A man without a Mystery (open)

It was early morning again for Mal Konti but this day was going to be a bit different, it was his day off. One month working non-stop had put a strain on his partners and the Head healer.

Head healer two days ago....Mal your working yourself and us to death our bodies are not like yours. I know you want to keep going but let your body rest before it fails. Because we're not going to carry you around so that you can do your rounds.

Mal had started to use his special force ability to keep his body going, so yea a rest was what the doctor ordered. They did not say what kind of rest. Mal slithered to a training room large enough for him to move and was quiet enough for his training. When he arrived he found a padawaan there training instead. Lifting massive blocks around jumping and spinning to greater heights. Mal had often wished that he could do that but he settled for having an impresive regenrative body instead.

Anywho Mal came in the training room and sat down and watched the padawaan for a while. Then he remembered his reason for being their in the first place, his block training. The blocks were not just small but they were very small only a 1/16 of an inch square. He delved into the force focusing deeply and started to try to buildblock by block he went up and up nearly two feet until....... Bang and other block would fall. Not his blocks but the ones that were his size the ones that the padawaan was using. Down his would fall and scatter upon the ground at which point Mal would either sigh and start again or pick them up from the ground and use those. This went on for four more tries then Mal spoke up and asked............

Are you young one setting them or dropping them? I can't tell.How about this you try this while I do that.

As Eaon continued, the work load became more of a strain on his body. Holding three blocks now, each of various sizes and weights, Eaon aligned them above his original block, and almost happily dropped the blocks onto each other. Eaon felt sapped of energy and focus, and blinking a few times, he stood back and used the force to leap towards the top of the new stack of blocks. His exhaustion showed, and Eaon failed to complete the job barely making it far enough to just barely catch the ledge. Thirty to forty feet off the ground, Eaon closed his eyes and regained his focus, and used the force to spring off the ledge onto the top of his block, where he fell over flat on his back, staring straight up onto the roof.

Eaon was surprised he was panting, one often overlooked that training with the force was more than just mentally taxing, but it was also physically crippling before you got good at what you were doing. Eaon soon gained his breath back and propped himself up, taking a seat on the ground meditating, regaining his focus and ability to function. His next group would be four blocks and it would be incredibly difficult.

As Eaon's mind slipped into his vast sea that made up how he comprehended the force, Eaon heard a voice call out once again across the vastness. This time though it wasn't the angelic voice of Lallane, it was another voice issuing what sounded like a challenge of sorts. It was more like a question, however Eaon was the only other person in the training area and it would have been rude to ignore the person. Turning and rolling off the edge of the highest block, Eaon entered a free fall for three quarters the distance to the ground, before using the force to kick off the wall and change the direction of his motion, rolling forward along the ground until he came to a halt.

Eaon wandered around looking around the training area until he found another Jedi training. It was then and only then Eaon decided to answer the question, however first he decided to take a seat and watch the Jedi's practices for a moment. Eaon was all for taking up challenges, especially when they could only really benefit his usefullness as a Jedi, but the reason Eaon chose this particular training method was to strain himself.

"Perhaps, what is the goal of your training? I'm trying to increase my ability to use the force at a time to something significantly higher, which is why I went with my training regiment."

Mal closed his huge eye lids and stated......

The mind is a simple thing if you let it. Tossing around ton blocks with brute force strength is nothing and yet the same when the blocks are smaller than these. If you let you mind see the block you are moving as these small blocks then your progression in telekinesis will move forward. If though you can not grasp the Very idea that this block and that ton block are the same with in the force then you are just wasting force and bodily strength.

Mal moves a small pile of blocks some twenty or so and then reaches out to one of the ton blocks lifting it slowly. Clinking the small blocks together to form a reverse pyramid point down ward. All the while he rotated the ton block on one of it's corners. Then sighing he slowly lowered the ton block down to settle so softly on the ground while slowly doing the same with the micro blocks. At the end Mal was starting to breath heavily and his skin began to look glossy.

Even doing this for me is very hard, my body must be more tired than I thought. One month of doing this and working on top of that has stressed my body but yet slow progression is needed any that rushes into anything will hit the wall eventually.So only by changing how you do your training will matter the most.

