Do we get to spin tanks now? (Siobhan)

[Glade]

Bright day out, not much of a breeze. Nato slinked over to the training area, plopping herself down to stretch. Young and limber, she was supple for sure, had a few bruises here and there and a sore stomach but no big deal. Today was a big day! HUGE, she had to make sure Sibby was happy with her, and not mess their session up. Definitely some nerves were in the air. She’d been away ages since they trained together and she wondered if she’d do okay again.

Since getting her Sith poison under control and out of her mind, she was back to being self-conscious about her feet! So she had thick white socks on, and comfy silver shoes. Black tights hugged her legs, soft green tank top stylishly tied at the back accentuating her neckline with a small floral pattern on the shoulders, hair tied in a bun behind her, stylish but practical.

She’d remembered calling Sio Master once before and how hard that had been for her, how they’d clicked, and she'd felt calm, less skittish around her. Now she’d been away, Should she do that again, or what should she say? Maybe, yes hrmm, or? Maybe she should have tried doing her mirror impression first, just to practice. She smirked to herself, and carried on stretching.

Her saber Aurora was back together at her feet, she kinda wanted to rework the hilt, after her weapon being all sliced up. She’d only done an okay job on repairing Aurora, Fyor being a galaxy away she couldn’t use his help now.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


Master, teacher.


A long time these had been words Siobhan would not have thought associated with her. She herself had received little formal training beyond her time with Adril, which frankly had been more about going out and fighting the good fight than any of the philosophical questions Jedi loved so much. Likewise she had never considered herself to be a teacher type but...well, you always discover surprising things about yourself.


Fact was, she did enjoy teaching, as much as she would refuse to admit that. So Natol'ine would not have to wait long before Siobhan limped into the training area. Truth be told, she was running a bit late due to having had dealt with bureaucratic affairs and having had a holocom conference, but now she was here. It was a bright day, not much of a breeze, for it seemed that today Kaeshana would be spared the tempestous storms that so often raged.


As for her attire, Siobhan was dressed in a blood red tank along with hip-hugging black leather pants and leather boots. Her makeup was more subdued than usual s, but it seemed she could not fully let go of being a bit of a fashionista these days. As she found Natol'ine she gave the girl a smile, feeling relieved that the Sith Poison drama was over and the girl was alright. Nato had, as a matter of fact, been her first apprentice. Their original time together had been very short, something Siobhan regretted in retrospect, for she had liked the spirited girl. Her cheery attitude and willingness to learn had been touching when Siobhan, still tormented by guilt over what Kaelin had inflicted upon her wife, had met her.


But perhaps Siobhan had not been ready to take an apprentice then. She felt like she was more mature and better prepared to be a teacher now. Only time would tell whether she was correct in this assessment.


"Hey, Nato,dear, glad to see you on your feet," she said warmly as she leaned on her cane, looking over the grounds, which corresponded to your typical military training area in terms of layout. "It's been a while since we met like this, but I still remember the day well. I recall you showing skill in air manipulation back then. It was quite impressive."

 

[Glade]

Sio! That excitement hadn’t dipped an inch, if anything she was more excited because she’d been away so long! Bobbing up and darting over, Nato beamed, perhaps the biggest smile it was possible to make, hands cradled in front of herself, fiddling with her fingers. She was going to say it again, yep, here it came… she bit her lip and hesitated, but what if she should wait? Maybe she’d wait, is that what Sio would want?

“Thanks I feel okay, sore but y’know, Kinda nervous,” she confided, that much was probably obvious just glancing at her, feeling she could confide something that might put her in a bad light with her Maste… friend, was a good sign.

Then Sio said what she’d done had been impressive, and there was this building confidence that took over, she really thought that? Hmm, well, “Yes,” she blurted out, “erm I mean, yes we did well didn’t we.” Nato’s smile threatened to stay there for good.

Air manipulation, “Had to go all spinning, when those crazy crystal maniacs poked at us again,” she revealed, “spinning while doing what you showed me, I sort’a could move easier with Ataru.”. She lacked much skill, but she’d got her basics down okay now.

