Continuation of a Legacy

[Isar Kislo]

Sullust Temple
Lower Levels

Isar stood motionless with his hands clasped behind his back. His glacier-blue gaze was fixed on the series of holoprojections presented before him in one of the many subterranean training rooms of the Sullust Jedi Temple. Isar had arrived a few months ago, but he had foregone the actual effort of seeking out a master in favor of more pressing concerns. Specifically, he'd been wrapped up in an operation to liberate the world of Karfeddion. While it had started off well enough, it quickly slid into a messy combination of genocide and practically palpable dark side influence.

Based on the after action reports that he had reviewed, the vast majority of the Galactic Alliance focus seemed to be on the military component of the First Order. This was something of a reality with the One Sith too. At least with the One Sith, Isar surmised that they had so completely integrated the Sith Religion into everything they did that it actually...made them less effective. The upper spheres of command squabbled for power to the point where a civil war had recently broke out according to reports the New Jedi Order had received from Alliance Intelligence. Personally, his greater concern was the massive swell of darkness he'd felt on Karfeddion.

Yes. He'd felt these things before. (False: His implanted memories merely give him the perception of having interacted with numerous Sith in the past). However, it had never been quite so elusive. There was talk, whispers of a sect referring to themselves as the Knights of Ren clinging to shadows as they executed their duties. It reminded him of the historical records relating to the First Galactic Empire. It had been destroyed of course...mostly because one of the Empire's own had turned on the Emperor.

So. Isar realized he could no longer truly hide from the reality of the galaxy. His time on the sidelines had to come to an end, and his training had to be completed. Exhaling softly, the young Jedi awaited the man that had selected him as an apprentice following the results of a recent Padawan Tournament. [member="Ryan Korr"]. According to the information currently being played before Isar's eyes, the man had risen to be Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Apprenticed to another Jedi that Isar knew from historical recordings...albeit never much a focus of any such work. There were other Jedi of the time that Isar had studied. [member="Kiskla Grayson"] chief among them, respecting her tenacity and tireless devotion to success regardless of the odds. For some reason, the young man identified with a great deal of the woman's methods and reported philosophies.

Plus. She was Kiffar as he was.

 

[Fen]

He entered the room wearing a simple beige tunic, with matching pants, leather boots and a white tunic underneath. The rough fabric reminded him of his purpose in life, to serve. Even so, the Vahla bore himself like an officer, or a nobleman. Back straight, auburn hair swept back, eyes steady and watchful. A set of gray scales that fixed upon the only other occupant of the room and began to weigh him. Judging.

Whoever said justice was blind was a liar. Justice is a cold, callous, wide-eyed measuring of sins. Justice is the stern gaze of a king on his throne, the steady scribbling of a court clerk, the hiss of a sword through the air. Justice does not accept forgiveness. It only accepts atonement.

Korr dealt solely in justice. And judgement had yet to be rendered.

He bowed his head slightly in greeting.

When he spoke the accent was clipped. Coruscanti. “I’m Ryan Korr. We met briefly after the tournament. Your background dossier was somewhat lacking.”

Sparse. Almost non-existent.

“But you did good work on Karfeddion, which is one of the reasons I am taking you on as a Padawan, as I outlined in the message you received. Since you’re here, I take it you accept, knowing the responsibilities it entails.”

A frown, brows drawing close like thunderheads. The boy looked around ten years his junior. The same age as when he had started training under Marcello. And this brawny youth bore some striking parallels to Korr’s former master. Ryan wouldn’t have thought himself nostalgic, but perhaps that was why he had picked [member="Isar Kislo"] to train.

He’d been capable enough during the apprentice tournament, to be sure. Korr found irony in those who protested that the Jedi Order was not a martial order, when from their methods of selecting apprentices to their signature piece of equipment they were so obviously wrong.

“You’ll accompany me on missions, large and small. You’ll face nightmares to make sure others don’t have to. You’ll watch friends die, so that others don’t have to see their families torn apart. And sometimes the deaths you see and the blood you spill won’t matter, because innocents will die anyway. You’ll be a part of a war that’s been waged for thousands of years and in a thousand ways. Jedi against the Sith. Light against the Dark Side. It’s not glorious. There’s no fame to win. No matter how well you do your job there will always be someone pointing out what you could have done better. Criticizing you. Ridiculing you. It’s bloody, grueling and thankless. And if you’re lucky you won’t find yourself put on trial by the people you were trying to protect.”

Ryan’s eyes never left Isar’s. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m letting you know what you’re signing up for, because it’s a commitment. It’s not the military. You can leave the Order at any time. We can’t keep you here. But by taking you on as my Padawan I’m putting trust in you to fight by my side and to do what is right. And trust is not something that comes easy to me, Kislo. Is this something you’re prepared to endure?”

 

[Isar Kislo]

Isar felt the approach of Master [member="Ryan Korr"], his presence spreading through the Force like a warm sun despite the exacting nature of his actions. There really wasn't many a Jedi alive these days that were not at least tangentially aware of who Ryan Korr was.

