The Training of Jedi Padawan Born Holiday (Day 1)

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage overlooked the forest from the high cliff. The stone mountain had a simple ledge jutting from the side, a suitable yet distant setting for training. The pearch was set 20 feet off the ground. In front of the meditating Jedi was a cloth, spread out along the ground. On this cloth was a small table, on which sat a wooden katana. Closest to Sage was a Lightsabre hilt not his own.

The HoloMessage had been brief and to the point:

<font face=arial color=aqua>Dear Born Holiday,

The co-ordinates in the accompanying file will direct you towards the training ground, but not entirely. You must find me yourself. The supplies you need are in the package that should arrive along with this message, they contain:

Bacta Kit(1)
Combat Knife(1)

This is all you require, and is all you shall recieve. Bring nothing other then these items, what is needed to carry them, and the clothes on your back. The shuttle that should be waiting outside your living quarters will take you to the distination. From where you are left you must find me by whatever means you can.

Trust the Force. Rather at this point, trust yourself, your instincts. Take the path your gut tells you, do not use your eyes, such a trivial thing are they. Good luck. You leave immediately.</font>

Sage de-constructed and re-constructed the lightsabre hilt with his eyes closed, for practice and to pass time as Born made his journey.

[Born Holiday]

Born Holliday stands in the middle of a forest familiarizing himself with his surroundings. The shuttle bus had ascended just moments ago leaving him all alone. Born studies the file with Sage's co-ordinates. The first of the co-ordinates directs him to the West.

I wish I had taken the other guy as my master. Intense physical and psychological training, equal recipe for fun.

Born walks steadily toward his destination following the co-ordinates Sage left him. Over his right shoulder he wears a dufffle bag. The Bacta Pack jossiles slightly inside the bag as he trudges along the unbalanced soil. The Combat Knife Sage gave to him. is tucked away in the front waistband of his pants. Born walks for about forty minutes straight, following Sage's co-ordinates specifically. He continues his journey South, something weighing heavy on his mind.

He told me to use my instincts, not my eyes. This whole time I'm following his directions specifically, but he told me the directions would only help me so much. When do my instincts come into play here? Should I have gone a different way earlier?

Born stops abruptly. He looks to the west. To the west lies a brook only thirty or forty feet wide.

The map says to stay South. But..... I'm gonna take the scenic route.

Born puts away the file in his duffle bag. He crosses the brook on his journey West, neglecting the map and using his instincts from here on out.

Is there a Blair Witch on Dogabah? Hope not.

Born walks for about fifteen to twenty more minutes. He notices a figure of a man in the distance. As he approaches he recognizes it as Master Hazzard.

"Your map sucks Sage."

[Sage Hazzard]

"That was the point," The <font color=yellow>Jedi Master</font> said, one eye open and looking at Born, "This is not a joy ride."

Sage motioned across from him. "Sit." Sage closed his eyes again, slowly re-constructing the <font color=blue>Lightsabre</font>.

Born did so after tossing his bag to the side. He tried to emulate Sage's meditative, cross legged, sit as best he knew how.

"Tell me Born, how did it feel?" As Born opens his mouth Sage speaks, silencing him. "I've often pondered what it would be like to not fully know one's potential. As a young man I used the <font color=aqua>Force</font> many times, writing it off as instinct, or chance. There is no chance, there is the Force. I did not know this. Try as I might I can never go back, I can never ignore my potential, my strength. I cannot remember how it was to tap into the pool but not relise I had gotten wet."

Sage opens his eyes as the last bolt of the hilt slids into place. "So tell me Born, how did it feel to use the Force without knowing it?"

[Born Holiday]

"It felt good (smiles). It felt kind of like something was telling me in my mind where to go--what to do. But it wasn't like specific words I was hearing or anything. It was like my intuition was guiding me. Like I had this vast knowledge I just kind of tapped into subconciously. It was like I could tell where everything was, like I had been there before. Like I saw you at one point, but it wasn't like I saw you vividly, it was like I felt where you were. I felt where you were... it was like a different sense took over for sight. I don't know how to describe it really. I've used the force before so I'm kind of comfortable with it, but I'm not use it very well, if it makes sense."

Born looks at Sage with a glint in his eye. He clearly feels inferior to the Jedi Master.

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage closes his eyes again as he nods once.

"Yes. The..." Sage smiles, "little voice syndrom."

Sage chuckles slightly, leaving Born on a string. He finally decides to explain it.

