Perfect Balance (Una Riou's Shade Training)

[D.C.]

"Very good." Quentell said, smiling. "I will explain it all again when we get to the actual lessons about the Dark Side and anger. For now, we will practice two simpler powers. They are Core Force Powers, which means they are not restricted to the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force. The powers I am talking about are Force Push and Force Pull. We'll start with Force Push."

Quentell grabbed a box and placed it on the ground, in the center of the room. He walked back towards Una and said: "It is a bit similar to telekinesis. You must focus on the Force, let it flow through you, and then focus on the object you want to Force Push. Gather the Force Power that is flowing through your body and send it all to your hand, and then blast it all, through your hand, at the object and 'push' it as hard as you can. If you don't have any questions about this, then you may try it now. Otherwise, feel free to ask."

 

[Neutrino]

Una nodded. She had no questions. This was something she thought she could definitely do.

Raising the palm of her hand toward the defenseless box, she 'blasted' it. It skidded along the floor for a moment then became airborne. It crashed into the opposite wall and then fell, motionless once more.

Something this imprecise seemed so much easier compared to the last exercise. And she was able to focus on this Force faster and with more ease. Already Una felt more powerful than when she had first arrived to this planet. Her eyes moved to her master's, excitement hiding behind them.

 

[D.C.]

"That was great, Una!" Quentell said with a smile. "Exactly what I wanted you to do. Now the next part is Force Pulling that box."

Quentell began to explain how to use Force Pull: "It's somewhat similar to Force Push, but this time you don't 'shoot' the energy. You focus on the object you want to 'pull' and then you let the Force surround it and 'grab' it. Then you command it to pull the object to you. If you pull it too hard, you can stop it with a slight Force Push, so it won't hit you. I hope that made sense to you. Try it, if you think you can do it."

His voice sounded somewhat challenging.

 

[Neutrino]

Una sensed a bit of teasing in Xall's voice and she enjoyed it. Unfortunately, as she focused on the Force, it became difficult to 'grab' the box. It was like it kept slipping away. Pushing away was inherently easier than this.

As she realized how much time was passing, she became increasingly nervous. And soon she was losing focus completely. She stopped and looked up at him. fear gripped her and she just stayed still. Her face was still, her eyes were still. And Xall's eyes were blue.

Una turned away from him and focused on the Force and on the box. Then slowly it began to move. It scraped along the floor slowly, stopping sometimes before continuing its journey toward her. Then, it bumped into her and she opened her eyes, relief washing over her.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell watched in silence. When she was done he said: "That was good." He sounded friendly, as he always sounded.

"I saw you doubting though. Were you afraid to fail me? If so, don't be afraid. If you fail me, then I will explain it again and help you until you cannot fail me anymore."

He nodded to her and offered her a confident and friendly smile. There was absolutely no need to fear the ever so friendly, wise, and sometimes funny man that was Quentell Xall, council member of the Shade Order. He was always there for his apprentices, and he would help them where he could.

"So you might have questions. If so, ask them. If not, we could move on to the next part. Or you could try Force Pull again. It's up to you, Una."

 

[Neutrino]

Una's face was blank. "I am not afraid." And then her hand went out to push the box away. Closing her eyes, she focused on it once more, this time it was easier to understand the concept of pulling with the Force.

Again the box scraped its way slowly toward Una. She would practice, and she would get better. "We should move on."

 

[D.C.]

"As you wish." Quentell said. "Please follow me outside, where we have more room for the next few exercises."

The Shade Master led Una all the way through the hallways, through the courtyard, and through the gates of the enclave towards a field. It was a large beautiful field. The sun was shining bright and it's warmth gently stroke Quen's skin. There was a small calming breeze, and the whole atmosphere was so peaceful.

To the left were large rocks, which they would need for one of the lessons.

"Here we are." Quentell said. "It is one of my favorite places on Thyferra. I often come here to take a walk. The next lessons are about enhancing yourself, to be able to run at tremendous speed and leap very high. I am talking about Force Speed and Force Jump, sometimes called Force Leap."

