Chapter 33 – Finding The Force

Alright, I'm back with another chapter for my Barriss story. She continues training with her new Padawan Scout and she discovers a way to help her Padawan greatly.

I'm sure that many of you have already seen the news, but the Clone Wars is coming back! We're getting a new season based on the Mandalore invasion. Judging from the Ahsoka novel, I imagine that we'll be seeing that invasion, Ahsoka Tano versus Darth Maul and her and Rex surviving Order 66. I've heard that the original team is working on the new season, so I'm really excited to see it.

For now, I hope you enjoy.

;-

Jedi Knight Barriss Offee was in a smaller private training room with her new Padawan Scout. They had slept in a bit, seeing as their dinner with Nyla and the others had gotten a bit late, but now they had gone for a simple training session so Barriss could get a good feel for her Padawan's skills.

Right now she watched Scout go through the sequences of Form I. Earlier, Scout had told her that she had often been excused from classes during Force practice sessions. Rather than let that discourage her, she chose to use that time to instead work on her physical abilities and forms. All of that extra practice certainly showed now. Her katas and stances were near perfect. She had seen plenty of older Padawans that still had a lot of work to do on their basic footwork and stances. Scout had a clear advantage there.

Scout had also told her that she often tried to duel with other Jedi whenever she was excused from the classes. From time to time, some did agree to a duel with her. Some just tried to humor her, being weaker in the Force, while others saw it more as an opportunity to show off or try to humiliate her in front of other Jedi. She had never let them get to her. While it was true that she didn't really have much of a chance to win against those other Jedi, but for her, it was never about winning or losing, it was about studying their moves and techniques. Dueling a variety of Jedi helped her learn different techniques that she could use herself.

Barriss couldn't help but smile as she watched Scout go through some of the advanced katas of Form I. To her, it was pretty clear that she had quite the Padawan now. Scout certainly had the skills and determination that were expected of a Padawan. She found it difficult to believe that no one else had ever seen her qualities.

It was clear to her that Scout's Force abilities were indeed less than others, but they could work on that. Through their bond, Barriss was certain that she could find a way to help her with that. The Force was nothing if not versatile, so they could probably get a little creative. That was something she herself had definitely learned from Ahsoka and Anakin. The two of them had done some things that she hadn't thought were possible. She hoped that she had absorbed plenty of their creativity.

Scout finished her katas and deactivated her lightsaber. With a small smile on her face, she walked back to her master.

"Your form is pretty good Scout. It's obvious that you've done a lot of practice," Barriss told her with a smile. "I'm sure that you'll have no problems with learning new forms."

Scout smiled happily at the praise. "I've always been good at the physical parts of being a Jedi. It's just my Force powers that are lacking somewhat," she replied.

Barriss studied her new Padawan a bit. It was obvious that her weakness in the Force remained a point of concern for her. "Don't worry Scout, we'll find some way to work on that as well. Don't let it trouble you," she said gently. "How about I show you some of the basics of Form III? We can see how well you can do with a completely new Form."

There was an immediate flicker of excitement in the younger girl's eyes. "Yeah, that sounds great!" Scout replied eagerly. Barriss nodded at that and took one of her lightsabers in her hand. She moved to the training mat to start with the basic instruction of Soresu.

;-

Scout walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple with a small smile on her face. She silently enjoyed the feeling of her Padawan braid in her hair. She had been a Padawan again for several days now. So far, Barriss Offee had proven to be a patient Master that didn't get frustrated with her like some of her previous teachers did whenever she couldn't do something with the Force that well. Instead of simple comments and dismissals, her new Master offered genuine advice and tried to help her in whatever ways she could. Explaining more about the Force techniques, suggesting different patterns she could try, it made her feel a lot better than during those classes.

Scout wasn't really too sure about why her Master had asked to meet her in the Temple gardens once she was done with her studying. She had a feeling that it might have something to do with the way her Master seemed to studying her yesterday, but it was just a hunch.

She walked into the gardens and looked around. It was always nice to be in the gardens of the Temple. Because of the Temple workers tending to the gardens, it was always a beautiful sight. Her Master had told her where in the gardens she was going to be, but knowing that, Scout also tried to sense around with the Force to locate her. Eventually she reached her Master.

