Gala - Jedi Praxeum Ruins

[Gavin Ryaro]

((I have permission to post Damon's actions for this post...))

 

The Inheritance came out of hyperspace above Gala. Damon sent a signal down to the Jedi Temple, identifiying himself and arranging for a hangar to be prepared for his ship.

 

Gavin sat in the co-pilot's seat, contemplating what his Master had said back on Maanan. Why hadn't he stepped up and done the task? What had stopped him? Was he afraid? Probably. He had a lot to prove to Damon and the Jedi Grand Master if he wanted to become a true Jedi, and if he screwed up it would follow him forever.

 

But weren't Jedi all about not being afraid? He would just have to overcome his fear and move on. Not doing a task was just as bad as failing at one. Keeping that in his mind would be important if he was to become a Jedi, and it would be good motivation.

 

Gavin pushed these thoughts down as his Master brought the ship down for a landing. He stood up and streched his legs, then gathered his things and waited for instructions.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin grimmaced. All he had to do was run? What was that about? How could the Force make him move faster? He could understand how using the Force to jump worked, it was just like lifting another object except lifting yourself temporarily, but running was different. Running was something that didn't make sense to use the Force on, but oh well, he would have to do it.

 

Gavin started out with a leisurely jog, just to get his muscles warmed up. After a few laps around the training room, Gavin began to focus while running. He centered himself just like he had while he was learning to jump, focusing on his legs and making them move faster. He saw himself running faster, his legs moving at blinding speeds.

 

He felt the wind rushing against his face begin to increase its pressure alerting him to the fact that he had begun to move faster. He smiled at the thought. Maybe there was more to the Force than meets the eye. He again began to concentrate, envisioning his legs moving even faster, and the pressure that the wind put against his face again began to increase.

 

How amazing was it that some mystical force field had been able to increase his abilites to this magnitude this entire time? Why had he ever been afraid to do some of these tasks? Gavin continued to increase his speed until he felt he could do it no more. He made two more laps around the traning hall, then came to a slow halt when he reached his master.

 

He turned and looked at his master expectantly, wondering if he would be critiqued or congratulated. All Gavin knew was that he was amazed at this new power, no matter what happened.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin frowned at this new challenge. He had used a lightsaber against a droid, but going against his master was something completly different, even if it wasn't a real lightsaber. His master had had years of experience and he had had a couple of days, possibly a week?

 

None the less, Gavin stepped forward and began to focus. He foudn his inner self and concentrated on all the things he had concentrated on when he had performed all the other feats. He felt his confidence in himself begin to grow as he brought his lance up to a guard position.

 

He felt the Force flowing through him as he made one last attempt at gaining his inner calm, then, he moved. He wasn't as quick as he had hoped, but it was quick enough. He ran at a slant to his left, then used the Force to jump to his right in a sort of cart wheel motion. He landed roughly five meters away from his master and went in for the first confrontation. His weapon drew down on his master with an unusual speed and power as he prepared for the block and counter-attack.

 

((Sorry for the short post. Once the duel actually starts they will be longer.))

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin lowered his head slightly in frustration. This could be difficult, but Gavin through he was prepared. His master had taught him well enough that Gavin thought this could be done. He once again centered his thoughts and tried to find his focus. He was getting faster every time he was required to do this. One of those repetition things, he imagined.

 

Gavin took the lance and broke it in two just as his master had done and he crossed his arms, bringing them around his back. He released the two sticks, bringing his arms back around, and used the Force to power their flight. Then he reached out towards the center Damon. He got no response through the Force from this Damon, and Gavin immediatly knew that this wasn't the real one.

 

The lances were designed to help him gain more of a focus with the Force, being able to use it. The two lances circled back around the other Damon's and landed firmly in Gavin's hands, giving him a reassurance that his connection to the Force was strong as ever. He sent a probe to the two on the left, concentrating on their general vicinity, and gained no reaction. That left the two on the right.

