Teräs Käsi - an unlikely initiation

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus couldn't pretend she wasn't tired. Life on the 'road' meant sleeping with one eye open half the time. And the shifts she had to pull to make sure she was fed and had somewhere to put her head down meant she was constantly tired.

Add in the fact that she hadn't slept on the way here, plus the run and she was ready for bed.

So she bowed and headed for the Academy. Getting directions, she headed for the dorms and found her bunk. There were some new Padawan robes laid out for her. She sat on the bed and touched them. A symbol as much as a means of keeping warm, the robes meant a lot to her. And they were shades of brown. Not green like the last ones she'd worn.

Grabbing a shower, she returned to her bed and wondered how to ensure she awoke at first light? As ever, she did what was instinctive. She trusted in the Force to tell her.


And so the following morning, as the first rays of pink light started to break up the bluey-black of night, she awoke. Washing and then changing, she grabbed a piece of fruit to eat as she headed back to where she'd left Tracyn the day before. It seemed as likely a place as any. So she sat and waited. Closing her eyes, she meditated - there was no value in wasting time as far as she was concerned.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

Tracyn was there a short while after, having set an alarm by looking at an almanac. He smiled, seeing her there, meditating.



"Stand up and show me how'd you get into a fighting stance if you were unarmed."


Tracyn, also had coffee. Corvus, did not have coffee.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus opened her eyes, stood and bowed to [member="Tracyn"]. OK, that was the easy part. "Yes...of course."

Corvus had no training in unarmed combat. She frantically tried to recall any images she could find in her memory from all of the holocrons she'd read. Finally, accepting none came to mind she made her best effort.

She planted her feet as if adopting Form I - the only lightsaber technique she knew. Jedi Ready seemed the most appropriate. So she moved her dominant right foot back and spread her weight evenly between both feet. Her hands were another matter. She balled her fists and held them at chest height, a few centimetres in front of her rib cage.

Convinced it wouldn't get any better, she nodded to Tracyn to indicate she was ready.

 

[Alan]

"Okay. First things first. High and heavy. Your foot dominance is good, but if I wanted to hurt you-"He moved slowly, indicating for her to remain in her stance. He put his fist out, right at her chin."That would hurt, wouldn't it?"He gently moved her fists up, glancing at her."Here."


He moved her right hand out, which he presumed was her dominant hand, towards her chin. Her knuckles were at the level of her lips, creating a barrier to her face. He extended her left fist, and cocked her elbow so he elbow was only slightly cocked."This is a variation of shock boxing, but it's easy to incorporate into any fighting style. The outstretched hand-"He tapped her left fist."Isn't your dominant. This is to slap away any attempts to hit you. Don't block, deflect. More effective. Less stressful on your body too."He looked down at her feet, and stepped back.


He turned his body, making a smaller profile. He spread his feet evenly, and crouched down slightly in his knees."Better kicking position.Less chance of your legs getting kicked. Also, easier to block and deflect. There's a reason all the holomovie stars fight like this. It works."He waited for her to take in the information. Then, he'd give her a demonstration.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus watched, listened and processed. As he made adjustments to her stance she took it all in and nodded at regular intervals to show she was listening.

There was no need for words - not now. That time would come - as, no doubt, would the pain. For the present she just wanted to let Tracyn know she was keeping up.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"Now, on to movement-"He took the position she was in, albeit he was a bit more loose and relaxed, not as rigid as she was. He was more confident in his fighting abilities- and it showed. He stepped around, clicking his teeth. He moved quickly, but smoothly. He didn't jerk his limbs, he didn't make erratic movements. They were calculated and precise, and his footwork was balanced but light at the same time. At any point, it seemed he was about to jump."And to form of hitting."



He stepped around her, and tapped the outside of her thighs with his foot, and the inner part of them. These obviously weren't invasive, they were demonstrative and he had no real intention of making them seem like a sexual advance."This is where you want to put the hurt on a humanoid- I guarantee you give them a good solid kick to these parts, and they'll break their guard."He pointed to her ribcage, and then held his elbows slightly more down."Real fighters won't hit you in the face- that's a particularly fantasized way to fight. No- the best way to hurt someone is to hit them in the other places."He stood back, and tilted his head at her."Teras Kasi is designed to take down force users. So tell me, what do you think the most important thing to remember when fighting nine out of ten force users is?"He stood back, making sure she kept her form.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was always good when it came to questions. She'd studied for so long that most times she knew the answer. But this was different. This was not a test of memory but a request for her to apply some logic to a situation. But her lack of combat experience was a challenge. Or perhaps the answer wasn't linked to combat - and she was simply barking up the wrong tree.

But the question deserved an answer, so she did the best he could. "That they'll rely entirely on the Force?". Was it a great answer? Probably not - but it was honestly the first thing that came into her head.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"Not a bad answer, not a bad one at all. More specifically..."

He turned around, and held out his fist. He moved, in a teleportation like manner. His fist was outstretched, aiming straight for her face- but stopped right before touching her nose.


"They will be able to read you and see you coming. The Force grants people awareness unlike any other."

He opened his hand, wiggling his fingers."So you must become an entity that they cannot read- free from mental probing and influence. Then, you can focus on being faster than they are."


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Tracy had her attention. She knew of the ability from her limited knowledge but nothing practical she could draw on.

"If I learned to close my mind would I still be able to draw on the Force?"

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"You will."


