Saber training – pure and simple

[Sorel Crieff]

The planet Ossus appeared to just hang there, a giant grey pearl floating between the orange globes of two suns. It was grey because the entire world was covered in clouds. It was covered in clouds because, twice each year, Ossus passed directly between its two stars. Blasted by radiant energy from opposite sides, it went several weeks without night. Planetary temperatures skyrocketed, changing most of the surface water into atmospheric vapour.

Sorel knew all that because she had read it in briefing file. But more so because she’d lived there once upon a time, before the Republic and more importantly the Jedi moved out. Before it became a Coalition planet and latterly a Silver Jedi planet.

Sorel watched her descent on the ship’s navigation system but relied on what she was being told by the Force. Even from an altitude of a thousand metres, the Jedi academy on Ossus would have looked enormous. Spread across a verdant bench-land between a lush mountainside and a gloom-filled rift valley, its tidy sweeps of green turf were surrounded by burgeoning plots of foliage and connected by snaking ribbons of grey paving stone.

Finally she landed, in the hangar that was cut into the side of a cliff and left her ship. Her bracelet afforded her protection from the extreme humidity, so she wore her regular robes and strode to where she was due to meet someone she’d promised to train in saber combat. In truth that’s all she knew, but if they were a Jedi and true to the light side, that’s all she needed to know.

The route to the training rooms was a meandering one across the academy grounds, winding through a labyrinth of shrubbery and detouring past carefully planned vistas, following a path of tightly placed stepping-stones that deliberately forced walkers to slow down and contemplate the garden.

The path rounded a gentle bend, and a dozen metres ahead, the trapezoidal span of Clarity Gate framed a tranquil courtyard accented by a small fountain. Sorel paused at the crosspieces. It had been ingrained into her what a Jedi must do as she enters the academy grounds. Meditate. So she closed her eyes and calmed her mind of thoughts and emotions. Once it cleared, she reopened her eyes and made her way to the training room, wondering if her student was already there.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Jessica was going through a rather rough period: because of her boss' actions, she had to abandon the project of building a vehicle factory on Kriselist. But that was the price to pay to continue operating on Dulvoyinn. That meant that she had to go back to Ossus to continue her Jedi training. Having once been accused of being more machine than person by her master, she'd hope that her lightsaber trainer will not consider her as such. These accusations probably stem from her ability to calculate root-mean-square speeds (or alternatively vibrational frequencies, or just plain old Maxwell's equations for Coleman's lightsaber) almost instantly in her head and ultimately her intellect. As much as she had a pretty big, well-trained brain, she had a pretty big body, too, as a result of having a Wookiee morphology, so she had to be careful and duck under doors at times. And even ceilings when stepping-stones were involved. Was that place designed for non-Wookiees? For the purposes of internal accommodations and of clothing I am to be regarded the same as a Wookiee, she thought. Once she had waded through the maze that was the Ossus Temple and into the training chambers...

"You will realize that I am not very agile, then again I would probably make for a better Consular than Guardian"

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel arrived first - but only just. Her student was not precisely what she expected, but given Jedi were all shapes and sizes - even polar bear shaped - she took the whole thing in her stride.

She bowed and was glad she'd chosen a standard training room. They were designed to accommodate all species that had Force-sensitivity, so this taller than average woman was fine within the confines of the area - even if she had to duck occasionally to reach the place.

"Welcome. I am Sorel. Sorel Crieff. I understand you wish to be trained in the ways of the saber." The woman there gave off no obvious dark-sided aura, so Sorel had no qualms about training her at all. Jedi came in all stripes and as long as she was light-sided, Sorel cared little for which Order she belonged to - if indeed an Order at all.

"So, tell me what experience you have and what you'd specifically like to learn - if you've a definite plan in mind of course."

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Since I'm not very agile, I would probably prefer to train in a style that does not rely on athleticism or on agility as much. I want to be effective while understanding what my physical limitations are. If you know about Shien or Djem-so, which I heard about as styles that fit more clumsy Jedi than other styles..."

