djrackley Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 There is no emotion; there is peace. The first line of the jedi code ran frantic laps through the young Corellian padawan's mind as he wrestled against the unrelenting fear that at any moment he was going to be discovered, captured, and killed in a very painful fashion. He had no business here. He didn't even know where here was anyway! Master Ket'nda never told him anything anymore, aside from the tired line about the less he knew the better off he'd be. But right then, Yung would have loved to know at least a few answers. Answers like what kind of building he was in, what planet he was on, or even what star system would have been a great first step. Anything to focus on would have been a big help against the fear of uncertainty that kept sinking its terrible teeth deeply into his mind. What exactly would happen to him if he were discovered? Would he be shot at? Would the whole building come after him? Would he be able to escape? Would he have to fight his way out? Would he even be able to fight his way out? Would his master come for him? Would she save him if he got in over his head? She had a talent for just swooping in to save the day when he was in to deep. She was fierce and fast and strong and frightfully violent. He felt his cheeks flush a little when he thought about how amazing she was. Then he mentally chided himself for allowing his thoughts to stray. While he may not have all the answers he would like, Yung knew the answer to the biggest question before him: what am I supposed to be doing here? The answer to this question was a straight forward one. He was responsible for infiltrating the building's main security room, bypassing (possibly disabling) any anti-slicer codes in place designed to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive materials on the secure systems' databases, and then transfer everything the system had on a project called TY-4-DVBL. Even though Yung was kept in the dark as to what the files were, it was impressed heavily upon him that all information regarding this project was crucial and must be obtained at all costs. For this purpose, the young padawan carried with him a pouch holding twelve blank datacards. Whether he would need them all or not he wasn't sure, but he figured better to not need them and get all the information than to need them and not have them. It was also stressed that he would have to locate any active alarm systems present and shut them all down. Master Ket'nda was very clear about it, that if she heard even one single alarm go off, it would be a month of rigorous physical exercise from sunup to sundown on some planet in a binary star system. And so Yung hustled down the bland stone hallway towards a place he hoped would be the security room, if he remembered the schematics his master had shown him. As he moved, he stretched out with his feelings, allowing the Force to tell him what he wanted to know about anybody who may be nearby. He kept his eyes focused on the bend in the hall up ahead that should lead him to the security room, so far he could not feel the presence of any other living things. As the corner drew nearer, he could begin to feel the life of two creatures. He guessed they were security personnel stationed in the room he needed to get to. Growing cautious, he slowed a bit, resting a hand lightly on the lightsaber swinging at his hip and rounded the corner. He quickly skidded to a stop as two patrol droids carrying heavy blaster rifles turned to face him. He had a fleeting thought of how well his master was doing on her part of this mission. - - - - - - Jedi master Ket'nda Keinen sped down the sterile and highly polished gray stone hallways. Her single-minded goal of the moment was a hidden turbolift, the location of which she'd memorized from a stolen Imperial schematic. She was confident that she would have no problems until she reached the lower levels of the sith base. At that point, her padawan had better have done his job, or this quick little in-and-out would be a lot more drawn out than she'd tolerate. She had no plans to end up detected by some desk grunt staring at holocams all day. Under normal circumstances, she'd not take her young Corellian padawan on any of these missions at all. They were all highly risky tasks that left no room for error. Not even a little. Most of the time, even a small error would be enough to set the mission back several minutes, and that was time more often than not desperately needed for other things. Because of this, Ket'nda fought with the jedi council over and over again, but they simply would not back down. Yung wasn't the first padawan she'd trained, so she was surprised when they insisted that this one accompany her on these highly secretive and sensitive missions. Although her padawan was by far her best one yet, with the most promise for becoming a truly great jedi knight, she didn't think that her missions were the types of things a padawan should be doing. Though, in all fairness, he did remind her a lot of herself. And while it really was anyone's guess, she satisfied herself with the possibility that maybe that alone was the reason why the council insisted on her bringing her padawan along. So she did it, but she didn't have to like it. Slowing to a jog, the jedi master felt the presence of two life forms ahead of her in the hallway and as she rounded a corner, she found them standing at attention against the wall. They were dressed in full sith armor, covered from head to toe and on high alert. This wasn't going to be easy. She made her way forward, reaching out with the Force to touch the guards' minds, gently feeling the synapsis firing along the neural pathways leading to and from the sensory gates that would tell their minds what they were experiencing. Stepping up between the two guards, jedi master Ket'nda Keinen stretched forth her hand and opened the undetectable doors in the wall revealing a small room beyond. Once inside she made the doors close and the turbolift begin its decent, letting out a sigh. Well, she thought, when the doors open on the lower level, I'll know very quickly if my adorable little padawan was successful. - - - - - - - "Yung," she had said, "confusing a droid is a lot easier and a lot trickier than a sentient life form at the same time. With a living, breathing, thinking creature, you must isolate all the senses that give input to the brain. Find where those pathways are. Most neophytes will tell you to simply shut them down is the easiest way to disable an opponent, and for most cases they are right. It would be an easy opponent to defeat that was lying on the ground, unable to move, speak, see, or hear anything at all. "But in many of the situations I find myself, it's a lot simpler to find the pathways that lead to and from the sense gates and select merely the signals that represent me. Every footstep I make that is heard, I remove that signal from the neural pathway. Standing right in front of someone, I can convince them that there is nothing there. The stronger the mind, the more difficult it is to do and if that mind is alert, even more difficult. "With a droid, there is no neural pathways to detect and feel, it's all signal. Power relayed and code transferred through signal. They all speak their own languages and that can be tough, but I will let you in on a secret. At their most basic level, all droid languages, all programming code is broken down to enormously long strings of strikes and dots. With practice you can find those strings of strikes and dots and block them from reaching the logic processors and