So many things she wanted to do! Move air, move faster, boom things out of the way, but she tried to calm down, she couldn't just babble. Then out of all of that like the voice of a child, it just came out of her anyway, “Sio your leg, can I help?” She immediately felt bad for saying, but maybe she could do something?

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


Nato's bubbly enthusiasm and her excited reaction to Sio's presence were just...adorable. At least that was the term that entered Siobhan's mind. It was also gratifying to see the girl be so hapy to see here. Well, Siobhan did have a bit of an ego and was sort of vain after all!


"That's my little spitfire. I am proud of you," she said warmly, patting the Kiffar on the shoulder with her flesh hand. She was quiet for a moment as Nato enquired about her leg, though she was not offended by the query. "I appreciate the concern, but no. I guess one too many buildings dropped on it. I just need time." Time she was no longer sure she would have. Not after the horrible news that Anya had given her about the fate that would inevitably befall Kaeshana.


A fate the Eldorai and Firemane were working towards trying to escape and survive. However, she cast these thoughts from her mind. She knew that she would have to tell Natol'ine soon. It was only fair to her, but not right now. "I did Ataru when I was younger. Now not so much, kind of crappy with a 'sabre honestly. Anyway, let's get started then, shall we? Why don't you manifest a wind for me, show what you can do and then we'll go from there? "
She did not think Natol'ine would be able to throw a tank today, but the training grounds contained lots of stuff you could toss around, including mock-ups of light vehicles, robots and such.


Beyond that she had some ideas of what she would like to teach Natol'ine, but she would first see how far the girl was. "Take your time, stretch out with your senses, feel the brush of the air against your skin, the slightest shift in the air currents around you. Then try to gain power over them and will the wind to intensify."

 

[Glade]

Spitfire, she liked how that sounded. “Okaies Sio,” friendly smile given, Sio was tough, she’d be okay, if not, Nato would be there too to make sure! Further praise settled her down, you could see the girl standing more confidently, taking on some of Sio’s pride which was a good thing, some self-confidence.

Fixing her hair to be sure before she started, as today could get windy! Focusing, touching the ground with her hand, feeling their training field’s air current, people shouting, working, training and laughing. She stood up, there was so much here to stand on, history on their beautiful stormy world, Air here was so often alive and turbulent, she brought those memories and current alive around her.

Hanging on Sio’s every word, she stretched out her senses like her exarch asked, connecting. “Wow, what’s that."

Finding her point of connection, force potential pulled air faster, flowing around her sides. Woooshing air against her skin, dust kicked up around Nato, blowing her clothes, circling, faster than last time Sio had shown her, not a gale but very noticeable. She still had to practice, but she demonstrated something new, that she could one day form gales around herself, standing at their center!

Memories from their training area maybe brushed against Sio? History, former students, former trials and tribulations. All wrapped up with Nato’s playful nature, which right now was radiating pride. Current pulsed, “mmm Sio I feel everything.” Nato said, connecting to the force deeper than last time. She didn’t feel everything, not yet, but the young girl she felt like she did!

Wow, that's... that's.... oops she nearly lost her balance, almost lost herself, and was nearly swept up in the wind, almost taking her legs away!

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


As the wind blew around them, whooshing air kissed their skin and dust was thrown up, Siobhan exerted her telekinetic will upon Natol'ine to stabilise the young Kiffar a bit. Nothing invasive, just an insistent grip to held steady and ground before she suddenly went flying!


As a matter of fact, Siobhan could fly using only the Force. She had demonstrated that most prominently during the Battle of Atrisia, when she had faced a Fringe telekinetic specialist in the sky. They had spent most of the time chucking dropships and tanks at each other, before teaming up when the CIS decided to drop Lucrehulks on the planet.


Vivid, intense memories brushed against Sio's mind. Of her first training session with Nato so long ago, when the Kiffar had taken her first steps into the world of aeromancy. Of Atrisia and Metalorn, where she had unleashed a literal whirlwind of grenades upon Velok. Just a shame the talking Warthog, though beaten, had not been slain by her. Otherwise neither Rhommamool nor Osarian would have been destroyed.


