Dio Blackmoon's Training

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos enters the training grounds, followed close behind by his newest apprentice Dio. He stops and turns around to face Dio.

"To begin, I'll need to ask you a few questions."

1. Can you tell me about your past, why you decided to join the Jedi, and the goals of you future?

2. Describe what the Force is to you.

3. Do you have any Force Experience?

4. What area of the Jedi Experience do you wish to center on? (ex. history, fighting, meditation, philosophy)

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio thinks over the questions for a moment, then begins to answer...*

"To answer your first question... my past was fairly quiet, for a while. I was born on a small farming planet, Invictus, in a tiny village. I lived quietly for a while, until civil war broke out on the planet. I had to live with a family friend for a few years; it was he who deduced that I was Force-sensitive. He gave me a small bit of instruction. He then sent me here. I want to learn how to better attune myself to the Force and use it to be a better person in general and improve my life."

*Dio paused again and then answered the second question.*

"The Force, as I see it, is a thing that sort of holds everything together. I guess that people can tap into the energy and use it to improve themselves and their abilities."

"I don't have any formal training or anything. I can feel a little of the Force around, but I don't have any abilities or tricks up my sleeve."

"I think I'd like to center on fighting, mainly. Perhaps with a bit of philosophy thrown in."

[Nichos Marr]

"Remember a Jedi rarely uses the Force for personal gain. A Jedi uses the Force to help others. Sith use the Force more often for personal gain."

Nichos nods upon hearing Dio choosing fighting and a little of philosophy.

"I shall teach you fighting using the Force, and you will learn a little philosophy if you wish."

Nichos sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. He beckoned for Dio to sit down also.

"Before we go on. I have two more questions:"

1. What do you know of the Sith and the Dark Side?

2. How feel you?

[Dio Blackmoon]

"Well, I understand that the Force is generally used to help others. I didn't mean to sound selfish; I just wasn't sure how to word it..."

"I really don't know anything about the Sith or the Dark Side, except that they are the opposite of all the Jedi stand for."

"I feel... peaceful? Yes, that's it. I feel relaxed."

[Nichos Marr]

"It is okay Dio. I can tell you have nothing but good intentions."

Nichos' face turned solemn.

"Dark Side users (Sith and Dark Jedi) choose the easy path. They have no patience, and rely on anger. Their main goal is to eradicate us...and power. Jedi do not ask for power. Jedi seek knowledge."

His voice became low.

"Beware the powers of the Dark Side. They can easily seduce you. Sith and Dark Jedi are very strong individuals. Approach with extreme caution."

Nichos thought about Dio's second answer. He could feel that the Padawan was calm and ready.

"Dio...please follow me."

Nichos stood up and walked over to a door opening it. The door led to a beautiful garden. Nichos waited for Dio.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio breathed a deep breath. He pondered what Nichos had said about the Dark Side. He took a silent vow never to even be tempted to follow that so-called easy path. No matter how strong the urge might be. He rose and followed Nichos into the garden. Wow, it was a great sight to behold..."

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos led Dio through the garden.

"Look all around you. Can you see all the life? Dio, I want you to close your eyes. I want you to try and feel all the life around you. Can you feel it?"

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio did as Nichos said. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. It was not an easy task, but with a bit of patience and relaxation, Dio could feel what seemed like a blanket of energy that bathed the garden in a lively, vital atmosphere.*

"Master... I felt like there was a blanket of just... energy that was over me. Is that what the Force feels like in a place that has such rich life like this?"

[Nichos Marr]

"What you are feeling Dio, is the Force. In the words of Master Yoghurt: The Force is in everything. It surrounds us, and binds us together. It's in that rock, that tree, even that bird."

Nichos grinned.

"This place is full of life, and it is full of the light side."

He walked over and picked up a rock.

"Dio, I want you to tell me what you see...What you really see."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio pondered for a minute. What did the rock itself feel like? At first, it felt as though it were just THERE. No energy at all, just a blip in the radar screen of the Force... But, wait, that's not it! With quite a bit of focus and concentration, Dio could actually feel a small amount of energy emanating from the rock. Was he mistaken? No, no, Master Nichos said that the Force was in all things...*

"Master, I feel a bit of the Force in the rock. It's not nearly as strong as something such as that tree there, but it's there, as far as I can tell."

