NationStates Jolt Archive

Shortly after giving this press conference (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=401528&page=15&pp=15), Prime Minister Jacob Whitfield had a lot on his mind. The Force, which he had only discovered a little more than a week earlier, had just compelled him to announce his political retirement, effective at the end of his term. He let his mind wander.

Something just dropped down to sublight speed. Beyond the edge of this system. His mind, even though he was asleep, refined the vision. Three ships from a civilization I do not yet know of. Our ships are out of sensor range of this new fleet. Their commander is a bit put off. Yes, the Gaians have given them a fairly blunt warning. They wish to speak to me...

Xenonier.

He had known, then, that he posessed something few had. And this vision had led to a first contact where Whitfield at least had some idea of what to expect, and plan accordingly. A rare event in interstellar exploration and colonization.

A cold wind gathers in the North. Leave now you can, but you would simply wait in Earth orbit for the storm to pass.

It was a vision he had had shortly after the encounter with the Xenonierian fleet...one that had led him back to Earth, seven hundred light-years away from where he was at the time. Two visions in two days--though the polar cyclone became impatient and Whitfield had waited on the ground for the 200-knot wind storm to pass.

Whitfield knew that these two visions were linked, and they had something to do with this nebulous entity of "the Force." The Gaians and Xenonierians seemed to be familiar with it. He wondered how his latent abilities might be refined...

Could he use Force telepathy? He had some vague experience with it, when he communicated with two Gaians, whom he knew only as Yurika and Akito, through it, with the media of d00m present at the time being none the wiser.

He could not comprehend the Force without help, but he could use it nonetheless. Realizing the door into his suite was open, he thought about closing the door, and it creaked shut seemingly by itself.

Jedi.

Suddenly Whitfield was perplexed. Despite never hearing of Jedi before, the word crossed his mind. A Jedi I shall become. Clearly the Force was guiding him...

You must go to be trained in the ways of the Force. "Where?" muttered Whitfield aloud, though there was no one to hear...

Ask and you shall find. The voice in his head finally shut up. Whitfield found a pen and scratch paper and started writing whatever came to mind, and he found he had written a coherent introduction.

Greetings to any Jedi who may happen upon this message. I am Prime Minister Jacob Whitfield, leader of Evil Woody Thoughts. In the past week I have discovered that I have latent Force powers that have gone unused in the last fifty years. Two Force visions I have had; one led me to contact an alien civilization; the other, to return to Earth from seven hundred light years away in my peoples' time of need. I seek further training in the meaning of this.

He concentrated intensely on communicating this to anyone who had the ability to listen in the same way he had used Force telepathy to communicate while escaping the scrutiny of the Force-ignorant media...

The now-targeted Jedi Order residing at Jurai picked up the message. Jedi Master Harry Blayden, current head of the new academy there until Headmaster Armas Elendil returns, decided to answer with the Force.

Greetings, Mr. Prime Minister. I am Jedi Master Blayden, head of the new Jurai Auxiliary Academy of the Force. We have recieved your message and ask you to head to coordinates *** *** *** if you wish to begin training in the ways of the Force.

OOC: CW, I just realized the link in the OP was broken; I fixed it and it provides further background on Whitfield's past if you're interested.

After about a half an hour of further meditation, Whitfield received his reply.

Greetings, Mr. Prime Minister. I am Jedi Master Blayden, head of the new Jurai Auxiliary Academy of the Force. We have recieved your message and ask you to head to coordinates *** *** *** if you wish to begin training in the ways of the Force.

Whitfield thought for a moment. How tempting it was to just get up and leave--but that was not possible. Yet. Evil Woody Thoughts' meager fleet of starships, mostly freighters, was completely accounted for, for one; there were no spare ships. And there were still fourteen months left in his term as Prime Minister.

Whitfield was still somewhat uncomfortable with Force telepathy, but meh...

Hello, Jedi Master Blayden. It is reassuring to know that there is in fact a Jedi academy where I may train. But like an uninitiated fool, I left out some critical information...I still have fourteen months left in my term as Prime Minister. Only after I have discharged my obligations can I study at your Academy full-time. However, arranging some sort of "diplomatic mission" before such time might be possible...

That can be arranged. You could pick up some...souvenirs when you are here. A smile could be felt through the Force.

Prime Minister Whitfield smiled. And how would we go about arranging it?

You could say you're taking a diplomatic trip to Coreworlds, but as it's currently under martial law, you would be diverted to Jurai for the diplomacy, the only planet that's not under martial law.

Martial law. The words sent chills down Whitfield's spine, for those words were strongly coorelated with grave human rights abuses and abuse of power here on Earth. The very same human rights abuses that Whitfield routinely condemned. Whitfield made no attempt to conceal his revulsion from Master Blayden.

What, pray tell, brought your civilization to such chaos that required martial law? Or was it not required, but merely implemented in furtherance of a dictator's power high? I normally avoid diplomatic missions with nations so governed. Our republic, though relatively new, has served us well...even through the difficult times that you probably sense we are embroiled in. Had Evil Woody Thoughts been a dictatorship, we probably would have condemned ourselves to be an impovershed, dirt-poor nation.

I apologize if this comes across as an outburst, but we Woodians consider freedom a necessity, such as food or water. I am afraid just saying, "I'm going to CoreWorlds" isn't a sufficient explanation.

Martial law. The words sent chills down Whitfield's spine, for those words were strongly coorelated with grave human rights abuses and abuse of power here on Earth. The very same human rights abuses that Whitfield routinely condemned. Whitfield made no attempt to conceal his revulsion from Master Blayden.

What, pray tell, brought your civilization to such chaos that required martial law? Or was it not required, but merely implemented in furtherance of a dictator's power high? I normally avoid diplomatic missions with nations so governed. Our republic, though relatively new, has served us well...even through the difficult times that you probably sense we are embroiled in. Had Evil Woody Thoughts been a dictatorship, we probably would have condemned ourselves to be an impovershed, dirt-poor nation.

I apologize if this comes across as an outburst, but we Woodians consider freedom a necessity, such as food or water. I am afraid just saying, "I'm going to CoreWorlds" isn't a sufficient explanation.
Oh, it definitely was a dictator who forced martial law on us. The Prime Minister could hear the bitterness. A dictator named Palpatine.

Whitfield sensed such bitterness as he had never encountered before. And why, exactly, is Jurai exempt from such martial law? His experience with dictators suggested that when they implemented martial law, they did it everywhere. If he lusts for power, what would bring him to voluntarily curtail it?

Whitfield sensed such bitterness as he had never encountered before. And why, exactly, is Jurai exempt from such martial law? His experience with dictators suggested that when they implemented martial law, they did it everywhere. If he lusts for power, what would bring him to voluntarily curtail it?
We did not reveal this planet to him or his Imperial cronies. If he would find it, he would surely destroy it. Coreworlds isn't exactly happy about the martial law, as you can see, so we do what we must to fight him. We are supposed to be part of a Galactic Republic, but it appears that history is about to repeat itself.

Yurika and Akito meanwhile after the media frenzy, had excused themselves to conduct an inspection of the Luna Observation Outpost the Gaians had there on the dark side of the moon.

They and a few others, but they kept to themselves as to simply keep a carefuly eye on things.

Yurika was checking out the Fleet docks, set deep within the lunar surface, while Akito tended to normal duties of his Advisory. All the while, thanks to their contact with Whitfield, they had an 'echo'-side seat the 'conversation' going on.

The Hikari Power was pretty useful stuff. =^^=

We did not reveal this planet to him or his Imperial cronies. If he would find it, he would surely destroy it. Coreworlds isn't exactly happy about the martial law, as you can see, so we do what we must to fight him. We are supposed to be part of a Galactic Republic, but it appears that history is about to repeat itself.

Then I cannot mention Coreworlds. I will instead divert plans to hold a trade conference with the Gaian Ascendancy; I will be 'officially' on that trade conference, but unofficially I will divert to 'vacation' in Jurai. I can come in approximately four months, and stay for two weeks. Bear in mind that I plan on taking up a more permanant residence after my term as Prime Minister is over. Is this acceptable?

Then I cannot mention Coreworlds. I will instead divert plans to hold a trade conference with the Gaian Ascendancy; I will be 'officially' on that trade conference, but unofficially I will divert to 'vacation' in Jurai. I can come in approximately four months, and stay for two weeks. Bear in mind that I plan on taking up a more permanant residence after my term as Prime Minister is over. Is this acceptable?
It is acceptable. The Jedi Master replied.

It is acceptable. The Jedi Master replied.

Then it is done. You will know who I am immediately upon my arrival, for you will no doubt recognize me through the Force.

Then it is done. You will know who I am immediately upon my arrival, for you will no doubt recognize me through the Force.
I will be waiting for you. May the Force be with you.

*three months later*

Prime Minister Whitfield stood in the docking bay of the frigate EWS Freiheit just outside of the White Diamond system. He had just taken delivery of his new private X-wing but had never flown anything, much less a starfighter, before. He simply stood there, looking like an idiot, confused.

Use the Force.

Whitfield had no idea where that came from, but these sorts of things periodically drifted in and out of his mind. Maybe he would get some clarification at the Jedi academy. Not really knowing what else to do, he climbed into his new X-wing and sealed the cockpit.

He was surprised when a message flashed across a small screen in the cockpit, for he did not realize that it essentially served as an interface/translator between himself and the astromech droid in its socket a few meters behind him. Hell, he didn't even know what an astromech was. He sure had a lot of catching up to do...

Master Whitfield, to which system do you need to go?

The Prime Minister didn't know how to answer, for there was no keyboard, or anything resembling one, so he assumed that the interface used some sort of voice-recognition system. "I need to go to the Jurai system," he uttered.

Immediately a bunch of technical data and checklists flashed on the console but Whitfield didn't know what to make of it. After a few minutes of silence and confusion, the astromech simply asked Whitfield if he had ever flown an X-wing before; the answer, of course was no.

Master Whitfield, have you flown anything before?

"No."

The astromech made a series of disgusted beeps, but withheld that data from the interface. Nevertheless, Whitfield could tell the droid wasn't happy.

Suddenly, the engines started, seemingly on their own, and the X-Wing lifted off and darted out of the docking bay. The sudden noise and acceleration surprised Whitfield, but he simply thought to himself, This thing will fly itself? Cool. He watched more technical data flash across the screen; he had no idea that the droid was displaying its hyperspace jump calculations. After a few minutes of flying away from the system and it's gravity well, the stars in the distance elongated to starlines.

Shortly after the jump into hyperspace, Whitfield looked in the cargo compartment. Along with the military MRE rations and bottled water he had stashed in there, he found a technical manual he hadn't noticed before. He started reading.

(OOC: To clear up any confusion, the astromech is flying the X-wing but Whitfield hasn't figured that out yet :D )

OOC: :D Well, ain't he a nice little droid...

IC:
Master Blayden watched through the Force for the Prime Minister and smiled as he felt the man approach. He nears, better prepare for it.

After nearly a month of reading the X-Wing Pilot's Manual and meditating on it, the Prime Minister at least had some idea of how to fly the damned thing. And the astromech was most pleased to hear about that. :D

When the astromech started making more weird bleeping noises, Whitfield checked the interface screen. The fighter was nearing its destination and would drop out of hyperspace soon. Another message scrolled across the screen.

Master Whitfield, after we arrive in Jurai system, you really should try flying this.

Whitfield smiled. Fifteen minutes later, the fighter dropped out of hyperspace. Whitfield opened the cargo compartment and set the manual on top of what little water he had left. He would have to resupply for the return voyage.

After he finished this little errand, he set a course toward the star off in the distance, wondering when the local traffic control would notice him.

"Unknown fighter, this is Jurai Traffic Control. State your business here!" The senior officer in charged ordered.

Whitfield slowed down, nearly killing power to the engines, before he replied. "Traffic control, this is Prime Minister Whitfield of Evil Woody Thoughts. I am here on a diplomatic mission arranged with Jedi Master Blayden."