Still, she focused upon the present. Nato was still learning, of course, and had to grow in many ways, but there was potential there. Siobhan could feel the ripples in the Force as her student exerted herself. Her student. Moreover, her playful nature and bubbly enthusiasm was simply contagious, helping Siobhan take her mind off the worries that plagued her. "Good work, dear. You're doing well. But don't go flying just now, we'll get to that in time. Keep focus. It is pivotal. You cannot fully control a wind, but you can manipulate its intensity and drive it. So concentrate. On yourself, the Force and the ever-shifting air around you. Allow the Force to flill you, like water in a cup. Then harness the energy you're holding to drive the wind across the grounds ahead of us."


There were a couple cheap droids, trophies from the Bando Gora war, ahead of them, which could be tossed around. They looked vaguely humanoid or rather skeletal. Skeletons made of metal. Siobhan recalled conjuring up a whirlwind once to toss technobeasts like ragdolls. The carnage had been beautiful.

 

[Glade]

Woah! About to be whipped off her feet! Then steadied by her exarch, her mentor and friend, you could see very gradual change coming over how Nato stood. Instead of nervous excitement there was bubbling joy, really pleased with herself. Yes! “No big thing!” She said smirkeling.

Connected by whistling air, she could sense Sio was thinking about someone from her past, but she was too far away to get much, only his name, “Velok?” Nato said, and then shut her mouth just as quick, she was always speaking first then thinking!

Focus, Keep focus. Trying her best, and not wanting to let Sio down, she heard everything she said, and kept focusing.

Droids were heavier, she’d not tried to move people, not since Bimm and that crazy cannibal. Open up, open up, Nato extended her arms outward, letting go to her memories, concentrating on herself and airflow between them, tracing lines through the force between Sio’s droids and herself. Looking for their environments natural airflow… oops she almost lost control, if not for Sio she would have done.

Seeking memories attached to Bando Gora’s war from Sio’s droids, her wind followed her eyes, seeking her force trail.

It happened!

Widening midnight blue orbs, she couldn’t believe what had happened, she’d done it, really done it! “Sio!” Her whirlwind of air caught their droids legs, fast enough to shift them sideways, not yet lifting, but dragging them along the ground. Nato jumped up excitedly, and doing so lost all concentration, the wind flew off, blowing into firemane’s training ground.

No… no… no.. “How do I slow it!” She’d started this, but how did she get her whirlwind back, could she?

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


Siobhan felt an urge to intervene as the whirlwind threatened to spiral out of control, but quickly suppressed it. It would do Nato no good and frankly be a disfavour to her if she was coddled in such a manner. Siobhan would only step in if the Kiffar was fully losing control.


"Focus! Do not think, act. You have the power, manifest a counter-wind and drive it to this one. It will halt its movement and push it back. And draw the energies you have unleashed back in to you, stop driving the whirlwind forward. It is your will that gives it fuel. Then will it to be pulled back to you and keep it within your grasp," she spoke calmly. The wind was not completely the creation of Nato's aeromantic prowess, but it was what had given it its strength and intensity. Slowly withdrawing her energy from it would not result in the whirlwind vanishing in a flash, but it would weaken its intensity and gradually die down, giving her a greater ability to exert control over it.


To a large extent, control over any aspect of the Force was about will, along with control. Perhaps the most important lesson any apprentice had to learn was to come to terms with the idea that the word 'impossible' did not exist. Of course, this did not mean a forcer could become invincible or a master of everything. The Force itself was infinite, one's ability to use it was not. But above all, you had to believe that you could do something that common sense might declare impossible.

 

[Glade]

So she did. She stopped thinking, or wondering, or maybe doing, and did. She did for Sio, and for herself.

Further away from her creation, she reached, not thinking about how, drawing current back toward her, not against her wind, such concentration on her face you’d almost think you were looking at someone new. She’d stepped out of her memories, out of her mind, and into life, reality.

A spark through the force bloomed within Nato, matured ahead of her time. There was the faintest trace within the wind, created humidity but very faint, making the air lighter! With warmer dryer air behind hers, she started to change the direction of her humid lighter air’s wind, repelling her whirlwind back toward her, very slowly but surely. Siobhan had said the exact right thing, at the exact right time, letting and trusting her student to extend herself. Now her student’s technique evolved.

Nato could not only make these winds, but harness where they went with better control, and with that difference in air density, moisture had formed… air was humid, wet, spraying outward as her wind came back, splashing light mist against Nato’s face.

