Teräs Käsi - an unlikely initiation

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus had arrived at this space-port three days ago now. On the plus side, she figured it was one step closer to reaching Ossus. On the debit side, it was the roughest space-port she’d visited and one with infrequent vessels stopping by that were going in her general direction. To allow her to eat and sleep in a bed, she’d found work cleaning dishes and waiting tables at one of the more respectable diners – albeit more respectable on this planet meant fights ended in lost limbs rather than death, but she took positives from wherever she could.

This planet had also forced her to review her Jedi training. She wasn't a skilled Force user but she had a connection and some things were innate – like her sense of empathy and her ability to see and feel things that those who were not sensitive couldn't.

Having been forced to work a late shift, she’d eaten her evening meal in the kitchen with the other staff and they’d all left via the back door. The alley it exited into was dark at the best of times – but at this hour was scary – even for a Padawan. So she kept with her co-workers as long as she could before splitting off and heading towards the cheap hostel she was staying at near to the main hangars. She’d figured that despite the obvious cost benefit, being close to any incoming ships gave her an advantage if any work came up on a vessel going her way.

She rounded a corner to see six men in front of her. ‘Men’ was probably a generous description. Their genetics no doubt said they were human but their smell was 33% alcohol, 33% testosterone and 33% desperation. They were high and in need of kicks – and she’d just happened to walk their way.

So far Corvus had avoided any physical threats by keeping clear of those she sensed would do her harm. Preoccupied with thoughts of leaving the planet had blinded her to their presence. Fortunately she was a Padawan. Unfortunately she was dressed like any local waitress and she had no formal Jedi combat training or a lightsaber to use. So she did what came naturally. She ran. She may not be muscular but she was wiry and quick – and with her fast reflexes was off before their alcohol and drug-riddled brains could compute. She kept her own in a footrace – even gaining a lead, before her lack of local knowledge meant she ran down a blind alley between two warehouses.

She considered her options as they slowed and made their way eerily down the passageway to where she stood. The assessment didn't take long – she had no options. None. She couldn't fight. She had no weapons and she couldn't use the Force. She double-checked her options but a split-second later came to the same conclusion.

And then it happened.

Despite the dark, she could tell he was blonde. She didn't know why that was her first observation – but it was. And he was quick – really quick. To her Force-attuned senses, he appeared lightning fast. To the men, well, they probably thought they were being attacked by the wind. She followed his moves.

She’d heard of clone assassins who were this fast. Perhaps he was one of them? If so, did that mean she was his victim. And his mind bothered her. His emotions were closed to her and that felt plain wrong. Perhaps he was mechanical or bio-mechanical. Despite her apprehension, she marvelled at his moves. This was no random series of punches and kicks. This was a martial art – and he was good. Her eyes followed the fight – no, not a fight. A fight suggests two sides were involved. This was a display.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

Exactly one minute ago.

"Just passing through."

It's what he had been saying for the past two days while on the space port. In reality, he was hunting a New Order agent that had slipped through the cracks. Despite what people thought, remnants of a group could be more dangerous than the actual group itself. But, as he put his soda (he hadn't had a drink since Dragonsflame was around) down, he heard the familiar commotion of assailants and a victim. He set the half-full glass of soda on the counter, and paid for it quietly.

He smiled at the bartender, who was curious as to why he had only been getting soft drinks all night."I'll be right back."He smiled, and began to walk out. His targets were running after a small waitress, and he narrowed his eyes as he began to pick up the pace towards them. He was quiet- deadly so. In fact, he moved silently. And as he came to the alley, he counted out five. Five of them. The first one he was able to successfully sneak up and choke out, and watched him drop after a brief and quiet struggle.

Now.

The other four heard the brief choking sound, and were shocked to see a Jedi standing before them. Undeterred, they began to attack, knowing that a Jedi would not draw their lightsaber for such a mundane reason. And, they were right. But, they were in his domain now. Tracyn pressed his right foot to the wall, and bounced off of it. His left foot connected with the first man's face, sending him spiraling out of control and into the adjacent wall, before finding himself very unconscious. The second, attempted to throw a punch to Tracyn, but a well timed elbow block sent the man's fist down and away from Tracyn. Three body shots and a palm strike to the face laid him out on the ground. The fourth man, came up to Tracyn in a tackle, but Tracyn braced his back leg, and kneed him directly in the stomach as he charged, cancelling any momentum he might have had.

