Tall as the Sky, Firm as the Ground

[Miranda]

First came the wind. Later, like a flash of lightning, like a silver tongue in the heavens over the Jedi Temple, a storm appeared that would wash the dirt from the stones. After the morning meditations, the enclave darkened and thunderous eruptions were heard. Then, a silver serpent appeared in the sky, seen distinctly from many different perspectives. And it began to rain in such a way as had been rarely seen on Tython. All afternoon and evening it rained and through the following day as well. For three days the rains would not cease. It rained so hard that the attendants and wise-men at the temple became mildly alarmed. They were accustomed to listening to and interpreting the voice of the water, but on this occasion they insisted to their Jedi kinsmen that not only was the Force trying to tell them something but that by means of the water it had allowed a new light to fall over them, a new vision that would bring a different meaning to their lives, and although they did not yet clearly understand what it was, they could feel it in their heart and souls. Before their minds could correctly interpret the depth of this message that the waters revealed as they fell, the rains stopped and a radiant sun was reflected in myriad places among the small forest lakes and rivers and canals that had been left brimming with water.

That day, Sorran Ven-Olar had ceased his long hours of meditation and had taken a meandering path through the temple's courtyards - glistening with post rainfall in the ambient glow of the sun. The Jedi Knight made his way steadily to the Jedi Temple's arboretum; a large sanctuary cut out of the ancient stone that displayed grand fountains at its centre, and where enormous urns of native flowers teemed and overflowed under a vast open compluvium, stretching out into an azure sky that had only recently experienced the tempest. This was a place of deepest meditation, but also a botanist's playground. The Jedi used the arboretum as a place to study the galaxy's multifarious flora and ecosystems in all their array of applications.
Sorran had decided that this would be the place he would greet his newest Padawan learner, Draike Vael, and commence his tutelage here. He was grateful, if anything, to have the opportunity to take respite from the heavy mechanised life aboard The Will of the Force, and have his feet planted on earthen ground after weeks spent on the starship that arced in orbit above Tython.

Swiftness of foot was his special distinction amongst the Jedi: Sorran the Mercurial. The quickness of his spirit to haul air into his lungs, to feed their overplus energy and lightness to his footsoles and heels, to the muscles of his calves, the long tendons of his thighs, was an animal quality he shared with the desert-wolves of his native Kiffu, bodies elongated, fur laid flat as they ran under the wind, across the dunes.
His agile spirit had deserted him for a time. It was the earth-heaviness in him of all his organs, beginning with the heart, that he would have to throw off if he was to be himself again.
He was waiting for the break. For something to appear that would shatter the spell that was on him, the self-consuming unease that came with the looming war, that drove him and pulled at his spirit like a weight.
Something new and unimaginable as yet that would confront him with the need, in meeting it, to leap clear of the clogging grey web that enfolded him.
Meanwhile, day after day, he worried, shamed himself for lack of discipline, called silently on a spirit that did not answer, and meditated, connected to the Force.

And so the Jedi Knight sat surrounded by the silent progression of ecology, and deliberated on his current state of mind. This would be a time of great transition for all the Jedi, and none were without struggling to come to terms with the spreading darkness. That malevolent seed that was now blooming, against which the Jedi would need to vanguard the fight. They would all need to be ready, to be prepared, and it was this Jedi Knight's mandate to ensure such foundations.
In silence he patiently anticipated the arrival of his newest student, having sent word for him to meet Sorran in the arboretum. And so he waited.

 

[GreaterThan]

His last week here on Tython had been quiet...boring even. He was used to battle, the beaming of blaster fire, the adrenaline of war. Draike stood in the openness, taking in the still very damp atmosphere that the air possessed as he did. It was times like these that he wished himself patient enough to efficiently meditate. He had never seen the purpose in it, well not until recently since it seemed to be one of only a strict few techniques that even began to calm the tempest of anger within him.

It was fair to say that Draike truly felt he didn’t belong here, everyone seemed so at peace with themselves…he fought himself away from the envy of the other’s solace.
Peace, that was what he was trekking ever so difficultly to acquire; to seize an ounce of comfort that could halt the ever growing storm within him…a self inflicted curse that had bound him for too long. He longed for a remedy that would sooth his perdition, but feared losing the only thing that made him feel alive, his pain.

