The Ossus Jedi Base

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz kept his hands folded into the sleeves of his robes, offering a bow to the two that stepped forward. A Human of unknown providence and a Cerean, the binary brain presented a problem for his favorite techniques simple misdirection couldn't work and overloading them on details required a great deal of effort. Carefully managed facts, presented at the right time, was the way to go with that particular species. He silently set the consideration aside, the friendly smile on his face never wavering, as he introduced himself. "Kaziki Halcyon, Jedi Knight."

He snorted lightly in amusement when they referred to him as 'son of Halcyon' and again when they made reference to his family's order. He held up his hands for a moment to explain, finally revealing them from within his robes. "Please, Masters. You can call me Jedi Halcyon, or just plain Kaz. And I wouldn't call us an order, nor is it my family's at that. We'll admit to having worked very hard to ensure there remained a Corellian tradition of Jedi, but so did all the other families we've brought." His smile turned to bemusement. "Though... that said, we are in charge." He shrugged as he conceded the point anyway.

"If the resources you speak of are the supplies we brought aboard the Corroded Serpent then our official stance is use them however you think would be best. We knew that food and medicine would be top of the list on the want/need category but we trust you know best how to distribute it amongst your assets. If you refer to what all our tradition has managed to collect for emergencies and in case of war with the Sith then it would be the Masters Halcyon you wish to speak to." He gestured toward the two older humans that were making their way through the gathering of beings they had brought from the Corellian system (which happened to include a pair of Drall in the traditional robes of Jedi Librarians). "And I will, of course, be all too happy to show what I have learned under my Masters' tutelage. I believe you will find my claim to the rank of Knight sufficiently supported."

His parents caught up, each receiving an Antarian Ranger from Kaz's little retinue, and the three followed after the two other Masters.

[Jedi]

Master Beckoaret bowed and turned away. "I will go to your parents, then, and discuss allocation of resources. Our nameless Master here shall take you through a suitable trial."
The Cerean held his hand out in the direction of an offshooting pathway through the temple. "Let us go this way, to our Padawan training grounds."
He led Kaz through a winding array of passageways until they emerged onto a large, flat platform coated in grass. In the center of the field was a sizable obstacle course where a number of trainees were going through their daily routines. "Attention Padawans!" The nameless Master's voice rang out over the compound like a warhorn. "You may take leave of the training grounds, I would like it empty for the next few standard hours. Consider it a celebratory day off for the Halcyon family's arrival and the gifts they will bring to our order."
Most of the Padawans called out thanks and then drifted away to relalx, or take care of other duties. However, one Xa Fel made his way towards the nameless Master. "Is this merely a request, or is it an order, master?"
"Ah, for you Bostas, consider it an order."
"But master!..." Bostas whined playfully.
"Come now, Bostas, you don't even need to be here at this time. You're practically a full-fledged Jedi Knight already. Force knows you've proven yourself on the battlefield enough times as it is. I received a stellar review of your performance during the battle of Crescent Ridge from Jedi Terria himself."
Bostas' scabbed flesh reddened. "Thank you master, you flatter me."
"Unless you think you're ready to take the trials right now alongside Mister Halcyon here. By the metric of the Corellian Jedi, he is a knight." His eye gleamed at Kaz. "I have no reason to doubt him, we're just jumping him through the hoops, as it were."
"I'd be honored to take the trials now."
"Good." The nameless Master clapped his hands together. "Are we ready to get started?"

Master Beckoaret walked to Ryld and Hallistra Halcyon, greeting them in the name of the Reborn Jedi Order. "The nameless Master is taking your son through the formal steps for his knighthood, and we have much to discuss, regarding allocating the resources you have to offer to our cause..."
They walked and talked, relaying orders and decisions to others. Master Beckoaret commanded Padawan Dairess to situate the Corellian troops, and left the command of the Corellian Jedi to Master Ours Nai, a Kel Dor who had run the enclave on Dantooine before relocating to Ossus.
By the time they had decided on the best battlefronts to send supplies of medicine, ammunition, and such, Master Beckoaret had led them to the training field, to watch their son's trial.

