Perfecting MAELSTROM (open)

[Foxfire]

Early morning Cho sat at the end of a tarmak of the western most point of the landing sites. He stared at the trees and rocks of the perposed site of the newest ray shield generator. The area was schedulaed for bot destruction but Cho moved them off to another site that need their skills. He would handle the break down of this area.

Maelstrom. Cho was told that he was causing it when he had his fits at the temple. Now though it had been a while since he last tried to break over into that area of his force powers. So here he sat meditating on the three steps of his fits and focused on them. The first was a force bubble strong enough to protect him. Then levitation with telekinitic ability with a rotation of things. Finally a force lighting of his upper end of his destruction ability.

Cho slowly let the force bubble surround his being focusing it fusing it into a sphere that shielded his body. Tho it wavered a bit Cho had to continue. As he tried to tie his two skills together they wavered and failed. He snarled at the failure. Once again he felt like a youngling working on a new skill for the first time.

[Foxfire]

Cho's anger flared again on the second attempt when the bubble and the kinetic hold wavered. The Darkness swelled within him and his bubble and his kinetic hold firmed up. Cho Held on to the anger and tried to release the third element. Instead of a ground shattering blast the force lighting just fizzled his hold slipped away again.

In an even greater rage Cho formed a kinetic force energy ball in his right hand. closing his eyes he threw it at a near by boulder turning it into rubble. With in the force connection Cho could hear the echos of laughter. Cho opened his eyes to look for the ones who was laughing at him. Nearing a blood rage Cho let the force bubble develop around him. He reached out with his telekinetic power dragging odd pieces of debrie and held on to them. Slowly they rotated around him slowly at first then faster as Cho's anger grew at not finding those laughing at him. The only place to hide was in the tall grasses that he stood in. Cho's blood was boiling hot. With a electrical force blast Cho release the stored energy to rent the ground with debrie and burn every thing that stood around him.

Cho roar in anger not that he could not find those laughing at him but he saw he could do it, but at what cost to him. He had to think of his former teachings those things of before meeting the Sith or knowing what the dark side was. he had to for he was not one to allow himself to be mocked just to deal a blow.

[Foxfire]

Cho spent the rest of the day ripping rocks from the ground and knocking trees down. By the end of the day he had cleared twenty accores. Tired and frustrated by the failures of the day he layed down near a pile of trees and stones that formed a natural shelter of debrie. Here he fell a sleep and thought on the past of his early life and his teachings from the noghri way of life.

Kalan Head master of noghri warriors... One does not become a predator. He either is or he is not, and you Cho are trying to become one. You will in time find out that your hunger for death and destruction will not make a predator. The hunter kills for either protection or for the hunger of it not for the want for destruction. Do you under stand?

Cho slowly woke to those echoing words and found his answer. He was a predator and no longer hungered for destruction but thristed for the strength, skill, and for that perfect kill. He rose and stretched his muscles for the long day of training He knew now where to start. Wisdom of the stalk, hidding in shadow, and the power of the killing stroke, the three aspects of a noghri warrior.

[Foxfire]

Cho let his awareness merge with the force. He laid his presence in a area he would call gray, neither dark nor light. Slowly he grew in force building it, storing it, and yet tying it to every thing around him. A static field started to grow with in him. Forming a bubble so not to let it escape. Once fully formed Cho eased out his tendrils of force to attach to the loose matter around him.

He could feel it the sensation of a gathering storm. He was nearing the place he had been so many time by the freak chance of a force blockage in his mind. The loose matter slowly lifted and floated around him. Gathering strength Cho breathed in and out slowly with determination and backed by power of the force. The matter gathered speed on Cho's request and their orbit closed to him. As for the static field it neared the limits of his force protection of the bubble. Soon it would burst and send death dealing lighting to the waiting matter orbiting him.

