A Joining of Paths

[Darius]

Danteel - Clan Amiri Territory

Adonia was a knight, this was great honor even for her people who shunned technology, becoming a Jedi was considered a respectable alternative to taking the path of a warrior, in many ways they did the same thing, a Jedi shrived to better themselves, to center themselves, and to protect those that could not themselves. For once in her life Adonia felt like her family and people truly respected her, she finally felt like this was a home. But when one day set so does another rise, Adonia was expected to take on a learner, and with thee being so few Jedi she did not have much choice in the matter, this task gave rise to her current situation. Sitting in their clans tent Adonia and her Brother Giaus went through the records of younglings to search for the individual that Adonia could best help along their path.


"What about this one?" the salty veteran grunted as he took a sip of his drink.

"No." Adonia said pressing the button to reveal a new candidate.

"Sister that's the eighty fifth learner you have turned down, I didn't even know the order was that big until tonight, lets wrap this up, go to bed and start fresh in the morning."

"No need, I have found him." Adonia said slowly opening her eyes.

"This one? He's only seven years old, by the time he is eligible for these so called trials you will be what thirty two?"

"Thirty three. My mind is made up, this young boy processes an unusual degree of force ability for his age, he will likely not be chosen because of his age and a seed of resentment could form, which leads to the dark side, no he will be my padawan, I will see to his training." Adonia got up and began to collect her things."

"So wait your leaving tonight?" Giaus said rather surprised as Adonia rushed past him as to prepared for her departure.

"Yes every moment is a moment lost, you could come with me you know, the alliance could use a soldier like you again, put the pas behind you brother." She replied making sure not to make eye contact.


"There will be a day for that, but today is not that day." Giaus looked over to see Adonia lipping every word he said, "Hey!"


"I will be back in a few months time it depends on his progress, but most of his training will be done here. Stay safe my brother." her brother let out a sigh, "You have grown so much, I am very thankful that the Jedi took you, the warriors life was never for you, be safe... Strength and Honor." he pressed his forehead against hers,a proper goodbye.


One Week Later - Empress Teta


Adonia sent word of her arrival to the officials of the sage halls humbly requesting quarters for herself and a place to train her first padawan, she also requested that said learner meet her in the arrival bay. The week long voyage was gut wrenching, she was not nervous at the least bit but eager to help this boy long his path, she had seen first hands what happened to learners like him who did not receive the attention that they so needed. The hatch opened and Adonia stepped down the ramp with Audin at her side. A beautiful beginning shining overhead today, Adonia met it with her head held high.

 

[Lloyd Gross]

Jake awoke anxiously. He’d had a hard time sleeping the night before. He’d finally been selected as a Padawan. He knew many Jedi didn’t get selected for a really long time, if ever. But the few short months he’d spent moving from planet to planet seemed like ages. He was glad his new master was a girl. Jake was really shy and if his new Master had been a mean-space-pilot-jedi, Jake didn’t think he’d be able to handle it.

Jake had heard a lot about his new master from the other Jedi here at the temple. He knew she really didn’t like technology. Jake hoped he could keep his datapad, it had all his books and everything the Jedi temple had let him download on it. It was the main way he was learning to use the force. Now that he had a Master though, maybe Adonia would be his new ‘datapad’.

Jake rubbed his eyes and threw the sheets off the bed. This greatly disturbed Janice, who was still sleeping, at the end of the bed and the Nexu let out a low growl. Jake quickly got dressed in the robes he had set out and clipped his practice saber on his belt. He picked up his stun gun and datapad to bring with him like usual but something told him to leave them there. If his new master didn’t like technology maybe it would just be best to hide these until later. He threw one of his spare robes over the two items to conceal them in case she came back to inspect his quarters later.

Jake cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. He extended one hand toward Janice who had yet to move. He tried with all his might to focus on moving the Nexu, having her float over to the door. After several seconds Jake opened his eyes, a bright smile of anticipation on his face.

“Poop,” He said with a slight edge. The Nexu was still on the bed unmoved by Jake’s attempts with the force. He’d been trying every day since he’d been able to get his lightsaber to roll around, but he couldn’t quite get anything bigger yet. “Worth a try I guess. Come on, Janice we got to beat Adonia there.”

He walked the short distance from his quarters to the temples landing bay. He watched as the shuttle descended and the boarding ramp opened. A few people trickled down the boarding ramp and Jake found his new master immediately. He was excited and wanted to run over to her but he decided that wouldn’t be ‘jedi-like’. So instead he settled for the brisk, walk-jog, of over excited youth. Janice followed closely behind him. She was still only a year old and not quite a mature Nexu, she was small for her kind but still fierce; and fiercely loyal to Jake. His practice saber and stun gun would be no match for a real enemy but Janice would keep him truly safe.

