Training on Tython

[Darth Metus]

The Jedi Temple, Tython

The present was exceptionally difficult, especially for one of the newest members of the Jedi Order. In the short time he had been affiliated with the guardians of light, Jor'si Denko had be subjected to a great number of trials. First and foremost, he had made some extremely bad decisions which had resulted in the death of an innocent man, then subsequently faced off against two Sith Apprentices and was utterly decimated by a Sith Master and jettisoned into space in a pod. Next, he had to face down another Sith on the world from which his father hailed, attempting to get the truth to shine through the thicket of lies woven by his evil opponent. It was safe to say that Jor'si did not have any love for the Sith Empire at this point. In earnest, if a Sith bumped into him in the street, he'd probably try to cut him to ribbons.

Nonetheless, his crippling defeat at the hands of the Sith Master had pointed out several weaknesses within the young warrior. He had vast room for improvement...and so he would set out to do just that. Jor'si recalled, upon his induction to the Order, that one named Karen Roberts had offered to assist him in tapping into his potential with the Force. So, Jor'si opted to take her up on that offer and, after extending invitations to all of his fellow Padawan learners to join them in training, set out straightway to the mainstay of the Jedi Order: the world known as Tython. As usual, Jor'si had to endure sordid planetary transportation to the Deep Core world, and it was then that he became utterly fed up with being cramped in the back of a merchant's cargo hold. 'THAT DOES IT, I'M GETTING A SHIP IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!' he screamed to himself, restraining the urge to do so verbally as he disembarked upon the world.

Literally, upon setting foot upon the world, Jor'si was assaulted by the prevalent presence of the Force. It was...awe-inspiring. The Force seemed to live and breathe in the air around it; truly a breath-taking experience. After he had stood there gawking at nothing for a good thirty seconds, he snapped out of his enthralled state and trudged along to the Jedi Temple. He came to a halt before the flight of stairs that led to the Temple's doors, suddenly consumed by a wave of self-doubt. Here, the Jedi had been training since they were children, and though Jor'si's combat skills were great..he was far from being a true Jedi. Would his peers accept him? Or would he be shunned....Then the native Nar Shaddaa in him kicked his self-doubt off a cliff and Jor'si steeled himself. Inhaling a breath to steady himself, he ascended the stairs, pushed upon the doors, and admitted himself within the main hall. There, he waited, awaiting the arrival of his fellow Padawan.

To his knowledge, their activities that day would begin with meditation and delving into the Great Holocron, where he'd be exposed to the tenants of the Jedi Code and other valuable, core information regarding the Order. Following, they'd engage in practice using training sabers, some Force exercises, and whatever else the local Knights decided to throw their way.

"Bring it on..."

 

[Jsc]

Padawan Karen Roberts of Corellia arrived an hour later. Her vessel landed in a nearby grove of trees not a far distance off and the fair woman withdrew from her personal vessel with a fluttering grace. A great deal had happen since she and Denko had last met. But she was looking forward to this weekend-retreat idea of theirs. It would be a wonderful change of pace for the working girl. In fact. She had even gone shopping to accommodate their arrival to such a sacred and far-away location. It had been forever since her wardrobe had seen an update and even longer since had ventured into the Deep Core.

Traversing the green wonderland, she eagerly approached the ancient structures before her. The Temple held it's deep grandeur in spirit as she ascended the powerful stairs to find Denko waiting. The mantle of righteousness seamed to beam from her smile as she greeted him,

"Padawan Denko. How wonderful to find you here already. Hehe. I thought I would be the first. ...Come. Come. Stand with me. It's been too long. You must tell me of your adventures. I have no doubt your first days within the Jedi Order were a strange, and yet wonderful change for you. Hehe. And now look! ...Here we are. In the heart of Tython itself. It is simply astounding, isn't it?"

She walked over to the Chamber's central tier and found seating arrangements for herself and others. Waiting patiently for guests to arrive as Jor'si might begin to regal her with tales of his heroic deeds thus far.

