At the Crack of Dawn, Tag: any and all Jekore!

[Talrada Trist]

Talrada Trist had only arrived back on Selvaris a few hours ago, just before dawn when most of Ghatan was certainly asleep barring a few sentries keeping watch against an incursion that was unlikely to ever occur (Talrada was a firm believer in precautions, especially knowing what lay outside of Selvaris) along with a few other sleepless souls who walked over the treetop canopies or chose this time to meditate in the pale twilight. From one of Gahua's balconies, she watched the various silhouettes pass through the pre-dawn light as she contemplated her most recent journey.

Turning the small relic over in her fingers, Talrada couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed. She had left her Jekorians for over a week and endured the perils of travelling within Viezan Confederacy space for this? On her long journey back to Selvaris she had attempted to repair it herself, but it had done little good. She held out some hope, however, that perhaps someone more mechanically inclined than she would be able to persuade the relic to reveal more of itself, but she would not be holding her breath.

She pressed a finger to one archaic symbol on the side and a blue and sparking burst of static illuminated a confused and wavering projection whilst a garbled voice proclaimed: "Com...fa...we cannot....get out...help...when...fa...they are coming..." before it sputtered and died.

She removed her finger in a flash of irritation, suddenly possessed of the desire to fling the thing away. But no, that was rash. She was certain that she had been guided to that place by the force, and things that she had seen when she used her psychometric touch upon the relic of Jekore made her believe that she had not been wrong. Even so, it was beyond frustrating. Here she held in her hand another piece of the puzzle that would help all followers of Jekore learn more about their past, and yet its secrets remained just out of reach. So close, yet so far.

Turning away from the balcony and back inside, Talrada proceeded to the vault that was kept hidden and secured deep inside Gahua. It wasn't that she didn't trust her Jekorians, but it was simply that some things needed to stay hidden and secret for the good of everyone, such as the relic that she had collected. Proceeding down into the underground she slipped past the dozing forms of the Ysalamiri that stood vigil over the vault and placed it inside where the relic would be secure and safe from harm until someone with technical aptitude could attempt to pry its secrets loose.

Dawn now fast approached as she left Gahua, and the heat of Selvaris' sun was already hard at work accentuating the humidity that was simply inescapable on their jungle planet. She proceeded through the corridors over the lake to one of the main halls of Ghatan where she and Jiris, the Gok'Re Ternion, would be co-conducting a demonstration. Mandatory attendance was required of all Trainees while Knights and Wards would be free to come and go as they pleased. Talrada had always been a morning person, rising with the sun, and she firmly believed that mental and physical stimulation was the best way to start the day, which was why she had organised the event to take place at the crack of dawn.

The hall was large and spacious with a raised dais at the front. Once before, Talrada knew via psychometry, the original inhabitants had placed an altar on the raised platform and had used it for the purpose of the carving out of hearts for their Sun god, but now the Jekore had given the room a new purpose - that of teaching and instructing in the ways of the Force. As she sat down on the stone floor, folding her legs beneath her and placing her hands on her lap, she watched and waited as others trickled in still rubbing sleep from their eyes.

[Jiris Rylnrar]

Jiris stretched his arms as he donned his Ternion robes, the freshly pressed white cloth wrapping him against the jungle's humidity. His hands came back to his mouth to cover a yawn he could not stifle. He looked out of the window of his complex, towards the sun rising over Gahua and the jungle beyond it. Shaking his head, he turned and walked through his personal garden, a flat of stone that had been carved to allow beds of soil to be placed, in which grew plants of both beauty and nutrition. Taking the stairs down the face of the ruins, he saw below him the almost empty path that led between Gahua and a number of the order's facilities. His stairway wove its way down the mountain to join this path, which was lacking in population this early in the morning despite being one of the main roads.

He groaned as he turned a corner in the stairs, continuing his journey. He disliked waking early in the morning, let alone at the crack of dawn. For nearly three years in his late twenties he had worked a maintenance crew on a luxury liner, up late at night fixing problems while the guests slept, sleeping mornings and afternoons barring emergencies. Upon his return to the Jekore, this habit had not changed much. Even now, as he sat at the age of forty, he often slept in. He more enjoyed waking to a busy Order, letting their mental stimulus aid his own as he joined them. Now, things were too quiet. Even with a cup of herbal caf before he left, he was feeling off.

But of course, that was not to say he could not fulfill Talrada's request for him to join her for a demonstration, though the timing was odd. The demonstration had been planned for a while, but until a few hours ago she had not even been on-world. A message had come late last night, not long before before Jiris had gone to sleep. Coming from his fellow Ternion, she insisted it would still take place today, and confirmed her return to Selvaris. He still didn't know what had called her away, and made a point to ask her about it when the opportunity arose.

