Training of Nal Turar

The heavy rains of Kamino rushed upon the uncovered heads of several new arrivals to the Hidden Temple. They were the newest members of the order, the building blocks that would revive what was the greatness of the Jedi Order. Several of them glanced up to the sky and looked at the dark clouds, and the rain driven winds, and couldn't help but wonder if they really were at a Jedi Temple; such was the gloom that decended upon their hearts. Once they had all exited the transport, and were all quite wet upon the landing pad, they were all rushed indoors; the transport's engines ringing in their ears.

Once inside, they were guided through several shining white hallways that twisted and turned downwards into the churning sea. After a while, the decent leveled out, and they were led to a large room that seemed to be made out of transparencies. The entire room was underneith the ocean, and everywhere one could see fish, sharks, coral, and all sorts of wildlife... in a totally new surrounding. It occured to the brighter members of the group that it was the true beauty of the order; strict and harsh on the outside, and beautiful and just within. They all were seated, leaving flattened images of their soaked bums on white benches. These benches surrounded a great tree in the middle of the room, which was intermixed with other herbs and plants, all of healing attributes.

But their attention was soon drawn from the center of the room, to the north of the room. At the north side, the room ascended into a great stair case, the width of which was larger at the bottom than at the top; in the shape of a pyramid. At the top, stood the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Master Anden Martins. He was garbed completely in white, which was the same hue of his long hair. His face, hands, and the part of his neck that was visible was dark blue, and his eyes (once gold) had faded to a very dull grey. But he was far from old, (for his kind) the mysterious friminoid race (whom was thought by all to be near extinct) was a long living few.

Anden decended the stair slowly, knowing fully that these new initiates would be the solution to the new Jedi Order. With them, he knew that there would always be an order, and that there would always be a chance of survival.

"Welcome" he said, "to the Hidden Temple of the Jedi. It is here on Kamino that you, Jedi hopefuls, will live and learn. You will not know the sun above these waters... nor the people of other lands, nor the solice of your home or family. You surrernder yourselves to the guidence and will of the Jedi."

He paused and said, "Is this your intent, young ones?"

"Yes, Master Jedi." they all replied solemnly, as they were taught to on the previous trip.

"Very well." he said, knowing full well that they would not have replied otherwise. To join the Jedi was the chance of a lifetime. And anyone who would be foolish enough to refuse whould'nt have been chosen as a canidate in the first place.

"You shall be sent to your dormitories now, to study and await your Jedi Master. These clones shall lead you." And with that, the young Jedi hopefuls filed out of the room. Master Martins stopped one of them suddenly,

"Padawan Turar, Nal Turar is it?" he said.

"Yes Master Jedi?" replied Turar obediently.

"I have requested to train some of these new Jedi, with the approval of Master Emissary Corran Horn, who you shall meet soon enough; and I am to be your new master. You need not worry, for your sake, for though I am a strict Master- I am not cruel or unjust, and you need not fear coming to me to address your problems that you may have. I am to be your tutor, and mentor, and your ultimate guide to the Jedi Order."

Anden's waited for a response, and recieving none he said, "Well? What do you think of this place? The Jedi? Your new Master? Speak up!"

As the ship lowered itself towards Kamino, Nal couldn’t help but wonder if this was truly the path that was his to take. He had always been confident in his own abilities, yet he was now to embark upon an journey that would begin with him following the orders of the Jedi that would be his “master”. While he understood the necessity of the training, and of apprenticeship, he was a teenager after all, which in itself was reason to be rebellious. As he stood from his seat, he realized that this was no different that the goal he had had of joining CorSec. He was still seeking justice, but more than on one world, within the Jedi Order, he would be able to help bring order to the entire galaxy.

