The Master... (Buggie Training)

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Telepathy' begins here.))

"This transfer to Dee'ja Peak is going to kill me..." Buggie complained, rubbing his head.

With the transfer of the Jedi Enclave to the mountain area of Dee'ja Peak, the radio chatter within the Enclave was almost non-stop. Verpine had the innate ability to sense and transmit radio waves, so Buggie was picking up on much of the conversation. While all of the Verpine were able to shut out the radio transmissions and not 'hear' them if they so desired, the massive amount of organization that was being carried out by radio proved to be too much. It seemed to be that voices were constantly sounding off in Buggie's mind during all hours of the day. If the annoyance continued, Buggie was sure that he would go mad.

A Human figure approached Buggie's table in the dining area of the Enclave as he continued to rub his head. Sitting down across from Buggie, Kyle Char examined his friend.

"What seems to be the matter, Buggie? Headache?" Kyle asked, concerned.

"I wish. At least a headache would eventually go away," Buggie said to Kyle, "It's the radio chatter all over the Enclave. My antennae pick up the conversation, but there's too much of it to block out."

Curious, Kyle sat back in his seat and thought for a moment before speaking, "You know what? I think I can help you out. There are a number of Force techniques that strengthen the mind, allowing you to perform useful mental tasks. I think that if you practiced telepathy and began to understand the basics, you could control the messages coming in, as well as gaining the ability to send messages out."

"Send messages out?" Buggie asked, raising his head from his hands.

"Exactly. Here, let me show you an example," Kyle said.

Instantly, a voice sounded within Buggie's mind as Kyle said, "See? I can teach you this ability."

Impressed, Buggie nodded to Kyle and said, "Sure, what do I have to do?"

"It's mostly about focusing your senses," Kyle began, "You need to make sure that your mind is very open to the Force so that your message can flow through it. Once you've opened your mind to the Force, you can influence it to carry your message. Before you can send your telepathic message though, you need to sense the presence of the receiver. It helps if you're very familiar with the receiver, but with enough practice you can certainly send telepathic messages to those you're not so familiar with. In any case, once you've got the presence of the receiver, you can control the Force energy within your mind to send off the message."

Taking in the information, Buggie reviewed what Kyle had just said to him. While Buggie was proficient in a number of powers involving the mind, he immediately recognized that telepathy was unique. Determined to learn the basics of telepathy so that he could shut out the radio interference within his head, Buggie felt ready to begin.

"Okay, I'm ready to begin. Hang tight for the message," Buggie told Kyle.

Taking a deep breath, Buggie allowed the Force energy within his body to open his mind. On a microscopic level, the midichlorians within Buggie's body were reacting to the Force energy that flowed through them. Channeling the Force energy, Buggie allowed the Force to boost his senses, raising his focus on the task at hand. With the Force boosting his senses, Buggie became aware of Kyle's presence within the Force. While they were only a short distance away, Buggie felt the connection between them within the Force. Now in tune with Kyle's Force presence, Buggie knew that his next step would be to influence the Force into sending a telepathic message. With his mind opened to the power of the Force, Buggie proceeded.

Calling upon the Force energy within his mind, Buggie prepared a greeting for Kyle. Feeling the Force energy within him swirling about through his mind, Buggie allowed the Force to penetrate his thoughts. Concentrating on allowing the Force to carry his thoughts through the air to Kyle, Buggie began using his control of the Force to telepathically send the message. Maintaining a connection between his mind and Kyle's mind, Buggie influenced the Force, pushing the energy within him out toward Kyle. Steadily regulating the Force energy as it travelled over to his fellow Jedi Knight, it was only a matter of moments before the energy within Buggie reached Kyle.

Eyes lighting up, Kyle chuckled and said, "Hello to you as well! Well done, Buggie. Now that you have a basic grasp of how to send telepathic messages, you should be able to use the same skills to isolate your mind."

"I hope so. Let me give it a try," Buggie said.

Once again allowing the Force to enter his mind, Buggie sensed the connection between him and the Force energy that surrounded him become stronger. Buggie knew that the Force united everything in the galaxy, and there was no question that the Force played a role in carrying the radio waves from their source to his antennae. It was logical to Buggie that he was able to then block the radio messages that he didn't wish to receive with the Force energy that surrounded him. Studying the Force energy around him, Buggie could feel tiny waves of Force energy coming into his body. Some of those waves of Force energy were what he was trying to block out. Focusing deeply on the incoming waves of Force energy, Buggie felt them interact with his body. After a few moments of studying them, Buggie was sure that by controlling the Force within his body, namely his antennae, that he would be able to stop the unwanted messages. Concentrating the Force energy within his body, Buggie called upon the Force to shield him from the intruding waves of energy. Maintaining the control, Buggie observed how the Force reacted with his body. Within moments, Buggie noticed a major change. Before, voices upon voices, sometimes overlapping seemed to whisper into his mind. After using basic telepathic powers, Buggie isolated his mind from the intruding waves of energy. Buggie's mind was now silent, save for his own inner thoughts.

"Did it work?" Kyle asked telepathically.

With a smile, Buggie said, "Like a charm! Thank you very much for your help, Kyle. I appreciate it."

"Anything for a friend," Kyle said.

Rising from the table, Buggie smiled again and said innocently to Kyle, "Now only if I could get you to help me clean out my room..."

"Not happening," Kyle said, rising from the table as well.

Shrugging, Buggie chuckled and said, "It was worth a try!"

((OOC: Training for 'Telepathy' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Level 9' begins here.))

Taking a meditative journey through the plains of Naboo, Buggie once again felt connected to the natural life that surrounded him. As Buggie traveled through the Great Grass Plains, he bore witness to the various forms of life that all lay connected by the Force. Even the smallest forms of life were bound to the Force energy that flowed freely through the terrain. With his senses stretched out and examining each beacon of life that they encountered, Buggie felt at peace within the Grass Plains that were relatively untouched by sentient hands. It was rare to find a spot in the galaxy as peaceful as the Grass Plains. With so many worlds falling victim to industry, technology, and war, it was relieving to find a quiet spot in the galaxy where one could study the natural flow of the Force.

As Buggie advanced through the Grass Plains, his senses alerted him to something strange lying ahead in the distance. Pausing and taking a moment to study the signals that the Force was sending him, Buggie focused his senses toward the strange disturbance. Feeling out with the Force in an effort to identify any lifeforms, Buggie began to get an idea of what he was sensing. Slowly but surely, the Force alerted Buggie to the presence of a group of sentients in the distance. Curious, Buggie decided that he would move forward and take a look at the group that he had sensed. Whether they were farmers or campers, Buggie had a feeling that he should examine the group more closely.

As he followed his senses, Buggie began to see smoke from a fire rising into the air. Confident that he would be stumbling across a group of campers, Buggie climbed up a large hill near where the smoke was rising. Looking over the top at a low area below the hills, Buggie saw the group that he had sensed with the Force. Around a campfire, five figures tore through what looked to be an abandoned speeder. Curious, Buggie stepped closer, leaning over the top of the hill in order to get a better look. Something about this makeshift campsite was giving him a bad feeling. The figures were aggressively tearing through every part of the speeder, throwing useless materials every which way. Buggie hoped that he hadn't run across a band of brigands, but that was possible. In any case, it was his duty as a Jedi Knight to make sure everyone was safe.

As he advanced down the hill, Buggie reached out with the Force, attempting to sense any danger coming from the five men who dug through the speeder. The Force alerted Buggie that the men had not noticed him yet, making them no immediate threat. What would happen when they did see him, though, would have to be seen.

"Excuse me," Buggie asked, "Is everyone okay here?"

All five of the men jumped in surprise. Looking at Buggie, the men immediately noticed his Jedi robes and lightsaber. The largest of the men looked to his comrades and smiled before looking to Buggie. In the back of his mind, the Force was alerting Buggie that the men were up to no good. Luckily, Buggie had his lightsaber handy in case trouble did arise.

"Aww, good thing you came! We could really use some help here. It seems our landspeeder has broken down, could you lend us a hand?" the man asked in a gruff voice.

Immediately, the Force alerted Buggie that the man was not telling the whole truth. Weighing his options, Buggie decided to play along until the men showed their true colors.

Playing along, Buggie said, "Sure, sure... let me just take a look here."

Looking within the landspeeder, Buggie reached out for a hydrospanner and began to fix a bolt that had come loose. As he pretended to work, the Force alerted Buggie that the brigands were gathering behind him. The group of bandits most likely figured that capturing a Jedi would bring in a vast reward. Feeling the Force energy within his body swell, Buggie was prepared for action. The danger was mounting, and the Force was telling Buggie that he needed to exercise caution. In addition, the Force was alerting Buggie to a minor disturbance nearby. It was time to find out what was going on out here.

As the largest of the men grabbed a blaster from his belt, he carefully pointed it at the back of Buggie's head. With the Force now screaming for Buggie to react, he quickly turned and used the hydrospanner to knock the blaster out of the leader's hand. Whipping the tool at the next bandit's face, Buggie the proceeded to draw his lightsaber. Igniting it, the silver blade shot out, ready to strike.

As one of the men drew his blaster to fire, Buggie called upon the Force energy within his body. Channeling the Force energy, Buggie prepared to defend himself by deflecting the blaster fire. As the man squeezed off two shots at nearly point blank range, the Force jolted Buggie's body into action. With the Force boosting his reflexes and quickness, Buggie quickly knocked away the blaster fire, sending it shooting off into the distance. Reaching out with his hand, Buggie felt the Force within his body travel through his arm and erupt in a telekinetic blast that sent the man flying back.

At this point, the rest of the men were ready to attack. Reaching out with the Force toward the hydrospanner that he had just thrown, Buggie called it back to his hand. Grabbing the hydrospanner out of the air, Buggie called upon the Force once more to aid him in leaping over to the rest of the men on the other side of the landspeeder. As the Force coursed through Buggie's legs, he jumped over the entire landspeeder, landing on the other side, ready to strike. With the Force guiding his actions, Buggie quickly spun, chopping a blaster rifle in half. As the man who had been holding the rifle stood stunned, Buggie bashed him in the face with the hydrospanner. One of the other men fired his blaster at Buggie, but the Force alerted him to the danger in time for him to react. Blocking the blaster bolts with the assistance of the Force to steady his reactions, Buggie remained on the defensive from the man who was firing at him. As Buggie moved up and continued to knock away the blaster fire as the Force coursed through his body, making him quicker and faster, Buggie crushed one of the men's groin with the hydrospanner. Moving on to the final man who had been firing at him the entire time, Buggie ran and called upon the Force to help him leap over the man. Landing on the other side of him, Buggie unleashed the Force energy within his body into a telekinetic blast, sending the man sprawling into the air before he landed, slamming his face onto the ground.

