Ask Yavin IV A Place of Peace

Izel Thral

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"Another jungle planet?" Captain Watam complained as the Gray Phoenix dropped out of hyperspace over Yavin IV. "I hate these places. Always make me sweat like crazy. Why can't you Jedi build your sacred temples on a world with some decent weather?" Izel only sighed.

"Well, we're not exactly in a position to be picky, Captain." She replied with subdued annoyance. "Just put us down. And remember, you have no idea this place exists. I'm putting an awful lot of trust in you..." Watam waved her off.

"Yeah yeah I know. Take it easy lady. I know how to keep a secret." He assured her with casual disregard for her concerns.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" The Vratix muttered under her breath as she turned to exit the cockpit. She could put up with the captain's bothersome remarks for just a while longer. They were nearly home. The temple was busier than when she was last here. More ships, more guards, and many of them non-Jedi. The Order had been bolstering its security. A wise move Izel believed, given the rising dangers of the Sith. No one wanted another Ajan Kloss. But the more people they had on site, the more people there were that could potentially spill their secret. Only time would tell if the benefits outweighed the risks she figured.

Before long, their ship touched down outside the temple, among several dozen others. As the ramp descended Izel would waste no time in setting foot on the old Jedi home. After such a long time away, it felt good to be back. She stood upright and took a deep breath, letting the warm morning air wash over her. And more than that, she could immediately feel the difference in the Force. This was a place where the light side thrived. Where nature was in harmony with the sentients that walked the planet surface. Where serenity and calm pervaded every inch of earth. This was a sanctuary where her kind could leave behind the worries of the galaxy and just focus on their contemplations of the Force. This was a place of peace. After taking a brief pause to enjoy the moment, Izel would turn around, waiting for Yulie to join her. "Welcome to Yavin IV Padawan," She would say with a certain sense of obvious relief. "Headquarters of the Jedi Order, and your new home."

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Yulie

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Yulie spent the morning monopolizing the restroom, toolbox wide open as she tried doing something new with her hair. She may not have had any hair curlers, or blow dryers, or anything else that a highborn might use to stylize themselves, but the Force allowed her to roll screwdrivers for curling and a few improvised attachments to a blow torch made it as good a dryer as any. Carefully wicking her eyebrows with de-greaser, the dark dyes of an engine’s sweat slowly wept from the follicles and revealed Yulie’s natural dull, ashen hue.

In her mind, she looked glamorous, and making a good impression was worth fussing over the feral that she saw looking back from the mirror. Shadows still collected beneath her eyes like pools of water, leaking menacingly down her lean features. Grey skin and dark veins still gave her a corpse-like quality that she couldn’t completely shake, even when she was bobbing up and down to the beat of her own heartsong.

She had way too much energy for such a restless night. The thought of the Jedi stronghold kept her eyes from growing heavy, so she remained very much awake and with more time than she knew what to do with. There was no more maintenance for her to perform, and she already affixed a couple of seatbelts to her backpack so that she could carry her blanket underneath. So she prepared for her departure from the ship, a preparation that took hours upon hours.

I may have an idea about that stench you mentioned.” Yulie said aloud, dictating a final log for the Captain. She told him earlier that she wasn’t making any goodbye gifts, but she felt obligated to account for all the tasks that remained unfinished. “You don’t have to worry about leaks or filters, or anything like that. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I found some droppings; it looks like you found a friend back on Kashyyyk. Probably spraying to mark its territory. I’d get rid of it, but Vera’Thral disapproves of how I deal with animals. So instead of thinking that your ship has an infestation of vermin, try thinking that your ship has an infestation of…friends.

Lowering the wick, Yulie leaned all the forward and inspected her reflection’s eyebrows. Much better. No more dark smudges…for now.

Oh! And don’t use the Turbo setting on the dishwasher; that’s a work in progress. The pressure seal needs to be upgraded or you’ll flood the gally. And try extending the ship’s ramp on the slowest setting; this will keep the ship from whining even if you insist on using the cheapest lubricant out there.

There was a change in the air, and Yulie's ear twitched. They had just dropped out of Hyperspace. It felt no different through the Force than regular space, but she could sense the transition. Hastily cramming the tools back into their box and removing the modifications she added to the blow-torch, she looked over herself one last time. Right! Almost forgot the hair curlers! She quickly pulled the tools off her head and let her hair fall. Perfect! There was no difference from before. In her mind, she looked glamorous, but in reality she hadn't used any products or techniques that would actually make an appreciable change. Her hair had the same wild style as if she hadn't done anything at all.

Scooting out of the restroom, she slung her backpack over her shoulders and held the data pad close to her chest. "Just need to see the Captain," Yulie told Izel as the Vratix exited the cockpit. "Everything else is ready." The Dathomirian slipped inside and stood well enough away to be of no distraction while the Captain brought the ship in to land.

"Might as well say what it is." The Captain said as the ship broke atmo. "It's more distracting to wonder than it is to speak."

"I made a log, all the maintenance that the ship could use. You probably won't have time to do it all, but at least no one will be able to cheat you if you have to hire someone to make repairs." Yulie quietly shuffled forward and placed the pad down on the passenger seat.

"I'd hire you." The Captain said, keeping his attention on the landing sequence. "If you decide you don't want the Jedi life."

"This is the path to the life I want."

"Well, if your path takes you to the Free Spacer's Guild, you can use me as a reference."

"Really!?" Yulie asked excitedly.

"You do what you set your mind to. There's plenty in the Guild who can't even manage that. Whatever life you want, whatever path you choose, I believe you'll make it work. I gave the droid everything it needs if you ever want to use that reference."

"...that's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Just don't drag your heels when you leave. Had to scare away some critters back on Kashyyyk, don't want anything making themselves at home when the door's open."

"We'll be quick." Yulie said, deciding that the Captain can listen to the log on his own time. Didn't feel like the right moment to mention the droppings. She quickly excused herself and scuttled back to Izel, her face a little mauve from embarrassment. Shortly after the ship touched down, the ramp extended (and a little quickly for Yulie's liking), and the jungle air rushed in.

"Welcome to Yavin IV Padawan, Headquarters of the Jedi Order, and your new home."

"Those fortresses are really...big." The Temples towered over the jungle's canopy. For some reason, Yulie had imagined them to blend in with the natural landscape, or be hidden within a mountain or deep beneath their feet. "How do the Jedi, um, we, keep them hidden from the Sith?"

