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Star Wars - A New Power Ch. 24 - Departure
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<blockquote data-quote="Angcuru" data-source="post: 2197137" data-attributes="member: 10948"><p><strong>6 - Neither Jedi Nor Sith, but Sethi</strong></p><p></p><p>Jorran did his best to answer the children’s’ questions one-by-one.</p><p>"My ship was an ancient transport...a YT-12. No, not 1200; a 12. I'm 41. I came this way from the direction of Nar Shaddaa, but I grew up on Coruscant. Oh, yeah, I got drenched in hydraulic fluid when my ship got hit. Yeah, by the other ship that's coming tomorrow. No, you can't have my shoes; I need them. I'm Jorran Kaarai. You can borrow my cloak if you're cold, but I'll need it back eventually."</p><p></p><p>After all the questions were over, and the meal had concluded as well, Jorran walked over to Miera and Arias.</p><p></p><p>"So, what would you like to know first?"</p><p></p><p>"Direct and to the point, aren't you?" Miera said as Jorran sat down..</p><p></p><p>"There are many things we'd like to know, but you can fill us in on the minor details later on. Right now, we just need to know three things." Arias said. "What has happened to the Jedi order? How did the Empire come to power, and what is its state lately?"</p><p></p><p>"The Jedi order was destroyed utterly in Palpatine's 'Jedi Purge', and for all I know, there may not be more than ten or twenty survivors in the galaxy, including myself. Not too long after the purge, Palpatine used his 'Emergency Powers' to seize all the power from the senate and become emperor. He finally dissolved the senate about eight years ago. Around that time, the rebel factions managed to unite, and the civil war began. It ended around three years ago at the Battle of Endor where Palpatine was killed.</p><p></p><p>Jorran took a breath.</p><p></p><p>"Now, the Rebel forces are trying to start a new republic, but there are still some fairly large remnants of the empire in their way, not to mention former governors who decided to become warlords in the systems they used to be overseeing for the empire." </p><p></p><p>"In other words, the galaxy is in chaos now, correct?" Arias said.</p><p></p><p>"I don't understand how the entire order could be destroyed. There were thousands of Jedi, how could Palpatine have eliminated them all?" Miera asked.</p><p></p><p>Jorran nodded and lowered his head. "He started by raiding the great temple on Coruscant and killing every Master, Knight, Padawan, and Learner there. After that, the remaining Jedi were hunted down one-by-one. The only reason I survived was because I was so far out on the Rim when the purge began, and luck, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it. I was with another Padawan, my master, and another master. We hid on a small planet for years, but the emperor's agents caught up with us, and both of the masters were killed in the attack. After that, I fled from place to place until the empire fell. Since then, I've been looking for any other surviving force-users, Jedi or no. And it seems that's why the Force led me here."</p><p></p><p>"So. The Jedi Order is no more and Palpatine's Empire is in decline. The galaxy must be a very dangerous place these days." Arias said. "You were never able to complete your training because of this, were you?"</p><p></p><p>"Pretty much. I've tried to limit my use of the Force as much as possible because of that...you know, trying not to get in over my head, and all. I've found that blasters really aren't as clumsy as they're made out to be, though, in the process. Well, if you get a nice one, that is."</p><p></p><p>Arias looked to Miera, and to Jorran it was as if they were holding a silent conversation. Miera nodded after about a minute of this, and Arias turned to face Jorran.</p><p></p><p>"We could complete your training, if you desire. However, it would not be as a Jedi Knight."</p><p></p><p>Jorran thought to himself for a moment, mulling things around his head. He stroked his beard, and seemed to come to a decision.</p><p></p><p>"With the galaxy as it is, I don't think there's any way I could ever truly be a Jedi Knight, whether I wanted to or not. I would be honored to train with you...but I can't remember what I was working on last."</p><p></p><p>He paused, trying to remember.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, that was it; I had prepared to craft my own lightsaber before I got the last of my training. If this planet has the crystals, I could begin any day...well, I'd need an afternoon to practice what I've forgotten, but then I could begin...ah, but I've been living on my own for far too long; you are the masters, and it is your decision."</p><p></p><p>"Do not worry about crafting a new blade. Tonight you must rest, and forget anything that your old masters taught you concerning the nature of the Force. In the morning, you will choose the focus crystal of your new lightsaber, and your training will begin." Miera said. With a nod to Jorran, and a wink to Arias, she got up and headed over to their hut.</p><p></p><p>"You will find that we Sethi have practices far different from the Jedi you remember, Jorran." Arias said before following her.</p><p></p><p>Jorran went to the sleeping quarters that had been found for him, and spent about an hour meditating on the day's events before he climbed into bed and dozed off.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Sleep eluded Kal that night. His world was changing so fast! All the fantastic tales of a huge galaxy, with thousands of worlds and advanced technology his father told him when he was a kid were swirling through his mind.</p><p></p><p>He meditated upon the rumors that the foreigner’s news had spread through the refugee village. The republic turned into an empire, the Jedi order in disarray and hunted!... and then the Rebels, brave fighters gaining back the freedom for a New Republic.</p><p>Suddenly his small village seemed even smaller. Kal decided that he WOULD see this big galaxy, that many adventures awaited beyond his jungle world.</p><p></p><p>And the Sethi teachings would spread, we will be as powerful as the old Jedi Order.. he had seen his master TRUE power for the first time. With patience, he would grow to be as powerful as him.