Private Silver Jedi 101 - Saber Practice #PaddiePack!

[Desbre Gensan]

Equipment: Jedi uniform, inherited lightsaber

Spoiler: Tag cloud

Caedyn Arenais Aveline Cuiléin Jaeson Starchaser Irridia Solensis Irridia Solensis Ilia Valentina Kaia Vullen Tom Kovack Casaana Caltin Vanagor Jorah zos Darnus

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Desbre studied the class posting on the Comport. Remembering the last few classes she'd been to, she was certain this would prove to be good. Tapping the itinerary, she indicated she would join, and sent the message across the local network with a soft 'bling' of acknowledgment. Checking the time she went for a short run to warm up, which she planned to conclude just outside the training center.

Sure enough, she drew up just outside the area a little breathless, but at the last she'd poured on the Speed, clearing things in Leaps and bounds, enjoying the speed and freedom of movement. By the time she made her way inside her breath had recovered. Checking her chrono she was a little late. She'd lagged a couple minutes behind on that last loop of her journey. But they probably wouldn't hang her up by her toes... this time. But stealth training she'd been late to as well.

She wore a simple Jedi uniform, but in the colors of blue sky, snow, ice, and rocky mountains, a partial nod to her homeworld. Her hair was pulled up high letting her cool more effectively and her booted feet were nearly silent as she walked. Making her way into the class just before introductions started, she bore a lightsaber at her side, clipped to the functional belt around her hips. Nodding to the others she introduced herself quietly. "Desbre Gensan."

As the lecture portion opened up and questions were asked about lightsaber combat, she nodded silently. Most of the answers were good. When Caedyn Arenais let his gaze fall on her she raised her hands, but not in surrender. Her wrists and palms were wrapped lightly in cloth that absorbed moisture and protected her hands, serving a function similar to gloves but more simplistic. Pulling down the portions over her palms she simply showed a set of callouses. Distinctive wear patterns built up over many hours of hard work.

Growing up on Arkania, even someone who existed at a 'blue-collar' level for her people, they had notably better education. She'd been out of primary education years before she'd even sought the Jedi out. Being accepted for the training she had more free time to throw herself into it, including saber training. And her hands showed the wear patterns of someone who trained extensively. When she saw the droids she raised an eyebrow.

She'd expected this to be a sparring class against other padawans and maybe a knight instructor or two. But it was against droids. Watching one of the younger ones promptly zap themselves with their won training saber, she seemed to deflate further. It made sense. There were people here more likely to hurt themselves than their opponents. But, sparring droids wouldn't hurt. Well, they would. But that wasn't what she meant.

With the reminder for those that had a lightsaber and wished to use it, to turn it down if it had variable power she retrieved her own weapon and checked the twist ring that controlled the output. Thumbing her lightsaber's activation switch it sprang to life with a classic snap-hiss followed by a bright hum. Spinning the weapon in a forward roll she loosened her wrist, then reversed the roll, then quickly flicked it through a figure eight. It had been a while since she'd wielded the weapon and it took a moment to get used to the gyroscopic effect and to feel its balance in her palm once more. But it was as comfortable and familiar as ever.

Making her way toward one of the droids, she studied it. It was a little different from the models she was used to. But she was fairly sure it was programmed with the fighting knowledge and routines of a thousand masters and many styles, like the ones she'd trained against. Her approach with a lit saber signaled to the droid with blue accents in its paint job she was open for attack.

It wheeled forward and began with a simple neck level-thrust. Barely moving more than her elbow and wrist her blade swept up and out, moving in a clockwise blur deflecting the strike. It came around over its right shoulder toward the left side of her neck in an angled slash. Continuing the momentum of her first block she swept her weapon around in the same motion which became a circular parry and deflection causing it to miss to her right.

The droid rotated its wrist and came high over its left shoulder striking toward her right ear on the oblique. But she'd expected this. The droid was opening with a simple velocity she'd practiced a thousand times, designed to teach this method quickly. She left her saber where it was, and moved outward just a little to block the strike. The weapon was held close to her body along her right side, now in a two-handed grip, left foot forward. A practiced saber-stylist would recognize it as the basis for one of the main blocks of Soresu and Djem-so.

The droid's strike glanced off her saber as it drew through. It whipped the end around in a flat cut toward her left side as though attempting to bisect her at the waist. With the tip still toward the ceiling, Desbre shifted her weapon left forming a defensive wall on that side but giving ground to her opponent. There was no panic, it was almost a dance but a quick one.

The strike was hard, and the weapon dragged against hers as the droid followed through the strike. It whipped around another flat cut which Desbre stepped back with her right foot, turning to meet t, using effectively the same block a third time in a row. She pondered interrupting the velocity and striking at the droid's exposed head as it continued to strike through and pass on instead of rebounding. But for now, she would let it play out the velocity and assess her skill level. They learned quickly and this one didn't seem to recognize her yet.