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Izel Thral

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Izel took notice that Yulie seemed to be in high spirits, that was good. She was taking her time in saying her farewells to their captain. While Watam had agreed to come to work for the Jedi Order as a pilot, they would no doubt be keeping him quite busy, and the young Dathomirian would have little contact with him. Still, the Vratix felt good knowing she had someone she would be able to talk to when the occasion allowed. As her apprentice joined her outside the Jedi Master would start walking at a casual pace towards the temple, gesturing for her to follow. She moved without haste, allowing herself to soak into the atmosphere. She hadn't spent as much time on Yavin as she had Ajan Kloss, but the two planets were similar enough to feel more than welcoming after her long journey.

"This planet is remote and marked on most maps as nothing more than the site of a few small colonial settlements." She answered the Dathomirian's question. "It's quite inconspicuous. And when they have an entire galaxy to search, it's like trying to pick out a single grain of sand on all of Tatooine." She would glance upwards as a squadron of starfighters soared past overhead before looking back to her Padawan. "Of course, we still take a few precautions. As you can see, the Order has gone to great expense to improve our defenses in the event of an attack. We also have several more temples spread out across the galaxy, to retreat to in the event of disaster. But you needn't worry about that."

Eventually they would reach the entrance to the temple, where two Jedi Sentinels were standing guard. Given Izel was a very easily recognizable master, probably the only of her kind currently within the Order, they made no attempt to block her entry. They did glance at Yulie curiously as the two of them passed but asked no questions. The interior of the temple was ancient but not at all unwelcoming. The halls of stone were massive but made to look smaller with the crowd. It was alive with movement and the flow of the Force. People, Jedi and not, were moving about busily, some at work or training, others enjoying their free time. "I'll give you a quick tour," Izel told Yulie as they walked. "Then I'll see about getting you your quarters."

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Yulie

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"I suppose it would be pretty weird if the Jedi sought to overcome fear while hiding their entire society deep underground." It would have also been harder for them to convince anyone that they were not to be feared if they were unwilling to even be seen.

Vera'Thral's assurances made enough sense; Yulie didn't have a sense of galactic scale, nor was she a strategist by any means. Still, she felt uneasy. Anyone with long-range goggles could scrutinize the structures and their defenses like a doctor might study an enemy cell through the lens of a microscope. It was but a remote possibility, far-fetched given the state of their security and military readiness, yet she was still concerned by the mere sight of the Temples looming over the landscape.

Little did the Dathomirian know, the imagined threats against the strongholds had nothing to do with her unease. Approaching the temple felt like she was drawing dangerously close to the den of wild animals that were better left undisturbed. She reminded herself that real Jedi didn't even resemble how they were described in stories, that even if a single Jedi could topple an Empire, she wasn't putting herself in danger by staying in one of their villages. Yet when she passed through the entrance, it felt like she was sticking her head in the mouth of a dangerous creature.

She didn't know why it felt this way, so she assumed it was just something about the architecture. Maybe the angles reminded her of the debtor's prison, or that the smell was somehow similar to the Venator when she and Stormkirk first climbed in. The real reason was something similar to what happened on Ambria. On that world, the Dark Side was so intense that it tortured her body, passively tempting her to draw strength from her worst emotions. Here, the Light was so intense that her Shadow was reacting badly to it.

It made her feel like insect, perhaps under a magnifying glass with the garish light of the sun focusing upon her like a laser, or like a roach scuttling in terror for a dark corner when the lights turned on. Except there was no dark corner to hide in, and the Light wasn't burning her. Had she known this to be the cause, she knew that the Sith wouldn't accidentally stumble upon these Temples. There were undercurrents within the Force deep, deep beneath perception or awareness that would turn their attention away. It would have to be by choice to come here.

Yulie kept her focus forward when the guards watched her curiously, but looked back at them when they were deeper inside, wondering what they were thinking about or what they might whisper to each other when she was gone. Part of her wondered if they were plotting something against her, and that paranoid line of thinking reminded her to put her hands together. Captivity and Freedom; a small dose of duality to keep herself centered in the presence of extremes. Breathing exercises helped her tolerate the imposing nature of the Temple to an even more successful extent.

Even the most peaceful surface of the water could have strong currents underneath. Yulie would be mindful of this now, and would do what she needed to properly acclimate to this place. And if she ever needed to get some air, there was plenty of jungle to roam or hunt in.

"We should probably start by showing me where I'm not allowed to go. Unless that's pretty much everywhere. It is a quick tour, after all."

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Izel Thral

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Izel clicked thoughtfully at Yulie's suggestion. She had to admit herself this was somewhat new to her. These security protocols were something she never had to deal with in the past, and she wasn't sure how wary the Council would be of her Padawan. Having had time to get to know the girl, Izel viewed the Dathomirian as much more of a threat to herself than anyone else, and she felt the other masters ought to sense as much as well. But who was to say for certain? Things were always changing these days and trust was in tragically short supply.

"Well, anywhere you see sentinels posted it would probably wise to stay away from." She finally replied to her apprentice. "You should stay away from the high council chambers unless you're specifically requested there. They're always quite busy and shouldn't be disturbed except for extreme cases. And you should try to avoid disturbing our non-Jedi security forces as well while they're working."

As they continued walking, they would pass some of the training chambers. Izel would stop here and turn to face inside, gesturing for Yulie to observe as well. Inside the brightly lit room there were a series of large, open squares where a few Padawans and even some knights stood. In one square a human stood, surrounded by hovering remotes. As he took up a defensive Soresu stance, one would fire at him from a random angle, then another. The young Jedi would turn and raise his saber in response, deflecting the bolts with practiced ease. In another square on the opposite side of the mostly empty chamber a Twi'lek and Mirialan stood facing each other in a sparring match while another human master watched them, her arms crossed and a critical expression on her face. The two Padawans made a few slow probing movements before the Twi'lek launched into a series of quick stabs and slashes. The Mirialan retreated several steps back, clearly struggling to fend off her assault, before taking a jab to the arm. He hissed in pain and grasped the wounded area while his sparring partner smiled with triumph.

"You'll be able to practice your saberwork here." The Vratix explained to Yulie as she watched the human master speaking to her students. She would look at the Dathomirian and chitter a bit. "And don't worry about losing a limb. They're using training sabers. The worst you can expect from those are bruises and welts. Good motivation to improve, but nothing permanent." As she spoke, the Mirialan would shake off the sting and furrow his brow with determination as he and his partner reset their stances and started to exchange blows again.

