Inheritance (Flashback)

[Wit]

Ronin Thorn walked at the back of his class as they entered the training chamber, looking lost and forlorn all by himself. Despite the diverse group of children within the group, Ronin stood out a little, taller than everyone but the wookie female who towered over even him. Normally more full of energy than most of the other younglings, Ronin seemed deflated as he walked into the chamber. Ever since his tenth birthday, since he had learned about his parents, he had changed, become more quite. The Jedi instructor had to call out his name three times before he replied, "Ye..Yes, I'm here."

"Good. Now that I have everyone's attention, there is an important announcement to be made. As you might have noticed, a few of your class mates are missing. That is because they have been taken up as padawans. Over the course of the next few days more and more of you will also be selected as padawans by Knights and Masters. Mithun, Rajni, the two of you have already been selected as padawans, please follow me.The rest of you please wait here, I will be back shortly."

As the instructor walked into the adjacent room with the two newly selected padawans, Ronin looked around at the rest of his class, almost everyone was excited by the news. That they would soon be padawans was indeed exciting news, but Ronin was not one to be satisfied by just that. He could only wonder why those two had been selected before him, a little of his normally competitive personality resurfacing. He was lost in these thoughts when the instructor popped his head in through the door, "Ronin, could you step in here please?"

A little apprehensive but at the same time a little excited, Ronin walked into the adjacent room, empty except for their instructor. "Where are they? Mithun and Rajni?" "They are with their masters. I need you to wait here, you have also been accepted as an padawan. Your master should be here any minute now. I have to return to the class, so I must leave you here. Take care and best of luck." Smiling warmly, the instructor returned to the training chamber, patting Ronin's shoulder affectionately as he passed him.

Aden looked around the empty room and couldn't help but smile slightly as he thought about everything that had happened in the past few minutes. He was a padawan, one step closer to be a Knight. Still smiling he walked over to the wall closest to him and sat down on the floor. As he sat he began wondering who his new master was and what kind of a person he or she might be.

 

[Sreeya]

Jedi Master Talzea had been told that she would be getting a young padawan. She had trained many younglings and padawans before, but this one had a curious past. Talzea was given a simple datapad of his biography, something she never found to be good source of information on an individual. The half Danthiri walked into the empty room, immediately spotting the boy in the corner. Talzea towered over him, her charcoal black skin a contrast to the silvery hair framing her angular countenance. Her eyes were a curious shade of amethyst, though they exuded warmth.

Talzea looked different than most any other species, her own lineage a mystery to her. She hadn't delved further into it, almost afraid of what she would find. As a result, she could sympathize with the boy having to face his past. The Jedi Master strode over to him, putting the datapad away. She smiled and crouched down to get to his level.

"Hey there, what's your name?"

Of course, she knew all about him. However, she always preferred proper introductions.

 

[Wit]

Ronin had not been sitting for long before he suddenly felt a shadow fall over him. Looking up he saw a dark-skinned woman, her age not all that clear to him, bending down to crouch in front of him. Is she my new master? He had been thinking about who his master would be, had a million questions he had wanted to ask. But now that she was in front of him he suddenly felt a little apprehensive, unsure of what to say. Should he get up? Should he bow?

He looked at her face then, and noticed the smile on it, a smile reflected in her eyes. Suddenly he felt more relaxed, a little less scared. "I am Ronin, Ronin Thorn. Nice to meet you." At this time he did get up and ended up performing an awkward bow while he was still rising.

Straightening up he faced her once more, his confidence slowly increasing due to her warm demeanor. Not one to beat around the bushes he asked the only question that was racing through his mind, "Umm, are you my new Master?" He hoped that if she was indeed his master then she wasn't anything like Chunky's master. A former classmate of his, Chunky had been recently appointed to a master who was a strict disciplinarian. Eager, expectant and a little scared, Ronin waited for her to reply.

 

[Sreeya]

Talzea surveyed him curiously as he rose and bowed. She remained crouched, observing the slight changes in his visage. The Jedi Master finally rose to stand as well, towering over the boy. However, the aura exuding from her was not imposing, despite her otherworldly appearance.

"Nice to meet you, Ronin. I'm Talzea Keldroma. Yes, I am your new master, if that is all right with you."

She grinned at the words, almost asking permission to teach him. Talzea knew that the sooner he eased up around her, the easier training would be. She walked over to rummage through a box of training materials, not facing him. Her voice projected towards him casually, responding to his very thoughts.

"And don't worry, I'm not a meanie like Master Uttapam."