The next strike came from the low left, aimed to take her at the thigh or knee and pass through her body and out the right shoulder area. She could dodge or block. Circle-stepping back with her left foot, she managed to stop the blade from finding purchase as the droid swung through again. It looped the strike around in a reverse figure-eight heading for her right leg this time. She repeated the pattern, circle-stepping back with her right, maintaining good balance, and blocked again.

The droid spun the saber once, maintaining the momentum and coming along her centerline, as though to cut her in half from groin to the top of the head. It was a hard strike to block and this she chose to sidestep, only for the droid to raise the weapon high with the motion and bring it down like a falling avalanche aimed for the top of her head. Both hands rose high and blocked, parallel to the floor. The impact jarred her arms and sent a shiver down them as the weight of the droid and its strength turned it into a power blow she did not expect. Good.

Rocked back and still on the defensive, the droid followed with a thrust at her throat once more. Parrying with both hands she barely managed to send the blade to her left, exposed, and slightly off-balance from the powerful hit. The whole thing had taken only a few seconds and flowed from years of practice and programming.

The droid whirred and clicked for a moment. It seemed to contemplate all the data it had learned. "Sequence complete. Evaluating... Padawan Desbre Gensan identified. You're still not setting your stance strong enough for the end of Velocity one, strike nine," the droid chided, "For a hard block like that. Suggest you use the deflection block. It leans toward Djem-so, but it doesn't require any strength. Less conflict. Your opponent crashes against you, but you don't have to meet them with equal force and you can expose them."

She nodded, then realized some of the others had started in. Tom Kovack seemed to be struggling. It was then that she recognized a particular figure and voice. Caltin Vanagor . She gave the Master a respectful nod. She'd trained in one of his classes a few years ago. Things had been different then, and she'd been struggling with her own emotions and pain. Crippling depression, anxiety. This class had been a bright spot, and it had been very similar to this one. And he quickly inserted himself into the lesson, aiding and improving on Caedyn's teaching, referring to emotioanl control. And he was right, the last thing that a Jedi needed was for a Sith, intent on turning them, to push them into panic, fear, or rage. They could talk a lot of crap from what she heard, especially combined with the ability to pick up on the thoughts and emotions of others, like a Jedi could. Weaponized trash talking. Dun Moch they called it.

Without losing sight of her sparring partner, Des gave Caltin a small salute of acknowledgement then trned back to her artificial sparring partner. "Again," she commanded the droid. It didn't hesitate and began the same velocity once more. This time she adapted and used the recommended block, and ended it with a counter-attack that struck the back of it's neck and would have swept head from shoulder against a living opponent.

"Improvement, padawan," it said, resetting. To Caedyn and Caltin both, they would recognize that Desbre was fighting from rote training rather than calling on the Force. A thousand times she had done the drill, and a thousand more would do.

"What is your designation," she inquired of the droid.
"C-JIR," the droid answered quickly. "But you can call me Ceejir, or Sieger." As in someone who sieges.
"Seejir, can we freespar," she asked.
"Compliance," C-JIR responded in a tone that was almost happy.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

As Jedi Master Caltin Vanagor addressed the Students with a reminder regarding the importance of emotional restraint, Caedyn first glanced to the speaker however then turned to note the others who had joined their lesson and were setting themselves up to interact with the training droids for melee practice or the training remote for deflection practice.

The Jedi Knight hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting Caltin, however the Master's wisdom was appreciated, especially with their growing numbers and the prospective ease of minding them all now that there was another willing to contribute to the session's facilitation. Kaia Vullen had also failed to escape Caedyn's notice, however she seemed less intent on speaking up for the time being as opposed to spectating for the time being.

"A valuable piece of advice Master Vanagor" Caedyn responded to the Jedi Master, loud enough for the Students to be able to hear his approval and intent to call their attention to the matter; "You students ought to keep this in mind. Some of you will have practiced and learned about the value of self-restraint and emotional discipline already but for the benefit of todays session you would do best to step back should any of you find yourselves becoming frustrated...-Our emotions can blind us to what the Force and our instincts are trying to tell us during times of need". Caedyn returned his attention back to the Jedi Master and offered the rather tall and stocky male a nod in acknowledgement and appreciation for his input.

While some of the Students were more comfortable and experienced than others, Caedyn found himself glancing across to Jorah zos Darnus who had accidentally hit himself with his own blade in response to the training remote he was practicing against. In similar fashion to the young Casaana's entrance, the young Dathomirian (which Caedyn assumed was actually a Zabrak by first impressions), had managed to fare far better than he might, had the weapon not been a training variant.

