Private Welcome to the Jungle

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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We meet again.​

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Valery looked out through the window of the shuttle's cockpit as the large, green world came into view. Her history with this world was vast, and her memories were incredibly mixed emotionally. It was here that her face was scarred, that her first Padawan was killed, but this is also where she met Kahlil and that alone surpassed anything else that had happened here. The memories of meeting him in the archives, traveling to her former Enclave, and spending several days and nights together within the jungles were ones she'd always hold close to her heart. ​

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So if Iris were to pay any attention to Valery's colors at this moment, she'd feel the combination of joy and sadness, the latter of which more apparent, as the memories of Kahlil made her miss him even more. Quickly though, she centered herself again and focused, so her usual self returned.​

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Today was going to be a better day — she traveled back to New Cov to uphold a tradition of sorts. During her younger years as a Padawan, Valery's ability to survive and live through anything was brutally drilled into her deep inside the unforgiving jungles of New Cov. Now, she returned with her own Padawan, hoping to teach her some of the lessons she had learned here. But training was not the only reason for her visit.​

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"There it is, Ilic, the capital city of the planet," Valery told Iris, who sat beside her in the co-pilot seat. "See that big dome around it? All cities here have a structure like that to separate the people from the jungle. It's full of incredibly lethal fauna and flora, so setting foot inside is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing." the woman explained.​

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"I brought you here because I picked up on a call for help from the planet. A team of researchers went on an expedition but never returned. They were well-trained, had protection and they've made trips like this many times before. So their disappearance is... odd."​

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"Because of my experience with the planet, I offered to search for them and figure out what happened. But I'm going to bring you along so I can teach you something I believe you'll value quite a lot. So today, we're going to help people and learn." She smirked, knowing that helping people was a big motivator for Iris. The lesson she had in store for the young girl was going to be quite useful, too, and something she figured Iris would be thrilled about.​

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"Do you have any questions?" she asked as the ship began to maneuver down and into the city's spaceport.​

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[Iris Arani]

The world was beautiful.

Iris's gaze rarely looked away from the window of the shuttle as they approached New Cov. Even from space she could already see the colors of life. The trees alone added a beautiful green to the world. The water a blue. Then there were the colors only Iris could see, of course. A swirl of shades from all the life that existed on the surface. So distracted that she was she didn't notice some things from Valery Noble .

But as her master spoke, the padawan immediately turned her gaze and smiled. Listened.

So this wasn't just a trip for training? All at once the fun atmosphere turned serious, and Iris nodded her head. They were here to help people. "If my training slows things down, I'm alright with postponing. The most important thing is finding the people lost." She could always learn later. The same couldn't be said about people living. She shook her head, a far more determined expression taking over.

"I'm ready to start when you are, master."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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Slowly, the ship eased its way down onto the landing pad, the engines powered down and Valery turned off most of the shuttle's systems. Her gaze then turned to her Padawan again, whose answer brought a smile to Valery's face. ​

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"Your training won't slow us down — it will be a vital part of navigating through the jungle," Valery explained as she opened up the ramp in the back of the ship. The woman then rose up to her feet, and began to guide Iris out, and into the spaceport.​

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"As of now, we only know where those people were roughly heading, and ships were already sent to get a look from above. But there was no sign of them at all." she stopped walking and looked at Iris, "Finding those people is our priority, but we can't help them if we bring ourselves in danger."​

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Her walk towards the exit of the spaceport continued, but there was more she wanted to cover.​

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"Today's lesson is about recognizing and preventing yourself from even entering dangerous situations. As Jedi, we are prepared to handle conflict, but if we can avoid it, that's generally the better solution."​

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"So with that said, what do you think is the first step when it comes to prevention of danger?"​

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[Iris Arani]

So long as she wouldn't slow them down, Iris was thrilled to be learning again. Given Valery Noble quite literally said it, she couldn't help but smile bright. The jungle was going to be dangerous, yes, but together they would be fine, right? She walked beside her master, pulling her hood up as they stepped under the sun to help block out the brightness. This world was just as pretty on the ground as it looked in orbit.

"Diffusing whatever situation would lead to violence. Like um.. Talking down someone with a blaster."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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For a moment, Valery squinted as her Keshian eyes adjusted to the bright sun. She wasn't wearing any robes, nor did her typical attire have a hood, so she was just going to have to deal with it. But it didn't stop her from offering Iris a smile​

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"A good answer, but I'd consider that a vital option later in the process," Valery said as the two Jedi approached a taxi point. She'd gesture for her Padawan to sit down, and after offering the piloting droid directions, they would begin their journey to one of the city's exit points into the jungle.​

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"To me, the very first step is awareness. Both of your surroundings and of the mission details. Because on many assignments and in a lot of situations, you may be able to avoid confrontation completely, but it depends on how you plan your approach, which depends on how aware you are of what lies ahead." Valery said, but she felt an example would be better.​

