The Biology of a Padawan (Malz's Training)

[Malz]

Malz sat on the floor of training room 119-C awaiting his new master, Rev. Rather than be nervous about training to be a guardian of peace against the vile reaches of tyranny, he did what any sane person would do with such a burden: read a book. He was studying the various processes that go through a typical muscle contraction, not that there was much to it besides a simple nerve impulse followed by a release of calcium to the sarcomeres, but Malz was entertained nonetheless. He pushed up his glasses out of habit, not because of any slipping, and murmured to himself, "Hm...I wonder if I could influence the cells in my body to work in overdrive using the Force. That could help to counteract any sort of physical weakness I have. But to what extent would this be permissible, and what effect could it have on the rest of my body?"

Feeling he was on the verge of something deep...he gave up on it. He smiled and shut the book, packing it in his satchel. He got up and walked around the room, gazing in wonder at the architecture of the building like a child in a museum. A quick gaze at a stray pebble on the floor gave him a curious idea. Why not practice a bit? He had already done a bit of experimentation with the Force earlier that day in his spar with Seamus, no harm continuing. With a simple flick of his wrist, the pebble shot in the air several feet before landing with a "ting" on the ground again. He grinned with amusement and did it several more times, ignoring everything else around him.

 

[Malz]

[EPIC REPOST GO]

[OOC Note]Rev's post got eaten by the forums I shall attempt to post with limited memory on what Rev's said! SERIOUS FOCUS FACE TIME! [/OOC Note]

Malz let the pebble fly once more before having his attention diverted to the Grandmaster. The pebble ended up landing on his head, but the padawan didn't seem to notice nor care. It was just a tiny pebble after all. That's strange, usually he was on top of noticing people who were seeking him out. He figured he was just that good, though he assumed the Force had something to do with it.

To Rev's question on what the Force was, he thought for a moment, "Hmm...well, I always kinda thought of the Force as sort-of like an invisible best friend. Without totally invading your personal space it sorta guides you along and is always there when you need it. If you make bad choices, it may reprimand you in some ways, but it ultimately forgives you and continues being by your side. On a more realistic level though, I guess, I figure it's some sort of...well...force that lives symbiotic with other life forms. Sure, the Force allows life, but what is the Force without life? I'unno, I haven't really thought about it too much. It's kinda deep stuff, what you're asking me." He smiled innocently and shrugged.

Rev smirked at the boys outlook on the Force, as he dug deeper he could see the intrigue not just growing on the lad's face but in his very voice. That voice would digress before finally shunning out the deep thoughts of the Force that many seemed to push aside. It was an aspect the Grandmaster had always been interested in exploring should the Padawan or Knight allow it. Casting his interests aside he'd continue with the typical training shpeal almost every Padawan seemed to hear at one time or another.

"The Force is exactly as you see it.. view it.. it binds all things together and is a connection of one self to the very fabrics of the Universe... or so I'm told."

He smiled and took in a deep breath before continuing.

"Force Push... it's a talent that most if not every Jedi knows. It is a call of energy to the center of your palm, releasing this energy will send out a wave of air at your target.. This power can range from a small gust to near gale force wind potential.. Send out a Force Push that that heavy bag there..."

Pointing to a heavy bag attached to a durasteel stand it was bolted to the very ground Malz stood on. The bag however hung freely from a chain to be applied with the Force Push and Pull that would come. Relaxing the Jedi Master crossed his arms and awaited an action from his pupil.

Malz's interest was perked at the 'so I'm told' portion of what Rev said. He always loved a good mystery, though he wondered if figuring out the mysteries of the Force were, at the moment, beyond him. Eh, couldn't hurt to try later on! Before he could start letting his mind unravel things, however, his master had started the first actual lesson. It was the same skill he had tried to imitate earlier in his spar, although it wasn't exactly the best of first attempts. This time however he had an actual explanation for what that skill required, and he closed his eyes and focused.

He could do one of two things. He could deliver a light push to sort of test the waters, or he could go all out and see what his current maximum potential is. A medium-level push might be a little to precise at first, so that was out of the question. Next came where the push would be directed. Should he try making the bag go crazy and nearly tear off the chain? Or perhaps he should instead choose the simpler path and just try to move it altogether?

