Not a Guardian Anymore

[Varien Moxla]

Restless, rebellious, crass.

Those were only a few things that could describe the pacing Kiffar Padawan. He was on Sullust. Only a few days ago he had requested to join the New Jedi Order, and already being admitted within the ranks of the Order, he was already summoned to Sullust to accept the one that had chosen him as a Master. Naturally, he was cautious. He wasn't summoned to places often. Of course, he had never been summoned anymore, especially in recent times. Only a few weeks ago he had been a slave on Togoria along with many other Togorians.

It was all because of the Galactic Alliance that he had been saved. Had they not attacked Coruscant and had drawn off reinforcements from the One Sith claimed world, then he wouldn't have been able to quickly plan his escape with as many of his enslaved comrades as possible.

Stepping back and forth, he looked more like a spacer or even a smuggler than a newly made Jedi Padawan. There wasn't a chance he was going to wear robes. Slap him in some Trooper armour and he'd be happy, but if he was going to be wearing what he dried himself with after exiting the refresher...

Not a chance.

He was in some great hallway he realized as he walked back and forth. On his upper thigh, his trusty heavy blaster pistol and he placed a hand on the handle.

Twisting and moving in the spacious corridor, he was surprisingly fast andd graceful for someone of his size and build.

Spinning in a semi circle he withdrew the blaster pistol from the holster and pointed it at a pillar nearby, his finger almost suffocating the trigger and firing a shot. Thankfully...

He didn't.

[member="Aaron Elkar"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"Please do not destroy the Temple," Aaron said, having appeared behind the Padawan. "Those pillars are valuable."

He was back from a mission, a little bit tired and in need of a rest, but there was no time for that. It was the day he was supposed to meet his new Padawan, and as it turned out, he'd already found him. Looked more like a soldier than a Jedi, but that same thing could have been said about Aaron himself, so he decided not to comment it.

His quite monotonous yet harsh low voice was not tired that day, but didn't make him feel less cruel. He was a former soldier, expecting discipline and order from those he trained. And as it turned out, he was almost always the one whom the least disciplined Padawans were handed to.

"A blaster is a good weapon on the battlefield," he said, after which his eyes moved to the weapon, "but not as good as a lightsaber."

He saw the Padawan didn't have a lightsaber, at least not with him at that moment. Guess he would have to send him off to grab a crystal some time. Of course not in the first few days, but some time soon. How the hell would he train him if he didn't have the most important weapon.

"You are Varien?" the Master asked. "If so, then I am your Master Elkar. Call me Aaron if you want to."

[ [member="Varien Moxla"] ]

 

[Varien Moxla]

The blaster pistol didn't release a bolt. Surprisingly because his finger almost crushed that trigger after tracking around to the person that had come up behind him. Of course, there had been a few moments where he had his gun pointed in the man's face and seeing as how he wasn't dead or on the ground yet, he released the blaster from his main grip and spun it on his trigger finger before slipping it back into the empty holster expertly. He may not have been the best shot, (but he'd claim he was) he was good at the tricks.

Responding in his own deep voice, he puffed out his chest, arrogantly no less as he said, "You're right, but I use what I know on the battlefield." Not that he had actually been on one. Well, he had been, but not one that was actively fielding two sides that could put up a fight. He had on the other hand incited numerous revolts and riots against those that detained him, and that had resulted in a lot of burnt fur in the form of Togorians turned to ash.

"Varien of Clan Moxla indeed," he says. The ebony tattoos on the side of his face were evident as they curved past the left side of his face, onto his neck and then curving around into the nape to angle all the way down his back. It wasn't entirely apart of the clan tattoo... But that was besides the point.

"Think I've had my fill of 'Master this' and 'Master that,'" he said. His face darkened at that for quite a while. "Suppose it's good to meet you and all that."

[member="Aaron Elkar"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Aaron couldn't remember what culture had such tattoos on their faces. There could have been several options as well, so he didn't bother to think much about it. The species barely mattered to him. What really was important was one's potential and their battle prowess. This one seemed to have both of these, but the Master sensed no discipline.

Oh well. He should have expected that.

"We call each other by first names, then," the man said. This dude really was quite large. Larger than him, he had to admit. Although at that moment, his own battle armour that he had worn on the mission and was still wearing didn't let the Padawan see more than just his Master's face.

"Do you have a ship? Because obviously you do not have a lightsaber or anything else important, really, so you must have something."

He was the person who would make sarcastic comments and joke around to make a person more obedient, not using pure Force or Mind Tricks. He was a simple man, after all. A simple man with a blind right eye and a lot of battle experience.

Whether the Padawan had a ship or not, it didn't matter. If he didn't, Aaron would just use his own vessel for what was coming.

[ [member="Varien Moxla"] ]

 

[Varien Moxla]

At least he wasn't required to call him Master. That wouldn't have worked out for either of them. It almost appeared that he had lucked out for once in his life.

"Good." He answered shortly after. May as well be vocal if his Master was going to be so cool about it!

