Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Those That Seek..[Antares Training]

Dxun
Jungles
Dxunfull.jpg
Kiskla was a Kiffar, and by blood a natural born tracker. Something that proved useful from time to time, especially with the additional benefit of her psychometery. This tracking ability was something she wanted to pass on, and therefore had patched an encrypted message through to her Padawan directing him beyond Coruscant and Tython's training temples, and beyond Fondor where they had recently uh..made an appearance for a failed attempt at an invasion. His training was so far from complete however, that it was just another stepping stone to her having the ultimate patience. Between training Padawans, fielding concerns from Jedi, and in general just waiting she was actually beginning to develop an ounce of patience.

An ounce.

In the outstretched branches of tree among the throng, a lithe silhouette stood. Her palm pressed against the trunk, the rest of her was visibly near undetectable. A brown hood was pulled over the Jedi Master's blonde hair, which was pulled back in a loose braid. That didn't stop wisps of gold from brushing against her cheeks in the slight breeze, however, and ruffling what loose fabric there was on her outerwear. Both her scent, and her signature had been masked. One, by a Leufeyson Bracelet that was given to most Masters within the Order, the other, a precautionary step given the nature of this particular moon. Kiskla had chosen this location for a few reasons. One, being that Antares would have to be alert to multiple threats at once; in this instance, his Master (who he would have to seek out; unless she sought him first), and the local fauna.

Her gaze flickered when a rustle was heard below, at the base of the tree. After a while of rummaging, a trio of Cannoks skipped into view, before tumbling back below the ferns. Kiskla lowered her stance, dropping to a knee as she picked up on the presence of another entering the atmosphere. There was a gleeful glitter in her eyes, when she realized that @[member="Antares Windu"] had successfully made his way to the moon, and only a moment of pointed worry that this might have been a little much too soon.

Oh well. The Republic, and The Order with it were on the brink of war. There would be no breaking the lad in gently.
 
It was always nice to see new worlds. Especially ones that were so far from home. But a planet was a planet, just like a Jedi was a Jedi in this day and age. All the same titles, but with different opinions. In this case, the opinion's were actual greenery and life. Maybe that's not the right comparison. He thought to himself as his ship broke atmosphere.

Once his ship landed, he threw the hood up of his black jedi robes over his head and walked into the forest when the cockpit had closed and locked. He crouched to the floor and looked to the ground. The Koruunai were decent hunters as well, at least Kar Vastor's Akk Guards had been hundreds of years ago when his ancestor had returned home for a brief time.

The Akk Guards, untrained, and with no finesse were simple brutes with the power of the Force behind them, but they relied on instinct, and instinct led their leader to survive. Kar Vastor. And if there was one thing that Antares's parents had taught him before he left them on their journeys of the Galaxy, was to use your instinct.

But...In this situation he didn't know what to do. And so he decided to just continue running through the forest, and after a few minutes, palmed his lightsaber and ignited it on the side of a tree. It might have been unnecessary but it was a way for him to know he had already been this way. "Sorry tree." He said aloud, with a slight grin on his face. Clearly he thought himself clever.

And then it occurred to him once he had turned away from the tree that this was a test. Why else would his Master call him here? To kill him without the rest of the Council knowing? Hah! He was going to have to find her. He didn't doubt it would be a long time until he did however.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
Kiskla was not a patient soul, and a simple game of hide-and-go-seek would simply never do.
Now that Antares was actually on the planet, she could have her fun. With a slight muster of energy, the Jedi Master's slender frame was no longer where it had been, instead, she was now perched in a different branch; still silent. Still but a blurr.
There was a ruckuss not far in the distance, and if she squinted, she could see Antares with her naked eye. A simper crossed the corners of her lips, pulling them upward as she exposed her flesh just long enough to snap her middle finger and thumb together. This resulted in a flicking motion that caused the tree he had marked to creak and groan in protest to her telekinetic actions, before it came crashing down.

THWUMP.

If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear it? This timber set off a chain reaction of Carrack's scattering about, frantic and panicked. Their tiny, tanned bodies bound from beneath the trunk all over the jungle's floor. Some, went nipping right at the heels of the unsuspecting Padawan, @[member="Antares Windu"].
 
He heard the sound of the tree cracking and creaking as it fell down and he turned around to watch it begin it's fall. There was wild life underneath it, and with as much power that he could muster from the Force he tried to hold the tree. Which was quite underwhelming since it continued to fall down, though barely slower.

Instead he decided that he couldn't save everybody and everything and he leapt out of the way of the tree and it's branches only to be set upon from the creatures that he had intended to save!

