Our Roots to the Force (Solis)

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic sat in his private room meditating, his eyes closed, hands resting in his lap, his entire body relaxed in the never ending dream. In the four days he had been back on Dantoonie he had told no one of his encounter with Isus Jarode on Coruscant, nor had he told anyone that now he no longer used a saber. In the corner of the room, in his locker, sat the armor that Isus had given him. The repeater rifle that he had acquired was now stored elsewhere, a location Talmic would be keeping to himself.

There was now however the fact that he had no sabers. He had returned them to his now ex-master and told him he could not continue his training with him. He had told him he had found another, who was willing to train him in the ways of the force and that unless his Master didn't allow him to leave he would stay. The wise Knight however had stated that Talmic must follow his own path threw the world and that he would gladly let Talmic study under another. Talmic had been elated to know that he would finally get the chance to further himself.

His own master had been coming and going of late, always on a 'private' mission to the outer rim or other such remote places. Talmic had been curious at first but now figured his master must just have something he had to do.

Suddenly and idea struck Talmic and he opened his eyes slowly. Sliding off his bed he slowly stood and slipped on his over cloak, the brown material covering his form entirely and his lack of sabers now not apparent. Walking out his door Talmic slowly made his way threw the Jedi Academy halls and his feet led him to the chambers of a One Solis Fay'den. Pushing threw the door and into the chambers Talmic looked around and spotted the master of masters. Walking up Talmic bowed before addressing the man. He didn't know if he was out of line or not but he felt if he had a problem there was no better to consult about it that Solis.

"Master Solis, may I have ask a question of you?"

[Solis Fay'den]

Solis knelt in his chambers loosely, such that he was sitting upon his calves, and held his hands upon his thighs. His eyes were closed, and he felt himself become completely in tune with the force. This was something he did often, as he had been feeling quite at unrest as of late. The presence of the Dark Side was not something that was lost upon the Grand Master. In fact, ever since Marth left the Order, yet curiously so, even more so after his seeming disappearance from the Force, the dark clouds that had been brimming about the edges of Solis's mind had been gathering in number. It only could mean one thing to Solis: Many Dark Jedi were starting to crop up, regardless of how hard he had been trying to keep an open and understanding atmosphere within his Academy. A long, low sigh escaped his lips, despite his deep meditative state.

He felt the presence of Talmic enter the room, and recognized it immediately. The Grand Master did not get to be where he was by neglecting his students, of course. The man could easily tell by the way the Force rolled off this individual who it was, and spoke to him, eyes still closed, not yet turning to face the young Jedi Padawan.

"Yes, young Talmic, you may. What is it you request of me?"

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic kept his eyes on the back of Master Solis, he didn't exactly know how to react around the grand master of the entire Jedi Order. This man, this man alone was in charge... amazing. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and focus on the task at hand Talmic spoke once more, voice light and full of respect for the man in front of him.

"I have recently come to realize that my own connection to the force seems... weak, if I may say. I would be honored if you could train me further in the ways of the Force."

Talmic bowed his head once more at the rather bold request. How often did someone come asking for the Master Jedi to train them in the ways of the Force? Come on, he probably would turn the young Talmic down, he was after all still a padawan and had yet to receive his knighthood. Maybe the request was to bold for him? NO, in his mind, deep down, Talmic knew there was no other he would rather have train him in this art.

Talmic had joined the Jedi Order to balance out the universe, to become some dark forces opposite and bring about balance. That is what this order was about, bringing about balance and harmony to the universe, as was the way of the Force. Or so Talmic thought, he could be wrong, but only a true master would know.

[Solis Fay'den]

"Well what do you expect, Talmic? As a Jedi Guardian, the greatest extent of your time is spent practicing with your sabers, is it not?"

If Solis was alluding to the fact that he knew of Talmic's exploits since he'd last seen him or not with the remark about lightsabers, Talmic would not know for certain. Slowly, serenely, Solis rose to a standing position, turning to face Talmic as he did so. With a wave of his hand, Talmic's robe fluttered up at both sides, revealing his lack of a Jedi's signature weapon. A smile, not of displeasure, but a warm, friendly smile, crossed Solis's face.