</p><p></p><p>One thing troubled Kal.. when he used the Force to help his master his first instinct had been to channel all the anger he felt and use it to strike fear into the monsters. But then he had tried to calm his mind and let his powers flow from the light side of the Force. Maybe he was inexperienced, but the Dark side offered him MORE power than the light. Was it so bad to call to the Dark side to save a life? What if an innocent had been killed, just because it was more difficult for Kal to channel the forces of light and goodnes than to channel the forces of hate and fear? He had been taught to balance the two, but there was still difficulty in shaking the natural aversion to what felt so evil.</p><p></p><p>He would have to voice this doubts to his mentor in the morning... </p><p></p><p>Slowly, his exhausted mind drifted into sleep...</p><p></p><p>The next morning, Jorran was wakened by the sound of little feet next to his bed. It was more of a hurriedly set up cot, but a bed is a bed. As he opened his eyes, he saw the same group of children which had been pestering him the night before. </p><p></p><p>"You awakes?" Asked the red twi'lek girl, who was apparently the leader of the group.</p><p></p><p></p><p>On the other side of camp, Kal and Adrial woke in the larger hut which housed the Sethi apprentices and learners. Each of them had their own quarters partitioned off from the rest, with a small communal living area at the center. Early morning sunlight was just reaching over the edge of the wall, accompanied by soft, distant birdsong.</p><p>Jorran yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.</p><p></p><p>"I am now. So, I'm going to guess it's time for breakfast, or else I'm needed somewhere. Just let me get dressed."</p><p>"Missus Miera wants you to come to the big hut when you ready. You get brekfist there." The children stared at him for a few moments before they ran off to find something more exciting.</p><p></p><p>Jorran dressed in his clean change of clothes, leaving his coat and weapons-belt behind. He left the sleeping quarters and walked to what he could only assume was the 'big hut'.</p><p>As Jorran enters the largest hut in the village, he is greeted by a young bothan who directs him to an area at the left end of the hut. Miera is sitting on a small mound of cushions, eating...something out of a wooden bowl while several large rocks float in midair to her right, continuously rearranging into difference geometric shapes.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, good morning, Jorran." Miera indicates a cushion on the floor with a small, low table next to it. On the table is a bowl of something resembling a foodstuff that on some worlds was called 'oatmeal'. "Please, take a seat and have some food." </p><p></p><p>After Jorran had been seated, Miera spoke again. "If you can, I'd like for you to recite the Jedi Code."</p><p></p><p>Jorran began.</p><p></p><p>"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force."</p><p></p><p>He sighed after that last part, remembering his master, and everyone he had known that had been killed in the Purge.</p><p></p><p>"Good. Now recite the Sith Code." Miera said.</p><p></p><p>"Peace is a lie, there is only Passion. Through passion, I gain Strength. Through strength, I gain Power. Through power, I gain Victory. Through victory, My chains are broken. The Force shall free me.</p><p></p><p>He did not look pleased uttering the words; they obviously left a bad taste in his mouth. The look passed, though, and he resumed a more neutral expression.</p><p></p><p>"Just words, like the Jedi code. What matter is what you make of them, or so I've come to understand."</p><p></p><p>Miera smiled. "It is good that you understand this. While these two codes are simple words, they encompass the core values of each path. The Jedi emphasize the light, defensiveness, and peace. The Sith emphasize the dark, aggressiveness, and struggle. The two are polar opposites, but they have one important thing in common. That their very code was the key to their downfall.</p><p></p><p>The Jedi would work together, becoming only as powerful as was necessary to maintain the peace of the Republic. This caused them not only to become weakened through lack of struggle, but complacent in their roles as guardians of peace.</p><p></p><p>The Sith prefer to work alone and seek out struggle, thus the individual becomes more powerful. But because of this, they turn on one another in a survival of the fittest philosophy. They will work together to increase their collective power, but individual interests always dominate.</p><p></p><p>Jedi and Sith are both formidable in battle against the mundane, but when facing each other, weaknesses become apparent. Because of the nature of their paths, a lone Jedi would always be an inferior to a lone Sith in battle. Simply put, the Jedi are many, but compared to Sith, are also weak. The Sith are few, but compared to Jedi, also powerful.</p><p></p><p>After many successive conflicts, the Sith became very few, but also, very powerful. Is it not odd that the Jedi, a conclave of peacekeepers renowned throughout the galaxy, would fear the possibility that a mere two foes would appear to challenge them?</p><p></p><p>You know as well as I do that in the rise and fall of Palpatine's Empire, both were utterly destroyed."</p><p></p><p>Miera paused for a quick drink, clearing her throat before continuing.</p><p></p><p>"As with anything, the Force cannot be anything to you that you will not allow it to be. To the Jedi, it was a divine power to be respected and used in moderation. A veritable gift to be shared amongst the many who are blessed to be able to feel its presence. To the Sith, the Force is no different than any other controllable thing in existence, no more sacred than physics or other laws of nature. To them, the Force was a tool, a gateway to power to be used at will. </p><p></p><p>Because of these perceptions, the Jedi became collectively weak and complacent, while the Sith became individually corrupt and arrogant. Thus did they fall."</p><p></p><p>Miera looked Jorran up and down for a moment. "My question to you is this. What do you see the Force to be?"</p><p></p><p>Jorran thought for quite some time.</p><p></p><p>"Hmmm...I think the Sith were on to something with their concept, but its goal is no less flawed than the Jedi concept..."</p><p></p><p>He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.</p><p></p><p>"I say the Force is power, for lack of a better word. It's a just another way to influence your surroundings...the universe around you. And it carries the same potential for good or evil that a blaster or rulership over a planet does. With the Force, though, that potential is far greater than with blasters or money or anything else."