Shannai Kliepaik's Training

[Lillianne Crasse]

The Dantooine Enclave had made much progress since Khaluq had first set foot in the academy. The echoes of the Force was still strong in these halls. Many had trained here in the past and even now more were flocking to the side of the Jedi.

Focusing on her breathing, she sent her thoughts inward. As the Force flowed into her and out of her body, she began to follow it's natural flow. Just as the old man had taught her, she began to focus more strongly upon the essence of each person within the halls. Moving through each one, she let the Force lazily guide her to her new padawan, Shannai Kliepaik.

Come to training room 2. It is time your training advanced, Shannai.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

Dantooine.

To many people, the name represented a pleasant world of grasslands, rivers and lakes. To Shannai, it represented the home she never knew, the home she never wanted to know. For whatever reason, despite the fact that she had learned to respect all beings, she could not forgive her family for everything that had happened prior to her birth. She did not even know them, nor would she be able to point them out if she came across them on the planet, but that didn’t stop her from loathing them. On a bad day, perhaps she even hated them.

Shannai stirred in bed, noting the ungodly early morning time that flashed across her clock. She had been awoken through a voice in the Force, presumably that of her new master, Khaluq Chan’drane, though she had never met her before. Even so, she of course knew who she was. Every Jedi knew who Khaluq Chan’drane was and what she had done. It was for that reason why she felt uneasy when she learned that she had been assigned to her. However, she could not concern herself with such things. It was finally time for her training to continue and, with a little luck, end relatively soon.

A few minutes later, Shannai finally went against her desire to sleep later and stepped out of bed. Her hands moved to brush the sleep from her emerald eyes as she stretched out, hoping the urge to sleep later would quickly pass her by. When it didn’t, she stepped into the refresher and set the shower on its coldest level. Within seconds, she was awake, albeit a bit wet. When she dried off, she found her robes and pulled them over her head as she ran her fingers through her fiery red hair.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, she stepped out of her quarters and made her way towards the training room. As she had forgotten what time it was, she was taken a bit by surprise when she stepped into the small courtyard in the center of the enclave and saw how dark it was. However, the very early morning winds that blew through the area resonated within her soul as endless currents of peace and tranquility, causing her hair to whip within the winds. It gave her a much needed sense of peace while on a planet that she rather would not have been on.

Finally, she stepped into the small training chambers. They were small, made mostly out of wood, and were relatively spartan in design and feel other than the computer console in the corner and the worktable off to the side. Knowing that the chambers of the enclave’s respective Jedi Council was only a few rooms over gave her an added sense of comfort, as she had always deeply respected the Jedi High Council, as well as the numerous councils that served under it.

When she had gotten a sense for her surroundings, she found her new master sitting on the floor focusing deeply on something, presumably her breathing and meditation. Not wanting to disturb the former grandmaster, Shannai sat down in front of her, though still a few meters away, and waited for the Jedi Master to acknowledge that she had arrived.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq did not immediately stir as she felt her newest padawan enter the room and sit down. It was a good sign that she was demonstrating patience early in her training. Some padawans still have much work to do in that area when they begin their training one on one.

Taking a deep breath, Khaluq kept her eyes closed, but furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she felt a sense of uneasiness in Shannai. Such uneasiness was not unexpected, yet Khaluq found that if a padawan entered the training sessions with doubt in their minds that there might be issues arising later.

"It is always good to begin a session by learning a bit about one another," she began, finally opening her pale blue eyes and glancing upon her padawan's face.

Khaluq was careful to watch all of the padawans as they entered the Enclave to begin their training and follow them as they progressed. Shannai was one she had paid particular attention to. There was some similarities in them both. Such similarities could be a good or bad.

"Please, Shannai, tell me more about you. Why did you choose to follow the path of the Jedi? What is it you hope to accomplish? Such questions may seem harsh, but I assure you no answer you give will be the wrong answer."

Khaluq fully intended to answer any questions her padawan also had, yet she waited to see what kind of initiative the young woman possessed.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

A choice. What a nice idea. She made no such choice to join the Jedi Order, but rather it was made for her. Shannai had been born in this very enclave, so the Jedi were immediately eager to keep her for training. It was her mother, the mother that decided to have nothing to do with her, that made the decision for her. Granted, she did not disagree with such a choice, but the knowledge that someone else had decided what her life would be before she could even crawl was always in the back of her mind.

“I didn’t choose to join the Jedi,” she told her new master. “That choice was made for me twenty years ago when I was born in this very building. The choice I made when I was a teenager was to stay so I could help people in a way most wouldn’t even be able to dream of. I guess you could say that’s what I wish to accomplish, too.”