With a warning of imminent danger sounding within his mind, the Force warned Buggie to turn, just in time to see the large leader of the bandits charging at him, vibroblade in hand. With the Force snapping his body into action, Buggie threw the hydrospanner as hard as he could at the man. Shrugging the blow off, the large man kept charging at Buggie. Left with little other option, Buggie ran the man through with his lightsaber, calling upon the Force to end the bandit's life in the most painless way possible.

This had been the first time that Buggie had taken another sentient's life. Stopping for a moment in the chaos of battle, Buggie watched the man as his body went limp and fell to the ground. The hole within his heart had ended his life quickly, but Buggie was shaken at having decided to kill the man. Left with no other option, it was clearly either going to be Buggie or the leader of the bandit's who perished. Undoubtedly, Buggie would be faced with similar situations in the future, perhaps even today. That didn't make the decision any easier.

Those thoughts were cut short as Buggie was tackled by one of the bandits who had snuck up on Buggie as he watched the large man die. The lightsaber flying out of his hand, Buggie was left with little to defend himself with as the bandit began punching Buggie in the face. Piling on, the rest of the men jumped on the dogpile, pinning Buggie to the ground and beating him.

Feeling the Force within his weakening body, Buggie had one last option available to him. Unleashing all of his Force energy in one massive telekinetic blast, the men flew off of Buggie. One of the men landed into the campfire, rolling out of it after enduring severe burns. Another one of the men landed through the windshield of the landspeeder, landing with a sickening thump within the bare metal frame of the vehicle. Two of the other men landed hard onto the ground and rose up slowly, ready to fight once more.

Calling his lightsaber over to him telekinetically, Buggie ignited the blade and began to feel the Force energy within his body replenish once more. As one of the men drew his blaster, Buggie called upon the Force to boost his reactions once more. As the man opened fire, Buggie felt the Force guide him, allowing him to block the blaster fire while utilizing his lightsaber to cut off the blaster bolts mere inches from his body. As the other man quickly ran around behind Buggie, he drew a vibroblade and prepared to stab Buggie. In response, Buggie quickly used his telekinetic Force powers to hurl debris from the landspeeder at the man. While Buggie was preoccupied with allowing the Force to assist him in blocking the lethal blaster fire, his aim with the landspeeder debris was inaccurate. Luckily catching the man with a metal panel as the Force guided it through the air, Buggie successfully delayed the man's attack for a few moments. Not able to hold off the attacks for much longer, Buggie called upon the Force to boost his jumping abilities once again. As Force energy began to flow through his legs, the midichlorians within his body reacted to the energy. Leaping high into the air, Buggie cleared the blaster fire with the assistance of the Force. Unfortunately for the man on the other side of Buggie, he was now exposed to the full salvo of blaster fire. As the man fell to the ground in a heap, Buggie landed and once again prepared to square off with the bandit.

As the bandit drew his vibroblade, he brought it up next to his blaster, ready to strike with either weapon. Reaching out with the Force, Buggie surveyed his surroundings, looking for anything that could give him an advantage nearby. As the man fired off another shot, Buggie quickly called upon the Force to spring his body into action. With the Force as his ally, Buggie quickly brought his lightsaber around and deflected the blaster bolt right into the thigh of the man. Seeing an opportunity to finish off the battle, Buggie ran foward, channeling the Force energy within him to his hands. Quickly shoving a hand into the face of the man, Buggie unleashed an orb of light into the man's eyes with the help of the Force. Calling upon the Force to bolster his strength, Buggie then quickly jabbed at the man's throat. Now stunned completely, the man was open to any other attacks that Buggie could use against him. With the Force strengthening and boosting his attacks, Buggie finished off the man with a hook to the jaw. As the blow connected, Buggie felt the man's jaw give way to his fist, shattering in the attack.

As the man went down, Buggie disengaged his lightsaber and took a moment to observe his surroundings. He had killed or been responsible for the deaths of many of these men. Still, something disturbed him about this campsite. Stepping over to the landspeeder, Buggie placed his hands on the outside of the vehicle. Reaching into the past with the Force, Buggie observed how the landspeeder came to be there using the technique of psychometry. In his visions of the past, Buggie could see the occupants of the vehicle, two men, getting ambushed and ultimately killed by the bandits. After the death of the owners, the bandits drove the landspeeder to this campsite.

Snapping out of the psychometric vision, Buggie sat and meditated on what he had seen. The bandits were clearly responsible for the death of two men, and possibly others. The bandits' deaths may have saved many other innocent beings from an early grave. While Buggie regretted killing and never wanted to take another life again, he knew that he would be faced with difficult decisions that may involve other sentient's lives. It was all part of being a Jedi, Buggie thought. In order to protect others, perhaps it was necessary to sometimes destroy those who would crush innocents. In a way, nature hadn't been disrupted out in the Great Grass Plains. The bandits would return to nature, becoming energy by which life could begin again. Perhaps they would even contribute to the energy of the Force. As Buggie once more began to climb the hill, he planned to return to the Enclave from his journey and meditate more on the matter. He felt as if he had learned a valuable goal by which he could expand his outlook on the Force and life.

((OOC: Training for 'Level 9' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Sense Force User' begins here.))

Accessing a file pertaining to how the Force could boost one's senses, Buggie sat back in his seat and began to read. This subject was familiar to Buggie, and he had already done extensive exercises to improve the effect that the Force had on his senses. Still, Buggie wanted to make sure that he had achieved complete understanding of how the Force could aid him in picking out details about his surroundings. Any extra help could mean the difference between being able to solve a mystery or reaching a dead end. As he read the article, Buggie reviewed some of the exercises and skills that he had already learned, examining them closely for any additional information that they might provide. As Buggie read about how the Force could allow a Jedi to identify nearby life forms, he ran across a reference to another article explaining how the skill could be taken one step further.

Accessing the reference file, Buggie opened another article about how the Force could alert its users to other Force users nearby. Pausing for a moment, Buggie thought upon the article and what it meant to him. While he had been able to sense the life around him from an early stage in his training, Buggie had never noticed that he could pick out sentients that could manipulate the Force. Usually, Buggie sensed sentients that were dressed in the traditional Jedi robes and just followed up with an assumption that they could use the Force. If Buggie happened to run across a Force user that was a practitioner of the dark side, usually a feeling of disturbance would originate from their location. While Buggie had been able to gather clues here and there that pointed toward a sentient's ability to use the Force, Buggie had never actually been able to sense their Force use himself. Turning his attention back to the article, Buggie once again began reading in an attempt to gather instruction as to how the skill could be learned.

As he read the article, paying attention to every detail he ran across, Buggie learned that the skill of sensing another Force user relied on a firm understanding of how to sense surrounding life forms. In addition, the Force user putting the skill into use had to be able to dig deeper than merely sensing the life within a sentient. To sense another Force user, one had to look within the body of another and sense the Force that thrived within them. The midichlorians that were gathered within a Force user's body would give off a signal as they reacted to the probing Force energy that contacted them. Sensing that signal within the Force, the Force user that was attempting to identify another would be alerted to the presence of another Force user in the area. Each Force user gave off a distinct signal to those that were wishing to identify them. As Buggie finished the article, he felt that he was ready to give the skill a try. There were many sentients nearby that Buggie could experiment with. Sitting back in his seat and getting comfortable, Buggie prepared to begin.

Opening his mind to the Force and allowing for it to flow freely through him, Buggie began to feel his surroundings. As the Force allowed him to reach a deeper understanding of everything that surrounded him, Buggie began to concentrate on the life forms nearby. As the Force alerted him to a Human walking along the rows of books nearby, Buggie focused his attention to the woman. Feeling her life energy through the Force, Buggie attempted to utilize the Force energy that flowed freely throughout the room in an effort to sense if the midichlorians within her body reacted to the Force. As Buggie began channeling the Force energy from him to her, he controlled the Force he sent it flowing through the woman. With the Force flowing through her, Buggie paid close attention to whether or not the midichlorians within her body gave off a signal. Focusing his senses, Buggie felt a small sense of awareness rise as the woman's body sent off a slight signal within the Force, alerting Buggie to her Force sensitivity.

Now shifting his attention to someone else farther away, the Force alerted Buggie to a Sullustan male walking along the hallway outside of the Archives. Focusing his Force-boosted senses on the Sullustan male, Buggie familiarized himself with the presence of the Sullustan. Once more utilizing the Force energy within the Enclave, Buggie guided some of the Force energy toward the Sullustan in an effort to recognize if he was Force sensitive as well. Feeling the Force come into contact with the Sullustan, Buggie observed how his body reacted to the Force energy. After a few moments of focusing on the Sullustan, Buggie realized that the Sullustan was unaffected by the Force energy that he had sent his way. Even though Buggie was able to sense the Sullustan with the aid of the Force, the Sullustan's body was unresponsive when Buggie sent Force energy flowing his way. After a moment of reflection on this, Buggie determined that living beings were all connected within the Force, but many of them could not manipulate the energy that surrounded them. That difference in the ability to manipulate the Force determined whether or not their bodies were able to transmit a signal when put into contact with Force energy.

For one last exercise, Buggie continued to allow the Force to flow through his open mind. Now directing the Force energy within the Archives toward himself, Buggie prepared to observe the signal that his body gave off to Force energy. As Buggie brought the Force energy to himself and allowed for it to flow through his body, Buggie could sense the midichlorians within his body reacting to the energy. Feeling his own presence within the Force, Buggie familiarized himself with the sensation.

Satisfied with the exercise, Buggie focused his attention once more toward the computer console in front of him. Once more studying the article before him, Buggie made sure that he had fully understood the specifics of sensing another Force user. Buggie was satisfied with how his first exercise in the skill had turned out, and he planned on continuing to practice it. Having the ability to sense the Force users around him was something that Buggie felt should be a main skill of any Jedi. Perhaps in the future, if he was lucky, Buggie would be able to find someone to recruit for the Jedi Coalition.

((OOC: Training for 'Sense Force User' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Dim Another's Senses' begins here.))

Sitting alone at one of the many tables located at one of the eating areas of the Enclave, Buggie munched on some magenge. The eating area was beginning to become more and more busy every time Buggie looked up. He was glad that he had been able to claim a table before the rush hit. As he bit through another piece of the sweet tasting fungus, Buggie thought about what he would do later on. No Padawan learners had come to him requesting assistance with their studies, so he had no appointments to keep. Perhaps he would get some exercise after a study session in the Archives if nothing came up.

Before he could finish any other thoughts, a familiar figure slid into the chair across from him. Kyle Char, a fellow Jedi Knight, had become a good friend to Buggie during his time at the Enclave. They often ate together in the eating area when they were both free. As Kyle smiled to Buggie, Buggie concluded that Kyle must have seen him from afar and decided to join him at the table.