"Now tell me Kaziki, have you ever wished to be a Miralukan?" The nameless Master held up two empty hands, and used the Force to open a supply chest and call two helmets to him. He handed one to Kaz and one to Bostas. Both helmets had had the blast shields welded shut, cutting off all possibility of vision.
Bostas held the helmet, waiting for further instruction before putting it on.
"Well, today is your chance to experience that first hand. The first part of your test is to, with helmet on, make it from that end of the obstacle course--" He pointed at one end of a very complex and twisted obstacle course in the training area. "To the arena there." He pointed to an open sanded pit at the other end of the obstacle course. "You may begin when you are ready."
He waved his hands and flipped a switch on a control panel next to the obstacle course. A buzz and a whirr, and countless round droids floated up from underground storage pods. A single glowing red eye dotted the center of each, and they began to crackle with shock pulses.
The nameless Master looked at Kaz and Bostas expectantly.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz followed after the Cerean for about seven seconds before the purveying feeling of reverence wore off and he started talking. "Nameless Master... do you mind if I call you Bob? I used to know a Bob, nice guy.... ugly as a Dug...." The young Corellian gestured around the largely undecorated passage they were in at that given moment and changed topics before anything could really be done about the last one. "You guys should consider decorating. I have an art collection, mostly because it's expected back home and we can loan it out to the museums for tax write offs... I could call in a few and let you guys use them. Might have some old tapestries if we are really going for the ancient castle look."

Kaz continued on, filling the air with interesting though largely pointless subjects, until they walked out onto the Padawan training field. Seeing all of those aspiring Knights training together, out in the open no less, drew him into impressed silence. Back home his training was in secret, always underground or in the alleys of the planet's cities at night. He'd learned to forego his lightsaber if he could, to hide the evidence of its passing if he couldn't, and to remove the memories of innocent witnesses. Always keep your hood up had been the mantra of the day.

Kaz was barely paying attention to the Bob's words until he said something about it being a holiday for the Halcyon family's arrival. He was tempted to correct again, saying it was all the Corellians that had come but then thought better of it. If it allowed his family to build some influence in this new Jed Order then why give up such a safety net? Kaz merely waved at the Padawans who cheered in a deliberately self-conscious way to display a little appropriate humility to them. And then they were joined by a rather unfortunate looking being.

It took only a moment to discover the poor guy's name, Bostas, and Kaz nodded neutrally while waiting to get a feel for the being's demeanor. He whined, then ingratiated himself, until he was invited to join in the impromptu trials as well. This didn't bother Kaz, not in the slightest, as he thought to each their own. Having another along might give him a few advantages he might otherwise have needed to go without. Kaz nodded when asked if he were ready, then snorted in amusement at the following question. "Miralukan? No. I've been told by people I like hearing it from that my eyes are my best feature."

That didn't make him hesitate in taking the helmet though, having trained with such an object on more than a few occasions. He listened to the rest but his eyes were only for the obstacle course, an attempt to familiarize himself with as much of it as possible before blinding himself on his superior's request. To add a third element to it Kaz opened himself up to the Force and made a simple urging request to the scabbed fellow off to his side, a Force Meld in the hopes that if the other being accepted it would assist them both through the course.

"I presume this is a test of capability, rather than Wisdom, and you would prefer I not walk around the course in the first place, Master Bob. You with me Padawan?" The offer in the Force was made again, like a hand extended in support even as Kaz looked to Bostas.

[Jedi]

The nameless Master raised an eyebrow at Kaz. "Yes, this is indeed a physical test. Were this the test of wisdom, you surely would have failed for your insolence." He held a stern gaze for a moment before allowing his wry mouth to crack into a grin. "Now get going, before I twist your ear and put you on janitorial duty. If you open yourself up to the Force and let it guide you, rather than navigating the course on your own, by sound or touch, you will find yourself finished before you know it."

Having positioned himself right at the foot of the course, Bostas wore the vision blocking helmet, and felt the suggestive Force influence of the new arrival. He understood the advantages of sharing senses in such a way, and knew from being in battle that the presense of an ally can make the difference between life and death in a thousand situations. He hesitantly accepted the meld, feeling around himself for the presence of the training droids and the senses flowing in from Kaz's Force sense.
When he felt he had stored enough preliminary information in his memory, he took off into the course. Leaping clear over a climbing obstacle, he landed on a platform and felt the urgent tug of the Force to his left. He whipped out his lightsaber, igniting the blue blade and catching a bolt of electricity. He angled the lightsaber and redirected the shock at a second droid, stunning it before it was able to let loose its charge.
Pausing for a moment, he felt around for the presence of Kaz, to see if he had entered the course yet, and if so, how he fared.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Mistaking irreverence for insolence is the trap of arrogance, Master Bob." Kaz maintained a happy smile throughout, at least until he put the helmet in place, his question answered. He liked the guy, at least well enough for a new acquaintance, but thinking that Kaz was being insolent for merely thinking outside the box was guaranteed to set the two of them at odds with one another if carried on over long. He extended his senses, even as the Nameless Master stated the obvious tactic was a good idea, and overlaid the information the Force provided with what he remembered of the course.

