Taizen's training

[Flame]

Taizen Rehe loved to read. It was his passion. For he knew with books came knowledge, and as the famous old adage went with knowledge comes power. Taizen wanted power to stop evil and help the Jedi. But he also wanted to keep his friends and family from getting hurt. So, there he sat calm and complacent on the doorstep of the Jedi Temple reading a book entitled The Bothans: A Complete and thorough study with A. J. Chesterton.

 

[JM76]

Chester Ducere had returned to the Coruscant Temple after several weeks abroad. He had hardly gotten a chance to relax before he learned that he had been tasked with training several new Padawans. As a Jedi Councilor, such tasks were uncommon, but Chester enjoyed the experience regardless. Training a new group of Knights was an encouraging activity in itself. He could hardly wait until they took up the mantle of leadership themselves. Until that day, though, here they were.

His latest student was a Zabrak, Taizen Rehe. He asked around and discovered that his Padawan was sitting near the grand entryway of the Jedi Temple. Chester replaced his traveling garbs with traditional Jedi robes and cloak before approaching his newest Padawan.

Chester noticed the young Zabrak almost immediately. The Jedi Master walked toward Taizen and sat down beside him. "What are you reading, Padawan?" he asked.

 

[Flame]

Taizen nodded in respect to his elder and answered "The Bothans: A Complete and thorough study with A. J. Chesterton" it's an intensive and interesting look at a race that I had previously known little about. Taizen smiled sheepishly in respect at his master and said "I like to read a lot. How are you on this fine day Master?"

Taizen asked as he smiled and put his book marker inside his book and stuck the book inside his cloak.

 

[JM76]

"I am well, thank you," Chester said, contrasting the young Jedi's nervousness with a degree of confidence. Chester smiled back and extended his hand to the Padawan. "My name is Chester Ducere. Although your actions are commendable, I am going to venture a guess: you're not just here to peruse books. You are going to traverse the path of a Jedi, no?"

 

[Flame]

Taizen's tattooed hand shook Chester's hand and he smiled. "You ventured correctly my Master. When can my training begin?" He asked eagerly and with a broad smile, all traces of his nervousness being gone at this point.

 

[JM76]

"As soon as you are prepared... if that time is now, then let us proceed."

Chester stood up and brushed whatever dust had collected on his robes. He then motioned for his Padawan to follow him through the halls of the Jedi Order. These large, spartan, and damaged -some attack had taken place in the past few days, but Chester had not yet been debriefed- halls were glorious examples of masonry, and Chester was awed every time he saw them. He ensured his Padawan was still following him before he began.

"Padawan," Chester began, "tell me about yourself. Your life and your family. Your dreams and your goals. Once you do so, I will have a good idea of how to train you to serve our Order."

 

[Flame]

Taizen couldn't but help admire the statues that passed before him as he walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple. Like his master he too had heard of the attack but he was not concerned. Fate was a simple matter, and it sided with those on the side of morality. Morality was black and white and it did not shift with the times or with people's attitudes towards the Force, and their own destiny.

"My life is pretty nondescript. At a young age I was trained in the belief of hard work and that if I worked hard enough I would eventually get what I wanted. So I took that up to heart and I learned different languages through books and studying. I learned Huttese, droid speak, and I learned how to read lips to a certain degree. My family encouraged me in all of this and during the long breaks that my school masters gave me they helped me in my endeavors to learn and prosper and cultivate my foreign language skills.

I loved my family, but it was heartbreaking for me to see our family become so rich when many on our planet were so poor. So, I decided to get out and see the galaxy and left when I was old enough to do so with their blessing because they knew the pains that the galaxy held for many. My goals? I want to help those who cannot help themselves. I want to educate those who don't have the tools to educate themselves or the desire to do so."

Replied Taizen as he scratched one of his many horns that had a killer itch on it.

 

[JM76]

"I see." Chester's reply seemed to indicate that he was unsure of a more detailed response, but it was quite the opposite. He was quite pleased with his Padawan's altruistic responses, and he appreciated his noble ideals.

The two Jedi arrived in one of the many training areas in the Jedi Temple. It was unscathed by the remnants of combat in other areas, and it was simple in its design. The room was rounded, contained no chairs or desks, and contained several windows that illuminated the room with bright, vibrant light.

"Your words seem to indicate good intentions. This is in itself righteous. I would be keen on seeing how your actions reflect on your words. However, let us commence with learning the creed of our Order. All Jedi must know the Code by which we abide." He paused for a moment, and allowed himself to sit down on the carpeted floor before he continued:

"I am sure one as enthralled by learning as yourself has seen our code before. If not, you may learn its words at your leisure - you have free access to our libraries to complete this task. Once you have concluded any studies, I would like to hear your interpretation of its tenants."

 

[Flame]

"All right Master. I will learn and memorize our code and committ it to my heart. Then I can apply it whenever I wish and know it so well that I can use it in dire situations. May I be excused to begin the task Master?" Anaru asked politely as he stood up to leave for the library.

 

[JM76]

"Of course, of course. Return once you have concluded."

Chester bid his Padawan farewell, and he prepared to meditate until the young learner's return.

 

[Flame]

Anaru went quickly to his datapad and went to the Holoweb. He searched "Jedi Code" and this was what he came up with:There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.

