Students' First Field Trip

[Bediende]

((Obviously this thread will have a strong Jedi component, BUT its definitely open to anyone who wants in.))

The lights of Coruscant are beautiful as you leave the planet’s strong embrace. Lines and rows of illumination revealed the hidden superhighways which crisscrossed the surface, like honey glaze on a freshly baked pastry from Karis Orno’s youth. How he wished he could have one, and his mothers’ embrace. And his father’s knowing smile. They were down there, somewhere, beneath the honey-glaze, getting smaller and smaller as Karis hurdled farther and farther into space.

In the grand scheme of things, Karis was not going very far from home, he knew. It was just a quick hyperdrive jump to a nearby planet and they would jump back, in a few days. While there, whatever the planets’ name was Karis could not remember, they would investigate the land, meditate, and train. It was essentially a field trip. The master who was leading the trip said that it was intended to take the Force out of the classroom and remind students that the Force existed outside of the Jedi Temple. Karis would have been just fine with keeping the Force locked away in the Temple, if that meant he could stay on the planet. This was his first time off planet, ever.

Remembering that, Karis’ stomach began to churn again. He turned his head away from the view screen and closed his eyes. He was strapped into his seat, but if he was able to move freely he would have tried to lie down. Once again, he longed for his mother’s embrace, for the sweet pastries that smelled of home. For an adventure not so adventurous.

As Karis longed for the familiar, the transport and its escort blasted into the unknown.

 

[The Gloaming]

"Join us for a field trip, you may learn something in the process." Solen recollected the unfamiliar master's suggestion, and now questioned his own agreement. Several padawans sat before him, some eager, others nervous as he would have been only a few short years ago. He could sense a strong feeling of longing amongst the group. The feeling swelled around a young padawan with a noticeable blue streak in his hair. Solen shifted his attention to gaze out the viewport, and immediately felt a surge of pain. It wasn't a physical pain, but one felt through the Force. It was the same pain he felt in his dark vision from years ago. "Why is it coming back now?" He mumbled, hoping no one heard him.

The planet was in sight now, visible after the jolt of hyperspace.

((Sorry if it's too shor, I'm on my PS3 right now so typing is a pain))

 

[Bediende]

((You're good, Gloam. Welcome aboard. :p ))

Closing his eyes did help some; though it replaced the feeling of homesickness with that of feeling alone. And embarrassment. Even though he was sure that none of his peers were adept enough to see inside his mind, he was sure that his thoughts were open to the Master leading the trip, who was staring impassively at the end of the ship, his eyes half closed in a meditative posture. Karis was sure in that stance, Masters approached omniscience.

Karis centered himself, dropping his eyes into that half-open state, more so to copy his masters than because it actually helped his meditation. He left his army where they were, but they became less tense. And then the battle ensued. Peace through serenity in the Force was a tricky thing for Karis, especially when people were around. Because of his intense focus on others, his natural reaction was to try to perceive how everyone in the room was doing emotionally, physically, etc. He knew, though, that he had to focus on the Force with abandon to all else to acheive Serenity. As per usual, the battle went back and forth, catching a glimpse of a peer and usually their excitement or longing or nervousness and that of serenity.

He caught a stab of pain in his benchmate, a padawan he was unfamiliar with. Probably because he is in another training squad. The pain was not the deepest Karis had ever felt, but it was very, very real and potent. And it appeared to be recurring, which meant depth.

"Why is it coming back now," the other mumbled. Karis felt for him, and he would have spoken if he had words to speak. Karis' awkwardness crept up the back of his throat and choked out anything he would have said to help. Instead, he threw his head aside, in time to see the mystery planet appear as the ship came out of hyperspace. Instead of addressing the pain, Karis turned to his benchmate and grinned his usual boyish grin,

"You ready for this?" Unoriginal, perhaps, but hopefully friendly.

 

[Alex Ratzinger]

(sorry if this is too short I will be posting short rather often as I'm a busy person)

Ranutrian Fio-Bat, a non-Jedi but Force-sensitive civilian of Coruscant, had been selected as a security guard for the young Jedi on the trip. He couldn't remember the name of the planet they were going to, although he had traveled across the galaxy many times and had been told about this planet before. Also known as Ran, Ranutrian had taken this job not only to earn a few credits but also to learn about the Force. He secretly wanted to know of its secrets and how to control it. Ran had actually been invited to join the Order recently, which he would probably do when he returned from this hopefully eventful trip. It was an honor to be invited to the Order at age 18 because most joined as infants.
As the ship pulled out of hyperspace, Ran looked ahead at the mysterious planet. He sighed, unable to wait for the exciting trip ahead.
Ran took a sip of his Forvith Ale, a creamy, purple and sweet drink he had grown addicted to since he moved to Coruscant at age 5.

 

[Bediende]

((You're good too Alex. Welcome.))

The small shuttle craft began its rocky descent into the planets' atmosphere. The craft rattled and shook, much more so than it should have to one with some experience entering and exiting atmospheres. Karis had no such experience and was ignorant of it until the Master spoke up, which caught almost everybody off guard. It was the first time he had spoken since he said, "May the Force be with you" without any other context when the trip began.

