Chester Ducere's Jedi Training

[JM76]

Chester stared in clear awe as his Master lifted a rock from its position in the garden, blissfully floating in the air. Giving it a light spin, the rock did several quick loops before landing between him and his Master. When he was told to mimic what he had seen, he hesitated; unsure if he was able to do so.

However, he was certain that his Master wouldn't take no for an answer, so he calmed himself, allowing his breathing to slow. He felt drowsy, as though he would fall asleep at any moment. But he stayed focused. He closed his eyes, and tried to focus on the rock; its presence in the Force, even if he couldn't see it. Though he wasn't sure what he was doing, he simply tried to move the rock with his mind and move it from one place to another.

And sure enough, the rock moved. Ever so slightly, barely lifting several centimeters off the ground, but it moved. Groaning, Chester allowed it to fall to the ground rather quickly as he gasped for breath. He was amazed at how quickly a pebble could drain his energy reserves. Shaking his head, he faced his Master.

"Well, that was rather embarrassing. It's tougher than it looks, I can say that much. Do you have any hints that you could share to keep focused on the rock? It's hard to keep my head clear of distractions; there is so much life around here."

 

[DhehKappa]

Raising his index finger to the sky, Vizza happily talked. "I once had a Padawan who would get nose bleeds just from the lack of live. She had...has, quite a connection to the Living Force...very fond of live, indeed..." Vizza noticed, however, that he was making little sense. "Never mind it. Hints...hm...Well, I don't know, really. Telekinesis comes easy to me, I just focus the object, and I make it levitate. You must will it, I presume. But you can enhance your focus by…let’s see...Why don’t you try to imagine a hand, like a third hand or something, and grab the stone, and then moving it around? I don’t know if it’ll work, but it might help.” Vizza smiled. The idea might sound silly, but it would help some. He wasn’t sure about Chester, but there was only one way to find: to try.

 

[JM76]

Hmm. He chuckled as he thought of a Jedi's nose bleeding because of a lack of the Force. Quickly returning to the topic at hand, he listened to his Master intently, then focused on the rock again.

Taking a deep breath, he let his breathing slow, calm and steady. Closing his eyes, he allowed his mind to remain open, sensing everything in the garden. Vizza, the plants, the walls, the rock. Chester couldn't control how much he sensed them, so they clouded his train of thoughts as he attempted to reach out for the stone.

Feeling the presence of the rock, he attempted to engulf it with his will - a third hand, if you will - and slowly, carefully, the stone began to levitate. Biting his lip, he continued taking deep, slow breaths as the rock moved from where it was located between them and around Chester, spinning around once, before landing back between the two Jedi.

"Better?" asked Chester, somewhat surprised and pleased with himself.

 

[DhehKappa]

Vizza clapped a little. "Very good for a first time. You should practice it more though...well, now, for the next part of the training, something less...exhausting, I assume. We will use the Force not to move objects, but to see objects...without using your eyes." Vizza handed Chester a sash. "Wrap it around your eyes, so we can start it."

 

[JM76]

As he wrapped the sash around his eyes, he questioned his Master. "Without my eyes, Vizza? How can one see without the use of his eyes?"

Puzzled, he stared into the blackness in front of him as he sat quietly and patiently, waiting to begin the training.

 

[DhehKappa]

"It's simple...and then again, from what I saw of you, it might not be that simple...it goes like this: You just need to let the Force Flow...let it flow, deeply, and then touch it. Use it to watch your surroundings...go ahead, try it."

 

[JM76]

Sighing, Chester blinked several times. Clearing his mind of distractions, he allowed the Force to flow through him in a similar manner to when he moved the stone with the Force. Letting the Force's power rush through him like a gentle river, he reached out, hoping to extend his subconscious vision.

Though he felt the Force and he could sense the presence around him, he couldn't garner enough focus to bring the world into the vision of a Force sight. Though he caught a glimpse of his Master and the enclave through the Force, if only for a brief moment, the vision quickly passed.

"Gah. It seems I have a way to go before I perfect my connection with the Force. Shall I try again?"

