His First Padawan

[Sleven]

Good, CK thought, very good. His pupil was catching on fast and CK was glad to see it. But CK's training method would be much different from what a typical master would apply. They used strict regime and edicit, a lesson plan that was strictly followed for every Padawan, but not CK.

Standing up, CK decided to push his apprentice further, keep him on edge. He figured if he did this, then his apprentice would be able to push himself at all times, and thus develop to catch up with some of the "typical" younger Padawans who had spent years to achieve what CK had hoped for his student to achieve in a far shorter period of time.

Stealthily walking over to a tray in the corner that could be filled with food by request, CK grabbed it and waited for the moment the remote was about to fire banging it against the wall the half second before it was about to shoot, just to throw Raasman's concentration off. Access to the force couldn't just be a skill obtained by Raasman, it must become second nature, something he was able to call upon at will and without a second's thought.

 

[Gripp]

The loud bang resonated through the chambers, throwing Raasman's concentration out the window. He immediately realized the ploy deployed by his master. He instinctively crouched, and reactivated the link between himself and the remote, using his training saber to absorb the blaster fire. It seemed as if time slowed down, allowing Raasman to place his saber in just the right area. After the shot, he couldn't help but smile, both at the fact that he had succeeded, and that his master was pushing him farther.

"Well that certainly was a twist." Raasman chuckled briefly, still in a ready stance in the event that the remote would fire again.

He felt something different inside of him. He felt... things around him. It was hard to describe, this feeling... of, well: feeling. Everything.

 

[Sleven]

CK smiled, his student was fairing far better in the training then he had ever expected. The fact that he was still capable of blocking the blast after a significant and sudden distraction showed that he was already learning to grasp the force at the required level for further training. And perhaps that was just what CK needed to move him on to do.

Telekinetically grabbing the remote with his hand, and shutting it down, CK said, "You've entered a larger world. The Force welcomed you." Slowly pacing himself over to some of the objects that were found in the further side of the room, CK beckoned Raasman to come over and join him. "Hold that sense of entrancement, stay in tune with the enhanced feelings that now surround you and come sit down here with me in meditation." Sitting lazily in what could hardly be considered any formal style of mediation by the standards of the Jedi Order, CK drew himself into the force. Feeling the fibers and strings that connected all things around him, CK reached out with the fibers and strings of his own, into the surrounding world around him. At that moment, each object in the room began to lift up from its place. Everything from couches to remotes to training sabers was now in motion around him and his pupil. Keeping the objects in motion CK made a complete 360 degree rotation of everything in the room simotaneously, a demonstration of his sheer control over his acute force powers. Once all the objects had set back down in this spectacle that could be considered nothing short of bragging, CK started by saying, "You're going to learn to do that, but on a much smaller scale. The objectives here are first and foremost control, and then secondly the weight of the objects which you can lift. Through the mastery of telekinesis, you demonstrate the ability to move this sense of your surrounding outwards into the world around you and use it to have a direct effect on the environment." Pausing for a breif moment to let all that he had said sink in, CK began again, "Essentially, you use the ability to sense the essence of all things surrounding you, then you use what you feel to be your essence surrounding you and move it outwards to come into contact with everything around you. At first you may only succeed in barely rolling a remote in one direction as if you had tapped it with your finger, but once you begin to understand it better, you will be able to push and pull, and direct objects around you at will. Now I want you to give it a try."

 

[Gripp]

Raasman watched in amazemnt at the grand spectacle before him. Objects, from all around the room drifted into the air, turning this way and that. He could feel the energy surging through the room, surging through both his master and the air around them. Finally, the objects settled back to the ground, the soft thuds as each object was placed back where it was.

Raasman took long strides towards the area where his master had settled, and lowered himself into a "cross-legged" seat, placing his palms on his knee caps.

"So, I'm supposed to do that," Raasman asked, gesturing to all of the objects head lifted in one motion, " except on a smaller scale?"

Raasman smiled at himself, knowing the daunting task ahead of him. It wasn't as if the normal person's body was engineered to influence the outsude world like this. Well, at least this was true until the Force intervened.

"I'm not even sure how to go about attempting this, much less how to actually succeed." Raasman directed his gaze toward his master, with a slightly puzzled look on his face.

 

[Sleven]

Seeing that his student needed more inspiration and guidance to begin this daunting task, CK decided it would be best to give a further detailed desciption as to how he could access the force and exert his own influence on the world around him through the force.