</p><p></p><p>Miera nodded at Jorran. "Thus do you see the truth behind it all. You and I both were taught that the Force is divided into the Light and Dark sides, but that is not the reality of it. There is no Light Side or Dark Side to the Force, it just is. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, they are just words. Ideas created in antiquity by frightened peoples to rationalize the unknown, to encompass it in what they were already familiar with: morality.</p><p></p><p>But the Jedi caught on to one truth. The Force it not simply a power of nature, it is something much more. The Force really is, is the soul of the universe. Everything in existence is part of it. Life is able to exist because of the Force, and whenever life ends, the tiny portion of the Force that fueled that life returns to the Force.</p><p></p><p>When a creature is born, a soul is created from the Force just as the body is created from the matter of the universe. Those we refer to as Force Sensitive are a different matter altogether. We are something more than simple life forms, in that our souls are incomplete. When we are born, we are left with a tangible connection to the Force which is unnatural and unintended. While most souls are limited to their bodies, we are directly connected to the entirety of the universe. Thus do we have the power that we do.</p><p></p><p>Although we live and die just like any other life form, we are living wounds upon the Force. Wounds that the Force is continually trying to heal. The more we concentrate on our connection to the Force, the larger the wound becomes. As a Force Sensitive grows in power, so does the temptation of the so-called Dark Side. The Dark Side is nothing more than a manifestation of the Force's attempts to destroy the Force Sensitive. The stronger one becomes in the 'Dark Side', the more desiccated and corrupt they become, as the Force attempts to cause them decay and draw them into recklessness and hate that would end their lives and end the wound.</p><p></p><p>The 'Light Side' is simply a conscious path to avoid the 'Dark Side', and has no extraordinary intrinsic value."</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p>At the <em>Dawnsprinter</em> however, the birds were quite a bit louder. Actually, as the sheer volume of it woke Kia, she groggily though that if the ship hadn't been designed with sound insulation in mind, the sound just might be deafening.</p><p></p><p>"Someone is getting strangled," Kia mutters as she sits up, removing her covers and rubbing at her eyes. She had never heard such cacophony before, "Probably feeding on those dog things that attacked last night." she pondered aloud, rolling out of her berth. Her cabin was fairly neat, not what one would expect from a teenager who frequented bars and casinos, nor was the decorations. On the one wall, there was a full length mirror, and beside it a bunch of 2D still pictures of her Parents, and of her little brother Valin. On her shelves, there were a variety of exotic things picked up along the outer rim. In a special protective case, there were a pair of Quarren Crystal Goblets, and a bottle of Whyren's Reserve. Elsewhere on the shelves, there was an antique blaster pistol dating back 20 years to before the clone wars.</p><p></p><p>Mussing her hair, Kia entered her private fresher, one of the major perks of being the captain of a space vessel. She took a quick sonic shower, removing the sweat and grime of the previous day, and also to wake herself up with the Sonics, water being scarce in space and all. She dumped her sheets in the cleaner as well to be cleaned over the course of the day. Humming a bit, she dresses in a sleeveless skin tight black body stocking, and a pair of boots, proud of her figure, and some small part of her wanting to look very good when she showed up as the rescuer of the crash survivors.</p><p></p><p>Half an hour after rising, the girl finally emerged from her cabin and headed back to the galley, grabbing a pre-packaged ration bar, she heads down to the access tunnel she would need to use to get to the repulsor lifts, wanting to get that accomplished before anything else. The less time they spent around so many bodies the better, especially with the Masliths most likely scavenging, she wouldn't be able to move all the bodies.</p><p></p><p>Upon reaching the area she had been working in the previous day, Kia sees that all she had left to do was splice a few wires together and do a diagnostic. Apparently, Aasan had hauled ass last night while she was sleeping. Kia couldn't help but be impressed with his handiwork. All the better, as that left less for her to do, and the very easy part, at that.</p><p></p><p>Kia smiles, impressed at what the Kel-dor had pulled off over night. "I should really thank him, he had to have been almost as tired as I was, and he still pulled an all-nighter getting her this close to being done." the Corellian murmurs to herself as she gets into all the wiring, making all of the connections and splices. She hums an old Selonian song as she works.</p><p></p><p>After she gets the wiring as done as she can, she moves on to the diagnostic, and while the computer is working on that, she does a bit of work, on the redundant systems, working on the lighting, and just cleaning up the ship. She does her best to avoid waking Aasan up, trying to let the older Kel-Dor sleep.</p><p></p><p>After an hour or so of cleaning and polishing the insides of the ship, Kia hears a *ping* as she passes by the cockpit.</p><p></p><p>DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE. A mechanical voice sounded. As Kia looks over the readout screen for the results, she sees what she has been anticipating for nearly a day.</p><p style="text-align: center">*Diagnostic of Repulsorlift systems completed.*</p> <p style="text-align: center">*Repairs successful.*</p> <p style="text-align: center">*Systems fully operational.*</p> <p style="text-align: center">*Awaiting command.*</p><p></p><p></p><p>Kia lets out a whoop of delight that rivals the volume of the bird calls at the system operational report. The ship wasn't ground bound, not anymore, it might not be space worthy yet, but she could at least get the <em>Dawnsprinter</em> up, and that was a major victory all on its own.<em> I should let Aasan sleep, at least for a while longer, I want to get there soon, but he deserves it after last night. Now that the lifts are working, I can call over, let them know we're coming, and then work on getting more power from the ion engines. We'll need it for space, but getting up in the air at all is good, the girl thought gratefully Maybe I can reward him somehow, for all the hard work, once we get off this rock. Anywhere he wants to go, he is there, no matter where</em>. she resolves.