Possible Futures

[Jannik Morlandt]

[Takes place between this thread and that thread...]​

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Location​

OSSUS​

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If he had been told that he would someday meet and nearly beg a Shi'ido woman that sounded like she came out of a seriously old holomovie to help him sort out his head, Jannik would have laughed. However, it was no laughing matter. He really did need her assistance, and his request for it had come at the insistence of his master, Kira Liadain, who had told him the exact name of the woman who would possibly be able to help and guide him in matters of... vision. [member="Erinyes Draclau"] was this woman's name, and though he had unintentionally gone perhaps a bit overboard with his plea, she had seen his genuine need, and agreed to assist in gaining him a better grasp and control of the gifts (though he did not as yet see the visions as 'gifts'... no, far from it) the Force - and perhaps his mysterious bloodline - had seen fit to imbue him with.

He was meeting with her today, as she had said, having passed on a message for him as to the precise when and where later in the evening, yesterday, some hours after they had met. It continued to impress him that this Order of Jedi did not seem to waste time when it came to its own people... well, that was a funny thought to him. He hadn't yet thought of himself as one of 'their people'. Maybe that was so! He smiled at the thought, continuing to indulge his personal musings as he waited for the Shi'ido woman to arrive - and wondered what it involved when she had agreed to help.

He still had little clue as to the depth and breadth of what he had gotten himself into, upon joining the Jedi. Did that worry him? Oh, yes. Did it ever.

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"] would not wait long for the cerulean hued Shi'ido. The woman gave him a smile.

"Padawan Jannik Morlandt," she would give him an incline of her head in greeting, the fabric of her robe giving a faint rustle as she went ambling over to him. Her expression was serene, with a touch of whimsical warmth. Those large green eyes would seemingly appear to peer right through him, not in an abrasive manner, but of one merely observing the flow of the Force and his aura.

"I hope thou hast slumbered well," she would say, coming to a stop beside him.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

In reflexive response, he smiled back, notably calmer than he had been the prior afternoon. With his name said, and the incline of her head, he did much the same in greeting.

"G'mornin'," he said, with a slight tip of his head towards [member="Erinyes Draclau"]. He watched her continue to move until she ceased to do so, by standing next to him. A smile popped up, a flash of one, undeniably nervous before his mouth resettled into a crooked, uncertain line. Had he slept well? "Aye, ah've slept considerably better on Ossus than I 'ave anywhere else in... a while."

His eyes shifted over to her again, having wandered off a moment before to look on his surroundings.

"Ah hope ye had a good night's rest as well. So, ah'm curious... what d'ye 'ave in mind for me, today?"

Very curious... more likely apprehensive.

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

Erinyes’ smile would linger upon [member="Jannik Morlandt"], able to detect his nervousness. A long slender cerulean hand would rise to rest in comfort upon Jannik’s shoulder, “Meditation, young Padawan Jannik Mordlant.”

Her hand would fall from his shoulder and she would motion for him towards the center of the training room.

“Please, have a seat.” she would say in her melodic voice. “Make thyself comfortable.” she too, would lower herself into a sitting position, the flow of fabric fluttering over her legs as she did so.

“Thou art sensitive to the currents of the Force, Jannik. Thou hast raw potential for visions, but they flow through thee like a coursing river.” her hands would come to rest on top of her thighs.

“these visions focus on strong imagery and emotions. oft times, they art but vague impressions of events happening at other times 'r places with the force. but thy’s sensitivity hast left thee with an impression of fear and confusion. ”

“Through meditation, one is able to build a mental damn in thou’s mind, allowing thee the ability to control the rush of images through the force. ”

“Force visions art rare, and normally require meditation to see. However, thither art time when they can come abruptly. Those artful in this art able to detect when allies and close acquaintances in danger, examining details of past events, and predicting the probable outcome of a stat'd course of action. ”

“A skilled practitioner may also be able to use this in battle, allowing the practitioner to glimpse moves his opponent may make, as well as outside forces that might affect the battle.”

“However, in order to glean this information and become a bright candle in the dark, one must be able to center themselves in serenity. What thou may see can be troubling, young Jannik, and the ability to calm and find peace amidst the storm is what can root thee in foundation.”

“F'r that, thou wilt discov'r what is thou center, thy core foundation. Inner peace. None but thou can determine that. ”

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

The hand at his shoulder was a stable, calming touch, that did help some to quell his nerves.

Meditation? his mind queried, while his body took direction, moving to the center of the room with the cerulean-hued master, and lowering himself to sit in a cross-legged position, shifting a bit here and a bit there to find the most comfort. Already he had learned that when a master directed you to sit, it was likely you were going to be sitting for a while. This was for focus, freeing up the mind from other tasks of the body such as standing and staying upright, so that it could better be used for interactions with the Force.