"A much smaller scale, as I said earlier. You should only be worried about actually affecting the world around you for now. Once you can do that, well then you can worry about grasping it." CK let out a deep sigh, thinking of something helpful to say to guide his student in his ability to manipulate the world around him. He began by saying, "When you detected the remote through the force, you could not only feel the remote, but also the rest of the world around you. Like the remote, you have those similar energies that surround you and bind you, however, your's are different. They are more in-tune and powerful. Because of that, you are able to extend the reach of that energy around you and fuse it with the objects. This of course, disturbs the inate balance found within the force, because you add some of your own energy, that connects you to the object in a higher content to the object, and through that you are able to shape and manipulate that energy, so that you can surround the object, to grasp it and move it, or perhaps even hit the object with that energy, upsetting its own balance and causing a motion that otherwise wouldn't apply by the normal laws of physics."

He looked at his pupil intently, as if to ask if he understood. Waiting patiently to see whether or not his pupil had more questions, or had enough information to begin his first attempt. CK would be here to guide him through the process, so he had nothing to worry about. Extending his own senses of the force, CK made sure to keep his focus intent on his pupil's energies and that of the world around him, so that he could assess any possible mistakes, or suggest methods for improvement.

 

[Gripp]

Raasman deposited a large breath into the surrounding air. He nodded, understanding what his master said. He closed his eyes, his hands tightening their grip on his knees. He reopened his eyes, gazing towards a small bookcase that a few remotes sat on.

He focused intently on the remote, feeling the surge of energy electrify the air around him. He felt as if he was gathering the energy around him, and directing it toward the remote. The remote started to tremble, more and more violently each and every time. Then, he noticed it wasn't the remote that was shaking, but the bookcase and all of it's contens, shaking erratically. He pushed and pushed, straining his abilities, but gave up, letting out an exhausted breath. He only managed to vibrate the bookshelf, much less than his master.

He couldn't even begin to hide the fatigue he had suffered from after the challenge. He closed his eyes, performing a breathing exercise he had been taught as a child. Within a few moments, the fatigue had faded to a mere memory, no longer ailing him.

 

[Sleven]

CK couldn't help but notice that his student had managed to tremble the entire bookcase. This was quite a feat for a first try, and showed quite an inborn amount of power with the force. The key here would be getting Raasman to control and direct that power.

"That was quite good for a first try," CK began, "But I don't want you to move the bookcase, what happened there was that you lost focus over the smaller object, the remote. Then your body tried to compensate by pouring out more and more energy, attempting to change the world around you. However, this caused you to lose sight of what was important, the remote. If you had managed to use that same intensity, but keep it focused on the one object, the remote, then without a doubt you could have set it into motion." Not wanting to sound too much like a typical Jedi preacher, but realising the importance of it in this situation, CK related it to other tasks, "This is an important lesson to apply to life as well, not just your control of the force." Nodding, he signaled for his apprentice to try a second time.

 

[Gripp]

Raasman repeated his "ritualistic" breathing exercise, before focusing on the remote once more. He drew the energy out of the air that surrounded him, the energy melting into his skin. This time the process took less time than it did previously. His eyes flashed open, and formed an almost instantaneous connection with the object, and within a few seconds, the object was hovering a centimeter over the bookcase. He drew the energy once more, and propelled it towards the remote.

The energy shot the remote forward, sending it around a dozen feet, making the distance in around two seconds. He drew in a sharp breath of air, surprised at the lack of fatigue that had plagued his body last time he attempted the challenge. The grip on his knees loosened, and his body relaxed.

He turned his gaze towards the master, his heart rate only mildly faster than average.

"How was that?" Raasman asked, slowing his breathing rate to it's normal state.

 

[Sleven]

"Not bad I should say, not bad at all. You learn quickly, and I can only show the basics of these techniques to you as I have now, to master them... well that takes practice. Many hard hours of training are required to achieve my level of telekinetic control, most of which you must do on your own. Feel free however, to ask me any questions you may have about force powers, and their many finer details, conventional or otherwise." Taking a moment to reflect on what he would say next, CK began with another statement, this one a little more... controversial.

"What matters most is that you use what powers I teach you for the benefit of the world. Many people in the Jedi Order will warn you against the lure of the darkside of the force, and I am one of them. However, there comes a time when the ends may justify the means, just keep it in context, and always question whether your actions were worth it or not. With such self reflection, you may prevent yourself from succumbing to the lure of the darkside that offers power early on, but always causes its wielders more suffering." He'd hoped that his pupil would understand what he was trying to say, and not focus on the Order's percieved blasphemy of "justification" when it came to using certain aspects of the force that was evident in CK's own beliefs.

 

[Gripp]

Raasman listened intently to his master, absorbing his words, and subconciously prodding them mentally, reviewing their meanings. He nodded, understanding his master periodically through his discussion, showing that he was paying attention, and absorbing what his master said.

"So where do I... Or, we; go from here?" Raasman asked, after waiting a few moments to show respect.

