Private Local Legends

[Starlin Rand]

“Oh, yeah.” Starlin fished around on his belt, handing Eli… a gun. A very big slugthrower, to be exact.

“It’s loaded with incendiary rounds, which means there’s a chance they’ll catch fire on impact. Careful with the recoil.” Peering around the corner, he ducked back into safety just before another blaster bolt hit the space where he had been leaning. His blade deflected it like a baseball bat, and there was a grunting cry of pain from one of their attackers. “I sense maybe… five of ‘em? How good is your telekinesis so far? You might wanna try smashing a crate on ‘em with the Force, or something.”

A beat passed, then he added, "Oh, and maybe use that protection spell I taught you last time. These guys are definitely working with the Sith, and you never know..."

Lief​

 

[Lief]

He took the gun with eyes the size of saucers, and held it carefully in a practiced grip. Incendiary rounds? Oof, that'd pack a punch. Far different to the blaster he often wielded, but how much different could it really be deep down?​

​

Then Starlin asked after his telekinetic abilities.​

​

"Uh, unless you want me to speak into their minds I wouldn't rely on my Forceliness, I got nothin'."​

​

Nothing... Until Starlin reminded him of the spell. Heck yeah. He'd practiced that more than a few times since their fun in the diner. He grinned, despite the situation, excited to get a chance to actually really use it. Sense would come flying back into him soon enough of course, not least when another blaster bolt was loosed.​

​

That grin was sobered up real fast.​

​

Oh yeah, life or death situation. This wasn't a game, or a training exercise.​

​

All at once all he could think about were those gorram lizards back on Ossus. The way in which they'd been left as little more than a pile of pulp in the hands of the Gamorrean. Eliphas turned green, his stomach churned.​

​

Nope. None of that.​

​

He inhaled, actually finding a good and tangible use for all those meditation session's he'd sat through, and then muttered the words beneath his breath.​

​

"I walk in shadow and darkness" he breathed, with conviction despite how quietly he spoke, "Ashla, protect me from wickedness!"​

​

Yeah, he'd clearly been practicing because boy did he glow. First try, too.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Yeah, baby!” He tried to keep his cheering at minimal volume, so as not to attract attention. Not that it would’ve made much difference to the Mawites. “Uh, Jedi mind trick? Have you learned that yet?”

Another blaster bolt too close for comfort. Starlin reached for his belt and pulled out another lightsaber. This one was a shoto; the orange blade was shorter in length. Waiting for the right opportunity, he suddenly chucked the activated shoto over the crates.

The weapon spun through the air, obviously guided by Starlin’s use of the Force. Flecks of molten lava were flung from the blade, splattering against his foes as it drew near before slicing through one of them like a knife through butter. Then it spun back into Starlin’s outstretched hand like a boomerang. The entire operation lasted only a few seconds, yet the effect it had was devastating. Still, there were four more Mawites left, and they unleashed a hail of blaster fire upon Starlin and Eli’s position.

“How about you shoot, and I cover for you?” Starlin shouted over the roar of gunfire.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Victory was brief, short lived, but a victory nonetheless. Eliphas grinned, then ducked further into cover as another bolt struck the wall behind them. Feth... These buggers were persistent weren't they?​

​

"Uh, nope. Just telepathy... Boring, basic, telepathy..."​

​

That did come with an idea of his own though, one not suggested by his newfound Master. Sure he could hop out and start blasting, let Starlin cover him, and in all likelihood he would, but for now... For now he lifted his head just a small fraction above the crate to get a solid look at one of the guys, enough that he could envision them within his minds eye.​

​

And then he hunkered back down. Closed his eyes, breathed a quiet prayer for what he was about to do to work, and then pushed his mind forth toward the cloaked beings.​

​

What came next was just a series of absolute nonsense pushed into their thoughts. Stupid things, songs he'd heard, insults he'd just witnessed Starlin himself use in the speeder, made up words, whole phrases of complete and utter chit. Whatever he could think of he spewed forth until one of the men were so frustrated, so distracted, that his next shot was made at random.​

​

And most definitely not in the direction of the two crouched Jedi.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin’s brow furrowed as he sensed the ranks of the Mawites being thrown into disarray. He could tell Eli was doing something, but…

“Clouding men’s minds?!” he yelped. “Oh shit! They’re fethed!”

