Space

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Uhhhh.....

 

Qaela clearly didn't understand Ads' suggestion that he had no desire whatsoever to be intimate with a Nightsister. In fact, he was rather put off by the idea of it. Ads had no idea how to respond, so it came as a great relief when Onderin spoke up. And he definitely did a better job than Ads would have done. He was assertive but delicate. Ads was, perhaps, even more put off by the fact that he had just thought of Onderin as assertive but delicate. Maybe I'll have to take Qaela up on her offer just to make up for that thought, Ads joked to himself. In his own head of course. Ads isn't crazy. Stop calling him crazy. STOP IT! HE IS NOT INSANE! Ads just had to hope that not only Qaela, but the rest of the Nightsisters would be reasonable with other cultures' customs.

[Qaela]

Qaela found herself hurt by Starlisk's response, and she couldn't even deceive herself by saying she was surprised by the reason. "There are Jedi who have taken mates and birthed offspring," she said quietly. She looked straight at the Jedi master's eyes and continued. "Tell me, Onderin, is it so abhorrent to consider being with one who embraces the dark if they are able to temper the more destructive elements inherent to it? I know that you do not consider one who embraces the dark as untouchable because of what you have done to help me, but is my kind so repulsive that you are eager to be rid of me so that you may go purify yourself in what you consider the only right way to live? Would you be unwilling to even consider that perhaps one who embraces the light and one who embraces the dark are not fated to always oppose each other? That perhaps, if both are willing to open themselves to the possibility, such a thing would not be painful, but that mutual affection could form between them? If I am willing to see past the differences I have with one who seeks the light, can not one who embraces the light do the same?"

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin was a little bit puzzled by Qaela's response, and he wondered just how honest he should be. It wouldn't do to drive her away or jeopardize the potential and truly desireable chance for peace with the Nightsisters. But the truth was that he considered practitioners of the dark side to be broken. He knew the things that they had done, and he had experienced the draw of the dark side. He knew how emotion could drive someone to recklessness, and with the power of the Force the amount of damage they could do to everyone around them was tremendous. He believed that even a dark sider who believed themselves to be well-intentioned could commit unspeakable acts in a moment of anger, even if they were horrified by it later.

 

There was a fundamentally different approach he had taken to his dealings with Qaela compared to her own. She had been learning what a Jedi truly was, with no intent of changing him. But he was trying to change her--he might even say trying to save her from her course toward inevitable destruction. Was that the correct approach, or would it be better to accept what she was, that she would not change, and plot the course forward to see just how he could relate to that?

 

The Jedi Master knew the answer. He wasn't kidding anyone. Doing the right thing was often the opposite of doing the easy thing. He would try to accomplish as much good as he could in this situation. It would start with securing peace and keeping the Nightsisters safely separate from the Sith, and it would end with Qaela's redemption or their parting of ways.

 

He met her eye. "It may possible," he conceded. "I have not yet spent sufficient time around dark siders to know if I am so capable. Perhaps I have known too many Sith."

 

Onderin turned toward Ads the Sane, trying to transition out of that conversation and into the next. "So, Ads. I have been told that you are fairly far along in your training," he said. "Perhaps you could summarize or demonstrate some of the things you have learned so far so I can figure out what you still need to learn. Maybe Qaela could stand to pick up a few techniques along the way."

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads was confused. Onderin and Qaela were not just talking about the possibility of a Jedi being with a Nightsister, the conversation was originally about Ads himself mating (or whatever animalistic term the Nightsisters called it) with one of them. Qaela especially seemed to think it was a forgone conclusion that Ads would want to do it, but neither of them really seemed to think of Ads as an autonomous being. Not that Ads had any desire to be so "friendly" with one of them, but it was still strange for him to hear them talk the way they were.

 

Either way, Onderin quickly changed the subject to Ads' prior training. While a welcome change from the prior discussion, Ads was quite fed up with telling master after master about what he had already learned. Maybe I'll just switch to the dark side, Ads thought before realizing that then he would have to explain it yet again to another whole order. I guess the Jedi are the way to go, he finally decided as he responded to Onderin's query.

 

"Well, let's see. I have pretty much all of the basic telekinetic abilities down including manipulating objects without touching them. I have been developing my basic ability to sense people through the Force. I have some basic training with a blade, although I am yet to even turn on this one," he said as he touched the lightsaber hilt that Kirlocca had given him which hung from his belt. "I think that's about it. I don't really know any theory of the Force or any of that stuff...or whatever it is I'm thinking of." He almost inaudibly trailed off after that, correcting himself with, "er of which I'm thinking..."

[Qaela]

It wasn't the response that she had wanted to hear, but it was at least something. It still hurt her to hear him seem so doubtful, but what was she to expect from a Jedi? "I am not a Sith," she said quietly, mostly to herself. He didn't seem to hear, or rather, if he did, he simply didn't believe. Not all who embraced the darkness were Sith, nor were they all the same. He would not have liked to be compared in deeds to what the Kirlocca had done, yet he continued to equate her with the Sith, most of whom she would gladly kill if given the opportunity. It was a sense of annoyance, but nowhere near enough to be worth fighting for.

 

Besides, the alpha male had decided to turn focus to the pup. He held some interest to her, though without Starlisk, there would be little point in making him an ally. Still, if there was hope to mold him to view her kind as something other than enemy, it might be worth her effort. She didn't say anything, but remained near the entrance to the small cabin she occupied and nursed her own concerns. She would watch them and calculate, but it was not her place to interfere. Starlisk wouldn't want one who was tainted as she to pervert his charge.

