[NABOO] An Introduction to the Living Force

[Sisk_Renelo]

Vin stretched his muscles lightly as he took his outer robe off and tossed it to the side to land on a hanging branch. The dark green material fell gracefully and Vin made a slight gesture with his fingers to make sure the robe hung neatly. He stretched his arms above his head to loosen his shoulders and back as he took in the beauty of the lake and mountains that surrounded him. It was amazing that this tableau existed not 10 klicks from the capital city in such an unspoiled state. On any other planet this place would be nothing but homes and industry, but the way that the Naboo had planned their planet left the majority of the planet an unspoiled wilderness. The perfect place to meditate and let the Living Force fill him and guide him. On his rare visits here he spent the majority of his time away from the other Jedi. There was no need to be within the city unless he was teaching a class. He hadn't taken a padawan in over a decade, after Amilthi had left to go join the rogue Jedi on Tatooine. One had been forced on him by the Council before the fall of Coruscant, but that young man had gone missing without a trace and despite Vin's best efforts to locate him, no trace had arisen. Since then Vin had preferred a solitary existence.

Behind him stood a dozen lightsaber sparring droids, gleaming in the sun and waiting patiently as their master went through his stretches. Each of them was fully programmed to master level in all seven disciplines, and their movement servitors had been modified to allow them the agility and speed of a fully trained Knight, and the repulsors and magnets built into their palms even allowed them a decent facsimile of the Force. They were the perfect training partners in the absence of a living Jedi. Vin pulled his hilt from its place on his belt and ignited the silver blade as he stepped into the first position of Makashi, feet shoulder width, chest held balanced over the balls of his feet, with the tip of his blade angled downwards and hovering an inch above the grass.

"Activate Program Galen Aurek." At his words the three forward-most droids ignited their sabers and moved towards him in a triangle formation, two moving around his sides to flank him while the third came towards him from the front. Vin smiled as he flicked the blade upwards and allowed the Force to fill him, allowing him to sense the position of the other two droids as they exited his peripheral vision. He pushed the sphere out further and allowed the life force of Naboo to fill him, sensing each animal and plant as their power fed the Force and in turn fed him. But as the sphere expanded ever further, Vin felt a presence that was not native to this place, a presence ripe with the Force, yet raw, untrained. More than likely a new member of the Order on a hike to allow them to truly feel the Force surround them. Vin remembered the early days when Master Valay had done the same thing to him after rescuing the young Corellian from Treasure Ship Row. It was heady for any young being to be exposed to the raw power of the undercurrent of the universe.

Vin's blade flashed in a small circle around his body as the droid on his left flank lunged in an opening strike of Vaapad, an aggressive form often utilized by the Sith for its raw strength and heavy swings, meant to overpower an opponent. The last foot of his blade caught the powerful strike and redirected it to swing harmlessly past his leg and then twisted in his hand to catch an overhead strike from the droid in front. Vin recognized the Ataru form from the way the Droid's hand twisted around the hilt of the blade, and a quick lock from Vin allowed him to hit the droid in front of him with a powerful Force Push that sent the droid flipping away for almost ten meters to where it landed in a crouch. This was a dance, and Vin shuffled quickly and easily back and forth, balance perfect, blade a blur as it spun around his body in intricate movements. He could feel the presence approaching wearily, and prepared himself to meet this new arrival.

 

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Akala slowly inched forward towards the Jedi Master, Vin, who was fighting several lightsaber-wielding droids, with his own silver bladed weapon. She observed her surroundings first, of course. Several klicks full of trees, and other various wildlife. She was in awe at it, as it was so close to the capital, yet practically untouched. However, she was very careful around the man she was slowly making her way to, as she didn't want to be sliced by his lightsaber. Her face had both her normal, orange skin, which was topped with white face markings on her cheeks and the far sides of her eyes, and sweat. She was nervous that she was going to fail her training, somehow. Despite this, the Togruta was diving headfirst into it all. Clearing her throat slowly, she spoke nervously to the one in front of her.

