Arrival on Voss

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Aster listened intently as Sorel repeated her actions as she flew the ship, nodding every so often. Though she did not vocalise it, she admired the Jedi's patience.

"Wow..." she whispered in awe as the temple came into view. It was magnificent and unlike anything she had ever seen before. Although she was unfamiliar with architecture, she could tell the stone work was probably from some long forgotten time.

"Wow..." Aster repeated, unsure of what else to say as she examined the temple with much curiosity.

"I can't wait," she smiled excited and a little nervous at the mention of the dormitories. This would be her first time living alone and unaided by servants who would wake her in the mornings, cook for her, and prepare her for the day that awaited her.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel often forgot how much majesty there was in a Jedi temple – and Voss was one of the most beautiful, not least because it was constructed before it was adapted to its current use. There was something about the planet and its architecture that really drew admiration from around the galaxy when people visited.

“So,” Sorel said as she talked Aster through the landing and they headed for the ramp that would take them into the hanger and therefore into the academy. “Where to first? At least once we have dropped your bags off.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Aster followed Sorel to the ramp as her heart raced with excitement. She was about to take her first step onto a new path and begin a new chapter of her life!

"I know little of Jedi temples or academies so I'm not sure," Aster replied, tilting her head. "Perhaps the garden? It has been too long since I had been able to see proper flowers," she smiled softly.

"Aside from the gardens, I don't quite know where else I want to go. Any recommendations?" she asked the Jedi as Everly carried her luggage and followed the pair.

OOC Note: Everly = Lux because I am a fickle creature!

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel led them first to what was effectively an admission desk. Here they were able to leave Aster’s luggage – she did not feel comfortable with dragging Everly plus suitcases around the grounds. Once there, Sorel confirmed Aster’s enrolment as a Padawan and then they headed back outside.

“The gardens are as good a place to start as any other,” Sorel said as they exited the building for the first time and the sunlight caught their faces. It was not yet midday but the warmth of the late spring morning was already evident.

Sorel chuckled to herself and shared the joke. “We have had a few Padawans from less temperate climates – and some from entirely urban planets. Their first encounter with flora has not always been positive. Hay fever is surprisingly common – but we have medication if that is an issue for you.”

They walked through the beautifully cultivated flowers and ahead of them you could see how the tended gardens gave way to jungle on one side and open plains on another. “It’s a lovely place to walk and to learn to meditate,” Sorel said, “And also to train. Sometimes the rooms indoors can feel a little stuffy.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Aster followed Sorel to the admissions desk, her heart racing with excitement with every step she took. Once the luggage was dropped off and her enrolment confirmed, the trio made their way towards the gardens. "I cannot wait to see them," the blonde smiled, following Sorel.

Not picking up on Sorel's joke, the teenager tilted her head. "That should not be a problem. My mother loved flowers so she kept a greenhouse of sorts behind the family home. She used to let me water them," she smiled longingly at this pleasant memory of her deceased mother. "Father used to pick her flowers from there and get yelled at by mother for messing up her garden," she chuckled softly as a bittersweet pain pierced her heart.

Aster smiled sadly as they walked past the beautiful flowers. "This seems like an excellent place to practice and learn," she agreed.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded and reflected on her own childhood memories. In truth she had none – and merely held thoughts that approximated for memories…birthday parties, family outings, special events…she had no real recollections, just a jumble of things in her head that she filed under ‘family’ even though she knew they were essentially made up.

So she brought herself back to the here and now and took in the subtle aromas that the plants had to offer.

“And given the place lends itself so perfectly to learning, you should start now.” Sorel took a crystal from her pocket and handed it to Aster.

“To begin with, this will help you focus and to meditate. In time, you will no longer need it and you can pass it on to someone you know will benefit from it. But for now, this is something you should keep in your pocket.”

“So, a Jedi can’t be a Jedi unless they can connect to the Force and meditation helps this. So I will ask you to stand or sit – whichever feels more comfortable – and close your eyes. Then you need to empty your mind of thoughts and emotions. The crystal helps with this, even without you knowing it is aiding you. And when you do this, you will feel the Force. For some it is like a mist, for others like an energy, others feel it as though it is being in water. We are all different, but the outcome is the same – you feel connected to it and everything around you. Everything living will be connected with you. And once you learn to connect to the Force, you can learn to ask it for help to do things. Things we refer to as Abilities, like Telekinesis or Force Push.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

"Thank you," Aster said as she took the crystal in her hand then obeyed the Jedi's instructions and sat on the grass.

