Trust, Training and Bonds that don't break. (Kiskla)

[Kei Amadis]

Arion Frigate
True Venture
Temporary Training Facilities.

Training didn't stop, especially not in times of war. Today they were not in the open temple grounds and the pleasant atmosphere they were used to, they were going to war, and they had to stay mobile in case the Sith found them in force. Today a ship, a modified hanger bay, metal on all sides but enough room to move, with just the odd crate in the way to avoid. There was scrap metal around, but they weren't going to break anything precious, probably why @[member="Kiskla Grayson"] had picked this spot.

In dark brown Jedi battle robes, unity attached to his hip. Kei stood awaiting his Master, standing tall. Kiskla had felt the same as he did, and come to help. There were no words he had for her, that gesture meant more to him than she would ever know. Not that he had many words usually but, he grinned, sensing her approach, getting more attuned to her presence.

"Thank you," he told her before she even started, in a strong sincere voice, "Master". Kei nodded with a broad grin, light stubble as always lining it.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

She grinned during her entrance. When she had approached @[member="Kei Amadis"] for the first time on Tython, and they'd established their Master and Padawan bonds, she hadn't anticipated this kind of future. He was a trail blazer, and she relished that. Especially in tumultuous times.

"I told you," she replied, her voice lightly coated with a warning "Not to thank me until you actually learn something." He was a dedicated student, and Kiskla admired a great many of his traits. In fact, she was certain she could learn from him on quite a few qualities.

Humility being one of them.

The last time she had taught him, he had formidably conquered how to make a shield to protect himself and others from blasts. A protective bubble, if you will. Today, he had informed her that he wanted to continue his training and knowledge on using the Force to push.

"So let's give you some purpose for appreciation, shall we?" Her quip was well founded, considering her own Mastery of the technique. He was a quick learner, and her teaching methods seemed to pry success from him. "Use what you already know on that crate over there, and give it enough force to move it at least a meter if you could."

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"] "I'm learning", he grinned but followed her word's tone carefully, because she was his teacher. Kiskla was teaching him by coming here to guide him just with the gesture, it was a selfless act on her part too. Who knew what was ahead for them? He might be about to stand as a general but she would always be his Master, while she wanted that title, he'd do her proud.

"Yes Master, I'm game." Taking a large breath, inhaling the force around them, not the living fields, but the calm metal hull they stood within. Feeling the hum of the ship's engines, cool black space beyond it. The calmness a credit to their cause, all this activity to get things moving yet still here aboard ship it was quiet, people just getting it done.

A quick learner because Kiskla had a way of teaching he loved, getting straight to it, and then showing him visually or by touch exactly how to go that step further. Standing still, Kei closed the distance to the metal, point to point, connection to connection. The Padawan came closer through the force, shifting the crate up, levitating it as Manu had shown him.

Holding it in the air it wavered, before throwing it a short distance. Rolling it end over end, coming to a rest with a thud. Not much of a kinetic push he was still treating it as something to be picked up and thrown, when there were much better ways of sending a force push at something.

"Not my best," he admitted, wondering how to get more force behind it, more of a shove.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"If it's not your best, why did you do it?" Kiskla asked. It would seem an accusatory statement but it was true. The blonde heavily believed in 'No threat, no purpose' when it came to training. And how was someone going to get better if they didn't challenge themselves.
When she had first met @[member="Kei Amadis"], he was pushing himself beyond his physical limits without knowing how.

She shook her head, discarding the remotely condescending comment and taking a couple strides forward to point at the crate. "Don't move it off the ground." She considered the image of a garbage chute, and having a bag that wouldn't quite fit. Nobody tossed that, they only had the opportunity to wiggle it more. She hadn't taught him mental telepathy yet, and it could come in quite handy. As a sidebar to this lesson Kiskla, a Master of the mental, poured the image she was seeing into his mind. There was surprisingly little barriers and difficulty, which almost startled her. That meant he was completely open to her teachings, without any sort of hestitation or disregard for what she might say. If he asked questions, she'd pursue the technique further, but for now, the mental image aided her suggestion because they no longer had the Temple and its artifacts at their disposal."Imagine getting your body behind something and throwing your weight at it to budge."

