Log:Jedi:Classroom Ax-room

Ax teaches a class

OOC Date: June 26, 2018
Location: Arisnar
Participants: Jedi: Ax, Jax Greystorm, Jonn Drayson, Mara Jade, Zandra naMuriel, Elrych Cometburn, Yuun

~ The classroom's usual benches had all been pushed to the side and the windows were blacked out. Only minimal light was shed upon the room, enough to see by but not much more.

Ax was standing near where the podium was, wearing comfortable linens under a sleek black robe. Placed upon the podium were a pair of ornate, curved-hilt lightsabers and a pair of M-434 Deathhammer blaster pistols hung loosely in the holsters of a pistol belt draped to the side.

"Even though you all know me, for the sake of getting used to this, I'm going to introduce myself anyway." There's a slight pause before he continues. "I am Axilon Bjin'ax. Please just call me Ax though. I'm not a very formal person, so we'll leave such pleasantries behind. I've met some of you, not others, we'll remedy that at the end of the class. I'm one of the teachers, though I'm not often here on Academy grounds, often spending time between Nar Shaddaa, here, and Naboo." ~

The big papa, Jonn Drayson, ACTION HERO, and probably the oldest person in the room, was of course here. His lantern jaw was shaved. His massive muscles were trying to burst out of his robes again. His feet were bare because this was a practice session. And he was moving pretty well for a man who had a recently-healed blaster bolt crater in his torso. He sat patiently paying attention, near the middle, because if anyone was going to be an example, good or bad, it was him. He was the paternal sort. He taught his daughter things all the time!

Standing in back, having managed to find what must be perceived to be the least intrusive place to stand is a crimson haired woman dressed in a sleeveless black leather outfit. A tan colored shemagh is worn about her neck with a pair of goggles left to also dangle. She looked more like a mercenary or bounty hunter than a Jedi or Force User by appearance but the times have changed and who could say what a proper Force User should look like? Or maybe someone here has said and she just hadn't gotten the memo yet.

Green eyes watch Ax curiously, a thoughtful expression on her features as she rests the sole of her right foot back against the wall as he begins to speak.

Zandra slips in, just in time for Ax's introduction. She looks over the room, eyeing the place slightly askance, and then she stops where she is, listening. Robes? What robes? Nope. she's in a flight suit though the helmet is off. And there is a really curious look on her face. She does indeed recognize Ax, though she may not have heard his name previously. She inclines her head, not quite a bow, but a gesture of acknowledgement and respect. And it seems she's standing next to the red head in the space biker outfit.

The sounds of sneakers, that's right, sneakers can be head squeaking against the Academy's well polished floor. The foot falls are quick and seem to be approaching closer to the classroom. Just as they near the entrance a mouse droid who had just finished cleaning said classroom before the lesson is right in the way of the slightly late student who thinks he's more late than only slightly. He trips over the droid and into the classroom, sliding across that shiny floor with an irritable sort of squeak, his cheek planted against the tiles, smooshing boyish skin. While his hood from his robes had fallen over his head as he falls and skids, his face is still visible. Eyes covered by dark (very dark) thick rimmed shades. As his body comes to a halt, he groans and scampers to stand and get out of the way, trying to play it off as if nothing happened. So much for Danger Sense, amiright? He pulls earbuds from his ears and takes a seat at a bench, lanky arms resting across equally lanky legs. One hand rubbing his slightly red and bruised cheek.

~ Ax looks as the others arrive, barely in time for his initial introductions. "This class is not going to be about moving things with a thought, or fighting with a laser sword, or anything flashy," Ax says. "It's about not doing those things, actually. It's about not using your abilities, or knowing when to use them and when not to."

The Echani leans against the podium. "We've all heard legends of the Jedi. How there were grand melees of jedi with lightsabers saving the day. Throwing boulders the size of a speeder across a room. No, that's not what I'm going to show or teach you."

Ax moves away from the podium, towards the students gathered. "This is not the Old Republic, this is a time of war, and we are the underdogs for sure, and the First Order would love to have files on each and every one of us, and they'd stop at nothing to wipe us all out and everyone around us." He pauses to let this sink in. "This class is about discretion, and when to use it." ~

Well that was interesting. Jonn's expression went from attentive to puzzled. Not using powers? Curious. Then again, he was old enough to just listen and not protest. He had to have a point. With a grunt of acknowledgement and a nod, he demonstrated his acceptance of the impending lesson.

Zan tilts her head as she listens, though she inches closer to Mara at the tumbling in entrance - way to sneak in there so you don't get caught - of the other guy. "Thanks for taking the pressure off the rest of us she mutters, unable to prevent herself. And then she's back focused on Ax, listening to what he's saying. "You mean like learning to not broad cast that you can touch the force?" she asks, curiously.