"Though, perhaps, you haven't done much of that either, lately, it seems..."

Laughing good-naturedly, Solis ushered the boy forward with his hand, signaling him to come up closer to speak with him personally.

"Of course, Talmic, the best way to achieve one-ness with the Force is through yourself, you know. However, I will be more than happy to assist you along the way. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to learn?"

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic nearly stumbled when the answer to his question initially came. How did Solis know that he didn't have his... stupid question. Solis had probably known the second Talmic severed his ties with his master that he would not have his own sabers anymore. Talmic still had the components to make his own sabers sitting in his room.

Of course, having your robes blown open to reveal no sabers was also something that shocked him, Solis was showing why he was a master. Talmic laughed nervously with the Grand Master as Solis spoke of not even training with his sabers. Talmic would have to tell the man that he was intending to build his own sabers, and hunt down crystals.

"Alas I have been discovered."

he said in a half joking voice, a grin on his face. The wave of a hand to come closer brought Talmic to the master and Solis spoke, asking which particular force ability the boy would like to train. Talmic knew exactly what he wanted to learn, after he got his new sabers he was going to delve deeper into his acrobatic forms, and so he had one choice in mind. Without skipping a beat Talmic answer, no uncertainty in his mind.

"I would like to enhance my physical abilities threw the force. I have heard of such an ability, seen it even when my Master was first teaching me my forms. I must say, it seems like something that would aid me greatly in my line of duty."

The normally closed off boy was slowly opening as he became more aware of the world around him. For five years he had closed himself off and nearly fallen in the process, letting his rash mind get the better of him. It wasn't until Isus had shown him how close he was that he realized how thin the line between light and dark was, like walking the edge of a blade.

[Solis Fay'den]

"Enhance your attributes by the will of the Force, eh?" Solis nodded and smiled, as if he was in his own little world, recalling up the ability himself. It was a fairly simple one, all one had to was...

Well, he'd reminisced enough, he could easily tell Talmic how to use it.

Solis's personal chambers were wide and expansive, allowing room for one to train both their Force abilities and, if one wished, their saber styles within it.

"To Enhance one's attributes is a fairly simple matter," Solis said, walking over to wall panel and, with a wave of his hand, telekinetically pressing the button to slide it up, revealing a small compartment in the wall. Reaching in, Solis took a eight-inch long, silver cylindrical object and tossed it over his shoulder, heading right to Talmic's hand. If the younger Jedi would take a further look at it, he would realize it as a Jedi Lightsaber. "Use that, for now, it's a spare from my old days," Solis spoke as he pushed the button again under his own power to close the panel. Turning, he added with a light-hearted smile, "though only for this session, of course. If you're going to be losing lightsabers all the time, I'd prefer you didn't lose my old ones."

Solis stood a few feet from Talmic, and spoke to him plainly. "You see, Talmic, to enhance yourself through the Force, you must first open yourself to the Force. Close your eyes if you must, so long as you allow the Force to flow through you. You will know when it's happening, you will be able to 'feel' or sense it. Once that has occured, simply redirect the Force through whatever it is you want enhanced. For increased agility, your legs, for strength, your arms. Endurance, your lungs and skin. Being a Guardian, I'm sure you know the anatomical connections better than I."

"Now," Solis spoke in a slightly more authoritative voice, "you shall test this. When you feel you have succeeded in this, ignite your saber and come for me. I will know if it is working when you attack."

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic didn't have much time to react as all of the sudden a long cylinder came flying at him. He immediately caught it and flipped it over so the beam would run parallel to his arm, his preferred style of combat. Yes it was a bit unorthodox, and more commonly a light dagger would be used for this style of combat, but Talmic had long ago found it to suit his needs better.

Soon Solis was explaining what Talmic would need to do in order to use the Enhanced Ability skill that was probably going to be saving his life in the coming weeks and months. Of course Talmic could already direct the force into his legs with ease, his Force Run did that, and it had saved him from more than one blaster shot before.