"Telekinesis is arguably one of the greatest assets to any Force User." Kiskla informed him "Because it can be used in a variety of forms. You've obviously already learned how to throw an object," she grinned wryly at this before continuing "But it all stems from the same basic technique. Some Jedi Masters in the past have even been known to use Telekinesis to joust with their lightsabers for them. But it basically stems from seeing your object, and knowing what you want it to do." She walked to the lopsided crate "In your case, you want this crate to go from here," and took a few steps backward "To here. This can be achieved by manipulating air pressure, think of a concussive burst. Imagine it, feel it, then do it."

 

[Kei Amadis]

If its not your best what is the point, "your right." He nodded, and physically got warmed up again, back into it more seriously. All these negotiations had been on his mind, but this wasn't the place for them, here he should give his best.

Kei was a telepathic mute, so although she could send him whatever she wanted, she would read nothing from him, that was just his race. He was fully open to her, her confidence a quality he got behind and she was right, he'd follow her instruction to the letter.

A garbage chute, he understood, but Kei couldn't stop grinning at the way she put it, throw your weight at it, that was just how he thought about force abilities. Picturing point A to point B, the connections. The padawan drew down from the force around him, the cold metal of the hull, but still the force. Pressure building, air pressed into his palm, and with a grunt he hammered himself, his shoulder and his weight into a forceful push of that air, forward energy straight at the crate. It was a padawan's strength but it was enough to lift the crate of its own accord, and a few things scattered around, slamming them into the far wall with a clang.

Through the force, there was a clear lighting up of the crystal in the chest when this was executed, a piece of the past put into place, and something healed inside that was missing. Confidence was there again, in himself and her, formed into a grin. Epicanthx's might be able to learn mental telepathy but as they were almost mute's to anyone reading their mind, that'd be a tough one to tackle, that connection how a mute might speak images or words.

Kei was clearly pleased with himself in the way he stood, before turning back to her and giving her a smile. Ready as always he put his arms behind his back. "Master..." he thought about it, "jousting with the force?" @[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"Better" was the only assurance she offered him. If she continued to verbally reward every action, big or small, her reassurance would mean very little. She used to have to work for a pat on the back, and she realized she would have to do the same; give @[member="Kei Amadis"] that lust for acceptance.

She nodded at his question. "Yes, in the clone wars a Master lost her limb and continued to fight with her mind." As she spoke, one of her sabers crossed against her lower back unclipped. The hilt hovered around her shoulders, and moved with the Master as she spoke, gesturing all the while "I've never tried it, because I don't plan on losing any limbs." That was an understatement. Kiskla considered it a personal failure if anyone drew blood from her.

"I can show you how you would do it, once you push that crate at me." She crossed to the other end of the large, empty hangar and nodded, amplifying her instructive voice to coax him while re-holstering her hilt "With everything you've got, Kei. If it's not your best, don't push it."

She paused, considering the resistance he'd had at first, considering he might hurt her. "Trust me." She encouraged, a softer tone seeping into her words. She had a plan, she'd counter his own push, with hers and force him to counter it to prevent him from being squished.

 

[Kei Amadis]

Soldiers had to work for it too, drive themselves harder than anyone else, more than content, glad, to find the same as a Jedi. Deep down that fight, for better, was a big part of him, she'd read right again. Not a small man himself, but the amount of times he'd seen or heard about a physical capable Sith, this technique would mean he'd make that physical power almost useless. "Might come in useful in stopping that happening Master," he gave a reassuring grin himself, that or if he was pinned unable to get up again. @[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

Nothing was lost on him, he appreciated her easing him into throwing something at her, there was still the desire to protect life. Even if his culture was prone to fighting, and him no less a warrior than anyone in accepting a challenge. Protecting life and shielding it was his goal, whatever that took.