An elbow to the back of his head dropped the man, and the last was the man who almost hit him in the fight. If not for Tracyn's incredible speed, that is. He moved like a demon from a horror story, hard to keep up with except for well trained (or well gifted, in [member="Corvus Raaf"]'s case) eyes. He brought his hand up, catching the man's fist in his hands. And that, was when he crushed his fist. He felt the fingers and bones break, and the man screamed. He looked down at him as he began to scream and beg for mercy. This was usually when Tracyn knocked them out, but there was always a helpful reason to keep this up. It was a powerful tool to appear unhinged and on the border of losing yourself. He wanted people to think that, that he may snap at any given moment and kill them or maim them. Tracyn began to stare at the man, gray eyes meeting his with mock fury. The man quivered, before Tracyn leaned forward, and bucked at him. The man shortly passed out from fear.

The entire affair lasted no more than five seconds. He smiled and turned to the girl, who, was special. He didn't comment on it, however. He hoped he hadn't frightened her inadvertently.

"Hello."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Following his introduction Corvus stared at the man for what seemed an eternity. It was longer than his display had lasted but still only lasted six seconds. She knew because she counted - both during the fight and whilst considering what to say.

She opened and closed her mouth, like some hopeless fish out of water - which was an apt comparison. 'Hello' seemed inadequate and would appear as though she was copying him. 'Hi' sounded lame - as if she was trying to be cool. But then silence wasn't exactly clever either.

"You talking to me?"

It was no better than 'Hello' and she regretted it the moment she said it but she was never the master of conversations back at the Corellian Academy. As if to compensate, she tried to look as stern as a teenage girl, lost and trapped down a back alley by a master martial artist could.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

Tracyn's eyes flickered with a fatherly look, as if saying that he did not like he response and that she should have better manners than that. It was more about what you didn't say, than what you did. He crossed his powerful arms, that had been turned to steel cord from years of fighting and training. He tapped his foot, cocking his head. If Tracyn's son had survived, he would have made a good father.

"Do you want me to call you out on that, or do you want me to ask what a force user is doing here-"He put up his hand, as it to stop her preeminently."And don't say you don't know, I can read you like a book."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was doing it again. She felt her mouth open and close. Here was a man she couldn't read at all and he knew everything about her.

"Have you been following me?" It was all she could think of. He must know she was a Jedi because he had been assigned to follow her - and kill her no doubt. But then if he was an assassin she would be dead by now. Unless he thought I had some information he needed. She dismissed this thought - nobody would think she had any sensitive information.

Which, her deductive reasoning led her to believe, meant he wasn't a killer. And if he wasn't and he knew what he knew, there could only be one reason.

"You're a Jedi." It made as much sense as anything else she could think of but didn't explain why she couldn't sense his emotions. "Have you been following me?" This time it was a friendly, imploring question. She ceded to his superior skills and her voice said as much. She knew she would gain nothing by being defiant or awkward and instead attempted a small smile and a quiet, "Sorry. But you were both impressive and scary there."

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

He raised a brow, and then smiled his handsome grin. He shook his head, crossing his arms and turning his back, before facing the girl once again."I'm afraid I haven't been following you, Miss. And I am a Jedi, good catch. And so are you- and I can sense it."He looked down at the incapacitated thugs around him."Preying on a young girl. Tsk tsk."He turned and smiled back at her.

"Years of training do pay off. So if-and when you get back to the academy, I suggest learning all you can. Would you like me to take you there?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was taken aback by the offer. On one hand it seemed too good to be true but then sometimes fate - or perhaps the Force - intervenes.

Despite, or perhaps because of, these conflicting thoughts, her face remained guarded. But keeping up a silence was hostile to her and so she figured that if he wanted her dead, she wouldn't be breathing now.

"I'd like that, yes. And those moves? They weren't standard Jedi attacks. Where did you learn them?"

Her mind was already primed with the next question but she knew that a degree of patience was called for. Let him confirm the journey to the Academy first and then she could press her request on him.

"Do you have your own ship?"

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"I learned them when I was 14. I practiced them until I was 31."He smiled, being that he was 31 years old. He smiled and bent his head down, before looking up at [member="Corvus Raaf"].

"I do have a ship. The Jedi gave it to me. It's a Defender-Class light corvette. And if I take you to the academy-"He bent gently down to be eye level with her.

