Denon

[Jsc]

Denon Academy of Science

It was a massive science facility located right in the heart of downtown metropolis. Tall white skyscrapers between green gardens and endless rows of parking structures. It was loud, busy, and full of city life. Karen sat on the top floor Cafe of one of the largest white buildings. It was a simple Italian Restaurant for all of the scientists and engineers who worked in the Academy. As such, it rarely got visitors who weren't wearing lab coats or business suits. Roberts wasn't wearing either.

The blue-haired woman sat at a large table out on the balcony. Enjoying the city view. She wore a black argrinum bodysuit underneath a leather & fur bomber jacket. Black combat boots and black operator gloves. Half monk, half hitman. The usual. She ordered the daily soup and bottle of french water. Turning her blue gaze back to her tablet to read the news. Just, enjoying the moment.

[member="Cloudburner"] would arrive soon. It was lunchtime now and had they business to discuss. Preferably, over pasta and lemon-grass chicken. Mmm. Yum.

 

[Cloudburner]

Cloudburner had arrived. He holstered his weapon and left the 405th Guard waiting in Republic territory.

"Hello, master."

He had thought for a second how his life would be after this point. Will he further his knowledge in the Force? Or continue sticking to blasters?

"That's a nice jacket you are wearing. We are here to talk about the force, correct?"

He then ordered drinks for himself and pasta and lemon grass chicken for the Master.

"Do you want anything else? Is that it? I have a lot of wealth I can spend on a nice lady such as you."

He then reached into his pocket and took out 670,000 Credits.

"Is this enough?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

She smiled. Ah. He ordered the lemon grass chicken. He had taste. Interesting.

"Keep the coin soldier. You don't pay me until the jobs done. ...Besides. My husband hates it when other men lavish me."

Karen waved him to have a seat. It was a lunch appointment after all.

"And yes. We're here to talk about your training. To start, I'm Karen. Karen Roberts. And before we begin in earnest I'd like to ask you a few questions. Get to know you. Get to know how to teach you. Learn where you are strong. Learn where you are weak."

She shrugged. Roberts had a routine. She'd trained countless Apprentices. She had a system. [member="Cloudburner"] got only the best.

"So. Sit down and enjoy a meal with me. I always talk over food."

The blue haired woman put her tablet away and turned back to her soup,

"Let's start by you telling me a little about yourself. Where you're from. What you do for a living. Why you want Force training. ...Stuff like that. Hmm?"

 

[Cloudburner]

"I am a....."

He thought for a second. He was so used to being a Mandalorian he forgot who he was anymore.

"I am a Ranger of the Republic from Coruscant. I used to be a Mandalorian bounty hunter. They had abandoned me once I had fought for them in The Battle Of Roche. I had to replace both my hands with cybernetic limbs after. I feel as if I am strong and loyal, but conflicted. My love for the Mandalorians originated from my Father, and then my hate for them escalated once they had left me for dead, took away my honour and treated me as an outsider. Now all I do is hunt them down, kill who I find, and destroy their ancient legends."

He had went to a very dark place within his head, parts he hated to visit.

"I want this training to be a more powerful adversary in the ongoing war. Sometimes I have to face off against force users, and sometimes I have a hard time defeating them. Having that edge, is always necessary."

"So.... am I ready?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

She wiped her lips with a napkin and shrugged,

"Whether you are ready or not is completely up to you. I just give the training. Surviving it is usually up to the student."

Karen smiled. If [member="Cloudburner"] was a dedicated soldier? Then yeah. He was probably ready for the training. He might even find it comfortable.

"Tell me then Ranger. Is a life of vengeance and death all that my training will offer you? Have you no goals outside of war. No purpose besides behind the gun. Is there nothing else worth living for that our magick cannot exalt? Must you and I really only speak of dark places together? Is there no room in your heart for Light?"

Roberts talked and ate like a CEO. She was business like and professional. Well spoken and held her head high. She feared no enemy and respected all types. However, she was also a life long professional at war. She knew it inside and out. War was an old friend to her. A scorned lover and a troublesome ally. But she had left war behind long ago. Now she lived for greater things than just killing and dying well.

So she had to wonder if there was a man inside the weapon that sat before her. Because she could train a man. But a weapon? No. Weapons were just tools. She couldn't train a tool. Tools get used. Then discarded. Holstered or forgotten. Karen couldn't train a weapon. But she could train a man.

 

[Cloudburner]

"Using the Force can help me overcome the miserable parts of my life so I can have full concentration on the battle. I want to use the force for war and for my own benefit. My own benefit being that I can use mind tricks to trick people into letting me pass through into certain systems and just generally tricking people. Sometimes for fun, sometimes for other uses."

He wanted to overcome the darkness in his life. By using the force, he could drown out the Dark Side and restore peace to Galaxy, once and for all. He had hoped she thought he wasn't aiming to become a Sith, as he had previously described the darkness in his life rather than the good times.

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

She nodded and continued eating. Not one to judge his answers by the look on her face.

"And what about the Force's opinion? Have you no God nor religion to guide you? Mmm. ...What do you think the Force would have you do with your abilities?"