Whitfield slowed down, nearly killing power to the engines, before he replied. "Traffic control, this is Prime Minister Whitfield of Evil Woody Thoughts. I am here on a diplomatic mission arranged with Jedi Master Blayden."
"Ah, yeah, Mr. Prime Minister, we've been expecting you. Come on down!" The controller said.

"Ah, yeah, Mr. Prime Minister, we've been expecting you. Come on down!" The controller said.

Whitfield answered, "Thank you." He could feel the massive concentration of Force users at the Jurai Academy, and turned his fighter toward this beacon of sorts.

Master Blayden, I am here. Now where would you like me to land?

Whitfield answered, "Thank you." He could feel the massive concentration of Force users at the Jurai Academy, and turned his fighter toward this beacon of sorts.

Master Blayden, I am here. Now where would you like me to land?
There is a landing pad on the outside. We haven't built a hangar yet.

http://www.anctilsmartialarts.com/TaeKwonDo/images/Yi_Hwang_Academy.jpg
New Jedi Academy

http://www.leonardslee.com/_px/s/engine-pond.jpg
Meditation Pond

Whitfield continued on his course, speeding up a bit out of impatience. As he neared the planet of Jurai, he locked the wings together for atmospheric flight and raised energy shields to deal with the atmospheric entry heat. (OOC: I know heat of atmospheric entry isn't a big concern in SW but I try not to wank too much with FT)

Whitfield then truned his X-wing toward the equatorial lattitudes, continuing in the general direction of the "Force beacon" that the large numbers of Jedi emitted. Upon atmospheric entry, he slowed down enough to enjoy the scenery a bit before surveying the Academy from the air. It did not take him long to find his landing pad; he went through the final approach procedures that he had memorized from the technical manual he had spent the last four weeks reading.

With this and a little help from the Force, he set the X-wing down for a nice, easy landing. The astromech droid popped the canopy open for Whitfield before he had a chance to find the control for it, and Whitfield climbed out of the cockpit. Whitfield wore a visible expression of relief on his face to be standing again; sitting in that tiny cockpit for a month was murder for someone who was 6'1".

Meanwhile, a interesting side not was developing through the Ascendancy, thanks to P.M. Whitfield's request for an X-Wing and an astromech droid. As a result, the past three months went into R&D and formatting of the 'requirements'.

Thanks to a few trade contacts outside the Republic, the schema and needed tech developments were settled, and added to the extensive droid-Kushan Fleets, a conglomeration of ideas became a singular reality.

The Gaians had actual droids beginning to appear in their multifaceted society. For the first time also, they had to deal with droid 'issues' aqs well, as more than a few models developed 'emotinal interactions', and even 'expectations' relevant to their programming.

A new equal rights law was approved a few weeks after the first Droids entered service, as to garauntee them equal rights as much as the rest of the Republic souls had. They did this as much to actually have such rights in line with Gaian Civil Standards, but also to avoid the migrane of the ethical debate involved.

A lifeform it was agreed, was not. But a sentient creation with rights, was accepted philosophy. That freed the Droids to serve their tasks, and expect them 'not' to be abused whatsoever.

Over the coming months, that would lead to the sentient Android project, and with it..

...the Gaian Steel Angel and Gaian Chobits Projects.

Within ten years, the Ascendancy wouldn't be the same. =^^=

Meanwhile, a interesting side not was developing through the Ascendancy, thanks to P.M. Whitfield's request for an X-Wing and an astromech droid. As a result, the past three months went into R&D and formatting of the 'requirements'.

Thanks to a few trade contacts outside the Republic, the schema and needed tech developments were settled, and added to the extensive droid-Kushan Fleets, a conglomeration of ideas became a singular reality.

The Gaians had actual droids beginning to appear in their multifaceted society. For the first time also, they had to deal with droid 'issues' aqs well, as more than a few models developed 'emotinal interactions', and even 'expectations' relevant to their programming.

A new equal rights law was approved a few weeks after the first Droids entered service, as to garauntee them equal rights as much as the rest of the Republic souls had. They did this as much to actually have such rights in line with Gaian Civil Standards, but also to avoid the migrane of the ethical debate involved.

A lifeform it was agreed, was not. But a sentient creation with rights, was accepted philosophy. That freed the Droids to serve their tasks, and expect them 'not' to be abused whatsoever.

Over the coming months, that would lead to the sentient Android project, and with it..

...the Gaian Steel Angel and Gaian Chobits Projects.

Within ten years, the Ascendancy wouldn't be the same. =^^=

OOC: Actually, the X-wing was obtained on certain galactic markets now open to us. ;)

Whitfield continued on his course, speeding up a bit out of impatience. As he neared the planet of Jurai, he locked the wings together for atmospheric flight and raised energy shields to deal with the atmospheric entry heat. (OOC: I know heat of atmospheric entry isn't a big concern in SW but I try not to wank too much with FT)

Whitfield then truned his X-wing toward the equatorial lattitudes, continuing in the general direction of the "Force beacon" that the large numbers of Jedi emitted. Upon atmospheric entry, he slowed down enough to enjoy the scenery a bit before surveying the Academy from the air. It did not take him long to find his landing pad; he went through the final approach procedures that he had memorized from the technical manual he had spent the last four weeks reading.

With this and a little help from the Force, he set the X-wing down for a nice, easy landing. The astromech droid popped the canopy open for Whitfield before he had a chance to find the control for it, and Whitfield climbed out of the cockpit. Whitfield wore a visible expression of relief on his face to be standing again; sitting in that tiny cockpit for a month was murder for someone who was 6'1".
A forty-five year old man in Jedi robes and with short greying hair walks to the cockpit to meet with the Prime Minister. "Hello, Mr. Prime Minister. I'm Jedi Master Harry Blayden. How was your trip?"

((OC- Some of the same ones we established. =^^= It as an excuse to add three more plot devices to the republic options gallery. =^^= ))

A forty-five year old man in Jedi robes and with short greying hair walks to the cockpit to meet with the Prime Minister. "Hello, Mr. Prime Minister. I'm Jedi Master Harry Blayden. How was your trip?"

The Prime Minister bowed to Master Blayden, and said in a somewhat quiet and tired voice, "As you know, I am Prime Minister Jacob Whitfield. Remind me not to use X-wings for really long trips again--either that or get out every now and then for a spacewalk."

The Prime Minister bowed to Master Blayden, and said in a somewhat quiet and tired voice, "As you know, I am Prime Minister Jacob Whitfield. Remind me not to use X-wings for really long trips again--either that or get out every now and then for a spacewalk."
The Jedi Master chuckled. "Indeed. Next time, we'll send you a shuttle. Now come, let's get you started."

The two men went walking towards the Academy. "This is our Auxiliary Academy, since our main one at Yavin IV was destroyed a few weeks ago by the Sith Lords. As you can see, we managed to have most of the younger Jedi flee here until the crisis is resolved. Unfortunately, we couldn't save the ones in the main Temple on Coruscant as they were the first to be slain. But we Jedi always live on, and we're continuing to train people in the ways of the Force in defiance to the Dark Lords. You will be taking a few sample classes over the next couple of weeks, so that you're able to better understand the gift you have been granted."

The Jedi Master chuckled. "Indeed. Next time, we'll send you a shuttle. Now come, let's get you started."

The two men went walking towards the Academy. "This is our Auxiliary Academy, since our main one at Yavin IV was destroyed a few weeks ago by the Sith Lords. As you can see, we managed to have most of the younger Jedi flee here until the crisis is resolved. Unfortunately, we couldn't save the ones in the main Temple on Coruscant as they were the first to be slain. But we Jedi always live on, and we're continuing to train people in the ways of the Force in defiance to the Dark Lords. You will be taking a few sample classes over the next couple of weeks, so that you're able to better understand the gift you have been granted."

Whitfield's untrained mind sensing abilities were rudimentary at best, but Blayden's revulsion at the mention of the Sith was blatantly obvious. And yet Whitfield had never heard of the Sith. He wondered if the fact that he had had to travel to another galaxy to be here had anything to do with it.

Well, there was one primary reason why he had succeeded as a politican, and the Force, surprisingly, had little to do with it. He was a historian at heart, and this was history he was unfamiliar with. Perhaps he could learn from it. While he had never seen Sith before, he had seen images of innocents being slaughtered by oppressive police forces in public squares before. Perhaps there was some parallel between the two?

Whitfield knew that Blayden could read his mind, and he let his thoughts add the emphasis to his brief words--something he would not be able to do on Earth. "Of the sample classes, I should hope that one is a history course, for I know not of the grievances of which you speak, nor of the hatred that would drive these Sith to commit such crimes."

"We can arrange that, but for now, there is much history between the Jedi and the Sith my friend, going back to the beginning of the Republic itself 25,000 years ago." Master Blayden said. "The Sith were once members of the Jedi Order themselves, but a Great Schism occured within the Order and the dark Jedi responsible were exiled. They then travelled the galaxy, seeking a place to plot their revenge: the planet of the Sith species, steeped within the Dark Side. The dark Jedi subjucated the Sith species and proclaimed themselves Dark Lords of the Sith."

They arrived at a mediation pool. "Soon, they amassed fleets and armies and for the next several thousand years, terrible wars raged against the Sith Empire and the Republic. Worlds burned, millions were slaughtered, billions displaced, that sort of thing. They were finally defeated over a thousand years ago and for the next 900 years or so until about one hundred and forty years ago relative peace reigned in the Republic. But it was not to last as the Sith -one Master, Palpatine aka Sidious, one Apprentice- showed up again, and the rest is history, a history you can view in the Legacy of the Skywalkers holofilm (aka the Star Wars films)."

The Prime Minister allowed himself a chuckle as he entertained the thought of the science-fiction masses back home learning that Star Wars was real. He had tiptoed around disclosure of his Force abilities for the time being in part because there would be mass hysteria if the masses found out that what they thought to be science fiction turned out to be reality...

Of course, the very visible planned construction of a new class of Star Destroyer at White Diamond Drive Yards probably meant such a discovery was inevitable anyway.

Whitfield then felt a sinking feeling that the worst wars on Earth were utopian compared to what the Republic had gone through. However, he remained quiet.

OOC: bump for CW reply

As Master Blayden remained quiet, Whitfield fell deeper into meditation. Not that that was very difficult to do around here, anyway.

His continued meditations on war yielded a vision of a mushroom cloud.

That is the past you see.

Indeed it was the past--Whitfield had been but an infant when the national capital, Great Woody City, had been nuked twice.

He had survived that second blast, for he had been on the outskirts of the blast zone. (He hadn't been around for the first one.) He remembered the burns, the smell of death, the fact that everybody including the adults was crying, the radioactive ash that fell from the sky, and the corpses laying everywhere. He had really been too young for any recollection; his surviving parent had explained these events to him some years later. Through the Force, however, he found his own memories.

And, just once, he had an idea of the enormity of the destruction and suffering this Dark Side of the Force could bring.

(OOC: There is no longer any record of the nuclear attacks except in my memory, for they were roleplayed on the regional message board.)

Master Blayden glanced at his face. "You are truly a Force-sensitive, I could see that in your face. Would you mind if you told me about what you saw?"

Master Blayden glanced at his face. "You are truly a Force-sensitive, I could see that in your face. Would you mind if you told me about what you saw?"

"I saw in the past something that I should not have remembered by normal means, for I was only one year old when it happened.

Fifty-two years ago, a nation of religious extremists dropped a nuclear bomb on our national capital. I was on the outskirts of the blast zone. When my surviving parent told me about it some years later, I could not remember it.

But I just did. I remembered the burns, the smell of death, the fact that everybody including the adults was crying, the radioactive ash that fell from the sky, and the corpses laying everywhere, as if it had happened yesterday. Nine million died in that blast.

