Private Knowledge is Silver [Audren]

[Alva Heavenshield]

Silver Rest
Kashyyyk
​

Alva took a breath a breath of the warm Kashyyyk air and frowned.

It was hot, way too hot for the Valkyri girl. Despite that fact, it was rather nice to be back at Silver Rest. She'd visited once before, when she was younger -- and everything was just like she remembered it. Alva looked around in awe, still unable to believe that her mother -- Valae Heavenshield -- had once been Grandmaster of the Silver Jedi Order (and Grandpa before her). Things were different now, though. This was the Silver Jedi Concord, and their capital world was no longer Kashyyyk -- but she was very glad that Silver Rest was still the 'heart' of the Silver Jedi.

But she wasn't just here to see the sights and reminisce.

Her mother had arranged for her to meet with an old friend, Master Audren Sykes . "I've known Audren since I first joined the Order," her mother had said via holo-message. "He's a respected member with a wealth of experience, and I'm hoping he can provide you with some combat skills." Alva knew that her mother had never been much of a fighter. In fact, her mother had given her the first saber she'd made -- along with Grandpa Thurion's help -- way back when. The weapon was clipped to her belt, though she had no idea how to really use it. "Master Sykes saved my life once," her mother had said. "Be nice to him."

The words echoed in her mind, and Alva couldn't help but chuckle slightly. She was always nice. However, she was rather uncertain about the way of the Jedi and what that meant to her. And Alva wasn't exactly sure what that would mean for her 'training' today. Was this Master Sykes going to lecture her? Was he going to make her sit in meditation for hours and hours? Or was he going to show her how to do some cool stuff with a saber? She really hoped it was the latter. Dressed in a pair of comfortable trousers and a tunic, boots and utility belt -- she hoped she was ready and appropriate enough for whatever was in store for her.

She walked to the courtyard and stood waiting, arms crossed.

Alva eyed each and every Jedi that walked by. Is that him? Nope. They all passed her by, brown robes flowing behind them. And one man turned, "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, er... no," Alva said, flushing. "I'm waiting for someone."

 

[Audren Sykes]

Not long ago, Audren had been contacted by an old friend, Valae Heavenshield. She'd caught him on his way to Kashyyyk, one of those infrequent trips that he made to keep himself aware of happenings. These trips were often interrupted for one reason or another, but Valae had managed to reach him on one of those rare times without interruption. She had to have some nascent precognition...nobody was that lucky.

He'd been asked to meet her daughter and go over some teaching with her, combat if possible. There was no way he'd disagree of course, but it was a bit of a shock to hear that she had a daughter. After all, it hadn't been all that long ago when Valae had first arrived at the Temple on Voss, had it? Of course, she had been named Valae Kitra then. And she'd been Grand Master of the Silver Jedi Order for a time. It really hadn't been that long, no doubt the girl would barely be a toddler. Teaching combat to someone that age was questionable but the basics couldn't hurt anything.

The Sephi wore robes to the meeting. It was a versatile set that could be used for anything from diplomatic or business meetings to full combat with only superficial changes. Lack of armor pieces but keeping the tabards had him more or less blending in with the other Jedi; the brown motif was welcomed by some but abhorred by others and so there was a healthy mix of styles and colors in Silver Rest.

Alva was intentionally left waiting for a couple minutes past the meeting time. Some might call that a power play, others would call it just plain rude. Yet to Audren, it was training. Everyone had to learn how to accept what came at them sometimes, and a few minutes tardiness would no doubt be among the least the girl encountered in her life. As he approached the courtyard where they were to meet, he saw a Jedi in the classic brown robes ask a teenager if she needed help, to which she responded that she was waiting for someone. Wait...that was Alva? She certainly resembled her mother if so, but she was far too old. Clearly time passed differently where she'd grown up because he was not that old.

Scrap the plans for just combat basics then.

In short order he was standing before her, his face not expressing how off-balance he still was, nor the amusement he felt.

"Another Heavenshield to the Silver Order then? Bet you wish you'd come here during winter."


Alva Heavenshield

 

[Alva Heavenshield]

Alva's brows arched as a voice drew her attention, speaking the Heavenshield. Aiming a glance over her shoulder, she was surprised to see the fair-haired man with pointed ears that she'd spotted at the gala. Her eyes narrowed slightly. He was friends with her mother?

