Tribulations

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari'Duras slowly wandered the vast Temple of Tython, every so often stopping to admire some plant or other interesting knick knack along the way. Her mood was extremely happy, of course, more so than usual. She had been recently informed by some of the other Jedi that a master had at last been assigned to her. She took a deep, triumphant breath as she neared the training halls. Everything, from being forced away from home on Ryloth to surviving the treacherous Coruscant underbelly had finally paid off.

She had been on Tython for a while now, spending most of her time meditating in her quarters or reading through the vast libraries and observing the planetarium. It was all so beautiful, so peaceful. On Tython, she thought to herself, it's as if the whole galaxy is at peace. The young Twi'lek almost scalded herself within her consciousness. As much as Tython was peaceful and beautiful, current climate meant that could not last. Alari would not be spending her time on Tython if there was evil to be vanquished and slavers to bring to justice, anyway.

She hugged her robes tightly to her, lightly running a hand over the silvery hilt of her lightsaber. Perhaps it would soon be time to construct one of her own. Finally, after much ado, she arrived to the chamber where her new Master would be. Taking a deep, bracing breath, she entered.

 

[Syn]

Cath stood in the room waiting. She had been interested this padawans history should help motivate her to do well. When Alari'Duras entered she didn't turn her head up she just kept staring and cocked her hip to the side getting a little protest from the movement. The bodysuit fully covering her because it was daylight and she spoke walking and pointing to the center of a circle. "Stand there padawan." Cath waited before continuing as she circled.

"You have arrived in the jedi and will be my padawan. I am not your friend, I am not your sister. I am your master and it is my duty to teach you how to be a proper jedi and not a pathetic excuse that walks the halls. When I am through with you you'll be ideal and able to withstand a sith trying to crawl in your mind." Cath kept walking around and uncoiled from her waist her lightwhip letting it trail behind her. "This circle is now your entire life nothing outside it is important until I say so understood? When you leave this room you will head to the mess hall only for food and return here. If you are sloppy in your movements you will get a lash, if you snivel you will be lashed, if you try and leave the circle before I tell you you can you will be lashed."

Cath stopped walking for a moment and closed the doors as she finished speaking. "I am not cruel I will take no enjoyment from this but you will learn. Other masters might make you lift rocks I will have you lift boulders. Some will make you read, I will give you an hour to prepare for a lecture in front of the other padawans. You will be a proper jedi and not one of the ones cowering in the dirt wanting the sith threat to pass by. Is that understood?"

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari merely raised an eyebrow as her master circled her. Her lekku twitched slightly as she began to think, her eyes narrowing slightly and then opening again at Cath's words. She examined the lightwhip with some interest as it came into view, before merely folding her arms calmly over her middle.

"I am Alari Duras of Ryloth, Master. Ryloth and Coruscant have taught me that good things do not come to those that do not try to attain them. I shall enjoy my learning under your tuition," She said simply and clearly, flashing a calm and collected smile.

 

[Syn]

Cath raised an eyebrow under the mask and kept walking as she listened. Her padawan wasn't afraid and that was a plus in her favor. Slowly Cath spoke walking to the wall. "It does not matter where you are from, that you wish to be more of a historian interested me. So I will teach you several things but first you will have to be prepared." Cath moved pulling a rope from the roof that could be used for climbing and showed binders. "I am going to bind your arm and string you up. Then a droid will come and present a datapad about the history of the jedi. You will ignore all pain and fatigue and read all you can. Most likely your arms will dislocate the reading can take up to three days. Then I will review it with you and if you were paying attention. You will be let down and given food, if you fail we will begin the lesson again." Cath didn't give the option just showed the binders that would attack at the elbos and wrists while a droid came with the datapad.

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari did not bother resisting. This master is unorthodox, she thought to herself, perhaps much can be discerned from these training sessions. As she was roped up, without struggle, she merely said one simple phrase.

"I will trust your judgement in this being useful, Master," As she was bound, she flexed her lekku tentatively, the robes easily snagging around her thin arms. This wasn't what she had expected from her padawanship. Indeed, she had expected a more scholarly approach, not being strung from the ceiling and being forced to read. No matter, she thought to herself with a small smile, I have read up on most of the history of the Order in the libraries already. This shall merely be a reaffirmation. As she was hoisted up, she let her body go limp. Her lekku twitched with pain, but she remained with a clear and calm expression.