Her will, hers. Hand out, wind drifted closer, she was sweating too, not just her wind’s water, she was tiring, this was a huge step. Right next to her face, smiling into her blustery wind, her corner of her mouth turned up playfully. “Thanks Sio,” she chanced a whisper over.

Sio was always calm, sure, Nato reacted to that calmness so strongly, because she felt the opposite most days.

When she let go and returned her energies within, she folded over, and slumped to sit, breathing quickly. Did she do okay? Phew. She so hoped she did okay! She looked up, that hope in her eyes.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


Nato stopped thinking and acted. Instead of searching through memories she lived in the moment and acted within it. The result was beautiful. At least that was the term Siobhan would have used to describe what was taking place before her eyes. The winds were brought under control, moisture formed and light mist splashed against them. It was in this moment that Siobhan concluded that her student's potential for air manipulation might very well extend beyond what she had originally anticipated.


Summoning a desert splitter one day might very well just be a step towards greater things for her. If she could manipulate the moisture within it, rainstorms might be possible one day, though it would be a long road until then. There were limitations to Siobhan's own ability in this area, since her aptitude mainly revolved around conjuring up massive winds to crush all opposition, but she would guide the girl as much as she could. She could certainly teach her how to summon a tempest!


As Nato slumped to sit down Siobhan limped over towards her. The Countess felt a stab of...pride. The pride of a master for the successful accomplishment of her student. Perhaps a degree of maternal pride as well. A bright smile on her face, she gave the girl a loose, one-armed hug. "That's my little spitfire. You did very well, dear. I'm proud of you," she said warmly before pulling a glass of water towards Nato with a mental command. Presumably the Kiffar could use a drink or two.

 

[Glade]

Nato laughed happily, her petite weight hugging Sio back snuggly, happiness across her eyes, spitfire, she felt at home. Sibby's hug brought further joy, been awhile since she felt happy, not pretending, trying, or living on edge. Part of her didn’t believe what they’d just done. Was that really me? “Yeppers!”, her smile wanted to burst again.

Oh boy did she need Sio's water, slurping up her glass, phew. The Kiffar dabbed her small hand to her mouth, then tidied her hair back again, feeling windswept in every sense of the word! Checking her clothes, she patted herself down. “Wow, we really move wind.” She looked up, learning from her Exarch, she had been learning since they’d first met.

“You just do it?” Nato wondered if that’s how life always was for Sio. Nato's imagination often ran wild. Fyor was always living in his head too, now she wanted to break out of her thoughts.

Holding her arms around her legs, listening, she was hanging on Sio’s words, she was shaping her student right now and what she’d become later, every time they were together.

Okay... ready...? Here she went! "Exarch," exarch, Master, she was committing. "erm, do you want me to, I dunno, join protectorate with you?” One word and she'd be there with bells on, all Sio need do is tell her. She didn’t really know what Omega was, only maybe she would be helping her friend out. She remembered Exarch was what Sio had told Nato to call her last time they were together.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


"Envision what you want to do in your mind, use the Force, make it happen," Siobhan told her, gently patting the Kiffar on the shoulder. This was probably not the way a Jedi would explain things, but then Siobhan was not a Jedi. No, her view of the Force was terribly practical.


However, Nato's following words made Siobhan stifften a bit. "No, not the Protectorate. I left them when Tegaea stepped down as their leader. They're a paper tiger run by a chauvinistic, blustering moron. I haven't been an Exarch for a long time," she said. There was, unconsciously, a trace of bitterness in her words. The memory of how Tegaea had been forced to leave office was...very painful for her.


Especially because it was partially her fault. She had allowed Kaelin to deceive and play her like a fool, and it had been her wife who paid the price. Captured and tortured almost to death, lacking an eye and covered in blood when Siobhan found her. She had made the Sith Assassin pay for what she had done. Before she finally chopped her head off. "You're too precious to fight for them and sacrifice yourself in their wars, if they deign to do anything without Kaeshana giving them a push," she added as she composed herself, squeezing Nato's shoulder a bit. "If you want to address me with a title, it's Master or Countess. I'm fine with Siobhan, unless we're in a formal situation."

