Star Wars - A New Power Ch. 24 - Departure
- Thread starter Angcuru
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Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Spoil away! Aasan ain't gonna like and isn't going to be happy about it anyway.Angcuru said:Always good to have another reader. In this game I'm taking some ideas that have been floating around for a while and putting them to use. I'd explain in detail what the Sethi believe on the matter, but that would spoil it for the players.
Angcuru
First Post
7 - Idle Chit-Chat and Early Arrival
"Sithspawn!" Kia curses as she examines the ruined pile of slag that is they hyper-drive. Without a Hyper-drive, she isn't getting the ship out of the system and back to civilization, and it’s not like they grown on trees either. She curses again and punches her fist into an innocuous grating in anger, her in-experience with the force and anger fueling the blow, causing the grating to bend and warp. She looks up startled when Aasan leans over her and the hyper-drive.
"Replacements don't grow on trees, it’s not like I have a back up or anything. Unless the original survivors have one, or we can find that other guy's ship...if it didn't break up on impact...we're stuck here, and I have no interest in being here any longer then I have to." she says, almost in a growl. Then Kia sighs and shakes her head softly, rubbing at her hand, "Its not you fault, now that your up, we can head over to the settlement, I figure, once where there, we can see about getting the ship more charge or something...work with what we actually have."
Looking at the grate with a hollow feeling in her stomach, the wannabe-cop turned smuggler gets up and heads up to the cockpit. "I'm going to run 1 last diagnostic then get us out of here." she tells the Kel-Dor, and then suits actions to words. She runs the main diagnostic again, and then if she finds nothing wrong, she'll cut in the repulsor lifts, bouncing the ship up off the ground, climbing up till they hover 100 meters off the ground, and then she punches in the sub-lights, giving them forward momentum on a course that would take them to the transponder signal.
Other than the wrecked hyperdrive and low power to the engines, all systems are go. Within minutes the Dawnsprinter is cruising above the trees. According the diagnostic, the engines are running at 2% capacity. ETA...approximately 6 hours.
Aasan attempts to bring more power to the engines, his efforts at first seem to be having no effect. Although he pushes the throttle to 50%, there is no response. The ship's power generator is functioning correctly, so there's probably a faulty power conduit somewhere. However, a little voice in his head told him that messing with the engines while they were 100 meters in the air about unscouted and very likely hostile territory was a bad idea. If the engines gave out now, they would be stuck up in the air or on the ground(if they were feeling a bit masochistic) until they could get the engines running again. That possibly meant external repairs. Yep. Bad idea.
Aasan knew that he could get he engines back to full functionality, but that is best done once the Dawnsprinter has reached the settlement.
"I don't think there is anything for it but to let the engines be 'til we get to the Settlement, I assume they have someway of keeping away the local predators, and fiddling with the engines while we are moving ain't so hot. We could still get there, eventually if they went out, but, I doubt we want to spend a week getting there, when we can be there in a few hours if we leave 'em alone for now." the ship's pilot suggests, locking in the course, and hitting the auto-pilot to make any minor course corrections that would come up from the wind.
Figuring that it had been 3 hours or so, and it would only take another few to get there, she figured it qualified for that woman's restriction, even if she thought the woman had been rude, there hadn't been any pressing need to contact her, so she left it well enough alone. "This is the Dawnsprinter, we are halfway to your settlement, moving at something like 2% engine power, which will put us there in 3 hours give or take...Miera, out of curiosity, do you need any meat? Last night, we got swarmed by 50 or so things almost twice the size of Masliths, and they climbed on top of the ship to avoid my anti-personnel weapons. I used ship power to fry the pack, and they are still up on top of the ship. If you want 'em, ok, otherwise, I'm gonna roll and drop them off the top."
Having sent Jorran to his room to meditate on what he had learned until Arias was awake, Miera was relaxing on a pile of cushions when Kia called.
"I hear you, Kia. There should more than enough room near the center of out settlement for you to land your ship. I apologize for being so abrupt earlier. I was in the middle of explaining something very important to Jorran. Anyway, those creatures are commonly called vornskrs in some systems, despite their rarity. They usually hunt in small family packs, but they go absolutely mad when they detect a force sensitive being. You must have someone who is force sensitive on board your ship if they attacked in such numbers...interesting. Go ahead and get rid of their remains, they aren't good to eat."
"Great, first I have to watch out for Jedi Hunters, now its Jedi Dogs...what's next, Jedi fish?" she asks sarcastically, more out of reflex then anything else. Kia blows out a sigh of irritation that pushes her hair out of her eyes, though the sigh was more for the news. "I'm the one who's force sensitive, Aasan, used to be partnered with a Jedi Master back in the Clone Wars, like ancient history, so maybe it rubbed off on him too, though he said he isn't. I take it you or someone in the settlement can use the force if you know so much about those vornsky things huh?" she asks, pitching the ship up, 45 degrees to first one side, and then 45 degrees to the other figuring that would be better then a barrel role while surrounded by a planets gravity at least.
"I never said anything about Jedi, only that they attack force sensitives." Miera said, "So you're force sensitive, are you...have you had any formal training? There are quite a few of us here in our village who can feel the Force, myself included. But...did you say that Aasan had a Jedi partner? That must mean that he was an Antarian Ranger...interesting."
"If they attack Force Sensitives, meaning they can sense the ability, Palpatine would have been using them with his Stormies to hunt us all down, and he wasn't, are you really sure about them hunting Force Sensitives, I don't remember anything about them going on with the Jedi Purge when the Emperor and Vader hunted down all the Jedi." Kia said dubiously. She raises an eyebrow at the question of formal training, she had been born after the purge, if anyone had been teaching force sensitives they would have been slaughtered.
"No, I was born during the purge, if anyone had been around to teach, they would have been tortured then murdered, me with them. I didn't figure it out ‘til a few months ago, I can move things with my mind, and do the whole mind trick thing. I don't even think I could find anyone who survived the purge and was willing to teach me, maybe I could convince Luke Skywalker to do it, he's a Jedi Knight now, for the last few years, maybe he'll restart an Academy like people were saying he was gonna do, I don't know."
"The creatures are commonly known to exist, but only those on the Jedi Council and their most trusted commanders were ever aware of the vornskrs' acute ability to detect force sensitives." Miera said, thinking for moment before continuing.
"Vader would be Palpatine's apprentice, then? Then he must be a fallen Jedi...I wonder which one it was. This Luke Skywalker fellow...would he be the son of Anakin Skywalker? If so, and he is anything like his father, he is inept and lacks balance. I wouldn't recommend seeking training from him if he is." She paused again.
"So there are Jedi in the Galaxy again. Whether this is for good or ill is yet to be seen."
"I didn't agree with the Empire, or the Rebellion, not entirely because of what some claimed to do in its name, but Skywalker has done more then anyone to end the Empire's cruelty. He was the one that destroyed the first of the Emperor's Death Stars, and then on the Second Death Star he defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, I don't think you get to call a Jedi who defeated two Sith Lords incompetent. His actions against the Death Star stopped the Empire from blowing up any planet besides Alderaan."
"You have to understand, the Skywalkers are some of the biggest celebrities in the Galaxy. Princess Liea was the youngest senator before the Emperor dissolved the Senate, and she went on to lead the Rebellion, and her twin brother Luke Destroyed the Death Star, and slew the Emperor and Vader. Both were instrumental in changing the Galaxy, and now Leia looks like she is on the short list to head up the entire government."
"Well, I have been stuck on a hostile uncharted planet on the fringe of the galaxy with no way whatsoever of receiving news of current events. I tend not to know these things." Miera laughed into the comm.
"Still, regardless of his achievements, this Luke may seek to teach the path of the Jedi. If it is training you seek, there are alternatives."
Aasan listens quietly, deciding that some of his more intimate knowledge of the Empire and its beginning were best left to private conversation. Some things should not be spoken to the young about. Especially the things he saw.
But upon hearing Miera speaking of 'alternatives' to training, he frowns underneath his breath mask. Making sure to speak away from the comm, the Kel Dor says to Kia, "I have a bad feeling about this. These are speeches I have heard before, and they never prove to be good ideas. Do not jump into anything without knowledge of it, especially the Force..."
"I'm not planning on jumping into anything," Kia replies, answering both of their questions at once. "I don't know about any alternatives, the Hunters would have slain those others just as readily as the Jedi, and there were a lot more Jedi. Look, I'm more worried about getting my ship up to working order and getting out system then learning some hokey religion, my abilities serve me just fine, If I need to learn to use the Force, I'm sure I will. If Skywalker is really building an Academy, then that sounds like a place that I should at least check out. I don't know anything about other Force Users, but I know that the Jedi are the good guys." she says with a cynical laugh, that betrayed a bit of discomfort in her current path.
As was common for her after a day of excitement, Adrial slept in. She had not learned to control her feelings like Master Pannar had taught. She was relatively good at it until something big happened. Then she would exhaust herself and the following morning would inevitably sleep in. As she awoke she noted that the morning was almost gone. She quickly rises and dresses in her Padawan robes and moves toward the common meeting hall. As she enters she sees that Master Pannar is talking on a commlink. As she hurries to present herself before Master Pannar, she hears the end of someone else’s voice over the commlink. "... know that the Jedi are the good guys." She stops before her Master and awaits her acknowledgement of Adiral's presence. Adrial stands there patiently as she has been taught.
Miera nods to Adrial with a smile before speaking into the commlink. "If you say so, Kia. I must be going now, one of my students requires my attention."
She turned off the com and placed it to her side. "Did you have a good rest, Adrial?"
She nods. "Forgive me Master Pannar. I know that I have been taught to control my emotions. But I allowed yesterday's excitement to get the best of me. I will strive to keep my emotions in better check rather then the reverse." She bows. "I am ready for today's training." But then her stomach growls very loudly and she gets very embarrassed. "...of course after I have eaten breakfast..." But then she remembers the time of day. "...or lunch?" She stands, waiting for her Master's reply, thoroughly embarrassed.
"Do not worry about it, Adrial. You should be able to control your emotions when necessary to keep them from blocking your judgment, but do not try to block them out entirely. If you were to do so, you would be forsaking that which makes you human." Miera said comfortingly.
"I'll wake up Arias, he should be starting Jorran's training today. Why don't you go give Kal a nudge, see if you can wake him up, then rouse Jorran and meet us by the cooking area. Orran and the children should have lunch ready soon. We can eat as we watch Arias test his abilities, which should be entertaining."
Miera got up and headed towards the other end of the hut to rouse Arias.
While pacing around the ship without anything better to do, Aasan begins to think back to his time with the Antarian Rangers. Memories of his old partner, the strange thrill of thwarting the Separatists while escaping almost certain death, the fear he felt during the Purge, it all came flooding back. *WHAM* Aasan dripped over an exposed power coupling and fell flat on his face. After hurriedly checking his breath mask to make sure it wasn't dislodged, he grumbled his bad luck of late as he got back to his feet, and stared accusingly at the exposed coupling.
His accusing stare turned to one of confusion. The coupling was separated just where he had tripped over it, but he hadn't felt anything crucial on the ship fail. Could it be...? Nah, not likely. Just in case, though, Aasan crouched down and joined the coupling back together, and suddenly found himself flat on his back as sudden jolt swept the ship.
At the cockpit, Kia was forced out of a daydream as a sudden boost of power found the engines.
"Sithspawn!" Kia curses as she examines the ruined pile of slag that is they hyper-drive. Without a Hyper-drive, she isn't getting the ship out of the system and back to civilization, and it’s not like they grown on trees either. She curses again and punches her fist into an innocuous grating in anger, her in-experience with the force and anger fueling the blow, causing the grating to bend and warp. She looks up startled when Aasan leans over her and the hyper-drive.
"Replacements don't grow on trees, it’s not like I have a back up or anything. Unless the original survivors have one, or we can find that other guy's ship...if it didn't break up on impact...we're stuck here, and I have no interest in being here any longer then I have to." she says, almost in a growl. Then Kia sighs and shakes her head softly, rubbing at her hand, "Its not you fault, now that your up, we can head over to the settlement, I figure, once where there, we can see about getting the ship more charge or something...work with what we actually have."
Looking at the grate with a hollow feeling in her stomach, the wannabe-cop turned smuggler gets up and heads up to the cockpit. "I'm going to run 1 last diagnostic then get us out of here." she tells the Kel-Dor, and then suits actions to words. She runs the main diagnostic again, and then if she finds nothing wrong, she'll cut in the repulsor lifts, bouncing the ship up off the ground, climbing up till they hover 100 meters off the ground, and then she punches in the sub-lights, giving them forward momentum on a course that would take them to the transponder signal.
Other than the wrecked hyperdrive and low power to the engines, all systems are go. Within minutes the Dawnsprinter is cruising above the trees. According the diagnostic, the engines are running at 2% capacity. ETA...approximately 6 hours.
Aasan attempts to bring more power to the engines, his efforts at first seem to be having no effect. Although he pushes the throttle to 50%, there is no response. The ship's power generator is functioning correctly, so there's probably a faulty power conduit somewhere. However, a little voice in his head told him that messing with the engines while they were 100 meters in the air about unscouted and very likely hostile territory was a bad idea. If the engines gave out now, they would be stuck up in the air or on the ground(if they were feeling a bit masochistic) until they could get the engines running again. That possibly meant external repairs. Yep. Bad idea.
