"Finally my day of training has come." said Max out loud not noticing."What? Who would be wanting me n... dammit I'm late."

My first day and I'm already rushing to training! thought Max."Hello, are you Max?"asked a very tall man.

"What if I am, sir, would it be good?" replied Max in a rushed and angry tone.

Reaching out to stop the stumbling Max, Dolash gently pulled him back. "I should think so, yes - I am Dolash, your Master, do you recall?"

A look of understanding passed on Max's face, and Dolash nodded with a smile. "Yes, I can see you do. First lessons can often be tense and problematic. Let go of your emotions, and follow me."

With that said, the two left the cloistered stone halls of the temple and made for the open grounds within the Order's walls. There, an open area for sparring and tests remained. "The first steps of your training is to feel the Force. After all, how can one be a Jedi if you cannot?"

Dolash sat himself cross-legged in the middle of the training area. "Make yourself comfortable, and reach out with your feelings. Empty your mind of conscious thoughts, Max, and do nothing else."

"Yes Master Dolash," replied Max in a sarcastic tone regretting so.

Max sat down on the area where Dolash was and did as he was told. He emptied his mind.

Max felt somebody watching him and Max felt scared of what it was, but still did as his master said.

"Good..." said Dolash, and he smiled. There is a lot of passion in this one, but it requires tempering, maturing, and experience. Maybe a taste is what he needs...

"Stretch out with your feelings..." Dolash began. "Do not think, have no thoughts at all. Focus instead on your senses, your feelings, everything around you. As you follow them, look for the source."

Dolash knew it well, by now. His two minds became one, both devoid of thought, letting the near-silent whispers of the Force bubble upwards so that he could follow them out into the universe. It was flowery, but it was one of the few ways he could describe the sensation.

As he shifted his mind carefully out of his body, expanding his senses to include the courtyard, he turned to Max. Follow me, follow my 'voice', and I can show you the way to the Force.

Wow...Master Dolash, he is talking to me...but it seems like it is from a distance! thought Max in awe. Max did as Dolash said, but what he felt was strange it wasn't like what jedi had described the force to him, it was like how he felt when he learned of his fathers fate.

Then it came back to him seeing his mother die on Korriban as a small toddler, just old enough to understand what had happened. Then his father signaling him to run, but risking his life doing so. It was horrible feeling these feelings, but he knew that it was okay to let them go...it was the past and he knew that he shouldn't linger on old things especially death.


Then he realized what he was doing and forgot all about his parents and felt horrible for doing not as Dolash had said, but still did as the jedi had said hoping Dolash wouldn't notice.

Max had some degree of potential, but as it was untrained he was poor at guarding his feelings - indeed, his strong connection to the force made them all the easier to read. Without meaning to, Dolash 'overheard' the unbidden memories that Max had to quash. He felt his heart sag, but quietly filed the incident away as something to take care of later.

As Max tried to heed the call of the Force, Dolash could sense that this method wasn't working - clearly a new approach would be required, one that would help him suppress his anger and grief. Dolash restored his normal consciousness, resegregated his personalities, and rose to his feet.

"Rise, Max. Your presence in the Force is there, but perhaps we need to try something else to draw you out."

He crossed the training area to a worn box set against one of the walls. From it, he removed a half dozen wooden balls, each about the size of a baseball, and turned.

"These are made of softwood, and shouldn't hurt too much if they strike you. Let go of your consciousness and follow your instincts. They will keep you far safer, I promise you."

With that, the six wooden balls began to fly erratically and dangerously through the training area, zipping and shooting straight towards Max.

Oh man, Master Dolash...he most likely knows what I'm thinking thought Max. Max was wondering why he wanted him to stand and then saw him get six balls that were launching right at him!

He's crazy! How am I going to survive this? then Max realized that he needed to listen to, Dolash.

Max felt it...the rush of energy, the ability that makes man take extreme measures to see how far this power can go...Max loved the feeling, he did as Dolash had said and felt the greatest thing ever, he knew what it was instantly, it was the force.

Max didn't even see it happen, it was like he was completely taken over. A few seconds later he realized that he was dodging the balls. He was making evasive moves that a normal being could only imagine. Max felt excited then one hit him and he lost it.

He didn't want to dissapoint Dolash ,so, he did it again. He let the force take him over and he was doing it again.

A few seconds more, and Dolash ended the session. "Good job," he said. "Did you feel it, then? Did you feel the Force?" Only a glance told him all he needed to know. "Then that's a start.

"The Force," he continued "Is not a thing that can easily be taught. Not only that, but the Jedi no longer have the luxury of time or comfort. Our resources are few, our presence diminished, we last Knights passing on our knowledge to preserve the ways of the Jedi and the lightside.

"As such, unorthodox methodes must be used. You felt the Force just now, in a small yet meaningful way. Perhaps it was made easier by the energy that suffuses this place, or the presence of other trained Jedi, or maybe just growing confidence in your abilities. Now that you have tasted this power, however, the next few steps you must take alone.

"Go forth into the libraries, the training rooms, the sparring matches. Discover the Force for yourself, using the resources we have available and at your disposal. Ask for questions, guidance, or examples of power from myself and other Jedi, and we will gladly show you - but for this phase of training, you must be alone.

"Once you can call on the Force consciously, you will be ready for your next lesson. The Jedi philosopy, the codes and duties to which we are bound, mean nothing without a personal connection to the Force that you have yet to develop. Remember that feeling that you experienced as you dodged these simple training orbs, and explore it however you can.

