Ask Ajan Kloss To Feel The Force Around You...

Connie Callas

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"You must feel the Force around you. Take in your surroundings and acknowledge the presence of life in this Temple."

The instruction had been infuriatingly unclear. The first assignment she'd been given by one of the instructors on Ajan Kloss. Connie hadn't been raised as a youngling, in the Temple. She hadn't had years of instruction or learning. She had only learned she was Force sensitive through accidental displays. The first tasks in her training would be simple, just to unlock her control of the Force. The finer points could come later once she'd shown some measure of control over the power within herself.

If only they'd provided something more concrete than just 'feel the Force.' Connie would have asked for an instruction manual, or maybe a step-by-step guide. She would have, if she wasn't scared of asking the instructors a question. They were all so ethereal and wise that Connie felt they lived on an entirely different level of the planet to her.

Connie crossed her legs again in her room, trying to meditate. Trying to feel the Force around her. She breathed gently, trying to make sense of the tide of energy around her. The sheer life of the place overwhelmed her. She could feel the vibrant energy zipping off the wildlife around the temple. She could feel some of the excited, studious energy of the Jedi in there. Discerning anything more discrete than that? Impossible. Any time she tried to delve deeper than the general mass of life, her head hurt and she just felt pushed back.

The frustration mounted until Connie gave up, with a groan. She could try and find the instructor again but admitting defeat so easily would probably be met with scorn. Or worse, some high-heading statement. So... Connie decided to turn to a peer. It wasn't long before she found Izel again, the kind Vratix padawan who'd shown her around the Temple on her first day.

"Padawan Thral?" she asked, coming up to the other Jedi, "I was wondering if I could ask your advice? Just about an assignment I have... if you're not busy?"


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Izel Thral

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Connie would find Izel sitting in the temple gardens, a common spot used for meditation among her fellow Jedi. Even now there were a few other students in other corners of the area, keeping to themselves and trying to focus. Izel had arrived there very early in the morning and had barely moved since, knowing her master would not be ready to take her on their next mission until that evening. Much to the chagrin of her fellow Padawans she had managed to snag a much sought after spot beneath a pleasantly shady flowering tree.

Many students hated meditation, preferring to immerse themselves in the more martial practices of the Order. Izel was the exact opposite. Anyone looking to find her during the day needed only to search two places: the library and the gardens. All the Vratix ever seemed to do when not training or on a mission was study or ruminate on her studies through meditation. She found nothing more satisfying. Ever since discovering her sensitivity to the Force Izel had sought to expand her connection to it as though it were an addiction. To her the Force was the breath of the universe itself washing over her, and to be connected to it was to feel the beating heart of all living things.

She was so deep in her meditations that she jumped slightly upon Connie's interruption, staring blankly at the young Padawan for a moment or two before fully returning to the present. "Oh! Of course!" She replied in an upbeat tone, happy for the company. She patted the ground beside her in invitation. "Please, I have the whole day to spare. How can I help?" Izel was still used to being fairly low on the ladder as it was, and felt oddly flattered being asked for advice on anything. Connie had seemed to her a friendly person with a lot of potential, if a bit anxious. If she could help allay those anxieties she would gladly do so.

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Connie Callas

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"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt!" Connie started to apologise, noticing how Izel jumped out of her meditations. Her own difficulties made her a little more reluctant to interrupt others. The last thing she would have wanted is someone trying to talk to her, but the other padawan didn't seem to mind. So she smiled and sat beside her, beneath the gorgeous, flowering tree. Connie took a moment to look up, watching a vague petal float down in front of the both of them.

"Thank you. So long as I'm not taking up your time," Connie began, bringing her knees closer into herself. "Well, I've been given an assignment. One of my first, actually." She felt the flush crawling up her cheeks. She shouldn't need help with the most basic of assignments on some of her first, few days there. But she'd spent too long figuratively bashing her head against a stone wall. It was either ask for help or give up. And giving up so soon probably wouldn't go down well.

