Gala - Jedi Praxeum Ruins

[Adenna Alluyen]

"I will do as you ask, Teacher," Adenna said with a smile and quick bow of her head.

 

She walked a few paces back toward where Sebastian, Holden, and Kirlocca were talking. She didn't want to interrupt them, plus part of her didn't want to risk angering Sebastian. With the powerful Wookie Jedi nearby, she wasn't afraid for her safety, but she was more concerned that Sebastian would make a scene that he would regret later. Even then, she didn't want to face the disappointment and regret she knew that he would experience if she told him she was not going with them.

 

She still had a piece of flimsi in the form of her ticket voucher for her trip up to the Double Helix earlier in the day. She dug it out of her pocket along with a simple ink based stylus. She scrawled the comm code on the back that would link to the comm that Dahar had given her on the first day they had met. She figured that would at least be better than vanishing. Perhaps later, he could contact her and see what would happen. A good part of her didn't want to give him hope, but she felt it was something that would soften the blow of her departure. She hoped that this was just a quick crush he had and that he would quickly forget her, but who knew?

 

Adenna quietly walked back to the small gathering and slipped the flimsi into Sebastian's pocket. She didn't try to hide what she was doing, but didn't make it overly obvious. She whispered quietly, "I need to go for a bit, contact me later if you want."

 

She didn't give him any time to argue. With her mission done, she beat a dignified but hasty retreat. With moments, she was around the corner and away on the route back to her quarters.

 

Now that she knew a little more about the Temple and its winding halls, she was able to get back to her temporary quarters with little problem. She still needed to see about getting permanent quarters as she was still in guest quarters, but she would ask Dahar that when she had the chance. As long as the Jedi weren't needing the room, she didn't see a tremendous rush. It was already better than anything she had ever stayed in, even if she was too afraid to touch most of it. From what she could tell, this wasn't even that luxurious at all, but just standard fare for the Temple and most civilized places. She was just used to such poverty and modesty in her life that it seemed like a small palace.

 

She was rather surprised to find a small box on her bed that wasn't there when she left in the morning all those hours ago. She knitted her brows in a mixture of puzzlement and suspicion. Even though her teacher had said that something would be waiting for her, she couldn't think for the life of her how he managed to get it here before she even arrived. It wasn't as though she gave him a lot of time. After pondering it for a few seconds, she simply decided that it had something to do with the Force and predestination or perhaps his superior understanding of people and foresight into how she would react to his offer.

 

Either way, she figured she shouldn't wait to see what he wanted her to do and walked over to pick up the box. When she opened it, there was a piece of black silk inside with a simple note saying, "Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them."

 

Adenna puzzled a bit over what Dahar was wanting her to do and decided to freshen up a bit while she was pondering. She had been on the station all day and had even engaged in a bit of rather messy hide and seek. She simply washed her face and changed into her only other set of plain brown Jedi robes. By the time she had finished, she had decided that he simply wanted her to try to find him while not using her eyes.

 

It made sense in a way. She had read some things about Jedi who believed the physical senses were secondary to the senses they received through the Force. One of her early tasks had been to try to locate him through the Force. Though she had failed that task miserably, Dahar had taken the time to help her develop her ability to feel people through the Force. This was the next logical extension of that test: to not just find someone, but navigate through the Force.

 

Smiling at the apparent silliness of walking around the Temple with a blindfold, Adenna put it on and tried to stretch her fledgling Force powers out to get a sense of where she was. It took her many minutes to get a rough picture of where things were using both her mental maps of the Temple and the small glowing points of light that signified sentient beings. She tried to sense more such as walls, doors, and objects that weren't sentient or even alive, but didn't get much. There was a haze that got slightly brighter where she guessed a solid object was and slightly darker where she figured it was open to walk.

 

With this mental image to guide her, she cautiously opened her door and stepped out into the hallway. Nobody was in the hall at this moment which was actually worse than it was good. She could see sentients with relative ease so having some of them around would help guide her since she could follow them or where they had been.

 

With her arms cautiously held out in front of her, Adenna started making her way down the hallway toward the turbolift that would take her down to the courtyard level. She used one hand to guide herself along the wall by allowing her fingers to barely touch it. By doing that, she could almost see the rest of the wall as it stretched out before her. It made the going much easier and helped define her environment through the Force and caused her to walk a little faster.

 

Of course, seeing one wall didn't help avoid the others. While she could see the wall as a straight plane of lightly glowing material in her mind, she was so focused on that that she missed the upcoming door leading into the turbolift. Though she wasn't walking very fast, she ran flat into it.

