SithLore

Aboard the YT 2000 ’Talon’ cruising through the blue churning tunnel of hyperspace towards their next destination was the Jedi Master Ben Kenobi and his brand new Padawan Apprentice, Aliclair Austjor. They’d spent the better part of the day teaching Aliclair how to fly his ship through the upper atmosphere of Kashyyyk and she’d done a pretty good job for her first time, though they could not just keep the joy ride going as there was still much to do and the Jedi were always needed throughout the many regions of the Galaxy. That mandate was not just within Alliance Space either, the troubled people of the Galaxy needed help even in neutral space, Mandalorian Space, Imperial Space, Hutt Space… and even within the Gordian Reach which was littered with the ancient enemies of the Jedi… the Sith.

So the pair set off world and once their ship escaped the gravity well of Kashyyyk they were off into hyperspace. Now with time on their hands, Ben had no intention on bringing Aliclair into a tough situation without teaching her how to handle herself.

Though first they needed to take care of some very important details.

They met in the training room about his ship. It was not glamorous nor too spacious though it served the purpose well enough aboard this small sized freighter they were on. Ben was first to take a seat on the training mat and he set his staff across his lap and took up an easy relaxed stance. Aliclair had been through these sorts of exercises many times before but Ben was a thorough teacher and he wanted to make sure that she was not only taught how to do the lessons and techniques but that she also understood them.

“As Jedi, we live in harmony with the Force and we receive its guidance and its power willingly. It is a relationship of trust and most of all… patience. As we grow in the Force we learn techniques, essentially they are simply different ways in which we concentrate on the Force and how it may react to that influence. But ultimately we use these powers and techniques to aid those around us that cannot help themselves. Sometimes we must make hard decisions as well but we must always consider what we believe is right, even if it may not be the popular choice.”

“The Force is the energy that binds the Galaxy together. It flows through every living being and even those that are not. Though in order to utilize these techniques, we must first recognize the Force.” He gave her a minute and closed his own eyes, showing her that it was time to relax and close everything out of her mind, again, another exercise she had learned as a Novice. “Calm your mind and focus on your breathing. Slow and steady. Listen to your inhale and your exhale. Focus on them and all you have to do here is relax.” He gave her another long moment before moving on.

“Keep your eyes closed, and now listen to the things around you. As a Force Sensitive you will be able to hear things that others will not. This hearing is akin to feeling though your senses are yet undeveloped so we take this one step at the time. Aliclair, feel the Force around you. It is in constant motion just like the oxygen we breathe. All you have to do is listen to the Force’s movement and in time… you will see.”

OOC: Begin Force Sensitivity - 100 Words

Aliclair used to help her father with star ships, so learning to pilot one wasn't a hard feat for her to do. She'd fly Master Kenobi's ship with ease, and with little to no errors.

But now was time for training. She rose from her seat to follow her Master into a training room, a slight ping in her heart of countless days within these things training about the Force but not being able to use it. But Master Kenobi claimed it was much needed. Swallowing pride, she decided to push past and sit on the ground, and shut her eyes. She knew being on the ground wasn't optional for learning combat, but for now, she was just learning of the Force and to get its feel before using it in combat. She held her hands in a sort of meditation way as her eyes remained closed, and her Force began to shroud her mind like a veil.

From the depts of the silent void of the Unknown into the Blessed Light of the Galaxy, she could feel a certain weight against her hands, and she unfolded them from her meditation state to open them. Like a prepared feline ready to pounce, her senses heightened. Aliclair knitted her eyebrows as she could hear and feel others walk about the ship, doing their tasks. Their hands pushing the touch screen tablets, and the ships' fuel coursing the heavy metal cylinders, and the engine roaring to keep the vessel in the space-time continuum. She inhaled through her nose then exhaled through her mouth as she furthered her Force training. Her five senses enhanced beyond than what she could do alone but... was there a sixth? She opened her eyes, the irises glowing a crimson before going back to her bright grayish light blue/golden.

"Master, I felt something new. Like, I could sense danger? You need to fix your 6th cylinder in the lower engine. It could probably survive a few trips before giving out." She said with a raised eyebrow and standing to her feet.

A broad smile crossed his features at her every success. “Then we’ll make sure we can get that sorted out soon then hmm?” He was very pleased with her progress and now she was ever more ready to begin her journey than ever. The studies and theory she’d learned in the Enclave had translated nicely and her execution of Force use was on a mature level. Aliclair was showing herself to be exactly as Ben Kenobi had suspected; a promising pupil. “Danger is something we deal with on a day in and day out basis. There is a specific technique illustrated in the Force that deals with danger, though you are not yet ready for that at this time. First we must focus on your senses and your ability to see with the Force on a more intimate level.”

