Getting a Reboot (Ninjabot, Lmr)

[Ghostie]

Sirius pried the panel off of the wall and put it down as gently as he could. This was the archives after all; there were all sorts of Jedi around trying to study. For as gentle as he was being, there was still a slight thud when Sirius sent the panel down on the floor. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to be diving into the Archives network system, but it was too late to try and stop him. Besides, I'm fixing something. If they have a problem with it that's their loss. Gives me something to do besides sit around anyways. Sirius thought to himself. The archivist had often been complaining of him using up one of the computers when other Jedi needed it more. He looked into the opening to see what the problem was.

Sirius had been wandering the Temple for two weeks, fixing random things that had fallen into disrepair. He had tried to avoid people though; he didn't want to hear anymore about how they were all sorry for his lost. He had gotten tired of it after the first day. All he wanted to do was hunt down the dark Jedi that killed Wolf, especially since Wolf had told him that it was his old apprentice. He wanted to get the dark Jedi and make him pay, but first he had to ask him a question; was it worth killing your own friends just to gain power? Sirius wouldn't betray his friends, but he had to hear the dark Jedi's own excuse. But here he was, stuck in the Temple instead.

He had also put off finding someone to continue his teaching and apprenticeship. He wanted to find a master that could teach him the finer aspects of combat, and how to take down another force-user. Most of those Jedi had gone to join the Blades, the Jedi that went off to fight in the war. And no one could replace Wolf in Sirius's eyes. He thought many times of just packing his things and leaving the Order to go out on his own. Sirius had a bag packed and ready to go at a moments notice. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. The Jedi Temple had been his home for sixteen years, and he had no idea what he would do after he left.

Sirius dropped to a kneeling position on the floor so he could get a better look into the opening. He had been lead to this spot because this is where the archives computer said this was where the break in the network was. He dropped to his stomach and squeezed into the opening. He had always been shorter than all his friends, but his legs still stuck out of the wall. Sirius hoped no one tripped over them. His glasses became coated in dust, which he quickly wiped off on his robes. The dust got into his black hair as well, and he had to rub his blue grey eyes to get dust out of them so he could see better. His long, nimble fingers were perfect for fixing the connection. Sirius seemed almost built to work with tech.

He laid there in the opening for a quite awhile, fixing the network so the computer he was using could connect back to the Holonet. He had lost track of time, but it didn't matter. In his work he didn't have to think about Wolf, or the dark Jedi, or trying to avoid other Jedi. He had laid out all his tools in front of him along with a light source and his datapad, so he could monitor what the connection was doing. It was almost like a little nest. Many Jedi had walked by and either not noticed or not cared what he was doing.

Sirius was close to finishing his work, all he had to do was plug a few wires back in, pack up his equipment, and leave. Just then Sirius's stomach rumbled. He checked his datapad and saw it was almost eight at night. Maybe I should just leave my stuff here and come back after some dinner. That's when he felt someone stumble over his legs.

[ninjabot]

"If alllll the raindrops were bubble gum and gum drops, oh what a rain that would be..." sang Xell with a bit of a skip. "Stan-ding outside with my mouth open wide. Ah-ah-ah-AH!!!" The boy stumbled over what he didn't know were outstretched legs. He fell over with a loud thud and an aggrivated grunt, but rolled to his side quickly to see what he had just tripped over.
Xell winced and rubbed the dirt from his brow. He saw what looked like a humanoid figure. Rather than become irrate Xell accepted that he was at fault for not paying attention.

"Um... sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was-"

The Padawan couldn't believe his eyes.

Long, long ago, when Xell was but a child...

Xell sniffed as he watched the other kids perform Shii-cho movements in unison. He was being left out, and though jealousy was something to be expunged from one's heart, he was but a youngling, and he knew what he wanted. He wanted to belong. Or rather, he just didn't want to NOT belong, if that made any sense. The boy was already an outsider looking in; a nerd, a goof. He wasn't the strongest or the fastest in the class, and he seemed to draw undue attention to himself with his super hero mimicking antics. And that's what got him his broken arm.

"Pay attention Xell. Just because you can't train with your hands, doesn't mean you can't sharpen your mind. Follow the movements. Commit them to memory." said the teacher for the day. Xell sighed and whiped his tears away with his good arm and payed attention.

One of the students he caught glancing at him from afar, but he quickly returned his attention to their studies. Xell pushed away the holo-pad infront of him, causing it to fall to the floor with a loud crash, sparks spewing out from the shock of being dropped several feet. He wasn't normally one to act out, but he was having a particularly bad day.

Later that day...

