Star Wars: Jedi Academy(IC/Open)

[Theyra]

-| Star Wars: Jedi Academy |-

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OOC

For five years Luke spent looking and training Jedi Knights for the New Jedi Order. Knights from different backgrounds and skillsets and after this time, the Jedi have a handful of Knights. The oldest being the human Gavicli Dowlans, a old Altisian Sect Jedi that managed to survive the Jedi Purge. Kolo Ikkied, a Weequay bounty hunter that worked for the rebellion and has showed a interest in helping people. Jevril Nump, a Sullustan rebel pilot that used to led Rust Squadron and has seen action during the war. Kyle Katarn a human jedi, a Imperial turned Rebel and the Order's current Battlemaster. Mon-Olo Delphis a human jedi, a rebel in his youth and now a Knight. Then the youngest being Ellia Kestal, a human jedi noblewomen from Naboo and wants to use her powers for good.

Now with these Knights and with Luke's knowledge, a Jedi Academy on D'Qar has been established in the old rebel outpost. With help from the New Republic, the small outpost has been remade and is ready to be used as a proper Jedi Academy. With the academy ready to be use, Luke's Knights along with the New Republic, looked throughout the galaxy for force-sensitives that could be trained. After much effort, a sizable group of young apprentices were found and sent to D'Qar.

Now the ships that have the new Jedi are landing in the academy's hanger and the Knights are there to greet them. This will be the beginning of the New Jedi Order and these apprentices will be the first of many. Will these new Jedi be able to handle the challenges that the galaxy has to offer?

[Luminesa]

Everything in front of Jeweuhl seemed clear. He knew where he was headed, and as he wrapped his black veil and purple cloak around his tall, thin body, he felt something he had not felt in a while. Excitement. It was...uncomfortable. The last time he had felt excited about anything, something horrible had happened. His life had lost its most important anchor, the lighthouse that had illuminated the otherwise-black sea around him. Yet for now, he ignored the discomfort, and he headed to the hangar of the Academy.

When he arrived, he could see all of the Knights. Yet he could not specifically see "them". Rather, he could see the Force glowing off their bodies. It was like a colorful steam, rising off the physical forms of multiple grown men and women. This did not disturb him. Instead, it calmed him. More anchors to his ocean. He sensed a security from them that he had not felt in a while. He was incredibly relaxed around them, and he smiled as he stood a few feet in front of the Knights. "I am Jeweuhl Heberon. It is a pleasure to meet all of you," he answered softly, bowing slightly to his superiors.

[Ormata]

Gavicli Dowlans
Jedi Academy, D’Qar
Lambda-class T-4a The Magic School Bus, TT-0452/C

Say what you want about the ship, it was a good one. The passenger hold had been gutted, like those times before, with the entire half section of the shuttle turned into a home-slash-emergency room. That entire section was blocked-off by a thin sheet-metal wall with a curtain as a door. Gavicli stood inside, and the view reminded him of those times ago. The floor, which one had it’s little seats in the Imperial manner, had been replaced with cheap metal and covered-over with carpets, dulled in color. Light was provided by a little lamp hung from the ‘roof’, the curtain open to provide the same.

The sides of the shuttle, in that little room, were lined with fold-down bunks and cabinets of varied age and construction. Most of them were metal, cheap and from the Outer Rim, and they were all closed. Gavicli felt the damn heat, though; he hated jungle worlds. They were bitches, all heat and humidity and jungles that tried to eat you. Some Jedi said the jungle was a place of conflicted peace, or in other terms, peaceful war. Misnomers abounded for whatever it was, needless to state. In the old man’s opinion, it had a simple name: primal. It was primal and as such the jungle was a bitch.

He wiped his forehead with a cloth, feeling the sweat bead a bit. No cloak on here, that was for sure. Cloaks with mantles were good if you wanted to be warm, but he’d prefer it if it was a bit colder on D’Qar. He wouldn’t be running about the forest with his padawans, though, that was for sure. Say what you will about age, but he enjoyed his house, dammit. At-home lessons would definitely be a thing, Gavicli decided, definitely. He leaned down into a corner, opening the fridge with one hand and getting out a drink in one of those curious little glass bottles. Closing it, he put the damn thing over his forehead, feeling the coldness seep-in and chill his brain.

Felt good. Felt damn good.

Gavicli wore his loose white shirt, hanging off of him like a sad flag, and his best black pants. They were just the same looseness, with red stripes on the side like Corellian Bloodstripes almost, though they definitely weren’t clean. Red stains covered the legs, dull to the point where they almost looked like rust. They told stories, he’d said, whenever someone asked why he didn’t clean them, stories I wouldn’t want to forget. People just let the old man do whatever after he said that; they always figured he was a kooky guy. The ground crew did, at least. It’s what happened when you got a Lambda-class shuttle and kept it.

He made his way outside, slipping-on his shoes and getting off the ramp. Gavicli had always left it open, for air circulation and for light. He didn’t really fear anyone stealing the ship, or stealing anything in it. He kept his keys on him, after all, for starting the damn thing, not to mention launch codes and AAA were about the base. As for stealing the stuff in it? Well, that wasn’t a bother, either. Apparently people didn’t think stealing stuff from a group of mind-reading gents was a bad idea. They weren’t wrong.

The old man cracked-open the bottle, it hissing nitrogen into the air as he surveyed the base. It was low to the ground by most standards, with less high-rise buildings than Tatooine and only the thin, spindly watchtowers going up higher than thirty meters. They looked goofy, to state the least, standing up there with nothing to do but stare at the bugs and jungle. Most of the base was covered in moss and grass, though, making it look just like that; overgrown. It was quite interesting, in Gavicli’s opinion. He still preferred his ship to it all. Steel and metal just seemed more comfortable than the bugs.

A ship was coming-in; he could hear it. There was that low, humming, rumbling sound like if a giant bug had made love to a thunderstorm, at it only grew louder. The students. They’d be coming-in, just about that time, and he was more than interested. The old man had read the biographies of each new student and, to be frank, found most of them to be fascinating to state the least. More still bore the scars from the war, though, and that somewhat troubled him. It would be a challenge to state the least.

He was happy, though, that he’d be teaching kids and not these cold-blooded murderers some of them were. Some of them. Most of them seemed to be cold-blooded murderers or hot-blooded former slaves, burning to kill. An Arebla person, he concerned Gavicli. Former Imperial Ace. He’d be a match others would like to burn, that was for sure. Kirin Alenvar, a former slave-turned-soldier, concerned him as well. Gods, he wished people would be more kind sometimes. That war played hell with the children.

He adjusted his lightsaber at his belt, unthinkingly, feeling the weight tug there. It was a bit comforting, in the face of these people. A two foot long handle was weighty, needless to state, and could’ve been considered plain and simple during the old days. Dark wood was inset into the metal, in long panels along it’s length, though the weapon was, other than that, plain as could be. Gavicli liked it that way.

And so, he made his way to the landing pad, sipping his cold drink. A man was walking along, one of the Miraluka that Gavicli knew somewhat. He was younger, to a degree, only 17. As The older man took his place alongside the other Jedi, the man bowed.

"I am Jeweuhl Heberon. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."

“Welcome to the academy, young man.”

