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"Gungan Padawan" (Fanfic by Boo Dan Danga & Kiso Hakto) |
 "We are no saints, but pilgrims.." - jedi proverb A holonet message came through. Kiso Hakto, Jedi knight and former Padawan to general Ceel, recognized Master Taffel, a gungan Jedi he knew to be a friend of his master. "Dear Friend, Mesa got a serious problem me can not solve without your help. The matter is a young gungan warrior, who uses the force with not any control. His family bade me to teach him, but me already got a Padawan learner. The ugly thing `bout it is, that he already got a bit of darkness in his way. So yousa might’ve a long go with dis one, me even don’t knows, if he could make it. Kiso thought it over. Taffel asked him to train a gungan called 'Boo Dan Danga' who’s name apparently was an omen for he caused dread amongst his people more than once. Detailed he remembered the words. It would be a hard job, especially since this would be his first Padawan, but he considered it a good possibility to examine and consolidate his capabilities. He didn’t ask a lot but decided to accept the misdirected. "Thank you very much for accepting," Taffel answered, "Mesa wishin` you a good go, sure you will succeed in givin` dis man a direction. Mees sendin` him to you tomorrow morning, if you agree. But me must say he’s not the thankful type of guy.. uhm mesa wanna say - for the moment he just does it, to escape the nocomebackielaw. So he will show anger, even hate.. but dis is, where we can proof our conviction. Don’t hesitate to call me, when he gets too nasty. Me hopes to see you during the next time. May the force be with you, dear friend." A beautiful sunrise announced the oncoming summer day. Kiso had ordered the unknown to see him at the Jedi academy. He was aware that all this wasn’t the usual way - he did take a great risk in accepting this man without having met him in before. Only time would tell, if his decision was wise. It was nearly the time arranged, as the muscular corpse of an Otollah gungan, blocking up the beautiful morning sun, cast a shadow on him. Lookin up he realized the gungan, wearing the traditional leather armor, carrying a cesta in his left hand - staring at him expressionless. Even if there was no sign given in his bearing Kiso sensed great fear in him - fear and anger. Unlike the Padawan learners he saw before, there was no thankfulness is his eyes.. just a wild will to succeed. "Mesa here now." he said in a dark and momentarily calm voice, but Kiso could feel a strong reluctance, just beneath the surface... Maybe Taffel was right in saying: 'Yousa might’ve a long go with dis one, me even don’t knows, if he could make it.' Kiso saw his new Padawan, the gungan stood proud and seemed willing to be trained. But he did sense fear and anger, it worried Kiso slightly. He had a tough job on his hands. Kiso walked over to greet him. "Greetings, I am Kiso Hakto, Jedi Knight. I am native to the planet Dantooine. Now what is your name?" Still the gungan stood moveless in the doorway, his stalked eyes following Kiso`s moves attentively. But approaching Kiso sensed a change in the gungans attitude.. his apprehensions seemed to mingle with another feeling.. a faint, susceptible one.. something like.. hope. "Mesa Boo Dan Danga deriving from... the City of Otoh Boo Jada." Kiso didn’t need the force to feel, that this is not how the sentence originally ended. The Gungan seemed to swallow some part. The knuckles of his hand whiten as he gripped his weapon tight. Almost instantly he felt pain and anger rising anew. "Think ya can make me a good boyo.. do ya ?" Kiso sensed the warriors attention focusing on him. There was tension in his bearing, an ugly mixture of scorn and distrust showed up on his face. Kiso knew he had a tough job on his hands. This Gungan seemed angry. He sensed fear in him. And that was bad news, since one great Jedi Master had said before: Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering. "Okay Boo Dan Danga. You may call me master or Master Kiso, okay? Well first I shall ask you a few questions. Firstly, have you heard of or own a lightsaber?" Boo had not really expected an answer to his impudent question. He took a step ahead, reluctantly. The gungan no longer blocking the doorway, bright morning light floated the room, promising a wonderful Naboo day. Watching Boo the Jedi recognized a darker spot on the chest of his worn out leather armour, like something had been removed from there shortly ago. "Me sure knows what a lightsaber is... m a s t e r," the last word he drawled contemptuously, "mesa not comin` from another universe." Recalling his situation Boo decided to do without farther insults. But the way he looked at you told it all. He wasn’t willing to subordinate. It seemed he wasn’t only full of anger but had a problem with humans as well. "But me`s none" he continues "don’t work in sub water fight anyway. ´twould go badly facin` a clawfishy wid` such a lightsaber thingy." At least Kiso's Padawan had heard of a lightsaber. But it could be a problem that he didn't own one. "Well Boo Dan, you will need a lightsaber. You could build one though. But first your next question: Tell me why you wish to become a Jedi." Kiso stood still and waited patiently for his Padawan's reply. 'Me become a Jedi ?' Boo was surprised. He stared at that man, who had accepted to train him and obviously did not react on his insults, there seemed to be no fear in this human and no anger. He only stood there and looked at him - calmly and patiently, like Yannup Taffel had done some days ago. Boo was upset and irritated. It wasn’t Kisos fault. After being imprisoned for two long years he was upset about everybody. The Otoh Boo Jada dungeon had never been a comfortable place to stay and certainly had no training facilities so he had lost his shape and a good deal of his combat abilities, one more thing that made him insecure. He stood at test. His next failure would cast the nocomebackielaw on him - that was, what worried him the most. He hoped, that Kiso could help him to control.. this odd, mysterious thing arising in him.. the thing, they call the force. He heard him being a Jedi, one of this famous knights doing unbelievable things, an fearsome opponent. He would perhaps be able to teach him. But.. this Kiso was a human, an enemy... although he had been the one who accepted him, whereas his own clan, the Danga, were about to throw him out, for his former friends and family feared or even hated him. A lot of them had come to see him in dungeon, but they came anxious and they left in fear. It went like this since he had seriously injured the gal betrothed to him and his best friend - without even touching them. He was sick of it all. Fear, hope and anger mingled up to a strange kind of rage that suddenly broke through..* "Me thinkn deres more prob than a lightsaber. Yousa comin` from far away, human.. Maybe you not aware, but gungans and humans are hereditary enemies. It doesn’t matter much dat our folks went hand in hand in some part. The truth is, dat da humans are invaders on our native planet. Dey slaughtered our tribe n` forced usn to settle below da surface. After all dey laugh at us n` pervert our culture wid their careless ways. Me don’t need Jedi tricks - me`s a proved warrior n` don’t need.." he stagnated a short moment and grief showed in his eyes "..anybody to get along. So what in Natha`s name makes ya think you could get a proud gungan to obey an short eared alien ? Why you try ? Who pays ya for ?" Kiso felt the Gungans force during this impulsive outbreak. There was quite some force in him.. and without any warning a dark fear demanded entrance to Kiso`s mind. It was no skilful attack, rather an uncontrolled emission. Kiso had no trouble to defend it. Boo was focusing Kiso expectantly, his thoughts throwing somersaults in his mind. He wasn’t fully aware of WHAT he’d just done, but he felt he had done SOMEthing, something he didn’t meant to, he might have gone to far... anew. Sheer desperation formed a painful knot in his stomach and let his eyes widen. Kiso sensed the anger boiling up in his Padawan ferociously. He had to try to calm him down. This training job would be especially hard, since this was his first trainee. "Calm down my Padawan. Control your anger and fear. Relax, clear you mind." Kiso watched Boo Dan Danga slowly shut his eyes. His Padawan was calming down. A good sign. "Okay, just do that when you are angry. You've encountered a lot of misfortune. But you shouldn't take it out on innocent people. Now, you are a Gungan warrior right? If so, you should be a skilled fighter. I have never seen a Gungan fight myself, I've only seen lightsaber duels. So, do you know a way in which you could demonstrate your abilities? Not on me of course." It took Boo several minutes to calm down. Kiso Hakto’s soothing voice helped him setting his mind at rest. A heavy burden had been taken from him and the painful tension he experienced so long resolved slowly. He felt exhausted and shaky as if he had fought a hard battle. Breathing slowly and deeply Boo opened his eyes. Silent tears ran down the gungans face as he met Kisos view. Slowly Boo put away the long, pole-like weapon he brought by leaning it against the wall. He went two steps ahead, towards Kiso and knelt down on one knee in a fluent movement. "Me greets you, master Kiso," the gungan distinctly said, then bent his head respectfully for a moment and came up again. There was no wrong in his whole gesture, it was plain and honest like his former anger had been. "For ya questions, masta... mesa not here to become a Jedi, originally .. me come to request ya help... wanna learn notta injure me boyoz." Boo scratched his left ear thoughtfully, "me meanin`.. uhm.. not doing da wrong thingy on da wrong ones - Taffel says me must learn to control da forcee. `n de odda thing.. 