"It seems very simple. I'm supposed to meditate upon the Force, particularly the Force around the temple. They say it surrounds us, surrounds everyone and everything. I should be able to... sort of separate it. I should be able to feel the shape of it around people, or creatures, or even trees." The instructor told her and she'd read it in the few texts she'd managed to skim through. "I'm just... I can't. It's just... every time I try, it's just this huge mush of energy and life." She frowned towards the grass in front of them both. "I can tell that there's just tons of life, that there's all this energy, but when I try to go deeper and tease out more detail I just... cannot do it." Connie huffed out in frustration.


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Izel Thral

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Izel listened closely to Connie's explanation, remaining respectfully silent. It was fortunate her Force sense was one of the first abilities Izel had focused on fully realizing, even before she joined the Order and began her formal training. To her it sounded as though Connie's problem had a very simple fix.

"That's actually quite good." She replied to her fellow Padawan. "Well, good that you can already feel so much of the world around you I mean. The problem is you're approaching your assignment backwards, from a top down perspective instead of the bottom up." She paused and looked away as she tried to think of how best to articulate what she was trying to say. Her own master had a great talent for explaining complex ideas in very simple ways. Her antennae twitched and mandibles clicked thoughtfully as she took a few moments to consider what she should say before turning back to Connie.

"You want to focus on one object to start." She looked at the petal on the grass before them then looked back towards the tree it had come from. Getting an idea, she shifted her position so she was facing the tree and gestured for Connie to do the same. "If you've ever moved things with the Force it's sort of like that. First focus on the tree, one of it's branches if that's easier, and try to move it. But think about how it feels, how you bend the Force around and within the bark to get it to do what you want. Feel how the radiations from your actions impact the tree, and alter the flow of the Force moving through it." She would watch silently as her fellow Padawan proceeded, and wait to see if her advice was any help to her.

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Connie Callas

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Connie nodded, taking in the advice Izel gave her. She had to admit that it sounded good. Overthinking it and trying to force it from top-down sounded like her. It seemed logical to flip it around the other way... but Connie was never all that good at logic and the Force was quickly proving that logic didn't always apply.

"Sure. I'll give it a try," she told the other padawan, smiling as she turned with her. She crossed her legs properly as she looked up at the tree, focusing on one of the branches. Her hands moved to her knees, just gently laying there as Connie stared up at the branch. She watched it sway softly in the breeze, seeing the flutter and shift of the leaves just dotted all around it. As she looked, she breathed carefully and slowly. Trying to reach out with her concentration. Her eyebrows pushed together, just a little, as she felt it. Felt the Force. For a couple of seconds, she felt it around the branch. Felt the spark and tingle of something there. She felt it and tried to move it, leaning forwards just a tiny bit....

Until the totality of the Force around them rushed in again. The Force around the branch was suddenly overwhelmed, drowned out by the wildlife and vegetation, by the padawans and knights, by everyone and everything around them. Connie huffed as she rubbed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Agh... I almost had it," she muttered, pouting a little bit. "Nearly."


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Izel Thral

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Izel reached out with the Force as Connie did, trying to feel the flow of energy her fellow Padawan was releasing as she tried to manipulate the branch. It was certainly clear that Connie was trying to follow her direction, but she still lacked control and finesse. Izel felt her inch in closer and closer to the branch and then suddenly light up like a flare when she tried to move it, leading to her getting mixed up with everything else around her.

"You seem to be having trouble determining how much of your energy to apply to a task." She explained. "And you end up exerting yourself more than you need to. That's why your senses keep getting flooded." She paused again, trying to think of a fitting explanation. "Right now... It's like you're jumping right into a pool. Think of it like you're on a beach and slowly walking into the water. Getting deeper in just a little bit at a time." She looked down at the young Padawan. "Does that make sense?" She asked uncertainly. She wasn't exactly a teacher, but she didn't want to outright show Connie how to do it either. Not until she tried it a few more times herself anyway. The sort of control she needed could only be learned through repeated practice.

