Unexpected Bonus (The Moross Crusade Dominion of Q-27)

[Crystal]

Crystal blinked. Well that obviously wasn't right. She blinked again and the jumbled mess was gone. She didn't disturb Asylen, instead allowing her to figure things out for herself. She would know it when she had it right. But projecting her thoughts would not accomplish her task. The Sith Princess sat down, since it was going to be a while yet.

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

Knowing this was not what she wanted to accomplish Asylen relaxed again, she pictured the bridge again but this time she imagined a one way gate for her thoughts that would stop her thoughts and only let through what she wanted. She focused on trying to find Crystal's mind across the bridge she was picturing while keeping her thoughts contained by the gate. She touched Crystal's mind successfully, hearing just her emotions through the connection she had established. This excited her and with her excitement the strength of the connection grew. She could now sense where Crystal was in the room. It was an amazing feeling, she fought to stay focused on the task.

 

[Crystal]

Crystal could feel Asylen brush against her mind. It wasn't as though she had anything to hide, but it wasn't exactly the point of the exercise. Still, it was better than nothing and would ultimately get her to complete the task. It was sort of the long way around.

~Point to me~

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

Reaching out Ashra'syle'nuruodo extended her finger slowly, unsure of herself, she adjusted her arm a little to the left and then extended her finger the rest of the way. She opened one eye just slightly to peek and see if she was correct. She was pleasantly surprised that Crystal was sitting right in front of her exactly where she was pointing.

 

[Crystal]

Crystal nodded to Asylen. "See? You can do it. It takes time and practice. You can stretch your senses out further and further with more practice. And you can feel what others feel like through the Force."

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Amorella Mae"]
"The HALCYON system's one of our finer moments," he admitted. "They're all over Omega and Fringe space, and some parts of Hutt territory too. More to come. I can't speak for Silk anymore, you understand, but the way they're operating it sounds like they're continuing on more or less the same way as I set it up. Which means that the first true consistent interstellar mass transit system is probably available as soon as you call. They're eager to spread the network, and it's a good network to spread."

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

"That was the problem though, I could sense them all at once, how do I focus it on one? How do I keep them organized so they don't overwhelm me again? It was like a little drip that turned into a flood as I tried to use the skill. Surely there is a way I can keep it organized and quiet without having to meditate..." Asylen stated. If she had not been trying to figure these powers out on her own in the first place she would not have been in that situation in the first place but she was anxious to expand these powers so she could use them to make the enemies of the Crusade pay.

 

[Crystal]

[member="Ashra'syle'nuruodo"]

"You seemed to do it well enough with just the two of us. Keep practicing. Meditating will clear your mind and enable you to focus when you're feeling overwhelmed. When you get overwhelmed, stop and meditate for a while. Until you learn to manipulate the Force to your will, it will seem chaotic, like its' will trying to dominate you. The Force is your ally, not your enemy. You can't take shortcuts with the Force."

Crystal wasn't going to teach her any more on this trip, as she clearly needed to work on her senses before she could hope to learn anything new. Her focus needed to be precise, which it wasn't at present.

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

"There isn't shortcuts? I seem to unlock a great deal of power every time I get angry or frustrated or excited, really anytime I experience any sort of emotion while trying to draw on these powers. They are wild and uncontrolled but they give me the understanding of how the technique works if I release it with an emotion. Seems to me that is a short cut of a kind, no?" Asylen questioned quietly as she tried to relax into meditation again as she had been instructed taking slow deep breaths and calming herself to attempt the technique she had just been taught again.

This time she experienced more success and was able to find Crystal in the force much more handily having already practiced that part of the technique she stretched her mind out seeking others. She reached farther and farther drawing on the pain of the injuries she was still recovering from to strengthen herself. In her mind Ashra'syle'nuruodo found others, the Captain, his nervous tension was obvious, the Commander, she was harder to read, chaotic even. The Chiss woman tried to focus on the Commander further trying to interpret the jumble of thoughts. She looked puzzled at Crystal waiting for her to realize what she was attempting and to guide her.