She turned towards him, “So, you're Master Sykes, then?” And she nodded. “Yeah, it's way too hot here.” Alva fanned herself with an open palm to punctuate her point. She did miss the snow and the cold, clear air of Midvinter.

The girl regarded him for a moment with wide blue eyes. Her mother was old, alright – not as old as Grandpa, of course. But she had some gray hairs now. As Alva looked at the Jedi Master before her, she couldn't pin down his age. He was definitely older than she was. But was he older than her mother? He didn't really look like it.

“Are you an Aelvar?” Alva canted her head to the side slightly. The question had been in her mind that night at the gala, too. But she'd spent most of that night giggling and sneaking fancy drinks with Kyra Perl. There had been little time to get to know anyone at the crowded party, but she'd had quite a lot of fun. And then a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach alerted her to the fact that maybe he'd seen her drinking with Kyra -- a spy for her mother. However, she tried to keep her face from betraying any of this suspicion.

Audren Sykes

 

[Audren Sykes]

As much as he would like to claim the ability to read people, Audren's skills were sorely lacking in that area. Fortunately, he was aware of that fact. Not aware as he should be, but it was a start. It was for that reason he missed the narrowed eyes, widened eyes, and the other more subtle expression changes. Yet he wasn't just an ordinary person, the Force was with him and he had years of training behind him. The girl didn't, and she broadcast her emotions quite clearly. Interpreting them correctly was another matter. The clearest part was the sense of apprehension after asking if he was an Aelvar. Confusing.

"Sephi, at least according to my parents. Though my appearance is rather similar to an Aelvar."

He really did look closer to an Aelvar than a Sephi. It was the skin...the typical Sephi's skin tended to be more pink or purple. One of these days he would need to visit with the species and learn more about them. Such an endeavor would no doubt have difficulties; what little he knew of the species indicated they were rather withdrawn and their lands protected by a Veil of some sort. He would need a guide both willing and able to take him there.

That was years down the line though. Right now he needed to help teach Valae's daughter and his basic lesson ideas were rapidly evolving. The girl carried a lightsaber, but he wondered how much she knew about using it or about combat in general. He hoped that she at least had a basic foundation, growing up on Midvinter and all, otherwise his lessons would need to shift and she would likely be far less interested. He gestured towards a nearby training area - typically not a great idea to be teaching someone combat in the middle of a populated courtyard - and began walking. He continued talking as he did.

"So how much have you learned about combat, and about the Force? Or has it all just been parties so far?"

Alva Heavenshield

 

[Alva Heavenshield]

Alva nodded, noting Master Sykes as a Sephi. She stared for a moment longer, at least she was right in thinking he might've been Aelvar. And she was rather glad that he knew of the Aelvar already. Otherwise, that would have been... awkward. This also meant that he must know Midvinter quite well, a fact that did endear him to her.

Her eyes followed as he motioned towards the training area, and she walked along at his side towards the open area. A slight flush of color washed over her face when he mentioned parties. Could he see right through her? Was he already inside her head?

“Oh,” she started. “Well, I haven't done any training here yet...”

She let her blue eyes dance away from his at that moment. Reaching down to her belt, she retrieved her mother's saber and held it up. “It's my mom's old one. She made it with Grandpa Thurion when she was a padawan. Though, she never used it much... not much of a fighter.”

Alva chuckled slightly at the mere thought of her mother wielding a saber.

“I've never used it. But my father taught me to use a sword... it's similar, isn't it?” She asked, glancing up to Master Sykes once more.

Audren Sykes

 

[Audren Sykes]

So, not much training yet. He wondered just how much she knew of the Force; lightsaber combat without knowledge of the Force was awkward to watch at best. No doubt her mother had taught her some, just as her father had taught her how to use the sword. Maybe this wouldn't be a start-from-scratch session; if his assumption was correct then she might have a leg up on him when he first started. Fortunately for her, the basics between the sword and the lightsaber were indeed similar. He gave a nod to her as he answered.

"Similar, yes. Not exactly the same, since the blade is weightless and not much can resist it."

As they entered the training area they could see others hard at work. Along one wall was an obstacle course featuring all sorts of challenges, it could be altered with only a few moments' work and used by Jedi of all skill levels. Just off the primary path a few Padawans were playing catch with a shockball, but using telekinesis to catch and throw the ball instead of specialized gear. They were still working out the hiccups, as evidenced when the electrically-charged ball slammed into the person running through the obstacle course and knocked them to the training pads two meters below. Or maybe not, given the sly smirks on two faces. In another corner a Bothan was trying to defend herself against a training remote firing sting-bolts while under the watchful eye of a trainer.

