MC: AOTE: Fraught With Disappointment

[starmark2k]

Nic watched the streaking white lines through the small viewing port at the front of the ship, They were roughly halfway between Haven and the dreadnaught. Nic un-strapped the impact webbing and stood up tapping Jack on the shoulder as he moved to the back of the ship. He looked down at Oliver who was obviously nervous about something.

 

“Can you give me and Jana a minute?” Nic asked the medic who looked up at the captain.

 

“Yeah, Sure.” Oliver replied standing up and walking back to the front of the ship.

 

Nic sat down next to Jana and sighed. “So what do you want to know?” Nic asked “Reibe told me you met Captain Raikellii, and I’m sure he told you some things that you want to talk about.

[JasraLantill]

Standing behind one of the trustees that guarded the mine lift up to the prison level, Beryl coughed loudly. The trustee didn’t even notice.

 

Beryl glanced over her shoulder at Sam, who shrugged indifferently. Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Beryl tried again to get the trustee’s attention. She coughed louder and longer, this time adding afterwards, “Sam, are you sure this… ‘whatever-itis’ I got is contagious?”

 

The trustee wheeled around. “Lanthaniditis?!”

 

Beryl grinned. “Yeah, that’s it.” She coughed again for effect. “Sam said it was contagious, but treatable in the…” She coughed again as the trustee began to back away from her. “…in the early stages. She said it starts off as a tickle in the back of your throat, then the coughing starts, and then….” She suddenly paused and looked at her hand, opening it and closing it slowly. “Huh,” she said, looking a bit puzzled. “Yeah, Sam, you may be right. My hand is starting to feel a bit tingly.”

 

“Tsk, tsk,” Sam tutted. “See? Lantha….”

 

The trustee didn’t need any more convincing. He reached for the panel behind him, calling the lift down. “I’ve got two to transport up to the med bay,” he said into the intercom.

 

Beryl gave Sam a secretive wink.

 

“And they’re coming up alone,” the trustee added, making it a point to keep himself well away from the pair. “Just let them go straight to the med bay.” The lift arrived, and the trustee nodded for them to get in.

