Lessons in the force

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Kashyyk was nothing at all like anything that Asaraa had ever experienced. There was a wildness to the planet, a barely restrained sense of nature pressing in all around you that was like no other planet that the Togruta had ever visited. Ever since she first stepped foot on the planet her senses had been able to sense the life teeming in the forest all around her.

It was a delightful, freeing feeling, and for a moment, a moment lasting a few days, the young woman had been so enraptured she'd spent all her time exploring the tree houses of the planet that housed her new order. But that wasn't the reason she'd been sent here in the first place. She wasn't meant to wander around drunk with joy at the life teeming around her.

That's what had brought her here, to this door, her hand tapping against it as a dull thudding echoes around her. It was time to get back to it, to studying and learning to be a better Jedi.

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

Bones had kept to himself on Kashyyyk, meditating and people who want either their futures seen or lessons. Dopi's room was completely covered in Holocrons of both sides of the force, one Sith Holocron being missing from its place as he was studying the information that was in it when the door was knocked on by someone, who he never met before.

"Come in, Apprentice. I have been expecting you."

He spoke out without stopping his studying, the Sith Holocron would be rather visible to the person who was coming in. He actually wasn't expecting anyone to come over, but he always let people in with that as to spook them a bit, just for fun.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The young woman felt her eyes widen in surprise as she heard the man calling out to her, welcoming her into his room. The young woman padded inside on soft feet, careful not to make too much of a sound as she stared curiously at the man standing in the middle of the room playing with a Holocron. She could see the crystal between his fingers as she glanced back at the doorway...the solid wooden doorway.

"Ok...you so need to show me how you did that, I didn't think anyone could sense me coming...actually, how did you know it was me and not one of the other masters?"


The young woman blinked remembering herself a she quickly bowed, a short dip of respect. "I'm sorry to intrude sir, but I was told that I should talk to you about training."

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

He laughed a bit when she apologized. He never had been apologized to before for anything. He turned over to where she was standing, as he revealed to her his eyes and the form that was of a blind man...since he was blind.

"My Dear...I am capable of sensing you through the Force. It helps when you can't see with the eyes the Galaxy gave ya. But I digress...What do you wish to be taught, Apprentice? Powers of the Light, Or the Dark? I won't judge you on your self alignment with the force."

He got down from where he was and had the Holocron go back to its place on the Shelf. The view outside was absolutely amazing, and the room was exactly made for training of the force, and could even work with studying and concentration on important topics. He played off the guess on who it was by stating he sensed her through the Force, which was something he could do...he just wasn't expecting her at the moment.

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

It was an unusual feeling for the young Jedi, the sense that there was someone else out there who was watching her, She'd been around other Jedi who had used the force to sense the world around them and keep a track on her, it was the only way that her teachers could ever have found her hiding places when she was younger. It was just, this was the first time she'd come across someone who lived their life so completely depending on what the force showed them. It was a moment of insight for the Padawan, a shared understanding of the trials a non-force user must face when encountering someone who could touch the force. The Togruta Padawan set aside the revelation as something to consider later during her meditations.

"How about that?"

She jerked a finger over her shoulder at the doorway as a bright grin lit up her face.

"I'm decent at sensing, but being able to sense someone from so far away and the prediction, I don't have such a good handle on that. I enjoy it, but I could use some more practice."

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"Ah...The ability of Force Sense is a difficult one to learn...even for an Apprentice such as yourself...Does your Master know you are learning this from me, Dear?"

He was rather concerned with what she wanted to learn, as being able to sense and predict the future could be a dangerous ability if misused. It could cause pain, suffering, and even confusion to the user, along with those who are affected. He wanted to make sure she was absolutely sure that her Master was all right with her learning this ability.

"If you are serious in learning this power...you must understand that it can be very life changing, for better or for worse. It can bring you visions of happiness, joy and prosperity...or visions of pain, suffering, and sorrow. I just want to make sure you are serious about learning this."

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"] could easily tell from the change of tone and use of vocabulary that he was being serious. If she used this power incorrectly, or even at all with no true knowledge of the effects of it, her use of it could bring to her emotions and situations that would either help or hinder her lifestyle.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The Togruta fell silent, her blue eyes dropping down to the floor for a moment as she seemed to still, the energy leeching out of her body. It wasn't anything too visible, a slump of her shoulders and the way her breath seemed to catch in her throat, her firsts curling up at her side. Even her presence in the force seemed to shiver, barely restrained emotions leaking past her guard tainting her presence with a veneer of sorrow, of regret.