Xell sat alone in the courtyard, flipping through his books. He had no idea how long it took, but eventually he noticed that he wasn't alone in the courtyard. In the eastern-most area. In the shade. Under HIS tree. He turned to see the boy that saw him crying earlier.

"..."

"..."

Was he there to gloat? To laugh? And what was that thing he was fiddling with? The boy had what seemed like a mechanical box. Upon further inspection it was revealed to be a holo-viewer... a rather ragged looking one. It had Xell's name on it.

"You... fixed it?" asked Xell with a gradually growing smile. The boy smiled back.

"Hi. My name is--"

Present Day

"SIRIUS!?" yelled Xell, incapable of hiding his excitement. He kneeled down and pounced his old friend in a nearly painful hug.

"Where've you been man!?"

[Ghostie]

Sirius rolled his eyes in disgust. He couldn’t believe that some Jedi had tripped over his legs. It wasn’t as if they were out in the middle of the walkway, were they blind or something? He pushed his glasses back up onto his face and took his sweet time backing out of the hole. Sirius rolled over and couldn’t believe his eyes. His jaw dropped; there was no mistaking his friend’s dark complexion, brown eyes, and that wide nose. It could only be one person.

“Xell Rayner….?” Sirius whispered. Then Sirius was swept into a bone crushing hug that he defiantly wasn’t prepared for. His glasses were knocked askew and his arms where pinned to his side. Sirius did his best to lift his arms and pat his friend on the back. He was overjoyed, Xell was the kindest friend he ever knew, and defiantly someone he needed right now. Sirius’s frustration immediately disappeared. He was shocked too, Sirius hadn't seen Xell in a couple of years. There was nothing he could do to hide the shocked look on his face.

Where’ve you been man!?”

“Oh just here and there.” Sirius smiled. He kindly broke the hug and sat up cross legged. "You should really watch where your going dude. Did you bust your face on the floor? No, oh well then maybe next time." Sirius laughed, hoping Xell realised it was just a joke. He waited a few seconds before talking again. “Right now I've been stuck here at the Temple. Sirius mumbled, looking down at the floor for a second and his smile being replaced by a frown. Sirius raised his head and smiled at Xell again. "How about you though? I haven’t seen you forever, I’m so happy to see you!”

[ninjabot]

“Oh just here and there.” Sirius smiled. He kindly broke the hug and sat up cross legged. "You should really watch where your going dude. Did you bust your face on the floor? No, oh well then maybe next time."

Xell poked Sirius with an elbow as he laughed aloud. He definately needed to speak to someone his own age. Someone who understood what it felt like to feel so many emotions at once and have absolutely NO answers to the questions spinning around in their head.

The last time they spoke Xell had left to be taken with Master Orren on that particular mission that was burned into his memory. Such a long time ago..

"How about you though? I haven’t seen you forever, I’m so happy to see you!”

Xell scratched his head and blushed. "Yeah man. Same here. It's been far too long."

Xell looked around at the mess that Sirius had made. No doubt he was fooling around with the electronic innards of some other part of the temple, just like usual. Infact, it was he that had motivated Xell to gaina greater understanding of all things electronic. The practical use was almost limitless.

"Everything's good. I uh... I've got a new master. I'm not with Orren anymore." Xell grew silent, his cheshire grin fading slightly as he was now missing Orren, and it was showing. He cleared his head and forced another smile. "But, I've got a new Master. Sherasti Rin, a Togruta." as he said so, his tanned cheeks reddened and he couldn't help but smile uncontrollably.

Xell continued onward about his master. Her violet eyes that he felt he could swim in for days... her full lips... her demure lekku... everything. It was as if he payed a bit too much attention to what she looked like rather than her teachings. Apparently he liked her. He really, really liked her.

Hopefully Xell's old friend wouldn't pick up on the infatuation.

[Ghostie]

Sirius noticed Xell looking around at the mess he had made. Between the tools scattered through the small tunnel, the hip high panel which was leaning against the wall, and the fact that he was covered head to toe in dust and spider webs it was quite the mess. But Sirius didn’t care. He’d clean up later, but he was too excited to see Xell to care. Sirius readjusted his glasses on his face. “Yeah, I’m still fixin’ stuff. It helps clear your head. And it’s easier than meditation most of the time. You should try it.” Sirius smiled as he looked over his shoulder at the mess he had made. “Anyways…”

“Everything's good. I uh... I've got a new master. I'm not with Orren anymore.” Sirius felt a pang of hurt. They had both lost their masters. He knew what Xell was going through and he felt so sorry for him. Sirius wouldn’t wish something like that upon anyone.

