Lance Zerhon's Jedi Training

[Ru the Boatswain]

Silently waking, Colm crept to his doorway to watch his padawan. He wanted to be able to observe his habits wile his padawan didn't feel the pressure of someone watching his every move. I think you might be done with the lightsaber training...for now. Next I'll have to place you through the 'trial.'

Colm watched his padawan for at least an hour before he rose and walked into view. "Very good, Lance. I have one task left for you, your training has only taken a short time, and this is the final task before I allow you to become a knight." Colm pointed to the wall that they had entered through originally. "You will go back through that wall, and walk that hall, past where we fell in, and continue. Your test will make itself known when you arrive to it."

 

[Synthetic]

Lance nodded. Soon enough, he was on his way. As Lance got to the wall he drew upon the force. The force heightened his senses; he saw beyond the wall. There was no danger beyond the wall. He drew upon the force, took away some blocks in the upper portion of the wall, and jumped through. Landing in a tight roll, he calmly got to his feet, and used telekinesis to put the blocks he moved back. Lance continued on, lightsaber in hand. The force still ran through him, still keeping his senses alert. Lance's eyes were still calm and alert. He knew he had to be aware at all times on this trek. He knew the knight trial wasn't easy; if it was, there would be no point. He expected the trial to be extremely challenging and unconventional. In a way, Lance hoped it was; as far as he could tell, Colm's training had a large impact on his own advancement. He looked up after a minute or two and saw some daylight penetrating down into the cavern from the surface. It was the spot where they fell through. He began taking more steps down the tunnel, still patient and aware.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

The echo of Lances footsteps changed as the sound rebounded off the slowly nearing wall in front of him. Soon it came into view. A cinder block wall, one similar to the one Lance had moved before came into view in the darkness. It was obvious that his first task was to move the wall.

Behind the wall was darkness, behind him, the wall would replace itself. The padawan would be plunged into complete darkness. A cold and familiar the a scent from his childhood just strong enough flowed through the air. A soft inhuman voice hummed somewhere far down the tunnel. The force was at work here, what it had wrought was a mystery.

 

[Synthetic]

Lance came to a solid concrete wall; the cinder blocks were completely molded together by a solution similar to cement. He used the force to detect immediate dangers beyond the wall. He saw none. Unlike before, he could not remove the blocks he wanted to. He would have to cut a hole that he could jump through. The viridian blade of Lance's lightsaber hissed into life. The blade then plunged into the wall, about five feet from the ground. After cutting a near perfect circle, Lance turned his lightsaber off and attached it back to his belt. With a strong and strategic palm strike, the portion of the wall crashed down to the other side. To minimize the sound of the impact, Lance grabbed it with the force and gently set it aside. Not wanting to waste an ounce of energy, Lance hoisted himself through the hole.

Then, he sealed up his entrance. The piece of wall was set back in place. Lance then cast the force energy into the surrounding wall to melt the wall segment back into place. The cavern on the other side of the wall was surprisingly dark. Using what his master taught him, Lance called upon the force. His awareness and sight were heightened to an abnormal level. The force became his sight. He saw every inch of the cavern in front of him through use of the force. Then, he detected something before him. A force presence? Possibly... the force was definitely stirring in the depths ahead. There was something familiar about the presence. A cold shiver ran down his back. Yet, he continued, using the force to guide him. Despite the circumstances, he was as calm as ever.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

The images of his father and mother flashed in his mind. Of the night of their death. As if it were his own memory, the moments after he was launched from the ship came to mind. The knowledge of what had probably happened to his family burned an image into his brain. A barrage of images flooded his mind.

There was an undercurrent of another, more hideous presence. It had red, glowing eyes, it seemed at first like another memory, but then it was there. Just in sight the red eyes opened. Four dots slid open, a row of white teeth below them. There were more, dozens of eyes slid open. Long claws tapped the stone ground. These resembled Nexu, but they were not the same. They were mutated and heavier set, not like the light and thin Nexu. The pack encircled him and crouched low.

'What is your name?' The largest one spoke to him though the force. It's words were long and strained, as if it were speaking down at Lance.