And then, in its eternal moment of national shame, Evil Woody Thoughts responded in kind by multiplying the destruction by a factor of ten, obliterating half the nation that attacked us in order to bring a quick end to the war.

The Force seems to have a will of its own, and it has just shown me the suffering the Dark Side brings in terms that I can understand."

"Hmm. That is usually one of the first signs of Force-sensitivity, when you can remember things from an extremely young age, especially trauma your brain tries to block out." Master Blayden said. "That story seemed similar to when our Earthside territory's capital was blown up the same way decades ago..."

"Hmm...the strange thing is, I had absolutely no recollection of it until now. But any history course on Evil Woody Thoughts after new millenium would cover it.

My first indication of Force sensitivity? About five months ago, I was in the White Diamond system; you've probably never heard of it, but we're colonizing it. Anyway, I sensed this visiting spacefleet that shouldn't have been there, well out of sensor range. Because of that, Evil Woody Thoughts now has a non-aggression treaty with Xenonier.

And less than twenty-four hours later, I had another vision." He paused.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/chair094/hurricane.jpg

The flashback this time was so strong that Whitfield knew that Blayden would see it had he been paying any attention.

"That storm was the strongest ever recorded on Earth, and I saw it coming about three days in advance, from seven hundred light-years away, in the absence of a weather forecast. Oh, and I should mention that Evil Woody Thoughts caught the worst of the storm that swallowed nearly the entire Atlantic Ocean. That left me just enough time to get back to Earth, on a spacecraft experimental by Xenonier's standards, and oversee disaster preparation. After the storm left, it is also what led me to seek you out."

"Ah, now that is definitely a sign: Precognition and Force Visions of the future." Master Blayden replied, recognizing the symptoms now. "You were correct in reaching out to the Order, although normally Force-sensitivity activates when one is in his preteens."

Normally Force-sensitivity activates when one is in his preteens.

That information was somewhat surprising to Whitfield, and it brought up another question. "Will the absence of knowing of the Force, in the same way an atheist would know of religion, stunt Force-sensitivity? One cannot use something he has never heard about. Further, I should mention that none of these visions occurred until I encountered an extraterrestrial civilization that had Force-sensitive elements."

I was in the White Diamond system; you've probably never heard of it, but we're colonizing it. Anyway, I sensed this visiting spacefleet that shouldn't have been there, well out of sensor range.


A 'voice' comes back from across the void of space, with a familiar voice attached..

":: Guest colonizing...

...we're the ones footing the interstellar power bill here ya know. =^^= ::"

..the voice was not ill, just insistent for 'detail'.

Normally Force-sensitivity activates when one is in his preteens.

That information was somewhat surprising to Whitfield, and it brought up another question. "Will the absence of knowing of the Force, in the same way an atheist would know of religion, stunt Force-sensitivity? One cannot use something he has never heard about. Further, I should mention that none of these visions occurred until I encountered an extraterrestrial civilization that had Force-sensitive elements."
"For the first question, a person would sometimes experience an odd sense of deja vu when danger is around, or he would be able to run a little faster or just manage to reach for some out-of-reach item. The Force can manifest in many subtle and fewer not-so-subtle ways. But on the other hand a person can also go his whole life without knowing about the Force and thus not acquire the additional powers granted by training."

"For your second, that would occasionally happen. The Force can subtly activate powers in the presence of another, because of the strong control of the Force of that other." He smiled. "It does, as some would say about gods, work in mysterious ways."

A 'voice' comes back from across the void of space, with a familiar voice attached..

":: Guest colonizing...

...we're the ones footing the interstellar power bill here ya know. =^^= ::"

..the voice was not ill, just insistent for 'detail'.

I know; I'll explain this to Master Blayden when I have a better understanding of just what the "intersellar power bill" is. You might even say that's why I'm here.

"For the first question, a person would sometimes experience an odd sense of deja vu when danger is around, or he would be able to run a little faster or just manage to reach for some out-of-reach item. The Force can manifest in many subtle and fewer not-so-subtle ways. But on the other hand a person can also go his whole life without knowing about the Force and thus not acquire the additional powers granted by training."

Whitfield then asked Blayden, "You mean an out of reach item...like a political career without the money to buy it?"

I know; I'll explain this to Master Blayden when I have a better understanding of just what the "intersellar power bill" is. You might even say that's why I'm here.

Whitfield then asked Blayden, "You mean an out of reach item...like a political career without the money to buy it?"
Master Blayden chuckled. "Not usually. More like if you're a child and you just want that toy that's on the counter, but can't reach it even with your tippy-toes, then suddenly the toy jumps into your hand. Involuntary telekinesis, in other words."

Master Blayden chuckled. "Not usually. More like if you're a child and you just want that toy that's on the counter, but can't reach it even with your tippy-toes, then suddenly the toy jumps into your hand. Involuntary telekinesis, in other words."

Whitfield shrugged. "I don't remember anything like that happening, which isn't necessarily to say it didn't...

However, I certainly haven't had any comparable experience as an adult. However, I have had some experience with voluntary telekinesis, but that was after I had been made aware of the Force."

Whitfield shrugged. "I don't remember anything like that happening, which isn't necessarily to say it didn't...

However, I certainly haven't had any comparable experience as an adult. However, I have had some experience with voluntary telekinesis, but that was after I had been made aware of the Force."
"Oh. Do tell about it." Master Blayden said.

"Mostly, I used the Force to open doors for visitors without having to get up in the evening that I first discovered the Force. This was done in the presence of others, of the aforementioned civilization, and took an immense amount of concentration and effort. It became much easier with practice."

Whitfield eyed Blayden's lightsaber, thinking of using it for a demonstration object, but thought better of it. Not only would it be a bit rude, but also dangerous...

Instead, Whitfield noted he had become thirsty, and got the crazy idea of retrieving water from his X-wing.

He fell into a deep trance as he used the Force to open the cargo compartment and pull a bottle of water out. Now came the complicated part--getting said water out of the X-wing.

Finding and manipulating small switches from such a great distance was insanely difficult for Whitfield, but not quite impossibly so. He flipped three switches in a very slow succession, powering up the X-wing, as the astromech, having absolutely no idea what was happening, loudly protested. Pulling on a very small lever, Whitfield raised the canopy a crack, and out flew the bottle of water, its destination being Whitfield's hand. But he was not done; he took about another two minutes or so to reverse the process, close the canopy, and shut down the X-wing again, all from afar and through the Force.

"Hmm. Very interesting. You shouldn't have problems training under the instructors, then." Blayden said.

"And what exactly, bearing in mind that I must leave in two weeks, might this training entail?" Whitfield's curiosity had gotten the better of him...

"And what exactly, bearing in mind that I must leave in two weeks, might this training entail?" Whitfield's curiosity had gotten the better of him...
"Within two weeks, you'll have a better understanding of the gift you have acquired, even if you feel you're no better than you were before. But I do expect you back soon, for a half-trained student is often more dangerous than an untrained person, vulnerable to the poisoned honey promises of the Dark Side."

"Within two weeks, you'll have a better understanding of the gift you have acquired, even if you feel you're no better than you were before. But I do expect you back soon, for a half-trained student is often more dangerous than an untrained person, vulnerable to the poisoned honey promises of the Dark Side."

"I will return immediately after my term as Prime Minister ends, ten months from now. That said, how would I know what to guard against as concerns the Dark Side?

And would it not be possible to maintain some level of contact through Force telepathy even during the time I'm gone? That is how I found this place, after all."

"I will return immediately after my term as Prime Minister ends, ten months from now. That said, how would I know what to guard against as concerns the Dark Side?
"Anger, hatred, despair, fear, guard those emotions well, for they are the doorway to the Dark Side. Lashing out in anger is a prime example, for you can hurt another. One cannot deny that the emotions exist, but one must keep a cool head, breathe deep and reason out the cause of the emotion. Why are you angry? Something like that."

And would it not be possible to maintain some level of contact through Force telepathy even during the time I'm gone? That is how I found this place, after all."
"It would be quite possible to maintain communication." Master Blayden said. "After all, you would need someone to talk to at times, right?"

"Anger, hatred, despair, fear, guard those emotions well, for they are the doorway to the Dark Side. Lashing out in anger is a prime example, for you can hurt another. One cannot deny that the emotions exist, but one must keep a cool head, breathe deep and reason out the cause of the emotion. Why are you angry? Something like that."

"It would be quite possible to maintain communication." Master Blayden said. "After all, you would need someone to talk to at times, right?"

Whitfield had certainly dealt with his fair share of despair and fear in the last two years, namely stemming from the uncertainties posed by space colonization. Nevertheless, those two emotions had dwindled considerably in the last six months, as the initial phases of the colonization program had turned out reasonably successful with no major mishaps. Except for that wonderful storm, of course...

Anger. Hatred. They are the doorway to the Dark Side. Whitfield had to admit that his relations with the media back home were tense, namely because he resented the inevitable media circus that would result from the disclosure of his Force abilities. No doubt the media would swindle the populace into buying devious claims that they, too, could use the Force, for a price. He had been withholding this information out of fear and spite regarding the way the sensationalist media did business. He would need to disclose the existence of at least some of his abilities, regardless; the media would eventually find out anyway...

And by letting go of this resentment now, in a peaceful manner, he would no doubt avert at least some temptation to the Dark Side. How he would discourage fraudulent claims, however, remained an open question. One of those things he would have to keep in contact with Master Blayden about.

"Yes, I will need someone to talk to." Wasn't that the truth.

"Well, there's always Patriarch Masaki, but he's currently in the thick of things with his grandson Daniel. The fight against the Sith continues as always." Master Blayden sighed. "He has an extensive knowledge of politics, being a former Emperor himself, and would be an interesting person to talk with, in my opinion."

Whitfield allowed himself a sip from the water bottle he had obtained earlier. "When is this Patriarch Masaki expected to return, or can that even be predicted?" He withheld his curiosity as to Masaki's activities, as Whitfield would no doubt find out more about that later...

Meanwhile, Whitfield noticed it was getting late, as the sky dimmed with nightfall.

Whitfield allowed himself a sip from the water bottle he had obtained earlier. "When is this Patriarch Masaki expected to return, or can that even be predicted?" He withheld his curiosity as to Masaki's activities, as Whitfield would no doubt find out more about that later...

Meanwhile, Whitfield noticed it was getting late, as the sky dimmed with nightfall.
"Well, he's currently on Coruscant, but he should be able to return soon." Master Blayden said, then looked up at the sky. "I shall take you to your guest room, then."

Whitfield had no idea where Coruscant was, or what its significance was, but he guessed he would find out reasonably soon. Masaki's expected return relieved him a bit.

Following Master Blayden toward the guest quarters, he asked, "By 'soon,' do you mean 'before I leave?' "

Whitfield had no idea where Coruscant was, or what its significance was, but he guessed he would find out reasonably soon. Masaki's expected return relieved him a bit.

Following Master Blayden toward the guest quarters, he asked, "By 'soon,' do you mean 'before I leave?' "
"Depends on whether he can extract himself from Imperial eyes." Blayden pointed out. "Ah, here we go. Room 221B."

Master Blayden opened a door to reveal a room slightly larger than your average college dorm, with a bed, a table, a bookrack, a sink and a small shower stall, all standard issue. Definitely not your average dorm!

Upon viewing his accomodations, Whitfield's first thought was, Well, it sure beats the X-wing. The small room brought back memories of his college days. Mostly pleasant ones, though he wasn't too fond of the all-nighters.

However, he doubted that all-nighters would be much of a concern here.

A month of sitting in the X-wing cockpit had largely subdued his tendency to take for granted the posh accomodations normally afforded to the Prime Minister. Here, he was simply another student, and surprisingly, he welcomed the change in perspective.

Whitfield would have to find out more about the Imperials tomorrow. For tonight, he simply wanted to sleep in an actual bed. He simply thanked Master Blayden for the accomodations, wanting to defer the other questions until tomorrow.