[Onderin Starlisk]

It seemed that Ads had his fundamentals down, but needed some lessons in technique. That was roughly what Onderin had anticipated, although he had rather hoped the padawan had a good start in those as well. From the way he had handled the ritual that had restored Qaela's children, he seemed to have a good intuitive understanding of the Force and the ability to take an abstract concept and turn it into tangible results. This was the essential skill he would need to quickly master everything Onderin threw at him.

 

"I believe that lightsaber training is important and should happen soon," he said. "But we'll need a bit more space than we have here. Let's see how quickly you can learn a few useful techniques like trances." He threw a quick glance at Qaela. "If you would like to join us, I believe you asked about the way we heal. These things are intrinsically bound."

 

Onderin sat down on the deck, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees and turning his full attention back to Ads. The position wasn't quite as comfortable as it was when he was younger, but he was accustomed to it. "First, you must quiet your mind. Remove from the equation your doubts, your history, where we are, who I am. Then you can draw upon the Force. It is here, in this place, generated by all living things." The Jedi Master touched the Force himself, opening his mind to it. It was like he had been deep underwater and was surfacing for a breath of air, and in the process he could suddenly see the vast world around him. It was a different experience in hyperspace than it was on a lush world, but no less spectacular.

 

"The Jedi use multiple kinds of trances," he said, his own voice sounding as though it were coming from far off to him. "One is the hibernation trance. With it, we can slow our vitals to nearly a halt. Our heartbeat slows and we can go for long periods without food, water, or oxygen. You can even use this technique to survive limited exposure to vaccuum.

 

"To discover this technique, turn your attention inward. You will find that the Force itself will show you the way when you know the goal." The Force was a much better instructor than Onderin himself. Words could only go so far, but the techniques of the Jedi were the techniques of the Force itself. Just as the lightsaber was connected spiritually to a Jedi, crafted by the Force to serve as an extension of the Jedi's body and will, so too were these techniques intrinsic to practitioners of the light side.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads sat down on the floor, replicating Onderin's posture. He felt none of the stiffness he could see as Onderin sat down. He attributed that to their age difference with less than a thought and he forgot it as his master spoke.

 

"First, you must quiet your mind," Onderin noted. "Remove from the equation your doubts, your history, where we are, who I am." Ads nodded pensively. "Then you can draw upon the Force. It is here, in this place, generated by all living things."

 

Ads inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and listened to Onderin's words and ignored all other stimuli that tried to steal his attention. By the time Onderin had spoken a couple more sentences, Ads was paying attention to little else.

 

Onderin continued, albeit slightly more cryptically. "To discover this technique, turn your attention inward. You will find that the Force itself will show you the way when you know the goal."

 

Okay...

 

Ads lowered his head, physically withdrawing as he did the same mentally. He felt as though we were curling all the way around himself, blocking out the outside world. He could feel himself calming down and becoming more restful but as he noticed that his attention faltered for a moment. With a slight shake of his head he exhaled and drew in his thoughts once again.

[Qaela]

Qaela was mildly intrigued at the mention of learning how to improve her healing abilities, so she decided to listen in. Part of her was surprised at how awkward what Starlisk said was. It made little sense to simply "quiet your mind." If you weren't focused on anything, how would you be expected to achieve the appropriate spell? How would you bend the Force to your will if you didn't direct it?

 

She knew the spell he was describing and the way he was explaining how to use it was simply wrong. The spell was a simple one, one taught to young Nightsisters so that they could better tolerate extreme conditions such as storms or icy nights. To use it required bending the magical elements the Jedi and Sith called the Force to the will of the spellcaster. You forced the magic to slow your bodily functions down and sustain them, not by giving into it, but by using your will and strength to do force the magic to do as commanded. After having learned from the Sith, Qaela knew now that the ritual motions, words, and chants were simply a way to place the mind into the appropriate state to use the Force as desired, much as constantly practicing a particular spear technique allowed one to repeat it without really thinking. Dathomiri used the spells to make their mind do what offworlders did without thinking. There were benefits to the Dathomiri way just as there were benefits to the Jedi and Sith way.

 

She chuckled at Ads' first attempt. "How can you command the Force if you do not bend it to your will? If you put a boat in a river without a rudder or sails, the boat will float aimlessly as the current takes them until it eventually crashes or overshoots the destination. You must force the natural elements of the wind and current to do as you wish them and not let them control you."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Ads was getting close, intuiting the proper technique as Onderin had anticipated. He, too, neared it, but did not embrace the trance because it would be rather unfortunately if both of them lost themselves to it. It wasn't always the easiest thing to get out of, and often Jedi had someone speak a key phrase in order to emerge. That would be the continuation of this lesson.

 

When Qaela spoke, Onderin was slightly irritated, since it could disrupt Ads' concentration, which was critical in these first learning steps. But he spoke to her, keeping his voice low to facilitate Ads' focus. "The boat will reach destination because the river is willing," he answered. "If you want to build a hydroelectric power plant, you do not build it in the middle of a field and divert a river miles off course to arrive there. You build it on the river. A Jedi will go where the river takes him. His own goals are secondary."

 

The Jedi Master hoped the words would help to focus Ads as well as shed some light on what it meant to serve the Force for Qaela. "Ads, as you slow your perception and descend into the trance, focus on a phrase or sentence. Before you're all the way in, tell me what it is. You'll find I can use it to pull you back out."

