Empathy Chapter 2 "Dances and Dreams"

Jedi Knight Selenii Laro stood perfectly still in the middle of a floor covered in tiny flowers; her head bowed, eyes closed, and arms folded behind her back. Each breath was shallow and calm with anticipation. She could sense dozens of padawans, and even a few Masters, just a few steps away from her. She could sense their anticipation, an anticipation that she shared, but she stayed focused and ready.

She was a human in her mid-twenties dressed from head to toe in a silky white robe that was decorated with beautiful golden embroidery. Her brown locks of hair were twisted into curls that fell onto her shoulders, and her crisp, blue eyes shone like the water from the vast oceans of Manaan. No she did not usually dress like this, but on the occasions on which she performed for an audience she liked to dress up, even if most of that audience only consisted of younglings.

Then, finally, it began. Selenii waved her hips in a semi circle while simultaneously clapping her hands above her head as the music began. She then dropped low in a fluid motion and sprang back up in a dramatically overexaggerated pose. She spun, stepped, twisted, and twirled each with elegant grace and staggering precision. She let the music take her and she used the Force to make her precision perfect. Gradually the music slowed and she wiggled to a stop. Sweat dripped from her nose and chin. Her heart stopped dead, waiting. She felt more alive and closer to the Force than ever when she danced, but the dance was not yet over.

The music sprang back to life and she threw the flowers into the air with the Force. She twisted and leaned back, using the Force to levitate the flowers in the air. She cartwheeled and spun. She felt more alive than ever before. As the flowers were nearly hitting the ground, she slide across the floor on her knees, summoning a wind with the Force that whisked the flowers into two identical tornados of yellow, white, and purple beside her. She then went into her last maneuver of the dance. She back flipped and twisted elegantly through the air while simultaneously summoning the flowers into a ball that surrounded her right hand. When she landed she held out her hand, blew with her mouth for dramatic effect, and sent the flowers gently showering over the younglings with the Force. Her audience erupted into laughter and cheers. She took a bow and the dance was over.

Several of the younglings came running up to her afterwards. She liked younglings, their imprint on the Force was unlike any other. It was pure and, in her mind, perfect. She ruffled their hair and listened as one told her a joke. She laughed and told them that they could keep the flowers. She smiled as they went running off. So full of energy. She thought.

"What I wouldn't give to be that age again." A gruff voice said behind her. She was caught off guard. She had been so caught up by the younglings that she hadn't sensed the Jedi Master directly behind her. She turned around abruptly and bowed apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Master, I didn't sense you." She said and bowed again for added measure.

She was facing Jedi Master George Ferrus. He was an old human with pale, white hair on top of his head and age spots covering his face. Despite being incredibly old he was a widely respected Jedi Master and member of the High Council. Selenii had heard tales of his mastery of the Force and needed to look no further than his incredibly potent Force Signature to confirm everything she had heard as palpable.

"What are you getting all flustered about? You've done nothing that warrants an apology." George chuckled. "In fact, I should be apologizing for startling you."

"There is no need for that, Master. I need to be more alert." Selenii said,

"Nonsense! Your allowed to get caught up in the moment every once and a while, especially after giving such a stellar performance. That was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life time." George boasted.

Selenii bushed bright red. She diverted her eyes from Gearge shyly and pushed a curly lock of hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Master. Your praise means much to me."

George smiled warmly. "Your most welcome. Now, I was told that you wished to speak to someone from the High Council about something that is bothering you. I heard it was a matter of grave importance."

Suddenly all the joy and happiness that Selenii was feeling was washed away by the reminder of what had happened the night before. She was overcome by a feeling of dread as she recalled it all. And by the look in Gearge's eyes she could tell that her face had suddenly been drained of all color.

"Yes, Master. I had a dream last night. A very dark dream." She said, and found that her voice was not as strong as it had been a moment before. She looked down at her toes as she continued. "I think that it was given to me by the Force."

George Ferrus put his arm on his shoulder and indicated with his other hand for her to walk with him. "Lets go to the meditation chambers and then lets talk about this dream." He suggested. Selenii nodded solemnly in agreement, and together they walked to the meditation chambers.

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Jedi Knight Selenii Laro now stood alone before the entire Jedi High Council. She was no longer in her fancy dancing robes, but now wore more homely brown Jedi robes George pitied the girl, she was one of the most kind hearted beings he had ever met, but she was also shy, and right now she was terrified. But given what she had just told him a few hours ago, he couldn't blame her.

