Ask Echoes of Insight

[Maura Starwalk]

"Padawan Maura Starwalk, reporting for du- !" Oops, she almost said reporting for duty. "Heh, duty." "Reporting for training!"

Maura had all but broken the door down to Kaisa's office upon her arrival. The energetic padawan was way too excited to be patient. Someone was finally going to try and teach her how to use her psychometry. Of course, she would have preferred Voran, but Alex was busy. She liked Kaisa though, so it was an adequate substitution.

"When do we start? Are we staying here or going somewhere?" The padawan immediately started off on a tirade of questions, childish glee sparkling in her big black eyes. Additionally, the girl was actually dressed in her Jedi robes rather than sweats and sneakers, looking rather Jedi-like rather than a teenage hypebeast. "Can you use psychometry too? Or...?"

She'd heard that a councilor that had passed when she was very young, Hannibal (@Mr. Teatime) had been able to use the Force power too, but she hadn't met anyone else who could use the ability. It was kind of cool knowing that, but also kind of not seeing as it was hard to get help understanding it. If she was paying attention she could sense what sort of things might trigger it and avoid them, but she didn't want to have to do that. She wanted to be able to utilize it to the fullest.

After all, even though she was only sixteen, in two years she would become a knight. She played hard, so she had to work even harder to make sure she grew up to be just like Alex. The memory of the space station flashed behind her eyes, and the girl rolled her shoulders back and adopted a new demeanor. She had to focus, and to focus, she had to take a chill pill.

"Sorry. So, what's the plan?" Her voice was forcibly calmer, but the wringing of her hands and rocking off and on the balls of her feet indicated the girl still had plenty of energy left.

tag: @Logan

 

[Kaisa Vanloa]

Maura's sudden and quite loud intrusion into her office garnered little more than an arched eyebrow from Kaisa as she peered over the datapad she'd been reading. Nothing on it was very interesting but it needed to be read, probably one of her least favorite parts of being on the Council.

No, we won't be staying here. Kaisa said simply, putting the datapad down on her desk and eyeing Maura inquisitively. And no, I can't utilize that power myself, but I have enough knowledge about it to help train you to use it safely.

Standing from her seat, Kaisa would walk past Maura and motion for the girl to follow her. She'd lead her down a couple hallways and towards the hangers of Brighthome where her ship was waiting. Kaisa would remain quiet for most of the walk, only speaking up when they were passing through the blastdoors and into the hanger proper.

We'll be going to Tython, Kaisa said, casting a glance to Maura. Have you ever been there? An ancient world, one that is very special to the Jedi. Much history, most of it not great, has occurred there.

Walking up the ramp of the ship, Kaisa would head for the cockpit and slide into the pilot's seat. She punched the coordinates into the navicomputer, the astromech droid that would be doing most of the actual flying work beeping and booping at her as it settled in and started its calibrations.

Assuming Maura had followed her and found a seat in the co-pilot's chair, Kaisa would turn to her with a look of interest on her face.

So how are your trials coming along?

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Tython?" Maura shook her head, no, but she recognized the name.

The girl followed Kai'sa to her ship, eager to get going, but attempting to dampen her excitement to less child-like levels. Not only was she going to finally get to stop and learn about her ability, but she was going to an ancient Jedi world that was definitely and totally filled with all sorts of cool, ancient Jedi temples and artifacts.

Maura plopped down in the co-pilot seat, crossed her legs under her, and immediately began answering the councilor's question.

"I think I'm supposed to be starting them soon," she answered. "I passed the trial of spirit already, so I only have..." She trailed off to count. "...four more left to do?" Yeah, that sounded about right. "I'm a little nervous," she admitted. "But I feel ready for them."

The ship took off, and the black, star-speckled expanse of space turned to streaks of brilliant blue. She would never get tired of the sight.

"Do you remember your trials?"

tag: @Logan

 

[Kaisa Vanloa]

She wouldn't say anything, but Kaisa silently nodded in approval at Maura's admission to being a little nervous. It was a more mature take than maybe she knew, and that was always something to be commended. Kaisa had met her fair share of headstrong and never-afraid padawans in her time, and more often than not, when those kinds of people were met with true struggle they were woefully underprepared in both their response, both before and after.

