Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
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Post by Endor on Sept 6, 2021 8:17:55 GMT -8
As he leapt from stone to stone, the wind brushing against his face like the delicate embrace of a gentle lover, he felt invigorated. The Academy was built in an excellent location, with such lush foliage surrounding it, full of life. It was no wonder he felt such a strong connection to the Force here. Where there was life there existed the very essence of the universe spanning energy field, uncorrupted by industry and pollution, vibrant and true. He breathed deeply after his last leap carried him back to the lawn, landing carefully so as not to crush a single blade of beautiful green grass.
"Come on, slow poke!" He shouted, chiding the other Jedi. "Time to show me what you are really made of."
Talking, let alone shouting during a race was foolish, it took the breath that his lungs so desperately needed. Endor couldn't help it. What was a game without a little bit of competitive banter? He flashed a smile at Halmner and dropped back, slowing his own sprinting legs so that the other Jedi could take the lead.
Was Halmner just a mountain of muscle, or was there more to the man? He had to know.
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Post by Ami-Lee Westar on Sept 6, 2021 9:09:09 GMT -8
[ Ami-Lee Westar | Entrance Hall | Jedi Academy | Corellia ] Attn: Endor & Halmner Strom “Whuh-” Millie watched the older man take off. He wasn't rushing all quickly, but she had felt a certain connection of sorts with the two men. As if they were kin in some odd way. Yet that certainly wasn't possible. Her family was fairly small and accounted for, most of them being dead.
She was mildly amused that the beefy fellow continued on a tirade of how unfair the older man was, giving him an even bigger headstart than he already had. She was about to tell him as much when it finally dawned on him to get moving himself. And they were on their way.
Folding her arms over her chest, the golden-haired woman watched for as long as she could keep sight, and then blinked. Just how far were they planning to run? And for that matter, why was she so interested in them? It wasn't like there weren't other people she could speak to here. There was a fair bit of foot traffic indeed. But something told her to stay where she was.
So when her little BB-unit bumped his head against her shin and bleeped a query, Millie sighed and shook her head, “No, Bee-Bee, I think we'll wait here a bit. Try not to roll away from me.”
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 7, 2021 6:19:35 GMT -8
His muscles were very large but they weren't for show. He had worked hard on them, but had also worked to maintain stamina and as much flexibility as he could. He was a heavy in the order. He was normally called in when things needed smashing. Had gone toe to toe with a Wookie and only needed a little help from the Force in a wrestling match once. He was good at what he did, that was how he had made it to the rank of Knight in spite of his limitations. He was also a very kind man, quick to protect and trust others. Cheating and playing unfair always kinda got to him, as did people being unkind. The teasing pushed him farther into his emotions. His masters had taught him to push through these feelings, he pushed them into his legs and found a different gear. He passed the older man in the middle of his short cut and kept going. It was still a jog, but a fast jog.
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
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Post by Endor on Sept 7, 2021 10:43:19 GMT -8
As the race continued, Endor focused heavily on his breathing, entering an almost trance like state. Fresh air was taken in through the nose, then slowly exhaled through the mouth, almost rhythmic in its repetition. He could feel himself becoming one with the very essence of matter, visualizing the O2 molecules that flowed all around them, the vapors rising from his skin as a thin sheen of sweat evaporated in the midday sun.
He had always had a strong connection to nature. Perhaps it was a result of being raised in a primitive setting where one was forced to live off the land, or even something to do with the shaman's guidance he had received as a child in Bright Tree Village. Whatever the reason, he had a strong grasp of the more elemental nature of the Force.
While Halmner pushed on ahead, Endor followed in the larger man's wake, running in his slipstream so as to benefit from the larger Jedi's hard work. Meanwhile his hands began to reach out in front of his body and then slowly were drawn back, motioning as though he were pulling something towards him, which in a way he was. He focused on the wind, seeking to reach out and grasp it with an invisible hand and channel it towards himself, and thus towards Halmner who was in front of him.
It wouldn't be enough to blow him back or knock him down, but it would likely cause enough wind resistance to slow him down.
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 8, 2021 10:50:48 GMT -8
Halmner was confused, it suddenly felt like he was running against the wind. The wind didn't really come from this direction. He thought of tapping into the force to overcome this oddity, but that didn't seem sporting. He was focused on his task, so he missed the feelings of power coming from the man behind him. Halmner was not really naïve, but he did trust people until they were shown to be unworthy. It never crossed the big man's mind that the source of the resistance could be behind him.
