Meditations in an Emergency

[Apocrypha]

Perhaps two hundred meters from the excessively grandeur Jedi temple of Tython - still within eyesight, but not quite spitting distance - a young boy, slight in frame but over-endowed in height, was perched upon a large jagged stone. Flanked on all sides by other, smaller stones, the geologic anomaly that Rorik had seated himself on had but one slight flat surface allowing him a place to sit.

As per his typical routine, Rorik was doing his best to center himself. His mind, more attuned than one might expect of a child so young, and with so little training, kept an ear strained for the will of the Force - oft interpreted as instinct, but sometimes seen in visions, and other manifestations.

His mind pondered the current situation surrounding him; forced from his home at the temple on Coruscant after his master's death, Rorik had only received perhaps three years of training as a Jedi. He possessed a lightsaber, rudimentary comprehension of fighting with it, and a respectable command of the Force. He made up for lost time with extensive studying and training on his own - especially to fill the void after the loss of his master, which had left a deep, grievous wound upon his being. Now, another had been appointed - or taken on - the job of training him to be a Jedi. He did not know her, and he had not been summoned to meet her yet.

Instead, he sat, reflecting, in his own private world.

 

[Padmé]

Training Padawans is something that brings much joy to Gracelyn Vitorioso Maier. Today was no different. The council had assigned her to a new Padawan, one Rorik Grey. At the chime of the female Jedi Master’s datapad, she picked the electronic device up and headed outside the temple.

With an air of grace, the female Jedi walked gracefully past the main entrance. The sheer amount of wind blowing her direction caused Gracelyn to clamp her hands close to her robe. Unlike most Jedi, the aristocrat always adorned herself in the most exquisite attire underneath the formal Jedi Robe. Also underneath Gracelyn’s robe was her fine leather utility belt which housed her lightsaber (an heirloom from her grandfather), one glass of water, and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

Merely minutes after exiting the Tython temple, the Jedi Master located her new Padawan seated on a stone, of all things, under a tree. He appeared as though his eyes were closed and in meditation. In an effort to avoid startling the poor soul, Maier announced herself as she slowly approached the boy.

“Padawan Grey,” she said in a questionable tone. “…good day to you.”

 

[Apocrypha]

Startled from his reverie, Rorik regarded Gracelyn for a moment before unseating himself; he slid down from the shale by the heels of his boots, moving forward and halting in front of her. A bow was given; "Master," he offered. The term was merely polite; he did not, in fact, recognize her as his new tutor in the ways of the Jedi, and instead greeted her as he would any Jedi he did not recognize - which there were many of, here on Tython. The boy, familiar with the patrons of the temple on Coruscant, was less than familiar with many of the Jedi he encountered on the lush jungle planet. There were, of course, students and Jedi he recognized from Coruscant, whom had also been displaced here with the loss of their original home within the Order.

"It is a good day," he remarked with a boyish grin. "Though I've yet to meet a day that was not pleasant on Tython - it is, literally, a whole other world from Coruscant." After a moment, his smile wavered briefly. "A titular error, Master Jedi; I am, for all intents and purposes, not a Padawan. Not now, at any rate."

 

[Padmé]

The aristocrat was rather startled at the sound of the boy’s boots hitting the ground, only inches away from her. At the touch of the ground the boy’s boots sent dust flying all over Maier’s face, at which point, she pulled out her silk handkerchief to wipe her face. Shortly thereafter, she pulled out her hand sanitizer to rid the vestiges of the Tythonian dust off her soft hands.

Maier would have chastised the boy for causing the dust to fly off on her, however his saving grace was the action the quickly followed his brash landing. He offered a bowed, followed by Maier’s appropriate title. The Kaalian in return gave a short bow and then proceeded to cover clear up the error she’d made. “My files showed otherwise,” Gracelyn uttered, -albeit annoyed. Annoyed over the fact that the boy had corrected her.

“At any rate, you are now my apprentice… While I will not force you to stay with me, I don’t think you have much of a choice,” the Jedi master paused. “…I prefer to train indoors, away from the harsh dry, zero humidity Thythonian climate …I am ready to commence our training if you are, Grey,” Gracelyn said with an emphasis on the boy’s surname.

Without waiting for the boy's response, Maier turned, with the intent of walking back inside the temple. Grey will have to speak up quickly, if her intends on walking back inside with the Jedi master.

 

[Apocrypha]

Rorik quirked his brow in confusion, quite intent on saying something - but found that the Jedi Master had turned to leave. He scrambled to follow her. "The Council appointed you?" he asked, but did not wait for a reply. "I mean - that's excellent! Of course, I'm honored - but - why indoors?."

The boy spoke rapid-fire, following his new tutor. "I've been trained already - three years, actually - wouldn't practical training be more... practical?"

 

[Padmé]

While Maier turned to walk away, she sensed the boy’s hesitation, followed by his footsteps, and then somewhat fiery questions. The distinct sound made by Grey’s boots hitting the dirt floor was undeniable. Completely ignoring Rorik’s initial question, Gracelyn moved her hands to her side robe pocket. Seconds later, Maier’s second clean silk handkerchief emerged, at which point covered her mouth with the silky material. Her feet never ceased to move...

Without turning to face the boy, she finally spoke “I don’t know you well enough to go anywhere with you, Grey. You’ll have to prove your ‘practical skills’ to me before I allow you to tag along on a mission”. Judging by the boy’s file, he was well versed with the Way, and perhaps more skills than the average Padawan. Even so, Maier needed to observe the skills and knowledge the boy’s file contained.

