Frustration with Makashi

[Lord Pane]

Jedi Temple Coruscant
Training Room 3C
Midnight​

Rowan awakes from yet again another nightmare. This one was no different than every other nightmare previously. As he stirs from his bed and begins to groggily observe the surroundings of his room. He notices his terminal across the room giving off its natural low light from inactivity. He slowly staggers to the terminal and notices it is nearly midnight. Though he may be tired, he knew sleep would continue to escape him at least for now. He makes a decision to get some training in to relax himself and exhaust himself to help sleep come a bit easier.

Rowan walks down the many corridors of the Jedi Temple, even though it was late and highly inactive he felt busy. He finally arrives at Training Room 3C. Not his favorite room for training. He had little choice however, because he was simply too lazy and tired to continue to look for a better room. He walks in the slightly smaller room and sits in the center of the room. Statues of former masters line the circumference of the circular room. The original intent of this room was more likely a place of meditation. He didn't care no one was up to complain about him using it.

Kneeling on the floor in a meditation position. His mind escapes to far places. He feels the room around him and slowly begins to calm the ferocity of his senses. As he continues this process for well over an hour, the activity of the temple remains dead. He finally arises and stares at the wall. He was lost. He slipped to far into meditation and was having difficulty coming back to reality. After a quick flinch of his right arm, he awakens.

The Temple on Coruscant was slowly receiving less and less attention. Many of the Masters, Knights and even Padawans were going off to face threats across the galaxy, more especially the Sith. Rowan may be a Padawan, but he was not ready for grueling battle. Though he may have little choice in the days to come. Which is why he was here. Almost every Padawan knows the first form of Shii-Cho. However, Rowan needed a more offensive form. He couldn't hope to fight with defense alone. In his mind, a war of attrition is not easily won. He preferred being the aggressor in all things including combat. Makashi was his last hope at offence.

Not a difficult or complex form, Makashi is simple. Based mostly on position, footwork and proficiency. Rowan has seen many other students and teachers alike practicing this form. He walks to the rooms blade rack and grabs a simple vibroblade, as opposed to the slightly larger vibrosword. He needed to get the fluidity of the form down before attempting to truly master Makashi. Therefore, he needed the speed and simplicity of the pistol than that of the cumbersome sweeping of the cannon.

 

[Lord Pane]

Rowan focused inward. His vibroblade gripped loosely in his hands. Rowan positioned himself low in his stance, in battle neutral. His knees slightly bent to give cushioning to his movements. Locked knees would not be conducive to his fluid motion. Rowan spoke to himself, "Neutral, low and relaxed." His relaxation was good but hard to achieve. Even after meditation his nightmares haunted his steps. He had imagined a Trandoshan slaver who was taking his group of slaves to the spice mines of Nal Hutta. The slaver was attempting to board his freighter at a landing pad located on Narshadaa. The Trandoshan was out in the open with a similar blade to Rowan's. However, the Trandoshan was wielding an Echani blade. More nimble and slightly thicker and more powerful than Rowan's simple vibrosword. Rowan imagined this exact scenario for a reason. He needed to be at a disadvantage both technologically and in physical power. As many Trandoshans are stronger than most humanoids including the Chiss. He had to use the Makashi form because a war of attrition with a Trandoshan using the Shii Cho form would ultimately result in Rowan's defeat. A quick victory was what he needed.

In this mental state, he opened with a quick jab straight towards the Trandoshan who deflected it with a swift and powerful upward parry. Rowan was still in control, using the momentum of the upward motion he encircled his head with the blade bringing it from his right side toward the exposed left of the slaver. The slaver responds equally with a quick block from his left gauntlet. The gauntlet struck the blade producing a metal on metal screech and a small set of sparks. The strength of the Trandoshan's arm block caused a slight pause in Rowan's form. The Trandoshan saw his opportunity and with a heavy strike downward attempted to finish the fight quickly. Rowan though disoriented and interrupted quickly recovers and with some fluidity deflects the strike, with a simple block of the blade and a step to his left. He allows the coupled blades to follow the trajectory set by the aggressor. The tip of the Echani blade makes contact with the metal ground of the landing platform. The Trandoshan disoriented from the hard surface drops a guard in his defenses. With a quick withdraw of his own blade, Rowan recovers his stance and now moves to a more aggressive neutral poise. Rowan makes a swift and hard jab forward making contact with the forearm of the Trandoshan. Green blood splatters across the blade as it moves across the scaly flesh. The pained Trandoshan recovers a massive upward sweep of his entire right side blade including knocking back Rowan once again. He had landed a strike on the massive reptilian. However, he notices some blood. Not green, but red. The upward sweep of the Echani blade's hilt caught a piece of his skin and tore a sizable gash on his left side abdomen. Now this would be where it would get truly interesting. Two injured combatants equally matched in different respects, had drawn blood from the other. This would be a long and arduous fight. Rowan ignoring the pain again drops into his stance. Once again assuming a neutral position.

