And About Time Too!

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret concentrated for the last part of the run, allowing the Force to flow through his body, mainly his legs. Jaret had managed one quick burst but that was it. He was taken aback at the speed of which Kei moved in the end. "It would seem your better at using the surrounding stamina than I am." The hint of a smile would cross Jaret's face as he wiped away the sweat from his nose and upper lip.

Jaret assumed Kei wanted a more in depth description of what he saw in the tree other than simply 'a tree'. Jaret took in the strong stature of the tree, it was sturdy. It would out live Jaret, constantly growing, it was forever. He held out a hand and placed it on the tree. The tree was also alive, he could feel it. "It's strong. It's forever. I can feel it's life force." Jaret began to think of all the generations of Jedi that this tree had seen, all the knowledge that it could have collected. "It's wise." He nodded to himself as he answer Kei's question. Alive, strong, forever, wise. That was his answer and he was proud of it.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

Kei chuckled about being better to use his stamina, “that’s why we train,” he stood to the side of the tree looking at it, and then back to Jaret. Giving his apprentice time to recover and get his breath back. He wasn’t training someone like in his army days, but still physically stretching them was no bad thing.

Nodding happily that Jaret went beyond just calling it a tree, “that’s your stamina Jaret, that calming sensation that you felt before. That’s the same that’s in the tree and in you.” Amadis grinned, for all the battles he had been in, all the men he’d trained, being able to explain the force was something he’d never pictured himself doing, even doing it was changing the man, and not in a bad way. “Yes Jaret, often wiser than us,” Kei admitted, if he’d of even casually listened to that calm once or twice, his life would have played out very differently.

“Any techniques you want to learn personally?” Kei asked at this point, he had a few ideas but would rather Jaret have a think if there was anything the padawan needed or wanted to train in. “Pick anything,” even something Kei didn’t know, after all that’s what the large amount of trainers walking around the temple grounds were for!

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret liked this tree, it was calming, he leant on the tree. "Tree's are pretty cool." Jaret took note of where the tree was, he might use this later on to mediate.

As for the techniques, Jaret didn't exactly have knowledge of the Force techniques. "I'm not too sure about what there is to learn." Jaret felt as though that his lack of knowledge would disappoint his Master. "I mean I know about lift, pushing and pulling things. But that's about it." Jaret scratched the back of his head and looked down to the ground. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

His Master nodded, “not a problem, we only know what we know” scratching his chin, better to stick to the practical basics in his eyes, at least at first, that was Kei. Amadis rolled his shoulders and neck around getting warmed up. Almost like he was often carrying the weight of the world on those shoulders, even if he’d rarely show it.

“How about we start with another practical, useful skill.” At least to Kei, little was as useful as force barrier. “Force Barrier, lot of ways to do it, here’s how I do it.”

Standing away from him, Kei settled himself, clearing his mind. Concentrating, feeling the space and potential, and drawing on that potential to bring a barrier into existence around him. Some Jedi would move with the force, but Kei channeled or drew on it, “lot of ways to do this Jaret, important you find what works best for you.” If needs be he'd talk his student through it, depending on how easy he found the technique.

For Kei it was a translucent bubble around him, with a silver hue to the edges, reflecting light and energy. His Master held the focus on the bubble, extending it a short distance, like a pressured barrier, and then let it go.

“Now you try.” Whether it was a negation of force energy, a visible or invisible bubble, or just something that was put up when someone needed it to save energy, lots of approaches, all depending on the Jedi.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret watched as his Master created the Force barrier, Jaret was in awe of the ease that his Master had performed this task. Now it was Jaret's turned.

He went silent as he pushed himself off the tree and began to clear his mind of all insecurities. Jaret began to funnel the Force through him. He cup his hands together and began to create the bubble. Slowly he began to spread his hands the bubble being created in the center of them.

Jaret closed his eyes now as he began to funnel more Force energy into the bubble, he began to draw upon the Force around him. This seemed to help him as the bubble began to grow more. Soon the bubble began to grow around Jaret, as he began channel more of the energy into it.

Soon the bubble consumed Jaret, he could be seen through the somewhat translucent blue barrier, his eyes closed and his mind concentrating as he held the bubble in place.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

“You’ve got it, hold it there. Be calm, know the force shields us inside and out, if we allow it.” Too many Jedi didn’t realise this, but the force could be in the chest, in your mind and in your emotion just the same way, a shield to darker energies and or losing yourself. He gave Jaret a minute or two more to hold the bubble, to focus on it and to “find that sense of peace again.”

After a while, small force pushes would begin to thud against Jaret’s shield, nothing too hard at first, but solid all the same, Kei wanted Jaret to see firsthand that he didn’t have to lose his head, “when something unexpected happens, or it gets rough, that’s your shield to go back to.” The force pushes continued, while Kei walked around his bubbled student testing the defense, making sure he had the technique down.

