Shimmering and glistening.

[Garuga]

Once Bacilla finished giving her instructions, she too closed her eyes, as to better follow Alec’s progress as he attempted the exercise. She nodded happily as he managed to master the basics of the sensing the world through the force with little difficulty, knowing that force mastery was probably going to be the niche that Alec occupied. But the exercise didn’t end there yet, Bacilla wanted to take advantage of the time now, when Alec had managed to attune the force to himself. Learning would be most crucial now, when the basics have been gone through. "Well done indeed, continue practicing during free time or the sort. That skill will be one of the most important ones you shall come across, keeping you aware of the environment around you, locating the individuals you are looking to find by recognising their presence." Bacilla smiled.

Taking out a small palm sized com-link from her belt, Bacilla suspended it in the air through the force, the fairly oval object twirling and stopping as Bacilla willed it. "I believe that this is something which you would have seen before." She stated, "Telekinesis, another major field of force applications. A fundamental one at that, basic as it is, it could certainly be another lifesaver." From simply levitating and moving smaller objects first, later on, splitting boulders is only slightly different.

"Like before, gather the force around you, but this time, I want you to extend it to an object... like your lightsaber hilt. Encircle the object with the force currents, and mentally picture yourself raising the lightsaber with your own hands. You could raise and direct your hands to aid yourself as a visual aid if need be."

 

[Pele]

Alec nodded at his master as she gave him his new instructions. He pulled out the training lightsaber and laid it on the palm of his hand preparing himself for his task. He did a quick mental picture of the hilt raising out of his hand and after feeling like he knew exactly what he wanted to do he went back into the connection. Using the force waves to go around the hilt he began to try his first attempts at telekinesis.

At first the hilt seemed to barely move at all on his palm, but then it started to twitch and give a little shake as he started to put more power into the force current. Slowly but surely the object floated upwards and out of his palm, shaking slightly as it went about a foot into the air above his palm. He watched it for a second, feeling a bit pleased with himself as he watched the object rest in mid air, but that second cost him as the object wobbled and started to sink. Catching himself he quickly brought his attention back and he kept the object in the air, waiting his masters next instruction.

 

[Garuga]

"Alright, now, I want you to stand up carefully, but make sure not to lose your focus!" Bacilla said, standing up herself. "Try moving around the room now, and if you can, also keep moving the position of the hilt. It might feel like you or the hilt are threatening to topple over any moment, but keep your mind clear of that prospect. You managed to apply the capacity of force sense before this, try it now again while using telekinesis to guide you as you walk around."

This was certainly not an easy task for someone to accomplish during their first day of training, but if Alec manages to accomplish this, they would be well on schedule indeed! Once Bacilla had managed to instruct Alec to the point where she believed that he'd manage fine if left isolated during an assignment, she'd take him along and leave the constricts of the training facility. After all, it was in the real world, where these skills mattered. Not to say that of course, if there was a Padawan competition Bacilla would allow for Alec to get anything short of first place...

Realising she was being distracted by her own thoughts, Bacilla shook her head and watched Alec attempt this exercise.

 

[Pele]

He slowly stood up and attempted his master's instructions. The blade itself wobbled as he brought his body into a standing position and he didn't notice how much concentration it took to move his muscles while also keeping his focus on keeping the force to suspend the hilt of his blade. It was a task in itself not to fall over when he felt the blade try and fall out of his weak grasp with the force. But thankfully his luck kicked in as he was able to control the blade from falling. He felt weird trying to stand and control the object, he had mostly been sitting whenever he had worked with the force and though it wasn't exactly tougher, he just wasn't used to balancing himself and concentrating on the hilt.

Once he felt like he had grasped the situation he went onto the next part. Going deeper into the force he went into it and sensed the room around him again, feeling out the area. But his attention slipped and so did the blade as he saw it drop a good foot before he caught it in another current of the force. Taking a sigh of a relief he tried again, sensing the room around him and moving his feet slowly. After a few steps things seemed to click and he gradually picked up speed until he wasn't moving so slow that an old man could catch up to him.

Lastly he tried the last part, feeling confident in his abilities at the moment he could tell he was ready to try the next part. He used the force to manipulate the hilt in the air, slowly moving the hilt around and up and down and side to side. He was enjoying himself until he noticed he had stopped moving forward and was only moving the blade. Mentally kicking himself he started walking and his balance on the hilt seemed to waver. As he tried to move it around he understood what his master meant when she said it felt like it would topple over. But he was making progress again, moving from a step every 3 or so seconds, to 2, and then to a casual but slow pace. Progress was coming, slowly, but as he went on he felt like he was finally grasping the concept of the force.

 

[Garuga]

The progress was certainly visible, though Bacilla knew that it was inside Alec himself that the force potential was finally being tapped into and nurtured. Managing to divide his attention between the telekinesis, his footing as well as his surrounding was certainly a large step to take. The core of all the force techniques was the same, one's connection and synchronisation with the force.