Emitrey Arebla
Jedi Academy, D’Qar
GR-75 Siphon, NRT-4435/43

The bay was full; people moved one place to another, fidgeting, some of them. Others stayed still. Others, too, talked, and their drone was cast aside by the shuddering of the vessel as it entered atmosphere. On one bench, aside a crate of what was probably foodstuffs, was a young man, bald, dressed in the olive green fatigues of some ambiguous thing or another. His boots tapped on the metal in a discordant tone, light and fast, and the young man’s eyes darted from person to person to person.

Emitrey didn’t trust them. He didn’t trust any of them. People gave him weird looks before, just because of the fatigues, but when they would found out about his past...Force, when they would find out, then they’d string him alive. None of them were kind to the Imperial cause, he’d found. None of them seemed to be from any sort of compassionate clime, where people could be forgiven. They’d look to him as a punching bag, nothing more, nothing less.

He wished he’d known. Known about it all. Known about every single damn slave in the galaxy, under the Empire’s hand, known about the murders and gassings and slaughter that was done. Emitrey tried to rationalize, tried to say that he was just flying, just protecting his comrades and fellow pilots, but somehow there always seemed like blood on his hands. Always, always, always, and he could never seem to wash it off, as much as he’d tried.

Emitrey had heard of the crew, of what had happened after the war. The captain killed himself when he’d seen the videos; the man had been from Tatooine. He’d never seen the wanton violence done before. Too many of them found a bottle and crawled-in. Too many of them had decided they wanted to be with their comrades and took the express route. All of them had been utterly horrified by what had happened. Some of them, a select few, became the mavericks of the New Republic. They had a penance to repay, they each thought, and damn them if they weren’t going to repay it with interest. The Isaac’s Gale herself had been broken-up when the shipyard was bombed, in the last years of the war. No crew had been aboard her, though too many wished they had.

He breathed deeply, feet still tapping, nearly wishing he had been there, too. The vessel’s landing gear smoothed downwards as the vessel settled down onto whatever pad it was on, and Emitrey got-off the vessel, making his way to the Knights and Master.

[Spindle]

Caluula N'kiri
Jedi Academy
D'Qar

Stepping out of the beaten-up freighter, Caluula glanced around the cavernous hangar with awe. She'd seen larger - her brief time on the Emancipator had familiarised her with the ship's bay more thoroughly than most of the security personnel would have liked - but this was something else entirely. The Emancipator's hangar had been...sterile. Not cold, exactly, but not as alive as this one was. She could feel the Force surrounding her, the living signature of so many animals and plants providing a background glow which warmed her as she took her first, tentative steps onto the soil of a new planet, hand trailing along the ramp's supporting struts.

With a sudden rush of vertigo, it hit her where she was and what she was about to do. She was on a planet with no-one she'd ever met before. None of her childhood friends were within light-years of her. The people who had raised her, who had taught her how to live and breathe and run and sing and cry - they were gone. She was taking her first steps into an entirely alien world. For a moment she stood, rooted to the spot as indecision and fear battled with commitment before she heaved her foot up and planted it, too, on this new planet.

The moment it landed she felt giddy and light-headed. The gravity here was subtly different to what she was used to, the slight acclamation she'd undergone on the trip here vanishing underneath her feet as she felt her feet moving underneath her to keep her upright even as her knees cried out in protest at the sudden burden they were being asked to carry. For a moment, she felt panic creeping at the back of her mind, threatening to overtake her as her fingers curled around one of the struts, tensing and keeping her upright.

The moment passed and she stepped forwards, some of her old confidence returning as she felt her soul truly opening to the Force. In an instant, she could feel the warm, glowing presences around her. Most were hearths, easily visible but certainly not blazing. The exception to that rule was the bonfire at the centre, gentle waves of peacefulness emanating from him as he stood in the centre of the hangar, waiting patiently. Eyes following behind her other senses, she glanced to the source of the bonfire. A Human, young but lined as if he'd felt and done much. For a moment Caluula considered him before a distant recognition sparked.

This must be Lady Organa's brother. That made him Luke - Luke Skywalker if she remembered correctly. It was an odd sensation, working with that lady's kin. She was...something Caluula had never experienced before. It wasn't her soul, or her bearing, it was...everything. The way she made kindness a part of every motion she made and every word she spoke. How she had the weight of authority bearing down heavily on her shoulders, yet managed to care for every individual she met.

It would be an honour to work with that lady's kin.

Feeling her feet gain confidence underneath her, her eyes and other senses landed upon a rough semicircle of people standing not far away from her. From their auras, she could tell that they were jedi - her face screwed up slightly at the word. Jedi. She'd only heard of them in bed-time stories when she was a little girl. Now she was going to meet them? Speak with them? Be one of them? It was...odd. Surreal. Perhaps not all of that giddiness was gravity adjustment, after all.

Stepping half-into the circle, she glanced around at the others in it. Or, rather, she glanced up at the people in it, acutely aware that she was easily the shortest in the group. Wetting her lips quietly, she waited until she could feel the conversation lulling around her before she plucked up the courage to speak:

"Caluula. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

[Parcia]

Lucian Valera
Jedi Academy, D’Qar
Delta-7B Aethersprite "Blood Hound"

The Delta-7 was a good ship, provided one possessed the reflexes and thought processes to deal with its agility and speed, both of which were reminiscent of a TIE fighter, minus all the added benefits of shielding, life supports, and the like.

It had been designed before the Clone Wars as a high speed, high agility interceptor that saw famous use by the Jedi of old, hence its common moniker "The Jedi Star Fighter". His was different, in both construction and how he flew it.

Technically it was a Delta-7B, but instead a modified jump computer took up the spot were the Astroemch would normally sit, keeping flush with the hull and allowing him to preserve the dagger like look of the "Blood Hound", its guns, a pair of twin linked laser cannons, were brought up to modern standings, the small shield was upgraded as much as possible despite it size, and he had a small, class 2 drive fitted to the ship to eliminate the need for a docking ring, though he still owned one. All of these required a new power plant, one that had to be custom build and tuned to his liking, resulting in 8 months of it being in a fighter size dry dock over Kuat while he toiled away with the last bit of his training.

He had the ship, Uncle's old beat up fighter, repainted a dark grey, not the gunmetal grey of Imperial ships, rather the dark ashy grey found on most moons. His training as a "Learner" was rather quick, if not a tad put off putting. He understood why the New Jedi order was built as it was, but he found it rather difficult to match the youthfulness of the younger, and he was almost always older then his peers by a solid decade, though his own experience, patients, and determination won out.

None the less, he wasn't a learner, he was a Padawan. He had spent his free time in-between Hyper Space jumps reading up on the new Jedi Knights that best he could, having to use a few underworld favors to get the logs. He was unaware which would take him as an apprentice, and he wasn't sure if any of them would considering his trouble with mastering "Standard" Jedi techniques, despite his skill with his polesaber and his tracking skills, not to mention the years of being a bounty hunter.

None the less, again, this all weighed on his mind as he flew the aging fighter through the planets atmosphere, slightly overjoyed at the prospect of using his skill in a real jungle, though he never showed this emotion, he had long since stopped showing most if not all emotion, made the job harder. Falling in behind a shuttle that he guessed to be carrying the rest of the new padawans, noticing the distinct feeling of their presence in the force.

