Ask Ajan Kloss A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack

Fiach Dubh

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“Obi-Wan had never addressed telekinesis with me. It was likely that I wasn't strong enough to begin training in such an advanced field of study. That didn't mean I shouldn't try.”
― Luke Skywalker in his personal writings


Fiach knew a lot about the Force – or at least from a theoretical standpoint. So, for example, she knew the fact that the use of Force Barrier was connected to using the Force as an energy and therefore was in some way linked to Telekinesis. But knowing and putting into practice were two entirely different things.

And given she was always looking to both develop her network of associations within the Order and broaden her knowledge base, she did what she invariably did. She sought out someone renowned for using the ability.

So, the Padawan headed off early for her lesson, keen to begin her training. Plus, she did not like to be late and always planned to arrive a couple of minutes early – in case of any unforeseen delays.

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Ruulo Vos

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It wasn't often that Ruulo was called on to help train, but this padawan had sought him out directly. Apparently word had reached her that he was a decent hand using barriers with the force and she wanted to learn about it. Of course the Kiffar had been happy to oblige and was eager to get to work with the young girl.

As he walked into the small training room he saw the girl, Fiach, waiting patiently for him. It was a simple circular room with a few cubicles set in the wall opposite the door that held a few training supplies. A skylight above let in the natural light of Ajan Kloss He offered her a warm smile and took a quick measure of the girl. She seemed lithe in form but in amazing shape. He then opened up with his feelings and took measure of the girl in the force. Ah yes, she shone brightly already and full potential.

He clapped his hands together and addressed the girl. "Well I just want to thank you first off, Fiach, for choosing me to help you with your training and I hope you find our session today worth your time." He chuckled lightly, "I'm assuming you're ready to get started, since you beat me here and all." He took a look around the room and exerted his feelings out again, this time calling to the force to aid him and he lifted a weighted ball brought it to himself with telekinesis. "So tell me Fiach, what's been your experience with learning about the force and using it to help you out?"

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Fiach Dubh

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Fiach waited patiently. She had learned – over time – to never be impatient when waiting for others. It had definitely been a flaw in her behaviour initially and it took a Kel-Dor Knight to finally help her understand the folly of her misplaced energy. He would purposefully be late for meetings with her and always greet her with the phrase, ‘Remember Fiach, a Jedi is never late. He arrives at precisely the time he intended to arrive.’ Initially the words aggravated her but as she came to warm to his wisdom, she realised that – in the grand scheme of things – a minute here or there was of little consequence. Not that you should ever be purposefully late. Which people rarely were. So, to chide someone for being on time, just because you were early was inappropriate.

She bowed to the Jedi as he entered the room. Once he smiled and looked to begin the lesson, she removed her cloak and folded it neatly before placing it in one of the cubicles.

Then she gave her instructor her full attention. “I chose you because you are seen to be one of the best – and it only makes sense to select a teacher that way.” She smiled as she spoke, “And on that basis, I am sure the lesson will be worthwhile, hence me arriving so promptly.”

She sensed the Force surrounding her, as if probing her, but then the feeling dissipated. “In terms of using the Force, I have made many improvements. The key – for me at least – has been to learn to trust it. To share with it what I wish to accomplish and invariably it helps. Self-doubt, especially early-on, was a real challenge for me. And…” she paused before completing her final sentence. “I do not so much see myself as using the Force as asking for its help. Is that a typical approach?”

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Ruulo Vos

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Ruulo rolled the ball around in his hands as he listened to the young woman explain her experience with the force so far. He smiled ash she finished and nodded to her. "That's a very good answer. Most Jedi tend to view the force in a slightly different, personal way, but almost all of us will say we call on the force for aid, that's pretty much the feeling I had just now when I pulled this ball toward me. I opened myself up and the force answered." He nodded his head and gave the ball a light toss to the girl hoping she'd catch it. "So from your answer I can see you at least have a decent grasp on calling the force to aid you, which will make this lesson a bit easier."

