Legacies

[Pinda Solthar]

She felt the presence of another, and she knew exactly who it was. Call it Masters intuition. She didn't open her eyes just yet...minutes went by and she could feel the negative emotion emanating from her student; she just couldn't pinpoint exactly which emotion he was feeding the most. When she heard him say "Master" thats when her eyes slowly opened. From the way he said it...from the expression he held....it hurt her own heart to see him discouraged. But such things they will encounter often given the relationship they have now.

"It's alright Des. Believe it or not you have made progress; trying is making progress..." she said with a smirk. She wanted to console him before spouting out lessons. She slowly stood up and took a couple of steps towards his right side. Her left hand came up and gently landed on his shoulder. She didn't look at him. "Listen...there are two Nexu fighting, one represents darkness, despair, doubt...and the other is Light, hope, empathy...which one wins padawan?" she asked, she wasn't expecting an answer but she did leave things in the air for his mind to work as it always does.

The champion? Is the one you feed..." she said with softness in her voice. "Your going to be just fine...I promise. I've seen it. We're going to get this right. Now stand, and follow me...I want to try a different approach with you." and with that she patted him on the shoulder a couple of times and walked towards the entrance of the room.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

To Des, it sounded like his Master was coddling him again. Being excused for his failures was something Des was not used to. It was not all that long ago he'd been reminded again and again failure meant capture, and before that failure meant death. But he was not on Haruun Kal anymore. Perhaps for the first time since he'd been brought here, he was glad of that. Despite himself, the Padawan broke a hesitant, cautious smile.

As his Master had expected, he didn't immediately answer her question, and she supplied her own answer. "But how do you feed the one you want?" he asked. "Isn't it just something that... happens? All these Jedi talk about controlling your emotion, but is that even possible?"

When she promised a different approach, however, Des found again that he was almost eager to follow. He practically bounced up to his feet. Perhaps something different was just what he needed.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

She smiled at her pupil, "First you have to make a choice...which Nexu do you want to win? thats the one you root for. Thats the one you support." she said with a smirk, "Controlling your emotions is possible....believe me I know.." she said the last part slightly under her breath, and as she said it it was as if her movements sped up and she was maybe a foot or two in front of Des. She had been a adherent of control for years...only to tame something others might despise, or at least thats what she would assume. What she loved, was against the Jedi way... One of her greatest strengths, a flaw she imposed on herself.

"Des, I know the lessons so far have been slow, but believe me what i'm teaching you will always come in handy. What i'm trying to do is hone that powerful weapon in your head. Believe it or not conditioning the mind is just as important as perfecting blade work, and learning a bunch of flashy Force Abilities. For instance...Meditation of Emptiness...that technique will help you get through even some of the worst mental horrors you will encounter." she was certain her padawan would encounter sith magics and mental illusions one day...they were inevitable. With a conditioned mind, and the right training they can become obsolete to the intended victim.

Walking down one of the elaborate halls that led from the Archives, the heels of her boots tapped the ground in a subtle echo. Her robes, layered, swung in the makeshift wind behind her. And when she came to the end of the hall. There were two paths, one that went left, and one that went right; she went right, without even a thought.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Des understood what his Master was telling him, but he found it difficult to make a decision just like that. Of course he knew he should want the Light to win the struggle for his soul, and he probably did want that... But he was unable to say so with certainly. Nothing was black and white, he knew, so perhaps fully conquering this dark 'Nexu' that his Master spoke of was not something he was prepared to do. What in the Force was a Nexu anyway, some kind of spirit? It was not important, it was the symbolism that counted.

When Shmi told him the lessons would be slow, Des nodded in understanding as he quickened his pace to keep up. He was well exercised and ran laps around the Temple courtyard each day, he had no trouble keeping up with a quickened pace. "I never expected it to be easy. I never expected it to be this hard, either," he admitted. To a lot of the Jedi, the basic Force powers came natural, Des had been told. Some had even gone so far as to tell him effort was wasted on him for being the odd one out. In the face of such hostility, Des did not accept that reasoning. It only made him more resolved to prove them wrong. "I don't want flash or style," Des agreed with his Master. "But it seems that powers of the mind are not my strong suit." He sounded almost apologetic, but it made sense to him that this was a first step to work on. If that was what Master Labooda said, he would do his best to follow it. She did know better than him what needed to be done, he did not doubt that at least.