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos smiled. That was exactly the answer he was expecting.

"You are absolutely correct Dio."

Nichos pointed to two flat rocks.

"Take a seat on one. I want you to meditate and feel the Force around you. Once you can feel it easily, we will proceed with your training. Remember to clear your mind and concentrate."

Nichos walked over and took a seat on one of them, waiting for his padawan to follow. He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio moved and took a seat on one of the rocks, facing his Master. He took several deep breaths to relax and concentrate even more deeply. He found that he was able to concentrate even more than he had before since he was already quite relaxed and focused from the previous exercises in the lush, colorful garden. He closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths, allowing a bit of time to adjust to the new exercise.*

[Dio Blackmoon]

*As he began to slip into the meditative state, Dio felt extremely relaxed, but felt even more aware. He felt more in tune with himself than he ever had in his life. It was a breathtaking experience. He could sense everything around him; it was as though his senses had been heightened greatly. Such a new, wondrous feeling...*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos could feel his padawan had already gotten used to feeling out the Force. "Rather quickly," Nichos thought. He opened one eyelid and then the other. Nichos got up and slowly tapped Dio on his shoulder. The Padawan instantly stirred from his trance.

"Very well done Dio. I can feel you sensing out the Force. Tell me, how did it feel when you sensed all these thing around you?"

[Dio Blackmoon]

"To be honest, it felt sort of overwhelming. There was so much energy flowing around me and I just felt kind of bombarded by it. After a while I felt more under control, but there was just so much pure ENERGY there..."

[Nichos Marr]

"Through our training you will learn how to control that energy and use it to do things normal and ordinary people cannot. Follow me again."

Nichos brought Dio to a tall tree. He pointed to a few stones, small and large in size laying peacefully under the tree.

"Now you shall learn how to use the Force to levitate things and call them to you."

Nichos slowly raised a rock off the ground and called it to him. Once it was close enough, he caught it in mid-air.

"Now you try. Visualize the rock floating off the ground. Feel it out with the Force and call it to you."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio paused for a moment before the great tree. He looked at the pile of stones and closed his eyes. He could feel the somewhat distant Force presence of the rocks in his mind, and he began to visualize a medium-sized stone before him in his mind. Dio closed his eyes tighter and reached his arm towards the pile of rocks... he visualized the rock in his mind slowly drifting off the grass, away from the pile. He imagined it moving up until it was about at the height of his chest... he felt the rock's presence more strongly now as he visualized it coming to him. At last, he envisioned the stone in his hand, and he at last felt the slightly cold, damp surface of the stone... He opened his eyes... yes, it really was in his hand...*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos grinned.

"Excellent! Excellent work Dio!"

He then pointed to a large boulder.

"I want you to raise that now. Remember to do the same thing and that this is no different then the medium sized rock. Size matters not Dio."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Relieved that he was able to lift the fairly small rock, he set it on the ground lightly and looked at the large rock that Master Nichos had pointed out. Size matters not, he had said. That made sense... somewhat. Dio walked close to the rock, and closed his eyes, trying to feel the boulder with the Force. It definitely was a stronger blip in the Force than the medium rock. It seemed so big... was it possible. Of course it was possible. Of all the things he had done today, Dio felt that if he could lift even the small rock or just sense everything around him, he could lift the huge rock. He tightly shut his eyes and reached his hand toward the rock. He imagined it lifting very slowly from the ground, until it was about three feet above the grass upon which it had been resting. He envisioned it moving a little to the left... but it was heavy; it was definitely taking something of a toll on Dio's energy. He moved it a little more to the left and lowered it as gently as possible. He opened his eyes, and despite his panting breaths, he grinned. There the boulder was, just where he envisioned it moving to. Between tired breaths, Dio whispered...* "I did it..."

[Nichos Marr]

"Soon you will learn to lift it easily. You are a quick learner."

Nichos motioned for Dio to follow him once again. He walked alongside his padawan silently for a few moments. Suddenly, Nichos spoke.

"Dio, do you know what a lightsaber is...and if so, do you have one?"

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio nodded once.* "I have heard about lightsabers and have seen a few. I know that they are traditional Jedi weapons, but not much beyond that. I have never possessed or used one."

