Beginning to See the Light

[Oddi Xon]

Jedi Praxeum, Ifrane…
Early Evening​

“*Sigh**… this used ta’ be quite th’ beautiful planet, so I’ve heard,” Oddi mentioned to Funani as they walked down the ramp of her boss’ newly acquired Mynock-Series Freighter. She looked about at the surrounding apocalyptic waste that they had landed on… this planet called Ifrane. She tried to imagine the type of place it once was, with majestic mountains in some parts, life-filled jungles in others, and other such biomes throughout the world. “Buncha damn fools them Sith were, destroyin’ somethin’ so precious.”

Oddi’s recent experiences with the Force and Force users had made her realize that her connection to the Force was not something to take lightly. She needed control over her abilities, but she did not want to be as destructive as the “witch” that she had met on Corellia. Despite her sordid past of being a thief and a con, she never purposely sought to spread hate or act on her anger. All she had done before discovering this new side of herself was for the sake of survival. Since she finally had access to information she had been hearing all sorts of horrific stories about the Sith and their destructive foothold in this galaxy, so she did not want to find a teacher haphazardly only to realize later that she had become the very sort that would wreak that sort of havoc and turn a lush beautiful world into… this. It was for this reason that she decided that it would be best if she placed herself in the hands of a Jedi. And fortunately for her, Funani just happened to know one. Hence, why they landed in this post-apocalyptic mess. This friend of the jawa was to meet them at the small Jedi praxeum on this world.

Funani had told her about this Sakadi woman. Apparently this was the lady that spoke to him with her mind… which lead the jawa to suggest to Oddi that she should try it too when they were on Level 1782 on Coruscant. Poor Funani. He probably regretted that suggestion. Although she still felt bad about it, Oddi had to repress a chuckle when she recalled that incident. Thinking about this lady and her talents left her feeling very intrigued, and she desperately hoped that she was student material.

They turned toward the praxeum grounds, and Oddi couldn’t help but notice that it stuck out like a sore thumb… but only because it looked so pleasant (in a rustic way) compared to the devastated land on the horizon. She walked a few paces, then stopped in her tracks. Her breath was audibly heavy. “This… this feels big, Funani. Do you think I’m doin’ th’ right thing?”

@Caught in Strangereal
@Powerfulhorus

 

[Funani Avanti]

Funani had been through a lot since leaving Tatooine numerous near death experiences seem to plague the poor Jawa, yet through it all he soldiered. Funani had been shot at, beaten, thrown around like a rag doll by a tentacle monster, captured, given awful mind tinnitus and yet here he was. Truth be told he wouldn't have taken away a single second of that experience as he felt look his life had truly began moving in a way that it couldn't on Tatooine. Now he looked upon the planet of Ifrane, helping someone who in the grand scheme of things he just met try to learn about something he barely knew a gosh darn thing about. Despite all of that it felt right, Funani used to wake up dreading the Tatooine suns, but now he awoke with a new excitement curious what the next day would bring and this day was certain to bring something to behold.

Oddi was initially just some competing trader but in truth he rather grew fond of his clawdite companion. He felt a bit of kinship form and to be honest it was just nice to have met someone who knows what it was like to constantly have to keep pushing forward no matter what. He wanted to see her finally get a break in life she had earned it. Oddi was probably the closest Funani would ever get to having a sister.

"Yeah... seems like the same story everywhere the empire touches." Funani responded sighing as he spoke to Oddi's comment. Ifrane was a place where you didn't want to use your imagination, because it was sorrowful to look at what is and think about what it used to be. Slag piles and industrial heaps that could of once been rivers or forest, grey or brown wilted land that may of been green or a hazy yellow. The worst was some of the decrepit buildings that still barely stood that you could just gaze and see what they were supposed to be with a new coat of paint and windows that weren't broken and barred. Funani wasn't much of a idealist but seeing the galaxy had been filling him with an uneasy sense that everything was wrong the way it was.

The Jedi praxeum entered the view of Funani's glowing eyes and it was almost jarring to behold, there was just something about that seemed to make it a beacon of hope and peace, calming the Jawa. Oddi also seemed to be caught up by the view of the temple with though drawing a different meaning from her. Funani hope desperately that he didn't make a mistake getting Oddi involved with all of this caught with a Jedi whom he met only once and now was entrusting a large part of Oddi's future to. Oddi also seemed to reflect this doubt asking if she should do this.

The Jawa remained silent for a few seconds mulling over in his head what he should say to Oddi. He then decided to put this into relation to him. If he had the opportunity to leave Tatooine even if truth be told he only knew stories about the wider galaxy, what would he feel to not take that chance? While sure Funani now had the 20/20 vision of hindsight, he thought about the fact that if he stayed he just be some trader looking up in the stars wondering what was happening up there instead of actually being a part of it. He now knew what to say.

"Oddi. If you walked from here right now; would you be able to live with the fact that you turned down the chance to learn about something that ate away at you every minute? I couldn't and I wouldn't be havin this discussion with you if I just stayed where I was." Funani said hoping that bit of advice would take hold. He started to walk towards the Praxeum curious to see what Sakadi had been up to since the last time they saw eachother.

@Powerfullhorus @Zanna Black

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Her heart was pounding. Pounding hard. Yes, she was a knight now. But that didn't make this any easier. She normally preferred to keep her distance, watch as people went about their daily bussiness. And that's what most of her experience was based upon. Playing intermediary, being undercover, scouting ahead, those were her kind of missions. The kind of missions where she did not have to share her acquired wisdom, judge or answer questions. And that was what was expected of her this day.

It was not like she hadn't considered the option before. She had talked about it with Vash. How their roles changed within the Order. They were the real deal now. They had to set the examples, instead of taking notes. She found it all rather frightening, but had dismissed the possibility that she'd be confronted with it in the near future. Oh by the Force had she been wrong.

Funani Avanti, the strange Jawa with whom she had saved countless of lives contacted her a few days prior. The message was clear. One of his friends seemed to be Force sensitive and wanted to ask some questions. Possibly join the Order, if it suited her. Since Sakadi was the only Jedi he knew, that gracious request would be hers to fulfill.

