Weighting for a Breakthrough

Posted on Thu May 16th, 2013 @ 11:21pm by Thane & Bomoor Thort & Berry

3,918 words; about a 20 minute read

Chapter: Chapter IV: Rezer's Edge
Location: Ancient Jedi Enclave, Irrikut
Timeline: Pre-Chapter IV

With the rustling of large trees heralding its arrival, a somewhat humid breeze scurried through the jungle air of Irrikut, brushing along the pale skin of the cloaked figure standing at the edge of one of the many platforms that typified the design of the long-abandoned Jedi Enclave. Jutting out at various points all up and down the bulk of its structure (which amounted to something that looked like several pine cones placed perfectly atop one another) were other similarly-designed platforms at staggered intervals.

With no sentient species on the planet bar those that settled on Irrikut, earlier Jedi had been presumed to have erected the odd structure - the only one of its kind - when they arrived, but records were not clear. Nevertheless, the Jedi certainly made use of them during their time here for a variety of exercises regarding studying the Force.

Each platform was strong and sturdy, able to withstand extreme weight stresses, as was evidenced by the landed Red Raptor two platforms above Thane, and the five massive boulders behind him, each equally sized and spaced apart and barely weather-worn from centuries exposed to the elements. Indeed, the entire stone structure of the Irrikut enclave was in surprisingly good condition, although many vines and other flora had weaved their way up a good distance, yet not quite as high as they were now, just a short distance from the top, and only just above the nearest trees of the jungle.

Once planet-wide, a terrible event devastated one side of the planet centuries ago, more or less leaving one-quarter of Irrikut still uninhabitable and the rest of it had only truly become stable in the last half a millennia. Luckily, the enclave had been on almost the exact opposite side of the planet when this occurred but had the time been too dangerous to remain.

Although now safe, the enclave had not been resurrected and was rarely frequented. A few Jedi who often preferred solitude in certain times of study ever graced Irrikut's surface, but it was known in particular to Thane and Bomoor, who often prized such privacy.

It also served as a perfect location to introduce Bería to some of the aspects of Force training that could not be conducted - at least not safely - on the Raptor. Turning now as Thane sensed the arrival of of his Ithorian friend and the young woman who had become somewhat of an informal apprentice, the dark-clad former Jedi Knight gave a fleeting grin of welcome to them both.

"Have you looked around much?" He asked, taking a couple of steps towards them.

"Not enough!" Berry scampered to the edge of the platform, not at all scared of heights as she peered over the edge. Her tunic hung off of her as she leaned, and her braids fluttered in the fresh, yummy breeze whipping around the enclave peak. Whooooaaa, they were really high up! Oh, how she wished there was an island bird around so she could grab its legs and fly around for a bit...she glanced back at Boomy and Thane. "Hey do you think my water magic's strong enough to bounce me if I jump off from here??"

"The Force," Thane corrected, shifting his position to stand beside Bería and look over the side, "and certainly have the potential. For now, however, it might be better to focus on simpler tasks." He tilted his head upwards and nodded towards one of the higher platforms. "You would find it easier to first leap to that ledge and back down, but that's just one purpose of bringing you here."

The Human stepped away from Bería and walked towards one of the five large boulders, running a hand over the surprisingly smooth - and quite clearly foreign - rocky surface. "Both Bomoor and I have seen some of your fledgling abilities first hand; your innate use of the Force is what grabbed our attention on Nar Shaddaa, and you've shown other natural predispositions towards other talents. By the end of this bit of your training, we'll have you moving these boulders with your mind - if you work hard enough."

Working...hard??? Berry's lips pouted slightly as she studied the large rocks. Her neck craned. They were....big.

"An age-old Jedi practice," Thane explained, patting the boulder a couple of times before moving away and looking at the part-Aquar, "and one that holds a lot to learn from, both in terms of mastering your abilities and other points that the Jedi often put a pretentious spin on, but are nevertheless correct in many ways. No recorded Jedi has been able to lift all five, not even the venerated Grand Master Yoda who only ever managed four. Most Jedi don't tend to even achieve that, but it's certainly not impossible."

"It is one of my favoured tests," Bomoor continued, "It pits you, not against an opponent, but against your own limits. As a young Jedi, I would spend much time practising this skill. When I was not able to use the rocks in the temple, I often lifted smaller rocks in the gardens. However, I still cannot lift all five rocks. I was able to lift three when I last tried. Perhaps I can do better now."