prevent the droid from reacting to your presence. "They will know you are there, they will see you, walk around you, but they will be incapable of otherwise reacting to you in any way. And while this is exponentially more difficult than simply slashing them with a lightsaber, sometimes you don't want a pile of droid parts littering the place. For whatever reason." She had said that last part with a mysterious smile. For the longest time, Yung couldn't figure out why it would matter if a droid's corpse was littering the glorious field of battle or not, and then he started getting a taste of some of the things master Ket'nda did when she'd normally leave him behind with his studies. Right now was such a time in which he was positive that his life was in danger, and yet, if he reacted with the lightsaber to save his life, he may well be endangering it even further down the road. Reaching out quickly with his feelings, he invaded both patrol droids circuit boards as they raised their blaster rifles to fire. Again, he fought the fear that threatened to shake him from his focus and ultimately kill him and sifted through hundreds of strings of code until he found one in both droids that were similar enough looking at first glance that he decided to try them. Immediately, he shut off the pathway for those codes. And waited. The patrol droids lowered their weapons and continued on down the hallway. Yung made his way to the security room door, opened it, and stepped inside. - - - - - - - The turbolift doors slid open and without hesitation, jedi master Ket'nda Keinen raced down the underground hallway past holocam after holocam, almost holding her breath, waiting for the alarms that would sound at any minute now. She'd need to move faster. Much faster. Her target was in sight. The end of the hall had a door that lead to the training area for the dark jedi. Inside would be the first place she'd look for her marks. Both of them. She knew they were there. The power of the dark side flowed freely down the hallway, trying to choke out her senses through the Force. Though no alarms sounded, she hurried her pace. She'd get only one chance at this, she had to strike and she had to strike now. The hallway shortened quickly and she stuck out her hand, fighting past the choking fog of the dark side, and triggered the door slide. Without a sound, she raced into the training room and spotted one of her targets sitting cross-legged in the middle of a dirty blood soaked rug. She did not stop her charge. "So, at last the jedi has arrived. I have been waiti..." The dark jedi's words were cut off as the lavender colored blade sprung forth from master Ket'nda's lightsaber hilt, sliced cleanly through the neck, separating the head from the body, and just as quickly was extinguished. Just as fast as a single stroke and her first target was dead. The other one was close by she could feel it, but she did not know for certain where. The power of the dark side was very strong where she stood in the training room. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself," came a voice from somewhere nearby, though she could not see where. The training room she stood in was fairly well lit but she could see no dark corner where someone may be hiding. "The jedi sent an assassin after me and my apprentice." In the blink of an eye something dropped from the ceiling and two glowing crimson blades sprung into existence, humming angrily as they crashed against Ket'nda's immediately appearing lavender lightsaber blade. She held her lightsaber before her, even as the Dathomirian sith master had her pinned to the floor. Already she was upset. A fight was not something she'd wanted. In and out, two strikes, two kills, just that fast, and then back towards the ship. She certainly hoped her padawan was faring far better than she right now. - - - - - - - "I don't know, I just got the strangest craving for some snacks in the break room." The other security officer nodded, "Yeah, me too. But are you sure it's okay to just leave our post like this?" The first officer nodded as they stepped past padawan Yung and left the room, "Are you kidding? It's been slow all day. No one's going to miss us for a few minutes." The other nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right." Yung watched as the two disappeared around the corner and the door closed behind them. He exhaled quickly and made his way over to the security console, immediately looking for the alarm systems. He was an unusually bright and crafty young man, and he could figure out his way past several computer systems, but occasionally a programming corporation would get creative in their security measures and come up with something that would throw him off. For these instances, he relied on the Force to tell him what he needed to know. There are many who would argue that the Force is only in the living organisms like life forms, rocks, or trees, but Yung understood something of the Force that not many others did, and he used that to help him out whenever master Ket'nda relied on him in one of her missions. He'd never had a need to use his gift in this area before, and many considered it merely a hobby. And now, in the field, he was finding it quite the critical skill to have. In only a few short minutes, he had all alarms disabled, security measures guarding restricted files removed, and was already well on his way to downloading project TY-4-DVBL in its entirety. He allowed himself a small impish grin of satisfaction until he spotted something on a holocam monitor that caused his heart to drop. Master Ket'nda was pinned to the floor somewhere in the building and it looked very much like she was about to die at the hands of an enemy more powerful than her. - - - - - - - Jedi master Ket'nda Keinen kicked upwards, striking the sith in the chin, knocking him backwards. She used the moment to regain her feet, holding her lightsaber in front of her. She gazed warily at his twin red glowing blades and hesitantly ignited the other end of her dual bladed lightsaber, a second lavender blade appeared mirroring the first. The Dathomir dark jedi grinned, "You are no match for me, jedi shadow. Surrender now and I promise you it'll be over quick. Real quick." Ket'nda frowned and gave her saber staff a twirl, then closed the distance between them. He grinned, swinging his red lightsabers in an uncoordinated assault, each one attacking seemingly at random, an attempt to throw off any rhythm she may be trying to build, "Suit yourself. I like to play, too!" In a moment's time he'd pressed her back towards the door with his violent dual saber attack style. He didn't let up, didn't slip up, didn't lower his guard, didn't take his eyes off her. Not once, not ever. Ket'nda wondered why the training room door hadn't opened. She desperately wanted the room to move, but he wasn't giving her any ground at all and again, he had her pinned, both his blades pressed against hers. "Your thoughts betray you, jedi. Your focus is split between this fight and your young padawan. You worry what will happen to him without you there to coddle him." Ket'nda snarled at him, "I don't coddle him!" Though she rejected the accusation, she knew it was true, and though she'd never admit it to herself, she was in love with the boy. "Adorable, is he?" The sith master laughed harshly as he sorted through her mind like turning the pages of an old tome and she blushed hotly as all of her inner secrets were coming to light. "Tell me, have you taken him yet to be your own?" Tears of shame at having her secret desires so easily seen ran down her face and she was quite certain