The Training of Dorin Hafmott

[Dorin Hafmott]

Doran Hafmott sat, as he often did, in one of the various garden courtyards of the Temple. He liked coming here often so he could extend his senses to encompass the life of the growing plants and the other Jedi who came here to meditate or walk. He felt them all as keenly as if they were touching his flesh and mind of their own accord, and it was a connection that brought Dorin a solace he had yet to find a comparison to, an awareness that he fell in love with immediately, and a peace that could only be achieved through touching the living Force, if only barely.

In, and out, he gently breathed. Each breath brought a flood of impressions; life, feelings, exsistence. He reached as far as he could, hoping to catch an impression of the one--though he had yet to meet them--who was to become his mentor, teacher, and Master. Patiently wrapped in his trance-like awareness, he waited to see what he could feel, what he could touch, and what he could percive.

Dorin's Profile: http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19569

(OOC: I hope I'm doing this right...I will not persue training until my Padawan is approved, as per instruction. I'm expecting Jedi Knight Rowan Antares, because he consented to be my Master, so I just went ahead and posted this to get it over with. I'll be gone for most of the day, and wanted something to look forward to when I came home. :))

 

[Caleb]

Coruscant did not yet feel like home for Rowan. The temple here was immense; despite the penchant for asceticism in Jedi architecture, it had a feel of grandiosity to it. The sweeping hallways, the towering spires…more cathedral than monastery. One aspect that Rowan did enjoy were the extensive and ubiquitous gardens. The Room of a Thousand Fountains, at the very base of the temple, was a vast reminder of the sprawling grounds of the Ossus academy. Then, aside from the fountain room, buried away in alcoves on every floor there were smaller gardens, quiet places where one could sit and meditate.

It was through one of these alcoves that Rowan walked now, deep in concentration, his arms folded beneath his dark blue robes. Unlike the gardens below, this one had been left untended to evoke the feeling of a true jungle. The growth was dense and pressing, but Rowan work through it steadily. Somewhere, amidst this maze of life, was the one who would be his Padawan. Even now, Rowan could feel him, seeking through the Force. Finally, the crush of trees gave way to a courtyard.

The young man sat, cross-legged, in the middle of the clearing. Rowan made his way over to him, bowing slightly as he approached. Instead of waiting for the boy to rise, Rowan kneeled next to him. “It is good that you take time to meditate, my friend. Too many of your age only seek the physical aspects of the Force. You are searching for your master, yes? Well, you have found him. I am Rowan Antares.”

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile when he felt the new presence. Like dropping a pebble on the surface of still water. Subtle, yet powerful and present at the same time. The one who came now was his new master. He just...knew. It was there to be seen, as long as one cared to see it.

"I prefer to focus my efforts in expanding all of my talents and knowledge." He replied, opening his eyes and lowering his head in respect. "I am pleased that it meets with your approval, Master. I am Dorin. Dorin Hafmott, and I am glad to meet you."

He raises his head again, looking at Rowan. "You could sense me, couldn't you? You could sense me seeking you, but you don't have to be as focused as I do. I felt it."

 

[Caleb]

Rowan nodded approvingly. “Yes, perhaps even before you entered this alcove. I am no seer, but sometimes the Force prompts us, moves us along a certain path-” he smiled lightly at the thought, “or through a certain garden. My heart told me that someone had need of guidance and my feet knew that the place was here.”

“But,” Rowan gestured sweepingly at the young man's robes, “obviously you have knowledge of the Force. Have you been at the temple long?”

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin smiled in return to his words.

"I was raised here." He responds, nodding once. "I was brought here by the Jedi who delivered me. My mother was killed by a bounty hunter, but I survived. I have been trained since I was old enough to understand and take instruction."

 

[Caleb]

Rowan raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The Order often accepted younglings, but to be raised solely in the care of Jedi? Such things were not unheard of, certainly. But, Rowan wondered, will it be a boon or a curse? Dorin undoubtedly would possess more knowledge than the average Padawan, but would this knowledge form the foundation for more training or would it instill pride? He did not have an air of haughtiness about him, and Rowan had sensed nothing untoward...still wisdom dictated care.