"These are all paradoxes!!" Exclaimed Taizen Rehe as he groaned aloud mentally. "Oh well....I better put it to memory as best as I can." He thought to himself nervously as he repeated the lines to himself over and over again.

The more he thought about it it made sense, the code that is. Ignorance was avoidable through study and understanding. Passion brought about hatred and evil desires of the selfish mind. Chaos did not exist if one was at one with the force and entuned to its ways and path. Death didn't matter if a Jedi Master was going to be one with the force. It eventually fell into place like a puzzle, even though there were still a few questions he would like to ask his master; "What-if questions" and the like. But he had the idea down.

He headed back to go find his Master in the main temple area.

 

[JM76]

Although Chester was deep in meditation, the Force alerted him of his Padawan's approach, and the Jedi Master slowly pulled his mind back from its state of subconsciousness. As Taizen neared the room the Jedi Master had arranged for this particular period of the training, Chester waved for the Jedi Padawan to have a seat on the floor, unless he preferred to stand.

"Enlighten me, Padawan," Chester said, fully emerging from his trance. "I am curious to hear your recitation and interpretation of the Jedi Code, and to answer any questions you may still have."

 

[Flame]

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. I think this means that we as Jedi should help others gain access to knowledge since we have such a vast array of knowledge before us. We have so many options to knowledge and there are others in this world who are less fortunate than we are and do not have the options to just open their datapad. So for us there is knowledge because we no how to obtain it.

There is no passion, there is serenity. I think that passion is a catalyst that leads to the darkside, and if we succumb to our emotions and feelings than we can go down that evil path. So in order to be serene and calm we must be one with the force.

There is no chaos, there is harmony. Through the force I can gain peace during times of trouble. Chaos will be overwhelmed by the power of the force and harmony will endure.

There is no death, there is the Force. The force unites all of us therefore we do not die we reunite with the force. To die is a great adventure.

 

[JM76]

Chester nodded as his Padawan spoke, but he made no attempt to offer his own opinions until the Zabrak had concluded.

"Your opinions are valid and well-thought," the Jedi Master began, "but you seem to have forgotten a tenant of our creed. 'Emotion, yet peace.'

Disregarding that small error, I shall comment on your interpretations. First, how can you say there is no ignorance when even the greatest masters of our Order have not fully understood the Force? Are we not, then, ignorant of the Force itself?

How do we control our feelings, Padawan? Emotional stimuli and pleasures are the basis of civilized society, are they not? Should the Jedi be completely emotionless to hinder the progression of the dark side? Or are succumbing and expressing two different things?"

Chester asked. He did not necessarily disagree with his pupil's commentary, he simply wanted Taizen to defend his thoughts and express them in their entirety.

 

[Flame]

"Sorry about missing the emotion yet peace tenent of the Code. The books that I read had all sorts of different versions of the Code so, yeah."

Taizen pondered for a moment as his master threw some difficult questions at him. At first he didn't know quite how to respond and then he thought about it for a while.

"Just because you don't know something entireally doesn't mean that you don't understand it a little bit. For example, I know some things about Coruscant, but I don't know every little detail about every insect, species, and being on this planet. Even the most learned scholar in all of the galaxy would not know everything there is to know about Coruscant there's just too much knowledge for us to swallow.

As for emotions, they are a good part of life. But I don't think that giving in to them is a good thing at all. There is a difference between expressing your emotions and succumbing to them. It's all right to be upset, angry or frustrated, but don't give in to them and let them take control of your life. That's when the dark side of the force takes control of you."

 

[JM76]

Chester nodded. "Very well, then. Your answers are satisfactory, so we may continue onward. What do you know of the Ospion Guardians or their ilk, if anything?"

 

[Flame]

"The biggest thing that I know about the Ospion Jedi are that they are a group similar to a cult that defected from the Jedi a long time ago. They didn't agree with certain Jedi tenets of our Order I think....am I right?"

 

[JM76]

"Indeed. That is really all you need to know of them. Be wary of them; however, because we never tracked them down," Chester said. "They could exist somewhere, in the farthest reaches of the galaxy..."

The Jedi Master had a hunch about the identity of those who attacked the temple, but it was irrelevant to their discussion.

"We shall now begin to learn, utilize, and practice Force powers, if that's fair to you. Before we begin, meditation is key to maintain a connection to the Force during elongated practice sessions. Focus your mind's eye on the Force, and slowly allow your consciousness to fade away as the Force begins to control your senses and thoughts. Once you have started your meditation, we can begin."

 

[Flame]

"All right." Taizen sat down on the floor with his legs crossed in a sitting position. He started to empty his mind on all thoughts except the knowledge of the force. Even though many objects tried to distract him he imagined a big wall coming around in his mind and sealing off other objects and preventing them access. Inside the wall was a little sphere with streams of particles and quarks floating around in it. This was his vision of the force.

Outside the walls of his enclosed mind chaos ensued. Yet he was so at peace inside his mind.

 

[JM76]

Chester removed his lightsaber from its location on his belt and placed it on the floor before his student. Sitting across from Taizen's location, Chester spoke to his Padawan telekinetically, so as not to disturb his meditation.

Do you hear me, Padawan? I want you to attempt to utilize Force Sight. Keep your eyes closed and allow your mind and the Force to see for you. Reach out and replace your own vision with the power of the Force. When you can do that, tell me what item I have placed before you.