"The Lightsaber can be a weapon of great skill to wield, however as you can all no doubt see, it takes a lot of practice to become familiar with. Decades of dedication to truly master" Caedyn spoke up for the group to hear him, still watching the young lad for a time to make sure that he hadn't done any real harm to himself. "As the blade is formed of pure energy, it clearly has no weight or mass that provides any further momentum to a strike or a slash" Caedyn continued, "You must all learn to move and treat the Lightsaber as an extension of yourselves, where your hand takes the hilt, the blade will land as quickly and heavily as you will it. The downside however is that without carrying any weight, it can be easy to slip up and harm yourselves if you're not careful" The Jedi Knight flashed a brief smile to the Dathomirian before moving on to gauge the others practice.

Desbre Gensan was particularly easy to notice for the Senior Padawan carried obvious skill and experience within her every movement. Her training droid being driven to exert rather higher skill in response to her own, compared to the other younger students nearby. Taking a moment to study the young woman, the Jedi Knight smiled approvingly and turned to look to those who might need more direct guidance.

Jaeson Starchaser would be Caedyn's next victim, so to speak. The young man seemed to have a liking for the use of a Blaster Pistol, however he fortunately neglected to make use of the firearm and to this, Caedyn was certainly thankful. Blasters were deadly weapons in the right hands, and many Jedi did use them in the field, however they were within The Silver Rest and there were plenty other students around, some of which were possibly younger than himself.

"The purpose of Form One, otherwise known as Shii-Cho is to provide the starting steps for Mastery of the Saber Arts" Caedyn once more announced to the class as a whole, "However every form has it's particular advantages and techniques that make them unique and immensely effective in a trained hand. Shii Cho for example utilizes more basic forms of striking, horizontal and vertical swings that make the first form fairly easier to pick up yet difficult to master in true combat" Caedyn explained, soon to elaborate; "The purpose or goal of Shii-Cho is meant not to kill, but to disarm an Opponent. Should your foe lose their weapon, then it's very likely the fight will be brought to an end. As Jedi we always strive to avoid harming others, and so Shii-Cho is one of my favored forms, personally".

Desbre Gensan | Aveline Cuiléin | Jaeson Starchaser | Irridia Solensis | Ilia Valentina
Kaia Vullen | Tom Kovack | Casaana | Caltin Vanagor | Jorah zos Darnus​

 

[Irridia Solensis]

Irri sighed softly, a small smile playing about her features as she simply watched and listened to each of the others in the class. It wasn't long before Caltin Vanagor joined, and she nodded to the Master whom she'd had the pleasure of meeting and indeed 'rescuing' on Rhen Var alongside Caden Evesa . Her attention returned to Knight Arenais as he continued, and she moved forward to the newly unlocked cabinet.

Her attention was split between Master Vanagor's words of wisdom and Caedyn Arenais's instructions, whilst her fingertips trailed over the hilts arranges neatly in the case. She drew in a deep breath, holding it for a beat, then exhaling slowly as she worked to still her mind. Considering it normally flew about at a klick a minute unless she was in the water, she was pleased to find it a tiny bit easier than it had been the time before. That small moment of progress distracted her briefly from the task at hand, and she realized her fingertips had stopped on a particular hilt.

An etched silver surface had clearly seen extensive use, bearing the scars of battles upon its surface. One particularly deep groove evoked a flash of vision, a world of red sands and broken, weathered statues, a battlefield littered with bodies, and the hilt itself clutched in the hand of a Jedi unconscious on the ground. Blinking rapidly, she stepped back, breaking contact with the hilt and trying to remember how to breathe. It took her some few moments, and she hoped no one saw those few peculiar seconds that had passed.

She reached for the hilt again, feeling a certainty that she was meant to have it though she couldn't place a finger on the why. This time, there was no vision, and Irri nodded to herself as she settled the hilt in her hand. Stepping over to the droid designated for her use, she activated the hilt and watched with delight as a blade of deep blue sprang forth, reminiscent of the oceans on Corellia. She took a few experimental swings with it, trying to get used to the fact that unlike a vibroblade there was no weight to the blade itself.

As Knight Arenais had said, the blade had to become an extension of her arm, not just a tool in her hand.

Breathing deeply again, she moved to engage the bot, trying to recall any scrap of knowledge she could from her limited training with the vibroblade back home. It had been a sword of relatively similar length, but radically different weight. The way the forms were described by the others, and the first one, Shi-Cho was detailed, she had no doubt that there would be some level of good translation.

Shifting her weight as she stepped forward, the hilt was clasped in both hands as Irri brought it downward in a diagonal slash. The droid parried it more than easily, but it was a valuable moment that told her volumes about the weight and control of a lightsaber. A moment later had her swearing under her breath in Olys Corellisi as the sting of the droid's counter attack impacted on her right hip. Wrinkling her nose, she righted herself and repeated the slash from the opposite direction, but this time continued the movement and dodged the next hit, though barely so. She didn't have to look to see the scorch mark on her shirt and was thankful she'd left her blasters safely secured in her room.

Unlike Jaeson Starchaser 's control over not firing the weapon, she'd likely have actually pulled the trigger. Wincing slightly as her hip complained, Irri set her mind back to the task at hand and continued the exercise.