Small pebbles and flung dirt also came, but nothing that a padawan couldn’t deal with, or that would injure, preparing Jaret to face unexpected things impacting his defense on his journey.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret began to grit is teeth as he concentrated on holding the shield up. Again his muscles began to shake. Then Jaret began to feel the small pushes and pebbles, he knew he couldn't dropped it. He began to think, of the trees around him, the small fluttering of a bird as it landed in a nearby tree, the breeze blowing through the leaves. He started to settle himself, drawing in the calm from outside.

Jaret managed to open his eyes and as the 'attacks' were made on his barrier, he watched the thing bounce off it. "Respect the force and it’ll respect you, it’s your mirror." Jaret spoke this calmly to himself, remembering his Master's earlier words.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

Kei stopped and when Jaret opened his eyes, if he did, Amadis would be standing there arms linked behind his back, if he didn’t well he’d be standing there with his eyes closed awhile. Time for his student to take the initiative and look for himself. A small rite of passage to slowly take a more active role. Kei would wait a good long while, as long as Jaret needed or he felt comfortable leaving him waiting.

Whatever happened, whether five minutes past of Jaret waiting or he looked at Kei, his Master would say, “well done. You’ve come along way Jaret, and we’ve covered a lot,” but there was more to being a Jedi than just your force techniques,

He breathed deep and sat down, back against the tree, motioning for his student to do the same to take a rest. “What do you think of the temple?” Amadis asked informally, and honestly, wondering what a new arrivals view of it would be.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

As Jaret opened his eyes, they would meet Kei's. He would then slowly take down the barrier. Jaret nodded his thanks to Kei's remarks. "Your very good a teaching." A smile began to stretch across Jaret's face.

Jaret sat down beside Kei his back up against the tree, he took a few deep breathes as he looked around him. "I think that the temple is nice. It's calming." He looked at the buildings, the occasional Master and Padawan walking about. "It's peaceful." He looked to Kei, wondering if he had the right answer to his question.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

A heavy shrug of his shoulders as they rested, teaching, “it's new to me, but that’s just between you and me,” laughing lightly, he’d watched plenty of holovideos, taught a couple of classes but never a padawan formally, only recruits and veterans.

Amadis didn’t tell Jaret if had the right or wrong answer, as sometimes there wasn’t one. One of Kei’s faults and strengths, was that he didn’t just accept something, the guardian in him always wanted to help, even when acceptance was all that was needed. He’d caught himself here and nodded, not saying a word. Offering over a bottle of water for Jaret if he needed it from his belt.

“Glad you can find that peace Jaret, more than anything Jedi need to know it as well as any starfighter or lightsaber.” Wasn’t that the truth, keeping grounded but able to move was probably the key ingredient to being a Jedi, “got to find those roots even in space.” Kei thumped his own chest, “because the temple’s going to be here and here,” he tapped his own temple on his forehead.

Jedi philosophy the Amadis way

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

"You could have fooled me!" The smile stayed on Jaret's face. Jaret gratefully accepted the drink, he slowly let the liquid trickle down his throat. As a child he had learnt that it was better to drink slowly than trying and inhale it all at once. "Thankyou." Jaret then passed the cantina back to Kei.

Jaret looked around the place, picking up a leaf from the ground and rubbed it between his fingers. "I will make sure that I always remember this place." He smiled as he looked at the leaf between his fingers. "It will be a hard place to forget."

Jaret looked to Kei once more. "Is it alright if I ask you something?"

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

“Welcome, and thanks for saying.” Kei said looking out over the training fields and the back and forth with Masters and students. It was a brightening day with the sun catching the fresh dew on the leaves, it gave the place the smell of wet trees and with all the time out in the field or in space, he’d missed that. The orange world of voss had its charms, and so much was unexplored, the subtle heat reflected off the often orange terrain still made him pause even now.

“Can’t picture myself living anywhere else.” He chuckled, Amadis had become attached to the place. So much about Voss was unexplored, in these calmer days for Kei Amadis, he was often trekking around, seeing what he could, and so far he’d never had the same experience twice.

Watching the leaf in his padawan’s hand, he nodded “Jaret you can ask me anything, don’t hold back or stand on ceremony” Kei said rubbing his stubble and leaning his own water on the floor. Better that Jaret feel he could openly speak to him any time, so that he gave him all the advice he could.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

"Well I was just wondering, is it going to be tough being a Jedi?" It wasn't that Jaret was scared, well maybe he was a little, but he was just curious about it. He knew it would be a long journey. As he was thinking another question jumped out of his mouth. "What if I screw up!?" Now that was a worrying thought, the amount of time Jaret had spent trying to get a Master and he could lose it all.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

“Sometimes yes, like life, life coming at you at lightspeed.” Kei scratched his chin, running his hand behind his head, he thankfully had learned to let go of past mistakes, and just move on. It was the one of reasons Kei wouldn’t easily stray to any darker paths, because he was able to let go, but at the same time not let go of himself.

“You’ll screw up.” Kei said bluntly, he wasn’t going to sugar coat it, taking another sip of his water. “What matters is what you do then. Do you abandon all faith in yourself because you made a mistake, or do you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and carry on.”