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Drastus Drahr

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A whistling tune, somewhat recognizable to Master Thral would sound from behind them. Drast had returned to Yavin not a day before them and was already back into the swing of things. Grimy and sweaty from his efforts in his private forge, he now carried a large bag over his shoulder, likely his training weapons. His dreds were tied back in their usual way, though instead of the training vest, he wore a sleeveless tee, allowing the full gamut of scars and tattoos to show on his exposed skin.

The tune would come to a stop as he recognized at least one of the people in front of him. "Master Thral. How are you doing?" he asked with his usual tone, even offering one of those trademarked grins of his. His gaze then shifted to Yulie, which accompanied a full torso turn and even a finger gun. Though it was a quick glance, he managed to get all the information he needed. Eyebrows had been attempted and she was new. That was plenty to let him know that she was new and trying to make a good impression, something he once did years ago. "And who is this vision, Master Thral?" he would ask, hopefully bolstering any confidence she was lacking in the moment. "Name's Drastus, I'm one of the older Padawans around here. More traveled, least liked." he added with a warm laugh. "And you are?"

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Yulie

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"Be where the guards aren't." Yulie smiled. "I've got some experience with that." Easier to remember this rule than memorize the layout of the entire Temple, and it was a rule that worked out pretty well back at the prison. When they passed the training chambers, Yulie followed Vera'Thral's lead and looked into the training grounds.

The Mirialan stole Yulie's attention, the markings on his face instantly catching her interest. She knew by his skin that he wasn't of Dathomir, and so she wondered what they meant to him. Perhaps he had completed a rite of passage that Yulie had not, her face bare of any tribute to accomplishment or ancestral ties. Perhaps the geometric tattoos were inscribed upon him against his will, like the designs etched into Yulie's palm. Either way, she wanted him to win, and she watched him spar with a similarly critical expression on her face as the human master.

He was put on the back-step quickly, the Twi'lek clearly more confident after probing his form. Stop moving backwards! She silently urged, her heart quickening with anticipation. You are letting her control the fight! Dig your heel in and lower your profile! Look for an opening and spring forward! The Twi'lek remained on top of him, her blade pouncing every time the Mirialan gave up some ground. Unable to hold his defense, a jab in the arm sealed his defeat.

The Twi'lek's triumphant smile annoyed Yulie, but the Dathomirian couldn't hold victory against the girl. So many Twi'leks had been taken as slaves that it in some places it was almost the first thing that people thought about them. It was always good to see one that lived free, even though she probably thought of the human as a master. Still, Yulie was determined to put up a stronger fight against her if they were ever to spar. In a way that Yulie knew to be absurd, Yulie felt like she'd be closer to getting her own facial tattoos if she could triumph against the Twi'lek on the Mirialan's behalf.

"It's for them that I worry." Yulie said, casually gesturing to the arena with her unmarked palm. Vera'Thral's ability to read her emotions had taken some getting used to. A stoic face was enough for those without the Force, but there was no hiding her feelings from a Jedi. It was just better to be honest about them, and face those feelings to the extent that Yulie understood them.

"You've seen what I can be like when I start fighting. I doubt they've seen something like that in the training grounds." The two were fighting again, and although they were competitive there was a mutual respect between them. The match was a dialogue, and neither were willing to use their blades' full potential against one another, and that required a degree of self-control and restraint that Yulie knew she would need to learn.

"But when I'm ready...I'd like to face her." Yulie turned her attention towards the Twi'lek this time, watching how she moved and the way she held her blade. There was a tune being whistled from somewhere behind, but until an unknown voice greeted Vera'Thral, Yulie was focused on the sparring. She turned away from the fight and took a moment to see how her teacher reacted to this person before giving him full attention.

In one way, he was like the opposite of Mirialan; he had markings all over except for the face, and Yulie had to look at them, take in all the designs. She wasn't at the point where she could read someone with a quick glance, but she was quick to notice the grime beneath his sweat, something that she usually saw in her own reflection. It looked like there was someone else here who worked hard with his hands; perhaps in the Motorpool? No, he didn't carry the scent of those fumes.

"I'm Yulie." She answered. "One of the newest Padawans here. Less traveled, uhhh, too early to tell if I'll be liked." But if she kept her expectations realistic, he probably wouldn't be the least liked for too much longer. "Did you do something to upset everyone, or does everybody just really get along here?" It was hard to tell if he was just joking, but however he answered, it would tell her something about the general comradery in the Temple. She was definitely the newest Padawan here.

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Izel Thral

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Izel couldn't help but chitter in amusement at Yulie's fear of hurting someone. "You don't think you're the only Force sensitive that has ever gotten frustrated or angry in a fight, do you?" She asked. "The Jedi have been training young apprentices for tens of thousands of years. You have nothing to worry about. If your temper starts to get the better of you, your instructor will intercede. And we'll teach you how to control your emotions in any situation. Even violent ones." Yulie's desire to fight the Twi'lek in particular was more perplexing. Looking back into the training chamber, she was not someone the Vratix recognized. She did seem to be quite skilled with the blade, however. As they continued fighting, she would get into a saberlock with her Mirialan opponent. He seemed to be overpowering her at first, but she fluidly stepped to the side and ran her blade down the length of his, making contact with his hand and causing him to back off again as he shook it off. Izel looked back to Yulie to answer her request, but before she could a familiar tune made her antennae twitch.

She was pleased to meet Drastus, a promising Padawan she had worked with a few times in the past. "Considerably better, now that I'm home again." She answered his greeting in a friendly tone. As Yulie asked why the Corellian Padawan was disliked, she crossed her arms and spoke with some humor in her voice. "Drastus isn't lacking for skill or potential, but he seems to have a talent for getting under people's skin." She looked at him, leaning forward a bit and feigning a stern tone. "I expect you not to be a bad influence on my new student, Padawan Drahr." She chittered as she leaned back again and turned her attention towards Yulie once more. "If you want to learn the saber quickly, he's probably the man to talk to. I've seen him take apart a dark side cultist with surprising ease."

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Drastus Drahr

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"Yulie, oh yulie, what an honor it is to meet you, truly." he would say with a bardic voice. He would even go so far to just drop his gear haphazardly behind him to gesture with his hands as if he was singing in an opera. Drast finished the quick verse with a grin. "Well, I'm like the black widow of Masters. First one died, second one has little to do with me, and number two-and-a-half also died. So I guess you could say it's speculation at this point." His hands would go over his heart as Master Thral spoke, a faux pained expression on his face. "Master Izel, I would -never- corrupt another Padawan."