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Padawans on either side of her flared into action. She could hear the clashes of sabre upon sabre, as well as the exclaims of those that either got stung or simply stung themselves. Aveline's gaze did not wander, however, and remained fixed on the droid. An uneasy feeling grew within her, almost as if the droid was waiting for her to become distracted, to look away. But droids didn't work like that, right? She was making a big deal out of nothing. Here she was standing still and imagining things, while others - kark!

It was all she could do to bring up her guard. A parry and sidestep saw her clear but her own little dance had very much begun. Aveline stepped to the droid once, then twice, and began a sequence that ended with a disarming strike at her foe's wrist. It had seemed effective until the very last move, where the droid had forced her to a halt, and turned on the attack. With a wide blow she swatted his blade aside, and they began again. So the pattern repeated, sequence after sequence, testing out moves that had been hard drilled into her since childhood. Even as she picked up her pace significantly she could not find a way through.

The two blended together until it almost looked like they were dancing. The partners seemed familiar with eachother, and the dance well choreographed, as they both seemed to anticipate what came next and moved with eachother. All in all it was a fast paced but ultimately fruitless stalemate. That didn't bode well for Aveline, who was already sweating. Mr Droid kept all of his oil well within.

Was it toying with her? Had she been an idiot to think she actually was quite decent with a blade? She'd worked so hard, practiced long, excruciating hours with no rest, and for what? To be humiliated by a droid? Mocked? A karking droid?! Aveline gave a cry of exertion as she feinted a hip strike, but then threw all her strength into an overhead strike. At the very last moment the droid managed to block, but it seemed to bend under the pressure, and was pushed back. It was no good though. It stepped forwards and hit her on the forehead with the butt of its hilt. Aveline staggered backwards.

"Motherfething Kath hound!" Kark that antiquated rusty dung heap. She almost threw her hilt straight back at its head. Aveline restrained herself, but it was almost as if the absence of an outlet made her more angry. She threw herself at it, more aggressively than before, a wild flurry of strikes and slashes with little care for any defensive solidity. It seemed to work, the pressure enough to keep the droid from getting an opening... For a while. Inevitably that too came to an end, and she felt a sudden burning sensation on her wrist. She hissed from the pain and dropped her hilt. "Aahh!" she yelled and kicked the droid's shin. To its credit, or perhaps trapped by its programming, it did nothing to stop her. Little good did it do Aveline, for now the pain in her wrist was accompanied by a sudden jolt from her foot. Not a good look.

The sudden stop - or at least pause - to her duel, brought her focus back to the world around her, and she caught the end of Caedyn Arenais' speech. Almost as if on cue, he spoke of the importance of calm and maintaining a level head. Aveline's face grew red. Well she certainly hadn't done that... Little good did it do her to be skilled at wielding a lightsaber if she did not have the patience to see the fight through. Reluctantly, she took the advice of the teacher and took a step back to calm herself. She didn't know why she was so quick to anger, but she just couldn't help it. Her eyes moved over towards Caedyn. In this too she was reluctant, for she expected to find disappointment, disapproval or something similar on his face.

Desbre Gensan | Jaeson Starchaser | Irridia Solensis | Ilia Valentina
Kaia Vullen | Tom Kovack | Casaana | Caltin Vanagor | Jorah zos Darnus​

 

[Tom Kovack]

Master Caltin Vanagor had spoken. Tom heard him in his mind as well, offering words of encouragement. His lesson was backed up by Caedyn Arenais , who advised them all not to get caught up in their emotions.

Tom took a step back, trying to slow down his breathing and the pounding of his heart. The training droid waited for him to come back within range.

Through strands of hair dark with sweat, he peered out at the other Padawans around him. He saw Aveline Cuiléin kick her droid in the shin out of anger and pain, Irridia Solensis and Jaeson Starchaser both reached for blasters that weren't there, while Desbre Gensan was critiqued by the droid, whose programming was forced to adapt to something more advanced in order to meet her skill level. Jorah zos Darnus nearly injured himself with his own blade, and Casaana fumbled around like the child she was.

No one was hitting all the marks perfectly, of course, but…

Caedyn was by now droning on about Shii-Cho, or Form One. Tom quickly tore his gaze away from the others, focusing on the instructor’s demonstration. He mimicked the movements slowly at first, then faster, chaining them together.

When at last he had calmed down enough to face the droid again, it was with caution. The droid seemed to have adjusted, lowering itself to beginner level. Tom felt an awful lot like a child, but then he had never done this before.

The claim he had made earlier about wielding a real antique lightsaber had come across as more than it really meant. Yes, he had wielded one—for the purpose of intimidation. The mere fact that he had a lightsaber was enough to frighten most would-be attackers away. He had also used it as a tool to cut into locks, through doors, and to destroy machinery. But never to kill or even maim.

