Searching for Peace (The training of Krug Tull)

[McFisticuff]

I've seen worse,Krug Tull thought as he looked at the tiny room where he was supposed to sleep. The robes they had given him felt too loose and vulnerable, he was used to his armor. Instead of sleeping, the zabrak thought about who his master would be, they had told him to wait in his room and sleep if he wanted to. Krug thought about what he could do to pass the time, they had taken his swords and blaster. He decided to just go to sleep.

 

[JM76]

Chester was not particularly busy today, so he decided to begin the training of his next Padawan. This one, Krug Tull, was a young adult Zabrak. He once had a master of his own who was a Zabrak, and the people themselves were always amicable. Wearing the simple robes of the Jedi Order and a green overcoat, Chester marched across the dimly lit dormitories of the Jedi Order and figured out which door belonged to his Padawan's room. Instead of memorizing the number, he simply tracked the Force energies of the Zabrak.

Chester rapped on the door several times upon his approach. "Is this the room of Krug Tull?" he asked, although he knew it was. "I am Chester Ducere, and I am here to see him."

 

[McFisticuff]

Krug heard a rap on the door and woke up immediately. At first he thought he was still in the underlevels of Coruscant and then remembered what had happened. He opened the door just as the stranger, Chester he said his name was, finished talking. He looked at the man in front of him. He had robes on and an overcoat. "I'm Krug, are you the one who's supposed to train me?" he said.

 

[McFisticuff]

OOC:Hello? Its been a few days, you still there?

 

[JM76]

{{Yup. I've been busy the past few days; haven't done much posting. However, if you feel that I'm going to slow for 'ya, feel free to PM me. They're easier on my health, and I see them more often than OOC 'bumps'.}}

"Well, that depends," Chester said with a wry grin. "The Jedi train those who wish to be Jedi. Since you are here, I would assume that you are here for Jedi training. You're obviously not dressed as a senator or noble guest, so..." he paused.

The Jedi Master turned around and motioned for his Padawan to follow. His gloved hand waved several times, and his robe flowed with his body, lithe in motion. "Grab your things. We'll head out to the courtyard. It shouldn't be too busy this time of the evening."

 

[McFisticuff]

Krug followed his master. He thought that his master was a little too- Krug suppressed that thought. Jedi aren't supposed to think bad of others. As he walked, he watched his master's flowing robe.

 

[JM76]

Chester paced himself, keeping a steady distance between himself and the Zabrak Jedi who trailed behind him. His robes, standard in comparison to those he normally wore, trailed behind him as he walked, flowing about like wispy plumes. The Jedi walked from the room of Krug and headed for courtyard situated several floors down.

About halfway there, Chester turned and acknowledged his Padawan's presence. "Krug, while we descend toward yonder courtyard, would you mind sharing tidbits of information about yourself? As is proper, I shall answer any questions you may have as well. I feel that individuals train easier, and better, with me if I can take note of their histories. Do you mind?"

 

[McFisticuff]

"Why would I?" Krug answered. He thought for a moment and then replied "My parents abandoned me, I became a crime lord's enforcer and I..." His face took on a pained expression. "Killed my father. I hope that joining the jedi will atone for my past deeds." Krug was surprised at himself, he never showed this much emotion.

He realized he was staring at the wall and jerked his head towards his master. He resumed his normal expression of indifference. "That all you need?" he said.

 

[JM76]

Chester was bemused by Krug's tale. It was not often that murderers joined the Jedi. If he could be called a murderer. He leaned against a pillar about eight meters from the exit to the Jedi Temple. His left boot was arched against the pillar while his other was planted in the ground, and both of his arms were raised.

"An interesting drive. I had not expected one with a past such as yours to appear before the Jedi," he said. The Jedi Master understood the reason for the young Zabrak's apathetic demeanor. Such an action would generally cause psychological damage. "The Jedi do not whimsically dispense their mercy, Krug Tull. If it is redemption you yearn for, then redemption you shall receive. However, the path to righteousness is long and littered with tribulations."

His eyes, shining with a luminescence provided by the ethereal power of the Force itself, stared at the young Jedi-to-be. He perused his Force-sensitivity and his aura, although to the Padawan it simply added dramatic effect while he employed his Force sight. "Are you prepared?"

 

[McFisticuff]

"I am." Krug replied. He didn't know why he felt intimidated by his master but he was. He gave a slightly exaggerated bow and said "I am ready to become a jedi, I am ready for the troubles I may face."

 

[JM76]

"Then let us begin," Chester said. His eyes returned to normal, sensing that Krug's spirit was true and his resolve was strong. Instead of heading outside, into the vast courtyard that encompassed the temple, he headed up a flight of stairs to one of the lower balconies. This balcony had a substantial area, large enough for either mediation, combat, or at least varied forms of movement.

