Lance Zerhon's Jedi Training

[Synthetic]

Lance Zerhon methodically walked through the halls of the Ossus Academy, his ice blue eyes peering out from under the guise of his black colored cloak. To say the least, the young man was anxious. As he walked into the training sector of the academy Lance let his hood fall down to his shoulders. His mind was wondering about his new master, named Colm Lorian. Colm was a Jedi Master and Lance would be honored to have an esteemed master such as he. The young Jedi ran a hand through his blond hair as he reared a corner, nearing the room where he thought he would be training.

The room's door was open, and Lance went in. The room appeared to be empty; Lance made sure that he arrived early so he could prepare himself for the training. Lance's old master trained him well, until his death. To say the least, Lance was eager to undergo new training. Each master had their own unique teaching style. Lance took off his cloak and gently set it on the stone floor, near the door. Lance's black robing was slightly unique with its high neck lining. On his waist was his father's lightsaber, which suited Lance's style of lightsaber combat perfectly.

Lance Zerhon went to the wall opposite the door and ran his hand across the cool stone. He waited for his new master. Yet, his mind still wandered back to the day of his father's death, which was also most likely the day of his mother's death. His left hand tensed up into a tight fist, then unraveled into a lose hand - his left arm eventually settled down to his side. Was there anything he could have done that day? What would he do now if he could meet the killer? What would he do if he had the opportunity to track the killer and his misfits down? Thus came his main weakness - could Lance control himself if he came face-to-face with the killer? Only time could tell. Lance hoped, and nearly knew in his heart, that he would stick to the Jedi ways and suppress his want for revenge. He took his left hand off the wall and walked to the center of the chamber where he sat down and began to meditate. Lance let the force run through him as he cleared his mind, readying himself for the encounter with his new master, Colm Lorian. Embracing the lightside helped him clear his want for revenge. He hoped his training could help suppress possible revenge. He only wanted to further himself and the order through training. Loyalty was Lance's strong side.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

As the morning sun crept over the open roof of the training grounds Colm Lorian, Jedi Master and member of the Jedi council found his way to the room where his new padawan sat. Stepping into the doorway Colm's smoky voice calmly interrupted the young mans meditation. "Good morning Lance."

With the sunlight behind him he stepped out of the doorway and extended a hand to the padawan. "It's good to finally meet you."

 

[Synthetic]

Lance Zerhon's meditation came to an end as he was kindly interrupted by his new master, Colm Lorian. In a way, Lance hoped that Colm hadn't seen what he was thinking about. Yet, it would probably be beneficial to talk about the incident in the future. Overcoming the incident, and fully having command of his self control would ensure his future as a successful knight within the Jedi Order.

Lance came to his feet, straightened his robes, and bowed as he shook his new master's hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Master Lorian."

Lance didn't say much, but it was obvious he meant well. Until he got to know the nature of someone, he was usually shy. But in this case, he was less shy with a follow Jedi.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"So, Lance, do you know how to drive?" Out of Colm's sleeve appeared a small card, obviously a swipe card for a speeder. "I assume you have everything you could need for training with you?" He extended the keys to his new padawan.

 

[Synthetic]

Lance accepted the keys and held them in his outstretched hand. This is an interesting twist, thought Lance.

"I've driven a few speeders... never too late to learn how to drive something new, however."

Lance was thinking - what could Colm have up his sleeve?

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

((I'm giving you a situation to describe sensory details.))

"We're off then." Colm turned expecting his padawan to walk with him. "I don't like to train padawans in the temple. It's a cliché, we will go to a place where only I have access to. A training grounds, ancient by any standards. It's hard to believe that it stayed hidden for so long."

As they entered the hanger Colm pointed to a dark green speeder. "Thats the one. Jump in the drivers seat and start 'er up."

 

[Synthetic]

"Yes, master."

Lance's boots echoed on top of the cool stone surface of the hallway as he followed his master towards the speeder. The pair entered a small hangar with three speeders in it and one mid-sized shuttle. Lance assumed that the hangar was for the council's use only. The young Jedi was quite anxious to see this "hidden" training location. As his mind wandered, Colm stopped before a green speeder. Lance, beside his master, also stopped. The green speeder was a shade of "jungle" green, which was a near match to the foliage outside the hangar. The speeder as a whole was small and sleek, it obviously had some speed to it. The windshield was tinted and mirrored, giving it a very modern look. As Lance approached the speeder, the keys in his hand, his stomach seemed to jump up into his throat. He was anxious yet nervous... he didn't like driving speeders he wasn't used to. He thought now was a good time to overcome this anxiety.

