Outside the Jedi Praxeum: Training Grounds

[Dav Man'Sell]

*Surrounding the main structure of the academy are several training grounds. Among these are obstacle courses designed to challenge acrobatic skill, blaster deflection platforms, and games arenas.

Closer to the main academy building, a sunken basin lined with a walkway serves as a place to practice centering exercises, and the largest and most complex field is set with traps, hazards, and obstacles for the game Skorch.

Weaving among these training grounds are a series of complicated paths, designed to encourage students to be mindful of their surroundings.*

[Dav Man'Sell]

-- The flow of the Force through the natural domain of Ossus. The scars of yesteryear, the strength of the Ysannan people, the serenity of the Jedi that occupied the students --



-- Something else. Malicious, violent intent, but cool, so very calm. Organised. Professional. Directed at the Jedi. Close. Close. So very close. --



=Dezel Rostu=




=Dezel Rostu=




=Dezel Rostu=




=Boron Shar=




=Boron Shar=


=Dezel Rostu=




=Boron Shar=




=Dezel Rostu=




=Boron Shar=

[Ander Tagira]

"Dammit,"







"Wish I coulda bought you a pint instead, mate…"

[Dav Man'Sell]

Dezel stood, anxious, by the door, as Boron rushed to throw on a shirt and some boots. Dezel's saber was already in his hand, its distinctive long hilt hovering at his left side, ready to fight. For the third time in less than a minute, he glanced impatiently at his friend; this time, however, the other man was turning to him, the utility belt just being wrapped around his waist and buckled at the front.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel frowned, his gaze turning to the wall, as if he could look through it and at the Praxeum in search of his answers. He didn't have a plan. Not yet. He shook his head, a shrug accompanying it.

=Dezel Rostu=


The other Jedi nodded.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel's eyebrows arched upwards, and he also gave a small, gentle nod in return. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was something.

=Dezel Rostu=


He didn't finish the sentence, a sudden spike of pain washing over him, followed by a second a few short moments later. His eyes slipped closed, head turning to the side, his lips pressed tightly together.

The pain had been an echo through the Force, that briefest of flashes as a sentient life was snuffed out. Still under the influence of his meditation, and with his heightened state, they came through clearly to him where they otherwise may not have; as he opened his eyes, though, he could see that Boron had sensed enough to also detect what was going on. Someone had just killed two people within the Praxeum grounds, and Dezel reckoned that since those that had died hadn't been Force sensitive, as far as he could tell, there were probably two guards now laying somewhere, growing steadily colder as their life energies left them.

=Dezel Rostu=


Boron nodded, and he took a step towards the hut's entrance, his own Lightsaber now in hand. But as he lay the other hand upon the door handle, he stopped. A concerned, distant look crossed over his face, and Dezel thought he might even have seen the other Jedi shiver, reacting in response to some kind of sensation from the Force. After a second, he slowly released the handle again, taking a step backwards.

=Boron Shar=


It took Dezel a moment to realise what Boron meant, but when the other Jedi turned towards the back wall of the hut, lifting his hilt and igniting his brilliant blue Lightsaber with the ever familiar snap-hiss, realisation did indeed come. Dezel stepped up behind him, waiting patiently as Boron carved through the hut's wall, and when the portion dropped away, he followed Boron in stepping swiftly through.

The night air outside had developed a heavy chill, though Dezel wondered if part of that was his imagination, if the cold of the air was exaggerated by the cold intent he sensed in the Force, and by the echoes still with him of the sudden deaths of two men. Boron shut down his lightsaber, and then looked at him, and Dezel nodded ahead, indicating a direction for them to move down; the path he'd selected was steeped in shadow, and dipped between two of the larger training arenas, giving them plenty of cover in which to stay concealed. There, they could take advantage of the Force, and their ability to see without sight, to feel without touch, and the precognitive warnings that Jedi were known to receive. Moving together, and quickly finding a mutual pace and pattern to their movements, they slipped down the path, moving first south-south-west, and then curving east towards the west side entrance. The great form of the Praxeum towered before them, and they were seconds away from its walls.

