Lessons of Ka' el: Moving with my Mind (Fig)

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el had a knack for two things that Jedi's were trained at; hand-to-hand combat and telekinesis. Since he had be brought into the order so many years ago, he had been taught by Jedi Masters and Knights how to use the Force to "see" what his opponent was going to do right before they did it and react with inhuman agility and speed to counter. The result was a Padawan who could really wield a saber something fierce.

His telekinesis however was a natural gift. He had had classes and lessons on the basics, but in essence he had taught himself whatever else he had learned. He could easily move 75 kilos and with extreme focus he could move 100; but he knew he could do more. He knew there was subleties to using the Force to alter one's enviroment. If he could simply lock a blaster's firing mechanism with the Force, he wouldn't have to use it to dodge the attack, if he could grab a thermal in mid-flight and sending it screaming towards the heavens, he wouldn't have to try to contain it with a Force field.

And Ka' el knew that if he could learn to control the Force on such a minute level, he could eventually come to wield it on a massive scale.

**************************************************

Ka' el entered the Academy and immediately made a bee-line for one of the training rooms. He had reserved it for himself and Master D'an. Stopping by the check in room he picked up a few training devices and made sure that the other props had been properly set up in the room.

As he walked down the corridor he began initiaing the Jedi breathing technique, even as he walked. He had practiced it so much that it was second nature to him. As he walked, focusing his body and mind on the task at hand, he realized how singular of mind Jedi were when they prepared to use the Force. The focus it took to wield the powers they had been bestowed was immense and he was proud to be given such a gift to use to better the galaxy.

Entering the room, Ka' el circled it, taking in every nook, cranny and feature. Once he believed himself to know the room perfectly he moved to the center and knelt in a meditative stance.

He felt the eb and flow of the Force, the ripples that the Jedi made in the academy as the practiced their techniques, and then he felt a presence, Master D'an. It seemed the Padawan's teacher had gotten his message and was coming to answer his student's request.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin D'an approached the entrance to Training Room 1C, passing by several others on the way. Most were in use... two knights spared in a room to his left, while the largest of the training rooms was being used by a class of younger Jedi working on Force-enhanced speed and jumping drills. Room 1C was moderately sized, with plenty of room to set up training stations, or just practice one-on-one with enough space to pull off some more dramatic and wild Force maneuvers.

The doors slid open as the Jedi Master entered the room. He looked about the room slowly, taking note of how the room had been prepared. Ka' el had done an excellent job setting up for the session. The padawan was normally quite maticulous in his preparations, and this was no exception. Everything seemed to have it's place. Figrin nodded to himself approvingly.

As he walked further into the room and past some of the larger training mechanisms, Ka' el came into view, kneeling near the center of the room in meditation. Figrin rested his hands behind his back, and closed his eyes, focusing his mind. He stretched out with the Force, sensing the calming mind of his padawan and feeling the physical intricacies of the room.

The two remained silent and unmoving for a few minutes, preparing for the instruction sesson.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el noticed his master's Force signature as he entered the building and felt it moving slowly but with a purpose towards him. When the boy was in this state he could generally detect the motions of certain Jedi throughout the Temple, those whom he had come into close contact with and Master D'an fit that description.

He did not move when he noticed his master in the room with him, he was not done meditating and only an extreme situation ever drew the Padawan's attention away from his meditations.

Right on time... He always is... the boy thought to himself, futher glorifying his master whom he nearly idolized.

"Welcome Master D'an, I'm honored you chose to accept my invitation," His soft tenor voice called out to the Jedi Master behind him. The boy rose dutifully to his feet and smiled confidently.

"I'm looking forward to training with you," He said with a smile. The young Padawan seemed to be on a mission of sorts as of late. Spending extra time with the sparring droids practicing his saber handling, manipulating small delicate objects attempting to put them together in a small puzzle of sorts.

It was of course obvious to anyone who had been there before what Ka' el was trying to do, but the Padawan did not make his intentions known aloud.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin opened his eyes, and looked around at the room again briefly.

