Private The Eve Of Another War

[Kahlil Noble]

Everything was snowballing.

The skirmish against the Sith Empire, what happened with Lily Decoria , the confrontation with the Mandalorians. Kahlil had already resolved to take a more hands on approach with his Padawans in the coming conflicts, but now there was a whole different training needed. Fighting against the Sith was so very different from fighting against the Mandalorians. They had different skills, different tech and gear. Tactics, beliefs. For him, a Mandalorian was always a more difficult opponent. He knew the Sith playbook, knew how to counter it, knew how to undo and destroy their dark magics.

Beskar clad warriors with rockets and rippers? That wasn't his skillset.

He stood within yet another training room within the Coruscant temple, hands clasped behind his back. The metallic hand twitched with his thoughts. It was a Mandalorian that cause the wound. And while synthflesh made it look seamlessly like the remainder of his real hand, he knew better. And because he did, he was going to make sure his Padawans did as well.

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

By now Katherine didn’t need constant guidance when it came to training. No longer did she need Kahlil there for instruction, or to badger him with question after question. She had found her confidence, her motivation to become better.

So when it came to the times where her Master was absent, away on other business, she was content in training by herself. Or if by happenstance they were both present in the Temple at the same time, she’d drag Shan into a training room for a bit of sparring.

The next training session with Kahlil was due in a couple days. So when she received a message from her Master out of the blue, Katherine was surprised. He asked both his Padawans to meet him in the Temple. The fact he had moved the session up, meant only a couple things in her mind.

Katherine dropped what she was doing, grabbed her training lightsaber and left her room. It was along the way that she ran into the ever familiar Mirialian.

“Shan! Good, I was hoping to find you on the way.” Katherine greeted him with a small smile, but didn’t stop walking towards their destination. “Any idea on why Master decided to suddenly bring our training session forward?”

Last time it had been the Sith resurgence that pushed Kahlil to ramp up their training, and Katherine couldn’t shake the feeling this was the same thing. And if what she had heard involving Lily was true…then she had a pretty good idea.

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan was surprised to hear that their training session had been brought forward. He had already gotten used to training with Katherine in their free time, whenever they were both around, but this was the first time they were actually going to be training with Kahlil. His mind was just running through dozens of thoughts, trying to figure out what potentially the session was going to be about...If it was being brought forward, it probably wasn't something good at all.

Either way, he grabbed his lightsaber and got ready to head off, before hesitating. His eyes glanced over towards the second lightsaber he had managed to acquire...before shaking his head. Bringing a saber with a red crystal to the training session probably wouldn't be the...greatest of ideas if he was honest to himself. It would be an interesting addition to his fighting style however...No. No. It was a bad idea to mess around with Sith property. He would need to get it cleansed first.

So instead he rushed off to get towards the training session. It was amusing to him, when he first arrived Shan was always walking from place to place, but now he couldn't stop himself from running around. Though on his way there, he came across Katherine and whilst she gave him a small smile, Shan gave her a wide and toothy grin as he walked side by side with her, shaking his head at her question.

"I have no clue. Though there's a small sinking feeling in my stomach that it's not anything good." Unlike Katherine, Shan hadn't heard any of the rumours about Lily. He had thrown himself into his studies more than anything so Shan had no clue what the training was going to be about, but he was still looking forward to it.

Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Katherine was looking forward to the training too, but she couldn’t quite shake the worry and concern that was settling on her mind. Their Master was serious when he needed to be, but was generally kept for situations that required it. And even Katherine could pick up on the slightly more serious tone in his message.

“Me neither,” Katherine sighed. “I get the feeling this isn’t going to be another Sith matter.”

After the events in the Stygian Caldera, their training had been primarily focused on tackling situations with Sith. Katherine especially so, after having pretty much frozen up at the sight of one. Albeit, to her misfortune it had been Darth Carnifex she had crossed paths with. That particular fact had been the topic of conversation when she met Kahlil next after the attack.

Katherine just hoped this wouldn’t lead to another situation.

No. She was going to make sure it wasn’t going to be.