 

[Darth Metus]

After an hour of entertaining himself by counting the facets of the massive, holocron-looking monument in the center of the hall...over and over again...Jor'si was greeted by the presence of Karen Roberts, his co-conspirator in the training venture idea. He greeted her with a warm smile upon his face. She was right, it had been a little while since they last met and he sure had a lot to fill her in on. As per her avid request, he joined her at her side. She, too, was entralled by the majesty of the Tython; he only hoped she'd snap out of it soon.

"A pleasure to see you as well Padawan Roberts. What can I say? The early bed gets the worm, am I right?" He allowed himself a chuckle at his utterly cheesy remark. "Oh...you have NO idea. Strange doesn't cover it. To give you the short version of a rather lengthy set of stories...I squared off with two Sith in Chiss space, nearly took down one, and then got my rear handed to me by their master. I'm fortunate to have been able to make it out alive..." He made sure to leave out the part regarding the Nagai..and the Sith Master's words to him about taking vengeance..."Then, I helped out on the Republic's mission to Morje. We ran into this...really annoying Sith who kept twisting my words. Luckily, he vacated before any real damage was done to the world and I stayed behind for a little bit. I got to know my grandmother and my people quite a bit, I'm actually a tad popular!"

He beamed, taking a seat at one of the chairs arranged about the table. "I'll admit...I made some choice I'm not proud of, but I'll never make them again. I'm going to learn, grow stronger, and become the best damn Jedi this galaxy's ever seen! Now then, enough about me, what have you been up to?"

 

[Jsc]

"Goodness me!"

He had been busy. Karen had been a Jedi for nigh her entire life. And now in her early thirties one might expect that her stories would carry on for hours. But even Roberts had never seen such singular combat. Her entire career she had been surrounded by allies and friends. Even in the darkest moments she had never fought Sith alone. Denko was more unique than she had ever imagined.

She gave herself a moment to ponder and then began,

"Well. Grant and I have been busy rebuilding the Senate Hall. It has taken weeks of labor no doubt. But now that it is finished I am glad to see it shine. How lovely it looks during a blue afternoon. And to think I had a hand in placing it's bricks back together again? It makes a woman proud to be apart of something."

Karen breathed in deeply with pride. The Republic was going places. And she was happy to help them along.

"Now then. How shall we begin? My ship is not far and contains of all necessary materials. I don't expect anyone would want to sleep here for the night. Bleh..."

She touched her seat with an inspecting glance. Time cures all wounds, they say. But it sure makes for a good deal of dust, doesn't it? Hmm.

"Perhaps I should run a scanner sweep to? I hate to act so militarily. I know we've just arrived. ...Had you something in mind as well?"

 

[Darth Metus]

"So I've heard! Rumor has it, the Senate Building looks better now than it ever has before. Kudos to a job well done!" Jor'si said, beaming whilst he showered his comrade with praise. He was also equally, if not more so, delighted to hear that she had brought provisions for an overnight stay. For, even though the Temple was majestic...it was covered in a mountain of dust internally from disrepair. Though it was the mainstay of the Jedi Order, they had recently branched out to Coruscant and other worlds in order to seek out new Force-sensitives in order to join the ancestral Order.

"Eh...what Sith would be crazy enough to brave the Republic fleet in order to attack a group of Padawans? Besides, we could take 'em." He stated confidently, waving away her offer to do a scanner sweep. "The only thing I had in mind was getting into that Great Holocron I've heard so much about. I...have a LONG way to go before I'm even close to being a Jedi of any decent caliber, and perhaps the Holocron will have some insight as to what I should do to walk the correct path..."

 

[Jsc]

"An excellent idea. Perhaps sometime I will show you some meditation techniques that allow the Force to guide you in a more... Reactive manner. Mmm. But until then. Give me a moment to bring my ship closer. I want my supplies just a little closer to home."

Karen stood up and gathered her robes about her. It was time to break open camp get the building set up for visitors. She could run the scan from her ship. No need to gather supplies inside. The building was safe. At least that was what she felt in the Force. So it was fine to wander at their leisure.

Roberts departed and spent about ten minutes away. Relocating her ship to be closer to the Temple and unpacking her bags within. The scanner sweep showed all lifeforms and thermal signatures for many kilometers. However, it was difficult to adjust for the temperature of the green environment. She returned with a long sack slung from her shoulder. Eager to be underway with their training exercises.