 

~~~~~~~

 

Beryl and Sam walked into the med bay unannounced. Conn was standing beside one of the exam tables with his back towards them.

 

“We’re back,” Beryl said cheerily. “They think we got Lathanidi….” She frowned quizzically as she noticed that there was a high ranking Imperial officer lying on the table. “…itis.” She pointed at the Commander. “Conn, who the hell is that? And what is he doing here? Remember, you’ve got ‘guests’ next door.”

[Grace]

For a moment, Jana said nothing. Then, she smiled faintly, "Yeah, I met Raikellii," she said. "An honest to Emperor creep and a half. Sure, he had a few interesting tidbits to offer, but that's all they were... interesting little snippets of information, I really don't care about."

 

Jana shook her head slowly. "I don't know anyone named Simon," she said quietly. "Nic, everyone keeps secrets. Just because you left the name you were given at birth behind you doesn't mean I don't trust you... doesn't mean you're unworthy of trust."

[starmark2k]

"Well it's good to hear that." Nic stated with a smile which quickly turned to serious expression. "Because i need you to trust me now more than i've ever needed you to do before. This mission has the element of the personal about it and when that's added to the equation things tend to go wrong. If the worse was to happen i need to know you'll get off the ship and rescue Beryl and Ry."

[Grace]

Jana grimaced. "Since when did you and Reibe start sounding so damn similar?" she complained. "Nic, I'll tell you the same thing I told her. The worst is not going to happen. Would everyone on this ship just stop with the paranoid stuff... really starting to get on my nerves!"

[Rogue Nine]

Conn turned a surprised eye over to Beryl and Sam. "Well, you two are just becoming regulars around here, aren'tcha?" he said, switching off the medical datapad he was holding. "This is Commander Refla, head of this facility. You'll have to excuse him at the moment, he's a bit out of sorts." He shot Beryl a look. "So no need to worry about him waking up or nothing."

 

He stalked back over to his desk, the two women in tow. "What are you guys up here for anyway? I thought we were laying low today."

[starmark2k]

"We may be paranoid Jana." Nic replied "But since you and Beryl began training in the ways of the force we have become an even bigger target for the empire."

 

He sighed and looked down at the floor. "People like me ain't important, but you, psycho and Ry all are. I need you to promise that if somthing happens to me, Oliver of Jack you'll get the hell away from that ship and finish the rescue mission."

[JasraLantill]

Conn turned a surprised eye over to Beryl and Sam. "Well, you two are just becoming regulars around here, aren'tcha?" he said, switching off the medical datapad he was holding. "This is Commander Refla, head of this facility. You'll have to excuse him at the moment, he's a bit out of sorts." He shot Beryl a look. "So no need to worry about him waking up or nothing."

 

He stalked back over to his desk, the two women in tow. "What are you guys up here for anyway? I thought we were laying low today."

Warily eyeing Commander Refla, she gave a quick headshake at his prone figure. "Well, we're supposed to be getting treated for that Lanthaniditis sickness, but I really just came to talk to Ryshana and Jeez," Beryl said. "Mostly Ryshana though. I think I figured out a way to get us into the lift and up to the supply depot." She looked at Conn, and then Sam. "We're going out disguised as ore. But I'll need some Jedi help with 'convincing' the lift guards." She gave the door to Conn's chamber a look. "So, are they up yet?"

[Rogue Nine]

"Damned if I know," Conn replied. "I've just gotten back here myself." He glanced at Commander Refla and frowned. "Bit of a house call gone wrong." He scratched his head, then placed the datapad down on the table and checked his chrono. "No reason they shouldn't be up by now, though. Jedi are supposed to be good role models, no reason for them to be sleeping in." He strode out the medbay doors and over to the door to his room. He punched a few buttons on the keypad and the light above the pad turned from red to green. Glancing at Beryl over his shoulder, he asked, "You want to do the honors?"

[JasraLantill]

Glancing at Beryl over his shoulder, he asked, "You want to do the honors?"

"Erm...." Beryl shifted uncomfortably. The thought of Ryshana and Jeez, or any Jedi for that matter, being married made her feel sort of awkward. She'd always thought of Jedi as aloof, impersonal, and stoic, and even though she knew Ryshana better now, the stereotype was still imprinted in Beryl's mind. The thought of the two Jedi being lovers was really not something she was comfortable thinking about, let alone witnessing.

 