Kaz began at a steady, intent walk as he began drawing on the Xa Fel's greater familiarity with the course even as he provided his greater visualization practice back in return. The Meld increased their strength in the Force, granted a greater detail of perception, and allowed them to take near instantaneous advantage of each others presence on the field. Where Bostas rushed the course, Kaz swept into the gap left behind as the remote opponents attempted to close in on the Xa Fel. The young Corellian used a bracing spar of the climbing obstacle to get closer to the top before using rebounding jump to clear the top while using less of his might in the Force.

That left more of their combined strength for Bostas to wield in his uneven engagement with the number of remotes he'd drawn down on himself, keeping the devices distracted as Kaz came in on a flanking maneuver. Kaz ran through the scene, far to the right, and gave a little jump that allowed him to reach out and push two remotes into two others with a little Force enhanced strength. "You hoo, don't forget about me you overpriced wind up toys." He spun away from the machines and started further into the obstacle course, using the flare of his cloak in an attempt to throw off whatever kind of targeting sensors the floating devices might have while the through their Meld Kaz prodded Bostas to make his next move before the devices decided which of them each one was going to engage.

[Jedi]

Bostas followed Kaz's Force aura, and wound his way through a jungle-structure suspended over a large netted pit. He stepped from one bar to the next, but a handful of remotes floated up from the pit and sent a flurry of shocks in his direction.
He was able to dodge a couple of them without falling but mistimed one jolt, and felt it surge through his shoulders and arms. He clung to the bar by one hand, and used the other to pull out his lightsaber to defend his back while he climbed back to safety. A remote hovered up next to him and he swung his blade, fending off shocks but without enough concentration for a clean redirect back at it. What was that thing he always saw Jedi Terria do? Control his lightsaber using telekinesis. He had seen how effective that was in battle.
He pulled his Force senses inward, away from Kaz, in order to concentrate on levitation, then flung his lightsaber at the remote. It was only his training saber, so it didn't cut the remote clean in half, but the blade stunned the small round droid into inaction--and plummeting like a stone to the net below. The training saber swung back to Bostas, and he turned off the blade before catching it, to avoid the potential risk of numbing his own arm. He didn't trust himself to have the same finesse other Knights had acquired during years of training.
He hauled himself up to the bar, and a nearby platform, and felt around again for Kaz's presence. Leaping forward towards the rest of the course, Bostas wouldn't have been surprised if Kaz was already at the end of the course at this point, considering how Bostas himself had been delayed. He wondered what the nameless Master had in store for them next.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz doubled back, crossing paths with the unfortunate looking partner of his to cover him while the Xa Fel got a head start into the next obstacle. The Corellian had to admit he was a bit surprised when he felt his companion heading into the center of that spiderweb-like situation but there was little he could do about it except try to draw off some of the enemy forces that faced them again. A Force enhanced strength driven leap carried him to the top of the jungle-structure where Kaz allowed his instincts to guide him across the top at a loping pace, tracing an uneven and zigzagging route.

At the end he purposely veered into the path of one of the spheres and accepted on his forearm the arcing electricity that stabbed out at him, responding by using that energy to fuel a heavy handed display of telekinesis that cleared out the other end of the present obstacle of floating spheres.

The young Jedi Knight had to halt once when his partner withdrew from him, the other being apparently not familiar enough with the Meld to realize he could have drawn on it for the whatever he withdrew from it to accomplish. When Bostas reached out for Kaz again the Xa Fel would find the meld awaiting his presence once more and the Corellian very nearby. "Having fun yet?" Kaz quipped while he waited for his ally, not willing to leave the other guy behind if not necessary. Kaz quickly moved to leap alongside Bostas toward the rest of the course, projecting a fierce join into the force bond between them. The Corellian was literally enjoying himself.

