SithLore

Winter was a harsh time on Naboo. The vegetation had long retreated beneath the earth and only the creatures with the thickest hides remained. This gave Jedi the opportunity to venture deeper into the Nabooian swamps, about eighty kilometres from Theed itself. Jarak had taken a speeder, supplies and a tent, with the expectation that he wouldn't return until he'd discovered more about what the force means to him now that he was a fully fledged Jedi Knight.

-Application Sense 3-

Early morning and what sunlight could venture through the thick tree-lines above, did so but with great difficulty. It was sparse but enough to let Jarak know morning had come. He rose from his slumber, tied back the opening of his tent and ignited the thermos camp fire, taking out what food he'd allocated for breakfast that morning. After scooping what looked like tomato beans into his mouth, he polished off the bread and packed it away, clearing space for his morning meditation, though he wasn't a huge fan of it. Many of the worst things that happened to him through the force came from a meditative origin, but it was the cornerstone to understanding the light, so he just got on with it.

He cleared away a patch in front of his camp, opposite a dark and muddy pond in the opening ahead. He crossed his legs and rested both of his wrists upon his knees and inhaled.

-Breathe-

He began to command his body to shut down to all but the senses and as such his body entered a comatose state, a resting position as what Jarak was in the eyes of the force, began to awaken and take control of his senses. He opened his eyes to the force, a blue-themed rush of water moved through him, filling him and washing it away like a wave against the shores on Corellia. The invigoration was temporary, but welcoming. He no longer needed to reach out with his hands to feel where the source of the energy was coming from, like he did as a student. It was all around him, ever-present and everywhere.

To the eyes of a student, they would've expected Jarak to be the only powerful force being in the area, but this was not the case. Jarak moved through the force, guiding his senses as he passed through caverns and tunnels, branches and treetops. He observed a glowing gem in the force, like a collection of Adegan crystals in the caves of Ilum. He moved closer to see a family of Drongu, or so he believed they were called, hibernating within one of the tree's root-caverns, surrounded by berries, leaves and other gatherings from the woodland. It came as no surprise to Jarak that these creatures were force sensitive, for they could fly tremendous distances, yet lacked what most would describe as requirements for steady flight. Still, they were a secret to almost all but the Jedi, for no one else could see them in this manner. Had they not been deep in hibernation, Jarak would've attempted to commune with them, but instead he moved on.

This time he ventured into the cold murky waters before him. He felt no cold as his senses dived beneath the semi-frozen tip of the pond, but beneath he discovered life, both predatory and peaceful continuing as if the coming of winter meant nothing to them. Inside this pond, within this life-force, Jarak witnesses the examples of life which only the force could sustain and within it, perfect balance. He couldn't help but draw similarities between this and the galaxy at large and highlight the imbalances that currently plagued it. The Darkside had grown strong, granted it had taken a knock when Jarak turned and brought the Empress down, but the Sith rallied to take top spot in the galaxy in terms of a Dark presence. Now it was the Jedi's time to rise up and meet them, but Jarak knew it would take more than what they'd given before. Inability to act had cost them in the rise of the Empire, but now the force was shifting in the favour of the light.

He opened his eyes, breathing deeply. He reached up to his head and felt a trickle of water fall from it, not sweat, but water. He looked over to the pond, curiously.

'Is it possible?' He thought to himself. There had been no rain, no water falling from above, yet the water on his fingers smelled like that of the water within the pond. He wondered about the complexities of the force, if by extending oneself beyond in their senses, if they were not sending a part of them there too?

He would have to bring it up with Buggie the next time they met, but for now he desired progress and his time in the depths of Naboo had been short so far. The Jedi Knight closed his eyes once more and reached out. This time he grasped control of the force and controlled the tidal surge of energy. Reaching out and grasping further than before. At the limits of his reach, he could almost feel his senses climbing over solid objects, rocks, trees, fallen branches. This was the edge of his immediate sensory range within the force, but remarkably it had gone for miles in a circular area around his position. He'd lost feeling of his physical self at this point, and felt as if he was everywhere within that circle at once. The force was spreading his existence in a larger area, yet not diluting it.

To gain further strength within his senses, he'd need to claw further. No, not claw, that was too desperate and not of someone who was in complete control of his senses. He would have to force his senses further than ever before, to the peak of their potential. He began by reeling back his reach to the immediate area surrounding his meditation spot.

Within the area, he felt the sharp details and clarity delivered by keeping his senses to his immediate area. It was enlightening, yet not the stretch of a force users abilities. He'd been able to do that since he was a child, as he imagined most force users did, hence why they appeared to have higher reflexes. He wanted to reach this depth, this detail, but afar. He searched deep within, within the depths of his body, physically, his stomach area, and commanded the search to erupt from within. The tendrils of the force wrapped around his bones, tendons and organs, grasping control of his physical fuel like an organic battery. Jarak felt it build and build until he was afraid it would explode. So, he released it like the controller opening the dam which had held back the lake for centuries.

Out came the tidal wave.

The initial release of power caught his surroundings off guard. The force eruption from within was powerful as it was vast. It cast over the lantern, separated the tents cover to pin it against the nearby trees and sent several random items from his pack hurtling away, never to be seen again. The chill ran up his spine as the power had left an immediate vacuum which his body and senses filled with more mortal senses and feeling. Yet it was a side-note in this story, as his senses were now a tidal wave of galloping horses, chasing down in every direction, filling Jarak's mind with a silhouette outlined map, dressed in crystal aquatic blue, the shade of harmony. The force didn't tire, it was limitless in it's potential. Only the user's fragile mortal body could fail and Jarak was using every ounce of will power to endure it. With his mind he reached out, and swore upon the force that he could actually feel the dirt, the bark on the trees and ripples within the streams. Now where he grasped to reach, he rolled like wind upon the open fields, the farmlands of Dantooine. The force had expanded from where it wrapped around his bones, ligaments and muscles. It pulsated with energy, causing a rhythmic light to flash around him to all who could see.

He opened his eyes, and the force empowered his sight, his hearing and even touch. He looked a head and could see 'through' the thick swampland, the woodland and into the fringes of the area. He could even hear distant aircraft circling on patrol, yet when he began to reel back in, as if he was inhaling the force energy he had deployed for kilometres, everything began to quieten, and soon it was just him, sat alone at his campsite. He looked at his hand, turning his wrist and looking for any sign of dirt, water or bark upon his hands. Nothing remained, yet he felt that his hearing and sight had been perpetually changed. Stretched, but not weakened, drawn apart but not torn.

There were many secrets of the force for which Jarak would endlessly chase and pursue without cause for concern, yet he wondered if he was now stepping into deeper waters within the force, waters he'd need someone with experience to guide him through. It was then he wondered where Jedi Master Buggie was these days, and wondered if anyone at Koda station would be able to explain the changes in his mind, and perhaps his body.