Open Lothal Like a Rock in the River

[Orenth]

Spoiler: Theme

Open to anyone that wants to train with the Jedi Order/Local Lothalites​

Lothal had a long running history with the Jedi Order. To represent this, they had formed a humble meusuem in their capital city. It was not quite on par with the same as the grand architecture of Naboo but Byron found it tasteful. The world had known great loss and joy thanks to the individual involvement and combined efforts of the religious order. Today, Byron hoped to bring more good things to the world and its people. Hoping to see other members of the Jedi Order volunteer, there was to be joint missions in the near future between the local Lothalites and the star sages. Wisdom and skills as well as bonds of friendship, he hoped.

A goal was demystification, as Senator @Cal Starros had put it, and improve public relations as well as get some training. The younger members of the Order could stand to get more experience under their belt. These days a lot were concerned with their capabilities of meeting the Sith and other threats but there was more to being a Jedi than fighting for peace.

Taking in a deep breath of the harvest air smelled like his hometown’s bakery after a supply drop. With fresh grain to use there were delicious treats the following week. The moment of nostalgia soon passed as his eyes opened and saw company coming. Looking down at himself, he made sure there were no grease stains or dirt marks he had missed ten minutes ago when he had last checked.

Byron was wise enough to know that the past, present and future could each consume an individual if they weren't careful. Too often people thought of the Force as two sides, the light and the dark. The Jedi and the Sith. Byron always thought that was a bit ignorant and binary way of thinking. There was more to the galaxy than the two religious factions and the two sides of the force. The people, its citizens and everyday inhabitants counted for something in Byron's mind. Maybe even more than anything else.

Today there would be ample opportunity for the Padawans to learn and do so along non-jedi forces. If things went well the locals would be better prepared for any Sith Order attacks that may come. Team building was not exactly something Byron was well versed in but the muscular sentinel did his best to keep that hidden.

It was a new day on Lothal and with experiences he could not imagine that lay ahead. For better or worse the Knight was happy to be where he was and not just on Lothal. Smiles from the people he had seen and met with had fostered a sense of happiness. After a few days spent at a spa, the bearded Jedi felt refreshed. Now there was time for relaxation and there was time for work. Now was the latter.

Replications of past works of art had been donated to Lothal’s museum as well as newer pieces to be added to the future Jedi Temple. The Knight found him looking both in the direction of the old Lothal temple and then raising his gaze to the twin moons. The noble family who owned one of the satellite bodies was supposed to be making a trip to the surface of Lothal as well. If that were the case then there would possibly be two Jedi temples in the Lothal system before long. For now, the artwork was on display for the Jedi Order members arriving as well as other joint operation volunteers. Later, once this was all over the works would be stored safely and later put on display. Byron looked forward to seeing them on the walls where they belonged.

 

[Hakim]

As Byron stared off towards the twin moons, he would find himself joined by a companion. Through the Force, he would be able to feel the peace he was resonating reflected back to him; the Knight's feeling of calm, evidently, had a ripple effect. Hakim could feel their connection - one of the few Force tricks he did understand - and approached him. He kept his hands folded behind his back as he stepped, ever-so-lightly. He announced himself by clearing his throat, quietly, so as to avoid ambushing his senior Jedi. "Teacher Ryker?" He had not yet adjusted to the naming conventions of the Jedi - "master," "knight," - as they felt too forceful, too commanding for a order known for its gentleness. "I am Padawan Hakim Negosi Dorrell." Using the title "Padawan" still felt unfamiliar - he was much more used to Abeto or Abetohun, the stylings of a Prince for the Dorrel. He offered a full bow, opting against a genuine genuflection. "The Order has allowed me the honor of serving here besides you." In truth, it was the first off-world, masterless posting he had been allowed since he joined the Jedi. It was certainly a unique He had felt cooped up, secluded, in the quiet Temples that he trained on.

His trip to the world had been uneventful to the other passengers, but it was still one of his first starship rides. The jump to hyperspace had made his skin crawl, earlier. But, it was all worth it: from what he had been able to glean about Lothal, it's unique landscape would be the perfect place for contemplation. It was also home to a massive city, much bigger than he had ever set foot in; a perfect place to learn the ways of the locals. Perhaps most interestingly, though, was the potential to learn of the Force here. He followed Byron's gaze to the old Temple, where he hoped to solve some of the mysteries that lingered in his mind. He was eager to get started. "It's a marvel what your Order has done." He gestured broadly, towards the Temple and across the world. "Thousands of years of history, unbroken, delicately preserved, in spite of the enemies you have faced this whole time. It is truly astonishing."