"Good afternoon, Buggie! How's the mageeje?" Kyle asked, motioning to Buggie's meal.

As Buggie swallowed the food that he had been chewing on, he said, "Magenge... And it's very good, thank you."

As Buggie finished his sentence, he began to pick up on a horrible smell coming from Kyle's direction. The food that Kyle had on his plate looked like it had just been sucked out of a trash compactor. As Buggie went to look away from it, he swore that it had moved a little bit on the plate.

"Gah, Kyle! What is that stinking flarg on your plate?!" Buggie exclaimed, having no qualms about referring to the food in such a harsh manner.

"It's not flarg, Buggie. My own mother used to make this back home," Kyle said, adding, "It's actually pretty good."

"Good enough for me to poop on," Buggie said, looking at the slimy meal on Kyle's plate.

"Y'know Buggie," Kyle began, getting frustrated, "If you don't like the smell of it, I can take care of that for you."

As the words left Kyle's mouth, Buggie began to feel strange. The smell of the food began to fade from Buggie's senses, instead being replaced by the scent of nothingness. Soon, any trace of the scent caused by the food had disappeared. Startled by the change, Buggie tried to inhale deeply. Smelling nothing, Buggie looked frantically toward Kyle, wondering what he did to cause such a dramatic change.

"I'm using the Force to dim your senses. If you can't smell the food, perhaps you won't complain about it so much," Kyle said, taking an eating utensil and carving into his meal.

"Hold on a moment!" Buggie exclaimed, excited at the opportunity to learn a new skill, "You have to teach me how to do this. By dimming other people's senses, I could walk around without alerting hostiles to my presence by dimming their sight and hearing abilities. This is tremendous, Kyle! You must show me how."

Giving an aggravated look as he held the food before his mouth, Kyle asked to Buggie, "Will it stop you from hounding me about this meal?"

"I don't think anything could do that, but it's worth a try," Buggie said with a smile.

"Fine," Kyle said, placing his food back down onto the plate, "The key to dimming another person's senses is to alter what they're perceiving through the Force. First, you should allow the Force to guide your senses to the target. Feel the Force as your study your target and become familiar with how they're perceiving you. After you've become comfortable with how their senses feel, use the Force to blanket their senses, rendering them unable to use them to their full capacity. It's really not that complicated, as long as you keep in mind that you're using the Force to alter how your target views the world around them."

"Okay, I understand. You can continue eating, if you'd like." Buggie said, preparing to begin.

Allowing the Force to flow through his body and open his mind to his surroundings, Buggie focused his senses toward Kyle. Feeling the Force energy flow through him, Buggie allowed the waves of energy to guide him to Kyle's senses. The Force flowed through Kyle, just as it did Buggie and everyone else in the room. After a moment, Buggie could tell that the Force enhanced Kyle's senses, just as it did his own. Concentrating on Kyle's sense of taste, Buggie used the Force to sense how the Force energy within Kyle flowed to his taste buds and boosted the taste of the food. Studying how the Force interacted with Kyle as he chewed his food and swallowed it, Buggie began to develop a plan for how to use the Force in order to dim Kyle's senses. It would be like Kyle explained, Buggie would use the Force to alter how the Force interacted with Kyle's bodily functions, namely his sense of taste.

Reaching out with the Force, Buggie began to use the Force energy nearby in an effort to send it flowing into Kyle's body. As Buggie guided the Force energy, he concentrated it to Kyle's mouth. By doing this, Buggie would cause the midichlorians within Kyle's body to react to the Force energy that Buggie was guiding through them. Creating a reaction to the Force energy, Buggie would then move to manipulate the reaction into masking the sensation of taste within Kyle's mouth. Hopefully, this usage of the Force would render Kyle's food tasteless. As the midichlorians within Kyle's body reacted to the Force energy that Buggie sent flowing through, he began to work. Feeling the Force within Kyle's body, Buggie altered the regular operation of Kyle's tastebuds. Suddenly noticing the change, whether it was through the Force or through the sudden blandness of the food, Kyle gave Buggie an annoyed look.

"Great job. You've succeeded in stopping me from tasting me food. Change it back," Kyle commanded.

"Fine, but let me try something else," Buggie said as he manipulated the Force into allowing for Kyle's tastebuds to become operable again.

Next, Buggie wanted to dim Kyle's sense of sight with the Force. Reaching out with his senses, Buggie could feel the Force flowing through Kyle's eyes, enhancing his vision. Studying how the Force interacted with Kyle's eyes, Buggie planned on using the same strategy to dim his sight as he used for dimming his taste. By using to Force to mask the normal operation of Kyle's eyes, he would be rendered unable to see. Still, Buggie needed to use the Force cautiously, as he didn't want to cause any permanent damage to Kyle's vision. Carefully feeling out the innate Force energy within Kyle's body, Buggie guided the energy to the Echani's eyes. Feeling the midichlorians react to the Force energy even here, Buggie continued to work steadily and carefully. Shrouding Kyle's retinas with Force energy, Buggie cautiously masked the retinal tissue's normal function, casting Kyle's eyesight into darkness.

Dropping his eating utensil suddenly, Kyle cried out, "Gah! Enough! Stop fooling around!"

Releasing his manipulation of the Force, Buggie returned Kyle's eyesight and said, "I'm sorry. That was terribly rude of me, wasn't it? My apologies for interrupting your meal like that."

Grumbling and rubbing his eyes, Kyle said, "It's fine. Just don't mess around with my senses like that. It's pretty unpleasant."

"Got it. It won't happen again," Buggie vowed.

"Yeah," Kyle said, pausing before adding, "And for making me your lab animal, I think lunch tomorrow is on you."

"Deal," Buggie said with a smile.

((OOC: Training for 'Dim Another's Senses' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Level 10' begins here.))

Checking a chronometer mounted on a wall as he strode down one of the many hallways of the Enclave, Buggie realized that he was going to be right on time. A group of Padawan learners had made a request that Buggie teach them some of the skills he was proficient in during their free time from studying. Gladly accepting, Buggie had arranged to meet all of the Padawan learners in one of the training rooms within the Enclave. The Padawan learners that had arranged the meeting were Ara Quo, Rane Lo, and Jelan Widom, three promising students of the Force. As he approached the entrance to the training room, the doors swooshed open, allowing for Buggie to step through. Inside, the three female students sat on the floor, casually chatting. Upon seeing Buggie enter, all three rose quickly and bowed to their instructor.

"Good afternoon," Ara, a Human, said.

"Greetings," Rane, another Human, said cheerily.

"Thank you for meeting us here," Jelan, an Echani with silver hair and eyes, said.

"Good afternoon to you as well, ladies. I expect you are all prepared to learn?" Buggie asked.

As all of the Padawan learners nodded, Buggie gave a look of approval and motioned for all of them to take a seat on the floor. As Buggie sat down on the cool floor of the training room, he observed his students. While they all first arrived at the Enclave for different reasons, their purpose for being here was similar. Each and every Jedi and Padawan strived for the betterment of the galaxy. The events that motivated that desire were controlled by the Force, and Buggie knew that the Force had its purpose for each and every being in the galaxy.

After a moment of silence, Buggie asked, "Where would you like to begin?"

"How about the technique of Force Shield?" Jelan offered.

"Yeah, I wanted to learn more about that as well. Can we practice something physical too, like Force-aided jumps?" Ara asked.

"Those are useful too, but I was hoping we could fit in time for practicing Telepathy. Would that be okay?" Rane asked hopefully.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Buggie exclaimed, "How much free time do you all have? It will take a while if you want some real help with those skills, but I'm sure we can fit all of them into this session today, provided you have the time."

"Great!" Ara exclaimed.

"Okay..." Buggie said, thinking, "Let's start with the Force Shield technique. This skill is a pretty basic defense against an enemy distracting you by invading your mind or stealing away your weapon. While higher level Force users can bypass this technique, with practice, you can strengthen your mind and your resistance to enemy tricks. What you'll want to do is make an attempt to sense what your enemy is doing to you and, in response, control the Force in protecting your mind and body from any attacks. If you feel as if your mind is being affected by the enemy, you're definitely going to want to push your senses in an effort to identify where the mind assault is coming from. Once you've completed that identification, the rest is relatively easy. You'll need to focus hard and guide the Force, controlling it to protect you."

"Okay, so what do you want us to do?" Rane asked, ready to begin.

"Rane, you stand and ignite your training saber. Jelan and Ara, sit and use your senses to sense the life around you. I'll telepathically send out interference guided toward your minds, be prepared to shield yourselves from it. Rane, I'm going to try to snatch away your saber with telekinesis, prepare yourself," Buggie said, advising the students and rising from the floor to begin the practice session.

Reaching out with the Force, Buggie felt the energy within his body come to life. Using his Force-boosted senses to identify when his students were ready to begin, Buggie began to call forth the innate Force energy within his body. As the midichlorians within him began to react to the Force energy that flowed through the training room, Buggie was ready to begin the exercise. Using the Force to telepathically send interference to Jelan and Ara, Buggie began to send thoughts of distracting chittering in the Verpine language toward them. Focusing the telepathic messages toward the students' minds, Buggie could sense within the Force that they were almost instantly surprised by the interference. Calling upon the Force to narrow his senses toward Jelan, Buggie attempted to sense how she was dealing with the interference. Through their connection within the Force, Buggie could feel Jelan probing her senses around, focusing on Buggie. Pleased, Buggie then called upon the Force to examine how Ara was handling the exercise. Stretching his Force-boosted senses toward Ara, Buggie could feel through the Force that she was performing the same as Jelan, possibly a bit slower. Buggie could sense through the Force that Ara was more comfortable using Force energy to aid her in physical tasks; her ability to mentally focus with the Force was somewhat less honed. Still, the Force was alerting Buggie that she was making progress, something which was always satisfactory.

Suddenly, the Force alerted Buggie to Jelan, as she was making more progress. Focusing on Jelan, Buggie could tell that she was in the process of blocking her mind off from him. As Buggie continued sending the telepathic messages with the Force, he could feel the connection between his mind and Jelan's mind becoming cloudy. Soon, Buggie could feel through the Force that the connection between his and Jelan's mind was almost completely cut. Satisfied with this, Buggie allowed the Force to carry his senses to Ara's mind. As the Force alerted Buggie to the progress that she was making, Buggie was surprised to find that Ara was nearly finished with cutting the connection between their minds as well.

Changing his focus now, Buggie began to shift the Force energy within his body toward his hands. As Buggie felt the flow of energy through his body, he focused his senses on Rane. Buggie could sense through the Force that Rane was not focusing on how Jelan and Ara were doing on their exercises, but was mentally preparing herself for when Buggie decided to pull away her weapon with the Force. Focusing next on the training saber that Rane held firmly in her hands, Buggie began to concentrate the Force energy within his body to pull it away. Guiding the Force toward the weapon in Rane's hands, Buggie focused on the weapon. With one lightning fast strike within the Force, Buggie called upon the Force energy that he had guided toward the weapon and attempted to pull it from Rane's grasp. Suddenly feeling the strain of the Force as the weapon refused to budge, Buggie let go of his influence over the Force to call the weapon, preferring to stop in case he accidently tore the weapon apart with Force energy.