He descended the ramp, and was immediately bombarded by a driving rain. Covering his head with his hood, he tried to see out to sea, but the rain kept him from seeing much but the other Jedi hopefuls and the lights of the buildings in front of them. The whine of the transport’s engines accompanies them as they were led to the nearest building, and even before they had entered, it was gone. Wow, anxious to leave? Or are there more recruits coming here in need of transport? They entered the building to a harsh, blinding white light. His eyes covered by the hood, Nal did better than most but coming from the dark torrent that was the environment outside, into this artificial world took a few moments to adjust. However their guide seemed undeterred and continued, so Nal followed, blinking adjust to the harsh glare.

As the path twisted and turned, Nal could sense a slight descent to them, and he was soon proven right as they entered a large room. The harsh light was absent from this room, the walls were not of the bright white, but seemed to be made of transparasteel, and showed all manner of wildlife from beneath the ocean. In the center of the room stood a tree, and many other herbs lived in the room. It had an immediate calming effect on Nal, and he took a deep breath of the many scents that flooded the room. It occurred to him that the Jedi had chosen this place for more reasons than practical. Within this room, despite the torrent and the difficulty outside, has remains at peace. He had studied many of the Jedi traditions in advance of his coming here, knowing that knowledge was a staple of the Order and he found himself quoting the code now. There is no emotion, there is only peace. A Jedi may show emotion, may have external turmoil, but they must be able to withdraw within where the peace within calms the emotion and stops the turmoil.

The group sat themselves on benches around the tree and soon a Jedi Master descended the stairs on the northern side. The master descended, and was revealed to be a member of the friminoid race. [i]A friminoid? They are hard enough to find, and there is a Jedi Master here? The odds… Well, never mind the odds, I have no use for them. He chuckled quietly to himself as the Master began to speak.

"Welcometo the Hidden Temple of the Jedi. It is here on Kamino that you, Jedi hopefuls, will live and learn. You will not know the sun above these waters... nor the people of other lands, nor the solice of your home or family. You surrernder yourselves to the guidence and will of the Jedi." It was all following the script that the recruits had been given. Nal speculated that this was one of the many centuries old traditions that had survived, giving more of a connection to Jedi of the past. The Master, Master Martins, continued. ”Is this your intent, young ones?”

Nal responded with the rest of the group. ”Yes, Master Jedi. It was with those three words that the full impact of what he was doing hit Nal. He was heir to arguably the greatest tradition in the galaxy, one that knew only peace, and was the instrument of justice through the guidance of the Force. Before he could continue to think on this, Master Martins was speaking again.

"Very well, you shall be sent to your dormitories now, to study and await your Jedi Master. These clones shall lead you." The Padawan moved with the rest in shuffling towards the door. The journey had tired many of them out and they were seeking rest before the difficulties that they each knew would come. What kind of difficulties is another story. Nal had spent several weeks training himself physically for the challenges of a Jedi Padawan, he just hoped that it would be enough.

”Padawan Turar, Nal Turar it it?” At the sound of the Master’s voice, Nal turned to face him.

Yes, Master Jedi?

”I have requested to train some of these new Jedi, with the approval of Master Emissary Corran Horn, who you shall meet soon enough; and I am to be your new master. You need not worry, for your sake, for though I am a strict Master- I am not cruel or unjust, and you need not fear coming to me to address your problems that you may have. I am to be your tutor, and mentor, and your ultimate guide to the Jedi Order." He paused, apparently for Nal to say something, and Nal drew a blank. ”Well? What do you think of this place? The Jedi? Your new Master? Speak up!"

Startled, Nal began to reply. ”Yes Master. I find this place peaceful, a welcome change from the turmoil of the galaxy. I feel privileged to join in the tradition that is Jedi, and I am honored to learn from you. That being said I do have a question, Master. The rains outside, and the stillness of this room. Are they not as metaphor for a Jedi’s… internal and external being?”

"That being said I do have a question, Master. The rains outside, and the stillness of this room. Are they not as metaphor for a Jedi’s… internal and external being?”

"Indeed, young one. Your senses are much developed. It is this kind of thinking, full of process and deductions, that we strive to teach our padawans; that is your name now, Padawan Turar."

