Des was walking to meditation alone.

  Over the last month Jason had been Des’s constant companion, by his side for every class they shared, which was all of them. He had even accompanied him on a visit to the hangar but was bored to tears with the ships. Not even the simulators Chief Booth introduced in the upper level got him excited.

  Today though Des was alone. The reason for the change, they no longer shared any classes. Yesterday Jason had moved on to beginner Force control, leaving Des the last of his clan still working on basic meditation.

  Unlike Jason, Des had not progressed. The new meditation technique he was thinking of as ‘Bobbing for the Force’ was getting him nowhere. His most recent attempts gave the same results now as his first session. There was no sense of advancement or growth, it felt futile, like smashing his head against a brick wall.

  He blamed his void granted Meditation power, twice now it had caused him problems. It was frustrating, the power should have been a boon, but in this it was holding him back. The grey stone walls of the corridors seemed to fit his poor mood but that would not last long, meditation would take care of that.

  Entering the classroom he expected to find Padawan Verge waiting, instead Master Jenk stood in his place.

  “Greetings Initiate, it would appear you have another issue”.

  “Master Jenk”. Surprise and a little relief flooded Des. He thought the old Rodians presence ment he was about to get some help. “I have a problem, yes. The meditation technique I’m using, it's not working”.

  Hope was rising in Des, Jenk had been the one to provide the answer to his previous issue. So he asked “I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong or Padawan Verge would have said something, but I’m still not progressing. Do you have any recommendations Master Jenk?”

  “Perhaps”. Des couldn’t help but think that If the Rodian had possessed a beard, he would be stroking it right now. “Your holopad,” he held out his hand. Des passed it to his sucker tipped fingers.

  A quick series of taps and the familiar holographic arrow appeared above the device. Handing it back Jenk said “Follow this guide Initiate, when you reach your destination seek out Master Grey'los, I’ve made the necessary arrangements with her”.

  Des wanted to press him for more details but suspected he would be cautioned to be more patient if he did. Instead he asked a broad question that he reasoned should be safe, “do you have any advice Master Jenk?”

  “Listen to your intuition. You might not feel the Force yet but it still guides you”. Jenk became distracted, as if listening for his own guidance or lost in thought. “Now off you go, do not keep the Master waiting".

  “Thank you Master Jenk”. Dismissed, Des turned and left.

  Once out the door he followed his holographic guide. The journey was peaceful, the quiet hallways of grey stone no longer a reflection of his mood. His problem might not have been solved but he was actively doing something about it.

  Eventually the arrow led him to a large open doorway, bigger than any he had encountered before, and yet, he knew where he was. The moment he glimpsed inside, the rows of stacks made it unmistakable, Jenk had sent him to the Archives.

  Stepping onto the central walkway, he basked in the view stretching out before him. To each side was shelving, aisle after aisle of it, all filled with holobooks, data cards and all manner of ancient storage medium. A gentle glow emanated from them, giving a mystical ambiance that was only reinforced by the serene quiet of a library. Glancing up he could tell that the same layout was repeated on the second floor. As his sight returned to the ground level he noticed that Between each aisle were stone pedestals, upon each rested a bust of some ancient Jedi, or maybe it was a historical figure, Des couldn’t say. Shifting his focus again he noticed, Positioned at regular intervals along the walkway were computer terminals, they led to a spot off in the distance that Des guessed was a reception area.

  He was about to start heading that way when a gentle cough from behind drew his attention. He spun around and looked up, though not as far as usual, to a Jedi of a species he did not recognise.

  She was maybe a foot taller than Des and humanoid in shape. Her face was structured like a dogs but held features that reminded Des more of a cat, specifically a lioness. A full head of grey hair was tied up at the back in an intricate arrangement that exposed long pointed ears, like those of an elf, but covered in tan fur. Completing her look was a long billy goat beard that screamed biker gang to Des.

  “You must be Initiate Cain”. She smiled at him, Des expected it to be predatory but her smile was little different than a humans, her incisors maybe a little longer but not by much.