"Well done, my students," Buggie said, nodding in approval to the Padawan learners, "Each of you have displayed excellent proficiency in demonstrating the Force Shield technique."

Bowing, Ara said, "Thank you. Shall we move on?"

"Of course, next up is the Force Jump ability," Buggie said before beginning to explain, "This is a more physical technique that involves the Force user concentrating the Force energy within their body toward the muscles in their legs. By allowing the Force to strengthen their muscles, the Force user is able to perform feats of strength that allow them to jump to unusual heights. As you call upon the Force to boost the strength of your legs, feel the midichlorians within your body react to the energy."

"Okay," Rane said, "What would you have us do?"

Looking up to the high ceilings within the training room, Buggie withdrew four flags from his robes and began telekinetically hanging them from areas around the room, "I'd like each of you to withdraw a flag from the ceiling. Ara, you take the red flag. Jelan, you take the blue flag. Rane, you take the yellow flag. I'll take the green flag. By retrieving the flag from the ceiling, you're not only demonstrating the ability to boost your jumping ability with the Force, but you're also showing me that you can control your jumps. Don't be upset if you don't get the flag your first try; these are high ceilings, after all. Bonus points if you can do a flippity-doo in the air while grabbing your flag."

Chuckling, the girls prepared to begin. As each of them looked to Buggie signaling that they were ready, Buggie allowed them to start. Watching for a moment, Buggie laughed to himself as the Padawan learners all leapt high into the air and then came back down only to bounce up once more. To Buggie, it was like watching a bunch of children bounce around on a low-gravity playground device.

Looking up at his flag, Buggie prepared to begin using the Force to jump as well. Feeling the Force flow through his body, Buggie channeled the energy down into his legs. As the Force contacted the midichlorians within his body, Buggie's legs grew progressively stronger. With the energy within Buggie's legs welling up, he squatted down briefly, before unleashing all of the Force energy within his legs in a powerful jump. As Buggie soared into the air, he controlled himself with the Force, making sure that he didn't lose control of his high jump. Steadying his trajectory with the Force, Buggie reached out as he neared the flag, barely missing it as he shot by. Now coming back down to the floor, Buggie once more readied his legs for the impact by calling upon the Force. As the Force flowed through the muscles of his legs, Buggie hit the ground, remaining steady due to the influence of the Force.

Stepping back, Buggie now decided to allow the Force to guide him in his jump. As he focused, the Force guided his senses, directing him to a position where he could begin his jump and retrieve the flag. Getting a running start, Buggie felt the Force energy within his legs begin to gather once more. As the Force energy within his body traveled down to his legs, Buggie felt each step becoming stronger and more powerful. Taking a short hop before beginning his jump, Buggie gained momentum and then unleashed the Force energy within his legs, blasting off in a powerful Force aided jump once more. As Buggie allowed the Force to steady his body through the jump, he maintained balance and reached out for the flag. Calling upon the Force to guide his senses as he located the flag and snatched it from the ceiling, Buggie then began his descent. Once more allowing the Force to assist him by transferring Force energy to his legs, Buggie prepared for impact. Bracing himself with the aid of the Force, Buggie landed solidly with the grace of a gymnast.

As Buggie observed how the others were doing, he saw that Ara had grabbed her flag and landed at almost the same time as he had. Nodding to her in recognition, Buggie then observed the other two Padawan learners. As Rane leapt into the air, she missed the flag. Surprisingly, before she lost too much height she successfully reached back behind her body and snatched the flag from the ceiling in a second effort. Controlling her descent, she landed the jump impressively. As Jelan leapt into the air moments later, she grabbed the flag and landed successfully. Joining her fellow Padawan learners, all three proceeded to walk over to Buggie and hand him their flags.

Taking the flags from them, Buggie said, "Excellent! Nice second effort there, Rane, that was pretty athletic."

As the girls laughed, Rane said, "Yeah, I was surprised I was able to get a hold of it, too."

"Okay, what's next?" Buggie said, thinking back to earlier, "You wanted to learn about telekinesis?"

"No, telepathy," Rane said, correcting Buggie.

"Oops, my apologies. Fortunately for this one, we can all sit," Buggie said, motioning to the cool floor and sitting down, "Okay, telepathy. This Force power involves sending and receiving messages mentally through the Force. Through this power, you may also get a feel for what others are thinking about. Telepathy is about using your senses more than anything else, really. You should use your senses to open a Force connection between your mind and your target's. You really don't have to dig through their mind much if you're just sending a message, but if you're going to identify what they're thinking about, you need to have a fairly strong connection between minds. Once you've established that connection, control the Force into guiding your senses toward the specific details within their mind that you're looking for. If you're sending a message, you'll need to control the message being sent from your mind to their mind. Imagine the Force as a courier that transfers messages from you to them."

"What did you have in mind for the exercise?" Jelan asked.

"Let's all think of one distinct thing and then each go around and name what everyone's thing is," Buggie said.

"What do you mean?" Ara asked, confused.

"Let me demonstrate. I'll go first. Everybody, think of something." Buggie announced.

Allowing the Force to flow through his mind, opening it and improving his senses, Buggie focused on Ara. As Buggie focused on her through the Force, Buggie could sense that her mind was relatively open. Concentrating on her thoughts, Buggie allowed the Force to transmit what she was thinking to his mind. As the Force carried her thoughts from her mind to Buggie, he analyzed what the Force was telling him. Soon, the Force had alerted Buggie to the one thought that was constant within her mind; sleep.

Next, Buggie moved on to Jelan. As he allowed the Force to make a connection between their minds, Buggie focused on her thoughts. Being careful not to invade her privacy, Buggie controlled the Force into only transmitting what she was currently thinking about. As the Force carried her thoughts through the connection between their minds, Buggie soon identified the constant thought. Taking one more moment to be sure, the Force alerted Buggie to the fact that Jelan was thinking about the color yellow.

Finally, Buggie moved on to Rane. As Buggie reached out with the Force to establish a connection between their minds, he noticed that hers was particularly hard to reach. As he calmly continued trying to establish a connection through the Force, Buggie used his control over the Force to guide it. After finally reaching a connection between their minds, the Force soon alerted Buggie to the fact that Rane was thinking about Ewok ice capades. Closing the Force's telepathic connection between their minds, Buggie rested the Force energy within his body.

"Ara, you were thinking about sleep. Jelan, you were thinking about the color yellow. Rane, you were thinking about Ewok ice capades. I must say, that was a pretty creative choice," Buggie said, chuckling.

"I thought I'd make it difficult on you," Rane said jokingly.

"Okay, my turn!" Ara said, getting ready to perform the exercise.

As the Padawan learners went through the exercise, they each completed it after a few minutes of concentration. Buggie was pleased at the progress that he saw within the learners as they practiced their skills with him. While it had been time consuming, Buggie was glad that he could share his knowledge with each of the Padawan learners individually and as a group. Ara, Jelan, and Rane were each different in their own way, each specializing in their use of the Force, even at such an early stage in their training. By identifying these common traits and finding ways to train them so that he could cater to their specialties, Buggie felt that he had learned a valuable lesson in teaching others how to use the Force. As the Padawan learners said farewell to him after they had finished training, Buggie felt sad that he couldn't take them all under his wing. As he exited the training room a few moments after the learners had departed, Buggie felt that he had grown stronger within the Force. Perhaps during all the time that he had spent working with the Padawan learners, they had come to teach him a thing or two as well.

((OOC: Training for 'Level 10' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Masterful Lightsaber Combat' begins here.))

"Well I'm here on time, I just hope he shows up..." Buggie murmured to himself as he looked out over the bridge to the waterfall that lay just beyond it.

Buggie was enjoying the new Enclave so far. At first, he wasn't sure about the mountains or the waterfall that ran by so close to the Enclave. It took a few days, but Buggie had come to like the new setting for the Jedi Coalition. The waterfall itself was particularly beautiful. At certain times during the day, the current would pick up and the waterfall would send a spray of mist heading over the bridge nearby. The resulting rainbow could be seen for miles around. If the first Enclave was serene, the current Enclave at Dee'ja Peak gave the word a new definition.

"Patience, Buggie," a familiar voice said from nowhere in particular.

"Master!" Buggie exclaimed, turning and seeing his former instructor, Master Godot, standing behind him.

"It has been a long while, Buggie. I can sense you've grown even stronger with the Force," Godot said, adding, "Impressive."

"Thank you, Master. What was it that you wanted to speak about?" Buggie asked.

"I'm being sent away on another mission soon, so I thought now was as good of a time as any to teach you another lesson in the ways of the Force," Godot admitted.

"Certainly, what did you have in mind?" Buggie asked.

"I see great potential in you, Buggie. You have the ability to become one of the Jedi Coalition's most talented duelists. On the other hand, playing around with training sabers will only get you so far," Godot said.

"Pardon me, Master, but what do you mean?" Buggie asked.

"What I'm saying, Buggie, is that you need me to remind you of the first lesson I ever taught you. You need danger! You need risks! You need to submit yourself to adverse conditions in order to learn! You won't last a minute out in the galaxy if you're stuck within the Enclave's training rooms honing your skills in what might as well be a child's playroom!" Godot exclaimed, clearly worked up.

"So why have you requested that we meet here?" Buggie asked.

Drawing his lightsaber, Godot said to his former pupil, "Duel me. No training sabers this time; you're a Jedi Knight now. Before, when you were just a Padawan, you couldn't handle training with a real weapon. This time, we train with high stakes. Knowing that your life could end if you slip up just once will force you to make better decisions. Trust me, Buggie."

Withdrawing his lightsaber from his belt, Buggie cautiously said, "As you wish."

Igniting their lightsabers, the two Jedi took their positions on either side of the bridge. As Godot entered his opening stance, Buggie readied himself by getting into the opening stance for Soresu. Buggie had dueled his former instructor countless times, but each of them with non-lethal training sabers. Buggie hadn't seen his former Master for months, now. If Godot's style of dueling had changed, Buggie would be at a disadvantage. To counter this, Buggie planned to be cautious, using the defensive form of Soresu to get a feel for Godot's style.

