In Search of New Things

[CJ Solo]

Saana was finally starting to settle into her new home with the Jedi and she was becoming more and more comfortable with the techniques that she had been shown from Master Sara, Jaleer and her fellow Padawans who themselves had learned varying things from other Jedi. She had even been seen as fit to be assigned to missions. This last fact had particularly aided in her confidence. When she had returned with Kai, to say the least, she had been a bundle of nerves. Everyone she had met so far, even the new Padawans, already knew some facet of using the Force that they had learned from some place or another. A part of her felt as though she had a lot of catching up to do, while the rest of her was curious and eager to learn.

She had continued to be an endless source of questions. Not only toward Master Sara, but toward any Jedi she met. She was eager to learn how they became a Jedi, how long they had trained, what they knew, what they were good at and most importantly what they could teach or tell her. It was earlier in the day in one of these sessions of questions with Master Sara that he made the suggestion that she find his friend Khelsea and spend some time with her. Saana found the suggestion curious, but she was certainly not going to turn down advice that lead to more knowledge. It seemed that everyone had a unique experience, a unique view and a unique way of using the Force.

Walking the corridors was where the Togruta Padawan could be found, her barefooted steps making minimal sound on the deck as she made her way to where Master Sara told her she would likely be able to find Khelsea.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea found herself sauntering through the halls of the Galactic Evolution, looking for something to do. It was a slow day, and she had just finished a lightsaber training session with another knight. She was spending time honing her proficiency in Ataru whenever she could find the time to. It would help make up for some of the offensive capabilities that Soresu lacked, and she was slowly figuring how to optimize both fighting styles. Freshly showered, the young woman's shoulder length dark hair was glossy and a little tousled. She wore simple but stylish civilian clothes from her home planet of Naboo. Her lightsaber was clipped to her belt, dangling slightly with her gentle steps.

A protein-infused fruit drink was what Khelsea usually consumed after a work out, and today was no different. As she made her way down the corridor towards one of her frequented lounges, her ears picked up the very faint "pat-pat" sound of bare feet making contact with the metal deck floor. They seemed to be behind her, but she had passed through a couple of intersecting corridors, and the bare-footed Jedi could be from any of those hallways. She entered the lounge, and the droid waved at her in recognition.

"The usual order Blue."
"Yes ma'am", replied the droid in its monotone voice.

Khelsea sat down in one of the empty booths, making herself comfortable. She crossed one leg over another and began reading the news on her datapad. A few message alerts were flashing on her screen, but a quick glance told her nothing was urgent. Her drink arrived shortly after, with a complimentary fruit on the side. "Thanks," she mumbled, focused on what she was reading.

 

[CJ Solo]

It was a large vessel and though Jaleer had shown her around, Saana was certain there ws a lot of the vessel she had not seen still. In a way, it made her feel small in the large scheme of things. Looking for Khelsea took longer than she thought would, the timing of their passing just enough to keep them out of sight of the other. That was until she entered the lounge just as Khelsea settled with her drink and reading material.

Saana lingered there in the entrance for a second, long enough to make a decision perhaps, before she approached Khelsea's table. "Khelsea?" She spoke the other Jedi's name in her usual softly accented voice. "May I join you? Master Kai said I should come find you."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Looking up, Khelsea saw a Togruta female looking at her. She was familiar looking, and after a second she remembered that they had already met beforehand. "No, I don't mind at all." Khelsea gestured at the seat across from her's, taking a moment to examine the girl who was one of Kai's padawans if she remembered correctly. "Sa-Saana, was it?" She waited for confirmation. "So.. why did Kai ask you to find me?" There could be a variety of reasons that Khelsea could think of, but it was better to just get the answer instead of wasting time guessing.

