Basics of the Lightsaber

[Jake Daniels]

Voss. Not as colorful in terms of Felucia, nor as thick in forests like Honoghr, yet it held its own little charm. Hills, plateaus, and mountains; a variety of browns and beige's. [member="Valae Kitra"] was right, it was simply beautiful. A smile crept on his face at the thought of the woman. The force had guided him to her. She had guided him here. It was still an adjustment, getting used to living within the light after so long in darkness. Yet she wasn't letting him stray. For that he was grateful.

Having a few hours this morning on his own, Jake decided to contribute in the only way he knew how; training. He'd found a couple of notation boards throughout the temples training grounds and put up some small notices which simply read: 'Basic Saber Training being offered to any who wish to develop or even hone their own skills with a lightsaber. Those with little to no training preferred but all are welcome. Shii-Cho.'

He wasn't as skilled with the force as other Knights or Masters. Jake was simply limited. That was why he developed his saber skills to contest with the best the galaxy had to offer. He had trained and he had learned. He had been an assassin. He had been a protector. He had been a Sith. He had been Darth Gravis.

That was what Jake secretly hoped to help Jedi train to do. He wanted to teach those who wanted to learn how to defend themselves against the darkness. First they would need to learn the basics and it was here, on a small bench, that Jake fiddled with a Ty'ree Remote Training Droid. They had been gifted to him, along with other training droids by Lord Erebos of the One Sith. Jake would use these assets.

Secretly there was an ulterior motive to this that only he and Valae were aware of. Jake was going to try this without harnessing the darkness. Would he be able too? Could he keep his dark passenger subdued while teaching others? He had trained others as a Sith... could he do it within the grace of the light?

The Knight glanced up towards a corner of the training ground. Camera's were located throughout the training room. If anyone wanted to see what Jake was doing, they could watch without being present. They could study him and he'd be none the wiser. Closing the top of the droid, Daniels flipped a switch on its side and the droid rose into the air.

Coming to a stand, Jake walked towards the middle of the room and waited...

Note: Jake's Outfit

 

[Kaiza Pawaro]

These short intervals of peace between epic battles always felt like the calm before the storm, leaving her restless and unable to truly appreciate Voss’ beauty. Gone were the careless years of exploring distant worlds and learning from alien cultures, now replaced by defending the innocents and responding to their calls for help. With that came the increased need to finish her studies.

After three years of travelling the galaxy and nursing compassion and hope among the needy, here she was, battling several oppressive and tyrannical regimes that relished in civilian deaths. It was even worse to know the toll would have been astronomically higher without the Silver Jedi intervening and opposing the Sith Empire and its allies. That thought filled her with cold resolve to stop and hinder the dark side empires wherever she could, the only choice she had as a Jedi

The Padawan realized the necessity to actively foster her talent at lightsaber combat and get the most out of it. Although Kaiza had seen her share of battles, there was always room for improvement. Real experience was an excellent, but unforgiving teacher. A single slip meant death or dismemberment, and thus the golden-hued Padawan never missed a lightsaber class, no matter which of the seven forms it taught. Quite necessary if she wanted to survive and do her duty as a Jedi, expanding her repertoire of moves and strikes to defend herself and others more efficiently.

Soft footsteps tapping over the floor brought Kaiza into the training room where emerald eyes spied upon who she assumed to be the instructor. His apparel infinitely contradicted her own; bright casual wear as opposed to Kaiza’s terribly plain clothing fit for manual labour. A pair of oversized gloves presented possibly the most distinguishing feature of her uninspired attire. Nevertheless, there was the bright smile she offered to everyone as she removed her cloak, that last obstacle to mobility.

“Hi. I’m Padawan Kaiza Pawaro.” The Mirialan informed with a mischievous grin curling her lips while she stretched her legs and arms. It felt good to practice the arts of lightsaber combat again, something she enjoyed immensely.



