Faction [NJO] A Jedi Once More

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Open to members of the Jedi Order

There was surprisingly little fanfare to returning to the Order.

Oh he hadn't expected a party. Too few people gave a damn about him for that. Gatz had, however, expected more of a fight to get back in. Especially considering his colorful past. But, when Valery Noble herself said you were welcome to return... well, he supposed there wasn't really any room to argue. Part of him still didn't feel like he belonged here, in the hallowed halls of the Temple on Coruscant.

That was funny. He'd spent the first nine years of his life here. It had been the first home he'd ever known. And still, he felt out of place. Like a Jedi imposter. But it was time to let that go. Valery believed in him. Briana Sal-Soren believed in him. Corazona von Ascania believed in him. Amani Serys believed in him—well, he thought she did. He wasn't as well acquainted with her. But the point was: if every Jedi he'd ever met had placed their faith in him, then why couldn't he have faith in himself?

He knew the answer of course: his past. It haunted him, still. But... Kahlil Noble had once told him to focus on the present. Gatz had dismissed his advice, at the time. He wished that he hadn't.

The Big Man was right. The only way forward, was forward.

Gatz stopped in front of the door to his small quarters, with his small suitcase of belongings at his side—nothing more than a few changes of clothes. No red jackets, as he'd long since destroyed all of those. But perhaps that was a sign—those ostentatious things had been the calling card of a scoundrel. That wasn't who he was any longer.

...He did kind of miss the warmth, though.

Drawing in a long breath, Gatz stepped through the door into his new home. There was much to do: unpack, for one. Then... well, he had fifteen years of lazying about to make up for. Thank the Force Valery had given him refresher lessons to get him up to speed. But he had much to learn. Things to get squared away. Hell, he still didn't have a single weapon to his name. He supposed constructing a lightsaber was something of a priority, but that meant obtaining a crystal and—

Ah, shit. The gathering was a youngling thing. And he was a Padawan now. He had a ship, but could he even go to Ilum? Was that even allowed? Not to mention that... no one had ever taught him how to construct one.

Twenty-five year old Padawan, and he didn't even have a lightsaber to defend himself with. Or the knowledge to construct one. Or the knowledge of anything, really.

He was going to flunk out of the Order.

 

[Rik Perris]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

Andrik Perris had never stopped being a Jedi. Not in the strictest sense.

But he had walked out, years before, a matter of silent protest that others had been a great deal more vocal about. That he was returning was a matter of conviction and conscience, not because he regretted his decision to leave, no, but because he could continue to do what he did best here: holding back, beating back the encroachment of fear, indifference, suffering... so to speak.

Governments, Orders, people made mistakes. The best learned not to repeat them. Forgive, and keep both eyes open. That was where he was at, and it was within that mental framework that he would set foot in the Coruscant Temple for the first time since his earliest days as a Jedi Knight. He had forwarded his intentions, credentials, and request to reattach himself to the Order several weeks ahead of his arrival, with the caveat that there were some things he had needed to do first: visit his family, and more besides.

He had resolved to make it official before the year was ended, though. Before Life Day, even, a sort of gift to his family that he would be a little closer at hand from now on, barring any conflict action.

He took his time with the steps, spending small spans of moments here and there turning his gaze up the height of the grand structure; the only thing that act evoked was trepidation, a small anxiety that he couldn't entirely place. Shaking his head at himself when he reached the entrance to slough off the feeling, he stepped through the doors and into the temple. Rik was met by the peaceable calm the whole structure seemed to be imbued with by default. He wasn't certain he missed it - so much of his life had become quite loud, intense. Getting used to stillness and silence again was a present struggle.

He'd been forwarded his assignment of quarters, but being able to do anything else beyond move in was pending his meeting with... well, the name escaped him, he'd been half-asleep, he'd have to check the missive he'd received, again. Which he'd need to do to find his quarters, anyway, but at the very least he found the residential wing; it wasn't difficult. But what did he see when navigating past collections of doors, having a vague sense for specifically where he was going, when he flicked a brief glance through an open door and kept going, only to suddenly backtrack and do a double take?

