Sentinels

[Sleight]

Var was just about to engage with his dueling partner when the Force lit up like a beacon from Knight Khivas. An energy wave cleared the sand from the air, and he stumbled backwards, his focus lost.

As Knight Khivas spoke, Var deactivated his training saber. Sylvaria was clearly in a huff as she stalked past him, her hips telling an angry story. He frowned, rubbing the top of his head absently where she'd kicked him.

Var nodded as Khivas laid out his analysis of his form. It was true; he was a swift learner, and Form VI, Niman could be absolutely deadly in the hands of a master. Perhaps he could one day be a sword master capable of utilizing Form VI to its fullest.

Sylvaria spoke, and he could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves. At her inquiry, Var nodded, a wry smile up-turning just the corner of his mouth. "I'd be more than happy to work on Telekinesis with you. Provided," he added, "that you teach me that move you did with the spin near the end. It was really something." Best to extend the olive branch; he admired Sylvaria's ability, and he'd much rather have her as a friend than an enemy. He nodded towards their instructor. "What do you say, Knight Carrick? Telekinesis, then lightsaber instruction?"

 

[Khivas]

Khivas smiled at their enthusiasm, the two Padawans clearly eager to learn, but one was far more tense than she should have been, had any right to be, but that's inexperienced youth for you (which is ironic because she wasn't much younger than Khivas, Khivas had just simply seen some shit). "Relax," He said to Sylvaria, "No need to be tense, and yes, I'll gladly give you a few pointers about Telekinesis."

Remembering the lessons of the fundamentals of Telekinesis from Master Ayso, and the strength training exercises from Jaleer, Khivas began to speak, but instead of blatent instruction, he instead would ask a question.

"Tell me," He went, "When you try to use Telekinesis, lift a rock or whatever have you, do you concentrate really hard, with all the focus you can muster to force that damn rock to move?"

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

Var flashed the Cathar a wry smile, and gladly agreed to instruct Sylvaria in the art of Telekinesis if she would teach him the three-sixty leg move she executed at the end. None of that was aided by the Force, and was all Martial Arts skill and a show of her impressive balance. But she would show him regardless of that. "I'd be more than happy too. Although I admit I'm not much of a teacher, so you'll, uh, have to forgive me."

Both of the young Padawan's attention was turned to Knight Carrick as he told Sylvaria to relax. Apparently her frustration was obvious to the two men, bit she was far from embarrassed of it. She felt how she felt, and that was that.

"My apologies." She turned to Var, her demeanor and overall mood a bit happier now. "To both of you. Sometimes during and after combat I can become a bit....intense. I'll try to control it next time."

Then Knight Carrick asked a question, something Sylvaria hadn't anticipated. She was accustomed to lectures and the like when it came to Force techniques. But this was a class about the unorthodox, so she should have expected as much from Khivas. While seemingly simple, the question at hand was surprisingly difficult for Sylvaria to answer. For some unknown reason, she was unable to connect with physical objects through the Force like most Jedi could. She had tried countless times to loft simple things, such as pebbles, bottles, even simple writing utensils and yet nothing would happen. Only slight shaking from the object would occur, and even then, one had to be paying close attention to it to notice.

She mulled over the question a tad longer than what was normal, it obvious from her furrowed eyebrows and the distant look in her eye that she was thinking up a storm. After a few more moments of thoughtful silence, she answered his question. "Whenever I attempt to raise an object, be it large or small, it's like I can feel it, the object that is, right out of grasp. As if my hand is so close to grasping it, but then it moves further away. And as I try it again, it continues to elude me. Its a vicious cycle, one that I'm determined to break." Sylvaria knew that was not an exact answer to his question, but that was the only way she could describe how all her attempts occurred. Each and every time.

 

[Sleight]

Var was pleased to see that she wasn't too upset at him, and he considered Knight Carrick's question. What did he feel when he used the Force to grasp objects?

He spoke slowly, trying to find something to compare it to. "When I was first learning how to lift objects, I could barely lift a tin can off of a table. I didn't believe such things were possible, until I had seen them for myself."

