Member
dragonpiece
Lucid Dreaming
Alby47
Apollosarcher
Damycles
Landaus Five-One
BlackRoseSiren
Ti
Almalthia
Alfhedil
Chapter 5
Unsettling Future
Week 4, Day 5, Midday
Two days had passed since the massive breakout in the capital city of Lessu. In that time, the Twi’leks had gathered together and all agreed on rebuilding and combining to be one fighting force against the Zygerrians and others who wished to control them and Ryloth.
Many of their remaining villages were vacated, the remaining villages finding it in their best interest to join the movement to rebuild and fight together. Moving along an inhabitable strip of land in Ryloth’s surface, the new gathering of almost one-hundred Twi’leks found a place to call home. Hidden by thick forest and canyon walls that worked together, they started rebuilding. With help from Dominik and Lo, they would fortify their new home and make both above ground and underground sectors to use as a base of operations as they fought their enemies. Together they named their settlement New’Talik and appointed Sar as the head of their people, then began to rebuild and prepare for the war that was to come.
Above the canyon in the thicket of trees that was to be the village’s main living district, Dominik Rothul was using his connection with the Force to help Sar and many others move a large wall into place. Due to the abundance of trees and the difficulty of transporting rock to the surface, the Twi’leks adapted and started to use the resources of wood around them to construct their homes.
Lo leaned heavily against the walking stick provided for her. Her eyes glanced up and watched her master move the large wall, still amazed by his usage of the force. She tilted her head before sighing. Her eyes glanced around, finding nothing useful for her. Her thigh still stung, but the herbs and bandages helped. She scratched her hair then began to move deeper into the center.
She asked the first Twi’leks she approached about helping, but they waved her off. A depression lingered at the back of her skull until she pushed it away.
Once the wall was upright and proper, Dominik released his hold on it and instead used his hands to hold it up along with a few other Twi'leks as the rest secured it to the ground.
He felt a sensation pull at the back of his mind and knew almost immediately where it was coming from, his Padawan. Turning to glance behind him, Lo wasn't very far away. He knew the last couple of days had been hard for her; healing from her injuries and not being able to do much outside of wandering around.
"I can sense your boredom, little one." Dominik called out, knowing Lo could hear him from where he stood as he helped support the wall.
Lo’s ears perked up causing her head to turn to her master. Her head tilted as she considered what to say, deciding to be honest.
“I’m sorry Master, I’m trying to find something. I’m still looking.” Lo smiled in a sheepish fashion. Her hands gripped the top of the stick and managed to find a balance. She didn’t want him to worry about her.
Looking back at the wall, Dominik began to ponder a few things. His hands on the wall shifted, allowing him better posture as his head turned to look at Lo. "Give use a few more minutes, then I've got somewhere I want to bring you." He said, smiling to Lo for a few moments.
Lo frowned with confusion. Her fur rippled, then settled as she nodded her head. She looked for a nearby bench. With a bit of effort, she sat down and waited. Her stick remained in her hands while she watched him finish his work up. As Dominik began to walk toward her, Lo smiled.
“Are you sure they still don’t need you?” Her curiosity filled her voice.
"Lo, you are my Padawan. You come first, always." He said, smiling to the young Bothan before him. "Now come, there's somewhere I want to bring you. Your training starts today." He said, turning and taking a few steps before watching Lo. He would let her walk on her own, he didn't want to baby her, but he'd also wait and walk at a pace that allowed her healing body to keep up. "Follow me."
Lo's smile widened into a grin. She rose up and gently plopped along as she took her time, careful not to damage any healing. Her ears caught the background noise of the creatures while they walked. She occasionally spotted movement, but noticed there was no danger.
Dominik knew there would soon be a time where he wouldn't be able to take these moments with Lo. To simply walk somewhere so they could sit and train, or talk. There were Sith already on Ryloth, for they had came in response to Silus message two days ago. The Master Jedi knew Lo and the Twi'leks were safe, for now. But the peace would not last long, war was about to come to Ryloth.
The Master Jedi kept his pace slow so that Lo could keep besides him. He led the young Bothan through the thick trees, along an old walking path that he had rediscovered the day before. At the end of it was a small clearing along the cliffs edge. It opened up as the trees created the small grove and kept going until they met the edge of the cliff. Looking over you could see the canyon's bottom far below, but looking up, the horizon was in perfect view. Miles and miles of hills and mesas kept the eyes constantly looking at something new.
He led Lo through the clearing until they were a few feet from the edge before Dominik sat down on the ground.
Lo stood a bit longer. Her figure leaned against the walking stick and absorbed the serenity, commiting the beauty to memory. Her breath inhaled then exhaled before she noticed her master sitting down. She limped over next to him then stretched out her legs, lowering her body into the ground. A stick had been placed beside her within easy reach.
She fought back the questions and observed the scene. Her eyes narrowed for answers before she questioned their purpose here.
“What did you want to show me?”