Lance opened the door and welcomed himself to the driver seat. He would have jumped in, have the hard top not of been up. The black leather seat was quite comfortable - it seemed as if it completely surrounded his body, graciously supporting his back. He finally found the key hole and started up the speeder. Many dazzling lights - reds, greens, and yellows - came to life. Naturally for a young man his age, his ice blue eyes immediately jumped towards the speedometer. Needless to say, his eyes widened - it was the fastest speeder he had ever been in.

Lance got a relaxed, yet controlled grip on the steering wheel and looked towards his right.

"Well, here we go."

He took off to get out of the hangar, steadily increasing the throttle. As the thrusters increased their power, a small blue hue of energy was emitted from their exhausts. The speeder slightly shook as the throttle continued to fuel more power into the thrusters.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"We've got a ways to go before we'll even be close to the grounds. Just follow the highway." Colm lounged in the passenger seat. He had really wanted his padawan to drive because he was deathly afraid of driving speeders. Ironically he was not afraid of flying an interstellar space craft.

"So, tell me about yourself. How's life as a padawan been up until now. I know only whats written and that's very little."

 

[Synthetic]

The speeder was at top velocity. The speed was so intense that there was a sharp whistle which ripped from the thrusters. Lance was careful to weave in and out of the scarce traffic, pretending that he was in some fighter battle. To an uneasy passenger, it was death waiting to happen.

"Well," Lance said coolly between cuts, "Life as a padawan has been good and bad. I get to train to help people in the future, follow in my father's footsteps..." a hardship was acknowledged in Lance's voice as he said father. It was still hard for him to talk about his father's death - his father had given up his life to save Lance. Lance hoped his father had a good stay with the Jedi, after all, Lance didn't know much about his father's history with the Jedi.

"I also get to meet a lot of new people and do something I really love. I have had a master before you, his name was Xino Jufali. He died in a speeder accident on Coruscant. He helped me get in touch with force powers such as push, pull, jump, and minor healing. We mostly focused on lightsaber combat and dueling, however, which is probably my favorite part about training. We did Shii-Cho... I hope to learn more forms, and more of everything else, however." Lance took a moment to stop talking as he took a fast and tight turn out of the way of a oncoming speeder. Pullng back up to the highway again, the Jedi continued to talk.

"While I was waiting for a new master I studied a lot of history and combat. Did a little research on the powers and forms I already knew. I think that's about it. I've also enjoyed how the force has allowed me to calm myself and focus..."

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"Tell me what you know about your father.

 

[Synthetic]

"I really don't know much," said Lance as he adjusted himself in the hold of the leather seat. He recalled his childhood on Zeltros, where he was born. Somehow his parents had bought a luxury penthouse on Zeltros. Until now he had never questioned the wealth of his parents or why his father had left, or gotten removed from, the Jedi. Could is father have been a darksider? A smuggler? Lance wondered how he could explain the secret compartments in the shuttle where his parents were murdered, the high security bunker below the penthouse on Zeltros. Other than that, he knew very little.

As they continued on the highway, Lance wondered if they were getting any closer to the training grounds. For minutes a striking silence played across the speeder. Lance had never really had a father. Although his father did risk his life for him, he was never really a fatherly figure. He was always absorbed in whatever business he was in.

"I know that he was a Jedi. I was born on Zeltros and grew up there also. I really don't know why my father wasn't a Jedi anymore... he still used the force and wielded a lightsaber. We had a large penthouse in the city. I remember a secret bunker located in the penthouse. There were some hidden compartments in the shuttle too. My father was always absorbed with his business - he wasn't a fatherly figure, really," he paused before he continued. "He wielded a blue lightsaber - the lightsaber has some odd inscriptions on it. In fact, I have been using it. I think I want to make my own, however."

Lance took the lightsaber off of his belt as he drove and handed it to Colm. The lightsaber was a medium in length and mostly chromed. It had black and red lines winding around it, eventually ending at the site of a cryptic inscription which Lance could not make out.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"Lance," Colm murmured after taking the lightsaber in his hand, "This is your fathers lightsaber. The inscription reads..." He paused for a second to read it, but it was obvious that he knew it by heart.

"'Through my pain my chains are borken [and] I am free.' The word for free also can mean free as in powerful or free will. The language is more eloquent than basic."

He sighed heavily, he had decided in that moment what exactly to tell his new padawan. "I trained your father Lance, he was a jedi that left with the Ospion during the schism. You couldn't have been very old then, your father was only in his twenties." Colm fell silent then, he didn't want to continue without consent from Lance. He'd just placed a large burden on the young mans shoulders.

