'train how you fight, fight like you train.' It was simplistic, but the theory behind it sound. "Very different, very imbalanced if you're accustomed to vibroblades."

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven grinned, looking down as he took in the boys comments, realizing his answer as well. He reached for his lightsaber and unsheathed it, holding it properly. "Sometimes, or so mostly, you just can't let a criminal walk," he continued, activating his saber. It was a smooth grey color, but it burned almost as if ready to lose its cohesion. "Or put them in some cell. If someone has been masquerading around the galaxy, savagely killing people..." He turned to the boy, taking a defensive position. "What is out there to truly say they wouldn't do it again? We've given chances before. We've given chances for thousands of years... and look where it has gotten us." He was at a decent distance away from the boy, in the large training room, but he was going to take a few steps toward him to get to a proper distance. "The only sure-fire way of guaranteeing someone like that doesn't commit inhuman acts anymore... is through mind control. And I'm against that, so what we're left with... is putting the dog down."

Galven was prepared, and ready to train whatever Sor-Jan was ready to start with first.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy listened.

It was an interesting hypothetical that he proposed, the opening to a classical debate between punishment and rehabilitation. "Show me your opening stance," the young Anzat remarked, stepping around so that he was in front of the taller human.

Arms crossed before his chest, the boy waited to see the man's posture and form. As he did, he casually adopted the devil's advocate with an opened ended question. "Many now live who deserve death. And many have died who deserved to have lived. Can you give it to them?"

Stepping forward, the boy reached up to make some minor adjustment to how Galven held the tonfa. Then brought the man's forward foot off to a slightly different angle before he stepped back. "Now, strike me," the young Jedi remarked as he moved back into position. He hadn't reached for his lightsaber, but instead resumed his earlier posture with arms crossed.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven knew there was more than what meets the eyes to the boy in front of him. He didn't walk like a child, he walked like someone wih a past -- like himself. He took anything and everything he said seriously, even though he would always remark him as a boy. It wasn't out of disrespect, it was more similar to some sort of mental conditioning; see someone in their youth, short, masculine, considered a young boy.

Galven's face showed distress as he was questioned, "the dead should stay dead, however unfortunate. All I can do now, is protect those who deserve live, and prevent those from taking innocent lives." She said, the finishing word ending with a swift and serious strike. He would rather be taught defensive tactics for his first swing, but if this was how it was to be... he trusted this was the right way. Before he struck, his posture was slightly altered by the boy, but his arms were carried in strength in front of him. His hands in front of him and his elbows bent. His left hand prepared to catch, while his right arm held the saber in a way that took the beam under his arm. His strike was raising his hand high and tilting it away from the boy, thrusting the end point towards the boy.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

With a grace and refinement that betrayed a certain level of both experience and skill, the boy weathered the attack with a Force barrier that was confined to no more than the size of a credit cube, shifted through the air to act as a shield in halting the assault just inches away from his body.

"Those who deserve to live," the child echoed, speaking back the words as he made a few adjustments correcting Galven's posture, before stepping back so the man could follow through the exercise with another attack. "That implies that there are those who do not deserve to live, and who among us will serve in judgment of that?"

Perhaps it was a good thing that he was an archaeologist. Even he recognized that sounded like Philosophy 101. Morals in government and the ethical implications of criminal justice.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


"That is the problem with the governments evaluation system," he continued, altering his form slightly as he made another strike, moving around the boy, taking care of his footing and the angle he had to swing at. "I won't have jails, I won't have Public Service time, I won't need credits to pay for longterm punishment. I won't evaluate who gets what in a divorce claim, I won't decide whether or not one should pay for damages of anothers property. My method costs a single charge pack of a blaster rifle, or a bullet for a slugthrower." He took a breath to calm himself, "There are cases," he sighed, "that there may be accidental murders. But those are handled by the local planets government. I will protect the family with a wife who steals from her husband, and the father who cheats on his wife, and the son who breaks the law. I will not protect those who murder entire cities and search for more. That is the difference between an Officer and I. I am not better, I am not worse, but if we let it continue to happen, we lose our loved ones, our family, and our friends. And with the risk of setting them free from an expensive and longterm punishment, what's to say they wouldn't do it again?" He cleared his mind of bad thoughts, and back onto training... but truthfully, it was something that would never leave him. "I was once in a commanding position for the Empire. I was ordered to slaughter families, women and children. Sometimes, by my own hand, I had to kill my own flesh and blood. Am I worth living? Does anything I'm doing now make up for it? No, and if I become too powerful, and if I take the wrong path, I have hope that someone will stop me before I go too far. What's left of my life, I use it to save those who can not save themselves. Sure, it might be my own opinion whether someone dies or not... but truthfully, how I see things can be summed up in a short phrase."

He stepped back and looked at the boy, getting into a more defensive stance, wanting the boy to finally come at him. He wanted to test and train his lightsaber deflecting, or clashing, skills, and hold back an enemy lightsaber. "You may do whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy, and does not directly harm or hurt another person. If I insult you, that is an indirect harmful act, because you chose to take offense to it. If I punch you, that is a direct harmful act, because you had no control of it hurting you or not."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Minimalist government.