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"Take our mission as an example — we're looking for a group of researchers in a jungle we know is full of dangerous predators and plant life. We have no reason to engage unless it's self-defense. But preferably, we don't run into any predator or dangerous plant, right? So the question really is how we can avoid those situations where we might have to protect ourselves."​

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"That is what awareness is all about, and while our eyes and ears can give us information about our immediate surroundings, the Force can guide us much better. When we go out into the jungle, I'd like you to take what I recommend to always be your first step — let your senses expand and sense out life in the area. In most cases, danger comes from what is alive, and thus it's vital to know what is around you."​

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"Does this make sense, and do you think you can do that for me?"​

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Valery asked, hoping the girl felt confident in her ability with Force Sense. If not, she was going to guide Iris, but the most important thing was that her Padawan understood this part of the training.​

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[Iris Arani]

Oh.

Well, yeah. Iris blushed a little. She'd gotten too far ahead in her answer, having assumed they already knew what the problem was in the hypothetical. Valery Noble went on to explain more, which just distracted the Padawan from her earlier embarrassment. Focus on feeling life around them? She smiled faintly, nodding. Be aware of her surroundings. Often Iris actually was. She wasn't aware of conversations normally, but people's intentions? Who was there and how they were feeling?

That was her life. A constant swirl of emotion that showed her everything she needed to function day to day. But often too much for her to do anything else.

Though, now she wondered. As they neared the cities edge her smile faded. "Is it normal to always sense things?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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The two Jedi soon reached the edge of the city, where the taxi dropped them off before it departed again. Looking around, they would notice very few people here — it was rare for anybody to actually go out and into the jungles, so most stayed clear of it. This meant it was just the Master and Padawan in front of the massive durasteel doors, designed to keep out even the strongest of predators.​

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Valery was about to give the signal for them to open when Iris asked her question. Valery blinked and looked down at the girl with a smile that showed her approval.​

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"Not quite. Most Force-sensitives need to very actively try to sense something unless it's close or about to do something that affects them. I personally feel the emotions of people I'm emotionally close to very strongly, so I always know if you're okay or not, and I'm a very well-trained Force Empath. But it's not quite like your natural gifts to see it in everybody so easily, and with time, your empathic abilities will surpass mine." she said with an encouraging nod. ​

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"There are, however, ways to block out the ability to sense emotions as well, and of course you're not going to sense any in droids or other non-living things."​

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Valery paused for a moment as the large doors began to open. There were two separate sets of durasteel doors, with some open space between them. This way, the outer doors would only ever open if the inner doors were closed, thus avoiding the risk of animals or unwanted visitors getting inside.​

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"There are also various techniques and ways to mask your presence in the Force, many of which I'm particularly proficient in for more stealth-based missions. But in this context, those techniques can blind you from what is actually around you — it gives you a false awareness that can cause you to walk into traps."​

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"This was going to be my next point. No matter how skilled you are with your senses, never assume that it will be enough in all situations. That's why you must learn how to diffuse danger as well, and not just focus on preventing it all together."​

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"Does this make sense?"​

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Valery then looked ahead of her, into the direction of the large jungle that awaited them. If Iris' question had been answered, they were about to enter the notorious New Cov jungles.​

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[Iris Arani]

No droids or non living things? She did feel.. Something from the zombies. But.. Not color. Maybe that's more what she should focus on when it comes to that kind of darkness. Not that she pondered this for long. Though, people could mask things? No, that wasn't surprising. She'd noticed it when Kai lost his ring, what his actual colors were that he normally kept hidden.

"I understand."

There was a lot being said by Valery Noble , but Iris did actually understand. This was one of the things she really did know.

All at once as the doors opened the colors came flooding in. Shade after shade of life and nature. Iris smiled softly and nodded her head before starting to head out. "Let's go find those who are lost."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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"I understand."​

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Valery smiled and turned her gaze forward as the doors slid open and the familiar jungle greeted her once again. Even after thousands of years, it all looked so similar. For a brief moment, Valery just stood there, looking out into the green as memories returned.​

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"Let's go find those who are lost."​

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Valery blinked, looked down at her Padawan and chuckled. ​

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"We're going to first move along the path they would have taken. So we start here, and we head northeast." she said as she looked off into the direction they'd be going. "Along the way, keep your senses sharp and I'll soon explain another step required for our safety."​

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With that, the two Jedi began to walk towards where the Jungle started, which had a rather hard starting line. The trees and plants directly around the city had been cut, so it created a rather unnatural barrier between the wild and urban areas of the planet. It was, however, a necessity for those living here.​

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Moments later, the two Jedi reached the thick jungle, and Valery would take point to begin leading them through it. But as they moved, she'd look back at her Padawan.​

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"What do you feel around us, Iris?" she asked. Valery knew that the sheer amount of life could be overwhelming to many. What would you focus on? what was important and what wasn't? Those questions often clouded the minds of the inexperienced, so she sought to test her Padawan a little.​

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[Iris Arani]

Iris nodded, staying by Valery Noble 's side all the while. To the northeast. How far had the people gotten before they went missing? Hopefully they weren't eaten. She frowned at the thought, but closed her eyes. They couldn't save everyone, but they had to try. Better to not let such defeated thoughts enter her mind until after the mission was done. They made it to the jungles edge, and already she could feel more and more of the life around them. It truly was a beautiful place.

