Its simplicity is strength…

[Corvus Raaf]

The first two things Corvus tended to focus on with new students was a Lightsaber Form and Force Barrier.

For Kaia therefore she would start with Shii-Cho. As a Padawan that had spent some time on Ossus, she will have been schooled but Corvus knew it was worth covering the basics; the zones, the Three Rings of Defence, the basic moves and manoeuvres and the like before they moved on to a preferred Form.

So she stood in a training room, the afternoon sun streaming in through a window and catching the dust motes as it did. A selection of training sabers were on the way and Corvus took one – placing her own sabers there for safe-keeping and then removed her cloak, folding it neatly and placing it on a nearby desk.

Then she performed the standard velocities of the first Form – a sequence of attacks and parries – cycled through at ever increasing speed.

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia came skipping through the Ossus Jedi temple, heading for the designated training room. As per usual, she slowed down a little when coming close to the entrance. Her sight allowed her to see past the walls, and she could observe Corvus. She stood near the door observing for a minute before stepping inside quietly, smiling as per usual. She had already limbered in earlier classes, practising force-enhanced movement. This may also be the reason for not being over-excited unlike their last meeting.

She removed her cloak, folded it clumsily and put it on the desk near her Master's. Kaia hadn't perfected the folding, and often ended up rolling the cloak into a ball instead. She collected a practice sabre and twirled it in her hand, keeping control of it with telekinesis. A trick she had picked up from the older Padawans, combined with the understanding and practice from the shared classes. She sat down on her knees, out of the way for Corvus, yet within sight. The practice sabre she held in one hand near her hip. With a controlled exhale, she collected her mind and focused. She was ready.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

It was a speech she’d used before – just the once and yesterday in fact. So it was inevitable she would use it again.

Corvus smiled when Kaia entered the room. She gave her customary bow and then sat on a nearby bench. Such conversations were better had from a sitting position.

“So…before we start, let’s clear up a few things and then we can learn without any interference. I am aware of the situation with the Red Ravens. Having a Padawan tends to cause a Force Bond. The longer the relationship lasts, the stronger it becomes. I was aware your group was in danger and saw a few images through your eyes. Faces I knew of. But you made the right decision – which I must commend you for. And rest assured we don’t do punishments here. At least not in the traditional sense. Perhaps transgressors would prefer we did as our approach is typically to ask those who exercise poor judgement to leave the Order or return to being a Youngling until they are ready to be chosen again.”

Her voice was calm and level, friendly in fact. “You see, my life could be in your hands tomorrow. That’s the difference between being a Youngling and a Padawan. We need you to make the right decisions – which you did – and I am grateful that you exercised such sound judgement. Well done.”

“So, that behind us, let’s talk about saber skills. Tell, me what have you learned so far?”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia looked very ashamed when Corvus addressed the business with the Red Ravens, though Kaia had not known what they were called at the time. She just knew they were trouble when she saw them. "I'm sorry master. I betrayed your trust by meeting them. I didn't know how bad it could have gone."

She smiled again when they begun discussing her sabre practice, she didn't have much, but like all initiates she had been introduced to the most basic principles and drills "I know the target body zones, some of the names of the marks of contact, and the basic stance of Form I," This was rather more in the vicinity of theoretical knowledge to apply to the techniques, than any practical skill "I'm relatively versed in a handful of the drills, and I'm familiar with most of the set. I've also been introduced to the Sarlacc Sweep" This did not, however, mean that she was in any way skilled. Yes she knew the drills, but it would be hard for her to apply them to a chaotic situation.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

It was a fine line. She’d already indicated she felt the subject was closed, so to respond to Kaia would go against that. So she let the apology go. Not because she was upset or that the apology didn’t suffice but because all she needed to know was that Corvus had drawn a line under the matter.

So instead she focused on what they are here for. “OK. Form I – also known as Shii-Cho or The Way of the Sarlacc or The Determination Form. ” Corvus laughed. “Sometimes I can sound like a stuffy holocron.”

“This is the first Form you’re shown as a Youngling. Lightsaber use is based on a number of Forms. And there is no perfect one – otherwise we’d all use that one. They 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 Jedi. Some work well against other sabers but are poor against blasters. Others are the other way around. Some Jedi like to know all styles, others like to master just one. But they all started here.”