Barriss was sitting next to a small river in the gardens. In this part of the river, two streams carried the water further downriver to where it joined multiple other rivers in a small lake. She had prepared something here earlier to help her explain her feelings to Scout. She just hoped that she wouldn't take things the wrong way at first.

She looked up as Scout walked up to her. "Hello Scout, how did your class go?" she asked as she gestured for her Padawan to sit in front of her.

"Hello Master," Scout replied as she sat down. "It went well. I did struggle with the Force practice, but I feel that it went a little easier now with the things that you've taught me." She had been surprised herself. It still took her a lot of concentration to manage some basic levitation, but it hadn't felt as difficult as it had before she became Barriss' Padawan.

"That's good to hear," Barriss said with a small smile. "Now then, I'm sure you're curious as to why I asked you to meet me here?" Scout nodded at the question. "As you've learned in your classes, we Jedi have a special connection to the Force. It flows through us all and It can guide us in many ways. From a certain point of view, the way the Force flows through a Jedi is similar to how water flows through a river." She gestured at the river next to her. "The river here is a representation of that. Take a look at it and tell me what you see."

Scout wondered a little about her Master's explanation about the Force flowing through a Jedi as she watched at the two streams. One stream had water flowing through it normally, but the other one had a much smaller amount of water running through it. She understood what her Master was hinting at with this. She couldn't help the anger and frustration rising up in her. Her Master had now fully realized her weakness in the Force as well and was probably going to quit teaching her. She looked back at her Master again.

Barriss could sense the way Scout's thoughts were going and felt the rise in her emotions. She quickly gestured for Scout to calm down a little. "Calm down a little Padawan, there's no need to be worried," she said, using her title to reassure Scout a little. "Yes, I can tell that you've noticed it. You're right. There is less water flowing through the second stream. Now, why is that?"

Scout's emotions flickered a bit and she looked at her in slight confusion. She wasn't sure at all where her Master was going with this.

Barriss gave her a light smile. "Take a closer look at both streams. What is the difference between them?" she asked her again.

Scout frowned a bit and looked at the streams again. The water was flowing normally through one, but the other one had less water flowing through it. Like her Master said, it was a metaphor for how the Force flowed through a Jedi. The smaller stream was obviously like her, less water flowing through it, less of the Force flowing through her. Unsure of what her Master meant, she looked closer at the second stream. She let her eyes wander around, looking a bit more upstream. Then she spotted something different. In a narrower part of the stream, a bunch of plants and some pebbles were blocking the normal flow of the water. "It's blocked off?" she asked her Master, still slightly confused.

Barriss smiled and nodded. "Yes, exactly," she replied kindly. "There is a blockade interfering with the flow of the water, making it so less can flow through it. However, that is something that can be remedied." She waved her hand, pushed a bit with the Force and cleared the blockade, causing the water to flow normally again. She turned back to Scout again. "I have the same feeling with you."

Scout looked at her with slight shock and surprise. "What do you mean?"

"It's possible for one's connection to the Force to become a bit weaker after they've suffered an injury of some sort," Barriss explained. "I've seen it a few times before. Especially with a trauma to the head, your connection to the Force can be hindered a bit until one is fully recovered. I've been studying you with the Force during our training and meditation. Like I said, I get that same feeling with you."

Scout's eyes widened at that. "You think that the Force is… blocked in me?" she asked in disbelief. "But… I don't think I've ever been hurt like that before. I've had some wounds from training, but nothing that serious."

Barriss nodded. "It doesn't have to be a recent injury. I believe that something might have happened before you were brought to the Temple, something that hasn't healed over the years and caused some form of mental blockade. That is what I feel through the Force from you."

Scout was silent for a moment. Could it really be something like that? Her lack of the Force, could it really be caused by something that happened to her when she was little? It seemed somewhat impossible to her, she had always been weak in the Force and nothing had ever seemed to change that. She had already resigned herself to that fact, but now… Now there was a flicker of feeling that made her believe what her Master was saying.

She looked at Barriss again. "Can… I mean… Is there anything we can do about it?" she asked slowly. She didn't think that her master would just share this observation with her for no reason, unless… She dared to hope a little.

"Yes, I believe so," Barriss replied, causing Scout's eyes to widen in shock. "The Force is always with us. It can help us in so many different ways. I think that between my healing powers and our bond, we can do something for you."