"We will start off with Force Speed. To use Force Speed, you must focus on the Force, as always. Divide the Force through your whole body and allow it make yourself faster. It will make your reflexes faster, your moving speed and it will give you more time to act as you are much faster than the opponent. While in Force Speed, it will be as if the world around you slows down. Do you understand, or do you want me to demonstrate?"

 

[Neutrino]

Una nodded her head, "Demonstrate, please." These new enhancing powers Xall described seemed incredible and she wondered again how she could use them to her advantage... in certain situations.

The thin girl hugged herself, pulling the robes tightly around her, waiting with bright eyes.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell called upon the Force and let it flow through his entire body. Then he would command it to make himself faster and it was as if the world around him moved slower. In a burst of speed he ran across the field. He crossed the field in a second, maybe two seconds, and came to an abrupt stop. He turned around and called to Una:

"Now you can try it yourself. Concentrate and focus on the Force and then run like the wind!"

 

[Neutrino]

Una had never liked running. The pale, thin creature wasn't used to much exercise. Her dark eyes were wide as her master sped away. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. As the girl inhaled again, however, she drew the force into herself, wondering how this power was going to be released.

One step at a time, Una thought to herself.

And then she was off, following the path her master had taken down the field. Robes flapped around her ankles annoyingly. The girl did prefer her own clothes, she realized.

Her small feet dug into the ground and pushed her forward at a speed much faster than she had thought she could travel. Her arms at her sides even pumped faster. Did she now know what it was to have Force Speed?

But by the time she reached Xall, her knees hit the ground and she was bent over. Her body was exhausted. Panting, she looked up at him. Surely it had been a good first try.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell turned towards her and knelt beside her to see if she was alright. Apparently there was nothing wrong with her and Quentell offered her a friendly smile. He rose to his full height and extended his right hand to help her get on her feet. A friendly gesture.

"That was great, Una!" He said with a smile. "If you want to you may sit down on that rock over there and rest up for a bit." While saying that he pointed to the rock only a few steps away.

"Tell me, how did it feel when you ran so fast? Was it good?"

 

[Neutrino]

"Exhilarating," Una said, taking his hand and standing. She felt powerful.

After going over to the rock and sitting down, she sighed. But then there was a rustling in the forest. The sound changed as it quickly drew closer and sounded more like a stampeding creature.

Una's eyes grew wide in fear for a moment and then she jumped away, barely avoiding being trampled to death. The beast was out to kill them.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell dashed to the left and out of the beasts way as soon as it leaped from the forest. If only Quentell would have reached out in the Force, he would have felt this coming. But since he never expected something like this to happen, he didn't reach out and thus he never sensed it.

The beasts turned back towards Quentell, and the Shade Master could see its razor sharp teeth. His first thought was to grab his lightsaber and prepare to fight, but he immediately let go of that thought and reached out in the Force, connected his own mind with the creature's. He tried to use a power many would call Beast Control, or Animal Friendship. A power Quentell didn't really have a name for, but a very useful power which he practiced often.

At first it seemed to work and the beast calmed down. But then it was as if Quentell hit a mysterious barrier inside the beast's mind and the following moment the beast turned into a feral predator again. Quentell was surprised, because normally he would succeed with these kinds of things. When he was thrown out of the beast's mind, he could also sense some strange Dark Side presence.

Then the creature would leap into the air again and attack the Shade, its claws raised and its mouth wide open. Quentell reached out his right hand and fired a powerful blast of Force Energy. The creature fell back onto the ground and immediately got up and tried to attack again. Quentell used the Force to grip the creature while in mid-air and then threw it back towards the forest. Then he grabbed Una's shoulder and said: "Time to use Force Speed for the second time. Let's head back to the enclave and figure things out there, once we're out of range of the animals. You go first, I'll be right behind you!"

