Private Welcome to the Order

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

Meeting new arrivals was always an exciting thing.

It meant that the New Jedi Order was growing, and even though it had already much exceeded Valery's imagination, it felt good to know that this progress wasn't slowing down. The war with Brotherhood of the Maw had cost many lives, and now a new conflict threatened the Jedi once again. Every new member, no matter their age or experience, was going to be important in the years to come. Either to help defend the Alliance directly, or perhaps to play a role in its future some other way.

There were a lot of ways to serve as a Jedi, after all.

After taking the turbolift down from the Council Chambers, Valery walked through the hallway and greeted several Jedi along the way. Normally, she'd have stopped for short conversations, but she didn't want to arrive late. Lishi Sowih would be here any moment, and welcoming them to the Order and the Temple was Valery's top priority right now.

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE
​

Lishi walked at a slow pace towards the massive stone structure sprawling before them. They meandered about so long, even they noticed it. But why? This was all they wanted, to move up, to learn, to grow. Moving to the Jedi temple on Coruscant offered all that and more. Why, then, did they still feel uneasy about leaving the small temple they were taught in beforehand? Their masters had thought them ready to move on, yet they didn't know whether it was the right call. Lishi looked down on their arms, their gloved hands limply moving along with the movement of their arms.

'I can hardly even hold a lightsaber correctly... How can I feel ready?' They sighed, before squinting their eyes. Throughout the massive courtyard, a figure walked at a brisque pace towards them. 'Great... Time to start keeping count of the people I'll disappoint here.' Lishi muttered before putting on a smile, hiding all the doubt and other undesired thoughts behind a veneer of excitement and awe at the temple, awaiting the unavoidable conversation with the one-person welcoming comitee.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

"You must be Padawan Sowih?" Valery asked after she came to a stop in front of the young Mirialan Padawan. Valery had only been able to read up a little on the files their former Temple had sent her, so beyond the basics, she knew very little about them and how far they were with their training. "Welcome to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. I'm Master Valery Noble," she then continued to introduce herself.

"I hope the journey here wasn't too long?"

With a smile, and a hand gesturing for Lishi to follow her, Valery started walking further into the Temple to give the young Padawan an impression about its interior.

"I know it can be quite an adjustment to arrive on Coruscant, so please, take all the time you need to adjust, hm? You can freely ask questions as well, if you have any."

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE
​

Lishi looked at the woman approaching them. Even before the person reached them, they quickly examined everything they could from the appearance of the Jedi. A scar going across her left eye, lightly armored boots and gloves... No doubt this was someone experienced, most likely a Jedi Master, someone they should listen to with great care. No less someone who fit a description of the person they have been informed would come and greet them.

"You must be Padawan Sowih?" Valery asked after she came to a stop in front of the young Mirialan Padawan.​

'Yes, that would be me. Master Noble, I assume?' Lishi slightly smiled and courteously bowed as they have been instructed to do beforehand to show respect, hoping they haven't messed up the name of the Jedi Master before them. As they finished bowing, Lishi tried their best to focus on the temple, rather than the face of Valery, trying to hide their awkwardness. 'It was pretty long, but I didn't mind. It gave me time to think.' They replied to the question, giving her interlocutor yet another polite smile.

The massive stone building, both imposing and at the same time oddly inviting stood in the middle of the courtyard before it, towering above the people walking in and out of it below. It was leagues bigger than what they had been used to in their old temple, and would probably house way more students and teachers than what they had previously experienced. Lishi's eyes were lit with enthusiasm, yet wariness, which the Jedi Master next to them must have picked up on as they walked towards the temple together. 'I know it can be quite an adjustment to arrive on Coruscant, so please, take all the time you need to adjust, hm? You can freely ask questions as well, if you have any.' Valery said, with the young padawan nodding in response. 'I have a question... How many other padawans are there in the temple, currently?' They looked up, looking to the Jedi Master, curious of the response.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

"I'm glad to hear it. Long journeys in space aren't for everybody," Valery replied with a chuckle while she guided Lishi through the Temple Halls. Despite her preference for Temples on less crowded worlds, Valery couldn't deny how impressive its design was. From sheer size, to even the smallest of details — the Jedi who once built its first version had ensured it was a beacon to remember for thousands of years.

But there was more to it, that felt inviting. With so many Jedi in one Temple, the Force felt extremely calm and welcoming here. It was the largest redeeming quality, to Valery.

