The Bladesman's Path

[Kainan Wolfe]

​

• The Watering Hole
  Cantina, Commenor Downtown Area

The Watering hole was an inconspicuous cantina located in the downtown area of one of Commenor's cities. It was, in every regard, like every other cantina on the planet, filled with a mixture of individuals from any number of the countless species which inhabited the galaxy. Its staff consisted of the usual Duros doorman, Twi'lek serving girls and Bith band, it offered the same drinks that every other cantina on the planet did and was completely unassuming in each and every regard. It had been selected at random, from a long list of similarly unimpressive and unassuming backwater establishments, to serve as the meeting place specified in a very secret and special contract.

The contract specifically requested for a skilled lightsaber duelist and the terms stipulated within it, offered a hefty sum of one hundred thousand credits, in exchange for two months of training in secrecy, at an undisclosed location. The contract had been sent out from an anonymous source and applicants were to respond through a number of dead-drops at various locations on Commenor, providing contact details and their resume. When an applicant was selected for the job, the prospective employee had been directed to this establishment, with instructions to purchase a specific drink and book a specific table at a specific hour of a specific date. Representatives of the employer would then meet with the contact here and spirit him away towards a local landing pad, exchanging several speeders along the way. The whole deal had the style and manner of a highly-classified government operation, probably because it was. But it was not the Commenori government that was behind this deal.

The employer's representatives were two unassuming human males, wearing nondescript clothing. At the agreed-upon hour, they approached the individual who sat at the specified table, with the specified drink. "You are the candidate? Good. Please sign here, here and here," instructed the first man, indicating a datapad that he had set on the table. The contract stipulated a non-disclosure agreement under the justification of 'national security' and stated that 'severe consequences' would follow, should this agreement be breached, although it was not stipulated what these consequences would be. The employee was to never speak of anything that occurred over the entire duration of the job, "Follow us, please," instructed the other one, after allowing a few minutes for the applicant to read and sign the contract. They would then lead him out through a back door and to the hidden landing pad where an unmarked Lambda-class shuttle awaited. The shuttle would take flight, distance itself away from the planet and then jump to hyperspace, emerging at a location in empty space a few hours later. Neither of the two representatives would speak for the duration of the trip.

______________________________________________________​

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

Shortly after the shuttle exited hyperspace, another ship joined it. But this time, it wasn't another shuttle. The two men piloting the shuttle seemed unphased when a thousand meters of http://starwarsrp.net/topic/114430-valiant-class-star-destroyer/]Star Destroyer suddenly blinked into existence on top of them. Following a brief exchange in a coded language over the comms, the two men took the shuttle into the warship's hangar.

Within the hangar, uniformed troops wearing some sort of cloak that ended in a wolf's-head hood on top of their helmets, waited in perfect silence. Other than the two dozen soldiers, the hangar had been emptied of personnel. One of these guards stepped forward to greet the lightsaber teacher, delivering instructions in the clear, emotionless manner of an imperial stormtrooper. "You are aboard the Star Destroyer Argent Dawn, flagship of the Shrouded Republic," explained the Wolfguard officer. "Your job is to instruct Lord of Shrouds Kainan Wolfe, our head of state, in the usage of a lightsaber. For the duration of your contract, you are to remain within the quarters that have been assigned to you at all times, except during training hours, when a pair of Wolfguards shall escort you to a designated training area. Should you, at any times, desire food or refreshments, you are to use the intercom within your quarters to order them and they shall be delivered to you. At no time and under no circumstances are you to attempt to make contact with anyone aside from the personnel assigned to your intercom channel," spoke the uniformed officer, his helmet masking any and all facial expressions. The teacher would then be escorted to the quarters assigned to him, which looked like the apartment of one of the ship's officers. A short while later, a pair of guards would come to inform him that their lord had requested his presence.

The self-styled Lord of Shrouds was a man of slightly-above average height. His dark brown hair was streaked with white and he had a scar running across the left side of his face. He looked at the lightsaber trainer with clear, ice-blue eyes that held a fierce intensity.

"Greetings. My name is Kainan Wolfe," spoke the man, with a practiced air of authority. "Please excuse the security measures, they are necessary to keep this whole affair private, as there are those whom I would prefer that news of this would not reach their ears. Now," he said, drawing an ornate and menacing-looking http://starwarsrp.net/topic/114432-kainan-wolfes-lightsaber/]lightsaber from his belt, pressing the switch which caused a black, sputtering blade to come to life. "Shall we begin?"