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana smiled a little. "Yes, Saana is correct." She slid into the seat across from Khelsea in a graceful motion. Having not taken to wearing any traditional Jedi garb, Saana continued to wear the type of clothing that one would expect to see on Shili. Her hands came to rest on the table in front of her, yellow eyes on Khelsea. "He said.." Saana attempted to a point with her accented speech to mimick Kai. "Go find Khelsea, Saana, she has things to share and learn that you might find interesting." Her immitation, of course, was almost comically too feminine and accented to really be Kai, but Saana shrugged and grinned sheepishly none the less. "Now, I am here to see you."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"I have things to share that you might find interesting?" Khelsea made an exaggerated act of rolling her eyes. "Is this what he says when he needs someone else to help him train? It's not your fault though, and I really don't mind. I just thought he'd give me a heads up at least... But I'm not doing anything important today anyways. Did you have something in mind, or did you know what he wanted you to learn?" She hadn't started the day with the intention of sharing her knowledge and training a padawan, so her preparation wasn't the best. However, she had been helping padawans here and there when she had free time, so she hoped that experience would be enough. If anything, this wouldn't be a formal training session anyways, so she didn't need to have that kind of mindset.

 

[CJ Solo]

There was a mix of amusement, at the exadgerated motion of the eyeroll, and a little bit of embarrassment that Khelsea might feel she was being pawned off on her that shows in her expression. Saana managed a small smile and even a little chuckle as she shrugs nervously. "I do not know, in truth. He has not asked me to seek training from others before, outside the group training. He has been completely open to all my questions." And there had been a lot of them. "He has encouraged me to make friends."

Saana fell quiet as she thought about Khelsea's question. She had not come in expecting any one thing in particular. Her thoughts drifted back onto things that Kai had said and others she had trained with. "Kai has told me that, in the Force, you can see and feel more than just the people and things around you in a room; things that have happened and will happen. He has said that the Force can be intangible enough to hide in and tangible enough to create barriers." The corners of her lips twitch a little. "I have been trying to understand how it can be all these things at once."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"That's normal. I started like that too - talking to people who I wasn't familiar with, or didn't even know. But that's the beauty of this community we know as the members of the Jedi Order. There are many individuals who are willing to help if it's within their power, or at the very least direct you to someone else who can help. Without the relationships I've built with different Jedi, I wouldn't be where I am today. Kai is definitely right in encouraging you to make friends, and I personally feel that he's great at teaching."

Saana seemed to be thinking, so Khelsea waited till she spoke again. Her question was quite profound, and there were elements of it that even she did not understand personally. There was what she understood, and stuff that didn't make sense at all. "I do not possess the great wisdom or experience of the great Jedi of the past, or even of any of the masters on the current council. So perhaps I might not be the most qualified to teach the subject. I am willing to tell you what I know, and maybe through our discussion both of us can learn together."

After waiting for Saana's approval, Khelsea started. "The first part that you mentioned, about the Force being tangible and intangible... it seems hard to grasp at first. I don't know how far you are into you training yet, but my master taught me both how to create a barrier with the Force, as well as hide myself. By manipulating the lighting and energy surrounding yourself with the Force, you can 'disappear' from any place." Khelsea made quotation signs with her hand as she said the word 'disappear', to signify that you don't truly vanish. She took a sip of her drink to gather her thoughts, and then continued. "But in reality you're still there. You might not be visible to the naked eye, but a trained Force sensitive individual could easily locate you. And then there is the stealth technique, where you hide your presence in the Force. The combination of these or perhaps other skills would create an elaborate disappearing act - which some would say is intangible. And then there's the barrier, which is very real. Shoot something at me, or throw something, and it'll bounce right off." Khelsea looked at Saana, trying to read her expression and see if she understood what Khelsea was trying to say. "Any questions so far, or does anything not make sense?"

 

[CJ Solo]

"Master Kai has been a great help to me, and very patient." Saana smiled a little, impishly. "I often flood him with questions that I am certain sound silly sometimes." She nodded slightly in response to the rest. "I hope I will be as good a teacher one day." With obvious attentiveness, she listened to Khelsea, not wanting to miss any detail that might be important. "Yes. That does sound to be a good idea for both of us."

