Starbound (Republic Jedi)

[Jorus Merrill]

Security procedures were only half the story, because by necessity they made others feel excluded, devalued. Necessity was no excuse for giving the bird to the Jedi Order as a whole -- at least not without making the Knights' value clear.

A Baas-class training vessel, big and blocky, set out from Ossus with a full crew of Jedi. Some had claimed this training mission was extraneous, unnecessary in this time of war. But before Jorus sent these treasures back to secure storage, he intended to introduce the Order to their history.

In the hold of the training vessel, free of any brown robe or lightsabre, the Jedi Council's newest member opened up a toolbox to reveal the Great Holocron, Tionne's Holocron, and the Codex of Tython, the three greatest treasures in Jedi history. All three holocrons were larger and more complex than the standard cubic ones. The Codex had a piece missing; it would not answer, at least not completely.

"You know what these are," he said to the assembled Jedi. "Ask your questions, learn what you can. When you're done, come to the cockpit to learn somethin' else, somethin' specific."

There were more than enough Masters present to keep these things safe in his momentary absence.

 

[Zion Krayt]

He said nothing while he glanced over the assembled Jedi. He sat with a silent curiosity. What was there for him to learn? Plenty probably if he actually went to search for it.

His gaze went around the room, searching to see if his trio of Padawans were present, but he stopped after a few moments, preferring not to be that one person with his head going to and fro looking for people as if he were lost.

"Do the Holocrons contain the pre-history of the Jedi, or information before the Galactic Republic was formed?" Throughout his whole life he had been interested in what it was like before the Galactic Republic had formed. The Jedi Order had been formed before the Republic, but they had still sworn themselves to service of the new faction so long ago.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

"That's a long way back. Great Holocron's got some on it, tales born from tales. The Codex is older, but it's incomplete, an' even that's not old enough for the early history of Tython. But even this, this here is more than most sources that made it though the Dark Age."

 

[Writer]

Aaralyn stood quietly in the corner of the assembly, her hands remained clasped infront of her as she watched the various Jedi gathered. As of recently, she had been shadowing Master Merrill almost everywhere he had gone, whether it had been Korriban or this vessel...she was there. She was like a miniature version of a stalker, but in a good way of course. She was observing him and his behavior, for her own good. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't healed all the way, although the poison had been removed, her memories were incomplete. She had memories of her childhood and things here and there but nothing of who she really was. She remembered a select few people, such as [member="Kiskla Grayson"] and [member="Shaw McKeller"], but beyond faces and maybe a memory or two..nothing more.

Maybe it was for the best, rumors were she was a fierce fighter but not really a sociable individual. These rumors made her blush in embarrassment and sort've feel apologetic towards those she might have offended. Since she had returned, no one had approached her about her time away. Maybe the Council had said something? Or maybe it was an unspoken rule? Who knew, cause she surely didn't. She would smile to those who glanced at her and bow in return to the Padawans and Knights who passed and offered their own bows.

Her gaze shifted to Jorus and then to [member="Zaren Bouqi"], she remembered the Codex. She remembered the day she found the last few pieces and put it together, but beyond that she couldn't remember what information it might have had in it.

 

[Shaw McKeller]

A tall, broad figure stood behind [member="Aaralyn Rekali"] and simply listened quietly. He wore a simple habit and breeches, though the hood was down. He had eschewed armor for this trip, though he'd brought it with him. Ret'lini. Just in case.

He glanced at his former master with slight concern. She was fine so far. At least, as much as one such as her could be. It was different, in a way, but similar to his own past. A dark path trod underfoot fraught with enticement and illusion, but dangerous throughout. The difference was that he had willingly chose that path long ago and had left it when age gave him wisdom. She was not given the choice and, instead, was tricked. Her memory gone and her health destroyed.

The poison was gone now, or so he was told. Her memories were sparse, but she was remembering. Slowly and painfully, but progress was coming here and there. He'd found himself increasingly protective over her. It was less like a bodyguard, though he told himself that it was on a constant basis, and more like...

Shaw shook his head slightly and threw out the thought before it could coalesce. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Learning.

This was a rare learning opportunity. A sort of... field trip, so to speak. What there was to be taught, he would learn. What he understood, he would teach as best he could. The rest... well, he'd either learn over time, or he wouldn't. He was okay with that.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Adele Adonai]

Maybe it was the rather unusual circumstance of her death. Or something else all together. Either way, Jedi Knight Adele Adonnai would continue to serve the Jedi Order even after her death.