"He's not going to be worried with much," she allowed quietly, taking a deep breath as she tried to get a hold of herself as she raised her head slowly to look over at the man. "We were out on a mission near the border of the First Order, it was meant to be a quiet mission, showing the flag and helping some people who rarely got to see the Jedi in action." The young woman gave a short laugh, an almost bitter sound, "my master used to love that, he said nothing was better than going out there to help the people who didn't expect it but needed someone to be on their side."

She hadn't talked about this since she'd left the temple, the swirl of emotion fighting against the control she'd trained so hard to obtain from her childhood. "They came out of nowhere, one moment we were talking to a farmer about his crops the next we were fighting for our lives."

The young woman squared her shoulders, straightening her back as she seemed to rally. "I understand that this isn't something to be taken lightly, that it can change a life. But...if it means that I can stop that from happening again if it means that I can save someone else's life then I want to learn it. I don't want to let anyone else die if I could have saved them."

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

He could sense that he hit her hard and deep unintentionally. Could it be she had feelings for her Master before he passed? He didn't care either way, but he needed to make sure that before he taught the power, that she knew the power need to have a disconnect from emotions.

"My Dear, I am truly sorry for your loss. Nothing hurts more than hearing an Apprentice losing her Master. If you wish to learn this power, I will teach you it...but first, you must understand that your emotions must be completely disconnected from your use of this ability. Your emotions can cause the vision to be clouded, twisted, and even completely wrong. I have had emotions with these visions, and It...it broke my heart. I have seen the effects of mixing your emotions from these visions."

He moved up to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder on to where she stood. At this distance, she could clearly see his whitened eyes from his blindness, but a smile on his face.

"If I am going to teach you, I need you to relax. To release those emotions, and stay neutral. If you feel that is too difficult, I would be happy to teach you a different ability...or if you wish, I can take you under my wing after this lesson...so then I may teach you further, as this power could take you days, months or even years to perfect it."

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

Asaraa shook her head, her lekku brushing over her shoulders as she sucked in a deep breath, her hands clenching into fists at her sides before she closed her eyes and breathed out. She could feel the emotions flowing away from her, ebbing back into the box she could lock them all away in. Her blue eyes flicked open as she glanced over at the man resting his hand on her shoulder giving a short nod.

“Thanks I’m…I’ve got it under control…got it mostly under control anyway.” She admitted honestly, “It’s…I thought I was over it, had it packed away and dealt with but…I guess life isn’t that clean.” Another deep breath, the swirl of emotions slowly pulling away from her aura as she felt her control reasserting itself. “That’s what they always tell us, that we need to be careful of our emotions but, it’s easier in the classroom than in the real world.”

She twisted her head around to look at him as a last breath seemed to have her shoulders seemed to slump as the tension fell away from them. “It’s…emotions are that dangerous? I didn’t realise they could mess with your senses, with the force that badly.”

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"Emotions can be with this ability. Other powers of the Force either rely on those emotions, or the disconnect of emotions. But for now, come with me."

He put his hand on her shoulder and escorted [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] over to the window. The Beach was absolutely beautiful today, as it was a clear day for once, the sunlight reflecting off the waves, and it was just a beautiful scene.

"Enjoy the view, Apprentice? I enjoy the air and sounds up here, even if I cannot see the view at all. I enjoy the sounds, the idea of the majesty of this view...but what is most entertaining about this is that I can hear the grumbling of jealous people who wanted the very view I have here."

He chuckled a bit, showing that he was being non nonchalant about this lesson. He showed to her that he was someone who may of been a master, but who held the happiness, the understanding, and even the goofiness of his statements of a fellow padawan...a fellow person who was going to be just as immature as he needed to be. After she told him that her past master had passed away, He felt compelled to want her as his student. He felt like he could learn abilities from her as she could learn things from him, as a true partnership of Student and Master.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The Togruta let the man pull her towards the window, a small smile touching her lips as she stared down at the scene of natural beauty playing out beneath her, enjoying the warm touch of sunlight on her skin.