Returning the elder Jedi's bow, the young Kiffar waited for his new master to finish speaking before he offered any comment. The speech was...well...Isar supposed there was some element of motivation to be found. However, the most revealing aspect of Korr's monologue was the blatant honesty. Above all else, Isar respected honesty. The Jedi Master presented the reality of a true Jedi for the grim quality it truly maintained. It certainly was not the perspective portrayed of the life of a hero in holovids. The hero always prevailing and riding off into the sunset with some attractive woman or man wasn't real life.

Well. It wasn't real life for everyone, at least.

Brilliant, glacier-blue eyes gazed intently at Master Korr. "I can leave the Order, Master, but the reality of my life and what the galaxy expects of me does not change based upon the organization with which I hold membership. Hopefully, I will prove myself worthy of your trust." Did he know of Ryan's reputation? Yes, certainly. However, he had lived through enough experiences to understand that stories and rumors could often be inflated, and it was the quality of one's actions that truly counted. (False: Isar had implanted memories of years of battle and struggle amidst his training)

 

[Fen]

"No doubt you shall."

With that speech over, Korr resolved not to burden his new apprentice with any further bitter reminiscing about what had been lost. Life was hard enough without carrying baggage for two. Isar likely still had that naive and beautiful hope of the youth. That was good. In years of late, Ryan had felt ground down to nothing. Yet, in witnessing some of the newcomers to the fold, with their buoyant faith, it had restored some measure of hope in him.

He was not alone in this war. Not by a long shot.

"From what I saw in the tournament, you have received a solid education in the basics. What areas of study are you looking to further yourself in? Most of my teaching will be in the field, but if you have any specific interests, academic or otherwise, we can pursue them at the various academies or here on Sullust."

As it stood now, the start to [member="Isar Kislo"]'s training was wildly different from Korr's own first few days. But Ryan had been, and in many ways still was, full of an unrelenting anger that needed to be tempered. Marcello had seen to that with hard work and no small amount of conditioning. Korr wondered what instruction Isar would need, but whatever it was, Ryan intended to help him become a better Jedi than he had ever been. And who better to instruct someone in the pitfalls than a man who had fallen into most of them?

A slight smile creased Ryan's face ever so slightly, lessening the severity of his usual expression.

 

[Isar Kislo]

Isar had nothing to really say to [member="Ryan Korr"]'s comments about his performance during the tournament. Truth be told, Isar merely did what was necessary, when it was necessary. During the course of his initial training and subsequent time with the Zeison Sha, Isar had been exposed to a great many different philosophies of the 'ideal Jedi'. (Somewhat False: Most of his perceived training is actually implanted memories from his maternal genetic donor).

In the end, Isar could only say he knew what kind of man he did not want to be. Inhaling slightly, Isar leveled his glacier-blue gaze at Ryan. His eyes held a likeness to the elder Jedi's former master, but there was a difference...a hint of a somewhat less traditional upbringing. It was as if Isar's eyes had seen much of the galaxy and the life it had to offer despite his age. Unfortunately, the look was the result of memories not entirely his own. "Honestly, Master Korr? I cannot say that I have any particular desire of focus. I wish to learn that which will make me the most effective servant of the people possible."

A pause.

"With that being said, I'm not one to sit back and contemplate the actions of others to too great of an extent. I prefer to be an embodiment of action, the visual and physical inflection of the light side of the Force upon the galaxy." Perhaps Isar's views sounded too militant, too optimistic. Unlike his paternal donor, Isar was every bit the idealist from the start. The young man generally believed that he could make a difference.

 

[Fen]

A slight nod. "An admirable ideal. In the old Order you would be called to the Guardians, the vanguard of justice and our first lines of defense."

Ryan brought his hands together, fingers of one hand massaging the spaces in between the knuckles on the other, while his brows furrowed in thought. "Of course, that was then and this is now. A new Order and they do things differently here. You might request to join the Hounds, which are an analogous unit, if more selective in their membership."

Brows twitched upward, giving up the thought. "But I digress, moving too far along and you've yet to begin day one. If action and the manifestation of justice suit you, then we'll set up a core curriculum of abilities to work on for you. Any of the saber forms can be applied, though given your natural abilities you may wish to consider Shien."

Fishing in a pocket, the Jedi Master retrieved a data pad and begin entering information. "Learning how to apply the Force to create barriers would also be prudent." He pursed his lips for a moment, falling silent while he typed until with a satisfied nod he hit one final button and put it away.

"Check your Academy account. You'll find a list of relevant skills to learn and hone. If I can't answer any of your questions, further research can be conducted at the Sullust library. A number of holocrons there are easily accessible."

Korr waved a hand dismissively. "You can look into that later. Now, a question."

The Jedi Master had interrogated more than a few Dark Siders in his day, most claiming to be penitent. One did not need the Force to tell the difference between a Jedi and their counterparts.

