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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 4, 2010 19:43:00 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 4, 2010 19:43:00 GMT -5
Locke listened quietly as Jazen told him of the things that were on his mind. The visions, or flashbacks, perhaps were a bit surprising; Locke wasn't quite sure how to tackle that matter in particular. There was more, though, and Jazen revealed something Locke could deal with. In fact, though he knew it might have been the cause of a good deal of stress on Jazen's part, Locke couldn't help but smile a bit.
See, Locke was young, but Jazen was younger. The young man was still growing, and, as all do, was in that phase of life where the hormones got moving and the body's biological needs grew stronger. Now, this could be an odd thing for a Jedi; they shunned personal attachment, which, as Jazen could more than likely testify was, something that the mind and body longed for. Not that those feelings ever really went away, as Locke sometimes found himself having certain... thoughts about some of the Order's female members. But he'd learned to deal with them. It was something that had to be done.
A light sigh broke through his lips as he stood up, moving over to stand so that he was looking into the stream. "You want her." He said it simply. Matter-of-factly. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Jazen, and when he did, Master Locke was gone for a moment, replaced by the part of him that thought of Jazen more as a younger brother than as a student. "You're young, kid. Say what you will about me being an 'old man,' but I'm not much older than you are, you know." Locke turned around fully now, and sat down on a rounded rock that rested near the water's edge. Golden rays of sunlight illuminated them as the sun continued its climb up into the sky, steadily burning the mist away as it did so.
"I was in your shoes not too long ago. It's strange isn't it? We teach ourselves to shy away from attatchments and things of the like, but bam! We get into our teens and our bodies go all screwy on us." Locke's laugh was light-hearted, and his eyes warm as he looked at Jazen. "But I remember how it was. See, there was this girl. She was the padawan of a friend of my Master. She was beautiful." There was a moment of silence as he closed his eyes, and the image of that girl was before him for one fleeting moment. He sighed wistfully as his eyes opened again and kept going. "And so I, being the young, hormone driven man that I was thought that I could woo her. I'd keep it a secret. Our masters would never know. After all, I wanted her, so clearly she had to want me. I was let down, of course. Oh, she liked me well enough, but not in the same way I liked her, if you know what I mean. She was very nice about everything--even told me she thought I was funny, though I can't imagine why--and we both continued along our separate paths. I was crestfallen, though." He looked down at the grass to gather his thoughts for a few moments.
"Rejection's a painful thing, kid. Trust me on that. And, as my Master asked me, what might have happened if she didn't say no? Perhaps we would have continued along, being the perfect couple I always thought we would be. And then our Masters would step in, and break it up. Don't you think we'd feel a bit of resentment? Who are they to interfere in what we have going, right? Well, that resentment would stay there within us, and as he grew older, we might decide to try it again. Maybe we'd hide it better this time. Or wait until we're Knighted so our Masters can't get in the way. And let's say, for the sake of story, that none of the other Jedi got in our way, and our love grew to be deep and strong." Locke's eyes never left Jazen's as he talked. His tone was conversational, though it was obviously a sort of lecture, if a much less severe one than what Jazen had been getting recently. It was something he genuinely wanted to share with Jazen, if not because it was his duty, then because it was a lesson that the young man needed to learn.
"We'd continue along, until one day, something happened to one of us. What would one of us feel if the other was killed? Taken captive? Turned? I'm sure you gathered already that it was not at all easy for me when you ran off to Naboo, and you came out of that alright. What if you'd been killed? Can you imagine how I might have felt? Now, take that and apply it to someone that you love. There's a bond between us as master and student yes, but the bond between lovers is an entirely different animal. You are my student. I will do everything in my power, up to giving my life to protect you, but there's something more to people that have a deep love for each other." He pulled his canteen over to him with a tug of the Force and drank deeply, and then began again. "I mean, think about it. This is someone you've courted, someone your heart beats for, someone you may have even become one with, gone. Can you imagine the hurt? The pain?" His dark brown hair swayed gently around his shoulders as he shook his head. "Or, what if the love in one of us faded away, while the other continued to burn? There are so many things that could go wrong with a relationship between lovers, kid. Many of them can plant the seeds that lead to a fall to the Dark Side. Almost all of them are painful.
"That's why you can't let it grow. I don't know how strong your feelings that come up when you think of Talau are, but you've got to reign them in. It's for your own good."
Silence fell, as Locke thought he was through. Then he remembered he'd forgotten about the visions Jazen mentioned. "Oh, and I'm not entirely sure what to say about the visions, to be honest. All that I can think of for the time being is that you should keep track of them, and if they turn out to be something more, we'll deal with it, or seek the aid of someone wiser than we are."
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Jun 5, 2010 13:06:23 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 5, 2010 13:06:23 GMT -5
The first three words out of Locke's mouth drilled into Jazen like a laser, burning through every layer of his flesh to pound like a rocket into his heart. You want her. Somewhere in Jazen's mind, that simple statement was met with a chorus of cheering in agreement. The rest of his brain was trying to figure out what that meant. He followed Locke with his eyes as he changed his location, the peeling of the mist allowing him a much better look at his surroundings and his teacher as well. In a way, the mist being peeled away by the sun was like how his inner shell was being peeled away by the events of late. And once that last wisp of the mist was burned away, then everything it had hid would be brought to light. This was just the first step.
Like a good pupil....like a good friend, Jazen listened to Locke's story about his own experiences with this kind of situation. The first part was rather much like Jazen's current situation, with a few key differences. The first was that everything before the temple was a black void in Jazen's mind, so whether or not he cared or loved anyone before that was lost. As such, he didn't have a feeling to compare this recent one too. He didn't know what love felt like. And having been brought up to shun those kind of things made sure that he never had an encounter with this matter before. These things made it much more difficult for Jazen to understand the feelings he was having. Locke at least had the benefit of remembering his family, of remembering how he had loved them like only family members could. Of course, Locke always evaded that topic; in fact, he generally despised going anywhere near it. Perhaps he had a bad memory stemming for it. Still, it was something he had to base his feelings on.
Jazen mulled over the story as it went on, comparing the questions Locke asked to his problem. What would happen if he asked Talau about it? He didn't understand enough about this feeling to say that he "loved" her, or to go and declare that he wanted her. But if this was indeed the problem that plagued him, then they were questions he had to ask. True, they might not never be answered, especially if what happened to Locke happened to him as well. If they wanted to become one being, how would they go about it without alerting the Jedi Council? Would they leave the Order instead, going to a place where they could openly care for each other? What if he lost her, like he had almost Locke several times? Locke was only a friend and a teacher and that had almost torn him apart. No, he had to stop thinking about the future. He didn't understand this thing called love, needed more time to figure it out. And he didn't even know if Talau shared this feeling, especially since she had only just met him and was at least seven years his senior. Perhaps he should ask her about it when he returned from this training mission. It seemed to be more of a question she should be answering. The thought of this, and of her, send nervous chills down his spine. But were the chills from the thought of meeting her again? Or were they because he feared the outcome of that meeting.