Master Blayden has bowed to the Prime Minister's thanks and went to his office to pull up a 'sample' schedule for the new student to do in his two weeks.

It would be a light schedule, but surely enough to get him started.

MWF:
1. History of the Galaxy, Jedi perspective (current class is incidently about the rise of Palpatine, :D)
2. Force Sense class (You will be learning how to sense things in the Force)
3. Basic Swordmanship (Should be self-explanatory, I hope!)
4. Beginner's Telekinesis

This is a light schedule, as a student normally has six to eight classes depending on his skill level. Master Blayden printed out the schedule on a flimsiplast paper and then went to bed.

Whitfield returned Blayden's bow, and as soon as the door closed behind him, he flipped the light switch and unceremoniously plopped down on the bed.

He cleared his mind of all thoughts, and fell asleep within a few minutes. When he awoke, about an hour before dawn, he realized that he had received better sleep than he had had in a long time.

Realizing that he was still in his clothes from yesterday, he left his room to retrieve a small suitcase from his X-wing. He noticed a few students were already awake, meditating, but did not interrupt them. Half an hour later, he had completed his errand, and had a very long shower.

After changing into clean clothes, he waited, engaging in what he knew to be Zen meditation to pass the time. He wondered if Jedi ever engaged in similar practices, and then realizing that that thought had filled his "empty" mind, banished it from his head.

(OOC: Related to this thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=415557), but didn't want to risk threadjacking.)

IC: As the sun rose over Jurai, Whitfield fell deeper and deeper into his Zen meditation. While he cleared his mind of the distractions of daily trifles, he felt a small disturbance in the Force, muted heavily by sheer distance...something that would have escaped him had he not been in meditation.

It seemed like a boulder thrown into an ocean...whatever it was, it made a big splash at its source, but the massive ripples in the Force faded into near-nothingness with the extreme distance separating him from the mysterious event that had just taken place.

He did not have enough training to sense what exactly had happened--he would have to obtain that information by more traditional means. Nevertheless, he knew the event was significant, and figured that most anyone at the Academy would have a better idea of the details.

Somewhat intimidated by the thought of walking around and asking random students he had never seen before for news, Whitfield decided to remain in his room for the time being. He had other ways of gathering the information he desired--or so he hoped.

Master Blayden, I have felt a distant disturbance in the Force. Would you happen to know what has happened?

Master Blayden knew full well and mourned the loss of the youth. Daniel Masaki falls today, Mr. Prime Minister. It was the reason why Alex Masaki went to Coruscant...how I grieve for the old man today. How I grieve for the galaxy as well...

While Whitfield had only heard of Daniel Masaki yesterday, he nevertheless knew that his death was a matter of extreme importance. However, as Whitfield did not really know who Masaki was, he remained unqualified to comment on the matter.

Nevertheless, he could sense Blayden's deep sense of loss, and indeed the growing sense of loss amongst the students who were only now finding out what had happened.

Is it possible to have a face-to-face discussion of this in the near future? I am interested in more details.

While Whitfield had only heard of Daniel Masaki yesterday, he nevertheless knew that his death was a matter of extreme importance. However, as Whitfield did not really know who Masaki was, he remained unqualified to comment on the matter.

Nevertheless, he could sense Blayden's deep sense of loss, and indeed the growing sense of loss amongst the students who were only now finding out what had happened.

Is it possible to have a face-to-face discussion of this in the near future? I am interested in more details.
Yes. I'm going to make a funeral speech later today to honor him.

When will you deliver this eulogy? I would very much like to attend...

Three hours. If you look on your map, there's an Assembly Room. We'll be using it for the eulogy.

Map? What map? I don't think I ever received one...

Map? What map? I don't think I ever received one...
There should be one stickied to your door.

There should be one stickied to your door.

Whitfield sheepishly glanced at the door. Sure enough, a map of the Academy was plastered on it.

Okay, I admit my insolence. I will be at the Assembly Room in two hours, forty-five minutes. I will not disturb you in the meantime, so that you may prepare your speech.

Whitfield examined the map more closely until he had memorized it. Not knowing if the mess hall would be open, he started digging through his luggage, looking for the MRE's he had packed for the long hyperspace trip...

2 hours 45 minutes later, students and knights, as well as the Masters started heading into the Assembly Hall for the speech.

2 hours 45 minutes later, students and knights, as well as the Masters started heading into the Assembly Hall for the speech.

Whitfield was one of those students. He found a seat roughly in the middle of the auditorium. Despite the fact that he had literally arrived yesterday, no one else noticed him, for everyone was too deep in mourning to really care about the presence of the newcomer.

(OOC: Are you going to RP the speech here or on the other thread?)

OOC: Here.

IC:
A picture of the young Jedi Knight, with the dates of his birth to death, which subtracts to 20 years old, is on a holoprojector as a background.

http://echuta.net/jacen/visuals/gallery/pnjo15.jpg

"Jedi Knight Daniel Masaki, heir to the Throne of Coreworlds, has indeed fallen today on Coruscant. Newsfeeds have reported a nuclear-level explosion at the location he was to be executed by the Supreme Chancellor's underlings for several trumped up charges, including treason, under which all Jedi have been charged in absentia. It appears that Daniel himself have taken the opportunity to literally go out with a bang, using his patented Nova Bolt electrical attack to destroy the Supreme Chancellor and his closest advisors. He was 20 years old, recently married to Mrs. Katrina Masaki, but he chose to give his life to severely disrupt the Empire's chain of command and give them a bloody nose."

He continued on, starting with the life of the young man:
At 12, he began training in the ways of the Force and had a run-in with a Dark Jedi named Tak'a-Tamen. On the eve of his 14th birthday, he defeated the Dark Jedi and saved the galaxy from his evil. At 16, the Empire attacked, and his father the late Emperor Andrew Masaki had him reinstate the Rogue Squadron elite fighter squadron to fight the Imperial forces. The war lasted many months, of which Daniel was captured no less than three times by the Empire, the second time resulting in a first duel against Palpatine and his father's death. Daniel carried on the fight even when Coreworlds surrendered to the Empire, working from within as commander of the short-lived Black Order to do good in a sea of evil. In his 19th year of life, war broke out among the reformed Republic's members in a short reprise of the Clone Wars which lead to the Purges once again and a resolved Daniel to go in and face Palpatine himself once more. The details of that battle are sketchy as of now, but it appears that he managed to defeat the Sith Lord at the cost of his own life.

"Daniel goes on to join his father and his mother in the Force, survived by his grandfather, twin brothers and cousins." Blayden didn't mention Daniel's sister since she's fallen to the Dark Side and become Sith. "We will truly miss this brave Knight of the Order and I will now ask for a moment of silence to honor him."

I give my life for my family and my friends. I give my life for my people. I give my life for the galaxy...and the Force. I, Daniel Alexander Masaki can do no less to end the evil that is the Galactic Empire.

As Whitfield now had an idea of what exactly had happened, Masaki's last words reverberated through his mind, and no doubt the minds of the others present.

Whitfield honored the moment of silence, as did the others. After the moment of silence technically ended, the assembly remained quiet, as if frozen in time.

So Masaki, facing execution, died as a Jedi kamikaze.

To die in such a manner bestows unimaginable honor. In terran Japan, such a person would be immediately deified and immortalized. Yet he did not die for an imperial empire; he died fighting against one.

And, like the kamikaze pilots immortalized in terran history books, his death brought significant disruption to his enemy.

One life given, untold lives changed forever...

Rest in peace, Daniel Masaki, though I never had the chance to meet you. Know that your death is not in vain; may it provide inspiration to resistance movements across the known universe.

It was somewhat odd comparing Masaki's death with terran history, but nonetheless, it seemed to fit...

OOC: Whoa...that's deep. *sniffs*

As Whitfield looked around, he noticed that he hadn't been the only one meditating. Most of the others were deep in reflective thought, but for them, the loss was far more personal.

Whitfield, out of respect, waited patiently for the impromptu meditation session to end. He did not wish to disturb the others by leaving.

bump

Soon, Jedi began to file out of the assembly hall as the meditation ended. Some stayed to talk with friends, others went out to class or self-training or whatever they do. In short, life would return to 'normal'. Well, as normal as it would be without a valiant Jedi in the ranks.

Whitfield, noticing the dispersal of the crowed, turned his mind to more mundane things...like obtaining his schedule.

He found Master Blayden in meditation not far from the podium where he had delivered his eulogy. He patiently waited, nearly out of sight, for fifteen minutes or so for Blayden to finish. When Blayden got up, Whitfield approached him.

"As I now have a far better idea of what happened, I wish to express my condolences, meager as they are, to you and the others who will feel his loss the most. May Daniel Masaki rest in peace."

Whitfield then shared part of his own reflections on the matter. "To die in such a manner bestows unimaginable honor. In the terran nation of Japan, such a person would be immediately deified and immortalized. Yet he did not die for an imperial empire; he died fighting against one.

And, like the kamikaze pilots immortalized in terran history books, his death brought significant disruption to his enemy.

One life given, untold lives changed forever..."

Whitfield paused for a moment before moving on to the other business he had in mind.

"Unfortunately, there is still some other business at hand. Where might I obtain my schedule?"

"Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Whitfield. As for your schedule, I have it in my office. You can start today with the third class on it." The Jedi Master motioned for the Prime Minister to follow him to the office.

Whitfield quietly nodded and followed Blayden to his office. Recent events had left him with nothing more to say.

Upon entering an office full of collectibles and a couple of holocrons, the Jedi Master pulled a sheet of flimsiplast paper off the desk. "Here's your schedule. The first two classes were canceled for mourning, but you should be able to start the third one in a half-hour."

Times and Rooms:
1. History: 1030-1145, Room 23A
2. Force Sense: 1230-1400, Mystical Gardens
3. Basic Swordsmanship: 1430-1600, Training Room A
4: Beginner's Telekinesis: 1630-1800, Training Room C

"I would imagine I would need certain...equipment that I do not have for the swordsmanship class. Need I concern myself with such things?"

"I would imagine I would need certain...equipment that I do not have for the swordsmanship class. Need I concern myself with such things?"
"No. There's equipment already provided." Master Blayden replied.

"No. There's equipment already provided." Master Blayden replied.

"Then I probably should get going again. Have a good afternoon, Master Blayden, insofar as is possible given the circumstances."

Whitfield turned to leave, intending to stop over at his room to have a quick glance at the map on the door.

"And the same to you." Master Blayden said, then sat down at his desk to get to work.

-----

Training Room A is arguably the largest room in the Academy, sporting a rack of lightweapons of various types on one side and a rack of other weapons on the other. New students would be given a stunstick, which is basically a lightsaber that emits a shock, then be taught the basics. The floor is padded for those people who are practising martial arts (although that's usually done in Training Room B), and there is a label on the door telling everyone to take off their shoes at the door.

Swordmaster Ryan Himura is the current Order's lightsaber trainer when Alex Masaki isn't available at the Academy. While not the greatest swordsman in the Order (that distinction is shared by several Masters), he's definitely good enough to train beginners in the way of the sword. He also trains students in other weapons, but his main forte is the sword.

Whitfield, after a brief stopover at his room, arrived at Training Room A about five minutes early. He slipped out of his shoes at the entrance, then quietly waited for the class to begin.

Whitfield noted the various assortments of weapons on the shelving, and stayed away from them.

Obviously, he wasn't the only student. There were about 20 other students trickling in in ones and twoes. Nine are human (seven of them are under 18, two over), two are elves, two are a Twi'leks, two are hobbits (:D), two are hanyous (half-demons though one won't detect the difference between them, full demons and humans unless they're well versed in Sense since many can shapeshift at will), one happens to be a Raptor (hell, if they can open doors and 'talk' in the Jurassic Park movies...), one is a Wookiee, and one is a rarely-seen Andalite.

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~gnp/images/Andalite_Pic.gif

(OOC: Who is in the picture? The instructor or one of the students?)

