Space

[Adenna Alluyen]

From Tython, en route to Coruscant

 

After they had lifted off from Tython, Adenna absorbed the news of Naboo in silence. It was to be expected that someone would cause problems, but what disturbed her was that there were rumors that Jedi were behind it. She didn't believe that for one instant, but there were many who already hated the Jedi that would.

 

"Yes, it is a tragedy. I fear that there are too many in this Galaxy that do not like peace and will struggle against it," she said. "Grandmaster Kitt will know it soon enough if he doesn't already. It is not our assignment to deal with it, we have other travesties that need our attention. A few hundred are dead there, but there are millions or billions of slaves. We need to do what we can to free as many as possible, even if we can't get them all."

 

She looked over at Sandy. In such a small ship, they were pressed close together with little room to move. She abandoned her hopes of catching a nap on her own and hoped they would sleep sometime before reaching Coruscant so they wouldn't be exhausted. "I hope you have read what you gathered from the Library. Read what it is like to be a slave, soak in the misery and terror of those who are constantly under threat of death simply for displeasing their slavemasters. Recognize the evil that is slavery, but be careful.

 

"Do not hate the slavers or even slavery itself. Hatred will get you nowhere and will make you like them. Instead, focus your feelings around sympathy for the slaves themselves. Wrap the hope of freeing them around yourself to guard against the darkness that is slavery. When we start freeing slaves, soak in their joy at being free and use it to fortify yourself. I hope to spare you the fighting, but even so you will see things that are not pleasant."

[Adenna Alluyen]

((Cannot see the image.))

 

Adenna was struck by a sort of double vision for a few moments and didn't know what was going on. It felt someone was invading her mind and trying to alter it, so her trained defenses sprang into action to block it. It took her a moment to figure out that it was something Fynn was doing. It had worked partially only because she wasn't expecting any sort of mental intrusion and he had given no warning.

 

She frowned at that last part, but decided that he wasn't trying to hurt her and opened her mind to his influence. She found herself strangely on a grassy world with the other two also there. It was a fascinating use of the Force's ability to manipulate minds, something she definitely needed to learn before they parted ways. She could generate her own mental environments while meditating, but they were nowhere near this complex and she couldn't send them to others.

 

It was almost like a dream or vision. Things weren't quite real, but they were real enough to understand what they were. It was fascinating to her and she spent a few seconds exploring this environment both through her own Force probes and by using her mind to move around. She wasn't entirely convinced about the sameness of this environment and reality, but she would take his word until she could explore it more.

 

"This is interesting," she said to all three. Her voice seemed funny, almost euphoric and dreamy. "I may have encountered such an illusion as this when sparring Kirlocca, but it was only audio and visual sensations. When moving around, I was actually moving in reality, not just sitting in a chair."

 

She heard Fynn tell her to train Sandy, but Adenna was not sure about training in this environment. Using the Force required a clear mind and when it was under mental influences like this, things might get distorted. That could manifest itself in something as simple as Sandy growing dependent on this specific environment to use the Force in, or it could be as bad as it permanently warping her view and usage of the Force. She and Dahar had practiced the Force while meditating together and she had experienced illusions before, but she personally found that she had to be grounded in the Force on her own first.

 

"I am not sure about using this environment, Fynn," she said. "The Force is something that needs to be practiced first in reality without any illusions. Were she experienced, it might be possible since she would be able to tell the differences, but she is not. I feel that it would be best to teach her in reality. Still, this is a nice place to visit while we are couped up in your fighter."

[Adenna Alluyen]

With a sigh, Adenna relented to Fynn's assertions. "Very well, I suppose there are a few basic things we can begin here." She wasn't very comfortable with the idea, but sometimes illusions were useful in preparing people for reality. After all, she had just been reading that starfighter pilots undergo countless hours of simulation flying before ever stepping into a real cockpit to go into combat.

 

Right now, though she had a general idea of where Sandy stood in her ability to use the Force, she wanted to test it herself. She had to find her Padawan's limits in order to capitalize on the strengths and shore up the weakness. The first test she wanted was to see how well Sandy could focus. When she first met her, the girl was unfocused and her mind full of chaos and disunity. That needed to be dealt with quickly in order to begin truly delving into the Force.

 

She walked a few paces and found a nice place to sit. As this was entirely an illusion, she didn't pay any attention to getting some dirt or grass on her robes since it would disappear with the rest of the illusion when they were done. "Sandy, sit here in front of me and calm yourself. I want to see if you are able to reign in your emotions and center yourself from distractions."

 

She touched the Force enough to alter the illusion to form a single flat stone with a small white dot in its center. After placing the stone in front of her with the dot on top, she continued, "You will sit perfectly still and look at this dot and only this dot until I tell you to do otherwise. If you look away or move more than is needed to breathe, you will fail and we will start over. During this time, I want you to focus on keeping yourself calm and centered.

 

"The Galaxy is a chaotic place, a Jedi must be able to center herself in the middle of any storm. Especially in the beginning, a Jedi must be able to focus to use the Force. In many situations, even those that do not involve combat, you will find distractions can keep you from that focus and interfere with your ability to connect to the Force. To hear the call and guidance of the Force, you must be able to focus your mind. Any attempt to learn the Force must wait until you can clear your mind and focus on one single thing. Only then can we begin to touch the Force and begin manipulating it."

[Adenna Alluyen]

When Sandy sat down, Adenna motioned to Fynn to let her sit there in silence. She didn't move herself, but sat calmly trying to read what her Padawan was thinking and feeling. She hadn't been particularly good with telepathy, but she excelled at empathy. While her body was reigned in for the moment, her mind was very busy with rotating emotions. She waited for just a few minutes before suddenly pulling out her lightsaber and igniting it straight above the girl's head.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna smiled sadly as she shut off the imaginary lightsaber. She stood up before replying in a calm voice free of reproach, "Are you going to ask the same thing to the man shooting at you when he disrupts your concentration? Do you believe that the only times you will ever need to concentrate and focus will be when things are quiet and there are no distractions?"

 

"I have had blaster bolts fly closer than that to my face," she said while remembering the slight flash burn she had received from one. She gestured at Fynn, "I am sure he has too. There have been explosions that have knocked me off of my feet. While sparring, I have had frightened animals burst from under my feet.