[Jedi]

Bostas accepted the mind meld again and used his further heightened Force senses to navigate with Kaz through the rest of the course, dealing with the handful of remotes left by the end.
As they jumped off the final obstacle, they heard the voice of the nameless Master bark out. "Good job you two! I applaud your teamwork and use of the mind meld--a very useful tool to have. Now... defend yourselves!" A very familiar snap-hiss was heard and Bostas was suddenly flung off his feet by a wave of Force power as the nameless Master began attacking him. He threw off the helmet and activated his own blade, only barely igniting it in time to stop a blow from the Cerean.
He countered with a swing, feint, and swing to the Master's right and left sides, regaining his lost ground and balance.
The nameless Master leaped back from the attack and sent a low surge at Bostas' feet. Bostas jumped forward, over the wave, and rolled to the Master's side, swiping his training saber up and he sprung back up to his feet, holding his blue blade foward in a Form II stance. The nameless Master deftly parried the stroke and locked eyes with Bostas, settling into an aggressive Form VI stance.

While Kaz and Bostas had finished the obstacle course, Master Beckoaret turned to the elder Halcyons. "Your son is navigating the course quite well. I can see he has had very good teaching. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go put other skills of his to the test."
At the nameless Master's sharp command for the Padawans to defend themselves, he ignited both ends of his double-sided blue-green blade (a training saber replica of his normal blade--gift from Master Nai) and charged Kaz. In one fluid motion he spun one end at Kaz's head, and aimed the opposide end at Kaz's feet on the turnaround. "Do you feel the Force, Padawan Halcyon? Let it speak to you from the past and the future. Can you hear its voice? It's telling you every move I am going to make."

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz felt the return of his partner and the two of them flashed past the last of the course. Working together had largely negated the course's ability to overwhelm them. It didn't warn them of the assault waiting at the end. Kaz pulled his helmet off and moved his hand to his lightsaber even before he realized the attack wasn't aimed at him yet. It was a wise tactic that Master Bob was utilizing, attempting to remove the lesser opponent out of a team. When the Xa Fel ended up in a Makashi stance, however, Kaz knew they had the tools to win even against a Master Jedi... particularly one that was using Form VI.

Kaz was halfway to joining his partner in the battle when he sensed the shift in intent that heralded a new combatant on the field. This one coming straight for his back. A smile crossed his face in that quiet moment, the tiny eternity just before the Force would take over and everything would be a blur. He ducked into a spin, the speed of Force enhanced physicality driving a pair of nearly simultaneous actions that were meant to again change the battlefield so from the chaos Kaz and Bostas could forge a new victory.

The helmet flew at Master Bob's back as the first blade passed over Kaz's ducking head, his robe came off as he danced beyond the reach of the second blade to be whipped around and flung at Master Beckoaret in the hopes that it would wrap around him in some way, either blinding him momentarily or tripping him up. Either way, the trick was to allow him a chance to create space between them. Kaz drew his primary lightsaber, ignited its white blade, the uniquely crafted and gently curved handle fitting perfectly into his hand as he fired off a Makashi salute. "I hear it Master, it's calling out to me. It's saying 'double ended lightsabers are aggressive, heavy handed, and imprecise.' I think its got a point, don't you?" He performed a Makashi flourish and wiggled his blade a little at the end, a challenging act.

He could only hope the Xa Fel could keep Master Bob busy long enough for Kaz to handle Master Beckoaret. Beckoaret's weapon required an aggressive technique to make up for a couple of glaring weaknesses in the defense department. Double ended lightsabers tended to lack the reach of more traditional weapons, the lack becoming even more glaring against the one handed grip favored by Makashi practitioners. More over, the weapon in question required the repeated swapping of which blade was being presented during which the hilt of the weapon was exposed to any opponent with the speed and precision to take advantage. Again, a weakness that could become glaring when placed against Makashi's heavy focus on that exact precision.

[Jedi]

Master Beckoaret followed through with the circular motion, catching the cloak on one blade and effortlessly redirecting it away from him. His eyes swept over Kaz, sizing him up. "The nameless Master is not your fight--you'd do well to focus on your own trial... unless you believe yourself capable of dueling two masters simultaneously? You are still quite young, Kaziki Halcyon, and have much to learn.
When you have lived for as long as I have, you will come to realize that skill with a lightsaber is only one aspect of the art of dueling!"
To drive the point home, he swiped his empty hand downwards, projecting a piercing, ear-shattering whistle into Kaz's mind. As he did this, he swept towards the young man with a powerful upwards swing followed through with a pair of stabs from the opposite blade.