He pushed through, this was just resistance training. He altered his form, it made him slightly slower but he generated more power. He didn't know it, but the new pattern of pumping his arms, and driving with his legs disrupted the air behind him. There was no longer a smoot slipstream, but a small swirling vortex.
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Endor on Sept 8, 2021 11:36:50 GMT -8
When Halmner changed his running style and the air currents became more turbulent in his wake, it was clear to the older human that his technique was not having the desired effect. He felt the wind press against his own body and slow his limbs, making it difficult to continue channeling air, let alone stay on the muscular man's tail. Time to change tactics. Endor released his grasp of the air currents and dove ahead into a forwards roll that carried him to Halmner's left. When he came up he was now off to the side of the other Jedi, and just slightly behind, his own legs feeling like they had to pump twice as hard to keep up with the youth.Think, Endor, think. If the wind couldn't be used to slow his opponent, perhaps it could be used to aid himself. There was an old ewok expression that came to mind, something the scouts of his home village used to say before leaping from the highest trees and taking to the sky on the hide wings of wooden paragliders: I am the wind. He felt it now as surely as they had felt it then.Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Endor's perception of time seemed to slow as he focused on the sound of heavy footsteps pounding away as they made it past the halfway point of the race. He closed his eyes, relying on the noise created by Halmner's exertions to guide his way, then he drew on the Force once more. This time when he beseeched its aid, it wasn't pulling he was thinking of, but rather pushing. The air to his rear began to pick up, applying pressure to his backside. Each step became a little easier than the last and he felt himself become lighter. His feet were barely making contact with the ground yet he found that he was picking up speed.
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 10, 2021 10:02:01 GMT -8
Halmner's next step carried him farther than expected, he nearly tripped but was able to catch himself before he fell. This did slow him down greatly. The wind had suddenly changed direction, his counter to the wind in his face proving bad with the wind at his back.
He is confused, and has to make a choice. Think what is happening, or keep going. He knew his skills were not in thinking so he put his dead down. They had one for leg here after the next corner, it is time to run.
The stumble and hesitation was enough to make him fall behind.
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Post by Ami-Lee Westar on Sept 10, 2021 18:04:17 GMT -8
[ Ami-Lee Westar | Entrance Hall | Jedi Academy | Corellia ] Attn: Endor & Halmner Strom “This ain't no ordinary race...” said Millie as she noted strange phenomena going on around the two men. BB-Drunk beeped and booped, then rolled forward a little.
What caught Millie's attention was that she seemed to take note of the changes in the wind before it happened. As if she almost knew. That was her intuition, she guessed.
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Endor on Sept 11, 2021 4:57:20 GMT -8
By this point things were nearing their conclusion.
Practically gliding over the lawn as he continued a near weightless stride, Endor glanced over his shoulder and noticed his opponent had stumbled and fallen behind, putting an annoyed scowl on the older man's face. He had reached into his bag of tricks with the intention of giving himself an edge, but perhaps he had gone too far. They had never agreed to any formal set of rules, but it appeared by all accounts that Halmner was relying solely on his physical prowess as opposed to any affinity with a particular Force ability. It was all he could do not to come to a complete stop as he watched Halmner stumble. Instead he released his grasp on the air currents, whispering his thanks to the Force and nature itself for its assistance, then allowing the flow of energy throughout his body to ebb.
It was time to end this in a more noble fashion.
Once more he sighted the blonde female near the front of the Academy, which they were close to completing a full lap around by this point. He slowed to a jaunt as the wind abandoned him and raised his right arm to point an index finger towards the front entrance.
"There, first one to reach that woman wins."
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 14, 2021 12:19:15 GMT -8
Halmner saw the blonde and focused on her. When he was in an intense work out, that was what he always did. Simplifying everything to a single goal helped. This focus gave him a burst of speed. His muscles tensed and fired in this final sprint. The strength in them was on full display. He would be very sore after this, endurance then sprinting would leave someone hurting for a few days. The gap between Halmner and Endor began to shrink.
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Endor on Sept 15, 2021 10:53:24 GMT -8
Endor ran, and ran, and ran some more for good measure. He was running so hard now his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. The smooth inhalation and exhalation of air was replaced by rapid panting, while sweat beaded on his brow and dripped into his eyes, stinging his vision. He put everything he had physically into the last ditch sprint; however, when compared to Halmner, the older Jedi was found wanting. As they barreled towards the woman still standing at the front entrance, they were like two trains hurtling towards their destination, arms and legs pumping.Chug-a! Chug-a! Chug-a! Chug-a! Chug-a! Chug-a! Chug-a! Chug-a! They didn't actually sound like a steam engine, but still, you get the point. Neither seemed willing to concede and everything they had was being presented for their audience.In that last stretch without drawing further assistance from his mystical expertise, Endor was the first to give ground, falling a step behind Halmner, before trapesing a second. To someone not paying complete attention, it probably would have looked like they hit the finish line at the same time, but that wasn't so. Endor was a second behind. As they reached their destination and the race concluded, the older man forced his legs to stop and bent at the waist, sucking in wind as hard as his lungs would allow. For the moment he was breathless, too exhaustive even to offer congradulations to his competitor.
