A force field that'll stop a sandcrawler...

[Corvus Raaf]

Under any circumstance, Corvus loved to spend time at the Meditation Pavilion. It was probably her favourite place in the whole of the galaxy.

She typically used it for quiet and reflective learning but today she was about to train her Padawan in a less demure Ability - Force Barrier. She she was armed with a small box containing all manner of props to help them in that training. All that was missing was the student, but as Corvus was early, she knew she'd be along any moment now.

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Srihina arrived to the meeting with a head full of dry Archive-provided technical information about Force Barrier. She knew that, as the name implied, it was a barrier or wall of Force energy around the intended target, and that it manifested differently for each Jedi. Most of the manuscripts she'd read in her enthusiasm for being properly introduced to a new technique had been individual accounts or tactical applications. The lack of instructive documentation only made her more eager for Master Raaf's tutelage. Thus, cheery and full of energy, she came to the Meditation Pavillion with proverbial dry leaves and empty tea cup.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled as Srihina arrived. What she was about to learn would be taxing but Corvus knew she would be up for the challenge and so was excited to teach.

She bowed politely as her Padawan approached. "A very good morning. Do you know what? You remind me a lot of me when I was younger," Corvus gave a wry smile. "I'm guessing that's sort of a compliment but if you're offended," she smiled broadly and waved a hand. "I'm sure you'll get over it."

"So, given the comment, what can you tell me about Force Barriers, to save me droning on about something you already know."

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Srihina answered her teacher's greeting with a low bow and beamed at the compliment.

"Force Barrier is a construct of Force energy used to repel a wide variety of physical and energy attacks," she dutifully recited. "It's appearance differs between individuals, can be visible or invisible, and may have different strengths."

The youngling spotted the small cube, and the Force swirled and eddied with the burning curiousity of child with an unopened box. With a good calming inhalation, she shunted her overenthusiasm into energy reserves, fairly convinced she would need it soon.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled at the explanation. Srihina had done her homework clearly. “Yes, that’s right. One variable is the Force User. The more advanced you are, the greater the power of the defence and the longer you can hold it for. Like most Force Abilities really. But then some have an aptitude for some over others. I was slow to learn this. But, with practice, I became competent. Practice is key for all Abilities. It is what differentiates the good from the great – not natural aptitude – hours spent perfecting is what matters.”

“Now the good news about the Force is that it is individual for all of us. The bad news is that it is individual for all of us. For an Ability like this, the start is the same – you have to imagine what you wish to do…in this case construct a barrier creatd entirely of the Force. If you believe it to be possible and tell the Force what you wish, it will do the rest. If you doubt yourself, you will fail. If you try to wrestle with the Force to do your biding – you will fail.”

“Now, for many, they imagine a solid barrier, others imagine it is flexible. What works for me may not work for you. So…initially imagine your skin is covered by a barrier constructed of the Force. Then make that barrier move outwards until you’ve created a sphere.”

“With most Abilities, it takes time initially but with practice, it can be instantaneous. I would recommend you close your eyes and meditate to begin with – this will make your first attempt easier.”

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Eager to begin, Srihina plopped herself down in meditation lotus. Meditation was not her forte but here, where the Force seemed to pool in contentment, it was easier. Master Raaf had said it might take a while, and Srihina was prepared for this. She'd sit here all day, every day, until she could do it right.

First focus on the breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth, then feel the weight of the body and how it connected to everything around her. Stillness came. The deep inward sigh relinquishing self to the Force. She presented her sincere desire to protect, her tentative mental image of a shield, to it, as a child might proffer a favored toy to a parent.

She felt first the hairs on the nape of her neck rise and a tingling sensation creep across her skin -like she was standing too close to a power coupling. Her breathing hiccupped, but she persisted, accepting the faint buzz against her being. Slowly, so slowly, she imagined it getting denser, becoming a thick blue-white layer between her and the air.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus stood and watched as Srihina sat and started to Meditate. Sometimes Padawans needed some assistance but if at all possible, Corvus preferred to be patient and allow learners to get their by themselves – it worked so much better in the long run.

Srihina’s initial progress was slow but sure. Corvus always liked that approach. Corvus sensed the Padawan pull the Force close and sure enough, a thin blue aura surrounded Srihina. And slowly it travelled away from her skin, forming a protective barrier. Corvus waited to see how large the ‘bubble’ would grow.