Listening to the explanation, Kei readied himself, physically and mentally, if she wanted all of him, "You got it." Hands were clapped together, rubbed and extended outward. A remembrance from the crystal came in, the times this had been used before. The air pressure built, pressing deeper and deeper into the padawan's palms, balling force energy built up, with impetus drawn from around him, and the cause they fought for. Kei shoved the energy outward, hammering across the bottom of the hull, it clipped the bottom of the crate, and sent it upward rising toward her chin, a rising angle to make it more tricky.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

The air around her was nothing more than invisible molecules. Ones that could be easily manipulated, even without getting down to a microscopic level.
Kiskla remembered the days she was in Kei's shoes. She had been younger, and far more frustrated. Always being at a disadvantage when it came to the amount of exertion necessary to complete a task with The Force.

If she were in his shoes, she would have put her whole body into it. As of such, she was in her own boots and she didn't even need to lift a finger to prevent the crate from colliding with her lithe frame. There was a quiver in the air around her, as her aura extended like an army of particles to meet the opposition. There was a meter between herself and the box before she peeked around at Kei, who was still engaged with The Force.
Credit where it's due, his attempt to add an element of surprise with the angle was advantageous.

The incredulously sized carton maintained its distance from the ground as it hovered between the two Jedi. For a moment, Kiskla wondered if she should go fully on him -- especially after her 'What's the point' quip.
Probably shouldn't. Her full could clear quite the radius.

Okay, maybe she'd go medium.
And with that decision made, the crate made it's way back toward @[member="Kei Amadis"] at an accelerated velocity, struggling slightly against the pressure he was putting on it. It was so much pressure from both ends, that the creaking of the metal was tangible; it's joints weren't going to hold up in this telekenetic duel for long.

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

With Mastery of the force came a finer control, Kiskla had that, Kei didn't yet, Kei just had the will to put everything into the push. Something had to give, this duel of purely the force was his first, he'd need to find some control to get to the next level.

Tension, pressure in the air, through the force. Straining to slow the object, it closed on the padawan, hurtling towards him even with her toning it down, it was still a lot for a padawan to repel. Bracing himself, you could see the strain on his face, two arms extended, feet pushed back against the wall. Fighting, straining, sweat on the forehead.... Then it happened, and a calm look came over his face, he'd found something, the connection between the air and the force, that point at which they were the same thing. The pressure was there but it was taken to a place of calm certainty in how it was handled, and the objected stopped a couple of feet away from his nose, holding it, pushing against her firmly.

Another piece of the crystal inside him healed, and one more memory came back. Kiska's apprentice gave her a grin at what came next. The objected started rotating, slowly, battling her for control but taking it to an unexpected place, the crate groaned under the pressure, rotating not just pushing against her. Kei was giving her something else to have to concentrate on, gaining inches, feet away from him. The more the object rotated, the more a straight push wouldn't hold it in place, because its momentum was more unpredictable. She'd need to counter the spin too, that was the only way he was gaining ground against her, but he'd found a level of control not just brute force, thanks to this lesson.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

She could have clapped with delight if she hadn't been so preoccupied. @[member="Kei Amadis"] had thrown in a curve ball of her own that exacted the necessity to pour more attention into the lesson at hand and not be such a hypocrite.

The crate swelled and rotated, twisting between the two Force users. The creaks and groans of the container was audible, and Kiskla extended her palm and curled her fingers into her palms, as if actually squeezing the element between them. It responded by compressing even more, still twisting at Kei's command.

"Nice trick." Kiskla commented snidely, her ambition to not lose kicking in. Time for a curveball of her own. After all, she was the master here. A dangerous thought indeed.
A faint memory from her past flickered into her mind, and a quotation from herself eight years ago. I just want to win

That will to supersede drew her other unoccupied arm, and split her attention to another crate adjacent to the unsuspecting Padawan. Not fast, mind you, she didn't want to kill him -- just challenge him. This move left her grasping the crate in a telekinetic hold, maintaining it in place -- no longer pushing it toward him, but still capturing his attention with it -- and drawing in another crate to the picture just to Kei's right at a normal speed. Mostly sliding noisily across the surface of the floor as a secondary, audible warning.

 

[Kei Amadis]

"Thanks," he grinned, pressure, there it was again, pushing him right against his limit, just enough so he had to learn to go further. Thankfully she gave him an audible clue as he was so invested in the first crate, he might have missed it. He had to go one step further to keep up, but Kei was stubborn, he gave his Master a solid grin. Picking up the second crate she was pushing at him and giving Kiskla a hand, adding to her own ability, with a jolt of the force he wrenched it forward and flung it around at the first crate, letting go of the first. Colliding them both together, and knocking the first out of play.