"Sort of.. Uh, no." There had been a ship. The Sith ship he had stolen to get him and his friends out of the labour camp, but that had been ditched on Kiffu once he was back in Alliance Space.

"Definitely a no."

[member="Aaron Elkar"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"Well, good," Aaron said. He took one more look at the boy before turning around and starting to march away.

"Grab your things. In two minutes, I want you to be in the starport with your equipment. We are going to leave," he said. He didn't believe in wasting any time with training. If the Padawan really wanted to get good at what he was doing, he would have to train. And getting a student to do that was sometimes the most difficult thing in the universe. The Master had faith in himself, but he knew patience was required.

He assumed Varien would be curious about where they were going or what they were going to do, so he thought he would add another little twist to the whole situation.

"Take what you feel like we will need. Use the Force," he said as he walked far away so that the Padawan would no longer see him. The little trip they were going to was nothing too violent or extreme. Instead, Aaron decided it would be very good to leave the Temple and go for a little peaceful training on one of the more beautiful planets. Connection to the Force was the best near nature, he thought, so that is where they were headed.

To meditate or to practice, he didn't know yet. But there would be no serious fighting.

[ [member="Varien Moxla"] ]

 

[Varien Moxla]

"Two minutes? I'll get there when I get there!" He called over his shoulder as he strolled off back to his quarters to get the rest of his gear. It wasn't much. There was a kendo stick for him to practice his lightsabre training with, an extra heavy blaster pistol within it's holster underneath one of his pillows. Or was it in the dresser? Either way, it wasn't much. Suppose he could also bring extra clothes. Better than living in the same clothes. He knew what that felt like, and with only one look at his Master it was obvious that guy knew about that feel too.

That comment about using the Force?

He didn't get it, but that didn't stop him from showing up at the Starport fifteen minutes later. Punctual? Not when it wasn't important, and with that inch that he had been given by not needing to call him Master, he had taken a mile for himself. Unfortunate for someone, but he certainly didn't see himself as the one who was unlucky.

Mostly his fault for giving me so little time.

He unslung his pack, the single kendo stick sticking out from the top and just over his shoulder, both heavy blaster pistols on his thighs at the ready.

[member="Aaron Elkar"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Aaron was not amused.

"When I said 'grab your things', I did not mean 'pack your bags, we're going on a beach holiday'," the man said. Varien had turned up to the spaceport late. He didn't care how late the boy was because he was late nonetheless. Some times these things were crucial, both for the discipline of an upcoming Jedi and for the success of a mission.

The Master didn't actually look at what the Padawan had taken with him. If he had sensed what he would need, then everything was alright. If not, he would just have to deal with it. Aaron wanted the boy to really start to understand what he was doing, not just tell him what he needed to do. Independence was a virtue. A virtue that all Knights needed. And the man could tell his kid would not get promoted unless he managed to find that virtue.

"We've got a long ship travel ahead now. You better listen to what I say during that because I will not repeat myself," he said as he gestured Varien to follow him to the ship. He would have to have a serious conversation with this one during the flight. About the importance of precision. Because honestly, had they had to go for a top priority mission, things would have been really bad.

It was Aaron who would have suffered the consequences, so he was thankful they weren't off to a crazy mission but were going to a training instead.

He was in no mood of playing around and making jokes at that moment, which was unfortunate for the Padawan. Aaron would never hurt his students, but he knew he would not hold his mouth shut when they messed up big time.

[ [member="Varien Moxla"] ]

 

[Varien Moxla]

"You should be clear on that sort of thing, y'know," he responded drily. Drained was he of the energy that would've otherwise powered him through this presumably boring journey on the ship. Besides, it was the essentials. The pack wasn't even full. He said two minutes didn't he? So he took the first bag and threw an extra short and other clothes in there along with the kendo stick. Basically nothing.

Guess who wasn't getting a spare shirt if he needed it?

After being berated, he just huffed and shrugged his shoulders.

​

No better time to push limits, huh?

"Hope it's meaningful then." He followed him onto the ship since there wasn't much else for him to do... And mostly because it was likely expected of him. One part of him wanted to just turn and piss right off, but he had 'packed' all of those things. Now that would be wasting time. Climbing up onto the ship, as soon as it was possible for him to take a seat on the ship, he did.

[member="Aaron Elkar"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Oh how Aaron hated new Padawans who were so full of themselves and thought they had the right to stand against a Jedi Master. He should have never decided to start calling each other by first names - it tore down the wall of authority - but he had to admit he did not like being the formal type of a Master. He didn't have anything against them, but he did not want to be one of these himself.

He had to be really patient with this student. It would be a long rough journey, but he would never give up. After all, he had the whole Order and the independent Force users of the Alliance to back him when things got really bad. And that would most likely never happen.

He took his seat in the cockpit of the ship, not bothering to ask for Varien to sit on the other seat. There were other seats in the back of the small ship, so he would manage to talk to him nonetheless.

The ship was ready to take off when he would finally start talking, though.

"It is unfortunate when a person can use the Force, but they decide not to do that for whatever reason," he said. "I don't quite grasp the concept of this way of action."

