Learning the Way of the Rancor [open]

[Mara]

(((For Sparrow, Zarky and Jace...
but this is open to any, but please post in HERE first, because I don't want this to contain a whole score of people, just a few.

FYI, this takes place after Xierra returns from her mission
but before she's assigned her padawan. )))



[...from An Offer He Can't Refuse]



Xierra Zalq, Jedi Knight Guardian and one of the few Falleen at the Temple, had just returned a couple day's prior after her mission on Metellos to rescue Jedi Tas Bey and his padawan. It had been a difficult mission, more difficult than the four of them had thought it would have been. Forge, the one who had held Bey hostage, turned out to be a more formidable opponent than she, Elsie Therin, Val Adeera and her padawan Rein had been expecting. But even so, they had shown their strength and eventually completed the mission. The Weequay Jedi Knight and his padawan had been grateful to the four young Jedi and was now resting in the Temple after his ordeal.

However, the Falleen Jedi had realized one thing during the mission. Despite all her training with her late master, Master Revisc, she was still lacking. Not that it was her master's fault. He couldn't have known that she would end up possessing his lightsaber. And instead of just packing it away or letting the other masters keep it in the Archives, Xierra carried it with her along with her own weapon. She had tried wielding both of them during the time on Metellos, just as she had earlier in life with her fighting rods, but it hadn't been as effective as the Jedi was with her single green blade.

That's what brought her here, to this training room in the Temple. She was looking for someone who would be willing to teach her Niman, so that she could start on the path to Jar'kai and use her two lightsabers as well as she did her single one. Xierra loved using Ataru; it was well suited to her and her more aggressive style. But she also understood she was a Knight now with one mission under her belt and many more to come. It would be best if she was proficient in more than just one form of lightsaber combat.

She stood on one side of the large room, going through stances of Shii-Cho with her unlit lightsaber, her master's saber still clipped to her belt. It wouldn't be needed now. Her body and mind were warming to the exercises, and Xierra drew on the Force as she glided smoothly from Shii-Cho to Ataru. Hopefully, someone would arrive soon who she could proposition for a lesson in Niman. But for now, she would keep up her skills in the form she already knew, the one Master Revisc had taught her.

[sparrow]

Elsie Therin slowly opened her eyes. The mission had taken a lot out of her. Things had not gone according to plan. Even though they had managed to accomplish their mission, she had made many mistakes along the way. Elsie held herself to a high standard, and the fact that those mistakes had happened, to put it mildly, disappointed her greatly.

Meditation, the cure-all for most Jedi woes, never seemed to work very well for her. She was always too restless, too prone to fidgeting. What she needed right now was to take her mind off of things with some exercise, so she got up and headed off towards the training rooms.

(( sorry 'bout the shortness...))

[Mara]

Moving through the more acrobatic moves of the form of Ataru, the form that Xierra knew best besides Shii-Cho, she had shucked off her Jedi cloak and utility belt in order to move more freely. She worked now in just her outer and inner tunic, pants and boots. However, her black hair hung loose, flowing around her face as she moved, but it did not hinder her. She had her eyes closed, her inner being entirely in tune with the Force, drawing on its power to aid her in her attacks and parries against her invisible opponent.

When she had learned Ataru, Xierra had taken to her training from Master Revisc quite easily. The moves were akin to her hand-to-hand training in her younger years, and she employed that knowledge, melding it to her style of lightsaber combat. She did not merely just stand in one place as she fought. No, she was rarely in the same position for more than a few seconds, as she was always moving, always dodging or flipping in the air, jumping to the side or rushing forward.

She ignited her lightsaber now, drawing even more on the Force, her movements becoming faster, her green blade a blur. Her imaginary opponent was clear to her in her mind's eye; her own eyes still closed. Xierra attacked and defended, parried and moved out of the way. She forced herself to fight with grace, not with anger. Something she had come dangerously close to back on Metellos. She could not let herself be drawn to the dark side, to the easy way out. She was a Jedi Knight and must be just in her moves, but not be taken in by her rage to defeat an opponent.

