Ask Master and Apprentice

[Kyp Eridan]

Ithor
6 galactic standard months prior
​

Kyp knelt before his apprentice, the book spread wide before him, gently floating in the air. He was not focused on the book itself, instead, he focused on the mantra that he was repeating. "I am one with the force, the force is with me." The mantra slowly repeated as the man knelt on the stone, the young woman across from him. He could not see her, for his eyes were closed, but instead, he could feel her presence in the force. Tumultuous, troubled, the red flashes of red lightning fear exuded not from her, but from him. This journey was as much about him as it was his apprentice. The only difference was that his apprentice did not know about the time he had spent off on his own, while she slept, he was off with their guide, Saph Frothh. The Ithorian had been guiding him in secret, helping the Jedi to learn to be a better guide and mentor. During the day, they studied with their guide and other Ithorians, learning the ways of healing, learning the ways of peace and nature and oneness. In the afternoons, they meditated and studied inwardly, seeking guidance from the Force for them both. And in the evening, Altina was sparring and running a makeshift obstacle course that he had made for her weeks after their arrival on the planet. At night, he left Altina to her own devices, to study as she willed and to learn as she willed. He used the time to study for himself, of course, in the form of long walks talking and learning with Saph. When the ithorian priest returned to his home to sleep, Kyp returned to his books, seeking out knowledge to aid his padawan.

And she was progressing, coming to better distinguish the reality from the visions. But he wondered if he had trained her well enough in other areas, wondered if he was preparing her for the darkness that was surely coming. But it was more than just worry, it was fear. He feared he had let his padawan down, that he had left the young woman in a place where she could only fail. He had to do something, he had to purge this indecisiveness from himself, he had to fight this fear. He would talk to Saph tonight, he would seek the wise priest's guidance, and he would follow it, and in doing so, he would become a better master to Altina...

Rhen Var
Present Day
​

Kyp rose even as the ship began its descent. Altina was landing the ship, which was good, because he had preparations to make. He strode back into the common area of the ship and withdrew a pair of heavy weather parkas. He wondered if Altina had understood the importance of why he had insisted that she bring a set of deep cold weather gear. The place they were to land was a well-sheltered outcropping on a tall peak, a wide, flat, plain extending far out to the edge of a sheer cliff, there would be plenty of room here. Kyp had landed here before, found this place on his excursion here. He had meditated here for weeks upon weeks. Solitude and quiet, the sheer weather, it had served him well. But they were not to be here for long, there was a deep connection to the Force here, both the light and the dark side, which meant that he did not want to risk the connection leading to some horrid vision for his apprentice, at least not yet. His time here had taught him much, it had taught him that he needed to face his fears head-on, and she would need to do so soon as well. But first, they had other plans for their week here.

Kyp let his hand trail along the crate of rations he had stowed away, as well as the equipment needed to make camp and build a small training base here. Not something permanent, but rather, something temporary, something to allow the pair to focus, to train, while each retaining their privacy and having space to meditate.

He felt the ship rock as it landed, and he smiled to himself, letting his outer robe drop away, revealing the simple normal robes of the Jedi of old, well the upper half, anyway. His legs were covered in a pair of thick, woolen, cold weather pants. They matched the simple blue parka, which he began pulling on. He said nothing, buttoning the coat up and setting his journal onto the table. He had to leave the book behind, she needed his full and proper attention. Slowly, the man made his way to the ramp leading out from the ship. He reached out with the Force and his lightsaber flew into his hand, and he clipped it onto his belt.

"When you have changed, Altina, meet me outside, bring your lightsaber." Kyp lowered the ramp and made his way out from the ship, taking his place in the bitter cold, waiting for his apprentice to join him, their training would begin today once more...

@Lavi

 

[Altina Tiramara]

Having limited exposure to the galaxy, Altina did not know anything about Rhen Var, so she didn’t question Master Eridan’s request to procure cold weather gear. Even while they were in the atmosphere, instruments started to feel cold in her hands. It was only then that she understood. Rhen Var was not cold: it was freezing.