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

“What I can show you today? We’ll start with the basic motions and target zones utilised with a lightsaber. If you can commit to daily sparring, 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 – the basic Jedi philosophy. But that’s enough talking.”

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

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

So Corvus ran through three basic stances.

“First is Jedi 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 Corvus took up the stance it looked identical but when she switched between the two, Kaia 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, Corvus’ 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 is one more generic one, that I use, but let’s get these three down first, OK?”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia made mental notes of the knowledge. Form I, Sarlacc, Determination. She laughed with Corvus. In Kaia's opinion Corvus' Holocron would be far more entertaining than those in the libraries, but hardly any less knowledgeable. It's simplicity is its strength. Those were worth remembering. She made a mental note to ask Zylah for additional sparring. The two of them might get some mutual use of it.

As Corvus stood up, Kaia's attention intensified, if that was even possible. She remained seated to observe as Corvus went through the drills and positions, and snatched up every detail she could in the stance, the footwork and the position of the blade. Jedi ready, Defensive Neutral, Offensive Neutral. She did notice the spacing of the legs in the shift of the stance. Visible blade, imposing. She noted the similar footwork in the Neutral positions as opposed to Jedi Ready. She had heard good footwork could save you life and limb when it matters the most.

After being introduced to the three, she stood up and gave a short bow "Yes Master." She held her lightsaber firmly in her left hand, her entire self tingled with excitement.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was already pleased with Kaia's efforts. 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 that there are other stances. I use Center of Being often. But it’s advanced – although you’ll be able to learn it soon enough. And then each Form tends to have its own stance. You’ll know over time what comes naturally to you.”

“Now I can show you some basics and a couple of practice drills – so you can work by yourself if you need to. Some Jedi call the practice drills 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, study holocrons in your spare time, then you'll do well. And remember to trust in the Force to guide you always.”

“The Ideal Form is mainly used in sparring, and all the moves and maneuvres are executed at perfect horizontal or vertical angles, with attacks and parries being perpendicular to one another.” Corvus 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 Corvus nodded to emphasise points and checked Kiara's body language to see if she was going too fast.

Aware she was talking a lot and allowing Kiara to do little, Corvus 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. Allow the Force to flow through you. Describe to me what you’re feeling.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia watched intently as Corvus demonstrated and nodded in understanding. It was her responsibility to absorb every ounce of knowledge. She had to take in everything she could. This was the knowledge that could save her life and others. As Corvus had said, her life was in Kaia's hands. To not train seriously would be to gamble with the lives of those she would protect.

She exhaled and drew a deep breath before starting. It helped her clear her mind as she stepped into the Jedi Ready position. She drew her left leg back and held her practice sabre vertically. "I feel strong, ready. Yet it's easy to move." It was as if she was a spring, ready to move. Yet she felt no unnecessary tension. She shifted into the Defensive Neutral. She struggled a little with the position of her feet, but found her balance, she then moved her lightsabre into the Offensive Neutral position. "The blade protects me. It's a spike, it threatens." She felt no need to remain in the position, but rather an urge to move on to the two next movements.

From the Offensive Neutral, she attempted the disarming slash. The line of her cut was a little off, but the idea was there. She could feel the force guiding her arm, she just needed to perfect the movement. "I feel it guiding me" She smiled at the sensation as she performed the Sarlacc Sweep, this line was better, but she overextended her reach a little.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus overlooked any minor wobbles. "Remember, practice, practice, practice."

"Now I want to show you zones.”

"Remember, every feint, every dodge, every block is a trap to the unwary. Not my words, it’s a standard lightsaber mantra. But as Shii-Cho was the first lightsaber form, it stands to reason that most of what we use came from it.”

“Attacks and parries in lightsaber combat are described by the body zones they target. Most attacks are executed with horizontal swipes, while parries are carried out with vertical blocks meant to push the point of the enemy's blade away, with the exception of the head attack and block, which are reversed.” All the while Corvus demonstrated.

“Zone one is the head. An attack consists of a vertical chop at the head, with the goal of vertically bisecting the opponent, and the corresponding parry is a horizontal block. There are subtleties with regards which guard position you attack from, but that’s for another day.”

“Zone two is the right arm and side. Attacks are horizontal sideswipes, with the corresponding counter being a vertical parry. In Shii-Cho sparring drills you hold the handle at waist height with the blade extended upwards.”

