Ask An Unexpected Beginning

[Ashen Kade]

Training Halls || Takodana

Since its restoration, Ashen has been looking for a chance to visit the temple on Takodana. The place had a rich history from what he knew and it was finally time for him to see it for himself. He wandered through the many corridors of the temple in search of the meditation gardens. Truthfully though, he didn't feel particularly enthusiastic about meditating and was looking for any excuse to ditch his original plans. He purposefully observed the various halls as he passed by but none of them seemed very interesting - none except for the training hall. His steps gradually slowed as he cast a nostalgic gaze over the familiar assortment of equipment from the entrance. A warm smile engulfed his lips as memories from his days as a Padawan flooded back to him.

Without a second thought, he quietly entered positioning himself to the side while watching the handful of Padawans and Initiates who were already present, presumably having some independent training by themselves. Some seemed to struggle more than others, but he wouldn't interject unless asked. And besides, he already had an idea of what to do now that he was here.

Watching the Padawans train has reminded him of his favourite training exercise. Though to him, it was more like a game than anything. With a cheerful expression, he strolled over to an empty spot, picking up a few training remotes along the way, and proceeded to set up a balancing pole.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Training Halls || Takodana​

Another day, another chance to improve. That was a motto that the young Kaedan Javik lived by. He had worked hard everyday since he was brought to the Jedi by his parents. Though he kept contact with them via a holo-communicator, he hadn't been able to visit them back his home planet Rion. While an extraverted go getter, he could be very intense when his mind is set to something which he would put tons of energy into. That being said, he wasn't close friends with many of the other padawans or initiates since his focus was on his training.

Like any other day, Kaedan had already done his meditation and force training which meant he was now onto what he considered the fun part; lightsaber form training. He hadn't adopted any of the forms as his just yet and wanted to feel which suited him best. He was definitely going to be more of an offensive combatant than a defensive so Form III's Soresu wasn't going to be his primary form. While Form IV's Ataru offered many advantages and maneuvers, he was more interested in facing the enemy head on instead of using his energy to flip around. In the end, he would find the form that best fit him and refine it when that time came.

With his lightsaber ignited, he used the training mode for his exercises. Today, he was anticipating the blaster bolt being fired from hovering remotes that circled him. This was Zatochi; being able to trust in the force when blinded or unable to see. It was hard at first but now he was getting the hang of it. Two bolts were fired and he deflected the first one but ended up being zapped by the second one. Three were fired from different angles and he managed to evade the first, reflect the 2nd and deflect the third. Even though, he was successful with that, he was still rather sloppy. He took a deep breath and focused more.

After another volley of bolts being fired from the remotes, he reflected them and the remotes turned off. He retracted his blade and took the covering blind from his face. He felt the presence of another but he figured it was just some random Knight or Master that was passing along. That was until he turned and saw the face of the new person. There was something strange about the man; something that called to him like a magnet. He attached the hilt of his lightsaber to his belt and his body moved, step by step, over to the stranger. He didn't even know why he was moving but he just was until he was right in front of Ashen. "It's you. I've seen you before. Who are you?" To say that Kaedan was confused would be an understatement. He had seen the man before but that would be impossible since this was the first time they were in the same area.

 

[Ashen Kade]

Pole set up, training remotes turned on, lightsaber in training mode. With complete concentration, Ashen hopped on the pole while balancing on one leg, ready to take on the hovering remotes that were circling erratically. By chance, just as he was about to deflect the first volley from the left, one of the Padawans unexpectedly approached him, throwing him off balance. "What?" Ashen yelped as two of the bolts from the remotes hit him, resulting in a heavy thud as he landed on the ground, its sound echoing throughout the hall.

The fall wasn't significant, but it wasn't ideal either. After getting up, he rubbed his left arm where the bolts hit him, still feeling sore, and observed the boy standing before him. "You said you've seen me before?" he asked the Padawan, arching a brow. "I'm Ashen, by the way," he introduced himself, brushing off his robes. A strange feeling gripped him; a sense of familiarity, but Ashen had certainly never met or seen him before.

His head leaned a bit while he looked into the boy's brown eyes, attempting to recall if he had encountered him previously, but to no avail. It was becoming obvious that they had never crossed paths before. A Kage like him would've remembered, given his species' remarkable memory. No, this was likely something else.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Feeling the pull towards the Jedi Knight who was setting up to train, Kaedan approached and that threw the man off balance. Kaedan told him that he had seen the man before and asked who he was. Confused and recovering from the fall, the knight asked him to confirm what he said. "Yes, I saw you before." When the man introduced himself, there was a feeling in Kaedan's chest, one he had never felt before. There was so much confusion in his head but in his heart he felt as if he had known the stranger for a long time. "I am Kaedan; Kaedan Javik."

After taking a breath, he focused on what was true. He had never interacted with the man before him. The stranger wasn't there when he was brought to the temple. He wasn't there when the gathering to build lightsabers happened. He had never interacted with him at all. If that was the case then why was there this sense of familiarity? Why did he know the face of the man that stood before him. It was extremely weird.

