The Building Blocks [Open]

[Ral]

Galactic Evolution
1900 Hours Shipboard Time
​

Jedi Master Kai Sera sat in one of the many training halls of the Galactic Evolution, waiting for the students to arrive so he might be able to start his lesson. As was usual, Kai had gathered up a chest full of water and rations for those who might need a break. In another chest were training remotes, practice sabers, and training helmets. On the wall behind them were four droids capable of mimicking certain preprogrammed attack patterns. It was more or less standard for what might be expected for a training session where multiple things might be covered. Of course, he also planned to use other areas of the ship like the hanger bay or a cargo hold to practice a few of the more involved of advanced techniques and abilities.

Kai started off waiting for his students to arrive by drawing both of his lightsabers and activating the sparring droids. As his one silver and one pearlescent blade sprung to life the droids attacked. With each blade set to training mode, Kai didn't have to worry about damaging the training droids beyond all repair unless he lost control of his own abilities. Something that was probably unlikely to happen. Using his training in Soresu and Ataru to defend himself, Kai started to practice Jar'Kai combined with his trakata techniques. As one droid attacked, Kai would block or parry, passing his blade through the droid's as he side stepped and took a swipe at the droid's head. His blade connected and for a second there was a screetch as the blade clashed with metal but did not slice it. This would happen over and over again, Kai turning up the difficulty when he found that it had gotten a little too easy for him. That is where he would be when the first students arrive, training with his lightsabers.

@CJ Solo @Krajin @Khivas @QuickSilver @Darman Kebii'tra

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana was excited; it was time. She was on her way now to what would be her first training class with her friend, Master and the same Jedi that had discovered her on Tatooine. The youthful Togruta had nothing to bring with her to be prepared for this class, not even a lightsaber. It did not matter, though, she would find one if she needed to.

The barefooted, red skinned Padawan could hear the hum of Kai's lightsabers as she approached the room, after taking a couple wrong turns along the way. Her pace slowed a little until she came to the open doorway. Peering around the bulkhead, her yellow eyes took in what they saw. Saana had seen Kai in action on Tatooine, but he had not put on much of a display with his lightsaber... let alone two of them, not like this. She inched in just inside the room and watched in silence.

 

[Darman Kebii'tra]

Vergil received the class confirmation with a grin. This was the first time in a very long time that he would receive instruction from a real Jedi Master. He reread the message over again, the excitement bubbling up within him. Looking at the bottom of the message he looked over the class list. Unfortunately, he didn't recognize anyone on there. Hopefully that would change.

-Several Days Later-
​

Vergil was particularly attentive to his appearance. His excitement had turned into a mild fear of the unknown. Just thinking about what might happen...he stopped that line of thinking. Taking a deep breath, the young Zabrak began to recite the Jedi Code to himself. Once he calmed down enough, Zergil donned some loose training robes, strapping his lightsaber to his hip. The familiar weight swinging gently at his side, Zergil looked himself over in a mirror again. Confident, he departed.

After a short walk, Vergil arrived at the listed facilities of the training. Inside he could hear the familiar humming of a lightsaber of the whirring of some unknown mechanical object. He wasn't sure what exactly the sounds were, but hopefully they were apart of the training. Looking down the corridor, he tried to get a sense of the surroundings. Everything appeared to be normal, with a few of the staff moving about their business.

Keying the entrance Vergil stepped in seeing, who presumably was the Jedi Master, sparring with a few of odd looking droids. Having entered, he stood out of the Master's way next to the occupant. Someone he presumed was another Padawan. Nodding in greeting to her, he merely glanced her over. Vergil said nothing, however. He instead looked over the rest of the room trying to get a feel of what to expect. Vergil very much disliked surprises. Once he got a feel for the atmosphere, he stood quietly waiting for instruction.

 

[QuickSilver]

Acodi had gotten word that Master Sera was hosting a training class and decided to attend. He was well versed in many skills but still had much to learn. Master Sera had quite a reputation and Acodi knew this would be a good experience. Acodi made his way through the hallways of The Galactic Evolution, eager to practice his skills. It would be the first time in months that he would train with fellow Jedi and he was ready for it. Acodi was clad in his tan padawan garbs; his utility belt around his waist, leather boots snugly on his feet, arm-wraps tightly around his forearms and bone hilt lightsaber on his hip. He took quick strides through the halls, dodging other Jedi as he made his way to the arranged training hall. He had heard that there would be others and knew this would be a great opportunity to meet more Jedi. Not wanting to be late, Acodi picked up the pace, slightly jogging through the corridors. He quickly made a right turn and stopped outside the room. He took a breath and opened the door.

