Dangerous Times Call For Dangerous Measures (Solo)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

They had slipped out of the city through the south gate. Most of the beastrider security was focused on a breach in the wall that had been made before Lilaena De'Ville and Clive Solo had arrived on the planet.

The blaster burns on the outside were fairly recent, and it looked as though the Mandalorians had focused their last attack on just the one spot. The breach was nearly repaired, but the masons were working around the clock and needed protection when their work took them to the outside of the wall.

As it was, the four men at the south gate were easily distracted with a loud noise, allowing student and teacher to make their way out undetected. A quick run across the open expanse, and then they were safely under the canopy of the overgrown jungle.

They paused to catch their breath, and Lilaena turned to her pupil. "Tell me, Clive, are you afraid to be out here?"

[Clive Solo]

Clive had only been on the planet for a short time, but before he stepped outside the massive protector that surrounded Iziz, he knew what lay beyond. The immense jungle was laden with the vilest creatures the planet had to offer, however it wasn’t just the beasts that made the wilds so dangerous. Poisonous flowers and plants, insects and noxious reptiles made for a breeding ground of fear. Few citizens of the metropolis, even those who had spent their entire lives here had rarely seen what lay beyond its walls.

Clive took a deep breath and squatted low to the ground.

“Of course not.” A small rodent scampered by his leg causing him to back peddle slightly. Clive smiled, “What is there to be afraid of?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She laughed at the way he jumped when the small creature ran by his leg, and shook her head. "I expect we shall find out soon enough. But we must get far enough from the City so the sound does not carry."

Lilaena motioned for him to follow, and started running into the jungle.

[Clive Solo]

Clive took heed, rising to his feet and following Lileana into the foliage. The two cloaked figures ducked under countless branches, leapt vines and veered through the trees for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, the pair was spit out into an open area surrounded by the thick forest, the moonlight showing through the canopy overhead. Clive paused to take his breathe and observe the surroundings.

“Are we far enough yet Lil?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She held up a hand, cautioning him into silence again. For a few moments the only sounds were the two humans breathing, and the insects around them that rejoined their chorus of the night as they determined the two intruders meant them no harm.

Lilaena pointed up. "The beastriders do not stray out this far, or at least, only rarely. We should be fine here." Above, the moon Dxun cast an eerie greenish white glow on the clearing. It was very near to the planet, although not close enough for the annual migration. That season was coming soon, however.

She turned to her pupil. "Not only must we both be aware of the creatures and plants around us, but there are also the Mandalorians." Lilaena chuckled, "I've heard they take wives fron the women of Iziz, and steal young men to replenish their ranks, but those may be old wives tales. I've never heard of a Mandalorian removing his armour long enough for sex, nor of one who was not always a Mandalorian. It's more likely that they use the ones they capture for obscene religous rituals, or bait. Still... these are wild men, too long separated from society.

"The Empire is content to leave the rumors of surviving Mandalorians to rot on this planet, and so the Ondoreans must protect themselves on their own. And that -" she brought out a slim silvery cyclinder from a pocket, "that is why we are here. Because if you sincerely wish to learn the Force, I can teach you all you want to know. But you will need to know how to protect yourself first and foremost."

A second silvery cyclinder joined the first, and she flipped the second to him. "Jedi Knight A'na Eldhil built the lightsaber you hold there. She was a great Jedi."

Lilaena ignited the saber in her own hand, and a purple blade spilled out, casting an amethyst glow on the clearing. "A lightsaber is an elegant weapon, from the civilized age of the Jedi Knights."

[Clive Solo]

SNAP-hissssss

Clive’s facial features came alive in the dark jungle, encompassed by the scarlet radiance from the graceful weapon he now held in his hands.

He looked again at the lightsaber, holding it with a combination of tenderness and reverence. The weapon was now all that remained of Jedi Knight A'na Eldhil, and would soon pass through the will of the Force to Clive, again to be used for its intended purpose - defense against evil, to be the weapon of the new Jedi.

Clive did not have time to bask in its glory for long however, as a steady downfall of rain came sprinkling upon them. The canopy overhead helped some, but the Wilds were known for its sudden downpours.

”When I was very little, my mom told me the rain was the tears of the angels, when they felt sorrowful. Which, I suppose, was often. This galaxy can be a cruel place, full of danger, hurt and pain. I am sorry to hear about the loss of your former Master.”

Clive looked at Lil, both sabers still aflame. As Lilaena looked upon his face she knew Clive was not a boy but hardly a man. A brilliant, reckless risk taker; an irrepressible dreamer, a naive idealist; a young man of incredible potential and destiny, his eyes glimmered in the glow of the dual sabers.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She saw the look in his eye, and nodded. "Remind me someday to tell you what happened. Now is not the place." Lilaena flourished her saber up into a defensive posture, and added, "Don't get too attatched to her saber. It is not yours to keep. A Jedi forges his own lightsaber through the will of the Force... in time.

"For now, for your protection, you will use hers. If you dishonor her lightsaber, I will take your hands." In the strange moonglow, Lilaena's green eyes were radiant as she focused on Clive.

A long moment stretched between teacher and student, as the rain splattered on them, and then she broke it with a twitch of her lip, smiling. "Have you ever used a bladed weapon before?"

[Clive Solo]

“Yes.”

He guided the lightsaber into a turning motion that lead into a similar defensive stance.

“Never one such as this, but on Bandomeer I had a vibroblade for many years. It was the only way to protect yourself from the bandits that lingered around the mines. Blasters were hard to come by, and expensive.”

It was a blade... nothing more, nothing less. True, it shone like a star, and it lit up the dark places, but it was only a blade. It could cut through durasteel as easily as a vibroblade through unprotected flesh, but it was only a blade. Without a hand to guide it, it was nothing more, nothing less, than an inanimate, harmless object.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She nodded, "How long of a blade was it? As long as the lightsaber you hold in your hands now? Did you stab with it, or slash?

"You notice that the lightsaber is light in weight, but balances perfectly in your hand when the saber is ignited. It may be used one handed, or two handed, and the Jedi Order taught several different Forms of lightsaber combat to it's padawans."

Lilaena relaxed from her posture, and cocked her head, listening to the jungle around them. The rain hissed as it hit the lightsabers, but she listened deeper, beyond the immediate sounds.

Satisfied, she returned her attention to her student. "In the old days of the Jedi Order, the Jedi would in most cases refuse to take the first move in a combat situation. Form Three of the Jedi emphasizes defense and deflection, often sending attacks back towards those who originated them. Deflection with the purpose of harming the opponent was refined into what they call 'Form Five.'"

De'Ville slashed upward and then spun her saber from side to side, switching hands and deflecting imaginary laser bolts. "This form is weak in many points. It is not agressive enough to let people know you mean business, but there are points in it which are advantageous."

She moved to another defensive stance, left leg spread wide and right leg bent, half crouched with the saber pointing down in front of her body. "Master Eldhil taught me Form Seven, which is a combination of all the forms. By embracing our emotions, we have the full power of the Force as our ally.

"A Jedi uses the Force to do good in the galaxy. The lightsaber is their tool." Lilaena turned off her lightsaber, and wiped the rain from her eyes. "Do you have any questions?"