"I'm sorry I interrupted you and made you fall. I don't know why but I felt this intense pull that brought me to you." Kaedan really couldn't understand what was happening and so he had to say what he was feeling. Hopefully, it wouldn't creep out or annoy the knight. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Aside from the little friends he made due to working extremely hard on his craft, he didn't want to have a bad reputation that would hinder him from making more friends within the order.
@Scrumppe

 

[Ashen Kade]

This is certainly not what Ashen had expected when he came to the temple. Then again, the force worked in mysterious ways and he knew that all too well. The young Knight looked at the Padawan. Kaedan Javik. The name didn't ring a bell but that wasn't a surprise. Ashen simply smiled at the young man's apology. "Don't worry about it. I've done worse when I was a Padawan." He smirked at Kaedan before turning his attention to retrieving the training remotes he had just used.

"Wanna have a go?" he offered, gesturing towards the balancing pole. In all honesty, he had no idea what their connection meant. But whatever it was, the force certainly wanted them to interact. "Unless you're a little scaredy-sark," he playfully taunted Kaedan, accompanied by a challenging grin on his face.

Should the Padawan accept, Ashen would explain the rules. "It's quite simple, you get a point for each deflection. You lose if you get hit, you fall or if your foot touches the ground. It was a fairly straightforward 'game' if one could even label it as such. "Oh, and only one foot on the pole at a time." That was the catch.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Now in front of the Knight, they introduced themselves, both not recognizing each other's names but that didn't matter. There was something that was drawing them together which Kaedan now understood that this may be the force. It was not something that was fully understood in how it worked but sometimes one just had to let go and trust in it. After apologizing, Ashen told him not to worry about messing him up since he did worse while he was a padawan. He retrieved the training remotes then offered Kaedan a go. Even though the kid had just did his own training with remotes, he was gamed to go again. To add to that will to go, Ashen playfully taunted him. "I'm gamed." Kaedan smiled as he accepted the challenge.

Now that he accepted the challenge, Ashen told him that he would get a point for each deflection. He would lose a point if he got hit, fell or if his foot touched the ground. While that sounded pretty straightforward, there was another thing added. He could only use one foot on the pole at a time. This was supposed to be a challenge and Ashen was going to give him just that. "Got it."

Kaedan hopped up on the pole and took a deep breath and closed his eyes before lifting one of his feet up and activating his lightsaber training mode. He opened his eyes and put himself in a ready position. "I am ready."
@Scrumppe

 

[Ashen Kade]

Ashen grinned at Kaedan, pleased that he accepted the challenge. It intrigued him to see how the padawan would fare. Without saying another word, he gave a silent nod and activated one of the training remotes. Stepping back, Ashen watched attentively, his arms folded, as the device moved unpredictably around the padawan before launching two bolts towards Kaedan's left. If Kaedan managed to deflect them effectively, the device would shift to his right and shoot one more projectile at him. The young knight couldn't help but smile no matter how Kaedan did. Simply seeing him try was enough to bring Ashen joy.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan was on top of the pole and in ready position. He let Ashen know he was ready for this test. The knight nodded and activated one of the remotes. It was time for his challenge to begin. Lightsaber in front of him, he watched the remote hover around and move from its position. Kaedan kept his focus on the device instead of how weird it was trying to balance on the pole with one leg and do this exercise.

The remote moved more until it shifted to the left, firing two bolts towards Kaedan. The padawan moved his lightsaber and deflected both bolts with ease. He was letting the force guide his movements instead of trying to be in control. He wasn't a master of this but he was good enough to get by. It was one of the things he was trying to train so that it would become second nature. Being in control was sometimes not what you needed and that was something he learned through his many tries.

As the remote shifted to his right side, it fired one more projectile at him. Moving his lightsaber to meet the bolt, he didn't only deflect it, he reflected it right back to the remote which shocked and disabled it (Rolled 86). After the remote fell to the floor, Kaedan got back into ready position in case Ashen had more for him to do.
@Scrumppe

 

[Ashen Kade]

"Nice one," he commented. "Looks like you know what you're doing." Without saying anything else, he activated two more of the hovering remotes after Kaedan deactivated the initial one. Ashen was tempted to set a third on him, but he chose to go easy on the padawan. At least for now.

As the remotes buzzed to life, Ashen carefully watched the Padawan. Not only was his stance flawless, but his skill in wielding the lightsaber was also impressive. It made him wonder, however. Was this why the force seemingly brought them together; to train him? He still wasn't entirely sure, but Ashen found it a plausible explanation. After all, the force had guided the Jedi who found him during his childhood on Quarzite.

Whether he was correct or not, he shoved the thought aside as one of the training remotes fired a bolt at Kaedan directly from behind. This was the moment that Ashen was the most intrigued to see. Would Kaedan react by fully turning around to deflect it? Or would he attempt to deflect the bolt without turning, potentially leaving him exposed from the other directions? Who knew, but whatever it was he wouldn't get much reprieve as the other remote fired another two bolts at Kaedan's left.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Having successfully disabled the first remote, Kaedan stood, still on one leg, at his ready position. He got complemented by Ashen who also stated that he looked like he knew what he was doing. The crazy part was, Kaedan didn't exactly know what he was doing. He had never used the balancing pole before so this was the first time. Even so, he accepted the praise for his accomplishment.