Without warning, the current picked up within the waterfall, sending a spray of mist over the bridge. Momentarily distracted, Buggie flinched, allowing for Godot to take advantage of the situation. Almost before Buggie could react, Godot used the Force to boost his speed, bringing him within striking range in the blink of an eye. Calling the Force to his body, Buggie felt the energy within him rush to his limbs. As the midichorians within his body reacted to the Force energy, Buggie's reactions quickened, allowing him to bring his saber into position just in time. As Godot struck with his lightsaber high, then low, Buggie called upon the Force to boost his quickness, allowing him to make quick, darting blocks. Calling upon the Force to aid him in positioning his body while he made his blocks, Buggie witnessed the mist fall upon his saber, creating steam to compliment the sound of the lightsabers cracking against each other. Godot's quick strikes gave Buggie little time to react, and as a result, he needed to rely on the Force to help guide him to make the proper movements. As Godot unleashed a flurry of strikes, the Force aided Buggie in his dexterity, allowing him to make block after block within inches of his body. While none of the strikes had penetrated Buggie's formidible defense, the Force energy within his body was being exhausted at an alarming rate.

Stretching his Force boosted senses in an effort to identify a weakness in Godot's attacks, Buggie began to examine any patterns. Quickly, the Force alerted Buggie to the fact that Godot's strikes weren't as quick when swinging from the left. Sensing through the Force that he had room to reposition his body to take better advantage of this, Buggie quickly took a few steps to the side. Now that Godot was forced to swing to the left, he came around in another attack; but this time the Force had prepared Buggie for what was coming. Quickly calling the Force energy within his body to channel toward his fist, Buggie chopped down hard onto Godot's saber with his right hand, knocking him off balance. Stepping into his oncoming punch, Buggie unleashed the Force energy within his left fist and punched Godot hard in the ribs. Now drawn even more off balance and surprised by the strike to the ribs, Godot staggered back. Taking advantage of this, Buggie drew more Force energy to his body and channeled it to his arms. As the Force energy strengthened his arms, Buggie was able to rain down powerful Djem So strikes on Godot.

As Buggie wound up and brought down a heavy blow on Godot with the assistance of the Force, his former Master struggled to maintain a proper defense. Carelessly putting up his lightsaber in a lame effort to defend himself, Buggie sensed through the Force that Godot was losing his balance and that a few more strikes would knock him on his back. As Godot stepped back, Buggie stepped into his next attack, calling upon the Force to once more strengthen his swing. As Buggie brought down one more Force assisted attack, as soon as the lightsabers struck, Godot and his weapon disappeared into thin air.

"What!?" Buggie exclaimed, stunned by what he had just seen.

Stepping over to the edge of the bridge and looking over the side, Buggie called upon the Force to sense Godot if he had somehow fallen over the side. As he probed the edge of the bridge and the water far below with the Force, Buggie found no sign of Godot. Suddenly, the Force sent a screaming message to the back of his mind, urging his body into action. Almost as soon as it happened behind him, Buggie sensed it with the Force; Godot leapt up from a tiny shadow that had been cast on the bridge and brought his lightsaber around in an attack. Quickly climbing up onto the railing of the bridge, Buggie called upon the Force to boost the muscles within his legs. As the Force quickly strengthened his muscles, Buggie flipped backwards over top of Godot as his former instructor completed his swing, missing completely. Unfortunately for Buggie, the railing to the bridge was damp due to the mist in the air. Desperately calling to the Force for assistance once more, Buggie allowed for the Force to guide his body position as he landed so that he didn't twist his ankle in the process. After a brief landing, courtesy of the Force, Buggie readied his lightsaber and prepared himself to continue the duel. On guard now, Buggie influenced the Force to guide his senses so that he didn't fall for any more of Godot's tricks.

Switching once more to Soresu, Buggie called upon the Force to guide his actions in fending off more of Godot's attacks. Once more resorting to quick strikes, Buggie had no choice but to call upon the Force again to boost his reactions and quickness. After one low strike and two high quick strikes, Godot had successfully opened up Buggie for a physical attack. Realizing too late that he was exposed, Buggie used the Force energy within his body to concentrate on the exposed portion of his body, tightening the muscles. Sure enough, Godot kicked him in the solar plexus, the Force energy within Buggie's body barely able to cushion the blow. Flying backwards onto the floor of the bridge, the Force immediately alerted Buggie that Godot was rushing to follow up with another attack. Quickly channeling the Force energy within his body to his palms, Buggie prepared to unleash a telekinetic blast. As the midichlorians within Buggie's body reacted to the Force energy, Buggie could feel the amount of energy within him build up. As Godot used the Force to speed himself up, he was nearly over Buggie by the time he had channeled enough Force energy within his body. As Godot readied his lightsaber to secure his victory, Buggie raised his hands out, unleashing a devastating telekinetic Force blast onto Godot's exposed body. As Godot's body flew across the bridge, riding on the wave of Force energy that Buggie had unleashed, it landed a considerable distance away.

Standing up and quickly rushing over to Godot, Buggie influenced his Force senses to identify if his former instructor was okay. Though the Force alerted him to nothing unusual, Buggie remained cautious as he approached Godot. Suddenly, Godot shot up, unleashing a telekinetic blast of his own. Buggie began channeling the Force to his hands in an effort to combat the blast, but it was a useless gesture. The telekinetic Force blast hit Buggie, sending him sliding along the bridge. As the Force alerted Buggie to the fact that Godot was once more rushing toward him, Buggie flipped onto his back and prepared to counter the attack. As Godot sprinted over to Buggie, he rose his lightsaber and attempted to bring it down on his former student. Calling upon the Force once more to aid in his strength, Buggie blocked the strike and used Godot's forward momentum to his advantage. Sending the Force energy within his body to his legs now, Buggie shot both of his feet under Godot, knocking him off balance. Using the Force to now boost his strength and flexibility, Buggie used Godot's lack of balance and forward momentum, carrying the Jedi Master on his legs and shooting him over top of his body. As Godot landed close by, Buggie quickly rose to his feet and readied his body with the Force to counter any attacks that Godot could muster.

"Enough," Godot called, "You've proven your abilities."

"Here, let me help you up," Buggie said, disengaging his lightsaber and offering his hand to Godot.

As Godot took Buggie's hand, he rose to his feet and disengaged his lightsaber, placing it back onto his belt, "Thank you, Buggie. You've certainly grown into a fine Jedi."

"Master Godot, if you don't mind, may I ask a question of you?" Buggie requested.

"Certainly, go ahead," Godot said.

"Why did you ask of me to come out here today? Is there something wrong? Forgive me, but it just seems strange," Buggie said.

"Oh..." Godot began, deep in thought, "It's just that when I'm out there performing Jedi duties, I see a lot of nasty things. You're all I've got, Buggie. You were my only pupil. When I see the violence and the harsh reality out there, I worry about you. I suppose I just wanted to prove to myself one final time that I didn't make any mistakes when I trained you. As usual, Buggie, you haven't disappointed me."

Smiling, Buggie said, "Thank you, Master. I'm glad you requested that we meet today. It's nice to fi-"

"Oh come here, you big lug!" Godot interrupted, embracing Buggie.

As they hugged it out for a few moments, Buggie finally said, "If you've got the time, let's go get a drink and catch up."

"With you? Bah!" Godot said, before smiling and adding, "Just kidding. Let's go."

As Buggie and Godot strode across the bridge and made their way back to the Enclave, Buggie was glad that the Force had brought him back into contact with his Master. The duel had been fierce and both he and Godot had emerged with their fair share of bumps and bruises. Buggie felt as if he had improved his skills with the lightsaber in his battle against Godot. Never before had Buggie been able to control portions of duels as he had against Godot. Perhaps, Buggie thought, he had finally finished adjusting to his forms of combat and found his own personal touches to add to his particular style.

((OOC: Training for 'Masterful Lightsaber Combat' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Training for 'Breath Control' begins here.))

As he sat in meditation, Buggie could hear the soothing flow of water run past him. Having hiked down the mountain trail from Dee'ja Peak to the area downstream from the waterfall, Buggie found a quiet place to relax. The sound of the crashing waterfall was distant, though the noise it created could still be heard. Continuing his deep meditation within the Force, Buggie could feel the Force energy surrounding him interacting with nature. It was a beautiful thing to witness the Force flowing through each and every object, binding it all together.

Easing himself out of his meditation, Buggie opened his eyes to Naboo once more. The large stream that flowed by in front of him called to him, beckoning him to come for a swim. Standing and removing his robes, revealing his swimming shorts underneath, Buggie then walked over to the edge of the large stream and dipped his foot in. The water was cool, but Buggie would get used to it soon enough once he got in. Deciding to get the shock of the cool water over with all at once, Buggie jumped into the water and crouched down, allowing his entire body to become submerged. The cool water immediately took the breath from Buggie's lungs, so he shot up out of the water and attempted to get used to the cool temperature. Thinking back for a moment, Buggie recalled the days of training for action scenes in the holodramas he had been in. He had certainly taken a beating once or twice, and needed to be sat down in a cold tub in order to allow his muscles to tighten back up. It always amazed Buggie that when he first sat down in the freezing water of the tubs that his breath was immediately taken from his lungs. No matter what he did to prepare himself, as soon as his body was cast into the freezing water, he always found himself gasping for air.

Looking down at the running stream that flowed around him, Buggie began to come up with an idea. Verpine were by no means aquatic beings; the Roche Asteroids never having pools of water running within them. It only made sense that Verpine could not breathe underwater. Perhaps, though, with the use of the Force, Buggie could cut off his need to breathe underwater. If he could boost his own talent for holding his breath, he wouldn't need to come up for air so often. Even better, if Buggie was able to negate the urge to come up for air, he would be able to survive underwater for remarkable periods of time. After a moment of considering how he would approach such an exercise, Buggie was prepared to begin.

Feeling the Force flow through his body, Buggie channeled the Force through his lungs. As the Force energy within his body traveled through Buggie's airway, the midichlorians within his body began to react. As the Force surrounded Buggie's lungs and traveled through his veins and the rest of his circulatory system, Buggie began the exercise. Submerging himself once again under the water, Buggie called upon the Force to regulate his lungs. After a few moments, the urge to release some of the air within his lungs began to arise, but Buggie calmly channeled the Force to ease his body. As the Force flowed through Buggie's lungs, the burning sensation attributed to the urge to breathe became dulled. Holding the position for a few more moments, Buggie began to feel dizzy, and he allowed the Force to cease its influence over his lungs. Rising up from under the water, Buggie gasped for air as the Force traveled out of his lungs.

After taking a moment to reconsider the exercise, Buggie decided that he was taking the wrong approach. Instead of using the Force to dull the urge to breathe, Buggie concluded that he should instead alter the Force's natural interaction with his lungs, allowing his body to remain healthy and survive with no air. Perhaps, with enough focus, Buggie could allow the Force to keep his body going for a period of time without oxygen.