[Nichos Marr]

"After you have learned to control the Force to your will, we shall begin your lightsaber construction and training."

Nichos stopped walking and stard at a tall tree with many, many branches.

"Now I am going to teach you how to use the Force to strengthen your bones and muscles for battle or dangerous sitautions. See this tree? I want you to use the Force to jump up it. Most padawans clear 50 feet. When I was a padawan I managed 65. You must feel the Force entering you, strengthening you. Then you must feel it in your legs. Then you jump."

Nichos closed his eyes for a few moments. With a quick leap he jumped high, flipping onto a thick branch. He had easily cleared over 90 feet. Nichos climbed back down and stepped back, giving his padawan some room.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio looked up to the very high branch where Nichos had landed. He made it look so very easy. Dio knew that he could not outclass his master, and he not so much as dared to try to jump that high. He must build his skill from the ground up. Dio began to focus the energy that he felt, and he willed it to congregate in his legs. In a matter of seconds, he felt like a charge had been shot through his legs, making them much stronger than normal. He felt that the time was right... he jumped, high into the air... he could no longer hold the high jump and reached his apex at about 55 feet, landing on a thick branch. He glanced up and could see the form of his Master looking at him from his perch above.*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos smiled.

"That's great Dio, you accomplished 55 feet on your first try. Even I could not do that. You are very talented."

The Knight watched as Dio came back down. He pointed to a smaller tree, not that tall.

"I want you to do the same thing, but this time use your arm and punch the tree. Remember to put no anger or pressure into this punch. Just let it flow softly with the Force."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Punch the tree? Sure, it was a small tree. The request would seem odd in any other situation but this one... it seemed as though a whole new world of options had opened, with the Force. He closed his eyes, but Dio was careful not to tense his muscles or let any anger cloud his perception. In his mind he visualized the small tree. He directed his Force energy into his forearms, and wound up. He let a powerful punch fly, right into the trunk of the tree. He felt almost no pain as his fist dug into the tree, almost ripping clean through the trunk. He retracted his fist, and the remaining bit of trunk began to splinter, and with a crack, the treetop fell to the ground. Then Dio began to feel some pain in his fist; there were some splinters in his skin and there were a number of cuts on his knuckles. Well, what did I expect after punching a tree?*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos nodded.

"Your hand is pretty hurt...as I suspected. It was part of the lesson. You demonstrated your skill in using the Force to strengthen yourself. Now you will learn the art of Jedi Healing. Come..sit with me."

Nichos sat down and crossed his legs.

"You must visualize the Force healing you. Feel the light and give in. Slowly you will enter a healing trance. Use the Force where your body needs it most."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio sat across from his Master on the ground. He winced in pain as his damaged hand began to bleed a bit more profusely. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain with his mind. He once again felt the intense energy of the Force as he began to concentrate. Nichos had said to visualize the Force healing oneself... Dio let the Force flow through him, and in his mind's eye, he visualized his hand, bleeding and most likely fractured. He envisioned the bleeding beginning to stop and the blood clotting around the cuts. He then pictured the cuts slowly sealing themselves until they became smaller and smaller... the pain began to dull... Dio lost track of how long he was in the trance, but when he came to with a pat on the shoulder from his Master, he looked at his hand. Except for a few small scrapes and a very, very faint ache, it was completely healed. Dio looked at his hand, back and front, almost with wonder...* "How long was I in the trance?"

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos thinks for a moment.

"At least an hour or two. In time, you will learn to heal faster. Tell me Dio, when you were in the trance, what did it feel like?"

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio pondered the question for a moment.* "Again, I just felt blanketed by the energy of the Force. I felt incredible, just bathed in light energy. I feel refreshed now..."

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos nods.

"Good...Right now, I want you to meditate on the Force, feel it out. Get used to it's properties. I shall be back tomorrow bright and early to continue training."

Nichos walks off.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio bows.* "Yes, Master. I will see you tomorrow."

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos returns to his padawan with a smile on his face. He takes a seat on one of the rocks.

"Tell me Dio, how feel you?"

[Dio Blackmoon]

"My hand hurts a little bit. Other than that, just fine. Pretty calm, relaxed."

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos nods.