Without more time passing, two more remotes began hovering. It would appear that the Jedi had more he wanted to see from Kaedan. The remotes hovered and moved around, twisting and turning as they did so. He kept his center while focusing on the remotes that moved unpredictably. This exercise would be a good way to show how patient a person was as they had to wait for the remote to do its thing instead of them simply trying to move first.

The first remote, which happened to be behind Kaedan, fired a bolt at him. Kaedan turned to face the bolt, deflecting it but it caused him to lose his center and his balance (rolled 50). While he looked as if he would fall, he barely was on the edge of the pole. The second remote fired two bolts at Kaedan from the left. He flipped over the first shot and landed back on the center of the pole which allowed him to reflect the 2nd bolt into the remote, disabling it (rolled 71). "Nearly had me there." He got back into ready position, watching the other remote closely.
@Scrumppe

 

[Ashen Kade]

Ashen observed Kaedan closely as the young Jedi deflected the initial attack and managed to regain his balance on the pole. Despite a close call, Kaedan's performance was commendable. Ashen couldn't help but smirk in response to Kaedan's remark, folding his arms in anticipation of the other two bolts. In his amazement, Ashen raised his eyebrows as Kaedan executed a smooth flip over the second projectile and gracefully landed on the pole, before redirecting the third bolt back at the training remote.

Yet before the final remote could even initiate another volley, Ashen force-pulled it towards himself and deactivated it, placing it down. "Nice work," he motioned for Kaedan to come over, waiting patiently for the young man to hop off the pole and join him before addressing him. With a friendly smile, he looked at the padawan and offered, "Why don't you come and walk with me?" With a nod, he signalled to one of the training droids that they were done, then motioned for Kaedan to follow as he turned to make his way toward the exit.

It was probably appropriate for them to talk about the strange feeling they were having earlier, and what it meant going forward. But first, he had another question. "How did you find that?" he asked, as they made their way through the grand halls of the temple.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan had disabled one of the two remotes and was ready to defend against the last remote. That attack never came because the remote was pulled towards Ashen with the force and deactivated. The Knight commended the padawan and motioned for him to come over. Kaedan nodded, deactivated his lightsaber and hopped off the pole. He joined Ashen while reattaching the hilt of his weapon to his belt.

Asked to walk with Ashen, Kaedan nodded and walked with the knight. It was extremely strange how they met but Kaedan felt like this was meant to be. As they walked through the grand halls, Ashen asked the boy how he found the exercise. "Interesting. I have never tried it but somehow it was the right amount of challenge I needed. It's like you knew just what I needed to do but that's not something that would be normal."

To say there was a level of confusion and excitement from the mystery of why they were brought together would be an understatement. Kaedan for sure knew it was the force now. He simply had to accept that the force worked in mysterious ways and if it thought that he should be traveling with Jedi Knight Ashen then he would have to listen to it. Then it hit him; he finally remembered where he saw Ashen. "I know how I knew you, how I saw you before. I had a force vision. It wasn't clear until now but I can feel it. I am supposed to be here because you are here. I think I am supposed to be your padawan, master."
@Scrumppe

 

[Ashen Kade]

Ashen was taken aback when Kaedan referred to him as 'Master,' sending shivers down his back. He came to a halt and turned to the boy, "A vision?" he asked, feeling uncertain. The idea of having a padawan had never crossed his mind before. Frankly, he still saw himself as too young and inexperienced. He hesitated, contemplating the weight of the responsibility that came with it, unsure if he was even ready for the task. Was he capable of being a good master? Possibly, yet a feeling of uneasiness washed over him, questioning his ability to be an effective teacher.

Yet despite his doubts, it seemed that the force had faith in him. Overcoming his personal worries would prove to be a difficult task, but ever since he became a member of the Order, he had been taught to trust in the force, even when it did prove to be difficult. With a deep breath, he mustered a soft smile at Kaedan. "Should we get going then, Padawan?"

It was odd, calling someone his padawan, yet it also felt right somehow. It felt like the correct decision.

@StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan walked with Ashen, finally remembering where he had seen the man before. He explained to Ashen that it was a force vision which the response he gave was expected. The knight questioned it and to that Kaedan nodded. "Yes. I am sure of it." Kaedan never had much of a connection to many tutors or knights and masters that came in contact with. Well not in the sense of the connection he felt now. There was something drastically different and that was how he knew that this was different.

Ashen took a deep breath before smiling at Kaedan, speaking to him. "Yes, master." It was time for this journey to begin as master and apprentice. It was something that was unexpected but such as the way of the force. "I will gather my things and meet you at the entrance." He said, running off to his room and gathering his things even though it wasn't much. He threw them into a satchel and met Ashen back at the entrance. "Let's go."

/End
@Scrumppe