Taking a deep breath and once more submerging himself underwater, Buggie called upon the Force energy within his body to flow into his lungs and circulatory system. As he sat underneath the water, Buggie called upon the Force to flow through his veins in an effort to allow the innate Force energy within his body to keep his cells healthy. As Buggie concentrated, he controlled the Force as it swept through his circulatory system, protecting his body from weakening without oxygen. As Buggie's lungs began to ache again, he guided the Force to sweep through them, intending to numb the ache of not having fresh oxygen within them. As the Force inteacted with Buggie's lungs, he controlled the Force as it swept through them, keeping the oxygen fresh within his body. As the Force preserved the cells within Buggie's body, keeping them healthy, it also soothed Buggie's lungs, keeping them functioning, even though there was no oxygen coming in.

After a few minutes had passed, Buggie was still comfortable under the water, as the Force that swept through his lungs and veins kept his body fresh and almost precisely as it would have been if he would have been breathing. This time, Buggie's body did not try to instinctively shut itself down, as the Force kept Buggie's organs and cells fresh as it regulated his vital systems. Allowing for the Force to hold his body in a healthy state, Buggie decided to try to swim a short distance under the water in an effort to test the amount of strain moving would place on his body. As he put his body into a horizontal position and began to paddle his way down the stream underwater, Buggie carefully focused to make sure that the Force was still evenly regulating his system. After a few moments, Buggie had come to notice that moving while using the ability was a bit more complicated than merely sitting. Slowing down and stopping himself, Buggie once more felt the Force sweep through his vital systems, calming his cells and lungs.

After a few more minutes, Buggie pushed off from the bottom of the stream and launched himself up to the surface. Releasing the Force energy within his body that was regulating his vital systems, Buggie once again breathed normally. The sensation of breathing again surprisingly wasn't releaving to Buggie. When he had resumed breathing, it merely felt as if he was taking any common breath of air. Buggie had expected the sensation to feel as if he had stale air within his lungs and needed to replenish them with fresh air. Buggie concluded that he had influenced the Force to keep the air within his body fresh while he was underwater.

As he got out of the stream, Buggie proceeded to walk over to where his robes had been deposited. Laying out on the side of the stream, Buggie then allowed the sun to dry his body. As he sat back on the grass, Buggie thought upon the useful skill that he had just discovered. Taking a moment to consider the situations in which he could use the breath control skill, Buggie decided that he should practice it more. As he looked out over the stream, Buggie wondered what other mysteries the Force held within nature that Buggie could learn from.

((OOC: Training for 'Breath Control' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((Training for 'Level 11' begins here.))

"...Okay, I think we've got everything set up. Are you sure you want to do this?" Kyle asked Buggie.

"Yeah, of course. Once I'm finished, we can go along and set it all back up, then you can run it. We'll see who does the best; it'll be fun," Buggie said, adding in a sly wink at the end.

Buggie and his fellow Jedi Knight, Kyle Char, had finished setting up a course along the complex of the Jedi Enclave. Nicknaming the obstacle course "The Gauntlet," the Jedi had set up a series of obstacles and tests, each measuring the physical prowess and Force ability of the person who was running the course. The idea had originally started out from a passing comment that Kyle had made one day. As the idea developed, the two Jedi Knights began adding in more and more potential obstacles to the course. Now though, the Jedi Knights had free time and decided to finally pull the trigger on the test of skill. Spending a few hours putting together the course and the obstacles, The Gauntlet was now in full working operation and was ready to be tested. To any Padawan learner hoping to become a Jedi Knight, The Gauntlet would prove to be a disheartening task. Luckily, Kyle and Buggie were seasoned Jedi Knights, and were well-versed in the power of the Force and how to use it. Still, Buggie knew that he would have to pull out all of his tricks to pass by The Gauntlet.

"I'll be in touch with your while you're running The Gauntlet telepathically. Don't worry, though, I won't try to distract you," Kyle said, as Buggie stepped up to the starting line.

"Good, it'd be a shame if I had to toss you off the waterfall for breaking my concentration," Buggie joked, as he took off the outer layer of his robes and made sure his lightsaber was secured tightly to his belt.

As Buggie stepped up to the starting line and signaled that he was ready to begin, Kyle checked his chronometer and began counting off, "Here goes... Three, two, one... Go!"

As Buggie immediately began sprinting straight down the long hallway of the building they were in, he began to draw the Force to his body in order to prepare himself for the first obstacle. As the innate Force energy within his body began to build up, he channeled it toward his legs in order to strengthen him for the upcoming action. The first part of The Gauntlet was one of the most dangerous. The runner was required to leap out of a large open window at the end of the hallway and immediately grab hold of a netting that was placed a short distance away. If Buggie missed the grab, he would fall straight down onto the street. Feeling the midichlorians within his legs react to the Force energy that was being drawn to them, Buggie began to notice that his legs felt more powerful. Focusing as he reached the large open window, Buggie released the Force energy within his legs and leapt outward through the open window. As he flew through the window, Buggie called upon the Force to control his jump, monitoring his trajectory so that he didn't hit the side of the window or fall short of the netting. As he cleared the window, Buggie reached out his arms and called the netting toward his hands with his telekinetic Force powers. Just as he began to fall, the power of the Force prevailed and the netting reached Buggie's outstretched hands, allowing for him to grab on.

Quickly climbing down the netting, Buggie hit the street and immediately began sprinting on the cobblestone pavement, his quick footsteps making a distinct cracking sound as they hit. Zooming around a corner, Buggie's next obstacle came into sight. Two buildings that happened to be built very closely together created a narrow shaft that Buggie and Kyle had placed a number of handholds on, rising along the sides of the buildings. Buggie's next objective was to jump from one side of the building to the other, holding on to the handholds along the way as he progressively climbed up. As he entered the narrow alleyway between the buildings, Buggie called the Force to his body once more, bringing his motion into balance as he prepared to jump up to the first handhold. As his body began to react to the Force energy that flowed through him, his body began to feel stronger, yet more dexterous. With the Force assisting his abilities by strengthening his legs and allow him to increase his vertical jump, Buggie leaped high into the air and grabbed the first handhold. Bracing himself against the wall by propping his legs against it, Buggie prepared to leap backwards and grab the next handhold that was strategically placed higher up. As the Force flowed through his body, Buggie felt his balance and motion become easier to control. Trusting the Force to aid him, Buggie pushed off and leapt into the air, twisting his body around to grab the next handhold as the Force assisted him by allowing for his body to move more freely in the air. After his success with the second handhold, Buggie continued using the Force to assist him in reaching the following series of handholds. Each time he leapt into the air, Buggie called upon the Force to help him twist his body around and locate the handholds. With a combination of his Force-boosted senses and physical abilities that he owed to the power of the Force, Buggie had progressed to the top of the building in matter of minutes.

Raising himself to the top of the roof, Buggie knew where his next target was located. As he sprinted to the other end of the roof, he neared a large building with a bell tower on top. The bell tower was perfectly positioned height-wise in relation to the roof of the building that Buggie was currently on. As Buggie called upon the Force once more to assist him in jumping the gap between the buildings, he felt his legs grow stronger. As the Force coursed through his legs, Buggie began to feel a slight bit of fatigue from calling upon the Force for assistance so frequently. Shrugging off the feeling of fatigue, Buggie unleashed the Force energy within his legs and burst from the top of the roof toward the bell tower. As Buggie flew through the air, he began to channel the innate Force energy within his body to channel toward his palms. Cocking back his hands, Buggie concentrated the Force power within his palms in preparation for his next task. Before Buggie landed on the roof of the bell tower, he shot his hands forward and unleashed the built up Force energy that he had been gathering. Blasting a telekinetic Force energy blast on the large bell, Buggie then rolled as he hit the roof that held the bell tower. Before he could even get back up, the Force blast that Buggie had unleashed created a satisfying bwonnng on the large bell within the tower.

"Nice one," Kyle telepathically said to Buggie as he moved on to the next part of The Gauntlet.

Grabbing a rope that he and Kyle had tied to a beam that extended from the roof, Buggie quickly lowered himself off the top of the roof and began to repel down. Once he had reached the ground, Buggie sprinted over to an empty grav-loader that waited nearby. In charge of moving the grav-loader was a simple worker droid that had been directed by Buggie to follow the pre-determined route that he and Kyle had laid out. As the grav-loader began to speed up, Buggie found his balance and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. As the grav-loader began to take Buggie into the depths of a nearby forested area, he prepared himself for his next task. As Buggie stretched out his senses with the Force, he familiarized himself with his surroundings as he prepared for the several remote droids that he and Kyle set up to begin firing. As well, there were a number of targets designed to pop up as the grav-loader came near that Buggie had to knock down telekinetically. As the grav-loader sped through the forested area, the Force alerted Buggie to incoming danger ahead. Igniting his lightsaber, Buggie followed the guidance of the Force as it directed him to a laser blast that suddenly came shooting at him. Using the Force to make his movements more efficient, Buggie knocked away the laser blast and already began moving his body to the next one as it came to him. As the remotes began firing, Buggie called upon the Force to alert him to danger as he was kept busy in knocking away the laser fire. With the Force alerting him to the position of the remotes and where the fire was coming from, Buggie's mind was functioning at full speed. Like a computer processing information, Buggie's mind reacted to the alerts that the Force sent to him, adjusting his body and determining where he should move to next. As one target popped up, Buggie knocked away a laser and sent out a telekinetic burst through the Force. Knocking down the target, Buggie placed two hands back on his lightsaber and continued knocking away laser fire from the remotes. Soon, Buggie had completed the course and the remotes went back to their stations.

Jumping off of the grav-loader, Buggie barely had time to see it turn around and go back to its pre-determined location before he began sprinting again. By now, Buggie's body was fatigued. Thankfully, the next task that he had to perform wouldn't require him to use his body as a means to fulfill the goal. As he approached a great tree at the fork of two trails within the forested area, Buggie stopped and began his next challenge. Reaching out with the Force, Buggie felt the Force energy within the woods and studied how it flowed naturally through all the living things in it. Reaching out to the large tree, Buggie studied how the Force interacted with the tree, keeping it alive and allowing for the nutrients within the ground to travel up through its roots and feed it. Feeling the Force even influence how the tree's leaves remained alive on its branches, Buggie began to concentrate. Altering the flow of the Force was a basic skill that many young Padawan learned within their extensive training, and Buggie was no exception. As Buggie began to change how the Force interacted with the tree, he was careful not to cause it harm or, in the worst case, kill it. As Buggie focused on how the Force interacted with the tree, he began to change the tree's natural rhythms. As Buggie carefully manipulated the Force, he sensed one leaf fall from one of the branches of the tree. Continuing his alteration, Buggie sensed a number of leaves falling from the tree's braches. Soon, with the assistance of the Force, Buggie had caused all of the leaves on the tree's branches to turn brown and fall from it's branches. With the Force as his ally, Buggie had altered the tree into causing its leaves to fall of as if it were autumn. Allowing for the Force energy to flow back into its natural state, Buggie ran forward through the leaves on to the next challenge of The Gauntlet. As his taloned feet caused the leaves to crunch under them, Buggie didn't worry about the state of the tree. When Kyle ran The Gauntlet, he would alter the tree into regaining its leaves.