When they came to him, he leapt up into the closest tree to get away form them. No way was he getting his robes torn apart by ungrateful creatures.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
The actions of the Padawan were pure; far less poisonous than they could have been. In the silence she had doomed herself to, she lofted a brow in response and stored the memory for later. She seemed to get the kindest of Padawans, between Antares and Dar'rak, she was going to have a hand in conditioning the most gracious of futures, and this made her smile. A warm thought for a rainy day.

@[member="Antares Windu"] was now in the canopy of leaves overhead, as was his Master, although a good distance was between the two. To tantalize him further on his trail, she released a fraction of her hold; making her appearance seem as it if were swirling all about the treetops, even beside him. While she did this, she continued to move parallel to him, swiftly weaving through branches and vines that twisted and curled overhead the jungle's floor. At one point, her heel struck the edge of a branch and she used momentum to flip between a significant distance between two trees, and missed her landing. Her hands jut out and grabbed hold of a branch, swinging her legs to twist upward and over, continuing to move more; all the while making her signature twist with her, and away from her like a discombobulated echo.
 
He stopped while he was in the tree. He felt his Master's presence nearby. He even felt her just beside him, and when he turned, there was nothing there except a drop to the ground and another tree. But then he heard the sound of a creaking branch, and his eyes snapped around to look in the direction where he heard it from.

But there was no time to waste! He was on the hunt, a hunt for a woman. Where are you, Master? He asked himself as he leaped through the tree to get to the ever so slightly quivering branch. He wiped his two fingers over the bark as if that would help, and he nearly lost his balance, though with the aide of the Force he stabilized himself and held on with two hands.

No long was he going to play the helpless boy. She had to know where he was, and she would have to come to him.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
The records showed that Kiskla was a painfully aggressive teacher. She'd almost gotten Dar'rak killed on Tattooine, had she not stepped into to handle the leviathan creature; but he was a dragon, she figured, and had tough skin and stuff. He hadn't even his training sabre yet! Thankfully, Antares did somehow.
It was evident that the Master firmly believed in 'No threat, no purpose.'

Kiskla was behind him, a few trees away; shadowed by the foliage. As it was he was dangling, holding onto a branch and depending on his upper body strength to keep him from plummeting to the dirt and ferns below. Within seconds, Kiskla was at his branch, one of her blades active and hovering over @[member="Antares Windu"]'s knuckles. The smell of ozone was thick, and the heat from the rod of plasma was undeniable even if it was an inch away from him it would tickle.

"I certainly hope you've a surprise up your sleeve if you're going to taunt someone with your confidence."
 
He continued to hold onto the branch. Until at one moment he summoned the Force to him. He used it to root his one hand to the branch as he let go with the other. He didn't particularly need the Force, but it would help him.

"Well I was kind of hoping that someone hadn't brought me here only to kill me." He said softly. He lifted up his head to look at his Master, and when he drew his lightsaber, he held it for a few moments before trying to bring his hand up and with a press of his fingers, a quick ignition and brought it to the edge of the branch.

Might as well make her sweat a little.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
She still had the high ground, and could easily bat away his blade, or grind her heels into his knuckle; in fact he'd compromised himself more. She frowned at this. "Don't take mercy for granted." Kiskla replied, her light eyes following his intentions with a shake of her head. Even if they were to fall, he knew they could both easily make a cushion of air instead of colliding with the ground below.

She might as well explain her thoughts here, instead of bringing him to a tumbling and slightly painful fall; even if he did brace himself. Her pedagogical methods were in a constant state of modification. Much like herself and her own attitudes.
"At this point, you've taken a route out. Good thinking, but my blade is still here." She rotated it, and with the pressure of air against ozone, it hummed as a reminder to how close it was to his phalanges "I could press down on it and not only sever your fingers, but the branch too. Which appears to be your intent. Or, I could kick your hand off; or pry it telekinetically. Or, I could simply cut the branch myself."
Kiskla stood now, twirling her blade against the breeze for balance, and she looked down at the youthful visage that looked back up at her.

"Long story short kiddo," she sighed, taking a step closer to the body of the tree. "If you're going to do something, do it. Besides, I'm interested to see where you were going to go after your cut and run." With that, her own cerulean blade snapped against the tree's hide, right at the point where @[member="Antares Windu"]'s blade tip was threatening. From the sheer force of impact the blonde delivered, the branch groaned similarly to the tree that had tumbled earlier, and severed from the body, breaking off and cascading away. As soon as the support left the sole of Kiskla's boots, she activated her second blade, and both plunged into the body of the tree as she entered free fall. In a moment, she was holding onto the handles of her blades as they slowed her descent down the drop--and the next, she had pulled herself up and was using the hilts as supports to flip backwards off, toward another low hanging branch -- calling her lightsabers to her hands mid-flip. They were in her grasp by the time her feet touched another stable surface, although she buoyed slightly and had to crouch to avoid falling once more.