"M- Master Galan.. Sir..." Akala started, hoping she wasn't disturbing the Jedi, "I- I am.. Er- My name is Akalya Syuphei.." She swallowed hard, sure she was going to slip up or say something stupid. With one hand, she held onto one of her montrals, and with her left hand, and with her right, she held her lightsaber crystal.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Vin didn't even break stride as the young Togruta came out of the trees, his feet shuffling expertly as he spun to the left around the droid using Vapaad and tapped his blade against the plate at the back of the neck. At the signaled kill shot the droid shut down and toppled to the ground, where Vin used the force to lift it and threw it towards the droid that had come at his right flank. The loud metal crash as the two droids collided and tumbled to the ground rang through the still air. With a quick force leap Vin flew towards the fallen droids with his blade flashing. He came down quickly and stabbed the tip of his blade into the throat plate of the active droid. It deactivated quickly, the metal being going limp as the signals from its brain stopped transmitting. The end of the lead was a combat roll away from any possible combatants, and as Vin found his feet his rising blade caught a strike from the last droid who had rushed back into the fight.

When she spoke to him he was briefly caught by surprise that she knew who he was, but he supposed that his name had been bandied about in the conclave. And considering he was the only Jedi on planet who wore green robes and carried a silver blade the process of elimination was easy. He supposed she was one of the new arrivals on the planet, and had been sent out by one of the other Masters. This seemed like something Lutomi would do to an untested arrival. Self-reliance was one of her big pushes. "Excuse me a moment, Akala." The words came through gritted teeth as he forced himself up against the droid and began the intricate dance anew. Ataru was a form particularly well suited against Makashi, and required a large amount of his concentration. The Droid came at him with a furious assault, the blade flashing from every angle at Vin.

He gave ground, his blade barely moving to intercept the strikes aimed at him with easy grace. Makashi was a form designed for saber-on-saber combat, fluid movements and perfect protection. With a portion of his mind he was aware of the young Togruta watching him, and sensed a small nexus of power grasped in her hand. The signature felt like a cut crystal. She grasped it with fierce determination. He chuckled inwardly at the almost desperate feel of her hold on it. Vin intercepted a strike aimed at his chest and diverted it outwards, sliding his blade inwards against the droid's and tapping the plate at the droid's shoulder. The arm went limp and Vin spun on the ball of his foot and delivered a decapitating strike, sending the head popping into the sky with an almost languid motion. Before his turn was finished, his blade was deactivated and the hilt was stored on his belt again.

Now free of outside distraction, he turned to the young learner and performed a small bow of his head. "Pardon my distraction, Akala. I was not expecting any visitors today." A fine sheen of sweat stood out on his brow as he straightened and relaxed. "How may I help you today, young one?"

 

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Akala watched in amazement as the Jedi Master ripped and tore through the droids with more skill then she thought she could ever muster up. Thinking about it, there was one time where she was able to out muscle a human boy, about a year older than her. She looked down to her side, where her blaster pistol was holstered. Looking back up to Vin, Akala bowed along with him.
"It's fine, sir." She spoke as confidently and respectfully as she could, though her voice cracked a few times. When she was asked how he could help her, Akala thought for a moment, searching for a way to put the question she was going to ask. "Sir... I was just recently appointed to the title of... Jedi Padawan by the council... Everything was in order... e- except..." She decided not to beat around the bush. "I'm lacking a master, s- sir." She prepared herself for whatever answer was going to come next, as she was sure it could go either way... But knowing her luck, it wouldn't be very good. "Sir... Would you b- be willing to t- train me...?" She asked quickly. She clutched both her lightsaber crystal and her montral, hoping the answer would be positive.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Vin was taken aback, his head tilting slowly to one side as he took in the young Togruta. Forward and bold. He liked it. "That is a request that I have not had for a long time. In fact, the last apprentice I took was probably before you were born." He was getting old. It had been... What? 17 years since he had seen Amilthi? It amazed him how short time seemed to be this day and age.

His feet moved at a steady pace as he began to move around the young girl, his hands clasped behind his back and his boots sinking into the soft grass and loam underfoot. In the distance he could hear the bleat of animals, and from the lake came the soft sounds of water as the surface was stirred by a soft breeze from the north. The Force was strong here, permeating every pore on his body with the pure energy and life that it bestowed, strengthening him and making him feel nearly weightless. A small part of him almost envied the girl and the journey of discovery she was about to take. To feel the Force as it truly was for the first time again... Ah, it was but a young man's dream.

The circuit around her was almost complete, and as Vin stopped in front of her an idea sprang forth, fully formed. A mischievous glint, one well known to his fellows was beginning in his eyes. "Akala, please hold out your hands and open them please."

