Lehon - Jedi Temple

[Meku Simka]

Lehon, once known as Rakata Prime
Tempered Wastes, Unknown Regions

 

Simka had developed, during his time in the Temple growing up, a sort of unhealthy obsession with star-charts. He would often be engrossed in the hologalaxy in the library of the Felucia Jedi Temple during his childhood, wondering if he would ever be able to be to all the known regions. So, while this entire trip had, so far, been a surprise to the young Mirialan - from finding out the famous Master Leena Kil was interested in mentoring him to seeing hyperspace in all its azure glory for the very first time - nothing came close to the fact that his first trip was not towarda any of the known regions of the Galaxy but, in fact, the even cooler alternative: the Unknown Regions.

 

"But, why Lehon?" he wondered out loud as he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, heaved in a deep breath and relaxed his form, having practiced the Form I katas throughout their trip. He brought the durasteel cylinder that constituted his training lightsaber up and stared at it. Master Leena had basically helped him fry the blade power adjustment knob, and that meant his training saber had actually become quite a bit dangerous. He twirled the hilt around in his hand and ignited the saber, the blue plasma blade snap-hissing to life.

Blue was not really his colour, he thought.

 

Simka was attempting to resume training in the Form I katas as his Master had instructed when klaxons started blaring and a moment later, they had dropped out of hyperspace. Simka wobbled a bit for a second, this being his first time dropping out of hyperspace in an actual freighter outside of a flight simulator.

 

"Whoa," the Mirialan grinned, yet only a second later the expression of awed delight was wiped off of his face. Klaxons started blaring again, though this time, the entire crew suddenly shifted to emergency mode. Master Leena grabbed him and seated the stunned boy forcefully, and Simka quickly snapped out of his stupor once the situation started making sense to him. "Kriff. I'm actually up against Sith now?!" he exclaimed.

 

Que Epic Force Music

 

Finding himself panicking, the Mirialan boy quickly reached out into the Force. Waves of darkness, promising death and dripping with venom, assaulted his senses. The Sith... the Mirialan shook head, before beginning to focus through the darkness. Above it, beyond it, towards the Light. For a moment, the darkness was so suffocating that he felt his hope of reaching out to the Light ever an unreachable dream. Then, he felt it - near instead of far. Master Leena was the Light, he realized - she was his closest manifestation of it. Closing his eyes, Simka focused on his Master, finding himself being positively blinded by the intensity of her Light. Through Leena's Light, Simka connected himself to the pervading light of the Living Force.

 

His Master's voice was an ethereal echo that seemed to come from everywhere at once as Simka meditated upon his newly-forged bond with her. Following her voice, her instructions and her presence in the Light, Simka felt a surge of power - pure, beautiful and luminescent - flow through his every vein. His eyes took on a faraway look as he opened them again, connected, through Leena, to each and every single person Leena herself was connected to through the Force. The Padawan felt his Master as she squeezed his hand, and through her, he felt the captain, the other Jedi - every friendly and every hostile. In fact, Simka was quite surprised when he felt his Master's signature in the Force intertwined with those of the hostiles, and he quickly realized with a slightly agape jaw that she was drawing strength from the smothered light that emanated even from those ambassadors of the Dark Side.

 

Simka instinctively knew what Leena was doing, even though it was his first time actually doing it or even seeing someone do it. "Whoa..." he couldn't help but voice, but he quickly shook his head and returned to focusing again. He followed Leena's actions in the Force again, before beginning to copy her to the best of his ability. It took quite a lot out of him, he realized, as his stamina had not yet developed to employ the Force on such a vast scale. Nonetheless, through sheer focus, the Mirialan attempted to augment the morale and fighting spirit of his comrades through the Light, and attempt to boost the Light within the Sith as Leena was doing, which would have the effect of making them reconsider and feel guilty over what they were doing.

 

In truth, Simka's contribution - due to his inexperience and present insignificance in the presence of so many powerful foes and allies - was like that of a drop falling into an ocean.

