Hideous Might

[Mammut]

An enormous, whale-like creature sat on the floor of a training room in the Jedi Temple. Sitting on one of the chairs was not possible. He would crush it beneath his nearly half-ton weight. He wore only pants, as shirts big enough to fit his bulk were scarce. His exposed upper body rippled with massive muscles. In his gigantic, webbed hands his great, black eyes stared at a datapad.

Hion of Giju stood over seven feet tall and weighed almost eight hundred pounds. A behemoth of a being, the Herglic was extremely conscious of his size. One massive flipper-like hand moved to rub the side of his head. He hauumed, blowing air out of the nostrils on the top of his head in puzzlement at what he read. On the datapad was displayed the code of the Jedi.

"There is no chaos, there is harmony," he nodded to himself, his squat neck bobbing his monstrous head up and down. He liked the sound of that. These Jedi seemed to have things figure out. He would enjoy being one of them. If he could. Fear filled the massive creature. And he blew air from his spout again.

"Huruum, mustn't think that way Hion," he began mumbling to himself in a Herglic dialect, a mix of haruums and hauums.

His ability in the Force was.... weak. He thought it a curse due to his enormous size, which was a curse itself. He clacked his gigantic, edged teeth together and reached idly into a pouch on his belt. He pulled out a can and began plucking raw fish, dumping them into his mouth whole. He was a nervous eater.

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Hion the Herglic"]

That was when a tiny blond woman popped out of what seemed to be no where. "Hey! OOoo is that a mud-fish?" She moved so fast she was standing right next to him in a blink of an eye.

"They are really great with a bit of garlic!" she began rather excitedly, shining a wide warm and friendly smile. Lorridan that she was, she could read from his body language that he was nervous. Course, at her short height, she had to crank her neck back to stare up at his wide face.

"Hi there! I'm Kira." her smile grew ever wider. "Your new master." Yup. This bubbly, 5'1, blonde and ball of energy, was indeed Hion's new master.

 

[Mammut]

The Herglic raised hairless eyebrows at the bouncy blonde Jedi, puffing air out his spout in startlement. "Hauum!"

She was rather overwhelming and seemed to be a bit... sporadic. Which was fine with Hion, he loved adventure. And gambling, although, somehow, he did not think the Jedi would approve of his habit. This Jedi certainly seemed quite amiable.

Hion smiled at her. Great rows of giant teeth gleamed. He did not mean to intimidate with his smiles, but unfortunately it often seemed to be the case. Hion supposed he could understand why, but he wasn't about to eat any of the little people. He doubted they would taste good anyway.

"Why hello, Master Kira. Haruum." He put the fish away and offered a giant flipper to the woman. "I am Hion." Big, black eyes swiveled to the fish. "Garlic? Hauum. Interesting." He began rubbing his head, thoughtfully. "Yes, yes. Very strong flavor. I must try it sometime!"

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""]Hion the Herglic

There came the wide sunny grin to match that of Hion's; although not with as many pointy teeth. She took his flipper in hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Glad to meet you Hion!" she said with avid warmth. Her expression brightened and she gave a nod, "Maybe even a bit of lemon! But I've had them raw too!"

She gave another melodic laugh, then flashed him a wink, "Come on... too many stuffy individuals here. Let's go out and wander a bit." she encouraged with a mischievous grin.

"So Hion, did you always want to be a Jedi?" she asked with warm curiosity, leading him out of the training area towards the gardens.

 

[Mammut]

@Kristen Bell, er, I mean @[member="Kira Liadain"] No, I'm not distracted by your avatar...
IC:
The gentle giant tried not to crush her hand in his flipper. She seemed so small, but she sure had a personality. Hion put away his datapad and followed the small lady out. His footsteps sounded like... well, a Herglic. There were reasons why "The Herglic in the room," was a common saying. Not one that Hion approved of, naturally.

