The Power of Princes

Posted on Tue Apr 24th, 2018 @ 7:19pm by Thane & Bomoor Thort

2,978 words; about a 15 minute read

Chapter: Chapter V: Unbound
Location: Red Raptor, at hyperspace
Timeline: Shortly after Coda's arrival

OLD

He very quickly realised what the object was: it was Thane's previous lightsaber, which he had gifted to Berry only recently. The shining silver hilt had been placed with some purpose onto his beige sheets. This was a message from the young Aquar-Firrerion hybrid; a rejection of the teachings the weapon represented and a rejection of the one who sought the most to teach her those lessons: Thane. Bomoor's first thoughts shot to the newcomer Nimo and the hushed criticisms of Berry's new companions he surely must have spoken to the impressionable young girl. But that was not true, he knew that the young woman had an extremely strong will of her own; one that had led her to even clash with himself at times. She had never truly seen eye-to-eye with the philosophies they taught and had chosen to simply slip away, perhaps to return to Velusia and continue her own quest for whatever cause she deemed true to herself.

Reaching down and gripping the lightsaber firmly, he thought at what Thane might think, knowing that his attempted apprentice had come to his friend over himself to say her goodbyes, even in a wordless gesture such as this. He would have to make it clear what she meant, even if Thane already knew deep down that the pair was always oceans apart and he could never hope to swim against that tide.

NEW

The training room of the Red Raptor was steeped in darkness, its entrance magnetically sealed and the main space cleared of any clutter. Settled upon the dusty mat that encompassed the centre of the makeshift dojo were two silhouettes, vaguely making out the shape of an Ithorian and a Human, both with their legs tucked underneath themselves and their eyes closed in deep a meditative pose.

Hovering above them and rotating apace were numerous objects of unimportance, carefully strung along by both former Jedi without visibility or spoken agreement. Their lightsabers remained away from them, nestled safely in their respective cabins as they engaged in their new training medium, currently working in tandem as they engrossed themselves within the Force.

As the ship flung its way across hyperspace at tachyonic speeds, their position shifting beyond recognisable physical locations within the Force, an extra dimension was added to their meditations.

A light trickle of sweat had begun to find its way down the curvature of Thane's pale face, as both he and Bomoor submitted themselves to crawling as deeply within both the various confines and currents the Force offered to them as was possible. They reached out to both each other and the wider galaxy whilst simultaneously seeking to reach deep within their own being, all the while engaging with the mundane of the objects they propelled about them.

Having spent the better part of three hours engaged in this manner, Thane and Bomoor both began to withdraw themselves from the meditation, some natural cue within the fabric of their combined focus bringing their minds back to the fore. The objects slowly began to settle upon the floor around them, forming an untidy makeshift circle in the darkness.

Now that he finally withdrew himself, Thane let out a slight gasp of exasperation, the feeling and expression not unlike having been submerged underwater and finally bobbing to the surface for air. He fell slightly to his right side, the exposed machinery of his right hand supporting his weight as the exertion of his and his friend's exercise finally seemed to take its toll, just as they had planned.

As ever, the confines of the room seemed so small and insignificant to the Caanan after the meditation, the petty squabbles of the galaxy and even his own being appearing trivial and inconsequential. Such existential confusion was standard, particularly when engaging with Bomoor on such an intense level.

Looking over to the Ithorian, who usually weathered such experiences better than him, he offered a weak and tired half-smile. "You okay?" He half-slurred, his mouth dry.

With a deep exhale that spilled warm air from both sides of the Ithorian's curved neck, Bomoor allowed his body to relax from the deep exertion. While he could maintain more composure during meditation than Thane (one of the few things where Bomoor's endurance was greater than his friend's), he has delved deeply into the Force this time, looking for doorways previously closed off and pockets of the universe left unexplored during his time with the Reborn Jedi Order.

"Drained," Bomoor stated after drawing in some more air, "But all the better for it. As I probe the network of the Force, I no longer feel as though there are eyes watching my actions. I can see so far and feel even further. I can see you in the Force too my friend; you have become stronger these last months, even before Jericho. But now, you have such a focus and I want that power too."

The consular shifted slightly on the mat, realising he has been sitting for so long that his large form had imprinted upon the padded fabric, "I am sure you know I do not mean to abandon the teachings of the light but the darker powers I have seen are not inherently evil, if there is such a thing. I believe it would, in fact, do us good to develop these techniques further so that, when the time comes, Axion's powers will seem no stranger to us than lifting these bits and pieces around us."