</p><p></p><p>She clicks on the commlink, "This is Kia over on the <em>Dawnsprinter</em>, we have our repulsor lifts fully operational, and our sub-lights have the power to get us to you, so light a fire and make a feast or something." she jokes, grinning to herself. "I don't know how fast we'll make it to you, but it should definitely be within 12 hours or so, just want to get some redundant systems working first, and let my Wiz Mechanic sleep in after his all-nighter."</p><p></p><p>"We did have some company last night though, a whole pack of things bigger then the Masliths, at least 50 or more of them. We burnt with an E-web, and then electrified the hull. Do these things have a name, like the red ones do?" she asks.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>The comm buzzed just as Miera finished speaking. She frowned at the interruption, and quickly clicked the comm on. "Copy, Kia. Call me again when you're halfway here, but not before, please."</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>Kia raises a puzzled eye brow at the instruction, feeling a ouch un appreciated, here she was going to bring a working space craft to the settlement and maybe a way off the planet for them, and they didn't sound enthusiastic or even grateful. "probably back to nature Ithorian wannabes" she murmurs vexedly. She runs a diagnostic over the entirety of the ship's systems, hyperdrive and sub-light engines included, figuring she might be able to get a bit of work in on them while she waits for Aasan to raise after the all-nighter.</p><p></p><p>While the diagnostic is running, she runs the sensors as well to get an idea of what was going on around the planet, starting with what was outside, and on top of the ship.</p><p></p><p>The sensors told Kia that the <em>Dawnsprinter</em> and the surrounding area was absolutely covered in small life forms no larger and 0.1 Cubic Meters each. Most likely the scavenger birds that had disturbed her earlier. A wide range scan of the planet she was on revealed more or less what she had expected. An extraordinary amount of life, with the only hint of anything even approaching modern technology being energy readings from approximately 100 kilometers to the southeast.</p><p></p><p>Kia looks at the sensor read out curiously, but then shrugs, she hadn't expected for it to be any different. Keeping the earlier diagnostic in mind, she heads down to check out the Hyperdrive, wanting to look it over in person, and assess the earlier warning about it. She was still grumbling a bit about a lack of manners from the crash survivors when she had made her way down to the unit and opened it up.</p><p></p><p>Upon opening up the hyperdrive casing, Kia discovered another reason why blind hyperspace jumps are not recommended. It looked as if someone had set off a thermal detonator right in the center of it and proceeded to beat on the remains with a sledgehammer. Kia had only heard of this happening once before, from a smuggler who had made a blind jump and skipped off the edge of a gravity well. Just a few degrees difference in the flight path, and she would have been vapor floating in deep space.</p><p></p><p>After an extra hour from eating and venting the gas out of the sealed room, Aasan dons his breath mask and goggles and exits his small room to find Kia. Finding her back with the hyperdrive, he simply nods quietly while leaning over to look at the Hyperdrive.</p><p></p><p>"I believe that a replacement would be more important that just repairing that," he says quietly, "It is lucky we are alive though. I'm surprised that didn't take the entire ship with it..."</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>Jorran thought for a long time after what Miera said.</p><p></p><p>"From the sounds of it, I don't think I'll have any trouble 'converting' and starting my training...I just hope I haven't gotten too old to learn everything all over again."</p><p></p><p>"You are never too old to learn, Jorran. The Jedi myth that one should not be taught of the Force past a certain age is their excuse not to train those they cannot control. We can begin your continued training today. What path do you train in, Jorran? Do you focus on mastery in combat or control of the Force?"</p><p></p><p>"I'd hardly call it 'mastery' as it is, but my focus is on combat, if only because I'm better with my saber than directly with the Force. I haven't had much opportunity for practice with either, though.”</p><p></p><p>"In that case, you will be doing most of your training with Arias. As you no doubt observed last night, he is a very skilled fighter. Normally, I would send you to him to test your current skills, but he had a...tiring night." Miera brought forth a small wooden box and placed it in front of Jorran.</p><p></p><p>"For now, we will see to the construction of a new blade. Like our ways, our blades are different from what you are accustomed to. As with the Jedi, we make a blade for our students to use until they are capable of constructing their own. However, we only construct the lightsaber itself, and the student chooses the focusing crystal. Inside this box is a lightsaber I have prepared for you, and several crystals which can be used as the focus of a lightsaber. Remember what you have been told, and choose."</p><p></p><p>Miera lifts the lid off of the box, and inside is an incomplete lightsaber and three crystals. The lightsaber itself is strange in that there is no activation button that Jorran can see. Each crystal is of a different hue. There is one red, one blue, and one white.</p><p></p><p>"No green? Well, then I'll have to choose white."</p><p></p><p>"A good choice, and expected. Although the color of a blade may seem trivial, it should mark the path you follow. Just as our teachings encompass the entirety of the Force, the white light encompasses all other colors. It is only when one of these is broken that the others can be found."</p><p></p><p>Miera took the white crystal and inserted it between the two halves of the incomplete lightsaber. She spoke as she completed the assembly</p><p></p><p>"Notice that there is no ignition switch on the handle. This is for several reasons, but primarily to improve the quality of the blade. This lightsaber can only be activated by one who has sufficient control of the entire force, and even then it is not that simple. The crystal you selected is the only type which our order uses, and can only be used by those of our order. As it is formed from the whole force and not simply one extreme, it has capabilities exceeding those of normal blades, as you will find out as you wield it."