 

"You need to be able to focus mind and body into a single task in order to survive combat. If you are covering a dozen of your comrades from a storm of blaster fire and one happens to slip through to buzz by your head, you cannot allow your concentration to slip or many more will join it.

 

"I did not expect you to remain focused the first time, nor will I the next. You are young and you have plenty of time to learn complete concentration, but you need to start. Perhaps more important than focusing your body is the ability to focus your mind. We will start on that as well. Weapons are dangerous in the wrong hands and can do as much damage to friends as foes. If you wish to wield a lightsaber or fire a turret gun, you must first prove to me that you are mature and controlled enough to handle one."

 

She looked over at Fynn and addressed him, "When we first met, you wanted a duel. While we are not really here and are not able to truly match our skills, perhaps we can put on a show sufficient enough to serve the purpose. Sandy," she said as she looked back at the girl, "do what you did before, but this time, focus your mind only on the stone. Notice its smoothness, its tranquility. It does not move, it does not change. Let the white dot represent you, fully surrounded by that firm peace. Do not allow our efforts to distract you and think only on the stone and your inner peace."

 

With that, she ignited her orange lightsaber again and got into a combat stance.

[Adenna Alluyen]

"While what he said is true," Adenna replied after blocking the light attacks, "the goal is for you not to focus on us, but rather the stone. Distractions in combat can be as deadly as the blaster bolts and enemy lightsabers. You need to be able to ignore them."

 

She then advanced on Fynn and launched a series of standard practice drills and sequences designed to warm up Padawans for sparring. In truth, she was testing out the flow of this imaginary realm and how true it stayed to the real universe. She reached out in the Force to test her connection as well as Fynn's mind since he was the originator of this fantasy.

[Adenna Alluyen]

((I like what you did, we really do need to move on.))

 

"Business?" replied Adenna. "No, no business, but I would like some mental rest. While our bodies were resting comfortably here, our minds were working in overtime. Perhaps it would be a good time to see how well Sandy here can meditate and use the Force to rejuvenate their minds. We wouldn't want to arrive on Coruscant exhausted and not on our best."

 

She shifted her body to get rid of some of the aches from sitting in the same place for too long. "You should know how to do at least a basic meditation from your Youngling training, but I want to see if you can calm your mind and focus enough to siphon energy from the Force directly into yourself. I will help you get your mind into the right level of meditation."

[Adenna Alluyen]

"Good," Adenna replied. There wasn't much they could do in the way of getting into a meditative position, so she began teaching in a calm, smooth voice. "The object of this exercise is to use your mind to connect to the Force and draw its energy into you. In doing so, you will find that your mind is sharper, less exhausted, and later on, that it can be used to fuel other Force abilities. This particular technique is just the basics and is only useful if you have time to meditate. Once you master this, I can teach you how to absorb great amounts of energy very rapidly so it can be used in combat.

 

"There are many ways in which using the Force to restore your mind and body can be useful. Later on, you will be able to build off this technique to utilize one that can boost your mental defenses from psychic attacks. Those attacks often overwhelm your mind and pound it with senses, memories, and emotions designed to dismantle it and thus put you out of action and possibly even take control of you. If you can draw on the Force to sustain you, you can withstand those attacks and sometimes turn them back on your opponent.

 

"It can also be adapted to help you recover from shock such as from stun grenades or even just falling from a height. When your physical senses are overwhelmed, it also overloads your mind. Relying on the Force, when combined with techniques designed to replace your physical senses, can enable you to fight even if you have been blinded by acid or ruptured your eardrums.

 

"While not directly related, refreshing your mind can also be used to enhance mental projections to others. This can range from sending emotions to others in order to soothe them to launching mental assaults on enemies. What Jedi Relmis did with the dream state was an advanced form of this projection. You can use this even for a form of telepathy to send basic thoughts and images to others, something that is handy to warn someone of danger or to find out where people are.

 

"The reason why this is so important is because, in some way or another, nearly all Force techniques and abilities from this point on will rely on you knowing how to draw energy from the Force into yourself. Do this and we can begin putting it into practice on Coruscant."

 

Adenna directed Sandy to begin meditation and slowly linked her mind with that of her Padawan. She wasn't able to control her nor did she want to, but she was able to sense what the girl was thinking and guide her on the right path. "Sense the Force," she urged in an almost hypnotic voice, "you know how. Sense its flow and its power. The Force has unlimited energy, we are limited in our consumption of it only by our physical bodies and our minds. Take too much in at once and it could literally burn you from the inside out or it could drive you mad. You do not need to worry about this right now as only those with great skill and knowledge can do that.

 

"Once you sense the Force's power, reach out to it and take some for yourself. Immerse your mind in its beauty and strength. Be at peace and it will guide you to its will and direct your path. When you take its energy, never do so for selfish or evil purposes as that only profanes it. Only draw upon it to better yourself or others or to strengthen you in the path of peace and justice. Sometimes we must use the power of the Force to kill, but we should never kill without a just cause such as the protection of innocents."

 

Adenna continued to guide Sandy as she herself used the Force to refresh her mind and give her strength.

[Adenna Alluyen]

While she was working with Sandy, she sensed that the girl was definitely touching the Force. That was a relief as she worried that she wouldn't be able to call upon it at will. Adenna remembered that it took her some time before she was able to reach out and touch the Force, but she hadn't spent time among the Younglings before being trained by Dahar.

 

Adenna frowned at her Padawan's words. "I can't say I have done extensive meditation during hyperspace, but I haven't heard of it being very common. Perhaps it was a vision or premonition of a possible future. It would be rather odd for one as untrained as you to receive them, but not impossible. The Force does odd things. Tell us what you saw."

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna was truly concerned about what her Padawan reported. She did not know what was happening as she had never experienced such a thing herself. Though, it wouldn't do to show that concern to the others, so she hid it deep down inside.

 

"That is most interesting," she replied in a calm voice. "It could have been a vision from the Force itself, or it could have been an attack from a Sith. Be careful when meditating, if anything ever feels uncomfortable, flee and break the trance. Many a Jedi have been corrupted by the musings of Sith encroaching on their minds. Until you know more about the Force, I would be very wary about acting on anything you see, especially if it is asking you to join them or make any deals.

 

"We will not meditate in hyperspace for some time, so you can see if it was perhaps being in this odd reality that caused the visions or not. However, no matter where we are, the next time you see anything like that in meditation, you tell me immediately. Even if it is just a Force vision, those are important and should be pondered upon quickly."