Aasan knew that he could get he engines back to full functionality, but that is best done once the Dawnsprinter has reached the settlement.
"I don't think there is anything for it but to let the engines be 'til we get to the Settlement, I assume they have someway of keeping away the local predators, and fiddling with the engines while we are moving ain't so hot. We could still get there, eventually if they went out, but, I doubt we want to spend a week getting there, when we can be there in a few hours if we leave 'em alone for now." the ship's pilot suggests, locking in the course, and hitting the auto-pilot to make any minor course corrections that would come up from the wind.
Figuring that it had been 3 hours or so, and it would only take another few to get there, she figured it qualified for that woman's restriction, even if she thought the woman had been rude, there hadn't been any pressing need to contact her, so she left it well enough alone. "This is the Dawnsprinter, we are halfway to your settlement, moving at something like 2% engine power, which will put us there in 3 hours give or take...Miera, out of curiosity, do you need any meat? Last night, we got swarmed by 50 or so things almost twice the size of Masliths, and they climbed on top of the ship to avoid my anti-personnel weapons. I used ship power to fry the pack, and they are still up on top of the ship. If you want 'em, ok, otherwise, I'm gonna roll and drop them off the top."
***
Having sent Jorran to his room to meditate on what he had learned until Arias was awake, Miera was relaxing on a pile of cushions when Kia called.
"I hear you, Kia. There should more than enough room near the center of out settlement for you to land your ship. I apologize for being so abrupt earlier. I was in the middle of explaining something very important to Jorran. Anyway, those creatures are commonly called vornskrs in some systems, despite their rarity. They usually hunt in small family packs, but they go absolutely mad when they detect a force sensitive being. You must have someone who is force sensitive on board your ship if they attacked in such numbers...interesting. Go ahead and get rid of their remains, they aren't good to eat."
***
"Great, first I have to watch out for Jedi Hunters, now its Jedi Dogs...what's next, Jedi fish?" she asks sarcastically, more out of reflex then anything else. Kia blows out a sigh of irritation that pushes her hair out of her eyes, though the sigh was more for the news. "I'm the one who's force sensitive, Aasan, used to be partnered with a Jedi Master back in the Clone Wars, like ancient history, so maybe it rubbed off on him too, though he said he isn't. I take it you or someone in the settlement can use the force if you know so much about those vornsky things huh?" she asks, pitching the ship up, 45 degrees to first one side, and then 45 degrees to the other figuring that would be better then a barrel role while surrounded by a planets gravity at least.
***
"I never said anything about Jedi, only that they attack force sensitives." Miera said, "So you're force sensitive, are you...have you had any formal training? There are quite a few of us here in our village who can feel the Force, myself included. But...did you say that Aasan had a Jedi partner? That must mean that he was an Antarian Ranger...interesting."
***
"If they attack Force Sensitives, meaning they can sense the ability, Palpatine would have been using them with his Stormies to hunt us all down, and he wasn't, are you really sure about them hunting Force Sensitives, I don't remember anything about them going on with the Jedi Purge when the Emperor and Vader hunted down all the Jedi." Kia said dubiously. She raises an eyebrow at the question of formal training, she had been born after the purge, if anyone had been teaching force sensitives they would have been slaughtered.
"No, I was born during the purge, if anyone had been around to teach, they would have been tortured then murdered, me with them. I didn't figure it out ‘til a few months ago, I can move things with my mind, and do the whole mind trick thing. I don't even think I could find anyone who survived the purge and was willing to teach me, maybe I could convince Luke Skywalker to do it, he's a Jedi Knight now, for the last few years, maybe he'll restart an Academy like people were saying he was gonna do, I don't know."
***
"The creatures are commonly known to exist, but only those on the Jedi Council and their most trusted commanders were ever aware of the vornskrs' acute ability to detect force sensitives." Miera said, thinking for moment before continuing.
"Vader would be Palpatine's apprentice, then? Then he must be a fallen Jedi...I wonder which one it was. This Luke Skywalker fellow...would he be the son of Anakin Skywalker? If so, and he is anything like his father, he is inept and lacks balance. I wouldn't recommend seeking training from him if he is." She paused again.
"So there are Jedi in the Galaxy again. Whether this is for good or ill is yet to be seen."
***
"I didn't agree with the Empire, or the Rebellion, not entirely because of what some claimed to do in its name, but Skywalker has done more then anyone to end the Empire's cruelty. He was the one that destroyed the first of the Emperor's Death Stars, and then on the Second Death Star he defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, I don't think you get to call a Jedi who defeated two Sith Lords incompetent. His actions against the Death Star stopped the Empire from blowing up any planet besides Alderaan."
"You have to understand, the Skywalkers are some of the biggest celebrities in the Galaxy. Princess Liea was the youngest senator before the Emperor dissolved the Senate, and she went on to lead the Rebellion, and her twin brother Luke Destroyed the Death Star, and slew the Emperor and Vader. Both were instrumental in changing the Galaxy, and now Leia looks like she is on the short list to head up the entire government."
***
"Well, I have been stuck on a hostile uncharted planet on the fringe of the galaxy with no way whatsoever of receiving news of current events. I tend not to know these things." Miera laughed into the comm.
"Still, regardless of his achievements, this Luke may seek to teach the path of the Jedi. If it is training you seek, there are alternatives."
***
Aasan listens quietly, deciding that some of his more intimate knowledge of the Empire and its beginning were best left to private conversation. Some things should not be spoken to the young about. Especially the things he saw.
But upon hearing Miera speaking of 'alternatives' to training, he frowns underneath his breath mask. Making sure to speak away from the comm, the Kel Dor says to Kia, "I have a bad feeling about this. These are speeches I have heard before, and they never prove to be good ideas. Do not jump into anything without knowledge of it, especially the Force..."
"I'm not planning on jumping into anything," Kia replies, answering both of their questions at once. "I don't know about any alternatives, the Hunters would have slain those others just as readily as the Jedi, and there were a lot more Jedi. Look, I'm more worried about getting my ship up to working order and getting out system then learning some hokey religion, my abilities serve me just fine, If I need to learn to use the Force, I'm sure I will. If Skywalker is really building an Academy, then that sounds like a place that I should at least check out. I don't know anything about other Force Users, but I know that the Jedi are the good guys." she says with a cynical laugh, that betrayed a bit of discomfort in her current path.
***
As was common for her after a day of excitement, Adrial slept in. She had not learned to control her feelings like Master Pannar had taught. She was relatively good at it until something big happened. Then she would exhaust herself and the following morning would inevitably sleep in. As she awoke she noted that the morning was almost gone. She quickly rises and dresses in her Padawan robes and moves toward the common meeting hall. As she enters she sees that Master Pannar is talking on a commlink. As she hurries to present herself before Master Pannar, she hears the end of someone else’s voice over the commlink. "... know that the Jedi are the good guys." She stops before her Master and awaits her acknowledgement of Adiral's presence. Adrial stands there patiently as she has been taught.
Miera nods to Adrial with a smile before speaking into the commlink. "If you say so, Kia. I must be going now, one of my students requires my attention."
She turned off the com and placed it to her side. "Did you have a good rest, Adrial?"
She nods. "Forgive me Master Pannar. I know that I have been taught to control my emotions. But I allowed yesterday's excitement to get the best of me. I will strive to keep my emotions in better check rather then the reverse." She bows. "I am ready for today's training." But then her stomach growls very loudly and she gets very embarrassed. "...of course after I have eaten breakfast..." But then she remembers the time of day. "...or lunch?" She stands, waiting for her Master's reply, thoroughly embarrassed.
"Do not worry about it, Adrial. You should be able to control your emotions when necessary to keep them from blocking your judgment, but do not try to block them out entirely. If you were to do so, you would be forsaking that which makes you human." Miera said comfortingly.
"I'll wake up Arias, he should be starting Jorran's training today. Why don't you go give Kal a nudge, see if you can wake him up, then rouse Jorran and meet us by the cooking area. Orran and the children should have lunch ready soon. We can eat as we watch Arias test his abilities, which should be entertaining."
Miera got up and headed towards the other end of the hut to rouse Arias.
***
While pacing around the ship without anything better to do, Aasan begins to think back to his time with the Antarian Rangers. Memories of his old partner, the strange thrill of thwarting the Separatists while escaping almost certain death, the fear he felt during the Purge, it all came flooding back. *WHAM* Aasan dripped over an exposed power coupling and fell flat on his face. After hurriedly checking his breath mask to make sure it wasn't dislodged, he grumbled his bad luck of late as he got back to his feet, and stared accusingly at the exposed coupling.
His accusing stare turned to one of confusion. The coupling was separated just where he had tripped over it, but he hadn't felt anything crucial on the ship fail. Could it be...? Nah, not likely. Just in case, though, Aasan crouched down and joined the coupling back together, and suddenly found himself flat on his back as sudden jolt swept the ship.
At the cockpit, Kia was forced out of a daydream as a sudden boost of power found the engines.
Ion Engine Maintenance Complete.....Power at 100%
ETA - 3 minutes.
ETA - 3 minutes.
Angcuru
First Post
8 - Greetings and Misunderstandings
Kia lets out a cheer as the ships engines surge with the new power, driving her back into her seat. With this much power, she could punch out of the gravity well of the planet and set up a distress beacon at center of the system, the place that 99% of hyper jumps were planned to go, just to avoid the very problems that the Dawnsprinter would run into. "Great work Aasan, not sure what you did, or why you did it while we are in mid-air, but it was a stellar job." the scoundrel congratulates the scout. She rules out telling the settlement that they would be there in a few minutes, not liking being dismissed for a second time in less then half a day.
"Come on up here Aasan, take the copilot seat, we'll be there in less then 5 minutes." she tells him over the intercom. Grinning tightly, she waggles the ship a bit out of the pure joy of flying again at more then a snail's pace. This speed, this was her baby, the Dawnsprinter that she had fallen in love with. After a minute, her antics settled down, and she watched the ETA swiftly count itself down to nothing as the ship roared to a stop over the settlement and the area that Miera had told her to land in. She made a quick loop over the landing area, to make sure it was clear, and then cut power to the engines, easing her down smoothly on her repulsorlifts, till she settled softly on the ground.
Kia spent a moment smoothing out her sleeveless body sock and clipping on her gun-belt, tying the bottom of the holster to her thigh. Between the belt, the holster, and the lightsaber clipped opposite of the holster, it and the body sock did a very good job emphasizing her figure. She winked at Aasan as she hit the landing ramp control.
Aasan had rubbed his skull idly while trying not to think too hard. After returning to the cockpit, he couldn't help but admit that he wasn't even completely sure what he'd done, but it had worked, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.
Once they were down, he pulled on his own belt and holster, and checked his breath mask one last time. With a bit of a worried feeling, he stepped up to follow Kia down the ramp, simply nodding to her to lead the way down since she seemed ready to do it anyway. He'd learned a thing or two about humans in his years, but sometimes, the eagerness of the young of any species still was beyond his grasp.
Adrial nodded to Master Pannar and went to go rouse the other two. First she headed to Kal's quarters and found the young Sethi still asleep. She shook his bed. "Kal! Wakeup! It's almost lunch time." Without waiting for him to get moving she is heading out of his quarters as he is starting to stir. "Meet at the cooking area." Next she goes to find the new arrival, Jorran. She finds him just outside the meeting hut looking up into the sky. As Adrial is about to ask what he is looking at, she sees the ship fly over the camp. It is the first working starship she has ever seen. She starts running to the cooking area while yelling over her shoulder. "Meet at the cooking area!"
"Get up, it's almost time for lunch and Jorran is waiting for you to begin his training." Miera nudged Arias, who was sprawled out on their bed. "It's not like you to stay abed this late."
"Bah. It's also not like you to be so energetic." Arias smirked. "You try sleeping out in the wilderness for three days straight before coming home to such a vigorous welcome." He stretched, and scooted over to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Miera down next to him.
Miera cuffed him upside his head. "Are you referring to me, or the vornskr attack? Don't answer that. Anyway, that Kia girl will have her ship here in a few hours and Orran's gotten lunch ready, so get dressed." She took his clothes from the edge of the bad and shoved them playfully in his face.
"Oh, wonderful, and I'd just gotten used to this planet." Arias dressed, making sure to secure his lightsaber to the small clip in his robes that held it in place hanging between his shoulder blades, beneath the outer cloak.
"Would you like me to send her away, instead?" Miera teased.
"Don't be fooling around, woman! You know I hate this place. It's always hot and humid, you can't stay outside the gate for more than fifteen minutes before something tries to introduce you to its digestive tract, and every day it's the exact same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner." Arias complained as he smoothed out the creases in his clothing. "I swear, the first thing I do when I get off this miserable planet is find the nicest restaurant in the galaxy and get a private booth where it's colder than Hoth in the winter season!" He paused for a moment. "Well, maybe not that cold, but still pretty damned chilly."
They stepped out of the large hut just in time to hear the Dawnsprinter shoot past overhead before coming back and hovering down to the ground not far from the fire pits.
"I thought you said she was going to be here in a few hours." Arias said.
"Well, over the comm she did sound like the typical young, impatient sort." Miera said as they headed over towards where Adrial was waiting for them...
"Traits that I'm willing to ignore if she can get us off this rock." Arias smiled broadly.
***
The landing ramp of the Dawnsprinter touched down smoothly, letting a rush of hot, humid air into the climate-controlled starship interior. Kia and Aasan descended down the ramp into the center of the village, where they were greeted by three figures.
