Starstruck

[Janson Star]

The Jedi Temple loomed high above him. Janson stood and stared at the marvel of construction. The buildings on Coruscant were the largest he'd ever seen...but this thing was of epic proportions. He had no idea how it had been built. He had no idea why it was so big. But, at least some good came from that. At least it was easy to find.

Hand resting on the hilt of his katana, he ascended the steps before him, his sences ever vigilant for what lay around him. The Force was so strong here. It was strangely calming. He felt safe. He smiled a little, and let his hand fall away from his sword. He wouldn't need to fight here.

The number of people was almost as overwhelming as the Coruscant streets. How the frell am I supposed to know where to go?

[Dasquian Belargic]

The Jedi amongst the crowd stood out. There were a number of them in robes, speaking with potential recruits. Among them was Jedi Knight Dasquian Belargic, who having just finished speaking with one newly joined Padawan, turned to see Janson. He smiled slightly and approached the man, nodding in greeting.

“Greetings. Can I help you with something, sir?” he asked.

[Janson Star]

Janson cocked his head to one side. Could this man help him? How could anyone help, if even Janson didn't know why he was here. His mind flashed through the events of the last few years, and he struggled to put them in some sort of order in his mind.

"My father, he..." he said, frowning, his eyes looking off into thie distance. "He told me to seek out the Jedi. He said they could help me...help us."

His mind returning to normal, he drew the sword from his belt, and knelt down before the man, head bowed low, and his sword held above his head in respect. "I, Janson Star, last of the Saum'riae, offer my services to the Jedi Order."

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian shook his head slightly, “Please rise, sir. What is it that you need help with? Why have you been sent to the Jedi? It is not the norm for people to be ordered here, but rather they come here of their own free will, because they wish to become a Jedi.”

[Janson Star]

"The will of my father is the will of my own," he said, rising slowly to his feet, and sliding the blade back into its sheath. "I am a Saum'riae warrior...the last of our kind. I fear that after me, our legacy may not continue." He resisted the urge to bow again. "For too long, the Last Saum'riae has hidden from the ebb and flow of the galaxy. It is time that we, I, changed that." He raised his eyes, and met Dasquian with a steady gaze. "I would become Jedi."

[Dasquian Belargic]

There was one question that came to mind now, a very important one at that.

“Why?”

[Janson Star]

Why. The question Janson had spent the last two years asking himself. He'd spent too much time considering the past, and not enough time living the future. It was time for action. It was time to make up for all of the losses. It was time he stopped running from the ghosts of his history, and faced up to the legacy that it was his duty to uphold. He had to do his duty, to the Force, and to his family. But how to explain it?

"There is no easy answer to that question," he began, his brow creased in a frown, "But I suppose it comes down to this. I am the last descendant of a noble tradition. My family were the last of a race of warriors who fought with wisdom and honour, for the Force, and with the Force. I am now the last of my family, and it is my task to continue that legacy." He glanced around him at the masses of Jedi that filled the temple. He could sense them, vaguely, detect the ambient field of good that flowed through every corridor of this sanctuary. "Since we became the last, my family has fought alone. We were the Last of the Saum'riae. No others deserved to fight at our side. But I know differently. I know that there are forces at work in this universe that a lone warrior has no hope of taming. While I must fight for the legacy of my family, I must still fight for all that is good and pure. I fight for peace, but I cannot succeed alone. The Jedi are my kindred spirits. This is where I belong."

[Dasquian Belargic]

“Noble sentiments,” Dasquian replied, nodding in agreement. “You say you fought for and with the Force? Does this mean you have had prior training under the Jedi?” he asked.

[Janson Star]

"Not quite." Janson paused, then slowly drew his sword, his hand a little way from the sheath, the hilt rising to meet his hand. He rested it against his palms, the ideographic symbols that represented his family line facing upwards.

"I am trained as a warrior. As such, I am trained to use the Force in a way to aid myself in combat. I was trained by my father, and he by his father. My senses are keen, my reflexes sharp, and my instincts strong. I also have some limited ability to move things with the power of my mind...but it is a limited ability. I am told I am capable of more...but my father was slain before my training was complete."

He ran his fingers across the symbols on the blade. "This is me," he said, tapping his own symbol. He slid along, delving back in time. "My father...my grandfather...my great grandfather...my great great grandfather..." He stopped above a particular symbol. "Aiden Star. My great great great grandfather. The first of us to bear the title of the Last Saum'riae. He was the greatest Force-user in our line. However, under the Empire, we were unable to practice our abilities. Since then, they have become somewhat limited. No one remembers how the Force should be used, so we have no one to teach us."