That just left them one again, which he held about twenty feet from him. Kei's main sticking point was pride, and an Epicanthx's will not to lose, which gave him a lot of energy and positive traits too competitively. Starting trying to raise the crate up, not able to push it at her, he could at least put it into the roof. It moved in his direction as he changed the pressure he was applying, but headed for the roof instead.

Kiskla's move, Kei was having fun. "If you get tired, you can take a break Master," he joked, but it was a good natured tone, honestly enjoying it. @[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

The acceleration of @[member="Kei Amadis"]' learning curve was spectacular. With the resounding clatter of the first crate knocking against the ground, Kiskla grinned fiercely. Kei was an excellent student, as ambitious as he was stubbourn; and he was channeling his ox-like personality to drive him to success.

"Are you kidding?" Kiskla chuckled, "I've got to stay involved to see what your plan with this is."

Why up, of all places?

 

[Kei Amadis]

He laughed happily, "wouldn't have it any other way Master." The roof? Just so she looked up there, one big distraction. The grin didn't falter one bit, he let the crate drop and head towards him. The focus shifted, a pull of the force coming from behind her. A crate from behind her going for her legs instead, while he rolled to one side, extending his hand out to pull it through the force. Kiskla could probably hit him with the crate in the air, but then she might be taken off her feet, or have to jump breaking her focus.

One more thing about the man revealed to her. Kei would always sacrifice to gain, usually himself if he could possibly do it, as he valued other's lives, those under his command, way too much. @[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Contrary.

A precognitive tingle coursed down her spine and his plan developed. Indeed, Kiskla was surprised to feel his presence extend; especially since he hadn't been as gracious as she and given an audible clue. Which was fine.

With curious eyes, she watched the first crate drop. That was her initial clue to the red herring and immediately she expended her presence and broke her concentration from the vertically descending crate. The Force coated her body, weaving around her flesh and fabric and extending a foot around her like a metaphysical shield. The crate collided with her from behind with the impressive force @[member="Kei Amadis"] had fueling it. Upon impact, it couldn't handle the pressure from her exertion and it burst into a brilliant shower of cracked wood. Quickly, she twisted her body, both palms out, to rotate the the wreckage and it's contents toward her padawan. He'd learned how to sheild himself on Tython -- but did he remember how?

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

All his attention on her as she taught him, every last bit appreciative of the instruction. Force shield extended, a minor force protection bubble, a light blue translucent sphere. This time it was stronger, having used it and trained with it since they last tried it, it didn't block the initial impacts but it did sap their speed, the force behind the wreckage started to slow to a halt, as he pushed the barrier against it, becoming a shield for whatever was behind him. Even some of the debris... were deflected, a small improvement to the last time they tried this.

None touched his body, but he had to brace himself again, pushing the barrier forward step by step, digging into the ground, he had to push hard against the stream to make any ground, just a few touches of metal on his thigh in the end, the shield held well and strengthened with this practice.

Something else, something odd happened, not to do with the crystal but to do with how she was training him, and how he was interacting with her, any discomfort no matter how small in her body, whether it be a kink in the neck, the tension from the workout, was controlled. Not in Kei, but in Kiskla his master, so focused he was on protecting others. To control another's pain, and he had no idea he was doing it, but that was his natural concern that he might have hit her with the crate expressed, the same care for the men under his command, constantly on the general's mind.

Though he didn't show that, he wrestled with it, it did weight on his conscience. Her student was growing, and his abilities naturally following that growth.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla's eyes snapped open at the sensation. Or rather, lack thereof. Kiskla herself was an excellent self-mender but there were always flaws in the design. @[member="Kei Amadis"] had picked up on them. Intentionally?

Kiskla snapped her arm backward, severing her outreach and therefore dropping all lingering debris. His shield had worked, as had another technique. One that she had not taught him.

"Build on what you're doing." Kiskla instructed. If he wasn't aware of it, he soon would be. If he was, well then, she really was the benefactor wasn't she? Kei was a selfless individual. It was explicit in everything he did, conscious or otherwise.