One of them shot his comrade in the scuffle. Complete chaos broke out as infighting began, their Jedi opponents forgotten in favor of killing each other. Starlin rubbernecked the trainwreck for a little while, ducking down only when a stray blaster bolt came a little too close for comfort. But for the most part, Eli’s little trick, uh, did the trick.

As the dust settled, Starlin emerged from behind cover to take care of those who remained. There were only a couple guys still moving, both injured and groaning.

Perhaps to Eli’s surprise, Starlin didn’t finish them off. Instead he deprived them of their weapons, tied them up, and checked their wounds. “Hospital and a one-way ticket to Azrael for you two bozos,” he said, name-dropping the infamous asylum for the criminally insane.

Now to see about Val. Raising a finger to his lips, he gestured for Eli to follow him up the loading ramp, slowly and stealthily…

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Welp.​

​

That worked surprisingly too well. He hadn't expected it to, of course, he thought he'd maybe just distract them long enough for Starlin to come up with a plan. Who would have thought that one man shooting another could end the whole thing for them?​

​

When he moved with Starlin out from behind the crates and saw the devastation left in his wake though Eliphas could only stare at their broken bodies. He'd... Caused this? Even when trying not to cause them physical harm, he'd still managed... this?​

​

Feth. That hadn't been the plan. Not at all. Not even a little bit. Even so the two still moving were relieved of their weapons, and tied up, and Starlin pointed toward them being tended to and locked away.​

​

The other three though...​

​

He didn't have time to lament it as he had on Ossus, something to deal with later then. No he pushed down the despair and followed Starlin quietly aboard the vessel, after all who knew what else may remain in close proximity, and who knew if this Val guy was okay?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Upon boarding the Stardust, the first thing they encountered was three corpses. The bodies were riddled with the scorch marks Eli would soon come to recognize as resulting from a lightsaber blade. They wore civilian clothing, but there was a roughness to them that made them stand out. Grotesque body modifications, gruesome tattoos, cybernetic parts haphazardly married to necrotizing flesh. These men lived for the ecstasy of pain.

Val Drutin was sitting among the dead, sprawled across his pilot’s chair. He was a very small man with pale skin and dark hair, and he was dressed in a theatrical costume meant for a male dancer, so his athletic physique was on display. His legs, which were draped over the arm of the seat, were especially muscular, almost reminiscent of a horse’s haunches.

“This is all your fault, you know,” Val said, turning to face Starlin. His dark slanting eyes glared accusingly at the Jedi Knight. “They wouldn’t have attacked me if you hadn’t come. They could tell you were a Jedi, you know. Their leader sensed it.” He pointed to one of the corpses. “Everything would’ve been fine if you hadn’t shown up when you did. Why couldn’t you have been a few minutes later? Or a few minutes earlier?”

“Did Tamara tell you what I was here for?” Starlin asked, cutting to the chase.

Tamara was standing off to one side, her dainty hands clasped in front of her. Val glanced at her. “No, she didn’t have a chance to tell me. When they felt you coming, they tried to turn her into scrap, and me into a shishkebab!”

“I’m not even going to ask why the feth you were dealing with Mawites, Val,” Starlin said, maintaining his cool. “But I came here to introduce my new Padawan, Eli Dune. He needs a lightsaber, and you, my friend, are the best collector of lightsabers and lightsaber parts in the Core.”

“You got that right,” Val muttered, leaping to his feet. Passing Starlin, he approached Eli. “When did you get a Padawan?” he asked incredulously, to which Starlin merely shrugged. Either way, the mad dancer swept into a magnificent bow. “A pleasure to meet you, Padawan Dune.”

While Val was still bowing, Starlin locked eyes with Eli and made a few quick gestures, pointing to his head and indicating something being off-balance. The point he was trying to get across was that Val was mentally unstable—as if Eli needed to be told that, given what he had seen so far. But a warning was always nice, wasn’t it?

