The Almas Academy

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel knew of the Almas Academy. In her research of old enclaves and Jedi orders, she knew they previously maintained a presence on Cularin with a small Jedi enclave located in the northeast corner of Gadrin. It was heavily used in the Clone Wars but records after this date were sketchy at best. But it was a site of Jedi learning and so she felt honour bound to visit it.

One thing she knew was that the training there had been unorthodox. It was actually set up to keep an eye on Darth Rivan’s ancient Sith fortress. What set the place apart was its deviation from some of the aspects of the Code. Not that it appeared to ignore the spirit of the one thing that differentiated the Jedi from any other Force user, but it challenged some of the rules. For example, they accepted older students – even adults.

And the Almas Academy's curriculum had a few changes from standard. There was not as high a teacher to student ratio here, so students stayed in the group learning environment most of the time – in a way like it was in modern times. When a student became a Padawan, they did not immediately become an apprentice to a single Master. Instead, they spent time learning from a mentor in the academy, alongside other students.

As the she approached the Cularin system she realised it was quite isolated, and understood why the academy attracted some Jedi who thrived in meditation and introspection.

As she landed, she felt the power of the Dark side here. It’s presence had magnified since the academy was abandoned. She was only a Padawan and knew she would have to be wary, for fear of falling if provoked. But with any luck, she would be in and out without encountering anyone.

The building was truly a ruin. The academy's original building was a circular structure architecturally similar to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. In the decades after its founding, eight rectangular buildings were built gradually around the central structure as more students arrived. As with all buildings on Almas, each of the buildings was sealed against th e planet's atmosphere. There were once sealed walkways connecting each outbuilding to the central building, as well as to the two buildings on either side of it in the octagon. Contemplative gardens of stone, sand, and kaluthin were arranged in the inner courtyards – but were now overgrown.

The outbuildings were used for residences, while the centre building was for teaching and utilitarian uses. The student dorms were built around the octagon. And looking around, it was clear that Forard, the only city in this area, was built around the academy. It was once founded to support the academy, though it grew to where many of the residents had nothing to do with the Jedi.

But her focus was back on the academy ahead of her and so she disembarked from her ship and with her former Master’s saber clipped to her belt and wearing her now threadbare Jedi robes, she headed towards the centre of the structure, to see if anything remained.


[member="Amata Santii"]

 

[Vaermina]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Amata didn't possess any extensive knowledge on the Almas Academy. Hopefully, that was about to change. That was sort of the plan with this visit. In short, what she knew was that it was a Jedi academy, but it had been abandoned. It sounded like a safer way to investigate this strange cult she had heard so much about.

She had a weird fascination for the Jedi, which ultimately was what had taken Amata to Jedi-land. The eternal struggle between the Jedi and the Sith was something she had heard so much about, but she had never personally met or talked to a Jedi. What were they truly like? She was curious, but also cautious. There was a good chance they might kill her on sight for not being one of them. Amata was for the most parts oblivious to their practices.

Hopefully she could come across some of their own records left behind. It could provide a useful insight into this order which was supposed to be her enemy. She didn't expect to stumble upon a holocron, although that would be great. The place had probably been stripped of anything of value. At the very least, she hoped she could find some lightsaber parts. Amata had yet to make her own, and she was eager to replace her vibroblades.

The blonde walked out from the student dorms. She stood out against the background ruins. Her long hair was tied together in a ponytail. Her outfit was mainly comprised of leathers and light brown textile, with a thick fur lining moving in line from one shoulder to the other. Her face paint was on, as it often was. A thick, red line was drawn in a horizontal line that moved across her eyes. A second, red, line was drawn from her lower lip and to the bottom of her chin. This one was thinner. Amata had a vibroblade sheeted on each side of her hip, along with a simple E-11 blaster pistol on her right thigh.

Sadly, she hadn't come across anything interesting in the dorms. All she left with were thoughts of what it would have been like to have lived there. Would she have been much different? It was very likely that her own training experience was vastly different from theirs. Now she was moving back out into the open courtyard, before she would redirect herself towards the centre building.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

There were all sorts of presences emanating from the former Academy, even in its ruined state. There were positive, light sided feelings but the overwhelming sensation was of darkness. Sorel reflected that a small group of Sith could be inside and, as a mere Padawan, she would not be able to discern them from the background aura. So she progressed with prudence. Not extreme caution, but she kept her wits about her. But the caution forced her brows to knit. Her Master always joked about it – almost scolded her at times. She tended to wear her heart on her sleeve and as such, needed to work on her diplomacy skills.