Mara Jade offers a smile of greeting and a nod to Zandra before returning her attention to... no, it doesn't make it to Ax again as someone comes sliding into the room chest surfing no less. Her brows raise a moment then she tries to supress the curl of an amused smile. This was a time to be serious. And with that intention her focus does return to Ax as he begins to move into the room.

Elrych Cometburn sits there, nodding slowly. "Right... you talked about that on the way back to Nar the other day." He says, getting where this was going. He seems eager to learn. He glances over his shoulder, his shades do anways as he notices Zan and Mara. He then turns to look over Jonn, then back to Ax as he's the teacher. Got to pay attention!

~ "Lightsabers are amazing, so wonderful to me that I made a pair of them," Ax says. "Yet, in most situations, if you start swinging around a laser sword, there's going to be consequences, especially if you're anywhere near a crowd. You can almost guarantee that someone with a datapad or a droid is gonna have a holovid all over the holonet within hours," Ax says.

The Echani walks around the small group. "There are abilities you can use that will not draw notice, but relying on the force to solve your answers is a good way to get your problems multiplied. The force is a wonderful thing, it is a great tool, and like any tool, it has a purpose and a time to be used," Ax says. "Most of you are new to this, at least newer than I am. Your senses, those are your greatest assets at this stage of development in the force. They ability to mask your abilities to those with enhanced senses is also a very good start." ~

Jonn Drayson, ever the learner, listened intently, one foot tapping in his cross-legged position. He was too big to be sitting like a child, but hey, maybe he was emulating his youngster. At this point, he had nothing to say, and let the teacher teach.

Mara Jade gently bumps Zan's bicep with her elbow, a smile as the other woman snarks about Elrych's.. unique entrance methods. Then as Ax begins to talk more specifically she nods in agreement with what is said. Her gaze shifts to each student present, curious about them, then back to Ax as he continues.

Zan gets elbow bumped and glances over at Mara, noting the smile but she goes quiet again. Even as Ax gets to the end of his spiel, Zan stays quiet.

Elrych Cometburn remains quiet as well, his feet starting to tap as well, knees shaking. Yeah he was a bit of a fidgity one. It didn't mean he didn't want to be there, just one of those people who always had a beat in their head and something on the mind. He keeps his shaded eyes on Ax as he continues with the lesson.

~ "You'll make friends along the way, those who can be trusted, but know that the more you tell them, the more danger they could potentially be in," Ax says, continuing to pace around those gathered. "Some people you can trust because of loyalty, others you'll have to trust out of necessity. Some of those are likely going to bite you in the ass at some point, but it's a risk if you divulge what you can do."

Ax walks back towards the podium, leaning against it. "What I want to impart on you is this, if nothing else comes from this class, I want you to understand this. More often than not, mundane answers to problems are better than the force. Utilize the force when needed, absolutely, but do not get to a point where you rely on it for situations where it is not needed."

Ax picks up one of the lightsabers sitting upon the podium as well as a blaster. "How do you choose which is better for the situation?" he asks before setting the weapons back down. "What about whether or not to throw a grappling hook or just levitate it into place? These are decisions, like it or not, you're going to have to make on the fly without hesitation at some point." ~

"The best choice is to find a solution to use neither if possible." That had been Jax who been late to the lecture. He'd been on the beach from the look of the sand on his pants and boots. He gives Ax a shrug and mouths the word, 'Sorry.' Then moving to find a place on the kneeling benches to sit on the floor near Mara and Zandra.

Jonn Drayson was nodding his agreement with both Ax's theories and Jax's input. "Der fyerst ting we all lyearn is dat der best way is der one widout conflict," he explained, to his teacher, to the room, and to himself, with his deep voice and thick accent filling the room. "And to use moah dan just der Foahse, is dat not an extension of der concept?"

Mara Jade looks toward Jax as he enters and she offers the man a nod of recognition as well. She knows perhaps half the figures in the room. That's not bad for having just arrived for the first time. It can only be a stream of new faces from this point onward, right?

She again nods to what the two say. As Jonn speaks and asks a question to clarifiy her gaze falls upon the man then shifts to Ax, curious of his answer.

Elrych Cometburn was at the back on a bench too not to far from the others who were back there too. The shades wearing Jedi wasn't about to sit on the floor. The floor was his bitter enemy at the moment and they would duel again soon. He promised this silently to the very well polished layer of tiles. Damn it was so shiney... and slippery. Uht oh, he just missed a good chunk of what Ax said, he returns his focus only to notice another man in the room now. "Right... so. Blasters for range obviously. I don't think I'd take a saber out unless I was up against someone else who had one or if it was really the only thing to get me out of a situation. Wouldn't know where to start with one anyways." His voice is acented corellian, clearly masculine. He nods to Jonn who speaks up. "Sounds wise to me." He had spent a few days with Master Yoda on his first visit here, learned a thing or two from the Holocroned Jedi Master.