IC: Whitfield noted the...interesting assortment of species represented in the student body. He should have known that he would encounter strange creatures when he travelled to a different galaxy to attend the Academy. He should have been surprised at the prevalence of humans.

Intimidated by the Wookie and the Raptor (but not necessarily in that order), Whitfield took great pains to avoid them. He waited for the instructor to start the class...

OOC: Student instructor, actually, considering the wicked-looking tail. That's an Andalite.

IC:
Master Himura walked in. He wore the traditional Jedi garb, he had long red hair tied back and carries a box full of training sabers.

"Hello, class. My name is Ryan Himura and I am the Swordmaster who will be training you today..." The training was on. For the next hour and a half, the Swordmaster, after roll call (the Andalite used natural telepathy) taught the very basics of swordplay, including stretches and the right way to hold a sword.

OOC:
Not going into big detail about that. Later on, you can pick a Form (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII) to go with, but explanation and training's later.

OOC: Not going into big detail about that. Later on, you can pick a Form (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII) to go with, but explanation and training's later.

OOC: I need some info on the different "forms" before I can make a decision. I like Star Wars, but I'm not a complete geek. :D

That said, it's 4:15 am here, time for bed... *yawns*

OOC: I need some info on the different "forms" before I can make a decision. I like Star Wars, but I'm not a complete geek. :D

That said, it's 4:15 am here, time for bed... *yawns*
OOC:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber_combat
Very extensive page at Wiki! Yeah, it's 5:30 here, so I must be off too! For reference, Masakis tend to use either Makashi (Grandpa, Daniel, Fiona), Soresu (Jacob, Daniel), or Ataru (Daniel, Taylor, Jacob). Taylor uses Djem So as well. As you can see, we Masakis like combining forms, especially when faced with different enemies.

Makashi is used extensively for lightsaber-to-lightsaber, which is rather common these days. Soresu and Djem So are both defensive against blaster bolts (the most common enemy attack you'll face), though Djem uses more sweeping and powerful moves to attack (and reflect bolts back upon the enemy). Ataru is used against overwhelming numbers of foes (war zones, mostly), due to its speed and acrobatic agility.

As Master Himura introduced himself, Whitfield gave a light bow. He waited for the instructor to take attendance, and was somewhat confused as he did not seem to be doing much of anything. When he felt a light prick on his mind, towards the end of attendance, he understood that Himura was not using the more traditional means of roll call.

Whitfield watched patiently as Himura demonstrated the basics of basics of swordsmanship. He took great pains to ensure that he did not miss anything.

Towards the end of the class, Himura lectured on different styles of lightsaber combat and indicated that each student would have to select their specialty. Whitfield would have to meditate on this tonight...

When class ended, Himura handed out booklets describing in more detail different combat styles. Whitfield accepted his and bowed, hoping that he would not be forced into a decision sooner than he was ready.

(OOC: If you would like me to change my assumptions of what Master Himura did, I will edit this post upon request. And the telekinesis class should be interesting. :D )

OOC: It will be, it will be! :D

Whitfield returned to his room to pick up a notebook, and then headed for his telekinesis class. He noticed he was running a few minutes early again...

The Emperor felt ETW's leader's powers in the force. It was faint, but he could still feel the link.

:: Whitfield.... Whitfield.... Do not become a puppet of the Jedi. They only seek to controle you and use you through the force. Abandon your training and go to the dark side... The path of strength, and power. The Dark Side offers you more power than the Light Side ever could. Abandon your training...::


OOC: To clear some things up first CW, remember that this is Emperor Trilkan talking not me. He has the dilusion that the Dark Side is stronger.
I just wanted to clear somethings up that I hold nothing against you for being a light side player.

Oh, and ETW, you can just ignore me if you wish. It doesn't matter for I don't mind.

Whitfield returned to his room to pick up a notebook, and then headed for his telekinesis class. He noticed he was running a few minutes early again...
Telekinesis class had a smaller number of students (14), mostly young ones but a couple of older students as well. It was due to some Jedi beginning to notice specialties in their powers and dropping the class as they reached their telekinetic limit. Some stayed on as they haven't reached their own limit as well.

The Emperor felt ETW's leader's powers in the force. It was faint, but he could still feel the link.

:: Whitfield.... Whitfield.... Do not become a puppet of the Jedi. They only seek to controle you and use you through the force. Abandon your training and go to the dark side... The path of strength, and power. The Dark Side offers you more power than the Light Side ever could. Abandon your training...::

Whitfield felt the nagging voice in his head, though his limited training did not allow him to identify from whom it came.

I will defer judgement until I can more thoroughly conduct my own research into the history of the Force. Though in my experience, those who lust for power are not to be trusted.

After this little exchange, Whitfield nonchalantly walked into Training Room C, waiting for the class to begin.

(OOC edit: Huntaer, I have another student in the pipeline for you after this RP is finished. What fun is having Jedi around if they never get to do anything? :D )

OOC: Fun. I'll continue reading this thread. It could give me a idea or two for my own Rp's, if CoreWorld doesn't mind if I twist the teachings in a more... evil style? Though I'm fighting the Phantoms, part of me is screaming for another Jedi/Sith war. It's about time the Kirtir were brought to justice by the goodies.

OOC: I had some plans of my own for my future dark side student. Not quite a galaxy-wide civil war, but I have ideas. :D

CW: Just to be crystal clear, the dark side student will be another person.)

OOC: Sure. Soon enough, though, Alex and my Jedi Twins are coming back.

Whitfield tried to avoid thinking about whoever had just tried to contact him as the other students filed in. He checked his watch, and the instructor was about eight hours late...no, wait, he hadn't gotten around to resetting it yet. Meh. I'll have to do that after class. Nevertheless, it did seem that the instructor was running a little behind schedule...

A silver-haired (though rather young) Jedi Instructor entered the room. "Sorry I'm late, folks. I took a walk down the road of life and stopped to smell the roses."

"LIAR!" Two initiates, a boy and a girl yelled out, sending the others into fits of laughter. It appears that the instructor was chronically late and always makes up crazy excuses.

The instructor ignored the younglings. "I'm Master Hatake and I'll be your telekinetic instructor today. Ok, first of all, how many of you know what telekinesis is?"

All but the three youngest students put up hands...

Whitfield, too, allowed himself a laugh, though he was somewhat surprised at the brazenness of the two children. He hadn't even seen that kind of behavior during his photo-ops in Evil Woody Thoughts' schools, despite their lack of authoritarianism. Though maybe that had more to do with his presence with the schoolchildren than anything else...

Meh. Whitfield brushed such thoughts aside.

Whitfield was one of the first to raise his hands in response to Master Hatake's questions...and avoided the temptation to have a little fun with the younglings.

The Master chose a student, a boy with a mop of brown hair. "Explain it, Liam, if you please."

"Telekinesis, or more properly, psychokinesis is the ability to manipulate matter by moving them around or even moving their molecules to develop pyrokinesis or firestarting." Liam explained.

Hatake nodded. "Very good. Perhaps one of you could lend me a hand in a demonstration? You may pick up any one of the items in this room." The instructor's style seems to be something along the lines of letting the students find the answers themselves and letting them work out the way to get to the answer, stepping in only when a student needs help or he's skirting the Dark Side.

Pyrokinesis? Cool. Nevertheless, Whitfield *knew* this was not the place to attempt such things. Though he entertained the idea of trying it later over the meditation pond.

Instead, Whitfield turned his attention to the two children who had burst out in class earlier. He fell into a light meditation, then very carefully, he lifted them about six inches off the ground; as he was dealing with another lifeform, he didn't want to take too many chances.

"Wa--hey! Put me down!" The boy yelled at the Prime Minister.

"Yeah! Quit it!" The girl yelled as well.

Master Hatake let out a chuckle. "Excellent demonstration, Mr. Whitfield. You may put them back down."

Whitfield cracked a smile. Ah, children--I should have had some when I had the chance. Oh, well...

He set the little ones back down on the floor. They looked quite relieved to have solid ground to stand on once again.

"Now as you can see, one can meditate to induce telekinesis. There is also the Force push or telekinetic shove, but that would be taught later on as you get used to calling up the Force to induce TK." Master Hatake instructed. He then brought a feather pillow out and sliced it open with one of his kunai, the feathers spilling out softly. "Your first task today is this. Take a feather and start moving it around."

Normally, one would think it's easy because feathers are so light. But the Master knows otherwise. Control is just as important as the ability itself, and a feather is fairly hard to control because it is so light and (sometimes) small. One could think it's so light it doesn't even need much more than a touch of the Force, but end up not doing anything. Or he could overshoot the necessary power and turn the feather into a missile embedding itself into the roof (yes, even feathers can turn into missiles if enough power is applied). An effective training lesson for the students.

Whitfield fell back into meditation and decided to concentrate on one feather. As he was more concerned with getting it in someone's eye than someone else, he started out thinking that not much energy would be required to move it.

The feather did not move, at least not by a distance visible to the naked eye. Whitfield incrementally increased his effort, until about forty-five seconds later, it moved a few centimeters off the ground.

He allowed just a little bit more energy to be applied to the feather, enough so that it moved at a tolerable speed, but not too fast. The feather lazily floated into Whitfield's hand.

Some students managed it slightly quicker, others struggled for minutes. It all depends on the level of control each person had over the Force. The Jedi Master with silver hair looked around approvingly, noting which students will need work in the future and which students appear to be naturals.

Whitfield took a keychain out of his pocket and, using the sharpest key he had, cut his feather into two parts, one larger than the other. He disregarded the large part and concentrated on the smaller.

Using the same procedure, but having a better idea of how much Force exertion was required this time, Whitfield in only a few seconds managed to have his little segment of the feather floating throughout the room.

After several minutes or so, all the feathers stopped in midair as all the students managed to at least lift the feathers, if not move them around. "Good. Now you all know what is required of you to use the Force to use telekinesis. Now let's go with another item."

He pulled out a bag and spilled the contents, which turned out to be marbles. "Move these around, if you please."

Whitfield applied a little more force, but not much, and one of the marbles slowly started to roll towards him. He increased its speed until it hit Whitfield's shoe, at which point, Whitfield lifted it into the air. Marbles are easier to deal with than feathers, Whitfield thought to himself.

"You may have notice it's slightly easier to move marbles around. That's because gravity works for you when you just roll it around. Next class, we'll work on some larger objects. For now, your homework (which isn't really homework, but oh well) is to continue practicing telekinesing small and different objects. Class dismissed!"

Whitfield took the instructor's words as license to try out his pyrokinesis theories, and headed straight for the meditation pond.

When he arrived, he sat down to meditate. He had a feeling he would be here awhile.

He started using the Force to look for hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. He found trace amounts of methane. It took a more than an hour of trying to manipulate the methane molecules before Whitfield could find even a remote success.

Damn quantum mechanics.

Whitfield shoved the thought from his mind and fell deeper into his meditation. He drew the methane molecules toward him, one at a time, initially, then in clusters of two or three. This was going to take forever. Once again, Whitfield banished the thought from his mind, and then started gathering clusters of four and five molecules.

By now, nightfall greeted the landscape, but Whitfield was too deep in meditation to notice. Or care. After another three hours, Whitfield finally had a concentrated ball of about thirty grams of methane to work with.

Whitfield then used the Force to break the covalent bonds holding the methane molecules together, in effect burning them. A tiny and fragile flame appeared in the middle of the air, like a miniature Bunsen burner. Whitfield smiled.

But the smile broke his concentration, and the reaction fizzled out after less than a second. Failure. Utter failure. I lost control of it. He dispersed the remaining twenty-nine grams of fuel in disgust.

Whitfield looked at his watch and noticed he had been at the meditation pond for nearly six hours. From this, he deduced that midnight loomed near. Well, so much for eating a hot dinner. Looks like more leftover C-rations for me. He let out a heavy sigh before turning to leave for his room.