"What do you feel around us, Iris?"

"Too many things to realistically list." An honest answer. Iris could feel everything. But that wasn't anything new to her. The world of colors was something she'd lived with for so, so long. "There's.. More obvious danger here and there. Creatures with lethal intent. Their colors are darker than the rest, but that's normal I think. Its hard to tell what we should be avoiding."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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Valery chuckled — that was the right answer. Any Jedi who tried would be able to feel the immense swarms of life around them in a place like this. Iris especially would be able to pick up on it, and she correctly pointed out how it was difficult to avoid something dangerous based on these feelings alone.​

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"That's right," Valery muttered as she maneuvered past some thick vines.​

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"In a place with very little living things, these senses alone might be enough. But in a place like this, it's hard to tell the good from the bad; it only makes you aware of life in general," she explained. "The Force, however, can tell you much more than someone's presence in the Force or their intent. Empathy typically requires you to be close, but predators or threats don't have to be close to become a problem." she continued.​

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"That's why, as an extension of Force sense, you can learn how to perceive danger as well. It's often referred to as Danger Sense, a basic form of precognition where the Force warns you of imminent danger. This type of sense does not rely on it being something living that's about to attack or be dangerous as well; so it works against droids."​

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She looked over her shoulder at Iris, "That's the final step in circumventing conflict — it's to sense danger itself and avoid it. But even that won't always work, and then we get to confronting danger. But first, let's keep moving and open yourself to the Force. Don't block out any information and let it guide you."​

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Valery said this with reason, as the two were approaching a cave that they could just barely see ahead of them. With each step they took towards it, there was a stronger sense of danger looming over them. There was something inside there, not fully aware of the Jedi approaching, but it felt unpleasant.​

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[Iris Arani]

Danger sense?

".. I think I know what you're talking about." Actually, she'd used it on a couple occasions now that she thought about it. Not actively, and not exactly in the way Valery Noble meant, but she'd seen it. The darkening of colors just before someone attacked. It's what helped her body spring to action to get out of the way of danger, or deflect blaster fire. But she'd never used it to predict a danger to avoid all together.

".. Ahead. Somethings hungry. Waiting." She caught it. The subtle wave in the colors that dimmed and darkened. A predator, waiting to find prey to pounce upon. "We should go this way."

With that she turned, leading through the jungle down a different, safer path.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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"I'm not surprised that you do. Danger Sense is something all Force-sensitives experience naturally to some extent. With your world of colors, it's likely more prominent." Valery said with a smile.​

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Of course, she had also been paying attention to the path ahead of them. She wanted Iris to learn and feel the responsibility of having to guide them, but she was still extending her own senses to be safe. The plan was, however, not to use them to guide her Padawan too much.​

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"Very good. Caves on New Cov might appear like shelter from the Jungle, but dangerous creatures live within them." she said, having once experienced the unfortunate situation of running into a group of Nightshrikes.​

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The two Jedi then turned away from the caves and began to move down a safer path that took them around the cave, but into the same area they would have been in if they had gone through. The jungle was now quickly growing more dense, and Iris' senses would pick up on life all around them.​

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Much like before but there was great danger to a lot of it, and there seemed to be no safe path through. Valery knew her Padawan would pick up on that, and let the feeling linger for just a second.​

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"The final step to avoid having to draw a blade is now in front of us. There is no safe path through that would allow us to avoid everything, so now we must be ready to diffuse situations. When we run into a predator or something dangerous, I'd like you to try something I believe you'll be gifted at."​

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"You're used to receiving Empathic information through colors, but you can also send that information to others. If you reach out to their minds, you can share your intentions, your feelings, and use them to affect their behavior. Sometimes, pleasant emotions will help — especially if the potential threat is acting out of fear. If they see you as food, try to frighten them instead." Valery said. "While Jedi avoid weaponizing fear, when dealing with animals like this, it's simply playing into their instincts and it may allow you to safe a life you'd otherwise have to fight."​

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"You think you can try this?"​

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[Iris Arani]

The safer path was only safer for so long. As the way forward seemed to be clouded with danger, Iris frowned. Had she put her and Valery Noble in the wrong place? As her master let the silence linger, Iris continued to try and find something, any path forward. Then the answer was spoken. There was no path forward, but that was okay? Her gaze shifted towards Valery, blinking slowly.