 

[Neutrino]

Una wondered why Xall, a great master, would not kill the beast. It would be so easy. The hot light saber would cut through its flesh softer than butter.

She could feel the wetness of her tongue running along her lips.

Xall could put it out of its misery so quickly. But Una was thinking about torturing it mercilessly. The girl was snapped out of her thoughts, though, when Xall told her to run.

Run? From that thing? It wasn't a threat. Not to Xall anyway. Xall was a much more dangerous creature, she was sure.

But there was no hesitation as he touched her shoulder. And with a great urgency, she heeded his words and was pulling the force into her limbs as she ran away.

Una gained inhuman speed and it was almost difficult to stop, but she managed without falling. Soon she was beneath a high ceilng and surround by cool walls. She looked out of the enclave and back to see her master.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell sat down on a chair and clenched his bearded jaw. For a few moments he was silent, lost in his own thoughts. Finally he looked up, fixing his sapphire eyes on Una, and he asked: "Did you sense or feel anything through the Force when we were attacked by that animal?"

The Grand Master himself had sensed something. Something very odd, but he would not tell Una about that yet. First of all, he wanted her to think about it and try to tell him what she had sensed. Surely, she had sensed something, because the 'feeling' was very strong.

 

[Neutrino]

Una stood before the seated Master and Leader of The Shade Order. Petal lips were pulled down into a frown as her dark brown eyes rested on Xall. She was wondering what he was asking and her mind raced backwards to when she had first noticed the raging beast.

She slowly began to shake her head. "I didn't sense anything through the force while it attacked us. But I thought... I thought I knew it was coming, before my ears heard it." Her voice was smooth and emotionless. "I sensed it's killing intention." And it was a very familiar feeling to her.

 

[D.C.]

Quentell leaned slightly forwards and folded his hands in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees. He glanced at her and listened to what she told him. When she was finished he nodded.

"That ability is what many Force Users refer to as Force Sense. It is a technique you should keep training. It has saved my life countless of times and you will find it will save yours when you're out on missions. This ability is important for a Force user, for it allows you to sense other life forms, other Force Sensitives and sometimes it warns you for danger."

He got off his seat and walked over to the can of water which stood on the table. He poured a glass and handed it out to Una, asking: "Would you like some water? It's good to drink water, especially when it's so hot outside and we're working hard. It's refreshing."

If she didn't want the water, he would drink it himself and if she would take it, he would pour himself another glass. He might be the most powerful Shade and maybe even one of the more powerful Force Users of the galaxy, but he was still thirsty.

"But was there something else you sensed, Una? Aside from the animal. What else did the Force tell you?"

 

[Neutrino]

Una nodded, taking in and filing away what Xall had said about this Force Sense. She had taken the offered water and sipped on it absent mindedly, wondering what her master was trying to get out of her.

"Aside from the animal?" She asked, using his own words.

The lithe girl turned away from him, her smooth brow wrinkled. "I do not think the killing intention I sensed was that of the animal's." Her small feet took a few steps toward a large open window. The sunlight filtered down through the trees to splash into the room. It was peaceful, as if they hadn't been attacked just earlier.

Una turned to Xall, her brown eyes meeting his blues. "It wanted to kill us, but I felt it coming from much further away than the animal." And that was all she could do to explain. She could make no further sense of her feelings.

 

[D.C.]

"Exactly!" Quentell said once she was finished. "Well done, Una. It was indeed driven by a different force than itself. It was driven by something Dark. The moment it attacked, I clearly sensed a Dark Side power coming from deep within the Jungle. I will need to investigate this, I can't let this be because it might be a threat to our Order. If you were to accompany me, you could learn a great deal."

He realized it would be dangerous for Una, but like he said, she would be learning a lot if she would join the Grandmaster in this investigation. And besides, Quentell would keep her safe at all times. He would never let anything happen to her. She was his apprentice.

"Are you willing to join me in this mission? You can say no, I won't force you to do this because there might be some unexpected danger along the way. But I will protect you if necessary, of course."