As Buggie sprinted through the dark wooded area, he could see the light on the other end of the woods. Buggie kept his wits about him, though, as he knew what was coming next. The only problem for Buggie was that he didn't know where it would be coming from. As he raced against the clock, Buggie sprinted through the wooded area. Reaching out with his senses once more, Buggie called upon the Force to alert him to any oncoming danger. As Buggie hopped over a log, he heard the ignition of a lightsaber and felt the familiar sense of the Force alerting him to danger in the back of his mind. As a training droid jumped out, it brought its training saber around in an arc that would have bisected Buggie, had it been a real lightsaber. Quickly rolling under the swing, Buggie cleared the first training droid. The droids had been programmed by Buggie himself to only take one swing with their training sabers, so Buggie knew that he was safe once he had cleared the first one of the series. As Buggie kept moving, the Force once more alerted him to danger ahead. Two more training droids jumped out at him from behind two large trees. As they both swung their lightsabers in Buggie's path, their blades intersected, creating a deadly cross that Buggie had to avoid. Quickly calling upon the Force to aid him, Buggie leapt high into the air over the droid's attacks. Clearing the droids, Buggie landed and once more resumed running toward the edge of the forest. Suddenly, Buggie had almost been caught unawares by a training droid that had situated itself high on the branches of a tree. As it dove down at him, its lightsaber arcing down on a crash course with Buggie's head, Buggie rose his hands and reacted quickly once more. Channeling the Force energy within his body, Buggie shot out a telekinetic blast at the droid. As the Force blast hit the training droid, it flew back, still in the air. Landing with a crash on a large bush, Buggie continued running once more.

Bursting through the brush back out into the daylight, Buggie emerged on the outskirts of the Jedi Enclave. Fatigued in both the body and the mind, Buggie continued running as fast as he could to the finish area through sheer will. As he passed by building after building, Buggie knew that the end was coming. Still, knowing that fact didn't seem to make the final portion of The Gauntlet any easier on him. After such a varied and strenuous workout, the challenge of running such a distance to the finish area was formidable. As Buggie neared the building that he had started in, he could sense Kyle inside on the top floor through the Force. He was only a few flights of stairs away from being the first to run the new obstacle course. Rushing through the entrance of the building, Buggie then pushed through the door the led to the staircase. Calling upon the Force to keep him going through this last portion of The Gauntlet, Buggie began to rush up the stairs. His legs felt like duracrete weights as he pushed himself to run up the stairs. The sound of his labored breathing reverberated through the staircases as he rushed up them. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of struggling, Buggie burst through the door at the top of the stairwell and finished The Gauntlet.

As Buggie slowed down and began to rest himself, he looked to Kyle and gasped out through breaths, "How... How'd... I do?"

Examining the chronometer, Kyle frowned and said, "I think I just accidently deleted your time from the timer."

Glaring at Kyle, Buggie stood up straight and prepared himself to begin cursing, but Kyle began to laugh and said, "I'm just kidding. Take a look."

"That's... Well that's not bad," Buggie said, satisfied with himself as he checked the time on the chronometer.

"I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, Buggie, but that won't be enough to beat me," Kyle said, as he took of the outer layer of his robes and stepped to the starting line.

"We'll see about that," Buggie said with a chuckle as he regained his breath and readied the chronometer, "Okay, here goes. Three... Two... One... Go!"

((OOC: Training for 'Level 11' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((Training for 'Accelerate Healing' begins here.))

Pain shot through Buggie's collarbone as he sat against the propped-up examining table in the medical bay of the Jedi Enclave. During one of his sparring sessions with fellow Jedi Knight Kyle Char, Buggie had allowed himself to be drawn in by Kyle, only to lunge forward and give his opponent a clean shot at defeating him. As Buggie had lunged forward, Kyle spun around behind Buggie and brought down a powerful strike aimed at Buggie's shoulder. As the blow from Kyle was being dealt, Buggie could feel his collarbone give way with a distinct crack. Since then, the pain from what Buggie thought was a broken collarbone had been coursing through his upper body. Every time Buggie moved, even slightly, the severe pain shot through his body.

Having been helped to the medical bay immediately thereafter by Kyle, Buggie now waited for one of the medical droids to examine him. As Buggie looked around the medical room, he saw a variety of medical supplies stocked within transparent glass cabinets. As he observed this, Buggie began to think of how many medical supplies the Enclave needed. Certainly there were a number of Jedi that held healing powers of their own. At first, it seemed to Buggie that the Enclave holding such expansive stocks of medical supplies was unnecessary. Thinking on, though, Buggie began to realize that being prepared medically for any situation could prove vital. Before he could continue thinking about the medical bay, though, the door to the room opened and a 2-1B medical droid stepped through. Carrying a datapad that Buggie assumed was filled with medical information, the 2-1B medical droid immediately strode over to the examining table that Buggie had been placed on.

"Greetings," the droid said as it approached Buggie, "I understand that you are experiencing severe pain near your collarbone. May I take a look?"

"Go ahead," Buggie said, wincing as pain shot through his upper body once more.

As the medical droid meticulously slid Buggie's robes off of his shoulder, he began to examine the region that Buggie had reported feeling severe pain from. Luckily for Buggie, he had only been wearing the inner layer of his robes on this occasion, or else removing them would have proven much more complicated. Buggie looked down at his collarbone as the droid gently examined it. Immediately feeling nausea as he saw the dark bruise and the seemingly deformed collarbone that looked to be sagging awkwardly from his body, Buggie turned away.

"Please avoid looking at the injury. In the case of more severe injuries, the patient may go into shock by merely witnessing it. Try to think of pleasant thoughts," the droid said without stopping his examination.

As Buggie made an effort to distract himself, the droid took a step back and engaged a hypodermic injector that was located on its arm. Inserting the needle beneath Buggie's skin, the droid proceeded to pump in a drug that instantly numbed the pain originating from the area of Buggie's injury. Buggie breathed a sigh of relief as the pain dulled down to almost unnoticeable levels.

"That will help dull the pain," the droid said as it disengaged the injector and turned to a small tray that held a number of medical implements, "I will now perform some scans on your injury to determine its severity and whether or not it will require surgery. Please remain still."

As the droid began running the scanner up and down the area of Buggie's injury, the scanning paddles began to flash. Trying to distract himself yet again from the thought of his injury, Buggie became aware of the smell of the room. Everything in the medical room, not to mention the medical bay, as a whole, was white and sterile. The smell from the chemicals that the staff used to disinfect everything was evident, though subtle at the same time. Before Buggie could think of it further, the droid had removed the scanning paddles.

"I will now go and develop some images of your injury. Please remain still while I am gone," the droid said as it exited the room.

Once the door had closed behind it, Buggie was left alone once more. Thinking back to his earlier contemplation on the necessity of the medical bay, and idea began to form in his mind. Buggie decided that now would be a perfect opportunity to experiment with the Force an in attempt to heal himself. Buggie had no medical knowledge, making him hesitant whether or not he should continue. Not wanting to injure himself further, Buggie decided that it was too good of an opportunity to experiment with a new Force ability, but that he should also exercise caution. After a moment of debating with himself, Buggie decided that he wouldn't try to heal the injury completely, but that he would attempt to accelerate his natural healing abilities.

Channeling the innate Force energy within his body, Buggie began to feel the Force flow through him. As the Force came to life within him, Buggie began to boost his senses with it. With the aid of the Force, Buggie sensed deep within himself in an effort to identify his injury and then bring the Force to it for healing. As the Force flowed through the injury, it alerted Buggie to what was wrong with his collarbone. Buggie could feel with the assistance of the Force that his collarbone had broken at the point of Kyle's training saber's impact. The Force alerted Buggie that his collarbone had been split completely in two, with one side of it sloping down lower than the other.

Completing the first part of his experiment, Buggie knew that his next step was to use the Force to accelerate his natural healing. Reaching within his body with the Force, Buggie began to use his telekinetic powers to straighten out the side of his fracture that was sagging. Concentrating heavily in an effort not to create pressure and form a stress fracture somewhere else, Buggie called upon the Force to gently raise his broken collarbone. Even as Buggie influenced the Force to ever so slightly raise the sloping part of his fracture, immense pain shot through Buggie's upper body. Immediately halting with that strategy, Buggie stopped influencing the Force to move his break. The two sides of his fracture would have to reunite naturally.

This led Buggie to develop a new strategy in healing himself. Instead of using the Force to bring the two sides of his collarbone nearer to each other, he would call upon the Force to influence his body to heal the injury faster. Buggie's first step in the experiment was to call upon the Force to heal the bruise on his skin. As Buggie called out to the Force, he could feel the innate energy within his body come to life once more. Channeling the Force to his injury, Buggie began to sense the Force flowing through the bruised area. As Buggie influenced the Force to react to the bruise, he surrounded the damaged tissue with the Force. Manipulating the natural healing of his body through the Force, Buggie began to bring the Force energy to the tissue itself. As the Force flowed through the injured tissue, Buggie could sense his body slowly, almost unnoticeably, regenerating the tissue. With the help of the Force, Buggie sped up the tissue's regenerative properties, being careful to control the speed of regeneration at a safe level. Soon, with the help of the Force, Buggie had diminished the dark bruise to a mere spot on the outside of his collarbone.

Moving on to the broken collarbone, Buggie now had a strategy for speeding up the healing process. While he might not be able to completely heal the fracture all at once, he could at least ease some of the tissue and blood vessel damage that surrounded the injury. Calling the Force to assist him once more, Buggie began to channel the energy within his body toward the break in his collarbone. Sensing through the Force that there was significant tissue and blood vessel damage around the injury, Buggie allowed the Force to sweep through those areas. As Buggie controlled the Force as it contacted the tissue damage, he monitored how the Force energy sped up the healing process. Keeping the Force from regenerating the tissue at too fast of speeds and overgrowing the tissue, Buggie focused on his work. Sensing the fluid from broken blood vessels nearby, Buggie called upon the Force to sweep it away and reseal the damaged blood vessels. As the Force coursed through Buggie's veins, he controlled the energy as it swept from one open blood vessel to the next, speeding the healing process.

Feeling much better about his injury now that it was only limited to a seperation of his collarbone, Buggie recalled the Force just as the 2-1B medical droid stepped through the door with a sling and the images of the injury in hand. Immediately noticing that the injury was different, the medical droid quickly began examining the injured area on Buggie's body.

After a few moments, the droid said, "I wish that you Jedi would stop meddling with your injuries and just allow medical professionals to take care of your wounds."

