Ary the Grey

Aryian sighed. No one expects the Jedi inquisition.

"You are free to believe what you wish, and while I could explain more on my situation, I won't. I don't need to. What has been done has been done. Yes, I lament that it happened, but I do not carry the blame. I only hope you never experience I went through. And with that said, I wonder how you will take what I have to say about finding balance as well. You claim to come here to learn, yet you demonstrate how close-minded to the Force you are. Maybe you are as you say, further from the other Jedi and the dogma...yet I feel anything I might tell you wouldn't be considered fully. The peace I have found in the Force is my own, and while I can help you find yours, I can't find it for you."

Aryian turned to him, looking Dahar dead in the eye.

"But as you say, I believe in redemption. Show me you have an open mind, and I will share my story. I will impart to you a deeper understanding. One of the scenarios I had to deal with in my tenure with the Jedi was dealing with a Sith terrorist on Coruscant. He'd placed bombs around the planet in highly populated area. I knew where he was, and could have pursued him, but I wouldn't have time to disable the bombs, and if he would have gotten away he would have killed many more people. Would you have protected the innocent, or sacrificed them to prevent the terrorist from killing more?"

Aryian chuckled as he shielded his face from the smaller particles of the now fragmented rock.

"A little too much, but good, Ariana, you grasp the concept well. If only some of the other students in the past were as fast a learner as you. Then again, I suppose it helps to actually see what I'm doing. Go ahead and take a break, if you like, or you can come with us. I think I'm going to show Master Dahar here the lecture hall. Master Dahar?"

Aryian stood, and gestured, motioning for him to follow. As they walked, Aryian began to answer the questions asked of him.

"Seclusion. Hmph. They did a holonet broadcast on me, heh. Not sure why, though, I can't imagine why I'd be important enough to warrant a story. Maybe they ran out of disasters to report on. That Dark Lord Furion has been awful quiet with his plans for the Sith lately, still. I'm far from seclusion, really, this planet just feels...right. The Jedi and the Sith know I am here, and all are welcome to come and study. And balance is a relative term. Yes, I have found balance, but it is not something to be found within the Force, but rather something to be found within yourself. And it's not always the path you're meant to walk."

As they turned a corner the view down the hall across the other side of the lecture hall became immediately apparent, a large balcony jutting out from the middle of the cliff face adorned on either side by molten falls. It was beautiful from far away, but up close it was rather breathtaking. Thankfully, the ray shielding staved off most of the heat, though the balcony was still the warmest part of the dojo.

"You see, Master Dahar, I am no longer a Jedi. I wasn't for a long time before, well, that 'debacle' with the Sith. I'm not a Sith either, not at heart, what you saw and fought against was a shadow of my soul leashed to a mortal vessel by arcane Sith arts. It was part of me, but it wasn't me, not entirely, more a representation of what I could be capable of had I walked a different path. I still retain some of its memories, and it has given me a different perspective on things, moreso than my journeys to find true enlightenment. But, I digress. I cannot join the Jedi council as I would be unfit to truly represent the Order and what it stands for. I don't believe in the Jedi code. I won't be so bold as to claim that I know everything about the Force, but from what I do know, I don't think I can ever truly and honestly train a Jedi as the Order would properly approve of ever again for those very reasons."

As they reached the balcony, Aryian leaned on the railing, looking out into the hazy rust-colored sky as the system's star slowly set on the horizon.

"I think there's another reason why you're here, though. You question yourself. Why?"

"Likewise."

Aryian chuckled as he heartily shook Dahar's hand, feeling the unease in the other. But it was something he didn't have to worry about. Dahar wouldn't attack him unprovoked, and it wasn't like Aryian couldn't defend himself if for some crazy reason he did choose to do so. For another brief moment, he reflected on why he was dwelling so much on Dahar attacking him, but again paid it no mind.

"But, that doesn't answer my question. I can tell something brought you here for a reason."

With a flick of the Force, Aryian opened the door for the Jedi, and was pleasantly surprised to an old familiar face.

"Master Dahar. What brings you to my humble dojo? We were just in the middle of training. Ariana, please, continue."

Although some of his focus still remained on his student in the event of a mishap, he turned to greet Master Raikanda warmly.

Aryian smiled as Ariana struggled, but ultimately succeeded in her task. Miraluka had a natural knack for the Force, and it definitely showed when she put her mind to what she wanted to do.

"Excellent. Now, we're going to try something a little different."

It was as he said this that the Grey Master felt the presence of another, a grand presence that he hadn't felt in a long time. Silently he reached out through the Force, welcoming the Jedi and bidding him come down through the Dojo to where the two were currently practicing.