Everything lead to this moment. She had been waiting for half an hour. Not because the dynamic duo was late, no, simply because she was that nervous. So the moment she saw the headlights of the Mynock-series Freighter from her window as it was about to land, she had been on the move.

It was still early in the evening, but she could feel that it was cooling down already. The days always used to be hot, while the nights always were cold. But thanks to the industry on this planet, even the natural temperatures seemed to change ever so slightly. The Order truly had to restore this planet some day.

Sakadi passed a small band of younglings, who were still playing outside. She flashed them a smile and shooed them away. Despite being on the Temple grounds, Sakadi preferred if they played inside at this hour. Most people weren't stupid enough to enter the Temple grounds and abduct Jedi, but you could never be too careful on a planet such as this.

She decided to meet the duo halfway down the path leading to the Temple. Mainly to give herself some more preparation time. Of course, she could act under pressure, she had done performances for thousands of judgemental men and women. But this was different. This actually mattered. She wanted to do this right, partly for her own sake but mostly for that of the girl, who likely still had her doubts. Besides, this was the first time Funani saw her fully aware that she was a Jedi, in the appropriate robes and all. Sakadi took another deep breath, as she waited for the two to approach her.

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi smiled gratefully at Funani, her quirky and unintentionally funny friend. Although he wasn’t the first friend that she ever had, he was definitely her closest ally… almost brother-like. He was a better sibling than her twelve actual siblings, who had rarely acknowledged her existence when she was a child (not that she had made it to adulthood quite yet). Whatever happened here, she hoped that she would still learn more about droid-crafting and be able to help him in his entrepreneurial pursuits.

As Oddi and Funani walked up the pathway, Oddi noticed a chill in the air. Being a reptilian being, she wasn’t exactly built for the cold. She buttoned up her jacket and turned up her collar. This chill reminded her of the cold nights on Zolan, once the sun had set and the desert sand had ceased to reflect the blazing sun overhead. The majority of the populace would shelter for the night for warmth, save for the patrols that rode on the chilly nighttime streets and the thieves that lurked in the frost-ridden shadows. During Oddi’s time of enslavement, she and the other slaves had slept on a hard floor with several heated lamps in a room lined with thermal insulation materials. Thinking about those nights, she could certainly say that her life had improved significantly… and it was more exciting to boot. If I decide to walk th’ Jedi path, I better learn to toughen up an’ deal with th’ cold. What if I have to go to Hoth someday? she thought to herself.

Just then, she felt a presence, and it was almost as if she had caught a whiff of sweet cherry blossoms on a gentle breeze. She looked ahead on the path and immediately fell into an altered state of vision as her pupils dilated even further than they already were. The cloaked figure that was approaching them was enveloped in a gentle but powerful swirling aura of indigo and cyan. She caught a glimpse of an underlying nervousness, which meant that she was just as apprehensive as Oddi had been. There was no wildness about this aura, though. It seemed that it had been tamed by its possessor, who was now but a few meters before them. She blinked her eyes as if trying to reign in her enhanced vision, if only so she could see the physical being within the aura. Finally, she regained her focus on the material plane and her eyes settled on the woman before her. Wow… she’s beautiful… Oddi couldn’t help but think.

She remembered what Funani had told her… about how Sakadi had no voice and could project her thoughts to communicate with those who could not read sign language. Oddi wanted to make communication as easy as possible, not to mention that she was overwhelmingly intrigued by the thought of using her mind in this way. She stood before Sakadi, feeling awkward but determined to show her how willing she was to learn. She cleared her throat.

“Are you… Sakadi?” she asked, her thick-accented voice giving away her apprehension. “I’m Oddi… Oddi Xon. I’m… here to ask you questions ‘bout th’ Force, if you don’t mind my askin’.” She gave a clumsy bow, as she really didn’t know how to act. But she at least knew one thing that would make things a bit easier. “If it helps, I’m gonna keep my mind wide open for ya.” It was an incredible act of trust on Oddi’s part to offer such a thing to someone that she just met, but she trusted Funani with her life… and any friend of Funani was a friend of hers.

@Caught in Strangereal
@Powerfulhorus

 

[Funani Avanti]

A sense of relief and delight came over Funani when he looked towards the path seeing the robed figure. It took a bit of adjustment for Funani as Sakadi truly looked different in her robes than the last time they met, but nonetheless the same pale skin and eyes still showed. It warmed funani's little heart to see that she still looked fine. Funani looked up to her and had great respect for Sakadi. As he and Oddi approached the Jedi butterflies danced about in Funani's stomach it was the first he networked with people with people and to be honest he was a little nervous, he really didn't know what would happen.

Funani also couldn't but smile at Oddi's initial shyness reminding him much of how he reacted to Sakadi when she first talked to him telepathically, he was like an excited five year, and truth be told he was trying his damnedest to hold back the five year old part of him that wanted to explode again.

"Hey long time no see. Glad to see your still around and kickin'." Funani sheepishly replied trying to hide the fact that he was afraid of the chance the two wouldn't like each other. His heart was pounding and all the muscles in his body were tense as the air seemed to hang, or was it more like a vacuum right now? He felt a strong desire to accompany this silence with some noise or talk as things felt awkward for the Jawa. Maybe he was just imagining it was awkward?

"Ugh yeah tho, Oddi she shows promise... I think, I just don't know jack about any of this stuff, except that someone who actually know what they're doing would be better off helping her out with this stuff. My ears certainly learned... oh that's a fun story I need to tell you about..." Funani may of been capable of selling someone the sky but this was almost alien to him.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

There they stood. Two individuals, both of short stature. She noticed how the clawdite girl responded to the Knight's force signature. Sakadi both sensed and saw that she had opened herself to the Force already. For her, the question was no longer if the clawdite was Force sensitive, but how much she knew about it already. Her signature was hard to sense and catch a hold of, which meant that she was luckily still inexperienced. It was still very fickle, being aligned to neither the Dark or the Light side of the Force yet. That she understood though. It was quite a revelation to one day wake up and learn you're able to wield and invisible and intangible power. For one, she was glad that the clawdite's path lead her here. Although it frightened her a bit as well. She didn't like playing with the fate of others, something she'd surely have to end up doing today.

