Meditation building

The building stood in front of Noktar, towering over him. He had heard of the place and was curious. It seemed that many people had forgotten about the building long ago and he wondered whether he could enter. The door was locked by a keypad, but that was no problem for him. He pulled his blaster out and fired, the keypad becoming a smoking ruin. The door whisked open when he neared it and he entered quietly.

Lights immediately turned on when he touched the steps. It illuminated the huge room, showing a place that wasn't so much different than the lounge. Instead of tables however, were small pads on the floor. The bar was missing as well, replaced by doorways to smaller rooms for personal meditation. One thing that the lounge didn't have, was the hologram displays for the notes of the various SA courses. It sat in a corner, waiting to be used.

Noktar smiled at the place. Pulling out his datapad, he keyed a general message to the brotherhood.

To anyone interested:  The old meditation chamber has been reopened for use.  Coordinates are sent through this message.

signed,
Noktar

((lol not what i was thinking but it works ))

"This must be the place" Rage walked in.
"Hey Noktar" rage walled to a personal room and started meditating for Macrons SA exam

cain walked in with alot of thing on his mind, he went to an isolated meditation booth to thinks thing over

cain walked in looking very troubled he had gotten a message from his brother and most hated enemy he has ashika but why does he want with her of couse he loved her but to go this far ... cain went to an isolated room to think it over

...Pain...anger...hate...the dark side is my ally, the troubled Acolyte thought. He was focusing on his emotions, but failing to use them. He felt the presence of others, but took no time in recognizing them. He had to concentrate. His master had told him to search, and when asked for what, she said that he would know.

Well, I don't know, Mihoshi. I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for, I don't know what it is you expect of me, and I don't know why I can't concentrate! he thought, frustration evident on his face. He opened his eyes and realized that two of the smaller rooms were in use. Shaking his head, he got up and walked over to the hologram display. He activated it and read through the meditation notes for the SA. Maybe he would find a better way to meditate...

? no one here?

Revenant walked into the large room, largely unnoticed. He chose a small room aff to the side, removed his cloak and sat down. He brought out the holocron of Nolak Sahkrom, which he recovered on his last trip to Korriban, and sat it in front of him.

Seeing the holocron brought back memories. He allowed his mind to drift away on the tide of recollection, remembering how it had felt to see his former master, Darth Malice, again.

This in turn brought up memories of his father, and that was when the anger started to build. How could anybody be so blindly hypocritical? thought Revenant. He could feel his rage growing, pulsing outward from him in black waves of contempt.

But he was not here to meditate on his past. He was here to try and understand the nature of anger, and why it fuels the Dark Side. This was one he would think about long and hard, that was for sure.

"As the years go by he still tries to kill me for what i did, but how could he blame me, as i had done only what i thought was best and he agreed"

*The hooded assassin smiled a strange smile as he stepped through the portal and into the dimly lit meditation chamber*

Finding a spot, the killer sat down crosslegged, and took three deep breaths....centering himself...

Rage gets up and strecthes and goes to lounge to get a pitcher of whiskey then comes back and goes back to his meditation stance.

Within the solitude of his hood, his breathing seemed to grow louder and steadier, until finally it seemed to him to become on long drone of wispering air, until the drone of air became the drone of far distant voices, hundreds of them...all wispering their own private thoughts. They were disimbodied, floating in a nothingness, yet still managed to hold the feel of proximaty. They were of course, Ceric knew, limited to the confines headquarters which he now occupied...he knew that he was on the base, he knew that the voices that he heard were the thoughts of his fellow Dark Jedi, and he knew that he was in a deep state of mediation positioned comfortably on a mat in the meditation building. But this knowledge worked only to distract him from his consentration, so he pushed all of his own thoughts away, clearing his mind of musings once more. As he meditated on the Force, feeling it flow around and through him, him and the masters of the voices...the thoughts...the private ponderings which he so easily perpetrated. Not that any of those things were of any interest to him...he was simply focusing on...everything.