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Post by Ami-Lee Westar on Sept 15, 2021 16:51:37 GMT -8
[ Ami-Lee Westar | Entrance Hall | Jedi Academy | Corellia ] Attn: Endor & Halmner Strom Millie's eyes widened a little more. “Now ain't that an odd thing?”BB-Drunk turned his head to look up at the blonde, bleeping a query.“Feel like they're pointin' at me, and that big fella's headin' this way mighty fast.”The spherical droid made an alarmed noise and rolled haphazardly to stand behind Millie, somehow doing the equivalent of trembling. The woman smirked at her droid's antics, then watched the men, her hands resting on her hips. She didn't know what it was that had her waiting around, but again, it seemed to have to do with the two men ahead of her. Also, was the big bozo actually planning a collision with her?!? Her eyes widened, and her legs shifted to a braced stance, and that had to be one of Millie's more foolish choices, given that she was at best, a hundred pounds, soaking wet, with a blaster in hand.
She felt her heart beating faster as mild panic and terror overtook her, but she uttered not a sound, nor moved. All the screaming and shouting was internal.
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 22, 2021 10:48:59 GMT -8
As he approached the finish and focused on the woman, he opened his senses by reflex. His determination and physical prowess gave him the advantage and he pulled ahead. As he felt her fear he pulled up but the race was effectively over. The competition was over, so he tapped into the Force to quickly recover. He smiled large at the girl, and walked up to her. The Force helped his recovery greatly. He was not winded and his muscles were not tight. What the Force couldn't do was cover things that happened during the race. The massive man had still just ran a 1/4 marathon in the heat, he was very sweaty.
Is everything ok ma'am?
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
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Post by Endor on Sept 23, 2021 4:41:53 GMT -8
Half hunched over, sucking in wind, Endor nodded his head in agreement with Halmner's sentiment.
"What he said." Heavy breathing. "You good, lady?"
He was perhaps a little less formal than his large counterpart, but the intention was the same. After a moment he was able to catch his breath, relaxing as his body winded down from its recent exertions. He straightened his back and once again eased the duffle bag off his shoulder, resting it on the ground beside him.
"Names Endor, by the way."
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Post by Ami-Lee Westar on Sept 23, 2021 16:13:07 GMT -8
[ Ami-Lee Westar | Entrance Hall | Jedi Academy | Corellia ] Attn: Endor & Halmner StromAs the big man had drawn to a close, it took a while for Millie's sense of rational to take over, and then she was finding her neck craning ever higher up just to maintain eye contact with the man, who kept getting bigger the closer he got.
At five feet and three inches, Millie was absolutely dwarfed by him. Idly, she realized he could wear her like a backpack and probably not notice she was there at all. Incredible.
That was the other man, who also introduced himself, doubled up on the inquiry on her well being and she finally managed to stop staring at the giant in amazement and silent awe, not that she was outwardly showing much except for the slight stiffening of her posture, but her uncoordinated droid, BB-Drunk was rolling haphazardly about, warbling about something or other.“Uh,” said Millie intelligently, “yeah. Yep. Jus' peachy.”She looked at the older man, “Endor, like th' planet? Huh. I'm Millie. An' I hazard ye're both Jedi?”
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 24, 2021 9:42:17 GMT -8
Halmner started his stretching. The Force was keeping him from being sore now, but he wanted to make sure he felt good later. He was moving all over while they talked. His smile was almost as big as his arms as he talked. I am a Jedi Knight, Halmner Strom. Is your little friend ok? He motions to the little droid running around.
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Endor on Sept 24, 2021 12:44:21 GMT -8
Like the planet, har har har. He was beginning to get the sense he was going to hear that one a lot during his stay on Corellia. It was a good thing he supposed he hadn't brought his friends Tatooine and Dagobah. No, they didn't actually exist. Still, he supposed it should give him hope that his village was likely safe, given that most of civilized society seemed to be aware of the name of the planet his little forest moon orbited.
