Why Must We Fight?

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie shifted the book in her lap, the cover and back partway closing on one another as she looked up at the other girl. "Ask the others if they need help?"

There was a look of are you crazy? do you see how big they are? on her face that practically spoke the words without her even having to say them.

"I don't think they're too keen on my being here in the first place. I'll likely just get in their way."

That was the honest truth. She didn't want to irritate anyone any more than she had already, and stumbling around like a dummy was a surefire way to do exactly that.

"I'll keep to the books unless they ask me to do something. That way they don't think I'm being a pest." Safer bet that way.

"Tomorrow then." She said, repeating Aela's decision to begin whatever it was that involved training her the following day. "I'll be ready, promise."

Hopefully.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela let out a small chuckle, though it bordered on a laugh. She understood why Jamie was shy, most of the 5th Legion didn't look all that friendly. They were former Sith Soldiers, criminals by most standards, but they were all good men. They'd fought with Aela for a little under a year now, and though there were nearly six thousand troops within the Fifth Legion Aela had gotten to know the vast bulk of them. All of them, no matter their reasons were serving the Galactic Alliance to do good, to make up for their past.

"Don't worry." She said to the girl with a smile. "They won't bite. Most of them look a little rough, but everyone here trusts me. They know I would never do anything that would compromise them, or the mission, and that includes bringing you on board."

The Marshall cast a brief glance towards one of the closer working soldiers before looking back at Jamie. "They trust you have a reason for being here because I brought you here. For them, that's good enough."

It was a testament to the loyalty that Aela inspired in her troops.

"Don't be afraid to ask." Aela said as she turned back towards Jamie. "Come on, let's get you situated in your bunk."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Space. It was still strange to her. Traveling at light speed; It tended to make her sick if she stared through the viewport for more than a few minutes at a time. It was the brightness, mostly. Migraines soon followed. It was generally unpleasant so she made the most of her efforts to avoid the bridge when she could.

Thankfully she'd have things to distract her with for this particular trip. Aela was going to train her. Exciting! She had plenty to read as well. Fun! And after the initial cold shoulder the majority of the soldiers that she had interacted with had finally come around, and she even managed to be of a help now and then, be it running small errands between sections of the ship, or handing off tools for this or that. She almost felt like she was useful.

The girl waived to the holo of Kurt from her bunk, blowing him a kiss before the call terminated. With that she sat up, quickly dressed, and ran off to meet Aela for whatever type of training was scheduled for today. What exactly the Jedi Marshall was going to teach her she wasn't sure, but she imagined it was likely going to be relative to this mission.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The Cargo bay had mostly been cleared out. There were a few crates stacked on either side of the wall, but most everything that the soldiers had brought along had been put away into the ships storage bays. It was imperative that there was open space within the ship, not because of Aela and Jamie's planned training, but because of the mission they would be enacting. They would need to be all set if they were to bring their target on board.

Aela stood in the center of the cargo bay, a yawn pulling from her lips.

She hadn't slept much since their departure from Sullust, mostly because she'd been busy dealing with the more bureaucratic side of things. As soon as Jamie had stowed herself inside of her bunk Aela had set to work properly inducting the girl as a 'contractor' of the SIS and an affiliate of the New Jedi Order. Both processes normally took weeks, sometimes even months, but Aela managed to fast track most everything so the girl now had an official status in both organizations.

It would make things easier down the line, especially when getting her clearances to go certain places within Alliance space.

On the crate they had sat on yesterday sat two datapads, one with Jamie's new false identity, and the other filled with the identifications she now had within the Alliance. Both things that they would review.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Morning! I..Um...Think?" According to some time frame it was morning. On Naboo it was morning. That was good enough for her to quantify it as morning as she waived to Aela. "I apologize if I am late."

Jamie hadn't quite been given any exact time to meet with her, but it seemed as though even if she was early, Aela was earlier. It took only a moment for her to spot the datapads sitting atop the lonely crate in the expansive cargo area. It also helped that the older girl was standing beside it, but that was beside the point.

"So what's the plan for today?"

She could have asked about the datapads, but assumed well enough that she would be told in due time. The main concern was what was actually in store for her, and whether or not she could live up to Aela's expectations.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"First, come over here." Aela figured it would be best to start with introducing the girl to where she actually fit into things now. It wouldn't do to have Jamie sit in a sort of limbo state, out of existence of any real sort of entity. Aela knew that being in a place like that would absolutely drive her up the wall. She motioned towards the footlocker and picked up the first of the datapads, the one that showed Jamie her new credentials.

