-November Rain-

[☢Axl☢]

Zach stood in a courtyard toward the middle of the temple. The Courtyard was filled with lush vegetation and laden with a few criscrossing cobblestone pathways. It was open roofed and as dark clouds made they way above the temple, it began to drizzle rain. It was absolutely quiet except for the slight pitter-patter made by the rain drops falling unto the stone paths.

Zach pulled his hood over his head and stared at the young Torguta before him, sitting down and looking up in a confused manner, waiting for something.

That a real lightsaber you got there son? He said as he extended his left hand, his mechanical one which was covered in a glove, he tugged with the force just slightly and ripped the saber out of the fastening clip attached to his belt. The hilt of the Saber darted out of the boys robes before slowing down and falling into Zach's righthand, his organic one. The rain picked up a bit and the wet soil created a sweet, yet pungent scent that wafted through the air. Zach pressed the activation button. The Extended, purpley-blue blade fizzled and steamed as the even heavier rain made contact with it. Taking out his own saber, a blue-green one, Zach beat it a few times and to his suprise it, it was infact a true saber.

He tossed the saber to the young padawan, assuring himself that the torguta would have the abbility to catch it without spilling his bowels unto the floor below. I want to see what you know thus far of lightsaber combat, that way we can begin at an appropriate level based on MY knowledge of YOUR knowledge, Under stand? We'll start with one of my favorite excersizes. He said with a grim smile. Tossing his saber into the air, and then leaping into the air to catch it, he brought the blade donw in a violent arc towards the Torguta's collerbone; wheter or not he would respond effectively, he would find out.

[Cirith An'Gol]

Tey Shaak sat on a bench in the temple courtyard, a favorite place for him to think and reflect, as well as simply relax when time allowed. Dark clouds rolled in and began to drizzle the peaceful courtyard. Depite the soon to come dampness, Tey Shaak did not pull his hood up, he rather liked rain, it was always soothing somehow to him. He looked up a moment later to find a man, a little older than himself staring at him through the hood of his jedi robes.

Tey Shaak simply stared back, wondering what the man wanted and waited for him to say something. The man simply held out his hand and a second later Tey Shaak's lightsaber was in his hand. Tey Shaak's surprise showed on his face but, he made no move to relieve the man of the weapon. The man asked if the lightsaber was real, which struck Tey Shaak as rather funny, after all why wouldn't it be?

Then realising he was asking if it was for training or actual combat he simply nodded in reply, as the man activated Tey Shaak's lightsaber and his own, tapping the hissing blades together. Satisfied, the man threw Tey Shaak's lightsaber back to him, still lit. Tey reached out with the force and snatched the lightsaber out of the air with a reflexive air. The man told Tey that he wanted to know what he knew of lightsaber combat.

Tey smiled and stood "I understand. So, I am to take it you will be my Jedi Master from now on? I have to admit surprise, you look about my age. I assume that's why you're here, why else would you want to know of my knowledge of combat?".

Suddenly the man threw his saber into the air and lept to catch it, only to bring it down on Tey Shaak in a strong arch that would've severed his collar bone. The primal instincts of his race swelled within him, threatening his focus and discipline, he pushed the feelings down to a manageable level.
A hiss escaped his mouth as Tey gathered the force to himself to increase his speed and brought his own lightsaber up to block the Jedi's attack, before kicking out to his opponent to gain a little distance and make a plan for counter attacking.
I must control myself and not allow my primal side to take over. This is going to be fun[/i] Tey thought as he smiled showing his opponent his small sharp teeth.

[☢Axl☢]

Zach smiled in delight as the padawan caught the saber and successfuly parried the attack before leaping to increase the distance between the two. Zach himself was a fan of utilizing as many forms as possible in an attempt to not only be effective no matter how his opponent was fighting; but to confuse his opponent, never being able to tell what would happen next.

Utilizing this unorthodox style of fighting, he flipped his saber around his wrist in able to use Shien. Confident that the Torguta hadn't much knowledge in defending himself against such a differant style, Zach figured he would quickly be able to best his opponent.

