Liberation

[Josh Dragovalor]

He let Dusaro process it for himself, knowing it was quite a bit to take in. Though he smirked at his comment, nodding in turn. "Overqualified in some ways... In others, not near qualified enough" He would respond. "And what exactly would it explain, Dusaro Draco, Merc For Hire?" He would crack in turn as the ship's doors would close behind them. "A Jedi's rank is simply a label... I was chosen to be Grandmaster because I was what the Jedi Order needed at the time, and what the Jedi wanted. They wanted a leader who was compassionate, who understood the Jedi Way and could be the leader that they needed. I'd singlehandedly saved the Republic from it's demise, and the Jedi Order by extension. That was the leader they wanted. That was the leader they needed. And so they chose me."

He let out a sigh and shook his head once they had sat down. "But once their wants changed... I was no longer wanted. They had me impeached because they no longer wanted a compassionate leader. They wanted one who could lead with a heart of iron the way that the Sith did. They wanted a warmonger, who could fight a war. I was not a man who could fight a war. I was not a man who could be merciless or conniving or hit the Sith with the same traits that they showed. So I was replaced. The Order had changed, and I was no longer wanted. So I left. The Republic had corrupted their tenants far more then I could stand after years of loyalty despite it. So I left, and I never looked back. I made it clear that until they got their chit straight, I would do MY job, the RIGHT way" Josh spoke, with a rare passion in his voice as he reflected back on the Order he loved so much, that had turned around and stabbed him in the back.

"The Order I am in now... It is the Order I was in, and yet it is not. It's the Order I spent my years in, yes... But it is no longer of the Republic. The Republic now has it's Knights, their force wielding army that they tried to turn us into. As for me... The Order I serve now has their chit straight. They did that, and I kept my promise. That will be the Order I would take you to, should you be of Force sensitivity and wish to join. It is there that alongside me and others who think like me, who want to help people, perhaps... You will be able to make a difference in this galaxy. It's not grand... But someone has to do it when nobody else will. That is the mantle you may take up" He spoke. "And if you do not... Well, the Force not being within you doesn't mean you can't do your part in this galaxy. I'm sure you'll find your way, and I'll be here to help, whether as friend or co-worker depending on your path."

He took a breath, and closed his eyes. "Close your eyes. Stay completely still, and drive all thoughts out of your mind. Try to feel the living Force... If you are sensitive, you will sense it. Faint for now, but with training you will find it comes naturally. If you can find it... Then I will be able to sense it in you. And there... We will have your answer."

[member="Dusaro"]

(I'm going to leave it to you whether he is Force Sensitive or not. This is your story, after all. If Dusaro is Force Sensitive, then Joshua will offer for him to join the Jedi Order and even offer to train him himself, as his Master. If he is not, then where that goes is up to you. Either way, the choice is yours)

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

"Well you see, Joshua Dragonsflame, Jedi Master and freer of slaves, it explains the way you handled Slavers like that and the mystical dissapearing act, as well as the healing. Probably. Most likely. Or going by what you said, maybe not." Dusaro returned with equal amounts of snark and humor, but after that he stayed silent and listend to Josh. He was honestly suprised, to be frank, and his expressive face showed it. He was quite the expressive person when he wasn't holding that back like normal. Dusaro had no idea the Jedi Order had went through such a... War mongering period. Maybe that was because he had stopped ever reading into details on the war reports he looked through, or never read between the right lines to notice it. But regardless, this seemingly large shift Joshua mentioned, he had never even noticed.

So after such a major shift and indeed backstabbing as it seemed from Joshuas phrasing and the fact that he literally called it that, Dusaro was a bit suprised he came back even after they straightend themselves out. Or rather, he was suprised they had indeed and truely gotten themselves back into order enough that he was okay with returning. Not that he knew enough about the situation to comment one way or the other, so he kept his mouth shut and simply nodded and took it all in. Dusaro let everything Joshua said stew in the back of his mind for the moment, not thinking too heavily on it and just letting it slowly sink in while he listened to the explination on what to do.