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

SRV ARGENT DAWN​

Valiant-Class Star Destroyer, Deep Space​

​

The secrecy and tight security of the whole ordeal was off putting for the young Jedi although he understood what it meant to work for people of this calamity. Also, a big need for credits was the only reason he agreed in the first place to go ahead with the idea of teaching a random individual the art of the lightsaber and its many techniques.

The trip went as he expected, quiet and very nervewrecking for those not accustomed to these type of "underground" deals. Him having grown in the slums of Coruscant and dealing with the worst of the worst for his entire teenage life knew how things operated at some level. As they made their approach for the Star Destroyer and successfully docked, Ar'ekk was greeted by what seemed to be a spokesperson of the magnificent Argent Dawn. He was instructed to follow along with his belongings and was introduced to his quarters. The door shut behind him and so it began the non-stop training of an unknown individual with delusions of grandeur, at least that's what he taught despite not meeting this person yet. The Jedi put his things on top of the bed which seemed to look pretty comfortable although the room temperature was cold enough that your hands would feel cold within seconds of just being there.

Two guards came knocking on the door of what was Ar'ekk's dormitory, telling him that Lord Kainan Wolfe was ready to see him. The experienced apprentice nodded and walked beside the two menacing guards, towering over them just slightly. His breathing was regulated through the mask he was supposed to use at all times so during moments of silence, you could only hear a loud robotic-esque breathing. He was told to sit tight in a specific position until Lord Wolfe arrived.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. Ar'ekk Daesharacor." he said in a harsh but brief tone. The young Jedi unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it as soon as his "student" did, the blue plasma from his weapon beaming strongly. He swung the lightsaber around, showing off to the Lord itsellf and demonstrating a very fine technique.

"Have you had any experience with a lightsaber before? Or a similar weapon, for that matter." he inquired.

"If not, we'll start with the basics. The first step to dominating the art of the lightsaber is learning the stances. The Jedi throughout the years have learned a basic guard stance similar to Ataru. Place your dominant foot back, with the blade in a vertical parry position on the dominant side. There are many stances I can touch you, those being for offensive and defensive attacks."

Ar'ekk expected that the Lord of Shrouds himself would understand the very bare bones of what everything he said meant. It wasn't easy to take at first but within time he would learn just the necessary to stand his ground on a real fight.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

The warlord responded with a nod, drawing his right leg back and angling the dark, sputtering blade of his lightsaber outwards, vertically and slightly to the right. "I have some experience with wielding a vibrosword," he said. "Though I do not know how similar that is to wielding a lightsaber. In this matter, I will defer judgment to you," explained the warlord.

"Took this weapon from a dead Sith at Krayiss II. I was just a regular civilian at the time, having freshly dropped my career as a mercenary," Wolfe said, referring to his time spent with the Dominion. "At the time, I wished to pursue a career as a designer of warships. Was there for a demonstration of my prototypes when the Sith Empire attacked. I decided to take my forces down to the planet when we received a distress call from a Jedi ship. Of course, our rescue plan went awry when we ran into Darth Carnifex, the deadliest Sith of them all. We tried to confront him, but were forced to retreat," he said. "That's when we stumbled upon one of the Sith Lord's cronies. Put a slugthrower round in his skull and took this from him," Wolfe spoke, most of the story being true except the latter part. The story explained why the black lightsaber was imbued with darkside energy.

"I figured, if I carry this thing around, I might as well know how to use it," he said. "I want us to focus on defensive techniques first, offensive ones later. If I'm ever in a situation where I have to use the lightsaber, it will be because some assassin reached me. I could never beat a trained Force User in a lightsaber duel, thus the best course of action for me would be to stall for time until my guards arrive to deal with my assailant."

Having finished his explanation, Wolfe then had a request to make. "I have to admit, though, master Ar'ekk, that my knowledge of the Jedi and their techniques is limited. So, I would ask you to explain to me in detail what each lightsaber form is and what advantages and disadvantages it has."

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

The Jedi touched a button on the hilt of his lightsaber to make it enter a "training" mode of some sort and that way avoid injuring his opponent. Although the story seemed interesting for the most part, Ar'ekk knew that beating someone of that calamity required more than a slugthrower to the face. Regardless, he acted clueless and pretended everything was nothing but the truth.