“Master Adonia,” Jake bowed low as he reached the Jedi Knight and contained his smile. He hoped she was nice and hoped she could teach him all the force moves he’d been reading about in the temple archives. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Jake Stillow and this is Janice my Nexu, I'm your new Apprentice.”

 

[Darius]

Adonia may have been momentarily blinded by the change in ambient light, but the bottled up excitement of her first padawan was more than enough to guide her for that split second. Adonia was overjoyed that he matched her enthusiasm, they were embarking on a journey that would shape many of their coming years, and they would need every ounce of motivation to see it through. once the glare retreated she stepped down the ramp her pet close to her side. with her hands, pulling down her hood she smiled at the young boy. "Young Jake, words can not express how excited I am to meet you. Your teachers speak very highly of you, which is saying a lot the instructors of Teta are remarkably picky, I warn you not to let that go to your head."


"And what do we have here?" she said turning her attention to the young nexu next to him, she knelt down and stroked it on the head, well you certainly have a lot of growing to do. There was a small growl of protest from behind by Audin. "Oh hush you." she said looking back. Getting back to her feet she met her Padawan once again with a smile, "There was a time when the only friend I had was Audin, but I warn you there will come a day where you will have to leave him behind, not for good but he can't go with you everywhere. With that in mind I will allow you to keep you pet, as long as he does not interfere with your lessons."


"Walk with me to our training chamber young one, we have much to do, a little time to do it." As they moved on Adonia was greeted by many younglings in the halls, she gave them all the proper respect as they gave her but nothing more. "The next chapter of your life has begun young one, roughly two percent of all younglings become Jedi, and less than one percent of those chosen few are under the age of ten, but do not fret the time to prove yourself is over, the time of enlightenment has come, you have some skill with the force but at the present moment it is little more than a toy in your play chest. However to you have the potential to be a great Jedi, all that I ask is that you trust my judgement and I will do everything in my power to guide you on your journey, but in the end you will come to a choice, will you follow the light or be swayed by the dark." she stopped when she told him that and took a knee next to him. "It takes strength to resist the dark side." Taking some of his longer hair Adonia quickly braided it and cinched it with a band, "Only the weak embrace it, remember that young one."


The pair continued until they reached the frame of a rather elaborate double door. Adonia pushed it open and took in the sit, this was without a doubt the most beautiful training room she had ever seen. Once Adonia reached the center of the room she turned around. "Yes this is will do fine...we will train here." Adonia took off her outer robe and placed it on a bolder, she then took her spot in the meditation circle, and motioned for the young boy to join her. "Now we get to the thick of it, I'm sure you know that you must be chosen as a apprentice by a Knight or master, but did you know that for the bond to be complete you must accept me as well? With that in mind I welcome you to ask any questions you have, and i will do the same, nothing within reason is off limits, you need not fear me now or ever."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

"Young Jake, words cannot express how excited I am to meet you. Your teachers speak very highly of you, which is saying a lot the instructors of Teta are remarkably picky, I warn you not to let that go to your head."

Jake was glad his teacher was excited too. It let him know that it was okay to be exicted. Jake nodded in assurance that it would not go to his head.

"And what do we have here? Oh hush you." Jake let out a laugh, it was good for him because it really let a lot of the tension out of the situation. Jake was interested in learning more about her pet and he was sure over the coming years he would.

"There was a time when the only friend I had was Audin, but I warn you there will come a day where you will have to leave him behind, not for good but he can't go with you everywhere. With that in mind I will allow you to keep you pet, as long as he does not interfere with your lessons."

Jake was glad he could keep Janice, they’d built a strong bond while traveling around. It was a reminder that Adonia was the Master here and Jake would have to do as she wished.

“She’s really good I promise she won’t interfere.” Jake said quickly.

"Walk with me to our training chamber young one, we have much to do, a little time to do it.”

Jake began walking along with Adonia as she began talking. He was glad they were going to go ahead and get started. He wanted to learn more and more and couldn’t quench his thirst by himself.

“The next chapter of your life has begun young one, roughly two percent of all younglings become Jedi, and less than one percent of those chosen few are under the age of ten, but do not fret the time to prove yourself is over, the time of enlightenment has come, you have some skill with the force but at the present moment it is little more than a toy in your play chest. However to you have the potential to be a great Jedi, all that I ask is that you trust my judgement and I will do everything in my power to guide you on your journey, but in the end you will come to a choice, will you follow the light or be swayed by the dark."