I do, Kaisa replied, nodding her head as her thoughts drifted back to her own time as a padawan. I remember my trial of courage very vividly. It was the first time I was ever put in a situation where I had to take a life. Kaisa paused for a moment, a low hum escaping her lips as she mused. A particularly nasty slave dealer operating out of the Coruscanti underworld. She caused much suffering, ripples that destroyed more lives than any one of us could ever know.

Eyes turning to the viewport of the ship, Kaisa fell quiet as she watched the whipping white lights of hyperspace. It had been a long time since she had thought of that, old feelings stirring in her gut. It was a crossroads that all Jedi must come to eventually, and how they handle the act - and even more so, how they handle the aftermath - spoke volumes about the kind of person and Jedi they would become.

I know you have been training under Grandmaster Voran for some time now. Have you been faced with such a situation?

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"You had to take a life?" Maura asked, a bit of shock in her voice. She knew that sometimes Jedi had to kill because the situation could only end one way. But she still remembered the echo of her master's voice on New Alderaan: "We do not take lives and we save all those we can." She'd asked if Maura understood. She did.

"I've... kind of." She'd never taken another life by her own hand, but she had helped Ruzaan kill a Sith once. "When Ruzaan and I got stranded on a backwater planet, we ended up fighting against a Sith. We beat her, but she like.. shriveled up into a husk. I think it probably had something to do with the Dark Side, or the raging fire that was going on."

Maura fell quiet. She didn't want to take a life, because it reminded her of that Sith on Onderon. It reminded her of that thing at the space station. Every life she took would stain her, her teachers had once told her. "Master Voran said to never take a life and to save everyone I can, so that's what I try to do. Although, one time..." Maura trailed off, not sure if she wanted to share the story, since she hadn't spoken about it since talking with Quin and Taz back on Brighthome. In the end, she decided to anyway. "I had to choose between staying and fighting or trying to save myself and someone else." She frowned. "I- I chose the former. The guy we left behind - his name was Drow - he... died. I... think."

Something had happened to the Ishi Tib, and he was certainly no longer alive. Maura bit her cheek, unsure of what she'd just shared. But not a moment later, she'd shaken herself out and spoke again with renewed determination. "I want to be stronger so I can save more people. And I know that if I learn to control and use my psychometry, I can use it to help others!"

It was a lot more than what the councilor had asked for, but Maura was pretty talkative.

tag: @Logan

 

[Kaisa Vanloa]

Kaisa didn't immediately answer Maura's initial question, instead opting to let the girl finish everything she had to say before speaking up herself. Truth be told, Kaisa was far more interested in Maura than she was in rehashing her own past. Though, that was probably more for selfish reasons than anything else. Kaisa and her past had a bit of a tumultuous relationship.

I did, yes. Kaisa said matter-of-factly. To leave that person alive would have been far too dangerous. They had escaped custody many times over their life and would undoubtedly do so again. They existed only to cause pain to others so I came to the conclusion that balance could only be achieved by ending their life.

A hum of thought through pursed lips was all Kaisa could manage as she contemplated the other things Maura had said. Was that truly the Grandmaster's advice to her padawan? The very idea caused Kaira to furrow her brow. It was nearly the exact opposite advice she would have given.

You were there when Drow died? Kaisa asked, arching her eyebrow. An unfortunate burden to bear for someone so young. Though, I think you can take solace in knowing that you made the right choice. Drow was a Jedi Shadow, one of the best. He knew and understood the gravity of the choice he was making.

Kaisa went quiet again, fiddling with some of the buttons and dials on the dash of the ship. The trip to Tython wasn't a particularly long one, but it wasn't just a silly jaunt across a star or two. Kaisa always wished that hyperspace could be just a little more.. hyper.

Do you regret your choice?

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura was uncomfortable, but maybe not for the reason Kaisa might think. Maura absolutely did not ever want to take a life. She always went out of her way to disable or disarm others, but never to kill them. Yet... if the situation came down to it... if taking a life would save a hundred others... She didn't like to think about it too much, because the answer to the question of what she would do conflicted with what she had always been taught.

