* / THE JEDI ORDER – the training bond
Between every Master and their Padawan, a special force bond is formed. A mental link between the two, that allows them to work seamlessly with one another, and even to communicate. In many cases, it’s simply a communication of feelings, but in the case of a particularly strong bond, conversation can be held telepathically with little to no effort. Often a Padawan and Master can feel one another’s emotions as well as physical pain, and are able to easily locate one another, unless one is deliberately shielding themselves from the other, or their connection to the Force is somehow disrupted.
abilities of the bond.
Empathy is the most common mark of a training bond. Emotions, feelings, and pain can be shared across the bond, and are shared to a slight degree by default, though unexpected pain can come across quickly—a Padawan will be able to feel their Master being stabbed or shot, as though they’ve obtained the wound themselves, unless their Master anticipated the wound and shielded the bond. Masters can tell when their Padawans are upset or anxious, or particularly happy, and vice versa.
Telepathy comes with a particularly strong bond, and Master and Padawan are able to mentally hold a conversation with one another. This is all but impossible if they are shielding anything at all from one another, though, so they must be completely open with one another to communicate telepathically—something that is only rarely achieved.
The strongest of bonds can also show a deeper kind of empathy in which the participants are actively able to sense what the other is sensing—to see through their eyes, hear through their ears, or smell, taste, and feel what they’re feeling. This is even rarer than telepathy, though, and very few pairs have ever reached this level of a bond.
forming the bond.
The training bond tends to form naturally, through mutual training sessions and becoming more attuned with one another through the Force, but officially, it is the Padawan that initiates the link. It may take months, or even years, for a training bond to form, and if the Padawan has doubts about their master, a true, strong bond might never form until they are resolved. There must be mutual trust between Master and Padawan, and the Padawan must feel safe enough to be fully vulnerable around their Master. Once that level of trust is achieved, the Padawan will reach out to touch their master’s mind, and the two will forge a connection in the Force, entering a state of mutual meditation in which they share thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
growing the bond.
As the Padawan’s training continues, the bond will continue to grow. It begins rather weak, like a single thread in the Force, but as Master and Padawan grow closer, more and more threads are added until the bond is like a strong cord. The pair are able to maintain a connection even in circumstances where a deep connection to the Force is difficult to reach.
ending the bond.
It is more of a well-followed tradition than a strict rule, but training bonds are often unravelled directly after a Jedi’s knighting ceremony, based on the idea that the new Knight will bond equally with all of the Jedi, rather than favouring only one. Following the knighting ceremony, the new Knight will spend a short time with their former Master in private—from a few minutes to several hours. Occasionally, the process takes days, if the bond is particularly complicated. They will once again enter a state of mutual meditation, and slowly unravel the bond, detaching themselves as Master and Padawan, but maintaining a connection as fellow Jedi Knights.
keeping the bond.
Occasionally, however, the former Master and Padawan will elect not to unravel their bond. This is often frowned upon, as it is seen as attachment, and signifies a lack of readiness to be knighted. Those who do choose to maintain their bond will usually not make that fact widely-known, and many who do opt to unravel it at a later date. A maintained training bond has its advantages, though, including emotional closeness and an increased compatibility in combat, but because of the bond’s sheer strength, this can be to the detriment of other relationships—especially relationships between a new Knight and their future Padawans, though many will unravel the bond before taking on a Padawan of their own. It is said that a Padawan who does not unravel their training bond remains a Padawan forever.
severing the bond.
A ritualistic unravelling is not the only means by which a training bond can end. The bond can also be severed. This happens, most commonly, through the death of one or the other. However, it can also be severed in other ways. If Master or Padawan turns to the Dark Side, they may choose to break the bond, or the other might break it to avoid being tainted. This could also occur if one of them leaves the Jedi Order, though many will at least attempt the ritual unravelling before leaving, or if one wishes to simply break the bond for another reason. Occasionally, a powerful Dark Side user can break the bond between two others, but this is very rare, and is much more easily accomplished by killing one of the two.
When the bond is broken, it hurts quite a bit. If both parties are still alive, both will feel the pain, but the one doing the breaking will feel it to a far more muted sense. An abruptly broken bond has an effect in the Force similar to a severed limb, but even more severe, and it can even cripple a Jedi’s force abilities for a while, or even permanently if the bond was particularly strong and it was cut particularly swiftly. Often, though, the severing is not without warning, and a Jedi can prepare themselves for it, releasing the bond on their end in a much grimmer, quicker form of the ritualistic unravelling. This can spare them most of the pain, but they will still feel somewhat dulled to the Force for a little while, as they lack the attunement to another.