“This.” Dom said, his eyes closing and lungs taking a deep breath as he took in the peace around them. A deep breath in before Dominik exhaled was all that broke the tranquility of the scene.
“Once your leg is healed, we will begin your training. It will not be easy, Lo. Whereas other Padawans may get the time and peace to train alongside their Masters, here it is different. I want you to know why I will push you, why I will challenge you every day.”
His eyes opened finally before he looked over to the Bothan sitting next to him. “The Sith have come to Ryloth, Lo. They’ve come in support of all who wish to see Ryloth’s people enslaved and it’s resources taken. We are safe here, for now, so I want to take this chance while we still have peace to tell you these things. We cannot leave, we cannot flee. It is our duty to help the Twi’leks and restore peace to their home. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I won’t lie and say I feel confident we will fare without difficulty. From my experience with the Zygerrians, I know I have much to learn and improve. I feel underprepared. I don’t want to leave our allies defenseless or to suffer.” Lo’s heart choose the words while her voice gave them life.
Her eyes had returned to the tranquil imagine, feeling a mixture of sorrow and peace. It would never last.
“We are Jedi and it is our responsibility to bring balance to the galaxy. I wanted to become a Jedi so I can help heal and protect those who needed me. I never expected the training to be easy, Master. Making a difference never is.”
A smile found its way onto Master Rothul’s face as he listened to Lo speak. “You’ve grown up quite a lot Lo. You’re not the same little Bothan I once knew on H’ratth. I’m proud of you.”
Dominik slowly stood from his spot but held a hand out ensuring Lo would stay seated. The man took a few more steps away from her before turning to face her directly and sitting back down.
Lo cocked her head. She watched him, full of curiosity and uncertainty.
"It's a simple exercise, but very practical." Dominik began. From around him, rocks started to gather. Small, light pebbles, the kind that were great for throwing. "I want you to stay seated and intersect these pebbles with your lightsaber as if you were deflecting blaster fire." Dom explained and he took a few of the smaller pebbles in his hand.
"Trust the Force, trust what you feel. Prioritize those that would hit you or your allies, leave those that would not… are you ready?"
Lo nodded her understanding then summoned her lightsaber into her hand. She inhaled then exhaled letting her worry fade. “R-right.”
Dominik held one small pebble in his fingers, showing it to Lo before his hand lowered, preparing to throw it. His elbow went back as he tossed it towards his Padawan, making it very easy to see and now throwing it very fast as he wanted to let her warm up to the simple exercise. He saw her hesitate for a split moment, which caused the rock to fall past her saber, missing it, and into her lap.
“That’s alright,” he said before she could get too discouraged, “Try it again. Focus, all this is, is practice. I want you to feel comfortable with this before we move on.” he said, preparing to toss another one before he did so.
Lo inhaled then readied her lightsaber. She gripped it tighter while her eyes settled on the new stone, her upper lip biting the lower. When Dominik tossed it, her tensed and flashed her lightsaber to deflect it. It missed again causing her to grit her teeth together. Despite the failed attempts, she didn’t look ready to stop until she got it.
Dominik could see the determination in Lo’s eyes. He knew this was a little more difficult while sitting, unable to move her feet and body the way she would in battle. Considering her current condition, still healing yet wanting to train he figured this was the best. Just a few more days and they could jump into more rigorous training. Dominik readied another stone before tossing it at her again.
Lo’s anxiety and tension filled her core, her mind distracting her instincts. Her muscles tightened causing her mind to freeze. She swing, but again her reactions delayed and she missed. The pebble darted through her defense then past her. Wasted moments due to her overthinking causing her to sigh.
“I keep… hesitating. I’m not sure how to stop that.” Lo stated, knowing the issue. She just couldn’t figure out the solution.
"You're anticipating it, trying to guess when to meet it with your saber versus trusting your senses and moving naturally. Try again." Dominik said. This time he took four small pebbles and tossed them in quick succession from each other, watching as each flew through the air, watching Lo and gauging her reactions as she prepared herself.
Lo frowned then decided something. Her eyes closed and her force extended. She sensed her fur raise on end while she loosened her grip on her lightsaber. The little Bothan's posture straightened up while she rotated on her waist. Her lightsaber buzzed with her heartbeat. With a quick flourish, she flicked it out. Her force sense twitched at her right, left, front then right again. All four stones dropped onto the ground. Halved by her blocks as they sizzled with heat. The lightsaber turned off indicating she had finished.
Her right eye peered open to see the result. She squeaked with surprise. Her hand picked up the nearest stone and glanced at Dominik with awe.
"There you go." Dominik said, chuckling a little at the look on her face. "Trust yourself and trust in the Force. I knew you could do it. Now, go again." The Jedi said, waiting until Lo was ready for more before he picked up more stones. This time he threw three in quick succession, all in a slightly different projection than the others. He waited for a few seconds before throwing two more, wanting to see if she would still be prepared for the added two.
