Open Ajan Kloss The First Steps

[Kegari]

Jedi Temple, Ajan Kloss

After being called back to the Temple to get her Midichlorian test results, Kegari made sure she had brought the broken training remote with her to repair.

She sighed as she quietly walked through the hallways, still dirty from her ordeal on the rocks. Disappointed that she didn’t have another set of clothes she took off her shoes before walking in so she didn’t track dirt everywhere. At least it was only to get results back and she wasn’t doing any official business.

But before she met with the practitioner she would fix the training remote, as promised. She sat at the workbench and placed the remote on the workbench as she sat down. She then examined the remote to find the root of the problem. Once she discovered it, she began to take a few tools out and began to fix the remote.

“Finished”. Kegari sighed as she looked at the repaired remote and sat it back down at the workbench. She didn’t dare try to turn it back on as it may have resulted in it breaking again.​



After she repaired the remote, she made her way down to the medbay where she was greeted with the practitioner. “Greetings Kegari, please have a seat as I gather your information”. There the practitioner greeted her as she took a seat at the edge of the medbay bed and punched information into a data pad. “Well Kegari, the data here is astounding, especially for a Pantoran like yourself. With twelve thousand Midichlorianians in your system, you are indeed a Force sensitive being”. He explained.

Just as expected, Kegari knew that it was a good possibility she was. It most likely would explain the visions, the voices, and everything that went along with being Force sensitive. “Very well”. Kegari replies to the practitioner.

“Kegari, you are strong in the Force”. The voices in her head said to her. She was now aware of that.

Kegari left the medbay and walked down the temple. She had hoped that she didn’t cause any trouble, but she would probably cause attention having no real social status in the Galaxy, looking atrocious, and just waking about the Jedi temple. So she kept a low profile, and didn’t make a sound.
​

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

After a previous botched training exercise, Kori returned to the Temple to take a sonic shower and get a change of clothes. Luckily, she had managed to slip inside unnoticed by most. Being seen with mud all over her clothes and face would have been a disgrace. Kori knew that as a Jedi Knight, she had to rise above being overly-conscious about such things, but sometimes she couldn't help it. Today was not your best performance, Nykoria. Try to learn from it, and definitely keep practicing away from the Temple, where Padawans won't see you fail.

Distracted with this mental self-bashing, Kori didn't notice how she ended up in the temple's courtyard. With nothing better to do, she assumed a lotus pose on a stone bench. The people passing by would add challenge to the meditation, because the Zeltron would have to isolate herself not only from her emotions, but also from theirs. A Jedi had to strive to remain at peace under any circumstances, so isolating herself from the Order in her little sanctum wouldn't help her progress.

Kori closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to detach herself from the world around her, before reaching out and probing it with her senses...

 

[Kegari]

Kegari knew that she was going to eventually learn the ways of the Force, she also knows that temptation to the dark side is there as well. It’s something she would have to learn to deal with as her training goes on.

“I will not allow darkness to consume me”. Kegari whispered to herself as she prepared to meditate again. She couldn’t fear what she may see within the Force vision. She wouldn’t let fear consume her either.

“Kegari, it is your destiny”. The voices sang to her in a way that no human could. She was then surrounded by gusts of wind and snow. Kegari is in a snow storm. She couldn’t see anything in front of her. The snow flurries only blurred her vision making it nearly impossible for Kegari to get a clear picture of the vision. ​

Confused, Kegari broke out of the meditation and sighed. She sat on the rocks of Ajan Kloss and breathed in the air. She wasn’t sure if she was doing this correctly, she wasn’t sure if this was even the right path for her. Stop second guessing yourself you are in the right place. She said to herself as she began to second guess herself, she may be in the right place physically, but was she mentally?

The dark side was feeding off her insecurities, her fears, her sadness.“Be careful as temptation is easy”. Kegari remembered what the guard had told her when she first arrived here. She wouldn’t allow herself to be consumed by darkness, although she has little knowledge of the Jedi, she’s heard stories of how some of them sadly fall to the dark side. She didn’t want that same fate.