“Oh I’m sorry Xell. I know you liked him and awful lot.” Sirius moved closer and put an arm around his friend. He wasn’t going to pry; after all, he didn’t want Xell to pry into what happened with Master Wolf. It wasn’t as if Sirius wouldn’t answer Xell honestly, after all they were almost brothers. It was just that Sirius still was feeling the pain of Wolf’s death. After all it had only been two weeks. But the most he could for his friend was be there and try to comfort him.

“But, I've got a new Master. Sherasti Rin, a Togruta.”

“Oh really, and how’s that goin’?” And then Sirius noticed Xell’s smile and his blushing. Sirius couldn’t believe it. He pulled his arm back from around Xell’s shoulder. “Dude that’s your own master! She’s gotta be like, forty!” He said, assuming Master Rin was an older Jedi. Sirius couldn’t believe it; Xell was blushing over his own master!?

[ninjabot]

“Oh really, and how’s that goin’?” And then Sirius noticed Xell’s smile and his blushing. Sirius couldn’t believe it. He pulled his arm back from around Xell’s shoulder. “Dude that’s your own master! She’s gotta be like, forty!” He said, assuming Master Rin was an older Jedi. Sirius couldn’t believe it; Xell was blushing over his own master!?

Xell waved his hands back and forth and shook his head quickly to disuade any ideas swarming through his old friend's head.

"N-no way man! She's only 24! And... and I don't even know what you're talking about! We're friends! A master and padawan are supposed to be close...right?"

Xell blushed uncontrollably as he tried to guess what Sirius was thinking of, which got his own overactive imagination going full steam. Inorder to avoid sitting there looking dumbfounded throughout the entire reunion Xell decided to inquire about Sirius more.

"Well, I'm sure you understand what it means to be close to your master. How is your master by the way?" asked Xell, completely oblivious to Sirius' recent loss.

[Ghostie]

"N-no way man! She's only 24! And... and I don't even know what you're talking about! We're friends! A master and padawan are supposed to be close...right?"

“Right, you’re just blushin’ uncontrollably because you’re just so happy to see me!” Sirius said as soon as he saw Xell blushing. He laughed, oh he was going to have fun teasing Xell about this.

"Well, I'm sure you understand what it means to be close to your master. How is your master by the way?"

Sirius’s laughter died down almost instantly. So the topic came up after all. This was not a subject he wanted to visit, but he promised himself he wouldn’t lie to Xell. Xell would just find out somehow anyways. All those feelings he had before getting focused on his project, his anger and his sadness, they all came flooding back. Life was so much simpler when he was fixing things

“Xell, Master Wolf, uh…Master Wolf died a few weeks ago.” Sirius said, starring at the floor and his feet while he did. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes to wipe away the tears that had collected their, hoping Xell just assumed he was rubbing dust out of his eyes from the maintenance hole. He didn’t want to be this week in front of his best friend.

[ninjabot]

"Xell, Master Wolf...Master Wolf died a few weeks ago."
Xell felt his heart sink. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Once again Xell had let his mouth get him into a problem it couldn't get him out of.

"I uh... I didn't know. Force, I'm sorry Sirius. Don't... we don't have to talk about that if you--"

Xell's old friend began fighting back tears to avoid showing that he was being overcome by his emotions. Xell had to act fast. What could he do or say to correct this situation? it seemed like every day he was attempting to help out a friend only to make things worse...

The padawan placed an arm around Sirius to remind him that he wasn't alone.

"Hey. we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm sorry I brought it up. So...I'll talk. We've been away from eachother for so long, right? I'll let you catch up with what I've been up to!"

Xel tried to sound enthusiastic. Maybe it will make Sirius forget atleast for a while. Still, it was only weeks since his master had died. If Xell had lost Orren or Sherasti... he would never recover from that. Never.

"Well um... Master Orren, as strong as he was well... he was the no-nonsense type. He wouldn't let things like rules and regulations stop him from doing what he considered to be the right thing. And the order likely thought that was the wrong way for any master Jedi to act, as they notified him that he would no longer be my master. So yeah. That's where Sherasti Rin comes in. She's really young and actually isn't a master... but her skill and knowledge far outweighs my own. She's like the anti-Orren when it comes to mentality and battle aswell."

Xell stopped and looked at Sirius with a smile. Hopefully he could avoid causing a rift between he and Sirius. He would hate to have ended their reunion so quickly due to his insensitivity.