"How many?" Valery blinked, "Well, I can't give you an exact number, but the Order has grown quite a lot. There are hundreds of Jedi in the New Jedi Order, and a lot of them are Padawans too. Some will currently be here for training, others will be out on assignments, so it varies. Now that we're at war with the Mandalorians, I expect that many Jedi will be closer to our borders, rather than spend a lot of time here."

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE​

'Oh, right, the war...' Lishi paused for a moment, pursing their lips. With all the anxiety about changing their home, the war had completely escaped its mind. It had always felt so distant during their time in the old temple, but now, at the heart of the New Jedi Order, there was no escaping constant news, updates and turmoil the war undoubtedly threw the Jedi into.

'I'm sorry, I'm... Not that well educated on the matter. The thought of hundreds more housemates than my previous count has kept my attention more in the last few months.' The apprentice cracked a half-smile as she looked towards Valery. 'Why are we even in this war?' They asked, their thoughts wandering as two sets of footsteps echoed throughout the room they were in. 'Is the cause of the war worth of so much violence? Of so many lives lost?'

Lishi calmed her thoughts after just a few short breaths, her eyes turning from Valery back towards the temple's stone interior in front of the two as she listened to Valery's response. They nodded along, before quietly saying 'Of course, I will do whatever I can to help in the effort.' Though they themselves were unsure of their own words.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

"That's quite alright," Valery hoped to reassure them, "As a Padawan, your focus shouldn't really be the war. We don't throw our students into battle when they hardly feel ready to use a lightsaber. Your focus should be on learning and developing your skills." It hadn't always been like that, of course — the Jedi of the Clone Wars used Padawans as commanders in battle. Those days were long in the past, however, and Valery intended to keep it there.

The only Padawans in battle were those who were ready and chose to be there.

"The start of this war is quite a hot debate. The Mandalorian Enclave was once a superpower, but it ended up falling. Recently, they started to expand anew, and Mandalorian warriors attacked several planets that once were part of their powerbase. This crusade, has been quite brutal, and the Jedi responded to it."

"The tension ended up rising beyond control, and war was declared by the Alliance. Not long after that, the Mandalorians launched a huge assault against our Southern border and wreaked havoc on many of our worlds there. Now, there's no turning back as far as the Alliance is concerned."

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE
​

'I see... Thank you for educating me, Master Noble.' Lishi nodded, a sense of relief calming their thoughts. They were glad there was a possibility the war's destructive clutches would not wrap themselves around them. The young padawan never was a fan of violence, or any other form of conflict for that matter. However, be that through the very nature of learning to fight with a lightsaber, or through a mistake in communicating, conflict always seemed to find a way into the young mirialan's life. Maybe wars and other disputes were a necessary evil to achieve peace?

Lishi shook their head slightly. They let their thoughts get away from them yet again. They focused on the sounds of the footsteps echoing through the walls of the Jedi Temple to calm them. As their previous teacher always told them, they needed to control the torrent of thoughts running through their head at every moment. After a while, the avalanche of thoughts in their head calmed down, as they turned again towards Valery. 'Do they always send out such a welcome committee to people who transfer here?'

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

Valery nodded, "The Temple here is a big place, and the Order isn't small anymore either. If we get new arrivals, we will always try to help them out, and make them feel welcome." She offered the younger Padawan a gentle smile, and stopped at a junction of hallways in the Temple. She seemed to be in thought for a moment, then turned to look at the Mirialan.

She had a few ideas.

"I could show you around a little more, but if you'd like, we could head down to the training area and maybe I can teach you something, or even just spar a little. Unless you're hungry after the trip, of course — then I could show you where we eat as well." If this was going to be their first day here, why not make it one to remember?

They had plenty of time, so she just wanted Lishi to enjoy the experience.

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE​

Tags: Valery Noble


A smile had crept back onto Lishi's face when they heard the proposal. 'I'm going to say no to the food, space travel has an effect adverse to making me hungry. I could try and get my body moving after being stuck in an aircraft for so long, so training room it is!' She followed her exclamation by a silent giggle, letting the Jedi master lead her deeper into the temple. While still worried about the entire ordeal, for now excitement took hold as the two people strolled down the corridors, chatting away.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

"Training room it is." Valery was clearly just a little happy about the decision too. It was fun to get food and talk, but some lightsaber training or teaching something new was definitely more exciting. She could only imagine how Lishi must feel about that, since young Jedi were often eager to learn something new or be active.

Endless history and philosophy lessons got dull to most, with the exception of the more scholarly.

"At your old Enclave, did you learn some basics already?" Valery asked, as they entered the training room. She picked out a training lightsaber, offered it to Lishi, and then stepped back. "Otherwise, I could just cover some basics with you. But if you feel comfortable with the weapon, we can do a little bit of sparring."