"Good, you can stop at your own pace as long as you don't end up tripping and whacking yourself with that hilt!" Bacilla said, as a loud 'bleep' from her communication system alerted her to a message. Quickly scanning over the screen, Bacilla nodded at the timing of the message. Once Alec regained his breath or bearing, Bacilla waited for him to come to her.

When she trained under her own master, it felt like she was doing nothing but proving her self, demonstrating her capabilities and in general competing with everyone around her. It was not a leisurely process, and certainly she regretted some of it now. Old habits were hard to break, and though she was fond of talking with her peers, there were few from her Padawan days that she maintained a close connection or bond with. Bacilla knew that she wouldn't want the same to happen with Alec, and the message she received just now was certainly a good opportunity.

 

[Pele]

Slowly stopping his movement he let the lightsaber sit in the air above his head. Then he released his hold on it through the force and let the hilt drop from the air and right into his hand. Smiling at his little fun he dropped the blade into his pocket and slowly made his way over to his master.

He could tell that there was something going on since he had heard the beep of something on her and knew it must have been a message. Maybe she got a call from someone important, or maybe just a notice on something, but he didn't really know. Shrugging internally he made his way over towards his master and stopped a few feet away from her.

"Alright! What's next?" He asked, feeling a bit confident.

 

[Garuga]

"Haha, well, I actually need to leave you with a bit of homework. Some people are waiting to see me, and they are not the type to be all too pleased if I'm late." Bacilla responded with an apologetic smile. "But there will be some reward for the homework, I promise."

This meeting should prove to be fruitful indeed, the message sent to her had a certain 'crispness' that suggested something important. "But yes, before I leave..." Bacilla chuckled. "You can do whatever you wish now, until I see you again probably tomorrow? But over that time, I want you to think carefully over the subject of killing."

A rather sharp change in topics perhaps, but it was a question that she knew she needed an answer to. "Killing, self-defense or not, think over it before you sleep, but now go ahead and... chat up some cute Padawan or what not." She joked, giving a small bow to Alec before heading for the door. A productive first session indeed. Bacilla mused. Alec eh...

 

[Pele]

He was indeed interested on the subject of killing, mostly because he didn't know what his stance was on the matter and being confronted with this bit of homework already got him thinking. He himself had killed someone and it wasn't really out of self defense either, so he didn't really anything to justify his action. Though he would never apologize for what he did, was he wrong for killing his old master?

Catching himself from ignoring his new master he quickly brought his attention back. He blushed a little as she teased him and he stayed quiet, his mind moving from the serious subject of killing to the lighthearted subject of flirting almost instantly. His skills at flirting were....well he really didn't have any. He had actually never had a girlfriend, but then again he wasn't too old so he had time. He had actually seen a pretty Twi'lek girl on the shuttle here who had the most beautiful lekku he had ever seen. But he didn't have the balls to go and introduce himself. Maybe with the confidence he had gotten from this session he might actually just try to chat up some girl. Once again forgetting himself he turned towards his master and bowed.

"I will most definitely think about the subject. Thank you master for this training and I hope your meeting goes well. Good day master." With that, Alec returned to a normal standing position and made his way towards the exit.

Thankful for his minds cooperation he decided he would do a couple things with this free time. Firstly, he would meditate over his day and try to keep his current mental state intact. Then, he would go find a cute padawan.

 

[Garuga]

The meeting was... brief to say the least. Short, and straight to the point. There were details to be sorted out. Oh yes, annoying things that Bacilla was tempted to ignore or leave till later, like arranging for transport, permits and all that jazz. But the juice was there, and the near future was certainly going to be eventful. Making her way through the Halls once again, sighing as she went, Bacilla wondered whether why she had asked Alec that question again. Was it because she understood the risks that existed throughout the Galaxy? Was she wondering about whether Alec would be someone she could count on to stand firmly next to her when the circumstance required it to be so?

Bacilla rubbed her tongue over her teeth as she walked, deciding to head to the cafeteria for a quick afternoon bite, effective procrastination before she had to go through the paperwork and reading through files. It was unlikely she had asked the question because Bacilla suddenly wanted a philosophical commentary either. Heart to heart talks were for around a fire, or during a tedious space journey. Either way, she had no idea, the question just seemed appropriate. They were to leave the comforts and security of the Jedi establishment soon, and she supposed she just wanted to know more from him before they actually set off. Killing was a hard topic indeed, easier for some to answer, and unapproachable for some even if they were Jedi.

After she procrastination session, Bacilla arranged for the next days' 'activities', and after going through her briefing and the files associated once again, she returned to her quarters. Relaxing on her bed, she leisurely composed a message to Alec, one that he'd presumably receive in his quarters, the Jedi having enough money to provide communication devices of decent quality to it's members.

"...Dear Alec, hope your afternoon was hopefully yielding 'wink wink'. Tomorrow morning, if you could get up more promptly than usual, after breakfast, meet me in Hangar 102, we won't be returning for quite a few days either. If there's anything you will need to sort out, then you might want to get it sorted out before that.