Well, in theory. So he had heard. He kept his gaze on [member="Erinyes Draclau"] as she spoke, explaining the reasons for today's meditations, and what they would seek to accomplish. Some of the information held a greater interest for him - namely, the other uses of his overarching gift. It was nice to hear that more could be done with it, that the barrage of vision was not its sole use.

When she said that the matter of his inner peace was something only he could determine, he frowned slightly, then nodded. What constituted his core, his centre, the place of his inner peace?

"Should ah 'ave some idea as tae what that might be," he started, looking down at the hands in his lap, then over at Master Draclau again, "or will ah know it when ah 'see' it?"

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

"Thou shall know it when thou feel it." she said with encouragement. "It is different for many sapients. Some may be in silence. In a memory. Perhaps in song. A prayer.

Whatever thou needs to find find serenity. Peace." her hands would come to slightly rest on top of her knees.

"Mine is through music. Melody. The Force speaks to me in notes." she would explain whimsically, but with the utmost seriousness.

"I can feel the flow of the Force in that manner and in that I find my sanctuary."

There came another warm smile.

"Thou simply need to find thine."

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

He nodded, taking her words into consideration. Music? That was something! Music had been a large part of his life, some form of it always present leading him through the trials and tribulations of his growth from child to man, providing him some comfort and assurance when nothing else would. How did that work with the Force for him, if at all? A matter to ponder, for certain, but not for too great of a depth. There were better ways of finding this 'centre' of his in practice, rather than in theory. He simply had to try; the attempt wouldn't hurt anything at all.

​

A memory, faint in comparison to everything else that he could remember, but stronger still than any of it. One simple tune that had carried him through, centred him, lulled him into peace even through his own gentle humming of it. A gentle sedative at times, when sounded out peaceably, by one with the purest of intentions. This was the lullaby that he attributed to one that he believed to be his mother. A face with obscured features, and long, dark hair, a warm presence, soothing. He did not know whether it was that way always, or if he had simply clung to it since he was a child, attributing many of these facets to it, but regardless of the how or why, it was the one thing he could depend on, the eye of his storm.

"Alright, Master Draclau, ah think ah 'ave it."

And with that, his eyes slipped shut, and he began to calm his breathing, in the same fashion that he had been taught in the very first day that his training with the Jedi had begun, in that first week, on Tython. As moments passed, and breathing slowed to a calm, he kept the memory and tune of that lullaby in the forefront of his mind, as he sought that peaceful, serene feeling that the Shi'ido master described. He immersed himself in the warmth of that memory, and in the all-encompassing feeling of the Force, in his seeking, and over time, across this process, the very calm he sought began to settle over him. Serenity could not be found, so much as it simply was.

Oh, how light it felt, how pristine. Where there was... joy, yet no joy, love, yet no love, all the good, reduced to a din. The faintest of smiles ghosted onto his lips, unvoluntarily.

"Ah... ah think..." his head nodded softly, slowly with the whisper of his voice. "...is this what it feels like? Wow... just... it's something."

He would have to remember this, for certain. Would it always be so easy to achieve? Could it be done faster? Questions worth seeking the answers to, in his mind. It would be useful, no matter the outcome of the answers.

[member="Erinyes Draclau"]

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

Erinyes would smile down in encouragement at [member="Jannik Morlandt"]. "Well done, Padawan Morlandt." she told him with praise.

"Thou art to hold this in thine memory -- let it be thine sanctuary when the darkness threatens to consume. It is here thou shall maintain thine lighthouse to guide thee." she told him, letting him get used to this inner peace for a moment.

"Explore it. What dost thou see in this silence?" here was the first of many steps to have the young padawan learn to control and settle upon his center while listening to the Force. Expanding his mind bit by bit, so as that he would be able to funnel the white noise of the galaxy.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

This inner peace, this serenity, how it felt evoked contemplation, and it drew him into an aware yet relaxed state where he could focus on 'observing' what was around him. What he could see and 'see' in the ebbs and flows of the Force within and without himself was a novel experience, not necessarily different from the matter of his basic sense in the Force so much as a refinement, where detail was stronger, as was clarity and the ability to be objective. Whether he could remain as such was yet to be seen, but it wasn't the purpose of the moment. No, the purpose of the moment was what he could see in the moment, the here and now, from the stance of this serenity he had attained.

Well, there was a lot. The Force may have been likened to a river, but many, many things travelled upon that waterway, and as he watched and listened, the noise, visual, and audial, the cumulative massiveness of the great, wild, formless... thing that was the Force made itself known, and made Jannik grimace. Images, thoughts, presences, and more besides. A veritable cornucopia of the stuff of life.