"Yes. Well. ...That takes care of that. We are all safe. And quite alone. ...For the moment anyway. I've sent up a thermal beacon just outside my ship. We should be aware of anymore guests as they arrive now. Hehe. Safety first."

Her bag contained some food and her training materials. It was safe to say she was ready to begin.

"So? Where is this... Great Holocron? Don't tell me that is it right there next to the stairs? Wow'zers."

 

[Darth Metus]

Once more, Jor'si played the waiting game. This time, he kicked his feet up upon the table, leaned his chair back, and hummed a few random tunes until his comrade had returned. At which point, he lowered his legs from the table and rose, dusting himself off and relieving her of the bag that was slung over her shoulder.

"Excellent!" He said, taking a second to crack it open and claim himself a protein bar. The young Jedi hadn't eaten since he had departed from Coruscant and, to be perfectly honest, he hadn't eaten much in the previous days either. As such, he devoured the protein bar in three bites, chewed swiftly, and swallowed it down with a content grin upon his face. "Man that was good...and to answer your question, that is not the Great Holocron. That is a monument that's been here for centuries."

He stepped away from the table and motioned to a hallway that was adjacent to their position. "The Great Holocron is supposedly in the library. It should be down there...but, I think we should wait for the others before diving in. So, since you've got the training sabers, how's about a duel?" Jor'si, in truth, wasn't really asking. He gripped one of the saber's hilts and tossed the other to Karen with a smile.

"Come on, it'll be fun. Show me what you've got!"

 

[Jsc]

"Ah. Well. If your going to invite a lady? ...At least give her the advantage. Hehe."

Karen gave a playful smirk and recovered a special training saber from the bag. Roberts was a double bladed artist. She hadn't trained with a single hilt in almost ten years. Still. There was something to be said for the classics. She removed her outer cloak and straightened her yellow tunic. Her boots where not meant for fighting in, but a woman has many shoes. She could manage a little less footwork this go around. That was fine.

"Alright. Our newest member. Hehe. Let's see what you've learned from fighting those mean old Sith, eh? You can start."

She ignited both blades and checked the settings. All clear. Then she took a middle guard, balanced, and awaited his first move.

 

[Ava Solborne]

The life was different now. That was the main thought, what Dominator had. The difference between Umbaran and Jedi life was greater than he has ever thought. Now, being a part of The Republic and not following Umbarand 'No-Republic' rules, seemed a little... unnormal. Of cource, Dominator's life was now a lot better, but he missed Umbaran cold nights and the darkness. It seemed a little odd, but yes, Dominator really missed the darkness. But the choice he made was right and The Republic, The Jedi Order was better than Umbaran independency.

Dominator saw the planet and checked, if it really is the right one. His masters, well, not actually his, said that he should go to Tython. Dominator, being a conscientious person, did it. The planet seemed to be the right one and so he landed. The black starship he was given cleared the are under it and it landed. Dominator sensed, that there are already some padawans on the planet and immediately he had the fear, that he is late.

Dominator started to run to the temple and when he finally reached the door, he couldn't stop. He ran through it and fell down. Great, now he looks like a dumb, maybe even crazy. His dignity was ruined. Maybe it didn't actually seemed like Dominator thought, but that's the way Umbarans think.

 

[Darth Metus]

"You got it."

Those were the last words that escaped the young Padawan's lips before he launched himself into action, gripping the practice saber in an underhanded hold and rushing forward. His approach was purely aggressive, and his blade came down with a mighty force, poised to strike the torso. Of course, this strike would be blocked by his opponent's sabers and then Karen would be able to counterattack. He wasn't going all-out just yet, he wanted to see what his fellow Padawan was capable of before he started pulling out all the stops. Before Jor'si had the opportunity to open his mouth and goad her forward, the doors of the temple burst open...

...and in tumbled the new guy. Swiftly, Jor'si retracted his attack and stepped back, jogging back an additional two steps to create space between them. He then moved away from Karen and strode over to their fellow Padawan, offering a hand to get him onto his feet. "Welcome!" He said, beaming, not even making a big deal out of the man's fall; as he didn't want him to feel even more embarrased then he probably already was. "My name's Jor'si Denko, a pleasure to meet you. Care to join us?"