she had turned completely red, but the sith master was as merciless in conversation as he was in combat, "No, of course not. Jedi are forbidden from indulging their passions. There is no passion; there is tranquility, am I right?" The sneer on his face angered her. "What utter garbage! Without passion, how can you know you are truly alive?!" He was howling at her now, letting his own passions and anger rise up, becoming even stronger in the dark side of the Force. "I have seen your qualities, jedi, and I do not fear a jedi shadow!" At that moment, the training room door opened up and Ket'nda fell backwards out of the room. In the same instant, a glowing blue lightsaber blade ignited, punching a hole through the sith master's chest. He stood there staring in disbelief at the jedi shadow's padawan who wore a look of determination on his face. Not adorable. Not adorable at all. A warrior. Through and through. Someone not afraid of killing. His dying moments were spent matching the expression in the padawan and master's eyes. Identical. "What will you do now, jedi?" Yung watched as the sith master sank to his knees and then fell over backwards, both of his lightsabers falling from his hands and winking out. Behind him, master Ket'nda cleared her throat, "Have you finished your task?" He turned to face her and thought he caught a hint of redness in her face, but he wasn't sure. Probably just winded from fighting the sith, "Yes, master. I have gotten all the information available on the project." She nodded, "Good, get back to the ship. I'll meet you there. There's something I need to do first." Her young padawan nodded and raced back down the underground hallway towards the turbolift. She watched him go and reflected on his face just now. He had been so grim, so determined. She mumbled under her breath, "You're not so adorable anymore, Yung." Bending down she picked up a small talisman tucked inside the Dathomirian sith lord's belt. It was pouring out dark side power like a cup filled well past overflowing. She closed her eyes and summoned a pulse of Force energy sending it down her arm and into the talisman. Nothing happened, so she did it again. A small crack appeared on it's polished orange metal surface. So she sent another pulse out and this time the talisman crumbled into metal shavings that sprinkled to the ground. Immediately she felt the taint of the dark side begin to recede. Slowly, as she began walking down the hallway towards the turbolift, her mind turned towards other things. At last she understood why the jedi council had insisted on her taking her padawan with her on the missions she accepted. This time she had not felt him approach at all until the door was open and the sith master was dead. Her smile was bittersweet as she mourned her feelings for the boy. With a sharp inhale, she summoned peace like a still and calm sea and exhaled all of her tension. "Well, Yung," she said to herself, "you're going to make one hell of a jedi shadow." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adwynyth Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 SQUEE. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djrackley Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Jedi Padawan Rowan Yung knocked softly on his master's room door. He stood outside in the resort hallway trying to keep his anxiety at bay. He was so happy it threatened to show on the outside, which was really saying something about the normally reserved teenage boy. Rarely did he and his master ever take a break to unwind so when such moments happened they usually went some place nice and quiet where they could talk and spend time together outside of missions and jedi council type stuff. It was usually time well spent. He was glad that Ket'nda Keinen was his master and not one of the other more stuffy jedi. He imagined that in their off times, other jedi padawan were tested and questioned by their masters in various jedi knowledges and were kept up on the jedi code and all of the teachings, but not his master. Ket'nda believed it was always a good idea to take a break whenever you get the chance. To just relax and let your mind wander and think on things outside of what you normally think about. Things such as a fond memory of some happy event or something similar. She was always like that, but he supposed that was how she dealt with the rigors of her particular assignments. She always did things a little unusually and he was used to it. For example, the last time they had managed to get away and relax, they sat on the beach of some planet's moon somewhere and simply snuggled. Of course, as he got older it was a little embarassing, but since she'd always been like that, it was easily overlooked. While he was fairly certain that none of the other jedi masters treated their padawan that way, he was also fairly certain that none of the other padawan had masters they looked up to and admired more than he did his. So if she liked hugging and cuddling when they were some place quiet, where he wouldn't have to worry about bumping into anyone and then having to stammer out an excuse for his master's behavior, then he didn't really mind all the attention she gave him. But that wasn't why he was excited right now. At the moment he was excited because his days as a jedi padawan were finally over. All that was left was the ceremony between master and apprentice and it would finally be official. All the years of closely studying every move she made, watching the way she interacted with those she came into contact with, seeing how she treated others, all of the things he observed his master doing had finally payed off and he would be ready to study the Force in whatever paths he decided to take for himself. Again, his happiness threatened to rise up and destroy his carefully crafted calm exterior. "Who is it?" came his master's voice from inside. It took him a moment to realize that he'd been doing it again, hiding his presence from those around him. He hadn't meant to do it, but he'd gotten so used to using the technique for his master's missions that it was fast becoming second nature. He relaxed his control and lowered the self-erected shield from around himself, allowing the Force to reconnect him to the world at large. "Yung!" her voice changed from inquiring to pleased and she opened the door for him and stepped back, "You're right on time, please come in." Rowan Yung allowed himself a polite smile as he stepped inside, looking around at his master's room, which was decorated differently than his own. The large single bed in the middle of the room wore maroon bedclothes and large fluffy pillows that contrasted the soft cream colored carpeting and walls. He was just about to do a mental comparison of the differences between their rooms when he heard the door close behind him and when he turned he fought to keep the surprise from his face. Ket'nda Keinen smiled and crossed the distance between them wearing something her former padawan had never seen her in. She threw her arms around him and pulled him close, giving him a big hug. Rowan stood there and moved his arms hesitantly around her as well. The sight of her in formal jedi robes was a real shock. She hardly ever wore anything other than loose clothing with sleeves and pant legs. He allowed the faintest hint of a smile as he fully appreciated her right then. The formal robes of a jedi master looked good on her and gave her the appearance of skill and command that she kept carefully hidden by the clothes she usually wore. It was right then that he realized the weight of the moment in front of him. His destiny stared back