Lightsaber Instruction Manual [Training]

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Douglas Starwind"] had completed the Crystal Caves, and had built himself a lightsaber. But while he had trained with training sabers for some time, the training wheels were now off. This was the real deal. If he wasn't careful, burns and welts would not be his punishment, no, he could very well lose limbs... Or his life, if he did not know how to use his weapon properly. Starwind would meet his Master in a training room at the Temple on Voss, for their regular lessons. Today's lesson would be incorporating his new lightsaber into his fighting style.

"Greetings, Doug" Josh would greet as he would arrive. "Today's lesson will be based around a sparring match between you and I. I want you to turn your lightsaber down to low power, and come at me" He would remark. "You need to learn to make holding that particular lightsaber natural to you. It needs to feel like an extension of your arm... And you need to learn to incorporate it into your fighting style.

Activate your blade and come at me when you're ready."

 

[Douglas Starwind]

It had felt like quite some time had passed since the last time Douglas Starwind had a personal lesson with his Jedi Master, [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]. A lot of his "lessons" recently had been through more practical means and they had definitely given him some results so far. He had honed his use with the Force as well as in combat. Alas, he still needed to work a bit on such things. Now that he had his own personal Lightsaber at his disposal, it seemed that swordsmanship was next on the list for now.

It seemed that Josh himself had known that so Doug was called to a familiar training room for a sparring lesson to hone such skills further. This one would be more dangerous than the ones he had done before given the new weapon he was using. Doug bowed before Josh as he arrived in the training room, then waited for him to explain the simple task at hand for them. Of course, taking on his Master in combat, even simple sparring, would not be easy and he would need to really work on his Form usage.

Doug nodded. "Of course." He said as he grabbed his personal lightsaber from his belt with his right hand, the predominantly golden and black hilt having a firm grip to it, but one that he would still need to get used to. He pressed a silvery button as the bright blue energy blade emerged from the top of the hilt. He then fiddled with another part of the hilt to turn his saber down to a lower power as Josh said to do.

He waved the lightsaber around in his hand a few times, the familiar vwoom sounding noise echoing through the room. Doug then raised the lightsaber up and got into a more battle ready stance. "Alright, here goes..." He said quietly. He then quickly jumped into the air with a Force Leap, gripped the hilt with both hands, and swung the lightsaber down at Josh. As usual, Doug began with a generally simpler maneuver to get a feel for the fight before getting more serious.

The sparring session between Master and Student had begun.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The fact was - practice makes perfect. And while Dough had obtained his lightsaber, things would only get more difficult from here. Less and less, Josh would be going easy on him in these sparring sessions. They would become more intensive, and Doug would leave these sessions with less stamina each time... But with more experience, more practice, and with more of an idea of what he had to improve on, every single time.

Josh waited as he would watch Doug ignite his blade. His blade - blue in color - shone brighter than his own... But that was due to it being lighter in color, of course. Josh would turn the power down on his lightsaber as he would quickly draw it to his hands with the Force and activate it. The brilliant blue blade of light shone as he would smirk lightly, seeming to be eager for a fight...

Josh didn't move at first, only got into stance - the Makashi style of lightsaber combat if Doug studied stances enough - and watched as Doug would leap into the air and bring his saber down. Josh would quickly get his saber up, blocking the blow and letting the two blades lock. Josh let the crackling sounds of the blades collision go on for a moment as he would begin to push forward, challenging Doug to use his strength...

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

As Doug brought the lightsaber down on Josh, Doug had taken note of the stance he struck before he blocked Doug's attack. It reminded him of... Form II he believed it was. A lightsaber style built specifically for duels against other lightsaber users. Doug had gotten himself familiar with a few of the lightsaber forms through some spare studying he had done over the past few years and through some observations, but he had never thought much about how his own combat style reflected any of them. He sort of just went into the moment and tried to do what he thought was best in a combat situation. Perhaps it would be in his best interest to try and gain more experience in specific Forms...

He would need to muse on that later as he and Josh were in a bit of a struggle with their lightsaber clashing at the moment. It made a louder sort of noise unlike any training saber would. Doug began to feel his lightsaber moving back towards him as Josh pushed his own against him. Doug tried to combat it by bringing out more of his strength, pushing his own lightsaber forward. It seemed to leave them at a bit of a stalemate as Doug left the lightsabers clashing a bit longer. He figured it was time to use some more maneuvering so he used a Force Leap to jump back away from Josh, then quickly ran back in, spun around, and swung his lightsaber horizontally towards Josh.