He was struck again, inevitably, by the droid’s training saber. It singed his clothes, leaving burn marks. Just like that, he was back to the heavy breathing, sweat trickling down his brow. He wasn’t angry anymore, just… disappointed in himself, he supposed.

At least he kept trying.

Kaia Vullen Ilia Valentina

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

Waiting for each Padawan to complete a session, Caltin then walked into the middle of the room, hoping to not intrude more as he wanted all eyes on him for the moment. It was not a part of the plan to become involved in the class, but clearly, some of the Padawans were having trouble. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this, but he wanted to give them a better idea of just how strong Shii Cho was, and that no form was truly better than the other, just different. Telepathically activating two training droids and setting their levels to “advanced”, the massive Jedi Master waited for them to attack. One leaped from above and one from below. Vertical and diagonal slashes ruled the big guy’s defense as he held back one combatant and redirected the other.

The way of the Sarlaac is strong in its simplicity. The oldest form is yes, the very persona of the Jedi, to disarm, not kill, it is a firm that specializes in multiple attackers.

Switching it up, Caltin used horizontal slashes to target the metallic foes, blocking one and disarming the other before leaping over and around the droid. His free hand grabbing the attacker by the metallic equivalent of its neck and forcefully pinned it against the wall. As the disarmed droid re-armed, Caltin threw his captured foe into it. This was not necessarily a part of the first form, but it was something that helped him, and it was good to get some exercise in.

The Determination form does have its weaknesses, it is rather slow, but it is versatile.

As the two droids stood and moved in for an attack, Caltin reached out through the Force and pulled a second training saber into his free hand, igniting the blade just in time to commit to two counter-attacks, shutting down both droids simultaneously.

Knight Arenais is correct, these forms take years to master. In fact, I will not lie, I am still learning about it as I watch each of you bring your own personality to the class. So please, do not be afraid to fail, and do not get discouraged. Easier said than done, I know…


… heh boy do I…

… but that is why you keep a level head.

Then it occurred to him, as he glanced at Desbre, recalling her session, Caltin then looked at Caeden.

Were you planning on using velocities? As Padawan Gensan is? That could be something to give a better understanding, you know, muscle memory?

He of course was thinking of the training method of repeating the same maneuver increasing speed each time.

 

[Jorah zos Darnus]

"Motherfething Kath hound!"

Sister Aveline Cuiléin seemed to express precisely what Jorah was feeling.

"I am unfamiliar with that creature. But I am inclined to agree," the young Dathomirian noted. Brother Caedyn Arenais offered words of wisdom, but the boy was uncertain how to apply them. The lightsaber is an extension of the self.

So it was a trial of the mind?

Fixing his grip on the cylinder, the youth mulled over the idea. As someone who had trained with traditional weapons, it rang similar to the philosophy for how a zhaboka was wielded. It, too, required training to understand how thought translated to control and control gave way to precision.

Reigniting the lightsaber, the red skinned youth held the lightsaber at the ready again, as the remote hovered in the air.

A bolt fired a moment later caught the boy in the shoulder. He gritted his teeth, but held fast to his grip on the cylinder.

The mechanical orb was unpredictable. It was not an animal. It was not alive. It had no spirit with whom he could commune. From which he could derive intent from.

From elsewhere in the room, he heard Brother Caltin Vanagor ask something about velocities. Jorah had no idea what this velocity was, but it sounded rather like a duel. That would have been an all together more agreeable challenge. Replace this cylinder with a sword or zhaboka and the Nightbrother would gladly test his Dathomirian training against these weightless blades.

A second bolt from the training remote struck his forearm. Swallowing the boy managed to keep his grip. Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly as he tried to center himself.

Would that this was Talay. He knew its spirits well. Here, these spirits were strangers to him. And the many artificialities these Jai employed seemed to keep them from the spirits.

Strange, then, that he felt a spirit nearby.

The Jai undertaking their own trials? No, it was closer. The remote? Certainly not.

The boy's eyes were drawn to the silver cylinder in his hands. What was this silver tube made of? The Nightbrother realized now that it was warm to the touch. Not the temperature. But something else. "Ama, dou meni pu tozu," the boy whispered, the Dathomirian rolling from off his tongue as he spoke to the cylinder in his hand to ask the name of the spirit.

Move, quickly.

It was not a voice. It was not a thought. It was both, and it was neither. It was a communion. The spirit within this cylinder guided the youth's action. Yet, it's accent was strange to him. It was not animal. It was not plant. It was not an insect.

It felt almost... crystalline?

Rotating his wrist, the Dathomirian held the lightsaber with the blade parallel to the floor, elevating it slightly. As he did, a bolt fired from the remote which connected with the blade.

Glancing back at the cylinder in his hands, the boy relaxed his grip slightly as he gave a bow of his head toward the object. "Tashi dalek," he uttered, giving thanks.