Thane nodded before raising himself up off of the mat, taking a moment to steady himself once he was upright. He recalled the pain he had experienced when they had first encountered Axion on Nar Shaddaa, when he had barely held the full embrace of Axion's menacing red-hued Force Lightening with both speed and his lightsaber. In a one-on-one conflict, he wondered how well he would truly fare against the Dark Jedi Master. Equally, there may be occasions when they would be separated from their lightsabers, as had happened in the past.

The Human flexed his hands as he watched his friend also slowly rise, taking position opposite him. "A lot of the focus and powers I've developed are... intuitive," he said, thinking how best to explain some of the changes within him. "Whilst others, of course, come from what I have gleaned from Bane's holocron. The lightning I can now summon is somewhere in between. For me, I confess, I rely upon baser emotions and frustrations, giving them purpose." He locked eyes with Bomoor. "This will be my first time attempting to redirect it."

"Not the most consistent form of power then," his friend commented, taking a second step backwards to steady himself on the mat, "Unless one is to give themselves over to those emotions all the time. I doubt that is the best way forward."

Thane only offered a light shrug to Bomoor's assessment, but inwardly accepted it was a gross oversimplification on both their parts, drawing upon the dark side of the Force. After all, Thane had not always felt a wellspring of kindness within himself when drawing upon the Force to heal another's wounds in the past, although such a power was now admittedly growing more alien to him.

It seemed a way of being, the direction of one's nature, had a steadier, more general influence on one's powers - not that spurts of emotion did not prompt the sudden and oft-volatile bursts of Force energy, as had befallen young Coda.

Looking to his own hand, Bomoor wondered how he might begin to cast such powers himself, finding himself rarely sinking into rage. The power of generating an electrical charge in the air was a simple task for those with even an entry-level knowledge of Force manipulation, but to produce it at such a rate as to throw a bolt through the air was another matter.

"Perhaps a demonstration would give me a better idea," he added, not wanting to seem discouraging, "I know a small Protection bubble can repel electricity, so I should have no trouble defending against it."

"Indeed?" Thane quietly challenged, smiling with a hint of mirth at his friend's confidence. "Well, we will keep a great deal of this limited, anyway; I have no desire to destroy the Raptor, let alone cause damage or injury. Bane's holocron has informed me of a variety of applications for the power, however, and various ways of implementing it. I am seeking to refine the talent and direct it as best as possible, so not only would a more focused example might be good start, it would be good for me to practise it against someone with talent anyway."

The Human took a few steps back, content enough that there was suitable space in the adapted room for their efforts. "I'm also curious if my burgeoning talent with Force lightning will give me any capacity in absorbing or reflecting it." With just his left hand slightly outstretched towards his friend, a few sparks of blue lightning began to shimmer between his fingertips and he regarded them with some thought, saying, "The gatekeeper also explained that, to truly master the genuine article, one must accept but look beyond consequence and overcome the resistance of the natural order, to bring the pain into one's self and embrace that energy." Although Thane knew all too well he had yet to do so completely himself yet.

As the crackling intensified, he looked back to Bomoor. "Are you ready?"

While the larger Force-user's weary body cried otherwise, he spoke his agreement, "Awaiting your display, my friend."

With his own brief nod of confirmation, Thane clenched his outstretched hand into a fist and closed his eyes, causing a few rogue droplets of perspiration to seep in. Once again focusing on himself within the continuum of the Force, he brought forth the image of the last person he had used the power on, that look of fear in her eyes, and also his secret, sinister pride in his growing talent at the art. Feeling the pang of guilt and arrogance well within him, his eyes shot open again and outstretched the fingers of his left hand towards Bomoor, power rushing through his limb towards his poised friend, although he did his best to not dwell on that last fact.

Several streaks of blue-white fury arced forth from his fingers, lancing across the room and causing all four walls to shine brightly as they shot across at their target.

As they converged, the Ithorian placed two outstretched palms together and generated the familiar shimmering pale blue glow of the Protection Bubble technique. Focusing the Force energy just around the point of lightning impact made the shield particularly strong and, as the electricity made contact, it was repelled with great force, arcing back at a sharp angle, almost directly back towards the caster. The reflected bolts sunk into the metal wall behind Thane's head, overheating the metal and causing some of the inner layers to deform in an instant. The outer layers remained sturdy, being used to dissipating the heat of re-entry.

"Ah..." Bomoor commented, lowering his hands and observing the damage with some frustration, "That did not quite have the desired effect. I should have anticipated that the bubble would deflect, rather than absorb; I apologise. But this certainly demonstrates how much damage can be done, even unarmed."

