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Post by Gamov on Dec 15, 2009 2:39:08 GMT -5
Janus did as Cain instructed, closing his eyes and immersing his mind in darkness. In the recesses of his thoughts, feelings of anxiety and apprehension mixed with a sensation of excitement, creating an interesting cocktail of emotions that he was not sure how to process at the moment. He feared the Emperor, the power which he had demonstrated. Yet contrariwise to his trepidations, he stood in awe of his power and longed for the same kind of control and certainty Cain had presented himself with.
Moving beyond his basic thoughts, Janus delved deeper into his own subconscious, further into the inky depths of his own mind, where his alter ego lurked. There, hiding in the back of his own head, surrounded by a cloud of dark emotions stood his other half. Its bleak gaze staring back at him in his mind's eye, its power and presence seemingly amplified now with the introduction of this Dark Side into his world.
"So.... You have finally found your spine." It said, flashing a wry smirk. "Give into these feelings inside you.... They are as natural to you as your next breath. Take them, use them, grow from them. Empower yourself. Give yourself the strength to finally finish what you have come here to start."
Janus felt a slight twinge of pain in his temples. This thing's presence was growing ever more powerful in his own mind, threatening to take over. Cain had managed to do more than give him a glimpse of the Force. He had given the thing inside him a reason, a purpose. One that had not necessarily existed prior to this visit. Whatever the Emperor did, he had incited his alter persona into action against himself. It must be part of his plan, Janus could only guess at this point, but he had a sense he wasn't that far off in his assumption.
Fighting back the pain, Janus spoke to himself. "I want power, I want control. But you.... You have no place in that path. You will submit to me! You will be my tool, not my pupeteer!"
His alter self's expression changed suddenly, transforming into a sneer of disdain. "I gave you the power to come here in the first place! Were it not for me, your weakness would have killed you long ago! I AM your power! You will bow to me!"
Janus suddenly felt ill, almost as if the thing had set a sickness upon him at its own will. It couldn't be. It was just another part of him, an idea, a thing. He would not be done in so easily now. He had not come so far and suffered so much just to let this persona control him. Thinking back to the lesson Cain had taught him in the illusion, Janus allowed the discomfort in him to fuel his own thoughts in opposition to the thing in the back of his mind.
"I will not submit!" He said through clenched teeth, working to control every twinge of malaise pulsing through his body. He focused in on the alter ego, visualizing it in his mind. He told himself, repeatedly, almost as if it were a kind of sacred chant he were reciting in his head, that the persona before him was nothing new. It was not another person or being, it was himself, inflicting harm upon himself in a twisted state of masochism aimed at forcing him towards a conclusion he would be forced to make out of pain.
But he wouldn't allow it this time. Honing in on the thing in his mind, Janus told it.... Himself, that he wasn't real. His attempts to manipulate him were pathetic. Slowly, the visage of the alter ego began to recede into the depths of his thoughts, its expression becoming somewhat more complacent as the malady began to leave him. Though he could still sense a great deal of anger and hate radiating from the thing, he had taken a small step towards denying it a moment of control over him.
Re-opening his eyes, Janus exhaled a sharp breath and massaged his forehead. He felt dizzy and somewhat light headed. But he did his best to compose himself.
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Post by Garok on Dec 15, 2009 9:13:05 GMT -5
Garok was standing a little ways away, waiting, when his vision blurred. He knelt to the ground for a moment, not sure what was happening, when he could faintly see a barren wasteland... and a person. These things became clearer in a matter of seconds and soon he could tell that the planet was Korriban. To his surprise, he saw Jack standing a ways off, speaking. What just happened... he thought. He found that Jack was telling them of the force, and he realized that this was their training. The only logical solution was that this was some form of illusion created by the force. I guess the Jack I met before wasn't real, either, he thought. As Jack explained the technique Force Meld, he stopped worrying about what was happening and focused on how to do this technique. He turned to his partner and did what Jack had instructed. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the force. Again, the dark side was very strong here. It took him a few seconds to distinguish Ashely from the other signatures, but after he did he understood what Jack had said. He was able to link to another person, and could feel the force in them. So this is 'force meld', he reminded himself. He was interested how mind trick would work through this technique, but he made sure not to get ahead of himself.