 

[Casaana]

Casaana stared on wide-eyed as the Master slammed one droid into another and winced at the crash. She could barely see the roots of the form in his movements. The attacks followed the same path, but his stance and aggressiveness were completely different from anything she'd been taught up to this point. As for grabbing your opponent, nobody had shown her that because nobody ever expected that to be a good idea for a young kid who's opponents would all be larger, stronger, and likely to dominate a child in such a contest.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, she turned back to her own droid and took a moment to close her eyes and center herself like all the masters, this one included, always said to do. Slow breath in, one, two, breath out on three. Found the still place in her mind, let it blanket her, comfort her. Eyes opened and she studied her opponent anew. The little Padawan took up the dulon stance, she didn't have the Master's strength, speed was hers that place within seemed to whisper.

Some of those around her were frustrated, one woman even yelling words that Casaana would never use for fear of the mouth washing that would be sure to follow at the Matron's hands. This was a game though, and while the shocks hurt, big girls didn't cry about them, see? Already feeling better with just a little rub. The last sequence she'd learned as a youngling was the first she executed against the droid much as it had been when learning on Chalacta. Only this time it was against a droid moving its own saber to intercept hers, forcing her to recover and try to flow into the next movement from a technically 'improper' positioning as she started dealing with a non-youngling not letting her have her own way with the duel.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Watching the Students as they continued to engage their droid counterparts, the training droids would match the pre-programmed skill settings for junior and senior padawan depending upon the students displayed skill levels.

From his left somewhere he heard the angry shout from Aveline Cuiléin who chose a very colorful selection of words to throw at her sparring partner, the droid not recognizing the harsh slang yet refusing to proceed while she was without a weapon in hand to defend herself. "Language please Padawan, especially in front of the younger ones" Caedyn reminded Padawan Cuilein while making his way over to her and standing just clear of she and her training droid. Reaching out to gesture to the training droid, he further encouraged her to continue, with a word of advice; "Free your mind of outside distractions, focus on slowing your breathing may help to let your feelings simmer down some and then proceed with a clear head. I trust you've practiced meditation by now, yes?" the question rhetorical.

Caedyn soon turned back to catch Caltin Vanagor 's gaze and following question regarding the use of 'velocities' causing the Jedi Knight's expression to shift into one of uncertainty. He hadn't heard of the term being used in a training sense when it came to saber practice, however he assumed the Jedi Master was referring to repetition exercises of some form.

Frankly, Caedyn was going to lead on to the marks of contact taught throughout the Order however Caltin's involvement had come as a surprise and distracted him somewhat; "I can't say I'm familiar with them?" Caedyn replied honestly. It hadn't been a practice that had been introduced during his training, that much was certain. That didn't mean that the Students couldn't benefit from it however and so Caedyn gestured to the Jedi Master encouraging him to take the lead; "You're welcome to take the floor, Master" he added with respect.

Looking to the other students, the Jedi Knight studied them one by one and considering the need to call them back into one group before he'd provide further education around the marks of contact. It would be important for their learning that they were free to pay attention in order to repeat the strikes. That would have to follow the Jedi Master's suggestion however as Caedyn was most curious, and assumed that any assistance would do the Students justice in their progress with a blade.

Desbre Gensan | Aveline Cuiléin | Jaeson Starchaser | Irridia Solensis | Ilia Valentina
Kaia Vullen | Tom Kovack | Casaana | Caltin Vanagor | Jorah zos Darnus​

 

[Aveline Cuiléin]

Aveline's face flushed red as soon as Caedyn Arenais spoke to her. Had she just gotten told off by the teacher? "Sorry Master" she said quickly, with a little bow of the head. Master? Knight? She hadn't really thought about, it just flew off her tongue in a semi-panic. "It's just that this scrap heap-" something in Caedyn's eyes told her not to finish that sentence.

It helped, however, that he came over to her. It distracted her from her little outburst against the droid, reminding her that she wasn't alone in this room. Besides, it did feel nice to be seen and not simply neglected. "I ha-" Right, rhetorical question. She caught on a second too late, but she went quiet and pretended as if nothing had happened.

Aveline took Caedyn up on his advice, and took a moment just to breathe... Calm her mind, clear her thoughts. Go through the meditation drills. Once he was satisfied she was making progress, he left her. Wherever her anger had come from, whatever it had taken root in, she tried to cleanse herself of any such influences. In the end she wasn't sure if what she found was calm or focus, but in any case she felt ready. "Again" she confirmed out loud.

Once more they locked blades, and once more they blended together in a flurry of swipes, parries, thrusts and blocks. It was for all intents and purposes a fast-paced stalemate. She didn't focus on what she wasn't accomplishing, nor compare herself to those around her. She just existed, in this duel, and that was enough. The Force would show her a way. Besides, just as she had been unable to penetrate the droid's defences, it too had been able to penetrate hers. That in itself was a form of success.