The Force sent a shrill, bell like warning to him, and he stopped just at the edge of a building, still in its shadow. His right hand went up too, to stop Boron, but he needn't have bothered – the other Jedi had also felt the impulse, the danger they would face if they took a step further, and had similarly flattened himself into the shadows.

The side entrance to the Praxeum lay twenty or so meters away. The problem lay in the fact that, surrounding the Praxeum, there was a twenty meter wide area of empty space, a large paved ring around the temple in which there was no cover. And evidently, stepping into that ring was inherently dangerous, though the Force had not been so kind as to explain precisely why it was dangerous. He looked over his shoulder at the other Jedi Knight.

=Dezel Rostu=

[Ander Tagira]

::Altic, I've got the two Jedi stacked against a building near to the Temple's backside. I don't know what they're up to and I don't have visual contact at the moment, but my guess is they'll make for an entrance at the rear of the Temple. You copy that? You might have visitors soon. It must be a rear or side entrance of some sort, there's no way they'll make for the main entrance. Make sure you have one of the boys covering your shebse.
::We've already got company. A Barabel Jedi. Keep me posted.::

1: Backsides, Asses

[Dav Man'Sell]

Boron frowned, looking out at the entrance way, his brow deeply furrowed in frustration and impatience.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel's eyes also turned to the door, a similar frown crossing his brow.

=Dezel Rostu=


Boron frowned, shaking his head.

=Boron Shar=


The other Jedi was, of course, right. The Korunnai threw a glance in Boron's direction, before letting his eyes sink close, dropping into the flow of the Force.

*The swirl of energies directed him, the Force obeying his conscious command, its power answering the question that lay foremost in his thoughts at that moment. The shapes of the buildings immediately around him swept away, growing smaller, left behind, as his spiritual self swept outwards. Unlike his earlier mediations, wide-reaching and in search of broader wisdom, gathering peace and tranquillity to him, this was directed, full of intent. Where as before, his relaxed and open mind may well have been able to sense the flap of a bird's wings, or the beat of a Gokob's heart, now all distractions were cast aside, with one goal, one impression, his only desired sensation.

Finally, he found it. An intensely focused mind, a sharp, aware thought that was pointed towards them. The danger, detected.*

=Dezel Rostu=


His eyes opened, and again, he looked at Boron Shar.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel nodded in agreement.

=Dezel Rostu=


Boron offered a small smile, and patted his fellow Jedi on the shoulder.

=Boron Shar=


Boron gave a brief, unimpressed scowl. Mandalorian snipers - heck, any Mandalorian soldier - were some of the most deadly non-Force sensitive shooters in the Galaxy. He wasn't sure that he felt comfortable being so flippant about it.

=Dezel Rostu=


The rugged Jedi Knight from Corulag kept the small smile plastered on his face, and slipped off his over tunic, so that he wore only his undershirt. He nodded at the Dezel's belt.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel's scowl became a full frown at this, but he heeded to Boron's request none the less, slipping the stubby glow rod from within the pouch on his belt and passing it to the Jedi from Corulag, who still wore a small smile beneath his beard. Boron instantly slipped the device within the confines of the tunic, arranging it so as it would drape over the glowrod much as it would a hanger, granting the tunic a little more shape and solidity than just a removed item of clothing. This done, the Jedi Knight lifted the tunic-glowrod combination before himself, staring intently at it. He slowly removed his hands, the tunic and glowrod remaining in place, as the Jedi Knight grasped it telekinetically through the Force. He gave a broad, slightly self-satisfied smile at Dezel. Dezel, who had just figured out what the Corulag Jedi Knight was thinking, shook his head.

=Boron Shar=


The Korunnai Jedi Knight turned, setting his eyes on their destination. He let the Force begin to penetrate his muscles, energising them, and his senses, enhancing his perceptions. He gave a small nod.

