Gala - Jedi Praxeum Ruins

[Dashel Illioni]

Dashel watched his padawan begin preperations for their trip. He paused as something washed through him, a calling in the force that made thwle thin feline fur on the back of his neck stand straight up.

 

The disturbance concerned a Jedi and another being, one whose presence in the force felt muddied, obscured in such a way that it felt manipulated. Someone's force signature that felt that muddled indicated some basic knowledge of the force and therefore someone to be greeted openly until their intentions became known.

 

Dashel made a quick decision. "Hopeful Fejj, gather what you need and then join me on my ship, the Glass Tiger. We will be departing as soon as I figure out what's going on above us."

 

The force calmed almost as fast it had been disturbed, so Dashel slowed his walk to the surface to a mere walk. He might have moved faster, but he sensed that a balance of sorts had been achieved at the Praxeum.

When he arrived at the garden he saw Dahar, Xae-Lin, Tobias, and Kyrie just separating. He could not hear what was being said, but he got the impression that something had happened and that it had been extremely personal to all of them.

 

Still, his understanding of the Force drew him onward into the garden. He approached the team of Sentinel Jedi guarding Tobias Vas. At a single look from Dashel, they parted their cordon to let him through.

He bowed his head to Tobias Vas, that of a Master to a Hopeful. ”œGreetings. I am Master Illioni, how may I help you?”

[Tobias Vos]

Tobias exercised his arm. It was a little tender and hurt to move. But it would pass. The nerve endings were still tender, as was the new muscle. It just needed to be worked out. Onlooking he observed the Jedi Knight, and Master initiate a conversation.

 

He looked over to his babysitters. In turn they returned his gaze. Stonecold glares. Made Tobias feel home, if home were a slave yard and he was the new guy. Then a newer Force Signature came to play. Another Master Jedi. Tobias noted that he actually bowed and introduced himself. Finally someone with some manners! Was that little bit just too much to ask for? Possibly.

 

He returned the bow, and in a neutral voice he replied to Master Illioni.

 

"I am Tobias Vos, Jedi Hopeful. I am not sure if I am allowed to have access to teaching Holocrons. But if I am allowed, I would be grateful for a point in the right direction." Tobias made a special note in his head, that this was the first encounter with this species.

 

With his right hand, he reached into the hole in his jacket and rubbed the tender flesh for a moment before placing his hand on his side.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar listened as Xae spoke. She and her apprentice would certainly be of service in regards to the Dark Side presence here. "Yes, I believe that may be the best course of action. Keep a close eye on your padawan, she may be susceptible in her attempts to help." Dahar reflected on his own pain growing inside, "I myself may call on you if the need arises. I fear my most recent encounter with the Sith may have left me with more than flesh wounds..." In fact, he knew this was true, but not yet ready to admit it.

 

Dahar watched one of the praxeum masters arrive on the scene and politely introduced himself to the Kiffar. The guards still remained, moving to the side only out of respect to Dashel. They had been instructed by Dahar, their commander, not to leave Tobias alone and would do so only by his command no one elses. Dahar wasn't pleased with how the other master had disregarded the other the Jedi in the room, instead first seeking answers from the one dwelling in the Dark Side. In fact, it angered him slightly. What was becoming of the Order? To him it was becoming weak and lacking unity. He wondered if it was still worth protecting, or if there was something more out there for him.

 

He spoke again to Xae, "There is much to be done. Do not leave him, I am placing him in your care, regardless of what Master Illioni plans to do. If you wish to inspect the hangar you may." Dahar bowed a customary farewell. If she, or anyone else, wished to find him they would. He left the garden and headed back to the master's mediation chamber.

[Dashel Illioni]

Dashel smiled at Vas, "If my hearing does not deceive me, then the good Jedi Knight over there will be watching your every action until the Jedi council decides what they will do with you."

 

He winked exaggeratedly at Tobias, explaining, "Triani are a feline based species, we have hearing to match."

 

"Know now facing the Jedi Council will be arduous, your entire being will be examined. My suggestion is to be completely open, to be honest with them and yourself about everything and anything."

 

He continued speaking to Tobias, "I formally greet you and apologize to you on the behalf of the Jedi Order. If you need anything, you should speak with the leader of this Praxeum, MasterDahar Raikanda who is standing over there or whomever he assigns to answer your questions and needs."