“Then surely, you know of our Code? Recite it for me Padawan, and tell me what it means.” Rowan crossed his arms and smiled expectantly. If the boy had an overabundance of pride then such a simple lesson as this would probably cause it to flare up.

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin closes his eyes and lowers his head once again. When he speaks, it is clear that deep thought and contemplation has gone into his responses.

"Emotion, yet peace. Emotions are a part of every sentient beings exsistence. It is important to be seperate from emotion, for only when one is at peace can the Force guide you."

"Ignorance, yet knowledge. No one, great or small, powerful or weak, could possibly ever hope to know all things. The accumulation of knowledge should always be encouraged and persued, beacause knowledge is the ultimate power."

"Chaos, yet serenity. Life is a hectic thing. Day to day, or moment to moment. Only through the Force can clarity be achieved in one's life."

"Death, yet the Force. Death is the completion of life, and a natural part of exsistence. Since all life is binded together by the Force, there is no real death. Only the Force."

Dorin raises his head again, looking into his Master's eyes.

 

[Caleb]

Rowan could feel no swell of indignation, no contempt for such a beginner's question. Instead, Dorin answered clearly and only after much thought. These, Rowan felt, were good signs. His answers, for the most part, did not sound as if they had been retrieved from a data-file, but rather that they came from serious contemplation. When the Padawan finished, Rowan gave a brief nod, “well-done. You have learned the Code well...

“But not well enough-”

Rowan raised a hand quickly, forestalling any outburst, and gave a short laugh. “No, let me explain. The wisdom of the Code often represents the only thing you will have for guidance. When we are separate from the council or from our fellow Jedi, it must be our moral compass. In this, our knowledge and understanding of the Code must always grow...remember, ignorance, yet knowledge. Never allow the Code to become a simple formula. Instead, meditate on it often...explore its depths...” Rowan trailed off, his eyes fluttering closed, deep in remembrance of his own journeys and how they had shaped the way he perceived the code.

After a moment of silence, his eyes snapped open and he smiled wryly at Darin. “I wouldn't feel like a proper master unless I offered one criticism: to achieve separateness from emotion would be difficult indeed...perhaps impossible. Instead, strive to control your emotions, place them in perspective of the living force—if you learn to live at peace in the moment, then the peace of your future will be more certain.”

“Come, let us try now. Quiet your emotions, peace and serenity flow from balance and focus. Let the force fill you and then stretch out, feel the life around you.”

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin cocks his head, then considers Rowan for a moment. After a few moments of contemplation, he nods his agreement.

"I will do as you ask, Master. It makes sense, and I can see the wisdom in it. I did not expect to have a great understanding of the code, since I have very little experience with the universe. I am pleased to have your criticism."

When Rowan calls for calm, Dorin again assumes his previous posture, and closes his eyes, surrendering himself to the currents of the Force. He gently pushes his will against it as far as it will go, stretching it as far as he is able.

 

[Caleb]

Rowan watched patiently as Dorin fell into deep concentration, he could feel the currents and eddies of the Force begin to shift and swirl around the Padawan. A moment later and stretched out alongside Dorin, joining him in the Force stream. Like diving into frigid water, the feeling of it made Rowan's skin tingle. He closed his eyes but, instead of plunging into darkness light, began to assault his mind's eye. The trees and plants and insects spread throughout the garden shone with a brilliance that made visible light seem dull and drab. There was a strobing rhythm to it, as if the Force itself was drawing breath, and each beacon of light was connected with intricate webs of luminescence.

Rowan narrowed his concentration to Dorin alone, to see how his Padawn perceived such things. Dorin's bubble of perception was smaller and dimmer, but the strands of connectivity were still visible. Good, good. Instead of speaking, Rowan willed his thoughts towards the young man, [ See the hue and color of the Force...see how all life swells it and connects it together. It covers us like a cloak...it exists in the space between us. Now, push yourself further...the Force is a river, you are sitting on the bank—wade in! Rowan knew that Dorin would probably not hear the speech itself—that would take a powerful Jedi indeed—but if Dorin was attuned enough to the Force he would understand the feeling of it, the drive.