"That is good. Tell me, have you ever sparred with someone??"

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio nods* "Once, for a little while. Why?"

[Nichos Marr]

"Well Dio, now you will be building a lightsaber."

Nichos lays out a cloth full of different colored jewels. He tells Dio the one he picks will be the color of his blade.

"And here are the blueprints."

Nichos hands him a <a href=http://www.homestead.com/starwarslightsaber/blueprntscont.html>scroll</a>. The Jediu quietly sits on his rock. Beforehand he had set up a table with the proper parts needed to build a saber. He watched his padawan get to work.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio looked at the small scattering of multicolored gems before him. He looks at each, but finally settles on a bright, almost sunrise-toned amber. He sets the jewel aside and picks up the scroll that his master had left for him to follow to construct the lightsaber. He began to place the parts in the order in which they would be placed in the construction of the saber.*

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio picked up what the directions told to be the power cell and examined it. It looked almost new, just a few tiny scratches to the casing. It would do fine. He again referred to the blueprint. Next came the rear grip; the power cell was grooved and screwed into the rear grip. He pulled on it to make sure that it was secure, and when he was satisfied, he moved on to the next part of the construction: the middle casing where the activation switch and safety were located. The casing itself held the activation mecahnism, but it was up to Dio to get the lever and safety connected properly to the mechanism. He picked up the casing and looked at the assembly of wires that would connect the safety to the internal circuitry of the lightsaber. Closely following the blueprint, he wired all of the circuits together. He clicked the button a few times, and it worked fine.*

*He then proceeded to consult the plans to see about attaching the activation lever. The wiring was less complex than the safety mechanism, but was more important, for sure. Again, he slowly but surely connected each wire to the internal components of the saber. Satisfied with his workmanship, he placed the half-finished saber back on the table and stood back for a moment.*

[Dio Blackmoon]

*After a brief break, he went back to work and picked up the next piece of the puzzle: the handgrip and lens assembly. The handgrip easily latched onto the middle casing, and was securely connected, having been tested by a series of hard pulls. The lens assembly also had some wiring that needed to be connected to the main assembly. He slowly connected each wire to the power source and main machinery according to the blueprint, and when he was satisfied with the result, he picked up the last component of the saber, and slowly inspected it.*

[Dio Blackmoon]

*As this was the last piece of the saber, he followed the directions even more closely than before... This wire connects to this circuit, this wire crosses this wire here... it took a while, but he was finally satisfied with the results. He put the final bolts on the casing and slowly rolled the new weapon around in his hand. The time was right. He held it lightly in his right hand, flipped the ignition switch, and a long, slender blade of amber light extended quickly with a loud hissing sound. He held the weapon in his hand and examined the weapon. Satisfied with his work, he closed down the weapon and laid it on the table, proud of his work.*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos awakes from his meditative trance, happy to see Dio had completed his lightsaber construction with much ease. Nichos had never built a lightsaber in his training, though he had built one and he knew howhard it could be sometimes. Nichos turned around and reached behind the rock. He pulled out a remote droid, looking much like a little ball. Nichos flipped the switch on and watched the droid raise. It began to swivel around the room.

"Now Dio, you must block the blaster bolts with your lightsaber. I set it so the bolts will not actually harm you, just prick you."

The remote droid moved towards Dio, swiveling left to right, then back to left, spinning around. Nichos walked over to Dio.

"The odds will steadily increase once you master each level. Remember to feel the Force and anticipate the droid's moves. Let the Force guide you."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio concentrated hard on the remote, trying to anticipate what it would do... perhaps this was not the best idea, he thought, as a blast ripped from the remote into his side. Try to anticipate the remote's moves, but not so hard that I would loose control of my motions through the Force. Dio readied himself again, letting the Force track the motions of the remote. He felt a tingling... he spun his saber to the right and back down, and caught a series of bolts as the were fired! He had sensed the the bolts were coming, and when they were released, he had known just when to act. Yes, it seemed very simple, and with practice (lots of it) he could be very good. Not letting his guard down, he parried several more series of remote assaults. It was becoming more difficult with the passage of each level, but he felt that the increasingly difficult exercises would make him a better fighter in general. He continued to parry the attacks with success, wondering when it would end...*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos reached behind the rock, taking out another remote droid. It was good to see Dio, easily master this level. He clicked the remote droid on, and watched it rush to join the other droid.

