#bad student

Following Skywalker’s instructions, I breathed deeply and reached out to the Force as I had done before. Like on Wayland and Dromund Kaas, I could sense the trickle of power. It raised the hair on my arms and felt like a tiny burst of the universe blossoming inside me. Everything felt a bit more when the Force was cooperating: colours brighter, sounds more defined, edges cleaner. I fought to hold on to that feeling. 

“Loosen up,” Skywalker murmured, “Relax. Breathe deeper. It’s not going anywhere.”

Easy for him to say.  And sure enough, as the thought crossed my mind, the Force slipped out of my mental grasp and flitted away, like it was laughing at me.

I slumped forward and rubbed my hands across my forehead in frustration before glancing up at Skywalker. He was frowning, sharp lines visible between his eyebrows. “You definitely have a solid sense of the light,” he said,  “but you need to strengthen your connection to it.” 

He glanced up at his desk then and I could see a blinking light on his comm unit. There were messages waiting for him - and based on the speed of the flashing, quite a number of them.

“I have paperwork to catch up on,” he continued,  “take the next hour before lunch and meditate on your connection to the Force. See if you can make it broader and stronger, more open. You need to relax.”

He got to his feet then and stood expectantly until I finally realized I was being dismissed.

Meditate on my connection with the Force?

“Okay,” I said, nonplussed, “where should I go to meditate?” I was skeptical of managing much of it, but I was determined to try.

His smile was positively beatific: “Wherever the Force calls you.”

My return smile was strained to the point of being more of a grimace, and I bowed sourly in acknowledgement of my new instructions. I did manage to avoid a surly “Yes Master,” despite the intense temptation. It would not have been well received.