"Yes," he began, "I got you message and made sure my schedule was clear. So, we have plenty of time to cover whatever you wish."

"It seems that you would like to work on telekinetic movement," he considered, having judged the layout of the room and the objects it contained. Various sizes and shapes, objects of different materials and designs had been placed across the main floor. Some one would no doubt be easy for Ka' el to move, others would be more difficult. A good assortment, Figrin thought.

"Very well," he concluded. "If your meditative exercises are complete, we can begin. Perhaps you can elaborate on your goals for the session, and we can proceed accordingly."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el grinned broadly, his master seemed to be ever observant of the tendencies of his Padawan. Already he had detected ulterior motives other than bettering himself to Ka' el's lessons.

"My motive are two-fold master," Ka' el began to reply; "Many people when they begin learning how to manipulate the world around them with the Force someday dream of being able to do great things, move mountains, stop blasters. They yearn to gain the control that those like Master Hicchoru and Yoda had, I'll not lie my goals are similar, but I think I understand something that most don't at my stage master."

"And what is that my young Padawan?" Figrin replied.

"Being able to wield the Force in such a manner does not leave you much room for error. The slightest slip in the Force and there could be dire consequences. But if you know how to control the Force on a minute level I would have the oppurtunity to cause such slip ups against more powerful Dark Side users. In fact in whatever I do a minute control over the Force gives me a greater edge than those who just use it on such a grand scale." Ka' el paused for a moment as if pondering whether to tell his master what his other motive was, the main driving force for this lesson.

"That and I want to build a saber, my own, not something assigned to me to use. I want something that is a part of me and I a part of it."

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin slowly noded, rubbing his beard.

"I see...," he pondered.

"So, rather than say, pull the weapon from an attacker's hands or push him over... you wish to cause the device to fail. Or rather than stop the falling rock, be able to shatter it into harmless pieces of dust?"

The Jedi Master thought deeply for a moment. Not an easy skill to master, he considered. It was difficult not to admire the padawan's determination. He was dedicated to learning a degree of control with the Force that most Jedi would not consider achieving.

And then there was, of course, the building of one's personal lightsabre. Many Jedi used artificial focusing crystals, which did not require quite the degree of skill to effectively implement in a sabre. It was clear that Ka' el wanted to use a rare natural crystal, and use the Force to mold and polish it for his custom built sabre. It was something that made Figrin smile inwardly. He himself had always used the "traditional" method of lightsabre construction, and seeing that his padawan wished to do the same made him very happy.

"Well... let's start with something simple then, shall we?"

Figrin looked around quickly, spotting a moderately-sized polymer ball. He stretched out his hand, the ball leaping into it. He grasped it turning it over and examining it. It was about 30 centimeters in diameter and slightly compressible, clearly a ball used for a sporting activity.

"Yes, this should do just fine."

He turned to Ka' el.

"We'll start with a little warm-up exercise. When I tell you, close your eyes, focus on the ball, and levitate it using the Force. Once you have done this, I will proceed to move the flat palm of my hand through the air at random. Focus on my hand, and move the ball along with the motions of my hand. Try to keep the ball within a few centimeters of my palm. Are you ready."

Ka' el nodded in recognition of the instructions.

"Very will," Figrin said. He held out his hand, the ball resting it it. "Relax your mind, visualize the object... and go."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el closed his eyes. He saw the polymer ball or atleast its residual image through the Force. He also noticed the form of his master, which seemed to glow like the shining north star on a moonless night.

It never ceases to amaze me, the difference between the living in the Force and the inanimate...

Reaching out with his own "self" Ka' el easily lifted the ball from his master's palm. It floated effortlessly mere centimeters above the reputed master's hand.

"I am ready when you are master," Ka' el's tenor voice responded.

[Figrin D'an]

"Begin," Figrin said calmly.

He began by moving his hand back and forth in the air, from right to left and back, slowly but methodically. The ball floated just above the his open palm, following it closely and moving smoothly through the air. Figrin next began to move his hand vertically, the ball matching his movements exactly.