"I.." Iris blinked again. Then smiled. Reaching out to others, giving feeling, emotion. Seeing where they were, how they felt. Of all of what Iris had learned about herself throughout her training under Valery, this was by far the easiest thing for Iris to understand. She lead them forward through the underbrush, letting the colors guide them. Not to the safest path, but to the creature who's emotional state she could understand best and easiest.

That would be their safest route.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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Iris didn't say much in response, but her smile told Valery all she needed to know. Of course, the girl was able to not only feel the emotions of those around her but also affect them greatly. With her confidence in these skills, the Master and Padawan continued their path forward, carefully chosen to avoid the truly dangerous predators that weren't afraid to jump them.​

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But as they kept moving, they would soon cross paths with an animal that stood out to them. Sure, they had seen all kinds of smaller animals along the way already, but this scaled animal seemed like it was on the path to becoming a large predator. It was, however, still just a youngling.​

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"Iris, stop," Valery said softly as she looked at it.​

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Almost immediately, the two Jedi would feel great danger but not from the small young predator in front of them. Not, it came from another lurking at them from the top of a large tree. The dangerous Gharzr came for her child, who she believed was being threatened by the two Jedi.​

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Valery stood ready to act, but this was a chance to test Iris as well.​

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[Iris Arani]

The mother.

She could feel the presence of another even as Valery Noble warned her to stop. It clicked the moment the larger of the scaled beasts hovered above just out of sight. Waiting. Watching. Preparing to strike. Iris didn't move from where she was, her gaze staying on the young one. They weren't scared. More.. Curious. So long as they weren't threatened, then.. She reached out. Not physically. Through the Force, the colors, both to the mother and their child.

A calming wave, much like she'd done with the children back when Valery first met Iris, was put out. To keep the child calm. To calm the mother. Just so they could pass.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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Valery's eyes were watching the scene closely, but her focus had mostly shifted into the Force. She felt her Padawan reaching out, allowing her calmness to spread like she had times before, but now to calm the instincts of a mother protecting her cub. In some ways, it was different from handling people, but the similarities were there as well.​

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Meanwhile, the mother Gharzr got closer and closer, its eyes focused on the Jedi and she was clearly ready to pounce. But as Iris continued to reach out, something changed.​

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Rather than jumping at the Jedi, the mother moved for her cub and picked it up before quickly moving away. She wasn't going to risk a fight while her child was there, and she felt no threat from the Jedi anymore.​

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"Well done, Iris," Valery said as a hand came to rest on her Padawan's shoulder.​

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"But I have one last question about a final step — what do we do when all these things we discussed fail? When we've tried avoiding the situation or attempted to diffuse or disarm, yet something or someone continues to be aggressive."​

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[Iris Arani]

Iris let out a sigh of relief as the mother left. She didn't want to get into any kind of fight with the local wildlife, and certainly didn't want to put Valery Noble in danger if she'd messed up. But she didn't! She was actually doing something right! Though the next question brought a thin line to the smile that had once existed. "Incapacitate, and.. If needed.." She didn't go on, but it was obvious what she meant.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: New Cov​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Iris Arani ​

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She knew her question was not going to be liked, but it had to be asked and understood. Hesitation in self-defense situations not only endangers yourself but also your allies and those you've sworn to protect. Valery has met Jedi who were never willing to draw their blade and fight for themselves, and while she could admire their desire to avoid conflict, their decisions often resulted in misery for others. For those who relied on those Jedi to stand between them and evil.​

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Iris was a girl who cared about life and sought to protect it as well. So she wanted her to understand this lesson really well.​

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"That's right, Iris. In that case, you've tried everything you can as a defender not to harm someone. But there are times you must, both to protect yourself and those around you."​

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Valery then tapped her on the shoulder, "Good job getting the mother and her cub away." she smiled and nudged her to follow along again, as they began to move along the path Iris had chosen again. For about 15 minutes, this continued until they spotted something — a blaster rifle lay on the ground between some grass and plants.​

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It would naturally draw the Jedi towards it, but both could feel a sense of danger. The odd thing was though, that there were no animals nearby at all. What the two Jedi didn't know, was that a large concealed, flesh-eating plant was waiting for them.​

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[Iris Arani]

Inaction meant death. That was the short of it in Iris's mind. She'd experienced it plenty of times, now. Mostly on her own part. The scar on her arm practically burned at the memory. Too weak, too scared, too much hesitation. Iris briefly returned the smile, but it didn't stay long. Something was off. She could feel it as they went further. Or, more accurately, the lack of something. Life everywhere, but nothing like the mother and child.

Yet there was still a hunger. Iris frowned, her eyes staying on the blaster now.

"Somethings here. I'm.. Not sure what."

Valery Noble