"This technique is similar to basic telekinesis, but it's a tad more violent in its base nature. Still, it is a valuable tool for you to learn, and one day you may need it to defend yourself or help others. It's colloquially known as the 'Force blast', due to the effects. In essence, you're going to want to grip tightly with the Force in one spot, squeezing harder and harder as you build up the energy, and then release it all with one big shove."

The Master pointed at one of the rocks across the room, demonstrating for the girl the exact technique he mentioned. For him, he could have easily done it near instantly with a flick of his mind, but right now Aryian took the demonstration slowly, so she could see and feel exactly how it was done. Slowly he built up energy near the stone, then released it with a small pop as the small Force explosion flicked the stone across the room and sent it clattering into the far wall.

((Okay, from now on, I'll wait one day (24 hours) after one of you posts to allow the other to post before I continue the training. You can backpost to jump back in. I won't hold one back because of the other's inactivity, and both of you have done it to each other before this. Soooo...yeah.))

"Excellent. And that's exactly what you should get out of what I am trying to teach. The Force really and truly doesn't have one single definition, it means many things to many different people. It is a way of life to deal with it, whether you decide to listen to it or not, use it for others' benefit or selfishly hoard your power. Now...try again. Lift a rock. If you can, try and lift two. You have the skills, you just need to exercise your muscles."

Aryian almost smiled at Kenneth's raw display of power. The young lad certainly had his own issues to deal with, but from a neutral standpoint it was merely a display of what he was capable of. The doors within their minds had begun to open, and sweet knowledge flowed like a typhoon.

"Yes, the code of the Jedi. Honestly, spoken as I myself feel about it. It is an ancient code, meant to guide younger adepts away from the lures of the dark side. The Jedi of old, and even some nowadays, feel that by restricting knowledge they can stem those who practice solely upon the dark side, that by shutting out emotion and negativity through monk-like celibacy in the Force they could simply make the problem disappear. On this fact, they were, and are, naive. In fact, history has shown it only piques the curiosity all the more, and when the lies about the dark side are uncovered, it garners hatred towards them. And not entirely undeserved, either. Consider, for a moment, the Jedi, who by all means are normally very upstanding individuals, the paragons of society, as it were. Most are good-mannered, friendly, trustworthy. How would you feel if instead the person you have come to trust and rely on after several years turns out to have lied to you about your core beliefs? That even they don't know the whole story, due to some phantasmal fear about how emotions lead to evil and corruption?

"But, there is also the Sith Code: 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. Several mistruths about it as well. Peace isn't a lie, it is merely transient. Passion grants a lack of focus. Strength doesn't always mean power, and neither does power guarantee victory. And once victorious, though few Sith ever consider themselves such as there are constantly more hurdles to jump...many Sith find that their so-called 'chains' have merely changed to different circumstances, different burdens they must bear. The one thing they are completely right about, however, is that in the end, the Force does set you free, in a manner of speaking. By its nature, the Force is both a blessing and a curse, we talented few can perform feats unimaginable to the rest of the masses, but what we sacrifice is our livelihood. Often our friends and loved ones are used against us, tortured, killed, we are the focal points that shift wars and governments and entire methods of reasoning. We are never truly free, yet at the same time, we are freer by far than those who cannot reach out to it like we can."

Aryian was silent for a brief moment, pausing to let everything he'd said sink in. It was a lot of philosophy to contemplate and mull over, and it was upon these building blocks he was giving them that they would formulate their own views of the Force.

"Instead, I postulate this code, for your consideration: Peace is gained through selfless power. Knowledge grants me enduring strength. A passion to serve provides me serenity. My victories ensure lasting harmony. The force is my ally, no chain can bind me. Upon first listening to it, you can easily tell it is an amalgamation of the two codes, and some lines nearly sound like fallacies themselves. But, it is meant to be applied to a wide number of situations. One may not like serving a government or an Order of the Force, but if they serve themselves, will it not please them? Victories do not always mean 'lasting harmony' either, but consider this: The Sith work to dominate the galaxy and sow chaos and discord in their path. What is the Sith finally succeeded? Would there not be peace of a kind in the galaxy? It has been done before, though not ideal for the masses, but it was peace. Do the Sith then fight to bring peace and order to the galaxy?

