Wake Up The Stars [Douglas]

[Josh Dragovalor]

Doug was doing well in his training, but Josh knew that he was going to need to further master his skill with a blade before he would be ready to take a lightsaber of his own. As he no longer had other Padawans to have Douglas spar with, Josh had decided to give his sole apprentice a new challenge. For that, the Jedi Master had called his Padawan into the training room, where [member="Douglas Starwind"] would find his Master sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room as he always was before training.

He would only open his eyes when Doug would enter the room.

 

[Douglas Starwind]

It had been some time since Doug had undertaken the training of a Jedi under his now-good friend and Master Josh. His general skills have been improving in such aspects, but he knew for certain that he still had a lot of work to get done.

He had been called by Josh to the ever so familiar training room as it seemed he had another challenge to face. At a moment's notice, he had walked into the room and found Josh sitting there as he always seemed to be when he walked in upon being called over. Doug's hands were behind his back and he stood there quietly. He wondered just what was in store for him this time.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

As his eyes would open, he would look Doug over for a moment, as if analyzing him and examining him.

"Your posture's off" He would speak first, without getting up. "Stand up a little straighter. Legs a little more spread out. You look more like a Zeltrosian who's been bent over the table for far too long then a Jedi" Josh would add. The last bit was a bit of a joke, but the point still stood. "Part of a Jedi's aura is in their presentation. You're not old enough to be slouching like that on the regular, and you could throw out your back while using a lightsaber as well" Josh would observe aloud before finally getting to his feet. Josh would take a deep breath, before holding out a hand. One of the training lightsabers would fly off of the nearby rack and land in his hand, before Josh would casually toss it to Doug.

"Your classmates have failed my training, it seems. Leaving only you for the time being. As I do not have any sparring partners for you today... I will be your partner. Draw your blade."

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug's expression unnerved slightly at the remarks about his posture. He didn't even think much about it, but it seemed it was pretty off. Nothing can beat the eyes of ol' blondie, huh? He did try to alter his posture slightly after the remarks were made.

After his fiddling with his own posture, he noticed that Josh had called forth a training lightsaber and he quickly caught it as it was tossed at him with his BLOOD ACHING sword hand. He politely listened as Josh made a simple remark. There was no one else left except for him for the time being. He wasn't sure whether to be scared or proud of himself for that. Nonetheless, it looked like it was gonna be a spar between him and his own master. This probably won't end very well, but there was no harm in it.

"Well, alright then, dearest Master. I'll try not to disappoint you." Doug said. With that remark, he would activate the low powered energy blade. It was much like a legitimate lightsaber, but not nearly as potentially deadly.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh was generally quite laid back, and in most cases probably wouldn't give a damn about a slouch. But this was his apprentice, someone training to be a Jedi. It would look back on him, as well as on Doug, if Josh were to let these kinds of things go. They were marks of laziness that weren't fit for a Jedi. He watched as Doug would correct his posture, and nodded once he would change to what was satisfactory. That would do, he supposed. Now if only Doug would remember to keep it.

The Jedi Master would rise to his full height, cracking his neck as his lightsaber would fly from his belt. Switching it to low power to keep from doing anything but stinging Doug on contact if he wasn't careful, he would draw the blade. It was the same blue blade that Doug had seen used against the slavers - to fatally wound the slavers at that. Better yet, Doug knew full well that Josh had another lightsaber hidden if necessary. This wouldn't be easy.

"Attack me."

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug watched as Josh would unleash his own lightsaber, remembering to properly turn the power down, and then he was ordered to strike at him. Luckily, nothing they would do at this point could actually cause any serious harm, so Doug readied a battling stance with his lightsaber, taking a little care to make sure his stance wasn't too off. He was going to have to give it his all here. Even that probably wouldn't be enough, but he had to try anyways.

A bead of sweat trailed down his head as he then gripped his lightsaber more tightly and dashed at Josh, quickly swinging the training lightsaber horizontally at him. He was starting to feel a little nervous, but he had to keep his cool.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh would wait patiently, a blank yet serious and stoic expression on his face as he watched his new Padawan, just watching... Waiting for him to strike. And then it came. A simple horizontal slice, which Josh would calmly block by raising his lightsaber vertically, looking him dead in the eyes before speaking. "Again!" Josh would bark in response, waiting for Doug to strike again. There couldn't be any hesitation, no nerves, he needed to be cool, calm and collected and he needed to continue to strike without letting up and letting his opponent get the advantage.

"I saw you fight better then this when your life was in danger. Fight like I'm going to kill you!" Josh would add fiercely. He had seen that potential before... He needed to bring it out.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug gritted his teeth as he was ordered to fight more fiercely. Act as though Josh was his enemy. It was hard for him to try and strike at someone he had grown to care about like he was such, but he had to try. He just had to. He couldn't let himself and those around him down...!