"As of last night, you are officially a contractor working for the SIS." Aela said the words with a smile. "That means you have clearance to work with me on all of my operations, and also means you have some lee-way to travel around Galactic Alliance space without anyone asking too many questions. It won't get you out of any crimes you commit, which don't do that, but it will let you travel from planet to planet without anyone raising an eyebrow."

That was the first part. "Secondly, you're also now an 'affiliate' of the New Jedi Order. That means...well basically it just means you're my padawan."

She smiled.

Jamie hadn't asked for either of those things...but it was really the only way that she could actually travel and learn from Aela.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Any crimes I commit? Gosh...I hadn't planned on committing any.

"Oh--kay" She said with a small, somewhat confused nod. She wasn't aware that this was coming with titles, or affiliations, or anything of the sort. It made sense, at least in part, to Jamie. There was red tape for everything. Back home, the red tape to get into the royal palace was rather ludicrous, as was even the most simplistic of things, such as scheduling tours for the YAFCIN (Young Adults For Children In Need) kids to see things like art museums, or science museums and the like.

"So I'm a contracted Padawan then?" That was a weird sounding term. "Does that mean anything else? Or is that just simply a stamp that says I'm your problem?"

That was the nice way of putting it. She could have gone with the more direct 'If I screw up and damage anything, compromise a mission, target, or person, get anyone killed, or break the law it's on you to fix.' But that was probably not the way to go, all things considered. After all, she hoped not to do any of those things, but one could never be too sure.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"More or less." Aela said with a small smile.

"The contract part is for working for the SIS, it's basically just that way so when we go about in the GA you don't have to show any papers telling where you're from, who you are, etc. I automatically have that status as a Jedi Marshall, now you do too...to a lesser degree." She shifted slightly and pulled up the other datapad, though keeping it to herself for now. "The affiliate of the NJO part is basically just...well like you said. You're my padawan, I'm responsible for you."

It was more a formality then anything else. "If you like, when we get back you can join the Order officially, but for now this is at least a formality."

They were precautions really.

For now they weren't even going to be operating in Alliance space, but Aela knew exactly how fast these things could develop. Next week they could end up hopping from Bastion directly back to Elrood where they would be chasing rogue stormtroopers. One never knew with the SIS.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Bureaucracy was something she was entirely too familiar with. Constantly attending gala events, social gatherings, court meetings, or class debates, she was intimately aware of the necessity for appearances as well as practicality of said bureaucracy. It was necessary to appease the masses as well as get the job done, even if it was all smoke and mirrors in the end. Jamie wasn't entirely certain as to what the limitations or advantages of being a contractor or Padawan were, but Aela's description would suffice for now.

"Alright." She said, nodding affirmative. "I understand."

Jamie took another look around the room, there wasn't much to it currently, leaving her to wonder what exactly they would be doing.

"So what's the plan, then?

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well." She pulled up the second datapad. "This is for later. It's your identity for when we're on Bastion. We shouldn't be there longer then the one night, and hopefully you won't have to do any talking, but I want you to study this inside and out. Learn your name, my name, the name of our 'family', our Uncle and what he does. All of it."

Memorization was key. "Obviously, this datapad should never leave the ship."

There would be no cheat sheets once they were at the party. This mission was slightly in tehg ray area of things. Bastion technically fell under the purview of the Mandalorian Empire...or the Crusade, she wasn't entirely sure what they were calling themselves nowadays. Either way it was imperative that they weren't caught by any authorities, and if they were...well they needed to sell their cover story so the authorities weren't suspicious about what they were actually doing.

"As for what we'll be doing after." Aela said with a smirk, taking a few steps back and pulling out her lightsaber.

It was her original one, the one that her father had made. The other did not have a training setting.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde gave a quick nod, taking the datapad from Aela. "Okay." Her finger slid down to scroll through the information. There was a substantial amount of memorization to be done for this mission. Jamie's cheeks puffed out before the air escaped her lips. "Better get started now then." Her eyes rose from the device to see that Aela had revealed a lightsaber, indicating what exactly she would be learning as far as training was concerned. "Oh!" She'd practiced a bit already with hers, but there was so much to lightsabers and their flow that she was unfamiliar with. Fencing skill translated in part, but was in no way a replacement for the arduous training that Jedi went through, nor was it entirely similar, given the properties of a lightsaber, and the use of the Force that came with its' use.

