Garrick Sage

Kenji twisted and turned, manuevering his double bladed in tight arcs and thrusts. Each move timed perfectly to intercept a blast of ruby lightning or to parry a strike from Ahzreks own Sith weapon. As time went on, seeming to be a millenia, he felt a soothing calm begin to emerge from the Force. His fatigued muscles began to refresh. His stress and mental fatigue gave way to clarity. And as his own strength grew, Ahzreks began to fade, returning to what it once was. The red lightning fading to blue, its strength sapped by the lightside presence that was GrandMaster Kitt. -------------------------------------------------- Within his own mind, Garrick heard Master Kitt and began to recite the Jedi Code to himself. As his focus and control began to return, the ice covering Tross' weapon began to recede and Garricks posture began to relax. Lowering his hand away from his own training saber, the young apprentice watched as he was ignored and the bounty hunter moved over to speak with Kitt. Deciding to join the two, Garrick walked over and stood alongside the booth Kitt sat in.

Just as Garrick began to lift the first cup of juice to his lips he felt the barrel of the blaster pistol press against his spine. His body and mind freeze and the cup drops from his hands, shattering on the counter and splattering juice. Instinctively the young Jedi opened himself up to the Force, forgetting his Masters warning about doing so. As his eyes went wide he felt the Force flow through his veins. But what he felt was not the calming influence that he had grown accustomed to. What he felt was a river of fire coursing just beneath his skin. His body began to shake as he attempted to stave off the burning. Glancing at a mirror he watched as his eyes began to change. His normal emerald became a sulfuric yellow and a orange ring began to form as the Dark Side began to fill him. A mist began rise off his arms as they began to turn blue. ...................... Within the Force Ahzrek leapt backwards, distancing himself from Kenjin. As he felt the Dark Side begin to flow around him he slid the sword into the sheath and cast him arms upward. Red lightning began to cast down and struck his upturned palms. The energy from the Force began to churn within him. His eyes, normally yellow and orange began to glow a bright red. He smiled as he lowered his arms, red energy crackling between his fingertips as he began to march towards the Jedi he had been fighting for what seemed to be an eternity. Drawing his sword with one hand, he pulsed the energy through the hilt and watched as the blade began to glow, red lightning arcing across its length. "The power...it feels....good..." The ancient Sith fired a blast of red energy towards Kenjin who barely had time to lift his golden energy blade to intercept. As the energy began to push him backwards, the ancient Jedi Knight began to reach out with his own mind. He began to search for allies. And soon he found one. GrandMaster Kitt.....your apprentice needs you... ................................. Garrick spun on his heel and thrust his hand down, gripping the blaster pistol in his hand. Without even realizing it ice began to form around the weapon and Garrick began to reach down to his own lightsaber.

As they walked into the large cantina, Garrick pulled the Force inward, attempting to keep from reading everyone as Master Kitt had said. Nodding his Masters suggestion, the young apprentice moved towards the bar and ordered two Jawa Juices. As he awaited his order, he inquired to several patrons around him about a bounty hunter name Saberforce.

Nodding slowly, Garrick allowed Master Kitts words to sink in. Not using the Force here would be a definite change of pace. Since becoming the former GrandMasters apprentice, Garrick had been constantly encouraged and constantly willing to use the Force. Whether it be internally, meditating to deepen his connection or externally to enhance his abilities in combat. He had also noticed that since his acceptance of the Force, his senses had sharpened considerably. His eyesight and hearing were sharper, colors brighter and sounds more precise. Garrick wondered if his connection would weaken here, or if it would grow stronger in the presence of such emotion. But taking Kitts words to heart, the young Jedi would strive to not use the Force among the seedier elements of the universe. As they left the shuttle, Garrick noticed Kitt drawing his hood over his head. While he knew this was a trademark of the Jedi, Garrick himself preferred to keep his head uncovered. It allowed him to keep his senses focused, and keep attention on everything happening around himself. Plus since taking a look through the archives in the Temple, he had started growing his hair in the tradition of Old Republic Padawans. Once it was long enough he planned to cut it short to give himself the typical Padawan braid. ----------------------- Within the Force, Ahzrek leapt at his light side counterpart his blade flashing in the sunlight before the steel clashed against the plasma blade of Kenjins lightsaber. A primal scream erupted from deep within the Dark Siders chest as he continued to slash and slash against his opponent. Sparks rained over both combatants as their blades clashed again and again. Ahzreks style was easily identified as Djem So. His aggresive and strong strikes were meant to bash through any opponenets defense. The only difference was the style had been adapted to be used with an actual blade instead of a lightsaber. Rage poured through the ancient Sith as he continuously advanced, his silver blade little more than a blur as he fought. Kenjin on the other hand seemed to be the calm in the middle of the storm. No expression showed on his face as his twin emerald blades spun in circles, each blade moving to intercept a strike from Ahzrek. The white clad Jedi ducked, leapt, spun, and retreated aainst the Siths onslaught. But despite the constant barrage of strikes, Kenjin held his calm and kept his focus. His mastery of Soresu was evident as he held his own against the tornado of strikes that Ahzrek brought against him.