=Boron Shar=


The tunic-covered-glowrod raced out, propelled with impressive telekinetic force, into the open area, arcing off in a different direction to the straight line dash they had to make, shooting away from where the sniper would be. A second after it had gone, Dezel set off, with all the Force-infused-speed he could muster. A few seconds after that, he felt Boron set off after him.

[Ander Tagira]

[Dav Man'Sell]

It was odd, sometimes, how the Force chose to convey an impression to you. Sometimes, it painted a picture, clear as a holograph in your minds eye. Other times, it just gave a surge in your gut, a bubbling, churning urge to take a certain action. Sometimes it came as a whisper on the wind, others as a shout straight into your ear.

And today, today it came as a phantom tensing in the hand, a twitch in Dezel's finger, and the feeling, the feeling of gripping onto something that wasn't there, of his digit compressing a slender, moving bar. The feeling of a finger, pulling a trigger. And whether by intuition alone, by reason and experience, or by the knowledge of the Force, Dezel was not consciously aware, but however it came to him, the meaning of that feeling came clearly. A momentary warning, even as his feet fell against stone in his sprint for the doors, of ill to come.

And what to do about it, that too, came clearly.

As his right foot fell, the dark-skinned Korunnai Jedi twisted in his body. His right hand twisted back across himself, his fingers splayed, leading the twist, thrusting under his left arm, and throwing his palm out at Boron, a dozen or less steps behind him. He had know time to send a warning, to be gentle or delicate. He had no time to try not to hurt his friend and fellow Jedi. He just had to do.

The wave of telekinetic energy that flew from his outstretched hand crashed hard into the other Jedi's front, a momentary spike of surprise shooting into the Force, as Boron was lifted clean off of his feet, thrown back the way he came, and sent sprawling, crashing down into the ally they had just left. Dezel himself was now falling, his twist having thrown him off of his own feet, flying through the air back first towards the Praxeum.

He wasn't sure if the pain he felt first was the pain from Boron, or from himself, but his heightened, post-meditation awareness definitely picked up on both as the Corulag Jedi, and Dezel himself, came crashing hard against stone. As he scrambled to regain his bearings, he came to realise that he'd actually made it across the opening, and now lay beneath the arch of the Praxeum's side entrance, his back against the stone wall. Boron, however, was very much back where they started.

The Jedi Knight frowned.

=Dezel Rostu=


It had been muttered to himself, as he had picked himself up off the floor. Now Dezel sought the gaze of Boron opposite, who was just dusting himself down.

Now they had to figure out what to do next.

Opposite him, Boron's frown was heavy, and when they made eye contact, he mouthed to Dezel, with over-exaggerated movements of his lips:

=Boron Shar=


Dezel shook his head slowly. There had been a whistle, the sound of something - a small cluster of somethings, in fact, in quick succession - flying past, but he had no recollection of seeing a flash of light or the tell tale smell of ozone from a blaster bolt. From the look on Boron's face, and the surface thoughts that Dezel could detect through the Force, the other Jedi had a similar recollection. After a moment's thought, an image formed in Boron's mind, one that Dezel could faintly make out, and the other Jedi mouthed again.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel's frown deepened. He wasn't an expert on the ways of the Mandalorians, not by any stretch, but he did recall that some Mandalorians seemed to show a preference for Verpine made projectile weapons. And he was no expert on projectile weapons either, but he also recalled that, generally speaking, the Verpine made the best projectile weapons.

Well, this just gets better and better...

Dezel wasn't sure how best to deal with such a weapon as a Verpine made projectile-based sniper rifle, but when he saw Boron detach his Lightsaber from his belt, he knew enough to emphatically shake his head. Intercepting shots from Verpine shatter weapons was incredibly difficult, far more so than blaster shots, and they didn't even know where the sniper shots were coming from. He knew there were a few Jedi skilled enough to defend themselves under those circumstances, but only the very finest swordsmen, most of which were either on the High Council or were lightsaber instructors at academies. He knew he didn't have the skill, and he doubted Boron did either.