He would land on the pad next to it, taking the time to lock his ship as he exited the cockpit, old habits. He jumped down and landed with a near silent thud, having made it a point to be as quiet as possible, made Hunting easier. He would soon join the other, noticeably younger man and the Mirialan girl. She was rather attractive, though she buried these thoughts for now, sensing it time to act like an adult. He bowed in respect to the Jedi knight and the other two. "Lucian, Lucian Valera."

His one wish, at the moment, would be that no one recognized his name, as unlikely as it sounded, he had gained a rep across the Empire and the outer rim as a capable Bounty Hunter.

[Atlannia]

Kirin Alenvar

Kirin did not care much for space travel she had decided. The ship was a strange environment, all cold metal and unfamiliar sounds. Kirin had never thought she would miss any part of the jungle but their she knew the meaning of every sound and how to react, every snapping twig or flurry of wings like the words of an unspeakably ancient language. Kirin didn't understand the ships language of beeping and whirring, clanks and sibilant, gaseous hissing. Kirin found herself tensing at odd moments, awaiting some kind of disaster and had slept only fitfully. Wasn't the whole idea sort of unnatural? Kirin found herself expecting the ship to fall back to ground even though they weren't anywhere near the ground they had left and you didn't actually fall in space. Kirin didn't really understand that either.

The others seemed not to be bothered by the environment, or at least less so. None of them were relaxed though, most seemed occupied with their own thoughts and Kirin found herself passively observing them rather than engaging. She wouldn't know what to say if she had spoken, it had been so long. The others, they were from very different places, some were species she had never seen or even known existed, some of them walked with a swagger that reminded Kirin of the mercenaries and pirates she had fought for while others had the restless energy of slaves afraid to be seen not working.

The ship shuddered and was suddenly still, the pilot announcing their arrival. Kirin allowed herself a rare vocalization and sighed softly, standing up from the nook she had been occupying and stretching catlike, allowing others to filter out of the ship and then slinking out behind them. The air that hit Kirin when she stepped out was hot and wet, not a far cry from her homeworld and she breathed deeply, tasting and smelling all at once. It was similar and yet different, laced with unfamiliar notes and heavy with life, Kirin found herself wondering about the hunting here.

But the occupants of the hangar the freighter had landed in commanded Kirin's attention even more so than the air. These would be the jedi Kirin supposed. She hadn't exactly known what to expect, the new republic people who recommended them to her had sketched them only in the vaguest terms, as mystical and heroic. Peaceful keepers of order but powerful and deadly in war as well. If Kirin and her fellow apprentices radiated tension and anxiety the jedi emitted an intense serenity the Kirin felt more than saw or smelled. In a reserved sort of way they appeared extremely interested in the new arrivals and Kirin rather felt she was being evaluated by their impassive gaze.

Kirin said nothing as the others began to introduce themselves, content to passively align herself with the language of this new environment.

[Beiarusia]

Linea
Jedi Academy, D’Qar

The young girl had not seen the academy so active in a long time. Not since they first arrived, taking the abandoned Rebel outpost for their own, though its origin within the civil war had seemingly been lost given the many changes made to accommodate the Jedi. Structures had been added, torn down, or else retrofitted entirely, having a construction that was modern but with a feel distinct from the typical Rebel or New Republic designs. Certainly much different from the ruins of older temples.

It hadn’t taken long to transform the overgrown outpost into a veritable academy. The central structure was somewhat pyramidal, stepped, with the top being home to the chamber where Master Skywalker and the Knights would meet to discuss important matters, its windows overlooking a courtyard that connected to the hangar and outbuildings. The hangar was mostly utilitarian in form, but the other buildings allowed some freedom in design so as to break the uniformed monotony. Not much decor though the symbol of the New Jedi Order could be found on several walls. The surrounding area had been cleared of foliage for the most part – but one wouldn’t need to go far to find themselves lost in the thick forests – with wooded hills overlooking the northern part of the site, several auxiliary buildings having been built into the rock that had yet to be touched by the renovations. A handful of watchtowers on the perimeter could also be seen like strange sentinels protecting the academy from not much save for the inconvenience of wildlife. Not entirely perfect, yet it was a grand start to the fledgling Order.

Potential to be home.

Linea had been there for some time now, having come to D’Qar with Master Skywalker and the Knights. Though not quite a Jedi just yet the girl had undergone some training, mostly with meditation (which she hated), and had spent much of her time either reigning in her angry mood or else helping to make the academy a place fit for living. The efforts must have paid off as the first batch of recruits were arriving today.

The Icarri girl was already in the hangar, sitting atop a crate and watching as the ships slowly came down to land from her vantage off to the side where she’d be easy to overlook. Though human in appearance, Linea possessed some traits that betrayed her alien heritage, most notably her skin colour, but given how multiethnic the New Republic was (and by extension the New Jedi Order) few were likely to think anything of it. Few probably knew what her species was. A near-human. Linea wore a loose, sleeveless jumpsuit, black, with a half-cloak draped over her shoulders with a training saber resting in her lap – the practice weapon was typically attached to a belt but had proven uncomfortable to sit with as it jabbed into her hip. Vestar, the girl’s homeworld, had been heavily forested, and just as humid, and whereas some wouldn’t take well to the heat she had adjusted well enough.

The Knights had gathered to welcome the new arrivals as was Master Skywalker. Support staff were going about to ready the building for the sudden influx of starships. A controlled sort of chaos that became even more so as the first ships touched down.

A human (or what looked to be human) was the first arrival. Linea watched with reddish eyes as he stepped away from his ship and introduced himself to the Knights – Jeweuhl Heberon – with Knight Dowlans, having just left his own ship, welcoming the man to the academy. Another human arrived next, one that Linea found an express dislike for upon only viewing the bald man. A Mirialan was next. Caluula: young, about Linea’s age, and looking a bit jetlagged. Lucian and a Cathar came soon after.

A motley crew to be certain.

Linea slipped down from the crate, putting the training saber back on her belt and walking over to where the apprentices had gathered before the Knights, figuring that she may as well join them as she, too, was a member of this incoming class. The girl stepped between the Mirialan and the bald human. Linea didn’t say much, if anything, and merely responded with a small look to those who greeted her, whether Knight or not.

It was now just a matter of taking the next step… as Jedi.

[Theyra]

D’Qar
Jedi Academy
Hanger
Kolo Ikkied

So this will be the first class of Jedi, Kolo thought as he waited in the hanger. He saw the ship land and the new arrivals get out and start to walk out of the ship. Some of them has come in on their own ships while the rest come in on the transport. Kolo started to think about the new arrivals and he did some research on them along with the ones that he would be training. Kolo was surprised at first the number of former slaves in the arrivals but given how the Empire has operated, he figured it should not be a surprised. Though he wondered on how the former imperial would fare, most people here including him have some reservations about him. During his time as a bounty hunter, he made sure that he never did bounties for the empire. Most of the missions he was offered were..... well, not his style. That and when he joined the Rebellion, he saw the Empire in a even worse light. It will not be easy for him but, maybe he could be a good jedi.

Though that would be Ellia's job, not his his. He would be training two young recruits, one a Cather former slave and the other a former Echani criminal. It would be interesting for him given his students, mainly the former criminal. He has learned that she joined in order to get out of prison and that she was a bounty hunter. Kolo did not think that he would be training a former bounty hunter and he wondered to what she had learned. For now, though he does not see and but, the Cather, he thinks that her name is Kirin had come out of the transport. So seeing his first apprentice, he walked to her and introduced himself to her. He spoke in Basic, "Hello I am Kolo Ikkied and are you Kirin? "If so then then I am your teacher, and regardless it is good to met you".

