Private Lessons of the Ascendancy

[Zinayn]

Zinayn had carefully prepared the training room for his new trainee not just to be optimized for combat simulations but also give the room some Chiss decor. A poster of a groundlion mid-roar native to Naporar Prime dominated one wall, while a mysterious Chiss nightdragon took up another. Aknoby would be the first Chiss he'd met in around a decade. Although he rarely showed emotion or felt its thrum in his chest, like most Chiss, Zinayn could feel the anticipation building within. He had been a mentor to many of the students of the Lilaste Order, so teaching the young boy the ways of the Force and lightsaber combat wasn't what he was excited about. He was looking forward to talking about the Chiss Ascendancy he'd grown up in and inquiring about Aknoby's own experiences. The boy was young, so Zinayn doubted he had been around or even remembered anything about Csilla's destruction and the Ascendancy's demise. Though, on second thought, he had heard something about Aknoby's memory...

He'd find out soon enough. Zinayn could sense Aknoby's presence approaching. His eyes flicked to the table nearby to double check that he'd brought his lightsaber before he folded his hands behind his back and faced the door to greet his kin, a slight smile on his face.

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

Aknoby is extremely anxious. Since waking up with no memory, this is the first time he will speak to a Chiss. Reading about and seeing photos and videos of the Chiss Ascendency had caused certain emotions that took him by surprise: melancholy, longing, a dose of pride, but soon after, a strong sadness overcame him because he couldn't remember why he felt all this. Now he was going to meet a member of the Diarchy who is a Chiss like him. His stomach churned, and he did the breathing exercises he learned from Laphisto to calm himself. He stopped in front of the training room door and took one last deep breath before entering.

He stopped and looked at the room, losing his breath for a few seconds. It stirred something deep inside him, as if memories were finally about to explode, and indeed some did, in fragmented flashes that didn't make much sense: a flag, soldiers, a military parade he was watching, perhaps?

He took another deep breath and looked at Zinayn.

"I'm sorry, I..."

He paused for a few seconds, thinking about how to say it, but he saw no reason to beat around the bush.

"I have amnesia."

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

So that's what Zinayn had heard about the boy's memory. He involuntarily raised an eyebrow at the boy's blunt greeting before nodding understandingly and smiling at his reaction to the Chiss wallpapers. "Amnesia. I see. Do you remember anything about your younger days? Your parents? Where you grew up?" he asked with a warm tone that he usually never used.

Zinayn had walked into this thinking he might give a small briefing on Chiss tradition to hopefully have it carry on to the next generation. Now that he knew Aknoby remembered next to nothing about his Chiss heritage, that would probably change to a long lesson about Chiss traditions and history. If the boy would have the patience to stick around for it, of course. For a split second, he compared himself to his Sky-Walker teachers back on Csilla. The boring class sessions and monotonous tone the teacher used while drilling procedure into his head had given him fleeting thoughts of defenestrating him from the top floor of the academy. Now, Zinayn was in the teaching position, and he could only hope his student would actually be interested in learning about his people and their culture.

A part of him doubted that Aknoby would be patient or interested enough to hear what the older Chiss had to say, but Zinayn did have hope that he could pass down Chiss traditions. Really, it was the most important thing to him in this moment. The Ascendancy was gone and their people were scattered. Even though the Chiss species likely wasn't close from being extinct from the galaxy, the thought of losing their identity was painful to think of. Zinayn had seen videos of young Chiss across the stars partying, getting intoxicated, committing petty crimes, and ending up in prison. What had happened to the stone-cold discipline the Ascendancy's Chiss were known for? Had it really disappeared within one generation?

That thought alone motivated Zinayn in the moment to share the values of the true Chiss of the Ascendancy with this member of the next generation in hopes of retaining that discipline, intellect, caution, honor, and above all: loyalty to one's family. It occurred to him now that he no longer had the Irizi family to be loyal to. No Patriarch to revere or cousins to defend. But their values lived on in him. Despite the fact that his blood-related family was gone, scattered to the solar winds of the galaxy or destroyed on Csilla, his loyalty now belonged to the Diarchy. In that way, he kept the Ascendancy alive.

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

The young Chiss shakes his head but remains thoughtful.