“Zone three is the left side. As before but reversed.”

“Zone four encompasses the entire midsection and torso, but refers specifically to the back. A successful zone four attack is almost always fatal. The classic parry is to drop and angle the blade behind your back. There is another but you'd have to be a contortionist to carry it off.”

“Zones five and six refer to the right and left leg, respectively. Attacks are low sideswipes or slashes, while the corresponding defensive position is to drop the saber with the hilt held at the waist.”

“OK, run through the numbers from one to six, first as if you were attacking and then as if you were defending. Cycle through a few times – and again, tell me how it feels. And remember to use the Force and believe...”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia nodded enthusiastically at the new instructions and words of wisdom. Again she exhaled to make herself ready. It helped her feel the force, almost like a wind that brushed her gently and guided her.
For the attacks, she first slipped into the offensive neutral position as it offered a good starting position. "One" She made the vertical slash for the head, and as it was in order to bisect the opponent, she let the swoop of the blade fall until parallel to the floor at her own waist-height. "Powerful, but open. Dangerous."

She got ready for the second zone. "Two" Her blade swiped blade at the right elbow height of an imaginary opponent, "Three" then at the left. "I feel the force guiding me." Her lines had become cleaner, but of course she still needed practice. She smiled brightly at the sensation of guidance and at the little rhyme between 'three' and 'me'.

"Four" She felt a little uncomfortable with the lethality of the cut to the back, but practised it the best she could anyway. "Uncomfortable, deadly." She moved on to the two next "Five" She cut at the right knee, "Six" then swept at the left to cover both movements before returning to jedi ready position and standing up.

With a controlled inhale and exhale, she performed the corresponding blocks, vocalizing the number so as to better memorise it. First the horizontal overhead block, then the vertical block at the right, then left side. "It feels natural, makes sense." The next one did not so much, she managed, but far from perfectly. The fifth and sixth were again quite natural, hilt at waste and blade pointing to the ground, covering the length of her leg. She could almost sense her imaginary opponent's attacks, and she felt how the force flowed down her arms, into her hilt, and up her legs like a reinforcement. "I can feel it attack and defend, and I can feel the Force supporting me. Making me solid, sure, sharp."

She kept cycling through them, back and fourth, attack and defence. Steadily she became more sure in her lines, in her blade and footwork, as she believed and let the Force guide her body.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus remained pleased with Kaia's progress. She was allowing the Force to aid her, rather than try to bend it to her will - that was a huge plus as too often Padawans tried the opposite approach - the Sith approach.

"OK, let's learn one of the standard training velocities." It was simply a sequence of numbers that both parties would learn. “The purpose is to see how fast you can go without making a mistake.” Corvus ran it through very slowly half a dozen times – taking it in turns to be defender and attacker.

"Good. Now I'll speed it up and see how you defend as the pace picks up. I'll start by being the attacker."

And Corvus started to rain blows on Kaia - faster than before but hopefully not pushing on too quickly.

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia made her movements clean and deliberate as they went through the velocity slowly. She grinned with a certain confidence as the movements became internalised in her bit by bit. However when they speeded up the confidence was gradually replaced by concentration, though the grin remained.

The rain of blows made things more awkward. Under pressure she had difficulties to connect with the force, and now she needed it the most. This showed in her bladework, while she got the blocks in position, she lacked the sure speed and strong positioning.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

"Good work, good work," Corvus nodded her approval.

“It’s hard to focus on the lightsaber, remember to let the Force flow through you and do something else all at the same time. But that’s the reality – and sooner or later you'll be in a position to do all of that without thinking. It’s like flying. When you started you had to give it 100% concentration. Now most of it is so second nature, you can fly somewhere and not even remember how you got there.”

“And if you want greater comfort, research has proven that practice – not talent – is what makes us great at something. If you put in the hours you will develop and grow into a blademaster. That’s not just words – it’s fact.”

Next Corvus called out random numbers to simulate an attack and asked Kaia to block appropriately. When Kaia demonstrated she could do this without hesitation, Corvus upped the game.

