[Closed] Redemption and hope (Searyl's training)

[Moriarty]

"It's interesting looking at one's self through something other than a mirror," Lane said with a chuckle. He was curious about the girl whom she changed to first, and even more when she changed into the man. They were all perfect images, however. People she must've known, obviously including himself.

"You've successfully learned how to create an illusion of your identity. I am most intruiged by the faces you've chosen, but perhaps I will learn later. Now, we must work on you saber styles. I'm going to teach you the style I first learned, form V; Shiem and Djem So. This is the form of the rancor. And rightly named so," Lane explained as he drew his red lightsaber. "This form was created as a defense against blaster fire when blasters were first invented. Most users hold it in reverse grip." He swung his saber until it ended up in reverse grip. "Holding it in reverse grip has its advantages, but its disadvatages as well. For instince, in the Shiem variant, which focuses more on defense, uses many defensive stances." Lane leaned towards his left and held the blade diagnolly across his body. "From here, I can deflect any blaster fire with the flick of my wrist."

"The Downside is if I were to attack a rifleman with this stance, he can easily read my movements. All he'd have to do is get out of the way. This is where the Djem So varient comes in." Lane stood up straight with the arm holding the blade facing Saeryl. "Through Djem So, which was developed for lightsaber combat, I can flick my wrist in any direction without moving my arm entirely. And when I need to block a strike, I either lift my arm or switch my grip depending on where the target location is. The disadvantage is that if I'm stuck with my saber arm away from the opponent, I have to move twice as fast to block it. Which is where your speed power comes in. Get the picture?" Lane said as he withdrew his lightsaber.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl grinned at him, letting his form fall away from her and reverting back to her true self. She would certainly be getting into some mischeif later with that trick. She would draw her own saber as he drew his, but didn't ignite it. She shifted her grip to hold it backwards like he did and mimicked his movements, imagining blaster fire coming at her. She would nod slowly after he finished explaining, flipping her lightsaber back and forth between grips a few times to get a feel for how fast she could do it.

"Don't tell me training for this one is you grabbing a blaster and trying to peg me...?"

 

[Moriarty]

"Well, if you would want me to... Or I could simply duel you. You can choose," Lane said sarcastically. For once, he wished he could take off his helmet and take a deep breath of fresh air, but he couldn't show her his face just yet. Not until further down in her training.

Lane jumped back and ignited his lightsaber, assuming the starting stance of Djem So. "You move first," he said. This time, he hoped she would be able to fight harder.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl grinned at him, shifting her Saber again into a reverse grip before igniting it. She took a few short moments to decide on a course of action,t hen opened herself to the Force once again. Using it to enhance her speed she dashed forward, aiming to go right past him on his right side, her saber slashing at him as she passed. She would halt her forward momentum and spin just past him, her saber flicked back and forth towards where his back had been when she started moving.

 

[Moriarty]

Lane moved out of the way as she dashed beside him, avoiding a deep gash to his side, and turned as she faced his back. He blocked both swings at his back and made a slash at her right thigh with less speed than he normally would. He didn't want to slash at anything vital in case she was too slow to block. At this speed, though, she should be able to block him.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl did manage to bring her saber in to block his strike by bringing her arm in quickly across her body. She held his strike at bay at first, then pushed back to shove it away. She ****ed in beneath it, attempting to press forward and slam her shoulder into his chest, then slip past him and run a few steps away before spinning quickly to face him again.

She decided to try a mind trick with her next attack - she wasn't sure how he would react, though. She recalled the female he had briefly turned into, then did her best to copy that image and set it over herself. It wouldn't be perfect, but as close as she could get it. She dashed forward again, coming straight at him as she slashed back and forth in quick succession.

 

[Moriarty]

Apon seeing Naomii as her disguise attacking him, Lane couldn't bring himself to slash at her. It was a perfect image of how he remembered her. Saeryl was good, that much was certain, and he didn't expect his own memory to be used against him in battle. It was as if he were actually fighting her.

Then, he woke his mind, remembering he was the one who showed her Naomii, and it was only fair to give her credit for thinking outside the box. Lane ducked as Saeryl made another slash and did a force push to her abdominal reagion. If she didn't move, she would be knocked back by the push, where he would jump and land on top of her with his blade at her neck unless she put her blade up to block in time.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl wouldn't be ready for the force push, or get a saber up to block his, partially because she felt bad for the dirty trick she had just played. She let the image fade away, returning to her normal form. She breathed out slowly, retracting her saber as she waited to see if he was mad.