Still; ultimately, it was drops that made up an ocean.

So, Simka focused, his immersion in the Force preventing him from worrying too much about the insane dives and drops their freighter and its ace of a captain was presently employing. He only truly registered that they had landed in the Jedi Temple after the fact had occurred, and he felt the onslaught of Light that a nexus such as the Temple emanated against the curtain wall of his senses.

 

Simka gasped as he disconnected himself from his attempt at joining in the Battlemind, placing a hand on his chest as he heaved in deep breaths, feeling he could finally rest for a few moments now that they were safely in the confines of the Temple. Panting, he turned towards Master Leena. "M-Master, were those... the Sith? Why are they attacking us everywhere?" the wet-behind-the-ears Padawan asked.

Edited July 30, 2021 by Simka Suume

[Meku Simka]

Background Music: The Force Theme - Epic Cinematic

 

Simka took in the Temple, soaking in the serenity that radiated from the place with closed, content eyes. He opened his aquamarine orbs to look at his Master, taking in her words and her instructions as they strolled from the landing pads towards the Temple interior. He had seen the offer of apprenticeship coming for a while now, even since Master Leena had taken an unusual amount of interest in him back on Felucia. Still, that didn't make it any less special when she actually called him 'Padawan' for the very first time. Allowing the rain to drench him, Simka smiled kindly and bowed formally before his Master in acknowledgement.

 

"Thank you, Master..."

 

Simka then followed Leena into the Temple, aquamarine eyes darting about as he took in its exquisite beauty, rain-drenched boots squelching with each step. Unlike most people, Simka adored the rain. For some inexplainable reason, it always brought peace to his heart. Perhaps it was because his homeworld, Mirial, was known to be dry and desolate, or perhaps there was some other reason that he had yet to unearth. In any case, the one thing about this entire precarious situation he suddenly found himself in that he actually was relieved about, was the climate.

Again, Simka adored rain.

 

As Leena motioned him into the alcove, Simka followed, but still a short distance outside, not truly entering the alcove so that the raindrops could still reach his skin. He let the rain pelt against his body, enjoying the feeling of the cool water against his jade skin. He nodded calmly to his Master she imparted him advise and instructions, before turning around and beginning to leave. His Master spoke again, and the rain-drenched Mirialan turned around, only to find a healing crystal pressed into his hand.

His eyes widened and, despite the absurd tension of the situation, he couldn't help but grin. "Wow. Whoa... Oh wow," he exclaimed, shaking his head. The gentle, loving and comforting aura of the healing crystal nuzzled against the palm of his hand, and he felt the pristine vivaciousness it contained within his heart. Simka looked at Master Leena with pure, unadultered gratitude and admiration. "T-Thanks, Master... I wasn't expecting this, it means a lot."

 

He nodded firmly at her, taking in her instructions to heart, before he took off across the open Temple Grounds, disappearing into the rain. He made sure to safety pocket the healing crystal given to him, and quickly stopped the first youngling he found. "Greetings, young one."

 

"H-Hello Master," the small Togruta, a clearly frightened one, looked up at him with huge green eyes. She couldn't have been older than four or five. Simka smiled warmly down at her, flinching a bit at a thunderstroke in the skies above. He gestured her towards another alcove, and for the first time, the rain-soaked Padawan stepped out of the storm with the youngling following. His robes felt like an anchor weighing down his own body as he did so, and he wiped the water out of his face and eyes. Love the weather...!

Simka then returned his focus to the confused youngling whose attention he had bought, crouching down on one knee so he was level with her. "First of all, little one, I'm not a Master. I just got one myself. You can call me," he paused, realizing it was his first time actually acknowledging his newly acquired rank. "Padawan Suume."

The Togruta nodded, giving a formal bow, exhibiting good Jedi etiquette that had obviously been drilled into her like they were into all those who grew up at the Temple. "Greetings, Padawan Suume. My name is Amyko Rani. W-What do you need me for?"