“Now I'll call out the number and attack a split second afterwards. No tricks – let’s just see how you keep up.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Again, Kaia nodded in apprehension at Corvus' explanation. It seemed the Master knew exactly how to encourage the young padawan. She looked up at Corvus, smiling brilliantly and practically radiating joy. Little beads of sweat had started to emerge on her face, but she had plenty of more energy to go. "Then I'll practice until I can do it in my sleep."

She performed the blocks with renewed vigour as Corvus called numbers. At first she jumbled, but soon enough she let herself be guided by the Force. It helped her to translate number to action, and guided her to the smoothest transition from one block to another. When Corvus upped the game, she was ready. She slipped naturally into the defensive neutral position to give herself the best start."I'm ready, Master."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus started slowly at first but gradually picked up pace until they were going at a decent speed for a velocity. Kaia was indeed developing her skills - she had obviously been putting the practice in.

“OK, now for a little sparring. I’ll perform some attacks and see how you fare…”

Corvus again started slowly before picking up the pace. This time there were no clues as to what attack was coming, just the clues her body position gave - although she was hoping her Padawan was using the Force to guide her.

"Tell me when you're ready for the next step..."

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

At first the sparring was difficult, as she had no clue as to what was coming. However, when connected to the Force, she found it easier in a sense. As if she could skip a step between Corvus action and her own reaction. She had been putting practice in, with some help from her friends, picking out the chinks and bad habits of her form.

"I'm ready."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“OK, next is all about defense. My first rule of duelling is that you can't win if you’re dead. Many of the ‘boys’ here go gung-ho and thinks it’s all about power and blowing the other person away. Let them tire themselves out and when they make a mistake – which they will – you can strike.” She snaked her saber out without warning to prove her point.

"Now, there are three rings.”

“The Outer ring of defense relies on defending against grand sweeping blows. The wide attacks take longer to deliver, but are very powerful. The Outer ring consists of four guard positions, all with the blade held diagonally: the upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left. A diamond really.” Corvus demonstrated.

“The Middle ring of defense is designed to pick up quicker blows and block them, though it is also effective for blaster-deflection. The guard positions all feature the blade being held at right angles, with the upper and lower guards being horizontal, while the left and right positions being vertical. More of a box than a circle I suppose.”

“The Inner ring is the last line of defense, dangerous to be attacking or defending from. It is proof against lunging attacks, and relies on parries instead of blocks. It has only a single guard position, with the hilt covering the navel. Attacks are deflected by angling the blade’s tip and shunting them aside with the lower third of the blade, facilitating a swift counter towards the opponent’s chest or abdomen.” Again Corvus illustrated her point.

“So…more sparring. I want you to defend against me. To start with, I’ll use wide and heavy blows, and I want you to concentrate on defending the Outer circle - furthest away from your body.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

As Corvus spoke and demonstrated, Kaia moved her hands subtly to remind herself of the angles and appropriate hand-positions for the blocks in each of the three rings. Her comment on boys and power reminded her of quite a few of her fellow Padawan. Her first rule of sparring made sense too. It didn't matter how strong you were if you couldn't stop what they threw at you.

She put her blade into position, she watched Corvus carefully and flexed her fingers around the grip of her practice sabre. She would protect herself with best effort. Meeting the swiping blows with the angled blocking Corvus had showed her.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus spent the time practicing and practicing. First she would attack and then defend, pointing out improvements where they could be made and commenting positively when the block was performed perfectly.

"Be careful. I have fallen into the trap of being so defensive that I feared making a mistake. And that led to me failing to take the opportunity to win when it presented itself. I'm not saying it will happen to you - but it could. Just be aware is all I'm saying."

Now we will practice the Middle ring. "The box," Corvus reminded her. "What you'll use for quicker lightsaber blows or blaster defelection. Don't worry, I don't have a blaster with me!" She laughed. She had something better than that - but it was for another day.

"It probably still feels like lots of individual things but they'll come together in time - and short time too the way you're picking it up."

"Ready?"

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

There was a danger in being too defensive, be aware of the danger. It would be worse to say she would never fall in such a trap outright. She nodded again in understanding, She appreciated these bits of wisdom from Corvus' experience.

Kaia giggled, almost bouncing a little as she did. "It is a lot, but in the end it makes sense."

She got into position. "I'm ready" Kaia practiced earnestly, knowing that her life, and the lives of others, depended on these lessons and Kaia's effort. She snipped up every correction she could.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]