Acodi stepped into the room to the sight of Master Sera training with a few droids. He looked around to see a female Togruta and a male Zabrak. Looks like I'm not the last one. Or at least I don't think so, Acodi thought as he leaned against the wall next to them. He gave them both a quick but friendly wave and watched quietly as well, opting to let the master finish. His amber eyes took in every detail; the way the droids circled him, his fluid use of two lightsabers and even his footwork. No, especially his footwork. Being a Makashi practitioner, footwork was very important to Acodi. He watched on as Master Sera danced around, defending himself from the droids. Metallic screeches filled the silence as Master Sera's blades connected with the droids. Acodi's attention quickly drifted to his own lightsaber and he quickly summoned it into his left palm with the force. He toyed with the lightsaber, spinning the bone-hilt in his fingers before tracing the intricate yet natural patterns on the bone. He smiled at the thought of learning another Lightsaber Form. Replacing it on his belt, Acodi once more watched on.

 

[Khivas]

"A bouncy little one, isn't he?" Khivas asked himself rhetorically within his mind as he watched Jedi Master Kai Sera practice his form with Jar'kai and Ataru. He was as graceful as he was ferocious, his weapons less like blades of fire and energy and more the fangs and talons of a beast. "Nonetheless, that's impressive. Guess I could stick around and attend." Khivas thought once more to himself, noting that Master Kai had scheduled a class here today for the Padawans on the fleet that were interested in learning the displayed combat forms.

As he stood there and watched the young master perform good practice session, his students began to fill in, each one, as one would expect from the NJO, completely unique from the next and each one there for the same goal, but for a different reason, an admirable thing to be sure.

He waited a bit longer for Kai to finish up his routine, and once he was finished, Khivas began to clap his hands in applause, his praise in the master's down sincere. "That was pretty good!" He said, "If you don't mind, think a Knight can sit in with the Paddies on a class from you?"

 

[CrazziAzn]

Nos walked through the ship corridors with a brisk pace. Nervous about his first training lesson with other Jedi, he hoped that he didn't interrupt the class. He had heard it was an open class, but he still wasn't sure if they wanted an unexpected Padawan. As he approached the entrance to the training room, he paused, took a deep breath, and entered. As he entered the room he saw a Jedi just completing an exercise. He had heard this master was well-versed in Ataru, and hoped to learn he could from him. He looked around and saw two Togrutas and a Zabrak. Padawans too, judging by their excited and slightly nervous looks. He also saw another human, who looked experienced enough to be at ease with the master, as he was readily complimenting his skills.

The Nautolan quietly entered the room, and placed himself near the other two padawans. He turned to them and gave them a quick, nervous smile. Hopefully he was up to the challenge.

 

[Ral]

(OOC: @CrazziAzn, in the future it's best to wait until your application is approved before posting in a training thread or Jedi mission. Just an FYI.

This will remain open for those still interested in joining.

Everyone who has hopped in, please see this thread in regards to posting. Thanks)

Kai was actually surprised to see so many Padawans arrive, and a Knight, too. Deactivating his lightsabers, Kai waved the droids off and the practice dummies marched back to their standby positions. Taking a deep breath, the Jedi Master placed the hilts onto his belt before looking at those assembled. Nodding at the knight, Khivas, the Master answered, "I don't mind at all, could use an extra hand if you don't mind running through the basics again."

Of course, in Kai's experience running through the basics never hurt anyone, including a master! So, he hoped that even the knight would be able to practice and refine the more rudimentary skills of a Jedi. Looking at all the other Jedi assembled he spoke, "Welcome, Padawans. I'm Master Kai Sera, if you didn't know that and just happened on by. If you haven't introduced yourselves to each other yet, please do so now. I'm sure there is at least one face here you don't know. See if you can make a friend, you might form a friendship which will last until you're both old and grey."

Smiling, the Jedi waited for those assembled to say their hellos before starting. "Now that we've got the formalities out of the way, why don't you all join me in the center here. Form a circle if you would, and leave some room for those who might end up being late or who might pass by and decide they wish to join. Once you do that, take a seat."