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Connie Callas

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Connie nodded, thinking over Izel's words. She felt frustrated with herself, namely her inability to do what Izel said. She made it sound so simple, so easy. Just don't apply so much energy to it. She was sure it was something so simple, that one day she'd look back on her relative struggle to do this simple thing with a smile and a laugh. If she ever made it to then.

Connie closed her eyes and tried again. Trying to center herself once more, even though she was getting a little bit more irritable. She felt it peppering the edges of her concentration. She couldn't just give up though. To admit defeat so early would be more than a little bit pathetic.

Again, she reached out and tried to feel her way through the Force. She didn't rush. She tried not to rush her way into it, or push further than needed. Just like stepping into water. Slowly, one step at a time, she thought as she breathed carefully, feeling the shape of the branch through the Force. She raised her hand a little, holding it with her palm facing the branch as she felt it and tried. Tried gently once more to move it. Connie felt the Force around the branch resist slightly, as if challenging her to keep going. If she pushed too hard, the entirety of the Force around them would swoop in and wash through her, ruining the attempt. She just had to be calm and patient.

It moved. The branch gently started to twitch, swaying just a tiny bit. As if it was caught in a gust of wind. Connie felt it and tried to quash the excitement inside her. If she let it take over now, she'd lose it. Keeping herself hemmed down, she kept going. Focusing. Pushing, kneading the Force around the branch. Her hand twitched a little with the effort as the branch wobbled, shaking. She heard the gentle rustle of leaves as she opened her eyes and saw it, unable to resist breaking into a big grin.


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Izel Thral

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Izel felt the movements in the Force as Connie tried again, this time much more gentle and controlled in her efforts. This second, more measured attempt was rewarded with the light swaying of the branch. "Very good!" Izel chittered, unable to conceal he own satisfaction at seeing her fellow Padawan succeed. Now it was time to see if she was capable of moving on to the next phase of her assignment.

"Now..." Izel started quietly, trying not to break Connie's concentration. "Extend your grasp, slowly... Feel the Force moving through the branch... the leaves... the trunk..." This was the best way to feel the Force in the temple. Not by trying to hear it all at once, but by seeing how one living thing connected to all of the others. The nature of the assignment was to help Connie understand that all things in the universe were immersed in the Force, and bound together by it. "Follow it down into it's roots, into the very earth beneath us." It might take multiple attempts before Connie would be able to truly expand her mind to grasp the flow of the Force moving throughout the temple, but Izel felt confident she was on the right path now.

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Connie Callas

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Connie nodded quickly, the smile dropping quickly as she tried to maintain that focus. She'd managed it so far, the last thing she wanted was to waste it all by dropping her attention. Her eyes moved back to the branch, reaching out again. Her fingers tensed a little, curling towards the branch. She wasn't sure if that was an actual thing with the Force, but she'd take any help she could get.

She could feel the Force around the branch again, that gentle flow of life and energy. It was a little easier now she'd managed to manipulate it before. The overwhelming mass of energy all around them still danced around the edges of her concentration, still threatening to rush in and completely block out her efforts. For the moment, however, she managed to resist it. Breathing carefully, she followed the tangled twist of the energy towards the leaves, through that to the branch... sliding down towards the trunk.

Connie kept focusing on that, trying to follow it. But following that energy and Force into the trunk was opening her up to more of it, like a tiny tributary flowing into a full, rushing river. She felt it all push against her attention and concentration, rushing in then. Everything in her thoughts just filled with everything there and she gasped again, opening her eyes. Her hand fell to her lap again as she huffed, flopping her head forwards.

"I could've done that better..." she admitted, hands moving onto her cheeks as she stared at the tree. "Sorry... I'm taking up too much of your time. You've been a really big help already."