Xierra was about to strike her imaginary opponent a disabling blow with her green blade when she felt something through the Force. With her awareness so open and flowing during her practice spar, she immediately felt another presence entering the training room she occupied. And a moment later she recognized it: Elsie Therin, the Jedi woman from her mission she had just returned from. If she wasn't mistaken, the Echani knew some Niman, and the Falleen smiled. Perhaps she wouldn't have to wait as long as she thought.

She pressed on her lightsaber's activator, the blade whooshing into nonexistence as she opened her eyes and turned around to face the other Jedi. Xierra let out a large friendly smiled and moved to greet the other Jedi. She hadn't seen her since their briefing upon their return two days before. "Elsie. It's good to see you."

[sparrow]

Xierra's presence had come as somewhat of a surprise. Elsie must have been distracted, as she had not expected anyone else to be in the room. But at the Falleen woman's warm greeting, she could not help but smile back. "It's good to see you as well, Xierra."

There were a small number of practice lightsabers near the side of the training room, and she walked over and picked one up, examining the grip. "I hope I'm not disturbing your training. Most of the other rooms seemed to be full."

[Mara]

((Blah, post is kind of awkward))).


She nodded at Elsie's greeting, loosening her grip on the Force she had held on so tightly during her practice spar. There was no need for her to be so immersed in it at the moment; she kept it wrapped around her still, though, enough for her to be aware of Elsie and any other Jedi in the immediate area.

At the other Jedi's continuing statement, Xierra glanced down at her own lightsaber, the dark hilt in her hands, a clawed finger tracing the runes she had sculpted into it. Inside lay the crystal her late master had given her in the lightsaber he had fashioned for her. And during the construction of her first Jedi weapon, he had led her to that crystal, gently nudging her to the idea of putting that same crystal in her lightsaber. And she had done so, feeling a connection to Master Revisc every time she used her new lightsaber... or held his old saber in her hand. The hilt of which was hanging on her belt sitting atop her cloak in the corner of the room.

Xierra looked up at Elsie then and smiled. "No, you're not. I was just... running through some moves." The Falleen wasn't sure how to broach the subject of training with the other Jedi. But it was what she had come to the training area for, so she jumped right in. "Actually... I had been wondering if you had some free time on your hands?" She swallowed before continuing. "I was thinking of taking up Niman."

There, she had said it. Now hopefully Elsie would take her up on the offer. Otherwise, Xierra would have to wait for another Jedi to come around. She didn't feel like going through the Temple knocking on doors, asking for people to train her. Not very becoming of a Jedi Knight, in her understanding. She had never been in this position before, so she wasn't sure how the Echani Jedi would respond to her request. They were both Knights; they were fully trained to be out in the world. But they still both had much to learn, that Xierra knew for a fact.

[sparrow]

Another surprise. She blinked in confusion. "You want... me... to teach... you Niman?" Nobody had ever asked her for instruction before. She had never really tried to teach another before. She wasn't even sure where to begin.

Then again, perhaps this could be good for her. Several masters, including her own former master, had expressed the opinion that she should take on a padawan of her own, but she had always refused. Truth be told, the idea of instructing another made her nervous. Perhaps helping Xierra with her form could help alleviate a bit of her own anxiety.

"I guess I do have some free time," she said finally. Picking up a second saber, she tossed it to Xierra. The question still remained, where to begin? A thought came to her. Why not let Xierra choose? "How about you tell me what you already know of Niman and what you want to learn, and we'll take it from there?"

[Mara]

A spark of nervous indecision flashed across Xierra's features as she saw Elsie before her, struggling with the Falleen Jedi's request. Perhaps she had made a mistake. Perhaps it would have been better finding one of the Masters in the Temple, not a fellow Knight. Her skin reddened a little bit, giving her greenish gray skin a soft pink hue in parts of it, reacting to her embarrassment at Elsie's stuttered question. She nodded in answer; it was all she could do, afraid of what she might say in response.

But then finally the Echani consented, and Xierra smiled, her skin returning to its normal tone. "Thank you," she replied as the other Jedi tossed her a practice saber. She caught it easily and moved to the corner of the room where she had left her Jedi robe, placing the black-hilted lightsaber in the pile of clothing. Xierra hefted the practice saber a little as she walked back to join Elsie, getting used to its weight. It had been a while she had wielded one, and this experience would probably be a little awkward at first.

