Her first Padawan

[Sorel Crieff]

“Well, if there's a bright centre to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from.” As she looked around, she muttered the words out loud. From where she was standing, he wasn’t far wrong.

Tatooine was a desert world and the first planet in the binary Tatoo star system. It was part of the Arkanis sector in the Outer Rim Territories. It was mostly inhabited by poor locals who mostly farmed moisture for a living. But it had a lot of history when it came to the Jedi, so Sorel did her best to keep an open mind.

She stood in the hot Tatooine air, saved from the intense heat by the bracelet she wore on her wrist — present from her Master. It was fortunate as the small canopy she was standing under didn't provide enough shade for her to stand in.

Jawas, moisture farmers, and creatures from a hundred worlds passed her by. They headed for the cool, dark cantinas, sheltered from Tatooine's twin suns.

She was here on a routine mission — to collect some intel about a local crime syndicate from an unnamed source. She glanced around, as if searching for a place to sit. Her contact was late.

She looked up as a droid who was cleaning up after a dewback, passed by, followed by a couple of beefy Baragwins who were wrestling in the street while people made bets on the outcome.

And then she felt it, a ripple in the Force. There was an aura nearby — and it was getting closer.

[member="Kuulhagar"]

 

[Kuulhagar]

Kuulhagar had wandered through the dessert of Tatooine for days, and by now he was hungry, dehydrated, and disoriented by the the never ending sand around him. Since he was freed he roamed around aimlessly, without any knowledge to go. The man that had saved him told him to become a jedi. The elders on felucia had mentioned the jedi once or twice so he knew that they and then shamans shared a lot their beliefs but besides that he had no idea who they are and even less idea how to find them. On felucia everything was filled with life, any inches of the planet was overgrown by plants, every corner was the habitat of another creature, and like anyone of his race he could feel the flow of the force in any of them. In comparison the desert was dead, only few animals lived between the sand, giving him a strange sensation of isolation. Without any instructions he had walked forward, not meeting another soul on his way, hoping that the force would guide him. In years of being a slave he had never given up hope and not even the hostile environment could distinguish the light that was inside him. As the days passed he noticed a slight change, as the world around him soundly got brighter. Somewhere close to him he could feel a glimpse of life in the force, glimpse that he followed. After wandering for an hour he could finally see the city in front of him, and feel the flow of the force once more.

The feel of the city was far from that of his homeworld, the force was infected by hate an anger. The young shaman stumbled between all the weird aliens around him unsure what to do now. By pure chance he walked into one of the weird houses, following a hint of light in all the darkness.


[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

She stood in her robes, her sabers hidden from view and leaned against a wall, sensing the Force aura coming closer and closer. She had studied the Force since she was a few years old and knew instinctively when it was warning her, or telling her to act. Right now there was no sense of foreboding, so she simply awaited who was to come through the door — and wondered if the Force had, once again, led her here.

She smiled as the figure entered. It was a welcoming curve of the lips and she wondered if the owner of the aura would immediately seek her out. It would tell her something about his level of understanding of the Force if he did.

[member="Kuulhagar"]

 

[Kuulhagar]

Kuulhagar never had been to a bar in his life. The only thing that closely resembled what he was just experiencing were partys that his owner used to throw while he was still a slave. The memories of them were linked to a lot of negative emotions inside his head and felt himself once again struggling against the pull of darkness. The felucians were one of the few force sensitive races that almost exclusively aligned to the light. Yet they were deepley connected to the living force, and if the world around them changed they had to resist ro change with it. The only thing keeping him dedicated was the aura of light that stood in the darkness. Who or whatever it was, he intended to find it. After walking through the bar for a few moments he catches a woman shrouded in robes that looked like those the man who saved the wore. He had no doubt that she was who he was seeking. He slowly moved towards her, unable to find the right words in a language he never learned properly:

"I Kuulhagar. You jedi? Man told me to find jedi, you feeling like jedi."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel's smile remained intact. It was a genuine smile. A friendly smile. It generated true warmth and her eyes shared in the goodness of the facial expression.