Doug stepped back and gripped the hilt of his training-saber with two hands, taking a deep breath. He had to... Fight! His eyes then widened a little and he raised his lightsaber, proceeding to step forward and slash diagonally downward at Josh, letting out an almost fierce sounding grunt. The attempted strike definitely had more force behind it. It seemed as though he was trying to get more into the idea to try and fight like he was in danger. To try and stop hesitating. It was hard, but he couldn't let everything he's done be in vain.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Of course, Josh hadn't meant for him to fight aggressively. He wanted him to put more into it. He wanted him to attack, but not just attack, but to calculate his attacks and strike without letting up and giving Josh an opening. But another thing Doug needed to learn was to remain calm, to not give in to his emotions and fight with a clear mind. Every attack needed to be calculated and thought out, or he would just be swinging blindly.

Josh's expression didn't change as he would hold his lightsaber with one hand, holding his lightsaber vertically still to block it. Doug was putting more force, more effort behind his blows, which was good. But he needed to keep attacking, while still thinking his moves out, or he would either be an idiot swinging a stick, or a shishkabob. Josh would motion for him to speed up his attacks and to leave less openings as he continued to block his strikes without countering yet.

Doug needed to learn offense before he could learn defense after all.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug took another deep breath, getting a clearer grasp on himself. His mind had acted a bit rashly there for a moment. Doug then quickly swung the training saber at a lower angle beneath where Josh had guarded his last hit, trying to add more of a flow to his attacks as well as speed. He had also tried to keep his stance more focused in case Josh had actually tried to strike at him himself.

He had to be serene... Quick... Powerful... Ready... This will keep his offense in more of a proper form. No disappointing himself or his Master-Friend-Person.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi Master remained focused, his gaze not seeming to be anywhere in particular - as though he were appraising the entire terrain around and in front of him as he would move his lightsaber to remain in time with his to block his blows. He continued to block each of Doug's strikes, before reeling back and suddenly attacking with a series of slashes of his own, mainly aiming for his sides, before switching to aiming for his shoulders. Doug preparing for the idea that Josh might strike himself would help him here.

Foresight, taking educated guessed... It was all a part of the lightsaber arts.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

The sparring match raged on between the two. The sabers continued to meet at each other with Doug keeping an eye out on Josh's own lightsaber. As he had been anticipating, perhaps out of some sort of mild paranoia, Josh had actually started to strike back at him!

That familiar feeling where things seemed to slow down around him was starting to occur once more. Doug saw the low strikes and would move his training saber accordingly to block them. The strikes then would move up and Doug would raise his saber to intercept them as well. He didn't exactly have the upper hand given Josh's superior skill and experience, but he was managing to avoid being hit as he slowly stepped back. He tried to start up his own pressure as he quickly started striking at Josh with some nimble, downward swings himself.

He was hoping this spar wouldn't end too quickly. He had to make up for the slightly awkward introduction...

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"That Guy" was learning the hard way that training with his Master wasn't going to be an easy task. At the very least, he knew Josh was going to strike back. It hadn't been much of a strike for the time being but he certainly hadn't held much back in it. Luckily, his lightsaber was turned to low power, much like a training lightsaber, so Doug wouldn't be harmed... Much.

At least Doug was blocking them - he hadn't been neglecting his training it seemed, and Josh was at least happy with that. Josh would hop back slightly from each downward strike, before finding an opening and delivering a series of slashes that were aiming right for Doug's head and neck area. That would be the vital areas that a Sith would go for, after all...

And one always needed to be prepared.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

As Josh hopped away from him to evade his strikes, Doug had twirled his lightsaber slightly as he got back into his provisional fighting stance, holding the lightsaber in front of him in a focused manner and taking a calming breath. This wasn't going too badly so far despite the decisive strikes of his Master being hard to deal with. Luckily, he was not in any real danger, but he was still trying to treat the spar as though he were.

Soon enough, Josh had lunged at him and was striking at his head and neck. This was definitely making him feel more like he was in danger as he frantically would hold his lightsaber in front of him to block the strikes. The strikes seemed to have more force to them than the ones Josh was using before and it was almost overwhelming. Doug, not seeing any other options against the onslaught, managed to roll away to the side. He panted a little, but he was not ready to relent yet.

He quickly got back up and focused his stance. This was getting more intense by the second. Doug then tried to go back on the offensive himself as he tried to strike at Josh with a series of nimble slashes from varying angles. This probably wasn't much for his Master to deal with, but that is the whole point of practicing.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

And thus, the pace had begun to pick up.

