Markus' Training

[SeekerAfterTruth]

At least Knight Kales had taken him to the Temple on Ossus, even if he had all but dumped him to go find a Master. It had been an excruciatingly long wait, and Logan had been considering whether it had been worth it to even leave Corellia and a stable job as a mechanic...for waiting around at the Jedi Temple.

But finally, he had a Master. Now he just had to wait for his Master. He leaned against one of the durasteel walls of the training room, and waited. He had to report there at eight standard hours, and it was only seven fourty, but he knew the importance of punctuality. (Not to mention he didn't want to be sitting around doing nothing.)

He wondered who would be training him...

 

[Cyril Khan]

The rising sun began to arc down to the ground through the window of the training room. Almost like an optical illusion, a grey haired Jedi appeared in meditation at the room’s center. At the moment, he had no mind to tell how he had entered without notice; for at that time, he intended on teaching other things than advanced tricks. Perhaps later on in training an explanation would arise, but at that moment the student would have to guess.

“You are not the first student to come early, Pupil Markus, so do not expect praise.” If Logan had heard anything about this master, he would know him as the strictest and least laud giving that the temple had to offer. “While it is standard for other master to rise by the clock, I rise by the sun. It has just touched our training room floor, but it has been up since seven. The sun does not come up at the same time in a standard year; keep that in mind.”

“I notice you have met with another knight. Have you learned anything from him?” The master wanted to test anything the student had learned from previous teachers. If he had learned nothing, then they would begin right away on the core teachings. As usual, the master planned this all without clarifying his name or his position. Tían Velvar did not expect any great form of companionship while teaching, for he had no intention on going easy. Any of this would come at the knighting ceremony.

 

[SeekerAfterTruth]

Logan started, and tried not to show it. How had the Master…?

The Jedi had appeared suddenly enough, and that had been quite…shocking. Maybe it was a Jedi trick or something. Maybe he’d learn it soon enough. That curiosity had to be temporarily set aside as the Master outlined his expectations. He nearly snorted as the Master warned him not to expect praise. It wasn’t as if he did, he thought to himself. He just wanted to get training done, to be doing…something…with his life. And to be up with the sun?

He supposed it was back to the military life for him, then. He’d have to get an almanac or something to figure when that happened. Or maybe he’d get booted out on his ass or something. Did Jedi do that?

“No, sir.” He said.

Well, it wasn’t exactly true. Kales had tried to teach him to move things with the Force, but he had been so unpredictably erratic on that he had no intention of saying it.

Of all the Masters, it seemed he got the disciplinarian.

 

[Cyril Khan]

"Very well, then we will begin with the basics." The Jedi master did not move from his seated position on the floor and did not look up at the student. The basics that he spoke about did not appear to have any physical part to them. "Before any action through the Force can be made, a Jedi must understand how the Force works. Otherwise, the use of it becomes - erratic.

"First tell me how you see the eight tenets." Master Velvar remained silent so that the student could think, and then he mandated a second opinion. "Tell me how do you see the Force and how it impacts your life."

 

[SeekerAfterTruth]

Logan paused, considering the two questions. He beat back a sigh. Here, he thought he’d be put to work pounding on a vibroblade with another vibroblade or something. Apparently, it was back to random philosophy and intellectual things he didn’t like to think about unless he got greatly bored.

He was just lazy in that way.

“I think the eight tenets are bits of Jedi philosophy.” He finally suggested. “Ideas of morality thought through by Jedi of past generations. And like most schools of thought- prescribe what is acceptable action and behaviour.”

How he saw the Force…

“I don’t know.” He decided, was his answer to the second question. He shrugged. “I guess it tells me what I should do. Or what it thinks I should do, sometimes. And sometimes, it says nothing. It hardly affects my life, I think. I get those odd feelings once in a while. But nothing else.”

He was half-convinced the act of ascribing some kind of consciousness to the Force was just Jedi sophistry. Did it matter? It was like giving a blaster the credit for a sentient mind.

“And maybe if it’s power, then it’s meant to be used with responsibility. Which means I need to learn to use it…and use it well.” He volunteered. That was one of the foremost things that had been drilled into them working in the army. Never point a loaded slug pistol unless you’re ready to fire it…

The idea of responsibility. And that some new recruits were often tempted to abuse their new training- and had to be set to rights by their sergeants.

