It is simple, and its simplicity is strength…

[Darth Timoris]

Melori stood in the Academy on Tython she’d built when the One Sith claimed the planet. She and her new Apprentice were up in the main duelling area — three floors crashed into one — a veritable cavern to fight in. For the Academy was designed for that reason and that reason alone. For duelling.

She stood in her standard black robes. She never wore armour and her blonde hair was tied back. Even in the gloom of the Academy, her baby blue eyes sparkled. Soon her Apprentice would learn that they morphed yellow when she accessed the Force.

She had the training sabers ready.

There were a selection and she planned for Lucille to try each out until she found what was comfortable for her. There were curved hilts, sabre-staffs, longer and shorter hilts. But she would not decide today.

At the sound of footsteps approaching, the youngest of the Raaf sisters brought her attention back to the here and now.

Melori nodded to Lucille. “We are Sith, not Jedi. I shall push you mercilessly. I shall not kill you without reason, but I shall not cosset you. Expect pain, grief, exhaustion — and the best training any Acolyte has ever received.”

“In my time I have trained the head of the Sith Assassins, so don’t underestimate my abilities. I understand you’ve had precious little lightsaber training.”

"So, what do you know?"

The question was posed in a neutral tone. She stood deadly still as she waited for her charge to answer.

[member="Lucille Kearnes"]

 

[Lucille Kearnes]

She moved with an elegant saunter from where she had been lurking amidst the academy, coming to her halt before [member="Darth Timoris"], she stood quietly at attention as her instructor’s words fell upon her attentive ears, trained over a lifetime to hear everything and anything and to listen for far longer than she spent talking. She was dressed in a simple linen tunic and matching trousers which had long since been dyed brown accompanied by a plain black synthetic leather boots and belt. Clearly on loan from the academy, they clung… snugly… To Lucille’s petite and waifish frame which lacked anything resembling curves or muscle definition.

As the Darth explained the situation, she nodded simply after each sentence. Words were a precious commodity, a well placed word could elevate a person to lofty heights or tear them apart with a single utterance in the right ear. As such, Lucille hoarded her words like the greediest of Hutt Slugs kept their slaves on hand.

"So, what do you know?"

With hands knitted behind her back, Lucille offered a simple nod in turn to Darth Timoris. “Swoop bike racing, ma’am. ” She stood for a moment letting that one skill reverberate about the training cavern. “I am proficient with a blaster and I could probably outrace and outdance a Twi’lek as needed.”

A moment of silence. She blinked.

“Oh. About the sith, the jedi? Lightsabers and such ma’am?” A beat of time passed after the question, barely a scant second but it felt like it stretched onwards to eternity for the young acolyte. “Not much, ma’am. I’m aware of them but not much more than that.”

 

[Darth Timoris]

There were many qualities that Melori looked for in an Apprentice. Confidence was one - and Lucille’s swagger suggested she had this in abundance. Being proactive was another, and so far she hadn’t let her down.

But neither of these counted for anything if she didn’t have the necessary ability to use the Force — and the will to use it in the face of adversity. For Melori would push her hard.

On the plus side, she had a blank canvas to work with. On the down side, blank canvases were…well…blank.

“OK, we shall start at the beginning. I don’t say a lot, so when I say it, it is important. And if I give a speech? Every word is sacred.”

“OK. Form I – also known as Shii-Cho or The Way of the Sarlacc or The Determination Form. ”

“This is the first Form you’re shown as an Acolyte. You’re not yet a Sith, not in the eyes of the Order. Only those of Knight status can call themselves Sith.”

“So. Lightsaber use is based on a number of Forms. And there is no perfect one – otherwise we’d all use that one. The one, or ones, you decide to devote most time to depend on who and what you are, your philosophy and what you expect to be up against.”

“Some are for strong types and others suit faster fighters. Some work well against other sabers but are poor against blasters. Others are the other way around. Some like to know all styles, others like to master just one. But they all started here.”

“Every Acolyte should be proficient in Shii-Cho, it’s simple, and its simplicity is strength."

“What I will teach you today, are the basic motions and target zones utilised with a lightsaber. You will commit to daily sparring, so we can get you up to speed quite quickly. You’re agile – and that’s a great start.”

“Shii-Cho is not designed to work in lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat but it is always a useful fall-back option when no other Form will do.
Its aim is to disarm rather than injure – more of a Jedi philosophy.”

“But that’s enough talking.”

Melori took up a ready stance and ran through a few practice drills.