 

Cursing herself for becoming too overconfident, she rubbed her hurting nose and limped a bit on her throbbing knee before fumbling for the turbolift call button. She was surprised to see a bright glow heading toward her from above before realizing that someone must have been in the turbolift she was waiting for. When the door opened, she felt her cheeks burning a little in embarrassment as she walked in. Whoever was in the turbolift didn't say anything, but she couldn't tell if they were studying her in amusement. Perhaps, she hoped, they were used to seeing odd things like this as various teachers taught their students.

 

She did ask them to press the bottom floor, but a decidedly non-humanoid voice replied that they had already selected that as a destination. After that first exchange, they remained silent on the ride down. Fortunately, nobody else joined them, but once the doors opened, she was cast into a much larger group of people.

 

While that was a little embarrassing, the added number of people around her helped her navigate far better. She just went where people had been or were and felt fairly confident that she was in an open space. Stairs would be sort of difficult, she figured, but she hoped to avoid any of them.

 

She used what she knew of the layout of the Temple to try to form a sort of mental map in her brain. It helped a little, but even with it, a lot of her surroundings were sort of a dull haze of fog and faint lights. Sometimes, when she thought she was in a specific place, she was able to overlay actual memories of what she had seen to give her a better idea of what was around her. Those images transposed themselves over the corresponding parts of the haze. With those as anchor points, she was able to further develop a map of what was around her.

 

Whether she was using the Force or not, the exercise was helping her learn the Temple in a whole new way. As she pondered along, the world around her was growing more distinct. It was absolutely nowhere near true vision, but the hazy areas were becoming a little more distinct, even if they were still without texture or color and were very blurry looking to her mental eye. Even though she could see walls a little better, she still banged her shins or knees on low objects like planted pots or small sculptures or displays. She didn't have any problem avoiding people along the way. Either they saw she was blindfolded and gave her a wide berth or she sensed their brighter presences in the haze and avoided them.

 

After what seemed to be quite some time, she made her way into what she hoped was the courtyard. She had forgotten the exact location and had to go off the fact that the haze in this room seemed to be a little brighter to her mind. She reasoned that was because of the larger variety of plant life and various people scattered around.

[Scorp Jedi Knight]

As the Council meeting had ended long ago, Scorp had retired long ago. Even with the urging of the other Jedi to intervene in the matter of a house guest he had not. Instead he had retreated elsewhere.

 

Traversing past the limits of the temple, he had submerged himself deep into the surrounding wilderness. Yet he had only a singular goal in mind. A tree was climbed, that gave him access to another tree, that brought him to the sturdy branch he was even now still positioned on. Yet he was not positioned in anyway, a person might assume. No, instead he had been preforming a back bend. Hands and feet planted on the branch, he kept a balance between his muscles, and from falling out of the tree.

 

It was in this position he stayed in for quite some time. Day and night both past, and yet he stay unmoving, seeking only to feel the force flow through him and the environment.

[Nitestrike]

Very close to the planet Gala's gravity well, a small starfighter emerged from hyperspace. It was clearly on a course to land at the Jedi Temple located on the planet, and its operator assumed he would be virtually unnoticed on any security teams monitoring the planet's orbit. He had been flying ships much larger than his small snubfighter into secure zones undetected for quite some time and had yet to come across a situation he couldn't handle. Nevertheless, there wasn't a pressing need to land on the planet unnoticed in this situation, and thus the pilot broadcast the appropriate codes to enter the planet's atmosphere unopposed.

 

Some semblance of secrecy, however, was necessary for the pilot, so he sent the information in under one of his numerous aliases. Having the connections that he used to have, the pilot hoped that his cover would be solid enough to fool any security personnel dealing with his clearance to land. His codes were all correct, he was sure, and he was using a Republic friendly alias, so he was almost certain his attempt to land would go smoothly. Soon his belief was confirmed, as he received clearance to land. The pilot carefully navigated the ship through the atmosphere and into a familiar hanger inside the Jedi Temple.

 

The pilot exited the starfighter and left its refueling up to the hanger technicians. A single lightsaber worn as his belt was enough clearance for the hanger technicians not to give him any trouble as he entered the Temple further. He was a tall man, and in his complete battle regalia he was a formidable sight. Unfamiliar logos etched in gray on the armor were a remnant of an old organization of the Republic, and it did raise some suspicion in the people he passed on his way to the Jedi Council chambers. In hopes of remaining unquestioned, the pilot was reaching out in the Force to express his intentions were urgent and meant the Jedi no harm.

 

It had been some time since he had walked these halls, yet he remembered the layout of the Temple as though a map of it was etched onto his brain. He quickly reached the council chambers, managing to avoid any unnecessary conversation along the way. Silence hung over the chamber, like the calm before a great storm, yet still he entered. He stood in the middle of the room in a powerful, yet clearly unmilitaristic pose and reached out in the Force throughout the Temple. The lack of knowledge on the current power structure of the Jedi ultimately hurt his chances of finding whoever he was looking for in the Temple.