</p><p></p><p>Miera handed the blade to Jorran, and gestured for him to activate it. Being accustomed to an ignition button, he is at first puzzled. They can only be used by those who control the entire force. Jorran concentrated on the Force, trying to find the perfect point of balance. After a few moments of meditation, focusing on the light, then the dark, he found it. Strangely enough, he felt a sense of wholeness that he had never conceived of before.</p><p></p><p>Jorran looked down at the lightsaber blade in his hand, and willed it to activate. </p><p></p><p><em><strong>SNAP</strong>-hisss...</em></p><p></p><p>A blade of pure white light shone between Jorran and Miera.</p><p></p><p>"Now you are on the path that is neither Jedi nor Sith, but Sethi."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Angcuru, post: 2197137, member: 10948"] [b]6 - Neither Jedi Nor Sith, but Sethi[/b] Jorran did his best to answer the children’s’ questions one-by-one. "My ship was an ancient transport...a YT-12. No, not 1200; a 12. I'm 41. I came this way from the direction of Nar Shaddaa, but I grew up on Coruscant. Oh, yeah, I got drenched in hydraulic fluid when my ship got hit. Yeah, by the other ship that's coming tomorrow. No, you can't have my shoes; I need them. I'm Jorran Kaarai. You can borrow my cloak if you're cold, but I'll need it back eventually." After all the questions were over, and the meal had concluded as well, Jorran walked over to Miera and Arias. "So, what would you like to know first?" "Direct and to the point, aren't you?" Miera said as Jorran sat down.. "There are many things we'd like to know, but you can fill us in on the minor details later on. Right now, we just need to know three things." Arias said. "What has happened to the Jedi order? How did the Empire come to power, and what is its state lately?" "The Jedi order was destroyed utterly in Palpatine's 'Jedi Purge', and for all I know, there may not be more than ten or twenty survivors in the galaxy, including myself. Not too long after the purge, Palpatine used his 'Emergency Powers' to seize all the power from the senate and become emperor. He finally dissolved the senate about eight years ago. Around that time, the rebel factions managed to unite, and the civil war began. It ended around three years ago at the Battle of Endor where Palpatine was killed. Jorran took a breath. "Now, the Rebel forces are trying to start a new republic, but there are still some fairly large remnants of the empire in their way, not to mention former governors who decided to become warlords in the systems they used to be overseeing for the empire." "In other words, the galaxy is in chaos now, correct?" Arias said. "I don't understand how the entire order could be destroyed. There were thousands of Jedi, how could Palpatine have eliminated them all?" Miera asked. Jorran nodded and lowered his head. "He started by raiding the great temple on Coruscant and killing every Master, Knight, Padawan, and Learner there. After that, the remaining Jedi were hunted down one-by-one. The only reason I survived was because I was so far out on the Rim when the purge began, and luck, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it. I was with another Padawan, my master, and another master. We hid on a small planet for years, but the emperor's agents caught up with us, and both of the masters were killed in the attack. After that, I fled from place to place until the empire fell. Since then, I've been looking for any other surviving force-users, Jedi or no. And it seems that's why the Force led me here." "So. The Jedi Order is no more and Palpatine's Empire is in decline. The galaxy must be a very dangerous place these days." Arias said. "You were never able to complete your training because of this, were you?" "Pretty much. I've tried to limit my use of the Force as much as possible because of that...you know, trying not to get in over my head, and all. I've found that blasters really aren't as clumsy as they're made out to be, though, in the process. Well, if you get a nice one, that is." Arias looked to Miera, and to Jorran it was as if they were holding a silent conversation. Miera nodded after about a minute of this, and Arias turned to face Jorran. "We could complete your training, if you desire. However, it would not be as a Jedi Knight." Jorran thought to himself for a moment, mulling things around his head. He stroked his beard, and seemed to come to a decision. "With the galaxy as it is, I don't think there's any way I could ever truly be a Jedi Knight, whether I wanted to or not. I would be honored to train with you...but I can't remember what I was working on last." He paused, trying to remember. "Ah, that was it; I had prepared to craft my own lightsaber before I got the last of my training. If this planet has the crystals, I could begin any day...well, I'd need an afternoon to practice what I've forgotten, but then I could begin...ah, but I've been living on my own for far too long; you are the masters, and it is your decision." "Do not worry about crafting a new blade. Tonight you must rest, and forget anything that your old masters taught you concerning the nature of the Force. In the morning, you will choose the focus crystal of your new lightsaber, and your training will begin." Miera said. With a nod to Jorran, and a wink to Arias, she got up and headed over to their hut. "You will find that we Sethi have practices far different from the Jedi you remember, Jorran." Arias said before following her. Jorran went to the sleeping quarters that had been found for him, and spent about an hour meditating on the day's events before he climbed into bed and dozed off. Sleep eluded Kal that night. His world was changing so fast! All the fantastic tales of a huge galaxy, with thousands of worlds and advanced technology his father told him when he was a kid were swirling through his mind. He meditated upon the rumors that the foreigner’s news had spread through the refugee village. The republic turned into an empire, the Jedi order in disarray and hunted!... and then the Rebels, brave fighters gaining back the freedom for a New Republic. Suddenly his small village seemed even smaller. Kal decided that he WOULD see this big galaxy, that many adventures awaited beyond his jungle world. And the Sethi teachings would spread, we will be as powerful as the old Jedi Order.. he had seen his master TRUE power for the first time. With patience, he would grow to be as powerful as