[member="Jake Daniels"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Shortly after her arrival at the Silver Temple, Faye a notice board had momentarily caught her attention. She had seen that there was going to be a lightsaber training class… Shii-something. She was an absolute beginner, so this seemed the best place to start. Of course, she had heard stories of legendary Jedi that wielded the famous weapons. But she’d never seen one for herself. At the Naval Academy on Kiribi, there just hadn’t been many Jedi running around. The teen was still somewhat skeptical. Though she had been aware of her force-sensitivity for close to two years now, this was the first time she had actually come to explore the possibilities.

And even now, she didn’t think she really wanted to be a Jedi.

No, she felt more at home in the cockpit of a fighter. But still, she had to admit that it would be pretty wizard to have a saber of her own someday. As she entered the training grounds, she had a quick look around. There was a man present, the teacher… or so she guessed. He had a bit of a scruffy look about him, but she figured he might be cool… even if he was old. And there was a young woman with green-hued skin that looked like she might be around the same age as Faye. This made the teen’s eyes light up.

“Uh, hi.” She said, addressing both present. “This is the right place for the saber class? I’m Faye.”

[member="Kaiza Pawaro"], [member="Jake Daniels"]

 

[Jake Daniels]

"A pleasure Kaiza." Jake replied to the first of the arrivals. She identified herself a Padawan. It was her clothing that caught Jakes attention. Her outfit was in stark contrast to Jakes. His was bright and attention grabbing, hers was a bit more subdued. As she stretched, Jakes attention turned towards the second of the arrivals.

"Also a pleasure to meet you Faye." Jake said politely. She was Mirilian if Jake had to guess. A humanoid species that the Knight hadn't many interactions with. "Yes, you are in the right place."

"I am Knight Jake Daniels. Before we begin there are a few things to note," Jake kept a smile on his face, "I am a former wielder of the dark side. I went by the Sith name Darth Gravis. I hunted Jedi. I hunted fellow Sith." He let that sink in for just a moment. "I will teach you how to protect yourself with the most important of saber forms; Shii-Cho. Make no mistake. It may appear to be a simplistic form when compared to other fighting techniques but if you do not have a solid hold on Shii-Cho, you will die. Please keep one thing I just said in mind. I will show you how to protect yourselfs. I will not teach you to be warriors. Any concerns about anything I just said?"

"Do each of you have your own lightsaber or does someone need to borrow mine?" Jake asked.

[member="Kaiza Pawaro"]​

[member="Faye Demos"]​

 

[Kaiza Pawaro]

A new, unknown voice originated from behind and soon the approaching sound of soft footsteps came to a halt next to Kaiza. Wide-eyed, the Mirialan Padawan turned to face the newcomer; just an ordinary, tan-skinned girl by the looks of it. This one also appeared wildly different from the traditionally clothed Jedi. It put a smile to the Mirialan’s face, showing her pearl white teeth as she greeted the human. She enjoyed seeing the Jedi like this – ordinary people willing to take a stand against tyranny.

Even though a huge sucker for fables and legends concerning the legendary warriors of light, Kaiza genuinely appreciated the opportunity to witness them as concerned and brave souls who risked their lives to defend others despite having so much to live for. She liked to believe her motives were the same – being unable to idly watch the Sith unleash havoc and destruction upon the galaxy.

“Kaiza.” The yellow-skinned girl whispered back to the new Jedi.

But before the two young Jedi could start bonding, the instructor spoke up and Kaiza’s focus shifted to the man. Needless to say, the revelation of his past came as a shock. Kaiza shivered at the thought of being taught by a Sith Dath. The very concept deeply disturbed her – Sith were known for trickery, none could say if this one had truly left his past behind. Common sense rather than wisdom distated to remain reserved and vigilant.

Gulping, Kaiza glanced Faye’s way before paying attention again. Suddenly she no longer felt so certain about the class – on the other hand, should the former Sith share some valuable and unknown information on Shii-Cho, it would be most foolish to refuse his words. Even though a talented lightsaber combatant by all means, Kaiza’s skill stemmed from knowledge, experience and practice, prompting her to always expand her horizons and shed the watchful rejection of combat when necessary.