Zan nods to the newly arriving Jax, but she keeps quiet. At Jonn's input, Zan looks his way and then over to Ax. "That makes sense," she says. "If they don't know we have it, it makes it a more potent emergency tool," she says quietly. "And there are many other ways to deal with setients, other than the Force. Are we going to get to learn those other things here, if we don't know them?"

~ "The force is a wonderful tool," Ax says. "You can focus your senses to the point where you know a person is hiding around a corner two blocks away. You can project your thoughts to another's mind for a brief conversation that nobody else can hear. You can enhance your mind or body to do feats that most of your species couldn't dream."

Ax looks to Jax, giving the man a nod. Then he's looking at Jonn. It takes him a moment to process the man's accent. "That is one of the points, absolutely, Jonn. If you can solve a problem without conflict, it is the best. And to focus more than just upon the force," Ax says.

The Echani sits down on one of the stairs next to the podium. "Your studies here will be mostly about how to control the force and utilize it," Ax says. "What I want to impart upon you tonight, is do not slack on learning skills outside of that. Computers, piloting, even languages and history are all skills that you will utilize in your lives. If you focus only upon studying the force, you are going to be weaker for it, and at a much higher risk of discovery by the people you really really do not want to be discovered by."

Ax looks about the room while sitting there, his eyes drifting to Zan. "I hope you'll learn a great deal more than just the force. In fact, I imagine that each of us here could learn a lot from one another. This academy is in its infancy. Most of us who are considered teachers are little more than students ourselves, we've just been at it a little longer. We've all screwed up at some point and learned from that mistake, and that's what we're hopefully going to teach here, what not to do just as much as what you should do." ~

Mara Jade would seem content to continue to listen but for the soft chirp on her communicator. Glancing at it she looks to Ax and offers an apologetic shrug then makes her way quietly toward the door, trying to leave without making too much of an interruption. Mindful of mouse droids in particular.

Jax gives both Mara and Zan a grin and a nod in greeting. Jonn gets a wave as it's been awhile since he'd seen the man. "We all have skills and talents from our lives before we were jedi. We shouldn't let those skills become rusty. Just because I'm not smuggling spice any more doesn't meant I shouldn't let my pilot abilites go to the way side. That or even my smuggling as I might have to sneak a new student away from under the nose of the First Order."

Jonn, pleased, broke out into a huge smile. The only thing that would have made it more audacious was a stogie, which he was known to smoke every now and then. "You are going to become a faddah, Ax. I can tyeach you how to chaynge a diay-pah, oah read a bedtime story," he explained, before following it up with some of his typical rumbling, almost-booming laughter.

Zan considers that for a moment, and she nods. "Yes, that actually does make sense. We probably can learn from each other, if we want to. If we try." She smiles a bit, and then her gaze goes back over to Ax, after she works out what Jonn is saying. "Congratulations," she offers, before she settles more easily in her spot on the floor. "I have a question. Is everyone who can use the force a pilot? It sorta seems like it sometimes."

Elrych Cometburn is interested in Zan's question. "I'm a pilot..." He says in a husky tone with a shrug, looking over to Jax once more as he speaks, then Jonn, then watches Mara exit... maybe a little too long. He looks back to Ax waiting for an answer.

~ Ax nods to Jax, "Smuggling is going to play a big part in our lives, I imagine. Our duties will be mostly bent around helping those in need, and a lot of time that means taking them supplies they cannot get on their own, or rescuing them from the First Order," Ax says.

Ax looks to Jonn, smiling, "I have an amazing amount to learn about being a father," he says before turning to Zan. "Not everyone, no, but most people at some point find it necessary to learn to fly," he says. "It does seem to be a popular life for many of us, but definitely not all."

"I often use my abilities to boost my reactions and speed to enhance my piloting abilities. Still though, it doesn't make up for actual experience," he says. "Just because you can boost your reflexes to beyond the normal ability doesn't mean you shouldn't focus on the actual skills involved. Experience will outperform raw talent in almost every situation." Ax looks around those gathered. "Jax is a much better fighter pilot than I am, even when I boost my reflexes well beyond his, and I'm a very good pilot. Even with additional reflexes, there are better people with a blaster than I am, and I'm fairly certain that Jonn here could kick my ass in a hand-to-hand fight, force or not. I just want you to all know that the force is one of many tools in our arsenal, to not rely upon it solely is something you'll need to keep up, even in an environment like this place where the primary focus of your training will be to enhance your force abilities. Also, remember, the more you advance in your skill with the force, the easier it is for someone with the ability to sense will find you, unless you learn to suppress your connection to the force as well." ~

Jax for his part remains quiet and doesn't add to Ax's comments as it was his friends class. Though Zandra's question about piloting causes him to look to the side in consideration. Do they all pilot space craft?

