Striking a Bargain

[Stryker]

His keen blue eyes continued to bore into hers. Her felt the Force extend from her in some light wave touching him. His beastial maw tipped upward in a pleased expression when she was exclaimed in suprise to what she had just felt. But he said nothing. Caramon was leading and he would honor that only stepping in if necessary.

@Caramon @Ra'a'mah

 

[Caramon]

As Caramon sat in silence he could feel the Force flowing through the galley. He could feel the presence of Ra'taak, he had felt the Annoo-Dat through the force many times and his signature was unmistakable. Then another presence was felt. A new, yet brief light wave touched him and he opened his eyes as Ra was jolted out of her concentration. The Jedi smiled as he looked at the woman.

"Now do you believe? That was good but keep concentrating. Try to hold onto that connection for longer this time."
@Ra'a'mah @Stryker

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra was shaken to her core and her exclamation was out of character for her. Her gold eyes looked between the two of them as she came down off her shock. Caramon requested she sit back down and try to hold the fragile connection she had with them or the Force for longer. She could no longer deny their words of expertise, but she wanted to know why and how. Sitting back down, Ra continued to look at them.

"How is that possible? Why did this just now show up?"

Of course, she didn't know she had been using the Force for years already to sway and manipulate people to make bargains come out in her favor.

Unable to calm down enough to try again, Ra waited on them to answer, her heart almost feeling like it was beating in her throat.

@Caramon @Stryker

 

[Stryker]

The beasts eyes were still on her.
He spoke quietly. "This didn't just happen. You have been using the Force for some time now. Your ability to drive a bargain in your favor flows from the Force. You have been wielding it for some time now."

He was still a bit dizzy from the shared the vision. He would talk to her about it, but in private.

"Take a moment to compose yourself, and try again."

@Caramon @Ra'a'mah

 

[Caramon]

Caramon sat and listened to Ra'taak, knowing that he could always count on his friends wisdom and knowledge. Most people who were able to weild the Force were not aware of it. Getting someone to tap into that part of the brain was somewhat of a challenge, and this was no different. Ra was in denial about her abilities until she felt the tingle of the Force, and knew what it was for the first time. Caramon remembered his training many years ago with his father.

Closing his eyes once more, Caramon focused on Ra, exuding the light side of the force as the two sat across from one another.
@Ra'a'mah @Stryker

 

[Ra'a'mah]

The words of Ra'taak surprised her. This skill she had developed over the years had been one that manifested with she was in her middle teens. Ra stood up, paced a little and went into her galley to get a glass of water. She would offer some to the two of them and bring it out if they said yes when she returned to her seat.

Taking a few minutes to let her heart slow down and drink her water, she thought more on this facet of herself that was revealed. Looking between the two of them before speaking again, her eyes going a little narrow. Not in anger or disbelief, but in thought only.

"There is obviously more to do that just move objects around or play mind games, yes?"

Not yet feeling ready to try and meditate again, Ra waited on an answer and looked at Ra'taak.

"Sit down before you fall down, please."

@Stryker @Caramon

 

[Stryker]

Ra'taak did as he was told, taking a seat in the booth at the table. His eyes were still upon the pilot.

"Yes, there is more to the Force then just moving things around or playing around with one's mind." he said as he laid his muscular arms on the table.

"Though, I could go for a cup of tea." he continued, knowing that the kitchen was off limits. He sensed that she was a bit rattled still and offered her an opportunity to recover. "Tell me," he looked around at the ship. The deck plating, the blinking lights, "how did you come by this ship." The object wasn't to turn her attention away from the matter at hand, but rather giver her an something else to talk about for a moment before they proceeded onward.

@Caramon @Ra'a'mah

 

[Caramon]

Caramon rose to his feet as he heard Ra'taak question Ra about her ship.

"May I have the same thing he is having. Thank you."

Caramon walked over and took a seat across from his friend. There wasn't much room on the table since the large muscular arms of the Annoo-Dat resided there.
@Ra'a'mah @Stryker

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra liked what she heard from Ra'taak and nodded as he answered. Her eyes following him to the table and making sure he sat down. His request for tea was greeted with her moving to one of the cupboards and taking out a pot large enough for them all to have at least two cups. She got the water into the pot and on the stove she had had installed on her ship.

His question caught her a little off guard, luckily her back was to him and he wouldn't see the flash of sadness her face at the memory of her captain. If either of them were empathic, they would probably pick up on the emotion. Making her face as neutral as she could, Ra gathered up the cups for their tea and took them to the table before feeling confident enough to answer him without crying.

"The former captain of this vessel gave it to me when he died. And before the thought crosses your minds", her gold eyes looked at both of them since they were sitting at the table. "I did not kill him." It was a simple answer to a complex story, but it was the truth.