[Ghostie]

"I uh... I didn't know. Force, I'm sorry Sirius. Don't... we don't have to talk about that if you--"

Sirirus didnt say anything, he was too busy trying to fight back tears. Sirius didnt want to look weak in front of Xell who one of his only freinds at this point, and he knew it wasn't very Jedi like to let his emotions run wild like this. Xell's arm came around his shoulders and Sirius just sat there, he quit fighting back the tears. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion... Now if I could only find this dang peace everyone talks about! Sirius said that part of the Jedi Code quickly in his head few times. It didnt help any.

"Don't worry Xell, it seems like you're the only one who didnt know. Yet your the only one I dont care talking about it with. In fact, your really the only person I've talked about it with besides the Council when I came back. They said they were going to find me a new master, but its already been two weeks." Sirius wiped the tears away and started to stop crying a bit.

"Hey. we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm sorry I brought it up. So...I'll talk. We've been away from eachother for so long, right? I'll let you catch up with what I've been up to!"

Sirius smiled a bit. Xell was always enthusiastic about something. Maybe that was the kind of person he needed to hang around right now. He was more than willing to hear about what Xell was up to and try and forget about his master's death for awhile.

Okay, lets here what you've been up to."
Sirius managed to smile at his freind, and he paid attention while he talked.

"Well um... Master Orren, as strong as he was well... he was the no-nonsense type. He wouldn't let things like rules and regulations stop him from doing what he considered to be the right thing. And the order likely thought that was the wrong way for any master Jedi to act, as they notified him that he would no longer be my master. So yeah. That's where Sherasti Rin comes in. She's really young and actually isn't a master... but her skill and knowledge far outweighs my own. She's like the anti-Orren when it comes to mentality and battle aswell."

It sounded to Sirius that Xell had been up to as much as he had. Sirius decided to ask about the situation.

"So, that must have been a big leap, going from someone who does the right thing no matter what the Code says to someone who follows the Code wholeheartedly. I bet your learning alot more." Sirius couldnt help but feel alittle jelous that his freind had already gotten a new master, but it wasn't Xell's fault. He wouldnt hold it against him.

"So, what happened to Master Orren?"

[ninjabot]

"So, what happened to Master Orren?"

Xell rolled his eyes over to the left, and then upwards some, to show that he was trying to think up a realistic answer to this question. In truth he hadn't spoken to his master since he met Sherasti.

His master. It was odd, but even when thinking about Orren, he still thinks of him as his master. He would have to make sure not to disrespect Sherasti by calling Orren his master while in front of her. She was his master in responsibility, but she was not a master class Jedi. Even still, he owed her the same respect he gave Orren.

"Honestly, I don't know. He was on his way to a new mission the day I met Sherasti Rin. I'm sure that he'll be back soon. He didn't act as if losing me as a Padawan was that painful. But then, Master Orren always tried to keep his emotions bottled up."

Xell smiled. Thinking of him brought back fond memories, and it seemed the more he talked, the less somber and detatched Sirius felt. That was good.

"Yeah. We sparred once and he already knew I should cover my weaknesses with a more defensive style, that's why I worked on Soresu. Though I think he just wanted to build up my endurance by making me focus on a style that requires me to place myself in the 'heart of the storm'. Using a style like that it's impossible to not build up your strength and staying power if used constantly."

Xell continued on and on about Master Orren's philosophy in battle. Strike first, strike hard. Don't hesitate. Don't regret. It was all very... intimidating, now that Xell stopped to think about it.

"Yeah, what about you? How far has your tech skills improved?" asked Xell. He looked around and chuckled. "Seems like you've still been working on things around the temple."

[Ghostie]

"Honestly, I don't know. He was on his way to a new mission the day I met Sherasti Rin. I'm sure that he'll be back soon. He didn't act as if losing me as a Padawan was that painful. But then, Master Orren always tried to keep his emotions bottled up."

If only I could do the same... "Dont worry Xell, Im sure he misses you as his padawan." Talking about something else was helping to cheer Sirius up. Its wasn't as if he had quit thinking about Master Wolf. But it was nice to be distracted.

"Yeah. We sparred once and he already knew I should cover my weaknesses with a more defensive style, that's why I worked on Soresu. Though I think he just wanted to build up my endurance by making me focus on a style that requires me to place myself in the 'heart of the storm'. Using a style like that it's impossible to not build up your strength and staying power if used constantly."

"I also worked on Soresu with my master, but I think he just taught me the basics to help me stay alive a bit longer." Sirius laughed as he finished saying this.

"Yeah, what about you? How far has your tech skills improved? Seems like you've still been working on things around the temple."