Scout tried to remain calm, but couldn't help a shaky breath in excitement. After all these years, something could now be done about her weak Force sensitivity? "Can we try?" she asked quickly. "I mean…" She wasn't sure how to continue.

Barriss nodded slowly. "Yes, we can do it," she answered, instantly noticing the spikes of excitement and shock in Scout. "If you let me, I can access the deepest corners of your mind through our bond. I can then use the Force to heal the damage. Once it's healed, your connection to the Force should strengthen. However, to be able to do this, you need to let me past all of your mental shields. Don't worry, I won't search through your memories or something like that. Do you understand so far?"

Scout thought it all through before nodding. It sounded straightforward enough so far. She did know how to use her mental shields and it sounded like most if not all of the Force work would be on her Master's end.

Seeing that Scout had no questions yet, Barriss continued. "The Force will allow me to see the damage, so that I can then direct Its healing energies towards it. I have done similar things in the past, like with clone troopers that had suffered different forms of neural damage. Now then, what will be very important on your part, is that you need to keep your mind as quiet as possible. I know that meditation is a little difficult for you at times, but I need you to do your upmost best for this."

Scout nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best," she replied. If it really meant that something could be done about her Force powers, she would put up with meditation for as long as it was necessary.

"Alright, take a few minutes to prepare yourself. We can start after that," Barriss told her. She moved into her favorite meditative position herself. This could possibly take a little while, so it would help to be a bit more comfortable.

Scout noticed her Master shifting her position slightly, so she did the same. She did her best to calm her mind as much as possible, but it was a little difficult. The fact that something could possibly be done about her Force abilities excited her greatly. But, it also made her a little fearful. What if it went wrong? What if nothing changed? What if she completely lost what little Force powers she had? Her Master was a font of calm in front of her. There was a steady calming pulse through their bond as well and it helped her relax. After several minutes, she looked at her Master again and nodded that she was ready. Barriss nodded back and they both closed their eyes.

Scout could feel her Master's presence moving to her through their bond. She concentrated and slowly lowered her mental shields to allow her Master access to her mind. The way they were connected now was a strange sensation, but it didn't feel bad at all. Other Jedi had tried to mind-trick her in the past during sparring matches and tournaments, but this didn't feel anything like that. A very positive sensation echoed along her Master's presence. She took a deep breath and concentrated, doing what her Master asked her to and keep herself as calm as possible.

Barriss felt Scout's mental shields opening up to her. She slowly entered her Padawan's mind. With there now being no mental shields between them, all sorts of memories were available to her. A simple touch would reveal complete parts of Scout's life to her, but that wasn't her goal and she had promised that she wouldn't do anything like that either. She waited a short moment to let Scout get used to her presence in her mind. Once she was certain that her Padawan was calm, she continued.

She asked the Force to guide her along. It flowed around her and called to follow, so she did. She crossed through the deepest corners of Scout's mind. Eventually, she found what she had been searching for. Amidst the deepest corners of her subconscious, there was a disturbance. Normally, gentle colors would always represent these deep corners of one's mind. In Scout's mind however, there was an area that was an angry red color. The Force confirmed it for her, this is what was causing Scout's problems with the Force and It was eager to see this healed. She focused and guided the healing energies of the Force towards the angry wound in her Padawan's mind. Ever so gently, she send healing pulses to it. Slowly, the angry red colors faded away and the mental wound healed, leaving only the calm colors.

Barriss checked Scout's mind with the Force again. The Force pulsed strongly through her and It signaled for Barriss to withdraw herself from her Padawan's mind again. Satisfied that the wound was fully healed, she slowly pulled herself out of Scout's mind again. She opened her eyes again and blinked a bit, letting her eyes adjust to the light. For her eyes to become a little sensitive to the sudden light, this had obviously taking a little while. She looked over at her Padawan as the younger girl came out of her meditation.

Scout felt her Master's presence leaving her mind, so she opened her eyes again. Her eyes pricked a bit, but it was barely even noticeable with the new sensations in her mind. She had never felt anything like this before. This was the Force, that she knew, but she had never felt it so strongly before. A great sense of peace washed over her and she embraced it fully.

