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A Thousand Suns [Open]

Luke didn't feel the sweat trickling down his back until he paused for breath, and realized he was soaked.

It was easy for him to lose himself in the Force like this when he was practicing. Before waking up here, he'd used remotes, three and four at a time firing stinging bolts at him. It was an exercise in concentration as much as anything, but it served to keep his mind and body busy too. And while he didn't have the remotes here to practice with, Luke remembered the forms he'd learned as clearly as if they'd been taught to him yesterday. He'd come down here, in need of some distraction - a very un-Jedi like thing to need - and had started to practice.

It didn't bother him too much, looking back on it; Luke knew that Mara, Ben, and the others had been returned to the pods, and that they were safe aboard. He didn't have to worry about them, or anyone else in his family, or even people not related to him. He probably wouldn't have anyway, but Luke made deep bonds with those he called friend, and it helped to know that when all this was over, they'd be okay.

But he was here because a Jedi needed to be focused, and not dwelling on things that were out of the control of one person. Igniting his blade, Luke brought his concentration back up, and prepared for the next form.

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It wasn't her style of magic, but the ripples through the air were... she could feel them, somehow. She wasn't sure how.

Nanoha was sure that Fate would yell at her if she knew she had come to the temple to work, but she couldn't stay still for long (even with her arm in a cast and sling). But it wouldn't hurt to chat with Luke, right? It had been a while...

She glided through the corridors of the temple following the sounds - she didn't want to interrupt his practice, after all.

Luke didn't mind interruptions, though, and when he sensed Nanoha coming through the Temple, he finished the form he was on and closed down his lightsaber, a little smile on his face. His friends here were just as important as family, as far as he was concerned.

"You won't be interrupting me," he said, guessing at the reason for her quiet approach. "I probably shouldn't overdo it at my age, anyway."

"Oh please," Nanoha beamed as the wings on her ankles faded from view and she touched down with a soft pad. "You're just as lively at your age as I am at mine!" Even if he was a good thirty years her senior.

She tilted her head to the side. "It's been a while since we've spoken, hasn't it."

Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, Luke pushed sweaty blond-gray hair out of his eyes. "It sure has," he agreed, moving to sit on one of the benches that created a barrier around the area he'd been practicing in and the rest of the room. "Way too long, in my book. How's your family?"

"Oh, they're doing just fine," Nanoha smiled-- and then sighed. "Fate still hasn't chewed me out for what happened with Steve," the cast on her arm was fairly hard to miss, "But I think she's just waiting her time. It's just waiting until the shoe falls, you know?"

"Oh, I'm familiar," Luke said. He couldn't count the number of times that Mara had read him the riot act for going off and doing something dangerous, though usually whatever he'd gotten into they were in together. His smile was a little bittersweet, but fond, thinking of his wife. She'd have probably done it after what happened with Steve, while hovering to make sure he got patched up all right.

"You'd better sit down, then - I'd feel responsible if something else happened to you while you're recovering and compounded the problem." He crossed his legs under him and rested his elbows on his knees. "Steve's doing fine, at least, thank the Force."

"Don't tell me I'm going to hear it from you too," she said with a wagging finger, but her tone was mirthful and empty of any genuine anger - and she did move to sit on one of the benches lining the area. "I get enough fretting from her as it is!"

"I'm glad to hear Steve's doing better. Miku was devastated... which I think is understandable."

"It was hard to see him like that." Luke sighed, resting his chin in a palm. It was a very boyish gesture, appropriate to someone who was still a starry-eyed Tatooine farmboy at heart. "He's like a son to me, just as Miku's like a daughter. I couldn't just give up on him. We had to try and get through to him... I'm just glad we succeeded."

"I am too," Nanoha answered softly. "...when I confronted him, even when he was transformed, he seemed to recognize Miku's name. He stopped attacking for a second."

A pause. "Even if I really should have just opened fire from in the air," she sighed. "It wouldn't have killed him and I would have saved everybody the trouble."

"It was all caused by something completely out of Steve's control, and he blames himself." He sighed. "But at least it's not a problem anymore. And hopefully you won't catch too much heat for your arm. You were just doing what you thought was right. Anyone else in your position would have done the same, I bet."

"Leon already gave me a lecture," she admitted. "Though I can't really say I didn't deserve it. If people don't see one of the department heads following orders, then..."

"...sometimes I get the feeling I'm being treated like a little sister, though."

Luke shook his head a bit. "That must be frustrating. Especially since you're used to being in charge."

He grinned. "Maybe it's just because we all care about you so much."

She stuck the tip of her tongue out. "It makes it harder for others to take me seriously, though!"

"But I don't think I mind, really."

Well that felt weird, Jr. thought to himself as he wandered around nearby. Looking to his right, he stared at the temple for a couple of moments, trying to figure out if whoever that was was in there (it was definitely somewhere in that area, he just wasn't sure if it was the temple proper).

