Finding your place. (Valek Dagger's Shade training)

[Phil]

About a day has passed since Valek was nearly assassinated on his home world of Corellia by an unknown force user, and it was perfect timing for Valek as he was meeting a Shade Knight there to discuss his "disorder". After he and the Knight, later discovering his name to be Quentell Xall, Valek and Quentell were treated by the doctors at the Shade stronghold and once Valek was rested, and informed on where to meet Quentell the next day, he went there. Wearing what he had during his escape on Corellia, including his longcoat and helmet, Valek made his way towards the room he was to meet Quentell, being stopped several times by a Shade member as he had to inform them of why he was there.

Once outside the room, Valek looked around, wary of any would be assassins that could be around, he knocked three times on the door as he waited for a reply.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell looked up at the door. He sat meditating on the floor when he heard the knock. He got up and moved towards the door and opened it. He expected to see Valek Dagger, the man he had met on Corellia and brought to the Shade Order. When the doors were open this was confirmed as he saw Valek standing in front of him, wearing his helmet, as usual.

"Hello, Valek. How are you?" he asked as he let his new padawan enter the room. "If you want to, we can start the training right away."

 

[Phil]

"I will live." He said, giving a greeting bow with his head before entering. The pain was still there in his head, but by now, Valek had been able to ignore it and thought it nothing more then just a head ache. Once he was inside, he turned towards his now apparent instructor and master. His new life was now about to begin. "If you are able, we should begin immediately."

 

[D.C.]

"Alright then." Quentell said.

He turned and walked to the center of the room. He turned again to face Valek and asked: "What do you think of the Shade Order? What are your first impressions? I would like to know, before we really start. So, please tell me."

He looked at Valek and waited for an answer. This one was different from his previous student. Valek was older, physically stronger and quite a good marksman. Quentell's first impressions were that this one had seen much in his life and had experienced a lot. The Shade Knight was curious to his Padawan's past, and curious how he would do as a Shade. He was glad he was the one to train Valek Dagger, a man with great potential.

 

[Phil]

Valek crossed his arms slightly, it was an obvious question he was expecting. Even with his short time here, the Shade Knights were not what Valek would have thought, but they were also what he suspected.

"From what I have seen and heard, you are not like the other two Orders that exist: The Jedi and Ospions. You seem to not limit yourselves and become pacifist monks like the Jedi do, but you do not do what you please to get things done from what I have heard the Ospion have done. This is a finely established Order you are a part of, one that does not dwell too far on the moral choices that the other two orders seem devoted too. I now know that this is what I have been seeking."

Valek finished, possibly the longest he has been heard speaking to Quentell. While he was mostly brief, when he had something important to say, Valek usualy makes sure it is heard.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell was pleased to hear these words, because they were true.

"Very good." he said. "Next, we have a code we live by. Please, recite the code to me and tell me exactly what you think it means. Remember, there really is no right or wrong answer to this question. Everybody has their own interpretations."

 

[Phil]

Giving a nod, Valek folded his hands behind his back as he started to remember the code he was given recently, the ones that these Knights went by and what he may soon be going by.

"My emotion makes me. They define who I am, and they are what prevent me from becoming what I am."

"My knowledge guides me. Without knowledge, I am hopeless and I would not have made it far into this galaxy without it. It is what makes me learn further as I age."

"My passion drives me. The desire for which I cling to is what keeps me going. I thought violence and killing for money is what drove me, and I was incorrect. My passion to discover my place in this galaxy is now what drives me on."

"My strength enables me. I would have died long ago if I was weak. My strengths in handling weapons crafted by myself and using them efficiently is what has kept me alive when faced with the danger of others."

"My harmony balances me. I hold no hate to my enemies, only pity. Hate can have it's uses, but it can be consuming to those who do not know it. Harmony balances the other, more darker emotions that reside inside me. They cannot exist without the other present."

"I walk the shaded path. Not of Light, not of Dark, but the road in the middle. My road. My shaded path is the path that I will make the decisions that reflect myself, and the truth I choose to believe."

 

[D.C.]

"You say the words, like you know what they mean. You sound wise and this is a good interpretation. Thank you."

The Shade Knight remained silent for a few seconds. His arms were crossed and he looked at Valek. This one would make a great knight, Quentell was sure of that.

"What do you know about the Force, Valek? Have you ever... used... a technique? Maybe you were not aware of it, so think. Have you ever used the Force to defeat an enemy, protect yourself, or anything else?"

 

[Phil]

"No. I have never used the Force."

Valek answered almost immediately, but added something else...

"... But there are times it has acted on it's own without me calling to it. When the Assassin struck me on Corellia, I was able to briefly see him for a mere second before he broke in, as well as few of his fatal attacks. I had no power over this ability, and it acted on it's own."