He had already been warned about the call of the dark side. Jake knew it could be strong but right now he was just struggling to manipulate the force, much less feel it calling him. He didn’t want to seem disrespectful of the situation though so he nodded gravely. “I understand, I’ll keep that in mind.”

"It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it, remember that young one."
Adonia took some of Jake’s hair and began braiding it. He liked that, it reminded him of his mother a little. It let Jake know that he was safe, even with an unfamiliar person. They finally got to the training room. Jake had only been in there with large groups but now with just the two of them it seemed very big and open; almost lonely and sad to have so few people in the room.


"Yes this is will do fine...we will train here."

Adonia motioned for Jake to sit across from here which he did.

"Now we get to the thick of it, I'm sure you know that you must be chosen as a apprentice by a Knight or master, but did you know that for the bond to be complete you must accept me as well? With that in mind I welcome you to ask any questions you have, and i will do the same, nothing within reason is off limits, you need not fear me now or ever."

Jake sat quiet for a moment as he tried to sort through all the questions he had. Since he was usually shy around new people he typically let other people do the talking. Adonia made him feel welcome and special so he decided he could trust her.

“Everyone keeps talking about opening up to the force. I don’t know what that means…” Jake trailed off. “They say it’s important for learning everything. I try meditating but I haven’t had anyone explain it to me yet.” Jake said sadly. He really wanted to learn but not having a master was making it difficult, that would all change now.

“And tell me about your family, are you married? Where’s your home?” Jake asked. A happy tone returning to his voice. He waited patiently for Adonia’s responses.

 

[Darius]

“Everyone keeps talking about opening up to the force. I don’t know what that means…They say it’s important for learning everything. I try meditating but I haven’t had anyone explain it to me yet.” Adonia took a breath and began to think about were to begin, this was a common question for students his age, and there were many ways of explaining it.

"There is more to the force then merely meditating,the force is not some stop and shop in the back alleys of coruscant, as for much as you ask of it that is how much it will ask of you, this is the balance of life, and of all living things. To open yourself up to the force is to recognize the existence of this balance, and to understand how it weaves your life to mine or to your nexu. This collective is the will of the force, during meditation is for this force to flow through you, once you attain this you will be able to channel it in other aspects of your life, and accomplish the feats that Jedi are so famous for." Adonia stopped herself she was beginning to feel a bit preachy, and that was not her intent. "I hope that helps, but if it is not clear, I promise from now on my life's work will be to make all things clear to you."



Adonis chuckled at his barrage of questions, she could not help but blush at some of them. "I am from Danteel, of house Xylona and Clan Amiri, my planet is control my ruling and sometimes warring Clan factions. I have twelve brothers, and I am not married. My family may have accepted my path in this life but my people did not, I care not it is the way of things. Danteel is pitch black but for two months out of the years, as such we have all developed eye shine to compensate and to utilize the light given of by the planets fauna. You will meet both my family and my home in due time, we are here until I feel you are ready to travel." It was good to talk of home, though she had only been away fora week she missed it so, even the beauty of Teta would have been traded for the rolling plains and thick jungles of Teta.


"Now tell me where does my Jake come from, you must have come to the temple young yes, younger than me, I didn't arrive on coruscant until I was eight."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

Jake listened closely while Adonia explained the force to Jake. It was the first time anyone had explained the concept to him.

“As much as you ask of it that is how much it will ask of you.”

This is what stuck out the most to Jake. He’d been taking and taking from the force and not giving anything back. He knew he could ask Adonia what he could give to the force but now that she had provided the key, he wanted to find the lock himself.

“That’s really helpful thank you.” Jake said smiling. He was trying to still pay attention to his new master but he really wanted to solve this puzzle.

"I am from Danteel, of house Xylona and Clan Amiri, my planet is control my ruling and sometimes warring Clan factions. I have twelve brothers, and I am not married. My family may have accepted my path in this life but my people did not, I care not it is the way of things. Danteel is pitch black but for two months out of the years, as such we have all developed eye shine to compensate and to utilize the light given of by the planets fauna.” The planet sounded very cool to Jake. He knew he would love getting to explore a new place and learning all about the people there. He only hoped the people that didn’t accept the Jedi path weren’t too mean about it. Jake was sure that Adonia could protect them though.

"Now tell me where does my Jake come from, you must have come to the temple young yes, younger than me, I didn't arrive on coruscant until I was eight."