But now that he got a good look at it, the temple itself caught his attention by just looking sorta cool, so he turned and changed his direction to walk toward it. He stayed silent when he heard something inside, and crept his way into the temple until he came across Luke. He seemed pretty distracted at the moment, so he didn't speak up quite yet sos not to bother him and simply observed.

Immersion in the Force was like being entirely in another world, in a way. Giving himself over to the flow of the energy that bound the universe together, Luke could stretch out his senses and touch, in some way, everyone on the ship if he wanted to. He didn't usually intrude like that. But it was hard to ignore presences that were close by, especially strong ones, and he paused, blinking to clear his mind and bring his focus back to the here and now.

Looking around for the source, Luke spied the young man standing off to the side and smiled, shutting off his lightsaber. The green-white blade disappeared.

"Hello there," he greeted.

"Ah-- hey!" he greeted back with a smile. Though it was more a bashful one. "Didn't mean to disturb you or anything, sorry. I just heard something going on nearby and came to see what it was."

"No, you're not disturbing me, don't worry," he said kindly. "I was just practicing. Even a master has to do that, it keeps us from getting complacent. I'm Luke Skywalker, by the way." He bowed from the waist, the greeting of a Jedi.

"A master, huh? Man, seems like a lot of people I'm meeting are pretty important types." Mimicking Luke's movement to properly greet him back, Jr. bowed slightly as well. He was used to handshakes and backpats, but the businessman in him knew that formalities were always a plus for good relations. Though inside Jr. was wondering, was this the real deal Luke Skywalker? He said nothing, figuring he'd find that out later, but straightened back up again to introduce himself.

"I'm Jr.-- Gaignun Jr. What sorta practice were you doing, exactly?"

"Nice to meet you, Jr.," Luke replied politely. "And to answer your question, I was practicing lightsaber forms," he said. "And my concentration. I can't let myself slip." If he did at all, Luke could almost hear the berating that he'd have gotten from Yoda, the impatient tapping of his gimer stick on the damp ground of Dagobah. Funny that even after going on forty years, he could remember his time training there like it was just yesterday.

"A Jedi's weapon acts as an extension of their will, an extension of the Force. Though, we don't like to use them without a real good reason."

Lightsaber... So it was the real deal. Interested, Jr. smiled at him curiously. "An extension of will? The Force?"

He looked around. "For the Ohm, huh." It wasn't really a question.

"The Ohm are a good reason," Luke agreed softly. "The Jedi serve life in all its forms, and the Ohm seek to destroy it. They are a good reason to use the lightsaber, rather than diplomacy. Which, I guess, is another way of saying my lightsaber is an extension of my will." Luke grinned. "But that's kind of a technicality, and depends on your own point of view."

The words echoed back to him from the past, and Luke paused for a moment, thinking to himself. "As to the Force... well, that's a pretty big question. Got a while?"

He looked his left, and then his right; a joking gesture if anything. "Short of some kind of surprise attack, sure I do!"

"What the hell is going on here?"

The Sacred Tome, firmly held in the arms of its loyal minion, looked a bit sour as it demanded that of, as near as could be told, the universe in general -- despite the fact that the person clearly responsible for this odd expression of mana power was standing right there with a laser sword.

The Overlord had learned to mostly tune out the mana of others on this ship, as it came and went, expressing itself in the variety of bizarre ways everyone had. But this manifestation had roused the demon to curiosity masked with annoyance, and so he'd come to harass whoever was responsible, as was his wont.

Luke paused mid-movement, concentration abruptly broken. Lowering his lightsaber, he stared quizzically at the one addressing him. Was that a real treepaper book? Why did it have a face?

"Come again?"

Yes, a real treepaper talking book. How the Jedi interpreted the strongest mana power in the cosmos into Force terms, well, that was up to him.

"You're doing a thing with weeeeird mana in here," the book said, fixing Luke with a firm gaze. "The hell is it? I've never felt anything like it, and that's like telling Pram the Oracle she didn't see THAT coming."

Strange... every time it spoke, there was a ripple in the Force. It wasn't unlike what he'd sensed with others who had supernatural abilities. That explained things somewhat, but Luke was still pretty confused about how it could talk, unless it was like a holocron.

"It's the Force," he said. "It's the energy that binds the universe together, the source of a Jedi's abilities. How are you... ?" He made a kind of 'go on' gesture with his hands, and hoped that the meaning of how the kriff are you talking got conveyed.

"Man, I don't go around asking everyone why they're NOT a book," Zetta grumbled to himself, clearly at the height of his illogic.

"Okay, this is the Sacred Tome, the Sacred Tome is the keystone to my Netherworld, the Ohm tampered with it, I had to bind my soul to it to save my own existence," the book rattled off.

Luke shrugged, feeling a little sheepish now. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just don't usually encounter talking treepaper books. You're the first."