Xierra paused at her additional question, wanting to answer her as honestly as possible without sounding too much like a green Jedi. She cleared her throat softly and turned her dark eyes on the other woman. "Well, my knowledge of the form is very little. Just a basic overview when I was a youngling in the Temple years before.

I want to learn..." she stopped again before continuing. Admitting she was weak was something hard for her to do. "I want to learn enough so that I can use this knowledge to step up to Jar'kai. I want to be more... successful with my two lightsabers than I was back on Metellos."

[sparrow]

"I don't actually have very much skill in Jar'Kai," Elsie said. On Metellos she had had the opportunity to pick up a second blade very briefly, but it wasn't something she practiced much in or was very used to. "But I guess I could teach you enough to get you started."

She tried to remember the lessons that her old master had taught her about the form. Might as well start from the beginning...

Elsie activated the practice saber in her hand, and gave the blue blade a few quick twirls. "As you might know, Niman is known as the moderation form. While other forms tend to focus on and prepare you well for certain types of situations, Niman won't. To practice Niman well, the most important things are to be flexible and adaptable to different events and conditions."

But Elsie Therin wasn't very much of a talker, and she knew that Xierra, as a guardian, wasn't really either. It would be better to show instead of just tell. "Let's try a few basic movements." With the saber held in her favorite one-handed grip, she began with two quick slashing movements reminiscent of Shii-cho before moving to a series of fast thrusts that had a definite Makashi flavor to them. The next few ran through the other forms, with moves based on Soresu, Ataru, and Shien. It was a good, relatively simple introductory moveset. Of course, there was a lot more to Niman than just moves, but the moves had to be learned first.

[Mara]

Xierra nodded. She didn't expect Elsie to be a master of Jar'kai. Many Jedi didn't practice the technique, preferring to focus on single lightsaber combat in league with their Force-aided skills. But the Falleen wanted to be able to ably wield her two lightsabers--the one she created and the one she had inherited. She just knew, somehow, that Master Revisc would be honored that she would keep his weapon in use, instead of just putting it in the archives with the rest of the lightsabers from fallen Jedi.

To do that, though, she needed to take the first step--learning Niman. Her knowledge of the form was very elementary, as she had told Elsie. Just the basics as taught in her younger years at the Temple. For after she had been taken as a padawan, all her lightsaber training had been focused in Ataru, in harnessing her aggressiveness and her high-spiritedness.

Xierra listened quietly as Elsie summarized the basics of what Niman was. Her memory jolted a bit; she remembered now that Niman incorporated aspects of all the forms, taking the best things and molding them together. To be 'adaptable to different events and conditions' as the other Jedi stated.

All that knowledge was good and interesting, she knew, but Xierra also didn't believe she would be able to defeat opponents just by knowing of Niman, but actually being able to practice it. So she was glad when Elsie got down to business, going through a series of moves with her training saber. The Falleen kept her dark eyes focused on the Echani's movements, studying them, ingraining them in her memory.

With a small buzzing, she activated her own practice saber after she was done. She held the light weapon up, intimating Elsie's opening stance. Xierra tried to match what she had seen the other Jedi do as closely as she could remember, first slashing then thrusting with the practice saber. Most of the movements were unfamiliar to her and so she was a little shaky, but towards the end, there were a couple moves she knew by heart--moves from the form of Ataru, and she performed those flawlessly. Overall, she felt she had done well, but it would be up to her teacher to let her know. Ending the move-set, she turned to look at the other Jedi, waiting.

[sparrow]

"That's pretty good," she said, acknowledging the other woman with a nod. Xierra was an intelligent and capable Jedi, and she had caught on quickly. "That's just the beginning though." There were still many different movesets and techniques to go through, all of which needed to be practiced to a point where they would be committed to muscle memory.

She launched into a second set of movements. "As you watch this," she said as she swung her saber, "Make sure you understand the purpose of each move. When you do these don't worry about replicating my move exactly." She hopped forward with a quick dipping thrust towards an invisible opponent before leaning backwards and quickly spinning the blade close to her body to deflect an imaginary counterattack. "Instead, focus on the intent and make sure your movements feel smooth and natural."