 

They would be arriving on Coruscant soon, that much was good news. Adenna never liked enclosed spaces such as this fighter. It would be good to walk around again on her own two feet and be able to stretch.

[Adenna Alluyen]

((From Thalassia en route to Coruscant))

 

"Well, if your bringing all faults into play, allow me to bring something to light,"

Vos said. "You promised to teach me how to Heal. I have yet to receive training. That was a part of why I came along with you.

 

"In addition," he continued, "I did not use the Dark Side, I just got angry for a second. You have not been emotionally secure either. I ask this of you; is it really the Dark Side when you use it to help people, other than yourself?"

 

Vos' words caused Adenna to pause. The first thoughts that came into her head began to sound like Master Starlisk's words at the top of the slaver's Headquarters Building after she killed their leader. She hadn't agreed with him then and still didn't agree with him now. Being a Jedi wasn't about some abstract concept of moral purity and holiness, it was about doing what was right and protecting the weak and innocent.

 

She considered for a few moments before responding. "You are right about the healing. I have yet to teach you because we have been so busy. I have been so focused on making sure you weren't going to lapse back into the dark side that I didn't have time to each you something else. Even then, you cannot heal if you are wrapped in the dark side, I had to be sure that you were able to use the Force from the perspective of the light side to even attempt teaching you how to heal."

 

She continued, "About using the dark side, no, it is not good even if your goals are honorable. Why? Because as you are probably well aware, the dark side is a very slippery slope. You may be able to control what you are doing now, but in the end, it will seduce you into doing things that are not helpful or good for anyone but yourself. Then, you will be truly evil.

 

"Anger in and of itself is not inherently wrong. There is something called a righteous anger that comes from seeing injustice or wrongdoing and desiring to fix the problem or bring justice upon the wrongdoers. It is not wrong to experience that emotion as it is natural to all, but you must be extremely careful when using it that the source of the anger and what you do are in check. It can quickly become self serving anger or even hatred that will only lead you back to the dark side.

 

"That is why I am so displeased with you. For you to use any anger or any amount of the dark side is very, very dangerous. While a more grounded Jedi could skirt the edge without as much threat of going over, you must be very careful due to your past experience with it. It is like trying to drink only a tiny bit of alcohol: the former alcoholic will have a much harder time with just one drink than one who has never been prone to drunkenness."

 

She didn't think he would truly understand what she was saying. The more time that passed, the more she was beginning to understand that he would never truly embrace the light side. He was simply too steeped in the darkness and it continued to jade his decisions and actions. The ends don't justify the means.

 

In a way, she understood what Master Starlisk was saying about using the Force to kill. He believed she was using the ends to justify the means of killing an evil man. She disagreed with him for the reasons she stated. To her, killing was killing. As long as you didn't kill in an intentionally painful or vengeful manner, she saw no difference in slicing someone in half with a lightsaber, shooting them with a blaster, or using the Force to snap their neck. A Jedi used the Force to guide their lightsaber just as they would to break a neck, it was no different as far as she could see.

 

She wondered if Vos would ever even consider the balance between them or if it was all second nature to him. The Sith had no compunctions about killing with the Force. They just did so for the wrong reasons and with the wrong targets and motivations. Perhaps that was why Starlisk was so against it. In his mind, maybe it was wrong because if the Sith did it, it had to be wrong. Adenna didn't buy that at all. The Sith used lightsabers in the exact same way Jedi did, so clearly that logic didn't fly. Maybe he had some other reason for it that was so far beyond her that she would have to be a Master to understand. If that were the case, then it was far too embedded in theoretical philosophy to be healthy. A Jedi in these times needed to act, not sit around thinking about how to avoid the dark side.

 

Act. Yes, that is what she needed to do.

 

"If you want to learn how to heal," she said at last, "we can start now. Come into the lobby and you can start by healing the cut on my head." She left the cockpit with his lightsaber still in hand and headed to the small lobby. As small as it was, it provided more room than the cramped cockpit.

[Adenna Alluyen]

The lobby was in a fairly sad shape. It only sported an old couch with a small and flimsy looking table with which to eat. Off to the side, tucked in a little cubbyhole, was the galley. As hungry as Adenna was, she wasn't quite hungry enough to cook there without giving it a thorough cleaning first. That was the price one paid for buying used and cheap.

 

She sat down on the couch and directed for him to do the same. "Healing isn't like most other usages of the Force," she began. "For one, if not done right, it can drain you far quicker than other abilities. Even if done correctly, it can take a long time and leave you very drained to the point of needing many hours of rest. The more complex the problem or injury, the longer it will take to heal it and the more draining it is. If you want to speed up the healing time, it can take an even larger toll.

 

"I believe you can heal using the dark side, but I would imagine that it would be very, very taxing and far less efficient. The reason is because, unlike most usage of the dark side, healing draws on selflessness rather than selfishness. To heal, you must give some of your own energy purely for the benefit of another. Yes, you can heal yourself, but I find that doing so is just as taxing or even more so.

 

"The reason for that, in my personal opinion and experience, is due to where you draw your motivation and strength from. Healing yourself isn't necessarily a selfish act, but neither is it a selfless one born of love or compassion. When I am healing myself, it drains me and takes longer than when I am healing others. When I heal others, I draw upon my compassion for their pain and desire to end their suffering and use it to fuel my use of the Force. It makes the entire process go by much quicker and easier and I find that I am not nearly as drained as otherwise. When healing myself, I often must go into a healing trance just to sustain myself. I have never had to do so when healing others."

 

She shrugged and looked at Vos with a leery expression that held no heat or anger, "Of course, I may just be weak and you may just be so much more powerful than normal people and will be able to heal without a problem. Assuming that isn't the case, you are going to need to learn to draw upon the light side and those 'weak' emotions that the Sith view as beneath them. That is why I have struggled to teach you how to draw upon the light side instead of just showing you how to heal on your own. You must touch your compassion, love, and mercy in order to heal with maximum efficiency."

 

For the next thirty minutes, she went over in more detail how to direct the Force to heal. She went over both the theories behind it and the application. She finished with a few quick demonstrations on minor abrasions to let him see and sense how it worked.