“No concerns,” replied Kaiza somewhat sheepishly, even if her green eyes daringly met the man’s gaze, “I have a lightsaber of my own.”

The cylinder of silver and copper colours continued hanging on her belt, a sleeping warrior better left undisturbed.


[member="Jake Daniels"] | [member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Faye gave a nod to Knight Daniels, and listened as he began his introduction to the class. When he mentioned that he was a former dark-sider, her brow furrowed. He even had a Sith name… what? Tilting her head to the side, she eyed Kaiza for a moment. The Mirialan seemed a bit worried. Faye wasn’t sure if she should share this feeling, but she eyed the man once more. Surely the Silver Jedi would not knowingly let someone dangerous into their ranks, right?

And she did have to admit that it would be useful to know how to defend herself. Even if she did not plan to be fighting much on the ground – her own battles would be fought in a starfighter.

Curious eyes watched as Kaiza produced her own saber. Faye frowned and gave her empty pockets a pat. “I don’t have one yet,” She said, feeling a bit sheepish. Should she have such a weapon yet? The teen had only recently come to study at the Silver Temple; surely they would cut her some slack. Her eyes shifted to the side, where she found a few weapon racks. Taking a few steps, she plucked one of the wooden practice swords from its place.

“I can use this, I guess. Does this work?” She asked, holding the wooden sword by its middle.

Faye spotted the pointy end of her practice sword, and finally went on to grasp the opposite end. At least she knew what side to hold… barely.

[member="Jake Daniels"], [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]

 

[Jake Daniels]

Jake took note of Kaiza's lightsaber and gave a polite nod, "So be it."

She didn't have concerns, which was a relief for the Knight. The mans nerves were wracked. He was coming out of his comfort zone doing this. Training two Jedi? Holy hell. He was confident, no mistaking that. It was just knowing that what he taught there two today would be used by them in the future to protect? If they failed, it would be because his training hadn't been adequate enough. He couldn't fail them.

"Nonsense." Jake said to Faye when he saw her fetch a wooden stick. "Here."

The Knight unclipped his own blade and handed it over to the young woman, "It's an older blade but durable. It has seen many battles. Don't be alarmed by it's crimson blade. I know that's the color Sith use." The Knight then took the wooden one from the the Jedi. "This won't protect you when my little droid begins shooting at you. Blaster shot would go right through the wood. I'll use it for demonstration."

He didn't give Faye nor Kaiza an opportunity to question what exactly Jake had just said. The Knight said it matter of factly; one of his less admirable traits. They'd be shot at. Nothing more needed to be explained. Before that though, they'd need to learn how to ready themselves for such action.

"Shii-Cho is the foundation of every other lightsaber combat style. You cannot learn Makashi, Ataru, Soresu, or any of the other seven forms without having a firm grasp on this." Jake explained. "This form is basic. Very basic. It's strengths in what it does. It deflects and disarms. It helps build your defenses. It is not meant to kill; at most it maims and even then only under extreme circumstances."

"Within Shii-Cho are two methods of combat. Ideal form and live combat. We will start with ideal form." Jake explained. "Ideal form is meant for sparring. Blade to blade. A strait, fair fight as one could say." Jake took the wooden stick and used Kaiza as an example.

"There are six target zones with this style of lightsaber combat." Jake pointed to each zone on Kaiza, "Zone one is the head. Two is the right arm and side. Three is the left arm and side. Four is the back. Five is the right leg and finally six is the left leg. In ideal form, your maneuvers are vertical and horizontal swings. Up and down. Left and right."

"Both of you take a traditional stance. One foot before the other. Ignite your blades and hold them forward." Jake ordered.

"Droid." Jake spoke. The small Training Droid whizzed above Jakes head. He looked at both Jedi, "Single shot at each. Zone two."

There was where Jake had to be careful. He wasn't going to treat them like children. He would train them as he had been trained. Live fire exercises from the beginning. The Sith wouldn't use dummy swords and pirates wouldn't use stun blasters. The galaxy was eat or be eaten. They needed to be prepared. This was their first lesson as it was Jakes.

