Always Use Protection! [Force Barrier Training, Open]

[Joza Perl]

Everything seemed to be going well, which made her a little inwardly giddy. No fights so far, and everyone seemed to be getting the hang of projecting the Force outwards into a solid barrier. Soon, she would put them to the test.

“Keep your concentration up, Aria.” She called out, back still turned to the Padawans as she tooled with the settings on one of the blasters.

Two distinctly new presences wafted in from the door, and Joza half-turned to meet them. “Welcome, the both of you! And no worries, you’re just in time.” Flashing them a smile, the Zeltron Master took the time to look over them.

The woman—Teynara—was vaguely familiar, but Joza could not put a name to her face. After spending more time on Voss, she could have sworn that she’d seen the other woman somewhere, perhaps in one of the temple common areas or the gardens. The hover chair did not escape her notice, but she would not call attention to it—no sense in being tactless, and she had a well-trained Force signature. If the blonde wasn’t already a Knight, she was likely a high level Padawan and knew how to handle herself.

The second presence she’d felt lingering near the door during the beginning her lesson. It didn’t bother her, as long as the young man who’d stepped forward to introduce himself was absorbing the lesson. Some people preferred to hang out in the back while others found it easier to engage directly. Joza offered him a welcoming smile. “Of course, Padawan Pendel.” Her gaze shifted to the pair, beckoning them forward to join the others if they hadn’t already. “Anyone is welcome in my class, regardless of skill level. And for those of you that don’t know me…Joza Perl, Master, skilled dancer, good with defensive Force techniques and the like.” Grinning proudly, the Zeltron twirled one of the pistols in her hand. “And I can cook a mean Bantha steak.”

Now that that was settled, she turned on her heel towards the four others who were focusing on maintaining their barriers. With a blaster in each hand and a look of utter serenity on her face, she squeezed off as many rapid fire shots as she could at them, aiming to test the strength of their Force Shields. The bolts would not harm them, but would certainly provide a nasty sting and an incentive to avoid them.

“Feel free to give it a try, you two! Let me know if you need any help!” Seeing as how they’d arrived a bit late, Joza figured it would be alright to just throw them into the cacophony. If they’d managed to catch her explanation of a Force Barrier and how to manifest one, that was good. If not, she would work with them—but for the moment, Teynara and Vex would have to deal with the droid that turned to face them. Though it appeared passive, the pair of blasters in its hands would start to fire—underpowered bolts of course, but bolts all the same.

[member="Vex Pendel"] [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"] [member="Serana"] [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Jakkor Kess"]

 

[Vex Pendel]

“Of course, Padawan Pendel.” Vex gave her a nod of acknowledgement and stepped back a bit. “Anyone is welcome in my class, regardless of skill level. And for those of you that don’t know me…Joza Perl, Master, skilled dancer, good with defensive Force techniques and the like.” With a large smile, she twirled a blaster around in her hand. “And I can cook a mean Bantha steak.” Following that, she shot off many blaster bolts at the first 4 students who were holding up their own Force Barriers. "Feel free to give it a try, you two! Let me know if you need any help!”

Vex didn't get a chance to watch the other Padawans stop the blaster bolts shot at them, as the droid turned to face him and the Knight who had entered with him. It held two blasters and Vex understood what was going on. He half-heartedly attempted to throw up a Force Barrier as the droid started firing its shots. What came up was a weak, semi-formed barrier that was on the verge of dissipating. Clearly, Vex's attempts at self-teaching the night before didn't work very well.

The first blaster bolt connected with his barrier, which barely managed to stop it before dissipating itself. The second bolt came too fast for Vex to attempt to make a new barrier for and struck him firmly in the chest. It stung like hell and caused him to stagger back as well as nearly lose his balance. With much more concentration this time, he created another barrier just in time for the third bolt. This barrier was much more well formed, from Vex focusing and applying what he had seen earlier in terms of form from Master Perl stopping the droid and the other Padawans forming their own barriers. It was formed just in time for the third bolt, managing to stop it safely. The droid continued to fire for a bit, with Vex maintaining his barrier - though it did begin to wane after more shots.

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"] [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"] [member="Serana"] [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Serana]

She could see more padawans coming into the room and the class. Her master was making it quite a sight as Serana was prepared to continue the lessons herself and stood there off to the side a little feeling the force energies flowing throughout her body. She was practicing the force barrier and projecting it in front of herself channeling the force through her horn as well as letting the relaxing effects of the meshed clothing she got to wear over most of her body to present herself. "I think I am getting better at it master." Serana calmed her mind ready to begin on it and rest for a moment before going back to channeling the force energies throughout her body.