 

[Ava Solborne]

Dominator took the man's hand and stood up. Then he cleaned his robe and nodded. Like always, Dominator was very quiet when he was in front of strangers. The reason was that... Dominator is shy. The boy looked around and then at the girl. He bowed towards the girl. It was his home regions, cultural politeness to bow towards women. Then Dominator looked at the man again and took the courage to say: "Hello! Nice to meet you, master Denko." Yes, he thought that Jor'si was a Jedi Master. "I would like to join you in the training. That is the actual reason, why I am here, master Denko."

Dominator walked around and saw a piece of garbage. He looked at it and it started to levitate. Not very high, it actually just raised a centimeter or two. Then Dominator raised his hand to it and the piece flew higher. He pulled it to him and looked at it. A really strange paper. But it was just a garbage so he threw it to the thrash can somewhere at the corner of the room.

 

[Jsc]

Karen prepared for a seamless riposte but Denko had already withdrawn. As such, she extinguished her blades and stood up straight. Surprised at the arrival of another alien student. He was very different. Roberts had never met an Umbaran. Thus as he bowed, she turned to smile and nodded her head in kind,

"Good student. Padawan Denko and I are not Jedi Masters. Please. You are welcome to be in our company. All are equal here. Be at peace."

She smiled effortlessly and motioned that he was welcome.

"I am Padawan Roberts of Corellia. Welcome to Tython."

 

[Ava Solborne]

"I am honored to meet you, lady Roberts. I am Equa Dominator." Dominator said. It was a surprise for him to train with fellow padawans. It was so different from his normal training with Jedi Knights and Masters. "My apologies. I thought, that you are both Jedi Masters. I didn't know, that only padawans will meet this time." Dominator took his cape off and looked around again. It was a... strange place.

 

[Darth Metus]

The male who had stumbled in was quite unique, and a tad shy by Jor'si's estimation. But then again, who wouldn't be in this situation? The young Padawan simply gave a shrug of his shoulders and extinguished the blade of his practice saber, flipped it around in the flat of his palm, and offered it to his fellow trainee. "Here, by all means, join us. We're all Padawan here and I'm sure you'll learn from us just as much as we learn from you." Jor'si didn't wait for the Padawan to take the practice saber, he simply deposited in his hand and strode off towards the bag upon the table. Reaching out with the Force, he sought out another of the training sabers Karen had brought along and pulled it to his hand with relative ease, igniting it in midair and catching it with a hint of flair.

What could Jor'si say? He had just a touch of style...and loved to show off just a little bit...With that said, he deviated away from the table and came to a halt approximately fifteen paces away from both Karen and Equa. Switching to an underhand carry once more, Jor'si took a defensive stance and motioned for his fellow Padawan to attack. "No time like the present! Karen. Equa. Come at me!"

 

[Jsc]

"...No. We shall hold for now and make proper introductions. Goodness Jor'si. So bold."

Karen raised an eyebrow at Denko and motioned for him to withdraw his enthusiasm for sparring. Even a Battlemaster knows discretion. Now was the time to learn about Padawan Dominator. Not brand him.

"Forgive Padawan Denko's enthusiasm. He is a swordsman completely. But our introductions are not complete. ...Tell us. Tell us Padawan Dominator. From where to you hail? Have you come to join us in seeking after the mysteries of the Force as well? ...Is that why you are here? You are most welcome."

Karen returned her saber to her bag and removed two small bags of mineral tea and a synthesizer. A white box used for mixing ingredients with liquids. With all her equipment in place, she went about making tea for their guest. A much more appropriate greeting than a duel. At least in Karen's mind anyway.

"Go on. Tell us about yourself. Do you share Padawan Denko's love of the sword as well? Hehe."

 

[Elara Hulis]

"It is good to meet you again," greeted a voice that should have been familiar to Jor'si.

Coming from a side hall, Elara approached the growing group with a smile. A headband covered her eyes, typical for those of the Miralukan species. Her Padawan braid also trailed along the right side of her face along with her red hair.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't interrupt anything," apologized Elara, apparently concerned about suddenly interjecting as she did. She did not say anything else until addressed. She simply used her vision through the Force to observe her fellow Padawans - conversing and making tea and all.