Devani glided into the meditation building in a swirl of robes. Finding an empty spot in the corner, she knelt with her head to the ground, a tear splashing to the floor.

Lorien walked into the room, the blood-red lenses of her glasses revealing nothing of the eyes behind them, giving her an almost robotic appearance. Her face was grim, but not to the point of seeming overly aggressive.

She saw that the place had attracted quite a crowd, much to her chagrin. People in large groups still made her uneasy, especially now that word had trickled down the pipe that the Royal Guard were eyeing her every move.

Up above, the rafters were exposed in places, giving the structure a rustic appearance. Cobwebs sat in the corners, giving the room an odd feel.

To the left was a stairwell, allowing access to the roof. Lorien walked over to it, and made her way to the top, sealing the door behind her.

She found a perch above the door. If someone came up here, she would know, unless they were actively trying to block her.

A bottle of Nubian brandy between her legs, and a music player clipped to her belt, its earphones in her ears, she listened to some of the grim and soulful tunes she had recieved as a gift from Makhael, and thought about what she was going to do.

It was true, she held no love for the Emperor, nor for Thrawn. The Nubian was too wrapped up in his deluisions of omniscience, and the Chiss had been an egomaniacal cad. Both had met their ends for the same reason, in Lorien's opinion -- they never realized that maybe their most trusted servants (though in Palpatine's case, that might have been pushing it) might have backbones, or, in the case of Vader, might actually hold something as fragile and - to Palpatine, and, to a certain extent, Thrawn - insignifigant as family. Both relied on lies. For Thrawn, it resulted in a knife to the heart. For Palpatine, he ended up taking a forced high dive into the core of the Death Star, and then wound up on the wrong end of one of his Force storms when he tried to kill Skywalker and his sister on the Eclipse.

Lorien sighed. What did it matter? Both were dead and gone, and their mistakes were the only thing left of them that could haunt the galaxy.

A shudder passed through her as she remebered Endymiron's comment about a Empire of Darkness. Makhael had spoken of true Darkness on more than one occasion, and despite what the likes of Jonaleth and Endymiron may think, she had endured worse horrors from touching the mind of a Void child than from them and Muz combined. If what that... that thing intended for the universe was Endymiron's idea of a noble pursuit, then the man was either daft, dumb, both, or he had seen them, and read the writing on the wall wrong.

If that was case, she pitied him. 'Cause if the Void won, he'd be enlightened all right. Brutally.

Shaking her head, the Guardian took a pull from the bottle, and watched the sun go down.

The assassin floated in nothing but heard all...the thoughts of Lorien, the thoughtlessness of all those who were meditating, and the movement of the Royal Guards in the shadows as they kept close watch over the female Guardian.

He smiled, or at least, he did in his thoughtless state, not physically, at the prospect of growing so great at the art of meditation as to perpetrate the thoughts of Royal Guards, men and women who have trained their entire lives against such a means of control...they will have to train harder.

Devani began a low chant, the melody strange yet beautiful, nearly inaudible in the large room. Raising back up, she closed her eyes smiling, as the tattoos around her eyes came alive.

As the last vestages of the sunset sank below the horizon, a grim-faced Lorien Sinclair growled softly to the forces waiting in the shadows, Makhael's anthem soft on her tongue.

"Here I stand,
In the places where the Shadows lie,
And Angels and Daemons fear to tread,
And I am alone."

They moved closer, as if they wanted her to know who would ultimately be sent to kill her, if it came to that. She kept speaking, still staring at the horizon.

"Here I walk,
Neither a Light to brighten the path,
Nor a Shadow to mar it.
I am simply here."

Malaerosa in her hand, she levitated it, causing the orb atop the staff to glow with an erie light.

"For not all Daemons are of Darkness,
And not all Angels come from Deep Heaven.
Since none shall make a stand,
I will."