Charging towards the padawan, and thus closing the distance, he slashed his saber in an upward arc, with such a massive ammount of force behind it, the torguta did infact block it, but was not able to stay on his feet after such an impact and he toppeled backwards to the ground, landing on the hard cobblestone floor with a hard thud. Zach smiled.

Good; You are a good swordsman, even as a padawan. You have much pottential in you and you will become great oneday. He said as he extended his hand towards the grounded and shocked padawan, offering to help him to his feet. He extended his other hand towards the hilt of the now deactivated saber, rolling on the ground. with a slight pull of the force it leaped into his hand.

Considering that you DO infact have a genuine saber and not a training one, it indicates that you had a former master. When training under this former master, what did you tend to focus on more: Lightsaber combat or force techniques becasue I would prefer to advance in an area you are weak in. He said lifting his new padawan to his feet and handing his lightsaber to him.

[Cirith An'Gol]

Tey watched as the man he presumed to be his new Master flipped the lightsaber around and brought it up in a strong arch. Tey's own blade intercepted his opponents but, the shock of the impact between the two blades sent pain up his arms and into his shoulders.

Who is this guy?[/color] The man looked barely older than Tey Shaak himself and yet had a strength that didn't seem possible. Tey wasn't weak by any means, he'd kept in shape with the martial arts simulations from the Temple Library and yet the force of impact from the two intercepting blades was enough to throw Tey to the ground.

Then Tey spotted it, his opponents left hand was a mechanical one while his right hand was organic. Tey flashed back to the two moves his opponent had made and tried to remember which hand had been the primary one he attacked with he's got to be using his mechanical hand[/color]. Tey's confusion showed on his face, the man didn't seem to notice and complimented Tey on his swordsmanship and the potential he saw in him.

The statement about Tey having a former master caught his attention and Tey looked up to see the Jedi offering an extended hand, which he took.

Now looking his new master in the eye Tey said "Yes, I did have a former Jedi Master, his name was Jolee Sidus but, I called him "Blade". He was a Battlemaster. Blade taught me the philosophies of each style of lightsaber combat, we didn't really get to go over anything else. He died of old age last year after he taught me the philosophies of Ataru".

Tey looked his new master over before saying "You have quite an arm Master, what's your name? Mine is Tey Shaak. I have knowledge in Shii-Cho, Shien/Djem-So and the backhanded sub forms, as well as basic skills in the Force. Thanks for taking me as your Padawan by the way. Nice to meet you". Tey stuck out his hand and smiled waiting for his new Master's reply.

[☢Axl☢]

Hmm...Im sorry to hear that, but he is in a better place. Said Zach as he extended his hand in with a look of grim sympathy on his face. My name's Zach Star fire though as a child I was called by the name of Slash....I worked as an assistant to my Father in the fields back on Dantooine and we couldn't afford mechanized harvesting equipment so I had to use a scythe; I worked hard and got the job done in a short amount of time so my uncle gave me the name 'slash' for the method you use to harvest the grains. he said pumping Ty's hand twice in a firm, but not constricting manner before pulling his hand back to rest on his side. But enough rambling, I'm honored to have you as an apprentice.

The sun poked out from the clouds for but a second or two before being veiled by the ominous Grey clouds quickly chasing behind, the downpour resumed once again. Shii-Cho, Shien/Djem-So and the backhanded sub forms huh? He said stroking his beard and deactivating his lightsaber fearing that prolonged exposure to the rain would Short out the battery and the last time such a thing happened it nearly killed him in an explosion of shrapnel. I Personally enjoy those forms as well but using a lightsaber in these conditions would not be wise and you seem to need assistance in the aspects of harnessing the powers of the force as well so we will work on that.

Turning his back to his new padawan, he walked off into the bushes, rummaging through the various lichens and shrubs. Finally he found what he was looking for, a hard and dense stone about the size of a fist. Although it was small, it was extremely heavy, Heavier than Zach had expected but this made the exercise all the more interesting.

