Control and mastery of one’s self…

[Corvus Raaf]

She’d warned him to bring his patient face and she meant it. For twelve years she’d been practising and only now felt she was competent. With all of the other skills she required to keep current with, she doubted she could ever devote sufficient time to become a Master – but having said that, competent was still rather useful.

So she stood in the store-area of the main hangar on Ossus. Not a typical place to train any Force Ability but it was one that was appropriate for what she needed to teach – or at least the very first aspect of it.

So she checked the time and knew her student would be along any moment now. In fact she was surprised he wasn’t already in the hangar – or maybe he was, just not visible.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus, in fact, had not been anywhere in the hangar. He was late, which wasn't a foreign feeling to the young man. He struggled with being on time on some occasions because his schedule kept him busy, though if he so desired he could have nothing but free time. If he wasn't hard at work at almost all times, however, he was afraid that he'd get soft, and progression was something he was very interested in. So much, in fact, that he'd been training and honing his body to be the most incredible, mortal powerhouse of a man that he could have possibly been since the day he'd strode through the massive gates at the entrance of the temple.

There had only been a few occasions when he'd been put out of commission by injury and strain. He'd pushed himself too hard on more than one occasion, and the tolls of battle were the few other instances. Any other time when he was healthy and able he'd be almost exclusively hard at work in the gym or sprinting through mountain paths on Ossus. He'd even taken more time to push himself physically by practicing his combat techniques for hours at a time, though he primarily focused on Niman, Ataru and Jar'Kai. It was rare that he would meditate, and he usually only did so to allow his body rest, but even then he'd found a way in passing months to push his body by way of muscle control and balance while in a state of meditation.

His training was precious to him, and he was quickly losing rivals left and right as he grew stronger both physically, and mentally. There were few left at the temple who could truly challenge the young man, though he'd never boast. It was beneath a Jedi to be arrogant, though he'd struggled both cockiness and overconfidence in his past. He was still growing, however, and he knew that it was imperative that he continued to learn in his personal journey to becoming the most feared Jedi in existence.

Grabbing the door frame to the hangar, Varus watched Corvus for a moment, that all too serious look upon his face as he flashed those brilliant blue eyes at the woman. Rudely he stared at her with intent hidden in the sapphires he'd been gifted by his mother, though he knew he shouldn't. That was why, shortly after arriving, he broke the silence, knowing full well that she was already aware of him.

"How long have you been here?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled, "Not long." This was true although what he didn't know was that she'd been here earlier in the day, scoping it as a likely place to start the unique structure of the training.

"Now I asked you to bring your patient face with you - and for a reason. Teräs Käsi isn't just about combat - it's a discipline. I've already advised you that you need to pace yourself. I have been learning this combat form for a dozen years now and I practice daily. And I'd say I'm competent. To Master this, you would need to devote the majority of your time to it - and that's time you don't have. So before we start you need to understand your limitations. For the underlying concept of the discipline is the acceptance that it is about the control and mastery of one's self."

She glanced around the warehouse, it was a mess. "When you have spent sufficient time devoted to steel hands, you will develop extreme speed, an aptitude for anticipating strikes and be able to close your mind to mental based attacks. As well as learning the Nine Edicts, the moves associated with the martial art. And you'll learn to blend these into your saber combat too."

She sighed, "Wherever possible I shall emulate my training - which is why I have brought you here." She pulled up a chair and took a book out of her pocket - an old leather-bound journal simply titled, 'Kenobi.' Then she fished out a small cylindrical container and when she opened it, the smell of camomile tea drifted into the room.

She looked back at Varus. "Now I'd like you to tidy this room please. It shouldn't take more than four hours." And she took a sip of her beverage and opened the book at the first page.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus was well aware that her orders were designed to play a role in his training in the technique of Teräs Käsi, but he almost felt insulted by it none the less. It seemed rudimentary, though he had to imagine that this portion of his training was meant to for him to practice patience. Something that he was not well known for, of which he was sure that Corvus was aware. Still, he refused to question it. He wouldn't question it. He had, at least, enough patience for this.

He chose not to use the force or rush himself. He took the task at pace, as he figured she would hope that he would. In fact, he relied on his own strength and took everything in stride as he picked up and lugged heavy crates across the hangar. He stacked them all in a nice, tall pile and reorganized some of the smaller equipment on shelves lining the room. He then even went as far as to sweep out the entire room, which took hims at least half an hour to do, considering the room wasn't exactly small.

