Beginning after a Fearful Start

[Tál Martec]

It had been about 3 month since Chandaar was raided by the Sith had attacked. Mom and Dad had been gunned down by Sith Troopers as they gave me a way to escape and get to the UTC Transport that got him off the planet. The Refugee Camps of Commenor weren't half bad and the UTC Guards were kind and liked Tal. He had no problem adjusting to the Orphanage that the Queen had set up for them and he liked the quite the other kids allowed him to have. It wasn't for his slip up in showing the children his ability to levitate a small pebble that a Guard Found him using the force. He was treated kindly, though he was still very scared when he was brought before the UTC Viceroy [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"].

It didn't take long for the two to become friends and Jaster looked after the other Refugees as best he could. Always offering jobs and a place to live for those willing to work. Tal enjoyed the the mans weird sence of humor and mature yet childlike personality that he held in private. It wasnt long before Jaster became his Guardian and promised to find him a good home in which he could practice his special gift and protect the weak when he got older. He thought that was a good idea and was appreciated towards Jaster for helping him find a path to move on from his parents death. He did his best to be strong and not let their deaths stop him from moving on. Jaster said they died so he could live on so he needed to continue on living.

And now, here he was on a Transport on their way to Silver Territory to meet with Jasters friend who agreed to meet Tal. He was super nervous about this meeting and was staring at his hands on his lap as Jaster sat next to him on the large transport.

"Jas-" He remembered the man liked to be called a special title, "Uncle Jaster, what kind of person is your friend?"

 

[Jaster Awaud]

[member="Tál Martec"] was a lost child that he had decided to help after learning his parents were killed during the evacuation of Chandaar. He was no there for that evacuation, though he heard it was not as successful as he had hopped. However, he was not taking the child to meet a friend within the Silver Jedi that was willing to meet the kid. He was starting to grow on him and reminded him of his son at that age, though Tydus was a little more curious then Tal. Tal was a special kid in his own way, and he knew the women who would need him would help him refine his special gifts.

He was looking around the ship when Tal asked the question, and to be honest he did not know her well enough. Yet the few Jedi he spoke to and his old Apprentice highly recommended her abilities. "In truth she is a feared worrier and skilled tactician who is well known for her strong will and fortitude," He looked to the boy sitting there, "She's also very wise and years of knowledge and experience as a Jedi and other paths, so you'll need to listen to her very closely and behave yourself, I hear she's very strict."

He didn't know that last part for sure, but it's best he not have the child act out infront of his new teacher. Also a little fear of their superiors never hurt the child's spirit.

 

[Tál Martec]

It was weird to hear the veteran Mandalorian praise someone other then himself or sarcastically about someone else. His new teacher seemed to be a very skilled person in her field, though he didn't even know her name at all.

He was about to ask another question when the PA System came to life with a static intro to a mans voice, "We have now arrived on Kashyyk, Thanks you for traveling UTC Airlines and enjoy your stay on the Forrest World."

He stood up and looked to his Guardian. "Jaster, will she be meeting us here?"

 

[Jaster Awaud]

The Mandalorian was already getting up as the transport dropped into port. He had been a space Man for most of his life so he knew the suddle movement that were obvious that the ship had entered the port. He looked back at the curious young man about his future. He grabbed the kids belonging that were on the top shelf above their seating. It was a medium size duffle bag that the Mandalorian had the boy borrow from the UTC Guard Barracks that carried his limited belongings. Jaster didn't know what the Jedi Admiral would allow the boy to keep, but best to keep what he had with him and send back to Jaster what he was unable to keep.

"Come along, don't want to keep your teacher waiting."



They exited off the Shuttle that brought them to Kashyyk and it didn't take long for the Old Mandalorian to see the young beauty that was [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] who he meet a few times by now. They were not the closest of friends, but he still considered her a friend none the lesser. He had the boy scurry behind him as his large strides toward the women.

"Good to see you Jessica, thanks for accepting my message."

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

Young? Jessica may be made to outwardly look young to NFUs, such as [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"], because of how the light side acted as an anti-aging cream, and how humans/Near-Humans in their mid-forties, male or female, were made to look much younger than they really were, as she told the last padawan that asked about it. Also it was possible that, even though [member="Tál Martec"] didn't meet with Jessica in person before, he might have known her for her attempts at fixing the public finances of Chandaar and the widespread tax evasion that resulted from the overly convoluted tax code. So she could feel Tal was a little shy in front of Jessica, but that might not have anything to do with her appearance. And also because Tal might be a little raw, from which she had no right to assume any prior knowledge other than Force-sense. Once Jessica was able to be face-to-face with Tal, she introduced herself prior to getting into the grittier details of training him in the ways of the Force - after all, there was a reason why Jaster entrusted her over other people capable of training other Jedi within the Order.

