Birth of a Knight (Blaise's Training)

[Kath]

Blaise was finally ready. After coming to the Jedi after the death of his wife and loss of his son, Blaise was reduced to a shell. It had taken weeks for him to recover. Now though, he was ready to begin his training. Four masters were here today to select padawans, three of them had skipped over Blaise. Now it was his last chance to fulfill his wife's dying wish. He waited for the last master to choose.

 

[Santoro]

Aevis Santoro stood tall and strong, wearing deep green and black Jedi robes in the traditional cut. He had freshly polished boots, perfectly groomed hair, and a gleaming lightsaber on his belt... And all he could think of was how uncomfortable he was.

It had truly been years since he'd donned such clothing, nearly two decades. It had been even longer since he'd been present in the Jedi Temple, and it wasn't quite his home... But it was secure, it was clean, and most importantly it had Padawans.

Santoro looked straight ahead, waiting as the senior Jedi picked their apprentices-to-be. He was instructed to pick last for various reasons, but the great undertone being 'You weren't here'... And it was justified. Instead of assisting with day-to-day Jedi Business, Aevis had chosen instead to go exploring and making his fortune. Some Jedi looked at him disdainfully- he didn't mind. He knew more about the galaxy than they ever good, even if he couldn't perform Battle Meditation. Who needs it, anyway? He snapped out of his ruminations as the final Master chose.

The Padawan hopefuls had anxious looks on their faces, nervous and afraid. It was up to him to pick out of the remaining five- the other four would either turn to the Jedi Corps or practice to next year... As hard as it was, he had made his decision. Aevis stepped forward to the oldest of the Padawan, Blaise.

"Apprentice Blaise. With the grace of the Jedi Order, I offer my teachings to you as my Padawan. Do you accept?"

 

[Kath]

Blaise's face lit up with excitement. Blaise bowed low and spoke

"I accept Master Santoro. Please teach me the ways of the Force."

Blaise straightened. A wide smiled covered his face. It was the first time in weeks that he had actually been happy. The lightsaber of his wife hung at his side and he waited for further instructions from his new Master.

 

[Santoro]

Santoro nodded, a very slight bow. He smiled, and turned, beckoning for his new apprentice to follow... He didn't want to see the rest of the ceremony, so they simply left. They had work to do, anyway.

Aevis led Blaise down strange hallways- rarely used in the mundane tasks of the Temple-dwellers. They passed the dormitories, they passed the cafeteria, and then they passed the training rooms, walking up stairwell after stairwell instead of taking the lift. It was his apprentice's first test- seeing if he would complain. Eventually they reached the top of the northwestern tower, where Aevis had set up two cushy chairs, facing out into the soon-to-be sunset. The pair walked in, and the door slid shut behind them with a gentle tug of the Force through Aevis. He waved a hand for his Padawan to take a seat, and he didn't wait before taking the other. He let out a sigh of relief (along with his gut) and smiled, finally speaking.

"Well, now that that's over... It's a pleasure to meet you, Blaise. Outside of formalities, you can call me Aevis." He prodded his new Padawan's mind gently, and got an overwhelming sense of determination... And much anger.

"Tell me about yourself. What made you join the Jedi Order?"

 

[Kath]

Blaise followed his new master without a word. though he bgean to wonder where they were going he never once complained. He was eager to learn the ways of the Force and that's all the mattered to him. He took a seat just as Master Santoro told him to and listened to him speak.


"Its a pleasure to meet you too Aevis."

When asked why he joined the Order, Blaise's face grew grim. The images of that fateful night came flooding back into his mind.

"I joined the Order....out of a promise to my wife, Loretta." he said. A tear rolled down his face.

"She was a Jedi too. We ran away so we could be together and raise our child, Victor. She was the one who told me I was Force-sensative. Victor was as well. One night at our apartment on Naboo, thugs broke into our house. I tried to stop them from taking Victor, but there were to many. I was overwhelmed and knocked out. When I awoke....." he choked on his next words. "When I awoke..I found Loretta dying. There was no way to save her. She made me promise to seek the Jedi and receive training so I could save Victor."

The teers came slowly but Blaise needed to continue.

"Aevis, I will find my son. I sear it."

 

[Santoro]

Aevis simply nodded, staring out the window as Blaise told him the tragic story and how it led them to meet. He was quiet for a few moments afterwards, swirling in thought.

Depression and revenge have led to countless disasters, millions of deaths... And now, that challenge has come to me. He glanced over at Blaise, an expression of sympathy on his face and body.

"I understand. I lost a Master, was as close to family as I really can relate to. I will help you, Blaise, but you have to change something right here, right now." Aevis paused a little more, forming his sentences before he spoke.

"You joined the Order for power, for the strength to get your son back. You joined to use the Force as a weapon... And that is your first lethal mistake." He sighed, turning his body and facing Blaise, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Many Jedi have done this, many great ones. Some Jedi use the Force as a means to an end- a way to enforce the greater good. I am not one of them. As far as I see it, all you need is to switch 'the greater good' out for 'their will', and we have a whole other situation." He made sure to make eye contact with his new Padawan before continuing.

"You must not do this for your fallen wife, or for your son, my Padawan. You must do this for yourself." He smiled,

"That is not to say that we can't save your son. Since time is of the utmost importance in your case, I will teach you only the most rudimentary skills to give you the edge, and to get your son back. I will accompany you, but only if you swear to it that you return and complete your training, my way."

He stretched his hand out.

"Deal?"

 

[Kath]

Blaise thought on the words of his Master. He looked into Aevis's eyes and took his hand.

"Master Aevis, I agree."