Mal reaches out in the force and lifts out a water canteen. Taking a gulp Mal looks at the padawan.

Have you tried Water training? That is moving things through the water and causing little or no water movement. This focuses your mind on the subtleties of the things around you, like water for air or liquid for solid.

Mal reached into his bag and brought out a plastic cup and filled it with water. Then he stretched out in the force going deeper letting it flow back upon his being to the physical world. Then like the movement of water he flowed the force to the cup of water and moved the water out of the cup like wind upon it. He started to shake and he broke out in a cold sweat a bit more quickly than normal he released the water back into the cup to splash so that some came out due to the high of the release.

Physician heal thy self. I see the meaning behind those words. So early in the morning and I'm truly exhausted. Ninety years and still I'm learning my limits. If you want to train in this manner I would not mind giving counsel. But as for a bit my body needs rest for a few hours, I can watch and help out when you many think you need it.

Mal closed his eyes and sighed. His body sagged a bit and his head tilled to the right.

speaking through the force....While i meditate I'll still watch and guide on what I feel through the force so don't mind my body for that to is an illusion when it come to dealing with the force.

Eaon listened interested in what the Jedi said, he seemed wise and Eaon had learned that anyone who could offer you wisdom was often times best listened to. If someone gave you wisdom peacefully, then it was always in your best interest to take heed. Be it with a strategy for attacking a stronghold or in this case simply moving some blocks around with the force. Eaon couldn't say he wasn't interested too and it brought up something Eaon particularly loved and that was the philosophy of the nature of the force.

Good or bad, light or dark, the Force was in everything and the way it was was something so interesting Eaon just couldn't avoid touching it. Like a kid in a candy shop the idea of being apart of this vast entity made Eaon gitty with excitement. So much so that even before the Jedi finished explaining things and pushing the blocks over to him, Eaon had already taken a seat and had his eyes fixated on the much smaller blocks.

"I think I get what you're saying, but I'm not so sure..." Eaon said looking curiously at the blocks. Eaon held his hand out raising ten or so off the ground and attempting to assemble them into a much larger cube. From the get-go Eaon ran into some issues with the blocks. The primary one being he was still focused so much on the task he was just performing that he over used his abilities and slammed the blocks together, causing him to sling some of them around. Eaon felt a hot blush come across his cheeks as he realized what a novice he probably looked like at that particular moment.

Jedi, where always supposed to be level headed and Eaon quickly regained his composure and focus, realizing that he was not dealing with things that were so heavy. Likewise he was in a more calmed state, he didn't need to exert phsyical strength, and slowly Eaon let his arm fall back to his side, using only his mind to manipulate the blocks in mid air. Eaon started simply, hearing the Jedi's words but not focusing on his tasks. Eaon wouldn't be distracted or offset by another, he would start simply, building cubes.

After several moments of thinking and listening, Eaon managed to get the cubes he was given assembled into a massive cube, which was hard, holding them all up like that. Eaon though could do it and only put strain on himself to do so, Eaon wanted to know his limits so he could surpass them. Eaon began to do something more difficult, he started to remove every other block from the cube and using the force set it upon the ground. First one block, then a second, then a third. Four and five came by with difficulty, but on block six, Eaon lost control dropping the cube and sending all of its tiny pieces crashing to the ground.

As the blocks hit the floor, Eaon let out a sigh, both of frustration and intrigue. It was a new challenge that pushed his limits like what he'd just been doing, yet somehow it felt deeper and purer. Eaon liked that, going deeper into the force was always something Eaon liked. As a slicer liked diving deeper into systems and terminals, Eaon liked feeling deeper and more immersed in the entity known as the Force.

"I like this." Eaon said as he closed his eyes and felt the force surround him. There was only a voice asking him questions and guiding him, his own self, and the blocks that challenged him. Again Eaon picked up the blocks with the Force, this time not throwing them about like a youngling and began to reassemble his cube.

"No I haven't, but I would like to, I most closely associate the vastness of the Force with an ocean." Eaon spoke calmly as he finished his cube and began to take blocks off again. This time making a whole eight blocks before they fell to the ground again. Eaon felt himself smile, eight, that was more than last time, it either meant that Eaon would have to switch up the training style more, or Eaon was getting better. Or both, but the first option was more likely.

