Private The Begrudged Padawan

[Kara Jade]

Aboard The Prosperity​

How many hours had it already been? Honestly, Kara had lost track at this point. She had spent the previous night detained by local law enforcement. Kept for ‘her own safety’ until she could be collected. As though she was some child needing their parent or guardian to pick them up.

Oh the retorts that had been at the tip of tongue…but Kara wasn’t stupid enough to talk back in that situation. Especially considering she had gotten off lightly in comparison. It still didn’t detract from how damn bored she was. Waiting for some no name Jedi to show up. Though she did get thinking over where she was going to be taken. Her immediate thought was Coruscant, but apparently that option wasn’t possible. It seemed the Jedi were still licking that particular wound, and were amidst repairs of the Temple. Instead, the long initial wait had been because they were awaiting for the Prosperity to arrive. Apparently the planet she was on was one that the starship passed by regularly.

That was just her luck.

After that it didn’t take long for a Jedi to arrive and pick her up. Initially, Kara assumed they would be whoever was going to train her, her ‘Master’. But she was proven wrong when the Jedi left her in some waiting room of sorts.

Which she promptly slipped out from within the hour.

Kara’s mind was far too curious, and deprived of anything but boredom during the past twenty-four hours. And her exploration had gone unimpeded…until she accidently ran into the same Jedi who had brought her aboard the ship. Now she was out in some hallway, sitting on a bench awaiting. Her hood up, and hands stuffed into her jacket pockets. Oh, she couldn’t wait to meet the poor sod who had drawn the short straw.

Keiran Varn​

 

[Keiran Varn]

LOCATION: THE PROSPERITY
EQUIPMENT: SINGLE-BLADED AMETHYST LIGHTSABER
TAGS:
Kara Jade

​

Who'd have thought he'd been in this position now? Certainly not himself. It had not been long ago that he led the nomadic lifestyle, ambling from planet to planet without any clear objective or goal, having abandoned the Jedi and the Alliance during their time of need. But he had returned to fight, and at least in his mind, the most important thing was that he was here now. Hitting a small ball against an already pockmarked wall, he pondered on what it meant to be a Jedi Knight. As a much younger Jedi, before he had even met Traden, he had looked up to these Jedi as paragons of the light, overflowing with wisdom, knowledge and experience. But now he had reached that point, now he had crossed that bridge, that formative attitude, that early experience of adoration had all but completely dissipated.

A sharp rap on the door plucked him from his sojourn into his thoughts, and brought him back to land. A blue-skinned Pantoran officer poked her head through the door. "She's ready for you, Jedi Varn." She informed him before disappearing down the hallway. Pulling himself up, he attempted to psyche himself. Shuffling around a bit, he did up the collar on his grey jumpsuit, fought to pull up his black boots and grabbed his lightsaber from the bed. Firs impressions mattered right?

He burst into the corridor, hooking the saber onto his utility belt and sauntering down towards where he'd been instructed. The aged Jedi Master whom she had initially spoken to had told him that he had caught her in exploration round the Prosperity. It had earned a little snicker from Keiran. Admittedly, that had made him feel a little more confident about meeting the woman. From even this early action, he could tell that she had some spirit. And that was something he could most definitely gel with. One his first ever mission with Traden, he had gotten lost and had to fend for himself in the wilderness, as a result of what a fellow Jedi had described as an dangerously curious nature.

The young Knight had to ease her in. Or least, more so than she might have been otherwise. Keiran imagined it wasn't exactly easy being told you were a magic space wizard, and that you had to go be trained to use that magic. He wasn't sure he could exactly relate since the path of a Jedi was instilled in him from a younger age than most. Especially the circumstances surrounding Kara's introduction to the Force which he could imagine being a soft topic. Something to avoid.

Pushing on, just as he was about to reach the Ship's Offices, he spotted a blonde-haired bored-looking young woman of a similar age to himself. First impressions, right? He thought to himself, having to compel himself to not turn back round. Plopping himself down on the seat next to her, he tousled his stark white hair and crossed his arms, a loud grumble coming from his stomach. First impressions dashed, he guessed, second time lucky? Keiran laughed it off, sitting just a little straighter. "You'd think the flagship of the New Jedi Order would at least have some decent grub. I've been living off vending machines for the past few days." He mentioned dryly, managing an awkward smile. Keiran thought the Alliance assumed that since they were Jedi, they could conjure up at least decent tasting meals from time to time. They couldn't have been more wrong.

It was a strange introduction, but Keiran thought he was in too deep to pull out, so he kept talking. "You must be Kara? I'm Keiran. Pleased to meet you. I actually uh have something for you." He said, fishing out a pack of probably expired crackers and handing them to her. He wasn't sure why he had done that, but it had seemed right in the moment. It might've read more like a peace offering, than a gift, but he didn't really have time to make that distinction. A small smile formed at the corners of his mouth as he held them out, waiting for some sort of angered, or at least, annoyed reaction.