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin felt the life pulse around him, almost like he shared his life force with the things around him, and they with him. For all his talent in calling upon the Force, it was still a very intimidating thing to him. So all encompassing, so great and mysterious. He started to feel a slight unease when he knew Rowan would sense this from him, so he wrested control of the emotion and shoved it to another part of his mind. Emotion, yet peace... he intoned, accepting the peace once more. He felt Rowan's thoughts making impressions against his conciousness, but was unsure exactly how to proceed. With an effort of will, he made himself take the guidence being offered.

There was suddenly light. Not blinding or brilliant light from most things, but everything had a radiance. Some brighter, some dimmer. Everything around him. He heard whispers, breath, and the hum of heartbeats throughout...it seemed...everywhere. He was aware that he still sat in the courtyard with Rowan, but was suddenly many places at once.

With a start, he ended the connection. He looked up at Rowan, a little startled and excited all at once. "I'm sorry. I...it was a little...different than before. It was amazing. I've never achieved that level of success before."

 

[Caleb]

Just at the moment when the light of the Force seemed overwhelming, Rowan broke his concentration. It felt as if he had rushed back into his body like a gust of wind and for a moment his breath was gone. He wiped off the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and smiled at Dorin. “The Force never ceases to amaze...that feeling of difference marks your first step in training. Your sensory skills are quite well developed—I'm impressed.”

Rowan pulled himself unsteadily to his feet, brushing the dirt from his robes and running a hand through his hair as he did. He paused a moment, glancing at the vaulted windows on the walls behind them. The sun was just beginning to sink behind the Coruscanti skyline. It had been before noon when they began, but, so immersed in the flow of the Force, time had become immaterial. “Well Padawan, I think we've done enough for one day. Feel free to return to your quarters, perhaps consider what we've learned here today.”

“Tomorrow, meet me in the west gymnasium after breakfast. We'll put some of these skills to further use then. Farewell Dorin,” Rowan clasped the young man's arm, “may the Force be with you.” With that, he gave a bow of dismissal and began to work his way back towards the Knights' quarters, considering the progress Dorin had made.

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin's smile was so wide that it showed every white tooth in his head, and his emerald green eyes glittered in satisfaction. It was not a smile of pride, but of joy. The emotion pulsed from him once powerfully, but no more. "I am pleased that you are pleased."

When Rowan rose, Dorin respectfully waited until he had gotten to his feet, then stood himself. He felt alive, awakened, and envigorated in a way he couldn't remember ever feeling quite so keen. When Rowan spoke, he nodded once, as he often does. "As you wish. I'm a little hungry, so I think I'll stop and have something to eat first."

Dorin clasped Rowan's arm in return, and bowed. "I will be there, and I look forward to it. May the Force be with you, as well." He said, and followed his master out of the garden. He liked this man that had found him, and knew he would be able to learn much from him, and that filled Dorin with a complex sense of calm, excitement, and contentment that Dorin found he liked very much.

 

[Caleb]

The knight had been a restful one for Rowan. The calm and exhaustion that had come over the knight after his extended meditation had ensured that. He woke the next morning, fully refreshed, took a quick breakfast and then made his way towards the western end of the temple. Even from a distance, Rowan could make out the distinctive hiss of lightsaber blades and the rapid thuds of people exercising in place. He made his way through the main gymnasium, a vast room with high, vaulted ceilings and sandy floors, and into one of the smaller training wings.

Dorin waiting already and Rowan could not keep back a smile—the scene was so reminiscent of his own training. The doors slid open and he entered, nodding a wordless greeting to Padawan. The room, a miniature copy of the main gym, was bare save for one storage cabinet in the westernmost corner. Rowan walked over to this cabinet and gathered up a number of supplies, some of which he tucked away into his robes. Then, with a swipe of his access card and a sudden hiss, a spherical remote droid began to dart around the room.

Ignoring the droid, Rowan returned to his apprentice and offered him one of the items he had collected, a ten inch metallic cylinder. “You're familiar with the training lightsabers, yes?” Unlike their full powered cousins, the training sabers would only send a strong jolt of electricity through their target; they were, however, fully capable of blocking low-powered blaster bolts. “Let's try some warm-up, shall we? Nevermind the niceties of lightsaber forms for now—that will come later. The remote will arm when you activate the blade.”