Josh would twirl his lightsaber and get into stance at the same time Doug did. If he wanted to pick up the pace, he was happy to oblige, even as he remained calm and collected. Doug would block the strikes, though they seemed to be more out of urgency then being focused and protecting himself. At the very least, he knew to roll to the side, though that could leave Doug open if he wasn't careful. If this wasn't a lightsaber only duel, then Josh would have had Doug right then and there.

That familiar half-smirk crossed his lips as he got back into stance, allowing Doug to get back into offense. Josh would carefully block each strike before leaping backwards, backflipping through the air as his feet would be planted against the wall, before using the Force to propel himself forward. He had slightly broken his self-imposed rule, but as he'd been doing it to enhance his acrobatics, it didn't count, and Doug was able to do so as well if he felt he could. But as Josh would rocket toward Doug in mid-air, he would start to strike and slash at every area he could as he rammed him.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

As expected, the two lightsabers had simply continued to make blows at each other. Doug had thought he was keeping a good rhythm going with this, but his Master had then proceeded to jump back... Really far to the wall before he would bounce back off of it at Doug almost instantaneously. This was definitely the work of the enigmatic Force. Doug was not expecting such maneuvers to be used in this exercise, but there it was right in front of him.

Doug quickly held his training saber in front of him as Josh started slashing erratically through the air as he approached him. His heart raced more intensely as he thought this might mark the end of the spar, but he had a thought and it would require him to put his trust into the Force.

Doug took a deep breath and ducked down, keeping an eye on Josh. With a quick movement and a deep breath, he leaped high into the air with a flip, going above his Master and landing behind him. It took a bit of extra effort to manage such feats in his current state, but he had been improving on it. Now behind him, Doug had quickly slashed at Josh diagonally, who likely had landed from his maneuver without much trouble.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Indeed, Doug hadn't neglected his training it seemed. Doug would manage to avert the attack by blocking, before he would counterattack using the Force himself. Josh would calmly block the maneuver, before holding out a hand and grabbing his shoulder. "Enough" He spoke, seeming satisfied with the events of today's training.

Josh would back up and deactivate his lightsaber, motioning for Doug to do the same. "You're getting better" He would praise as he would begin to pace the room while he clipped his lightsaber back to his belt. "Remember, the Force is not a weapon, it is your friend. And even if you don't use the Force directly as a power while in combat, you can still use it to augment your attributes, as you and I did there in the spar. You need to learn to work hand in hand with the Force at all times... As well as learn to suppress it when others who can sense it around you are near. Enemies who will prey on you if you do not conceal it. It is a valuable Jedi attribute that will serve you well."

He turned to look back at Doug. "Next, we'll cover what you've learned as a Force User, instead of your use of a lightsaber. Are you ready, Padawan Starwind?"

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

And with that quick maneuver and slash, it would seem that the training was done for now. Doug was stopped in his tracks and the session declared over. As his master would deactivate his lightsaber, Doug proceeded to do the same with the training lightsaber and he held it by his side. He then took a few more deep breaths after this and wiped an arm across his forehead.

Doug then stood still with his arms at his sides, remembering to keep his posture straight and proper, as he listened to Josh speak. It seemed their focus was now going to shift from lightsaber practice to the Force itself.

Once Josh was finished, he now made the proper request of asking if Doug was ready for a training session involving the abilities associated with the Force. As expected, Doug nodded. "Of course, Master." He said with a small smile.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Before we begin..." Josh would trail off as he would turn to look at Doug. "I want you to recite the Jedi Code. I want it to remain in your memory, always. It is not just a code, but part of our very way of life. It dictates us, and yet it is part of where we draw from our strength. If we find ourselves straying too far from it... Then we are lost. Granted... The one I tend to recite, I'll admit, is different from the one that might be recited to most. You would be best to learn both. But today, we'll recite mine. The one I prefer to recite is less dated, and acknowledges that Jedi are not as restrained as they once were, but still need to be wary of things that can lead to the dark side..."

"Emotion, yet peace.​

Ignorance, yet knowledge.​

Passion, yet serenity.​

Chaos, yet harmony.​

Death, yet the Force."​

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug stood and listened to Josh go on about the Jedi Code. It was something that was sort of familiar to him at this point. He knew for certain that it was a very important deal, though, and it probably would be best to keep it in mind just as his Master would want him to. Although, Josh would mention to him that the oath he tended to recite was different and would be the one he would tell him today. Doug listened as Josh would say this newer Code.

This new Code intrigued him with its words that seemed to mean finding a proper balance between the more intense and the more peaceful. He took a deep breath and then would begin to recite it as well after Josh had finished.

​

"... Emotion, yet peace.​

Ignorance, yet knowledge.​

Passion, yet serenity.​

Chaos, yet harmony.​

Death, yet the Force..."​