 

[Sleven]

"We go onward, I still have much much more to teach you. I simply wanted to make that clear while I was teaching you," CK sat in thought for a moment, having taught his student the basics of Sense and Alter, he must now teach him the basics of Control. Understanding all three aspects of the triangle in addition to how to wield a lightsaber was essential to being considered a Padawan that was capable of taking on missions with his master.

Standing up, CK said, "I have one last basic item to teach you before we begin your "official" lightsaber training and we can move on to more advanced techniques, and that final basic is how to direct the force with the flow of your own body. As you have seen, it can get you more intune, or allow you to manipulate your surroundings, but it can also be fine tuned to be applied to yourself."

 

[Gripp]

Raasman got to his feet hastily, walking forward to the small remote that he had flung towards the opposite side of the room. He leaned over, picking up the training device, feeling it's weight in his hands. Feeling it's energy. He spun around on the heel of his boot, shuffling over to the small bookcase that it originally was on.

"And how can I go about doing that?" Raasman curiously asked, placing the mechanical orb back onto the bookcase.

 

[Sleven]

OOC: By the way, you should keep adding the force powers that my character has taught yours to your list in your character profile since you have it. So far its pretty much Force Sense and Telekinesis (which includes Push/Pull, Strike, and all that mumbo jumbo). I tend to simplify categories that include a broad range of powers like that, but feel free to be as specific with your force powers as you like. This next one will be Enhance Abilities, which is essentially like battlemind, force jump, force speed/str, etc.

"Well, first let me get across the concept of what I am about to teach you," CK started. "With such control, you can manipulate the body and mind to enhance their capabilities through the force. Think of it as when you intake a stimulant, your mind feels clearer and your body seems more energetic, however this time the stimulant for your body will be the force, and let me tell you it can achieve far greater feats of ability then any normal stimulant or performance enhancer you could ever take."

Pacing towards the far side of the room, CK decided to do a little demonstration. With only putting the slightest amount of pressure on his front foot, CK propelled himself foward and across the entire length of the training room in only a second, and with little effort. He then proceeded to jump onto the far wall, and maintaining such speed, carry his body in a wall run that spanned almost half the length of the training room. Setting himself down once more, he showed little sign of fatigue after such an inhuman feat had been performed. "I'll give you a hint on how I did that," CK remarked, "it wasn't with the use of my muscles, that are well toned as it is."

 

[Gripp]

OOC: I'm still on my phone, so it's a little difficult to do things liked edit my profile :)

IC: Raasman smirked and folded his arms, putting his weight on his left foot, angling his body.

"I don't mean to be cocky, but I can pretty much do that without any sort of stimulation, the Force or otherwise." Raasman gestured drawn out point along the wall that his master had just preformed his act of agility.

But he obeyed his master, and attempted to mimic his master's starting position for his first feat. Focusing on propelling himself forward, he used the same basics that he had used with the remote, but applied it differently. Thinking he was ready, he launched himself off his foot, putting too much power in an undesired angle. He tumbled through the air violently, spinning and flipping, but managed to gain control of the mistake, hitting the ground and tucking into a ball, rolling to absorb the energy from impact. He turned his gaze back to his master, realizing that he hadn't even gone half as far as CK had.

He let out a breath, and stood up completely, keeping his feet together, and his hands in the air. He focused on the force surrounding him, focusing... Focusing... And then, finally, he launched himself into the air, reaching heights he never had imagined before. He bent his legs, and bent his torso inwards, flipping backwards; his feet grazing the high ceiling of the chamber. Successfully flipping, his body now plummeted towards the ground in an awkward feeling of free-fall. He felt all of this, as if he was viewing it from a dream. As if he was only partially there, observing from a distance.

Instinctively, he drew from the power of the force, and applied it to himself and the ground below him. He felt himself gradually slowingan and landed in a near painless crouch, his heart beating eratically from excitement. He felt the corners of his smile stretch out as far as anatomically possible.

"How was that?" Raasman spun around to face his master, recovering from the "high" he just experienced. His smile still remained, and he had no intention of wiping it off.

 

[Sleven]

CK didn't like his Padawan's new attitude when it came to physical endevours, so there were a couple things he needed set straight, regardless, CK sat calmly waiting for his pupil to get out his need to show off. After watching his student perform some miniscule acrobatic feats by using a type of force propulsion and seemingly doing nothing but brag, flaunt and show off his talents in acrobatics, all the meanwhile with a smile on his face, CK spoke his bit, "If it was that easy, you wouldn't have messed up, let alone have performed it at less then half the speed," noting objectively what most likely his student could not through his own perceptions. "Second of all, Jedi are expected to be physically fit to the level of even the most skilled acrobats, at a minimum. All that your acrobatics background means is that the physical aspects of our training are one thing I can skip past, NOT, that you are in any way shape or form in any kind of physical fitness superior to me or any other Jedi for that matter."