After a few more minutes, the doors slid open allowing the two Padawans to walk inside the training room. Katherine’s eyes immediately settled on Kahlil, who was standing in the middle, with his arms behind his back.

“Master, we arrived as soon as we could.”

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil gave them both a brief smile as they stepped in. They were getting along better than he thought they might. Which was good. Really good. They'd likely need to rely on one another in the coming times. That brought a bit of a frown to his face. Once again he was raising Jedi in war.

Man, he really hated that.

"Good. Then, we'll get started right away. Have either of you ever had to fight someone without the Force before? Someone who could stand toe to toe with you regardless of their connection or not."

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt

 

[Shan Pavond]

Fighting against someone on an even footing...who didn't have the Force? Shan frowned at that question. He couldn't think of any examples of that. Well, there were plenty of times on Nar Shaddaa where he got beaten up by non-force users...but that was because he didn't fight back, not because they were on an equal footing with him.

So Shan just shook his head over towards Kahlil, a small frown on the Mirialan's face. The question didn't give him any hope that this was going to be good training. It was more than likely going to be stressful but...they needed to learn as much as they could.

"No Master Noble...I don't have much experience in fighting non-force users. To be honest, I only have some experience in fighting actual force users." He just let an out awkward chuckle at that, turning his attention over towards Katherine.

Katherine Holt Kahlil Noble

 

[Katherine Holt]

The Padawan frowned at Kahlil’s question, struggling to find an example. But Katherine couldn’t recall ever having fought someone without the Force. Hell, she had been avoiding fighting in general, at least before Caldera anyway.

Perhaps she had fought a bully in her past, but those were memories she could no longer recall. Besides, Katherine highly doubted that was what their Master was talking about.

No…there was that instance on Coruscant not long after she had first arrived. Shopping with Capris, only to get blindsided and attacked by a civilian. Even then, Katherine didn’t attack and it was someone else who threw the retaliating blow.

Again, likely not what Kahlil was looking for.

Katherine shook her head. “Same for me Master, I’ve no experience fighting those without the Force.” She was pretty handy in taking down some training droids. But Katherine had a feeling that was going to pale in comparison to what she suspected their Master was leading towards.

The Padawan opened her mouth to speak further, but opted to remain silent.

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

".. Yeah, that seems about right." Kahlil let out a sigh as he nodded. They weren't raised in the war against the Maw. Hell, he knew they didn't have much for actual combat experience to begin with. Which only made this more difficult. A calm smile took back over his features as he motioned to the room around them. They'd have to get started right away if he wanted to keep them safe.

"We're at war. The Mandalorians have kicked off a crusade and too many of them are fighting for their version of honor, regardless of who might be killed or harmed. I'll be fighting. They kill, maim, and burn those who can't defend themselves. You're both Padawans. A good number of your fellows will likely join the coming battles. But they, like you, have the choice not to. Regardless of your choice, there's no telling what will happen. I need you both to be prepared."

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt

 

[Shan Pavond]

The Mandalorians? Shan's eyes went wide at that. It wasn't hard to know what those were, and the idea of fighting didn't appeal to him that much. He wasn't much of a fighter in the first place, so he didn't like the idea of his chances against a Mandalorian...but that's part of what training was for right? And if he stayed with what he was comfortable, Shan would never progress as a Jedi, even if Kahlil was giving them a choice. Innocent people were being slaughtered and he couldn't just reject helping them because it wasn't something he'd be comfortable with. That was...he couldn't even think of what word to use for it, as Maral just took in a deep breath, before nodding towards Kahlil.

"I will do my best Master. I will have to practice hard to try and get to a level that I think would be helpful for the War, but I'll do my hardest to fight and protect those who can't protect themselves against such a threat. Since...it's not a fair fight. The Mandalorians are trained in the art of War. These civilians are not trained. It's a slaughter and I can't stand by and accept that."

Though there was also the war against the Sith that was technically going on as well...but he had fought a Sith before. He knew he could at least stand his ground with a Sith...Or well an apprentice. He wasn't too sure about a Mandalorian however.

Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Where Shan looked surprised, Katherine let out a sigh and hung her head slightly. It was as she feared, this had something to do with the Mandalorians. She didn’t know the details of what went down, just that something had that involved Lily, and that it potentially sparked a new conflict with the armoured warriors.

Katherine had read up about them, of their history with the Jedi, at least as much as the Archives had on them. Most of the time they had been enemies, sometimes allies, but there was always a common thread of the Mandalorians being split amongst themselves. There were a lot of clans, lots of different perspectives on how they should be led. And often enough, the Mandalorians found their weakness within themselves, slipping into civil war.

But now a new group of them had rose to prominence, announcing themselves to be Crusaders, through and through.

“It’s not just that Shan, we also have to prepare ourselves to stomach what we’ll likely see out there. From the sounds of things, these new Mandalorians are like one of the older iterations. Those that give no quarter. They don’t discriminate against those they slaughter. If you don’t abide by their rule, you’re sentenced to death.”

The Padawan’s eyes seemed to haze out for a moment, her senses being filled with the sounds, sights and smells of fire and death. Katherine shook her head, regaining her focus and looking towards Kahlil.

“What's our first order of business?”

She could only imagine it was going to be absolutely exhausting. Learning how to fight other Force users, darksiders in particular, had been an ordeal itself. But Mandalorians were known for their beskar, for their array of weaponry.

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Death is victory to them. So, there won't be much of a chance if at all to leave them alive. They only ever want the glory of death."

It was possibly the most twisted part about all of this. If they fought, they would have to kill. Not just to stay alive, but because there was no alternative. The Mandalorians that'd fight were the kind who couldn't accept surrender. For themselves, or for their enemies.

"The first order is to teach you how to survive on your own. I won't be there, not always. The only real way I can protect you is to show you how to protect yourselves. Flamethrowers, rockets, rippers, out lightsabers are not meant to counter those. Being caught in them is death. Mix that with the fact they know how to fight together as a unit, how to surprise and counter most Jedi tricks, and they're an enemy that we can't handle on our own."

Not usually, anyway. Kahlil reached down to light up his saber in one hand, the green blade lifeless in sound and heat. Entropite. It was ironic, given what he'd just said about them fighting to the death.

His other hand came up to form a barrier, visible in the force, beside him.

"You must learn how to handle the weaponry that will be thrown at you with skills that will help you survive. Entropite absorbs heat, draws it in like a lightning rod. You both will be required to make your own now. And these barriers, properly done, can defend you against what your lightsaber cannot."

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt

 

[Shan Pavond]

Mandalorians fought to kill or die...That made Shan feel even more uncomfortable, but Katherine had a point. He had no clue what the Mandalorians would actually fight like, or how they'd treat civilians. He thought the refugees at Elom were treated awfully, but he could only imagine what the Mandalorians would be like. It just made things more and more complicated in his eyes. He had his own morals he wanted to stick to, but at the same time helping people was what he wanted to do. He couldn't let his pacifism affect others negatively at the end of the day.

A small frown came across his face when Kahlil went into detail about how the Mandalorians fought. IT seemed like they'd have to work in a team to be able to beat a Mandalorian...though the comment about flamethrowers made him think about elemental lessons that had been given in the Temple. Fire had been one of the elements he had wanted to focus on, alongside lightning but the lightning aspect probably wouldn't be helping him right now. He just shook his head, turning his attention over towards Kahlil's lightsaber, the Mirialan's eyes going wide at the sight of the blade, mostly because he knew about the entropite crystal.

"That reminds me Master Kahlil...I erh...I've acquired that second crystal you said I should get before I try to work on getting an entropite crystal...but...well...it's a corrupted crystal. I acquired a lightsaber from a Sith I fought." It was time to at least admit that to Kahlil. It was something that could potentially be useful now, or at a later date. Though a small came to his face at the sight of the Force Barrier. He had been working on those thanks to Valery, but he knew he could work on it more. His skills and force powers weren't anywhere near a level he'd be happy with however. He wasn't sure his barrier would be able to last against a Mandalorian, but practice would help to make perfect!

Katherine Holt Kahlil Noble

 

[Katherine Holt]

Entropite. Why is that name familiar to me?