Master Martins walked to the base of the tree and said to Turar, "Here, at the center of the room you see before you a great tree from the planet Alderaan. It is one of the few that still grew upon the desolate planet after it's destruction. When we found it, it was so near death, that every single shoot, bud, and leaf was dead. We had nearly discarded it to search for another, when the youngest of our Jedi stopped us. She pointed to a single green bud, hidden beneath hundreds of dead ones and said, 'See? Even here, among all that is dead, we have found life.' And so here is that same tree, that once treated and trimmed, has grown to be the largest and finest tree that ever came from Alderaan. And to think it now sinks its roots into the sandy seafloor of Kamino!"

"As you can see, the path of life takes its time... once we lived upon the grassy planet of Alderaan, now we hide beneath the oceanic world of Kamino. In the end, it is not the planet that holds the Order, it is the Order twhich holds the planet- that is essential. We cannot depend on forever abiding in one place, for there will always be an enemy, and there will always be a desire to destroy the Jedi. So we must move from time to time, and we must not dispair, never dispair."

Anden smiled at his young padawan. He knew that one day this very young jedi would more than likely end up leading his own padawan, and would even ascend to the rank of Jedi Master. Such things could only be hoped for! Yet as he stood there now, cold, wet and hungry; Master Martins forgot himself and apologized.

"My dear boy, I do apologize; I imagine your trip has left much desired. Go now, dry off and eat something... and then we will continue our discussion."

As the Master spoke, Nal was struck by the wisdom of his words. The story of the finding of the tree was itself a metaphor. It struck Nal as a metaphor for hope. Even when the times look darkest, and all seems dead, there is always a way to make it through. He nodded to himself, there was much that Master Martins could teach him, and he would learn all he could. At the Master’s apology, he bowed. ”Not at all Master, I look forward to learning from your wisdom. His stomach chose to use the poor timing of grumbling right then. He smiled sheepishly. Although perhaps I could go for some form of food. He bowed again, and headed for the door where the other recruits had gone.

A clone showed him to his room, a modest dwelling that had the few things that he would need while training on Kamino. After changing into a new set of clothes, he left the room seeking food. He also left his cloak, not planning on entering the torrent of rain outside. He followed the clone guide to a cafeteria, where he went to the bar to sit. After making his selection, as well as ordering a Lomin-ale, he surveyed his surroundings. It appeared that the other recruits had moved quickly, their meals almost complete. As he looked around the room, drinking his ale, he could feel anxiety coming from many of its occupants. It didn’t surprise him, but what did surprise him was how easy it was to feel it. It was as though there was a blanket of confusion on the room. There was little attempt to hide these feelings. It gave him cause to think, and reflect upon the reason that he wasn’t so nervous. A loud clunk sounded behind him and he jumped, turning to face the threat, and finding only his dish and a chuckling bartender. I’m a fool, not to realize that I’m just as jumpy as anyone else here. He sighed and began eating. I need to do more here than false bravery.

As he ate, he contemplated the path that his life was taking. He knew that he would not be able to seek the killer of his sister, nor would he be able to exact revenge if he did. What surprised him was the lack of disappointment that he felt on that front. The time for grieving was past, and while he wanted justice for the murder, he understood that to hunt down and kill the murderer would merely send him down a path that he didn’t want to walk. He fully intended to find the killer, but he would do so once he reached a plane of understanding that would allow him to think without emotion. Not to mention the benefits of having a the Force as his ally. Does that make me a selfish person? One destined to fall to the dark side? No. He decided. It is not selfish to wish for justice. This is a decision that is made without emotion, but with the desire for the killer to be responsible for his crimes. Moderately satisfied, he continued with his meal

He finished his meal and began to head back in the direction of what he had begun to think of as the “Tree-room.” After twice getting lost and having to ask for help, he found himself at the door. ”Master?”

Master Martins had been sleeping in one of the white round chairs located in the Jedi Archives. They were incredibly comfortable, so much so that Master Martins preferred to do most of his sleeping there. This of course prooved to be a habit that many of the Jedi came to know him for, a habit that he was not begrudged.