"It is in your best interest not to engage in a battle with a Sith Lord, even more a Dark Lord of the Sith. Being the smartest out of the two will always give you the upper hand, taking advantage of every move by planning with excruciating detail. Retreating was the best decision you could've taken otherwise you'd be a dead man."

Ar'ekk had learned to not understimate his opponents, regardless of their affiliation. It was the very first step to winning a duel, by treating your opponent with respect.

"There's seven forms the Jedi teach to their apprentices, each one of them offering a different style during battle. The first one, Form I, is called Shii-Cho. It's most effective against multiple opponents and to specifically disarm them. The second one, Form II, is Makashi. This one is my favorite style, slightly more offensive than the other ones. You cautiously exploit a defensive opening on the opponent's side and you strike when they're exposed. You also alter the angle of your opponent's attack before retaliating with a fast and deadly counter-attack. The third one, the most useful for defensive users like you is Form III which is called Soresu. You protect yourself from the opponent, let them attack you, be hard to penetrate your defense and then you gain momentum to strike them back. Those are the ones I know better. I will not teach you or explain you the rest of them because of a simple reason: I am not well versed with them or have not trained those, so you might want to seek another person. My style is more offensive, that's another reason too."

He waved his hand towards [member="Kainan Wolfe"], motioning him over. They would adopt the Soresu stance from the beginning to finish, the young Jedi showing the Lord of Shrouds the way of positioning himself during battle and the way of holding the lightsaber in a lounge attack stance.

"This is how you stand. It's pretty important you adopt this exact position otherwise you'll render the technique useless. You understand?" he inquired to his student.

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

Wolfe observed with keen eyes and keen mind, memorizing the man's explanation of the various forms and styles. He agreed that out of the three, Soresu was probably the best suited for him, as if he ever found himself in a situation where he had to use Shii-Cho, he was dead anyway. There simply was no chance for him to defeat multiple Force users at the same time.

"Even the mightiest of Sith Lords can fall in an ambush," spoke the warlord, expanding on his story. "All the skill and power in the galaxy will not save one from a slugthrower shot if he doesn't see it coming. But I agree. Engaging a Sith Lord in open combat is risky at best, suicidal at worst. That time I got lucky," Wolfe said.

Taking note of his teacher's explanations, Wolfe matched the stance as he was instructed to do. His balance was good and movements precise, although his stance was nowhere near as refined as the Jedi's was. His own lightsaber unfortunately lacked a training setting, but Wolfe wasn't even aware that such a thing existed.

The look on his face bore the clear signs of respect. "These stances are... Elegant. Efficient. Of course, I have seen plenty of holotapes depicting lightsaber combat, but merely watching a recording does not convey the finer details that practice does. Thousands of years must have gone into perfecting these techniques..."

"I have a dilemma, though. If we are using actual lightsabers for training, how do we prevent accidental injury? I'm fairly certain that there must be some technique, since the Jedi have been doing it for thousands of years and one hardly ever hears stories of Jedi maimed by their own lightsabers."

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

"Most lightsabers present a feature where you turn the weapon into a "training" mode, sort of speak. It changes the plasma blade into one harmless for your opponent, that's why you never hear of Jedi slicing their fellow trainee's arms off. I am not sure if yours presents that specific feature but regardless, I'll be careful. You shouldn't worry about me anyways, I've learned to counter attack any type of lounges coming at me in many different ways and styles." the Jedi said with assurance to his student. It felt quite weird to be in the teaching side of things but he saw this as another test to be gain a future promotion as a Jedi Knight, knowing his Jedi Master would approve of such thing although the terms of this meeting were to remain undisclosed.

"Since you're adopting a defensive style, you must block every attack I'll make towards you. Make yourself hard to hit, a strong defense is key to Soresu."

Ar'ekk showed Kainan multiple ways of blocking incoming attacks from opponents, from high to lows and side to side movements. The Padawan's technique was exquisite for someone that young although he has been receveing a hardous training since a very young age. He attacked with quickness but carefulness to not hurt his opponent.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

Wolfe did his best to parry each swing, but he was not always successful. The weight distribution of a lightsaber and stances of lightsaber combat, were vastly different from the more familiar vibrosword that, as a former mercenary, Wolfe was more experienced with. This was visible, here.