Mandalorians seem to like Djem-so because it is a style that can fit their buckethead-based style of combat. Cathul did have some skill in Makashi, despite wearing a beskar'gam; she preferred to fight with magic than with a lightsaber. She could somehow feel that a polar bear-shaped Padawan came through this place at some point - the very Beorni that she met onboard the Triage while it was under construction. And he probably met with the second administrator of Force-sensitivity test, too: not only the second admin was that person that Jessica compared everybody to when it came to intelligence (she was similar to the first one from that standpoint, in that she seemed to only require a little bit more brainpower to be used as a Force-computer the way Jessica is) that second admin was the one she liked least, especially after that engineering meeting that took place after the fourth test undertaken with Cathul. And she can also sense that the second admin, that required, alongside the third one (the fourth and final one, Cathul, did not; Mandalorian medical confidentiality agreements did not require the patient not to disclose the identity of the baar'ure involved unless absolutely necessary, unlike the first three admins) also went through that room. Walls had Force-ears in Jedi Temples, ceilings had eyes and floors had memories, she thought.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. It was a friendly grin, no malice intended or hopefully conveyed. “It is certainly a very straightforward style. And one I have been prone to use from time to time. And it’s not known as the Krayt Dragon for no reason.”

She considered her student once more. “Agility is not always about a natural predisposition. The Force is, as if often said, a powerful ally. Learning certain abilities – once you attain Knight status, would enable you to compensate for any natural shortcomings. I’ll not dwell on that now – but rest assured, by the time I’ve finished with you, you’ll be a match for most Padawans in a duel. The rest, as I am fond of saying, will be down to you. There is only one requirement for mastery of an ability,” she twirled a training saber hilt in her hands – one she’d Force pulled from the wall as she spoke. “And that is time. The most precious of commodities. Yet a free commodity – and the one learners are least disposed to use.”

She pulled another saber hilt to her free hand and offered it to her student. It was a larger than average size and would be appropriate for Jessica. “I’ll assume no knowledge and we can take it from there. These are training sabers. No chance of losing a limb – but you’ll get a nasty bruise if one hits you, so try to avoid it. And the best way to avoid it is to start with defence. An alive Jedi is a useful one, so learn to stay that way first.”

“Let’s start with the zones.”

“Attacks and parries in lightsaber combat are described by the body zones they target. Most attacks are executed with horizontal swipes, while parries are carried out with vertical blocks meant to push the point of the enemy's blade away.”

Sorel quickly described the six zones and demonstrated the standard attack and normal defense. Zone 1 was the head, zone 2 the right side, zone 3 the left side, zone 4 was the back and zones 5 and 6 were the right and left leg respectively.

“Now, let’s practice and tell me how it feels.”

Sorel then cycled through each zone, offering a slow but precise attack to each one in turn and allowing Jessica the time to block in the prescribed fashion.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Although Jessica wasn't one to fight on a regular basis using a lightsaber, she knew a Jedi's training wasn't complete without at least basic grasp of how to use one. She saw all too many wanting to become Jedi so that they could wave a lightsaber around and fight Sith. But she is not that kind of Jedi: she'd rather make use of her brain in her Jedi duties, because she knew her mental agility was far greater than her physical agility. To her it meant making more use of the Force than she would a lightsaber. But she would simply make an attempt to push back the training blade in a vertical position. She was able to block the first three zones in the prescribed fashion. When came her turn to face zone #4, that is, her back, this is where her lack of agility cost her: she was screaming in pain even though there was no injury - after all, she knew what a training lightsaber was, just that she couldn't turn fast enough. As a result she was feeling some pain when she was hit in the back, but continued on nonetheless.

"That's gotta hurt. That reminds me that my style of Jedi-hood will be more about the mastery of the Force than about lightsaber use. I'd rather use Electric Judgment, Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis or Force-stun in combat..."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel remained calm. As a Youngling, saber training was not optional, even for those that expected to rarely use one.

“Sometimes a saber is simply necessary. It defines you. Not so much how you use it, but the mere fact that you carry it. The good guys will be better disposed towards you and the bad guys will either avoid being bad when you’re around, fight you or flee. It is a symbol of who we are, what we stand for.”

“And do not worry about being accomplished from the word go. I have spent close to twenty years using one. My ability with a saber comes from thousands of hours of practise, not ten minutes.”