"I'm Jessica Med-Beq, and I will be your master. Come with me, we might be a better place to conduct actual training deeper inside the temple's premises"

 

[Tál Martec]

The boy attempted to hide behind Jaster as the large man walked up to greed [member="Jessica Med-Beq"]. He had heard of the women who was a well known leader within the Silver Jedi even as he was growing up under their influence. She was not a young as Jaster thought, though he knew better then to bring such an observation up now.

Jaster turned to show the boy off without letting Tal know and stood aside as the two were now face to face. "Hel-... Hello Jessica," The teen tried to divert his eyes from her as he was not very good with talking to strangers light his guardian. He did most of the talking and he just sat in the mans office and listened. "Goodbye Uncle Jaster."

He lifted the Duffel Bag full of cloths and little trinkets he was able to take with him during the his evacuation and leaving his family behind. It was hard to look back at Jaster as he was sort of the only close friend he had and now he was to walk into an unknown with a stranger he did not know. It was starting to dawn on him, what was he thinking.

He looked up for the first time to meet his crisp blue eyes with Jessica, "Where are we going?"

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"One of the training rooms inside Silver Rest, where your Force-lessons will begin"

Understandably, Jaster was a fatherly figure to Tal, she thought, while [member="Tál Martec"] was being brought into one of the chambers used for private and semi-private Force-lessons within the temple complex known as Silver Rest. Also, the paperwork from all three engagements (Kashyyyk, Charros, Roche) was nearly over, so she could actually start training other people after months of hiatus. The equipment in the room contained surpluses from the SJ army and naval stores, such as used training remotes, blank rounds that were unusable, and so on, so forth. Telekinesis was the first item on today's agenda. For this purpose, she took out a bullet that came out of a mostly-expended .50 slug belt, like the ones used in point-defense emplacements that shot down a few Sith fighters. Just the right mass for beginner-level telekinesis drills: the blank two-ounce round was thus place on the ground, in front of the padawan, before the lesson can proceed. And, of course, the preliminary explanation will be delivered before Tal would even be allowed attempts at using telekinesis.

"Telekinesis is about using an invisible hand to move objects around: picture a tractor beam projector extending from your hand. You may attempt to lift this blank .50 slug without physically touching it"

 

[Tál Martec]

He followed her to the temple and breezed passed all the other opening that the structure had to offer. It was not till he saw another group of Jedi and their apprentices that he realized he was about to begin his training. His eyes locked onto the back of [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] head as he looked up to her. He did not realize it till just now, but the air around him felt a million times lighter as he could feel the force weaving around him without his knowledge. It was much like the wind, though it had no origin and had no end, he was unsure how to put the feeling into words.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jessica as he crossed the threshold of the training room. He looked around the room in a panic as he was asked a question and given a task. He instantly left his bag by the door and briskly walked over next to the spent casing. "Yes Master."

He locked his gaze on the shell casing and made sure he got a good look and paint its image in his mind. Once he was able to visualize it in his head he closed his eyes and took a calming breath. Lifting his left hand at the elbow and held it as if he was holding a clay cup. He imagined the wind around the bullet creating a mini tornado as he manipulated it into a breeze to move the shell. It lifted the Shell and moved it to over his open handed cradling the air between hand and shell. He had succeeded.

Tal opened his eyes to see the bullet floating and a wave of happiness in his ability to work under pressure seemed to be positive. However, as soon as that wave hit, the Shell shook in place and instead of levitating, it was hit by an earthquake of air and within seconds it shot off like a bullet fired from a slugthrower and hit the ceiling.

He looked at the ceiling and then his new master, in a avalanche of shame he then looked to the floor and spoke quick, "I am sorry master, I was unable to do what you asked."

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"You were on the right track. It's easy to get carried away when you're opening up to the Force and, from there, losing control of emotions"

She watched nervously as the blank bullet began flying towards the ceiling while Tal was making his first attempt at using telekinesis. Thank the Force that the speed at which the bullet hit the ceiling and fell to the ground about two feet in front of [member="Tál Martec"] was not sufficient to leave much of a dent on it. A .50 slug such as that one could penetrate up to 200mm of reinforced duracrete, but to actually penetrate that much duracrete (and then burst into shrapnel) would require a much higher impact velocity, with a handful of these bullets capable of killing a Sith TIE fighter at the sort of velocities capable of penetrating 200mm of reinforced duracrete. Just that emotional control was key to get the most out of the Force. Even a beginner losing emotional control has its consequences; then again, not everyone will get it right on the first try, she thought, while realizing that her padawan also lost control of his emotions on his first try. And she also had to carefully monitor Tal's reserves of Force-energy; once his reserves were bled dry, then she would get started on the Jedi Code lessons.