Closing her eyes, Aster exhaled and inhaled deeply several times and emptied her mind - something that had been easier than she had first expected and attempted to suppress her emotions. Though a harder task than clearing her mind of thoughts, after several attempts, she finally succeeded and reached a state of serenity.

Once emptied of all thoughts and emotions, Aster searched within her for the Force. Not quite sure how the Force would feel to her, using Sorel's words for guidance, she searched for something different inside herself that matched the descriptions she nad been given. Slowly but surely, she felt it. Like a gentle current, the Force, or what she assumed was it flowed through her body - a strange but comforting sensation.

"I'm not sure if the Force is what I'm feeling, but think it might be it," she said dreamily.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel sat opposite Aster, in a cross legged position – it was how she found meditating most comfortable.

Sorel smiled. The greatest challenge a Jedi faced was faith. Not in the Force, or in the Code or even in the Order – but in themselves. Too many ‘tried’ to perform a request. The use of the term to attempt reflected self-doubt and this was always a Jedi’s greatest foe – far greater than the dark side.

But every now and then, A Jedi would embrace what they had been asked and simply ‘did it’. No doubt crossed their mind and, invariably, they were successful. All you had to do was trust in the Force. It would never let you down. An unlike a Sith that commanded a response, a Jedi asked the Force for assistance. A Jedi let the Force know what she wanted and the Force aided them. The Force was truly the greatest ally a Jedi could ever have.

“Good,” Sorel said – her voice low and soft. Barely above a whisper but loud enough to be heard by Aster. “Now consider yourself at one with the Force. Let it be part of you and you be part of it. And given it exists in every living thing, you should feel connected to them now. So tell me, what do you sense? Who or what is nearby?”

“There is often an overlap of Force abilities – Sense, Sight and even Empathy can merge at points, so don’t worry about differentiating them, listen to the Force and tell me what you hear.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Aster nodded softly at Sorel's words, her eyes still closed as the Force enveloped her as she gave in to it. It was an odd yet familiar feeling. It was strange, even though her eyes were closed with her long eyelashes almost caressing her pale cheek, she felt as if she could almost see the things around her.

"I sense..." the blonde began nervously. "That you are near me and the plants that surround us." Although she had been able to sense what was around her, she was limited in range.

After she had given her reply to Sorel, Aster cleared her mind of thoughts and emotions once again as she attempted to listen to what the Force had to tell her. "I hear nothing else aside from what I can hear with my ears," she finally replied after a long pause then opened her eyes. "I am not quite sure what I should be listening for," she admitted embarrassed.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

“The wonderful thing about the Force, is that it is different for all of us. Which in turn makes it the most infuriating to teach. Most of what you learn will be led, but how it precisely applies to you is often personal.”

“But the key to it all is practise. Unless you work at it, it will never develop. You see, the Force is infinite but your ability to access it is not. For how long you can access it and how much power you can draw will grow over time. Or rather with practise. Like a muscle. It is no more complicated than that.”

“So for now, relax and allow the Force to guide you. Tell it, in your mind, what you wish to achieve, and it will comply. Do not force or demand it obeys you. That is not the Jedi way. And do not ever doubt the Force. And doubting your ability to use it is the same thing. Trust in the Force always.”

“So, repeat the exercise and let the Force know what you want to do. To sense all living things around you.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

"I see..." Aster muttered. It was strange to think something not visible to the eye as a muscle of a sort. Unlike muscle on the body, one could not simply glance at it to assess its progress. "Will I be able to feel my improvement if I cannot see its physical manifestation," she asked curiously before closing her eyes once more.

Again, Aster cleared her mind of all thoughts and emotions, allowing the Force to become her guide. Help me sense what is around me. She requested the Force and soft warmth filled the gentle current that flowed within her body.

"I...I sense people - you... other and... plants... rocks... insects..." she recoiled a little and opened her eyes. Insects - disgusting. Determined ti succeed, Aster closed her eyes again and asked the Force for guidance once more. Please let me sense...