During the night, a shuttle has landed, disgorging several passengers. Those passengers happened to be Master of the Order Armas Elendil the Elf, Jedi Master Alex Masaki, the Masaki Twins Taylor and Jacob, and Daniel's best friend, Chuunin Uzumaki Naruto, among others. The two Masters had much work to do over the weeks and months to come, especially in reorganizing the weakened Jedi Order and their Shinobi allies on the other side of the planet.

As Whitfield walked back to his room, he noticed a shuttlecraft overhead that looked like it was on final approach to the landing pads. He could also tell that said shuttlecraft contained Force-sensitive users, perhaps as to be expected at a place like this, but he was too tired to really care at this point. And hungry. There was always the morning for inquiring about the new arrivals.

A few minutes later, Whitfield arrived at his room. He poured himself a cup of water from the sink, and dug through his suitcase until he found a can of artificial beef stew. 3700 kilocalories in a watery mixture of artificial meat, dissolved carbohydrates and vitamins, and artificial flavoring. Yum.

Whitfield lacked anything to heat it with. He supposed he could attempt to use the Force to do it for him, but after his experience at the meditation pond, he despaired of the idea. Staying up until six in the morning trying to heat his food seemed a bit impractical. Therefore, he ate it cold, not particularly noticing the horrible taste. He was too hungry to care, really.

He had planned on reading and meditating on the lightsaber combat booklet Master Hatake had given him, but meh, he was too tired...

Whitfield arose later than usual the next morning, around nine o'clock. He went through the motions of preparing for another day, such as showering, brushing his teeth, et cetera.

Breakfast was of no concern; his "dinner" last night had more than taken care of that.

While classes alternated by day, and therefore he had no classes on this particular day, he still had some business to take care of. Looking at the map on his door, he located the commissary (ooc: I'm assuming there is one) and headed off in that general direction, intending to purchase some "traditional" Jedi garb. He hated wearing his wardrobe as a Prime Minister in a place where he seemed relatively unimportant, just another student, and he wished to remedy that problem...

He also wondered if he would be able to find out anything about the new arrivals while he was there.

Jedi Master Masaki was walking the halls to his advanced fencing class (master instructor, of course) when he spotted the Prime Minister. "Ah, hello, you must be one of the new students. I'm Master Alex Masaki."

Whitfield bowed in the presence of a member of the Masaki family, especially considering what had happened.

"I am most pleased to meet you, Master Masaki. Yes, I am a new student, one who arrived only two days ago, as a matter of fact. I am Jacob Whitfield, the current Prime Minister of the terran nation of Evil Woody Thoughts. Unfortunately, as I am currently serving an active term, and I'm 'officially' on a diplomatic mission, I will only be here for two weeks--but I will return when my term expires later this year."

Whitfield felt uncomfortable bringing up Daniel's death with a member of his family, and as such, waited for Alex to bring it up, if he chose to do it at all...

Whitfield bowed in the presence of a member of the Masaki family, especially considering what had happened.

"I am most pleased to meet you, Master Masaki. Yes, I am a new student, one who arrived only two days ago, as a matter of fact. I am Jacob Whitfield, the current Prime Minister of the terran nation of Evil Woody Thoughts. Unfortunately, as I am currently serving an active term, and I'm 'officially' on a diplomatic mission, I will only be here for two weeks--but I will return when my term expires later this year."

Whitfield felt uncomfortable bringing up Daniel's death with a member of his family, and as such, waited for Alex to bring it up, if he chose to do it at all...
"Oh? Then it appears to be as much a diplomatic trip as a training session, Mr. Prime Minister. You've come to the right person if you want to make some sort of agreement between Jurai and your Evil Woody Thoughts." Alex smiled. Then it disappeared slowly. "You've probably heard of the loss of my grandson. He really did a number on them as he went, sending the Imperial government into a frenzy. *sigh* Such a shame this war forced so many young lives to be lost..."

"Oh? Then it appears to be as much a diplomatic trip as a training session, Mr. Prime Minister. You've come to the right person if you want to make some sort of agreement between Jurai and your Evil Woody Thoughts." Alex smiled. Then it disappeared slowly. "You've probably heard of the loss of my grandson. He really did a number on them as he went, sending the Imperial government into a frenzy. *sigh* Such a shame this war forced so many young lives to be lost..."

"I think you found me a lot more than I found you--even though I had intended to look for you later.

Obviously, I never knew Daniel Masaki, and I did not really learn of him until yesterday. Nevertheless, I heard his last words through the Force."

Whitfield paused for the moment to consider what to say, then continued, "It might interest you to know that I am also a historian, though as we only took our first steps out of our solar system a couple of years ago, my perspective as a historian is limited to my home system. Nevertheless, know this: Martyrdom, such is the case with Daniel, has a long and repeated history of further inspiring resistance movements. I very highly doubt that Daniel Masaki's death was in vain.

Regarding diplomatic relations, I probably should be more specific--I am 'officially' on a diplomatic mission to the Gaian Ascendancy." Whitfield smiled. "But the Force diverted me here."

Alex nodded. "We too recall history of martyrdom spurring further rebellion. After all, a hundred years ago, Alderaan was seen as a rallying cry for the Alliance. As a grandfather, I don't see Daniel that way, of course. But as a master of the political arena, I know he would probably be a rallying cry soon enough."

Regarding diplomatic relations, I probably should be more specific--I am 'officially' on a diplomatic mission to the Gaian Ascendancy." Whitfield smiled. "But the Force diverted me here."
"Oh, really? We have sent a mission there a little while ago through a wormhole just ten lightyears away. Haven't gotten a reply yet." Alex said, then smiled. "Indeed, the Force does act on the mortal when it wishes to."

Whitfield nodded. "The Force will act when it wants to, all right--it waited fifty years before it even noticed me. That said, the 'diplomatic mission' to the Ascendancy was really only a front to bring me here and keep the existance of Jurai hidden from the media back home. I fear that if the media locates Jurai, they will broadcast its location to anyone who is interested. Including the Empire.

Yet, I have a slight problem. It has become obvious that, by the time I get back, I will not be the same person as when I left. The media, like sharks smelling blood in water, will notice it, and I will need to divulge the true purpose of my trip sooner or later. These things can only be hidden from the übermedia of d00m for so long..." Whitfield trailed off for a moment. "I guess you could say that I need advice."

"Hmm. You could take it as a sign that it's time to retire from office. The media attention would die down soon enough, but of course there will be those who believe you use the Mind Trick to get your way." Alex smiled. "In other words, make sure you tell the truth, but say you school at Yavin instead of here, as they're not likely to know that Yavin has been evacuated if you're from Earth. Not all news of this galaxy reaches the ears of the Earth population, after all. Also, let the media say what they want, but never let them get to you. You're likely experienced in that, but it's doubly true now that you're a Jedi. Force Sense class should have some breathing exercises to teach you how to be calm if you feel anger rising up."

Whitfield considered Masaki's advice. "Your counsel is most helpful and much appreciated. Of course, it helps that I have already announced that this will be my last term..."

"Then you merely have to wait out the term, whatever mud the media throws at you." Alex smiled.

Whitfield returned the smile. "Ah, yes, election season smear time all over again--only this time, without the election.

Now, another concern that I have--have you ever had any problems with dishonest businessmen claiming to teach anyone to use the Force for a fee? If so, how did you deal with it? I can see that scam coming a mile away..."

"Oh, we occasionally do get those. Now the Academy is self-sufficient, as you can see from the large garden we have outside and a bantha ranch farther away for meat products, so anyone claiming to pay for a "Force education" is most likely a fraud. Everything else is either furnished by hand or paid by what donations and taxes we get. Now how do we deal with them?" Alex asked rhetorically. "We simply send a few of the younger students to investigate the person and if he turns out to be a fraud, they would discredit him in some clever and humorous fashion."

Alex then had another thought. Explain the mission ranking system. "By the way, that is what we consider a "D" level mission, reserved for students with sufficient training to go on simple missions with a team. Levels go up the alphabet, so "C" would be something like protecting some traveller or breaking up gangs. "B" would be something like taking down a criminal organization or dealing with a minor Dark Jedi apprentice. "A" would be most definitely a war mission or dealing with a Dark Jedi Knight/Sith Apprentice. "S" Level would be facing off with a Dark Lord of the Sith. You understand this?"

"Yes. I understand this. It would seem, however, that such a system of investigation would be difficult to apply on a backwater planet in another galaxy with only one untrained Force user and about ten million dishonest businessmen looking to scam some money.

Not to mention the difficulty in compressing what you just said to comply with the Rule of the Soundbite. Say more than two sentences, and the citizens won't pay attention." At this, Whitfield couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Well, then you'll have to talk to our colony on Earth." Alex said. "It is called Coredia and there is indeed a few Jedi there. If we can employ those Jedi in breaking up any counterfeit schemes, it'd probably be worthwhile."

Coredia. There were so many nations on the face of the earth that even the Prime Minister had had to check lists of recognized countries maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It seemed like every day, ten new nations emerged, and there was no way Whitfield could keep track of them. And only in the last year had Whitfield discovered that many spacefaring nations maintained "undercover" colonies on Earth.

"Jedi on Earth. I never noticed. You sure can do a great job of hiding yourselves."

"We like to keep a low profile, considering the numerous fans of the movies." Alex smiled.

"Uh, yeah. And when I reveal that the events depicted therein really did happen in another galaxy, your job will become a lot more difficult. Ironically, I never watched them."

"You do have a point there, but we're used to it. The initial fervor will pass. This I know from experience." Alex said.

Whitfield glanced at the sky, noting the sun's position, because he still hadn't reset his watch. The morning had passed.

"Master Masaki, I truly have enjoyed talking with you, and you have put my mind at ease about a great many things. Nevertheless, I have errands to run, such as finding some clothing other than my diplomatic wardrobe that draws unnecessary attention to myself. You seem to be quite a bit more talkative than Master Blayden."

Alex chuckled. "He's not much of a chatter, I know, but he does get to the point. I'll leave you off on your errands, then. See you around."

With that, the Jedi Master started heading back down the hall and towards his class.

Whitfield bowed to Master Masaki, saying, "It was a pleasure to talk to you."

With that, he turned and headed in the general direction of the commissary, getting a quick lunch in at the mess hall first. Typical cafeteria fare, albeit with more variety, but it sure as hell beats the rations I've been shoving down my throat for the last month.

Upon arrival at the commissary, he encountered the book section right when he walked in the door. Not what I came here for, but wouldn't hurt, either. Whitfield selected three books, one on the Clone Wars, one being the Star Wars trilogy in book form, and one being on the rise and fall of the New Republic, and then headed over to the clothing section. Jedi robes hung on the wall; they didn't seem to have much else. I guess they don't want too many tourists here. Nevertheless, they happened to be exactly what Whitfield was looking for. He selected four that he "intuitively" (read: through the Force) knew would fit him, and using the Force as his shopping cart, he brought the goods to a cashier and paid for them.

Whitfield brought the goods to his dorm and cracked open the Clone Wars book, wanting to get an idea of what would be covered in tomorrow's history class. Time did not concern him. He was not unfamiliar with spending an entire day doing nothing but reading, for he often read significant legislation in its entirety before signing it.

History was more interesting, however.

When he finished the Clone Wars book, he started on the trilogy, and stopped reading only when he realized it was one in the morning and he had better go to bed. But at least he had a better idea of what to expect...

The next morning, Whitfield made his way to Room 23A for his history class, eager to hear another historiographical perspective.

bump

OOC: I'm not always online, so it's ok to make stuff up, just do a bit of 'research'.

IC:
There was a lively discussion occuring in the classroom, especially about the 'Military Creation Act'. It appears the Instructor, a Master Banak and the students were reenacting the Senate debates about the act, putting themselves back in the shoes of the beginnings of the Clone Wars, so to speak.

OOC: Sorry for the crappy post, just tired...

Parliamentary debates. Whitfield had presided over one too many of those in his lengthy political career, and therefore he recused himself from the flamefest. However, he took meticulous notes on the reenactment.