Waiting for the class to follow the instructions with a gentle smile on his face he finally started after a few more seconds. "Alright, I have a lot to teach you today. This is what is called a cram session, something my master taught me to use. We're going to learn a lot, and get you those basics down so you can practice them in the field or on your own or with a friend or two, maybe one you made today! Now, we're going to start off with meditation. I find this is the most important aspect of learning to use the Force and commune with it. Once you have learned how to listen and control the Force through meditation, then we can move on to some of the more advanced applications.

"Alright, to start," Kai said as he took a seat in the middle of the circle of Jedi. "I want you to close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Let the world fall away from you, quiet your mind, and listen. Hear the hum of the ship's engines, the buzz of the electricity, the beating of your heart, the hearts of those around you. Listen to their breathing. Then take all of this in, connect with it. Try and touch it with your mind, feel what it sounds like. This is the basics of meditation and using the Force to sense things that our five senses cannot perceive. Give it a try, and don't by shy or worry about not getting it right. Take as much time as you need. We have this room for quite some time."

 

[Darman Kebii'tra]

Vergil nodded at the Master's words and took his place in the circle. He did as he was commanded and sat down on the floor crossing his legs. However, this was completely unusual for the Zabrak. Master Yu never had him open himself up to the force, at least not in this way.

Vergil remembered doing something similar before sparring, but that seemed like an exercise to ready the mind for combat. 'To get into the zone' as he recalled Master Yu saying. Vergil could remember some similar requests that Master Yu had made, but this felt different. Vergil felt like he was truly entering new territory by participating. He was really glad now that he decided to take the class.

Closing his eyes as requested, Vergil reached into part of himself that connected him to everything else. At first, all that he could focus on was how quiet it had gotten. Experience told him that when it got quiet, nothing good happened. However, he doubted that would happen in this setting. Instead, he continued to listen, opening himself up to the force.

It was...different. He could feel those around him as points of light expressing various emotions. But outside of that, Vergil felt that he was restricted to the local area. He couldn't hear the engines as Master Kai had said, and Vergil was a little disheartened by that fact. Yet he continued to try and delve deeper into the force.

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana stepped up to each of the other class participants, giving Vergil, Acodi and Nos a small nod of her head. When she came face to face with Khivas, she gave him a slight bow. To each, she introduced herself in her softly accented voice. "Hello, I am called Saana Tai. I am glad to be training with you." It was, indeed, very much the case. Out of all those she has met, she is newest of all to the Jedi and to using the Force.

Once she had done her part in introducing herself to all those gathered, the Togruta Padawan turned her attention on her Master, Kai. Now that the class had officially began, she could feel her own excitement deep in her gut. Saana's yellow gaze glanced over the others gathered after Kai's next set of instructions before she stepped up to take her position in the forming circle of students. Whether or not Kai saw it or not, she smiled lightly at him as she sits upon the floor.

As Kai continued, she listened to him intently. His choice of starting with meditation pleased her. She knew, from what he had already explained to her, that it was through such meditations that you could hear the voice of the Force. She had been confused by this notion at first, but then he had not only explained it to her, he had shown her. What she had seen, from how he saw her through the Force, she knew she wanted to be able to see it herself; it was beautiful. As Kai instructed, she closed her eyes as she allowed her hands to come to rest on her knees.

Listening, as she was told, to her breathing and the sounds around her she did not notice anything, not at first. At first, she thought about how long it would take or if she would even be able to do it at all, but eventually she quieted those things. Her own breathing was the easiest thing to focus on, then the sound of the ship and the almost inaudible buzz that was the room's lighting. Hearing the breathing of the others around her was not as easily readiable as the rest. It was not long before she lost track of how long she was sitting there like that, just listening. At last, there came a point where she thought she felt something. It was hard to pin point what it was she was feeling, it was something between an emotion and a touch of something. Saana focused on that feeling.

 

[CrazziAzn]

Nos gave a smile and a friendly nod to the padawans, and gave the Jedi knight and Master Sera a respectful bow. He placed himself in the circle next to Vergil and Saana and did as what he was told. He had done this before among the rippling kelp fields of Glee Anselm with his former master, and enjoyed the feeling of peace it brought. Before he closed his eyes, he saw Saana and Vergil do the same. The Zabrak seemed a bit taken aback compared to the Togruta, who seemed to enjoy this practice of meditation.

He closed his usually lidless eyes, and began to let the world fall around him. Soon, his breathing and heartbeat began to form a rhythm, with the hum of the engine creating an ambient backdrop to his senses. Soon, his own breathing joined by others around him began to become tangible, and soon became filled with something that was there, but was still elusive. He continued in this trance and soon nothing else existed except this intangible feeling. Like a ribbon on the wind. Nos continued to pinpoint this elusive "ribbon".