“All you need to do is repeat the cycle over and over. Initially it will be a conscious effort as well as a physical one. Soon that will change and you’ll be able to block without any thought process. Then you can use your mind to perform Force abilities. But unless you can perform even the most basic of defences, you’ll be a sitting duck, for any injury will definitely affect your concentration and your control of the Force.”

“So, let’s go again.”

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Oh I do not have any illusions as to master Djem-so in a short span of time. A rather basic defense - and offense - will be a good starting point however, and really all that I'm asking for the time being, and I'll pick up the rest on the field"

She knew that using both a lightsaber and Force-abilities at the same time was more draining on her body than using either in isolation. She might be strong in bursts, as she had a chance to demonstrate back on Kashyyyk and Dosuun, but her physical endurance was another of her weak spots. Hopefully this time around, she will turn fast enough to block at the back. Now this time around she was able to parry attacks aimed at all six zones, without being hit, with the blade being held vertically. But that was as fast as her lack of agility could allow her to about-face so as to defend against a back-hitting enemy, knowing that she could well expect a lightsaber-wielding opponent to hit her from behind, or even another one that would not use a lightsaber. Like being surrounded on a battlefield with blaster-shooting enemies around. But a lightsaber defining a person? Ouch. All it would tell about the person by now is that the person is a Force-user, no more than that. Because lightsabers are associated in the minds of many to the eternal struggle between light and dark, not to Jedi alone.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel lowered her right hand. Once the blade was pointing vertically downwards, it deactivated with a hiss-snap. She reflected on her own saber training, almost two decades passed through her conscious mind in a matter of seconds.

“You have started well. But I recommend two things to help you develop quicker.” She clipped the training saber to her belt and gave her student good eye-contact. “The biggest limiting factor in your progression is not your physique – as I suspect you believe. It is here.” At this point she tapped the side of her temple with her left hand.

“What I mean is this.” She paused briefly for effect. “Using the Force relies on one thing above all else. Belief. It is where the phrase, ‘there is no try’ comes from. If there is doubt – any doubt at all – then you will fail. I am not saying that over-confidence is key. But you have to believe you will be successful. It is no more difficult than that – but that does not mean it is necessarily easy either.”

“So, start with that premise. Now we need to look to ways to overcome any physical shortfall your mind believes is a hindrance. What I shall show you is not a full ability. It is not Force Valor, that you could learn once your abilities and control of the Force develop, but it is a step in that direction.”

“So. Deactivate your saber and relax. Meditate. Clear your mind of thoughts and emotions. Be at one with the Force and listen only to my voice.” Sorel was talking very softly now, almost inaudible but at close-quarters it was enough to be heard.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

At that moment, Jessica deactivated her training lightsaber. Sure Jessica had great mental agility, just that she had to use the Force to clear her mind of conscious thoughts and emotions. She'd still need to learn Force-agility at some point, but that thought was to be suppressed, too. Or was it? She had to disregard her knowledge of her own physical limitations? The Force was infinite all right, but she knew her ability to use it wasn't. Good knowledge of the self was important in a learning process. But she had to be clear of conscious thought, putting aside knowledge is power and what she knew about knowledge-as-power and its limitations. But once the Force-assisted clearing process for her mind was completed, Jessica was now "at one" with the Force (but not one with the Force as she normally understood it because she was still alive) and was meditating, while using Force-sense to pick up on anything. Do or do not. Using the Force relies on one thing above all else, belief. I'm not saying that overconfidence is key. But you have to believe you will be successful. It is no more difficult than that: but that does not mean it will be easy either.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The easiest of things were often the hardest of things. It was invariably a conundrum that stumped greater minds than Sorel’s, so she was instead entirely pragmatic about the whole thing. Agreed, in her case confidence had led to arrogance, but she’d reeled that aspect of her personality in of late. A Jedi planned for success first. Then failure. But success always came first.

She continued to speak softly. On occasion she would connect through thoughts but did not know her pupil well enough and had no desire to startle her.

“Feel the Force flowing through you. Remember it is not a tool to be used in the way the Sith visualise it, but rather an ally. Ask it what you wish for and it will invariably help you in your endeavours. It works differently for every Jedi, which can be a challenge as there is no prescriptive measure, but you will find your own way. I am confident of that.”

