Private The Other Half

[Yenna]

CORUSCANT | JEDI TEMPLE
TAGS: Miri Nimdok

It was a day Yenna had been looking forward to for the better part of a week. Her offer to take on more padawans seemed to be answered with enthusiasm by the Council, and now she was going to meet the second padawan assigned to her. Normally she wasn't familiar with all the padawans coming through the Order, there were too many to keep track of. It was a very good kind of problem to have, though. More young, bright and enthusiastic individuals in need of a guiding hand to become the next generation of peacekeepers in the Galaxy.

Healers, diplomats, protectors and a myriad of other roles that will need to be filled when it was time for the Masters to become one with the Force... be it their time or not. She was very displeased with what happened over Ilum, for the Empire to target such a sacred planet and also endanger the lives of dozens of younglings, knights and even Masters. She was determined to have a word with the Council and the little hesitation to throw Jedi into the thick of war. The Maw was a different story... the Empire were their equals in many ways. Sadly, the Empire attacked Ilum. They made it a fight with the Jedi. She could only hope that she could gain an audience one day with both leaders of the respective nations in hopes of putting a stop to all this. So no more padawans need to risk their lives.

Padawans like the one she was about to meet. Unlike the others, this one's name stood out. Kyell had told her about his very special friend and what she did for him. That deserved gratitude in person, and now she had the chance to thank Miri Nimdok face to face, and repay her by taking her on as a padawan.

Sitting in the archives, once more surrounded by datapads and records, Yenna was hard at work to uncover the purpose of the mask she and Kyell found on their expedition. Luckily Miri was with him on that trip, another reliable source for more information on its origins. She had a feeling that Miri would share the same passion she had for history and knowledge... she hoped it was the case.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri was wary of the New Jedi Order. She had made no secret of that to Kyell. Her affection for him must’ve softened her, however, as she now found herself walking the halls of their Temple as a Padawan.

Following the incident at the gala, the Council had been happy to accommodate her on short notice. It was the one silver lining to what had occurred, being able to play on their sympathies.

Already she had been assigned a master. Miri headed to the archives to meet with her.

She was greeted by the sight of a little green alien, her features not quite wizened by the centuries yet. Master Yenna was surrounded by datapads and records, evidently immersed in some bit of research.

Miri approached Yenna slowly. Since most members of the NJO didn’t bother with traditional robes, she wore civilian clothing in the Alderaanian style—not quite so casual as a t-shirt and jeans, but comfortable enough. Her long dark hair hung loose down her back.

“Master Yenna,” she greeted with a bow. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Miri Nimdok.”

Yenna​

 

[Yenna]

Yenna was entirely immersed in her work when her new padawan finally arrived, the only indication of her paying attention was the twitch of her ears. "Um... thank you... in the aquatic pile, you can put it." She muttered as she scrolled furiously through an article, her golden eyes bounding from one side to the next.

It was only when the presence in the corner of her eye kept standing that she spared a look... only to do a double take and brighten up like a spring morning sun. "Oh... OH!" She stood up from the datapads she was using as a booster for the chair and hopped onto the table to look at Miri. "Miri! My apologies, very busy, I am. A great pleasure, it truly is, to finally meet you." She gave a light bow in respect before looking up at the young woman.

"The time, it is not. But... thank you, I wanted to. Face to face. Back to me, you brought my padawan. Over him, you watched, when I was unable to. For that, in your debt, I am. Repay you, I hope I can, as your master." Her tone was gentle and sincere as she spoke, going so far as to usher her closer, only to wrap her short arms around her as best she could to give her a hug. "Also, glad you are here, I am. That mask, you and Kyell found, I am busy studying." She turned and pulled the mask out between a bunch of datapads, holding it up for her to see.

The nullifying resin was removed, and even now Yenna could feel the dark power pulsing from it, calling to her like a chorus from an abyss. But she calmly set it aside and instead pulled her flask from her pocket for a sip. "A sip, do you want?" She offered her with a bright smile as she held out the flask to her.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Master Yenna seemed to not realize who she was at first, mistaking her for a librarian. Miri watched in bemusement as the little Jedi hopped up onto the desk, knocking aside a few of the datapads, and greeted her warmly.

“It’s quite alright—” Miri said, pausing in surprise as Yenna embraced her. “I would have helped Kyell no matter what.”

Only when Yenna mentioned the mask did Miri notice the artifact. Its nullification resin had been removed. “Careful,” she blurted automatically, recalling the effect it had had on Kyell. “That mask is extraordinarily dangerous, especially to unshielded minds. It should not be left out in the open…”

But Miri couldn’t dictate to a master what should be done with it. She fell silent, pursing her lips.

Eyeing the offered flask, she raised an eyebrow. “What’s in it?”

Yenna​

 

[Yenna]

Yenna continued to beam as Miri accepted her gratitude. "Oh, I know. To him, the other half, you are." She commented with a nod. "A beautiful thing, it is. The love, I can feel, between the two of you. But, one thing..." Her voice went from warm and caring to a deathly serious tone as she looked at Miri with a glare that made Sith Lords squirm in the past. The Force rippled around her with immense power as she held her hands behind her back with squared shoulders. "My words, you mark. For you both, I shall do anything. With every step, I shall care for and support you. But... with your lessons, if the relationship interferes, consequences there will be."

A finger rose towards Miri as the little green Jedi's gaze hardened. "Sweet nothings, if you two whisper, or funny thoughts, you get, you both are in deep trouble. Those feelings, I know well. Young, you two are still. But, adults, you both are. Discipline and respect for our order, I expect from the both of you." Her hand lowered and the gaze held for a few moments longer, before Yenna relaxed and the calm smile returned. "Now, much work, we have." She quipped.

