Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter…

[Corvus Raaf]

After leaving her office, Corvus went directly to the Academy's holographic training area, which was engineered for Jedi and Padawans to practice their lightsaber skills.

She made her way past several Padawans who were testing their non-lethal training sabers against various simulated opponents until she spied a young male Jedi, a humanoid alien boy with blue skin and red eyes, who stood before holograms of three super battle droids.

The boy had hung his dark brown, hooded robe on a metal peg that jutted out from a nearby wall. He was clad in a tan tunic with matching leggings, and wore a synthetic leather utility belt and boots.

The holograms of the hulking, slope-shouldered droids raised their arms to open fire with their dual laser cannons, launching crimson energy bolts at the boy. He made a series of swift, sweeping chops through the air as his training lightsaber connected with the bolts, batting them back at the holograms.

The young Jedi had no difficulty sending a dozen bolts straight back at his attackers before he spun and leaped at them. Still in midair, he swung his blade to chop off the gun arms of two droids, then swung again as he landed on the floor, severing the droids' legs with his lightsaber. As the two droids collapsed, the third droid swivelled fast to take aim and fire at its moving target.

An energy bolt whizzed past the boy's head, but he ducked and rolled toward the last standing droid. He twisted his wrist to flick his lightsaber up through the droid's midsection, cutting it in half. As the droid's torso fell, though, his right gun arm fired.

"Stang!" the boy cursed as one of the fired energy bolts travelled straight into his right thigh. Because the energy bolts, like the droids, were merely three-dimensional constructions of light, they did not cause any physical harm, but the boy was discouraged just the same. The disabled droid fired again, trying to hit the boy but instead launching a spray of bolts at the ceiling. Rising from the floor, the boy said, "End program."

As the holographic droids vanished and the youth deactivated his training lightsaber, Corvus said. "You're improving, Mykenko."

He turned his gaze to the violet-eyed Jedi. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Grand Master...I mean Corvus."

"However, please refrain from swearing. Such language is not becoming of a Jedi." She spoke softly to him.

"Sorry, Grand Master," Nuru said with another bow. Clipping his training lightsaber to his belt, he ran off to tell of his training exploits no doubt.

Meanwhile Corvus looked around, wondering if there was anyone here who would appreciate a spar.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

"Your lightsaber isn't just a weapon, it's an extension of yourself." Minna looked down at the padawan, arms crossed as she watched the young Togruta handle a training saber. His grip was overly tight, and he held it as if balancing a delicate vase on the tip unable to point anywhere but straight up, but atleast he wasn't burning himself. "Relax, start with the basics. When the force is by your side you'll never worry about hitting yourself with your own blade. It will look out for you, as long as you listen to it." The sound of the small padawan exhaling came as his posture relaxed, and with a face of concentration he was soon comfortable moving the lightsaber. He then began to examine it, turning the blade around and watching as it glowed.

"When do I get a real one?" The padawan asked, his mouth slightly open in awe of the weapon.
Minna returned with a slight laugh, kids were easy to impress. "When you're ready; when you're a true Jedi."
"You think I will be one day, master?"
"Minna," She corrected quickly, but still with a smile. "And yes, I do." Just as she crouched down to the boy's height, she noticed a figure across the room. As her eyes focused past the child and on this certain figure, she saw it was Corvus Raaf. The child's eyes followed hers, spotting the grandmaster and causing him to let out a gasp.
"That's the grandmaster! Have you met her? I've heard she's really nice... Is she nice?"
Another small laugh came from Minna as she looked back to the Padawan. "We met once, and she's a wonderful person. Now, why don't you take a break?" Minna then stood up, focusing on Corvus once again. "Remember to turn that off." Her last words before she left the child, who with a smile deactivated his saber and went to put it back.