“Feel the Force flowing through your body, through your arms and legs, through every muscle. In a similar way to using the Force to lift a ball, picture it aiding you. Imagine it assisting your muscles. It’s the way Force Speed works in essence but most Jedi don’t think about it, they just imagine it happening and it does. This is broadly the same.”

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"At this point I am far more limited by my power in the Force than by my mental ability, which I often refer to it as my computational power. My master once accused me of being more machine or droid than person" Jessica said in a low voice.

So she would picture the Force aiding her physiological functions so that she could, for example, turn on a dime. Mind over matter was the first thing that came to her mind, and it pretty much sums up what she knew about knowledge-as-power. She could readily understand that her lack of endurance - that has cost her dearly as a huttball player or on Kashyyyk - would, at first, limit the amount of time she could use Force Speed or its corollary Force Agility. Because then her Force-power pool would be drained. She would then use the Force to provide extra torque to herself so that she can rotate faster: it was an operation that required little computational power from her brain compared to even Electric Judgment, let alone Instinctive Astrogation Control, but she has to distinguish between computational power and Force-energy. Jessica knew that, to conquer defeatism or to conquer overconfidence, one had to have a good knowledge of themselves and good self-awareness. There are those powers that demand a lot of Force-energy but little computational power (telekinesis and Force-speed/agility) and there are those powers that demand a lot of computational power but comparatively little power, like Electric Judgment as used for defibrillation.

"More importantly a Jedi must be aware of their own limitations: I have seen way too many Jedi, or Sith for that matter, getting killed because they had a lack of knowledge of their own selves"

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened. Many Jedi were accused of being more droid than person, partially because of their ability – or was that indoctrination – to see things logically and avoid using emotions in any decision making process. The Jedi Code was often misinterpreted over this line.

“The Code is clear,” Sorel started, “We have a duty that often supersedes any concept of being a person like any other in the galaxy. It is not a strength or a weakness I suggest, but simply a way of life. We are not here to make friends but to keep the peace.” It was fair to say that Jedi should show compassion at times but further re-enforcing a negative perception in the mind of Jessica was not the way to make things better. Far from it.

Sorel smiled at Jessica’s wisdom. Not knowledge – wisdom. “Too many Jedi perceive the Force inaccurately. It is infinite, that much is true. But a Jedi’s access to it is not. Developing as a Force User will allow a Jedi to access the Force for longer and with greater power. But that comes with time, practise and effort. What it does not mean is that any Jedi can learn every ability they wish and practise them to mastery and maintain that level with them all. We only have a limited capability and choice becomes key – unless we wish to remain a jack of all trades. But a poor jack at that.”

“The key is to grow in confidence and competence. Mastery takes a long time. For now boost your agility and we can recommence with the saber practice.”

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Unlike most Jedi, I was accused of being more machine than person because my approach to using the Force was based almost entirely on calculating what I want the Force to do when I use it. Jedi use the Force for knowledge and defense all right, and knowledge is power, but knowledge as power has its limitations. Most Jedi wouldn't feel the need to distinguish about how much mental computational power they need from themselves for a particular use they want out of the Force, whereas it's a consideration I always keep in the back of my mind when I need to use the Force. Electric Judgment is second only to Instinctive Astrogation Control in terms of their demands on my mental computational power from what Force-powers I can use"

She knew a few Jedi lacked the computational power to use even the least computationally-demanding between pyro/cryokinesis or Force-cloak, let alone Electric Judgment or Instinctive Astrogation Control. Jessica was accused of being more droid than person for reasons different from most Jedi: it had to do with her approach to the Force, much more mathematical than others. She knew that she had a finite computational power, no matter how it stacked up to other Jedi's; then again she knew that her approach, while capable of saving Force-power at times, required tons of intellectual power to pull off. It had nothing to do with emotions as would have been the case with most other Jedi. Now came her turn to get a little more practice with Force-agility (and Force-speed) but she feels that Force-speed is better practiced in some place other than this somewhat cramped practice chamber. She seems to be acting as if some Force-ghost would be repeating the same lightsaber exercise as the one she repeated, with a somewhat faster set of attacks, as if she was holding some lightsaber made of vacuum. That way she could get some practice in both Djem-so and Force-agility. And the exercise was repeated with the Force-ghost using faster and faster attacks, and her still blocking them.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel couldn’t help but chuckle and hoped the sound wouldn’t offend Jessica. “I think we’re in agreement, even if our approaches are somewhat different. Your understanding of the situation comes more from the school of advanced mathematics. Or maybe even physics?” Sorel’s nose wrinkled as she considered the two options.