"How did you do that?" Eaon asked curiously upon hearing the voice in his head. It was a cool trick and Eaon wanted to learn it, it was something that likely would be useful one day to know.

Mal listened with in the force as the padawan use his force again and again, until he achieved a minor first step. He sighed. As this one was starting to grasp the base ideals of seeing every thing as the same no matter how big or small.

Thinking of the water test that Mal uses to train himself to handle moving objects with-in the body, he started by waking from his mediation. Stretching and yawning he had to wake his muscles for the next idea to give to this young one.

What is the differences between these blocks and those blocks?...waving toward the ton blocks.

He then removed a clear flask from his training bag and set it before the two of them. The flask was a foot and a half high by eight inches in diameter. Filling the flask full of water so that any movement with in the flask or the vibration from outside of it would upset the water held with in. He then lifted the flask and set it with in a tray to catch the water. Next he removed a vile of metal shards, beads, and micro cubes so small that it looked like salt. The beads were lead, the shards copper and the cubes were brass. Slowly he poured the contents into the flask and let the water run out of the flask and down the side of the flask.

Now here what is the differences, between the three things here?..... Waving his hand at the ton blocks and the metal filings in the flask.

If you master one you will master all three, but remember either one requires focus, patience and time.

Eaon watched as the rather boring slug of a creature continued to slither around babbling about tests. He seemed like he was an elitist amongst Force Users. It seemed to be a common problem, everyone looked at how much more they knew in comparison rather than how little they knew in comparison to all things. True the Jedi knew more than Eaon did, however he was older, and if he'd spent his entire life in search of the greater knowledge and some how knew less than Eaon, it would have made him a failure as a Jedi.

"Again you ask a question that can be answered in two ways Master. To me, these blocks are smaller and require more individual focus. To the force they are the same, however as Jedi we are the medium, those born with the highest connections between the world of the Force and our own. To say weight nor size doesn't matter is to deny reality, however to ignore the Force's ability to nullify these rules is to deny who we are." Eaon said humbly though he was honestly feeling like he needed a bit of a debate. When it came to debates of skill in combat, it was one thing Eaon would almost always win. Unorthidox, and for someone who didn't know him terrifying beyond words until they figured out how to fight back. In the sense of where things are in the world of the Force though, some people might look on Eaon's thoughts to be wrong in general, that all is the force. However that being said others might think that the force is a tool existing merely for the use of the Jedi or Dark Jedi. In Eaon's case he believed that the Jedi were more gifted beings of the force, and due to this gift they could harness a tiny fraction of its power and that be it Great Jedi or Great Sith lords, they were arrogant to assume they had anything above a tiny amount of power.

Regardless of the answer, Eaon watched patiently as the Jedi dropped several tiny metal bits into a flask of water. Eaon felt his hope of a quick lesson melt away rather quickly, those things were tiny and he could quickly see that this would be a learning experience that could take awhile. True Jedi were taught to be serene and patient, however Eaon enjoyed a much more quick and assertive method. You either do or you don't, and Eaon hated the "don't" option.

"They're so small they're hard to focus on for starters." Eaon said as he looked into the flask disappointed in that it would take so long to get anything done. Eaon set the flask down on the floor in front of him and then sat down likewise. Closing his eyes the world melted away as did time and space and before Eaon in his mind's eye existed only a drop of water containing grains of sand. Up till now Eaon could only normally focus in this deep and he had to focus on some how getting deeper in the force. The question is though, what was deeper than total submersion? The more and more Eaon tried to sift through the water the harder it got. At one point Eaon had one of the tiny pieces separated so that he could pull it out, however Eaon chose not to believing that that was not the answer to the task at hand. What did the Hutt have in mind?

Was it the words 'deny who we are' or was it his lack of focus due to the constant mental an physical strain. Mal snapped even as the padawan was working on the flask. He twisted away from the padawan standing upon his massive tail and flung himself at the ton blocks. They scattered like the small blocks upon the table near the flask. Mal could feel the held anger building with in him. He tried to focus it away from himself and the padawan. All Mal could do was roar in rage.