The half-staff rose until it was at least two feet off the ground, and then the orb's light became like that of the sun. And in that moment, the Royal Guard who watched her understood one thing:

Others, who had walked the stars long before the homeworld of man coalesced out of the excess gasses of its star, held claim over her life. Both true Light and true Darkness were represented in the souls that formed on that roof top - some hungering for her soul, others simply whispering "Courage, young one. Have courage."

If Lorien saw either the Guards, or the spectral figures of the forces that had laid claim to her family since Time in-memorial - be it for good or for ill - she didn't show it.

"I promise," she whispered, "those who died to stop the Void will not have died in vain, even if I have to give my life to assure it."

Malaerosa sank back to her hands, its light fading down to nothing. The dead returned beyond the veil.

Her head still bowed, the Guardian said in a voice of iron, "I seek no quarrel with the Brotherhood. I gave my oath to protect its secrets, and I will carry them to my grave. If I must leave, then tell me to my face, or leave me be. There are worse dangers than an idealistic Guardian out tonight."

She walked to the edge of the roof, and stared down. Then she dropped the empty bottle to the stones below, and returned to her perch.

Rage kicked the whiskey at the door as it smashed he heard some of the others stir, he knew but was too occupied staring at the Image of his father having his robes around him staring at him sternly, as he did when Rage had taunted the other kids with his fathers lightsaber, as rage know carring it.
"Father?"
The Spirit just nodded
"What? what do you want?"
It just stared at him...
"Your DEAD I I I Killed you! leave me alone!"
Voolvif started talking but is sounded distant...

The assassin lifted himself out of Reverie, pulling his hood back he turned his head and regarded Sinclair with a combination of sympathy and respect. The female obviously held great pain within her...as do we all, thought the Arconan.

Indeed, she had great potential that one, great inner strength.

The Void, the Word.

Interesting concept.

He smiled slowly as he noted Devani's presance, her tatoos wraithing around her as if seeking release.

Lorien sighed as the stars shone above her, and listened to the song that played in her ears.

There's always something
in the way
There's always something
getting through
but it's not me
it's You, it's You

sometimes ignorance
rings true
but hope is not in
what i know
it's not in me..me
it's in You, it's in You

it's all i know
it's all i know
it's all i know

i find peace when
i'm confused
i find hope when
i'm let down
not in me ... me
in You
it's in you

i hope to lose myself
for good
i hope to find it in the end
not in me ... me
in You
in You

it's all i know
it's all i know
it's all i know

in You
in You
its in You
in You

there's always something in the way
there's always something getting through
but it's not me
it's You

High above, the stars glistened like tears. Lorien smiled wanly, and closed her eyes, falling asleep in the cold, feeling that, for a brief moment, she had touched those she lost along the way.

As Ceric's eyes fluttered closed and he fell back into deep Reverie, he pulled his thoughts to him, gathering them and meditating on their nature.

He let the faint music of his implant playing a familiar, fast paced Jupiter Jazz tune even as he slipped inside himself, the music seemed to echo just outside his conciousness, further relaxing him and freeing him of irrelevant thoughts.

He thought of the way of the universe, he thought of the nature of The Force. He had always thought that The Force, and all life therefore, held a duel nature, one of Life and Death, Light and Dark, The Rose and The Void. The Rose was a strange, selfishless kindness that he had once known, known when he was still among those that loved and cared for him, something that he had not truley experianced for years...oh, he had known lust, and passion, but those were not of that side of the coin. There was also the Void, obvious in its meaning, it was the hatred that drove most Dark Jedi, its hunger drove them, it held the darker impulses of human beings...

Recently, however, he had become aware of another side...something that the Jedi were more attuned to, whether they realized it or not, because for one to belong to The Rose, one had to know a pure love and a purer passion, something neither the Jedi nor their Sith counterparts knew much of. This third side was what the Jedi knew well, though they thought it was only the Light and the Dark. That side is what the assassin had come to call The Word; the written texts of Order found in countless histories of a multitude of civilizations. This side was neither pure like The Rose, nor tainted like The Void. The Word was something that was perfectly in between. A balance. And something that saught to maintain that balance in the universe as a whole.