“Mine is based upon logic and history mostly. Logic as in a simple binary approach and history because we are doing nothing new here. Jedi have been debating and investigating this situation for millennia. And, if I’m honest, I use the Force to help me. I sense as best I can when I’m over-extending. I use the Force only when necessary and look to conserve energy whenever I can. As I get older, and use the Force more, I find I am able to use it for longer periods and with greater power. But I will readily admit, I don’t have it down to an equation the way you have.”

“Not that I’m right or I’m wrong. Neither of us is. We simply use our assets to our best advantage – and where’s the harm in that?”

As Sorel talked, Jessica ran through the cycle of blocks as if being attacked. Her pace picked up with each cycle as she became more accustomed to the use of the Force in aiding her pace. Finally, when Sorel was satisfied that Jessica’s speed and form were suitably improved she gestured to a box on the floor.

The lid opened and a training remote escaped its confines. Sorel took a few paces back. “Once I activate it, it will hone in on you – or rather the person holding the saber. Which is still you of course. Its attacks will be random but will be targeted at one of the zones we’ve already covered. Once you can deal with this, I can show you the three rings. But first things first.”

Sorel nodded and the small sphere vibrated slightly and then darted from side to side, its sensors locking in on Jessica.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"I know a lot about physics, that much is true, at least by the Jedi standards as I know them. That's why I could use Electric Judgment as a Padawan - albeit at my level of power you should rather use it to either recharge a lightsaber or defibrillate a person in cardiac arrest. If you can solve for Maxwell's equations in matter, you can do Electric Judgment my way, but that requires the ability to solve differential equations in one's head, hence the intense demands on one's mental computational power"

And that's all I ever used Electric Judgment for: utilitarian, non-combat purposes, she thought. Coci once warned Jessica that EJ at her level of power was going to be very weak. Too weak to be weaponized, and weaponizing EJ required a lot more Force-power than she actually had. She knew few Jedi had enough computational power to solve Maxwell's equations in their heads, and those that did, would be good candidates to learn Instinctive Astrogation Control. But now that the practice sphere was deployed, she knew that each zone could be targeted: what she had to do, now, is about blocking the low-powered bolts. Low-powered enough to feel like a little tingle but no more than that. But will I have enough power to last much longer with Force-agility? she thought. For the time being, while aided with Force-agility, she could still bat back the bolts emitted by the remote-controlled practice sphere. She is still worried about when it will wear off: she knows how it works but she has a lot more knowledge than she have power to act based on it (that's the main limitation of knowledge-as-power as applied to padawan-level practitioners).

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. This was not a typical training session. Not by a long way.

“Physics and mathematics. They have one thing in common with the Force. Or pod-racing. Or shooting. And it is this. Practice leads to better performance. And sufficient practice leads to mastery. I accept the technique needs to be right but if it is – and I accept it is a Hutt-sized but – then hours equate to power.”

“The more you practice the better you become. And the greater your power too. It is the same with mental arithmetic. How you apply you brain power is the variable. You use it in a given sphere and will have gained greater results as an outcome. Faster calculation. More complex problems. We take it for granted when it comes to entry level activity, this is merely an extension of that logic.”

“And you may tire of using the blade and Force Agility. So then you rest. And tomorrow we go again. And again. And soon you will be able to move faster and for longer. Which is when you need to decide how much time and energy you wish to expend on this facet of your abilities. For every hour spent here is an hour you can’t spend elsewhere.”

She watched as Jessica continued to work. Even to the naked eye, her pace was greatly enhanced and she was doing a fine job at deflecting the bolts.

Sorel waved her hand and the remote fell inactive – and dropped slowly to the floor. “Now, before we start on the Form proper, the other thing to learn would be the three rings of defence.”

Sorel demonstrated as she spoke. “The outer ring has four guard positions at the upper right; upper left; lower right and lower left. The outermost ring is used to defend against sweeping heavy blows, which though powerful would take longer to deliver.”