And she wondered again what she might find here. Her travels to date had found nothing of note, but the thirst for answers hadn’t abated. Nor had the frustration that she didn’t even know what the questions were – and wondered how she’d know when the solutions presented themselves. Except she trusted in the Force – for it was all she had.

She started with the outer buildings and worked her way inwards. There was a sense that she was not alone – but it was little more than that – a feeling. But she trusted her instinct, as her former Master had taught her, and so increased her vigilance, which made her search slower. Not that she found anything and so she headed back to the courtyard in order to enter the main building.

Which was when she saw her. Sorel never jumped to conclusions – many Jedi wore facial markings – even red ones – and it wasn’t as if this person radiated darkness – but there was enough to put her on edge. And the stranger carried vibroblades and a blaster, so maybe not even a Force sensitive? But she was a Jedi – with all that meant – so she simply stopped walking and faced the young woman and gave a formal bow. “I thought I would be alone, I never expected anyone else to find this place of interest. I am Sorel, by the way.”

Her words were neutral. Nothing challenging or too personal, she would give the other person the same respect as she would anyone and wait to see what transpired.

[member="Amata Santii"]

 

[Vaermina]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

So far Amata had discovered nothing of note. Disappointing as that may be, she did not regret her decision to come here. The place had history and meaning. Though it had perhaps been lost to its denizens it had not been lost to the Force. Being a facility housing an order of Force users appeared to have left its subtle mark. She briefly considered staying over the night, just resting and meditating on her surroundings.

History had value in itself. But perhaps there was some kind of storage facility where she could find something of more material value. At this point it seemed perfectly clear that she was the only one here. The place had been abandoned, and no one lingered. That might have been a bad sign, that any scavenger looking for anything of value would already have stripped the place clean of anything not taken with those who had abandoned it. Even if there had been someone still here, Amata was confident that she would have been aware of it. Regardless, they would never be able to sneak up on her.

“I thought I would be alone, I never expected anyone else to find this place of interest. I am Sorel, by the way.”

Amata jumped. She quickly turned, a half-panicked expression on her face, her hand reaching for her blaster. So much for not being able to be snuck up on. The immediate sense of danger seemed to dissipate fairly quickly. The girl didn't show any hostile intent, nor did she engage in conversation with weapon in hand. Amata calmed, but then tensed up again as she realized what she was wearing. Were those not the robes of the Jedi?

Was she an assassin? A guardian left behind, to kill anyone who came upon former territory? Her hand had let go of the blaster's holster, but it did not linger far away. Was this some terrifying assassin, mocking her prey before striking? Amata did not know. She had never met a Jedi. All she had to go on were stories, and in all of those the Jedi were depicted as enemies.

"You and me both" she muttered, trying poorly to cover up her uneasy tone. "You... You're a Jedi, right?" she had to ask. For the time being, there was no challenge nor any hostile intent in Amata's voice. That being said, she was prepared to fight to the death when the Jedi struck - which she believed she would do soon.

OOC: Sorry sorry sorry sorry!

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Spoiler

Please don’t worry about it

She had surprised the other girl – which was never a sensible thing to do – especially then the Force was involved. But her companion’s immediate reaction was not hostile, which was a definite plus point. Her hand had snaked to her blaster but didn’t make it all the way there. But as fast as apprehension turned to relaxation, Sorel wondered if the tension was about to rise once more. The hand did not precisely grab the blaster, but it remained in the vicinity. Possibly little more than caution and nothing for Sorel to be worried about. Possibly was as good as it got though.

The question posed felt pivotal, as if the answer would dictate the direction their encounter would travel. Yet Sorel was not one to lie and would only be careful with the truth in a life or death situation. “Yes, I’m a Jedi. Well technically I’m a Padawan and therefore as I’m not a Knight, it’s a matter of opinion if I can call myself a Jedi.” She was aware she was rambling on a little and smiled by way of an apology.

“Formerly of the Jedi Order, serving the Galactic Republic. Right now? I just travel the galaxy. Looking for places like these, seeking answers to questions I haven’t even discovered yet.” She smiled again, a lop-sided affair to reflect the fact her statement probably didn’t make much sense. “I am lost it seems and I hope that something or someone will find me, or at least give me directions. What about you?”

[member="Amata Santii"]