Sakadi bowed with her usual grace as a greeting when Oddi introduced herself. She was a bit taken aback by the girl's thick-accent, but she had heard worse. Atleast this she could still understand, unlike the gamorreans or the wookiees.

The clumsiness and initial shyness of Oddi made the Knight smile. I am. And I shall do my best to answer your questions, Oddi Xon. she conveyed to the two beings in front of her. It was a neat little trick she learned, being able to use her focused telepathy on multiple beings at once. She could actually keep up with a conversation in a group now, something she had previously not been capable of.

The Sephi turned to Funani. What, you didn't think I'd kick the bucket so soon, did you? she asked jokingly, when he told her he was glad to see her. Anyway, I'm glad that you came to me. You can tell me that story when we're inside. She gestured to the temple, before she turned and strolled over the path to the main entrance.

As they entered the main building, Sakadi faintly noticed some of the younglings trying to catch a glimpse of the two strange visitors. They were doing their best to hide their interest, but there curiosity was fairly obvious. She paid no attention to it though, instead leading her guests up a spiral staircase which gave acces to a long corridor with many doors. She picked one at random and allowed her two companions to enter first. The room functioned as one of the many meditation chambers. It had a singular window opposite of the entrance and had thick stone walls; no sound would get through.

Sakadi chose a seat opposite of Oddi. I'd like to ask the two of you a few things first before I answer your questions. Nothing too difficult, I promise. She waited for Oddi's and Funani's approval before she continued. What do the two of you know about the Force so far? It was something she had to ask. There were a lot of stories about the Force and not all of them were true. I'd also like to ask you when and how you figured out your affinity to the Force.

 

[Oddi Xon]

I am. And I shall do my best to answer your questions, Oddi Xon.

Oddi’s eyes widened and a childlike twinkle came to her eyes as she gasped in delight. That was amazin’! THAT WAS AMAZIN’!!! she thought… but then her cheeks darkened a touch when she realized that Sakadi probably heard that loud and clear. “Sorry… didn’t mean t’ geek out, but that’s incredible!” She practically had to fight the urge to bounce and clap.

After Sakadi’s exchange with Funani (she was obviously glad to see him) she lead them up the path and into what she supposed was the main building. Oddi took in the sight of its interior, wondering if this would be her only visit, or if this would become a familiar sight. As her eyes scanned the room, they fell upon smaller eyes… several pairs of them, in fact. Younglings! she thought as her face brightened a bit. But they’re so young! Do they really take such young students?

They walked up a spiral staircase, into a corridor and finally a room, which had what she felt to be a very simple and peaceful design to it. Sakadi gestured towards a seat for Oddi as she sat to her opposite. Sakadi wanted to ask her and Funani questions, which Oddi was all too happy to answer. First, she asked what they knew about the Force so far, and then how Oddi found out about her affinity for it. Oddi shifted in her seat as she tried to figure out how exactly to put the first answer into words. “I know it’s some kinda energy. Although I seen the energy around certain folk like myself it don’t feel like it comes from the person, exactly. An’ since I started feelin’ it I feel it everywhere, not jus’ ‘round folks like me… like us, I should say.” She cleared her throat a little. “As fer how I figured it out, well… I’ll be honest, I ain’t always lived an honest life. Ya see, I’m an escaped slave. I conned my way onto Coruscant an’ tried to make my way, but no one wanted to hire me ‘cause I look so young, an’ I was hungry, so I turned to thievin’. An’ yes, it was desperation, but I was only thinkin’ bout me. I know that now.” She paused in an effort to organize her memories of that one particular night. “I made my way into this bar in the Uscru District to, well, pick some pockets, but next thing I know I got this feelin’ like a presence in th’ place. An’ I followed it to th’ bar where I saw th’ energy around this human. Next thing I know he’s talkin’ to me… ‘cause he could sense me too. He didn’t know what it was exactly, either, but he made a necklace float right in front of me. But it was like he was using energy that was around him t’ do it! As th’ night went on, I decided that I needed to know more. I ain’t ever felt so driven to know somethin’ in my life.” She couldn’t hide the small smile on her lips as she thought about Carthus and Rao, her first-ever friends who she had met that night. She wondered if Carthus had learned anything further about the Force as well.

“I’ve used it to do a couple other things too, but the sight is th’ only thing that’s been consistent… so far.” She examined Sakadi’s expressions and body language for any clue about what she thought about Oddi’s story. She truly hoped that she wasn’t going to be judged for the thief that she once was. After all, it wasn’t all that long ago, and it was only her recent employment with Funani that brought a stop to that way of life. And here he was, right next to her, helping her on her quest of knowledge.

She owed him so much.

 

[Funani Avanti]

Funani chuckled a bit from Sakadi's quip seems like she even had some humor about her. It was still so foreign to hear the words penetrate his mindscape speaking in the most ethereal way, still hopefully with each interaction with his friends it would become more and more naturally. Still it was nothing compared to Oddi's reaction which was almost exactly like the way he reacted when Sakadi first 'spoke' to him. Funani couldn't help but burst into a full belly laugh after she apologized.

"If it makes you feel better Oddi that's exactly how I reacted too." The laughter continued for a bit, still it felt invigorated there was childlike innocence to the whole ordeal, like a bunch of younglings who told stories round a campfire, it was such a warming thought, for Funani never really had much of a chance to just be kid during his childhood. Finally he looked back at Sakadi.

"As for you, you certainly got fight, but you probably had your fair share of danger since we last saw each other. Heck I stop countin' the amount of times something tried to kill me at this point." Light-hearted in it's delivery, there was a certain morbid undertone to it as well, especially after that incident on Corellia, adventure had it's risks and certainly Funani knew he wouldn't want to spend his entire life doing it, maybe he would settle down on some nice lush forest planet, where he could be that scraggly old Jawa yelling at kids to get off his dang land. Though that would be a far away thing.

