Forge the Mind

[Jsc]

​

DAS - Noon

The blast door opened slowly. Lurching awake with a hiss of it's pressure seals. Sliding aside to reveal the great training room ahead. As the doors descended to a close, two leather boots smiled at the sight. This was her first look at the future.

"The DAS Holographic Warspace. A true gem of science. Modeled after the major facility on Fondor too. They say she can do anything. Heh."

Karen Roberts smirked at the great white expanse and stepped forward to enter it's glittering halls. She seemed to so small walking in this space. Every footfall had it's echo and every step betrayed a hundred more. It was entering a stadium or a grand arena. A worldspace and a destination. Polished like glass. Without even a single scratch. This was the Warspace. This was their new training room.

Roberts smiled with a nod. This great room of endless white was where their training sessions would begin to be held. A blank canvas to the future. She turned about to face the other brave soul standing near the durasteel doors. Waiting for him to cross the threshold.

"Welcome to your new training room [member="Aitis Powarth"] . Step on up. And see her for yourself."

The time for formalities was over. The time for the training of a Jedi had come.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Aitis stepped forward into the room, his gaze flickering about quicker than his face could follow, which was an terminally odd side-effect of using Force-Sight to "see" all the time. The room was impressive, and the odd echoes and such played a bit of havoc with his hearing, causing a moderate wince as he came to a stand still behind Karen, tilting his head to the side and trying to adjust his hearing to the momentous differences. After a few moments he nodded and stepped forward to stand next to her, patting her shoulder. His gaze turned about once more, and a genuine smile broke his oft serious face.

"I like it... It feels like... Possibility... "

Chuckling, he realized that sometimes the words he chose would seem odd to one of those not blessed, or curse, with Farsight. But there was really no other way to explain it, and so he left it at that, and stretched slightly.

"So what's the first step?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

She folded her arms over her chest and smiled,

"The first step today is going to be mastering Force Shield. But before we get there I need to make sure you're meditation is glowing. So let's start there. Debby. Close the doors and lighten the gravity by 0.02."

/ Right away Mrs Roberts. Closing doors and decreasing Warspace gravity by 0.02.

The large durasteel doors swished to a close and the floor began to warm. When the pressure seal closed tight there was a light hum and the gravity began to get lighter. Just enough to feel your weight move and your breath become easier. Nothing that would upset a lifelong spacer but amusing to the dedicated groundhog.

"Good. That should make this exercise just a bit easier. Take a seat on the ground and begin mediation. Then, once you have centered yourself, levitate your body off the ground and hold that meditation for three minutes. Then we can begin the next phase. ...Go ahead please."

[member="Aitis Powarth"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Aitis shifted his weight slightly, the change in gravity slightly odd, but nothing strong enough to throw him off too terribly badly. Intent attention was paid as his instructor spoke, and he nodded to her as she gave her instructions, and when she had finished, he looked about the pristine room for a moment before folding his legs under himself, laying the backs of his hands on his knees, palms up as if grasping something in each one. Had he eyes, they would have closed as his breathing began to slow and pace. Focus was the key, dispersing oneself into the Force that pulsed around you in the moment. Conversely to common sense perhaps, the greater his progress and concentration grew, the more relaxed he became. After a few moments thusly, he floated up off the ground, slowly and smoothly, his mind lost in the currents of the Force, well aware this was a sure fire way to spark visions of the past or future usually.

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Roberts moved close to [member="Aitis Powarth"] and extended a palm. Placing it firmly on his forehead and closing her eyes. She reached out with her feelings and let the Force flow through her. She extended her senses outward. Into the floor and ceiling. Into the walls and doors. Into Aitis himself and deeper into his thoughts. Roberts was no mentalist but Powarth contained a very vast and very potent mental eye. His thoughts and emotions were much easier to sense than a normal humans. Whether this was by the Force's permission or because Aitis was a Miraluka? She simply did not know.

Roberts remained here for only the counting of a moment. One. Two. Three. Sensing. Feeling. Seeing with the Force. She did not feel the corruption of a Darkside Spirit within her Apprentice. No duality of spirits that might crowd one body. So she moved down and away from his consciousness with her fingers. Karen moved her thoughts to his heart and watched it beating. She saw his blood and his breathing. The way it flowed throughout his body. Again, she sensed no Sith Poisons, no Nano-machines, or insidious biological agents. No alien chemicals that might cause his mind so much distress. At least. Nothing that the Force could yet reveal. Fascinating enough? It did appear Aitis had a rather clean bill of health after all.

She disengaged her palm and stepped back. Confident that whatever demons tormented this Jedi student? They would have to be conquered by discipline and reinforcement alone.

"It is enough. The Force has spoken it's peace. Return to this world and stand, Apprentice. We have training to attend to. And she would have me begin in earnest yet."

Roberts scratched her chin and nodded. Confident that her student was now ready to begin their combat techniques without assistance.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Slowly, softly he fell, rising up on his own legs as his vision shifted back to the present, and the room he was in with his mentor. It was a nauseating sensation really, to remove onself from the currents of time and probability and return to a physical and present world. There had been no mistaking the touch of Karens mind to his, but he had let it go, accepting the necessity and prudence of it. One could never be too careful with anyone, and when you were as open to the Force as he was, irregardless of Farsight's further broadening but just by species nature, it was extremely smart and intelligent to do so.

"I believe I am ready... Or more accurately, as ready as I can be... How shall we begin?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

"We'll begin with the basics of Force Shield."