His gaze slipped back to Yulie. "Truthfully, I break the rules a lot. I'm always leaving the Temple to do things. So, if you ever want to leave the Temple, I'm your guy. And well, ya know, if she's not around. I will, however, take Master Thral's praise for my swordplay." he would offer his hand to Yulie. "Welcome to the Temple. If you ever do need anything, let me know. I got a twenty on a vacant room. My co-Padawan was promoted to Knight, so his room in the Padawan quarters is open."

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Yulie

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A misty, mauve ribbon appeared beneath the pewter shade of Yulie's cheeks, lightly performing them with a blush of self-consciousness when Drastus began to perform. Never one to know quite how to handle friendly greetings, the oldest habits were her first impulses.

Threat assessment

Giving Drastus her divided attention and a confused half-smile, her eyes darted, seeking everyone who now found these two Padawans at the center of their attention. Every person she spotted made that mauve ribbon a deeper shade of purple, until she looked back down upon the training grounds. Her cheeks quickly became a dark wine colour when she met eyes with the Twi'lek, the Mirialan, and their human instructor who was now reminding his students to remain clear of distractions.

Oh, I bet Vera'Thral is loving this. She thought to herself as she quickly focused her full attention on Drastus, and her teacher would have reason to, in addition to the general amusement that she assumed the Vratix would have over this. Typically, she tried to be as discreet as she could manage, remaining beneath anyone's notice and generally becoming invisible. Even with her Vera encouraging her to make friends, she'd still probably do so in the quietest, subtlest way from the furthest distance. Now they were going to seek her out, if only to learn who Drastus was performing about. Now she'd have no choice but to socialize, and she tended to do better when she had fewer options.

It also seemed to confirm that the Vratix spoke truly about no one being briefed about her; Yulie was certain that no one would be so honoured to meet her if everyone had been warned. That too would make it easier to socialize; perhaps they wouldn't have to find out at all...but they may get curious if they noticed the guards watching her more closely than the others. When Drastus filled the room with his bardic voice, they first turned their attention to her instead of him.

It took a few moments to process that Drastus was actually serious about the black widow thing; he said it so casually and quickly took to dramatically assuring that he'd never corrupt the little Dathomirian.

I thought you'd be more worried that I'd corrupt him. She might have said when she glanced up at her teacher, but kept her self-deprecating humour to herself. Those sort of remarks would only lead to conversations that she wished to avoid. It made more sense once he said that he broke the rules a lot.

"I prefer to follow the rules..." Yulie said gently, careful not to let it sound like a rebuke in any way, as she took the hand offered to her. It wasn't just that she was new or that she felt that she had to hold herself to a higher standard lest she be kicked out (though those reasons were true enough to her), but because obedience had been beaten into her personality, like a nail driven by a hammer. "But I would like to explore the jungle every now and then."

Again, she was careful with her words. Expressing desire to explore instead of hunt, saying nothing about wanting to escape the strange feeling that the Temple gave her. Vera'Thral seemed more...herself here. Which was strange, because Yulie didn't know her so well to tell that sort of difference. The Temple did have an effect on her Vera, though, and her Vera seemed better for it. Yulie didn't want to hurt her teacher's feelings by saying something so careless as wanting to leave this place.

Peace. It felt like...waiting for something to happen. A deep breath before the plunge. That sensation just wouldn't go away, and it was better not to concentrate on it. It would be so easy for fear to take root, fear that the wait would soon be over, that the plunge was only a heartbeat away, that the peace would come to a sudden and dramatic end. The Dark was always ready to prey on wayward thoughts.

"Can that be done?" Yulie asked Vera'Thral. "Or have I already been assigned a room?"
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Izel Thral

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Indeed, Yulie's embarrassed reaction to Drastus's greeting did amuse Izel. That was about what she was expecting. But for her student's sake she prevented herself from chittering again, so as not to exacerbate her discomfort. As the Twi'lek and Mirialan students were compelled to look in their direction with the song, the Vratix master stared right back. They quickly took the hint and returned to minding their own business.

"Leaving the Temple to explore the surrounding area is fine." She piped in as her apprentice and the senior Padawan spoke. She turned her eyes on Drastus. "No leaving the planet without my supervision though. That I'm afraid I must insist on." She glanced at Yulie. "For the time being." She added the qualifier. She didn't want to come off as some kind of jailor, but there were certain limits she felt she had to impose. Yavin was isolated enough, and experienced Jedi were in ample enough supply that if there was an incident it could be efficiently handled. But she couldn't afford to let her apprentice too far out of her sight until she had progressed more in her training.

But Yulie seemed interested in Drastus's offer of a room close to his, and she figured that request could be accommodated. "I think we can manage that." She replied to the Dathomirian's question. "I just need to see that it hasn't already been taken." To continue on their way, and also to avoid any more unwanted attention, Izel would gesture for them to move along. She wouldn't make any move to try and shoo Drastus away though, allowing him to follow if he wished.

"I'll show you the library next." She said as they walked. "It's an excellent resource for your studies, and practically everything will be available to you. So long as you take good care of whatever you withdraw. I doubt that will be an issue for you, but some students can be... rather careless." That or they thought they could just hold on to texts indefinitely. Izel recalled when she was still a Padawan she would occasionally be reprimanded for hoarding various texts from the archives.

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Yulie

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Every time I meet a new boy, my face has to get warm. Yulie thought to herself, grateful that Vera'Thral didn't say anything. Unlike when Yulie met Isen. Gods, that was embarrassing. One comment about shoulders and Yulie had to make herself scarce all night.

The purple perfume quickly faded, replaced by the bland gray that usually coloured her cheeks. Exploring the jungle was acceptable! Yulie hadn't even considered venturing off-world; those sorts of decisions were always made by her betters. She didn't even know where she'd go, or how to find her way back.

The library. While Izel spoke of it as a resource, Yulie thought back to the prison's library. The whole thing fit inside a single shipping container, and most of the reading material had pictures of underdressed women on the cover. Yulie remembered the clerk, how he'd carefully study his patrons and obsess over new schemes to lease things to his readers.

The Dathomirian couldn't read and didn't care what Twi'leks looked like without their clothes on, so she never rented anything from him. All she wanted were glimpses into technical manuals, just long enough to look at the diagrams and see how things fit together. The moment he deduced her reading habits, that greedy little Rodian took to charging her by the minute. He even had his droid hold the magazines so that she couldn't go over her limit. She hated that place.

