Private In the Shadow of Giants

[Nir Si]

Location: NJO Temple on Coruscant
Time of Day: Afternoon
Tag: Allyson Locke
​

Nir had spent the last few months being kicked around between masters. While it was never his fault, those who seemed keen to train him quickly found themselves unable to due to other commitments.

Now, Nir once more found himself being called to meet his new master. This time though, he felt something different in the air. His first master had been part of the RTL, and seemed to get busy with that rather quickly. His second was an older master, who Nir was secretly thankful didn't last long. This time...

Locke.

A name he was already familiar with. Locke was a name anyone would be familiar with, after all. Their name was all over the electronic billboards of the endless metropolis for Coruscant's streets. He felt a little intimidated honestly. And yet, he stood in front of her door, slowly bringing himself the knock lightly on it.

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Nir Si //:

Tab, scroll, tap, tap, and scroll.​

The sounds of the datapad filled the small furnished room. It had the essentials the occupant needed, a bed, desk, and a shelving area for clothing. It looked the same as it had when Allyson stepped into it a few months ago. Forever on the go, it was a rarity that the Corellian had been even in the room.

Despite the rarity, she was here for a purpose. A knock broke the room's silence, and Allyson glanced towards the doorway. The purpose had just arrived. "Come in," she called out, but through the force beckoned the door to open, only to display her mastery over technology. Her eyes never set on the padawan as she organized the desk area. Anything that could be used against her was filed away in case the padawan was a spy for another government or, in her own paranoia, the Jedi themselves. In this day and age, the SIA and the Jedi were two separate entities. No longer were the Jedi enrolled under the Alliance's military, no longer did the Shadows command in the SIA, and no longer was Allyson Locke considered an agent.

An odd feeling for sure, but she would adjust like she always did. Answering the grandmaster was a strange feeling but one she would have to get used to. At least the grandmaster, or the one in charge, was a fellow shadow and one person the Corellian trusted.

A hand adjusted the leather patch over her left eye. The cybernetic within hummed lightly before going dormant for the time being. A hand rested on the back of her desk chair, adjusting it to be in view, an old leather 'Rogue Squadron' jacket hung on its backside. Stepping out from behind the chair, the lighting reflected off the blood red piping on the side of her pants, indicating her Corellian heritage and the woman's prestige. Finally, finding a place on the corner of her desk, she addressed the Cathar Padawan.

"Nir Si, correct?" Allyson asked as she finally looked in his direction. A Cathar, interesting, she thought quietly. Seeing other species finding their way to the order and the Alliance was refreshing. It only meant that the sacrifices made in what felt like a previous life were worth it. However, something struck her as odd, and a certain Zeltron was remembered. Her brow furrowed while pushing the memories aside. Another life.

"I'm your third master, according to your files. Why is that?" She knew what was happening; as usual, the older generation seemed to refuse or struggle to teach the young. Allyson was no better, having been the generation before the current leadership. At least she was trying this time; hopefully, time would be kinder to her.

"Don't be shy; please come in and take a seat. I'd like to get to know you before I throw you into the Sarlacc pits." She chuckled at her joke but hoped it didn't frighten him too much.

 

[Nir Si]

The boy took a seat, looking a little than a bit skeptical about all this. As she said, he'd been through this before. He adjusted his leather jacket over his standard issue padawan robes, frowning slightly. "No one seems to want to give me the time I need." He answered honestly. "My first master was with the Rimwards, she dipped pretty quick. Second was with you guys, and he seemed more focused on his own stuff...and now I'm here. Just trying to make it as a jedi, like my family before me. Grandpa was a jedi, his mom was, goes all the way back to the days of the Republic. The...first one, I mean." He let out a small cough, trying to keep his cool. "What'dya wanna know? Came from Cathar, got a band, trying to keep that going while I train by myself."

Tag: Allyson Locke

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Nir Si //:

Allyson listened and mentally made notes. Nothing on her face showed her annoyance at his answers. Above all else, someone needed to do something because they wanted to - not because it's what they should do. Allyson remained quiet as Nir finished; folding her arms across her chest, she exhaled.