"Hauuum," he rubbed his head. "No, not always. I have always been more of a mercen- uh, merchant adventurer. My great friend, Lysander, convinced me that my dice rolls were not fated, but rather Forced!" Hion gave a great, booming laugh. "He's here too, as it happens. His charismatic adventeruousness sucked me in like a whirlpool, like so many others. Hauum! He's very powerful in the Force, they say. I, on the other fin, am not."

Great, black eyes squinted as they emerged into the garden. The nictating membrane pulled across his eyes like a third eyelid, shielding them from the sun to some extent. The membrane flicked back once his eyes adjusted. He stared in wonder at the beautiful garden, a flow of wonderous scents came from it. The sound of running water made him hum in happiness. Such a sense of peace flowed over him that it made the giant sigh.

"No, Master Kira. I never wished to be a Jedi until.... just now, I believe. Hauum."

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Hion the Herglic"] Hah! You made me choke on my juice when I read that!
IC:

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Her melodic laughter came after the pun about the dice rolls, "Hah, Ok that was a good one," she said rather jovially, taking the three small steps that led deeper into the garden with a bouncy gait. Really, she had quite a bit of energy in her, as if she couldn't sit still.

She didn't miss the stumble over the mercenary slash merchant adventurer deal. Mmm, something to talk about later, she thought to herself, coming to a pause for a moment to take in the breathtaking view of the garden along with its enchanting scent. Far less stuffy than the training grounds.

Casting a glance up and over to him, Kira asked curiously, "Oh? So you are doing the buddy system? Joint training? Gonna have to see who's his master then.... might be fun to do some missions together. " she gave a warm smile at his answer about wishing to be a Jedi until right now. The gardens did have that knack about them. There truly was something peaceful about it.

"Mmm... I never wished to be a Jedi either," she scrunched up her nose, wiggling it a bit as wisps of blond hair went flying over her face. "Just kinda happened." Well there was more to that story but she gave a shrug, shining him with a wide smile that held no shame at all.

"I was a pickpocket before, you know!"

 

[Mammut]

"Maybe, maybe. Lysander is quite ambitious," he rumbled. Perhaps too much so. He often feared for Lysander. The man was very charismatic. Likeable. He made people want to follow him. But too much ambition was dangerous. Even Hion knew that.

The great whale-like alien stared at a flower, curiously. Plants on Giju were quite different from here, but in his travels Hion had seen a great many things. Botany had never been his chief interest, but he could still appreciate their beauty. "Yes, yes. That's quite how I feel now. A pickpocket you say? Haruum! Intriguing. Yes, now that I think about it I see you could have pilfered my fish already with your skipping about!"

Hion had met not a few pickpockets in his days as both a mercenary and a merchant. It came with the territory. Kira's persona of bubbliness made it distracting. She would come off as either charming or annoying, distracting others from what her hands were actually doing. Clever, clever.

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Hion the Herglic"]
There came the mischievous glint in the Lorrdian's eyes. Tucking her hands into the pockets of her robes, she gave a small shrug and a dazzling smile.

"It wouldn't do well for me to take advantage of my Padawan like that," she said with a warm grin, rocking on the pads of her boots lightly back and forth. "'Sides... the Masters around here aren't to keen on me falling back to old habits." She gave another hop off the last step right next to him.

"But there are some things that do come in handy when push comes to shove." It was true. Getting captured by Sith and managing to pick the keys from a pocket certainly helped at avoiding permanent capture.

"We may be Jedi... but that doesn't completely erase the skills we've learned in the past." she gave him a crooked grin. " So, Hion... you said you have a mild knack of the Force? " her brows rose curiously, "What can you do?" There was a method to her madness. She wasn't the sort of Master who would be all about books, policy, and procedure. No, it was a matter of what would be comfortable and familiar. The Code would always be there of course, but those were just mere guidelines.

It was a choice. Do good or do bad. Help others or not.

 

[Mammut]

Hion hummed in the Herglic version of a chuckle. "Haruum! Can do. Not very much I'm afraid." A giant flipper fished in his pocket for two small square cubes. He retrieved them and opened his flipper to show two blue and red dice on his palm. "I can make them land how I want them to."