As he neared the hall that Talrada had designated, he smiled. The low buzz of student activity was there, reminding him why he really was up this early. Holding himself well as he walked into the hall, he nodded at the few students who had gathered so far, with more expected by the time they were meant to start. But, up at the other end of the building, he spotted his fellow Ternion, Talrada. She was very young-looking, at least compared to other humans her age that he had met. He strode forward, going to stand beside his fellow leader of the Jekore Path of Light. He stood next to her, silently for a moment, watching other students come in and converse, until he turned to her.

"Talrada, you look good this morning. I wonder, was your trip a success? Did you find what you were looking for?"

[Jipwirata]

Too early. Faaaar too early. Jip had always been an early riser, but he never rose at the crack of dawn. Getting up early to him was some hours after that. The only reason Jip was even up now was because all the racket the other trainees had made getting up and ready to go to this demonstration. Some of them were even excited, despite being tired, and wondered what they would see. Jip knew what he would see: a large number of tired, brown-robed trainees coming when called. Tch.

Already on his way to—well he wasn’t sure where he was going he had decided to just follow another trainee who had vaguely more of an idea than he did—he had managed to scatter a number of people who had been in his path because they doubted that the sleepy Wookiee would have seen them before he trampled over them.

He wouldn’t have trampled over them! More like they would have bounced off him and out of the way.

In all seriousness he wouldn’t have done even that. He would have stopped, but it was rather convenient when everyone else made a point to get out of his way. That meant he didn’t have to think about it himself, but it also meant he didn’t have a reason to force his brain to function, making him sluggish longer than he might otherwise be.

The sun was of no help. He knew people who got energy from the sun, as though the light were waking them up. Jip wasn’t feeling that at all. He was one of the people who got tired from the warmth that radiated of it, so all the sun was doing was making him really wish he had gone to bed earlier last night.

Jip stayed up later now than he had before joining the Jekore because he wanted time where he could spend doing whatever he wanted, not being bossed around or forced to learn things he hadn’t been too keen about learning in the first place. Usually the different in sleep didn’t bother him, until things like this happened.

As Jip walked into the hall that was filling up, he saw two of the Ternions standing and was pleased to see one at least looked at tired as he felt. It was the other one that made him want to growl. Not only was she awake, but she looked like how anyone would have looked around noon. Did she go to sleep before the sun even went down? It must be her fault they were all waking up at the crack of dawn. Jip didn’t even notice where he was going until he had already made his way to the front of the group.

[Talrada Trist]

Clothed all in white and seated so still as she watched her Jekorians trickle in, Talrada seemed to be the very embodiment of serenity. The truth was that there was turmoil in her mind, and she was using the time of waiting to centre herself after her slightly harrowing and rather disappointing journey to collect the relic. She had been angry and that would not do at all, not for the Ternion Elder. Such a childish reaction was beneath her position and she knew that she had acted incorrectly. She should have accepted the truth with grace and quiet surrender. There were no coincidences, after all, and everything happened for a reason. That was the way of the force. She had been meant to find that relic for some reason that had not yet been revealed.

Her faith needed to be stronger.

For now though, she would turn her thoughts to the here and the now; to the trainees before her, with their tired faces. She did not have to be empathic to sense the drowsy resentment in them, like that tall Wookiee who had just made his way to the front of the bleary-eyed crowd. Talrada could practically feel it radiating off him. But, none of this really concerned her. Rising with the sun was part of the training in discipline that all of them would need to survive and flourish in the harsh, unyielding galaxy beyond their cloistered planet. She also felt that the best time for learning and retaining lessons was in the morning when the mind was fresh and rejuvenated from a good night's sleep.

She was well aware though that not everyone shared this belief about lessons at dawn with her. The Gok'Re Ternion, who had just entered was one of them, in fact. And when he took his place next to her on the dais, she could see the tiredness in his large, red eyes. She smiled slightly and nodded to him in greeting.

His question to her had touched on the very thing she had been seeking to put out of her mind, but she did not begrudge her fellow Ternion this. It was an honest question with good intentions, one that she might very well ask were their positions reversed. "Yes...and no. I was able to retrieve the relic that we were looking for, but it seems to be damaged...perhaps beyond repair," she said, not bothering to keep the sour note of disappointment from her voice. "Yet, I believe that I was meant to find it. Perhaps it will have secrets yet to be revealed. The force will guide us." She finished, already rebuilding and solidifying the faith that was so needed.