 

"The Knight he just assigned to keeping tabs on you is unknown to me, but I am sure she will fairly represent the Order in her every action."

 

He bowed to Tobias and said, "Now if you will excuse me, I do need to speak with Master Raikanda. It was rude of me not to consult with him before speaking to you, but I did want you to be properly greeted before we continued."

 

"Once again, Welcome," said Dashel, bowing to Tobias Vas before turning around and walking over to Master Raikanda.

 

Dashel went over to Master Raikanda, waited for him to finish with Xae Lin before quietly saying, "I apologize for not greeting you first, but I thought it important to greet the Praxeum's guest properly."

 

"It seems that there is much I do not know about the situation, perhaps you would be willing to fill me in and let me know if I may help?"

[Kyrie Eleison]

At times, the greatest of evils are only allowed to persist, through the force of good intentions. As such, the Jedi will always be ineffective in combating the evils of the Dark Side... If the Jedi had sacrificed the lives of a few of their own, to purge the galaxy of evil's taint, wars beyond count could have been avoided. Had an Exorcist had been present in the temple, when Skywalker began his journey to corruption, the Jedi purge would have never come to pass. We are ruthless in the charges of our orders. That is why the Jedi Order will never truly accept us into the hold. Forever are we to walk on the fringes, combating evil in the only way possible to extinguish it completely: Without mercy or compromise...

 

Kyrie's emerald eyes flashed amongst the shadows, lit by internal fire, burning in solitude, just as her her mind spun, finding refuge within thoughts of a distant, dark past, filled with pain and righteous fury. She stood but a meter and a half from the Sith, but was forbade by her master to stamp out the evil before her, to halt the corruption of the Sith of the temple's halls. The shadows moved and swirled about her as she walked with the Sith, the spirits of long-passed Jedi whisking about her leather-bound heels, for she was assigned to guard him against further attacks by the righteous. Heresy should receive no compromise, yet there she was, protecting one made for the pyre.

 

Kyrie stepped further into the shadows cast by the dimmed lights in the darkened hallway, as Jedi Master Illioni approached, yielding to his command as he greeted the Sith as though a hopeful in the Order. The master lacked perception and the gift of foresight, or was naïve beyond imagination. Was she the only one to see the danger in this Kiffar, other than Master Raikanda? Even her own master turned from wisdom, to follow the folly of the Jedi Code. Such idiocy would lead to the death of all. The song changed tempo as the Jedi departed, becoming a whisper, streaming from the shadows, carried through the Force, into the ears of her master, to the Sith; Vos, and Jedi Masters Raikanda, and Illioni. It was a cheerless warning, a prophecy of the evils to come.

 

”œThe master of deception now begins with his dissection of the Word...

And with all of his craft and subtly the serpent twists the simple Code they've heard,

While hanging in the balance is a world that has been placed at their command

And all their hopes will die as both of them bow down to Satan's hand.”

[Tobias Vos]

Tobias was by far no expert, but it would appear that Kyrie was a little angry. Interesting. Were all Jedi hypocrites? The Sith were evil no doubt, but at least they followed their code. More research would have to be done. Extensively. Master Illioni left to talk to the man who had stabbed him, and then Kyrie told him to follow her. No Holocrons. How was he going to learn at all? Thats all Vos wanted to do, was to learn. He had not touched the Dark Side in months, yet it still lingered. The Jedi were so frightened. It was insane to think like that to Vos.

 

Maybe one day, he could change the Jedi.... In the meantime he followed Kyrie, with his escorts.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar beckoned his fellow Jedi Master to follow him out of the garden and through the halls of the academy. "Guest..." he spoke aloud and let the word roll through his brain for a moment. Perhaps he had indeed acted hastily. This young man was no Sith Lord, certainly not one capable of carrying the Darth title. Maybe he was indeed a guest and not a threat to the security of the praxeum. Perhaps Dahar himself, before his training, had carried a noticeable taint of the Dark Side. It had been a long time since he had thought back on the countless lives he had claimed back on Adumar. Master K'munee had dabbled in both sides of the Force but still seemed like a good man. Perhaps Dahar owed Tobias an apology. He was always willing to admit his shortcomings and correct them. He wasn't sure however, and would need to meditate on the subject and receive guidance from the Force.