 

[Synthetic]

"My name matters not," said Lance, not bothering to speak to the animal through the force. He had seen the type of beast while looking in the archives; he thought it was a thing of legend, as they were quite rare. In this case, there were dozens of them. One was dangerous enough. He could not take any chances. As he held his lightsaber in his right hand, unlit, more images of his parents' death came to his mind. A flash of anger almost came over him, but he took control of it. Using the force to settle his mind, he blocked that thought in a figurative barrier of the force.

"Perhaps there is something we could work out? I don't think you want to fight me..." Lance tried to reason as he stepped closer, preparing himself for the fight of his life.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

One of the beasts stepped up from behind him. It sniffed at the young man, He smells of fear. What sounded like a growl was a chuckle from the beasts. Are you afraid of us? Afraid that what happened to others will happen to you? More chuckles came from the beasts around him. Lance was being goaded into a fight. They were waiting for Lance to leave an opening for one of them to strike. And when he let his guard down, even for a moment, it would be all over.

 

[Synthetic]

"The only thing I'm scared of," played Lance, "is that I'll feint from the stench of you if you get closer." The Lance's vibrant viridian blade came to life. It was casting a green-silvering hue upon the chamber, reflecting on the dozens of blackened sets of four eyes. Lance began to back himself up to a sturdy cavern wall. He continued to back up until he was about a foot from the wall, and went into a masterful Ataru stance. He scanned above him with the force to see if there were any threats from above; there weren't. All of the Nexu were ahead of him, staring menacingly at their prey. Any normal person, even a Jedi Master, would not feel comfortable before a group of Nexu, who were both agile and strong. Lance made a defense, yet challenging sweep with his lightsaber.

"Leave this place," he said with a voice of command, typically unexpected of a padawan.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

One of the smaller beasts crept back slowly, afraid. It stopped after one of the larger ones glared at it. Clearly Lance had left his mark upon their confidence. The leader, the one whom had been speaking to Lance, stepped foreward. 'You are in my domain, child.'

Then all at once, it was a step closer and then another. It pounced at the padawan, hoping to take him down quickly.



((OOC: This is an NPC, have fun, kk? :D))

 

[Synthetic]

((Will do =D))

The Nexu's attack flashed in Lance's mind before it happened. As soon as the gigantic beast pounced, Lance drew upon the force. At an abnormal speed the Nexu lunged at the padawan, its mouth wide open, the keen, menacing teeth getting closer and closer to Lance. Lance leaped into the air, pushing off of the Nexu's head. The Jedi, in masterful ataru, maneuvered his ligthsaber while he was within the air. The viridian blade seared the right most eye of the Alpha-Nexu. Landing in a crouch, Lance quickly turned around and went on the offensive. In a slow and strategic walk, Lance approached the nexu making a lightning fast "x" formation with his lightsaber. The Nexu looked confused. He had underestimated the human, who was much smaller than he.

It now appeared as if the two were playing a chaotic game of chicken. The nexu began charging Lance, who was still in his slow walk. There were about five feet away from each other now. As the Nexu rose his left claw up to tear Lance into shreds, Lance went to the right with help from the force, and swiped the nails off of the left paw. Lance knew this would be an insult to the Nexu, who prided himself upon strength. Lance needed to secure the fight not just physically, but mentally.

Lance then jumped onto the wall and pushed off, rolling into a spectacular cart wheel. He was really moving now, combining force speed, jump, and valor. The viridian blade of the lightsaber was the only thing visible of the blur that was Lance Zerhon. It was truly a masterful display of lightsaber combat for a padawan. The Nexu than began to charge Lance faster than he would have ever expected. Lance propelled himself up into the air to avoid the attack. At the top of the cavern ceiling, Lance grabbed on to a stalagmite and began to fake an injury, hopefully goading the beast into an attack. It worked. The Nexu mightily jumped, exerting a thunderous grawl as he did so. As the Nexu jumped, Lance propelled himself off of the stalagmite. With the saber in in a stab position, the viridian blade sliced right through the chest of the Nexu. Each fell to the ground, a cloud of dust erupting from the cavern earth.

