Seridan paced the silent grassland, relishing the stillness. There was a slow breeze, gently rustling his dark robes. They were blessed with a clear sky - there wasn’t a cloud in sight - and the stars littered his vision. The ragtag group of Dark, Grey, and Light Jedi had been forbidden by Celevon to use lanterns or any form of lighting, else they be seen. Even so, the Miraluka found that starlight was bright enough to navigate the small camp as he took a walk to clarify his thoughts.
Despite Aisha’s confidence in him as their leader, Seridan really didn’t like leading. Given the choice, Seridan would have taken off, alone, into the night and performed his tasks alone. He sometimes had a hard time trusting other people with important tasks, so he generally tried to do everything himself. It was a punishing mindset, but it had its rewards. It gave an incredible sense of self-confidence - one that was often self-contained, and wasn’t boastful. It also gave him skills he would never have gained otherwise. However, it did have its limitations. Sometimes the pressure would become too much, or he wouldn’t be able to do something important, and he would let someone down. But being a leader wasn’t always something desired, but something needed. At this time, Seridan needed to help guide the team, as a leader, like it or not.
Leading this team was something he didn’t really want. And yet, despite there being more skilled and experienced people in the group, like Xirini or Celevon, he had been chosen. He knew how it had happened - Aisha saw him as Chief, Xirini was only in it for the money, and the Arconans weren’t trusted by everyone. That wasn’t to say, of course, that Seridan was trusted. There were… things in his past that would make even Aisha doubt his character.
As he passed the last makeshift tent and ventured into the taller grass, he attempted to dispel his darker memories. The grass made a soft, rasping noise as Seridan moved through it. For the first time in what seemed like an age, he felt free. He felt like a shadow, gracefully edging forward, unseen and hidden. Only the stars — stoic and resolute in the sky above — saw him. He felt his hair shift slightly as the breeze momentarily blustered. His blindfold twisted slightly, brushing the bridge of his nose gently.
I shouldn’t be this calm, Seridan thought, I have hardly had a break in 48 hours.
He thought on the first crucial battle on-board Sanctuary. He’d almost had a crisis, realising the terrible repercussions of his actions. He had frozen while men fought and died around him. He had killed many and wrecked the lives of more. He had — mid-battle — contemplated whether he had done wrong and needed punishment for his actions. His own inaction then had probably caused more deaths. After that first battle on Sanctuary, he had been extremely solemn and morose. And yet, now, mere hours later, he reflected and saw the positives. It showed that Seridan wasn’t an emotionless psycho-killer. He was capable of having a conscience, and that was very reassuring. It was something that had been missing for far too long. His mind once again started questioning whether he was fit to lead such a pivotal group. Was he stable? Seridan no longer knew. Was he trustworthy? He hadn’t let any Jedi down before. But it was only a matter of time.
This small group of force-wielders — and Xirini — could pave a foundation for years to come. The work done here — the bridges built, the connections created — could tie the Shadow Clan and the Clan of Light together in an alliance that could simultaneously save and bolster both Clans.
Seridan, catching himself getting caught up with idealism, sighed.
Where did my skeptisicm go? He wistfully wondered, When did I become a romanticist? I must have spent too much time with the Summit.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to his surroundings. Grass stretched out in front of him in all directions. The large majority of it was flat, though every now and then a knoll would rise. Above him, millions of pinprick stars shone with just enough light to illuminate the area just enough to see. The only smell was that of slightly damp soil, and grass. The only sounds was his deep breathing, and the soft rustle of grass.
Seridan’s brows suddenly pressed together in concentration.
No… There is another sound, almost too soft to hear…
It was hard to hear, but it was definitely there. A low rumble, almost like an engine…
Seridan tensed, urging his legs to run. Finally getting the hint, his legs started pumping towards the camp. He had to warn them. They were coming. The O’reenians were coming. It wasn’t like he could shout a warning, or blow a war-horn. For all he knew, it was just a passing scout.
He made it to the outskirts of the camp, shaking the closest tent. A somewhat drowsy mumble came from inside. A few moments later, a Cathar head appeared. Seridan was momentarily confused — usually hidden under a hat, the ruffled fur on Rin’s head seemed odd. Her expression was initially one of anger, but it soon changed to the cool aloofness that encapsulated Xirini’s persona.
“What’s wrong?” she purred softly.
“They’re here,” he replied, his voice grave.
“Then stop crouching there and get everyone els—”
Xirini’s off-hand comment never was completed. The stillness of the night was cruelly interrupted. A blaring siren was blasted, a blinding light illuminating the camp. Seridan fell back, temporarily blinded and deafened. Despite his disorientation, he stood and reached out in the Force to find his foes. He summoned his lightsaber, practised hands igniting his blade. Around him, his allies were getting to their feet, all wearing steely expressions (except for Skar, who still wore that nightmarish mask). Strangely enough, Skar seemed to be one of the only ones not affected by the bright light.
Seridan, in the moment’s respite that he had, tried to bury his disdain.