As he followed the senior Jedi down the right path, Des frowned. "These mental horrors... Do you mean illusions? Or can it help you with real horrors too? Like... people, doing terrible things." He remembered his stay with the terrible Cylus Jest, and the ramifications of his return from that. The man still had a hold on him, and Des was hopeful that his Master would help him to break it somehow.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

She nodded, it wasn't that she was training him harness powers of his mind. But she wanted him to condition it, to the point where it was just as sharp as his blade. Physical attacks are nothing like mental ones, and it was best she prepared him for such things, at least the only way she knew how. "Des, What I want for you is mental conditioning...sure its hard at first, but you'll get it. That I know. That isn't just hopeful talk either." she said stopping at a door.

"Yes, listen...there are things out there you've yet to face that you will one day. Some things were meant to break your will and drive you insane; its the work of evil. That technique can help you find light in those situations when nothing else works." she said taking one more foot forward and the motions activating the door and opening for them both. They had made their way to the Combat Training Arena.

"People doing terrible things you say? If there's some psychological scarring left over from a situation then yes, that technique can help. It's all about anchoring yourself emotionally, to purge the body of all negative emotions." she said, looking at her padawan. She continued onward, just ahead was an opening that led to the main sparring arena.

"Padawan, have you ever heard of the Matukai?"

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Des kept following, frowning in thought. "I think I understand," he said. In a way, Des felt like he'd been doing something much like it mentally ever since he'd been banished from his Ghôsh to Pelek Baw. "It's like mentally steeling yourself against things, right? Like you make yourself jaded," he thought out loud. "So you're saying you can use the Force to-" he cut himself off as he skidded to a stop. Sunken into his thoughts, he'd almost walked right into his Master when she stopped.

When she continued, Des followed again. She confirmed his suspicions of doing the same thing mentally, but often it was far from enough. "Use the Force to do that whole strong mind thing," he finished his earlier sentence, more to himself than to her. That was certainly something that seemed useful to him, if not something he desperately needed.

This time, he had enough presence of mind to come to a halt beside Master Labooda. He looked into the sparring area, and then up at his Master. He'd been made to duel here before, of course. He was usually victorious against other Padawans of his experience because of the brutish power he put into each of his strikes. But this she spoke of was a new concept to him. "Matukai?" he echoed her words. "I'm not familiar with it, no."

 

[Pinda Solthar]

She smirked, it was good to see him take to such a thing. He had the correct ideas. "Your correct Padawan. Mental conditioning is something I feel all Jedi need, among other things." she said following the path forward. She entered the extremely large space that was the main sparring area. Most Jedi asked for a room, but this was short notice as she had come up with this idea shortly before Des arrived. She turned around and was now facing the young man.

"The Matukai is actually an organization of Force Adepts. They used the physical body to channel the Force more or less. However, as much as it was a group, it was a philosophy. It's centered around creating a balance and harmony between the spiritual Force and physical Body, using physical training, rituals, and meditation as a way to develop ones Force sensitivity. Their teachings have been well known to develop Force sensitivity in those who aren't inherently gifted in it." she said softly. Her hands sprouted from the sleeves of her robes, and they came together; to interlock.

"Since the more physical aspects are easier for you, will try this method of training to further hone your connection to the Force. In the end you should display a much stronger connection to the Force, and a flexibility of spirit which will help you maintain a stress-free and calm state. Alright, draw your lightsaber." she said sternly.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

From Master Labooda's explanation, these Matukai certainly seemed to have their act together. The very premise of the way they handled things, meditating through physical exercise, intrigued Des to no end. "Maybe this is the piece of the puzzle I've been missing," he mused aloud, sounding far more hopeful and excited than he'd intended. Slightly embarrassed, he checked himself with a cough. Perhaps, once he crossed that bridge to the Force, the next passage would come easier to him, and he might actually be able to do the whole Jedi thing. These Matukai seemed like fascinating people. "Perhaps I can find out more about them later, in the library," he considered, resolving to do some more research into them.

He hesitated a moment when his Master told him to produce his lightsaber, eyes now downcast. "I... I don't have one," he said finally.

OOC

Spoiler

The thread where Des gets himself a lightsaber from some underworld figures is still ongoing, and I see that as chronologically set after this training. Speaking of which, Des may get himself in a bit of trouble for all this. PM incoming.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

She tilted her head, eyes closed. It was as if she were expecting such an answer. You never know with the Padawan nowadays. Some had lightsabers of their own, others carried training sabers, and then there were those who simply had neither. She reached into her robe, she scuffled around and bit and approached her apprentice. She smiled at him, and when she held out her hand she gifted him with a lightsaber hilt, of a simple utilitarian design, aged in its appearance.