Something from inside him whispered, a careful and subtle voice, so subtle that Jazen didn't even know that he had heard it. But it stroked the side of him that created fear and anger from this situation, making him think the negative. Maybe Locke was telling him to stay away because he simply wanted Talau himself. Perhaps all this was just to make him shore away from learning something that could make him stronger. And maybe Talau didn't share the same thoughts about him..but he could make her. He would make her. And if he wanted to go someplace with her that they could freely express their feelings....the Sith had no qualms about attachments. NO! He couldn't think that. He was a Jedi, a member of the light. His mind had to be free of these sort of questions, for a Jedi shouldn't be having them. Forcefully, he slammed that whisper away, cutting off any path it could take to reach her ears. It wasn't going to sway his thoughts anymore. For today at least.
He would talk to Talau when they got back though. He had to find the answer to this problem quickly before it grew too large for him to solve fast. Before it was so large that his darkness could latch onto it and hide in a dozen places within it. What answer that meeting yielded Jazen could not know. But he would deal with it when that time came. And even if he couldn't care for her in the way Locke had been telling him about, he could still care for her like he cared for his master. Like a friend. While he was at it, perhaps Talau could help him with the visions. She had already shown that she could walk within her own. Maybe, just maybe, she could help him walk in his or at least, find a way to gain a clearer picture of them. Jazen grinned briefly to his master, bowing his head in response to Locke's words. He knew now what he wanted to practice next, an idea that had been brewing for a while. He might not be able to have Talau, but he could still protect her. Protect Locke. To protect himself and others. And there was one style that would allow him to do that.
"I'm not sure what I feel or think about Talau. It's something I'm not used to. But your story and words of wisdom have given me a lot to think about and paths to this problem's solution. I can only hope I choose the right one. But enough of my mental pains. We should get back to training. In fact, I've already thought much about what else I want to learn.
You see, I've noticed something about using Ataru. It works well while fighting a single enemy, but it requires a large space to fight in. It's also physically demanding and while I'm not having a problem covering that area, it doesn't bold well for long battles. Nor does it help when I have to defend another person, or a score of innocents. The Jedi are symbols of peace and justice. Symbols of protection. If we can't perform that duty, we are no better than those who would flee in the face of danger even when someone requires aid. There is one style that I've read about. A style that puts defense over offense. One that would be the perfect counter to my Ataru, giving me an answer to any situation I can think of at the moment. Master....I wish to learn Soresu.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 6, 2010 21:55:16 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 6, 2010 21:55:16 GMT -5
"Yes, well, you know I'm always here if you need to talk, Jazen," Locke said when Jazen finished speaking. There was a sort of cloudiness to Jazen; his thoughts were troubled, though Locke did not know what over. Talau, more than likely. And that will probably end up being another difficult patch on an already difficult road, he thought, standing to his feet. I really hope I have what it takes to see him through all of this. Sometimes, he still wondered what could possibly have possessed him to take on a student. The dice were already out of his hand, though, bouncing across fate's table. Turning back ceased to be an option the moment he stepped into that little room in the Temple with Jazen.
Jazen's current request was one he had no problem dealing with though. With a grin on his face, he started toward Jazen, unclipping his saber from his belt as he moved. "Yes, I've been intending to teach you some things about Soresu, kid. You're right, Ataru's a great form and all but there are a number of limitations to it. Limitations that could, potentially, be very difficult-if not impossible to overcome." Locke wasn't a fan of Ataru, personally. It worked, but all of the jumping and flipping seemed a bit silly to him. To each their own, though. A thought made a smile split his face as he came to a halt a few paces in front of his apprentice. "And I'd just hate to see you go flipping over the edge of some chasm to your imminent demise, kid. That's not the way to go out.
"But of course, you'll need something to fall back on when you can't use Ataru, or even when you find yourself being pressed to defend, because Ataru is not a defense-oriented form. Soresu's a good form for that." Locke's yellow-orange saber flared to life and he held his blade up in front of him, though it wasn't in any particular stance. "It's a form that relies on patience. It relies on focus, it relies on endurance. If you become impatient, if you allow your focus to slip, if you move so recklessly that you tire yourself out," Locke suddenly moved his saber, in a stroke that left the tip hovering a few inches away from Jazen's chest, over his heart, "you're through."
Locke's saber withdrew, and he settled into a stance. Orange light lit his body, as his saber was held very near to him, in a position where he could easily move to intercept whatever strikes he might need to. "This is Soresu's ready stance. Take it, and we'll get to work."
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Jun 6, 2010 22:23:10 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 6, 2010 22:23:10 GMT -5
"I know Master. You can trust me when I say that any future problems I may have you will know of immediately."
The connection the two of them shared with each other in the Force gave them both the ability to read the others emotions and turmoil fairly well. It was useful and a burden at the same time. When they needed to be connected in mind and movement, the link was extremely useful. But when one of them didn't want their concerns or faults to be felt, the link was a pain in the behind. Jazen wasn't sure if Locke had felt the inner turmoil he had just experienced, or sensed the darkness behind those thoughts. But he felt the doubt his master felt about himself, no doubt stemming from his uncertainty about how well he was handling Jazen. He was not at fault though; Jazen's problems were something that only he was responsible for. Locke could assist him with words, perhaps even some physical aid at times. But the solution to those problems lay with him. Still, he could do Locke something in return. By being the best student he could be.
He listened to Locke talk about Jazen's choice to learn Soresu, joyed that he agreed with Jazen's ideas on the matter. That joy soared higher when Locke himself made a sudden and swift move, pointing his saber inches fro Jazen's chest. He knew Locke wouldn't harm him, so he stood his ground, watching intently to follow Locke's lead. The stab had been fast and precise, no waste to the movement at all. If that was the intent of Soresu's moves, Jazen was impressed. Jazen waited till Locke had stepped back and took a stance, motioning for Jazen to copy the stance as well. Snapping his blue saber to life, Jazen brought it in close, copying his master's stance to a tee. With a smile, he indicated he was ready.
"With any luck, I'll prove to you that taking an apprentice was not a mistake. I'm eager to see and learn Soresu first hand. And I do hope you won't pull any punches."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 7, 2010 13:45:36 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 7, 2010 13:45:36 GMT -5
A smile tugged at Locke's face when Jazen told him he'd prove his apprenticeship was not a mistake. Maybe he knew of Locke's insecurities, then; their bond probably made sure of that, to some degree. Even though Locke had no real way of knowing if Jazen felt the turmoil within him, his words meant a lot. And I'll be the best teacher for you that I can, kid. To start, he'd get on with the current lesson.
"Well, let's see your stance first." Locke came out of his ready stance and walked the few paces over to Jazen. For a first time, it wasn't half bad. Jazen did a good job of copying the stance, from only having the image of Locke doing it to work with. "Good, good." There were a few minor corrections that needed to be made; Locke moved Jazen's elbow in closer just a tad, told him to shift his leading leg a bit, but other than those little things, he was fine. Then again, the little things were what often lead to defeat in a fight.
With a satisfied nod, Locke moved back to stand about ten feet away from Jazen. "Now, Soresu is a defensive form, as you know. It focuses on waiting, biding your time until you can spot an opening in your opponent's defenses." The Knight was in his stance once more, fending off attacks from an imaginary foe as he spoke, using small, precise motions to expend as little energy as possible. Without warning, a parry suddenly turned into a strike, one that was lightning-quick and would have taken off his invisible foe's hand. "Then you strike. But you must be patient. If you aren't you might end up with a lightsaber sticking into your gut, or a bolt of plasma melting into your flesh." A wry grin grew on his face for a moment. "Neither of those feel good. Trust me on that." Not that Jazen didn't already know that; he'd felt the burn of a lightsaber before.