Even if it was to serve in a capacity of learning for those who sought a specific piece of knowledge from the jedi archives training vessel's databanks.

Her holographic image would be at the ready if accessed.

 

[Sarianna]

Sarianna tapped her staff, more for her own guidance in the room to find a small section to stand. She was still reeling after Ossus, that duel with Vulpesen leaving her stabbed into a blade in her thigh and dislocated shoulder. She supported her weight on her staff while listening to what was being said and happening. A blank expression upon her face and she let her mind formulate a question. "The cadences of Vo'ren Faalo. Please master Merrill." She closed up the staff and set it on her belt near the saber staff and among several of the small easier to manipulate batons.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Sarianna Misarr"]

For this, he called up one of the Great Holocron's many Gatekeepers, who discussed Faalo's cadences at some length. The important thing here, at least what Jorus took away from it, was that only the first cadence was anything close to feasible for Misarr or most of the people here. Jedi Gatekeepers had a knack for knowing who was ready for what. Even the first cadence, the Gatekeeper explained, required a hundred ninety ball bearings and nineteen candles. If Jorus remembered the ship's stores accurately, it held enough candles and ball bearings for two performances of the second cadence and ten of the first.

"Feel free to set up an' try the first cadence in that corner over there," said Jorus once the Gatekeeper had finished. "Just make sure you run a magnet vac all over when you're done. Stray ball bearings and metal bits are death on a ship. Inertial dampeners fritz for a microsecond and training toys turn to shrapnel."

 

[Anarya Drast]

Anarya was silent in the back. She knew that these were restricted materials, and she probably wouldn't be allowed access to them, but she was curious. The sort of curious that could lead to a vast wealth of knowledge, or a dead cat. And no one wanted the latter. But what was the point of being here if not to learn?

Slowly stepping past the others who stood there, Anarya slowly began to ask her request to [member="Jorus Merrill"]. "Sir? Is there anything on farseeing?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus took up her usual position - if her very short tenure with the Republic Jedi could count as providing custom and practice.

She stood at the back of the group, her head slightly bowed, her hands clasped behind her back. Even in this position, her fingers managed to find a way to fiddle with the hem of her sleeves - as if smoothing them down. This was a sure sign she was nervous.

As a Corellian, it made perfect sense to learn anything she could about starships. But she signed up before she knew who else would be on board - and now, overawed, she wished she was back on Ossus. There were familiar faces, yes. Friendly faces, yes that too. But friends? No. But then Corvus reflected she didn't have friends back on the planet either, so embraced the opportunity to learn.

And learning was something she was good at - she'd spent all of her Jedi life so far learning from this holocron or that. And she remembered the first rule her former Master had ever taught her. 'You have one mouth and two ears for a reason. You learn nothing whilst you speak. Listen. Learn. Ask questions if appropriate but don't fall into the trap of confusing making noise with making sense. If you have nothing useful to say, say nothing.'

So Corvus said nothing and listened intently to what was being said. Then she noticed a fellow Padawan speaking and felt immediately better, less exposed as an interloper. She waited to hear the answer to the question.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Anarya Drast"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Farseeing? Let's see what we can see."

He called up the holocron of Tionne. The large-eyed woman, bard and historian more than warrior, began telling a story, maybe a familiar one, maybe not, not after the Dark Age. He'd heard it before once or twice. It was about Luke Skywalker's training on Dagobah, how he was standing on his hands and levitating rocks with Yoda balanced on his foot when he experienced powerful farsight. The story talked about how concentration on the immediate, nearby Force task had amplified his perception of the faraway. Tionne went on, quoting Yoda about seeing glimpses of present, past, and future, how the future was always in motion, how Force bonds were likely to guide visions. If Jorus had had any farsight ability whatsoever, he'd have found it educaitonal.

 

[Kian Karr]

[member="Jorus Merrill"], [member="Corvus Raaf"], [member="Sarianna Misarr"], [member="Adele Adonai"], [member="Shaw McKeller"], [member="Zaren Bouqi"]

Kian had snuck into the room just before [member="Anarya Drast"]'s question and took a seat at the back of the room. It was an interesting question, and Kian listened as the holocron began reciting the tale. Farseeing was a fascinating topic, but unlike his friend, Kian lacked any real ability in it. He had the heightened reflexes of many Jedi that were in essence the basic building blocks of following the forces guidance, but he lack any ability in looking further ahead. This was why he found the holocron's discussion so interesting.

