The Day Off [Varus]

[Des Kilori]

Corellia, in the nicer part of a large city, the streets filled with people going about there afternoon business. But luckily, Des Kilori had very little to worry about at the moment. He had a few days to himself before he shipped off to another mission of which the details were still hidden to him. Honestly all he had done on this planet was some stupid police work. It involved a lot of drugs and black market shipping, which he felt was a waste of his talents. But that was behind him now. With hopes that the upcoming op would be more...of interest, he walked from his barracks, some simple fatigues and a black shirt donned. Everything was calm and he enjoyed and savored the feeling. Some buddies in his platoon told him of a rather nice bar nearby. He'd never been extremely fond of bars, but he decided to check it out.

The bar featured a relaxed atmosphere, no loud music or anyone too thuggish. He walked up to the bar and asked the keep for a drink. Sitting down he grabbed his glass and rose it to his lips. The dark, chilled liquid slid into his throat and slid down very satisfyingly. This he thought to himself is one damn good day off. A small sigh escaped as he closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

He couldn't remember how long he'd been there. Three, maybe four hours if he was pressed for an answer? Perhaps too long, but he'd had enough to drink such that he couldn't exactly remember. Either way, he was... seven? Eight maybe? He needed to slow down a bit, because he'd also lost track of how many glasses of whiskey he'd ordered. Clearly numbers weren't his game when he was drinking, and when he had time off he tended to come to Corellia to do just that, seeing as it reminded him of home. Of Coruscant, a place where he was not safe anymore.

So there he sat, one of his hand's displaying a blue crystal between his index finger and thumb while the other other raised his glass and tipped it's edge against his bottom lip in order for him to take a sip. As he gulped the mouth full of stinging liquid down, however, he reached out and placed one of the tips of the crystal against the wooden bar top. He then pressed his finger against the other end so that it would stand upright against the bar. Setting the glass down, he reached over with his free hand and flicked one of the corners of the blue crystal so that it would spin like a top, rotating and rotating until it finally slowed down and came to a halt, and then he flicked it again.

He was like a child entranced by something simple. In such cases, however, the entrancing thing that caught the eyes of children were often times beautiful and overlooked by so many others.

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

Des spent the next while savoring the taste of freedom, of the sweet moments he wasn't being watched or yelled at. He loved getting lost in the moment, and in the moment he was. Finally it was about time that he ought to have started to leave. A quick look at his wrist and he confirmed that it was so. With a small grunt, he rose from his seat and gulped down the last of his drink. Sliding some money to the barkeeper to cover his tab and a fair tip, he turned to leave. But as he turned he saw a (fairly drunk) man spinning a crystal on the bar. Now, Des was aware of the Force and Jedi and all that, but he'd never really been close to them enough to learn of their abilities.

The spinning crystal kept Des' eyes busy for quite some time. In fact, he even sat down to continue watching. Looking away long enough to order another drink, the young soldier's eyes stayed trained on the spinning object. There was something beautiful about it.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

After a few minutes playing with the crystal, Varus reached out with his index finger and stopped it, mid rotation and plucked it back up from the bar top to examine it. That's when he'd noticed a few flecks of wood that it had collected from grinding into it, but for the most part it was just as it was before. It hadn't changed a bit, and was just another example of the incredible resilience of crystals imbued with the force. A crystal, in fact, that had been drawing the attention of another. A young man who'd taken the seat right next to Varus, the Drunken Master of the Jedi who reached out and offered the crystal to him to take.

"It is indeed a beautiful thing.", Varus said as he waited for the young man to take it and see for himself, speaking as if he could read the man's mind.

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

Gingerly, Des reached out and grabbed the crystal from the man. It was iridescent and sort of...hummed with an unknown power that perplexed the soldier. Setting the blue crystal down on the bar he attempted to spin it as he had seen the other man doing but it simply fell flat. "How did you do that?" he asked, bewildered.

Starring at the face of the man, he attempted to dig for details by studying him. So much remained hidden despite his efforts. The man, despite being clearly drunk, seemed deeper than just a man. He was more than that. "Who are you?" he added before the man had time to answer the first question. Des had a feeling this would not be the last question. No, he felt many more would arise. But that would come in due time. The crystal fell as the soldier let go of it. Des needed his drink. This was going to be an interesting conversation. One that would need alcohol for him to fully believe.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Without a word Varus reached out and raised the crystal from the top of the bar with the force. He then called it back to him so that it was hovering above his hand and again flicked one of it's edges, causing it to spin just as it did before, but this time it was hovering suspended without any strings and without touching it at all. There was a metaphysical touch that held it above his palm, and as it spun Varus glanced from the crystal to Des.

