[center][b]Prison Complex.
11:42 - 11:50

Nazca, Koren + Sith Troopers[/b][/center]

Nazca gave a slightly mocking laugh as Koren spoke. “Oh yes, I’ll just rest hop skip and run over to my bed so I can rest. I’m just laying here collapsed on the ground because I feel like it! It’s comfortable, you know? Also, not a padawan. Youngling. I was in the temple for a short time, and then the Sith came and I assume you know the rest. Red Skinned bitch came and decided to experiment on me. So that’s why I can barely move, because [i]everything fucking hurts.[/i]” She crawled back to the table, bringing herself back to standing. “Schutta. No better than the slugs.”

Koren turned to Xid, and waved his hand at the boy on the table giving him a slight Force nudge. He nodded at Tolun Fi. “Give me a shout if you need me.” He then turned back to the girl who was currently the exact opposite of peaceful. He took a deep breath, focusing on her state of conscious. She was angry, scared, pained and confused. He didn’t linger, bringing his mental barriers back and shaking his head. While they weren’t far different in terms of age, she was still very young.

He took hold of her in the Force, helping her stand. Though he didn’t take all the weight for her. Merely enough of it that she could walk without falling. “You’re not a youngling anymore. If you have No-Master then I shall fill the role. Come with me, Padawan.” He walked out of the room nodding at Tolun Fi as he did so, he didn’t force Nazca to follow him. Merely helping her into what was a currently abandoned room. He was sure he had seen Lea in here earlier… but that wasn’t important now. Sitting on the floor cross legged he indicated the spot across from him for her to do the same.

“Let us start simply. I am Jedi Watchman Koren Omi-Ren, and you are Padawan…?”

Nazca’s head immediately snapped over to Koren when she felt something holding her up. It didn’t take much of a logic jump for her to figure out the Jedi speaking to her was the one helping her. Cautiously, she let go of her table and took a step. When she continued to feel something holding her up she followed the Watchman. Even with Koren’s help she was shaking and exhausted by the time she sat in front of him.

 [i]What did she do to me?[/i] She thought, her skin pale and sweaty. She was exhausted and still in pain, and she didn’t know why. She waited a few moments to catch her breath, and then spoke. “I am N...Padawan Nazca Barsavi. What suddenly brought me up from Youngling? Last I knew, I wasn’t even remotely close to being prepared.”

Koren just eyed her with an element of suspicion. “While you can’t quite control the Force, yet to what would be expected at your age and I doubt you have a very firm grasp on the code you have shown strength and resilience.” He signalled the room around him. “You are still here after all, you haven’t turned and accepted the way of the Sith. While I commend your willpower and resolve it isn’t going to be enough for you to survive this place I’m afraid.” He raised his hand to indicate those outside the room.

“Some of our beliefs are already being questioned, and that is what the Sith want. For us to second guess ourselves, to think [i]is our way wrong?[/i]. Once we let them grab purchase we are lost. We need to stand strong, as one and believe that we will survive this and be stronger because of it.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the Force flow through him as it did so.

“I am willing to train you in the ways of the Force and the ways of the Jedi. I feel it is your only hope from this place without joining the ranks of the Sith. However, the choice is always our own and I will only become your Master should you chose it.”

Nazca stared at Koren, trying to get a feel for what type of person he was. If she agreed to this, she would be putting herself almost completely in his power. [i]Not that I’m not already completely in all the Siths’ powers.[/i] She thought with a slight smirk. [i]At least this is my choice.[/i]  “I can’t use the Force at all...Master.” The word felt strange in her mouth, making her uncomfortable. She hurried on. “I was in the Temple for all of a month before the Sith came. As for the code, well, I know it ends ‘The Force’. You don’t need to worry about me joining the Sith.” A flash of anger went through her. [i]Slugs. No more than powerful versions of the slugs.[/i] 

“So..Master..where do we start?”

“Meditation.” He gave her a slight smirk. “Also if it feels more natural feel free to call me Koren. I was born and raised among the Jedi, using the title is natural for me. However I feel that these…-” He waved his hand around the room as if trying to pluck the elusive word out of the air. “-Extreme circumstances can let you get away with not using a little protocol.” 

He took a deep breath. “Close your eyes, and focus upon all the emotion welling up inside you. The hate, the anger, the pain. These emotions are part of us, yet they hinder us. Have you ever tried to fix something only to become frustrated at it? The more you fail the more frustrated you become till the task is impossible? This is why as Jedi we must push such thoughts away. So accept them, then walk past them.”