Cho started to reveil in the knowledge of this ability. At Cho's limits he released the force lighting. It leapt from his body ripping and exploding every thing in his area. The concussion blast of the Maelstrom layed flat every thing with in a 100 foot radius. Cho loosely standing and leaning to the right smiled. A smile that would make the most hardened criminal run in fear. Cho had finally did it. Now all he had to do was speed the process up and give it more power, then he would test it to it's full against any who would stand in his way.

[kozeph]

"What did I get my self into" was the first and only thought the human assassin had earlier the morning before this one. He had set out to observe this Cho Wroth more closely and figure out what his intentions were, how he fitted into the Sith order and specially figure out how useful he could be.

By Kajir evaluation the Noghri was just a caged beast, a rabid dog in a leash and a bomb just waiting to explode. The assassin had seen first hand how unstable the Noghri was a couple of days back. He had heard countless rumors of Cho in the sith temple and he was a common topic among the initiates. Kajir was not a man who based himself solely on rumors or first impressions, so Kajir decided to watch and try to peal away the layers of the Noghri assassin and make out his core.

What Kajir found out during a whole day of observation and the other half of the next day was sadly disappointing. Deep down Kajir wanted to believe that he might find out something more solid about the assassin, but sadly he only found out that it was a very loyal, yet caged rabid animal. Kajir had a new found respect for his lord Shard, it was a wonder what he did to get that unstable being to follow him so loyally.

Kajir did not really pay attention to Cho training but more to his mentality. In the end the assassin resigned himself to find solid on the Noghri through observation, Kajir came to the conclusion that he would have to approach him as crazy as that sounded.

The assassin had kept himself hidden in a observation deck, where he could watch over from a safe distance the angry Cho. Kajir made his way to the roof and jumped down, effetely landing near the Maelstrom that the Noghri had conjured.

Upon landing in the middle of the storm, Kajir erected a powerful wall of the force to keep the chaotic tide from swallowing him whole. The assassin saw how a large piece of stone was sent hurling through the air and was about to collide with his head. Kajir quickly raised his arm and erected another wall, this one unlike the previous one was not solid yet more like a jelly. The rock hit the wall and bounced away to continue its chaotic trajectory in the storm. Next Kajir was met with a thunder bolt that came from the shield the Noghri had locked himself in, the assassin raised his free hand and with his palm open took on the full might of the lightning.

Kajir came from a very special bloodline of force users, that while they had not potential or skill in the raw destructive aspects of the force, they did have access to certain defensive techniques.

Kajir hand stopped the lightning and the Assassin became a sink, that started swallowing the storm that the Noghri had summoned. But the assassin could only take on so much and any more time there he would probably perish or be mortally wounded. Using the energy he had stolen Kajir unleashed a powerful wave in the force.

Kajir pulled down his red hood and began dusting himself "I'd like a word with you" he said calmly and generally looking unaffected. But inside, Kajir heart was pounding from the work out, he would be gasping and his legs shaking had he not trained his body and mind to keep focused.

(I think I went over board x.x)

[Foxfire]

Bolstering himself Cho righted his form to look at Kajir. Snorting dust out of his nose, he drew upon a small piece of the force to keep his breathing from sounding ragged.

A word with me? Why? Why would any other force user care for a bestial weapon like me? Even Shard himself has only few ideas about what to do with me. I will talk to any who wish to talk to me though, but like it most do not.

Cho reached out in the force and dragged a one hundred foot tree with roots over for a seat for himself. Then moved a one ton flat boulder over for Kajir. Sitting on the tree trunk Cho waved his hand at the boulder for for Kajir to have a seat.

So you too can not make out my purpose for the Sith too, Hmmmm. Many have just saw the rabid beast and left it at that.I don't blame them after word about Subterrel got out many being's thoughts of me have been less than gracious. They did not know what was wrong with me nor did I. I found out only when a Jedi tried to pacify me by cleansing my mind of the darkness. My rage is not from any hostel feelings for Jedi, it is from life it self. . . . . I'm sorry you wanted to ask me some thing what would that be and I see if I can answer it fully.