When she arrived at the Temple's library, it was immediately obvious that Yulie had never seen one before. She stopped at the entrance, eyes bulging at the long rows of tall shelves. How could there be so many books in one place? Yulie shuffled aimlessly in the lobby, just taking it all in, seeing just how far away the outer walls were, how the ceiling was and where all the hallways went. They must have had schematics for everything ever built! They must have had the histories of every world, every story they ever told, everything ever written on every subject ever imagined!

Someone walked past her hastily, a bundle of books cradled in his arms as he exited the library. Yulie could only point at him in bewildered wonder. He didn't pay for what he was taking...and nobody cared.

"It's free!?" It was so hard to believe that she could only squeak out whispers. "Your knowledge is freely available? To everyone?" This place must be a treasure trove of information about Dathomir, Yulie was sure of it. How could it not be?

"Dathomir has no libraries." Yulie remarked, remembering what she saw in the Singing Mountain. "Our stories and history are passed by word of mouth, and some knowledge is forbidden, or kept secret to the elders. There aren't many books at all. That's why the Clans avoid warring with each other, and prefer conquest over annihilation. The loss of history is a deterrence, for losing it harms all Clans." This deterrence did not extend to invaders.

"Dathomir needs a library." Yulie decided. Knowledge had to be shared, the bonds between Clans strengthened by cooperation and mutual gain. The Nightsisters had to change; isolation made them vulnerable and kept them ignorant. It wouldn't be enough to simply go back to the old ways.

Yulie wandered down one of the corridors of shelves, stacks upon stacks of books on either side like armies standing at attention. She found herself in a section of natural sciences, not that she had any idea. There was so much material in foreign languages, and she still hadn't attained Beginner comprehension of reading Basic. She just wanted to take in the experience of being in a real library, and not the most disappointing bookstore in the Galaxy.

"I can take any of these out?" It felt so unreal that she had to ask again just to make sure. Maybe she wasn't Jedi enough, or they didn't want the Dark Side to get on any of the pages, or they didn't trust Dathomirians, or a hundred reasons she couldn't think of that would prevent her from borrowing something.

Wish I could at least read these signs. Can't even tell what section I'm in. How am I supposed to find anything on Dathomir in here? I could be in here for days and there'd be entire rows still unchecked. Where did they even find all these books?

"If I wanted to find a book, but I didn't know what it was, would I be able to use the Force to find it? Like how I found you in the market on Kashyyyk?"

"You could try asking the Librarian. Or using the filing system to search your query. Like a normal person." M-4PO said.

"Silence in the library. That's protocol." Yulie whispered to M-4PO before looking up at her Vera. "Yes, I've been to a library before. It wasn't very good."

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Izel Thral

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Izel couldn't help but sigh as they entered the temple's library. This was a place that felt like her natural habitat. Although at the same time it was somewhat disheartening. The archives reminded her very much of those that once existed on Ajan Kloss. There were so many fond memories of hours upon hours spent in those halls, pouring over every text and holobook she could get her hands on. A young Padawan starving for every scrap of knowledge she could acquire. All of that was destroyed now. It was satisfying to know there would always be more books, more knowledge that the Jedi had managed to preserve and could bestow upon the next generation. But that what had been lost was never coming back.

As her attention turned to her Padawan the Vratix chittered again upon seeing her awed expression. It boded well that she took such an interest in these things. Too few Jedi appreciated the philosophical aspects of their Order. It was much easier, especially for the young, to pour all their time and effort into physical training. But in Izel's mind, this was where true power resided. "Not without limit," She explained lightly to Yulie as she asked about her freedom to take whatever she wanted. "Like I said, you borrow, you don't get to keep. And if you hold onto something for too long, you're bound to ruffle a few feathers. But yes, you can come here anytime and check out whatever takes your interest."

She followed the young Dathomirian as she wandered the rows of texts, listening to her speak of her homeworld and people. That which she knew at least. As the girl spoke of her ambitions to bring such institutions to Dathomir, Izel's antennae twitched, her mood brightening a bit. It was nice to see her apprentice aiming for the stars, even if such thoughts were far beyond them for the time being. As she asked about using the Force to sense certain books Izel couldn't help but chitter again.

"If there's a way to sense a book you're looking for through the Force, it's something I haven't heard of." Izel answered lightheartedly. Well... perhaps psychometry could be used for such a purpose? Perhaps, but they would first need to determine if Yulie even possessed that trait. "M-4PO is correct. If you have any questions about what you're looking for, better to ask a librarian or one of the search terminals." She gestured towards a machine at the end of the row they were in. A Jedi Knight paused to type at it momentarily before finding whatever he was looking for and walking away. "I'm glad you're thinking of trying to employ the Force in your everyday tasks though." The Vratix continued respectfully. "Conditioning yourself to use it in daily life will help strengthen your control faster." She paused as she looked up at the bookshelves, reading some of the titles before them to herself. She turned back to her apprentice. "Is there something you wanted to read? I could check it out for you before we leave."

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"There's so much I need to learn." Yulie said breathlessly, still humbled by the sheer size of this place. Compared to the ones that stood among the hallowed universities in the Core, this wasn't even a grand library. It was but a modest collection compared to what the Jedi possessed before the Purge, and even that failed to rank among the largest in its day. Compared to what Yulie had seen, this was a cathedral of knowledge without peer. To have access to it--free access to it!--was an opportunity to really learn what the Galaxy was like. Where should she even begin? Naturally, she thought of Dathomir.

"I'd like to know how the Nightsisters first began. Maybe if I knew how they formed...I'd be able to think of how to reform them. Or start a new Clan, if the Sith pretenders refuse to remember who they were." She didn't know it, but she was getting to close to moving beyond history and looking into statecraft. It was a skill that she despised, and possessed by the most detestable social class: politicians. She hated power and those who abused it, but the things she wanted for Dathomir, ushering it to the Galactic community, restructuring the Clans...sooner or later it would require political involvement. If not in making alliances with other worlds or representing themselves before the New Republic, the ambitions of rival Clan Mothers by themselves would require Yulie to understand the mechanisms of political power.

"I'd also like to learn everything I can about kyber. I spent years trying to fix that lightsaber, but it was like I didn't even know which way was up when it came to working with the crystal. The rock science--"

"Geology."

"........geology would be interesting, but I'm keen on figuring out how it works on a chemical level, especially when it comes to energy transfer."

M-4PO looked at Izel, its photoreceptors dimmed in skepticism. To the droid, it sounded like the Dathomirian wanted a higher education on the subject, but if she was throwing around words like rock science then it would probably be wasted on her. Yulie's interest was from a mechanic's point of view, but her education level outside of that profession was virtually absent.