"Gatz?" He'd gotten the faint whiff of them being alike in this way - force sensitive - but he'd not been given the time to learn more than the man's name and a vague inkling of his disposition on Naboo, "I didn't know you were a--" no, scratch that, didn't feel right, he was here wasn't he? Rik gave his head a small shake - thinking maybe, just maybe, he might need another caf - and shifted the duffel that was slung over his shoulder a little, "--did you just get here?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Gatz Derrevar Rik Perris

Up in the Council Chambers, Valery sat inside her chair with a datapad. She was reading over recent reports, and worked tirelessly to get herself up to speed on what was happening in the Galaxy. It was a simple part of her work, but by far her least favorite. She wanted to be out there, helping people directly, or standing up against the Sith and war mongering Mandalorians. Sitting in her chair, safely at the Temple, felt like wasting time.

Even though she understood how important it was.

A distraction came in the form of a familiar presence, however. Looking up from the display, Valery's brows furrowed in thought while her senses expanded. Any Jedi within the Temple was within her scope, and now another had joined them. With a soft smile, Valery stood up and walked over to the turbolift to make her way down.

It was time to greet a new Jedi.

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko wasn't one for ceremony. He'd found his own knighting event awkward at first. Then he had been surrounded by the warmth of friends and eventually the discordant sound of the electronic dance music he loved and everyone else tolerated.

After talking to Valery about Gatz' return, Makko swung past his quarters for a flying visit. He'd met the pilot just once and it was enough to decide that he liked the man, wished him luck with his future training and wished him luck in his romantic endeavours.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt!" Makko called out, finding Gatz talking to another chiselled young man outside his new quarters.

"Training tomorrow morning. With me. Well, Valery - Master Noble - will be watching too."

Makko drew a plain chrome cylinder from his belt.

"Training saber from the stores, until you have your own," Makko explained, offering it.

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Gatz Derrevar , Valery Noble , Rik Perris , Makko Vyres

Loomi made her way down the halls of the Jedi Temple with a strange bundle in her hands. It was patchwork knitting, seemingly jut together in a random manner with no clear pattern to it's creation. A sweater. She had used the force to weave it together for a new arrival to the temple as a welcoming gift.

She hadn't expected a lot of other people to be there. Well, a lot was relative. The new guy plus Makko and some other unfamiliar face. Three people was not really a lot at all. It just felt like a lot because they were all old. Not the old kind of old, but the relative kind to her being a teen. It was a good deduction in her head, she decided, coming to the conclusion that there really wasn't that many people present at all.

"Hello Mr- I mean Makko, Sir. I mean not sir," She greeted as she walked by the young knight, fumbling over forgetting and remembering that the last time they had met he had asked her not to be formal with him. Loomi would walk up to the man with blonde hair and present the bundle with a wide smile. "Hello! I made you a thing!"

Not the best introduction, but Loomi wasn't thinking about that.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Training Saber
Tag: OPEN | Rik Perris Valery Noble Makko Vyres Loomi

"I was here a long time ago, actually," Gatz looked up from his unpacking, "I was raised in the Temple. Guess I came back full circle."

Came back to fail and slip through the cracks of the Order again. But it was better than shooting people over spice. Either way he was a failure in the end, but at least this way his failures didn't end with someone being killed. Probably. The day was still young, so who really knew what was going to happen?

"Good to see you again though." Gatz finished unpacking, and nudged his suitcase aside with his foot, "we sort of got interrupted back on Naboo, didn't we?"

Then Makko was there, handing him a training saber. Gatz blinked, but took the simple cylinder, having become very familiar with it during his time on New Cov. Gatz had wanted to check out the Healing Halls in the morning, but if this was coming down from Valery, then he really didn't have much choice in the matter, did he?

"Uh, right. I'll be there first thing in the morning."

Right. Those were two massive changes in his life: his freedom was no longer his own, and Valery was his superior, not his friend any longer. Both of those stung more than he'd expected them to. But becoming a Jedi was what he wanted more than anything. If he had to sacrifice the two good things he had left in his life... well, he'd already lost everything else. What was a little more?

And then there was a third person... and was that a Godoan with wings and mechanical legs? Godoans were known to him. He'd never seen one with wings though. She stuttered her way past Makko, and then stopped in front of him, to present him... a sweater?

For him? Gatz couldn't remember the last time anyone had gotten him a gift. It had certainly been Mom, before she died right? Valery had done a lot for him but... he wasn't sure he could remember her ever giving him a gift out of the blue like this. Not that he expected her to or anything, but gifts were often given to friends and family, and she was the closest thing to family that he had left.

It took every ounce of his willpower to prevent his eyes from watering.

