Settling in [OPEN]

[Lycanthorph]

After being given the datapad and vibroblade from the young Padawan, he attaches the vibroblade to his belt and activates the second datapad, accessing the HoloNet.
He observes the map for a few moments before he locates the living quarters.
He sets a waypoint to his room and walks off, following the path.
On the way there he observes the interior architecture and other Jedi.
Few minutes later, he arrives to the living quarters and to his room.
As he steps into his room, he turns off the datapad and looks around.
A simple bed, few lockers for his personal items and a window with a view of the city.
He smiles as he approaches the window and gazes into the city.
After a few moments, he turns away from the window and sets his backpack down.
He then begins unpacking.
Soon, he has finished unpacking. He then sets the backpack by the lockers, unstraps the vibroblade from his belt and gives it a few swings, getting familiar with this weapon.

 

[The Philosopher]

Haken walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple. It was very nice, with all of the different people and personalities. The young Padawan couldn't see anywhere else he wanted to be. Such a lively place. He had almost forgot that he needed to check on Xan-Dar. Haken was the same age as Xan-Dar, 16. Almost an adult, and yet, Haken already has a Master. The young Jedi never really got to know Xan-Dar, as they only talked for 10-15 seconds. Finally Haken came upon Xan-Dar's room and knocked on the door.

"Hello? It's me, Haken Zelstom. I'm the Jedi from earlier. Can I come in?" Haken asked.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar almost dropped his vibroblade as he was surprised by a knock on the door.
He re-attaches his vibroblade to his belt and says : " Ah...yes, of course. Come in. "

 

[The Philosopher]

Haken walked into the room and immediately noticed the vibroblade. Xan-Dar shouldn't be using it right now, as there was a time for training. Eying the look on Xan-Dar's face, Haken said something as he reached into the force and took the vibroblade out of his hand with telekinesis, and then set it on the ground.

"There is no need for such crude implements here. The training room is right down the hall. I suggest you refrain from using your blade inside your quarters." Haken sat down in a nearby chair. "So do you like the temple? Any girls like you yet?" the young Padawan chuckled. "I'm just kidding. We'll train sooner or later. The Archives have an article called the Internet, which is basically the HoloNet. A few of the most popular things are JediForums.net, JediArchives.net, and HoloTube.com, the latter being a place where Jedi upload videos of there... daily life." Haken waited for Xan-Dar's response, hoping to make him feel better,

 

[Lycanthorph]

A bit surprised and slightly disappointed from having the vibroblade taken from him so sudden, Xan-Dar takes a seat in the nearby chair, facing Haken.
He speaks : " Too bad, I was just starting to like the `blade. " , making an expression of slight disappointment.
He brushes off a few strands of hair that have hugged to his face as he was trying out the vibroblade.
His expression then brightens up a bit as he says : " But I will remember that. I have to say that the architecture of the Temple is impressive, I have never seen anything like it. " He smiles as he looks at Haken.
He then says : " I can`t wait to begin the training. ... Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. "
He then extends his arm towards Haken, saying : " I`m Xan-Dar Sulati, pleased to meet you. "

 

[The Philosopher]

"I already knew your name, I was supposed to be your mentor until we could find a real master for you. But nice to meet you Xan-Dar." Haken took the hand and shook it, noticing how warm it was. It was just the vibroblade. "So, Xan-Dar. What do you plan on learning as a Jedi and what form will you pick? I chose Soresu and am learning Niman, but you can only have one, at least for now. I'll direct you to a HoloSite that can tell you all about the different forms: Here is the LINK. Feel free to check that out when you want to. So answer my question." Haken encouraged Xan-Dar to think about it hard.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar studies the information on the HoloNet for a while. He observes the different forms and their executions.
He then turns to Haken and says : " The Makashi form seems suitable, while studying Shii-Cho could prove useful as well. "
" As for your question ... " He moves his hand to his cheek and thinks about it for a few moments before he speaks : " I wish to learn how to defend myself and others who cannot protect themselves ... but I also wish to learn a way of stopping the suffering and helping people who are in pain, as the sight alone brings distress to me. "
He then looks back to the Holoscreen and remembers the first time he experienced the pain and suffering of others :
He was walking through the city with his father when a man on the street was attacked by a masked figure, stabbed into the abdomen with a vibroblade.
The masked figure was about to finish the wounded man off when the police force began to approach.
The masked figure realized he risked getting caught if he stayed long enough to kill the wounded man and fled the scene.
As the police force approached, the wounded man was in agony and shouted for help.
At that moment, young Xan-Dar, 13 at that time, felt sudden pain in his abdomen, agony filling his mind and body.
His father noticed this and quickly took him away.
Xan-Dar snaps back into reality and focuses on the screen.