 

[Syn]

Cath made sure her padawans elbows were clipped an inch apart and then her wrists as she hoisted her up. Gravity would pulled her padawan down while the ropes made it more painful keeping her arm up. The droid presented the datapad on the history of the jedi order. "And if in the time you are up here fall asleep or nod off You will fail and have to start again."

Contents of datapad

For the next three days Cath walked circling her padawan. The approach was odd yes and might seem strange to others but a jedi diplomat would have to be in worse situations. A little pain and possible dislocated shoulder meant nothing if you could remember briefs. "Now padawan where did the first jedi go to build their lightsabers?" Cath continued to walk and spun her whip ready if a wrong answer came.

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari's left shoulder was indeed dislocated. She stayed completely motionless in mid-air, her eyes bloodshot from the focus on the holopad. Her lekku hung, weak and lank over her shoulders. She took a deep breath, but her response was still calm and collected. "The crafting of the first lightsabers took place at the Tythonian Forge here on Tython. It looks a very interesting place, master. I should like to pay it a visit,"

 

[Syn]

Cath stopped and nodded her approval as she spoke coming in and letting the rope drop to release Alari. "Good perhaps when it is time we can go there for now we will continue." Cath left the padawan to stand in the center as she tossed the binders to the side and went back to circling. "Now how do you feel? Do you want to stop and take a break?"

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari dropped down duly, thudding lightly on the floor. She winced, tapping her shoulder lightly before rolling it without much success. A hard trial for a fledgling Padawan, but the Twi'lek's thirst for knowledge over-rode any such notions of tiredness or the such. Though, there was an awful dry feeling in the back of her throat and pangs from her stomach, not to mention the severe pain coming from her shoulder.

Taking a small sigh, she spoke up somewhat more meekly. Her voice, however, remained sikily smooth. "Perhaps some food, drink and a fix to this shoulder would be helpful. I should not want such petty matters to impede my training, master, as I am sure they would,"

 

[Syn]

Cath continued to walk around and held her whip as she lashed it at the padawans legs and spoke. "Recite the jedi code properly and you may have something to eat. Get it wrong and you'll spend another three days in that circle." Cath moved only until she was between the padawan and the door. She was a healer and would set her padawans shoulder in the end couldn't make her dull and useless. But first to make sure she remembered everything."

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari hissed with annoyance and pain as the whip struck her leg. Her lekku flicked from side to side irritably now, but she maintained a cool composure. The Jedi Code was one of the easier things to remember, considering it had been drummed into her ever since she had set foot upon Tython's leafy surface.

"Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy.
Jedi use their powers to defend and to protect.
Jedi respect all life, in any form.
Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy.
Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training,"
Alari spoke slowly and carefully, before pausing for but a moment. "That is the mantra as re-established by Grandmaster Luke Skywalker upon the reformation. Should you so wish to hear the codes of the old Jedi, master?" She continued, her lekku slowly stopping their irritated swishing.

 

[Syn]

Cath gave a simple nod and walked forward as she spoke. "Very good the old code is not needed. I will set your shoulder and you may get some food. Then return here and prepare for your next lesson." Cath moved as she held her hand until it glowed a soft blue and poured it into her padawan as shepulled and popped the shoulder using her body as a surface to push Alari against. She wasn't worried about the pain but with a look up Cath spoke standing back and gathering her whip around her waist. "Now you may go and eat, return in 40 minutes. You may bring food and water with you if you wish. You now the consequences for being late. Now go"

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari nodded as her master spoke, wincing slightly as her shoulder clicked back into its proper place with a soft squelching crunch. She tested it, patting it lightly then giving it an experimental roll before offering a respectful bow of her head and hurrying from the chamber. Her sandalled feet made light, almost silent footfalls against the floor of the room as she left.

Wandering through the Temple, head bowed, she found herself in contemplation. Her master would be tough on her, that much was obvious already, but the young Twi'lek had not entered into the Order so as to breeze through the training. She knew it was going to be both mentally and physically training - at least the Jedi Master had made such clear at the beginning. A tiny niggle in the back of her mind questioned how her master seemed so angry, a tiny voice reminding her not to pick up such characteristic.