From the start, this wasn't what had been done before. That had been a blood test from what he recalled, they hadn't done anything like this. "Alright... Let's do this thing then. I ain't got much of an idea what i am doing, but it will get my best shot." He said, closing his eyes. Staying completly still was something he could do fine enough, and after shifting his postion ever so slightly he kept himself stock still. As for clearing his mind, that was a taller oder. He didn't tend to think on anything directly, but his mind was very active and took in quite a lot of details subconciously, and trying to calm those down enough to reach that kind of inner calm was more difficult then he thought it would be. He tried to think back on if he had ever had that kind of mental calm before in his life, and a memory came to mind. Dusaro made quite the intresting looking face of thought, before going back to a blank look as he tried to recall that feeling of joy and restful, thoughtless peace. It took a minute to call back again, it had been a long time since he had thought back on it.

Dusaro wasn't sure exactly how much time passed as he kept on building up that resful and calm sensation inside his usually active mind. His usual suprisingly emotionally charged mind slowly started to wind down and even out, something akin to how ripples in a glass of water slowly flaten and fade away into nothing. After the 'waters' of his mind rested still, he could feel, something. He wasn't sure what it was. It was something like a hot heat, but not. A feeling that he didn't really know how to put into words, but he felt and 'sensed' never the less. It was faint but clearly there.

Pulling this off actually took him a few minutes to do, and when he tried to focus his mind on it, the feeling grew for a moment before starting to fade as his own concentration waverd and fell. Dusaro got the feeling that he could still feel it though, like how a persons body is still pleasently warm after just coming in from sunbathing outside. That kind of feeling. His face changed from a blank one to a look of mild awe and suprised. "That... Not sure what, or how, to put that into words." He didn't know what to say about that, so he just said he had no idea what to say. He had a weak feeling in the force, as one would expect, but it was there. "So... How did that come out?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. He had to really restrain his instincts to do that. Normally he was a person who flew by his feelings and didn't give too much thought to what he did beyond five seconds. That showed in how he felt in the force, if Joshua was paying attention to that as well. His personality was much like that of a high performance engine that was just waiting to have the acceleration kicked down, and that gave him a slightly 'dark' feeling. Not evil or bad, just emotionally charged. It wasn't a major thing, but it was something that Joshua might feel.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

(As you probably guessed from my post, force sensitive he is indeed and i hope you get what i meant about him feeling 'dark but not evil'. It's something i have a fun time putting into words and i find can be difficult to get across right, but all i mean by it in the end is that he is a really emotional guy. And i am completly alright with the direction things are going right now and how they have more or less happend all on their own organically, so feel free to offer away, i am enjoying this direction of things .)

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The warmongering period had begun with Grandmaster Selena Halcyon, Joshua's predecessor. Her ideals were... Well, less then ideal for a Jedi Order. The Republic was at war. And she had pulled strings to make sure she was at the Jedi's forefront to ensure that the Jedi would be capable of going to war with them. And that was what they did. The Jedi went to war. Selena and the Republic's influence had changed the Jedi far beyond recognition. They were soldiers. Cutting the opposing soldiers down because the Republic told them to. If the Republic told them to jump, Selena Halcyon and her Jedi damn well said how high. Soldiers... Servants... Slaves, you could even call them. And when the war seemed to be over, Josh's worst nightmares began to come true... The Republic and it's Jedi became the aggressors. They became the ones to launch invasions on other planets unprovoked. Josh had been on that invasion force, but like many other Jedi, pulled out early; disheartened about what they had become. The invasion had been called for by Halcyon herself... Something that disgusted many of the Jedi. And then she abandoned them when the Fringe and the allies it had amassed threatened to destroy the Republic entirely for what had happened. The Chancellor was doing nothing but making immature and snide remarks, and the Jedi and Republic threatened to be destroyed. And then Josh stopped in.

He remembered calling the meeting. He remembered singlehandedly making the negotiations against all odds, with the Chancellor still making snide comments from behind him, trying to make his job harder. Trying to instigate all out war. But he'd done it. The Republic was safe, saved from it's inevitable fate for a few more years. The Jedi elected him Grandmaster, and it was time to return the Jedi to the way it was.

Long story short... Selena's warmonger influence reached too far. No longer was it the Order he grew up in, and he wasn't Grandmaster long before he was forced out for abiding by the tenants of old pre-Selena. This Jedi he was in now... It remembered these old tenants, and hoped to finally reach the dream that Josh had held since Selena had taken over. The dream he had tried to reach when he was at the helm himself before being betrayed. Now... All he could do was continue to recruit, to find more Jedi who would share this dream and bring the Jedi back to prominence. The Jedi could not defeat the Sith by being just like them... And that was why now, they failed.