Talzea returned with a few small blocks, all of different shapes and sizes and a training saber. She sat down on the ground before him, motioning for him to join her.

 

[Wit]

As she rose once more Ronin realized just how tall she was, a sense of uneasiness rising within him once more. He looked down at his feet in uncharacteristic shyness, but her reply, and a little something about her that he couldn't describe, made him ease up a little. She seemed nice, at least that was the impression he got from her grinning face as he looked up at her once more. "Perfectly alright, Master Telzea."

He watched as she walked over to the other side of the room, and began rummaging through a box that in his anxiety he hadn't tried to explore before. The comment she made while rummaging through the box drew a smile from him, she was funny as well. But then he suddenly realized something, how had she known what he had been thinking? The smile on his face widened even more, his ten year old mind amazed and in awe of her. His apprehension about her slowly began to fade away, replaced by an sense of almost joyous anticipation.

 

[Sreeya]

Talzea's keen senses did not miss that his anxiety was quickly replaced by curiosity. She was indirectly coaxing him to open up to her, something that would help them tremendously. The Jedi master took out three blocks, smiling as she looked down upon them. She placed them in front of Ronin.

"I am seventy years old. When I was five years old, I trained with these exact same blocks. I was extremely nervous and wanted to cry. Do you know who my master was? Master Uttapam."

Talzea chuckled softly.

"He used to be so strict, even back then. He would bark at us to have our posture perfect and FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!"

She deepened her voice, her expression contorted into one of mock anger. Her features softened shortly after, a grin gracing her features. Talzea placed two blocks in front of them.

"Let's play a game. We will race these blocks from this wall, to the wall across from us."

The distance was many feet away, as the room had been built to accommodate an entire class. Talzea sat down next to him, crossing her legs.

"You have to use the Force and you can't move an inch. If you move even a little bit, you lose. Your block can't lift up off the ground. If it does, you have to start over. Whoever gets their block to touch the opposite end of the wall wins. Got it? All right...3...2..1..go!"

With that, she applied a gentle nudge to her block with the use of the Force. She applied the same level of skill that a padawan Ronin's age would have, but enough to give him a challenge. She knew competitiveness was one of the primary driving factors at this age, and it would be a means of pushing him to develop his Force abilities.

 

[Wit]

Listening to Master Talzea describe her time with Master Utappam made Ronin smile even more. He had never liked Chunky, good that he was getting the strict teacher. As she imitated his voice, he burst out laughing, almost all apprehension gone by this point. He was beginning to trust Talzea, steadily becoming more comfortable in her company. She reminded him of the nanny who had taken care of him and other younglings when he was younger, an old woman called Udipi Aunty. Udipi Aunty was just as funny and kind as Talzea was turning out to be.

As she mentioned a game he almost jumped up in excitement, eager to hear what game they were about to play. As Master Talzea explained the rules of the game Ronin's excitement rose even more. He liked this game, more than other races he had taken part in. Tall and fat, he wasn't the fastest person on his feet. But this was a kind of race he could win. Nodding his understanding of the game he got ready to race.

He remembered his first lessons on controlling the Force taught to him by Master Beedi, the old Bith Jedi Master, his advice to feel the Force, let it flow through him. As Talzea began counting down Ronin began reaching out to the Force, his pudgy handy flexed into tight fists in concentration. As the words go escaped from Talzea's mouth he reached out and pushed the block with everything he had. But in his excitement he sent it off course, moving diagonally away from the straight path. Quickly correcting himself, he began pushing it in the right direction, towards the opposite wall. Master Talzea's block had moved ahead, but he thought that he could still reach it. But in the end he could not catch up to her block, his initial mistake costing him too much. "I want to go again, that was just a trial run. A do-over, pleasee." He looked pleadingly at Talzea, eager for another go.

 

[Sreeya]

Talzea grinned at his enthusiasm. With a gentle tug in the Force, the blocks came hurtling back, the Danthiri snatching them effortlessly out of the air. She placed the blocks down again. Talzea glanced over at him.

"Now if you think I'm giving you an exact do-over, you're crazy. This time, you have to make it float through the air. And concentrate!"

She lifted her block into the air, allowing it to suspend a couple inches off the ground. Talzea looked to make sure he had done the same thing.

"If the block falls to the ground, you start over. If it goes diagonal, start over. And once again, your butt can't move the slightest bit from where it is or you lose. Ready? 3...2...1..go!"

