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(7.19) Family United
(7.19) Family United
East Gardens
Northern Palace
Kingdom of Lorta
22 August, 1938
With the departure of Dia, Angel took a moment to recenter herself on the moment and the Garden around her. The conversation with Dia had not gone as well as Angel had hoped when she first saw the teen walking in to the Garden. Still, Angel did her best to explain to Dia what she felt was important. There was still this lingering feeling that there was someone out there within the Garden. Someone just beyond Angel's vision, and still Angel felt no fear or dread from this person. Placing this in the back of her mind, Angel's focus drifted over to Tess and Kataryla. Angel was able to feel Tess' struggle within her mind and heart. There was so much for young Tess to learn. So much that Angel was looking forward to teaching this young Tiss'shar. It was something that Angel was actually looking forward to being part of. As Angel searched Tess' feelings, she could easily see that Tess is a very gifted Force User. Teaching Tess control over this gift would be Angel's shining achievement. Angel slowly opened her eyes and looked at Tess. A smile crossed her lips as felt Tess' heart and good nature. Endless possibilities of light laid before Tess. Given the right teachings, Tess would become a great Jedi Master one day. Maybe even as great as Master Visst.
But for now, Angel had to teach Tess. “Tess” Angel said softly, “I feel your heart and know your struggle.” Angel caught Tess' gaze, “Tell me what troubles your heart”
Tess sighed deeply as she tried to put in to words what she was feeling, “Its Sha” Tess finally said with a heart sigh and pain in her voice. Tess found it so hard to speak what was in her heart. It just didn't seem as easy as Tess first thought it would be. It was something that had bothered Tess for some time. “She is always so angry and filled with pain. I know she hides it deep inside but I can feel it.” Tess' father had taught her about people like Sha and had warned her of what trouble comes with those kind of people. 'Those who hold tightly to their anger will always bring pain to those close themselves' were the words of Tess' father which echoed in to Tess' mind now. Tess looked from Angel's eyes, “I don't know how to stop her pain or ease her anger”
Angel nodded, “pain and anger are hallmarks of suffering. They come hand and hand with each other and Sha's suffering is fueled by guilt. Though I do not pretend to know the deep workings of Sha's emotional being, I am sure that the suffering within her is fueled by her own sense of guilt. It is something that only Sha will be able to resolve when Sha is ready to address it. We can stand ready to help her when this time comes, but Tess, it must be Sha who wants us to help her. We can not force this upon her. Emotions like this are very tricky. As your training continues, you will learn more about controlling your emotions. But it is important for you to know why this training is so critical.” Angel sighed as if she was looking for the right place to continue. “Here, allow me to explain from the beginning and why its so important that we keep our emotions in check.” Angel said softly as she moved to make herself more comfortable.
“It was Master Odan-Urr and Master Homonix Rectonia who wrote the most common mantra of the Jedi Code. Within it, emotions are addressed by the line, 'There is no emotion, there is peace'. Tess, you must not mistake this. We are all beings of flesh and blood. We all have emotions. The original mantra stated, 'Emotion, yet peace. While it might appear that these two statements do not support one thought, they actually do if you take the time to look deeper in to the meanings of them” Angel took a breath as to ensure that the young Tiss'shar was following along. “At first, the common mantra is believed to mean that we must deny our emotions. But this is not the correct understanding of the mantra. What is meant by both is that we must not allow our emotions to control our actions. Feel with your heart, but do not allow it to govern your actions.”
Angel paused as she considered the lesson and its importance. Emotions have always been the foremost cause of a Jedi's fall to the darkside. Because of this, Angel knew that this conversation was so very important. “IF we try to deny our emotions. IF we set ourselves on the path of a emotionless state, we set ourselves up for failure. We can not ignore our emotions. Even the great Master Visst during his time with us felt emotions that were so strong that they risked influencing his own actions. He was able to resist these emotions but the fact that he felt them is a lesson unto its self. We can not deny the existence of our emotions. Emotions Tess, are very strong and can seem innocent at the time. But, they can lead a Jedi down the dark path before that Jedi even knows it is happening. Just me, I know this is true because it happened to me before.”
