The Jedi Training of Siri Firestorm

[Malon]

Slowly, a Jedi transport vessel slipped through the lower atmosphere of lush Outer Rim world of Ossus. The sun the planet orbited around shined brilliantly down on the forests and on the Jedi Temple, which stood high above the forests and rivers that surrounded it. The transport docked on a nearby landing pad just outside the large temple.

As soon as it was safely on the ground, a young girl named Siri Firestorm made her way to the exit and took her first steps on Ossus. She was a young Human girl who had been trained as a Youngling by the Jedi on Coruscant. She had been sent here, to Ossus, by the Jedi Masters on Coruscant to receive training from the Jedi Council Member who ran the Temple here. The world looked foreign and strange to her. She had grown up among massive skyscrapers and bustling city life, but this was much different. Trees and plants grew everywhere and there was few signs of civilization, other than the Jedi Temple.

As Siri approached the entrance of the Temple, she became nervous, not knowing what to expect. She hadn't been informed of her new Master's name, so she didn't know who she was looking for. As the doors of the temple swung open for her with a metallic hiss, she began to wonder the temple and look for anyone who could help her.

 

[Lavi]

As she entered and witnessed the grandeur of the Ossus Temple, the former home before the Jedi's move to Coruscant, she was approached by an adult human male. "You must be Siri. Come with me: your master is waiting."

He gestured for her to follow, and walked down the halls of the temple. The man kept a steady pace, neither brisk nor incredulously slow, allowing Siri to look around the temple while maintaining a time schedule.

 

[Malon]

Siri followed as instructed. She couldn't help but feel in awe as she looked around at the insides of the great Temple. At times she would stop and stare, only to realize that she was falling behind the man who was taking her to her Master and would run to catch up. As they got further into the temple, another wave of nervousness came over her. She could feel a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

What if her new Master didn't think she was worthy to be a Jedi?

What if he did and she failed him?

These questions and more plagued her young mind as she strode behind the tall human Jedi towards their destination.

 

[Lavi]

When they arrived, the man gestured to the door. "Wait in there."

The room was a large training room, emptied of younglings practicing their lightsaber skills under the guidance of an instructor.

 

[Malon]

Siri looked around anxiously at the large training room. It reminded her of the room in the Temple on Coruscant where she had trained with the practice lightsaber she carried with her now. She could remember the many times she sparred with it excitingly awaiting the day when she would have a real lightsaber in which she constructed herself.

She slowly walked over to the view window and looked out over the vast jungles of Ossus. "I wonder if I'll be training out there any?" she thought, daydreaming about running through the thick forest brush, practicing her lightsaber skills and her use of the Force.

She then realized that she was letting her mind wander too much and decided to get prepared to meet her master by clearing her mind. She got into a meditative stance and let the Force clear her of her troubling and distracting thoughts and ready her mind for what was to come.

 

[Lavi]

The one who guided Siri into the room entered as well, closing the door behind him. He watched as Siri entered a meditative stance and closed the distance between himself and the student. Along the way, he felt Siri's emotions: anxiety, anticipation, and fear.

"It would be easier to clear your head if you discussed it out loud," he said, circling Siri until he was in front of her. Even if Siri did not realize it, it was he would be her mentor.

"How are you feeling?" he began, prodding his padawan to engage him in a conversation.

 

[Malon]

The sudden sound of the man's voice surprised Siri, breaking her meditation. "Darn... I never was good at keeping up a meditative stance when startled.." she fretted, but managed to face the man and make eye contact with him.

She considered his question for a second and then responded, "Honestly sir, I'm feeling nervous...and afraid. I've never known a life away from the cityscape of Coruscant. This world is so alien to me...and I don't know what to expect of my Jedi Master. I'm afraid of disappointing him and being banned from becoming a Jedi." she confessed.

She then quickly realized she was rambling, and worse, was displaying fear; a trait opposed to the Jedi way. "I'm sorry sir...I suppose I just want to live up to the expectations of the Masters who sent me here..." she said.

 

[Lavi]

"Ban is a strong word to use," the Jedi answered. "A Jedi is never beyond redemption, regardless of how great the fall is. It's a matter of choice: to do what is right."

"Have you reviewed the Jedi Code and Tenets?" he further inquired. If she has been taught correctly, Siri would know how they are related to what she is feeling at the moment.

 

[Malon]

Siri nodded, somewhat comforted by the man's words, "Yes sir. I am familiar with both of the doctrines you mentioned. I suppose I just haven't put them to practice as well as I should." she replied, and managed a small smile.

The words of the Jedi Code came to her mind as if a peace gift from the Force;

Emotion, yet peace
Ignorance, yet knowledge
Passion, yet serenity
Chaos, yet harmony
Death, yet the force.

Her smile became wider as confidence took it's rightful place over her fear and she opened herself up to the Force to become at peace. At last a single question slipped into her mind, "Excuse me sir, if you don't mind me asking....are you my Master by chance?" she asked.

 

[Lavi]

"Yes," the man answered. "I'm Haar."

Haar did not have a family name to go by, since he was orphaned since a very young age. As one of the premier weapon masters of the Jedi Order, he was best remembered for his unusual hair color. Although mostly brown, it had hints of green.

 

[Malon]

Siri managed another smile, "Nice to meet you Master Haar. I am Siri Firestone." she replied, flicking her long brown hair out of her face so that she could assess her Master. He looked like a capable Jedi Master. She could remember hearing vague things about Master Haar during her stay on Coruscant, such as the fact that he was very skilled with a lightsaber. But she had no clue that he was also the leader of the Temple on Ossus as well as a member of the Council. "What would you have me do now, Master?" she asked.