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Izel Thral

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Once more Izel followed Connie's attempt to connect with the tree through the Force. She was improving, and at the least now understood the method to achieve her goal. Izel was impressed by how quickly she was picking things up. When the Vratix first started exploring her own connection to the Force it took her weeks to do what Connie had just done. Of course, everything she had done was through her own trial and error, but it was still an admirable leap forward.

"It's worth noting patience will be your greatest ally here." Izel reassured Connie after hearing her disappointment. "No one becomes a Master in a day. But you did well." She turned to face her fellow Padawan, antennae twitching curiously. "And it's no trouble, really. You shouldn't hesitate to ask anyone here for assistance in your training. We all want to see each other succeed." Even though Izel had a master of her own she had journeyed and trained with many teachers already. All of them had taught her valuable lessons on her path to knighthood. She had even picked up a few tricks from some of her fellow students. She saw no reason not to assist Connie.

"We haven't spoken much since your first day here," She said. "Has everything been going well? How has life with the Order treated you so far?" She knew first hand how out of place one could feel among the Jedi, seeing as she was the only one of her species in the temple. She was also curious to hear Connie's opinion of the Jedi as a newcomer. Izel tried to expand her perspective on the Order and the galaxy whenever she could.

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Connie Callas

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Connie smiled at Izel, feeling better. Though she was a padawan too, Connie knew that Izel was vastly more experienced than her. Izel was probably closing in on knighthood, and Connie was a newcomer. She'd barely believed in anything like the Force until a few weeks before.

"Thank you," she replied, feeling a lot more comfortable. She turned to face Izel a little more, now no longer focused on the stupid. life-connected tree. She took a quick drink from the bottle on her belt, not wanting to push herself into an effort headache or anything. She'd learned fast about how quickly they can come on when you're messing around with the Force.

"It's been okay, thank you," she said, thinking through her answers carefully. "I've had a few lessons and they've been very interesting. Everyone is very kind and helpful, even if a lot of the older Jedi are a little... distant? Though I guess they've got a lot of things to worry about," Connie admitted. There were scary things going on in the Galaxy and the Jedi had to deal with them. One new girl probably wasn't the most important thing right there and then. "I'm looking forwards to learning more. Helping people out too, once I'm ready. Doing something to help people." What that'd be, she had no idea. She'd heard from the other padawans it could be anything from helping refugees to building generators to fighting off creatures and smugglers.

"They've said that they're waiting on a master for me. To be assigned, I mean. But obviously, everyone's very busy." The instructor had been very apologetic when they'd said that. It'd give her a chance to settle into the temple life a little more, they told her, but they promised that she'd get one soon. "So I'm not too worried yet. How has... your time with the Jedi been?" she asked, unsure how to phrase it. "You've probably seen so much."


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Izel Thral

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"That's good to hear," Izel replied. "And yes, you've come to us in... Interesting times, to say the least. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll be assigned to a master soon. Most likely they're just trying to find who would be the best fit for you." Izel thought of her own master, Reev. When she first joined the Jedi she had assumed she had been assigned to him because he was the one who brought her to the Order, but she quickly found that his own traits complimented hers very well. Master Reev was laid back, calm, took much more time to enjoy himself around the galaxy. He served as a good counter to Izel's more obsessive nature, and had helped her to buck some of her more counterproductive habits. No doubt the Order wanted to find a master that would have the same positive effect on Connie.

Connie's question was surprisingly difficult for the young Vratix to answer. Obviously joining the Jedi had been a dream of hers since learning of their existence. And she had much enjoyed the opportunity to expand her knowledge and power in the Force. But she would be lying to say all of it was good. Reflexively she lowered a hand and rubbed her one arm, feeling the scars from her encounter with the vicious maalraas on Dxun through the fabric of her robe. And her scars weren't entirely physical either. Ifrane was still a place that haunted her dreams even months after her mission there. Being tempted by the dark side had shaken the young Padawan to her very core. But then Izel noticed the heavy silence that had fallen between her and Connie while she zoned out and was quick to reply.