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Eyes closed and tightly focused on maintaining the burgeoning Force barrier, Srihina was not cognisant of where the shield stopped. Wrapped up as she was in the feel of the Force, the edge was both immediate and infinitely far away. Her tiny stub of a Learner's braid stirred in the breeze.

Comfortable now in the belief she'd accomplished coating herself in the Force's mantle, Srihina began to push. In her mind's eye, she saw it expand, energy blown paper-thin like a delicate bubble. She exerted pressure with excruciating hesitance, at once terrified that she'd fail and determined to succeed. She was trying -even though there is no try. The shield edged outward.

Abruptly, she reached her limit. It would go no further, and after a brief exercise in futility, she accepted this. Without openning her eyes, she admitted to her starting limitation.

"This is the best I can do, Master. I need help."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus tsk-tsked, but it was a friendly rebuke. “You do not need help, you need practice. You have achieved as much as I did when I first attempted it. Now, calm yourself. Relax and meditate for a few seconds. Of all of the Padawan level Abilities I think this is the most draining, so take your time.”

“When you feel relaxed, allow the Force to flow through you and do it again. You will do better, I know you will. But what matters is that you believe you will. Remember, trust and believe. That’s all you need to be a Jedi – never make it any more complicated than that.”

And she smiled at her Padawan, she was doing well and Corvus only hoped she’d conveyed that message.

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Srihina took the words of encouragement and turned them over in her mind like shiny baubles. Her head tilted to one side, considering.

Her Master believed in her, knew she would do better. She couldn't disappoint her Master. So she would do better.

Breathe in, breathe out. Srihina returned to the calm center she'd found and waited. Relax. Breathe. Let the Force flow through you. She wondered if meditating was easier now because of the Pavilion or because Corvus was here. The thought scuffed across her inner horizon and drifted off, acknowledged but deemed unimportant. Shields. Shields were important.

She didn't need help; she needed practice.

The tingling feeling was swift to arrive this time. She welcomed it, took an immeasurable moment to familiarize herself with its intricacies, revel briefly in the tiny success. The first attempt at stretching the shields caused it to collapse. A minute pursing of the lips accompanied this, followed by the renewal of efforts. Trust and believe. Again. She imagined the Force around her like pale blue fog, and "blew" against it as one would blow a bubble with slow deliberate care. Her perception widened and she felt the barrier form. Better.

Trust and believe.

The more she tried, played with expanding and contracting the shields, the easier it became. So determined to learn this skill right now, she expended all her energy, and then her reserves. The more she gave of herself, the more she drew on the Force. It did flow through her, shaped its own currents, giving form to the barrier. Distantly, Srihina observed the soft curve of her newest shield, overlapping lotus petals protecting her as she drifted on the Force's placid surface, through half-lidded eyes.

She didn't even know when she'd opened her eyes. But it was a pretty shield.

That was her last coherent thought before she passed out.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

This was relatively common - and Corvus was almost a Knight when she first learned the Ability, so could understand how taxing it was.

So she propped Srihina up and waited for her to come too naturally. Once she did, she gave her a smile. "The good news is that your barrier was perfect, beautiful in fact. On the down-side you overextended."

"But back to the good news, using the Force is like using a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger you become."

Corvus placed a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Try again when you're ready. And then again and then again. Trust me, it will get easier for you."

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Dazed, Srihina nodded. "Yes, Master,"​ she mumbled dutifully. The world shimmered about the edges and she felt oddly disconnected from her body. It was a long time that she sat, breathed, and collected herself.

She tried to recall the way the Force barrier felt right before she lost conscoiusness, to recapture the essence of that moment. Breath by breath, she emptied herself of thought and expectations. And she tried again. And again, just as her Master said. Often she would have to stop, center, and begin anew. But, with each attempt, the result became more reliable. Or at least, she hoped it did. With a head stuffed with cotton and continuing by force of will, she wasn't entirely sure.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded and smiled. "Rinse and repeat. Nothing more clever than that. With each attempt, you're getting better."

Soon the Padawan was able to generate a barrier that held and was broadly spherical. Corvus reached into a pocket and pulled out some sponge balls. "Tell me when you're ready and we can start to exert some pressure on you barrier."

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

Instantly revitalized, Srihina's whole mien brightened. Something new! And progress! It still wasn't perfect -of this she was certain- and likely this next stage would prove that, but she'd improved! Now came the test: could her shield hold?