as real as his master was. As important as it had been in his own mind, seeing her dressed like a full and proper jedi master profoundly deepened the momentousness of the occasion. His heart raced and the gravity of it all sat heavily on him. Suddenly he had questions and doubts. What if he wasn't ready yet? He was only 15 years old. Not the youngest ever to become a jedi knight, but certainly very young. Was he even capable of serving the jedi order in the way they would require? He began to feel like he was in over his head. What would this mean after the cerimony? Without master Keinen around to instruct and correct him what would happen if he messed up? What if without her guidance he couldn't do anything but mess up? How would he know he was doing right? His uncertainty started to get the best of him and he trembled as all of his fears battled one another inside his mind. Ket'nda felt him trembling in her arms and stretched out with the Force to feel out the source of his anxieties. As she managed to puzzle together what may be troubling him, she hugged him tighter and gave him a lingering kiss on his cheek, "You'll do fine, Yung. You have been doing fine for a while now. These past couple of years since I started taking you with me on secret missions I've not had to say much of anything to you." Rowan Yung looked up at her and she smiled warmly down into his adorable light brown eyes. She was right. The more he thought about it, the past two years were filled less with his instruction and education and more with letting him figure out for himself how to handle various situations as they arose. He knew deep inside that he didn't need her advice or guidance anymore, but there was some other part of him that still needed her. It was that part that made him uncertain about what life after the ceremony would hold for him. Ket'nda Keinen's smile broadened and she went over to the incense box sitting on a nearby table and lit a few sticks. She puffed gently to snuff out the flames, letting the incense burn slow, its smoke rising lazily towards the ceiling in chaotic whorls. She moved over to the bed and sat down, smiling pleasantly at her former padawan, and lightly pat a spot on it beside her. Rowan took the hint and sat down next to her, fiddling idly with his padawan braid. She turned his direction, slipping her leg around him so she could pull him even closer. She lightly bit her lip, sitting there running her fingers through his short dark brown hair, quite amused by the way he handled her attentions. She let out a playful chuckle and lightly scratched his scalp with her nails. Here she goes again, he thought to himself. Despite this he didn't move away from her. He never did. Not only had he gotten used to it, he'd also grown to like it a lot. All that attention from a beautiful woman like his master. Inside it made him happy that she liked spending time with him and treating him the way she did. It made him think things about her. Things that were not appropriate between master and apprentice. But he did, and secretly he liked those thoughts. "Okay," she said, wrapping both arms around his shoulders, "Before we do this, you have to do something for me." Rowan paused for a moment and then turned his head to look at her. He was going to try and figure out what she would say, but his face was now heart-poundingly close to hers. A few heartbeats passed and he swallowed is nerves, nodding, "Okay. What?" She grinned and lay her head on his shoulder, "I want you to tell me about your trial. Tell me about the mission I gave you as your test, and tell me how you completed it. I want all of the details. Leave nothing out." Rowan let out a quick laugh nervously and nodded, "Alright. You want me to start from the beginning, right?" Ket'nda sighed contentedly and nodded, her head still resting on Yung's shoulder, "Of course. I want to hear everything." - - - - - - - Jedi Padawan Rowan Yung stood by himself on the bridge of the Dauntless, one of the largest cruisers in the Republic's fleet. He stared out the forward viewpanels that stretched around three sides of the enormous room allowing him to see space as he never had before. As the lines of hyperspace faded away and the planet Corellia loomed in front of them, the jedi apprentice fought to keep the awesomeness of what he was seeing from showing on his face. Corellia was the world he was born on, and likely where his parents still lived. As with every other time in his life when he thought about his homeworld, his mind again wandered through the many possibilities for whatever life he may have enjoyed had he not been taken by the jedi. Such musings were foolishness, he knew, he had not lived that life, nor could he change the past. He may have had a more innocent and carefree lifestyle as the child of one of the citizens of the world, but on the other side of that coin, he never would have met master Ket'nda. He couldn't suppress the smile before it appeared briefly on his face as he thought about his amazing teacher. She was everything he wanted to be. She was clever, confident and strong in the Force. She was very important to the jedi order, even he could see that. Missions that had a tight time frame that could not be put off. When it absolutely had to be successful, she was called in. He had so much respect for her he found himself thinking about her a lot. Like right then. Blinking, he struggled to push away thoughts of her, focusing instead on what he had to do once he got planetside. He watched as his homeworld grew larger out the viewpanels and despite the huge reminder of all that could have been staring back at him, Rowan was already planning his first few steps on the surface and how they should go. "Sir," the bridge commander said as he approached the jedi padawan, "We'll reach orbit soon, you can depart within the hour." Rowan looked up at the not quite middle aged officer and nodded, "Thank you, Commander." As he turned to leave the bridge, Rowan grinned to himself quickly. Time to get into character. - - - - - - - "Uhm, excuse me. If you don't open this door, I'm going to slice my own way in and you're all going to be fired!" Security Officer Temmen Orr frowned and pointed a finger at the holocam display in the tiny office shared with two other security officers, "What in the depths of space is that?" He looked back and forth between the two other men, waiting for an answer that had not gotten much further than a few stammering starts. He was not having a good day right then. Oh, his day had been fine, until this boy at the door started making the vein in his forehead throb. "Well?" "He's been out there for a little while now, screaming into the holocam," the officer seated at the desk said without looking Temmen in the eye. "He insists that we should let him in because his father is head of security here." Orr stared more intently at the three dimensional holographic image of the boy outside the door. He couldn't have been any older than 16 years and appeared to be a full blooded Corellian. It was entirely possible that the youngster merely confused this building for some other that his father might work at. Normally, he would have given the boy the benefit of the doubt, but that was until the threats of getting fired were thrown in. Leaning forward, security officer Temmen Orr held down a button on the base of the holocam projector, speaking loudly, "Young man, your father is not the head of security for this facility. So I suggest that you run along and play somewhere else or we will have no choice but to take you into custody." He let go of the button and watched the display