As Khelsea began, she leaned forward a little as though it would make a difference in what was revealed. When the other woman was done speaking, Saana was again silent as she processed that information. "I think I understand. One is like.... an illusion, it is not real if you know what to look for. The other can be touched." She thought about that a little more after saying it. "I have so many things to learn still. It must be a great boone to you to be able to create a barrier to protect those around you." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I am still working on simply moving things."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Saana was quick to address the important points, and from what she had said it seemed that she had understood what Khelsea explained. "Yes, that's more or less what it is. As for protecting others, a well placed barrier could save many lives. But from my experience, barriers will only work against less skilled opponents. I'm no master tactician, but I could imagine how a skilled opponent would be able to outmaneuver the shield. But being able to disappear from sight, or even diminish your Force presence to a minuscule point so that you can no longer be sensed... that's something else." Khelsea paused, realizing that she had went off on a bit of a tangent. "Sorry, went slightly off topic there. Perhaps a demonstration would be helpful in illustrating my point?"

Khelsea waited until she had Saana's approval, emptying the contents of her drink.

"How comfortable are you at sensing things through the Force? Hmm. Close your eyes, and tell me how many people are in this room." There was a handful of the Order's members spending time at the lounge, but someone with enough training should be able to easily pick out there presences.

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana smiled a bit, relaxing, as it seemed she had understood, at least well enough, what the concept was. "I see..." Her words had a thoughtful sound to them as she considered everything Khelsea was saying. Tangent or not, she took it all in equally. "The barrier does not surround you completely?"

"A demonstration? Yes." Saana straightened, her approval apparent in her yellow eyes. Her head tilted to one side ever so slightly. "Sensing? I have found it easier to do than other things." She gave a slight nod in response to Khelsea's request, closing her eyes. Saana sat there for what was a few minutes as she let the physicalness of her senses go and opened them to what was around her. She had once again found herself in that softly glowing fog and soon after she could sense the presence of others around. Focusing on each one individually to seperate them from one annother took the most time. Soon enough, however, she had a response for her. "Seven, including you and I."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"The barrier cannot be used as a wall, no. It also depends on how strong you are, and will only last a few attacks generally. But like you said, it's a valuable tool to have and when there's nothing you can do for your allies, you may still be able to save them with a well placed barrier."

Saana took a short period of time to calm herself and focus on the Force, but after she did so her answer to Khelsea's question was spot on. Smiling at her, Khelsea nodded. "Right. There's seven of us here. How did it feel when you were attempting to sense how many individuals there are?"

Khelsea waited for her answer. After the Togruta answered, Khelsea began explaining the next step. "Let's try that again. Just do exactly what you did before, and provide see if your answer to my question is the same. Remember to trust your feelings." Khelsea waited till Saana was ready, then she began her manipulation of light. Master Lutomi had given her lessons on several different techniques in the art of camouflaging herself visually. The alternative of this would be to mind trick Saana into believing that she wasn't there, but that wasn't today's lesson. And so, with superb concentration, Khelsea made herself more or less invisible to the naked eye and waited for Saana. When Saana opened her eyes, she would probably be able to figure out that Khelsea was still there if she trusted what the Force had told her. Unfortunately, another Jedi had chosen that moment to visit the lounge. "Well, I guess it'll be a tiny bit harder for Saana to figure this one out."

 

[CJ Solo]

Khelsea's question was not all that surprising, but she had not given it thought until the Jedi Knight asked her about it. There was a brief silence as she considered how to describe it. "It was... hmm... Each of you were a brighter spot of light in a sea of light. At first, the presence of all here felt ... like one entity, but when I focus further, to look deeper, I could feel them distinctly."