A long silence followed, watching the training letting the afternoon’s air draw on “like the rock, you could have gone to pieces, thrown a tantrum, blamed the world, the rock, but you didn’t. we carried on, and you got there.” He shrugged and grinned, Jaret was already on his way to becoming a Jedi, because he was able to ask these questions of himself, and Kei saw it plain as day. These kinds of questions made the best Jedi, even if the doubt needed answers.

“Who are you Jaret Sha’Co, when it’s all said and done?” There wasn't a right answer to this kind of question, it was for Jaret's benefit.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret took in the wise words 'you'll screw up' a slight smile cross his face. He nodded, he knew that he would do, and that was get back up. Jaret continue to hear out his Master's words, learning that he had already shown some resilance by not having a tantrum with the rock.

"Who am I? You just said who I am!" He looked to his Master, a smile spread it's way across Jaret's face. Quickly he looked down. "Sorry, well I guess I am a Jedi. A Force user, apart of this galaxy. A protector of the ones that need it." Not knowing what else to say Jaret keep his eyes down on his feet.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

Kei’s lines may be corny sometimes, but they worked! He laughed, he liked Jaret he was easy to get along with, and Kei liked a joke in good fun. “Part of this galaxy, a single part of a much greater whole.” Letting that sink in, he was starting to like teaching philosophy with what he considered obvious examples to get the point across.

“You can protect, sometimes you will, sometimes you won’t, but you’ve got to keep your head, your cool to do what you can, because you are a part of what happens, not all of it.” When Jedi started thinking they were invincible or could right every wrong, when they got a hero complex in their head, well they started wars or fell into downward spirals. A younger Kei had first hand experience of the former that was for sure!

Amadis didn’t teach a strict code because quite honestly being overly strict didn’t help, everyone made mistakes, which is why Kei never fitted in with the republic. What he did teach was keeping your head when things got rough. That was something Jaret could use some firsthand experience of soon in his training, but first, Amadis pulled out a training saber and levitated it over for Jaret to take.

“Ever seen one of these before Jaret?” Turned down in power, training sabers could only bruise and sting, they couldn't cut or injure beyond that, so they made good starting weapons for padawans, this one happened to be blue if turned on.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret began to think about how vast the galaxy is, and how he was such a small part of it. He shook the thought from his head as another one entered. Jaret didn't like that fact that he could save everyone, but then he began to think that what his master had said made sense.

Then something happened, a training saber began to float towards Jaret, his eyes widened with excitement. "This is for me!?" The excitement caused Jaret's voice to rise in pitch just a bit louder than he would have liked. Jaret slowly began to reach out to grab the saber, unsure if he was meant to. But as the it came into his hand, his fingers curled around the hilt.

"Of course I have!" Jaret stood up as he held the training saber, and then ignited the blade. The light saber sprang to life, emitting it's calming hum. Jaret looked to his Master, unsure of what to do next.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

Amadis nodded, “only a training saber, you could turn it up to full later. It’s better to make your own in the end, so it’s more a part of you,” with any touches that were right for Jaret, a Jedi’s weapon in the end reflected them as a person often, or at least was made to fit them and their own style.

When Jaret said he knew, Kei didn’t know if Jaret was being truthful or that was just enthusiasm, he grinned and stood up with him. “Alright then, bend your knees, have some give in them, like this” he moved to stand beside his padawan.

There was a small bend in Kei’s knees and hips, keeping them flexible, and his center of gravity lower, so that when he moved his legs together then apart, he was balanced and steady. The Knight hadn’t even ignited his own weapon yet, he was just showing Jaret the footwork of a standard Shii-Cho form.

So many people did a few classes and thought they knew a form, but there was a lot more to it than that, "don’t hammergrip the saber, keep your hand flexible for rotations and small corrections,” which was true most of the time, now Kei did ignited his weapon to show Jaret what he meant, stepping forward to swing it slow and steady ahead, controlled.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​

 

[Jaret Sha'Co]

Jaret was being truthful, but that didn't matter right now, as Jaret was about to learn a how to wield a lightsaber. "I can't wait to make my own." A smile spread slowly across Jaret's face, but he quickly pushed it aside, he began to concentrate on his Master's voice.

Jaret's knees bent slightly, and he lowered his center of gravity as he copied his Master. Jaret also held his saber in a more looser grip, letting it have some freedom and he kept his wrist loose.

[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

“Alright take a swing at me, just like I showed you.” Kei said with a grin doing a simple horizontal swing, “part of it all, is finding the form that fits you best.” Some people made their own, but there was plenty out there and mastering one gave you advantages others didn’t always get, taking an idea to an extreme and transcending it. Kei was still working on that himself with Djem So and now Shii-Cho.

Readying a guard across his body, simple Shii-Cho, simple but effective and often underestimated he was finding, because “Master’s of Shii-Cho are often hard to predict,” and “they have great control over the space around their own body, denying areas or access for their opponents, and minimizing their exposure.” Kei had been doing his homework on the duelling fields and in the archives it seemed, because his knowledge was coming along in leaps and bounds.

[member="Jaret Sha'Co"]​