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE​

Tags: Valery Noble

Lishi nodded, smiling faintly upon sensing the faint happiness the answer brought to Valery. The duo changed their course, heading to the training room instead. Only upon going through the entrance Lishi remembered why they were so awful at lightsaber combat. They swallowed, a sensation of nervousness going through their body, manifesting in a slight jitter which the young mirialan quickly got under control. They breathed deep. "I've got this. I just need to tell them why I'm a disappointment ahead of the duel. Easy." Lishi would have laughed nervously if they weren't so terrified of the reaction they might get.

"At your old Enclave, did you learn some basics already?" Valery asked, as they entered the training room. She picked out a training lightsaber, offered it to Lishi, and then stepped back. "Otherwise, I could just cover some basics with you. But if you feel comfortable with the weapon, we can do a little bit of sparring."

"Oh, no, no, well, I know the basics, it's just..." Lishi struggled to explain as they manipulated the blade with their arms in practiced moves so that it slid under their belt. "It's just I'm not that great on account of a... Let's call it condition." The padawan lifted his arm, the hand and its fingers completely slumping completely motionless and limp. The mirialan looked away in embarassment. "Well... To put it shortly, my hands just... Don't work. Birth defect, illness of some sort. But I manage. I can spar, but I just... I just wanted to get this out of the way if you think I'd be too weak to have a proper spar, Master Valory. I'd understand." Lishi said, their eyes wandering back from the many training blades they were pretending to find so interesting and towards the ground, waiting for the Jedi Master's decision.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

Valery withdrew her arm after Lishi took the offered training saber, and watched the Padawan go through a few movements rather elegantly. But when they put the weapon back on their belt, Valery tilted her head in surprise and listened. Lishi's demeanor changed, and Valery could tell they were wanting to open up about something.

Something they perhaps felt ashamed of?

Lishi explained the condition they had, and Valery's surprised shifted into a very warm, encouraging smile, "Don't worry about it at all. The purpose of training for me, is to help you," she explained. "We'll go at your pace, and it'll be a lovely spar for us both. Don't worry about it at all, okay?" Valery had no intentions to hurt them, or to really push them far too much. This was an introduction, and just a bit of fun.

"Draw your blade, and I'll give you the first move." Valery hit the ignition switch of her own weapon, and watched the violet blade ignite. She held it in front of her in a simple guard, and nodded to encourage the Padawan.

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE​

Tags: Valery Noble

Lishi's mouth curved into a smile upon hearing Valery's response. "Thank you, master Noble." They placed their right palm on top of the training saber she had given them, their fingers as unmoving as ever and closed their eyes. They had recently figured out how they could fight even with this illness, although they had never tried to actually do it. Lishi concentrated, feeling The Force around her, commanding it to flow to their right hand. They could feel the energy flowing throughout their body, concentrating around her right hand, still touching the lightsaber with an open palm. That's when the young padawan opened her eyes, the force firmly pushing their green fingers to wrap themselves around the hilt of the lightsaber. 'That... That worked!' She thought to herself, her smile growing bigger.

Lishi confidently yanked her right arm, pulling the lightsaber out from behind her belt and igniting it, a cold, blue light illuminated her smiling face. She looked at Valery getting ready in a simple guard, before standing in a battle-ready position themselves, just like how she read. She kept concentrating The Force on her grip as she wondered how to open the spar. She was losing energy by the second when she kept the grip up, so in the end, she opened with a simple vertical cut, aiming for the one handed strike to land on the guard.

It was one thing to learn about the basics, but another to finally practice them. It felt... wonderful.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

Something changed about the Padawan.

In a physical sense, Valery could tell that what held them back at first was being negated, to an extent, by the Force. Lishi was now able to use their hand, and seemed quite proud of that fact. But more importantly, Valery felt as if their confidence and excitement spiked as well. They seemed more upbeat, and more ready to confront this little training challenge. Of course, Valery was going to hold back, and only push Lishi just a little.

Enough to learn from it, but not enough to feel overwhelmed.

"Very good," Valery said once they were in their stance and approached. Her fiery gaze narrowed, and quickly picked up on the Padawan's intent. She raised her blade to catch the incoming strike at a perpendicular angle, then pushed their blade away. Valery's violet lightsaber came back around, and was swept in for a diagonal cut upwards.

From Lishi's left hip, up to her right shoulder.