There was something that he'd read about Teräs Käsi when looking over all of the knowledge that the archives offered one day almost a year prior. It was, for all intents and purposes, a form constructed of many unarmed martial arts techniques meant specifically for use against force using opponents. That meant that if Varus even thought about using the force in such sessions, he'd suffer for it in one way or another. It would either hamper his progress, disappoint Corvus or cause him to take steps back instead of forwards.

It took him a while, but he'd finally finished after a few hours of nonstop work. He'd already begun to sweat clearly through his t-shirt above his chest and from the middle of his back, but he wasn't even close to done. Even then, as his patience began to run a bit thin, he could tell that his resolve and peace of mind was going to be tested to the edge and back.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus thought back to Tracyn’s ship,when he’d asked her to clean up the cargo hold and wondered what book he’d read that day. It mattered little – the exploits of Master Kenobi on Tatooine were as fascinating as the first time she’d read them – for she read them often.

And she could not help but feel the tension in the room – but was impressed with the Knight. Some might have questioned the training, others might have tried to rush the work, do a sloppy job or even used the Force. The fact that he did none of these things meant a lot to Corvus.

But this was not a task in and of itself, it was a step to the next part of his training. She looked up and put her book and flask away.

“Good work. I remember an old story of a young man who wished to become a Monk. He arrived at the Monastery and asked how long the training would take. Five years came the answer. No, the young man remonstrated, you do not understand, I am eager and will work hard. How long now? Seven years came the answer. By now the young man was feeling frustrated. No, he said, you still don’t understand, I will work every hour I can and apply myself like no other student has before. The wise old monk smiled ruefully. No, he said, it is you that does not understand, with that attitude you will never complete the training – and he closed the Monastery doors.”

Varus may have been expecting Corvus to explain the meaning – but she didn’t. If he didn’t understand the analogy now, he would work it out for himself by the end of the training.

She indicated he should follow her. When they reached the outside of the hangar, she stopped. “I’d like you to run to the Meditation Pavillion and back. Your normal pace is fine.” She smiled at him and took a seat on a nearby bench before closing her eyes. “And please time yourself,” she added.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

The second request of the young, brunette Master was more reasonable, and considering the fact that he had actually run that specific route more than once when in sessions of personal training, Varus knew exactly how far and about how long it should take him. "It's about two miles there and two miles back, if I'm not mistaken.", Varus said, taking a moment to glance around the room to see his good work one last time. The next second he took a deep, well deserved breath, huffing it out abruptly as all in one motion he turned and darted out of the hangar.

She'd reminded him to time himself, which he made sure to do by pulling out a datapad and slipping his thumb across the screen to activate a stopwatch application. She wanted to know how long it would take him, but what she wasn't counting on was his pace. She'd told him to go at it in his normal pace, but that was the catch. His normal pace was full throttle, and it took him almost an hour of nonstop, full tilt running before he began to feel the aches and pains of fatigue, which would in turn force him to slow his pace eventually.

For now, however, he was going strong. Long strides and a strength of will were pressing him to his absolute, physical limit, and he wasn't planning on stopping any time soon. That, plus he knew his time would be good. It wouldn't take anything close to an hour for him to make it to the Pavillion and back, which meant that there would be no break in his fatigue unless Corvus had a surprise set up for him along the way.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

When Varus returned, Corvus was chatting to a mechanic but broke off as she saw him return.

She walked slowly over to him. "Good, good. Now I want you to place your hands on the ground - and lift your body upwards as high as you can. Like a press-up. Just see how high you can go, and then hold it."

Once he'd assumed the position, she spoke again. "Now I want you to remain in that position and recite the Code, over and over. If you need a rest, so be it, but I want you to remain doing this exercise for as long as you ran. Finish too early and there will be a forfeit. If you overrun, that'll just tire you more for the next part of the training." She pulled a stopwatch out of her pocket. "And no timer for you this time, OK."

She clicked a button on the device she held and stuffed it back in her pocket before sitting cross-legged on the floor and Meditating.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Straight face, Varus watched Corvus with that same, expressionless look he'd had before, though this time it was threatening to break. His patience was being tested by the woman, though he was aware of it, but just how much of this pushing and pulling would she do to try and make him break?