Lief​

 

[Lief]

More corpses awaited them inside. It was somehow worse in here, being so enclosed with them. Made him want to retch. He didn't of course, he just refrained from inhaling through his nose for a while. Mouth breather had never been a phrase that one could level at Eliphas Dune but in that moment he became precisely that.​

​

The next thing he noticed was the man himself. There was something ethereal about him, enchanting, like a pixie or a fae only... Well... More muscular. Before he could catch himself, Eliphas was admiring him. Genuinely, wholly, admiring him. He couldn't help himself. A slight blush even crept over his cheeks when the man leapt up from his seat and approached him with a certain level of intensity, bypassing Starlin entirely.​

​

Though when he spoke, it was only to the Knight; initially at least.​

​

The flourished bow was met with a slightly less marvelous but no less practiced and noble one of his own, a low sweep which sought to reflect the man's elegance. Eliphas couldn't help it, he was caught up in the moment. Heck, he didn't even really pay attention to his Master. Nope. Insane? Eli would argue positively charming.​

​

In his own way.​

​

"The pleasure is all mine," he retorted with sincerity which surprised even himself. Then at least he seemed to snap back to his senses. He looked past the dancer to Starlin, then dropped his blushed gaze to the ground in embarrassment.​

​

What the feth had come over him?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Eli was acting really weird all of a sudden. It was noticeable enough that even Starlin picked up on it. At first he thought the bashful gawking had something to do with Tamara. She was pretty cute, after all, but she was also a droid, so it was like being attracted to a doll. Either Eli was unaware of her not being alive, or Starlin had just signed a degenerate on as his Padawan. Then the thought finally crossed his mind, as Eli’s gaze trailed after Val, that the look on his face had feth all to do with Tamara. He pretended to scratch his nose and stifle a sneeze to hide his hysterical laughter.

Granted, if Eli did try to make any advances toward Val, he was probably going to get skewered, and not in a fun way. As previously mentioned, Val was a few starships short of a fleet, and he had a peculiar tendency to go postal upon being flirted with, among other triggers. Somehow, he’d wound up with a beau in the form of a gorgeous Samovaran princess, but as far as Starlin could tell their relationship was rather, uh, platonic. Eli could not have picked a worse person to experience a sexual awakening… with? Towards? Upon? Whatever, feth this romance shit.

Anyway, back to the lightsaber collection. Val led the way through the Stardust (which looked a lot cleaner and neater than it had been the last time Starlin visited) to a hidden cargo hold. Upon sliding open, the compartment revealed itself to be filled with various lightsabers on display. Some of them were very old, damaged, or in pieces; some were clearly made by Jedi, while others sported signs of having belonged to Sith or even other less common Force Orders. It was a veritable treasure trove of history… and it was also considered to be scrap by the majority of the rest of the galaxy. But that was to the boon of young Padawans like Eliphas Dune.

“How much does he know?” Val asked Starlin.

“First day of training,” Starlin replied, resting his hands on his hips. “Eli, you can get all your parts here, but the focusing crystal is gonna be more complicated. Normally you would go on an expedition to Ilum, Dantooine, or one of those places to find a crystal—or if you already have one that can function as a focusing crystal, you may be able to skip all the bullshit and fanfare. Ilum is colder than a well-digger’s ass, I personally would avoid it if I were you. Right, anyway, uh… yeah. Val will show you the parts you’ll need, I’m gonna go clean up the mess we made.”

On his way out, he laid a hand on the kid’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then with a grin, he went to take care of the bodies and the two prisoners they’d left outside.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Oblivious to the realizations going on around him, and trying to shake off the weird feelings he was experiencing, Eliphas sort of just shuffled after the two of them and watched as Val unveiled a treasure trove of not-quite junk. Parts and pieces of lightsabers from Force knew where. The boy did not want to think about how he'd gotten his hands on so many.​

​

It was bad enough that they were surrounded by bodies. He didn't need to think about any others which lay in this strange man's wake.​