 

[Glade]

Make it happen, “Yes Siobhan”. That pat on her shoulder caused a ripple of emotion falling across her face, reinforcing what Sibby said. She’d remember that for her future, to shape her and guide her. Already small streaks of pride where there, mixed around with excitement.

When Sio started talking Nato learned up, putting her legs underneath her, she could see their subject was a tough'ie. Sio had done a lot in her life, Nato knew only a little but what she heard, and what she knew of Siobhan, she could guess what they must have put into their battles that they'd left behind.

“You have a lot here.” Nato said caringly, peeking about. She’d felt attraction to Firemane, there was an energy hard to describe. The station had kinda buzzed and flowed, strength and family. Down here she felt like an unfolding story, people spoke about on holovids or around warm fires, that’s what she thought of when she saw Kaeshana from firemane’s station, when she met people here. She wondered if Sio knew just what an amazing life they had lived, and what that meant for people when who had been through that together. For herself, she only knew from other's memories, from watching, but that's what the Kiffar girl saw when she spoke to Sio.

Sio squeezed her shoulder, she’d heard every word, closing her eyes and sighing happily. “Master”, that felt right, she just wanted to say that once. “Do you think, I mean, should I learn other force things? y'know.” By other she was asking whether she should learn other techniques, like sith type things, but she didn’t know what to ask, or whether she should. Very much curiosity a child would show, for what was completely unknown to her.

Mood Music

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


"Yeah, we do. Kaeshana's a beautiful world. First one that's been an actual home to me instead of just a place to live on," she said. But soon, very soon, it would all be destroyed. Well, not that soon, but you get the picture. The coming holocaust was something no one could avert. No fleet that they could muster, no space magic. Even Siobhan would be unable to stop the massive asteroid from razing the planet.


Preparations and plans were being made, the search for the lost elf planet was proceeding. Soon the Queen would have to make a general announcement and then...chaos would break out once the people knew the truth. For try as they might, Firemane and the Eldorai would be unable to evacuate everyone. 'Priorities' would have to be made, as cynical, if not to say morally repulsive, that sounded when you were talking about sentient lives, even though as a former soldier Siobhan knew that if you tried to save everyone, you just wound up getting everyone killed.


However, this could not stop her from besieged by a sense of sadness and bitterness. Training out here with Nato was a good way to make her deal because the girl's bubbly enthusiasm, even if she seemed overeager at times, helped take her mind off this. Helped remind her that she was trying to save actual people, rather than just seeing them as statistics in a flimsi report.


She had yet to tell Nato about the cataclysm, could not anticipate her reaction, but she would make sure she got out alive. Was Siobhan getting rather attached to her? Perhaps, but then beneath the calm facade she was a rather emotional woman. Nato's words shok her out of her musings. "Other force things?" she raised an eyebrow at the phrasing.


"Did the Jedi teach you any defensive Force techniques? Force barriers and so forth. Regardless, it'll be on the list. I'm very good at that. Same with telekinesis. For mentalism, [member="Coryth Elaris"] is an excellent candidate to help you develop skills. I'm good at defence there, but crap at offensive use," she said.


There was a pause before she continued. "I won't beat around the bush, you've probably sensed it anyway, I'm a darksider. I've studied techniques the Jedi and I imagine the old AoL would label forbidden. I treat the Force as a tool to protect those that matter to me and defend what is mine. I don't subscribe the idea that the dark side is a malevolent demon that will inevitably turn you into a monster if you dabble in it, provided you have the control and sense of proportion. But it is a perilious road, no matter how strong one is, and...I've done many things I've had cause to regret. It's something I won't force on you. Frankly I'd prefer it if you did not indulge in it. At least not at the level you are now, without knowing what you're getting into."


Of course one could argue that Nato was already getting closer to it by being trained by a woman whose aura probably radiated dark power, though that viewpoint might be a bit determinist given how Tempest had found a middle ground. Siobhan did not want to come across as patronising, but she found frankness did more good than pussying around.