 

She reached up to pull back her hair so Vos could better see the scalp wound. While it wasn't her only injury, it was an easy one to address and would allow Vos to see the fruits of his labor more than healing the many bruises and the burn she had. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes for her to completely heal it herself, but she knew it would probably take Vos far longer as he tried to figure it out. She didn't mind as they didn't have anything else to do. They were both covered in dust and blood and who knew what else from the battle, but healing up would be of more help than a nice shower.

 

"Now, try to heal this cut. Focus on the light side emotions but don't go overboard. I will stop you if you start doing something wrong."

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna felt her scalp with her fingers and noticed there was no pain. She was still a mess with dried blood, but the skin itself had the pink color of new skin that would fade in a day or two. "Yes, it is. That was a very simple healing task that helps you learn the basic premises. More complex healing will require more learning and experience, but we have nobody with which to get that experience from. Unless you want to inflict wounds upon yourself so you can heal them, we will have to wait until we can get to a hospital or some similar place to train further. That is part of what I was doing with Sandy when we encountered you."

 

She stood up and looked over her dirty robes and light armor. Part of her missed being back at the Temple on Gala or Tython where she had an abundance of clean robes to wear. She was already trying to figure out how to wash her clothes with only one set and still have something to wear. She should have insisted on at least getting some extra supplies before rushing off. Food was another thing that she was not sure they had much of. Her utility belt had a few small rations in it, but it wasn't even a full meal. It would be an interesting journey.

 

"I am going to take a shower. See if you can find some food while I am doing that." She got up and went to the small refresher, closed the door, and started the water. There was some old soap there that she wasn't entirely sure of, but it was better than nothing.

[Adenna Alluyen]

After taking as quick a shower as she could and still get the grime off, Adenna made the decision to wash her clothes in the shower with the same soap. It wasn't great, but it was better than nothing. She kept her outer robes dry so she had something to wear while the rest of her clothes were drying. It was still dirty, but there was nothing she could do about it because she wasn't going to be walking around completely naked with Vos on board.

 

She moved as fast as she could since she knew water on board a ship was not infinite and wasn't sure how well the ship's recyclers and filtration system worked. When she was done, she made sure her outer robes were securely tied and left the refresher to find a place to hang her clothes.

 

She smelled some marginally appetizing food in the air. She was starving even after having eaten some of her field rations and would have probably eaten almost anything at this point. She didn't see either Vos or his beast, but she could sense both nearby. She wasn't sure if it was for her or not, but she was too hungry to let it all go uneaten. She found something to eat with that she hoped was clean and scooped a few bites out of the pot. It wasn't the best she had ever eaten, but it was far from horrible. With how hungry she was, she wasn't going to complain. She forced herself to stop after just three bites and go looking for Vos to see if he would to take a shower.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna found Vos with his beast in one of the sparsely decorated and furnished quarters she assumed he had claimed as his own. He had the slaver's axe in hand, but wasn't holding it in a way that denoted threats or violence. She pulled out his lightsaber and offered it to him.

 

"If you mean to be a Jedi, we will have to do something about this lightsaber. I know how much of a person goes into making one. You created this while you were a Sith and in the darkness. Therefore, no matter how much you may wish otherwise, it will always be tainted and a reminder to you of that time."

 

She paused in hesitation. She was not sure if he would like this next part at all. "If you are being truthful in your desire to walk the path of the Jedi and of the light side, you will need to destroy this lightsaber in its entirety. You can then build a new lightsaber from scratch that won't have that darkness within."

 

She held up a hand to forestall any argument from him and continued, "I know you will likely argue that you will need it as we go after the slavers. I know that, but will point out that we will likely always be heading toward one dangerous situation or another. Having this with you is a danger, the longer you have it, the worse it will be. I would prefer you do it right now, but I am not going to make you do that. I will let you decide when you want to do it. The sooner you do it, the better."

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna did not necessarily agree with Vos' logic, but splitting up would allow them to cover a bit more ground. Though, her concern was that he would take the time to do something foolish with the Sith on Coruscant and either get himself beaten to a pulp again or killed. She was also disappointed at his putting off destroying his tainted lightsaber, but that was not a decision she was going to make for him.

 

As they were talking toward the cockpit, he seemed to waver. Through the Force, she could feel a fluctuation in his emotions that was odd. "What is wrong?" she asked.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna may have been born and raised on a backwater planet in the Outer Rim, but she was not born yesterday nor was she stupid. She was growing tired of Vos' deceptions, half truths, and dodges. She followed him into the cockpit and did not let it go. "That was hardly 'nothing' I felt back there, and it sure as hell wasn't your dinner. What was that really?" She didn't go as far as to use the Force to make him feel more inclined to answer, but she did focus her senses on him to make sure she was getting the complete, unaltered truth from him. He could lie, but he would have to be very, very good to get away from it.

[Adenna Alluyen]

"How can I trust you when you keep hiding things and lying to me, especially when they relate to the Sith?" replied Adenna. She made note of the fact that he still shared a link with his former Sith master with some trepidation and wondered how far it went.

 

Now that they had landed, she needed to get to CoreSec. Before she did that, though, she needed to get dressed. She grabbed her somewhat clean clothes and went to the refresher to change out of her dirty outer robe and into them. Leaving the dark blue outer robe behind, she emerged in her tunic and pulled out her comlink to summon a taxi. Once she was done summoning a ride, she stood outside the ship to wait for it.

[Adenna Alluyen]

While Vos took care of flying the ship, Adenna saw to their guest. The meal that Vos prepared was decent enough, but Ariana needed more than just food. Her clothes were a mess and she was quite frankly filthy.

 

When they had finished, Adenna guided the girl to the refresher. "Here, get yourself cleaned up while I go look for something for you to wear. I would say to take your time, but this is a ship and the water will get cold if you are in there for more than a few minutes. It is better than nothing, though and you should feel a lot better after."

 

She honestly didn't know if there was anything for the girl to wear. While Vos had gotten a few supplies, he hadn't acquired any additional sets of clothes, especially not some that would fit such a tiny frame. If worse came to worse, Adenna would give the girl her own outer cloak to wear until they got somewhere where they could buy some regular clothes.