"I don't know if this is actually paper," Zetta said, looking down at himself. "I mean, it seems to be, but this is like a building block of the cosmos, so I dunno. Anyway, what's with YOUR power thing going on there?"

"Well, it's like I said," Luke replied. "It's the Force. Life creates it, and those who serve the Force - Jedi - serve life. Everything is bound together in one way or another by it, even if it's just a small way."

He held out his deactivated lightsaber. "I was tapping into the Force to enhance my concentration while practicing lightsaber forms."

"What do you call 'life'?" Zetta asked, curious. "I'm a demon, do I count? Ghosts? Prinnies? Sentient robots? Humans who died, but still retain their existence in the underworld?"

Netherworlds were very egalitarian places, but he had a hunch this didn't work out quite the same.

"I don't know what a lot of those things are," he said carefully. "I guess by 'life' I mean things that are alive. Living, breathing... things."

Not the most eloquent explanation, but words had never been Luke's strong point. "Though we do have, er, flexibility."

"Hmm." The Overlord appeared unsatisfied by this. How could a zombie have strong mana if it wasn't connected to this sort of mana this guy understood? Maybe it was a specific type of mana.

"It's definitely not something familiar in the Netherworlds," he said. "But it's not like something from Celestia either. Man, the more time I spend on this ship, the crazier I get. Trying to figure it all out? Can't be done."

"There are a lot of different beings with a lot of different abilities here," Luke said. "It probably works differently where you're from than back home for me. I guess the Force and your source of power can be thought of as different aspects of the same thing."

He shrugged. "That's how I've come to think about it, anyway. I've encountered a lot of strange things since waking up here myself."

"I thought I understood how the multiverse worked before I ended up here," the book said with a sigh that sounded more like a growl. "Though it seems laser swords are universal... So you have the martial arts sort of 'oneness with all' thing going on here?"

That... was an irritating ability from Zetta's perspective, simply because of its efficacy. People who achieved that sort of harmonic grace and purpose through meditative combat skills were pretty damn nasty fighters if you got into a scrap with them.

Still, this guy was technically on Zetta's side in this fight, so maybe now was a good chance to learn about them outside of pitched battle.

With his eyes now bandaged to seal his powers, Shiki was finding his every day life extremely difficult. Having worked his way into the temple with only a few incidents (Damn you walls), he eventually arrives to the location of someone he senses to be very powerful, but not dangerous.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything, but I appear to be lost."

"You're not interrupting anything." Luke shut off his lightsaber at the voice, clipping it to his belt on the way to put a hand on the young man's shoulder. The way his eyes were bandaged, Luke thought perhaps he was blind, but the strange ripple in the Force told him there might be more than meets the eye. Luke had long ago learned the value of not assuming things.

"Where were you trying to go? I'd be happy to help you there."

"It is not so much that I want to go anywhere in particular, but my restlessness has led me to this location. However, I have no idea where this even is?"

Fumbling around, Shiki finally decides to take a seat.

"After an incident the other day, I have been reflecting on my current situation and trying to keep myself under control. I will say though, bumping into walls wherever I turn is not helping with that."

Pausing for a second, Shiki realizes he forgot to introduce himself.

"By the way, my name is Tohno Shiki. So where exactly am I?"

"Nice to meet you, Tohno," he replied. "I'm Luke Skywalker, Jedi Grandmaster." Though, he reflected briefly, there weren't many Jedi around to be Grandmaster of. Still. "And you're in the old Jedi Temple, in the city. It's a good place to come to think, when you're restless."

He smiled a little. "The good thing about this Temple, too - not so many walls. Mostly columns and big open spaces."

"Call me Shiki. Tohno is my family name."

Out of habit, Shiki panned his head around as if to take in his surroundings.

"Well, this place does seem kind of relaxing. So what exactly does it mean when you call yourself a 'Jedi Grandmaster?'"

"Shiki, then." Luke fixed the name in his memory and sat next to the young man, pulling a scrap of cloth out to wipe sweat from his face. Master he might call himself, but that sure didn't make even the basic exercises any easier. Yoda hadn't been lying when he said that the life of a Jedi was a life of learning.

"And you can just call me Luke. The title means I lead the Jedi Order, but there's not much of an Order here right now. I never liked to stand on ceremony, anyway." He made a face, then remembered Shiki probably couldn't see it. Dealing with politicians - Leia not included - had made the title a necessity in order to play the game, but Luke was still a Tatooine farmer at heart, and here especially where everyone had to work together, he couldn't justify putting himself above others like that.

"I hope you do not mind my asking, but what is the Jedi Order?"

Shifting his shoulders around to make himself a little more comfortable, Shiki adds, "I can understand what you mean about ceremonies. I was never really comfortable during the new year addresses at school."

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A Thousand Suns [Open]

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