The training of Viper Pliskin

[Ryla Relvinian]

I entered the room and awaited my newest apprentice, Viper Pliskin.

[Viper Pliskin]

Ames walked nervously into the room. He had absolutely no idea how this was going to work. Was she going to attack him, and see how he reacts? Or was she going to ask him to meditate. He didn't like this one bit. But he was going to make sure he did it and did it right. He entered the room and saw Ryla standing near a wall to his left. He simply smiled at her, in hopes that she was going to be friendly during this training session. It really did annoy him sometimes, since all he really could do to communicate other than with the datapad was facial expressions and hand gestures to show his emotions. Surely a normal human being didn't express as much emotion as he did! After all, why would they need to?

[Ryla Relvinian]

I had been tinkering with my lightsaber when I heard the soft footsteps break my concentration. I liften my head up and smiled to my newest apprentice. He seemed a bit agitated, and for once, I was relieved. All the others I had seen were unreallistically confident for their first day in training. They all had failed.

I looked up and smiled to the young man, hoping to reassure him. "Come over here, Viper, and let's get started. Don't worry, I don't bite. At least not on the fitst day, that is..." I motioned to a spot on the floor next to me as I sat down in the middle of the room.

[Viper Pliskin]

Ames walked over to Ryla and sat down beside her. He crossed his legs. Perhaps they were going to start by meditating. Unless they were practicing sparring for the legless!

[Ryla Relvinian]

"There ya go." I say as he arranges himself next to me on the floor. "Now, before I start training, I usually like to get to know a little bit about my apprentices. Your personality, your story, and your interests will help me train you in the ways that go the best with you. Don't worry, there are only three questions." I hand him a little slip of paper. "I know you'd prefer to write them down on your datapad, so I wrote the questions out for you."

1. What is The Force to you?

2. What made you decide to want to be a Jedi?

3. Do you have any special abilities or unique weapons?

"Feel free to take your time. These are not always easy questions."

[Viper Pliskin]

1. What is The Force to you?

To me, The Force is an essential part of nature - like energy or matter - and it has yet to be quantified or analyzed. The Force is not to be understood in the same manner as the physical quanlities as the universe. The laws of physics are observable, technology is predictable and readily-controllable. The Force is neither controlled nor controlling - it is part of life itself; asking if it controls or can be controlled is like asking if a person controls his or her component cells, or the cells control them.

It is not known whether The Force has always been, came about as life evolved into intelligence, or if it coerced the evolution of intelligence. To the Jedi, it does not matter. It's enough to know that The Force is.

The Force is like any element of nature - it has both positive and negative aspects: the light side and the dark side.

The Light teaches peace and harmony. It is the constructive side of The Force from which all love, understanding and knowledge originate - it is the essence of life.

The dark side is the counterweight to the light, and springs from the negative and destructive impulses of all living beings.

2. What made you decide to want to be a Jedi?

When I was fifteen, a man found me by a riverside. I'd cut my head and my leg, and my side was bruised. My bike was floating in the river. He seemed like he was in a hurry at first, but stopped to help me. He patched up my wound temporarily and took me to the nearby town where the hospital was. He paid the hospital bill and waited by my side 'til I was better. Once I was better, my parents came for me and he left without saying goodbye. I want to be able to help people like he helped me. And if I can develop my force abilities, then it would allow me to do a greater good than simply helping like he did.

3. Do you have any special abilities or unique weapons?

I don't have a weapon as such. Though I am proficient with a sword. As for special abilities - I'm a great listener.

*Ames handed the finished paper back to Ryla...*

[Ryla Relvinian]

I take the paper back from him, scanning it carefully but quickly. "You are very correct about the Force. In fact, you have covered what was to be your very first lesson." I smile in surprise. "The important part of the Force is that, although we may feel it's ebb and flow in every action, it is also very much ours to control. It is also good that you are skilled with the sword. However, the lightsaber is surprisingly very different from the sword. Where a metal object requires a certain amount of force and often a heavy arm, the lightsaber is a very unique weapon."

I reach around to my side, taking put my own lightsaber. Gently pulling the case off, I show him the small orange crystal, along with the many metal parts inside. "A lightsaber is one of the most personal weapons that a Jedi owns. So personal, in fact, that some name them." I say with a slight smirk. "Basically, it is a complex, highly powerful, yet highly focused beam. Instead of the force used with a metal object, a lightsaber is pure, focused energy, so it is easier to cause more damage with the same amount of thrust, yet light enough to get out of control if you are not careful."

Carefully, I place the metal case back on my lightsaber and screw it in place. Reaching around to my side again I pull out a spare lightsaber. "Until you build your own, we have one that you can train with." I rise to my feet and motion for him to do the same. "Now. Try your hand at the lightsaber. Try and attack me."

[Viper Pliskin]

Ames took the cylindrical weapon and gripped it with his hand. The first thing he noticed was how very light it was. Only a fraction of the weight of an entire sword, never mind the hilt alone! He thumbed the device, which caused the blue blade to ignite instantly. There was no gain in weight, as expected. He waved it about ever so slightly. Momentarily forgetting how light it was, his slight waving actually caused the weapon to flay about uncontrollably. Ames almost severed his own head off as the blade flew close to his face. Startled, he quickly flicked the switch again, and the glowing beam disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He lowered his arm, and stepped back slightly whilst shaking his head quickly at Ryla, his eyes wide with fright...