 

He probed the far right one, searching deep to attempt to find his true master, and when he gained no reaction, he pointed with the lance in his right hand at the man to the direct right of the middle. A smile crept onto his face. Onto bigger and better things.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin nodded in the direction of his master. If he had to land a blow it wouldn't be easy. Gavin had only been in training for three weeks, where as Master Damon had years of experience on him. He had never fought a real opponent with a lightsaber before, so the chances of him landing a blow on Damon were slim to none.

 

He brought his sticks up and began a slow jog forward. Roughly fifteen meters separated them and by the half way point he was running fairly fast. He began to swing the left stick forward towards his master at a precise time. He was a second from smiling when he felt his lance meet the resistance of another lance.

 

He continued his run forward, bringing his right weapon around, passing Damon on his left, yet his stick once again met resistance. He turned his run into a spin, bringing himself 180 degrees around to face Damon. He quickly centered himself in the Force and brought his left lance around behind his back and swung it around so it began to spin at a blinding speed towards Damon.

 

He followed his lance towards his master, bringing it up to a striking position. Blocking the two would be difficult, but not entirely impossible. It was up to Damon now.

 

((This post isn't exactly the longest, most descriptive, but it will do. Once you post, I'll make a longer more descriptive post in response to give you the kind of post that you want.))

[Gavin Ryaro]

((I'm so sorry that it took me so freakishly long to post. I honestly didn't know you posted, then I had band camp and drum camp and school reading and this past like three weeks have been really hectic. But school starts in like four days, so things will calm down and my time to post will increase.))

 

Gavin had been sitting in meditation for hours when Damon finally appeared back in the training room. His master summoned him and Gavin stood, following his master.

 

"I'm sorry that you failed in your task at the Rebel Base, master. But I am glad you have returned to teach me. I am open to your teaching. Let us continue where we left off, no?"

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin nodded to the Jedi Master. They were apporaching the close of his training, he could feel it in his bones. The tasks were getting increasingly harder, but increasingly more useful. Once again he called on the mystical energy field known as the Force and began to harness it in a way that few in the galaxy could. He felt it grow around him, sucmbing to his will.

 

He willed the barrier to form around him, forming a protective covering of his body, even for a moment, but the longer he concentrated, the more it felt like it wouldn't be possible. He thought he saw a flicker of motion, but realized that it was just the air recycling through the hallway. After a few moments he gave his master a frustrated look, then sat on the floor cross-legged.

 

He once again called on the Force, feeling it begin to grow more and more powerful in the room. He felt that he had the energy he required, then concentrated with all his might on creating the barrier. For half a second he saw a feint blue glow around his skin and he smiled. Now that he knew what this felt like, it would be much easier to replicate in the future.

 

He used the Force that he had already harnessed, along with the focus and concentration that came naturally to him, to once again bend the scietific laws of nature to deflect an attack. His skin once again glowed feint blue, but this time the outer glow lasted for a few seconds longer, revealing the Gavin that he had accomplished his task. He smiled as he brought his body up, looking at his master, wondering if he had accomplished what he had set out to accomplish, or if he was simply seeing tricks of the light.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin nodded to his master, a little discouraged that he had been asked to do all these things in such short order, but appreciative that his master had such confidence in him to do it this close together. His skills weren't that advanced in his short ammount of training, but he was glad that he was able to have the chance to attempt all these things at the same time. He turned towards the hopeful and raised his right hand, moving it in a sweeping motion, imitating what his master had done.

 

"I'm not Master Damon, that one over there is," Gavin said pointing towards an empty space in the room. While the hopeful turned around to see who it was, Gavin let the Force flow into him like a river, flooding his motions with its clear water. He began to project an image of himself, visualizing it in his mind. While he concentrated a feint form began to form in the air.

 

The form had all the apperances of Gavin, with the one exception being his Force presence. If the hopeful knew anything about the Force, he should notice that the fake Gavin didn't have a presence, and as the form grew more distinct and clear. Individual details could be made out now, and after a few more seconds, the image was complete, and the hopeful was turning back around, after seeing nothing in the space Gavin had pointed to moments ago.

