Hey, Young Blood

[EmKay]

KAMINO
The Training Facility

[member="Rhea Nin"]

Asher stood within the airlock, awaiting the arrival of his... experiment, to be perfectly precise. He was fascinated with this new entity, curious to what he could mould out of an Uninitiated Neophyte. He knew one thing, sending the Archon a request for being a mentor was both admirable and foolish. He had never taught another in the past, but he was still who he was. No nonsense. Get the job done, at any cost. He wouldn't kill this girl -- that would be bad for business and getting jobs done -- but he could bring her within centimetres of that icy grasp.

He wore little in comparison to usual. A military-style uniform, with some typical Force User alterations that allowed more freedom of movement. His belt of lightsabres adorned his waist, and a sword was strapped to his back. He maintained his bearing like a soldier, and his eyes followed the amphibious transport that was undoubtedly carrying this Rhea. He already knew how to initiate this girl into the Order fully. It would be her first trial, and a taste of things to come. Arrangements had already been made. It was only a matter of reaching Area Aurek-Zero, once she made her way into the underwater training facility. It was incomplete in some places, a construct designed as a... deterrent from a repeat of Rothana. Every segment of construction inspected during, before, and after assembly. It was safe... mostly.

 

[Armand Temi]

With the early start, Rhea couldn’t squeeze any exercise in that morning, so with nervous energy anticipating her first training session, she palmed a small vibrodagger and watched out of the window of the amphibious shuttle that took her underwater to the Kamino training center. Her mind wandered to how she ended up on this unexpected path, not having used the Force for most of her normal adult life. It wasn’t too long since a military operation on Crina that Rhea Nin had met a Dark Jedi who through use of the Force and showing her what type of power she would wield, finally convinced her to cultivate her skill as a Force user and renounce the Ni’Korish cult with which she was associated as a young girl.

After touching down and exiting the shuttle, Rhea approached the Archon. He would see that Padawan Nin wore a black form-fitting suit of light armor, a heavy breastplate, a hood and a skull shaped mask with large hollow eye sockets. Her mask was to not only protect her face, but her identity. And if the Archon demanded that she take it off, he would be picking the first scuffle with her as she was determined to have it remain squarely on her face and would fight him tooth and nail for it to stay that way. The only weapon she brought with her was the vibrodagger, but she didn’t feel in any apparent danger. Yet.

The Archon was human and appeared to be young and in relatively good shape, with a belt of lightsabers and some type of loose uniform, not a robe or armor as she was used to with the Sith Lords she served not too long ago, not as an acolyte but in another capacity.

Her voice could be heard clearly despite the mask: “Master Valentine, it’s good to meet your acquaintance. I’m ready to get started.” No pleasantries – all business. Rhea Nin was here for one thing and that was to become an efficient killing machine on the battlefield.

[member="Asher Valentine"]

 

[EmKay]

Asher's eyes immediately set to the task of measuring up this @Rhean Nin. His mind followed the flow of her form in the bodysuit, the oddness of the breastplate, the curve of her hood, and finally the macabre visage of the skull-like mask. It reminded him of the mask he wore during the Fall, where the Obsidian Order was truly founded and cemented. A reminder of simpler times, but he waved those memories aside. They would distract from the now. Suffice it to say, the small dose of nostalgia gave him an inner glee that made him eager to get started. He'd see if she was worthy of unintentionally bearing the old symbol of the Order. As far as removing such... he cared not. If she wished to be secret-faced he wouldn't deprive her whatever security it allowed her. He lived in someone's mind, after all. Who else but him would understand remaining present yet unseen?

“Master Valentine, it’s good to meet your acquaintance. I’m ready to get started.”​

​

His mouth twitched into an almost-grin, before he replied.

"You needn't adhere to such formalities. Valentine or Mentor are well enough," he said, then he swept around on his heel and gave a beckoning jerk of his head, "Come."

Was it impolite to greet her in the same manner she did him? Perhaps, but he was unaccustomed to such introductions. It was always arrive and get to work, and so it would be. He considered testing her already, but he decided that it would be best that miss Nin save her strength for what he'd planned as an initiation into his wing. Pop quizzes could come later, depending on her performance.