The Knight knew he was walking a fine line. He could push the limits of what was acceptable for Jedi training; he couldn't break them.

​

[member="Faye Demos"]​

[member="Kaiza Pawaro"]​

 

[Kaiza Pawaro]

Kaiza’s eyes popped out as she watched the young woman retrieve a wooden training sword, holding it completely wrong. Although the yellow-skinned girl was no better when she joined the Jedi, these times were long gone, as evidenced by her ownership of a lightsaber. The Mirialan Padawan had used the azure-bladed weapon many times in the recent conflicts, displaying both skill and talent. For that reason, Faye’s idea came off as the most hilarious thing in the galaxy. Kaiza struggled not to burst into laughter, although her wide grin safely gave away the humour she had discovered in her colleague’s decision to arm herself with a wooden stick and seize its wrong end.

“Shooting at us…?” Kaiza’s lips questioned in a whisper, all humour gone from her expression. She hoped it to be a training bolt – it had to be – but then again, the instructor’s former allegiance actively poured additional fuel into her worries. Sith were known for their unforgiving, cruel training. Hopefully that wouldn’t translate into the Shii-cho lesson, especially since one of them had likely never held a real lightsaber in her hands before. Emerald gaze slithered over to Faye’s hands, fortunately still in possession of all ten fingers.

Sith lightsabers were supposedly more dangerous than the Jedi counterparts though, or so the young Padawan thought. It’d make sense to remove additional safety measures from the weapons given Sith focused on training through pain. Gloved hands swiftly turned and switched something on the silver hilt and Kaiza handed it over to Faye, carefully retrieving the former Sith’s lightsaber for herself.

“Uh, here. It’s set to low-power mode, so you don’t have to worry about injuring yourself.” The Padawan informed her fellow student, forcefully reminding herself the tool in her palms was just that – a tool. Still, holding a Sith weapon felt inappropriate, wrong even. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and a tingling sensation of nausea gripped her stomach as Kaiza suddenly realized the weapon must have killed innocents, probably even Jedi given its owner’s dark past. Gulping loudly, the yellow-hued Jedi persuaded her fingers to wrap around the terrible lightsaber that’s been completely vilified by her imagination now.

“I’m sorry,” she slowly apologized to the teacher with a forced smile, “I believe your weapon will be safer in my hands.”

She was a gentle soul, unable to bear the thought of others accidentally hurting themselves. Given the nearly infinite cutting power their traditional weapons possessed, it was probably for the best.

“Faye,” she softly and patiently addressed her fellow trainee, ensuring her attention, “Let me demonstrate what you have to do. Watch me closely.”

Knowing how to enter the stance was something she remembered from her first lightsaber lessons. It came back almost instinctively as she slipped into the first form’s opening stance, ensuring her feet were planted correctly. And then, almost disgusted, the Padawan ignited the horrible red beam of burning plasma. Another gulp as her green stare sank into the blade’s crimson, but quickly refocused on the droid. Raising the blade, holding it tight, she made a long and powerful stride forth.

Then came a flash of light and her training took over, positioning the weapon almost automatically and letting it collide with the incoming blaster bolt. The dangerous shot bounced off without a sense of direction, painting a black, scorched mark on the wall.


[member="Jake Daniels"] | [member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Kaiza was laughing at her, that much Faye realized. But instead of getting upset or embarrassed, she began to laugh, too. And a moment later, her wooden practice sword had been exchanged for Knight Daniel’s very own saber. “Whoa,” she said, her eyes wide with curiosity. While the weight was quite similar to that of the practice sword, it felt entirely different. Faye couldn’t help but wonder how many men had died by this crimson saber. Oh goodness. But she could contemplate this matter further, the Sith saber was plucked from her hands – replaced by Kaiza’s saber.

“Oh, cool. Thanks!” She chirped. Yes, perhaps this was a better fit for now.