 

Sensing a presence entering the Chamber, he turned around and faced whomever it was that was inspecting the room. Deciding it best to ask this person for help, he decided to set the tone of the conversation by opening it up.

 

"Excuse me," he said in an impressively calm tone, "I need to speak with someone in a position of power around him. I'm afraid my time away has left me lacking in information about who I can talk to in the Order. If you could find the Grandmaster, or even just a Master, to come here I would appreciate it. Just tell them Warren is rejoining the fold, and it's not without cause."

 

Not wanting to create a conflict, he assumed, the intruder exited the room off to find someone above them in rank. Hoping that what he had asked the intruder to do would be done, the pilot paced the chamber as he waited for someone to come and explain what was going on to him.

[Kitt]

Kitt felt out of place temporarily as he walked out of the grand auditorium and back towards the Jedi Council Chamber. He wasn't sure he would be able to take on a padawan while in his current position, at least not at the moment. How could he teach when he barely knew how to lead? He found his thoughts returning to the vision he had seen, as well as the Force Phantom that had greeted the Council a few days ago. He wasn't so sure about him, but then again, the Republic that he served was also not showing him much to go on. It was a tightrope act that he was doing, or so it felt that way.

 

He paused outside of the Council Chamber, feeling slightly overwhelmed by a strong sense within the Force... the board had been set. All that remained was for the galaxy to take their roles. Deep within his own mind, he wondered what role the Jedi would actually play in this battle coming up that was so clear and loud within the Force now. He shook his head from such thoughts. The Force would guide him and the rest of the Jedi into their right roles.

 

As he began to enter, he felt a familiar presence that he had felt before. Brad Warren. He was apart of the Augury with him, if only for a few short days. As he entered, he was greeted by Warren explaining his situation. Kitt smiled as he listened carefully to each word.

 

"My friend, you are looking at the Grandmaster. And I would greatly appreciate your help that you bring to the Jedi, as well as gladly welcome you back into our Order."

 

((I am assuming it was left open.))

[Nishant]

The two made their way back towards the hangar in which Nishant had met the woman who was to be his teacher, and in those few minutes of walking his mind wandered over the possibility of trying to explain his first meeting with his master, what she would be like, how open he knew Master Organa would be to Emily.

 

The two stepped into the hangar in silence, and for all the conversation taking place within that colossal space, their silence met a grand, empty sound of open air, and so it was with his eyes and not with his ears that Nishant noticed the one called Mathis had joined their group. He had not forgotten how he reacted to this man earlier, but that iron had left him the moment he had left the garden to meet his teacher. Now, as he and Emily stepped into the fold of the group, Nishant's air was the same as it always was, the rolling tide of the ocean, the cool caressing breeze.

 

As Mathis had just asked a question, Nishant would wait to introduce Emily until after it was answered--he was sure, though, that to some degree no introduction would even be necessary. All those gathered here had experienced the profundity of the Force, and all its miracles. He thought that was bond enough to surpass the need for something like an introduction; absently he mused that this line of thought was just his way of biding time, and there was a silent chuckle at that.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar sat comfortably under his favorite tree. He had confidence that his padawan would not disappoint him. It was late afternoon when he saw Adenna make her way into the courtyard. She was blindfolded which meant that she had understood his mission for her. Dahar wanted her to begin to let go of her current understanding of the world. Before becoming a Jedi he too relied on his external senses to guide him.

 

Dahar reached out through the force and untied the silk cloth from behind her. It slowly floated to the ground. He locked eyes with Adenna and beckoned her over.

 

"Good, very good!" exclaimed the Jedi Knight with joy. "You see Adenna a Jedi's greatest ally is the Force. Your eyes, your ears, they can all betray you. A Jedi uses the Force for guidance and strength." Dahar held out his right hand and conjured a small ball of fire in his palm. It swirled brilliantly in shades of red and orange. He gently took Adenna's hand and passed it through the flame. Nothing happened. Dahar blew into his hand causing the faux-fire to vanish. "Things are not always what they seem, but through the Force all things are revealed. Do you understand?"

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan looked up at the white man curiously when he came back to him, wondering what he had in mind. Thoughts spun in the kid's head, and for a moment he was daydreaming.

 

When he realized the white man was walking away, he knew what had happened. Misal had warned him about daydreaming and letting his thoughts wander, telling him it might get him into trouble one day, and now he knew why.

 

Quietly he followed the man through the halls, keeping silent, just casually following and looking around. Finally they came to a familiar antechamber, the one Aidan had waited in when he was waiting to talk to the boring guy. Knowing it would be better to keep his manners about him, he stayed quiet until the white man was done talking.