'bout fightn.. mesa been good fighter two years ago.. but.. me was set imprison since den. Notta much possibility to keep dis fit, down dere. Wont be wise searchin` battle righty now... ya should breath deeply before da dive.. we says. Furdamore you says me shall not demonstrate on da innocent... Deres two possibility then - firstly we coulda go huntin beasts or secondly finda guilty one to demonstrate abilities... or third one.." a faint grin shows up on his face, "me sure could provoke a bimbas boyo to duel me. Me just normally ain`t allowed for this now.. Mesa prefers trainin` up some days but will fight immediately if ya wish for." Boo stood there, no longer threatening or angry. A thousand questions formed in his mind, after his anger was blown away he was inquisitive. It was a real Jedi standing here in front of him after all. He could feel his tranquillity touching his restless being in a pleasant way, he could sense calmness and strength that relieved his sorrow. He longed to rest in this holy state of mind. If that was, what a Jedi was like, he was willing to work hard to become one. "What’s it dat makes a Jedi, masta Kiso ?" "Well, I would disagree with the hunting idea. I think I will postpone your combat session for a short period of time. But I will help you learn how to avoid anger, fear and hatred. Now, clear your mind. Close your eyes and think of happy thoughts. It will help soothe you. So when you are feeling awkward. Concentrate and block out anything that annoys you or hurts your feelings etc. Okay?" The gungan hesitated, then sat down like a monk. "All right." he said. Boo wasn’t sure if he really did it right, but he simply closed his eyes anew. He thought of what happy thoughts he could think of.. but that wasn’t good. There were only the pictures he didn’t want to see... he tried to block them, but how blocking thoughts ? The stronger he tried not to think of something, the more intense it came back on him... Finally he remembered a picture from long ago. He put the dark thoughts aside and was happy for a little moment. It was the first time he went out on one of the Clan's big hunting trips. This was the day he first saw deepwater pearls, these most beautiful bubbles only the biggest shellfishes could produce. He’d been fascinated by those fragile structures as he had been watching them with a kids eyes. As suddenly something painfully seized him from behind and tug him down, deeper and deeper. He tried to defend but was much to weak. Horror and fear entered his mind. His opponent had been one of the warriors, much older and stronger than he was. 'Lookin at water bubbles, clawfishy bites your back' was what the warrior said later on. Boo had been full of anger against that man and decided, never to be a victim again. He took this old proverb to heart and trained hard to be prepared. And right now he was lookin` at water bubbles again.. what was going on ? He had just rejected a possibility to fight. Had he turned a dastard ? Sure he was watching him as he sat here meditating like the weak and fearful do. Had this Kiso affected his mind ? Boo was sure he would sent him away like his own people had done, he did not trust in him and would not allow this human to make him a coward.. Most likely this strange young man was about to attack him... the thought came like lightning. Kiso sensed the change in his Padawan aura even before he saw the gungans ears, the so called haillu, move cautiously. Boo listened attentively to find out about the humans position. He prepared for combat... Kiso sensed that Boo Dan Danga had thought happy thoughts. He was pleased but he was unsure why Boo Dan Danga had prepared for combat. "My Padawan, why have you prepared for combat? There is no problem. Relax." Boo was kind of frightened hearing his masters words. How did Kiso come to know about his intensions ? He blinked surreptiously to catch a glimpse on his master.. and saw him standing calmly in another part of the room, he didn’t look like somebody who would attack from behind, Boo decided. Kiso had to be a very wise man, he really had affected Boos mind, but only with his most welcome, soothing tranquillity. Padawan. Boo didn’t know what this word actually meant, but it felt like something positive, it felt like Kiso had taken responsibility for him.. he would not let him down. These thoughts in his head Boo cleared his mind from disturbing fears and anger, he reflected about responsibility. How did it feel like to be responsible for others ? It sometimes was a burden but more often it was great joy. He remembered the days out with the young ones. Boo had to watch after them while they played in the forest so none of the youngsters would get lost or fell a victim to some beast. They always tried to escape his sight but in the end they were happy about the elder around, they had trust in him. Would it be similar to be a Jedi ? He didn’t know much but he had heard some tales about those great knights who were said to protect the galaxy from evil. They took responsibility, not only for their friends and family but for everybody who was in need of protection. He sometimes had watched the kids playing Jedi and Sith. They had taken boughs as sabres and fought duels against one another. Boo smiled slightly. At that time he had regarded those stories as fairy-tales, nothing more than nice bedtime stories - now they happened to be real and he maybe even was about to become a part of them. He couldn't think of any greater adventure. For the first time he was nearly happy things went this way. Kiso noticed that Boo Dan Danga was shocked that he could read his thoughts. Maybe his Padawan didn't have a vast knowledge of the living force. "Boo Dan Danga, I knew what you were thinking by the ways of the force. In time, you will possess such skills." The gungan blinked again.. then opened on of his eyes. "Boo’s sufficient, masta." He nearly smiled at Kiso. Boo felt at ease now and was much more relaxed than before. "Mesa may look again ?" He opened the other eye as well. "What's da force, master Kiso ?" Deeply interested Boo lifted his ears imperceptibly, he wouldn’t miss any word now spoken. Kiso stared at Boo Dan Danga and smiled. He was pleased that his Padawan had asked this question. It would improve his knowledge if the correct answer was given to him. "Well, the force is an energy that binds the galaxy together and flows through us all. There are also two alliances of the force: Light-Jedi, and Dark-Sith. And you and I, are on the light side. The light is good, and the dark is pure evil." Boo listened to his masters words attentively and thought about them for a while. He repeated the first two sentences in his mind and took them to heart. 'You and i, are on the light side'.. there it got more difficult - his master was a brave man to say so, Boo thought on this one, for he even was not so sure if he was on either side. 