Padawan at last! Hopefully.

[Herabec]

Jas sighed quietly, but it was not a sigh brought on by being bored or tired. No, this was a sigh of barely contained excitement. He was finally chosen to become a padawan! Unless it had been a cruel joke played on him by one of the other hopefuls. He quickly wiped that idea from his mind.

He hadn't been given the name of his master-to-be or even a description, only instructions to wait for them to contact him. Thus, he waited in the training facility of the temple. He'd attempted training against one of the remotes, but after a few moments (and a couple of rather painful blaster burns) he found he was simply too excited to concentrate on his training.

The masters of the temple would likely scold him for that. We were taught that such emotions could be dangerous, and not just because it takes away from concentration. Normally, he was fairly good at keeping his emotions at bay, but this time, he saw no need for it. Today he'd actually become a padawan, or at least, he hoped so.

 

[Galykia]

Galykia quietly walked into the area in which is padawan sat and waited. He crossed the room as he approached the green eyed boy. He sensed the force was with him and he was excited. He knew he needed the get the excitement out of him.

"Hello Jas, I am Galykia. I hope you are ready. before he got a response, Galykia turned and walked to the center of the room. He sat down, closed his eyes and began to meditate.

 

[Herabec]

Jas looked up from where he sat, his mind playing out several different scenarios of their first meeting. Was his soon to be master male? Female? Were they human or some exotic race he'd never seen before? What would he be taught first? If he kept up like this, he was certain to overload his mind with fantasy and miss out on reality.

His mind wouldn't have time for this though, as a human made toward him wearing green Jedi robes. Was this him? His answer came swiftly as the man spoke to him, asking if he was ready. Ready? That's probably the silliest question that had ever been asked of him.

As he stood up, Jas saw the man heading toward the center of the room, but instead of doing anything that would indicate that training was about to begin, Galykia instead sat down and began meditating. Meditation? Half my time here at the temple has been meditation! I.. he thought before catching himself. He saw what was going on.

It was meant to calm him down, and any and all meditation had it's uses. Taking Galykia's lead, he moved toward the center of the room before sitting down near the Jedi Knight in his normal meditative pose. Patience, he told himself. Everything in due time. I know this. And with that, he too began to meditate.

 

[Galykia]

After about half an hour of the two meditating, Galykia pondered what he knew of the badawan. Very little, He knew only a few essential facts.
Excellent, you did not break my meditation. You were patient, unlike my other Padawan. It is good to see you are a head of the curve already."

"Can you recite me the Jedi code? It is o.k if you can't, I will teach you." He said silently, so as to not completly break the peace of the meditation.

 

[Herabec]

Time was lost to him during his meditation. Although far from being exceptional at meditating, it always brought him a form of peace he couldn't quite describe. It always managed to calm him down. Perhaps when he felt his emotions rise, he should meditate instead of letting them casually wear down.

After half an hour however, the knight spoke to him, complimenting him on not being impatient. Ahead of the curve? Hardly. I'm probably one of the oldest hopefuls around, but still, it's nice to have good first impressions, he thought to himself before contemplating the Jedi's question.

The Code of the Jedi, he was sure he'd read it before. He could remember bits of it, but probably not all of it. Let's see, how did it go again? he thought before vocalizing the code as he knew it. "Emotion, yet serenity. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet peace. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet.. um.. life?"

It'd been a long time since he'd last seen the code in his studies and more than likely he was wrong. His face betrayed a slight sheepishness due to his ignorance on the matter, he probably should have studied more on the matter. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.

 

[Galykia]

Close, but not quite. It goes Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force. Learn it well, you must recite it fluently at any given moment. Study each night before your sleep.

Now, before we begin the fun, physical training. Tell me about yourself, it will help me and yourself in the training to come. Galykia stopped his meditation, but continued to sit with his padawan. He prepared to listen intently.

 

[Herabec]

Jas nodded slowly as the experienced Knight recited the Jedi Code in it's correct form, hanging onto the words. He would do as his master suggested and study it each night, at least until he knew it by heart. He knew in the back of his mind that he should have it down by rote already.