“Your relationship with the Force will encompass three different core skills. You will need to master each one in order to truly be able to stand against the Sith and to help the people of this Galaxy. Control, which is the ability to control the Force inside of you as well as your emotions to enable you to focus properly and make tough decisions even in the midst of battle.”

“Sense, which it the ability to feel through the Force in a myriad of ways from the literal expansion of your five senses and then beyond into feeling and even seeing with the Force.”

“Alteration, which is the manipulation of things outside your own influence. Say, picking up an item with the Force or even being able to change the properties of how and where the Force may flow.”

“Sense is the area where we must go to first as it will teach you how to properly feel the Force in a more in depth way. Where you just learned to open your mind to the Force, here you will learn to actively seek out things.”

After a while he led her through a meditative exercise to help her remain calm in all the excitement of what she was experiencing. But once it was time to move forward with her training he began anew. “This is the moment where you learn to feel the flow of the Force. It is a constant moving current that touches all things. How it flows through the open air will be different than if you were to see how it flows through me and there again even more different as to how it would flow within you. Seeing these patterns and different fluctuations of how the Force may react to our everyday lives is essential to a Jedi Knight.”

“We are mere stones in a glass pond which is the Force. Every movement may create ripples in the Light of the Force and with our senses we may pick them up. You mechanic knowledge allowed you to identify something specific that was already occurring. This lesson is about seeking out movements and changes in the Force. When you look at me with your eyes closed you will see the energy surrounding me. Look at my staff and you’ll see it there as well.”

OOC: Sense 1 - 400 Words.

All around the Padawan was elements of a normal planet, but with these elements carried stories. Aliclair looked down at her combat staff, focusing on what she had plus her past experience. She decided to focus on Sense, which is something she’d attuned with already but it could be improved. Ali decided to go down the list of Senses, and to start with touch. Placing her palm on the ground she sat on and shut her eyes. From her nerves, it seems to have branched out like tree roots and she could see within the Planet itself. All living beings to ores and the water hidden within the planet. Even the dirt under her hands, she could sense the microorganisms that dwelled within the ground. She pulled her hand off the ground and opened her eyes, blinking back to reality. Using her Force was certainly something that had to be experienced outside the books.. With given permission of course. She decided that taste isn’t something she could use, so she decided to move onto her hearing sense. She allowed her eyes to shut again and her hearing enhanced. From the small ripples made within the pond by sea dwellers, to the rustling of the leaves within the trees located west. Every flap and movement of debris, As she focused on her Senses, she couldn’t help but for it to feel like, work. Like she had to lift some barrier in order to use but, she had hoped in due time, as her Force became stronger, it’d act as physical strength and she’d be able to use the Force without this weighted feeling.

As Aliclair used her abilities, it was as her Master Kenobi said; it was an extension of one's self. She decided to move onto her next sense, which was sight was next. She decided to focus on a distant object, and as she used her force to see further out, her eyes glowed an unsettling crimson red, her pupils narrowing. Of course, she didn't see this but to most, this would be an off-putting factor. Her eyebrows knitted; it seemed like she was struggling more to use her eyes than to not use them. Like there was strain... She decided to try and use this again, but with her eyes closed. The item in question seemed to zoom right on in like a telescope. Like a all seeing droid has been released into the sky, she could see further than what her eyes could. This sent questions throughout her head, but they would be discussed later. She once again opened her eyes, and the shifting pupils and irises were gone...

She'd gone over what she had done; she had done sight, hearing, and touch. She saw smell and taste useless at the moment, and would further that training on another day, when she had nothing better to do. Aliclair grasped her useless hilt and her combat staff and sheathed them behind her. "How was that, Master?" She asked while looking back at him for confirmation.

“I think you are starting to see what you need to see. For now let us move into some exercises to help you focus better.” He knelt beside her and took up a very relaxed stance, his staff across his lap and his hands resting comfortably on his knees. He led her through several calming routines she would have learned as a Novice back at the Enclave but they were no less important just because she was out here in the real world training as a real Jedi. If anything the simple exercises of her upbringing were more important than ever now. Once he felt that Aliclair was relaxed he began.

“We are as rocks in a lake and the water of the lake is the Force itself. At first our presence may leave ripples and as the water moves over the rock it may cause waves or even white capped current. As Jedi, we seek to endeavor towards a relationship with the Force… more specifically, with the Lightside of the Force, to where were are making as little presence as possible. It is often suggested that to be a Jedi it means to use the Force. I contend that the less we rely on it the more in tune we may become with ourselves and everything around us. To be in tune and to be less in the Force, this is our goal as it brings us into a harmonious state with its energies so that when the time comes for us to call upon the Force and ask of it, the more capable we may become.”