[Mara]

The Falleen Jedi knew enough to not bother with smiling or feeling happy at her small accomplishment. This was a training session, not an escapade to boost her ego. She kept her face still, not betraying any emotion, completely focused on Elsie's words and actions. Xierra's grip on the Force was light; she was using it only to help grasp a better feel on the movements the other Jedi was showing her, as she would if she were wielding a true lightsaber in combat, and to keep a subtle 'eye' on Elsie herself.

She stood quietly, waiting and listening. Xierra nodded at the Echani's words. Agreeing that it was best to put a personal flair on lightsaber moves, being able to adapt to situations, never just putting up holobook examples for others to copy. It was how she employed Ataru. However, it would take a while for her to feel as comfortable in Niman as she did in the fourth form. Most likely years. But she had her whole life ahead of her to practice and gather its knowledge. She would never be stuck in a situation without a proper countering lightsaber form again, like she had back on Metellos, trying to use Ataru with double sabers against multiple opponents.

Xierra held up her training saber, remembering the movies Elsie had made and closed her eyes, again imagining the same opponent she had earlier before the other Jedi had joined her in the training room. She regarded the moves that had been show her just now and previously, moving through them as if attacking and defending against her invisible enemy. At first, it took some effort to remain on her feet, being used to the more acrobatic moves while she used Ataru, but eventually Xierra got into a slight flow, trying to stay within the confines of Niman.

[sparrow]

Elsie watched as Xierra practiced, her movements becoming smoother and more fluid with each practice run. What to do next? she thought to herself, scratching her chin. Xierra was certainly catching onto the moves fast, but as her master had taught her many years ago, there was much more to Niman than just memorized movements. She thought back to some of the exercises she had practiced as a padawan, and the answers came to her.

She spoke as Xierra finished her last movement. "I asked you to concentrate more on personal style and fluidity of movements. As my old master used to say, 'The moves are static, but you, the saberist, are alive.'" Okay, that wasn't exactly what he had said, but it's close enough. "Every move in the world can be countered, but even if your opponent knows the countermove to every movement in your form, as long as you retain your flexibility and execute your moves in a lively manner, you can still come out on top."

Now that you know the moves, get used to doing them in different ways. "Let's try something a little bit different now." The moves of each moveset were put together so that the position of the saber at the end of one movement would be in the ideal place to start the next movement, so as to facilitate easier learning, but that was a luxury that would not be found in a real fight. The last moveset that Xierra had done had consisted of five moves. "Do that last set again," Elsie said. "But do the second move first, followed by the fifth. Then the first, fourth, and finish with the third." Those moves wouldn't normally fit together very well, but she was trying to make a point here.

[Mara]

She turned back to Elsie as she spoke, her scaly brow furrowed in slight confusion. Xierra hadn't thought they had moved that far in the lesson. She had still been learning through the actual moves, not trying to put them into a more individual real-world practice. But the Falleen nodded in understanding at her words. Being fluent in Niman, or any other form, was one thing; but if she were to simply go through textbook moves at a skilled opponent, it could very well be her downfall. Her own late master had had a similar message for her when teaching her Ataru. Get the moves down quickly, so that she could put her personal twist on the form, befitting her the best.

Xierra hefted her training saber back in a defensive posture, waiting for further instructions. She was getting used to this lesson. Though they were technically equals, this time together in instruction didn't bother the young Jedi at all. She knew she would continue learning, despite being knighted. Xierra also knew that no matter what Elsie had said in the past, she would make a great teacher someday to a padawan.

Nodding, Xierra paused a moment thinking about which moves would go with the numbers Elsie had mentioned, and then she went right into it, her training saber moving back and forth, rising and falling, attacking and guarding. A couple of the transitions seemed a bit awkward to her, and so there was a nanosecond pause while she twisted her wrist around in order to make the moves work. She set her jaw a bit, gritting at the awkwardness, but she finished the move-set.

[sparrow]

Elsie saw the confused look on Xierra's face. Maybe she had gone too fast. True, Xierra was already an excellent saberist, but still, trying to compress what had originally been several months of training into a single afternoon probably hadn't been the wisest idea. Patience, Elsie. Her old master had often chided her on that point.

Nevertheless, Xierra performed the moves surprisingly well for a first try. No doubt her second try would be better. And the third...

"I guess that's all I should be teaching you today. What's important now is that you practice these basics. Get them down smooth and fluid. Try them in different combinations. We should continue in a few days once you get more comfortable with the form."

