Developing Defense

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia had been walking around Aurum for a few hours trying to find [member="Arekk"] . Jyn had said that he could help her with the "defense" aspect of her Padawan training. From what she new about Jedi and Sith, normally Padawans/apprentices would have a designated master, but that was apparently not the way of the Je'daii. No matter. It would be good to meet other members of the order. She would need to learn how to use a lightsaber, as well as how to use the force in combat. And while the Je'daii order certainly didn't seek combat, it acknowledged it as a common occurrence in the galaxy. She felt the same way. Her recent experience on Jade Moon had proved how painfully useless she was in combat, especially against those who wielded the force.

She finally spotted Ar'ekk while sitting on the edge of a fountain in the center of town. The fountain's border was about two and-a-half feet tall, purposely designed so that sitting there was comfortable and natural. Comfortable and natural actually described much of Azar city, which was quite surprising considering the stark contrast that the city's white color scheme faced the surrounding jungle with. Cecilia stood up, finishing the fruit she was eating --she didn't know what that market vendor had sold her, but it was fresh and delicious-- and tossed the remnants into a trash receptacle as she passed by.

She was now walking towards Ar'ekk, and she was sure it was Ar'ekk, for a half-mask was quite a distinct feature. She was wearing one of her lightest sets of clothes, though still normal civilian daywear. She did have on her traveller's boots, with her pants tucked inside of them. This outfit, complete with her quarterstaff attached to her back was arguably the closest thing she owned to combat attire, and deliberately so. Cecilia had many years of lost training to make up for.

Cecilia followed Ar'ekk until he was on the edge of the fountain plaza, making sure that she stopped him in a place where they could talk comfortably, at least for a time. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hello, are you Ar'ekk?" Cecilia asked the man, although she was quite sure of the answer. She continued: "Cecilia Wisen, Je'daii Padawan since four days ago. Jyn suggested I ask you about combat training." She preformed one of Jyn's bow's as she introduced herself. She didn't know if that was a tradition of Jyn or the Je'daii, but either way it could not hurt.

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk had been sitting by the fountain for a few minutes now, holding his new crossguard lightsaber and making the final adjustments before making the upgrade 'official'. It had taken him a week to recollect all the parts and put them together, inserting a small plier in what seemed the ignition button to tweak a certain aspect of it that didn't seem rightfully adjusted just yet.

The way of the Jed'aii were different to those he was accustomed to of an ordinary Jedi like himself, despite sharing similar views regarding no combat and staying away from conflict. Not for anything, Azar City was still rebuilding itself from the ashes of what had condemned long ago where dozens of medical tents housed the injured citizens scattered throughout the entire place. He witnessed again the horrors of war, of conflict. Pain. Suffering.

Being near this fountain and its crystal clear water reminded him of the days where purity was latent, where everything wasn't about killing each other. It reminded him of Jyn. She was everything you could ask for and he wanted to protect her and all that she loved, even if that costed him his life.

His eyes lingered on Cecilia as she made her initial approach, somewhat shy and decisive at the same time.

"Ar'ekk Daesharacor, Jedi Knight. Pleased to meet you."

The man pondered for a brief moment, setting his crossguard lightsaber aside to stand up and offer his hand.

"You've come to the right person if you wish to learn more about such fine art."

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia took Ar'ekk's hand and returned his handshake. As she did, she examined the person who would become her master. He was a bit taller than her, and perhaps a bit older, but despite that, from what she had heard about him and from what he had said, he was a more than capable instructor. Most notable was his left arm and the left side of his face, his face covered by a mask, and his arm replaced with a cybernetic. For someone so young to be in such a condition was tragic. She noticed that his lightsaber, which he had been tinkering with until she had arrived, had an odd shape, ending at a three way split. She thought it was rather odd, although in many ways, a guard for the hand made sense. Although, perhaps that was not its purpose.

"I do wish to learn. So, Ar'ekk Dasharacor, will you teach me?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

He sized Cecilia from head to toes, reading her body language and the way she carried herself to others. Interesting mental notes were made in his head, she seemed to be in a great shape to undergo a series of exhausting training exercises before going through what he knew best, if that's what she wanted. Ar'ekk had the edge over others thanks to his cybernetic arm which gave him the upperhand (no pun intended) in battle.