"I'm just a man in a bar.", he told the young man, not unlike him in that they were both still very young as far as years came to mortal men. Even then, he was a man with many interesting abilities. Abilities that set him apart from the average, despite being just a man, all things considered.

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

A grin appeared on Des' face. "You are no mere man. No I should think you are much more than that," he said, still grinning. Looking away for a moment, Des ordered another drink. He took a large gulp of it before turning back to the man. "Think you could teach a soldier like me to do something like that?" It would surely be a novelty trick to show his squad mates. But where would he find a crystal as beautiful as that? Maybe this man would know how to find another one. But first, he wanted to learn how to spin things. He felt like such a child. Such a simple little thing had him so entranced.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus smiled slightly as he raised his glass of whiskey and downed the rest of it with ease, seeing as he'd gotten used to it's less than forgiving sting. "That depends on who's asking to learn, really.", Varus said before turning and flashing those blue eyes in the man's direction. He studied him for a moment, and he'd known it before the man even walked through the door, but he was well as a couple others in that bar were force sensitive beings, which meant that they had a high enough midichlorian count that they could learn to use the force. The degree at which they were able to control it, however, was entirely up to how unique they were.

"I can tell just by your presence that you are a force sensitive being, but it's up to you whether or not you wish to learn and how much patience you have will determine how strong you will become.", he told the man as he raised his hand to the bartender, motioning to him that he would prefer one last drink before he was on his way.

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

The alcohol was definitely a necessity. Des had always been smart, strong, and all those other features. But never had he thought that was anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he thought that everyone should strive to be the best they can be. But could he be more? The man had said he was Force sensitive. The Force he knew was the thing that Jedi used to cause things to happen like the crystal. But for him to be able to obtain that power? Well that was quite interesting to him. "I'll tell you what. You teach me to learn how to control the Force and I'll pay your tab. Plus every other tab you ever get in a bar whilst I'm there. You seem to favor these joints seeing as how you take your alcohol like a champ," and he meant it to. Learning to use the Force in exchange for paying a bar tab every now and then was priceless.

"Also," he added, "where do you get those crystals? They are quite the eye pleaser."

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

"These crystals are a priceless thing that have been serving the Jedi for thousands of years that can only be found on a few planets and in very special places.", Varus said as he received his fresh drink, which he took in his right hand, nodding to the bartender in thanks as he did. He took a sip of it and sighed as that familiar, calming feeling coursed through him, dragging him further into a state that as a Jedi, he shouldn't have been in to begin with. He was a Jedi, and they did not trifle with such judgement altering substances, yet then again he had never been the best example of what a productive and level headed Jedi should be.

"And I don't teach just anyone. Only those who are like minded in my cause.", he told him, glancing over at the man and assuming that he was curious as to what he was referring. "The Jedi are in alignment with the Republic and actively are struggling against the Sith and all other insidious orders and factions of the like. Where there is good, there will always be evil lurking just around the corner, so, if you want to learn about the force you must first decide for yourself whether or not you agree with the desire for peace in the galaxy. You must decide for yourself whether or not the Republic is the place that you would call home, and if so, come to accept that your life will change dramatically."

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

Every word he spoke was life changing in of itself. The Force as he described didn't seem too far off from what the soldier had already believed in. But a little bit more. There was an underlying tone of danger. Of facing much larger evils than a simple drug raid. Do I strive to make the galaxy a better place? he thought to himself. Well, yeah. But does it mean enough for me to channel my entire life fighting for that? "That sounds...tempting," he started, "The good news is I am a Republic soldier. So I have that much going for me. But how much of a commitment is this? How much of my life would I be signing away?" There were so many thoughts running through his head.

There was so much that he could gain. But what would the losses be? He couldn't see many. There were surely many more things to know about the Jedi. Especially if he was considering joining them. That and he wanted one of those crystals. "Well, Actually it isn't that important. A commitment like this shouldn't be decided if the consequences are too much. The good of the galaxy should be the important part. And it is. So where do we begin?"

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

"All you need to ask yourself...", Varus said as he stared down into his glass of whiskey, that golden liquid constantly swimming against the edge of his glass as he swished the liquid inside of it and created the smallest whirlpool. "Can I put the betterment of the galaxy ahead of myself?", he asked, his hand stopping as the liquid continued to swirl in his glass as he raised it and took another sip. When he did, he sighed again, grazing his tongue against his bottom lip before he glanced over at Des and said.