him. One thing troubled Kal.. when he used the Force to help his master his first instinct had been to channel all the anger he felt and use it to strike fear into the monsters. But then he had tried to calm his mind and let his powers flow from the light side of the Force. Maybe he was inexperienced, but the Dark side offered him MORE power than the light. Was it so bad to call to the Dark side to save a life? What if an innocent had been killed, just because it was more difficult for Kal to channel the forces of light and goodnes than to channel the forces of hate and fear? He had been taught to balance the two, but there was still difficulty in shaking the natural aversion to what felt so evil. He would have to voice this doubts to his mentor in the morning... Slowly, his exhausted mind drifted into sleep... The next morning, Jorran was wakened by the sound of little feet next to his bed. It was more of a hurriedly set up cot, but a bed is a bed. As he opened his eyes, he saw the same group of children which had been pestering him the night before. "You awakes?" Asked the red twi'lek girl, who was apparently the leader of the group. On the other side of camp, Kal and Adrial woke in the larger hut which housed the Sethi apprentices and learners. Each of them had their own quarters partitioned off from the rest, with a small communal living area at the center. Early morning sunlight was just reaching over the edge of the wall, accompanied by soft, distant birdsong. Jorran yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I am now. So, I'm going to guess it's time for breakfast, or else I'm needed somewhere. Just let me get dressed." "Missus Miera wants you to come to the big hut when you ready. You get brekfist there." The children stared at him for a few moments before they ran off to find something more exciting. Jorran dressed in his clean change of clothes, leaving his coat and weapons-belt behind. He left the sleeping quarters and walked to what he could only assume was the 'big hut'. As Jorran enters the largest hut in the village, he is greeted by a young bothan who directs him to an area at the left end of the hut. Miera is sitting on a small mound of cushions, eating...something out of a wooden bowl while several large rocks float in midair to her right, continuously rearranging into difference geometric shapes. "Ah, good morning, Jorran." Miera indicates a cushion on the floor with a small, low table next to it. On the table is a bowl of something resembling a foodstuff that on some worlds was called 'oatmeal'. "Please, take a seat and have some food." After Jorran had been seated, Miera spoke again. "If you can, I'd like for you to recite the Jedi Code." Jorran began. "There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force." He sighed after that last part, remembering his master, and everyone he had known that had been killed in the Purge. "Good. Now recite the Sith Code." Miera said. "Peace is a lie, there is only Passion. Through passion, I gain Strength. Through strength, I gain Power. Through power, I gain Victory. Through victory, My chains are broken. The Force shall free me. He did not look pleased uttering the words; they obviously left a bad taste in his mouth. The look passed, though, and he resumed a more neutral expression. "Just words, like the Jedi code. What matter is what you make of them, or so I've come to understand." Miera smiled. "It is good that you understand this. While these two codes are simple words, they encompass the core values of each path. The Jedi emphasize the light, defensiveness, and peace. The Sith emphasize the dark, aggressiveness, and struggle. The two are polar opposites, but they have one important thing in common. That their very code was the key to their downfall. The Jedi would work together, becoming only as powerful as was necessary to maintain the peace of the Republic. This caused them not only to become weakened through lack of struggle, but complacent in their roles as guardians of peace. The Sith prefer to work alone and seek out struggle, thus the individual becomes more powerful. But because of this, they turn on one another in a survival of the fittest philosophy. They will work together to increase their collective power, but individual interests always dominate. Jedi and Sith are both formidable in battle against the mundane, but when facing each other, weaknesses become apparent. Because of the nature of their paths, a lone Jedi would always be an inferior to a lone Sith in battle. Simply put, the Jedi are many, but compared to Sith, are also weak. The Sith are few, but compared to Jedi, also powerful. After many successive conflicts, the Sith became very few, but also, very powerful. Is it not odd that the Jedi, a conclave of peacekeepers renowned throughout the galaxy, would fear the possibility that a mere two foes would appear to challenge them? You know as well as I do that in the rise and fall of Palpatine's Empire, both were utterly destroyed." Miera paused for a quick drink, clearing her throat before continuing. "As with anything, the Force cannot be anything to you that you will not allow it to be. To the Jedi, it was a divine power to be respected and used in moderation. A veritable gift to be shared amongst the many who are blessed to be able to feel its presence. To the Sith, the Force is no different than any other controllable thing in existence, no more sacred than physics or other laws of nature. To them, the Force was a tool, a gateway to power to be used at will. Because of these perceptions, the Jedi became collectively weak and complacent, while the Sith became individually corrupt and arrogant. Thus did they fall." Miera looked Jorran up and down for a moment. "My question to you is this. What do you see the Force to be?" Jorran thought for quite some time. "Hmmm...I think the Sith were on to something with their concept, but its goal is no less flawed than the Jedi concept..." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I say the Force is power, for lack of a better word. It's a just another way to influence your surroundings...the universe around you. And it carries the same potential for good or evil that a blaster or rulership over a planet does. With the Force, though, that potential is far greater than with blasters or money or anything else." Miera nodded at Jorran. "Thus do you see the truth behind it all. You and I both were taught that the Force is divided into the Light and Dark sides, but that is not the reality of it. There is no Light Side or Dark Side to the Force, it just is. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, they are just words. Ideas created in antiquity by frightened peoples to rationalize the unknown, to encompass it in what they were already familiar with: morality. But the Jedi caught on to one truth. The Force it not simply a power of nature, it is something much more. The Force really is, is the soul of the universe. Everything in existence is part of it. Life is able to exist because of the Force, and whenever life ends, the tiny portion of the Force that fueled that life returns to the Force. When a creature is born, a soul is created from the Force just as the body is created from the matter of the universe. Those we refer to as Force Sensitive are a different matter altogether. We are something more than simple life forms, in that our souls are incomplete. When we are born, we are left with a tangible connection to the Force which is unnatural and unintended. While most souls are limited to their bodies, we are directly connected to the entirety of the universe. Thus do we have the power that we do. Although we live and die just like any other life form, we are living wounds upon the Force. Wounds that the Force is continually trying to heal. The more we concentrate on our connection to the Force, the larger the wound becomes. As a Force Sensitive grows in power, so does the temptation of the so-called Dark Side. The Dark Side is nothing more than a manifestation of the Force's attempts to destroy the Force Sensitive. The stronger one becomes in the 'Dark Side', the more desiccated and corrupt they become, as the Force attempts to cause them decay and draw them into recklessness and hate that would end their lives and end the wound. The 'Light Side' is simply a conscious path to avoid the 'Dark Side', and has no extraordinary intrinsic value." [center]***[/center] At the [i]Dawnsprinter[/i] however, the birds were quite a bit louder. Actually, as the sheer volume of it woke Kia, she groggily though that if the ship hadn't been designed with sound insulation in mind, the sound just might be deafening. "Someone is getting strangled," Kia mutters as she sits up, removing her covers and rubbing at her eyes. She had never heard such cacophony before, "Probably feeding on those dog things that attacked last night." she pondered aloud, rolling out of her berth. Her cabin was fairly neat, not what one would expect from a teenager who frequented bars and casinos, nor was the decorations. On the one wall, there was a full length mirror, and beside it a bunch of 2D still pictures of her Parents, and of her little brother Valin. On her shelves, there were a variety of exotic things picked up along the outer rim. In a special protective case, there were a pair of Quarren Crystal Goblets, and a bottle of Whyren's Reserve. Elsewhere on the shelves, there was an antique blaster pistol dating back 20 years to before the clone wars. Mussing her hair, Kia entered her private fresher, one of the major perks of being the captain of a space vessel. She took a quick sonic shower, removing the sweat and grime of the previous day, and also to wake herself up with the Sonics, water being scarce in space and all. She dumped her sheets in the cleaner as well to be cleaned over the course of the day. Humming a bit, she dresses in a sleeveless skin tight black body stocking, and a pair of boots, proud of her figure, and some small part of her wanting to look very good when she showed up as the rescuer of the crash survivors. Half an hour after rising, the girl finally emerged from her cabin and headed back to the galley, grabbing a pre-packaged ration bar, she heads down to the access tunnel she would need to use to get to the repulsor lifts, wanting to get that accomplished before anything else. The less time they spent around so many bodies the better, especially with the Masliths most likely scavenging, she wouldn't be able to move all the bodies. Upon reaching the area she had been working in the previous day, Kia sees that all she had left to do was splice a few wires together and do a diagnostic. Apparently, Aasan had hauled ass last night while she was sleeping. Kia couldn't help but be impressed with his handiwork. All the better, as that left less for her to do, and the very easy part, at that. Kia smiles, impressed at what the Kel-dor had pulled off over night. "I should really thank him, he had to have been almost as tired as I was, and he still pulled an all-nighter getting her this close to being done." the Corellian murmurs to herself as she gets into all the wiring, making all of the connections and splices. She hums an old Selonian song as she works. After she gets the wiring as done as she can, she moves on to the diagnostic, and while the computer is working on that, she does a bit of work, on the redundant systems, working on the lighting, and just cleaning up the ship. She does her best to avoid waking Aasan up, trying to let the older Kel-Dor sleep. After an hour or so of cleaning and polishing the insides of the ship, Kia hears a *ping* as she passes by the cockpit. DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE. A mechanical voice sounded. As Kia looks over the readout screen for the results, she sees what she has been anticipating for nearly a day. [center]*Diagnostic of Repulsorlift systems completed.* *Repairs successful.* *Systems fully operational.* *Awaiting command.*[/center] Kia lets out a whoop of delight that rivals the volume of the bird calls at the system operational report. The ship wasn't ground bound, not anymore, it might not be space worthy yet, but she could at least get the [i]Dawnsprinter[/i] up, and that was a major victory all on its own.