His heart raced a bit in his chest, likely due to the extra danger he was in due to them using their actual lightsabers. Even when set to a lower power, lightsabers are not weapons to be taken lightly.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The "Saber Clash" as it was known, was a fairly normal part of lightsaber duels, so it was inevitable to happen once Josh had gotten his saber up. A small smirk crossed his face as the two would push their individual weapons against the other in an effort to gain the advantage. He couldn't help it, sure he was holding back, for the sake of training... But he hadn't had a good saber fight in some time, and Doug had increased in skill enough to at least give the Jedi Master a decent fight. He couldn't help it, he was a warrior... So a good fight brought something out of him. Jedi weren't meant to have a lust for battle, but Josh found himself enjoying it, even if he didn't say as much.

But Doug would do well to know the forms. If he didn't... Well, he wouldn't know how to counter them either. Makashi was what Josh tended to use in their sparring matches, though he did change it up from time to time. Makashi was his specialty, though he did have experience with the other forms as one would expect from a tried and true Jedi Master of his experience. He watched calmly as Doug would back up with a Force Leap and return with a flurry of attacks. Josh would get his blade up to block it, before countering with a flurry of slashes, horizontal and vertical, to try and press Doug back and put pressure on him. Instead of dealing a last blow though, he would suddenly hold up a hand, attacking with an advanced variant of the Force Push to catch him off guard.

"Learn to expect the unexpected!" Josh would command toward Doug as he would keep his hand held out. A ball of fire would be charged up from his extended palm, and the fireball would be launched at Doug, exploding on contact whether it hit him or the wall.


[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Crackling sounds would continue to arise as the two lightsabers struck at each other. Doug was not really sure if he would be a good fight for the Jedi Master, but he had definitely been improving his skills. As he usually told himself for a sense of reassurance, he would always try to do his best in any situation he was in. He wasn't as much of a warrior type, but he definitely seemed to always try and put on a lot of pressure when he got into these types of duels. He would... Kinda get into these duels. Josh was a worthy opponent in a sense even if he was holding back a bit. At least he didn't have much of an aversion for it if he had no choice but to fight. It would be helpful in cases where he would be in more legitimate danger.

Doug was a bit familiar with the forms. He had gotten himself fairly acquainted with the basics such as Form I and Form II, as well as a bit of Form III when it came to dealing with projectiles, but his knowledge on more advanced forms was still a bit on the lower side. He had been interested in learning more about Form IV and V with their combat applications as well as Form V's unique defensive capabilities, but he needed to look into how the forms worked more as well as try to incorporate their specific styles into his combat.

While Doug and Josh were clashing their blades, suddenly Josh had held out his hand and used a surprise Force Push. Doug, admittedly, was not expecting this and was sent reeling back onto the ground. He kept a good grip on his lightsaber and he managed to roll back into a crouching stance. He was confused by Josh's statement until he... Created a fireball and threw it at him! Doug's eyes widened in a shocked expression as he hopped to the side, rolling onto the ground a bit, before getting back onto his feet, the fireball flying past where he was and hitting the wall. "... Unexpected indeed." He said in a rather surprised tone. Was this a Force ability? He had never heard of or seen anything like it in his years of training. Doug took a few deep breaths, getting his bearings back together.

"... Alright then. That was new. Allow me then..." Doug added on. He began to shift around on his feet and reeled his lightsaber back. He then threw his lightsaber towards Josh, keeping his hand outstretched as the blade began spiraling through the air towards the blonde akin to a boomerang. The classic ability of throwing a lightsaber with the Force. Doug had picked up on this more recently and began to get the hang of it thanks to his growing prowess with using the Force to levitate and control objects. He kept an eye out for how Josh would react to his as he had something in mind.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSp8-nG_RlA&index=279&list=PL2059737EF970B00D

Josh took a deep breath as he would steady himself, knowing that with the way he'd trained him, Doug would be fighting with more intensity than prior sparring sessions. And in turn, he would be too. He had to pressure Doug, he knew. He had to get him to learn how to fight blade to blade under pressure. Once he figured out how to fight blade to blade, then they'd move onto blade to blaster, and so on and so forth. But for now, this was working on how to deal with Sith... As was their speciality.

But Doug would need to learn the forms to survive. Each served their own function, after all. One form, Makashi, was designed for blade to blade. Another was for athletics and moving around without being hit. And so on, and so forth. But Josh would have to save the critique for later, as Doug had managed to dodge the fireball, which hit the wall behind him and exploded in a ball of fire. That of course indicated what could have happened had it hit... It'd be a lesson Doug likely wouldn't forget anytime soon, he knew.