 

[Lavi]

"Rest," Haar answered simply. "And get to know the temple here better. I'm sure it would ease your anxiety once you are familiar with what's around you."

She is much more eager than Haar assumed, from reading her report files. Something that probably should be addressed, but not now.

 

[Malon]

"Yes Master..." she replied, kind of disappointed that the training would not begin immediately, but she supposed that it was also the Jedi way to be at peace. She excused herself and went to explore the Temple as her master had instructed.

As she wandered around, she took note of the various statues that stood in the Temple hallways. She supposed that they were of various Jedi from the past, though she didn't know that for sure. It could be that some old Jedi got bored and decided to design them. Whatever the reason, they were majestic just like the rest of thier Order. She glanced into some of the various rooms as she went along the halls, watching the younger Jedi practice their lightsaber skills and learn the basics of the Force as she had on Coruscant.

Finally she came into a room lined with bookshelves that contained holocrons, datapads, and various other information type devices. She came to the conclusion that she was in the archives of the Temple. She thumbed through various holoprojectors and took time to glance around before traveling back into the main hall of the Temple. For awhile she took in what she had saw, as several other Jedi passed by her on their way to their assignments. She then took a turbolift to the top spire of the Ossus temple to look out of the viewport once more at the landscape of the alien world.

She quickly realized why her Masters on Coruscant had sent her to Ossus and to Master Haar. Ossus was far less busy of a place than Coruscant. The bustling excitement and, sometimes, stress of the giant city wasn't present on this world. It seemed as though the planet was at peace. There were no speeders racing between the trees. No skyscrapers blocking out the sky. Just wilderness, animals, the Jedi at the Temple....peace.

This peace transfered over to Silri and made her calm. Having seen everything she thought was important, she went back to the turbolift and rode it to the bottom floor. Then, by traveling through the extensive hall network, went back to the room where she had talked to Master Haar and awaited him to return.

 

[Lavi]

"You don't have an assigned quarters to rest in?" Haar asked when she returned. He was standing at a window, gazing out into the Ossus wilderness as the sun began to set, as he typically had done.

The master had no intention of starting training tonight, especially since Siri seemed desperate to begin lessons. Patience seemed to fall short in her mind.

 

[Malon]

Siri scratched her forehead at his question, "Now that you mention it," she began, "I don't think they gave me an assigned room to stay in yet."

Something about her Master's tone indicated that he had no intention of training her tonight. At first this made her upset, but she realized that, by denying her the start of the training tonight, he was teaching her patience and contentment with the current way of things. "I'm sorry Master." she said after thinking this, "I haven't acted proper since my arrival. Certainly not Jedi-like. If you will show me to my quarters, I will try to straighten myself out tonight so that I act more appropriately in the morning." she explained to him.

 

[Lavi]

Haar nodded and gestured for her to follow him. There was a room prepared for her, though it puzzled him as to why she was not informed of its existence. It did not matter: there were much more important things to do. Already, he had a training plan for her. Siri's apology was not very convincing: he planned on making sure that she understood what it meant to be patient.

 

[Lavi]

Haar nodded and gestured for her to follow him. There was a room prepared for her, though it puzzled him as to why she was not informed of its existence. It did not matter: there were much more important things to do. Already, he had a training plan for her. Siri's apology was not very convincing: he planned on making sure that she understood what it meant to be patient.

 

[Malon]

Siri followed Master Haar into her quarters, bid him good night and settled in for the night. Her first day on Ossus had not gone as well as she had planned, but she was beginning to like the planet. Slowly, she slipped a datapad out of the backpack she had brought with her from Coruscant and began going through it's contents. It contained the Jedi Code, the Nine Tenants, as well as the various lightsaber forms practiced by the Jedi Order. She opened up the segment about lightsaber training and slipped out her training lightsaber. She wasn't about to let her skills get rusty just because her first day was lacking of training.

With a flip of the switch, the snap hiss sound if her lightsaber blade flickering into existance could be heard. She then spent several hours, well into the night, practicing the poses of various forms on the datapad. Something about lightsaber training put her at peace and allowed her to loosen up. Once she was fully immersed in her training, she opened herself up to the Force and let it guide her movements. After awhile, she noticed that the moons of Ossus had risen high into the night sky.

Deciding that she had done enough, she switched off the training saber, put it back into her backpack, along with the datapad, and crawled into bed. Morning would come quickly, so she decided she would need rest in order to be ready to face her Master again in the morning. Before long, she fell asleep.

Her night was peaceful and when she awoke, she found herself eager for what the new day was to offer. Siri quickly slipped into her Padawan's robes, put the braid that symbolized her apprenticeship in her hair, placed her training lightsaber in a holster on her belt, and left her room to explore the Temple halls.

 

[Lavi]

She would not find her master within the temple, regardless of where she looked. Even asking around no one knew where Haar was. He decided to take the absence of training to see whether Siri really meant what she said yesterday.

 

[Malon]

After an hour of looking, Siri decided that her Master must be busy with Council duties and decided to use the day to meditate. However, she did not want to do it within the Temple. If she was to face her fear and her anxiety about this new world, she had to go into the jungles to do so.

After eating her morning meal with the other Padawans, Siri ventured outside of the temple and entered the woods. She didn't go far, not wanting to get lost. After reaching a small clearing, she sat down, crossed her legs and reached out with the Force. She could feel the millions of lifeforms that surrounded her. The silence of the woods brought her peace. She could feel the energies of the Force surging through the plant and animal life around her and the feeling put her in awe. There was a lot of lifeforms on Coruscant, but none that carried the Force as strongly as the ones here on Ossus did.

Siri decided that she wouldn't worry about her inability to find her Master. He would find her whenever he was ready to begin the training. For now, she relaxed and focused her mind in her peaceful mediation.