Tyvon was unsure of how to get the man into safety. He looked around, trying to find some solution to the the virtually impossible situation he had just put another being in.
"That's it, Jedi. You wouldn't risk his life just to bring me in, would you? Too bad. I can."
The man, now pulling a blaster into view from under the blue poncho he was wearing, placed it up to the man's back and fired. The alien, whose eyes flared to life, fell to the ground, limp and dead. His breathing stopped instantly.
Tyvon, who was now angered by the vigilante's actions, reached for his lightsaber. He noticed that it was no longer clipped to his belt.
Where is it?!
He turned around to locate it, and amidst the swarming crowd and the pelting rain, he managed to spot his lightsaber. Calling it to his grasp with the Force, he gripped the familiar metallic surface and hit the igniting switch.
Turning his body around, he pushed his body to it's highest abilities, literally flying over each step.
Gaining lost ground on the assailant, he knew there was only one way that he could stop him.
Building the force in him as he continued to run, he raised his lightsaber over his head and twirled it at the assassin.
The man, by some other worldly power, noticed the blade flying at him quicker than ever, and managed to jump over the blade, using the assisstance of a jet pack to just miss the blade.
Tyvon caught the blade in his hand, stopping in defeat.
Slowly, the criminal, whom he had tried so desperately to catch, slipped out of view over a parking garage.
The Jedi slowly continued down the walkway. He managed to reach a small pedestal-shaped power generator to sit down on, and think of possibilities to catch the bounty hunter.
_______
Studying the holomap that was hovering from the com-link in front of him, Daniel made a right turn as was marked by the route.
The newly appointed Jedi-Master had lots of questions about his new class, although he couldn't sort out which ones were probably the most dire.
Regaining his original journey, he looke at the com-link and noticed that he had about 200 feet to go, spread out across a wide array of twists and turns
Why did the maker of this place build it so that it was complex?
He let out a sigh, and turned another corner. Although being new here he was constantly being noticed by the long-serving veterans of the Jedi Order. Surprisingly, the people of this "Order" accepted him right in to their society. He didn't necessarily know if this was good or bad.
I could have a lot of new friends on my hand, or I could've just slapped on my own cuffs into a life I may never be able to leave.
He let out another, long drawn-in sigh.
"Hello," he said casually to another Jedi Master, this time being an Nautolan. The tendrils that ran down his back creeped Daniel out a bit, so he hurried on.
Beep. Noting from the beep, he had only one-hundred feet left to go before he reached his first session.
His heart beated a bit faster. He tried to take another deep breath, but when he exhaled, the effects of comfort and patience that formerly washed over him were now just a feint memory.
He could feel a bead of sweat running down his temple from his hair. He wiped it away on his hand, and then removed the moisture on to his newly fixated robes.
He chuckled at the thought of Javuni finally giving him his robes.
"Wear them proud, and do not ruin them like your master did, okay?"
Beep. Fifty feet and he would be emerged in a sea of other younglings, some as confused as him, and others almost happy to be able to serve their galaxy in an agreement that, "they save people, but aren't recognized as heroes, and don't receive thanks."
Daniel could see the door from here. He slowly focused, trying to prevent the adrenaline from pumping through his body any further.
Inside him, a little voiced screamed not to go in, but he was within twenty feet now. It was too late to turn back. Too late to refuse. Ten feet. Five feet. Four. Three. Two. One.
As he reached the door, it opened slowly. The whole class that was now in session turned to look towards the door, as did the instructor. The whole crowd stayed in their position.
"Welcome, youngling," Daniel heard a raspy voice call. But he could not see the being to whom the voice belonged.
Slowly, a little man walked out from behind the crowd.
"Right here."
Daniel was a bit surprised about what he saw. This was a little green man with pointed ears and graying hair slicked back down his scalp. He was dressed in a miniature brown vest with long sleeves, which Daniel could see from the end of the man's small gray coat, and a pair of brown pants that reached his shoeless feet.
"My name is Master Yoda. Padawan Erinos, you must be."