Yelling to himself.....Deny ones self? That's what I've been doing for all my life. Denying that I'm a hutt. I've have seen and heard many times the looks and the whispers of 'Why did they let a hutt in here? Aren't they not the bad guys. You better watch him he'll snap and eat you youngling.

Mal lifted one block by his brute strength alone another the raised into the air. Then he threw the one he held at the one in the air, the two slamming together and falling to the ground. Never before had he felt this way the darkness was creeping upon him until a door slammed with-in his mind and everything went silent. Did he take control of his emotions? No. He had simple spent what energy he had left. As his mind shut down his body still twitched and he started to cry.

Mal had finally broke two weeks of constant strain upon his mind had finally taken it's toll upon the sorry Hutt of a being.

Somewhere nearby in the Ocean of existence that was the Force the normally warm, comforting waters of the vast eternal ocean grew cold. The Jedi was in pain, it was probably something Eaon said, but if that's all it took then that's all it took. Eaon had other things to focus on at least for the time being. There was a tiny lead piece that Eaon had managed to focus in on and was now experimenting with.

Eaon was in a paradox having to move one thing and all things at the same time without knowing what they are and what they aren't. It wasn't a fun thing to have to do, in fact it was frustrating. Eaon could move the tiny piece up and down and left and right, but some how grasping all the other pieces seemed to be an issue. Using a power that saw everything the same, how could he determine difference? In a world blind to difference then was there really difference at all? If there was no difference than was the task merely to convince Eaon that everything was the same? That wouldn't make sense though as the now over bearing Hutt was being proof of enough. He could not do combat, he could not ever serve on the front lines of a battle. The Hutt would be lucky to ever serve outside of the Temple, yet in what he did, he seemed to have discovered the answer to a riddle that now Eaon couldn't even figure out enough to find out what the question was.

Eaon pulled himself from meditation, the waters near him had become cold and murky and Eaon didn't like that. Coming into focus towards the end of the Hutt's tantrum Eaon stood and turned to see the Hutt crying. Letting out a soft sigh, Eaon stood from where he was, and walked over to the Hutt placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Contrary to what the council says, Anger while dangerous is not a bad thing, better to burn it out on the blocks than burn it out on someone else." Eaon said, he wasn't a denier of the nature of beings. All things felt pain, and all knew anger and sorrow, it was how they controlled it. The Jedi excelled at controlling these more dangerous emotions, yet even they could cause immense power if left untouched and bottled up. "Whatever you're thinking, I can only feel a bit of it. But I get the feeling I should tell you that whatever doubt you feel, or whatever haunts your thoughts you should know you're exceptional at what you do. I can't even figure out the point of the test you just gave me, you not only figured it out you from the sounds of it mastered it. Whatever your destiny is or purpose is, that was decided by the force and it transcends our physical presence, only you will be able to live that."

Slowly Mal rowsed himself hearing the comforting words of the padawan. The padawan was right on this reguard and Mal wanted to give this one the insight of a Healer's mind. Doing so would be easy enough but explaining it all would take much time.

raising his head and turning toward the table.........A hive mind. We healers are often sent to help with hive minded species to understand and see what the whole universe is like on the infinite scale. Do not see the grain see the elemental grains. Feel the element then you will slowly see the grains when you focus and become stronger.

It is the same with these blocks of purmacrete I do not see the blocks I feel the purmacrete and the movewhat is loose.

Slowly easing into the force just very slowly Mal raised all the blocks one inch from the ground and let them all drop at the same time.

Opening his eyes........A hive mind will let you split your focus upon many things at once but it come at a greater cost in that more effort in focus is needed. That is why there are few healers on the front lines during a raging battle. So continue on and try again and I will rest until you need my advice.

Eaon walked with the Hutt and listened to his story about the Hive minded species. It made some sense, but it raised new questions, though Eaon was honestly more of a hands on learner. Eaon could understand a little of what the Hutt was saying, but still not all of it made sense. How does one feel an element? Eaon understood that the object was irrelevant, it had become a very shockingly clear point that even Eaon's original thoughts on the relativity of objects in the eyes of the Force were incorrect. If the Force saw everything not as it was, but as it is at its core, then the Force was capable of such feats like lifting entire ships or blocks that weighed a ton because it ignored their physical size or shape and focused on merely what they were.