Barriss watched her Padawan. It was clear that she was feeling different now. She was about to ask how she felt, when Scout's eyes suddenly rolled into the back in her head and she collapsed. Shock overtook her momentarily before she quickly moved over to her side. "Scout? Scout, are you alright?" she asked, shaking her shoulder a little. There was no response. Fearing the worst, she activated her comlink and asked for another healer to meet her with a stretcher. That completed, she set about checking Scout's vital signs, hoping that she hadn't accidentally harmed her Padawan's mind.

;-

Later that evening

Barriss Offee was sitting in her quarters when the door chime sounded. A quick check with the Force revealed that it was her former Master Luminara Unduli at the door. She managed a small smile and moved over to the door. "Good afternoon, Master Unduli," she greeted her after she opened the door.

"Hello Barriss, it's good to see you," Luminara replied. Barriss gestured for her to come in and she followed her Padawan into her quarters and they both sat down. "How are you feeling Barriss? I heard about what happened."

Barriss looked at her a moment. "Well, I have felt better Master," she replied honestly. "My fellow healers agree with me, that Scout doesn't appear to be in danger. She is merely in some form of trance. Still, I can't help but worry. Seeing her collapse like that, it wasn't pleasant to witness."

Luminara nodded and gave an understanding smile. "Every Master will worry for their apprentice from time to time. It's all part of being a Master," she told her former Padawan.

"As will a Padawan worry for their Master if something happens to them," Barriss said with the slightest of smiles, thinking back to their time together. "But it is a slightly different situation now. I sought to help her with her connection to the Force and she has fallen unconscious as a result. I do not know how this will affect her."

Luminara studied her former Padawan a moment. "Don't worry Barriss, I'm sure she will be fine. After all, it's you we're talking about. The Force speaks clearly to you and you will have followed It to help your Padawan as best as you are able."

Barriss relaxed a bit at her words. "Thank you Master, I appreciate it," she replied. "This has been a little unnerving to say the least. I'm just worried. One false move that deep in one's mind can have a lot of unintended consequences."

"I understand Barriss, but I don't think you'll have to worry too much," Luminara said, offering a kind smile. "You have helped countless others in the past and now, with the Force guiding you to help your Padawan, it will all work out well. Just trust in the Force."

"I do Master," Barriss answered with a small smile. "I just hope that I was able to help her with her Force connection. With her strong spirit, she can become a great Jedi." Her former Master nodded in agreement. "How did you mission go Master? You just returned from some political disagreement, right?" she asked, both to catch up with her former Master a little and to distract herself a bit from her worry about her Padawan.

Luminara chuckled softly. "It was rather standard disagreement between two parties over some issues on the planet. Fortunately, I was able to keep them from doing anything more than just screaming at each other. I honestly feel that there is little difference between such politicians and a group of hyperactive younglings." Her comment earned her a bit more of a smile from Barriss. She smiled and continued sharing the details of her mission.

;-

Barriss Offee was sitting in the room that her Padawan was brought to in the Halls of Healing. With no other tasks she needed to attend to, she remained watchful by her Padawan's side. She wasn't sure when her Padawan would wake up, but she stayed with her. She was worried that her Padawan might be disorientated or panicked when she woke up, so she stayed with her to keep an eye on her, just in case.

As she sat there, she couldn't help but think back to the times that she and the other healers had to persuade either Anakin or Ahsoka to leave the Halls of Healing when either of them was hurt. They were both so alike and had a tendency to refuse to leave the Halls while the other was unconscious or recovering from whatever had happened to them. The other healers had often asked her to make sure that they would leave so that the other could rest. It had often taken her quite time to convince them. Now, here she was herself, sitting by her Padawan's side until she woke up. The irony wasn't lost on her.

She shook her head and focused back on her datapad. She might be acting a bit similar to Anakin and Ahsoka, but she wouldn't be acting as panicky or frustrated as them. She could keep a clear 'eye' on her Padawan through their bond. Besides, she was a Healer. She had been in all kinds of stressful situations before and was able to keep her calm through those. She would do the same now. It wouldn't help her Padawan if she was too unnerved to function.

It was about an hour later when Barriss noticed a change in their bond. A gentle touch through it on her part informed her that Scout was waking up. She was relieved and made sure that her presence was clearly noticeable through their bond, to hopefully put her Padawan more at ease.