 

[Undin Jaii Kryze]

The little Padawan, with his focus all on his barrier, almost didn't see or hear the new comers, but as the lines of voice created by them, came from the air into his ear, he gave more attention and even turned his head, to see a blonde girl on an hoverchair, smiling towards them and trying to bow. He smiled back, towards the girl, who provided a strong presence in the Force, something that was still hard for Undin to sense.

Then there was Padawan Pendel, who seemed a older than him aswell, but Undin couldn't sense him, atleast not without stopping the Barrier, to which he looked again, just in time to catch one of Master Joza's shots, knocking his hand back and breaking the barrier, turning the small pulsating blue wall, into dozens of smaller shards, that dissapeared before touching the ground.

This, making Undin unprotected agaisnt the other shots coming at him. He tried dodging, but two hit him in the chest, and he fell to the ground, letting out a loud, but quick "Kark!".

[member="Serana"] [member="Vex Pendel"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Aria Vale"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

Another being joined the session quietly. A Bith who sat in the corner with legs crossed. He was here to watch the goings on. Once upon a time [member="Joza Perl"] had been his student.

He said nothing as to not distract the youngster. The Bith cringed when the shot made it through. Stun bolts hurt like nothing else. It brought him back to being an apprentice himself.

To see his student as a teacher was gratifying. Things had changed so much. Yet he was still proud of her and would always help. Perhaps he could even help the apprentices here.

[member="Vex Pendel"] @Serana @Undin Jaii Kryze

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

As the droid span to face her, the temptation to draw her lightsaber was considerable, since Teynara knew that trying to avoid a blaster bolt fired at this sort of range would be next to impossible while she was stuck in her hoverchair. Still, the lesson was focused on deflecting the bolts without resorting to the Jedi's traditional weapon, so it was more important to focus on using the Force to that end. How exactly you're supposed to do that, I have no idea.

The blonde inhaled a deep breath, slowing the rhythm of her inhalations, drawing upon the Force all around them and directing her senses towards the droid that was lining up on both herself and the Padawan that had arrived at almost the same time as she had. The younger of the two was drawing on energy as well and pushing them outwards to some purpose that she couldn't discern. Teynara could sense energies fluctuating all around them as the Jedi within the room drew upon the Force and moulded it to their will, manipulating shape and form to create different effects. It always struck her as a beautiful thing.

She sensed the first bolt about to be fired a half-second before it shot forth from the pistol's barrel, a red-hot burst of ionised plasma streaking towards her at speed. Low powered, of course, as the stun bolts always were, but the Healer well-remembered the stinging sensation they generated when they came into contact with exposed skin, or even impacting against clothing. I suppose some Jedi would have thought to wear some sort of armour for this type of training, the blonde mused. That wasn't her way, though: the Force was sufficient for her needs.

Energy projected outwards from her hand, raised as it was towards the droid, a light push directed from her hand, though it wasn't nearly quick enough to impact the bolt. The mechanical aid that had fired the shot wobbled a little as her push impacted, but that didn't sting nearly as much as the blaster bolt did, impacting forcefully into her left shoulder. She yelped in surprise as it hit her, feeling a numbing sensation spreading out from the point of impact, her cheeks flushing with warmth as she blushed in embarrassment. I'm really no good at this sort of thing.

Nearby, the Padawan that had entered close on her heels - Padawan Pendel, according to his introduction - was somehow forcing the shots away from him, the red streaks of light impacting against a shell that appeared only when they struck it, a barrier illuminated and then vanishing again, the shots exploding into non-existence centimeters away from where the young man stood. Talented one, isn't he?

"How are you doing that, Padawan?", she asked, her attention drawn away from the droid that had fired away at her, watching the young man's impressive display. The blonde should have known better, the momentary distraction being sufficient to draw her mind away from the droid in front of her, which fired again. She had even less warning this time, the shot lancing towards her, this time pinging off the cover of her chair and into her hip, with less force, but still startling. "Ow! Damn it," she cursed in frustration.

Her pale blue eyes narrowed, and she drew upon the Force more strongly than she had before, shaping the energies into a small invisible ball of kinetic energy, firing it out with a firm push of her right hand to smack into the droid and knock it over, bringing the weapons it carried out of line so that it couldn't shoot her again.

