Sleight of Mind

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

R O O N
The Obsidian Citadel

The young Anzat arrived a few minutes ahead of the designated meeting time.

The former Republic Jedi was dressed more appropriate to a spacer in some Corellian bar on the outskirts of Tatooine. White shirt, dark trousers, the yellow Corellian bloodstripe, boots and a black, synthleather jacket dressed over his gangly form. Only the stock handle of an Obsidian Lightsaber marked any kind of rank or status. Most would see him and think him the errand boy of some low brow freighter crew, not suspecting that this was a Jedi General of the Clone Wars. Or the CEO of a rising corporate empire which now stretched from out of Sith space to the Techno Union, and out as far as Voss in the Coalition.

He was meeting a new apprentice to the Obsidian Order. A 'neophyte' as the colloquial terminology went. A Kel-Dor if his information was correct, which ought to be interesting. The Kel-Dor people had a native Force Tradition of their own, making it somewhat unique or rare that one of their kind explored beyond the borders of their own heritage.

Of course, he was hardly one to talk there.

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

Werah was tired from his exhausting journey, put he still managed to appreciate the view of the towering citadel. Having spent most of his life so far in isolated areas, the scale of everything took his breath away. He looked around, looking for the 'contact' who was supposed to meet him here. A few people were nearby, a correlian spacer, an armoured soldier, but none of them appeared to be the contact. He was about to start off in another direction when the correlian gestured at him. Hoping for information, he walked over...

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

A Kel-Dor had come, and nearly gone.

Motioning toward the figure, the boy planted his hands inside the pockets of his trousers as he walked toward the taller figure. "You're a long way from Dorin," the youth offered casually. Certainly, the Kel-Dor were well traveled. But the sight of one on Roon was still somewhat uncommon.

"As it happens, I happen to be looking for a Kel-Dor," the boy added. His secretary droid really needed to be better about getting names of people. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for someone, would you?"

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

"I'm looking for the person who was supposed to meet me here." sighed Werah. "You don't happen to know where they are, do you?"

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy gave a thin smile.

It seemed that they might be talking past one another. "That depends," the youth offered finally. "Do you know anything about this person you are meeting?" he asked, not sarcastically, but with genuine intent to be helpful.

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

Werah considered this, before realising that he knew absolutely nothing about the contact. "Not a thing" he replied.
[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy flashed his teeth as he smiled more openly this time.

"That would be difficult, then, to ascertain," the youth offered warmly, before extending a hand out toward the Kel-Dor in a common human custom that had permeated most of the galactic societies by this point. Or, at least been impressed upon the boy enough that he did it without thinking. And he only looked human. He was anything but. "Xantha," he said, by way of introduction. "Sor-Jan Xantha. Jedi Knight and member of the Obsidian Order."

No, the Obsidian Order wasn't a Jedi Tradition. But, while the Techno Union could take the Anzat Jedi out of the Republic, they couldn't take the Jedi out of the Anzat.

"Now, what are you seeking, my friend?"

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

Shocked and embarrassed, Werah realised his mistake. Luckily though, the boy seemed friendly enough, so he decided it would be fine. " Ah...right. I was that someone would meet me here, show me around, and give me a training lesson." he said, the mask disguising his voice as always.

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Inclining at the waist, the boy gave a slight bow toward the Kel-Dor.

"Welcome to Roon," the youth offered, gesturing toward the interior of the citadel behind them as he turned and proceeded back toward the doors. As the pair approached the security droids, the boy turned toward the man and offered, "If you have an identicard on you, the droids can prepare your codec ring so that you'll be able to move freely in and out of the facility."

To illustrate what he was referring to, the boy held up his left hand. On the third finger of which was an onyx band. An RFID tag of sorts, it was biometrically coded to the wearer and permitted them access through the citadel commensurate to their rank or place in the Order. A rather utilitarian item.

Waiting for the Kel-Dor to supply his identicard to the droids, the boy asked, "So, tell me, why the Obsidian Order and not the Baran Do?"

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

Werah fished around in his pockets, looking for his recently acquired identicard. "Got it" ,he mumbled. "The Baran Do?" he said, confused. "I saw an advertisement somewhere, and it seemed...right" Weah began to realise how out of touch he was with the rest of the galaxy, but he dismissed the notion quickly.

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Accepting the identicard, the boy provided it to the security droids for processing.

As the Kel-Dor's access to the Obsidian Citadel was being prepared, the boy turned back toward the man. Unon, if he'd read the identicard correctly. "The Baran Do are an ancient tradition," the youth supplied in answer. "Centuries before the Kel-Dor of Dorin joined the Galactic Republic, the sages of the Baran Do served much the same function for your people as the Jedi Knights did for the Old Republic."

At the sound of a droidspeak warbling, the boy turned to retrieve Werah's identicard and a codec-relay ring that had been biometrically coded just for him. "They were masters of the ability to sense the environment around them," the boy stated, referring to the Baran Do, as he extended the identicard and the ring out for the Kel-Dor to take.

"We can provide you with a set of quarters for your use later," the boy remarked as they walked. "For now, let's talk about this training." Directing the Kel-Dor toward a large wing off to one side of the citadel, the pair emerged into one of the training arenas, with specialized rooms for use in training the body or mind.

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

"Mind tricks, I believe?" Werah ventured. After listening to the boy talk about Dorin, he knew he had a lot of catching up to do, but he knew he had taken the first step in joining the Knights obsidian, and thus ending his isolation.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Interesting.