In the end, he let his feelings communicate with his surroundings, getting that comfortable best-friend-close-by feeling that he lived by. He focused that feeling in the center of his palm and thrust it towards the center of the bag. A forceful wave of...well, Force, shot out of his palm and hit the bag with enough power to send it spinning around a few times before coming to a stop. A tad stronger than he would have liked, but this is what learning's for.

Rev's eyes followed the boy through his technique, he had a good grasp on the lesson, it would take little guidance to get him to where he wished to be. Smiling as the wave of energy cut through the air and hit the bag, it swayed back in forth for several seconds before finally halting. Looking back to Malz he gave him a nod of approval.

"Your technique is solid, it will just take practice to get the grasp on the Force I'm sure you hope to have. When focusing that energy in your hand remember to have a control over it, not just letting it grow as it wishes. This will cause you to drain your energy much faster, my friend. Focusing that energy will maintain both your own control, and the Force's control over the power. Do try again, only this time when you feel that energy growing inside not just yourself, but at the palm of your hand, release it when you feel it is at it's peak potential in your area of control."

Taking a step back he motioned at the same bag as if to tell him to begin.

Malz grinned at the praise. He was used to getting it, but usually it would be more for academic pursuits. This was praise towards learning how to control a mystical force, something far more abstract and difficult to comprehend than a simple molecule chain. Still, he knew better than to let it get to his head, and he paid attention to what his master told him. It seemed like he had to adjust his view of the Force as an invisible best friend.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. In his mind he pictured himself and a humanoid outline that, for this instance, he decided to represent the Force as. He then imagined them both giving energy to the other, but in moderation, and the figure representing himself being in control and not letting the intoxicating and wild power of the Force take over. He focused this feeling in his hand, adjusting as he saw fit. In his mind, it was a simple matter of putting a visual to a lesson. In reality, it was like a tug-of-war with nature. Not only did he have to control the energy he amassed, but Rev instructed him to find his limit.

After a time, Malz finally opened his eyes and shot out his Force Push towards the bag. While it did not have the brute force of the last attempt, it seemed a lot more controlled and precise in its accuracy, hitting the bag square in the middle.

 

[Rev]

A soft clap followed the display that the Jedi Padawan so easily displayed, at least it appeared as such. That soft echo ringing out around them, but as quickly as the snapping clap had cried out, it disappeared. The subtle praise would again turn to instruction as the Jedi Grandmaster moved towards the other side of the heavy bag.

"Now it is time to do the opposite, a Force Pull. Now you must do the opposite just as the technique is... Reach out to your target and get a grasp on it, just as you did before allow the Force to surround it and embrace your target then call it to yourself. I must warn you however, not focusing the amount of Force acting on the target can allow it little to no movement... or a great pull that can be unexpected. With patience and control you can act this on anything, though losing that focus will result in failure. Try and pull the bag to you now..."

Smiling he motioned towards the bag, with an action of his own on the training tool it would unhook and fall to the floor in a heap. Gravity had done its job and now it was on Malz to call it towards him, the final task would soon follow.

 

[Malz]

Malz took a deep breath. It seemed simple enough. It was basically the same as the Force push only this time he'd be using the Force to pull the bag. He concentrated the feeling back into his hand and gently made small pulling movements with his hands, as if coaxing the bag to move towards him. No movement at first, then Malz increased the power and the bag moved an inch.

Thinking he understood the amount of power necessary now, he focused for a brief moment. Unfortunately he was just reminded of how the bag looked somewhat like the carapace of a certain marine animal that he had read about in a book once. This minor lapse of concentration was all that was needed to loosen his control of the Force, causing the bag to soar right into his face and floor him.

After the stars disappeared from his field of vision, he rubbed his nose and readjusted his glasses, "Wow...that was intense. But hey, that actually might be kinda fun to try with other stuff! Though...not with something as heavy as this of course!" He grinned at his master, despite the fact he utterly failed in controlling his power all the way and a faint trickle of blood was coming out his nose.

 

[Rev]

Rev stood next to the boy and watched as his focus seemed to only grow with each passing second. The boy had a strong connection with the Force, whether or not he knew it. Smiling as he watched the heavy bag begin to vibrate with motion, shortly flickering with some life, then going into an all out pull. The hooks holding the bag in place would unfasten and the sand filled bag would plow into the lads face.