Ambush, he thought, it always is the coward’s tactic.
They didn’t know the size of this enemy force, but the ARCCOUans weren’t going to go down without a fight. As his eyesight adjusted and his ears started registering noise again, he heard the war-cries of men. With a glance to his friends, new and old, he gritted his teeth and leapt forward to meet his foe.
If you want to read more, then check out the run-on in which Xirini, Aisha, and I are participating :) There’s also the one in which our resident sage and healer, Kaira (as well as RM Nathan) is participating. (shameless plugs are shameless, I know :P )
First of all, I just want to say how incredibly happy I am with all of you. I didn’t really have to encourage you much, but you guys took over Compass of Reason Part 1, and took a good chunk of SeNet too! Between us, we got 24 Crescents this month (There are only 7 of us, and we placed 24 times!)
At the moment, we’re in a Clan feud with Arcona! I have to say… it did kinda creep up on us! I know we’re always going on about participation, but this time it will truly help us. We’re going up against another Clan, and we need to show our stuff. This feud may be with one of the most infamous clans, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t win it, eh? From a brief look, most of you are participating and that’s brilliant. I daresay that the Disciples will get a very good showing throughout the feud (which means we can party even harder! (once the feud is done :P)). Keep it up guys!
Fictionally, the Disciples are moving away from pure pacifism. In an email a few weeks ago, I talked about the key qualities of each Battleteam. Ooroo has cunning, Allusis has strength and combat prowess, but the Disciples may be the most dangerous: our quality is compassion. When we or something/one we love is threatened, we won’t hold back our power. This isn’t just to give us an excuse to fight - it makes our path less restrictive, yet still accentuating our core values.
(Also, it could make us the greyest Battleteam. Some of us could be closer to the Dark Side because of that passion. I’m looking at you, Jalen the Dark-Sider :P )
I know that we’ve had a few busy months. We’ve had so many events - I personally have really enjoyed all the new storylines and stuff - but there is a risk of burning out. With so many competitions and everyone always urging 100% participation, keeping up can be difficult. In the end, it is about fun, so just do the competitions you feel like doing.
That being said, going out of your comfort zone isn’t bad. Graphics isn’t my thing, but I still do it. Hell, I even won a db-wide graphics comp this month (as did Mar Sul and Aaleeshah). I’ve even made a video for the feud (albeit a terrible one), even though it’s my first attempt at one. You can’t improve at anything if you don’t try something new. Back when I started, if I had chose not to start writing, then I would probably have gone rogue by now. For months, I was pretty bad at writing. It took many months to improve my skills to a good standard. I never gave up in those months, even though no one would have blamed me if I had. I’m not sure why I didn’t just quit. Maybe it’s because I’m a bookworm and all-round story-lover. Maybe I didn’t want to let anyone down, or maybe I just wanted to learn a new skill. It’s just a thought, for anyone who wants one. Try something new, learn a new language, do a drawing, write a poem. It might just lead you somewhere awesome.
Just want to do a few shout-outs :)
Jalen Ramz: One of our resident gamers, Jalen has not only submitted loads of times to the current Feud Gaming comp, but he’s won two other db-wide TOR comps this month. Way to go!
Kaira Rohana and Droveth Kathera Vectivi: These two came joint second in the Compass of Reason - Way to go! The Disciples have dominated activity-wise, and that’s exactly what we want to see. :D
If you want to be a part of the evolution, just let me know at [Log in to view e-mail addresses].
With all the events going on, I think you guys need a week or two off. We seem to have some awesome people in the Clan who create their own comps for you to get stuck into, like TOR comps, caption comps, fiction comps - all kinds!
The first comps I set up will probably be trivial, and independent of anything else. A cool storyline, however, is in production for you guys… I can’t say much, but it may involve smugglers and manipulation. Coming Soon!
Also, please welcome Xirini Kurai to our ranks! He’s an awesome guy with great writing skills, so he will no doubt bring us glory! He’s already approached us asking to help, and he’s been active in the feud so far. Welcome, man!
You may not have heard, but Arcona has actually allied with us in the Tides of Change Feud! If you missed the backstory, after the O’reenians first attack on Sanctuary, Arcona arrived to ‘save the day’, and they are aiding us against the larger fleet that has appeared. It seems like there is a battle everywhere - in space, on the space station, even planetside.
We are two weeks into the feud, and we seem to be doing well. We were a little undersubscribed for the group comps, but we seem to be making up for it. If my calendar is right, events for the third and final week will open in a few hours - it’s time for the final charge - lets go!
Find all the Tides of Change comps here! As Hoth's Quaestor likes to say, Go do all the things!
Do all you feel you can - this feud is not only fun, with new people, but it could cement our place within the DB for years to come.
Also, out of interest, if anyone wants any book recommendations, I have quite a few. I’d be happy to gain some recommendations too - I can add it to my ever-growing list of books I need to read :)
Unity trumps all
I’m your host, Seridan Brehevik
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Excellent report!
Good job disciples!
Nice stuff m'lad