He wouldn't shout or anything. As well as being too tired, he didn't really feel like shouting yet.

"It is also very unfortunate when a person dies because of a person being late to deployment. You know, maybe a Master would take his Padawan to a mission of saving somebody from the hands of the Sith, but they would not get there in time because a defender of the innocent decided to pack an additional set of clothes with him."

All of his own stuff was on the ship -- he never brought them out of there.

"Not always does a person have the time to know where they are going before they have to go. A Jedi must always be ready."

He was really talking a lot about the Jedi, even though he himself wasn't one. He just secretly hoped the boy would be good enough for the Order one day.

[ [member="Varien Moxla"] ]

 

[Varien Moxla]

After he had taken a seat, the ship was already lifting off of the ground and his not-Master Master had begun talking. The first comment earned a shrug from the young Kiffar as he leaned back into the chair. There were many reasons why he wouldn't use the Force. Sure it was great to use to help urge things to go faster, but if one were to lose connection to the Force whether temporarily or permanently, they'd be lost without it.

Varien Moxla did not have that on his schedule.

"It's a waste to use it that much."

But once he was comfortable, he raised an arm and put it through the motions as if it were travelling across the water, simultaneously, he spoke. "You wouldn't take your fresh Learner into the middle of a battlefield," he said. "I knew you wouldn't, so I took to it as I would other things." His arm continued the motions before settling across his lap. "Slowly," he finished. "Only person that needs saving right now is me -- From this lecture." He exhaled, huffing and puffing and blowing his house down.

"I know what to do in the moment," he explained. "I told you I was going to get there when I got there."

Though what Aaron was saying did make sense. How would he want his own Padawan Learner to act? Certainly not he himself was acting. Regardless of either of their wants, Varien didn't think of the future or the past. He lived in the moment and living in the moment meant doing things the way you felt like doing them.

[member="Aaron Elkar"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"That mentality is going to get you either killed or expelled from the Order," Aaron commented, deciding it was the best to just let things be and not continue arguing. He could have kept on pointing out the flaws in the way Varien thought, but he would have just wasted useful time. The boy would learn over time, he was sure of it. They always did, no matter how resistant they were in the beginning.

He sighed as he entered hyperspace and understood they would have some time to spend. He could have just ignored the Padawan for the rest of the journey, but that would have done no good for the two's relationship. He had to make contact with Varien and hope that some day he would not be as annoying as he was being at the moment.

"Let's just set aside all the bad feelings for each other and talk about serious stuff," he said as he left his seat and walked to the boy. "Who do you want to be as a Jedi? If you look into the future, what do you want to be like."

For some reason, he expected the Padawan to burst out a snarky comment or anything like that, so he didn't stop yet.

"Without looking into the future, the present holds very little meaning. A Jedi can never succeed if they only look at the moment they currently are in. Without thinking about possibilities of the future, you are unable to tell what the enemy will do. Without looking at the past, you can never see the repeating patterns of what a person will turn into. The three times work together."

"If you lose one, you are severed greatly. If you decide to leave two of them unused, though, you have no past nor future; only meaningless present."

[ [member="Varien Moxla"] ]

 

[Varien Moxla]

Being exiled from the Jedi Order for not using the Force that much?

Probably killed, that was expected. But not every Jedi was able to use all aspects of the Force. Varien knew this, but he didn't vocalize it. Not ever. Instead, the Kiffar preferred to be a large dude who cracked skulls in a fight. That was good enough to get him to where he was today, and he was still alive. That was good enough for him. Thinking past the present was a rare occurrence for the Padawan. Once in a blue moon sort of thing, living in the moment was where it was at.

Serious stuff.

He repeated in his mind slowly as he features visibly soured even more.

"Okay..." He said, slowly as if he understood, or rather simply wished for the conversation to be over. "Okay," he said more firmly the second time.

"You can't lose the past," he said, his amethyst gaze darkening for a moment. There was a foreboding aura in the Force emanated from him. "The present is your past, if you think about it." He wasn't the sort to really put thoughts into words. He just... Let them die and said a joke or some sort. Or just shrugged and grunted. "Looking to the future isn't going to help you become a good Jedi," he said lowly. "That's just a potential image, an idea for what you want to be. When it comes down to it, I bet most people don't match up to that perfect image they had in mind," he bit out, grinding his teeth upon each other. "The present is what dictates what you'll become in the future."

Raising his purple orbs to [member="Aaron Elkar"], he said, "What I want to be in the future? A Guardian of Kiffu. But I don't want to guard some prison, I want to bring in the prisoners that'll go to Kiffex. That's my want, but I bet the Galaxy has something else in store for me. A great soldier fighting on the front lines?" If he didn't get impaled on a lightsabre. "Some scholar in a library?" Unlikely, he didn't like to stay in the same place for a long time, and they did plenty of reading.

"Whatever I get to, it'll be because of the decisions that I make in the moment. So, no, I don't agree with what you said. The present is the only one of the three that matters."

That was likely as far as he was going to go on the subject, not like he had anything else to say.