"When I came in here, I remembered seeing something, a military parade? I couldn't see their faces, I think I was very young, and about my family..."

He bites his lip, not having had the courage to tell anyone about this, not even Laphisto, and exhales heavily.

"When I woke up, there was only fire and rubble and metal. I can't remember those first few weeks very well. I was moving on autopilot to survive, and going on autopilot, she Force, until the moment when... I caused a problem in a space warehouse that Laphisto was guarding."

He scratches his red hair, something he noticed attracted the attention of people who had seen Chiss before, and looks at Zinayn.

"I think I can slowly recover my memory, and I would very much like to learn about our culture, please."

He speaks in a low tone with contained anxiety, looking at the older Chiss.

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn's gaze couldn't help but fixate on Aknoby's vibrant red hair. Usually, Chiss had dark blue hair. Maybe the kid had dyed it.

He nodded slowly as the boy talked about the things he'd remembered upon entering the room. Images of destroyed buildings and thick smoke billowing into the air played at the forefront of his mind. It sounded like Aknoby's experience with the Maw's orbital bombardment of Csilla was similar to his. Thankfully, they'd both escaped.

Then came the magic words Zinayn had been hoping for. The kid wanted to learn about his heritage. The values of the Ascendancy wouldn't die with him, it seemed. If Aknoby took well to them, of course. "I'm glad to hear that you want to learn more about the Ascendancy. You know, when I found the Lilaste Order, I was surprised to see that their values were similar to ours. Surprised that the military discipline of the Order could even stand on the same podium as the Ascendancy. You understand why discipline is important, yes? We must not allow ourselves to be affected by anything that would distract us from our goal. Discipline leads to hard work, and hard work many times leads to success.

"This principle applies to training, for example. What I am going to teach you today may be a struggle at first. But when you stay dedicated to your mission, and you keep trying, you will understand in time." Zinayn took a step towards the table where he'd been sitting before and grabbed his lightsaber before beckoning Aknoby further into the room.

"I will be teaching you Niman today. A form that I find myself using most of the time. The purpose of Niman was to combine Forms I through V into a more balanced form. As such, Niman has no outstanding strengths or weaknesses. There are two main things that students struggle with using this form. First, due to the less intensive training required to master the bladework, Niman users incorporate the Force into their attacks. Secondly, because Niman is not a very strict form, you need to be quick to improvise on the battlefield, as there are no rote responses for you fall back on in a fast-paced battle.

"Speaking of the second difficulty, that leads me to my other point. We Chiss tend to be very intelligent. In the Ascendancy, our people used that intelligence both in the military and in the political arena. Our military commanders were the best in the galaxy. Their smarts allowed them to see the battlefield in a way that others could not, and allowed them to improvise strategies on the fly. That is what you'll need to master Niman," he said, spinning his lightsaber hilt in his hand. "Any questions before we begin?"

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

He noticed the older Chiss's curious gaze at his hair, but for now he remained quiet, listening thoughtfully, nodding his head affirmatively but calmly when the question about discipline was asked.

When Zinayn explained Niman, he became interested but also made a face that showed he understood the difficulty. His best form was Ataru, followed by Shiem, and having learned Makashi, he could only imagine how this could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he knew three of the five forms that Niman used, but on the other, the training itself seemed complicated.

He sighed a little.

"Well, I know a little Makashi, Shiem, and quite a bit of Ataru. Does that make it any easier? And about our culture, I would like to learn as much as possible. Maybe that will help me,Master Zinayn?? I only remember that my name is Aknoby and that I must be about 15 or something like that, and..."

He gives a mischievous smile.
"My hair is naturally this color, as are my eyebrows and other body hair."

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn's eyes wandered to the poster of the Chiss nightdragon as he listened to Aknoby. "Knowledge of other lightsaber forms does make Niman easier since it is a mix of five different forms. Though, it could also be a weakness. Remember that Niman requires constant focus on creating attacks and defenses. It isn't like the other forms in the way that you can turn your mind off and fall back on muscle memory. Niman needs you to be present in the battle."