Talzea nudged her block along at a very consistent pace. She even had it drift slightly off to the side, creating an illusion that she was having trouble with it as well. Talzea knew it would motivate him to try even harder instead of simply believing she was undefeatable.

 

[Wit]

Ronin smiled widely as Talzea explained what they had to do this time. Floating would make it more challenging, but that was fine by him. It was more fun this way. As Talzea floated her block into the air, Ronin followed her lead and floated his block up to the same height as hers.

This time he would win for sure, he was sure of it. As soon the words "go" escaped her lips, Ronin began moving the block towards the other wall, making sure to not stray this time. As he moved his block, he noticed Talzea's block stray a little from it's path, his confidence growing on seeing that. He began smiling slightly as he steadily pushed the block on, concentrating fully on it now. He was concentrating so deeply that he didn't even notice who finished first as his block hit the wall. Turning to Talzea he shouted eagerly, "Did I win?"

 

[Sreeya]

"No...no...no no no no!!"

Talzea's block shifted off the path, and she had to call it back to start over. She glanced over repeatedly at Ronin's progress, distress clear in her features. Inwardly, she noticed he had tapped into his Force abilities a lot more easily, his concentration honed. Talzea failed to catch up to him, the block clattering to the floor. As he asked if he had won, she looked at him unhappily, nodding.

"Yes, you beat me this time. But I'll get you next time!"

She rose to her feet.

"As your reward, I'll teach you a new trick."

Talzea concentrated the Force to accumulate at her feet. Within seconds, she darted off, moving at inhuman speeds. She reached the opposite side of the room within the blink of an eye. Another blink and she had zoomed back to stand next to Ronin. She grinned at him.

"Nifty, huh? A lot of kids haven't mastered it yet, but I know you'll breeze right through it."

Talzea reached out her Force energy, allowing it to gently encompass him around the lower half of his body. It was there as a crutch, an intangible aid that he could grasp if he reached out for it. She circled around him, using her attunement to the Force to gauge how connected he was to the energy around him.

"Similar to what you did with the block, I want you to focus on the energy I've put around you. I know you feel it there. All you have to do is gather a hold of it and take control. Close your eyes, be light on your feet and focus. Since this is the first time you're trying this, I'd suggest a running start. As soon as you do, let the Force propel you forth and you should feel the speed aiding your motions."

Talzea thought over her long explanation, grimacing. She suddenly snapped her fingers and looked at him again.

"Okay, pretend Master Uttapam is coming around the corner and just caught you stealing some candy."

 

[Wit]

Ronin laughed in exhilaration at his victory, jumping to his feet with a wide grin on his face. As Master Talzea mentioned a prize he looked up expectantly at her, only to see her almost vanish and appear at the other end of the room and them back again. Eyes widening in amazement, Ronin breathed out one word, "Cool!"

He listened intently as she explained the technique to him, eager to try it out for himself. Feeling the energy around his legs, he tried to reach out towards it through the Force, grasping on to it like he had done while lifting the block. But as he tried to move he could not use it to move any faster, moving at his regular pace. Using her advice he attempted to try it on a run, taking a running start and attempting the technique again, only to fail once again. But just when he was about to let go of the energy he heard Master Talzea's suggestion and imagined how scared he would be if Master Uttapam was after him.

He didn't realize it until it had happened, but the next instant he had run right into the opposite wall. As he steadied himself, he couldn't help but smile at his apparent success, "Wow!" Standing straight he began running back towards Talzea before trying to use the technique once more. This time he managed to better grasp what was to be done, moving fast once more, only just managing to stop himself before he hit another wall. Turning towards Talzea, grinning widely, he looked up at his master, "This is cool, I didn't know I could do that."

 

[Sreeya]

Talzea couldn't help but smile at how delighted he was to have accomplished the task. She knew he would be able to execute it perfectly, just as long as she provided him with the right triggers. The Danthiri walked over to stand beside him, not letting him know that she had tugged her own Force energy back. It was a bit of a placebo effect, when in truth he had performed the action all by himself. Talzea glanced out the window, the sun reflecting off the surface of the shimmering snow coating the grass outside.

"It's a nice day out, Ronin. We can stop here for now if you'd like. Come back tomorrow and we will continue."

She knew children couldn't be pushed too much. Although she had disguised her lessons with games, it was still tiring for him. Talzea gathered up all the training equipment, calmly striding out of the room.