 

While she was looking for clothes, she took inventory of what all was on the ship. A few things were left behind that could be useful. No weapons, sadly, but a set of older non-Holonet capable direct line comms was a good find. Their range was limited, but they would be very useful on a planet like Tatooine where they couldn't rely on the Holonet to relay their signals. She also found a staple gun and some other tools. Adenna was no mechanic and never claimed to be, but they could possibly be viable as trade items should they encounter a situation where credits were not accepted.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna had been searching the various nooks and crannies on the ship and had not even thought of looking somewhere obvious. When she did finally check the cargo hold which had been previously empty, she noticed a few new bags and a crate or two. She investigated and found a small amount of supplies including food, ammunition, and even some clothes. Clearly Vos did some shopping while she was gone, that was a good thing.

 

She took out the clothes and noticed that while none were particularly feminine, they would suffice. All purpose utilities and a few loose traveling robes weren't going to hurt anyone much. As much as she liked her Jedi robes, she felt that it might be best to wear something different after being in them more or less for a week and a half. Even washing them one piece at a time didn't help too much and she didn't think that Tatooine would be exactly open to someone wearing Jedi robes and a lightsaber.

 

She pulled out something that she thought just might fit her, then tried to find the smallest set for Ariana. When finished, she went to her room to change. They still had that new clothes smell, but it was better than nothing. She emerged feeling better and decided to wait in the lobby for Ariana to finish in the refresher. The poor girl had been in there for quite a long time, surely the water was cold by now.

 

To occupy herself, Adenna plugged into the ship's computer and downloaded all the information it had on Tatooine onto her datapad. It wasn't much, but what was there she poured over as much as she could.

[Adenna Alluyen]

"No," she replied with a sigh. "After all the other strays I have picked up, I have pretty much given up trying to be angry. She is a young woman who needs help and you offered it to her, for whatever reasons. I only wish that we weren't going to another possible combat situation. Losing one Padawan in battle is bad enough, but to lose this girl as well is not something I want to consider. She will be staying on this ship and well out of the action when we land, assuming that the Black Sun agent was telling the truth. This could all be one pointless chase into nowhere."

[Adenna Alluyen]

"She also doesn't have to face the evil you wrapped yourself in," said Adenna. "She gets to start in the light and hopefully will never experience the dark side firsthand except as she works to oppose its influence in the Galaxy."

 

She waited for Ariana to finish. Right now, with plenty of time left in their journey, she didn't want to rush the girl. She probably didn't get much time to take care of herself from wherever she came from.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna got up quickly saying, "I am sorry, I didn't want to interrupt you in the refresher." She grabbed the clothes that she had found and gave them to the girl. "They might be a bit big, but they are at least clean. You can go back into the refresher to change if you would like. I will be here if you need me."

[Adenna Alluyen]

((For the sake of OOC time, I am going to allow for some IC time to pass to make our journey make sense and explain the situation to Ariana.))

 

Adenna had no problems in answering Ariana's question, but the girl scampered off before she could. Adenna shrugged and figured she could always explain after she was dried off. She waited for the girl to do so and called for her in a gentle voice.

 

She proceeded to explain the recent battle on Thalassia and how her Padawan had been captured. She also covered the tip to Tatooine and why they were going there. She assured the girl that she would not be fighting and would stay safely on the ship. Plus, if something were to happen to the two of them, the ship was hers to sell or otherwise trade to get someplace better.

 

After explaining things, she let Ariana know where her sleeping quarters were. Since space was not exactly abundant, Ariana would be bunking with Adenna in one of the crew cabins. There was a bunk bed of which Adenna took the top.

 

Days passed as they flew through hyperspace. Adenna was always sure to be open to the newcomer, but didn't push.

[Adenna Alluyen]

The trip to Haruun Kal would take a good amount of time, so as soon as they were in hyperspace, Adenna wanted to get started on her Padawan's training. The man was new to the Force, so he would need all the help he could get, even if it was just the basics.

 

As soon as Tokala gave them the clearance to move around, she got up out of her seat and stretched. "I believe that you would benefit well with a little training," she said to Adrian. "There are many things I could show you, but all would require the ability to sense the Force in general. While being in hyperspace is not the best place to do it, you can still start to reach out and touch the Force sufficiently well to accomplish our goals."

 

After eying the floor for a few moments to determine if it was clean enough to sit on, she finally shrugged and sat down cross legged. "Sit across from me until our knees touch. The physical contact will help me gauge your progression. Relax and take deep breaths while trying to clear your mind.

 

"People sense the Force in different way, and each have their own way of interacting with it. I cannot tell you what you will experience or how your mind will interpret it. All I can do is show you the doorway and hope that you walk through it into a much larger world."

 

She took a deep breath of her own and smiled faintly as memories of her own early training surfaced within her mind. "The Force is an ever present entity that cannot be truly defined, quantified, or contained. Some believe it to have a will of its own while others claim it simply is and has no direction, much as a giant river. If you wish to debate philosophy, we can do that, but right now, the point of this exercise is to allow you to sense the Force on your own so that you can begin to personally understand what it feels like. From that point, you can formulate your own decisions about the Force's nature while exploring your abilities under my guidance.

 

"What you will experience will be unique to yourself and is something you should treasure. When I feel the Force, the world falls away from me. In place of my physical eyes, my mind's eye sees the world around me in a haze of blacks and whites. It was extremely disorienting at first and I couldn't see much. It was like walking through the world that was in a thick fog while having water in my eyes. Over time, as I began to learn how to use the Force, things cleared up. I could see physical things as clearly as I see them with my eyes, but I quickly found that I could see more.

 

"Everything began to take on color in my mind's eye. Instead of a world full of black, white, light, and darkness, I could see a spectrum that was beyond what any physical eye could detect. Anger and rage were violent reds, envy was sickly green, and peace was a tranquil blue. I could see life as bright lights of goodness and murky shadows of pure evil. Sounds amplified themselves when I desired it and I could see the sound waves floating through the air. If I desired, I could sense heat and cold, life and death, pain and pleasure, intents and dreams. It was all there for me to see and understand, all because they are connected to the Force.

 

"Then came the truly amazing part. Not only could I sense things that no ordinary individual could, but I could alter the universe around me. Time would slow down and I could move faster than I could ever dream. I could temporarily alter the hold of gravity around me so that I could jump to or fall from heights that would kill other humans. I could grab objects with my mind and move them where I willed. I could do more than simply feel what others were thinking, I could alter their very moods and thoughts. I could reach out and heal wounds or cause plants to grow faster. I could sense what people were going to do and react to it before they finished the thought.