Undeterred, the warlord went through the training exercise again and again and again, his technique and handling improving each time. He began to see beyond the individual moves and pick out patterns. That was when he began to understand the weapon and its techniques.

There was a certain harmony in the way that the lightsaber had to be used. The weapon wasn't meant to be swung around like a club, but to flow like the wind, with elegant grace and deadly precision. He realized, then, that use of the weapon also required use of the Force. As such, he would never attain true mastery of lightsaber combat. But he was perfectly willing to accept that.

For the first time, Wolfe was able to find calm in something other than his hatred of the Force and his determination to fulfill his ambitions, no matter the cost. And for a brief moment, Wolfe almost wished he could leave everything behind and disappear, start over somewhere else and attempt to build a normal life for himself, one where the thing he had to look forward to in the future, wasn't death. But that moment passed swiftly and his unshakable will reasserted itself. His plans were necessary, a lesser evil for the greater good.

The following hours went smoothly, until Wolfe memorized the series of moves that the Jedi had shown him. He began to get better, faster, his movements more precise as the weapon in his hand became an extension of his mind. The Jedi's attacks landed on him less and less often.

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

He had drained himself completely of energy during the hardous hours of training that him and the Lord of Shrouds were engaged in with a successful first lesson. The warlord's technique had improved from a mere slim to something worthy of a fight but there was a lot to be done throughout the following days.

The Jedi proceeded to turn off his lightsaber and show a respectful a bow towards Kainan himself, putting an end to the training for that day. He seemed to be very pleased with his student's performance despite being a rather short training, even though they spent hours doing it. Ar'ekk's training consisted of several days, almost weeks of difficult training and many of those being psychological and physically exhausting. Regardless, it was a very fruitful performance.

"You have done very well. Within time, you will be able to stand by yourself in battle but you must be patient to achieve such privilege. It takes time to master the art of the lightsaber and swords in general." he said briefly.

He took a brief moment to gather his thoughts and exhale,

"We are done for today."

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

Wolfe responded to the Jedi's bow with one of his own, extinguishing his blade and clipping it back onto his belt. The next few couple of weeks were spent doing the same things, until the warlord mastered the basic moves and stances of Soresu to a degree that his Jedi instructor found satisfactory. Wolfe was a quick learner and showed a surprising degree of natural talent with the weapon, despite his lack of Force abilities, surprising even Wolfe himself, who had not expected to be handling himself so well.

It was the more advanced techniques that Wolfe was unable to grasp, such as deflecting blaster bolts, or the acrobatic maneuvers which required tapping into the Force. He had moderate success with moves that required one to predict an opponent's next attacks. Although these normally required the use of the Force to guide a lightsaber wielder, Wolfe relied on instinct, reflexes and experience to provide a somewhat lesser, but satisfactory replacement. The basic exercises continued until Wolfe was finally ready to move onto more advanced techniques.

His regular lightsaber had been replaced by one which was borrowed from one of the Jedi in his fleet. This one had the training setting that Wolfe's Shrouded Blade lacked. Although his instructor had stated that he would be fine, Wolfe's handling of the weapon had improved to such a degree that the warlord had decided it was better to swap to a safer weapon for the faster, more advanced exercises. Of course, this still had to be kept a secret, so the owner of the green-bladed lightsaber had been sworn to secrecy. It would have been easier to obtain a lightsaber from one of the Sith in the fleet, but Wolfe did not want Ar'ekk to be aware of their presence.

"Earlier, you mentioned a more aggressive style, Makashi. Tell me more about that one," said Wolfe, feeling that a mixture between the defensive moves of Soresu and a more offensive style, would be highly effective.

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk felt determined to show the Lord of Shrouds a variety of techniques for Makashi without revealing much of his hidden secrets of such stance as he did not find the necessity to show his secrets of battle. Regardless, the lesson would cover more than just the basics of such battle form and would be more than satisfactory if trained for the weeks to come.

"Makashi is a much more offensive style, disregarding your own safety with the hope of quickly putting down your opponent with fast and blunt attacks. There's a basic defensive control which leaves you defenseless most of the time. This is a style I pretty much prefer to put a swift end to a duel with any type of enemy, them being droids, humans or any other kind." he quickly explained as he noticed the lightsaber hilt being held by the warlord.

