Faction (THR) The First Rule of the Shadow

[Feng Huang]

Feng felt realisation come upon her. Master Jairdain was right. She had unconsciously thought paths were a narrow pressure, that she must choose to the limitation of all others. She had begun to feel trapped by the choices before her. Paths weren't prisons they were journey's, there are many paths on a journey. Many turns in the road, many crossroads. To fear the paths was to remain stagnant, frozen, trapped. The true trap, a trap of self-imprisonment. Letting one's anxiety prevent someone from making a decision of growth, of moving forward.

The paths before her were merely lenses, ways of viewing her relationship with the force, of service to others. That she wanted to serve others through the force she had no doubt. She had been letting that conviction become that which convicted herself of a self-internment.

"There is not one path but many" Feng said slowly in acknowledgement of the lesson.

Feng listened to Master Jairdain explain her journey from wanting to go from Consular to Shadow. For Feng it was less simple. Sometimes she thought she would be more suited to becoming a Guardian, but then the rigours of military structure did not appeal to her. So other times she thought Sentinel, the independence there did appeal, perhaps investigator, but she thought she would be dissatisfied with the lack of direct action an investigator might yield.

She had to ask herself why did Shadow appeal to her? She knew that part of it was the independence, the freedom. Shadows were a part of the Jedi, yet they stood apart. More like a family member who travels for long periods of time yet was always welcome back on Life Day.

Feng was forced to ask herself what did she want? Ideally, she wanted a role where she could still act independently if necessary, yet also in concert with another Jedi. Did Shadows independence automatically mean isolation? She did not see why it should have to be so.

"Master… is the life of a Shadow… lonely?"

Feng sighed internally to herself as she realised she had lost the purpose of the lesson. Feng recentred herself, calmed her mind, let go of her senses even as she gently sent them out. Feeling the presence of the Force all around her. The Presence of Master Jairdain Ismet-Thio ,of her fellow students. She almost set about analysing each one Tatiana Sah seemed analytical of the Force. Rayia Si seemed to be having trouble. Aileni Ifor Xeraic was deep into his state of senses. Master Jax Thio was intent on learning a new skill.

The temptation to analyse and dissect each of these responses to the lesson was present. Feng acknowledged the temptation. Then she let it go. This lesson wasn't about a critical mind. Feng extended her senses not searching for corruption, but letting herself feel the Living Force in all aspects surrounding herself; The wind, the trees, the insects making burrows, the water in the ground, as the roots of plants searched for it. All of it present, all of it in Feng's awareness.

Feng breathed deep sighed. She did not grasp at the sensation, she did not hold it as she would when summoning a force push. She just let herself exist within this space.

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Jairdain listened without interrupting, allowing the spoken words to settle into the open air rather than rushing to fill the space they created. When she did respond, her voice carried easily, calm and unhurried, shaped to teaching rather than authority.

She inclined her head slightly toward Tatiana first, acknowledging the request with respect rather than formality. "I would be happy to speak with you later," Jairdain said simply. "Some questions deserve time, and not all understanding comes while one is still practicing how to listen."

Her attention then shifted, unerringly, toward Feng.

"There is not one path but many," Jairdain repeated softly, not as a correction but as an affirmation. "And none of them are prisons unless we convince ourselves they must be."

At Feng's question, she paused, not because it was difficult, but because it was honest.

"Is the life of a Shadow lonely?" Jairdain echoed, considering the words carefully. "It can be, if one believes independence requires isolation. But that is a misunderstanding, not a rule."

She folded her hands loosely, her presence steady and open rather than imposing.

"A Shadow often walks apart so that others do not have to," she continued. "That distance can feel lonely if you mistake it for separation. In truth, it is a choice about responsibility, not belonging. Shadows still have families. They still have allies. They still return."

Her voice softened just slightly.

"What changes is not whether you are connected, but how intentionally you choose those connections. Loneliness comes not from walking alone for a time, but from believing you are no longer welcome when you return."

She let that thought rest, then gently guided the lesson back without scolding.

"For now, do not try to decide what you will become," Jairdain said. "That is not today's work. Today is about awareness without judgment."

Her unseeing gaze lifted, encompassing the group as a whole.

"Let the Force be what it is around you. Do not measure it. Do not catalogue it. Simply exist within it, and notice how much effort disappears when you stop asking it to be something."

She fell silent again, allowing the wind, the trees, and the group's shared presence to carry the lesson forward without further words.

Tatiana Sah Jax Thio Aileni Ifor Xeraic Rayia Si Feng Huang

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Jairdain Ismet-Thio | Tatiana Sah | Jax Thio | Rayia Si | Feng Huang

Listening around. There were plenty of questions being asked and Aileni was just curious to see what his grandmother was going to say. Listening to her views on the way that a Shadow lived their lives, he wasn't sure that would find that lonely. Working in isolation would save lives but also ensure that the ones closest to you were never going to be in harm's way. Aileni had seen the problems of being attached and connected could have when operating in dangerous cults and surrounded by the enemy.

"A Shadow operates alone to save those closest from the risks of their work. It will be our job to be surrounded by the enemy. If we have loved ones close to us during that time, the chances of them being targeted to prevent us from completing the mission is always going to be too high." Aileni stated. It was something he had come to terms with years ago and he was knew that it would mean that his family would always be kept at an arm's length when Aileni continued the path. For now, he was just figuring out how to be on the correct path needed.