“Well I was born on Corellia. My parents are mechanics for the Corsec police force. A Jedi came and told my parents that I was force sensitive. With all the war going on they thought it would be safer for me with the Jedi than in the path of the Sith and Mandalorians. I got to Coruscant when I was seven. After a few weeks they sent me to learn on Teta instead. I really like reading and I really want to be a Jedi Sentinel. I want to serve with the GA as they fight.” Jake realized he was getting too excited and wasn’t even talking about what Adonia had asked him. He decided to stop there and let Adonia talk now.

 

[Darius]

Adonia listened to her new student as he enthusiastically told her of his life so far, and of his plans of the future, Jake had spirit, and Adonia could feel that he truly wanted to help, and like all of the Jedi of the ages he would get his chance. "Corellia is a beautiful planet one of my first missions were to your home planet, stop shut down a slave ring that had sprung up around he republic."

"I really like reading and I really want to be a Jedi Sentinel. I want to serve with the GA as they fight.”


The last part of his statement worried Adonia slightly, "Young one remember we are here to protect the republic not serve it, This is wartime but we are still keepers of the peace. War is an ugly thing, nothing good has ever come from it, it breeds mistrust, and rips apart families. using your light saber should be a last resort, even when it comes to facing our great enemy the Sith, we only fight them when their lust for power threatens another life, our goal is not genocide but balance." She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "I have lost four of my brothers, two masters, and many more friends to this war, I miss them all dearly, and I want to protect the rest as best I can, but you like me must understand, we joined the Jedi order not the galactic military, we have been called since birth to a higher calling, one day the fighting will cease and the Jedi returned to their proper calling. Do not be so eager to fight, with time you will understand, there is only the force."



Adonia looked to her left and spotted a few rocks a few feet away, "Today we will solidify your connection to the force, this will make the rest of your training possible, you must trust in the force, and you must trust in your own ability to use the force, for if you do not believe in yourself my young padawan, no one will." Adonia floated the rocks over and put them in a line of five in between the them, "Now I know these rocks are rather small, your task here is to pick up all five at the same time and have them orbit without hitting you, or each other, or me. These rocks represent the the Jedi code which I am sure you are familiar with by now. Pick up the first rock and tell me the first line of the code, and it's overall meaning."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

"Young one remember we are here to protect the republic not serve it, This is wartime but we are still keepers of the peace. War is an ugly thing, nothing good has ever come from it, it breeds mistrust, and rips apart families. We joined the Jedi order not the galactic military, we have been called since birth to a higher calling, one day the fighting will cease and the Jedi returned to their proper calling. Do not be so eager to fight, with time you will understand, there is only the force."

Jake hung his head, that was the second time since he joined the Jedi that his wish to work with the Galactic Alliance had been met with reproach. There was something about the way he was approaching it that the Jedi didn’t like. He knew he would have to figure that out later as well. His enthusiasm and excitement were waning. Jake watched as Adonia floated the five rocks over in between them. Jake knew he could make them float he’d done it before. It was when Adonia said he would be manipulating all five at the same time that Jake got worried and all his excitement from earlier disappeared.

“These rocks represent the the Jedi code which I am sure you are familiar with by now. Pick up the first rock and tell me the first line of the code, and it's overall meaning."

Jake extended his arm and closed his eyes. He knew he didn’t need to close his eyes but it helped him focus. Somehow he became more aware when he closed his eyes and meditated.

“There is no Emotion; there is peace.” Jake exhaled as he said the words. He put his hand down and opened his eyes. Still holding the rock just above his head between him and Adonia. He began to think of what the line meant as began moving the rock around his and Adonia’s heads. It was hard concentrating on the rock and trying to find an answer at the same time.

“It means we shouldn’t let our emotions control us or our actions. That if we want to make the right decisions we need to have peace in ourselves.” The rock wobbled slightly as Jake’s concentration was diverted away from the stone and towards his answer. However, after he answered he realized he was still holding on to the fear from being reproached. As he let those feelings go he could see the rock becoming stable and its path around the pair becoming steady.

 

[Darius]

"Very good Jake, you have proper understanding of the first mantra, but know the proper path to that peace. All living things have emotion, as a Jedi you must recognize this and confront your feelings and understand where they stem from, and how they effect you as a being. Only then will you achieve peace. Denial of emotion spawns fear, and fear leads to the dark side. I sense your fear of reproach, This is unwarranted as a Jedi must test his knowledge against another, if you do not express your views to me how then can I teach you the right path? I am not here to judge you I am here to guide you, never feel that you cannot talk to me, Of all people I am here to help you, this idea directly connects to the next mantra." The boy was wise for his years but she felt the fear of being wrong or perhaps being seen as foolish in his heart, she did not think on it too long, as the confidence gained from his training would do away with this fear.