Even in his own mind he couldn't win a simple training session. He broke his alternate reality for a moment. He was back in the training room of the Jedi temple. Only this time there was real blood. He checked his body for marks or gashes. All limbs were attached he thought to himself. Then looking at the floor he notices a continuous drip of blood. He raises his hand to his face and quickly realizes he has developed a nosebleed. "I hit myself too hard I suppose," he jokes to himself while chuckling the whole time. Maybe that is enough for at least this moment. He wipes the blood, on the forearm of his robes. Rowan once more kneels again placing the vibroblade on the ground in front of him. He once more kneels and assumes a state of meditation. He thought to himself, Form II Makashi would be his death if his practicing continued like it has been up to this point. He would need to heavily pace himself for this form. He had many hours left before anyone else would even awake. He buckled down in his knelt position and readied himself for the long haul of this training.

 

[Lord Pane]

Deep in thought he thinks on what it means to be a Jedi. "Am I doing what is necessary as a Jedi and am I truly even able to be called a Jedi?" He begins to doubt himself. This new found distaste for his subconscious makes him uneasy. However, he must focus to continue his training. Rowan reenters his deep meditation. He reaches out to the walls with his mind. Feeling the room around him down to every last corner and crevasse. He attempts to bring the room into scope of his former setting. It takes him almost an hour, but he finally has it.

After his escape to this alternate reality, he picked up his blade from the ground once more. Clutching his side, Rowan continues to bleed. Not a constant stream or a continues flow of blood, but he was indeed injured. It was no simple cut. He looks up at his opponent only to see to his relief a similar look of discourse on the Trandoshans face. The Trandoshan is clutching his right forearm. It was bleeding profusely. Rowan was lucky he may have been injured but the cut he had landed on his opponent was far more grave than his simple gash. The Trandoshan quickly busts open a nearby crate filled with alcoholic drinks and pours it directly onto the open cut. Letting out a massive roar the Trandoshan clawed the metal surface he was forced to kneel on. If the pain wasn't enough, he found a simple ionic torch and scorched the flesh and alcohol both. The alcohol caught fire and seared shut the open wound. With a mighty cry of intense pain for a few moments. the bleeding finally stopped. The Trandoshan stood up still dazed from the intense pain. Rowan's opponent readied himself and reached for his Echani blade on the ground next to him. Rowan had no time his opponent was ready and he wasn't. Rowan resumed his neutral stance. He was not going to put forth the first effort. He was not as injured as the Trandoshan, he would have to play to the injury. He couldn't defeat him in open combat without being tactical. For once in his life, Rowan was not able to simply overpower his opponent.

The Trandoshan with his blade readied charged forward and just before meeting Rowan began a wild flurry of blows in an inward and outward circular motion. Rowan was not prepared for this sort of assault. He lunged away from his opponent, tumbling into a knelt ready battle position. Rowans form was too exposed. His right knee was on the ground. The left followed the form and was slightly bent. His left hand was clutched in a fist, level and touching the ground. His right hand was clutching his sword extended outward perpendicular with his torso. He looked up to see the Trandoshan once again preparing for another charge. Rowan had to take a shot. There was no way he could continue to run and bleed out. He charged low and fast, eventually making contact with the back leg of the Trandoshan. Only a slight nick though it wouldn't be enough to end the fight. However, the blow brought the unprepared Trandoshan to his knees. Rowan had the high ground and had his targets back within sight. He could easily finish his opponent in a fast and accurate stroke of his weapon. This was not a worthy way to kill his opponent though. Rowan backs away and allows the slaver to gather himself. The Trandoshan was now bleeding from his leg with a mostly maimed right arm.

Several moments passed with the Trandoshan in a frozen state of pain knelt on the ground. Rowan had brought his opponent to his knees and won the battle. He refused to dispatch his foe. It was unworthy of a Jedi to kill an unarmed or unprepared opponent. If the opponent had made some attempt to continue the fight he would have killed him without question or hesitation. This was not the case though. The fight was over but there was no winner.

All of a sudden Rowan blacks out. In his final assault, he had lost too much blood and passed out. His nose bleed in reality had resumed and he really did pass out. Many hours passed and Rowan was not moving. Morning would be here soon, but no progress was being made. It was a hard thing to train when you were blacked out on the floor.

 

[Lord Pane]

Several hours had passed and Rowan was still unconscious. He was finally awoken by the pitter patter of foot steps roaming through the halls for the afternoon meal. Rowan had been out for almost 12 hours. The training was exhausting and really messing with his body. Slowly rising, Rowan noticed the front of his robes were covered in a decent amount of blood from his rather severe nose bleed. He staggered to the entry way and proceeded to roam to his room. He received many awkward glances and gazes in his journey to his room. Rowan finally arrived at his room after a slow walk through the temple. He walked to the food synthesizer in his room and ordered a heavy meal. He needed to recuperate his strength. He scarfed down the meal resulting in an upset stomach. He couldn't vomit because his body craved the nutrients of his meal. So he fell into his bed and fell into a deep sleep. He would continue his training later, when he could actually stand on his feet without wanting to pass out.