[Beck Pilon]

Eight-seven sat within the command bridge of The Forbearance, reading up on the coming defense deployment of Rhen Var. It seemed weird that Command would choose a planet with no ties anywhere as the place to setup a defense garrison, yet he could see some logic in the move. It just wasn't enough. Everything he was reading told him that he would be defending against the Bothan's and their fleets and landing parties. He looked up as a sound went off letting the bridge know that a new arrival was now with them. Captain Tyren Tunwol, a rather young Captain. Recently promoted to the role much in the same way the Eight-Seven was. He seemed far younger than what he really was, and his face was extremely readable. It held nerves and a bit of fear openly upon it. But it was all in good cause, after all, it was his first assignment.

 

Looking down and away from the star streaking viewport, Eight-Seven returned to his reading of his could be opponent, General Karnek Vel'hen. He was the predecessor of Dirrm Gir’tey, and the now supposed leader that would lead this new rebellion against the 42nd Defense Battalion of the Imperial Navy. It would be a matchup worthy of the Galactic Archives...

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads withdrew more and more and he became less and less aware of his surroundings. As the world slipped away from him, he absentmindedly spoke to Onderin.

 

"I hate work."

 

((I asked someone for the first phrase to pop into his mind. Also, yes I am aware that Ads was asked to focus on the phrase and he did not.))

[Qaela]

Once more, Starlisk wasn't talking sense. If a Jedi went where the Force took them, how did they control it at all? The Force wasn't sentient, it wasn't aware. Even if it was, what if the Force wanted to unleash lighting instead of healing someone? It would be most awkward if a Jedi was trying to heal a wounded friend and "went where the Force took them" and ended up frying the patient with lightning or ripping them in half with telekinesis.

 

Besides, she wasn't entirely comfortable with simply surrendering her own will and allowing some ethereal Force to control her. The Force was to be commanded by a powerful wielder, it wasn't meant to control them. She had spent the first two decades of her life allowing others to control her destiny and what she did. No more. She was in control of herself and her actions, not her mother, not the Sith, not even her rage. She wouldn't trade her freedom for a new master, even if the Jedi thought it benevolent.

 

She was going to respond to Starlisk, but he made it clear that her questionings were not desired. With a sigh of frustration and a hint of anger at the dismissal, she left the lounge and went in to the cabin where her babies were sleeping. Let the Jedi play, she thought somewhat bitterly as she picked up her daughter and held her close. The girl woke up and moaned a few times, but quickly settled back down when Qaela reached out to soothe her mind. It felt good to be able to reach out and feel her children without the burning wall of light that had been inflicted upon them. It also felt good to feel that mind embrace their mother without any of the hesitation or layers that others had.

 

Having spent the last couple of weeks alone with Starlisk, she was used to having his sole attention. Truth be told, she had come to enjoy that. The last time she truly had someone's sole attention was with Ca'Aran. Even on the few times they were alone, he was typically distant or focused on other things. Starlisk was at least interested in listening and providing honest feedback and she felt that she could speak her mind without fear of him striking out against her. It was a rare quality, one that she had never found in anyone else, even the Sith.

 

His tepid response to her not so subtle invitation to him a few minutes ago stung. Either he was completely missing her aim or he was unwilling to even consider taking one who embraced the dark as a mate. She had always known that Jedi were as arrogant and prideful as Sith, just in a different way. While Sith thought everyone beneath them and had inflated egos, Jedi thought everyone as less pure and were proud of their supposed goodness. With Starlisk, at least, he was willing to look past her darkness and work with her despite the things in her life he disagreed with. He had given her hope that perhaps, after all this time, she had finally found someone who would accept her as she was without feeling the need to dominate, control, or even kill her. The Sith hated her for not being Sith and would have tried to destroy her even if she was one of their kind. Her Sisters were jealous of her power and eager to maintain their own places. Not only that, but she really wasn't interested in women beyond the occasional emotional release. Other Jedi would either try to lock her away or kill her because of the "evil" she embraced. Non-Force sensitive were not really acceptable either because of the inequality between her strength and theirs. In Ca'Aran, she thought she had found one who was willing to accept her strength and past, but who wasn't weak himself. Sadly, her own rage ruined that and turned him against her.

 

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. What a mess things were. Who would have ever guessed that her best hope in finding someone she could trust at her side to be a Jedi Master who seemed to hold no interest in her? How much more sad was it that she was sitting here in this small little cabin having this very mental conversation? Maybe Furion was right, she really needed to change a few things up and accept the Sith path of constant drive toward dominance of others. All she had ever wanted in life was to escape the constant threats of death that hovered around her and to be able to rest knowing she and hers were safe. What had turned her off--and still did--about the Sith was that they fed upon each other as often as anyone else. One was never safe among the Sith. They may offer power, but they took from security in doing so. There was a reason why the Sith had undergone half a dozen or so changes in leadership since she had been among them.

 

What was her alternative? The Jedi path wasn't for her, that much she was sure of. That didn't mean she couldn't be around them, as long as they didn't try to kill her. She could behave herself and follow their rules for a time as long as they didn't try to change who she was, but she couldn't embrace it. She was a creature of the darkness and was quite comfortable there. She had no desire to be responsible for protecting anyone but those she choose, and she didn't want someone or something telling her that she couldn't do whatever was necessary to protect those she did choose to protect. She had no real lust for death and power, but neither did she want the added chains of Jedi rules and inhibitions.