"It's been... enlightening." She forced herself to say, then paused again to think. She didn't want to mislead Connie, but she didn't want to frighten the young Padawan either. "I've learned more about the galaxy in the past year than my entire life." She explained slowly, still sort of staring off into the distance. "It is... a very dangerous place..." Finally she looked back at Connie. "But the Jedi have armed me with everything I need to overcome those dangers. I hope I can one day teach that strength to others as well." She paused again, trying to think of a good way to change the subject. "What was it like for you before joining the Order?" She asked. "I know my life was very boring. But some of the Padawans around here come from very colorful backgrounds."

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Connie Callas

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"You're probably right. I'm sure that a Master doesn't want me running around, clinging to their robes before I've learned the basics," Connie replied, shrugging her shoulders again. It was definitely better to get used to things on her own. Becoming a Jedi would require more than a little independence. Something she'd have to learn and develop herself somehow.

"If it's any consolation, you've definitely taught me some things today," Connie offered with a bright smile, nodding towards the branch. "I made it move, thanks to you. The only way I'd have done that without your help was if I threw my bag at it with frustration." She chuckled gently at her own low-key joke, not wanting to press Izel much further. She seemed distant as she talked about some things and Connie sensed something underneath. Like she was looking at a scab, just the thinnest amount of fresh rawness covering up what'd happened.

"Oh, I don't know if I'd say my background was colourful," Connie said, also glad of the subject change. "My parents are traders. We ran goods around the Mid Rim mainly, y'know, medical goods and computer equipment. Nothing too fancy. We'd spend months running up and down the routes, with any jobs that were going, and then we'd spend a season on planet, just living there." She sighed, thinking back to her home. "I miss it. It was quiet and cosy. Ajan Kloss is just a little more... wild and alive than Takodana. But.. surely your life can't have been that boring? You're far too interesting to have come from a dull place before this. It can't be all your Jedi training that makes you interesting," Connie said, reaching for the compliment whenever she could. "There must be something there."


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Izel Thral

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Izel listened to Connie's story and gave a low click of amusement. "Well that's certainly a lot more traveling than I did at your age." She countered. It felt somewhat strange saying it. Izel was just a few years older than the human, but it was no less true. "I've never been to Takodana. I've heard it's beautiful."

She was almost taken aback by Connie's compliment. Izel didn't think of herself as all that interesting. There were any number of other Padawans her age, even some younger, that had accomplished more than her as a Jedi. That's not to say that she wasn't flattered, she chittered and replied to her fellow Padawan in a much cheerier tone.

"That's very kind of you to say," She thanked her and took a moment to look across the garden, taking in the environment around them. "But really I'm not. I grew up on Thyferra." She turned back to Connie. "It's very much like Ajan Kloss. Well, a bit more crowded. I was from a small village in the middle of nowhere. My family worked the kavam fields, it's a crop used to create bacta." She looked down at her arm again, smoothing out the fabric of her sleeve. "When I was a child I'd go out and explore the jungle, race my friends through the trees. Or I'd watch my brothers sitting on the edge of the farm shooting at pests." She laughed softly. "They rarely hit anything." She looked back at Connie again.

"So like I said, quite boring. I never really found my calling in life until I joined the Order. The first time I felt the Force was the greatest day of my life." There was something off about her tone. Almost bittersweet. Now that she thought about it, it was somewhat depressing. Had she not discovered her Force sensitivity she probably would have stayed on Thyferra for the rest of her life, never wondering what the rest of the galaxy was like. "I miss home too at times," She said, sympathizing with the young Padawan. "It was hard for me at first too, seeing only strangers' faces everywhere I looked. You get used to it though." She tried to reassure her. "And I still keep in touch with my family. They worry deeply but... Well that's what families are for aren't they?" Suddenly Izel feared she might have offended. She knew not all the Jedi here had good relationships with their families, or any family at all for that matter. "Your family does approve of you being here right?" She asked in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

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