Mind over Matter

[Aeron Kreelan]

So with the way things were, Aeron Kreelan, member of the Pyre and long time Protectorate what have you, Zeison Sha, Icarri -- I know, such a long strand of titles - would find her self in a hunky dory position to finally be able to chat with the brickhouse, asteroid chucking, Bando Gora Reaver killing, deathmachine.

Hopefully to learn a few new tricks.

While [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] was a telekinesis machine, her specialties lay in the massive and huge. Lurcrehulk huge.

Being a Zeison Sha meant that Aeron also specialized in telekinetics, but her skills lay in multiple targets and the tiny.

Both had their benefits, and it was certain that Aeron would learn something new no less from the Drunkenwell Shipyard chucking Countess!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]


This writer strongly approves of the thread title, since it's a trope! Be warned if you visit that site, for tropes are addictive. You can get lost on it for hours...days even! At the very least.


Anyhow, the Zeison Sha Icarii Ballistakinesis Expert Omega Pyre Prex would not have to wait long before Lady Siobhan Kerrigan Of The Many Titles appeared on the scene. For the sake of simplicity we shall presume that the scene in question was the Firemane training area at headquarters on Kaeshana. This writer is not sure how much Siobhan and Aeron interacted during the former's time at the Protectorate, but recalls them meeting during the Great Jedi Convocation on Sigma Station.



That had been a fun time. Siobhan had had fun showing off her telekinetic prowess by lifting six of the seven Muntuur stones. Oh, and in Siobhan's opinion Aeron had shown that she had the right religious and political views by saying at the Conclave that the Protectorate could do without Jedi patrols in its territory. Siobhan, being fiercely territorial, did not like other people meddling in what she considered her personal fiefdom in this corner of space.



In any case, now that this writer is done with commentary, we shall get to the plot. Siobhan walked with a bit of a limp and still relied on a cane, the result of injuries sustained during the Second Battle of Gehenna whilst fighting Klaxxi. The injuries pained her more than she was comfortable admitting, yet she did her best to stand tall and erect, loathe to show weakness.



"Hi, Ms. Kreelan. Nice to meet you here," Siobhan said warmly as she entered the hall. "How fares the 'Pyre these days? I've been a bit out of the loop for a while since Druckenwell," she added with an element of sarcasm to her tone. "I've been told you'd like some extra Force training and such. We can easily arrange that. Could you outline your skillset - it's largely ballistakinesis, right?"


It was a bit ironic how heavily Siobhan was involved in providing Force training for Firemane members and affiliates these days, when one kept in mind that she herself had received little formal training beyond her initial years as a Jedi Padawan. But to her surprise she found that she liked teaching. Moreover, it gave her the chance to show off without getting maimed because she was death charging eldritch abominations! She had actually given passing thought to the idea of setting up a formal force-user branch for Firemane.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

Aeron would push herself off the wall - we'll enter a random wall here cause there were sure to be buildings on Kaeshana... and wine - and shot a grin over to [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"].

She was wearing a leather jacket of sorts, casual merc gear underneath. A few steps and she stood before the Lady Siobhan herself.

"It's doing," she'd say, giving a shrug of shoulders. A job that's a job is a job. "Better than the forty-eight Exarchs I suppose." there was a wryness to that quip. Perhaps a bit of sarcasm? Was it in good humor? Oh who cared!

Hip went cocking to the right, and her hand would perch right over it. The dirty blond gave a nod.

"Telekinetics comes easy to me, growing up Zeison Sha. Ballistic kinetics more aptly for multiple targets and the smaller usually the better." she would admit. She had a few bits of training in phasing and photocloaking but we won't get into that.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]


Kaeshana did indeed have plenty of buildings. White stone buildings were quite predominant in Santaissa, the planet's capital. Much to Siobhan's disappointment, none of them were monuments to glorify her. This one thinks that Siobhan has weird priorities and an excessive ego. As for Eldorai wine, it was very good. Another reason for why she liked the planet so much.



"I should make my Jester the forty-ninth Exarch. I'm sure he wouldn't do any worse than they! Probably plunder everyone's kitchen," Siobhan said very, very dryly. The only Exarch she knew was HK, the other forty-seven seemed to be colourless nonentities no one had heard of. Perhaps their time was spent listening to Cater speechifying a lot.