Simka gave the youngling a warm smile, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you afraid, young one? Do you sense it?" The Dark Side? he didn't say the last three words out aloud, but it was obvious what was being spoken of.

 

The little Togruta nodded rapidly, talking a couple steps forwards and leaning closer into Simka's much larger body for comfort. Simka's eyes grew softer, for he too felt what she felt, and he had needed his own Master's presence to anchor him. So, remembering a bit of the lessons he had recently learned, he allowed the Light to conduct through him into the little Togruta girl, bringing her warmth and comfort.

 

"The Dark Side is strong, but a small candle is enough to light up a whole chamber enshrouded in darkness," said the Padawan to the youngling, catching her amazed eyes. "Now, I need your help. We need to do something, something that is very important for all of us, to help us defeat the Dark Side you're sensing," he explained, and she nodded at him. "Point me in the direction of the Temple's crèche complex. Then, go around the place and round up as many of your friends as you can that aren't there right now. Tell them to join up with me by that alcove," he pointed in the direction of the alcove where Master Leena had given him the healing crystal and declared his apprenticeship moments prior. "Next to the landing pads. Tell them to spread the word, too. I want everybody there in fifteen minutes. You got that, Miss Rani?"

The orange-skinned Togruta nodded enthusiastically. "On it, Padawan Suume!" she exclaimed, earning a chuckle from the new-minted Padawan, before she took his hand and began dragging him towards the crèche complex.

In due time, younglings and hopefuls throughout the Temple began to move, gathering in a single place next to the landing pads from whence a hasty evacuation could be easily and safely accomplished...

Edited August 11, 2021 by Simka Suume

[Meku Simka]

Simka led the mass of younglings he had rounded up from the Crèche straight towards the designated alcove, letting Amyko gather all the others whom he could not reach. Amyko had, in turn, recruited a lot more younglings and hopefuls to the cause, including her friends Karra, a Kel Dor and Uzem, a Firrerreo, and soon enough, as the storm began to dwindle, the Seed of Lehon's Jedi had all been gathered at a single assembly point, near enough to their presumed extraction point: the Landing Pads.

Simka halted suddenly when he felt a fire in the Force suddenly snuff out. The feeling that followed was ominous and foreboding; a void, like a black hole borne out of the implosion of a giant star. Blinking, Simka took a few anxious steps out into the dwindling storm again, using his arms to shield his eyes but nonetheless facing the general direction of the void. Darkness unopposed, reaching out to him in waves. Beckoning, beguiling, seductive...

It came, suddenly, literally slamming into his face in the wind. Simka caught the fabric and pulled it off his face, bringing his hand up to observe what looked to be a Jedi cloak. As it flapped violently against the gusts, threatening to fly out of his hand should he so much as loosen his grip even slightly, Simka nonetheless felt a sort of comfort and warmth emanating from it. Traces of the very same Light that, he could tell, was no longer here to shield them all.

Explosions rocked his world not soon after, and Simka looked up to see the Sith ships, swarming down over the Temple like a swarm of star-locusts. The Padawan didn't need to know what needed to be done next. "Amyko, Karra, Uzem, everybody, follow me!"

 

Garbing himself in the Cloak he had just caught, the Padawan closed his eyes and focused. Simka reached out into the boundless ocean of light, unlocking its flood-gates and letting it fall into him and through him, thus enabling him to emanate as much of the Light as he could. While it would render him exposed to the Sith and anyone who could sense the Light, thus putting him at risk, his purpose in doing so was to give the younglings and hopefuls around him something to hold onto through the Consuming Darkness, lest its horrific iniquity overtake their still-underdeveloped psyches.

 

It was in thus manner that the Padawan led the swathe of younglings from the alcove down to the Temple Grounds and through them towards the Landing Pads, as he opened himself up to the Pervading Light and allowed it to direct him towards the safest route, farthest from the blaster fire, the screams and the stench of cauterized flesh.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Simka Suume