On that Tess brightened up and looked up at Angel, “Can you tell me what happened?”
Angel nodded, “Daz Murl was more than just a friend to me. He is as much my brother as any flesh and blood being can be. We grew up and studied the Force together. He was my very first friend and my most trusted. My sister and I always looked out for him when others bullied him.” Angel smiled fondly as the waves of memories wash over her, “Though he would most likely argue the need for such protections.” Angel's smile slightly faded as her memories continued, “There was a underclassman by the name of Lysire who Daz was fond of. Not in terms of a romantic relationship but in terms of friendship. Lysire choose to follow and adventure with an upperclassman by the name of Biggs Saar instead of Daz. Daz saw that Biggs was leading Lysire down a dark path. This drove Daz's emotions of guilt for somehow letting Lysire down. Also there was the emotions of anger at Biggs, though Daz would argue that he held such emotions. You see Tess, when we ignore our emotions we become blind to how they are effecting us and those around us. This is what happened to Daz, he refused to see the pain that his emotions were causing.”
Once more Angel paused to allow Tess to follow the lesson. She reflected on the actions of the past and even wondered if she could have done something to change the outcome. She was sure that if she had acted sooner, maybe Daz would still be with them now. “These emotions ran unchecked and drove Daz to allow his emotions and attachments to govern his actions. You must understand that I can truthfully say that Daz never once meant to do a single dark act. But because his emotions controlled his actions, the path that he took was a dark one nonetheless. This path washed both of our hands with dishonor, disgrace and blood. My own loyalties to Daz blinded me to the path I was following him down. I can not claim any measure of innocents. I knew what we were doing was wrong. I could not turn my back on Daz. He was family and I loved him like a brother. Emotional attachments are by far some of the hardest to break. Think of my conversation with Dia. Could you feel her attachments?” Tess softly nodded at the question.
Angel's smile had long faded from her face as the memories of happier days were replaced by memories of those dark days on the run from the Jedi, the Republic and her own people. “I lied to by own people, betrayed the Order, the Republic and most of all, my own principles. All because, I allowed my emotions to govern my own action. The road I was trapped on was a road filled with darkness, death, suffering and betrayal. I even placed my name on a contracted that called for the murder of Biggs Saar. Tess, you must trust me when I say, emotions can lead us to do horrible things.” Angel ended her lesson and allowed Tess a chance to think of what was said. Angel knew that there were other lessons that could be linked to this but she also knew that in time all lessons well be explained. She had to make sure not to overwhelm the young Tiss'shar
Tess looked down for a moment as she thought of the lesson. There appeared to be something that confused her. She looked back up once more, “Wait, you said that emotions can lead us to do horrible things. But you also said not to deny them. Please explain.”
Angel nodded, “This is where the second part of that line within the mantra comes in to play. The answer to your question is found in this simple statement of the original mantra, emotion, yet peace. We can not deny our emotions, because this is not possible or piratical to do so. Take love, you love Sha” Angel asked and waited for Tess to nod. “Love is a powerful emotion. Most likely the most powerful emotion of them all. It was love that helped both Lysire and Biggs save each other from the darkside of the Force. It is love that binds all of us to our fellowship. It is the love that you hold for Sha and your sister, Kataryla” she said motioning towards the winged droid sitting next to Tess, “that allowed you to save them when you were trapped aboard that sunken ship two days ago.” Angel thought for a moment than moved on, “on the other side of this spectrum, it was Daz's love for Swip that drove him completely over to the Dark side. Because Daz could not accept the loss of the woman he loved so much. This drove his anger, fueled his hatred and led him right to the Dark Side. But what was behind all of these emotions was the grief caused because of Daz's love for Swip and her death. You see Tess, we all feel emotions. But when they govern our actions, this is when we do bad things. But when we feel with our hearts, and think with our minds through the moment we find clarity. Emotions can be a great source of encouragement as well as a equally great source of smoke that can blind us. Sometimes when we deny our emotions, we could miss out on that encouragement. We have emotions, we feel emotions.”