[Mara]

((I suppose I will move ahead to the next day?
Perhaps so our lovely Grand Master can grace us with his presence)).


Xierra nodded and turned off the practice lightsaber. She understood that this would be a long process, something that could not be rushed. It took Master Revisc at least a year for him to be satisfied that his student knew the basics of Ataru well enough to engage in practice sessions against real opponents, not just the air or a remote. The Falleen Jedi knew that Niman wouldn't be any different. But she did hope to gain enough understanding that if she was sent on another mission soon, she could draw on the skill as part of her arsenal, perhaps using her knowledge of her hand-to-hand fighting more ably towards her two sabers.

She walked over to the rack and put the training weapon away and gathered up her belongings from the corner. Donning her robe and her belt, clicking on her lightsaber hilts, she looked in Elsie's direction. Xierra smiled. "Thank you, again, for doing this. I will see you later, yes?" She bowed shallowly to the other Jedi and departed the room, thinking on all she had learned.

...

The morning found the Jedi Guardian in the same training room, bright and early. She had been happy to discover that it was still unused at that time of day, and she hoped it would stay empty enough that she could continue her lessons in Niman. But if a Master took his younglings in, she would have to leave most likely, finding another room or area of the Temple to practice in.

Xierra was just warming up with Ataru, having already gone through some stances of Shii-Choo, when a group of younglings followed by their Master entered the room. She nodded to them, bowing to their teacher and took leave of the room. On her way, she sent word to Elsie that she would be out in the courtyard this day, not in the training room as before.

Making it out to the courtyard area, she had to pause. This is where she had first come to meditate after returning to the Temple as a padawan, without her master. She had sparred against that older Knight Aser, feeling bad that she had beaten him, especially when she had used a mind trick on him, using an unfair advantage. But she had been hurting then, her feelings and mind messed up. Hopefully this time her head would be a lot clearer.

Taking a deep breath, she once again moved through some moves of Ataru, at the end trying to incorporate some actions of Niman in with it. Her cloak and second lightsaber were laying on the bench nearby her; her own lightsaber in hand, unlit. Xierra closed her eyes, trying to become one with the Force, with her lightsaber, with Niman. Waiting for Elsie to join her.

[sparrow]

Elsie Therin didn't grow up in a traditional Echani culture. She had only found out about her heritage at the age of five. The masters at the Temple, far from discouraging her however, had openly supported her in discovering this aspect of herself. Her own master had even gone out of his way to get her training in the Echani arts, something she was quite thankful for. That training had saved her on more than one occasion.

The Echani traditionally concentrated on close quarters melee combat. Their vibroblade techniques weren't quite the same as lightsaber fighting, but a good number of the principles were similar. Elsie kept several straight-bladed Echani vibroswords in her room, and she felt that her training with them had also helped to improve her lightsaber skills. She had one of the weapons in her hand right now.

The fact that the vibrosword had a solid blade as opposed to the weightless energy beam of the lightsaber meant that the balance and handling were slightly different, and the heavier weapon meant it could not be swung nearly as fast. But she was used to those differences now. Sometimes it just felt good to have solid steel in your hand.

She acknowledged Xierra as she entered the room, and indicated that she needed to warm up a bit herself before joining her. Finding an empty area at the other side of the room, she took a deep breath, and settled into her first stance. Suddenly she burst into motion. The sword slid out of its scabbard smooth, and she brought the blade around in an overhead cloud followed by a series of quick flower twirls.

Elsie had never been very good at the whole Jedi meditation thing. Her master had always said that she was too distractable and fidgety, unable to sit still for extended periods of time. But with a sword in her hand, going through the combat movements, she felt relaxed. Calm. Tranquil. At peace. The Force called out to her. She reached for it, and it came easily.

By the time she stopped her exercise, sweat had already begun to form on her forehead. Sheathing her sword, she floated the blade to one side of the room, leaning against the wall. "I assume you want to continue?" she asked, turning towards the Falleen woman.