For the most part, the droid was correct. Yulie figured that if she had a complete understanding of kyber then she could find some practical uses for it outside of a lightsaber. Of course, it also overlapped with her academic interest in her Nightsister crystal. Whatever the Jedi learned from studying it, she too wished to learn.

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Izel clicked thoughtfully at Yulie's requests before starting to walk down the row, approaching another area of the library. Her eyes scanned the books above her, looking for something.

"I don't believe we had many sources on Dathomir and the Nightsisters even before the loss of the old library," She explained with a tinge of disappointment. "But I'll see what I can find. As for kyber, that has been studied extensively. There are at least a dozen different texts I could point you to, but... this one would be a good entry point on the topic I think." The Vratix reached up to one of the shelves and removed an old tome, brushing off a thin layer of dust before handing it to the Padawan. Even if she could read, the title was etched in a language older than Basic. "That was written by an old Jedi Master that documented every world where the crystal naturally occurs and is extensively detailed on the variations in each environment. It's quite the fascinating read." At least to the Vratix it was. Whether Yulie would find it similarly interesting or drier than a desert was yet to be seen.

"Nightsisters... Nightsisters..." She continued as she approached an information terminal and accessed it. She browsed the contents briefly before clicking again. "Ah, as expected, nothing substantial. The only references I'm seeing are to Nightsisters who took part in the Clone Wars. There's a biography on a woman named Asajj Ventress as well. She was a Dathomirian who trained as both a Jedi and a Sith. Would that suffice?" She turned her attention back to Yulie, awaiting a response.

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Yulie huddled closely while her Vera searched the shelves, following the Vratix the way a child might when a parent was reaching for a treat. The teenager maintained some more dignity, practised as she was in the art of following her superiors. From a distance she would only appear attentive, but up close her sunken eyes were clearly fixated on Vera'Thral's hand, intensely scrutinizing the books as if it actually helped.

There had to be something. This library was to the girl that she couldn't imagine it having any empty spaces in its collection. She tried looking for small combinations of letters, something that made certain sounds if read aloud. From her studies as mandated by the Captain, she could pick out a few simple words off the dusty spines, a few others she could struggle through if given enough time to sound things out. Maybe another set of eyes could make the difference.

If only there was some way to use the Force, some trick to levitate the proper books without having to dig through them first. Try as she might, she couldn't even let the Force guide her to where she would need to go in order to find such a book. Was it because the books were motionless? Yulie's technique had only been applied when things were in motion, not when things were still. Was it because she had no personal connection to the books, no thread to follow? Was it because there was nothing here to find? Then again, if her Vera knew of no such method of using the Force in this way, it was more likely just a limitation to the technique that she didn't yet understand.

Vera'Thral plopped an old book into the waiting arms of her Padawan. Yulie looked at the cover, unable to make sense of the shapes of the writing, let alone make any sounds from them. "Kyber has variations?" Yulie asked curiously, opening the book carefully to see if there were any pictures inside. "I thought it was all the same, except maybe with impurities that might change its colour."

She truly knew little of it. The Nightsister Crystal that she had relinquished to her Vera for study was a sedimentary crystal, forming layer by layer as a giant spider's kidney stone. The pieces she had found in her lightsaber were igneous, forged by geological activity near molten rock. They were as different as mammals and amphibians if one were to study their crystalline structure. Kyber was fairly unique in that it could form naturally under such varied conditions and in each category of rock. By the ease in which it could form, it ought to have been one of the most common crystals in the Galaxy, yet it was exceedingly rare.

There were a few pictures, Yulie saw as she flipped through the pages, the author's sketches to compliment some writings. Yulie handed the book to M-4PO before following her Vera to the computer. It wasn't very helpful in finding Nightsister history, either.

"You mentioned her before, I think." Yulie nodded, tried to focus her interest on that, fixating herself on the prospect of learning something about her people. If this Ventress was trained by both Jedi and Sith, perhaps there was something to help guide her people back to the Laws. Still, it was hard not to feel disappointed. Centuries of history may have been lost forever, their origins reduced to speculation and propaganda. It was good to have a record of Ventress, but it was a small dot of ink on a large, blank canvas. It would not suffice, but that dot was valuable. "And someone named...Meryl, was it?"

Dathomir definitely needed a library. Without the means to write Merrin's name down, Yulie had already forgotten it. Who was to say that the stories told by the Elders hadn't lost important details over the centuries? How many times had the old songs been changed? Yulie felt a little angry at herself that she had to ask. If she was the last of the Nightsisters, she couldn't afford to forget. Damn Renfry.

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"There are minor differences based on the geology and elements on the planet they're native to," Izel explained to Yulie as she asked about the crystals. She pulled out the precious few texts pertaining to Dathomir and the Nightsisters, holding them in the crook of her arm. "For the most part the principles are the same. But there is one difference you'll be able to understand and appreciate more once your connection to the Force has grown." She nodded to the book Yulie had handed to M-4PO. "Remember how I mentioned before that kyber crystals are almost sentient? They are able to communicate with each other through the Force, as well as us. That author suggests that there are noticeable 'communities' of sorts between the kyber on different planets. It's not something I've had the chance to study in person myself, but it is a fascinating theory."

Once they had retrieved what they could, Izel began leading Yulie back towards the entrance of the library to check out the texts. "Merrin?" She asked in reference to Yulie's other question on her own people. "There's even less information on her from what I understand, but she is another reference you can use to try and expand your knowledge." She looked down at the Padawan, able to sense the disappointment. "Remember this is just one library, and a limited one at that." She tried to assure her. "Once you've progressed in your training, we can search archives elsewhere. I'm sure we'll find the histories you seek somewhere." She patted her apprentice on the shoulder to try and lift her spirits before turning her attention away briefly to speak with one of the librarians. Afterwards she stowed the texts in her satchel and would lead her apprentice out of the chamber.

"I'll show you the meditation gardens next." She explained. "This is where you'll be able to practice your Force abilities. I just ask you keep your voice down here. You don't want to break anyone's concentration." Even before they reached the gardens Yulie would take notice of the stark silence in comparison to the rest of the temple, with the only sound being that of the wind and the native fauna. The temple would open up into a pleasantly cultivated green expanse, painted warmly by the rising sun and giving off an air of peace that exceeded what could be felt elsewhere. Students were staggered about, just as in the training rooms. Some were sitting cross legged, eyes closed as they meditated. Others quietly moved through motions, lifting large stones with their telekinesis before lowering them gently to the earth again.