A tall, handsome man with a well-trimmed brown beard stopped several paces in front of Aasan and Kia. To his left was a very short black-haired woman, and on his right, an attractive woman of average height with amber hair. Both women wore lightsabers at their sides, though the man appeared unarmed.
"We had expected you a bit later, Kia. Lucky for you, you've arrived just in time for lunch." The woman said with a smile.
Kia allows the motion of the lowering ramp to carry her to the ground, not even the jolt of the ramp coming to a stop fully extended made her lose her balance. The former academy candidate smirked down at the group gathered to meet her and Aasan. She tossed her head and her red hair settles back around her shoulders, it was the kind of personal motion that could get very annoying very quickly if repeated. Kia smiled and stepped off the ramp, her hand traveling to her lightsaber when she sees the two women wearing their own sabers. "I guess you weren't kidding about being force sensitive," Kia jokes, looking at the older of the women.
She extends a hand to Arias "Kia Obscura, Captain of the Dawnsprinter, now lets see what we can do to get us off of this wonderful planet you've discovered." She brushes the white lock of hair over her temple up and behind her ear to keep it from her face. Standing a step from the landing ramp of her ship in a skin tight body sock, with a hand on her light saber, she looks every bit like a heroine from some insipid romance holo-drama.
Jorran chuckled when he saw a dent on the front of the Dawnsprinter--with bits of russet-brown paint in it.
"I thought I had seen the last of the Umber Dart when it exploded in orbit, but you brought some of its paint with you just to cheer me up."
He seemed to notice Kia finally.
"You seem a little young to be ramming older mens' ships out of the sky...but you made it here just fine, which is more than I could have done at your age.
He grinned.
Adrial is speechless. She never really imagined she would ever see a working starship and now here one set before her. She stands and waits beside Master Pannar trying to remain cautious. But inside she is jumping up and down.
Miera was just about to speak when she noticed something oddly humorous.
The red Twi’lek child had shown up and was tugging on Aasan's pant leg. "'Scuse me mister space man. What's tha' thing stuck on your face? D'you need help gettin' it off?"
Miera covered her face halfway with her hand, not sure whether to laugh or apologize.
Aasan smiled under the breath mask, his attention suddenly drawn away from the others (and the lightsabers). With a slight grunt, he knelt down and rested a hand gently on the child's small shoulder, "I require it to breathe, little one. Believe me, I would take it off if I could."
He didn't get up, though, and instead simply looked up to Miera, "I am assuming you are the one on the comm, yes? I am glad there is a settlement here...wherever here is. Though, I must admit, I have not seen so many lightsabers in nearly thirty years."
At the mention of not being expected so early, and the mention of lunch, the force sensitive girl just shrugs, "Aasan is a tech wiz, he got Dawnsprinter up from 2% to 100% sub light while we were in the air. Look, I don't have enough for everyone to make it a habit, but I have enough meals for everyone to have a one, well, maybe not if you came here on a Star Destroyer, but anything smaller, and I should have you covered. Climate control too, if you want to get out of the heat and humidity for a bit to talk about what you offered earlier..." she says the last more hesitantly, the Sethi Master might be able tell that it came from what she had said about Jedi Hunters.
"That won't be necessary, Kia. We already have a meal prepared, and the climate isn't so bad once you've gotten used to it. And yes, Aasan, I am the one you heard over the comm." She gestures towards a semicircle of wooden benches near the fire pits. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss, but first, we should have some food."
Kal was startled out of bed as the Dawnsprinter shot past overhead. He hurriedly donned his robes, and just remembered the grab his lightsaber before dashing out of the hut. To his surprise, everyone was gathered near the fire pit and a large metal...thing, and seemed to be having lunch. Kal quickly took a seat, hoping that his teachers wouldn't notice his tardiness.
Kal’s muscles still ached from the last day’s exertions. How could he fall asleep while the most exiting events in his life happened? Strangers! A spaceship! Finally a way out of that little jungle planet and to the Galaxy!!
"I'm not planning on being here long enough to get used to the climate." Kia said with a youthful smirk of impetuousness. She allowed herself to be led to a seat by the obvious leaders of the group, Miera and the bearded man. She didn't accept any of the food from the group, simply ate a meal of roast nerf in naranji sauce with noodles, and then broke the desert bar that was with the meal into pieces and offered the sweet fruit bar to the children, especially the red skinned Twi’lek child.
Kal strode deep in thought to the fire pit. Then he realized that everyone was there, and that he was almost the LAST person on the village to join them. Blushing he greeted his masters, friends, and the strangers. Wow! That redhead was HOT! but she seemed... what? 22?? a LOT older... Kal tried not to stare.
"What’s wrong kid, never seen a girl in an outfit like this before?" the youthful pilot asks Kal, teasing lightly, at the flush in his cheeks. "Do you have any parts available from your ship? I got here from a blind hyper jump, just ahead of a flight of headhunters. I bounced to close to a star and my hyper-drive was slagged. Between your ship, if it still exists, and Jorran’s, if I can find it in orbit, hopefully we can get a hyperdrive functional enough to get us to Coruscant, and then we can get relief ships out here to you here."
Kal's father, Nikama, patted an empty spot on the bench next to himself. He sat not far from the Sethi, as his technological expertise would be needed. Seeing his reaction to Kia, he gave his son a quick wink and an indiscernible hand signal that looked like he was tracing the sides of an hourglass. Kal noticed that Arias gave him a similar wink, but quickly turned his attention to Nikama.
Nikama responded to Kia's enquiry concerning the hyperdrive. "Actually, we scavenged what we could from our crashed transport a long time ago. Hull plating, wiring, power sources, systems, we took them all and made them into things that were actually useful. You see, when our ship crashed here about thirty years ago the only systems that were still functional were the engines, but our repulsorlifts and life support were completely shot. There was no way we could repair them, so we were stranded. The only thing we didn't scrap was the hyperdrive, since our transport was a very old model that used highly radioactive isotope fuel rods to power the initial boost to light speed. The separatists wouldn't let us have anything more advanced, the bastards. If we broke that open, well...it would not be a good thing, to put it mildly. I don't know if it would be compatible with your ship's systems as they are, but between the three of us," He indicated himself, Aasan, and Kia. "we might be able to jury-rig a solution. If not, we could try checking Jorran's ship if it's still intact, but that's a remote possibility, judging from the dent in your ship's hull." Nikama waved towards the bearded man who sat next to Miera, and dug into his food.
The bearded man cleared his throat. "You're already acquainted with my wife Miera, so I'll introduce the rest of us. I am Arias, these two are Adrial and Kal, our most advanced students, and this is Nikama, our resident technician, also Kal's father." Arias said, indicating them each in turn. "As you probably suspect from the lightsabers, Miera and I along with Kal, Adrial, and our newest student Jorran, are practitioners of the force. And before you ask, no, we aren't Jedi. If we get your ship up and running, we will of course get off this planet, but we are not going to go about advertising the location of this planet to the rest of the galaxy. Although this is a very dangerous planet, it is more important than you realize."
Kia nods smiling at the introduction to the 30-something force apprentice, and then at the teenage one. "How long is your training?" Kia asks Arias, her eyebrow going up at the 30something woman being called an apprentice. When she is told that there would be no mention of the location of the planet once the survivors are evacuated, Kia's suspicious nature kicked into over-drive. All cops were suspicious people, and being surrounded by them growing up had shaped Kia as well. "What is so special about this place? The lovely animals? The wonderful climate?" she asks jokingly.
Arias took a long draught of water and pondered Kia's question for a moment before answering. "The initial training is not long, but our training never truly ends. If one has the capacity to feel the force, it takes but a short time spent training for them to be able to find some measure of control. From then on, it is a matter of strengthening those abilities. Depending on the focus of one's abilities, the methods of strengthening those abilities differs.
Considering the state of the galaxy, I find it odd that you carry a lightsaber, and that I feel a measure of control of the force in you. You could not have been trained as a Jedi. Just as well, considering how poorly the Jedi trained their students in retrospect. A significant factor in their demise, I imagine.
The significance of this planet is not in anything mundane, but that the force has an abnormally strong presence here. Nearly all of the wildlife seems to have some ability to feel the Force, and the planet itself seems to be trying to hide from the rest of the galaxy. I suspect this is why the system is uncharted as of yet. What's more, there are many areas within a day's walk of this settlement alone that are extremely powerful focus points within the Force. There is even a cave nearby where one can find crystals of extraordinary power, which are perfect focuses for lightsabers. So you see, this planet is the perfect training ground for our order, hostile though it may be."
"Carrying Lightsabers is coming back in fashion, during the purge with Vader and Palpatine hunting down and slaughtering anyone with links to the Jedi, carrying a Lightsaber was a suicidal death wish, anyone and everyone would be gunning for you to curry favor with the Imps. After Luke Skywalker slew Vader and the Emperor and was declared a Jedi night a few years ago, wearing them is back in-style among the rich, some people even wear it if they are afraid to carry a blaster. I wear this because I liberated it from an Imperial Collaborator who was holding out from the Emperor, and because my family and friends were purged by the Empire just like the Jedi were." Kia says defensively, narrowing her eyes at Arias.
"Lightsabers are the weapons of Jedi, if you think they are so incompetent and everything, why are you using their weapons?" Kia shakes her head, sounding a tad offended, despite the Empire's attempts at spin, she still thought of the Jedi as the guys wearing the proverbial white hat, and even if that wasn't her path, she had been raised to respect people who put the lives of others before their own. "Look, lets just get my ship fixed, then I can get you to Coruscant or wherever refugees go and get what you need to start over somewhere on some nice boring planet like Dantooine, and we can go our separate ways."
Arias looked at Kia, unmoved by her glare.
"You exaggerate my comments. The Jedi were noble, this is true, but they were not without fault. I did not suggest that they themselves were incompetent, only their methods. I said that the Jedi were poorly trained because the very code that they followed and glorified was their very weakness. A Jedi was taught to only become as powerful as was necessary to protect the weak. Centuries of relative peace made them complacent, and when a real conflict found them, they were unprepared and were destroyed.
Miera and I were Jedi once. We helped maintain peace in the galaxy for a time, and served the Republic with distinction in the Clone Wars. Yet we were looked down upon by our own order. Unlike our brethren, we did not limit ourselves in our training and did not forsake our emotions. Because of this, we were able to find love with one another, and the fleets and armies under our command never lost a system to 'the enemy'.
You speak of history, but do you truly understand what you speak of? Unlike the rest of the Jedi, who blindly followed the council, which blindly followed the Supreme Chancellor, I questioned this 'grand crusade' our order was on. I examined past events, and the course of the war, and eventually found that the entire war was the last step in a grand, elaborate plan to overthrow the Republic. But by the time we realized Palpatine's plot, it could not be stopped. Even if we were to reveal our findings to the Jedi Council, they would never believe us. We had disobeyed their mandates and found love and strength outside of their restrictions, and even though we remained loyal to the Jedi, we were scorned.
The individual Jedi was strong, but as a whole, the Order was fragile. Because of their self-imposed limits, they could not foresee or prevent their downfall until it was too late. The thousands of Jedi were destroyed not by an army or a great fleet, but by one man. Noble though they were, their nobility was no shield against their demise.
A lightsaber is simply a weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the warrior who wields it that gives it worth, not the weapon itself. I carry one because a lightsaber is a powerful weapon with which I have significant skill. If they are tools of the Jedi as you say, why do you carry one? Would you disgrace the memory of those who fought in died in your defense by wielding one of their 'sacred' weapons?"
Arias turned to Aasan. "What of you? You fought along side a Jedi. You were present throughout the whole ordeal of the Jedi Order's destruction. What is your take on what happened?"
Arias looked at Kia, unmoved by her glare.
"You exaggerate my comments. The Jedi were noble, this is true, but they were not without fault. I did not suggest that they themselves were incompetent, only their methods. I said that the Jedi were poorly trained because the very code that they followed and glorified was their very weakness. A Jedi was taught to only become as powerful as was necessary to protect the weak. Centuries of relative peace made them complacent, and when a real conflict found them, they were unprepared and were destroyed.
Miera and I were Jedi once. We helped maintain peace in the galaxy for a time, and served the Republic with distinction in the Clone Wars. Yet we were looked down upon by our own order. Unlike our brethren, we did not limit ourselves in our training and did not forsake our emotions. Because of this, we were able to find love with one another, and the fleets and armies under our command never lost a system to 'the enemy'.
You speak of history, but do you truly understand what you speak of? Unlike the rest of the Jedi, who blindly followed the council, which blindly followed the Supreme Chancellor, I questioned this 'grand crusade' our order was on. I examined past events, and the course of the war, and eventually found that the entire war was the last step in a grand, elaborate plan to overthrow the Republic. But by the time we realized Palpatine's plot, it could not be stopped. Even if we were to reveal our findings to the Jedi Council, they would never believe us. We had disobeyed their mandates and found love and strength outside of their restrictions, and even though we remained loyal to the Jedi, we were scorned.
The individual Jedi was strong, but as a whole, the Order was fragile. Because of their self-imposed limits, they could not foresee or prevent their downfall until it was too late. The thousands of Jedi were destroyed not by an army or a great fleet, but by one man. Noble though they were, their nobility was no shield against their demise.