"I was close by," she mumbled, looking away. Kaisa said something about it being unfortunate, then made her comment about Drow being something called a 'Jedi shadow'. Before Maura could ask what the hell a Jedi Shadow was,, Kaisa asked her about his death. Did she regret leaving him behind?

"I- " Maura bit her cheek again and began fiddling with her fingers. She felt super guilty for it, but her decision to grab Quin and leave him meant the two of them were able to leave with their lives. If she would've stayed, she was pretty sure that thing would've made mincemeat of her and Quin. But she never would've stayed. Her desire to live on was too strong. "I wish I could've- I wish I'd been- "

Where were her words? Was it so bad to admit she'd been scared of dying? Was it bad to have chosen Quin over Drow? "I regret that I wasn't strong enough to stay and fight alongside him," she finally answered, eyes half open and droopy as they welled up a bit. "But there was a thing there. It... it wanted me, and I wanted to get the hell away from it." She looked back up at Kaisa. "It was so strong. I took Quin and ran, but somehow it like... possessed Drow's body and kept coming after me." She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them close. "I'd never been so scared. I still have nightmares about it."

"But like, I also know that it was probably the best thing I could've done in that situation," she continued with a sigh. "Because I chose to run, Quin and I made it out alive. And... I don't... regret that." If she hadn't, she wouldn't have gotten to do everything she'd done since then, and she loved who she was and what she got to do.

Desperate to change the subject so she didn't have to keep talking about and reliving that situation, Maura zeroed in on the two words she'd never heard in succession before. "But uh, what's a Jedi Shadow?"

tag: @Logan

 

[Kaisa Vanloa]

Kaisa could tell that Maura was uncomfortable talking about the situation she had gone through. Not that she could blame the padawan, making decisions like the one that Maura made was never easy - even for adults, let alone a child.

Do not say you weren't strong enough. There is strength in knowing when it is time to fight and when it is time to run. Both you and Drow showed the same strength in that moment. Remember that.

Kaisa didn't immediately reply to Maura's last question. Truth be told, she had simply assumed that being the padawan to the Grand Master afforded Maura information that most padawans wouldn't be privy to. Clearly she had been wrong in that regard, though Kaisa wasn't going to brush off the question. She believed that knowledge was one of the most important thing a person could have. It was a Jedi's greatest weapon.

The Jedi Shadows are a group of individuals who operate outside of the normal bounds of a Jedi, Kaisa said, reading a few of the screens and adjusting some things as she talked. They seek out and destroy the darkside wherever it dares rear its head. Because of this, the Shadows generally operate alone and put themselves in situations we would not allow other Jedi to be. Her description was fairly academic, but Kaisa didn't think that taking the time to fully explain everything was prudent. They walk a dangerous line with the force and many of them over the years have fallen to weakness and succumb to the thing they swore to destroy.

The ship would drop suddenly from hyperspace, replacing the streaking white lines with the view of the once magnificent planet of Tython. The wound on the planet's surface was still there, a massive chunk of Tython missing from the devastation that had occurred there long ago. Still, the planet was making a comeback, slowly but surely. Such was the power of the force.

They descended through the atmosphere and skimmed along Tython's surface for a little while before finally arriving to a clearing near the base of a mountain, forest obscuring much as the ship landed. Kaisa would motion for Maura to follow her as she headed for the ship's exit.

Be sure you have all that you need, we will not be returning to the ship until our business here is concluded.

Kaisa would head down the ramp of the ship and onto Tython's surface, feeling the thrum of the force the moment her boots hit the ground. The planet was powerful in the Lightside but darkness lurked in its corners and hiding places, more so than many other worlds in the galaxy.

She hoped that Maura was prepared.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Strength in knowing when to fight or when to run. Maura nodded after Kaisa said those words, chewing on them in her mind for a bit as the half-Wrean continued. Whether or not it was 'right', Maura would accept it as such. It made her feel a little bit better about the situation, and maybe potential situations going forward.

But fuck that introspective, Maura wanted to know what the hell a Shadow was. She found herself listening very intently, surprised that she'd literally never heard about these dudes before. They were Jedi that hunted down the Darkside... "That sounds so cool!" But they often fell to the Darkside themselves... "That sucks... how come so many fall? Shouldn't the council notice before they do?" It wasn't like someone could just fall overnight, right? Maura brushed it aside and reminded herself three times in a row to ask her master about the Shadows later. They sounded like something out of a cool spy movie and she wanted to know more.