Trust the Force. Believe. Rinse and repeat.

She reined in her unseemly display of emotion and returned to the task at hand. Calm, breathe, center. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. Her shield would hold.

The Force barrier blossomed into being, Srihina at its center, the heart -the crystal- of the Force, a passive conduit for its vast power. Calm. Center. Breathe.

"I'm ready, Master."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

It was a simple test and repetitive and potentially boring - but above all it was necessary. So, one by one, Corvus threw the sponge balls at Srihina's Barrier. Not a huge amount of Force but the Padawan would feel them and need to replenish the Barrier with each impact.

This was how Corvus always approached Jedi training. Build on small improvements and practice until the Ability was natural to use.

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

The first ball caused the shield to give like a trampoleen to absorb its momentum. Srihina shuddered as the energy to replenish the barrier whooshed out of her. The second soft sponge ball bounced off and rolled away but the effort to keep her shield steady left her winded. Another shattered it entirely.

Srihina frowned as she reformed the Force barrier. When the next ball was tossed, she was prepared for the exertion and ready to shift the energy to strengthen the shield. She wasn't going to be defeated by a ball. It rebounded and came to a stop a foot away.

Better.

Building upon the initial barrier -which was obviously a light weight since it broke under so little pressure- she began testing how to strike balance between too hard that it sucked strength from her and so frail that it fell apart.

She tried swirling the Force's currents in her mind's eye so that the movement erased any dents or weak spots before they could be expolited. The ball fell through the barrier. She logicked that perhaps the key was physics and attempted to convince the shield to push back om the ball. Gratifyingly, the ball sailed away....but so too did her breath. Not that way then.

A section of hair fell across her face. A quick puff of air removed it from her immediate view.

She experiemented with shaping it into an imaginary transparisteel bubble. Imagined it into the spherical blast shields employed by droidekas she's seen in the archives.

That section of hair slipped again, tickling her nose. She blew at it. And, in the span of time her attention was wandering, a sponge ball breeched her shield and bopped her in the forehead.

Srihina scowled at the offending synthetic blob. It wasn't as if the blow hurt. But it did galvanize her.She shoved the offending hair behind her ear. Not one more of these things would pass her shield. None shall pass.

Frustration and pique released to the Force, more determined than before to succeed, Srihina awaited the next projectile. This shield would be her first circle of shelter.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus stopped - probably to Srihina's surprise. She pocketed the sponge balls and replaced them with rubber ones.

"Continuous progression. Don't think of them as being more difficult for that will encourage doubt and doubt will lead to failure."

So gently at first, Corvus threw one rubber ball after another at Srihina's shield.

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

Spoiler

[ooc] I'm not saying a lot but don't worry, this kind of training is all about you. But by the same token, don't feel obliged to write half a page unless you want to[ooc]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

After her initial surprise at the cessation of sponge ball rain, Srihina breathed a sigh of relief. Progress was a good thing. Then out came the rubber balls. Those would actually hurt. But Master Corvus said not to doubt.....so Srihina began the exercise anew.

Each ball was met by solid barrier reinforced with a mental saber strike. If she stayed calm and centered, nothing would get through......she hoped.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus knew that the key to all Force training was belief. Self-belief and belief in the Force.

So she started to gently toss the rubber balls at Srihina's Barrier. In theory it was no more difficult to keep them out. Where the difference would start to manifest itself was the amount of the Force that was expended - and therefore required to replenish what she used.

"Good, good," Corvus murmured as ball after ball simply bounced back towards her. "Never make it more complicated thaan it needs to be."

[member="Srihina Ebonvar"]

 

[Srihina Ebonvar]

The rubber balls plink-ed and boing-ed their way off her Barrier one after another. Srihina strove to keep the peaceful center she'd acquired and feed her shield a steady stream of Force energy to replace that which was expended repelling projectiles. Sweat beaded on her brow.

Believe. The Force is my ally. Don't doubt, she chanted to herself. Don't doubt. Don't doubt, you can do it.

It was draining, more so than the initial effort to construct the shield had been. But that didn't deter her. It should be hard; if it wasn't hard, it wasn't worth doing. And with that in mind, she persisted. She would be stronger for this. Her Barrier would hold... If by sheer force of will....or the will of the Force.....

Believe. No doubt. Do.




[member="Corvus Raaf"]