Thus he thought that The Force was The Word, and The Rose and Void were creations of the human mind.

That was what Ceric suspected anyway. It was a force within The Force, or a side of it that neither Jedi nor Sith realized, even though the Jedi were so very akin to it.

The Sith belonged to the temptations of The Void, the Jedi belonged to the order and balance of The Word, and purity of The Rose...who belonged to it...? Some Jedi only? Grey Jedi perhaps? Everyone in between?

Questions...they were good....they identified the problem; the dilemma...

But Answers....they were so much more valuble...if one knew how to interpret them...

The warmth of the sun rose Lorien out of her slumber, making her stretch as the old wounds on her back ached with a new day's beginning.

The whispering of the morning wind held pieces of the minds below - not enough to be worth much, on the whole, but still....

She heard Ceric ponder about the true nature of the powers he wielded, and the strength of both sides.

Maybe some here understood the truth more than she gave them credit.

Devani was 'wall's up' to the world. Whatever was in that mind of her's, she refused to let anyone near.

Still, the scars were obvious..... Lorien sighed, her heart going out to the woman.

Soon, she knew, she would have no choice but to leave. At the rate she was making enemies....

She shook her head. That time hadn't come. Maybe she could finish what she knew she had to do.

Maybe they'd thank her for it.

Yeah. And maybe Dalthid would take a weekly shower.

Sighing, she leapt off of the roof, and landed on the ground in a dead run.

She had much to do, and far too little time to do it in.

Devani's eyes clouded over as she braced herself on the lift. It had been awhile since she had truly been able to meditate and she could feel the effects of that. Straightening up, she was the face of compsure as she exited, ignoring some novices she passed. Making a beeline for the Meditation building, she rushed inside, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Smiling, she noticed Jin'ei there as always, the handsome rogue. Settling herself in a corner, she made the customary chants, bowing her head to the floor as she knelt. Suddenly everything was washed away with a sudden blast of peace.

Reaching out, Devani felt her mother's presence. Daughter, you must work harder! You must learn more and become a better warrior! Seize power for yourself! Sitting back up crossed legged, she nodded in ascent to her mother's words. There was no excuse, she must do as her mother willed or she would never gain her revenge. Satisfied with her daughters renewed purpose and passion, Devani's mother retreated into the depths leaving the Sith to ponder within her own thoughts.

"Lorien.." echoed the telepathic sending. As the sun warmed the earth, a figure stepped out of the copse of trees. It was a Sith Warrior. He bowed in greeting.

"Hey. Sorry about my bloodthirsty friends. I bear you no ill will, and remember your name from some time ago. I have no quarrel with you, and try to be the moderating voice," he murmured. He was wearing no armor, and carried only simple weapons. Macron was the meditation Instructor, and had seen many Dark Jedi pass this way.

Ceric’s half lidded eyes dimly noted that Lorien had “exited”, with some manner of style, no less.

An…interesting person, he thought stoically, someone foolish enough to anger the psychotic masters of Naga Sadow, and yet wise enough to comprehend the fine line between the varieties of The Force. Interesting…

He forced the thoughts away, clearing his mind once more, bathing in his own meditative trance, and the assuring presence of Devani near by.

Lorien nodded to the Quaestor of Ludo Kreesh, her eyes calm, but understandably wary.

"I got in over my head. It's no surprise I got knocked around."

She stared up at the brightening sky, as if searching for something in the heavens.

"Still, it's good to know where your comrades stand, macron. It tells me that where they're concerned, I need to have eyes in the back of my head."

She eyed her fellow Sith with a cool eye.

"You'll be glad to know that I don't think I'll ever be able to explain your actions away, wild card. You are a mystery, and one I'm not entirely interested in solving - I sense too much of a similar inquisitive nature in you."