She knew she could reach out with the Force to sense approximately where Ryshana and Jeez were in the room behind the door, to check ahead of time to know if they were close together, but somehow, that sort of seemed like intruding on their privacy. Plus, having used the Dark Side when she killed Dr. Twerna, Beryl was rather leery of using the Force at all now, unless it was absolutely necessary. Still, it wasn't Conn who wanted to see them, it was her, so there really wasn't any reason why he should open the door.

 

"Yeah, yeah, sure," she said to Conn after a hesitant moment.

 

She moved forward and depressed the 'open' button. A light chime sounded, the door opened, and Beryl hoped that she wasn't going to be intruding on anything 'important', much less embarrassing. Just in case, she kept her eyes averted and focused on the floor.

 

"Erm... Ryshana?" she called into the room. "Are you decent? I...I mean busy? Erm, I need to talk to you about... stuff. But if you're busy, I'll come back later," she added hastily. "I mean, it's not all that important. Well it is sort of, but not emergent important. Just, erm...." Crap. She mentally kicked herself for sounding like such a babbling idiot, especially in front of Jeez. She'd only just met the guy, and she was positive that she hadn't given him a very good impression of herself. Some padawan I am, she thought. Great credit to Ryshana, aren't I? Jeez is going to think I'm such a dribbling dwarfnut. "...stuff."

[Grace]

Now, Jana was downright scared. She supposed it was possible that Reibe had somehow seen into the future and informed Nic of what was to come. Come to think of it, it was the most likely reason for the two of them to actually agree on something.

 

"What did Reibe tell you?" she demanded tensely.

[starmark2k]

(OCC- Ok I’m going to move things along a little.))

 

Nic looked down at the floor and sighed. “She didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.” He stood up and turned back to her. “My brother hates me, if he works out I’m back on his ship, it won’t be good.”

_____________________________________________

 

The rest of the journey to the Reaper went quickly and quietly, they had a brief discussion how they would plant explosives at three targets one by one. Once they had docked they would sneak to engineering and plant explosives their, then move on to the tractor beam generator and do the same. Finally they would plant a virus in their targeting systems that will activate when the Echo transmits activation codes.

 

The Shuttle exited hyperspace almost completely invisible, they weren’t to far from the planet or the Dreadnaught. It moved slowly towards the imperial vessel and had locked on to the a small port on the aft of the ship. Jack skills as a pilot were proven when he managed to dock with the large ship.

 

The airlock opened and Nic looked down the corridor to see if any of the ships crew were around.

 

“It’s clear, Let’s go.” He ordered walking through the airlock.

[stingerhs]

Opening his eyes, Jeez looked over at Ryshana who was still sleeping softly next to him. For the first time since he had been split apart from Ryshana 5 years ago, Jeez felt the oneness he had shared with her in its fullness the previous night. Even now, Jeez felt that there was no other place in the galaxy that he would rather be instead of lying there by her side.

 

Her beauty wasn't her strong suit as she was somewhat plain looking after all the years of fighting and running without regard to her image, but that didn't matter to him at all. To Jeez, there was no woman in the galaxy that could match her beauty, and there was certainly no person that could match Ryshana at just being herself. After all, Jeez was most attracted to Ryshana just for who she was.

 

At the same time, Jeez remembered his own past dealings. This love was just so different from Miranda. She had been a friend, but she had also been the result of Jeez letting his emotional attachment get the best of him. At that time, she had been more important than his duty, and all of that had shattered. To the day, Jeez wondered why he hadn't pushed aside his master to go after Miranda. He wondered why he had let himself shatter. Before, he had always been an upbeat and even somewhat carefree. At that point, however, it all changed.

 

"You're nothing but a cold hearted stiff," Ryshana had told him shortly after they had met. "You claim to care for others, but you're so absorbed in yourself that you can't be bothered with the cares of others." It hadn't been far from the truth as Jeez had moved almost completely away from any sort of outward emotion. To some of the Jedi that didn't know him well, it appeared to be a good thing, but Ryshana had been right: it was only a shield to protect himself from the outside world. He had always justified it when he caught the backwards glances, the disapproving looks, and the occasional barbed lecture from the other Jedi Masters. To him, everything was just a screen with the Jedi, and he had never truly changed his opinions about them.

 