Doug would respond by tossing his lightsaber and using the Saber Throw technique. Quickly, Josh would slip into the White Current, deciding to make use of his overall moveset to teach his Padawans to be able to prepare for any possibilities the enemy could throw at them. Doug would not be able to see him, he would not be able to sense him. Instead, while invisible, Josh would simply duck. It might have left him open, but seeing as Doug couldn't see him, it was unlikely he would take advantage.

Josh would move around the "battlefield" quietly, making sure his footsteps wouldn't attract attention. Coming up behind Doug, Josh would slip out of the Current, needing to be able to focus on the battle and not being able to maintain the Current while he was swinging, before he would slash at Doug from behind. Doug would have merely a few split seconds to sense Josh, to hear the lightsaber coming, and counter. He would not be able to use his sight for this test, only his other senses... And his instincts.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug had become relatively aware of Makashi over the years given the training exercises, but he did admit to himself that he still needed more practical experience dealing with such combat or it may come back to bite him later down the line. Makashi was the second of the Lightsaber forms and one that was made almost solely for dueling. The way it was used was almost elegant in a way and not really like what he had read on other lightsaber forms. He knew that he needed to work on his swordplay and that's what he was here for today and maybe other days in the future.

Doug kept his hand outstretched as his lightsaber spun towards Josh. Before it had even hit him, however, Josh had... Vanished? He was not seeing things. Josh had vanished. As expected, he pulled off something unexpected again. Doug could not see him nor even get a sense of where he was at. Was this another advanced Force ability? He would need to look into it more later... He could already tell this was not something to be taken lightly. Doug used the Force to pull his lightsaber back towards him, catching it in his right hand and then gripping the hilt with both hands, holding the weapon close to him in a more defensive stance. He carefully tiptoed around the training arena, slowly moving in a circle. He saw nothing... Felt nothing... No matter how hard he tried to sense for Josh through the Force.

When it was clear that Doug could not use his sight anymore, he figured his best best was to try and hear for when Josh would take action. Silence... Silence... Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound a lightsaber made as it was swung and he turned around, barely evading Josh's swing, but the lightsaber swing had ended up burning at the fabric of his robes a little and seemed to singe an area of his skin slightly. He managed to avoid a more direct hit, but he still took a minor injury there. He felt a familiar feeling... Everything seemed to slow down a bit around him. He noted that Josh had not seemed to pull off a follow-up swing. Doug powered through the slight burning pain and quickly held his hand out, utilizing a Force Push to try and send Josh away from him.

He panted and briefly felt at the area of his skin that got burned. "Ngh..." He uttered. This was getting a little intense, but he had to keep it up. He was up against his Master, who likely had even more tricks up his sleeve to employ in this training session. He then got back into a battle ready stance and waited to see what Josh might do next.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

As the attack hit, Josh knew then and there the fight was over. Doug had learned his lessons for the lesson, there was no more reason to continue on.

"Enough" He would remark calmly as he would hold out a hand, a Force Push of his own cancelling out the one that Starwind had thrown. Deactivating his lightsaber, the Jedi Master would spin it between his fingers before clipping it back onto his belt. "You did well, for the time. It was something that caught you off guard that would have ended in you getting killed had this not been training" Josh would lecture.

"That's the thing with Sith... They're going to have powers you've never heard of, or seen before" Josh would explain. "You have to expect the unexpected. You have to use all your senses... Sight, sense, hearing, instinct... At all times. You have to keep sharp and be ready for anything that could be thrown at you.

Do not be caught off guard again, for it could cost you your life."

He would motion toward the entrance. "Let's get that burn fixed up with some bacta. The lesson for today has been learned, so I think we can call it quits for today."

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug panted. This was probably the most rigorous training lesson they had done so far. He slowly lowered his stance and turned off his lightsaber. It turns out that they were done for now. It seemed that Doug had gotten what he needed to know out of the lesson, but he certainly was a bit tired out. He listened as Josh would explain the idea behind this sparring session. The use of senses... Expecting what he may otherwise not expect in a fight. Doug had begun to understand during the session, but of course a brief summary never hurt.

Doug clipped his lightsaber to his belt and nodded. "Of course, Master..." He said once Josh was done speaking. He was right after all. The Dark Side and its practitioners could be unpredictable in a fight. He had to keep an eye out... An ear out... Everything out really. He looked down at the burn area. Had he not started to get more prepared for such surprises in this session, that could've been a lot worse... He did have to get adjusted to dangerous situations. As a Jedi, it would be necessary if he didn't want to die.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

As the duo of Master and Padawan made their way toward the medical bay on the Temple on Voss, Josh would look toward [member="Douglas Starwind"], and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did well, really" He would admit, giving his young Padawan a bright smile, returning from the strict demeanor he had kept while teaching and doing the lecture, to the laid-back Jedi Master that Doug had gotten to know over the years. "I'm having to hold back less and less against you... You're well on your way. But you need to be prepared for the trials ahead... And never -get- a big head either" Josh would remark.