"Try again; this time around, keep your emotions under control"

 

[Tál Martec]

Tal attempted a few more times under the guidance of his new master [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] and as such he was still afraid to access his full potential of the force he felt. The incident that caused the shell to fly across the ceiling was something he was not willing to do as the direction and speed of the shell itself was of its own mind and he held no control over such a thing.

He lifted the Shell again and as it was held, it was apparent that the object was shaky held by the force. He did his best to control the flow of the object and hold it, but each time he opened his eyes and lost the imagery of what they were concentrating on and the object would fall to his hand. He attempted them five more times before he realized he was sweating and unable to really draw power from the force.

It seemed he was reaching his limit and looked to his Master, "Master Med-Beq," He attempted to pronounce her name as she did when she introduced herself. "I feel drained Master, what is this feeling?"

He was not enough to really hurt himself, but it was his first time feeling a dent in his reserves since his known abilities.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Drained? You have no Force-energy left. It would do you no good to continue training in telekinesis while you have no energy to attempt it again"

Yes, [member="Tál Martec"] gained in control over his powers, but he didn't fully open up to the Force yet, nor did he have a whole lot of energy to begin with. While his Force-batteries were recharging, Jessica saw fit to begin the lessons in the Jedi Code, and she would have a lot to tell about it and how the implications of following it changed throughout history. Life of Jedi under the Ruusan Reformations was much more restrictive than today; the romantic restrictions would be unthinkable today, and today's Jedi come from a wide range of races, social backgrounds and other circumstances, and also engage in a wide range of activities as a result of not having to take a vow of poverty. She realized that perhaps he could be willing to ask about romance and its relationship to the Force if so he wished. The Teyan Apologia's influence over Jedi-hood was pretty much over after the Clone Wars were over, but the Clone Wars-era environment gave rise to a number of Jedi who couldn't let go of their ego, and also a few more that couldn't let go of their frustrations even though their egos were just fine. I hope Tal doesn't turn into either, she thought.

"There is no emotion, there is peace, there is no ignorance, there is knowledge, there is no passion, there is serenity, there is no chaos, there is harmony, there is no death, there is the Force. Five lines, loaded with interpretations and implications throughout history. The Jedi Code. One could talk for hours about the implications of following the Jedi Code, but the very fundamental implications are about using the Force for knowledge and defense"

 

[Tál Martec]

Tal was not willing to give us so easily on the levitation of that casing. However, he did listen to [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] as she took the time to teach him the ways that were outside his knowledge. What she said confused the boy, the code was honest, but outside his understanding. He thought on his masters words.

"There is no emotion, there is peace
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge
There is no passion, there is serenity
There is no chaos, there is harmony
There is no death, there is the Force"

He looked up to his master with a curious look, "Master Med-Beq, what defines the Force," He had some lessons under Jaster so he was not afraid to share the mans parted knowledge, "Jaster said it makes up all things, living and none," The boy decided to leave out the vulgarities of the Mandalorain Old Man, "but when I close my eyes and feel out, I feels a breeze or gust of wind the is source-less, I don't know, maybe I am imagining things, but I would like to know."

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"In fact, there are so many theories that abound when it comes to the Force: it is, in fact, a field of mystical energy. If you claim you are seeing something akin to currents, then using the Force is akin to exploiting the energy content of those breezes or gusts, with you as a wind farm. Sometimes you see more of those currents in an area vs. another; usually this means the Force is stronger there. However, the source-less part you're seeing is probably some sort of zero-point energy, an energy associated with the void, so in that case Jaster is right since there is some void in everything, because of the atomic structure"

And while I see the Force as a collection of Hermitian quantum operators, with each variety called spirit ichor, not everybody does. But it's pretty much the same sort of question one Preliat Mantis asked of us a few months ago, she thought, while having no right to assume [member="Tál Martec"] understood that, due to atomic structure, with electrons orbiting around a nucleus at orbital distances that are orders of magnitude the size of nuclei, material items were, in fact, made up of mostly void. Just that not everybody that was sensitive to the Force perceived it the same, much less used it the same. Not only there is an alignment operator, there are also separate operators for each alignment, which could explain why some ichor could only be used by one alignment: when using an alignment-specific power, those ichor in use commute with one alignment and anti-commuted with the other, she thought, where, for some reason, she was made to think about the light and dark side in terms of the Ehrenfest theorem for some reason. She'd rather spare him the advanced notions that lead to quantizing the Force, feeling that he was not yet ready to tackle that level of abstraction.

"Do you have questions about what it means to be following the Jedi Code?"