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"You seem a bit bitter toward your parents and toward the Jedi that let your mother leave you with them," Khaluq said, somewhat leading Shannai to say what Khaluq believed she had picked up on in the past.

Bitterness over the past could lead this young woman down a path that few had returned. A path that Khaluq herself had once tread upon and barely recovered from.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

Bitter may have been too strong a word, but what Khaluq implied was correct. She did hold resentment towards her mother, but not to the Jedi. The Jedi had given her a home after her mother had decided that she no longer wanted her, and for that Shannai was eternally grateful. She could never harbor any resentment towards them for being nothing more than a family.

“Not the Jedi, no,” Shannai said, “but you’re probably right about my mother. I mean, from what I heard after doing some digging, my mother went home after having me and told my...told her family that she had an abortion, that I didn’t even exist! I think I have the right to be a bit resentful for that.”

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"The Jedi encourage young ones to have little contact with their families. It makes the transition easier for all. You should not bear your mother too much resentment. You do not know her reasons for her actions. Also, for a young woman of your talent, she did what was best for you. You were meant to come to the Jedi. If she had placed you in anyone else's care, your abilities would not have been harnessed as they have in your time here among us. The longer a young child found to be force sensitive spends on his or her own, the greater the temptation to follow your impulses and emotions," Khaluq explained, wanting the young woman to look at the situation from another viewpoint.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

She knew that Khlauq was right in what she said but, of course, that did not make Shannai’s abandonment any easier to bear. Though she did not know her reasons, there was nothing worse than the feeling of knowing that someone did not want you, whether the intentions were noble or not. The idea that Shannai had done something wrong or that she had not lived up to her mother’s expectations outweighed the possibility of her mother simply wanting what was best for her.

“That doesn’t make it any easier,” Shannai told her. “Hasn’t there ever been a point in your life when you had to question why someone did something for you?”

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq paused, looking deep into the vibrant green eyes of the padawan, considering her answer before uttering it. "There has been a time, yes. Shannai, I understand your feelings on the matter, but you must not dwell upon them. There will be those that will seek out any weakness in your past and use that against you," she advised, remembering how easily Uric had been able to twist her once upon a time. "There are times when we must simply forgive and move beyond an event in the past. It is through such actions that we grow. I'm not asking for you to forget...merely, put it behind you and trust in the leadings of the Force," she finished with a sad smile.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

“I don’t dwell on it,” Shannai said smiling, realizing that Khaluq had mistaken her feelings for dwelling. “You asked.”

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"Whether you dwell upon it or do not does not change the fact that you think it at times. When faced with a mission where you may meet with a child going through the same feelings, or face to face with the parents, can you supress your feelings and see things from an objective standpoint? This is the greater matter. Yet, we shall move on," Khaluq said.

"Before we continue, have you any questions or concerns?" she now asked, opening the floor to the young woman. She wanted all to be out in the open before they delved deep into the theology and teachings of the Jedi.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

“I’m glad you asked that,” Shannai said, albeit a bid hesitantly as she was not looking forward to asking the Jedi Master such a question, “because I do. Frankly, I’m not fond of the idea of being taught how to control my emotions from someone who up until recently called herself Darth Nyssa. I’m still young and more easily influenced than an older, wiser Jedi Knight, so how am I supposed to know if I’m somehow being influenced by a darkness that’s still inside of you?”

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

“I’m glad you asked that,” Shannai said, albeit a bid hesitantly as she was not looking forward to asking the Jedi Master such a question, “because I do. Frankly, I’m not fond of the idea of being taught how to control my emotions from someone who up until recently called herself Darth Nyssa. I’m still young and more easily influenced than an older, wiser Jedi Knight, so how am I supposed to know if I’m somehow being influenced by a darkness that’s still inside of you?”

Khaluq did not wince as the question was asked. Her time in the darkness was not something she was likely to forget. For years she had fought against it's influence. Only through the aid of others had she begun her walk back toward the light, seeking repentance.

"I will not hide my past deeds from your nor from any of my padawans. It is true I once tread down the path of darkness. It was not until I had fallen that I even began to realize what I had done. Hindsight is wisdom that comes too late. You see, the darkness has a way of creeping up on you through little actions, words spoken, etc. The more you begin to follow your emotions, the more the darkness encompasses you. The further you follow this path, the harder it is to come from. However, all is not lost. There is always hope of redemption, though few are redeemed.