She tossed him one of the media players in her satchel.

"Consider it a gift, from a rowan who has as much intention of showing her true face as you do."

And with that, she turned, and walked into the forest.

Devani's excitement was nearly overwhelming, clouding her focus. Becoming Battle Team Leader was her first step towards glory and...revenge. Her thirst for power was only overpowered by her thirst for revenge. She needed to relieve herself of this extra emotion she couldn't use. She wanted to share it with Jin'ei, a special friend, but where would she find him? The Lounge of course but he was always with his Naga Sadow friends...the Meditation building!

Devani nearly bounded into the building and spotted Jin'ei right away. Not wishing to disturb his meditation, she settled into her customary spot, going through everything nescessary for her own personal meditation. Just before she slipped in she sent a quick thought to the handsome Guardian. Meet your new Battle Team Leader! And newly promoted to Jedi Hunter! Reigning back, she smiled and retreated into her own mind.

*The Jin'ei let out a contented sigh*

Slowly, he pulled himself out of Reverie, coming back into full awareness of his corporal surroundings.

Ceric cracked his head and streched his arms leasurly, the customery, charming smile slowly returning to his features. He glanced down at his datapad, there was a message awaiting him.

His smile widened slightly as he read it, then put the pad away and turned around. The newly crowned Jedi Hunter looked over at Devani, his new BT leader with satisfaction. She deserved the promotion. Not to mention the fact that they would get to share certain...privilages with her newly aquired post.

This time, he smile in earnest.

Uzbad stumbled in, drunk, and crashed into a wall. He fell to the ground below the duracrete and promtly fell asleep where he lay. A loud snore issued from his direction.

Finishing her meditation, Devani walked over and whispered in Ceric's ear. Winking at him, she turned and sauntered out of the building.

Ceric quickly rose and followed Devani eagerly.

Rage had been staring at the appirition of his father at sometime
"Well father, are you gonna speak or are you going to keep that accusing glare at me"
"You have fallen to far, my son"

He sat down on the cushion that was kicked by a very suprised shistavanen earlier. He looked at rage who towered over his father by 6 inches.
"You killed me, but i forgive you jsut forsake the darkness or you will be damned for the rest of you unnatural life, son" he looked away "I want to meet the other one in this building before i leave"

"Macron?"
"Yes that sith"
"He's right outside but for what reason"
"The Reason is mine"

Shadow walked in, the servos in his armour wheezing with every step, he walked to an unoccupied corner of the room and sat down, no one was sure what was going on underneath that menacing helmet, but it seemed that he had entered a state of meditation.

Shadow closed his eyes and let his mind flow with the force, he saw wonders, he saw pain, then he saw something so terrifying that it snapped him out of his state and made him jump to his feet, others around him who were aware of him were startled.

What had Shadow witnessed that would have shocked him so much........?

....The Crimson Assassin slide through one of the high riding windows of the compound, making not a sound as he dropped down to the floor.

Ceric was in the mindset of The Hunter, this meant death for all who came in contact with him, and thus the Jedi Hunter subconciously avoided his fellow Dark Jedi as he slipped into the Meditation Building.

The Hunter selected a shadowy, solitary spot high atop one of the still unshattered pillers that once held up the high ceiling.

The shadows slide lazily around his unmoving form as he sat atop the pillar, his knees out before him, his arms crossed across his chest, his torso slightly bent forward, his eyes close, a stoic expression on his features. He might have been an upside down bat; his flowing black cloak the leathery wings.

The Hunter slipped deep into Reverie, he knew that his time was up, he needed to get back into the more...socially acceptable facade they called Ceric. He knew this, but of course, the creature perched atop the stone pillar heard no thoughts, all it knew was instinct, all it knew was death.

the vison of the death of his parents at the hands of the Emperors Jedi hunters had come as a shock, Shadow decided to delve deeper into his mind to see if this was an omen of some sort

Flashes, images washed over the killer. The screams resounding within his scull, echoing, yet not fading. No. Increasing in volume.