Blasie was excited. He was ready to find his son.

"When do we begin training?"

 

[Santoro]

Aevis simply shrugged, looking out the window. He took a deep breath in, and folded his legs up to get in a simple meditation position.

"We already have, Padawan. First, tell me what your strength is. Then, tell me your weaknesses. If we are to function as a team, I need to know your fears, your goals, your favorite holodrama, everything. One mistake on the field can spell death, so let's prepare."

 

[Kath]

"Well, I have always been an excellent fighter though I lack strategic oversight if I am put to command. I'd rather be doing the fighting then letting others do it for me. I still fear that I am attatched to my family a great deal and if I don't learn to control my grief, then I don't know what could happen. Loretta told me that I also had an extremely high sensitivity to the Force and my powers would be great indeed. However, I have yet to use the Force in anyway."

Blaise was a little embarresed. Younglings here had more knowledge of the Force then he did and he was an adult!

 

[Santoro]

"So, you believe that your weakness is your love for your deceased wife and missing son. Interesting." Aevis nodded to himself, repeating it in his mind for later.

"Well, if that's a sign of weakness, then I'm not too good of a Jedi. The only reason I'm here today is because I love my deceased Master and living family. To be perfectly honest, I'm not part of this Order for the benefit of the Republic, but for the benefit of my future children, should I have any. Attachment isn't what leads you astray, it gives you strength. Obsession is the Jedi's enemy- even obsession to do good can be lethal. This will be your most important lesson, Padawan, so don't forget it."

Aevis stood, his hands tucked into his formal robes.

"I see you have a lightsaber, and I see you're itching to use it. Go on, give me your best swing."

 

[Kath]

Blaise nodded thoughtfully. As his Aevis rose and spoke, Blaise was stunned. He knew he could handle the blade fairly well though he could already tell that he would be no match for his Master.

"As you wish."

Blasie ignited the blade, saluted his Master and attacked. He feinted a high mid chst strike, but dropped it low aiming for Aevis's leg.

 

[Santoro]

Santoro waited for the very last millisecond before reacting, leaping upwards and vaulting over his new Padawan. As he arced through the air, he reached for his belt and unclipped his own lightsaber, thumbing it to life.

With a familiar snap, his emerald blade was alive, humming softly next to his crouched figure. He spoke in low tones, just barely loud enough to be heard over the two lightsabers.

"Clear your mind a little, I can read that like a book." Santoro stood upright, holding his 'saber out in a one-handed duelist's stance. He stepped forward quickly and didn't strike- a Form II intimidation tactic. He'd let his new apprentice get a little warmed up before he attacked back.

 

[Kath]

Blaise was amazed at how fast Aevis reacted. He was not intimidated by the step his Master took and began to remember the sequences of Makashi that Loretta had favored. He cleared his mind and let the Force flow through him, guiding his actions. Blaise knew that while he did know a few sequences of Makashi, Aevis was a true Master of Form II.

Blaise lashed out with an overhand slash followed by a quick backhand cut aimed at Aevis's chest.

 

[Santoro]

Arm outstretched, Aevis blocked the blows with the tip of his lightsaber, redirecting their energy away from his body as opposed to stopping them.

"You're relying on muscles too much. If I dropped this, it'd cut through the floor- we don't need forceful swings."

Aevis took another step forward, the lightsaber coming dangerously close to Blaise's face before getting snapped back. He paused once more.

"Answer me this. When you find your son's captives, then what?" He did a backhand swoop at Blaise's feet, trying to push him backwards again.

 

[Kath]

Blaise flinched as the blade came close to his face ducking before it would have hit him. As Aevis swung at his feet, instead of leaping backwards, he sumersaulted over his Master. As he landed he rolled forward and sprang up turning to face Aevis. He dropped into a defensive stance.

"If they resist then I will do whatever I can to take back my son. If they agree to let him go, I will walk away with him and leave it at that."

 

[Santoro]

"I don't believe you, Blaise." Santoro stood upright, his lightsaber held loosely at his side.

"You've been with the Jedi for less than an hour, and I've been with them for over two decades. Even I am not free from anger or vengeance, to claim otherwise would be a blatant lie. If I were in your shoes, or even my own, I know I wouldn't be able to walk away from murderers and kidnappers." He shook his head.

"I ask not to judge you, but to prepare for every scenario. The last thing we need is for you to run in, swinging that lightsaber like you are and getting yourself killed. A moment of indecision is all it takes."

 

[Kath]

Blaise thumbed off the blade.

"Yes Master. I'm sorry. What will you have me do?"

He stepped forward and kneeled before Aevis, hands layed upon his lightsaber in his lap.

 

[Santoro]

The Jedi Knight deactivated his lightsaber, reattaching it to his belt.

"Don't apologize, that's not the point. The point is that you have to commit to what you're going to do before I give you the tools to do it." Santoro crouched down to be on equal eye level with his Padawan.

"And to not bow like that. We're not as vain as people would believe us to be." Aevis stood, looking around.

"You and another will embark with me to the Mid Rim in the next few days. This will be our first exercise together, and you need to be prepared, so spend the next couple of days with the Saber Master. You already have a lightsaber, so..." Aevis dug in his belt, bringing out a wide-banded ring. He gave it to his Padawan.

"That ring once belonged to my Master. He set me down the path of the Jedi, much the same way I'm doing for you... So may you keep it as a reminder of your teachings." He paused a moment, nodding in thought.

"I'll collect you when we're ready to go. Comm me if you need anything." Aevis turned and walked out the room, leaving Blaise to his thoughts.

((Check your mail soon for the new thread.))