---​

Where was he?! Valena Cross, twelve years old, was sitting on a bench outside. Her legs swung back and forth as she waited for her friend Ronin. The two had become friends instantly after she spotted other kids poking fun at him for his weight. Val had immediately stepped up to help him, promptly punching the bully in the face. She giggled at the memory. She had gotten in trouble, but it was all worth it. Val had gone looking for Ronin everywhere, only to find that he had found his master for padawan training. After some more searching, she finally came over to sit outside the Alderaan temple. She had only been to Coruscant, Ossus and Alderaan, though Ossus was her favorite.

Val had smuggled out some training sabers, something she knew he would find fascinating. Sheng, her master, had no idea that she had taken two of them for herself. Having just begun lightsaber training, she realized she had a natural talent for it. Val looked around impatiently, hoping to spot her chubby friend so she could show him how her lessons had been.

 

[Wit]

As Master Talzea stepped out through the door, Ronin mirrored her path out of the room. But where she had turned right, he turned left to head for the temple kitchens. He had had fun with Master Talzea, enjoyed the games she had played with him. But he felt a little tired now, and more than a little hungry. Reaching the temple he slipped in quietly, the normally slow and clumsy 10 year old moving with surprising stealth. He had learned to be quiet when trying to steal from the kitchens. He had more than enough memories of bad encounters with Gabbar Singh, the head temple chef, and Kalia, his pet nexu. He had no intention of getting caught by either of them again.

A little over fifteen minutes later he stepped out from the temple complex, a slice of pie in his hands. Munching happily on his snack, he began looking around here and there, searching for his friend Valena. Finally spotting her sitting on a bench, he made his way towards her, stopping a few feet away from the bench and calling out loudly to her. "Hey Val!" As she looked up at him he used the technique Master Talzea had taught him and covered the remaining distance to the bench in a fraction of the time it would normally have taken him. He had been practicing it a few times while returning from the kitchen, and as a result managed to stop properly before hitting the bench, only loosing his footing a little as he stopped. Steading himself he looked at Val with a wide grin on his face, "Cool, huh? My master taught it to me today."

 

[Sreeya]

Val glanced up and spotted Ronin immediately. As usual, he had a snack in his hand. She rolled her eyes.

"Ronnie you complain about kids making fun of you, yet you steal food every chance you get!"

With a playful tug of the Force, she floated the pie over to herself. However, before she could take a bite, he had abruptly ended up right next to her. She blinked in surprise, never having seen him move that fast. As he explained he had learned the trick from his master, Val handed his pie back.

"Wow, that was really cool! You earned the stolen snack this time."

She laughed shortly after, hopping off the bench. Her own abilities in the Force weren't remarkable at all. She looked around, making sure no one was watching. Val lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Hurry up and finish that stupid pie! Follow me!"

She quickly lead him to the opposite side of the temple, into a copse of trees. It was obscured from view, and the perfect spot to bring out the training sabers. Val dropped her bag to the ground, beaming with pride.

"Think you're the only one that did some nabbing today?!"

Val reached into the bag and pulled out a hilt, clicking the emitter to project the blue beam of a training saber. It was set to stun, yet still bore the means to cause mild injury. She waved it around in front of Ronin a few times.

"Neat, huh?! I just started learning. My master would kill me if he found out I have these."

She reached into the bag and tossed him the other hilt.

"Cheers!"

 

[Wit]

Taking back the pie Ronin immediately began munching it down, "I have to eat, it's not my fault that mean Gabbar doesn't let me eat when I have to." As Val jumped off the bench, he gulped down the last of the pie, "Where are we going?"

As Val shushed away his question, Ronin decided to just follow her and see what she had in mind. As she came to a stop in a secluded spot near the other side of the temple, Ronin dropped to the ground, feeling sleepy after his snack. But as Val dropped her bag to the ground and pulled out the metallic cylinder all thoughts of sleep vanished from his mind.

As Val ignited the lightsaber Ronin pushed himself off the ground, drawn towards the blazing weapon. "You nicked it? That is so cool." He was about to ask her if he could try it out when she extracted another hilt from her bag and tossed it to him.

Catching it rather clumsily, Ronin grasped the unlit blade in his hand, grinning widely at the prospect of finally trying out a lightsaber, even if it was only a training blade. Pressing the emitter button, a green blade emerging from the hilt, he swung it around a few times. Looking up at Val he began laughing, "This is amazing Val. Next time I go to the kitchens I am going to get you the biggest piece of cake they have there, I promise."

 

[Sreeya]

Val looked down and scowled as he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Always, always it was nap time with him.

"Will you ever grow up?! When there's a battle, I bet you'll be dozing off while everyone else is fighting. When a dark sider knocks on your door you'll tell them to wait so you can have lunch first."