Some bacta was requisitioned and the gooey, but quickly-healing substance would be lathered on the burnt area. It wasn't long before the wound was completely gone. Bacta was a godsend when it came to the Jedi, with how often they were in battle. Doug would learn this before long.

"So I think you're ready to begin to consider your first major decision, on your path to becoming a Jedi" Josh would suddenly speak up while Doug was healing. He was being kept there in the medbay while they made sure the wound healed correctly, so they had time to kill. "You should decide your style, as a Jedi. Or in particular, what style you wish to pursue upon becoming a Jedi Knight. This will dictate what sort of abilities you want to focus on, your fighting style, all of that."

Josh would fish out his datapad, and with it causing it to emit a holographic chart, indicating the three "types" of Jedi styles, in it's basic form.

"These are the three basic types, or styles, of Jedi. Each has it's own branching paths, of course" He would lecture as he would first point to the style on the left, giving Doug something to read while his wound healed. "Read them, and think it over carefully. Starting today, your training will be more based on whether you wish to be a Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular or Jedi Sentinel. You can change it later, if you find something fits you better... But it'd be best to find something that fits you now, so you can train for it. Either way... You will be given this rank once you have reached Knighthood.

Think it over carefully."

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JEDI GUARDIAN​

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http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Guardian​

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"We Guardians are the Republic's first line of defense against the thousand enemies who seek to destroy it." - Master Crix Sunburris​

​

The Jedi Guardians' skills and talents lay in battle. Concentrating on martial training and combat, Guardians engaged in combat more than either of the other two classes of Jedi. Knights preferring to take a physically active stance against the dark side of the Force and all other threats to the galaxy were known to pursue this class. ​

Brandishing their lightsabers proudly, Guardians focused much of their training on perfecting their sparring and athletic skills, as well as the art of unarmed combat. The Force skills studied by the Guardians were typically those used for quickly disabling an opponent and aiding in agility and stamina.Descended from the Order's founders on Tython whose role in the galaxy was to defend the weak and uphold the laws of the Jedi Order, the Guardians were often seen as representatives of the Order and the classic Jedi weapon: the lightsaber.

A Jedi Guardian can become a Jedi Peacekeeper or Jedi Weaponmaster as a sub-specialty toward the end of their Knighthood.

​

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JEDI CONSULAR


http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Consular

"A Consular is a specialized kind of Jedi. They focus more on cerebral Force skills. They're our healers, our researchers, our seers." - Zayne Carrick

Consulars sought diplomatic measures in spreading peace and harmony. Refraining from drawing their lightsabers except as a measure of last resort, Consulars spent a great deal of time studying the mysteries of the Force. What Jedi Guardians achieved through combat, Jedi Consulars achieved with words or nonviolent use of the Force. Concentrating on mental refinement through study and meditation, Consulars sought to perfect the art of diplomacy and mediation, hoping to calm a tense situation or mend hurt feelings through civil discourse, reasoning, and parley, rather than drawing their lightsabers and cutting down an attacker.

A Jedi Consular can become a Jedi Healer or Jedi Researcher as a sub-specialty toward the end of their Knighthood. Consulars commonly became Jedi Shadows, though depending on the Order, the Jedi Shadows are generally open as a division for any type of Jedi.

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JEDI SENTINEL​

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Sentinel​

"The Sentinel ferrets out deceit and injustice, bringing it to light." - Master Dorak

Knights that sought a balance between the intensive combat training of the Jedi Guardians and the wider philosophical views and teaching responsibilities of the Jedi Consulars. These Jedi ferreted out deceit and injustice, bringing it to light. They were generally employed in scouting missions and were generally known for being skilled in security, computers, or stealth techniques, as well as diplomatic capabilities.

While they possessed considerable combat skills and had somewhat extensive knowledge of the Force, Sentinels blended both schools of teaching and amplified them with a series of non-Force skills, such as in the fields of security, computers, stealth techniques, demolitions, repair or medicine. These skills tended to take the forefront in their middle-road approach to problems; while a Guardian might bash down a locked door and a Consular might simply knock, a Sentinel would instead use equipment available or ingenuity to pick the lock.

A Jedi Sentinel can become a Jedi Artisan, Jedi Investigator or Jedi Watchman as a sub-specialty toward the end of their Knighthood.