"I do believe that our values as Chiss can help us in battle. Especially with Niman, our advanced intellect allows us to strategize feints and counters quicker than others, as well as other tricky moves that can deceive our opponents.," he said. Lowering his tone, he continued, "While I certainly think highly of the Ascendancy, it did have its flaws. One of which being the constant infighting and subterfuge among the Aristocra. Our intellect should be used to deceive foes, not allies. While I am here to teach you bladework, battle is not simply about how strong you are in the Force or your skills with your blade. Your mind matters far more than those aspects. A well placed trap or a well timed distraction can turn the tide of a battle, as you can see if you study Chiss military history like I have.

"I will teach you not only powers of the Force and skills with a lightsaber, but how to utterly outsmart your opponent and get them in the position you want them. But first, I must analyze your saberwork as it is now." Zinayn pressed a button and one part of the wall slid open. A chrome droid rolled smoothly out of its chamber and stopped on the middle of the mat in the center of the room. A second later, a hidden hilt in its hand ignited and a blade of emerald light sprang forth, filling the room with a steady hum. "Show me your lightsaber prowess, Aknoby. Oh, and do remember to turn your lightsaber to training mode. I don't get paid enough money to pay for a replacement droid if you break this one."

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

Aknoby looks curious as he hears the description of the Niman form.

"I see, that's why it's harder to master, and I think I understand why."

He says in Cheunh with a smile, the words coming out naturally, even though the boy's fragmented memory had not forgotten his mother tongue.

He watches the droid enter, while drawing his lightsaber and bringing the golden blade to life. He quickly moves a finger again to put it in training mode.

"I can ask Commander Laphisto for a new droid. If it's for my training, he'll just consider that I'll probably break your droid sooner or later."

He says with a smile, after giving the droid the more formal Makashi form greeting, he positions himself in the footwork of that form, attacking the robot with a lunge. He starts off looking like he has fallen back on muscle memory, but he soon notices the speed and the way Aknoby moves. he doesn't use, at least for now, Ataru's acrobatics, but he mixes Ataru's strength with Makashi's refinement, moving faster deliberately, changing the rhythms of his lunges and even making some cuts.

He doesn't just move back and forth like form 2, but moves diagonally and sideways to the droid, quickly like form 4. He seems to glide due to his increased reflexes and speed typical of Ataru.

The targets he aims at on the droid are varied, typically aiming at Makashi's hands, but he also aims at the legs when moving around the droid. He moves faster and faster, starting to sweat, and perhaps to Zinayn's astonishment and even concern, he uses some erratic juyo movements.

At one point, he uses the force on the droid's legs to hit it in the head, causing the droid to stop as if it had been uprooted.

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn began scribbling down notes as the clashing of metal and plasma filled the air. The boy was certainly good with his lightsaber skills, even mixing forms together for a more unpredictable approach. When Aknoby finished assaulting the stationary droid, the teacher put his notebook down and nodded approvingly. "Your offensive capabilities with a lightsaber are considerable, and your mixing of forms was a bonus. You certainly seem skilled enough to learn the bladework portion of Niman easily. The harder part will be learning not to lean too heavily on your lightsaber.

"I noticed your use of the Force at the end of your combo. You need to incorporate more Force powers into your attacks to draw out the full potential of this combat form. For example..." he trailed off as he approached the droid. Tightening his two-handed grip on his lightsaber and assuming a Niman low-guard stance, Zinayn positioned himself just out of his lightsaber's reach of the droid. Then, he swung, focusing the Force in his mind to pull the droid in. The machine responded to the urge of Zinayn's will, rolling forward involuntarily, meeting the Chiss's golden blade in a shower of sparks.

Extinguishing his lightsaber, he turned back to his student, explaining, "This move, the slashing pull, I find to be very effective on non-Force users. They are unable to resist the power of the Force, and cannot stop themselves from falling into your blade."

Zinayn walked to the table nearby and pressed another button on the remote, and the droid's photoreceptors turned a deep crimson. "Now your job will be to defend yourself against the droid's attacks. Don't let it hit you."

Without waiting for Aknoby's acknowledgement, the droid lunged forward with surprising speed, its saber flying down towards the student's neck.

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

The young Chiss watched the demonstration with interest, repeating the name of the technique in a whisper.

When the droid attacks, his instinct is to dodge and reconnect the lightsaber. He quickly blocks the next attack with a makashi parry and moves away again, moving to the side. When the droid attacks again, he uses a Force Push to knock the droid away, and on the next attack, he parries again and uses the Force to push the enemy away, slowly beginning to understand the idea of the form, or so he hopes.