"Good to see you taking initiative but a lightsaber will feel drastically different than your vibrosword. It's much more difficult to maneuver and takes years of practice before mastering such elegant weapon."

His lightsaber ignited immediately as he finished saying those words, the blue plasma glowing brightly unlike other type of crystals. A loud humming sound could also be heard as part of many customized modifications made by Ar'ekk for his personal weapon.

"Attacks are to be made quickly, with high precision and determination towards your enemy's lower and upper points. Weak spots if you want to call them." the Jedi pointed out to [member="Kainan Wolfe"], showing many different weak spots that could be found during battle.

"I'll adopt a defensive style and you will attack me. Do it now."

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

"I had thought that alternating between Soresu and Makashi could be an effective strategy. Soresu to defend against the enemy's attacks and Makashi to keep him on the backfoot," said the Warlord. "The way I figure, if I have to duel a Force user, my only chance is to keep pressing my enemy. Because if he has a chance to use the Force, I'm not going to last very long against him."

Wolfe responded to his instructor's remark with a knowing smile. "Every weapon takes years to master, though I suppose that is even more true of lightsabers," he said, igniting his own blade and switching it into a training mode, bathing the room in a green light. "Borrowed this from a friend. I had thought it would be safer to use it, since mine does not have a training setting."

Wolfe listened to the Jedi's instructions and then proceeded to attack as he was shown. His first few tries were clumsy and unsuccessful, but he got better and better as the hours passed. Before long, he was able to perform swift, moderately precise attacks with relative ease, although it would be a long time before he achieved any decent skill with the technique. Nevertheless, the warlord found the technique logical and natural, its moves efficient and economical.

The next lessons would follow a similar pattern, with Wolfe gradually improving his technique, until he had achieved sufficient skill to be able to use what he learned in a mock duel, the first in a series. Wolfe explained to his instructor that he needed real combat experience, or something as close to it, if he was to be able to truly master the weapon and there was no better way to learn than in the safe conditions provided by the circumstances at hand. "Don't go too easy on me. If you see an opening for you to use your Force abilities, then use them. I need to be able to experience these attacks, if I am to learn how to counter them."

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

"If that is what you want, I will not be considerate when I'm engaging you during battle. However, do not worry since I will know when to stop." said the Jedi to his student.

The training had been going at a slow pace but showing great potential at times. Handling a lightsaber was a much different game and within time Wolfe would feel more depleted of energy, hopefully he had saved some for the final test versus a real enemy. Ar'ekk's exquisite technique and ability on Makashi was more than an advanced level, having trained for years in such art from many different Jedi Masters throughout his life which would make him a very difficult target if not impossible to beat for a newcomer.

"Set yourself in position. We'll begin now."

The Padawan launched an immediate running attack and aiming directly to the Warlord's upper torso in an attempt to break his defense almost right away. His attacks were precisely timed and quick, allowing him a small window of time to maneuver his lightsaber differently. His weapon had a specific feature which slowly deplenished his Force energy.

"How are you doing?" he inquired.

Ar'ekk then proceeded to send a Force shockwave in [member="Kainan Wolfe"]'s direction to try put him off balance. This would test how long the Lord of Shrouds could stand in battle against any Force user.

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

"I make no illusions about my chances to win these mock duels," said Wolfe. "But I need to learn the extent of my abilities and the only way to do that is to push them to the limit."

Wolfe's technique had improved greatly during the past weeks, but it was nowhere near the level at which his instructor's was, especially his handling of Makashi. Wolfe's moves were guided by instinct and reflex, where his instructor had experience and the Force.

The warlord set himself in position, assuming the opening stance of Soresu, legs spread wide and blade held in one hand, horizontally across his body, his other hand extended out. His instructor's attack was swift, effective and masterfully executed, however Wolfe managed to deflect it, using one of the moves that had been taught to him.

"I'm doing fine," responded Wolfe when his instructor questioned him. However, he was gasping for breath, as his parry had required a lot of effort to execute in time. The warlord then attempted to charge at his instruction, only to be met with a Force shockwave which sent him reeling back.

Undeterred, the warlord regained his footing and launched a quick succession of Makashi strikes at Ar'ekk, attempting to alternate between attacking from the left and right side as swiftly as he could. Ending his attack, Wolfe swiftly took a step back and returned to his Soresu stance, awaiting the counterattack.