"Sounds like you got a lot going on." She started, despite wanting to cut deep with her words. "The first two didn't have the time you needed? Sounds more like you have no idea what you want or need" Looking at him, she shook her head. "You're not here for the right reasons, feth; you didn't even give me a reason for what you wanted. You gave me the good ol 'cuz it's my family thing'"

She pushed off from where she was leaning and shrugged. "Sounds like you'd rather play in your band than be a Jedi. Those masters gave you an out, a chance to do what you want." She paused, letting the words sink in so he could mull over them. "Nir, tell me what you want to do. If you want to be a Jedi - why do you want to be a Jedi? Kark your family and all the Jedi before you. I couldn't care less. They're not the ones that are going to be on the battlefield with me watching my ass." Her finger pointed hard on the desk in front of him as she looked him in the eye.

"You are. You're covering my ass, and I'm covering yours. I'm going to be the one to train you and make sure you stay alive. I can't have someone half caring or have their heart somewhere else. Because when that happens." She stepped away from the desk, "People die." There was something heavy about how she said the last couple of words. A sense of experience and exasperation.

"So, why are you here? Because Grandpa was a Jedi, you have some ill-conceived notion of how to honor his sacrifice?" Another pause, another moment to let everything hit the padawan. She doubted this was what he expected when meeting the Corellian. Allyson couldn't allow another Padawan to become a cog in the grinding wheel of the wars. There wouldn't be another Zaavik; she swore on her life.

"Sounds stupid, in my opinion."

 

[Nir Si]

Nir was a bit taken aback by the sudden crude response. To be a jedi, that was part of his culture. An expectation of being a Cathar force sensitive.

But the question still stood. Why did he want to do it?

"It's...the right thing to do, ya know?" He offered. "Going out, using your gifts for the sake of others. That's what I thought being a jedi was. Can I...not have a band too?" He was scared of that answer. He couldn't give up his music. That was something he was really passionate about, just as much as he was being a jedi...

Allyson Locke

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Nir Si //:

Allyson blinked, slightly baffled at his answer. Again, he gave her a response that only showed he was doing it because someone else told him to do it. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to understand his thought process and how he drew this conclusion. It didn't make sense; his thoughts just focused on him losing his band and being a Jedi. Turning, she grabbed the tablet again and looked through his file - he was considered competent by most of the parameters.

"Okay." She put the tablet down and looked at him. It seems he didn't fully hear or understand her. "You can be a Jedi and have your band. I'm not going to stop you. I'm a part-time alcoholic." She waved her hands, trying to look funny and lighten the mood she created. "I'm still a Jedi." Allyson grabbed her chair and sat across from him. Her face buried into her hands as she tried to figure out how to get her point across to him. The last thing she wanted to do was bring someone who didn't even like this life. Memories of a young boy filled her mind. He held his stomach, trying to hold everything in as she continued to scream for a healer.

I didn't want this; I wanted to be a Chef; I wanted to open a restaurant and feed people who couldn't feed themselves. ​

His voice echoed in her mind as she calmed herself. "I want to know why, at your core, you want to do this." Allyson looked at him again. "Doing this kind of work, living this kind of life, and knowing that you might not get to have everything you want because this life doesn't mean you're going to live to see your grandkids grow up." She leaned back in her chair and shrugged. "I just want to know that you want to do it, not because that's what you're supposed to do culturally or that you're doing it because your family expects you to. I want to know that you want to do it because you want to do it. That this is a dream of yours."

Maybe she needed to share something with him, hoping it would help him find his answer. "I became a Jedi to protect the person I love. The Jedi offered me a place to feel like I have a home, so I wanted to protect that, too. Becoming what I am today was my choice; it's hard, and I've stared at death more times than I'd like to admit." She wanted to share further, letting him see her true meaning, but she kept it surface-level.

"I'm a Jedi, specifically a Jedi Shadow because I want to be because, at my core, this is what I believe I was meant to do. Not because someone told me to, not because people in my family are or that's expected. I do it because I want to."

Allyson gave the boy a small smile, "So you don't have to answer me now, but I want an answer before you become a knight. I just want you to do what you want and not be a slave to expectations. You'll learn quickly, kid, I don't play by the rules of the Order." She stood up and slapped the desk, "We're going to have fun, wanna learn how to turn invisible?"

 

[Nir Si]

"...in...visible? Is that something jedi can do? All I'm good for is telekinesis and uh..." He paused, holding out a hand. Suddenly, in a flash of light, a saber appeared in his hand, unignited. "Summoning stuff. Stuff that's mine, like...specifically mine. I can summon anything that I can claim is...mine, ya know?"

Why did he want to be a jedi? That was a big question. It was always pitched to him as...the right thing to do. He liked being a good person. He liked being a jedi. But he couldn't tell his new master why. That was beyond him. But he had time to find that out. He was still young.

Allyson Locke