See you nice and early!

Bacilla."

 

[Pele]

Alec was on his way towards the hangar, moving at a brisk pace towards the area. He wasn't late or anything but he had wanted to make it there a few minutes early so that he would have extra time just in case he needed to do something before they headed out.

He was wearing his new robe he had found in his room here at the Halls. He guessed that the whole wardrobe they assigned to him was something that was given to all the people that came here as he had saw many wearing the same garb. But he quite liked the new ensemble and he brought a small bag full of other clothes since his masters message said they would be out a couple days. Also his training lightsaber was clipped to his belt just in case he would need it for the trip. Aside from that though he hadn't thought of anything else he might need, though he had stuffed a snack in his bag just in case he got hungry on the ride.

Arriving at the hangar he walked in and tried to find where his master may be, if she was even here yet.

 

[Garuga]

Unlike some of her fellow Jedi, though Bacilla was casual most of the time, she was always punctual. No over-sleeping or such immature shenanigans for her. Punctuality was adamantly set within her, and with such, she was pleased to note that Alec did not arrive late. "Heya, morning." She greeted, standing by their means of transport when Alec came in. "Well, here is our ride, nothing flash and certainly spectacular, but that's the precise reason why we are using it." The ship was a small frigate, and indeed, the very sight of it spelled a standard and normal craft.

"Now, we had better set off, even though we weren't given a time limit I think it's best if we save some time." Bacilla said, opening the door of the craft. It was a small thing indeed, only a series of a few steps were required to allow for passengers to get on or get off, no ramp that slowly descended while some overbearing asthmatic strolled down alongside white tin cans.

Bacilla was still in casual clothing, the journey was long enough for her to not have to wear the typical robes the whole way. A dress going to her knees, black because... well, black is always classy and tasteful. Cheerfully hopping into the ship, Bacilla would wait for Alec to get on before closing the door. She checked the time, still a small while until their arranged leaving time. "Well, there's still a bit of time until I have to pilot this thing, so make yourself as comfortable as you can in your beautiful new home for the next while." Bacilla joked. They were in 'living quarters' of the ship, if 2 bunk beds and a tiny tea table with 2 chairs arranged in the middle could count for it. Of course, if he wanted to, the toilet and the shower was available if he wanted to sleep there instead.

There were quite a few things she needed to tell Alec about the reason and purpose of their assignment, but first of all... "Now, the question I asked yesterday, have you had time to think it through?" Bacilla asked, putting the few possessions she brought along into the bedside compartments.

 

[Pele]

He made his way to where his master was and greeted her back. She introduced the ship that they were going on and he thought that it looked...boring. It wasn't what he had thought of when he pictured Jedi in ships. He was used to hearing about huge starships, like the Will of the Force, or slick fighters that had the speed and style, but this ship was an opposite of his thoughts. It was small and bland, but it had it's own advantages. It was so uninteresting that it would probably slip by without gaining much notice, he thought. Once they got on and she gave him the run down which was, long trip, got to get moving soon, and get comfy, he went over to one of the chairs and took a seat.

The inside was small, but cozy, though not much of anything to do. But he was used to sitting on ships and doing nothing really, but this time he wouldn't be confined to just one area. Then he heard her ask him if he had thought about her question when they had left his first lesson with her. He had actually and he replied accordingly. "Yes Master I have thought about what you asked." He said, moving his thoughts back to when he had thought of the subject the night after his first lesson.

 

[Garuga]

"And? Alec?" Bacilla continued, leaving various mission files and the sort hidden from sight under the table until after her Padawan had replied. "I do not know whether you have across such an event or act, likely as it is in our lives, but do answer this truthfully. I know that you would not have had time for any other Jedi to induce their carefully memorised and seemingly politically correct responses into you yet, so I will take your word seriously."

It was nearly time to depart, nevertheless, Bacilla was going to give Alec her full attention until he had answered fully. No point in asking such a thing then listening half-heartedly while her mind and hands were working on another matter.

 

[Pele]

Alec nodded, trying to find the words to describe how he felt. It was a hard subject to talk about, specially talking with a Jedi. He had killed before, though he would never say it was wrong that he had, but he couldn't say he was right either. There was no happiness in it, and looking back he didn't remember feeling anything at all after it. All the rage he had in doing it soon was erased when he looked down at the work he had done. The reality broke his rage and the void of emotions that came after was probably what caused him to collapse.

Stirring himself out of the memory he started to reply, "I don't know how to take the subject honestly. My thought would be that killing should only be resorted to in the case of survival. I guess that could be twisted around, but... I don't know." He said suddenly feeling a bit nervous about his answer.

Survival was a term that he had read that had been thrown around so much it was hard to use it. A nation could claim survival in the death of another nation, and a king could claim survival if a child was said to come and kill him when he got older. He didn't know what else to use though, he would have to see what his master had to say.