Even so, Jeez had finally opened himself up to Ryshana as they served together in the Clone Wars. Ryshana was a duty bound idealist, and she argued often against Jeez's realism. Even when they finally did begin to fall in love, however, Jeez found himself in a new position between his own duties and Ryshana. Sure, they served together which eased any possible tensions, but it had become increasingly difficult to juggle their relationship, keeping the relationship a secret, and performing his duties as a Jedi Knight. It all even bordered on frustration, and Ryshana felt the same.

 

By being together through it all, however, they persevered as they leaned on each others' strength. It made things both easier and harder at the same time as they fought in battles together and later stood before the Jedi Masters at the Council. Any lesser of a relationship, and they would have broke. However, they just kept going on through it all, but it all changed after Order 66.

 

After that point, Jeez and Ryshana no longer had a duty to uphold to anyone but themselves. Indeed, their very lives were at stake, and they were able to work through it yet again. Of course, that all changed whenever they were forced to split apart 5 years ago.

 

Laying there, Jeez seemed to be looking inwards as he thought about it. Jeez had always known when Ryshana was starting to love him. It started whenever she began to show him a kindness that he did not deserve from her. Constantly chastising her for her unflinching devotion to the ideals of the Jedi, Jeez was extremely blunt with her at times with his realism, but yet, she had still showed him kindness that he had not seen before. As the kindness towards him had grown, so she had grown accustomed to his methods, and she would brush aside what would have been slights before.

 

After Jeez had opened himself up to Ryshana, he slowly began to build the same traits himself of kindness and forgiveness. Jeez smiled as he remembered when he confronted her about it, and he remembered whenever Ryshana had finally admited to him that she loved him. It was then soon cemented by their marriage at Alderaan. For them, their marriage had become a symbol of their love, and Jeez remembered that wedding night well as they finally reveled in their love for each other.

 

Finally, Ryshana began to stir, and Jeez just reached over and brushed his hand gently against her cheek. Looking up at him, Ryshana just smiled, and she closed her eyes once more as Jeez reached over to kiss her.

___________________

 

"So, let me get this straight: we don't officially have a plan as to getting out of here?" Jeez asked somewhat incredulously.

 

"Well, not exactly. We've been flying blind pretty much the whole time anyways. What's the difference?" Ryshana responded as she sat next to him on the bed.

 

"I seem to have noticed. Still, I guess now would be a good time to start thinking about it if we are flying blind on this one," Jeez stated as he walked over to a nearby terminal.

 

The whole morning, they had finally spent some quality time alone buried in discussion. Their conversation had constantly moved around from telling stories about their time apart to recalling battles in the Clone Wars. Although they had stopped to meditate for a while, they had soon drifted back into conversation.

 

"What are you doing?" Ryshana asked as Jeez started typing things in on the terminal.

 

"Trying to get a layout of this place. I've been here for a while, but I've never had access to this place," he replied.

 

Before Jeez could really get started, however, the door chimed as it opened.

 

"Erm... Ryshana?" she called into the room. "Are you decent? I...I mean busy? Erm, I need to talk to you about... stuff. But if you're busy, I'll come back later," she added hastily. "I mean, it's not all that important. Well it is sort of, but not emergent important. Just, erm...." Crap. She mentally kicked herself for sounding like such a babbling idiot, especially in front of Jeez. She'd only just met the guy, and she was positive that she hadn't given him a very good impression of herself. Some padawan I am, she thought. Great credit to Ryshana, aren't I? Jeez is going to think I'm such a dribbling dwarfnut. "...stuff."

"Yes, I would definitely call myself decent at this point," Ryshana replied as she briefly looked down to check her appearance. She had cleaned her clothes a bit in the shower module, and she had put them on later.

 

"What kind of "stuff" are you referring to?" Jeez asked as he looked over his shoulder at Beryl and noticed that she was still diverting her eyes to the floor. "Umm, and you can look at us, you know. We're fully clothed, if that's what you're concerned about."