The Jawa followed Sakadi and Oddi into the Jedi temple eyes widening at the sight, it felt forbidden in a way like he was being let into a secret treehouse for the first time. It felt ancient but not in the way Funani was used to, old usually meant a decaying pile of rust, or bones a symbol of a much better time. This was an ancient that eyes seemed to have gleamed an seemingly inexorable amount of knowledge. People bustling about including an adorable amount of younglings who gazed wide eyed at the trio as they pass, it was something completely new for them as it had been for Funani. He would just give a simple wave to them not really knowing what else he should do with this attention.

That problem wouldn't be there for too long as they were led to a room. It felt nice and comforting the type of place where you could talk about anything if you were in the right company which certainly was the case right now. Funani took a seat right next to Oddi. Sakadi then asked if it was alright to ask some questions which well that was pretty natural actually.

"Got no problems with me." Funani called though to be honest he knew that he would be taking a back seat in this conversation. This 'Force' that everyone talked about, Funani knew of it's existence and well after seeing some shoot karking lightning he wasn't going to be a nonbeliever, but it didn't feel like anything to him. Funani was in a way slightly envious of the two force sensitives because he felt like he was left out to this magical world of seemingly infinite possibility. Then again he was also a Jawa born on Tatooine that got off of that rock and was having this conversation, he knew that sometimes you were born behind the curve and you need to find a way to catch up, and certainly would find a way to continue to catch up.

Funani though let Oddi speak she was the potential new trainee after all. After she appeared to done then Funani would enter his perspective of things.

"And to be honest all I know of the Force is the million different stories I heard from people, all of them wildly different, heck some people practical think of you as gods or witches, not me of course. I'll be honest I don't feel a thing, zip, nadda etc. Maybe I'll never be able to feel a thing, I don't know how this stuff works.
There seemed to be almost a remorseful sigh afterwards but that quickly went away. I do know though that Oddi seems to have a thing for it, especially if she needs to. She apparently made a blaster come to her hands, and well when she told me I couldn't help but tell her of you, how you did your whole mind thing. I even suggested she try that with me... my ears hated that as all I heard was this terrible ringing sound... After that I knew enough to know I was not the one to try and show her this stuff. Still she's got potential and well she's a good person too."

Funani truly meant that last part heck the amount of times she seemed to put her life in front of others was staggering and nearly killed her in Corellia, and to think she went through all of that just to save him.

@Powerfullhorus @Zanna Black

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The Knightess listened attentively to what little knowledge her visitors had of the Force and the stories they had to tell. Apparently the clawdite had been sold into slavery and turned to thievery. It impressed her that she was willing to talk with a Jedi, a member of an extremely lawful organization. What also interested her, was the description she gave of her first encounter with the Force. In the Uscru-district on Coruscant. The Knightess kept her body language relaxed and calm, with the only thing giving away her interest being her ears, which occasionally twitched when something sparked her curiosity. One of those things being the man she had met in the district. He certainly wasn't a Dark side practicioner, Oddi would have surely felt the cold. But if he were part of the Jedi Order, than she, Funani and Oddi would not be talking right now.

Forgive me, for it is completely off-topic. But do you know the name of the man you met in the district? she conveyed her telepathic message after the girl was done talking. She had a faint idea of who it could be. But she needed confirmation.

Funani's story amused the Jedi. She had indeed seen it happen before, strangers acting like she and her fellow Jedi were some sort of gods. The story of how the two rascals in front of her had tried to practice telepathy, with painful consequences, made a grin appear on the Sephi's face.

The questions she had asked were now answered. They basically knew nothing yet, which was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because it gave her an opportunity to explain what the Force truly is. And bad, because their journey could've ended a lot earlier, had Oddi made the wrong decisions.

Allow me to give a proper explanation of what you are dealing with. The Force is an energy field, created by all living beings. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It is the cosmic energy that binds the galaxy together. It is not a power you or me posses. Sakadi gestured towards Oddi and herself. We are part of a select group of individuals who were born with an higher affinity to the Force than most other. I don't like to put it this way, but we are favored by it, so to speak. However, that does not mean we stand above those who cannot sense it, since everyone is connected to it. She had to make that clear. Perhaps it was just the Jedi ideology, but she believed that to be the only truth.

Now this is where it get's complicated. The part of the Force which is fueled by life and all living beings, is called the Living Force. This, in turn, feeds into the Cosmic Force, which binds the Galaxy together. Compare it to a river feeding into a lake. Force-sensitives such as us, can slightly alter the trajectory and flow of that river, which allows us to do things others cannot. An example being my use of telepathy.

Sakadi looked all dreamy as she continued her explanation.

Then there is arguably the most important thing you should know. While the Force is inherently neutral, we divide it in two categories. The Light Side and the Dark Side. The Dark side is the easy path. The path of power, but also corruption. It is the energy of death, pain, destruction, sorrow and temptation. If you ever feel a cold presence, the Dark side is near you. It is wielded by the Sith, I think you've heard of them before.

As you may expect, the Light side is it's counterpart. It is the energy of life, compassion, tranquility and selflessnes. The Jedi Order consists out of strict practitioners of the Light Side.

Together, these two aspects of the Force form a sensitive balance. Those with great affinity to the Force could tip these scales in the favor of either direction. One of the tasks of the Jedi Order is to keep these scales in balance, although we occasionally allow it to tip in the direction of the Light. This ever ungoing battle between Light and Dark, Jedi and Sith, is what has torn the galaxy apart numerous times. It is a war unknown to the common people, but just as devastating and more important than any other.

She gave the two a sheepish smile as she finished her explanation.

I hope that's not too much information all at once, but it's important to know what you both have been messing around with. She turned to Funani. Remember what happened on Aldera? That, was a master of the Dark Side tipping the scales in favor of the Dark. A massacre such as that is often what follows.

