First steps

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Quinn Byrne"]

Click
Clack
…
Clunk

“Hold there!” Jacen called, freezing in place. The tip of her blade was just past his left shoulder. “Look at where my feet are, and where our blades meet. Compare that to where you were when you made this block,” Jacen said. He gently pushed outwards, showing that his posture endured he could force her blade wide.

“You want to try and end up in a similar position,” he said as he stepped back and lowered his stave.

“Right, I'm not going to give you any more to memorise, but we'll start an basic velocities. The basic premise is you repeat a routine with increasing speed and then hold that highest pace until you can't manage any more and then slowly come back. Each set is you attacking, then you defending. You dictate the pace, but you need to ensure you have control at all times.

“Oh and seeing as you seem so fresh. Ten bastards between each repetition,” Jacen said before demonstrating that a ‘bastard’ was a burpee with a press-up at the bottom. “Let's get going then. Form and control over speed.”

 

[Catherine Romanov]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Just at the strike sailed through his left shoulder, Master Voidstalker called for her to hold there, as the pair was frozen in their current position, as if they were paused in time. Had she made another mistake? Why did they stop? The Jedi Marshall then went on to elaborate on how his current position and posture would allow him to force her blade wide. She took in the positions of his feet in their grounded positions and the point where their blades had met.

Quinn mentally compared that when she had made her block earlier on. She could now see the clarity of the inefficiency of her block earlier and how proper footing and posture could affect one's swordplay. Making sure to take note of this, she pushed on, hoping to not make many more mistakes before this day was over. Hopefully Master Voidstalker would be tolerant towards her. She hoped that she had not annoyed him.

As the master stepped back, he lowered his stave and instructed her on the next part of her training. Basic velocities. Basically what she had to do was repeat a routine with increasing speed, holding the highest pace until she could hold no more. The routines would be placed in sets of both attacking and defending, and Quinn would be the one setting the pace.

To make this even more challenging, her master had seen fit to introduce a series of exercises of 'bastards' that was a burpee with a press-up at the bottom. Yikes. Nevertheless, she would do so without a word of complaint, and strive to do her best. Quinn got into position, making doubly sure that she got the steps of the footwork right before she started with the blade movements. She brought her blade up and started to swing it in a high stroke towards her master, emphasizing more on form and control without neglecting speed into the equation, just as his orders instructed.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Quinn Byrne"]
When she was visibly shaking as she pushed her body back up from the ground Jacen realised she was going to keep pushing herself indefinitely. “Alright, I think that's quite enough now,” he said. “So to recap we've covered the basic footwork and blocks and a few simple strikes. That's a lot of the basic building blocks to get done in one session. I'm impressed,” he said. He dropped his stave and placed his hands behind his head, chest heaving as he sacked in air. “Right, going forwards we'll do one training session every morning at one. I'll expect you to spend at least two hours in practise every afternoon or evening.”

“Don't worry about disappointing me though. I could feel that radiating off you every time I corrected something. This is going to be a long process and I'll be making adjustments to your form a lot. Just keep the attitude you've shown today and you'll make exceptional progress. In a week or so we'll start to get you used to the feel of a training lightsaber,” he said before pausing for breath again.

“Right, we'll call it a day there then. Keep the stave to practise with,” his shoulders relaxed as called an end to the session.

“So Quinn whereabouts do you hail from?” he asked, his tone more casual than it had been through the session.

 

[Catherine Romanov]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Despite how tired she was, Quinn's face beamed into a smile as Jacen complimented her. She did well. The smile was as radiant as the morning sun, rather surprising considering how much her body began to already ache. Her body was drenched in perspiration from all the exertion, and exhaustion was already beginning to set in and her muscles was starting to ache, protesting from the intense level of activity she had undertaken, the longest she had done in a quite a while. They had managed to cover quite alot in just one training session today, and she was as equally impressed with her as she was with Master Voidstalker. Not a bad teacher, he was.