 

"Master Illioni, I appreciate your ability to sense this disturbance and your quick response." Dahar paused and thought for a moment. "I don't know if this man is to be considered a guest. He most certainly has the taint of the Dark Side on him and that is why I acted so quickly. Before your arrival on the scene I had rushed down here myself... My plan was to eliminate this potential threat before things went any further. Yes, I tried to kill him. But he is no novice in the Force. I don't know if he sensed my intentions or could simply hear me coming, but he was not going to go without a fight. I can see this only as the will of the Force. The will that I would not succumb to the fear of the Dark Side and embrace it myself, and perhaps, the will of the Force that this Tobias live and stay with the Jedi."

 

"I'm sure you're aware of the recent Sith attack on the praxeum. It was executed by the Sith Master Darth Ares and I fear it was only the first wave. The Sith himself revealed himself to be an incarnation of the Jedi Master Aryian Darkfire. This was confirmed by Master Darkfire himself who appeared to myself and Master Ession from the netherrealm of the Force in the meditation chamber. He instructed us on how to bring him back in to this world. Master Scorp and Master Aryian are old friends so I know he is making preparations for that."

 

"I allowed my fear of the Dark Side to control my actions in attacking the Kiffar. I know what a slippery slope that can be. I even felt my connection the Light Side weakened by this. My attempts to heal his wounds were unsuccessful, that should have been the simplest task. I will need time to consider all of this."

 

Dahar stopped and realized he had given a near soliloquy so he asked for his fellow Jedi Master's opinion. "What are your thoughts?"

[Dashel Illioni]

Dashel looked over at Dahar as the walked, considering all that he had said. As Jedi Masters went, the man was direct and to the point. He appreciated that, the tendency of some masters to adopt vague and philosophical personalities seemed a way for them to avoid responsibility for their answer. Or was it a way to make sure the questioner took the responsibility on themselves?

 

He smiled as the though went through his mind, then focused on the several important matters that Dahar had been speaking of.

 

"Only time and the Force will tell us if his intentions are true. Perhaps someone can be assigned to teach him, to get to know him, as we would any other apprentice and judge him by the merits of what he earns during training"

 

Dashel paused as 2 thoughts occurred to him. He examined them and once he was satisfied with them, spoke. "Master Dahar, I would be glad to take him as an apprentice (OOC, my current one seems to have gone MIA). I would be willing to train him, to get to know him, and when the time comes bring him here to speak before the council."

 

"If that is not acceptable, then perhaps you should take him as an apprentice, a chance for both of you to learn from each other. He to be redeemed, you to find healing from your encounters with the Darkside."

 

He paused again as he examined his thoughts and feelings about Master Aryian. He felt confusion there, having sensed the Darkside in the man whom had raised him to master, but for him to have fallen to the Darkside chilled him. He sought calm in the Force before replying. "Master Aryian always was closer to the Darkside then many Jedi, having decided to seek what he called a balance in the Force, neither Dark nor Light, Sith or Jedi. I can see him using the Darkside, but how does one Re-Incarnate as a Darkside Master? Hopefully, he can provide some insight when he has been returned to us."

[Kyrie Eleison]

Even in the depths of depravity, there is good within each mortal soul. It is up to you to decide whether it is pure enough to save from the fire. Each case is different... We do not slaughter in our crusade, simply because they are Sith, but because they are beyond saving, or the risk is too great. Is he worth it?

 

With gleaming, emerald eyes, Kyrie looked over the Sith before her. They stood alone within his new chambers, isolated from the eyes of the temple, but for the sentinels that waited outside the doorway. Letting the song flow about her, her eyes sought out those of the wounded Kiffar, and a softness appeared behind the wall of righteous fire.

 

At times... The only way to turn one from the dark, is to show them the horrors that lie in the path to come. To relate with the one you wish to save, is valuable beyond measure. Show them your life...

 

A small smile flowed across Kyrie's face and she held out a hand to the Sith, Vos, beckoning him to take it. If their skin were to make contact, she could bond with him, if he was willing. She spoke, the fumbling words of basic.

 

”œI-I... Y-you should k-know m-my past. It-t is w-why I hunt t-them... So n-none m-may walk the path I w-was set upon b-by the S-sith, through t-their evils... I c-can show you...”

[Tobias Vos]

Bonding, that's what she intended to do. Adenna had done it to Vos in the Hospital on Corusant, this was what Kyrie was about to do. He could still feel Adenna's link, but he couldn't really focus in on it. Unknowning and Uncaring, he held out his hand.