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Post by DarkSaber on Dec 15, 2009 17:25:51 GMT -5
Jack then vanished, reappearing in the middle of all four students, "What is a shadow clone? A shadow clone is a combination of two advanced force powers. Mind Trick and Telekinesis. In order to understand how to make a shadow clone you will have to learn these techniques first. We will start with the mind trick. I'm going to pair each of you with one of your rival students... Tai and Kayen.... and Ashley and Garok. Focus on your partner with the force, follow the tendrils of the force that flows from these living things back to their source. You will find that you will be able to use these connections... they are a two way street, a way of both sharing and taking power from a foe or ally. For now, I simply want you to make the connection... this is what the Jedi call a 'Force Meld'."
Ashley listened as Jack spoke. She looked across the room at Garok. She focused on Garok’s presence in the Force and she could feel it strongly.
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Dec 16, 2009 3:46:12 GMT -5
Kayen nodded his head "yes Master" and then he focused on the force around Tai. It took him several minutes to find the connection that he was looking for, and then he focused on it until he was linked with Tai.
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Post by Cain on Dec 16, 2009 20:48:14 GMT -5
OOC: Since this thread is starting to fill up I'm going to be posting every 48 hours no matter what to keep things moving along. So try not to fall behind.
IC:
After the apprentices had made their connections with each other Jack continued, "Melding with another life form through the force opens you both to two possibilities. You can take or you can share power along this connection. For the shadow clone you will be sending the force into your victim. When you meld with a foe, you are blending your minds into one. If your power is strong enough and your foe's will is weak enough you will be able to force your perceptions onto your opponent."
"The simplest thing to project into the mind of another is the image of a sentient being, traditionally the image of yourself," Jack continued, "You can easily imagine how you yourself might move, what you can do, therefore you needn't put as much effort in all the smaller details. I want you to impose your will on your partner now, create a "shadow" of yourself in their mind's eye."
"It is also important to remember however, in order for the shadow clone technique to be used at maximum efficiency your concentration must not be broken. For this reason this technique is meant to be used while you yourself are no where near the actual battle."
Cain was pleased that Janus was now able to feel the force and had some level of control with it. He would need much more practice, but it was good for starters.
While Janus was battling is inner demons Cain took the burnt book from Garok who was now in a state of deep meditation. He could instantly feel the power that this item housed. Cain tucked it away with his Sith Holocron as Janus re-opened his eyes and began to breathe heavily.
"You have done well, my young apprentice. You have taken your first steps into a larger world. In time you will be able to not only confront your other half, but make use of it as well," As Cain spoke he could tell there was still a great deal of uneasiness that Janus was feeling, "However... I sense that your feelings on this matter are still unclear. You have my permission to speak freely now... tell me what troubles you."
Ryuu's Dynamic class freighter exit hyperspace over Coruscant, the planet was still blanketed in black clouds making it hard to pick up against the backdrop of space with the naked eye, though the lightning flashes gave it away. Ryuu piloted the ship down through the thick cloud cover and to the Jedi Temple where he found his usual landing platform was already occupied by several ships.
"What the hell..." Ryuu muttered, his droid buzzing at his side, "I guess we'll have to park around back then. Didn't think Cain to be the type to host wild parties while I was gone..." Ryuu's freighter flew around to public promenade which was now being used as a crude spaceport for smugglers and mercenaries looking to take advantage of the lawlessness on the Imperial capital. Ryuu set his ship down among them, stepping off with the items he had collected for Cain in tow, his little droid floating along behind him.
Ryuu glanced up at the tall spire of the Jedi Temple, the dark clouds swirling around it. The wind whipped around the temple and lightning strikes lit up the sky, "Well Ama... welcome to ground zero."
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Post by Garok on Dec 16, 2009 22:03:00 GMT -5
Garok listened intently as Jack explained how to create a 'shadow' of oneself in the mind of an adversary. Garok thought that the actual creation of the shadow sounded quite simple. It appears that the difficult part will be establishing that connection in the first place, he thought. He ran through the instructions once more in his head before turning back to Ashely. Focusing once more, he established the connection between their minds again and began to create his shadow. At first it was a little difficult, imagining himself but projecting it into the her mind, but after a few tries he was able to create an image of himself. 'He' stood their, completely motionless. Garok was pleased with himself. He tried to make it step forward, and after an awkward movement or two he was able to make his clone pace around a little bit. Then a thought struck him. Since this was an imagination, he could make his clone do literally anything. He imagined himself doing a backflip while spinning, landing facing the same direction. His clone did so, and Garok was satisfied with these results. He let his shadow fade away as he waited to observe Ashley's shadow in his own mind.