"Lightsaber training?" She was curious what that would entail. "What kind of training? Don't get killed while handling it training?"

That was a joke. Sort of. She wasn't so careless that she didn't understand the basics of lightsaber safety, but she was far from being as proficient with them as she was with a fencing foil or other, more simple sword. She understood how they were weightless, that they were not hot unless in contact with another surface, and that it should never be directed towards anything you didn't intend on harming. She was also trained well enough that she could most of the time deflect rather predictable blaster shots from a training droid, even if that wasn't saying much.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"For now, It's less training, more assessment." Aela corrected with a smile, her fingers latching around her hilt as she moved to the center of the empty Cargo Hold. There was enough space for them to spar a bit, though anything fancy would likely lead to one of them running into bulkheads. They would be able to get to proper training eventually, but for now their current space didn't really allow for it, plus Aela wanted to see just what Jamie already knew.

She herself wasn't the best bladesmaster in the New Jedi Order, though that was mostly because Aela refused to take the offensive. She was a reactive duelist, moving with the flow of battle and taking to countering and striking back instead of taking the initiative. She'd been told it was incredibly frustrating to fight against, but it was also incredibly dangerous for her.

"Did you make your sabers?" Aela asked as she ignited the bright pink blade. "Or were you given them?"

The question didn't really matter for the purpose of assessment, but Aela wanted to get to know her apprentice a bit better.

Her other lightsaber stayed on her belt, the oddly broken looking hilt swinging in place as she took a defensive stance.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Assessment. That word was used for each and every scholarly exam and practical debate during her studies classes. She nearly scoffed at the usage of it, but refrained out of respect for her teacher. Besides, this was hardly school, and she was not in the company of other nobility all being groomed for the eventual transition of duties from parent to child in the future. This was just Aela's way of identifying what Jamie could or could not do with a lightsaber thus far. The latter list being far longer than the prior. "Okay." She gave a nod, taking from her side her own weapon. That she was proud of, it was her own unique piece of art that took countless hours to sculpt just right.

The girl unlatched the saber and offered it to Aela, the emitter facing away from the two. "This is the reworked version of my original. I was helped by a friend, Connor, in making that one. After which I reconstructed it to what you see now." She waited for Aela to take it from her before explaining further. "The hilt is made from Cambylictus wood from Naboo, with the base and head wrapped in a duranium plate for protection. I spent a lot of time carving my family name into the grip, with the name I gave to it as well." If Aela ignited it, she would see the vibrant yellow blade come to life. "I used a Bondar crystal as the primary focus, with a Kasha crystal in the secondary slot." The weapon was by far made for defensive strategists, rather than someone intent on killing others. "It also works underwater, I think anyway. Haven't had time to really double check that."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"You should figure that out." Aela said with a smile. "Better to know beforehand then to just guess."

That was for sure.

Her fingers latched around the lightsaber for a moment, inspecting the hilt and turning it a few times before shutting off her own saber and comparing the two. Her own hilt was slightly longer, but that made sense given that her own had been made by her father. She offered the hilt back to Jamie, then displayed her own much simpler lightsaber. "My father made mine. Well, this one."

The hilt was exceedingly simple, not much more then a simple tube of silver.

"It uses an Angraal Crystal." Jamie likely wouldn't know what that was. "They're exceedingly rare, but they have a very...calming effect on the mind."

Aela offered Jamie the hilt. "Try it."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I don't suppose there is a tub here with water to test with?" If not they'd likely have to wait to check on that. Jamie expected the ship to not have such an amenity, given that it was a rarity for starships to possess such things. Most used sonics, but it didn't hurt to inquire anyway. "If not I guess we'll just have to hope that we don't have to go swimming with these folks when we land." Retrieving her saber from Aela she returned it to its' place by her side, then took the one offered by her teacher.

Immediately she noticed the difference in size. It was somewhat awkward for Jamie to hold, and the length of it seemed a bit unnecessary to her. Then again, Jamie's weapon mirrored her fencer's foil almost to the T, so perhaps that was why she felt that anything else was awkward to wield. "So your whole family are Force sensitives I take it? I think I'm the only one in my entire family's lineage to be. Not sure if that makes me special or cursed, really."