"Ah ken see... energies, forming to presences o'life, hear th'clamour of thoughts, and perceive..."

His brow scrunched in uncertainty. He thought he knew what it was, but wasn't sure if he had the words to express what he was seeing. Or rather, he hadn't found them quite yet. It felt like translation of a language not so much heard as lived and experienced, which added dimensions beyond words - and words could already be complex, to begin with.

"...images, feelings, voices, acts..."

He chewed on it a bit, for another moment, feeling as if the words he sought were on the tip of his tongue, with the clamour of everything before him being a considerable distraction. Despite the noise, it was a marvel that he felt he might be able to pore over for hours if his body didn't have other needs, and if it didn't have the quality of... scratching at his brain? No, that wasn't possible.

"...time? No, no. The, ehm, stream of time... and... existence?"

The realisation, if it was as such, was rather heady. Time? Surely he must be mistaken in his assessment, but... time and existence? It put an mild, unsettled feeling in his gut that made him want to backpedal, which was another term for panic. Jannik breathed out, then in, and tried to settle back into that inner peace he had only so recently found. Time and existence? That was vision, and visions were the very thing he had no choice but to become accustomed to. It was why he was here with [member="Erinyes Draclau"] in the first place. Holding that breath for a moment, two moments, three moments, four... he released it in a slow woosh, along with a gentle nod, a self-assurance that he had managed not to freak out, even if he had to force himself to do so.

"Does tha' make any sense a'tall?"

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

"Aye." came Erinyes's soft voice through the din. "That it does Padawan Jannik. This is but the first step in farsight." her instructions would follow.

"Now, like a sieve filtering out that which is rubbish, comb through those images -- through time and existence itself. The future is ever changing, but thou is able to filter past that white noise adrift in the galaxy.

Focus -- gain clarity.

What doth the Force reveal to you?"

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Erinyes Draclau"]

He nodded understanding of her instruction, her voice breaking through it all, clear as a bell to guide him in what he should do next... interacting with that which held the most discomfort, confusion, and fear for him. A daunting prospect to be certain, but the present controlled setting would allow him to delve into it on what was more or less his own terms. He could work with that.

"Alright."

Still watching and hearing the everything before and around him, he began to figure out the exclusionary process, shutting out, shutting down, or rejecting first the energies of physical presences - which felt the weirdest to exclude, as those presences were always present when his 'senses' were in use - followed by the amalgamated stream of errant, conscious thoughts broadcast by the many other Jedi within and without the temple, the present brunt of emotions about the Ossus complex, instances of the Force in current use... all else except that which pertained directly to the stream of time and existence.

It was a strange place to be in, but not so unsettling with the peace in which he 'sat'. For several minutes, he simply watched the now singled out stream, from where he stood in it, and observed that it did not run in a straight line by any means - rather, that it seemed to go out in all directions, but the strongest vein was that which ran from the past, through the present, to the future, front to back from where he was situated in time and space. Of course, trying to perceive all of time and existence at once caused a somewhat painful warning that caused the grimace to return to his face, when he tried, and he wasn't keen to do that again. Oddly, whatever he saw in the attempt didn't stick.

Right... one thing at a time, then.

Done marveling, he looked pointedly to the future, and stream of possibility and uncertainty, focusing to clarity such that some images stood out, while others seemed... less important? Minor? Trivial? The details, the day-to-day, moment to moment; this was the fast undercurrent of the stream. He felt the strength of the images around him in the stream of time, and selected something that felt comfortable and safe. He had no clue whether the way this process went for him was at all the same as for others of his ilk, but that didn't seem to matter. What was it he saw?

"Ah see... a celebration. It feels loud and joyous. Faces... so many ah don't know. Some... ah think ah do or might. Where it is... is hard tae grasp, as is the why, the occasion... what it's for."

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]


"Thou art doing well Jannik, continue thine focus. Sharpen the the image. Seek a measure of clarity. Thou will not understand it all, but attempt to take mental snapshots of the images you see. Time will seem like a vague imprint, but each is a clue to determine either the where -- or the when. Like a muscle that strengthens with regular use, so does the skill of clairvoyance.

Some can be gleaned through meditation --- others... will come without forewarning and at times, without mercy. In meditation thou aims to ascertain thineself of being able to control thine light and thine forcus."

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Erinyes Draclau"]

As instructed, he looked more into this particular image to bring out stronger details, primarily focusing on what appeared to be an inorganic construct, a... building? A temple? But still, it wasn't quite clicking as to what that building was, and while he was looking there, a nagging feeling that something else entirely was at work in what he saw was becoming stronger, drawing his attention away from the building, to those gathered on or around it. His stomach flopped. That wasn't joy...