"Here. I'm gifting you with this lightsaber, for use in your training. It was my old one. Take it." she knew crafting a lightsaber during these times was rather difficult, it took time and eventually they would get to that point, but what was to occupy his meantime? "Des, having such an item on your person requires great responsibility...now that you have one i'm going to teach you your first form of lightsaber combat...it won't take more than a few minutes." she said smirking.

"How many lightsaber Forms are there?"

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Des stared for a moment at the metal cylinder he now held cupped in his hand. He didn't see the marks of age or the simplicity in its design, he saw gleaming silver. So many times, he'd been told a lightsaber was a big responsibility. A Jedi's lightsaber is more than a weapon. It a symbol of light that shines in the darkness, they'd say, and This weapon is your life. The implication, more often than not, had been that Des was not ready for a lightsaber. But now, this woman who purported to be his Master, who he'd only met the previous day, trusted him with her own. It was a level of trust he had never encountered before, and he was determined not to let her down. "I... Thank you, Master," he said, flabbergasted. Experimentally, Des weighed the weapon in his hand, tossing it around from his right hand to his left and back. It felt good, cupped in his hand, as if it was made to be held like this, an extension of a Jedi's arm.

When his Master asked her question, Des was ready with an answer. He'd studied this, and he didn't want to lose his new lightsaber over a bad answer. "Six," he said assuredly. "The basic velocities of Shii Cho, Makashi the duelist's form, defensive Soresu, the acrobat's Ataru, the dual form of Djem So and Shien, and Niiman which is a form for Jedi who don't practice combat a lot," he said off memory. "There was something about a seventh form used by Sith." he looked at his Master expectantly, hoping he'd answered well.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

She closed her eyes, and formed a clearly visible smile. It truly warmed her heart. However, he was her student and it was her job to see to it that he was fully prepared for knighthood. Him succeeding and doing great thing would be just enough. "You aren't wrong, but you aren't correct either. There are truly eight forms of lightsaber combat. Though thee very first isn't extremely well known. You were missing Form Zero." she said softly, dragging out the name of the form so that it was heard.

She reached into her robes and drew her lightsaber hilt. She held it tightly in her hand moving it swiftly through the air, manipulating her wrist to going in smooth angles. Then she held it out, loosely, in the palm of her hand for them both to examine. "Before you learn anything of combat you must learn restraint, and reason. Nothing is more foolish than a Jedi who cannot analyze and reason. Form Zero isn't a form rooted in stances and honed through velocities, its an ethical principal."

She looked to her apprentice, then looked to the weapon in his hand. Once she looked back to him, her gaze was stern and serious.

"The best blades are kept in their sheaths. The whole idea of this form was to instill in Jedi that they should know when to use their lightsaber and when to find alternative means. You can end most conflicts with your lightsaber inactive just as fast as you could with it ignited. More often the sight of an inactive lightsaber is enough to provoke cooperation." she said softly.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Des followed her movement, but it struck them that they were little more than pomp, intended only to underly what his Master was telling him. "So you use your lightsaber to threaten people?" he asked with a frown. It didn't seem like a very Jedi thing to do, put that way. It had to be something else. "Or is it more like you use the lightsaber to identify yourself as a Jedi? Why not just tell people who you are and what you can do? The robes kind of speak for themselves, don't they?" It all seemed a bit strange to Des. He understood the concept of diffusing a situation and preventing conflict, but to display the hilt of a lightsaber to accomplish that, perhaps even going so far was sometimes unnecessary. Still, who was going through the trouble of attacking someone with a lightsaber on his belt? Not street thugs, certainly. He'd known some of the elders of his former Ghôsh stare people down, perhaps it was like that, except you had a lightsaber to back up your claims.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

Her left arm folded across her chest, and her right rested on top of it. Her right hand cradled the tip of her chin while she listened to her apprentice. She stopped the motion of her fingers, and lowered her head slightly, with her eyes closing. There was a brief moment of silence before she began to give her own answer. "Your second guess was the correct one. It won't even take words...most people will spot you and your weapon if visible before anything else. Most people know your stance...and they won't try you, but there are those that don't seem to respect the role of the Jedi for whatever it may be. Thats when your patience will be tested; your will. Simply displaying your weapon...or gripping it without ignition can diffuse a potentially hostile situation before it can begin. That opening allows for reason, a weapon so that can end conflict before there are casualties." she said smiling.

