Small Methods and Large Ambitions

[Lord Ajihad]

Lord Ajihad stepped into a training room but for the first time, there was nobody else in there with him. In the past, he had been instructed in this very room by none other than his former master, Darth Ferus. This time, he would be teaching himself something that very few other people knew. It was an ancient art, as well as a very intricate one. Ajihad would be teaching himself the Art of the Small.

Technically, he already knew the ability. Darth Ferus himself had taught the assassin to use this rare ability to shrink his presence in the force, making him unknown to others. However, there was another side to this power. One could use it alter nature at the atomic level, which presented countless opportunities for creativity. The amount of things someone could could with such a power were incredible, one just had to possess the imagination for it. Today, the assassin would indeed be using Art of the Small from a new angle.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Ajihad examined the room, taking it all in. He had made some serious memories here, and not all of them were good. Training dummies were organized into neat rows, like inanimate soldiers of a Terra Cotta army. Vibroswords lined the walls, as well as targets and blasters of all shapes and sizes. As nice as it all was for regular training, it wouldn't suit his needs.

The assassin spent the next hour completely reorganizing the room into what he needed. Most of the training dummies were moved aside, and tables put in their former places. The tables were covered in beakers. Some were filled with water, others deadly chemicals. Grenades sat in one basket, and poisonous snakes filled a metal pot in the corner. Soon enough, the training area looked like a science lab. Ajihad cracked his knuckles. It was time to begin.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

First, he would have to start with something relatively easier. Even though he understood the general concept as to how the ability worked, it did not mean he could wield it with ease. He approached a bucket he had set on the table, a bucket filled with dirty and contaminated water. His first task would be one of simplicity, to purify the water.

The assassin closed his eyes, and concentrated on the contents of the bucket he was already good at concentrating on the atomic level, a skill born from his repeated use of the ability. He observed the water, which was filled with millions of dirt particles and other such grime. He reached out to one such particle, and willed to become two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. With enough concentration, he managed to morph the dirt into a water molecule. Instead a grin, however, his face bore a frown. At this rate, the water's purification would literally take forever. How could he accelerate the process?

 

[Lord Ajihad]

He pondered the question for several minutes, trying to think his way around the issue. He needed to somehow purify the water all at once, which seemed nearly impossible. He would need to maintain his current point of view, all while being able to see the individual atoms. Could he achieve such a thing. Either way, he was about to find out.

Again, the assassin looked at the bucket of water. This time, however, he didn't use the force to zoom in like a living magnifying glass. He instead tried to visualize all the individual atoms inside of the water. He pictured the muck and the grime, the dirt and the water. He felt their presence with the force, and willed them to obey his command. He forced them to all become water, to change their molecular shape and structure. They would do as he willed, for they had no choice but to conform.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The assassin peered into the bucket, and was surprised to see the water perfectly clear. Not a single speck of dirt or dust was to be seen, and the still water could pass off as crystal. As a matter of fact, it was so clear that passerby might even think it was empty. Ajihad let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, letting his body relax. He had done it.

Now, it was time for perhaps some more difficult challenges. He had spared no expense making sure he had plenty of chemicals to experiment with, all of which he would now utilize to make sure he could wield this ability more comfortably than he would a lightsaber.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Lord Ajihad would next approach a glass of wine, the expensive kind to be exact. It was the kind of wine drunk by politicians and generals, nobles and governors. He concentrated on the molecular structure of the drink, transforming some of the molecules into cyanide. He then took the wine a poured a little into a cage filled with rats, which eagerly began to lap it up.

He then turned to a brick he had specially made for this task. Inside the brick, there was a bar of gold. He was to use Art of the Small to retrieve the gold without breaking the brick. He reached out with force, attempting to affect the brick. He altered its structure at the atomic level, changing its compounds into water. The red of the brick suddenly turned into clear water, causing it to splash onto the floor. The assassin picked up the uncovered gold bar, and placed it safely into his bag.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Ajihad walked back over to the rat cage, and was satisfied to see it filled with a pile of dead rats. Some of the obviously stupid creatures were still trying to crawl over the corpses of their fallen comrades, desperately trying to get to the maroon-colored liquid. As soon as the took a like, the rats would fall over twitching.

Shaking his head, the assassin selected on living rat from the congregation. He stroked it for a moment, until, it decided to try and bite his hand. Frowning, he decided to use the furry mongrel for his next experiment. It wouldn't survive the next thirty seconds.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

In ancient books, there were legends of something called the philosopher's stone. It could supposedly transform and substance into gold, making its owner incredibly rich. While Ajihad considered the stories to be nothing more than false rumors, it didn't mean such a thing was impossible. With this newfound ability, he could transform anything he wanted into whatever he wanted, including gold.

He looked the rat he had picked up with a slight bit of pity, then concentrated on it. He pictured every molecule of its being being morphed into gold, and used the force to enforce the command. The rodent froze, its eyes wide with terror. Then just like that, the creature turned into solid gold. It kept the appearance of rat, but it was no longer alive. It seemed Ajihad was a living philosopher's stone.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Just then, the assassin began to realize how tired he was. This application of the force was new to him, causing him to exert much more energy than was needed. Taking a handkerchief, he wiped the sweat from his brow. He could use some rest, possibly after a drink. The wine had made him thirsty.

Ajihad pressed a button on his wrist, signaling for a cleaning crew to come in. He had left quite a mess, and didn't particularly feel like cleaning up. He opened the training room door, and exited the room. He decided it'd be nice to go out for a drink, then head on home. Needless to say, it had been a long day...