[JasraLantill]

Beryl looked up at Jeez, and then her eyes flicked over to Ryshana sitting calmly on the bed. "Oh." Beryl was inwardly relieved at not having interrupted any intimate moment between them. "Right. Stuff, well..., Force stuff, actually. I've got a basic sort of plan to get us out of here but I need someone to convince the guards that they're seeing something that they're not, 'cause I don't think I can mana...."

 

Her eyes narrowed a bit. "Hey, is that a facility plan you're looking at?" she asked Jeez as she crossed the room to where he stood at the terminal. "See if you can call up the supply depot hanger," she asked him, her attention now completely focused on the screen. "'Cause there should be a freight lift that goes from there down to the mines. And that's how we're getting out of this place. That is, if someone can convince the two Stormies guarding the mine lift entrance that what's in the cart is ore and not people, we can just ride up to the supply depot and wait for the Echo to pick us up."

[stingerhs]

Jeez followed Beryl's suggestion and pulled up the plans for the lift. "Well, convincing the guards that you're just a bunch of ore is one thing. Convincing them that you aren't there at all..." Jeez stated as he studied the plans.

 

"Well, that's actually a lot easier than it sounds. Assuming that they have a weak mind, at least," Ryshana finished for him. Getting off the bed she walked over to Beryl and looked her over a bit. "Did you get any rest?"

[JasraLantill]

Beryl's expression went blank. "Erm... rest?"

 

Sam, who was standing in the doorway just behind Conn, let out a loud, disapproving snort. As she jealously eyed Conn up and down, she said, "Yeah, Beryl, rest. You know, like sleep? Did you get any?"

 

Beryl shot Sam a dirty look, then her eyes darted over to Conn. "Erm...yeah," she said to Ryshana, even though she was still looking at Conn. She felt herself begin to flush a bit. "I got some 'rest.'" She turned to Ryshana. "I didn't meditate or anything like that. I was too... erm...." She paused, searching for the right word. "Anxious." She flashed a quick grin. "But I'm ready for anything, if that's what you're wondering."

[stingerhs]

"Uh huh," Ryshana replied as she felt Beryl avoid the truth. Turning to face Conn and Sam in the medbay, Ryshana then said, "Would you excuse us for a moment?" Without waiting for an answer, Ryshana used the Force to activate the door, and it slid closed and locked.

 

"Yes, I can imagine that you "rested" quite well considering the range of emotions I could sense coming from that room the other night," Ryshana stated with a sly smile.

 

Before Beryl could respond, Jeez looked over at her and said, "So, I noticed that Ryshana and I aren't the only "item" around here. And you still had the nerve to make that fuss last night about us being married."

 

"Oh, don't be so harsh, Jeez," Ryshana scolded lightly. "Look, its not a matter of if its wrong or not. Its more or less just a matter of attachments. The life that Jeez and I have been living for so long is a strain not only on our relationship but on our responsibilities. Its not easy to maintain a loving relationship and uphold your duty at the same time, and we know that better than most."

 

"The biggest thing to remember is that you have a power that can be greatly influenced by emotion, and relationships are fraught with emotion. Your duty is to make sure that you think instead of acting on emotion, but your relationships can dictate otherwise. Do you see where I'm going with this?" Jeez commented.

[JasraLantill]

Beryl just stared at Jeez for a moment. She was a little peeved that he was lecturing her, with him not being her 'Master' or even really knowing her, but her thoughts were mainly on Conn--the time they had spent together last night and the circumstances in which she left him 8 years ago. And thinking of that led her to remember the men from her previous relationships--all which had ended in sudden, horrible accidental deaths.

 

"You don't have to tell me that relationships are 'fraught with emotion," she said to Jeez. "All things considered, I probably know that better than you do. They're also 'fraught with disappointment.' Lots of it. Especially when people die."

 

Her eyes narrowed a bit as the flicked between the two of them. "You both have had years of Jedi training, no doubt since you were very, very young. I haven't. My entire life has been 'fraught with emotion.' So, I'm sorry, I can't just shut off my feelings on and off like you can. It just doesn’t work for me.”

 

She paused a moment. “The Force is only useful to me when I’m flying. Any other time, it’s… it’s too hard to control.” She looked at Ryshana directly. “I don’t want to use it anymore. It scares me,” she admitted. “That’s why I need to know if you can persuade the guards. Because I can’t.”