"Well, what exactly are you looking to learn?"

The half masked man knew the arts of the lightsaber by heart although he specialized in just a certain spectrum of styles, more offensive than defensive. He was a warrior after all and one like that should always end up victorious.

"I know Makashi and Ataru best."

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia remembered a little about lightsaber fighting styles from the research she had been doing recently in her spare time. Admittedly there was not much of that to go around, and soon there would be even less, but she made do. From what she remembered, Makashi was mostly about grace and precision and Ataru was a form that focused on unpredictability and a level of aggression surpassed only by Juyo. She did not want to learn Ataru. Aggression and unpredictability were not good qualities, if her homeworld's history was any judge. Also, Ataru relied on heavy use of the force, something she was not ready for, although perhaps that was actually a reason to try it.

Still, Ataru held nowhere near the draw to her as Makashi's-- scientific, some might say, bladework. She smiled to herself at that.

"I would be honored if you could teach me Makashi." Cecilia bowed again. Oops, was this going to become a habit?

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

"Makashi. A difficult stance to master. Took me years to develop the skill to handle such fine stance."

The training for Makashi was no joke. Exhausting, degradating, you'll end up feeling like giving up is easier than learning all the intricates of what it meant truly at heart. She'd know the real meaning behind the word 'exercise' once they put everything to the test. Ar'ekk was a walking museum, most of his knowledge coming from the Force and his lightsaber. A new one now, of course. Let all things past die.

"We could start now or take a little break before starting. Your choice."

His hand dived into the fountain to pour some of the cold and crystaline water onto his face. The heat was touching down on Aurum really hard and if they were do some of the basics, they'd have to wait until the sun went down.

Bowing was a common thing for him which is why he made no comment and instead bowed back.

You don't want to exhaust yourself, right?

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia had spent the past half an hour sitting down, and was feeling quite well rested. That said, jungles were not ideal workout conditions.

"I could go now, though probably not in this heat. Is there an indoor area we could use? That would also mean we could keep going after sundown if we wanted. I can't see in the dark. Hapan." Going indoors seemed the best course of action.

"Wherever we are going, please, lead the way."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

"Yeah, there's a training facility not far away from here. Come on."

He had stopped tinkering with his newly built lightsaber and clipping it on his belt again, Ar'ekk rose from the fountain after dampening his head with cold water. The Je'daii had rebuilt Aurum with magnificent structures all around that had taken incredible resources and manpower to finalize and the training facility nearby was just an example of it, even though it was in its barebones for the time being yet usable.

The doors unlocked and the duo were welcomed by a sight of blue mats that covered the entire concrete floor, a massive rack filled with training lightsabers for their people to use freely. Ar'ekk was an advocate of wooden swords and training lightsabers to teach others, taking the more drastic approach of using his own lightsaber once they've advanced properly.

"Grab one of the weapons by the rack over there and meet me here."

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia followed Ar'ekk's instructions, walking over to the rack of swords and picking up one of the wooden weapons. She glanced at her quarterstaff which, along with her pack was waiting by the door of the gym. The lightsaber she had picked up was, in her eyes, as good as any of the others. It's blade was about 1.2 meters long, and all of the weight was in the hilt. It was incredibly awkward, but she was sure any of the other sabers would feel the same. A new weapon and a new style. It seemed like she was starting from zero once again. It had become a rather common occurrence since arriving at Aurum. She moved to where Ar'ekk was standing, and awaited further instructions with her feet shoulder width apart, facing him. She held the saber in her right hand at a 45o angle to the ground.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

"Makashi is a very intensive and exhausting stance to learn. Your energy will be depleted quickly if you don't learn first how to manage it, understand? We'll be warming up with simple exercises, swings and whatnot. That will get us started for the heavy part."

Placing himself in position and separating both of his feet on the mat, Ar'ekk showed Cecilia the different movements of the blade that would help her warm up properly. Upwards, sideways and downwards with little to no need of taking more than five minutes to learn them all. He was patient and corrected his students whenever they made a mistake and this was going to be no exception to such rule.

"Like this, spread your feet slightly apart and pull the saber like this. Any questions so far?"

They've been ten minutes into the warming up session so far, the clock ticked really fast when you're not aware or keeping track.