Saana nodded, believing she understood what Khelsea wanted to do. Once more, she closed her eyes and settled into that place within herself that was growing more and more familiar. As she performed this exercise again, she was expecting to find the same number of individuals present in the Force, but she did not. Instead, she found eight. When she opened her eyes, Khelsea was not there as far as her eyes were concerned. She looked away from where she had seen Khelsea sitting to see that visibly there were seven people. "Khelsea....? There are visibly seven individuals but I sense eight."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

It was a little unfortunate that someone else had chosen that time to enter the room, because if they hadn't Saana would've been able to sense seven but only see six. However, since Saana was up to the challenge, her analysis of the situation was spot on even if she was a tiny bit confused. Without revealing herself, Khelsea spoke to Saana. "I'm still here, but look where I am sitting and examine it carefully. Perhaps this will help explain the tangible and intangible bit from earlier a little better?" She waited for Saana to search for her through her eyes. Or even better, through the Force. She was definitely in the same spot, and Saana would know this if she caught the occasional irregularities in the light shimmering, or if she sensed for Khelsea through the Force once again.

After Saana was done doing what she had asked, Khelsea requested that she repeat the same process one last time. This time, she used the Force to hide her presence, minimizing her presence in the Force to almost nothing. It was something to took great concentration, and although it was far from perfect, it was diminished to the point where unless Saana was focused on her the whole time, it would seem like there was perhaps an insect or some other tiny life form in the place where Khelsea was before. And so she waited while Saana searched for her through the Force.

 

[CJ Solo]

It was a strange thing to essentially be aware that Khelsea was still there, but casual observation with her eyes alone would say that the Jedi Knight was not there. Saana's yellow eyes narrowed slightly, she even leaned forward a little against the table to scrutinize the space that her senses had said where Khelsea was. She did, however, resist the urge to reach out and poke at the space with her finger to see if it would pass through Khelsea or simply stop where she was. At one point in her scrutiny, she shifted her weight in her seat as she believed she caught the slightest change in the area, a slight ripple in the bent light around Khelsea. "That is truely wondrous. If someone is using this ability to hide before you come into a room, how do you know then to look before they attack or flee? I looked for you because you asked me to and I know you are there; I sense you and I can hear you."

There was more? She placed her hands on the edge of the table as she leaned back in her chair once more. For a moment, her gaze left Khelsea to glance over the room. "Alright." Saana nodded in acknowledgement as she took in a slow deep breath to prepare to do it again. As she stretched out once more, the room was much the same as she had sensed it before. However, the space where Khelsea had been in, or was supposed to be in, seemed empty except for a small spark of light; a thing no larger than an insect or very tiny fish. Again, without prior knowledge of to look or what to look for, that tiny glimmer would be easy to over look. Finally, she cracked an eye open to peer at the space in front of her. "I can see how these skills could prove very useful on many Jedi missions."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Well, it requires extreme concentration and it's easier here because almost everything is stationary. Generally, most places are in motion, have security cameras, or maybe observant droids and or security guards..." Khelsea shrugged, even though she was still camouflaged. Perhaps if Saana was still observing the space she was occupying, she would be able to see the movements of her shoulders in the airwaves. "It's still a great skill to have in handy, especially if you end up in a messy situation. But once again, its up to you to rely on the Force, and your senses."

After Saana answered her last question, Khelsea let go of her manipulation of the light particles. Finally reappearing, Khelsea appeared as if she came out of thin air, or perhaps had an extremely elaborate personal cloaking device. "They've definitely been useful in the past, and will be useful again in the future. Perhaps one day in the future when we have lots of time we can work on these techniques together. The most important thing is to trust in the Force though. Without it you cannot perform even a tenth of what you can when you are relying on the Force, and I've learned that the hard way. Perhaps that's a story for another time though." Khelsea fell quiet for a second, not completely sure if Saana had gotten what she had wanted out of her time spent with Khelsea. She mulled over their conversation for a bit, and would follow up by asking Kai at a later date.

"I'm not too sure if this is what Kai sent you for, but maybe the demonstration helped you understand things better? Or is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Personally, Khelsea liked visual learning as much as auditory learning. Perhaps her examples would help Saana's confusion, and she would continue to grow in the Force after this time spent with Khelsea. She had asked indirectly about Force Sight, but from what Khelsea observed, Saana was doing alright. While her connection with the Force was still raw and there was much for her to explore, she seemed to have a strong connection with the Force, and her openness to learning and hearing what others had to say was a big asset. Khelsea had no doubt that this girl had huge potential, which was fitting since she was the padawan of one of her closest friends.