Taking a step towards the young man he pushed the bag aside, using his own muscles to do this. Smirking at the wound on Malz face he couldn't help but relate it to training, it was almost etched in his blood.

"As you just learned a simple lapse in focus can cause you to lose all control. However, you have more than a handle on the control of Force Push and Pull... now we'll try something I feel you're ready for, Malz."

Reaching out his hand would clasp his Padawan's and pull him to his feet should he take it. Otherwise he'd simply wait for the boy to get up before going on with the next bit of instruction.

"Force Heal is by far one of the most unique and handy Force talents a Jedi can learn. It allows us to cure wounds from small scratched to in some cases amputation. You must truly have control over the Force and a strong connection with the lightside energy that comes with it to have a true understanding of its ability."

Taking in a short breath only to continue his voice was direct.

"Pay focus to the white blood cells in your own body, reach out to them and empower them with that same Force energy that courses through your blood. It will improve their own abilities and your healing will improve... Although focusing on such a microscopic scale comes at a toll to the mind and body, you'll feel yourself become 'drained' as if you had tried to run miles with no energy to back it up. Give it a shot.. try and repair your nose as minor the damage as it is..."

Staring at the still trickling blood it would be no cake walk, but it was far from an impossible task.

 

[Malz]

Malz didn't even wait for his master to finish talking. The explanation seemed so simple to him, and he had already read just about everything involving how the body repairs itself, from bone regeneration to clotting! He always assumed that Force Healing, though possible, would be something far out of his reach. He never felt as if he had as strong a connection with the Force as his master implied. Then again, he guessed that the amount of power he had just displayed kind of disproved that.

By the time Rev had finished talking, he had already got the feeling that he had connected with his white blood cells. Rev made it seem like such a difficult concept, communicating with a microscopic entity, but really was this no different than the Force? Though it was certainly huge and universal, its complexity is far greater than a cell's, and therefore shouldn't the difficulty balance out? With the Force, he instructed his body to put repairs on his nose at first priority. Realizing that this might confuse it and put necessary functions such as metabolism on the wayside, he reduced the connection.

Within 2 minutes, Malz lied back on the ground, feeling as if he had just attempted to run a marathon. Thankfully, his nose was healed. In fact, besides the drying blood stains, it looked as if he didn't get hurt at all.

 

[Rev]

Rev couldn't help but plant a hand on his Padawan's back as he started the slow descent to the floor. Before long the boy had plopped down on his rear and the signs of fatigue more than setting in. Smiling at the results, Rev couldn't help but give the boy the congratulations he deserved.

"That was quite astounding, Malz, I've never seen someone learn heal so quickly. You're smarter than most, whether or not you know it, and this intelligence is prevalent in your ability with the Force. Of course you're a rookie, but your knowledge of the world, yourself, and those in it balances out where your experience lacks. I promise you continued education will only bring you closer to the knowledge you seek."

The thoughts of meditation came to mind with the Grandmaster now, it would be a good time for Malz to heal as well as for the Jedi Master to collect his own thoughts.

"Meditate, my friend. It will rejuvenate your body as well as mind and we can certainly move on from there."

 

[Malz]

If Malz were any paler from his exertion, his blush from the compliment would make him look like a party clown. Sure, he had been told back home that he was amazingly intelligent and perceptive for his age, but he always assumed it had to do with his area's educational system and didn't apply everywhere else. But to hear a Jedi Master (the Grandmaster at that!) call him smart, it made him feel...well, awkward. He had heard of intellectuals who let the ego get to their head. Therefore, he resolved to take his master's compliment for the great honor it is, but he wasn't to think too much into it.

Thankfully he was saved from introspection by the prospect of meditation. He brought his lips in as he mulled the idea over. He had an odd way of meditating. Ah well, might as well hope that his form of meditation didn't raise too many objections. Trying to be as nonchalant as possible, he responded with a simple, "Okay" and...took out his book. He popped it open in his lap and began reading. Yes, he meditated by re-reading what he read before meditating. Meditation was meant to collect thoughts, wasn't it? Well, what better way to recollect thoughts than to literally do so?