"Corvus," She greeted the grandmaster still with a smile, nodding her head in a respectful greeting. "It's been quite some time." That it had. Last time they met Minna was a nervous Padawan, having just escaped the Sith to follow the right path: the path of light. It was Corvus who had instilled hope in her, and made her feel welcome in the Jedi. Back then, in her uncertainy, Minna had given off an aura of fear and doubt. Now though, there was only light. She had left behind her doubts, and as a reward she had rescued her beloved [member="Krest"] from Ferus' clutches. For a woman who not long ago contemplated ending it all, she had sure turned her life around.

And here she looked at the woman she owed it to.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She heard a familiar voice and saw Minna schooling what looked to be a rookie Padawan. She listened and observed. The Padawan was being given sound advice and Minna was clearly as excellent Master. The future of the Jedi was secure when people like Minna were prepared to share their knowledge.

And then she was wandering across and Corvus smiled and gave a small bow. “Minna. Yes it’s been a while. I trust you caught up with my sister?”

“And you are…different from the last time we met. Different good, by the way. More serene. It suits you, believe me.”

“So…what have you been getting up to since we last met?”

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

"Oh yes, we managed to chat over some tea." She remembered that, quite an awkward meeting considering the drastic change of circumstances. "Although I haven't seen her in a while." That had only just occured to her, having been so busy she forgot to check in with Taeli again.

"Thank you," Minna smiled, appreciating the recognition of her change. "It feels much better. I've felt both sides, and I can safely say I prefer this one."

"Well," What had she been getting up to? Well, quite abit. "I wish I could say things have been quiet but, I spent alot of time tracking down the Assassins. There's been some victories, I managed to get my husband back but..." She glanced aside, hating to acknowledge the overall failure. "They're still out there, with Ferus at the top."

"But I know one day we'll stop them." Her mood quickly picked up, not wanting to dwell on the bad. "What brings you to the training room; practice? I doubt the holograms are any match for you. You'd need a physical opponent." A smirk grew on Minna, hoping Corvus picked up on her suggestion, or challenge more like.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled and listened. Her sister and tea. It was entirely in keeping for the eldest Raaf sister. “I’m sure she’d appreciate you catching up with her.

“And you’ve chosen the right side, believe me. I mean, I would say that, wouldn’t I – but the important thing is how you feel.”

Corvus nodded at talk of the Assassins. She’d recently run into Darth Ferus and was aware of his plans. Knowledge if his intended actions was useful to know and potentially would bring fruit – but regardless, he was a danger to the galaxy, as were his team. “One day,” she echoed, “For sure.”

“And yes, practice. Sometimes solo sparring is not enough and you’re right, the droids are useful but never ideal. They are too regimented. So a physical opponent would be ideal” Her eyebrows raised, “Which I am hoping was an offer, yes?”

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

"A spar with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order," She mulled the words over in her mind, smirking at the thought of it. "Doesn't sound too bad, I guess it was an offer." Her head turned either side to ensure there was enough space around them in the training room; accidently hitting a nearby padawan wouldn't be very nice. Once she was certain there was, she took a small step back to create sufficient starting distance.
"I won't go too hard on you." A joke, signified by the playful smile on her face. This soon lessened as she drew out her blade, igniting it's bright blue light and positioning it beside her with both hands. Suddenly there was a change in her, one that happened each time she prepared herself for combat. Her essence opened to the force, embracing it within every fibre of herself to give her strength.

Minna was suddenly not so much herself, instead a warrior of the force. The Light would guide her, she would not allow any rage or selfish thought of victory to take control. She was merely a borrower of a greater power; not a controller.
That much had changed since her days as a Sith.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“A spar with Master Minna,” Corvus said with a smile, mimicking the Jedi’s words – but in a fun way, without malice.

“It was certainly an offer,” she added and removed her cloak, folding it neatly and placing it on a nearby bench. She held out her right hand and the saber hilt snapped into her palm. She adjusted the power setting to replicate a training saber and with a snap-hiss the violet blade activated.