 

[Armand Temi]

Rhea merely nodded at him when he advised her upon less formality in their dealings. This was fine with the Padawan.

“Valentine it is,” she said deciding aloud.

She appreciated his willingness to get down to business. Draconian… exacting… strict? If Valentine possessed any or all of these traits, this did not frighten or intimidate her. Rhea had a military background and was used to discipline and perfection in all combat training aspects, from weapons to physical endurance, and she assumed it would be no different in mastering the Force. Not that she was perfect by any means.

As she followed her Mentor along, walking deeper into the facility, she considered that for every strength she possessed, a weakness was right there by its side, and right now, the weakness that worried her the most was that she would allow herself to enter this dark cavern and lose her way, or worse emerge from the other side of it, an abhorrent monster. Rhea knew she could use her abject fear to fuel her darkside powers and make them stronger, but what toll would this mastery of the Dark Side take on her mind and body?

They went through another sealed entranceway, the door hissing behind them.

[member="Asher Valentine"]

 

[EmKay]

He could sense her indecision. He was no empath, he couldn't make out the details, but it was there. This first test would be excellent for her, then. Test how she performed in an unexpected situation. Once that door sealed closed behind them, they found themselves in an atrium of sorts. Halls and doors sprawled out from this point. Many were closed off 'under construction'. He paid Rhea no attention, assuming she would follow him as he swivelled on the ball of his foot and walked on to another closed door. He swiped it open with a wave of his palm and turned to his learner.

"Through here." he said, perhaps unnecessarily.

He led the way through the door and they were standing in a smallish round room. He turned his attention upward, and it turned out they were at the bottom of a tall shaft. Along the edges of that shaft were randomly placed ledges and jumps. The further up the shaft went, the further spaced, narrower, and generally more treacherous the path became. It culminated in a very wide, very narrow gap that led to a ladder. That ladder went the last short leg to the top. He turned to Nin and delivered her instructions.

"This first lesson shall test your reactions. Your task is simple, reach the top. Should you fall, I shall deliver you to the ground safely." he said levelly, and calmly.

Simplicity was the illusion, however. While they weren't perceptible from down here, especially for the young Neophyte, there were bubbles of force deadness. The result of Ysalamiri tucked into the walls of the shaft. While techniques like Force Jump and levitation would make this easy, and such was the presentation of the matter, the reality was to juedge how [member="Rhea Nin"] would react to the sudden, deafening loss of her senses. Of her power. It would gauge her for what she would do if she were no more than a soldier, assassin, whatever she truly was. Why? Multiple reasons.

If she panicked, it would reveal a weakness of the self. If she persevered, it would prove she possessed the determination to press on through life's hardships, and the experience in itself of the Force being wholly ineffective would provide a sample of the encounters that the Techno Union often faces against Yuuzhan Vong and traitorous ex-Dread Guard members. Every facet of this seemingly simply climb would provide insight to the individual who encountered it. It was the trial to make a person rise above what they were, and come out someone more.

 

[Armand Temi]

Rhea found herself in a large open chamber of sorts, although some of the training space appeared to be half-finished. Then her Mentor led her to an even smaller room. As he tilted his head gazing upward, she followed his line of sight to a shaft with various hand and footholds. Although the mask allowed her to see very well, she still peered through the darkness to finally glimpse a ladder at the top of the shaft.

And apparently the padawan was meant to climb upwards into this shaft to reach the top. Rhea had a lean muscular form and a fairly good grip but she was no rock climber. She looked over at Valentine once more and then she took a long slow breath and leapt onto the first few footholds, with nothing but her own strength. But she could see that the more she crawled up the shaft, the space between ledges and overhangs grew wider, and she would have to levitate or jump with the aid of the Force to reach the next perch. She began to conserve her energy and concentrated on visualizing on reaching the next handhold. And Rhea leapt, the first Force Jump fairly successful.