  Yes ma'am, are you, Master Grey'los?” this had to be who Jenk had sent him to meet, a part of Des wanted to wander and explore, but he was here for a reason.

  “That I am little one. Zeer described your issue but I would hear it from you. Not here though,” she indicated the central walkway, “come”.

  Des followed, while they walked his eyes roamed the stacks, awed by the sheer volume of knowledge contained. He was led up a set of stairs then into a room that was empty, except for a computer terminal and chair. A private study room if Des guessed correctly.

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  “First I’d like to see the issue, then I’d like you to describe your experience”.

  Sitting down Des did both, running through the exercise a little slower than normal so nothing would be missed. His explanation was short though, there wasn’t much to tell.

  “I see, Zeer was right then” Her fur rippled when she said it.

  “Right about what Master Grey'los?” Jedi really did like playing mysterious.

  “Our normal methods will not work for you. We will have to try something unorthodox". From within her robes she produced a datacard, handing it over to Des she carried on. “That contains a set of search parameters, it will provide you with every meditation technique contained within the archives. You are to look through them and seek a method to overcome this issue”.

  ‘So not a solution but a possible path to one’ he thought.

  “For today you are excused from class. Search the archives and meditate on what you find. Before I go, do you know how to use the terminal?”

  Des shook his head, he could probably work it out but it might save time in the long run to accept a quick lesson. It didn’t take long then Des was left to begin his research.

  There were over Eighteen thousand matches. How was he going to get through all of these in a day? ‘Trust your intuition’ Jenks earlier words now made more sense to Des.

  The first thing he did was copy the entire collection to his holopad, whether it was intuition or plain sense that motivated him he didn’t know. Gathering his resolve he started reading. The first few entries he read in full but before long he was just skimming them, then he was just reading the names of each technique. He was waiting for something to stand out, for some signal from the Force

  It took just over two hours to go through all the names on the list. While there was no obvious intervention from the Force, some methods did stand out just for sounding useful or cool. Healing meditation for one, while it would not solve his problem, it was something he might want to know. In the same vein was Battle meditation, the name alone drawing Des to it, so he added it to his notes even if it wouldn’t help him now.

  Of the rest, nothing stood out. Resigned Des began reading again. This time he looked for commonalities, trying to break the process down to its constituent parts. That too proved fruitless, there was too much crossover between elements. ‘Is listening to a recording of a mantra really different from repeating it in your mind?’

  When he reached a point where he hadn’t encountered a new component to a technique for some time, He decided it was time to meditate on it.

  Within his trance he worked his way through what he’d learned, considering each unique aspect of meditation he could identify. Visualisation, mantra, muscle relaxation, he took his time with each one watching the Force for a reaction. Walking, balance, ‘huh’.

  There was a reaction, the momentum of the Force shifted. for a moment it stilled within him, it didn’t last long, over so quick he could have imagined it but he did not doubt what he felt. ‘Balance’ he thought once more and again there was a reaction, far lesser than before but still noticeable.

  He could have ended there, the Force had responded, instead he continued.

  The next reaction to come was weaker, the Force responding to a rather strange aspect of a technique, ‘Relative body position’. As part of its parent method, you had to maintain awareness of each limbs position in relation to the others. Unsure what to think of the odd component, he moved on.

  "Rhythmic" got a similar reaction, but a much stronger reaction was soon produced, first with ‘awareness’, then with ‘movement’. The strongest reaction of all was to ‘breathing’, for a moment the Force flowed all around him. More than that though he got the sense that this was his solution, or the key to it anyway.

  Even then he didn’t stop. He moved through the remainder of the list, just in case. He got one more hit with, ‘props’, the reaction from the Force was on par with that of ‘rhythmic’, weak but distinct. ‘Props’ was possibly stranger than even ‘relative body position’. Many methods he had read of, involved some kind of object. Candles, beads, special clothing, religious paraphernalia, one method even used a brain scanning gadget that produced music appropriate for the users mental state.