 

[Khivas]

"The basics don't bother me none." Khivas said as he listened to Kai and his instructions, greeting the Padawans as they greeted him, one or two of which a tad nervous as they did so. "Relax, today I'm a student just like you." He said to them as he took a seat on the ground and began to initiate his meditation as Master Kai had instructed.

Khivas had obviously meditated before, in fact it was something he did everyday of his life, to hone his skills and strengthen his connection to the Force, and more importantly to unwind after a mission, especially since these days missions were getting more and more difficult and strenuous to successfully complete. Granted, when Khivas usually meditated, it was after having a strong drink or two, a habit he's had for quite some time, but today however he wasn't particularly strung up, nor was he unwilling to comply with something so simple, something he used to do on the regular when he was technically still a child back on Corellia.

As such, it wasn't long before he was fully connected to the Force and through it those around him, focusing and channeling his energies with the divine energy of the very Galaxy itself. "Step One, complete." He thought to himself briefly before going back to the near trance like state he was in before.

 

[Krajin]

Kade had arrived a touch bit late to the proverbial party, he poked his head into the room from the door, a bit of mechanical grease covering bits of fur here and there. "Sorry for being late. Got caught up in some stuff." He'd smile awkwardly. "May I still attend?" He'd ask, keeping his voice quiet with the rest of them meditating in there.

 

[QuickSilver]

"I'm Acodi, nice to meet you guys," Acodi spoke as he looked from face to face. He returned friendly smiles and nods and proceeded to join the circle. He sat on the ground and crossed his legs in the full-lotus position. He looked over the other people before closing his eyes. Deepening his breaths, Acodi rested his hands on his knees. He attempted to concentrate but he was distracted by the entrance of another Jedi. He opened his eyes and looked over to see a large feline male standing in the doorway. He was golden-furred with pale stripes and a stocky body. And I thought I was tall, Acodi thought to himself before returning to meditation. He decided to let Master Sera decide whether the new jedi could join but he doubted that he would be rejected. It was in fact, an open class.

Acodi tried to concentrate once more, drowning everything out but his breathing. He listened to the rhythmic huffs and puffs, finding a serenity in them. After while, he began to focus on the faint breaths of those around him. He fanned out in the force, sensing the auras of all in attendance. Those that did the same in return would sense an wave of tranquility emanating from Acodi. He then fanned out further, listening to the subtleties Master Sera had mentioned earlier; the hum of the engines, buzz of electricity and eventually the heartbeats of those sitting with him. Acodi sat there peacefully for a while before he was ready to feel with the force. He had meditated before, but this was the first time he had meditated with others since Anoth.

Finally ready, Acodi took a deep breath and let the force flow through him. He felt through the force, focusing on the light side. Suddenly he felt a familiar and distinct pulse. It felt like a surge of vibration deep within himself, hailing from some faraway unknown place. He could feel it pulsing through the ship and everyone aboard. He reached out through the force, holding onto that strong yet melodic pulse. It had been a long time since Acodi connected to the light side of the force like this.

 

[Tristyn]

Running frantically throughout the hallways and dodging several Jedi and even knocking over one, Anara said to herself in a nervous manner, "No, no, no! I can't be late! Not on my first day!" She had only just joined the Order and she had absolutely no experience in using the Force. She arrived at the entryway, breathing heavily. She walked in and looked up at the people in the room and assumed some of them were padawans like her. Though two of them appeared to be a little too old to be padawans. One of the older Jedi must be the master. She looked at the fellow Togruta in the classroom and smiled at them. She looked at Kai Sera and tried her best to speak in a calm manner," Sorry I'm late.....my...uhh...chronometer was wrong and ...yeah" She awkwardly bowed before him and sat down next to the other padawans, ignorant of what they may have been doing.

 

[Lubbies]

Upon arrival at the jedi training facility, Jeero was immediately pointed in the direction of his first class. He was to be taught by a certain master 'Kai Sera'. He began in the direction he was told but got distracted almost immediately.

Jeero's curiousity was going wild as he wandered the jedi training grounds. He was attracted all over the place by many different influences. Droids, starships and even females. His demeanor was shunned by many of them as they did not appreciate his touching and smelling of their bodies.

After a wild journey and a few smacks to the face, Jeero happened upon his training room. He stood up awkwardly straight, puffed out his chest and entered the room.