Jonn Drayson just tilted his head to one side, looked down, and shrugged with a sheepish grin on his face. Hey, the young whippersnapper could probably put up a good fight but Jonn was, well, Jonn. He'd survived a fight against a stimmed Houk, after all.

Zan listens quietly now. "I'm a trader and pilot," she says. "My fighting skills though, they're not so good. I got to work on fighters with the Ebon Guard though. At least a very little bit of experience with them. Mostly freighters though."

"Great, Looks like I'm in the right place then." Says the young Elrych. "I think it remains that focusing on supressing our raw 'energy' as it were will help us gain a better sense of control of the tangable aspects of the force as well. If we're considering other abilties we might use in whatever situation as how much we want that to be effective or not." He pauses, "Like a fauset or something." He reaches into his robes and pulls out a stun saber. "The hot- I mean that Rey person gave me this while I was comming in... I think that was her. We didn't say much. I have no idea what to do with it. I only have basic qualifications with a blaster pistol and some knives." He shrugs to Zan showing her he's in the same area she is. "We'll just have to learn from that guy." He points to Jonn. He was beefy. Probably knew beefy things.

Having been the last to come home, Yuun looks tired as he walks into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late." he says as he comes in and finds a place to sit down and hope to catch up on whats going on.

~ Ax chuckles. "It's nothing to be ashamed of to recognize your weaknesses and the strengths of your allies," he says. "In fact, you should be able to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your comrades."

Ax looks to Zan and gives her a nod. "Good, that might come in handy at some point. Jax will be doing some fighter training with our pilots, teaching some versatility in the cockpit. He's an experienced fighter pilot having flown sorties with the Resistance. We have fighters here on Arisnar, we might as well put them to some use in training if nothing else."

Ax looks to Elrych, pausing for a moment. "Actually, that's a very good way of putting things," he says. "I'm going to leave this here. Everything you knew before you came here, you need to continue growing in. Do not forget where you came from, being a jedi in this age is more than robes and lightsabers. We'll each be filling quite a few roles."

At Yuun's arrival, he gives the man a nod. "Well, late is better than never. I was just ending the class, but I'm sure that one of the others here will be glad to fill you in. I recommend you each get to know each other. Talk amongst yourselves, get some food together, we'll be doing more of these lessons in the near future." ~

Elrych Cometburn nods to Ax, giving a thumbs up as he gives an approval of his summery on the lesson for today. "Thanks Master Ax, was a real Bannana's class." The young, shades wearing Corellian, is moving to put his ear buds back in, starting to stand.

Zan listens and then she grins at Elrych's suggestion. "We could probably all learn something from each other, I think." She does give Elrych a glance. "A bannana's class?" she asks, looking and sounding very confused.

Elrych Cometburn blinks, stopping putting his earbuds in for the moment. "You know... like really great? Awesome, cool. It's just something someone I used know used to say when things went well." He shrugs, not putting those buds in just yes, letting them dangle in his hand. Okay maybe he puts /one/ in a single ear.

"Oh," Zan says, shrugging a bit. "never heard that before, I guess." She sighs briefly and then says, "mind you, there's a lot I haven't heard of. but for now, I guess I should go practice pretending i'm a tree and there is no such thing as the force. Or something like that."

Elrych Cometburn chuckles, "I don't think he was saying that. I think he was saying find that tree. Find how the force flows through it, visualize it. Then look at yourself and turn the damper down so that it matches that ordinary tree. Like... thruster controls on a craft. Let it out in masse or in a certain ammount to trigger and ability or skill just tho the precise point that you want... if that makes sense..." He steps forwards, offering a hand. "Elrych Cometburn. I'm a driver, and a flyer. But I guess I'm also a Jedi."

Zan reaches a hand in return. "Zandra naMuriel," she says. "Nice to meet you. And I'll think on that, see if it makes sense inside my brain. sometimes it really feels that it just doesn't, if you know what I'm saying."

Elrych Cometburn shrugs, "Sure. And it's a pleasure." shaking her hand in return. "So what are you up to now..." He pulls out his datapad and starts to swipe through what ever music program he has loaded on the thing. "I was going to go download some music Master Yoda wanted me to get for him. Real old stuff. It's crazy, someone needs to go into his sub routines. There's gota be some degridatation or something."

"You should probably do that, so he doesn't get mad at you. And don't ask me about computer routines - that's way outta my league. But I do have to go. I'll see you in some other class, I am sure. Later." She gets gracefuly to her feet, and wanders out.