 

[Cyril Khan]

"I am glad you know what the tenets are, but as insignificant as they may seem, they are as important as the Force itself." The master spoke in his stillness and seemed as if he sat in a trance. He would not move until the training became more physical. "All philosophies do the same thing; they show how one person perceives the world, and how the world perceives that one person. That is what distinguishes us from the darkness. The Jedi as a whole hold a philosophy; it how the Order sees things and how the galaxy sees the Order. Members only have the option to choose it.

"My question about the Force is tied to this. How one sees the Force is a philosophy, and it can differ from one Jedi to the next. So I cannot tell you what the Force is. Through this training you will learn what it is through experience. I will say in honesty that even the eldest Jedi do not truly understand the nature of the Force, and until death, no one can."

 

[SeekerAfterTruth]

What had he gotten himself into? Did it mean that if he finished his training and got all the way into the Jedi, he had to follow bits of Jedi philosophy too? That put a new face on things, and Logan set that thought aside for now. After all, he had decided to follow Kales to get some basic training, and after that-

Well, they’d see. So he’d play along for now. There was no harm in knowing the basics, at least.

He had a sinking feeling he hadn’t gotten a warrior Knight, but one of those serious-business philosophers. And yet- there was something about that Jedi anyway. Logan was pretty sure he wouldn’t want to pick a fight with him, no matter where, even in a crowded cantina. Even if he hadn’t known he was Jedi.

So, just to be polite, and maybe hurry things along, he asked, “How do you see the Force, sir?”

 

[Cyril Khan]

"There are many philosophies in this galaxy." Master Velvar opened his eyes for the first time and looked firmly at the student. He did not care about philosophy more than what he needed to get by. However, he understood at this point in his life that not taking philosophy into consideration could cause sever damage in one's life. "Every action any sentient being makes is based off of some form of philosophy. So, it is not what someone else thinks but instead what you think that determines your future. It is your decision what to follow; the Jedi can only offer suggestions along the way. That is why I cannot tell you how I see the Force until you learn more."

The Jedi Master stood up and stepped closer to the student. He prefered to have his pupils learn about how to react and see the world as he taught techniques. He knew many philosopher Jedi, and he could not understand why they sat around thinking about the world. In his mind, to know the universe was to live actively in it.

"The tenets and Force philosophy are requirements for training, but I do not like to teach these in a discussion." Velvar pointed toward a table at the far end of the room and a training sword that rested on it. "To begin, I will instruct you in a core technique, telekinesis. Telekinesis, push and pull, revolves on seeing the Force on a particle level. This can be harder than seeing it through life and death. However, telekinesis is a skill that teaches a Jedi that the Force acts on all things, dead or alive. To move an object, like that sword, you must concentrate strongly on both the object and the Force. The latter may be difficult at first, but when you experiance the Force it becomes easy; just quiet your mind and focus."

 

[SeekerAfterTruth]

Oh, and great. Another of those "sit-on-the-fence" thinkers too. Logan would have groaned, except that his first sergeant had given him endless hours of guard duty until he learned to keep his mouth firmly shut.

Then again, he kept reminding himself he'd come to try being a Jedi because he'd nothing left to do for in his life, and he'd thought maybe it'd be like being in the military all over again. Apparently, there were more "sit-on-the-fence" Jedi than those who preferred action. Or it was just his luck.

Quiet his mind and focus? Well, he was still thinking, wasn't he? And how was he supposed to focus without mental activity? He didn't say as much, except a "Yes, sir."

He stared at the training sword on the table on the far end of the room. He thought that if the Jedi Master had wanted him to get it, he could have just said so and he would have walked over and gotten it. But there was apparently no help for it now.

He frowned, staring at the sword. It was a little distant, so he tried to think how it would look like. It would probably have a dulled edge. Durasteel, of course. It wouldn't be a vibrosword, for those were dangerous. And one of those standard ridged grips in any normal weapon, he thought this one was dark blue.

It wasn't there in the way he was, or the Master was, but he supposed it should still be there. He tried to prod it, or at least to think of prodding it. Nothing happened.