Perhaps what his student didn't realize was how physically demanding Form VII was in comparison to all the other styles of lightsaber combat, Ataru included. Let alone the fact that his own style of Form VII was even more demanding on the body and its level of physical fitness. CK continued, "You must learn the important lesson of humility. While it is good to celebrate your achievements, it is not good to get cocky. Being too sure of oneself is a surefire way to end up dead when it comes down to a life or death situation, and plenty of those situations will present themselves to you in your time as a Jedi." Hoping that it all sunk in, CK decided to taunt his student just a little bit with the truth of the matter, "Besides, you failed to perform the technique at all. What I was about to tell you how to do was how to use Control to enhance your body, not how to use Alter, a skill you already know to change the world around you into your favor."

 

[Gripp]

Raasman listened to his master, realizing just how arrogant his words were. Embarrassed that with those words, he had questioned his master.

"Yes... I apologize." Raasman bowed slightly, hiding his face.

He turned around sighing, acknowledging his mistake. He closed his eyes, breathing calmly to relax himself. He closed his eyes, drawing from the force once more. He drew the force into his body, adding to is energy and power. He opened his eyes, and bent down slightly, then used his legs to propel himself up and forward. He tumbled through the air, this time controlled, and flipped, noticing he hadn't achieved the same height as he had before, but this time, he felt the new power surging through his muscles, a feeling he hadn't felt before. He landed in a crouch, his refined muscles absorbing more energy than usual. He felt as if he was new, possessing more power than he ever felt. On one hand, it was a sort of high, feeling the power, but something about it didn't feel right. He focused in, dispelling the excess force.

 

[Sleven]

CK nodded, "I accept your apology. And to be honest, I hate to sound like the typical Jedi preaching all the time."

With that he took note of Raasman's energy patterns, the way he had made it flow within himself, and combine with his own power was impressive for a first try, but the art itself was far more precise then that. "That wasn't bad, but the key to this art isn't simply bringing the energy into your body, its also to refine that energy and to specify the desired location for the most increase in power. For example, if you want to make your mind think more clearly in battle, you can focus it to your brain and other sensory nerves. Or perhaps you'd like to increase your running speed, and specifying the energy to just to legs can help increase it exponentially. But the hardest part isn't drawing in the energy, its the refinement of it. To do this one must filter the energy, as if purifying water. The more you filter the energy, the more use you can get out of just a small amount, and the more powerful you can make your enhancements. Thats why this concept is called Control, because with enough control, physically weak three hundred year old human Jedi Masters can make themselves quicker and stronger then almost anything in the galaxy." He continued to talk theory behind the art of Control, hoping that his student would pick up on them and intigrate them into his own attempts while he practiced.

 

[Gripp]

Raasman nodded, bowing slightly once more.

"So what you're saying, is that when you draw in the force, you're enhancing what you need to enhance? You draw in the energy of the force to improve on yourself?" Raasman tilted his head slightly to the side, curious as to hear the answer.

(OOC: Sorr about the short post, I was unsure of what to say next)

 

[Sleven]

OOC: I read what happened in the thread where your drug addict character died. Just to let you know he metagamed BIG time. At this forum you're supposed to enact an attack that your character does, and then let your opponent decide whether or not it hits (in other words leave the attack open ended). Anyways, point is your character from that thread doesn't have to be dead.

"Yes, yes, but thats just the basics of it. I want you to not only draw that energy in, and direct it to a specifc area, but I also want you to refine it, as if you used your own energy as a filtration system. The key here is having your own energy be purer then the outside energy, and then using your own energy to filter through the mess of energy that you're bringing in from the outside world," CK said this with the most expertise. After all, while he was skilled at Alter and Sense, Control was the one area of the force he excelled in the most. "If you understand what I'm saying, I want you to try it out."

 

[Gripp]

OOC: I was thinking that. That you had to decide whether or not you wanted to die. I shot him a PM, and he said the situatation was pretty much that my character had died...

Raasman nodded, realizing just how quiet he had been.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot..." Raasman bit his lower lip, slightly confused at the concept of "filtration", but gave it a try anyway.

He drew from the seemingly infinite source of energy that occupied the air around him, focusing it on his nose, from a lack of better organ. When it was done, the scents he picked up hit him like a fist. The dominant scent was the sweat that hung around the air, even though he wasn't fatigued, and he picked up on no signs of fatigue from his master, the odor assaulted his nostrils nonetheless. Then new smells entered his senses. The age that plagued the floor beneath him held many secrets of the past, and the cold, metallic smell that seemed to be coming from almost everywhere. And then there were the harsh personal fresheners he applied earlier clung to his clothes, finding purchase to every article of clothing that he wore.

"I never knew how many smells were in room..." Raasman said absently, turning his head in all directions determining the source of all the odors.