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Jedi Master Murl & Jedi Padawan K'awil
Jedi Master Daz Murl & Jedi Padawan Ubaah K'awil
Originally Posted: June 26, 2011
Aboard Ka-riss-ah
Azgard Orbit
Jedi Master Murl
Once more, young Jedi Master Daz Murl found himself aboard the extra-galactic warship known as Ka-riss-ah, on which he still retained the rank of Chief Security Officer. He had accepted the position at the behest of Captain Ogon Koo'Lak. In light of this, Daz thought Ogon might have at least consulted him before allowing Azgardian military technicians so much access to the warship's hyper-sensitive technology, which they were now crawling over, under, around, and through. However, Daz had come to expect the unexpected from Ogon, not the least of which his decision to request adoption into Azgard's Warrior House Heartman.
As they usually did, Daz's goggles and antiox breath mask covered his eyes, mouth, and extrasensory organs. Clad in ocher trousers and an ocher undertunic, Daz also wore a saffron overtunic and a saffron outer robe which was sleeveless, hooded, and billowed behind his small frame as he moved through Ka-riss-ah's corridors. Though the raised hood concealed the fleshy lumps and coils which framed his Kel Dor face, the lean muscles of his coral-skinned arms were visible above the stainless steel armored gauntlets which covered his forearms. Extending through his fingerless brown leather gloves were were four fingers tipped with claw-like nails on each hand. His brown leather boots padded along the corridor, while his lightsaber swung with his stride at his left hip where it hung from his brown leather utility belt.
Keenly aware that that he was one of the most alien sights most Azgardians had ever witnessed, he simply nodded to those that paused to stare as they made way for him. These tall, muscular men and women were at home in the uniforms they so proudly wore. Daz realized that their deference to him, despite how strange and alien they found him, was a testament to their discipline and unwavering respect for the chain of command. Of course, to contradict this strict code of conduct could easily mean their lives. All the same, despite his differences with their culture, Daz had to admit they were an impressive people.
As Daz continued walking toward Ka-riss-ah's garden, he reflected on what was occurring on the surface of the planet below. The corpse of Warlord Raynar Heartman, fallen leader of the Azgardian people and the victim of a cowardly assassination, now burned on his funeral pyre. The entire newly reformed Jedi Council, including Jedi Master Visst Dassek, was in attendance at the invitation of the new Azgardian leader, Warlord Ton Furey. Also in attendance in accordance with Azgardian custom were Jedi Master Angelique Heartman and her Padawan, Ogon Koo'Lak.
Just over a week ago, Daz had been invited to dinner by two senators that sat on the Jedi Oversight Committee. Daz had objected to the very premise of a Jedi Oversight Comittee since its inception, but knew that to decline their invitation would be to invite suspicion, so he grudgingly attended. It was no surprise to Daz that before long the senators revealed the actual reason behind the dinner invitation. They asked him his feelings about his experiences with Jedi Knight Lysire Chalco and Jedi Knight Biggs Saar. At first Daz declined to answer any questions about the pair, to which the senators responded that they wished to conduct the interview "off the record" but would subpoena Daz through the Jedi Council if necessary. When Daz reluctantly agreed to answer some specific questions, they informed Daz that they would record the conversation, which they did, and Daz informed them that he would do the same, which he did.
First, they showed him a holovid of what appeared to be Daz leading an attack on an Outer Rim world during the Jedi Civil War. They offered Daz amnesty for his alleged war crimes if he would tell them everything they wanted to know about Biggs and Lysire. At the time the recording was taken, Daz had been on Origin. He rejected their offer for amnesty, flatly denied any involvement in the attack, and pledged to get to the bottom of what had happened. Knowing that Biggs was the reason Lysire had committed war crimes in the first place, Daz informed the two senators that he had sensed darkness in Biggs and agreed that he was capable of committing war crimes. However, he answered that Lysire was not dark, even though he had sensed some darkness in her as well. It was during the most intense and terrible Force vision that Daz had ever experienced that he abandoned Lysire to vicious creatures as she dangled helplessly from a gantry. Daz believed he could bring her back to the light side if she was removed from Biggs' influence, though he knew it wouldn't be easy, since he had essentially brainwashed her.