Screams of those who were close to him in the past.

Screams of those who he watched die.

Screams of those who took from him.

Screams of those who he killed for pleasure.

Screams of those who he killed for credits.

Screams of those who he killed for fame.

Screams of those who he killed to sate the hunger of The Hunter.

Screams of those who were innocent.

Screams of those who were damned.

Screams.

They echoed in his skull.

shadow began to fall into a deep meditatative state, he saw images of death, the death of his parents and something even more terrifying, the vision was a warning of an attack, a hidden enemy was going to attack the brotherhood. shadow quickly snapped out of his state and sped to the nearest comlink

Lorien walked into the building, her face grim as she made her way back to the roof, a bottle of Corellian whiskey in hand.

Climbing up to her former perch, the Sith groaned at the sore joints in her back, but otherwise paid them no mind. Pain is weakness leaving the body, a marker from the Triune Himself telling you that you're still alive, and nothing more.

The sun sat high in the sky. Lorien growled darkly at the oppressive light, and wished - not for the first time - that the Brotherhood controlled worlds as dark as they claimed to be.

On the ground, the denizens of this planet milled about, living their lives as they normally did. A part of Lorien grinned at their ignorance of the warriors they shared their world with.

That same part wept at the knowledge that, inevitably, that ignorance and innocence would die, and die ugly.

Lorien sighed. Frak it. She didn't care anymore.

She took a long pull from the bottle, leaned back against the stone wall behind her, and fell asleep.

Mondor slowly walked into the mediation room. He had intentions of communicating with his inner soul. As he walked, he had to tip toe because just the slightest sound could corrupt a meditating person.

He found a corner near the open bay window and sat down on a floor pad. Crossing his legs, he slowly closed is eye lids and began quietly humming. He was in a deep concentration now and it would be hard to pull him from it.

In his mind, he was standing in a floorless and wall less room with his father in front of him. His father then spoke, "Mondor, my son, you have failed me greatly. You have a great internal power, but yet you refuse to let it out against your so called "friends"." Mondor looked at his father and shouted back. "I won't harm them. They are my friends, father. Each of them helped me get to where I am now. Dismal...Jagan....all of them!" His father frowned and pulled out his lightsaber, Hell. It was a custom saber which had heavy alloy metals, but incredible cutting power.

" You never listened to me. That is how come you are so weak. This brotherhood isn't for you. It is for the tough....like me. Time to sleep once and for all, Mondor." Mondor's father ignited his saber and the red glow from the saber made Mondor squint. "If this is how it must be........I won't let you force me into hurting my NEW family!!!" The young Protector pulled out his sith sword from his back and charged his father with blinding speed. The boy's father dissappeared and appeared behind him before contact. "Now this.......this is POWER!" Suddenly, 10 copies of his father appeared around Mondor in a circle. As Mondor looked around for the real copy, all of the duplicates Force Lightninged him at the same time. Mondor fell to the, what was supposed to be, ground dying as he heard his father's last words before he lost mediation. "Die! Die just like how I killed your mother!!! She was weak just like you. Now do as your father tells you to. Murder them all!! Show them your power!!!"

Mondor shouted, "Nooooo!!!!" Everyone in the meditation building looked over at him trying to find out what all the yelling was about. "Sorry guys." Mondor whispered. He got up and left the building to go get a drink from the water fountain. As he walked to the fountain, his head began to throb uncontrollably. He needed medicine....and fast.

The dust of the dirt path to the meditation building swirled around Lorien's boots as she stepped inside. She gazed at the darkened room, her glasses off, and her red-on-black eyes saw little change to the place since the last time she had been here.

Two years... all that searching, and just more questions to show for it., she thought to herself wryly.

Walking up the stairs to the roof, she thought of all those she had known, all those who had chosen to walk apart from the Brotherhood. She missed Gaidal's wisdom, Godo's ironic wit, Chi's truth...