"Yeah, I've gotten better with tech over the years. But it seems in these past few weeks the only useful thing I've been able to do is fix random things around the Temple. You wouldnt believe how many little things there are that needed fixed. Nothing major or important, but just little things that make life easier. Its actually been pretty great, I've seen more of the Temple in these past few days than I have since I can ever remember." Sirius wasn't being completely truthful though. He was also fixing all these things around the Temple to try and avoid other Jedi. He was tired of hearing that they were all sorry for him. In fact, Sirius had been pretty succesful in avoiding people until Xell tripped over his legs. Typical.

[ninjabot]

Xell scractched his head again as he stopped to think of more things to talk about. He wasn't used to trying to comfort anyone, let alone someone he placed in bad spirits. It was then that he stood up and pat his friend on the shoulder to follow.

"Master Rin is really down to earth... really likes nature and stuff. You know? So what I do is handle all our tech stuff. I'm likely not half as good as you, but I get the job done. What seems to be the problem around here? What're you working on?"

Xell waited and listened intently, but as he did he remembered there was alot more of his life that he had not told him about yet.

"Have you started the trials yet? It took me awhile but... I've passed my Trial of Courage." He stopped to listen to his friend's reaction before elaborating. Though, he couldn't help but smile.

[Ghostie]

"Master Rin is really down to earth... really likes nature and stuff. You know? So what I do is handle all our tech stuff. I'm likely not half as good as you, but I get the job done. What seems to be the problem around here? What're you working on?"

"You guys sound like you make a good team then, thats nice. Well, whats going on here is that the computer I was using in the archives lost connection to the holonet. This is where one of the main connections is so Im checking it, and from the looks of things I got the right one." Sirius pushed his glasses back up onto his face and rolled over to face the maintenance hole and started to crawl in, wiping his nose on his hand as he did, removing the last of the tears. "You can help if you want, Xell." Sirius welcomed the company, it had been lonely, but he guessed he put that on himself.

"Have you started the trials yet? It took me awhile but... I've passed my Trial of Courage."

Sirius moved back out and looked at Xell with his jaw dropped. He was speechless. Sirius didnt think anyone did the Trials until the age of twenty-two, but to have already completed one at eighteen? That must have been quite the challenge, and Sirius didnt quite believe it.

"Dude there's no way! How did you already complete your Trial of Courage!? You still have four years of training to do!"

[ninjabot]

Xell couldn't help but grin. He had hoped to be modest and not brag about his accomplishments, but Siri was definately fueling his ego with his praise... which likely wasn't intentional.

"Well, Master Orren said it was his duty to fast track me through the path to knighthood, because according to him there is a destiny that I needed to prepare for as quickly as possible. He wouldn't give me any details, but according to him, it was something incredibly dangerous. He wouldn't lie to me so... I trusted him."

Xell remembered the look Orren gave him when he notified him of his trials. Xell was ofcourse ecstatic, but Orren looked to his padawan with a look that didn't exactly scream pride. It was more as if he was looking through him, or past him. Like there was a silhouette behind Xell that personified what Orren wanted him to become, rather than what he was becoming.

He began paying atttention to the puzzled look on Siri's face that brought him back from his inner thoughts.

"Yeah. Master Orren had prepared what was supposed to be a Trial of Skill. I would run a dangerous obstacle course before meeting with a training droid at the center of the battlefield. The droid was programmed with Orren's own sword techniques, only at it's highest difficulty. Me and Master Rin landed on the planet but when we got their, she went to survey the area to make sure it wasn't too dangerous. And while it wasn't initially, some unwanted visitors ruined that."

Xell remembered the Mandalorians they came across and rubbed his back. He could almost still feel the searing heat from the stun bolt that downed him that day.

"Yeah. Some Mandos were using that area for a base. They dispatched the training droid. Completely scrapped it I mean. And they got Sherasti into a corner, which caused her to get injured. Our empathic connection gave me a strong enough link to her that I could feel it when she was hurt... and that's what lead me to go and save her even after she warned me not to. So, I ran on to help and... heh heh, got KO'd by some stun bolts. Long story short, once I woke up me and Sherasti coordinated an escape plan and got the heck outta dodge. Hence... courage. I had lost one master already. I wouldn't lose her. Whether from death or from her being taken from me some other way. I would not allow it."

Xell took a deep breath and began twiddling his thumbs. He had forgot just how dangerous his actions truly were. He understood why Sherasti didn't want him losing his life there. It would accomplish nothing, and it would only make her feel more like a failure as a master. He would have to control his emotions better in the future. Yeah, he was having a real easy time doing that lately...