"No bold offensives into One Sith land planned then? Not that I'm fishing for inside info about what grand plans Cater has dreamt up. I just wouldn't go charging into an AAA world like Coruscant or Alderaan again. Not just repetitive, it's like knocking your head against a beskar wall. Speaking as someone who did a lot of ill-advised charging into the jaws of death," she added just as wryly. Oh, and she really doubted the official story that the Starfall had crashed into Coruscant's Imperial Palace because of coming under Sith fire.


Now that Siobhan had made her opinion on certain Protectorate and galactic affairs clear, maybe she could focus on training stuff. She gave the Zeison Sha warrior a one-over. In all likelihood whatever desires Siobhan might have to invite her to participate in the...rituals of the Goddess Ardarvia would be disappointed! As for attire, she was dressed in a pair of figure-hugging black leather pants and a tank top beneath a leather jacket, whilst her feet were tucked into leather boots. Clearly Siobhan was Hellbent for Leather crossed with Ms Fanservice because this thread needs more tropes.



"Anyhow, on to training. Ballistakinesis is not for me, but it's a powerful skill. I guess you know my specialisation: Zero finesse, mass destruction telekinesis. Chucking and crushing very large objects and such. With some aeromancy thrown in to cause tempests and fly. Beyond that it's force lightning and ionise droid. Cira taught me the latter way back. I'm also quite good at force barriers, telekinetic shields specifically. What are you interested in learning?"

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

Well that was a nice little set up there. Aeron would mull over the options. All were worthy endeavors, however none so much interested her as hearing [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] say that 'Cira' taught her force lightning and ionize droid.

Oh really?

Blonde brows would perk at that. She did not know that the former Lady Protector was a Force user. She saved that info for later. For the now, she would mull over the present.

"Tell me more about the aereomancy. Getting some details on that just might be able to help me fine tune the ballistickinetics."

Plus learning more about how she manages those telekinetic shields would be interesting.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]


Ironically Siobhan had been told that Cira was a force-user right after agreeing to join the 'Pyre. Moreover, the former Lady Protector had displayed her abilities rather openly during the Clockwork Invasion of Fondor, where she had blasted death machines with ionise droid - and suddenly sprouted wings! - , and later when the Protectorate took over Naboo, where she and Siobhan had telekinesced all over a horde of Bando Gora who'd tried to storm Theed Palace.



Anyhow, back to the plot. "Aeromancy describes the art of manipulating the air and winds. In most cases it's element based, which is how the Eldorai use it, such as to manipulate jet streams to drive powerful storms and upper level clouds to increase their speed. In my case I utilise telekinesis for air manipulation. Basic way is to exact your will to alter the air currents to such a degree that you can cause a whirlwind, which with sufficient power can blossom into a maelstrom to fling and crush opponents; a vortex can even swalloe vehicles and act as a desert splitter to cause devastation across a battlefield, even manifest a tornado of varying strength and duration," Siobhan explained.



"I imagine in your case, with your ballistakinesis focus, aeromancy would be useful to further guide and accelerate your projectiles. Especially if you say want to assail an opponent with multiple projectiles from several sides after abruptly conjuring up a wind to blanket an area with super-accelerated shots. Likewise a strong wind can knock opponents off-balance before you initiate a volley. Or to throw or deflect pieces of debris. It's not something I've tried yet, but someone with skill in air manipulation could also theoretically vacate entire areas of air or conversely increase the pressure to such a point to burst eardrums."


Taldir was fond of tossing super icicles around. When she was not conjuring up blizzards or freezing people's blood. As for telekinetic shields, Siobhan was quite good at those. Otherwise she would have been vaporised insantly when the space station Shadow lured her to was blown up. And so she was spaced and would have died in the vacuum if Tempest had not saved her!

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] certainly hit the head on the nail. That was exactly what she was gunning for in terms of expanding her control with ballistikinetics.

The question was, how did one start?

She gave a nod, a side crook at the corner of her mouth revealing a slight grin. "Exactly." she said. Cocking one hip to the right she then gave a small gesture.

"In that case, how does one start? It is the same with telekinetics?" With a Zeison Sha background, she had an ample amount of experience with that area. But telekinetics and aeromancy may not be the same. Or it could be perhaps a refined version?

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]


"There are some similarities with telekinesis. I'll show you. Let's go somewhere more suitable," Siobhan said brightly, giving the Zeison Sha a smile. This writer is not entirely sure just where the two ladies were at present, though presumably it was Firemane Headquarters.



