Easing Back Into Routine (Sejah)

[Figrin D'an]

A large martial arts practice dummy floated quickly across the room, and gently dropped into a distant corner of the training room, near a large set of double doors. With a few more motions of his hand, Figrin moved other items of training gear off of the main floor in the same direction. Beginning with his hands quickly together, he pushed them outward as if prying apart some unseen object. At the other side of the room, the doors to the storage room opened under the unseen influence of the Force. Working smoothly into the next motion, the Jedi pushed his right hand forward, causing the collected equipment to slide easily past the doorway. In a final motion, almost as if directing a symphony, the large double doors closed with a dull thud as Figrin brought his hands back together.

Telekinesis was not one of his more powerful skills, and he found that making synchronous motions with his hands, as if gently miming the actions he wished to make with the Force, seemed to help his focus when moving larger objects. He had always considered how silly it might look it a casual observer, even though he tried to keep the motions fairly subtle. Then again, he had always thought, not everyone was an Anbira Hicchoru, who could move just about anything by mearly glancing at it.


The Jedi Master walked over to a wall console and tapped a few buttons. The wall panels began to shudder and rotate, changing the room from a padded gymnasium to a sheen metallic practice range, similar to ones used for blaster testing. Looking about, satisfied with the preparations he had made, Figrin waited for his newest student to arrive for what would prove to be a very interesting instruction session.

[Sejah Haversh]

The telltale thumping gait of Sejah's walking frame thudded down the hallway. It was graceless, and he hated it, but it was at least able to takle stairs, which a wheelchair wasn't.

His clothing was casual, a faded blue tee-shirt and a pair of older khaki pants whose knees had seen a lifetime of wear, and even his face looked worn. Despite his abundant free time, Sejah no longer felt as energetic as he used to before his coma.

"Good morning, Master D'an," he called as he entered the room, waving with his right paw as his left toggled his movement control joystick. "Sorry if I'm late. Can't get around that fast in this thing, you know."

[Figrin D'an]

Smiling, Figrin waved off the padawan's apology.

"It's not a problem, Sejah," he responded. "I had to do some shuffling of equipment anyway, so I just finished preparing the room a few moments before you arrived."

Above all else, Figrin didn't want Sejah to concentrate on his lack of mobility. It would be critical for him to be able to return to a training regime, even if it didn't involved sabre combat or physical exercise. It was as much about providing an escape from the reality of his current situation as it was to help him learn new skills.


"I thought we try something you may not have studied much previously," the Jedi Master said, gesturing to the durasteel walls, "hence the odd appearance of the room."

"Tell me... how much do you know about manipulating raw energy with the Force?" he inquired.

[Sejah Haversh]

Immedately Sejah looked nervous, and almost a little ashamed. Shrugging his shoulders, he replied in a less than confident voice, "Uh, nothing? I, um, haven't been able to cover that yet."

[Figrin D'an]

"Don't worry," Figrin said, trying to ease the padawan's nerves, "I anticipated that this would be new to you. It's not something that many masters cover with their students. It can be difficult to master, but I wanted to introduce it to you, and see how well you take to it."

"Energy manipulation is a bit like using absorption and deflection techniques together," he started to explain. "Each of those skills are very useful by themselves, of course, and we'll start with those first, to provide a base from which to develop."

"For example," he continued, "it's possible to deflect a blaster bolt without using a lightsabre."

[Sejah Haversh]

"Really?" Sejah asked, sounding like a gee-whizzed fifth-grader. "I mean, I've read about that, but, I didn;t know it was actually possible. I, um, kind of don't know a lot of things. How do you do it?"

[Figrin D'an]

"In principle, it's not all that complicated," Figrin replied. "It just takes some practice to project a Force barrier between yourself and the blaster bolt. Here, let me demonstrate..."

Figrin pointed to a tripod stand, about 20 meters distant along the long axis of the room. Mounted upon it was a standard issue New Republic military blaster rifle.

"I've linked the firing mechanism of the blaster into remote unit on the tripod. It can be activated with this pad.

The Jedi Master handed a small data-pad device to the Sejah, whom looked it over with some detail. He still seemed a little amazed at what Figrin had explained.

"All you have to do is tap the red button on bottom right of the pad, and the blaster will begin a standard firing cycle of 5 equally spaced shots."

Figrin quieted his mind, and stared down the tripod. He raised his arm, holding it directly in front of his body and parallel to the ground, his open-palmed hand facing the nozzle of the blaster some 20 meters distant.

"When you are ready," he said calmly, "press the button to fire the blaster."

[Sejah Haversh]

Though it seemed risky, Sejah knew he couldn't be held responsible for Figrin's death should the trick not work. After all, he was just following instructions.

Swallowing hard, the mongoose pressed the button, and almost jumped as the rifle spat forth its volley. His jaws were tigtly ground as he watched, hoping not to see his new master become a splatter on the wall.