 

[DhehKappa]

"If you feel that you shouldn't, then don't. But...if you run from it, you will not be able to counter your dificulties." Vizza might seem like he was overreacting, but he was actually giving his padawan a clue...giving him two paths, he would need to use his own thinking to keep walking the path, even if it was a minor task.

 

[JM76]

Chester glanced at his Master, silently regarding his comments. Though his comments upset him, he took the hint. If he couldn't do this and quit, what would stop him from quitting later? Straying from the Jedi when things really got bad?

Slipping the blindfold over his head, then his eyes, he returned to a meditative trance. This time, he was determined to figure out this power. Slowing his breathing, he began to reach out into the Force. To his surprise, after almost a minute of focusing all his efforts and attempting to balance his control of the Force, he began to see.

Though the lights were dim at first, the aura of everything around him began to fill his senses. He could see the enclave, the plants, the insects, Vizza, the other Jedi father down to road. Cheerful, he attempted to force the images to become more focused, more clear, all the while trying to struggling to keep the ability active.

 

[DhehKappa]

Vizza smiled. His padawan's face had frowned into a concentrated face, in a very focused way. Keeping his smile, he closed his eyes and performed the exercise with his padawan.

 

[JM76]

"It's interesting, Master," Chester began, "I never imagined one would be able to see through the Force. A truly amazing feat," Chester smiled as he removed the sash over his eyes and outstreched his hand to return it to his Master.

 

[DhehKappa]

"Yes, indeed, and yet there is a full race of people who can... need, to use it to watch. They are born blind, and as such they use the Force to see. They are the Miraluka. You probably heard of them..." Vizza took the sash, and put it away. "So, now that you had your moment with the Force, what do you wish to do next? Keep up with the Force, or go physical?"

 

[JM76]

Chester smiled. "Yes, I have heard of these Miraluka. Truly an amazing species..." trailing off, Chester's eyes wandered for a moment before continuing. "Regardless, I think we should begin with the physical aspects of Jedi training, if you don't mind."

 

[DhehKappa]

"Ok. Then, without any kind of aid from the Force, give me twenty. Now." Vizza smiled. This part of the training was completely new to him. He would surely enjoy this.

 

[JM76]

Chester's eyes lit up with shock. He hadn't planned on performing any sort of physical exercise. He himself wasn't exactly the most physically fit individual, and he hated doing physical labor with a passion.

Expressing his clear distaste for the test, he clasped his hands together as he got down and began to perform push-ups as quickly as he could - though he was having difficulty due to his lack of upper body strength.

"How exactly does this assist my Jedi training, Master?" he finally asked, about halfway done.

 

[DhehKappa]

Vizza grinned inwards, and simply smiled on the outside. "I am sorry, but it would seem you are starting to doubt your own decisions." Vizza nearly laughed, but he kept it. This training would definitly be interesting.

 

[JM76]

Finally finishing the twenty push-ups, Chester sighed with relief. Finally done with that, he thought. Rolling on his back and pushing himself upward, he groaned as he stood up, his arms aching with a burning pain.

"I'd never doubt my decision to become a Jedi. I'll keep this up as long as you want, Master," he immediately regretted his own words.

 

[DhehKappa]

"Good. Get out of the temple." Vizza turned to face Chester, pausing a little on his speech. "Get out of the temple and perform 5 full fledged runs around it, again, with no aid from the Force. Go." Vizza kept looking at Chester, waiting for him to go. He had a slight smile on his face, an expression of being enjoying himself while in a serious mood.

 

[JM76]

By now, Chester had realized that his Master had a very sick sense of humor. Throwing his hands in the air in defeat, he jogged toward the outside the Jedi Enclave and began to run quickly around the perimeter.

Uttering profane comments and unintelligible mumblings to himself, he eventually completed his task and returned to his Master. This time, he stood quiet and at attention, resembling a military officer in facial expression and stance.

 

[DhehKappa]

"You know, each event should bring knowledge and experience to the Jedi." Vizza was sitting on the same spot as when Chester left. Looking at him with a slight smile on his face. "So, have you taken any from this?"