 

"All of this is what the Force can do for you, but you must first learn how to feel it, to sense it, and to let it flow through you. I will guide you, but you must do it yourself. You must find that part of you that allows you entrance into a whole new world. I will be here to help clear your mind, to give you peace, and to encourage you when you fail--and you will fail.

 

"If you let me into your mind, I will lead you to the Force, but as I have said, only you can take the step through the door."

[Adenna Alluyen]

Trust. That was the key to any teacher/apprentice relationship. Adenna didn't know this doctor very well, but she was quickly learning. As he studied the new wonders that the Force could show him, she studied him. He was a man who spent his life doing his part in helping others. He was a natural for becoming a Jedi because he was already dedicated to serving and healing. She didn't yet know him well enough to know where his weaknesses might be hidden, but that would come in time. For now, he was solidly dedicated to doing his part and becoming a Jedi.

 

He was also a quick learner. He was older and more mature than Sandy had been, and thus was more willing to do the mundane without the rebellion of youth. He was not corrupted or prejudiced by the dark side as Tobias had been, either. Even though he was older and, were the Force removed from the situation, infinitely her social superior, he was not arrogant and seemed to respect her experience in the Force. If he was willing to stand through the difficulties and overcome his hesitancy at the unfamiliar, she would be able to teach him a great deal. In a fairly short time, he would be her superior in the art of healing, and with his larger, potentially stronger body, he could become a powerful warrior for the light. Like her, he knew what it was like to work with the poor, the downtrodden, and the helpless and didn't come from a privileged military caste as most other leading Jedi had. If he held on to that, he would prove to be a most useful champion for those who most needed one.

 

He was also ambitious, though not in a bad way. He saw a problem and wished to fix it even if the solution was beyond him. He the limits of his abilities expand with access to the Force and yet, wanted to push them even farther. It was noble, but she dared not let him overextend and burn out. He wanted to tamper with the fire that was her mind, and at this point, she wouldn't trust any but an experienced and master Jedi tread there.

 

"Not yet, Adrian," she said, though her eyes were closed. "My mind is currently a treacherous place, not for the untrained to wander. Psychological trauma might not be contagious to normal individuals, but I fear that among whose who can use the Force, it is. Come too close now and you may find your mind damaged just as I did when I tried to heal Jidai Geki's mind. When you are stronger and I have healed more, perhaps, but not now.

 

"Life is easy to track through the Force, but the greatest majority of the universe is not living. Stones, metal, synthetics, and even energy are all connected to the Force. You will not be able to sense the intent or feeling or life energy from inanimate objects, but in time, you will learn to sense their vibrations in the world of the living. If you see concentric ripples in a pool of water, you can make an educated guess that a pebble was dropped within even though you didn't see the pebble. Be careful in making assumptions, though. The ripples could have been caused by a falling pebble from above, but they also could have been caused by a bubble from below. In time, you will learn how different materials can feel and what causes the particular ripples in the Force, just as you can begin to tell the differences between various life forms. Only time and practice can give you senses that attuned."

 

Rather than focus on that just yet, she had another idea in mind, a test of his abilities and her own. It took some concentration on her part to do what was needed and prepare, but when she was done, she had hope that it would work as intended. Still with closed eyes, she lifted her hand to her forehead. With a single finger, she rubbed some perspiration from it and pressed the finger against Adrian's forehead before withdrawing it.

 

"You have an affinity for sensing the small and for diagnosing other people," she said. "I wonder, though, can you do the same for yourself? I have infected you with three nanites of my own formation. They will enter your pores, burrow through your membranes, and find their way into your bloodstream. You have thirty minutes to track and redirect all three of them to the surface of your left forefinger. They will not be capable of replicating and will break apart into their base molecules within forty-five minutes, so you will not be permanently infected.

 

"Use the Force to look at your body and track the inanimate objects that are the nanites. They will not be intentionally causing harm to your body, but your organic cells will know them as strangers and react subtly. Once you find them, you must then carefully direct them where you wish them to go. Be cautious that you do not exert too much pressure or force on them or they will shatter and be lost."

 

She did not expect him to succeed, but that wasn't the purpose. She wanted him to learn about his own body and how to begin tracking foreign intruders. Hostile viruses, bacteria, and even poisons were little different than the nanites and if he could start learning how to focus on those, he diagnose and possibly heal many others. It was a first step for him as well as her. She had not yet dared to use the nanites on anyone else. This extremely limited test would see if they had potential in being of some service to her in the future, or if they were indeed nothing more than a blight to be purged when their purpose was complete.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna frowned at the results of her test, but nothing was perfect. In her overabundance of caution, she clearly had made the nanites too weak to bypass the doctor's own immune system. It was a good lesson learned for her in the future.

 

She was not so consumed with analyzing her failures that she failed to be bemused by her apprentice's thought process. She couldn't read his thoughts as if he were speaking, but with his mind so open to hers, she could get the gist of what he was trying to do. He was analytical, that much was obvious. It was probably a result of his medical training. Such a thing could be useful in many situations, but it could also prove to be detrimental when trying to listen to the whispers of the Force. Right now, it would be okay, but there would be a point when she would have to see if he was capable of acting purely in instinct.

 

"So it would seem," she said wryly. "You show great skill in working with the microscopic for someone who claims to be so inexperienced. I must confess my lack of experience in working with individuals of your age that were Force sensitive. Perhaps your prior occupation has crafted your ability to use the Force to read people's bodies without you even knowing it. Not all use of the Force must be trained, many things will come to you naturally or through your life experiences."

 

The floor wasn't exactly comfortable and her calves and feet had fallen asleep after sitting here for so long. "Perhaps we should try something more. . . energizing," she said as she broke contact and stood up. It was a simple matter to stimulate the blood flow in her legs with a touch of the Force, but there was still a tingling effect for a few seconds though it wasn't enough to slow her down.

 

She looked around the small area and found something that would work for what she had in mind. "You were most concerned about your lack of practical combat experience. While I don't believe that I could get you combat ready in the time we have before reaching Haruun Kal, I do think I can at least make a start."

