The Resilience Form

[Lilla Syrin]

“The road is long, but it is worth the journey, for a true master of Form Three is invincible.”
― Luminara Unduli

Mei was pleased that Lilla was progressing through the saber Forms. He didn’t want to rush her, but on the other hand, he wanted her to find her natural affinity as soon as possible, so she could focus on that one and become particularly adept at a Form specifically, rather than OK at many.

He had an inkling that the second Form might suit her best, but he’d been wrong before – and if there was another to suit her strengths, then Soresu might be the one.

He arrived early for the lesson and performed a few velocities to warm up. It was fortunate that Lilla now understood the use of a saber, and so the lesson could focus on what was different about Soresu, as opposed to duelling in general.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla arrived a minute late, breathing hard. After bowing, she smiled. “Apologies for my tardiness. Our work on the Jedi Code overran. We were debating the merits of the views of Darth Bane regarding the Code. Was he in fact accurate, but mistook that for a weakness, when it is possibly a strength?”

Mei pondered this for a moment. “An interesting point of view…but one for another day I think. For today we will begin to learn the third Form. Over to you.”

Lilla drew the Force to her. It calmed her and allowed her to get over her slightly flushed appearance. Once serene, she began – knowing the standard drill for one of Mei’s classes.

“Form III is also known as Soresu. It is also called the Way of the Mynock, or the Resilience Form. I wonder why a single Form should have four names? Anyhow, I digress.”

“It was developed during the widespread emergence of blasters as an offensive weapon. Essentially a development on Form I blast-deflect training and to compensate for Form IIs focus on blade to blade combat. Soresu relies on tight bladework and subtle moves to provide maximum defensive coverage, minimizing exposure to ranged weaponry.”
“Many see Soresu as the ultimate expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy.”

“Like Makashi, Soresu relies on economy of motion and energy efficiency, keeping up constant blade-movement to build up momentum and minimise energy-expenditure. Form III focuses on strong defensive technique to essentially outlast an opponent, waiting until they begin making mistakes due to frustration – or fatigue – before taking advantage of these lapses and countering.”

“The criticism of the Form is down to its lack of offensive capabilities, as it facilitates survival rather than victory. Which is why we now have more than three Forms of course.”

“It is fair to say it is a defensive technique. But highly effective. Use it if you do not wish to be hit, or if you are facing many opponents it will keep you alive. But others will counter that it merely delays the inevitable.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla was progressing as a Jedi and also in her appraisals at the start of each lesson. Whereas once she would share some basic information and then a short history lesson, she was now reading around a subject, seeking differing views and providing her own views on what she had read. But she demonstrated she was open to learning and her reading had not closed her mind.

“I believe that the pragmatic Form III is the most defensive of the seven forms, and utilises tight motions. The key appears to be to ensure your saber keeps moving every second in an attempt to achieve near-total protection, and expend as little energy in the process as possible.”

“Form III relies upon quick reflexes and fast positional transition, in order to overcome the rapidity with which a blaster can be fired. This technique minimises the body’s exposure, making a well-trained practitioner practically invincible, which allowed Soresu to be effective against both single enemies and multiple opponents, as well as blasters and lightsabers.”

“Form III seems well suited for prolonged battles where the user can observe and learned as much as possible about their adversary’s technique while engaged in combat. Also, being more optimised for lengthy battles, a Soresu user has the ability to gain control of a combat situation, creating multiple options for the Jedi employing the form. A Form III user could choose to kill, disarm, or even reason with their opponent – surely an outcome any Jedi would choose first?”

“And also, an efficiency of motion means the Soresu user remains fresher. On a battlefield, it is all very well ending a duel quickly, but how many fights can, say, Form V endure before the user gets too tired to continue effectively? The longer the conflict, the better placed a Soresu user becomes.”

Typically Mei would have cut Lilla off by now, but he was enjoying listening to her thoughts, her opinions based upon what she’d learned. This was not repetition of something from a journal, but the application of knowledge to produce wisdom.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Aware she could talk for hours on the subject, Lilla stopped. She knew that Mei knew she had more to say, but for now she wanted to hear his thoughts, and start the practical aspect of the training.

“I suspect holding a certain Jedi Master’s holocron gives you something of an advantage in these matters.” He smiled as he spoke, knowing however playful his words were, they held more than a gram of truth.

“And I concur with your prognosis. The core tenets of Soresu encourage duelists to place themselves 'within the eye of the storm.' Simply put, to be considered a Master of the discipline, you need to maintain a calm centre, undistracted and undisturbed by the conflict around you.”