"And how has our colony been in my absence? Everything running smoothly, I trust?" It wasn't as though she didn't trust the two other Ternions. No, on the contrary they were two of the most capable individuals she had had the pleasure of working with. Her concern was only for the Jekore. So while she left Selvaris with some regularity, it was always in the back of her mind, and she viewed her trips as a necessary evil, all the while wondering how everyone was fairing in her absence. She loved to know all the little things that she had missed. Good and bad, but especially the good.

[Jiris Rylnrar]

Jiris nodded, smiling a bit as Talrada asked how their colony had been during her absence. He expected no less from the Jekore Ternion, leader of their Order. He could understand her feelings of connection and concern for the order she headed, as he felt it. It was an admirable trait among the Ternions, the kind of loyalty built over a lifetime of service. "They've been trained well. This week passed as any other, no events of substance to report beyond the blossoming of my remoda bushes." He chuckled a bit, but then his eyes narrowed as he considered her news on the artifact.

"You say it was damaged? That is disappointing, but I must agree with your view on the matter, that the artifact will reveal its purpose in time. All the same, I would wish to view the device at a later time. Perhaps one pair of eyes can find something another has missed." It was not an intentional jab at his fellow Ternion, merely a suggestion. He was as eager as he knew she was to find out what this artifact contained in the way of knowledge. Within such an artifact could be a thousand bits of information to help their order better follow the path of the Light. The small device could bring a new revolution to the order, hopefully in the direction Jiris had been pushing for. He really wanted their cloistered order to begin going out into the galaxy and teaching their ways to those who touched the Force. However, he met opposition from the other Ternion. If this artifact had knowledge to aid his position, he could get much farther much faster than beating his head on the wall that was the will of his fellow Ternion. With the backing of Jekore himself, he knew they would not challenge the idea.

As more students trickled in, Jiris turned to inspect them. A good number had come, young brothers and sisters used to an early morning of toil. Well, most of them. Some still seemed sleepy, and Jiris was glad to know some of his students followed his path. Today he would show them that the way of the Gok'Re was not about standing back and letting the Ekrel and Jekore handle the dangerous situations, but to take an alternative approach to them. Once Talrada was ready, he would assist her as she needed him to.

[Pol Siva]

The early hours of the mornings were a time that Pol had come to love over the years. His reasons for this were many and to be honest not all of them noble. one of the few selfish ones was that with so few awake he trained alone with only the jungle noises to fill the background. To do so brought a certain peace about him that he relished when sent off world to the chaos that existed off world. That didn't mean he hated to leave this planet ever, it in truth it just meant that he simply had something to look forward to returning too. Yet at other times he liked the early mornings simply because by being up so early he was up and moving when the trainees were asking for five more minutes of sleep. But as one of the wards responsible for combat instruction, Pol needed to be ahead of those he taught and a few other that he could think of.

As it was this morning he wasn't entirely happy about the on-going events. This was because instead of dragging his trainees out of bed to do there 5 kilometer run prior to lightsaber drills, those who needed training were required to be at some kind of demonstration being conduted by the those who followed the path Gok're. Pol held nothing against them personally as they were still his brothers and sister in the path of light, but it was the way he saw them approach the universe as if a pair of open arms could fix everything. He had seen to much trouble and chaos out there for himself to know that somethings needed a forceful hand to make things better. But in the end even as they shared different views of things, Pol knew in his heart that he would fight and die for each and everyone of them in the blink of an eye.

But as he reached the hall and entered, Pol knew himself to be the only one who followed the path Ekrel here at the moment. whether more would come or not he didn't know or worry about as he scanned the room to see who was here. Talrada was here of course since she was the conductor of the event, but also he saw the Gok're Trenion here also which surprised him a bit. the man was not known to be an early riser and to see him meant he supported what Talrada was doing greatly. Aside from that he picked the wookie by the name of Jipwirata from out of the collection of trainees and young ones present. To look at the wookie told Pol that with sufficient training Jipwirata could be a domineering fighter with his size and strength factored in with skill. The wookie though was but one of many he had hopes for as he trained them. Not only did he seek to arm them to protect themselves, but he took the time to show them the purity that came with the following the path set by Ekrel. Pol sought to show them it wasn't just about violence, but more about seeking a path that purged you through combat and showed you your flaws if you lost so you could correct those flaws.

This morning though was not the place to get into philosophical debate as he made his way to the front passing many trainees and young ones who stopped smiling or grinning as he walked past. His role as a combat instructor had gained him the image of a taskmaster and apparently it stuck to him even out of the training sessions. Once he was in a good spot to see most of those attending, Pol straightened his robe before leaning along the wall. He nodded to the Trenions for a second and then returned his steady gaze upon the trainees and young ones as he waited for everything to start.