"So yeah. Instead of the Trial of Skill, I showed that I was courageous enough to rush into the unknown to save an ally. When you say it out loud it makes me sound really stupid but, well, there you go."
Xell scratched his head for a moment and shuffled his foot along the floor.

[Ghostie]

"Yeah. Some Mandos were using that area for a base. They dispatched the training droid. Completely scrapped it I mean. And they got Sherasti into a corner, which caused her to get injured. Our empathic connection gave me a strong enough link to her that I could feel it when she was hurt... and that's what lead me to go and save her even after she warned me not to. So, I ran on to help and... heh heh, got KO'd by some stun bolts. Long story short, once I woke up me and Sherasti coordinated an escape plan and got the heck outta dodge. Hence... courage. I had lost one master already. I wouldn't lose her. Whether from death or from her being taken from me some other way. I would not allow it."

"Stun bolts and Mandos? You're lucky thats all they had. Mandalorians can be pretty fierce from what I hear. And I hear they can kill a Jedi too." Sirius was amazed that these Mandalorians that Xell was talking about only had stun bolts. From what he learned about Mandalorians from members of the Blade, Mandalorians weren't the kind to only use stun settings. Something didn't add up. Sirius sat up and continued to listen to what Xell had to say.

"So yeah. Instead of the Trial of Skill, I showed that I was courageous enough to rush into the unknown to save an ally. When you say it out loud it makes me sound really stupid but, well, there you go."

"If that sounds really stupid, I guess Jedi are stupid all the time. I mean, that's what a Jedi's suppose to do? Put others first, and not be self-centered? You definetly showed that by going back after Master Rin even though those Mandalorains would've killed you. I think you did the right thing." Sirius said in an effort to reassure his freind that he did the right thing. And he honestly believed Xell did too. Sirius would've done the same, no matter what. "Besides, it would suck losing another master. You'd make a track record for yourself. Xell Rayner, the only Jedi Padawan to lose two masters!" Sirius said with a laugh. But he saw Xell's face and he immediately quit laughing. He was trying to be insenstive or anything, he was just joking around. He feared that his joke didnt cause a rift between them.

"Hey, Xell, Im sorry. I was just joking, I didnt mean it. Can you forgive me?" Sirius's eyes were focused on Xell, and he didnt look happy about Sirius's lastest joke. Sirius attempted a smile at Xell, but it felt pretty akward. The trouble my big mouth gets me into...

"If is helps, I honestly think you did the right thing. Going back to for Master Rin I mean." Sirius said it with all the sincerity he could muster, which was more than he thought. He didn't want to lose his only freind he had right now, and the only person he felt he could talk about anything with.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Master Teer Ka found herself visiting the various parts of the Jedi Temple on a regular basis, some more than others. The Archives definitely fell under the category of more frequently visited places.

It had been that way ever since she'd realized her own education had deficiencies, gaps where she'd neglected studies for sabers. She felt it was important to do something to fill those gaps.

But it wasn't easy. She was rooted in her habits and change didn't come naturally, the way it once had. Studying was difficult, but she was persistent. Highly persistent. If she could face down and kill 26 Dark Jedi, she could certainly handle the prospect of battling various subjects in the library.

Today's had been star charts of the galaxy. Astronomy and astrogation captured her interest more easily than many other topics, largely because they were so practical. Understanding more about locations in the galaxy, and the principles of traveling between them was extremely useful. And besides, there was something romantic about the stars. They spoke to her Togruta heart, the same way her time on Shili did.

Stars were... old friends watching down on her, even when they were strangers to her. Knowing precisely what they were didn't lessen their appeal any. It only made it even more interesting.

The Togruta weapons master placed the datapad she was examining back onto the table she was sitting at, and let her senses wander to what she'd been hearing in the distance. Voices talking. One of them was familiar somehow.

She fixated on them, enhancing her abilities, and was rewarded as the sense of the two individuals became clear. One was Xell Rayner, the Padawan she was convinced was 'special' in the worst way possible. And the other? She had no idea who was, but felt the compulsive need to warn him that his associate was demented.

Teer slid back the chair and rose to her feet. They were bare for once, the way most Togrutas favored them. While simply walking around the Temple or at home on Shili, she opted to go without boots for both comfort and principle. But if she was involved in a risk of combat, then the shoes came one. However, the Jedi Temple was arguably the safest place in the galaxy, and her small degree of paranoia didn't change that.

Silently she moved down further into the Archives, finally coming to a stop right next to the two human males. She nodded to Xell, with the same look of almost-pity in her eyes that she usually reserved for him. Then she fixed her black eyes on his companion.