A lightsaber is simply a weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the warrior who wields it that gives it worth, not the weapon itself. I carry one because a lightsaber is a powerful weapon with which I have significant skill. If they are tools of the Jedi as you say, why do you carry one? Would you disgrace the memory of those who fought in died in your defense by wielding one of their 'sacred' weapons?"
Arias turned to Aasan. "What of you? You fought along side a Jedi. You were present throughout the whole ordeal of the Jedi Order's destruction. What is your take on what happened?"
Aasan had done his best to restrain himself and keep himself quiet. He would not eat or drink, but that did not mean he couldn't just sit there quietly, even if he was getting angry. But when he was directly addressed, everything went right out the view port.
A critical look in his eyes(though they couldn't be seen directly), he leaned forward and pointed to Arias with a single finger, "Arrogant and thick headed Jedi who thought they knew what was best for the galaxy while ignoring their duties and teachings were what caused the entire Order to fall. It wasn't Palpatine. It was Jedi who thought they knew better than the entire Council. It was arrogance and childishness," he paused, a slight hiss sounding through his breath mask as he exhaled, "It was Jedi like you, focused on glory and victory, and so sure of themselves that they ignore the combined wisdom of the greatest Jedi to do what you thought was best, more than what really mattered, that destroyed the Jedi."
"You could have tried to tell them, tried to help them escape being hunted. You got your wish, the Jedi are all gone, and a single Jedi Knight is going to try to rebuild the order. If you had problems with policy, well here's your chance, rebuild the Jedi with him, I doubt much information survived the purge, he'd probably love all the help you can give him. So long as the ideals stay the same, I doubt policies will matter much, I mean, things that worked before wont work now, new ways will probably need to be found." Kia says solemnly.
"I keep this saber, I use it, because I agree with what the Jedi stood for, I was on a parallel, if force-free, path, before CorSec was destroyed by the remnants of the Empire. We were dedicated to putting our needs behind those of others that needed help, protecting the weak and the helpless, upholding justice and law. I keep it because I don't trust the use to which someone who does not agree with those precepts would put it to. It may sound foolish, but I keep it, because deep down, I want to make sure that the Jedi don't simply disappear, I want to make sure that they are reborn, whether I help someone do it, or have to fumble through it myself, because those are important things that the galaxy should not lose." Kia says, putting a lot of feeling behind her words, she truly did believe them in the center of her being, and she felt guilt at the thought of having not lived up to the honor of them for the last few years as she drifted from system to system. She had helped out a bit, here and there, but overall, she had fallen into a selfish spiral of despair, and turned her back on what she had hoped to be. I will do better, guilt wont help, needed to come here, I needed to feel all of that, it only makes me more sure of what I have to do, she vowed to herself.
"Once we are away from here, I will be doing what I can to help Skywalker, if he'll have me, the New Republic is in its infancy, and I am sure that it will need all the help it can get." she told the others simply. "Even if I don't know everything about the force, using what I do know to help those in need cannot be wrong. The worst thing the Empire did was not simply destroying the Jedi, it was in vilifying them, making them feared."
"Focused on glory and victory, were we? Arrogant? It was by our negligence that the Jedi were destroyed? Strong accusations. Or are they simply the words of someone who holds himself responsible for not being able to prevent the destruction of that which he cherished, and desires a scapegoat on whom to lay the blame?" Arias said calmly to Aasan. "The fall of the Jedi rests on the shoulders of Palpatine alone."
"Please, try not to be offended, Aasan. If the blame is to be laid on anyone, it falls to those who acted with malice and hate, and actively sought the fall of the Jedi and the Republic." Miera said. "It is good that you understand that the Jedi are needed in the Galaxy, Kia. We intend to meet this Luke Skywalker fellow, and perhaps aid him in rebuilding the order. The New Republic will need the Jedi again, perhaps it will not rely as heavily on them as the Old Republic did.
We will help you repair your ship, of course, but that will take time. It would be a shame if we were to spend that time on ill terms." She looked around her as she spoke, with her eyes resting on Aasan with the last words.
Kia finishes her noodles and then presses the final button on the packaging of the meal that breaks the trash down into ashes. "I don't know that calling Skywalker's teachers names will endear you to him. Let’s just get the repairs over with and go from there. If you want to point out anything about the force while we work, I'll keep an ear out, but my main goal is getting off this rock." she says, dusting her hands off, and then standing.
"I would love some pointers on using a light saber though, or just about what is possible with the force. I've figured out the best known Jedi tricks, I mean, the mind trick thing I can do, and the moving things. I don't really know anything else, the Jedi hunters were too good at getting rid of stories and people passing on information."
"You wish to know what is possible with the force?" Miera asked Kia. "Anything is possible. What we can do through the force, however, is limited by the effort we put into expanding our abilities. I'll give you a simple, tangible demonstration through contrast for now. Adrial, levitate that stone if you would." Miera pointed to one of the sizable rocks which lined the outer ring of one of the nearby fire pits.
"Of course, Master Miera." Adrial smiled. She always enjoyed practicing her abilities. Here she had an opportunity to both show her progress to Miera, and to show off to the new arrivals. Adrial focused on the rock which had been pointed out to her and concentrated. The stone was not very large, being roughly twenty five kilograms at the most. It rose off of the ground slowly, and then floated over towards Adrial at the speed of a brisk walk to settle down on the ground in front of her. Miera smiled approvingly at her.
"Adrial has been training for eleven years. Normally we would start the training at around the age of four or five years, but she came to us late. Her skill is representative of her time spent training, not her age. Now, observe your ship."
Miera waited until Kia was looking at her ship, and then concentrated on the Dawnsprinter. The massive Corellian Transport was still, and then suddenly, it shot up into the air at incredible speed. It rose above the wall surrounding the settlement, and then sped around the perimeter at more than one hundred twenty kilometers per hour before coming back to rest right where it had been sitting a moment before.
Miera observed the shocked and slightly annoyed expression on Kia's face. "I have been training in the use of the force for approximately forty eight years. The ability to move physical objects is one of the skills I specialize in. But there are other, less observable applications." Although still stunned by the earlier display, Kia is slightly confused. Miera said she had spent nearly fifty years training in the Force, yet she doesn't look a day older than thirty.
Aasan watched the little demonstration and sighed, which came out sounding scratchy through the breath mask. Idly, he took a step next to Kia and said quietly, "Do not let their flashy displays cloud your judgment. I have seen many more elaborate displays of strength in the Force, but I learned quickly that it is restraint that proves to be the real power. I have a bad feeling about these...people."
He does his best to stand there looking as polite as possible. That is, thankfully, not too hard when his eyes and mouth are concealed, but it was keeping his mind calm that was the tricky part. One didn't have to be a Jedi to have strong control, but it had been years since he'd really thought about it.
"My ship isn't a toy, at the moment it’s our only chance of getting off the planet." Kia mutters grumpily. She reaches out with the force to grab that same stone that Adrial had lifted, and without any real strain, does the same that Adrial had done, moving it to herself instead of the short woman. "Like I said, I know how to move things, a starship is a bit out of my class at the moment, but with a bit more work I should be able to move heavier stuff without too much effort." Kia said looking pleased with herself at learning on her own in a month or two what it took Adrial 11 years of training to do.
"So you want to learn how to use your lightsaber properly, do you?" Arias asked Kia. "Luckily for you, I was planning on evaluating Jorran's proficiency with his own today. You might as well observe, perhaps you will learn a thing or two." Arias stood up and walked to a spot not far from the rest of them, but with a good deal of space to move about. He took off his cloak and tossed it to Kal, with just a touch of the force helping it get over to him. "Come on, Jorran. Let's see just how skilled you are in lightsaber combat." Arias flicked his wrist, and his double bladed lightsaber shot from its resting place on his back into his right hand, where a single white blade sprang to life with a snap-hiss.
When Arias threw off his cloak and lit his saber, Kia grinned, and seated herself on a bench. Her green eyes darted, following every movement, wanting to be that fluid and agile herself with her own blade.
Jorran pulled his own saber from his belt--by hand--and ignited it.
"It's been a while," he said, whirling the blade around in a simple flourish. He proceeded to put his left foot forward and hold his saber in a high, attack-oriented stance. "I take it you--errr, we--Sethi follow the traditional rules for sparring?
Standing ready, all of the signs of his age seemed to disappear; he may as well have been twenty years younger.
"Rules only weaken the lessons learned from sparring." Arias raised the blade in front of his eyes in a salute, illuminating his face. "In combat, there are no rules, only the victorious and the vanquished." He held the white blade off to his side. "Now come at me."
No rules? Kia mouthed confused...did he really mean that? It was dangerous, not having rules, it wasn't fair either, Jorran wasn't a master like Arias, or at least it didn't sound that way, and no rules sounded like a good way to get someone hurt. "No rules doesn't sound very safe." she says to Miera questioningly, wanting the woman to tell her she had heard wrong. Kia's hand rested on her own lightsaber, ready to spring in to help Jorran if it looked like he needed it, even if he was better then she, and Arias was every bit as good as his confidence made him seem.
Kia lets out a cheer as the ships engines surge with the new power, driving her back into her seat. With this much power, she could punch out of the gravity well of the planet and set up a distress beacon at center of the system, the place that 99% of hyper jumps were planned to go, just to avoid the very problems that the Dawnsprinter would run into. "Great work Aasan, not sure what you did, or why you did it while we are in mid-air, but it was a stellar job." the scoundrel congratulates the scout. She rules out telling the settlement that they would be there in a few minutes, not liking being dismissed for a second time in less then half a day.
"Come on up here Aasan, take the copilot seat, we'll be there in less then 5 minutes." she tells him over the intercom. Grinning tightly, she waggles the ship a bit out of the pure joy of flying again at more then a snail's pace. This speed, this was her baby, the Dawnsprinter that she had fallen in love with. After a minute, her antics settled down, and she watched the ETA swiftly count itself down to nothing as the ship roared to a stop over the settlement and the area that Miera had told her to land in. She made a quick loop over the landing area, to make sure it was clear, and then cut power to the engines, easing her down smoothly on her repulsorlifts, till she settled softly on the ground.
Kia spent a moment smoothing out her sleeveless body sock and clipping on her gun-belt, tying the bottom of the holster to her thigh. Between the belt, the holster, and the lightsaber clipped opposite of the holster, it and the body sock did a very good job emphasizing her figure. She winked at Aasan as she hit the landing ramp control.
Aasan had rubbed his skull idly while trying not to think too hard. After returning to the cockpit, he couldn't help but admit that he wasn't even completely sure what he'd done, but it had worked, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.
Once they were down, he pulled on his own belt and holster, and checked his breath mask one last time. With a bit of a worried feeling, he stepped up to follow Kia down the ramp, simply nodding to her to lead the way down since she seemed ready to do it anyway. He'd learned a thing or two about humans in his years, but sometimes, the eagerness of the young of any species still was beyond his grasp.
***
Adrial nodded to Master Pannar and went to go rouse the other two. First she headed to Kal's quarters and found the young Sethi still asleep. She shook his bed. "Kal! Wakeup! It's almost lunch time." Without waiting for him to get moving she is heading out of his quarters as he is starting to stir. "Meet at the cooking area." Next she goes to find the new arrival, Jorran. She finds him just outside the meeting hut looking up into the sky. As Adrial is about to ask what he is looking at, she sees the ship fly over the camp. It is the first working starship she has ever seen. She starts running to the cooking area while yelling over her shoulder. "Meet at the cooking area!"
"Get up, it's almost time for lunch and Jorran is waiting for you to begin his training." Miera nudged Arias, who was sprawled out on their bed. "It's not like you to stay abed this late."
"Bah. It's also not like you to be so energetic." Arias smirked. "You try sleeping out in the wilderness for three days straight before coming home to such a vigorous welcome." He stretched, and scooted over to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Miera down next to him.
Miera cuffed him upside his head. "Are you referring to me, or the vornskr attack? Don't answer that. Anyway, that Kia girl will have her ship here in a few hours and Orran's gotten lunch ready, so get dressed." She took his clothes from the edge of the bad and shoved them playfully in his face.
"Oh, wonderful, and I'd just gotten used to this planet." Arias dressed, making sure to secure his lightsaber to the small clip in his robes that held it in place hanging between his shoulder blades, beneath the outer cloak.
"Would you like me to send her away, instead?" Miera teased.
"Don't be fooling around, woman! You know I hate this place. It's always hot and humid, you can't stay outside the gate for more than fifteen minutes before something tries to introduce you to its digestive tract, and every day it's the exact same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner." Arias complained as he smoothed out the creases in his clothing. "I swear, the first thing I do when I get off this miserable planet is find the nicest restaurant in the galaxy and get a private booth where it's colder than Hoth in the winter season!" He paused for a moment. "Well, maybe not that cold, but still pretty damned chilly."
They stepped out of the large hut just in time to hear the Dawnsprinter shoot past overhead before coming back and hovering down to the ground not far from the fire pits.
"I thought you said she was going to be here in a few hours." Arias said.
"Well, over the comm she did sound like the typical young, impatient sort." Miera said as they headed over towards where Adrial was waiting for them...
"Traits that I'm willing to ignore if she can get us off this rock." Arias smiled broadly.
***
The landing ramp of the Dawnsprinter touched down smoothly, letting a rush of hot, humid air into the climate-controlled starship interior. Kia and Aasan descended down the ramp into the center of the village, where they were greeted by three figures.