Closing his eyes Talmic let his barriers go, to the minds eye is was like opening small gates around his body, the heart, lungs, arms, legs, mind, eyes, all the locks that dictated where energy should go were unlocked. As Talmic started to focus on tapping into the Force he heard Solis speaking in the background, his mind barely registering the words he knew that no matter what Talmic threw at him, the Grand Master would easily deflect it. He might even be able to stop Talmic dead in his tracks, which was likely.

As more and more time passed Talmic grew more and more aware that an odd tingle was running up and down his spine, then slowly over his entire being. Soon the effects were felt in his arms and legs specifically, his heart and lungs seemed to relax and his whole body entered a sort of re-awakening. Suddenly he felt lighter than ever, the saber in his hand felt like a feather, and his breathing and heart rate seemed to be steadier even in the face of this new challenge. Talmic focused the Force energy into his feet and legs.

An instant later the blade ignited and a green glow enveloped Talmic's arm. Thanks to the recently added cortosis weave arm guards that Talmic now wore his arms felt none of the effects the saber normally held. Bringing his left hand over to rest on the butt of the hilt Talmic dropped a bit and then shot off, his sped afr greater than even his normal force run. So the was what it was like to be in touch with the force.

As he ran to wards the master Talmic had some serious apprehensions about this. He was a Guardian, a person trained specifically for lightsaber combat, and Solis, for all Talmic knew, was still as peaceful and anti-lightsaber as any Grand Master. Was this the right thing to do? Was he really going to try to strike down Grand Master Solis? No he was Grand Master for a reason, and Talmic shifted most of his force Energy into his arms, although he lost a bit, and came around with a double handed side strike, right for the left thigh, a critical blow if there was to be one here today.

[Solis Fay'den]

After a long enough period of hesitation, Talmic finally rushed forth, attacking Solis with an underhanded saber attack (literally, of course, not metaphorically). Solis stood resolutely, moving not an inch as he rushed forth, lowering himself and striking out an attack. He closed in, ever closer, and finally struck out, as Solis, deftly, almost effortlessly, stepped back with his left leg, igniting his own saber and slamming it against the back of Talmic's arc of swing, single-handedly swinging in a low reverse arc, first driving the offending saber down and away from his right leg, digging the saber into the floor a bit as Solis pivoted, using left foot as a base, turning ninety degree back so that he was perpendicular with the charging Talmic.

Solis's saber finished its arc, bringing Talmic's saber up as he pushed forward, aiding the young Padawan's own momentum and added strength he had put into his upper limbs to over-shoot his momentum, likely sending him skidding onto the floor. He shut off his saber and turned to face the aggressor, speaking sagaciously as he did so.

"For starters, congratulations, young one, on succeeding in strengthening yourself for the blow. This, however, leads me to an important lesson: A lightsaber is not wielded by strength, but by technique. Do not forget the first half of the blade's name, Talmic. Light has no weight, and thus, one could put all the strength in the world into it, and yet it would cut just as easily as if an infant had held it in front of him."

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic's attack, while beautifully avoided, proved one thing, Talmic was definitely faster and stronger than before. Although the words following the attack were very true. Talmic did rely to heavy on his heavier attack that time. Of course now that he saw the strength his Enhanced Ability skill age him he would be able to train it to cut back and use speed and technique over brash attacks. Normally Talmic would have then gone into a reverse back swing, spinning on his heel to attack the enemies now open defense. Of course it left the users back open a split second, but with the enhancement Talmic felt confident he could spin fast enough to make the combo a very lethal and devastating attack.

"Yes.. master.. sorry I guess I really didn't know my own strength there. It's amazing, the feeling I mean. It's like you can feel the Force all over, and not in a bad way or anything like that. It's like the Force is helping to guide your every movement. Thank you Master, I deeply thank you for taking the time and patience to teach me this."

Flipping the light saber over as he extinguished it Talmic turned it in his palm an held it sideway, so it would remain off and safe. He still had to know though, was this it?

"Am I done Master? Or is there more you would like to cover?"

Talmic honestly had no idea what to do now, this was all... new to him. He had always either been with his master or bee training on his own, this was his fist really formal lesson with someone of Solis' caliber. His hand was a bit sweaty from the feeling of a saber in his hand again, and he knew this was likely the last time he would hold a saber for several weeks, well at least 4.