"Thank you," Gatz said with a soft smile, "it looks very warm."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Gatz Derrevar | Rik Perris | Makko Vyres | Loomi | Valery Noble
​

While Gatz unpacked and interacted with those who'd arrived to greet him, a rather portly racyon trundled her way into his room. The creature was clearly someone's pet, given the pink bow around her neck and her well-groomed coat.

Without regard for privacy, and if she wasn't outright stopped, the little beast would sniff her way around Gatz's belongings until another figure came charging down the hall.

"Lula!"

Out of breath, Cora slid to a stop just outside Gatz's door. One hand on her hip, she waggled a finger at the racyon.

"Lula the Second, I've told you time and time again not to-"

The periphery filtered in. There were other people here, and Cora was admonishing a creature that seemed perfectly content to ignore her. She couldn't decide if it was better or worse that she knew most of those who'd gathered outside of Gatz's door.

"I'm so sorry…ah, Gatz." Gathering the chunky racyon into her arms, Cora regarded him with a smile. One that grew bigger in the passing seconds it took to realize that he was here, in the temple, currently moving himself into a dorm room. "I'm glad you made the decision to come back. Let me know if you need anything, yes?"

She glanced over to Makko.

"And let me know if he works you too hard."

It was a tease as much as it was serious. Cora adjusted a wriggling Lula so that the pudgy pet sat partially on her shoulder, and flashed a warm smile to Loomi, then Rik. The last time she'd spoken to Gatz, he'd been unsure about his place in the galaxy. She was glad to see that he was taking steps forward.

 

[Rik Perris]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Equipment: Lightsaber, datapad, and one heavy, full duffel bag
Tags: Gatz Derrevar • Valery Noble • Makko Vyres • Corazona von Ascania • Loomi

Rik nodded slowly, “Mm.” Gatz’s short explanation was enough for him - nor was it a wholly uncommon occurrence. His own situation ran along vaguely similar lines. “You too,” he affirmed, he’d gotten a good sense of the younger guy in their all-too-brief meeting, “yeah, guess so. But I hope that night went–”

Yet unlike his coming across Gatz by pure coincidence, others had known of the blond Nabooian’s arrival and interrupted them for what was the second time in too short a span. Also coincidence. Rik stepped back as a matter of respect, allowing room for it all. Unlike the Order’s ‘newest’ padawan, Rik held not even the slightest bit of recognition with anyone right here, beyond the former smuggler - and even then, that was as-yet slight - but he did pick up on some notes of familiarity between nearly all of them. And they all looked as young, if not younger than Gatz. Rik was the only one in the present company pushing near thirty.

[ That's... sobering. ]

When Makko’s mention of Master Noble finally burrowed past his observation of this gathering of… friends?, however, Rik all of a sudden twisted and fished a small ‘pad from his back pocket and woke the device up, navigating and scrolling as fast as he could with only a thumb.

“Yeah,” he muttered under his breath to himself with a bemused smirk, when he found the missive buried under other matter he’d left open, “alright, then.”

That woman had left him a good kind of sore on the beach, but he hadn’t gone easy on her, either. After another few moments of confirming where his quarters were with that same missive, and the room number, Rik put the datapad back to sleep and slipped it back into his pocket, then looked back to the others that had gathered around Gatz’s door.

“Any of you know where I might usually find Master Noble? I’m slated to meet with her a bit later.”

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Gatz Derrevar Rik Perris @everybody else

"Any of you know where I might usually find Master Noble? I'm slated to meet with her a bit later."

"Wherever you need her," Valery said with a slight smirk, as she approached the gathering of Jedi. She already knew that something was up — she had felt Gatz's presence, and if he was here at the Coruscant Temple, that could only mean one thing. For that reason, she didn't linger long on Rik wanting to meet with her either. She didn't want to draw attention away from Gatz, who was taking a very important step in his life today.

He was becoming a Jedi again.

"I hope I'm not intruding on anything, but I noticed a group gathering and figured I'd check it out. Anything I can do to help?" She asked with a warm smile, but it seemed that most of it was covered. The Jedi were always a helpful bunch from her experience, so finding his room, getting him his gear and-

Huh, even getting him a sweater for these colder months seemed to have been covered.

"It's good to see you here, Gatz. Welcome."

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Gatz Derrevar , Rik Perris , Valery Noble , Makko Vyres , Corazona von Ascania

So many people. Loomi would give a warm smile in response to the arrival of Cora before shifting back to the new arrival. His reaction was... interesting. The force moved around him in such a manner to indicate gratitude, surprise, and perhaps a hint of sadness. It was complex, and despite being an empath Loomi really had no clue how to decypher the things she felt.