Bomoor walked over to Bería, "The masters say that size is in the mind and that only someone who is completely aligned with the Force will be able to lift all five rocks and more. I suppose this is theoretically true, but the only way to truly escape the concepts of the mind is to become one with the Force and that is something no living Jedi can profess to. Say, Thane, do you remember how many can you lift?"

Thane smirked to himself for a moment, placing his hands on his hips as he stepped about both Bomoor and Bería slowly and spoke. "You know as well as I do that it is two, Bomoomy," he said before stopping and more appropriately addressing the girl, "but I have discovered that in times of stress or intensity I can muster three. For now, you should just worry about the one."

Raising a hand and gesturing towards the centre point between the five boulders, Thane urged Bería to move there. "Settle down into a position you are comfortable with, and choose one of them." Knowing Bomoor had already begun the rudimentary teachings concerning telekinesis with the Near-Human, he left it to his friend to continue.

The Ithorian stood behind Bería as she settled down on the floor, "Remember," he spoke, "The further you can distance yourself from the physical, the less the rocks will seem to weigh. Close your eyes and reach out. You have impressed me with your abilities before. Perhaps you can do so this time without spilling your stew all over the place."

Bomoor suddenly regretted mentioning food while he was trying to get the young one to concentrate. He hoped it would be a harmless remark.

Berry immediately grinned, a giggle escaping. Yeah, that was funny. Her grin suddenly froze. Stew? Her eyes widened. "Hey can I have some after this??" She had no idea what their cooking skills were like, since their awesome cook mysteriously left...she suppressed a sigh as urgency overrode that. Oh no, maybe they were ONLY going to feed her if she did what they wanted, like what Grandpa did! Her eyes narrowed just the slightest as she peered a little suspiciously at them.

Bomoor winced and looked over at Thane who was clearly also aware of his unfortunate mention of food, "You have to remember, Bería, that life is not all about getting a reward at the end. When you or those you care about are in trouble, you will have to act on your own merits and not with food in mind. Besides, if you were listening, we are trying to remove ourselves from the body and hunger is a bodily urge that will distract us from using our abilities. Now, sit and focus."

Berry plopped down, pouting slightly to the side. "Yeah, but isn't escaping trouble a reward, too?" She glanced out at the rest of the huge trees below them, almost longingly. Freedom was just a jump off a cliff away...if she could do something maybe they'd let her go. Yeah. With that "reward" agreed upon, the part-Aquar settled down, sitting crossed-legged and with her hands in her lap. Her eyes closed. First she thought of the gentle waves upon the shore, lapping at the sand and sloshing around with small crashes. Then, slowly it shrunk, the whole blue planet of Velusia. When she was in the fish tank on that transport she couldn't see, but for some reason she knew how it looked like...how it felt, with all those people on it. And then...the blackness of space, with those stars so bright now that she was out of the atmosphere.

She was so far out she almost forgot what she wanted to do. Big rock...big rock...oh, look, there was a rock. She concentrated, face still quite serene. Slowly a rock started lifting....and others, lifting and hovering in the air.

Unfortunately, they were about the size of her finger nail and there were about thirty of them just floating around.

Thane let out a muted sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. For a few brief moments, he had felt her begin to touch what it truly meant to be in tune with the Force, to dip into the cosmic infinity that it stretched eternally into. Of course, that was simply the interpretation he had glimpsed from her, an approach that reminded him a lot of Bomoor's Living Force beliefs, but certainly a stark contrast to the approach he was now taking, of bringing the Force to him rather than delving into it. Even so, she was making numerous errors.

"An impressive start," he stated simply, "if you want to decorate gardens." With a wave his hand, he brushed each of the pebbles on the surface over the side of the platform, tumbling down far to the jungle's surface and bringing Bería back to reality.

Berry's eyes flew open so she could spot Thane and shoot him an impish smile.

Bomoor paced away from Berry and towards the rocks, speaking with his back turned, "Your focus is scattered. You can see deep into the Living Force, that much is clear. But it takes effort to lift the rocks, it takes willpower. Let me show you how powerful your focus can be."

The Ithorian knelt down on the smooth stone floor. He rested one hand upon his knee and brought the other up in front of him. His long fingers bent about as if trying to grasp some intangible object. There was a moment of calm where no one spoke and the only sound was of the whispering winds blowing through the temple level and then back out into the trees. Then suddenly there was a chink, as stone brushed stone, quickly followed by a louder grinding as the stones began to shift from their long-rooted positions.