 

She had no illusions that what Furion offered was done out of the goodness of his own heart. He wanted her because of the power she could give him. She was no wide eyed weakling any longer and she knew it. Her strength was great and he had recognized the beginnings of that when they met on Dathomir. That was the reason why he wanted her, and if he got her, she would quickly be put to use as a weapon in his machinations, whatever they may be. Even though he had more tolerance for her heritage than most other Sith, he still looked upon Nightsisters--and by extension, her--as being inferior and beneath him. There would never be a chance of equality with him because that wasn't how the Sith functioned. To them, everyone was either a pawn to be used or a master to be served until they could be made pawns. She had no desire to be part of that sort of game due to the inherent instability and danger of it all.

 

Starlisk wasn't perfect, either. He wanted to convert her, to change her. That much was obvious in how he tried to push her toward the Jedi path. He was perhaps willing to look past her darkness for now in the hopes that she would change, but she felt that he always hoped to mold her into one who embraced the light. Unless she had totally misread him, it was unlikely that he would ever see in her anything other than a darkly tainted creature not to be consorted with for fear of sullying himself. Maybe he could move past that and embrace her as a woman and only a woman, but she wasn't sure that his Jediness would allow that. She could probably tempt him with the hopes of her converting and string him along for a time, but that wouldn't really be what she wanted. She wasn't looking for someone who was being manipulated to love her, she wanted someone who could accept her and what she was yet still loved her. If only she could end these feelings toward him. Perhaps the closeness of her children and the love she felt for them was clouding her mind and making her susceptible to other forms of emotional turmoil. That could explain part of it, but not all.

 

What to do? She was at a crossroads in her life and she knew it. Her mother was dead, her former love was lost, and her children restored to her. She had ties to both the Jedi and the Sith, two warring factions that would never stop. She was heading home now with the materials and strength to establish herself as a leader among her Sisters. She had obligations to Furion, despite his failure to deliver her children, but she also owed Starlisk for saving them. Despite their differences, she had more in common with the Sith, but the developing emotions within her created potentially potent ties with Starlisk and the Jedi.

 

So much of this was out of her hands. Starlisk would make his decision, hopefully soon. She would secure a peace between the Jedi and the Nightsisters and use that to gain power among them so that her children could be safe. From there, she would see how Starlisk turned. If he could look past her darkness and embrace her, things would get interesting. Furion still had to be dealt with and she knew better than to renege on any bargains he offered. It would be difficult to work with the Sith and not act directly against the Jedi or those they protected, but she had some ideas regarding that. Having Starlisk at her side would change things immensely, but that much was out of her hands. She would have to see how things played out on Dathomir and take them as they went. Until then, she would bide her time here and let the Jedi play.

 

((Starlisk, Ads: feel free to post between yourselves without waiting for Qaela. I will be paying attention, so if you wish to approach her, I will respond.))

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin could feel the frustration and conflict within Qaela as she left the room. It would be a long, hard journey for that one. It was going to take more than words to show her the truth, but as long as they remained together, working toward similar goals, she would get the chance to witness that. The Jedi Master didn't know what was going to happen on Dathomir, but he suspected it was going to changer her destiny or his for the better or for the worse. He could sit and plan and try to mitigate the potential for disaster to strike, but that would be a betrayal of what he was trying to show her. He was going to wait and he was going to trust the Force. The right thing would happen there, whatever it was. And if it didn't work out the way Onderin hoped, he would move on. He knew better than most that not all battles could be won.

 

He was brought back to his lesson by Ads speaking his phrase. Slightly amusing, especially given that Ads probably hadn't had a formal job in quite a long time. Now the padawan slipped deeper and deeper into his trance, and Onderin could sense his presence fading. The young man's body was almost completely at a stand-still, a perfect application of the trance.

 

"I hate work," he said. Nothing. "I hate work." Ads wasn't coming out of the trance.

 

Onderin frowned. Perhaps the technique needed a little bit of work after all. He wasn't certain at all how to pull Ads out of the trance. He stretched out to his padawan in the Force, trying to visualize the trance in order to cut it off. But he couldn't see it in Ads the way Ads could see it himself. So he reached deep into his mind and planted some words. "Ads, it's time to wake up! You'll be late for work!" Hopefully, they would find their way to him somewhere down there, to wherever he had retreated.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Everything was calm. Ads felt no emotions, only peace. There were words in his head, though. They didn't make sense.

 

I don't have a job. I'm going back to sleep.

 

((Come on, he may be absentminded at times, but he's keen enough to realize that he doesn't have a job! ))

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin smiled. At least Ads hadn't lost himself completely. But he wasn't entirely correct.

 

"Your job is being a student of the Jedi Order, remember? It's a hard life, but one you have given yourself to. Let's get back to it, shall we?"

 

One of the things Onderin liked to know about his padawans was why they wanted to become a Jedi. It was a simple question, but one very difficult to answer. A Jedi's life was full of struggle, and a lot of times there was no apparent payoff. Some joined because they felt like it was the right thing to do, because they wanted to serve the galaxy. Others had a specific impact they would like to have on the galaxy in their mind, and they worked toward it. Some wanted to preserve the tradition and integrity of the Order itself.

 

Onderin... he wanted to make the galaxy a better place. He opposed the Sith, he had fought and eventually toppled the Empire, and he helped maintain the uneasy peace that had come.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Almost before Ads had even responded, Onderin replied.

 

"Your job is being a student of the Jedi Order, remember? It's a hard life, but one you have given yourself to. Let's get back to it, shall we?"

 

Right, I'm getting up.

 

Ads opened his eyes and looked at Onderin.

 

"I think I'll have a hard time falling asleep tonight."

