Training: Joris Howers [Suspended]

[Jools Noctru]

Blue is my Game Master (GM) voice. Please consider everything said in blue to be Out-Of-Character (OOC).

Before we start training, I would like you to post your character background story. Go into as much detail as you like. This is very important, because every character in the Combine needs to know where they come from, and what type of person they are. Once you have posted your background, we will proceed with your training.

[Joris Howers]

Good Morning,
I hope you don't mind, but I only posted part of my biography because
I did not want to overload you. I will send more once this has been reviewed.

He was raised always thinking he could do good in this galaxy with his interest in medicine and science, but not at home. His 'good' though, amidts the Galactic Empire, was seen as evil if it wasn't used for the Imperial cause. Joris Howers learned this as a teenager growing up on Thyferra, and with the takeover of the plant by the Empire.

Life on Thyferra was never portraited from the eyes of the civilians who lived through the war brought to there plant. Life was a challenge not to live well, but to stay alive. The unreported number of civilian casualties seemed to just miss the headlines of the Galatic Empire's Holocron and seem to not matter towards the valiant rebellion. The war was between two outside entities in a place where most Thyferrans thought it didn't belong. The life under the Empire was bad enough, but being in the middle of a war that is not theirs is another thing. Joris Howers was only fourteen when the war came to the system. He was only just a young Thyferran boy but when the war ended a year later, he was a man who understood his purpose. He has been through a lot of change over the years, but nothing like how he grew during that experience.

It all seemed to start the day school was closed due to the fighting, when he was fourteen. This took place five years after the Battle of Yavin which, he didn't think at the time, was the cause of the entire takeover of his plant and the monoply of the bacta industry by the Xucphra corporation. He arrogantly thought he must not worry about such things because what is one little plant in a far away system, like this, good for and bacta is truely an important comodity but this wasn't the only planet that could grow red alazhi. Sadly, the Empire did have a purpose, to control the bacta supply of the universe and inhibite the rebellion from becoming any stronger. The early months of fighting became speratic and random. Usually targeting supply routes or small convoys out in the country side. Occansionally, there my have been an assassination of a mayor or governer within the cities but nothing more extreme than a long gunman. Once the Empire started proof itself in policing the rebellion due to the takeover the fighting to calm down in the ground offensives. Eventually, life seemed to return to normal, school reopened but not as it once was. The entire faculty, cirriculm, and even location of the school had changed. Now, it was placed in a district which was guarded by local police and taught by instructors claiming to be sponsors from the Galactic Empire. These instructors would teach the youth things they never learned before in normal school. Some of the lessons were on reporting suspicious activity around their houses and the descriptions of Rebel Space Craft and Weapon Systems. Every now and then they would be greeted by their old teachers who would come in for a few hours and teach them normal stuff such as science and mathematics. Stuff that Joris enjoyed learning about not weapons.

During the next few weeks, the Empiror's sponsers seemed to be pressing more and more proporganda to the students on how the Rebels wanted to come destroy our homes and kill our families. From what Joris' father spoke of about the rebels was about how they want to do everything to stop corruption and promote safer ways of life in the galaxy. His father also told Joris to not even say a word about the that conversation. "To speak against the Empire, is to rebel against the Empire!" his father would say. Joris tried as hard as he could not to, but he heard his friends say that their parents tell them the same thing. During the following weeks a few of the older students in Joris' school were given free scholarships to the Galactic Empire Academy for turning in so called 'traitors' of the Empire. After school, Joris found out that one of his friend's, who's parents were friends of his father, had to go live with distant relatives on the otherside of the planet. It turns out that his parents were arrested for promoting anti-proporganda about the Empire to the community. None of knew what they did to his parents but all of the students were informed that the older boys who turned in Joris' friend's parents were taken from the planet the day after and dropped of at the Academy. No one has heard from them since. This became the usual future for boys who became the age to join the academy. If they we not selected to become part of the Empire, then they were enlisted into the Thyferran Home Defense Corps (THDC). Joris did not know what to think of the Empire or of the Rebellion. His parents obiviously did not feel the need to accept the actions of the Empire but the rebels seemed to be a wild bunch of terrorists, according to school. Joris pondered about this for days and eventually sufficed with the conclusion that he would not be on anybodies side. From then on, he would remain neutral.