  Des temporarily ended his trance, making quick notes of the elements of meditation that stirred a response. Resuming his delve he focused on ‘breathing’, there was no reaction this time, the Force had given him his answer and was now silent. He tried mixing the concepts within his mind, hoping some iteration of the combined elements would provoke a response, but none did.

  Resetting his approach, he focused on breathing, not on the concept but instead on the act. In. Out. In. Out. Without intent he began counting his breaths, when he reached seven restarting the cycle. In. Out. In. Out. It felt natural, even more basic and fundamental than emptiness Meditation, to breathe is to live and to live is to be part of the Force. In. Out. In. Out.

  “Excellent progress Initiate” the soft voice easily reaching Des in his altered state. He opened his eyes to see the new master taking notes on a holopad. she loosed a question at him, “the Force guided you to this yes?” the question felt unnecessary, Des thought she already Knew the answer. He just nodded.

  “I believe I see the intent, a rather simple solution if it works, and quite similar to an existing exercise”. She finished tapping away at her pad. “You are missing a few steps however. While you would figure them out on your own, that’s not necessary”.

  Des felt chided, he did have a tendency to not seek help. “What should I do, Master Grey’los?”

  “You must attempt to synchronise your breath with the Force, breathing in and out in rhythm with it as it flows through you”.

  ‘That would not be easy’ Des thought, the Force could be erratic, he might black out.

  “Once you have achieved that you will have to forge a new breathing pattern. Something unique,something you could not slip into by accident outside meditation”. Not understanding Des gave her a confused look. “The aim is to build a kind of muscle memory, once the new pattern is instinctual then you use it outside meditation, in theory your breathing should synchronise with the Force allowing you to sense it”

  ‘Ok, that makes sense’ he thought. But there was one question he needed answered, he expected to be cautioned to patience but he asked anyway. “How long will it take?”

  “How long did it take you to overcome your first issue?” The Masters question hinted at an answer Des didn't like.

  “Eight weeks” he responded, his voice slightly mechanical. ‘would it really take so long?’

  “I’d assume it would take a similar length of time”. Sensing Des’s emotions she added, “you are young and becoming a Jedi is no race. While you might be behind your peers this exercise is typically used to train your control and strengthen your connection to the Force”. Des could almost sense the next words coming, “Be patient little one, and trust in the Force”.

  “Yes Master Grey’los”.

  “I will inform Zeer of your discovery, I imagine he will adjust your training accordingly. In the meantime, there is no danger to you in practising the breathing exercise. This room is free for the remainder of today, you may continue using it, or you may return to your dormitory. I however have much work to do. It was a pleasure meeting you Initiate Cain.”

  “And you, Master Grey’los,” Des hesitated, there was one more question he wished to ask but was concerned it would be rude.

  “Ask” the Jedi said, having sensed his curiosity.

  “What , erm, species are you Master?” He wanted to know but asking made him uncomfortable.

  “I am Bothan. Be at ease, no one has met every species the galaxy has to offer, there is no shame in asking” she smiled at him, it was filled with warmth and compassion. “Now I really must be off, goodbye Initiate Cain and may the Force be with you”.

  It was only when she was gone that it occurred to Des, he had failed to mention the reactions from the Force to the other meditation elements. He would mention it to Jenk in his next session.

  Des decided to leave the archives, he had his answer. The archives might contain all the knowledge of the Jedi but for now it held nothing he needed. ‘Eight more weeks’, even if the Force synchronised breathing did everything promised he would still be lagging behind.

  ‘Eight weeks,’ the thought bounced around his head. ‘Unacceptable’. He started doing the maths. ‘Five sessions a day at an hour a piece, five days in a week, multiplied by eight weeks. That's two hundred hours. If I reduce my self study and maybe skip a few hours of sleep I could do another five hours easily, any more and I’d have to skip meals or go without sleep altogether’.

  With the outline of a plan in place, Des increased his speed, the sooner he got started the sooner he would break through this bottleneck.

  Then, he could truly learn to use the Force.