Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
T W I N S A B E R S
Chapter Eight
Composed by, The Nova Scribes
Aln-Mai lowered his lightsaber, adreneline still pounding in his veins. He saluted Master Skywalker again, then deactivated his lightsaber.
"Very good, Aln-Mai. You've done an exemplary job of constructing your lightsaber, and you handle it well. I'll meet with you tomorrow to do some additional lightsaber training. For now, why don't you take a shower and get some rest. If you want to practice with someone else, you can partner with somebody who isn't sparring," Master Skywalker said, gesturing to the people standing against the wall all around the room.
"No, thank you, Master Skywalker. I think that I'm done for today," Aln-Mai said with a small smile. In truth, he was exhausted. Master Skywalker had given as good as he'd got, and he knew that the Jedi Master wasn't short for breath. It may have seemed that neither was gaining the upper hand, but that was because Master Skywalker hadn't pushed an offensive.
Aln-Mai clipped the lightsaber to his belt, and turned back to Kir. She was standing rigid, as if in shock. Her fur was standing on end, and her ears were perked forward, obviously taking in every detail.
"Kir? Are you okay?" Aln-Mai teased her. Kir bristled, and she smoothed her fur, the tip of her tail twitching in impatience.
"I am fine. It seems that you did well in your duel with Master Skywalker," she said, casually licking her fur, as though making a comment on the color of sky.
Aln-Mai's smile fell a bit, but then remembered that she might be 'pulling his tail.' He shrugged, and started to walk out of the practice chamber, trying to give the impression of indifference. As he walking, he heard soft footfalls, and smiled inwardly. He continued to walk, his long-handled lightsaber thumping his knee with every other step. He might have to construct a sheath of some kind so that carrying it wouldn't be so annoying.
"Where are you going?" Kir asked, falling into step beside him.
Aln-Mai attempted to feign surprise at her presence. "Kir! Didn't see you there."
Kir's eyes narrowed, but the tip of her tail curled, betraying her amusement.
"I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll probably rest. What about you? I thought that your first lesson with Tionne was today," Aln-Mai said, stretching slightly to soothe his muscles, which were still burning with energy from his duel with Master Skywalker. That had been the most keyed-up Aln-Mai had ever been, and he felt slightly proud of himself about how he reacted under pressure.
Kir, on the other hand, stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide and her tail twitching with agitation. "My lesson! It's supposed to be right now!" the Rinaim wailed, and without even saying goodbye, she spun, and falling to all fours, she leaped down the hall and rounded a corner, skidding slightly on the stone floor of the temple. She dashed out of sight, and Aln-Mai shook his head, smiling to himself. She had forgotten about her lesson, after keeping such good track of his. He continued down the hall to the lift, chuckling to himself.
Kir slid to a halt in front of the door to the room where she was supposed to meet Tionne. She checked herself quickly to make sure her fur was arranged, not wanting to appear disheveled. She rose back onto two legs, silently reminding herself that it had been somewhat childish to run on all fours, despite it being a quicker means of getting around.
She poked her tail in the doorway, in the traditional Rinaim request to enter. She realized that Tionne might not know the significance of her tail, but as she was about to poke her head in the doorway, a soft voice called, "Come in, Kir."
Kir stepped into the room, her nose twitching and her eyes taking in the surroundings. The room was rather non-descript, with nothing adorning the walls or ceiling. There was a small cot, and a curious stringed instrument laying on the bed. Kir had heard from Aln-Mai that Tionne's favorite means of teaching was through music and poetry, and Kir assumed that the instrument belonged to Tionne.
"Kir," Tionne prompted, drawing her attention. "Please, have a seat."
Tionne was sitting on a small cushion on the floor, cross-legged and relaxed. Kir had seen Tionne about the Academy before, but now took time to stop and study her. She was slender, and youthful in appearance, but her wisdom was extensive, and it showed in her face, the somber yet peaceful look that she normally had. Her hair was silver-white, and it also made her look older than she really was.
"I'm sorry I was late, Tionne," Kir apologized, her tail drooping slightly.
"That's all right, Kir. You're here now, so let's get started." She motioned Kir into a cushion opposite her, so that they were facing each other. Kir settled onto the cushion, making sure not to accidentally sit on her own tail. Tionne took a moment to regard Kir before speaking.
"Before this lesson was scheduled, I looked in the archives at the history of the Rinaim and their culture, their customs, and their association with other races. You come from a place not so different from that of some of the students here, but for you, your ties to your home planet are not as strong as most others." She paused, watching Kir's face closely before continuing.
"You were never on your planet for any long period of time, so your mannerisms are different than many of those who were brought here. You are used to traveling, whereas someone like your friend Aln-Mai, who grew up on Malastare, never went anyplace else until he was brought to the Academy. So for you to stay in one place like this will cause you to adapt in many ways, I'm sure."
Kir listened intently to Tionne, but wondered silently in the back of her mind what the purpose of Tionne explaining her situation was. She shifted slightly on the cushion, continuing to pay attention to what Tionne was saying.