"Now for the second line with the code, as before you will represent it with a rock form in front of you, explain it to me, and also tell me how this relates to the first line of the code, you may begin when you are ready." Adonia closed her eyes and began to let the force flow through her, in doing this she could see the room much more clearly than she could before, even able to see the traces of the force which Jake was manipulating, this was how she would measure his connection to the force, and if eh was making any progress.

 

[Lloyd Gross]

Jake once again listened as Adonia spoke to him. He knew he shouldn’t be afraid of her or afraid of being wrong but he couldn’t help it sometimes. Jake had already pushed it from his mind so he tried his best to not let it back in. He floated the second rock in front of himself.

“There is no Ignorance.” Jake began. He knew what the rest of it was but found it difficult to focus on the rock circling them, the rock floating in front of him, and speaking, all at the same time. It forced his to speak in short bursts. The floating rocks would waver slightly as he spoke, not threatening to fall but certainly not stable.

“There is only Knowledge.” Another shake of the rocks. He placed the rock in orbit right behind the other. Now that both rocks were on the same path it was much easier to speak and focus.

“Um…” It wasn’t that Jake didn’t know, he just needed a moment to organize his thoughts and focus. “It means that we should learn as much as we can. The more we know the better we can serve the ----force.” Jake caught himself. He wanted to say serve the government, but Adonia’s recent lesson was still ringing in his ears. Jake had a good handle on the two stones now that they were following the same track.

The second part of Adonia’s command was hard. “Also tell me how this relates to the first line of the code.” Jake had recited and thought about the code on several occasions. But he had always thought of each line separately, he hadn’t thought of them as they related to each other.

“I guess if we know a lot,” Jake started not really sure where he was going. “It makes it easier to find our peace in the force.” Right away Jake knew that wasn’t the best answer. He might have been able to come up with something better if he had time to read more and research it more. But for this exercise Jake couldn’t do that. He only hoped Adonia would either accept it or correct him. This time Jake would welcome correction, he needed to learn.

 

[Darius]

Adonia kept a close mental eye on her padawan, he was having some trouble with keeping his concentration, but that was to be expected, he was young and the lesson was at it core an exercise to build on his natural connection to the force. A Jedi unknowingly has most of their power at birth, but they lack the connection as they have been conditioned like a non force sensitive to know what is possible and what is not, this had to be unlearned as it stood in the way of true clarity, since Jake had only endured a short time with said outlook it would be easier than most to learn the ways of the force, but also easier to fall to the dark side, that was the danger Adonia sensed, and the reason that she felt out of all the learners, that he was the one destined for her.


"Concentrate my young padawan, do not think on the size of what you are moving, that is nothing, you are communicating with the force only, concentrate on your connection to the force, not the strain of the rock, master this and you can stop rivers, and lift mountains." Listening on she analysed Jake's definition, as before he had the basic concept, but she would elaborate so he could truly understand the code. " Your getting the idea, but keep in mind the jedi serve to protect the peace, that peace is civilization, but do not interpret that as following the will of the alliance, attune your heart to the will of the force and the will of the force only, for a Jedi to divide his attention between the will of the force and the will of others is to invite disaster."


“I guess if we know a lot,It makes it easier to find our peace in the force."

"Not quite what I was seeking young one, The way they relate is quite simple, As a Jedi your are to be constantly seeking knowledge, this includes knowledge of yourself, through knowledge of yourself you find inner peace, through inner peace you find knowledge, through knowledge and experience you find wisdom, through wisdom." Adonia pressed per finger over the boys heart, "Through wisdom springs the force."


"Now young one pick up third rock, recite to me the third line of the code, and its personal meaning to you, also speak to me why if unheeded can jeopardize the first two lines, and in effect the Jedi themselves."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

"Concentrate my young padawan, do not think on the size of what you are moving, that is nothing, you are communicating with the force only, concentrate on your connection to the force, not the strain of the rock, master this and you can stop rivers, and lift mountains." This really motivated Jake. He tried to focus less on what he was moving and simply the fact that he was moving nothing. He changed the rocks in his mind’s eye to blobs of air. The strain became noticeably less and he was very grateful for Adonia’s lessons. They really were helping already.

Jake listened again as Adonia gave him instruction. He tried hard to determine whether he was serving the force or himself. This would be something else he would need to figure out after the lesson.