 

[Synthetic]

Lance had all he could do not to bring the speeder to a halt. Maintaining his mental coolness, with the exception of a slightly tighter grip on the steering wheel, he continued the fast pace of the speeder. His mind began to race, almost in a fear of not wanting to turn down the same path of the darkside. Lance hoped that such a turn wasn't hereditary. Still, in his mind, his father had some lightside in him - after all, he did sacrifice himself to save Lance.

"I will not go down that path," Lance blurted out calmly yet defiantly, not knowing what else to say. The highway took a dip into a large canyon which was covered in beautiful green vines. At the bottom of the canyon a small river, with crystal clear water, was gently flowing in the same path of Lance's speeder. Lance drew upon the force and once again let it flow throughout his body. As it flowed throughout his body he leaned back in his seat, loosened his grip on the steering wheel, and finally calmed himself. His degree of self control, at least on this matter, was amazing for that of a padawan. Lance hoped he could control himself from seeking revenge against his mother's killers. More calm now, Lance spoke.

"Why did he do it?" Lance questioned.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"He believed that Master Banik had corrupted the entire order. They left because they believed that he would be allowed to lead the jedi order after such an indecent. I tried to reason with him, but he left with the others when he grasped 'the broken blade.'" Colm sat up in his chair now, he could no longer relax in the chair.

 

[Synthetic]

Lance nodded solemnly as he noted his master's uneasiness; he was uneasy himself. It had to be hard to inform someone about their parent's troubled past. Yet, Lance knew he would be in the same position someday. Colm had build up trust within Lance - if he had the will to tell Lance about his father then he had Lance's respect. The valley gradually came to an end. Lance pulled up into a dense forest, which the highway barely cleared. There were no other speeders on the highway now. A light mist permeated the air above the dense forest and the sun set high up in the Ossus sky. If one was looking with the naked eye, it would be very difficult to pick the green shaded speeder from the green foliage of the dense forest. There was yet another silence, due to the controversial tone of the topic. Lance felt a need to change the topic.

"We almost to the training grounds?"

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"Yes." Colm hopped out of the speeder and dragged two packs with him. "Take these things. Lock the speeder. We're close enough now. We can walk to it now." Throwing the pack onto his back he walked slowly backwards until his padawan caught up.

"I need to know one other thing. Did your father tell you anything before he died? Anything about me or about Ossus?"

 

[Synthetic]

"He didn't tell me anything. He may have some information in the Zeltros hideout or possibly on the old shuttle," said Lance as he picked up is pack and slung it across his back. Lance walked right beside his master in the dense forest. The forest was like a giant mess of green and it was extremely dense. One could not far into the foliage without losing their line of sight. It was very warm and damp on the floor, but Lance's boots barely sunk into the dirt. Lance hoped that they would begin training soon, he was anxious to begin learning from Colm. If Colm's honesty was any hint of his training ability and power, Lance thought that he would have a good time. Lance's ice blue eyes quickly jerked down to the floor as a serpent slithered across the floor in front of the pair; Lance had never seen a live serpent before.

"What will we begin training with?"

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

"Your first lesson will be..." And then he was cut off. The ground around Colm collapsed and swallowed him whole. The padawan would have to decide to follow or risk losing track of his master.

Jump in the hole padawan, don't worry it's only dirt.

 

[Synthetic]

Through the force, Lance sensed something wrong as he saw the dirt floor below his master give away. The ice blue eyes of the padawan looked down into the dark abyss in which his master had fallen. He couldn't let anything happen to his master; although he barely knew the man, he already pictured him as a father figure. Thus, without a moment's hesitation he brought the force upon him and jumped into the seemingly endless abyss. As he was plummeting through the abyss Lance heard his masters words, Jump in the whole padawan, don't worry it's only dirt. Lance would have replied with something to the like of "way ahead of you" but decided not too, his senses crazily wavering.

Then came the thought that this was some crazy training exercise, but either way, Lance was in the midst of it now. Trying to eliminate the distraction of his jumping senses he began to ignore them as the let the force rapidly rush throughout his every pore. He used the force to focus and calm himself. The force became his sixth sense, and yet, his only sense. The fall continued.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

Landing, Colm stepped out of the path of the incoming Lance and brushed himself off. Without waiting for a comment from Lance he grabbed a lamp pack and switched it on. "We're off." He began to walk down the corridor, Colm knew the tunnel well. He'd wandered the tunnel with padawans many times before, they'd all left their marks... some more physical than others.

In some places there were scratch marks from Lightsabers and craters where the force had left it's mark as well.