Katherine wracked her brain for the answer, but the only conclusion she could draw was that it was something she had read at one point. Of which was now a blur amongst everything else she had absorbed during her earlier days at the Temple.

The thought of offensives crossed the Padawan’s mind, but Kahlil’s words made her realise the folly of such a thing. A good offensive would mean nothing if your defence is completely lacking. For as much as Katherine could read up on Mandalorians, their Master had proper experience going against them.

Katherine raised an eyebrow when Shan talked about the corrupted crystal he had acquired. She had yet to personally go about acquiring her crystals, but then after all she had started pretty slowly.

What caught her curiosity though, was the fact Shan had gotten it from a Sith. Had it been from the very same one he had talked to her about on Eshan?

The question settled in her mind, as she turned to look at Kahlil. “How does one start learning how to create these kinds of barriers?”

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"The one you fought prior?"

Kahlil nodded his head a little, reaching up to rub his chin. Purifying a crystal was no easy task, but.. It would make it easier to make it Entropite. The connection that'd be needed for such a feat, yeah. He chuckled and nodded. Smiled, even. That was a good step. "Go and retrieve it after we're finished here, and we'll get started on that right away. Kyber is alive, after all. We can't leave it in pain, can we?"

But, the focus was instead on the barriers. Even a basic one would help them greatly. The issue?

He reached up, tracing out a simple rune in the air. Barrier. All he needed to do was infuse it with the Force and the barrier formed. For him, it was easy. The runes were just what he excelled at using. But for them?

"Depends on you both. How you feel the Force flowing around you. Sit, close your eyes. Focus on the flow. When you think you can feel it, that's when we'll learn how to create a barrier."

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Yes. I've been waiting for the right time to tell you, Master."

Shan couldn't help but smile at Kahlil's own smile. He was eager to get to work helping the crystal, especially once Kahlil had reminded the Padawan that crystal was alive. It reminded him of the little familiars they had formed...Though he shook his head, turning his attention back towards Kahlil, as Shan watched the simple rune being traced and tilted his head to see the barrier forming.

"Master Valery taught me how to form a barrier, back on New Cov. Alongside teaching me how to protect my mind."

Even now however, that didn't mean Shan wasn't against the idea of practising the skill as he sat himself down and closed his eyes. It was in moments like this that he might be able to perfect his technique of forming the barrier as he closed his eyes and started to focus on the Force once again. Feeling the eb and flow of the Force around him, as he imagined the Force as a liquid flowing through the world, connecting itself to people. Each person having their own colouration to the Force in his mind, alongside the actual force

And so he focused on the Force around him, borrowing it for lack of a better term, so he could have the Force solidify around him. Trying to pull it together to form a barrier around himself. He was used to doing it around a dummy, which he'd shoot at to test his barrier, so doing it around him was something that he wasn't fully familiar with, but he felt good about it.

Katherine Holt Kahlil Noble

 

[Katherine Holt]

Katherine watched the interaction between Shan and Kahlil with a small smile on her face. While she might be behind in her training, it was always nice to see her fellow Padawan so enthusiastic about something he was working on.

Plus, it reminded Katherine she still needed to decide on how she was going to approach her armour. Kahlil had laid out a number of options, but it was ultimately down to her what she wanted to pursue. She just hadn’t had the time to really sit down and plan things thoroughly.

At least now, she wouldn’t be toppling over, trying to wrestle with the weight of her wings while fighting.

Katherine watched as their Master displayed the rune, tracing it in the air and utilising the Force to manifest it into reality. Honestly, the runic stuff Kahlil demonstrated was fascinating to the winged Padawan. It felt like there were a lot more ways to use the Force, than just the standard stuff.

She mimicked Shan’s actions, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the Force. But as always before, it wasn’t the easiest thing for Katherine to accomplish. She could feel the Force around her, able to sense her Master and fellow Padawan given their close proximity. But there was always an issue with trying to connect herself with it. Katherine figured it was due to the conflicted nature of her very being. Taught as a Jedi, but her nature was still that of a Sithspawn. And it inevitably led to frustration.

Katherine shook her head. No, she couldn’t let herself fall back into that mindset again.