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk took a moment to breath by kneeling down and meditating with his eyes closed, lightsaber unignited. He remained in this safe position, attuning himself with the Force and replenishing his energy for the duration of this stance. A big demonstration shown by the Jedi of how can gain self control and prepare for battle in a single yet particular way. This wouldn't be viable in battle of course since you'd be striken down almost immediately by your opponent.

"The Force sorrounds every living thing around us, including you. It's within your body and mind, close your eyes and feel it. Cleanse your mind from memories and just focus." the Jedi said in a soft yet serious tone.

His eyes opened quickly and he regained his footing, the lightsaber turning at the same time as he rose from the ground. Going forward with a fast run, Ar'ekk quickly penetrated [member="Kainan Wolfe"]'s defense until he could no longer hold on his own. The precise lounges towards his upper, lower and sides were more than enough to defeat him due to his mastery of the Makashi form. For the last strike the young Jedi decided to disarm the Warlord which made his lightsaber fly away from his grasp and placing his own lightsaber plasma against his neck.

"You demonstrated a great pace and mixture of attacks. Good movements, foot work and lightsaber swings." he said to congratulate the Lord of Shrouds for improving the past few weeks. Within a short range of days, he would have dominated Soresu to a decent degree so he could finally stand against non-Force users at least.

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

• SRV Argent Dawn
  Valiant-class Star Destroyer, Deep Space

"I am not a Force user, master Jedi," responded Wolfe. "Nor do I wish to be one. Quite frankly, I prefer to rely on my mind. Besides, I have achieved plenty of things without having to rely on mystical forces. And it is high time someone who isn't Force sensitive took a turn at setting this galaxy straight," explained the warlord, making it clear that he was not interested in continuing that line of discussion. Whatever his reasons, the Force was an extremely personal topic for Wolfe, which he did not wish to discuss.

Wolfe was a man who believed in people, not faith and spoke with a fierce passion that painted the picture of a man with the unbreakable determination to right the wrongs which had plagued the galaxy for so many countless eons. This was a man with grand plans which, if successfully set into motion, would result in far-reaching consequences that would be remembered as some of the defining moments of history.

The Jedi's next series of attacks proved devastating and Wolfe's defense shattered quickly under the sustained assault from his more experienced instructor. As a way to end the duel, Ar'ekk disarmed Wolfe with a quick and precise duel, sending his borrowed lightsaber flying across the room and pointing his own blade at the warlord's throat.

Wolfe nodded, accepting his defeat and the instructor's congratulations with grace. "I learned from an excellent teacher," he said.

Over the next few days, Wolfe's grasp of Soresu improved greatly, though he was struggling with Makashi, having reached the limits of what he could do as someone who was not Force sensitive. Gradually, he came up with ways to compensate for that, although they were flawed and could not stand up against a trained Force user for long. He learned to use tricks and feints, as well as to conserve his energy and to read an opponent's moves and react to them as fast as his reflexes would allow.

Days turned to weeks and finally, the allotted time specified in the contract, had run out. Wolfe personally met with his instructor in order to hand him his payment and arranged for his discrete transportation back to Commenor. "This has been an enlightening two months, master Ar'ekk. I thank you for your graciously rendered services," spoke the warlord in a respectful tone. The Jedi had left a good impression on him and had earned Wolfe's respect. "I wish you good fortune in your future endeavors."

[member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

The young Jedi Padawan had already packed his belongings as instructed by the Warlord's personal guards standing outside his quarters. His presence was required as it was time to depart the SVR Argent Dawn, training having been concluded a day earlier. He found a most satisfying feeling after concluding with the teachings, fulfilling a long-time wish of his Jedi Master. This was truly the best way to prove he was ready to become a fully fledged Jedi Knight.

"The pleasure is mine, my lord. I appreciate your warm welcome and for allowing me to train you. I am most satisfied with the outcome, hope they serve you well in the future." he said, bowing in respect. The impression left by [member="Kainan Wolfe"] was positive although quite strange but he paid no mind to that thought since he was there only for a payment. A credit chip containing Ar'ekk's currency was delivered to him and he hid it beneath his clothes, acknowledging the end of the contract.

He was taken to Commenor where he proceeded quickly to boar the next shuttle back to the Outer Rim Territories. He'd spend time on planet Sanctuary with his ship the Ebon Hawk until the next major adventure.