[Solis Fay'den]

Solis regarded the youth as he recovered from his fall, and took the older Jedi's words of advice with due appreciation and understanding. This brought a smile to his face, unbidden from the Padawan before him. Solis was proud to see his young students grow in the Force, and knew all too well the exuberance that such a thing could bring easily manifested itself as brashness and arrogance, if left unchecked. This Talmic, however, seemed to be rather at peace, struggling with some inner demons, yes, but what Jedi wasn't? What mattered was how he was with the outer world, and there, Talmic was calm and understanding, yet still eager to learn. The Padawan asked the Grand Master what more there was to learn, and a warm, quiet laugh was brought forth from the older man in response.

"Oh, there is much to learn, Talmic, much indeed. More than we have time for tonight, I'm afraid. However, I've two proposals, one after the other, for you, and shall take each one in turn. First, I think I have an idea for a Force Ability you might find worth your time. Two, in fact, but I've only time to teach you one tonight. First, there is Force Aura, a power that allows you block or possibly absorb any negative Force energies thrown your way. If not, there is Force Barrier, which will put a Force-powered shield around your body, helping to protect you from physical attacks. Both are staples of a Guardian's repertoire, but which would you choose to learn first?"

Solis laced his fingers together, hands clasping his lightsaber gently as he did so. He studied Talmic as the boy considered. Solis knew already which one the boy needed to learn first, he merely wondered if he knew if, himself.

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic listened, his body still as his Master listed the two powers that would most help the young Guardian. Talmic thought about the available options in his head and it wasn't long before he came to the conclusion that Force Aura would be best suited to him. Why one might ask? Well for one Talmic was a Guardian, hense combat was his thing. So naturally he would need to focus on his defenses from the Force, before he worried abotu a threat he coudl more readily deal with, liek blaster fire or a lightsaber. So Talmic had chosen, chosen well in fact since he knew that this was going to help him along faster than anythign else.

Several members of the Order had asked him and tested him to see if he was truly closer to the darkness than to the light. Sure Talmic's fighting style was very aggressive and often times he went a bit to far, but not all Jedi could have the calm and collected nature that Solis or a Consular had. That is where Talmic was closest to the darkness, his fighting. He more than made up for that with his morals, his values, his ideals, and his total devotion to the Light side of the Force. Many wondered how Talmic could be as faithful to the Order as he was, many times bypassing easier paths to follow the one that would leave him with a clear and sound conscious.

"Force Aura Master, if anything it will aid me most. I am confident in my saber skills, and as such a physical defense ill suits me. An ability to block other force powers, those of the dark side, would be my best ally."

Talmic wondered if he would be needing his saber again for this one, after all it was a Force repelling ability, so maybe Talmic would not? He didn't like using another's saber, feeling as if the blade didn't belong in his hands. Although he was using the saber, his reactions were a fraction slower, his movements not as fluid, this was why he needed to build two new sabers. Sadly Isus was going to make him wait a full month to do so.

[Solis Fay'den]

Good, Solis thought to himself, smiling and nodding to the Padawan before him. He knew that Talmic would make the right choice, the boy may have been a tad bit brash and aggressive, but he was far from stupid or uninsightful.

"In that case, close your eyes once more, Talmic, and feel the Force flow through you. Do not try to the force its hand, no pun intended. Simply open your mind and body both to the flow of the unifying Force. This will not be as easy as enhancing your ability."

Solis paused a moment to ensure Talmic was listening before speaking up once more.

"To achieve a pure Force Aura, you must allow the Force to 'speak' to you, in a manner of saying. I cannot describe this feeling, as it is different for all Jedi. You will, however, know once it has happened. At this point, you must find a way to 'speak back'. 'Tell' the Force what it is you want of it, that you wish, no, that you need to become protected from the darker side of the Force, and if you have done correctly, the Force should answer. Try it now, I will tell you for certain if you have succeeded."

(Short, but I did promise you one.)