Emerging from the cover of the greenery and back onto the cobblestone path for which his padawan was waiting, he dropped the stone to the ground below, using the force to slow its decent to prevent it from cracking the pathway. We're going to play a game here today. he said with a mischievous smile to his padawan. He took a few steps backward so that he stood about...12 meters away. He called upon an immense ammount of energy to vibrate the very atoms of the surrounding air. The friction caused an isolated pocket of heat in the courtyard and the high heat, which felt soothing against the contrasting rain which was bitterly cold, working against the cold rain created a veil of mist, hindering both of the men's vision. Now Tey, this may seem far-fetched, but i want you to call upon the force to lift that stone from the ground, and using your skills of perception, I want you to hurl said stone at me as hard as you can. He said as he stood absolutely still as to not confuse his padawan. He knew not what the boy was truly capable in the ways of the force but he felt the boy could in fact make contact should he exert himself enough...

[Cirith An'Gol]

Tey returned Zach's hand pump and listened as his new Master expressed his condolences, told a little about himself and expressed a similar interest in Tey's lightsaber forms.
He's honored to have me as his apprentice[/color] Tey thought as he smiled despite himself, and took comfort in the fact that, he now had a Jedi Master that seemed impressed with his immediate skills.

Zach expressed a desire to work on Tey's use of the Force and went to a nearby bush to grab something. Tey took a step closer in curiosity and tried to get a better look at what Zach was fiddling with. To his surprise Zach turned around carrying a rock about the size of a fist.
Zach told Tey they were going to play a game and to hurl the rock at him as hard as he could using only the force.
He calls this a game? That rock could kill him if I hit him hard enough in the right place! Well he is my Master and the council did approve this arrangement, I guess I'll play along. I hope he knows what he's doing[/color], Tey thought as the air around them suddenly turned warm despite the bitter cold rain, a secong later a mist rolled in obstructing the view of both of them.

I've always wanted to do something like this, it'd be a neat skill to have in a pinch[/color] Tey thought as he shut off his lightsaber and drew upon the Force and wrapped it around him like a blanket, before sending the energy out to detect his master and the rock. It took Tey only a few seconds to discern his master's location, which was right in front of him about 36 feet away. It took Tey considerably longer to detect the rock, as it gave off no heat or life senses.

Tey tried using his telekinesis to grab the rock as he pulled the energy back to where he stood. All in all it took Tey 2 minutes to find the rock. It was difficult for Tey to try to use two seperate abilities, senses and telekinesis, at the same time but, he managed.

Tey saw the rock lifting off the stone pathway and resting at abdomen level in his mind, a second later he felt the rock lift into the air. Keeping his mind on his teachers location, Tey built up as much telekinetic energy as he could before hurling the missile.
The predatorial nature of Tey Shaak's race rose inside him, adding an extra boost of energy to Tey's throw, making the rock sail through the air at a speed that surprised him. Tey Shaak desperately wanted to prove to his master that he was a capable padawan, and for the master to come to like him, like his former master had. Tey, however, didn't want to hurt him due to inexperience.

Damned instincts! I hope I don't make him angry on the first day[/color] Tey thought as the rock sailed into the mists at his master. Tey had calculated the distance beetween them and if Tey was right, the rock should reach his master. Tey waited and listened for any indication that the rock had made impact.

[☢Axl☢]

The sudden rush of warmness was soothing, Zach stood amidst the plants and his young, new apprentice who could at this moment, pottentially kill him if he forcused hard enough.

The torguta's feeling bled out into the courtyard like a wounded soldier allowing Zach to quickly feel that his padawan was both nervous and antsy at the same time, Perhaps he's worried he'll hurt me? Zach thought as he shut his eyes, he focused all his concentration on the oncoming missile, carving a corridor through the mist for which one could see to the other side.

He channeled all the power from the surrounding shrubs, mosses, trees grass insect and even the occasional lizard into a harmonic flow of energy that for the tim being, hyper increased both physical and mental strength, awareness, sight, hearing and even the warm smell of the soil. This new level of perception allowed him to discover the exact location of the projectile with deadly accuracy.