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

"No questions" Cecilia confirmed

The training had not yet started, but the warm up was proving to be easy enough. Cecilia made sure to keep herself in shape and flexible, and nothing so far had proven any sort of challenge to her, and though that was the intent of the warm up, [member="Arekk"] 's guidance made it that much easier. She was certain, no, she hoped that he would be able to make whatever came next at least bearable for her.

 

[Arekk]

"Good. We're prepared to go through the basics."

Their energy would deplete within thirty minutes of exercising, so he made sure their sparring session would last enough to cover at least the very bare bones of Makashi. Fast paced and exhausting could define this style, Cecilia being able to take a basic grasp of the stance for the time being. Ar'ekk had taught her a trio of movements with the blade that went upwards, sideways and downwards.

The more complicated movements and techniques would be taught at a later date when she had already become more proficient with the training saber. He pointed out several mistakes in her form and movements, which were promptly corrected as time progressed.

After an hour of hardous practice, Ar'ekk stopped for a brief moment to take a deep breath and calm down for a minute as he was soaking wet just like his apprentice.

"How do you feel?"

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

"Physically, not great, but I feel like I'm getting somewhere, so it's worth it."

Not only was Cecilia extremely sweaty, but an hour of only using her arms had made them very tired indeed. She sat down on the floor for their break, her legs forming a triangle in front of her, pointing towards the ceiling. She placed the saber behind her, resting her forearms on her knees. Her feet hurt too, the footwork that she had been doing made the arches of her feet extremely sore. Fortunately, the proper positions did not hurt that much, probably intentionally so, but she knew more often then not when she messed up footwork. She was sure that [member="Arekk"] would have them start again soon, but probably not too soon. Not only was he excellent at explaining and correcting, but he seemed to know exactly how tired Cecilia was at all times. Perhaps that was less of a teaching instinct and more of a killing one though.

She figured she had time to ask Ar'ekk a question before they started again. "Ar'ekk, why don't you teach padawans."

 

[Arekk]

Leaving the training sabers by the weapons rack, Ar'ekk's gaze focused on Cecilia for a brief moment before answering. Training others was a foreign idea to himself as he always liked to work alone because it made him go at his own pace and feel serene without having to worry, perhaps one of the few 'weaknesses' the man still held onto.

"Never asked myself that question. It's not my time, yet? Once I retire, one day, I might."

Future.

His focus had to be on the present for now, live it in the best way possible and then focus on the future. It is good to have goals that you want to reach but they had to be realistic and keeping your foot on the ground was key to achieve such things.

"We are done with the lessons for today. Find me in the fountain tomorrow morning, we'll be working harder this time."

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

About a minute after Ar'ekk left, Cecilia put the training sword back on the rack, grabbed her pack, and left as well. She headed back to her room, though not before picking up a drink and some very late lunch from the cafeteria. Once she finished her sandwich and drink, she showered and changed, and then, leaving her stuff in her room, headed off to the Archives. She spent the rest of the day there, reading some bools she had found herself and some others Jyn had recommended. She headed off to bed early, though not before doing the meditation she was trying to make a habit of. Tomorrow was probably going to be a long day.

* * *​

Cecilia walked into Azar square. Though it was still being built, and probably would continue to be in such a state for a long while, it was already serving its purpose as a morale booster and community builder. There was an excess of thirty people walking around it, even though it was less than half what it's final area would be. Cecilia easily spotted [member="Arekk"] sitting on the fountain in the center. She made her way towards him.

"Good morning Journeyer Dasharacor. What sort of fun do you have planned for today?"

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk had been awake before ths sun rose in the horizon of Aurum, spending the last few hours roaming around the fountain in complete silence. He knew that Cecilia would get there soon as well which is why he didn't wandered someplace else so she could find him right there where they decided the day before.

"Good morning, Cecilia. How are you feeling? We've got a long day ahead."

Truth be told, after a training day like yesterday's? Your entire body would feel sore, from head to toes. He knew that Cecilia would have to go at a less frantic pace which is why Ar'ekk would make adjustments to the training session and their sparring.

Going inside the training facility, every tool needed for today's session were already displayed for them to take. He had taken the time to choose the perfect saber for Cecilia and himself.

"Today we'll be aiming to go a little further into specifics. Multiple techniques to strike an opponent and hopefully disarm him. Do as I say."