[Skye Organa]

"And I'm sure it'll be an interesting enough story. Where in the universe are you heading off to next?"

 

"I've had a call to go to the Golden Link Casino actually. One of the owners has fallen ill and needs my assistance, so we shall be going there first. Then to my home planet of Corellia where we shall be meeting up with Tares Vortex, my former Master." Skye smiled at a memory then met with Mathis' eyes, "Where are you off to next?"

 

Before he could answer her, Skye sensed her new padawan returning and turned in his direction. She was pleased to see that his friend had decided to join them after all. The girl had an interesting aura. The Healer would be interested in hearing her story. She gave a welcoming smile, "Ah... and here is my new padawan, Nishant, and his friend..." Skye left it open for either Nishant or Emily to supply her name. It was obvious that the Healer was welcoming to both of them.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Temple Courtyard

 

Adenna did understand what he was saying and was surprised she didn't think of it sooner. She had seen travelling carnivals where they had exotic animals or put on extraordinary light shows but they were all holoprojections. There were magicians that used technology and the slight of hand to delight and fool their audience. "So in a way, if we rely on our senses alone, we could be fooled by others. Our eyes could be deceived with holograms, our nose with synthetic scents, and our ears with prerecorded sounds. While we are deceived, those who mean us harm could be coming closer for the kill or those who need to be brought to justice would be getting away."

 

"You say that the Force will help me discern what is real and what is not, but what happens if someone else bends the Force or falsifies some element of it? How will I know the difference?"

[Nitestrike]

"So the rumors were true," Brad replied, glad to be greeted by someone he was somewhat familiar with. Although his stint in the Augury was brief, he felt he had some idea of who Kitt. Still, it was odd for Brad to see someone he considered a colleague to be in charge of the Order. He was unsure how Kitt would influence the Jedi, but an in depth analysis of his policies were something for another time. "Congratulations on the appointment. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you, but it's been quite some time since I was last in contact with anyone. My time away has been a necessary learning experience. That's all a story for another time."

 

Brad paused for a brief moment in order to formulate exactly what he wanted to say to the Grandmaster. He was sure that Kitt was aware why the long lost Jedi had returned, but nevertheless it was important to address the current situation. "My return does not come under the best of circumstances, as I'm sure you are aware. For quite some time a shadow has been present in the Force, a dark tide foretelling a cataclysmic event in our immediate future. I'm sure even the Padawans can sense that something is not right in the galaxy.

 

"I fear the tides of war will soon be upon us. While many of my philosophies have changed since I last considered myself a Jedi, I remain committed to doing what is necessary to protect innocent lives." As Brad finished this thought, uncertainty welled up inside him. He had finally reached his main point in the conversation, yet he feared that he would glean little information on the battle from the Grandmaster.

 

"My efforts to procure information on whatever the coming darkness might be have produced nothing. If there's information about it to be had, I'm sure you have it, and I need that information. I need to know whatever you might know. I don't want to enter this breach blindly."

[Kitt]

Kitt's eyes closed as he pondered what exactly to tell Brad. On one hand, his vision that he had seen was such a strong vision that it was slowly becoming a reality. On the other hand, Brad was strongly connected to the Force and was bound to know such a thing. After a few moments passed, he finally spoke.

 

"I have seen a vision of the Empire and the Republic meeting in a final battle to decide the fate of the galaxy. All will end up having to choose a side in the end, and most have already begun to pick a side. That too goes for the Jedi."

 

Kitt felt the weight of the words fall upon him in such a way, that he knew full well what it meant. Taking a moment to feel out the Force, he was able to pick up trace amounts of what he felt a now slow diving plunge.

 

"The currents are already moving."

[Wookiee Jedi]

((Sorry to break away from some of the plots, but I need to get Kirlocca ready.))

 

Kirlocca never received the time he needed to question the three, which turned into two very quickly. He received a comlink buzz from Helix. Understanding what it was, Kirlocca leaned down and whispered in Holden's ear and then stood up and walked away from both Holden and Sebastian and headed for the hanger bay, where he quickly was en route for Helix.

 

((I also have Kitt's permission to go ahead with this part.))

 

All Jedi whom was ready and able to serve, received a message on their comlinks.

 

"All Jedi report to Double Helix for briefing."

 

(This is only for those who will be apart of the final battle on the Jedi side of things.)

[Reptilia]

"Okay," Rep said to his padawan as he started on his way towards the hangar. He remembered the way so it didn't take that long to reach it, the door opened and he strode in. He arranged it so he could use a Lambada class shuttle, he quickly walked on and sat down in the cockpit. A few seconds passed as he familiarized himself with the controls before he started firing the engines up, it had been awhile since he had been at the helm of ship and liked the feeling of it. He started to send out the launch codes, as soon as Trushaun was ready they could lift off and leave.