Short black hair, perhaps an inch shorter than she was if her montrals weren't included in the measurement. He had the potential to be a fine young man, and undoubtedly in another life he would have been popular with the ladies.

"Might I have a word with you?" She asked flatly as she glanced sideways at Xell again.

[Ghostie]

Sirius sat there and waited for Xell’s answer. He would do whatever it took to not lose his best friend right now. Not when he had just lost his master too. Xell was the only person in the galaxy Sirius felt he could be open with. Sirius thought he would explode from holding in his feelings if he lost that. He had never mastered the “No emotion, Peace” part of the Code.

While Sirius waited for Xell’s answer, who looked like he was studying the floor in front of him, he started to pick up the tools lying around on the ground so the area looked a bit more neat. The last thing Sirius wanted was for a Jedi Master to show up and discipline him for the mess and fiddling with the holonet connection. Not that Sirius cared. What he was doing was strictly beneficial. If they had a problem with it, their loss.

He sat against the wall on one side of the opening in the wall and Xell on the other. He stuffed tools into a brown messenger bag he had brought with him, which held more tools, a backup datapad, and all sorts of parts. Sirius didn’t pay attention to what he was doing, which meant he ended up with tools in the wrong pouches and the bag not closing. He had to take all the tools out and start over. But none of this matter to Sirius. He was on autopilot right now. He started thinking of how everything in his life was leaving him. Master Wolf, Xell, and his datapad wasn’t even working right. It had been a bad couple of weeks. And now Sirius was confident The Council decided to send his to the Corps, opting not to give him a new master. Was there anything he could hold onto?

Is that what happens to padawans who don’t get new masters? They just get sent to the Corps? It’s been a few weeks now, and Xell got a new master faster than that. Oh Xell… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Sirius looked over to his best friend with an apologetic look. Xell was still studying the floor. That’s when a Jedi walked up both of them.

"Might I have a word with you?"

Sirius looked up, and saw a Togruta Jedi staring at him. Sirius had never met a Togruta up close, but he had seen them in the hallways of the Jedi Temple. Sirius studied here up and down briefly before standing up. She wore the regular brown robes of a Jedi but she was barefoot, something Sirius didn’t think was usual for a Jedi. Her face seemed to have human enough features except for her skin color, black eyes, and montrals. It was as if both her eyes were nothing but pupils. She also had a scar going down the left side of her face. At the Jedi’s belt hung a double bladed lightsaber. Sirius was only an inch or two shorter than her, if you didn’t count the montrals.

Sirius had no idea what she needed him for. He hoped his and Xell’s talking had disturbed her studies. Sure he wouldn’t care if it had been another Jedi, but this Togruta looked fierce, like a very experienced warrior. She didn’t seem like someone you wanted to get mad. The doubled bladed lightsaber and the scar only added to this. These were two features of the Togruta Sirius kept looking at.

“Look Master Jedi, I don’t want to be rude,” Master Wolf always said he had an attitude, but Sirius never tried to. “but I don’t work in the Archives. And if the Liberian sent you, you can assure them that what I’m doing is extremely beneficial.” Sirius said, referring to the opening in the wall the Torguta had no doubt noticed by now. Sirius hoped that maybe by boring the Jedi with some technical terms, they would leave and forget about him. “I was just using the computer and I lost the connection to the holonet. I came down here where the computer said the connection was at. So I opened it up and fiddled with the router a little, I just reset it to see if that helped. It didn’t, so I checked the cable and saw that it was lose, and I plugged it back in. When went back to my computer, it still didn’t have a connection. After setting the network back up on the computer which took awhile because these computers are severely out of date, and you know how computer hardware is. You walk out of the store with the newest computer and it’s already out of date. That’s why I recommend people sticking with datapads. Anyways, I decided to check the cables. Then I came down here…” And Sirius rambled for awhile, hoping the Jedi would eventually get bored and leave. It didn’t seem like it though.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

A subdued scowl built up on Teer's face as the young human continued to speak incomprehensibly. Finally she held up a red skinned hand, her patience sorely taxed. "Enough!" She commanded in her voice of authority, her rich accent providing an unusual emphasis.

She folded her arms and stared at him with a withering gaze, wondering just what he was trying to accomplish. Explaining himself obviously. He must have been under the incorrect impression she worked for one of the librarians. Rather laughable given her scars, steely black eyes, and double-bladed lighstaber. Silly boy.