They finally arrived on Tyhon, and at Kaisa's prompting, Maura grabbed everything she needed and hurried to follow the councilor down the ramp. She had her lightsabers, her utility belt filled with snacks and water, and a poncho that would keep her warm in case it was chilly out. She wasn't sure what all she would need, but she was pretty sure snacks would be required. Speaking of...

"Master Vanloa, have you ever tried roasted rose petal chips?" Maura unclipped the bag from her belt that contained the spicy treat and held one out for the woman to try if she wanted. "I made them myself, they're really good!" She failed to mention how spicy they were, but Kaisa would likely get the picture just looking at the red-dusted chips. "Would you like to try one?"

tag: @Logan

 

[Kaisa Vanloa]

You would think so, Kaisa answered flatly to Maura's inquiry about the Council noticing before a Shadow would fall. But by very nature it can be long stretches of time before a Shadow might check in with the Council proper. That is why the position of First Shadow exists, as a point of contact to help Shadows in the field if they are having issues. Drow held that title before his death.

Peering down at Maura as the girl offered some soft of food - or well, Kaisa assumed it was food - she couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at the strangeness of the offering.

Made them yourself, eh? She asked, a bit of amusement in her voice as she thought about the odds of whether or not eating food prepared by a padawan would result in her immediate and untimely death. Sure, I'll give it a try.

It didn't take long for the heat of the chips to assault Kaisa's senses, and despite the pain of burning as she swallowed, she couldn't help but find the little treats absolutely delicious.

Pretty good! She said, her voice a little hoarse as Kaisa wiped a single tear from the corner of her eye. While she liked spicy food, sometimes it hit her a little harder than she cared to admit.

Pushing into the woods and toward the base of the mountain that loomed in front of them, Kaisa returned to her normal business-as-usual self as they eventually found a worn dirt path that would lead them up and toward their eventual destination.

Keep your wits about you from here on, Maura. Kaisa said, her voice returning to normal though she still felt the tingle of the petal chips on her tongue. We are far from where Jedi normally tread on Tython. Sith abominations still roam here, leftover from thousands of years ago when the Sith took Tython from the Jedi.

Even on a planet like Tython, the darkside still swelled in its deep and dark places, and Maura would be able to feel that as they continued following the path toward the mountain.

What is your greatest fear? Kaisa asked suddenly, though it was a pertinent question given where they were going. Think about it and give a genuine answer, and do not lie.

Kaisa would offer no other guidance to Maura in how to answer the question, though she would be able to tell if the girl was withholding information from her. Kaisa hoped that wouldn't be the case, but with kids it was hard to tell when they would listen and when they would not.

Regardless, the further the two ventured, Maura would come to find her worst fears weren't just things hidden in her own mind.

The forest around them almost seemed to thrum in anticipation, the darkside eagerly awaiting the girl's answer.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura giggled at Kaisa's reaction, both happy that the councilor liked them and delighted in her discomfort. "They're pretty spicy, aren't they?" she asked with a michevious glint in her black eyes. But the mood soon turned back to serious, so she cleared her throat and went back to paying attention.

"Sith abominations, really?" They were still here, even thousands of years later? How badly had the Sith hurt this planet, and how bad was it, seeing as the Jedi had still yet to wipe them out?

But she was distracted from her train of thought by Vanloa's question. "What am I scared of?" No, what was her greatest fear. She was quiet for almost an entire minute as she thought, unsure of what the right answer was. There were a lot of things she feared, but which was the greatest?

"Um, I guess, maybe, being alone?" The words seemed so lackluster in comparison to the hollow feeling it gave the girl. She'd always had the temple, always had her master, and always had a support network of other Jedi around her. It was them and their wisdom that had saved her time and time again. What would happen if suddenly, one day, none of them were there anymore? The very thought sent shivers down the back of her neck. "Or just, always being powerless to save others." Her mind flipped to that space station. She still regret not being able to help Drow, even if she now understood that she made the best decision she could have at the time.

tag: @Logan