Under that logic, the sand like grains that the Jedi had put into the flask were irrelevant. If someone focused in on their size or shape then they would suffer slowly picking out the grains one at a time. It would take hours if not days to do. However if someone could identify what one or two of the objects was in the eyes of the Force, effectively changing the way they viewed the objects from a physical sense to a spiritual sense, then they too, overlook the physical delma's placed before them. It was all very clear to Eaon now, at least in theory, and part of him couldn't wait to test it out.

"So the balance is where division ends and focus begins. The equation must be made equal in order to work..." Eaon trailed off aloud. This made more sense to him, when you watched older, wiser students and Jedi perform these feats it seemed as if it was natural to them, but when they broke the process down to what it was, it was a spiritual science, and one that could let someone understand all that they were involved in.

Eaon slowly looked back into the flask and the world melted away once again. Everything became as a vast, warm ocean. When peace and serenity had been restored Eaon focused again on what was the flask and what was contained in it. Slowly Eaon searched deeper than he'd done before and located the lead pieces. Once he'd found one he focused on what it was to be lead, and slowly as his mind descended deeper the other lead pieces made themselves known. This must have been what it felt like to be one of the first space faring species, to go out and realize that when you're not alone perhaps no one is. Eaon could feel the presence of other alike elements and slowly his mind connected with them, until he was able to pull them from the flask.

As the last of the lead pieces rose from the flask, Eaon opened his eyes and restored the physical world to its place. Eaon smiled and decided that a share of wisdom was only fair. The Jedi had managed to help Eaon be a tad bit more effective in what he did, and likewise Eaon thought it fair to do the same for the Hutt.

"You know as far as thoughts go we're pretty much opposites. You focus in on things and heal, I don't focus on anything and do combat. What's interesting though, is that in one regard both of us had the same idea just different ways of going about it. You used physical water to practice you're spiritual prowess, I used the spiritual feeling of water to practice my physical ability to do combat. Both seem to be effective which is why I guess I'm going to tell you this.

When I'm in combat, most of the time my saber is off if I can help it. My body needs to be loose, and speed or strength needs to become irrelevant. You have got to be like water, crystal clear one moment, but have the ability to come crashing down in a torrent the next. If the situation should arise Master Jedi, let your focus fade, let your training be almost all forgot. Let your instinct rule your body and let your training reinforce you just enough to keep you alive. It sounds crazy I know, but the other day I had a spar with an older Padawan who was about to start her trials. She knew Ataru style and was easily the better combatant. However only using Shii-Cho, the Force, and pure instinct I managed to hold her mostly to a draw. With your abilities you would have had no issue with a stronger opponent I think."

Mal listened as the young one took what he had heard and turned it toward the flask. There was the effect and realization that Mal himself had many years ago. This one was going to be just fine. He continued to listen as Eaon spoke about the similarities between the two of them. He thought he would give this thought a try.

With enough energy built back up Mal readied both his mind and the training room for a few training bots.

Mind you I've been a bit rusty lately I have not use my blade since my trip to quarantine Montita and repel a rahkghoul attack on Taris. Both times my saber never really help me out. Well here we go.

Mal set the bots to one level below normal to see if this new thought was going to work. As the bots charged Mal let the world flow away from him and he did not even reach out to his saber. He simply rolled to the right as the bot jumped and landed a few feet from where he had been. With a snap roll forward, Mal whipped his tail to let it flail and smack the bot in the back of the head. Mal was not concentrating on the strength of the strike he just moved on with out seeing the result of the bot's head being snapped from it's head like a golf ball from a tee. He moved on to each one in turn, rolling over on, smashing another with a flick of telekinetic power, then finally jumping with the use of the force and shear muscle landing if front of the bot with blade in hand a swiping it as it bounced into the air by the quake of the body and force enhanced landing. The six foot blade hissed and crackled as it sliced neatly through the bot from right shoulder to left hip.

Mal was so exhausted that he went back into a meditative state as soon as he stopped moving but not with out uttering a single word.......

Kool.