He looked up, and looked Dasquian straight in the eyes. "I come before you with a desire to learn. I seek nothing else. All I wish is to become as great and noble a warrior as my ancestors deserve me to be." He flipped the blade over, and tapped the three clusters of symbols, the pattern they formed perfectly symetrical - perfectly balanced. "Lived by the sword...died by the sword...remembered by the sword." He slid the Saum blade back into its scabbard. "It is the way of life I was born to have, but now that is out of my reach. My cause has gone. I wish to undertake yours...the preservation of peace."

[Dasquian Belargic]

“It worries me that you have previously been using the Force without proper guidance. There is a strong chance that you may have to unlearn what you have previously learned… as it will not be entirely fitting within the training program of the Jedi. Remember also that being a Jedi is not all about physically fighting evil… we are agents of justice, but justice comes in many forms. As a wise Jedi once said, wars do not make one great. Simple things can do a world of good.”

[Janson Star]

"I have learned to be aware of the Force, and I have learned to wield it. I have learned little more. I can use the Force as an extension of my body during combat, but I am not well practiced at the other aspects."

[Dasquian Belargic]

“How have you learned to wield it, exactly? The Force can be harnessed through many emotions… which did you use?” Dasquian asked, his voice betraying little emotion.

[Janson Star]

"It is hard to explain," Janson said with a slight sigh. "When I fight...I have learned to use the telekinetic abilities of the Force, in combination with my sword fighting. I can push things away from me as I move. The Force also helps my reflexes, and my agility to some extent. But my skills are somewhat less than my ancestors. My father was slain before I could complete my training." He looked down at the ground, ashamed. "I have not lived up to my heritage. That is why I need the Jedi's help."

[Dasquian Belargic]

“You must concentrate upon something when you’re fighting… the Force cannot be used on a whim by an untrained being. It requires emotion.” It may have seemed that Dasquian was needlessly pushing a point, but the answer to this question was very much important and would dictate the path of the man’s future training. “The Jedi will help you, certainly, but the type of help you are given is yet to be seen.”

[Janson Star]

"Any help is better than no help." Janson sighed, slightly frustrated. His grandfather had told him about the Jedi...but he hadn't told him they were so...

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Is there anything else? I could use some sleep..." He yawned.

[Dasquian Belargic]

“I understand you are weary from your travels, but you have not yet answered my question regarding your use of the Force and the emotions which you drew upon to do so,” Dasquian sighed. The issue was proving to be one that was difficult to draw a conclusion upon.

[Janson Star]

"Perhaps that is because the question is not one that can be easily answered in words." He frowned, running through his mind the training and the battles that had made up his adult life. Was there emotion there? He wasn't sure. He'd learned to use the skills of his body, and of his mind, and of the Force as one in combat a long time ago. Now it was second nature to him. Was there emotion there?

"I..." his frown deepened. What was it the Jedi wanted to know? The Force took emotion, yes...but why did he need to know?

The sounds of battles rang through his memories. He remembered the sound of his blade as it whistled through the air. He felt the crunch of Stormtrooper armour beneath it. He heard the screams of pain. He heard their bodies fall. And he felt...

His eyes raised to meet Dasquians, tears forming, begging to be released down his cheeks. "When I fight," he said, his voice weak. "When I kill, I..." He dropped his head. "I feel sadness. I feel dispair. I feel their pain, and I know it is because of me. I have ended what has taken so long to create...and all in the name of Balance."

He felt the strength fade from his body, his arms and shoulders slumping down into the rest of them. He killed things because he had to. He knew he had to. But he also knew that didn't make it right. His whole life, he had learned to kill...and now he longed to learn not to. He would fight, yes, but for the preservation of peace, not for the termination of war. That would be the difference between him and his ancestors. He would not be a warrior. He would be a defender.

[Dasquian Belargic]

His answer had confirmed Dasquians suspicions. The man had no doubt brushed with the Dark side in the past – or at least this is what the Knight suspected. “You will be given your training, warrior. When a Master has been assigned to your studies, you will be contacted. Until then, I welcome you to the ranks of the Greater Jedi Order. You are free to explore the grounds and to take up residence within our halls. Good luck and may the Force be with you.”

[Janson Star]

"And with you." Janson bowed, and stepped away. He was a Jedi. At least, a member of the Jedi. The first stage of his quest had been completed. He had become a protector of peace. However, in his heart he knew that the protecting would be far harder than it seemed. And of course, there was still his training. Fighting off the concerns flooding into his mind, he looked up into the sky, towards the sunlight beaming down, and smiled against its comforting warmth.