OOC: CoreWorlds, do you have Winblows Messenger? I'm just trying to find ways to make this RP more...efficient because I've been putting off a bunch of others until this RP reaches a certain point. Please TG me your answer.

OOC: fastfalconus@yahoo.com

IC:
The 'senate debate' soon died down as the instructor regained order, asking questions about what the students have learned and recieving some pretty good answers. Next class, they'd start on the Clone Wars itself.

After class was dismissed, Whitfield made his way to the Mystical Gardens for his Force Sense class, meditating while he waited for the twenty minutes or so before class to start.

As it is, Master Elendil himself took the class. The elf walked gracefully through the Mystical Gardens, touching a flower here and a broad leaf there. Elves are known for their love of nature, and it shows especially here.

He walked within earshot of the class. "Good morning. For those of you who are new, I am Master Armas Elendil, Headmaster of the Jedi Order and when I'm not offplanet, I teach this class. You will be expected to learn the Sense ability that all Jedi know, to feel the Force as it flows around all life and even nonliving material. But what is the Force? What does it entail?"

"Many scientists, Jedi and non-Jedi, many philosophers, many religions have tried to explain what the Force is, but it is so much more than their explanations. It is an energy field, yes. It is created from life and life creates it in a neverending cycle. It surrounds us, binds us, penetrates us. It is also a river, with eddies and currents."

"It partially controls your destiny, but it also obeys your summons. The Force is all that and much more. In time, you will learn to appreciate being able to sense the life around you. For now, you must unlearn your own theories of the Force, and simply reach out with your feelings. Feel the Force flow around you, between your classmates, through the garden around you. Feel the life around you, feel the rocks and the water. Let the Force through yourself as if you were a window letting light pass through you..."

Well, there goes Taoism, Whitfield thought to himself.

Whitfield dropped all his thoughts. Of anything. Unlike Zen meditation, he did not make any conscious effort to "block out" distractions, for now he realized that such an effort was itself distracting. In this, he saw the limitations of the Zen meditation that he had been so fond of...

He let thoughts drift in and out of his mind, intending for it to be a window as Master Elendil had instructed. Within a few moments, he sensed the aberrations in the Force when a butterfly sipped nectar, the silent mourning of the Force when another student slapped a fly that had landed on its arm, even the updrafts that forecast an isolated thunderstorm here and there in the next few hours.

Most of the students were reaching out, Elendil was pleased to see, but a few would need work. It appears that even Whitfield is catching on quickly in the powers of the Force, despite his age. The Force cares not how old the person is, he muses, but that the person is. The Master knew that he would only have ten days left here until he completes his term, but those ten days would be put to good use indeed.

Whitfield, continuing to let the Force direct him, caught Master Elendil's ad hoc course evaluations, and a small grin crossed his face.

After a short time, the students were released from class. But they have stepped into a larger world, and would never be the same again.

*nine days later*

Whitfield, before packing, decided to retry his earlier attempt at pyrokinesis. No, retry was not the right word. There is no try.

As the sun set over the Academy, Whitfield walked to the meditation pond, sat down, and reached out with the Force to find combustible gases.

Once again, he drew any methane that he found toward himself, albeit much more efficiently this time. A couple of hours later, when he was satisfied that he had enough, he concentrated a bit more and started the ignition process, molecule by molecule.

Once again a flame appeared in the air, but it was not so quick to disappear this time. As it reached about three inches in height, and Whitfield noticed that it would run out of "fuel" soon, he widened his focus, reaching out through the Force to the entire atmosphere, summoning all the gaseous methane he could find and feeding it to the fire. A slight breeze developed as atmospheric molecules moved toward Whitfield's little Force-induced fire.

As the fire suddenly had a constant influx of fuel to burn, and more oxygen to burn it in, the flames lept from only a few inches tall to about six and a half feet, taller than Whitfield himself.

His time here at the Academy had indeed been wisely spent. He let the fire die down and turned to go to his dorm room, where he would resume packing.

"Interesting." Alex had mused when he watched the fire erupt. "Perhaps his element is fire..."

As Whitfield turned to leave, he noticed that Alex Masaki had been watching and asked him, "Hello, Master Masaki. Did I hear you say something?"

As Whitfield turned to leave, he noticed that Alex Masaki had been watching and asked him, "Hello, Master Masaki. Did I hear you say something?"
"I just thought your element could be fire." Alex said. "Some Jedi, as you probably know by now, has an element of nature they specialize in. My twin grandsons Taylor and Jacob -you've probably seen them around- specialize in pyrokinesis and alchemy, respectively. Daniel specialized in lightning, as do I. Same with a few other Jedi."

Whitfield nodded and offered his thoughts. "That seems strange. Someone mentioned pyrokinesis a few days ago in my telekinesis class and I thought I would have a little fun with it. In theory, manipulating matter on a molecular and subatomic level shouldn't be limited to hydrocarbon molecules, but that's where I thought the 'fun' was at."

Whitfield nodded and offered his thoughts. "That seems strange. Someone mentioned pyrokinesis a few days ago in my telekinesis class and I thought I would have a little fun with it. In theory, manipulating matter on a molecular and subatomic level shouldn't be limited to hydrocarbon molecules, but that's where I thought the 'fun' was at."
Alex smiled. "I see. Well, when you return, we'll work more on your pyrokinetic and other skills. For now, I leave you with a warning. As you only have a little amount of training, you are at this point, most vulnerable to the wiles of the dark side. Your experience as the leader of a nation should help you ward off anger, aggression, fear and despair, but all the same, you must be careful of those, for few have returned from the dark path, and those few were never the same again, as the dark haunts them still. Accept the emotions, define why you currently have them, then let them go. Don't hold on to them, for they will fester. That is my final advice to you."

Whitfield nodded. "Thank you for the advice. Fortunately, I never have been ruled by my emotion in the first place, but nevertheless, I see its importance. I shall return in ten months' time."

Whitfield bowed to Master Masaki as a temporary farewell.

Alex bowed as well. "May the Force be with you, my friend."

Whitfield smiled as he said "And also with you--but I somehow don't think I really need to tell you that." He flashed a grin before scurrying off to pack.

There really wasn't much to pack--only his new Jedi robes, a bag of dirty laundry, and the books he had bought earlier. It took him less than an hour.

Somewhat impatient to get home, Whitfield carried his luggage to his X-wing. The astromech droid greeted him with a series of bleeps and warbles, apparently wondering where he had been. Whitfield felt awkward replying to a droid's "social" questions, and simply answered, "Hello there, you're an impatient one, aren't you?"

An electronic splat emitted from the droid.

Whitfield powered up the X-wing, hoping that any traffic control authorities would notice if they needed to. He still hadn't received any formal pilot training.

As the X-wing lifted off, the Jedi Master decided to add pilot training to the list of classes he and the other Masters will decide for Whitfield. The traffic controller sent the droid a coordinate to get to the Coredian Wormhole that links to the Milky Way just ten lightyears rimward of Jurai. That should shave some time off the trip to Earth...

As the X-wing lifted off, the droid made a series of warbles. As it calculated a hyperspace route out of Jurai system, it disclosed the contents of the encrypted transmissions the X-wing had received. Namely, the detour that the droid had scheduled.

Whitfield was simply happy to see that the trip would be shortened.

The droid directed Whitfield to follow a certain heading away from Jurai's mass shadow, and Whitfield complied. A few minutes later, the stars broke into elongated lines. For a few minutes anyway.

When the X-wing dropped out of hyperspace, Whitfield found a pulsating blue mass, about the size of a small star, in front of him. The droid told him to fly into it, and Whitfield thought the droid was crazy.

Nevertheless, he acquiesced, if only to get the droid to shut up.

Upon entering, he was thrown back into his seat as the hyperdrive suddenly re-engaged. Entire galaxies became passing starlines on the wall of a more or less straight tunnel. Some things about intergalactic travel he had to figure out the hard way...

After a few minutes, the tunnel vanished into empty, black space. The uninitiated and terrified Whitfield at least knew what to expect for next time...

As Whitfield calmed down, the droid calmly calculated the course for the last leg of the trip. After another (normal) hyperspace jump, Whitfield found himself in the Sol system, and directed his X-wing toward Earth, a few million miles from his position.

At least he was familiar with the procedures for atmospheric entry. He flicked on the X-wing's energy shields, and set a course for the string of islands in the middle of the Atlantic known as Evil Woody Thoughts. His arrival would be announced by a streak of orange across the sky and a faint whiff of ozone.

He slowed the X-wing down to normal atmospheric speed as he reached the lower stratosphere, and, locating Woodyeen Island in the distance, knew he was about six hundred miles from where he needed to be. He flew the X-wing more or less like a conventional aircraft to Great Woody City, and landed on the back yard of his mansion.

Time for bed. After that, I'll deal with the media.

TAG
Is this a closed RP?

OOC:
It's open, I guess. We'll just see what EWT says.

TAG
Is this a closed RP?

OOC: Nah, it's open.

IC: Whitfield, after sleeping for six hours, woke up to face the business that he had to...deal with. Reluctantly, he called his press secretary and asked her to arrange a press conference for 1800 hours that day, standard speech then Q-and-A format, in the Press Room. He still wondered what exactly he was going to say...

*1755 hours*

Whitfield strolled into the Press Room, notecard in hand. (He hated teleprompters.) Paying no heed to the swarm of journalists inside snapping pictures, at least for the moment, he walked to the podium.

An aide ran up to him and whispered in his ear, "You're on in two minutes." Whitfield nodded and gathered his final thoughts, trying to ignore the paparazzi.

When a yellow LED on the camera started blinking, signifying thirty seconds left, Whitfield motioned for the journalists to settle down.

Green light.

"Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Evil Woody Thoughts. You are no doubt curious as to the details of my trip, which are quite unusual. My scheduled trip to the Gaian Ascendency was more or less cancelled, because I was diverted."

Immediately, stunned journalists started whispering amongst themselves, for such a thing was unheard of.

"I was directed to travel to another galaxy. This is why my trip took six weeks instead of the expected two. And while I was there, I gained a unique understanding of the universe. No longer is the Star Wars trilogy science fiction--it is very real."

At this point, the various presstitutes sat in stunned silence, as if such a thing was possible. And Whitfield enjoyed every minute of it.

"I was led to a remote star system, the name of which I must admit I cannot recall. Nevertheless, the name does not matter. What does matter is that, once there, I ended up staying at a Jedi academy for two weeks.

And now, I know why I had the visions of six months ago--the ones that led me to intiate contact with Xenonier and return to Earth in advance of Polar Cyclone Arlene. I had these visions through the Force."

Whitfield took a few seconds to savor the stunned looks on the faces of the journalists.

"Now the reasons for the recent events that we have all deemed strange are revealed. Yes, I will finish out the remaining months of my term, but afterwards, I shall begin my formal training in the ways of the Force.

I will now take questions."

The room immediately erupted in a shouting match as each of the journalists tried to yell his questions over those of the others. Whitfield found it most difficult to refrain from sighing...

Whitfield waited for the media to calm down.

And waited.

And waited, for nearly an hour, before the cattle that called themselves "journalists" finally quieted down enough for Whitfield to speak. Well, they weren't cattle; they just acted like a giant herd sometimes.

Whitfield finally acknowledged the first journalist, who asked, "Could we please have a demonstration of the Force?"

Whitfield had nothing to say. Instead, the camcorder said journalist was holding lazily floated out of his hands. Whitfield turned the camcorder around, using the Force, to face the journalist, and then snapped countless close-up pictures of his face. Ah, a little lighthearted revenge is fun. Snickers and chuckles emanated from the rest of the journalists at their colleague's misfortune.

"Next question please."

"What does the Gaian Ascendancy think about the diversion to another galaxy?"

"Yurika and Akito would understand, and as they are highly influential within the Ascendancy, I can be sure that this will not turn into a major diplomatic crisis. Next question, please."