"Master?" Came a timid voice from the doorway. Martins started and shook his head from it's drowsiness. Looking about him sleepily, he located the source of the intruder.

"Young Turar! Back so soon? My, but you are a quick one... good for you." He sat up a little more in the chair, and beckoned his new padawan to come and be seated. Turar did so and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Now, now." said Martins. "First lesson for you to learn is to let the Master do most of the talking. Answer when you are asked to." he said smiling. I do not want to go on about that tree we just saw, yes it is a good metaphor, but the Jedi Order is not restricted to revived vegitation. No, the Jedi Order is made up of simple people, like you and me."

"That is what I wish to talk about, who are you, young Turar? Where did you come from, why are you here? I want to know who you are so that I may discern if you are ready for the Jedi. Many of our hopefulls never pass this stage."

Andens then said, "When you speak, make sure not to repeat your history that you wrote to apply to get in here." he scoffed. "Personal biographies may be good enough for the entrance administration, but not for me." He paused and said, "Well now, lets hear it. Who are you my friend."

[ OOC: What I would like to see specifically is an elaborate version of the Jedi Background you submitted. Expand upon it, write about how your character feels about the things that his master is asking him about. You need not worry about failing, nobody ever does. But I dont want a copy and paste job. This is meant for me to really get to know you... after you tell me this, I will relay to you my story, or what is nescessary for you to know. No copy and paste jobs now. =) ]

The voice came from one of the rounded chairs. Master Martins appeared to have been sleeping. Great there’s negative points in the pot for me already with my Master… However the voice showed no disapproval with the Padawan. "Young Turar! Back so soon? My, but you are a quick one... good for you." He motioned for Nal to sit next to him. The Padawan opened his mouth to apologize for waking the Jedi Master, but he was headed off.

”Now, now. First lesson for you to learn is to let the Master do most of the talking. Answer when you are asked to. I do not want to go on about that tree we just saw, yes it is a good metaphor, but the Jedi Order is not restricted to revived vegetation. No, the Jedi Order is made up of simple people, like you and me. That is what I wish to talk about, who are you, young Turar? Where did you come from, why are you here? I want to know who you are so that I may discern if you are ready for the Jedi. Many of our hopefuls never pass this stage."

Nal shook his head surprised. The Master continued on to say he wanted the expanded view, not just the simple view that he had sent in with his application. He took a deep breath, and began to speak. ”As you wish Master. I grew up in a small town in Corellia, and spent most of my time listening to stories of the investigators of the Correllian Security Force, CorSec. It soon became my life’s ambition to work there. I wanted to specialize in smuggling, and thought that if I trained hard enough, that I could truly make a difference. My parents encouraged me and I started training in martial arts, and my father would take me out to practice blasting. After years of training, I also began to train as a pilot, usually in single ship fighters. One of my father’s friends had an old Z-95 Headhunter which I learned to fly in. It was great, but it would not last.

When I was fifteen, I started hearing of the true nature of CorSec. When the Civil Wars broke out the organization basically went to hell. Those within that were not corrupt, left and more corrupt officials took their place. I saw this and decided to change my plans. I applied for and was accepted into the New Republic’s Academy and was trained as a fighter pilot. I did well and logged enough time to be combat qualified in both X-Wings and A-Wings. I transferred out of my training squadron into Night Squadron, an X-wing squadron under Myn Donos’ command. Under Myn, I learned a number of new skills, he took my blaster proficiency to the next lever, adding long-range sniper rifles my training. Likewise, his XO Kell Tainer reminded me of the training that I had received for CorSec, and expanded on it.

Things were once again, on track. I got my first combat silhouette on my first mission, and after two I had reached the fifth kill, making me an ace in the New Republic. I had been promoted to Lieutenant, and was told that commanding a squadron was within my potential within the next two years, but I got a message from my parents. Here Nal’s eyes seemed to lose some of their brightness as he looked at his hands, face downcast. ”My younger sister, was in a spaceport when a group of smugglers were discovered. They escaped, by taking her hostage and once they were free of the planet, they spaced her. I took a leave from Night Squadron, and returned to Corellia. After talking to former members of CorSec who had connections still, I had learned that a deal had been made with the smugglers prior to their escape, and they had continued their operations within the month. CorSec officially notified my family and called it an unpredictable tragedy. They also said that they were attempting to discover the identities of the killers, but had no luck.