​

Once again he found himself talked around and not to. Some people might have found such frustrating, unnerving, or whatever, but for the son of a nobleman it was part and parcel of his existence. Decisions were often made for him, within his earshot, without him ever getting a say.​

​

Well this time he supposed he'd be getting something of a say. That was more than he'd come to expect.​

​

Then he was addressed, and talk was made of crystals and how to acquire them. All at once, he seemed to remember the one within his pocket, the one they'd taken from Alderaan, but before he could really bring it to light Starlin was already heading out of the ship, after making some weird statement he didn't really understand the meaning behind. Don't do what he wouldn't do? The feth did that mean?​

​

Even so, he found himself alone with Val. Tried to avoid the man's gaze insofar as he could; stepped toward the compartment instead and glanced over all the parts. Most of them he was unfamiliar with, but the shell of the hilts themselves were something he could marvel over.​

​

If nothing else, the thought of their previous owners was enough to stem the blushing.​

​

"I uh, I have this, if it helps," he mumbled to the man, producing the healing crystal he'd taken from the crazy Witch. "Or would this not work? I don't know how any of this works, really..."​

​

Well at least he wasn't being too awkward, right..?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Eli wasn’t quite alone with Val. Wherever her master went, Tamara wasn’t far behind, a fluttering specter of white tulle. She seemed familiar with this sort of song and dance, because she went and got a work table for Eli to use.

With a gesture of his hand, Val drew the various parts necessary to make a lightsaber into view. The pieces hovered in midair, suspended by the power of the Force; Val seemed to exert minimal effort in doing so.

“This is the bare minimum: a power cell, blade emitter, emitter matrix, focusing lens, hilt and pommel cap.” He set the parts on the table. “Oh, and an activation stud, or else you won’t be able to turn it on.” The tiny stud which would serve as a button on the hilt landed with the other parts. “You can customize it to some degree. There’s a special type of emitter made for fencers, for instance, and you can add a crossguard and other design choices…”

He showered a few of these bits and bobs onto the table for Eli to sift through. “Not to mention the materials used can vary quite a bit. Some make theirs out of Mandalorian iron, so the hilt can’t be damaged by their opponent’s blade in a duel. Or songsteel…” He had hilts made of both available, along with numerous others.

Dizzying as all this new influx of information was, Val behaved cautiously when it came to Eli, keeping his distance. He did this with everyone he didn’t know, always harboring a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy) fear of strangers. If it hadn’t been for Tamara’s familiar and comforting presence, he might have not spoken to Eli at all.

However, when Eli produced the crystal necklace, Val’s interest was piqued. “Is that a tiger’s eye? A genuine one?” He held it up to the light, trying to look through it, but it was opaque, cloudy with minerals. “It’s real! And just the right size!” Without asking permission from Eli, he snapped off the chain and carefully laid the gem among the other parts. “Tamara, get the schematics…”

Tamara handed him some diagrams that provided a visual on how to assemble the lightsaber. If Eli was confused and overwhelmed, at any rate, Starlin soon came back to supervise, having dragged the bodies out of the ship and called the local authorities to deal with the rest. “Val, you’re probably gonna have to give a statement, so I hope you have a story prepared. But if you don’t, you’ve got plenty of time—the cops are slow as feth when it comes to Coruscanti crime.” Retrieving a chair, he sat down by the table. “Okay, lightsaber time. You ready, Eli? Any questions?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

All of the necessary components were laid out before him, and Eliphas took the time to assess each individually. Put the name to the object, figure out more or less its purpose, its general design. Once satisfied, he nodded his head and focused on the shells. They were far more varied, as were the materials they were made from according to Val.​

​

Durasteel, Mandalorian steel, Songsteel - he knew of that one, he'd almost had a sword made of it - truth be told though his eyes strayed toward perhaps the most dinged up hilt of them all. He didn't know what it was made of, what its history was... It had seen some things, and yet it remained in one piece, remained strong, even with its scars.​

​

Eliphas' own scars may not have been so obvious, they lay beneath his clothing after all, but he felt... Oddly connected to it all the same. He was about to select his pieces, never one to dawdle, when Val took the crystal and snapped it away from the cord. He opened his mouth to cry out against it but no noise came, and in the end the crystal was detached and ready to be used all the same.​

