The Crystal Makes the Jedi

[Vishkar]

ILUM, IRON EMPIRE SPACE

The Ithorian pilot sat in the forward pilot's seat of his LAAT Gunship, the Spirit of Rothana, with his new master, the amicable Jedi Knight [member="Cedric Grayson"], looking upon the Iron Empire's populated planet of Ilum, the home of the Crystal Caves often visited by the Jedi of old when seeking a crystal for their lightsaber, one in which the Ithorian Vishkar was constructing for himself, under the guidance of the young Knight Cedric.

He spoke into the comm's, his Translator beeping in reply as it relayed his message to the young man in the co-pilot's seat, both cockpits able to look upon the planet together.

"A blockade seen, I have not. Stealth online, systems. Invisible. Coordinates send through, to me, for landing preparations, please," his translator said as he accustomed the ship for entrance into the atmosphere. It was just the two new allies, going to the planet to secure a crystal. They would encounter no resistance as none new they were coming. And an attack or reconnaissance they were not there to make, for if they were caught and their cause found, further war and uneasy alliance would be made between the Dominion and the Iron Empire.

No, they were going to Ilum because the force told them to. The Jedi Padawan, Vishkar, had much to learn.

 

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Taking the Ithorian under his wing had not been the initial plan, but the Cedric had always considered himself adaptable. The simple fact of the matter was that the Jedi had far more students than teachers, and while Cedric was hesitant to make any such claim as to his capabilities, his peers had thought otherwise. There was no one better suited to teach Vishkar because everyone else was simply far too busy with other matters. With that in mind, the Archlord had agreed to share whatever he knew with the far older Vishkar in hopes of showing him the ways. Thus far, he'd accomplished little, though the trip to Ilum would hopefully bring a change to that.

"We'll reclaim this world eventually," Cedric mused to himself as the gunship rumbled its way down onto the snowy drifts. The world itself was still as cold as he remembered, and ice caked the earth for as far as the eye could see. In the distance, Cedric could make out the great mountains that framed civilization on this world - they would be avoiding such places.

"I hope you brought a jacket," the youth mused. He offered Vishkar a smile as he strode into the cockpit, a heavy cloak wrapped about the jacket that he would normally be seen wearing. He had agreed to teach Vishkar because the two of them seemed to keep finding one another in the oddest of places.

If that was not the will of something greater, than Cedric did not know what was.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, "Nervous, anxious, calm?"

[member="Vishkar"]

 

[Vishkar]

The Ithorian turned to his master, his large, dark eyes seeming to pierce the young man's soul. Not in a bad way, of course; in an inspired way. He was clearly calm, yet something felt off.

"These things, feel I do not. Is more fear, of unknown. Of future, that will show my fate. The force, as it is said, in mysterious ways, moves. What awaits me, in my stars, I will soon, discover."

While the Ithorian's translator beeped his speech inaccurately, his words were true. He knew he would be working for the good of the galaxy. He input the coordinates for the landing site, steering through the scanners and floating down towards the icy cold planet. This site was sacred, and very few others, if any at all, would be found there.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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That was what Cedric had expected of his companion.

Though some twenty-years Vishkar's younger, the Archlord still felt he understood the Ithorian's thoughts about his situation. Very few would choose to pursue the path of the order so late in life. Perhaps Vishkar simply had nothing to lose; perhaps he'd seen a light that Cedric yet had not. Perhaps it was simply the hindsight of experience and the realities of a life long lived. Such things were beyond Cedric as of yet. To many, the youth was still very much a child in his own right.

"I'll help you figure that out however best I can Vishkar." Cedric promised as the doors parted. A gust of cold air laced with the evening's first snow rushed forward to meet him. Fortunately, Cedric had the mind to wear his mask, and so the cold bothered him little.

"The force is an odd creature Vishkar. It's as sentient as you or me. I've lived with it my entire life, where it has entered into yours quite late. It finds us when we need to find it; whether that be for ourselves, others, or an even greater purpose can only be understood in hindsight."

He looked back at his companion as he stepped into the snow. Though his visage was hidden, Cedric sounded like he was smiling. "Face that fear. Come to understand it on an intimate level, try to understand what may come of it, every little variable, and then deny it any power over yourself."

[member="Vishkar"]

 

[Vishkar]

The Ithorian listened intently to his words as they stepped from the LAAT's cargo hold into the frozen wasteland about them. The rocky mountains were tall and jagged, yet a soothing calm seemed to be about the air around them, a feeling of ease. The force was at work, and he could actually feel it. Like the air he breathed, the breeze on his skin, the snow beneath his feet, the breath of the young man by his side-
The young man by his side himself. The force really was everywhere. And while he had felt this before, he had never felt anything like this. It was beyond words he could describe. His eyes lit up as he turned to face [member="Cedric Grayson"],the look within seeming to smile, seeming to show that he was ready. As ready as he could be.

His deep Ithorian voice rumbled, though his tone was not harsh, nor wary; it was warm, and rushed it was not. He seemed composed as he finished, the translator beeping to life and speaking through its own muffled and disorganised voice. "Feel it, I certainly, and all around is, calm, can. Amazing it, truly is. Like the life is, and always, forever, is happy, bright and, indeed it, warm, peacefulness. I wish, to know, feel it more, all of. Teach, you must, me."

He wrapped himself up in a warm looking jacket and looked towards the mountains, possibly a pilgrim's track that would lead them to the mysterious and magical cave that held the crystals forged into Lightsabers. That was where the two were to go.

 

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A few moments of silence followed as Cedric translated the Ithorian's words in his mind. He had a rough grasp over Vishkar's native language, and while Vishkar did have his translator, Cedric was making a conscious effort to learn the speaking terms of his new friend.

The youth smiled as they began the slow trek through a land of ice and snow. "This is the Ashla you feel. It is love and acceptance; peace and tolerance. It is what the Jedi have embraced for a long time," he offered Vishkar an encouraging grin. 'It is the natural flow of the force, and we work to embrace it. This is the force in its purest form: safe, uncorrupted, and calm. It is the work of the bogan that shifted and twists this positive force into something more...malignant."

The youth shook his head. The snowstorm had begun to let up now. Their trek through the windswept tundra would be a clear one. The snow was lit by the light of the sun overhead, casting the great mountain vistas in a similarly glorious light.

It looked almost like a painting.

"You have to reach a center point in your heart, feel that peace, and access it. Let the force flow through you, and it will respond to your every need. Twist it, and eventually it will strike back."

[member="Vishkar"]