"Do you remember what I told you when we were still on the way to Umgul? That you must be the eye of the proverbial storm, unmoved my what's going on? That is how you'd sum up Soresu, if you had to. Serenity. Patience. Focus. You'll hear things like that a lot as we go through this form, so get used to it. Now," Locke shifted just a bit, resetting his stance, "come at me, and I'll show you how this form works in action."
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Jun 7, 2010 20:46:10 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 7, 2010 20:46:10 GMT -5
Jazen held his form as Locke traversed around him, inspecting the Soresu stance Jazen had taken. He had done his best to mirror what he could see in front of him, but he knew there would be things he hadn't copied perfectly. Mostly these things were obstructed from his sight when he had analyzed Locke's stance. Still, the mistakes were few and minor and Locke had Jazen in the basic Soresu stance in no time. Jazen committed to memory the position his body was in, remembering how his body felt while he stood in it. He would have to go over the stance a thousand times in his head and in practice before he was sure he could perform it at a moment's notice, but for now, he was pretty sure he could keep the form for the training.
Jazen broke the stance when Locke went about explaining more of Soresu, hanging on every one of his Master's words. The thought of having to let his enemy come to him made Jazen groan internally, but he suspected that when he asked to be trained in the style. It was a defensive style after all. True, there probably were ways he could adapt it to perform offense and defense, but that would be something he would do on his own time back at the Temple or the Blades base. His eyes followed the lines traced in the air by Locke's saber as he demonstrated the kind of movements he would have to use. Using a small part of his imagination, Jazen placed that imaginary opponent Locke was dueling in his eyes, allowing him to get a fairly decent idea of the style's strong points.
It had speed, that was for sure. Locke was able to switch from one defensive block to another with just a simple flick of his wrist or twist of his hand. And he didn't have to go far to go from say an overhead block to a horizontal block either. Speed wasn't its only advantage. There didn't appear to be any opening's one could exploit in that defensive screen, meaning it would take a skilled or powerful opponent to break through it. And despite the amount of moves Locke was showing off, he didn't even seem tired. Of course, that made sense; small little moves didn't drain your reserves as fast as large, hammering ones. Jazen knew he had chosen the right style to compliment his Ataru, at least in his opinion. A warmth of joy swelled in his chest at the thought of finding ways to merge the two styles, maybe even adding in Shii-Cho as well. The possibilities he could work with were endless.
He had briefly gotten lost in his train of thinking, but he quickly found where Locke was going with the conversation and continued to follow it. The mention of Umgul made Jazen wince, briefly letting his mind wander back to the pain he felt during that mission. But he pushed it aside, knowing that kind of worry would make finding that calm Locke spoke of much harder. Besides, there was something he could take from that ill fated mission. The amount of pain he had felt that die would be hard to match and Jazen vowed not to break to anything less than greater then that pain. Returning his mind to the here and now, Jazen eyed his Master as Locke told him to attack. As he'd learned from Talau, the more time he took to make a move, the more time Locke had time to prepare for it. So Jazen didn't wait to decide on a course of action. He brought his saber to bear on Locke, moving to use a basic Shii-Cho downstrike, which would be followed by two quick slashes; one from Jazen's right and the other from his left, coming from the lower diagonal. He figured this would be the best way to test the style without overexerting himself.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 8, 2010 20:34:17 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 8, 2010 20:34:17 GMT -5
A heartbeat passed, and Jazen was moving toward Locke, as he'd been instructed. Locke focused himself, clearing his thoughts as he watched Jazen come in. Ten feet. Eight feet. Six feet. Locke's face remained placid and his blade close as he shifted his back leg just a hair... Four feet. And then Jazen was on him. To an outsider, it might look like Locke wasn't going to react to Jazen's strike, or that if he was, he'd react far too late. Hesitation was not what stayed Locke's blade though; the Knight was quite aware of the burning beam of plasma--which would still hurt, even set to training mode as it was--closing in on him. Timing was crucial in every fight, and even more so with Form III. Just one half a blink more...
The orange blade flicked up, catching Jazen's overhead strike and parrying it, rather than blocking, so that Jazen's downward momentum carried him onwards, leaving room for a counterattack, should Locke decide to do that. He didn't though, and Jazen's attack continued, with two slashes. Locke stopped the first one mere inches away from his side, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, caught the second. Then his training in Makashi switched in, and he took control of Jazen's blade with his own, sweeping into a circular parry that would leave Jazen open only for a heartbeat. And it that heartbeat, he continued the motion forward, into a thrust that, once again, left the tip of his blade hovering over Jazen's chest.
"Now, Soresu is a form that's very easy to merge with most of the other forms. As you saw, it's pretty easy to go from it to Makashi, and vice-versa." He sighed and let his saber's blade fade away as his arm fell back to his side. "However, Ataru, given its extremely offensive nature and near-constant bounding around, doesn't mesh will with Soresu. Neither does Juyo, but neither of us are even near the point of being ready to start learning that form. However, Soresu on its own is still a potent tool."
Locke felt a bit odd, talking so extensively about Soresu. Most of it was things he'd learned from his master, who was a master of both Soresu and Makashi, the two forms he practiced, but there were some things in there he'd learned on his own. It was a strange thing, considering that he still had a great deal to learn on Soresu; he was much less proficient in it than, say, Makashi, which, with a little bit more time, he would be considered a master of. Locke knew enough, though. Enough that he'd taken it as his form of choice when using both his pistol and saber simultaneously, and certainly enough to teach Jazen. Still, being a teacher felt weird at times, when he considered how much there still was for him to learn.
"Now," he said as he let his blade come alive once more, "I'm going to attack you. Remember, quick movements, blade kept in tight, and above all else, focus." He allowed a few seconds for Jazen to take his stance, and then he struck out, starting with a simple horizontal strike at Jazen's thigh. He continued on with another simple strike, this time an downward stroke toward the boy's shoulder. The last strike was a bit more complex, though. It was one that was intended to test Jazen's focus, along with his reactions. It started as a thrust straight out, toward Jazen's heart, but at the last moment it shifted, and turned into a swipe at the kid's saber arm.
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Jun 8, 2010 22:35:57 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 8, 2010 22:35:57 GMT -5
Jazen had to give Locke credit for one thing; he knew how to make Jazen worry. As Jazen had closed the relatively short distance between them to attack him, Locke had remained completely still. Even as the blade came down in those final few steps, Locke did not budge or even motion to counter. Jazen almost stopped his attack for the slight fear of actually hitting him. But Locke's eyes met his and Jazen saw the calm behind them. And the fierce determination. Any doubts Jazen had were silenced in that instant, which left him enough time to continue with his attack with the same strength he had initially planned to. The difference between attacking with everything one had and attacking with a half hearted move would show in any true fight. Unfortunately, it made no difference in this one expect to show Jazen's spirit.
Locke caught the first strike, letting his saber guide Jazen's so that it slid off harmlessly to the side. It made the transition to the next strike much easier, but Jazen saw the danger in that counter. For just a second, he was left completely open to a counter strike. Locke didn't take advantage of it though, leaving Jazen to continue his next two moves in quick succession. And like Locke had shown and told him, he countered the two strikes with simple, yet effective snaps of his wrists. Locke chose that moment to strike, shifting Jazen's blade to the side so that he could thrust his orange blade at Jazen's chest, leaving it hanging inches from it once again. Jazen froze, both annoyed that he had left himself open again and impressed with the skill Locke had used against him. He retracted it a moment later, switching his blade off as he did. Jazen sighed and dropped his own blade, killing the blue light it emitted.
