"So, Viera, tell me how exactly this is supposed to work?" I've got the rest of the 'Padawan Pack', and hasn't that become a term every Knight and Master has come to know, in one of the larger Temple courtyards. It's been almost a year since Ossus and this is the first time we've all been together in a long time.
Master Tavik is busy with something or other, I'm not exactly sure, he just told me to go train or do something for the day. I imagine he probably meant for me to take a day off, and so I am.
"Alright, so I've got some a little sack filled with dirt and what we're going to do is play a little game. Everyone form a circle." Jang and Ilena take position to the left and right of me while the others finish the circle. Zey's looking much happier now than he was before, apparently spending time with
Master Kon Ray has done wonders for him.
"How is this training?" Jai stretches out his burnt fingers, he had a nasty encounter on his last mission and burnt some of his fingers. This will make things difficult for him, only Pollitrix knows the full story and she has refused to tell us. That can only mean it's hilarious.
"Good question Jai, on Troiken I had the nifty idea of using the Force to throw grenades farther than normally possible. I tried to show Obi-Wan and Vos how to do it and it worked eventually." I heft the bag of sand a few times before using the Force to toss it towards Pol, who's taken position to Jai's left. She catches the bag and nods slowly.
"So, you want to show us how to do the same thing." Pol mirrors me and uses the Force to toss the bag back to me and I shake my head. I know they can do that, it'd be pointless to show them how to do something they could already do.
"No, I want to show you how to use the Force to throw it farther. Similar but different, everyone back up, make the circle bigger." They all comply and pretty soon we've created a sizable circle in the courtyard, each of us too far to simply through this bag of dirt to each other without assistance. Assistance the Force can give.
"Okay, the rules are simple, you can't throw it to anyone to your immediate left or right and you'll need to use the Force to extend its momentum." I have to yell a little so they hear me but I get the sense that they've got the gist of the rules.
I give the bag a quick heft and toss it to Jai, giving it a push midway and guiding it down towards him. Jai catches it easily enough but frowns, trying to decide who to throw it to and how to do it. After a moment, he takes it and throws it at Ilena. I can see him try to do as I did but he comes up a bit short and it lands a good five feet in front of her.
There's a moment of silence before he sighs and waves his hand, the bag slides forward to Ilena's foot. She takes the bag and considers a moment, seems she's not keen on a repeat of Jai's performance. Oh Jai, I could make an impotence joke here but I won't.
"Sorry Jai! Show them how it's done Ilena!" Jang yells encouraging words next to me and as Ilena tosses the bag to Zey I let myself zone out a little as I reflect.
After Ossus the Council dispatched a team of healers to the ruins to see to Ood Bnar, they brought with them the Healing Crystals of Fire and within a week Ood Bnar was brought to the Temple. Granted, I haven't seen the Jedi Master since then due to my own missions and the Council of First Knowledge practically kidnapping him.
Master Nu's face when presented with Ood Bnar's Holocron and being informed that he had survived on Ossus was the happiest I've ever seen her. I almost worried she might have a heart attack the poor woman. From what I've heard since, he's almost guaranteed the next seat on the Council of First Knowledge should he choose to accept and he's supposed to be giving a lecture to the Jedi educorps in a few months.
In other news related to our Ossus trip, they let me keep the ancient lightsaber I picked up and I have had to tentatively drop my objections to learning Niman since it's the basis for learning Jar'Kai. Though my training in that has been slow, turns out trying to use two lightsabers at once takes a lot of arm strength I don't have, yet. I'll get there eventually but for now it's just been the basics with Master Tavik.
In between training at the Temple, Master Tavik and I have been off on missions all the way from
Port Haven and
Ession to
Abregado-Rae and
Kuat. Thank the Force the craziness of the Stark War was just a one-time thing, for now. Most of these missions turned out to be relatively simple, bringing in criminals, acting as envoys for the Senate, local disputes and otherwise standing around and looking pretty for diplomatic and ceremonial functions on behalf of the Republic. The diplomatic functions are the best, all that free food. And hey, only one of those missions has required me to draw my lightsaber, and even then, just for intimidation.
In other, exciting news, Rendili has unveiled its new design. Ranulph use my idea, they're modernizing the Hammerhead and Valor cruisers! Now to see how that plays out, I can't really predict how this could affect anything until its put into practice. I've seen some news groups speculating on what he's been but with no concrete answers, he certainly hasn't been holding any press conferences.
The sack comes back towards me and I take a moment to catch it and send it on its way to Pollitrix. I faintly hear Jang shout something positive, I'm not exactly sure. The crowd in the courtyard seems to have increased as well. I can see more padawans, some knights and even a few masters. Is what we're doing really that interesting?