Miri was a little concerned by the flask Yenna extended towards her, though she was hardly phased by the question. "Tevraki whiskey. Very good, it wakes you up." She answered casually as she took another sip. "And... about the mask, you need not worry. Here, no power, it has. Well... wear it, if you, then yes. But... quite familiar with the power, I am. This? Bah." She tossed the mask back on the table like it was little more than a piece of garbage. "Dangerous, it is not. Not like this. Though, what happened, I would love to know. Kyell wore it, I understand?" She asked her as she gathered up the mask and a few datapads, using the Force to extend them to Miri before she hopped off the table.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

The other half?

Miri had a private smile at the thought. The smile became public as Yenna warned her not to let her romance with Kyell get in the way of her training.

“Of course, master,” she replied. “There will be no shenanigans in the learning environment.”

The flask contained whiskey. Miri’s lifted brow stayed up, but she didn’t remark upon the little green alien’s consumption of alcohol during class. (Even if there was something humorously hypocritical about her insisting they keep their heads on straight while she herself drank alcohol.)

She was a bit skeptical about the mask being harmless, but chose to trust Yenna. “Kyell did not wear the mask,” Miri said with a shake of her head. “It was able to influence him just by being in the same room as him. Even I felt the strain of resisting it. But Kyell was… overwhelmed by its power. It made him violent. He attacked me.” Her cheeks turned a little pink at the memory, but she plowed on ahead with the story. “I was able to shock him out of it by doing something unexpected, which removed the mask’s power over his mind. We took it back to my ship and covered it in resin to dampen its effects.”

Yenna​

 

[Yenna]

Walking with Miri and the levitating pile of datapads, Yenna listened intently to her explanation of what happened. "He did not?" She spoke up as she looked up at Miri. One of the datapads slid out and into her hand as she quickly changed up her notes. "Violent... easily overwhelmed... yes, sense, that makes. And you shocked him, you said? Alright... do, what did you? To break the hold? Valuable, that information can be, for similar situations. In danger, if any of you end up, important, this can be." She continued, making notes all the way.

Though she also a special note page just for her padawans. Kyell's vulnerability to the Dark Side was known already at least. She needed to help strengthen him as quickly as possible. But with this talk, she already had a section for Miri.

After a long walk, they arrived at Yenna's personal research quarters. A new layer of resin was applied to the mask before she hung it on the wall alongside a variety of other masks and helmets. From the mask of a Sith Knight from the Old Republic, all the way to a Tusken Raider's headdress staring at them with an empty gaze. Many other artefacts and items lined the walls around them, halting by a large case containing a myriad of scrolls, boojs and datapads. "Honestly, Miri... very fascinating, that mask is. See where you found it, I would love to sometime. But, wait, that can. Far more important, you are." The pile of datapads split up and neatly slid into their respective slots as Yenna hopped onto her large, cluttered desk.

With another sip of her flask she studied the girl for a bit. "Of the Force, how much do you know? Of your skill, I would like a gauge." She asked her calmly as she looked at her. Miri was certainly clued up on the Force, that much was obvious. She also had a lightsaber, but she was a lot harder to read than Kyell was.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

"And you shocked him, you said? Alright... do, what did you? To break the hold? Valuable, that information can be, for similar situations. In danger, if any of you end up, important, this can be."

Miri pursed her lips, the color in her cheeks deepening. "I... er, well, I kissed him. I intended for it to shock him into releasing me, and my plan succeeded."

She was quick to change the subject. "I was not born Force Sensitive. It was given to me as a child through Sith experimentation. My connection to the Force is... unusual because of it. It seems to come and go. Sometimes it is so faint I can hardly sense anything, and at other times I feel too sensitive." It was a difficult subject to discuss, and not necessarily something she wanted announced for the entire Order to hear, but it was certainly necessary for her master to know her limits.

"After I was rescued, my father sent me to be trained by the Silver Jedi, beginning at around the age of eight. My father also taught me the ways of the Benandanti, an order of telepaths native to Lao-mon. I seem to have an affinity for mentalism."

Yenna​

 

[Yenna]

Yenna's notes and curiosity halted for a moment at Miri's words, only to be replaced with a laugh as she looked at her again. "Well... a good distraction, that certainly is." She quipped as she noted the detail down. Luckily they didn't linger on the topic as Miri went on to decribe her connection to the Force.

"A curious challenge, that will be." She hummed as she looked off into a corner for a moment in thought. Miri continued with her explanation on how she joined the order, as well as various other forms of training she received over the years. "Well... despite your connection, very capable, you clearly are. Hm... perhaps, specialized training, we can provide, for when you're cut off. Into a strength, we can turn your adversity." She thought aloud. She gave a nod with a hum as she looked back at Miri. "Very good, this is. Now..." She slipped her flask and datapad into her pocket before she hopped off the table.

"On an expedition, do you want to go?" She asked her with a grin. "To Dathomir, I wish to go. Fascinating history, that planet has." She explained to the padawan.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“What sort of specialized training?” Miri asked.

She had never met anyone with the same problems she struggled with, so she figured Yenna would have to make things up as they went along. But the mere idea that it was possible to turn her weakness into a strength was… intriguing. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, though.

Yenna suggested an expedition to Dathomir. “Then I will go to Dathomir with you, master,” Miri replied with a slight bow of her head. Her lack of enthusiasm was apparent.

Dathomir was a very dangerous place, and she considered the planet’s culture to be backwards and barbaric. But she would go along for the sake of her training. Perhaps she would find something to enjoy about it, seeing as archaeology was still archaeology no matter what world she was exploring.

Yenna​