What took just a few seconds seemed like hours as the Rock sailed towards him at 100 miles per hour. 10 feet away. Zach concentrated so intently on the oncoming rock that all else faded away, he had no concept of sound, or even sight outside of the fog and missile.

As the came within 4 feet of Slash, all the energy saturated within himself errupted unto the rock sending it hurling in the other directionat 2,3 maybe even 4 to 5 times the speed at which it had orriginally come, The sudden outbreak of pure kinetic energy cleared all the mist away instantaneously. Though this was merely a sliver of what Slash could've done but he forced himself to downgrade slightly as to protect both his padawan, his surroundings and himself.

The rock, now going atleast 400 miles per hour back towards his padawan sailed right between the boys small and still developing montrels and smashing into an oak tree right behind him and lodging itself within the core.

Remember when I said 'There's gret pottential for you'? This is what I meant. Zach said as he neared his padawan once again as it became brutally cold. The rain had stopped, but the temperature still must've been in the 50's.

Now, I was very suprised at how you managed to niot only lift the stone for more than a few seconds, but also hurl it towards me with extreme accuracy. Slash said as he passed his padawan to remove the stone from the tree. Eventually, but not yet, you'll be able to conjure up enough energy to unleash a wave of the force like that. I learned how to do it before I was even knighted! He said as he reached the padawan once again. The key however is not to master one of these aspects and not the other : The force and use of a Lightsaber; but to use and learn them side by side with out sacrificing one for the other. If you do this, you will succeed. Slash said as he once again turned back to his padawan.

When I was a padawan abck on Yanibar, my master often conducted training exercises like the next one here. The strain of using such a large ammount of energy left him nearly depleted of it. His lumbar muscles ached profuesly but he kept going and showed no sign of his weakness. Now we're going to turn the tables, this time I will be the one throwing the rock at YOU. You'll be wearing this with the blast shield down. He said as he took out yet another item from the bushes, a blast helmet specially designed for Torgutas or possibly even a Twi'ilek. He found a few other stones of roughly the same size from the surrounding area. Dont worry though, Im not gonna use the force this time. He assured him. When you can sense the oncoming stones I want you to smack them away with your lightsaber BEFORE they hit you.

[Cirith An'Gol]

Tey Shaak ducked into a crouch instinctively in response to a sense of danger from the force.
A second later something smacked into the Oak tree that was standing behind Tey, who looked back in confusion. Zach stepped nearer to Tey Shaak and praised his control in lifting the rock and his accuracy with his throw with the force, before continuing past Tey to dislodge the rock from the tree. Next Zach began to speak of the power he thought Tey could acheive, as well as explain a little more about himself. Then he began to speak of yet another excercise, Tey was kind of dissapointed but, made no show of it. After Zach explained the next excercise Tey began to feel a little more excited, he was to smack the stones away with his lightsaber before they hit him. Tey simply nodded and said "Ready when you are Master" while walking up and taking the blast helmet from Zach and placing it on his head. Then he walked twelve paces backwards and stopped, activating his lightsaber he waited for the first rock to be thrown. I wonder if he has a thing for rocks?[/i] Tey thought with a grin on his face as he dropped into the Shii-Cho backhanded stance.

Tey didn't expect any problems with the excercise but, knew to keep on feet as well. The Togruta wasn't sure if Zach had a pension for making things interesting or not but, readied himself mentally all the same. The first rock hurtled at him at a speed that surprised Tey, but none-the-less the Lightsaber in Tey's hand moved to block the stone successfully, making the two halves of the rock spin to either side of him. Another flew at Tey and again he swatted it into two halves with measured movements from his arm letting the force and his senses control his reflexes and movements. After a few moments Tey stood fully upright but, kept his lightsaber angled in the Shii-Cho style.
Tey felt over confidence rise in his chest and pushed it down to a manangeable level. He was certain that Zach had a surprise in store for him, deflecting rocks was pretty easy compared to alot of things. Tey stretched out his senses in an effort to sense what his new Jedi Master might do next.