[Onderin Starlisk]

The Jedi Master maintained his amused look. "You seemed to pick up the trance itself pretty well, but next time try picking out your phrase before you get too deep and holding onto it. It will then be possible for it to wake you even if it is merely spoken," he instructed. "For now, let's move on to a very closely related technique--the healing trance. This can be used to greatly augment your body's natural healing abilities. If you should be injured, you can recover in hours what might have otherwise taken weeks."

 

Injury, unfortunately, was a part of most Jedi's lives. As powerful as they could become with the Force as their ally, the little mistakes and imperfections started to add up in no-holds-barred, life-or-death combat. "Used for much shorter durations, you can simulate a full night's sleep in minutes. Touch the Force again, and once again recede within yourself. But this time, instead of slowing down your body's processes, speed up the ones related to healing. Your very cells will begin replicating at amazing speeds. Just make sure you don't speed up your heart rate... that would probably kill you."

 

Onderin wondered briefly if prolonged use of the healing trance would have the effect of extending a Jedi's life. He imagined that a Jedi did not age while using the technique, so theoretically spending tremendous amounts of time using it would simply add on to lifespan. He wasn't sure if the healing trance could actually reverse the aging process, however. That didn't sound like a particularly Jedi-like pursuit anyway... it was too self-serving.

[Ads-Gop Flif]

"Touch the Force again, and once again recede within yourself. But this time, instead of slowing down your body's processes, speed up the ones related to healing."

 

Onderin's explanation greatly confused Ads. Speed up the healing processes in his body? Which ones were those? There were white blood cells, but those weren't really for healing, but rather for defense. Ads had no idea how his body healed itself. And even if he did, he wasn't sure that he could identify those processes as separate from others. Maybe he should have taken a biology class in school instead of skipping to other sciences. Ads was sure that Adrian would have been able to do it perfectly by now and, as a doctor, would probably be able to explain it better than Onderin, but knowing that didn't help Ads in any way, so he pushed it from his mind.

 

"Well I think I could speed up my heart rate, but I don't really understand how to identify the processes that I actually should accelerate. I guess I just have no idea how to start."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin considered. "The biology is actually unimportant," he finally said. He was no physician himself, and although he had picked up on some of the basics of what made Force healing worked, he hadn't known them when he had first learned how to enter the trance. "The Force is a much better teacher than I could ever be. It is created by and sustains life, and we are symbiotic with it. You could easily say that healing is the most fundamental Jedi technique."

 

He paused. "Think about it this way. When you manipulate an object with telekinesis, you don't think about the physics. The forces applied to an object will determine exactly how it seems to float through the air, and the mathematics behind it could be quite complex. Yet all we do is visualize the end result and it happens," he explained. "I can guide you to help you find these techniques, to introduce you to important concepts and draw links back to other things you can already do, but ultimately you will need to explore the Force yourself in order to unlock the end result."

 

The Jedi Master closed his eyes again. "Try again, and clear your mind of questions. You will find that they only impede you."

[Qaela]

From the doorway of her cabin where she had been standing for a few minutes, Qaela said, "Or, if you prefer, I could give you a demonstration so that you might see what to do rather than having to guess." She shrugged casually. "I always found that seeing something done was far easier than just hearing it described, but that may just be me." In one smooth move, she shifted her daughter to her left arm and, with her right hand, pulled out the wooden dagger from its sheath on her hip. She readied the blade over her left forearm but did not draw blood. Her eyes fell to Starlisk and she added, "That is, as long as your master would tolerate such a thing from one such as myself. He may not want you influenced by my tainted teaching."

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Qaela was truly befuddling to Ads. As she held the dagger next to her arm, Ads' jaw slacked momentarily before he was able to find his voice.

 

"Uh...I don't think that will be necessary, I think Master Onderin explained it well, enough, I think I'll just give it another try."

 

A truly impressive display of eloquence. Nevertheless, Ads noticed a scab on his hand from sparring with Halo on Lehon. He closed his eyes and rather than considering the biology of his body healing, he imagined the scab healing and going away. Or rather he tried to. He had never been able to resist picking a scab for too long, so he had no idea what was supposed to naturally happen. As it was, he had already picked away a bit of one end of the scab and it was starting to scar. He imagined his body welling up and healing the wound, replacing the scar tissue with ordinary skin. When he opened his eyes the scar was still there, but it was definitely at least a few shades lighter. "Yeah, as I said, you probably don't need to cut yourself, I think I'm getting a hang of this," Ads said, glancing back down at the scar before looking to Onderin.

[Qaela]

Qaela smiled at the Jedi pup's apparent concern with amusement. These Jedi were squeamish about the dark side almost as though they were afraid of it. Maybe they were. She waited patiently while he focused on the Force, though she didn't quite see what he had accomplished until he looked at his hand and the small mark on it.

 

Apparently satisfied, Ads clarified on his earlier hesitation and she realized that she had read the man wrong. It wasn't the dark side or her using the Force that he was afraid of, at least, not in this matter. It was her cutting herself that he wanted to avoid. How chivalrous. How offensive. It was so much like these offworlders to think women were the weaker gender and could not handle a little pain or hardship. It was pathetic really, because so many of the women in the Galaxy believed that bunch of drivel and allowed the males to dominate and shelter them. Her first reaction was to lash out at this one's ignorance and chauvinism, but she did not. Maybe it was being around these Jedi or maybe it was that she had began to gain control of herself, but she didn't act on her first impulse. Ads was simply ignorant, innocently so. He didn't know better and had probably been taught that pain was a bad thing to be avoided.