"Forgot how much those things hurt," she muttered, lowering her hand to rub against her hip, feeling that same numbness remove what little sensation there was. "Used to always have a lightsaber to hand for this sort of thing," Teynara added, looking exasperated and a little pained.

[member="Dune Rhur"], [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"], [member="Serana"], [member="Vex Pendel"], [member="Joza Perl"], [member="Jakkor Kess"], [member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

Aria flushed at the reminder to concentrate and with a nod, carefully strengthened the layer of protection she was casting around herself. She could sense the shield getting more stable and thus more strong when out of nowhere a blaster bolt came flying towards her. Instinctively, she twisted, bringing a hand over her face to protect her, and immediately sensed all the energy she was creating being directed towards her hand. The blaster bolt hit the small patch of shield and fell to the ground just inches away from her hand at the same time that another hit her leg.

Hissing through clenched teeth as her thigh stung with the aftermath of the shot, Aria did her best to ignore it and widen her shield to cover her entire body. More shots came, and while some made it through the gaps in her barrier, several didn't. Within minutes, her body was still stinging from her less successful attempts at protection and her energy was considerably lower, but she was in a good mood and her confidence was increasing. Bring on the blaster bolts!

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Serana"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Vex Pendel"] [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Both Joza and the droid continued firing for a bit, wanting to put the students under at least slight duress, if only to create a sense of mild urgency. Even with the blasters on their lowest setting, getting struck by one still hurt like a karker and provided incentive to avoid being hit. Joza’s own Padawan days were filled with not only bumps and bruises, but burns, broken bones and getting thrown from cliffs. But as any combatant would tell you, it doesn’t end after your Apprentice days. The higher you rose in rank, the larger the target on your back—thus, she was sincerely trying to prepare these students for the day when they’d have to defend themselves or others from a deadly strike.

That being said, she was having a good time.

As the wheelchair bound Knight knocked the droid back with a concentrated blast of kinetic energy, Joza’s fire died down and she signaled for the droid to stand down before it could recover and star firing once more. Surveying her handiwork, the Zeltron hummed as she noted that most of them bore mild wounds that no doubt stung.

“[member="Serana"], well done. You’ve improved upon your skill since the last time we’ve met and I can tell that you’ve been practicing.” Joza flashed a pearly grin at her Padawan, glad to see that she’d been studying. Next, she turned towards [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"] and [member="Aria Vale"]. “You two are getting the hang of it, but need to concentrate more on holding it steady. Undin, try and make your barrier smaller. If you stretch it out too much without the power to back it, your barrier will become fragile and break easily. If you concentrate the Force into a smaller, sturdier shield you’ll get better results. The more you practice, the more you can expand your barrier. Aria, you’re doing well but you need to fill those gaps—they can make the difference between life and death. Make sure you spread the Force evenly in your barrier, and maintain.”

Moving towards [member="Vex Pendel"] and [member="Teynara Jeralyr"], Joza tilted her head and cleared her throat. “Pendel, you seem to be doing just fine. Remember to feed your barrier so to speak as it weakens. Maintenance is important, and soon it will become second nature. Provided you work at it enough.” Licking her lips idly, a grin snaked its way onto her face as she turned to face the blonde Knight. “And you, Missy. I saw what you did there. I’m always a fan of the unorthodox, but the intent was to create a Force Barrier. No worries though, we’ll get you blocking shots in no time.” A quick wink to Teynara, and Joza turned on her heel. She’d spoken loud enough for all to hear during her corrections so that everyone would get a chance to absorb the information.

“Alright, next exercise. Everyone pair up. Serana and Undin, Pendel and Aria.” Cracking the knuckles of one hand, her eyes flickered between her Del-Ya apprentice and the young Silver Shadow. “Ladies—Serana and Aria, that is—I want you two to try and Force push your partners. Undin and Pendel, you try and stop it with a Force Barrier.”

Turning back towards Teynara, Joza smiled, managing to look less predatory than before. “Right now we’re going to concentrate on forming a barrier. I’m not going to shoot at you or anything yet, so don’t worry. I’ll let you know when the shooting starts again.” Widening her stance, Joza extended an arm, palm out. “Concentrate with me. Extend the Force from your body, spread it in front of your person. Focus on making it solid, impenetrable.”

 

[Serana]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Serana was looking at her master and all of the others while she shook her head a little in acknowledgment. It felt good to have some reinforcement for your actions when she was standing there and focusing on the energies. Allowing them to course and channel throughout her body so that they would be able to do here. Seeing the others ask questions as she had seen and been there when the jedi master used her abilities to really get you to block and protect from her attacks. She was prepared for it allowing the force energies to come from her horn as it gleamed. "Thank you master."