carefully to see what would happen next. The boy frowned and opened the satchel he carried with him, screaming in outrage, "Fine! You won't let me in to see my father, then I'm going to slice my way in, you bunch of arrogant pigs! I won't be denied!" Temmen Orr grinned, standing up straight and tall, then looked at one of the other security officers, "Get the head of security down here right now." - - - - - - - Rowan Yung kept the expression of outrage firmly where it was on his face, waiting for the confrontation with head of security. He had big plans for how to handle this one. In his mind the plan would be that even though he could slice past this building's security, it would be very unwise to do so in the presence of so many witnesses and would land him in so much trouble that attempting it just wasn't worth it. So a threat would suffice. Shortly, the head of security would arrive and Rowan would try something he'd been practicing in his off time and see if he could pull it off. Sure there were many other ways to infiltrate this building, more stealthy and unseen ways, but how great would it be to get all the things he was here to get by simply marching in through the door with everyone watching? Rowan would then convince the head of security that he was his son and be taken on a grand tour of the facilities where he would jack into the system and mirror all files available in the entire building. That would involve getting past system walls and encrypted passwords and then removing any trace he'd been there, all while controlling the head of security's mind maintaining the illusion of parentage. But it could work. The only thing he dreaded afterwards was spending the time back at the jedi temple sorting through all the information he'd have retrieved looking for evidence of Imperial influence. That would be unbelievably boring. And then, without warning, the door slid open and a contingent of security personnel swarmed out and surrounded him, each with their hands on the blasters still holstered at their sides. Rowan kept his cool and waited to see the man who would introduce himself as the head of security. At which point, the battle for control of his mind would begin. But, then out of the door stepped a tough as duracrete looking woman in her sixties who glowered down at him with a no-nonsense expression of disapproval. She eyed him from head to toe then spoke quickly, "I am head of security." Rowan blinked. Oh. - - - - - - - Temmen Orr grinned to himself as he stood outside the SynnCor security entrance watching the scene unfold. Head of security for the company, Jonna Nann squared off against the loud-mouthed young intruder who seemed to think he was entitled entrance. There wasn't much in life that Orr enjoyed more than watching rude individuals getting their comeuppance, and judging by the expression she wore on her face, it was going to be a rather brutal one. His eyes took in the youth, who for the moment, had nothing to say. He simply stood there staring at the head of security who stared right back at him. Temmen Orr was certain one of two things would happen at this point. One. The boy would realize his mistake, that his father did not in fact work there and turn around and leave. Two. He could insist on seeing his father, after which it could get rough. Either way, it would be a high point in his day. - - - - - - - Rowan Yung had nothing to say right then. His well thought out plans were crumbling around him. He wished very much that he'd bothered with a backup plan, but he was so sure that he wouldn't need one, that his original idea was so flawless that it couldn't help but to succeed. Even the best laid plans don't survive first contact. Master Ket'nda's words returned to him right then and he suddenly realized just how true they were. He needed to say something. Do something. His mind raced, trying to grasp onto anything that might help salvage the situation, but the longer he stared at the imposing woman in front of him, the harder it was to come up with something that would work, and the worse it would sound if he finally did manage to think up a plan. His thoughts were divided in that problem. Until something sparked in the back of his mind. A thought. A memory from long ago that wasn't very clear. Something he couldn't quite place. Suddenly he was studying her face in as much detail as he could commit to memory. He was vaguely aware of the others standing around watching the scene unfold, but at the moment he was trying to put together pieces of a puzzle he didn't have much frame of reference to go on. Something about her facial structure, her cheekbones, her eyes, the way she carried herself. Familiar. And suddenly it clicked in his brain, a flood of memories long forgotten in a time much more carefree. His eyes grew wide and he almost teared up, a smile trying to show on his face, "Momma Nann?" - - - - - - - Temmen Orr rolled his eyes and almost burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of what he was witnessing. Was this kid for real? Was this really the new tact he was going to try when he realized his mistake? The audacity. Pretending familiarity with the one in charge? Really? Any idiot with any level of observation would have spotted the name tag on her uniform. But to try to get inside by using that? Just how stupid did he think she was? His malicious grin broadened as he waited for Jonna Nann to throw the boy out on his backside. It couldn't be but moments away. He watched as SynnCor's head of security squinted and stared at the boy long and hard. If she was planning something more than merely tossing him out, Orr hoped it would be some kind of horrible punishment. Jonna Nann smiled and opened her arms, "How you doing, kiddo?" Orr blinked, wide eyed and may well have fell over if he hadn't been leaning up against the wall. He was highly upset at this latest development and took a step forward to say something, but the teenager beat him to it. SynnCor's head of security was busy hugging the boy tightly with a smile bigger than any he'd ever seen anyone wear ever. She gave him a kiss on the forehead, "It's been such a long time since I've seen you, I didn't even recognize you." Temmen Orr stood there beside the security door, unable to formulate into words his shock and confusion. The head of security turned and lead the teenager inside the building with an arm around his shoulders more happy than at any point Orr had ever known her. He watched as the rest of the security force also turned and walked back inside following closely behind the two who baffled him the most right then. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but there wasn't much he could do about that right then. His brain was too busy still trying to work out what exactly had just happened. - - - - - - - Rowan Yung's smile was plastered to his face as he walked down the hall, his grandmother's arm around him. She was telling him about how she's been lately and how things were on Corellia when they reached her office and went inside. She closed the door behind them. Finally alone, she stepped back and took a long look at him, "I tell you, Row, it's been such a long time and we've all been hoping that you were doing well." She arched an eyebrow, "You have been doing well, haven't you?" He grinned at her, "Yeah, I've been okay. My master teaches me a whole lot of things and I'm learning so much." She smiled warmly at him, "Your parents will be thrilled to hear it. I can't wait to tell them about this." She shook her head, taking a look at him up and down, and then her smile vanished, "You're becoming a jedi knight aren't you? You being here. This is your trial, isn't it?" They were statements more than questions. Rowan hesitated and instead of answering, found himself staring at the floor. She clicked her tongue and nodded, "I knew it. The moment I recognized you, I knew there was only one reason you could be here." He looked up into her eyes evenly and she continued, "You're here on official jedi business. Looking for answers about Imperial involvement in the corporate infrastructure of Corellia, am I right?" Rowan searched her eyes for answers. He didn't want to reconnect with her now only to make her an enemy in all of this. That's not what he wanted at all, "Momma Nann..." "I knew it." For long moments the two of them looked at each other and not a word was spoken, both trying to figure out what this would mean for the future of their relationship. Finally, Jonna Nann spoke, "Well, I'm not going to stop you, kiddo. In fact, I'm going to help you." She moved over to her desk terminal and pulled back the chair, "You can access every network and system file in SynnCor through this terminal. You'll find plenty of data about corporate partners, other companies involved in SynnCor trading, and names, even. Enough, I think, for what you need." Rowan sat down in the chair and put his satchel in his lap, pulling out one datapad from among the others all connected in a mess of wires and plugged into the desk terminal. "Momma Nann," he said simply, "You're a Corellian." She nodded fiercely, "A damn proud one too, kiddo. Just that somewhere along the way I lost sight of that." She stood over him, watching while he worked skillfully making lightning-fast copies of all the files he sliced through the security to get at. Lightly, she ran her fingers through his hair, focused on his padawan braid, and smiled at how incredibly long it was. For a moment, he paused in his work, looking up at her long enough to ask, "What are you going to do, now? I won't say anything, but treason is a harsh thing to be convicted of, especially these days." She smiled and nodded, caressing his face, "Yeah, Row. I'm going to write up my two week notice as soon as you leave. Having my precious little grandson show up at my workplace on official jedi business was the wake-up call I needed." She playfully flicked the tip of his nose, "Thank you." He smiled warmly up at her and went back to his work, making copies of everything, transmitting them all directly to the datapad bundle hidden in his satchel. This wasn't how he had planned for this mission to go. It was better! - - - - - - - Temmen Orr fumed pacing back and forth in the tiny security office just on the inside of the door the boy had been outside of just minutes ago. What had happened? Momma Nann? He was so angry right then he'd have physically struck one of the two other security officers also present. It had to be a trick. It had to. He refused to leave it at that. There's no way he could. There had to be a reasonable explanation for all of this. Spinning, he turned to the officer sitting at the desk, "You! Get up! Now!" Quickly, the offending officer stood up and got away, letting Orr have a seat. He frowned, watching as Orr moved over to the terminal and opened up personnel files. "Jonna Nann... Jonna Nann..." Orr muttered as he sifted through the name index. When he'd found it, he opened the file, which contained the thorough background check that had been run before she was ever employed here a few years ago. Surely there had to be something here. A spotty work record, anything which would indicat... His eyes suddenly went wide as he saw something pop up on a sidebar that was a possible warning flag that was to be seriously examined before her employment was allowed. A small side note mentioning that she had a grandson named Rowan Yung who was taken by the jedi when he was only five years old. "By the blackest depths," he whispered and it all started clicking into place. Temmen Orr stood up suddenly, still staring at the information displayed on the terminal, "Boys, hit the alarm. We have an intruder of the most dangerous sort! Get armed and head to Nann's office. Bring reinforcements. All of them." - - - - - - - "You know, kiddo, it sounds to me a lot like you're in love." Rowan blinked, looking up at his grandmother, "N-no. I... I didn't say anything at all about love or being in love, how could you..." Jonna chuckled, delighted at her discovery. She didn't think jedi were allowed to love, but there it was staring right back at her as clear as a cloudless day. That her grandson had, all on his own, found love, made her happy beyond words. Hopefully those emotionless monks wouldn't crush and destroy this newfound happiness of his. She might not believe the same way the jedi do, but to her, love was something beautiful to be treasured and the last thing she wanted right then was for her own grandson to become another unfeeling eunuch. She leaned over the desk looking him eye to eye, "You didn't have to say anything, Row. I can hear it in your voice and I can see it in your eyes when you talk about her. And the things you say about her, you may not even know it yourself." Her grin made him a little uncomfortable and he shifted in the chair, staring down at the file structures as they appeared on the terminal screen. Did she really know? Suddenly, a warning went up on his datapad and he looked closely at what it said. "What is it?" she asked seeing his expression. He let out a long breath and looked up at her, "There's a security alert that was just triggered throughout the whole building, and..." He let the sentence trail off as he punched a few buttons on the datapad, looking for something. "...and it looks like it originated from a security office in section twelve, right after your personnel files were accessed." "Sith spit!" Jonna Nann cursed angrily. "It's that overachieving boot licker Temmen Orr and if he's found out about you then we're both in trouble." She paused for a second, "Wait a minute, why isn't the whole building in a security lockdown?" This time it was her grandson's turn to flash a grin, "How new at this do you think I am? Before I even began mirroring SynnCor's files, I set up a watch routine in case any particularly bright security officers started monitoring for suspicious file activity and shut down any alarms before they could even be made." He blushed seeing her highly impressed expression, "You could say I've had a lot of practice in that area." His grandmother frowned, "No jedi I've ever heard of can do any of that. I'm pretty sure it's not on the curriculum." "No, you're right. It's not something they teach at the jedi academy," he said, tucking away his datapad and slinging his satchel over his shoulder, "but they do encourage us to develop hobbies or interests outside of what they teach, for a more complete education, it allows us to better understand the galaxy as a whole, meaning we can more easily understand and function as jedi, keepers and dispensers of peace." His grandmother nodded, "Yes, warriors and diplomats, I've heard of. So what is it that you are training to become for the jedi?" He stopped for a second and then stood to his feet, "I can't tell you that, Momma Nann." She looked at him and nodded. She'd heard rumors. Whispers that the jedi council had at their disposal a secret group of jedi who were so powerful with the Force, so highly trained that they could be called upon to do the impossible, the dirty little jobs that nobody else could go near. Political missions and secret jedi tasks. She was equal parts proud and sad at the same time. That her grandson, her flesh and blood