His master wanted to know more about him. What was there to tell? How much could he tell him right now, how much could he trust the Knight with? While the knight had apparently agreed to take him as a Padawan, the fact remained that they had only just met. He decided to tell some of himself, but he would wait for a while before divulging the rest of himself to Galykia.

"I was born here on Coruscant, as you've probably already read on my profile. I am a fast learner and a good listener, though I'm often times quiet unless I'm directly spoken to. I'm also sometimes impatient, even with myself, impatient for lack of progress."

 

[Galykia]

"Yes, Yes I have read your profile, that is why I want to learn more. Your profile was short, the shortest I have ever seen. Your profile also talks about you being quiet and secluded. So I ask you, in strict confidentiality, what is it you are not telling us and me.

 

[Herabec]

Jas eyed Galykia intensely for a moment, as if trying to see through the elder Jedi. It was almost like he was probing for any form of deception from the man. After a short time however, he seemed satisfied with what he saw, at least enough to speak more to his new master.

"I don't trust people very easily. It's something I simply can't do. Call it paranoia or whatever, but you can't be easily betrayed if you don't trust anyone, y'know?" he stated, his gaze drifting from Galykia to the rest of the temple's training room. They were alone in here, he realized. The other people must have left during their earlier meditation, he hadn't noticed.

 

[Galykia]

Trust? Trust should not be an issue between me and you. If you can't trust me, your master, who can you trust. If you wish to get the most out of our training, you must trust me. Tell me what is on your mind. I will not judge you or punish you for what you are not willing to talk about.

 

[Herabec]

Jas sighed and shrugged a bit. What was there to tell? "You're right, of course. It's still hard and there really isn't much to tell. I remain isolated as I refuse to trust most of the people around me. I secretly believe that most of them are out for personal gain, and are willing to stab others in the back for it. Are those thoughts wrong? They were thoughts of self preservation before I was brought here."

As he spoke, he idly traced his finger over the hilt of the training saber on his belt. He wondered if he would create his own real lightsaber soon as a Padawan? "I often find myself listening in on conversations to find anything that can be used against others if I need it, blackmail I suppose, if the need arises to keep myself out of trouble. Not very Jedi like, is it? And it's worse that I do this toward other hopefuls who wish to be Jedi."

His emerald eyes closed for a moment, as if recalling past events in vivid detail, particularly those of before his acceptance into the order. He was a much later entry than most, maybe that's why he was like this? "It was not easy growing up in the lower slums. I don't try to be like this, but I do it, almost unconsciously. I almost fear as if the other masters were to learn of this, I'd simply be kicked from the Order - unfit to be trained as a Jedi, or some such."

 

[Galykia]

Interesting, I don't know where to begin. First, I suppose, not trusting others is natural as well as good in some cases. But you take it to the extreme, you stay away all together. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Just about every Jedi can be trusted, especially the ones in here.

As for blackmail, that shall stop now. Tell me one great Jedi who resorted to blackmail to accomplish their great accomplishments. When I asked you to recite the Jedi Code, it wasn't to say some words. It was to teach how you should behave and live your life. When you practice reciting them, stop to think what each part means, and implement it each day of your life.

Now is their anything else you wish to get off your mind? Now is the best time.

 

[Herabec]

Jas sat silently with his eyes closed as he listened to Galykia process what he'd told him. It was strange in a way, listening to the Jedi's views on his quirks. Keep your enemies closer than one's friends? That only gives you less time to react to the vibroblade. It was a silly idea, really. Perhaps there was a hidden wisdom?

When the Knight came to the subject of his blackmail however, his thoughts became slightly more defensive. It was not as if he'd ever actually blackmailed someone; it was a defense in case things went badly. A last resort. "Tell me one Jedi who would call his accomplishments great," he retorted to the Knight. It was not completely meant to be a sarcastic remark - it was his way of telling the older Knight that not all of the Code was lost on him, or at least the tenants Jedi lived by.

He would however, reflect later on the deeper meaning of each part of the code. The last part held the greatest mystery to him though. Death, yet the Force. What does that mean? However, he had no desire for his mind to be probed further. "No, there's nothing else to share, Master," he said. It was a half truth. He'd already opened himself more to Galykia than any other member of the Order.