Slow week I guess.
The bag sails into the air again only to pause midway, huh? Jang looks adorably confused as to why her toss has stopped, I'm not holding it in the air, she's not holding it in the air and I don't think any of the others are either.
"hmmhmm, my little padawans playing a game, are we?" Master Yoda steps forward, walking into our circle, leaning on the cane I know he doesn't really need. He stops in the middle and leans on his cane, smiling at all of us. Oh, so that was why they were all watching, Yoda's showed up.
"A game, Yoda may play too I hope?" the sack floats down into his hands and he looks between us with clear amusement in his face. It's sad knowing that this joy will eventually fade during the war. Jang smiles, practically bouncing in place, still so full of energy that I worry she might explode.
"Of course, you can, Master Yoda, Viera's shown us how to play." Yoda turns his gaze towards me, he walks over to me and I find it amusing that even in the middle of puberty I'm significantly taller than him. Force, I hate going through puberty again, I already did this once damnit.
"This game, explain it, will you?" he says and raps his walking stick against the courtyard. I bow lightly in respect, honestly, it's just become a habit now and for the Grandmaster of the Order it's sort of required in my mind
"Of course, Master Yoda, it's a very simple game. There's no real goal but the idea is to toss the sack of dirt to another person in the circle by using the Force to extend its arc and guide its descent." It's not a necessarily complicated game though actually doing it seems to be harder for the others than for me.
Yoda nods and with barely a hint of effort the bag of dirt sails into his hand and he steps back, looking for a spot in the circle. Jang takes note and waves her hands wildly in his direction.
"Master Yoda! Over here, by me!" Yoda chuckles and ambles on over, waving his cane at her as he takes his place beside her. Jang chuckles and remains lightly bouncing in place. Amazingly, puberty has only given her more energy.
From there the game goes on, Yoda's throws are flawless in every way and show just how far I have to go before I'm even on the level of a Knight. Midway through though, Yoda gets his own ideas and the game rapidly begins to change.
It starts when Yoda stops the sack mid-flight and starts circling it in the air above us. Then it sails down towards Ilena who tries to catch it and fails miserably, the sack continues onwards flying around and resisting all attempts to catch it.
And attempt it we do, Jang breaks ranks first, running after the sack and trying at grabbing it, only for Yoda to elude her every strike. Ilena and Jai join in next and soon enough we're all chasing a sack of dirt around a courtyard as Yoda plucks it just out of reach. Yoda's verbal encouragement only egging everyone on as they try and fail to grab a sack of dirt.
"Grab it with the Force, we can't catch it otherwise!" Of course, Ilena, trying to wrest control of the sack from Yoda's grip is a perfect idea.
That goes not nearly as well as we'd have liked as grabbing it requires wresting it from Yoda's grip, which is difficult if not impossible. He relaxes his grip just enough to let one of us grab it before he takes it back with no warning.
Eventually it's Pollitrix who has the idea for all of us to work together to grab the sack and get it back. There is of course, nothing we can do to keep Yoda from grabbing it anyways and working together wouldn't change that but Yoda seems to relent and allow us to have our victory. And then it becomes all of us working together against Yoda for the sake of a sack of dirt. Silly but fun and relaxing in its own way.
The sun is setting by the time we're all too tired to keep going, I'm breathing heavily, laying on my back and just catching my breath. It's hard enough to run around chasing a small object, even more so when you're laughing at all your friends falling and failing in their attempt and I'm sadly stuck here for now.
Jang is nudging me, why can she still stand, trying to get me to stand up and I wave her off.
"I'm too tired, I'll catch up to you later Jang." She nods and rushes off to the others.
"We'll see you inside Viera, Poll's brewing tea for everyone!" Ooh, I love her tea, I don't know how she does it but she has a secret recipe or something. I can hear them all making their way inside, gosh I'm lazy, and for a blissful moment there is just the quiet and me catching my breath.
I'm trying to think of anything significant happening in the next few years and I'm coming up with nothing, we've got a few years before any of the significant events happen. And that's if they happen, I'm not sure if Ranulph can cause any significant change before Naboo, but who knows. I feel like I'm rapidly approaching the point where divergence makes my pre-knowledge inaccurate.
There's a rapping of wood on stone beside me and I turn my focus to Yoda who is standing above me, looking down. I wave a hand limply at him.
"Master Yoda, can I help you?" He hums thoughtfully and takes a cross-legged seat next to me, okay? I'm a little confused.
"Thank you, I did not, for rescuing Master Bnar. A knowledgeable and wise Master, his presence imparts wisdom long lost to the Order" Ah, so it's for that, is it? Ah well, I can't imagine not trying to rescue him, especially since I knew he was there.