 

[Cyril Khan]

"As I suspected, this move is too advanced for you." The master's typical derogatory personality remained even after his lengthy absence from the temple. He rarely ever said anything praising an attempt, often for good reason. In this case, the student might not have deserved the comment, but Tían refused to give even the best skilled trainees any freedom from his tongue. "I see why the Jedi sent you to me now. A soldier as yourself already knows how to fight, but you do not know the Force. In that case, I will help you understand, but I am afraid it will be too much for you, even with your military training."

After he said this he closed his eyes and appeared to concentrate; a faint ripple flowed in the Force, one that an untrained student would not recognize, assuming they could sense it at all. Even to the trained Jedi, the pulse would seem insignificant; however, the master had used a decently powerful technique that he would not at all alert his student to. He would find out if he paid enough attention in the training to come.

"Now, I suppose you have seen the Force once in your life or at least experienced its presence." Tían stood up for the first time since their meeting and closed the distance between the student and him. "Perhaps you can tell me your story, or I'll have you spend time in meditation trying to scrape some of your Force potential out of the rusted dust bin."

OCC: I'm not trying to be mean to you, I'm just writing in the personality of the character. He treats everyone this way, even the council.

 

[SeekerAfterTruth]

Wow, did someone stick a lightsaber up that Jedi’s butt this morning or something? Logan was now quite sure that the Jedi who read his application or something must have a really ironic sense of humor. Sticking him with a Jedi Master who sounded like his Basic Military Training drill sergeant all over again…

It was almost the same ‘tude, all the way down to the sardonic comments he got stuck with. The Jedi closed the distance between them, standing up, and Logan was mildly pleased to notice that he was taller than the Jedi, so that was one thing that was different from the days with Sarge. He wasn’t looking up to a heavily muscled man with an enormously savage skewering glare.

And what the Jedi said was absolutely laughable. Well, hey, if he wasn’t expected to know such an advanced technique, why the crows test him on it at all?

“You obviously know I was a soldier, sir. I was one of the better ones at combat training, because I was good at reading my opponent and predicting their moves. My first indication of something more was during a training exercise. Routine, except that the attackers used flash canisters to blind us before attacking. I couldn’t see anything, but I could tell where everything was- where the stun bolts were, and where our attackers were. Maybe even where the stun bolts would be. I’m not very clear on that. Sir.” He waited, fighting the partly unconscious urge to shift to inspection stance.

[OOC: I figured, but always nice to know xP]

 

[Cyril Khan]

"Anyone with enough Force potential can access Sympathetic Force." Tían did not move while he spoke and kept his previous tone; he had nothing to convey except what the student needed to know. "Initial experiences with the Force are often unconscious. It is through this that the Force gives someone the sense of potential danger. This uncontrolled Force can be helpful in dire situations, but it only gets in the way of training.

"To use the Force, you must realize that it is a part of you as it is a part of everything else. Unconsciously and when blinded, you could see the various formations of the Force: pure energy and life. I'll teach you how to do this under control.

"The easiest way to access the Force is to completely silence your mind. In order to learn this, you will need to silence your body as well; close your eyes and enter a state of solitude, to the point where even my voice drifts away. Once there, you should hear the Force speaking to you and see what it shows you. After you consciously listen to the Force the first time, you will find it easier to do so, even to the point where you can in times of turmoil."

 

[SeekerAfterTruth]

"Do I try that now, sir?" Logan asked. Pretty much, what the Jedi Master had been saying seemed to lead to this...and yet he hadn't exactly said what he was to be doing or issued any kind of directive. Was he supposed to respond to the small lecture or something?

In any case, how was he supposed to silence his body? He supposed that happened when he slept, but he certainly wasn't conscious when he slept. Or was it that meditation thing that a bunch of other Jedi seemed to be doing? At least that was what they seemed to be doing, although it did appear more of an exercise in sitting still with a smug look printed across their faces.

 

[Cyril Khan]

"I don't see anything else around here to do." Master Velvar did not always give clear directions, and students learned that he did mean for the student to practice what he lectured about. He didn't spare any of his tongue for his lack of clarity. "We could discuss it if you like; that will surely quiet both your body and mind. If not, I would suggest you discovering a good way for you to do it, and don't expect me to walk you through every step. Somethings work different for different Jedi."