Ask Ajan Kloss Peer Into the Past

[Dreys Pallodrin]

It was a common platitude that the mark one leaves on the world persists long after we are gone, that we live on in the people we have inspired, the places we lived. In this case conventional wisdom was closer to the truth than they knew. Psychometry: the power to sense the tale, the history of an object through the imprint made upon it with the Force. In its most potent form it could be like one was actually standing there, experiencing the history of the object as if it were really happening, with all of the sights and sounds accompanying it. Most dangerously, one could also sense the feelings associated with the object, how it was used by the person wielding it. Such visions of the past could be overwhelming to the untrained mind and even to Jedi it was a rare gift indeed to not only have such proficiency in Psychometry but also have the mental fortitude to not be overcome with the potency of the visions.

Still, the marriage of the practical and the academic with the sensational in this particular exercise was too great to ignore, and Dreys hearkened back to his own first experiences with Psychometry as a pedagogical tool for teaching History as a personal and relevant event.

"Psychometry shows us that beyond mere metaphor, history is all around us." Dreys said as he stepped into one of the Academy Library's many storerooms, decorated and appointed with hundreds of assembled artifacts from across the galaxy and across time. "It waits for us, yearning to tell us its secrets. Such is the purpose of today's seminar." Dreys moved to the center of the storeroom as his students formed a semi-circle around him. "Today you will pick an artifact from the storeroom, all of which are relevant in someway to different periods in Galactic history, and you will divine, using the Force, just what the artifact is, what it was used for, and where it came from. The answers may just surprise you..." Dreys moved over to one of the tables and after some internal deliberation decided on a broken sword.

"Take this for example," He said, presenting the weapon to his class in both his hands. "Typical make and artistry from the time of the last Mandalorian Crusade. But what if I told you it was a fake, a copy? It was made in the Clone Wars as the weapon of a Mandalorian Deathwatch officer who used it in their battle to change Mandalorian society. With the Force, we can experience visions of the past, experience history, as others cannot." Dreys bounced the weapon in his hands and brandished it in his left. "But like this sword, it cuts both ways. We must be careful that we are not drawn into the past, that we do not let the emotions of the dead cloud our judgments." He set down the sword before returning to his class. "Now, I want you all to use the Force to pick an artifact that calls to you and then I want you to start meditating, concentrating on it, it's past, it's history. These are all objects with powerful imprints left on them so it will not be difficult but be wary of what you find for you will not just see the past, you will experience it, as if you were really there in some cases."

Dreys cracked a wide smile. "Now, let's get started!"

@DizzySteinway @Darasuum

 

[Connie Callas]

For Connie, this would be the first practical lesson she'd had at the temple that related to something she'd felt before. Meditation and concentration were important, she knew that, but she remembered being stood there, holding some object on a loading dock, hearing vague laughter in the back of her mind, feeling bright sunshine on her neck in the middle of the climate-controlled spaceport. The revelation that this was actually something real, that she might actually have felt the past of the object came as a great relief to Connie. She'd felt like she'd been going insane until then.

"Any object, Master Pallodrin?" she asked quietly as her eyes scanned the multitude of artefacts. Endless rows of items, objects and errata. Some of it looked shiny and vibrant, like important relics or jewels. Other things just seemed... random and useless. Small, scratched sheets of metal or coils of plastics and fabric. She supposed that she'd have to rely on what the Force told her. She tried not to overthink it, which was already a challenge.

Something seemed to shimmer, just off the corner of her vision. Connie made her way over to one of the shelves, peering up on her tip-toes to reach for it. Her fingers curled around it, dragging it back towards herself as carefully as she could. It wasn't a weapon, or some valuable piece of history. It looked more like a scrap of cloth. Old fabric, colours faded, woven with plastics to make some sort of pliant material, frayed around all the edges. Her fingers slipped over it, gently feeling it. Old was the only word that came into her head.

Uncertain, Connie moved away from the shelves and began to sit, crossing her legs. She had no idea what relevance a scrap of old fabric would have to anything, but she didn't argue. She was there to learn, after all. Sitting quietly, she placed the fabric in her lap, with both hands over it. Her fingerprints pressed very gently against it as she closed her eyes.

@Darasuum @Officiant

 

[Orenth]

Byron stood patiently in some clothes he had managed to acquire. Ever since Hannibal had given him a work out, Byron had decided having only two changes of clothes wasn't going to cut it even with him washing them once or multiple times a day. Now he roughly six sets of clothes. If you count my flight suit

The man looked around, rubbing his stubbly chin as he listened. There were some interesting objects from where he stood but he knew that wasn't the point of the exercise. Thanks to the Jedi Knight's description Byron had a little better idea that made sense in his own mind.

His gaze brought him to look at the others present. Others seemed to draw the item to them without a thought. Byron closed his eyes and raised his hand. He reached out to try and sense something from the artifacts. At first he felt nothing. He thought about opening up and trying to sense what was there yet unseen. A lot, there were numerous small hints, like the slightest scent of a familiar flower or the flavor of slightly mineral flavored water. But they were all intermingeled and hard to separate.

Focusing more on what he was trying to find, the man waited and tried to specify in his own mind's eye what it was he was looking for. Byron jumped as he felt cold leather touch his palm and saw that he had unintentionally drawn an item. Both hands frantically juggled the item hoping not to drop it before he grasped it, slightly off balance and returning to his earlier posture.