 

[Desbre Gensan]

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Location: Saber training class, Silver Rest, Kashyyyk​

Equipment: Inherited lightsaber​

Tag: Jorah zos Darnus | Casaana | Tom Kovack | Irridia Solensis |​

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Des idly listened to Caltin Vanagor and Caedyn Arenais discuss teaching the class behind her. She ignored them for now. Not out of spite, but their chatter was not really for her ears. She had the training to focus on. Reaching out to the Droid with the Force she triggered its protocol with a nudge.

it clicked and whirred, weapons at the ready. Training with Velocities was one thing. The exercises built speed and muscle memory. They quickly allowed one in training to gain a measure of competence. More than that they built confidence and that was necessary for learning the art of the blade. And last but not the least, when one practiced them enough the movements became automatic. The body became engaged, but the mind was free to think. To float above the combat. It became a form of moving meditation. And thereby flow with the Force in a different way. One could focus more on the ebb and flow of combat and the energies swirling about.

Des had experienced such a thing a few times, but more than that she simply fell into the Force. It was an unbridled, unreserved fall. If it had been physically it would have been a trust fall off the side of a building into a swan dive into it. It was surrender and embrace, riding the current, flowing with the river of life energy around them.

At that moment the tension and subtle anxieties constantly on her mind melted away. For now, there was only the Force and the droid. She was aware of her classmates, the ripple of their frustrations, uncertainties, and struggles. Little flashes of pain and embarrassment. She was aware of the Masters and their slight tension, and a hundred other things. But the droid in front of her was a barely detectable outline, courtesy of a thin biofilm on its surfaces. She knew she'd never sense a living mind there, or life energy in an amount worth much. Brandyn Sal-Soren had taught her that much. That long journey to Kinooine all those years ago had informed her of many things. The difference between feeling for life and for technology. So it was she reached for the little oscillations of energy all around.

She could feel them, almost smell, taste, and hear them in the glow panels overhead. The energy coursing through the lightsabers. And the clusters of current that made up the droids. The one in front of her became apparent in her mind's eye like a collection of moving patterns of energy. But besides the extension of her awareness, she listened to the Force. Feeling its texture, moving purely on instinct, guided by the Force, but calm and steady.

She gave ground, eyes closed, without realizing she'd closed them. It allowed her to focus on the sensation of danger and safety, and where or how she needed to move from one to the other. There was no way to predict her opponent, but she could trust the Force to keep her safe.

The first strike whipped past as she turned sideways in an almost lazy fashion. The saber was in her left hand and she flicked her arm like a whip, starting at the shoulder, chaining down to the wrist. The saber slammed into the side of the droid. The speed and energy were deceptive, seemingly slow the fast and with a surprising amount of power. The hit took it in the ribs. The blaster over it's back fired a stingbolt at her exposed ribs. Dragging the saber across her strike she angled the blade, still in contact with the droid, to catch the shot, infusing her blue-white saber with a golden flash that vanished. The droid's saber came back in a backhand strike. Her right foot slipped backward, shuffling her back maybe a third of a meter as her Right hand rode the bottom of the hilt, bracing against her torso as the swipe-draw cut turned into a shallow block as she retreated, all in virtually one motion.

The vocoder Intoned that her strike was heavy damage or lethal. She didn't wait. No opponent would, not in the real world. Continuing on, she swept around, spinning clockwise to crash a flat strike with her body weight and the force of her legs and hips behind the strike at the droid's right side. It was a classic Sarlaac Sweep, the primary power move of Shii-cho. It was meant to tear through multiple opponents or tear the saber out of an opponent's hands. It required absolute commitment and conviction. All the move-set of Shii-cho required commitment and authority. There was no time for fancy feints. Don't get fancy, get it done. That was the idea.

The droid saw the strike coming, but it didn't help. It brought the saber up to get in the way and block but the impact transferred a mass of kinetic energy and leverage it did not expect. The training saber pinwheeled out of its grip, deactivating as it went. Clattering to the floor, it cut loose with a pair of sting shots. One hit her in the right buttcheek numbing her entire sciatic nerve and the other took her high left in the shoulder. The move caused her weight to finish transferring onto her right leg and it collapsed sending her into an embarrassing sprawl on the floor. The saber rolled across the floor, fetching up against the large mirror that lined the wall, allowing students to see themselves for each move they made if they wished or were directed to.

Des rolled to the side as another shot struck the wooden floor, then another. Extending her hand over her head she called for the saber, imagining it in her palm, and already done deal. The hefty hilt rolled and leaped into her hand as she continued to roll onto her back. The blade sprang to life once more, catching another bolt as the droid advanced, rolling forward, trying to gun her down.

Thankfully the sting shots weren't really dangerous, not so much as a full power stunbolt. But they still smarted. Another shot fired out leaping for her left eye. She barely managed to get the weapon in the way, deflecting the shot. The golden, needle-like bolt bounced back into the training droid's chassis. The spot turned red for a moment, it's surface energy reactive, indicating the hit.