​

"Mhm," he responded, "Altered by some... Witch lady... to assist with healing." He paused, then finally met Val's gaze for the first time. That same flush overcame his cheeks though this time he tried to ignore it. "Do you think it would work?" He'd said it was the right size, but outside of that... Would it be effective? Could it actually be used?​

​

Schematics were placed before him soon after, and he glanced over them curiously. Then he finalized making all of his choices. Pretty standard, in truth, some might argue underwhelming. But it was his first, and it didn't make sense to add all the bells and whistles when he didn't even understand the basics. The hilt he went with ultimately was the dinged up one. It just felt right.​

​

Then Starlin was back. He hadn't noticed the crystal yet... Eliphas was a little worried about what he might say when he did.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin surveyed the work Eli had done so far. He was a little surprised by his choices. It was all pretty basic, nothing too crazy, but the hilt he’d chosen was very old and beat up, riddled with scars and pockmarked by previous battles. Starlin nudged it with a knuckle and whistled. If Moondog had a chance to peer into the history of that hilt with psychometry, he’d see Force knew what.

“All right, cool beans, I approve of this.” His gaze shifted to the crystal. He recognized it instantly, of course. “That the same one you got—oh, you “stole” it. Well.” A grin split his face. “Can’t say I blame you. Nice loot, and it sure is coming in handy now.”

He had no idea that Eli had bought the necklace intending to give it to the late Yara, or else he might not have referred to it so casually as “loot”.

“I can sense the alchemy on it,” Val noted. “It should grant you a healing factor as long as the lightsaber is on your person.”

“Healing crystals are never as spectacular as they sound,” Starlin pointed out. “It’ll help you heal faster, yeah, but not to the point where your wounds are stitching closed in the middle of battle, so don’t get your hopes up.”

From there, Starlin’s main role, as Syd’s had been with him, was to supervise and oversee the project. Eli still had to assemble his lightsaber himself, while Starlin made sure he didn’t make any dire mistakes in the process. He remembered being surprised by how simple it all seemed—he’d expected complicated circuitry he’d have to sort through. But it wasn’t, for which he’d been glad, since he’d really needed a lightsaber.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Ope.​

​

And there it was, the recognition. His cheeks flushed, though he was somehow all the more relieved that Starlin didn't seem to recognize the significance of it. Good... One less thing to explain then. ​

​

Speaking of explaining.​

​

"Hey, if that Witch hadn't tried to murder us for a bracelet I'd have paid her good credits for it. I didn't even remember having it until she was already being hauled away..."​

​

Didn't much matter now, did it? At least it would be put to better use than it had seen in the past however long since then where it had simply sat in his pocket. Maybe it would help to stop him mulling on those events going forward. Maybe putting it to good use would be a nice way to honour her.​

​

His heart sank for a moment, and all he could see in his mind's eye was her face. Poor, sweet Yara...​

​

He wasn't given too much time to mope around though, they had a lightsaber to build. No, he had a lightsaber to build. He found himself a seat, and glanced over the schematics again as both Val and Starlin chimed in about the crystal's properties.​

​

"I don't know how to Force Heal anyways," he retorted with a shrug, "I just figured this crystal might as well be used. What else was I going to do with it?" Eliphas winced a little at his own words. Had he really just said that? Even coming out of his mouth they'd stung.​

​

Okay... Now... Focus.​

​

Eliphas got to work slotting the pieces into place; he wouldn't know until he was done if he'd actually done it correctly or not. Either the blade would ignite, or it wouldn't...​

​

That was a scary thought.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“She tried to kill you for a bracelet?” Val asked, his curiosity piqued.

Starlin held up the bracelet in question. Val batted his long eyelashes at it, then made a face. “Rather plain, isn’t it? I wouldn’t try to kill you for it.”

“No, but I can think of plenty of silly reasons you have tried to kill me.”

Val glared at him. Starlin smiled back.