In any case the Countess would lead the Zeison Sha away and eventually outside to the Firemane training grounds. It was a wide open space where Firemane mercenaries and Eldorai soldiers could train, sometimes performing joint exercises and manoeuvres. Sometimes there were targets such as mock-up tanks. After all, it was fairly awkward to train in the use of a missile launcher in enclosed quarters.


It was probably for the best that they trained in aeromancy here and not inside the building. After all, it would be a bit awkward if they accidentally summoned a tornado and wrecked everything! There was a mild wind sweeping their way, though fortunately so far they had been spared one of the storms Kaeshana is so famous for.


"As I said, there are some similarities with basic telekinesis. Like with everything in the Force, it's about focus, willpower and energy. Also timing since you're manipulating the environment and need to get a feel for it. The stronger the winds you summon are, the more important is your control over them, lest it backfire horribly," Siobhan began once they had reached the spot.


"First I need you to focus and concentrate on the Force. Take what time is needed. Then stretch out with your mind and focus upon the wind, the air around you. Get a feeling for the air currents and their shifts around you. Then try to gain power over them. Will the air currents to bend to your will and intensify, will a wind to come into being and sweep across the land before you. Try to steer it, for as long as you can."


That said Siobhan demonstrated as she sunk into the Force and harnessed its power. She had a specialisation in telekinesis, from which she derived her skill in aeromancy, so it was not a difficult task for her. With her mind she stretched out until she could feel the air shift and twist around her. As she manipulated the air currents, a strong and palpable shift could be felt. Such was her power that the air visibly twisted into strange shapes, then there was the surge of a strong wind that swept across the training grounds with a roar, blossoming into a small whirlwind.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Aeron took what the Countess said and let it percolate in her mind. For the most part, she had an inkling on what she meant. While she was a telekinetic expert, this was another grav ball fight all together.

Another kettle of Giju so to speak.

None the less, the Icarii would give a small nod. Taking what the Destroyer of World had instructed her to do, Aeron would close her eyes.

It was a matter of first coming into that center of focus. That first part was easier. The next was when she began to stretch out with her mind and focus upon her environment.

Maybe this was a bit easier because her focus was on the minute, on the smallest of objects for ballistickinetics. That wasn't to say she could just immediately feel the width and breath of the air around her.

No, she first felt what others would. The kiss of air against her skin, the subtle pressure as it would push against her with a small gust.

The question was what to do with that which surrounded her without movement -- no.. her brow would draw together, furrowing.

That was a mistake. It wasn't that the air wasn't moving around her. It was. Constantly. She would focus more.

That was when she felt them. The air currents subtle shifting around her. Ahh. So that is what she meant.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]


Siobhan watched as Aeron took her first steps into the world of aeromancy. The air around them was ever shifting, always in a state of flux. But with the proper amount of focus, the right push at the right time, it could be directed. As Siobhan observed the Zeison Sha's efforts, she could feel a subtle, but noticeable shift within the air currents. Not yet a massive one, but it was noticeable enough not to escape her keen senses.


The subtle pressure against their bodies increased slowly, the kiss of against their skin. "Good start. Keep at it. Focus purely upon the wind around you, feel its push against your skin, the subtlest shift in the air around you. Then try to stretch out with your mind and intensify them. We're starting small, so narrow your focus to produce the slightest acceleration in the wind's intensift and speed, then increase it step by step," she spoke softly.


"Once you have a feeling for it, try to drive the wind across the grounds before us. The principle of the thing should come easier to you because it's very similar to a telekinetic push, just applied to altering the air. Focus is pivotal. You cannot fully control a wind, especially the more power it has, but you can drive it to an extent. So concentrate. There is just you, the Force and the ever-moving air around you. Focus on it, its movements, the slightest ripples as the air shifts around us, and allow the Force to fill you, like water in a cup. Then let loose the energy you're holding."


Siobhan would use such techniques to conjure up powerful, sweeping whirlwinds, as she had demonstrated before, intent on wrecking everything in her path. Theoretically she could summon a tornado. Since Aeron was a telekineticist more focused on fine-tuned manipulation, her use would probably be slightly different, but the same logic applied. After all, she could use it to blanket a target zone with hyper-accelerated projectiles and small pieces of debris.