This blatant lie got me into jail for a few months, when it was repeated to me upon my arrival on the planet. CorSec officials don’t like being put into bacta tanks by others, even if they are members of a militia. When I got out, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had no leads, to go on, and my desire for revenge slowly expired as grief for my sister prevailed. I wandered, going from cantina to cantina and finally was overcome with emotion when her favorite song was played by a band in a cantina. I was so overcome with emotion that I felt a new power. I was tapping into the Force for the first time.

When I awoke, the instruments for each member of the band had been molded into one single ball. I realized that I needed to learn more about the Force, or I would be a danger to others. I gave the band enough money to replace their instruments plus a little extra, and sought formal training. The rest, well you know it Master. I am here to learn about myself, and to allow myself to be a better channel for the Force. I do want to find the men who killed my sister, but I would turn them in to proper authorities. The desire for revenge is gone, destroyed by the realization that killing them would never bring her back. Master, I understand that the pace of my life has made me… anxious for things to progress, but I assure you it is not out of haste, merely how I have adapted to the changes in my life.” As he raised his head, the color returned to his eyes, and determination shined though them. ”I do not want anyone to have to go through the difficulty of losing someone close to them again, Master if I can prevent that even once, I feel that my life will have had meaning.” He grinned. ”Of course, I have no plans of giving my life up easily.

Once Padawan Turar had finished speaking, Master Martins began:

"It seems to me, young Turar, that your story reflects a fear in you... perhaps even a disposition to pain. Your story about your murdered sister was full of sorrow and pain. Sorrow and pain are good and wise feelings, padawan; but once sorrow and pain begin to guide the path of your life, then they become dangerous and unstable. 'A Jedi does not know emotion', padawan. I am almost inclined to say that you are not fit for the Jedi, only because of your example to live by emotion."

Master Martins stood up and looked beyond Turar to his own memories and said aloud, "Yet who am I to say that you shall not be trained? There have been worse cases in the order. 'Because of his misfortune' does not disqualify a Jedi, nor should it judge him. Misfortunes shall happen for now and forever, and so shall pain and suffering. Indeed, I fear that if there was no pain and suffering the Jedi would altogether cease to exist."

He looked back to Turar. "And so you have no need to fear, padawan. You shall be trained. However: your first lesson is to disregard all emotion, and to leave your actions to unbiased instinct. This will be taught to you. Indeed, I do believe that after your extensive training you will prove yourself as among the wisest of Jedi."

And so, padawan, I shall tell you what you need to know about myself.

(ooc: will finish post as soon as possible, however i am detained currently)

[OOC]

Dang it, Anden. I woulda liked to have trained him, lol. Ah well, not much point in training someone who's just like yourself, eh? On to the point: let me know if/when you want Corran to pop in.

-Corran

[OOC] Haha, yes I know Corran... there will be plenty left for you to train =)

But I do want you to step in several times. Since you are the official "teacher" I'm going to have him sit into several lessons of yours, if thats not a problem =), just keep in mind what im teachin and dont teach otherwise (lol).

Sorry about steppin into your domain, but I couldnt help myself! I miss training newbies =)

[OOC] Hey, I've got no problem sharing the duties. It looks like Nal and you get on at the same time sometimes anyway and I can't always be around due to applying to colleges, work, etc. How about we keep doing 'official' Masters for each Padawan but effectively tag team on each of them, stepping in wherever we find a convenient spot and want to do so. The added variety should encourage activity. That, and there're techniques Corran can't teach that Anden can and vice versa (For example: How's Corran supposed to teach someone to Force Push when he can't? lol)

-Corran

P.S. - Hey, Nal. Looking forward to RPing with you some.