Letting out a sigh, the Padawan opened her eyes and looked around, until they settled upwards. Realising that the ceiling of the training room was pretty damn high, an idea struck her. Katherine walked away from Shan and Kahlil a bit, giving herself enough room to spread out her wings. She crouched down a little, summoning the Force to her hands and used it to propel herself up into the air.

Katherine was reminded of the first time she was able to fly, of how freeing it felt to just be able to soar around in the sky. There wasn’t as much room right now, but there was enough. The Padawan flew around, initially getting familiar with the space available. Eventually though, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the Force.

Her flight path dipped up and down, until eventually it evened out as Katherine found her centre within the Force.

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil stayed silent for a while, just letting them both focus and find their centers in the Force. They seemed to have a good grasp on it. Katherine especially impressed him, given her actual nature as a Sithspawn. It didn't mean she was limited, just needed to find her own way. Once he was certain that she was all set? He finally spoke up.

"Once you can feel it, focus on it. You can influence it. That's what we as Jedi, as Force Users, can do. Change the flow. Halt it, alter it. Solidify and separate it. It is your friend, your ally. Trust in it, and it will trust in you."

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan's brow quivered at the sound of wings fluttering around, alongside the presence of Katherine moving around, his barrier wavering as his concentration started to wave as well. Part of him wanted to figure out what was going on with the movement around him before shaking his head. No. He had to stay focused and stay in his center. Don't let himself get distracted by what was going on around him right now.

Instead he just focused on the eb and flow of the Force around him. Pulling the flow of the Force towards him to try and reinforce the barrier. It was easier in his mind to push the Force around something else and wrap it around to form the barrier but for himself, it was far more difficult. It wasn't a surprise that Shan barely actually thought about himself in his actions, and thought about others. So turning a barrier that he normally used on others onto himself was requiring him to take a different approach to it. Instead of pushing the Force and piling it against a target, he had to try and pull it towards him instead.

But it was easy for him to imagine pushing a wave out to something...how could he imagine himself pulling the water to himself...A whirlpool! That was it. Shan imagined his body as a whirlpool, pulling the Force around him towards his body to make sure his barrier was properly reinforced. He had to separate it from the main flow of the Force and just keep it against himself to keep his body protected.


Katherine Holt Kahlil Noble

 

[Katherine Holt]

With her equilibrium reached, Katherine shifted herself into more of a ‘hovering’ position above the floor. She kept her eyes closed, wings gently flapping as she focused on her Master’s words.

Early on in her training with Kahlil, it had become apparent that certain Force abilities were going to be difficult for Katherine to manage. Her nature as a Sithspawn meant that any Light-oriented stuff was a big ‘no-no’. They weren’t impossible per se, but it would be pretty damn suicidal for her to attempt them.

Certainly no Wall of Lights in her future.

But it also impacted other abilities, ones that required a consistent concentration to remain, like Force Sense. Katherine just could not maintain it long enough to be effective in its use. However, her Master’s use of runes had given her an idea.

Katherine focused on the Force all around her, reached out and pulled it towards herself. She let it flow through and around her body. Katherine thought about the attack, when the civilian had almost stabbed her after correctly identifying her nature. She recalled that feeling, the desire to protect herself against the attack.

The moment she felt the connection solidify, Katherine traced the rune exactly as she had memorised from Kahlil’s demonstration. It began to form, wrapping itself around the Padawan, who bit by bit separated it from the Force around her. Although, rather than keeping it flowing within herself, Katherine focused its source into the rune, using it was a form of reservoir.

Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Well that was an interesting turn. He watched Katherine before smiling wide. There was a limit due to her nature, but to think his runes would help her bypass it. Fascinating. The only thing more so was the fact she seemed to be able to replicate it just from seeing it once. Shan on the other hand seemed to be more of a natural. Perhaps it was because of his desire to protect. That made sense in Kahlil's mind, anyway.

"Good, both of you. Remember that this isn't just for defending yourself. It takes a lot of concentration to keep these up, so trust your allies around you to help. They'll keep you covered just as you'll keep them covered."

Shan Pavond | Katherine Holt