Meeting on Voss

[Abbey Ainsley]

Abbey kept quiet for a long, long moment, before gently speaking out a few words while looking down. "I wasn't talking about homicide."

"Now I just feel bad because you're talking about it." [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Abbey Ainsley"]

"You've done nothing to feel bad for, Abbey."

He looked at her with compassion as he spoke on.

"Vengeance is not our way. If we must take a life, it is only because we have no other choice."

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

He let the Code ring in their minds for several moments before he spoke once more.

"We gain serenity and peace through meditation and through meditation we can touch the Force. Let's try again."

 

[Abbey Ainsley]

Abbey immediately stood up at the code, and without warning, walked away with a firm scowl. She went straight to the temple, refusing to look back at the two. She wasn't stupid, she knew that just taking away the emotion out of someone made them not who they are anymore.

And if being a robot meant being a Jedi, she wasn't going to do it.

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

As Echo stood there listening she began to worry about Abbey but she didn't move for a while that was until the rain began to pour down from the dark clouds. "Master I have been thinking and working with my training saber a lot and I think I would like to specialize in Ataru if that is possible." She says as the rain begins to soak her

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Echo Kora"] [member="Abbey Ainsley"]

"Ataru," he repeated "Yes, you can train in it. Ah, there's the rain. Let's continue inside."

Once out of the shower, he spoke more to her of Ataru.

"It's a style very strong in offensive skills but sorely lacking elsewhere. I'm not a Battlemaster, but I echo their sentiment. Before studying Ataru, strengthen your Shii-Cho. Many Jedi also utilise a strong defensive style in conjunction."

He made a point to work on his own Shii-Cho as part of Form VI practice. It was the root of everything and no other Jedi fighting arts would exist without it. It was an invaluable thing to have a firm grasp of basic abilities.

They walked while talking and soon they could see Abbey in the distance. As they caught up to her, Dune spoke.

"The Code is often misunderstood. No emotion is not literal, but rather means that we choose to be in control. All beings have feelings and this is not wrong, even for a Jedi."

"Echo and I were speaking of lightsaber training. Would you both care to work on those skills?"

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"Yes master I would. And the reason I thought about Ataru is because of my dance and gymnastic background being as I can already do acrobatics well I figured it would be a good fit for me."

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Abbey Ainsley]

Abbey gently crossed her arms and frowned at the wall, then slowly let her arms down and huffed. "Do I get to swing a lightsaber..?"

[member="Echo Kora"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Abbey Ainsley"]

"The idea is to control your blade, but in essence, yes."

As expected, the reluctant Abbey was suddenly interested. So they found themselves in a training room with the Jedi handing Abbey a training blade that matched Echo's own. All training sabers were the same by design as they were produced in large batches. His own was constructed by himself but was not unlike the training weapon he'd used.

"Before we start, how much do you know. I'd like for you to avoid injuring yourselves if you're new. Training blades don't kill but will burn flesh all the same."

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"I have been practicing for a little over a month." Echo says holding her blade down at her side before bowing respectfully to the master.

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Abbey Ainsley]

[member="Dune Rhur"]

Abbey smiled with something of excitement spreading across her form. She gently swung the blade around a few times solid, then grinned to her training and shook her head. "None at all, all I know is how to swing something without breaking my arm."

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Abbey Ainsley"] [member="Echo Kora"]

"Echo, no need to bow, it's not a formal occasion."

He smiled at both of them.

"I'll have to show you how to avoid stabbing yourself, Abbey. Apprentices, we will begin with Shii-Cho and it's sequence."

He ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade coming to life with a snap-hiss. His blade was held up at a fourty-five degree angle with his right foot back and feet shoulder width apart. Both hands were on the hilt and there was a slight bend in his knees. "This is middle guard, our home base."

The lesson began as he showed them the simplest but most essential skills. Dune had them imitate himself slowly and he offered small corrections. Their technique was still rough around the edges but that was expected. Six movements in all, three blocks and three slashes all featured in the sequence he eventually worked them into performing very deliberately....

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

As Echo performed each move she remembered Matsu helping her a little with this. She continued to work hard to do exactly as Dune did

[member="Dune Rhur"]
[member="Abbey Ainsley"]

 

[Abbey Ainsley]

Even after the order of switching around her blade back and forth in front of her body, she managed to get just about everything wrong, from her posture to not holding the saber correctly. More frustration built up inside of her all the while. She stared at [member="Echo Kora"] and [member="Dune Rhur"] with an angry set of eyes, then huffed. "I can't do it, I need to do it over."

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Abbey Ainsley"] [member="Echo Kora"]

Echo was having an easier go of it than Abbey. The latter learner was letting her frustrations control her again.

"It's to be expected, Abbey. A lightsaber is among the hardest weapons in the galaxy to learn. Besides, you're not nearly as off as you think."

He had her assume middle guard again and he made a small correction to the tilt of her hips. In turn, it allowed her spine to assume a natural arch. That in turn relaxed her grip on the hilt. Consequently, the angle corrected itself and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good. You see, nothing that can't be fixed."

He turned to watch Echo.

"Slant the blade up a touch more on the upward block. Good, it will slide down and not crumple into you so easily."

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"Thank you master." Echo says applying what Dune had told her

[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Abbey Ainsley]

Abbey slowly did a few of the steps again, this time with little more success. She tried yet another time, this time getting it to an 'acceptable' manner. She wasn't a learn on the rock trained type of person, and it was surely showing right now. "How do I even use this move in combat? It doesn't seem applicable."

[member="Echo Kora"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

"Master may I demonstrate?" Echo asked from her spot

[member="Abbey Ainsley"]
[member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Echo Kora"] [member="Abbey Ainsley"]

Dune had been about to answer but nodded to Echo.

"Yes, go ahead."

Perhaps a fellow learner could relate better to Abbey. He was willing to give it a try to help the frustrated human. Too it would help with the confidence of the young Miraluka. Dune believed that to be Echo's biggest hindrance and, once she felt confident in herself, she could truly open herself to the Force.

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Echo stepped forward and assumed middle guard "Abbey attack me."

[member="Dune Rhur"]
[member="Abbey Ainsley"]

 

[Abbey Ainsley]

Abbey hesitated for a moment, then raised her training blade and broke the distance, coming in far closer. Without so much as a warning she preformed the several moves - some not as balanced and great as others - throwing in every single hard feeling she had for the day. Furious blows after furious blows, and weak guards that did almost nothing before the next attack rolled around.

[member="Echo Kora"] [member="Dune Rhur"]