Chapter 14
Milaea
Her breath rose and fell in gentle waves in time with the Song…she had settled easily into the Rhythm of life on Vyth over the last week…helped immensely by her unofficial master Ho’Li’Mack…and was now really getting into learning their techniques.
She kept a gentle pace as she held the threads of her gentle harmonies together…it was difficult she found to keep her song from spiralling into a cacophony of…it was hard to describe…Holly had called it ‘Red confusion’…but she was managing for the moment. Whilst Holly couldn’t use the Song herself, Koawan Ty’Re’Cam could and had been her main guide to the practical aspects of it…
“Good, keep it steady…and gently let it go…” he said “I think that’s enough for the day,”
She opened her eyes as the young Koawan rose before her…apparently the skill to hear the song was common, but to sing was rare…oddly enough both she and Valens had taken to it quickly. It was so easy once you got the hang of it.
For a reason she couldn’t quite discern in herself she felt it was a somewhat…quaint, almost childish way of using the force.
“Beautiful, subtle but distinct…” Holly said with a brief clap, her daughter, Ha'Ona'Mack, was sitting on her lap. That had been the most obvious point of difference so far, these Gray Jedi had no rules against relationships between them, no hiding and secret apartments like Sofa and Valens did.
“It’s amazing how quickly you’ve picked it up,” Ty added as he stood, “Took me years to get to that level, you’re really something Milaea,” he was trying to flirt with her she knew…she let him for now…of course between the fact she was here to spy on them and that she liked girls he really didn’t have much hope.
“Thanks, its different…interesting though,”
“We’ll have to get you in a Singers circle sometime, I think you’d pick up a lot from hearing the Kage,” Holly added.
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The combat training was different again, whilst many techniques were similar, they did have points of difference, they were experimenting with distinct warrior forms, Ice, Fire, Water, Air…it worried her in a way the willingness of the Fire form classes to encourage using emotions like fear and anger…still was this really enough for Kimar to have branded them heretics.
She had been quickly invited by Ho’Li’Mak to join the other padawan equivalents - Teidowans and some Koawans in their daily training regime and classes. Valens had encouraged her to learn all she could, whilst he spent much time studying with the Kage.
She was sparring with Ty, who had shown an unusual interest in helping the Teidowans ever since Milaea had joined their morning sessions. It was kind of sad she thought. His style was largely Makashi, a little Ataru. As she ducked a high slash she saw another opportunity to knock him over…but she didn’t…she remembered Korriban…never show anyone you’re full range Valens had said.
She had spent hours sparring privately with Soryu, she knew all the standard moves, all the advanced one…how to counter them, and how to counter the counters. Ty pivoted into a low slash, again she let it off with a simple parry, she kept in mind one day they might be fighting for real.
“Come on” Ty goaded, “you’re holding back, hit me with your best shot,” he lowered his guard briefly,
That had the opposite effect to the playful banter he wanted, she recalled the fight on Cygrat…the pulsing feel or limitless power that had flowed through her –
“I’m not sure you could handle my best shot,” she replied more deadpan than she had wanted to
“Oh I don’t know, I’m a big guy,” he made a heavy forward push with the training blade against hers…again he was off the mark in his flirtations…he was physically a head taller and muscular…but she preferred more lithe women - to be honest she had a little crush on Holly who was watching the eight pairs spar offering advice here and there….
“Alright then, let’s see how you handle me,” she inwardly cringed at having said that, but started to take the fight much more seriously.
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Odjina
Valens was a strange one…his presence in the force was…subtle…almost invisible at times.
Nonetheless he was obviously extremely competent. He had spent the last fortnight training with himself and Holly, it became clear very soon that he could call upon the force very easily, and master almost any technique rapidly. Including the song he was creating now…it had a sad undertone that resonated softly against the determined self-assured peaks…
His apprentice Milaea had by Holly’s report also progressed rapidly. He had put in a request with the M’Tzigon for details on the two of them…their connections with the Temple were now broken to the point they relied on basically spying…little had come back though, there were greater issues still being worked out between the civilian government of M’Tzigon and the Mak’Tor than establishing an intelligence service.
The two key fact they did have were first that Valens had been apprenticed to Master Yoda - based on his abilities and considering the very careful way he spoke Odjina wasn’t surprised…
Second that Milaea was allocated to a Master Sofa Neirai – Odjina recalled Soryu’s last apprentice being named Sofa…whilst this was inconsistent with their story the data they had was at least four years old…it was possible Master Neirai had become ill or passed away in the interim.
The Valens song slowly echoed as Odjina sat before him, adding his own guiding rhythm to the pattern being built in the force. He could feel the more rapid tempo of the Tediowans combat training in an adjoining cavern, the music of battle, but controlled and paced in training.
“You’re doing well Master Valens,” he noted continuing the connection between their streams,
“Thank you Kage…it is an intriguing of using the force….unique…” he replied his eyes still closed. It was unusual for anyone to be capable of actually Singing in the force, let alone a Coruscant Temple master and apprentice to take to it so quickly…Yet Odjina could tell Valens saw it as nothing more than a another technique to add to an extensive repertoire, he seemed to lack any sense of mystery or wonder…perhaps that was Yoda’s stern influence.
Odjina thought to try his luck now with this connection to act as lie detector.
“A question if I may Valens,” the permafrost in the wall quietly resonated with their joint song, he felt the permission in the force, a subtle levelling in the crests of the song.
“You’re apprentice have you been with her long?”
