The Rebel Faction

Tir Esias focused hard on the chair... forming the necessary mental images with some difficulty. His problem had not been that fact that he could not see the chair.... it was that he did not "envision" things in his mind. Vodo was not blind. He took for granted that people could conjure up images in their mind's eye at will. Tir Esias did not... and had he not once been able to see he doubted that he would have been able to. It was a struggle to do as Vodo asked, but he managed.

He lifted the chair, then returned it to its former place.

Vodo gave no encouragement for the completed task. His next words concerned the nature of the Force itself. Vodo believed said Force was better than all the mundane sense combined. Once he controlled it properly, he would see. That thought was encouragement in a way Vodo could not have known.

The pair of them started walking out of the dining room. Tir Esias ordered the guards, with his mind, to the medical bay. He followed Vodo out into the hall.

Nothing will replace your sight. Despite the fact that you deny it, I still get the feeling that you want to use the Force as a tool. If that is not what you want, then why do you desire training in the ways of the Force?"

"Master Jedi, I would be lying if I said that I did not use the Force to compensate for my blindness. But, this is no different than the Jedi who uses the force to aid them while flying a starfighter... or a short Jedi who uses the Force to obtain an object from a tall shelf.

Everyone who uses the Force, uses it in some ways as a tool. But I didn't ask for training for that reason.... I've gotten along just fine on my own. I have an opportunity few will ever have. I have potential some can only dream about. Wasting that potential and opportunity would be... a terrible waste."

"Is it not natural to wish to better employ a power with which have been blessed?"

Tir Esias noted that the motion of his cane was out of rythmn with Vodo's. He spun his cane like a baton wielder, so that it landed in stride with the Jedi Master's, and the rapping of their crutches came in unision.

He was unsure of why he had been compelled to make that show of unity; only that he had felt very strongly about it.

"I have no doubt that the Force will make me a stronger person. The great Jedi Yoda once said 'the Force is my ally, and a powerful ally it is.' As for better..."

He paused, but stayed in step with Vodo.

"To ask if I would become a better person, one would have to assume that I am not 'better' right now. Is that your opinion of me, Master Jedi?"

"You could say that."

Vodo, like just about everyone else in the galaxy, had no idea who or what the Union was. 'Well connected' barely covered the extent of the power Tir Esias could call upon if needed.

The pair turned a corner and came upon a turbolift annex.

"Where to?"

"Would it change anything, Master Jedi, if you knew? If you knew how I obtained the power which I have so causually displayed? Do you really care?"

Tir Esias retrieved the holocron from inside his jacket.

"You are defying the rules of your own Order. You said so yourself. I have no illusions, if I did not have something you want you would never have consented to train me. I believe we made a deal."

Tir Esias took a moment to focus, concentration on the holocron as Vodo had instructed him to earlier. He drew the force around him, much less than he was accustommed to, and then exercised his will. The holocron rose from his hand, and began dancing around in the air.

"I am a quick study. You have my word that when my training is complete you will have your prize and I will trouble you no further. Let me remind you though, you are not a prisioner."

Tir Esias manuevered the holocron back into his outstretched hand and released his hold on the object with the force.

"If you wish, you may leave. The ship in which you arrived is yours."

He tucked the holocron back into his jacket and awaited the Jedi's reply.

Tir Esias held no illusions of his own power. He was confident that if Vodo wanted to, he would take the holocron by force and escape from the ship. Only Qive would truely be able to fight Vodo, and even he would have difficulty. But Tir had not expected Vodo to resort to violence.

Vodo had not become a Jedi Master by bashing heads in to get what he wanted.

"There have been reports, Master Jedi, that you know a force technique that allows you to make your walking stick nearly impervious to damage. It can even stop the blade of a lightsaber.

Considering that we both utilize similar extra appendages, I thought that this technique would something that I would be able to learn."