[stingerhs]

"You may not be asking for what my experience has afforded me, Miss Quitaan, but I give it to you because you need it. Without it, you will have power, yes, but you won't have the responsibility needed to control it. Even now, you have the power to use the Force, but you're refusing to use it because you know the truth of the matter: you're afraid," Jeez stated somewhat out of annoyance. Noticing that Beryl's demeanor was starting to change, Jeez shook his head.

 

"You see, that's what I'm talking about. I'm giving you constructive criticism, but all you want to do with it is to brush it aside in anger. How am I supposed to help you if you won't let me help you, hmm??"

 

"Look, Beryl, you have to understand that as your Master, its my responsibility to train you, but with Jeez as my husband, its also his responsibility to help you. He's not trying to make you feel any less than you are. Like any teacher, we're going to point out the faults so that you can work on them. You can't just brush us aside, or you'll have to learn through experience. Trust me, I would much rather have someone point out my faults as opposed to finding my faults on my own, and I'm sure that you would be the same way," Ryshana added.

 

Taking Beryl by the hand, she led her over to the bed so they could sit down together. She then said, "Now look, this is the perfect opportunity for you to learn. Using the Force to persuade others isn't as difficult as it sounds. In fact, only those with a very strong will can overcome it, even when it isn't done properly. I know you can do this, and you have to know that you can, too. Now, are you willing to learn?"

[JasraLantill]

Sitting next to Ryshana on the bed, and holding her hand, Beryl strangely felt more calm and at ease—as if she was basking in Ryshana’s Force aura. The cold feeling of dread she had been feeling ever since she had arrived had been replaced by something warm and comforting—and good. “Of course I want to learn,” Beryl said quietly to Ryshana. “And I apologise for seeming like I’m spurning advice. I know you’re trying to help.”

 

She gave a guarded look in Jeez’s direction, but didn’t meet his eyes. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you. It’s just that I feel totally inept at the moment, and that’s not a feeling I like nor am used to. And,” she added reluctantly, “I’ve always had a bit of a problem with people telling me what to do.” She snorted. “Conn’s someone who can attest to that.” She paused a beat. “I don’t know if I like the idea of having two Jedi trying to train me, but….” She finally met Jeez’s gaze. “As much as it’s hard for me to admit, I probably do need someone to yell at me and give me a kick up the backside once in a while.”

 

She turned back to face Ryshana. “I’m sorry that I got upset. I’m stressed and it’s really hard for me to focus here, especially since my brother arrived. He’s up to something. I just know it. And the Force… it feels all… I dunno…, ‘prickly’ for the lack of a better word. Not like when I’m flying. Not like when we were on the Echo either.”

 

She bit her lip and cringed slightly. She didn’t know why, but she felt a need to confess. “And I have tried to use the Force to persuade people. Think it worked, too—well, at least, I got the desired outcome—but…” She sighed. “…I’m probably doing it wrong. So, yeah. Teach me how to do it. The right way,” she added.

[Rogue Nine]

After having his own door shut in his face, Conn blinked a few times, then glanced over at Sam. "Y'know, I thought Jedi were supposed to be more polite," he remarked half-facetiously as he stepped away and back towards the medbay.

 

"I thought Jedi were supposed to be extinct," Sam responded as she followed Conn into the room and took a seat on his desk.

 

"Good point," Conn murmured, checking Commander Refla's vitals. Still out like a light. Damn, that sedative is strong. No wonder it's used on banthas. "So do you and Beryl actually have lanthaniditis or did you two just make that up to come see me?" he asked, straightening up and walking towards his desk.

 

Sam snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, Doc," she told him as he approached. "Beryl wanted to talk to her Jedi friend. I just came along for the ride."

 

Conn smirked at her as he took a seat behind his desk. "So you don't have lanthaniditis."

 

"As if."

 

"Mmm," he hummed unintelligibly as he tapped at his console.

 

Sam shifted, then asked the pointed question. "So did you have fun last night?"

 

"Yeah, what of it, Sam?" Conn asked, not looking at her, but a hard edge creeping into his tone.

 

"Oh nothing, just that you move fast."

 

It was Conn's turn to snort. "Hardly. Beryl and I go way back."

 