 

[The Philosopher]

"A good think to think about. You will learn what you have wished to learn. However, Makashi absolutely fails against blast deflection, and Shii-Cho is the most basic level possible. But, they can prove useful. The reason I chose Soresu was because masters of it were almost invincible. But, due to the lack of offensive capabilities, I chose Niman as a way to compensate for this weakness. That doesn't mean you should do what I do, as there are plenty of other ones that would suit you. If you like offense and acrobatics, definitely go with Ataru. It is fast, powerful, and overwhelming. Bu Ataru fails at defense, and many Ataru users have found a way to keep this from happening because the chose Soresu as their second one, or Juyo. Still, whatever you prefer." Haken finished and hoped Xan-Dar would see that each form has its own strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar listens with attention to Haken as he explains the various forms.
" I chose Makashi as it is useful in combat against other Force users and/or lightsaber-trained individuals, but as it focuses solely on lightsaber combat, it is a bit lacking when facing other opponents. "
He brushes his hair behind his ear as a few strands falls to his right eye.
He then turns to Haken and says : " How long have you been here, Haken ? "

 

[The Philosopher]

"A few months. It was generally difficult when I started. I had start with a vibroblade just like you. Then I got my lightsaber. I've killed many Sith with it. Such a useful weapon to have. Now if you chose Makashi, you'd be better off training in blast deflection and fighting with other Padawans to get past the weakness." Haken replied, going a bit off-topic.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar listens to Haken as he explains his time spent in the Temple and pays attention to the part where he mentioned that not only has he been in combat, but even been able to kill Sith.
He says : " You`ve fought the Sith ? Already ? "

 

[The Philosopher]

"Yes, definitely. They were random encounters, and most were acolytes. I did kill a strong Dark Sider however." Haken could see that Xan-Dar wanted to do some training. "Patience, Xan-Dar. You'll get to training."

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar notices Haken`s lightsaber hanging from his belt.
He stares at it for a few moments before he looks up at Haken and says : " Did you build your lightsaber ? "

 

[The Philosopher]

"I did build it. Through a force exercise. The trial to get the crystal was hard however. You'll have to go through it one day." Haken smiled, but warmly.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar smiles as he listens to Haken.
He then looks out the window and stares into the city as contemplates on the next question he wants to ask Haken.
He looks back at Haken and says : " When was the first time you`ve used the Force ? "

 

[The Philosopher]

"Let's see... about when I was three." Haken chuckled a bit. "I was waving my hands and blasted my family's dinner table out of the house. Then I was grounded, but fortunately the Jedi found me and I could leave. The force is the most powerful weapon in the universe. Even at a young age, force sensitive children are dangerous, but can be controlled with the proper training."

Haken thought about this concept. Jedi and Sith were just force-wielders who had different views, and killed each other because of it. Stuff like that made the young Padawan baffled.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar chuckles as he listens to Haken`s response.
He then pauses and thinks about the second part, that " the Force is the most powerful weapon in the universe " .
He thinks to himself : " If the Force trully is the most powerful weapon in the universe...what`s the cost ? "
He then snaps back to reality and says : " My first time using the Force was when I was about...four. I was playing in my father`s mechanic shop.
He had just begun working on the speeder he gave as I left home. He was using a magnetic field generator to hold the speeder afloat so he could assemble components under the speeder. Suddenly, the generator shorted out. I yelled out at him to get out the way, but he couldn`t react in time.
At that moment, I noticed that the speeder was somehow still floating in the air. He crawled out from under the speeder to check what was happening.
He looked at me and saw me holding my hand towards the speeder. I was so focused on the speeder that I didn`t notice him calling my name.
When I finally snapped back to reality, the speeder suddenly dropped on the ground. That`s when my family found out that I`m Force Sensitive. "

 

[The Philosopher]

"Ah, much more subtle than my story. So, how was your transition from home, to the temple? Mine wasn't that hard, I didn't really like my parents anyway." Haken looked at Xan-Dar with a stern face. It was obvious that Haken was thinking about something, something much bigger than this conversation.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar looked away, thinking back to the moment his father made him choose the path he walks now.
He then looks back at Haken and says : " It wasn`t easy, to be honest.
I think my father despised the fact that I was Force Sensitive, even though it may have saved his life once.
But he tolerated it for some reason.
He trained me the skills he deemed were necessary and then, when I turned 16, he presented me with a choice : either follow his path or my own, but he also told me that if I would to follow the path of the Jedi, I wouldn`t be welcome in his home anymore.
It made me sad as I didn`t want leave him and my home, but I couldn`t see myself becoming him.
So I left. He gave me his prized blaster, the speeder we built and some money. He didn`t say anything anymore and went back to tending his ship.
I got on the speeder and went straight here. Even though it pains me, I think I made the right choice. "
Xan-Dar then notices Haken`s stern face and says : " What`s on your mind, Haken ? "

 

[The Philosopher]

"The Sith are coming. It will be an all out war. The Jedi will almost be... It's hard to explain. Some large battle." Haken kept thinking about the mysterious event.