Her piloting skills were not as rough around the edges as Kyp was, though her inexperience showed. Fortunately, it seemed as though Rhen Var was not a popular traveling destination, making it much easier for her to pilot without relying on her feelings. Although the ghostly images she saw were still present, she could more easily pick out what was real and what was not with common sense.

The time spent on Ithor was well spent. The Ithorians were well suited to guiding her through the challenges she faced. Confidence had gradually replaced her timidness, in no small part because of Kyp’s and their guidance. However, she still had a long way to go.

As the ship sighed as it powered down, Altina made her way to her quarters, where she collected her lightsaber from its casing. It had a longer-than-average hilt, like what one would use for a double bladed saber, but it was meant to use a single blade. The extra length was attuned to allow for a longer blade length instead.

Even while wearing the great coat, the weather’s bite still surprised her as she stepped down the ramp. This planet felt as inhospitable, if not more, than her time on Tattooine.

“What are we here for?” she asked Kyp.

@Srota

 

[Kyp Eridan]

Ithor
10 Months Prior
​

"Your focus determines your reality." Saph Frothh said to the pair as they sat in meditation. The Ithorian healer towered over the pair of Jedi, though that may have had more to do with the fact that the pair were seated. They had arrived a week previous to this, the pair seeking new information and techniques to help aid Altina with her visions. Kyp was, at this point, quite despondent. His failure as a master during his padawan's trial weighed heavily on the Chandrillan. He was here now, seeking solace from the sheer negative energies that seemed to leak out from him at times, from what he felt was a lack of guidance from the Force. So far in his time as a Jedi, he had sought out the guidance of the Force, he had allowed the Force to guide his every move and act. But now, well, he wondered, was that just an excuse? Was that... He stopped, forcing himself to take the thought and shove it deep down, burying it within the darkest parts of his soul. The council had chosen him to Aid his padawan, they had known that the pair would be good for one another. If he could not trust himself, he could trust them.

"How we view the world around us changes how we internalize our thoughts, our emotions. If we allow ourselves only to see the negatives in the galaxy, we risk letting the light and goodness in others and ourselves pass by. This is most assuredly a path to the Dark Side of the Force." Saph stepped forwards, moving towards Kyp, leaning down to look at him. Kyp tried to focus, to quiet his mind, to trust in that guidance. He shut his eyes, letting himself reach out with the Force, slowly feeling the warmth of the life around them, the calm of the air as it whistled through the trees. The bark of animals, sudden flashes of pain, the warmth grew hotter and hotter, as if he were being engulfed in flames, cries of pain and torment surrounded him. He found himself unable to keep from focusing his attention on it in that briefest of moments. It drew him in, the warmth growing and growing, until it cut off completely, turning into a cold, icy tendril of fear. This was surely how Altina felt, surrounded by pain and suffering as the Force guided her through its visions. "But what about the light? If we focus too much on the good, we let the bad escape our sight as well. We must strive to find balance, we must walk that fine line and trust in the Force to see us through." The tendril seemed to uncoil, to rear back at the sound of the deep Ithorian voice. Kyp felt relieved, and he forced his mind to focus on the sound of Saph's voice. He felt like a child, inducting himself to the mysteries of the Force through study and reading once more. Everything felt new and bright again, and he thought, for the briefest of seconds that he felt at peace with himself.

Saph walked on, past Kyp and approached Altina, his voice taking on as kindly a tone as the synthesized translator might adopt. "And you, young one..." He gave her what must assuredly pass within Ithorian culture as a smile. He leaned down and continued gently. "You must learn to trust in your ability to focus as well. This will come in time, but for now, focus on the sound of my voice, let the visions wander harmlessly by, close your eyes, and let yourself reach out with the Force, seek reality, seek the truth as only you are able."

Rhen Var
Present Day
​

The wind roared past him, almost concealing what Altina had said to him in its entirety. He said nothing. He reached out his hand and his lightsaber flew into it, igniting with the flick of a thumb on the activator. A second, more subtle flick of the thumb set it to a training mode, the low power setting would only leave her stunned should his attempt to begin her training anew fail. He approached her slowly, his voice picking up loudly in the air.