relative would be used by the jedi for any number of potentially despicable and heinous chores broke her heart. But at the same time, that her grandson, her flesh and blood relative would be so profoundly powerful and skilled and talented that when nobody else could get it done, the jedi would have to rely on him to do it because everybody else would fail miserably... That made her so very proud. He looked her evenly in the eye, "If they've pulled your personnel file and they know about me and this company is actually under Imperial control, then you're not safe here anymore and you should come with me. Right now." - - - - - - - "So that's why you wanted her in protective custody." Ket'nda Keinen looked at her handsome young former padawan with an amused expression as she began putting the pieces together, "That woman was your grandmother." Rowan Yung nodded, shifting slightly on his master's bed to keep his legs from going numb, "Yes she is." Ket'nda pulled him close and kissed his cheek, holding her lips there for a long moment, "I'm happy for you, Yung." He blushed a little bit and again nodded. She smiled, "So what happened next?" He took a deep breath and answered, "Well, they were waiting for us when we left the room, but they never saw us. I've gotten quite good at the masking techniques you taught me. So we literally walked out the front door right under their noses. They never even saw us. Momma Nann was baffled, but realized quickly that I was doing it so she just followed along. The shuttle was waiting for us where it was supposed to and we rejoined the Dauntless in orbit and returned to Coruscant. "The search for evidence through all the files turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. I spent all of ten minutes searching before I found something. And then I found a whole lot more somethings. I was at it all night piecing relevant files together into a cohesive picture of what all SynnCor was really up to. I presented it to the jedi council and they were collectively impressed by my findings in the company and also disturbed by what it could mean for the corporate infrastructure on Corellia. "By the time the republic acted to shut down SynnCor, it was already abandoned and completely stripped out. Like they knew it was going to happen, and they took all personnel files, all terminals, every piece of equipment out from inside the building and just left. "The jedi council then granted me the rank of jedi knight and strongly encouraged me to find my own path in the galaxy. To leave you to do your missions and I to do mine." He looked over at his former jedi master who was also looking back at him. He wanted to say more, but for some reason he didn't think he could trust his voice to work quite right. - - - - - - - "Just a moment, Master Keinen," spoke one of the jedi council members as Yung reached the door and stopped to turn and look at her. She nodded to her padawan, "Go on, Yung, I'll be with you shortly." When her apprentice left, she turned back around to look at the one who had spoke, "Yes, Master Genden?" The short blue skinned rodian jedi master looked at her, "I may not be a human myself, but I know when one is harboring dangerous feelings." "What Master Genden is trying to say," spoke an elderly human woman seated almost on the other side of the room behind Ket'nda, "is that your feelings for your padawan are not uncommon, or unheard of. It's perfectly natural for some jedi to fall in love, even." Ket'nda Keinen turned to face the woman, "Master Shale." The woman held up her hand to forstall any argument that might be forthcoming. "However," she said with a long enough pause to let the importance of that one word sink in, "as a jedi master yourself, you should well know the dangers of emotions, especially those running as high as yours." Ket'nda didn't say anything for a long moment. She had no idea that the jedi council knew how she felt for her padawan. "Master Keinen," Jenna Shale spoke again, "the jedi council has known for a long time about this. The only reason that nothing was done or said before now is because by the time we discovered these dangerous feelings of yours, Rowan Yung was already showing a strong disposition towards the skills and talents required to become a master jedi shadow. At the time you were the only one without a padawan capable of teaching him what he would need to know in order to fill that role." Ket'nda put an effort into maintaining her calm as what she feared most was then said. "When your padawan passes your test, and he will," spoke the rodian, Master Genden, "he will be a servant of the jedi council, just like you are, just like every other jedi. You will take on another padawan and you will leave Rowan Yung alone to continue his studies on his own. These feelings of yours must be dealt with. You know the truth. You have seen it with your own eyes." She thought about what he was saying knowing the truth of his words. If followed, the path of passion leads to possessiveness. Possessiveness leads to jealousy. Jealousy leads to suffering. She had seen it with one of her friends back when she was still a padawan. Her master hadn't caught it in time and because the Force has a tendency to strongly amplify your feelings and abilities, her friend's initial passions destroyed her. "This is why," the rodian jedi master continued, "when the ceremony is over, you will report back here for reassignment and he will be transferred to Tython where he will construct his own lightsaber and pursue the studies he is most interested in." Ket'nda wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it together as she felt the weight of all the jedi masters assembled staring at her, judging her. "This separation is best for the both of you and though likely you do not see it now, in time you will come to understand the wisdom behind this decision." She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. All these years she has spent with Yung and grown to love him deeply and passionately, though she has never acted on her feelings, and now he was going to be taken from her. She had expected that the day would come when he was no longer her padawan, but for the jedi council to find out and take steps to actively keep them apart. She almost didn't hear it when she was dismissed from the council room, but she turned and slowly walked out the door, her mind in a fog as despair threatened to crush her on all sides. The jedi council room doors slid shut like a vibroax on the chopping block of her love. She broke down and cried. - - - - - - - Ket'nda Keinen sat on the bed in her room at the luxury resort and held her former padawan close. In his eyes he saw the same sadness she felt in her heart, despite the normal face she wore on top of it. But for his sake, she decided to keep it together. Reaching over, she took the ceremonial knife off one of the pillows. She let go of him and got to her feet, moving to stand in front of him. Putting on a happy smile she bent over, placing her hands on his arms and pulled him to his feet. "I am so proud of you, Rowan Yung." She watched him blush a little at her praise and felt her heart breaking again. It was all she could do to keep the sadness from her voice, "I've watched you grow from a timid little boy to a fairly confident young man. And even though you'll never stop growing and learning, I've been completely amazed by how far you've come since I first took on the privilege of instructing and guiding you on your journey towards adulthood. I hope that you will never want to stop bettering yourself in whatever pursuits you find yourself." Slowly she reached