She momentarily closed her eyes and entered Center of Being. She held the blade horizontally with both hands, at nose level, not the traditional Soresu opening stance. The third Form was her trademark. She was the epitome of a defensive fighter, at most a counter-puncher. She relied entirely on her opponent making a mistake or tiring.Or simply becoming frustrated.

“And please – be as tough as you like,” she said, smiling.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

Usually Minna would turn to Ataru, her specialized form, in the need of combat. However on this occassion she engaged with Djem So, feeling an opportunity for practice with it. Her strikes came in with a focus on power, not as fast as Ataru but with more of a punch. In this instance she came in on Corvus' left, aiming for a slice that would no doubt be blocked.

"In that case," Minna smiled, planning ahead in her attack.

Instead of pulling her blade back for another strike, she would push against the block and sidestep around, giving her a few seconds, depending on her opponent's reaction time, to slide her blade out of it's locked position and attempt a hit to her lower back. Whether she hit the strike or not, her aim would then be to take a step backwards, leaving some distance between them to hopefully avoid a close counter. A smirk remained upon her face; she had no intention of going easy on the Grandmaster.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

The benefit of Corvus’ fighting style had not come overnight. A dozen years of daily practice was what allowed her to focus on the person and allow the Force to guide her actions. She was able to block even random and flowing attacks effectively subconsciously.

So her hand was guided to deflect the first blow. Corvus rarely blocked. It allowed those with greater power to potentially damage her bones with the impact. And it slowed the duel – whereas her strength was in keeping the pace of the blade up, to minimise effort as she became the eye of the storm.

Minna chose to push against her blade, looking to lock blades. Typically Corvus would not have allowed this to happen, but she decided to go with the flow. This was practice after all. If you never tried these things in the safety of this environment, the battlefield could become a very dangerous place.

But then, learning was a two-way street. So Corvus tried a variation of Unbalancing Block. She deactivated her saber which was likely to unbalance Minna and the moment she’d moved her own hilt, she reactivated it.

Corvus attempted no attack of her own, she was still wary of a blow to her own body. But she was keen to see if Minna was confused by the move. Even if not, it would make her partner wary of locking blades again. For a Soresu user, that small seed of doubt could blossom over a long duel.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

As their blades clashed Minna began to move around, until somehow her lock slipped. Suddenly there was no opposing blade, yet quickly it reappeared this time inside her guard. Her quick reactions allow her to pull out, discontinuing any strikes against Corvus but giving her the distance she needed to re-evaluate her attack. It seemed the Grandmaster was not one for hard blocks or the locking of blades, which put her own use of Djem So at a disadvantage. Powerful attacks and counters were somewhat nullified by glancing deflections and an adapative opponent, but as always weaknesses could be improved upon. Keeping in mind Corvus' tactics, Minna brought her blade up with both hands again and locked her gaze on the grandmaster.

Almost immediately she was on the offensive again, using not only her strength but her speed to strike at Corvus multiple times. The first came in from Corvus' right, a high and angled slice that without resistance would follow through to her left hip. A second strike came shortly after the first was pulled back, this time a low and horizontal line across the left side of her stomach. From there she would aim to retract the blade once it was pointing away, bringing it back and upwards for a powerful vertical strike down upon the grandmaster. Those were the core strikes in the attack, but if her final overhead strike allowed her blade to come back down, she would aim for a final lunge, redirecting it slightly to catch Corvus' thigh instead of going for a relentless stab to her stomach. All the while she beared in mind not to overextend herself, less her momentum be used to Corvus' advantage.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus' style was textbook, well practiced but like any Form, had its weaknesses. It offered limited offence. So as long as an opponent did not do anything rash or attempt anything too complicated, they could be reassured they were unlikely to be defending - especially early in a duel.

Of course in the long run this afforded Corvus an advantage, because her approach was based on stages. A beginning, where she sought to understand her opponent, a middle where she sought to wear them down, and an end where she anticipated capitalising on a mistake or weariness.