Angel once more paused so to allow more of the lesson to sink in. She smiled once more, “we must also have peace in our hearts from them. We must be at peace with our emotions so that they do not control our actions. For it is from this peace of heart that we ensure that our emotions do not control our actions. I personally feel a loss for Daz. My heart cries for the horrors that my brother has committed, but my sadness does not control my actions. I do not feel guilt over what has become of my brother. I have accepted that Daz's actions are his own. I have become at peace with myself and my emotions.” Angel once more paused as she sensed the person near by. “It is through this peace of our hearts that we can find the clarity which allows us to see what is really going on. Through this clarity can we sense the Force around us as it moves through us and helps guide us. And more importantly, this peace and clarity allows us to see our own actions and what will come from them. Does this answer your question?”
Tess nodded as Angel looked around. It was clear that something was spooking her Master, “Something wrong?” Tess asked as she also started to look around as well.
Angel continued to search the surrounding garden as she slowly stood up, “Tess, Kataryla, I want both of you to remain on that rock and don't move” Angel commanded as she noticed that the high wall that surrounded the Garden was devoid of any guards. 'Where are the damn guards!' she cursed in her mind. Her senses were pushed to their limits as they reached out for the source of trimmer in the Force that was calling her attention. She called upon the Force to heighten her strength and her combat focus. Carefully she moved from her place next to the pound as she continued to search the surrounding area for the person that she could feel through the Force. She slowly drew out her lightsaber but did not activated it. Then without warning the bush next to her exploded as some attacker leaped at her. His red lightsaber flesh against her own as she reflexively activated her black lightsaber. The sound of lightsaber combat filled the air as the two Masters fought against each other. Angel was driven back by the rapid series of attacks that she struggled to deflect over and over again. Angel's first concern was the protection of the two children which to their credit remained where they were told to be. Angel retreated allowing the combat to fall further from the rock that they were siting by. But she knew that this was only a delaying tactic. She had to find a way to deal with the attacker and protect her padawans. For the moment, she knew that as long as they remained away from this combat they would be safe.
Her attacker was a human male, of middle age dressed like a Palace Guard. Angel knew that he as no palace guard and doubted that he was even human. His speed and agility were as good as her own was, but her strength was clearly better than his was. She was able to easily deflect his attacks while working herself in to a better position to turn the table on him. Angel's mind raced as the battle continued with a third series of rapid attacks from her attacker. Still Angel was unable to shift off of the defensive and on to the attack. However, in a moment she saw an opening to his left side. She twisted her body and shifted her stance to press her attack. However, what she thought was an opening was nothing more than a faint. Angel never saw combination of attacks coming till it unfolded right before her eyes. Within a second, her black lightsaber de-actived as it flew through the air. It landed on the ground near where Tess was sitting. “Your form is still sloppy but finally you are starting to use your mind when it comes to your defense” Mythis Creel said as he backed up and de-activated his own lightsaber.
Angel looked in to Creel's eyes, “Tess, Kataryla, allow me to introduce me my Grand Father, Mythis Creel.” It was clear that Angel was not pleased with this unannounced visit. She reached out through the Force and her lightsaber whipped back to her waiting hand, “As for my form, what do you mean?”
Mythis turned to the two children sitting on the large rock, “It is my pleasure to meet both of you” he said politely with a soft bow to them. He turned back to Angel as he softened his stance but didn't lower his guard, “I was mistaken in my terms. I should not have called it a form at all. It more resembles the combat agility of a drunken janitor welding a broken mop handle.”