He listened to Locke's explanation once again, twitching his eye at the comment about how Ataru and Soresu did not mix well. Cocking an eyebrow, Jazen said nothing. Yet already his mind was running through several ideas he had about that, picturing them in his mind's eye. He was also figuring out the timing he would need to flow from Ataru to Soresu and vice versa with ease, creating a well oiled machine out of the change. It would surely be something to keep him busy on top of his already extensive free time killers.
His mind came back to the here and now at the sound of Locke's saber bursting to life once again. Nodding in acknowledgment to Locke's order, Jazen snapped his blue blade to life, then took the stance he had just learned. Something felt off, but it was exactly the way Locke had shown him. The world around him came to life as Jazen reached out with the Force, then narrowed as he turned most of that focus on Locke. He left a small simmering of the Force around him, an early warning system for anything else that might enter its touch. Pointless here, when only Locke was his worry, but there was no harm in practicing it anyway. Locke came in swift, using the same speed he had been using during their "real" practice. Jazen's eyes had adjusted to follow enough of his movement. The first blow, a strike towards his thigh, was met with Jazen's blade as he slid his blade diagonally to catch the strike. From that position, it was easy to move into the counter for the strike at his shoulder, simply twisting his wrists so that he blade was horizontal to block it.
The last strike was a much better one, one Jazen could see was intended to test him. Locke's blade snapped towards him, like a viper lunging at its prey, its fangs ready to sink into flesh. The viper suddenly became a whip, snapping from its pre-determined course to swipe at Jazen's saber arm. Although Jazen had been expecting something along those lines, the speed and sudden change beat his reaction for a brief moment. Gripping his blade firmly with his left hand, he slapped the blow aside, using his own blade to increase its momentum while driving it away from his body. The blade skimmed his body as it passed, sending a small jolt of pain through Jazen from its touch, but he held his eyes on Locke. Even though he didn't intend to do what he did next, he let the Force guide his move to perform it anyway. Using the Force, Jazen called the still swinging saber in his left hand to his right and the thrust the hilt towards Locke's face, spotting it inches from it. The blade was off, but Locke would see how close it could have been. Still, Jazen cursed himself for that last block, for it had been a wide block and there was a brief margin of time there a skilled opponent could have used to strike his unguarded side. Plus, he had been hit, even if it was only a small glance from a training saber. But, looking at it again, Jazen had caused the opening he had used to put his hilt in Locke's face and that at least was what Soresu was intended for. To force a foe into leaving themselves open for a counter or by sliding them into a position he could use to strike. Gulping, he waited for Locke to continue with the lesson.
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Jun 9, 2010 17:18:18 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 9, 2010 17:18:18 GMT -5
As his brief set of attacks began, Locke allowed his mind to shift, just a bit, to the more analytical mindset of a teacher, rather than the one of trying to push Jazen to the edge of his ability. There was, to be sure, a line between pushing and just being cruel, especially when Jazen knew, more or less, nothing of the form in question. Pushing would come down the line, but for the time being, he'd have to build a base for Jazen to work on; a house on a poor foundation was a poor house, and Locke did not intend to have Jazen's house come crashing down around him when he needed it most.
The first defense was good. Jazen caught the strike at his leg, rendering it useless. The second wasn't bad either, as Jazen flicked his weapon up horizontally to catch the attack that was aimed at his shoulder. But those were simple strikes. Easy to follow, easy to defend against. The feint would test Jazen's mettle, though. It was about as simple as one could be when it came to feinting, but after stopping two simple attacks, it might have been all that it took to slip through Jazen's defense. Now, to be fair, Locke was expecting Jazen to do something odd, but he wasn't quite prepared for what it was he did.
Jazen stopped the blow, yes. However, the wince as the tip of Locke's saber bit out at him didn't go unnoticed. Locke noted it, storing it away in his mind for later use. Were their sabers on actual combat settings, that might have been enough to force a mistake in Jazen that could be capitalized upon; training sabers hurt, to be sure, but a real weapon was something else entirely. Locke could attest to that himself. Anyway, despite the lateness of his defense, Jazen managed to keep Locke's blade from doing anymore damage. Though, the block itself had been big, and clumsy. Expected, given Jazen's lack of experience, yes, and something that could be worked out over time, but it was big none the less.
Then Jazen acted, and attacked. He moved his blade from his right hand to his left with a tug of the Force, which, of course, freed up Locke's weapon. That was a mistake. Jazen thrust out with his hand, bringing his now-inactive saber to stare Locke in the face; it was a movement that brought both of them to halt. Locke's mind was turning over the exchange; Jazen, was no doubt, waiting to hear what Locke said.
Jazen's tactic was... interesting, to say the least. Perhaps, were he fighting against someone with less skill or somewhere on a level near him, it might have worked. And Locke would not deny that the amount of practice they had against each other gave Jazen a bit more room to work, since they knew each other well; however, Locke was still the decidedly better duelist, as one might expect, with the years more experience he had. Jazen was being risky, which was not what Soresu was about.
"Interesting tactic, kid," Locke said, moving his hand up to take Jazen's saber down and away from his face. He straightened, but his own orange blade did not die away. "It might work, but there were a couple of things that were wrong with it. First of all, your block was huge. It was clumsy. The first two you did weren't bad, but if you want to go down this path, you'll have to work on keeping your movements crisp and tight. Because if I know all it takes is a feint to get you to screw up," he suddenly struck out, making a feint at Jazen's shoulder that led into another feint toward his neck before finally ending with the true strike, which stopped near Jazen's side, "then that's all I have to do. While you're swinging your weapon off to Corellia, you've left me a path to get at you. Don't even get me started on what people that use trakata could do to you." A smile touched at his face then, as he remembered his own lessons at Soresu when he'd still been learning with his master. "That's something that'll have to be worked at with time, though.
"As for your little counter, though... It was risky, to say the least. Remember, you want to wait for an opening, but you don't want to take one at the expense of creating one that can be used against you. You can be quick, I'll give you that, but you're not that quick. Not yet. I've dodged enough of your blows for you to know that I can do it consistently. It's something I like to do; certainly better than using energy to block a strike, especially against someone that's stronger than I am." He gave Jazen a meaningful look, one that he hoped would convey what he was getting it out without having to spell it out for the boy. Locke was faster than Jazen. Locke was faster than a good deal of people. If he'd decided to evade the thrust, then he would have been in an even better position against an already open Jazen. A quick duck, or step to the side would have been all that it would take; a slash with his freed blade would have been all that would be needed to put an end to Jazen. "Don't be so eager to counter. You'll know when the time is right, but until then, you've got to be patient. However, if I have enough time to get a hit in on you while you're busy trying to hit me, don't do it. Now let's keep moving."
There was barely half a second between him finishing that and his renewed attack. Once again, his mind shifted to a mode where he could watch Jazen, without yet worrying about trying to force the kid into making an error. Again, he started with a simple stroke: a quick lick with the tip of his blade at Jazen's side. Then his blade arced gracefully upward, over and around Jazen's head to come down at his left shoulder, before it's course suddenly shifted, into a dive at his knee. Locke added one more element to the feint this time, though; the instant his blade changed, he shifted, stepping forward and to his right, which would bring him much more toward Jazen's side, and change the angle his blade struck out from in the process.