“For this exercise I want you to picture us as the stones in the lake and your goal here today is simply to smooth your own edges out that the water of the lake may pass over you more smoothly in a manner that you shall cause no ripples, no wake. Focus on the Force and draw it closer to you, feel the Force and learn how it glows around and through you. Make effort to sooth those currents as they pass freely over you and in time the edges of your mind, the stone, may too become polished and clear.”

OOC: Force Level 2 - 200 Words

++ Force Level Up: Month 2 ++
> BEGIN <

Aliclair watched as her Master Kenobi wanted to further her Force. She gave a blink but listened with trained ears. She looked down at the pond before them. The force depicted as the water, and the Jedi as rocks… so while present, it can be manipulated. Shift. Shrink or grow vast, as there were many bodies of water. She’d read stories on Jedi who can use their force even beyond any galaxy. But, it was just a story. She knitted her eyebrows. Of course, Jedi participated in battles. Fights. Wars. But this training is what set them aside from normal soldiers on a field. They were in charge of keeping the scale from tipping. And there would always be something on the opposite end. Aliclair wished to keep the balance, but she couldn’t do that without proper experience. She’d need to go further than what she accomplished.

”To sooth my rough edges. Let’s do this…” She thought, staring down into the rippling pond. Images of the waters shifting and spirling into the matter of The Force manifested in her mind as she finally shut her eyes to use her Force effectively. As instructed, she found herself on the bottom of an indebted crater. She looked around as darkness shrouded her. And then, like Mother Nature raining her dew drops, she became enveloped in the matter of the Force, like the sun centered, the planets, the meteors, the vast space, became her Force. She rested her hands on her knees to mimic Ben in his meditation state, and around her, she could see everything through closed eyes better than previously. Images of her surroundings became clear, more visual. But, her mind was still aloof and unsettled. She thought of ways she could calm herself. Within the pond, to settle its ripples is to stand still. Or exit. But exiting wasn’t an option. It’d be the equivalent of giving up on learning how to use the Force. She would need to stand still. Be calm, collected. Her knitted eyebrows relaxed, as she inhaled. Than released her breath. From that, the final ripple had concluded and the Force wouldn’t be more clear than what it was now. She could smell every scent, and the scent had a detailed trail leading to a destination. Aliclair didn’t think smell was important, but much like a Immur (a quadpetal scaled dog-like alien with an exceptional sense of smell; compared to Earth’s bloodhounds), she could gather the size, dimensions, weight, and mass. Even the details of their bodies housed; markings, species. Her hearing extended as well, further than last time. She could count how many ripples made by the planet’s winds, the power measurement behind said winds.

The Padawan couldn’t help but to feel a sense of joy. She broke out of her meditation to shed some tears. She looked down at her hands. They were still. Calm. Collected. ”Forgive me, Master. But.. I’m content. I had no hope for my future, even after the counsel said I was ready to become a Padawan. But, no Jedi wanted to take me under their wing. But you. You chose me, followed the Force. And now, I’m learning the same thing that saved my life. I don’t think I ever thanked you. If it had not been for you, I would’ve gone rogue. You saw potential where no one else did. You changed my future. Time to become the most of it. She said with the utmost sincerity. Affection was one of Aliclair’s strong suits, and she’d use that power of affection toward her Force, and that’s how she could do her part to keep the scale balanced.

> [200 Words] <
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“There is nothing to forgive, Aliclair, and you will never need to thank me either.” Ben spoke calmly, sincerely. Tears streaked her face and he smiled in return, he could feel her emotions as much as he could see them in that she was thankful for everything he had done. But alas he shook his head, “It had nothing to do with me.” He leaned over and gave her a firm confident hug and released her with a broad smile, “It had everything to do with who you are and who you will be.” He stood up and once they had finished packing up their little campsite they returned to the YT 2000, firing up her engines and launching back up to continue their journey.

During this time they both shared some laughs after Ben managed to burn their evening meal which left them to just have some canned food for the night. Once they retired Ben remained in the galley where he would spend the next hours meditating and clearing his mind for the next day’s training. There was still so much to do and he needed the Light’s guidance to truly know where and what to teach Aliclair next. He already had some good ideas but he wanted to be sure that he was heading in the right direction.

That next morning Ben had wasted no time in barging into Aliclair’s room and kicking the foot of her bed. “Wake up! We need to get in an early start.” He was already out the door and moving towards the training room when he called back to her over his shoulder, “Let’s move!”