Adjacently, Bostas ran at the nameless Master, whipping his blade through a curved path that would wind up striking from several different angles in succession. The nameless Master reached a hand out behind him and caught the helmet with the Force, launching it in turn towards the Xa Fel. Bostas only barely managed to interrupt the technique and bring his blade to bear, preventing the helmet from hitting his face but still getting thrown off-balance.
The nameless Master pressed his advantage, driving powerful, Djem So-esque strikes at Bostas' already compromised defense. Bostas lost more and more ground, defense weakening with every attack. "Imagine I'm a Trandoshan, Bostas! I am larger, stronger, more physically powerful than your Xa Fel body. What do you do? How do you fight for your life and turn this to your advantage?"
Bostas suddenly stepped forward, directly under the nameless Master's swing, and punched a hand forwads and down, launching a Force strike at his feet.
The nameless Master was forced to cancel his advance and hop back to avoid falling to the ground. "Good, Bostas!"

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"If I were to only worry about what is and isn't my fight I wouldn't be much of a Jedi. And I am capable, though whether I'd win or not is subject to some conjecture." He was shooting his very un-Jedi-like opponent a cocky grin when he was attacked with the Force. Turned out the new Order had lost track of Yoda's teachings... but that was fine with Kaz. He gritted his teeth through the pain, knowing it was an illusion due to his familiarity with similar techniques, rather than shutting off his actual sense of hearing. Trusting the Force kept his free of the uppercut as his low guard allowed him to perform a rather simple blade-down parry that took the attack out of line.

Kaz moved as any Makashi practitioner would, almost appearing to dance back and forth, as he stepped even further out of line with his opponent's weapon and turned the pain of the opening Force attack into one of his own that required just that sort of emotional input. Kaz's left hand peeked out from under his right arm as he and his opponent were brought wide of one another, and an intense arc of green lightning flashed forth aimed at the back Master Beckoaret's knees. If the older Jedi went down then Kaz would end the maneuver with his blade by the Master's ear. If not he would once again dance out of the reach of his opponent's weapon while preparing his next maneuver. "Fighting dirty? This is the great wisdom you wish to impart upon the next generation? I think I've read that holonovel before."

[Jedi]

"It is wise of you to know your limitations! I daresay our Master without name is the strongest Jedi to have lived for centuries, and I would doubt even your power combined with mine could take him alone."
Master Beckoaret leaned back and barely caught the lightning on the tip of his lightsaber before redirecting at a wide angle into empty space. His eyes widened, then narrowed. "You must be careful when channeling such abilities as those, Padawan Halcyon. It is far too easy to allow them to be fueled by negative emotions of the kind that can consume the mind and heart." He shut off both blades of his training saber and his expression lightened. "But I commend your skill and unpredictability in battle. We are finished here, I will let our nameless Master conclude your trial."

As the nameless Master jumped back, he propelled himself up high in the air, and telekinetically pulled at Bostas at the same time, to trip him and drive him forward into position right underneath the Master's feet for a powerful overhead blow.
Instead of fighting the force though, Bostas leaned into it, rolling beyond the blow and past the nameless Master's feet. He quickly braced his foot against the ground and whipped his lightsaber out behind him towards the Master's back. The master carried the swing in an underhanded loop and caught Bostas' blade with feisty sparks.
He disengaged and, noticing that his fellow master was also finished, shut off his blade. "Good job, Padawan Bostas. You must never let your body interfere with your connection to the Force. One of the greatest Jedi of all time, the legendary Grandmaster Yoda, was the same way. Nine hundred years old and barely able to walk even with a cane, but also able to perform acrobatic form IV feats the likes of which you wouldn't even imagine when it came down to the wire."
The nameless Master looked over at Master Beckoaret and nodded, signaling that it was alright for him to go take care of other duties.
"Now come, Padawan Bostas, Padawan Halcyon. Your trial is not quite over, although I must say I was indeed impressed by your performances during the physical portion."

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz shrugged and deactivated his lightsaber as well, to acknowledge the end of the duel between them. "I merely thought to assist my partner in a battle I thought we shared, as nobody announced every being for himself after the obstacle course. And while I would have loved to merely push the back of your legs until your knees hit the ground I'm afraid that isn't an option for me." Kaz hesitated a moment, fairly certain they'd crossed blades all of once, before nodding and turning to move toward the other two on the field. He grudgingly threw a hand up to acknowledge his mother, who was waiving and smiling like a shockball fan.