She shook her head, amusedly watching as he fumbled with the hilt. As he mentioned stealing cakes for her, Val laughed out loud.

"No way, Gabbar will cut your arms off if he catches you!"

Val swung her saber around, making an S in the air. The hilt fluidly rolled around in her wrist, almost casually, as if she were an expert already. Val looked at the saber in his hand, looking around to make sure no one was watching. Her eyes lit up.

"Let's have a duel!!!!"

She waited till he had his training saber firmly in hand. Val dashed at him, bringing the saber into a diagonal arc going from her bottom left to upper right. However, halfway through the motion, she abruptly twirled to his right flank, aiming a swipe right along his waistline.

 

[Wit]

As Val swung her blade around, Ronin couldn't help but be impressed by how simple she was making it appear. Bringing his own blade in front of him, gripped firmly in both hands, he nodded to Val, "Ok, let's do it."

As Val came in, her blade coming in for a diagonal swipe, Ronin brought his green blade up rather clumsily to block her blue one. But just as he was expecting to see the clash of their blades Val darted off to his right, making a swipe at his waist as she passed. It was almost impossible for Ronin to bring his blade around in time to block the attack. But though he made it just in time to block the attack, he had to bend his wrist backwards at such a weird angle that there was no real resistance offered by his blade. When Val's blade came in Ronin's blade got pushed backwards and onto his own waist, a shock sent running up his side.

Dropping his blade in pain and shock, Ronin caught his side and began jumping around. "Oww! That stung." As the pain subsided, he stopped moving, breathing deeply. Walking over to where his blade had fallen he bent down to pick it up when he heard a slight noise. Looking up he noticed the look on Val's face, smiling slightly and trying hard to keep her laughter in check. "Ha, ha very funny. Come on, once more. You won't get lucky again."

Picking up his saber he ignited it once more, swinging it around a few times before motioning for Val to come again.

 

[Sreeya]

Val simply blinked as he jumped around, not knowing whether or not to laugh. During class, they were taught not to laugh when other younglings fudged up. However, watching him hop around sent her over the edge. It started off as a small giggle before exploding into pure laughter. She shook her head, grinning as he walked over to pick up his saber.

"Oho! You're just asking to have your butt handed to you!"

She playfully bounced around on the balls of her feet, mimicking him in swinging the blade around. Val's eyes gazed up and around herself, noting all the trees surrounding them. Perhaps it was time to bust out some of the early learnings of Ataru she had been taught. The young padawan looked down at the position of Ronin's blade, lowering her torso in preparation for a dash.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Val ran right at him, unleashing a similar attack. However, this time she cut to his side and ran right onto a tree, her body angled slightly. Her saber projected out laterally. She was not skilled enough to jump clear over him yet, using the tree as a launch pad. She did a half flip into the air, off to his left side in an attempt to slice against his shoulder blade and down his back. Val would ultimately end up landing behind him in a crouch, her movements not as graceful as they would be one day.

 

[Wit]

Raising his blade in a ready stance once more, Ronin prepared to fend off Val's next attack. "Bring it o...." The words froze in Ronin's mouth as Val moved off to the side once more, only this time seemingly running right into a tree. But them he saw her use the tree as a platform as he saw her leap into the air. As she came flying in towards him, he realized that she as aiming to slash through his back and shoulders.

Realizing that he would not be able to move himself or the blade in time to block the attack, Ronin did the only thing that came to mind. Using the technique that Talzea had taught him, he quickly moved a few feet ahead so that Val's blade passed through thin air. As she landed on the ground he turned around as fast as he could and jabbed his blade straight towards her, hoping to tap against her shoulder.

 

[Sreeya]

Val swiped, and there was nothing for her to swipe at. Surprise registered on her face a moment before she plummeted towards the ground, having completed her half flip. With nothing in the way, she kept falling and faceplanted right on the ground. However, as a result, his saber also passed through thin air. Val raised her face from the ground, spitting out dirt. She pushed herself up till she was sitting, scowling up at him.

"You bastard! You're way better with the Force than I am!"

A smile quickly graced her features. She knew they had a friendly rivalry, where he had always excelled in the Force and she was better with the melee aspect of it. Val rose to her feet, extinguishing her blade. She walked up to him and messed up his hair, laughing.

"At this rate you won't need me to watch your back anymore!"

She glanced around, pondering quietly.

"You know... we should cause some trouble at the temple. I'm sure you can use your newfound Force powers for something."

A mischievous grin spread across her face.