Unorthodox Learning - The Training of Daniel

[Mr. Crunchy]

Daniel Ferlas was up early, as much as he hated it. He grumpily walked down the stairs of the cold, icy monastery, his robes wrapped tightly around him and his lightsaber strapped underneath his robe. As he walked into the hall, he could hardly be excited about his upcoming training. His life within the halls had been cushy enough, but he supposed it was time to be devoted to the 'greater good' for once and for all.

As he walked, he looked for any sign of his future Jedi Master Seamus. He acknowledged the honour it was to be the Master's apprentice, even through his weariness.

 

[Lucid]

It was Seamus versus the turbolift. It wasn't moving fast enough and he was late. He was always late, but it bugged him every time he was. It made him angry, and being angry made him rash. Not stopping to even consider the consequences, Seamus palmed the emergency stop, ignited his lightsaber and gouged a large hole in the bottom of the turbolift. Without further ado, the young man jumped through the opening he had just provided himself with and used the Force to pull himself to the ground.

Landing with a muffled thwump Seamus hit the ground in a billow of robes. It didn't stop him however as he was springing back up in an instant and wrenching the turbolift tube door off its hinges with yet another exertion of the Force. Without looking the slightest bit ashamed of his actions, the Master of Alderaan walked through the ruined opening and into the grand atrium of the Enclave.

"DANIEL!" He bellowed, "COME HITHER!"

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Daniel watched groggily as his master literally destroyed and a lift and leapt from it. Oh goody, he's impatient. Not going to sit around all day making me meditate at least... He thought, sighing as he was told to 'come hither'. Standing up, he strolled over to master Seamus and said in his best, polite voice. "Morning, master,"

 

[Lucid]

"Mornin' kid," said Seamus with a rough smile, not one to miss the boy's some what obvious trepidation about the Jedi Master. It was only natural and Seamus knew that he was...unusual by Jedi standards.

"Well...seeing as we're going to be spending a lot of time around eachother I might as well just say this. I'm not a normal Jedi" he turned a mild shade of red, "...as you may or may not have just discerned."

Seamus grinned wolfishly at his apprentice, pleased that this guy was only slightly taller than he was...that meant no embarrassing looking up at his student.

"So...what do you know and what do you want to know. Might as well just ask outright, ya?"

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Daniel had, of course, heard the rumours about the slightly unorthodox Jedi Master from his fellow padawans. It wasn't exactly a level of infamy, Seamus was just well-known for getting things done. Nodding, he listened to him quietly and what he hoped was respectful. Even so, he slouched a little but was beginning to feel a lot more awake now that his master was standing before him and ready to get into the action, so to speak.

"Yeah, I can't say I haven't heard of you from the whisperings of my other padawans. Anyway, I've been in this cold, empty monastery for nigh on three years now and I've spent most of that time trying to make some bloody pebbles float or being told to rehearse the 'codes' and 'tenants' by a wrinkly old master. I mean - I guess they're all down to interpretation of what they mean, ain't they? It's not like being a Jedi entails you follow a rule-book, it's philosophy and that's always open to be taken differently by others. I've seen people mindlessly repeat the code without even thinking about it, and that's bad enough in itself, ain't it?" He paused for a moment, quietly wondering if his master's response would be in agreement or another harsh talking to like the older masters always gave.

"Anyway, what I don't know. Anything with a lightsaber other than basic Shii-Cho, any extensive force powers, and what it's like to be a Jedi out in the big wide galaxy," Daniel said to Seamus, his voice gradually becoming more alert and awake as he thought about his relatively short time with the Jedi.

 

[Lucid]

Without warning, Seamus all but vanished from sight only to appear directly behind his new apprentice, shoto lit and held in a reverse grip with its blade angling down next to the boy's neck and just under his chin.

"Kid," he said, deactivating the blade, "the life of a Jedi is dangerous. Never, ever, stop listening to the Force. I know it's tough now to pay attention to what it's telling you while still paying attention to the rest of the world, but that is probably the most important ability a Jedi can possess.

"If you are able to sense the intent of a person, whether in words or in action, through the Force, you're becoming what it means to be Jedi. That alone is what makes us different. We know the possibilities of the future and we act to change them in order to the peace." Seamus sighed, he hated giving lectures but this was important. "Without that, the tenets become religion, with that, they become our laws."

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Daniel's hand almost shot to his own lightsaber, but he stopped himself just in time. With his head angled so that his neck was fully exposed away from the shoto. He wasn't scared... much. A Jedi Master wouldn't just kill him, especially not whilst delivering such a grand lecture.

"That's valid, master. But, y'know, I dunno if the whole neck thing is entirely necessary. I mean - hands-on learning and all that - but I heard you almost killed a knight with a shoto," He said after Seamus had delivered his speech and thankfully de-activated the shoto. He was merely relaying the rumours he'd heard around the temple, whilst walking forward away from Seamus a few paces then turning to face him.

"I've heard about battle precognition from some of the knights and masters, the ability to sense the future. Seems like a really good skill, especially in a battle or the such. I'm all ears though, not like I've seen what it means to be a Jedi, I've only heard," He added, so as to state his respectful intentions. It was true, he imagined Jedi life was so much differently out in the 'big, bad' galaxy than cooped up in a temple.

 

[Lucid]

"Alright," he said, "come with me."

Not waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and headed down the corridor to the training halls, stopped, turned around and headed out the grand front entrance of the Enclave out into the waving fields of grass.

"This is not a skill easily learned, kid...nor will I try to make it any easier. Strife, though unjedi, is a powerful tool for learning.

 

[Mr. Crunchy]

Daniel followed obediently, figuring it would be much more easy and probably what he was expected and obliged to do.

When he arrived in the field, he listened to Seamus speak. After he had finished, the padawan merely nodded, thinking to himself that he had never expected any force techniques to come easily.