Now, how was her Padawan faring?
 
He had disignited his lightsaber while she was speaking, though he still held it in his hand. It seemed trying to cut the branch from underneath her wouldn't quite work in this situation.

When her blade cut into the his branch, with his one hand, he tried to swing himself around the branch so that he would be above it when the free fall began. And when he fell he threw his hand below him, summoning the Force and repeatedly sending the Force to the ground in pushes to slow his speed.

Once he was closer to the ground he formed as much of a cushion in the air through the Force before landing in a roll. He had tucked his head down, and he spun on the balls of his feet to look up to her, still in a crouch. His annoyance through the Force was quite evident, though he said nothing.

He clipped his lightsaber onto his belt and waited.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
Kiskla smirked--perhaps her having Padawans was not the best thing. From his records, it indicated she was only two years his senior. Still, experience spoke volumes, and her training regime had been similar to this--although Antares Marclonus had been more caring in his nature, which was ironic, considering she was female and the stereotypical maternal attitude should have broken the surface by now.
She stood, feeling his irritation (although the was unavoidable) and simpering slightly. It was almost amusing to her, that she had been trained to be a weapon by a man named Antares, and now she was sharpening another who shared his name. If only he could see her now.

It was clear that @[member="Antares Windu"] wasn't going to come back and play in the treetops, so Kiskla made her own descent; robes fluttering as she dropped like a pencil from her branch and landed softly on her feet.
"You didn't come to this moon to pout." Kiskla commented, lowering her hood and exposing her light tresses and somewhat amused expression. "Tell me what you've learned so far, and what you could have done better; if you were hunting me and I were a Sith. Right from the start."
 
He watched her as she dropped to the floor and listened to her words when she spoke. "I learned that I'm at a great disadvantage when I'm unable to project my presence all around an area." He said blandly. "I should have landed farther away from here, not drawn my lightsaber. I should have let go of the branch the moment you arrived." He continued on before stopping at her next request.

"If you were a Sith? I would have given you a chance to submit before I arrested you." He said matter of factly. "And you're asking me that question if I were already a Knight, right?"

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
"No, you're at a disadvantage if you cannot conceal yourself." Kiskla replied calmly; "The rest you can learn later, but to project usually means you know how to conceal first. Which is imperative when you don't know what kind of situation you're walking into. I brought you here," she gestured to the lush vegetation that curled around them "Not only to expand your knowledge of what planets The Republic owns, but to play to your innate hunting skills. You picked up on me, well done," she complimented "And your threat to bring out your lightsaber on that branch did take me off guard. If you're facing an opponent however, do not ever give them the benefit of the doubt. I know I'm your Master, and a fellow Jedi, but I'm training you." She reached out now, her benevolence seeping back into her personality and everything that had seemed brash about her smoothed itself out -- perhaps @[member="Antares Windu"] wasn't like her, but Kiskla had always learned the hard way. She learned fast, and she learned from her own faults. Her hand rested on his shoulder briefly, "Be assured that I can take care of myself if you go through with your actions. And when I can't," she removed her hand and shrugged "Then I know your training is successful."

Which was a segway into her next subject, considering he brought up being a Jedi Knight. "That's a very wise answer," The blonde nodded, closing her cerulean eyes for a moment and contemplating his words. Asking if he were already a Knight? She opened her eyes once more, her gaze trained on him although her senses alert, considering the unfriendly environment of the moon "And no. There may come a time in your learning stages, as a Padawan, that you will end up alone. I may be hurt, detained, or otherwise unavailable to be with you. You'll still have to make decisions and actions based on what you know to be right, and will keep you alive."
 
He nodded his head as if he understood. "What I meant to say was, if you were a Sith, then you would be a powerful warrior then?" He asked, he waited until she acknowledged the question before he continued. "As a Padawan I wouldn't be capable of stopping you, unless you were injured in some way that would impede your strongest abilities. Which would be the Force?" He ended it as a question, though if anything, it was more of a statement.

"Besides. I wouldn't let my Master get hurt." He said, and his gaze flickered over the area. "Before me." He said, and dark brown eyes raised up to look her in the eyes.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
A mock, offended expression plastered itself against her features when @[member="Antares Windu"] suggested she would be a powerful Sith Warrior "Am I not now?" She offered, a grin breaking the tension that seemed to be there between. She had always been confident, even in her most embarrassing of moments there was an arrogant air to her. Some saw it as crippling and off-putting, others, however, were inspired by her and managed to turn their lives around. Well, one in particular, anyways.

