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Zereth Lancer
Mar 19th, 2015, 08:16:22 AM
"What are the Jedi like?"

"I have no answer for you, young one. I have never been to Ossus nor have I met any true Jedi. The galaxy is full of pretenders and charlatans who would take advantage of you. I know as much as you do. The stories of old, of shining knights with blazing swords protecting the galaxy and leaving peace in their wake."

And recruiting children as soldiers, forcing their creed down their throats, ripping out their emotions, and turning them into mindless drones that will continue the cycle. Forever. The Jedi as an idea will never disappear as long as it's fanatics continue to live. There will always be someone to indoctrinate, someone to twist into the desired shape. Like cookie cutter people they stamped out child soldiers out of the dough of the young and naive.

"That is why I am delivering you directly. I do not trust those who claim to deliver new padawans to Ossus. For all we know they may deliver you right back to the Empire, and we cannot have that now can we."

The boy's face darkened, but his stoic guardian gave him a reassuring look that brightened his face. "They cannot get you now. You are safe so long as you are in my company, and once we get to Ossus the Empire will never dare come for you again. The Jedi will protect you."

The transport ship hummed and pulsed around them, and in the viewport the planet Ossus drew closer. Those on board were vaguely aware of the pair sitting against the window, but had a hard time remembering they were there the moment they looked away. Sometimes they would catch sight of them out of the corners of their eyes, wonder who that was, and then forget or not see them at all. The illusions Zereth wrapped around himself and the teenage boy were thick, masking them from sight and thought.

He would be lying if he said he was not apprehensive about traveling to the new Jedi homeworld. They all knew this day would come, when they would rescue a child from the clutches of the Empire and he would still want to join the Jedi. His head was full of stories and legends. It was what he wanted, to be a Jedi. It was those desires the Empire preyed on when they lured him out of obscurity and pretended to be Jedi envoys before snatching him up and dragging him off.

They rescued him, and others, from the Empire. Eleutheria had it's mission, to give choice to those who had it taken from them or had no idea it existed. Some chose to stay with them, and some went back home, and some like this boy, Brenn, chose the path more traveled. Someone had to escort him to Ossus, and the others had been very uncomfortable with it. There was no short straws drawn. Zereth volunteered. I had always wanted to meet the Jedi, and perhaps walk among them.

He did not agree with their ideology, but there was always something worth learning from the other force practices. His own focus on the darkside and the sith teachings had failed him, but he had found great success in a great melting pot of ideas and concepts. Sith emotional liberty, Sith and Jedi meditation, along with an offensive combat style that was always preceded by diplomacy and reasoning.

He could have masked himself, made it difficult to find his aura in the force, but he left himself open to detection. Zereth did not want the Jedi to think he was sneaking up on them, infiltrating from from the shadows to take advantage or attack them. Rather he laid his cards on the table, and would allow them to see him when he arrived. There were no Jedi on board, just soldiers and a few civilians. They would know he was there when he landed. Surely some of them may have even detected him now as they entered orbit.

He looked out the window and imagined them standing outside their pre-fabricated structures, looking at the sky, feeling him approaching. He wondered how that must make them feel. Did it fill them with dread? Fear? Surely it must not be common to feel a darkside presence entering their skies.

The transport finished it's approach and set down on the military landing pad outside the Jedi Camp. Zereth took Brenn under his, hiding him partially behind the folds of his cloak, and together they stepped down the ramp and into the afternoon sunlight. The illusions faded away, leaving him feeling bare and vulnerable. No tricks. His only weapon was the lightsabre hanging openly from his hip. Not hidden.

No doubt the Jedi would be waiting for him at the bottom.

Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 6th, 2015, 09:08:24 PM
"Ndonsa, not like that. Like this."

For emphasis, Anbira took the hoe from the Kufu's grasp, demonstrating the light touch needed to draw a furrow.

"You're making a mountain where a hill will suffice. Allow your body and spirit to find rhythm and free your mind."

It wasn't a traditional meditation, but a practical exploration of one's self and the world around them that Anbira saved for his own padawan. He moved the farming instrument along the loose rich soil, flicking the blade a scant distance into the earth to draw a continuous ridge.

"When you do it right, you can do it without sight. The sound of the earth and the resistance alone, and your own action guides you. There is time for hard work, and there is time for rewarding work."

The ever-dancing hoe stopped suddenly, as did the Hermit who wielded it. Anbira ceased mid-furrow, eyes cracking open once more as he stared off into the trees, an uncertain look on his face.

Ndonsa
Apr 6th, 2015, 10:32:28 PM
The Kufu mongoose sighed, her tail flicking back and forth until she concentrated and made it stop. Master Anbira furrowed the earth with ease, a true peace coming over him even though he was explaining things to her at the same time. Ndonsa closed her eyes, trying to find the beauty in dragging a line through the dirt. Memorized movement, such as spear or saber practice, where one could lose themself in the action...yes, she could understand how this could be meditation.