 

[tobographic]

Akala felt so nervous she could collapse. The man was circling around her, maybe he was looking her over? She didn't really know, to be honest with herself.
Everything here is so... different. I feel... different. Akala thought to herself, unaware of the true power of the force. Thinking about it, Naboo was quite peaceful, which may have been the reason for the different feel of the location. Nar Shaddaa was so much different, as it was a city planet. She tried to let the tranquility of the area calm her down, and ease her nerves, but what she was about to be asked made her nerves jump up again.
Akala was asked to hold out her hands, and open them. She thought about it for a moment. Why would he want me to hold my hands out? Is he going to say no...? Nevertheless, Akala nodded. "Y- yes s- sir." She held out both of her orange-hued hands, and opened them up. Inside was her lightsaber crystal, with its green glint. She closed one of her eyes out of nervousness, and her entire body tightened up.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

He could feel her nervousness. It thrummed through the Force in waves. Well, she was young, and would learn in time. It was just the way that things tended to work. You learned, or you failed.

His hand moved out slightly with his index finger twitching in a 'come here' gesture, and the Crystal flew from her palm and into his own. With a practiced eye he looked it over, twisting it back and forth and examining how the light bounced through the cut surface. If a crystal was flawed, it would lead to disaster, and carrying it around open-handed was almost begging for a chip to the surface. He grunted slightly. "A Dragite Emerald. These are not easily come by, young one." The Crystal pulsed in his palm, and Vin closed his fingers about it delicately before slipping it gently into a pouch at his side.

Vin sat gently, and folded his legs in front of him. It was a classic meditation pose, and he gestured for her to take a similar one.

"Those things that help us concentrate are all well and good. But a true test of a Jedi is to be able to channel the force without external means. You say that you want a teacher, but to truly be taught one must be willing to learn. Please, sit. And open your mind to the Force."

While he had not yet decided if he was going to take the young one as his Padawan, Vin was always willing to teach. Her lessons would begin now.

 

[tobographic]

Seeing the crystal float away from her hand, Akala put her arms back down. That's... Really cool. She thought to herself. If I was a Jedi... I could do stuff like that... Right? She had quite a few questions. She wasn't sure where to start asking them, but she was interrupted before she had the chance to finish the thought. Dragite Crystals... So that's what I found from that one guy back home... Well, that answered one of her questions.
Akala was motioned to sit down, so she followed the instruction, crossing her legs together. Vin said something about channeling the force without 'external means'. She tried to clear her mind, and focus.
"So, what will we learn about, sir?" She asked, trying to sound calm. Her voice was still a bit nervous-sounding, however.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

"Today, you are going to learn about you, Akala. One is not able to grow beyond themselves until they find out who they are in the present." Vin raised his right hand from his knee and drew upon the Force slightly, bringing several small rocks up from the ground and sending them spinning in complicated loops around a center rock. With small movements of his fingers he spun the rocks in ever more complicated loops. "To accomplish what a Jedi must we must be centered and calm, the eye in the center of the storm. Inner peace and calm is not achieved without when we are in turmoil, and until we learn about ourselves turmoil is as natural as breathing." He spread his fingers wide, and the rocks froze in place millimeters from each other. It was a testament to his control and senses.

"But when we have learned about ourselves, the chaos just seems to... Stop. And when the chaos stops, everything becomes clear." Vin sent the rocks spinning away towards the lake and skipped them across the surface of the still water. His hand lowered and he allowed the calm that sat within him to radiate outwards and wash over the young Togruta. He breathed deeply and allowed himself to dip into the pool that the Force presented him with. It was an oddity of the Force. It came to everyone in different ways. For Vin, it was a remembrance of the warm pools that his mother used to take him to as a child. They were happy, contented memories, and they brought him back to the child he had been before everything had changed. He was older now, and wiser, but he would be lying if he said that he never longed for simpler days.

"Free your mind, Akala. Reach out with your senses and allow the Force to fill you."