“I will not allow darkness to consume me”. Kegari began to whisper to herself as she places her head inside her knees and cries. She felt hopeless.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

At first, Kori was doing well with her meditation. Even the presence of other people, sometimes quite loud and emotional didn't disrupt her focus. She remained turned in upon herself, and though that, to the world around her. Gaining distance from her emotions and those of the people passing by proved hard, but doable.

And then, out of the blue... something trickled down the Zeltron's cheek. A tear? How the... Then the feeling of doubt, hopelessness, and loneliness overwhelmed even the trained Jedi Knight for a moment. And it felt... weirdly familiar? Kori opened her eyes and looked around. At first, she didn't see the source of the distraction. But as the Jedi looked around, she saw a familiar figure in the distance—a young Pantoran sitting on a stone and crying. Figures why you felt like crying yourself, Kori.

With a sigh, the Jedi headed towards the source of emotional disturbance. Approaching the crying Pantoran, she'd ask: "Kegari? What's wrong?"

@Thluna

 

[Kegari]

As soon as Kegari could regain her composure she looked up and found the familiar Zeltron asking her what’s the matter. She wasn’t sure if she should say, but if she didn’t now it would come out later and it would be worse.
“My visions... they were confusing not only confusing but also disturbing. I saw a dark side version of myself. I don’t want to go to the dark side”. Kegari cried. She also didn’t know if she was on the right path or not she was so unsure of herself that she had to stop and breathe before she allows those emotions to consume her. She needed training and she also needed get a hold of herself. “I’m sorry”. Kegari sighed

“I’m Force sensitive, that’s all they told me“. Kegari explained as her crying subsided and she looked up at the Zeltron and sighed. “Tell me how did you deal with something like this? How can someone that possesses something so extraordinary be so afraid of it”? Kegari asked unsure of it all.

Kegari was fearless most of the time, but she was scared of her own Force sensitive abilities. She knew that if the Sith found out about her abilities that they would manipulate her into joining them. She didn’t want that, but she also knew that the dark side was tempting and that she would have to do everything in her power to resist those temptations.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kori took a seat next to the crying Pantoran, an expression of genuine concern of her face. A part of her wanted to hug the lost girl, share her emotions through the Force, and help them subside. But the Zeltron also had multiple reasons not to do it. She has to learn to overcome these emotions by herself, through her own will. That's how Kori justified her inaction. She wasn't entirely true to herself—there was more to it than that—but it was a question for another time.

What could a newly-Knighted Zeltron tell the aspiring and distraught apprentice? What would her own master have told Kori? Asking about the vision would probably upset the Pantoran further. The Jedi was pretty certain that Kegari knew what she saw. It was up to interpretation, of course, but Kori was not well-versed in such things. But there was a thing she could do.

After some contemplation, the Jedi replied with a smile that she tried to make as warm and comforting as she could: "Don't worry, Kegari. If you don't want to go to the dark side, then you won't. It is a choice that you make. And the trick is to try and avoid letting your emotions make that choice for you in the heat of the moment. That's what the first tenet of the Jedi Code is about: 'Emotions, yet peace'."

What the Zeltron was telling was true, at least from a certain point of view. She didn't mention that a practitioner of the Dark Side could go to great lengths—even torture—to coerce one into using it. But Kegari wasn't risking any of that while she was still training, and on Ajan Kloss.

Instead, Kori put her hand on the Pantoran's shoulder: "As long as you don't ignore your conscience and remain true to yourself, that's all that matters. Your fear of your own power, of using it in a wrong way, is a good indicator that you're on the right track. As for me, I just... strive to become a better version of myself and not use my powers to harm." For a moment, she paused, unsure if she should tell Kegari more about her own failures: "I... learned it the hard way." The Zeltron decided to leave it at that for now.