[Jools Noctru]

A very good introduction, Joris! My only comments would be that the punctuation (usage of periods "." and commas ",") is sometimes inappropriate, breaking the flow of the sentence. This is understandable, as a large portion of our members are not native English speakers. Don't worry too much about it, as advice take the general rule of thumb: when in doubt don't use a comma. Your use of tense is nearly spot-on. I only found one slip-up but it's not worth pointing that out specifically.

As you indicated there is more information, I will not continue the training right away. Please continue with your character background.

[Joris Howers]

Thank you very much. Yes, English my first language, then it's French. I'll try fixing the comma thing. I used to not use enough. Irony maybe, eh. Well, here's a little more of the biography.

At night he would lay outside watching the dark night errupt into a fierce light show of green and red streaks. Sometimes he would see an explosion or two. There was no telling who was fighting who or who was winning. Not that he cared. Every now and then he would hear the sound of mechanical walkers or tanks blasting there way out of another ambush which was set by the rebels and the resistant fighters. Eventually, as the year dragged on, the fighting became closer to the cities. More and more resistant groups were sprouting up, mostly due to the industrial takeover of the bacta but also because of the Krytos virus released upon the Vratix to kill off there population from harvesting the plants. The Vratix is a species who have populated this plant from the beginning of time and also taught the human colonist to make bacta. Attacks against the Empire's security force became more public and deadly. Not only the Empire's forces but also the civilian population. The Empire used this as fuel for the proporganda agains the rebels. The civilians started to take sides which caused the fighting to become focused on the cities.

One day, Joris awoke to people moving around outside his bedroom window. As soon as he had the nerve to get out of bed to investigate, his entire city street errupted into a battle. It seemed the rebels found a weak link in a Thyferran Home Defense Corps' police station, on the other side of the river. The police station held a few of the rebel's pilots who were shot down the day before. Both sides seemed to disregard the presences of locals living in the houses. Explosions shook his house and the lasers brightened up the dark night. The attack last only thirty minutes but his neighboorhood was missing a few houses in the end. Luckily, the Hower's home was left but unscathed except for a few broken windows due to the explosions outside. His father went out to assess the damage of the neighboorhood while his mother was cleaning up the debris which littered their yard. Many of his neighboors were outside doing the same. He could he crying of pain and agony coming from a few of the house that had collapsed. Friends and family were try desperatly to uncover the victims. Joris walked down the street to find one of his friend's from school hunched over a seemingly lifeless body. Joris walked over to take a look, also. The man was probably a little older than him and his friend. Joris' friend asked, 'Did you know him?'

"No," Joris replied, "Did you?"

"No."

The two boys just continued to look at the still corpse laying in the middle of the street. Then Joris looked up at the house behind his friend. It, in fact, had no resemblence of a house. No walls, windows, or doors. Just a big pile of brick and metal. At this point Joris felt angered. Why would the rebels want to attack in such a hostile way with no consideration of the locals. Were they not fighting for a better way of life? Then it also struck him. Why did the THDF defend in such a brutal way? Did they not know who was living in the houses across the river? They should be the ones defending the neighboorhood, not destroying it. At this point Joris decided to go home and help his mother.

The yard was mostly filled with tree branches, shingels, scraps of metal, and expended ammuntion. His father was briefing his report to his mother. Her eyes started to swell up and begin to fill with tears. Joris' father had a look on his face he had never seen before, worry. He looked at Joris and told him he better go up to his room and clean up the broken glass. His father seemed to be anxious indeed. Joris went to his room like he was told and started to clean.

