Padawans Learn Together (Niish/Satra)

[Satra Finn]

It was a beautiful morning on the planet Kothlis. Satra strolled across the beach of the small island she'd chosen and walked into the water. There was nothing like it on her home planet. She marveled at the soft liquid the slid around her legs, through her toes. Looking up, there was a vast expanse of ocean unbroken by anything save a few tiny islands like this one. The spot she'd chosen was a little ways away from the Jedi safe house, but she still felt safe. The Jedi were here. This entire planet must be safe, she thought.

She'd met an alien padawan who seemed very well trained already. He had offered to show her some things, since she hadn't found anyone to be her Master yet. She was most excited to start learning lightsaber training. She wasn't sure if they would be doing that, or if she had to learn more about the Force before she could start wielding such an instrument. Lightly, she fingered the hilt of the one she had brought, just in case. It hung on her hip and was so light she hardly felt it unless she touched it directly. It was not hers, just a loaned student saber borrowed from the safe house training rooms. She supposed she could have just met Niish in one of those rooms, but she hated being inside when she knew how beautiful it was outside.

She sighed with bliss and turned a content smile back to the water. She twirled her toes around in the water as she waited for her fellow padawan to arrive.

@Niish Kydon

 

[Niish Kydon]

"Interesting choice... of location, Satra." Spoken over the humm of the speeder engine he arrived on before shutting it down. "It's beautiful." This comment was more for her sake than his, Niish could never understand why most peoples of the galaxy seemed enjoy the heat and blinding brightness of planets such as this, it was overbearing and bordered on self-abuse. His scalp already burned and his face was already tired from squinting, the blue hue of his skin may look more like the pink of hers by the end of this day. A kick of wind danced his overcoat as he took it off and placed it on the seat of the speeder, more layers may need to be shed once training started but this was fine for now. One thing that struck him odd was... "No sound." he mumbled to himself. Pau'ans had very acute sense of hearing so it was a rare and disorienting occurrence when soundwaves had nothing around to bounce off of. "This place has... no sound." said louder for her to hear but more for him to investigate this strange absence, regardless if she understood what he meant. He quickly disregarded the phenomenon and came to stand a few feet in front of her.

"So, Miss Zeltron... when we... last spoke I neglected... to ask you what... you've been taught as of... now." The rhythm of his speech patterns had always been disjointed, but he's gotten better with training. "Makashi isn't... exactly for beginners." Niish mentioned in hopes that she had at least a working knowledge of the first form Shii-Cho. "Tell me what... you know."

 

[RedneckLoves]

Satra's cheeks burned slightly and she looked out at the water, still sitting on the soft sand of the beach.

"Well the truth is that I have no formal training whatsoever."

She paused to let him take that in. She knew that training a total novice wasn't something everyone necessarily wanted to do. Regardless, she was determined to start training one way or another and since there hadn't been anyone willing to take her as an apprentice just yet...

"I've practiced the very basics on my own, but the only information I had was from the archives."

She stood and looked at Niish with pleading eyes. "Look, I know it sucks to train someone who doesn't know anything, but I swear I'm a fast learner and I'll work very hard."

 

[Niish Kydon]

{None?} He questioned internally when she paused. {But she's older than I am!}

Satra then stood to face him, the determination in her words was as clear as crystal. "To be... perfectly honest, I... haven't trained... anyone as I... haven't yet finished... my own. I try to be... as accommodating as I can for my... instructor, I hope she doesn't think... it sucks to... train me. So I will... be as accommodating as... I can with you as well, maybe it... won't suck." To see a Pau'an crack a smile might cause nightmares in some, his jagged, serrated teeth were a far cry from the near-perfect smile of a Zeltron, she might thank her lucky stars that his smile didn't last longer than a couple seconds.

"First thing's first. Take hold of... your saberhilt, and tell me... how it feels. I may have a... better understanding of... where to start depending on... your answer."

 

[RedneckLoves]

Satra saw what appeared to be a confused look on his face at her statement of having no formal training. She realized that he must have been trained from a young age. Well, no matter. She would do her best and learn to be just as good as any other Jedi that had years of training. Starting at a disadvantage would only make her more determined.

She smiled briefly at her fellow padawan's joking tone. She was slightly startled by his smile, with all the dangerous looking teeth inside, but wasn't put off at all by it. On her home planet, everyone was always welcoming of other races because they were tourists vacationing on their planet. It wouldn't do to insult a guest in such a way.

Shaking off these wandering thoughts, Satra did as Niish had said. She unclipped the borrowed saber hilt from beneath her robes and held it before her in both hands without igniting the blade. She closed her eyes and opened her mind. The hilt felt solid in her hands. It was smooth and comfortable, if possibly a bit big for her small hands. More than that, though, she felt... potential in it. She had come to the Jedi to learn a better way for herself. To be someone who made a difference in the galaxy. To give more meaning to her life than just being a pretty dancer to entertain others. Inside this hilt was deadly power that she would learn to harness. She thrilled at the thought of one day yielding a lightsaber of her own with perfect ease.

Coming out of her reverie, Satra opened her eyes but did not look at Niish. She stared sightless down at the sand before her as she finally answered his question.

"I feel... ready to learn. It is comfortable in my hands and I am not afraid of it. I know that I have much work to put in before I'm able to use it efficiently or to construct my own, but I am ready to do the work. I may not know what I'm getting myself into, but I am excited to find where I will go with the knowledge." She took a breath and then did look up and met his eyes. "I am ready to learn."

 

[Niish Kydon]

His head slowly listed to the left as Satra spoke her piece. He wondered if it was common among her species to be so blindly optimistic.
"I am ready to learn."
"You are eager to learn, I... see that, but ready... and eager are not... the same thing. I realize semantics, but... perhaps we should focus first on... getting you... prepared to learn." He wasn't sure if this made sense to her now, but it will soon. "You lust for knowledge with... no clear goal other than... to have it. You need to find... a goal, to wonder aimlessly is a... path of chaos that could lead... to darkness." The tone in his expression conveyed the seriousness of his words. "As for lightsaber construction, it's... overrated in my opinion. But you'll... do that on your own time."

Now came the part Niish was most concerned about, his right hand raised to chest level in a fist, the small sounds of two cybernetic fingers clicked and whirred. "The reason I believe it's... overrated is because of how truly... dangerous they are." Niish began to peel away the metal fingers from his hand. "You're not afraid... of your own lightsaber?" Finally he showed Satra his deformation, having cut off his own Ring and Pinky fingers in a live training accident. "Then you're braver than I, because... I'm terrified of mine."

"This happened because... I didn't take my training... seriously. This happened because... I wasn't afraid. This..." He reached out his hand as if giving her no other option than to look closely. "...will not happen to you. By the end of... this day, you will be afraid, you will take it seriously, and you will be... better for it."

Niish put his fingers back on, using the Force to cinch it tight. "Turn on your saber... and now tell me how it feels."