He patiently waited for Aliclair to arrive and once she did he quickly fell right into the lesson. A lesson of combat training. No sooner had she entered the room had he tossed to her a bow staff, a simple wooden rod somewhere around four and a half feet in length and weighing reasonably in at about eight pounds. Slightly heavy for any practical use but it was a training tool and would physically wear her out faster. He too held an identical staff and once she had caught the weapon he tossed to her he launched onto the attack.

His first strike came as a joust towards the center of her chest where he would flow into a spin and prod his opposite end down towards her right thigh, then follow up with again the opposite end wheeling horizontally towards her left lower ribcage. His attacks were not pulled in this moment so they would have some significant impact behind them.

Ben had always believed in training as you would fight and to not give his attacks sufficient strength then he would be doing Aliclair a disservice in the long run. She needed to feel the power of full impacts and witness the speed of the same.

Aliclair listened as her smile stayed on her face. She was already cropped with emotions, this is the life she wanted for herself and she was on her way. Ali let out a soft squeak as Ben pulled her in close for a hug. She returned it as for as long, with a brief moment of her face burying into his robes. And it was his embrace she'd longed for. It brought her back home, back to her father. When the embrace was over, it was time to press on with her newfound confidence.

Their afternoon was well spent. While Ben had left them with less meal options, Ali managed to whip up a decent and filling meal with the canned goods. But with that, Aliclair retired when it was time. She took this time to sit in her bed, with her Useless Hilt in hand. She couldn't help but to slip back into her past memories, where she constructed this from scrap metal to forge a thermal blade. Something she'd use during the nights in the Enclave to hone her skills. Eventually, they found what she was doing, and had broken her blade. All training outside the Enclave was prohibited. But, they allowed her to keep the blade after a controlled outburst. Nothing to threaten her stay, but enough to rattle them. A piece of her past she'd need to hold onto. She finally decided to catch shut eye, as something told her she would need it.

The next morning, the sound of footsteps woke her but she didn't decide to rise or awaken fully; a habit picked up while in the Enclave. But the sudden quake of her bed caused her to jolt-sit up, offering her Master an glare of a forcibly awoken non-morning person. She began to mutter, mainly out of salt. She huffed once he left her room, taking this time to shake her head. She stood to stretch out her body, popping a few bones than began to dress and freshen herself. Semi normal attire, something she can do battle in. As she stepped out, she'd have her eyes closed and rubbing them, letting out a yawn. But, she wasn't by any means blind. Raising her hand to align with the combat staff, she caught it, taken back on how heavy it was. She knitted her eyebrows but kept her eyes shut as she scanned over the combat staff. Not even her vibrolance was this heavy. She'd constructed it so not be so heavy but still deliver devastating blows. Already starting off at a disadvantage.

She stood combat ready as she heard footsteps charge at her. She'd use the force to see Ben's silhouette striking at her, with the first blow, she would swiftly step back two steps, bringing the staff down to block his thigh attack, bringing a tightened arm to block the rib attack. She knitted her eyebrows, looking up at her Master, eyes closed however, and planted a solid foot between his legs to shoulder ram him down to gain some distance, taking another step back. "Master Kenobi, its torture to do combat training this early; a crime I tell you." she said twirling the staff to hold it steady.

Her shoulder came to him and he would have trouble evading as her leg had slipped inside his guard, but he did not need a proper stance when utilizing this weapon as he was well versed in the art of the bow staff and lance fighting. Planting one end into the deck he weighted himself upon it and removed himself from the equation with a simple enough leap. She’d forced him away but that was fine, the introduction was now over and they could get into the grit of what they were here for. Proper instruction. Ben began to circle her. He ignored her plea for more sleep. Using the end of his staff he carefully pointed out for her the Three Rings of Defense.

“The Outer Ring, this is where you should always try to keep an opponent. As a Jedi we take many forms of combat but in the defense is where we may excel. Here you rely on sweeping blows to attack at range, wider attacks such as these will take longer to deliver in exchange for being very powerful and in turn to keep your enemy at bay.” He spun his staff and displayed for her four basic guard positions all with the staff held diagonally; upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left. “Each zone here is easily defended with staff or spear. Pay attention to your zones and be mindful of your opponent’s and your own reach.”

“The Middle Ring. Here your blows will be designed to pick up speed as well as blocking swifter attacks. This is the most ideal zone in which you will also practice blaster deflection. This zone keys in on right angles; upper and lower guards more horizontal while left and rights being vertical.” He also displayed these examples.