“A little while, her previous master was severely injured during a smuggling sting gone awry…but we had often trained together with Soryu at the Temple, it was a natural fit,”
There was no deception in his word or presence…yet the truth felt…flat, banal…almost trying to be boring. The strength of the Teidowan battle songs strengthened, Holly must be putting them through their paces.
“You both felt you had to leave…why now might I ask…Kimar has been in power for some time?”
“Since Yoda left things have become…intolerable to be…”
His own song spiked with surprise, but Valens managed to guide it back…he was a prodigy….
“Yoda left?” Odjina asked cutting Valens off
“On a six year mission to the Unknown regions investigating the remnant of the Rakata…I fear it was more about leaving frustrations behind that seeking knowledge out.” Again there was truth…a plain truth though…
“Go on…” the pounding of the sparring Teidowans was pushing past what he would normally suggest was appropriate…yet it felt concentrated…
“With Yoda gone, things deteriorated…rules tightened to the point of constriction…” there was something being left unsaid here, he prompted the song toward an opening flow,
“Speak freely Valens,”
“There have been rumours…a number of Jedi who left before us, or were seen to be in conflict with the council…have had fatal accidents befall them, one particular Knight was involved in each case…”
This was troubling…yet not surprising…Odjina checked his own bias against Kimar…even so he wouldn’t put it past him to use an enforcer…again Valens truth was there but so…bland…Again the Teidowans battle pounded even harder, concentrated. It was between just two people…he would have to ask Holly what was happening.
“That is troub…” An explosion of the force, the beating of the battle song ripped into a sudden pulse of pure energy that shook the cavern itself.
Dusting off rocks that had just been lossened, he leapt up and ran out.
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Milaea
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She hadn’t meant to do it….well she had…but not that hard…his flirting, the way he was looking at her…the sick feeling of leading him on, the anxiety of lying to Holly…it had all combined into a tension that had released when she used a simple force push…
The Kage and Valens rushed in, Holly was already using her healing abilities to stabilise and keep the woozy Ty conscious. He was flopped against the back wall of the training cavern, fortunately a rack of practice shields had been between him and the sheer rock…but she could tell just by a quick shatter point glance he had broken a number of bones….
“What happened,” the Kage asked his tone calm, “Ty are you alright?”
The Koawan looked up with groggy eyes…”a little sore…” he turned to Milaea,
“Guess I can’t handle your best shots after all,” he added, a thin trail of blood from his mouth as two Teidowans lifted him with the force to take him to the medical cavern.
She could feel the Kage’s eyes burning into her…not in malice…but…concern, confusion?
Beside him Valens, an almost imperceptible smirk flicked across his face as she briefly met his steely grey eyes,
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly as Holly passed her behind Ty, her glance was one of…both disappointment and amazement.
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to face the Kage, his face unreadable,
“Why don’t we head off and talk Milaea,” he said quietly,
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She breathed deeply trying to calm herself…she needed to stay calm or she could give away the true reason they were here without consciously knowing it,
The Kage’s chambers were spacious but bare, only the essentials.
He sat on the floor in the large space between the desk and bed, he gestured for her to sit as he gave her an all over look, she could feel the force moving, enhanced by the resonance of the Permafrost crystals, over her.
“This…isn’t the first time something like this has happened is it?” he began,
She pursed her lips uncertain how to reply,
“You’ve been…unable to control the force, or let out more than you intended to before?”
She nodded…he was right…she though back not just to her vision in the Temple…but Cygrat, Sofa’s healing…and before that numerous times training in the temple she had broken things, injured people unintentionally - It was why Soryu had trained with her so much…they were afraid she would hurt the other padawans.
He smiled softly,
“I understand…I know what’s it like to have something in you…a part of you…you don’t understand…to be afraid of it,”
His posture loosened and he exuded compassion into the force,
“When I was young, on Ryloth…I could hear things…do things other children in the warrens couldn’t…I thought I was mad, it scared me, I tried to supress it…but it only made things worse…when I became emotional…and I got emotional a lot back then, we were very poor…it would come out like shriek,”
He looked down sadly recalling something painful,
“People were hurt, I clamped down even more…and it burst out stronger because of it…but one day…one day it attracted someone, a Gray of the Mak’Tor, Ha’Ona’Mack…Holly’s grandmother - she explained to me what it was I was hearing was the song of the force”
His face showed a great reverence, a lightness,
“They took me in and taught me how to use that power…to control it rather than having it explode about me, and accepted me even though I wasn’t born of the Mak’tor, they accepted me no matter how different I was…no matter how unruly…”
He looked straight at her,
“And yes there were times I hurt others because I couldn’t control my power…and sometimes…” his eyes dipped in shame,
“Sometimes intentionally I would lash out in my anger…even at Ha’Ona…but she stuck with me, she told me that acceptance and patience was my lesson to her…and I believe in reciprocating that lesson,” he leaned forward.
“I know what it’s like to feel apart from others, and I understand that…the Jedi, your masters…though they teach many useful techniques…they can’t always properly deal with oddballs like us. Sometimes it takes and oddball to teach an oddball,”
He leaned forward extending his hand,
“What do you think?”
This hadn’t gone the way she thought it would…she could learn a lot about their operation is she befriended the Kage…he was so sincere…if they could just see this side of them - perhaps she could prove to Grand Master Kimar the Council the Mak’Tor were not a threat.
“Thank you Kage,” she took his hand tightly in hers.
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