Tess leaned over to Kataryla, “I thought Sha was mean, this guy beats her any day.”
Kataryla nodded and whispered back, “wait till Sha finds out what you did with her weapon cleaning kit. I bet this guy would look much nicer than Sha would.”
Tess turned her head is shock as she had forgotten about their failed kite experiment just two days ago, “Oh, I forgot to get those rods back to the kit before Sha found them missing. Dag!”
Angel heard the conversation between the two but decided to address Creel, “where are the guards!?” Angel demanded.
Creel only waved his hand as he dismissed the hint of any wrong doing, “They will wake up in time. With not even a hair out of place. They are only sleeping, nothing more” he said with a smile. He motioned his head over to the two children who were clearly involved in a conversation regarding some urgent crisis, “Your padawans, I take it?”
Angel nodded keeping Kataryla's secret, “Yes, I am training them both to be Jedi.”
He shook his head, “A poor example you are setting for them” he said and before Angel could react he snatched her blaster from its holster through the force. It flew through the air and landed on the ground, “A proper swordsman only needs carry one weapon. That is her lightsaber” He continued to remove her other weapons and tools from her and let them fall about the ground by the blaster.
“HEY!” she protested but did nothing to stop his actions, “Those have been useful in many situations.”
“I watched you on the boat yesterday. Remember? The problem with you, is you allow the situation to control what weapons you use and how you fight. Instead of controlling when and how you strike with your own weapon. As for your dagger, I know its family, so keep it. However as for the rest, you are forbidden to carry them any longer. If you choose to be a duelist, than you will fight like a duelist” He explained. He smiled at her, “have you given your padawans their lightsabers yet?” The change up in conversation jammed Angel's mind for a moment.
Angel frowned, “Not yet” she was not sure where he was going with this but decided to let it ride out.
“Do you mind” he said motioning to his pouch. Angel looked confused but nodded her head, “This was given to me as a gift from your grand mother. It was my first lightsaber which was built for me.” he explained withdrawing a dueling lightsaber from his pouch. It was sleek in design with a forty five degree curve two thirds of the way from the emitter. The black clothed padding only covered parts of the flashy sliver frame of the hilt. The weapon showed the mastery that only a Jedi Weapon's Master could have in its construction. Angel noticed the details used in the construction and compared it to that of Master Chun's own weapons. He held the weapon for Angel's inspection, “Before this one, I only used sabers that I had stolen from fallen Jedi. I was surprised that my lair remained untouched all these years. Do you mind if I give this to one of your padawans as a gift?” He sighed as he continued, “I am sorry but I only of this one to give.”
Angel could not hide the surprise in her eyes, “Tess is my best student” she said truthfully, “However she needs to master the use of the Lightsaber before employing such a weapon.” Angel motioned for Tess to move forward and claim the gift. Angel watched Tess walk over and she paused long enough to let Creel speak with Tess about the weapon.
Tess walked forward as Creel turned to face her. He dropped to a knee with a smile on his human face, “You will find that this weapon is perfectly balanced.” he said softly to Tess, “Noticed how the hilt fits in your hand” he said as he showed her the proper way to hold the weapon. He moved her hands to the proper position as the weapon activated. The red light of the blade casts its glow across their faces.
“Red?” Angel said once more in protest, “Really Creel!” Angel wanted to know something. “I want to know something. Tell me of my grand mother. Tell me of how you two met. How a Jedi Hunter would fall for, well, a criminal like you.”