 

"Show me what happened, I will show you what my path was." He wasn't sure what game she was playing, but he was basically their prisoner. Vos knew he needed to show them that he could be trusted. He waited for Kyrie to initiate contact, but his hand was out there.

[Tobias Vos]

This was obviously a mistake. She was trying to make him act like a fool. He retracted his hand almost instantly, and returned it to his side. It had been several minutes and she seemed as if in a weird trance. Vos returned to his bed, crossed his legs and began to meditate. If Kyrie returned to normal, she could retry and get Vos's attention.

[Dahar Raikanda]

"Perhaps. I have confidence in Master Ession's ability to handle the situation. I myself have never met Master Darkfire, although I have indeed encountered his Sith counterpart. More will be revealed. If you will excuse me..." Dahar bowed to Master Illioni and left him headed for the meditation chamber. Upon arrival he took position in his favorite seat and began to meditate. He cleared his mind and allowed the Force to enter him. He beckoned for guidance.

 

Opening his eyes he looked down to the comm/datapad on his wrist. He paused for a moment and then punched in a few commands.

 

Outside the room of Tobias the Jedi Knights on guard were paged on their own commlinks. One of the men opened the door and spoke stoically to the Kiffar.

 

"Headmaster Raikanda requests your presence in the Master's meditation chamber. Would you please come with us." The man asked politely, but giving the current situation it was obviously a command and not a request.

[Tobias Vos]

Silently Tobias stood up, and then followed the men to the meditation chamber. The whole way there the Kiffar was silent, and he had his eyes closed. He felt his way there. Following the path of the two knights until he felt a familiar presence.

 

"If you want to finish me off. You will not have it so easy this time." His hands were still cupped together, he opened his eyes to see Headmaster Raikanda, the man who attacked him.

[Scorp Jedi Knight]

Scorp sighed. He could not accomplish his current mission on this world. Moments later he was quickly departing from this world.

[Dashel Illioni]

Dashel left the Praxeum's leader feeling that he had done something that would impact the galaxy. As he walked to the landing platform, he reflected on the nature of service to the force, that doing so meant often mean doing things without knowing why they needed done.

 

Once onboard his ship, he began the preflight checklist while speaking with Kala. ”œIt seems as if the praxeum is fairly secure. Since we are not needed here, let us return to Tython until the Force or the Council sees fit to deliver us some work.”

[Dahar Raikanda]

The Jedi Master sat silently for a moment as Tobias entered the room accompanied by two Jedi Knights. With a wave of his hand they left to stand guard outside the door which shut behind them. It was now the two men alone and face to face. Tobias spoke of being finished off, however this was not Dahar's intention. For a moment he stared, attempting to read the essence of the man before him.

 

"I have not brought you here to finish you off, Tobias Vos. When speaking to Master Illioni you referred to yourself as a Jedi Hopeful. Why did you say that?" Dahar could sense the taint of the Dark Side in this man, that much was clear. But was Dahar himself that much different when he had started his training? Granted he had never been trained in the dark arts but had surely touched the Dark Side of his own accord. However, amongst the darkness, Dahar could sense the Light. He had watched the Kiffar heal himself with his own eyes in a very much Jedi fashion. In fact, there was something very familiar that radiated from the positive side of Tobias, it felt like a small part of Dahar himself. Unknown as of yet to Dahar that small part was indeed a familiar presence, that being the lessons and feelings his own former apprentice Adenna had left with Tobias.

 

Dahar let his pride go for he knew such an emotion would lead down the dark path. "I owe you an apology, I fear my actions were made quite hastily. This academy has recently come under the attack of a Sith Master and further siege is expected. You must understand how someone such as yourself could be considered an enemy. You did not come here in honesty and seek out a Jedi to teach you. You came and disguised your presence, an action driven by the fear of unacceptance. You are no novice to the Force or the Jedi Code Tobias, you know where fear can take you. It was only when your deception faltered that I could sense you, and the lie itself made your dark side presence so much stronger.

 

But, I can also sense the Light Side in you, which is something I did not see at first. So, I again offer you my apologies. You are free to stay here if you wish, not as a prisoner but as a student of the Jedi."

 

Dahar stood. He was a large man, both physically and in presence. "Are your intentions pure?"