She gestured to the lightsabers assembled. “They’re training sabers. Pick them up, and start with the one that feels most natural. It should be an extension of you, you are the weapon, not the blade.”

“Today I’ll show you the various opening stances and you will copy and practice them until they’re embedded.”

So she ran through three basic stances.

“First is Ready.” Her dominant, right, foot was held back, with the blade in a vertical parry position on the dominant side.

“Next is Defensive Neutral.” When she took up the stance it looked identical but when she switched between the two, Lucille would notice her feet were evenly spaced rather than one held back. “The aim is to look imposing! The blade is highly visible.”

“And finally, Offensive Neutral.” Again, her feet were evenly spaced, with the blade now pointing towards the enemy. “Now this provides the minimum visual blade area, so you are harder to target or track.”

“There are others but let’s get these three down first.”

[member="Lucille Kearnes"]

 

[Lucille Kearnes]

Lucille nodded and listened with the utmost respect to [member="Darth Timoris"]. Her stance never gave way as she watched and observed the Sith Lord with the correct reverence due as she gave her speak. Once given leave to examine, test and try the various weapons, she responded with a courteous “Yes ma’am.”, bowed graciously and made her way to the training sabers.

The former slave turned Acolyte examined the various weapons as one would watch a fish in a bag at a carnival. She carefully picked the various sabers up and tested the weight and design of the hilts as if the illusion of knowledge would compensate for the lack of knowledge.

Staves, shotos and pikes were first observed and studied. The uniqueness and the bizarreness compared to the more mundane standard saber hilt attracting the young acolyte’s attention because they were new and shiny, not because she truly had an affinity for any of them. Igniting the saber-stave she gave it a few quick, cursory weaves and spins before her. Perhaps a bit too ambitious and a bit too over excited at the prospect, combined with the weightlessness of the blades saw the unnoticed blade colliding with her side, the stinging sensation from where it impacted no doubt leaving a lasting lesson for the errant apprentice. Meekly, she put the stave away.

A simplistic and straight-forward weapon, at least as far as light sabers went. It ignited with the distinctive ‘fzzsh-voom’ sound as the blade projected from its hilt. The acolyte gripped it tightly between both hands and held it outwards in front of her.at arms reach. Her gaze locked on the weightless blade as she gave the hilt a brief jut from side to side and then moved it from right to left. Her eyes never left the weapon as if anticipating the worst should her attention ever drift from the blade’s physical location.

As Darth Timoris flowed through the various forms and stances, she cycled through in repetition, repeating the actions and the stances. While an astute and intelligent student, the cautionary approach towards the weapon and the overthinking of each move saw to her taking a warming up period before she truly loosened up and could match the ready stance with almost enough precision to be passable. The other two came eventually.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was pleased with her Apprentice’s progress. She held the saber comfortably for a start. The Force helped with this. Most non-Force Sensitives found it difficult to handle a weapon with a relatively heavy hilt and a blade with no weight.

And her stances were good. But most important was her willingness to learn and her lack of conceit. That meant she would be willing to make mistakes and that meant she would learn quicker.

“I mentioned yesterday that there are other stances. Each Form tends to have its own stance. You’ll know over time what comes naturally to you — some use no stance as they feel it gives away their Form.”

“Now I will show you some basics and a couple of practice drills – so you can work by yourself if you need to. The practice drills are also known as velocities by the way."

“Form I has two methods of combat which determined how moves are executed; Ideal Form and Live Combat Form. There’s as much information to take in early on as physical skill but if you keep practicing then you'll do well.”

“The Ideal Form is mainly used in sparring, and all the moves and manoeuvres are executed at perfect horizontal or vertical angles, with attacks and parries being perpendicular to one another.” Melori's eyes morphed yellow as she drew on the Force and demonstrated.


“The Live Combat Form is much more functional, the attacks being diagonal strikes at each respective body zones, the goal being to increase speed and reduce actual movement.” Again she demonstrated.

“The body target zones are numbered. One is head, two is right arm and side, three is left arm and side, four is back, five is right leg and six is left leg.”

All the while Melori nodded to emphasise points. Aware she was talking a lot and allowing Lucille to do little, Melori stepped back and said, “Now to some practical application.”

She demonstrated two moves. One was clearly a strike directed at an opponent's weapon in an attempt to rip it out of their grasp. The second was a wide sweeping attack as if facing multiple enemies.

“Disarming Slash and Sarlacc Sweep. Now over to you…practice the stances again and then the two moves. Pull the Force to you and make it flow through you.
Describe to me what you’re feeling.”

[member="Lucille Kearnes"]