Shrugging it off, she added something else, what her own master had told her: "But most importantly, those who fall to the dark side can return to the light. Even from the darkest depths." The Zeltron would take her hand off Kegari's shoulder and wave an unruly strand of her own indigo hair off her forehead. She wasn't certain how reassuring her answer was, but hopefully it'd help the Pantoran to get over her stress.

@Thluna

 

[Kegari]

Kegari finally stopped crying and took a deep breath. “It’s possible a dark side practitioner is getting into my head”. Kegari confesses. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew that her headaches weren’t the doing of a Jedi. The headaches, the unusual voices, and the visions of herself as a Sith were enough to know that.

Since Kegari was able regain composure again, she looked at the sky and then back to the jungle that surrounded them. “I suppose I am on the right track, but without any real guidance it’s hard to tell. You see, I was abandoned at birth. I still don’t know anything about my family or my home planet of Pantora. I never had anyone to tell me that they were proud of me or that I’m doing the right thing or anything like that”. Kegari sighed and looked at the grass she supposed this was the hardest part of all this. No one said that this would be easy nor does it get any easier with time either.

As Kegari sat on the rock she sighed quietly and began to mediate once again. She had hoped that this time she would have better self control. But for an untrained Force user, it was a tossup.

Surrounded by a fury of snow flurries, Kegari found herself in the middle of the snowstorm that raged on. The visions became a bit clearer, although not perfect she could see that it could possibly be her home planet of Pantora.
A castle? She was not of royalty nor was anyone of Pantora. Either way, the vision was not clear. “Kegari, the chairman is dead”. A voice sounded, and spoke to her directly. It wasn’t a dark force, however; still unsettling. She found a stick of some sort staked into the snow. There was blood stained in the snow where the stick was placed. She reached out for the stick when a wave of water hit her as if she were swimming in it. ​

Kegari then broke out of the meditation and sighed, oddly she wasn’t feeling distressed or even afraid. She looked up at the jungles of Ajan Kloss and found the silence comforting. It wasn’t unusual for her to be in peace with the silence. But it was a first for her to be at peace with her visions.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kegari's mention of a dark sider getting into her head unintentionally evoked a reassuring smile from Kori. To her, the Pantoran's idea seemed like overanxiousness. For what Kori knew about such things, that required either proximity, or a Force bond. Either assumption seemed too far-fetched to the Zeltron. Of course, the Jedi hadn't learned everything about the Force, and there was always more to it than they knew. But Kori was confident in her knowledge... to the point of dangerous arrogance, should she be proven wrong in the future.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Kegari. From what I know about the Force, it's highly unlikely. You did bring up headaches, but..." the Jedi shrugged, as that was the only part she was uncertain about. "... it doesn't mean that you're in any danger."

As the Pantoran brought up her past, Kori nodded quetly. And the Zeltron had thought that she had problems; but compared to Kegari's, those appeared less significant. "I... can't say I know what it's like. But I remember that the first days here were... hard for me. I can't promise you'd meet your old family... But you might find the next best thing here, among masters and fellow students."

The Zeltron noticed that the Pantoran closed her eyes again, and stopped talking for a while, until Kegari would open her eyes again. The meditation didn't last long, and it didn't look like it was for Kegari's lack of trying. "You... aren't holding your head this time," the Jedi commented after a brief pause. "Are you feeling better now?"

@Thluna

 

[Kegari]

Kegari sighed and nodded as she looked to the Zeltron, “I suppose...”. Kegari trailed off as she listened intently as the Zeltron spoke, she knew that the Jedi Order would become her family, as it became hers. “I know nothing about Force bonds, besides why on the Galaxy would a dark sider want with me”? Kegari scoffed, she knew of her Force sensitive abilities now and it would only be a matter of time before she would have one of those headaches again.

“It’s going to take time, training, and patience I know”. Kegari sighed as she just wanted to know the answers right away. But she knew that wouldn’t happen, at least not right away. Especially without a Master, there wouldn’t be a clearer explanation.