up and took his padawan braid in her hand, looking at the many tied string bindings that held it secure in intervals. Her smile threatened to turn bittersweet, thinking through all the years she'd spent watching both it and him grow. But the time was at hand and she reached both arms around him. She felt for the base of the braid with one hand and held onto the knife with the other. Suddenly she became aware of how closely her lips were to his and she realized that he was staring deeply into her eyes. She thought for sure that he'd be wearing an expression of happiness and excitement at finally becoming a jedi knight, but what she saw there was something else entirely. He was uncertain and seemed to be desperately looking to her for guidance. For an answer for what to do. For long moments she looked back into his eyes willing him to be happy for her sake. She was already unhappy enough for the both of them, she didn't need to see his sorrows, too. "Don't." "What?" "Don't do it." "Don't do what?" "Don't cut it. Please?" Ket'nda was still looking into her adorable and handsome former padawan's eyes. She hadn't stopped looking at him. She was sure this was what he had wanted, and his plea had caught her off guard, "Why not?" She watched as he looked back and forth between her two eyes and thought she saw the beginnings of tears and his voice shook a little. "I'm not ready, yet." "You are ready. Even the jedi council thinks so." "No, I'm not. I'm not... I don't want to go. Please, just let me stay your padawan for a while longer. I don't want to leave you." She felt her mouth fall open a little bit. Her heart soared but was crushed at the same instant. She'd been prepared to mourn her feelings as she was certain that he did not feel the same for her. But right then, she was hearing something come out of his mouth disguised by different words. Finally, what she'd secretly hoped for was getting voiced. Her former padawan's feelings for her were stumbling out. You will take on another padawan and you will leave Rowan Yung alone to continue his studies on his own... These feelings of yours must be dealt with... You know the truth... You have seen it with your own eyes... This separation is best for the both of you... ...you will come to understand the wisdom behind this decision... Fighting off her own tears, she quickly moved the knife across his padawan braid severing it completely, letting it fall to the floor behind him. It was done. The ceremony was over and he was officially a jedi knight, as per the council's wishes. She watched as Yung's head fell. He didn't look at her. She felt her chest tighten as he turned and walked away. She wanted to call out, to say she was sorry. Tell him why she did it. Tell him anything to make him stay. Make him understand. But her body wouldn't cooperate and she watched helplessly as he left her room, the door closing behind him. "I love you, too," she whispered. Again, she cried. - - - - - - - Rowan Yung stood beside Master Ket'nda at the landing platform, waiting for the shuttle that would take him to the planet Tython to arrive. There he would construct his own lightsaber and continue his studies by himself. By all rights he should be happy, but he was beyond miserable. Her shuttle would arrive first and she'd be taken to Coruscant for reassignment and likely their paths would never cross again. This was not what he wanted. Not right now anyway. He didn't want it to end like this. Not like this. This was bad. This felt bad. He didn't want to leave her for reasons he didn't quite grasp. She couldn't teach him anything else, he'd have to teach himself now, but that wasn't why he didn't want to leave her. He just didn't know why. Soon the shuttle broke through the clouds on a path for the landing pad and Ket'nda turned to face him, dressed again in form fitting clothes, "Relax, Yung. You'll do fine on Tython. You've got it in you to be one of the greatest jedi ever. So don't worry." He stood there looking at her as the shuttle flew overhead, blowing her hair about. He didn't want to leave. Did not want to leave. "Master Ket'nda," he said quickly, but then found that he didn't know what to say that hadn't already been said. The shuttle flew overhead, blowing about her hair and he searched within him for something to say that would convince her that he was right and they should remain together forever. But nothing came to mind. She looked down at him wanting to say something to him, wanting to tell him how she felt, too. Something to let him know that she wasn't as uncaring as she was she he thought she was. But somehow words just didn't seem quite right. Not right now. Not after all they'd been through. The shuttle landed and the loading ramp lowered, waiting for her. She wasn't even paying attention. She was searching Yung's face and he was just as desperately looking at hers. Both of them felt the press for time and the uncertainty of what to do with the few remaining moments they had left. It was now or never. Closing her eyes, Jedi Master Ket'nda Keinen leaned in close and pressed her lips against Yung's, a tender kiss through which she poured out her heart and feelings to him. She loved him. She truly loved him. Of course it started as an attraction, he was adorable afterall. But the longer she spent time with him, teaching him, the more she came to realize what an interesting and unique little person he was. But he was not so little anymore and the rush of sensations he was causing in her spoke loudly to that fact. Her body grew warm and her eyelids fluttered as she deepened the kiss, feeling him place his arms around her. She melted inside and tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt his feelings for her. It was what she had wanted for so long. It was sweet and sensual and achingly wonderful. "General Keinen?" It couldn't last. Softly she broke the kiss and wiped her cheeks and turned to the pilot, "I'll be right there, commander." He nodded and walked back up the loading ramp, disappearing within the guts of the shuttle. She turned back to look at him, picking up her one carrying case. There was so much she wanted to say to him and now she had no time. What had she done with all that time she had spent with him. All of it gone now. What if she hadn't have hesitated? Would her relationship now be more fulfilling than it was? Rowan's brows furrowed and his expression grew pained. She was about to leave and he'd never see her again. And from the look on her face, she was having the same turmoils inside of her, too. He didn't understand, if she was as upset about leaving as he was, then why didn't she just stay? Was serving the jedi council that important? What about love? Wasn't it important too? At that moment he realized Momma Nann had been right. He was in love. The revelation struck him like a hammer and his heart raced. He wanted to tell her, but he didn't have the right words. There was so much he needed to tell her about. But she was already backing away. No. No just a moment longer. Please. She smiled sadly at him and the whine of the shuttle engines and all other sound around him faded to nothing as he heard her speak clearly, "I love you, Yung. I always will." And then she turned and climbed up the loading ramp, disappearing inside. Rowan Yung took a step forward, still speechless. In moments, the shuttle lifted off the landing pad and begin its ascent. Tears filled the young jedi knight's eyes and he found his voice, "I love you too, Ket'nda. Wait come back! I love you, too!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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