She looked back down at Valentine. He couldn’t see her expression but she was smiling to herself behind the mask. She performed another ungraceful jump, and as awkward as it may have looked, she landed again safely. Rhea went for a third jump, but as soon as she launched off of the ledge she was clinging too, something blocked her way, like a wall. Terrified, the padawan cried out and immediately fell like a heavy stone. She shut her eyes tightly and braced for the impact and the inevitable breaking of bones that would accompany it.

[member="Asher Valentine"]

 

[EmKay]

Ethereal tendrils would slink around [member="Rhea Nin"] and slow her descent. To full stop would cause more harm than good, so she would feel as though she were passing through the clutch of thousands of grasping arms, each trying to hold her but slipping. Gaps created by the Ysalamiri would give the usual falling sensation, but when she hit the ground, she hit hard enough to hurt but soft enough to remain unbroken. Valentine promised her safety, but she still needed to feel the fall.

"Very good," he began his assessment, "You performed as expected. You saw your task, went to overcome it, and when the unexpected happened, you faltered, and fell." he gauged, speaking the obvious.

He approached, and offered an arm to aid in her hoisting herself up. It was no trick, he would not drop her, but he would be more impressed if she pushed him away in favour of standing by her own devices. Trust was something necessary within the Order. Deception would not foster such trust. Regardless of her decision on whether or not to accept his help in standing, he offered her a query.

"From this alone, what have you learnt?"

Life was full of learning experiences. A classroom was unnecessary to learn something new, or gain perspective on a situation. So this lesson would go. Not in a council room, not in a sparring chamber, but in the here and now. The course was laid out, and that course would test her body, mind, and spirit if Asher performed his task as he intended to.

 

[Armand Temi]

Suddenly Rhea wasn't free-falling, but slipping through an invisible and intermittent resistance that would break the impact of the landing. But as the padawan hit the ground with a thud, she cried out in pain. Moaning softly she rolled over onto her side and crawled to her hands and knees to get up. Nothing seemed broken but her back would be very sore tomorrow, she thought.

When Valentine offered her hand, Rhea took it. She was highborn after all and was conditioned to receiving assistance, especially from a men and servants. This habit would not go away that easily. Yes she was proud but she would always fallback to her gentile upbringing especially as it related to social customs.

What had she learned?

Her first instinct was to tell him how satisfied she was that her Force jumps were successful and that with each small victory, she felt her power was growing stronger, the fear of both her past and the Force growing weaker. But she only responded in a soft feminine voice which was sharply juxtaposed by her imposing black skull mask:

"I've learned that you will catch me when I fall."

[member="Asher Valentine"]

 

[Aszräl]

Daintiness. There was a level of that in her grasp. Based simply on guess, he'd say that accepting help wasn't so much an acceptance of aid as it was a habit of whatever her past was. That interested him, but he reminded himself to keep this interaction professional. He watched and sensed her ascent. He could tell what she was doing, and was satisfied with her growing confidence in the Force. In her ability to utilise it. It was basic, and took more fiddling than what he was used to seeing, but it was there and it was reliable.

"I've learned that you will catch me when I fall."​

​

"Indeed," he responded, "But you cannot always rely on that." he told her.

That led to a new consideration. He looked up, and wondered on leading by example. He gave himself a soft, thoughtful hum, and nodded once, slowly. He took his first step, then set off at a run.

The first few platforms were easy enough. Small skips and jumps that would be more challenging for smaller people. As it went on, he found himself gripping to the walls and shimmying along narrower walkways. Throughout the whole course, he didn't rely on the Force for anything more than heightening his awareness. At one point he slipped, and he grabbed on to the ledge tightly. He allowed himself to forget he was a Master of the Force and in that came a degree of fear of falling. Why did he allow himself to forget? Because in this, he couldn't rely on the shaky grasp of an apprentice, and at any moment his control over himself could falter in the bubble of a Ysalamir. There was no peace of mind in knowing the Force right now, so he disallowed himself that comfort.