 

[Crystal]

She listened to Asylen and merely nodded and smiled. The Chiss had already made her point for her. "You said it yourself. Wild and Uncontrolled. Manipulation of the Force is very controlled. If you hope to have more success, you must learn control without emotion, and save the emotions for when you're controlled enough not to kill yourself through careless actions."

As Asylen began to touch the minds of the crew, she warned her silently. ~Be careful where you tread. You can be trapped in the minds of others. Focus on sensing their presences, ignore their thoughts for now.~

[member="Ashra'syle'nuruodo"]

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

Listening to Crystal she accepted the explanation for now but wondered silently to herself why she couldn’t just use her emotions to trigger the powers Asylen sought so she could understand them better and reverse engineer how they actually work in a more controlled and focused fashion afterward. Still she didn’t question it, clearly this woman knew a thing or two about the force, she had been practising it longer then the Chiss woman had been alive. She did as instructed just seeking the presences of the others on the ship but she kept being drawn back to the commander and her confused presence.

“Why are some presences harder to understand then others? I think I have found Commander Vorru but I couldn’t understand her when I was pressing for her thoughts and she feels different than the rest of the crew. Most of the rest of them feel different then she does.” Ashra’syle’nuruodo kept feeling around the Kiffar woman’s presence trying to understand it better.

 

[Crystal]

Crystal tilted her head. That actually seemed like a fairly obvious question. "Well, each being is different. Different races brains work differently. It also helps to know what you're looking for when you intrude in someone's mind. It can often feel like a jumbled mess if you don't know what you're looking for. It's also different for males and females, because brains are wired differently. Try not to dive too deeply into the mind. Those with training can trap you there."

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

"I understand that, but this one is different even then that, most of the rest of the crew seems concerned with keeping from seeing something they should not, for fear of spending an eternity in Surkesh I would imagine given the Commander's orders. The commander on the other hand seems preoccupied with other things, she doesn't seemed concerned with what the Gods think of her. How can the Gods trust such a being to guide their forces?" Asylen asked plainly as she removed herself from the Kiffar woman's mind again, not wanting to get trapped, she didn't know if the other woman had the training Crystal spoke of.

 

[Crystal]

Crystal chuckled. "You will find that there are a great many beings that are not always concerned about what the Gods will think of them and their actions. If one becomes obsessed with what other people think, then they are too busy to learn anything new. The Gods are more concerned with their people as a whole than individuals. Does that make sense? It is why they cannot devote every waking moment to every person that comes to the Temple. But they do look in on us from time to time. We still have jobs to do, and other priorities. Be concerned when you are in their presence."

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

Giving a small nod Asylen cracked her neck quietly the effort she was having to exert was starting to wear her out, surely with practice as it was with muscles she would not get so exhausted using the skills but for now she was certainly getting tired. She tried not to let it show but it was becoming more an more apparent as the minutes ticked by. Finally exhaustion took hold and she fell to the floor breathing heavily trying to recover.

 

[Crystal]

Crystal chuckled. "Also, you need to know your limits. Running yourself into the ground will not help your progress. Come, I'll take you back to your quarters and you can rest. Do you need me to carry you?"

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

Glaring at the other woman as she recovered Asylen waved her off. "I can walk just fine, I will find my own way back to my quarters."

Getting up from the ground slowly Asylen leaned heavily on the wall to brace herself as she started out of the chamber, she stumbled and looked back at Crystal. "I suppose I may need some assistance, but I will not be carried, I have spent enough time being cared for over the past few months."

 

[Crystal]

Crystal chuckled. "As you wish." She had suspected that the woman would either fall down while trying to get up, or pass out from blood rushing to her limbs. But, she was okay with assistance.

With the Force, she picked Asylen up just slightly off the ground and gave her gentle Force pushes back to her quarters. It was probably not what she had in mind, but it was fun for Crystal.

 

[Ashra'syle'nuruodo]

Glaring back at the Sith woman Asylen didn't appreciate being carried even if it gave the illusion she was actually walking. She crossed her arms waiting to be put back down as she floated through the corridors by the gentle nudges that pushed her long. She certainly wasn't happy with the current situation but was also too exhausted to put up more of a fight about it.

 

[Crystal]

Crystal let her down on her bed in her quarters. "Don't look so sour about it." She smirked. "Get some rest, we'll resume work at the Temple when we return."