“Like the outer ring, the middle has four guard positions: high, low, left and right. The middle ring is used to pick up quicker blows and stop them before they could intersect with the body, which is one of the most effective ways of deflecting blaster bolts.”

“And finally the inner ring of defense which uses parries as opposed to blocks and is primarily used against lunging attacks. The lightsaber is kept close to the body, with the hilt covering my navel. With the tip of my blade angled, attacks can be picked up on its lower third, then to be shunted aside, and a riposte against an enemy's stomach or chest is now possible. This is the last line of defense and is considered dangerous to both defend and attack from.”

“Now, I’ll attack slowly and you defend as appropriate.”

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

She knew one's time was finite. She knew that gaining power was not going to be quick, so she used the Force whenever appropriate in her daily life. Pyrokinesis for cooking, cryokinesis for frozen desserts and drinks, Electric Judgment for recharging everyday small electronics. Sure, she would gain in power over time, but she is still, at this point, a padawan, albeit a rather advanced one. One with many more, admittedly low-level, spells than an ordinary Force-user. And these rings of defense also ring true on the back, she thought. They turn azimuthally alongside the axis of your body. That was going to be one big headache for her. But the speed of the trainer's attack is similar from what she used earlier with the vacuum lightsaber; said vacuum lightsaber is often a strategy used by many to train both lightsaber and Force-agility at once. Now she feels closer to being able to use her lightsaber - but she understood why defense had to come first: some Jedi, and most Sith, would rather teach offense first and then defense. Outermost ring to defend against the heaviest blows, middle ring against the faster blows as well as blaster fire and inner ring close to one's body, against lunging attacks. She did block the attacks, just that the order was not the same as the sequence in the vacuum lightsaber.

"I guess the Force is with me at this point: someone that understands how I can be a wise person. I know a few people at my intellectual level often expect to learn anything up to a functional level orders of magnitude faster than I expect and it can be easy for some people to forget the learning curve"

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was patient. It helped when the student was willing to listen and put in the required effort – which Jessica did. So she cycled through the attacks and nodded appreciatively. The Padawan was diligent – which was all a tutor could ask for. And her application meant she would become a Knight sooner or later. It was only a matter of time. Attitude always triumphed over raw ability in these cases. Or else the dark side would come knocking for those impatient to progress. It was, sadly, too familiar a tale.

Sorel listened to Jessica too. The physical side of the training was one thing, but it had to go hand in hand with the mental. And once again, Sorel was confident that her pupil had what it took to continue to apply the learning until she progressed. “Some have a curve when it comes to learning. I’ve taught others that plateau then step change. There is no right or wrong way – it tends to be innate. But progress is inevitable, that much I do know.”

“A few more rotations and then we can focus on the Form proper, OK?”

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"You seem to imply that a curve has to be, in mathematical terms, differentiable. A curve doesn't have to be differentiable to be a curve in the topological sense: a plateau and then step-change is an example of a curve that is piecewise-differentiable. I wonder sometimes how many Jedi know mathematics up to what the outside world calls upper-division undergraduate level, but I do not expect a whole lot of Jedi to know anything about topology. Those Jedi who excel in topology are, to me, good candidates to learn Instinctive Astrogation Control: I have seen way too many use IAC without proper grasp of topology"

It would seem that upper-division, undergraduate-level mathematics is a prerequisite for Jedi - and Sith - to even have a quiver of chance to be able to use Instinctive Astrogation Control, and topology was the main mathematical tool of IAC. She was lucky, very lucky, not to have fallen to the dark side of the Force. She knew a dark-sider or two that were about as smart as one Dr. Turano (that person she used to refer to as second administrator), if not smarter, that became Dark Jedi or worse still, Sith Lords because they were too impatient to learn, even if they were learning orders of magnitude faster than their peers. Dr. Turano got a few rounds of lightsaber practice here while she was on Ossus for her clinical rotations, that much she could tell from the Force-history of this chamber - and said history was loaded. So I was subconsciously learning psychometry as well as Force-agility and Djem-so? she thought. My memory may be extreme, but even I have a finite ability to learn more and more Force-powers; my repertoire of Force-powers is pretty broad. And then she cycled through the attacks a few more times, with similar success despite the sequence not being the same each time.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]