[kozeph]

Show no weakness, serve with a head held high and do not question orders. Those where the rules which Kajir had forced into his body and into his heart, he would give it all for his dream and to fufill his that dream Kajir would be the most loyal blade for the sith order and to an extent Shard who for the forseeable future would be the wielder of the sword that called it's self Kajir Arjun.

The human assassin took a seat when he was offered one of the pieces of ruble that had just been flying through the air a couple of seconds ago. Kajir had to accept, Cho was more keen than he led on or perhaps he had pierced the human metal defences without Kajir noticing. Regardless of the matter, this encounter might still yield results as the Noghri already inciated the talk in the direction Kajir wanted.

"I do not seek to test your loyalty, I am not after anything. You've probably already seen through me haven't you Noghri? just like Shard did" Kajir paused seeking the right words "Then you must understand, that I as a blade seek to serve the Sith to my fullest potential, to do so I need to know my brothers" Kajir crossed his legs.

"You are not obligued to speak to me master assassin or to tell me your personal agenda" Kajir kept speaking bluntly, he felt that if he relented then that beast might pounce at him seeking the tender flesh in Kajir neck.

Kajir kept silent for a couple of minutes his eyes meating the one of the noghri "This...." Kajir extended his hands to point at the sorrounding "I've never seen a power like the one you brought to bare"

[Foxfire]

Looking about him and seeing just how much damage he had done, and then compared it to the destruction he wrot on Sub-Terrel.

This is Maelstrom. Or more my verson of it. If you were at the temple after Sub-Terrel you may have hear of the fits that I had. It was this on a smaller scale. Even this is not my full power, I was slow and left it weak with more focus and less primal force power. The Rakata would have laught at me for such a weak demonstration of power.

In a snap of anger Cho reached out and ripped a tree from the ground 100 yards away and let it fall. Snorting Cho tried to regain his emotion. He let his eye roll back into his head and closed his eyes slowling his breathing and calming his darkened emotions.

A noghri warroir either did it right in the first place or died for his failure. the retraining that I am having to do is eating on me. As much as the knowledge that my former master had used me as a stimulant for her own pleasure and power. Now back again under another "master".... Cho spat the word.... but Shard was the only thing that saw me for me, A weapon and beast of the Will of the Force.

[kozeph]

"I've heard tales of that day, many in the temple still speak in whisper and in their ignorant ways" Kajir the fool, Kajir the tool and Kajir the blade was slowly but steadely being disappointed by his fellow Sith. He knew they were arrogant and selfish yet they all were self centered and norrow minded, they did not saw the future Kajir wanted. There was much work to be done.

"A beast and a knife uh?" Kajir spoke outloud but the words where directed at him and not at the Noghri, the human assassin turned his attention back to the beast of the force "Where does the force take you Cho?" he asked slowly, trying to articulate every word carefully "My path is clear, I serve so my dream comes true so I made myself a blade to be wielded by the Sith"

There was a long pause "Will you remain a beast or weapon? I will watch you assassin and if a threat you become then I will deal with you" An odd vow the young human made, speaking with the animal, that thing that was raw strength had drawn a strange feeling in Kajir.

[Foxfire]

Cho thought hard but nothing was coming to him, at least till he closed his eyes and asked the will of the force what path was before him. Cho withdrew any feelings and emotions focusing his mind into the force. Not in the possible futures but the thread like paths that lay before all beings. It had been a very long while since he had asked the will these words, 'What paths lay ahead of me?'

Cho had hoped for a few different paths but only one was seen the one that the unending Time and Death gave him, that of a weapon, used by all and regarded by few. Even with in the force he could hear the echoing words either spoken or screamed the 'Beast'. All the voices he could hear were in hate toward him, none could he hear that were for him. If there were any voices out there he could not hear them of over the droning voices and the shrieks. The vision blurred away and formed anew. This vision Cho had seen many times before but something was different. Cho still saw himself sitting at the top of a pile of bodies aged and haggard, but still brimming with force power. The power he had was far greater then his present state and greater than Shard's. But below him he saw many force users bodies blurred by darkness and radiant light. The word he heard in his ears was balance. 'You will balance us'. Cho raised his eyes and saw stars both bright and dark. It was the Will of the Force. This was Cho path, a weapon of the Will of the Force.