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Post by Gamov on Dec 16, 2009 22:09:37 GMT -5
Janus heard Cain's invitation to speak freely. Where to begin, though? There had been so many troubles through out his life. Not the least of which were recent events.
His feelings were unclear? That was an understatement if he had ever heard one. But he could find no fault in the Emperor's analysis. Inside, he was a mental wreck. Conflicting ideas raced through his mind, giving rise in him to a level of confusion that he had never quite experienced before. Janus calmed his breathing, returning his body to a more normal rhythm as he processed the Emperor's words, finally managing a sing question. Something that had been on his mind ever since he set foot on the landing platform outside the temple.
"If I am to be completely honest, I worry that I will not be strong enough to complete this. This thing inside me seems to have grown in strength since I arrived.... What if I can't control it? What if it controls me?.... Permanently?" He paused for a moment, a ponderous look of uneasiness etched into his features.
"This thing.... It excels at grasping control over my mind. What if it learns as I learn.... Only faster? What then? I'll lose my identity entirely and be transformed into a.... A monster. A maniacal killing machine without remorse."
His mind drifted briefly to a different subject. One that he had held very close to him for many years now. "I know I don't seem the type to have associates, much less someone I care about. But this thing, it is violent and angry. What if it gains control and does something I would never intend to do?"
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Dec 17, 2009 4:41:52 GMT -5
Kayen listened to the words and then he focused on Tai's presence in the force. He could feel the energy flowing from him and he was tempted to try to drain him instead, but he obeyed Jack and then projected himself into Tai's mind, standing right in front of Tai with a lightsaber toward his throat; but the whole thing was an illusion.
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Post by DarkSaber on Dec 17, 2009 15:45:05 GMT -5
Ashley listened as Jack spoke. She cleared her head and ran the instructions that Jack gave them and forgot about what Elifain had taught her. She focused and she found the between her mind and Garok. She could feel Garok probing his way into her mind and she smirked, knowing it would not be an easy task for him to probe into her mind. She probed her way into his mind with ease even though he was fighting against her when she entered. She imagined herself inside Garok’s mind with the use of telekinesis and made a shadow of herself. ‘She’ stood there and looked around and so did the real Ashley. The clone pulled out her lightsaber and ignited the blade and so did the real Ashley and then did a backflip in the air and then she swung her saber around and then she put it back up and the real Ashley let her Shadow clone fade away with ease.
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Post by Tai on Dec 17, 2009 18:21:36 GMT -5
Tai sat with his butt resting on his feet and his hands on his knees. He was listening but meditating at the same time. He saw Kayen in his head and did not bother to contact Kayen but more to block him out. To destroy his illusion was Tai's key and he planned to do it. He did not bother to move ignoring the lightsaber letting Kayen do as he pleased trying to force the illusion to go away with his mind. He breathed softly but at a pass so that he would not lose concentration.
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Post by Cain on Dec 17, 2009 21:07:42 GMT -5
Jack was silent for a long moment. Cain wondered if by focusing on the other students and the connections through the force that the apprentices might notice how each of them was submerged into Cain's own consciousness. It was unsurprising that none of them had however. While the connections they had been creating were through mere strands of the force Cain's influence was everywhere, magnified by dark side within the temple. One could not be sure where the source was, whether it was a person or the temple itself, the dark side was difficult to read.
After he was satisfied that each student had completed the task, Jack continued, "Remain still, Ashley," he scolded, "Your real self has no need to move at all when using this technique. Unnecessary movement will only hinder your ability to concentrate and to create effective illusions. Aside from that you all have done well with what I have asked... accept for Tai," Jack glanced at Tai but didn't say anything more on the matter.
"Once you are able to project into an opponent's mind you can begin the process of 'Confusion', the first goal of the Dark Arts. While being able to concentrate and create complex illusions is preferred, it is not the only way to use this power. Something as simple as the illusion of a wall where there is none, or an open door where one is closed can often be enough to gain the upper hand. When you are face to face with your opponent and unable to find a place to concentrate, this kind of illusion use is preferred."