"It's like I told you back in the Room of a Thousand Fountains before Troiken. I thought the vision I had on Ilum was of Ossus and a tree in what looked like a courtyard. When the time came, I just had to trust the Force to show me what needed to be done." I mean, I knew what to do as well, but when I did get there, the Force did seem to push and prod me in the direction of Bnar himself, I've gotten pretty lucky with that I think.
"Good it is, that trust the Force so easily you do. A lesson, every Jedi in time must learn. Still, know an important question every Jedi must always ask do you?" I don't, but I'm willing to listen. Yoda wisdom is best wisdom I imagine.
"No, Master Yoda, I do not. What question should I be asking?" Yoda smiles and pokes my forehead with his walking stick, ok that doesn't hurt but why did you do that?
"Always ask yourself, who am I? Do this and aid you in your trials it shall." Who am I? Okay, I'm Viera Sarat, what's the lesson here and why is it important. Yoda seems to understand my confusion because he laughs and peers down at me.
"Think Yoda foolish, do you? An easy answer you will not find. Viera Sarat, you may say, when asking that question but who is that? A label it is, but you are not a label." Oh, so it's going to be one of these then, alright I do want to see where he's going with this. Alright, who am I?
"Alright, then I'm a padawan of the Jedi Order and a Miraluka whose name is Viera Sarat." Again, he hums thoughtfully and shakes his head.
"Another label these are, exist did you not, before becoming a padawan? Cease to exist, would you, should you no longer be a padawan. Who are you, padawan?" Alright, consider the question who am I? Cast aside the labels and what's left?
I've experienced a great many things but am I the sum of my experiences? Back, where I came from before, I had been a firm atheist and that me would certainly have answered along the lines of yes. But here, there may or may not be gods but there is the Force. So no, I'm not the sum of my experiences, okay but if I strip away the things I label myself and the experiences I've had then what's left?
And then the answer becomes too obvious and I groan for not getting it immediately, I chuckle at my own ignorance and smile.
"Is the answer, me? I'm me, I can't really be anything else." Yoda smiles and stands up, a moment and I feel myself lifted up by the Force. My legs are still a bit sore and shaky but I can stand well enough to walk.
"Correct and your ally is the Force just as it is mine, luminous beings are we, not this crude flesh. Labels, our flesh, distractions they are. Let go you must, only free of these distractions can you see clearly the path you must take." Alright, so I think I understand the basic idea related to detachment. Granted, I don't understand as much as I feel I should to make it effective but it's a start. I remember that the Jedi philosophy is a mix of a lot of things, this sounds rather zen though.
And again, this is the thing with this place, the spiritual is real here so this actually means something practically for me. I need to remember that more often, but Master Tavik tends toward more practical things though.
"Thank you, Master Yoda, I promise I'll do what I can to remember that." Okay, my legs aren't screaming at me in pain so I think I'm good to walk. Master Yoda starts walking towards the Temple and I watch him go.
"Remember this lesson padawan, watching I am." I will, and man, he's watching me? I'm flattered, truly, that he thinks I'm worth watching. Alright, time to head inside, relax and have some tea.
--
The next morning, my datapad pings just as I finish dressing. Master Tavik has a mission, I'm needed to the hanger immediately. Alright, must be something urgent then. I grab my lightsabers and gear and take off for the hanger.
Master Tavik is waiting for me in the hanger, his own pack in hand and talking with some of the Temple technicians in front of a relatively plain Senate-class freighter. He waves me over and pockets a datapad from a nearby crate.
"Padawan, good morning, we've got a mission from the Council, the information came in last night and needs to be acted on immediately." He heads for the ramp and I follow, alright sounds like trouble again.
He's already priming the ship for launch, I take the co-pilots seat and begin running the system check to make sure we're ready to go. The Temple technicians probably did that already but Master Tavik did always say it was a good habit to get into.
"So, Master, what kind of mission is this? It must be something important if we're going to this much trouble to get going." He takes the pilots seat and the engines hum with power.
"We're going to
Dioll, an Outer Rim planet. We just got some intelligence on a base on the planet run by the
Karazak Slavers Cooperative. They just received a batch of prisoners, one of them is apparently a VIP though we don't know who. We don't know how long they'll stay there before being moved on. You and I are going to get in there and rescue them." Wow, fighting slavers, awesome.
"And the two of us are going to break into the base, deal with the slavers and rescue the prisoners all on our own?" The ship lifts off and we're already heading out into the Coruscant sky.
"The Judicial Forces have two Corellian Corvettes near system, when we land, we'll send them a signal and they'll jump in system to offer us aid." I nod and settle in, bringing up the data on Dioll.
Here we go.