Clearing his throat and acting cool, Byron would settle into a meditative stance and resume focusing on the item in front of him. This time he kept his eyes open for a bit. He looked at what it was that he had picked. It was a singular gauntlet. Leather and metallic parts made up its tructure and it seemed to be made for combat. Not too old but it seemed still primitive.

 

[Dreys Pallodrin]

"Yes any object Padawan Callas, whatever speaks to you or draws your interest." Dreys called as he made the rounds around the room, checking on his students as they looked about, inspecting the various items of the storeroom. Some picked out their items right away, others perused for a bit, seeing what drew their interest. Dreys could sympathize, there was so much history here and they were cleared to interact with it physically. More than that they were encouraged to connect to it through the Force. Some of his students weren't interested in the historical aspect of this seminar, Dreys knew that bitter fact from experience but if he could help engender an appreciation of history, however minor, through this exercise, then he considered it a success.

Once everyone had settled on a particular artifact and begun their own individual meditative stances, Dreys returned to the center of the room.

"Latch on to whatever sensation comes to you first. It might come as an image, a sound, even a touch or smell. Follow it, and you will unlock the secrets of your chosen artifacts."

@Darasuum @DizzySteinway

 

[Connie Callas]

Connie took in what Master Pallodrin said as she sat there, letting his words filter through her. She had no idea what a scrap of old, plastic-woven cloth might offer, but it'd spoken to her anyway. She tried not to think about some of the objects she saw the others grab. Jealousy wouldn't get her anywhere, would it?

So, Connie focused. Letting herself slip into that strange, weird, half-concentrating mediative state as she searched around in the Force for something. Anything. Wisps of things danced around in front of her, just out of her reach. The frayed strands of something. Connie frowned, brows pushing close as she tried to reach for them in her mind. Trying to cling onto something.

She managed to get a grasp on something. It hit her unexpectedly, a flash of something bright and shiny, bundled up with a knot of worry that suddenly twisted in her stomach. She gasped and opened her eyes, looking down at the cloth. The brief image and sensation in her stomach dissipated in an instant, leaving her blinking at her artefact. She hadn't expected it to be so strong and sudden.

"I felt something, Master. Like... a sensation of worry," Connie said quietly, as Dreys walked close to her.

@Darasuum @Officiant

 

[Orenth]

Continuing to focus, Byron felt the gauntlet in his hands. It felt cold and inanimate though he wasn't sure what he had expected. As he continued to pour more of his mind into the item to find his history he got a vision of movement. Hands, moving rapidly. A feeling of soreness began to move through his arms. But there was motivation, a sensation that was as inlaid in the gauntlet as the treatment of the leather.

Moments would pass as he lost the connection. Blinking his eyes open he thought about what he had just experienced but dove back in for more shortly after. Pale arms, white hair, and echani hand to hand fighter. There was more there, but Byron didn't know how to see it. Sighing in frustration he took a deep breath and set the item down. He needed to separate himself for a moment and calm himself. Any time he got frustrated with his own lack of progress he needed to remind himself to not get flustered.

@Officiant @DizzySteinway

 

[Dreys Pallodrin]

Dreys nodded. "When you're ready, follow it." He said to Connie before addressing the other students. "These objects have powerful imprints left on them. This makes them easier to access but they can also be overwhelming, especially to the untrained. Go slowly and take all the time you need. Remember your training, it will help you center yourself."

That last part was essential. Thoughts were easy to parse out as being foreign and belonging to another. Emotions were not so clear cut. The danger of psychometry was that the vision would be so potent that it could overwhelm the Jedi. The better they all disciplined their minds, the better they knew themselves, the easier this would be.

"Think about what this object might have been used for, see if there's anything you can recognize about it."

@DizzySteinway @Darasuum

 

[Connie Callas]

Connie had no real idea what this could have been used for. Fabric? Well, it could have been covering something important? Maybe that was why it was still in here? It'd be just her luck to get a random piece of covering, probably didn't even have any particular thoughts or meaning behind it. No, don't be stupid. You've already felt something about this, stop putting yourself down. Bristling a little, she shifted in her seat and tried to concentrate again. What was fabric used for? Oh duh... clothing.

And there is was.

Once she thought clothing, she could almost picture the outfit in her mind. The wispy outline of a small outfit, robes lined with protective weave. She could sense the weird, uncomfortable feeling it provided the wearer. They seemed smaller than her, nervous beyond her belief. They were clutching something incredibly tightly. A hilt? Connie's hands felt sweaty, like she was holding it herself. Her fingers twitched a little, like she should be holding it.

Words filtered through her head, coming quiet and wispy through the Force. Distant, strange and disparate. Concentrate..... Force... guide... bolt.... remote.... careful.... youngling. She couldn't figure out if those were things that were said, or thoughts that were held. They just flitted around with no real thought or reason.

"A youngling's training robe..." she whispered.

@Darasuum @Officiant

 

[Orenth]

It was pretty obvious to Byron what his item had been used for. It was a martial arts gauntlet, used to spar but more than just that. The white haired warrior he saw fought others with similar but unique hand protectors of their own. But the more he delved into the vision the less it seemed like it was ferocious in the same manner as other fights.

Byron had been a shock boxer during his days in college and had kept it up as a hobby long after he got his degree. But the sensations he was getting were different than when he felt aggression from others. There was communication with the strikes and movements. They were expressing themselves through sparing rather than trying to just exercise, survive or win. It was a pretty strange conclusion to come to considering Byron had never thought of hand to hand combat in that way. "Echani" He said the word out loud at the same time as he discovered it. Opening his eyes once again, Byron repeated the word to make sure he wouldn't forget it.

@Officiant @DizzySteinway