"The Force and magics. The Sith have a strong connection with the darkness they breed from. Many use alchemical spells and sorcery to their advantage, something we, unfortunately, are not so in tune with when it comes to Ashla. And being a Padawan does not mean you don't know a thing or two, give yourself some credit. As long as you're paying attention to lessons, you'd be surprised at what you're capable of. Even against a Master--the Sith prey on fear and hate, two sources of their power you have an advantage over, even in your apprenticeship. Everyone has their weaknesses."

His next words took her to a flashback on Ossus, when the Sith Lord Ashmedei challenged her because of her resounding signature on the planet. Her then Padawan, Dar'rak insisted on interfering and protecting her. His want to do good impaired her ability to fight to her full potential because her focus was split between protecting her student, and putting Ashmedei on the defence. Thankfully, Dar'rak had recognized this before being consumed by a kinetic ball of lightning, but it had still made her realize what a walking target she was at times. And how important it was to conceal her presence when travelling with those she cared about. "Sometimes, that's beyond your control. You don't owe me anything, and it would pain me more to see you in a detrimental situation trying to defend me, rather than protecting yourself. Once you're a Knight though," she grinned "Feel free to save my life." She held up a hand abruptly now, turning away for a moment to look over her shoulder at a shadow that skittered through the underbrush.

"For now though, let's focus on the lesson at hand. This moon is rich with life forms. I want you to feel their energies, the trees, the animals, myself. It should be like a current. Then, I want you to focus on your own existence amongst everything else."
 
He nodded his head when she spoke of being in situations where he wouldn't be able to save her. He flashed her a smile once she was done. "Don't make it too often." He said with a joking sound to his voice. And then he waited for her next words, or orders.

In response, he bowed his body to her and uttered the words, "yes Master." Before he closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of all irrelevant thoughts to the situation. Which was, well, every single thought in there. She would have obviously felt his presence within the Force expanding from his body, past her, past their immediate area, and some distance away.

He eventually realized he wasn't capable of focusing on several creatures at once while at such a distance, so he quite rapidly reduced his force sense over the area until it was just beyond their immediate area. He felt the Force carry him when he found several of the creatures native to the planet before he pulled his presence within the Force back to himself.

She must have been trying to teach him the fundamentals to concealing your presence within the Force, and so he what he thought was, seizing his presence through the Force, as if it were a fish from a river's current, and tried to extinguish it from being sensed by force users. He doubted it was working when his brow furrowed, at best, he probably had a comical look on his face, though he contineud to focus and his eyes remained close.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
@[member="Antares Windu"]

"Focus on blending, rather than purely extracting." Kiskla commented, her own eyes closed as she seemingly walked alongside him in a metaphysical sense. "Once you lose yourself, it's easy to go missing." Her own signature was simmering with a fiery power; like a beacon to those that could see beyond their naked sight.

"There are two extensions of this technique. One, is to hide your signature's alignment. The other, is to make yourself wholly undetectable. We are learning the former." Her tone was calming as she guided his steps to success.

"Focus on everything that surrounds you. How intricate their patterns are, how big their presence is. Feel overwhelmed by it, to the point that you feel small. Miniscule."
 
He nodded his head in whatever mental reality he was in. But really, physically, he hadn't moved at all. He heard her words, but words wouldn't form in his mouth while he did as she told him as well as he could.

He focused on a creature that had flown overhead just moments ago, he felt at it's presence. He imagined it larger than him in form, and in presence. A titan within the Force, and in physical form. He let his imagination roll over his own presence almost as if it were a bulldozer clearing debris.

In his mind he felt insignificant, despite he knew he wasn't. He accepted it, Antares let the bird's presence just consume his, until his brow stopped furrowing. The only sounds coming from his mouth was, "Uhhhhh" As if he were trying to form a question.

In actual fact he was trying to ask if he was doing it right, he did indeed feel his presence getting smaller, though to a Master of the Force like his Master, she most probably still felt it. Especially in their close proximity.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 
Antares' presence was fluctuating akin to rolling waves. He moved one way, then the other, but never getting smaller. Kiskla's concern brewed in the pits of her stomach before the sonic beats of wings could be detected, and @[member="Antares Windu"] found inspiration.

"Good." The blonde commented, hoping her words were still audible to him "Now draw into your core. Centre your focus instead of spreading it out, but remember the Force's current."
 
He heard her, though he didn't respond. He imagined that same creature's shadow being casted over him. Blocking out the sun and covering him entirely, casting his presence within the Force into darkness. He felt his presence growing smaller when he began to draw his presence further into himself, to the core of his body. To center mass. And then he imagined himself being submerged by a wave of water as if it had rolled over and dragged him into the current, and then covering him completely from the searching presence of his Master's force prowess.

He still wasn't sure if he had done it correctly, though he was fighting the urges to...wake up.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]
 

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