A Trial of Resolve
Posted on Sat Jan 25th, 2020 @ 8:56pm by Bomoor Thort & Mentis
1,449 words; about a 7 minute read
Chapter:
Chapter VI: The Last Bastion
Location: Andrevea Gap, Naboo
Timeline: Mid-day, Late Week Two (After "Good Men")
The wide Andrevea Gap valley was almost completely illuminated by the warming rays of the mid-day sun. For this brief time, the central river glistened with a vibrant golden glow that could be seen far up the mountainside where a herd of wild Gualaar grazed in the warm light before the shade of the valley beckoned them to move on to escape the threat of predators such as the Tusk cats, who made their homes along the mountainside, that preferred to stalk the prey that wandered into the shadows.
The herd cautiously edged away from the Ithorian and Rattataki that ascended, with purpose, up the face of the nearby mountain, which was known locally as Mount Irudara. The two young men had already been trekking for some time, with Bomoor having announced to his new pupil his plans for them to scale the mountain only briefly before they set off. Mentis slowed his pace slightly to look back at the glistening valley and the city of Ferentina, which was nestled at a bend in the river, almost as though the buildings had been deposited there by the flowing water.
“This is certainly a pleasant landscape,” remarked Mentis, causing Bomoor to stop and look back himself, “The Cult had a base on Rishi once; a bit more humid than this world, but not dissimilar. However, the people of Rishi are far less concerned with maintaining their planet’s environment and very little of the planet had not been tapped for resources or developed in some other way.”
“The stubborn preservationists of this planet have done well in preventing the kind of urbanisation seen on so many other worlds, despite the surging plasma trade here,” Bomoor answered, allowing his posture to relax momentarily, “But it can be achieved with the right mindset. You should see my homeworld of Öetrago: very few cities, but huge expanses of grassland and hillside.”
Mentis took a few steps further so he stood by Bomoor, “I should like to see many more worlds now I am free, but I wonder as to the purpose of us coming out here. Why do we stay here doing nothing while Amare is out establishing connections? I have told you I still might be able to reach a few former contacts of my own.”
A screeching animal cry rung out from further along the valley and the Gualaar turned towards the noise before making the unified decision to hasten along their journey. Bomoor placed a hand on Mentis’ shoulder and beckoned him onward also.
“You know that Axion will have eyes on all your old contacts,” warned the Ithorian, “After all, they are probably more his contacts than yours. Not everyone has the same strength as you to walk away from that man, when their own lives might be at risk. Besides, neither Thane nor I is keen on you disappearing so soon after joining us. I am sure you can understand earning some trust first.”
“I can understand that,” Mentis shrugged slightly as he now took a slight lead on his teacher, “I shall trust in your wisdom regarding our current objective then, even if I would not take this course of action myself.”
Bomoor had observed that, underneath Mentis restrained exterior, there was quite an angry individual that was not unlike the frustrated young Jedi padawan that had yet to temper their emotions. However, Mentis had developed an intense focus that allowed him to channel any internal frustration into something physical, like how he now charged ahead with increased energy.
The former consular realised this was the delicate art of utilising the dark side of the Force: turn your most negative emotions into something useful. The drawback, as far as Bomoor had observed, seemed to be that your emotions would often have more influence on the actions than intended. He had already been told of how Mentis’ frustrations towards a fellow cultist had given him great strength, but also had led to him murdering the man.
Realising he could not linger behind for much longer, the Ithorian drew on his own reserves and quickened his pace to reach Mentis, “My reasons for our journey need not be a mystery to you, Mentis. I suppose there are a few reasons why we are making this journey: the simplest of which is that we wish to place strain upon our bodies, so that we may truly test our ability within the Force. As this climb becomes harder, we will begin to strip away the comfort and control we experience day-to-day and see our very deepest selves.”
Mentis looked over his shoulder at the taller man, with slightly narrowed but not altogether angry eyes, “You still do not trust I am the person I claim to be? You wish to see deeper?”
“I want to see the person that even you do not see in yourself or, perhaps, do not wish to see in yourself,” answered Bomoor, “My own master once took me on a similar journey up a mountainside on Cerea, before announcing to me at the summit, that we would be duelling. He told me that he wanted to test my resolve: how I coped when faced with a task my body was unprepared for and how I felt about my master after he put me through so much torment.”
“So, you intend for us to duel when we reach the top?” queried Mentis, keeping his voice controlled.
“Not exactly” came the reply, “But I do intend to test your resolve all the same.”
The pair continued climbing for some time, finding the terrain changing to become steeper and less manageable, while the temperature dropped below a level that most beings would find comfortable. Bomoor was surprised to find that Mentis showed no signs of fatigue. His inner frustrations turned into a powerful driving force for his actions, while the former Jedi consular leaned heavily on his revitalisation techniques to produce the same effect.
However, when they eventually reached a plateau close to the summit of the mountain and Bomoor ordered for them to stop, it appeared that Mentis was not as easily able to let go of his powers as the Ithorian was, finding himself unsettled and fidgety as Bomoor requested he be seated.
The valley provided no shelter against the wind up here and only the hardiest of plant life dared to grow from the cracks in the rockface. As a result, the green of the valley below was replaced with lifeless greys and faded browns, all dusted with a light frost that even the day’s sun had not melted away.
“So, what kind o’ trick are you going to have me perform now?” the Rattataki let his accent slip slightly as he peered up at his new mentor, “What more do I have to show you to prove I am loyal to you.”
Sitting himself down before the pale man and crossing his tree-trunk legs against the chilly ground, Bomoor answered simply, “Everything.”
Mentis was confused but controlled enough not to interrupt Bomoor as he continued, “I am not a duelmaster. Such skills you know well already and can hone with Thane, if the time comes. But I was considered a growing expert in the more subtle arts of the Force: manipulation of the organic and the inorganic through the connection the Force grants us with all other cells and molecules throughout the Universe.”
Bomoor closed his eyes and, almost immediately, small pebbles and rocks began to float upwards from the ground and surround the pair, “The inorganic does not resist my mind, because it has no will to resist and even simple-minded organics fall prey to the same manipulation. But even the strong minded can be influenced when their defences are stripped away…”
Suddenly Bomoor opened his eyes and shot his hand forwards. The pebbled dropped down, clattering and clicking away across the stony plateau, while a new prey fell victim to the Ithorian’s powers: Mentis’ mind.
The former cultist groaned and motioned to pull away, but he seemed unable. Bomoor had him immobilised but he strained out a few words, “What… are you doing?”
“This is your duel,” Bomoor answered, this is your test, “Resist me and show me your mental power after you have strained so hard to reach this summit.”
Bomoor watched the man’s face for a few more moments, seeing him physically resist, straining his face and torso to break free before starting to focus more inwards to fight back the attack. Closing his eyes again, the Ithorian pressed his own attack and sunk down through the physical mountainside and into the confines of Mentis' mind.
TBC
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