 

"You need not fear my arm," she said as gently as she could. "It would be just a small cut, one that would be quickly healed. I have suffered far worse. But, if you do not wish to see and learn, I will not force it upon you." She wasn't even sure Starlisk would have let her anyway, so the subject was probably moot.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin quietly let Ads handle Qaela's offer. He trusted that his apprentice knew well enough the lure of the dark side and the dangers of drawing upon it. There was an amusing parallel in her offer to inflict self-injury in order to demonstrate healing it, however. Keiran had done the same thing once to give Onderin a real learning situation, and Onderin himself had done the same for at least one of his previous students. They probably thought he was as crazy as he had thought Keiran was. Alas, one of the other trademark lessons he picked up from Keiran would be lost on someone as already comfortable with telekinesis as Ads was.

 

Presently, with just a short dip into the healing trance, Ads was able to make progress on a scar he had. It definitely demonstrated that he had at least the fundamentals of the technique. He could always work on it further on his own sometime. The way it revolutionized a Jedi's need for sleep, Onderin knew he personally had leaned heavily on it at times.

 

"I think the bulk of things you still need to learn to become a Jedi Knight are related to how--and when--to use your lightsaber. Soon we'll need to go somewhere for you to build one, such as Ilum or--" he caught himself. Tython was another suitable location, but he didn't want to even drop that name in front of Qaela. "Well, or a couple other places where crystals occur naturally like Dantooine.

 

"But again, this ship is just too small for people to be waving lightsabers around. So, in the meantime, is there anything specific you would like to learn that you have seen other Jedi do?" he asked. He glanced over at the Nightsister as well. "My offer is open to you as well, Qaela."

[Ads-Gop Flif]

((Sorry, it didn't notify me that you two had responded.

 

"...is there anything specific you would like to learn that you have seen other Jedi do?"

 

Remembering the crowds on Bothawui from which the trio had recently escaped, a Force ability immediately leaped to the front of his mind. "Yeah, actually, I've seen Jedi do this thing where they change someone's mind. First, how is that okay to do, and second, how do you do that?" It didn't seem like a Jedi way of doing things, but if it was acceptable, why shouldn't Ads do it? It seemed reasonable to him.

[Qaela]

Qaela very much did want to learn a few things about what she had seen--or at least, heard--of Jedi doing, but Starlisk himself was likely not willing to indulge her on them without a little help. He seemed a little too stiff necked about some things, but that was what she had come to expect about these Jedi. She was delighted that Ads asked about mind control because that was something she knew a great deal about and would be more than happy to provide a demonstration. It was a simple matter to begin the spell silently within her head as she had done it so many times to so many marks or enemies. She had plenty of emotions to draw from ranging from her frustration at Starlisk's stubbornness, her love for her children, and her hatred for the Kirlocca who had nearly taken them from her. The trick would be in casting the spell just right to accomplish her goals without being too obvious about it.

 

In a velvety voice, she answered him, "The minds of sentients are fickle things, prone to wander from point to point sometimes at random. See something, smell something, or hear something different and your mind can jump back to old memories or have emotions tied to those things surface." A touch of the Force against his mind was all she needed to start. She began drawing his attention to her, slowly causing distractions to fade into the background. "Children in particular have a susceptibility to distraction. As we grow older, we learn to focus better and ignore those distractions." Her voice slowly began to lower to force him to focus harder to hear her words and draw him deeper into her spell. The spell itself wasn't just a narrow, single beam like a blaster bolt, but was spread out throughout the entire ship. Even her children would be affected, though she was not concerned. What she was doing wouldn't pose them any harm. She definitely kept her focus on the young Jedi, but the spell itself was designed to affect a crowd. For now, it commanded silence and urged listening to all within its path. She wanted Starlisk more worried about his Padawan than himself, though she wasn't sure how well that was translating into her spell.

 

She smiled at the Jedi pup and continued her lesson, "Almost all species experience at least some empathy with those around them," she said. "You can use the Force to heighten that sensitivity to the point of reading emotions and surface thoughts with ease, almost like passive scanners. If you focus your intent onto an individual, you can dig deeper than what is on the surface and delve into their subconscious. The step between being able to sense emotions and being able to alter them is not a very large one, once you know what you are doing." So far, she hadn't injected any particular commands into her spell beyond the urgency of listening to what she said. She was teaching Ads, and as far as she knew, nothing she had said was exactly evil dark side voodoo that might anger Starlisk. It was simply the truth without bias as far as she could tell, so hopefully Starlisk wouldn't be put too off with any "dark side influence" gibberish.

 

The spell was slowly building up strength, working its way into the targeted minds with subtlety and craftiness, slowly eroding at their defenses and opening them up to her suggestions. "The trick with altering minds isn't to force the mind to do something it would never do. That only causes them to resist and requires you to then use a far more invasive and energy consuming spell to take control of their mind. The best way to manipulate minds is to subtly urge the desired memories, emotions, and urges that already exist within that individual to the forefront. If you need them to be silent about something, bring up the memory of some dark secret that they had never told and imprint that same urgency for secrecy to whatever it is you wish kept in the dark. If you need them to fly into a rage, bring up something of their past that sends them into a fury. If you want them to make love to you," she struggled not to allow that particular sense into the spell, "then conjure up images of lust and passion."

 

"The effects can be quite profound for one gifted in manipulation," she said mesmerizingly. The spell was at its zenith and needed to be released. She held it back for a few more seconds so she could add, "I told you that I find it best to learn by experience." She unleashed the spell, focusing not on Ads, but rather on Starlisk himself. To be sure, Ads would receive a healthy dose of the spell, but the brunt of her power and focus suddenly switched from Ads to the senior Jedi. With her influence at its height, it was now time for her command. "Release your inhibitions, do away with your self control. Speak your mind and shy not from the truth for fear of repercussions both desired or feared. Tell me now, could you ever love me as I am now?" As she said that, she dredged up everything that she knew about the Jedi and their honor and slipped into both of their minds as best as she could. With that, she mixed in every positive element touching the virtue of telling the truth, being honest, and not concealing anything. She also threw in a touch of disgust at those who lied and kept things in darkness for good measure.