"Feel the gravity of this planet pull you. You will find once we reach the planets' surface that it is much stronger than you are used to. But if you reach out with the Force, you can feel it pulling matter towards itself. In the Force, all is ordered."

After some soft murmoring, the students attempted to reach out. Tenatively at first, searching for something they did not know how to find, but growing more bold as they met with no resistance. Karis tried and tried to find whatever sensation Master was talking about, but he met with no duccess. He did not realize that the ship had landed until Master approached him saying,

"You may try again later, Padawan. We must leave now."

His look was not unkind, but the man's sternness was chilling. Karis was used to Masters who worked primarily with Padawans, which were kinder than other Masters, who generally appeared not to even notice when Padawans were around. The Sullulstan's large, dark eyes followed Karis until he at last turned the corner of the transport's bay area, the last Padawan off the ship.

 

[The Gloaming]

((Sorry I didn't make it clear, Solen is a knight.))

Solen began to walk and meditate. He could feel the planets pull the moment it was in sight. Normally, the Jedi knight would question the likelihood of learning anything in this little field trip, having already experienced so many, but at the moment, he was stuck on that horrible sensation of what seemed to be the collision of two forces, or two sides of the Force, in his head.

He sat under a nearby tree, and kept his eyes closed, breathing in deeply. The sway of the grass turned into waves of energy around him, and a great fog surrounded him.

The fog cleared to reveal a battlefield on what seemed to be a large ecumenopolis. A group of republic soldiers were pursuing a group of Hutt mercs down an open street, raining fire from their weapons in near desperation. As they neared the torn intersection, several burning speeders slammed together, pulled up off the ground, and devestated the ranks from both sides. From the rubble stepped a dark Jedi, clad in maroon leathers and a menacing helmet. His lightsaber was ignited in his right hand, as an electrical current enshrouded the other. This was one of Solen's possible futures, but it still seemed distant. Solen was feeling plagued, as if there were nothing to defend against it. He felt doomed. The vision disappeared an the sun shone thround the cracks of his fingers. "At least that future is far away. Maybe I will learn to stop it."

He stood, and returned to the group. Today, he would help tue master teach the padawans some lightsaber techniques.

 

[Bediende]

Karis' training lightsaber glowed its pale yellow brightly in the twilight, illuminating his face which trickled with sweat. The other padawans had given up long ago in their lightsaber dueling exercises, but Karis had not thrown in the towel yet. His arms ached, his feet felt as though they were made of a sticky substance which held him to the ground, his neck was as tight as a knot, but his eyes were alert and very alive.

Before him was the Masters' assistant, brandishing his own lightsaber, much turned down in strenght so as not to kill Karis. When training began, he had much envied the Master's and Knight's sabers, glowing deep shades of color, making his own blade appear insubstantial in comparison. Karis was reminded very quickly not to gape at what didn't matter as another padawan, a trandoshian barely out of youngling "daycare", scalded him across the ankles. That burn still ached, but Karis did what he could to whisk that pain away as he stood with his arms upraised, ready to fend off the next attack. He had been fighting with the Padawan's beginning Form I since the beginning of the day, as was permissible according to the Jedi Code for padawans. But because it was just Karis and this Jedi Knight, he planned on changing things up a bit and bringing in a form he had practiced only in his quarters at night, when no Masters were watching him.

Truthfully, it was because he wished to make a good impression that Karis fought for so long the first day of the trip. If not this Knight or Master, perhaps they would say something to another Jedi looking to take a padawan as a learner. Karis was advancing in age and still had not been picked up. If not taken up relatively soon, he would be shipped out to grow food for the Republic, which was truly an honorable profession especially during this great Hutt war, but Karis intended to do all he could not to go, and if that meant swordfighting till the break of dawn or bending a few long-established rules, Karis could cope with that.

 

[Alex Ratzinger]

Ranutrian sat on the right wing of the ship, admiring the nearby grassy meadows. He opened his bag and took out a bottle of Forvith Ale. He removed the durasteel cap and threw it on the ground. He gulped the whole large bottle down in 30 seconds then got out another one. Boy, this drink was his salvation.

 

[The Gloaming]

Solen walked swiftly toward the man enjoying a drink on his ships wing. He only knew that the man was a security officer, but something else was off about this one, something Solen hadn't the insight to make clear. "Security, right? I guess we kinda have the same job, but I get to play teacher a little. I'm Solen, Jedi Knight. What's your name?" Solen's youthful glee would have been audible once, but now he felt as though he was only reciting, as if for some act. Nothing seemed natural anymore, unless the Force was involved, which meant combat for Solen. He gazed over at the group of padawans learning from the Master, hoping to see the student who continued to fight him long after the others were tired.

 

[Alex Ratzinger]

"I'm Ranutrian Fio-Bat. You can just call me Ran." Ran pointed across the meadow. "Want to ask one of the Masters if you can explore that forest with me?" Ran had a feeling that something shrouded in mystery awaited them...