'The light is good, and the dark is pure evil.' Boo reflected about what experiences he had concerning light and dark. There firstly were day and night. Sure he liked the warm sunlight but he had enjoyed the nights as well. The dark and quiet nights, when mist clouds lay over old mother swamp, that was the time to go out hunting or secretly meeting a beautiful gal. He had never seen evil in the darkness, but he had never reflected a lot about good or evil anyway. Was there evil in hunting ? Not in general. The gungan nourished from plants, beasts and fishes, they didn't kill for pleasure or profit, at least they didn't, before they knew creds, that was, what some of the elders said. If there was evil, it did not derive from the natural darkness of the night, but from (hu)mans greediness and grudge... and even this was not, what he would call the pure evil - his master must have meant something else. How would he divide light from dark and good from evil ? Wasn't darkness just the absence of light ? And evil just the absence of responsibility ? Could there really exist anybody who cared for everything.. or nothing at all ? Were these people called Jedi and Sith ? Kiso mentioned them as the 'two alliances of the force'. That sounded pretty much like an everlasting duel between angels and demons.. a theme found in many an old story or newer holonet game. What would happen, if either side would win ? Could that ever be ? He didn't think so - both sides would be same in strength he guessed - but how would this galaxy look like without light.. or without dark ? Boo couldn't imagine. He called himself to concentrate, but his thoughts went in circles... "Masta ?" he asked insecure "Could those alliances ever exist widout one another ? What happn'd if one side would win ? Would dis galaxy still exist then ?" Kiso thought hard. He wasn't to sure how to explain it clearly to his Padawan. "Well, I suppose that the light side would not need the dark side to survive and vice versa. The light side is just good people, but they defend others from the bad people on the dark side. And the galaxy would still exist, even if there were no alliances in the force." Kiso hoped he had made it clear to his Padawan. He had asked an important question, which was a challenge to answer it probably. "All right masta, me got dis." Boo was still a picture of attentiveness. "So being Jedi means protecting people. No harm to da galaxy.." He was kind of relieved about that but still wondered who could decide about the good or the bad in people. Wasn't there light and shadow in everybody ? Boo knew he was no saint. He was aware of his inner darkness.. his anger and cruelty lurking in some hidden cave beyond his consciousness. He'd met them before. They'd been his comrades when things got too hard.. and had led him to hurt the ones he loved. Realizing desperation welling up at this thought he put it aside and breathed deeply... 'you can't make things undone, concentrate on the moment' he admonished himself. Was he part of the dark side ? Nay, he felt no thirst for revenge, no longer.. he wanted to redress the damage done, for there derived not much confidence from the fear in a friends eyes. First of all if he wanted to protect others, he would have to protect them or even his self from his own shadow.. it was like Kiso had said from the outset: 'you shouldn't take it out on innocent people'. But what was this shadow that came over him sometimes, darkening his inner sky like an eclipse of the sun ? Like a thunderstorm of disappointment and anger that woke the urge to destroy, to cause pain. When would he want to cause pain to others ? Boo remembered the day he'd had the rumpus with Cay Jai Reets. The boy had offended him by saying he was a coward for he wouldn't dive from the highest place like all the others. Boo had felt hurt and was afraid the other boyos would laugh at him... then he got angry and during the following fight nudged Cay in a way that broke two of the boys ribs. Well, here we go again.. thunderstorm. Now he was older and trained as a warrior. If he'd take out his personal thunderstorm on somebody it would run out on a hard, maybe deadly fight.. and he would never be able to make anything undone. When the storm was gone he might feel sorry, like he did now, but that would be too late. So anger probably wasn't a good guide. He would have to avoid anger and be attentive to find out where it derived from... He kept that in mind. He recalled his surroundings and opened his eyes. He wouldn't want to let Kiso wait too long. There were some other things he wanted to know.* "You said, you read me mind by da ways of da force." Boo wondered, if Kiso now knew about all the things he'd reflected about. "How can da force help ya doing dis ?" "Hmmm." Another tricky question. How would Kiso explain this one? He thought hard. Hopefully his Padawan understand his answer. "Well, I have been trained in the ways of the force so I understand it and can use it at my own will, but only if necessary. So, I can look into your mind, and see what you think. Do you understand that my Padawan ?" Boo desired to understand his masters words. He decided to dress
up his answer in his own words to see if he had catched the meaning.
Okee-Dee, he thought, somebody had taught Kiso and he had achieved
an above average understanding of this energy that binds the galaxy
together. "Me repeat in me own words so ya can judge..", said the
gungan frowning with concentration. "Somebody's trained ya
'n made ya achieve a deep undastandin' of da energy dat binds everything
together. Therefore ya able to read and affect dis forcee. 'cause
da energy flows through all of usn, ya can read me mind... n' maybe
even edit it.." The gungan didn't seem happy about his conclusion. Kiso could sense his Padawans fear and distrust shoot up.. Boo was getting angry.. he wanted to attack.. but another part of his consciousness called attention to the fact, that Kiso had obviously done nothing wrong, he'd much more done nothing at all. What was happening ? Boo tried to elucidate his feelings. He reviewed the situation in detail. He had realized Kiso might be able to affect his mind and thought he would not be able to defend in this case. So Kiso was a menace. Incorrect.. he regarded Kiso as a menace. Being a warrior his ordinary reaction upon menaces was aggression. But would this be beneficial in this case ? Unlikely.. What could happen in the worst case ? The human could prove an enemy and affect his mind in a way that made him a slave to Kiso's will. This possibility was really nasty ! But was it likely ? If Kiso really planned to do such, he wouldn't give trouble teaching him about the force and it's alliances. Boo decided to take the risk. Somehow he liked the way in which Kiso called him.. Padawan.. whatever it meant exactly, it sounded positive. He was keen to find out more about his master. He tried a smile. "Tink me understood, master Kiso ? Me wants to learn about all these things..." Kiso sensed that his Padawan was worried about his answers. He had to reassure him. "You were right ,"it was a very good answer, so don't worry. And yes, I was once a Padawan myself. It means to be trained in the ways of the force. Now, any more questions?" "Lots of questions, master, a whole lot.. firstly me would like to know some more about yous" Boo frowned. "Yous sure sense i put no much trust in yous or ya fellow humans.. me can't help dat. Mesa been trained to be cautious... Me thinks ya know quite some things about me, and me just knows ya come from Dantooine and have been trained in da ways of da force.. ya a knight ya said. Is Dantooine dis planet wid no water by the way ?" Kiso listened carefully to his padawan's questions. He had to make sure he understood what his padawan was saying, understanding the Gungan language was a difficult challenge. "Well, you want to know about me. I was born and raised on the planet Dantooine, like you mentioned. You will have to tell me later how you knew. My father was a Jedi Knight and I grew up with him. And, I'm not quite sure whether Dantooine has no water, it has been so long since I was last there." "'I am native to the planet Dantooine', was what you said to me, master. Me keeps listening to ya.. dat’s me way to read da force." Boo smiled openly. "But why did ya leave your native planet, master ? What for did ya come to Naboo ?" "I came to Naboo for Jedi training. I wanted to help defend the innocent. I would've continued my training with my father, but he was too old. But he gave me his lightsaber for luck. Now, anything else, questions?" Kiso waited for his padawan's reply. He was sure that the gungan would have more questions. "Is Naboo somethin' like a special place for da Jedi ? Or did you come here to meet .. a certain person ?" Boo frowned. He wondered if there was something about his native planet he had never been aware of. "I came to Naboo for training. As you know, The Gungan Council is based on Naboo. The Gungan Council trains young Padawans to become Jedi Knights. I did not come for any master in particular. Okay?" "Ya Okee, master. Me didn't know about da Jedi training thing to be true." Boo really seemed a bit embarrassed about his own nosiness, ".. but 'cuse me, guess me asked enough for know. Mesa ready to go on with whatever you planned for this morning." The Gungan was looking at Kiso excitedly. "Okay, end of questions from you then. Now, you must of came for Jedi training, so I'll ask you a few questions now. Firstly, tell me why you wish to become a Jedi." Kiso waited patiently. He wondered how his Padawan would do in the questions. 'Oh, Oh' Boo thought. 'Now it's getting critical..'. Boo felt this was an important, perhaps the most important question he had to answer. To himself and to his master. And it was especially hard, for he had never thought about the mere possibility of becoming a Jedi before. "This will take me a little time, master Kiso." The stories he had heard about referred to the Jedi as knights
of some kind of ancient and mysterious order. Brave hearted men
and sometimes even women who were able to perform great miracles
by using.. well the force, like Kiso had explained some minutes
ago. There might be a ritual answer to this question, Boo thought,
but he had no glue how it sounded. He felt his heartbeat accelerating.