“In keeping with this idea, Soresu incorporates powerful defensive techniques that are flexible enough to adapt to almost any circumstance, at the cost of never reaching past the figurative 'eye of the storm'.”

“But your evaluation of its weakness is well put. Because Soresu focuses almost entirely on self-defense, often at the expense of offensive capabilities, it relies on the capabilities of the opponent. Which, I accept, all Forms do, but it is never more acute than with Soresu.”

“You need to have the patience to wait out the opponent, holding back until their frustration or fatigue inevitably caused their defense to lapse. And here is the key – at that point, you need to employ an alternate, more aggressive attack to take advantage of this.”

“Some, many – but not all – Masters of this Form could never bridge that gap. Impenetrable defense, yes, but incapable of ending a duel. Their defensive nature prevailed and they could not overcome this. In fact, their greatest challenge in a duel was not their opponent, but themselves.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“As you might expect, given our conversation thus far, Soresu possesses no dedicated offensive sequences of its own. For that, you will need to use moves from a different Form. At least until you build up a considerable amount of experience to learn how to effectively counter-attack and entrap opponents.”

“And Soresu is one of the riskiest Forms to employ initially. You need an incredibly strong focus on the centre of the combat circle, since the defensive tactics of the Form includes guards and parries that are engaged very close to the body.”

“Even a small lapse in your otherwise strong defense leaves little room to avoid injury. Which in turn adds to the defensive mindset. Which in turn adds to the difficulty in seizing the offensive initiative in combat situations.”

“But we should do, rather than talk now.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“The opening stance, or rather, one of the most used opening stances.”

Mei held the blade back in a one-handed grip, angled forwards with the blade arm held parallel, the off-hand held up in a challenge. His dominant foot was positioned back. “This brace-ready stance has much in common with the ‘Ataru guard’, which you’ll learn later. And here is a variation.”

Mei demonstrated a stance featuring the blade held high in a drop-parry position, though his feet positions were the same.

“Now to moves.”

“In defending against blasters, there is a simple move – the “deflecting slash” – which can be improved upon as your skill level progresses.”

Mei activated six remotes and then his saber, with a snap-hiss. The remotes locked onto his weapon and began firing. Mei had programmed them to the highest setting and the rate of fire was relentless.

Mei was deflecting the blasts in a similar way to Lilla had already learned. Except the Cerean Master was barely moving, whereas Lilla had been extravagant in her motions.

“This move serves the dual purposes of allowing a Jedi to redirect the momentum generated by deflecting an enemy projectile into a slashing attack, and allowing the Jedi to advance and close the distance before the attacker could fire off another shot.”

“And when your skill level allows…” Mei began deflecting the blasts towards a target, scoring a hit every time. “Careful application can allow a Jedi to redirect the shot back at the attacker, though this skill is more commonly applied by Shien practitioners.”

“Now, your turn. Remember, this is Soresu – not the first Form. Efficiency of tight motions is what is required.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla began by practicing the stances until she was comfortable. Then she started with the remotes, however she faced just one initially.

She was conscious she had to ‘unlearn’ what she knew about defending against blaster-wielding attackers. Her moves were expansive initially, but soon she was able to replicate – to some degree – the moves Mei had shown.

But she found the process more tiring than she expected, and shared this information with her Master.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“Believe it or not, you’re ready for the next step. To truly defend against multiple opponents, you need to employ the ‘Circle of Shelter’.”

“It is said that you can defend against 20 opponents at once with this technique. It’s not one I’ve mastered, but then, it’s not my preferred Form. But I understand enough to teach you, and you have your Holocron after all.”

“Not mine,” Lilla countered. “It belongs to the Jedi. I merely found it and I’m using it. One day I’ll pass it on to someone whose needs exceed mine. But probably in a less convoluted way!”

Mei nodded. “I stand corrected, and advisedly so. So, back to Soresu. Center of Being is effectively a form of Meditation, a moving meditation.”

Lilla remembered Master Kenobi referencing it during the time she’d been researching Soresu. She demonstrated the stance to her Master. She held the saber horizontally, with the lightsaber hilt just below her chin. Closing her eyes, she entered a meditative state.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Sensing she was ready, Mei activated one of the remotes. Lilla did as she remembered Mei teaching. ‘Trust in the Force.’ Multi-tasking was now possible and wherever possible, Lilla would allow the Force to guide her actions – like some form of auto-pilot. She merely shared with the Force what she needed, or required, and trusted in it to assist her wherever possible.

