Star Wars: Enemies of the Empire - Downtime

[Noir]

Unfortunate Times

 

~ Typhoon Star, Cargo Hold ~ 

As repairs were made to the ship and parts were waited on to arrive, Sola Be began instructing her new students. The lessons were open to all to sit in on though, as Sole Be felt that only good could come from the crew gaining a better understanding of the Jedi and the Force. 'Knowledge is the light that banishes the darkness of ignorance.' she had said.

"You are both in a dangerous time of your training. It is a time where your connection to the Force will grow. You will learn to call on it, but doing so is sometimes a difficult thing. Failure can lead to frustration, and that can lead to the Dark Side and it's offer of aid and power. You must remain calm and at peace. Do not give into the temptations, should they occur. The Dark Side is quicker and more seductive, but the price it exacts are steep and grow ever steeper."

"I commend you, Kayda. It is a credit to your former Master's training, and your own will, that you have survived for so long without succumbing to such temptation." Sola Be said with a slow blinking bow of her head, a gesture that was becoming familiar to the crew. 

"If you find yourself growing frustrated, angry or depressed, please come speak with me. I am here for you. I have no other focus in this world than to prepare you for the tribulations that lay ahead. "

"Unfortunately, that means that your training will not be as traditional. These times call for an emphasis to be placed on certain lessons, while others will have to wait. This is, in a way, a disservice to you. For that, I do apologize. Force willing, I will be able to complete your training in time, but for now, due to the state of the galaxy in which we live, more immediately practical training is called for first."

Sola Be sat on her high, backless stool, as she was accustomed to, as Kayda and Glint sat on the floor of the cargo hold, now makeshift Jedi academy, listening to her. She un-clipped her lightsaber from her belt and held it out in her long, nimble hands. Her lightsaber was a mostly copper colored affair, with a bit of dark brown leather wrapping the grip. It was simple, and yet elegant, much like it's owner.

With a flick of a long finger, the orange-yellow blade sparked to life.

"When one looks upon this, what do they see?" she asked.

"A sword." Glint answered.

"Indeed. The lightsaber is a sword. It is a weapon without equal. But what make the lightsaber truly special?"

"The crystal." Glint answered.

"The bond with the Jedi and the Force." Kayda offered.

"Yes, those are both indeed keen observation, and both are true. But I will show you what truly make the lightsaber stand out, what make is special among all other weapons." she says as she moves the blade in a few graceful arcs for a moment before holding it steady once more.

"What truly make it special is this right here." she says, pointing to a knob of some sort on the hilt.

"For you see, a lightsaber is a sword," she explained as she depressed the small button and slid it, deactivated the blade, "...but it does not have to be a sword at all." she continued.

"It is a sword that that can be turned off." she elaborated.

The tall, slender alien paused for a moment, letting her words register and the allowing the minds of her new students to mull over statement.

"Now that may seem obvious, but it is a fundamental truth about the lightsaber that is too often forgotten or not fully appreciated by students. The lightsaber is not just a weapon. It is the tool of the Jedi. Yes it can be a weapon, and a most effective weapon indeed in the hands of a Jedi with the Force as his ally. But it is not just a weapon. It can certainly disarm, maim and dispatch foes, but it can just as easily cut chains of slavery and remove barriers. It can guard a Jedi from harm, such as blaster fire. It can even act as a focus for the Jedi, allowing the him to channel and even redirect the Force."

"The ignition of your lightsaber is not an act to be taken lightly. Due to what people have seen and heard of it do, the lightsaber is indeed an intimidating weapon, but you must never use it to intimidate. A Jeidi should aim to be respected, not feared. 'Live your life in such a way that if someone were to speak ill of you, nobody would believe it.' is what my Master told me when I was her padawan."

Sola Be turned to Kayda and gestures at the young jedi's lightsaber.

"You have reached a level of basic proficiency and had progressed to constructing your own lightsaber before the Purge. But as you relayed of your encounter with the dark woman on Tarnoss, you could see that you were outmatched. Had it not been for her arrogance and the intervention of Brant and Grachurka, you would not be here today. You did not despair though and remained calm. You drew upon the solid  foundation of training that you had, and due to that, you ultimately prevailed. The next time you meet, it is unlikely she will take you so lightly though, so we will prepare you."

