Your New Forever Home

The Academy shuttle eased out of hyperspace at the pull of a level. The star striped viewport resolved into an image of a world, a planet of greens and blues. Tanaab. The verdant agricultural world was an eden of sorts, perfect for the growing of crops and the raising of lifestock. There was little other commerce on the planet beyond that. It supplied food to the entire galaxy, and as a unique neutral entity it was able to sell to both sides of the cold war. Both the Empire and the Alliance, and any merchant in between could purchase goods from Tanaab with no fear of embargo or tariff. As a result they had many buyers and the demand was greater than the supply. New farms were being started every day across the mostly uninhabited surface of the planet.

And it was all the machinations of the Sith. They had manipulated the Tanaabian government into moving toward a position of neutrality for the expressed purpose of increasing exports, but in reality it was a move so that they could then start the Academy. In the Empire force users are twisted into Imperial Knights or horribly experimented on, and in the Alliance they are either Jedi or nothing. In order for the Academy to work it needed to be in neutral space where it could be allowed to grow without the Empire or Alliance sticking their fingers in it, or killing them in the night. They were not happy with it, but there was little they could do without damaging Tanaab's new sovereignty. If one side got involved the other would come swinging, and a proxy war would inevitably break out. So they kept their distances and watched from afar.

It was a great plan, and Lady Frygt knew what she was doing. Her many puppets were ever at work maintaining this setup. Ezra hardly approved. He preferred the secret nature of the old Sith Order. This one had so many strings attached and was incredibly dangerous. Should anyone ever discover the Sith Order operating beneath the Academy's neutral facade they would be wiped off the planet in the a heartbeat. The Imperial Knights and Jedi Order would not hesitate to remove what they would see as a growing cancer taking root. It took trickery to get new students to the Academy, and situations like Jinsala's to manipulate into joining with the intention of bringing them into the Order when the time was right. Many legitimate students studied here, those with lesser power who desired some control and knowledge. They would never become Sith, but the powerful, the hungry, and the wicked would be welcome with open arms.

"Jinsala, come up here. We have arrived at Tanaab."

Jins glanced up. Apparently she had dozed off a moment. But she was glad it wasn't so deep she could rise as if nothing were amiss. "Coming." She called as she stood up and stretched then headed into the cockpit to resume her seat just behind him.

Looking down at the planet, her eyebrows raised slightly. She couldn't say she had ever seen anything beautiful, so had no real reference. But the greenery was certainly visible and amazing. "Wow. Never seen anything like it, to be honest." She didn't always like doing something for the first time, but on this trip, everything had been for the first time. From selling her ship, to the experience in the alleyway, and from the lunch to arriving here. Something told her the same old routine was simply going to vanish from her vocabulary. She wasn't unhappy about that. She knew she was meant for more than shuttling cargo like her family had for two generations.

Time to change the legacy to something more... pleasurable. The wicked smile at the idea of power briefly crossed her face again as she looked to Ezra. He was an anomaly in and of himself. But unlike the puzzle boxes in the market that never did more than make her glance at them before dismissing them, he was something she wanted to unlock.

"This is Pandath Control. Spacecraft identify yourself."

"Acknowledged Control. This is Academy Shuttle Two. Transponder 7AU99LH."

"Confirmed Shuttle Two. You are cleared for entry. Docking bay A1."

Adjusting the controls, Ezra sent the ship into an orbital descent. The clears skies were dotted with the rare wandering cloud. It offered a rare view of the landscape as they dropped lower to the ground. The surrounding farmland was suddenly interrupted by a sprawling metropolis. Towers were rising toward the clear sky like reaching hands. Ancient walls from a bygone era surrounded the city, historic and well maintained. As they got closer they could see the smaller, older buildings at the feet of the fledgling skyscrapers. There was new construction everywhere. The city was prospering. The spaceport was half torn apart as new levels and additions were being added.