"Oh, and Max?" one of the orbs suddenly rose again, bouncing off Max's foot and causing him to topple over. Dolash reached out a huge hand and caught him, pushing Max back on his feet. "Do be careful? The Temple does have a few secrets and mysteries to watch out for."

The water was so nice and calm here and there was nobody to disturb him. I might as well take a little run around the temple to get to know the place thought Max.

Max started running around the temple, then he saw it...he saw a little area where some girl was practicing fighting against the air. Max watched for a moment then the girl noticed him.

"Hello," said the girl to max.

"Hi," replied Max not knowing what to say."My name is Max, you seem pretty good at fighting."

"Thank you, and my name is Jane."replied the girl,"Would you like to fight?"

"I would love to,"replied Max,"What are we going to use?"

"How about these?" Jane said as she pointed to a box of extendable staffs. "Sure,"replied a lox voice from Max.

She threw one to him and grabbed one herself. "Maybe your master has already told you, but I wanna be sure that you know. The force you will need in this match to win. Use what your master has taught you and fight. We'll have a series of matches hopefully resulting in both of us being stronger in the force." said Jane seeming to know about his previous training with Master Dolash.

"Fight!" said Jane and the battle began. Max at first wasn't ready, but did as his master had said. Let go of my conciousness and use my instincts Max remembered. He did as Dolash had said and felt it all again. The feeling this time he was sure he was going to keep it, he knew he was using the force and that it was incredible.

*Hours later of fighting*

Both Jane and Max were tired, sweaty, and panting. "That was incredible! Now, one more battle!" ordered Jane.

The battle had begun. Max flipped under her right when she jumped above him and swung her stick down. He rolled out of the way when she smacked her stick vertically towards his head. Just barely being knocked out was not just a battle for fun thought Max. He jabbed backwards with his staff, but Jane jumped out of the way. Max slammed his staff down onto her head. Then she realized he tricked her into that position.

"Well done,"replied Jane,"I'll tell Master Dolash of how well you did."

Then she set her staff on against the wall and Max force pushed it back on her and both were amazed how he just casually did it.

Several days passed in this manner - Dolash had his own business to attend to, as he worked with his colleagues to plumb the mysteries of the Force (That plumbing is handled in a different thread). Every so often, he would recieve new reports of his students' progress, new feats of combat and physical development, drawing on the Force to surpass the limits of the body.

Then, when Dolash felt the time was right, he left his chambers in the night. He walked the cold stone of the spartan corridors until he reached the dormitory where Max slept.

Knocking gently on the door, he waited until his student got dressed and opened it in response. "Come with me," he said.

In silence, he lead his student out of the hallowed gates of the temple, away from its' walls and through the deserted streets of the sleeping city of Theed. Starlight illuminated their journey, yet still he didn't speak until they were well out of town and the moon had reached its' Zenith. They began to climb a tall and rocky hillside that overlooked the city, and he spoke again.

"The Force is unique. It surpasses all our understanding of science, and it stands head-and-shoulders over any god or religion as its' power is manifest, visible, and quantifiable." Well, most religions anyways, added Dolash to himself. "In primitive cultures, wielders of the Force are hailed as shamans, messiahs, or sorcerers. Or, they can be damned as warlocks, demonic, or tainted. The power is granted with little concern for social status, wealth, ideology, birth, or desire - it is a great equalizer, that can turn paupers into kings or kings into paupers, depending on how it is wielded.

"It can remake societies or bring an end to civil strife. It can bring war or peace, hope or despair, it can kill and it can heal. An equalizer though it may be, it is also dangerous, because it brings with it no responsibility. Who is to say how this power should be used? To what ends, and why? Who can punish those who 'misuse' the power they were granted by mere chance? Many Force Sensitives - especially recently - have decided that this power is merely an asset, nothing more. It can be used to further their aims, accomplish objectives, but it carries no greater meaning or responsibility. For millenia, the Jedi have disagreed."

They crested another stone ridge, moonlight illuminating the soft grass that clung to life in patches under their feet. The rocky outcropping still stretched ahead of them, but Dolash walked with a steady, almost eager pace.

"The Force is not a free gift, an edge solely to exploit in order to get a leg up in life. The Force is a web that connects all life, and what affects it can reverberate across the web. Actions of great evil and great good can touch lives in many ways, and the Force can be used to manipulate these. To hold such power, such potential, and turn it to evil? It is a terrible shame for the people of the galaxy that this is frequently the case.

"To be a Jedi, you must recognize your responsibility. You have a gift, the capacity to go beyond mortal men, to find the truth and overcome incredible opposition. You can mediate a peace, lead men into battle against their oppressors, free slaves trapped in hopeless squalor, and as a Jedi you declare that because you are capable, you are now responsible. You are obligated to serve the people of the galaxy, to do what they cannot, and to not seek any form of reward or recognition beyond what is needed to continue the fight to its' triumphant conclusion."

With his last few strides, Dolash reached the top of the hill. He turned back to his student, who caught up. "Do you see, Max, the weight that is to be placed on your shoulders? It will turn your blessing into a curse, it will rob you of the joys and attatchments that simpler lives afford. If you accept it, however, then you can change the fate of the galaxy and of countless lives, lives like these." With a broad gesture, he encapsulated the capital city before them, which shone like a beacon of light. Its' stunning architecture reached for the sky, where stars twinkled like a blanket of jewels over so fair a city.

"Well, Max? Now that you have tasted this power and know the road to which it leads, are you prepared to walk it? Once the first few steps are taken it is hard to turn away - think deeply wether you wish this responsibility or not."