Garrick stared in awe as the space station became larger and larger in the view port. He was equally amazed at its size and style as he was by the fact that it was still floating after so many years. The young apprentice had seen first hand how quickly some of these outlaw stations could fall. Whether to law enforcement or due to the inability of the owner to control its patrons. It took a strong will to control such a place. A will that did not erode over time, one that could not be broken down by scuffles, bribes, or another strong will. Though most of the places he had seen fail were taken down by lesser men, who had combined their strengths, usually those strengths being blasters and vibro blades. The owner of this establishment must have a strong will indeed. "She said this was a dangerous place for Jedi. Most likely meaning Jedi who came here died.....I think she meant for us to be afraid Master." -------------------------------- Meanwhile in the vastness of the Force...... The remaining two warriors, Light and Dark, stood opposite each other. Each still keeping their weapons drawn, but Light kept his blades extinguished for the moment. The tension between them was palpable, almost electric. The violet flames continued to burn behind Lights eyes, just as a the ice continued to steam from Darks hands. "Why do you continue to spoil my fun with this young one, Kenjin? He has so much potential!" Kenjin, the Light Side warrior, began to take steps to circle around Dark. His large double bladed weapon held loosely in his hand, ready to be ignited and wielded in a split second. "The boy still has a choice. He can go either way. He could stay loyal to the Light, or he could fall to the Dark. I intend to give him that choice. His path his not yet destiny, Ahzrek." The Dark Side filled eyes of Ahzrek began to burn brighter as he gathered to the Force to him. He grip on the silver and ebony blade in his hand grew tight and a sour smile grew on his face. "We shall see, Jedi."