"Good," the Jedi Master commented. "See the ball in your mind's eye, and it will almost move instinctively."

His hand moved now both horizontally and vertically, on diagonals and in circular motions, added another degree of complexity to the exercise. Ka' el, still outwardly calm, seemed to focus just a little bit more. The ball's movements still matched those of the Jedi's hand, though, as if it was controlled by him and not the young man a few meters away.

"Excellent, you are doing very well," he coached.

He slowly increased the speed at which his hand moved, as Ka' el's mind seemed ready to accept a bit more of a challenge.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el outwardly seemed at peace, no stress or mark of concern on his emotionless facade. Inside there was dire determination to succeed, drive and ambition. They were healthy enough but in more desperate situations could be a source of alarm.

Slowly however is internal struggles ceased as well as a calming presence washed over him. He focused intently, seeing Figrin's moves a breath before he performed them. His control and his Jedi intuition made it seem that the revered master had decided to perform the task for his apprentice as there seemed to be no delay to the naked eye.

[Figrin D'an]

The Jedi Master's hand, and the ball, moved quickly now through the air, no longer in defined patterns or discernable shapes but now in swift random movement. Yet, while the movement was random, the motion of the two remained synchronous to one another, not diverging at any point from the harmony between them.

Faster his hand moved, and in kind, the ball moved equally as fast, becoming nearly a blur of light to any potential bystander. Ka' el's telekinetic control of the ball remained strong, though, matching the Force-enhanced movement of Figrin's arm almost flawlessly.

"Very impressive, Ka' el," Figrin broke the short silence, slowly the movement of his arm significantly. He would give his padawan a moment to relax his focus and rest before the next exercise.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el maintained his control over the small ball, allowing it to hover in place. Then at the signal of Master D'an he released the small orb and let it fall to the ground.

"Thank you Master D'an," Ka' el said without pride or boasting. It was what was expected of a Padawan if he was destined to transcend from the position of learner to teacher he would have to be adept at these things and willing to practice them over and over no matter how menial they seemed.

[Figrin D'an]

"Let's try something a bit different now," Figrin suggested. "We'll use the same object, but instead of movement, we'll focus on the exact opposite."

He pulled the ball back into his hands with the Force, and turned it over slowly while he explained the next exercise.

"When I tell you," he began, "use the Force to hold the ball still in mid air... as motionless as possible. Try to focus on a spot at the very middle of the ball, and use it as your reference point. Keep the ball centered on the spot. Once you feel comfortable controlling the position of the ball, I'll throw in another step to make it... interesting."

The Jedi smiled as he held out his hands, the ball resting in them.

"We may begin when you are ready," he said calmly.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Moving the ball was simple, it only took a bit of concentration to manipulate the ball so that it moved in the direction you wanted it to go; however holding something perfectly still that wanted to fall that was another story.

Ka' el reached out with the Force and gripped the orb as Master D'an removed his hand from beneath them. The ball held steady for a moment then began to waver as it hovered. Normal vibrations for when something is being held in place via the Force. Slowly the Padawan focused on the center of the ball and the Force that inhabited the space there. Gripping it tightly with his mind the orb's vibrations ended and it stayed fixed just above Figrin's hand.

"I am ready"

[Figrin D'an]

"Begin," Figrin confirmed, as he had for the previous exercise.

The Jedi Master moved his hand away from the ball, letting it slowly dropping it to his side. He took a step back, watching the ball carefully, as well as the young Jedi padawan that controlled it's mid-air stasis. As before, Ka' el's mind was calm, singular in it's focus on the object that hovered just meters in front of him. Figrin, too, focused on the ball, observing it's motion... or lack thereof... on a level only a being attuned to the Force would be aware.

"Very good," he said. "Your control is excellent. Let's test it more closely."

Figrin uncliped his lightsaber from his belt, holding the hilt straight out in front of his body. It sprung to life with the familar snap-hiss, the dark blue blade skimming past the surface of the ball by a fraction of a centimeter.