It gave her just enough time to reverse roll onto her feet. Backpedaling, she bumped into something, the wall. There was nowhere to retreat. She could only move left or right. And most of the class was behind the droid. Panic tried to rise up. She hated feeling trapped Hated it with a purple passion.

You are not trapped. Your opponent is trapped in here with you.

There it was, that voice again. But she calmed almost immediately. It was right. It always was.

When outnumbered... attack.

It was a bit of combat advice, an old rule of thumb she'd heard from somewhere. Jedi thrived in close quarters. Especially against blaster-wielding opponents. Where was her trust in the Force and her abilities?

"Come on you tin can," she jabbed, even though it wouldn't respond to such taunts and invective. It did however fire a shot. This she barely thought about as she picked the bolt up on the lower third of her weapon. The other arm came around with a low-power force pike. She side-slipped, moving to her right and forward at an angle. Cutting from low her low left to high right, the sixth angle, she caught the droid in the torso, and rake the saber all the way to the shoulder. Had it been a real one she would have neatly bisected it.

It was a gamble as she still couldn't feel her right leg, but it was supporting her. The droid deactivated, and she dropped to one knee, rubbing her stinging, pins-and-needles filled rump and catching her breath. Deactivating the saber in her left hand which was almost as equally numb she just stayed put. It was hard not to collapse onto the cool floor and let it suck the extra heat out of her.

The whole thing happened rather rapidly but it felt as though the droid put her through the wringer but in a good way. It had been a hard test of her abilities. Without the Force, it probably would have gunned her down or cut her down in a second or two. With the feeling in her limbs returning she stood, wobbled, then steadied.

Almost everything had been from the Shii-cho move-set and ideology. These droids were hard. Or at least they were hard on her and Aveline Cuiléin from what she'd seen. Even though Caltin had completely trashed one of them. He had the virtue of raw physical strength on his side combined with that ferocity. But even then some of that had shown up in her short match with her artificial partner.

But in truth, she still wasn't happy with her performance. Had those been actual blasters she would have been shot. Twice. Not fatally, but if she got her own dumb ass hurt, she sure as frell couldn't help anyone else.

It was going to be a fun but miserable day at this pace. Igniting her saber, she looked to the droid who wheeled over and picked up the training saber again. She didn't wait or hesitate but leaped forward, saber raised high and crashing down from overhead. The fight was joined again, sabers clashing, sputtering and hissing.

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[Jorah zos Darnus]

Was he starting to get the hang of this?

Now that he had learned how to recognize the spirit of the lightsaber, he felt as though he at least understood this strange weapon better. It still seemed poorly balanced and felt clumsy in his hands, even though the boy was able to deflect two more bolts fired from the training droid.

He wasn't quite fast enough on a third, which bit into his shoulder with a stinging pain that was short lived.

The crystalline spirit inhabiting the hilt of the light-sword was most strange. It was as though it did not know it was a spirit. Jorah understood it, yet was not able to commune with it as he would a spirit in the wild. It did not speak to him in the same way that the spirit of the chiroptix inhabiting the bone pendant that the Nightbrother wore did.

A glance over toward the girl that seemed his same age ( Casaana ) seemed to confirm that Jorah wasn't the only one somewhat frustrated by the training. It was incredible, watching the feats of strength that Caltin Vanagor demonstrated or the finesse of Desbre Gensan , but Jorah was smaller than almost everyone here, and he and the other young girl were the featherweight division.

It made it both frustrating and envious to see what the elders were able to produce with their magic.

Jorah again parried another series of bolts from the droid. The spirit of the crystal was strange, yet he was beginning to understand what he was supposed to do. The movements of the light-sword were rudimentary -- of course they were, this was how the Jai began their training -- but the lack of weight still gnawed at the boy.

He was used to holding a zhaboka or a dusk blade. He wanted for something with weight to it for lashing out at these blaster bolts.

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

REDEMPTION IS NEVER OUT OF REACH...​

Location: Training Class​

Equipment: Conservator(Lightsaber)​

Companion: Astromech R01R - "Roller"​

Tag: Caedyn Arenais, Aveline Cuiléin ,Tom Kovack, Irridia Solensis, Desbre Gensan , Jorah zos Darnus​

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Not really expecting to take over, Caltin walked around to each training droid and found their manual control panels. Entering a few short commands, he took to the center and looked around. Still spinning his lightsaber in-hand almost instinctively. He did not know these Padawans, other than Caden, Irridia, and Desbre, but he could tell what each Padawan was capable of.

Alright, each droid is set to your capabilities, they will not hurt you or even hit you. However, they will switch between vertical and horizontal slashes. They will start slowly and every third slash will increase speed. I want you to block them with a move of your choice, again, start slowly and increase speed. Keep using the same move each time and it will become a part of “muscle memory” so to speak. With the Force, you will not have to think about moving around, you will simply be able to do it.

Walking back to the side of the room, he spoke up one more time.

Trust in yourselves, trust in the training, and trust in the Force.

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