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Jazen
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Jun 11, 2010 23:56:22 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 11, 2010 23:56:22 GMT -5
When Locke pushed the hilt away from his face, Jazen calmly took a few steps back from his Master. It was a respectful move, allowing Locke enough space to speak and motion freely. But it also gave Jazen enough space to prepare a counter if Locke shot back into the Soresu lesson the hard way. And he knew Locke loved to throw those surprises. His still humming blade backed up that thought.
Jazen listened intently as Locke summarized their most recent exchange. Like Jazen thought, his first two blocks had been exactly what Locke had wanted. They had been swift and simple, yet they effectively disarmed the threat Locke's blade had presented. And Jazen could have easily shifted his saber to block just about any attack Locke had thrown at him. That's exactly what Soresu called for. But Jazen had let the flow of the battle get the better of him, rekindled the aggressive nature of Jazen's normal style. If he had kept his head calm, had aimed to simply deflect that attack again like the first two strikes, he probably would have pleased Locke. Instead, he had gone for the counter and like Locke had said, he hadn't considered all the information. Had they actually been trying to each other...they probably would both have ended up dead. Or if Locke's prediction about the outcome came true, then Jazen would be the only one lying in the dirt. A brief surge of embarrassment and anger flooded into Jazen, upset that Locke didn't at least acknowledge that his attack caught him off guard. There was a good chance that he wouldn't have evaded that one.
Then Jazen checked himself and the calm returned. Locke was right, again. They had dueled many times and Locke could dodge Jazen just as effectively as he could block him. Only Talau had proven to be better at dodging him outright. He should have factored in that data before attempting the counter. In fact, he shouldn't have tried for it. Jazen bowed his head to Locke to show he agreed with his Master's words, already running the spar again in his mind to find the way he should have handled it. The anticipation built up again, like a thick goo seeping through his body. He was about to ask Locke to continue the physical training.....when Locke sprung into action.
Jazen's blade snapped back to life and he rose his blade into the Soresu stance. He barely had time to properly set it up before he had to perform the first counter. Jazen's eyes followed Locke's blade as it came at his side and he calmly drifted his arms down. He could have performed an overheard block, bringing his arms over his head and pointed the blade down. But not only did he not have time for that, it would be big...and clumsy. So he went for the simplest thing he could do. As his arms lowered, he tilted his saber towards the incoming attack, catching the blade a fair distance from his body. Locke shifted quickly from that attack, swooping his blade up to come down on his shoulder. Jazen rose his blade up to catch it, tilting it the opposite way to match the angle. The blade suddenly shifted, swooping low to come at his knee. And for once, Jazen had planned ahead. He let his arms momentum continue to carry them, shifting his blade's direction to catch the strike now coming at his knee. Locke's step in was something he could handle as well, countering it simply by taking a step back to steady his stance. Their blades smashed into one another, hissing as they held one another at bay. Jazen let out a breath he had been holding back.
"I think that's what you've been trying to teach me. Am I right?"
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 15, 2010 19:21:54 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 15, 2010 19:21:54 GMT -5
"Yes, yes, that's more like it," said Locke, with an approving nod. "A bit sloppy, but that's to be expected with new forms. Those kinks can be ironed out in time." He killed the blade of his saber and disengaged away from Jazen, moving back to the point where he was out of the striking distance of either one of them. "Soresu's a good form. A frustrating one at times, but a good one. If you can manage to get the patience and the serenity down, then you'll do just fine.
"However, it would be incredibly foolish--and a disservice to you--if I focused on nothing but the blade-to-blade aspects of Form III." One of the bags that the pair brought out with them shifted, influenced by invisible hands of the Force. It rose up gently, and sailed gently through the air to land before Locke's feet with a small puff of dust. "Soresu's also an extremely potent form against blaster-wielding foes, as you might imagine. It should work well to fill in that hole that Ataru leaves open."
After digging around in the bag for a moment, Locke found what he was looking for: two remotes. A few button presses had them floating in the air, and then Locke looked up at Jazen. "The point of this is simple, and should be evident enough. He stood to his feet once more, bringing his lightsaber to life once more. Blaster fire erupted from both of the remotes, burning through the air toward Locke. Each of the shots met Locke's blade in turn, which darted around quickly to meet them. Though they all flew back off in slightly different directions, one thing bound them all together: they were all sent almost right back at the remotes themselves. "It's a sort of offense through defense," he said calmly as he continued to work his lightsaber, batting the shots away before they could do him harm. "While I cannot strike out at them with my lightsaber without taking a hit," the motion of his defense shifted just a bit, enough to change the angle two of the bolts were deflected at enough to send them into the two remotes "I can turn their own attacks against them. You'd be amazed the looks random thugs'll give you when you take down one of their compadres like that."
Locke gave his lightsaber a twirl and deactivated it at the same time before hooking it once more onto his belt. He walked up to the remotes, which went back into standby mode when they'd been hit by their own blasts, and with a tap of a button, set them to be ready again. "So, ready to give it a shot?"
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Jazen
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Jun 16, 2010 1:49:22 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 16, 2010 1:49:22 GMT -5
Jazen grinned in response to Locke's praise. He grinned not only in response to Locke's praise, but also to the knowledge that he had done exactly what he had to do. Like Locke said, it was far from perfect. But the first step along any path was a small one. As time passed, those steps would gradually become larger as one grew more confident in walking that path until one day, they would reach the end. And at the end of the path was, as his Master would say, the holy grail. Mastery.
But Jazen had a long path to tread before he reached that milestone and many different paths could he see forming along that road. All he could do was follow the path he was on and trust in his judgment and the Force to guide him down the safe path. And for now, it pushed him down the path that led to him learning this style. Jazen kept his focus on Locke as the older Jedi called a bag to him, floating the almost weightless bag over to rest at his feet. Jazen frowned for a moment at this. True, Jedi could do the simple tasks most people had to do with their bare hands with their minds instead. Still, Jazen found that doing minor tasks like that with the Force was simply a waste of the power they wielded. He didn't look down on those who did but he himself liked to do more things hands on than with the simple touches of the Force. He tried not to let that little pet peeve show on his face.
Jazen watched as Locke danced with the seeker balls, carefully noting every little move the Jedi Knight made. Since he was essentially trying to learn the correct form for Soresu, every little detail could only be to his gain. Locke's demonstration of the use of Soresu to block blasterfire was another reason Jazen wanted to learn the form. While the Sith were a great threat to them and the galaxy, they were not the only one. Many other foes lurked in the shadows of the Sith, armed with not blades but guns. It was these foes that Jedi most encountered while keeping the peace and by learning Soresu, Jazen would gain a shield against those as well. A shield...and a sword, as Locke's beautiful display against the remotes showed. Jazen watched till its completion, then nodded to show his appreciation. Then he swung his saber to life in front of him.
"Let the droids fly Master."
At his request, the training remotes shot towards him. Each probe took up a place on either side of him, making it impossible to keep both of them in view at once. At least, by traditional standards. Jedi had their own way of seeing what their eyes couldn't. For living things, a Jedi could feel them in the Force, creating a mental image of the being out of their sight. For non living things, however, another way had to be taken. Sometimes feeling a void in a lush world told you something was there. Or the Force would alert them to danger. Seeing as the remotes weren't exactly alive, he would settle for the latter. Taking his stance, Jazen watched two sensors for a moment, wondering which would strike ifrst.