A tall, handsome man with a well-trimmed brown beard stopped several paces in front of Aasan and Kia. To his left was a very short black-haired woman, and on his right, an attractive woman of average height with amber hair. Both women wore lightsabers at their sides, though the man appeared unarmed.
"We had expected you a bit later, Kia. Lucky for you, you've arrived just in time for lunch." The woman said with a smile.
Kia allows the motion of the lowering ramp to carry her to the ground, not even the jolt of the ramp coming to a stop fully extended made her lose her balance. The former academy candidate smirked down at the group gathered to meet her and Aasan. She tossed her head and her red hair settles back around her shoulders, it was the kind of personal motion that could get very annoying very quickly if repeated. Kia smiled and stepped off the ramp, her hand traveling to her lightsaber when she sees the two women wearing their own sabers. "I guess you weren't kidding about being force sensitive," Kia jokes, looking at the older of the women.
She extends a hand to Arias "Kia Obscura, Captain of the Dawnsprinter, now lets see what we can do to get us off of this wonderful planet you've discovered." She brushes the white lock of hair over her temple up and behind her ear to keep it from her face. Standing a step from the landing ramp of her ship in a skin tight body sock, with a hand on her light saber, she looks every bit like a heroine from some insipid romance holo-drama.
Jorran chuckled when he saw a dent on the front of the Dawnsprinter--with bits of russet-brown paint in it.
"I thought I had seen the last of the Umber Dart when it exploded in orbit, but you brought some of its paint with you just to cheer me up."
He seemed to notice Kia finally.
"You seem a little young to be ramming older mens' ships out of the sky...but you made it here just fine, which is more than I could have done at your age.
He grinned.
Adrial is speechless. She never really imagined she would ever see a working starship and now here one set before her. She stands and waits beside Master Pannar trying to remain cautious. But inside she is jumping up and down.
Miera was just about to speak when she noticed something oddly humorous.
The red Twi’lek child had shown up and was tugging on Aasan's pant leg. "'Scuse me mister space man. What's tha' thing stuck on your face? D'you need help gettin' it off?"
Miera covered her face halfway with her hand, not sure whether to laugh or apologize.
Aasan smiled under the breath mask, his attention suddenly drawn away from the others (and the lightsabers). With a slight grunt, he knelt down and rested a hand gently on the child's small shoulder, "I require it to breathe, little one. Believe me, I would take it off if I could."
He didn't get up, though, and instead simply looked up to Miera, "I am assuming you are the one on the comm, yes? I am glad there is a settlement here...wherever here is. Though, I must admit, I have not seen so many lightsabers in nearly thirty years."
At the mention of not being expected so early, and the mention of lunch, the force sensitive girl just shrugs, "Aasan is a tech wiz, he got Dawnsprinter up from 2% to 100% sub light while we were in the air. Look, I don't have enough for everyone to make it a habit, but I have enough meals for everyone to have a one, well, maybe not if you came here on a Star Destroyer, but anything smaller, and I should have you covered. Climate control too, if you want to get out of the heat and humidity for a bit to talk about what you offered earlier..." she says the last more hesitantly, the Sethi Master might be able tell that it came from what she had said about Jedi Hunters.
"That won't be necessary, Kia. We already have a meal prepared, and the climate isn't so bad once you've gotten used to it. And yes, Aasan, I am the one you heard over the comm." She gestures towards a semicircle of wooden benches near the fire pits. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss, but first, we should have some food."
Kal was startled out of bed as the Dawnsprinter shot past overhead. He hurriedly donned his robes, and just remembered the grab his lightsaber before dashing out of the hut. To his surprise, everyone was gathered near the fire pit and a large metal...thing, and seemed to be having lunch. Kal quickly took a seat, hoping that his teachers wouldn't notice his tardiness.
Kal’s muscles still ached from the last day’s exertions. How could he fall asleep while the most exiting events in his life happened? Strangers! A spaceship! Finally a way out of that little jungle planet and to the Galaxy!!
"I'm not planning on being here long enough to get used to the climate." Kia said with a youthful smirk of impetuousness. She allowed herself to be led to a seat by the obvious leaders of the group, Miera and the bearded man. She didn't accept any of the food from the group, simply ate a meal of roast nerf in naranji sauce with noodles, and then broke the desert bar that was with the meal into pieces and offered the sweet fruit bar to the children, especially the red skinned Twi’lek child.
Kal strode deep in thought to the fire pit. Then he realized that everyone was there, and that he was almost the LAST person on the village to join them. Blushing he greeted his masters, friends, and the strangers. Wow! That redhead was HOT! but she seemed... what? 22?? a LOT older... Kal tried not to stare.
"What’s wrong kid, never seen a girl in an outfit like this before?" the youthful pilot asks Kal, teasing lightly, at the flush in his cheeks. "Do you have any parts available from your ship? I got here from a blind hyper jump, just ahead of a flight of headhunters. I bounced to close to a star and my hyper-drive was slagged. Between your ship, if it still exists, and Jorran’s, if I can find it in orbit, hopefully we can get a hyperdrive functional enough to get us to Coruscant, and then we can get relief ships out here to you here."
Kal's father, Nikama, patted an empty spot on the bench next to himself. He sat not far from the Sethi, as his technological expertise would be needed. Seeing his reaction to Kia, he gave his son a quick wink and an indiscernible hand signal that looked like he was tracing the sides of an hourglass. Kal noticed that Arias gave him a similar wink, but quickly turned his attention to Nikama.
Nikama responded to Kia's enquiry concerning the hyperdrive. "Actually, we scavenged what we could from our crashed transport a long time ago. Hull plating, wiring, power sources, systems, we took them all and made them into things that were actually useful. You see, when our ship crashed here about thirty years ago the only systems that were still functional were the engines, but our repulsorlifts and life support were completely shot. There was no way we could repair them, so we were stranded. The only thing we didn't scrap was the hyperdrive, since our transport was a very old model that used highly radioactive isotope fuel rods to power the initial boost to light speed. The separatists wouldn't let us have anything more advanced, the bastards. If we broke that open, well...it would not be a good thing, to put it mildly. I don't know if it would be compatible with your ship's systems as they are, but between the three of us," He indicated himself, Aasan, and Kia. "we might be able to jury-rig a solution. If not, we could try checking Jorran's ship if it's still intact, but that's a remote possibility, judging from the dent in your ship's hull." Nikama waved towards the bearded man who sat next to Miera, and dug into his food.
The bearded man cleared his throat. "You're already acquainted with my wife Miera, so I'll introduce the rest of us. I am Arias, these two are Adrial and Kal, our most advanced students, and this is Nikama, our resident technician, also Kal's father." Arias said, indicating them each in turn. "As you probably suspect from the lightsabers, Miera and I along with Kal, Adrial, and our newest student Jorran, are practitioners of the force. And before you ask, no, we aren't Jedi. If we get your ship up and running, we will of course get off this planet, but we are not going to go about advertising the location of this planet to the rest of the galaxy. Although this is a very dangerous planet, it is more important than you realize."
Kia nods smiling at the introduction to the 30-something force apprentice, and then at the teenage one. "How long is your training?" Kia asks Arias, her eyebrow going up at the 30something woman being called an apprentice. When she is told that there would be no mention of the location of the planet once the survivors are evacuated, Kia's suspicious nature kicked into over-drive. All cops were suspicious people, and being surrounded by them growing up had shaped Kia as well. "What is so special about this place? The lovely animals? The wonderful climate?" she asks jokingly.
Arias took a long draught of water and pondered Kia's question for a moment before answering. "The initial training is not long, but our training never truly ends. If one has the capacity to feel the force, it takes but a short time spent training for them to be able to find some measure of control. From then on, it is a matter of strengthening those abilities. Depending on the focus of one's abilities, the methods of strengthening those abilities differs.
Considering the state of the galaxy, I find it odd that you carry a lightsaber, and that I feel a measure of control of the force in you. You could not have been trained as a Jedi. Just as well, considering how poorly the Jedi trained their students in retrospect. A significant factor in their demise, I imagine.
The significance of this planet is not in anything mundane, but that the force has an abnormally strong presence here. Nearly all of the wildlife seems to have some ability to feel the Force, and the planet itself seems to be trying to hide from the rest of the galaxy. I suspect this is why the system is uncharted as of yet. What's more, there are many areas within a day's walk of this settlement alone that are extremely powerful focus points within the Force. There is even a cave nearby where one can find crystals of extraordinary power, which are perfect focuses for lightsabers. So you see, this planet is the perfect training ground for our order, hostile though it may be."
"Carrying Lightsabers is coming back in fashion, during the purge with Vader and Palpatine hunting down and slaughtering anyone with links to the Jedi, carrying a Lightsaber was a suicidal death wish, anyone and everyone would be gunning for you to curry favor with the Imps. After Luke Skywalker slew Vader and the Emperor and was declared a Jedi night a few years ago, wearing them is back in-style among the rich, some people even wear it if they are afraid to carry a blaster. I wear this because I liberated it from an Imperial Collaborator who was holding out from the Emperor, and because my family and friends were purged by the Empire just like the Jedi were." Kia says defensively, narrowing her eyes at Arias.
"Lightsabers are the weapons of Jedi, if you think they are so incompetent and everything, why are you using their weapons?" Kia shakes her head, sounding a tad offended, despite the Empire's attempts at spin, she still thought of the Jedi as the guys wearing the proverbial white hat, and even if that wasn't her path, she had been raised to respect people who put the lives of others before their own. "Look, lets just get my ship fixed, then I can get you to Coruscant or wherever refugees go and get what you need to start over somewhere on some nice boring planet like Dantooine, and we can go our separate ways."
Arias looked at Kia, unmoved by her glare.
"You exaggerate my comments. The Jedi were noble, this is true, but they were not without fault. I did not suggest that they themselves were incompetent, only their methods. I said that the Jedi were poorly trained because the very code that they followed and glorified was their very weakness. A Jedi was taught to only become as powerful as was necessary to protect the weak. Centuries of relative peace made them complacent, and when a real conflict found them, they were unprepared and were destroyed.
Miera and I were Jedi once. We helped maintain peace in the galaxy for a time, and served the Republic with distinction in the Clone Wars. Yet we were looked down upon by our own order. Unlike our brethren, we did not limit ourselves in our training and did not forsake our emotions. Because of this, we were able to find love with one another, and the fleets and armies under our command never lost a system to 'the enemy'.
You speak of history, but do you truly understand what you speak of? Unlike the rest of the Jedi, who blindly followed the council, which blindly followed the Supreme Chancellor, I questioned this 'grand crusade' our order was on. I examined past events, and the course of the war, and eventually found that the entire war was the last step in a grand, elaborate plan to overthrow the Republic. But by the time we realized Palpatine's plot, it could not be stopped. Even if we were to reveal our findings to the Jedi Council, they would never believe us. We had disobeyed their mandates and found love and strength outside of their restrictions, and even though we remained loyal to the Jedi, we were scorned.
The individual Jedi was strong, but as a whole, the Order was fragile. Because of their self-imposed limits, they could not foresee or prevent their downfall until it was too late. The thousands of Jedi were destroyed not by an army or a great fleet, but by one man. Noble though they were, their nobility was no shield against their demise.
A lightsaber is simply a weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the warrior who wields it that gives it worth, not the weapon itself. I carry one because a lightsaber is a powerful weapon with which I have significant skill. If they are tools of the Jedi as you say, why do you carry one? Would you disgrace the memory of those who fought in died in your defense by wielding one of their 'sacred' weapons?"
Arias turned to Aasan. "What of you? You fought along side a Jedi. You were present throughout the whole ordeal of the Jedi Order's destruction. What is your take on what happened?"
Arias looked at Kia, unmoved by her glare.
"You exaggerate my comments. The Jedi were noble, this is true, but they were not without fault. I did not suggest that they themselves were incompetent, only their methods. I said that the Jedi were poorly trained because the very code that they followed and glorified was their very weakness. A Jedi was taught to only become as powerful as was necessary to protect the weak. Centuries of relative peace made them complacent, and when a real conflict found them, they were unprepared and were destroyed.
Miera and I were Jedi once. We helped maintain peace in the galaxy for a time, and served the Republic with distinction in the Clone Wars. Yet we were looked down upon by our own order. Unlike our brethren, we did not limit ourselves in our training and did not forsake our emotions. Because of this, we were able to find love with one another, and the fleets and armies under our command never lost a system to 'the enemy'.
You speak of history, but do you truly understand what you speak of? Unlike the rest of the Jedi, who blindly followed the council, which blindly followed the Supreme Chancellor, I questioned this 'grand crusade' our order was on. I examined past events, and the course of the war, and eventually found that the entire war was the last step in a grand, elaborate plan to overthrow the Republic. But by the time we realized Palpatine's plot, it could not be stopped. Even if we were to reveal our findings to the Jedi Council, they would never believe us. We had disobeyed their mandates and found love and strength outside of their restrictions, and even though we remained loyal to the Jedi, we were scorned.
The individual Jedi was strong, but as a whole, the Order was fragile. Because of their self-imposed limits, they could not foresee or prevent their downfall until it was too late. The thousands of Jedi were destroyed not by an army or a great fleet, but by one man. Noble though they were, their nobility was no shield against their demise.
A lightsaber is simply a weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the warrior who wields it that gives it worth, not the weapon itself. I carry one because a lightsaber is a powerful weapon with which I have significant skill. If they are tools of the Jedi as you say, why do you carry one? Would you disgrace the memory of those who fought in died in your defense by wielding one of their 'sacred' weapons?"