Breathing in deeply, "perhaps that is a reason why Jedi Shadows struggle with balancing the Dark Side, they are dealing with the fact they feel like strangers among their fellow Jedi." Aileni mentioned to himself as he thought about it. It made sense in his mind. Loneliness could allow the darker thoughts to become louder. Angrier. Dominating.

But it was mentioned that they did not have to think about the decision of taking the path or not yet. It was too late for Aileni, he knew that he was always going to be travelling down that path at some point. It was just waiting for the when.

 

[Mykel Dawson]

___________________________________________________________________​

Jedi Robes

In keeping with the general theme of the ongoing class, Mykel quietly slipped out of the treeline and approached the group, careful not to crunch any stray twigs or fallen leaves littering the forest floor and cause any further disturbance. The Knight had been more than fashionably late making his way to the clearing, still finding his way around around Naboo as a refugee from the Galactic Core.

Orientation was going so swell!

Coming so late, he had missed a good part of the initial instruction, but coincidently he had homed in on his fellow Jedi by using their presence in the Force as a guiding beacon. Not actively searching, but shrinking himself within Force and reading its currents as they rolled over him. Similar to the application of instinctive astrogation piloting, but just applied on a micro scale. A handy technique for tracking while simultaneously avoiding detection in the Force.

He arrived within earshot of the participants just as a woman ( Feng Huang ) asked a question, pondering the potential of isolation as a Shadow. His grey eyes were drawn to her violet hair as she spoke, her thick metal tipped braid vividly reminding him of a swaying scorpion tail.

An expert with whip weapons, he could see the destructive potential with a hair-do like that!

Master Jairdain initially offered insight, followed by an answer from another man ( Aileni Ifor Xeraic ) in the group Mykel didn't recognize. All the people present were strangers to Mykel, actually, though he did know of Master Jairdain and her husband Master Jax by reputation, especially the latter as they both hailed from the fallen Galactic Alliance.

He thought he'd offer his own commentary on the matter, directly addressing the woman with his own operational experience.

"I'm no Jedi Shadow myself, but I have worked closely beside Shadows from the Silver Order and the NJO and have had the honor of leading some on a few strike missions. Once, I asked a similar question to them to gain perspective. Paraphrasing from my friend Sitra: For better or worse, Jedi are generally non-confrontational in our actions and operate on consensus. Naturally, friction may arise among certain cohorts as a Shadow's mission inherently warrants a level of vigilance and individual agency that some may find uncomfortable. Furthermore, the field work itself does often leave you in solitude with little support, akin to a small spec ops unit or a spy working behind enemy lines. Beyond abilities and skills, an especially strong constitution is required to contend with the Dark Side alone."

The Consular enjoyed employing Shadows for this very reason, as they rarely had any qualms about jumping into the middle of the fray to face evil head on even while outnumbered and surrounded. If not for the influence of his first master, Mykel may have become a Shadow himself.

Well, it was never too late for a career change, especially with all the extra time on his hands these days.

"I can't control how others may see Shadows," he continued, glancing over at the man who had just spoken before him. "but they may always count me as a friend at least." He looked around the group, a smile growing on his face.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio , Tatiana Sah Jax Thio , Rayia Si​

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Jairdain listened without interrupting, allowing the overlapping thoughts and voices to settle rather than rushing to gather them. When she did speak, it was not to correct, nor to elevate one answer over another, but to place them in relation to each other.

"Aileni," she said first, her voice calm and even, "you are right about the risk. Shadows often operate where attachment can be turned into leverage, and distance can become a form of protection."

She did not rush past that truth.

"But distance is not the same thing as severance," she continued. "There is a difference between choosing solitude for a task and believing you must become a stranger to everyone you care about."

Her attention shifted briefly to Mykel as he finished speaking, and she inclined her head in acknowledgment. "Your friend described the work accurately. Shadow operations demand endurance, autonomy, and a tolerance for pressure that most never experience firsthand."

Then her focus returned to the group as a whole.

"Loneliness is not what draws a Shadow toward imbalance," Jairdain said evenly. "Stagnation is. When a person stops allowing themselves to be witnessed at all. When every burden becomes private, every doubt internal, every cost unpaid." Her voice remained measured, but the weight behind it was unmistakable. "That is when the darker thoughts grow louder. Not because the work is solitary, but because the self becomes sealed."

She drew a slow breath, then lifted one hand slightly, not in command but in invitation.

"This is why we do not decide paths today," she said, reinforcing what had already been stated. "And this is why the next step of this lesson is not combat, nor concealment."

Her presence settled, steady and anchoring.

"The next step is awareness without analysis," Jairdain continued. "You have all been thinking in terms of roles, risks, futures. For the next few minutes, I want you to stop categorizing."

She turned slightly, enough that her voice carried to all of them.

"Do not label yourselves Shadows, Consulars, Guardians, or anything else. Do not measure your readiness. Instead, extend your awareness just far enough to include the group, and no farther. Feel the differences in presence without assigning meaning to them. Notice connection without obligation. Distance without judgment."

A brief pause, then a quieter addition.

"This is how a Shadow learns the difference between solitude and isolation. And how they learn when to step back toward others before imbalance takes root."

She fell silent then, allowing the lesson to move forward not through instruction, but through practice.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic Mykel Dawson Feng Huang Tatiana Sah Jax Thio Rayia Si