"Oh really," Sam intoned, not sounding terribly placated.

 

"Really. If we get out of here alive, I'm sure Beryl would love to tell you all about it."

 

"Believe me, I'll get it out of her," Sam said confidently, cracking her knuckles.

[starmark2k]

Nic lay under the main engine power converter, It was in a small room adjacent to the primary engine. The room its self was very hot so the imps only ever went in there if there was a problem so it was a perfect place to plant a bomb in order to disable the engines. Jana, Jack and Oliver ere standing guard at the two entrances making sure none of the imps decided to go against the trend and actually check the room out.

 

The four of them had managed to sneak across the ship without alerting any attention but now they were doing the difficult part, setting the bombs. It didn’t actually take long to set the bombs they were carrying up as Carmen’s men had already done all the tricky and technical stuff. All Nic had to do was attach the bomb in the right place and out of sight, problem was that the heat was not only making Him sweat like a drunk on Tattooine but affected the adhesive on the bombs. Nic was now trying to improvise by wedging it between a pipe and the wall, this was not quiet as Nic used the hilt of his pistol to bang the edge of the bomb.

[Grace]

"I don't mean to criticize overmuch," Jana called from the door, "but honestly Nic... could you be any louder?" She shook her head. "Careful! I don't wanna fight of any more soldiers than I have to."

 

"Chill a bit, Jana," Oliver offered a little nervously. "The man's hammering a bomb into place... with a gun. Not easy, nor safe." A frown crossed his face. "You sure you want to be doing that, Nic?"

[stingerhs]

"Really? Well, if you've had experience before, then you logically should be able to do it again," Ryshana stated. Thinking for a second, Ryshana then had an idea.

 

"If you're afraid to use the Force, then perhaps all you need to do is to learn how to control your fear. First and foremost, you must learn to trust your abilities. Know that what you've set your mind to will come to pass. That in itself is the biggest undertaking. You have to know that what you're doing will succeed, or you will falter. When you face any situation, don't doubt yourself: just get your goal accomplished. Once you do that, everything else will fall into place.

 

Sometimes, things don't always go to plan, but even then, all you need to know is that you have your abilities to fall back on, and more importantly, you have the Force to back you up. The Force is my ally, and its a very powerful ally. The same can be said of you if you just simply trust in yourself."

 

Jeez then stepped over and added, "The one thing to remember about the Force is that you don't really need to control the Force. Let the Force flow through you and trust your instincts. All this concentrating and whatnot is going to be your biggest obstacle. Trust in the Force and yourself. Neither of which will let you down.

 

As with anything, some things with the Force will come naturally, but others are going to require some work as you develop technique. Just remember this: don't let fear or anger get involved. Those feelings have a powerful effect on how the Force flows through you. Keep a level head and use judgment. Don't just let yourself go."

 

Looking back over at Beryl, Ryshana added one last thing, "With emotions, all you have to do is to breathe deeply and relax. Be at peace with yourself and your surroundings. Its not easy, even with someone such as myself. However, you can still draw on the Force to help you. Concentrate on how the Force flows through you, and embrace the warmth and the goodness that it brings, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to be.

 

Now, are you ready for some practice?"

[JasraLantill]

"Practice with Mind Tricks? What, on you?" Beryl raised a wary eyebrow at Ryshana, then let out a snort.

 

"Ryshana, you're definitely not 'weak minded,'" Beryl continued. "And Jeez..., well, when I think of him the word 'weak' definitely doesn't even come to..." She then cast her gaze towards Jeez, and paused as he was giving her an incredulous stare. "...mind."

 

She paused again, this time her brow creasing a bit. Then her expression of confusion abruptly vanished. "Oh." She lowered her gaze. "You mean, 'am I ready to practice with the Force.' Like a meditation exercise." She pressed her lips together, mentally kicking herself for being such a airy dwarfnut.

 

"Sorry. I must be getting tired." She glanced at the door, wondering for a moment what Conn and Sam were up to in the next room. "I... I guess I should have used better judgment and gotten more sleep last night." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, okay. I'm ready to practice."