His next words could determine his future life. He was able to use the force he knew by know. But he wasn't able to do it at his will, like his master. It rather felt like the force had used him after all. It had come over him with anger and.. fear. The few furious outbreaks he had experienced had been upturning. A strange might flowing through his body lending him an indescribable power over other people - an exciting and attractive feeling. 'That's the dark side' he realized. 'It means might and power over people' he recalled the feeling - strong like a god, who came down on others like thunder.. it felt attractive.. but.. cold. And there was the other thing.. the feeling after the anger had
gone. When he realized what he had done, leaving him helpless facing
the catastrophe... 'Destruction, fear and anger' he thought 'that's
not the way me want to go'. "Good answer, my Padawan." Kiso smiled at his Padawan. "Now, your second question: Have you ever encountered or heard of the Sith?" Kiso thought this question would be hard for Boo Dan Danga. He doubted that a Gungan like him would've heard of the Sith, let alone encounter one. Nevertheless, Kiso waited patiently for his padawan's answer, whether it was negative or not. Boo had held his breath. He had been full of tension whether his master would accept his answer or not. Now he saw him smiling he felt great relief. He felt he was on the right way by now. "Me heard what you told me about them.. and me heard some tales 'bout them before. Dey must use the force me thinks, but in this other way.. with aggression and anger. Bringing nothing but grief and destruction to their fellow beings." He fell silent as an uneasy feeling came back upon him. "And maybe me even encountered kind of..," he gulped. "Master Kiso, please.. me don't wanna be like them." The gungan moved uneasily. He was very concerned. Kiso could read his mind, he would know the truth about him.. Boo prayed his master would help him although he had once been attracted by the dark. Kiso smiled. He sensed that his Padawan was uneasy. "There's nothing to be worried of. I don't care about your past. With my help you will never have problems like that. Now, tell me whether you have encountered the Sith? I just want to know whether you know anything about them." Boo began to like the human.. it had been a long time since somebody
had smiled on him that open. 'Okee, masta' he thought to himself,
'guess i arrive in .. trustin' ya.' He decided to mention the threatening
encounter he'd had three days ago.* "Can't tell whether this beast was a Sith, master Kiso, but it was a huge humanoid shaped foreigner, covered with brown fur and wielding an orange double bladed lightsaber. Guess it was a wookie. Me couldn't believe how fast he spun around the sabre and there was another thing.. he was kind of throwing lightning on me.. with a furious rage. Me never saw something like dis before. After all... it could've well been a Sith.. for a Jedi wouldn't have attacked, me thinks," The warrior frowned angrily. He had scurried away like a dastard.. but in the end, that had been the only way to survive this situation. He was sure about that. "Is there any possibility to stop such a Sith, Master Kiso ? I wouldn't know how to defend them if they were attacking.. me people. And dis is a real bad feeling.." Kiso frowned when he heard about the wookie Sith. He knew about him. He had met the beast before. He was called 'Rusty.' Kiso was annoyed that the beast had hurt his Padawan. "Well, that wookie is a Sith. You must be cautious when you encounter such beings." Kiso saw his best friend Kenzo Kai enter the room. He saw him give the red sabre-as promised-to his Padawan. All Kiso had to do was find his Padawan a crystal for it. It wouldn't be too hard. "Thanks Kenzo," Kiso decided that it was now time for some sabre techniques. "Well my Padawan, since you now have a lightsaber, I can teach you how to use it. It's already ignited so that's good." Kiso ignited his blue lightsaber. "Now, some combo techniques. This is a linked slash combo. Watch me demonstrate it and then you try." Kiso slashed to the left, then the right and finally up and down. "Now you try." Kiso watched carefully. Boo rushed around as Kenzo entered the room momentarily taking an aggressive attitude until he noticed the man was a friend. A Jedi he'd encountered before.. the gungan relaxed and bent his head in respect for the knight. He was very thankful Kenzo Kai had kept his promise. He'd never expected to own a real lightsaber this soon. "Thank ya, Sir." He couldn't think of any better words to express his thankfulness
so he just took the mysterious red gleaming weapon with great respect
then turned to his master to watch his demonstration. 'A linked
slash combo.. whoa - he's starting wid da easy things' Boo thought
ironically but instantly tried to perform the same movement.. first
in his mind, then by moving the sabre. "That's good my Padawan, keep trying and remember: practice makes perfect." Kiso watched his Padawan gradually get better with his sabre techniques. He wasn't ready yet though, to try a new combo. But after he had perfected this one, they would move on to other combos. Kiso continued to watch his Padawan practice and gave advice when needed. Boo kept training the pure slashes, then advanced to the combo. He practiced with deep concentration but still felt uncomfortable with this light weighted, gleaming thing. After some time he tried to gain some more velocity within the combo.. He brought up the sabre, slashed to the left, then to the right, faster than before.. brought it up with a too powerful move then lost control about the weapon and hit the ceiling, leaving an ugly black spot where the sabre hit the surface. "Cr.. this thing burns stone !" Boo glared at the sabre with kind of horror, then recovering from the shock gave you an apologizing look, "Sorry, masta... perhaps me rather go out for training." Kiso wasn't annoyed, but he knew his Padawan did need space to practice. "Okay, we'll go outside to train. Yes, the lightsaber can burn through stone, in fact, it can burn through any material, with the exception of another lightsaber blade. And your lightsaber is red, which represents the Sith. I shall obtain a blue crystal for your lightsaber. Then it will be the same colour as mine. Now lets go outside." Kiso and his Padawan walked outside of the academy, onto the grassy meadows of Naboo. "Now try again. Keep practicing until perfection. I shall return shortly with a crystal for your lightsaber. I shall want to see a demonstration of the combo when i return. See you later." Kiso walked back into the academy, in search of a blue crystal. Boo was glad Kiso wouldn't rebuke on him for the damage and followed his master outside. He was impressed and a bit frightened as Kiso told him that no material could hold back this blade of light. His master mentioning his red glowing sabre represented the Sith he nearly let go on the weapon. "Whut ? Dis a Sith sabre.." he asked, his eyes widening with shock, "but then it's contaminated by their weird deeds.." Boo hastily lowered the blade and was searching a way to turn it off. "Maybe there's still dark forces in dis weapon. Everything leaves it's tracks.." he explained his actions. Kiso had to persuade him there was no darkness clinging to that weapon and promised to go for another crystal while Boo should continue training. Reluctantly Boo ignited the sabre. He looked at the blade suspiciously but when he sensed and saw nothing bad, kept training the combo in order to get used to the sabre. If the Sith were attacking with lightsabres, what was likely, there would be no other possibility to face them.. Kiso had been searching for a crystal for a while. He didn't know it would be so hard to find one. He then remembered that crystals were found on planets, not in the academy. But maybe someone had a spare one. Kiso walked over to a Jedi he had never met before, who was just getting out of a ship. "Excuse me sir. I sense that that you have just be to another planet. Did you happen to find a spare blue crystal?" The Jedi nodded and searched his pocket. He revealed a shiny blue crystal and placed it in Kiso's palm. "Here you go." "Thanks a lot, Jedi. May the force be with you." Kiso headed back outside of the academy. He went outside and saw his Padawan practicing very hard. "Ah, my Padawan. I see you have been practicing hard. Now dis-ignite your sabre and replace the red crystal with this one." Kiso placed the blue crystal in his padawan's hand. "Well, try it out." Kiso watched his Padawan do as he said. Boo was lucky and kind of relieved to get rid of the weird red gleam which had intrigued him in a harassing way. After re-igniting the sabre it shone in a wonderful, soothing light blue. "Whoa, dat's great..," he beamed with joy, "much betta dan before now. Thank ya, masta." He took position to demonstrate the slash combo he had been practicing the whole morning now and was doing quite well. "Mesa will get better wid da blue one." He smiled, then lowered the sabre. "Uhm, masta.. don't wanna be gally or so, but mesa quite hungry by now.. couldn't we get somethin edible frum somewhere ?" he asked cautiously. [...] "Now show me the combo." Boo ignited his sabre. Having been a 'soldier' for about two years he had no problems with fast meals or rather with the training afterwards. 