"And if you can, then there will be a seat for you on my ship, and that ship will ferry you to a new life.", he told the young man as he took another big gulp of his drink, finishing it off as he pushed himself up and sat the glass down on the bar top. As he did he got his barrings while finding more than enough cred to pay for his drinks, which he placed on the table. He then nodded to the bartender in thanks again for his services and to assure him that it was time that he left. He then looked to Des once more and said, "If you follow me to my ship we will leave immediately. You can come back for any belongings in a week's time. Yet, if you choose to stay behind, I will understand."

He then turned carefully, making sure his balance was in check, and headed off towards the door, hands slipping into his pockets as the door was pushed open by a patron entering before he could leave. He then slipped out of the door before it could close and started walking down the street towards the one of the space ports.

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

Des stood up as [member="Varus Shatterstar"] did, following him. The door closed as Des got to it, and he pushed it open again. He sighed as he left the building. It felt symbolic, his leaving the bar. He felt like the step he took leaving the threshold was the beginning of much much more. As he left, he had a very important question on his mind. "Sir, what about my military responsibilities?" he asked. Just because he was following this man didn't necessarily mean that he was excused from the Republic military. Sure, he was on a much more righteous path that would lead his life to far much more, but the military was damn strict. Des asked the question as he lightly jogged to the side of the Jedi, then slowing his pace to walk with him.

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus glanced over at the young man as he continued to ask questions, but at first he didn't answer. He made sure they made it into the spaceport first, paid a visit to the front desk and paid a few creds to have his ship prepped. He then turned and lead Des to a lift, stepped inside and waited for him to join before the doors closed and took them to the fourth floor where his ship was waiting in a hangar. He then stepped out, glanced around the massive hangar room and noticed a few of the ships that he hadn't seen before.

He watched them carefully, taking note of their make and model as they walked towards his luxury yacht. As he guided his would be student, he finally responded to his question with a rather simple answer. "It is true that the Republic doesn't let go of soldiers easily, but if one is capable of becoming a Jedi they are much more understanding and realize the opportunity for an ally to become so much more."

"In other words.", he said as his ship hangar opened and lowered to allow them entry. "I'll take care of those to whom you previously answered."

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

Des noticed the silence of his companion as they walked to the spaceport. He took that as a clue to not say a word for the rest of the trip. Instead he focused on his surroundings like he had been trained to in the military. The soldier wondered what they would think of when he never came back. Would he become a legend along the lines of "And he went to the bar, never returning and the COs never said a word!" But he doubted that. Maybe eventually he would be able to send them a message and tell them of his travels. When finally Varus responded, Des was relieved. At least his higher ups would be understanding. "That is very good to hear," he said. "So in that case where do we begin in all of this?"

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

"Ossus.", Varus said, plain and simply as the ship heard his command and finally ignited it's engines that had been, for the last few minutes, prepping for flight. When they did the ship jolted, and all at once, they gently rose up into the air, moving carefully across the open hanger and out into the open just a few stories above ground. As the ship turned and adjusted it's direction for the flight, Varus stepped up into the cockpit and took the pilot's chair, strapping himself in casually and expecting for Des to do the same before the flight got underway.

That was, if Des didn't feel like being thrown to the back of the ship when they got out of the planet's atmosphere. As the ship rushed off into the skies, it the ride was smooth and easy enough to put up with, but when they got out of the range of Corellia's gravitational pull they would make the jump, and that Des would need to be prepared for.

[member="Des Kilori"]

 

[Des Kilori]

Des put himself into a seat and buckled himself as soon as he saw the other man do so. He knew what it was like to travel through space. Exiting an atmosphere was an experience that one should never go through without being securely strapped down. As a soldier, he had been taught to adapt in most situations. But this was going to be a completely new experience. The Force would allow him avenues of life that he had never known to exist. "So this Ossus. What exactly is there?" Des asked. He had no idea what he was walking into and he hoped that before they set down on the next planet that he would have some understanding.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

As the ship broke through the atmosphere of the planet Des asked a question that Varus hadn't heard in a long time, seeing as those who'd been to Ossus already knew what it offered. As they drifted into space, Varus could actually hear the engines prepping the jump, and just before they bolted off through the infinite blackness that was the galaxy, Varus glanced over at Des and said, "Ossus offers you a home on which there is centuries and centuries of ancient Jedi knowledge to be both learned and taught.", he then glanced back out the cockpit of the ship into space as the high pitched squeal of the hyperdrive pierced through the air.

"You're going to learn, and then you'll be promoted, and then you'll share what you've learned with others just as eager to see what this is all about as you are now.", he told him, glancing back over to Des and smirking before finally sinking into his seat, their ship becoming a blur as they made the jump to hyperspace.

[member="Des Kilori"]