Philosophy was the talent of an old Jedi Master. But it was also the domain of an old general too. Roberts was testing [member="Cloudburner"] now. Seeing if he was wise. Seeing if he was humble. Testing to see if was a despot. Testing to see if he was just another warlord. Not so much about the simplicity of being just good or bad. She wanted to see if this man had any heart. Or if all he was, was cold black iron.

 

[Cloudburner]

"I never though I'd say it, but the force is my God. Now, at least. Ever since I came to my senses and joined the Republic. The force has helped me a couple times, saved me. I doubt I would be alive if it wasn't for the force. The force has saved me in more times I can possibly imagine. I owe myself to the Force."

He was shocked to say it, but it was the truth. He would have died in the Battle Of Roche or died in some cantina somewhere if it wasn't for that mystical entity. His ethics had been crafted by the Force.

"I have opened up my heart to the Force. It has helped me defeat individuals, survive in this Galaxy and brought me here. I owe everything to the Force."

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

"That. What you have just spoken..."

She held up a finger and nodded to him in the silence between,

"...Shall be the bedrock of your training. That, shall be your foundation."

Karen leaned back in her chair. She did not ask these questions lightly.

"Never forget it."

Then she smiled and returned to her old self. Carefree and just enjoying the moment. Pausing for a moment so the waiter could deliver their food.

"Now. Here is how this will work. I will train in the arts of the Jedi Knight and you will do as I ask. You're a soldier. You understand orders, yes? It's very similar. Together we shall be Master and Apprentice. Outside of training I am just Karen to you. You are just Cloudburner to me. However. Inside of training? I am only Master. And you are only Apprentice. No names. We are not ourselves. We are only, The Force. This is how we shall order ourselves. This shall be our Vanguard."

She picked up her fork and began to cut her meal,

"We shall train here. At the DAC. Indeed, in the basement is a Variable Holographic Arena that shall support our purpose well. Report to the Holographic Chamber for your lessons. Ignore the scientists if you can. They can be so nosy around Mages. Bah. You'll have to learn to ignore them. ...Oh. And dress for PT. No armor. Just the gym."

Kare smiled and twirled her fork,

"Alright then. Basics aside. Do you have time this afternoon to begin your first lesson? I'm free for the next three hours? If you are?"

 

[Cloudburner]

"I have free time. Thank you for the agreement to train me. We shall meet in the Holographic Chamber, Master."

He then walked to the Holographic Chamber, excited to begin training in the Force.

He replaced his armor with dark brown robes, swapped his armoured clothes with leather gloves, and took off his helmet, revealing a battle-scarred bearded hero, as [member="Karen Roberts"] said to.

He sat and waited for his Master.

 

[Jsc]

* * *

DAC Underground - Holographic Arena

Karen finished her lunch and made a few phone calls. Then she paid, tipped the waiter, and left for the Academy's underground vaults. Denon was a science hub for the galaxy and their underground chambers were polished Alderaan white. Soft walls and glittering machines. It was one of the best places to work as a scientist and engineer in the whole galaxy. Maybe that was why Karen preferred these labs to the Jedi Temples on Ossus. This was a place of learning. Modern and new. Just the way she liked it.

Roberts entered the Arena via one of it's thousands of blast doors and noticed that [member="Cloudburner"] was already here. Finally without his mask. That was good. There are no masks here. This was bigger than that.

"Computer. Run Dantooine Simulation One."

~ "Of course Doctor Roberts." ~ The computer replied in a chipper female voice, ~ "Running Dantooine Simulation One now." ~

Immediately the giant arena vanished. Replaced by the calm and peaceful fields of Dantooine's brush land. Endless blue sky. Endless waves of grain.

"Welcome to the DAC Holographic Chamber, Apprentice. Home is where the heart is. Hehe."

Karen crossed through the yellow grasslands and came to sit upon a large rock under a leaf-less tall tree. She smiled at the wind and nodded to the birds. None of it real. All of it a beautifully magical holograph.

"Come. Join me. Pull up a rock and have a seat. Hehe."

 

[Cloudburner]

Cloudburner thought for a second. He had never seen anything like this. He did as told, and pulled up a seat on a rock next to his now force - master.

"This is.."

He was shocked none of this was real. It was a landscape too beautiful to not be real.

"Beautiful. I have never seen anything like this before, Master."

He looked at the birds that were flying past. They were beautiful.

A strong sense of calmness and positivity overcame the War Hero's senses. His lack of empathy, sympathy and overall hostility had been destroyed and replaced with positivity, happiness and optimism.

He had been cleansed from the Dark Side. He only had optimism now. His emotions were at peace.

"Thank you for this, Master. I don't know where I would have been if it weren't for the Force."

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Choice. Choice can never be destroyed just by enjoying the scenery. The Dark Side might have released [member="Cloudburner"] for a moment. But, it would return just as soon as war would. Because the Dark Side was a choice. And choice can never be destroyed.

Still. Karen enjoyed the new positive outlook that her Apprentice was embracing. It was healthy for a man to enjoy life. It was a good decision to make,

"Excellent Apprentice. I am glad this technology suits you. Many of my Apprentices have I trained here. Many of them came to appreciate it. Though... It was not I who built it. This. All of this. Was built simply by men. Without even a trickle of the Force to guide them. Hehe."