The half masked Jedi proceeded to show Cecilia the moves he wanted to teach her, most of them very complex and would take her hours to catch on. And as such, the day continued until they were exhausted...

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia had known that her body would hurt, but she hadn't realized how much it would suck until they had started training again. When she went through the movements Ar'ekk had taught her, half her body felt like it had been trampled by a Bantha. She was sure that she was slower than yesterday, but as before, Ar'ekk was an excellent teacher. And the saber he had picked out for her was noticeably easier to use. Clearly the racked sabers were not at all the same.

The training today was going noticeably slower, but that was to be expected, as the techniques Ar'ekk was teaching today were much more complex, and she was also much more tired.

At one point, they had paused for a bit, as Cecilia was almost completely exhausted. While [member="Arekk"] waited for her to recover, and presumably caught his breath as well, Cecilia commented:

"You claimed yesterday's training was going to be arduous, yet that seems like a joke compared to today!"

 

[Arekk]

"This is only day two, Cecilia! Come on, we've got a bunch more to do."

He was energetic as ever and seemed like Ar'ekk could keep doing this for even a day or two without stopping, the man was really in a great shape. Of course he had to be, the young Jedi had become a teacher now and without that discipline of health in his life he'd be doomed.

Swinging his training lightsaber around and showing off some skills with it, Ar'ekk proceeded to show Cecilia the next set of moves that would greatly benefit Cecilia's ability for Makashi.

"This stance is all about speed and stability. You must be quick and precise, losing that precious second can turn the tide of your duels. Strike me now, full speed. Don't stop."

Moving his training lightsaber forward, the half masked man embraced for Cecilia's incoming strikes. He knew he could take the hits but wanted to see if she had the skill to properly deplete his energy and disarm him.

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Cecilia placed herself in Makashi's ready position, pointing her saber at [member="Arekk"] 's face. She attacked him, scooping her blade forward and down, in an attack that would have hit his saber wielding wrist. Ar'ekk moved his hand slightly and blocked it, and Cecilia immediately withdrew her blade and sliced towards his fingers. Arekk blocked the strike, ending in a position which had Cecilia's saber under Ar'ekk's, with her arm and wrist bent in a position that would have made applying upward pressure nigh impossible. That move had clearly been a mistake. If Ar'ekk had slashed at her saber instead of merely parrying it, she almost certainly would have been disarmed.

Still, instead of breaking the lock, she put her other hand on her lightsaber, and forced Ar'ekk's saber to follow as she stepped into it, putting her body at a 90 degree angle to Ar'ekk, and resulting in their lightsabers both pointing upwards. Now her arm's position, which had earlier been a disadvantage, was an advantage, and she pressed it, pushing Arek's saber away with the force behind both of her arms. This succeeded, throwing his saber arm to his side, which due to how they were standing, made his arm now somewhat horizontal to Cecilia. The force of her follow through had been enough to throw her arms down. She had removed her left hand from the saber mid swing, and now held it in only her right again, pointing close to the ground. Quickly, she rotated her wrist, and flicked her arm and saber up, towards Ar'ekk's wrist.

If she had been sparring with herself, that would have been it, but Ar'ekk was a better bladesman by years.

 

[Arekk]

A brief frown formed across Ar'ekk's face. Stepping backwards and exiting the saber lock, the man started wondering just what she had learned thus far in the brief exchange. The constant swinging was far too straightforward, and Ar'ekk found himself able to block, dodge and redirect all of the strikes sent his way.

Holding his blade close to his body, he utilized quick and tight control over his saber, moving it only as much as it needed to be to keep up his defense.

"Too predictable."

He spoke to his apprentice mid duel, getting a few words out at a time. Adding a bit of extra strength to his next swing, Ar'ekk aimed to direct his apprentice's blade into the ground, hopefully creating an opening in which would be struck at.

"Be creative. You understand the basics, now you must utilize them with your own instinctual attacks. Try it again."

Truth be told, her strikes were good for a second good day's training however they lacked a lot of technique which was obvious for a starter such as Cecilia. She was pacey and had good control of the training saber but Ar'ekk could've disarmed her during the strikes with a single block and counterattack. Despite this, he felt very pleased about her performance thus far.

Making progress.

[member="Cecilia Wissen"]