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug walked alongside his Master as they headed for the medical bay in their home Jedi Temple to get his small burn taken care of. While Doug wasn't sure if it was really necessary as it wasn't too serious, he didn't object to having it taken care of more properly. Doug felt a hand on his shoulder as he glanced towards Josh. He listened as Josh commended the progress he has made so far. Doug scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner as Josh spoke, but then also noted that Doug shouldn't get a big head. "Heheh... Of course, Master." Doug said. While he sounded lighthearted on the outside, he did dwell a bit on such thoughts on the inside. He sometimes considered himself his own worst critic.

He still thought back to when he chucked a thermal detonator into the air and didn't even try to keep it suspended with the Force as he was distracted by their opponents at the time... Another dirty group of slavers that they brought to justice... That moment still embarrassed him to think about, but he learned from it through training and more practical experiences. He looked back on it to remind himself of how far he had come, but that didn't mean he still didn't have a lot to learn.

They soon arrived at the medical bay and some bacta was put onto Doug's burn. It was this curious gooey substance that had almost magical healing abilities. Very useful stuff and was actually rather common from what Doug understood as well. While the burn would quickly begin to heal, they were still requested to wait to make sure it was healing properly. Doug sat around and waited, but then noticed that Josh had taken the time to prepare something for him to look at... Something very important.

Josh began to explain to the Padawan of a decision he needed to make. Once Doug became a Jedi Knight, he would need to pick a style that would determine what he would focus more on... The styles of a Guardian, a Consular, or a Sentinel. Doug looked at the datapad that Josh had fished out for the occasion and read over the information on the three styles... A simple summary on what they were each about as well as some extra specialties associated with the three styles.

When Doug was finished reading over the information that Josh showed him, he began to think over the styles and what they did. What they represented. They each had their merits in Doug's mind. The Guardian's combat prowess and dealing with the Dark Side. The Consular's studying, gentleness, and diplomatic abilities. The Sentinel's mixed style as well as their more practical expertise with other sorts of tools. He really had to think this one over if he wanted to stick with a certain style.

In his mind, what was it that he wanted to do as a Knight? What had he been honing himself for so far through his tutelage under Josh, missions, and other tasks he had undertaken thus far? Learning how to use the Force more, lightsaber combat, practical experience with such things... There was even that time that Dusaro showed him a bunch of weapons. He had done a fair bit over the years... But what was it that he wanted to take further? He... He believed that he knew. He had to be firm about it in his mind.

"... Okay. I... I believe I know what I want to do." Doug said as he stopped looking over the datapad, no longer being lost in his thoughts. He closed his eyes and he took a deep breath. Some choices were a bit tricky for him to decide upon, especially ones that don't necessarily have a wrong answer to him.

"I want to go down the path of a Guardian."

The choice was made. While he could change his mind if his perspective possibly changes over time, he felt that he had made the choice he wanted.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Master would nod his head as Doug would make his choice. A Jedi Guardian... A fitting choice for him, really, and he honestly expected it. But it was still right to give Doug the right and the option to consider his choices before he decided. But with that, it was made. He would become a Jedi Guardian upon ascension to Knighthood, and that meant that he would be focused more on combat drills and missions pertaining to that.

"Good choice. I will report your desire to the Council" He would respond curtly. "I will make sure Grandmaster [member="Valae Kitra"] dictates your missions to fit what will best put you on that path. Which is why I asked so early" He would admit, a cheeky grin crossing his lips in turn. "Sorry to spring this on you so soon, but you've progressed astoundingly the last few years. It's about time we considered the future, after all.

But with that said..." He began as the doctor would come to inform him that Doug had spent ample time enough to be discharged from care. "Meditate on your choice, and prepare yourself for the future that is to come. You are dismissed."

With that, he waved a hand to dismiss Doug and let him know he was ready to go, as he would head out... His expression barely containing the pride he felt.

[member="Douglas Starwind"]

 

[Douglas Starwind]

Doug scratched the back of his head at the compliments and then nodded when Josh was done speaking. "Thank you, Master. And I will." He said before the doctor came to give him the clear to leave. Doug thought he had made the right choice. He had a desire to be able to defend himself... To be able to protect others... He would definitely need to think it over more. He didn't wish to think he had made a mistake and meditating usually gave him a sense of clarity on some of his thoughts.

Doug got up and proceeded to leave himself once he was dismissed, a small smile forming on his face. That silly grin that Josh had on his face was kinda heartwarming to see. He was able to admit to himself he could feel the fruits of his labor, but he still had a long way to go... Knighthood was only the first step ahead of him... Or the second step given that being a Padawan was probably the first... He reminded himself that he needed to go meditate over his decision. He could ramble to himself mentally then perhaps.

This was going to be the start of something more for him regardless. He would try to give it his all.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]