But farming...

She opened her eyes when the sound of the tool in the earth stopped and a Master Anbira offered no more words. A sense of discomfort came from him, and she followed his eyes to the jungle. Beyond the trees, she knew, lay the village. "What is it, Master?"

Zereth Lancer
Apr 7th, 2015, 01:10:39 PM
Strange. He was expecting a small army to be gathered at the landing pad. Lightsabres lit, like torches and pitchforks combined into one as a mob waited restlessly. Instead there was no one. Just Alliance personnel going about their business of running the small base. They waited, just a few more minutes. He standing silently, still, his cloak held around him despite the warmth of the afternoon sun. Breen remained close, half hidden in the folds of his cloak. His eyes were curious, roaming the base, the sky, the faces of those who passed. After a time Zereth finally moved, beckoning his child companion with a word and together they headed down the path toward the clustered pre-fabricated structures of the Jedi Academy.

Zereth was surprised by the complexity of the encampment. He had expected a few cobbled buildings, an outhouse a short distance away, but nothing quite as sophisticated. There was structures for sleep, eating, training, as well as commerce and, against all odds, bars. It was like a small town one might find on some outer-rim planet in the middle of nowhere. It was quaint, for lack of a better word. There were people moving between the structures. Here and there he spotted the brown robes of a Jedi, but many were dressed far more casual. If it wasn't for all the bright lights that pulsed in the force, like stars in the night sky, he would have never guessed this was the new power base for the Jedi in the galaxy.

He approached slowly, cautiously. He did not want to spark a confrontation.

Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 8th, 2015, 11:58:59 AM
Ndonsa knew not the dark side. Hers was still a state of innocence that was about to be challenged prematurely.

"Padawan, come quickly."

Anbira's step quickened, moving into a trot as he called his lightsaber to his hand from where it rested under the tree. He could feel the presence through the force. Beyond the latent power was an intent that was skewed and other. It found it's strength not in a harmonious existence with all things beyond but as a singularity. A feeding thing that consumed the world into self. And yet there was no directed sense of malice. Anbira could not discern anything beyond a dark presence unmistakeably in their midst. Unashamed and open.

Ndonsa
Apr 8th, 2015, 06:33:31 PM
Ndonsa frowned, but did as he asked, snatching up her spear and jogging after him. She concentrated, trying to sense what had bothered him, and felt a familiar magic. Loki had told her the old magic was the Dark side, an abomination, when she had first met the Jedi. Who would be so bold, or ignorant, that they would use this magic among the Jedi?

Thy quickly reached the landing area, where the space ships came and went. A man stood there, and a small child peeked out from behind his robes.

Zereth Lancer
Apr 9th, 2015, 12:37:29 PM
Two humanoids approached, one was obviously human, armed with a lightsabre in hand, and a troubled look on his face. The other was unlike anything Zereth had ever seen before. A furry creature, walking on two legs, with a spear and bushy tail. So strange this juxtaposition of opposites; the civilized man with his modern blade and the beast person with her archaic hunting weapon. The first was what he had expected from the Jedi encampment, but the other was a curiosity at least, and a deadly threat at best.

Subconsciously he rotated around the boy, putting himself between the child and the incoming Jedi. That's what they were. He could feel their auras in the force. Not as bright and shining as he had expected, but many shades lighter than his own all the same. Holding up his hands, he showed his own lack of weapons, although for one versed in the force there was no such thing as being empty handed or defenseless. Reaching up he threw back the hood of his red cloak to reveal his pale face and long black hair, tied sharply in a topknot that cascading down the back of his neck.

"I mean no harm." The words felt so strange coming from his mouth. The proud warrior he had once been would never have spoken so peacefully; waved the white flag so eagerly. "I've brought this child to you. He wishes to be a Jedi."

Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 10th, 2015, 09:45:29 PM
Bound as the man's life essence was in the Dark Side of the Force, Anbira could detect nothing in the moment that betrayed his words. There was no electric charge of intent. Nothing beyond what the man was seemed awry. Well, other than the fact that he was voluntarily bringing another adept into their fold. Yes, here too he spoke truth. The faint tell-tales of natural force affinity could barely be discerned from behind where Zereth stood.

Slowly, Anbira returned his lightsaber to his belt. It was a potentially dangerous lowering of his guard, but this was an abnormal confrontation to say the least. The Hermit nodded his head.

"If this is true, you have made a brave effort in bringing him here. I am Anbira Hicchoru, Jedi Knight of the Order."

He gestured to his spear-wielding partner.

"This is Ndonsa, my Padawan."

Ndonsa
Apr 10th, 2015, 10:57:41 PM
Ndonsa nodded cautiously at the stranger, sensing for the first time a clear difference between a Jedi and one who ...was not. Was this what Loki had sensed when she had first arrived? She shifted from footpaw to footpaw, her thoughts troubled.