He then instructed her on the follow-up trainings, which would be carried out in the wee-hours of the morning at one. When the training was over, the sun would have began its ascend into the sky, and she would take a small break and a meal before continuing with training of her own, simply practising what she had learnt. He had mentioned that it things went well, she would be starting with a training lightsaber in a week! The girl just couldn't wait, as she bubbled with excitement.

Quinn picked up the stave on the ground, just as she heard the master asking about her origins. She replied rather quietly, her visage turning moody for several moments before she recovered. "I'm from Tatooine. Born and raised there. Didn't like it one bit. Parents left me behind. Was on my own for several years before I left. Never ever thought I'll leave that dust bowl of a planet, but looking back now, I'm glad I did."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Quinn Byrne"]

"I'm so sorry," Jacen said quietly. "My parents are from tatooine, hence the stupid name. They migrated to Coruscant before I was born. Still have to visit the horrid dust bowl once in a while to see family," he explained. He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing.

"You should know that when you find particular memories painful there are Sith out there who can use them against you. Very quickly, very effectively. Might be you want to try and bury some of those demons," he said. Then he shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, this is neither the time or place for such a talk. So did you find your own way here or did one of the others find you out in the wild, so to speak?"

 

[Catherine Romanov]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Sith...Quinn had heard stories about the Sith but had never met or seen any of them in person before. She had heard stories of them being evil despicable creatures, who gave no mercy, and no quarter, and most killed for the sport of it. "Sith.. I've heard of those. Evil beings they are..Enemies of Jedi and freedom. I've never met or seen one before, but I've heard more than my fair share of tales to know or recognise one when I see them." Pondering over what her master had said, she remarked.

"They can do that?! Oh, yes I think so. I've heard that one before I think.." Turning the gaze of her blue-grey orbs facing towards Master Voidstalker, she said "I actually managed to get a ride off a merchant leaving Tatooine, and he dropped me off at the nearest spaceport. It was there that I found an old poster of the Galactic Alliance, and after several weeks of searching, I managed to find someone from the Alliance to take me in for recruitment." Looking down briefly, before she looked back her, she continued.

"I'm really glad to be here, to have a family again, once more."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Quinn Byrne"]

"And we're glad to have you," Jacen added without skipping a beat. "The Sith have carved out an empire through the heart of the Galaxy. They wiped out nearly all life on several worlds. The Republic has fallen, us and the Silver Coalition are all that stands between them and their plans to stretch the Dark Lords reach to every corner of the known 'verse.

"They'll stop at nothing to finish us off. It won't be long until they come after us," he said, voice tinged with sadness. "I once had a Sith creep into the edges of my mind. Actually twice now, but that once used her influence to blind my sight. Entirely unpleasant. So are you training under at the moment? Or rather, who is your formal master?"

 

[Catherine Romanov]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Master Voidstalker then began telling her about the wide-spread reach of the Sith and how they sought to dominate the world with their ever-increasing power. Even the once mighty Republic had fallen. "I did not know that the Republic had fallen. I had always thought they were strong. I guess what they say is true. Even the mightiest giants fall some day." He then went on to tell her about how he had two occurrences where he had his mind invaded by a Sith. She had never had her mind invaded by anyone, let alone a Sith, but she was pretty sure that it would not be a pleasant experience. Not in the slightest bit. "I have never been subjected to that before, but I can only imagine what it must have been felt. It must have been horribly frightening. And disgusting. "

The Jedi Marshall then continued, asking about who her master was and who she was currently training under. "None to both questions. No one at all. All I was told was to come here for my training today, if I wanted to find out if I was to have a master or not. I assumed that meant you? I may be wrong though. That is merely my presumption."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Quinn Byrne"]

"Oh, right," Jacen said. "It didn't necessarily, I take quite a lot of lessons with padawans on saber work," he said. Jacen's head titled from side to side as he considered this for a moment. He'd been a Jedi Master for a few months now. The one time he had allowed the dark side of the Force to creep in without him even noticing still hung over him still, yet it was about time he took on the responsibility.

"However, if there's one trait I'd look for in a student it's dedication. I think you've got that in spades Quinn, so I'd be happy to take you on as my apprentice. Mind that you'd be the first though - just to be entirely honest. I've not been a Master for long."