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"] | [member="Serana"] | [member="Vex Pendel"] | [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Jakkor Kess"] | [member="Aria Vale"]

The blasters stopped firing all around the room, giving everyone a breather, so that they might regain their composure before moving on. Teynara was frankly grateful for that much, though she was in little danger of being shot again, since the droid assigned to her was still flat on the floor. Serves it right, really, she thought sourly, still rubbing at her hip, trying to get some sense of sensation to return. It was her pride that hurt more than her body, though, but she'd always been a little slow to pick up on the techniques that her peers had always developed naturally. The problem of being far too analytical for my own good.

The play of energies in the room ceased as the blaster fire did, the Jedi within relinquishing their remarkable control of the Force, allowing that invisible vibrancy to pour out, returning to a more passive state than before. Joza quickly handed out new assignments to the others, pairing them off to work on both offensive and defensive skills - a combination that would embolden them and yet consolidate their learning. Thereafter, she turned her attention to Teynara with a snarky comment on her technique that made the blonde woman smile. I can always offer a little of the unorthodox, she thought.

"I'll try it your way, Master," the young woman observed, now that she had a sense of what exactly it was that Joza wanted her to do. Simply sensing the manipulation of energies as used by the others wasn't sufficient for her to pick up on exactly what they were doing: it was like trying to sense the direction of a river by watching how fast the water flowed. "I've never done anything like this, though."

That much was true: Teynara was effective enough at Burst Telekinesis, the ability to gather and fire off a single burst of energy with kinetic force, to push or pull at something. The Sustained variant had taken a while longer: the ability to grab at something as lift it over a period of time. That required something else altogether, a level of control that did not simply demand that energy be pushed into the technique, but rather that it be kept up for a period of time, as long as might be required to sustain it. Something the body has to become used to, eventually.

Oddly enough, the same hadn't been true of her Healing techniques: sustaining those often took many hours, letting yourself be a conduit for the energies that were being directed to repair an injury or bolster the patient's immune system, that they might fight off the disease plaguing them. Maybe because it's not me that heals the injury, but the Force, using me to achieve a goal. She was sure that same passivity was possible with more active techniques, but it didn't seem possible to achieve when being fired on.

"Alright, solid and impenetrable. You can do this," she told herself, inhaling a deep breath and drawing upon the Force, allowing that tingling cold to suffuse her cells once more, sending a shiver up her spine as she pushed consciousness aside somewhat, her pale-blue eyes becoming a little distant as she looked beyond merely what could be seen. A soft exhalation, and she raised both her hands, palms outward, mimicking the action that the Jedi Master was demonstrating, though she could not do the same with the woman's stance.

A different visualisation was needed here: something she'd not tried before. Always did she imagine the Force flowing through her the way that water might flow through a riverbed, moving to be consolidated and pushed forward to whatever intent she needed it for. This required some modification: to allow that energy to flow from here to create a barrier in front of her, a wall that might be shaped to her needs. And I really don't know how best to do that. She'd try, nonetheless.

Perhaps if I imagine the barrier first. That might be the way to go. Instead of visualising the energy, she tried to imagine a transparent wall before her, invisible but there nonetheless, the same way as would be true were she standing before a window. Perceiving it as solid, the blonde woman proceeded to release the Force energy she was drawing upon, letting it bleed out from her and had over to match the contours of the wall, remaining in front of her as a soft, glowing light shaped into a curved field.

 

[NightSister]

With a nod, Aria turned to face [member="Vex Pendel"] as the blasters bolts ceased. Vex was going first, which in all honesty was a relief, but she kept that bit to herself. In fact, she thought, eyes going to the hard floor, she was going to have to hope that she succeeded on her turn. But enough of that for now.

Now, what was it that Joza had told the other Padawan to work on? Maintaining the shield, that was it. Didn't help much if they were only doing one each...analysing the situation in the military way she had trained to do, Aria stood a few feet opposite Vex and gave a nod to indicate he was to get ready.

She took her time to begin with, discreetly gathering energy in one hand as she gave the Padawan a few seconds for his guard to drop before suddenly and rapidly sending all the energy his way in a semi-powerful push that would hopefully have caught him off guard.

[member="Joza Perl"] [member="Serana"] [member="Undin Jaii Kryze"] [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]