[Ormata]

Gavicli Dowlans & Emitrey Arebla
Jedi Academy, D’Qar

"Caluula. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Gavicli was about to make his reply. He knew this child, to a degree, or at least felt like he knew her. Data entries and information gathered from family friends helped to piece-together a chaotic and often poor image, though with her it was far more able. The Senator Organa helped with it, to a degree. Yet he was interupted. A vessel, the like of which he had not seen in a long time, screamed onto the landing pad, it’s sole occupant jumping-out before making his way over. The young man didn’t look too old, not at all.

"Lucian, Lucian Valera."

The older man rumbled, halfway between an understanding hum and a growl, the kind of noise one would expect from an old man. He took another sip, watching each individual come forwards and make their announcements for themselves. They seemed to feel that need. The Cathar said nothing, though, oddly enough; he noted that. The young girl from inside the hanger said nothing, too. The bald man walked forwards, coming to an almost unconscious attention as he seemed to struggle for the briefest second, before introducing himself and visibly relaxing.

“Emitrey Arebla, reporting as ordered.”

“Welcome, then.” Emitrey shook his head, trying to almost blend into the crowd as Gavicli drank his own drink deeply, he paused before setting it aside his forehead. Force it was too hot, despite everything else. Without preamble, he said, “Linea, Caluula N'kiri, congratulations you’re with me. My name’s Gavicli.” A brief sideways nod beckoned them to be beside him.

[Phalnia]

Lesara San
Jedi Academy, D'Qar

---

Lesara had been silent the entire time aboard the transport. Her mind raced as the ship sailed through the emptiness of space. Everything had changed so quickly. It felt like everything had happened at once. Now she was aboard a strange ship, surrounded by strangers, and bound for a planet she had never even heard of. What was she doing here? How could she trust these people? As far as Lesara knew the Jedi had died out long ago. And now people were telling her that they were reborn. People were telling her that she had this unseen and unfelt power coursing through her. The same power the Jedi Order of so long ago had harnessed to oppress the... No, that was Imperial propaganda. A lie that Lesara had heard countless times growing up on Eshan.

But, back then Lesara had always had her parents guidance to help her tell the lies from the truth. They had been dead for years now and Lesara had felt like a leaf adrift on the breeze ever since. She hopped from planet to planet just surviving. Perhaps this planet would be different a place she could finally make a home. A group of people she could fall a family. Lesara raised her head at that thought. These people all looked so strange, so alien. Lesara could still recall the faces of her sisters, all so similar yet each unique in their way. This assortment could never equal them, this Lesara assured herself.

The Echani girl was snapped out of her own head as she felt the ship vibrate and shake. They were entering the atmosphere of D'Qar. Lesara knew almost nothing about the planet. Only that it was nearly uninhabited. That was probably for the best. Whatever it was Jedi did Lesara seemed to think they preferred to do it far from prying eyes. The ship gradually slowed and finally came to a less than soft landing. The pilot announced their arrival over the ship's intercom and lowered the bay door. Lesara was none to eager to disembark and stayed seated as several other initiates went first. When she rose Lesara felt like her stomach had fallen out. She could swear that she was ready to vomit, though she doubted anything would come up. She hadn't had the appetite to eat in days. Finally, she gathered her courage and suppressed her queasy insides.

The first thing she noticed as she stepped of the ship was the humidity. D'Qar was a hot, wet planet. Lesara hated hot, wet planets. The second was the group of people that had arranged themselves in front of the transport door. They radiated some sort of aura which seemed to seep into Lesara's senses. Lesara had noticed this feeling before in several people she had met. Though, this was different. Was this the Force? Or something else? Lesara mulled the thought over as she stepped up to join the others. They all seemed to be introducing themselves. Lesara stood silently feeling unsure where to begin.

[Atlannia]

Though that would be Ellia's job, not his his. He would be training two young recruits, one a Cather former slave and the other a former Echani criminal. It would be interesting for him given his students, mainly the former criminal. He has learned that she joined in order to get out of prison and that she was a bounty hunter. Kolo did not think that he would be training a former bounty hunter and he wondered to what she had learned. For now, though he does not see and but, the Cather, he thinks that her name is Kirin had come out of the transport. So seeing his first apprentice, he walked to her and introduced himself to her. He spoke in Basic, "Hello I am Kolo Ikkied and are you Kirin? "If so then then I am your teacher, and regardless it is good to met you".

"Yes." Said Kirin simply, the word sounding foreign on her tongue. Kirin studied the weequay, her teacher she reminded herself, curiously. There had been Weequay among her former masters, though Ikkied didn't have the same aura of barely suppressed rage and careless cruelty they did. He did however, move like a fighter and Kirin suspected he would have been just as comfortable with a blaster on his hip as a light saber. People who often carried weapons and expected to use them developed a certain gait, a way of holding their arms and shoulders so that they were always free of obstruction.

Kirin opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again, unsure of what exactly to ask or how to say it. What did a jedi apprentice do exactly? Would asking that make her look ignorant? Kirin felt the muscles in her neck constricting and tugged at the collar of her shirt, feeling the reassuring coolness of the breeze on her skin. She wasn't trapped here and could leave if she wanted to. She was here for answers, about the mysterious warnings she used to receive and the enigmatic energy she felt tugging at the periphery of her consciousness.

"What's the force?" Kirin asked suddenly, bluntly, surprising herself. One of the New Republic soldiers she had traveled with had explained the concept but his explanation had been unsatisfyingly vague, delivered with the air of someone regurgitating an explanation they had gotten from someone else without thinking much about it. Well if jedi were all about the force than that seemed like a good place to start, her life had so far taught her that standing around in the open and thinking about things was dangerous. Survival meant staying moving.

[Aegrus]

Mon-Olo Delphis
Jedi Academy, D'Qar

---

A sort of modern, sophisticated coxcomb of a man, Mon-Olo Delphis was. Astute and maybe even arcane in nature, he certainly was, but he gradually boiled down to a just and caring member of the Jedi. The 32-year old forced himself out of bed with a little more ease than he would on another day - safe to say, he had waited weeks in anticipation of the new members of the Academy, force-sensitives from across the galaxy who had been recruited into the order. The first rays of D'Qar's morning sun slanted through the window shutters, lying on the carpeted floor like lines of sweet honey. He liked what he had done to his quarters, they were something of a quasi-allegory of who he perceived himself to be. The clear, spotless carpet; the striped shades of beige covering the walls; the polished, wooden furniture all tidily ordered and in-place - it almost seemed like a hotel room.

Ambling to the closet, the Knight settled for a more elegant set of robes, black and grey smoothly and sleekly amalgamated into something the length of a trench coat, paired with similarly dark pants and boots. First impressions were important, especially when it came to people he likely would be bonding with day-in, day-out for the rest of his time. Running his hand through his wavy hair, Mon-Olo exited the room, striding down the hallways of the quarters as he did every morning and reaching the fork at the end. Not the mess hall this time, he thought, taking a non-routine turn for the hangars, traversing the numerous sets of stairs before the structure gave way to the broad open of the landing area, hectic as always but livelier, much livelier than usual. His fellow Knights as well as superiors, whom he greeted with a slight bow, stood before him in a line as silhouettes broke the flaxen horizon.

