Boundaries and Bridges

[Serena Laran]

Serena was growing exceedingly concerned with the attention her two padawans were paying to each other. Neither had let their budding relationship come in the way of their studies... yet. Rhianna's blatant disobedience of Serena when Lianna and Adia had arrived was the most distressing piece of evidence that the Jedi needed to make some things clear to them.

Of course, neither had come to her as children, either. The Jedi Order had a specific code that dealt with emotions and love, and by the time a Jedi was Morgan or Rhianna's age they had it ingrained deeply into them. While she did not want to turn them out of the Enclave, Serena did expect them to obey a few simple rules while they were being trained by her.

Anyway, since they knew the location of the Enclave, she couldn't exactly tell them to leave. The Jedi Knight rubbed her forehead with one hand, trying to stave of a growing headache. She'd suffered a sleepless night while attempting to figure out her wording for her meeting with Morgan. He might just decide that he didn't want to be a Jedi if she told him he had to be celibate while training.

In the end, did she need them more than they needed her? Certainly with what training they'd already recieved it was dangerous to just let them leave. If they fell to the darkside, or were exterminated by an Imperial hit squad, Serena would feel the responsibility heavy on her soul. But to rebuild the Order... these two Sensitives had fallen practically in her lap. The Force had seemed so clear at the time.

Morgan Evanar was nearly fully recovered from Adia's assault, though the medical droid professed astonishment that he had healed so quickly. Serena had approved Morgan's petition to be released from bedrest, as he felt "just fine." The droid had come as close to an aneurism as a droid could, but even it couldn't deny that Morgan was fit to leave the medical ward several weeks ahead of schedule.

Not wanting to accidentally discover Rhianna with Morgan, Serena had made sure the girl was busy studying some minor telekinesis on her own in her room. She ran her hand against the wall, marvelling at what the Rebel technicians had put together in such a short amount of time. The underground complex tapped into a natural cave system, and the passages and rooms had been constructed within a week. The Vors left them alone, as the complex was far enough from their villages so as not to bother them.

Reaching Morgan's door, Serena rapped lightly.

[Morgan Evanar]

Simple hinged doors had been installed instead of powered sliding models. It made sense. In the even of power loss, it kept things accessible. It did make it difficult to rig an automated system. Even though he had the parts to do it. No sense in being lazy about it.

Morgan extracted himself from his work. Serena had asked him to practice his wobbly abilities regarding sensing other's feelings, and hadn't been able to accomplish much of anything. After several hours, Morgan decided it was time for a break of something he was better at.

A bottle blinked from one side of the room to the other. It was draining, but he was slowly getting the hang of it.

He unfolded himself and opened the door.

"Hi Laran." Jedi or not, it was obvious to Morgan she hadn't slept very well.

[Serena Laran]

"Hello Morgan." Serena stood outside the door, and added with a slight smile, "The med droid keeps wanting to get you back into the medical ward, but I ordered it not to bother you."

After a slight hesitation she asked, "May I come in? I have something to talk to you about."

[Morgan Evanar]

"Good. I only ache a little." He explained.

Morgan stepped aside, granting Serena physical access.

"By all means." He said.

[Serena Laran]

Serena stepped inside, her hands folded neatly together. Most Jedi did this, as it kept one's hands from wandering or fidgiting, and presented a calm exterior. "Do you remember the Jedi Code, Morgan?"

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force," he recited. Morgan lifted an eyebrow, "Pop quiz time?"

"Something like that," the Jedi smiled. "We haven't had a lot of time to talk, one-on-one, since you began your training. I think we need to make sure that we are both on the same page in regards to ... in regards to your training and why you agreed to go through the process of becoming a Jedi."

[Morgan Evanar]

That was something of an odd statement, but he could understand her trying to shore up to see where he needed to be pointed.

"Ok." He said.

[Serena Laran]

Let the Force guide my tongue, Serena thought, and found a place to sit. Morgan sat as well, and the Jedi studied him while she spoke. "The Jedi Order was in place for hundred... nay, thousands of years before Vader and Palpatine brought it down twenty years ago. Over time they created many training practices thought to provide an ideal learning enviroment for their padawans.

"My master trained me under these rules, and I intend to train you, and Rhianna, under them as well. They are proven to work, and I cannot, and the future of the Jedi cannot afford for potential Jedi to be trained incorrectly.

"The Code is part of it. It is certainly something that I live by every day, and you are beginning to do so as well." She smiled gently, "I am pleased by your progress so far, in fact."

Now the sticky part. "All padawan learners in the past came to the Order as infants, or toddlers at the oldest. Learning the Jedi lifestyle at that paticular point in life is not hard, as one has had no previous life experiences." Serena paused, aware that she was still skirting around the true issue that she wanted to talk about. "You are... much older, Morgan. We rushed when I discovered you were Force sensitive, and I am afraid I did you a disservice by not explaining in detail then what your apprenticeship to me would mean to you. But I felt, and I still feel, that the Force led us together, and that you are meant to become a great Jedi. Of this there is little doubt in my mind.

"But the lifestyle you must adhere to now is not one that will be easy for you. The dark side of the Force, the side that Anakin Skywalker fell to when he became Darth Vader and the bane of the galaxy, will always be close at hand. We have spoken on it before - fear, anger, rage... these are tools of the dark side. A Jedi must remain calm, and through serenity and peace, instead of passion and emotion, we reach the full potential of the Force."