[Mara]

((You do know we're in a courtyard, not a training room? ))


There was an additional Force presence then, as she came out of an Ataru-based backflip, landing softly on the ground. Something besides just the animal and plant life that was in this courtyard of the Jedi Temple. A familiar presence. Xierra smiled and turned, lightsaber still unlit, as she saw Elsie going to the other side of the outdoor area. She nodded in acknowledgement that the other Knight wanted to warm up, and so she continued her practicing, trying to incorporate what she knew so far of Niman along with her knowledge of Ataru, Shii-Cho and small tidbits of the other forms.

She hadn't noticed that Elsie had come with a different weapon besides a lightsaber, a weapon she was now using to warm up, her and her weapon a flurry of motion. The Falleen Knight was lost to the Force, again closed up in its presence, only focusing on herself and her movements with her lightsaber hilt. With a small movement of a finger, her pale green blade showed itself, and now Xierra began to go through the same moves, first in Shii-Cho, then through her familiar Ataru steps, finally move-sets of Niman. She worked on her individualism now, trying to use what she had learned without feeling too structured or predictable. There were a few awkward moments, her arm in an uncomfortable position, but she worked through it.

Xierra had finished a set of moves when she heard the other Jedi's voice for the first time since she had entered the courtyard. She let go of the Force then, not holding it so tightly, so that she could be more aware of her surroundings at a greater distance. Turning to face the Echani, she extinguished her blade and nodded. "Yes, I am."

[sparrow]

(Oops!)

Elsie nodded. She tossed a practice saber to Xierra, while activating one of her own. "You know some of the moves now, Xierra, and a lot of it just comes down to practicing and familiarizing yourself with them. Since you said your goal was Jar'Kai, you probably won't be needing most of the more advantage single saber moves."

"But as I said yesterday, for Jedi guardians like us, Niman is more about being able to adapt yourself to any combat situation than it is about actual moves. My master is a Niman practitioner, but if you watch our styles, they're very different. So for you if that means relying on acrobatics like you did with Ataru because you're good at that, it's fine, but practice the other areas well enough that you'll be able to use them when you need them. That being said..." Theory is nothing without application. She already has a strong base, so this shouldn't be too much to ask.

"Think fast!" She quickly lunged forward, the blade of the practice saber slashing towards Xierra's legs.

[Mara]

((No worries.
And let me know if she does anything not-Niman or whatever... ))


Xierra easily caught the practice saber Elsie had brought with her. With another simple motion, she tossed, Force-assisted for accuracy--her extinguished lightsaber over to the pile her robes had made off to the side of the courtyard. She was clad only in her under tunics, trousers and boots; her black hair hung loose and long around her shoulders in contrast to her skin which was currently at its normal greenish gray hue.

As she walked closer to the Echani Jedi Knight, she listened carefully to what she said, nodding a bit when she mentioned her waiting to learn Jar'kai. Xierra wholly with what she was saying. It would be completely worthless for her to learn these new moves and never apply them in real situations, preferring to rely on Ataru, the form she had been honing for almost ten years. But she would definitely have to try to incorporate Niman moves into some of her key maneuvers generally applied in lightsaber combat. It would--

Immediately the Falleen was reacting, moreso to the ripples through the Force than to Elsie's yell. The other's training saber was coming towards her legs at angle, and Xierra's foremost thought was to backflip out of the way, but that wouldn't really be the point now, with her trying to be more flexible and using concepts of Niman. Instead, she flipped her wrist downward, coming to block the blade with her own before nimbly stepping to the side to avoid any counter attack. Xierra brought her blade back up then, going on the attack, aiming for the Echani's neck.

[sparrow]

(( Since wookieepedia is the only solid source I have to go off of, your guess of what is actually Niman is probably as good as mine ))

She had expected Xierra to backflip or perform some other acrobatic move considering her experience in Ataru, but she was wrong. And because of her error she was barely able to bend in time, leaning her body and neck sideways so that the Falleen's blade passed mere millimeters above her ear. She's thinking instead of reacting. Very good. Xierra was taking this quite seriously. In a real duel with real sabers that would have been a killing move.

Her own saber style was based off of nimble attacks and quick wristwork. She had recently begun applying more of a Makashi angle to her Niman bladework, and it was beginning to show. Her own blade had barely touched Xierra's block before it was sent twirling in the opposite direction, and as Xierra swung her attack her own blade spun upwards in a defensive fan, slicing at the other Jedi's wrist.