 

[Glade]

Jedi training, “nope, I never really fitted,” that same uncomfortable anxiety flittered about her words, Sio had done a lot to squash her doubts, to put her mind at ease. She’d tried to train with them, but everything had felt wrapped up, like she “couldn’t breathe.” Fyor loved all those rules, she hated them. Like when, “I had to go all arrestin' another Jedi”. If you can imagine Nato arresting anything, she’d hated doin’ that, and her face showed it, till she smiled that away.

Training though, hmm another day, “could [member="Coryth Elaris"] shield my mind, teachin’ me to?”, so no Sith could just break in and snoop around like last time on Bimm. “Would really like that, no more headaches.” Nato had naturally lashed out defensively with her mind before, but that had let another crazy cannibal Sith invade her head, that was probably her darkest moment, and closest she’d come to snapping. She'd been completely unprepared for what she had faced.

Darksider, lightsider, Nato responded like Sio might have done.

“Your Siobhan,” she shrugged softly, tilting her head, that was all she cared about. She’d known back when they’d met, Sio was always straight with her. Calm, straight, honest and she felt she would always know what was up, where she stood. In her chaotic life, that was precious.

Listening to her Master answer, she was learning, learning what the force was, what Siobhan thought and how to handle herself, what she’d accept and not accept in her own practice. Bobbing her head, she snuck up, putting her water down, then mentally sliding her glass to their side safely. “Okaies Siobhan I trust you,” she wouldn’t mess with that stuff, sith stuff, at least not yet. “I don’t regret meetin’ you, you help people too” Sibby had talked of regret, she smiled and tried to show her that there was happiness there too, balancing all that experience out.

But what for today, Nato tapped her finger to her lip, mulling things over “Master you’ve seen me, you're tough, and know what’s waiting. What do I need most?”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


Siobhan looked sympathetic as Nato spoke, noting the uncomfortable anxiety in her words. Something for her to work on. Truth be told, Siobhan had never fit in among the Jedi either, though if she were honest with herself she had never believed in their Code or followed their teachings in the first place. She and Adril had been rogues before it became the cool and trendy thing to do.


She gave the Kiffar a nod. Nato's expression of trust in her touched her deeply. "Thanks, dear. I'm sure [member="Coryth Elaris"] would love to. She helped me to get better against mental attacks. And saved my life on Alderaan when a Sith tried to mind rape me." Not something she ever wanted to live through, but Sith were awfully fond of trying to get into your mind and tearing it apart. She had known that since her first encounter with Shadow.


"As for what you need, I believe you should work further on air manipulation. It strikes me as your Alter specialisation, as telekinesis is for me. Mentalism, both in form of mental defence and your gift for memories, should also be high on the list. Then there's training with conventional weapons, ways to take down a force-user without fancy powers. So many Jedi are caught helpless if they're deprived of the Force because they can't cope without it. But right now...I say we shall work on defensive barriers. Force barrier, telekinetic shields, Force Protection, different terms for the same power to shield your body against enemy attacks. I shall show you how to manifest a basic Force barrier and we shall go from there."

 

[Glade]

Bobbing head, especially when Sio spoke about shooting stuff, and what to do when she was in trouble, like having no force, “gotta couple of a'holdout blasters,” small hidden things for when she was really stuck, but her pearls as she called them were only so helpful, "maybe need somethin' better." What could someone with only so much strength use? That didn't have too much kick?

She was really going to be able to do “all of that. wow,” her excitement rose a notch in her stomach, but she kept a lid on herself, trying to follow Sio’s example. “Barriers, sooo maybe I,” actually she had no idea how to do a barrier, she paused tapping her foot, sliding her hips to one side, head tilting the other way, but what was her first lesson with Sio, just do it, stop thinking. “yep, barriers! Cinch, no sweat.” Easy, right? Maybe.

Squidging back, Nato concentrated on what wind would look if winds was all barrier-like about her, but wind wouldn’t stop anything, not unless she was moving wind really, really fast, so any forming breeze soon ebbed away. Next she closed her eyes, put out her small hand reaching down, feeling things move, then come on their own. What could be described as really dense translucent glue started to form up ahead of Nato, that didn’t really work either, not barrier-like or anything else. Super dense air that you could just walk through with difficulty. All these strands of possible techniques, but they were in their infancy, and her gluey shimmer faded, Sio might see those threads that could be picked up, even those failures might have potential.