Surprisingly, the Nexu wasn't done. It got up and lunged once more. Lance quickly reacted in a twisting jump, and swept his saber over the three remaining eyes of the Nexu; it was rendered blind. Lance stood back to see if the Nexu would get back up; he knew he had to fully kill it, a Nexu never quit. The Nexu got back up, its muscles extremely tense as it attempted to raise itself from the ground. Lance called upon the force and went into the air. He was now parallel with the stalagmite which once held him above the cavern floor. He brought his saber up and sliced it at its base. Lance landed about five feet from the Nexu. The keen point atop the stalagmite feel down with blazing speed, and punctured the Nexu right through the cranium. Finally, it was void of life.

Although it was not custom for a Jedi to take a life, there was always a certain circumstance. With a sweep of his lightsaber, he drew an invisible defensive line in front of him, claiming his territory. He hoped no other Nexu would dare to fight him, considering he eliminated their leader. He simply wanted to continue on his trial.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

Respecting the strength of a superior fighter the others backed down. Turning away they disappeared into the darkness, leaving the corpse of their leader.

'What is the jedi code?' A voice called from nowhere. It was as if the force itself spoke to him. It was soft and warm, like old coals in a fire. It was testing him, Colm or someone else was behind this.

 

[Synthetic]

Lance deactivated his lightsaber and began walking towards the voice, still ever aware by means of the force.

"Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the force... thus is the Jedi Code, the creed by which I live by," said Lance into nothingness.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

'Walk.' There was a sliver of light, reflecting off of the walls. It was barely noticeable at first, but about a kilometer away the cave came to it's entrance. As Lance would near it, he would find that it was only an opening large enough for a small rodent to fir through. Outside, the hum of speeders could be heard. There was talking, but it was impossible to tell what was being said.

Colm watched from the brush around the cave entrance. An unexpected visitor had arrived at the end of his trials. They were here for Lance. His padawan was close, but there were too many to take on alone. 'Lance, there are men out here, they have been looking for you. They look like mercenaries, I think you might recognize them.'

 

[Synthetic]

'Yes, master...' replied Lance to his master. This was obviously not Colm's doing. Using the force, Lance began to see through the wall. There was a huge group of mercenaries, many wearing elegant armor similar to the armor that the mercenaries had who killed his parents long ago. Then, it struck him - he saw the man, their leader. His face was full of disdain - it was battle hardened with an old scar running across his face, an eyepatch shielding the man's left eye. It was him. He was there with his mercenaries. What did he want with Lance? Lance had no treasure to give him, unlike the treasures from his parents' shuttle. Did he simply want to get rid of a witness? Either way, he needed to be arrested for murder.

Lance silently carved a hole on the left side of the entrance, and jumped into some brush. He detected his master across the way, obviously well hidden. The group had the finest equipment in the galaxy, with sharp blades and fine blasters. The skies began to gray as a streak of lightning ripped through the humid air. Some rain began to fall. This was emotionally awkward for the padawan, soon to be knight. As much as he wanted to cut the men down, he had sworn an oath to the Jedi Order and the Republic. Thus came the apex, so far, of his training - could he control himself?

'You must let me handle this myself, Master,' Lance pleaded through the force. He expected Colm to intervene if he got in any trouble. He knew the average ataru user would have a disadvantage against all of the blasters. Lance was fueled by confidence, and hoped that his agility would prove far superior to any form-biases. Stepping out from the brush, Lance's viridian lightsaber came to life. It's silver-green blade stood as a beacon of light and justice among the darkness that was the ensuing storm of the coming night. Letting the force surround him, he raised his awareness even more.

"By the power of the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic, I am putting you all under arrest," said Lance in a confident voice. All ten of the men turned around, clad in their camouflage-green armor. Five of them were the men who were on the shuttle years ago, including the ruthless commander. They stepped forward and raised their blasters in unison.

"I should have killed you years ago, kid. It's time to silence you once and for all," said the captain in a rough voice. All ten pulled their triggers.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

Colm whipped out his lightsaber silently, but did not activate it. Unless his padawan came to any true harm would he intervene. He was reluctant to stay hidden, but this was a suiting final trial for the boy. Colm readied himself, there were two at the rear of the group, he would go for them first when the time came... 'I hope you know what you're doing.'

