The Training of Cert Craum

[Cert Craum]

Cert entered the training area and waited around for the person he was supposed to meet there. Cert sat down patiently and went into a meditative state wile he waited. He could feel the life of the planet and in the stars beyond, but he was unable to single out exactly what alot fo the presences were. Cert began to see small visions of grass and trees on Dantooine's surface. He also began to see small pictures of animals and very small bits of people. But from his lack of direct training it was hard to single it out.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq was running late today. There had been an issue within the Dantooine council chambers between a couple of farmers regarding vandalism to their crops. Since there were no Knights upon which to investigate the matter, she had to settle the dispute between them. It had taken longer than she had planned.

Still wiping the dirt from her robes, unable to change before her session with her new padawan, she entered the room and found Cert already engaged in his meditations. Such devotion to his studies brought a smile to her face as she tried no to disturb him, but instead gently touched his mind, indicating her presence now. Only when he opened her eyes did she dare to speak to him.

 

[Cert Craum]

Cert had sensed the her before she touched his mind, but he let her contact him. He rose with ease, coming out of his state. He stood at his full height, he was quite tall for his age. The Padawan fixed his robes and hair. "Hello, I am Cert Craum," said Cert as he bowed before her.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq bowed her head, trying to hide the smile on her face. It had been a long, long time since any padawan had bowed to her before.

"Please, Cert, there's no need for such formalities here. I am Khaluq Chan'drane," she said politely and outstretched a hand indicating he should sit again. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss. First, why don't you tell me a little about yourself. I like to find out as much about my padawans as I can."

If he had meant to impress her, he was on the right foot. Yet, making a good impression and being a Jedi fully on the path of Light were two different things. The most eager students were often the ones you had to be more concerned about.

 

[Cert Craum]

"Well, I have lived all of my life on Dantooine, I was born here like my ancestors before me. I am an aspiring Jedi Consular, and I am quite good in meditation. I lack in saber skills, but I prefer to use a fast stance such as Shii-Cho in any sort of saber-tosaber confrontation. I believe like most Jedi, that combat is a last resort and diplomacy must fail for combat to be needed." said Cert, as he shook his Master's hand. He sat back down as she instructed him and wiated intently for her to speak.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"A Consular you say. We shall see as time progresses if the path of a Consular is the right path for you to take. For now, we shall focus again upon our meditation. Tell me, what do you know of the Force?" she asked him.

 

[Cert Craum]

"I know it gives a Jedi and Sith their power, it flows through us, binding and setting our destinies. I know it can be used in the defense of the Galaxy and it can be used to destroy and hurt the Galaxy." stated Cert. He felt confident that he explained the Force right.

((Sorry for not posting in a while, had things to do.))

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq listened, hands clasped before her as she gauged this man's feelings toward the Force through his words.

"The Force flows from and through all living things. Just as oxygen is released into the air by the plants and trees surrounding us, the Force flows from all life. Those sensitive to its flow can manipulate it to aid them. However, we do not regard the Force as power. You see, each time you call upon the Force, you alter its natural flow and course. As a result, all life around you is affected by this change of course. The Sith care little for the effect upon others. Their focus is simply upon their goal and little about the means by which it is accomplished. Where they follow their own desires, we meditate and focus upon the will, or call as some like to call it, of the Force. Every action, no matter how large or small has an effect upon the greater picture. With the Force, a small act could cause a ripple of aftereffects, resulting in disaster. We must be always cautious when calling upon the Force to aid us," she finished, smiling at him.

"These things and many others you will learn in time. During your time here as a padawan, have you heard of the Jedi Code?"

 

[Cert Craum]

"I know it I think," Cert searched his memory and found it, "there is no Passion, only Peace. There is no Ignorance, only Knowledge, there is no Chaos, only Serenity, there is no Death, only the Force...." Cert was nervous, hoping he got it right. The boy blew a whisp of hair out of his face.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq smiled at Cert's attempt, nodding at the portions he remembered correctly and saying or doing nothing at the places where he began to stray.

"You almost have it," Khaluq encouraged him. "Some masters will only teach you a portion of the Code, yet I feel it is important to know the full Code. There is more than just learning the words. You must feel them, understand them, and live them. All Jedi strive to follow the Code, yet many of us continue to fall short. We must diligently study and meditate upon it, never letting the words stray far from our hearts.

"Close your eyes now and listen as I repeat the Code, listen to the words, grasp their meaning. When you feel comfortable with their meaning, I want you to explain to me, line by line, what you believe the Code asks of us.

There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the force.
Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy.
Jedi use their powers to defend and protect,
never to attack others.
Jedi respect all life, in any form.
Jedi serve others rather than ruling over
them, for the god of the galaxy.
Jedi seek to improve themselves through
knowledge and training."

 

[Cert Craum]

Cert closed his eyes, he thought for a moment. He seemed to be impressing the woman, he hoped he could complete the task at hand with minimal error. Okay, here goes nothing thought the young Padawan.

"The first verse means, that a Jedi must shut away his emotion to allow complete peace of mind. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge means that a Jedi Knight must discard the idea of lacking knowledge to obtain knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity means that a Jedi must let go of passion to become serene. There is no death, there is the Force is the belief that death should be celebrated, for the dead only pass into the Force and remain in our hearts forever."

"Jedi are gaurdians of the galaxy implies we must protect life of all kind and defend the galaxy from the Dark Side. Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack states that a Jedi must selflessly defend those who need it, and in many cases those who do not. Jedi repsect like all life in any form means that the Jedi respect all of the life in the galaxy, even those who try to slay us or oppose us."

"Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy, means a Jedi must not claim superiority or command over any, they must always serve others. And when the code states that Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training, it means that a Jedi must never seek to improve themselves with power, and that one can never be taught all there is to be taught," stated Cert, his speech was a long one, but it was worth it in his point of view.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq listened to him, saying nothing until he finished. It was important for every Jedi to figure out the Code on their own, to make it their own and gain a growing understanding of the words and it's meaning.

"A Jedi should never completely ignore his feelings. To completely shut away your feelings could result in you ignoring something important, choosing ignorance over peace. It is true, we should first seek the inner peace of the Force to guide us so we do not make rash decisions, or untrue assumptions. It is because of this that we seek knowledge, always questioning. Your training will never be complete as the universe continues to shift and change. Situations grow complex as do technologies. To remain ignorant of these changes is to make inaccurate conclusions and not see a whole picture," she began, "an informed decision."

"Yet, one can become obsessed with seeking more knowledge, or more power, leading you down a path to darkness that is hard to return from," she added painfully. "You must know people and things as the Force does, no bias should be in your heart when making your decisions and acting upon the leadings of the Force. As for the latter, you are correct."

Khaluq smiled again at him, a painful look still remained in her eyes as she continued teaching him. "However, it is more than remaining in our hearts. As the Force flows from all living things and in all living things, it can never pass away. You are always and will always be a part of the Force, guiding others after breath leaves your body. We must always seek the will of the Force. If you can act emotionlessly, knowledgably, and serenely, then you are acting in accordance with the Force."

Pausing a moment and studying his face, seeing his reaction to her words, she waited to see if he had any questions before continuing.

 

[Cert Craum]

Cert is open to critisisim, he studied her eyes, he reached out with his feelings and caught the pain she was bearing. "Master, why are you feeling pain? Is it something I did?" he asked with a concerned tone. The Padawan still sat, he was glad his master was teaching him so much in such little time.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"No, young Cert," she answered him with an appreciative smile. "You are doing well, remarkably well."

Taking a deep breath, she began to pull her emotions back into check. "There are things in my past that are painful memories. Yet, the pain reminds me of why it is so important to warn you about the lures of the darkness. Heed my wards and let my past be a lesson that you do not study firsthand."

 

[Cert Craum]

"I shall master, I will heed all of your warnings and remember your teachings. Perhaps one day pass them down to another Jedi Hopeful," said Cert, he tought he souded very wise in saying so. The young Jedi sat there waiting for a response.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

"The path of a Jedi is not an easy road. Those who take on teaching the ways of our people to others carry a heavier burden. The Jedi Masters carry the burden of not only their paths but the paths of all of their students. If you choose to follow such a path, you must remember you hold more than just yourself accountable," she told him with a smile.

"Now, close your eyes and begin to commune with the Force again, find it's flowing current and fall deep into it, allowing it to carry your mind outside these walls," she told him, rising from her seat and quietly moving to retrieve the training stones, placing them about the room as he began to meditate.

 

[Cert Craum]

Cert smiled back at his Master, he did what he was told and got back into his meditative trance. He focused all of his energy on clearing his mind and opening it. Upon succeeding, the Jedi saw small flashes of people, animals, and even plants flash before his mind's eye. The Jedi Padawan let the ocean that is the Force collide with his mind's own ocean. The two became one. He felt emersed in the Force, he felt all its splendor, he felt free. Cert was free of his solid form while in the trance.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq finally sat down in front of her padawan, placing a small stone before him as he continued meditating. Folding her hands in her lap, she touched his mind gently, ushering him out of his meditation, ready to finally begin.

When his eyes opened and his mind seemed present, she began the lesson. "As a Jedi, we have an intuition of the Force and can even manipulate its natural flow. Today, we shall begin a simple task, yet an important one nonetheless."

Motioning with her hand to the stone before him, she continued, "this stone you see before you can easily be picked up with little effort physically. Yet, it can also be moved through the Force. Close your eyes again and focus upon the fluctuations of the Force around the stone," she told him, ready to wait as long as it may take him to focus just upon that area of the room. "Once you can see the flow around the stone, think about moving the stone. Focus upon one side at a time and attempt to move the stone. Merely think and do not command, concentrate on the stone and what you want it to accomplish."

OOC: You should move the stone away from you, toward you and to either side. Explain what your character is feeling and also the strain of doing so. This should not be a very simple task. Your character's mind must be centered, not demanding and patient.

 

[Cert Craum]

Cert focuses his mind. He feels thge presence of the rock, he reaches out slowly with the Force at first, as if seeming unsure. The young Jedi uses the FOrce to levitate it slightly, the rock moves through the air and lsightly to his right. He opens his eyes to see that the stone moved. Cert feels a great essence of joy rush through. He also feel a sense of accomplishment for moving the small stone. Yes! I did it! Cert smiles brightly at Khaluq. "Did I do it correctly Master?" he asks the Jedi Master.

 

[Lillianne Crasse]

Khaluq had chosen rocks to begin with, knowing if he focused too hard on the rock and with the Force, the pressure would have been enough to injure or kill a living thing.

"Very good, Cert. Now, try moving the stone toward you. It might be easier to focus just upon it sliding across the floor instead of levitating it. You will have plenty of time to test your levitation abilities later."

OOC: describe how you're moving the stone, please. The intensity of your training will increase and grow more graphic as you give me more.