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE​

Tags: Valery Noble


Lishi's strike has been intercepted, to the surprise of neither Valery nor Lishi herself. The blades clashed, blue and purple melding together in a small flash of bright light before the contact was broken. Lishi smiled. This was the first time she had the opportunity to properly spar with someone, first time she felt like she wasn't being held back by her disability. The padawan's forehead was glistening with sweat, as keeping her grip through The Force still required a fair amount of concentration and effort. Lishi was strong with The Force, in fact, she was the strongest with it out of any student in their old temple, but she was still just that - a student.

As Valery pushed the mirialan's blade away, she went for a diagonal cut from her lower left side. Lishi, still slow at reading her opponent's intent, barely managed to twist her arm to block the strike a second before it would have connected to her hip. The force with which Valery's two-handed strike slammed against her one handed defence made the padawan grimace as she struggled to keep her own blade away from her hip. She moved slightly to the right under the strike's force and managed to push the blade off of her own, quickly aiming a counterattack with a rapid slice from her defensive position, her blade heading up towards the Jedi Master's left shoulder from below.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

While usually serious during a duel, Valery managed a smile of approval when Lishi blocked her strike with just one blade. Jar'kai was a style Valery often used herself, but it had a clear weakness — it lacked strength. It was for that reason, that Valery had hoped to test how she'd handle a somewhat more strength-driven attack.

She had done well.

With a counter-attack coming her way, Valery stepped back and intercepted the tip of the incoming blade with another defensive guard. Simple angles at speeds that allowed them to warm up. Then, to make it more interesting, she released one hand and drew her second lightsaber as well to match fighting styles.

"Come on, keep it up," Valery challenged to let her know to make another move.

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE

Tags: Valery Noble

Lishi wrinkled her forehead drenched in sweat at the challenge. The energy she needed to upkeep her force grip on the blade was draining her faster than she anticipated. They knew they had to end this duel in the next strike, which could prove a challenge now that her opponent was wielding two blades, but the chances didn't bother her. She didn't figure out how to circumvent her disease just to give up because of odds not being in her favour.

'Hyaah!' She yelled, aiming a thrust at the center mass of Valery, hoping that switching it up will confuse the master and end up scoring her a hit, but she was too tired. Her grip was loosening, the resulting strike coming out sloppy, easy to block. Afterwards, whether the hit would land or not, Lishi would collapse on the floor exhausted, in a rather pathetic display of inexperience.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Lishi Sowih

She was getting tired.

Valery could tell that her having to constantly use the Force was a draining thing, but Lishi's willpower had kept her going for quite a bit already. Eventually, though, it was too much and what should have been a piercing thrust, turned into a sloppier stab at Valery's center mass. With a step back and a quick flick of her wrist to intercept the strike, Valery parried it aside, and watched the younger Padawan fall down to her hands and knees.

She couldn't fight anymore.

"You did well," Valery assured her with a smile, before she disengaged her own lightsaber and returned the hilt back to her belt. "I believe you'll be able to keep up for much longer if we help you work on maintaining that connection to the Force. For now, though, you've done great and I hope you learned something or had a bit of fun, too." With that said, Valery reached for a bottle of water she had kept on the side and offered it to her.

 

[Lishi Sowih]

CORUSCANT TEMPLE​

Tags: Valery Noble

Lishi's whole body was trembling with effort as she knelt on the ground. Her robes were drenched with sweat, every breath causing the mirialan to feel as if the fabrics were restraining her, tightening around her, making it harder to breathe. The padawan furrowed her brows, her head hanging low. The words of the jedi master barely registered in their mind.
"I gave it my all... I tried to hold it for as long as I could..." Her thoughts came in waves corresponding with her heavy breaths. "So why... Why was I so easily... exhausted...? Is this really... my best...?" Her hands trembled, they would be balled into fists if it would be possible, but instead there they laid on her lap, useless as usual. "Pathetic."

The young Jedi finally opened her eyes, looking up at the figure looming over her with a cheerful expression. "-you learned something or had a bit of fun, too." Valery reached for a bottle of water she had kept on the side and offered it to them.
Lishi nodded gently, before rocking her body backwards to stand up from her position. She muttered out a simple "Thank you.", before taking the water bottle in between her wrists and beginning to open it with her teeth. Hardly a distinguished way of doing it, but she was too tired to open it in a more complicated manner. After gulping down half of the bottle's contents, Lishi let out a satisfied sigh, before finally speaking.
"That was... Quite fun! Even though I leave a lot to be desired, it was fun... I hope we can do this again sometime, master Noble!" She said as a smile slowly crept back onto her face. "I hope the next time we spar, I will have improved enough to pose a semblance of a challenge to you. Now... Would you mind if you escorted me to my quarters? I would love to get changed!" The mirialan grinned bashfully.