After an hour, the room was beginning to be glass free, when he heard a knock on the front door. Joris walked into the living room when he saw his mother open the door. Outside, was a sharpely dressed Empirial Officer and two THDC police. The officer requested to be lead in and wished to speak to the owners of this home. My mother seemed immediately shaken and quickly gestured the strangers in. My father appeared from the kitchen and greeted the officer. The two police made their way into the living room. The Imperial said he wanted to have a quick conversation with Joris' parents and ask a few questions. The also stated that the THDC police were going to do an assessment of the house for damages inflicted from the battle. Immediately, once my parents were out of the living room, the police started to look around. Joris thought it was odd how they were assessing. They first started by opening up drawers and lifting up furniture. Either of them said a work and worked diligently. After about two hours Joris' parents returned with the Imperial officer. He asked the police what the cost of the damage was and they replied one-hundered credits worth. Once this was said, the officer pulled out the cash and handed it Joris' father. He looked at it and shook his head. He stated it would not be necessary. The officer withdrew the credits and bid us a good day. The Imperial and the THDC left the house the same way they entered. Once they were out of sight Joris' mother looked at his father and asked, "What do you think this all means?"

His father replied, "I don't know, but we must be careful not to let anyone suspect the slightest chance we are against the Empire."

Then it dawned on Joris. They were not here to inspect damage, they were here to collect evidence. Then he thought, 'Could my parents be working with the rebellion?' His heart pounded thinking of what could happen if they were caught! There was no way they could be part of the rebels. Although, his house was barely scathed during the attack. It could have meant the rebels knew allies were present or the Imperials just seemed to miss it. Joris calmed his nerves and figured his parents could not possibly be part of the rebellion. Not his at home mother and realitor father. So, he went back to his room and finish cleaning up the mess.

[Jools Noctru]

You are doing a truly remarkable job, Joris. Excellent post once again. I have great confidence in your abilities, though I'd like to see how you handle PC conversations, un-moderated- and moderated combat situations.

Please, if you have any more character background, please post it (I'm eager to see how Joris' story continues). Otherwise, we shall move on with this following scenario:

You are to assume that the Trainers character is an old friend, and react to them accordingly. Remember that you can not control the actions of other PCs.
You are at the bar, ordering another drink when your old friend Skritt Zavv, an aging Geonosian, approaches you and attempts to slap you on the back.

"Hey, buddy, I didn't expect to see you here. How have you been?"

[Joris Howers]

Thank you for you review. I will continue to write more and start on my assignment.

Later that night, while Joris was laying in bed, he heard something outside his window, again. Thinking it was just the wind he paid little attention. He would assume the attackers would return for a second night. The glass which used to be in his window now lays in the waste bin in the corner of his room. Again, he heard the noise. This time, it sounded more like heavy breathing. Now, he suspected an animal maybe trying to find it's way into his room. He grabbed the broom which laid at the end of his bed and walked towards the opening in his room. As he walked closer the breathing became more noticable. Slowly he peeked his head over the window ledge. He could not believe what his eyes were fixed on! Scared to move a gloved hand came up toward the ledge and grasped it. A suttle voice cried out, "Please," and again, "Please."

At this moment Joris quickly stepped back and held the broom stick like a bat. He yelled, "What do you want? Who are you?"

The stranger replied again breathless, "Please, I need help."

Joris was distraught. His mind began to race and eventually he saw the stranger lean over the window ledge. His face was pale and his face seemed to be in much discomfort. Joris noticed the man was clenching his abdomin. At this point, he figured he was not capable of inflicting harm upon anything so he walked over and assisted the stranger in. The injured man sat up against Joris' desk and Joris examined him more thouroughly. From the classes at school he has deduced that the man was not from the Empire or the THDC. He also knew almost every family on the block. The man, from the looks of him, came from not of this planet. He was darker and thicker than most Thyferrans, who usually are tall and slender with a lighter skin complex. Again the man, looking at Joris, pleaded, "Please, help me."

Joris was at a loss and replied, "How? What do you need?"

"Ba-Bacta," the man quickly replied with short breaths. Joris knew his parents kept a few bacta sticks in the bathroom, along with a box of patches. He briskly walk to the bathroom and returned with the medical supplies. Kneeling down next to the man, Joris asked to let him take a look. The man lifted his arm to relieve a large open wound on the right side of his abdomin. Joris shook his head saying, "I don't know how to fix this."

The man said he will guide him through the process. "First, remove this vest," said the man. Once the vest was taken off he said, "Now open up a few bacta sticks and flush the bacta into the wound."