If the contest between Bostas and Master Bob had lasted any longer Kaz would have amused himself by lending all of the focus, power, and advantage available in the Force Meld to the Xa Fel. It would have been interesting to see the Cerean trying to regain his balance against a suddenly much more capable opponent. Not to mention seeing how the Xa Fel would react to such an increase in power. Oh well, the path not chosen. Kaz nodded at the summons of the one remaining master and followed. "On your six, Master Bob. And thank you for the praise, Bostas was carrying me through it though." He joked in good nature.

[Jedi]

The nameless Master took the Xa Fel and the Corellian back into the Temple. "The final leg of your trial begins here. Wait for one standard hour, then head to the council room."
He left them and headed back outside to invite the Masters Halcyon to accompany him. He brought them to the lift that would take them up to the councilroom their son as well as Bostas would go to in due time. As they entered the small, circular chamber, they were met by the eyes of Master Beckoaret, Master Nai, and three other masters from other enclaves. All of them would discuss the two tested Padawans over the course of the hour and determine whether they would stand a chance of passing or not.
When the two would arrive, they would be told to meditate, at which point the eight masters would examine their hearts and their thoughts--and that would be the true decider. But in the spirit of the ancient Jedi ways, the other aspects and trials of their Padawan-ships would need to be gone over. Even though Padawan Halcyon had only just arrived, he had been ready for Knightship for some time, such as the council was told, and the trial was more a formality than anything.
"Do the Masters Halcyon have anything to say about the readiness of their son? We are curious to know how training and teaching was carried out in the seclusion of the Corellian branch of the Order."

Bostas turned to Kaz. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. We have an hour, you know where the mess hall is? I'll show you."

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz nodded absently at the 'nameless' master's words. "We'll be there, Master Bob." He waved, once again absently, as he looked around.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Masters Halcyon followed the nameless Master upstairs, riding the turbolift in silence though they occasionally looked toward one another and their bond in the Force veritably vibrated the air between them to those with the Force sensitivity to be aware of it. They were conversing, privately though not secretly, even though nothing like complicated conversations could be carried over the Force link no matter how close together the two stood. Physically or metaphorically. Being, themselves, of equal rank to the Masters who were waiting for them in the small circular room they merely offered a nod to them.

Addressed on the matter of their son's training the two nodded, as if they had already prepared the answer ahead of time. Ryld was the first to speak, "Kaziki was trained in secret but not quite in seclusion. The Corellian families have found quickly that things worked best if every generation was familiar with itself, it gives the young others with whom to identify. We have kept to our tradition of seeing to the protection of the entire Corellian system, as well as the Sector at large when possible. So we have managed a touch of metropolitan existence with the help of the Drall and Selonians, both species we have helped hide and train their Force sensitives. All of this is to say, Kaziki is not a back room Jedi."

Hallistra Halcyon picked up immediately after her husband. "Ryld and I cross trained Kaziki with my apprentice to ensure neither was short changed. You didn't wait long enough to find out, Master Beckoaret, but if you'd pressed him with strength you'd have discovered Kaziki is no slouch when it comes to Form V though his primary technique is Makashi. Primarily he has taken on the mantle of a duelist but he is more than sufficient at investigations, negotiation processing, and matters military. He's more than capable alone and altogether a new level of trouble if given resources to work with."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaz turned with a happy smile to the Xa Fel. "I'd be all too happy to follow, my friend. Will there be others there this time of day?" Either way, there was no hesitation in his movement to follow.

[Jedi]

"There is no doubt that Kaziki has shown great skill and leadership in the trial, and I don't doubt he will be a great and noteworthy Jedi Knight, but I think some of us, our nameless Master especially, have noticed a certain level of... how was it you put it?"
" 'Friendly arrogance'. Not that your son is insufferable, but his attitude lacks a certain humility and reverence most Jedi would tend to show. I agree that his skills are admirable, and if you would be so kind as to ease our concerns over this matter, we will gladly, as one united council, bestow upon him the title of Knight."