When the senators seemed to be somewhat satisfied with that answer and Daz was excused, he received a message on his comlink. It was the same reporter that had been responsible for skewing facts and creating scandals by taking excerpts from an unauthorized recording of a conversation between Daz and Chancellor Sate Quee regarding Daz's experiences with Azgardians out of context about a week prior. Daz had even granted her an interview to clarify his positions, which she also recorded and took out of context. Now she claimed to want Daz's side of the story about his dinner with the two senators from the Jedi Oversight Committee. He didn't know how she'd found out about the dinner, let alone how she got his comlink frequency.
Needing to get to the bottom of who had framed him for the attack on the Outer Rim world that the two senators from the Jedi Oversight Committee had played the holovid of, Daz requested a meeting with the Twi'lek Senator Nabrina to seek her council. After all, the end of the Jedi Civil War was largely due to her adept political maneuvering and he trusted her advice. She was incredulous when Daz insisted it was not him in the holovid. She also offered Daz amnesty if he would incriminate Lysire. It didn't take Daz long to realize she had been behind the dinner invitation with the two senators from the Jedi Oversight Committee, to which she readily admitted. Senator Nabrina reminded Daz that justice is blind, appealing to his Kel Dor heritage to divulge Lysire's guilt. Although he knew she deserved the same fate as other war criminals, Daz owed it to Lysire to save her from the dark side.
While he had her attention, Daz asked Senator Nabrina her thoughts on why Chancellor Quee was so interested in him and why he had been parading Daz around at upscale establishments and media functions. There was something unusual about his fondness for Daz, Chancellor Quee having even gone so far as to attempt to unilaterally seat him on the Jedi Council. Daz had turned down that offer. True, he could have helped unite the various Jedi Temples from across the galaxy, but after peering into the Force and seeing himself serving as a great and powerful Master of the Jedi Council, he understood that Chancellor Quee's offer would make him the opposite, a political pawn.
In the end, Senator Nabrina advised Daz that he would have to find out for himself what was at the root of Chancellor Quee's special interest in him. However, she did inform Daz that the tenacious yet unscrupulous reporter was Chancellor Quee's sister-in-law. Daz thanked Senator Nabrina and told her for that he had great respect for her, considered her a friend, and that if she ever needed him, he would be there for her. She politely thanked him and Daz left to see Chancellor Quee.
Daz met with Chancellor Quee in his office, insisting he call him Sate. Daz asked what made him so special to Chancellor Quee. He said that he realized Daz had been wrongfully accused. Though Daz attempted to explain the complex way in which he was involved in the disaster over Coruscant, Chancellor Quee pointed out the numerous pieces of the plot that were not Daz's fault. He said that if Daz would rather he cease to extend his friendship to him, he would leave Daz alone. Daz tactfully told him that wouldn't be necessary and asked about his sister-in-law, the reporter. According to Chancellor Quee, he never recorded Daz's conversation with him the week before. Daz asked what the reporter was trying to accomplish when it came to taking Daz's words out of context. Chancellor Quee explained that he had extramarital relations in the past and since she was his wife's sister it was her way of getting back at him. His advice was to not communicate with her at all, advice which Daz decided to take for the time being.
Chancellor Quee then confronted Daz with intelligence that the Unending Light had filed secret travel plans. Daz informed Chancellor Quee that the Jedi Council would be en route to Azgard to attend Warlord Raynar's funeral pyre. As a Jedi Investigator, Daz had learned the potential benefits that could be gleaned by sharing low-risk information with a powerful figure. It would eventually become public knowledge that the Jedi Council had attended Warlord Raynar's funeral pyre and the Jedi Council's presence on Azgard was a reasonable display of respect. Still, Daz sent a message to Visst's comlink informing him that it had been necessary to leak the Jedi Council's destination to Chancellor Quee.