Just a few miles outside the city a second structure could be see. A hill jutting out of the plains, and a fortress at it's top. Walls surrounded it just like the city. From here details were indistinguishable. "That is the Academy." he said, pointing a pale finger at the castle. "It is an old fortress. A remnant from when the Sith Wars touched this planet. Pendath was quite charitable when they allowed us to use the historic site."

The very first bay, A1, was their destination. The Academy demanded the very best things, and through their manipulation and puppets they got what they wanted. Ezra brought the shuttle in until the automatic docking procedure took over and guided itself in using embedded beacons and sensory equipment. Most would rather land themselves, but it was one less thing for Ezra to sully his hands doing. He detested having to pilot the ship himself. It was tempting to bring a pilot along but that would ruin the seclusion he often sought when taking these trips away from Tanaab.

Once the ship had landed he gathered up his things and headed for the door, the snake emerging from the corner to slip up his pant leg and disappear. The door was opened before him as a service crew took over. They would care for the ship and prep it for future launches. It was a job for the drudgeons. He only looked back once to make sure Jinsala was following. It must have looked strange for those watching to see the short Academy Chancellor with a woman in tow behind him. Outside the spaceport a speeder was waiting. While not as hot as Tatooine by any means, Tanaab was a warm world. It had to be to boast such a fertile environment. It was humid where Tatooine was dry. The inside of the speeder was air conditioned, with shaded windows, and a black exterior with the Academy logo. The kind of speeder one would expect a government official to travel in. It was probably blaster resistant too, but Ezra could hardly be bothered to remember.

As soon as they were loaded up they were off. The chauffeur was silent, sectioned away behind an opaque partition that left the two force users alone in the back. As they traveled through the city they could see that the people were a mixed lot. There were simple people, farmers selling their wares in markets while ranchers move their herds down the street, as well as business men in suits walking to and from their officers within the towering skyscrapers you had to press your nose right up against the glass to see. The population was noticeably human, but there were aliens mingled in within the lot. They were not a xenophobic lot by any means, there were simply more humans in the galaxy and they were much more open to relocating to a frontier world like Tanaab to start a new family tradition as farmers or ranchers.

"The planet is prospering. They may have to break ground on new cities before long. Pandath is the oldest city on the planet, and the only settlement that can be called a city. There are many villages but nothing like Pandath. With prosperity comes immigrants, who bring notoriety, which attracts the rich and intelligent, who push prosperity further. The cycles will continue, no doubt, until this world has had every resource ripped from it's body and it becomes another Coruscant over a thousand years. In the meantime it is an Eden that few can resist. Living usually requires wealth and contacts unless you are willing to plow the fields. Other than the rare bandit raid the planet is quite peaceful."

The sithspawn emerged again, the serpent crawling out of his sleeve again. How it got there was anyone's guess, but now it crawled out and coiled upon his lap.

Jins was quiet the whole decent. It didn't escape her notice that auto pilot was what brought them to the landing. She would offer to fly next time if he wanted it. Short of a cruiser that took several people to operate, she could fly almost anything.

Leaving the ship, she fell swiftly into step behind her mentor. Well, maybe not her mentor, but since he was leading her there, it seemed an appropriate title in her mind. Out loud, she merely would have said she was going where she was told. That spurned another thought of learning to do whatever she wanted so she wouldn't have to just blindly follow anyone ever again.

She entered the speeder with him, once more her face letting a soft smile touch her lips at what she considered luxurious standards. As he spoke of the rise of the planets population, she agreed. "I often wondered what Coruscant looked like before it became one huge housing community. Trade's good there. But it's stifling. I like this better if I have to be on a planet." She really preferred space, though never having lived on a planet she figured she may not be giving it a fair shake.

As the snake flowed into his lap she smiled a bit brighter. "Must be handy to have a weapon that is so ready at hand, and that comes back to you." She watched it curl up and looked back at Ezra. "Will I be able to have one someday?" There was a bit too much shine in her eyes as her mind thought of the throats it would squeeze, and the hands it would bite if she were given leave to exact revenge on a few people in time.