Varus had been training far too hard and far too long for this kind of work to break him. His endurance was almost unheard of among the Jedi for all the training he'd put himself through over the past two years, and his strength was an even more unrealistic measure. Still, he did not argue, nor did he protest her wishes. He simply dawned that wrinkle of frustration in his brow and clicked his feet together, legs stiff as a board. He then let himself fall forwards, catching himself against the ground with his hands. He lowered down a bit into push up form, but before he pushed against the ground to complete one push up he pulled forwards, his toes sliding against the ground as he slowly raised his upper body and midsection up. Lastly he pulled his legs up from the ground and pointed them straight up in the air as he pushed his entire body up.

He was in handstand position, which was the press-up position that Varus had chosen. He straightened his upper body, his core and even his legs as stiff as a board as he pushed up and extended his arms straight as well. He was perfectly balanced, for now, despite the fatigue in his legs from running. That, however, would quickly fade as the blood in his legs began to circulate quicker being the highest point of his body. He'd chosen this position almost defiantly, although Corvus hadn't been specific what sort of press-up form he should take. He was growing quickly tired of her training methods, well aware that he was in better shape than practically every Jedi roaming that very temple at that moment, but he continued to play along.

Patience, after all, would be the key. Of that, he was certain, and he was a rather brash and impatient man.

"There is no emotion..."

"...there is peace."


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

When Corvus had learned this particular lesson, she’d been found almost literally starving and her lack of both conditioning and a decent diet had counted against her. But to her it wasn’t about her fitness, it was about her attitude. Would she give in, or cheat or rebel against the methods.

And so it was with Varus. Above all he needed to understand this was not adversarial. At least not in the way many students thought. The only person Varus was competing with was Varus. She was never going to try to break him – she simply wanted him to understand his own limitations, his own point at which he would snap. And as importantly, what form that point would take.

Patience was something she was naturally blessed with, but she understood not everyone was. She could have taken him to Ambria and done the lesson with those cute reptiles, but she decided she had all she needed here to get Varus to be the best Jedi he could be.

So she waited for the Knight to declare the particular exercise finished…

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus had been holding his entire body above his head for almost two hours when his arms had begin to wobble. He'd been reciting the code, as directed, but he hadn't quit. Not yet, anyway, and he hadn't been told specifically that he should by Corvus. In fact, she'd told him that he should remain in this position and recite the code until he could do so no longer and that to do anything less would be a forfeit.

That wasn't in Varus. To give up or to give in? No, that wasn't a part of him at all. He had a heart that would push on, every step of the way, until he was dead an gone like the Jedi who'd come before him. He had no quit in him. He had no off switch, which had gotten him into trouble and a great deal of pain more than once, but to him it was all a part of the deal. He knew who he was and what he was there for, and he had a personal mission to complete that would take every second of his life with which to do so. He was going to become the most powerful Jedi that anyone had every laid eyes on or heard of. He was going to make his enemies quiver in just his shadow, and he would settle for nothing less than that unreasonable goal he'd set for himself.

After about ten minutes of shivering arms, Varus finally made it at least a couple of minutes past an hour, and he didn't have a second left in him. He had a pool of sweat beneath him that had been building there on the ground beneath him, shirt drenched so thoroughly that there wasn't an inch of it dry. "There is no Passion... there is Sere...", he managed to say, though is words were cut short as finally, after fighting it for so long, his arms gave out and his elbows broke in their relentless stand and gave way. He fell to the ground beneath him, the last bit of energy left in him used in order to shift his head to the side so that he would land on his shoulder as his body toppled forwards and he landed on the flat of his back with a "pop".

He laid there, staring up at the ceiling and taking in massive chest fulls of air as he composed himself. He didn't say a word for the longest time as he gathered his breath, and even when he could speak he thought better of it. He just let his eyes slant to a close and listened, waiting for what else that evil woman might ask of him.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled, "No forfeit for you then." She threw him a bottle of water. "Take five whilst I explain the next steps."

She stood and paced as he drank. "Some of the methods I shall use are...unusual. That is to say they're not strictly Jedi in their origin. I make no apology for that, merely point out that you should expect me to be a little...different than usual."

"Now follow me..." Corvus walked out into the gardens until they reached an area she'd clearly set up. It was near some of the Youngling training apparatus and there were a few practice dummies there too.