"Because of my past choices, I can better warn you when you take steps toward the darkside. It is easier to recognize when you've been faced with it. Were I not sure I could train others without tainting them, I would not be in this training room. The other Jedi Council members are always watchful, yet they have come to trust me. For now, all I ask is that you too trust their judgement. However, if you feel as if you are being tainted in any way, I would want you to go to the other Jedi Master here immediately," she finished, looking into the eyes of her padawan, hoping to drive home how important it was for her to do so.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

“I guess I can accept that for now,” Shannai said, though she clearly would remain cautious around her new master, and she allowed her tone of voice to reflect that. However, she did not want to continue asking questions about her master’s past or answer questions about her own past. She was ready to continue her training, as she had waited far too long to have a simple conversation on her first day with her new master.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"Life is full of accepting things we like and dislike. It is how we grow. The truth is not always pleasant, but it is the truth still," Khaluq mused while turning her head away for a moment and cracking a smile.

Khaluq again closed her eyes and turned her face back to her padawan, as her smile faded from her face. "Close your eyes, Shannai, and concentrate. Take slow, deep breaths." She paused for a moment, doing just that, illustrating her own instructions.

"With each breath in, concentrate on the air filling your lungs, the exchange of gases," she paused giving her padawan time to explore this level of meditaiton. "With each exhalation concentrate on the release of gases from your body back into this room. Within your own body, the Force flows, just as it flows from all life. Go deeper still with the next inhalation and feel the Force flowing in your body, just as blood flows through your veins. Follow it's flow within and then outside your body and into the room," she urged her, following her progress in the Force, ready to help direct her should Shannai find the exercise a little difficult.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

With every breath, Shannai felt closer to the Force. It was the same as it had always been, very calm and comforting. All beings that knew of the Force and felt it flowing through them for the good of others wanted to one day become one with the Force, and Shannai was no different. Like all of the others, she knew that she first had a purpose to fulfill and would fulfill it to the best of her abilities.

The Force continued to flow through her and it brought her to a comforting place within her mind. It was as if she was sitting up against a calm, flowing waterfall in the vast fields of Naboo and no sound other than the nearby animals could be heard. She had been to Naboo only once before with her late master, and they had mediated near the waterfalls in the lake country. She had felt something special there with the Force, and it was why her mind always returned her to it. As she continued to breathe, a faint smile crossed over her face as she let her mind wander through the fields.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq was impressed with this young woman's connection with the Force. It was obvious she was very gifted. Most of the padawans who came to her to begin their one on one training weren't as disciplined as Shannai.

Khaluq let her continue to commune with the Force for several minutes before she lightly touched the young woman's mind, delicately bringing her back to the room on Dantooine.

Khaluq waited until Shannai's eyes opened before continuing.

"Just as the Force flows through all life, all over the galaxy, we Jedi listen to its fluctuations and let it guide us. It is important to find the peace within and seek that communion often. You see, for every action we take, the Force is affected in some way be it through deliberate manipulation of the Force or through simple deeds. Yet, our responsibilities go even further than the average citizen. The slightest deed could cause a snowball effect, resulting in disasterous consequences; yet, the same can also occur from our inaction. We must seek the right path continually and think of every possible outcome instead of rushing in acting on impulse. It is through this philosophy that the Order established the Jedi Code. Have you heard the Code? perhaps heard some of the other Jedi speak of it?"

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

“Of course I have,” Shannai told her. “If you recall, you’re not my first master, but I guess that’s beside the point. The code says that there is no emotion, but rather that there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force. It goes on to say that we are the guardians of the galaxy and that we use our powers to defend and to protect. We are to respect all live and serve others. We must also improve our own lives through knowledge and training.”

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq seemed contemplative as she listened to the woman recite the code. It seemed she had it memorized afterall, yet could she explain the words.

"Indeed. You know the words, but do you know the meaning behind the words?" she finally asked, wanting to test the woman further.

 

[Shannai Kliepaik]

“I can,” she told her. “We should not deny emotions, but we should not let them overcome us. Instead, we should understand and deal with them to create peace within ourselves. We must not be ignorant to the truths around us, but rather we should learn from them and expand our knowledge of the universe, but most importantly ourselves. Emotions and intuition must be understood and utilized, but we cannot act rashly or else it could lead us to the Dark Side. We must realize that everything is interconnected and that the universe is harmonious, whereas the uninitiated see the universe as a chaotic and disconnected place. Finally, we must always realize that death is a natural part of life, but it is not the end of the life as we all become one with the Force in its netherworld.”