Scout coughed slightly before her eyes slowly opened, blinking quite a bit. Barriss was glad that she had the foresight to keep the room slightly dimmed, just in case. Scout groaned slightly and moved a bit under the covers. "M-Master?" she asked a little shakily.

"I'm here Scout," Barriss replied quickly, moving closer to the bed. She took one of her Padawan's hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Nice and easy, you've been asleep for a little bit."

Scout managed to shake of the remaining drowsiness and focused on her Master sitting next to the bed. She glanced around and noticed that she was in a room in the Halls of Healing. That confused her a little. They were in the Temple gardens before, weren't they? With a slight frown she turned back to Barriss. "Master, what happened?" she asked.

Barriss took a deep a breath. "After I finished with healing the mental damage in your mind, you just collapsed without a word. It really worried me. I contacted the other healers and we brought you to the Halls of Healing. You've been asleep for almost thirty hours now," she explained, making sure to try and keep her voice calm. "How are you feeling Scout? Are you doing well? No headaches, dizziness or other problems? You can still move your fingers, toes and everything?"

Scout just looked at her Master a moment. A little taken aback by the questions. Barriss could tell and decided to explain a bit further. "You know that I was using the Force deep in your mind right? Making one small mistake in the recesses of the mind can have a lot of unintentional consequences. I just want to make sure that you're alright."

"That makes sense," Scout thought as her Master explained it. She slowly sat upright in the bed. She looked at her fingers and moved them one by one. After that she did the same with her toes. Everything felt alright, she didn't have a headache or anything either. "I… I guess I feel fine," she said after a short moment. Then she recalled just what they had been doing before. With some hesitation, she tried to reach out to the Force.

"Scout?" Barriss asked as she studied her young Padawan. She was slowly looking around the room and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

Scout looked around the room with some wonder. She had been in the Halls of Healing several times before, but it just seemed different now. Not in the physical sense, but in the… She turned to her Master. "Everything feels clearer," she replied softly. She looked in front of her again. Her lightsaber was lying on the small table at the end of the bed. She could feel it so clearly.

Barriss watched Scout's gaze land on her lightsaber. The younger girl slowly stretched her hand out to it, then hesitated. She smiled slightly. "Go on Scout. Reach out with the Force. Let It embrace you," she told her Padawan.

Scout briefly turned to Barriss. Her Master nodded. She looked back at her lightsaber. She could hear the hum of her crystal so clearly. She raised her hand again. Reaching out with the Force, she willed her lightsaber to her hand. To her sheer surprise, amazement and joy, her lightsaber lifted off the table and flew straight into her hand. That had never gone so smoothly before! With a wide smile, she turned back to her Master. "It worked!" she exclaimed happily.

Barriss smiled at her Padawan. "It certainly has. The Force is always with us Jedi and It seems to be a lot stronger with you now," she replied. She took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're feeling alright Scout. It worried me quite a bit when you just collapsed like that after we were done."

Scout turned to her Master. "I had no idea that that even happened. I just felt such a peaceful sensation when we were done and I just… followed it and then… I woke up here. I didn't mean to worry you," she said honestly.

Barriss lightly shook her head. "Don't let that worry you Padawan, I'm just glad that you're alright," she replied. "If you're feeling well, then let me get one of the other Healers in here. If they clear you, we can return to our quarters. We can work on your new Force powers together if you'd like." Barriss laughed a bit at the excited glint that instantly appeared in Scout's eyes. She shook her head and put in the call to the other healers

;-

Two days later

Barriss was back in one of the training rooms with her Padawan Scout. After leaving the Halls of Healing, they had been working a lot on the Force together. With her connection to the Force now stronger than it ever had been before, Scout had been incredibly eager to revisit past lessons and exercises with her new Master.

The young girl had been so happy and excited to see that those exercises went better and smoother now than they had before during her old classes. Even though they were essentially revisiting some of the more basic Force techniques, Scout had been smiling happily all day. It had also left Barriss in a very good mood as well.

Right now, Scout was practicing with a few of the basic katas of Form III Soresu that they had already studied before. There were three training remotes zooming through the air around her, peppering her with bolts from multiple angles. The goal of this exercise was to help Scout learn the new Form and to help her get more familiar with the Force guiding her movements.