He let out his breath. “Calm your mind, don’t try to force your mind to quiet. Do not scream [i]CLEAR YOUR MIND[/i] internally, do not force thoughts out of your head. Acknowledge them, accept them. Then instead of focusing on them, let them pass and move out of your mind. This is all we need to for now, we’ll save you connecting to the Force until you’re feeling better.”

Nazca’s smirk fell as she heard the word ‘meditation’. She didn’t do good at that. At sitting still and focusing on herself. There was too much to do, to think about, to work on.  Still, she did as he commanded. Her eyes closed, hands on her knees-[i]Odd, how I got used to my missing hand so quickly that it is still a marvel to have it back.[/i]-and she took a deep breath. It was harder than she thought it would be, to step past her emotions. 

They had been keeping her going for so long. Anger had been the fire to keep her warm through years of scrounging and shivering as a street urchin. Hatred her strength to keep fighting when everyone refused to join her crusade against the Hutts. Fear had kept her alert to danger that faced those who had joined her. And the one time she [i]had[/i] let go of it, an ambush had killed everyone she knew. [i]You did it before. You can do it again. Let go. Relax.[/i] 

She was shaking, her hands clenching her knees hard. Terror rolled off of her in waves. [i]Let...go.[/i] Her shaking increased, but she slowly managed to do it. Anger’s fire dimming to cool embers, hatred’s strength leaving her. Fear took the longest, it’s alert whisperings refusing to let go, refusing to make her less alert. She managed to shake it free, unaware that she was crying. As her paranoia and fear slipped away, past her focus and leaving a certainty she was going to regret leaving them, a storm of thoughts swept into her mind, no longer held back by her need to focus on survival, moving too quickly for her to focus on even if she had wanted to. 

[i]Eeni was probably tortured before she died, Zabrak resilience is legendary. Zissk is nothing more than a red mist on the floor. Oaya I hope they killed. Mandalorians don’t rape their victims, do they? Xid and Shiri you lovestruck fools what are you doing? The Trandoshan is an ugly bastard, and sadistically cruel. He would have loved to face and break Gaartatha. Did he die with Adann Kryze? Did they even die, like the rest of them? Aggrak you stupid, brave piece of gunsos. Jayda suffers just as much under her master as the rest of us, but keeps going through the need for vengeance. Tolun, how can you remain so calm, so composed? Do you even feel? What did that Red Skinned Bitch do to me? What did she do to me? WHAT DID SHE DO TO ME?[/i]

With that last screamed thought, the storm seemed to end. She was calm, her mind exhaustively empty. Her eye cracked open to look at Koren. “I-I think I did it.”

Koren studied her through the exchange, his mind probing the edge of hers. Picking up on the general tone of her emotion. “Well, I can’t say it didn’t seem to be overly dramatic but success is a success.” He waved his hand, focusing heavily on the Force as the room appeared to flicker and fade. The metal shimmered as if caught in a heatwave as their surroundings slowly disappeared, eventually the only thing that made it certain they were sitting on a deck of a ship was the cold floor underneath them.

A drop of sweat slid off his brow as he concentrated on the illusion, as a mist raged through the room. “Just remember, that trying to fight the storm is fruitless. No matter how strong you may be in the Force or with your limbs. Trying to fight it will just cause yourself to be harmed, and grow more and more frustrated. Your mind will become clouded… but if you let it past.” The mist lifted revealing Koren sitting there smiling.

“All will be revealed.” With that he lowered his hand, letting the illusion fade. He was somewhat glad that she wasn’t as skilled in the Force as a regular Padawan would have been, the illusion wouldn’t have worked otherwise. He offered her a smile. “Though, perhaps you have questions for me. As such I will answer what I can, then I’ll help you get to a bed to get some rest. I don’t want you passing out on me.”

Nazca’s cracked open eyelid turned into a full glare at Koren. Or as much of one she could manage while aching all over and exhausted.  “You try surviving on Nar Shaddaa using your emotions for most of your life, and then have someone say ‘Yeah, you need to stop that. Right now.’ Overly dramatic my ass…” 

She jumped visibly when the room darkened and mist swept in, storming around them. Only the fact that Koren didn’t mention it at all made her stay put (not that she would have been able to get anywhere far or quickly). She merely raised an eyebrow at Koren. “And you say [i]I[/i] was overly dramatic?” Despite herself a smirk tugged at her lips. “Me? Pass out? After being experimented on by that Red Skinned Schutta Bitch? Perish the thought!”