'Yay, it's blue' he thought once again, then tried to recall the slashes he had been training most of the morning. Left, right, up and down he led the blade and it wasn't too bad for the first day. "How can me improve speed, masta ? Is deres sumting wrong wid da way me hold it ?" "Well, it depends how you hold it. Two handed slashes are powerful, but one handed slashes are fast. If you use the force correctly. You can release it into your hands to increase the power and speed. Now try again." Kiso watched carefully. Boo by now took the sabre with his right hand and tried the combo like this. It was speedier than before but less controlled. "What ya mean by use da force correctly," he asked. "The force is the energy that binds the galaxy together, like I told you before. Do you want me to teach you the ways of the force and some techniques of it now, and do the sabre handling later?" "Me does remember every word you said," Boo instantly answered. "When ya tell me da sabre handling improves with correct use of da force me suppose me should learn dis first. Yay, teach me sometin about da force, masta." "Okay. I shall teach you about the force. Well, the force flows through you, as it does everyone else. It is a powerful energy that can be used to great . . . and evil. First, you must realise your force potentional. Now sit down and meditate, I will too. As we do this, I shall guide you and give you advice as we go long." Kiso sat down and began to meditate. Boo disignited his sabre and sat down as well. 'Again meditation' he thought with an inner sigh 'aargh, me gotta watch me thoughts' he then thought 'damn shit damn fuckin' kaadu crap bantha podoo, now he knows what me thinks'. The big gungan blushed. 'What an embarrassing day, all da little kids around wield their sabre thingys better than me does.. and me even don’t manage to calm down me mind. Tan Tal Natah gimme tranquillity.' prayed he silently and the constant repetition of these words brought calmness into his thoughts. He then opened his mind to his masters advice.* Kiso and his Padawan meditated calmly. Kiso guided his Padawan along the way. "Feel the force, let it flow through you. Clear your mind and relax. Tell me when you can feel it." Boo managed to relax his body and mind for some minutes. He tried to feel the flowing force.. but felt nothing. He tried hard to stay calm and relaxed, he wanted to succeed and tried even a bit harder but this wasn't the right way. The more he tried the less it worked out right. He felt his knees and back aching and his thoughts came up like waves from the wind. He wasn't used to meditation and he couldn't believe this was useful for a warrior. "Me don't feel nutting, masta, just pains," he answered after a long time. Kiso wasn't sure how to explain how to feel the force. "Well, clear your mind. Don't think about anything else than this. Concentrate on what you are doing. Relax and be at peace. Tell me what happens then." Kiso wasn't sure whether he had explained it well. It was hard to try to make his Padawan understand. "Well but, me does nutting, just sittin' heres.. Ya mean me shall concentrate on sittin heres ?" Boo's face was an expression of unbelief. He sure wanted to understand and do things right but this seemed odd. "Dat can't be all. Isn't dere some trick or sumeting ?" Kiso continued his meditation and kept his eyes closed. "My Padawan, just continue to meditate. You have peace with the force, now make it your ally through meditation." Boo was a bit frustrated but it seemed there would be no further instruction than this so he closed his eyes and recalled the image of water.. this was the picture that had brought most tranquillity to his mind. He imagined his upcoming thoughts as waves on a lake and just let them come and go. After some time the waves became smaller and lower and after some more time they were really faint. Boo felt the warm sun on his naturally cool skin but there was something else.. Kiso noticed that his Padawan was relaxing. He was pleased with his progress. "Keep relaxed. Feel the force." Kiso kept his advice short and simple. He didn't want to distract his Padawan too much. Boo tried to connect to the living energy all around him. One after the other he let go on all the disturbing fears and hopes that had occupied his mind and slowly he felt one with .. everything. There were no limits any longer only peace and tranquillity. Kiso was pleased with his padawan's progress. He was doing very well now. "You're doing good now. Feel the force. Let it guide you through the meditation." Boo sensed his masters presence. A pleasant, positive presence. It stood in harmony with the force. The force.. what a feeling. Everything seemed to make sense by now. It felt like finally understanding the ways of the universe. There were no more questions. Everything was already there. It always had been.. deep within him and all around. Boo recognized his masters voice. A soothing sound full of peace and tranquillity. He felt this was the right way. He let the force be his guardian and let the meditation get deeper, the connection stronger. Kiso was very pleased now. His Padawan was doing very well now. "Good, good. Now dive into the force, feel it and let it guide you through the meditation." Diving was a very good advice to the gungan. Voluntarily Boo followed his masters instruction and enjoyed the peaceful, harmonious feeling to be one with the force. He finally put away all the reluctance he used to feel against the meditation and let the force be his guide. He sent a warm feeling of thankfulness towards the human who had rendered possible this wonderful experience. Kiso sensed Boo Dan Danga was getting the right idea. He was doing
very well in his meditation now. Kiso felt that Boo Dan Danga was
grateful for Kiso's advice. Kiso sent a force message to his Padawan:
*'You're doing well, keep it up. Much appreciated for your thanks.' What was this ? Boo got his masters message.. not through his ears.. but directly INSIDE his mind. What a miracle ! And Kiso was content with him.. a pleasant feeling. 'And now.. look inside me self ?' Boo was unsure.. a little afraid. What would he find within his self ? He had thought he had already discovered the true nature of the force. Would it really be necessary to explore the depths of his being ? What if he woke up something.. ? Kiso sensed that Boo Dan Danga was afraid and nervous. "There is peace inside, young one. Look inside yourself and find the force flowing inside you." Kiso hoped that his advice would help Boo Dan Danga feel the force. At the moment, his Padawan couldn't find it whatsoever. Boo pulled his self together. His master was near.. even if there was something he couldn't handle.. Kiso would be able to.. at least Boo hoped so. He relaxed and let go his sorrows to find back to the deep meditation he had been in before. Again he became one with his surroundings - there was peace all around.. Now he would have to allow this feeling to possess his whole being.. to drop all barriers he had build up during the years. It was a difficult task.. Boo sensed there was something deep inside of him that wasn't peaceful at all. It was as if there were demons of anger and revenge lurking within the deep hidden caves of his unconsciousness.. dozing.. but only waiting for the right moment to rise up and break trough the limits of his self control. Boo felt it wouldn't be a solution to fight them.. they would only get stronger and stronger with every slash he made and every barrier he erected. Would he be able to climb down there to pacify them ? Boo outstretched his mind to touch his masters presence 'Can you be wid me to where me have to go now, Kiso ?' he asked imploringly but already knowing somehow that he would have to face this trial all alone. Kiso sensed his padawan's uncertainty. Kiso sent a force message to him for reassurance:-*'You must do this task alone. I cannot help you. Find the force yourself. 'So must it be. 'In death we're all one' Counsellor Goods had inflected a known proverb one day. Boo couldn't remember the context but he had kept this in mind for no apparent reason. What should happen ? He could find the force or he could miss... nothing else. It was hard to let go on all the doubts that wanted to bother his
mind. But finally Boo suceeded and became one with his surroundings..