 

A quick tug freed up one of the couch cushions which she threw to the doctor. The cushion was only about seventy centimeters square, but it would more than suffice for what she was wanting to do. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a ten centimeter long stylus and tossed it back and forth between her hands. Finally, she stopped tossing it and held it in her right fist like it were a knife. "This is my weapon and the cushion is your shield. I am an assassin and you are my target. You must use the Force to sense where my attack will be coming from and use your cushion to block it. You may use one or both hands. I do warn you not to rely on your normal senses because if you do, you will end up with a good number of bruises. I will be using the Force to enhance my attacks.

 

"I will be trying various means by which to attack you, so you must sense the flow of the Force and my intent to counter my actions. Stay within the confines of this lobby. For the purposes of this exercise, you will constrain yourself to defense and will only utilize the cushion. I will only strike at you with the stylus and no other weapon or part of my body. There will be a time for more physical sparring in the future, but for now, if we were to fight while you were untrained, one or the both of us would likely end up hurt."

 

She took a deep breath and began to draw on the Force. She had a few ideas in mind that would let her get the feel of where his talents were as well as allow him to slowly learn how to use the Force in a more chaotic environment. He had been surprisingly adept at touching the Force which she attributed to his advanced age as well as whatever experience he had before encountering her. She had the sense that he was more capable than he was letting on and wanted to see what she was dealing with. Her previous experiences had taught her not to assume with her students, and her own mistakes had made her cautious and led her to see the value of a slow but sure progression in things. She wouldn't make the same mistakes again, even if they had to start out small.

 

"Are you ready?" she asked.

[Adenna Alluyen]

((We jumped on Skype and IM'ed this a little to speed things up.

Blue is Adenna

Red is Adrian))

 

Adenna gave him a curt nod and began the test. There wasn't much room in the cabin to maneuver, but she would make do. There were several things she wanted to try, but she needed to build up to them.

 

The first thing she did was to launch a quick series of basic jabs just to test his responses. There was nothing fancy, just standard attacks like what he might face from a common thug walking up trying to shank him.

 

Had Adenna been some random thug on Onderon, Adrian probably would have simply drawn his blaster and set it to stun. But she wasn't some random thug, and he didn't have his blaster. He had a couch cushion for a shield. Nevertheless, even though he lacked much experience at melee combat, he sensed the form of Adenna's body approaching. With a reasonable degree of coordination, yet no hint of the Force providing anything other than a supernatural form of eyesight replacement, he positioned his pillow "shield" to block Adenna's thrusts.

 

While he didn't catch all of her attacks, he was doing a decent enough job for using just the Force to see. After a minute or so of these types of basic attacks, she was satisfied that she had learned what she needed from him and was ready to move on to a more advanced attack. Since she was limited to only using the stylus itself rather than her full body, she was going to need to get slightly creative. This was a test of his ability to use the Force to sense and react to attacks, not his ability to wrestle or block all out physical assaults.

 

She allowed the stylus to float out of her hand with a thought and positioned it for the next round of attacks. She used the Force to guide the stylus in the same style of fairly basic attacks, but this time she remained still and denied him the ability to sense her body and use that as anticipation. Without warning, she launched the stylus at him and looked on intently through both her eyes and the Force to see how he would react to this new challenge.

 

Adrian missed out on sensing the first remote attack completely. The stylus pricked his left arm, indicating that he had to adapt or sprout innumerable bruises because of his failure. Adenna's body had barely moved, so Adrian thought she must be throwing the stylus, or possibly telekinetically manipulating it.

 

He refined his senses enough to identify the stylus, though he found it easier to recognize it by the biofilm of various microbes coating thereupon than a more traditionally Jedi way of sensing it directly. With this, he could at least attempt to respond to subsequent attacks, though his responses were limited by the same lack of precognition that he displayed earlier. He could only sense the stylus' present location and extrapolate where attacks would land based upon a standard understanding of ballistics that any normal person would use to catch anything thrown at him. If the stylus were to suddenly change direction, Adrian would be left woefully under prepared.

 

The doctor's responses were right about what she had expected, but that didn't mean they were acceptable. She kept up this series of fairly basic attacks for well over ten minutes giving him the chance to adapt and get a little more used to what he was facing. His successes increased slightly, but he wasn't using the Force to sense where her attacks would come from. She hadn't expected him to do so yet, but this was just as much a test of where his limits were as anything.

 

After learning as much as she could at that stage, she decided to change things up once again. "You are doing well using the Force as your eyes, but be wary. The Sith and other experienced foes are tricky and deceptive. You cannot always rely on them to be upfront about what they are doing. You must learn to trust the Force, not just your perception of it. Give yourself over to it and let it guide you rather than using it to compensate for your physical senses. The enemy will do many things to trick you and alter your mind, so you must follow the guidance of the Force rather than what your own mind tells you."

 

She recalled the stylus to her hand and began tossing it back and forth from one to the other. As she did, she poured the Force into the object and prepared her next test. When she was ready, she held both hands out as if they were both holding a stylus. Using the same move with both hands, she released whatever they were holding and once again, there was a stylus floating around the cabin. "In battle, you must make a quick decision based on what you know and what the Force guides you to do. Learning how to reconcile those two is critical for not just your survival, but the survival of those who depend on you. I do not expect you to completely abandon your senses or your logic, but you must balance them and decide when your mind is telling the truth and when it is not."

 

She manipulated the Force around him for a few more seconds while letting the situation sink in for him. If he had been paying attention to her actions, he would have a sense that she could possibly be concealing something or perhaps that the stylus itself was a trick of his mind. What he could sense could be a deception entirely, or it could be real and she was tricking him with the hidden stylus. There was also a third option for him to consider: both could be fake and the stylus could be hidden on her person. He needed to use the Force, his mind, and his logic to determine where the threat was.

 

"Defend yourself." With a gesture of her hand, she launched her attack and let him react.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna recalled the stylus to her hand after it had fulfilled its purpose as a missile. "The Force is not something that can be quantified or analyzed in a lab. It is something that operates with impulses, with feelings and instinct. You must not try to control it or force it to do you will, but rather, let it guide you. At first, just like learning a new skill, it is something that must be consciously worked at. You must force your mind and body to react instead of thinking analytically. In time, you will find that, as with all reactionary habits, you no longer have to think about what you are doing because it happens naturally.

 

"When someone throws something at you such as a small ball, do you have to think to cause your hand to rise up and grab it? Do you have to tell each foot to move forward when you are walking or running? Do you have to tell your hands where each key is on a datapad, or do you just type it? Each of those things is a learned trait, but it is also something done on instinct learned through practice and repetition.