"Yes...," Daniel said with a shied voice, as he noticed that the man was nearly as tall as some of the younglings.
As if Master Yoda could read his thoughts, he stated, "Size matters not, youngling. One of the many lessons you will learn from me, this is. Now, positioned in the back, you are. Beside Padawan Gowards." The Jedi Master pointed towards the vacant spot.
Following the direction in which the little man was pointing, he immediately noticed the young girl with whom he would be positioned beside.
As if the world stopped, he could not help but lose track of reality as he entered the beauty of the Padawan.
Losing track of his place, Daniel misjudged a step-down and tripped, falling forward, but not causing any real harm.
The whole class attending immediately laughed at the boy's fault.
"Silence, silence. Okay you are, Padawan Erinos?"
The boy stepped up immediately, and brushed off the imaginary dust that usually lathered his body on Stoga. "Fine. Just fine."
He stopped the day dreaming, and walked to his position, standing beside the other Padawans, embarrassed.
As Master Yoda began to speak, he couldn't help but ignore him and stare at the girl beside him.
"Nice fall," she joked. In all seriousness, she asked, "Are you okay."
Re-stating what he had just noted, he said in a lighter tone, "I'm fine."
"Good. I'd hate to see my new partner hurt on the first day."
They both laughed quietly, and upon a stare from Master Yoda, they immediately ceased.
Regaining a spot in Master Yoda's lesson, he listened about talks of lightsaber fighting forms, and then how some forms had strengths over others and how others had their weaknesses. Daniel took mental notes on the lecture from Master Windu.
After about an hour, the instructor began to move onto how the lightsaber designs they had selected would either limit or enhance their ability to give an optimum performance.
"Now younglings, you will learn this lesson, as my demonstrations, you will follow, and in the selection of a form, you will aid your partner."
Rectangular pedestals began to rise out of the ground, and an even larger pedestal arose in the center.
Yoda stepped up onto it as it was still ascending and he became visible to all the padawans below. "Start with Form I, we will. Shii-Cho, it is also known as. The most ancient form, it is."
The Master ignited his lightsaber, now ready to begin.
"Shii-Cho is basic, although useful. Quick parries and slashes comprise this Form."
Yoda quickly moved his left-downward-diagonal positioned block. The padawans quickly repeated the action, copying the Master's stance exactly.
Once again, the Master pointed his lightsaber the opposite way, facing in a right-upward-diagonal defense position.
"Well done," Daniel said.
Mensaura, whose name he had learned at the start of the lesson, gave him a slight grin.
For the next several minutes, the Master slashed and weaved his lightsaber in many different directions, and the lightsabers of the Padawans mimicked his.
Finally, when the session was over, the Jedi placed their weapons back on their belt. The others did it with ease, although Daniel had difficulty doing this on his second time.
"Very good, very good. Confident I am, with your Shii-Cho performance."
All the padawans were well ready to leave, although the Master still had some closing remarks for today's session.
"Over the course of the next few days, we will begin to study the other forms of lightsaber combat: Makashi, Soresu, Ataru, Djem So, and Niman. Dismissed, you are."
As Master Yoda stepped down, he sensed a feeling of question in one of the students. Turning around, he noticed that it was Padawan Goward's hand that was raised above the dispensing crowd.
"Yes," he called.
"Master, I noticed that you didn't mention Vaapad. I was just a bit concerned."
The Jedi Master looked slowly at the ground.
Daniel waited beside Mensaura, intrigued by the point she had made.
Master Yoda sighed, much as Daniel had during his arrival at the session. "Vaapad, very dangerous it is."
"Danger to the user?", Daniel asked.
"Yes, but a physical danger, it is not. A dark danger, it is."
The two lone padawans, who were the only ones left in the room, quickly understood: this form was used by the Sith and Dark Jedi, and it was very dangerous, in the sense that it explodes the user with rage, and drags them deeper into the fight itself.
"Thank you," Mensaura said, as they both began towards the exit.
"A moment, Padawan Erinos."
The Padawan turned around, leaving Mensaura to exit the room alone. She looked back at him, but her face was cut off by the shutting of the door.
