[Avatar of the Force] 7 – Meditation and Training

When I reached my quarters, I noted that my Mana was already almost whole again. My attribute investment was already showing its work, as it measured at 21 points and my capacity at 31. Add the use of Meditation, and that rose to a bit over 23 points an hour. 

Stepping into my quarters, I found the Twi'lek attempting to meditate but seemingly struggling if her expression was anything, an expression that quickly turned to fear as she heard the door open.

Ignoring her gaze, I tossed off my clothes in front of her, tossing them into a bin on the wall that led to a chute that would suck the clothes down to the lower levels of the Academy to be cleaned, and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. 

Strange how much modesty you lose after inheriting the memories of a slave who was never given any sort of dignity and worked day in and day out as soon as he could walk. I didn't like to think about the memories that came with this new life of mine, primarily because this new body of mine underwent a torturous existence as a slave in a mine on some remote planet under the rule of the Empire. Whatever parents I had this time around were long dead, and the hard life I lived made it to where I was untrusting of strangers as I had to fight for every bit of food, water, and even sleep of my life. I even have a few memories of killing a few other slaves who desired to do something untoward to me. 

The guards beat me; the more muscular slaves beat me. I had everything valuable stolen from me; I ate only scraps and drank droplets of dirty water, and wore nothing but tattered clothes that hardly covered my malnourished frame. 

On my first day in this new life, I struggled to adjust before I was pulled out of my cot to the Mine's Director, who informed me that I'd gotten the attention of a visiting Sith who was overlooking the mine to make sure it was operating as it should, as was noted to have a connection with the Force. After that, I was dragged to a ship, fed, and given the robes I wore when I first arrived. I was but 16 now, an age the Empire considered to be maturity for most sentients in the Galaxy. In my past life, I had only made it to twenty years old before I died of a natural cause, cancer. 

Who would have thought I'd have ended up in one of my favorite fictional universes, Star Wars? I admit that I did not picture it as dark and cruel compared to the bright and dramatic flare that I knew in my past life. I did not mind, though, that I would make the best of this life, and I certainly wasn't going to try and lose it anytime soon. 

Done with the shower, I stepped out and back into the quarters, where I began to dress. I doubt I was that pleasing to the eye as I was still recovering from malnutrition, but the Twi'lek seemed to have other ideas. 

Fully dressed in another set of black robes and my boots in the corner by my bed, I sat down before my bed across from the Twi'lek, who continued to stare at me.

"What?" I finally asked, looking the Twi'lek in the eyes.

She didn't reply, instead taking her eyes off me and going back to her meditation. I shook my head, moving to sit in a lotus pose as I cleared my mind like our trainer showed us.

Meditation came easy to me, only needing a slight tug before my mind cleared, and I could feel the full brunt of the Force around me moving like an invisible ocean. I felt it coil around me and the Twi'lek, basking us in its presence. It felt primal, in a way, neither malevolent nor good. It just was. 

I let myself soak into the Force, diving deeper and deeper into it, but I could only reach so far.

[Skill: Meditation 1 --> 2]

With the notification, I reached just a bit deeper, only able to reach out to the walls of the room before I couldn't go further. I reached towards the Twi'lek, feeling her in the Force; her presence was more substantial than mine but also duller like she had power but didn't know how to use it. Pulling back so she wouldn't feel me, I went back to just basking in the Force for a few more hours until I needed to go to bed, finding my reach extend bit by bit with each level to Meditation.

[Skill: Meditation 2 --> 8]

...

When I awoke precisely eight hours after I went to sleep, I climbed out of bed and began doing some light exercises and stretches before checking out Meditation, finding that it went from its starting 10% bonus to my mana generation to 18%. [#1]

With a glance, I noticed that the Twi'lek still slept as I quietly began to meditate. 

I planned on meditating every morning from now on, with a few stretches and exercises when I was no longer malnourished, and to get some muscle on my frame. Luckily, my gains in my Strength attribute already put some muscle in my body, but it was negligible. 

By the time the Twi'lek woke up, I had gained another level of meditation. With her awakening, I got up and left our quarters. 

Making my way to one of the training halls, all of which were in some use by other Acolytes. Choosing one with only a few Acolytes, I chose a corner and grabbed some weights. 

Sitting in a lotus pose, I reached out with the Force, enveloping the weight and levitating the weights from the ground with Telekinesis. From there, I began to rotate the weights around my body like planets would a star until I ran out of mana seconds later.

Frowning with a bit of displeasure, I fell into meditation, as I was already in a lotus pose until my mana regenerated to full. From there, I redid the same process over and over again, leveling both skills at the same time.

[Skill: Meditation 9 --> 12]

[Skill: Force Telekinesis 14 --> 15]

By the time it was afternoon here on Korriban, I put back the weights and headed for the mission board. I'd grab some more bounties for the slugs and head back to that hive to see if I could kill more of the juveniles and level up.

I was lucky to find four bounties with a modest reward for credits. On my way out I grabbed some food from the Cantina and started making my way out and into the Valley of the Sith Lords.

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[#1] Yes, I know that it was an increase of 7 levels and should be 17%, but I found it would be easier to track if I had it increased by the same percentage as the skill level; eight levels equal 18%. 20 would be 30%, etc.