She ate quickly, and had a long drink of water back in her room. She then settled in the middle of the darkened chamber and began to meditate, setting her holopad to remind her when it was time to return to training. Soon thereafter, the light beeping device signalled it was time to head back. With a cleared mind and confident conscious, she hurried back to the chamber, entering with but a minute to spare with a low bow of her head.

 

[Syn]

Cath was in the center of the circle and didn't look up. Her padawan was on time and that is what mattered. She walked and pointed to the center finally speaking. "Return to your center. And tell me the rules of engagement."

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

"Known Rules of Engagement are listed below:
A Jedi uses the Force and the lightsaber only for defense, never for Attack.
Understand the dark and light in all things.
Learn to see accurately.
Open your eyes to what is not evident.
Exercise caution, even in trivial manners.
Allow others to draw on you,

Alari said it immediately, having drummed this particular code into her head since the moment she set foot in the libraries. She offered a weak smile to her master, but remained humble looking enough. Clasping her hands around her middle, she bowed her head slowly then looked up expectantly and somewhat worriedly.

 

[Syn]

Cath listened and moved when her padawan bowed. She spoke standing closer but still held the whip. "Very good, few care about them and even less remember them. Your next lesson is to prepare a lecture on old jedi explorer corps. I will expect no less then four hours worth of subject matter you can relay to the other padawans. You have one hour to prepare." Cat moved back towards the outside of the circle as she spoke. Should you preform less then perfect you will be sent to the mess hall to meditate for four days and not allowed to eat." Cath was kidding in a way her padawan was good but what she really wanted to see was her composure break it would make giving her more diplomacy skills easier.

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari raised her head somewhat, before bowing and it swiftly exiting the chamber. No correspondence should take place, for every second counted now. Again, her footfalls were swift but silent as he hurried through the ancient Temple. The very fabric of the Force that permeated the air fed her, as did her desire to please the Jedi and become one of them.

She smiled politely as she entered the libraries, quickly gathering up some holopads on the Old Jedi Explorer Corps and taking a tidy seat. With her own holopad, she began to tap around quickly, but not frantically, practically drinking in the information. She knew she was at an advantage - knowledge was fresher in her mind when it was freshly learned and she had yet to discover the wonders of this 'new' sect of Jedi.

The Explorer corps were an exciting prospect by far. They roamed the galaxy, a sect of Jedi Aces, Ambassadors and other "out in the field" type Jedi, discovering ancient and new civilisations alike. One of the most notable members, she learned, was Jocasta Nu, the last Jedi librarian of the Old Order on Coruscant - killed during the revolution. Before long, her data pad was filled with notes and other knick-knacks, a presentation waiting to go. After approximately fifty minutes of research, she returned the notes on the Corps, and then hurried back to the chamber, and presumably presented her presentation - which lasted all of 4 hours, surprisingly, though some filler was present to flesh it out.

 

[Syn]

Cath had gathered in the room a few padawans and knights or at least that was the look. She had changed slightly removing her mask and sitting there in the bodysuit while her padawan was presenting. The lights were low with a spotlight on the twi-lek while the windows were closed. She listened the entire time and coiled her whip as she waited. When her padawan finished Cath clapped as she spoke not letting the lights come on while the others filed out.

After everyone was gone Cath spoke from her seat and grinned. "Now that was good. For missions where large amounts of knowledge are required to learn you will have less time. So be prepared and train yourself to remember names, dates and numbers. It will serve you well. Now return to the circle and stand very very still. If you move the wires are going to hurt.

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Alari nodded somewhat tiredly, before offering a slightly questioning look. "Wires, master?" She asked slowly, the back of her mind sighing in resignation that another tedious and painful task awaited her. Surely the life of a Jedi would not be like this past Padawanship. She'd always imagined them as being so noble, so heroic.

However, as instructed, she moved into the middle of the circle and stood perfectly still, clearing her mind so as to not become distracted from her new task.

 

[Syn]

Cath looked at her and grinned as she spoke. "Yes wires well more rods but this is how I was trained." Cath stood back as the rods dropped down from the ceiling and slammed into the floor. The black metal was to the roof and Cath spoke casting the room in pitch blackness. "Now the rods have gaps a path if you will in them. You will strike up a conversation and use my voice to guide yourself out. You will be timed, after this since it is dark we will be able to go outside and I can see how you handle small medical treatment."