He didn't have to wait long. Small blue bolts leapt from the little bots, the shots coming in short succession. Like Locke had shown him, Jazen caught the first bolt behind him, swinging his lightsaber over his head to deflect it. The second the shot connected, Jazen brought the saber back into the normal stance, catching the second bolt. The small hiss of the droids verniers filled the air as they switched positions and tried again. Seeing that the bots were trying to spread out more, to make it harder for him to catch both attacks with simple moves, Jazen adapted. He moved in turn with them, pivoting off one foot or the other to keep the two probes within a range he could easily block. His moves were short, swift and done with the simplest of motions; a quick twist of his wrist or shift of direction was all that was needed. Jazen didn't know how long it went on for, but the shots became increasing harder to catch as time passed. By the time he was ready to end it, most of the shots were nicking him or getting through entirely. He went from blocking everything to blocking about only half or so of the shots as they probes switched from simple attacks to one's a sentient being might try.
Finally, Jazen silenced the orbs with a wave of his hand, turning the devices into the harmless balls that they were. A degree of sweat had produced itself on Jazen's form, but not as much as he had expected. Nor was it close to the sweat his body produced while he practiced Ataru. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he turned his head to Locke and made a continue motion with his hand, indicating that he wished for Locke to evaluate his performance.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jun 24, 2010 21:08:20 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 24, 2010 21:08:20 GMT -5
"As you wish." The remotes whirred as if on cue, and they moved forward, toward Jazen. They would start out with as simple routine, as Jazen's knowledge of Soresu was rudimentary--not that Locke was anywhere near being a master of the form. Still, starting simple and working up was the way to go, and in doing so, would give Locke a chance to study Jazen's form, noting what he did right and what things might need addressing later on.
Of course, coming in from two different directions might not have been what most considered 'simple,' but for a Jedi, there was the Force, and in its sweet embrace, there was safety. If Jazen could listen to its whispers, to its warnings of impending perils, then he would, in time, come to be able to handle much worse than what the two little droids were starting off with. And his start was a good one; the first two shots found nothing but his lightsaber, and went whizzing off harmlessly in the distance, until they dissipated. Locke nodded; that first little round went well, and Jazen's form looked decent enough. But the real measure wouldn't come at this point, against relatively simple maneuvers.
No, that came as the remotes began to move more, in increasingly advanced patterns that were designed to test both the practitioner's skill and patience. Their movements continued to grow more advanced, their shots more random, mimicking as best they could the actions that might be expected from a sentient foe. And as that happened, Jazen started to falter.
The signs were there before things started to get too out of hand; just a tad too much hesitation before moving his saber here, or over swinging it to the parry there. They were things that could be worked out with time, but, for this lesson, Jazen suffered for his mistakes, as he would if they were out in the field. Things only compounded as the drill went on, and by the time everything was coming to a close, two out of every four shots was making it through in some way or another. Locke couldn't help the small, barely visible smile that drew at the corner of his mouth. No, he wasn't pleased that Jazen was getting hit, but it wasn't so long ago that he'd been in Jazen's shoes. His master started training him with Soresu fairly late into his apprenticeship--when he was about a year or so older than Jazen currently was--and he'd come to know the sting of a stun bolt just as well as a that of a training saber. Hell, I still get hit plenty on some of the more advanced routines, Locke mused with a silent chuckle. But such was the price of learning.
Locke was silent for a few moments when was over, as went over the display in his mind. "It wasn't bad," he finally went on to say. "It was about what I'd expect for a first try. Most of your mistakes simply came from not knowing the form, and that's the sort of thing that can only be worked out by pounding away at it." "He offered Jazen a smile, with a short laugh. "Brought back some memories though. I remember being in that spot, getting hit by stun shots. They weren't fun. No better way to learn it, though, right?" He walked over to Jazen, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You'll do fine with some practice, though kid. You'll do just fine."
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Jazen
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Jun 25, 2010 19:54:27 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 25, 2010 19:54:27 GMT -5
Jazen flicked his lightsaber off as Locke gave his input on how he had fared. Like Jazen had thought, his start had been good, his finish not so much. Of course, this was to be expected. Jazen had only just learned the form; expecting him to be able to deflect attacks that a professional would use was a little much. The spots where the bolts had struck him still hurt, but he was able to ignore that pain. Umgul had showed him just how much punishment his body could take. And he'd yet to find something that could even begin to compare to the pain he'd felt that day. Still, the stun bolts served their purpose; he knew which moves hadn't caught the bolts and where the majority of them were based. He would just have to practice, like Locke suggested. For his future sessions, however, he would aim to try and protect the areas that had been hit more effectively, even if that meant he had to leave others open. As time passed, he'd find the combination of moves and timing to catch the bolts one by one until not one got through.
Jazen rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of what to do next. It wasn't even midday yet, but he was at a loss of what to do next. He actually wanted to practice against the seeker droids a little more but he also wanted to train himself physically and mentally. True, Locke could probably train him as he did so. Two things came to mind at that thought though. One was that he wanted to show Locke improvement by surprise, instead of under his watchful eyes. Meaning he wanted to practice on his own. The other was that Locke himself probably had things he would like to do on his own as well. Jazen mused over this for a moment longer, then chose the path he felt was the best course for the time being.
His eyes wandered over the hills around him, looking for a suitable place. He reached out with the Force and after a few seconds of scanning, found what he was looking for. Not far from where they were, following the streams path, was a collection of trees that encircled a clearing. He felt the life streaming from the trees, their power in the Force. The trees scattered out from the clearing in thick clusters, which was perfect. He would have to see the area for himself to be sure, but from what he felt so far, it would do. He drifted his physical eyes that way and sure enough, he spotted the edge of the forest barely creeping over the hilled landscape. The things he could do there flooded into his thoughts and a smile crept over his face. Turning back to Locke, Jazen called his backpack to him, along with all the items he would need.
"Yes, I'm sure after I get shot more times than can count that I'll start to get the hang of it. So, best to start getting those shots in now rather than later.
If its alright with you Master, I'm going to hike over that way. There's a place there I feel would be good for me to practice the new things I've learned, along with the old things. And I would like to do so on my own, if that's not too much to ask. Not to say that your not helpful; I just would like to train in solitude for a short while. We could meet back here at just before sundown. Is that too much to ask or?"
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jul 15, 2010 11:12:39 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jul 15, 2010 11:12:39 GMT -5
Locke scratched at the stubble that coated his jaw for a few moments as he contemplated Jazen's request. There were still things they needed to cover, but it wouldn't hurt to let Jazen break off for a little while and work on his own. What's more, it would give Locke some time to work on his own, which was something he hadn't had as much time to do since he started training Jazen. And the location Jazen put forth was nearby, where Locke could still be able to keep an eye on him.
"Sure, kid," he finally said. "Be back by evening and we'll have one last push of training before calling it a night, eh? Be sure to take a break to eat something; don't need you passing out in the middle of the day."
Locke watched Jazen's back as the boy went off to the little clearing he'd pointed to. Sometimes really couldn't tell how he felt about the boy. There were times, like now, when he was proud to call Jazen his student, but there were other times when his mind was filled with worry about the boy's future. Worry about the boy's internal struggle.
