Chapter 5A: A Padawan's Legacy

[Shurijo]

The red-skinned woman grabs Uri's shoulder and pulls him down into a seat while "shushing" him. "Don't say that around here." She then turns his head to the side and whispers, "They cut off his hands", she nods her head in the direction of the dark skinned male Twi'lek sitting at the end of the table, "when he refused to let them take his son. Then his wife sold herself into slavery so they could afford prosthetics for him, so he could continue working to provide food for their other two children. When the war started, he lost his job due to Republic blockades. He became separated with his two kids when the Republic seized the planet a few days later. The only person that hates 'them' more than Chabak is the new cyborg put in charge of the Inquisitors."

As if on queue, Chabak stands up from his seat and leaves without looking at either of the two young adults sitting next to each other.

"Uri? That's a strange name. Is that a common name for Arkanians? Well, you just left the med bay and you were in the tank there for a day or more. Not everyone gets bacta treatments here. I hear it's only used for important people and officers. I've never seen the tanks used ever before, so you must be someone special."

"I'm Chantique. I met Chabak's wife in the slave fighting pits. It didn't end well for her." She says as her voice trails off a bit. "I was in the pits until the Inquisitors came and killed all of the slavers. I had been a slave my entire life and the Jedi did nothing. Within the first couple of weeks under the Empire, I was set free. I found Chabak and told him about the death of his wife, so that's how we ended up here. You're not like those other Jedi, are you? Are you one of the good ones?"

[RorytheRomulan]

Uri looks at Chantique with horror when she tells him Chabak's story. He doesn't utter a word to cut her off. Practically wrapped around her finger (for now). Her story, a real story as far as he is concerned, sparks a chivalric side of him that fortifies his bearing. He feels a little surprise when she calls him Arkanian (not the fact that he is Arkanian - he knows what he is). When it's finally his turn to talk, he bares his soul and gushes somewhat about his personal details, forgetting the danger in doing so in enemy hands.

"What? Yes? I-I would like to think so. I've fought droids, and I think I'm pretty good for a padawan, I wouldn't say that I'm 'special'. 'Urizen Athacorr' is my full name, but I like my nickname better. I don't know much about my own parents, except that they gave me up so that I could have a better life."

He reaches up and puts a hand on her back. "I'm sorry for what you've been through. I'm even more sorry for Chabak, though. I never thought that the Jedi would just attack someone and kidnap their kid. I'm sure I don't know any who would. Why would they do that?"

[Shurijo]

When Uri puts a hand on her back, she flinches at the touch. "You... you need to stop saying those words... their names. You're going to get everyone in trouble, especially you." Looking directly at Uri, she states, "They are dead. It's over. No more. If you still think you're one of them, then you'll be dead, too. If you want to survive... No. If you want to live and thrive, discard your past. Think of the future. You aren't one of them. There is no them."

Suddenly, they hear a sound and Chantique pulls out her datapad to read a message. A few seconds later, she grabs Uri's hand and says, "Come on, your room has been assigned."

A hundred or so meters of walking through the corridors finds Uri and Chantique in the berthing area of the facility. After walking past a few doors, she stops and waves her hand in front of the entry device. The maglock door slides open revealing a room with a bed, some dressers, various foodstuff, and other necessaries.

Urizen had never had "his" own room before. In the Jedi Temple, everyone shared rooms and there were no assigned rooms. This, he was told, was to prevent Jedi from forming attachments to places and objects. However, the Jedi Masters on the Council all had their own individual rooms.

Glancing around the room, he finds a datapad and an opened closet with various clothing -- a formal outfit that appears similar in style to a Republic officer, a few sparring or training outfits, a few clothes of various styles, and a set of dark armor with a helmet. Each of the clothing items were in various shades from light gray to dark gray and near black. In a way, he thinks the color scheme might be a way to identify them as their positions within the Empire.

"My room is next door," she says as she nods the direction with her head. She begins to take a step away and then turns to smirk back at Uri, "Don't get yourself killed." Then, unexpectedly, she leans over and quickly kisses him on the cheek. "We barely know each other and I think we could be friends."

She twirls and faces towards the door. With a couple steps, she leaves the room and stands in the outside hallway. "We have a training session in a few hours and it will likely be your test. You should prepare. You'll need a clear head and you need to get beyond your past." Chantique waves as the maglock door slides shut in front of her separating the two. Uri hears her footsteps slowly walk away and towards her room.