Both remote droids, prepared themselves. The level of difficulty slowly increased. Nichos watched as Dio got to work on deflecting. The force was strong in him indeed.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*More remotes?! Good lord! Well, he would just have to concentrate harder. He tapped deeper into his seemingly very deep well of energy, and he could feel the presence of the two little droids flitting about, firing intermittently. He continued to block and parry, defending against the more frequent stun bolts. He felt each droid, on either side of him charging up, and in a split-second, he rolled away from their target area and momentarily watched as the confused remotes blasted a few small pockmarks in the ground. The turned to face him, seemingly angry? Maybe. He continued to roll and block and duck as blasts flew around him and off his saber. The exercise was getting very, very difficult. He was doing well for the time being, but there was no telling how much longer he could keep us his success...*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos watched from the rock. Dio parried and blocked with much hidden skill. Nichos could see that the Jedi Padawan was tiring. In a split seconds, the remotes shut off and fell on the grass with a clank.

Nichos hopped off his rock and walked over to Dio. He was clapping and smiling at the same time.

"Now this next exercise may seem a little hard, but the worst thing you could do is doubt yourself. Never, ever doubt yourself."

Nichos placed a helmet on Dio's head with the blast shield down, disabling his vision. The Knight instructed Dio to begin to parry the bolts.

"Remember feel the remote out with the Force. Let it act as your eyes."

Nichos turned one remote droid on, putting the difficulty level at 3. He resumed his position on the rock.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio was frightened for a moment* "But how am I..." *But he thought better of the whine. Better to trust in his abilities. He ignited his lightsaber and could sense the remotes as they started their routine...*

[Nichos Marr]

"Remember Dio, fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Have confidence in yourself and believe you can do it." Nichos warned.

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Confidence. No fear, no anger. Just confidence in self and abilities. Dio focused on the Force imprints and could sense the movements of the small, floating balls. It was as if he could see the remotes, only more clearly. He sensed the droids firing. He easily deflected the bolts. It was difficult enough without the blast shield, but of course, he had to have confidence in himself. He was able to deflect the steady stream of stun bolts. They kept firing more rapidly with stronger bolts. Dio felt his side get zinged by a bolt, and it hurt like crazy. He tried to divert a bit of his energy, and was able to shut out the pain completely for a while. The steady rate of fire turned into a barrage. He had to focus completely, shutting out ANYTHING that could turn his focus. He was almost a machine now, twitching with the Force, blocking bolts left and right. It was straining him, truly. He hoped that the text was nearing its end.*

[Nichos Marr]

Nichos could see his padawan was tiring from this extensive training program. He quietly used the Force to switch the other remote droid on. Now Dio would have to deal with two remote droids, physically blinded, but not mentally.

"That's it Dio, just a little while longer and we're finished. Remember your strength flows from the Force. Believe in the Force and yourself."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio could feel another remote suddenly join in the fray. He dug even deeper into his seemingly bottomless well of Force energy and concentrated even harder. He was a robot now, completely under the influence of the Force, not even thinking, just reacting. The bolts came in a barrage, and he deflected and dodged them all. He felt stronger, more in tune with the Force as the exercise drove on, and he began to defend with renewed strength. The remotes were at an absolutely furious pace now, firing constantly, but never able to hit Dio. Even then, he kept up his defense and did not let even one bolt enter his defensive radius. The exercise wore on without any sign of letting up. Was the end in sight?*

[Nichos Marr]

Just when Dio thought the remotes would never give up, they stopped in mid air, and slowly fell on the ground with a soft clank. Nichos got up off his rock.

"You did excellent Dio. Better then I've ever seen before in a long time. Your lightsaber skills are quite remarkable."

Nichos watched as Dio took off his blindfold.

"Now go wash up and come back when you're ready to resume training."

[Dio Blackmoon]

*Dio was, at the very least, extremely relieved. This test had taken his skills to the limits, but he had succeeded with flying colors, it seemed. He turned and bowed to his master.* "Thank you, master. I will return when I am ready." *He bowed again to his master and exited the training area, heading back to his quarters to wash up.*