However, she quickly frowned, formulating her questions. “Alright. Only two that really need to be answered right now. One; Why are emotions so, I don’t know, taboo in the Jedi Order? I mean, I get this,” She waved a hand vaguely around them to indicate the Sith Ship as a whole. “but this is only emotions in excess and when they, with the Force, are used for evil. No different than a Police officer using a blaster as compared to a thug using a blaster.”

“Two, I assume I am to be only taking instruction from you? There are several other Knights here, and I assume you all didn’t get trained the same way. What if one of them knows a method that you don’t?”

Koren shrugged his shoulders. “Theatrics are a useful tool sometimes. More often than not they can prevent fighting from being necessary. There is a mysticism around Jedi it can be quite useful to play into it. For example in hot climates many Jedi still wear their full robes using the Force to keep cool, do not take drinks at negotiations and so on. It’s all theatre of course but it works.” He eyed her with suspicion.

“Jedi are not barred from their emotions. It’s far more complicated than that. A Jedi is compassionate to all the people of the Galaxy. They are just, they are fair. We get upset the same as everyone else, sometimes we grow attached just the same as every other being in the Galaxy. The important thing is that unlike the Sith we do not let these feelings guide our actions. We control our feelings and do not let them control us. Emotions are raw power that often guide us down a dark path, so to most other beings in the Galaxy we seem emotionless.” He smiled at her. “Fear, keeps you alert. Though if you don’t acknowledge that fear, and let it go unchecked- as you had. That could lead to pain and suffering.”

He paused a second to study her. “Besides, you have it easy. You’re not an Empath. I require to perform some level of mental effort to prevent me from having to deal with everyone else's emotions let alone deal with my own. However you’ll learn in time to control your own. Take your Police Officer and Thug Example. A Police officer only uses a blaster with control and restraint. Whereas a Thug doesn’t show that restraint, and innocents are often at the other side of that blaster.”

“In regards to other people training you, that is up to them. I was raised a temple life, I quite often had different teachers to teach me many different things. Later as a Padawan I had my Master who would take me on missions and would teach me most of what I know but I would still occasionally study under other Jedi. So-” He spread his arms out to indicate the other Jedi. “-If they offer assistance you can feel free to take it. Just… avoid Alat for the time being until me and Tolun Fi determine his allegiance. With him using the Dark Side and all.” 

Before the newly titled padawan could answer her new master, or even question him about Alat, the doors of the turbolift hissed open. Behind them stood not a Sith, but a squad of Imperial troopers. Being covered by the black, crimson and gray helmet standard to [url=http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/5/5b/SithTrooper-TOR.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110103225328]Imperial soldiers[/url], no expressions could be seen on their faces, but anyone could guess that it would have been a mix of determination and no questions asked had their faces been visible.

Koren could sense them heading towards him as they entered and he merely sighed. “It looks like it’s my turn to entertain our hosts.” Before they fully approached him he just looked at Nazca. “I go willingly, don’t put up a fuss. Get some rest and barring that, mediate.” He smiled as he stood up.

They did not wait longer than for the doors to open fully before marching into the bunk room. The six of them split into two groups of three, immediately surrounding the light-haired Jedi Knight. Two of them pointed their rifles at him, the other two at the younger girl. The last two grabbed one arm each on the Jedi and pulled him along, into the turbolift.

Koren just shook his head putting his hands behind his back as he was practically dragged out at gunpoint. “You know, I am a reasonable gentleman you could have just [i]asked[/i] me to come with you.” He grunted as one of them tightened his grip. “Seriously guys, we may be on opposing sides but I’m not unreasonable.” He thought back to the [i]altercation[/i] earlier, he would have shrugged if he had been able while thinking about the devastation.
“I take it back, some of us appear to be unreasonable. Though I was meditating and most of the damage [i]was[/i] done by the Trandoshan. So if you’re taking me to pay the bill… it’s only fair we go halves.” Still the troopers said nothing. “Seriously guys, where we going? I don’t do well with surprises. One year on my birthday a couple of other Jedi jumped out at me to surprise me, I nearly cut one of their hands of. Then when I found out the present was an Anooba I nearly fainted! Then I heard that the Sith Empire won the war!”

He looked between them. “Two of them are lies, can you guess which ones they are?”