 

Light within the shuttle rippled slightly as though there were waves of heat inside. The spell was completed and her power unleashed. Qaela stepped back and waited for the responses from both Jedi. She wasn't entirely sure that the Jedi Master would be entirely taken in, but there was a chance that he had been. If he was, then his response would be most interesting indeed, and could answer a great question she had been pondering. If he had resisted her spell, he would likely be quite wroth with her. That would be. . . unfortunate, but she didn't think he would try to kill her. That, too, would provide a clue for her. It would be an interesting test of wills between the two of them.

 

Ads was bound to get a good dose of the spell, too. Since her focus wasn't entirely on him, she wasn't sure if he would be able to resist her influence. If it did work, it would be amusing to hear his response. Either way, Ads was bound to receive an interesting education in the theory and use of what the Jedi and Sith called mind tricks.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Of course, mind tricks. Onderin was pretty good with them, but he tended to not rely on them. In his experience, most sentients were pretty reasonable beings, and he could accomplish things without using the Force to change their minds about something. That said, there were other times when it was utterly essential if results needed to be quick or to get out of a sticky situation. Sometimes it could prevent a fight, and that was a worthy application indeed.

 

The Jedi Master didn't fail to notice how Qaela began to channel her spell as she took over the lesson. He examined her warily through the Force as she gave her explanation, and warded his mind against the echoes of the technique that she was focusing on Ads. The things that she was saying had a certain self-gratifying edge on them, and her examples of when to use a mind trick were not exactly Jedi-appropriate, but her explanation was largely correct. The key was making the request seem reasonable to the influenced mind, and through careful focus being able to read their surface thoughts and deeper. There was a careful moral boundary that Qaela eschewed, but Onderin decided he would let her finish before he made some additions.

 

He was beginning to wonder just what she would try to convince Ads to do when suddenly the spell had been turned upon himself. He began to shore up the barriers that he had started to put in place, but quickly realized something. He didn't have anything to hide from her, unless she was trying to pry some Jedi secret out of his mind to give it to the Sith... and this would be a poor time to try such a thing, trapped with two Jedi aboard a ship in hyperspace far between systems. Just before her technique finished, Onderin willingly dropped his defenses and allowed her to ask her question. "Yes," he said simply. "But if such feelings developed, I could never allow myself to act on them."

[Ads-Gop Flif]

Ads' experiences immediately preceding their flight from Bothawui had inspired Ads' initial response but, still being fresh in his mind, also made him cognizant of the effects of mind control; the moment that he heard Qaela answering him, Ads knew that she was up to something. It was certainly clear that she enjoyed the sound of her own voice but it was equally obvious that she was not the teaching type. She had--often quite obtrusively--been trying to manipulate Ads since the moment he met her. To expect any less from her now would be foolish.

 

"The minds of sentients are fickle things, prone to wander from point to point sometimes at random. See something, smell something, or hear something different and your mind can jump back to old memories or have emotions tied to those things surface."

 

Ads' expectations were confirmed as Ads felt his attention slowly start slipping beyond his control. But interactions with the Dark Lord of the Sith rarely failed to provide learning opportunities and it would be an understatement to say that Qaela's attempts paled in comparison with what the Dark Lord had done to Ads. It would be a regular statement (and, of course, demonstrated my transcendental vocabulary ) to say that Qaela's attempts really paled a lot in comparison with what the Dark Lord had done to Ads. But that only made it seem stranger to Ads that Qaela didn't seem to "demonstrate" infusing her words with meaning until even Ads could feel that the Force welling up in Qaela had passed its climax. Ads was caught completely by surprise when Qaela finally released a telepathic force within the small cabin of the transport vessel. That meant that when Ads only caught his tongue after beginning, "in all--," he was unsure whether he was speaking because of Qaela's spell or simply because a question was asked that he had not expected. But Ads realized the question, along with the Force Qaela had exerted, was not meant for him. It made sense now.

 

Ads put his answer to Qaela's question out of his mind after internally finishing what he was going to say; there was no reason to dwell on it.

 

In all honesty, no, not now.

[Qaela]

Starlisk's response was. . . sufficient. She sensed no deception within his words or intent. She kept her reaction buried under the deepest layers of security and mental defenses she could muster, refusing to let it show.

 

Ads', on the other hand, was amusing enough, even if she could only get a taste of his intent from the connections she had made with his mind throughout the buildup of the spell. To him, she offered a small smile. She had no reason to believe that he would ever be interested in her, but it was useful to be sure. It might have been fortunate if he had some sort of interest in her because she could have used that. The twinge of indignation at the thought of not being desirable was quickly quelled. Perhaps he may find at least a tiny amount of attraction, but that her question was too narrow in its scope. Surely one so young as he had not had all of his urges purged by Jedi domination and tyranny.

 

Her smile wasn't because of the thoughts she was having, but rather for what she had just done to the young Jedi. He had braced himself for a strong, overbearing assault on his mind. That was understandable as so many Sith preferred brute strength to subtlety, but she wasn't Sith and such crude displays of power were never her forte. Instead, while she still had small elements of her mind wormed into his subconsciousness, she planted the impression that the scar he had recently focused his healing energies on itched and desperately needed to be scratched. Likely, he wouldn't even think the urge to scratch was a foreign one, much less that he was being manipulated. Then again, he had resisted even the side effects of her first empathic attack. This one either had a strong natural resiliency to such attacks or had experience with them that he hadn't mentioned before.