He was pleased to see the other Jedi Knight had, once more, reached the same conclusion; Boron's eyes fell on his own Lightsaber hilt, and there was the slightest deflation in his shoulders as he lowered it back to his side. He found Dezel's eyes again.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel turned his eyes away to the collapsed tunic, staring at it, as if it would grant him a burst of inspiration, though he truly doubted it would.

Which made it all the more surprising when it did.

[Ander Tagira]

::All Operators, one of the Jedi made it to the Temple exterior. I can't see their entrance point. I repeat, no visual on the targets.::

[Dav Man'Sell]

Dezel had his eye, and his mind, fixed on the glowrod. He reached out, drawing it, with the most delicate application of telekinesis as he had applied since constructing his Lightsaber, out from under the robe. So intently focused on his task was he that he didn't immediately notice the impact of the projectile that landed between himself and Boron - it was only when he felt the gentle poke of the other through the Force that he turned, spying the projectile that was buried into the stone, directly in Boron's path.

And maybe he was mistaken, but he was quite sure the projectile looked like a grenade.

=Dezel Rostu=


Boron caught his eye again.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel gave the other Jedi a nod of confirmation. A grenade, of some kind. They both thought as much. That it hadn't exploded on impact implied either a timer (though what purpose so long a timer on a grenade shot at where it had been aimed would serve, he had no idea), a proximity sensor, or some method of remote detonation. He decided not to trust his good fortune far enough to assume that it was a dud. That'd actually mean something going their way, and thus far, that was not the case.

The Jedi Knight looked to Boron once more, shooting an image out through the Force to him - his plan, the delicately moved glow-light and it's final destination. Boron's eyes seemed to roll back for a second, lids slipping closed, as he received the mental image, before he once more met Dezel's eyes. And after a moment of thought, he tapped himself on the chest, and once more, mouthed across the space between them.

=Boron Shar=


Dezel's frown deepened. What in the heck did the other Jedi mean by 'go'? He shook his head, prompting the other Jedi Knight to gesture firmly towards the Praxeum itself.

=Boron Shar=


He wanted to protest further. He wanted to assist the other Jedi. But as he realised what was being mouthed to him across the courtyard, he realised he didn't actually have much to respond with. Boron was, of course, right.

Reluctantly, Dezel gave a small nod, and lifted his hand to his brow in a subtle salute.

And, taking his Lightsaber in hand, he turned, slapped the controls for the door, and slipped inside.

It's time to wake up the Jedi.



As Boron watched his friend turn away, stepping into the Temple on a mission far more important than the task of helping him safely across to the doorway, he sighed. Now he had to beat this sniper alone.

Fair enough. One on one.

He turned his own attentions to the glowrod that he had taken from Dezel a few moments earlier. He had received the image the other Jedi had sent. But where the other Jedi had opted to take it slow, to edge, and ease, and twitch, and tweak the device into place, so as to avoid detection, Boron felt unable, or perhaps just unwilling, to spare the time.

No, no, he decided to opt for a far more direct approach. He reached out telekinetically. Grabbed the glowrod. And he flung it, directly into the space between himself and the door, directly into the point that Dezel had been attempting to slowly, subtly slide it - now also decidedly close to the point where the projectile had impacted. Just as the glowrod came down, he clenched his fist. One end of it crumpled.

And he threw his arm up before his face, to shield his eyes, as the power-cell inside exploded in a brilliant release of light, heat, and outward-propelled-force.

Less than half a second later, he moved again, this time leaping with Force-imbued agility, up onto the edge of the building before him, at the 'back' of the alley. He wasted no time when he landed, springing instantly towards the Praxeum, and through the cloud of dust and dirt that had just been thrown into the air by the improvised explosive.