Which of the seven shall we learn today?

[Sorel Crieff]

It had been a long while since she’d stood in a training circle. As she waited for her student to arrive, she absent-mindedly remembered the times she’d been instructed in the use of a saber.

The blade of a lightsaber hissed through the air. Sorel could not see its blue gleam through the blindfold pressing on her eyes. So she used the Force to know precisely when to duck.

The searing heat of her opponent’s lightsaber blade slashed overhead, nearly burning her. The air smelled like lightning.

“Good!” a voice called from the side of the room. “Let go. Let your feelings guide you.”

The words of encouragement spurred Sorel on. Because she was small and sleight, even for a twelve-year-old, many assumed that she’d suffer a disadvantage in battle. Had they never seen an image of Master Yoda? For strength and size counted for nothing where agility and speed were needed. Nor did they have any effect on the Force that she had not yet mastered.

Sorel listened intently for the sound of her foe’s lightsaber, for his breathing, for the scrape of a shoe against the floor. Such sounds echoed loudly in the small, high-ceilinged chamber.

A random jumble of blocks on the floor added another element to the exercise. She had to use the Force to sense those, too. With such uneven ground, it was easy to lose his footing.

Behind her, a voice warned, “Keep your guard up.”

Sorel obediently raised her weapon and rolled to her right as her opponent’s blade slammed down into the floor beside her. She took a small leap back, clearing a pile of blocks. Sorel heard the sing of the lightsaber as her foe attempted a hasty strike motivated by irritation and fatigue. Good.

Sweat trickled underneath the blindfold, making her eyes sting. She blocked it out, along with her pleasure at her opponent’s clumsiness. It was a distraction. It was not the Jedi way.

The calmness energised her, helped her let go of her fears. In seconds, her every muscle was in tune to the Force. It moved through her, giving her the agility and speed that she needed.

She swung her blade up to block the next blow. The attacker’s lightsaber hummed and whirled down. She leaped high, somersaulting over her attacker’s head, and thrust her lightsaber down where she envisioned her opponent’s head to be.

“Ow!” the other student howled in surprised rage as her blade struck his neck. If Sorel had been using a real lightsaber, it would have been a killing blow. But apprentices used training sabers set to low power. The touch of the blade only gave a searing kiss, but one that the healers might need to tend.

“That was a lucky blow!” the wounded apprentice shouted.

Sorel opened her eyes and returned to the here and now. Light streamed in through the window and dust motes floated in front of her eyes as she waited. Her pupil would be here soon. She sensed it.

[member="Vex Pendel"]

 

[Vex Pendel]

Walking down the halls of the academy, thoughts shot through the young man's head. Memories and aspirations. Hopes and fears. Each a red balloon, floating high into the endless sky of his mind. How could his head not be filled with a flurry of thoughts and daydreams? Every day at the academy had built up to this one, the day he was assigned a master.

What would they be like? Lenient or strict? He could feel the scar on his back. Kind or mean? Hours spent under the bunks at the Spathi military academy flashed through his mind. Careful or careless? The burns on his left forearm ached. A good teacher or a bad one? Weeks spent learning nothing from his incompetent uncle burrowed into his thoughts.

A bead of sweat rolled down his back. The cacophonous roar of his thoughts drowned out the noise of his boots hitting the floor. The entryway was dead ahead, identical to the multitude of others all around it. Identical scenarios of a Padawan walking down this grand aisle to meet his master. The light side's presence here was strong and with every step it imbued him with the confidence to fight back against his mind's insecure thoughts.

He stood in the doorway, looking down into the room. Sunlight shone in beams through the old window, lighting his master with the same light that had lit countless others before them. Shakingly, he descended the steps into the training circle. There she was. No humongous demon or krayt dragon. A Jedi Knight, as human (or close to) as any other human in the Academy.

He came to stand before her, unsteadily bowing before addressing her. "Hello, Master. I'm Vernados Pendel. But please call me Vex. Or, uh, Pendel. Whatever you wish."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled warmly. She was no wizened Jedi that had taught a thousand Padawans, so she understood just how nervous Vex was. For she was almost as anxious. And she’d had more practice than the young man who now stood before her.

“Greetings Vex, given that was the first option you gave me. I am Sorel. I am your Master but you do not need to call me as such. If you prefer this title, I’ll not object too loudly, but Sorel will suffice.”

She looked him up and down, looking to gain something of a measure of her latest Padawan. “I’ll start by saying this is a two-way process. Our relationship is of mutual learning. Yes, I have skills, knowledge and abilities I intend to share – but I am open to learning from you too. A Jedi never stops learning – it is a tenet of the Code after all.”

“But we’ll not spend this meeting talking of nothing but the Code – I presume your Youngling training taught you everything you needed to know. This stage of your development is about applying that learning. But first…”

She called two training sabers to her from the wall. The one that reached her left hand she handed over to Vex. “Now tell me, what saber Forms are you familiar with and which do you intend to be your primary style in the future?”

[member="Vex Pendel"]

 

[Vex Pendel]

“Greetings Vex, given that was the first option you gave me. I am Sorel. I am your Master but you do not need to call me as such. If you prefer this title, I’ll not object too loudly, but Sorel will suffice. I’ll start by saying this is a two-way process. Our relationship is of mutual learning. Yes, I have skills, knowledge and abilities I intend to share – but I am open to learning from you too. A Jedi never stops learning – it is a tenet of the Code after all. But we’ll not spend this meeting talking of nothing but the Code – I presume your Youngling training taught you everything you needed to know. This stage of your development is about applying that learning. But first…”

Sorel pulled over two training sabers that were on the wall, handing one over to Vex. “Now tell me, what saber Forms are you familiar with and which do you intend to be your primary style in the future?” He glanced down at the practice saber, pondering over it.

He hadn't given much thought to what form he'd specialize in before and really didn't know much about any of them beyond the absolute basics. "I don't know much about any of them, but-" Form I seemed important to learn, as it contained many basics that would be needed. However, he didn't particularly want to primarily use that. He ran through the other forms in his mind, thinking back to how he fought in the military on Hora.

He had fought aggressively, with strikes that used all his strength to push his enemies back. Forms V and VII exemplified this, though Vex knew Form VII would be frowned upon by other Jedi for bringing one closer to the dark side during combat. Besides, Form VII was advanced and required learning a lot of the other forms too.

He decided on Form V, as it matched the most with how he had always fought. He looked back up at his master. "I think I want to use Form V as my primary style. It seems like a style that would suit me."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. “It is as good a place to start as any. Jedi often learn a second Form as a back-up – or even change their primary Form over time, depending on circumstances. But Djem So is one I can teach you and if used properly has the correct balance of defence and offence. Unlike Soresu that is primarily about staying alive, the fifth builds on that defending with a focus on counterattacks. And it works against sabers and blasters too.”

“But given its basis is defence, what do you know of blocking? Of the zones and the three rings of defence? These things are staples of the first Form and although I would not expect you to be an expert, covering the basics is always useful.” As she talked she demonstrated the various zones and the appropriate block – when to hold the saber vertically and when it should be horizontal. And she showed how blocking varied depending on how close to the body your saber was.

[member="Vex Pendel"]