Vehement

Part II - Battle Jedi

He looked each padawan up and down. They were fresh out of the initiate trials, having just been claimed by different masters. Farah looked more like the horrid vision of himself, scarred, older and worn. He could hear the whispers among the Tython temple. The grey jedi, the roaming jedi, the one who never took a padawan.

Take my life, but free my apprentice. Brothers and sisters. Korriban awaits. He released the recollections back into the force. They were not needed here. These padawans didn't need to know of Korriban and endless darkness. He rubbed the button on the saber clipped to the left side.

'The battlefield is no place for children. They will test you. Whatever happens, whatever you see, there's no coming back.' He stated, drawing his purple saber. Some of the padawans gasped in wonder. Yes the purple was rare, for the reason behind it was equally rare, not that they understood that. Their wonder was simply at seeing something that they had never been exposed to before. The story behind his purple saber, was painful to tell.

He demonstrated the forms before patrolling among the initiates back and forth. Many of them shook as he walked past, many finding his force presence intimidating. Unlike other Jedi masters, who radiated pure serenity, he had been told that he radiated calm at such an intensity that he caused the force to ripple strongly. Though Farah acknowledged it, he refused to believe that he was intimidating or awe inspiring. He had been asked by some of the braver initiates to battle against other Jedi masters.

He had been walking along the training grounds, headed towards the healers. They were still working on removing traces of the dark side trauma. Sleepless nights and constant reminders made moving around the temple difficult, almost impossible. A braver initiate politely asked, 'Master Vyrr, will you battle with Master K? We were hoping that you would honour us with a demonstration of the more advanced lightsaber forms?' She had asked, head bowed.

Farah thought for a moment. No. Fighting against a green saber would bring back too many memories. Memories that he tried to release into the force.

'No.' He shook his head. The young ones looked disappointed for a moment, before looking serene once more. He sensed a faint vein of disappointment also coming from Master Klen. It was not something he would do. Not after being forced to fight against his fellow jedi. They had not recognised him, but the Farah Vyrr from his vision had almost come to pass. In some moments, he could still feel it, the tendrils of the dark side at the edge of his mind.

Squaring his shoulders and taking a deep breath out of his nose, like a horse, he patrolled around the sparring padawans. He only offered small criticisms, 'move that leg. You'll fall if you are balanced liked that... change the grip on saber, once you part with the practice one, that hold will be dangerous...' He nudged hands and feet into the correct position before moving on.
'Again.' He said after the first repetition, and the second. They needed to be fluid, at one with themselves and the force before launching into a real battle.

The senate was struggling to form, dark side forces pushed back against it. There were rumours among the Jedi, whispers in the dark side tendrils, that forces on Korriban had expanded, that they formed alliances with exiles on Exegol to train captives and younglings for their cause. The Jedi, in order to protect the beginning of a unified system, were sworn to fight. Farah only hoped that they would be able to leave out the civilians in the middle of things. Leave them to their republic.

It was almost nightfall when he finally approved the sparring standards of the adolescents. As soon as he vocalised this, many of the padawans stumbled or fell into a heap, sabers extinguished. 'At the end of a battle, you will not get the chance to rest immediately. You will die.' He admonished, sending most of them back into ready forms. 'Of course, this is not a real battle. Return to your quarters and prepare for late-meal. You are dismissed.' He bowed, hands together. Those standing offered a bow in return, before helping the exhausted ones off the floor.

Unlike the others, he would not be returning to the temple for late-meal. Nights on Tython were not easily missed. He found the swaying canopy soothing, the soft ripples of leaves and water as they traveled through the force. There were even some flying creatures who's squawking and hunting carried the sounds of natural balance. Farah walked the opposite way from the temple, instead walking down the hidden but worn path to the stream.

He trudged along, before coming to rest at a point where the rapids ran loudest. Removing his boots, he set them under a tree. Adjusting his cloak around his shoulders, Farah waded into the raging river. The water tried to tug him away from his target, to get him to follow, instead he pushed onwards. A single rock, often overtaken by small waves in the rapids, lay in the centre of the stream. Hauling himself up onto it, Farah wrung out his sodden cloak. Water lapped around his ankles. Spreading his cloak behind him, he sank down into a sitting position - sitting on the heel of his left foot, and right foot raised. He looked up into the gap in the tree leaves. There was a faint glimmer of stars amongst clouds.

The stars are the easiest way to feel the unifying force, Padawan. His master's voice echoed. Looking next to him, he blinked for a moment. It was almost as if his master had been sitting there, but - it was impossible. Once a jedi was released into the force, he became a part of nature.

The voices spoke in harsh tounges, despite the peaceful river. He tried to will them away with the force, to banish them. Yet, they clung, like the darkside itself to the corners of his mind. They grew louder and louder, wanting him to betray his pledge and all that he had worked towards.

Taking a deep breath, he began to shake. He tried to close his eyes. It was as if the wind burst, a crack like thunder and then peace. Peace, padawan. All will be righted through the balance of the force.

Farah Vyrr finally felt a moment of peace. The dark side was gone, though temporarily. He opened his eyes. Branches had cracked, a storm had raged around him. He dismissed the shame. He felt at peace in an impending war.