Lo nodded, then closed her eyes. She struck as her blade went for each twitch, attempting to hit the right spot. The last two missed as the stones went over the cliff. They cracked on the tumble down. Lo frowned then opened her eyes, her body leaned to look over the edge. She watched the two small kicks of dust at the bottom.
“That shouldn’t have happened…” Lo commented in annoyance, her lips curled to one side.
“Good, acknowledge it, but don’t let your mind sit on the mistake. Think about it, let it pass, and work towards correcting it. You must always be prepared to expect the unexpected.” Dominik said, his tone calm and compassionate as he spoke to Lo. He took up five more stones in his hand, tossing them each in quick succession before picking up two more and throwing them a few seconds later, as he had done previously.
Lo rose upright. She faced Dominik once more and nodded, though her expression faltered a bit with her confidence. Her hands wrapped about her lightsaber while she closed her eyes again. Again, her blade went into a fury of fluid movements. All but one stone managed to fall to her flourishes. She flinched at hearing the last rock smack the bottom as she looked to her master. A small row of canine teeth revealed themselves through her lips.
“At least it was just one this time.”
“Indeed, that's an improvement.” He said, smiling to his padawan before he let her prepare yet again for the same exercise. It was basic, yes, but necessary. No need to hurry into her training when they had a time of peace for Lo to learn, and for Dominik to feel out her pace, how quickly she caught on, and her confidence. “Keep your eyes closed, just like you have been, I’m going to throw some more at you. More projectiles means more concentration, never let down your guard.”
Lo inhaled and smiled. "All right."
Her eyes closed as she prepared herself. Her lightsaber ready again and the blue blade illuminated against her brown fur. She listened to the hum vibration within her spirit. Fur relaxed on her surface while she let her senses extend like before. Mentally she noted she had to be faster and more alert this time.
"Ready, Master."
Dominik watched as Lo readied herself after his instruction. One by one Dominik started to toss the pebbles towards her, making sure they weren't all going to have the same projection, throwing in a couple oddballs that Lo could either choose to deflect or let pass as they weren't going to hit her.
He waited a few seconds before throwing another few at her and did this multiple times. He wasn't trying to overwhelm her, but he did want to see how much she could keep up with; it was a good start and something they could easily build upon in her training.
With the last time to think and more stones, Lo’s reaction began to improve. Her hands whipped smoothly about as they clipped one or two in a single motion. The remains began to pile up around her with each success. Eventually she got to the point no stone came out untouched. Even if she didn’t cleave them completely in half, their surface was damaged and scarred by her deflects.
Her movements slowed as soreness edged into her arms. She didn’t want to say anything, instead continuing to force herself to move. Her flourishes became sluggish with her pushing.
Dominik quickly started to notice as his padawan began to tire. “If you’re tired, Lo, you need to say so.” He warned, but continued to toss a couple more stones at her. He would not force his Padawan to keep training should she begin to tire, but he also would not baby her; only Lo truly knew the limits of her body and mind, and it was up to her to speak up should she need to rest.
Lo nodded, through her eyes didn't meet his. She swung her lightsaber a few more times. Only about three found her business end of the blade, severing them into half or chunks onto the ground. The rest eluded her as they fell over the cliff edge. Deep down she knew she had pushed her limit, her thumb pressed her button and deactivated her weapon.
She hooked onto her belt while her hands found her knees. Her teeth bit her bottom lip before she forced herself to look into his eyes.
"I'm sorry Master, but I think I'm pushing my limits." Disappointment in herself poured out of her eyes as she pulled them away.
Dominik was silent for a few moments before a soft smile came to his face. “There is no shame in that, Lo. Realizing when you are at your limit is important, especially in training.” He said, watching his Padawan for a moment before he slowly began to stand. He stepped over to Lo, offering out a hand to help the Bothan up.
“You and I will be training a lot in the coming months. I want to make sure you are ready for whatever comes at us.”
Lo took his offered hand and pulled herself upright, her hand jerked her stick upright. The end firmly pressed into the ground as she shifted her weight and leaned on it. Her eyes turned to take in her master.
"I feel I should be better than what my limit is." Lo explained, her figure started to lead the way back to the village.
"I want to be ready when we encounter the Sith because from what I've been told, they will not hold back. They won't be merciful."
"You can better your limit by training and focus on pushing yourself when it is necessary. You're healing, Lo, you need to let your body fully recover first, then we can focus on pushing ourselves and setting a new limit." Dominik said, watching his young Padawan for a moment. "I will make sure you are as ready as you can be before we face them. I promise."
"I am glad to hear that. I trust you, Master." She continued to walk back to the village, their figures appearing on the edge.
Her eyes flickered to a small group of Twi'lek playing among themselves. They tossed a stuffed bag made from the cured skin of their last meal. It overshot an older child and sailed over to the two Jedi. Sensing the danger, Lo's hand shot up, It stopped it in mid-air.
She turned to Dominik, silently asking permission to join them. It seemed her energy had returned once more.