Kian wasn't sure what he would ask, but he had been thinking about it since leaving Ossus for this trip. When the holocron finished its discussion, Kian spoke up, hoping he wasn't jumping ahead of anyone else waiting to ask a question.

"Do the holocron's hold any information regarding healing of the mind?" Kian asked. He had been working on his ability to heal psychological damage with his telepathic abilities but hadn't made much progress. He wished to cure the younglings afflicted after the attack on Ossus. "Specifically connected to telepathic abilities?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened intently to the holocron's response. Although the concept of Farseeing was of interest, she was more drawn to the aspect of Master Skywalker's training on Dagobah. She listened and added the knowledge to her existing mental file about Telekinesis. She knew Master Vosra had agreed to give her tuition on the subject and figured this additional information could only help - especially the concept of Telekinesis being about a link to the 'immediate, nearby Force.'

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Anarya Drast"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Kian Karr"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Healing of the mind? I'm pretty positive the holocrons have plenty on that. Let's see..."

The Great Holocron and the Tionne Holocron began to talk, switching between themselves and between Gatekeepers. Frankly, Jorus didn't know the first thing about even basic telepathy, and 99% of the discussion went right over his head, though he did his best to file away some details. This just plain wasn't his world -- but these holocrons knew what they were talking about.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

To Corvus, knowledge was an elixir. Back on her home planet she was warned by the Masters that too much study and too little socialising would make her stale and in some way invalidate her learning. "All work and no play..." they would say.

She acknowledged their guidance and made sure she spent time with others but for her listening to the information held in holocrons was as enjoyable as playing Pazaak was for her fellow students. Even so, she was aware she should practice Faalo's cadences before they moved to the cockpit.

So this opportunity was truly exciting to Corvus. As the holocrons gave information and took it in turns to add to the previous one's records she unconsciously moved forward, travelling from the back of the room to the front.

Despite her increased confidence, when silence fell, she hesitated to ask anything. Finally, when she was sure nobody had a question, she spoke. "Could I please hear what the Holocrons hold with regards Center of Being."

[member="Adele Adonai"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Sarianna Misarr"] [member="Aaralyn Rekali"] [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

The Great Holocron described the stance in question, a hybrid of meditation and sabre combat. Jorus took up a training lightsabre to serve as the holocron's demonstration model. He couldn't use a lightsabre worth crap, and the holocron's gatekeeper took some pleasure in correcting his form at length. Hopefully the students would find it useful. When the holocron got into how this stance could work together with the established forms of sabre combat, and the role it played in velocities from various forms, he handed demonstration duty over to a senior student who had a decent grasp of them. The holocron led the senior student through the use of Center of Being in Shii-Cho, Makashi, Soresu, Ataru, Shien, Djem So, Niman, Jar'Kai, and Juyo. To Jorus, they all looked about the same.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus had studied holocrons for many, many years but nothing like the information the Great Holocron was sharing.

She was engrossed in its description and advice on Center of Being and couldn't wait to put it into practice. And then it ramped up its cascading of knowledge by showing it incorporated in the forms she was familiar with, as well as some she was less familiar with.

Turning to Jorus she asked, "What were you going to show us in the cockpit?

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

In the back of the room, was Tugoro. He had been present the entire time, having arrived on the training vessel earlier that day. His personal starfighter had been left on Ossus, seeing as the transport he was currently in only held six swoop bikes. The idea of learning from ancient holocrons certainly intrigued the boy, though one thing that had caught his attention was what [member="Jorus Merrill"] had said at the start. Was he going to give a flight demonstration? An excited grin briefly flashed across the boy's face, for he was eager to learn more about piloting. All the while the holocrons taught, the young Padawan remained silent, leaning against the far wall, while he examined and learned with his considerable eyesight. He was able to pinpoint and memorize most of the specific details given, storing them in his mind for later use. Two things that interested him the most, were the Center of Being technique, and the seventh form. Juyo's movements were quick and powerful, something that reminded the youth of himself on a subconscious level. He knew that the specific form in question was rather dangerous for Jedi to learn, though it still interested him greatly.

Upon hearing [member="Corvus Raaf"]'s question, the Padawan would push off of the wall, standing up straight. He was ready to learn about flight. If that was what the Master had been talking about.