"In case you were under the wrong impression, I do not work for the archives child, I am a weapons master. And I didn't come here to listen to a long-winded explanation of something I have no desire to understand. In fact, I'm not even sure why I came here after all. Good day, and may the Force be with you." She said rather sharply, more sharply than she'd intended in fact.

In her mind, she was starting to think she'd been too late and that Xell had impacted on the other young human. Perhaps they both planned to practice Niman and keep pet thimiars.

There was no rationalizing how strange the universe was. It worked in odd ways.

The Togruta weapons master turned and headed back towards her own desk and the holo of star charts she'd been about to examine. She slid back into the seat effortlessly and rested her bare feet up against the legs of the chair across from her, toes splayed out around the leg.

At least she was comfortable physically, even if she was once more wondering exactly what was wrong with youth. Chronically she had problems with young people. They were obstinate, and always convinced they had nothing to learn. No matter how little they actually knew, they had... attitude of sorts.

It was clear in hindsight. He'd started babbling to avoid talking with her.

She sighed and closed her eyes, gently massaging her temples with one hand. This was a long day already. Why couldn't she just be forced to fight with Dark Jedi? That was straight forward and direct, something she could handle. Instead she had to deal with the mundane difficulties, which were so much harder.

[Ghostie]

Oh great. Well I sounded like a real idiot. But it worked, didnt it? Sirius had a feeling she wasn’t someone you wanted to get upset, and from the looks of things he was right. Something was telling Sirius he had done the wrong thing just to avoid trouble. But now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if the Togruta was here to get him in trouble or not. He had a feeling he should go after the Jedi Master and apologize. Master Wolf always taught him to be polite, and he definitely wasn’t just now. Sirius now felt like since Wolf had died, he had completely forgotten all his masters lessons such as the importance of being polite and how to control his emotions.

Sirius threw his messenger bag around his neck and over his right shoulder, so the bag would hang at his right hip. He adjusted his faces on his face and brushed what remained of the dust out of his black hair. He threw Xell another apologetic look and set off the same direction the Togruta had, completely forgetting he left a gapping hole in the wall. He had to do the right thing. Today was full of apologizes.

Sirius was about halfway towards the Togruta when he started thinking. What if she doesn’t like my apology? What if she decides to punish me? What if she’s one of those Jedi who gives lectures on why you shouldn’t do something? He had half a thought about turning around. Where would he go though, to a friend who is still contemplating his apology or a Jedi who deservers it? Oh, the trouble my mouth gets me into.

Sirius approached the desk the Togruta was now sitting at. It looked like she was studying star charts. He felt slightly embarrassed for having to come to apologize, but he had to do the right thing. He had to be polite. At least that was one lesson from Wolf that Sirius could put into practice around the Jedi Temple. Sirius cleared his throat and lowered his head and he started speaking.

“Um, Master Jedi? I uh, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for upsetting you. I didn’t mean too. I thought you were there to get me and Xell into trouble for the mess you no doubt saw.” Sirius just remembered he left the wall uncovered. Dang it. “And that’s why I started to ramble, hoping you’d just forget about us.” Sirius raised his head to look at the Togruta. “I didn’t mean to insult you by saying you worked in the Archives, I only thought one of the librarians asked you to do a favor.” Sirius decided not to go onto a long-winded explanation again, so he tried to sum out what he was saying. “So all my rambling was to keep myself and Xell out of trouble. I’m sorry I upset you. It was wrong of me to try and avoid you.” Sirius stood there looking at the Togruta, waiting for a reply hoping she took his apology for what it was: sincere.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Doing the proper thing in the first place would be far more welcome than an apology after the fact," Teer stated drily. It was true, and she had a tendency to not mince words. One of her more or less endearing aspects depending on who you talked to.

Her tough demeanor and no-nonsense attitude either caused chafing or a strange sort of affection. The latter was more likely for those who'd known her a long time, or taken the time to get to know her better. Which wasn't an easy thing to do. Teer was wary, overbearing, and anything but cuddly. Her intensity could be quite daunting.

However, beneath all that she was a loyal friend. And she had her own type of wisdom. And her skill, of course, was unquestionable.

She actually a slight sense of humor, enough of one in fact that it was rather amusing he thought she was going to punish them for doing something so trivial. Repairing whatever he'd been working on wasn't her concern, whether or not he had permission to meddle with it. And to be honest, she didn't mind. Technology was something she didn't understand for the most part, and didn't especially care to understand.

"Be direct and to the point. If you don't want to talk to someone, tell them. Anything less than honesty is disrespectful. Unless they're your enemy. But I am not your enemy."

Which is incredibly fortunate for you. Her black eyes seemed to say.

"What's your name Padawan?"