"Many persons throughout time have reported strange events where they knew what to do. Someone lost in the woods finds their way home by the... little voice in their head that tells them where to go. It's not so much a voice, but a feeling. You look left, then right. Left feels odd, wrong. You look right, it feels correct, that is the path you take, you find your way home," Sage smiles. "You have already come to the relisation that this is why I have chosen this perticular method of.... initiation. It is the one thing that most people can relate to, you can understand."

Sage stood up, opening his eyes again. He picked up the Lightsabre, fashioning it to his belt. Sage smiles at Born as he picks up the wooden Katana, presenting it to Born. He pats his own lightsabe as Born examines the training sword.

"Wood and lasers are far apart, you must make up the differance before you can exchange weapontry."

Sage looked up. The mountain towered 300 feet in the air, the peak barely visible. The Jedi Master grabbed a foot hold etched naturally into the mountain side. He turned back to Born.

"Bring the duffle bag if you wish."

[Born Holiday]

"I'll leave it."

Born lays the duffle bag down on the ground. Sage has already started up the mountain as Born tries to grab hold of the mountain to start his ascent. He puts his left foot in an etch only about an inch deep. His hands find notches in the side of the mountain caused by years of natural weathering.
Born tries to pull himself up, using the strength of his upper body. He tries to get a foot hold with his right foot but his left foot slips from the tiny inch wide crevis. His chest drags against the side of the mountain as he looses hold, causing minor minor scratches. His arms burn at the shoulders and at the outer pectoral region of his body. He wasn't ready for the abrupt jerk that left his upper body holding his entire weight up. Born looks up at Sage. He has climbed nearly eighty feet.

My god he's fast.

Born tries to grab hold of the mountain's frame again. He starts his ascent successfully this time. After about ten feet he is beginning to struggle. Not only his muscles strain, but he cannot find the right holds of the mountain. He begins to slip but holds strong. Born reaches up with his left hand to find a notch and almost slips as his left foot comes out from under him. He regains his body composition, ascending another five to seven feet. Born reaches to find an etch with his right hand. While doing so his right foot comes out from under him, twisting his body to the left. His left foot slips as his body changes direction. Born's right arm holds the weight of his entire body for about six tenths of a second. The twisting of his torso causes him to strain his left shoulder, almost seperating it. Born falls, his body rotating from right to left, causing him to hit the ground with his right knee first. Born lays on the ground with, blood rushed to his face. He clenches his teeth, feeling the pain of his left shoulder and the deep contusion he sustained to his knee cap.

Sage, nearly one hundred ninety feet in the air looks down at his padawan lying injured on the ledge below.

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage looked high up into the burning sun, the mist that was the clouds above saved most of the UV Rays from peircing the man's pupils, blinding him. He was feeling young again. The Jedi was only 17, but he felt ancient, living many years through the Force, gaining it's knowledge, abandoning his past. The young/old man felt a disturbance through the Force, and more importantly, a great thud. His ears increased hearing through the Force, he heard the fall distinctly. Seeing the man hit the ground he went into action.

He looked up, then down again. After taking a deep breath, clensing his emotions, and shutting his eyes, he pushed off slightly. He fell 50 before hitting a small jut, he landed without room to spare on the small jut from the mountain side. He threw himself off again, hitting the his next goal, another jut. Balancing himself on his tip toes against the mountain he felt the Force flow through him. His hair blew in the wind as if the Force was telling him through the elements he would be safe. His skin solidified doubly, his bones went limp, and he threw himself the next ninety and some odd feet to the fallen Born. Hitting the ground in a roll.

Sage hit Born's level, unscathed. The Force had protected him. He had also lowered his weight as he fell, making gravity less of an enemy. He also slowed down the surrounding gravitational field around his body, making a weightless buble. The fall still would have hurt, if the Jedi still experienced pain, which he did not.

"Born. Where did you go wrong?" Sage said in a judgemental tone.

Born looked up weakly from the ground, with a quizical look apon his face, as if to say Are you nuts?. Sage had forgotten that Padawans often alowed themselves slaves of the mortal plane.

"Come now. That's what the Bacta's for." Sage gestured towards the duffel bag as he shook his head.

Sage felt out with the Force and summoned the bag to his hand. He tied the loose draw string to his own ankle. He then bent over and hoisted the Padawan up and over his shoulder.

He turned around and started his ascent, never stopping for chit-chat.