Joris agreed and quickly broke open two bacta sticks and began to squirt the contents in and around the torn flesh. The man clentch his teeth as the bacta sprayed into his wound. Now, still short of breath, the man told Joris to cover the wound with a few bacta patches. Once that was finished, the man thanked him. He started to look around Joris' room at all the biology books and science magazines. Joris just was frozen in thought about where this man came from. All of a sudden the man seemed to relax, and his eyes rolled back into his head. There he lay, silent. Joris' mind flipped back to earlier that day with the dead rebel in the street. He thought to himself, 'he can't die here! Not in my room! What would his parents say?' Then he noticed the man was still breathing. A huge sigh of relief came over him, but he still have the question, 'What would his parents say?' The man looked to be in a deep sleep and all Joris could think about was sleep himself. He decided to sit in his bed and keep watch over the man until he wakes up. After an hour, Joris fell asleep.

The next morning, Joris awoke with a stiff neck. Still sitting up, he opened his eyes looking around the room. The man was gone, the bacta patches were not where he left him, but nothing else seemed out of place. He heard voices coming from down the hall. He immediately got up, put on some fresh clothes, and walked toward the kitchen. Joris thought he was about to faint. There, in his kitchen, sat the stranger from last night and his parents. The man looked a lot better than he did last night and it seems like new bacta patches have been applied recently. On the floor next to him lay a blood stained shirt with a hole in the side where the wound was under. They all looked at Joris when he entered the room. His mother greeted him with a, 'good morning.' Joris' eyes were still fixed on the strange man sitting at table with his parents. Then his father asked Joris to sit down as he pulled out a chair. Joris walked slowly to the chair and sat down.

"Good morning Kid," the stranger said as he reached out his hand, "I want to thank you for a top job you did on me last night."

"Your welcome," was all that Joris could get out. His attention then focused to his father at the other end of the table. He seemed tense and in a state of thought. Eventually, he started to shake his head.

His father broke the silence and said, "This is all wrong. What are we going to do now? This is the man they have been looking for yesterday after the attack."

Joris thought back to the day prior and remembered the Imperial visiting their house. The visit must have been something dealing with this man. The question was, 'Who was he?'

Joris' mother tried to reassure him, "Honey, it will be alright-"
"No, this is dangerous! If our neighboors will see or hear about any of this we are marked."

Joris has never seen his father like this, so distraught. The man also reassured them that we would be gone once nightfall comes around. He will sneak out into the night and noone will ever know. Joris father looked up at the man and sighed. Then, looked at Joris still speechless and again seemed to be in deep thought.

"Tillam, you know me. Have I ever lead you wrong?" the stranger said to his father.

Joris' heart did a double-take. His father knew this man!? An old friend? A relative?

"Ed, I'm afraid this time it is unacceptable. You almost entirely destroyed a city block! Not to mention put my family in danger."

"The raid did go according to plan, but I personelly made sure my brother's house would not be harmed!"

Speechless, Joris sat back in his chair. This is his uncle. The one his father never spoke about. The one that his family never bothered to send an invitation too during family get togethers. This is the first time Joris has actually seen him. He knew that the man was not truly his father's brother because he was adopted into the family. You could tell that easily because this man at the end of the table had dark skin and more built body. Joris never bothered asking about his uncle. For what reason did he have to anyway?

"I shouldn't have ever let you bring your men here in the first place," his father said, "I should have known that this would only bring us trouble." His father sighed again, not rubbing his eyes.

Joris' mother spoke up, "Ed, we understand why you are here and we support you one-hundered percent, but I'm afraid this was too close for comfort."

"Palana, I do thank you for all the help you have given me and my men," his uncle replied. His face lightened up. Then, his attention turned to Joris. "I'm sorry Kid, I have never met you. I'm Edin Howers, your father's step-brother." Again he put out his hand to greet Joris.

"Hello," Joris replied. The man's hand was firm and strong.

"I don't know if your family has ever told you about me," motioning to Joris' parents, "I left the nest a little early."

"You didn't leave early, we both left at the same time. You just happened to start your adventures sooner than I did," his father interjected.