"You have to promise me something, young Jedi."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus felt mixed emotions. He seemed kind and caring and as if he was looking out for her interests. He'd saved her life after all. But he also felt 'too' parental - as if he was addressing a little girl - and that rankled with her. She was also slightly worried that he was only helping her because he saw her as a helpless child and that if she showed any strength, his offer of help might evaporate. He'd saved her skin but she'd only known him for minutes and trust was a dangerous thing to place with so little to go on. She couldn't even read his emotions.

But he was a Jedi and her elder and her honour code dictated that they were far more important factors. And saving her life allowed him a certain leeway that others wouldn't have enjoyed.

"I'm Corvus Raaf by the way." She bowed as politely as if he was her Master. "I ought to ask what the promise is before I agree - but under the circumstances it seems fair to waive that necessity. You have my word as a Jedi."

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] brought a grin to the aging warrior's face."My name is Tracyn. I had two last names, but neither of them really worked out so well."He said, half joking. Humor helped ease the burden of the reality and pain of the situation. He blinked, thinking carefully over the thing he was going to ask of the girl.

"I want you to be a good Jedi. That doesn't mean helping the Republic, that doesn't mean sucking up to advance quickly- I want you to do what is right. And not make the same mistakes I did. The Dark Side is one of the most powerful forces in the universe- I want you to promise you'll do everything in your power to resist it."He said calmly, though he might have been the most serious he had ever been in his adult life.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was stunned by the question and it showed on her face. It wasn’t just the surprise nature of the question – which is no doubt what [member="Tracyn"] would believe – it was also the words.

Corvus was a youngling at the Academy on Corellia and had turned down two Masters already. Counsel was that she was foolish and would regret it if she ended up apprenticing no-one. But she stuck to her guns, knowing the right Master would come along sooner or later. And, as she had hoped, Master Jareck came along and started the three day ritual of the selection of a Padawan with her. They both knew after five minutes that the partnership was right – but custom dictated the standard 75 hours ritual. It was, apparently, to ensure that neither party could pretend to be what they weren’t. Three days is a long time to keep up an act. So both parties tended to be themselves from the beginning and knew instinctively if they could work together.

What sealed it for Corvus was his question. “I want you to be a good Jedi. I want you to do what’s right.” It is what she has carried in her head and her heart ever since – her guiding principle when faced with any difficult decision.

So for Tracyn to use the same words seemed extraordinary. Perhaps it was the work of the Force? Perhaps it was just coincidence?

“But is it coincidence? Are there not subtle forces at work of which we know little?” She was only aware she’d said her thoughts out loud once they’d escaped her lips. She blushed and waved a hand as if to make light of the words.

’I confess that I have been as blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.’

“I accept your request gladly. I had wondered what you would ask but this is something I welcome without coercion. And please don’t think I take the request lightly. I have pondered it for years. Yes, years. And always to the same conclusion. I am here to do the Force’s bidding to bring balance. I do not see the Force as a tool for me to use – as do those who practice the dark side. No. I see myself as a tool of the Force that enables the world to live in harmony. And by doing the right thing I know I will continue to walk on that path.”

 

[Alan]

​"Consider not the force as a straightforward being or some benevolent or even malevolent being. Consider it only a road, and you choose how you walk it. I don't believe the force has a plan for us all. And not all who practice the dark side have such goals to control. Some seek peace, as we do. But they seek it through control. But I know that path and those motives all too well."For a moment, a twinge of pain crossed the face of the aging Jedi. He was in guilt of something, something he had done many times. But it seemed to walk away from him now, as if he left that demon far behind. Or, maybe he had just made it take a few steps back. Only time would tell.

"There are many forces of which we know little. Now, go get your things, and meet me in the hangar in an hour. I'll go prep the ship."He smiled, looking down at the girl. He knew that she would become great- one day. Better than she already was.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded at the analogy of the road. It made a lot of sense. “If you ever see me stray from the true path, I give you permission to tell me – not that I suspect you’d hold your tongue anyway.” She flashed a grin at Tracyn.

It took her minutes to gather her things. Apart from a change of clothes from the ones she was wearing, she had nothing – save for the small leather pouch that she carried everywhere with her.

She settled up her bill, sent an apologetic note to the diner tendering her resignation and hurried to Tracyn’s ship – keeping a wary eye for drunkards – but was able to make her way there unmolested.