"And selfless power...that is an interesting and carefully worded one. The one failing of the Sith is that they are intrinsic in nature - for the most part only interested in themselves, amassing their own power. Their blind spot is that they believe deep down that if they become powerful enough, they can do anything on their own, tear down a whole fleet of Star Destroyers or explode a solar system with a thought. No one is that powerful, and if you fall into the trap of always thinking you can do everything yourself, you are wrong. Everyone needs allies, friends, people they can count on when the chips are down and every last card counts, or one day the perfect storm will topple them like a building constructed out of feathers. Gather to yourself power, but be mindful of those around you. Share your knowledge and power, and your power can grow exponentially, especially when it counts most."

Aryian sat back, relaxing for a moment.

"Tell me your thoughts on all this, both of you. We all can learn from each other if we see from each other's eyes."

After a moment, he realized it wasn't the best worded sentence he'd spoken in the presence of a Miraluka, but gave no hint that he was mildly embarrassed at the oversight.

((Sorry. Been pretty busy since Wednesday. This was shorter than I intended, but it'll do for now.))

"Good, excellent. Take a break, we'll pick it back up in a minute. You both have potential far beyond what you realize...and you've just skipped what takes some months or even a year or two to fully grasp. Of course...those others weren't trained by me. The hardest part of learning to use the Force, as I said, is learning to grasp it in the first place."

Slowly he removed his connection to them, his influence and strength. They would find that it would be a little more difficult to perform the feats they just did, yet the important part was what he'd already just given them: experience. They now had the know-how, all they needed was guidance and practice.

"Now, can either of you tell me the code of either the Sith or the Jedi? It is important to reflect on the principles of the venerable Orders as I guide you to become more than you are. You are free to think as you wish, follow whatever path the Force leads you down, but as your teacher, I will impart as much understanding that I have come across as I can."

"Good."

The word was spoken to acknowledge them both, to let them know that individually he was pleased with them. Through the Force, they would each feel the acknowledgement, though Aryian didn't know if they would understand why, even if they did pick up on the subconscious connection. Slowly, he was merging his mind with theirs in various ways, not completely, but enough so that when he demonstrated, they would be able to understand exactly what he did on a much deeper level. They would even be able to draw on his power a bit, to augment their own if need be. He'd experimented with this method of teaching before, usually to great benefit of his students, but this was the first time he'd done it since leaving the Jedi. Except...with Rose. And that had disastrous results. Of course, the Grey Master knew it was due to the tampering by Furion.

"Ariana, look at Kenneth. This is but the first step. To truly ready yourselves for a galaxy that is ridden with dangers and those who wish you harm, you must first learn to touch the Force. Right now, whether you feel it or not, you have access to my thoughts, my experiences. Many at first have difficulty finding the Force to begin with, it is like a muscle that has gone unused, and they don't know where to begin. Try now to lift a stone. Reach out, feel the small tendrils grasp the stone, the multitude of small hands that when combined can do great things."

"Kenneth...try to lift another stone. Focus. It is not as hard as you think to split your concentration. Just keep trying, I can feel that you have the talent in you."

He waited, watching, observing them both, feeling them and everything in the room though the Force. Everything was connected and anything was possible, and once their eyes were open to that fact the possibilities were limitless.

"Interesting."

The single word response would no doubt incite curiosity in the two others in the room, but that was intentional. After a moment, he continued.

"Interesting that you never mentioned the 'light' or the 'dark' side of the Force. Some have theorized that as creatures intimately connected to the Force, the Miraluka as a species naturally tend towards the light side, and see through it. I see things differently. You see, I believe that it is exactly as you described...the Force is there, neither light nor dark. It simply is. In fact, it is those who use the Force that determine whether it is the 'light side' or the 'dark side', through intent and emotion. We are the conduits, we are what changes what flows through us. Through us, the Force is magnified and changed dependent on how we use it. Although it can have a will of its own, not always are we compelled to follow."

"The Jedi teach that any emotion can lead to corruption and irredeemable descent into the depths of the dark side. The Sith teach that emotions are power and can be used to amplify the Force's effects to make it more powerful than the Jedi ever imagined. They are right in different respects. While I would warn against the negative effects of excessive use of the dark side, I won't deny that it has its usefulness in certain situations. But, before you learn to run, you must learn to crawl. Are you ready?"

Several of the rocks Aryian had set on the floor began floating upwards, slowly orbiting the Grey Master.

As Aryian waited, Ariana tried to silently slip in. The operative word of the previous sentence is 'tried'.

"Oh no you don't, now that you're here, we can begin. Ariana, tell me what you know of the Force. I don't think I've ever heard a Miraluka's take on it."

Shifting himself around to gaze at her, he waited intently. Neither of them really realized, but Aryian was simply trying to size them up so he could adequately train them at roughly the same pace.