All of her previous training was doing her much credit now. She had a good natural endurance and resilience. Barriss observed that she easily kept up with the fire from the three remotes. She needed more practice with the new Form, that was clear from the fact that a number of bolts slipped through her defense and struck either her or the floor. Scout, however, in her determination, seemed to not really notice the bolts hitting her. Barriss smiled. Her strong spirit was going to help her greatly on the path to Knighthood.

The round of exercise finished and the training remotes deactivated themselves. Scout turned around and walked over to Barriss. "How did I do Master?" the young red haired girl asked her as she deactivated her lightsaber.

"You did pretty good Scout," Barriss replied with a small smile. "But for the next time, try to hold your lightsaber at a slight angle like this." She grabbed one of her own lightsabers and activated it, briefly demonstrating the right hold. "Form III is all about defense, using minimal movements to preserve your own energy while your opponent tires themselves out. If you hold your lightsaber like this, you'll find it easier to do the techniques." She extinguished her lightsaber. "Give it another try."

"I will, thank you Master," Scout replied with a smile. She moved into the proper stance and activated her lightsaber again, ready for the training remotes to begin firing at her again.

Barriss watched as Scout went through the exercise again. With the slight adjustment in her stance, she seemed to have a slightly easier time. She smiled when Scout spun around and she noticed the excited smirk on the younger girl's face. For how nervous she had been herself when the Force presented her with the idea of taking a Padawan, she was quite happy now that It had.

;-

A week later

Scout was slightly nervous. She was participating in another Padawan tournament today. Her Master saw it as a good way to judge her skills against other Padawans her age. After she had explained everything, Scout was ready to participate and give it her best. She had won her last tournament after all and that had gotten her assigned to her first Master. True, she did have to use a few admittedly cheap tricks to win that time. She was determined to do better this time and win once again.

The first round was coming up now and her first match did unnerve her somewhat. Her opponent was a Padawan that had several years of experience on her. He was about two years older than her. That wasn't what unnerved her however. No, it was the fact that this particular green-skinned Rodian had been one of her most active bullies before. Now she would be confronting him in a match. She was certain that it was his intention to not only beat her, but also humiliate her in front of everyone here. In that case, she had quite the surprise for him.

He had always made fun of the fact that she was a lot weaker in the Force then everyone else. He had always enjoyed pointing it out by messing with her or beating her in a spar. She was certain that he was expecting an easy victory on her again with another opportunity to embarrass her in front of the other Jedi. It might not be proper Jedi behavior, but she was going to enjoy teaching him a lesson. To help with that, she had asked her Master how to teach her how to mask her Force presence. To him, she would appear to be as weak as she used to be.

They were both called to the larger training mat that would serve as their ring. Her opponent was already smirking at her and waving his inactive lightsaber around tauntingly. "Padawan Kenka!" Master Iron Hand, who was the Jedi Master acting as referee for this match, called out, startling the Rodian. "Your lightsaber," she told him as she held out her hand. He handed it over and she checked that it was locked in the training settings. Satisfied that it was in the right setting, she handed it back before turning to Scout. She handed her lightsaber over as well so that Master Iron Hand could check hers. Master Iron Hand nodded and handed Scout back her lightsaber. With that, she walked back off the mat.

At her signal, both Scout and her opponent ignited their lightsabers. Her blue blade materialized in front of her and she could feel the crystal hum. She moved into one of the Form III opening stances that her Master had taught her and waited for the fight to begin. A short moment later, Master Iron Hand signaled for them to begin.

Right away, Kenka rushed at her with a strike she knew was from Form IV Ataru. She might have struggled more with that in the past, but she had new defensive moves now, courtesy of her new Master. She blocked his strike easily and he drew back a bit. He swung his saber tauntingly again, trying to bait her into attacking. She managed to keep herself from smirking. She knew he was baiting her and wouldn't fall for it. Like her Master had instructed her, Form III was about defense and patience. She was going to wait for his attack instead.

When he noticed that she wasn't going to fall for it, he grew a little annoyed and rushed in to attack her again. He used several fast combos and attack patterns to try and get the upper hand on her. She was able to read his attacks with some ease and blocked them accordingly, moving herself around the mat so that he wouldn't corner her at the edge.