The blonde tapped her finger on the activator, springing to life the blade that was not unlike her own. "Your father made this for you? That's a very nice gift."

Jamie was huge on sentimental things. They mattered the most to her.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

“He didn’t make it for me.” Aela said with a smile. “He made it years before I was born.”

It had been his own lightsaber though when he’d given it to her he’d made the joke that it had never been used. Her father wasn’t exactly prone to fighting all that much anymore, and when he did fight...it usually wasn’t with a lightsaber either.

“Yes my family is force sensitive. My mother is a Jedi Master, my Father is a more...individual practitioner, and my siblings are force sensitive as well.” Aela didn’t mention the other parts of her family. Jamie didn’t need to know about them for now.

“It’s mostly genetic.” Aela said with a smile. “So it’s very likely that you have a force user somewhere in your family tree.”

It could also be random, but generally it tended to be a familial thing, or at least that was the way it was presumed to work

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"If that's true they either never knew, or never told anyone. I never found any records indicating anyone but me."

That was strange for Jamie to hear. She just assumed it was random that some people had it, others didn't. Maybe some just never knew they had it. Jamie hadn't discovered until recently, and that was simply a fight or flight reaction that she had somehow Force Pushed that kid clear across the arena during her fencing tournament. Boy did he not know what hit him! Like a sack of potatoes he fell. Truth be told she was quite pleased with the retribution. After all, he had been on top of her, punching her in the face. So it was hard to show sympathy for him.

"I wonder if they maybe just kept it to themselves then. Maybe they worried about the backlash it might cause, given their position on Naboo."

She shrugged, passing Aela's saber back to her. "I guess I'll never know."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela shrugged. “It’s entirely possible that they never knew. Force Sensitivity is a strange thing, and often varying. Technically everyone is force sensitive to some degree, save for Yuuzhan Vong. Everyone touches the force, just some more than others.”

That was one of the first things all Jedi were taught.

“Generally Jedi, or people that can learn to use the force, are an amalgam of generations of strengths.” That was how her father had always looked at it anyway. “You don’t need to be a Jedi to have a child that can be one, but it helps.”

She continued to explain. “Your parents likely have some force sensitivity, like everyone else. Their parents probably did as well and so on and so on. Eventually it all kind of added up...and here you are.”

Aela rolled her shoulders.

“There’s also other things that impact it, but suffice it to say, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of your ancestors some time ago was force sensitive just like you.” Aela gave her a warm smile, almost reassuring in nature, then motion for the padawan to return her lightsaber.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Hm." Interesting. That wasn't quite the way Jamie had imagined the Force, but if that was how things were Aela would likely know better than she.

Aela's lightsaber was then returned, a warm smile from Jamie accompanying it. "Maybe that's why I never knew until recently."

That day certainly caused a whole lot of commotion back home. The whole crowd in the Coliseum went completely nuts when the fight broke out between the two fencers, the subsequent beating, and the completely unexpected Force display. That was one thing she hadn't expected to be in the next day's headlines for.

"What was it like?" She asked, "Growing up with the Force. Being surrounded by it? Did it make your life a lot easier? Harder? I sometimes wonder how mine would have been different, if I wasn't already more or less an adult by the time I discovered this."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]


She thought for a second. The question had never actually come up before, and in all honesty she just considered it...normal. The force was as much a part of her as her arm or her leg, it was another sense, but also...much more. A frown pulled at her lips as she tried to figure out the right words.

“I’ve never really thought about it.” Aela answered honestly, a shrug rolling over her shoulders. “Everyone In my family uses the force, I first used it when I was...very young. My brother stole my journal, and I used the force to catch him and take it back.”

Speed was one of the natural talents she held, something that the force gave her without her even thinking about it. “I don’t know if it made my life easier. Sometimes I felt a lot of pressure to be good at the force, like it’s strength was something I could control.”

She’d never really talked about that much.

“My father is very powerful, and so are a lot of others in my family.” Aela continued on. “That kind of created a...pressure to be better. In the end though it’s just another aspect. You practice to get better at it and lean towards your natural talents. Some just get to start a little earlier then others.”

She took the saber back and then took a few steps away from Jamie.