...it was screams. Those weren't lights, but lightsabers. An unease and dread began to settle in, and he felt caught between trying to hold out, and wanting to backpedal right out. At the edges of this sight, he began to perceive what was not nature, but city, and the deep darkness associated with it surged. Unable to look anymore, he dropped everything, yanking himself out of the stream and back to reality, his breath shallow and panicked as his eyes darted wildly over to Master Draclau. He didn't quite know what to say or think.

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

" Calm [member="Jannik Morlandt"]," would come her soothing voice, the comfort of the Force moving over him like a warm blanket to take the chill of the dark visions he'd come across under her skillful manipulations.

" Breathe. Ride the wave of the Force, do not resist but instead flow with the currents. " she'd say in advisement. " Focus on thine breaths, from that find the rhythm to stabilize thee. In and out. Deep and slow breaths."

This was but one first step of many, but his proverbial flashlight in farsight would be noticeably bigger and a bit more easier to control. With practice, that sphere would widen and he would be able to filter out the white-noise while gaining a measure of clarity.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Erinyes Draclau"]

Under normal circumstances he would have been shaken for at least an hour or more, but the actions of the Shi'ido master in calming him reduced the recovery time exponentially, which would in turn go a long way to helping him be stronger and braver in the face of what the Force sometimes gave him. He worked to slow his breathing under her instruction and once it was within a reasonably calm range, he sought the touch of the Force by his own will so that he might find that peaceable centre, again. The images, of course, were burned into his mind and he knew he would never forget.

A sigh escaped him, one of weariness at his own jerking reactions, yet of relief at finding that place of serenity, and he delved into the flows of the Force, of time itself, once again. The second time, the method was of a slightly simpler feel, for once done recall of the how was all that was needed to faster take him to that place where he could see. Not exponentially faster, no; that would be only achieved through more frequent exercise of this ability, given that he had only wariness and fear with which to react to the visions in his time before this newer phase of life.

What he saw next was not far off from the prior vision, the sounds and sights of battle still going on and on, and he steeled himself with only the thought that what was seen would not necessarily come to pass. He looked around again, Jedi and... if he had to hazard a guess, Sith fighting, for they seemed to be the natural enemies of one another from his limited understanding. He 'peered', feeling he was on the cusp of understanding the where of it all when a keening wail broke impossibly over all the clamour. The wail of...

"...a... wee bairn?"

He would have blinked in confused surprise had his eyes not been closed, and 'looked' around, though he could not find the source of the wailing in this sight.

"What's a babe doing in th'midst of battle?"

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

At the mention of the bairn, Erinyes would draw to focus on what he was seeing. The images that would go drifting across her mind would make her mull over in curiosity.

In this she saw a blurry image of a yougn woman, stomach distended, covered in blood and the wail of her newborn child echoing within the ruins of the Jedi Temple.

"Battle is not all about death, young Jannik." she'd explain. "But about life. Beginning and the end." she would coax the Force into clarifying the images.

But the Darkside clouded so much. Especially here. A frown would draw over her face. This was of concern to her. Perhaps something to discuss with the council?

Yes, certainly it must be so.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Erinyes Draclau"]

Death and life - he had never thought of battle in terms of what it meant for life, but given further thought (which he would doubtless delve into, later on) he would find that battle on one hand could cause death, but on the other hand was for the sake of protection of life... and that made what he saw and heard all the more concerning.

He wondered what it meant, if anything at all.

"Does this get easier wi'time?" he asked, rising out of the flows, and back to reality, "the ability tae see at will, ah mean. Ah don't imagine that what is seen gets much easier to look at."

Especially not when the brunt of what he saw was much like this.

 

[Erinyes Draclau]

The Shi'ido Jedi Master would release her focus and manipulations on the Force then. Slowly she'd open her eyes. "With practice, young Morlandt, thou hast the ability to sense with more clarity that which the Force desires to show thee."

"However, the deeper thou's connection is to meditation, the more the visions become clearer. Being in a state of serenity will allow thee to delve into the ocean of the Force and bring a focus to that which thou seeketh." she'd smile in turn.

"For now, however, thine mind requires rest. One must not overwhelm the mind and instead seek balance to maintain thou's clarity and peace."

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

It was with her words, his questions answered, that he began to rise from where he was seated, wiping his hands over his robes to smooth out any creases that came from prolonged sitting. Once he was satisfied, he gave her a short bow.

"Ah will do my best tae give it due practice then, Master Draclau," he said, in parting, "thank ye for y'help. Ah hope ah'll see ye again before too long!"

With one final smile, he turned to leave, feeling a wee bit peckish. Sometimes, working a new power in the Force made the young seer hungry.