She understood 'thank you' at the very least. The Godoan beamed with satisfaction as Gatz took the sweater.

"I'm glad you like it."

“Any of you know where I might usually find Master Noble? I’m slated to meet with her a bit later.”

"Wherever you need her,"

Loomi took a double take, absorbing the information around her. Had Master Noble... felt her name being said? Was that like a sixth sense that you could gain? It didn't really matter how silly it seemed, the Godoan's exposure to the force was limited, only being fostered in the last year or so. To her, anything was possible. That made her begin to worry if even mentioning Valery in passing conversation bothered her.

It was at that point she remembered she hadn't given her name.

"Golly," Loomi began in a flustered manner. "Sorry, I didn't give my name, or ask for yours. I'm Loomi."

Everyone here seemed to pretty much already know him. This was more for her sake than anything.

 

[Makko Vyres]

Cora arrived on a wave on embarrassment in the wake of a troublesome Racyon.

Makko - trying to appear professional for once - had his lips tightly pursed together to try to stem the laugh.

It was really rather obvious that he was struggling.

"And let me know if he works you too hard."

Makko took a breath and pushed the amusement down.

"If I get your form wrong Cora will probably be able to correct it." Makko was certain she would act as if correcting his own teachings brought her no satisfaction at all.

"To be honest with you Gatz, Valery is probably assessing how well I can teach as much as..."

"Any of you know where I might usually find Master Noble? I'm slated to meet with her a bit later."

"Wherever you need her,"

Makko stiffened and went silent. His eyes widened as he slowly turned to look at Valery.

As much as her sudden appearance - with burning wars - caught him off guard, Makko found something satisfying in the gathering around new students.

They were supported here. People really meant to look out for one another. He would never even consider going back to Denon and his old life.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Training Saber
Tag: Open | Corazona von Ascania Rik Perris Valery Noble Loomi Makko Vyres

A rodent with a silly little bow came scampering into his room. Gatz said nothing, looking down and blinking as it sniffed around his handful of belongings, presumably looking for crumbs or something else to snack on. Anywhere else in the galaxy, and Gatz might have thought this was an actual pest. But he doubted animals just found their way into the tallest building on Coruscant.

Plus it had a bow, so it obviously belonged to someone.

And then he heard the voice calling out for it, and Gatz knew exactly who this little fellow belonged to. He smiled. There were few people he liked more than Cora, even if she was a rich girl. Few people cared for their own as much as she did. And few people had gone through as much bullshit as she had. Maybe bonding over shared trauma was a weird way to make a friend, but Gatz was glad to see a friendly face regardless.

"Hi Cora. It's nice to see you again."

Then came the jab at Makko, and finally Gatz understood. He'd thought something had been a little weird about the younger man, the day they'd met. At the time, Gatz had just chalked it up to meeting a stranger. But when he reflected on it, Makko had only seemed a little off after Gatz had dropped Cora's name.

Makko was just as smitten with Cora as Gatz himself was with Lossa. He turned to his fellow former criminal with a knowing smile on his face, but said nothing.

Poor Rik kept getting interrupted or cut off. So Gatz turned to the man, and caught most of a question about the night of Briana's party. He presumed Rik was asking after Lossa, and how that had gone. Well, she hadn't left the party drunk off her ass, and she hadn't been pulled aside by any shady stranger that they didn't know (unless he counted as shady, and considering his past, he probably should). So Gatz had chalked that night up to a win, despite everything else.

"Nah, things went okay that night. I made sure Lossa crashed at Bri's place." She had been safe that night. That was all that mattered.

But then Gatz felt a comforting presence he was all too familiar with: like the warm embrace of a fire on Life Day. Honestly, he should have recognized her presence far earlier, but he had allowed himself to be distracted with all the warm welcomes he was receiving. He'd have to work on that. Feeling relaxed in the temple was fine, but what if he'd been somewhere else, and danger had been sneaking up on him?

"Hi Val." Gatz returned her smile. He didn't say anything else, but he also didn't need to. They both knew what him being here meant, knew the importance of the step he was taking, and knew that he was only here because of the impact she'd had in his life. This was a win for Valery, just as much as it was a win for him.

He was a scoundrel no longer. Now, he was Gatz Derrevar, Jedi. He'd taken that step on his own, but it wouldn't have been possible without her. Whatever he did now—whatever kind of Jedi he became from here on out—was only possible because she had been there when he needed her most. Always. What better way to convey his gratitude, than to return and finally start that journey once more?