“Impressed I was, by your performance today. More remarkable, passed the Jedi tests, you have.”
Although the young boy believed that gloating for one's self was highly self-conscious, he had to admit that it was impressive.
"Recommending you, I am, to a private Jedi instructor, for quicker and further enhancement in the Force."
He was puzzled, and somewhat struck. He was also in sorrow, as he was going to be separated from a new-found friend.
"That is all, Padawan."
He dismissed him by turning around and hobbling toward another door in the room.
Daniel turned, and took his leave towards the door.
When he emerged outside, he found his companion waiting for him. "What did Master Yoda want?"
He found it somewhat difficult to tell her, even though he didn't know her that well.
"Master Yoda is reccomending me to a private instructor."
"That is great!" she said. But her enthusiasm soon died down as she came to the realization he had just come to.
As they were walking down the corridor that led to the main commons, he spotted a helmeted figure fleeing. Although the man didn't appear to have any bag that he was carrying, or any object of special interest in his possession, Daniel spotted his Master running behind him.
If Master Roaf is chasing him, he must have committed a felony.
Considering if he should pursue the man, or stay here and let things play out, something in his gut told him to pursue the man.
"If you'll excuse me." With his goodbye, he fled his position, towards one of the lifts to the lower levels.
Hopping aboard, he watched as the angelic Mensaura quickly dissipated out of view.
________
What was that thing?
This was the only thought that could cross Tyvon's mind as he slowly walked his way towards another witness of what had occurred there.
He began his investigational duties as a Jedi by asking the simple question, "May I ask what your name is?" From there, he would ask if anyone had seen a man in a helmet, torso, arm, leg, and boot armor, and he described the appearance to them.
So far his search had come up empty.
"So you say you saw a man that looked suspicious walk into that club over there?"
The old, fragile Twi'lek slowly thought over the details, then answered, "Why, yes, I saw it as clearly as I see you standing here now."
Tyvon was unsure of whether to trust the old-one's advice or not, but it was the only lead he had gotten all night.
Thanking the woman for her services, he made his way over to the club entrance.
The club, which was called the Kinyen, as marked out by bright neon letters written in clean Aurebesh, the club-owner was an un-hospitable, and frankly big, Vurk who hailed from Sembla.
Before coming to Coruscant, he worked under the Senator Sweitt Concorkill, as a low level assistant, running useless errands that hardly earned him a credit an hour. After tiring of that line of work, he began to make his way to the Republic's center through ships and transports. Upon arriving, he ran into a Gran whose "dream" was to open a club, so they became business partners.
That would explain the club name, Tyvon thought.
He quickly walked up to the Zabrak bouncer.
"Name," the bouncer blurted out. It was hardly a question, more than emotionless blab.
"Tyvon Roaf, but I'm no-".
"Not on the list. If you're not on the list, you're not getting in." The sentient turned away to the next patron who stepped up to be admitted.
"Hey, ladies. Nice to see you again. Go right in!"
Tyvon quickly re-engaged the non-human, attempting to persuade him. "I'm not on the list because I'm not a patron. I-".
"Obviously you're not a patron. If you were, you'd be on the list."
Roaf tired of being cut off by the insignificant obstacle, but he calmed himself, and said, "I am a Jedi Knight of the Jedi Order. I demand entrance right away."
The Zabrak looked him over, obviously a bit swayed from illegal drugs.
"Oh, yeah, I can see it. Nice light-sword, but I can't have weapons inside." He raised his hand to a security desk that confiscated weapons until a customers department.
Why is security so tight?!
He detached the lightsaber from the link on his belt and placed it on the counter.
In a nasal-like voice, the Rodian said, "Name?"
"Tyvon Roaf."
The Rodian replied in the same, irritating tone, "Please dispose of all your weapons into the slot tray."
As the woman requested, he did so. He practically had to dispose of everything in order to gain access past the security scanners.
Leaving the comfort of his lightsaber behind, he quickly stepped into the club, somewhat eager to begin his search for the long-gone assailant.