He tossed the dice onto the garden floor. "Two blue." Sure enough, the dice came up blue. He tossed them again. "Left red, right blue." Correct again. He did this several more times, then retrieved the dice, rubbing his head with the other flipper.

"So now you know. Hauum." He became thoughtful. If the masters did not approve of Kira's pickpocket past, what would they think of his mercenary history? Nothing good, he thought. It was why he listed his employment as a merchant with the Principality of Suarbi. It was a half-truth.

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Hion the Herglic"]

Her eyes went wide, and she flashed him a wide grin. "No wonder your friend Lysander said your dice rolls were 'Forced'," she gave a small chuckle, reaching over to lightly rub his arm in comfort. As a Lorrdian, reading his body language, it was easy to see that he was expecting to get scolded for it. Gambling, well wasn't looked too fondly. At least the cheating part of it. She had a small game with some of the other padawans where they bet candies and miji fruit.

"So, you're good with telekinesis," she gave a nod. "Not quite developed, but it is there." Another warm smile went this way, "Hey... the Masters may be old foggies, but they won't judge you." another rub of his arm to comfort. "Trust me... you should meet Master Ryori." her grin only widened, " She is a cage fighter."

She took a couple of steps away and studied the area. They needed to get something BIGGER. "Then there is Master Wraith... he had quite the colorful past. And Chloe..." her smile faded a bit at the thought of the Warden of the Sky who had left the Order to patrol the Hyperlanes. "Chloe could tell you all sorts of stories..."

"So don't be ashamed of your past, Hion. " she cast him a warm look over her shoulder. "Whatever road you took, whatever you did, whatever skills you've forged... that path brought you here." To their left she spotted to large fist sized rocks among others that decorated the edge of a patch of herbs.

Walking over to them, she continued, "The path of the Jedi may not be the most kind, and there will be plenty of difficult choices up a head. But it is a matter of doing what is right." she bent down and picked up the two fist sized rocks.

"The code says that the Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy... that the Jedi use their powers to defend and to protect." straightening, she flashed him another smile, ambling back to him. "Jedi respect all life, in any form. That Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy."


Kira came to a stop just shy of three feet from Hion, placing both fist sized rocks in front of him. "... and that we as Jedi, always seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training." A gust of wind came gently weaving through the garden, lifting pale blond locks of Kira's hair and making them dance in the air. Staring up at Hion - as even slightly kneeling he towered over her - she gave him a warm encouraging smile .

"Let's try something bigger than dice, mmm? In the same manner that you wanted specific dice colors to show up, do the same. " she pointed towards the darker side of each rock that would distinguish it from the other lighter side. "Lets see if we can develop what you already are good at. "

 

[Mammut]

Hion rubbed his head with a blubbery flipper. No one had ever said he was good with the Force. And he certainly didn't feel powerful in it. They told him he would never be as strong in the Force as other Jedi. But perhaps he would be just as strong in other areas? Hion didn't know. This would be a learning experience. Most of his life he had relied on brute strength to get him through, now he would have to learn to do without. It was.... trying.

Big, black eyes stared at the stones. He picked them up and they clinked together in the palm of his flipper. He rolled them around, testing the weight. Not really good for a game of dice, but he supposed they would suffice for the purposes of the test. He rolled them around a bit more, then tossed them onto the ground.

A look of immense concentration came over the Herglic. His eyes bulged and the blubber above his eyes drew together in a frown. His still extended flipper quivered with the amount of willpower he was pouring into making the stones stop. He desperately tried to make them roll the way he wanted to. Two light. However, he only barely managed to make one roll white. It was as he thought. He was deficient. The Herglic sagged with the effort.

"It is as I thought," he said. He blew air out his spout. "Hauum."

He had lifted tables with ease, hurled humans the full span of a room, and crushed a boulder with his head. Yet, this simple effort of trying to make a rock - no more than a pebble to him, really - roll the right way drained him. It was discouraging. However, Hion was not one to give up so easily. He tried again. Focusing harder. By the third time he was able to make at least one roll exactly the way he wanted it to. Two at once was too much for him.