The white robed warrior quickly dropped into a low defensive stance as the barrage of blaster fire from the Devaronian began to stream his way. Holding his off-hand forward and his staff-like weapon behind him horizontal to what would be the floor, the warrior ignited twin emerald blades and launched himself forward. He quickly spun through the first several blasts before landing on his feet, and snapping his blade forward, spinning a quick figure eight through the air, deflecting several blasts into space. Adopting a Soresu stance, he advanced slowly but surely. Each blast that managed to get near him was easily swatted away by one of the emerald blades that seemed to be a hurricane surrounding him. As he advanced, the Devaronian began to back away, and continued to fire volley after volley of ruby lances. As the warrior of Light dealt with the fire skinned Devaronian, the warrior of Dark charged forward, a snarl on his face and the pigments of his eyes began to glow a bright yellow. His pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness, the shadows being thrown across him by the blue lightning being thrown by the Zeltron. With each blast of lightning, Dark caught it with his hand and pushed forward, each step earned with pain. But it was pain that he channeled into further fury, rage, and power.The sword he held low at his side and he continued to march towards his enemy. The closer he drew to the curvaceous Zeltron, the greater the snarl on his face, and the more power he brought to bear. As he drew to within striking range he brought his sword arm up on and down, only to feel the Zeltrons hand close around his wrist. Despite her diminutive size, her strength was tremendous. Dark could feel the strain on his wrist as she squeezed and smiled as she inflicted pain on him. He grimaced as he took his only recourse. Dropping his hand, he allowed the violent lightning to course through his body. But he maintained his composure, drawing on the Dark Side and gripped the wrist holding his sword arm. He smiled smugly as he channeled his power and watched as her face dropped in horror as her arm began to freeze. The lightning stopped coming. Darks pain stopped and he pressed forward, hearing the familiar cracking before watching her arm shatter. Smirking he quickly brought his sword around in an arc, barely feeling the blade pass through her neck. As the black Yvethan charged toward Garrick, dew blades extended, the young apprentice froze as it seemed all his fears came forward at once. Everything he feared flashed before his eyes. His hand was frozen, less than an inch from his lightsaber. Then time seemed to slow as he heard Kitts voice, echoing through space. He heard the words of the Jedi Code and with each line Garricks fears were allayed. Sage closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, counting each breath and letting the Force flow through his body. He could feel his mind clear, his body strengthen, and all his senses peak. His hand quickly pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the blade. As soon as the blade snapped to life, he realized there was something different. Taking a second to look down, he noticed his lightsaber was completely different. It possessed 2 curves. One near the top of the hilt near the emitter, and another near the bottom. This forced Garrick to hold the weapon more in his palm. The weapon was completely smooth, yet it seemed to fit the young apprentices grip perfectly. Secondly, the blade was not the emerald of his training weapon, it was a bright silver. As the Yvethan drew closer, Garrick manuevered himself to the side and presented a thin target to the demons charge. And then he burst into action. He was surprised by his own skills. His footwork was perfect, his blade skills were unparalleled. Each movement was efficient and precise. With barely a flick of his wrist he intercepted several stabs and swipes from his opponents weapons. Garrick began to push forward, using deliberate steps to advance. He was somewhat surprised that his weapon did not cut through dew biological dew claws of his opponenent, but then again was he was standing and fighting in space. After several moments, he saw his opening and went for it. Catching a dew claw with his blade, he rolled his wrist causing the Yvethans arm to go wide. Garrick lunged forward, and speared his silver blade through the abdomen of his opponent. Just as the Yvetha was falling and the Zeltrons head was rolling across an empty space, Light was drawing close to the Devaornian. Ruby lances of energy were like hornets buzzing around the warrior garbed in white. The lightsaber spinning through the air was like a perfect tornado of emerald light, each move tight and close to his body, deflecting and swatting away only those blasts that posed a danger to his body, some blasts even sliding past his defense only to forever move through space. Whenever the barrage became too much to solidly advance by foot, Light seamlessly transitioned in Ataru for a brief moment, to fling himself through the air, flying above the blasts, though the flame-skinned managed to fire off a couple blasts at the Jedi in air. As he landed, violet fire could be seen burning behind Lights eyes. Dropping once more into a soresu stance, he continued to advance drawing near the Devaronian before spinning his double blades in an arc, each blade taking off a hand and weapon from his opponent. Without missing a beat, Light spun and stabbed behind himself, sending an emerald beam of plasma through the chest of the fire demon. The last warrior, the silver skinned Zabrak smiled as his fellows fell to their death. From behind his back he drew twin short blades seemingly made of pure silver, with an onyx black material laced throughout each side. He took a step forward before muttering almost under his breath. "I will be awaiting you, young Jedi!" The closest sun went supernova and Garrick shielded his eyes before waking up in the copilots chair across from Kitt. Sweat rolled down his forehead and matted his hair. He took a quick look down at his belt and noticed once more his training lightsaber was there. He nodded towards Kitt before regaining his composure. "I have conquered my emotions Master. It was different than what I expected."

The young Jedi Apprentice nodded in understanding as Master Kitt spoke of stripping away distractions. Garrick thought back to what he was feeling in the nightclub and gave an involuntary shudder. All the emotions he had felt were disturbing. Granted he had felt all of them individually at one time or another, never all at once. But what was most disturbing was the fact they were not his feelings. He felt the emotions and influence from other peoples situations. Taking into consideration what Kitt said, Garrick closed his eyes and focused internally. He dove deep into that well of strength and calmness that was the Force. Opening his eyes he found himself standing in the blackness that was space. He watched as the stars burned brightly around him, each one the center of a system that contained millions, sometimes billions, of people. Impossible as it was he was floating in space without a suit, what seemed even more impossible was that the fact that was he actually standing. There was nothing beneath him, but yet beneath his feet was an absolutely blackness that felt like terra firma. He took several steps , feeling the lightsaber at his waist gently thump against his thigh with each step. As he continued to walk, he noticed several lights beginning to move towards him, morphing and changing as they drew closer. Taking several steps back he felt two bodies bump against his back. Quickly spinning he saw two figures in clashing robes, each of a similar build, one wearing pure white robes a long lightsaber hilt held loosely at his side the other clutching a ebony bladed sword in a reverse grip. Their hoods were drawn keeping most of their faces covered, but he could barely make out the lower jawline of each warrior, one pale white with veins having risen to the surface. From the corner of his eye he watched as the moving lights became figures, with arms and legs and all. They began to circle around the 3 robed figures as their forms took final root. Garrick counted 4 forms with several more amorphous lights still floating around them. One was a Devaronian with skin seemingly made of fire and lava. Another was a Zeltron with constantly shifting shades of skin. The third was a black Yevetha who constantly extended and retracted the dew blades in their arms. The last was a silver skinned Zabrak with black tattoos covering his bare chest and face. A perfect smile graced his face as he took several steps toward the three. "We are chief among the demons. Chief among the sins of the worlds." "You try to control us. To deny us. But we are not to be controlled. We are not to be denied. We are destined to corrupt all." With the final words the 4 demons attacked, each in their own way. The Devaronian drew two blaster pistols and began a barrage of energy from afar, releasing a violent growl with each blast, his tongue extending to full length and swashing through the air. The Zeltron let loose two blasts of violet forked lightning from her fingerips. The Yevetha extending his dew blades and charging into the middle of the three. The silver Zabrak drew two short blades from his belt and twirled them round in his hands, watching the 6 battle amongst themselves.