“You know, it almost sounds like you know just how good the view is, that you’re enjoying the fact that they’re all jealous of the view. I mean it is a pretty awesome set up you have here, and the view is seriously to kill for but still. Hardly the serene, above it all attitude a Jedi is supposed to take is it?” The Padawan’s voice was light, almost playful as she rested a hand on the warm window peering down for a moment longer before looking up at him.

“The cells they used to stick us in back in the temple weren’t anywhere as nice as this place, I mean even my room has a pretty decent view. It’s not huge but it’s bigger than anywhere I’ve ever had and it’s mine. I can’t imagine what people do in the full suites, all that space, it’s just unbelievable. So,” she looked back at him, amusement dancing through her voice, “Is this the good or bad emotion then?”

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"There is no good or bad emotion...there is only Emotions. They can only be perceived as good or bad by how others react to them, and what abilities through the Force are affected by them."

He felt the warm light on his face as well, moving over to a near by Sith holocron that had great amounts of dust and cobwebs on them, showing that this holocron has obviously been left there and unused for a long time. He held the holocron out to her, inviting her to take hold of it.

"This is a Sith Holocron, Apprentice. It holds the knowledge not of the dark side or any of their teachings, but that of how to see into the future with the force. This action has been technically deemed impossible, as to try and put a Light Side ability or any Knowledge of the Light into a Sith Holocron would just not work. This is a prime example that there is no true black and white of the Force, but that the Force is merely one single flow of knowledge that is used for better or for worse, and those beliefs have been separated into the Light and the Dark...the Jedi and the Sith."

He placed it on the window sill as he moved himself over to the center of the room, away from [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] as he was prepared to wait for her to react. "Open it. It's simple...all you need to do for that is to use your emotions to open it. It'll just be a recording of me, putting the teachings in words I could not be able to do again. If you wish, after watching it, We can practice that here, and see if you can do it right off the bat, or if you need more practice."

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

It sounded so easy when he said it, so simple just use your emotions to open the Holocron and see the recording stored inside. It was just that…well feeding your emotions into the holocron to open it, that went against everything she’d been taught before. Emotions weren’t something you tried to use, but something that you were meant to distance yourself from. The Padawan’s brow furrowed, her sharp teeth worrying at the soft flesh of her lower lip as she stretched out a hand, channelling the force towards the holocron.

The crystal shook before it rose smoothing into the air, the dust coating it sloughing off the crystal as it hung in the air, catching the light as it rotated slowly in one spot. Without a word the Padawan brought the crystal through the air, closing her fist around the cool crystal as she glanced back at the man before letting it go through the force. The crystal seemed heavier than she’d expected, heavier than it had any right to be as she glanced down at the innocuous-looking holocron.

“I’m not so sure about this, it’s a Sith Holocron…I thought we weren’t meant to use them, atleast not unless we’re masters or something. Isn’t it meant to be dangerous.”

Even as she spoke she was unable to stop herself from probing at the crystal with tendrils of the force. She could see it in her mind, each flaw and perfection, the holocron like a weight in the force far beyond anything else its size, a legacy of the Jedi and Sith who had handled it in the past, who had done as she was doing now. The man had seemed so sure, so confident that this was the correct way to approach this but…

“Are you sure it’s ok?”

[SIZE=11pt]She pushed at the crystal again, her aura tinged with uncertainty and hesitation as the tendrils of the force pushed deeper and deeper into the crystal as she felt her mind running along the pathways, the circuits in the crystals. She could felt the crystal unfolding before her question mind, a light flickering inside it as an image sprang to life.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Mr. Bones"][/SIZE]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"If I am going to teach you, then I need to be able to show you these. I trust you completely with these Holocrons, as they can teach you abilities that these other Masters won't....And yes, if used improperly, Sith Holocrons can be dangerous. But I will teach you how to use them properly...as you've...already seen."

He was answering her questions when he sees that she already opened the holocron, and it begins to speak to her through her mind. It begins to show her the lessons inscribed onto the Holocron as [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] felt the crystal inside of it and started to learn from it.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

The Padawan could still hear [member="Mr. Bones"] talking, but it was different, almost as if she were watching hearing him from a distance as she felt. It was an odd feeling since she almost heard him talking about the force even as she saw his lips moving, talking about the Holocron. The Padawan blinked, shaking her head as if she could shake the cottonwool in her head away, the memories that she'd somehow experienced without actually experiencing them.