[i] I should let Aasan sleep, at least for a while longer, I want to get there soon, but he deserves it after last night. Now that the lifts are working, I can call over, let them know we're coming, and then work on getting more power from the ion engines. We'll need it for space, but getting up in the air at all is good, the girl thought gratefully Maybe I can reward him somehow, for all the hard work, once we get off this rock. Anywhere he wants to go, he is there, no matter where[/i]. she resolves. She clicks on the commlink, "This is Kia over on the [i]Dawnsprinter[/i], we have our repulsor lifts fully operational, and our sub-lights have the power to get us to you, so light a fire and make a feast or something." she jokes, grinning to herself. "I don't know how fast we'll make it to you, but it should definitely be within 12 hours or so, just want to get some redundant systems working first, and let my Wiz Mechanic sleep in after his all-nighter." "We did have some company last night though, a whole pack of things bigger then the Masliths, at least 50 or more of them. We burnt with an E-web, and then electrified the hull. Do these things have a name, like the red ones do?" she asks. [center]***[/center] The comm buzzed just as Miera finished speaking. She frowned at the interruption, and quickly clicked the comm on. "Copy, Kia. Call me again when you're halfway here, but not before, please." [center]***[/center] Kia raises a puzzled eye brow at the instruction, feeling a ouch un appreciated, here she was going to bring a working space craft to the settlement and maybe a way off the planet for them, and they didn't sound enthusiastic or even grateful. "probably back to nature Ithorian wannabes" she murmurs vexedly. She runs a diagnostic over the entirety of the ship's systems, hyperdrive and sub-light engines included, figuring she might be able to get a bit of work in on them while she waits for Aasan to raise after the all-nighter. While the diagnostic is running, she runs the sensors as well to get an idea of what was going on around the planet, starting with what was outside, and on top of the ship. The sensors told Kia that the [i]Dawnsprinter[/i] and the surrounding area was absolutely covered in small life forms no larger and 0.1 Cubic Meters each. Most likely the scavenger birds that had disturbed her earlier. A wide range scan of the planet she was on revealed more or less what she had expected. An extraordinary amount of life, with the only hint of anything even approaching modern technology being energy readings from approximately 100 kilometers to the southeast. Kia looks at the sensor read out curiously, but then shrugs, she hadn't expected for it to be any different. Keeping the earlier diagnostic in mind, she heads down to check out the Hyperdrive, wanting to look it over in person, and assess the earlier warning about it. She was still grumbling a bit about a lack of manners from the crash survivors when she had made her way down to the unit and opened it up. Upon opening up the hyperdrive casing, Kia discovered another reason why blind hyperspace jumps are not recommended. It looked as if someone had set off a thermal detonator right in the center of it and proceeded to beat on the remains with a sledgehammer. Kia had only heard of this happening once before, from a smuggler who had made a blind jump and skipped off the edge of a gravity well. Just a few degrees difference in the flight path, and she would have been vapor floating in deep space. After an extra hour from eating and venting the gas out of the sealed room, Aasan dons his breath mask and goggles and exits his small room to find Kia. Finding her back with the hyperdrive, he simply nods quietly while leaning over to look at the Hyperdrive. "I believe that a replacement would be more important that just repairing that," he says quietly, "It is lucky we are alive though. I'm surprised that didn't take the entire ship with it..." [center]***[/center] Jorran thought for a long time after what Miera said. "From the sounds of it, I don't think I'll have any trouble 'converting' and starting my training...I just hope I haven't gotten too old to learn everything all over again." "You are never too old to learn, Jorran. The Jedi myth that one should not be taught of the Force past a certain age is their excuse not to train those they cannot control. We can begin your continued training today. What path do you train in, Jorran? Do you focus on mastery in combat or control of the Force?" "I'd hardly call it 'mastery' as it is, but my focus is on combat, if only because I'm better with my saber than directly with the Force. I haven't had much opportunity for practice with either, though.” "In that case, you will be doing most of your training with Arias. As you no doubt observed last night, he is a very skilled fighter. Normally, I would send you to him to test your current skills, but he had a...tiring night." Miera brought forth a small wooden box and placed it in front of Jorran. "For now, we will see to the construction of a new blade. Like our ways, our blades are different from what you are accustomed to. As with the Jedi, we make a blade for our students to use until they are capable of constructing their own. However, we only construct the lightsaber itself, and the student chooses the focusing crystal. Inside this box is a lightsaber I have prepared for you, and several crystals which can be used as the focus of a lightsaber. Remember what you have been told, and choose." Miera lifts the lid off of the box, and inside is an incomplete lightsaber and three crystals. The lightsaber itself is strange in that there is no activation button that Jorran can see. Each crystal is of a different hue. There is one red, one blue, and one white. "No green? Well, then I'll have to choose white." "A good choice, and expected. Although the color of a blade may seem trivial, it should mark the path you follow. Just as our teachings encompass the entirety of the Force, the white light encompasses all other colors. It is only when one of these is broken that the others can be found." Miera took the white crystal and inserted it between the two halves of the incomplete lightsaber. She spoke as she completed the assembly "Notice that there is no ignition switch on the handle. This is for several reasons, but primarily to improve the quality of the blade. This lightsaber can only be activated by one who has sufficient control of the entire force, and even then it is not that simple. The crystal you selected is the only type which our order uses, and can only be used by those of our order. As it is formed from the whole force and not simply one extreme, it has capabilities exceeding those of normal blades, as you will find out as you wield it." Miera handed the blade to Jorran, and gestured for him to activate it. Being accustomed to an ignition button, he is at first puzzled. They can only be used by those who control the entire force. Jorran concentrated on the Force, trying to find the perfect point of balance. After a few moments of meditation, focusing on the light, then the dark, he found it. Strangely enough, he felt a sense of wholeness that he had never conceived of before. Jorran looked down at the lightsaber blade in his hand, and willed it to activate. [i][b]SNAP[/b]-hisss...[/i] A blade of pure white light shone between Jorran and Miera. "Now you are on the path that is neither Jedi nor Sith, but Sethi." [/QUOTE]
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