Garrick furrowed his brow as he thought back on what he felt and experienced in the bar. As he pondered the emotional turmoil that he boiled inside of him, the thoughts of the cold feelings that crept up his arms faded from thought. "When I opened myself up to the Force, when I stretched out to the patrons, I could feel what they were feeling. Not just know what they were feeling, but I felt it. Like I was the one experiencing those emotions. How do I keep that from happening? I can tell it is something of a gift. That I can understand what the people around me are feeling. That I can use it to fully understand the situation. But at the moment, it is a distraction and hindering my progress."

As Garrick strapped himself into the seat and watched as Coruscant emerged before him, he thought back to the tale he had been told. It seemed the Force had two aspects: the Light and the Dark. The Jedi were the protectors, upholding the ideals of peace and knowledge. The Sith were the enemy, spreading violence and anger throughout the galaxy. And Garrick was meant to form his own ideas about not only the Jedi and the Sith, but the Force as a whole. It seemed he would have to spend some time in the Archives to discover what hundreds of others had discovered, as well as in the field to find a way to apply his teachings to form his own truths. At the same time it seemed he would also be embarking upon a mission to recover Master Kitts memories. To find out what happened with this drug that could block someone from the Force. But yet even as he focused on these thoughts, in his mind he could feel something brewing on the surface of Coruscant. It seemed like a violent storm was pushing against his mind.

"Is that part of what this trip is? To begin the formation of my own ideas on the Force? And what is a Force Wrap?" Garrick watched as the lines of stars continuously streamed past the two Jedi in hyperspace. He began to wonder what his own opinion of the light and dark would be, and how he would view the Force.

"Perhaps when we return to the Temple, I will spend some time in the Archives and see if I can come up with some of those theories." Garrick leaned back in his seat as he waited for Master Kitt to continue his tale.

As Kitt launched the shuttle and input the coordinates for hyperspace, Garrick took a quick minute to use the refresher. He stood under the hot water and allowed the sweat and grime from his day of training to wash away along with the remnants of fatigue. His new-found connection to the Force had allowed him to keep his body going and resist the effects of the intense physical training, but even a powerful Jedi had to recognize the relaxing ability of a hot shower. As he stood beneath the water and watched the steam rise around him, the Padawan closed his eyes and allowed the Force to flow through him. He was beginning to truly enjoy letting the mystical energy field flow through his body, feeling the connection to everything around him. As he fell deep into the Force, he noticed a difference between the way it felt on Lehon and the way it felt in space. On Lehon he felt connected to every life form in a small way, almost as if he could draw any energy he needed from those life forms. But in space, while he felt connected to the ship, he felt almost utterly alone. But for some reason he felt as if the Force was an entity, keeping him company, letting him know he was never truly alone. Opening his eyes, Garrick turned off the fresher and began to redress in his Jedi garb. Hooking his lightsaber to his belt, he pulled on his robe and made his way to the cockpit just as Kitt launched the shuttle into hyperspace. The young Jedi sat down and listened to his Masters tale with an open ear. When he reached what seemed to be a pause, Sage raised a hand in interruption. "Pardon the interruption Master. You mentioned the Sith before when speaking on my sword, along with the Dark Side of the Force. What are the Sith and what is the Dark Lord? It sounds like the title of a holo villain."

Garrick nodded to Kitt as he spoke of heading to Coruscant. It had been a long time since the young apprentice had ventured to the galactic capital. But he was ready. Donning his robe, the young man gave his assent that he was ready for the trip.

Garrick disengaged the weapon and clipped to it to his belt. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he winced slightly as the cold began to recede from his fingertips. Deciding to bring the matter up later, Garrick gathered his robe and took his place by Kitts side and followed the former grandmaster from the training room. "Yes Master. I am ready."