“You’re fine, kid. I’m just messing with you.” Starlin dismissed Eli’s theft of the pendant with a wave of his hand. He noticed the kid’s wince at the mention of not knowing what else to do with it. That was weird, but Starlin wasn’t going to press the matter. At least, not right now.

He watched Eli assemble the lightsaber, making a few remarks here or there.

“Tighten this up, you don’t want it to be loose.”

“Make sure the emitter and the focusing lens are in alignment.”

“Looks like your activation stud is stuck. Val, is this one even the right size for this hilt?”

Val provided a replacement which fit a lot better.

Eventually, the lightsaber was completed. It was a bit of a monstrosity, assembled from pieces of junk and scrap. But it was Eli’s, and Eli had made it that way.

“Okay kid, moment of truth.” Starlin stood up. “Make sure you’re holding it the right way, and be mindful of your surroundings.” Wouldn’t want to impale anyone or slice through something by accident. “When you’re ready, go ahead and ignite it.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

What was the phrase about too many cooks in the kitchen?​

​

Yeah, that one.​

​

Well throw it out of the window. There were the exact amount of people necessary butting in on the construction of his first lightsaber, and without them Eliphas felt certain he'd have drowned beneath the weight of it all. Instead they offered insight and input here and there, without actually taking control of the situation. Careful nudges in the right direction, making sure he understood why and how.​

​

Yeah. Just what he needed.​

​

And in the end it all came together like pieces of a puzzle made to fit exactly within the shape of the hilt. It was a messy finished piece, but he didn't care. For him, it was perfect. A reminder that even broken and scarred things could have their uses.​

​

He smiled; then that smile was crushed under the realization that he still had to ignite the damned thing.​

​

Eliphas let out a shallow sigh, then rose up. Glanced around the room to find the best spot to not burn anything or anyone in the process, then held the saber in his left hand. It felt a little weightier than the training saber had. Another exhale.​

​

Then he thumbed the ignition.​

​

A brilliant amber blade shot forth from the emitter, and Eliphas simply stared at it with wide eyes.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

All was quiet and still as the others waited for Eli to activate his new lightsaber. The blade finally emerged from the emitter in a burst of amber light, like a gout of flame. They all stared at it.

“Yeah, baby! Woohoo!” Starlin’s jubilant shout pierced the silence. Val grimaced and rubbed his ears.

“It is a very fine lightsaber, Mr. Dune,” Tamara remarked.

Starlin leaped to his feet and held out his hand to Eli. Should the Padawan take it, he’d receive perhaps the most vigorous handshake he’d ever had in his life. “You did it! You’re an official Jedi Padawan now!”

Officially Starlin’s Padawan, no less. The realization staggered him, and the Knight ran a hand through his hair, exhaling a sharp breath. “Okay… holy shit… uh, right—let’s test it out, shall we?”

He led the way out of the starship, down the loading ramp to the wide open space of the hangar—and into the sights of the local authorities.

“Hey, I almost forgot you guys were coming!”

The police weren’t there for long. They took statements from the group, gathering witness testimonies, and took the bodies and the two surviving Mawites into custody. Val claimed ignorance as to their allegiances; they’d come claiming to be mechanics, here to work on his ship, only to suddenly attack when the Jedi arrived. Must’ve set them off.

“Bye! Thanks for stopping by!” Starlin cheerfully bid the cops farewell as they departed. “Man, I love being a Jedi Knight…” Turning to Eli again, he waved his hand. “Well, which should we start with—you versus me, or you versus Val?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Starlin's celebration was loud, but it caused a large grin to break out upon Eliphas' lips all the same. He couldn't help himself, the man was infectious. Of course when his Master - yeah, that's right, his M.A.S.T.E.R, he had a Master now! - approached for a handshake he disignited the blade for fear of skewering the man and shook back. Not so much vigor, but of course that wasn't noticeable given how much Starlin put into the act.​

​

More grinning.​

​

Then a slight drop in his expression when he realized it was time to go and practice with it. Chit. With this lightsaber? This real lightsaber? Not a training one like he'd used with Kai?​

​

Still, real Padawan. Heck yes. Official, baby, it was official! He could barely contain his excitement.​