The familiar rush, the soothing surge of the Force kindled his being as the ships began to land. A smile gradually won over his face as the recruits stumbled onto D'Qar. Not long ago had Mon-Olo himself wandered to the threshold of the Academy, accompanied by the same man who stood mere feet away from him - Luke Skywalker. Absorbing new faces of all colors, Mon-Olo's lightsaber felt heavier in its holster as he grasped the notion of the responsibility he had been entrusted with - two of these twelve lives that now stood before him; two lives which he would have to learn to put above his own. He had read up on all of their profiles the night before. Emitrey, Lucian, and Kira were the humans - an ex-Imperial, ex-Bounty Hunter, and a sister of one of Mon-Olo's fellow Jedi Knights, with noble blood. Another near-human bounty hunter in the form of Lesara was present as well, followed by the last known remaining Icarii, Linea, and then one of those mystical Miraluka, Jeweuhl. Then, all the ex-slaves: there was a Mirialan, Caluula, one of the youngest; Kaidin, a winged, blue one with a lightsaber; Kirin, a Cathar; Mala, a Twi'lek out of Hutt slavery; and Xin, a wolf-like mute. Not your average bunch, to say the least.

The latter of the 12 apprentices was something of a special case. He had been recovering in the Academy's medical facility for a month now, arriving on the the threshold of the Academy on the threshold of death, bruised, scarred, and begging for help with whatever breath he still had in him. Mon-Olo had spent time with him during his shifts to watch over the young man, toning down his fear and anger for the world around him and forming a bond. As the Shistavanen passed him to join the others, the Knight smiled and nodded curtly at him. "You're walking's gotten a lot better now, Xi. You'll be good in no time." The other apprentices descended. The Miraluka was first, and Mon-Olo welcomingly nodded at the young man - but what truly intrigued him was the one who spoke after Caluula, Lucian. Mon-Olo felt some primordial sense of attachment to this ex-bounty hunter, something natural and intrinsic, a primitive bond enkindled by the Force.

"Lucian, Lucian Valera."

"Welcome to the D'Qar, friend. I'm Mon-Olo Delphis, you're under me from hereon out."

[Beiarusia]

Gavicli Dowlans

Linea
Jedi Academy, D’Qar

Emitrey was the bald human's name. Linea frowned a small bit, having a bad feeling about the man standing to her right despite there being no outward reason to justify the suspicion, but nonetheless there was just something about him that left a sour note in the pit of her stomach. Not that she voiced her concerns. At most she cast a sidelong glance towards the soldier-like man, but that was the extent of her actions.

Dowlans welcomed the man before turning to face the two younger apprentices. “Linea, Caluula N'kiri, congratulations you’re with me. My name’s Gavicli," the older human said before beckoning the two over with a slight nod.

Linea didn't know much about the grey human other that he was supposedly a Jedi from long ago. They hadn't really talked much, if at all, and only knew of one another by simple association with Luke Skywalker. The old Jedi didn't seem bad, odd at times maybe, but definitely not the sort to raise alarm bells as Emitrey had done, so there was little complaint as Linea stepped past the bald human to stand at Dowlans' side. Curiously, despite being many times her age the old man wasn't that much taller than she was, and even more they appeared to share a similar sloppiness to their appearance. Already they had something in common. The younger of the two apprentices stood with a slight tension to her body, as if expecting the need to fight or flight, a holdover from the many years spent on the dying planet of Vestar. A quick glance to the man that would be teaching her from then on out, after which she averted her gaze so as to avoid any unwarranted eye contact. A similar glance was spared to the Mirialan.

Again, no words were spoken, Linea playing the part well of the moody teenager she was bound to become.

[Theyra]

"Yes." Said Kirin simply, the word sounding foreign on her tongue. Kirin studied the weequay, her teacher she reminded herself, curiously. There had been Weequay among her former masters, though Ikkied didn't have the same aura of barely suppressed rage and careless cruelty they did. He did however, move like a fighter and Kirin suspected he would have been just as comfortable with a blaster on his hip as a light saber. People who often carried weapons and expected to use them developed a certain gait, a way of holding their arms and shoulders so that they were always free of obstruction.

Kirin opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again, unsure of what exactly to ask or how to say it. What did a jedi apprentice do exactly? Would asking that make her look ignorant? Kirin felt the muscles in her neck constricting and tugged at the collar of her shirt, feeling the reassuring coolness of the breeze on her skin. She wasn't trapped here and could leave if she wanted to. She was here for answers, about the mysterious warnings she used to receive and the enigmatic energy she felt tugging at the periphery of her consciousness.

"What's the force?" Kirin asked suddenly, bluntly, surprising herself. One of the New Republic soldiers she had traveled with had explained the concept but his explanation had been unsatisfyingly vague, delivered with the air of someone regurgitating an explanation they had gotten from someone else without thinking much about it. Well if jedi were all about the force than that seemed like a good place to start, her life had so far taught her that standing around in the open and thinking about things was dangerous. Survival meant staying moving.

"The force? "Now that is a good question". Kolo said in a calm and friendly tone, "I kinda asked myself the same when I was first trained". "From what I have gathered, the force is a that a energy that permeates all living things in the galaxy". "It connects everyone to everything and like me, you are sensitive to it". "You even could have used it without knowing and based on what I know about you, you may have". "I have been told about your past and you are safe here". "Here I will train you in the Ways of the Force like when Master Luke did with me". "Now if you have more questions about anything, just ask". "I know I had my questions about the force and the jedi".

The first thing she noticed as she stepped of the ship was the humidity. D'Qar was a hot, wet planet. Lesara hated hot, wet planets. The second was the group of people that had arranged themselves in front of the transport door. They radiated some sort of aura which seemed to seep into Lesara's senses. Lesara had noticed this feeling before in several people she had met. Though, this was different. Was this the Force? Or something else? Lesara mulled the thought over as she stepped up to join the others. They all seemed to be introducing themselves. Lesara stood silently feeling unsure where to begin.

Kolo noticed out of the quarter of his eye, a white-haired women, I think that is Lesara, he thought to himself. "Now I think I my other student and your classmate". Kolo turned his head to the Echani and spoke, "Lesara? Kolo spoke to her and his tone was friendly. He motioned for her to come to her and Kirin. "If you do not mind, can you come over here and I am Kolo Ikkied and I will be your teacher".

[Ism]

Master Jevril Nump
Jedi Academy
D'Qar

Jevril evened out his robe, the rust colored garment seeming a bit uneven. It was an odd choice in color, but he felt the need to pay homage to his comrades back in Rust Squadron. He thought it looked nice, though he had been told he had poor taste, he wouldn't dream of changing it. The robe largely covered his dark brown tabard, only part of the front of the tabard being visible, as the robe hung loosely and were open. The tabard itself covered a plain white shirt, tucked into white trousers which in turn were covered by the robes and his boots, which came up to the knee and matched the tabard in color. This was his normal outfit, though he did still have his flight suit for when he was in the Twister's cockpit, as well as less conspicuous garb for when the situation called for it. Here in the Academy, however, he preffered the more traditional Jedi clothing. The outfit had served the Order for thousands of years in one form or another, and Master Nump felt it was only right that the reborn Order share in that tradition.