The Knightess decided that she had given the two enough information for now. It was a lot to take in, she knew. Sakadi would give them a moment to think and if they wanted, ask the questions that they had.

 

[Oddi Xon]

Forgive me, for it is completely off-topic. But do you know the name of the man you met in the district?

Oddi blinked. She hadn’t quite expected that question, but hey, what harm would it cause to tell her? “His name is Carthus. Carthus Kira. He has a lil’ shack on Corellia buuuuut… I’m not sure where he’s from, originally,” she told Sakadi as she stroked her chin while trying to recall.

She gave Sakadi her full attention, drinking in the information as best as she could, but she had never realized that she had tapped into something so vast and abstract. She took Sakadi’s comparison of the living Force to a river feeding into a lake and created a visual of it in her head. Having been able to actually see the energy around other Force users helped her to create a clearer picture in her mind of the flow… but the cosmic Force? Well… she could visualize it like a lake for now. Seeing it in her mind helped her to understand not only the way it worked, but also led her to realize something about her learning style. She was obviously a visual learner… she hadn’t really picked up on that till now. Good to know.

Then came the explanation of its neutrality, and how it was divided up into two categories by the very folks who were gifted with the ability to shape and manipulate the flow as they saw fit. Oddi’s brow furrowed as Sakadi spoke about the Sith, and she remembered what she had learned about the very planet that they stood on before she and Funani had arrived. Death, pain, destruction, sorrow, temptation… what happened here only confirms what she’s tellin’ me.

Sakadi’s take on the light side didn’t surprise her either. Life, compassion, tranquility, and selflessness? These were qualities that she had only recently learned about, having been brought up in an environment that had no respect for such things. Now that she was thinking about it, it was the Force that had opened up her path toward life, compassion, tranquility, and selflessness. (Well… maybe not so much for tranquility.) If she hadn’t seen the Force energy around Carthus, she wouldn’t have the friends that she had now. She had to wonder… was it serendipity, or did the Force somehow have a will of its own?

The existence of this Dark Side left her feeling a bit perplexed. “You say th’ Dark Side is the path t’ corruption… does that mean that th’ user corrupts the Force, or does th’ Force corrupt the user? Or… is it all the user’s doin’, an’ nothin’ t’ do with th’ Force?” She wore a confused expression. “Did Force users create a division? Or did it happen over… okay, I’m goin’ overboard with th’ questions. Prob’ly need to slow down here…” She halted her line of questioning and switched gears. “You say that Jedi work to keep a balance. If that’s true, then does that mean that th’ Jedi exist in response to the existence of th’ Sith?”

@Caught in Strangereal
@Powerfulhorus

 

[Funani Avanti]

Funani was struggling to comprehend everything he was hearing from Sakadi. Living Force, cosmic Force it all feeding into one another, what? Funani couldn't help but feel frustrated trying to understand it, it just didn't click he wished he could just touch it, feel it get a grasp on what the heck this stuff was, this abstract in your head stuff especially when your trying to imagine something that you never even knew existed. Funani tried to when suddenly an idea hit him.

Gravity, it's like gravity it's existing constantly in effect even if you don't feel like it's there. Funani remembering the few textbooks he managed to scrounge and read during his time on Tatooine. So dry but a wealth of knowledge that he normally never had access to. In a way the cosmic Force is like the fields that are generated by anything with mass, even if it's almost nonexistent. The living force well that was like individual things caught in a larger body's gravity, it moves and acts independent but is ultimately affected by and partially feeding the mass of the cosmic Force... that actually made sense to him. Manipulating the force is like playing around with physics equations changing values here, there, manipulating the small scientific principles at play, heck he could play around with it with numbers, and well Funani's creativity was starting to go to play. I mean theoretically could you make something heat up by concentrating and manipulating the vibration of it's molecules? Could you interrupt a electrical circuit by changing the flow of current... Ugh now his head was starting to hurt.

The twist is when the mention of the light and dark side of the forces. It seemed odd granted everything had it's opposite: Light, dark; acidic, basic; absolute zero, absolute hot ad nauseum. Initially while Funani certainly had trust in the goodness of Sakadi he couldn't help but have sense that there may have been some bias, like people squabbling over politics or sports teams. Was it really what she was saying it was, I mean fire can be destructive, but it's not inherently 'evil'.

That changed when Sakadi stared straight at Funani he couldn't tell if it was meant to be a pentrating gaze as if she somehow was able to read his thoughts his doubt, it spooked him to an extent. One of the comfortable things about constantly wearing the equivalent of a bag over your head was that you were harder to read. Aldera, The mere mentions of that word sending shivers down his spine as he remembered gazing at the remains of the city, it was haunting, the fog... the fires...

Yeah maybe she had a point still it was all so massive to comprehend. He needed help.

"I feel... I don't know. A few months ago I was just a backwater kid, who had no idea what grass looked like. Like I think... maybe I can get this, it always felt odd the way things sort of lined up, you know? I mean meeting you, Oddi, the stuff I've been through, on Tatooine I always had that sense that I was going nowhere, that I just needed to leave, I always thought it was hearing stories of other places but considering this was this the force. I mean is it my choosin' or something else at play? Does the force have a will or is it... just Force...

Funani felt like he was about to step on some sort of life altering epiphany, like he had been living in a cave his entire life ignorant of the light that existed and everything around it. Now he had tried to venture out the cave, someone from outside trying to show him but his brain had only known the cave and darkness.

@Zanna Black @Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Carthus Kira... she had met the man before. She was certain of it. He was the man who had tried to plant an image in her mind during the fiasco on Zeltron. She had to pay him a visit someday, if she could ever get a hold of him.

She had little time to come up with a plan to contact the man however, as she was being flooded with questions from both her guests. Sakadi waited for Oddi to finish her questions and calmly listened to the Jawa. She decided to answer Oddi's questions first.