[Ryla Relvinian]

I watched as he handled the lightsaber clumsily, but wasn't too worried. It was a special training saber, tuned especially for new users. Contact would not sever flesh and bone like a normal lightsaber, but it would give you a light sting. "Do not be afraid. The blade is not able to harm you. I just want you to get used to the feel of it. Try again, this time, stretch out with your feelings, and let the force guide your hand."

OOC: I probably should have asked you this earlier, but what field do you want to go into? By field I mean healing, warrior, martial arts, force abilities and so on. :]

[Viper Pliskin]

OOC: Well, eventually, I'd like Ames to be a very stealthy warrior, unsurpassed in the art of tactical espionage action. If you're familiar with the game "Metal Gear Solid" then the main character, Solid Snake, will give you an idea of what I mean. Initially, healing will be his core path. But an event which I plan to roleplay soon will illuminate a path which would be more suited to him, abilities-wise, as a result of this event.

IC:

Obeying his master, Ames reluctantly re-ignited the training saber. He nervously touched the saber. A flash of light and a crack of static. The shock wasn't too painful - more startling than anything else. Despite the initial shock, Ames felt slightly more at ease. He just hoped that Ryla was using a training saber too! Putting into practice some of the skills he'd aquired from his swordsman training, Ames began to practice swinging and lunging with the saber. It was quite difficult not to put as much power into his moevments, to avoid losing control of the light weapon. He swiped to his left and swung to his right several times. A downward cut and a horizontal slice, finishing with a frward thrust and a 360 degree circular spin. Ames was pleased. Though still not perfect, he was at least now more in control of the saber. Mastering it would be another challenge alltogether.

Doing as Ryla had asked, he tried to attack her. Emphasise on the tried. He thrust the saber forwards to her. She blocked it - as expected. But without stopping, he spun his body away from hers, bringing the saber higher and swinging it round, aiming for her shoulder. Again, she blocked it. He wasn't bothered about that. he was just glad he'd conducted two succinct moves without losing control against another lightsaber-weilding being.

[Ryla Relvinian]

OOC: Gotcha. Cool game, BTW. :]

IC: "There you go!" I say as he swings the training saber. I block it easily, but notice that with each swing his movements get more and more refined, more controlled. "You see, you must let go of your conscious self, and allow the Force to guide your hand. Like you said earlier, it is both controlling your actions and yours to be controlled."

We exchanged a few more blows. I swing slowly, blocking his blows deliberately, but with firm force power behind them. "Good." I say, relaxing from my defensive stance, and motioning him to turn off his saber.

I turned my lightsaber off and showed him the hilt of it. "Most lightsabers have an on/off switch and a power level adjustment knob. Mine only has the on/off switch, which is why I was adjusting it when you came in. Yours is a training saber, and is permanently at a lower power. We will spend more time with the saber later. I just wanted to introduce it to you, so that you can have a feel for it to start with. Any questions so far?"

[Viper Pliskin]

Ames shook his head. So far, it was relatively simple. As he deactivated the lightsaber, it brushed against his arm, giving him another minor shock. He'd have to get into the habit of not touching the training blade, since a real one would cost him an arm and a leg. He thought it might be a good idea not to move on to real sabers any time soon.

[Ryla Relvinian]

"You may use this saber to practice with on your own time, if you like." I motioned him outside of the room and down the hall. He followed me into a small courtyard just outside of the training rooms. As he walked by my side, I spoke to him. "Now I wish to show you some of the basic aspects of the Force. These are fundamental abilities on which all things we do are based: the ability to do things with more than just a physical influence." On the ground there were two mats, which we sat down on. I picked up a small stone and placed it on the grass in front of him. "You see this stone here? I want you to focus on it and, using the force, make it move."

[Viper Pliskin]

Ames looked curiously at the stone. At first he picked it up. he wasn't sure if it was a normal stone or some kind of special "training" stone. But upon closer examination, he discovered that it was a normal, plain, run-of-the-mill granite stone. Quite rough yet fundamentally spherical, it would have rolled if on a slope. He then placed it back on the grass in front of him. Staring at it intently, Ames concentrated as hard as he could on the stone. He thought of nothing but the stone. Trying to shut everything else out of his mind, he visioned himself in a completely white area, with nothing but the stone. But it was hard to keep his mind on nothing but the stone. In his mind's eye, Xazor came into view. What was she doing there? No matter how hard he concentrated, the stone never budged. Then he realised something, and suddenly stopped.

He didn't want to accidentally lift up Xazor's dress, even if she was nowhere to be seen other than in his head! He rested a moment, taking in deep breaths. It was hard work, but he was determined. He closed his eyes again, and emptied his thoughts, relazing as mich as he could before continuing. He tried to forget all the stress and anxiety he was feeling, attempting to come to complete peace with the situation. Then, he thought of just the stone. As he did so, one edge of the granite chunk raised off the ground at an angle. But all he could do was strain a great deal and just manage to turn it onto it's other side. Not complete levitation. Close, but not close enough. He slumped slightly in defeat, with disappointment in his eyes...

[Ryla Relvinian]

"Don't be so discouraged. I don't expect anyone to be throwing 'droids around with no previous experience. This is your very first day, and that is quite a hard thing to do for the first time. Close your eyes again. This time, calm your mind, and try to feel the area around the stone, rather than the stone itself. Feel how the Force wraps around it, and how light it is. I think you may be surprised at what you can do."