An alarm went off on the stove and she returned to it before anymore could be asked with her at the table. Taking the pot off, she placed some tea into the water and brought it back to the table. She had some extra chairs nearby and grabbed one to sit down and join her guests.

@Caramon @Stryker

 

[Stryker]

"I did not venture to think, you took your captain's life over a material possession. He was worth far more then that." The Annoo-dat Prime wrapped his thick sharp talons around the mug, and took a sip. It would appear that he was just bumping the container against this jaw. "He was like the father you never had." He set the tea down, and canted his head slightly. The bright blue eyes piercing into her once again with a pensive expression drawing on his brutal features.

"The Force, can open windows into the mind. Dreams are a way of letting out the stale air." He spoke about the vision they had shared. He was dumping a lot of information on the girl. But he knew she was strong, and capable of coping with it. Disseminating it and making sense of it. He reached down and unhooked his saber staff and placed it on the table once again. He gave it a Force nudge and pushed it towards her.

"Pick it up." It was a command. One of her own free will. "You have something similar to this. The time for games of hide-and-seek are over." He snapped his head back to Caramon. In his mind he spoke to his counter piece.

Help direct her. Be kind, but do not allow her to bully you. She is strong, and will use self deprecating excuses to hide behind. That is the way to the Dark Side. You are more subtle then me. Help open her eyes gently, but use force when needed to help her make sense.

@Caramon @Ra'a'mah

 

[Caramon]

Help direct her. Be kind, but do not allow her to bully you. She is strong, and will use self deprecating excuses to hide behind. That is the way to the Dark Side. You are more subtle then me. Help open her eyes gently, but use force when needed to help her make sense.

Caramon watched the saber slide over to the woman. He unclipped his own saber as he stood to his feet and placed the small training droid in the center of the room.

"Come Ra. Grab the weapon. Unless you want to get the one you already posses?"

Caramon walked to the center of the galley and waited for her.

"This training droid will help you. I will show you one time then it is on you."

Caramon ignited his lightsaber as the droid floated about chest level a few meters away from him. Moving about this way and that way, the Jedi Knight was very calm, his breathing steady as he watched the small device. Three shots were fired from the small round droid. Caramon manuvered his saber, blocking the shots as they came at him. He stood and with a flick of a switch his lightsaber blade retracted into the hilt. He held out a hand, motioning for the woman to take his place and test her ability.
@Ra'a'mah @Stryker

 

[Ra'a'mah]

After serving her clients, Ra poured herself a cup of the tea as well and took a sip of it. Listening to Ra'taak and nodded with a small shrug, trying to make his opinion appear one way or the other to not really matter. In truth, she was happy he didn't assume she murdered her captain.

"Yes, you are correct. Dreams though are just that. What happened," Ra waved one of her hands in the direction of the common room, "was not a dream." He brought his hilt out again and rolled it in her direction basically ordering her to pick it up. She looked between it and him before reaching her hand out to take it. It was similar to what she did have, but it was different. In design, size and coloring. As she stood up, Ra looked at him with her eyes slightly narrowed when he mentioned hide and seek.

He looked at Caramon, but Ra couldn't read anything in it. Must be a Jedi thing as they did not speak, but Caramon stood up, took out his own saber, activated it and took out a small ball that floated in the air. Turning her attention to the human, she would watch him and wait to see what happened.

"What is it? Mine is broken and won't do anything. Whatever you have planned, I'll have to use this one. How do you know I have something similar anyway? You didn't see it or that dream."

Ra'taak had, maybe these two were connected somehow and what one saw, the other did too.

"You do know there's more room over there and no chance to destroy my galley."

Too late, three shots were fired from the little ball which Caramon blocked, luckily where they landed wasn't an area in the galley where a stray shot would damage anything. He motioned for her to stand where he had and Ra hesitated for just a moment. She didn't have a clue how to use this hilt in her hands and would have been more comfortable using the knives up her sleeve.

"Can these things be smaller?"

@Stryker @Caramon

 

[Stryker]

Ra'taak simply nodded once when she narrowed her eye at him. He wasn't one to play games and dance around the bush. He would get to the heart.

"If you decide to pursue the Jedi way, you will make your own saber. It will be custom to based on your relationship with the Force." He folded his beefy arms and sat back deep into the seat to observe Ra and Caramon work together.

"That may be a bit, unyielding for you," he indicated the saber staff she was now holding, "but, it will help you. Though the Kyber crystal within has not bonded to you, it will still respond and attune the Force within you." He paused for a moment. "Feel it flow. Trust it, and let not your senses dictate the environment around you."