"Perhaps." Was the most truthful reply he could give. "This is, at best, a prototype. Something I've developed in my spare time. It is not for a beginner such as yourself. It takes a special connection to maintain control and give commands. A symbiotic relationship, if you will." He couldn't come right out and admit that he dabbled in Sith Alchemy. That was too much information too soon. Should she wash out of the Academy and never join the fold than it was information that she could use to damage them, whether she realized it or not. The media would crucify them if it was revealed that a member of the faculty was a Sith Alchemist. They had suspicions that the some members of the faculty were more than they appeared, but there was little evidence to stick anything to them. Frygt had a rough exterior that made her a PR nightmare, but Ezra was a soft faced young man with a history that boasted his incredible intelligence and accomplishments.

It did occur to Ezra, and had many times in the past, that he should pass on his incredibly specific and rare knowledge to a successor in the same way that Baralai had done to him. He couldn't say that Jinsala would be that person, but he had other acolytes he could consider. Sith Alchemy was an almost extinct art and it deserved to be preserved. Trouble was that he hardly considered anyone in the entire galaxy to be worthy of the field. He would sooner take it to his grave, but deep in his heart he knew he needed someone to ease the burden. From there it could proliferate. One becomes two, two becomes four, and so on until the art has been fully revived. It would make him incredibly less unique and powerful within the Order, and that was the most difficult part of it all.

The snake raised it's head and slithered from his lap, across the rich Corellian leather seats, and into Jinsala's lap where it curled up again and looked up at her with an inquisitive flick of it's tongue. It was a large snake, surprisingly heavy. It's dark green body was dotted with bright green spots. It had a sort of hood around it's head, much like a cobra, but it seemed an afterthought or leftover from evolution. It was no danger to her. Ezra controlled it through the connection he maintained with all his Sithspawn. It had it's own primitive instincts that screamed to fight run hide, but Ezra's will bent it to obedience.

"The lightsabre is the traditional weapon of the force user. A deadly and precise weapon that requires the enhanced reflexes of a force user to wield properly. It is a fearsome weapon even in the clumsiest hands. I am no blade master and with it I can easily defeat many opponents. You will no doubt surpass my own skill with the blade in no time. I have no desire for martial power. It does not suit me. My expertise are in the classroom, the office, and the laboratory."

The speeder cleared the walls of the city, and the space around them opened into fields. Ahead of them, in the distance, loomed the fortress of the Academy.

Jins was amazed as the snake moved to her lap. She had no idea it was Ezra who controlled it. But having it there she knew better than to upset it. She let her thumb gently glide over the soft dry scales down what was best termed 'its back' and marveled at how such a small thing did such immense damage. Not even imagining anyone could have telepathy, much less Ezra would hear it through his snake, she grinned slightly and leaned back in her seat. *Thank you for today. I owe you one. Perhaps someday I can have a marvel as yourself. Too bad you can't tell me about your Master.*

Other thoughts would filter through as they talked. "I am pretty proficient with a blade, but I'd like to do things more covertly. I don't have the skills for outright battle so the couple times I really had to defend myself I used poison once, and misdirection in another." She looked down a moment into her lap. *Blades slip just as easily into the ribs from the back as from the front. Especially when you think the young girl is hugging you.* Her mind laughed to the snake. She had lost that battle, but the small victory that the man wouldn't cause another woman to lose was good enough for her.

"So tell me, besides light sabers, what other things can I learn? I know I can't learn it all. But perhaps I can make a focus of a particular skill set?" She was smart enough to know that knowing too little about too much was almost as bad as knowing too much about one single thing. Both could cripple you in a moment of need. She wanted to pool her lessons. She wanted to be good at something and learn all she could about that something. The problem was, she wasn't sure what the choices of 'somethings' were.