He remembered how Master Polis had easily levitated a plasteel crate, rotating it midair with a casual gesture. "Personally, I know that I used to have a hard time trusting in things I couldn't easily perceive. That's why it took some time for me to learn to trust the Force; to trust that it would be there when I needed it." He didn't add that nearly everyone close to him from a young age had eventually betrayed him. Var knew that he had some trust issues, and they probably weren't going away just like that.

"I had this doubt in my mind, that I'd I tried to lift something, I just -knew- it would fall. So it did. Only when I had faith in the Force that it would be there when I needed it, did it answer my call." Var looked over to Knight Carrick. "It's not about how hard you concentrate, is it?"

 

[Khivas]

"No my good man it isn't." Answered Khivas as Var ended his recollection of how learned how to use Telekinesis. "It's about how hard, yes, but not in the way you think. Look, over there, at the fisherman. See them?" He said, pointing out a boat on the lake below them.

"Watch as they cast their nets, then let them sit there. They don't actively thrash and grasp at them, they cast the net then wait as the fish comes to them. When you force it, it doesn't work, but I'd you simply relax and let go, let the Force flow through you as you ask it to aid you..." Said Khivas, as his arm raised in the air, reaching out as the Force flowed through him, grabbing hold of the chair he had been sitting in, and lifted it easily into the air, toying with it as a child would. "Let go, and let the Force flow, and it all becomes easy."

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

While Khivas' advice on the Force was more than what she asked for, and therefore helpful beyond belief, it was Var's confession about his experience with telekinesis that caused Sylvaria to think about her experiences. She had only ever managed to lift objects when fueled with extreme passion, whether that be anger or fear depended on the circumstances, but it was then, and only then was Sylvaria at her finest. The Cathar had managed to escape enslavement, indentured servitude, maniac circus owners, and even a band of greedy space pirates led by someone called Anhanka the Greedy.

Her past was dotted with mistakes, with regret, with terrible deeds she had done only to land in the grasp of yet another tyrant. When she joined the Jedi, it was not only to attempt to bring order and stability to the Galaxy, for Sylvaria knew that could never be done, but also to better herself. She needed to make up for her past transgressions, to mold herself into a better woman who may one day return to her father and show him that his little girl had grown up to cleanse the stars of hate and injustice.

It was a simple matter, telekinesis, but for Sylvaria it was so much more.... It was a reminding symbol of her life; the past, present and future. It showed her that freedom from not only one's enemy, but from herself was always so close, right within her reach. But one way or another it eluded her, a taunting game that ceased to end. Was it because she was trying to hard? Surely the Force would want her to give her all when combatting evil. And yet here Knight Carrick was informing her that one must simply relax and let the Force flow through you. While he was of course referring to telekinesis, wasn't that same way of moving an object similar to the entire Jedi Code? To let the Force guide your actions?

Perhaps I am over thinking this. Yes...I must be. To the two men in front of her it would appear as if Sylvaria was deep in thought, her emerald eyes gazing out into the distance as she dwelled on the small lecture Khivas had given.

Perhaps telekinesis would be the first step down a long road that ended in Sylvaria's understanding of the Code and herself. Or it would only lead to doubt and hate? May the Force aid those who would stick around to find out.

 

[Sleight]

Sylvaria appeared to be lost in thought as she pondered his and Knight Carrick's words. He didn't know if anything he'd said had many any semblance of sense to her, but he hoped that it had helped.

Var extended his senses in the Force, taking a breath and seeing the world through the eyes of his Force Sight. He could "see" the Force surrounding Sylvaria, swirling in time with her heartbeat. It was there for her, if she would trust it.

 

[Khivas]

"Well this got...deep." Khivas thought to himself as he felt the air around him grow tense with the emotions of old wounds. Not even with the Force mind you, just simply put anybody with a brain and a pulse could tell that the situation just grew really deep.