He would relax himself, as he allowed himself to reach out into the Force. Trying to find it in Dusaro... And then... There it was. A flicker. Faint, but there... And yet it held emotion, anger but not evil... Something that could be tempered. He was emotionally charged... The older recruits always were. A lifetime of the norm would do that.

And finally, as Dusaro would speak, he opened his eyes, and he would smile.

"You pass" He spoke quietly as he would get to his feet. "Dusaro... You are Force Sensitive. So I'll ask this here and now... This is a choice you knew was coming, deep down... The Force has called you to this moment. Now the question is... Will you embrace that call? Will you join the Jedi Order, and train to become a Jedi?" He would ask.

"As for your training... It would be my honor to train you myself."


(And so it shall be)

[member="Dusaro"]

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

The reason Dusaro missed all of this was actually quite simple. He just didn't read into who started what war or battle outside of the Sith. Generally as a Merc who was payed to be there, as long as he wasnt siding with a Sith or an ally of the Sith, or a certain few other notorious groups who liked to default on payment, he didn't overly care. Not as long as they didn't try to get him to do something he didn't like or was personally against, like he had said before to Joshua when they first met. Bearing this revelation in mind, Dusaro made a mental point to read up on the news in more detail from now on besides just what he got from merc net.

It was probably a bit ironic that Dusaro was less of a warmonger then the paticular set of Jedi Joshua seemed to be thinking about. He preferred to be on the defending side of conflicts, and not just for tactical reasons. That was another train of thought entirely however.

Dusaro on the other hand, didn't have much in the way of dreams to speak of. Oh sure he had a few, but nothing major like trying to change the Jedi. Though it wouldn't exactly be considerd a dream, he wanted to fight a certain Sith. That was probably the closest thing to a dream he had, ignoring a few smaller things he wished for.

When he was told he was a force sensitve, Dusaro was some how... Not suprised. Maybe it was indeed like he had said and somewhere deep down he knew, and so when they had met before he was propelled to this moment, or something along those lines. But he was a guy who tended to listen to his instincts, so maybe it was something like that. And maybe that is why he didn't have to think about his awnser as he stood up a moment after Josh did.

"Yeah, i will accept. Both offers. Just keep in mind i don't take things too seriously." He said, adding the last part with a joking smirk. "Though i get the feeling it will be a bit of a culture shock, both ways." Dusaro said, thinking about how he would probably look to a Jedi who didn't know him. His looks went along with the experinced Mercenary he was, and he had his share of battle scars, and was even missing his right arm up to his elbow. He 'sensed' intresting situations in his future.

"So, what happens now?" He asked with a curiously raised eyebrow.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh had been at this since he was five years old. Wanting the Jedi back to the way he remembered as a dream was a given. But as a Jedi, Dusaro would definitely need to try to be in the know. It'd effect how he handled his job, for sure. Josh could get away with being out of the loop while he was away from the Order and in his self-imposed exile, but once he had started to go after slave camps, he needed to be in the know. He needed to know what was going on, where these camps were, and how many were in them.

He waited calmly for Dusaro's answer, and would smile in return. "It won't be easy" He spoke bluntly, his tone growing serious for a moment. "But you knew that already."

Josh would dust himself off and look over at Dusaro.

"We need to get you registered, so you'll be coming with me..."

"Padawan."

[member="Dusaro"]

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

It would affect Dusaro's work indeed, and then some. Naturally it would, considering what the Jedi were tasked with doing. Though Dusaro doubtlessly didn't know all the nitty gritty details, he knew at the least he would have to catch up with things like that and stay caught up. Though he knew quite a few people across the galaxy since he travelled a good bit, so between them and what one could find on the average holo news flash, it wouldn't be too difficult to get properly caught up and in the know. At least that is what he hoped.

"Yeah, i figured. But i haven't done anything that was paticularly easy in my life. It may gimme a fun time, but i will manage." He said with a reasonably serious tone.

"Alright... Master, would it be?" He asked. Maybe it was just him being self concious, but the Padawan/Master titling seemed a bit awkward to him. The Master part in paticular felt a bit surreal, but no matter he thought.

"So it is a suprisingly easy breezey thing to do then, joining with the backing of a Master?" He asked, as all Joshua mentioned was just 'registering'. He would say that wasn't what he expected, but really he had no idea what to expect, so he didnt say anything at all on it besides tossing out the question.