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana shifted, perking up perhaps, as she saw the displacement of light when Khelsea shrugged. Then, the other Jedi emerged from her hiding. "I would like that, Khelsea, to work with you. When there is the time, of course." She smiled at her some. Though she could not perform these feats just yet, she was not going to devalue what Khelsea had shared with her.

"I am not sure, either, if it is what he wanted, but I value what you shared with me. I would also be happy to listen to any stories you have to share. Stories often have things in them to learn from." Saana paused a moment, considering Khelsea's question. Then she just shrugged a little. "I could talk about many things, but... how did you meet, Master Kai?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

The topic when from semi-serious to casual, but that was fine with Khelsea. Perhaps if they had been in a training room they could've worked on some other stuff, but the lounge wasn't ideal for some of the things she could've done with Saana. Regardless, a very interesting question was put in front of her, and she would answer it. Making a thinking face to let Saana know that she had heard the question and was thinking, Khelsea went through her memory of being a Jedi as quickly as she could. "Hmm... I met Kai when I was on the moon of Galtea with Master Lutomi. Kai was her padawan at the time, and we were there initially to inspect the increasing seismic activity. It's a bizarre story, but we ended up stumbling into an ancient Jedi temple where we were tempted by the dark side, and eventually I found my lightsaber's crystal there." Khelsea patted her lightsaber affectionately under the table, where it was clipped on her belt next to her waist. "Speaking of tangible and intangible, that's another thing that I may never understand. Maybe if you ever happen to go to that temple, you'll see what I mean. Or ask Kai next time! The best way I can describe it was that it was a very supernatural experience."

Pausing for a second, Khelsea gathered her thoughts to figure out which details were important and which ones needed to be exempt. "I kept to myself mostly on that trip and although I didn't speak much to either Master Lutomi or Kai, they were both was very good to me. Lutomi was welcoming and kind, and I was surprised but pleased when she sent Kai and I on a routine mission to inspect the jungles of Lamaredd near the old Jedi outpost almost as soon as we returned to the base. That's were we started getting closer, and eventually we managed to run into trouble. We also managed to escape in one piece, and after Kai was promoted to a knight, master Lutomi took me as her padawan." Khelsea smiled to herself, remembering the warm feelings she still felt towards the older Jedi. Things were a lot diferent now, but she was still extremely grateful. "Actually, Kai was probably one of my first friends in the Order. Anyways, what about you? Same question back at you!"

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana smiled a bit, not having thought much about the nature of the shifting topics. Master Kai did not often talk about his own adventures, unless he thought there was something to learn from it. Hearing about Kai, for her, was as much a learning experience as was learning force techniques. She listened intently to Khelsea's recounted details with obvous interest; silent until Khelsea countered her question.

"I ran into Master Kai, literally." Saana's expression shifted to one of wry amusement. "It was on Tatooine. There, I was waiting for the next ship I would board to travel to another destination in my journey. I found a ship docked there that I had known from more than a year earlier; slavers. Not only did I see them, they saw me and they sought retribution for the slaves I had released on our first meeting. I was running from them, turned a corner and there he was. He nearly knocked me on the ground. It was very... awe inspiring for me. He was the first Jedi I had met, or ever seen, before. While we waited for people he had contacted after restraining them and freeing their captors, we talked about the slaves and he asked me questions about what I would do. Then he told me I was capable of being a Jedi and asked me to come here with him; then offered to take me as one of his apprentices."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Oh. Well that's an interesting way of getting to know someone. But you must have really shown your stuff, or Kai wouldn't have taken you with him just like that." Khelsea smiled encouragingly at Saana.

Khelsea glanced at the time, and was surprised at how quickly it had passed. Although she didn't have anything extremely important planned, she was going to drop in on a lesson taught by one of the Jedi Masters and try to pick up some more knowledge. "I was going to visit a Jedi Philosophy class, just to see how they teach it now, and try to pick up some things to learn. If you aren't doing anything for the next hour or two, come with me!"