So Lilla kept her eyes closed, and paid no conscious attention to the remotes. She trusted in the Force to protect her. She had practised meditation extensively, using trips to other planets to work on different techniques – and so was able to fall deeply into the meditative state.

She was aware her saber was moving and it was connected to her hands – but she was not in control of it. In fact, she was at one with the saber and at one with the Force. They were a single entity, not three separate ones.

As a result, she deflected the blasts with no effort and felt as relaxed as if just meditating – a significant difference to the sensation when she’d been consciously defending.

Mei nodded his approval. In theory this was a straightforward act. All a Jedi had to do was trust in the Force. But few did, at least not to the degree required to facilitate Moving Meditation when facing an adversary.

Mei added in a second, third and fourth remote and Lilla remained relaxed, centred and – as much as anything else – safe.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Mei said as he finally shut down the remotes. They’d got to eight before he’d used all the ones available. “Perhaps this is your true Form?”

“Perhaps,” Lilla replied. “Perhaps.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

The next day they continued with Center of Being and the next day after that. Eventually Lilla was able to focus on one task whilst allowing the Force to defend her from the blasters. She could not use the Force in a separate capacity, but she could talk, problem-solve and take in her surroundings without impacting her defense.

And as she continued to practise, she found a strange phenomenon. If she remained in the stance for any length of time, as long as she was not taxing her mind, she was almost able to predict what was going to happen next – as if she was glimpsing a vision of the near future. Right now it served no real purpose, but she resolved to research the experience.

“And, along with the second Form, it is vital to learn to deflect and parry, as opposed to blocking. For a start, blocking takes more energy and it is potentially dangerous against a strong opponent who can generate a lot of kinetic energy. Bones can be easily broken when blocking a particularly powerful blow.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

The following day they had progressed to saber-to-saber combat.

“Remember, Soresu is as much about tactical know-how as lightsaber skills. Learn to see the bigger picture. Seek out strategically advantageous positions on the field. Work from corners, using two walls to cover your flanks.”

“And resist the urge, when fighting multiple opponents, to take out the weak first. Allowing lesser combatants to continue fighting is likely to inadvertently hinder their fighting partners. And remember, even Soresu is susceptible to all-out assaults – especially when tempered by caution. You may find you’re expending huge amounts of energy to fend an opponent off without finding any openings to exploit.”

“This is when patience comes to the fore. Awaiting the split-second when your opponent is momentarily distracted, and having the ability to seize on that chance. And the latter, as I have said already, is possibly your greatest challenge.”

“As with any Form, mastery comes from, quite literally, thousands of hours of lightsaber sparring and – sadly – engagements with enemy duellists. And don’t overlook the Form’s strengths as a means of unarmed combat. Defend yourself, use economies of motion, allow the Force to predict blows and get in close.”

Mei employed many different Forms over the coming days, allowing Lilla to practice against each in turn – and understanding how to defend against each.

Then Mei used his off-hand and at times utilised two sabers and even a saberstaff. He was not as proficient, but it gave Lilla different problems.

“Any unfamiliarity on the battlefield is an advantage to your opponent. Practice with different opponents. Different Forms, different races, sizes, physical attributes, different weapons. Eliminate as many variables as you can, be prepared for most eventualities – but be open-minded enough not to be surprised by something new. I’m sure Master Kenobi hadn’t planned on facing a cyborg with multiple limbs and sabers used by his former allies. But he did rather well in the encounter.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla’s form progressed. Within a few weeks she was able to use her blade with an intricate pattern of blocks and parries at significant pace. She also employed slight dodges and shifts of stance to good effect.

And as a tactician, she learned to alter the angle of her parries, using the opportunity to strike at opponents – in a Makashi way – using her motion to deliver small but not insignificant blows.

She also became adept at utilising her surroundings, keeping the combat going for long enough to move her opponent into a position where she would enjoy the advantage – such as higher ground, or with the sun at her back.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla truly felt comfortable employing the third Form. As she saw it, her abilities came from grasping the concepts and philosophy of the Form rather than adhering to any tactics or manoeuvres. In fact, whilst already displaying a strong preference for Soresu, she continued to apply elements of second Form when openings arose – and sometimes just to keep her opponent guessing.

And Lilla studied the duels of those seen to be the masters of the Form – both their successes and their failures – looking to see any pattern to either outcome. She considered Master Kenobi of course, as well as Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee. She also studied Meetra Surik, Darth Zannah,
Cin Drallig, Grand Master Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Darth Vader.

Finally, Mei considered his teaching to have ended, and Lilla’s progression would now be down to her own efforts. He gave her a few weeks grace, then planned his next series of lessons – the fourth Form.