[Ferun Ruul]

Gooooood Moooorning Selvaaaariiiis!

Usually Ferun hated mornings, usually Ferun slept in and usually Ferun wished to avoid any kind of Jekore business that wasn't hunting down runaways. Today was special though, so special that he'd got up extra early just to make sure that he was fully awake for the proceedings to follow! You see, Talrada was holding a special morning gathering. Demonstrations, demonstrations that all levels of Jekore would be attending. It was the perfect little opportunity to flex his awesome, to show off just how much he deserved to be a Ward.

Along the way he might even get on Talrada's nerves a little, did Ferun really need any more reason to be up and about? Didn't think so.

So, he'd done everything to make sure that he was the perfect little Jekore. Ditched the black gear, dressed all nice in his Navy robes and everything! Hell, he'd even debated leaving his guns behind, but, well, that was just not going to happen. Ferun rarely went anywhere without his babies and he definitely wasn't bowing to that ridiculous rule and walking around without them. If anything, that was another reason he should be a Ward. He wasn't going to stick to archaic rules when he could forge a new path, a better path. Was that not the very definition of Ekrel?

That was how Ferun Ruul came to waltz into the area where the Jekore had gathered, Navy robes on, with the accompaniment of extra gun pouches, also navy! He'd even had little coverings fitted, so you could only just see the butts poking out. Hell, if that wasn't conservative enough for Talrada he didn't really know what was. Taking up a position at opposite end of the hall to Talrada and the Ternion Ferun cast an eye over those gathered. You had Talrada, old Jiris, his fellow Ekrel, Pol Siva and then a smattering of whoever else was in the Jekore nowadays.

And a Wookiee!

Ferun was quite fond of Wookiees, frown as some might when they heard that a Wookiee was on the way to wherever they were, Ferun simply smiled. When you got past the fact that they'd as soon as rip the arm off you as give you a handshake they were a pleasant bunch really. Strict tribal society, lots of honour and strong senses of morality, was there really any negatives? So, upon sighting a Wookiee who had tumbled into the ranks of the Jekore Ferun wondered if, well, no...that wouldn't work. Talrada would never...

He looked to her with this thought, throwing a wide smile up to the Jekore Ternion where she stood. Oh, he couldn't wait until she spotted him here, bat hanging from his side, guns stowed in pouches...he knew what a fan of his hilt she was.

Hello Talrada...! I'm back!

[Talrada Trist]

“Yes, those were my exact thoughts,” Talrada answered her fellow Ternion. “Maybe one such as yourself will be able to tell me that my long and treacherous journey was not in vain.” She even managed a small smile at that, which was quite the feat…considering how disappointed she had been with the results of all her hard work. However, all of that seemed to be melting away now that she was in the company of her precious Jekorians. While she did not discount the importance of relics such as the one that she had collected, a malfunctioning one was not worth descending into anger. There would be many more relics in the future.

Overall, she was rather pleased with the turn-out of this early morning session that she had called. Granted, most of the attendees had little choice but to be standing here right now as attendance was compulsory for all trainees, but Talrada had also noted that there were a fair few who had come of their own volition. Pol Siva stood out as one. He was difficult to miss with his horns, tattoos, and pale skin though Talrada knew the Ekrel ward enough to know that his rather sinister appearance belied the fact that he was a loyal follower and a very capable teacher.

…Which was more than she could say for the last man to enter the hall: Ferun Ruul. While her face remained stoic and impassive, she was not pleased that he had returned all too soon from the last mission that he had been sent on. While she would be the first to say that Ferun Ruul had his uses, particularly as a seeker of “lost” Jekore, he was not a man that she liked having on Selvaris at all. Yes, Ferun was skilled and capable, but he was also undisciplined, disrespectful, and unpredictable. She would have him sent away as soon as it became convenient to do so.

“Shall we begin, Jiris?” She said rising from her seated position on the floor and walking towards the centre of the room. The Ternion didn’t have to say that the session was about to begin, as most of the students were veterans enough to know how these things went. The light din of chatting quickly died down and faces turned towards the two Ternion.

“Today’s demonstration,” She announced. “Will be a simple show of how to defend yourself against any antagonistic force user that you may encounter when you all eventually venture beyond our little planet. Most force users that you will encounter won’t have the training that you are all being equipped with today, which will give you the edge. It has been my experience that many will simply lash out with as much force as they can muster to knock you off your guard. But you will be prepared for such eventualities, and you will be able to respond with a minimum of force, as we shall demonstrate for you today.

“Are there any questions now before we begin?” She asked, scanning the faces before her.