The boy was somewhat familiar with some of the economic theories behind the notion that government often got in the way of progress or community action due to the weight of bureaucracy, but there were arguments for and against on each side of those positions. "Rehabilitative programs and family courts often serve a larger community interest," the boy observed, pausing to make a few corrections to Galven's posture as he spoke. "If not a court, then who will represent the child trapped in a home that seeks to harm him or her? Who will arbitrate the estate of a couple with intractable differences, too emotionally vested in their situation to be rational toward one another?"

There was a host of other examples he might have drawn upon. Immigration. Naturalization. Customs and border enforcement. The levying of taxes or tariffs. Monetary controls, such as managing inflation. Economic stimulus.

As Galven dropped back into a defensive stance, the boy reflected a moment. Rare was the occasion when the boy initiated direct combat. He'd brandished his lightsaber during the Clone Wars in defense of the Republic, but never at the aggressor. Which was not to say that he was unfamiliar with how one initiated combat, merely that he had a habit or preference for defense. This was a part of his character only further reinforced by his chosen mastery of Soresu.

The lightsaber sprang from off the boy's belt, the familiar hilt held in his hand as the young Jedi continued to consider the opponent before him -- both in physical and conversational form. "So you don't believe in libel or slander, then? Should people be able to speak with impunity words or ideas that are racist, species-est, or abject falsehoods toward or about others?" the small Anzat inquired, as he ignited the verdant blade of the weapon. Being that Soresu would be an awkward position from which to attack, the boy opted to assume the low sword guard of Niman.

From out of that opening stance, he came forward with two standard applications of Shii-cho. A vertical strike aimed for the crown of the head, followed by a lateral sweep toward the man's right side.

"The wrong word spoken can influence how we vote, change our purchase decisions, or influence our views of other people."

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

(On cellphone, significantly shorter posts, sadly)


Galven listened intently, even as he struck, as he parried, deflected and dodged. For Galvin, the boy was right. Indeed, he was everything. "In everything, there is good and bad, and in everything, people will seek to abuse loopholes or even benefit from it. For judges, lawyers, punishers, even a voluntary job duty can be abused and benefited from. For positions to work, the individual must be unbiased, unfocused, have no agenda or be influenced. But... That can never truly happen. For freedom and rights, there are still loop holes and benefits. Planetary governments can handle their law breakers, but incessant murder, domination and mistreatment is something that must be watched and controlled, and immediately stopped. If the individual shows no faltering from their way, we can't just let them walk." Galvin stopped and backed away, deactivating his lightsaber and took a breath. "It seems this training took a political curve. Let me summarize, however. In everything there is good and bad, and there will always be those that seek to exploit it. Nothing is one-hundred percent true, nothing is. Nothing ever will be. And as long as we have reasons to exploit something, it's what we'll do. All sentient beings have a sense of personalization, even those who give their life to their society. I am but one key, that could better things, like anyone, like you. Whether you try my key or not doesn't matter, you'll either try another, or continue using one entirely different. We can all help in some way, I've chosen the best way I could. Thank you for the lesson, Sor-Jan. Take a rest, a meal. If you allow... I will call you again, thank you."

Galvin nodded, sheathing his saber before extending his hand in a kind gesture

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Shutting down his lightsaber, the boy gave a formal bow toward the man before accepting his hand in friendship.

"My fault, no doubt," the child answered, in response to the sparring having taken a political turn. "In the Consular corps, debate is a form of combat," the youth noted, somewhat wryly. Even though he was an archaeologist and not a strict philosopher, many of the tenants of the Jedi Consular were as aptly applied to those who dug around in the dirt for ruins as did hone their stylus drafting policy memorandums or proposed legislation.

"...and our preferred form of combat at that," the boy added, as he returned the lightsaber to his belt. He'd carried the weapon for more than fifty years, but had only used it one time before the Clone Wars, and been proud of that fact. Now, it seemed it's use had become a near daily occurrence. He wondered sometimes what that fact said about him now, as opposed to then, or how events in the galaxy no longer lent themselves to people discussing their differences.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galvin shook his head and clasped his hands together, "oh no, it was fine, it was just turning into a circle of why and how, and while I admitted I may not be the best choice nor am I the better choice, I felt it may have gotten negative. I wouldn't mind speaking to you about these sort of things in a different situation, and may I just wanted you to know I was taking a stand instead of watching the Galaxy burn. Truthfully there are better ways to do it than mine, but because I take this path does that have to make me the worst person?" Galvin squinted and chuckled slightly, shaking his head in disapproval, "I almost did it, I almost did it again. Let me explain... The reason why I didn't really want to during this is because exactly what you said, it's a form of combat... I hope to nwver have to meet the day when I have to meet you in all out combat. How about next time we talk about women, hah?" he laughed, "now that... I would look forward to," he finished, grinning