For their part, Audren and Alva went to an unoccupied corner. There was a rack along one wall that held padded weapons as well as two plain lightsaber hilts, and another of the same remotes so aggravating the Bothan. Without any outward cue that he was doing so, the Sephi mentally reached out and switched his lightsaber over to training mode via a switch inside the hilt. He was grateful to have the foresight to build that in originally; while useful to occasionally train with unfamiliar hilts this was the one he used most. As far as he knew it was not a common feature, and when working with someone who freely admitted to never using the lightsaber they carried precautions were warranted. Some people took to the lightsaber naturally, while others...that's why training sabers were a thing.

"Since you haven't used the lightsaber, I recommend a training blade for now. Either that or be very careful; I don't want to explain to your mother why you need to be fitted for a prosthetic limb."

Alva Heavenshield

 

[Alva Heavenshield]

Alva nodded, listening. She felt semi-confident, given that she'd used a sword before. But it sounded like a lightsaber was different, it didn't carry the same weight as a sword. Walking alongside Audren Sykes , she took in the sights and sounds of the training area. Her blue orbs lingered on the Bothan training with a unit that fired little bolts.

But the Sephi and the Valkyri came to a quiet corner, where there was a rack of weapons. She blinked as Audren drew his saber – and she smirked at the comment about prosthetic limbs. Yes, she did want to avoid unnecessary lectures from her healer mother.

“Right,” she said, walking to the rack of weapons – for her own grasp of telekinesis wasn't great – and lifted a training saber. “I think mother would approve of the training blade.” Alva chuckled. She gently set her mother's lightsaber down next to the weapon rack, and made a very important mental note not to forget it when she was done for the day.

She ignited the training blade and listened to the comforting hum. This blade was green, while her mother's was blue. Alva couldn't decide which color she liked better or indeed if it even mattered. Thinking back, she remembered her mother mentioning that she'd used Soresu, form three. However, she also knew that her mother had barely lifted a saber during her time with the Silver Jedi – and only for defense. Alva, however, wanted to know more about offensive moves.

“What form do you use?” She asked, returning her attention to Audren. “Which is best?”

Spoiler

So, so sorry for the delay. I've been suuuuper slow.

 

[Audren Sykes]

"'Best' is always going to be a matter of situation and preference. Each has different strengths and weaknesses."

Soresu - Form III - was probably the answer most would have given. It was difficult to argue with that viewpoint as one trained in the form could have near-perfect defense. Purely defense wouldn't win most fights however, and it took a true master of the form to incorporate offensive strikes. Makashi was excellent against other blades but weak against blasters, Ataru attempted to finish fights quickly but tired practitioners just as fast, and so on. Even custom variants such as Vaapad had weaknesses. Fully custom forms tended to be the strongest if only because their advantages and deficiencies hadn't been analyzed for millennia.

"I was formally taught forms one through three. I've experimented with the others, though my knowledge is far from complete. Personally, I incorporate elements of everything I've learned throughout the years though it's never been codified or recorded."

Maybe he should work on that at some point. Build a holocron and record his knowledge for the future. Eh, he had a few hundred years left, the time would come.

His own blade ignited with a traditional snap-hiss in response to her activation. Whereas the training saber projected a fairly traditional green blade, his was orange. Sometimes the colors represented something. Guardians, Sentinels, and Consulars had tendencies to certain colors and Sith had a predilection for red but other times the color was simply personal choice or even random. Nor were kyber crystals required to focus a lightsaber blade: his primary focus was a corusca gem. His weapon was brought up into a vertical position in front of his face and held there for a second in salute. After that his knees bent slightly and the blade was lowered into one of the most simplistic guards - square with his body, tilted forward towards the girl.

"Your father is Valkyri, your mother a Jedi. Show me what you know."

Fair of the Sephi? Probably not. Yet he believed the best way to determine someone's existing knowledge of combat was to fight them. Whether it be lightsaber or physical blade, or application of the Force to the art of the fight, existing knowledge would reveal itself. By determining what she knew already - consciously or otherwise - he could tailor the lesson to her. After all, teaching basic forms to a trained duelist availaled little and dropping a novice in the ring with three advanced training droids could be even worse.

Alva Heavenshield