A surge of force energy poured into him breaking his vision link. It also snapped him wide awake. Cho restrained the surge of force energy, but barely. He let it leach out of himself and tied it into his telekinetic ability. With a shrug and at twitch of his muscles Cho easily rent four trees from the ground. With and uneasy breath Cho spoke.

A weapon you are... and a weapon I shall be as well. But. My master will be the great Will of the Force. If it says you are my ally then your are. But. .... .... If it determines you are no longer need and have become a threat then I shall treat you so. From one hunter to another. As you know the Will is neither light or dark, but it command us all and moves us to it's own desire. Whether our dreams fit or not depend on what the Will wishes. This is why the Sith fell and the Jedi rose but there will be a time of a cleansing on both sides. So make sure you're on the top of the pile instead of being buried at the bottom.

[kozeph]

Cho was interesting to say the least. This was an interesting day for Kajir at least, he had not met a person like Cho a person who was giving his whole self to the force and it's will.

The human assassin could somewhat abstractly relate with the Noghri but only in essence. They had similar roles yet diferent agendas. Kajir sought a better future for the galaxy while Cho appearntly would do what the force told him to do.

Weapons of others will they where, an interesting concept.

"Then I oath between hunters It shall be, friends until our paths takes us apart"

Kajir said after Cho finished his words.

"I will watch you, I will fight by your side for as long as we are in the same road" he paused "And I shall hunt you when our paths branch away"

Kajir produced an elegant curved dagger from his left boot. The blade was of echani make and as such was lightweight and sharper than a Nexus claw.

"Will you make a blood oath with me? to fight like brothers until we part ways?"

[Foxfire]

Cho looked at the small blade and reached out with his left hand. Taking the blade in his hand Cho pulled his hand allowing it's edge to slowly cut into his palm. A small dribble of black blood ran down the blade and fell to the ground.

In the force we are brothers and now in blood, so as you have stated let it be... in blood.

Cho took his hand from the blade while Kajir still held on to the blade handle. He then offered his hand for the sealing hand shake. No other had Cho made this pack with, nor would he ever again. Cho could almost feel the Force's Will tell him as much. But would Cho Wroth be forever alone in a world filled with beings of his likeness?

[kozeph]

Kajir made a feint smile, as the Noghri took the delicate blade and started the blood oath. It was strange, strange to see this human hunter make a pact with the Noghri assassin, it was strange to see Kajir smile and it was even stranger to the human that he for the first time had in a strange sense of the word formed a friendship. No, not a friendship this was something completely different, Kajir had no words to express this situation.

Cho spoke and offered the blade back to Kajir. The human took the dagger back and proceeded to slid the blade against his palm, the noghri blood was still hot and it mingled with the oozing blood coming out of the human, Kajir made no sign that the cut hurted a bit. This was an important moment.

"And with this, we seal this pact, this oath" Kajir reached out with his bleeding hand and shook his smaller hand with the steel gray hand. He pressed his hand hard against the other hand, the one from the alien. Allowing the blood to mingle, to seal the oath.

Kajir Arjun for the first time in his life had a brother.

"It is done, I will watch from afar brother and I will fight next to you, until destiny do us part

[Foxfire]

Shaking hands in a blood oath felt odd for Cho. Never before had he gotten so close to another being since his master died. Cho slowly broke the shake and turned to working on his currently developing ability. Cho knew it would take quiet a long while before he mastered Maelstrom but he had to start some where. So developing a better force bubble would be that start.

(occ-sorry for the single par. post but it is not coming to me.)