He settled into silence for a moment - a rather awkward one, as he didn't know exactly what to say. He tried to maintain an even facade, taking a breath to recapture that serenity he had just felt. "What can I do to help?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron turned away from his inward thoughts as his name was called. Teacher felt a bit strange for him to hear, just as Master Jedi when it came to normal galactic citizens. But that was what he was here to do, teach. The bearded Knight smiled gave a bow of his head though was a bit more casual than the Draethos. "Nice to meet you. Welcome."

"Don't you mean our and we?" He asked with a bit of cheekiness to his tone. "You're part of the Jedi Order too. Besides, it wasn't just Jedi preserving these pieces. Ordinary people with the motivation, that's all it takes." A slight smile came to the corners of his mouth. Regardless of the subject matter, the efforts of those the art meant something to just to preserve them was of significant value too. They symbolized the hope that people could have even in the most dire of circumstances.

Clearing his throat, Byron looked around to see few others had arrive yet. "First tell me a bit about yourself. What do you usually do as a padawan?" He asked both to get an idea of Hakim's strengths, weaknesses and perspective of where the young jedi stood. Furthermore it would also tell him if anything had maybe changed for padawans since Byron himself had been a neophyte.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Hakim]

Hakim paused to consider Byron's words. He didn't quite feel like a member of the Order yet; he felt displaced, far away from his true home. It would take some time to change those feelings - but time was something in short supply.

As he pondered, his words flowed from his mind; members of the Draethos race possessed a simple telepathy that allowed them to communicate with others via their thoughts. Thoughts poured out, not as sentences, but as images, words, sounds, smells, projected to the mind of Byron. Byron could see rapid glimpses of his past - images of younger Hakim, alone, by a muddy stream, tracking a far off quarry. This faded quickly to the sounds of blasterfire, the images of running through the night and gasping for air. A picture of his first visit to Yavin IV. And, all together, there was a word, a feeling, that connected all of these threads of thought: Justice. "It is not so simple to summarize, teacher. I was Keetael." An order not so different from the Jedi and Sith, where masters took on pupils to teach them the ways of the Force. Their focus was on the physical and the ritual, rather than the mystical; Byron would see a silver bracelet inscribed with the names of Hakim's clan, teachers, family, and their descendants.

"Now, I am Jedi." It was an unnatural transition from one to the other, borne out of conflict and shame. "So far, I have learned some of the history of your - our - Order. The philosophies and teachings of the ancient holocrons." He thought it would be improper to speak so openly of his combat abilities - honed for forty years on Draethos. On his homeworld, such boasting would invite a challenge; learning to conceal one's own power was an important part of training. The Jedi had to learn this lesson in their own way after the destruction of their Order.

Instead, he changed the topic to better reflect his interest in this mission. "On Draethos, the Keetael train and live quite separately from the Clans. The Jedi, too, live quite apart from thei-" He stopped short this time. "Our civilian counterparts. But the Force guides them as much as it guides us. I appreciate the opportunity to learn, here, how we can teach those who cannot grasp the Force with their own hands about its unique role in their destiny." He had been born a prince on Draethos, and his mind still returned to the questions of governance. The Jedi seemed to have no interest in control and conquest.

"Spiritual guidance is the greatest gift one can have. How can we provide this, today?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron had experienced vision before and was not a stranger to such things. There was a time when he may recoiled or hesitate at the telepathic connection. The images that played through his mind were more than just seen, the events were experienced through Hakim's capabilities. Byron would be hard pressed to accurately and effortlessly depict something like that. Then again he never knew until he tried.

The Jedi Order possessed a few Holocrons still as far as Byron knew. But many had been lost and creating them was no easy task. "That's good. I think I'm still finding out what it means to be a Jedi if I'm being honest." He gave a slight chuckle though it may not be the best thing to admit.

Byron's brow furrowed as he heard Hakim hesitate. The Draethos was older than Byron, but he too had been on the older side when first joining the Jedi Order. "Were you going to say family?" He asked rather bluntly after Hakim had finished.

The Knight would go on to say, "Maybe you could tell me more about the Keetael actually. I've studied the Bomar monks to a degree and I think it's important to understand other religious groups and philosophical organizations." Byron was under the belief that the Jedi did not have all the answers. They were not the perfect group of valiant warriors that never faltered and always won in the end. He knew better than that through his experiences thus far as a Jedi Knight. But it was in spite of this that hope flourished. The melancholy was fleeting before the sentinel returned to the present with what he could influence.

"The Jedi are known as keepers of the peace, soldiers of light, right?" He shrugged as this was common knowledge. "Not everyone will want spiritual guidance, not like other churches. But vigilance against darkness, performing acts of good and inspiring others with hope, that is how we as Jedi guide others." He said as he thought more about how to phrase things appropriately. "What do you think peace is, Hakim?" It was not an easy question to answer. Most everyone wanted peace in one shape or form. "How do you guide someone that does not want your gift?"