[Figrin D'an]

The muzzle of the blaster spang to life, the first shot sizzling through the air towards the Jedi Master. The second shot left the blaster before the first reached it's target, but neither would be successful in bringing harm. Figrin's outstretched hand seemed to act as a mirror, reflecting the bolts harmlessly into the dissipation shielding that lined the room. His focus was singular, his stature one of confidence. The third and fourth shots from the blaster followed, and though they began off target, seemed to bend in mind air, arcing towards the Jedi's guarding palm and glanced towards the walls like their predecessors.

The fifth bolt was reflected in a similar manner, but hit just off center of Figrin's hand, bounced off it at a widely obtuse angle, and missed Sejah's head by a half-meter. He ducked nevertheless.

"Sorry about that," Figrin offered apologetically, "that last one got away from me a bit."

[Sejah Haversh]

In Sejah's attempt to duck, the frame overbalanced, and he toppled to the floor like a mannequin. Grumbling, he turned over and sat up.

"Uh, yeah, I'd say so," he said to Figrin. Then tried to right himself, but found it very difficult. "Um, a little help here? And, you've got to show me how you did that."

[Figrin D'an]

He reached down and helped Sejah back to a standing position and took a moment to make sure that the padawan's walking frame wasn't damaged.

"Well, like I said, it's a pretty easy concept," Figrin said. "You want to try to create a barrier with the Force just in front of your hand. The blaster bolts never actually made contact with my hand. They bounced off of the shield I created."

He held out his hand in front of him again, motioning for Sejah to mimic the motion.

"Try to think of a point a little bit in front of your palm, and concentrate on it. Visualize a mirror floating there, reflecting a blaster bolt away from you. Try to keep that image clear in your mind."

[Sejah Haversh]

"Imagine a mirror, huh?" Sejah said to himself as he held out his paw and tried to do what Figrin told him. Keeping his mind form actually trying to use some kinf of telekenesis to create an actual there, the mongoose hoped he was getting it right, but had the sinking feeling that there was nothing in front of his paw but air.

In his head, he was seeing a mirror there, not a large one, but the size of a standard shaving mirror. It was there in his head, but making the same shield his master spoke of seemed like an impossible task. "Master D'an, is it working?" he asked with his eyes closed.

[Figrin D'an]

"Do you think it is working?," he replied, both to question and to coach. Sejah gave him a quizical look, wondering how to possibly answer such a question.

"That is the key to this exercise. Believe what your mind's eye tells you, and you'll reflect the blaster shot. If you don't trust it, it would probably be best to duck."

"So," Figrin repeated for emphasis, "do you believe that there is a mirror in front of you?"

[Sejah Haversh]

Dang it, why couldn't they start with something not life-theatening? Sejah took a deep breath and redoubled his efforts, forcing himself to believe there was a mirror there, even though when he opened his eyes, he saw nothing.

Garfife, give me strength, and give me clarity of mind. I don't understand how to do this, so, please go easy on me. Sejah prayed silently before looking to Figrin. "I'm focusing, and, I want to believe it is there, I just don't know if it is supposed to feel different or something. I mean, oh, dang it, jsut shoot the gun and we'll find out."

[Figrin D'an]

The Jedi Master wanted to chuckled, but he restrained himself. Levity wasn't exactly appropriate at the moment, considering that a slip in focus would mean the difference between a blaster burn on the wall, or one on the padawan's hand.

"You must believe in your ability, Sejah," Figrin said calmly, . "At that moment of decision, if you are to hold your ground, you must believe. Make a leap of faith."

He tapped the buttons of the control pad, and the blaster turned with a mechanical buzz towards it's new target.

"Trust in yourself," he added softly, before tapping the button to fire.

[Sejah Haversh]

It was the moment of truth, ans Sejah squeezed his eyes shut. His sensitive ears picked up on the clicking of the gun trigger before the first shot rang out, and all his attentions were put on the shield in front of him.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes. The gun had run its course, and he wasn't dead. But there wera a small array of haphazard burn marks on the walls around him from where he had deflected shots to. It was an incredibly disorganized deflection, and not somethign he could count on in the field yet, but still, he had done it.

Forgetting he was still in his frame, the mongoose padawan grew a giant smile and tried to jump in excitement, but it instead ended up as a goofy wobble. Calming himsef, he turned to Figrin and beamed. "Did you see that? I did it! I was awful, but I did it!"

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin smiled and nodded in approval.

"Very good, Sejah. This isn't an easy skill to learn, and you managed to deflect all 5 bolts."

"I suppose I should tell you," he said, sounding a bit guilty, "that you were never in any real danger. I purposely set the blaster intensity to five percent of normal. So, if you had gotten hit, it might have stung a bit, but little more."

"However," he added, "the illusion of being in danger was necessary. It helps one to focus with greater intensity when one's life may be on the line."

Still clinging to the datapad, Figrin folded his hands behind his back, and looked at Sejah.