Sola Be then turned to Glint and hold out her hand, grasping her lightsaber.

"Unfortunately, your training in the temple was cut very short. Your clan had not yet progressed to lightsaber training with Master Yoda, so it falls upon me to build a solid foundation for you. You had not constructed your own lightsaber, so I have modified my own, strengthening the containment field significantly, effectively rendering it a training lightsaber. It will still sting and even burn though. Consider each one a correction of your technique and in time, they will cease to happen." she said as she slowly uncurled her fingers around the lightsaber, offering it to Glint.

 

 

Spoiler

This thread if for short scenes to reflect some of the training PC receive, such as that from Sola Be. This first one is a lesson for Sola Be, but there will be things here for every PC in time.

Arcata and Zaylee are certainly welcomed to sit on the lessons. You can all post if you like.

 

[Glint]

Tentatively reaching out to grasp the Lightsaber by the proferred hilt he shakes his head as she releases it, letting it's full weight rest in his hands.

"I keep expecting it to be heavier than it is, you know? Given what it is and all the expectations people have about it. I'd be surprised if it weighed more than my Vibroknife, though."

Ruminating on what she had said so far, he couldn't help but agree with what she'd said, even if he had never particularly thought of it that way himself. A blaster was a blaster was a blaster. It always looked like a weapon and could only really be used as one as well. The lightsaber, on the other hand, while inactive looked nothing like the weapon that it could be used for. It was a strange conclusion to come to, for someone who had spent most of his life among the darker elements of society. For something so capable of destruction not to be lauded because of that.

It.... would probably still take time for him to be able to view it that way himself. He had spent a long time viewing things purely on the merit of how quickly it would help him make an opponent stop attacking. Even his own brand of the Echani martial arts emphasised rapid aggression and disabling shots. Joins and organs being favourite targets.

"I have a question, though. You've talked about the Dark Side and how it offers power. I'm... not exactly sure what you mean. Does it literally speak to you or something? We had it explained to us as younglings roughly what it was and how to avoid it, but beyond that... I think a refresher might be in order for me at least."

[Noir]

"It does not speak to you in a literal sense. You feel it, and the power it offers, always there. That is why you are most vulnerable to it when you are frustrated, desperate or angry, because you know it is right there, offering you power, and all you must do it reach for it."

"Through the aid of the Dark Side, frustrated padawans, feeling like they are being held back, have struck down their Masters, desperate jedi have fallen, while seeking to do good, and the angry... well, the angry, with the aid of the Dark Side, have committed horrible atrocities."

"It is a temptation that is always there for a Jedi, or any sensitive to the Force. That is why I will reiterate, if you are feeling frustrated, angry, depressed or anything of the sort, come speak to me. I am here to help you and guide you so that you may avoid such pitfalls. This is a dangerous time for you, when you may feel your training needs to progress more swiftly, but training takes time to learn, process and apply. "

"The Dark Side is not more powerful though. Just quicker and more seductive, and the price it exacts is steep. Nothing built to last is done quickly."

[Kayda Vayawn]

Kayda stepped out of the shower and soaked up the warmth of the dryer. Her muscles ached from the workout Arcata had put them through during her combat training session today, while Kayda couldn't say that she liked the former imperial agent or that she completely trusted her, she had to admit the woman was a decent instructor. Not only had Kayda learned the rudiments of self defense but she was now a semi competent shot with a blaster.

Wrapping herself in her robe she went into the room she shared with three empty bunks. Picking her lightsaber up from it's resting place on the bed she settled on the floor and set the Jedi weapon in front of her.

She contemplated the weapon, for that is what it was, a tool yes, but a weapon foremost, perhaps if she had trained to follow the path of the Consular she may have been able to make that distinction, but she had trained to be a Guardian during the height of the clone wars  and Guardians were warriors. And that was where her talents had lain her former master had recognized that and had honed her talents.

Still Sola Be had taught her a lot in a very short time. It had seemed odd at first to find herself a student once again, to be learning at the feet of a master. But still she felt an urgency that should not have been there, she wanted to learn faster, learn more, deep inside she want to return to that desolate sith world and finish what had been started. It troubled her that she felt this way, she shouldn't have felt anything.

But she did.

Was this the dark side tempting her luring her.

She needed to know.

Kayda calmed her mind and opening herself to the Force she sank into her meditative trance seeking answers...