Time had done well to heal some of the wounds that Umgul made, but they were still there. Jazen's enraged words echoed as loudly now as they did on that day, and even though Locke knew that Jazen hadn't been thinking straight when he said them, there was some part of the young man that believed them. Even if it was only a small part of Jazen, that worried Locke a great deal.
But, as he stood to his feet and walked to sit under one of the great trees that surrounded his own clearing, Locke knew there wasn't much to be done about it. For now, though, he'd worry about the here and now.
Locke sat down, with both legs crossed, running through an exercise that relaxed each of his muscles. And then came the Force, flowing into him like a stream into a lake. With the Force came calmness and clarity, and Locke lost track of time as he slipped into a deep meditative trance.
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The sky was a deep red now, as Locke moved swiftly through the trees. He burst into the clearing, orange blade aglow as he did battle against some imaginary foe. His robes were gone, leaving on only the sleeveless training shirt that he wore underneath. Sweat slicked his entire body, and the veins that normally stood out on his lean, wiry arms, running up his forearms, each bicep and into each shoulder, were even more stark now, with some of the smaller ones that ran off of them clearly visible. Each breath was hard, each movement nearly a struggle as the Knight pushed himself very near to his breaking point.
Once he'd finished his meditating in the afternoon, he'd take a short break to eat and drink some of the water they'd brought with them. And then, after he'd allowed some time for his meal to settle, he'd started his training. It began with a bit of stretching, followed by physical exercise, to keep the body strong. After he did that for a while, he shifted to exercises in the Force, putting his abilities in the various schools to the test and pushing them to their limit.
When both of those were done, he combined them, along with some saber work, and that found him where he was now. He didn't know how many hours he'd been at it, but he was exhausted. His muscles screamed at him in protest, begged for him to stop, but he didn't. He only pushed himself harder. It wasn't something he got to do often, and Locke planned to take full advantage of it.
An imaginary stroke at his legs sent Locke into a graceful backflip. He landed smoothly, using one Force-strengthened arm to push him into another flip that set him down on his feet. With that landing, an extraordinarily powerful blast of the Force ripped out from his hand. It kicked up a trail of dirt and dust as it screamed forward, and toppled some of the thinner trees and shook others when it slammed into the ring that surrounded the clearing. Without pausing, he removed his blaster from its holster in one graceful movement and turned, firing a shot and trusting the Force that it would hit its mark.
It did. There was a tree several yards down the clearing that he'd picked for his target earlier in the day. The red bolt flew through the air and slammed into the dead center of the trunk. A solid hit.
For a few moments, Locke just stood there, shoulders heaving with each deep breath. And then, he relaxed, letting his saber fade away and putting his pistol back into its place. He was tired.
He walked on shaky legs to sit on one of the rocks near the water's edge. That was a good session. I haven't been able to do that in a long time. One of the canteens came to his hand, borne on currents of the Force. Locke drank deeply from it, taking in the cool water like the essence of life itself.
To be honest, today reminded him of the days when he'd been a padawan himself, when his master pushed him farther than he thought he could ever go. But somehow, just like now, he did it, and he grew stronger because of it.
Memories of those days brought a nostalgic smile to his face. Things seemed simpler when he was a padawan, even four short years ago. There wasn't a war to worry about, nor did he ever lose sleep over wondering if the path his own student walked was the right one. But there couldn't be any going back now, and despite all of the hardships that came with being a Knight, Locke wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Speaking of Jazen, he ought to be showing up any time now. Locke looked about, wondering what they'd do once Jazen arrived. Maybe they'd just talk. Or perhaps Jazen would have something in mind, which Locke would more than likely oblige. If he could force himself to stand up again.
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Jazen
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Jul 16, 2010 2:14:50 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jul 16, 2010 2:14:50 GMT -5
Jazen was moving before the words had even left Locke's mouth, giving his Master a curt nod of thanks as he heaved his pack onto his back and sprinted for his intended training ground. Jazen had suspected, no, had known Locke would accept his request. And as such, Jazen had already been ready to make the move the second he heard the words going in his favor. It was at times like this that Jazen was really glad Locke was his Master; how many other teachers would let their students go off to train on their own while they were this far from Coruscant. Not many from what he heard.
The trip to the clearing he was heading for proved to be just what he had hoped it to be. Rough ground combined with rising and falling hills made the trek anything but relaxing. It was physically demanding the whole way...and Jazen loved it. Whenever he was at the temple, Jazen spent a good part of his time studying different cultures and species. He loved learning....but this was just as exciting at times. And as of late, the need for physical training was becoming apparent. Had he been stronger on Umgul, he might have been able to avoid the pain he had suffered that day. Had he been stronger during their trip to Alderaan, then he may have been able to help bring the mission to an end much faster. If not, he might have been able to drag his master from the water with less of a hassle and lasted longer before being exhausted.
Lost in his thoughts, Jazen didn't even notice he'd covered the distance to the surrounded clearing. He snapped back to reality just in time to see the tree he was about to run into. Gasping, Jazen stepped over his right foot with his left and spun, clearing the tree with inches to spare. A bead of sweat slid down his brow and he let out the breath he realized he'd been holding in. He had to stop getting lost in his thoughts; it was gonna get him hurt sooner or later.
Stomping into the middle of the clearing, Jazen put his pack down, digging inside it as he did. He pulled out the remotes Locke had been using, having picked them up before he left. Not wanting to waste time, Jazen clicked the remotes to life and snapped his saber on as he did. The training program from before was already set, so he just clicked it to do what it had done earlier and readied himself. He took up the stance Locke had showed him, twitching his body here and there to try and find the exact position the Soresu stance needed. Truthfully, he had looked into Soresu before this training trip, studying the detailed files within the archives about the form. Today was the first day he'd used it physically.
That was all the time he had to think, as the remotes sprung to life. His mind instantly switched from general thought to battle instinct, his eyes watching the probes as they circled him, letting lose their little burning bolts. As Locke had taught him, Jazen tried to keep his motions short and swift, moving from one block to another with the smallest gesture of movement. Like before, the simple routines were easy to counter, allowing him to get the hand of the stance and fall into the method of using the Soresu moves. Once those were past, the remotes went into the more difficult patterns. Shots came from multiple angles and in greater numbers. They took advantage of his move to block one to strike from behind. Or they moved to fire at the same time from two different angles that he wouldn't be able to block.
He spent most of his free time practicing against the remotes, resetting them every now and then to start anew. His body burned from where all the stun bolts had hit, which had become just about half of his body by now. He had to give it to the remotes; they adapted about as fast as he did. When he found a way to counter the attack from the front and back by using a quick front block to back, then changed direction an instant before firing. By stepping to the side or back when they tried the dual timed attack, Jazen managed to either evade or counter both bolts. The rapid fire of the remotes soon rendered that tactic mute to a point. Still, he was learning to counter more of the attacks than before and he figured that was good enough. For now.
Turning the remotes off, Jazen stretched his body out to shake off the effect of the bolts, then turned to his next task. Jazen put his stuff aside and removed his upper robes, making sure the light training vest he wore was properly secured. Then he shot up to the nearest tree. Landing on one of the larger branches, Jazen eyed his surroundings for a moment, then relaxed his body and mind. He let himself be taken away by the flow of the Force, binding himself to its warmth and embrace. And when he was securely in its grip, he launched out his Force feeling. He felt the trees around him spring to life, bright beacons of life in the shadows of the Force. Everything around him was alive, but the trees were much stronger in their Force presence. Exactly as he had predicted.