"There is another lesson in all of this, besides just deflecting an attack," the Jedi Master commented introspectively. "Might you know what it is?"

[Sejah Haversh]

"I should trust what my Master tells me?" he asked, hoping to at least get a smile because he had been focusing so hard on not getting shot, he hadn't even begun to think about other things.

[Figrin D'an]

"Well, listening to your elders is generally a good thing, yes," he admitted. "But that really wasn't what I was looking for."

"Sejah, recovering from an injury like the one you sustained isn't easy," he explained. "You are going to encounter setbacks and complications, and for someone whom is as skilled and talented in physical combat as you are, it can be very frustrating when you are not able to rebound quickly and regain your abilities."

"For that reason, it is important that you believe in yourself. Visualize yourself as you once were, commit that image to memory, and believe that you will be like that once again. Cast doubt from your mind, and you will be successful in your efforts, just as you were with this exercise."

He placed a hand on Sejah's shoulder.

"You may not realize it yet, but you have taken a big step today," Figrin stated concisely. "One of many steps on a long path, that may be bumpy and have some turns along the way. But that first step is the most important."

[Sejah Haversh]

"I used to sound like you, did you know that?" Sejah said. "Yeah, back when I used to teach, and thanks. I know what it means."

Adjusting a stap on his hip brace, the mongoose looked again at the blaster. "Master D'an, could we try that again? I want to make sure that what I just did wasn't just a fluke."

[Figrin D'an]

"We all need to be reminded of simple things like that from time to time," the Jedi Master responded, while tapping the data pad to reset the blaster. "Even masters can be students when it comes to the lessons of life."

A whirrrr-click from the blaster turret signaled that it was ready for another volley.

"Set your mind just as it was before," Figrin instructed. "Visualize, and allow the Force to do the rest."

He tapped the fire button once again.

[Sejah Haversh]

Sejah held up his paw once more, focusing on deflection. Once more his ears picked up the click of the firing mechanism, and he strained to keep his eyes open that time.

As if he had been doing it all his life, the first for bolts ricocheted from his paw and found a closely patterend target on the far wall. But his concentration waned at the end, and the final blaster bolt pierced his shield and slammed into his paw, causing him to yelp and snap his arm out in pain.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" he barked, holding his clenched paw, his jaws ground tightly together. "Frikkin... piece of... ouch! I thought you said that thing was turned down!"

[Figrin D'an]

"It was turned down," Figrin said, looking at Sejah's paw. "That didn't mean it would not hurt if it hit you."

The Jedi Master motioned for Sejah to show him the injury. Unfureling his paw, the padawan winced as Figrin looked it over.

"It doesn't look to bad, really. A bit of bacta and it should be just fine."

Figrin pulled a small salve laced with the healing substance from pocket in his cloak. He tossed it to Sejah, whom caught it with his non-burned paw.

"Had the blaster been set to full power, you might not have a hand at all," the Jedi Master commented, tapping his data pad to deactivate the blaster turret. "Your concentration lapsed before the last bolt made contact. No matter how comfortable one becomes with this kind of ability, one must never become overconfident. But, you did well. Nine out of ten isn't bad. Just remember that nine out of ten, out there in reality, can get you killed."

[Sejah Haversh]

"I know, I know," Sejah muttered while applying the salve. It stung like nobody's business, but he knew it would help.

In his heart, he wondered if he hadn't dropped his shield on that last shot on purpose. When he was fourteen, he lost his best friend in a drive-by shooting. He didn't die right away, but in Sejah's arms. Even then, he blamed hismelf for not being able to stop it, and now that he knew he could make a form of shield, the guilt was amplified one hundred fold.

The mongoose tried to force it from his mind, focusing again on learnign from his master. "So, these sheilds, can they stop anything, or jsut blaster bolts?"

[Figrin D'an]

"They can stop more than just blaster bolts," Figrin responded, "although it is more difficult to master the ability to deflect or stop other things. As you might imagine, it's a bit more complicated to stop something of actual matter, rather than energy. Telekinesis comes into play for such things."

"However," he added, "as your ability with using Force shielding improves, you'll find yourself able to extend them over larger areas, such as to protect your entire body, or to protect someone nearby."

[Sejah Haversh]

"Telekenesis usually means a lot of sweeping up little tiny bits, for me," Sejah responded, though he thought of the possibilities that shielding might offer.

Out of nowhere, his frame suprised him by taking a step forward, and he went alogn with it, having no other choice. "Yiee," he said, bringing the thing to a stop. "These things really need better programming, I swear."

His attention turned back to Figrin, and he asked, "Is there anythign else new to learn today, or should we just keep practicing this shielding thing?"

[Figrin D'an]

"There might be something else we could try," Figrin implied. "Although, it depends upon how confident you feel with your newly learned skill. Otherwise, we can continue with this until you are satisfied."

"The choice is yours, Sejah," he stated calmly.