Slowly but surely the stones began to rise off the ground. Bomoor tightened his grip on the stones, focussing on the first three he knew he could lift. In his mind, he could feel himself as if he were within the stones willing them upwards, while simultaneously being in his body. If only he could push further, he knew he could lift more. He clenched his eyes with the strain, but this drew him further away from his goal and he eventually settled on holding only the first three stones in the air. There they hovered, like asteroids in the depths of space, before Bomoor slowly drew himself back in and the rocks clunked back down again.

Bomoor drew in a deep breath of the forest air into his large lungs before speaking again, "It is not an easy task in the slightest but it emphasises the fact that a Jedi must focus or their abilities will be diluted and unpredictable. Now, perhaps you could try it again now you have seen it can be done."

Berry tried to pick up her jaw from the ground and succeeded somewhat as her lips pulled up in a big grin. "WHOA! That was sooo cool!!!" Her eyes positively twinkled as she gazed at the big rocks. "Oh man, okay, focus..." Her fingers twiddled as she screwed her eyes shut.

Okay, back in space...yes, there, the swirling water, water everywhere. Oh...she could feel the water currents from Boomy and that pale guy...so strong, pushing her investigative tendrils back just by being there. Ah, yes, everything had that push, that pull...she had to be the moon, huh, and tug a little here and there...

Her brows furrowed as she felt around. How about this water current, maybe if she manipulated one of them it could pull on the others. Velus, it was big, so it had to be something heavy like that big rock.

No, something told her. That's right, Boomy said they weren't supposed to weigh anything. Just like as if they were floating in water...her water!

She filled the area around her with her water magic—with her Force. Things nearest her started to float, just like she wanted..."big" things that didn't carry as much weight as they used to. Berry suddenly wondered though what she was actually making to float, and her concentration wavered, almost a ripple in the water she sent out.

"Excellent," Thane commended, being surprised when his comment brought Bería's eyes fully open and broke her concentration, causing him to drop to the floor from the foot above the platform he had been hovering, whilst the boulder she had uprooted landed with much greater noise, reverberating through the stone beneath them.

Of course, neither had been particularly high, causing no damage to either of them. Nevertheless, Thane could not help the barest hint of an impressed expression cross his face as he thought through what she had done. "That was an exceptional start, Bería," he said with some pride, "particularly at how you managed to grasp me, too. Normally, it's hard - especially for a newcomer to properly using the Force - to breach a more experienced Force user's barrier unless they invite it. I rarely do," he admitted, "so I have to deduce the Force bond we share allowed you some bypass, or an easy access. Regardless, you did do well."

What he left unsaid, however, was the quiet fear he was beginning to harbour concerning her potential to breach his barriers. In time as her power increased, what was to stop her from using that to her unbridled advantage? Certainly, it would work two ways, but it nevertheless represented a major weakness that even someone else could exploit through her. It was something he would look into negating.

Pushing the thoughts to one side, he looked to Bomoor and nodded for him to move over to where he stood by Bería. "Let us show you something, if we may?" He requested as he extended a hand, intending to place it on one shoulder with her permission whilst Bomoor did the same for the other.

Berry stared at the super long fingers one of her shoulders and the (super) pale hand on the other. Her eyebrows shot up at this, then she shrugged, smiling faintly up at them. Water sharing...she could do that.

She closed her eyes. Something was different...there was a hint of leaves in the water, as well as a certain...wetter feeling, if that was possible. Like the feeling after the monsoons in South Velusia...although she smelled wet swamp plants. Infused with the sunny beams warming her water magic...Force, Berry took this large current and followed the old one, back to those big rocks.

One, two three...five of them, right? Berry rushed a boulder, feeling the boulder start to float; suspended. Encouraged, Berry moved to the next one. But the next one...her brows furrowed. She could feel this one only move a little. A noise of irritation rippled through her water, a mix of a groan and sigh. C'mon, move!

The other boulders started to sink...almost literally.

As the physical connection between him and Bería - and by extension Bomoor - strengthened the Force link between them all, Thane considered how the experience would be peculiar for her as she would get a clearer glimpse of their particular 'auras' and the way they called upon the Force. Of course, the Ithorian's would be much more akin to her own attitude, and one that would feel less alien and intrusive, whereas his would be sterner and more obvious, almost physical.

Letting their focus meld and their connection to the universe around them deepen, Thane let his attention wash across the boulders about them, already feeling the heavy augmentation his companions warranted him. Very quickly, they appeared 'lighter' through the Force, and each of the boulders began to shift to join the rest.