He hauled himself back up, and continued his ascent. The jumps became wider, the climbs became more treacherous. He felt the shocking breathlessness of being robbed of the Force with almost every leap he took, and that sent an instinctual jolt up his spine and down his fingers. It came to the point where every shelf had to be climbed onto, and where every reach for a hand or foothold was a leap of faith unto itself. Then he came to the end. The Archon of the Obsidian Order, perched upon the precipice of victory or potential disaster. His eyes flicked downward, and the chamber seemed even higher from above than it did from below. He could feel the hesitation and fear in his heart and mind. It manifested itself as an ache in his knuckles, a gumminess of his feet, and a quickening of his heart. He gritted his teeth, and blazed forward as fast as he could muster.

He leapt.

Midway through the hurdle, he questioned if he would make it. He felt gravity weighing heavily upon him. The Ysalamir's bubble made him feel alone and powerless. In a time where he felt like he could take on an army, he felt decidedly... mortal. His hands met the ledge and he tightened his grip. He hung there for a time, muscles not quite agreeing with his mind that he made the jump. He shook off the shock and strained to pull himself up onto the narrow ledge. He gained footing, slipped, then recovered, and sidled his way to the ladder. Upon it he climbed, and then looked down to [member="Rhea Nin"]. He couldn't contain the giddy grin that decorated his face. This was the first true challenge he'd faced in a long time, and to overcome it felt good.

 

[Armand Temi]

Rhea watched her Mentor scale the walls of the shaft with relative ease. She noticed that, as he climbed higher, he began to struggle as she had done at the beginning. She had no knowledge of the Ysalamirs but she knew that something was amiss within the vertical opening. Little did she know, it was a natural effect of these creatures versus something manufactured which she suspected.

As the Padawan watched the Archon maneuver higher, she was filled with a deep envy. He made it look so easy, and once he reached the top, he stared down triumphantly. Rhea felt as though she were playing right into his manipulative hands, but she suddenly leapt up to follow him. This time she strained her arm and leg muscles to propel her along and stopped very slowly when it came to the Force, using the utmost concentration to complete the jump.

If it was one thing the Padawan hated, it was being outdone. So with a competitive anger and a grunt every time she sprung across, she continued to scale the shaft, until she hung there by one gloved hand, struggling to bring her legs up. Rhea was more than halfway up, but her body and mind wouldn't comply with her instructions. Behind her mask, she could feel the sweat on her brow dripping into her eyes and mouth, tasting of salt. If she fell now and the Archon didn’t notice or catch her in time, she may actually be paralyzed or even die from a blow to the head.

“I…can’t go… any further,” she growled up at him, feeling, not triumphant as she should have for getting that far, but exhausted and defeated.

[member="Sigma"]

 

[Aszräl]

The climb down was always harder, because you had to look down. Asher heard the Neophyte's strained words, since his attention never left her for a moment. He was glad to know she was capable of pushing herself to her limits, even if her limits were below the threshold of the upper ridge. In his haste to make good of his word and prevent [member="Rhea Nin"] from suffering death, he slipped and was suddenly hurdling downwards at surprising speeds. In retaliation to such, and given a brief moment of opportunity, he tapped into his own abilities and accelerated himself, bringing the world to appear as though it were at a crawl. In this state, he had the additional reaction time to use a burst of telekinetic force to push himself toward the nearest ledge before the next Ysalamir pocket struck. He gasped when it did, and the world was suddenly jerked back into real-time. His hand launched outward and he grasped the edge of the platform, hanging in much the way as the girl was. He let out a strained growl of effort and hauled himself up.

He made the rest of the descent, and offered a hand to Rhea. This time there was no test, no ulterior meaning or subtle insight. She admitted her defeat, and so he would give her rest. There was no point in pressing her, eroding and degrading her until either gruelling success or death took hold. The Obsidian Order, while more Dark than Light, were not Sith. Weakness was considered and corrected, not cast out and belittled. Limitations were natural, and if miss Nin so chose she could have those artificially corrected or simple persevere and adapt as the Archon would have preferred.

"Are you well?" he asked. Beneath his professional tone were undercurrents of true worry. Subtle, but he wouldn't have a Neophyte die under his supervision.