Jevril took a look at his datapad, checking the time, and was pleased to see the students would be arriving shortly. He made his way to the hangar bay, moving at a brisk pace. He chuckled to himself, wondering if it would be more becoming of a Jedi to walk slowly and patiently, but he decided that that was overthinking it. Jevril found himself growing excited as he neared the hangar bay, which was only amplified when he saw the transport coming in for a landing. Taking a moment to center himself, he went through a few quick breathing exercises until he relaxed again. When he had regained his composure, he entered the hangar, standing with the other Masters as the transport landed and the students began to exit.

"I am Jeweuhl Heberon. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."

Jevril heard the Miraluka introduce himself, and calmly walked to greet him. He had been provided some information on his students, and Jeweuhl seemed interesting from what he had read. He had learned some of the Jedi way already, from a Jedi who had recently dissapeared. The file also indicated Jeweuhl was a bit introverted and reserved, something Jevril intended to work on. He'd crack the boy's shell, with all due caution of course, he didn't want to harm him after all.

"Greetings Jeweuhl Heberon, I am Jedi Master Jevril Nump, and for the duration of your time as a Padawan at this Academey, I shall be your master, your teacher and your guardian," Jevril said, deliberately speaking slowly, at least by his standards, as he had in the past been told he was something of a motor mouth. He ended his introduction with a respectful half bow. As he rose, he spotted a man in olive fatigues appraoch and introduce himself. His manner and speech told Jevril the man had some sort of military background, it was clear in his diction, his stance and his walk. A kindred spirit perhaps? But he was not Jevril's padawan, and Jevril felt it was his duty to focus on his own students at the moment.

[Luminesa]

Master Jevril Nump
Jedi Academy
D'Qar

Jevril evened out his robe, the rust colored garment seeming a bit uneven. It was an odd choice in color, but he felt the need to pay homage to his comrades back in Rust Squadron. He thought it looked nice, though he had been told he had poor taste, he wouldn't dream of changing it. The robe largely covered his dark brown tabard, only part of the front of the tabard being visible, as the robe hung loosely and were open. The tabard itself covered a plain white shirt, tucked into white trousers which in turn were covered by the robes and his boots, which came up to the knee and matched the tabard in color. This was his normal outfit, though he did still have his flight suit for when he was in the Twister's cockpit, as well as less conspicuous garb for when the situation called for it. Here in the Academy, however, he preffered the more traditional Jedi clothing. The outfit had served the Order for thousands of years in one form or another, and Master Nump felt it was only right that the reborn Order share in that tradition.

Jevril took a look at his datapad, checking the time, and was pleased to see the students would be arriving shortly. He made his way to the hangar bay, moving at a brisk pace. He chuckled to himself, wondering if it would be more becoming of a Jedi to walk slowly and patiently, but he decided that that was overthinking it. Jevril found himself growing excited as he neared the hangar bay, which was only amplified when he saw the transport coming in for a landing. Taking a moment to center himself, he went through a few quick breathing exercises until he relaxed again. When he had regained his composure, he entered the hangar, standing with the other Masters as the transport landed and the students began to exit.

"I am Jeweuhl Heberon. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."

Jevril heard the Miraluka introduce himself, and calmly walked to greet him. He had been provided some information on his students, and Jeweuhl seemed interesting from what he had read. He had learned some of the Jedi way already, from a Jedi who had recently dissapeared. The file also indicated Jeweuhl was a bit introverted and reserved, something Jevril intended to work on. He'd crack the boy's shell, with all due caution of course, he didn't want to harm him after all.

"Greetings Jeweuhl Heberon, I am Jedi Master Jevril Nump, and for the duration of your time as a Padawan at this Academey, I shall be your master, your teacher and your guardian," Jevril said, deliberately speaking slowly, at least by his standards, as he had in the past been told he was something of a motor mouth. He ended his introduction with a respectful half bow. As he rose, he spotted a man in olive fatigues appraoch and introduce himself. His manner and speech told Jevril the man had some sort of military background, it was clear in his diction, his stance and his walk. A kindred spirit perhaps? But he was not Jevril's padawan, and Jevril felt it was his duty to focus on his own students at the moment.

Jeweuhl looked up at his teacher, and he paid attention to his speech. Aside from learning to use his Force-sight to watch a person's aura, he also had learned to pay attention to the fluctuations of a person's voice. Emotions were important to any Jedi. Negative emotions could indicate a person's movement toward the Dark Side. However, his teacher merely seemed distracted. When he bowed to him, his body looked as though it was a machine trying hard to bend its rusted bolts.

A slight smile played across the Padawan's face, and he walked up to him. Memories of his own closeness to his father were still fresh in his mind, and perhaps he should have shown some reserve toward his professor. Instead, he decided to open to him just a little, to show him that he was not frightened of him. "...Hello, Master. It is good to meet you. Are you perhaps a little nervous?...You sound as though something may be wrong..." he implied, though he chuckled slightly to show he was not being hostile.

[Atlannia]

"The force? "Now that is a good question". Kolo said in a calm and friendly tone, "I kinda asked myself the same when I was first trained". "From what I have gathered, the force is a that a energy that permeates all living things in the galaxy". "It connects everyone to everything and like me, you are sensitive to it". "You even could have used it without knowing and based on what I know about you, you may have". "I have been told about your past and you are safe here". "Here I will train you in the Ways of the Force like when Master Luke did with me". "Now if you have more questions about anything, just ask". "I know I had my questions about the force and the jedi".

"An energy that permeates all living things..." Kirin frowned, gears turning behind her wide, catlike eyes as she tried to visualize what Kolo was saying. it sounded somewhat like air which was everywhere and inside living things. But Kirin knew there wasn't any air in space, it got stuck to the planets which was why there was any to breathe. But it sounded like the force didn't get stuck to planets. maybe it was more like how the inhabitants of the jungle were connected? The trees were fed on by bugs, the birds ate the bugs and were in turn hunted by larger predators, when the predators died their bodies returned to the soil and gave nutrients to the trees. Even though on an individual level the creatures were engaged in ruthless battle of survival as a whole they were reliant on each other.

That didn't feel quite right still and there were certainly people in the galaxy Kirin would rather not be connected to at all. After thinking about it a bit more Kirin decided to pursue this line of inquiry and was about to ask a followup question when Kolo gestured for another apprentice to join them.

Kolo noticed out of the quarter of his eye, a white-haired women, I think that is Lesara, he thought to himself. "Now I think I my other student and your classmate". Kolo turned his head to the Echani and spoke, "Lesara? Kolo spoke to her and his tone was friendly. He motioned for her to come to her and Kirin. "If you do not mind, can you come over here and I am Kolo Ikkied and I will be your teacher".

Kirin found herself falling silent to observe the newcomer. Lesara, as was her name according to Kolo, was some kind of near human though Kirin didn't recognize her species exactly. She cut and elegant figure, with regal features, silvery hair and a kind of predatory grace to her movements despite which she seemed just as hesitant as the other apprentices. Altogether Lesara was unlike anyone Kirin had ever known, Master Kolo despite his inhuman appearance was a much more familiar type to Kirin and she wondered what sort of place the other woman came from. Kirin hadn't really expected to be working so closely with another apprentice, she supposed it would be good good to have someone to learn alongside although she was little worried about keeping up; everything Kolo had said so far sounded very strange to her.