As she half-walked half-ran to the hangar, she mused how enigmatic the Force was and how blessed she was to have been touched by it.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"There is no such thing as a true path. To think that the light is ultimately the right choice, is ignorant. There is a solution to everything, although, the dark side is a festering cancer that feeds on negativity and hate."He said, walking beside the smaller girl. He lumbered up to his light corvette, staring up at it. He blinked, running his hand along the hull, before the ramp descended. He smiled, enjoying the fluorescent lights.

"My wife used to tell me that I thought of this place as home. She wasn't wrong, exactly."He paused, turning to face [member="Corvus Raaf"]. He smiled, nudging his head towards the inners of the ship."Come on if you want to."He blinked, and started to do the usual pre-flight checks and procedures.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened intently to the Jedi’s words. It was normal for her to respect her elders in any case, but what he said made sense – up to a point. He wasn’t her Master but he was a Jedi – or so she believed – but she wasn’t sure how to challenge his viewpoint or ask a question without risking causing offence.

She followed him to his ship and saw how he touched it – as if it were a woman. What is it with boys and toys?

Suppressing a smile, she followed him on-board and watched him do his pre-flight checks. She was an OK pilot and knew how important what he was doing was, so she avoided distracting him.

Once he had finished prepping the ship, she plucked up the courage to ask what had been burning into her brain for the past five minutes. “You say the opinion that the Light is the right choice is ignorant and I was wondering if you could explain that further?”

She smiled her little-girl smile, to appear as non-threatening as possible. Questions about his wife could wait until later...

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"There have been instances where the light has been trumped for the greater good by the dark side. Inherently speaking, those who wield the dark side are not necessarily evil."He began to buckle down cargo and loose items, before the ramp slowly ascended back, and the hiss of the sealing notion. The air began to cycle, fresh air coming through the ship instead of the stuffy air that had been trapped inside it while Tracyn had been ashore. He turned back to [member="Corvus Raaf"], running down the list in his head over what he had left to do. Fuel line, next.

"However, that's not to say that these instances were wise choices. You can recall when Luke Skywalker supposedly used it to defeat Darth Vader. Channelling darkness is one thing, unleashing it- is an entirely separate issue."He smiled, and nudged his head up at her. She had the aura of a pilot about her."Go ahead and get up to the cockpit and run the diagnostic for me."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened again as Tracyn spoke. Once more his words made sense but prompted more questions. ’When will I know,’ was foremost in her mind but she bit her lip. For now. It was her desire for knowledge that drove her questioning nature, not in any way a desire to disagree or argue.

Then he mentioned Master Skywalker and Darth Vader and it sparked a memory. Years spent in the library would do this to a person. “You mean like when Master Skywalker used Force Fear during the Corellian crisis to save his comrades from wild animals. It’s a Dark Sided power but he used it for good. It’s a fine line though, isn’t it?”

She wondered how he knew she could find her way around a ship, but then, she mused – he is a Jedi. Nodding her agreement, she walked quickly to the upper deck and located the cockpit to start the diagnostics. Although all ships were different, the principles were usually similar and with a couple of false starts, she got into the groove soon enough. She was sure this was a Corellian design, probably Rendili. People from her home planet never bought ships from anywhere else and she’d flown in a good many of them.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"A line that far too many Jedi have crossed. There's a Sith that I should tell you about. He went by the name Marcus."He smiled, as he closed the panel after running pre-flight checks in the cargo bay. He smiled and stood tall."Exactly, Master Skywalker knew the benefits of using it."He smiled. She knew her history as well. What an interesting girl.

He walked up to the cabin- silently. [member="Corvus Raaf"] could immediately tell the quiet nature that he walked, the gentle nature of his footsteps. They weren't silent, but it was obvious that they could be at a moment's notice."You know your way around a ship."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus grinned broadly. She’d only known this stranger for a matter of minutes but there was a closer bond than with anyone she’d met since she’d left her home planet. Perhaps because he was a Jedi? Perhaps it was just because of the kind of man he was? Corvus was unaware she was nodding her agreement at this line of thought.

“I’m a Corellian!” Clearly that was all he needed to know. Her face visibly brightened as she said the words. They evidently meant a lot to her.

“And what part of the galaxy do you hail from?”

She continued to work the controls as she spoke. 'And once we're in space, I can ask him about that fighting technique.'

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"Me? I'm from a planet called Concord Dawn. In the Mandalore system."He replied. And as she had done, that was all she needed to know- for the moment. He'd open up later, but for now, he'd let the assumptions and the speculation make the image of him.

He turned his head to face the girl again."You think you can fly this thing out of here?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]