 

Distraction was key with any deception, so she provided it. She shifted her daughter to her other arm and gave Starlisk a small bow. "I apologize if you were displeased with the demonstration or felt that I overstepped my bounds in using the Force near your apprentice. I only sought to educate him as to the craftiness of my kind." She looked at Ads. "Never go into an encounter with expectations of what will happen. You expected me to strike at you in strength, and at a certain point. I could have opted for brute strength to drive apart your defenses, but even if your master would have let me, that wasn't my intent. I find that the quiet whisper of death can be as dangerous as a roaring fireball, just without any of the warning offered by the latter. As I am sure you are aware, sometimes your enemy will seem to go after one target when, in truth, their sights are trained on another. Starlisk is experienced and powerful enough to have either sensed my intent, or knew from his past that it could come, and prepared his defenses accordingly."

 

Her eyes flashed in anger for a moment at his lowering his defenses before the final attack came as though he didn't think himself capable of being overwhelmed by her unless he intentionally bared himself. It was an insult to her, even if he didn't realize it, but one she chalked up to typical male ignorance. Quickly releasing the anger, she smiled and added, "He was gracious enough to lower his own defenses to aid in the demonstration, though doing so was a dangerous and foolish thing to do. Had I decided to urge him to strike you down instead of asking a simple question, then you would be dead now and he would be full of anguish and guilt over his decision not to resist. Never trust a Sith, they will only betray you because that is their nature."

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin gave Qaela half a smile. "Dangerous and foolish only if I believed you were waiting for a chance to betray me," he responded. "I think we're a little bit past that, aren't we?" Though the Jedi Master did wonder for a moment if he could say he trusted her. So far, he had managed to make sure their goals never conflicted directly, and he suspected that had kept things from getting unpleasant. He supposed he would rather not find out what kind of enemy she would be to have... and that perhaps trust wasn't necessary for their continued cooperation.

 

He looked back at Ads. "Qaela's lesson had some merits, but a Jedi must always consider carefully whether it is appropriate to violate another's free will," he explained. "A mind trick can have repercussions on an individual if what you are asking of them is significant. The best things to ask for are things that they might normally do anyway, so that there is less of a cognitive dissonance. You can play on someone's apathy or disinterest, perhaps. I recommend using it only when you cannot achieve the results without it.

 

"You can feel free to practice on me. Just, uh, keep your requests reasonable," he added with a smile.

[Emily]

Once they had left Coruscant, Eris had had plenty of time on her own. She remained quiet, listening to the conversation between Quietus and his Massassi apprentice and coming to conclusions, but keeping those conclusions to herself. If asked, she would say she was just thinking, but in reality, she was almost brooding.

 

Several issues occupied her mind during their long hours in hyperspace. The mottled starlines drove some people mad, but she was a Sith, and very little could do that when she had the dark side at her command. So as she thought, she stared out into the void, her arms crossed over her chest and her posture falsely relaxed. One of the things she was mulling over was her new apprentice. She realized that although he was an unwelcome burden, she did value the opportunity to demonstrate what she knew and her ability to teach it to someone else. And there would be a natural sense of accomplishment in seeing him succeed---if, of course, he did.

 

She also brooded about her future. She couldn't help but feel a bit directionless at the moment. Why that was, she wasn't certain. It wasn't as if she lacked for things to do. And she knew she could always join in on Furion's scheming if she ever desired to. But nevertheless, there was a shadow of discontent in her life at the moment, and it rankled her.

 

Her thoughts would inevitably then turn to the changes that had taken place for her over the past month or so, and the discontent would grow. She couldn't help but feel that who she had become wasn't all it had cracked up to be. After all, the dark side had promised her much, and she had yet to see any of those things come to pass.

 

When these thoughts occurred, Eris would inevitably leave the cockpit for a long workout in the Ogariv II's training room or hold. She worked with Roe'gall on several occasions, but also on her own, becoming more precise in her saber technique as well as her basic skills. She found she had more and more desire to be able to move with stealth, and spent many hours working to hide herself in almost any environment.

 

Several days passed in much of the same manner. Eventually, they headed to Kuat. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to go to the drive yards again after her subterfuge last time, Eris took the time to track down and summon her own ship to their location. Once it arrived, she and Roe'gall transferred over, leaving a lonely Vex'aedr on the Ogariv II.

 

Despite the good times she had had aboard Quietus' ship, it felt good to be back on the Shadow's Shine again. Roe'gall too seemed happy, and he immediately went to the large pillow she kept for him and curled up on it. Checking her chrono, she realized she needed to get going. She hit her ship's comm system and hailed Quietus' private comm, choosing to simply leave him a holo instead of talking to him directly.

 

"Quietus," she said, "I'm off to see if my...apprentice...is Sith enough to show up at the coordinates. Let me know when you're finished at Kuat; I'm eager to see your special order." She added a few other comments, all of them teasing hints at just what she would do when they were reunited to show how much she had missed him, and then signed off. "I'll see you soon, rishtari."

 

Then she tapped in the coordinates she had given Kenneth and reentered the blue clouds of hyperspace. It took her several hours to reach the coordinates, and when she did, she found them deserted. She set her chrono. "He has 8 hours to get here," she told herself out loud. "Then I'm leaving."