He stepped into the center of the room and faced Fiach. "Well in my experience the best way for you to learn is for me to demonstrate, then you give it try and we see where you need to go from there yeah?" He smirked at the girl and held up a hand, calling on the force once again, letting it's energies begin to flow through him. "So let's get to the demonstration, hit me with that ball. Throw it how ever you'd like and at any angle you want, and don't hold back." He was also curious to see the girls level of control first hand as in his experience using the energies of the force wasn't hard, hell many people that were force sensitive ended up doing it instinctively. What took time and practice was learning control and he needed to see where Fiach was at in her training to know how hard he could push their training today.

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Fiach Dubh

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Fiach nodded at the Knight’s words. She was aware of how interaction with the Force was explained differently by those within the Order. She suspected that was because it was difficult to explain in terms that related to the everyday world. Therefore she was assured that her experience was not atypical and that her way of accessing the Force was not unique to her – in case she was in some way ‘doing it wrong.’

She caught the thrown ball instinctively – more likely guided by the Force than any natural athletic ability – and hugged it as she continued to listen.

She turned her body to ensure she was facing him as he moved to the centre of the room. She very much liked theoretical learning and study – but knew that when it came to practical use of the Force, there was only the avenue of doing. Like swimming – as she’d recently found out. Books taught you little, it was only when you were in the water that you could truly say you were learning.

Once he’d given his instruction, Fiach moved her hands so that they were either side of the ball, with her fingers behind an imaginary north to south equator.

Then, without warning, she threw the ball to – rather than at – the Jedi Knight. She aimed for his midriff, again due to the fact she saw this as a pass as opposed to a desire to hit him with it.

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Ruulo Vos

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As the ball left Fiach's hand Ruulo used the gathered energy and formed it into a wall in front of him. The barrier was invisible to the naked eye, until the ball struck it; which then a brief shimmer in the air would be seen before fading away. "Good! Now keep at it!" He'd keep up the barrier wall while she struck it a few more times and begin to explain a few basics of force barriers. "Alright so what you'll notice first off about barriers is they tend to be invisible to the naked eye. Though for whatever reason sometimes they can appear to form an visible blue wall. Most people don't know why that is, but from my own observation the more force being applied to your barrier seems to make it more visible." He held up his other hand then to indicate for the padawan to stop tossing the ball.

"Come closer and put your hand out," He would keep the barrier up and wait for Fiach to touch it. "Feel that? The barrier isn't a 'solid' wall, it has some give to it. One of the most important things to remember about your barrier is that...well it more absorbs and dissipates attacks more than just purely blocks them, thus this give they seem to have if that makes sense. Any questions so far?" He dissipated the barrier and gave the girl a smile.

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Fiach Dubh

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Fiach sensed the Force but had no idea what was being done with it. But at this close proximity, it was hard not to register a flux in it. Of course, a split-second later, she was able to register what the Knight was doing. Not how, of course, but the what was self-evident.

Not that it should have been a surprise, this is what she was here for, after all.

She picked up the ball and threw it a second time, harder than the first. Then again, and again and finally she used the Force to speed the ball up on its journey. And every time it bounced off an invisible wall and she listened to his advice.

Once he raised his hand, she tucked the ball under her arm. And guided, she reached out with her hand and felt the barrier. With closed eyes, you could have been forgiven for thinking it was like a really thick soap bubble.

“I have one obvious question,” Fiach asked when prompted. “How?”

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Ruulo Vos

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Ruulo chuckled at the girl's first question. The Kiffar was far from a scholar but he still appreciated someone who was eager to learn. "Well that's where it gets tricky isn't it." He thought for a moment the best way to begin teaching her the basics of a barrier. Ruulo thought back to when was first taught about barriers. It had been his most trusted master over the years, Torvaan an older Weequay, who had shown him about force barriers. He smiled as he remembered their sessions together and came up with an idea of where to begin.