Although Warlord Ton seemed to be an honorable man, he was also a Crusader, a member of the Azgardian faction that held the staunch belief that Azgard should be the sole military power within the Republic. It bothered Daz that the Crusaders of Azgard and the twisted Crusade, led by a succession of Puppet Masters, not only shared a nearly identical names, but also a similar thirst for supremacy, albeit through different means, and to different ends.
The death of Warlord Raynar was indeed untimely. Upon examining the crime scene, Daz discovered that the assassin was none other than Jaina Scraf, at one time Daz's fellow student of Jedi Master Qu'Wash. She now identified with the terrorist organization that called itself the Flail. It was made up of certain rebel Jedi and their non-Force-user allies that refused to honor the peace treaties that were recently signed by representatives from all sides to bring about the end of the Jedi Civil War. As for the rebel Jedi themselves, like so many on both sides, the Jedi Civil War had brought them close to the dark side, but based on their continued actions, they either didn't realize it, or didn't seem to care. Though it had failed and its forces were crushed, the Flail had even attempted an asteroid attack on Azgard in retribution for the Azgardian asteroid attack on Neeshana.
Daz was committed to bringing Warlord Raynar's assassin to justice, but pressing matters had brought him to Ka-riss-ah. He had secured passage aboard the Jedi Order's flagship, the Unending Light. When it had arrived in orbit, he made special arrangements to have a shuttle transfer his own precious cargo to Ka-riss-ah. Daz's half-sister, Plo Murl, who he never even knew existed until a couple of weeks ago, was now encased in carbonite due to the machinations of the current Puppet Master himself. Daz had closely guarded the secret of Plo's presence aboard the Unending Light. He had vigilantly watched over the covered slab that she was encased in until, at last, she was securely locked in his room aboard Ka-riss-ah. Here she would remain until he could find an antidote to cure the disease that the Puppet Master had inflicted upon her as one of his sick games to torment Daz, probably to neutralize his efficiency with distractions. However, before Daz was forced to freeze her in carbonite with the promise that he would find her a cure, Plo had desperately asked about a girl named Preena. Whoever she was, Daz intended to find her.
Arriving at the garden, Daz opened the doors and made his way inside. He walked through the lush grasses and colorful wildflowers to a small pond. Seating himself in the lotus position, he tilted his head upward and briefly admired the stars through the transparisteel-like material that comprised the garden's ceiling. He then lowered his head, closed his eyes, and began to meditate in preparation for the coming discussion that should have happened months ago. It was during the same horrific Force vision in which he had failed to save Lysire that Daz had realized the Force-user who now served as the XO of Ka-riss-ah, Ubaah K'awil, was now lost in shadows.
Not long after he had met Ubaah and Ogon, Daz had been pressured into taking an oath, not just to the Jedi Order, but to Grand Master Quaad as well. Much to Daz's surprise, Master Quaad elevated him to the rank of Jedi Master and told him, "This Padawan is now yours to train." Given that Daz has just been informed that his Jedi Master Vrei had been assassinated and that the whereabouts of Angelique's Jedi Master Drease were unknown, Daz had thought that Master Quaad had meant for him to take over Angelique's training. However, not long after the Coruscant disaster occured, Master Drease reemerged and Master Quaad's corruption came to light. Master Drease continued Angelique's training from afar and in Daz's mind, he no longer had a Padawan to train.
After the vision in orbit above the Crusade world that the Force had shown Daz how to guide Ka-riss-ah to, he came to believe that he was meant to have taken Ubaah as his Padawan all along. Conflict, distance, and duties had prevented Daz from approaching Ubaah about this matter sooner. After a discussion with Angelique and Visst before the Unending Light departed Coruscant for Azgard, Daz reached the conclusion that now was the time to talk to Ubaah.