So for now she was entirely focused on defence.

Which was just as well given the pace and power of Minn's attacks. As ever she relied on the Force to guide her. And the pace was to her advantage - it allowed her to build up the momentum that was characteristic of Soresu. By her swift hands she was actually using less energy as her blade never stopped moving.

Time after time she parried, pushing the blade away from her body, not allowing any inside blows to present themselves. And she sought no counters of her own, she simply defected and remained calm, looking somewhat relaxed as they sparred.

She utilised the outer ring against the more powerful blows and the middle ring for the quicker ones.

The final effort was the challenging one. Stabs were invariably defended from the inner ring. The riskiest to use - although they offered the chance of an immediate riposte - which is why they were rarely used outside of Makashi. Only the extended reach of the one-handed attack kept them far enough away to be safe. Or relatively so.

As Corvus held the saber with the hilt at her navel and pushed her opponent's saber to one side, the blade caught her thigh. There was enough contact for Corvus to feel a nasty sting. It was a good thing they were just sparring.

Undeterred, Corvus smiled and simply waited for the next combination.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

If one hadn't have known Corvus was the grandmaster of the order, they'd have certainly known by now. The way she flowed through her parries almost made Minna envious of her. She saw herself as a warrior, a Guardian of the Jedi, and for all her combat training she could never have hoped to be as elegant and effective as the woman infront of her. Surely in time such mastery would come, maybe if she broadened her choice of forms to suit more defensive strategies, but right now it was almost an honor to see such skill.

However Minna was not completely useless, nor was she without hope of gaining an advantage in this spar. Her downwards jab had caught Corvus' thigh as intended, leaving her confident yet wary to be so. Overconfidence had been the first weakness she had identified as a Padawan, and if she hadn't have fixed that by now then she would be undeserving of her title. In the end though that's all they were; titles.

With enough pondering she came in again, this time with a swift step to the left of her opponent followed by a forceful swing of her blade. Of course now she knew Corvus aimed to parry, and although the minimal contact of their blades did slow her attack down, there was still momentum to persevere. Whichever direction her blade continued off at would be the direction it came back in, creating an uneven switch of angles but each with a consistent level of power. All of the strikes however would aim as if to slice straight through the center of Corvus' chest, no matter what angle they came from. However she couldn't repeat this forever, lest Corvus become too used to it and exploit a weakness. Just as there became a rhythm to the attack she changed it slightly. The next time the opportunity came to continue her angle down Corvus' blade she would, however this time not retracting it for another strike and instead aiming for the hand gripping the hilt. This move brought her in close, but with her lightsaber aiming to follow her opponent's she was confident Corvus would be unable to counter without resistance.
Not overconfident though.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

As a scholar and a tutor, Corvus knew the value of research and practice. She extolled their virtues daily.

It was a chance to try things in a controlled way. But today it was more about helping Minna — for facing a foe that was primarily defensive could be frustrating. Which was part of the point of Soresu.

And now Minna had set up a pattern. It could easily be mesmerising, the repetition of blows to the chest that Corvus parried. Fortunately the benefit of Center of Being was that the Force, as opposed to the brain, guided the defence. But it relied on a Jedi trusting in the Force implicitly — which few in Corvus’ experience did. Too many wanted to be in control. Which was a fair point, but not conducive to the Form or Corvus’ style.

So the subtle but distinctive change in the attack did not catch the Force unawares, as it might a person. But Corvus needed to mix things up — if only to keep Minna on her toes. So she allowed their blades to lock this time, her hand safely not touched by her opponent.

But instead of deactivating — or even waiting for the inevitable release, Corvus used Flowing Water. The main principle was to be as flexible as flowing water, such that, when the opponent withdrew her saber, instead of also withdrawing, Corvus would follow Minna with her own saber as her fellow Master withdrew her blade.

[member="Minna"]