Laughing, Buggie took the sling and, with the help of the medical droid, placed it around his neck and under his arm. Though Buggie had to keep the injury stationary for a couple of weeks still, he was satisfied in gaining experience in treating his own medical injuries. Perhaps with more practice, Buggie would be able to treat more severe wounds. He hoped that it would never come to that, but he realized the possibility. With the help of the Force, Buggie knew that his injuries would be a lot less dangerous, now that he knew how to treat them and accelerate his own natural healing abilities.

((Training for 'Accelerate Healing' ends here.))

[Master Buggie]

((OOC: Post for 'Lightsaber Construction' begins here.))

Entering his room within the Jedi Enclave, Buggie placed the bag full of materials on the floor. Proceeding to enter his closet, Buggie withdrew a work mat that he kept in the far corner. Placing the mat on the floor, Buggie sat down and prepared to begin his work. Buggie had been thinking about creating another lightsaber for quite some time, though he had not yet had an opportunity to do so. Now, with his arm in a sling, Buggie could not spar with any other Jedi, nor actively train in the ways that he would like to. Several days ago, Buggie had been rummaging through the maintenance bay, looking for parts that he could use for another lightsaber. He had found several useful parts, but in the end, he had to resort to spare parts from his first lightsaber's construction in order to find the rarer materials that would be needed. Parts from broken blasters, droids, and ship plating served well for many of Buggie's parts. Buggie was also lucky enough to have run across a new Jedi Knight that had a spare, almost untouched, synth-crystal that he had not used in the construction of his lightsaber. For the past two days, Buggie had spent most of his time meditating before the synth-crystal, imbuing it with the light side of the Force. Buggie's broken collarbone was still very sore, yet he felt that he was recovering enough to put forth all of his attention toward constructing another lightsaber. This construction would have its challenges, though, as Buggie could not use his arm to build the weapon. Instead, Buggie would have to take advantage of his telekinetic powers to manipulate the precise layout of the inside of his lightsaber.

Reaching out with the Force and opening the bag, Buggie carefully lifted out the necessary wiring, tools, power cell, power insulator, and other vital parts. Using the Force to slowly spread out the materials on the work mat, Buggie then reached within the bag with the Force and lifted out the duranium hilt that he had already shaped into several pieces. The duranium for this lightsaber would be the usual chrome color. This new lightsaber's design would be distinctly different from that of his last, though. Instead of using scrapped stormtrooper armor as the outside layer of his lightsaber, Buggie would use black duranium as a decorative outer layer. The black duranium had a series of grooves cut near the top, mostly for decoration, but also in part to assist with the grip near the top of the weapon.

Opening the shell of the hilt, Buggie first began by laying in the inert power insulator in preparation for the power field conductor that would fit inside of it. Securing the inert power insulator along the edges of the bottom of the inside of the hilt, Buggie tested it to make sure that it would stay. When satisfied, Buggie then placed the power field conductor within the confines of the inert power insulator. Pushing the conductor into the space provided by the insulator, Buggie was satisfied that the fit was tight. Locking in the conductor to the insulator, Buggie's next step was to insert the power cell. Before he could proceed, though, Buggie needed a refresher on how to connect the power cell to the port that would recharge it. Reaching out with the Force once more, Buggie removed the booklet that had guided him on his first lightsaber construction from the bag. Using his good hand to flip through the pages, Buggie found the necessary information and began to read up. As Buggie read, an idea began forming within his mind. Through the Force, Buggie could zoom through the pages, learning about how to constuct the lightsaber quickly. Since Buggie had already constructed a lightsaber once before, he had basic knowledge of the subject. It would only take a little bit of patience and Force energy to allow him to quickly scan through the book, learning everything he had forgotten since he last built a lightsaber. As Buggie called upon the innate Force energy within his body, he could feel his mind open up to the Force. Quickly reading through the booklet, Buggie recalled the information that he had forgotten within a matter of minutes.

Satisfied, Buggie placed the booklet down and continued working on the lightsaber. Using his good hand to pick up the diatium power cell, Buggie held the hilt steady through the Force and placed the cell within the field conductor. Fitting it snugly in its place, Buggie then rotated the cell with the aid of the Force until it correctly lined up with the charging port. Fitting on the end cap of the lightsaber, Buggie proceeded to secure the cap into place with the help of the Force and a trusty welding rod. Now that the bottom portion of the lightsaber was complete, Buggie moved on to the middle portion of the lightsaber. This section held the synth-crystal, the two small crystals Buggie would use for a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse, and the crystal mount, all housed inside of the energy gate.

Tilting his lightsaber upward, with the help of the Force, Buggie attached the crystal mount to the top of the diatium power cell. When he was certain that it would be secure, Buggie then reached into his pocket and withdrew the light green synth-crystal that he had formerly imbued with the light side of the Force. Inspecting it one last time, Buggie was satisfied with how he had cut it previously and fitted it inside of the crystal mount. Grabbing some wiring with his good hand, Buggie then proceeded to create a circuit from the crystal mount to the mounting of the bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse crystals. Though he struggled at first with the precise movements needed to run the wiring, Buggie eventually overcame the obstacle. Successfully creating the means for an ignition pulse, Buggie then placed the two small crystals within their respective mounts. The establishment of a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse would allow for Buggie to successfully ignite his lightsaber underwater. Though Buggie didn't know when he would ever use such a thing, he figured that it was worth the extra time to make sure that his lightsaber wouldn't short out under water. Fitting in the focusing crystal activators into the hilt, Buggie then ran a line from them to the primary crystal. Once he had successfully established a connection from the activators to the crystal itself, as well as the two ignition pulse crystals, Buggie was ready to move on to the final section of his lightsaber.

The top section of the lightsaber would prove to be the most tricky for Buggie, especially since he had only one hand to work with, as the other was immobilized within a sling. The top portion of his lightsaber would hold the most wiring and circuitry. Taking a deep breath, Buggie grabbed the wiring and prepared himself to be patient while he struggled with the task. Leaving one end of the wiring unconnected, Buggie ran a length of wire from the top of the lightsaber through a channel that led to the bottom. The bottom of the lightsaber would hold the blade power adjust. Securing the wiring through the field conductor, Buggie slowly pulled it through to a small opening on the bottom of the lightsaber's duranium hilt. Here, Buggie grabbed a small knob that would serve as the power adjuster and attached it to the circuit. Fitting the knob into the place of the opening on the duranium hilt, Buggie called upon the Force to hold the hilt steady as he welded the knob's fitting into the hilt of the lightsaber. Taking another length of wiring, shorter than the last, Buggie then repeated the process at the top of the lightsaber's hilt for the blade length adjustor. Once more calling upon the Force to assist him in holding the hilt steady, Buggie proceeded to secure the knob on the top of the hilt. The wiring for the blade adjustment knobs would connect to the cycling field energizers, which Buggie had not yet placed inside of the hilt. Before doing that, though, Buggie needed to complete the energy modulation circuitry. Normally, he would have placed the cycling field energizers in first, but due to the unusal circumstances surrounding the construction of this lightsaber, he needed all the space he could find for wiring the lightsaber and completing the circuitry. One hand and the Force were all he had to complete the wiring, and it would take Buggie much longer than he wanted to spend on it.

Focusing his mind as he went about connecting all of the wires to their proper positions, Buggie felt the Force flow through his body at a constant rate. As Buggie continued wiring, he attached the ignition panel that would cause the lightsaber to ignite. Buggie had created an ignition panel that would ignite the blade with two taps of the switch. This would keep the blade ignited in the even that Buggie accidently hit the switch during battle. Wiping the sweat from his face, Buggie continued calling upon the Force to assist him in the construction of the lightsaber. Perhaps using the Force so much to construct a lightsaber brought it that much closer to its wielder, Buggie thought as he worked. The going was slow, but Buggie didn't grow frustrated. Somehow, he was at peace connecting all of the circuits to their wires and creating an object that would function as a whole. Buggie was extremely talented in building and repairing ships and droids, as were most Verpine. It was natural, in a way, for him to enjoy wiring his lightsaber, no matter how slow the process was.

After finishing the process, Buggie was exhausted. His back hurt from bending down to examine the wires and making sure that they all connected properly. Still, though, Buggie was so close to finishing that he couldn't think about stopping. Fitting in the cycling field energizers around his wiring, Buggie heard the satisfying snap as they fit into place. Reaching out with his good hand and gathering the blade arc tip and the magnetic stabilizing ring, Buggie moved to combine the two. Pushing the arc tip through the stabilizing ring, Buggie then held them upright with the Force and welded them securely together. Fitting the ring and tip onto the front end of the lightsaber, Buggie then secured the parts to the hilt itself.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Buggie knew that the next part would be the easiest. Placing the top of the hilt onto the bottom portion, Buggie welded the pieced shut, creating one complete tube. This would be the first outer layer of the lightsaber hilt. Making sure that the end cap and the stabilizing ring at the front were secured, Buggie then reached out for the black duranium that would serve as the second layer of the lightsaber hilt. Fitting the black duranium to the silver duranium, Buggie welded the decoratively cut black portion to the silver portion. Placing the finishing touches on the lightsaber hilt, Buggie turned the hilt in his hands, looking for any imperfections that he could find. After touching up a few spots, Buggie placed the hilt down and cleaned up the work space. After a few minutes of cleaning up the scrap metal, wiring, and extra parts, Buggie placed the welding rod on the far end of the work mat. Grabbing the lightsaber hilt and standing up, Buggie prepared to ignite it for the first time.

Cautious that it could explode in the event that it was built incorrectly, Buggie reached out with the Force and attempted to sense any imperfections. Finding none, Buggie held out the lightsaber before him and hit the ignition panel. With the familiar whoosh-hiss of a lightsaber blade being ignited, the light green blade emerged from the hilt of the lightsaber. Happy that the weapon had worked as planned thus far, Buggie proceeded to moved it around through the air, listening to the hum of the blade as it swung around. Hitting the ignition panel twice, the blade retracted perfectly. Sitting back down on the floor in exhaustion, Buggie once more breathed a sigh of relief. His second lightsaber was complete. Though he would still use his first lightsaber as his primary weapon, in the event that it was destroyed, Buggie could rely on his second lightsaber as a weapon. He hadn't decided where he would keep the lightsaber, though. Perhaps he could have Twitter to hold it in one of her top storage panels. That would be a good idea, unless she happened to wander into any more speeder traffic. Still, Buggie thought it was a good idea to keep an extra weapon nearby at all times. Inside of his astromech droid, Twitter, seemed to be as good of a place as any. As Buggie cleaned up the workspace, he planned on paying his little droid a visit. He was sure she would be pleased to hold her master's weapon so that he could call upon her for it when he needed to.

((OOC: Post for 'Lightsaber Construction' ends here. If you want to check out the image my lightsaber was based on, take a peek.))