"Maybe with practice I will get better, Master Kira." He collected the rocks. "I have heard of a room. The room of a thousand fountains. It is spoken of in the archives, but I do not know whether it still exists. Does it? If so, I would very much like to see it, if that is alright...?" Something else occurred to Hion. "Why do the Jedi fight? I have read the code, but I don't understand why exactly." He was searching for a definition. A reason to justify his actions as a mercenary. A standard to hold himself to. It was something he needed, desperately.

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member="Hion the Herglic"]

While he certainly had a bit of trouble doing it at first, she gently encouraged him through it all. It was, after all, trial and error. Practice, practice, practice. Once he'd managed to roll one white and one dark side up, she shined him a wide warm smile.

"You did great!" she said with praise, giving him a small comforting squeeze of his upper arm; which considering how big it was, was more like a tiny pinch without the bite. "Just takes a bit more practice to get as good as you did with the dice, don't let that deter you." she said encouragingly, bending down to pick up the rocks.

At the mention of the room of a Thousand Fountains, she paused, soft blond brow rising high in mild but pleasant surprise. Her smile drew into a wide grin. "I'll do you one even better," she said, placing the rocks back in their place.

"Follow me!" she said with a warm smile and a come hither with two of her fingers. As she led him deeper into the garden, she mulled over his other questions, thinking carefully on how to answer them. These were the sort of questions that she had to stop and remind herself to consider carefully what she should say. It was, after all, a brand spanking new padawan. In her mind, she recalled the three different Masters she'd traveled with during her tenure as a padawan. They each had their own philosophies, and each had imparted a bit of that on the Lorrdian.

"We fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves," she finally answered, "To keep balance." she gave a small frown as she tried to explain it. She too, had her prejudices, especially against slavery. "To do what is right."

She glanced over to him, "The Jedi serve others, rather than rule over them, for the good of the galaxy. In essence, we are the guardians of the galaxy." she gave a little frown, "Does that make sense?"

A they came to a small rock enclosure, where the entrance to the large greenhouse known as the Room of a Thousand Fountains lay. The winding corridor would lead them down, deep at the base of the Jedi temple. Here would be waterfalls, huge amounts of flora, meditative areas, pottery, and stone walkways. It served as the meditative retreat for the Jedi Order. One of her favorite places in the temple actually.

"I grew up in Kuat, but I wasn't born there," she began, detailing her history, "I don't really know where I came from honestly. I'm an orphan." she said as she ambled along, "I took care of all the kids back then... the Orphanage was poor you see... and the warden...." she gave a grimace, "Well... we were hired out to work... to do things... steal things... so we could get food. If we didn't..." her voice trailed off. "... well, he wasn't too happy with us." They would get beat. Plain and simple. A simple shift of her arm, and the push back of her robe revealed the forearm that had been lined with fine scars. She gave a sheepish grin that for once, didn't reach her eyes.

"I could take it.... but the little ones... I had to protect them. " she paused, and she took a deep breath, glancing up at Hion. "That's why we fight. To protect and defend those who cannot help themselves..."

 

[Mammut]

He nodded in response to Kira. "I see. Thank you for sharing, Master Kira."

Master Kira's history saddened Hion. No one should have to live like that. There were too many beings filled with such malice in the galaxy. He knew that well enough. But why? Why did so many have to die every day? Why did most of the galaxy stand passively by and let it happen? He'd been to Nar Shaddaa. Someone could be mugged, raped, or killed in the middle of the street and no one would move a hand to help. It was sickening, truly sickening. Sad, black eyes stared down at Kira's miniscule frame as he lumbered on. Yes, she had quite the story.

Her answer gave him further insight. Jedi fought to stop such malice from ruining the galaxy. They were a powerful rock against the tide. But that worried Hion. Even the strongest rocks eroded over time. Would the Jedi too, with wave after wave of darkness? How many Sith Empires had there been? Too many. And each seemingly worse than the last. Or perhaps that was a misinformed view of things. Hion was no historian. He would have to ask Lysander one day.