Looking at Sylvaria ponder and reflect on the mini lecture Khivas just gave, feeling Var look through the eyes of the Force itself, Khivas placed a hand on her shoulder and reminded her that she was not alone, at least not anymore.

In words, he would let her know that it was ok to have a past not many would want to know about. "It's alright, relax. I won't pretend to know all about your past and whatever that entails, but I will tell your that it is entirely OK to have shadows around your light. It's what you do from here that matters. Choose wisely."

Deciding that it was time to end this particular lesson, or at least move it to someplace more private, Khivas clapped his hands loudly in the air, declaring it was time to end this for now. "Well, won't lie, this was fun guys, and I do hope you learned something. But if we're going to continue learning, it might be a good idea to do it somewhere else from here for now. Like say, a large Capitol ship floating in orbit?"

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

Sylvaria was still deep in thought when Var attempted to soothe her emotions through the Force, a benevolent warmth that coursed through her veins. It was a pleasant sensation, enough to awake her from her dazed trance. She gave a warm smile to the Padawan, grateful for his assistance.

Khivas had also noticed Sylvaria's state, and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder to comfort her, telling her that "It's what you do from here that matters. Choose wisely."

He seemed a bit wise for someone so young. "Thank you, both of you. I didn't mean to hijack the lesson and make it about me...I apologize for that." She gave a somewhat awkward smile, embarrassed that she had grown so sentimental over something so trivial. She would not make that mistake again...

She let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, and turned to gather her robes as Khivas suggested they move the training to The Galactic Evolution. In truth, Sylvaria despised the ship, preferring to stay on the surface much more than trapped in a metal box with engines. But that was the main home of the Jedi for now, and as a result the location of the finest training equipment. "Sure. The Evolution sounds good."

As she neared her robes she stopped in her tracks, a light bulb flickering on in her head. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, she reached outward with her right arm, her entire mind and soul focused on her Jedi robes that lay crumpled on the floor. She stayed silent, still, only her chest ascending and descending slowly as her breathing steadied. After a moment of silence, the robe left it's position on the ground and floated towards the Cathar, the brown fabric rustling slightly. It landed softly in her hand as she opened her eyes, a wide smile etched across her face. Let go, and let the Force flow, and it all becomes easy. She repeated Khivas' words in her mind, that sentence something she would remember for a long time.

She slipped the robes on over her clothing, untied her hair to let fall beneath her shoulders once more and turned to the two men. "Ready when you are."

 

[Sleight]

Var's lips curled upward in a small smile as Sylvaria successfully levitated her robes into her waiting hand. He hadn't been wearing his cloak when they'd dueled, so he made a mental note to gather his belongings before they departed.

He nodded at Knight Carrick, and brushed the dust of battle from his trousers. He hadn't spent much time at all on the Capitol ship before coming planetside, so it would be good to have a longer training period up in space. Space never bothered him unduly, and he'd spent the last year with Master Polis jumping from frigate to frigate as they traveled. In fact, space was beginning to be downright comfortable to Var. "I'll gather my things, and meet you within the hour at the transport bay." He bowed slightly, and turned to walk away before stopping and turning back for a moment. "Knight Carrick, do you think there will be opportunity for me to construct my own lightsaber once I'm on board? It's becoming very clear that I'll need a blade in the times to come."

 

[Khivas]

"Well take your time on that one," Khivas said when Var told him he'd be ready to go in an hour. "I have quite a bit left to do, not to mention you never know when you might get dispatched on a mission or something." But the Padawan did have a good question though, one that needed addressing as it was probably in the top three of most important things for a Jedi to know or own.

"As for the Lightsaber, yes, I can help you with that on the ship. It won't be anything mystical or fancy, but it'll be enough to do what needs to be done. Just talk to the Quartermaster on board, and bring the parts to the class if you need help assembling them. Other than that, gather your things, take a few hours to make sure you said whatever good byes you have here and to be sure you have everything, and I'll meet you guys on The Evolution. Just don't expect it to be quick, us Knights are busy these days." Khivas said with a wink to the two Padawans, dismissing them and their impromptu class session.