 

[Moriarty]

Lane didn't move as she withdrew her blade. "What's wrong? You were doing well," he asked. Then he saw it, something that separated her from most of the other students he trained. She wasn't just another padawan here for to learn the force outside of the Jedi. She had a heart. A leader among the rest. He knew then that she was going to go far in the Luminado.

"You're scared that I'm angry about choosing that girl as a distraction... Don't worry, I'm not. There isn't much you could do to anger me. What you've just shown me, in point of fact, is the markings of a natural leader. One who realizes what they've done wrong, and accepts responsibility for it," Lane reassured as he placed a hand on her shoulder. While she was looking down, he took his helmet off and dropped it on the ground, letting his brown hair fall down over his blue eyes. He flipped his hair aside, wanting her to look him directly in the eyes. "Look at me, Saeryl." He said.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl nodded to confirm his thoughts, but then was taken aback by his praise. Well, she hadn't been expecting that. She breathed out slowly as his hand found her shoulder, then closed her eyes. She didn't open them again until he told her look at him, and then she was seeing him without his mask on. Her jaw dropped as she took a good look at his face, then her eyes met his.

"I..."

She trailed off, not at all sure what to say.

 

[Moriarty]

"Believe me when I say that I see hope for this galaxy in you and only a few other padawans. Even then, I've only shown my face to you. I want you to look me in the eyes. As long as I'm your master, no matter what your former masters have done, I promise to make amends for their faults. Now, you've had enough training for today. Go wash up and relax. You've earned it," Lane said, encouraging her. She was modest, which could be good or bad depending on the situation. It was something Lane hadn't seen in a while. Perhaps the future I saw for her was true... he thought to himself. He bent down and picked his helmet up, fitting it back onto his head and concealing his face once again.

He walked out of the training room and went straight to his quarters. He needed to meditate. He got undressed and changed into his same old uniform, then sat on his bed and began to meditate. His thoughts became clear and organized, sorting everything out like they were files. Visions of his past began to flood through. Once his mind cleared, though, he let the force guide his thoughts, leaving his body until the next morning.

 

[AriaDran]

Saery nodded, sitting up as he put on his helmet and then left. She would slowly stand and brush herself off before replacing her lightsaber on her belt. She breathed out slowly, then used the force to make her image meld into Lane's for a moment. She grinned, then let the illusion fade. She would be sure to have some fun with that trick later, but for now, she made her way back to her room. Another hot bath and then some more sleep was in order, and that was just what she did.

 

[Moriarty]

Weeks had passed since the day saeryl had seen Lane without his helmet. He trained her as best as he could, with her always doing her best and making Lane proud. This day, however, was the day Lane finally decided it was time for her to learn force lightning.

He sat in the middle of the training room, inhaling and exhaling slowly as to relax his body. He would need to be focused so that he could hold nothing back, and show her the power she would soon wield. This was also a nervous moment, as they would be revealing their pasts with each other. He would learn even more about his padawan, as she would learn more about her master. Sharing pasts was never an easy thing. Lane sat and waited, remaining only subtly in meditation that could be broken at the slightest noise.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl entered the training ground, a few minutes late as usual. She had actually arrived on time, but as usual waited outside the room until she was late, and then come in. She considered it a running joke - she was pretty sure he knew that she was late sarcastically.

She came to stand a few feet in front of him, then would also sit crosslegged, looking at him for a few moments before closing her eyes as well and steadying her breathing. Over the course of their training thus far, she had slowly moved to sit closer to Lane every day. She'd have to stop that soon though, or risk sitting in his lap.

 

[Moriarty]

"Today is going to be a big day for you," Lane said. Even though she couldn't see through his helmet, his eyes remained closed. His mind was calmed and focused. "Today is the day I teach you to use lightning. It's also they day you learn my past and I learn yours. Are you ready?" Lane asked with his eyes still closed.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl nodded slowly, studying what she could see of Lane - which wasn't much with the helmet on. She couldn't read his expressions, but she had grown somewhat used to it.

"I am ready."

She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing even more as she prepared to tell Lane her past and tell him hers. If his was anything like hers, she knew it would be difficult for him to speak of, just like she knew hers would be difficult to speak of as well.