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Yulie nodded, first to her Vera while listening intently, but then began nodding more to herself when she thought deeper about crystals communicating through the Force. It would explain the music she heard down in those caves, that haunting song that no one else could hear. It was as if that melody was played by a wet finger creeping around the edge of a wineglass, each note decaying into the next like a somber waltz.

What was that tune? Memory was a tricky thing, some moments sealed away until released by a particular smell. Yulie's tainted crystal was kind of like such a smell, and ever since she surrendered it to her Vera for study, the notes of the siren's song were echoing silently in the cranial trenches of her brain were things were forgotten. Was that the crystal trying to communicate with her? Would it do so again if it were studied for too long?

If the crystals can communicate with us, can we communicate with them? The Dathomirian wondered. If so, perhaps there was a way to tame other crystals, like Isen did with the Hssiss. That was an exciting prospect. Even if she could not match her enemies in strength or skill, they would be at a distinct disadvantage if their lightsabers chose not to ignite their blades. If the Nightsisters used kyber for their magic, she could counter the spells of her fallen Sisters. That would be a workaround that would give even Renfry pause. But was it possible?

She wanted to ask her Vera and explain what she had in mind, but it felt like she should consult the book first. The book. The book would have those answers. Yulie would find those answers, and then she would tell her Vera what she had learned. Then they could decide together if they needed to take out another book or if there was some form of training she could start with.

"Merrin." Yulie repeated, with a nod. Merrin. Merrin. She would not forget that name again. Unfortunately, the Library had even less information on her. The Vratix tried cheering her up with an encouraging pat, but her Vera said something bewildering.

"You said this was a limited library. What do you mean by 'limited'?" Yulie asked as they left. "Do you mean there are even bigger libraries? How many books can there be?" If every star had a book written of its history, not even these Temples could contain them. But Yulie had seen and experienced so little that even the sky seemed small.

Even before reaching the gardens, Yulie noticed the silence. It was even more muted here than the library. No, muted was not the right word. Tranquil. The wind sighed through the verdure, a gentle lullaby beneath the quiet, high-pitched chatter of the native fauna. Yulie's gait changed as soon as she noticed, her posture becoming like it was when she first met her Vera. Slaves were meant to be seen and not heard, with even the imperceptible minutiae of their body language conveying passive submission and respect.

It was the only sure way that she knew how to move quietly without being disrespectful. She could move just as silently when searching for food or small prey, but stalking the halls and chasms of a Jedi Temple like a starving monkey-lizard was hardly the way to make the right impression. There was no shame in it if anyone recognized her body language; humility was one of the easier paths to Balance for her to walk.

She approached quietly, unaware that her gait wasn't exactly like when she first met her Vera. Though she remained slightly behind, she didn't shuffle timidly, nor did she become tense. Her head wasn't slanted so far down, and her gaze wandered more freely. The stillness in the garden was at its strongest, as was that restless feeling of waiting for something to happen, but she remained centered. Those who were in meditation found this Temple to be a place of peace, and Yulie did what little she could to leave that peace undisturbed.

Her eyes widened when she noticed large stones rising off the ground. A single one of them could have been hundreds of times the size of her kyber shard, and the people here were moving them so easily.

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Izel couldn't help but chitter in amusement at Yulie's apparent amazement of what she had implied. "I'll take you to visit Coruscant one day." She promised. "Then you'll get a sense of just how enormous the galaxy is. Imagine a planet completely covered in metal, one giant city. Buildings that rise into the clouds. And yes, libraries many times larger than ours. They contain the collective history of thousands of worlds and cultures from over tens of thousands of years. You could spend your entire life reading and still only absorb a fraction of the knowledge that exists to be had." Just talking about it was something that stoked a clearly noticeable sense of excitement in the Vratix. Learning about the different peoples that inhabited their shared galaxy was a great love of hers, and admittedly she had some eagerness to learn more about Dathomir as well, beyond simply helping her Padawan.

As they reached the meditation gardens Izel was quiet for a few moments, simply enjoying the peaceful scene. So much so that she didn't immediately notice the change in Yulie's demeanor. Her head would turn slightly after several moments had passed, antennae twitching slightly as she took note of the young Dathomirian's subdued pose. That was something they'd have to work on. It might not have seemed like it but being able to project confidence was a vital aspect of being a Jedi. As peacekeepers and diplomats, they had to display an unapproachable strength of will. If they did not, it invited challenge from their enemies, especially among the Sith. Fellow Force users could sense one's weakness on a deeper level, and any sign of a chink in the armor could be quickly exploited to disastrous results. However, as the young apprentice marveled at the feats of Force from the other Jedi, the Vratix clicked a bit. No need to worry about such serious matters just yet.

"I told you size is irrelevant." She whispered in a hushed tone to her Padawan, leaning over a bit to speak directly to her and not distract the people practicing. "The Force transcends our material limitations. The only restrictions on your ability come from your own mind. Your training will break those mental barriers and allow you freer access to the Force." She would start to walk through the gardens, taking extra care not to get in anyone's way.

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A planet covered in metal. It was hard to imagine. Well, hard to imagine it being inhabitable. Power lines for trees, starports for beaches. For hills, all Yulie could imagine was rolling dunes of garbage next to a scrapper colony. Buildings in the clouds? They must have been built upon a mountainside. Maybe it was like living in a giant space station, except without being in space. Enormous habitat rings connecting to merchant districts by metal walkways, with large industrial centres veering off below while the elite lived and conducted business in the taller spires. But a whole planet? How do they maintain something like that? Everything is always breaking down in space stations or sky cities, and they don't have to keep nearly so many people alive.

On a planet like that, though...they must have libraries to accommodate so many people. These Temples could not have populations nearly large enough to justify having anything quite so large. "The whole planet." Yulie muttered. It was conceivable they'd have libraries even larger than Jedi Temples. How do people not get lost there? Buildings as tall as the clouds? Cleaning the air vents must be terrifying. She thought the Venator was enormous, but she'd have to stack a lot of them end to end to reach the clouds.

It was enough to make someone feel small. On Dathomir, all the villages in the entire planet could not take up too much space in one of those skyrises on the metal planet. Everyone there was important. But on the metal planet, they would only be a rounding error. It made her skin crawl to even think about it, but the thought crossed her mind that maybe Dathomir wasn't that significant after all. Seeing the Jedi lifting large stones in the Meditation Gardens dispelled that line of thinking, though. No, it wasn't Dathomir that was insignificant, not were its people. It was only her. The girl who thought all the books in the Galaxy could fit in a single Jedi Temple, the girl who could barely lift a shard.

