Dispersal

Posted on Thu Feb 7th, 2013 @ 1:22am by Kip Hoddai

733 words; about a 4 minute read

Chapter: Chapter III: Relics
Location: Tython, Jedaii Temple

Kip followed slowly behind, keeping to the shadows and remaining as invisible to his compatriots as possible. If they saw him, the entity that was manipulating them could use them to home in on himself and thus he would lose the tiny defense he had.

But that was insufficient.

It was always insufficient.

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Kip moved into the Posture 'Clearing the Way', a movement that invoked the idea of pushing aside and pushing through. His mind was still, the image of the idea, the concept, was held firmly in his thoughts and there were no distractions. He assumed the role and took on the entirety of what it was supposed to be about and...

Nothing.

Aen knelt nearby and observed. She wasn't critical, nor was she passive. She watched him keenly and only changed her posture once it was clear that whatever was supposed to happen, didn't.

Again.

I am insufficient.

Kip, as a young man, had wanted nothing more than to attain the rank of a Flamewalker. He had the pride of the desire, he had the desire of ambition and he felt, he had the fire that would provide him whatever he needed to make it and become the thing he desired the most.

But he had never attained it.

He had trained for years longer than the others, going over the Forms and Postures and the Meditations until he was flawless in their execution. He was so good he could extrapolate on them, adapt variations so that when he needed he could shift between them with all the fluidity of a dancing flame.

And still he failed.

Eventually even Aen had to admit whatever it was he had insufficient to be a Flamewalker. And he had been shamed. She had given him the White Marks and she had given him the Black but though the White had stayed on his skin and remained visible, the Black had faded into his dark red flesh as stones into water.

His eyes had questioned her even as he trembled from the agony of the Burning and she had replied, "If the future gives you sufficient reason, you will find a method and the Black will show you the Path."

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When he had begun to be able to see the Force Flows in Hyperspace, the tiniest edge of the Black had appeared and he had been elated. But his practice and meditation since had produced nothing and his old shame and frustration with himself had grown. He was almost a young man again, leaving the Caverns in shame, weighed by his failure and the loss of his goals. Except now it was worse, because he was being teased. He had made a breakthrough of some sort and now he understood what he had been missing was the Force but how to use what he could only see when it was nearly palpable boggled him.

And so he hid and he waited and hoped his crew would find their way out of this themselves. But it didn't look good. Berry and Morgo were affected, Bomoor had shaken the entity but Thane had let it in and now it was nearly in full control.

He could seer the mist and the scrabbling little claws of Force inside it, scrabbling to find purchase on those it infested. It was like a miasma, a smoke or gas, something a good stiff breeze...

Silently in shadow Kip slid his feet into the Foundation and assumed the Posture, arms and body in perfect Form and like a comfortable old coat, he assumed the concept of Dispersal. The Force flows around him responded and swirled to surround him, flowing up from his feet to the infinite sky above like a still flame burning clear and bright through the darkness of night.

The Mist fled from him like shadows before the sunrise as the fact dawned on him, like the fiery sun rising on the tapestry of his mind. "Form and Flow" Aen had said "Force and Flexibility".

He stood upright, still wearing the mantle of Concept, the Posture clearly not necessary to create the effect he needed to help. Soft orange and white light, like flames, rippled over his body casting light in a pool around him like a torch.

And like a torch thrown unerringly, he shot toward the battling J'tai to do whatever he could to help them.

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