Roberts stood up straight and began expounding upon the many applications of protection the Force can offer. From projecting a barrier, summoning an aura, and to enclosing yourself in a bubble. Some techniques were big and some were small. Some required concentration and some were anchored in space. All of them required you stretch out with your feelings and shape the energies around you. It could be a bit wild for beginners but by the time you were an expert it was very by the numbers. Karen compared it to cooking. The first time you learn a recipe it can seem bewildering. When mastered, you feel very comfortable with it.

"Today we'll start with a concentrated directional energy shield. To begin, stretch forth your hand and immerse yourself in the Force."

She withdrew a small laser pointer and aimed the tiny red beam at Aitis' chest.

"Now. Focus on protecting yourself from this pointer. Gather the Force to your hand and block the beam. When you have accomplished your task there should be an invisible barrier that keeps the pointer from touching you. It need not be large either. So just focus on your hand for now. We can build up from there. You may begin."

[member="Aitis Powarth"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

The task seemed easy enough, at first glance and thought. Though the young Miralukan had every confidence it would be one of the many things that was, once tried, much harder than it was to explain or conceptualize. However, there was a noticeable hesitation as the padawan stretched out his hand, thinking about the task at hand as he focused. Up until this point, most of his talent, most of his ability, was focused inward and not particularly outward. More sharpening his mind and his senses, not changing the world as it was. This though? This could prove useful indeed, if he could master it. Sure, at present it was only a small laser pointer... But the applications were limitless.

So he curled and then unfurled his fingers, hand outstretched and palm open wide. But instead of an action heroes grunting and noise-making focus techniques, he seemed to relax, his face going slack. Serenity flooded his mind as it loosened, trusting and relaxing. This was the only way he knew how to interact with the Force really. To give over to its Will, to relax amongst it. And so he relaxed fully, letting his mind wander in a pointed direction, towards the idea of the pointer being harmful as his hand descended towards it. The pointer was the Enemy, the Force his Ally.. Together they would overcome the pointer. For no matter how weak or finite the one, the Force was infinite.

Suddenly, his face seemed to narrow at the brow just ever so slightly, and his hand was covered in a shimmer of coruscating light and energy, a riot of colors like he had never seen. Given his Force-empowered vision, it was even stranger, really. And quite possibly not nearly as impressive or astounding to physical eyes like his teacher had. But, for certain, as he held his hand forward he felt the pulse and flow of that vast energy around him that connected all living things together... Felt it focus and pulse on his hand, repelling the little light dot with ease for a few seconds, before it faltered and the light appeared on his palm again, a slight bit of sweat beading his brow.

"That was..... Unique..... To see..."

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen nodded and shrugged. A small effort but a good one.

"Indeed. However it did block the beam. So I'd call that a victory. Hehe."

She put the pointer away and folded her arms over her chest. Smiling a funny smile.

"Now. Do it again please."

Practice made perfect. And [member="Aitis Powarth"] had plenty of practice ahead.

___

2 hours later

Karen came walking out across the white floor and interrupted Powarth's meditations. It was time to see how far his understanding of the technique had come. Given a few hours to practice and meditate accordingly, hopefully Aitis had at least come to some small familiarity with the ability. If only as an Apprentice could.

"Please rise Apprentice. Time for contemplation is over. It's time to rehearse what you have learned."

She scratched her chin and nodded likewise,

"So. Tell me? How familiar with the ability do you feel so far? Is it comfortable yet to emit a shield or... Do you feel you need more time to grasp the ability?"

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Turning from his revere, he 'eyed' Karen for a few moments, hesitating but rising as the Jedi Master instructed, a smile gracing his features as he straightened to stand. The ability wasn't terribly complex, at it's base and beginnings. Sure, it likely had some complexities he wasn't aware of. But all in all he was fairly confident he could do a good show of it now really. Might not be able to hold back a gatling blaster, but the ability would do for now.

In the end, it was much like removing a poison or infection with healing. You didn't just burn it out of the good cells. Because some bacteria and such left behind was a good thing. That would turn into antibodies and other things to help the body build up an immunity. What you did in truth was you took and pushed against the intruder with the Force, encapsulating it until it turned on itself. Without fresh streams of assaulting contagions, the body and its own immune system would fight it off, sped up and aided by the Force, and the dead or weakened virus or such left behind would be used much like a vaccine.

This was the same. You didn't make a barrier to stop the light, or laser. That would take too much focus...You merely made a warp in the Force, that condensed matter and light to disperse various forms of energy and robbed them of forward motion in a sudden arrest, until their momentum or energy dissipated. There was probably more to it, but in the finality of it all, it was a physically applicable ability, so thinking about it too much might be a bit much. With the thought process done, he spoke those same ideas to Karen, nodding softly as he finished.

"I think I have a grasp of it... While my application may be off from my understanding, it will come in more time, I suspect. Did my summation sound... Reasonable?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen seemed to shrug. Instruction was always necessary in such things. Sometimes you just had to experience your powers for yourself,

"I think you're trying too hard. The Force is a natural power after all. Much like an extension of our bodies, it will become an afterthought with enough time. And, while I could go into great detail about how to move your arm, or how it works and why? ...Well. It would be much easier for me to just say, Aitis move your arm. Hehe."

The Jedi woman held up her own arm and flexed. Reaching out and squeezing her muscles as she did so,

"See. The Force is like your arm. The more you use it and the more you train with to it? The stronger it will grow. ...And, much like our bodies. If we decline to stretch our powers? If we overthink how best to grow them and fail to even try? They will decline. Just like our physical fitness. So... What you are experiencing right now is probably the atrophy of not stretching your arm for awhile. It's small and weak. Unused in many years. But this will change in time. As you flex it and as you train with it. Your powers will grow in size and in strength. Eventually reaching a very strong and very healthy magnitude indeed."

She shrugged and placed her hands behind her back. Sometimes the simplest answer really was best one.

[member="Aitis Powarth"]