Arias turned to Aasan. "What of you? You fought along side a Jedi. You were present throughout the whole ordeal of the Jedi Order's destruction. What is your take on what happened?"
Aasan had done his best to restrain himself and keep himself quiet. He would not eat or drink, but that did not mean he couldn't just sit there quietly, even if he was getting angry. But when he was directly addressed, everything went right out the view port.
A critical look in his eyes(though they couldn't be seen directly), he leaned forward and pointed to Arias with a single finger, "Arrogant and thick headed Jedi who thought they knew what was best for the galaxy while ignoring their duties and teachings were what caused the entire Order to fall. It wasn't Palpatine. It was Jedi who thought they knew better than the entire Council. It was arrogance and childishness," he paused, a slight hiss sounding through his breath mask as he exhaled, "It was Jedi like you, focused on glory and victory, and so sure of themselves that they ignore the combined wisdom of the greatest Jedi to do what you thought was best, more than what really mattered, that destroyed the Jedi."
"You could have tried to tell them, tried to help them escape being hunted. You got your wish, the Jedi are all gone, and a single Jedi Knight is going to try to rebuild the order. If you had problems with policy, well here's your chance, rebuild the Jedi with him, I doubt much information survived the purge, he'd probably love all the help you can give him. So long as the ideals stay the same, I doubt policies will matter much, I mean, things that worked before wont work now, new ways will probably need to be found." Kia says solemnly.
"I keep this saber, I use it, because I agree with what the Jedi stood for, I was on a parallel, if force-free, path, before CorSec was destroyed by the remnants of the Empire. We were dedicated to putting our needs behind those of others that needed help, protecting the weak and the helpless, upholding justice and law. I keep it because I don't trust the use to which someone who does not agree with those precepts would put it to. It may sound foolish, but I keep it, because deep down, I want to make sure that the Jedi don't simply disappear, I want to make sure that they are reborn, whether I help someone do it, or have to fumble through it myself, because those are important things that the galaxy should not lose." Kia says, putting a lot of feeling behind her words, she truly did believe them in the center of her being, and she felt guilt at the thought of having not lived up to the honor of them for the last few years as she drifted from system to system. She had helped out a bit, here and there, but overall, she had fallen into a selfish spiral of despair, and turned her back on what she had hoped to be. I will do better, guilt wont help, needed to come here, I needed to feel all of that, it only makes me more sure of what I have to do, she vowed to herself.
"Once we are away from here, I will be doing what I can to help Skywalker, if he'll have me, the New Republic is in its infancy, and I am sure that it will need all the help it can get." she told the others simply. "Even if I don't know everything about the force, using what I do know to help those in need cannot be wrong. The worst thing the Empire did was not simply destroying the Jedi, it was in vilifying them, making them feared."
"Focused on glory and victory, were we? Arrogant? It was by our negligence that the Jedi were destroyed? Strong accusations. Or are they simply the words of someone who holds himself responsible for not being able to prevent the destruction of that which he cherished, and desires a scapegoat on whom to lay the blame?" Arias said calmly to Aasan. "The fall of the Jedi rests on the shoulders of Palpatine alone."
"Please, try not to be offended, Aasan. If the blame is to be laid on anyone, it falls to those who acted with malice and hate, and actively sought the fall of the Jedi and the Republic." Miera said. "It is good that you understand that the Jedi are needed in the Galaxy, Kia. We intend to meet this Luke Skywalker fellow, and perhaps aid him in rebuilding the order. The New Republic will need the Jedi again, perhaps it will not rely as heavily on them as the Old Republic did.
We will help you repair your ship, of course, but that will take time. It would be a shame if we were to spend that time on ill terms." She looked around her as she spoke, with her eyes resting on Aasan with the last words.
Kia finishes her noodles and then presses the final button on the packaging of the meal that breaks the trash down into ashes. "I don't know that calling Skywalker's teachers names will endear you to him. Let’s just get the repairs over with and go from there. If you want to point out anything about the force while we work, I'll keep an ear out, but my main goal is getting off this rock." she says, dusting her hands off, and then standing.
"I would love some pointers on using a light saber though, or just about what is possible with the force. I've figured out the best known Jedi tricks, I mean, the mind trick thing I can do, and the moving things. I don't really know anything else, the Jedi hunters were too good at getting rid of stories and people passing on information."
"You wish to know what is possible with the force?" Miera asked Kia. "Anything is possible. What we can do through the force, however, is limited by the effort we put into expanding our abilities. I'll give you a simple, tangible demonstration through contrast for now. Adrial, levitate that stone if you would." Miera pointed to one of the sizable rocks which lined the outer ring of one of the nearby fire pits.
"Of course, Master Miera." Adrial smiled. She always enjoyed practicing her abilities. Here she had an opportunity to both show her progress to Miera, and to show off to the new arrivals. Adrial focused on the rock which had been pointed out to her and concentrated. The stone was not very large, being roughly twenty five kilograms at the most. It rose off of the ground slowly, and then floated over towards Adrial at the speed of a brisk walk to settle down on the ground in front of her. Miera smiled approvingly at her.
"Adrial has been training for eleven years. Normally we would start the training at around the age of four or five years, but she came to us late. Her skill is representative of her time spent training, not her age. Now, observe your ship."
Miera waited until Kia was looking at her ship, and then concentrated on the Dawnsprinter. The massive Corellian Transport was still, and then suddenly, it shot up into the air at incredible speed. It rose above the wall surrounding the settlement, and then sped around the perimeter at more than one hundred twenty kilometers per hour before coming back to rest right where it had been sitting a moment before.
Miera observed the shocked and slightly annoyed expression on Kia's face. "I have been training in the use of the force for approximately forty eight years. The ability to move physical objects is one of the skills I specialize in. But there are other, less observable applications." Although still stunned by the earlier display, Kia is slightly confused. Miera said she had spent nearly fifty years training in the Force, yet she doesn't look a day older than thirty.
Aasan watched the little demonstration and sighed, which came out sounding scratchy through the breath mask. Idly, he took a step next to Kia and said quietly, "Do not let their flashy displays cloud your judgment. I have seen many more elaborate displays of strength in the Force, but I learned quickly that it is restraint that proves to be the real power. I have a bad feeling about these...people."
He does his best to stand there looking as polite as possible. That is, thankfully, not too hard when his eyes and mouth are concealed, but it was keeping his mind calm that was the tricky part. One didn't have to be a Jedi to have strong control, but it had been years since he'd really thought about it.
"My ship isn't a toy, at the moment it’s our only chance of getting off the planet." Kia mutters grumpily. She reaches out with the force to grab that same stone that Adrial had lifted, and without any real strain, does the same that Adrial had done, moving it to herself instead of the short woman. "Like I said, I know how to move things, a starship is a bit out of my class at the moment, but with a bit more work I should be able to move heavier stuff without too much effort." Kia said looking pleased with herself at learning on her own in a month or two what it took Adrial 11 years of training to do.
"So you want to learn how to use your lightsaber properly, do you?" Arias asked Kia. "Luckily for you, I was planning on evaluating Jorran's proficiency with his own today. You might as well observe, perhaps you will learn a thing or two." Arias stood up and walked to a spot not far from the rest of them, but with a good deal of space to move about. He took off his cloak and tossed it to Kal, with just a touch of the force helping it get over to him. "Come on, Jorran. Let's see just how skilled you are in lightsaber combat." Arias flicked his wrist, and his double bladed lightsaber shot from its resting place on his back into his right hand, where a single white blade sprang to life with a snap-hiss.
When Arias threw off his cloak and lit his saber, Kia grinned, and seated herself on a bench. Her green eyes darted, following every movement, wanting to be that fluid and agile herself with her own blade.
Jorran pulled his own saber from his belt--by hand--and ignited it.
"It's been a while," he said, whirling the blade around in a simple flourish. He proceeded to put his left foot forward and hold his saber in a high, attack-oriented stance. "I take it you--errr, we--Sethi follow the traditional rules for sparring?
Standing ready, all of the signs of his age seemed to disappear; he may as well have been twenty years younger.
"Rules only weaken the lessons learned from sparring." Arias raised the blade in front of his eyes in a salute, illuminating his face. "In combat, there are no rules, only the victorious and the vanquished." He held the white blade off to his side. "Now come at me."
No rules? Kia mouthed confused...did he really mean that? It was dangerous, not having rules, it wasn't fair either, Jorran wasn't a master like Arias, or at least it didn't sound that way, and no rules sounded like a good way to get someone hurt. "No rules doesn't sound very safe." she says to Miera questioningly, wanting the woman to tell her she had heard wrong. Kia's hand rested on her own lightsaber, ready to spring in to help Jorran if it looked like he needed it, even if he was better then she, and Arias was every bit as good as his confidence made him seem.
Angcuru
First Post
9 - Combat Training
"Well, the only real rules I can remember are these; the fight is over if either of us (me, probably) is injured, or if either of us (again, probably me) has had enough. Common courtesy, right?"
Arias gave Jorran a nod. The attack brought the blade down towards the intersection of Arias' neck and shoulder, but was quickly nudged off to the side by the tip of Arias' blade.
"Good, but you can do better, Jorran. Even if just for an opening attack, never follow through with such a simple and predictable move. If your blade is held high, your opponent will expect you to strike with a downwards slash, as you just did. Instead, do the unexpected."
To demonstrate, Arias stepped back and copied the stance which Jorran had started from and began with a similar downwards slice, but halfway through the arc of the attack Arias flicked his wrist to the side. Instead of coming down straight on Jorran's head, neck and shoulders, the lightsaber blade wove around Jorran's high horizontal defense and came to a stop near his armpit, almost singing his robe.
"After so many years away from practice, it's not surprising that you may have forgotten that a lightsaber is not simply a sword of light. The blade has no mass, no heft, leaving absolute control in the hands of its wielder. Do not be disappointed. Mistakes are just as valuable as successes in your training. In realizing a fault in your form, you don't fail to improve, but find a way not to succeed, which you can then avoid."
Arias stepped back and raised his blade in defense. "Again."
Jorran nodded, and made his next attack a bit more creative.
He continued exchanging attacks with Arias, receiving many blows that would have been fatal in real combat, and listened to the master's advice with each 'death' he suffered.
"Good. You learn quickly." Arias deactivated his blade and patted Jorran on the back. "Now let's see how you fare against someone of your own skill." He beckoned towards Kal. "Would you come over here please, Kal?"
“Of course, master!”
Kal stood up, trying to show confidence, this stranger was FAST. He would do his best to represent the Sethi.
He had seen that Jorran opened his side a little while attacking. If he could parry his blow he might be able to land a good counterattack. As he ignited his blade, Kal cleared his mind of anxiety. Standing up in a defensive position, his blade low, waiting for the attack.
"Be sure to use the non-lethal setting on your blades." Arias reminded Kal and Jorran. Not that he had to, at any rate. The crystals used in their lightsabers by default produced a blade that temporarily disrupted the target's nervous system, rendering them numb, but still conscious. That is, unless a blow landed on the spine or head. In that case, unconsciousness was the usual result. To actually harm each other, they would have to consciously alter the flow of the force through their blades and make them lethal.
"Fight to the best of your abilities." That said, Arias took at seat next to Miera and waited for them to begin.
Aasan will watch them quietly for a few moments before giving the whole village a good look over. Or at least, as best he can while staying where they currently stand. He'll keep his mouth shut, though, and do his best not to comment on the flashy displays that these Force-Users seem to be so fond of.
After making his salute, Jorran took a step forward, making a quick jab with his white blade.
Jorran's blade came straight at Kal. In his haste to try and counter attack the thrust, Kal almost caught it full in the chest. Kal reflexively dodged to the side, the end of Jorran's blade barely missing his torso. So close! If the thrust had been just a tad slower, Kal knew he could have turned it to his advantage.
Kal's dodge of Jorran's thrust put him less than a meter from his opponent, close enough that he could easily reach out and touch him. Kal took a step back, using that slight momentum to aid a swing at chest level towards Jorran. Jorran saw it coming, and leaned backwards, pulling his blade back from the thrust, holding the hilt at head level with the blade vertical protecting his torso in time to block Kal's attack.
Kia watches the more even fight with greater interest then the uneven one, this was something where she could actually compete, and competition was something that had been a constant in her life on Corellia, everyone trying to show everyone else up, it was second nature to her. "I guess these blades are different somehow, otherwise you wouldn't be turning them loose on each other. Once they are done...can I try, I'm not great with the saber...yet, and practicing without the threat of mass mayhem is pretty tempting, if Kal and Jorran are up for it, I mean." she says, excitedly to Miera.
Miera looked at Kia, somewhat surprised. "Kia, if your blade is that of one of the old Jedi and you are not skilled in its use, then you would likely end up killing one of them or yourself. Our lightsabers...Sethi lightsabers, are constructed with crystals unique to this world. They cannot be wielded by one who is not balanced and properly trained in the Force. At the same time, the blade they produce subdues rather than slays its target, unless we specifically desire otherwise." She hesitates for a moment. "We could train you to use your blade without imperiling yourself, but anything beyond that and you would have to be one of our order."
Arias nods. "Once Kal and Jorran finish sparring, Miera will give you a few pointers. However, learning to use a lightsaber is no simple task. Doing so requires devotion, discipline, and concentration. If you really want to learn to use one, we can show you how, but know that it will take time."