She was a bit surprised herself. While she had been weaker in the Force before, she had actually been very good with reading people or events just before they happened and she could quickly react to them. That is what had earned her the nickname 'Scout' in the first place. With her newly strengthened connection to the Force, those abilities were stronger now as well. Because he was so sure of his advantages in the Force, he neglected some basic techniques and that allowed her to read him like a book.

She blocked another one of his strikes and it left him open for a counterattack, so she quickly took the opportunity. She slashed at him, aiming at his exposed side. It forced him to drop to the floor to dodge it. He rolled away from her and tried to get back to his feet, she quickly slashed at him again to keep him off balance. She kept up her attacks and could tell that his frustration was building.

"Grr, enough of you!" Kenka called out angrily as he trust out his hand and called on the Force to push her back. Scout was forced back a short distance and he got back to his feet. "I've played with you long enough, now get lost!" he yelled in frustration as he called on the Force again to push her off the mat.

Scout felt herself being forced back and called on the Force to return the push. Kenka was grinning, feeling so sure that she would not be able to do anything about it and that he was about to force her of the mat and score an easy victory. When she drew nearer to the edge of the mat, she decided to stop playing around herself and pushed back harder.

Kenka was shocked to suddenly see that Scout was no longer being pushed back. Other Jedi around the mat were surprised as well. Then she looked up and to his shock, she was smirking at him. There was a surge in the Force as she suddenly pushed back hard and the next thing he knew he flew of the training mat.

Scout couldn't help but smile as she saw Kenka staring at her from the ground with that utterly dumbfounded look. She could also sense the shock around her as Master Iron Hand declared her the victor of the match. She too was quite surprised by how this happened.

"No!" Kenka shouted as he stood up and marched back on the mat. "No, there's no way that you could possibly beat me! You're so weak in the Force. It's impossible that you could beat me like that! That traitorous wench obviously helped you!" he shouted as he pointed accusingly at Barriss.

"Padawan! Mind your tone!" a deep voice called out. Kenka froze at the disapproving tone of his Master. "You do not speak that way about a Knight. Remember that." Kenka looked like he wanted to say more, but decided against it after looking at his Master's expression.

"This is indeed a surprise, Padawan Scout," another voice said coming from the other side. Scout turned around and noticed Master Shaak Ti walking up to them. "All of a sudden, your presence in the Force became a lot stronger. Something has obviously changed for you, hasn't it?"

Scout smiled. Now that she wasn't masking her Force presence anymore, everyone around her could tell that she was stronger now. "In a certain way, he's right. My Master did help me," she admitted.

Everyone's attention focused on Barriss with that. "Indeed I did," she said as she nodded. "Because of our training bond, I was able to determine that Scout's weakness in the Force was caused by an old mental wound that had never fully healed. With my healing abilities, reversing that damage was not that difficult a task. And now, Scout is much stronger with the Force."

Scout felt a little embarrassed at the sudden attention she got from the Jedi that were gathered around. She could tell that Master Ti was studying her with the Force as well.

"You are right, Knight Offee," Shaak Ti said after a moment. "Your presence feels much brighter now, Padawan Scout. The Force was clearly right when It matched you with your Master. With your own previous training, your newfound abilities and your Master's guidance, I do not doubt that you will be able to become a strong Knight. You've certainly become one of the strongest competitors in this tournament."

"Thank you Master Ti," Scout said as she smiled and bowed to the Master. A member of the Council now saying that about her felt a lot better than what they used to say. Because of the words from the Togruta Master, she could see a few other Padawans that were participating were looking at her nervously. She was now looking forward to the rest of the tournament and the rest of her journey to Knighthood.

;-

That's the end of this chapter.

Barriss has helped her Padawan become a lot stronger in the Force. They will make a great team together in the near future.

Now then, seeing as this story is at the point where I want it to be, I will also be picking Tale of a Togruta again. We're getting closer to what can be considered the finale for this long arc. Both stories will come together again as we approach certain events in the Star Wars universe.

Because I haven't updated it in a while, I might work on my Ahsoka story first. I'm also working out the storyline I want for Gift of Light. I'm hoping to be able to work more on my stories again, I want to try and get updates out faster.

Until next time.