-------------------------

Bostas led Kaz towards the mess hall, which was never without its inhabitants. He grabbed some grub, and motioned it was fine for Kaz to do the same. Finding a table, he sat down to a female human Padawan.
"Heyo Dairess, how was your training this morning?"
"Afternoon Bostas! It was ho-hum, routine sort of stuff. It's hard to do much otherwise when it's such an exciting day!" She looked up, smiling at Bostas and Kaz. "Are you from the Corellian arrivals? That's so exciting! We're all really glad you guys decided to show up." She munched on a roasted avian leg and admired the new Jedi. He carried himself with such assurance.
"So Bostas, I heard you took your trials today? That's so great! I bet you're really excited to finally earn the title of Knight."
"Actually it's still going on. Kaz here was just getting his formal testing as a new arrival, and the Master invited me to come along. We're waiting now for some sort of council meeting to finish. We're supposed to meet them in the councilroom in about 50 standard minutes."
"Woah, that's unnerving, knowing they're all up there talking about you. But how do you guys think you did? Think you passed?"

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Ah, yes. That." Hallistra quipped while Ryld chuckled softly, hiding it behind his hand. "It's a demeanor, not his nature I assure you. Our public life on Corellia necessitated a familiarity with some of the wealthier beings of the Sith's empire and between that familiarity breeding contempt and his naturally questioning personality I think a certain irreverence is a pretty healthy way of displaying skepticism in those who claim authority."

Ryld nodded. "And it's a trait he reserves for those he does see as superiors, even among opposition forces, so you should take heart in the fact that he is, in fact, acknowledging your authority and/or superior skill in his way. There's also a certain advantage to having a Knight around intent to keep us honest, he's changed my way of thinking at least once and that's how we ended up here."

"Following blindly has certainly never served a Jedi well." Ryld nodded in agreement with his wife's assessment on that matter. "Was there something in particular about his behavior that bothered you?""I've got a credit that says Kaz named him.""No bet."

--------------------------------------------------------

Kaz, consciously robeless, followed Bostas to the mess hall and, once informed it was alright, snagged a piece of fruit he could eat by hand. Taking a bite of the food, to the satisfyingly juicy crunch, he continued to trail along after his new associate. Upon seeing their destination, and who already occupied it, he made sure to have the last of the bite chewed and swallowed by the time they arrived. "Kaziki Halcyon, and its a pleasure to meet you, Dairess." He swept a bow to the young lady before seating himself across from her. A warm, charming, and patently Corellian smile appeared on his face at her question. "Indeed, I am one of the Corellians. Showing was less a question of whether and more a question of when, I assure you."

Kaz listened politely while they went back and forth about the trials before joining in again. "Bostas here is being modest, he's blasting through these tests with the ease of an old professional." He patted Bostas on the shoulder, carefully as he was mindful of the Xa Fel's skin issues. "All we have left is a test of our hearts. I don't know how they'll go about it here, of course... but when I went through it on Corellia they very harshly told me I wasn't ready and probably never would be, then watched how I reacted both externally and in the Force."

"I don't know about my friend here but I've never had an issue with the idea of people thinking about me while I'm away." The young Corellian took another bite of his fruit and winked at Dairess to put the period on his thought.

[Jedi]

The nameless master sighed, then laughed softly. "Despite my convictions, there are indeed certain... drawbacks to abandoning one's name, and I don't blame those that decide to refer to me by a given title, instead of an abstract phrase. I would say his behavior wasn't wrong or even inappropriate."
"I would say it just caught us off-guard. The way most Jedi in the galaxy have lived these past four hundred years has been, as I regret to say, somewhat timid. Given the relative lack of contact between the enclaves, especially between Corellia and the rest of the galaxy, we've been forced to walk with our head down and shoulders hunched, so to speak."
Master Nai piped up. "But I think if his force of personality could be redirected into an appealing feature instead of an off-putting one, he could be trained into a great Jedi leader."
Nodding, Master Beckoaret added, "Agreed, although I am curious to see how he will interact with Jedi Terria. Even though he is still but a knight, for better or worse he sparked our resurgence and this war--so he is also shaping up to become a strong leader."
"But that is neither here nor there. The topic at hand, Kaziki's knighthood, I think is ready to be settled."
"Aye."
"Aye."
More ayes echoed through the room. The nameless master, as the unspoken but widely-understood head of the council, looked at the Masters Halcyon. "Any words before we adjourn?"

