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Meditation was a way to clear the mind, to focus the soul, and to calm the body.
To reflect upon the Force and it’s connection to the body brought one a deeper understanding and trained oneself to accept the Force’s flow.
But in the midst of his meditation, Link found himself somewhere else, dragged by powers not of his own.

Whether he was dreaming or having an out of body experience he could not tell. But he found himself standing in a fog enshrouded field of red stone and sand, the grey fog obscuring the world beyond the red boulders and gravel.
He remembered this place, the boulders pockmarked with sword gouges and worked by the wind, the crunching gravely sand that slid out from beneath you with every misstep of a stance, the parched dry air that burned your throat.

This was Stoga. The place he had trained as an apprentice.
But there never was any Fog. Stoga was dry.

And then, a shimmering figure drew forth from the mists; tall and regal, clad in the vestments Link had seen him wear long years ago.
Master Hiko Shin, Swordmaster of the Two Dragon Way, the Rogue Jedi kensai, and the man who had trained Link to be a Jedi.
Link could not believe his eyes.
It must be an illusion. There was no other explanation. He had felt it, the passing of the master into the Force.
And then the apparition spoke and dispelled all possibility of illusion.

“Seven years. Seven years have passed since you left my side. And what do you do with the gift I gave you? You skirt the border of the Dark side, fight in a war you had no stake in, run around hunting treasure, and then get arrested and sent to prison.” The apparition spat disgustedly and pointed an accusing finger at Link. “And now this last horrid offense: Using your skills in a common pit fight. Have you no honor? No shame at all?”

The Jedi winced at the accusations thrown at him by his former master, taking the blows as they came.
“This one is sorry, Master.”

Unrelenting, Hiko continued. “When I found you, you were lost, frightened and alone. I saved you from the life of a slave, taught you the blade and to realize your connection to the Force. I gave you a life, an identity, and a purpose. And you cast it aside for these petty games of yours, each one accomplishing nothing but trouble. Now there is a Sith on the Emperor’s throne, the Jedi are scattered, and the Sith are united. Whats more, ferno is still alive and causing untold pain and suffering, running free to spread chaos and destruction because there is no one left to check his movements.”

“I have not forgotten him, Master.“

“Silence. We may not be of the Order, but we have a responsibility to the Galaxy. We curb the Sith, prevent the worst of their evil from emerging. That is the task set before us. And you have cast aside that responsibility. You disappoint me, Link.”

“But what am I to do?!” Link cried out, snapping back at his master’s scolding. “I tried to stop the Sith at Utao Prime, tried to stop the war there! But in the end they still won! No matter what I do, the Sith continue to hold the Galaxy!”

His master’s sudden glare froze Link in place and silence his outburst.

“Did you pay attention at all to the lessons I taught you?” He asked quietly. “The Way of the Two Dragons is the way of the one man army. By studying its teachings, a single jedi can fight with the strength of many and emerge victorious over a superior number of foes. On Utao you used only the most basic of its tenents and yet held your ground for three years against the combined might of the Empire and the Sith Order. And now you complain to me that you are overwhelmed?”

He held his hand out and then clenched it, making a fist. “You now have a military strength Starship at your command, a resource I could only dream of having. Quirks aside, it is a powerful weapon in your arsenal. And a Jedi must always make the most of what he has. The Sith may hold the galaxy, but it’s a tenuous grip at best. You must remember what I have taught you and take the fight to the enemy. If you fight as I have taught you, then the Sith’s grip will loosen enough for whats left of the Jedi to breath easier. It is for the Jedi and the citizens of the galaxy that you must fight. Do not forget that.”

“And what of Ferno, Master?” Link asked.

“He must be dealt with. Ferno is a wounded tiger, seeking a death he can not find. His hatred, born of that frustration, will be directed at everything and anything that should be misfortunate enough to stand in his path. Until he is put down, he will continue to lash out at what remains of the Order and the innocent populace. Only a dragon can defeat a tiger, Link. You must be the one to stop him.”

Link nodded. “Then his hatred must be directed elsewhere, a target that he can not ignore.”
“Such as?”
“Myself. This one will compete at the tournament. His skill will be such that it will draw attention to the tournament. And word of his skills will reach Ferno. This one can not locate him. His information network is too small. So he will have to bring Ferno to him.”