 

[Galykia]

"O.k. then, enough chit-chat let us begin saber practice." Galykia stood up, wondering if the padawan was truthful, that there was nothing else to tell. He assumed he was still not telling something, but he could not force it out of the padawan.

"I shall teach you form VI, Niman. It is a balanced form, no strengths and no weaknesses. Any objections?"

 

[Herabec]

Form VI, Niman? He'd not heard of it before, but a balanced form in and of itself seemed to be a strength. Though, he could also consider it an incredible weakness. A balanced form could be overpowered by an aggressive form when it comes to offense, or could be worn down by a highly defensive form. Of course, the balance would be a strength against either of the forms when it came to what they -didn't- practice.

"None whatsoever, Master," he said after this brief mental rundown of the strengths and weaknesses of the form. The key to using this form successfully, would be to find and exploit the weaknesses of other forms. It was a form that only the intelligent would be able to use successfully.

After speaking, he'd pull the training saber from his belt and ignite it, the green 'blade' shimmering brightly. It wasn't a real lightsaber, but it could serve the purpose for training due to it maintaining the same weight. He would wait for his Master to signal his readiness before doing anything further, after all, it was just practice.

 

[Galykia]

Galykia took out his weapon and readied it. He moved the handle of the weapon down, even to the waist, and formed a fist away from the body. He kept his legs spread and bent, comfortably. He pointed the weapon at the padawan's throat.

"Copy me. This is the resting stance, care to tell me when and why you will use this stance in battle?

 

[Herabec]

Jas watched Galykia's movements, watching the stance as best as he could. Some of the things were so subtle that without him paying a great amount of attention, he would have missed them. Finally, he copied the stance, spreading his legs bending his knees slightly.

His left hand moved away from his body slightly, while his right moved his weapon's handle down to his waist in a mirror image of his master's stance, though his blade was pointed more toward the elder Jedi's chest due to his shorter height.

He thought for a moment about the strengths and weaknesses of the stance. After a moment of silent consideration. "This is a completely neutral stance, something used upon meeting an enemy. The bending of the knees allows you to react swiftly in any direction depending on another's actions. With the handle held like this, you're in perfect position for a forward thrust with the blade; a helpful defense in case you're charged.

Wouldn't this stance make you more vulnerable to being knocked off your feet though? With my knees bent, I don't have nearly the same amount of leverage I did have. If my foe is a force wielder, or someone with explosives, I could be easily knocked off balance couldn't I?"

 

[Galykia]

"This is a completely neutral stance, something used upon meeting an enemy. The bending of the knees allows you to react swiftly in any direction depending on another's actions. With the handle held like this, you're in perfect position for a forward thrust with the blade; a helpful defense in case you're charged.

"You are correct, I see you know a bit about fighting.

"Wouldn't this stance make you more vulnerable to being knocked off your feet though? With my knees bent, I don't have nearly the same amount of leverage I did have. If my foe is a force wielder, or someone with explosives, I could be easily knocked off balance couldn't I?"

If they use the force on you, you should counter with your force in order to block it. With bent legs, your movements have a spring to them. So if you need to dodge, say an explosive, you will be slightly quicker and able to jump futher or higher.

Also you are bending a bit to much anyways, make them bent and loose, but at the sdame time make them strong and sturdy like roots

 

[Herabec]

Jas nodded slightly as he listened to his Master's instruction, making his knees slightly less bent as to give him more leverage. He could already feel that this would give him quiet the spring in his step. "Thank you, Master. I used to spar with the other Hopefuls here, so I know a bit about lightsaber combat, despite not really having a 'form'."

He wondered how he would be able to counter another force user if the other's power was greater than his own. At that point however, he supposed it wouldn't matter what stance he was in. "Master, is this form, Niman, a common form? If it's as balanced as you say, it wouldn't be difficult for a skilled opponent to take advantage of it, especially if they recognize this stance."

 

[Galykia]

Niman is not greatly used, or even liked by most. Many Jedi dislike it because it takes the most practice to be good at it, about 10years to master. If you don't spend time practicing it almost every day, you will likly die in combat. This form is best used if you have the brains to properly study it, improvise and the will to keep going.