Thane inclined his head slightly, recomposing himself after having moved slightly to ensure the reflected attack had not hit him, ignoring the scent of burnt ozone and metal that now thickened the air. "That technique would certainly appear suitable for redirecting simple bursts of the lightning," he observed, mostly pleased with the result, "but perhaps we should try absorption and a directed reflection?" He also had no desire to unleash a full blast within the confines of the ship or upon Bomoor. "I'd like to see if I am able to cause any reflection or draw lightning into myself."

"That would seem like a more-controlled way to practice the technique," his friend agreed, before adding, "We then only risk damaging ourselves rather than the precious ship."

The concept of Force Absorption was a technique that he had practised somewhat alongside his standard protection bubble ability. While it had the added benefit of allowing the defending user to channel whatever energy they were absorbing, it had the unpleasant side effect of having to allow some of that energy through the body, which made it a less-than-perfect defence. Nevertheless, a good way to catch an enemy off guard by immediately retaliating with their own power.

Once more, Thane adopted the position he had before, and after two more shared nods, loosed another stream of electricity at the Ithorian from his left hand, only this time for a more sustained duration, causing numerous more rogue strands to lick at the floor between the two former Jedi.

With one hand only this time, Bomoor reached out to grasp at the energy, as if he were catching a ball. The sparks pierced his thick hide but, as they did so, a halo of light wrapped around his outstretched palm, slowing the energy and channelling it back into a form his body could hold, albeit temporarily. He felt as though his cells were crying out in agony as his hand went numb and the power worked its way towards his core. As the last threads of lightning were absorbed, Bomoor shifted his whole body around and flung his weight forward as he lurched out his other arm, a return burst of lightning shot forth, slightly weaker than the first, but directed clearly backwards towards Thane.

The Human's eyes widened, their colour appearing to turn a supernatural blue as the bolts careered towards him with greater momentum than they had left him. Having to react faster than he had anticipated, he threw both hands forward together in a slight panic, willing himself to draw the power of his own technique back into his essence.

In what must have been an instinctive response, as most of the lightning indeed carried itself back into him, several stray bolts leapt away from his clasped hands and struck the bulkhead and walls around him, but not with the same intensity as Bomoor's earlier reflection, leaving only a few thin strands of smoke simmering up from the floor.

As the last of the energy dissipated, Thane had to focus deeply to will the rest to spread about his person within the Force, and the experience brought him down to one knee in exasperation, a few crackles wisping across his arms and shoulders. The ordeal had not necessarily been too much to go through, so much as the experience had been spiritually overwhelming, drawing such a dark power within himself - even if that power had initially been birthed from him.

Bomoor was impressed that, between them, they had been able to successfully channel such powerful Force-manifested energy in a full loop. He looked down at his arms; his leathery flesh bore the effects of the lightning well but he could feel a deep burning within and the full sensation had yet to return. While painful, it was somewhat thrilling to be a conduit to that much energy and it made him ever keener to learn the ability himself.

"I do not believe I can do that again right now, but I do want to practice that some more. Perhaps we can try something that does not strain the body as much."

Rising once more to his full height, Thane offered Bomoor a tired smile. "I have to agree," he said, stepping closer to the Ithorian. "I think it might be time to attempt the probing technique we discussed."

Referencing one of their earlier conversations, the pair had spoken of Axion's obvious talents with Force trickery and how effectively he wove webs of deceit and falsehoods with ease, even in more developed minds. Darksiders and even Jedi of old had developed the art of draining knowledge from the minds of foes unwillingly, whether they be captives or merely opponents in the throes of emotional volatility.

Whilst they had both been adept Jedi Knights of the Reborn Order, neither had truly been subjected to the technique, either as a form of information gathering or torture, even though the pair had successfully and frequently influenced the minds of other beings to smooth along the path to their objectives. It was, after all, a standard technique employed by the Jedi. However, even the most competent of Force users could fall prey to the technique, if effectively employed by a true master of the arcane, devilish and often excruciatingly painful art, if it could indeed be labelled as such.

Although Thane, guarded as he was, was uncomfortable with having another maraud about his inner thoughts and secrets - even if that person were to be his closest and oldest friend (just as he had no true desire to peer into Bomoor's mental privacy) - he ultimately appreciated the importance of them practising a defence against such possible incursions.

With a nod, Bomoor sat himself back down, nestled in almost the same spot he had risen from several minutes before, "We both know how to extract surface thoughts," he reminded, "From what I understand, the more complex part is reaching past a person's mental walls to recover hidden thoughts or even replace them. To start with, perhaps I shall try to hide a mental image from you and you can attempt to extract it."

"An excursion into the mind of Bomoor to play a game of hide and seek," Thane mused out loud as he brought himself closer to his friend, almost to a proximity he knew they would both normally find somewhat uncomfortable. "Isn't the Force a wonderful thing?"

TBC

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