the third time. But there still was a kind of barrier.. between
his inner beeing and the world all around him. A barrier that seemed
to keep the force from flowing right throuh him. The shape of a ruin appeared out of the misty night of his unconsciousness.
'Let go on all ya hopes as ya enter', was written above the rotten
door that was guarded by horrible creature, glaring at him out of
fiery eyes. It was the temple of his soul.. a ruin, bearing the
signs of many lost battles. He was strolling though dark and deserted places. He doubted he would succeed in finding the force in this ugly, inhospitable place.. and scary creatures gathered all around. Ghosts, demons and fallen angels thirsty for fresh blood. 'Hopefully dey won't attack.' lingered a thought through the place.. and the demons grew bigger. 'Where can me hide from dis', followed another thought and the beasts got stronger. 'Pah, me will kill just all dem bastards' came up a hateful and desperate thought and the now huge monsters attacked. Boo got out his lightsaber, a wonderful blue blade, and attacked the dark creatures of his soul. He slashed the first beast right through the neck.. but in place of the lost head there were growing two horrible heads immediately. He attacked more furiously but with every slash he made the army of darkness seemed to become stronger and stronger and his own, wonderful bluish blade became red from the splattering blood that seemed to stick to the light of his weapon. Desperately Boo was thinking for a solution. Finally he remembered his masters words. Peace. Peace should be the solution. Reluctantly Boo disignited his lightsabre and just sat down in midst all the demons. He was still frightened but tried to calm down his fears. These were the creatures of his soul. Created from his own private darkness he realized by now. The dark creatures calmed down as he overcame his hatred. They formed a circle all around him and laid down on the ground. It took him a whole lot of time to understand that he had just been fighting against himself. The only way would be to pacify the weird demons. So he asked them for their names starting with the first rather small one. A furry little creep. 'Me name is 'lost in da forest', the ugly beast answered. 'Me was born when ya first lost ya way and felt left all alone full of fear.' Boo remembered the situation. 'Me don't need ya no longer, little one, me now knows dat deres nothing to fear out in the woods,' said he and the little fur ball turned to light, illuminating the dark cave a faint bit. He continued like this asking some more demons for their name and history. He remembered every single situation, fear, anger, pride and tears. One after the other he pacified them and the turned to bright light filling and renewing the temple of his soul. There still were a lot of ugly, frightening ghosts around when Boo finally felt too tired to go on. He would have to return to the conscious world by now and come back to go on with his job when he had recovered from all these deep experiences. 'Me will come back here to redeem all of you, me promise,' he smiled. He had never made a promise to his self like this. As he stood up he could feel a strange but peaceful force flowing through the rooms. A reassuring lightful force full of peace and tranquillity. Boo felt joy. This was the inner peace his master had been talking of. He finally understood the meaning of Kiso's words. Suddenly he felt like rising up from the depths of a deep lake. He was back to the conscious world, shivering and tired but very lucky. He had been meditating for hours now - sometimes crying, sometimes drawling and finally very calm for a long time - the sun was already going down. Boo looked around to make sure whether his master was still there. Kiso sensed what his Padawan had achieved, he had watched Boo Dan Danga's amazing journey of confronting his fears and problems in life. He had overcome most of them, but not all. They would have to continue meditation at a later date. "You can stop now." Kiso got up from the meditation, likewise his Padawan did also. "Well, I'm very impressed of what you have achieved in these last few hours. You will have to continue meditation by yourself sometimes though. To finish what you have started today. Now, did you feel the force? Or do you need more meditation to finally find it?" Boo was exhausted but very happy. Kiso had been with him.. all the way. He hadn't left. It was a good feeling and he was thankful for his masters patience. Though the husky gungan appeared to be rough and self-conscious he had been afraid of being left alone after his clan had rejected him.. and he still was. But he put some trust in this human by now. "Me tanks ya, Master Kiso," said he with an expression
of deep gratefulness, "me felt a bit of da forcee, but me still
got a lotta work to do and me guess me will have to do it again
and again." Boo looked his master straight in the eyes. "Yous
shown me a way be now.. and me wanna go it," he added in a
determined manner. Then he started to stretch away the aches and
stiffness he felt after hours of meditation. "Me'd luv t'invite
ya to a nice gungan place in honour of da day...," he frowned,
"but it wouldn't be a good idea mes afraid.. at least not now."