Their relationship had not always been friendly. In the aftermath of the Coruscant disaster, Daz and his team had fled to Baklid 6 in an attempt to meet with Master Qu'Wash, Daz's former Jedi Investigator instructor and mentor, to seek his assistance. While on the planet, the full burden of Daz's guilt weighed heavily on him and he began to experience a nervous breakdown. He found a dog and formed a bond with him, naming him Lucky. Exhibiting a shorter temper than anyone except perhaps Ogon realized that he had, Ubaah ended up choking Lucky to death by drawing on the dark side of the Force. Eventually, when Daz awoke aboard the pirate ship the Star Adder, he began to draw upon the Force to calm his thoughts, purge his emotions, and rebuild his fractured psyche. It was during that time that Daz forgave Ubaah, telling him that they both deserved second chances.
Now, having cleared his mind, Daz heard the garden doors open. A moment later, Daz opened his eyes and a muscular, red Twi'lek sporting the uniform of Ka-riss-ah's XO sat cross-legged before Daz, who could sense the darkness within his friend. The stain on his aura had spread. Daz lifted back the hood of his robe, allowing it to fall past his shoulders as he inclined his head in greeting.
"Ubaah, thank you for joining me. I never cease to marvel at the beauty of this garden that Carissa maintains and the peace that can be found within. Being aboard Ka-riss-ah is like finding a hidden corner of the galaxy. Outside, everything is in a turbulent state of flux. As you know, the Jedi Order is experiencing a regenesis. Along with it, new opportunities are presenting themselves. Do you recall the Force vision I described to you in which you were wandering blindly through the darkness? I believe the Force was showing me that I am meant to lead you into the light. It is my sincere hope that you will become my Padawan and complete your Jedi training with me. Will you accept my guidance?"
As Daz finished speaking, he turned his gloved palms upward in a gesture of openness, tilted his head attentively, and peered intently into Ubaah's eyes, patiently awaiting his response.
Jedi Padawan Ubaah
Sitting across from his kel dor friend the events of the past couple of months raced through ubaah's mind. He had been made xo of a large ship with a full crew, nearly dealt a heavy blow to the crusade, and been offered imence power by the chaos sword. Many other things have changed outside of Ubaah, but nothing weighed on him as heavily as the events over the crusade world. It was then that he realized he had greatness in him, and a thirst for power that he intended to feed when next given the chance. After daz asked him to be his padawn, he felt the urge to laugh in Daz's face, but that was not his outward response. Keeping his composure he smiled at Daz, "I thank you for the offer Master Murl. I will accept your guidance in the force, and take up the mantel as your padawan, with the request that we bring my mother's assassin, and all those evil doers involved with her assassination to justice as soon a possible." as he said this Ubaah felt a sadness begin to well inside him, a dark pit that filled his being. "it has been a long time since her death daz, and I want to close that part of my life and put it in the past where it belongs."
Jedi Master Murl
Daz felt the ripples of darkness emanating from Ubaah as he spoke, simultaneously sensing that he was holding something back. Daz nodded somberly. "Of course, Ubaah. I have not forgotten my promise to help you seek out and bring to justice those responsible for the assassinations of your mother, Senator Darap'Rar, and their defenders. Still, we must be patient and trust in the Force to show us the way. The past is never as easily compartmentalized and put away as we might wish, my friend. However, from the pain and hardships we endure, we can grow and learn new ways to help others."
Daz rose to his feet, waiting for his new Padawan to join him before making his way toward the doors of the garden. "You are a fine, XO, Ubaah, but when Ogon returns, I would like you to request a leave of absence from your duties aboard Ka-riss-ah so that you can travel with me. We will continue your training as we serve the will of the Force."
As they left the garden and made their way down the corridor, Daz knew that he had embarked on an arduous journey by taking Ubaah as his Padawan. However, he was at peace as he trusted in the Force to help him direct Ubaah toward the light and train him to become the Jedi Knight that would do honor to the memory of his parents.
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Jedi Master Murl & Jedi Padawan K'awil