"Now, as some of you may have already realized, an illusion is not bound by normal rules. It can be anything you can imagine. While your own self image and natural movements are the easiest to visualize, with greater concentration one can increase the complexity of one's 'Shadows'. Observe..."
Jack then reached inside is jacket and pulled out a lightsaber, igniting it. His other hand then did the same. Then a third hand grew from his torso, reaching into his jacket for yet another lightsaber. Then a fourth, a fifth, and so on. Jack then leapt upwards, gravity seeming to switch for him as he landed on the ceiling. The lightsabers he was wielding moved about in every direction, on some the blades grew longer and shorter, some blades even curved.
"The complexity of your illusions is limited only by your ability to conceive of them," Jack said, dropping back down onto the floor, his extra arms and lightsabers vanishing, "But no matter how elaborate an illusion is just that, it isn't real and can cause no real harm on its own. It is in making these illusions real where your concentration and mastery of the force will truly be tested. This is the second half of the shadow clone technique... Telekinesis."
Jack lifted a lightsaber from his robe, letting it float in front of him and igniting it with the force, "I'm sure you all are able to perform these elementary telekinetic abilities... pushing, pulling, manipulating objects with your minds. But can you manipulate nothing? Can you mold the force itself? It is by redistributing the force's energies that you are able to push and pull. To mold the force you use the same basic idea, but applied in a more sophisticated way. You will find this is the case with most higher level force techniques."
Jack's lightsaber then spun through the air and sliced through one of the pillars in the Sith academy, "Some of you have already experienced this particular mold, the Force Blade. By concentrating the force along an extremely fine edge and accelerating it through an opponent, you can simulate the cutting action of a blade or lightsaber. You concentration must be perfected in order to carry this out successfully. It is easy to lose control over the fine edge while trying to drive the force through an object. In that case you will only be able to do a partial cut and not slice clean through. I don't want you to worry about creating illusions right now. Instead only focus on molding the force. Use the pillars in this room to practice on, it may take time to get it right so do not be discouraged."
Cain listened to Janus' questions patiently, remaining silent until he had gotten all of his uncertainties out, "Perhaps you misunderstand the nature of this alter ego of yours. It is a part of you and it has no great advantage in controlling you any more then you do in controlling it. The difference is made through power, through strength of will. This alter ego of yours is struggling to do what we all struggle for, to survive. It does not wish to sit idly by while it is ruled by weakness, it could get you both killed. So it seeks to become the dominant personality as a means of survival. However... if you were to become strong, to prove that you had the power to insure your survival, there would be no need for your other half to try and consume you. It could become subservient to you and at that point you could share your power."
Cain paused, observing what effect his words were having on Janus before continuing, "To answer your other concerns... the violence and anger your other half exhibits is only a means of expelling weakness. Whether you agree with its aims or not is irrelevant, you cannot deny the power of these emotions. You yourself have felt it, all that holds you back is your fear of what these emotions might turn you into. Ask yourself, what kind of existence would you be forced to suffer without them? A rogue in a constant state of fear, waiting for his weaknesses to consume him. Consider then what you could become. It is the strong who survive, Janus. This is the way of all things, and it is no different within your mind. Do not be afraid of becoming strong, the weak are those who are unwilling to seize power and their fate cannot be helped. Know the power of the dark side... know freedom, and let no one deny you of what should be rightfully yours."
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Dec 18, 2009 4:43:25 GMT -5
Kayen sighed as he listened to the mumbo jumbo about the force blade, it was too complex for him to understand how it worked, but he understood how to do it. He was not book smart, but Kayen was very street smart and as he started to focus on the force particles around him, he started to realize this whole setting was just an illusion. He attempted the force blade on the pillar but he only made a tiny chip. As he tried to focus his push tighter, he asked. "How do I know we're not set up to fail? After all this whole fancy place is an illusion in your head, Emperor..." Kayen grinned and pointed to Jack. "Even you are not real..."
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Post by Garok on Dec 18, 2009 8:45:38 GMT -5
Garok closed his eyes as he thought through this Force Blade once more. Jack had been right, he was indeed able to perform basic telekinesis such as Pull and Push, but this was quite a bit more complex. He felt the force around him and began his attempt to mold it into a blade-like shape. He tensed a little as the particles came together, and he sent them flying towards the pillar at a very fast rate. Too fast, he soon learned, when the 'blade' simply crashed against the rock, dispersing upon contact. Gotta take it slow... he reminded himself. Trying once more, he formed a sharp edge and launched it towards the pillar, but quite a bit slower this time. It struck the pillar, slicing in about one inch before breaking up. That ought to do it for now. He had learned the concept, and all that was left for him to do in order to improve this technique was practice.