"Where is this other galaxy you visited?"

"Oh, it's only a couple billion light years away. If you want exact coordinates, you will have to get them from a cosmologist, because I didn't memorize the contents of my starship's navigation computer. Oh, and don't think you can vandalize it either, because it is military hardware and therefore classified. Next question, please."

Whitfield's statement about not memorizing the data in the nav computer elicited a few chuckles from the journalists.

"Do these events have anything to do with your retirement announcement five months ago?"

"Yes. I announced my retirement so I could train full-time to become a Jedi, even though I did not know it at the time. Next question, please."

"Why was your detour concealed from us until now?"

"Well, making transmissions from another galaxy isn't exactly the easiest thing in the universe to do. Next question please."

"What led you to divert?"

"The Force. Next question please."

"Will you use the Force choke to strangle your political opponents?"

"No. If I wanted to intimidate political opponents and consolidate power, I would not have announced my retirement. Besides, such behavior is unbecoming a politician of Evil Woody Thoughts. Next question please."

"What timeframe is this 'Star Wars' galaxy in?"

"Could you please elaborate? In relation to what?"

"In relation to the information we have about it."

"Thank you for the clarification. The calendar in the 'Star Wars galaxy,' as you so eloquently called it, reads about a hundred years after the Battle of Yavin as depicted in Episode IV. Regrettably, the New Republic has fallen and another Empire has taken its place."

"Will Evil Woody Thoughts maintain diplomatic relations with this new Empire?"

"It shall be the policy of this administration to maintain neutrality and caution towards the Empire. If we could conceal our existance from the Empire, that would be even better. Next question please."

"Do you have a lightsaber yet?"

"No. Lightsabers generally have to wait until after one to two years of training. Usually it takes another three years of training after construction of a lightsaber to be inducted as a Jedi Knight. I do, however, have a stunstick, which is basically a stun version of a lightsaber that doesn't cut through anything. Next question please."

The journalists seemed to have exhausted their questions. Of course Prime Minister Whitfield didn't mind; he was more than happy to adjourn it. As camera crews dismantled equipment, Whitfield slipped out of the room to resume his (semi)private life. When he reached the master bedroom, he unpacked in preparation for calling it a night; he still had some leftover time lag from the intergalactic journey he had undertaken to sleep off.

While Whitefield walked to his appartment, he heard the voice in his head again.

::Whitfield.... You are taking the wrong steps through the force. Abandon your teachings. Learn the ways of the Dark Side. Come, join me.
My nation can offer yours more power than Coreworlds ever could through the force. Abandon the weaker trainings through the force...::

Whitfield muttered out loud, "Oh, great. That nagging voice again."

And lust for power leads directly to evil and oppression, something I have seen directly time and time again without any influence from either side of the Force...

A figure appeared in front of Whitefield. He could clearly see the black robes drapped upon the old, hunched being. It wasn't wearing a cane, but you still couldn't see it's face.

::Whitefield, you shall turn over to the dark side. Only then will your civilization will be complete and powerful.:: The figure stated. It then lifted it's head and Whitefield saw only an empty void where the figure's face would be.

::You are resisting the path which you long desire to go down. Join us in our quest, or you will be the many nations who will be brought down by the light side.:: The figure lifted it's hands and huge bolts of lightning hit whitefield and hurled him to a wall and he landed with an "oof."

::Taste the power of the dark side.:: The figure then lifted it's arms once more and hurled 5 more rounds of painfull electricity at him.

::Now, truly you understand the power of the dark side. Come, join me and you can have it as well.:: The figure erupted with a puff of red and black smoke and he can hear it cackling in an evil laughter.

::AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.::

Whitefield laid upon the ground, still feeling the after effects of the electricity.

OOC: Whitfield, not Whitefield. Whitfield isn't going to be won over by the dark side if it can't even spell his name correctly. :D [/OOC]

Whitfield found the Force lightning, in addition to being quite painful, also sapped his ability to counter. Seeking to ground himself, he painstakingly crawled to the foot of the bed and grabbed the metal bedframe. As the electrical charge dissapated throughout the bedframe, Whitfield found himself able to think clearly again...

and use the Force again.

He could ignite the entire hardwood floor under the dark, shadowy figure with a few seconds of concentration, for he wouldn't have to spend an hour gathering the fuel to ignite...but he looked up and the figure had disappeared. But his evil laugh didn't and Whitfield could still feel the taunts in his mind...

OOC: Didn't realise I mispelled his name. oops. I'll be more carefull next time.

Whoever you are, electrocuting those whom you are trying to recruit isn't the best way to win people over to your side. Whitfield shuddered. As the lingering effects of the Force lightning gradually and slowly dissapated, Whitfield found the dark figure's voice fading with the ill effects of its attack.

He considered calling for an ambulance, but the thought of "PRIME MINISTER ELECTROCUTED IN DREAMS" headlines deterred him from revealing what had happened to the world. He had just dealt with the media. Giving them more sensationalist stories probably wasn't the best idea in the world...from a certain point of view.

From whose point of view...was it solely his? Or would the dark figure agree with him? Whitfield didn't want to know, and quickly banished the thought from his head.

Approximately ten months later
Election Night
9 November 2050

Whitfield had spent most of the day briefing various government officials on continuity plans, as he had planned to skip out of town immediately after his replacement was sworn in. He had certain...obligations.

Unfortunately, the media had noticed when Whitfield has started to auction off nearly all of his belongings. If it couldn't fit on the X-wing, its cash value went into various "retirement accounts" and other slush funds. The Prime Minister's mansion lay devoid of everything except government-owned furnishings and fixtures that had to stay.

As a result, Whitfield no longer had anything with which to watch the election returns come in.

Oh, well, there were radios in the Press Room. Whitfield looked briefly for his misplaced keys before retrieving them with the Force. He had to admit, at times he took it for granted. Something to consider on my trip. He unlocked the entrance into the Press Room, flicked on a light switch, and found a radio.

He heard nothing but static and had to fiddle with the dial a bit. These were old radios.

The static burst into a coherent message. "As you know, in last year's off-year election, voters ratified a proposal to return the Parliament from fifty seats to its original one hundred...we are projecting that the Übernationalizt party will claim most of the new seats, with the other major parties retaining their seats and picking up a couple of new ones each. The Übernationalizts are expected to have a majority in Parliament all by themselves, but not the three-fourths supermajority required for cloture of debate...

In other news, two feet of snow and high winds are expected at the new Prime Minister's inaugural tomorrow..."

Bring an extra oxygen tank.

Huh? What the hell? Yay for Force visions acting up again...

He called a concierge to find him an oxygen tank large enough to last for an eight-hour "flight." The concierge service found it a most unusual request, but complied nonetheless after Whitfield agreed to lucrative "retirement account" billing practices.

After dealing with this, Whitfield listened to the pundits analyze the exit polls for a couple more hours before actual returns started to trickle in.

"We project that Jeff Schönberg of the Übernationalizt Party has lost his seat to Eric Eldridge of the Greens, who we project won a narrow 51% majority in his district. 99% of precincts in that district have reported..."

No surprise there. He was one of the staunchest opponents of the space colonization program.

The pundits on the other end of the broadcast wasted no time in analyzing it to death.

After a couple more hours of similar dreck, the radio broadcast recaptured his attention. "Folks, you know we wouldn't do this if it wasn't big...but we call the office of Prime Minister for Benjamin Brock of the Übernationalist Party..."

Yay. The outgoing Prime Minister made the obligatory congratulatory call. Right after he hung up, the concierge arrived with the oxygen tank Whitfield had requested. As it was well into the early morning hours and he had an inaugural to attend tomorrow, he went to bed to catch what little sleep he could...

(OOC: If anyone wants more detailed election results as far as the compostion of Parliament goes, I'll post them upon request. I don't really RP domestic political squabbles that much, so it doesn't matter much to me.)

OOC: Huntaer, hope you don't mind if I take certain liberties...if you want to change things, I'll delete relevant parts of this post...

*the next afternoon*

Whitfield stood in the driving snow and sixty-knot winds waiting anxiously for Prime-Minister-Elect Brock to finish his longwinded speech about "staying the course" regarding the space colonization program and various other political platitudes that Whitfield could regurgitate in his sleep. Yes, I have been a politician for too long...

Whitfield watched calmly as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administered the Oath of Office to Mr. Benjamin Brock. Upon Brock's acceptance of the oath, now-former Prime Minister Whitfield handed Mr. Brock the keys to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

As the spectators broke out into applause, Whitfield knew that his work here on Earth was finished, at least for now. The first chance he had, he slipped away toward his X-wing.

As he parted ways with the planet beneath his feet and ascended through the clouds, he suddenly got a terrible feeling...

The dark figure that had haunted him ten months ago had returned. Whitfield raised the X-wing's energy shields as the sky turned a blackish hue of green and lightning flashed around him.

This is dark side weather, all right

The dark voice spoke unto him, "Mr. Whitfield--you have been driven from power, but through me you can gain more power than you could ever imagine..."

Whitfield ignored the voice. Soon thereafter, he found himself using the Force to dodge funnel clouds forming in the sky, in the middle of a snowstorm, no less, threading his X-wing through a series of gut-wrenching turns through relatively stable pockets of atmosphere.

However, there was the lightning, too. It felt like the Force lightning Whitfield had had the unfortunate experience of enduring ten months ago...it left the same dark cracks in the Force.

Whitfield's X-wing did not make it through the Force lightning storm unscathed. Only two thousand feet short of the cloud ceiling, a bolt struck his small craft, taking down its energy shield and short-circuiting life support to boot. Now Whitfield knew why he had had that hunch to bring extra oxygen, though he knew that he could now waste no time in getting to Jurai.

When his X-wing broke through the cloud deck, Whitfield breathed a sigh of relief, for the atmospheric turbulence was below him, and he felt strangely liberated from that strange, mysterious dark voice. He put on his oxygen mask and hooked it up to his backup tank before pulling out of the atmosphere and instructing his droid to calculate a suitable route to Jurai. One that, unfortunately, involved a wormhole.

Whitfield nervously checked his oxygen supply as he dropped into the Jurai system. Forty minutes left, no time for holding patterns. He set the comm array for a wide-spectrum broadcast, as he did not know what frequency Jurai system control used.

"This is Mr. Whitfield returning to resume Force training. Request immediate approach clearance and further instructions, please."

"Approach is cleared, you may land now. Sorry about the wait, had to move a cargo ship out of the way." The traffic controller finally answered.

Ten minutes left.

Upon receiving clearance, Whitfield immediately kicked his craft to full throttle and instructed his astromech droid to calculate an atmospheric entry vector that wouldn't burn the X-wing to a crisp without its fried shielding. As Jurai loomed large in the cockpit window, the droid finally spit out a vector.

Whitfield, now seeking to slow down, killed the throttle, and a few seconds later, rolled the X-wing hard right to get it on its course...

As he descended deeper into the atmosphere, flames emerged to challenge him. Dammit, I went in too fast... But about fifty seconds later, as Whitfield entered Jurai's trophosphere, he was finally able to slow down his craft enough to make the flames recede back into nothingness. But his nose told him something had burned. The droid elicited a few relieved beeps, as apparently he had been spared from the flames.

Craning his neck, he looked out of his viewscreen, and saw what his problem was. The S-foils had been charred black.

For that matter, so had the X-wing's nosecone. Well, it's not like I'll be going anywhere anytime soon anyway...

As he descended through the cloud deck, he saw a few clusters of buildings in the far distance. Reaching out through the Force, he confirmed that it was indeed the Academy by the large amount of Force users there. Whitfield turned his X-wing in that direction and found the landing pads a few minutes later.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the landing gear touched the ground.

Whitfield, not noticing anyone around in the immediate area, quietly and nonchalantly gathered his belongings and walked away from his X-wing. Wondering if his former room was still in fact his, he set out for the dormitories.