@Caramon

 

[Caramon]

"That may be a bit, unyielding for you," he indicated the saber staff she was now holding, "but, it will help you. Though the Kyber crystal within has not bonded to you, it will still respond and attune the Force within you." He paused for a moment. "Feel it flow. Trust it, and let not your senses dictate the environment around you."

"Listen to his words Ra. He speaks the truth. Feel the Force. Let it flow through you. Do not trust your eyes. Trust your feelings."

Caramon reached towards Ra's mind and touched it. 'Use the Force Ra. Let go of what makes sense. Do not try and rationalize this. I know this seems weird but believe me, you are capable of so much more than you know.' @Ra'a'mah @Stryker

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Standing where Caramon had been moments ago, Ra looked at the hilt in her hand. The humming of the training ball filled the now silent galley. Letting out a sigh, she turned the blade on easily...somehow it just worked for her. She listened to both of the Jedi and gave Caramon a flat look.

"Look, if you didn't notice, I don't have many of them and I'm sure as hell not to going to trust in something that only causes pain."

Ra kept a strong hold on her emotions and wished she didn't actually have any. She was human though and still felt them. Her life had been full of pain and then a wonderful year had happened to be stolen away by some thugs.

After she spoke, his voice was in her head and if looks could have killed, Caramon would have been a bantha steak on a plate at that point.

"Get the kark out of my head!"

@Caramon @Stryker

 

[Stryker]

Ra'taak sat back. He was feeling better, but he wasn't really needed for this part. Instead he lifted the mug and bumped it against his chin, taking a sip of the tea. It was a delightful blend. Something he had never tasted before and was quite enjoying it. Then he heard her exclaim.

"Caramon. Slowly....She's not ready for that, yet." He took another sip. "Giver her glimpse of what, you are feeling. Allow her to invite you, into her mind." Then a pause, and he turned his attention to Ra.

"Life, causes pain, and yet you invite that? How is this different? Learning requires stretching and stretching can be painful. But over time, the pain eases and one comes to enjoy the sensation of being flexible."

@Caramon @Ra'a'mah

 

[Caramon]

Caramon bowed to Ra'taak. He knew he was right, the Jedi hadn't had much knowledge of showing someone the Force. Everyone that he had encountered and helped along already had some form of knowledge of the Force. He looked back at Ra.

"Ok Im sorry. Let me try this, ill show you what it is like to allow the Force into yourself."

Caramon closed his eyes and stretched his arms out wide. His breathing became slower, rhythic. He reached out and like the most trustworthy of friends, the Force was there waiting for his return. He let the Force flow throughout his body, extending his feelings to all that resided in this area. A calmness came over the two beings, a warmth like no other. The lightsbaers in the room began to float upwards, Caramon opened his eyes and looked at Ra. @Ra'a'mah @Stryker

 

[Ra'a'mah]

After her exclamation, Ra'taak spoke up from his seat. The flat look she had give Caramon at first was leveled on him.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, as you put it. People messing around in my head an all. Nothing I can do to stop it of course. No, I don't invite pain in. What makes you think I do? Physical exercise is not the same as emotions and processed differently. Unless it's an scarring injury, then the physical heal. Emotion stays with one always. So I don't acknowledge my emotions and bury them like they aren't there. And I'm about as flexible as I'm going to get."

Looking back at Caramon as she finished speaking to Ra'taak, her face turned into the businesslike neutral façade to look at him. Her eyes though showed she hadn't entirely shut off her curiosity about the subject. She just didn't like the idea of the mind games. She deactivated the saberstaff and hoped the small training ball would leave her alone.

Watching as he closed his eyes, a feeling of calm flowed across to her from him. Enveloping her with what almost felt like a warm hug from her captain, the only person who had really cared in her life. Within moments of that, she felt the hilt being pulled at in her hand and she let go of it with a small gasp. It along with the other floated in the air between them and Caramon opened his eyes to look at her.

"So I should allow the Force to hug me or do I seek out that hug?"

@Stryker @Caramon

 

[Stryker]

Ra'taak, watched, sitting in a quiet vigil as he allowed the young woman explore a new sense of surroundings. He wasn't about to get into the complete paradoxical statement she made. This was not the time for that. She would either see it for her self with time, or she wouldn't. But right here, right now, it was her discovering her gifts. He raised his mug again and bumped it against his chin as he took a sip.

@Caramon @Ra'a'mah

 

[Caramon]

"So I should allow the Force to hug me or do I seek out that hug?"

Caramon looked at Ra, seeing her expression as the objects floated about the two.

"Both. The Force is always around you. Stop trying to rationalize this. This is bigger than me and you, bigger than all of us. Like I said the force is what binds all living things. Open your mind, be apart of something bigger than yourself. When you do, you will have taken your first steps into a larger world."
@Ra'a'mah @Stryker