After she had told him about the, to be frank, unsettling dream, He had suggested that she allow Master Krinta Fro, another member of the High Council who possessed unparalleled telepathic powers, to enter her mind and pull out the dream, allowing each and every Jedi Master present to experience the dream just as she had. Sadly, this also meant that she would also have to experience the dream again. Despite this, Selenii, bless her heart, had agreed. Hopefully the Jedi Council could make sense of this unsettling dream for her.

Krinta Fro stepped forward to Selenii Sora. George noticed the thin line that now marked her left horn from her recent encounter on Dathomir. "Are you sure your willing to face this experience again?" She asked. Selenii briskly nodded her head.

"Okay." Krinta Fro said, placing her hands one Selenii's forehead. All the Jedi Master's opened their minds and allowed the dream to sweep them up.

George Ferrus was is someone else body, a much younger body, a body that Selenii felt a vague sense of familiarity with when she had experienced this dream. The out sides of his vision was blurred and he knew that he was in the dream. He had no control over the body, he, like Selenii and the rest of the Jedi Council, was merely seeing through another beings eyes. The young man whose eyes he saw through was bent on one knee with his head lowered towards the ground.

"Rise, apprentice." A stern, female voice said and the dream caused her to echo. The young man looked up at the woman who was dressed in black robes with her back turned to him and he felt compelled to obey. Fear gripped his heart, terror washed over him, and dread consumed him.

"You must disregard all that you have learned in order for me to teach you." The females voice echoes again, load and from every direction. The female turned and the face of a green Twi'lek was revealed. For some reason as George experienced the dream he knew that she was incredibly old, despite her appearing to be not a day over thirty. Her features were soft and she was undeniably beautiful but for some reason unknown to him this young man who's eyes George saw through now feared her unfathomably.

"Hate, Fear, Love." The Twi'lek said drawing an invisible triangle in the air with her finger, each word marking a point of the triangle. "These are the emotions that will fuel your power."

The young man felt confusion and for the first time in the dream he spoke. "Love?" He questioned, George couldn't help but hear a resemblance in the voice.

"Yes, Love is the most important one. You must always feel love, but never embrace it." The Twi'lek put a heavy emphasis on the word never. "Soon, love will burn in your heart, it will ach in your soul. You will hate this burning desire and fear having to confront it. Through love you will increase your passion. But be careful, you must feel these emotions but never act on them. They are a pool from which to draw your power, not a river for you to be washed away under." The Twi'lek paused for what seemed like an eternity. Then a sly smile broke out on her face. "Do you love me, apprentice?"

George felt the young man thinking hard, he feared giving the wrong answer. "No, I hate you, Master." The young man tensed up like a pet expecting punishment, but none came.

"To bad." The Twi'lek said. "Perhaps you should learn to love me, you might find that you hate me even more for it."

The young man bowed his head again, the vision went completely black, and the dream ended.

George Ferrus was back in his own body, seeing through his own eyes. He looked around the council chamber at the faces of his fellow Masters. Ki-Omin-Bass, Russle Quinto, Ray Sabastion, even the battle hardened T'b Rolus all looked unsettled and George knew he had the exact same expression on his face.

Krinta Fro stepped away from Selenii and took her seat again. There was a very long moment of silence. No one knew what to say. Surprisingly Selenii was the one to break the silence.

"These teachings," She said, rubbing her elbow nervously, "They aren't the Jedi way. They are dark side teachings. So why is the Force giving me this dream?"

Grand Master of the Order Aigus T'barra sat forward in his seat and rubbed his hairy chin with his fingers. "I cannot yet discern the meaning of this dream, but I sensed that you felt a familiarity with the person in the dream." He noted and several other Masters nodded in agreement.

Selenii blushed, she clearly didn't know that they could sense exactly what she had sensed when experiencing the dream. "Yes, Masters. I felt a familiarity with this person but I have no idea who it may be."

"I think we should all meditate on this." The Kushiban Jedi Master Ki-Omin-Baas suggested, and all the Jedi Masters agreed silently. "And, Selenii." He added. With an effort of will she ripped her eyes away from the floor to look the small, furry alien in the eyes. "Please inform one of us if you experience a dream like this again."

"I will, Masters." Selenii bowed and exited the council chambers. George Ferrus couldn't help but worry for her, she was strong in the Force and in character, but she was frightened, very, very, frightened.

This chapters done, hallelujah this chapters done *sings to the tune of Its raining men*