 

[tobographic]

The first thing Vin told Akala made her confused. I'm going to learn... About myself..? She tilted her head at the Jedi Master. She wasn't about to question the effectiveness of his training, as he was, as she had reminded herself, a Master. As the Jedi used the force to move several rocks in many different loops, her eyes widened, as she was amazed and entertained, like a baby with a rattle. Something so simple to some, however intricate and complex to another. Moreover, she was excited to be able to learn to be able to accomplish feats like this on her own, however she would have to go through quite a bit of training. She let the wisdom of Vin's words sink in, realizing that before she learned the force, she had to learn herself.
After Vin had skipped the rocks, Akala focused, clearing her mind of all outside thoughts, letting the Force flow throughout her. The surroundings of the area reminded her of her home planet, Kiros. When she was only a baby, her Mother would take her into the large valleys on occasion. She felt the same feeling now that she did then. It was moving, to her, and Akala felt at peace.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

He could feel her settle down. Her face reflected that, dropping into a calm mask that marked a difference from the worry and hesitation earlier. Vin began to speak in a low, calm voice. "Breathe deeply, Akala. Allow your lungs to fill fully before releasing it. With every breathe feel yourself sink deeper and deeper into the Force. The Force is not something be fearful of, young one. When a Jedi touches the Force they are able to be something larger than themselves. With the Force a Jedi can move mountains." He breathed deeply through his nose and focused on the sensation of the grass underneath him, the wind as it caressed his cheeks, the quiet chirping of birds. All of it was part of the Force.

"But today we are not going to move a mountain, Akala. We are going to move but a single small pebble." He closed his eyes and lifted a small stone to lay in the grass in front of her. It was the size of his thumbnail and colored obsidian with dark red flecks in it, and as it settle into the grass it made a slight indentation but did not actually settle to the ground so light it was. " I want you to envision this rock lifting from the ground and hovering high enough for me to place my hand under it. That is all. Put the rock there with your mind and let the Force work through you." Vin settled easily and opened his eyes, focusing on the young Togruta. He would be amazed if she actually managed to do it on her first try. Normally the Padawan's envisioned so clearly in their own head that they opened their eyes expecting to see the rock sitting firmly on his palm, and were inevitably disappointed when they saw it still sat on the ground. Their minds had made the feeling so real that it was almost always astonished to find that the rock hadn't even shivered under their focus.

But like Everything Vin did, there was a lesson behind the disappointment as well. How she handled it would determine her future with him.

 

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Akala, just as Vin had told her to do, started taking deep breaths. In... out.... She repeated this pattern. She felt even calmer now, which was good for her. The force isn't to be feared... Got it.. She thought to herself. She nodded, her white and blue montrals jiggling with her movements. Alright, Akala, you're just gonna move a small rock. It's fine. You're fine. She assured herself mentally.

Akala closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She pointed the palm of her orange hand towards the rock, and closed her eyes. She felt calm, still, but she felt a bit worried as she didn't want to screw up in front of Vin. She imagined a semi-clear image of the pebble lifting off the ground. She focused, cleared her mind, and slowly opened her eyes. Nothing... She was a bit disappointed. She hadn't moved the rock an inch.

"I... Guess I need more training.." She said, nodding confidently.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Vin smiled at her acceptance of the failure as she spoke. She works do just fine in the Order if she continued to view moments like these as learning opportunities. He raised his hand and floated the rock to her gently. "I want you too hold onto this, Padawan Akala. It will be your practice tool. When you are able to move this rock we will move onto bigger and more complex uses of the Force." He rose easily from his sitting position and extended a hand to help her rise.

"I am leaving Naboo tomorrow. Hangar 3. Noon. If you truly wish to pursue the path of a Jedi you will meet me there. Bring nothing but the clothes on your back and anything of sentiment. I have an excellent tailoring droid who will ensure that you have new robes. There is also a wide variety of practice sabers for you to choose from." His hand delved into the pouch at his side and wrapped around her crystal, and then he hesitated before his hand could withdraw. "For now, padawan, your crystal with stay with me. If you are not at the hangar bay I will assume you have chosen not to come and I will leave it in the care of master Lutomi for you to retrieve."

 

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((Sorry for such a late reply! I've been quite busy lately...))

As Vin smiled, Akala relaxed a bit. Phew... He's not mad... I think. She was still a bit nervous, that perhaps He wouldn't train her, but she was still hopeful. Her hands opened up, and she slowly took the small rock, as it floated over to her. "Yes, sir." She nodded, and took his hand, standing up.

Vin stated that he would be leaving Naboo. She thought about what the Jedi Master had said for a moment. Clothes... and sentimental items. Alright. She then thought about the items she would take. Her blaster, her wrist-com, and her crystal. Then, he spoke about said crystal. So... I'm not getting it back...? Darn.. She sighed mentally. "Yes sir. I can promise I will be there..." She nodded, hoping this would all work out. She was excited, scared, and vigorous all at the same time.

/endthread