"Imagine you are responding to a bank robbery and arrive on scene. You stand between the robber and his escape. He is armed with a hand blaster. There are civilians at risk. Help is coming, but not before this situation is resolved. Now, what do you do? Talk him down, or strike first? And if you strike, assume you hit whatever you are aiming for. What would your ideal resolution look like?"

[member="Isar Kislo"]

 

[Isar Kislo]

Isar had heard rumblings about the Hounds, but he'd not committed any real effort to further investigation. At this point in his training and awareness of the galaxy, he couldn't even be sure if a permanent membership to such a group truly called to him. Isar was nothing if not rather...independent. In a learning environment, the boy may have indeed been capable of deference and patience, but that was a continuous struggle for him when the chips were down. Unknown to Isar, he could thank his maternal genetic donor for his constant need to be employed, in action.

As he was prompted, the large padawan removed a datapad from the folds of his clothing and checked his account. There was a wealth of information presented, and Isar was eager to investigate further. To be sure, whenever this particular day ended, he would certainly do just that.

The young Kiffar's attention shifted once more as his Master commanded his undivided attention. Tucking the datapad back into a pocket, Isar leveled his glacier-blue gaze at the man. Once [member="Ryan Korr"] had finished presented the scenario, Isar offered a dispassionate response more indicative of his paternal gene donor than perhaps that of [member="Kiskla Grayson"], "Action beats reaction."

Raising a hand slightly to indicate his response had a more...intricate response, Isar continued to speak. "My ideal resolution would be to disarm him and then command him to the ground. From there two things happen, he either complies or he doesn't. The latter sees him forcibly incapacitated until local law enforcement arrives to take custody of the suspect."

In general, Isar's actions were driven by the severity of the crime committed, the immediacy of the threat to himself or the public, and the known history of the perpetrator. He was capable of making the split second, life-altering decisions that often manifested themselves as a necessity, but he preferred to preserve what he could of normal society's protocol for dealing with certain individuals.

A cross between redeemer and arbiter, as it were.

 

[Fen]

"Good."

A thorough, precise answer devoid of self-aggrandizement or hyper aggression. Knocking the suspect unconscious would be the ideal resolution. If that could not be achieved, then destruction of the weapon would be the next necessary step, sun djem. Last measures included amputation and, ultimately, death. A Jedi could inflict nine named marks of contact on an enemy's body. Some were more acceptable than others. After all, why deprive someone - even a criminal - of an arm when a few fingers would suffice?

Proportional response was a lesson all Jedi needed to understand, else they would have more than just the Dark Side to worry about. Ryan cared little enough for PR media frenzies, but Isar would have to learn to deal with them sooner or later in this line of work.

No remediation would be necessary in this case, though Korr could not say the same for other padawans. He'd seen many cases come through the Council of Reassignment. There were few things a stern talking to, homework and agricorps duty could not solve.

Korr's questions did not have strictly 'right' answers, but Isar's replies would help him gauge his new student's principles and emotional state.

Although, questions could only give him so much information. What Isar said in conversation might be different than how he reacted in the heat of battle. It all remained to be seen. Still, a start.

"When is it acceptable to take the life of another?"

[member="Isar Kislo"]

 

[Isar Kislo]

Isar's cold blue eyes remained focus on the Jedi Master. Though the boy was obviously young, he'd spent a great deal of his life training both his mind and body for the arduous task of being a Jedi. Theoretical tactical lessons based on real events of the past were certainly not in short supply. Beyond that, it always helped to force one's self to think through how they would react to certain situations. It helped to isolate foolish notions or identify hesitancy that could often prove deadly.

There was a saying that Isar often went by. Amateurs practiced until they got it right. Professionals trained until they could not possibly get it wrong.

[member="Ryan Korr"]'s next question briefly made Isar think of the Old Jedi Code. It had been ingrained into his subconscious, but he felt it held to a different time, a different type of galaxy. At the same time, it certainly represented an ideal. "Acceptable..." Isar's expression grew distant for a moment as his eyes shifted from Ryan's face to the doorway in silent thought.

Returning his attention to Ryan, Isar nodded his head slightly. "Generally, I would uphold that if taking a life was critical to safeguarding the lives of others, it is a justified action. However, I recognize that can be a very gray area, so I suppose it's hard to precisely state when the taking of life is and is not acceptable."

A pause.

"I suppose that is a burden of being a Jedi?"

 

[Fen]

"It is indeed. Your reply indicates that you understand that the issue is complex enough not to warrant a simple, generalized answer. That's good. One of the favored tactics of Sith is to try and make you choose between those you personally care for, the lives of one or two individuals even, and the lives of a village, or a city. To say that the lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few is what the High Council often said during the Grandmastery of Halcyon."

Korr shrugged. "As you said, it depends. Life is never simple. We have to live with the decisions we make."

He waved a dismissive hand. "That's enough philosophizing for now. There's a mission coming up soon. An issue about gangs on Malastare. I'll send you the report in the morning."

[member="Isar Kislo"]