 

[Apocrypha]

"Oh," Rorik replied, surprised by the clarity of the answer provided. She was rather straight to the point - and, as far as he could tell, a bit stuffy. It didn't bother him so much - diversity didn't weaken the Order, it empowered it. A rough-and-tumble sort of boy, he suspected that their relationship would be interesting; sadly, it was unlikely that he would ever accept her as his 'Master,' so to speak. Rorik had been rescued from a miserable life of perpetual toil by the Bothan, his first master, and none would soon replace his position in Rorik's life - save for the imparting of knowledge.

"How would you like me to prove my studies, then, Master -- er, what is your name, again?"

 

[Padmé]

In haste to correct the boy, the Jedi Master completely forgot to give proper introductions. A normal person would have apologized, but not Maier. She was by no means a normal person….

Now stopping in her tracks, she turned to face the boy “Gracelyn Vitorioso Maier is the name, but to you it’s Master Maier.” With that she turned right back to continue walking. Although she was by no means the boy’s ‘master’ per se, she had earned the title, and rather prefers that title to be acknowledged.

Continuing with graceful strides, the female Jedi Master added “…and as far as proving your core competences in the Way, you’ll have to demonstrate sufficient mastery of skills- which I will give you when the training commences.” The pair entered the temple again, after passing through stringent security checks. Bouts of irritation overtakes the Kaalian each time she went through the security check points, however she keeps her calm, each times- as she realizes it is for the greater good of the Order. "We don’t need another Coruscant attack here," she mumbled to herself while leading the way inside the training room.

 

[Apocrypha]

"All right," he replied, quirking his brow, "Master Maier." The boy was graceful in his own right - more slender than he was powerful, though clumsy, from time to time (a symptom of a body growing far faster than its user is able to adapt to!) - and had no difficulty in keeping up with the pace of his newly appointed Jedi.

Surrendering himself to the security checkpoint, he was swiftly yet thoroughly searched, identified, and allowed to proceed behind Gracelyn. "I'm eager to prove myself," he replied honestly, smiling in good nature.

"I agree," he offered, in response to her thinking out loud; he had lost his dearest friend and tutor on Coruscant. He would not fair well with a second loss.

 

[Padmé]

The walk to the training facility was short. Maier made little effort for small talks; however upon hearing Grey’s remark concerning his eagerness to prove himself, the female Jedi paused “very well. We shall see here in a bit.” A small grin crossed the girl’s face as she turned to walk.

She caught one of Greys thoughts' one that she could relate to. “And as far as losing your dearest friend at the Coruscant temple bombing, I offer my condolence.” Gracelyn knows the feeling of losing a dear one… It’s been nearly seven years since she lost her grandfather (whom she really considered her best friend)….

Upon reaching the training room, the Jedi Master used the Force to open the door. Motioning Grey to enter in first, Maier stood aside watching and observing the boy’s reaction to the surprise ahead. Gracelyn took the liberty to set a trap (with the help of her assistant) for Grey. The young man will be greeted by a droid aiming several rounds of golf balls towards him upon entering the room.

 

[Apocrypha]

"It's fine," Rorik replied, quietly. It was not fine. Though he was unsure how it felt to lose a loving parent - his father having never displayed the first ounce of love - he knew what it was to lose a loving friend and father figure. A role model. He would, in truth, never be the same; but he would not wallow in his own self-pity or sorrow, either. He would continue to work, to train, and to hone his skills - to be the Jedi that the Bothan knew he would one day be.

Entering the training room, Rorik pivoted his right foot with alarming speed - a lucky reflex, mostly, as he avoided the first ball launched at his head. Raising his hands, a sort of thin layer of protection enveloped his forward defenses; a barrier prevented the projectiles from hitting him, and instead allowing them to drop casually to the floor beneath him.

There was no cover in his immediate vicinity, and the barrage did not relent; confrontation was the only option. Mustering his strength, Rorik projected the protective barrier forward; a wave of kinetic energy sent the droid flying several feet, separating its weapon from itself. Wrenching his hand towards himself, Rorik drew the rifle to his feet, placing a boot on it and huffing.

 

[Padmé]

The boy was fast. MM-6 had aimed several balls at Grey, per Maier’s instruction, but the balls were met by Grey’s fierce reaction. Watching the boy’s defenses in action brought a slight grin to the Jedi Master’s face. She watched, from a distance, as the ball’s quickly stopped hitting him and falls on the ground.

Maier could sense Grey had quickly beckoned the Force to create a barrier; shielding his body from the un-expected attack. Had Grey been hurt Maier could have easily taught him another lesson, Force Heal, thankfully nothing appeared to be physically damaged on the boy- well, save the droid. MM-6 was sent flying several feet away from Grey. It was only that the point that the ball’s assaulting Grey subsided.

“Very good, Grey. You quickly defended yourself despite little warning about the impending assault, and you managed to beckon the Force to aid you, despite the mere seconds you had to act.” Maier finally entered the training room and walked closer to the boy. “You may put away your weapon now.” Pausing, the female Jedi walked to MM-6’s location, examining the droid. Nothing major seemed to be out of place. Continuing she added “..Grey, that meet MM-6. …Now for the next lesson-“ Maier walked to the other side of the training room. This section housed several weights suspended on a beam, and it had one obstacle course. At the end of the course were three tick durasteel crates. “Move the biggest object, choice is up to you, from its original position to the main entrance- utilizing the Force.”

Upon giving Grey the instructions, Maier moved back to the other side of the training room. She will observe Grey’ telekinesis abilities from a distance, as she enjoyed the cup of tea MM-6 just served.