The apparition was silent for a time. Then he spoke.
“This was your plan from the beginning.”
Link nodded again. “Yes.”
“You realize that you can not defeat him yet.”
“Yes. But better he spend resources hunting me than hurting others.”

“Perhaps you’re not as stupid as I might have believed.” Hiko muttered. He turned to walk back into the mists pausing momentarily.
“May the Force be with you, Link, for your sake.”
With that, the apparition faded into the grey fog, leaving Link alone amid the memory of the Stoga training ground.

“It was good to see you too, Master.” Link replied quietly.

((Jaden's like a rubberman.. Got crushed and he magically jumps...

@Cale: Good mornign, link. I'm afraid I can't do that link...))

((oops, my bad sweatdrop . Really sorry about that, I will edit it, right away! Again, really sorry))

1 week later

A week had passed

I just said that.

Who the hell are you?

The guy who states how much time hs passed and where a character is sometimes.

I'm the narrator. I tell the story. Now get the hell out of here. Nelo doesnt like you anyway. Remember how he acted the last time you showed up?

But I never get to do anything....

Shut it, get out of here.
Joker.
Now where was I? Oh yes:

A week had passed. Every day was a fight for survial.
The lights would dim out unpredictably, doors would malfunction, and the crab creatures struck without warning.
And everything had to be done at higher than average gravity.
Link didn't even know where he was. The ship kept altering course, and he was unschooled in hyperspace and deepspace navigation.
Then on top of that, the ship kept speaking in that flat tone of hers, the droning of which mixed with the fact that she controled everything on the ship made it an unerving sound.
It was survival training of a kind he had never experienced before.
But through it all he managed to pull through.
He only wished that the tournament was less than a week away.
He wasnt sure he could handle this for much longer

((Yeah, I need to post. And EK, the holocrons on korriban aren't really "hidden". Note Nihilus, addendu, and the last guy krayt summoned all at once. They're kinda all in this big collection now))

The licker had no ability to follow the witch precisely; that did not hinder its progress at all. The acid in its mouth could degrade smaller obstacles, and larger ones simply meant rebounding off another tree to the left or right with a powerful jump. It grew closer to the witch, its teeth gnashing at the air. Her movements were matched as best as a beast its size could, before it dropped its signature from the force, leaping up into the air, hoping to confuse its prey.

"Name?" The Droid requested.

"Kyo, Ronin of the Bendu Order." The man stated calmly. "This one was assured that his registration was already dealt with."

The Droid looked up at the speaker and sized him up.
He was slight shorter than the standard human, with scruffy dark hair, blue eyes, and a noticble cross shaped scar upon his left cheek.
His garb consisted of a loose, wide-sleeved black tunic with white trim, underwhich he wore a light shirt. Upon the tunic's back was a styalized white sun design, a pattern that was present on the back of the man's protective black hand and forearm protectors.
His pants were a type of loose white trousers with black trim tied at the waist by a black cloth belt.
He wore a pair of plain black slippers that completed the outfit, and his only visible weapons were the pair of wooden swords jutting from his belt.

The droid looked back to its screen and buzzed through the databank of fighters.
"Ronin Kyo...here we are. And you plan on fighting with those..."

"Bokken. And yes. My order has taboos about spilling blood."

The droid rolled its photoreceptors and typed up a few things.

"Very well. Your registration is indeed logged in. You will fight your first preliminary bout in two hours at mat 46, A section."

The monk bowed and proceeded on his way onto the tournament grounds.

"Now what did I tell you? They bought it hook line and sinker." Sia's voice, emitting from a small comlink in his ear, spoke to him.

"Kyo" glanced about, replying in a low tone. "Was the scar necessary though? It would seem odd that a member of a nonviolent sect would have such a wound..."

"Listen, the most ruthless and mean fighters in huttspace are gonna be in this tourney. Even with your beefcake muscles you look like a pushover. The Scar makes you look tougher."

"And the Sun marks on my gauntlets and Yukata?"

"A Dark Sun doesnt show up very well on black. So I improvised."

"Why not the real Bendu symbol?"

"Because you're not Bendu. You're a Darksun. That and I might go into a clothing franchise if this pays off. Thats gonna be my swoosh."

"You're what?"

"Nevermind, Blondie." Sia said irritably. "Just focus on kicking butt. I got credits riding on this."