[Phalnia]

Lesara San
Jedi Academy, D'Qar

---

Lesara listened and watched as more and more people entered the hangar. There were a few interesting among them, though Lesara was sure they all had something intriguing hiding below the surface. Why would they be here if they didn't? One question piqued the Echanei's influence from among the chatter. A female Cathar had stepped forward and asked 'What's the force?' Lesara had only seen a Cathar once before though she recognized the feline features instantly. Regardless, Leasra listened intently as a jedi of a race Lesara had never seen before responded. Lesara was unsure of his answer. She wondered how something could possibly connect all living things throughout the galaxy. But,this was the first solid answer she had heard on the topic and perhaps she would come to understand more it in time.

The jedi then turned to look at Lesara when he had finished his explanation and spoke her name. Lesara stepped towards him when he motioned. He introduced himself as Kolo Ikkied and said he was to be Lesara's instructor here at the Academy. She looked at him and the Cathar who stood near him. Was she to be learning along side her? Or was she another instructor? Lesara thought that working so closely with another student might make the lessons easier. The Echani finally spoke for the first time since boarding the transport. "I am Lesara San. I look forward to learning from you Kolo Ikkied."

[Theyra]

D’Qar
Jedi Academy
Hanger
Kolo Ikkied

"Good, and nice to meet you", so she seems friendly, Kolo thought to himself. Kolo motioned to Kirin, this is Kirin and you two will be training under me". "In the days of the Old Republic, it was one student to a master but since we are still few, we are doubling up". "If you have any questions just ask me, and Lesara". "I know that you used to be a bounty hunter and you two should know that I used to be one my self before I joined the rebellion". "I did not think I would be training a bounty hunter but, it is a first time for everything". "Now I have to two of you here, you two care to tell me about yourselves?

Kolo wondered to how this would go, him training a former slave and a former criminal. He was more focused on the Echani, Lesara but she seems willing to learn so far. Though maybe he should less focusing about their past. Since he too was a bounty hunter, though out of necessity. They are jedi now or they will be and the Order needs all of the jedi it can get. Kolo started to think about the first mission and how the students will fare with it. It was something that Luke and the Knights had come up and he wondered to how the students will handle the surprise that was in store for them.

[DAFT Universe]

Sitting on a bed in the small infirmary, Xi heard the transport ship arrive. He had arrived on this planet a month earlier, seriously wounded because of a hyperdrive malfunction, trying to escape his ex-master's captors. He still couldn't belive that he'd managed it... He was certain he was going to die as the ship lost power, but no.
Still, he wasn't without scars. His leg had broken when the ship was retrieved, it had mostly healed but it wasn't great to walk on, so he took a walking around with him, just in case. But that would probably be able to go in about a week.
There was still a bandage wrapped round the place in his arm where shrapnel had cut to the bone. That was healing well.
And then you had all the patches on his chest with no fur, revealing healing burns underneath.
All things considered he was healing well... physically.
Mentally, he was a mess. He could hardly sleep at night and would sometimes have flashbacks, completly breaking down wherever he was.

Grabbing his walking stick, Xi started to walk slowly towards the hanger. He didn't plan on getting to know anyone- he would just watch them.
He wiped his brow, sweating buckets. The weather on this planet was horrible. He had been brought up on a winter planet, his family evolved super thick fur. He would sweat on a reasonably warm day.
So, living on a jungle planet had been torture for the first few weeks. He had, not got used to, accepted that he'd be sweating all the time and his bed would be wet with it every morning.
He did try to stop it, by wearing as little clothes possible. Most people would say that the thing he was wearing wasn't decent, but Xi, in slavery, had to wear an actual loincloth, so wearing one with a back covering was fine by him.

Eventually, he arrived in the hanger. A lot of the recruits were human, a couple were not. He watched them all, distrust in his eyes.
The only people he trusted here were the knights. They were amazing and Xi couldn't wait for his training to start under them.

"You're walking's gotten a lot better now, Xi. You'll be good in no time."

Xi smiled briefly and nodded. Mon-Olo had spent a lot of his personal time with him in the infirmary, in which they had bonded. Xi liked to think that the knight understood most of his gestures, but even if he was guessing, Mon-Olo would always get what Xi was trying to say either way.

[The Olog-Hai]

Kaidin Thelcar

Kaidin followed the procession of smaller, landbound beings off the ship. Sure, very few species could rival his height, but still, many of them were small event for their race. And none of them could fly. Shame for them, really. They'd never know that feeling of exhilaration that comes from being so high up, under your own devices, no technology, nothing but yourself. Sure, they could try to mimic it with technology, but it would never be the same.

Of course, he would never have know that good life if his people hadn't been saved by the actions of a singular man. The One. Known as to the rest of the galaxy as Luke Skywalker, to the S'kytri people he was their prophesied savior, who rescued them from the imperial overlord Kharys, a force wielder in her own right, but easily defeated by the Jedi, so the stories went. And now Luke Skywalker was teaching a new generation of Jedi, a generation of Jedi that Kaidin would be a part of. He was the first of his kind to become a Jedi in a very, very long time. And because of this, he had been sent with the blessing of his entire world, and with a relic of his community.

Kaidin looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Luke. He also noticed how diverse the students were. A... Cathar... a few he couldn't put a name to... a Miralukan? This was hard. He never had to apply face and looks to species before. He could only really tell those two out because of their prominent features. The Jedi waiting for them, though, seemed to be mostly human, though one was something else. A race he couldn't quite remember. No matter. He'd find out soon enough.

Kaidin finally stepped out of the ship, and got himself a bit of room before stretching out his wings, which had been quite cramped inside the spaceship, a sight that some would find truly magnificent. He didn't care about that, though. They still were landbound.

[Atlannia]

D’Qar
Jedi Academy
Hanger
Kolo Ikkied

"Good, and nice to meet you", so she seems friendly, Kolo thought to himself. Kolo motioned to Kirin, this is Kirin and you two will be training under me". "In the days of the Old Republic, it was one student to a master but since we are still few, we are doubling up". "If you have any questions just ask me, and Lesara". "I know that you used to be a bounty hunter and you two should know that I used to be one my self before I joined the rebellion". "I did not think I would be training a bounty hunter but, it is a first time for everything". "Now I have to two of you here, you two care to tell me about yourselves?

Kolo wondered to how this would go, him training a former slave and a former criminal. He was more focused on the Echani, Lesara but she seems willing to learn so far. Though maybe he should less focusing about their past. Since he too was a bounty hunter, though out of necessity. They are jedi now or they will be and the Order needs all of the jedi it can get. Kolo started to think about the first mission and how the students will fare with it. It was something that Luke and the Knights had come up and he wondered to how the students will handle the surprise that was in store for them.

Kirin was not surprised to hear that Kolo had been a bounty hunter, it more or less bore out her earlier suspicions. She was not especially happy about the news however. A bounty hunter wasn't that far from a mercenary and from a mercenary it was only a short jump to being a pirate or a slaver. Anyone who was willing to fight and kill for money had something to answer for, that kind of greed had resulted in the death of her comrades. That was probably unfair, bounty hunters could restrict themselves to generous or evil targets Kirin supposed and her instincts so far told her that Kolo could be trusted. Her instincts had so far never been wrong about people, she could always tell who to trust, who to be wary of, which slavers could be reasoned or bargained with and which ones to just avoid as much as possible, maybe that was a result of the force?