"Not quite what I was seeking young one, The way they relate is quite simple, As a Jedi your are to be constantly seeking knowledge, this includes knowledge of yourself, through knowledge of yourself you find inner peace, through inner peace you find knowledge, through knowledge and experience you find wisdom, through wisdom. Through wisdom springs the force." Again Jake listened as his new master spoke. She was very wise and Jake was glad he’d received her as his master, they were a good match, she challenged him intellectually.

Jake picked up the third rock. As it floated in front of him he exchanged his idea of a rock and replaced it with an image of a cloud. Soft, fluffy, and light.

“There is no Passion; There is Serenity” Jake said, this was becoming easier. However there was a hint of doubt in his mind that he could hold all five rocks in the air. Jake knew the answer, he only hoped he worded it correctly.

“To me it means we shouldn’t act on what drives us, but we should be driven by the force.” Jake said, he placed the rock-cloud into orbit around his and Adonia’s head.

“If we let our passions drive us instead of the will of the force,” Jake said making sure he chose the words Adonia has just spoke to him. “We’ll turn to the Dark Side. Their emotions is what gives them power, all we need is the force. If we don’t find peace in ourselves like you said we can’t gain wisdom. The sith aren’t evil, just ignorant.” Jake said coming to a sudden realization as he spoke. The sith really weren’t evil. They just didn’t know what they were doing. As Jake began to follow that train of thought he realized the rocks were wobbling severly and bumping into each other. He pushed away all those thoughts and went back to focusing on his training. The rocks once again became clouds in Jake’s mind and their orbit once again stabilized.

 

[Darius]

"Your are finding your center, very good Jake, very good." She could feel his use of the force becoming more stable, she was very proud of him but they could not stop now, they had so much left to do, and Adonia would continue to push her padawan. "And you are quite right by the way, passion is a tricky thing when it comes to a Jedi, it would be impossible for me to ask you never to feel motivated ever again, or never get excited, As a Jedi you must guard yourself be swept away by passion, lest we start seeing the force as a means to and end."


"I wish I could share your optimism about the Sith, some may be simply misguided and ignorant of the true nature of the force, but time has proven that others are all together evil, remember young one even when faced by a Sith you should not be quick to, brandish your weapon, the Jedi's power is the force, the Jedi is the force, once lightsabers are brought into the mix, we loose most of our inherent advantage. Never forget what you are, but never forget what they are, or you will soon learn a hard lesson thousands of Jedi have learned before you." Adonia stopped as she watched the rocks falter slightly after there discussion of the Sith. "Concentrate on your training young one, we will go over the Sith more than once during your time under my charge, one with the next line, recite it, it personal meaning to you, and its relation to the third line, don't forget your rock, stand firm we are almost finished with the excercise."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

Jake listened once again as Adonia expounded and complimented his answers. As Adonia spoke of the Sith Jake paid close attention. He didn’t know much about them and this lack of knowledge drove him to learn more about the enemy of the Jedi.

“Remember young one even when faced by a Sith you should not be quick to, brandish your weapon, the Jedi's power is the force, the Jedi is the force, once lightsabers are brought into the mix, we loose most of our inherent advantage.” Jake held on to this part of Adonia’s speech. He was excited to learn more about Force Powers and their use. He hoped to one day be proficient in everything possible force related. Jake’s attention to the rocks once again waivered but he was able to regain control more quickly than before. Jake’s new master was already helping him achieve that goal.

Once again Jake was asked to recite the next line of the Code and he did.

“There is no Chaos.” Jake raised the fourth rock. Now he couldn’t keep the rock up without a little strain. He used his tactic of feeling the force, instead of the weight, in the rock. But manipulating all four rocks was getting to be too much. He had to control his breathing and speak his words carefully.

“There is Harmony.” Jake again had to think for a moment or two about it meant related to the other lines.

“It means…” Jake started, once again he was stalling attempting to control all four rocks as they orbited around the pair. “That the force is always in control.”

“It means that even though things may be chaotic around us, the force is always flowing. It never waxes or wanes. It means that no matter what, we can always count on the other lines of the code to always hold true.” Jake said using a term he’d just learned from one of the other Masters on Teta while they were studying the moon. Jake didn’t want to risk saying more. He wanted to get to the last line quick so he could rest. All of the muscles in his little body were tense and he could feel his forehead getting ever so slightly wet from sweat.