 

"There's nothing there," the hopeful said. Gavin smiled, waving his hand again in the sweeping motion in order to gain the experience needed to bend the hopeful's mind to doing what he wished. "Look again," Gavin said, planting the suggestion in the younger's mind.

 

The hopeful turned back around and Gavin once again tried a trick of his jedi master. He began to concentrating on blinking himself out, shrinking his Force presence to that of nothingness. As the hopeful moved towards the new Gavin, the original completed his shrink. He felt that he had shrunk himself to the point that only someone who was extremely powerful in the Force would be able to begin to distinguish Gavin from a brick wall.

 

He jumped in the air over the hopeful's head, landing in the exact position that his copy way in. He willed the copy to move itself to the left, with the appearance that the copy had just moved out. He locked eyes with the hopeful standing in front of them in amazement.

 

"Which one is which?"

[Gavin Ryaro]

As the Ace Sabre dropped out of hyperspace above Gala, Gavin's comm immeditately recieved the message from the Alliance general, and landed his ship in the designated hangar.

 

"Welcome to Gala, Roan," Gavin said as he exited the ship. He began heading towards where he saw the general. "This is where you'll be introduced to some new aspects about the war. But first, let's hear what the good general has to say."

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin nodded solemnly as he thought about how to reply to his apprentice's question. Deciding that honesty was the only solution, he began slowly speaking.

 

"This war has been...though. With the destruction of the entire Corellian System, Tatooine, Cardia, and many other systems, many people have been forced to relocate, stressing the resources of many systems that weren't preparred for the sudden influx of refugees. It has now been decided to take the war to the Arach'tar, and we have been called to action. As for the specifics, I know just as much as you do. I have choosen to spend a majority of my time after my knighthood on Ossus, training in seclusion until you showed up. But the time is coming that you will spread your wings and soar. Knighthood is upon you soon, and I have no doubt that this upcoming battle will only further my suspicions."

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin was amazed at how quickly padawans came and went, but it was the way of life. It was time to move on. He sat down in the room of a thousand fountains when he felt a presesnce that was searching for something...someone...It was time that he took another apprentice, so he sent a probing message to the being ((ROEN)).

 

If you find me, you will find what you have been looking for.

[Gavin Ryaro]

((ROEN))

 

The young Jedi knight turned to look at the younger being that stood before him. This had been the one he had called, but now what? Was he to take this one on as his apprentice, or was he to study the Force in the ways that he had felt led to do? Perhaps he could do both. Remembering that he had been asked a question he looked up, staring deep into the young Cerean's eyes.

 

"My name is Gavin Ryaro. I am a Jedi Knight hailing from the city-world of Coruscant. I was indeed the one who called you to this room, and you did well finding this place. Now tell me, what might have brought you to a place such as this? Do you wish to become a Jedi? If so, what do you know of the Jedi?"

 

Gavin turned to motion to a seat across from his own. It was time for him to take on another apprentice, this one he would see to the completetion of his training, he was sure of it.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Startled, Gavin awoke in a cold sweat. Beads of salty persperation ran down his face and neck, soaking his clothes, leaving them clinging to his skin. He slid his legs over the edge of the sleeping pallet before standing on his still shaky legs. Sleep hadn't come easy, visions had invaded his mind constantly. It was coming, a confrontation that would be an epic showdown, a turning point in the young Jedi's life, but he would be ready.

 

He stepped out of his clothes and into the refresher, cherishing the warm water as it seemed to wash away the night's darkness, cleansing him of any dark forces that were attempting to invade his inner calm. He stepped out and as he looked around he noticed that even his quarters seemed brighter. He slipped on a freshly laundered robe and grabbed the things he would need for his trip.

 

He made his way out of his quarters and down the corridors towards the archives. The rows upon rows of stored informatoin never ceased to amaze him. How a library so perfectly cohesive could be put together in one place still sent shivers down his spine, but he wasn't here to fawn over the holos, he was here to get what he wanted and leave. He set off down a row of holos, scanning the titles until he found what he wanted. A holocron, more specifically the holocron of one of the greatest Sentinel masters ever to live.