Faye listened closely as Knight Daniels spoke, attempting to take in every word. However, this environment was very different from the rigidly structured classrooms that she was used to.

As she was instructed, she assumed what she hoped was the traditional stance. One foot positioned in front of the other. She pressed the button on the hilt to ignite Kaiza’s saber, and she stood marveling at the blade before her. The humming that emanated from the hilt was strangely comforting. Her attention was drawn by the training droid that soon hovered nearby. Oh no! It was going to shoot at them? Zone two… which one was that again?

“Two?” She blurted out, “Uh… Oh! Right, I remember now.”

She breathed out a sigh when Kaiza stepped forward to demonstrate first. Faye watched as the other teen made graceful movements, and deflected the blaster bolt that came her way. Her eyes lingered on the burn mark that now marred the wall. She did not want to think about how that would feel. Swallowing hard, she moved into position and held the saber blade out before her.

When the red bolt came shooting towards her right side, she attempted to swing her arm in a horizontal arc, much the way Kaiza had done. But while the other teen had made it look effortless, she realized this was not the case. It took a great deal more concentration than she anticipated, but she made contact with the bolt and sent it away from her. Her form of course, likely had not been perfect. But she hadn’t made a complete fool of herself, that was good.

[member="Jake Daniels"], [member="Kaiza Pawaro"]

 

[Jake Daniels]

Jake said nothing as he watched as Kaiza switched blades with Faye. When Kaiza explained that she believed Jakes lightsaber would be safer in his hands there were two very important things he learned about the girl. One she was a confident young woman. She took charge when she saw something that she didn't agree with; even if it wasn't part of the initial instruction. That meant she was able to think on the fly. That was good.

The second thing he learned was that she seemed to be a beater. It was a theorized style of lightsaber combatant that was one part guardian, five parts duelist. As Jake watched her instruct the Faye to watch her, Daniels moved not an inch as the blaster shot was deflected into a nearby wall. He was impressed; he had to admit it. Yet he couldn't let it show. He couldn't risk Kaiza getting cocky.

"Well?" Jake asked looking over to Faye.

Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut. The droid shot. Faye swung. The shot was blocked. Jake's head shifted sharply to the side avoiding the deflected bolt. For the briefest of moments he perked a brow. Ok; Faye didn't need just some work. She needed a lot of it. Yet he learned something just as important; she wasn't a natural with a lightsaber and that was ok. It meant she could learn from Kaiza.

"Kaiza." Jake said, addressing the apparent dominant of the pair, "Your form is natural. Your swing motion is near prestine but the power behind is not. A blaster bolt weighs next to nothing. You're not trying to hit a home run."

Was his critique a bit harsh? Maybe. He also knew she could take it. Seeing the authoritative aura she had about her, she could dish what she took. She'd be just fine with some criticism.

"Faye." Jake said. "Hesitation will get you and those around you killed. Let the force guide you. Trust it and it won't fail you. Anticipate the moment that is to come. Also, I don't have the prettiest mug but I like what I have. When you swing, try and angle the blade to send your shot in the direction you want. Watch Kaiza."

"Ok Kaiza. Let's see how much of a natural you are with a Sith lightsaber." He had seen the momentary flicker in her eyes as she had stared at the crimson of his blade. Did it unnerve her? What would a little taunt do in terms of motivation and drive. "After this next action, I want you to explain to Faye what you feel the moments before a shot comes. I want you to explain what you feel when the shots are almost at you. More importantly I want you to explain how you guide your shots away from yourself. in fact I want you to guide both shots past each side of my face. Remember this is live fire. My life is in your hands."

Holy hell.

"Droid. Two shots at same target."