The class had obviously started several minutes earlier and had already begun a meditation exercise. Jeero unsure of what to do, scurried inside and attempted to fit into the circle without notifying his teacher of his late-coming. He ended up tripping over and landing with a reverberant thud. Wincing at his disturbance of the silence, Jeero uneasily shifted into a meditation stance.

 

[Ral]

Noticing the new arrivals, Kai waved them in with a warm and welcoming smile on his face. "Come in, Padawans. You are not yet, we have only just begun. Now is the perfect time to join us!" Once they had all gotten seated and comfortable, he explained what they were doing. "We are meditating on the Force. For those of you who have this, feel free to jump right in, for those of you who haven't done this before I shall explain."

Clearing his throat a little, Kai recited what he said earlier nearly verbatim, "I want you to close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Let the world fall away from you, quiet your mind, and listen. Hear the hum of the ship's engines, the buzz of the electricity, the beating of your heart, the hearts of those around you. Listen to their breathing. Then take all of this in, connect with it. Try and touch it with your mind, feel what it sounds like. This is the basics of meditation and using the Force to sense things that our five senses cannot perceive. Give it a try, and don't by shy or worry about not getting it right. Take as much time as you need.

"Once you've done that, we'll move onto the next step. So, for those of you who have been able to get this far, listen carefully. I want you to try and sense those around you, get a feeling about them. Once you've accomplished that, try and sense me. Feel me through the Force, listen to what the Force tells you. You might be surprised what you can do. Please keep it to yourself, once everyone has had a chance to do this we'll share. Now, begin." Turning to face those who had just arrived. "Once you've gotten ahold of meditation you'll do the same. Don't worry about taking too long, just make sure you're doing it right. If you have an issue or a question feel free to ask myself or Khivas."

Kai motioned to the knight with a polite smirk on his face before closing his eyes and focusing on the taste and feel of a small purple fruit he loved to eat as a teenager on Naboo.

 

[CJ Solo]

Given the somewhat awkward entrance of the straggling attendees to the class, Saana could not help but crack open one yellow colored eye to see what was happening exactly. When she saw another Togruta had entered the class, she smiled warmly. It was nice indeed to run into some of her own people here. It was when Master Kai spoke again that she closed the eye to resume the exercise, having to start again from the beginning.

It was still a slow process, but it was more smoothly achieved than before. Her mind and body settled into the meditation and she waited, looking into the Force, or what she perceived of it at least. When that feeling had returned to her, she thought about the others and reached out to them and out to Master Sara.

 

[narthandulus]

Tal had noticed that he was somewhat late for his first class as he was silently darting through the ship. Worried that he would make a poor first impression he tried getting to the class as quickly and as silently as possible. He made it to the hallway entrance before practically leaping inside and slowing to a quick stride.

After reaching the door he gave the room a quick look and looked at the padawans seated in front of Master Sera before silently sitting in the back before realizing that they were all meditating. Upon realizing what they were doing he managed to calm himself before crossing his legs and taking a few breaths to calm his mind and reach out to the living force around him.

 

[Tristyn]

Following Master Sera's instructions she sat down, crossed her legs and closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She sat there in silence, unsure of what she was supposed to do. After a minute of feeling nothing she opened one of her yellow eyes to look at the rest of the class and closed it again, looking frustrated. "Well these padawans appear to be a bit older than me, they are probably used to doing this" she thought after trying to meditate again.

 

[CrazziAzn]

Nos opened his eyes and smiled at the newcomers as they sat down. After they were seated, he once again closed his eyes and let himself be open to the force around him. He reached out in his awareness in the force, and sensed the force sensitive people around him. To him, they seemed to be warm, glowing lights of various hues. He sensed a peace and serenity from the two older Jedi, Saana and Tal. He sensed determination and a hint of annoyance from Vergil. The others gave a range of feelings, such as the primal force that Kade and Jeero emanated, and the frustrated pulse coming off Anara.
The Nautolan also sensed these feelings from his head tails, but tried not to use them. That would be cheating.

As he embraced these lights, he followed the sense of peace and serenity to memories of the rippling kelp fields of Glee Anselm with his former master. He saw himself and his master amidst the kelp in the lotus position with eyes closed as sunlight streamed down from the sun; broken by the waves at the surface. He saw the Kelp whales gliding past them, elegant behemoths as they slowly fed on the waving kelp. To Nos, this was the serenity that the force promised.