There was another pause as Serena collected her thoughts. "You have said you are willing to undergo the training to become a Jedi. Why leave everything behind?"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan blinked. Until he bumped into Serena, the year had been miserable and dangerous. Nearly every job he took backfired, sometimes in the most dire ways. Someone had wanted him enough to attract the attention of good bounty hunters. Before that, he ended up in Star's End. He had escaped thanks to the efforts of a mysterious Trianni and the Rebel Alliance. Nothing really terrible had happened, except for a woman with enough hallucinogens in her system to kill five people tried to kill him. With Serena's help, she was detoxing, but still was not coherent three days later. He had met Rhianna, who he had helped teach Basic to and she taught Morgan her language. He liked Rhianna, and was glad to have her around.

“There wasn't much to leave behind. Before you and Rhianna showed up, my life had been a string of disasters, some more literal than others.” He shrugged, still not understanding Serena's point.

[Serena Laran]

Serena nodded, taking in his answer. "So, why not, in other words?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"It didn't seem like anything else was much of an alternative." Serena exuded the contemplative calm that she always seemed to have. It forced him to slow down and choose his words more accurately.

"It was a chance to do something decent for a change and get off Nar Shadda. It's a pit, so it's really hard to leave, and it's even harder to find honest work. Following you looked like a good way to do something different, too. I've been slicing and digging in droids since I could hold a spanner."

[Serena Laran]

It was a start, and, as she'd felt before, Morgan was on the right path. It was, however, a long path.

"Things will not always be as ...easy or as black and white as they have been so far. Remember, a choice is simple when there is no opposition, but pressure can change a man's mind. You honestly desire to do the decent thing, however, which is more than can be said of many others."

Serena added, "Now that we are settling in here on Vortex I have time to devote to your training. And there are going to be some ground rules set in place for the duration. If I tell you not to practice a certain Force trick when I am not around - do not. Many things can be done with the Force, and some of them can be quite dangerous if they are not done correctly.

"Also, while becoming a Jedi does not require you to become a monk or a priest, until you are granted the rank of Knight you will need to remain... clear of all distractions. While I certainly do not frown on love, as a padawan you will be experiencing the depth of the Force for the first time. It is too easy to go astray and fall to the dark side when strong emotions are readily engaged."

[Morgan Evanar]

Not doing certain things with the Force wouldn't be a temptation for him. But Morgan rubbed his face at the last part.

“Oh.” It wasn't forever, but he did like Rhianna quite a bit, and their time together was something he enjoyed. And the physical release was fantastic.

“I understand.” He said and sounded a little sad. Celibacy was not something he wanted right now.

[Serena Laran]

She continued in a slightly gentler tone, "Rhianna is from a completely different, and pre-hyperspace, society. Girls are weaving their wedding wreaths at her age - and she has only been a member of the galactic neighborhood for a few months. Its a lot to take in. A lot of change.

"Even if you weren't both beginning your Jedi training I would counsel you to tread carefully with her. She is my responsibility, even more than you are. I am the reason she is alive, and the reason she had to leave her home."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan nodded.

"Sometimes I just think she has a funny accent." He said, smiling a little.

[Serena Laran]

Serena smiled as well. "It isn't very often that someone like her is thrown into your world." This had gone much better than she'd expected, though part of her had known that Morgan was going to be a Jedi, so no matter what there would be a good outcome from this.

"Now, please show me what you were working on before I interrupted." Serena added, "After you have worked with the Force for a long time, you can sometimes tell when others are using it."

[Morgan Evanar]

“I was trying to figure out what happened when Adia attacked me. I thought I was going to die, so I pictured myself in the open instead of cornered.” Adia had kept to herself, seeing only Serena and Lianna while she detoxed for fear of hurting anyone else. There had been a large enough dose to bind to some of her intestinal wall, and coaxing it out was a troublesome affair because of the drug's crystalline structure.

Morgan closed his eyes, feeling the space in the room. He willed the bottle to be in the air above him. Sweat beaded on his brow, and there was a barely audible pop as the bottle appeared. He caught it casually as it nearly fell into his hand.

“It's a lot harder than telekinesis.”

[Serena Laran]

Serena's brow creased as she watched her padawan accomplish something she'd never seen done succesfully before. "Teleportation."

Her face betrayed nothing, but she was amazed at Morgan's accomplishment. "Indeed, that is quite remarkable." She studied him and the bottle, and asked, "Can you do it once more? I don't want you to tire too much, but I'd like to see it again."

[Morgan Evanar]

“Sure.” He said, and set the bottle in the other corner of the room. He started the process of feeling and knowing the space. It took a few minutes, but the bottle popped into existence a meter off the floor in the middle of the room.

Serena seemed to remain stoic, but her eyes betrayed a hint of wonder.

"I don't know how exactly I do it." He said.

[Serena Laran]

"Well," she replied, "I don't either."

Serena thought for a moment. "In the future, when you discover something new like this, I would like you to come to me immediately. Usually..." she laughed softly, "usually I will know what it is, and if you are ready to undertake it as part of your training.

"I would like you to continue to study this teleportation, but only in addition to your other studies." Serena smiled, and stood up. "I think I have left Rhianna working on her telekinesis long enough."