Finally he stepped in and prodded his staff against her hip, “The Inner Ring is your last line of defense and is you find yourself here, you should be looking for a way out. This zone is dangerous in every regard although if the enemy is lunging you may more easily parry from this position and typically you will never block in this zone.” He held his staff evenly before him, “Your weapon covers your navel. Deflect attacks by shunting them aside and swiftly counter towards the chest or abdomen.”

They took the next hour and went over their respective zones and even falling into a nice few rounds of sparring. But when it was time to move on, Ben wasted no time. “The Enclave should have already made you an experienced practitioner of Form I, Shii-Cho. So we will not spend much time there though on your own time I expect you to keep Shii-Cho fresh. Even today I use Form I in some aspects. It is a valuable skill. Designed to preform better against multiple opponents than one and also designed to disarm without serious injury, it is a simple form though through Mastery one may see the Form take on a much more efficient take. It is also efficient in blast deflection.”

He took a more defensive stance, “First we teach you how to properly defend and with a staff or spear, you are already equipping yourself for the greatest means of defense. To place emphasis on this, we will look to Form III, Soresu.”

“Consider you are up against many blaster wielding opponents. Or a very offensive melee opponent. Soresu is designed to combat these things. Here you will utilize tighter movements of your arms and shoulders to expend less energy, subtle dodges keeping your feet on the ground for stability, and short sweeps for maximum defensive coverage; all of which will leave you less exposed to blaster fire or attacks to the Inner Ring. In this Form it will emphasis a Jedi’s patience,” he eyed Aliclair specifically here, knowing full well she was not famous for her patience, “you will study your opponent’s actions, maneuvers and body language and finally their technique. In its early stages the Soresu is focused on survival. To defend, defend, defend. You will be placed against opponents that outweigh you in skill, this is the facts of life. But a defensive artist will be capable of delaying, studying an aggressive foe, learning their nature and discovering openings where otherwise the battle may have been over if you were trying to outmaneuver a more skilled foe. A Master of Form III will have the capability to entrap foes and counter-attack properly making the Soresu into an offensive form as well as defensive.”

He took a long time here and in depth he showed her the stances of Soresu, how to hold her staff or sword going through both motions, and especially her footing. His emphasis on stance and the position of her feet were a focus of his here even to the point where he instructed her to maintain a pose for over an hour, heavy staff and all while he circled her like a shark with his own staff and tapping her foot, knee or arm when her pose wavered. He spoke to her over and over than in combat, a Jedi needed to show perfection for it was not just her own safety she would be considering but the safety of Ben as well who was trusting her to have his back but even more importantly the innocents that could not fight for themselves that were always standing behind the Jedi.

When Aliclair was tired, Ben only pushed her further until exhaustion set in and muscle failure crept in on her arms for holding the heavy thick wooden staff. For all the things he taught her and his strict nature in teaching, she never once gave up and that is was made him beam with pride and for him that was everything, to see her excel.

"Of all the- the one day we aren't immediately called out to duty, he wants to train." She thought bitterly, but withtook his training nonetheless. She didn't like the bow staff she had; it was heavy. But, she'd need to adapt and overcome what she didn't like; they'd be many things she didn't like in this galaxy.

Aliclair kept her eyes closed to better visualize what Ben was teaching her, the Rings and the distance. It was until the gentle prod of his staff that Ali opened her eyes, to reveal her normally blue-gray eyes shimmering an unsettling copper red-orange before shifting back to normal.

When learning the two different type of lessons, learning Soresu more than Shii-Cho, she'd be pushed to her limits, and beyond. While maintaining a stance she'd never heard of, she would stumble but regain herself, with the gentle correction and prodding. Aliclair figured this was the training mentioned in the stories.

Her controlled breathing turned strain, to holding her breath to keep her stance. She felt like if she exhaled, she would ultimately collapse, her cheeks turning red, scrunching her nose. But, Ben would correct her. Show her the proper way to breathe, to endure the pain, even if it seemed like it wasn't going to end. Eventually, it would, but Ali wouldn't know when. Her body trembled, as unworked muscles began to work, the eight pound bow staff began to weight her down but she only gripped it tighter and furrowed her brows to keep it still. She will not faultier, she will not crack. She was an iron wall amongst stone.

Eventually, Aliclair would learn to stand without his assistance but 5 minutes... 10 minutes - oop. She staggered. She released a self-frustration huff before going back at it. Again, time would pass without correction. But, she would slip up.

An hour into this training, and the longest she could keep herself grounded without help was 20 minutes within the hour. She let out a small growl, but she stood her ground. It was an hour, and 20 minutes in where she began to whimper, shutting her eyes to endure whatever she had left, her teeth clenching within her jaw. But she never surrendered, never asked to stop. She would keep this going until told otherwise.