------

Dairess blushed. "I can see that, I think you both are going to do so well!" She took another self-conscious bite of avian leg. "I'm nervous for when I have to take my trials. I mean I know I haven't been a padawan for as long as you Bostas, but we've been in battles together with Lents and I can't imagine it's too far off. You'll have to tell me how it goes."
Bostas nodded, "I definitely will. So Kaz you say you've already had trials, back on Corellia? How'd those go? Did they compare to what we've done today?"

[Kaziki Halcyon]

The two Halcyons smiled and nodded, glancing at each other in mutual appreciation that things had gone well for their son in all of this. Kaz had been testing the Masters just as surely as they had been testing him, and it was apparently working out for the best. Ryld was the first to rejoin the conversation. "Kaz does like to make an impression. Face in the crowd is not how he would like to be described, most of the time. Fortunately, our public place in Corellian society allowed him to exercise that tendency in a constructive manner until now."

They looked to Master Nai when that being spoke out, their Force bond abuzz with the words that came, though neither looked at the other this time. "Regardless of how he might test one or all of you from time to time, if you give our son a target and a worthy goal he'll make it happen. If there is one thing he likes to do it's talking people into doing the right thing, even if they don't want to." Hallistra attempted to reassure the impromptu council of her son's ability before raising her eyebrow in curiosity at the mention of the name, Terria. "Every strong leader needs a foil, lest they grow too secure in their seat. Contention between the two could be just as valuable to the cause as the possibility they become fast friends. At the very least, you never know when a potential ally might prefer to work with one rather than the other, making the option to do so invaluable."

Both Ryld and Hallistra nodded at the Nameless Master's interjection, putting the conversation back on track without discent from either of them. They managed to suppress the urge to vote, as they weren't officially part of this council like they were back home. Things might become tense at a later time but so far rejoining the Order was turning out to be a pleasant enough experience. The next effort would be finding out to what degree the war was being thought out. "Nothing from me." Ryld grinned, sensing what was about to come out of his wife's mouth. "Just fair warning to lock up your daughters. He's a flirt."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dairess' blush just made Kaz smile a bit more, indulging in a small bit of quiet chuckling. He loved people. "You shouldn't be nervous. Concerned, certainly, that's just being smart about it. But nervous, no. Enlightened confidence is an invaluable tool in forging ones self into a Jedi Knight and if you want there are a couple of easy ways to gain that confidence if you'd like me to share them." Kaz's tone was reassuring throughout, an attempt to help a fellow Jedi rather than anything condescending or hollow.

He paused to let her respond rather than forge ahead in the presumption she required his help, a politeness that allowed Bostas to get in his thoughts as well. That turned into fielding more questions and he nodded happily for the opportunity. "Aye. I passed, though by what margin is for the Masters to know and me to lay awake at night worrying about. A motivational tool, I'm sure. As for how they compare..." The young Corellian paused once more, visibly working through that thought process before continuing.

"Well, I would dare say they had more formal trappings. Testing took most of a week, longer if you consider the blind testing they ran along the way. Remember when I asked whether the obstacle course was a test of ability or wisdom? Tricky tests like that to see if I was a dynamic thinker, if I could problem solve and still stay within whatever the stated criteria were at the moment. To see if I was willing to break the rules for the greater good, to risk my desires in the face of doing what was right rather than what was simply best for me or easiest. I have a feeling this time we are spending is a similar test, a chance for us to stew over our actions and results, to see if we worry ourselves into wrecks or stand by our results. It's all so very esoteric, yes?"

[Jedi]

"Alright, I think we're ready to await them," the nameless Master said, calling the council to a time of meditation before the padawans were to arrive. The meditation helped clear their minds for the mental examination of the padawans to come, as well as a unified mind meld to create a space in the room of complete openness in the Force. True, the masters would be examining the students, but the ultimate goal was to monitor what the Force's reaction to the new beings in its physical presence there would be.

----

"From what I've heard from other knights is that here they don't evaluate you as much as observe you in silence. Not as a matter of decision-making or philosophy, but as a presence in the Force. It's kinda weird, and to be frank I don't understand how you would measure something like that." Bostas paused. "But then again, I'm not a master yet either."
"That does make sense rather than trying to measure on a concrete scale," Dairess mused. "With so many scattered enclaves evolving over 400 years separately, it'd be a miracle if they maintained one standard measure. I think it's a good way of bringing all the small communities into one order again."