"I've handled things similar too it before, it wields sort of like a stun baton, except for the whole only lethal part. I have something to build off of, it’s just the particulars of a lightsaber then I need to learn, I think, or at least I hope. I do want to get out of here, but I think its more important to learn how to use the saber the right way, otherwise I’m like a baby with a blaster, and honestly, Hyperdrives are not my forte, especially ones 10 times older then I am." Kia admits, accepting the sting to her pride of the admission of her inexperience.
"Those crystals sound very useful, it must be really useful to have a stun setting, to be able to resolve things with less force." Kia commented, resolving to get one of the crystals before they left, I don't know what to do with it, but I would like to build my own saber, I'm sure that eventually I'll work out a way to do it, she thought.
With their weapons locked together, Jorran took advantage of his superior strength and quickly pushed his lightsaber forward in an attempt to disarm Kal. Kal deftly stepped back, the move neutralizing Jorran's strength advantage.
Using a maneuver he had learned from Arias, Kal kept contact with Jorran's blade and twisted around so that he was actually between Jorran and their lightsaber blades. Before his opponent could react Kal pushed his blade out and over their heads, twisting again so that Jorran was forced to turn around or lose control of his weapon.
The end result was another stalemate. Throughout the exchange of moves, the two white blades never left contact with one another. Now Jorran held his blade and waist level, with Kal to his right holding their blades in a cross shape between them.
Kal quickly takes a step backwards, his blade pulling off of Jorran's. He was now just in back of his opponent, and quickly lunged forward with a thrust to Jorran's side. Jorran saw the stabbing blade just in time, and tumbled forward away from Kal, barely avoiding the attack.
Jorran shifted his footing and struck down at Kal with a hard two-handed cleave, but Kal was ready. Using Jorran's own momentum against him, Kal held his blade perpendicular to Jorran's, blocked, and used the force of the attack to sidestep and whirl around, bringing his blade down on Jorran's unprotected back. The white blade passes through Jorran's clothes and partially through his back. He feels an odd numbing sensation throughout his body, like his skin had gone numb. Jorran was sure it wouldn't hinder his performance significantly, but another attack like that and he would be out of the fight.
Kia watches the duo spar with their stunning sabers, neither connecting, but with several close calls. The Jedi hopeful ponders what she could do that they weren't when it came time to duel master Miera. Neither of them is really using the force, they're just swinging their sabers at each other. I wonder what someone who is actually trained to fight with the force can do. Pull the saber from his hand, deactivate it, and push him off his feet. Make him hear a charging Maslith behind him, get him to turn, she wondered.
"Fight to the best of your abilities" said his master, and Kal knew that it would take all of his skill to overcome the more experienced man.
Taking advantage of his last blow, Kal strikes before Jorran can recover his balance.
Just by luck, Jorran deflect Kal's next attack, which would surely have brought him down if it had connected..
Just after parrying Kal's attack, Jorran whirled on him with a furious assault. He brought the blade down in a strong overhead chop that pierced Kal's defenses and grazed his shoulder, and again with a swipe that passed through Kal from neck to waist. Kal stumbled back under the sudden offensive move, barely able to remain conscious.
Sweat falling from his brow, Kal tried to focus his blurred vision on his opponent. He felt all his left side numb from the last two strikes.
It’s all or nothing now he thought, with a faint smile. This guy is GOOD.
He had seen master Arias perform this move -on him, usually- countless times.. an overhead slash for diversion, flowing into a low sweep with the saber. Kal closed his eyes, trying to feel the aura of his opponent, letting the force guide his last attack, and raised his blade.
Kal felt Jorran's presence in the force, and brought his white blade down towards his head. Jorran raised his blade in defense, but Kal sent the attack to the left over his opponent's blade and then into a diagonal slash. Jorran felt a sudden increasing numbness in his side, and then everything went black. As Jorran fell to the ground, his lightsaber falling from his hands, deactivating the moment it left his grip.
Kal limps towards his fallen opponent, gives him a moment to regain his senses, and then extends a hand to try and help him stand up. “It was a great fight! Thanks!”
Jorran reached up and took Kal's hand, making it back to his feet.
"Almost had you," he laughed. "You're twice as good as I was at your age."
He reached down and grabbed his saber hilt and strapped it back onto his belt.
Kia watched the duel in awe, lightsabers were such a rarity that seeing one, let alone two was a sight most people could go their entire lives without seeing, let alone an actual duel between two people that actually knew what they were doing. She was a bit surprised that the young kid bested the older more experienced Jedi apprentice, and it gave her enough hope of winning against Miera to put a crooked grin on her face. "Wow that was intense. I'm sure I won’t put up anywhere near the challenge that they would put up for you Miera, but I'm still up for it if you are, and I can get one of your Sethi lightsabers to work." Kia offered.
"Well done, both of you. That was an impressive display." Arias said, patting Jorran and Kal lightly on their backs. To their surprise, the numbness throughout their bodies faded, though they were still fatigued. "Sit down and have a rest."
"It is very unlikely that you will be able to use one of our lightsabers, Kia." Miera said. "To even ignite the blade one has to be perfectly balanced in the force, which requires training to be able to center oneself. Use your own blade for now, Kia." She got up and went over to where Kal and Jorran had been sparring, and readied her blade. "First, just show me how you would normally attack with your lightsaber."
"I don't want to hurt you, I know that I'm not good enough to avoid doing it with a real lightsaber, that’s why I only use it when I have to...but your the master I suppose." Kia says uncertainly, she had thought that a mistake by her wouldn't be then end of the world, because she'd be using a Sethi blade, but if she truly couldn't use one... Kia stepped forward, taking a steadying breath, she twirled her lightsaber's handle till it was perpendicular to the ground, point downward. She used a flick of her thumb on a recessed button in the butt plate to ignite the violet blade. Once it was ignited, Kia rested her other hand firmly on top of the of the butt plate to give her more power and control.
Kia faces Miera diagonally, putting all her weight on her right foot, ready to pivot away, and gives a small smile, and a nod of her head to show that she was ready. As she nods to Miera, she looks about at the others for a moment, looking to see what is around her, and what everyone is doing. Her wyes return to Miera, and then drop past her one last time, and suddenly a small tug of the force sends Jorran’s new saber hurtling in Miera's general direction. The thing wasn't meant to hit, though it striking was not unwelcome, it was simply to distract the Master for a second or two.
Feeling his saber fly from his belt, Jorran let out a surprised "Hey!" and pulled back on it with the force.
Miera looks at Kia disapprovingly. "This is supposed to test your ability with your weapon, not your ability to pull cheap tricks. If you wish not to learn, by all means say so."
"I thought how I used it was the point...I know your better with it then I am, I thought the point was to show you what I would normally do." Kia said with a shrug, "guess not. Like I said, I'm not very good, so when I use it, I do everything I can to win. Normally when I light it, and people see me use the force, they give me a wide berth, so I am able to end fights without anyone catching a case of the deads." she offers.
Kia flicks the wrist of her right hand, sending a sweeping slash at Miera's legs in an ascending triangle of violet light, it wasn't a very strong stroke, not that it would have to be with a lightsaber, but it was weak on purpose, or rather as part of Kia's saber stance. The way she was standing, blade pointed down, just flexing her wrist one way or the other would make for a strong triangle of defense. It was a natural stance considering that the activation button was on the butt of the saber and not the shaft, it was the only way to hold it and be able to quickly activate and deactivate it. It also gave her the ability to make those same defensive strokes with just a bit more outward motion to make quick sweeps at the opponents legs, or even just a wrist flick bringing it parallel to the ground would split a person standing in front of her from their groin to throat, especially with the strength that the second hand on the butt of the saber added to it.
Miera stepped smartly to the side, easily avoiding Kia's attack.
Jorran offered a piece of advice.
"Unless I'm mistaken, this is just to see how you are with a saber. If you rely on tricks with the force when you spar, your saber technique will suffer, and you'll be much more likely to be killed in a real fight if, for whatever reason, you can't use your force powers. As well, if you can hone your force skills and saber skills separately before using them together, you'll have a better grasp of the fundamentals of both when you combine them." He paused for a moment. "Well, that's what my former master taught me, anyway. I'm sure Miera has a much better-informed idea about this than I do."
"Jorran is correct. You have a degree of control in the force, but you rely on that more than your blade. I asked to see your attack, but you initially use trickery. Let's try something different." Miera deactivated her blade and returned it to her belt.
The stone which had earlier been levitated by Adrial floated up and over towards Kia. It paused at a spot one meter in front of her blade, and proceeded to begin circling her with quick, irregular movements.
"Before you face a live opponent, you should be able to face an inanimate one. Try and cleave this stone in two."
Nikama tapped Aasan on his shoulder. "While they're busy with that, I'll show you our old hyperdrive. It'll probably take a while to make it compatible with the young lady's ship, so we should get started as soon as we can. C'mon, this way." The old man walked off towards a shack not far from the fire pit.
Aasan gave one more look to the others and then, shrugged to himself before silently following Nikama. After a few steps, though, he asks a question that he's going to have to bring up at one point or another, "How old is the hyperdrive you've got? The ship is not too new, so it might not be too much of a problem...but then again, I've learned its best to not assume such things."
"Very old. Not to mention that the thing malfunction the last time it was used, so it'll probably need some fixing itself before we even think of compatibility issues." Nikama said. He slid the curtain in the doorway of the hut open and went inside, gesturing for Aasan to follow.
The hut is a mess. Wiring, sheet metal, and various torn apart tech devices litter the floor and several tool benches. "Well, it's in here somewhere." Nikama mutters. He heads toward the back and starts digging around in a pile of various junk. "Give me a hand with this, will ya?"
"Of course," Aasan nods shortly before stepping over and doing his best to assist, "Most of this salvaged from your ship, I assume?"
"Yeah we tore that thing apart until there was nothing left. All of this stuff I couldn't find a use for, or plain can't get to work. Aha! Here it is!" With Aasan's help, Nikama pulls a clump of tangled wire off of what looks like a cubic meter of burnished silver tinged white.
"It ain't pretty, but it was fast for its day. Too bad its day was waaaaay way back." Nikama clears off some of the remaining clutter. "Y'see that silvery white sheen?" He says, indicating the hyperdrive. "Now, I have no clue whatsoever as to what it is. I'm somewhat familiar with the model of hyperdrive our transport was using. What with the Separatist occupation and all, there was nothing left to work on. I've never seen this effect before. The only evidence I have to work with is an anomaly. Check this out."
Nikama reaches over to one of the tool benches and pulls out an old blaster rifle. Not pretty, but powerful by the look of it. He set it to full power, aimed it at the hyperdrive, and fired off a series of shots. The blasts hit it with full force, but simply disappeared as if they had ceased to exist the moment they would have impacted the hyperdrive. Not even a mark remained.
"Well, the only real rules I can remember are these; the fight is over if either of us (me, probably) is injured, or if either of us (again, probably me) has had enough. Common courtesy, right?"
Arias gave Jorran a nod. The attack brought the blade down towards the intersection of Arias' neck and shoulder, but was quickly nudged off to the side by the tip of Arias' blade.
"Good, but you can do better, Jorran. Even if just for an opening attack, never follow through with such a simple and predictable move. If your blade is held high, your opponent will expect you to strike with a downwards slash, as you just did. Instead, do the unexpected."
To demonstrate, Arias stepped back and copied the stance which Jorran had started from and began with a similar downwards slice, but halfway through the arc of the attack Arias flicked his wrist to the side. Instead of coming down straight on Jorran's head, neck and shoulders, the lightsaber blade wove around Jorran's high horizontal defense and came to a stop near his armpit, almost singing his robe.
"After so many years away from practice, it's not surprising that you may have forgotten that a lightsaber is not simply a sword of light. The blade has no mass, no heft, leaving absolute control in the hands of its wielder. Do not be disappointed. Mistakes are just as valuable as successes in your training. In realizing a fault in your form, you don't fail to improve, but find a way not to succeed, which you can then avoid."
Arias stepped back and raised his blade in defense. "Again."
Jorran nodded, and made his next attack a bit more creative.
He continued exchanging attacks with Arias, receiving many blows that would have been fatal in real combat, and listened to the master's advice with each 'death' he suffered.
"Good. You learn quickly." Arias deactivated his blade and patted Jorran on the back. "Now let's see how you fare against someone of your own skill." He beckoned towards Kal. "Would you come over here please, Kal?"
“Of course, master!”
Kal stood up, trying to show confidence, this stranger was FAST. He would do his best to represent the Sethi.
He had seen that Jorran opened his side a little while attacking. If he could parry his blow he might be able to land a good counterattack. As he ignited his blade, Kal cleared his mind of anxiety. Standing up in a defensive position, his blade low, waiting for the attack.
"Be sure to use the non-lethal setting on your blades." Arias reminded Kal and Jorran. Not that he had to, at any rate. The crystals used in their lightsabers by default produced a blade that temporarily disrupted the target's nervous system, rendering them numb, but still conscious. That is, unless a blow landed on the spine or head. In that case, unconsciousness was the usual result. To actually harm each other, they would have to consciously alter the flow of the force through their blades and make them lethal.
"Fight to the best of your abilities." That said, Arias took at seat next to Miera and waited for them to begin.