 

[Synthetic]

The blaster shots rang out, sending a dangerous barrage of energy hurtling towards the young Jedi. Lance had to think fast; he was slightly caught off guard when all ten of the mercenaries began unloading their blasters upon him. Instead of wasting energy on a large force barrier, Lance leaped into the air and propelled himself towards the mercenaries. Using the force to enhance his speed, the Jedi dodged many blaster bolts that rung through the humid jungle air. Landing in a puddle of mud, Lance went into a roll and came up, plunging the saber into the groin of a mercenary. Then, with both hands, he pulled up, incinerating the man's organs. He knew he left his back exposed, so he quickly twisted and used the force to put the body before him. The dead mercenary's armor took the bolts for Lance. It was a masterful display of intelligence and potential.

So far the first couple seconds of the fight went well. Yet, there were still nine mercenaries left. In traditional ataru, Lance went back on a speedy offensive yet again. The blaster shots rang out once again. Lance somersaulted through the air, simultaneously defensively sweeping his lightsaber. The one bolt that came near his person was deflected back to the open head of the mercenary. Eight left. Lance's stamina was still going strong. Lance didn't expect it to last much longer. The least he could do was fight for justice. It was obvious he didn't care about knighting at this point - he knew that his primary purpose was to deliver justice.

Calling upon the force, he hurling one mercenary off his feet, head first into the cavern wall. They still rang blaster fire upon the young Jedi. If Lance didn't make a move fast he would be in trouble. Big trouble. Seeing that there were only seven left, and six of them were standing in a tight, defensive circle, Lance made a move. He knew it would drain much of his stamina, but it was a move he had to make. He called upon more of the force than he had ever called upon the force. He didn't have enough time to question if he could hold so much of the force. He began making a circle around the defensive-circle formation that six of the mercenaries held. Lance was moving so fast he was beyond a blur. The appearance of Lance couldn't be described. The mercenaries had no chance of their fire keeping with the Jedi. Yet, stupidly, they continued to try. In the process, one mercenary shot another in a kneecap, eliminating the poor man from the fight. Out of nowhere, Lance jumped into the air and flipped into the middle of the formation. He stuck his saber out, and did a powerful yet agile sweep. His saber went in and out of the waists of the five men.

Lance staggered out of the ring of dead bodies. He couldn't believe what he had done. It wasn't out of anger that he killed the men; it was self defense. It still unnerved him however. Still, he was slowly getting used to it... it didn't mean he had to like it however.

Then, he felt the cold metal of a blaster against his head. It was the captain, who had somehow maneuvered to get behind Lance. Lance quickly dropped to a split and slid between the captain's legs. Under the captain, he flipped the mercenary frontward by use of his legs. The captain flew threw the air. Lance caught the man's knees with his lightsaber, severing the bottom portion of the captain's legs off.

Lance got off the muddy earth, his black and white robes littered with traces of mud and pebble. He went over to the defenseless captain who was on his back, groaning in pain. Lance got closer. When he was ten feet away, the captain began to plea in horror.

"Please, please! Spare me honorable sir!"

Why should I? Lance thought privately to himself. How grand it would be to cut the man down, fulfill revenge for his parents, his mother particularly. He was now standing next to the man, his lightsaber before the mercenary's face. Its viridian hue was reflecting its pure light off the evil and spiteful pirate. Lance then gained his self control; he would not stoop down to the lowly level of the mercenary captain.

"You, sir, are under arrest," Lance said, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

 

[Ru the Boatswain]

It was a proud day for the Jedi master, his padawan had passed the final test. "Very good Lance."

Then he straitened up. And held his lightsaber vertically. "Lance Zerhon, it is by my power that I pronounce you a Jedi knight." His blade moved toward each shoulder of the padawan, knighting him in the old way. "Master Lance, would you care to return to the temple, I believe we need to enter this into the archives."

Moments later, yelling and speeders could be heard, the proper authorities had arrived to clean up the mess. "That was fast."

Colm began walking toward the noises, someone would have to give them a ride.

((END THREAD))