The only restrictions on your ability come from your own mind. Your training will break those mental barriers and allow you freer access to the Force.

Right; she reminded herself that her gloomy train of thought was just her conditioning speaking, a reflexive lowering of herself in the presence of perceived betters. Following her Vera through the Gardens, Yulie kept an eye open for something she could practice on. Something larger to prove the irrelevance of size, but not so large that it might distract anyone. Part of her also wanted to lift a big rock just to show that she could, like it would be proof that she belonged here and wasn't just a tourist or a helplessly new learner.

When they got to rockier ground, Yulie opened the palm concealed by her red arm sock and aimed it at the base of some stones, but quickly returned her arms to her sides when she remembered to avoid using gestures. The soil began to swirl at the surface, moist crumbs of dirt vibrating while they dragged against the ground. The stones remained unmoving.

This disturbance, slight as it was, set a beetle scurrying from its hiding place beneath a dry leaf. Unbeknownst to the insect, the smooth hump of its abdomen's carapace brushed against the brittle leaf, sending a vibration through its lamina and down a single, silken strand of webbing attached to it. The beetle's little legs paddled through the churning soil. It ran with a seaman's swagger, too coordinated to be a drunkard's aimless shambling yet too unsteady for it to look easy. Then its pursuer pounced.

Leaping several inches in the air from a secluded nest of grass, a spider soared for its prey, its pedipalps and front legs aggressively raised while in the air. It missed the beetle, the vibrations from the churn muddying its position too much for a precision airdrop, but its many eyes caught sight of it. The beetle should have flown when it darted out of its hiding spot. With the spider so close, it could not escape now, though it did try. It just couldn't fly quite high enough to avoid the spider's pounce for a second time. Sharp chelicerae pierced the beetle's carapace, and the spider's weight brought it swiftly to the ground. The poison had already killed it.

Duality. The natural dance between predator and prey, a duet both on the ground and in the air, completed by a gentle execution. By Yulie's will, the Force levitated the spider. Spiders were the first things that Yulie connected with through the Force, so it seemed to her like it made sense that she could affect it so easily. However, she never used Telekinesis on a living creature before, nor did she have any experience connecting with spiders by way of the Light.

It thrashed in the air. Disoriented, confused, lashing out against the air in its potent fight-or-flight response. "Eeeeasy..." Yulie whispered under her breath, heightening her concentration. It would be a lot easier if it just stopped moving! It kept trying to lunge, wrenching itself on an axis as it tried finding something to leap off of. It bobbed in midair at chest height, somehow figuring out that if it kicked in certain ways that the ground wouldn't get so far away. Stop...squirming. Yulie let out a shaky breath. This was different than lifting the shard; the shard wasn't actively trying to get away. Plus she didn't have to worry about squeezing kyber too hard.

Maybe I should pinch it a little, or rip off one of its legs. It wasn't a thought that she was prepared to act on, especially with a bunch of Jedi plus her Vera right there to sense it. She just wanted to have some way to try harder without killing the thing outright, and that just came into her mind, nudged into place by the restless Dark inside of her. Just a little negative reinforcement, like the kindness of a lightsaber. Or... her thoughts wandered when she looked upon the beetle. Yes, that could do it. That could get the spider to settle down.

The trouble was that lifting two things at once was a whole different beast from lifting but one. How does one divide attention without dividing focus or effort? Keeping her arms at her sides, she tried looking at the beetle more intently, but the spider drifted downwards if she stopped looking at it, so instead she tried focusing on the beetle through her peripheral vision. The ground around it churned, but it felt heavy. Like she could touch it, but not move it.
Come on! Vera just said size is irrelevant! And it's part of the duality! Why can't it budge!?

The spider twitched in pain and Yulie looked back at it, releasing some pressure. Okay...trying to lift the beetle is tightening my grip on the spider. For some reason. Taking a deep breath, she tried to regain some stamina by breathing properly. Holding an object for this long felt like holding a welding torch at arm's length. The burden was light, yet overwhelming over time. She reached the conclusion that the problem was that she just wasn't connecting with the dead beetle. The intensity of the Temple's Light was like a strong wind, and she entered this place off-balance. The Dark within her was pacing, trying to root itself against the strength of the gale. It was a distraction that Yulie was yet to overcome, and she was already in the midst of using a Technique on a living being for the first time.

Though it was not a correct use of the Force, Yulie again decided to turning away from making a direct connection through the Force between her and the beetle, but to pluck the string that connected the spider to the beetle. The carcass lifted as if weightless, drifting tantalizingly close to the spider's mouth before swooping upwards and plopping down on Yulie's shoulder. Now the spider wanted to go up, which made it surprisingly easier to telekinetically lift.
Even creatures that cannot use the Force may still affect its current. Yulie concluded.

Dropping the spider upon her shoulder, it leaped upon the beetle, rolled it right up beneath its jaw and raised its front legs and pedipalps menacingly. The sharp chelicerae snapped at the air, and the second set of legs lifted to make itself appear as large as it could. It was readying itself to pounce on the grey-skinned giantess, and Yulie gave it a sidelong glance. She only knew how to make creatures do what she wanted by invoking the power of the Dark Side. The spider could jump, and if Yulie tried to grab it midair with the Force, she'd crush it by accident.

She exposed her neck, letting it get a good whiff of the blood rushing through her carotid artery. Is this how Isen befriended the Hssiss? Yulie wondered when the spider decided to keep to its meal. The spider nuzzled the beetle against the seam of Yulie's top and rolled it up into a sac of webbing before tethering it in place, and then deciding to crawl all over Yulie's back to get a lay of the land. It was actually soothing to feel those little legs scampering across her spine.

In her mind, she went through her checklist. No, she was not able to lift a big stone like the others here, and yes, she relied on manipulating indirect Force connections. However, she managed to move a living creature without injuring it and she didn't need to use gestures to lift multiple things. A wash, all things considered. Nothing to boast about, or she'd get a reminder on proper applications of Telekinesis. M-4PO was probably already preparing such a lesson.

Speaking as quietly as she could while still being audible enough for her Vera, Yulie asked "How do you break mental chains?" She thought of her Mark, how she was told that it went all the way down to her soul, and she thought of how easy it was to feel insignificant. Everyone else in the building projected confidence in everything they did, displaying an unapproachable strength of will whether duelling or meditating. Yulie wanted to be like that, but the only times she found that mindset was when she was furious.

@Reyn @Rhogar @Charndley
 
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