"So there you have it Des, you've just learned Form Zero, the way of restraint and reason. With that as a base, your set for all of the other forms. Now, to tie in the Matukai. During the next process you are going to be required to push the limits of your stamina while using the Force to gain strength...it's almost like gaining a second wind; it's an instinct. So, let us spar." she said nodding, and turning around to take a few steps in the other direction. She wanted there to be enough space for them both.

"Don't hold back...i'm also examining your combat prowess." she said before gripping the lightsaber in a two hand grip and holding it out in front of her. The flick of her thumb ignited the emerald green blade, and it sprung to life.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

It made more sense now, the way she clarified the idea of Form Zero. Whether through unspoken threat or not, the end goal was to buy time so that talk could avert any further conflict. Des knew he was not a talker, but he also knew that if the chance was there, he should go for it. Inwardly, he nodded in some form of understanding.

Shmi promised him he would be pushed to his limits, and it seemed to Des that she was implying that she would push him there. With her being a Jedi Master, Des had no doubt that it was true, but to the impetuous Padawan it sounded like a challenge if he'd ever heard one. Des was confident in his own combat prowess. He'd won more sparring duels with other Padawans of his level of experience -which is to say, none- than he'd lost, and it had built a self assuredness. "Very well, Master," Des said with a grin, and raised his borrowed lightsaber.

He held the weapon in a vertical grip as the blade ignited with a hiss, casting half of Des' face in a green glow. Without wasting another moment, the impetuous Padawan launched himself forward and arced the lightsaber down into a diagonal arc aimed at his Master's shoulder. He followed through with several more attacks, each time doubling back from his previous attack in the opposite direction, striking right, then left, then right again. His attacks were fast, and powerful with a large amount of physical strength behind them, showing perhaps some promise for Djem So, but Des' form was sloppy and unrefined, his footwork non existent and his defenses severely lacking. He attacked with an almost dangerous abandon, ignoring caution in favor of aggression.

Spoiler

Figured Shmi's old lightsaber is probably also green, since I couldn't find anything about that in your bio. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

Spoiler

I figured I'd let you decide the color. Whichever you preferred.

She squinted her eyes when she noticed his first couple of steps. She tightened her right hand around the hilt knowing it would come to her utilizing a one handed grip eventually, earlier than she would've thought. With speed and finesse she brought her lightsaber up into a horizontal position holding it steadily to shield herself from the blow. The power of his attack forced her blade down slightly but she was more than capable of holding it there. Her knees were bent, and from that she pushed upward and broke the lock there blades formed for a split couple of seconds.

His assault didn't stop, from that she determined him to be the more aggressive fighter. She kept up a simple defense, whenever his blade came from the right she swiftly brought her lightsaber to cover right blocking with a perfect vertical angle of her blade, and the same could be said for when his saber came from the left. Thought his last attack she had no intention of blocking. She cut off her lightsaber and simply dodge the attack allowing his blade to pass directly over where her blade would've been, and would have definitely caused him to stumble given the fact that he had so much power and momentum behind his attacks.

In three steps she maneuvered her figure around his. Surely with him stumbling for a second he had created an even bigger opening in his defense, so she would take advantage of that. With a subtle shove from her hand she quickly manipulated the force and sent sent a small push towards the back of his knee trying to bring him down to a kneel.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Des suppressed a curse when Shmi simply stepped by and allowed his blade to pass by harmlessly. So far, the Jedi Master had shown a pattern that heavily favored contact defense, which made Des guess at her form being Soresu, and fully expect on finding contact again. Indeed, his entire strategy devised of eventually battering her defenses aside. Overshooting, Des found himself unbalanced and stumbling, and Shmi only made it worse when she stepped around and applied more pressure.

She succeeded in her purpose of bringing the Padawan down to one knee, but only temporarily. With his downward momentum, Des switched off his lightsaber and rolled through, away from his opponent and his disadvantageous position. He was aggressive, but he recognized when he was in a bad spot and had to get away with it. After his roll, he came back up on one knee, igniting his lightsaber again and scrambling to his feet even as he turned around to face the Jedi Master again.

He hesitated for a moment, unsure if the fight was supposed to continue, the figured his Master would inform him if it was. He launched another attack, rushing forward and striking in another diagonal sweep, the downward arc helping him to put more force behind the strike. However, he had learned something from his earlier mistake, and traded in some power for caution, not in defense but in holding back in case she would let him pass again.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

She squinted her eyes from her position. She watched her padawan hurry to his feet. Then she took a few steps back. She wondered if he was going to take some time to analyze; not that that mattered much but some people found themselves doing better when they had such preparation, although maybe that wasn't for Des. In fact she thought he was doing good with keeping the offense, his aggressive approach wasn't too bad.