She bowed formally, "I am Sorel. Sorel Crieff. And yes, I am a Jedi. Perhaps my robes gave it away? Or maybe something else? And so if you're looking for a Jedi, you've found one."

She indicated an empty table and sat, suggesting [member="Kuulhagar"] should join her. "Now tell me, who told you to find a Jedi and do you know why you received such advice?" Her voice was soft and friendly, no threat present and her questioning light.

[member="Kuulhagar"]

 

[Kuulhagar]

Kuulhagar observe how she took place on a chair close to them while talking. He wasn't sure at first if he was allowed to sit down. As a slave he never was allowed to sit at a table, or to talk with anyone other than his master. As he slowly dropped on another chair, a part of him expect to be beaten again. After nothing happened he looked again at the jedi, opening his mouth to speak:

"Sorel. I was slave for many years. Days ago I was freed by man in robe. Said he is jedi and that I should become jedi. Gave this to me."

He grabbed the hilt of the lighstaber that was loosely hanging from his belt to show it to the woman.

"Shaman elders have told about jedi. Said you are almost like shamans, using energy around us to help others, guide and heal them. Said you good people but never said alot else."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened and did her best to understand the stranger’s mindset. How his background, culture and race would influence their interaction, for fear of offending or misunderstanding him.

Sorel looked at the saber hilt. It was quality workmanship, so whoever gave it to him was clearly a Jedi of some stature.

“I will answer any questions you have and I hope you don’t mind if I ask some too. The important thing to remember is that you are free. Free to answer my questions or not. It is entirely your choice and I will not take offence if you choose to withhold information if it makes you feel uncomfortable to share it. But first, I have a general question. Have you ever heard of the Force? Of the dark and light side?”

[member="Kuulhagar"]

 

[Kuulhagar]

"Force?"

He makes a few deep and guttural sounds, searching for words that could explain his thoughts in a language she could understand. For a second he went silent, bring at least some order in his words.

"I heard that word once. Shaman said its one of many names for energy of live. Was trained to feel "force". On Felucia everyone is connected. We are one."

The mans voice and face showed a deep sadness as he began to talk about his homeworld, remembering everyone he had to leave behind when he was made a slave.

"My language very different to yours. Some words hard to translate. Felucians not say light and dark but we see force as two sides. Energy needs to flow freely. Anger, hate are like mountain, making energy to flow around. Like water. Plants die when energy stops flow. Shamans lose mind when energy stops flow."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel waited for him to respond. She knew enough not to rush his reply, he would speak in his own time and share whatever he felt comfortable with. Plus the Force was a concept less familiar to some cultures.

She nodded at his reply.

“In truth, everyone sees the Force slightly differently. They have different view of the Force and of the concept of Light and Dark. I have a view. In my mind I am right but I understand others have varied opinions and have learned to tolerate them.”

“I see life’s behaviour as good or bad. And, if I am honest, I cannot reconcile the use of the Dark Side for good. Others can.” She shrugged. “But that is a conversation for another day I believe.”

“So you can feel the Force? Like now? In this room? Tell me what you see and feel. Please.”

[member="Kuulhagar"]

 

[Kuulhagar]

"Can feel corruption. Man that are not mountains but little hills. Feel fear ... greed and anger. But there also river, being of light."

He looked at her, as he tapped into the flow of energy around him, observing the feelings of the people around him. The felucians had a deep connection to all living beings, and the darkness around him was like a heavy weight pulling him down. Yet as his old shaman masters taught him, he focused, resisting the power that tried to drag him down.

"This place dark. Many are without "light". Not like home."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel’s smile remained and she nodded as he spoke. “I feel that too. But the important thing is to focus on the Light. We Jedi do our best to show as many as we can the path from the darkness but we do not despair if we do not succeed straight away. Negative emotions exist everywhere but a Jedi is strong in adversity.”

“The Light side of the Force is a powerful ally. Do you seek a life in the Light. As a Jedi? It is not for everyone — we observe a strict Code. I mean, what do you know of the Jedi?”

[member="Kuulhagar"]