 

[Darius]

"Quite right young one, the force is everything, that statement goes beyond the physical, the force is allo emotion, is all the joy, the pain, the love, the sorrow, and even hate. Everything that happens is as it should be, a righting of the balance that we sometimes help to corrupt with our actions. The force does not idle, we as Jedi must realize that some time the horrible things that happen must happen." Adonia unclasped her light saber from her belt and ignited it, "This is my blade, the blade of the first born, an important artifact on danteel. The former owner is the reason my clan calls themselves Amiri, he was only a padawan when he died, fought to protect the Jedi temple on Coruscant to the last man, I am his legacy, this man died in battle it was meant to be so, and i turn I was meant to discover his tomb and claim his blade, and in turn I was meant to become a Jedi, and train you young one, with that in mind his death does not so bad now does it? Which brings us to our next and last line of the code."


"Tell me of this last code young one, if you can grasp the one before it this one should be but a wisp of the air to you, but use caution this is the most important of all the tenants, if you learn anything today you will learn of its importance and how as a Jedi you should move forward, you may begin."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

Jake watched as Adonia unclipped her lightsaber and ignited it. As Jakes excitement rose so did the rocks. The subtle heat from the blade was causing his sweat to start to bead on his forehead.

"This is my blade, the blade of the first born, an important artifact on danteel. The former owner is the reason my clan calls themselves Amiri, he was only a padawan when he died, fought to protect the Jedi temple on Coruscant to the last man, I am his legacy, this man died in battle it was meant to be so, and in turn I was meant to discover his tomb and claim his blade, and in turn I was meant to become a Jedi, and train you young one, with that in mind his death does not so bad now does it?” Jake enjoyed listening to the story and the history of his master’s training. He also liked watch the blade of the lightsaber. The small flicks from miniscule movements in Adonia’s wrist made the tip crackle and jump ever so slightly.

"Which brings us to our next and last line of the code. Tell me of this last code young one, if you can grasp the one before it this one should be but a wisp of the air to you, but use caution this is the most important of all the tenants, if you learn anything today you will learn of its importance and how as a Jedi you should move forward, you may begin."

Jake was now getting nervous, his excitement died down and he knew it would be a challenge to get the final rock in the air but he knew he could do it. He extended his arm and closed his eyes. Not even thinking about what he was doing, simply knowing he was doing it. The strain throughout his body was great but he could push through it.

“There is no Death; There is the Force” Jake concluded quickly. He rushed his words and movements. He sent the rock into orbit. He found that with a complete circle around him, the strain was lessened but it was still a lot to handle. “It means that when we die we don’t go into nothingness, we become the force. We require the force in life, and it requires us in death.” Jake said implementing a lesson from a previous line of the code. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He kept his eyes closed and listened for his master’s words.

 

[Darius]

"Very good young one, there are not many your age that would understand the ways of the force as you do, take heart in that, I foresee you become a powerful Jedi one day, Just do not forget the lessons you will be taught along the way." Adonia stood to her feet and smiled, "you may put the rocks down if you wish, I think you are ready for some saber basics, your training saber will do for now."


Adonia was very proud of her student right now, Jake was everything she could have hoped for in a first student, teaching one so young would be a challenge but she could feel that Jake would be right there with her the entire time. Adonia stepped up onto the dueling stage it was little more than a flight of steps and a drawn circle around a waterfall and a swift river, this made the rock of the ring rather slippery but that was the point. "There are seven forms recognized by the Jedi order, over the years of your training I will teach you four personally, there is Soresu the form of resilience." Adonia reignited her blade and dropped into a defensive stance, she then gracefully created saber orbits around her body and continuously moving until you could barely see her behind the yellow glow of her saber.


"Makashi the form of contention." Adonia brought her blade into a salute and back down to her side, she then like the water around her fell into guard after guard, step after step, and stopping only for quick jabs and subtle slices.


"Tràkata lesser known art to be sure, but as you will soon see it has it's if properly melded with your technique." Adonia closed her eyes and lifted up two boulders of equal size in front of her, igniting her saber she jumped in the air as if to slash the first one, as she brought down her strike her blade retreated into the hilt, only to ignite in time to cut the boulder behind the other completely in half.


"And the last is Juyo, the form of ferocity, a very dangerous art for you and your opponent, it will go against everything I teach in regards to the other forms, and as such I will teach you last. Be warned young one, to master this form is to master your own darkness, this will way heavy on the third tenant of the code, as you will not only understand your passion but project it into your attacks, I will show you." Adonia closed her eyes for but a moment but when she opened them Adonia let out a terrible scream, and faster than she could almost see her self she had viciously slip the last floating boulder in front of her in numerous pieces. "Even in darkness you must find your center young one, you will learn in time." she said panting as she slowly returned to her calmed state."