The Guardian shook her head. Such thoughts solve nothing. The journey to the Unknown Regions had cost her enough. For now, she would train.

As she sipped on the bottle of Nubian melon wine, she prayed to whatever gods her family answered to that she had time left.

Exhausted, Odin walked limply into the building. It was long enough since his last joy in this chamber : the peace of cold floor, comforting quietness and the living relief of Darkness. Blurry he saw other figures sitting or lying to find their restful states, and he chose to drop on his knees and close his eyes. He cried out his own serenity within his mind and soul.

Dissension and dissonance, he was trapped by the gloomy ambiance. He must gain back his sincerity, the only echt offer he had to himself and to others, and should it be calming his wrath against his foolishness, he would be able to wake up fresh and do his waiting responsibility...of a Dark Jedi...of a loyal member ... of a leader...

And the latter was the hardest, as he let the Darkness embrace him thoroughly...

Korroth stood at the entrance to the unfamiliar room. As his black eyes examined the almost empty meditation chamber, he noticed that a sense of focus and calmness permeated the room, weakening his scepticism about needing a place just for the purpose of meditating instead of simply using your own quarters. The Pau’an walked to the end of the chamber and sat down cross-legged on the pad in the corner. He closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing, while slowly letting his consciousness sink into a half-dreaming state. The soft cushion beneath him, the smooth fabric against the palms of the hands resting on his knees, the cold breath of wind from an open window wafting down into his collar, the relentless drone of the ventilator, the pungent but faded smell of cleaning liquid, these all grew dimmer and dimmer until Korroth’s mind was the all and everything. Now he could truly meditate.

He had been away such a long time, he had forgotten how the Brotherhood could sweep one off their feet with that stream of duties, tests, projects and deadlines. He needed to detach himself from the flow of things for just a moment so as to put everything into perspective. There were so many things that had changed since his decampment to the Rogues; he was discovering new things almost every day, and not all of them pleasant. The most surprising must have been the news about his last Master. He supposed that, underneath every person’s outer layer of dedication, hard work, goodwill for Clan and Brotherhood, patriotism, pride and selflessness there was always a tiny chink that, under the right kind of pressure, would break open and spill forth that person’s demons. Korroth assumed that this was what had happened to his Master; any normal Jen’jidai would get angry at having his work belittled, but this type of belittling was probably the kind of ‘pressure’ that would have broken open my Master’s chink, releasing a rage only befitting a battlefield. What Korroth found difficult to deal with was the fact that his Master had given so much for the Brotherhood; he had sacrificed so much for the good of his brethren, and then, without warning and in just a moment’s loss of control, he threw all that away, knowing that he would be exiled. Korroth didn’t question the justice in the actions of the authorities – he hadn’t been there when it had happened, but from the way everybody ran loops just to avoid mentioning his name, it must have been a serious transgression indeed; one which a Consul could not allow himself to make. What Korroth did fear was how he could stop something like this from happening to himself, how he could know when his ‘chink’ was about to break open and destroy everything that he had accomplished.

His Master had fallen into that fit of rage because of the provocation of fellow Jen’jidai, who apparently criticised his work. His fit of rage did not benefit him in any way (apart maybe from a momentary release from stress), and it actually damaged him. Therefore, Korroth hypothesized, his mistake had been to unleash his emotions (a very Jen’jidai-like thing to do) with no concrete purpose or advantage in view (not a Jen’jidai-like deed, even for an Obelisk). Despite feeling sadness for the departure of his Master, Korroth felt a speck of pride at having been able to extract a lesson from this.

Having accomplished his objective here, the Pau’an began to slowly expand his consciousness back to his body, until he could once again feel the stiffness in his muscles from sitting cross-legged for so long, and perceive behind his eyelids the dimming of the light as the sun set, and hear the steps of another brother coming here to meditate. Korroth unfurled his sore legs and rose, walking out of the meditation chamber with one less worry and a clear mind.