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Post by DarkSaber on Dec 18, 2009 16:29:19 GMT -5
Ashley opened her eyes when she heard Jack scolding her.
"Remain still, Ashley," he scolded. "Your real self has no need to move at all when using this technique. Unnecessary movement will only hinder your ability to concentrate and to create effective illusions.
She clenched her teeth to bite back a retort. She continued to listen as Jack continued to speak about the Shadow Arts.
"Once you are able to project into an opponent's mind you can begin the process of 'Confusion', the first goal of the Dark Arts. While being able to concentrate and create complex illusions is preferred, it is not the only way to use this power. Something as simple as the illusion of a wall where there is none, or an open door where one is closed can often be enough to gain the upper hand. When you are face to face with your opponent and unable to find a place to concentrate, this kind of illusion use is preferred. Now, as some of you may have already realized, an illusion is not bound by normal rules. It can be anything you can imagine. While your own self image and natural movements are the easiest to visualize, with greater concentration one can increase the complexity of one's 'Shadows'."
Ashley watched as Jack reached inside his jacket and pulled out a lightsaber and ignited it. In his other it did the same and then a third hand grew from his torso, reaching into his jacket for another lightsaber and then a fourth. She watched as Jack leaped upwards and looked up as he landed on the ceiling along with the saber moving about in every direction as some of the blades grew longer and shorter and some bladed curved.
"The complexity of your illusions is limited only by your ability to conceive of them," Jack said, dropping back down onto the floor, his extra arms and lightsabers vanishing."But no matter how elaborate an illusion is just that, it isn't real and can cause no real harm on its own. It is in making these illusions real where your concentration and mastery of the force will truly be tested. This is the second half of the shadow clone technique...Telekinesis."
Jack lifted a lightsaber from his robe, letting it float in front of him and igniting it with the force, "I'm sure you all are able to perform these elementary telekinetic abilities... pushing, pulling, manipulating objects with your minds. But can you manipulate nothing? Can you mold the force itself? It is by redistributing the force's energies that you are able to push and pull. To mold the force you use the same basic idea, but applied in a more sophisticated way. You will find this is the case with most higher level force techniques."
"Some of you have already experienced this particular mold, the Force Blade. By concentrating the force along an extremely fine edge and accelerating it through an opponent, you can simulate the cutting action of a blade or lightsaber. Your concentration must be perfected in order to carry this out successfully. It is easy to lose control over the fine edge while trying to drive the force through an object. In that case you will only be able to do a partial cut and not slice clean through. I don't want you to worry about creating illusions right now. Instead only focus on molding the force. Use the pillars in this room to practice on, it may take time to get it right so do not be discouraged."
Ashley looked over across the room and closed her eyes and thought about the Force Blade. She lifted her lightsaber from her robes and ignited it, using the Force around her and once she felt the Force gripped firmly on the saber, she then made it spin around like a boomerang and her saber cut straight through the pillar and it tumbled down to the ground.
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Post by Gamov on Dec 18, 2009 19:13:52 GMT -5
Cain's words had managed to break through the fog in Janus' mind, penetrating it and bringing with it a promise. A promise of power, of control.... Of sanity. He hadn't experienced such things in his own life for years. He had been behaving as the Emperor suggested, as a cowardly rogue, afraid of power, afraid of himself. What kind of life had he led up to now? Nothing of meaning or worth. His whole path up to now had been a random assortment of unfocused wanderings, led by rage, depression, hatred and sadness. All propagated by an environment choked with drugs and drowning in accusations and labels for the criminally insane.
But no more. Cain's words had rung true to the formerly bewildered Captain. If now was the opportunity to seize power for himself, to open the door to a new world, then so be it. If power is the offer, control the ultimate prize, then perhaps there is still a hope for him yet.
bowing his head, Janus acknowledged the wisdom in the Emperor's advice. "Then I shall overcome my own weakness, my Lord. I have no intent of leaving this world just yet.... Not after I have come this far and endured this much."
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