"Right," she said as she faced him. "Adopt an unarmed fighting stance."

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

It took that five, precious minutes for Varus to catch his breathing up and levelize his heart rate after having put himself through so much already. Even with all he'd done, and he was certainly going to be sore the next day, he was able to almost fully recuperate in the amount of time that Corvus was speaking to him up until she'd told him to follow her. As he peeled himself up off of the warehouse floor, however, he couldn't help but to think that she had not given him the promised five minutes. A fact that would go on without being addressed. He'd had enough rest, anyway.

When they reached the spot and Corvus stopped in a portion of the gardens away from everything else, set up for some kind of activity she'd had planned, she told Varus to adopt an unarmed fighting stance. When she did, he wasted no time turning to face her and raise both of his hands, carefully positioning them up, out and in front of him, his right hand loaded behind his left in a basic boxer's stance.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded. “OK. Your foot placement is good, and your dominant hand, which is your right I’m guessing is in a good place. Your leading hand,” she extended his left fist, and cocked his elbow so the arm was less bent. “This is a variation of shock boxing, but it's easy to incorporate into any fighting style. The outstretched hand…” she opened his clenched fist into a flat hand, “Isn't your dominant. Use this to slap away any attempts to hit you. Never block, deflect. More effective. Less stressful on your body too.”

She looked down at his feet, and stepped back.

She turned her body, making a smaller profile. Then she spread her feet evenly, and crouched down slightly in her knees. “Better kicking position. Also less chance of your legs getting kicked. And it’s easier to block and deflect. There's a reason all the holomovie stars fight like this. It works.”

"Now, on to movement…“ She took the position he was now in, albeit she was a bit more loose and relaxed, not as rigid as he was. “You once laughed at my lack of muscles. They’re great for lifting weights but they tend to make you less flexible.”

She moved around Varus now. She moved quickly, but smoothly. She didn't jerk her limbs, or make erratic movements. They were all calculated and precise, and her footwork was balanced but light at the same time. At any point, it seemed she was about to jump.

She stood upright and tapped the outside of his thighs with her foot, and the inner part of them. “This is where you want to put the hurt on a humanoid – I guarantee you give them a good solid kick to these parts, and they'll break their guard.” She pointed to his ribcage, and then pulled his elbows slightly more down. “Real fighters won't hit you in the face – that's a particularly fantasized way to fight. No – the best way to hurt someone is to hit them in the other places.” She stood back, and tilted her head at him. “Teräs Käsi is designed to take down Force users. So tell me, what do you think the most important thing to remember is when fighting nine out of ten force users?”

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus was taking everything in that Corvus was sharing with him, but he had also had his own opinions about some of the things she was saying. He was an old school boxer and brawler, and though he been working on his grappling lately, he still needed to learn more. The incorporation of his legs would be valuable, and he really hadn't done much of that if he was being honest, through he had found many useful places in his own technique to used his knees.

"Sounds like you know you're stuff...", Varus said as he watched Corvus with those icy eyes of his before she'd posed to him a question. He thought about it for only a moment before he figured he'd had the right answer, but in regards to Corvus, even he couldn't tell when he'd hit a bulls eye or gone so far off target that he couldn't see what he was aiming for any longer. That wouldn't stop him from trying, however, which he did with a certain confidence to his deep voice.

"Keep their hands busy."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

"Not a bad answer, and it’s an unfair question really – but it’s good to get you thinking like a non-Force user facing a Force-user."

She turned around, and held out her fist. She moved, but in slow-motion. In the end her fist was outstretched, aiming straight for his face – but it stopped right before touching his nose.

"They will likely to be able to read you and see you coming. The Force grants people awareness unlike any other. It’s something you probably use without thinking about it."

"So you must become something that they cannot read – free from mental probing and influence. Then, you can have to focus on being faster than they are. So…”

She removed a small rock from her pocket. No larger than a marble and it was a dull blue color. "Part of it comes from having a monotonous task that will drive you to become mentally exhausted." She bounced the rock in her hands, before pulling it behind her ear like a grenade, and throwing it, it landed in the olive and green foliage of the woods.

She turned at him. "Taxing your mind, your patience, and your commitment will be the first step." She turned and looked at the forest. "Go find me that rock. And I'll be watching you, though you won't see me. If I see you're getting frustrated or upset – then you'll start all over again. I expect you not to be frustrated or upset about the…third time you do it." She nodded her head towards the forest.