When the droid attacks once more, he copies the technique that Zinayn demonstrated, not as well as the adult Chiss, but he does it.

"How long do I have to defend myself?"

He asks, blocking another attack with a more aggressive Shiem stance.

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

Aknoby reacted quickly to the droid's lunge, sidestepping and bringing his blade to clash with the bot's. With great delight, Zinayn watched as the young Chiss put his suggestion to use, exerting the power of the Force to gain some distance from his opponent. The boy's defensive bladework was good, and Zinayn had no doubt that he could hold his own against the droid on its hardest difficulty without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, the installed training module would never simulate the feeling of a real duel. The bot was far too predictable, and he didn't want Aknoby to become accustomed to repetitive attacks and develop routine.

After Aknoby performed the slashing pull that he'd just demonstrated, Zinayn shut the trainer down and returned it to its charging booth. "You did well involving the Force in your technique. I was going to have you keep at it for a while, but I decided against it. These droids, despite the claims by their coders, will never simulate a true battle. There's only so much code it can rely on for its responses, and eventually you'll get used to its attacks. That way, when you get into actual combat, your enemy's unpredictability will catch your muscle memory off guard. So, we need to pit you against a flesh-and-blood opponent."

Zinayn took a slow walk in a circle, head down in thought. Who could he call on for a quick duel? Laphisto was likely doing important things...not to mention he could simply overpower the young Chiss with his draconic strength. Iandre would be a good opponent for Aknoby, but she was on an important "mission" with Diarch Rellik. That leaves me.

"After a moment of deliberation, I've come to the realization that I am the only one available to duel you at the moment," he said, not understanding that the announcement might intimidate his trainee. "Let us assume our stances. I am not like the training droid; keep that in mind. My attacks may be unpredictable."

The teacher ignited his lightsaber, which matched Aknoby's golden blade. He stood with his left side facing his student, lightsaber raised by his right ear, as his crimson gaze rested on Aknoby.

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

The young Chiss smiles.

"I didn't expect anything different, teacher!"

He positions himself, his saber raised and pointed in Zinayn's direction, his legs in the Makashi stance but more rigid and looser for movement. But what begins is a movement of his free hand, a Force Push, not to push the older man but to make him defend himself.

Aknoby advances, letting the Force run through his body. Although it is a Makashi movement, he is using Ataru's bass to make him move faster, going for a lunge and following it up with another lunge as he moves diagonally.

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn bent his knees slightly as he watched Aknoby raise his hand, anticipating a Force push. He commanded his own use of the Force to root himself into the ground and withstand the invisible power that wanted to send him flying. His trainee followed up with two lunging strikes, which Zinayn expertly deflected with his lightsaber as he took a couple steps backwards. Already fully locked into the combat, the Irizi heir observed the younger Chiss's movements with a calculating gaze that may have been taken as unfriendly by members of other species.

Aknoby's lunging might have taken the droid off guard, but Zinayn was a real opponent who could adapt and make predictions about his enemy's movements. The boy was overextending himself with his double lunge. Wanting to expose the mistake to better his student, Zinayn reversed direction to step into the lunge, using one hand to bring his blade horizontally from the left to push and hold the other golden saber away. Now, Zinayn stood mere inches from Aknoby, his other hand hovering just above the student's chest.

The message had been delivered, and as such there was no need to follow through with the point-blank Force push that would have occurred if they had actually been enemies. Zinayn stepped back to reset the duel and assumed his stance once more. His people were known for their intellect, so he had no doubt that Aknoby carried those smarts too, and that he would learn.

"Let's see if you learn from your error. Remember that an error only becomes a mistake when you refuse to correct it," he said with great weight.
Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

Aknoby smiles, an apparently unassuming smile, he advances again with another lunge, but when the blades meet, he uses the Force to push Zinayn away and moves his free arm to pull Zinayn back against the blade, but the boy advances, aiming a thrust at one of the older Chiss's arms, and moves to attack again, using a more aggressive form of Niman influenced by the styles he already knows.



He uses the Force to dash forward with his body lowered, aiming a thrust at the back of Zinayn's knee, then touches his open palm to the lower back of his opponent.


Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

The hint of a smile appeared at Zinayn's mouth when Aknoby attacked, starting round 2 of the spar. Indeed he had learned from his previous error, now following behind his thrusts instead of overreaching and exposing himself. Aknoby's hand went out for a push, and Zinayn reached out to counter it with his own, nullifying the effect. To his surprise, the boy kept his hand outstretched, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward. Zinayn recovered quickly, deflecting another thrust to the side. His brow furrowed in concentration as he watched Aknoby dash forward and stab at the back of his knee. Precognition through the Force allowed him to dodge the well-timed attack, jumping over the blade and landing in a ready stance.

However, Aknoby was no longer crouching in front of him. The boy had lunged again, and was now at his side. Zinayn scowled slightly, anticipating the sting of a lightsaber in training mode to electrify his back. But a hand was there instead. Zinayn stood still for a second, shoulders rising and falling at a rate just above normal, as he mulled over his loss. Rather than feeling defeated, though, the feeling of pride swelled in his chest. None of his students had ever learned so fast before. But he should have expected it; Aknoby was one of his own people, and Chiss tended to learn very quickly.

Zinayn lowered his lightsaber. "You corrected your error swiftly. That is what you need to do in a real duel. Your opponent will not give you a second chance to learn. If you repeat your mistake again, you will be dead," he said bluntly. After a pause, he said, "Again."

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

Aknoby positions himself again, his legs in a stance similar to Makashi's, his right arm more relaxed at his side with the blade pointing toward the ground, his left hand near his chest, then he breathes and doesn't move.

He tries something, all the training, the duel with Regn, and feeling dominos. Aknoby has the opposite idea. He had read about the seven forms and was surprised when Zinayn said he would teach him Niman, a form that harmonizes with the opponent and focuses on adaptation and surprise.

He breathes again, letting the Force flow from him, not in an aggressive and oppressive way, but in a serene, calm, and non-aggressive way. It harmonizes with the Force field that Zinayn naturally emanates like any servant, so the young Chiss waits.

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

The young midager had done well in the previous bout, which signaled to Zinayn that he had to step up his game. He was not dealing with a simple, hopeless trainee. The boy had potential, but to realize it, he would need to gain real experience in the field. Against real flesh and blood enemies. Zinayn made a mental note to request to...supervise the boy on an op to critique his combat abilities. He stepped back and held up his lightsaber for a brief sportsmanlike salute before launching into his attack swiftly, flicking his wrist downwards, his saber zooming down towards the red mop of Aknoby's head. The boy had mentioned learning Makashi, and he was sure that this attack would bring that form to the forefront of his mind.

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

Aknoby sensed the vibration in the Force of what Zinayn was about to do, as if it were a note being played in a duet. He responded by taking a step back and defending himself, just in time. Although his idea worked, he still needs to improve his reaction time.

The young Chiss smiled as he moved, making another defensive move with his weapon, which was soon followed by a feint in the hope of hitting his tutor.

Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn sunk into the ebb and flow of combat, hearing the Force whisper precognition into his ear. He drove his blade forward, meeting Aknoby's feint before it could reach him and pushing it out of the way. He extended his free hand, feeling the electric surge of the Force to his fingertips. However, he decided against unleashing one of his more advanced abilities, settling for a simple yet strong Force push instead, with enough power to shove the boy back a couple of feet at the least.

His crimson eyes flicked to Aknoby's smile for a brief moment, seeing that he seemed to enjoy dueling. Zinayn also enjoyed the act, though he liked it for more mature reasons than simply swinging a lightsaber at someone. Even now, dueling a trainee, Zinayn focused on every economical movement of his arms and feet, already assessing what he could do to be more effective. Honing his skills brought him what could be called a small semblance of joy.

Aknoby

 

[Aknoby]

Aknoby sees the gesture and prepares himself. The blow hits him and he is dragged several feet backward, but he remains standing, using the Force to keep from falling backward.

"Huff..."

He smiles, enjoying the challenge, and advances steadily. He sends a Force Push with determination while letting the Force run through his body, accelerating toward his tutor, performing a very classic attack of jumping over his opponent and attacking him. Landing and already delivering other attacks, it is clear that the young Chiss's style will be an aggressive version of Niman.

Zinayn