[kozeph]

(SO SORRY FOX, I didn't noticed that you had posted this)

Kajir released his grip from Cho's hand, he got up and prepared to leave, he would not take more time out of the strange noghri time. Just as the human assassin prepared to leave, he took one final look at his bloodied hand... it was a strange feeling. He'd never ever had done something like this, it was strange.

The human assassin rised his head and looked at the morning sun, he turned around and felt what the noghri was attempting to do. A force bouble, but it was not perfect... Cho was a beast of the force, he had the raw strength in the force but all he could do from Kajir's observations was that cause destruction. A defensive ability, one that did not harm would certenly cost the Cho Wroth a lot.

Kajir exhaled, looked back at the sky. He remained silent for a while, thinking what to do. In the end he settled for giving a lesson to the animal of the force.

"You are doing it wrong" Kajir said after he noticed Cho's sphere collapse. He was doing it wrong, he put in to much energy... aggressive feelings, lack of true focus. Cho lacked this to use a protection bouble. Luky for the Noghri, Kajir potential was in the defensive arts of the force. First and foremost Kajir was of the Helycon bloodline, he had no true potential in the destructive parts of the force, but he was good at using the force to protect himself.

"Look and feel, I will not explain it to you with words, but through action" Kajir said closing his eyes, he would spare a time to teach something to Cho. He immersed himself in the force, Kajir used his hatred for slavers as focus, he rallied the force to his side and...

Then a sphere sorrounded the assassin. Kajir's protection bouble was sucessful, strong enough to deflect a blast of force lightning. Kajir did not think of murder, killing or hurting others but of is own internal darkness. It provided the fuel for Kajir's force powers, but as a fuel it was not enough, there was a warped peace... no not peace but patience, in battle Kajir was one to wear out his opponents once they were exhuasted, he would strike.

[Foxfire]

As the force bubble wavered and bust, Cho heard Kajir speak. He turned fully and calmly open himself up into the force watching and taking note about how Kajir developed his force bubble. Cho could sence the power flow of darkness move through Kajir but saw too that it was not the hatered that strenghtened the bubble but the 'waiting of time', a noghri basic lesson when silently stalking prey.

Cho could almost fall upon his own saber if he had one for seeing it this way. It was the protection of the 'wait' that gave the force bubble it's durability. Taking a silent stalk possition Cho let the force flow through him tying the flow into his mastered noghri skill. The bubble force almost at once but at such way that it could hardly be noticed. The force bubble was channeled through his silentstalk skill and masked by his Force Consealment. Cho gradually upped the power level of the bubble giving it more strength. The combination of his silent stalk and force consealment allowed Cho to bring it up quiet a bit before the bubble was visable in the force.

Cho had to give more thought and work on this aspect.

Thank you I had almost but forgotten the basic thing that made me .. me. Long had I be the blaring horn for a deranged Sith master I had all but for got the silent ways of my race. Once again thank you, my ..... my friend.

[kozeph]

Kajir re-opened his eyes and the force bubble he had constructed broke apart. The sith assassin remained emotionless and simply looked at the beast that was Cho. Kajir first companion in this order of change, on the ones that would create the galaxy that Kajir yearned for.

Kajir observed how the Noghri started building his protection bubble. Through the senses that the force granted him allowed to see how Cho constructed his shield... it was a very peculiar way of doing it. By diminishing his force presence and then slowly building it, the Noghri assassin accomplished his goal.

"Thank you I had almost but forgotten the basic thing that made me .. me. Long had I be the blaring horn for a deranged Sith master I had all but for got the silent ways of my race. Once again thank you, my ..... my friend."

Something stroke Kajir when he was called as a friend. It had been a very very long time since someone had called him that, Kajir had all but forgotten the weight of that word, that word made a reaction in Kajir heart that he had not felt in a long time.