 

[Armand Temi]

Hanging on with every last big of energy, Rhea, with relief, watched the Archon make his way down the shaft, so he could retrieve her. While it didn’t ease her embarrassment over not making it all the way up, the fact that he struggled as well caused her to realize just how challenging the test was and how much strength and concentration her Mentor also had to use to pass it.

With her free hand, Rhea grasped the Archon and swung into his arms, so they could make their descent which he navigated with much more ease. Finally they were on the ground and he asked if she was well.

She expected Sigma to show disappointment or even fury in her failure, but his tone was calm and concerned. “I’m fine,” she said trying to keep her emotions from showing. “I will try again if you want me to.”

Although she was already exhausted, Rhea Nin was stubborn and like with her military training would often push herself to the brink of collapse again and again, just because she could.

[member="Sigma"]

 

[Aszräl]

Sigma's brow raised slightly. Her will was impressive. He felt his breath coming in heavily, so he closed his eyes and allowed the Force to flow through him in a positive way. His crude knowledge of healing allowed the fatigue to abate and he held himself upright, breathing normally again. He would aid [member="Rhea Nin"] in such a way, but his knowledge of such things didn't extend that far. He decided he'd taken enough time to answer, and so he spoke.

"I appreciate your determination," he looked up, then back down to her, "Whether or not you continue is your decision. If you decide against such, we may discuss other matters. Know that this trial shall be a regular exercise until you overcome it."

His piece said, Asher took a step back and left the paths open. Attempt the climb again, or move on for now.

 

[Armand Temi]

While Rhea's mind was determined to climb again, she wasn't sure her body would agree with her. She would need to use the Force for the entire struggle upward. That would prove to be impossible based on her level of skill.

"I would like to begin a saber technique, Mentor," she stated. "Since I have advanced combat training in my background, I think Juyo would make the most sense." She would try not to reveal too much about her origins, but her teacher needed to know the basics if he was going to effectively train her. She may have taken his hand like a noblewoman, but she had years of relentless military coaching, including sword-play. She also was not afraid of the reliance on the Dark Side of the Force that Juyo employed.

"I'm also in an environment with blasters so I would also like to utilize basic Soresu techniques for defense."

Rhea very much wanted to learn Dun Möch, but she was not the type to taunt on the battlefield. She knew that already. Her style was much more quiet and stealthy. Although she had a commanding presence, she wasn't one to insult her enemy as she was engaging with them. But perhaps that would change with time.

"Of course, I will take your lead," she said. "In what you would like to teach next. What lightsaber form do you recommend based on what I've just described?"

[member="Sigma"]

 

[Aszräl]

Asher's brow furrowed. He would be honest with her, there was no alternative. Every person had their shortcomings, and his were in passive powers, mental skills, and the whole of lightsaber combat. He relied heavily on the Force as a manner of aggression, he never was taught in the arts of the blade beyond what he'd figured out.

"There is an issue with your request, Miss Nin," he said, "I, unfortunately, don't know those forms... nor where to direct you for such instruction." he pondered, taking a seldom few thoughtful steps, before turning his attention back to her.

"While I cannot aid in formal instruction, I could perhaps place you into a situation where you'd need to adopt such techniques naturally?" he offered.

Solutions in the face of problems. Overcoming the vexed state. These were qualities he wished to impart upon [member="Rhea Nin"]. The ability to adapt was, in Valentine's opinion, a crucial aspect to any individual.

 

[Armand Temi]

The fact that her Mentor was humble and apologetic at not being able to offer her lightsaber training was refreshing from the endless hubris and ego of the Sith. The Obsidian Order was so much more logical and composed. Interally she lauded her lauding decision to join this group.

Beginning to get her second wind, Rhea said, "No matter. I will visit one of the Citadels and begin lightsaber training there. Or as you suggested, bring my saber into environments where I may be able to use it." The ex-military Hapan was resourceful if not anything else.

"So then, Mentor, what do you suggest we learn next?" she asked. He would begin to hear more of a warmth in her voice and she stood less stiff now. They were easing into the familiarity of student and teacher.

"I wish to follow your lead."

[member="Sigma"]