He smiled as he turned off the blade and placed it on safe so that Tess will not hurt herself with it. “It is a Rizonan crystal. Not a Sith crystal.” he motioned Tess back to the rock, “Pay attention little one, Learn from what you see.” he directed his attention back to Angel, “I would have thought that you of all people would be more open to other possibilities.” he activated his own lightsaber once more as he raised it in front of his face as to salute her. Angel activated her own lightsaber and did the same, “Your Grandmother” he said, “She was much like you” he said as he moved in for the attack. Their lightsabers clashed once more, “She was strong, fast and brilliant. She loved to fly just like you do.” he said as the two Masters continued their dueling dance. Tess this time was watching very closely and listening to what was being said. “But it was her heart that I loved so much. Her passion and”
“And” Angel said as she made sure to take notes of his actions and how he defeated her the last time. She pay close attention to the way he was attacking and how his movements flowed from one attack to another.
“Though I have to admit” he said dodging her attack, “Your blade is by far much faster than her own was. Still you lack form, this is your weakness. The first time we, your grandmother and I, crossed blades, we had crashed landed on a world. At the time, her Jedi Hunter team was hunting me along with a group from the Republic. She had used her own ship to force my ship down on to a horrible jungle world deep within the mid rim. I don't know how she got separated from the rest of her group but she did. I found her wounded by her crashed ship, but she was far from helpless. She nearly took my life that rainy night. But in the end, I proved to be more than a match for her in her current condition. Still, I hardly think if in a fair fight I would have won the upper hand so easily. I remember looking down at her as she waited for me to end her life. You Azgardians are so stupid when it comes to death. You treat it like some great reward. She was magnificent even in defeat. Just like you are, I see her eyes within your's. I had never seen someone so lovely or filled with such desires as she was. How could I end her life so easily. I spared her that night.” he laughed as he twisted and ducked to dodge Angel's attacks, “Oh sure, she swore that I would live to regret that mistake. And she would try to make me regret capturing her many times during our lives together.” he laughed, “You Azgardians also have a bad habit of never letting things go either. But the truth was, I guess I fell in love with her that night. How could I kill something so beautiful, courageous, and dangerous. Oh how she was so much these things and more.”
He nearly removed part of Angel's arm as she nearly avoided his attack. “you need to watch my eyes and focus on what you feel in the rhythm of my attacks” he said correcting her mistake.
Angel noted the mistake and nodded her head, “So what happened next?” As she corrected her mistake and righted her position.
“That night I fled with my hostage deeper in to the jungle” he continued. “I could hear the search parties of the Republic military overhead searching for us. Still she was wounded, and I knew how to make her better. For the next day I nurtured her back to health. And one would think that she would be grateful, but nope. At the first chance, she tried to make good on that promise of her. She failed. I guess she knew that she would fail, but it never stopped her from trying. Truthfully it did make things interesting. That is how the rest of the day went, and well, the rest of our lives together. Though the night brought something far worse than either of us could have foreseen. I never knew of what a Savep was till that night. These creatures hunt through the Force and are nearly invisible when they moves. A horrible creature that must have been born through someone's nightmares. There was a search party who was getting close to us. We heard a pack of Saveps descend upon the them. I have never heard such a horrific way to die, till I heard their screams for help. There was no helping them through the ambush laid by these beasts of nightmares. Before we even were able to see what was going on, the pack of Saveps were finishing off the group. So I took her deeper in to the jungle as we fled these killers. Day two, her strength was returning and she was actually starting to become more sociable. Well, more sociable for a captured Azgardian Warrior can be, that is. I guess when dealing with different races, you have to know what you are dealing with and place things in to prospective.”
“When did you win her heart?” Angel asked as she twisted through the air and landed a sound attack. However his blade was simply too fast for her attack to be successful.