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kiturra blasted out of hyperspace above the planet Gala. Kirlocca was almost sure that the Praxeum already picked him up on their scanners, as that was their purpose, to track vessels within the system. As he made his approach towards the Praxeum, he sent his codes so that he would be able to land within the Jedi hangar bay and not on one of the two landing platforms. After he landed, he withdrew 41D from the console within his ship and began to make his way towards the Council chambers within the facility. As he made his way, he was appraoched by one of the staff that worked within the facility.

 

"Master Kirlocca, I'm so glad you've come. After we were put on high alert for a possible attack, I thought it was weird that two Jedi Masters would leave."

 

The words that came out of the man's mouth seemed to be muted, as Kirlocca couldn't get past the very first detail.

 

<< You're on high alert? What for? >>

 

"Well, Dahar received word that the Praxeum could come under attack. We did follow through with his orders, but nothing out of the ordinary happened so far, just a few ships entered the system and made a clear run down towards the old Republic base."

 

The news kept coming towards Kirlocca, and the more he was shocked at the lack of competence by the staff. Trying not to show his anger at them, he spoke very calmly.

 

<< That base is abandoned. No one should even be there in the first place. Send a scout ship to do a fly by and see what sort of information they can gather. Report back to me with the details. Don't waste my time, I want to know as soon as you get it! >>

 

Feeling slightly angry still, he walked away from the man and kept walking towards Dahar now as opposed to the Council chamber.

[Tobias Vos]

Dahar came up to Tobias, face to face. Was he trying to intimidate Vos? Because it would not work, he was still taller and a lot beefyer. Then the Headmaster spoke. Tobias could sense he was trying to get a read on him, but there he stood. A blank slate on the surface.

 

"I have not brought you here to finish you off, Tobias Vos. When speaking to Master Illioni you referred to yourself as a Jedi Hopeful. Why did you say that?"

 

"Because I am. The teacher I had before, a young, rash Jedi Knight by the name Adenna Alluyen. She expected me to change like that." Tobias snapped his fingers. "After years of being mistreated and abused, she couldn't deal with it. So I left her after she herself mistreated me, and those around her. I wanted to learn, she would not teach me. She just wanted me to change in one instant. And I tried." He paused, Dahar wanted to speak once again.

 

 

"I owe you an apology, I fear my actions were made quite hastily. This academy has recently come under the attack of a Sith Master and further siege is expected. You must understand how someone such as yourself could be considered an enemy. You did not come here in honesty and seek out a Jedi to teach you. You came and disguised your presence, an action driven by the fear of unacceptance. You are no novice to the Force or the Jedi Code Tobias, you know where fear can take you. It was only when your deception faltered that I could sense you, and the lie itself made your dark side presence so much stronger. But, I can also sense the Light Side in you, which is something I did not see at first. So, I again offer you my apologies. You are free to stay here if you wish, not as a prisoner but as a student of the Jedi." Dahar continued.

 

"Your apology is declined. There is no need for it. I would have done the same." Vos's mind raced at his next sentence...Gala was to come under attack?! His face and emotions remained the same- blank.

 

"I came here to seek a Jedi Master, yes. I was going to reveal my presence in the Force when I found one and talked to one. And no. I am a very skilled warrior myself. If I was a betting man. I bet I could almost hold my own against you, Headmaster. And you should sense the Light. I have not touched the Darkness in months. Why will no one get that?" The question was rhetorical.

 

Finally, Dahars last question; "Are your intentions pure?"

 

"Simply put, yes. I am here to learn of the Light Side, can you teach, Master Raikanda? Because..." Tobias sensed something angry. Very odd. "Most of the Jedi I have encountered, or sensed... have been angry. Violating your own code."

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca found Dahar talking with someone that the Jedi Master did not recognize. Although his presence seemed to be mucked up a bit, swirls of the Dark taint clear within him, but not so much more than what he had as an apprentice when he first came to the Jedi Order. Not really sure of how important the conversation was, he stepped in, as his was important.

 

<< Dahar, I was informed upon my arrival that we could be under attack some time soon. Is there a reason nothing was done about three ships making their way towards the old rebel base? >>

 

Kirlocca took a moment to sense out the one he didn't know. He wondered what his purpose was here and why there seemed to be tension between him and the others. But his thoughts were interrupted when the head of security approached him rather quickly.