"You don't do one at a time," he said quietly, "because the Force isn't just affecting any one thing at a single moment. It goes through everything at once, and so you must bring yourself in line with that - either by shifting yourself to it... or by bringing it to you." It was her choice which approach she took, but the latter was the one he was finding more efficient.

All at once...at her? Well, why not? Berry really liked that idea...but maybe a little too much, for her Force instantly reacted within a millisecond of her willingly agreeing. Like a huge wave, it flooded the area they were concentrating on, pushing the rocks...toward her!

Berry yelped and reflexively pushed back. The boulders crashed into one another with this tug of war between...herself.

As Berry broke free of Thane and Bomoor's hold, the connection they had shared was broken and reality flooded back into their minds. Bomoor barely caught the young girl's flimsy grass-weaved outfit before she toppled over. The group of them looked over at the boulders to find they had not moved nearly as much as Berry had anticipated. Bomoor looked down at the part-Aquar, "You have a strange way of viewing the Living Force, Bería. I had not realised until now. Perhaps it is as a result of your age and the way your mind has grown to perceive the Force. Both Thane and I were taught by Jedi from a young age but you have spent your time in the wilds and the ocean. I have heard that different groups see the Force in different ways and you seem to have developed your own way."

"You will find a way that works best for you," Thane said, unsmiling but thoughtful as he placed his hands on his hips, regarding the younger woman, "but you should not simply close your mind off to trying a variety of different ways, as different approaches will also yield different results. I believe the way I have adopted to be superior to Bomoor's in that it allows me to easily become one with my lightsaber, and to quickly utilise the Force in kinetic ways, empowering me and my particular way of doing things, but we each have our strengths and weaknesses. My beliefs and Bomoor's are one of two sides of the same coin, really - you'll find what works best for you."

Honestly, he had been impressed by her abilities. Very quickly she had tapped into her potential and shown what she was currently capable of, still largely untrained and unknowing. Sensing her presence now, he knew she would be capable of great powers, if only she applied herself appropriately. Certainly, he was annoyed Bería did not have more focus - as that was key to either of their principles - but he was pleased and hopeful. She could become powerful, and without the indoctrination of the Jedi, as he knew full well how impartial and fair his Ithorian friend would be.

"Feel free to wander," Thane then decided to tell her, looking out from the platform across the jungle stretching out before them, "but return before the sun sets. There are a few more things we'd like to try with you."

She slowly got to her feet, brushing her butt off as she peered at the boulders. That was pretty neat, with so many boulders moving when she could barely do one. She glanced at the Knight and ex-Knight, her dark eyes narrowing as she smiled faintly. She wanted to do that, too! Maybe...maybe with enough time, like back on Velusia? She was never able to leave an island until she finished something hard. So why not a planet?

"Okay," Berry began, nodding with a serious frown. "But I'm not leaving his planet tuntil I move two. You can come back for me later if you can't wait."

Then she grinned at them. "Thanks, guys. I like both of your ways. They both do almost the same thing, but....in a different way!" Smiling at that wisdom, she firmly gripped their arms in a farewell before she scampered to the edge and hopped off. Oh this was so exciting, what else could she lift? Maybe she should practice lifting one of those weird log snake things she saw before she went back to these big rocks.

Frowning after her, Thane placed his hands on his hips again, concealing his slight wonderment with genuine combination of that and annoyance. "She does learn quickly," he admitted to his friend, "and continues to surprise me with odd bits of power and intelligence - there may be hope for her yet." Even though he said the words, a good part of him was doubtful, but he was not sure what would 'cure' her of her wayward attitude. Stun rods? No, he conceded to himself jokingly, but it would be amusing.

Bomoor peered after Berry, watching her quickly disappear with her youthful energy, “It is a strange thing indeed to see such display of power after such little training. It is as if everything about her is impatient. I still wonder, though, how she will eventually use that power. Surely she will not always have such childish ambitions.”

As he spoke those last words, he wondered if perhaps he was incorrect. Beríá was not a child, yet her words and actions made her seem so much younger. The ithorian was disturbed at the thought of her continued company in such an immature state, “Perhaps we stop with the Jedi training and teach her some proper etiquette.”

Knowing that he and Thane were much on the same page regarding that matter, Bomoor let out a chuckle, “Come now, why don’t we try lifting the rocks again. I am sure we have enough ‘Water Magic’ between us!”

Thane wrinkled his nose slightly as he nevertheless stepped over beside his friend and assumed a position, his palms flat and outstretched to affect the boulders. "That just sounds plain wrong on so many levels, Bomoor."

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