"Go and tax your mind."

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus didn't so much as flinch as the brush of air rushed gently over his calm face. A dainty little, less than intimidating fist was hovering just at the tip of his nose, and though she'd displayed an impressive skill and agility, Varus could still pick up on little things with baser instinct. The force wasn't much use in a moment like that, and like she'd said, it wouldn't be for training of that sort. It was an interesting lesson, but his interest was teetering on the brink when she'd displayed for him a rock that she then threw into the woods behind him.

Slowly, and with a rather dull look on his face, Varus turned and glanced over his shoulder into the woods. As he did, he sighed lightly and turned back to Corvus before he finally said, "I'll be starting over in a few moments, actually.", Varus said before he turned and walked towards the treeline, which he had only entered for a moment before he turned, rared back and struck a tree with the blunt end of his right fist, cracking it and causing a jolt of energy to rush through the ground in the immediate area like an infantile tremor.

The next moment, Varus glanced back at Corvus, watched her for a moment and set his jaw tight with a look of displeasure before turning and descending into the woods to try and find this blue... ish rock.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus thought back to her own training. Had she been this peevish? Possibly, she always respected her elders but as times Tracyn's training had been alien to her. But she was sure she'd remember punching a tree.

As ever, sometimes the learning came some time after the training. He was wishing to learn an ability that required - above all - patience. His current behaviour was simply slowing him down. Corvus knew he wanted to develop the martial art and at the moment, the only thing standing in his way was him.

But then she reflected she'd taken three or four attempts to find that little rock before she'd been able to do so without losing her usually impeccable patience. As she looked skyward, and the setting sun, she reflected that this could well prove to be a long day - for darkness just made the finding harder.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

It had been almost an hour before Varus snapped back to his conscious mind. He'd been concentrating for so long on such a rudimentary little task that he'd slipped into a trance like state. In a way, this allowed him to keep his composure, but he lacked the concentration necessary to do the task that Corvus had requested of him. It was an annoying and tedious little task designed to push his patience to the brink, which only made it worse. He knew exactly what Corvus was doing, and even then, he felt himself about to lose it.

The thought of someone as strong and advanced in the teachings of the Jedi as him having to find a dammed pebble in the woods was excruciating to the young man, and despite his realization that this was all designed to push him past his limit, he would fail and fail again. "By the gods...", Varus sighed for a moment before he said, "If they're watching this ridiculous game and gathering any enjoyment of my dismay I'll punch them right in their dammed mouths."

He was well aware that this was the verbal admission of defeat and not an outright show of losing his temper or proclaiming forfeit, but he continued to search anyway, regardless of whether or not she would make him start over again. It wouldn't matter anyway, considering the fact that he felt no closer to finding the stone than he did almost an hour ago.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

On the plus side, she was sure Varus was aware how he was struggling to keep his cool. On the down side it wasn’t helping him. But then it didn’t help her either way back when.

She was sure it was three times now before she found the pebble – and she was renowned for her patience.

She was tempted to call out, to confirm he was starting his second spell, but she thought better of it. It was genuinely a hard enough task without her making it more difficult by telling him what he already knew.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Sighing as he squatted down and rested his elbows across the tops of his knees to keep him upright and balanced, Varus continued to glance around, back and forth across the forest floor. "This could take weeks.", he finally said after he'd calmed down a little bit, realizing that he wasn't going to find it any faster by over thinking or letting his frustrations get the better of him. He was a Jedi, and although patience had certainly been no virtue of his, he was going to have to practice it now in order to overcome this task. He was going to have to best himself in order to see the next step in his training, no matter how ridiculous or mundane the task at hand was.

Back and forth he glanced, reaching into the grass and the leaves to pick up a rock a shade too bright and a shade too dark it seemed, and another hour had passed. He was in the same position, though this time kneeling on one knee, and looking back and forth. Every so often he picked up another rock, and then another, and then another, when finally he found one that looked almost identical. There was something about it off, however. He could tell that it wasn't the right one as he examined it a few times over, but he could hardly tell a difference in the one he was holding.

Knowing it would be rejected, he made an attempt without reservation to a successful find and flicked his hand, tossing it in Corvus direction with ease. "That's not it, is it?", he asked her, ready for her to tell him know so that his search could continue.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]