“The third night, the pack of Saveps were on our trail.” He said as he moved back to allow her a chance to rethink her next attack. “It would appear that they were being drawn by your Grandmother's condition. She was still too weak to defend herself alone. He rescue teams had moved back due to the Saveps activities. It had become aware to us that had she remained at the crash site, the Saveps would had killed her long before her team could have rescued her. I tried to explain that it had to be the will of the Force that I found her and spared her life that night. She only laughed at my suggestion, she had her own suggestion as to what the Will of the Force had intended. Still using my skills in poisons and with traps I was able to fend the pack off that night. But only barely, as I had never faced a foe like this before. I don't know how they were sensing her condition but they refused to let us go. The next day I was able to move us to a more defensible location along a narrow cliff ledge. With the coming night, the pack had grown in size. It would be the second night that I had been with less than an hour's sleep. I guess I had drifted to sleep, because she woke me up. I suppose I must have forgotten to check her bonds. She had become free and now it was my turn to look up at her waiting for my own death to come. She held her lightsaber trained on my head. Even in that moment, I could not see anything but the lovely woman that she was. If I was to die that night, I could think of no better way than by her hands.”
Angel almost managed to disarm him as she started to pick up on his form. She knew that he was employing the rare Lightsaber form called Fencing Saber Form. She was starting to get the hang of the form and how it worked within the duels. “So clearly she did not kill you. So what happened?”
He easily dodged her attack and pushed the advantage against her with a series of rapid attacks, “No she did not kill me. In stead she said that our debt clear and she owed me nothing. She handed me back my own saber. This night we waited for the Saveps together. We would fight back to back against these monsters. And once more they did come, and in greater numbers. Their numbers were great but we fought side by side on that ledge. More than once, I was taken by the way she fought behind me. It was if she had been forged in the image of the Goddess of Beauty herself. We fought the beasts back each time they pushed against us. With the coming light, she jokingly promised that if we got out of this alive, that she would consider going out on a date with me. I laughed and told her that I would hold her to that promise. Our spirits were sinking because this time, the coming light did not bring the safety as the days before. We could hear the Saveps amassing once more. They could sense our fatigue and knew that their hunt would be over soon. We didn't have much time left. She told me that it was her honor to die by my side that day. I told her it would be my honor to not let her die on this day. I pulled from my backpack a beacon and activated it. The surprise in her eyes was clear. She had questioned my metal state as she reminded me that her fellow Jedi Hunters would follow it right to where they were. That I would be captured. I simply told her that I would be captured, but she would still be alive. I could live with that. One thing about the Jedi, they were quick. They arrived with their gunships and blasted the hell out of those Saveps and within an hour, I was captured.” He laughed, “well only for the time being.”
“And? What happened next?” Angel asked as she watched Creel back up. He only smiled at her.
With a nod he said, “That will have to wait till our next lesson.” he turned to Tess and Kataryla, “remember, think with your mind of what your opponent is doing. Feel the rhythm of their attacks through your heart, little ones” He walked over to the bush that he had leaped out from, “My time is up, the guards will be recovering soon.” He put his jet pack on and gathered his things.
“Wait” Angel demanded, “why did you return now?”
He doubled checked as he ensured not to leave anything behind, “At first I didn't think you or your friends wanted me around. So I stayed away.” He once more turned to Tess and Kataryla, “Be well little ones, and mind your Master's teachings. After all, she comes from a long line of excellent Jedi Masters. Despite who I am.” He turned back to Angel once more with a smile, “It was by chance that I was on Isis when I discovered you reaching out to me yesterday. So I returned as quickly as I could. After all, you are family, Angel.” On that note he activated his jet pack and rocketed in to the heavily overcast sky.
Angel watched her Grandfather leave with her heart longing to know him more. She smiled and nodded as she allowed the moment to fade, “Tess, come here” she said directing her attention to Tess and motioning her forward, “I hope that you were paying attention to what my grandfather was teaching you. Cause its time to show me what you learn. Slowly activate your lightsaber and we will work through your motions.” Angel smiled as she looked to Kataryla, “What? Going to sit this out?” Angel drew out the lightsaber she had made for Tess. “Come on, you too” she said tossing the lightsaber to Kataryla. “Next time he shows up, I expect all three of us to show improvements.” The three activated their lightsabers and Angel continued the lesson that Creel had started. She slowly walked them through step by step of Lightsaber combat.
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