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic did as instructed and closed his eyes, letting go once more his saber hand fell and the saber fell with it, he didn't drop it, but it was evident from the way he held it that he was relaxing. How he was going to pull this one off he had no idea but he did know that he needed to do it, that he needed to grow and become stronger so he could protect the galaxy from the dark side of the Force. That was the duty of every Jedi Knight and Jedi period. They were to protect the good within the Galaxy within the galaxy and let it prosper.

The next set of instructions only partially confused Talmic, talk to the Force? How was he supposed to do that, the only major link between the Force and himself were the midiclorians. THAT WAS IT! If he could communicate more effectively with the midiclorians in his own body they would in turn speak with those around him and protect him. That had to be it! Now all he had to do was figure out how to do it.

Taking a deep breath the young padawan let his body relax, which would be even more obvious now as all traces of struggle left his face and his body swayed a moment. He reached inward, trying to seek out the midiclorians within himself and 'speak' to them in a sense. How he was supposed to do i though he still did not know, and a slight amount of doubt arose within him. He was thinking about it to hard but he did not know that, he did not know that all he needed to do was focus on speaking with them instead of trying to find them. They were everywhere and he had forgotten that.

A moment of frustration crossed his face as he tried to find them and that only resulted in more failure, his body tensed and soon his brow was furrowed and his hand was gripping the saber tightly. Finally he focused to hard and the air around him popped as he forced his midiclorians to force the air around him away, the pop being the air filling back in very quickly Talmic opened his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.

"It's a lot harder than it sounds..."

[Solis Fay'den]

Solis watched as Talmic then tried his best to use Force Aura. However, it was apparent from the beginning, at least to a being as skilled in communing with the Force as was Solis, that he would not be able to succeed, just not yet. The boy simply tried too hard. He was going about it all the wrong way. He reopened his eyes and commented on the difficulty, to which Solis just smiled warmly and explained what was wrong.

"Yes, it's not the easiest thing to accomplish, but it is the basis for all Force Powers on a grand scale. Force Aura, Force Shield, Battle Meditation, and many others require one to be fully open to the Force in this way. I shall tell you what you were doing wrong, Talmic, as I could read it on your face as clear as day. You focused far too much on trying to cont.act and speak to the Force... most likely through the Midichlorians, I presume?" Solis grinned, and waited a moment before continuing. It wasn't that he had read the young Padawan's mind, or that Solis was the most unusually perceptive person in the world. It was simply that it was the same mistake many Padawans made in their training early on.

It was one Solis himself made as well, all those years ago.

"To do so, Talmic, is to ignore the importance of the Living Force. There is more to the Force than some biologist would have you believe. The midichlorians are unimportant, vastly unimportant, and are simply a means to an end. In fact, we Jedi barely even recognize them, accepting only as what they are and nothing more.

"The next time you attempt Force Aura, simply let yourself go. Put past you all worries, all thoughts, all preoccupations. Give yourself up the Force. Once you are completely and fully at ease, the Force will be flowing through you as if you were a sieve, and this is when the Force can aid you the most. Do not attempt to 'contact' the Force, young one. Let the Force contact you. Once it has made the link, a simple thought will be all that it takes. Observe."

Solis closed his own eyes, and seemed to relax immensely, his body physically loosening, looking as if the merest push would send the older man tumbling over. It was almost as if the man had fallen asleep on his feet. However, there was much more going on than could first meet the eye.

Within himself, Solis had given himself fully to the Force. The man known as Solis Fay'den still existed within his body, however, he was no longer alone. The Force itself worked through Solis, and, in turn, 'spoke' to him. In Solis's mind, the Living Force spoke in a voice that sounded somewhat like the venerated last Grand Master, Luke Skywalker, yet deeper, and distinctively NOT his voice. It was a voice that Solis had not heard from anywhere else, and was convinced it was the 'true voice' of the Force.

"Can I assist you, Solis Fay'den?" the voice broke out within his mind.

"I am showing this student the ways of the Force," Solis replied, curiously not speaking to the Force directly, still using indirect terms to do so. "He must be shown how to communicate directly with the Force. I seek Utter Protection, to show him the truth of the Force's power." In fact, if one were to have been reading Solis's thoughts, it wouldn't sound at all as if he were talking to someone, but merely thinking to himself.