[RorytheRomulan]

Bewitched, the lump returns in Uri's throat. He rubs his cheek, and can't help but watch her go until the door slides shut, and listen as the sound of Chantique's footsteps diminish. Friends, yes. That's the word. He can't talk about the Jedi, or his friends, but she can tell him about the horrible things that the Jedi have done? He's one of the "good ones"? He smiles to himself. She's right, he ought to clear her--his head, rather. Indeed, even as Chantique's presence has diminished in all but thought, he feels a little more aware. Tsk, Zeltrons...

He looks at the training outfits, most of them bold and black. He looks at what he is currently wearing, and matches it with the selection to find a similar style among the training outfits to wear. Huh, maybe Chantique would like this. He turns and looks around at the room, and examines the furnishings. This is "his" room, and in it there is "a" chair, "a" bed, etc. His own room? He wouldn't mind sharing it. They're just objects that can be easily replaced, of course. But then, every Jedi has their own lightsaber, right? Wait. Where's his lightsabers?

He starts to search frantically for his things. If he is part of this new 'family' - was that the word they used? - then surely they must have given them back. They MUST be here. They're priceless!

[Shurijo]

Uri scours the room and does not find his lightsaber or weapons of any kind.

OOC

There's some time before the next scene, so we can fast forward or hang out in the room for a bit.

[RorytheRomulan]

Of course, they did take those and didn't have the decency to return them. He is a "dangerous" Jedi, after all. Without his lightsaber, they have nothing to fear, after all. They've taken his lightsaber. They've unpersoned his Masters, his family. And now they want to turn him over to the Dark Side, an enemy of the Jedi, like they did with Rikros.

After using a few choice expletives for the Grand Inquisitor and the Grand Vizier and telling himself to calm down, he kneels on the floor. With nothing useful to do until his first lesson, he meditates. He starts to take slow and deep breaths. He recites the Jedi mantra, and then continues to meditate in silence, calling upon the Force and holding the connection for as long as he can.

(skip time)

[Shurijo]

An hour or passes before Uri hears his maglock door slide open to reveal Chantique dressed in what he would consider formal military officer attire. He had a similar uniform within his wardrobe as well.

"Hey, ya. I hope you're ready. You won't get a second chance." She says as she leans on the doorway. Glancing Uri over, she shakes her head. "No, no. You'll need to get into your fighting clothes and armor. When you're ready, me us down the hall." Then before Uri could respond, the door slides shut and she disappears from view.

[RorytheRomulan]

"Armor? Why--"

Uri changes out of the training outfit and into the correct clothing and armor in private, then leaves his room and follows the Zeltron down the hall.

[Shurijo]

As they approach the end of the hallway, the Grand Inquisitor joins them. "Brother Uri," he says, "we would like you to join our family. Unlike your former companions, we will look out for you. I've noticed that since you've arrived, neither you nor the others have inquired about each other's status. You were unconscious and near death when we put you into the tank and not a single one of them has even asked about your status or condition."

Pausing for a long moment, the Grand Inquisitor lets the last statements settle before continuing. "We are a family of brothers and sisters. Equals. Peers. There are no masters or apprentices. I have the responsibility of management, but there are no ranks."

"I have faith in your abilities and Chantique has requested to be your sponsor. Any failures during your candidate processing will be delivered to her. The first and entry test will occur momentarily and in the sparring arena."

As they walk down the twisting hallways, they stop at a balcony overlook showing what appears to be a sparring arena below them.

OOC

That part about nobody asking about each other is actually true. Nobody has asked about the status of others and nobody has asked about Uri since he was nearly dead after that battle...

[RorytheRomulan]

Uri stutters mutely as he mulls over these words. One would think he reverted to the quiet and observant youngling who arrived at Coruscant. He experiences a moment of awe at the knowledge that no one had thought of him. Presently, his mind returns to Chantique requesting to sponsor him, practically vouching for him, and thinking that would be nice.

Although confused, and hurt by having been forgotten by his masters, sulking instead, he abruptly brings up the theft of his lightsabers.

"I want my lightsabers back."

_

ooc

Presence GG
Uri uses "Pout"