 

[D.C.]

"That sounds like Force Sense. A useful technique. But I do not think the Force acted on its own. I think that you actually did call out to it, but you just were not aware of it. I think you used it as an instinct, here you will learn how to actually use it whenever you want to. You will learn to become aware of your powers and you will learn how to wield a lightsaber."

Quentell waited for a while to let Valek think about his words before continuing. "Well then, I think it would be good to start with how to the Force. You'll have to understand it and learn how to use it, before we'll continue."

The Shade Knight sat on the floor. "Please, sit down." he said. "Meditation is a good technique to open yourself to the Force. To connect yourself to it."
He waited for Valek to sit down as well.

 

[Phil]

"I see."

Valek said nothing further, thinking in on what Quentell has told him. It seemed after this survey, he was now to learn what he was meant to do: Learn to control this power he was born with. Doing as instructed, Valek went to his knees, folding them in as he seated himself onto the floor to meditate on The Force. He may have known how to use it only on instinct, but he felt he would soon learn how to use it as he pleased, but it would not be a simple process.

Nothing never was simple.

 

[D.C.]

"Now close your eyes and center yourself. Focus on nothing else but the Force. Open your connection with the Force... There's nothing but its presence around you. Feel it. Taste it. Let the Force flow through you..." Quentell spoke slowly but loud enough for Valek to hear him.

 

[Phil]

Valek closed his eyes under his helmet, tilting his head down slightly as a sign that he was doing as instructed. He did not focus on anything else at the moment, not the room he was in, not Quentell, only what he was supposed to focus on. Nothing happened for several minutes, as this is a very first time thing for Valek to actually be calling onto the Force, the same Force that sparked an interest in the Jedi and Ospion. After another moment in silence, Valek felt something, something that was there before: The pain.

The pain in his head returned, but he did his best to ignore it as he felt something else had arrived with the pain, and it seemed to cause small ripples around him that picked up the ends of his long coat as they were lifted for a brief second, as if a very small gust of wind just emitted from him and passed by.

 

[D.C.]

"Good, feel the Force. Become one with it." Quentell voice was slow and gentle.

"Now try to reach out into the Force, to lift any objects in this room. Like one of the chairs or the box in the corner. Try to use the Force as a power to grab the objects, as an invisible hand..."

 

[Phil]

Taking note on where everything was in the room he was in, he knew of the box that Quentell was talking about. His head throbbing, Valek focused on the... essence that he felt towards where the box was as it vibrated a minute or so after Quentell finished speaking, and only then started to levitate slightly a few more minutes later. Valek had no idea if he was even being successful, as he was only focusing on what he was told to do, not sure how the progress was going...

 

[D.C.]

Quentell watched his apprentice. His eyes were closed, he was using the Force to watch. He could feel how Valek levitated the box.

"That's right, Valek..." he said slowly. "You're levitating the box. Now, keep concentrating, don't lose your grip on the object. Try to move it through the air. Just one metre from where it is now, that is enough..."

 

[Phil]

The Box continued to vibrate, then slowly started to move a little forward before it started to vibrate more violently. It had successfully moved enough that would satisfy Quentell, but it did not set down on the ground. It seemed that this exercises, while new to Valek, had great trouble focusing on the energy around it even with his headache subdued. The next thing that happened was the box was suddenly thrown back into the corner where it was violently before it fell to the ground. The crash had snapped Valek's eyes open under his helm as he looked up slightly, knowing he was the cause of it... somehow.

 

[D.C.]

Somehow Quentell felt a little disturbance in the Force but he was not sure what it was. Then when suddenly the box crashed back into the corner and fell to the floor the Shade Knight opened his eyes and immediately looked over to Valek.

"Is it your headache?" he asked. "Do you feel it now?"

He was concerned by this, he did not want to harm his apprentice in any way. "Do you think you can continue, or do you want to pauze? Maybe you should take your helmet off, for fresh air."

 

[Phil]

"I am fine. I can do more, so we should proceed, if you think we should."

Valek answered, his headache now slightly subtle now that he was not focusing on an object through means he has never done before. It was Quentell's call if they were to continue though, as he was Valek's Master and instructor during his time here. He knew he had blocked out his headache enough to know it was not what caused the disruption, and it had to be something else that caused it...

 

[D.C.]

"Alright then. We will continue, but if your headache becomes a trouble, then tell me."

Quentell wondered if it was his headache that caused the box to crash back into the corner. It was odd if it was, but it seemed the only thing that could have caused it. Valek was an interesting person, so different from the other student he had trained.

"You had to concentrate very heavy on that object to make it float, but you will have to be able to do it without even thinking of the object."

Quentell reached out his right hand and moved the object to the left, to show an example.

"This you will learn through experience and practise. You do understand the basics, do you?"