Today was his day though, and he would at least pretend to have a positive outlook on his life. This was the day that marked the beginning of his transformation into a true Jedi, his journey to become a Guardian of the weak and a keeper of peace…something he still was unsure that he would ever discover. He took one more breath of air before making his way towards the Arboretum. His destination was not too far from him now, but as he walked he observed the others around him; this place was filled with Jedi, and they each fell into their own specific molds. He watched some train, a few play, and many meditate. To his knowledge, he was the oldest Padawan on the planet, but though that discouraged him, he would never let something so insignificant halt his training. He knew he had to be ready for anything, and with a troubled heart and a steadfast mind he prepared to meet his new instructor; Jedi Knight Sorran Ven-Olar, a very revered Jedi amongst the rest. Though Draike attempted to steer clear of much hopeful thinking, he could help but ponder the idea of his new master…could the man really help him, would he sense his troubled soul…could he ease it?

He approached the Arboretum; it was a magnificent structure of stone, and in his mind the most beautiful spot on the planet. Its pillars and fountains were forged from brilliant architectural design, and the place itself possessed an aura of calming. It was a good place to train. Draike saw a man inside the structure and studied him. A Kiffar, he could tell even from the back, a strong man with a strong will; all these things were clear with just one look. He was sure that this man was his instructor to be. “Master Ven-Olar?” He called out to the man, waiting for a response before approaching any further.

 

[Miranda]

The dawn air was light-blue and clear as water. The world seemed made new and fresh, like it must have seemed in previous aeons. The storms had abated and the light had fixed itself across the globe, each tree and grassland and steppe glistening with nascency and emergence. The rains had left everything renewed. Especially the spirit of mankind.

Sorran Ven-Olar continued to meditate up until the moment that he had sensed a new presence enter the arboretum and come upon his vicinity. He opened one eye and offered a congenial smile to the apprentice.

"Ah, you must be Padawan Vael?"

The Jedi Knight stood and strode to the student with a thoughtful pace. His deep mahogany eyes registered over Draike and inspected him with a discerning presence.

"Excellent. Please, sit with me. We have much to discuss."

This would be at least the fifth Padawan he had agreed to train privately over the last few months. Things had become rather demanding with the sudden increase in new apprentices entering the Jedi Order. Everything was changing, the galaxy was swirling with tribulation and becoming more ferocious by the day. The Jedi had their work cut out for them, for they would now have to work harder than ever to restore peace and justice to the stars and worlds of their universe. And it all had to begin with training.

Sorran sat back down in the centre of the arboretum, a circular stone platform ringed with massive urns that exploded with green, magenta, crimson, and yellow, vines and flowers of all shapes.

"So...where shall we begin? Tell me, Padawan, what is it you hope to learn from me?"

 

[GreaterThan]

Draike watched on as his newly appointed master, Jedi Knight Sorran Ven-Olar rose from his meditations and began to approach him. The Kiffar man that walked towards him was not quite what he expected; he was tall, muscular, much like Draike himself, and seemed to have a presence about him...one which Draike couldn't even begin wrap his head around.

Draike sat down next to his master, just as advised, and pondered the question his new teacher had just asked for a moment before responding...

'You ask me to give you an idea of what I seek to learn from your tutelage...I do not believe that I can provide you with a simple answer to your question. I am not your average Padawan my master. I have trained for many years, fought in many battles, and have learned the ways of the Force from a man who had no faith in this Order...Most Padawans might answer your question by saying they seek knowledge or even power, but I come to you with both of those already in the grasp of my hand. I have decided to join this Order for reasons that you may find odd, but that I hope you understand. I have traveled the Galaxy seeking revenge, and my vengeance has only filled me with darkness. I wish to suppress that darkness, I want to find out who I really am Master Olar, I want to prove to myself who I am not...I want to find peace'. All of these things he wished to say, to express his haunted soul by opening up to his new master...but he didn't say any of that. Whether it was pride or fear that stopped Draike from explaining what he was really searching for to his new teacher was unknown, even to him, and instead he replied with the only other thing that he could muster...

"I wish to learn how to bring justice to this corrupted galaxy..." He declared confidently, hiding every emotion and whim of pain he felt behind his impenetrable mask.