 

"Master Kirlocca, the scout hasn't shown us much. From our eye sight, the building is still the same as before, showing no signs of life."

 

<< Make no mistake captain Jarrel, they are there. I can sense them in the Force. Go to the communications and bring up Representative Garouch..... Also prepare a full squadron of StarSwords for separation procedures. >>

 

Kirlocca paused for a moment before he continued on, clearly wanting Jarrel to remain until he finished his thought processes. But after a second, let the man go do his job. The quicker they got things prepared, the better.

[Slicer]

As detectable as a small fish in the ocean under a moonless sky the Hashasheen emissary II entered the Gala system. Upon arrival deft hands took the controls, gently piloting the ship with momentum toward the target destination. He was only relying on his passive stealth systems to enter this space undetected, and had made sure he had dropped far out, away from the normal emergence points, in order to decreases the chances of his entry into gala space being noted. After all there never seemed to be much traffic at Gala.

 

There was remarkably a lot of information on the Jedi temple on Gala with in the Sith knowledge banks. Darth Nieghne Eleviin committed a kamikaze run on the temple about three years ago. NYFE MERDIR had attempted something similar shortly after but had revised it to a bombing run.

 

Yet all of his knowledge didn't come from old holos and archives. He had been on the temple grounds before. Darth Asperser had been in the temple and had explored its walls, after an attack and during the time where Piccolo had been knee deep in Jedi blood. That had been when he had successful completed the bounty on Serena.

 

Still he was accustomed to performing recon of his target so he established a geosynchronous orbit above the jedi temple, far from prying eyes. He of course operated the same way he did on hunts, which had him hide his force sensitivity the moment the warning that he was about to leave hyperspace began to appear. Yes his sensors were indeed capable of scanning the temple from a far greater distance but, he wasn't planning to stay in orbit long. Just long enough to get an accurate read on the designs of the place in order to better assault this system. If Gala fell, he would make sure the Sith took control of surrounding systems as well, increase the sith sphere of influence in the galaxy.

 

With his scanning equipment activated, he made sure his ship could scan with out being detected. It was a trait of his stealth ship that he enjoyed to a degree. Making sure the two AI were up and about Darth Asperser stared down on the world and watched as the data and pictures began to come in.

[Wookiee Jedi]

**In the Communications/Security Room**

 

Jarrel was careful in his preparation of the StarSwords, and was even monitoring them from the room. But one of his officers spoke up to bring his attention off of the prep.

 

"Sir, our stealth satellites in deep orbit picked up a space rupture, but they quickly lost any signal of a ship."

 

"It could be nothing more than a large ship passing past a star that caused that. Remember that we are close to Coruscant and they are far enough back to pick up those type of things. But if you are worried about a ship entering, keep watch for it when it comes through the atmosphere during the burn process."

 

But even that was of no real comfort to Jarrel. He quickly sent a message to Kirlocca to keep him updated on the situation, as the Jedi Grandmaster seemed intent on not being taken off guard.

 

**Praxeum Hallway**

 

Kirlocca received the message from Jarrel and knew what most be done well before the man could finish. While he couldn't sense anything directly beyond the old rebel base, he could indeed sense the coming storm. Excusing himself, he quickly walked back towards the Communication/Security room hoping that Dahar would understand his need. On his way back, he sent a return message to Jarrel.

 

<< Launch the StarSwords. >>

 

As soon as he did, he reached out with the Force and began to help the pilots out. Maybe he was reacting out fear of losing a battle that was surely coming, maybe even he was just paranoid. Kirlocca believed himself to be acting out of prior battles he had faced. He knew when the time was to go early and when the time was not. As the StarSwords lifted, they began to race towards their intended target....

[Slicer]

Sudden activity at the base piqued Darth Asperser interest. When that activity resolved into being launching fights he moved into action.

He had a pretty strong hunch about where they were going and what they were going to do when they got there.

 

After all there had been very few attempts at stealth by his men on landing on this world. This was a response to that no doubt, and one he would nip in the bud.

 

"Neutralize that squadron."

 

It was his only order, and as his AI quickly began to respond to the command, he began a remote slice of the navigation of the fighters just to verify the target. The Jedi temple was left behind with haste in order to intercept that squadron.