Together they went back to the academy. Boo wouldn't be able to attend to any more teachings by today, his journey had cost him a lot more power than he had realized in first place. He even was too tired for diner what meant a lot considering his usual appetite. When Kiso showed him a place to stay Boo immediately laid down and fell asleep.. showing none of his usual suspicious behaviour. *Kiso saw his Padawan had gone to sleep. The Gungan had worked hard today, he deserved the rest. Kiso too, went to sleep. But he went to his own place, not where his Padawan slept. It would not be less than a few days until they continue the training. (Training another day) Kiso had told him he would need some time and rest to work up his new experiences and he had been perfectly right. Boo had had bad nightmares which wouldn't let him find the needed rest. Long forgotten memories kept rising from his unconsciousness after this deep meditation. His inner journey had woken up all the critters he had raised during the years and now they came back for him. It was a hard time and after three days Boo decided to travel to the gungans sacred place. Hidden in the swampy foothills of Gallo Mountains, the sacred place was a haven of worship for the Gungans and a sanctuary in times of trouble. He had asked his master for his allowance and promised to be back after three more days. So he was. A lot calmer by now. He still hadn't been able to continue the work he had begun a week ago but was feeling strong enough and to go on with the training by now. He entered the academy to report back to his master. It was a feeling like in the old days.. after coming home from manoeuvre or something. He shook of the thought momentarily. There was no old days.. no longer. These times were dead and gone. Only the branding on his right upper arm was still telling about his former life. 'GAF' it said 'loyal beyond death'. Boo found his master practicing in one of the dojo's. He approached silently and knelt down to watch Kiso's sabre techniques. It was amazing how fast the young man moved his blade. Almost too fast to follow the movements with his eyes. 'He sure is a master' ,Boo thought admiringly, 'Tis good to be his ..Padawan'. Kiso stopped his practice and saw his Padawan arrive once again. "Ah, you have returned my young Padawan learner. So how was your journey? Did you get any more meditation done?" Kiso hoped his Padawan would answer his questions with a positive answer. He hoped Boo dan Danga had not gotten into any trouble while he was on his own. Boo smiled. He always did when Kiso called him young one or young Padawan. After all he was some years older than his master but master Kiso probably referred to something like experience in the force and here Boo indeed was a very young one. "Be greeted master Kiso," answered the gungan, "'t's been helpful to be out in da wild an alone wid me self, but me's.. far from finished wid da thing me started. Had to cope wid dis first experiences still." The truth was that he hadn't even tried to get down there again.. he had had enough from the demon party for now but he wouldn't tell. This 'look into me self' meditation stuff seemed to be a bit.. safer.. when Kiso was around so he had just practiced the easier 'open up for your surroundings' style and enjoyed the wonderful untouched nature down in the Lianorm swamps. At least hadn't caused any trouble.. but being all alone in the forests and swamps this had been no great effort. Kiso sensed that Boo was worried about the meditation. "Boo, you don't need to be worried about the meditation. After all, I'm here and i will advise you. Now, let's do some more meditation." Kiso sat down cross-legged on the carpeted floor of his training quarters. He began his meditation and waited for his Padawan to do the same. 'Oh no' thought the gungan 'meditation again' but he wouldn't complain. He knew it was important to continue the thing he had started a few days ago and he would rather do it when Kiso was near so he sat down almost the same style his master did. "OK masta Kiso." Boo closed his eyes and started to clear his minds from disturbing thoughts, fears and hopes. Kiso began to meditate. He decided not to advise Boo at the moment. He wanted the Gungan to be comfortable meditating alone, for when he would teach others the same. "I will not advise you at this moment in time. Just continue like you did before." 'Dis might be a good sign. He tinks me can do it on me own.. allrightey so me will.. let's go down' Boo encouraged his self. He concentrated on his breath, let it flow deep an regularly. Breath in, breath out. Receive and let go. Let go on all thoughts, calm down, relax. He let his intuition take over. He made his peace with the surroundings and would no longer care for his mundane perception. Again he imagined his thoughts as waves on a lake. He let them roll in and away without taking hold of them. Just let go. After some time the waves got fainter until finally his minds surface lay still and crystal clear. He now dived into the water. Down into his unconsciousness where the light grew dim and everything seemed too hazy to behold. Deeper, where the light of consciousness extinguished. And still deeper - right into the land of shadows, home to the phantoms of fright. Immediately he found himself surrounded by an army of monsters. Scary Opee seakiller styled nightmares, terrific cockroach-headed visions and arachnoid bugaboos in between. 'So whut now maxi biggo warrior ?' they scoffed at him 'Yous art alone. Far away from ya home an family. Deys want ya no longa. Yous not good enough for dem.' Their derision cut through him like burning blades. The old hurt burst open once more and an unutterable pain filled his soul. 'Dey don't need ya but yous still need dem. Yous did it all wrong and can't ever do it right. Yous not good enough no matter how hard ya try. Yous carry a spot widin.' He tried to escape their attacks but they had already broken his defence, slowly they tore him to shreds. 'Where is all ya strength be now ? Yous obey to a human. Yous a dastard, yous a creep. Not even able to make it on ya own. Yous an outcast never to be a respected gungan again.' Finally there was nothing left. The bugs had eaten him all up when a fluid shadow of creation washed over the place to transform the gathering of phantoms into his new healthy and knowing body. He felt renewed. It was time to return and bring to light the fears that had been corroding his soul. He swam back to the surface and stepped into the radiant light of his conscious mind that allowed him to become aware of the fears he had carried up in this precious vessel. He called them up by their names, scanned their nature and pacified them until he had fully transformed them to light. His new body was now translucent - he had cleared away the dark barriers that had hindered the force from flowing right through him and it was now when he felt he was able to fully connect to the force all around. He was part of it and there were no limits no longer. He could sense Kiso's presence and the presences of other, more distant people as well. What a feeling. Boo sent a force message imaginating a bright ray of information shining at his master. 'Mes can feel da forcee, masta, 'tis so wonderful.'
Kiso got up from his meditation and waited for Boo to do the same. "Well done my young Padawan learner. Now, do you have confidence to use the force as a powerful ally to do some interesting force techniques. Like the Force-Jump, Force-speed, Force-Push and Force-Pull." Boo was glad. It felt good to be back to the light and he enjoyed his masters praise. He wouldn't wait for a second call to exit the meditation but opened his eyes to see a new world. Boo was very tired but his gladness wiped the exhaustion away. He had never done any meditation before he became Kiso's Padawan and it had been hard for him to face his inner darkness during the last weeks. But the things he had learned were worth the effort. It was an unbelievable adventure - the discovery of a new world. A world without fear. He slowly got up and stretched then looked at Kiso expectantly,
beaming with joy. "Ya, masta, me have confidence," he
answered determinedly. Unlike the day they had first met there was
no more hate or suspicion within his presence. Boo by now put trust
in the human. This man had shown him something extraordinary, he
had helped him to overcome his fears. He was.. a friend. Boo had
never thought he would put together these words.. 'human'.. and..