Clearly frustrated, tapping her foot again, she wasn’t natural at this, but barriers would really help because she wasn’t exactly all beefy and action girl, and some Sith were really big. “Yep, can you show me Siobhan?” budding optimism, trust and confidence for Sio’s instruction, Nato blinked attentively, eyes resting on her Master.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


Siobhan watched her student's efforts for a while before stepping in. She could see what Nato was trying to do by drawing upon the wind, but winds would not stop anything unless they were moving super fast, though she could see it being a way to drive back a telekinetic assault. Likewise to toss back explosives or drive away the shockwave caused by a detonation.


That held promise, but seemed to be more of an advanced technique. Especially since it would be dependent on another Forcer not overriding it via air manipulation or telekinesis. Shatterguns ould penetrate even heavy armour and were fired at such super-velocity that in many casey you would only notice a shot being fired after you'd already been hit. Hence why for now Siobhan would focus on showing the girl the basics of the usual Force barrier, then they would go from there and Nato could give it her own spin.


She took note of the translucent glue coming into being ahead of Nato. That was a start, but it was not a barrier yet, especially since left so much of her exposed. However, even failures had potential.


"Keep your mind off the wind for a while and draw upon the Force. Let its power fill you like water does a cup. Take your time, and imagine the strongest protection you can forming around you. A wall of pure durasteel against which projectiles just bounce off. Visualise that image in your mind and then will it to come into being. Keep that image of the translucent glue in your mind...then make it a solid barrier. Do not spread your energies to thin across the shield, focus on the Force around you and let your defences cover you."


Ironically these were pretty much the instructions she had given [member="Mirien Valdier"], former Grand Inquisitor of the Atrisian Empire and her beloved bond sister, a good while ago, during a training session.

 

[Glade]

Blowing her hair free, she tugged her strap back to her shoulder, like she was getting ready, doing a small pirouette with her feet, lightfooted grace brought her to her tiptoes and down. “Okay”. Mind off the wind, empty my thoughts.

All she heard was her Master’s voice, letting her guide her fully, there was just her words. Force came into her, like flashes of color and light, streaming around her body, vibrant and alive. Okay… k.. k… Durasteel, be tough, what would Sio be like if she were mad or fighting? Oh… that’s good, yep that’ll work. Kei behind her, Sio in front of her, even better!

Visualise that image in your mind. Her mind saw that shield as people she cared about, standing around her, looking out for her. Deflecting sabers, lasers, everything, they were her glue, turning solid into her shield. A soft green shimmer was almost there in front of Siobhan, sputtering. Don’t spread yourself too thin, focus. Shimmering green, and yellow, glue and now harder, coated with color of her student's force signature which popped and cracked greens, yellows and ambers across the shield’s feint surface.

She didn’t dare open her eyes, she didn’t know if things were going okay or not! Her shield was there across her body but volatile, color popping and fizzing like she was going to just lose it again with a bang. Outwardly her shield was much like her whirldwind’s first attempt before Siobhan had guided her to control. Nato was so close to peeking an eye open, but resisting, Sio said just the force, and her voice.

"Ummmm"

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


"Relax, focus and concentrate on the shield. Its energies are yours, it is your will giving it shape and sustaining it. Sustain it as long as you can. Don't doubt, trust in the Force. Your Force." A barrier had sprung into existence. How strong it was had yet to be discovered. Siobhan waited until it had been formed, then she suddenly exerted her telekinetic will to toss rocks at Nato's shield.


Small rocks, to be precise, coming at Nato with great speed and from seemingly all directions. A telekinetic specialist skilled in ballistakinesis could accelerate a pebble to the speed and velocity of a railgun shot. Obviously Siobhan was not trying to do anything that extreme, since it was not her intent to seriously hurt Nato. Rather she was going to probe and test her barrier, homing in on weak spots she had identified. Every shield had weak points, after all. Indeed, it would be accurate to say that the exercise was less about creating a totally impregnable barrier and more about being able to sustain it against pressure and compensate its weaknesses when they were identified.


Likewise timing was important so that you chose the right moment to pour in energy to strengthen your shield instead of stretching yourself too thin. Siobhan would drive that lesson home by bombarding Nato 's shield with plenty of tiny rocks.