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin, still dressed in his padawan garment, stood when Rowan entered the room. He watched him retrive items from the container, as well as the droid take flight.

When his Master offered him the training saber, he took it, and gripped it for a moment. "I'm more familiar with this one than mine." He says, gesturing to the lightsaber dangleing on his belt.

He nodded acknowledgement to Rowan's words, took a well practiced ready position, and activated the blade.

 

[Caleb]

The snap-hiss of the blade was followed immediately by a frantic whirring from the remote-droid. It rushed towards Dorin, spinning and dodge as it went. Zipping behind him, it fired a bolt towards the back of the knee, then, almost without pausing, rushed back in front of him and fired off a volley of shots, all aimed at his chest.

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin reacted immediately, whirling the blade close to his body. The Force flowing through him, he spun on the ball of his foot and smacked aside the first bolt that the droid fired from behind, following it and coming around, deflecting the others aimed at his chest with so many flicks of his wrist. His face remains impassive and calm, awaiting the next berage.

 

[Caleb]

Dorin stood ready, but no barrage came. Instead, with a wave of the hand a touch of the Force, Rowan deactivated the droid. It hovered gracefully to where Rowan stood and idled silently. “Well done,” the knight nodded in approval, “I see you've had some training. That's excellent...however, I'd like to expand on yesterday's lesson.” He reached into his robes, withdrew a thin strip of cloth and tossed it to Dorin. “Be so good as to blindfold yourself. What we experienced yesterday, an extension of Force sensing, can also be applied to combat. It is often called precognition and it is invaluable to the Jedi. Let's try it once more, but this time feel the droid through the Force, anticipate its strikes and then react.” He tapped the remote and it powered up once again.

 

[Dorin Hafmott]

Dorin catches the cloth, deactivates the lightsaber, and ties the blindfold on. When it is secure, he again redies himself and ignites the blade. He frees himself once again to the Force, and with slightly more ease returns to the state of oneness with the Force--but slower this time. To be overwhelmed when it mattered would be a great mistake. The lights came again. The incoherent whispers, the pulse of life and energy, all coming slowly at once. When Dorin felt that slight tremor in the whirling stillness, he reacted calmly once again.

The remote fired three shots at first, spinning in mid-air. Dorin deflected two, but the third one hit him in the shoulder, and he grunted from the impact. He did not lower his guard, and after he recovered from the shock of it, his face remained as calm as it was when he first began.

The remote went back and forth very quickly for a few minutes, firing off several shots in a row, and Dorin reacted serenely, seemingly caught up in the subtle impressions the machine was making in the Force. He deflected more bolts than he missed, and he had a particular way of evading them if he could not block them.

 

[Caleb]

As the droid flitted about, Rowan could feel as his apprentice reached out with the force. He hemmed quietly, to himself, as the young man reached out and touched the remote with his mind. In the short flurry of combat that followed, Dorin acquitted himself well, with the droid scoring only a single hit, early on. “Well done,” he intoned, “but do not let your other senses distract you. They are immaterial...instead, as the Force flows through you, see the echoes of the droid.” Then, another burst of action, this time Dorin blocked or dodged them all. “Good...you begin to understand.”

Rowan deactivated the droid once more and, with a flick of the Force, removed Dorin's blindfold. “You should practice on this in your spare time, Padawan. Achieve unity with the Force in combat, be directed by its will, and you will be a powerful warrior indeed.”

“Remotes, however, can only take you so far.” here Rowan shrugged out of his blue over-robe, folding it neatly on the nearby bench. Stretching his arms and legs and working the kinks out of his neck, he approached the younger man. He drew a training lightsaber from his tunic and it leapt to life in his hand. He bowed to Dorin and then fell into a ready stance. “Stretch out once more, your physical senses alone will not be enough against me; defend yourself and attempt to counter...” Rowan trailed off, closing his eyes and letting the Force fill him.

He struck. A quick jab towards Dorin's left shoulder, followed by a sweeping cut across his knees. Then, instead of pressing the attack, attuned to the subtle shifts of the Force, Rowan leapt back, bringing his blade up to guard.