 

(You can post getting to the ship and us leaving.)

[Nishant]

"Emily," she said, simply, politely. Nishant could tell his teacher would appreciate her; likely already did, in her own fashion. He was comfortable here, with these people. It was an obvious, recurring whisper in the back of his mind that he would have to go to places where he was anything but comfortable, and this whisper was an echo of the shrieking, torrential death choir of bitterly abandoned flowers in an otherwise...no, an even still perfect garden. An image of the sith who had given him such a vision passed through on the current of his thoughts, thoughts of what was to come.

 

Nishant brought his attention easily back to the gathered company, preferring to keep his mind here, now, with his body and is soul. There would be time to approach the current of his thoughts later, in silence.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darla remained silent, but Darex didn't worry since she was looking so much healthier. He assumed she just didn't have anything to add to the conversation. So it was that when Mathis came up and introduced himself, Darex turned and gave him a polite Jedi bow.

 

"It's a pleasure, Knight Qui Gon. I feel sure we've met before, but I can't place the time. Speaking of Ish, have you heard from him recently? He was a very good friend of mine."

 

Darex hadn't seen Ish in a very long time. He hoped his friend was doing well. He remembered quite fondly the celebration they had had after being knighted all those years ago.

 

When Skye's new apprentice and his friend appeared, Darex nodded politely to each of them and exuded a welcoming presence in the Force. He looked forward to getting to know them, especially the young man. Something prompted him to speak, and he did with a grin. "Well, Nishant, it's a pleasure to meet you. You'll be learning from the best, that's for sure. Having Skye as your master is quite challenging; I know that from personal experience." He greeted Emily as well, noticing the odd aura she carried about her. He was curious, but didn't address her.

 

Just then, the announcement buzzed over several of their comlinks all at once. It was time then. Darex sighed and reached into the Force. There it was; the storm on the horizon, building and brewing. It would begin very soon. However, it was clear to the Jedi Master what his role would again be. Someone had to stay behind, to be a leader for the hopefuls and the rest of the Order that either refused to or could not participate. He had mentioned his plan to the Grandmaster, and had received permission, as well as the names of some others that were staying out of this mess.

 

He subconsciously tightened his grip on Darla's waist, then when he realized it, he relaxed. "Well, if we're all here," he said, addressing the group, "shall we head off to the Casino?"

[Nitestrike]

"It's as I feared then, we are going in blind." Brad let out a brief sigh, frustrated with the lack of information. The lack of information was preventing him from coming up with a plan of any sort, and going into battle without any idea of what to expect or how to operate would get people killed. As the announcement came over his comlink, however, he was a little relieved.

 

"Perhaps I was wrong, and we'll get more information at Double Helix. I'll see you there." Without delay, Brad exited the Council Chambers and returned to the hanger. As an afterthought, he thought he hadn't shown enough respect to the Grandmaster. In his time away, formalities were not something dealt with on a regular basis. He quickly decided there was no sense dwelling on it, and no harm done.

 

Making sure the refueling of his starfighter was completed, Brad climbed in and tapped into the Temple's database to ensure his coordinates for Helix Station were up to date. After running the standard pre-flight checks, he took the small craft out of Gala's atmosphere and on its way to Helix Station.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar listened attentively to Adenna's response and question. This was something he himself had not completely perfected. Like it or not there were those stronger than him in the ways of the Force. In his experiences so far these had only been Jedi Masters but he knew that somewhere out there lurking in the shadows were those who had mastered the Dark Side of the Force.

 

"Well Adenna the truth is you won't always know the difference. One of the key powers of one who uses the Dark Side is the ability to cloud the Force. In that situation you must give yourself over to the Force and trust it to guide you."

 

Dahar sat in silence for a moment and then slowly stood up and reached to his side for his lightsaber. Gently he activated it. The blade shot out in a quick woosh and a flash of brilliant violet. It hummed quietly before them. "My lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age." Dahar waved the blade through the sky which purred and whizzed with his motions.

 

"A lightsaber is like an extension of the Jedi who wields it. In most cases a Jedi will make their own during their training. The process of constructing a lightsaber is personal to each Jedi. One must meditate on the subject and completely immerse oneself in the Force."

 

Dahar deactivated his lightsaber and handed the weapon to his student. "You may activate it by pressing that small control on the front. Go ahead, give it a try."