"With a great....deal........of practice."

Slowly the stones settled down onto the floor, resting.

"It's nothing you can't do, with practice and patience. I can tell you've had a bit of training...show me what you know."

The Grey Master sat back, eyeing Kenneth with keen interest. The boy showed promise, but he was also troubled with his own chaotic past. It would be interesting to see how he turned out.

Upon reaching the meditation chamber, Aryian sat down on one of the cushioned raised platforms, sitting in a comfortable position and relaxing, his mind stretching out as he had done so many times before, the old familiar feeling seeping into his consciousness as he became closer and closer to the Force. He was careful not to delve too deep into his own thought, lest he become comatose like he'd done before, and ignore his students. But instead, he simply felt the calm waves of the Force as if his mind were a soft beach on a warm sunny day.

Edit:

Bored from waiting on people, Aryian began to 'play' with some of the telekinetic practice objects in the room, slowly building the different pebbles and rocks into a revolving atomic-like structure. Eventually, he ran out of objects to add to the 'art in motion', and simply began rearranging it at random, content in the relaxing motion while practicing his skills.

Aryian snorted when she mentioned maggots, almost obviously giving the joke away. He was very familiar with Miraluka, even though they weren't obvious as Miraluka, even to trained Force sensitives. His former wife was a half-Miraluka, and his son shared that heritage. Neither of them had the trademark of the species, an absence of eyes, but both had a strong connection to the Force. Still, it felt good to hear one of their own poke fun about their differences. He spoke up to Kenneth as she finished.

"I wouldn't take her up on that. She can see as well, if not better than you or I. I can show you later, if you like. It's an interesting experience. Now, Ariana, you are welcome to catch a supply shuttle from here, or if you want, you can borrow my ship for transportation. But, if you'd like to stay, you know you're welcome to as well."

He finished up, tidying his plate before speaking again.

"Well, since you both will be learning, why not start now? We can begin in the main meditation chamber down the hall in say...an hour? Should give Kenneth time to look around, and Ariana time to get some training clothes."

He picked up his tray and left the cafeteria, walking down to the meditation room.

"Well, not really. There are those who have come to learn a little, and as always, I keep my doors open as a sanctuary. I haven't exactly been doing this for a super long time. But, I'm not opposed to training someone who has no prior formal training. Of course, I do not run a 'Grey Order' here, there is no organization, and I do not have ranks the way the Jedi and Sith do. If you wish to prove yourself, you must go to them for your trials, or at the least get the sign off from one of their Masters to allow me to give you trials. I am on neutral relations with both Orders at this time...but that could change. Nothing is permanent in this galaxy."

He realized it was kind of a long-winded response to a short question, and subsequently shut up to allow Ariana time to respond in kind.

Aryian smiled as she stammered an embarrassed apology.

"Hey, forget about it. Happens to all of us sooner or later. This is Kenneth."

A moment of silence passed, either the other two were trying to think of something to say, or they were waiting on Aryian again, which seemed to be the norm as of late.

"Sooo...Ariana. It's good to see you healthy and on your feet. What do you plan to do now?"

((Well. I was going to wait for Kenneth, but oh well. He can jump back in when he can.))

Aryian stopped chewing again, and dropped the biscuit he was holding. Now, he was currently no longer a married man, but this just wasn't fair. Damn kids and their youth, wandering about in their skivvies like nobody cared. Two words crossed his mind as the Master continued to stare absentmindedly. Jail. Bait.

"Um. Ariana. Good to see you up. Bit...ahh...drafty in here, is it?"

"MIIISSS!!"

The exclamation came from the protocol nurse droid as it scuffled around the corner into the eatery, a fresh plush warm robe draped over one of its arms.

"In many cultures it is considered indecent to prance about without proper attire! And you have just left the medbay...you could catch cold, miss! Please do be careful, I'm sure Master Aryian would be very concerned if you were to wind up back in the medbay so soon after being released! Oh, Master Aryian, excuse me for interrupting you during your meal. It's just that Mistress Ariana was-"

"Nursebot."

"Yes, master Aryian?"

"Leave the robe, return to your duties. She'll be fine."

The droid nodded as best it could, holding out the robe for her to take.

Aryian snickered.

It was kind of a cruel thing, given the situation, but he was snickering at the comment at himself, not Kenneth's situation. Also, the balance in the Force part. But that didn't bias him...he was above that.