"Your focus determines your reality, Altina. You must remember this tenet. Trust in your focus, you have trained in this. Defend yourself for the next minute."

He charged at her suddenly, his speed picking up as he used the Force to propel him forward, his shouts echoing in the wind as he brought the blade up to his shoulder and sliced down, swinging at Altina in a basic strike across the body. He needed to make sure she could handle herself now, things were getting more dangerous. His meditations had led him to Hutta, and he needed to know that even in the darkest places, she could find the light, focus on the reality of the situation. And so he had brought her here, now, to a place where both the light and the dark flourished. He knew the test would be hard on her, and if she failed, he would lose much trust from her, but if she succeeded, if she could focus on him, on the reality, she could feel and understand his concerns for her, his worry that he would not be a good enough master to see her through this Galactic Conflict. He let that genuine care and concern, the trust and respect he had for her, the truth, flow out of him. If she could feel it, trust it, let it guide her in the coming minute, he hoped it would help her put the theoretical they had learned all those months ago on Ithor into practice.

 

[Altina Tiramara]

She wasn’t expecting Master Eridan to attack her so quickly. It seemed like it was only instinct that prevented the blade from scorching her as Altina evaded the lightsaber’s arc. Her lightsaber came to hand and ignited as Altina scrambled away to create distance.

Altina held her blade out like a pike, resting the base of the weapon at her hip. The combined length of both hilt and blade meant that her master would have to close distance in order to be able to strike her again.

It was only after catching her breath that everything that she had felt in those few seconds finally registered in her mind. The trust, care, and concern as well as the anxiety and fear. They were all jumbled together, making it difficult for her to tell them apart. Her focus, initially rattled by getting caught off-guard, slowly pulled itself together.

However, their sparring is far from finished. She remembered to switch the power to training mode before going on the attack, aiming to bat her master’s blade aside to provide an opening to thrust forward with her blade. Since most of her physical training was meant for her body rather than form, her technique was far from perfect.

@Srota

 

[Kyp Eridan]

Kyp Eridan smiled, not a hungry smile, not one filled with wrath, but one with happiness and understanding as she parried his blade, batting it aside to prepare for her thrust. As she did, he spun and stepped to the side, bringing his blade around, but stopping before he swung it towards her. How far she had come raged through his mind, lending truth to that smile. Before, well, she would have balked, overwhelmed by the sheer flood of visions, locked away in a room, in the dark alone. Now, well, now she had at least one friend, one companion, someone outside her mind who could aid her, could guide her through this terrible burden and responsibility.

"Focus on the here and now, Altina. Do not bend the Force to your will, but do not lose focus either. You must learn to submerge yourself in it, let yourself flow with it, like a river. But as with a river, you must not lose sight of the shore that is reality." He never swung the blade, instead, reaching out with the force and giving her a push, gentle but firm, seeking to push his apprentice off of her balance, just a tad.

"Submerge yourself in that stream, keeping your eyes on the shore, on the here and now, let that power flow through you, as we have done many times before. Slowly, push back, ease yourself into this. Counter my pressure with your own. Feel the force, the energy of life itself flow through you and out towards me. The key is control, my Padawan, things are growing ever more dangerous in this galaxy and we are near the borders of Sith space, we must prepare you more to face the hardships of our journeys. Most important of which is helping you to maintain your focus on the here and now in even the most extreme stress."

This was all new to him, but he had to try and test her, he needed to make sure she would be safe, she was his charge, after all, and she had had such a hard life, she deserved not to have a hard end to it as well. This was good, surprise her with the sudden attack, tempered with understanding and knowledge that this was not a betrayal, but rather guidance, a test, seeking to find her limits and then slowly, gently, push her past them. Now, the change from a saber to the Force itself would help stimulate the flow through her, hopefully gently pushing her towards one of her visions, pushing her to feel the Force flow through her and to help her learn that focus on the moment even as she channeled great amounts of the Force through her, like he knew she was capable of.

@Lavi