Though as his train of thought went down that line of thinking, he ended up thinking about how he would fit into a Jedi Temple... Some how, some way, the image of him being in there was a suprisingly surreal thought. It was probably the vibro sword, the guns and the grenades that made it so surreal. Yeah, definatly those. Dusaro could only expect a culture shock was coming.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Trust me... Jedi training will be one of the hardest things one can undertake... Especially as an adult" Josh would warn as he took a deep breath to relax and steady himself. "Temptations, emotions that run high, things that were the norm in your everyday life as an adult now need to be tempered, and changed... As they will only inhibit your ability to use the Force and to act as a Jedi should. Rulings and guidelines aren't as strict as they once were... I'm a grand example of that. But your life truly will change forever... I can guarantee you of that" Josh would add as he would watch Dusaro's body language and facial expressions closely, to gauge his reactions on the matter.

Though to his question, he would smirk faintly. "I already tested you, registering you should be easy" He would remark. "They'll take the word of a member of the Jedi Council for it, I'm sure. Especially if I plan to teach you myself" He would add. "Exis Station is where we'll be going, to get you all registered up and begin your training. Are you ready to go? I'm guessing you'll be flanking my ship with your own, then?"

[member="Dusaro"]

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

"Hmmm... I get that, but, how do i put it..." Dusaro said, rubbing his head and taking a bit of a thoughtful pose, actually thinking in depth on this one. "I get all that and what you are saying. I 'unno how much it will be diffrent, im not there yet, but im not good at thinking about that kind of thing and planning for it. I always had my lessons pounded into my body and soul quite passionatly, since according to a certain pair of people, i was too dense for anything less." He said, letting a slight smile cross his lips before he continued speaking. "What i am trying to say is, i will screw up. But if nothing else i have hard work pounded into me." Dusaro said, with a reasonable amount of confidence and a nod. His bodies mannerismsin mimiced his words. A tad awkward, but sure of what he thought, and honest. He was a very expressive person, both in how outspoken he was, and in how his body kept up with those verbal expressions.

Dusaro nodded at his response. "Aighty, nice and simple indeed then. I will need the co-ordinates for Exis station, pretty sure i do not have them, and yeah i have a ship of my own i can follow you in. Its a YV-929 Armored Freighter, ID YV-66701 with the call sign 'Far Kin'. Not that you are going to see another YV type freighter flying around, but there ya go. Anything else i need to keep in mind or do before i head back to my ship?" He asked, and assuming there was nothing major he needed to do, Dusaro would head over quickly through the starport to his ship so he could head up and out with Joshua.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Well I doubt you'll have anything literally beaten into you, but learning all that you need to learn, especially as an adult, is going to be a serious pain in the arse" Josh would respond with a casual shrug. "Every Jedi screws up in training, it's part of the training. You'll be fine if you keep at it. It's just going to take a lot of time, a lot of effort, and by god... A lot of patience. Did I say just how much patience it would require?" He would inquire, raising a brow. "A lot of patience, that's what. Patience, patience, patience. Patience is a Jedi virtue and it's a vital asset. Trust me, you'll need to learn it, love it and live it, or you're doomed. And when I say doomed, I mean doomed as in you're inevitably going to cut your own head off with your own lightsaber, and nobody wants that."

He nodded as he handed him the coordinates. "These are given to nobody. We clear? We're kind of tired of people breaking down our doors and killing children" He cracked, letting out a sigh as he would head to the cockpit and set the coordinates for Exis Station. "Once you're there, you might not be leaving for a bit, so if you've got anything to take care of, you'd best split off from me and go take care of that before you head to Exis."

(Think we can just about wrap this up and do a new thread)

[member="Dusaro"]

 

[Dusaro Dresari]

Dusaro would cock an eyebrow when he mentioned paitence. And then patience. And then more paitence. In fact Joshua mentioned it enough times that Dusaro nearly made a comment about 'would it require as much paitence as it took to listen to that?', but he refrained from that one. Paitence to wield a lightsaber though, huh? The hardest weapon he had trained with in his life had been a vibro-double blade. That was hard enough to get a handle on, and from what he heard lightsaber blades were typically weightless. "...Never has the paralell between figurativly and literally 'loosing your head' been more true." He said with a wry look.

Dusaro nodded to what Joshua said. "Aye. They won't be shared. As for things to take care of..." He cocked his head a bit in thought. "Nah. Got nothing like that. I can head straight there." Dusaro said before heading out.

(Agreed, you startin the next thread aye?)

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]