Aasan will watch them quietly for a few moments before giving the whole village a good look over. Or at least, as best he can while staying where they currently stand. He'll keep his mouth shut, though, and do his best not to comment on the flashy displays that these Force-Users seem to be so fond of.
After making his salute, Jorran took a step forward, making a quick jab with his white blade.
Jorran's blade came straight at Kal. In his haste to try and counter attack the thrust, Kal almost caught it full in the chest. Kal reflexively dodged to the side, the end of Jorran's blade barely missing his torso. So close! If the thrust had been just a tad slower, Kal knew he could have turned it to his advantage.
Kal's dodge of Jorran's thrust put him less than a meter from his opponent, close enough that he could easily reach out and touch him. Kal took a step back, using that slight momentum to aid a swing at chest level towards Jorran. Jorran saw it coming, and leaned backwards, pulling his blade back from the thrust, holding the hilt at head level with the blade vertical protecting his torso in time to block Kal's attack.
Kia watches the more even fight with greater interest then the uneven one, this was something where she could actually compete, and competition was something that had been a constant in her life on Corellia, everyone trying to show everyone else up, it was second nature to her. "I guess these blades are different somehow, otherwise you wouldn't be turning them loose on each other. Once they are done...can I try, I'm not great with the saber...yet, and practicing without the threat of mass mayhem is pretty tempting, if Kal and Jorran are up for it, I mean." she says, excitedly to Miera.
Miera looked at Kia, somewhat surprised. "Kia, if your blade is that of one of the old Jedi and you are not skilled in its use, then you would likely end up killing one of them or yourself. Our lightsabers...Sethi lightsabers, are constructed with crystals unique to this world. They cannot be wielded by one who is not balanced and properly trained in the Force. At the same time, the blade they produce subdues rather than slays its target, unless we specifically desire otherwise." She hesitates for a moment. "We could train you to use your blade without imperiling yourself, but anything beyond that and you would have to be one of our order."
Arias nods. "Once Kal and Jorran finish sparring, Miera will give you a few pointers. However, learning to use a lightsaber is no simple task. Doing so requires devotion, discipline, and concentration. If you really want to learn to use one, we can show you how, but know that it will take time."
"I've handled things similar too it before, it wields sort of like a stun baton, except for the whole only lethal part. I have something to build off of, it’s just the particulars of a lightsaber then I need to learn, I think, or at least I hope. I do want to get out of here, but I think its more important to learn how to use the saber the right way, otherwise I’m like a baby with a blaster, and honestly, Hyperdrives are not my forte, especially ones 10 times older then I am." Kia admits, accepting the sting to her pride of the admission of her inexperience.
"Those crystals sound very useful, it must be really useful to have a stun setting, to be able to resolve things with less force." Kia commented, resolving to get one of the crystals before they left, I don't know what to do with it, but I would like to build my own saber, I'm sure that eventually I'll work out a way to do it, she thought.
With their weapons locked together, Jorran took advantage of his superior strength and quickly pushed his lightsaber forward in an attempt to disarm Kal. Kal deftly stepped back, the move neutralizing Jorran's strength advantage.
Using a maneuver he had learned from Arias, Kal kept contact with Jorran's blade and twisted around so that he was actually between Jorran and their lightsaber blades. Before his opponent could react Kal pushed his blade out and over their heads, twisting again so that Jorran was forced to turn around or lose control of his weapon.
The end result was another stalemate. Throughout the exchange of moves, the two white blades never left contact with one another. Now Jorran held his blade and waist level, with Kal to his right holding their blades in a cross shape between them.
Kal quickly takes a step backwards, his blade pulling off of Jorran's. He was now just in back of his opponent, and quickly lunged forward with a thrust to Jorran's side. Jorran saw the stabbing blade just in time, and tumbled forward away from Kal, barely avoiding the attack.
Jorran shifted his footing and struck down at Kal with a hard two-handed cleave, but Kal was ready. Using Jorran's own momentum against him, Kal held his blade perpendicular to Jorran's, blocked, and used the force of the attack to sidestep and whirl around, bringing his blade down on Jorran's unprotected back. The white blade passes through Jorran's clothes and partially through his back. He feels an odd numbing sensation throughout his body, like his skin had gone numb. Jorran was sure it wouldn't hinder his performance significantly, but another attack like that and he would be out of the fight.
Kia watches the duo spar with their stunning sabers, neither connecting, but with several close calls. The Jedi hopeful ponders what she could do that they weren't when it came time to duel master Miera. Neither of them is really using the force, they're just swinging their sabers at each other. I wonder what someone who is actually trained to fight with the force can do. Pull the saber from his hand, deactivate it, and push him off his feet. Make him hear a charging Maslith behind him, get him to turn, she wondered.
"Fight to the best of your abilities" said his master, and Kal knew that it would take all of his skill to overcome the more experienced man.
Taking advantage of his last blow, Kal strikes before Jorran can recover his balance.
Just by luck, Jorran deflect Kal's next attack, which would surely have brought him down if it had connected..
Just after parrying Kal's attack, Jorran whirled on him with a furious assault. He brought the blade down in a strong overhead chop that pierced Kal's defenses and grazed his shoulder, and again with a swipe that passed through Kal from neck to waist. Kal stumbled back under the sudden offensive move, barely able to remain conscious.
Sweat falling from his brow, Kal tried to focus his blurred vision on his opponent. He felt all his left side numb from the last two strikes.
It’s all or nothing now he thought, with a faint smile. This guy is GOOD.
He had seen master Arias perform this move -on him, usually- countless times.. an overhead slash for diversion, flowing into a low sweep with the saber. Kal closed his eyes, trying to feel the aura of his opponent, letting the force guide his last attack, and raised his blade.
Kal felt Jorran's presence in the force, and brought his white blade down towards his head. Jorran raised his blade in defense, but Kal sent the attack to the left over his opponent's blade and then into a diagonal slash. Jorran felt a sudden increasing numbness in his side, and then everything went black. As Jorran fell to the ground, his lightsaber falling from his hands, deactivating the moment it left his grip.
Kal limps towards his fallen opponent, gives him a moment to regain his senses, and then extends a hand to try and help him stand up. “It was a great fight! Thanks!”
Jorran reached up and took Kal's hand, making it back to his feet.
"Almost had you," he laughed. "You're twice as good as I was at your age."
He reached down and grabbed his saber hilt and strapped it back onto his belt.
Kia watched the duel in awe, lightsabers were such a rarity that seeing one, let alone two was a sight most people could go their entire lives without seeing, let alone an actual duel between two people that actually knew what they were doing. She was a bit surprised that the young kid bested the older more experienced Jedi apprentice, and it gave her enough hope of winning against Miera to put a crooked grin on her face. "Wow that was intense. I'm sure I won’t put up anywhere near the challenge that they would put up for you Miera, but I'm still up for it if you are, and I can get one of your Sethi lightsabers to work." Kia offered.
"Well done, both of you. That was an impressive display." Arias said, patting Jorran and Kal lightly on their backs. To their surprise, the numbness throughout their bodies faded, though they were still fatigued. "Sit down and have a rest."
"It is very unlikely that you will be able to use one of our lightsabers, Kia." Miera said. "To even ignite the blade one has to be perfectly balanced in the force, which requires training to be able to center oneself. Use your own blade for now, Kia." She got up and went over to where Kal and Jorran had been sparring, and readied her blade. "First, just show me how you would normally attack with your lightsaber."
"I don't want to hurt you, I know that I'm not good enough to avoid doing it with a real lightsaber, that’s why I only use it when I have to...but your the master I suppose." Kia says uncertainly, she had thought that a mistake by her wouldn't be then end of the world, because she'd be using a Sethi blade, but if she truly couldn't use one... Kia stepped forward, taking a steadying breath, she twirled her lightsaber's handle till it was perpendicular to the ground, point downward. She used a flick of her thumb on a recessed button in the butt plate to ignite the violet blade. Once it was ignited, Kia rested her other hand firmly on top of the of the butt plate to give her more power and control.
Kia faces Miera diagonally, putting all her weight on her right foot, ready to pivot away, and gives a small smile, and a nod of her head to show that she was ready. As she nods to Miera, she looks about at the others for a moment, looking to see what is around her, and what everyone is doing. Her wyes return to Miera, and then drop past her one last time, and suddenly a small tug of the force sends Jorran’s new saber hurtling in Miera's general direction. The thing wasn't meant to hit, though it striking was not unwelcome, it was simply to distract the Master for a second or two.
Feeling his saber fly from his belt, Jorran let out a surprised "Hey!" and pulled back on it with the force.
Miera looks at Kia disapprovingly. "This is supposed to test your ability with your weapon, not your ability to pull cheap tricks. If you wish not to learn, by all means say so."
"I thought how I used it was the point...I know your better with it then I am, I thought the point was to show you what I would normally do." Kia said with a shrug, "guess not. Like I said, I'm not very good, so when I use it, I do everything I can to win. Normally when I light it, and people see me use the force, they give me a wide berth, so I am able to end fights without anyone catching a case of the deads." she offers.
Kia flicks the wrist of her right hand, sending a sweeping slash at Miera's legs in an ascending triangle of violet light, it wasn't a very strong stroke, not that it would have to be with a lightsaber, but it was weak on purpose, or rather as part of Kia's saber stance. The way she was standing, blade pointed down, just flexing her wrist one way or the other would make for a strong triangle of defense. It was a natural stance considering that the activation button was on the butt of the saber and not the shaft, it was the only way to hold it and be able to quickly activate and deactivate it. It also gave her the ability to make those same defensive strokes with just a bit more outward motion to make quick sweeps at the opponents legs, or even just a wrist flick bringing it parallel to the ground would split a person standing in front of her from their groin to throat, especially with the strength that the second hand on the butt of the saber added to it.
Miera stepped smartly to the side, easily avoiding Kia's attack.
Jorran offered a piece of advice.
"Unless I'm mistaken, this is just to see how you are with a saber. If you rely on tricks with the force when you spar, your saber technique will suffer, and you'll be much more likely to be killed in a real fight if, for whatever reason, you can't use your force powers. As well, if you can hone your force skills and saber skills separately before using them together, you'll have a better grasp of the fundamentals of both when you combine them." He paused for a moment. "Well, that's what my former master taught me, anyway. I'm sure Miera has a much better-informed idea about this than I do."
"Jorran is correct. You have a degree of control in the force, but you rely on that more than your blade. I asked to see your attack, but you initially use trickery. Let's try something different." Miera deactivated her blade and returned it to her belt.
The stone which had earlier been levitated by Adrial floated up and over towards Kia. It paused at a spot one meter in front of her blade, and proceeded to begin circling her with quick, irregular movements.
"Before you face a live opponent, you should be able to face an inanimate one. Try and cleave this stone in two."
***
Nikama tapped Aasan on his shoulder. "While they're busy with that, I'll show you our old hyperdrive. It'll probably take a while to make it compatible with the young lady's ship, so we should get started as soon as we can. C'mon, this way." The old man walked off towards a shack not far from the fire pit.
Aasan gave one more look to the others and then, shrugged to himself before silently following Nikama. After a few steps, though, he asks a question that he's going to have to bring up at one point or another, "How old is the hyperdrive you've got? The ship is not too new, so it might not be too much of a problem...but then again, I've learned its best to not assume such things."
"Very old. Not to mention that the thing malfunction the last time it was used, so it'll probably need some fixing itself before we even think of compatibility issues." Nikama said. He slid the curtain in the doorway of the hut open and went inside, gesturing for Aasan to follow.
The hut is a mess. Wiring, sheet metal, and various torn apart tech devices litter the floor and several tool benches. "Well, it's in here somewhere." Nikama mutters. He heads toward the back and starts digging around in a pile of various junk. "Give me a hand with this, will ya?"
"Of course," Aasan nods shortly before stepping over and doing his best to assist, "Most of this salvaged from your ship, I assume?"
"Yeah we tore that thing apart until there was nothing left. All of this stuff I couldn't find a use for, or plain can't get to work. Aha! Here it is!" With Aasan's help, Nikama pulls a clump of tangled wire off of what looks like a cubic meter of burnished silver tinged white.
"It ain't pretty, but it was fast for its day. Too bad its day was waaaaay way back." Nikama clears off some of the remaining clutter. "Y'see that silvery white sheen?" He says, indicating the hyperdrive. "Now, I have no clue whatsoever as to what it is. I'm somewhat familiar with the model of hyperdrive our transport was using. What with the Separatist occupation and all, there was nothing left to work on. I've never seen this effect before. The only evidence I have to work with is an anomaly. Check this out."
Nikama reaches over to one of the tool benches and pulls out an old blaster rifle. Not pretty, but powerful by the look of it. He set it to full power, aimed it at the hyperdrive, and fired off a series of shots. The blasts hit it with full force, but simply disappeared as if they had ceased to exist the moment they would have impacted the hyperdrive. Not even a mark remained.
ledded
Herder of monkies
Angcuru said:It's good to have a good ol' lightsaber duel every now and then to interrupt the talking and smack someone to attention, wouldn't you agree?
Heck yeah!
Man, I cant believe this one got cranked up and I missed the beginning. Now I have to sit in the back. Oh well, that teaches me to get a job that actually expects 8-10 hours of, well, *work* every day instead of letting me cruise enworld for a few hours
.Cool stuff so far, my man, very, very cool. I'll try to keep up and make all the unruly kids in the back row behave themselves.
Now on with the show.
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