He was less concerned about the droid than Halmner. Frankly he barely noticed the things, tending to avoid them whenever possible. Maybe he had run into one too many assassin droids in his day, or maybe it had something to do with his last astromech never getting his stim cafe order right.
"Like Captain Muscles here, I am indeed a Jedi." He said teasingly. "Not of Corellia though. Speaking of which, Halmner, does this Academy have a cantina? What am I saying, this is Corellia, of course it has a cantina."
He fixed Millie with a wink.
"I believe I owe Knight Strom a drink, as per our wager. You're certainly welcome to join us, Millie, and perhaps you'd be willing to share what has brought you to the Academy."
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Post by Halmner Strom on Sept 27, 2021 8:10:05 GMT -8
There is a place I often went to after a run, but that was the last time I was here on planet. The large man paused to think if he could remember how to get there, he was pretty sure he could. They have a wide variety of beverages, all very tasty. Of course you can come Millie.
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Post by Ami-Lee Westar on Sept 27, 2021 19:01:47 GMT -8
[ Ami-Lee Westar | Entrance Hall | Jedi Academy | Corellia ] Attn: Endor & Halmner Strom She was getting some weird vibes from the big guy - Halmner Strom - nothing bad or worrisome. But just...weird. It was like a scent that she was picking up from him, except it wasn't a smell. Millie frowned thoughtfully at him for a split second, before looking towards her droid, and sighed.“Nah, he ain't been okay since th' time I got 'im,” said Millie, “last fella what owned 'im done got 'imself a broken leg on accounta this li'l ball of panic. Busted up gyro, I'd reckon.”Just then the BB-unit's dome-shaped head did a wild loop around his spherical body, as if to prove Millie's point. And she gestured at the droid, indicating as much.“Soon as I fixed up th' man's leg, he up and handed me the droid, figurin' he's better off buyin' 'imself a new one. He sure was itchin' t' scrap th' li'l fella. I figure, I just watch my step, I'll be fine. That said, BB-Drunk, quit rollin' aroun' so much.”The little droid complied, for now...
Smirking at Endor's nickname for Hal, she privately agreed, Captain Muscles seemed a suitable nickname for the hulking fellow. She smiled at the man's invitation to join them. And seeing as she had nothing better to do, why not?“Much obliged, mister,” replied the woman easily, hooking her thumbs into her gunbelt, she fell into step between the men, making herself look like some sort of bridge between two towers, “as for what brought me here...ain't that th' question. Cause I sure haven't th' foggiest.”
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Endor
New Rebel Alliance
"No man is good enough to be another's master."
Posts: 204
Affiliation: New Rebel Alliance (NRA)
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Post by Endor on Sept 29, 2021 5:49:49 GMT -8
Excellent. Halmner seemed to know of a location a man could modestly imbibe oneself on, as he curiously put it, 'very tasty' beverages. He had won the race technically so it was only fair he chose where they went. A vision of a juice bar attached to a fitness club flashed before the older Jedi's vision and he was forced to blink a few times to clear it away. He looked to his left as he walked, which actually saw him look over Millie's head as he glanced at his muscular companion. He wouldn't, would he?
There was a certain ease of step as Endor walked with the others towards Halmner's intended destination for them. He opened himself back up to the Force, strengthening his connection to nature, which to him was everything. The duffel bag slung over his shoulder swayed from side to side, while he brought a hand up under his face and began to stroke his bearded chin, listening to Millie's words while attempting to derive some sort of understanding from them.
She wouldn't be the first to show up at the steps of a Jedi Academy or Temple without truly understanding what had brought them there. The Force acted in mysterious ways, guiding individuals on paths that would forever change the course of their future, and perhaps the galaxy at large.
"Intriguing." Every breath between spoke words served to sharpen his connection to the living Force. He focused his attention of the girl, seeking any sign of deception, yet finding none outright. "Is your memory afflicted or are you implying that you felt compelled to come here but don't know why?"
It was possible she was a plant, some agent of one of the various Sith organizations spread throughout the galaxy, feigning ignorance to infiltrate the Jedi Order. Yet while it was a possibility, it seemed unlikely, given that he had sensed no malevolent intent from her. It seemed more likely she was exactly what she appeared. He extended his ethereal senses to envelop the group. Halmner appeared much the beacon of purity and strength, exuding an aura of physicality but also surprising sincerity and compassion. Whereas the girl had a strong connection to the Force, yet there was a wild unrefined edge to it, suggesting a lack of any formal training. He wondered if she was even aware of her own connection to the Force.
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