[Skye Organa]

"Welcome Emily," Skye responded as the girl spoke. The Healer's eyes shifted from her to Nishant, then towards Mathis and Darex as the latter spoke. She couldn't help the grin that appeared with his words regarding how challenging her training methods could be. When the conversation turned to Ish, Skye wondered where he was as well, not having seen him in so long.

 

The announcement that reached several of them at once gave Skye a foreboding sense that the darkening clouds were about to burst. Soon after the first comm, Skye received a second from Double Helix. The medical centers in each of the spheres were prepped and ready to receive any casualties that occurred. Skye didn't have to be there to oversee the medical centers. She would receive real time updates to Serenity. Her mobile surgery was always prepped to receive patients no matter where she was. For this, she would do enough by treating patients where required, besides which, she had a duty of care to her new padawan - and his friend.

 

"Well, if we're all here," he said, addressing the group, "shall we head off to the Casino?"

 

"That sounds like a plan." Turning towards Mathis she added, "Until next time Mathis, May the Force be with you." The Healer let her gaze roam over the assembled. "Okay, who is traveling with whom or are we all traveling on Serenity?" Skye let her eyes rest upon Nishant and Emily, "I will show you both to your rooms." Now her smile was bright. She started towards her ship, expecting the others to follow. Lifting her comm link, Skye spoke to I-Nine, telling the droid to prep the ship.

[Mathis]

Mathis was about to reply to Skye, but he was cut off when two more people came to join their group.

 

Talk about a small temple...

 

While Emily was introducing herself to Skye, Mathis' commlink alerted him to the order to go to Double Helix.

 

"Well, I was going to say that I have nothing to do, but it seems like that has just been changed. I'm sorry, Darex, but I haven't seen or heard from Ish in quite some time."

 

As Mathis returned Skye's farewell, he felt the Force tugging at his mind. There was some business that needed to be finished before the opportunity disappeared.

 

"Emily, could I possibly talk to you for a moment before you leave?"

[Emily]

She was relieved that her meeting with Nishant's new master had gone smoothly. Of course, the woman didn't know who she was. If she did, would her response be the same as Mathis' was? Emily pushed the thought aside. If it was, then she'd deal with it when the time came.

 

The point was, though, that she was determined to make a good impression on this woman, and if she could, she would do so for the male Jedi Master and his gorgeous girlfriend as well. She could tell already that this was going to be quite an experience, and as she glanced at Nishant, she was thankful once again that the healer Jedi had allowed her to tag along.

 

They were getting ready to leave when Mathis asked to speak with her. She raised an eyebrow. She had no love for the Jedi Knight, and little respect, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't hear what he had to say. She stepped off to the side with him. "What is it?"

 

((OOC: Thanks for covering for me, Nishant!))

[Mathis]

Mathis and Emily stepped off to the side. Hearing the defiance and a little bit of caution in her voice, he did his best to project his intentions of peace.

 

"After talking to you last, I did some soul searching. I realized that I was still operating under the ways of the old days, when we were constantly at war. You, and your father, have reopened my eyes to the fact that not everything in this universe is black and white."

 

He paused for a second to collect his thoughts.

 

"I just wanted to apologize to you again about how I confronted you. It was a mistake on my part, and I'm sorry. I promise that I will never judge anybody like that again. I also wanted to make you an offer. If you ever need anything, anything at all, or if somebody acts like I did, I will do everything in my power to help you."

 

Mathis had said what he could to try and make things right. It was now up to Emily to accept or reject it.

[Kitt]

Kitt wasn't sure what to make of Brad so yet, he had only spent very little time with him, and the majority of it was on a battlefield that never last long. Besides the fact, it wasn't really his job to question anthers character, but simply to lead the entire Order, that was it. He found himself wondering why his encounter with Brad left him feeling awkward, only to have it brought into light as he left the Council Chambers himself after Brad and him both received a transmission from Double Helix.

 

Looking at a Jedi Knight in the Grand Hall, one who's name escaped him, was simply staring at him after hearing the exchange between Brad and himself. It was then that it dawned upon him. With the title Grandmaster also comes a certain respect with it. He would make a mental note of it, but he would probably never follow through with it. He preferred to be looked upon as a fellow Jedi, rather than someone who is over them. He quickly made his way to the hanger, and then soon after Double Helix, which was now hidden over Gala.

[Trushaun]

Trushaun followed her master to the hanger. She had a flashback to her time on Caalmasi. This was they type of shuttle the men in white kidnapped her in. Time to press past that. She was going to become a Jedi! she smiled as Rep prepped the ship for launch.

 

She stayed out of the way, but watched as the KEl'Dor launched the ship.