 

"Right now, your skills in foresight are not really present, but you have the potential. You had to learn how to catch, walk, and type, but now it is second nature. How many times did you fall down before learning to walk? How long did it take for you to learn how to type or catch a ball? The same will happen here. We will continue to drill over and over and over until you begin to catch on and your body reacts instead of thinking."

 

She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. "When I look through the Force, I told you that I see the world in a variety of colors and waves with new, almost indescribable sensations washing over me. It is how I view things and I know others see things differently. I told you that those waves and sensations are not things that can be seen by the physical senses, but rather include emotions, moods, energy, and even time itself.

 

"I envision looking at any situation as though I were looking at a piece of canvas or flimsi. What is happening in the present extends along the X and Y axis and will include physical objects, intents, living creatures, and emotions. By looking at this level of the Force, I can see what is around me to a degree beyond the five physical senses. It can be useful, but that is only telling me what is, not what was or what will be.

 

"To do that, I must take my visions into the third dimension and look along the Z axis. By going one way, I can gain limited insight from what was in the past. Memories, thoughts, and emotions are the easiest to see in the past. It is far easier to come upon a place and know that it has seen horrible pain or great joy because those things leave a sort of imprint that can be traced. It is difficult to describe, but perhaps it is like a scent that lingers long after its originating source has passed. By latching onto that single sensation, I can track it back through time with limited success to glean information.

 

"If I want to go forward, I must look at things differently. Emotions and thoughts do not well traverse the currents of the future because they are constantly being formed. However, what can be easily seen is intent. Please note that intent does not equal what will happen, only what someone or even something intends on happening. It is easiest when a sentient or animal with higher intelligence is the source because they send out ripples of their intent and purpose through all three axises. Those are not the only thing that does that, though. Even something as simple as natural decay can leave an imprint, though it is harder to detect. Gravity, as well, can provide intent enough for you to sense it. In this way, a Jedi has limited capacity to detect threats from non-living creatures such as droids or even nature itself. I will go more into that later, as most of the time, it is the simple generic danger that we sense that allows us to react instead of reading the intent of the droid.

 

"Surprisingly, I believe that even energy and inanimate objects can present a Jedi with a read of their intent, such as it is. I can block blaster bolts coming from an individual because I know both their intent as well as the 'intent' of the blaster bolts themselves. I can sense the danger that those packets of energy pose as well as where they are going. It is through this method that Jedi can counter the attacks of remotes and droids which have none of the living thoughts that organic beings have. I can also sense on an intuitive level where and how I need to react and move my lightsaber or body to block or avoid the attack. In reading the intent of the individuals or objects, I can avoid or counter them with my own intent, but to do that, I must, on some level, 'read' the future.

 

"In this instance with this specific exercise, you would best be served not by focusing on the stylus itself, but rather on me. Look at the waves of emotion and intent I am giving off. See my aurora through the Force rather than simply through your eyes. Read where my focus is and attempt to determine what my plans are. In combat, we would be moving rapidly and it would be done instinctually just as you can move your feet in rapid coordination while running, but for now, I will let you take your time just as you had when taking your first baby steps. It is possible to shield or obscure your intent, but I will not be employing those methods since I want you to be able to read what I am doing.

 

"I want you to learn where my focus is, be it where you can sense the stylus or in another place. You should be able to sense when my mind sends the command to the stylus and know that is when the attack will begin. You should, in time, begin to extend your senses to cover the stylus itself and its own form of intent when it starts shooting toward you. Even if you can't react in time to block it, if you can begin to sense where it is heading, that will be a step forward.

 

"We will conduct this exercise many times until you begin to pick things up. I will not strike so quickly or harshly, but I will strike at you from many different angles and at different times into the drill. If you have questions, it is better to ask rather than live in ignorance."

[Adenna Alluyen]

"Yes. . ." Adenna said in response. They had been working for well over an hour, but he was making little progress. She hadn't truly expected him to, but it had allowed her to gauge his strengths and progress.

 

"I could share certain things with you, but I will not at this point in your development. Each person views the Force slightly different just as we each view the world around us differently. I would no more link you to my senses than I would attempt to download my life experiences, opinions, and prejudices into a newborn's brain without letting them first develop some on their own. There will come a time when we link our minds and I guide you, but this is not that time. I want you to be able to develop your connection to the Force in a way that is truly yours, not mine.

 

"At this point in your training, I am trying to get you to learn how to recognize the whisper of the Force that is always there, but that you just didn't know how to sense before. I want you to learn how to feel the Force the way that feels most natural to you instead of having you seeing how I do it and struggling to mimic it. I will give you guidance where I can, but I will not do it for you or stunt your development. There are so many things that I could and will show you, but you are not yet ready to see or experience them. First, I want you to develop a bedrock foundation of your ability connect to the Force. Later, when you have that foundation, I will show you complicated things and we will progress together."

 

She was not blind to his frustration and could sympathize with it. "Do not be concerned. You are very young in the Force. You shouldn't expect to master things with ease because, like all things, learning how to use the Force takes time and dedication. We have been working together for all of a couple of hours. That you haven't yet learned how to do everything I asked of you is not something to be concerned with. As I have said, my intent today was to discover where you are in your skills and connection to the Force. In time, we will work directly in expanding your abilities, but not just yet."

 

She retrieved the stylus and motioned for Adrian to replace the cushion. "I believe this will suffice for working in the Force. If you want something I can show you, then I shall give it to you. All Jedi are required to learn at least the basics of combat. There are many reasons for this, namely the fact that Jedi have often been used to resolve conflicts and are frequently the target of attacks by anti-Jedi organizations and the Sith, but there are other reasons. Combat can be an art and as with much art, it can expand the mind. Not only that, but much of learning of combat involves physical activity which keeps us in shape. When I first arrived on Gala to join the Jedi, I was quite underweight and weak. I learned through a great many months how to strengthen my body and gain muscle through exercise, diet, and combat practice.

 

"I plan on showing you some basic combat moves that will help in self defense. These are simple physical moves that do not need the Force to learn, but will be drastically more effective when you learn how to use it properly in the future. I want you to start preparing physically so when your mental abilities mature, they will be complemented by the physical rather than hindered by it."