"I can feel it, people, other living creatures... inanimate objects though it feels like I'm being obstructed by a veil of some sort," she muttered.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded but was aware that Aster’s eyes were closed. “As you develop your control of the Force, you’ll definitely see the improvement. If you take this ability, you’ll find your range improves and the details you can see are clearer. And the same is true for other techniques where your control improves or you can lift greater weights — or you become faster or more accurate. It’s definitely measurable.”

“And back to this ability, you will have a range that increases and find you can’t see through walls or trees. But in time, you will not be obstructed by such things and not only will you be able to tell what is nearby but you can tell their Force aura — both light and dark and strength — and even tell someone’s health if you work on it enough. Because every ability takes time to develop and to maintain. It’s why its not always wise to learn too many abilities. There are only so many hours in the day.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Slowly opening her eyes, Aster smiled at Sorel. "Then, I'll keep practising - I am here to learn after all," she said with a determined tone. She needed to do her best, to prove herself to her uncle. "ln that case, I think I would prefer to concentrate on the basics and the healing arts. I am no fighter but I want to do what I can to help." Although she loathed to admit it, she was all but useless in combat. She could not fight nor did she care to learn to as her interests lay elsewhere.

"Aside from this skill, what others make up the basics?" the blonde-haired teenager asked curiously - she was determined become someone that is capable of helping others even if her combat was not her speciality.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel thought for a short while. Finally she spoke. “If we ignore things like Push and Pull, the ones I would focus on are Telekinesis, Force Sense and Sight and Telepathy. Unfortunately I can’t help you with the last one. My racial DNA means I can’t be accessed that way very easily, so another teacher is best. But the first one is a great place to start and I can show you the basics of healing too.”

“Speed is another of the real basics, and once you get to be a Knight, I’d strongly recommend Force Light too.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Aster nodded and took note of Sorel's suggestions. "In that case, telekinesis might be a good skill to learn next," she thought aloud. "It seems like it would be quite a useful skill," she said with a cheeky smile as she thought about how convenient it would be if she could use telekinesis in her daily life - after all, practice made perfect right?

"Like the Force ability you had just taught me, would using telekinesis be similar to what I did before but with more of a focus on moving an item?" the blonde-haired girl asked filled with curiosity.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. “Yes, in fact most Force abilities are similar in approach. You connect to the Force and you let it know what you want to achieve. Which I appreciate is a little simplistic but hopefully you get the idea. And more importantly it makes you more confident and increases your belief in yourself and your trust in the Force — which is the key to learning abilities.”

“What you have to learn is how to allow the Force to help you. In truth, that’s the hardest part. But if you can imagine it, you can do it.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

"Connect to the Force and let it know what you want to achieve?" Aster repeated with a thoughtful expression. "That seems simple enough. Is that really all there is to it?" she asked and closed her eyes once more focusing on the current that flowed within her. Up, she commanded a pebble that lay near her.

Though her eyes remained closed, she could sense the stone slowly rise up, trembling as it did so until it hovered approximately ten centimeters above the ground. Curious to see the result of her effort, Aster slowly opened her eyes careful to not lose focus on the stone.

"It's...floating," she whispered, careful not to disturb the levitating pebble. After hovering in the air for a few more seconds, the small stone fell to the floor and bounced a couple of centimeters away.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel sensed the wonder in Aster’s voice. It was such a simple explanation of developing Jedi abilities but it was also very difficult to take in at face value. But in time Aster would understand — for time was the greatest tool a Jedi had in their arsenal. In time most things could be achieved. For one of the greatest risks of falling to the dark-side was a lack of patience.

“Yes,” Sorel said, “It is as simple as that. Trust and regular practise will take you very, very far. Farther than you can imagine right now. I am no more gifted than you, I have simply been using the Force for longer. Does that make sense?”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

"Yes," Aster nodded.

Practicing Force Sense and Telekinesis didn't seem like a difficult task and since she had no official duties to attend to while at the Voss Academy, she had plenty of time to practice and hone her skills.

"You are very humble," Aster added after a short pause and smiled softly. "It is a very admirable trait," she maintained her smile and glanced around the lush garden. Everything was so exciting yet a little intimidating. This was going to be her first time living away from home.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. “Consider your first lesson a real success. You have the right approach to succeed as a Jedi and your moral compass is most definitely pointing in the right direction. So head back to your room now and settle in. Tomorrow you can see which general classes you wish to sign up to and then you can let me know which ability you’d like me to teach you first.”

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]