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Hakim]

Hakim's mind retreated as he collected his thoughts, preparing himself to answer the senior Jedi's questions. It was true, the Jedi lived apart from their families indefinitely; in earlier epochs, they were even forbidden to take families. If there was anything to be learned from the tale of Anakin and Luke, though, that was a mistake; the Jedi had worldly obligations, just as any other being did. Their connection to the Force, he reasoned from this, did not serve to separate themselves from the rest of the galaxy. But Byron raised an excellent point: The Jedi were the sentinels, the watchers, the frontiersmen who kept vigil over the whole galaxy. That was their role, their calling; not proselytizing.

He clicked his throat, producing a loud noise that sat between a purr and a screech as he thought. Family. That was the key to it. His mind opened back to Byron's, as thoughts of his family flowed forth. The loving embrace of his mother; the first time he joined his father to tend to the beasts; dances and joy around the fire after a successful hunt. That was his family, his home.

"Soldiers of peace." Pacifism was reviled on his planet, but not all were drawn to endless conflict and war. No, on Draethos, there was a phrase that the powerful warriors and clansmen could use to justify an end to conflict, a hope for something besides murder and bloodshed: Peace, if you're willing to fight for it. The Jedi encapsulated this value - constantly defending their views by the sword. While the two orders had differences, no sane Draethos could deny the Jedi's martial ability. Their symbol was, indeed, the winged sword.

He showed these thoughts and history to Byron, in brief flashes. Memories, filtering through one mind to another. He repeated the phrase. "Peace, if you're willing to fight for it. That is my definition. Not lying down, dying like a coward, to protect a moral high ground. Peace is achieved only when one has the resolute power of will to stand for their people and strike down those who would oppress them. Peace is thus a state of mind, a choice to be unbending and unbroken against the wicked."

He avoided further questions about his own past order, the Keetael. His teachers there had already disowned him for joining the Jedi, of course, but he still had enough pride to protect their secretive ways. He pondered the second question - how can they save those who do not wish to be saved? He shared an memory on a fishing trip on Draethos, where a young Hakim and his father sit by the river. The pair watch fish fighting against the mighty current; many fail, thrown against the rocks and back down the river. But the one that survives lands in safer waters, where she lays her spawn of eggs. "We cannot save everyone, but we must fight to save all that we can."

"How would you have answered these questions as a Padawan, teacher? Is it the same as today?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron waited as he could see Hakim take the time to consider the question. The bearded Jedi gave no reaction until the Draethos had finished his answer. It was not incorrect. But it certainly gave the Knight a bit of insight to the perspective of the padawan. "It's often those seeking peace that ignite the flames of war. Peace and conflict are as closely tied as the Jedi and Sith themselves." One cannot have one without the other.

The imagery of the winged sword persisted in Byron's mind. The symbol of the Jedi Order was emlazoned on his ship and a symbol of the sect of light sided force weilders. More than that, it was a symbol that brought hope to numerous people across the galaxy. "The people of Lothal are in danger of an encroaching threat. The Sith Order is wicked. It certainly is that." The sentinel gave a slow nod. " A simple existence and a content way of life is what the average being wants. Some people in the galaxy might see us as tresspassers and ill omens. Even without the mystery, we still are a single faction among many." The groups of the galaxy were often manipulated against one another, fighting and trying desparatly to survive from decade to decade, century to century. Layers of relationships and millennia of intertwined history made navigating life as a Jedi difficult to say the least.

"When I was a Padawan?..." His tone perked up a little bit trying to think back. He remembered the drills that Master Hannibal Grayza had him do and the questions posed in his own travels. Master Sati had inlightened him with her training and opened his eyes to a new galaxy of possabilities. "...I thought peace was a time without war. I thought because everyone I knew and cared about was doing okay that I was okay and there was harmony. I see now I was just ignorant of the truth." A simple civilian background and middle class life had made Byron an everyday citizen until a chance meeting with a Jedi had led to a mix up back up. "I don't think true peace can be attained. I'm not sure I would want it either, or should want it." The brow of the Jedi furrowed further. "I think I'm beginning to understand a bit more of the 'balance' my Masters spoke of."

Taking a deep breath, Byron cleared his mind and blinked a few times. "You've learned about the Jedi Order's history. Have you gone through any drills or practiced any techniques?" A Two squads of Lothalite volunteers were approaching wearing training fatigues. Not all of the outfits matched entirely or were in pristine condition. The Jedi Temple had allowed Byron to bring a Kom'rk class troop transport which was parked not too far away. It was marked with the livery of the Jedi Order but would serve as the groups transport for when they eventually traveled around the planet.

@Fine Dining Set