"That will be something to discuss with your instructors and teachers. I can cannot say for certain where your proficiency will lie. A general curriculum will get you started down the path and as you progress you will be able to refine your focus until you find a particular skill, or set of skills, to focus yourself upon. Perhaps you are a rare breed that excels at all things. Only time will tell. Do not waste your time trying to figure out your future. Not yet. First learn and grow. Your path will come naturally." Ezra said as he turned his head to look out the window. It hid the thoughtful look on his face. Through his connection with his serpent he was picking up something; signals of some kind. Whatever it was, it was beyond the serpent's ability to understand and thus Ezra could not process it through his connection.

All he could decipher was feelings and blurry images. Memories, perhaps? Jinsala's, no doubt. Her force powers were expanding by the day. It was a good thing he found her when he did. She was as much a risk to herself as those around her. A curious thing, this creature of incredible potential. It was like she was destined for something greater. The Sith Order, no doubt. She would make a fine addition once she learned to control the force. In the meantime he might have to keep his distance if she began randomly invading people telepathically. Most knew better, and his defenses were ever raised, but one could not risk something slipping through a crack. That would ruin everything.

"We are here." He said at last. The gates into the Academy opened ahead of the speeder. Through the opening could be seen office buildings at the foot of the hill and a manicured lawn that stretched around the entire hill like a green moat. The speeder came to a stop in a freshly laid parking lot, it's stripes and marking freshly painted. Appearance was important, and Ezra would not allow the facility to fall into decadence. Before they arrived the castle was a ruin and only through incredibly restoration efforts had they managed to turn it into a modern facility. All up it's spiraling body laid many structures. Classrooms, dorms, a library, and cafeteria. At the very top was the tower where the faculty offices and throne room resided. Students could be seen here and there in small groups; dressed in their black uniforms with the gold and silver trimming.

Popping the door open, Ezra stepped out into the sunlight. As he did so his serpent darted up the front of Jinsala's shirt and wrapped itself loosely around her neck.

"This way. We will get you set up in a room." The dorms were close to the bottom of the hill and required little time to reach. There were several such buildings. The inside was a long hallway that ran the entire length, and all along both sides were doors too numerous to count. Ezra moved down the hall until he located one without a student's name on the door plaque. Pushing it open he revealed a very small room. It was not much larger than a prison cell but was complete with a bed, wardrobe, full length mirror, desk, and a window in the outer wall. It did not leave much room for moving, but it was as space for sleeping and studying. Little else was necessary for a beginner.

"More grand lodgings can be earned through hard work and excellent scores. An incentive for doing well in the Academy. Everyone begins here, in the dorms. Everyone starts as equals. No one may buy themselves prestige. The senior students live further up the hill. You may yet join them some day. I hope that you will. I would hate for my generosity to amount to nothing."

Jins let her mind wander absently. The images the snake saw, if she directed them to it, would be ones from her past, and hopes from her future. She was tired of being ordered and kicked. The emotions ran from anger, from her past, to warped glee at extracting revenge in her future.

When he spoke of letting the school curriculum guide her, she nodded. She doubted she was first to arrive with no clear idea of where she was going. So better to leave that to those who did know. "I don't know about being a rare breed, Chancellor, but promise not to be a one note anomaly." She smiled at him as he looked out the window.

When they arrived, she was once more drawn to the realization that despite having navigated through vast maps of stars, she hadn't truly seen much of anything. The Academy had been incredible in the brochure but the reality made it seem that had the brochure sported a 3D holo of the place, it still wouldn't have done it justice. "It's amazing." Was all she could seem to say.

As she was about to wonder how to hand him the snake without upsetting it, it shot up her sleeve to her neck. She closed her eyes as it slithered over her arm and held still till it was settled. The sharp inhale of breath was almost heady. When she opened her eyes again, a hand rose to caress it once more. The smile on her face was genuine as they headed inside. After a few moments, she actually forgot it was there, her hand no longer rising at every turn to be sure it was safe and settled.