“I feel better... for now”. Kegari replies as she knew that this wasn’t the last time this would happen. “It’s okay though, someday I will have better control over them”. Kegari sighed as she sat on the rock.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Kori hadn't explicitly said anything about a Force bond. Yet somehow, Kegari voiced what Kori had been keeping to her thoughts only. How was that possible? Why, through the Force, of course, you dummy. Look at you, Nykoria. Playing elder sister or a master to that poor lost Pantoran. But what happens when you mess up again? Do you really want to be responsible for someone, after what happened? Are you ready for this kind of responsibility?

Disturbed somewhat, Kori turned to Kegari again: "I'm glad to hear that." She commented about the Pantoran's current state: "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm sure you'll be fine, given time." And glad she was, but also concerned for the turn this discussion was taking. "Uhhhmm... So, what happened to the training remote?" the Zeltron tried to change topic, reminding Kegari about her earlier promise to fix the droid that she had blasted during the training session. Hopefully, it would distract the Pantoran from grim thoughts about the Sith.

@Thluna

 

[Kegari]

Kegari’s eyes widened when Kori mentions the training remote. “Oh yeah, that remote. Well I fixed it. Well at least I think I did. I tried. I didn’t turn it on just in case it malfunctions, it’s back in the Temple”. Kegari explained as she sat on the stone.

She also mentioned that she was feeling better, she was glad. And so is Kegari, for the time being. Until the next time it happens again. “I’m sure they are taking care of that remote in the temple”. Kegari added hoping that it didn’t get into the wrong hands. Even if happened to be powered on, by now it would have blown up or malfunctioned.

It’s been a few days since she fixed it. She’s crafted weapons before, but nothing like the training remote. But she was pretty confident about it being fixed. “Suppose we go find it”? Kegari asked hesitant about trying to find the remote not knowing what she will say.

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

"Oh, there's no need. I'm sure it was in good hands." To tell the truth, the Zeltron had little experience with droids and tech. So Kegari probably was way more experienced than her in that regard; and if not, Kori wouldn't have been able to help. She stood up from the stone. Her mission to soothe the young apprentice and instill some confidence in Kegari on her new path was somewhat successful.

"Though you probably should have tried turning it on, just to know for sure. Personal experience is the best master, after all," the Jedi smiled to her accidental protege. But then her expression changed. "By the Force, the masters," Kori mumbled anxiously, and glanced over at the Jedi Temple, with the look of a person who had forgotten something urgent.

"Sorry, I'll have to leave you for now. I was told to meet the masters this afternoon, and the whole botched training session had gotten it out of my head." She stepped backwards, glancing between Kegari and the Temple, where she had been expected. "I'm sure we'll meet again," she added quickly, taking another step backwards, on the verge of turning around and running to the appointment she was about to miss.

@Thluna

 

[Kegari]

Kegari was listening to the Zeltron and agreed that maybe she should have turned it on. After all, it was her own fault she broke it. After a few words the Zeltron was bidding Kegari farewell and explaining that she had to go meet with the others. “Well I will see you soon. If not, then well I’m glad we met”. Kegari sighed and bade her farewell, she knew that if the Force willed it they would probably cross paths again.

Kegari stood and sighed and looked back at the temple and then back to the jungle. She wasn’t sure if she should stay out here or explore. A part of her needed to stay but the other part of her wanted to explore. Explore the world surrounding her, and then the conflicts began.

The battle within her own mind raged on, the battle between Light and Dark, and the way they contrasted each other. Now with Kori gone, Kegari was left alone in her own thoughts. Kegari knew that she couldn’t allow her thoughts to control her actions and her feelings to control her destiny.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." ​

Kegari heard the voices again, as if they were warning her. Warning her that if she allowed herself to be consumed by fear or any other strong emotions she would ultimately fall to the dark side. It was her decision to listen to the voices as she knows now that they are talking to her.

She will heed those warnings, and stay safe in Ajan Kloss where she would learn the ways of the Jedi, and use her Force sensitive abilities for good.

//end thread