Keeping his eyes closed, Jazen went about the test he was about to give himself. He would not use his eyes for this test, instead relying only on what he could sense in the Force. It was a fair way to test how good his sense truly was. Taking a breath, Jazen launched himself towards the next branch strong enough to support him. And for the remaining time he had left, Jazen went from one tree to another, practicing not only his sense but his athletic ability as well. And he had to admit....his sense was going to need a lot of work. The stun bolt shocks were quickly replaced with another form of pain; the pain from smashing into the ground below or making a mistake landing on one of the branches. Luckily, he either caught himself before he feel or made sure to land in a way that only bruised. Despite the aches that took hold of his body, Jazen continued with his exercise. From tree to tree, or tree to ground or ground to tree, Jazen stressed his body to the limit during this test.
Finally, his body could no longer keep up with what his mind wanted it to do. Thudding to his back, Jazen panted heavily as he struggled to regain the breath his body needed. And amongst those breaths came a laugh. A laugh of realization. Despite all the misses and slips, Jazen had been able to at least know where the tree was when he moved towards it. If he could just perfect this skill, he would be a force to be reckoned with on any planet with an abundance of life. Even those with minimal life would give him something to work with. It was certainly something to explore. But he'd keep this a secret from Locke for now. He didn't need to tell his Master everything.
Speaking of his Master, it was always time for them to meet back up. Jazen went to rise, but found his body lacked the drive to follow his command. Groaning, Jazen calmed himself again and reached out for Locke and sent him a simple message. "Uh, would you mind coming to me? I think I'm going to be laying here for a little while longer than I would like."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
1,102 likes
Friendly neighborhood CEO
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last online Jan 12, 2024 11:24:20 GMT -5
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Aug 2, 2010 9:32:01 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 2, 2010 9:32:01 GMT -5
It was good to have silence again. Here, away from everyone else, it was calm, peaceful. It was a welcome break from the noise and the worry that filled the rest of the Galaxy, especially with the war growing in intensity the way it had been over the last few months. Locke could deal with all of that, of course, but having some time away from it all didn't hurt.
Now he was alone, with nothing else but his thoughts and the Force to keep him company. His mind drifted to the happenings of the past few months, and he realized just how busy his life had become as of late. Ever since taking on Jazen, he'd been working on so much, trying to raise the boy to be the best he could be, while at the same time, working to maintain his clandestine network of contacts that were spread out across Coruscant and a few other planets. Even with a student, he was still an Investigator, and he could still be called upon when the time was needed. There were still crime reports to follow, gang activity to monitor, wanted criminals to keep an eye out for... not to mention the ever-shifting drug market. And then there was his own training, in addition to working with Jazen. Locke shook his head as a rueful smile grew on it. It was a wonder he wasn't sporting any grey hairs yet. It probably helped that he loved to do what he did.
Of course, then his mind shifted to his apprenticeship of Jazen, and all of the things that came with that. He liked the kid. They'd had good times, they'd had bad times. If he could just rein in Jazen's need to run-off out of the Temple on his own, they'd be dandy. It wasn't because of any want to restrict the boy, either; it as just the way things worked with Padawans within the Order. No matter what they thought, they weren't fully trained, and the Galaxy was a very dangerous place, especially to some half-trained kid that didn't know what they were doing. Hell, it's dangerous to me, and I like to pretend that I know what I'm doing. Even so, the damage from Jazen's trip to Naboo had been done; Locke would be sure to keep a much closer eye on him now, as much as he hated the thought of having to crack down. He could even understand why Jazen ran off, but the boy should have known to tell both Locke and the Council about what he'd seen, so experienced Jedi could go to look into it. Chasing after the workers of the Dark Side was the work of Shadows, not a Padawan. Then there was the whole keeping secrets thing, which Locke was wary of; especially since theirs was supposed to be a relationship of trust. If Jazen had gone so far as to not tell Locke that he was running to another planet... Was he keeping other things from him? The thought was troubling, to say the least, but he shook it away from his mind.
Ah, well, live and learn, right? They all made mistakes; it was part of growing up. Locke certainly knew he'd made more than his fair share of mistakes and missteps as a padawan, though they'd been different than what Jazen had done. Still, hopefully a lesson could be gleamed from this whole ordeal, for both of them.
"Uh, would you mind coming to me? I think I'm going to be laying here for a little while longer than I would like."
Locke snorted a laugh and shook his head. "Kids these days, I swear." He took a final drink from his canteen and slowly forced himself to his feet, though it felt like nearly every muscle in his body was screaming in protest. But he ignored it and pushed on, walking slowly toward where Jazen was.
He arrived a few minutes later to find the boy on his back, looking about as tired and beat up as he felt. Locke looked around and found a stump near Jazen to sit on and did so, glad to give his aching body a chance to rest, even if it would be a brief one.
"Well, kid," he said, smiling, "how'd your practice by yourself go?"
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
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Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Aug 2, 2010 13:10:53 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Aug 2, 2010 13:10:53 GMT -5
As he waited for his Master to come to him, Jazen simply let himself go into the Force, loosing his sense of being into the flow of the life around him. He may not have been the best at sensing things with the Force, but giving yourself up to its embrace was an easy task. And at times, an overwhelming one at that. Coruscant brimmed with life, but it was mixed with a massive well of emotions, ranging from pleasure to outright anger. And since the planet was just one big city, there was no real "life" outside the beings that resided there and some native species that managed to survive despite the radical change to the planet.
Here, life was everywhere. From the trees around him to the chittering creatures in the woods around him, the planet exploded into the Force with a warmth and purity that Jazen rarely got to feel. He had felt it on Alderaan, but because of the mission, he hadn't had a proper chance to indulge in it. When he went to Naboo, the wonderful life there was once again marred by the presence of the Sith he had gone there to track. And he hadn't the time after the Sith had escaped to take in the planet either, for the storming presence that was Locke had found him right after. He would hear that lecture in his ears for a long time to come.
But he didn't let himself shift to that train of thought. Here, in the quiet chitterlings of the woods, Jazen was able to simply fall into a measure of peace, his body unburdened by the outside world around him. There was no conflicting emotions here, only the calm innocence of the wildlife and flora around him. It was soothing...and so very......very......relaxing.
Luckily, the sleep that Jazen had drifted into wasn't a deep one. And because he had let himself go into the Force, he felt Locke coming the second he came within the reach of Jazen's senses, a tired and pleased presence contrasting to the strong and peaceful life around him. Still laid flat out on his back, Jazen kept his eyes closed until Locke took a seat on the stump near to him, his nose twitching in response to his Master's question; an indication that he was listening. Finding that his body didn't hurt as much as before, Jazen swung his legs up towards his head, then flipped himself up, landing solidly on his feet before turning to address Locke.
"I'd say about half and half. I did better with the training droids than I did before, but that was only after being shot so many times that I would rather have preferred a full stun bolt to the chest. Still, I'm getting the hang of this style, although it'll be a while before the remotes become only a nuisance.
As for the other test I did, it worked out about as well as expected. Luckily, I did manage to avoid breaking anything, but I'm going to be sore for the next couple of days. Very, very, sore.
How was your own self training?"
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