[Tobias Vos]

It felt as if two weeks had gone by sitting here, waiting for the Jedi Master's reply. Maybe the man was thinking. Or off in his own little world. Either way it still felt like two weeks. Off in the distance he could hear fighters launch. Something must be up around the Temple...

 

And oddly enough he could hear a ancient band that he vaguely recalled as "Green Day"

 

 

 

Tobias broke the silence. "I can leave..." the first sign of emotion from the boy, an awkward tone in his voice.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Tobias was right, there were indeed Jedi not completely adhering to the code, Dahar himself just as guilty as the rest. However Dahar knew nobody was perfect, and that we all learn from mistakes.

 

Before he had a chance to respond to him however his old mentor Master Kirlocca had arrived and entered the room, quite upset, demanding an explanation as to what was going on. The Dark Side must have clouded Dahar's judgement, for indeed nothing had been done about the ships landing at the old base, in fact he didn't sense them nor was informed about it. The Wookiee didn't wait around for a response but left to take care of business.

 

He turned to the young hopeful before him. "Yes, I can teach. In fact you know one of my previous learners..." He knew Tobias would then draw the conclusion to Adenna. "However I must consult with Grandmaster Kirlocca before volunteering myself to you. I fear I have fallen close to a line I dare not cross and would not want to lead you further astray. Perhaps though there may be things we can learn from each other.

 

Tell me Tobias Vos, do you wish to join our ranks, the Jedi Order, or do you seek simply instruction in touching the Light Side of the Force? Either answer is quite acceptable."

[Tobias Vos]

"The Jedi will never accept me. So, I would like to learn the Light Side." He said. It was quick and painless to answer, as should have been Dahar's response.

[Dahar Raikanda]

"Well Tobias, you don't know that. I myself unknowingly was using the Dark Side before ever touching the light, and I know Grandmaster Kirlocca is not your orthodox Jedi of old, although Grandmaster Darex may be a bit more conservative."

 

Dahar debated whether it would be right to take an "off the record" so to speak padawan. His intentions were genuine though as he could sense.

 

"We shall see. For now you should accompany me. If you want to prove yourself to me, and the rest of the Jedi, you can assist us in the possible upcoming threat. Now we should find Master Kirlocca and see what the situation is."

 

Dahar punched a few commands into his datapad. The guards outside the room left, and the security team ordered to monitor Tobias was dismissed.

[Tobias Vos]

"Unknowingly. That's the point. I was brought into the world under a blanket of darkness. It's all I ever knew."

 

The guards dispersed. "Thank you for trusting me- finally." Tobias said in his normal neutral state.

 

"Now, I don't need to be treated as a regular new apprentice. And I wish to be treated as someone who's had a master or two. I can handle responsibilities. If you have something that needs to be done, let me know."

[Dahar Raikanda]

"Yes, I can sense your connection to the Force is not that of any novice. If it was less you'd be dead by now.

 

Tell me, what problems did you encounter with my old apprentice Adenna?"

[Tobias Vos]

"She wanted everything, without giving anything. She wanted me to switch just in an instant. Cold, brash, and angry. On good days. She is also very impatient, and unforgiving. I fear her apprentice may turn out worse than she. From what I heard around the battle field, she used the Force to directly kill someone. My understanding of the Force was you have to obey its call."

 

"Adenna wanted every detail of everything. You must understand I was a orphan, slave, and sith. Every detail of information that I had was my wealth, my advantage to get out of a certain situation. I am not used to giving that up so easily. I can't change over night, or by the snap of her fingers." Tobias was finished. Every minute he talked about her, his heart raced. It ached. His mind brought her face up, and he wished things could have been different... Sighing he looked Dahar straight in the face. It was good he wasn't pausing so much as before.

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar thought back on the timid, half-starved Adenna he had first met in the cafeteria here. None of the words Tobias used to describe her would have fit her then. However it had been many years since their last encounter, and people change.

 

"I can appreciate that it takes time to change. You must understand though, Tobias, that your full dedication to this task will be needed. The path of a Jedi is not easy even for someone with us since birth. For one in need of conversion, redemption, or even just learning a new way, it will be a challenge."

 

Dahar could sense his words wouldn't sway him. He was determined to learn something new, which was good. Dahar's only fear, which he felt no shame over the realism of it, was the possibility of what lay buried. Dahar was a true Master of the Force, but at times the lines between day and night had become blurry.