"Well let's start with the basics. So think about how you call upon the force. Let that idea that energy flow through. Now if you know how to do pushes with the force, taking that energy you've gathered and pushing it outward. Well barriers use a simlar concept, using the energy of the force as projection of your will." Ruulo stands beside the girl and holds out his hand. "Except instead of shooting that energy away from you to repel something, you're more holding that energy, shaping it to help protect yourself." He looks to Fiach. "Or protect others, but we'll get to that part later. For now I just want you to try making a wall. So close your eyes, call to the force, let it surround you and then let it extend out in front of you."

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Fiach Dubh

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Fiach was unsure what the chuckle meant. Yes, her social skills were developing – or rather she was learning more strategies and rules to cope with her lack of natural understanding – but humour was still a challenge for her, especially sarcasm. So, she reserved judgement on the Knight’s response until she heard him out and then applied logic as best she could. She surmised that his humour was positive…probably.

She nodded when he said that the practicality of the learning was the tricky part – after all, that’s why she asked the question.

But she appreciated his methodical approach and followed it as best she could. She could close her eyes and focus and that really connected her more deeply with the Force. And once she centred around that sensation, she could feel it flow through her. Which was, in part, how she was able to interact with it. To – for example – imagine it flowing from her hands to push against an object. His assertion was that this was a natural extension. Which all sounded positive and grounded in facts.

Then, as instructed, she closed her eyes and relaxed, emptying her mind of all thought. She sensed the Force all around her and within her. It filled every cell in her body and she was at one with it, and it with her. She felt connected to the entire world in this state.

Next, she extended her arms. She was sure this was not entirely necessary but found the visualisation of Force techniques a help, especially when she was learning. And like a Force push, she imagined the Force flowing through her body, down her arms and out through her extended fingertips. But instead of pointing her digits towards a target, she turned them at right angles and imagined the Force exiting through her flat palms that faced away from her. And she imagined a wall, a metre or so in front of her, and the Force occupying the space the imaginary wall was at.

The fact that the lockers on the opposite side of the room rocked told her the Force had performed part of what she had hoped, but had continued beyond the space she wanted it to remain at.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and repeated the exercise. “Believe,” she muttered under her breath. In her experience, trusting in the Force and expecting a positive outcome were pre-requisites to success. Hoping for it to work was the same as expecting a failure.

This time she sensed the Force in front of her, and the lockers did not rattle. She opened one eye, to see if there was a visible manifestation of a wall.

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Ruulo Vos

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Ruulo watched her with interest. He smiled again as he watched her. Seemed the girl caught on quickly. He did suppress another chuckle at Fiach's first attempt, though the sound of the lockers rattling would hide it. She was close, she had only just lost her hold on the energy, thus creating a gentle breeze of a force push, but not quite a barrier.

He was about to speak, but Fiach beat him to it, and he heard the girl mutter something to herself and she tried again. This time he could feel the energy from her form and hold just in front of her hands. It had a weak aura but it was unmistakably a small wall of force energy. Ruulo took a quick step in front of her and he saw she had one eye open, which he could only assume was her wondering if it had worked. To answer her unspoken question he reached his hand out and the clear ripple was there, though it still had a lot of give, she had taken her first true step.

"Very good! How's it feel to make your first barrier huh?" He beamed at the girl. "Now I want you to try and focus yourself and make the wall a bit more solid." He took another step back and he once again picked up the ball and tossed it lightly at her barrier. "So tell me, what do you feel as the ball hits the barrier?"

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Fiach Dubh

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Fiach’s open eye surveyed the scene in front of her – which to be frank looked exactly as it did before she closed it in the first place. Then her vision was filled by the Jedi Knight and reached out. The sensation was surreal. It was as if there was not a wall in front of her but a thin layer of water. Not strong, like a waterfall, but as if it were a bubble. And she was inside it and outside was water. The membrane of the bubble easily flexed as the Knight pressed on it – and she felt it give but not necessarily break.