He taps his fingers together, thinking for a moment.


"With practice, that is."


He rolled his shoulders back, flexing his powerful muscles.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus waited as patiently as she could. It was difficult when such a wonderful gift was being dangled in front of your eyes. she didn't know if she'd be good enough to develop the skills discussed - but she knew for certain that she'd work her butt off to put the hours in.

"I am ready for the practice..." There was a twinkle in her eye - typically once she thought she was ready, Tracy added a new layer.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"I can only teach you that, by forcing you to be attacked mentally."He paced around her, blinking and turning his head."I'm not as skilled as other people are. You'll have to find someone, like I did- to attack you mentally so you can build a resistance to it."He rocked back and forth on his heels."I can get you started, however."He turned around, and raised a brow.


"But first-"He removed a small rock from his pocket. No larger than a marble, and it was a dull gray color."Part of it comes from having a monotonous task that will drive you mentally exhausted."He bounced the rock in his hands, before pulling it behind his ear like a grenade, and throwing it- and using his powerful muscles, it landed in the olive and green bush and foliage of the forest. He turned at her."Taxing your mind, your patience, and your commitment will be the first step."He turned and looked at the forest."Go find me that rock. And I'll be watching you, though you won't see me. If I see you're getting frustrated or upset- you'll start all over again. I expect you not to be frustrated or upset about the third time you do it."He nudged his head to the forest.


"Go and tax your mind, child."


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus didn't believe she underestimated the task - but it was only fetching a small rock. One that she knew where it landed.

After five minutes she realised she only knew approximately where it landed and felt the frustration build in her. Sighing audibly, she didn't wait for Tracy to call her out. So she sat cross-legged and meditated until she had centred herself.

The second attempt took a full forty minutes before she was aware she was stomping around and snapping twigs. So a second meditation was called for.

Her third attempt last ninety minutes but this time she found it. But only by staying in the here and now and focusing every second on the task in hand. By examining every blade of grass, every leaf and every pebble. When she picked up the rock, there was no elation, no beaming smile and no look of satisfaction. Instead just a feeling of exhaustion - both physical and mental. It was a lesson well learned.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

Tracyn had been stalking her in the woods- and smiled, perched on a rocky overlook atop the young girl. He hopped down, the ground shaking under his muscular physique. He held his hand out for the rock, smiling.


"Taxing?"He smirked, shaking his head, his blonde hair falling above his head, swaying to the right just a tad bit. She'd be in for much more mentally taxing things, then physical- then she could learn the art form.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was honest and forthright. "I underestimated the task. I also missed the point of the lesson until the third attempt. Now I both understand the why and the how. As a starting point, it gives me a little insight for what comes next."

In truth she had no idea precisely what came next - other than expecting it to be a lot harder and more mentally and physically taking than what she'd done thus far.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

"The next test is simple."


He held the rock in his open hand.


"Take it from me."


He smiled, spreading his weight evenly along his feet, with his dominant leg back. A fighting position- only if she knew how to properly stand, that is. The lesson here would be timing- another crucial factor in Teras Kasi. He had yet to challenge her incredibly, or make her learn the form, but he had to get the tenets down. Patience, was a virtue. Patience was learnt. And he would teach it. She'd have to wait for an opening for him, find a pattern that she could exploit in order to find the rock. How successful would the Padawan be? Depended on how she went first.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus looked Tracyn in the eye. With him nothing was ever as simple as it seemed yet she also had to be careful she didn't over-think things.

So she held his gaze, trying to weigh up which approach was more appropriate. His stance suggested he was ready for action and without the Force, any attempt to grab the rock was logically going to end in failure.

And it wasn't that she was competitive but a challenge is a challenge. So...what to do? Knee him where it would do most damage? Hit him in the ribcage? But that was not Corvus' way without sufficient provocation. So she leant forward and kissed him gently on the forehead - whilst at the same time slipping her hand down to take the rock.

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

His hand interlocked with hers, and the rock slid between their palms, while he caught it on his other palm. He swapped the rock again, and stepped back, just as her lips touched his forehead. He smirked, crossing his arms, looking down at the pebble."A crucial element in timing is seeing a pattern. Analyzing a pattern. Create a pattern that they might take-"He swapped the rocks between his hands, sometimes by tossing it, sometimes by sliding it. He shook the rock in a ball formed by his fingers, and held it to his ear, as if they were dice.


"Don't attack at eye level if you're trying to surprise someone, by the way. It'd be hard to sneak a hit on someone with it's literally right where they're looking."Tracyn held the rock out again, stepping back a step. He smirked."Tighten up and come get it."He put his other hand behind his back, knuckles half curled and his thumb extended horizontally.


[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus stared Tracyn in the eye. On the face of it, it was a futile task. He was stronger, fitter and faster than her. But she was in training and needed to do her best - regardless of the odds.

So she made a grab for the stone without success and then tried again and again. Over and over she made a grab for it - being patient and persistent, refusing to give in...

[member="Tracyn"]

 

[Alan]

Each time, he sidestepped, swiped, or came apart and tossed the stone in the air. Then, he retaliated. He turned at the side, twisting his hips, bringing his fist back, and punched [member="Corvus Raaf"] straight in the face. Gritting his teeth, he stepped around her, while his fist would no doubt strike her in the face.


"The threat of violence increases the desire and need to complete the task. Find a pattern. Exploit a weakness."


[member="Corvus Raaf"]