 

He returned to the main part of the archives and let the archivist know what he was taking and when he would have it returned, then set out for the docking bay. He commed ahead and let the techs know that he would require his ship and requested that they have it prepped for him when he arrived. As the smell of oil, fuel, and cleaner fluid invaded his nostrils he knew he was in the right place. He nodded at the head techincian and boarded the ramp of his ship. As he requested it was already prepped and he was able to lift off only minutes after boarding, and only minutes after that he was bursting off into hyperspace, the great unknown.

[Gavin Ryaro]

A rickety, old freighter clunked it's way out of hyperspace above Gala. It's pilot, Gavin, sat silently in his seat thinking about what his apprentice had said. It was his firm belief that nothing happened by accident and this was no exception. The Force knew what it was doing when it allowed him to become tainted as he had. Perhaps it was to make him stronger or perhaps it was to make him learn to accept failure, but whatever the reason it had happened and there was no way to undo his actions.

 

He activated the comm system on the control board.

 

--Comm--

 

Gala Control, this is Jedi Knight Gavin Ryaro requesting permission to land.

 

--End Comm--

 

The Archives were his next destination. Ulan had said that there might be help on Gala and if there was ever a good place to start looking for help it was the Archives of the Jedi Order. The knowledge contained within the library was far more vast and comprehensive than any other library could ever hope to be, but first he needed to speak to one of the masters, preferably Master Fitt.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin simply nodded at his apprentice's statement.

 

"I agree, it's been far too long since we've returned to civilization. I'm beginning to think that the franticness with which we have been traveling has begun to stretch both of us a little too thin. Perhaps it is for the best that we ended up back here again and perhaps it would be best for us to stay here for a while."

 

Of course we'd never have been thrown into all this mess if the Jedi Council hadn't 'requested' that we go out on a mission. It seems that the root of all our problems can be traced back to them.

 

Gavin took a second to calm his mind by looking at his surroundings. He could see dozens of Jedi wandering the temple. All of them seemed to have something he didn't. Peace. Peace both within themselves and without. His eyes finally came to rest on his padawan. They made eye contact, which Gavin quickly broke.

 

Is the council really the root of all your problems? They've done nothing wrong or out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was your reactions to their instructions that have led you to this point in your walk. There were plenty of other ways that you could have reacted to any of the situations that you were presented with, but instead you've ended up here.

 

Gavin stopped and looked through a doorway on his left. It was a room full of simple beauty, containing a fountain and a few benches. He was reminded once again why he loved planets like Ossus and Naboo so much. They were filled with the simple beauty that had thus far escaped Gavin.

 

Everything happens for a reason. You can't forget that. You've ended up where you are at this very moment because it was the will of the Force. Nothing more, nothing less. You have the people here who are willing to help you. Accept that help and work through your situation because you can't ignore it any longer or else it will consume you.

 

Gavin continued walking in silence, perplexed by the fact that it wasn't the least bit awkward. Under normal circumstances, a silent walk through the halls of the Jedi Temple with someone who one considered a friend would have been uncomfortable but in this case that was simply not true, and for that Gavin was thankful.

 

The pair eventually arrived at their destination: The Jedi Archives.

 

"It is time to finally continue with your training, but I believe that you are beyond what I alone can teach you. Now is the time for us to learn together. While I look for my own help, I'd like you to do a little research on the Jedi Naturalists of the past and present. Together we can explore their secrets and you will be that much closer to Knighthood. Just remember that if you come up with any questions I will always be there to answer them," Gavin said with a smile.

[Gavin Ryaro]

Gavin leaned back in the chair and grimaced as the seat began to conform to his body. The Jedi Temple had many things like the chair that were meant to make the lives of the Jedi who inhabited its halls easier but even after hours of searching through the incredibly extensive Archives of the Jedi Order he still didn't have a definitive answer to his question or a solution to his problem.