The young apprenticed disengaged his training saber and put his hands over his head to help with his breathing while he listened to Kitt speak. It seemed his training was going to be getting more physical and less metaphysical now. While this type of training was something Garrick had always been good at, wielding swords and weapons and fighting, this was not the type of training he felt he needed. But he also knew that during his travels as a Jedi, these were skills he would need. Even if he hoped to rarely call upon them. Knowing he needed to connect to the Force once more in order to fully complete this training, Garrick dropped to his knees and held his lightsaber loosely in his hand. He watched the remote hover for a second before closing his eyes and beginning to concentrate. In the holos the remotes only started to fire once the Jedi activated his lightsaber, so the apprentice felt he was safe for the moment. Just as his mind was beginning to feel calm and quiet he heard the hiss and snap of the remote . He opened his eyes just in time to see an orange blaster leave the remote and snap into his chest. While the strength of the blast was relatively weak, his lack of focus and surplus of surprise allowed the bolt to knock him on his back. Well I guess that was a myth.... Garrick knew he would have a red welt on his chest later from the sting of the blast. He quickly rose to his feet and ignited the emerald blade once more. He watched as the remote zigged and zagged through the air, its only sound a hiss as the jets propelled it. As it fired another blast, Garrick, not anticipating it, swing his weapon wildly. Not only did he miss the blast allowing it strike him in the arm, but he felt the weapon slap into his own leg eliciting a groan which quickly turned into a growl. He quickly brought his blade back up in front of him angled slightly forward. He watched the remote closely, stretching out with the Force inside him. The remote seemed to suddenly hit sludge as its movements became incredibly slow. Garricks eyes suddenly became heavy as they flickered to stay open. But he felt the Force urging him to trust in it so he allowed his eyes to fall shut. He could still hear the hiss from the remote, but now he could also see a blur through the darkness and he knew exactly where the remote was going to be. He moved his blade so the tip continued to fall the remote as it hissed through the air. Hearing a snap, Garrick side stepped the blast before bringing his weapon back to bear. He knew the point of the training was learn to deflect blasts with his lightsaber but he knew he was not there yet. The Force was guiding him on his own path to knowledge. Keeping his eyes closed he dodged several more blasts, having a little more time to move before each one. Before long he knew a full second before the remote was going to fire. As the remote spun through the air, Garrick felt it. A pull on his arms to bring to slightly alter the angle of his blade. He let the Force do its work and just as his correction was applied, the remote fired and the orange blast made contact with the emerald blade. Quickly bringing his blade back to the ready, he once more felt the pull of the Force and moved his blade again. Before long his blade was constantly moving, deflecting blast after blaster from the remote, only having precious seconds to return to the ready before having to move again. In the midst of deflecting a volley of blasts, he heard a second hiss and knew another remote had been thrown into the mix. Panic quickly entered the mix and Garrick lost his connection to the first remote, allowing blasts to sting him in the arm and back. The young Padawan quickly rolled out of the way of another flurry of shots before bringing his weapon back to bear and closing his again. Once more allowing himself to sink into the Force, he stretched out quickly to find both remotes. He found that his connection to the Force was getting stronger and his access to it was getting quicker. He quickly fell into a rhythm once more, his blade moving back and forth between the remotes, always sidestepping one blast to bring his blade between himself and the other remote. He noticed something as he fought, despite the sweat covering his body he felt small cold spots beginning to emerge on his fingertips. While not painful, it was a deep cold, almost like the bite of the snow on Hoth. But he kept his focus, falling deeper into the Force, letting the mystical energy field keep his body from tiring as he constantly moved. To anyone watching his blade work was wild and sloppy, each move brought about just in time to stop the blast. But several Jedi watching noticed his footwork was very precise. While his arms propelled his blade with wild sweeping movements, his footwork managed to keep him away from blast after blast, keeping him just in the right position to allow him to intercept those blasts that would normally strike him. After many minutes of practice, Garrick didn't even notice the addition of the third remote. He could only feel the Force flowing through him. But as his connection strengthened and his abilities improved, his feeling of the Force had changed. No longer did it feel like a river flowing through him. It was a dead cold that flooded his muscles with strength, keeping away the burning of fatigue that would wear down a normal man. But yet as the Force flooded his limbs, he felt the biting cold on his fingertips spreading through his fingers, reaching down to his palms. But instead of taking his strength or making it hard to hold the weapon in his hand, he felt a pure strength that propelled him forward.