​

It was enough to eclipse his self doubt.​

​

Out into the hangar he practically skipped, eager to ignite the blade again and hear it thrum and hum, when they found themselves face to face with officials. Again. Man, this was Alderaan all over again. Thankfully Eliphas wasn't called upon all that much, being a lowly innocent Padawan like he was. Eventually they were done, and the police left, and all was good again.​

​

Until Starlin asked his next question.​

​

He could, uh... Fight Val?​

​

Was that sweat forming upon his forehead?​

​

Did he want to fight Val?​

​

Truth be told, did he want to fight either of them?​

​

"I uh... I don't really know how to use it," he repeated the same line from earlier. "What if I lop my own arm off?"​

​

Surely someone had done that before.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Oh, right—you can just turn the intensity down so it’ll just give you a mild shock if it hits you.” He approached Eli to show him. “Right here, just twist the dial. Yeah, no, you’re not gonna pull a Jacen Solo and lop off the arm of your classmate. That happened because Grandmaster Luke Skywalker was off taking a nap or something, and he left his students to their own devices. Fun story, you should read about it sometime.” Maybe “fun” wasn’t the right word for it, but Starlin evidently found it amusing.

Eli looked a little sweaty and red-faced at the prospect of fighting Val, so Starlin adjusted his lightsaber accordingly and stepped into the ring. After all, he was the kid’s master; it was his job to teach him.

“Time to learn, then. There are seven lightsaber forms: Shii-Cho, Makashi, Soresu, Ataru, Djem So, Niman, and Juyo. You don’t need to learn them all—the average Jedi will only master, eh, two or three at the most within their lifetime. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses…” He went into detail explaining the pros and cons of each one. “I specialize in Makashi, Soresu, and Juyo myself, but the first form I learned, and the best for a beginner to start with, is Shii-Cho. It’s the oldest and most basic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective. I’ve met tough duelists who had only really mastered Shii-Cho, but were so good at it they could be a real pain in the ass.” His rival, Darth Xiphos, sprung to mind.

Using Val as a mock opponent, he demonstrated Shii-Cho. Eli would probably find many of the moves familiar—it was heavily based on traditional sword-fighting techniques. As their blades crashed together, catching in a bind, Val suddenly hauled off and kicked Starlin. Since he wasn’t expecting it, the blow struck him straight in the diaphragm, knocking the wind from his lungs and laying him flat on his ass.

“That wasn’t… part of Form One…” he gasped, clutching his middle. “That’s just… Val being Val…”

Val looked very proud of himself while Starlin coughed and sputtered. Once he was recovered and on his feet again, he gestured for Eli to come forward. “Now you try it with me. Not the kicking, the Shii-Cho. Yeah, go for it.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Despite the sheer amount of information being thrown his way, Eliphas actually seemed to be keeping up. Nodding his head, asking a couple of questions here and there during the longer explanations, though not before he'd messed with the intensity dial. In the end the lightsaber was set to be more like a training blade, and though he knew first hand that such still hurt he also knew it wasn't going to remove limbs. Perfect.​

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"Shii-Cho" he repeated when Starlin stated it was a good place to start. He watched as the pair of them began to spar, showing off the main moves and maneuvers of the Form. Zones, and the like.​

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When Val kicked and winded Starlin, Eliphas' eyes opened wide. It was just another reminder of the fact that in a real fight people weren't going to play fair. In that moment his nose started to itch where Kai had broken it. Yeah... A good reminder indeed.​

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Then he stepped up to the mark, and glanced over Starlin for a moment. Was he going to play dirty too? No... Something told him he wouldn't. Not right now, at least. So he nodded, exhaled a sigh to calm his nerves, and then ignited his amber blade with a snap-hiss.​

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Surprisingly, Eliphas made the first move. He targeted zone 2, going for a simple slash that he knew was likely going to be immediately deflected and parried, and from there slipped into a series of Shii-Cho centric attacks and parries. In that moment he was grateful for Kai's offer to spar several weeks prior, because at least he knew what to expect of the blade's weight.​

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Starlin Rand ​