 

[Moriarty]

"I will start with my past to make it easier for you," Lane said. "I was once a Jedi. I was faithful, respectable, and tried my hardest. It didn't matter though, as I was one of the weakest and unskillful. As a Jedi, I was a failure, only good for making jokes about. I was used as a contrast to one of their greatest pupils who left the order; a fallen Jedi named Karasym. My lightsaber skills were horrible as well.

"Then, I found an interest in the darkside of the force. I learned secret techniques Jedi were forbidden to use. My emotions became uncontrollable, I became the opposite of what I was trying to be. I didn't realize the consequences, though. I didn't want to be evil, though. I didn't see a problem with those powers, and found the Jedi to be corrupt in their purpose.

"When I finally realized what learning these powers were costing me, many Jedi, including my master, had left the order themselves. I decided to do the same. I left and learned what it was like to live on my own. I taught myself the lightsaber style I taught you and another style. However, I felt I needed to do something with my skills I had acquired to make credits. That was when I joined the mercenaries guild and met the girl you saw me change into. Her name is Naomii.

"We became fast friends, and grew to the point where we would do every job together. We were inseparable. After a few years, though, I ran into my old master, Sakaki. Naomii had a job she went on and never came back. So I left and did freelance work with Sakaki. We then came up with the idea of Luminado together. During one job we did for the Hutt empire, we recieved a very substantial amount of credits; hence how the Luminado was created. I wanted Sakaki to be the leader, but he turned it down, saying I was most fit for the position.

"That's my past for you. I've made mistakes, but I've made up for them. The Luminado is a organization of Jedi who have a nuetral standing and open minds. And we'll accept jobs from either side in this war as a whole, lest we get paid and keep my padawans housed and fed such as yourself," Lane said with a snicker. Lane then removed his helmet, for after they finished getting their pasts off their chests, he would teach her lightning.

"I will tell you, the power to disguise yourself in the force is what Jedi consider a darkside power. They call it lying and decietful. And healing yourself through the force, if used on a high level, can bring you to the edge of the darkside as well. I tell you this to show you that there shouldn't be a light and dark in the force. It gives and takes, that is its nature. Now, tell me your past. I will not look at you any different for your actions back then, as they do not make you what you are now."

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl listened quietly, studying Lane's features as she did. From his facial expressions, he didn't seem to have much connection to his past anymore, except when he talked about Naomii and Sakaki. She wondered if she had met Sakaki, as he was supposedly around here somewhere, but wasn't sure. She couldn't attach face to the name anyways.

"I've never thought there was a 'light' or 'dark' side to the Force."

She smiled, then composed herself again to tell her story. She took in a deep breath to steel her nerves.

"My old master was very... attracted to me. He was what most would call lecherous - not until i was older though, thankfully. I don't want you to get the complete wrong idea. Anyways, he made a lot of crude passes at me, and I turned him down every time. Then I suppose he got bored and found his 'tail' elsewhere."

She sighed, looking down at the ground.

"He raised me since I was a child, and then -she- came along and stole all of his time away. He didn't have time to train me anymore, or even to talk anymore. It was subtle at first, but then more and more he just shut me out completely. I felt hurt... so much. It was like losing my father. So I decided that I would just get rid of her."

She sighed again, looking back up at him.

"But then I thought that wasn't enough. He needed to pay for what he did as well. I drugged them, to make them malleable, then tied them to chairs facing eachother and waited for them to both wake up. I made her watch as I cut his legs off at the knees - one at a time. And then I cut her head off with him watching and walked away. That was the last I saw of him. And that basically brings me to when I came here."

She brought a hand up to brush her eye - must be some dust or something in it. Definetly not a tear.

 

[Moriarty]

"From the sound of your master..." Lane said, drifting into thoughts of anger towards him. He couldn't fathom how anyone could use people that way. "He's the kind of filth I'd expect out of Nar Shadaa. Not the people who try to get off, the other kind of people... I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. I don't think I would've done what you did, but I don't hold that against you. Everyone reacts differently to their situation. Tell me though, does anger run through you when you think of that?" Lane asked. He could feel it anger him, to say the least.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl closed her eyes, composing herself and searching her feelings. After a short time she opened them and looked again at Lane.

"I do feel some anger, but mostly I just feel betrayal and hurt. Some because of him, and some because of what I did. I'm not proud of it."

She brought a hand up to run through her hair nervously. She was glad he had taken it better then she had thought he would, but wasn't yet sure that he wouldn't judge her for it. He had said he wouldn't, of course, but time would tell if he were telling the truth or not.