 

As he sat there resting his eyes he began to get, for lack of a better word, antsy. His body began to fidget and he started to become uncomfortable in one of the most comfortable places in the known galaxy. This continued for a few minutes until his discomfort vanished and was replaced by a noticeable and unexplainable pain in his lower back. He winced and twisted his torso in the chair, trying to pop his spine in an effort to relieve the pain. When this plan failed Gavin tried to use the Force to isolate the source of the problem and thereby extinguish it.

 

He closed his eyes and began to explore the inner workings of his body, starting at the point of the pain. He could sense something extremely familiar and malicious there but couldn't figure out what it was. As soon as his Force sense began to investigate the pain the familiarness vanished, moving into other parts of his body taking the pain with it.

 

It was a game of cat and mouse. Every time Gavin came close to pinpointing what was plaguing his body the pain would vanish. He began to get frustrated with his apparent failure. He could feel his rage building as the source of his pain began to become harder and harder to track down. It was almost as if someone standing before him was becoming invisible. His rage began to grow stronger and he knew that he needed to stop, but he couldn't.

 

Now his anger was overflowing. He tried to contain it within but knew that his efforts would be futile. Soon it was reaching it's boiling point and he knew that he couldn't hold it in any longer. His rage exploded from his body in a wave of Force energy. Had he not been able to gather himself and throw up a Force shield then he would have had some very angry Jedi Librarians on his case. As it was, the release of energy did little more than cause Gavin to slump in his chair, exhausted.

 

The outbursts had now transformed from physical to emotional. Gavin knew that he had to solve this problem as soon as possible or he wouldn't be the only one to suffer. How could he train his apprentice in the ways of the light side of the Force if he was shooting dark energy from his body unexpectedly?

 

Gavin closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, reverting back to the most basic of Jedi meditations. Every so softly he began to utter the Jedi Code, letting its words run through his mind and calm his soul.

 

There is no emotion; there is peace...

 

That particular line spoke to him. It resonated within his head allowing its simple wisdom to give his weary soul rest. He could feel his heartbeat begin to slow as his breathing returned to its normal rate. As he meditated his mind wandered to thoughts of his padawan, Ulan. It comforted him to know that even in this dark time his apprentice would stand by him.

 

Unfortunately, with this comfort came the return of the dull throb in Gavin's lower back. It seemed like any time that he was close to achieving the peace that he longed for, the dark taint would show itself. He knew that if he decided to investigate any further then he might not be able to to contain any outburst that might result from the exploration.

 

He resolved to simply ignore the pain and continue on his journey through the Archives, hoping to find the answer to his dilemma. He accessed the computer and began his search where he left off.

 

A few hours later was when Gavin finally saw a brief glimmer of hope. He came across an article pertaining to a Jedi Master by the name of Luke Skywalker and an incident on one of the moons of the gas giant Yavin. It appeared that the Jedi Master had had his soul sundered from his body by the spirit of the former Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun. The Sith's spirit had possessed many beings in it's time on the jungle moon and was only vanquished by the combined power of a dozen Jedi. The dark taint that it left on the planet was removed when a Jedi by the name of Corran Horn destroyed the temple in which the spirit had resided.

 

Gavin leaned back in his chair again and pondered what he had read. He knew that cleansing his soul wouldn't be as easy as cleansing Yavin IV. He couldn't very well destroy his own body with proton torpedos, but there had to be another way. He was deep in thought when suddenly he remembered his former master. Damon had finished training Gavin and moved on to study to become a Jedi Exorcist. A rather unknown sect within the Order, the Exorcists were claimed to be able to remove the dark side from a Sith, so perhaps they could remove the dark taint from Gavin.

 

He immediately returned to his computer and searched for a list of known Exorcists. He was disappointed to discover that everyone who had been known to practice he ancient art was either deceased or hadn't been heard from in some time. That meant that he would need to teach himself their ways in order to remove that which was holding him back, but that would have to come later. He had a duty to his apprentice.

 

Gavin reached out with the Force and searched through the Jedi Temple for the familiar presence he knew to be his padawan, Ulan. He lightly touched the older being's mind so as not to disturb him if he was deep in meditation or in the middle of something important.

 

Ulan, whenever you're ready I'm waiting for you in the Archives.