The room was actually bigger than the sleeping berth on the ship, which was small enough that with the door closed, it literally boxed you in so you wouldn't fall out of bed. You had to open the door to reach beneath the bed for your boots and swing your legs out the door to put them on. "I would have considered this grand, but if you tell me there is bigger and better," she turned to him and smiled, "then I am sure I will study hard and acquire them." And when the man who had brought her here, showed her not just what the universe could offer, but also offer it to her, she had to shake her head and stare at him a moment. "I would never allow this to amount to nothing, Sir. I can promise you that." There was a resolution in her eyes. She had been destined to be a shuttle pilot, probably heading down the road to smuggler or even pirate.

But this... this was so much more. And she had no thoughts of squandering it.

Ezra nodded his head. "See that you do. This is an Academy after all. Try to learn something, anything, and prove to me, and yourself, that you are capable of so much more. I have faith in you, Jinsala. You're potential is unmistakable, but that is no excuse to be lax. Despite your apparent power you are at a disadvantage. The Jedi of old were firm believers in that only children had the mental elasticity necessary to full comprehend the force. There is some truth to that notion. You will have to unlearn everything you know; all the lies you've been told and told yourself to justify your power. That it's just anger, just adrenaline. You must go in with no expectations. However, do not believe everything you hear. Take it all with a grain of salt. There is usually more to everything than what it appears. Challenge what you learn, but never reject anything. Everything has use. The Jedi and Sith have come and gone, and throughout time other force beliefs and orders have done the same. They all had different ideas, chose to embrace something and reject others. They all have their merits and their mistakes can be learned from."

"You will need to be measured for a uniform. I will send the quartermaster up to get your dimensions. She will also bring you all the information you will need. Schedules, curriculum, syllabus, and the rules and expectations of all students. You will also find my comm number in the faculty list. Feel free to call me if you have any questions, or come see me directly at my office. It is at the top of the hill. I suggest you read everything front to back. Feel free to tour the grounds. Get familiar with them. Your future is yours to seize. Oh, keep the serpent. It will keep you safe. Dinner is in two hours in the mess hall. Welcome home, Jinsala."

And with that he back peddled out the door and walk away, the door sliding shut once he was no longer in proximity to it.

Jins listened as Ezra told her of the perks and rewards of hard study. She nodded and smiled. "I will make you proud, Sir. You can count on it." With the allowance to keep the serpent, a small shiver of pleasure went through her. To be able to keep something she knew he coveted made her want to please him all the more and earn that trust he put in her abilities.

His abrupt absence one explaining the quartermaster's coming and her own requirements left her a bit bereft as if after a storm the wind had suddenly stilled. "I guess you are mine, now." She smiled, a hand rising absently to caress the serpent. "At least, on loan anyway." She moved to make the bed, the sheets folded neatly awaiting the arrival of the room's next occupant. She then looked around at what there was. Setting her bag on the bed, she set her few meager possessions out. There was a small bag of personal things for the bathroom, which she hung on the back of door for easy grabbing, then she set her only other set of clothes in the closet, and a couple oddities from her travels on the empty shelf over the table. There was a strange rock she had procured from some planet as a child, she couldn't recall now which one, that radiated blue light in the dark like a small pulsing nightlight. There was also her pocket tool, and a couple small holo chips that showed her parents. She hadn't looked at them in years and wasn't even sure they still worked, but she kept them just the same.

Waiting for the quartermaster, she decided to use the comm in the room to look up basic classes she may have the ability to attend. "Well, I'm going to have company soon and then go shower. Care to settle somewhere or stay where you are?" She tilted her head slightly to caress her cheek on her new companion. Odd, but she felt less alone for it being there.

Thread ended...


Jinsala continues in RISE AND FALL (EZRA)

https://theholo.net/forum/showthread...nd-Fall-(Ezra) (in case in doesn't link)