"Now join me int he water we will begin with Soresu and its basic movements." She gave her student all the time he needed to join her,and once he did she began the lesson. "feel free to ask as many questions as you want, but do not stop your movements, ignite your saber." Adonia tooka breath and fell slowly so he could mimic her into a defensive stance. "Soresu is the ultimate defense, it is the immortality of the blade, the resilience of the force, your enemies will waver like a young flower in the summer sun as they try to break your guard." Adonia lifted her blade and slowly made a circle around her body as she kept the saber upright. "The blade should never stop, this form like many other relies on economy of motion, conserve your energy, outlast your opponent."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

"Very good young one, there are not many your age that would understand the ways of the force as you do, take heart in that, I foresee you become a powerful Jedi one day, Just do not forget the lessons you will be taught along the way.” That made Jake very happy he was glad his teacher had confidence in him. He put the rocks down as Adonia had directed him and stood up. He let out a long breath of relief as he was finally able to relax.

Jake listened as Adonia went over all the lightsaber forms. He was really interested in learning them but he hadn’t really done much with his lightsaber yet and he was worried he might not be very good. He was strong and limber but he’d never even played sword fights back home. This would be his first training with a lightsaber and he hoped it went well.

"And the last is Juyo, the form of ferocity, a very dangerous art for you and your opponent, it will go against everything I teach in regards to the other forms, and as such I will teach you last. Be warned young one, to master this form is to master your own darkness, this will way heavy on the third tenant of the code, as you will not only understand your passion but project it into your attacks, I will show you. Even in darkness you must find your center young one, you will learn in time." Jake became slightly frightened, if he hadn’t already spent time with Adonia he wouldn’t have known what to think. He didn’t know he if wanted to learn the Juyo form, but if it would make him a better Jedi, he would do it. Jake joined her in the water and pulled his practice saber from his belt.

Jake mimicked Adonia as she went into a defensive stance and maneuvered her lightsaber. Jake listened as she explained Soresu, the defensive lightsaber form. Jake found that the weight of the lightsaber was helping him make a continuous circle while not using very much energy. It was nice to have a physical challenge now instead of a mental one. Jake could see how he could outlast his opponents with this simple form.

 

[Darius]

"Very good Jake very good, but look here we are cheating." Adonia put away her saber for a moment and walked over to fix the posture of her student, "Your are bent over, your back has to beat straight, combine that with your feet being staggered and wide will give you a good base, not only to defend yourself but to find time to plan your attack." Putting a hand on his shoulder she pushed in with her other hand on the small of her back, once she was satisfied with what she was seeing she joined him at his side again. "It hurts yes? that is a good sign, your good posture may one day keep you alive young Jake."


"You have the basic movements of the style now we will introduce remotes, use the same feelings that moved those rocks to seek out your target young one. Show me you understand." Adonia looked to her wrist and quickly called a remote for Jake she set it to the slowist setting so he could get a feel of the exercise. "Trust in the force young Jake, it will lead you exactly where you need to be."

 

[Lloyd Gross]

((OOC: I'll be gone until Monday or Tuesday, so I wont be able to post again until then))

Jake let Adonia fix his stance, he noticed the difference right away. He legs were much more involved and his back was now straight.

"It hurts yes? that is a good sign, your good posture may one day keep you alive young Jake." Jake nodded. It was starting to burn but it wasn't anything he couldn't cope with.

"You have the basic movements of the style now we will introduce remotes, use the same feelings that moved those rocks to seek out your target young one. Show me you understand. Trust in the force young Jake, it will lead you exactly where you need to be."

Jake watched the remote as it floated in front of him. It moved around with ease through the air changing directions every few seconds and rotating in the air. Jake brought his lightsaber up to block the bolts. He tried to relax and listen to the force like Adonia had instructed him but it was hard for him to overcome his human instinct to do it on his own. The first bolt shot out and while Jake could feel something directing his arms to deflect the bolt he was too slow and it hit him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Jake said in alarm. He reset his feet and got ready for the second bolt. He opened himself to the force and tried one more time. He decided to try and let that feeling he'd felt moments before guide him. Once again he could feel the impending danger and attempted to move the lightsaber to block it. He was late once again. This bolt hit his leg. He tried his best not to scream this time. He was becoming discouraged very quickly. He wanted to be good with a lightsaber but if he couldn't make the connection between the force and his lightsaber technique he wouldn't be as good as he wanted to be. He could only hope Adonia had some advice to offer.

"I'm not fast enough." Jake said frustrated.