 

[Beldorion III]

"I too, bid you all many greetings fellow Padawans," Beldorion III slithered in calmly. He had come here unfortunately without his sail barge, but obviously it was not capable of traversing outer space. However, he did think that from the inconvenience of his travels across the cosmos in an ordinary trafficking system, he pondered if his personal engineer could think something up and modify his Barge to be space worthy. "Do not be alarmed, I too am a Jedi, despite my species." His smile was benevolent and undoubtedly strange to the near-humans before him.

"What festivities do we traverse here? It appears Padawans Denko, and Roberts were beginning in a dual? How entertaining. I would join as well, but I fret I am no more than a simple brute with a lightsaber. The Force is more of my forte. Even that however," He began to laugh slightly, "Is no better."

 

[Darth Metus]

'You've gotta be kidding me...' Was what the headstrong Padawan wanted to blurt aloud, but he managed to restrain himself and retracted the blade of the training saber with a flick of his finger. What could he say? She had him pegged, lightsaber combat was one of his great joys these days. Nonetheless, she was...right...to an extent, though he felt that their purpose for coming was training, traning, and more training...not TEA! 'Eh, whatever..' he said to himself, slapping a grin upon his face and chuckling softly.

"Sorry about that Dominator, me and lightsabers have this thing going on." He chuckled aloud, stowing the training saber upon his belt and striding over to the dusty table once more. As he sat upon his seat, he was greeted by a familiar voice from the doorway. "Well I'll be, Elara! It's a pleasure to see you again!" Jor'si raised his hand and gave a jovial wave, greeting the woman who had saved his skin from the Sith upon Dantooine and convinced him to seek out the Jedi Order on Coruscant so long ago. If not for her, he'd probably not be where he was sitting...he'd probably be a Sith...He shuddered at the thought...

...and nearly fell out of his chair when the Hutt slithered in. Jor'si could not believe his eyes, a HUTT claimed to be a Padawan? 'Is this some kind of sick joke?!' he screamed to himself, fixing his jaw so that he didn't offend anyone with his opinion. But, who could blame him? His parents were ripped from him at the hands of members of the Hutt cartel, and Jor'si was not quick to forgive. In fact, he harbored a deep aversion to the Hutt as a race and all those associated with him. And yet, here he was, now forced to cooperate with a Hutt: a member of the Jedi Order.

"Good to see you too...Hutt." He snapped, folding his arms across his chest. Karen and Elara would recognize the feeling that emanated through the Force in that moment: that wildfire of aggravation that he had displayed upon Dantooine when he had met them weeks prior. It was not as pronounced as before, for he was slowly getting a grip on himself the more time passed...yet the mere presence of a Hutt still bothered him greatly...

"You know my name, so how come I don't know yours Hutt? Who are you?"

 

[Jsc]

"Jor'si! Good heavens!"

Karen was like a mother hen flapping at her chick. She couldn't believe Denko's behavior today. ...Well. Actually. Given his history? And outbursts? And Sith fighting stories? And... Erm. Well. ...I mean. Yeah. She probably could. Hmph. Roberts probably should have seen this coming too. Good grief.

"No no. ...Forgive us all. And yes. You are all welcome here. We, are all welcome here. Tython and this old Jedi Temple bid you enter and speak freely. Come. Come. Let us make introductions. This is no time to stand on ceremony. Tell us who you are and where you are from? I hope everyone came to train together yes?"

The woman curled her robes around herself and awaited a celebration in discovery. It was time to meet everybody and hear their story.

 

[Ava Solborne]

Dominator looked around and silently listened to the newcomers. He wanted to take something from his pocket, but when he put his hand into it, he changed his mind. That happened just when the hutt came in. Dominator has always thought, that hutts are against The Republic and The Jedi Order, like Umbarans.

Dominator walked away and moved towards padawan Roberts. He was brave enought to talk with her. The speech he gave before was just a formality. He was taught to do that. "Lady Roberts, I come from the darkest planet in the galaxy, named Umbara. Now I came from Coruscant, Masters suggested to come here. And... I am not skilled in lightsaber duel. I would like to learn the secrets of the Force."