"Maintain your focus," he coached. "This will require precision on both my part and yours."

Figrin began to twirl the saber, arcing it past the surfaces of the ball, missing contact with it by near imperceptable range. He swung the blade downward along one trajectory, bringing it back up along another. The air sizzled and buzzed with each exacting movement. The Jedi Master's focus was as intense at that of Ka' el, but rather on his now accelerating lightsaber blade, watching it all but singe the polymer material.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el nearly blinked as teh blade nearly disected his training ball. However he did not move the small ball, he continued to hold it in place.

For a slight moment there was a waver, as if his mind's eye blinked, but soon he regained his focus and held it in tow.

"What do I need to do master?"

[Figrin D'an]

"Mearly hold the ball very still, my young padawan," Figrin replied, breathing a bit heavier than normal. His lightsabre was moving at blinding speed, surrounding the ball in a blinding fury of exacting slashes and cuts, but all missing the ball. The slightest movement in any direction meant the ball being sliced by the energy blade.

The Jedi continued the complex sabre moves for a few addition moments, then slowed his pace before pulling his blade back. The air sizzled as the he tapped the switch to deactivate the weapon. and the replaced it on his belt.

Figrin held out his hands, allowing Ka' el to drop the ball into them. As the padawan rested, he looked over the ball. It was lightly deformed on the surface in a couple of spots, as was to be expected from the heat of the blade. It remained intact, however, which was a testement to the level of concentration to which Ka' el was reaching. The thought brought a smile to Figrin's face.

"Very well done," he commented. "Keeping things motionless via the Force can be just as useful a skill as moving them. Your telekinetic skills are developing nicely."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"Thank you master. I..." Ka' el hesitated. The young man was generally very outspoken, but the seriousness and the importance of the subject gave him reason to pause.

"I was wondering...if...if you think I've progressed far enough to assemble my own lightsaber master?"

There was a glimmer of bright and pure hope in the boy's eyes. That's what he was for the moment; a little boy wishing on a star that he might grow up to be a hero or be famous. Ka' el was wishing that he would be deemed worthy of assembling the very symbol of the Jedi, a lightsaber.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin dwelled for moment on Ka' el's words. The young man was asking to take a big step. In the days of the Old Republic, a Jedi only built his own lightsabre when he was nearly ready to take the Knight Trials. The rules were now much more subjective on such matters, but constructing a personal sabre was still of great significance.

"I see...," the Jedi Master replied, smiling as if he should have seen such a question coming.

There was an uncomfortable silence, Figrin thinking about how to best address the matter, and Ka' el no doubt wondering what his master's answer would be.

"As I said, your telekinetic skills are impressive...," he continued, "... and I believe that you are close to being able to prepare your own lightsabre."

"Close," he said, after a slight pause, "but not just yet."

Ka' el's reaction was one of clear disappointment. The padawan was so eager to learn and to make Figrin proud of him. Sometimes, though, he would get ahead of himself.

Figrin continued his line of thought.

"Constructing a lightsabre can be a tricky thing. The microcircuitry I'm sure you can handle, but integrating the focusing crystal can be a very long, trying process. I just want to be sure that you will be able to succeed without damaging any of the components."

Ka' el nodded, looking down.

"Here's an idea," Figrin reconsidered. "Most of a lightsaber can be assembled before the focusing crystal needs to be put into place. If you have the components you need, you can begin to construct it. Meanwhile, I want you to continue you telekinetic exercises. When you are ready for the crystal, we'll talk about finishing the sabre at that time."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el's eyes couldn't hide the dissappointment as well as his face could, the brightness seemed to dim for a brief moment as he was denied his request.

"Of course master, I will set about requisitioning components of the saber and begin working on that immediately and continue practicing until I am deemed ready."

Ka' el smiled again and then raised up another training orb. There was a renewed determination in his eyes as he levitated the sphere via the Force.

"Shall we continue master?"