"Well, if you call becoming a realitor an adventure, very well. I couldn't take anymore or sitting in school listening to the things out there. I went out there and did them!" Ed slammed his hand on the table. "Do you know what I mean?" His eyes glanced over to Joris and nodded. Joris nodded in return pretending he agreed. He showed no interest but inside his mind was at work thinking of what his uncle had done. Did he explore distant planets or see exotic creatures? Was he some sort of scienctist? He didn't look like a scientist, to Joris.

Eventually, he broke and finally asked, "What did you do?"

A big smile came over Uncle Ed's face, his mustache seemed to stretch acrossed his upper lip. He said quiet like to Joris, "Everything I could get my hands on."

Joris mother slapped him on the shoulder and Ed let out a cry of pain then grabbed his side. "Easy Pal, I was only joking with the boy. Kid, I'll tell you straight up what I did because everyone else in this room already knows," he paused for dramatic effect, "I did a lot of work for different factions. Primarily, around the Outer Rim. Small jobs dealing with transportation of goods and security stuff, you know. I have learn more than I ever have in any school."

Now, Joris understood why his family never spoke of him. Most work done in the Outer Rim was illegal in manner or so it seemed to Joris. He has heard stories of priates and drug smugglers always being an issue around the Outer Rim. It was just not a safe place to be with all the terrible coming from those places. He would guess his uncle was a wanted man, not only on this planet but a few in the galaxy. The question was now. What was he doing here, on Thyferra? Joris thought he must know!

[Joris Howers]

This is the work for the first assignment. It may give a little information of what is to come of my biography. I've never written an RP story so I'm not sure how this was supposed to come out. I also tried to stay away from controlling the other PC.

The cantinas are usually not as crowded during the work week as opposed to the weekend. Still, a good number of people flock to the bar for happy hour specials every night. Joris Howers was not one of them. He had been just on his way to the spaceport when he received a message his flight plans were to be delayed until the morning. He decided to swing by the one of the local cantinas and have a farewell drink to the planet he was soon about to disembark. He did not know for how long or what waited him down the road. All he wanted to do is start a life on another planet which he could
feel useful. It may have been the bug his uncle got when he was his age, but unlike his uncle, Joris decided to stay in school just a tad bit longer.

As he walked up to the bar he looked around at the unfiltered crowd. Not a similar looking lifeform complimented the room. To him, it looked like an abstract piece of artwork which was using the galaxy's different races to fill the blanks. The atmosphere had a pleasent homely feel to it. The members were laughing amongst each other and even the quiet guests seemed to have a shared smile on their faces. Joris leaned against the bar and motioned to the bartender on the opposite end. A lenghty woman walked over and ask nodded as to ask what he would like to order. Joris requested the usual work week drink of choice, a glass of Johrian Whiskey. He took glance at the bartender's backside as she walked to grab a glass. He looked her up and down as she poured the blue-green substance out of a tap. She must have been around the same age as him, twenty-one, and most likely the cantina owner's daughter. Work on Thyferra was not easy to find. This was one of the other reasons Joris was ready to get a move on and find some place else to live.

Another reason was the Imperial re-takeover. The years after the Bacta War and the Battle that took place here seemed to spike with motivation but soon wither back into the grips of Imperial business. The bacta industry was no longer controlled by the Imperials, and was no longer just one faction controlling the production. Nevertheless, the planet fell back into a government under the Empirer's rules. Although, it wasn't as bad as the first time when Joris was just a teen. The school system ran like normal, the police were not forced to oppress their own people, and you would be safe to voice your opinions in the streets, to an extent of course.

The bartender returned with the glass of Johrian Whiskey and set it in front of Joris. "Twenty credits please," she said as she looked up at him. Their eyes met and Joris could tell the signs of struggle she must have endured through the wars. He handed over the payment and took his glass in the other hand. To think that his whole planet was takenover for the soul purpose of withdrawing aid from a group of individuals who did not feel the galaxies government was not functioning properly. What would happen if he didn't pay the whole twenty credits at this establishment? Would he be killed? The planet's people make the rules to live by but the Imperials judge the punishments for breaking these rules.