A few moments had passed and Kirin realized she hadn't actually answered Kolo's suggestion that they introduce themselves. It struck her as an odd suggestion, the jedi had seemed to imply earlier that he knew the details of her story already so this was either for her and Lesara's benefit or else he expected to learn something from hearing them introduce themselves in their own words. Since Kolo's words had been to "tell me about yourselves," Kirin suspected it was more of the latter.

"I was born a slave," Kirin begun hesitantly. "Gathering nakali leaf," she paused and tried to remember. The republic crew hadn't recognized the word nakali which was the plant itself and not the refined product that the wider galaxy was familiar with. "Used to make...Echo," that was the name the crew had used. "You swallow or rub into a cut and remember... like you were there again," Echo was a powerful hallucinogenic with the unique effect of enabling the user to relive old memories incredibly vividly. The newly arrived slaves were always being beaten for skimming some of the leaf for their own use, trying to relive their former lives. Kirin had never had any memories she particularly wanted to revisit so the drug had never held much temptation for her.

"I learned how to hunt and not to be hunted, what was safe to eat and how to find water. Later," she continued "The Empire came, tried to take the profit from the nakali so our masters fought them and forced us to fight. The gathering was dangerous, the fighting more so and many died. I did not. I learned how to hunt men." There wasn't a trace of pride in Kirin's voice, nor was their much in the way of sadness or regret, that was simply the way things had been. "When the rebellion won the Empire forces left and we fought our masters. We had been promised freedom and didn't get it." Kirin broke off and again tugged at the bandana around her neck but her face remained placid.

"It was a bad fight, timing was bad, terrain was bad, no planning. I blacked out, woke up after the fight. I don't think anyone else survived." The mood between the three of them was now decidedly awkward but Kirin had no idea how to salvage it so she just lapsed back inot silence, eyes flitting between Lesara and Kolo.

[Spindle]

Caluula N'kiri
Jedi Academy
D'Qar

As she introduced herself to the group, several more members joined their rough semicircle. Someone with tough, brown skin introduced himself as Kolo, before acquainting himself with his student - just as with the Knight, she couldn't tell what kind of species she was. A pale girl who looked almost-Mirilian in anatomy - or at least, more so than many of the others - frowned as a bald man joined the circle and introduced himself as Emitrey. There was a flicker of unease around the circle as he arrived, almost too fast for her to catch. Caluula frowned herself at that: did the others know something she didn't?

For a moment, she was so absorbed in the emotions and auras of those around her to realise that the old man had spoken to her. It took her a few moments more to realise that he was just saying her name now and she looked around with her eyes to find the man. It took her a moment to pinpoint him before her eyes darted towards the flicker of recognition in the Force, landing on the pale girl as she stepped forwards towards the old human - Gavicli, he said his name was. For a moment, they made eye contact before the other girl shied away and Caluula's eyes fell away, to the man once more, a moment of disappointment flickering through her before she realised that she was officially - or as officially as it got around here, anyway - a Padawan now. A small, hopeful grin broke out on her face as she looked up at the older man.

Letting her eyes flit shut for a moment, she let her material senses fall away to make way for that true vision - the Force. Expanding her consciousness outwards, she brushed lightly against Gavicli's soul, tasting his discomfort first, then plunging beneath the surface to sample the feelings underneath. Extracting herself after what could have been an eternity she felt her mind brush against the other girl's, curiosity foremost in her mind as she lightly probed her emotions. Satisfied with the fruits of her labour, she let her eyes open once more and grinned at the other girl.

"Hi!" She half-awkwardly, half-politely stuck her hand out, "Linea - that is your name, right? - thank you for being here. And thank you, Master Gavicli, for taking us! I just wouldn't have wanted to be paired with one of the older ones - they're so...serious, you know? Like they're all waiting for their pet bantha to die. It would have been horrible. But now, we can have fun, yeah?"

[Beiarusia]

Caluula N'kiri

Linea
Jedi Academy, D’Qar

The young Mirialan had been distracted, leading to a brief moment of lighthearted uncertainty as she searched the gathered crowd for just who had beckoned her, and though lagging by several seconds she eventually found her way over towards the older Jedi Knight. Linea watched the girl without being too obvious about it. Then an odd feeling washed over her, like something warm trickling deep down inside, touching her soul almost, and although far from being unpleasant the unexpected contact through the Force did leave the Icarii youth feeling somewhat uncomfortable, an unease made all the more apparent by her addled shuffling. The friendly grin given by Caluula didn't help matters none.

"Hi," Caluula said politely with some awkwardness thrown in. The girl held out her hand. Linea looked down to the offered appendage before offering her own, though still she refrained from making eye contact as best she could. The perceived shyness did little to discourage Caluula as she continued on with the same positivity as before.

Though rather deadpan it was quite obvious that Linea possessed some curiosity about her new partner, to the point that in her absentmindedness she held onto the other girl's hand for far longer than was socially acceptable. Sad as it was, Linea had never never been blessed with a childhood, much less so with being with someone her age, so it was a strange if not pleasant experience even if she herself remained coolly detached a small bit. Furthermore, the Mirialan were somewhat reminiscent to the Icarii in appearance (to a small degree), which was comforting if not embarrassing to admit.

"But now," Caluula finished, "we can have fun, yeah?"

Linea felt her face go red and quickly retrieved her hand. Fun was a foreign concept; the entirety of her early life had been spent with starvation and sickness lurking behind each passing day, one simply wasn't allowed to be a kid. The youthfulness of Caluula was... refreshing, to say the least, and more so it reminding Linea that she never truly had a friend. Sure, Master Skywalker was kind to her, as were the other Knights, but to them she was a child, and any relationship between them would strictly be master/student.

"Yeah," Linea answered at last, eyes averted. "That would be fun."

[Ormata]

Gavicli Dowlans
Jedi Academy, D’Qar

"Hi!" She half-awkwardly, half-politely stuck her hand out, "Linea - that is your name, right? - thank you for being here. And thank you, Master Gavicli, for taking us! I just wouldn't have wanted to be paired with one of the older ones - they're so...serious, you know? Like they're all waiting for their pet bantha to die. It would have been horrible. But now, we can have fun, yeah?"

"Yeah," Linea answered at last, eyes averted. "That would be fun."

“Oh, yes. Quite, quite. You’re welcome, Caluula,” replied Gavicli, quite taken-aback by her joyous nature. Linea seemed to be less happy, due to, probably, her being a teenager. Well, that or being Icarii. One of the two. He took-on a faux-serious tone, saying, “Though you know, I once knew a Jedi whose pet bantha died. Man was distraught for a week.” That wasn’t entirely wrong; he had been distraught for a week, though that had been because his girlfriend had dumped him. That was the issue with being on a ship; you couldn’t escape people at all. It just didn’t work.

He smiled, a little smile before realizing where, precisely, his manners were. His drink was still...at least ¾ full. At least. It wasn’t that massive, anyways, and still fizzy. Looking down at Linea, Gavicli’s face turned to a slight frown. She definitely wasn’t joyous, no not at all. “Already solemn, Linea? Most Jedi take years to get into that habit, with dealing in politics and the like. Amazed you’d already accomplished the feat. Yoda would be...well, I’d think he’d be amazed, too.” His tone was one that was a tad chiding, a tad poking fun at it.