Taris, to orbit around Taris, Thursday
The Padawans were gathered to listen to their Masters explain their final test: The Trial of Spirit. Zayne was a little surprised to find Q'Anilia taking the whole lecture, but she always was the most spiritually attuned of the Masters. It kind of made sense.
"You will venture out onto the Rogue Moon, and a most dangerous place it is. Dangerous, and perfect for your final assignment. The rogue moon inhabits the asteroid belt that rings Taris' sun - traveling in retrograde, against the direction of the other debris. Theories differ as to its origin. But what is not theoretical is the situation there. Thousands of meteor impacts an hour, ranging from microscopic to colossal. Perpetual bombardment. Each step on its surface may be your last."
"And that, students, is what makes it a special place... for those whose steps are guided by the Force. It is a place of absolute contrasts, ever standing between the serenity Jedi seek and annihilation. It is a place to focus on what is around and on what lies ahead. There are only life-and-death choices here - no complicating hues or gradations. Let the Unifying Force become your eyes. You will see both the future and oblivion before you. Find your destiny, and in doing so you may find your place in the Jedi Order."
*****
Zayne, the other Padawans, and all of their Jedi masters were on the transport to Taris's Rogue Moon. It was rough going, but that was par for the course.
"Zayne!" Gharn yelled despite sitting next to him. "Wake up! We're almost there!"
Zayne's head was in his hands and his eyes were closed. "I'm not asleep. I'm just trying not to look."
Shad laughed a little. "Yeah, I don't think I could sleep with all this bouncing around. I think Master Feln's trying to clear the asteroid belt the hard way."
The chit-chat was cut quickly when Lucien finished giving the T1-LB bulk loader droid instructions and stepped forward. "We're in position, Padawans. This is it; your final challenge as Learners. You know the assignment. Trust in the Force for guidance. Helmets!" On that order, the Padawans completed their bright red space suits by putting on their helmets, blast-shield down. "Fear is your enemy. Do not give it ground to grow." The Padawans moved toward the airlock. "Be rocks. Be Jedi. Begone."
And with that, the airlock was opened, sending the Padawans in a slow descent towards the moon. In this low gravity, Zayne didn't need to use the suit's stabilizer rockets until he was almost at the surface. It ended up being a surprisingly easy landing. He hoped that meant good things for the trial.
The hope was misplaced, unfortunately. Using nothing but the Force to guide him across the moon while avoiding asteroid impacts was very slow going, with plenty of changes in direction and several close calls. He didn't let himself get discouraged, however, until half the day was gone and he finally reached the camp the Masters had set up.
Zayne's comm crackled on and he heard, "We weren't sure you'd make it, Zayne. You're here. Lift the blast shield."
"Yes, Master Lucien," Zayne said. The blast shield lifted and he saw what he feared. All of the other Padawans made it to the shielded camp first.
"Zayne, you did it!" Shad said, hopping over to his friend.
"Well, I came in last again," Zayne sighed. His last chance was pretty much done with. He knew it.
"Forget about that part," Shad encouraged. "Using nothing but the Force, you crossed the valley. Maybe you're better connected to it than you thought."
Both students heard the voice of Master Feln through their comms just then. "Padawans, start packing up the camp. We have a brief window to leave without many asteroid strikes. We will make it."
"Why are we packing up?" Zayne asked Shad. "Why isn't Elbee doing it?"
"Master Q'Anilia told me he fell over the cliff and took too much damage," Shad explained. "So it's all on us now. Come on, show off your newly established connection to the Force. We only have a few minutes."
[OOC: Some dialogue and events taken from KotOR Volume 1: Commencement by John Jackson Miller and Brian Ching.]
"You will venture out onto the Rogue Moon, and a most dangerous place it is. Dangerous, and perfect for your final assignment. The rogue moon inhabits the asteroid belt that rings Taris' sun - traveling in retrograde, against the direction of the other debris. Theories differ as to its origin. But what is not theoretical is the situation there. Thousands of meteor impacts an hour, ranging from microscopic to colossal. Perpetual bombardment. Each step on its surface may be your last."
"And that, students, is what makes it a special place... for those whose steps are guided by the Force. It is a place of absolute contrasts, ever standing between the serenity Jedi seek and annihilation. It is a place to focus on what is around and on what lies ahead. There are only life-and-death choices here - no complicating hues or gradations. Let the Unifying Force become your eyes. You will see both the future and oblivion before you. Find your destiny, and in doing so you may find your place in the Jedi Order."
*****
Zayne, the other Padawans, and all of their Jedi masters were on the transport to Taris's Rogue Moon. It was rough going, but that was par for the course.
"Zayne!" Gharn yelled despite sitting next to him. "Wake up! We're almost there!"
Zayne's head was in his hands and his eyes were closed. "I'm not asleep. I'm just trying not to look."
Shad laughed a little. "Yeah, I don't think I could sleep with all this bouncing around. I think Master Feln's trying to clear the asteroid belt the hard way."
The chit-chat was cut quickly when Lucien finished giving the T1-LB bulk loader droid instructions and stepped forward. "We're in position, Padawans. This is it; your final challenge as Learners. You know the assignment. Trust in the Force for guidance. Helmets!" On that order, the Padawans completed their bright red space suits by putting on their helmets, blast-shield down. "Fear is your enemy. Do not give it ground to grow." The Padawans moved toward the airlock. "Be rocks. Be Jedi. Begone."
And with that, the airlock was opened, sending the Padawans in a slow descent towards the moon. In this low gravity, Zayne didn't need to use the suit's stabilizer rockets until he was almost at the surface. It ended up being a surprisingly easy landing. He hoped that meant good things for the trial.
The hope was misplaced, unfortunately. Using nothing but the Force to guide him across the moon while avoiding asteroid impacts was very slow going, with plenty of changes in direction and several close calls. He didn't let himself get discouraged, however, until half the day was gone and he finally reached the camp the Masters had set up.
Zayne's comm crackled on and he heard, "We weren't sure you'd make it, Zayne. You're here. Lift the blast shield."
"Yes, Master Lucien," Zayne said. The blast shield lifted and he saw what he feared. All of the other Padawans made it to the shielded camp first.
"Zayne, you did it!" Shad said, hopping over to his friend.
"Well, I came in last again," Zayne sighed. His last chance was pretty much done with. He knew it.
"Forget about that part," Shad encouraged. "Using nothing but the Force, you crossed the valley. Maybe you're better connected to it than you thought."
Both students heard the voice of Master Feln through their comms just then. "Padawans, start packing up the camp. We have a brief window to leave without many asteroid strikes. We will make it."
"Why are we packing up?" Zayne asked Shad. "Why isn't Elbee doing it?"
"Master Q'Anilia told me he fell over the cliff and took too much damage," Shad explained. "So it's all on us now. Come on, show off your newly established connection to the Force. We only have a few minutes."
[OOC: Some dialogue and events taken from KotOR Volume 1: Commencement by John Jackson Miller and Brian Ching.]