Most apprentices asked for more aggressive, tangible skills. Djem so. Telekinetic barriers. The Kel-Dor's request belied a level of subtlety that was rare. It was also interesting for the utilitarian aspects. The boy made a note to have Net Taozin inquire about this neophyte. With that kind of mindset, the Kel-Dor may be of some use to them.

But, on to the lesson. "The Force can have a strong influence over the weak-minded," the boy said, recalling similar words spoken by his own master in the time before the Clone Wars. "That influence can extend to the mere power of suggestion, or be as elaborate as an illusion."

They weren't going to find anyone matching the description of weak-minded in the Obsidian Citadel. Just Force Sensitives and droids. "Come, let's find some place better suited to what you seek to learn."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ​

​

​

"Whatever you do..." the boy warned, as the pair stepped inside of the diner that was stashed away on a corner not far from the citadel. "Don't order the caf."

Places like these were where average, ordinary people came. People whose lives weren't affected by the war with the Sith, or the increasing criminal behavior of the Republic. No, these people were concerned only with their own little slice of Roon. Many wouldn't even leave this world. They were born here, grew up here, worked here, and would die here.

As large as the galaxy may have been, to many people nothing was larger than the horizons of their own planet.

Taking a seat inside the diner, the boy motioned the waitress over and said, "I'll have the special." Then indicating the Kel-Dor across from him said, "He'll have the caf."

"One special and one caf, coming right up."

Smiling, the boy gave a nod as the waitress left them. Leaning forward, the boy propped his arms on the table. "The thing to remember is to remain calm," the youth remarked, which was a very Jedi-centric view of any Force ability. He imagined that the Sith were rarely calm, and thus had no idea how they managed to use this ability.

When the waitress had returned, she put a plate in front of the Anzat and a mug of steaming... something... in front of the Kel-Dor. "Excuse me," the boy said, raising one hand to get the waitresses attention. With two fingers outstretched, the boy moved the hand laterally as he said, "He had the special. I had the caf."

With a blank expression on her face, the waitress seemed in a fog as she echoed, "He had the special. You had the caf." With a shake of her head, the woman switched their order around, before walking away going, "I don't know how I mixed that up..."

Inclining his head toward the Kel-Dor, the boy waited to see if the man had any questions. Or would like to try it out for himself.

​

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

Werah smiled. "The sith teachings tell you to channel your passion when using mind tricks...and only a Jedi would tell you to keep calm." Werah said. "I came here to get away from light and dark...is there another way to do this?"
[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

So he had some knowledge of Sith teachings.

"Interesting," the boy murmured, as he thought about the question. And all the questions implied by that one. Not all Force Traditions believed in the Light or Dark Sides of the Force, the ancient legends of the entities Ashla and Bogan. So his question was legitimate from the perspective of how the historical use of the Force far eclipsed the time in which either the Sith or the Jedi had existed. Simply put, the 'light' and 'dark' interpretations were relatively modern developments, reinforced by how their respective Force Traditions had become the dominant Force Orders of the galaxy.

"You present a paradox, Mister Unon," the Jedi Consular remarked finally, returning his attention to the man across from him. "You seek a solution that involves neither emotion nor stocism."

Those were two opposing ends of the spectrum, but if there was some compromise between them, the boy didn't see it. But then, whatever solution he devised might not work for the Kel-Dor. "Perhaps you should merely focus on how you approach the Force, and see if you can find the answer for yourself."

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

"Yes, I suppose so" Werah reached into his mind, drawing on the force. He beckoned the waitress over and told her, "You've made a mistake. You must give us a refund" As he said it, he struggled inside, trying hard to balance war and peace in his mind. Quickly though, he fell to the dark side way, and used it to complete the mind trick. The waitress went off to get their money, and Werah said to Sor-Jan, "The balance...it is key, I am sure...but learning true equality will not be as easy as I had hoped.."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

"Fascinating."

That wasn't sarcasm, the boy was truly curious at what the Kel-Dor presented. He clearly had some knowledge of the Sith, and he had touched the Dark Side of the Force. And, yet, he was aware of his decisions. Conscious as to not succumbing to his passions. "True equality is quite the endeavor," the boy remarked finally. Werah Unon was proving to be a rather interesting study.

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

"So, tell me about the Obsidian Knights", Werah asked. "I know the basics, but I feel there is far more to learn" Werah looked at the boy, using the force to sense his presence. The fact that he wasn't human was obvious, but looking now, he realised the boy was an anzat. Werah frowned, but said nothing, confused.

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The Knights Obsidian.

That was something to explain, he supposed. "Well, as you've already experienced, we're a group that values diversity," the boy commented. The easiest place from which to begin. "I'm a Jedi Knight. We have others who are Sith, or some who seek a balance in the Force such as yourself."

He was still getting over the shock of realizing Draco Vereen was a Sith Lord. A difficult pill to swallow, but the boy's choices had the logical steps to take at the time. For that reason, were he to do it all again, there was nothing in the sequence of events he would alter. "We're free to be who we are, but can also learn from each other," the boy noted. After all, he'd never studied a Sith Lord up close before. And Draco had some powerful abilities that were impressive to behold.

[member="Werah Unon"]​

 

[Werah Unon]

Werah grinned, though the mask hid it. "Sounds...perfect"

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]