 

[Kara Jade]

Kara didn’t even realise someone was approaching initially. She heard the footsteps, but passed it off as just another person about to pass by her. It wasn’t until they stopped, and she felt someone sit on the bench, that it finally clicked. Kara had to bite back an audible sigh that wanted to escape her lips immediately. She turned her head and paused.

Huh…not what I was expecting.

What had she been expecting? Another wrinkly old Jedi like the one who had brought her here. Instead, she found a young man, hair white as snow and looked roughly to be the same age as her. At the very least, there wasn’t going to a generational difference.

Kara said nothing, letting the man speak. She heard the stomach grumble but almost mistook it for her own. These days she was used to drowning it out, after spending one too many weeks going without much food in her formative years.

Finally the young man introduced himself, Keiran was his name. Then he brought out a pack of crackers, and there was no disguising the amusement on Kara’s face. She finally pried her hands from the depths of her jacket, taking the offered crackers.

Nothing being said still, Kara effortlessly tugged the packaging open and pulled a cracker out. One bite, followed by a slight grimace.

Yeah, definitely a little expired.

But it wasn’t the worst thing Kara had eaten, so she didn’t hesitate to take another bite. She glanced over at Keiran before holding the crackers out to him. After all, it was his stomach that had grumbled not a few moments ago.

“So, you’re the one who's going to teach me?”

Keiran Varn​

 

[Keiran Varn]

TAGS:
Kara Jade

​

Perhaps it wasn't going as bad as he had originally thought. She seemed amused at least which meant that it had broke some of the ice. Taking the offered crackers, he removed one from the pack and began to munch on it, coming to the conclusion that it was most definitely expired. Before answering her question, he shifted in his seat and thought for a moment. "I guess I am. Never thought I'd be a teacher." Keiran chuckled, remembering a time when he thought he would never become a Jedi Knight, never mind a Master to a Padawan. "But I think, we can both teach each other I think. I've got a lot too learn, and so have you. I guess in that sense its a 'mutual apprenticeship' of sorts if ya catch my drift."

Keiran hopped up from his seat and pocketed the crackers, gesturing for Kara to join him. "Walk with me." He said, sauntering lazily down the corridors, removing his lightsaber from its place on his utility belt and fiddling idly with it as he walked. "In terms of the ways of the Jedi, I'll be instructing you in that. But I have to tell you, Kara. The path of a Jedi is not an easy one. It is one of great commitment and dedication. But also freedom. I will guarantee you will feel more at peace with yourself than you ever felt before. But that doesn't come immediately." Keiran could most definitely talk on that issue, having become a Jedi Knight at a later age than some, and reminiscing on living up to the admiration that surrounded his grandfather.

"I will teach you, but I want you to keep in mind I'm still learning too, and you I ask you to be patient with me so I can be patient with you." He told her, adopting a more sincere facial expression which might have provided a contrast to the lightsaber in his hand which he continued to play with. Keiran brought out another cracker from his pocket and popped it in his mouth, frowning slightly at the taste. "I'm sure we'll get used to each other though." He told her, turning a corner as he nodded to an Ithorian Jedi who returned the greeting before hurrying off down the corridor.

 

[Kara Jade]

The young woman was immediately on her feet once Keiran had begun to walk away. Kara’s eyes were immediately drawn to the lightsaber, watching it as he held it in his hand. She hadn’t ever seen one up close before now, only from afar, and definitely not when it was ignited. Kara had always avoided the ongoing wars, daring not to set foot anywhere close to one. During her years alive, there always seemed to be a new war every month, or some new faction rising from the ashes of a previous war.

It made Kara glad the galaxy was so large.

But there were a few scant encounters with Jedi during her smuggling years. A couple operations had caught the ears of either the NJO or Silvers. Fortunately for Kara, she was never part of the big stuff, nor one of the ‘main players’.

She was there to learn nothing more, once Jedi got involved it was time to leave. Though the irony of her current situation was not lost on her.

“In terms of the ways of the Jedi, I’ll be-”​

Kara’s thoughts immediately skidded to a halt at those words.

“Wait, hold up. I ain’t here to become a Jedi, I thought it was just so I could learn how to control it?” Oh she knew stories about those that took the path of the Jedi. The dedication and commitment it required. Neither of which were Kara’s style. “So there isn’t a repeat of the incident.” The young woman looked sheepish, her gaze shifting away for a moment until it snapped back to Keiran.

“Besides, I thought you had to be like a kid to be taken on as a Padawan?”

Keiran Varn​