"The truth is, there is no real 'balance' side to the Force. There is the Light. There is the Dark. That's it . Or is that what you truly believe? Either way, if you have come for training in the Force, or any training associated with it, I am that 'Grey Master' that you have heard of, and I can provide you with such training. But the most important understanding when it comes to the Force...is understanding of yourself. And that, I cannot provide. I can help, I can guide. But that's something you need to discover for yourself."

The Grey Master continued to nibble, almost done with his plate. He ate fast, but it was more a conditioning of his combat training than anything else. If Kenneth was not finished, he would be polite and wait.

"MIIIIISSSS!!!"

The droid's panicked cry echoed through the hallway as it scuffled after her, not nearly able to match her speed but still concerned for her well-being. The nameless unit, nicknamed 'Nursebot' despite its masculine programming, was responsible for her well-being in her recovery period, and this would not look good on its next service evaluation.

Aryian stopped, glancing up for a moment as he chewed slowly, thinking to himself. After a moment, he swallowed, and replied.

"I would think that's a question you'd have to answer for yourself. I'm not even sure why you came. Do you know?"

The question was twofold, both simple and yet deeply philosophical and metaphysical. Of course, chances were that Kenneth would only think about the former instead of the latter, but such was to be expected. Aryian stabbed another chunk of nerf meat with his fork and put it in his mouth, savoring the flavor.

((Sorry this is short, I STILL don't have solid internet, and if posts get too long on the input screen of my phone, it starts to slow down to almost freezing. Blame Time Warner. They said it'd be up and running tomorrow.))

It was a good thing Aryian was in the Med bay, as it felt like he'd been sitting comatose for forever. Unfortunately for Ariana, it appeared she'd been laying in the medical bed for so long that her legs had atrophied, developed gangrene, and were chewed off by rather large mice.

No, wait, he was looking at the wrong bed. That was one of the genetic experiments Raynuk had left behind when making his new Tuk'ata.

Still, it was time to move, if only to walk around. And, by good fortune, or by simple deus ex machina, the Grey Master felt the presence of another visitor to his abode. Rising and leaving, he made his way to the turbolift, almost bumping into the young lad as the door opened.

"Oh my, pardon me. Sorry, wasn't quite expecting you to come that way. Either that, or I'm late. Am I late? I'm late. Not my name, though, my name is Aryian. Come on in. There's rooms and food."

Aryian looked down the hall, smelling the dinner that was cooking at that very instant.

"And speaking of food..."

He wandered off back down the hall, leaving it up to the young man to follow in confusion, or explore the Dojo on his own means. Once the Master reached the cafeteria, he quickly filled up a plate and sat down, nibbling on bits of meat and greens.

"Well, if you want, I'm sure we could fabricate a temporary powered exoskeleton for your legs, it could easily be adjusted to help speed up the physical therapy. But, that's up to you."

((Okay. So, the last three days I've been packing up my apartment and cleaning, and this is the first good bit of rest that I've had longer than 10 minutes.))

"That makes sense, then."

As Aryian took another bite, he noticed a noisy droid loading up a huge platter of food, which subsequently exited the cafeteria.

"Well, if that isn't a plot device intended to garner attention from other characters, I don't know what is. I think I'll follow it. Care to join?"

Aryian left the offer open as he stood and walked away, depositing his leftovers and trash in the receptacle on the way out of the cafeteria. Once he reached the medical bay, the obvious and only destination the droid could have been going, he sat down on a chair across from Ariana.

"So, how are we feeling today? The bacta been treating your legs right?"

Still nibbling on his food, Aryian nodded when Emily sat down, gladly accepting her presence. Then she asked her question, and he paused for a moment. Another innocent question scraping at memories he'd rather not dwell on.

"Well...it's kind of a long story, if you want the full one. The short version is, she left me. Divorced me in absentia. I don't blame her, really, I was never the husband I'd hoped to be. I was never around to take care of Aidan, and I was always either off fighting or searching the galaxy for knowledge. It was when I...left...the galaxy for a bit that she came to her senses and divorced me. I was seeking transcendence and enlightenment, and in my blind quest for ultimate truths of life I was blinded to the simple truths of life that surrounded me."

Aryian picked up a piece of bread, taking a bite and swallowing.

"So what about you? What's your story? You don't exactly strike me as the ideal Sith, no offense. You fight with fury and fire, yet I can still tell you hold a great deal of compassion and empathy within you."

He didn't really make eye contact as he spoke, instead casually choosing to poke at his food peckishly. He was never fond of field rations, but they didn't exactly taste terrible.

Rising from his meditations, the Grey Master finally found himself hungry.

So, off he went to the cafeteria, and once he found some rations, he ate. Omnomnom.