As soon as he stepped in, he smelt the intoxicating and disgusting aroma of smoke coming from all around the club. In several places, he spotted drinks glowing in a variety of colors, in which he could not even begin to assess what had concocted each.
He coughed and slowly began his visual search. The being he had chased was sporting Green armor, with a white body-sleeve. But the club was so dark that he could hardly even make out the bartenders that stood behind the bar. In fact, the only illumination in the room were the strobe lights flickering all about.
He began his descent down a set of stairs into the sea of half drunk, half high customers. These so-called "customers" were dancing wildly to the beat of a famous Twi'lek tune that had overswept the crowd.
Looking to his left, he saw a mix of humans and sentients, but nothing that seemed relatively special to the being he was looking for. He gazed to his right, and found that he spotted someone looking vaguely similar.
Walking over cautiously, he reached for his lightsaber, but to no avail, he found that he had it confiscated upon entering.
Tapping the new being on the shoulder, he quickly discovered that it was a drunk partier, who had dressed up in the most ridiculous outfit he could find for a "fun" night.
Whoosh. He felt something tremor on the back of his neck. There was a disturbance in the Force. Turning around, he spotted a running being making their way through the crowd.
Feeling himself in the same, helpless position, he once again screamed, "Stop that man!"
And once again, nobody attempted to even stop the acclaimed. Why do I even bother?
He darted after the man. As he saw him exit the club, he pursued him. The Force was with him, and although he didn't have his lightsaber for physical combat, the Force topped any ally in combat.
The man suddenly righted into an alley. Picking up his speed, he entered into the alley. But he couldn't spot the man, and he knew that there was no way he escaped that quick. He walked cautiously through the mist-filled "tunnel".
Reaching out with the force, he probed the deepest reaches of the dark chasm as the tune in the background faded with the slow closing of the door.
“Come out, come out,” he called, to no avail.
A slight tapping was heard to his left. Turning quickly, he spotted a moving shadow in the mist of the fogginess. He reached out with the force, and although he could not see anybody, the force allowed him a pathway around this.
Behind you. With this simple command, he turned around and was able to see the armored figure rushing at him again. He made out the same symbol on the figure’s chest.
Ducking under a blow aimed with a vibro-blade, he quickly swooped his leg under the opposing feet, knocking him to the ground.
Standing back to his full height, he quickly aimed the heal of his boot for the warrior’s throat.
Countering the would-be fatal blow, the man, with amazingly quick reflexes, flipped back to his feet, aiming a blaster for Tyvon’s head.
Pfew. Pfew, pfew. The blaster discharged, and continued to do so, but the Jedi’s unnatural ability’s allowed him to barely dodge the purple bolts fired from the gun.
On the offensive again, Tyvon decided to move in from the man’s left, the arm he didn’t have a gun in. Running, he caught the man by surprise, in a way, and managed to take hold of his wrist.
Discharging the hand piece a few more times, the warrior was frantically trying to dislodge the robed man’s grip.
Tyvon wouldn’t budge. He slammed the warrior’s hand against the wall, and immediately began to land blows on the man’s face, chest, and arms.
The blaster, now dislodged and on the ground, was the target of both men.
Diving to the ground, the both tried to grab the gun, in an attempt to throw off the other man. Grabbing the blaster, Tyvon fired, but missed. The blaster was dislodged again.
This time, the Green suited man went for it, grabbing it in his hand. Tyvon, still recovering from a blow landed just a second ago, realized what had happened. Aiming the gun at Tyvon, he pointed it.
Tyvon closed his eyes, ready for death. And then…
there was. But not his own. Looking up, the warrior that was the most apparent threat a moment ago was replaced by another green object, but not a suit of armor topped off with a terrifying green helmet. It was the familiar glow of a lightsaber: the weapon of a Jedi, and the weapon of his padawan; Erinos.
The boy looked at the ground, in shock and trapped in his own mind. He dropped the lightsaber, the blade extinguishing.
Tyvon looked at him, judgment not even crossing his mind.