Zereth Lancer
Apr 13th, 2015, 12:33:32 PM
"I am Zereth Lancer. This is Brenn. My associates and I rescued him and others from the clutches of an Empire backed medical clinic that advertised a specialty in paranormal abilities. The operation was thoroughly dismantled and those responsible punished according to their crimes. The Empire grows more desperate and crafty every day."

Reaching around, he pulled the shy child out of his cloak and around to his front, where he places his hands on his shoulders. "When we explained to him what the force was he wanted nothing more than to join the Jedi. I am here to entrust him into your care."

While he took the sheathing of the weapon as a sign of peace, he was no fool to assume he was safe yet. He was still, by all definitions, standing in the middle of an enemy stronghold. While the Jedi were definitely a lesser of evils, there may come a time when even they have pushed their agenda into a place too twisted to forgive, and Eluetheria will be kicking in the front door and liberating the indoctrinated slaves by force. Zereth hoped that day would never come, but for so long as he drew breath he promised to police the galaxy and break the chains wherever they form.

Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 16th, 2015, 09:53:08 PM
Anbira nodded in carefully metered motion, his blue eyes catching sight of the child that meekly held orbit around Zereth. None of this made sense to him. This was not the way of the Sith, who desired only to possess and corrupt. Yet, within Zereth there was corruption. The energies of the force called into command by twisted desire made their presence known when one could see. This was a parley. A meeting of two sides still separated by a chasm.

"You oppose the Empire? Then we have between us a common adversary, Zereth Lancer."

This was not an invocation to alliance. Not hardly. It was merely observation.

"I thank you for doing the right thing for Brenn. We do for him all we can."

The force was with the child. Feeble, untapped. But there. It would have been so easy to twist a mind that young to dark means. Anbira had no answer for why Zereth did not. Only his words.

Ndonsa
Apr 16th, 2015, 10:40:30 PM
Ndonsa narrowed her pink eyes, her brow furrowing. "Who are your associates?"

Zereth Lancer
Apr 17th, 2015, 11:25:12 AM
Placing a hand on his chest, Zereth bowed his head ever so slightly. "It is my sworn duty." He could feel the distrust in the man across from him. A shared objective was not enough to render them allies, and he had not expected more. He was unsure what he had expected. Open conflict, a fanfare, or perhaps just an acceptance for what he was doing. Thanks would have to suffice.

"We are not yet ready to reveal ourselves. All you need know is that we are a collection of force practitioners that oppose the injustices reaped upon force sensitives by the Empire, and others. We believe in the freedom of choice to choose ones path. We force nobody into our ranks, and like Brenn many decide on another path. We are neither Jedi nor Sith. We are not bound by creed or code. I follow my own beliefs."

Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 19th, 2015, 01:17:06 AM
"Then you have very...progressive beliefs."

It was a metered response to a most unusual proclamation. A group fighting for the total agency of all force users against agents of oppression. It sounded like a noble cause in theory, but Anbira carried very real doubts about such a notion remaining possible. The very nature of the Dark Side spread through a vacuum. If it was not girded against, it would seduce the unwary. Perhaps even the man standing before him now once faced his destiny with an open choice.

Again Anbira looked to the child. He stood in ambivalence between timid fear and eager curiosity. If what Zereth said was true, he was one of the lucky ones. Raising an open hand, Anbira spoke in an even and reassuring tone.

"Come here, Brenn."

Ndonsa
Apr 20th, 2015, 10:26:35 PM
Ndonsa looked at the hesitant child, her master, and then to the spear she was holding. She carefully took a few steps back and to the side, swinging the spear down so the point rested on the ground.

Zereth Lancer
Apr 22nd, 2015, 11:32:39 AM
With a reassuring squeeze of his shoulders, Zereth pushed the boy toward the Jedi Master.

"I will take my leave. I am confident that we will meet again. There will be more like this boy wishing to join you. Hopefully that will be the only reason for me to return to Ossus." A veiled threat it was, but one that was not overly provoking. They would have to commit great injustice upon the force adepts under their tutelage to bring Eluetheria here to stop them. Zereth doubted there was anything he and his comrades could do to stop the Jedi as they stood now. They were many and growing more plentiful every day. For now they would exist as a lesser of evils in the galaxy, and hopefully remain that way.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Jedi Knight Anbira Hicchoru. Padawan Ndonsa." He bowed again, this time a full deep bow bending at his waist. "Good luck Brenn."

Anbira Hicchoru
Apr 22nd, 2015, 07:09:57 PM
The dark acolyte bid his farewell, and it was not Anbira's place to stop him from leaving peaceably. Though his thoughts were indeed troubled by the arrival of Zereth Lancer and what his supposed group's existence portended, he'd committed no crime to seek account over. Only the crime of his own corruption, which he certainly would have to face his own reckoning.

"Go in peace, Zereth Lancer. If we meet again, let it be peaceful in turn."