 

Onto Dantooine.... She thought, excited.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna did not like the idea of people being able to manipulate what she sensed. She knew it was possible from her studies, but it was very different considering the concept from an academic standpoint versus applying it to herself. If she was not comfortable with someone messing with her physical senses, the idea of someone manipulating her perception of the Force sent tingles up her spine. She had only just began experiencing the Force and could only imagine how disorienting it would be once she could connect to it fully.

 

Dahar let her consider his words for a few moments before standing up. She assumed they were done with the exercise and would be moving on so she followed suit. Instead of leading her out of the courtyard, he pulled a silverish cylinder off his belt and showed showed it to her.

 

Adenna looked with wide eyes at the purple blade as her teacher showed it to her. She had, of course, seen plenty of lightsabers on the belts of various Jedi. She had also seen holos and even a few live demonstrations of lightsabers by both students and the ranks of the powerful. She hadn't ever been able to just focus on the lightsaber itself before. She was often looking at what their owners were doing, was mesmerized by the flow of battle, or was trying to understand what they were training for.

 

When Dahar allowed her to touch his lightsaber, her palms began to sweat in excitement and nervousness. The most powerful weapon Adenna had ever held was a kitchen knife. She wasn't quite sure if she was comfortable holding such a potentially devastating weapon. Warfare and fighting were not things she looked forward to. While she realized that fighting was sometimes necessary for a Jedi to do what was right and serve justice, she wasn't eager to engage in combat.

 

With great caution, she pressed her thumb to the ignition button and gazed at the weapon. This was the first time she had been so close to such a weapon. She didn't know what to say, so elected to remain silent. Dahar would tell her what he wanted her to do.

[Emily]

She was taken aback by his words. "Uh, thank you." She was glad he had recognized how his actions had come across, and it showed something about him that he was willing to do the meditation and then come to apologize to her in person. Her estimation of him went up in that moment.

 

She even managed a small smile. "If I ever need something, I promise you'll be the first to know." She turned to head back to the rest of the group, but hesitated and turned back towards him again. "My father may have been Sith, but he wasn't evil. Just...try to remember that in the future. Not all Sith follow the stereotype you Jedi have of them."

 

She wondered how the Jedi would take that, but she didn't wait around to find out. The rest of the group was ready to go, and Emily didn't want to keep them waiting. She slipped back up next to Nishant. As she did so, she decided to practice what she had been learning, and opened herself to the Force.

 

It took a moment for her to get her grip on it again, but when she did, she carefully turned her senses on each member of her new party. Nishant's master was a swirling vortex of soothing energies, but also had a touch of something completely foreign in her. Emily wondered if perhaps she wasn't human. There was something in her Force-presence that was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

 

The Jedi Master was the same one she had felt earlier in the Council chambers. She passed him over when she realized that, with only a mental note that she should be careful around him. The Grandmaster had welcomed her, but he had also been very uptight and strict. She assumed that the other council members would be of the same mold.

 

When her focus moved to the woman next to him, it was like a moment of soothing relief after standing at attention for hours. Her presence swirled in a mottled mix. She could sense goodness, yes, but also a ferocity and iron core that any Sith would envy. She knew instinctively that this woman was much like her; that she didn't view the Force as a dichotomy of light and dark, but opened herself to both.

 

That discovery immediately put Emily at ease. If these Jedi traveled with this woman, then perhaps they wouldn't mind Emily's heritage and previous training with the Sith. She made up her mind to speak with the woman if she got the chance; she was extremely curious to see if her perceptions were right, and if so, if the woman had any knowledge or insight she could give Emily. Emily loved philosophy--an inheritance from her father--and she'd love a good discussion with this woman about how she viewed the Force.

 

Finally, there was Nishant. As always, he was the calm in the center of the storm, a placid ocean of the Force. She always marveled at that. How could anyone be so calm when it often took all her concentration and energy just to maintain her grip on the whirling vortex of the Force? She knew he had to have enormous strength and willpower, and that had immediately been one thing that had drawn her to him.

 

She let go of her Force-scrutiny and simply smiled as she looked at him. She was really, really glad that they wouldn't be separated this quickly, although she didn't stop to think about why she was so glad.

[Nishant]

In the here and now, Nishant caught a flashing depth in the gaze of the male Jedi Master, who welcomed him--upon learning that this man had apparently trained with the woman who was to be his teacher, two things came to his mind. One was that he figured the student did not have to turn out like the teacher, as this man did not feel the same as Master Organa did, not to the endless presence Nishant had now found, not to the Force in his soul. The other: perhaps, at the same time, he and this man were not so different. This led him to note that perhaps he had unconsciously filed this man away under the exact dictionary definition of a Jedi...but it came down to that he seemed a good man, and ultimately that was all Nishant needed.