"I...wow. Are all Sith Holocrons like that? I've never had this, this feeling from a Holocron before. I mean normally it's just a video, some old Jedi from the past talking to us. It was like the Holocron was alive like it was talking to me, pouring the knowledge into my head...you set this up...how'd you know...you knew I was coming...you saw it?"

 

[Mr. Bones]

"I answered you at the door, didn't I? I saw you here...being trained by me...but I did not know when that would be, as now I know. I foresaw you being under my teachings, and showing you abilities of the Force that other people here are either unknowing of, or they are afraid of them. I will be happy to teach you further in any ability you so wish. Either of the Light or the Dark Sides of the Force, as you could be perfect under a balance...but the choice is yours, Apprentice."

He laughed and smiled as [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] reacted to the holocron teaching her the ways of Force Vision. He wasn't kidding any more when she asked if he set this up and knew she was coming. He did foresee her being taught in this way, but did not know truly when she'd arrive, as that portion of information was hidden to him somehow...He was actually meditating on that when she arrived.

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

“So...the power isn’t foolproof, it tells you what will...what might happen, but not when. That seems like it could go very very wrong. If you become reliant on it without knowing all the details of your vision then you could react in absolutely the wrong way when it comes.”

[SIZE=10.5pt]The Togruta’s voice trailed off as she reached out with the force, running her mind along the new techniques the man had just shown her. She didn’t think it was enough to master it with just one teaching, just in one moment. It was a start though, and something she could work on. The young woman held out her palm the crystal smoothly floating up out of her hand towards the man as she wrapped it in the force, holding it steady suspending in the air infront of him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“You’re not like the other Jedi masters around here are you, I don’t think very many of them would be willing to teach anything to do with sith techniques. I think they might be more worried that learning those techniques would pull someone towards the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]darkside[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]. How is it possible to keep that balance, surely you must fall eventually, one side or the other.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt][member="Mr. Bones"][/SIZE]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"Many people have pondered that, but never bother to ask me. The answer...is simple. To keep yourself from falling to the dark side, is to throw away the belief that there IS a Dark Side. If you choose to believe that there isn't a dark or light side of the force, and that there is only the Force, then you can't fall to it. Plain and Simple, but most masters or other force users don't want to lose that ideal."

He did notice that [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] trailed off as she did something. He sensed the Force getting stronger around her, and assumed that she began to try the new ability out.

"Ah, I see you've decided to give it a try. Well then...concentrate. Focus. and when...if it works, tell me what you see."

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

[SIZE=10.5pt]He said it was simple to avoid falling to the darkside, made it sound so easy but...what he was saying, the words coming out of his mouth ran contrary to everything she’d been taught, everything the young woman believed in. She’d seen dark force users, felt their strength as they threw around, she’d even fought with them, but what Dopi Bones was telling her was that it was just a difference in how they used to force, an attitude adjustment rather than anything to actually do with a different side of the force. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“You know, if you’re right doesn’t that just mean that certain powers feed off different elements of the human psyche. I’ve felt them, most dark side users can get more power than us, but there is a...cost to that. And the powers they use build off that. Are you saying I could learn to throw force lightning without letting my anger [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]overwhelm me, to drain energy from[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] people, even to rip the life from them? I can understand that there is only one force, but then doesn’t it all come down to how you approach it?” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]She cracked open her hand, gesturing as her lightsaber flicked from her belt to thrum on bathing the room in a blue light. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“A lightsaber is a weapon, same as the force. It can be used to defend or to cut someone in two. It’s what you choose to do with it that makes it an instrument of good or bad, but some things you could do with it, aren’t they inherently bad?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The Padawn let her lightsaber shut off, floating back to her grasp as she let her mind drift along the pathways opened up to her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"I can feel...I can see...a woman, metal and cold. She’s angry, and fear."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The girl let her eyes flick open, brow furrowed as she took a deep breath, holding it before breathing out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“This gives good visions too sometimes right?”[/SIZE]

[member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"Yes, Yes...there can be good visions, along with bad ones. It all depends on what the Force allows you to see. Now, keep going, focus and concentrate on that vision, and tell me what you see."

He first answered her question about if good visions can appear as well as bad ones. [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] did ask about the lightsaber, as he did hear her activate and deactivate her weapon, and asks about the uses of them, and if they are inherently bad.

"With Lightsabers, it again depends on what is done with it. There are good and bad uses and purposes with the Lightsaber, true, but the actions of it solely depend on the user of the weapon."