"I see... no need to thank me, if I can make the sith stronger then I will do everything I can to help..." Kajir voice lost its trace but only for par sec "Focus is everything, raw anger and emotion will not carry you through all the hardship... a will, a focus, determination is what will. It will grant you the strength to find your limits, and overcome them." That trace of weakness, that flicker of sentimentality was gone after a par sec and Kajir heart returned to its cold darkness.

Kajir clenched his fist and the pain in his recently hand intensefied, it was a self reminder. That Cho was his companion but also his enemy, if their roads went apart then they will face each other in glorious battle. Not as enemies but as brothers in arms and in blood.

[Foxfire]

Cho took Kajir's words of train for more than to his heart. Cho delved into the train with both feet focusing holy on the force bubble every sing hour minute of the day. Day in day out he held the force bubble until he was exhausted, but in time he was able to hold it longer the the previous day.

Seeing the force bubble as defensive power he would use it to ward off the bugs that would hinder his training and his work nearest to the jungle. He often employed it when blasting was going on, not for protecting from debris but from the settling dust giving him a better and quicker field of vision afterward. Soon Cho was able to hold onto the bubble for a day or two. Wanting to have it better Cho would pump up the field strength this brought the time down for him holding the bubble back to a few hours.

But like always Cho would power through it and soon once again Cho would find he was having the bubble field strengthen thinking that he was loosing focus again but he wasn't. He did not know how powerful the force bubble was becoming, until on a very hot day work he stepped into a shower to cool himself off and found that he was still using the force bubble and the water was turning away at least three inches from his skin. Knowing this he continued to build up the force bubble giving more of his power and focus to holding onto the bubble.

Two months later Cho decided to try again the maelstrom skill. Going quiet a ways into the jungle Cho settled in. First meditating on what was needed, then the refreshment of his other abilities. Slowly stretching out with his tendrils they twisted and writhed. Cho found himself having to switch into a different area of focus for the telekinetic power as well as his destruction areas.

Yet once again Cho found these abilities. Stretching out into the force Cho found the needed motivations that held the force bubble around himself for so long. Gathering in rather quickly for it was still familiar to him like very heavy blast armor wrapping around his body. Then he had to gather and focus the next steps. At first they seemed to conflict but soon Cho held them in place with an old noghri warrior way of readying oneself for battle. Each layer held there as pieces of the warrior. Once his focus of his telekinetic was clear He delved into the primal power of Cho's force. As before the tendrils twisted and writhed until a snarl from Cho, then they wrapped around any thing loose and soon thins just below the surface of the ground. Filling with more power Cho heaved to the massive amount of debris that his focus and strength had.

The debris twisted and swirled around Wroth like some freaky solar system. The boulders and the half trees bumped into each other making each spin in turn. Soon Cho started to ready himself for step three of this imperfect Maelstrom. The power Cho next taped into was the same as he was trained in when he was on his home planet. The gray area of the force where the Rakata drew their power from, this primal area of life and death. Drawing in a deep breath Cho surged in power holding it in until he felt like he would burst. Just at the moment when he could not hold onto it any longer. The force bubble doubled in strength and the area of debris shrunk with seconds of the massive force lighting explosion.

The lighting hit and ripped apart tree and stone alike, making them deadly projectiles. The initial explosion laid waste to a 20 yard diameter with a three foot divet into the ground. The debris affected area was 100 yards wide in diameter. Cho would have loved to see the blast and the following destruction but with the power release so did Cho's hold onto his ability to remain away. Fainting he hit the ground to sleep off the massive devastation he had just wroth. the following day he saw it and was amazed. Remembering one former noghri teacher,....'Smaller the attack the more powerful it will be and the greater the kill.' So remembering the words Cho practiced smaller maelstroms even further into the jungle.

Two and a half months later Cho decided to leave Bastion for a bit of off world training. Well it was not holy his idea for Shard hand a great hand in this. Shard wanted Cho to take some time off and go train on another world. this was more likely because Cho's explosions were starting to be heard even two mile away, thus making the locals a bit nervous. So off Cho went to Zoist his regular haunt to train on the locals there.