However, Solis was surrounded suddenly by a brilliant, almost white-blue glow, with the light pouring from every orifice. Even his eyes shone white under the influence of one of the strongest forms of defense known to the galaxy: Force Protection.

"You see, Talmic? It becomes easier with practice, but this is what you can accomplish by mastering it. Needless to say, you are welcome to try if you wish, or simply take my word, but little can pierce this aura of Force Protection, not even your lightsaber."

[Talmic Jarac]

Talmic was amazed at how easily Solis read threw what he had done wrong and what he needed to do now. He hadn't said a thing about actually trying to use the midiclorians as a link to the Force. He was taught though that midiclorians were what allowed one to use the Force, that by manipulating them you could manipulate the very make up of space. Or at least that's what he though, of course that was also a fighters way of thinking, there needed to be something physical for something to work.

Talmic's brow furrowed as he tried to think of what Solis said, opening himself up to the Force totally. He didn't know the Force had a consciousness, he thought the Force was just... there. It was something that had always been, always would be, and always would appear when needed. How his ancient ancestors had discovered how to use such a powerful being as the Force was beyond Talmic, he only knew that it was there and that it was going to be there when he needed it.

Watching as Solis himself relaxed and suddenly seemed to be dead, to be frank, Talmic went wide eyed when the man began to glow a white/blue. Was this the aura that he had spoken of? No this was stronger than that, this could even stop a lightsaber?! Amazing, with such a skill a Jedi could become near god like in nature. He wondered then an there how such a power would be permitted by the order, how such a powerful tool could be allowed.

Talmic shook his had 'no' when Solis asked him if he would test the lightsaber blocking power. He didn't want to risk doing as previously stated. Otherwise he might end up being a murderer here today, unlikely but it still sat at the back of Talmic's mind.

"No Master, I think I believe you without a test run."

Talmic smiled and laughed a bit before clearing his throat, he would try again. Closing his eyes and focusing on his mind once more Talmic started his gradual decent into his mind, where he would begin to relax, lose thoughts of worry or misguidance, he was confident in Solis' ability to teach and his own to learn.

Slowly, very slowly, Talmic began to show signs of loosening up and becoming relaxed. No longer did he worry about focusing on talking to the Force, he just let it seek him out. He was rewarded when on the edges of his mind he felt something trying to make contact with him, something very feint, almost un-detected. Talmic relaxed more, forgetting the room and forgetting Solis. The presence pushed in farther, he could almost hear it's call, could almost feel it in his body and mind.

Once more he tried to hard and the Force slipped away just as he heard a feint whisper. Talmic's eyes slid open and a look of not disappointment but intense satisfaction crossed his face.

"I felt it that time! I honestly felt the Force trying to speak to me. Did anything happen while I was gone?"

He said jokingly at the end.

[Solis Fay'den]

"Aside from you sitting there with your eyes closed looking like you fell asleep on your feet, no," Solis said with a smile. So, the young one had felt it? Impressive, it would normally take many years of concentration and meditation to get a response. This one likely contained great potential, which worried Solis as much as it pleased it him. It was always those with greatest potential that found themselves toeing the line between the light and dark sides of the Force.

Closing his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts, Solis spoke once more.

"You are coming along nicely, Talmic. Just remember, the mind is our most dangerous as well as our most useful tool. Keep your mind clear and sharp, and do not get cluttered up in the mire of the Dark Side. Meditate further on this, and perfect it, but be wary when you do. It is through these personal meditations, I have found, that the Dark Side can find a way to slip through the chinks of even the greatest mental armor. To become a true master of the Force requires the clearest of minds. As a Guardian, you must remember this."

Solis left his little spiel at that for now, he was one who believed that students should learn for themselves, and not simply take notes from some old man who only truly knows what's best in his own eyes. Talmic could draw his own conclusions from the speech and interpret it as he wished, learning the lessons his own mind thought it needed to be taught.

"So, if that is all for today...?" Solis prompted, leaving the floor open for Talmic to continue their discussion, or leave for now.