Joris took his first sip of his drink. It went down smoothly and burned his tongue a little. As he set the glass down his eyes shifted around the room and then over his shoulder. Once he turned toward the other side he caught a hand coming at his back. The person's touch seemed fimiliar in a way. Joris turned toward the individual and felt his cheeks tighten up into a smile. Standing right in front of him was a face no one could ever forget. Joris had spent sometime with this man during the struggles of the Bacta War.

"Hey, buddy, I didn't expect to see you here. How have you been?" the fellow asked.

"Hey, not to bad, Skritt! Wow, haven't see your muttled up face since the time we loaded you onto that shuttle back to the camp." Joris recalls.

[Jools Noctru]

"Yeh, life's always been a bit rough around the edges... Specially in this hell hole." Skritt said in a buzzing tone as he took place beside the young Thyferran.

"In fact, I think I'm going to get the hell out of here soon!" Skritt continued on a lower volume, as he eyed around the bar suspiciously.

His gaze then snapped to Joris' face. He stared Joris straight in the eyes for a moment, as if trying to read his intentions. "I have a ship waiting at the edge of town, in a secluded hangar," Skritt whispered. "I'm leaving at dawn."

He sat up straight and raised his glass. "I just couldn't leave without having my regular intake of Rodian Ale!" Skritt laughed exceedingly loud.

[Joris Howers]

Joris smirked at the comments. He doesn't think Thyferra's a complete hell hole but he had the same feelings as Skritt. It was time to leave before the Imperials start another oppressive saga. Not to be rude Joris nodded his head in agreement and took a sip of his drink. The alcohol felt good flowing down his throat and gradually filtering into his blood stream.

"So, my old friend, where are you going go? Will you stay in the construction business?"Joris takes another sip and slowly roams his eyes around the bar. So many races all joined together in one place. For what? To forget themselves? Joris drank to forget, better he also drinks to remember. The memories of his uncle seem to be brought back to life when he drinks. Especially, drinking his uncle's favorite drink, Johrian Whiskey. Everytime he hears or sees the name his uncle's words come to mind.

"Drinking it slowly just makes it last longer," he put his drink down on the bar and looks at Skritt with a smile. He felt warm sitting next to his old companion.

[Jools Noctru]

Mind your tenses, Joris: He didn't think Thyferra's a complete hell hole. He put his drink down on the bar and looked at Skritt. Otherwise, good stuff!

"No my friend, I'm retiring!" Skritt answered with a displeasing tone on his voice.

As Joris put his drink down, Skritt held the tankard of Rodian Ale in front of his mouth. "And sometimes... Drinking it fast just makes everything a bit shorter."

Skritt then downed the remainder of ale in a single sitting. He plonked the tankard on the table and gasped for air. "--aaah!"

"Especially my life if I keep doing that!" he said as he rose from his seat. "I can't tell you exactly where I'm going, please don't take it personal, Joris." He eyed the Thyferran briefly. "It's somewhere in the Outer Rim. It's peaceful, I've been there before a couple of times."

"This is probably the last time we meet. For real this time..."

Skritt reached for his belt, and took out a credit chip and a small datapad. He put it at the edge of the table, just outside Joris' immediate reach.

"That should cover it. Keep the pad somewhere safe, don't open it here," he said, and without waiting another moment Skritt turned around and left the bar.

After Skritt left, you reach for the credit chip and datapad. You safely store it away before minding your own business again, pondering Skritt's words.

In NPC Interaction, you will focus primarily on the proper ways to interact and do light combat with NPCs. This first section is unmoderated, and you should control your opponents' actions.

If you don't want to break the flow of your character background etc, you can pretend the next scenario is completely separate from everything that happened before. It's up to you.

The bar suddenly goes quiet and you ignore it. You've been staring at one of the Twi'lek dancers for a nice amount of time, flirting with your eyes and the like so it didn't seem that important to you. Within moments of silence you are suddenly spun around and two very strong hands are able to grab a hold of your throat.

The very large and angered Wookie begins to shake you in his grip. You know as well as he that within moments you would die. You hear some shouts of agreement from the cowardly supporters nearby. Things to the effect of "You get 'em!" and "Thatta boy!"

You are in a fix.