You don't have to hold yourself back. Ask what you would like to know. That's why you came to Ifrane, isn't it? As for your questions; It is a mixture of both. The Dark Side attempts to lure you in, it hides in your deepest desires and corrupts the user, who is often not aware of the Dark side influence. For many, such as the Sith, it is more like a poison you willingly ingest. It grants you power, but in return it takes everything else. It is that power however, which allows practitioners of great strength to corrupt the Force itself. Know that I am no master of the Dark side and can therefore not claim that my understanding of the Force is the only truth.

The next question Oddi had asked, was a bit trickier to answer. Were they responsible for the division? No, the Dark and the Light had always been there. but at its core, the Force was neutral.

As for the division.. It's hard to answer. The Force is the Force. It consists out of the Light and the Dark side, so you could argue that the division has always been there. The Force however, does not prefer one side over the other. As I told you, it's inherently neutral. But the mass destruction, most of history it's wars and life-threatening events were not caused by the Force. It strives to stay in balance and we wielders of the Light and Dark side cause it to go out of control, creating said phenomenons. I won't lie to you and blame everything on the Sith. We are just as responsible as they are. The difference is that we nowadays care and they don't seem to do so. But that leads directly into your other question. The answer is no. The Jedi do not exist in response of the Sith. During the early days of the Jedi Order, a small group of members figured out that their vast abilities could be used for more nefarious purposes. They were exiled and created the Order of the Sith.

She felt a bit conflicted to tell her two guests this information. The Knightess didn't want them to think of the Jedi Order as an evil or careless organization, despite its bloody history.

The Sephi turned to the Jawa, her expression filled with doubt.

I honestly don't know. Nobody does. My personal opinion is that the Force is sentient, but it is no god. As I said before, the Force is generated by all living beings. We collectively influence how it responds and reacts, but I do not think it controls our fate. All I know is that once the Light side or Dark side seizes control of the Galaxy, the Force will strike back to retain it's balance.

She hoped that her answers were satisfactory. Most of what her guests asked came down to opinion. She hated to admit it, but the Force was like religion. Every religious person believes in a god or gods, but all religions had a different take on how the world was created and what gods ruled it. It really depended on who you asked. That was why she tried to be as honest and non-biased as possible. The Sephi believed that they deserved the truth, so she'd do her best to show them the complete picture.

 

[Oddi Xon]

“So when it comes to using th’ dark side, it becomes a vicious cycle,” Oddi surmised. “Like addiction, I reckon. Okay… I can understand that.”

She had hit the jackpot here. So many questions that she had were being clarified… but now new questions surfaced, for Sakadi’s explanation of the need for balance seemed to imply that either both the Jedi and the Sith were necessary for this balance to be achieved, or maybe neither one was needed at all. But if the latter were the case, why were some beings seemingly born with a connection that would bend the balance in the first place?

“So if balance is th’ goal, then why would there be such an extreme division? Are there no factions that hunker to take a middle road, so t’ say?” she asked. She didn’t mean to question Sakadi’s path… in the end, it was evident that there was currently an imbalance toward the dark side of the Force, and Sakadi was probably exactly where she needed to be. So then… where did Oddi fit in?

“Do you think… I’m not askin’ if this is definitely th’ case here… but do you reckon that th’ Force chooses folks? Or do you think it’s a by-chance basis, or even passed down in families? ‘Cause I ain’t ever known if anyone in my family had any connection. Hell, I don’t know much ‘bout my family’s past anyway. They ain’t ever told me nuthin’.” She had always had a deep-seated resentment over her family’s snubbing of her presence. She was the literal runt of the “litter”, if that was the best way to put it. The supposed “small and weak” one that her parents and community had little faith in, but merely tolerated her presence until she was at an age where she could be pushed out of their lives forever. Deep down she knew that this was a toxic emotion, and it was something that she yearned to resolve. But how? Of course, this, plus her time as a slave, made her appreciate what she had now all the more. At least she could say that.

She certainly appreciated Funani’s question… it echoed a question she had in her mind but hadn’t asked yet. (She had so many questions she didn’t know which ones to prioritize!) But hearing Sakadi’s response struck a chord with her. While she was enslaved in the fencing outfit, in her learning of tech and mechanics she did pick up on a standard rule of physics that one of the older slaves had told her before he was sold. She instinctively said it aloud. “Every action has an equal an’ opposite reaction.” A look of realization washed over her face. “Of course! To maintain a balance it would only make sense for this… collective… of wills an’ energy to follow such a rule, like many things in nature. And th’ Force itself… it’s a product of nature, right?”

@Caught in Strangereal
@Powerfulhorus

 

[Funani Avanti]

So the Force was like another law of the universe influenced by the whomever was controlling it, in a way something started to click in Funani's head, as he listened to Sakadi's response. All the talk of how people divided over it's use and belief it's a tale as old as sentient life. Suddenly an analogy started to form in his head. It was like all other aspects of the universe, people had the ability to mold it for a use like steel or atoms but ultimately the way it's used is dependent on the user. You could make something that could save lives or bring death or any number of uses, it wasn't evil or good. Fire isn't evil or good it can either destroy or bring life for example. As for balance well that was also a part of existence like an orbit, or water leveling off. It made sense to the Jawa and while he still had no ability to grasp it, it still felt all the more real. I mean what would Oddi be doing right now If he hadn't run into her and by extension he hadn't run into that Jedi. Things were coming together it in a way he didn't realize.

It reminded him of a religious text he once read out of curiosity. It was a bunch of nonsense but there was something that was interesting to him, the idea that groups of people could be linked to each other without realizing it, all to achieve a goal that they might not even be aware of. While he doubted the religion that idea seemed to resonate and hearing about the force seem to put something into perspective. While the whole cosmic prophecy stuff may be nonsense there was the fact that everything was interacting with everything all at the same time, and well stuff can ripple. All the interactions that happened all the events in his life contributed to this point and that the rearrangement of any of this could of drastically alter his path.

This interaction and they were small ripples of the force, they could interact and their ripples could fuel bigger things but they were also affected by the bigger picture. The Sith, the state of the galaxy, all the actions of all beings, it was all flowing and interacting into a beautiful stew existence. Everything flowed and interacted with each other whilst it may result in disorder ultimately they were all part of a system working to achieve equilibrium. Funani felt humble but his brain was now starting to short circuit especially with every question Oddi was asking.