[member="Kaiza Pawaro"]​

[member="Faye Demos"]​

 

[Kaiza Pawaro]

Anticipation did not even allow her to breathe, emerald gaze watching the fellow student with great worry. Life and death – all rested within Fate’s hands, or so the spiritually minded Mirialan believed. One last time, she checked the brunette’s posture and how she held the lightsaber – and then, a searing blaster bolt cut through the air and miraculously impacted the human’s blade of superheated plasma. Relief washed over Kaiza the instant Faye successfully blocked the deadly blaster bolt, escaping the trial unharmed. Still somewhat unnerved the less skilled student was exposed to actual blaster fire and not the usual training shots, the Mirialan brushed aside a stray lock of raven black hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear, and gave the teacher a hard stare, wordlessly voicing her disapproval over his decision to use live ammo.

Still, so far so good, even if her heart thudded furiously. The young pacifist immensely disliked seeing others get hurt – and even though she had accepted the necessity of fighting a long time ago, this definitely wasn’t a situation that called for injuries.

“I’m a Soresu practitioner,” admitted the lightly tattooed Mirialan in response to his critique, “I guess I sub-consciously project certain aspects of the third form into different forms – placing myself within the eye of the storm and other principles.”

Calm mind meant half the battle – once she rejected all distractions, defending herself became a much easier task. With the Force guiding her hands and many, many hours of gruelling lightsaber training, Soresu was an inseparable part of her. Even now, while technically practicing motions associated with Shii-cho, Kaiza fluently reverted back to the Soresu-oriented mindset. Even though she wasn’t doing it on purpose, it could not be helped. Just like this nasty feeling in her hands when as held the Sith lightsaber – something the instructor did not forget to point out again, much to Kaiza’s discomfort.

Standing ready, she focused on the droid, ready for the next task. Deflecting itself posed no issues, but angling the shots? That required additional concentration, something she could not spare, as per the core principle of Soresu. Unsurprisingly – to Kaiza, at least – once the two barks announced two approaching blaster bolts, the young Padawan displayed an above average ability to bat the bolts away, yet in a manner completely violating the teacher’s instructions. Two pitch black marks adorned the ceiling above them, which couldn’t have been further away from the teacher’s body. As the sound of extinguishing lightsaber put an end to the diabolical red in her hands, the yellow-hued girl bit her lip, gaze glued to the scorched spots and studying them.

“I think I understand why this happened,” mused the Mirialan, “I clear my mind of all distractions and let the Force and instincts guide my hands. I focus on defending myself and others – solely on defending myself and others. Rather than direct the bolts, I deflect them away to prevent harm.”

Blinking, the young student looked at Faye and then at Jake.

“Does that make sense?”


[member="Jake Daniels"] | [member="Faye Demos"]

 

[Jake Daniels]

Jake wasn't amused.

Kaiza could rival his stubbornness; even if she wouldn't admit to such. An instruction has been given. It was expected to be followed. It wasn't. Instead of sending the blaster shots back at Jake, she used the crimson of his blade to deflect them upwards. Two fingers pinched the bridge of his nose in obvious and apparent irritation.

"Your explanation isn't flawed." Jake spoke. "You are right. Opening yourself to the force, for some, creates a millisecond of foresight that allows us to block incoming attacks. A millisecond is all it takes to be the difference between life and death."

Jake lowered his hand, refolding his arms as he did so. "You just got yourself and those with you killed. When you are in a fire fight you may be forced to fight back. Simply sending attacks elsewhere, anywhere, besides yourself means that those attacks keep coming."

"You mentioned Soresu. Like yourself it is one of my preferred forms. You have a defensive mindset by nature then. Lets say I had a blaster in my hand and simply began firing at you. If you don't neutralize the threat, the threat keeps coming." Jake explained.

"I want you to learn how to deflect the shots back at the threat. That is how you protect without murdering. That's how you defend without being aggressors." Jake turned his attention to Faye, "Same rule as Kaiza. Two shots. Send them back at me. This time send both past each side of my person."

Jake didn't give her as specific a target as he had Kaiza. Kaiza could do it if she wanted; Jake would make her stay until she did. Faye on the other hand was still newer to this. So long as she could send the shots back in the general direction ordered would be a success.

[member="Faye Demos"]​

[member="Kaiza Pawaro"]​