Any new questions were swept away as they entered the room of a thousand fountains. The beautiful waters took Hion's breath away in a rush of air that left his spout in a great "Haruuuuum." His big, black eyes became even bigger, if that was possible. He smiled a great, toothy grin.

"Splendid," he rumbled. "Marvelously splendid. I haven't seen such beautiful waters since... since." He fell silent, lost in memory of Giju's brilliance. It was a bittersweet memory. His family forbid him to return. He was essentially exiled. One day, he would go back. He would shown them he could be trusted. Yes... one day... when he was tired of adventuring. Like that would ever happen.

He came out of his reverie quickly. It became painful quickly and Hion hated to think on painful things. "Haruum. It is even more beautiful than the descriptions............. so, Master Kira, what will my training entail?"

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member='Hion the Herglic'],


Kira stood back for a moment while Hion enjoyed the beauty that was the room of a Thousand Fountains. There was always a measure of peace here, and it was something she could respect giving a couple of moments of silence.

Finally at his question, she took a couple of steps towards him. "Your training will include a gradual development in your Force powers... as well as making the most out of your skills.... with some peace and clarity about the Code as days go by."

"Most people think 'Jedi' and peg us as a fighting force... " she gave a faint grin, "But we do far more than just fight. We have historians, scientists, explorers who go out and discover new planets and people and are ambassadors of sorts...."

Kira gave a glance up at Hion with warm curiosity, "There are many things that I can train you... but is there anything specific you wish to learn?"

 

[Mammut]

Hion's flipper rubbed his blubbery head awkwardly. He smiled nervously. She told him the Jedi were not primarily a fighting force, but then asked if there was anything specific he wanted to learn. He felt awkward, since lightsaber combat was one of the things that naturally interested him. He snorted through his spout.

"Well, Master Kira, I- haruum, oh, tides take it all!" The Herglic harrumphed, his black eyes focused intently on Kira. "There is something you ought to know. I wouldn't feel comfortable keeping it from you if you're to be my trainer. Earlier, when I said I was a merchant... I'm not. Well, I am, but not entirely. My main business for years has been mercenary work. I am not very proud of it. My fellow Herglic are a gentle kind. We don't not relish in violence. Normally. But I think I might've been cursed otherwise."

A flipper rubbed at his bared, white belly. "Lightsaber combat interests me. Given my inclinations, I'm not sure if that is... haruum... the wisest interest."

 

[Kira Talith]

@[member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""][member=""]Hion the Herglic,

That's when Kira flashed Hion a soft smile, abit taken by surprise, but by his body language, she could tell how much courage it took for him to reveal as such, "Hion... it's ok."

A hand went reaching out to comfort him, rubbing up and down one flipper. "Your past is your past, and was the road that brought you here." she gave a pause, nibbling at her lower lip, thinking, "You say you think you may have been cursed? Because you fight? ... or is it that you relish in violence?'

While he did say he was a mercenary, there were different types of jobs mercenary's could take. While yes, one could be lost in the bloodlust of fighting, it could be a different thing entirely if it was done out of protection. The context was important.

 

[Mammut]

Hion was grateful for the comforting touch. Herglic were a species with strong familial bonds. Hion's own had been severed and the pain of it still hurt him. A dull, throbbing loneliness in the absence of family. Save for Lysander, he had few friends. His bloodlusty companions in the Herglic Shocktroops had been his family, but he quailed at the thought of being bound to such beings. They were a bad influence, as his mother would say.

Blubbery forehead shifted up and down as Hion worked out his words in his head before he spoke. His voice was slow and rumbling. "Both, I think. Herglic are a peaceful species, but are also - as you might have noticed - hauum.... large." He winced. It was a sore subject among the inhabitants of Giju and her colonies. "To use our bulk in violence is a horrible thing!" His big, saucer eyes were wide and he gestured vehemently with his flippres. "I hate killing, but I believe I have been seduced by the thrill of fighting. It is horrible, I know, but it's the only thing I'm good at. I don't know what to do!" A flipper went up to grasp his head in frustration. This was a topic Hion struggled much with. The inner turmoil and contradictions ran to the core of his being.