"Honestly Oddi I'm starting to think it's a law of the universe, and that we all are somehow part of it's balance whether we are trying to or not. It's like like.... I have no idea how to even describe it, but I feel like it acted on us and we acted on it. It all led to here... I think but... I...." Funani was now drowned in thought as he processed the ideas in play. It was just so overwhelming.

@Zanna Black @Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Again did she patiently allow the questions to overwhelm her, before she replied. First, Oddi and Funani had asked and recieved information concerning the bigger picture. The cosmic scale of the Force and the balance that kept the Galaxy together. What followed was, of course, how it affected them. When she learned of the Force its actual existence, she had asked it many times herself; who was she supposed to become? Was she chosen by the Force? If so, why? The answers were not always satisfactory. But that was something Funani and Oddi had to figure out for themselves. They came to her to gain knowledge and possibly some advice. So that was what she would give them.

There have been neutral organizations. Many, in fact. However, it's nearly impossible to stay neutral. Members always end up embracing either the Light or Dark side, which leads to conflicts. Conflicts that tear said organizations apart. Besides, no one is ever truly neutral. Those who claim to be are often lying. If not to others, than to themselves.

The Knightess glanced at Funani, as she made sure that he could still comprehend what was happening. It could be a bit overwhelming to understand the Force, especially if you couldn't sense it.

When her gaze returned to Oddi, a slightly mysterious smile played about her lips. Do you really want to know why you can sense the Force, Oddi Xon? Whether it truly chose you, or if it comes down to genetics? I don't think it matters. What matters, is what you are going to do with this gift.

She truly wondered. Did the clawdite see it as a gift? A curse? Would she try and be impartial, only to yield to either the Dark or Light side?

And I wouldn't consider the Force a product of nature. More like a product of life itself. She stated, before she shifted her attention to Funani again. You are going in the right direction with that train of thought. Don't try to comprehend all of it at once though. The elders of the Jedi Order have had years to learn about and understand the Force and even they cannot claim to be a hundred percent accurate yet. Understanding the Force takes time, although we may not always have that time.

With that said, the Sephi fell silent again. She wanted to know what path Oddi and Funani were going to follow, but she wasn't going to ask them. She did not want to force them into rash decision making, despite her own curiosity.

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi glanced over at Funani in wonder. She supposed that maybe it was because he was five years older, but he seemed to have a better understanding of Sakadi’s explanation. How did he not gain access to this gift? He would have done great things with it. He would have made a great Jedi. However, he was gifted in other ways, and she was sure of his future success. Besides, he had already saved countless lives not too long ago. He was already a hero.

There was much to ponder, but she knew… Sakadi was right. Trying to comprehend it all at once was probably futile, especially for someone who has only been aware of it for a few months. Speaking of being a novice, she couldn’t help but think about the young faces that she saw on their way into the compound. She wondered… if her life circumstances were different, would someone have noticed these traits within her as a youngling? Did her connection begin far before her awareness of it? There was a touch of envy toward those children, but then she reminded herself… if she hadn’t experienced hardship and honed her other skills, she might’ve found herself naive and unprepared for the galaxy’s brutal realities.

Oddi searched her mind, but despite the want to learn as much as she could, her brain drew a blank. There was so much to process! So she decided to take a different approach. She would ask to hear about the stories of others… take in what she learns from the tales of others and their own experiences with the Force.

“Miss Sakadi, I have a strange request. Is there any way that I can talk t’ the younglin’s in th’ mornin’? I think it would help me if I heard different takes on th’ Force, an’ I’d love to hear a child’s view on th’ matter.

“An’ also, if ya don’t mind me askin’… how did you decide t’ be a Jedi? An’ when you first started learnin’ ‘bout th’ Force, were you just as confused as I’ve been?”

Hearing about a Jedi’s beginning’s might help ease her doubts about her place in the scheme of things, after all.

@Caught in Strangereal
@Powerfulhorus

 

[Funani Avanti]

The force was practically forcing an aneurysm for poor Funani as it felt like all this deep nigh philosophical thinking on this concept was reducing his brain to... well... sauce. So he decided to shut down and stop thinking about of course when you went from thinking about to now trying to relax that was difficult. His brain had built up so momentum that it would take time to reset. The rest of the conversation starting to fade away from him. Not because he was bored or disinterested it was just getting to the point of mental exhaustion. Chances are Sakadi would notice but given all she would need to do is tap into his brain to hear his brain doing the equivalent of groaning uuuuuuuggggggggggghhhhhhhhh she would probably understand.

So Funani got brainstorming, trying to get something that would redirect his brain away from that ball of wibbly-wobbly mushy-gushy force stuff. His brain though felt like it was going no where as he tried to steer his thoughts and it still brought mental anguish to the Jawa. To think that Sakadi had to use her brain like this all the time just to talk... Talk. Talk, talk talk talk talk. The word seemed to bounce around in Funani's head ricocheting and echoing for some reason. Why sure Sakadi couldn't talk but it wasn't like anything she could do about it. She had to deal with that, sigh if only it was easy as getting a new limb or putting a new vocabulator on a droid...
...
...
...

UTINNI!​

Why not come up with a way for Sakadi to interface and operate a vocabulator? They're pratically getting to the point of having human like sound and inflection. Could be customized to suit her liking and she could finally get an accurate idea of what she sounds like (A big plus in Funani's mind. He secretly became a bit insecure about the sound of his voice after Oddi did her Jawa impression in Corellia). Now to start working out the details! Funani's mind now started racing trying to come up with ideas. Should it be a simple droid? or a vocabulator? what features should it have? How would sakadi tell it what to say. A force thing wouldn't work because well that defeats the purpose of such a thing, and plus Funani would not have a karking clue how to program that. She seemed to be a fast typer, that could work plus there are some experimental keyboards that can have the user just tap a solid object in a specific way to produce the right keystrokes. Ideas ideas ideas. Funani now would definitely have to pitch this idea to Sakadi when he had a chance. He was starting to feel great now having a source for his mechanical knowhow and creativity to go wild. He felt great. Funani Avanti everyone, genius tinkerer now helper of disabled laser sword wielding badass monks. Hell yeah.