 

He turned his head, saw Emily step back from Mathis and rejoin their group and smiled, that it had not been another confrontation but rather a reconciliation. He saw a shift in her, that she had settled into seeing things with those different eyes again, that she was truly seeing the fabric of these people around her. His gaze turned to the enormity of the room about him and he inhaled deeply, silently, before is eyes dropped to meet hers.

 

He laughed lightly, feeling that unfamiliar, buoyant, lightheaded quality (which seemed to be familiar, at this point), and said nothing; just smiled and moved to follow Master Organa onto the ship with Emily. Several questions swam into his mind, for his teacher; about her task at the Casino, about her and her intentions. His eagerness to learn was escaping the moment and plunging ahead, a curious child with no regard for patience, and Nishant could only smile at it and remain silent.

[Mathis]

"I'll try my best to remember that."

 

The words, spoken softly as the physical distance between them grew, were missed by Emily. As the rest of the group boarded Skye's ship, Mathis turned his attention to the comlink.

 

Double Helix, hmm... I don't think I've ever been there before. Let's see if I can get the coordinates of off somebody.

 

Mathis started to check with the various personnel in the hangar, and was eventually able to ascertain the location of Double Helix. He made a quick trip back to his room to gather up a few things, and then went to his ship to go to the briefing.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar stood and watched as Adenna took his lightsaber and activated it. This made him remember the first time Master K'munee had shown him his lightsaber. It seemed like forever ago but in reality had not been that long. Dahar felt honored that the Force had shown him the way and was now allowing him to guide another.

 

"Good Adenna." Dahar reached up and broke off a branch from the tree. It was about 4 feet long and an inch in diameter. He stared at the branch for a moment and then held it in front of him with both hands in a defense position. Closing his eyes for a moment he took in a deep breath. He allowed the Force to flow through him.

 

"I'd like you to take your best swing at me Adenna." Dahar revealed the hint of a smile with his words. He could sense a bit of initial hesitation from his padawan. "Go ahead."

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna looked at Dahar as though he had asked her to attack a child. She knew that a lightsaber was deadly and that it would cut right through the branch he had. She didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not her own teacher. The various Jedi Masters would probably look very dimly on any Padawan that harmed her teacher, even if the teacher had asked her to attack.

 

Some part of her mind told her that she should trust Dahar just like in his other tests. She hadn't understood much of what he had wanted her to do until after the lesson was complete and she had done what he had asked. Still, the other tasks he had directed her to do would have only resulted in a little embarrassment or a bruised shin if she messed up. This could result in his death. That little part of her mind that said to just swing was overridden by the rest of her that was repulsed at the idea of doing something that could hurt him.

 

"I can't," she said with distress in her voice. She shut the lightsaber down and lowered her hand, "I don't want to risk hurting you."

[SithAcolyte]

Darla remained relatively silent while people gathered around them. She nodded politely saying hello to each of them. Normally she would have been more talkative and friendly, but two thing were on her mind.

 

War and her family. The family around her and the fmaily to come.

 

Darex had joked about the Jedi needing to get their priorities in order. But it hadn't put Darla at ease. It had only reminded her of her duites and that there was indeed a war brewing. That much she could feel through the Force without having to reach out.

 

It seemed that Darex was coming with them, but Darla knew that his duty to the Jedi could call him away at any moment.

 

As she spoke to the others, Darla felt his hand tighten around her waist. He was clearly uneasy himself. She put her own hand gently on top of his and rested her head onto his shoulder.

 

Can I really bring a child into this?

 

In this Galaxy it seemed that war was inescapable. Darla realised that whenever she had a child, there would be some kind of conflict in the Galaxy. That was the way of things. All she could was keep them away from it. Protect them.

 

Nishant's friend Emily drew Darla's attention away from her own thoughts. A strange young woman with eyes of different colours. There was a sorrow that seemed to surround her. It made Darla think of Shy-Ree. It also made Darla think of herself. There was depth behind those eyes that made Darla wonder what she had seen in her short life.

 

What had I been through by the time I was her age? How many of my friends had I seen die? Had I touched the darkside by then?

 

Her own history was always a blur to her.

 

Emily seemed to be probing the group. Darla sensed her reaching out. It was a gesture that seemed quite innocent. As if the woman was just trying to get a feel for her new companions.

 

Darla smiled at her, hoping to put the other woman at ease somewhat. But if Emily looked into Darla's eyes she would see that her smile hid her own uneasiness.

 

When Skye spoke of leaving Darla perked up.

 

"I'd like to go with you on Serenity." She said to Skye. "That ship feels more like home to than just about anywhere." She looked up at Darex. "Do you need to bring a ship? Are you going to get called away? Or can you come with the rest of us?"

 

She had heard his comm message, all Jedi were being summoned. Darla still wasn't sure if Darex had to join them.