"You have never known any study of the mind, Kir. This is more a blessing than a curse, because this will enable you to focus and learn about using the Force much more quickly than someone who has an excessive amount of time to themselves where they are constantly thinking and theorizing about the things around us...you are much more apt to advance because of your teachability in this area." Tionne paused, and then looked directly into Kir's eyes.
"Tell me, Kir, when you traveled with your parents, did you ever feel like there was an evil presence around you, or a calm aura?" Kir was struck by the question, and nodded mutely. Tionne seemed to know how Kir had perceived the ambassadorial meetings her parents attended.
"Did you ever feel that presence diminish as you traveled, whether the feeling was good or evil?" Tionne continued.
Kir shook her head, remembering where there were tense periods in her life or simply blank moments where she had not lost contact with her "sixth sense," as she called it. How did Tionne read her mind so well?
"The Force is everywhere, Kir. In the walls of this temple, in the trees of the jungle, in you, and in me. It permeates every living and inanimate thing in the universe. We are never out of touch with it. You no doubt have read this in books from your friend Aln-Mai. Have you ever tried to simply submerge yourself in that aura that you have been in contact with?"
Kir shook her head, this time speaking aloud. "I never attributed my ability to detect such things with the Force before, so I did not know exactly what I was feeling."
Tionne nodded. "I understand that, Kir. Most people think of it as a 'gut feeling.' The truth is, we can listen to it closely, hearing the whispers of the Force and what it is telling us. So we begin the lesson."
Tionne shifted on the cushion, tucking her legs under her. Kir did the same, squatting back on her hind legs, since her knees did not bend the same direction as Tionne's.
"Now, we'll start with a simple excersise. I want you to clear your mind of all thoughts. Concentrate solely on the Force. You're not attempting to do anything but feel the Force flowing through you and your surroundings."
Kir closed her eyes, trying to empty her mind. She could still her Tionne's soft breathing, smell the light fragrance of the room, feel the cushion beneath her...Kir pushed the sensations away. She tried to remember that feeling of foreboding she had experienced that day on Dibon, that presence of mind that was so entrenched in her soul...
A peculiar thing began to happen in Kir's mind. She began to feel--no, experience--the room around her, with a living energy flowing through it, binding it's substance together, welding the fabric of matter itself. She could sense the same energy in Tionne, moving through her and around her, encompassing her being.
Kir slowly turned that sense of the Force upon herself, discovering the energy within herself, caressing her body like breeze too soft to be felt. She concentrated intently upon the Force, and the way it moved around her, swirled in the room, pulling everything together, and at the same time, holding it stationary. Kir was almost sure she could actually see the room around her, and Tionne seated in front of her, despite her eyes being closed. She reached out with her conciousness and grazed the surface of the energy that crackled in the room. It responded to her mental touch, gathering itself within the room. She pushed with her mind, slightly at first, then harder as she bent her mind upon the Force. She gathered her mind and pushed out with it in all directions, draining her stamina in a single burst of her will.
Kir's eyes flew open in shock as the bricks that enclosed the room groaned and shuddered, dust shaking loose from the ceiling and walls as Kir pushed outward with the Force. The mini-earthquake ceased as quickly as it started, the room becoming silent as Kir sat in amazement at her accomplishment. She looked at Tionne, who was smiling slightly, and nodded her head in approval.
"You performed as I expected you would. You see what a great effort it is to use the Force, and yet how effortless it is to be in tune with it. As your ability to listen to the Force increases, so will your ability to use it. You did exceptionally well for your first lesson, Kir."
Kir grinned broadly, then reminded herself that it was the smallest of baby steps to do what she had done. She was excited, nonetheless.
"Thank you, Tionne. May I go now?" Kir asked.
"Yes you may, but before you do, I want you to answer a question." Kir's ears perked up. A question? But she had hardly learned anything yet! However, she nodded at Tionne.
"Why do you think I reminded you of your background and your culture before we began the lesson?"
Kir stopped and contemplated that question...why had Tionne said all that? She thought about it, remembering when Tionne mentioned her trainability...
Kir looked up, certain of her answer. "To show me how to relate to the Force in my own way...by contemplating the mind rather than the surroundings, since that's what I'm always doing. It's a habit formed from traveling so much: paying more attention to where I am going rather than the here and now."
Tionne nodded, giving Kir another small smile. "That was very much my intent. I also wanted to show you that your background has nothing to do with your ability to use the Force. But you realized the main idea." She stood, slowly unfolding herself and rising. Kir did the same, simply standing on her hind legs.
"That is enough for today. You may go. We will resume at another time." Tionne ushered Kir out the door, and closed it when Kir was in the hallway.
Kir stood for a moment thinking about her small personal victory...and how far she had to go to reach the level of training that Aln-Mai was at. She had never done anything like learn to use the Force before in her life; she had never concentrated on something as hard as she did now.
In her mind, Kir resolved to work as hard as she could to achieve the goal of using the Force. It had become her drive, and she intended to pursue it as whole-heartedly as she could. She walked down the hall to the stairway leading to the lower level of the temple, quietly humming to herself as she went.
A/N: Yay! We've finally done something worthwhile! Tell us what you think, if there are indeed people who still check this story to see if it is updated.