@Zanna Black @Powerfullhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The opinions of children on the Force? That was bound to create even more confusion. But who was the Knightess to deny the clawdite's request? She would have to ask the younglings themselves, and that wasn't going to be easy.

Sure, you may talk to them. If you can manage to catch a hold of one of them, that is. She stated, with a glimpse of mischief in her eyes. The Sephi knew by now how energetic and playful the younglings could be, especially at this hour. The second request of Oddi brought with it a shift in the Sephi's attitude. She didn't enjoy talking about the past. The shift n attitude could be felt through the Force as well, if Oddi paid attention. The mischievous spark in her eyes faded, its place taken by a more distant and serious gaze.

I didn't. It was not my decision to join the Order, but I owe my life to them. I used to be an Imperial celebrity, before I lost everything, including my voice. I was naive, foolish even, when I made the choice to walk away from my home with nothing but a couple of credits. Imagine, a young woman who barely knew how to dress herself without the help of servants, living on the streets with no way to talk or communicate. I would have starved to death, had a member of the Order not found me. He told me he could help me reclaim my voice if I followed him back to Jedha. Not that that mattered to me though, I would have sold myself to a Hutt as a slave dancer at that point. I suppose I just got lucky.

When I started learning about the Force, I wasn't that impressed. I just felt the need and pressure to learn and understand it as fast as I could, since I owed the Order my life... I just didn't grant myself the opportunity to question the Cosmic or Living Force back then.

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi’s face fell more and more as Sakadi revealed her story. Unlike Oddi, Sakadi did not grow up with the same harsh realities, so when she found herself homeless and voiceless she had practically no means to survive. It seemed that perhaps it was even more cruel to hand a child the world on a silver platter without showing them how it works first. She decided not to pressure Sakadi into telling her how she lost her voice. Perhaps another time?

She blinked when Sakadi said she could try to speak to the younglings that night. “Oh! So late? Okay then… no time like th’ present, I reckon. An’ if they’re hard t’ pin down I think I may have a way to get their attention.” She hopped down off of the cushy seat and waited for Sakadi to lead them downstairs. Sakadi was their host, after all.

They were lead back down the staircase back into the main area, which was decorated with greenery and built around a natural running brook with a rustic wooden bridge built over it. Oddi smiled at this, noting that these Jedi preferred not to disrupt nature’s plan. She stopped in her tracks when her ears picked up shushing noises and giggles. A sly smirk came to her lips. “They’re watchin’ us…” she mentioned to Funani under her breath as she chuckled. “I guess I better go straight t’ plan B.”

She wandered over to a large flat rock and pulled her kloo horn (which had been sticking up from her back) out of her backpack. She pulled a small reed out of her pocket and placed it into the small tube that was sticking out of one end. She glanced around with a mischievous smile and began to play a light but lively song.

One by one, each youngling began to poke their heads up and come out of hiding. Within two minutes, all five that had been hiding out in the little nooks and crannies of the main area were all seated cross-legged and wide-eyed in front of the clawdite.

Oddi’s heart was full, seeing these bright, inquisitive faces. Oh, the innocence! She remembered being a kid, in a home that hardly knew she existed. They never noticed when she would wander out into the streets, and by some miracle no one had attempted to steal her away yet. (Not until after she had run away, anyway.) The one thing that held her attention above all others was the sound of a kloo horn played by a local street musician. It was her one solace in a society that otherwise had paid a runt no mind, and probably the reason why she had taught herself how to play on that old used horn that had come her way as a slave in the fencing outfit.

Music… it was the universal language, something that stirred the youth within every heart that took the time to listen.

@Caught in Strangereal
@Powerfulhorus

 

[Funani Avanti]

Funani couldn't help but feel a sense of kindred comradery upon hearing the unfortunate tale of how Sakadi found the force. Sure they may have come from wildly different circumstances being a celebrated singer was well something that Funani wrote off as an improbable dream for most people. A one in a billion. Yet being so desperate that you'd take anything to live? That was well understood by the Jawa. He would understand if she didn't want to delve into heck he could recognize the sorrow hiding inside the Sephi. It was the same kind of sadness that crept up whenever the topic of his parents got a raised... one of these days he'd find them.

Funani was glad that Oddi then changed the subject and scenery. Going down to visit the ramshackle happy-go-lucky younglings. Funani couldn't help but smile a bit watching the joy and mischief inside all of them. It was a very different look then what you saw of a kid on Tatooine. They weren't living in fear, they had the luxury to be kids and have fun. It even brought a small tear to Funani's eye when Oddi took out her instrument and started to play her jazz number. The serendipitous, dulcet tones wafting over him like a cool breeze. It was in this quiet moment of contemplation watching over everything and realizing that part of the reason these kids were like that was due to the Jedi order and people like Sakadi well he wanted to pay them back. So his thoughts turned to mute knight who's forced stoicism was a constant curse. Luckily they were quite a distance from the clawdite and her amassed posse of younglings.

"Um... hey Sakadi. I got a idea that's been bouncing around my for a bit, something that could help you out, with the whole... um, talking thing." Funani was flustered normally this stuff was easier to get out but he didn't want to risk offending the mute. Sakadi was probably the one of the few people he actual took the time to be mindful with, the only other person being Oddi. Eithni the nightsister didn't count because that was more a survival mechanism out o the amount of abject terror he had for that cute murder monster.

"You seem to be a fast typer, maybe I could make something that could allow to interface with a vocabulator so it could talk for you. That way you wouldn't need to use your mind talking, or have to wait for someone to read what you said. Help you 'talk' in a way."

Funani prayed that he was actually onto something good instead of it becoming another harebrained idea he had in his vast history of tinkering that would go nowhere.

@Powerfullhorus @Zanna Black