"Golly," Loomi began in a flustered manner. "Sorry, I didn't give my name, or ask for yours. I'm Loomi."

She reminded him of those timid kids back on Naboo, the kind he had tried to look out for while also looking tough in the streets. Good kids, who just needed a bit of a confidence boost. Not unlike he had been.

"Nice to meet you Loomi," he smiled easily, "I'm Gatz. I appreciate you coming to welcome me here on my first day."

And then it struck him: the number of people who had come to do just that. Valery being here made sense. Cora too. But Makko didn't really have to go out of his way to welcome him, nor to offer to help him with his lightsaber training. He'd only ever exchanged a sentence or two with Rik before this, but here he was. And Loomi he didn't know at all, but she had show up anyways, and had even knitted him a sweater for the cold months.

He wasn't alone. For the first time in so long, he wasn't alone. And, yeah, he'd still be spending Life Day on his lonesome, and that would sting like hell... but Gatz no longer had to spend every waking moment of his life alone in a cold, empty ship.

Gatz was so shocked by that realization, that he almost missed what Makko had been saying before Valery arrived. Something about Valery assessing his ability to teach? He seemed a little nervous, which Gatz understood. Well, Valery didn't make him feel nervous, not when she was his best friend. But no one liked feeling like they were being tested.

"Don't worry about it too much. Valery has beaten me down more times than I can count," Gatz chuckled, "I mean, lightsaber combat is the skill I've caught onto the best, and she still makes me look like a toddler holding a sword. So the only one of us that's going to look foolish tomorrow is me."

At least he had a passable Soresu now, and wouldn't be relying on Shii-Cho like a youngling.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"It's good to see you too, Gatz."

The former smuggler was someone who'd left an impression on Cora. It was hard not to like the person who'd helped her recover her own sister from a pile of rubble, and it warmed her to see Makko - among others - stopping by to greet the temple's newest addition. She'd been quietly hoping that he'd return to Coruscant, but that was a decision he'd made on his own. One that she'd imagined had taken Gatz Derrevar a lot of soul-searching.

Cora's pleasant smile tightened into pursed lips at Makko's remark. He wasn't…wrong. Correcting his hypothetical lessons while acting as if it didn't bring her joy is exactly something she would've done.

"Then you'd best go over the forms yourself to ensure you teach him well."

Her tone lacked any actual malice. Everyone made mistakes, especially Cora. That was just how learning worked.

She went silent around the same time Makko Vyres did, equally caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Valery Noble . Leave it to a former Shadow to step lightly.

Cora chuckled quietly at Gatz's comment about being a lightsaber-wielding toddler. She couldn't say that she'd never felt the same, going up against the Sword of the Jedi.

“Remind me to grab you for tea sometime, Gatz.”

In her arms, Lula II wriggled towards Loomi , her little nose trying to sniff the air around the Godoan.

 

[Rik Perris]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Equipment: Lightsaber, datapad, and one heavy, full duffel bag
Tags: Gatz Derrevar • Valery Noble • Makko Vyres • Corazona von Ascania • Loomi

He'd never intended to hang around; in truth, he hadn't expected to run into a single familiar face, let alone within minutes of setting foot back into the temple after so long... but he supposed he could chalk it up to the will of the Force. Easy enough. Now, since Gatz was well in hand with the care of others, Rik could get on with his own affairs. So in a brief break in the chatter, the Corellian tank stepped over and dropped a hand on the former smuggler’s shoulder to grab his attention for just a moment.

“Hey, won't keep you, got my own stuff to take care of - let's do somethin', soon, yeah?”

With a sure pat on the other guys’ shoulder, Rik stood to his full height and pulled out his datapad to again check on some details, then looked up and landed his attention on Valery.

“Master Noble,” he spoke in a shade of a commanding tone, as if he were speaking to a squadmate, only pausing in his address long enough for the dark-haired woman to look his way, then holding up his datapad to indicate he'd received what was to be one of his orders of business after getting settled, “my debrief is with you, looks like." He slipped the 'pad back into his pocket. "I'll see you at the appointed time.”

Rik then turned to the others that had gathered to greet the Nabooian, his brows lifting in a frank manner, “Been a pleasure,” he gave, lifting his hand in a gesture of parting. With that done, he turned and walked away from the group, disappearing around a turn off into another part of the residential wing, on the way to find his own quarters. Start to get used to this collective Jedi thing, again.