Nodding to herself, she lowered her hands and then repeated the exercise. The analogy was not going to leave her head, so she imagined it was still a bubble – or at least part of it – but it was harder. Not thicker, that did not feel right to her. And neither was it frozen, that seemed too brittle. No – it was flexible enough to be pressed but too strong to be breached. That was what she imagined and therefore hoped the Force would provide her with.

She could not feel a direct contact with the barrier and said as much.

“It feels…strange,” she said. "As if I’m connected to the barrier but at the same time not. It is both tangible and ethereal. It’s…hard to put into words to be honest.”

Then the ball hit the barrier and at once she felt the connection more tangibly – although she also dropped the wall at the same time. “When the ball hit, I felt it, as if it were hitting me. Not painful, but I still felt it. Like an echo of the contact. I may not be making sense, but that’s what I felt”

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Ruulo Vos

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Ruulo smiled at her response. "Nope you're making perfect sense Fiach. Like almost any use of the force, you're not just calling on the energies around you, but also the essence of yourself. You partially feel what hits the wall because in a way, that barrier is a part of you, an extension of your will."

Ruulo took on a more serious look however as he continued. "That being said it's important to remember not to over exert yourself. Until you've gotten a better grasp on barriers it's better to use this ability as a last resort or if you're afraid you're going to be overwhelmed. I'm sure even on your first few tries here you've noticed it takes effort to keep your barrier up." He once again held up his own hand and made another barrier, though now he concentrated harder to make sure that it was at least slightly visible.

"Another thing to keep in mind when using your barriers, the concentration required is different than many powers." He looked Fiach in the eyes, "You'll be completely rooted in place, at least to make a strong barrier. The second you're feet start to move, you're concentration will waiver and you're barrier will start to break down." He demonstrated by taking a few steps and like he said the wall began to visibly waver, even holes forming in the wall. He then stopped and applied more of his will and the barrier came back to full density. "So make sure you've got good footing when you need to raise a barrier."

He dropped the barrier and smiled at the young woman. "That being said it's still a powerful technique when applied to the right situation. Now get up another barrier for me. I want you to focus on making it stronger for now, over time we can work on coverage." He went back to the cubicles and this time grabbed a different ball, this one about twice the weight of the ball they'd been using. "When you're ready Fiach" He'd wait for the girl to prepare then toss the heavier ball, time to see what the girl could do.

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Fiach Dubh

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The Knight’s words made obvious sense to Fiach. The Force was all around and flowed through her. And given the wall was made of the Force, and connected to her, it was logical she should feel when it was touched.

She nodded at the comment about being over-exerted. It was a lesson she had found challenging to begin with – if the Force was all around us, why did some have greater control than others? Surely they all had the same amount to work with.

Which was when a Master used an analogy that had resonated with her. The Force was omnipresent – well, practically. But it stretched higher, wider and deeper than you could see. And, as a Padawan, the amount you could access was the size of a box. Use it up and it took time to replenish. Use it faster and it ran out faster. Use more of it in one go and, as before, it ran out faster.

But with practice, the size of the box grew. A Knight had more to work with than a Padawan and a Master, yet more again. There would always be differences from Jedi to Jedi – linked to midichlorian counts – but the premise was sound.

And she continued to listen intently. He was right, you could use many Force powers in a multi-tasking kind of way. But, at least for Fiach, this had taken all her concentration and she could not imagine walking around and keeping a barrier up. But his advice made it clear that was not something unique to her and she appreciated the sage advice.

As he fetched a new ball, she was initially distracted by its weight. She shook her head. Like Telekinesis, she suspected that the technique was the key – and self-doubt based upon the size of the task would prover her undoing, not the task itself. But she was tired already, and knew it would take all of her concentration to be effective.

So, she took a deep breath, exhaled and then closed her eyes. Then she raised her hand and repeated the technique, imagining a smaller barrier, but a stronger one, a thicker one.

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