'friend'. He smiled with the realization. "Well, I am pleased that you are keen to learn. You will have to work hard and concentrate to learn this. We will do it in here. There is padding on the wall that will cushion you if you hit the wall. After all, these techniques are powerful. Now, first we will do the force-push and the force-pull. Stick your strongest hand in front of you." Kiso decided he would demonstrate the techniques so Boo would have
a decent idea of how they are done. Kiso stuck his right hand in
front of him. "Feel the force energy inside you and concentrate
it into your hand." Kiso concentrated his force energy into
his right hand. Boo got up. He was shocked. The energy had hit him strong and sent
him flying against the wall. What an unbelievable power. Now he
should be able to do the same ? To Kiso ? The gungan outstretched his right arm, hand pointing towards Kiso. He still felt the living force flowing through him and all around. Now he would have to focus it. Boo concentrated on the task. He imagined on of the blue glowing energy balls that were hurled using a atlatl, an about 1 feet long staff that increased speed and power of the missile. Boo's mind bundled an amount of force to a small bluish energy ball originating from his right hand and released a nice tiny force-push. Not powerful but perceptible however. "Well mines notta so powerful," grinned he, "guess me gotta practice." Boo was amazed. It really was possible. For him as well. Boo's force-push wasn't very powerful at all. Kiso barely moved a few inches. He wasn't displeased though. "Well, not bad for a first try. But, practice makes perfect. You'll have to keep trying. Here, I have an idea." Kiso pushed a small blue button on his wrist comm.-link and his astromech droid A3-A6 came in. "This is my droid. You can practice your force-push on him. It won't damage i if you aim at the padding. I will watch while you practice." Kiso leant on one of the walls and watched Boo practice. 'Yay tis a whole lot betta' Boo thought. He had no scruple to aim a push on the droid. So he got himself into the right position and let his mind form a nice and strong energy ball around his right hand. He focused his will power to the astromech and released the ray of concentrated force with a barely noticeable gesture. Now that it wasn't necessary to 'attack' his master the push was much more powerful and sent the droid soaring against the padding. Boo beamed with joy after he saw that the droid hadn't taken any damage. "Yay tis amazin'." Kiso nodded slowly and smiled. "Well done. That wasn't that bad. Here's some advice: Concentrate all your energy to a specific point of weakness on your target. In this situation, my droid A3-A6. Keep practicing." Kiso continued to watch his Padawan practice. The Gungan had come a long way since they first met. Kiso remembered all the anger that was in the Gungan warrior. Kiso was very proud of Boo. Boo was thankful for his masters praise and immediately started
to translate his advice into deeds. He looked at the droid attentively
to spot a weak point. It seemed the control panel was the area he
had been looking for. Kiso just smiled. "Well, that was a mighty improvement. You would only use that if absolutely necessary, like a lightsaber. It is only used when needed. Now, the force-pull. You do exactly the same except you use the energy to 'pull' you target towards you. Like this." Kiso aimed his right hand at A3-A6 and made an energy ball. He sent the energy ball towards A3-A6 and used it to pull the droid to him. "Like that. Do the same on A3-A6 and pull it towards you." Kiso leant against the wall again and watched his Padawan practice. "Yay masta, me will keep dat in mind," Boo answered seriously then watched the amazing force pull Kiso was showing to him. This seemed even more difficult to him than the push. The gungan lacked a suiting image to imagine the action. He reflected on the matter. The force filled every space.. it was all around and within him as well.. like water around a diving gungan. Water always dispensed equally across the given space - it went to empty spots.. So to pull a thing near it should be necessary to create a kind of empty space to attract the force within or around the target. Boo closed his eyes... he was very unsure about the proceeding and sat down to not loose his balance during the next minutes. He concentrated to drive out the force that flew through him. It was hard and unpleasant.. slowly he erected barriers to hinder the flow.. until the force level within was lower than that of his surroundings. He was shivering with concentration and strain as he outstretched his hand and simultaneously dissolved a small part of his inner barrier - exactly the area that faced the astromech - to allow the surrounding force-energy to grade the difference in standards and hereby pull near the droid. Boo felt the force streaming back into his body during the levelling process. He imagined the stream carrying the droid with it... then opened his eyes to see it becoming real. He swallowed.. this had been really hard, he felt very exhausted by now. Kiso smiled. He was very pleased with his padawan's progress. "Very good. That technique is certainly harder than the other one. Okay, another one now." Kiso stood up straight again. He would now shoo Boo a very useful technique. "Now, the force-jump. This will probably be the most useful to you. You will use it for means of escape in many situations. Watch." Kiso straightened up and readied himself for the move. "Okay, first you concentrate you force energy into your feet. You then jump normally but the force will push you up higher and higher. I'll do it then you." Kiso concentrated his force energy into his feet and leapt into the air so high he touched the ceiling. Kiso landed next to Boo and leant against the wall again. "See, you go very high. Now you." Boo suppressed a sigh. Kiso made an awfully high and dexterous jump without the faintest bit of effort. Being heavier and less dexterous than the young man the gungan couldn't imagine he could ever do the same. Especially not now feeling tired and slack like an old fish. Having completed a warriors education he was used to discipline though - he wouldn't allow his exhaustion hinder the progress. "Kay masta." He readied himself for the task and directed the energy to his legs. But his concentration was weak and his thoughts wandered away to the tensed spots he know felt within his muscles. As he jumped it was only the usual high and coming down he almost stumbled. Kiso frowned. He knew his Padawan could do better. "The power you put into the force-push was good. You concentrated the energy into you hands then. This time, just concentrate it into your feet. Try again." Boo had suspected his master would say something like this. He indeed was demanding discipline and obviously wouldn't let him take a rest before the task was mastered. 'Like Dub, always demandin' ya best..' Boo started to smile. He felt at home. "Ya, Sir," he straightened, suddenly in a good mood again. It couldn't be so difficult to do a nice jump. He took a deep breath and imagined being carried by a massive body of water. Not standing on solid ground but on constantly flowing, always moving energy. He then let go on his mundane thoughts but cleared his mind to unite it with the swift flow until his doubts had fully dissolved within the living energy. There is no weight, only energy - there are no physical boundaries, only the limits of a narrow mind. He aimed at the ceiling, receded fluently like the falling tide and suddenly jumped up high and effortless like a bore coming down to the ground secure and noiseless. The gungan seemed to be in a kind of trance. Moving swift and soundless like water he turned to the left, yielding.. then accelerating approached the wall.. and went up in a diagonal course before slowing down and falling back to his feet. He spun around, looking at Kiso elatedly, "t'works, masta, tis a great technique." Kiso smiled and nodded. "Yes it is. Well done. After this technique I want you to go practice by yourself for a few days. Now, force-speed. You concentrate the energy into your feet again but then run instead of jump. Like this." Kiso concentrated a lot of energy into his feet and ran as fast as he could around the room. So fast, he was invisible. Kiso skidded to a halt. "Pretty good, eh? Now you try." Kiso leant on the wall and watched Boo carefully. "Yay, more dan good, masta," Boo would have to delete the word 'impossible' from his grand dictionary of the basic language after this lesson. Being partly in 'water' mode still it wasn't as hard to widen his perception and switch back to the harmonious state of mind he had been reaching short ago. Speed. He reflected on the meaning and conditions of speed. It was something about weight, friction and the accelerative force. So as he had learned before weight had no meaning. It was just was the laziness of his unilluminated body. It could be overcome by connecting to the living force. Friction now was.. the resistance that slowed down every usual movement. As far as he knew there was no friction in space... and no weight as well... because there was no gravity. Ya, that was it. He had to escape gravity. So how do that ? After all he had understood he could overcome resistances in dissolving into them. The field of gravity was different from planet to planet. It was formed after it's individual nature. 'Let's become Naboo..' Boo dissolved into the living force to feel the spirit of the planet. He went on a quest for Naboo's nature... and fell to the ground. "Uups.. hellolo gravity." Boo grinned crookedly. The fall had broken his concentration. "Guess me gotta sit down for meditation." "Do what you must to do the technique. If you need meditation, then meditate. Do what you need to do." Kiso watched to see what his Padawan would do to use force-speed. The Gungan interested Kiso in the way that he did force-techniques and how he went about learning them. "Yay, allrighty." Now sitting Boo closed his eyes and let his mind become transparent. He felt his own body.. then focused his attention to the force that drew his mass to the ground - Naboo's field of gravity. He lifted his right arm slowly.. carefully.. sensing its weight. His hand described a smooth, fluent gesture like caressing the air. The gungan seemed to play. But still he sat there with his eyes closed, mind at rest. Boo breathed deeply. Breathing out he imagined disconnecting from gravities bonds. He was part of the living force. Pure energy. Not longer limited by physic boundaries or the walls of the unbelieving reason. Boo stood up gracefully. His movements effortless and sliding. He opened his eyes to weightlessness and started to run.. fast.. faster.. unbelievingly fast around the room dodging his master dexterously. Some seconds passed until he slowed down and came to a stop, breathing no harder than before. Boo looked down to the ground and up to the ceiling.. he then made a somersault on the unpadded floor. "Ouch," he looked up to Kiso with childish pleasure, "tis good. Tis no dream.. full reality. Wouldn't want it to be a dream, masta. Mesa so grateful.. all yous taught me.. hope me can ever do sometin for yous, Kiso." Boo Dan Danga / Kiso Hakto |