There was a lesson in that too. But it could wait for later.

"The first lesson of a Jedi Knight is to grasp meditation. So that will be your first task as well. Meditation is the process of clearing one's own mind and opening up yourself to the galaxy. To the Force. Meditation is about calming your anxiety for the future or for the past. And just being present. Being centered. Being at harmony. Breathing in and breathing out. Nothing thinking. Nothing worrying. Nothing anticipating. ...Just being present. And listening to the Force."

Karen closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Centering herself in her golden place. Her safe place. The place she went every time she meditated. She dived into the Force.

"Close your eyes Apprentice and clear you mind."

She paused so he could follow her.

"Let your thoughts rise up from your subconscious. See them. Hear them. Then cast them away. ...Count back from five and let your mind go blank. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

She let the silence linger,

"Now reach out with your senses. Feel the light following through you. Reach out for that still small voice. Let the Force into you. Hear it. Feel it. Like a blanket. Like a rushing river. Feel the Force flowing through you."

"...And let go."

The Master opened her eyes.

"Describe to me how you feel. Walk me through your journey. Into the Force."

 

[Cloudburner]

"I feel, clean. Like I had just showered in clear water for 18 centuries, like I was transparent, clean water. Like I was the waters of life, Master."

Now rised an innocent smile, a kind and calm attitude and a peaceful man.

"Master, I have been through a lot in my life that would tempt me to join the Dark Side, all of that was released into the Force just now. My spirit, cleansed. I only want to fight for the force now, nothing else. The Force is my God. It is what I love the most. Humans can command, but only the force can rule."

His list of emotions were now only half of what it was before he had walked in. He was now peaceful, his mind was free of conflict and hate.

"Master, my enemies are no longer hated by me anymore. They are only trials from the force. I do not fear them, no longer do I hate them."

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

She nodded. It was enough.

"What you have just experienced is the power of connecting yourself with the Force. This is your gift now. You may return here anytime you wish, simply by practicing meditation. Clear your mind, be at peace, and the Force will come to you. Remember. Clear your mind. Count back from five. And let the Force flow through you. You are in control now. Now you can choose."

Karen touched her lips, as if thinking,

"Mm. Yes. You will return here often Apprentice. Your connection is special. Experienced just by you. But it will also allow you to make the Force your constant ally. Often during your training you will return there. Not to be taught not by me? No. But by the Force. The Force will teach you in visions. In emotions. In new thoughts and guide you down new paths. It will teach you new skills and require of you new situations. And then, the Force will release you. So that you might go forth into your daily life and do good. To share of yourself. To protect others. And yes, to choose. Whether to be harmonious with nature? Whether to be a good man? Or if you will choose the darker paths of magic. And only seek control."

Again she nodded. It was enough.

"Now. Your homework this week will be to practice meditation anytime you feel troubled. Whether by your job, or by your thoughts, fears, or anxieties. Or by war. Use the technique of meditation I have taught you to bring a new balance into your life. To moderate all your emotions. Such as anger, fear, or doubt. To cast away rage, hatred, or loathing. ...After all. You are still human my Apprentice. You must still choose daily and learn to govern yourself wisely. You are no angelic creature. Your nature has not changed. As such, only you can craft your lifestyle. Hopefully you will choose a lifestyle where all things are dealt with in moderation. With temperance. With patience. These will not come to you easily either. You are still, just yourself. ...However. Anytime you are in need of comfort, strength, or guidance? The Force can set you free. So return to Her often this week as you meditate. Learn to keep the Force close to you. Every single day. This your gift. You are in control."

Roberts stood up and waved her hand away. Instantly the computer simulation froze. The clouds stopped moving, the grass stopped swaying, and the birds were petrified in flight.

"Computer. Remove simulation."

~ "Of course Doctor Roberts. Removing simulation." ~

And so they both returned to the real world. Watching the peaceful fields disappear and allowing the polished white walls of the Science Center's Arena to return. Training was over for today.

"That is enough for this week. Now you need time. Time to forge a new lifestyle. Time too change yourself and live differently."

Karen nodded removed her phone from her jacket pocket.

"Alright [member="Cloudburner"] , training is over. Meet me here again in eight days. On Saturday. Just after lunch. Then we can see what you have learned during the week. Then we will see if you really have learned to let peace into your life. After all. These are your first steps. Use them wisely."

She smiled and clicked on her calendar. This was his new beginning.

"Do you have any questions? If not, then I'll see you next week. Hehe."

 

[Cloudburner]

"I will visit this place again, a lot. It has bestowed peace upon my emotions. I no longer want to hate, I no longer want to destroy, all I want is to meditate upon the Force."

He now started fitting his weapons into his holster.

"And once again, thank you, Master. For all you have done."

He fitted his armor back on and left.

Upon walking out he felt, a changed man. Something had destroyed his egotistical personality and given him new found hope.

 

[Jsc]

It was an ending. But it was also, a beginning.

___

*end thread