She stood there watching him look upon her, and she slowly brought her lightsaber up in a vertical motion. It approached from the floor and moved upwards. It stopped when its tip was pointing at her student. Suddenly the emerald blade spat out of the metallic hilt, and the color shown in the irises of her dark brown eyes. She tightened her hand around the hilt when she saw him lash out once more. Instead of completely dodging the attack, she brought her blade up in a horizontal position as if she was going to block his attack and have their weapons meet. As she did this she slowly moved her left side of her body to the right in a sidestep with her left foot. Now she looked directly into the eyes of her apprentice, and as their blades came close she quickly switched her saber off, allowing his blade to by pass hers once again.

However she did notice he had some restraint, she quickly switched her blade hand around so that she could strike him in the chest with the blunt end of her blade. It seemed like he was being more cautious this time, so could he see this attack coming? She wondered. Finding a way around it wouldn't be difficult for Des.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Seeing his Master's blade ignited and ready to meet Des' strike, it made the Padawan more confident again, convinced the lightsabers would make contact. Instead, she used a trick to pass him along again, and Des cursed as he almost stumbled. Fortunately, thanks to his earlier restraint, he had not build up the momentum that he had before, and managed to regain his equilibrium. Doing so cost him a precious few seconds, however, and he was almost too late to meet his Master's follow up.

It was far too late to bring his blade around now, so instead he switched to a one handed grip and raced to meet his Master's attack with his empty off-hand, his left. If he had been quicker, he might have grabbed her wrist, or the hilt of her lightsaber sooner in its path, in order to bring it to a half. As it stood now, he was reduced to covering his hand in front of his chest instead, to lessen the impact. Des still coughed with the impact, but his expression quickly turned to a satisfied grin as the fingers of his left hand now clutched on to his Master's lightsaber.

Des had many flaws, but lack of physical strength was certainly not one of them. He held on to his Master's lightsaber and simply refused to let go, straining each and every muscle in his left arm to keep hold of the weapon. Its blade had been pointed away from him so that she could strike him with the blunt end. With the lightsaber locked in this way, theoretically Des had the upper hand. Had his Master underestimated the Padawan? Perhaps. Only one way to find out, Des thought, as he raised his right hand high, holding his Master's old weapon aloft, its emerald blade blazing away at the ceiling. There was a brief pauze, Des' eyes locking with those of his Master, as he brought the weapon down at her shoulder in a vicious downward arc, even as he still clutched on to her lightsaber in a vice grip.

If she didn't stop him, he would stop the weapon short of hitting her, letting it come to a stop at her shoulder before the blade tasted flesh.

 

[Pinda Solthar]

Her eyes squinted slowly as she pressed harder against her apprentice' palm. She noticed that his hand slowly became tighter around the edge of her weapon. Her left eyebrow raised as she noticed his blade hand raising. She smirked and she let go...her grip loosened and she brought up both her hands and allowed the force to channel through her hands and outward. The wave of energy would flow outward and with that she raised left and focused the energies of the force.

With that she attempted to snatch her previous weapon from the grasp of her apprentice.

What she was attempting to do was throw as many unorthodox tactics his way. She wanted him to get frustrated with her use of telekinetic and perhaps maybe he would come to find that he was capable of doing the same; though without trying. Then again she probably need to exert more pressure, though she wanted to refrain from using such aggressive tactics.

[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

Des was suddenly thrown back, reeling with the Impact of the Force and stumbling, almost falling backward and over. He swung a leg back to catch himself, swaying a moment before he regained his footing. He stood panting a moment, staring at his Master. With every movement, she found new ways to baffle him, it seemed. He was tired and worn out from all his exertions, maneuvers and movements, while she seemed fresh and undaunted, most likely because she drew her stamina from the Force. Des, for all his physically overbearing strength, was beginning to realize that his lack of familiarity with the Force was a far larger handicap than he'd first thought it would be.

Still, Des liked to think that he'd gotten close to becoming a threat to Master Labooda at least once or twice. As far as unorthodox methods went, the young impetuous Padawan was no stranger. "I Thought I had you that time, for sure," he said between short breaths, and grinned slightly to himself. Of course it wasn't easy, he'd never expected it to be. In fact, Des had trouble sitting idle, and was the sort of person who flourished with adversity. Lifting the emerald blade of his lightsaber again, Des stepped forward, advancing more slowly this time before he launched another deliberate attack.