Overlooking the area as the star of Coruscant began to veer toward the horizon, Chester admired the view for a brief moment before turning to his Padawan.

"So we begin. My training methods are fairly open-ended, and I'm not too set on a single schedule. What would you like to practice first? Force powers? Swordplay? Tenants? You'll have to learn the basics of these things eventually, and I would advise you learn Force technique before venturing into swordplay; the Force compliments your skills with a weapon. But it's entirely up to you."

 

[McFisticuff]

"You've never seen me with a sword, I dont need the force to be good at it." Krug was a great swordsman, and he knew it. He hardly ever used a slug-thrower or blaster, his swords had always been enough.

"I'd like to see how good a swordsman you are, master, perhaps we should duel?" Krug thought that he was a master swordsman and he wanted to show his master that.

 

[JM76]

Chester smiled a knowing smile. Such eagerness and pride. They might have kept Krug alive on the streets, but these emotions would have to be adjusted before he became a Jedi. Chester nodded and walked back into the Jedi Temple, signaling for Krug to remain where he was for a brief moment.

He returned less than twenty seconds later, procuring two blades that lacked power emitters and vibration cores. There was no reason either of them had to be cut or grievously wounded in their first sparring session. Handing Krug a single weapon, Chester armed himself with a sword of his own, preparing a basic Makashi dueling stance - one-handed with the blade hovering around the chest, mimicking the stance of fencers of ages long past.

"As you will, Padawan," Chester offered his pupil the first move.

 

[McFisticuff]

Krug smiled. "ok." He aimed a quick thrust to the left side of his master. he stopped before he got close and spun around into a high slash to the shoulder of his master.

 

[JM76]

Chester watched patiently as his Padawan struck out first. It was a basic, but guided, strike at his left side. Not bad, especially for a self-proclaimed underworld agent. The Jedi Master kept his blade steady, at the center of his body, because the Force informed him that his apprentice's attack was not quite done. Battle precognition was an inanely useful power, and Chester Ducere had been honing it since he had become a Jedi Master. Nevertheless, he rarely received these visions of warning from the Force, and much more practice was needed before it became a regular occurrence.

As the Force alerted him, the attack was not completed with the left strike. Instead, an uppercut toward Chester's shoulder was launched in a quick, otherwise unexpected, strike. Such an attack would have easily severed the arm of a standard thug, or even a swordsman of some renown, but Jedi had received the aid of the Force, giving them supernatural senses that were honed for combat. Chester was no exception. Raising his blade toward his head and extending his weapon horizontally, Chester's sword met Krug's, colliding with a clang of metal and a brief flash of sparks.

Once his competitor's blade had been halted, Chester ducked low to avoid a follow-up attack and sliced in a wide, forward strike at the Zabrak's lower legs. If Krug did not avoid the attack, his legs would be stricken and he would very likely receive some moderate cuts (the blades were not created for deep, fatal cuts) and lose balance for sure. However, simply jumping wouldn't work either. The Jedi's swing was wide enough that a jump upwards would require near-perfect timing, lest Krug land on the blade itself. The Jedi Master wanted to force his Padawan to be creative. His straightforward skill in combat served him well before, but this was a new world of combat.

 

[McFisticuff]

Krug was surprised at his master's speed, but he tried not to think about it, it would slow him down. He counter-striked and missed. His master came at his legs and Krug knew his options were limited. He finally decided with little time to spare to try a risky manuever. He had never been good with flips. He tried to do a front flip through the air to get behind his master, but he didn't get enough altitude. He crashed into his master. He got up as quickly as he could, but found his master was already up in a short swing toward his stomach. He barely blocked and started to do his favorite technique. He had come up with it himself. Krug began the manuever. He twirled his blade in the air and started to move to the left. This was all to distract his opponent, he twirled his blade again for a moment, then charged forward into a thrust towards the left lung of his master. His master had only a split second to react.

 

[JM76]

Chester's strike missed as his Padawan performed a rather unimpressive front flip. Admittedly, the Jedi Master had seen apprentices attempt such things before; therefore, he was not surprised when the Padawan crashed into him head-on and nearly sent him sprawling off his feet. He retained his balance, though, while the Zabrak was recovering his footing.

The Jedi Master watched as Krug prepared a second attack. He watched the blade whirl and spin through the air, while the Jedi watched his student's footwork carefully. It was not bad, but it could use some improvement. Admittedly, Chester had become quite a bit distracted by the Zabrak's movements that he ignored his Padawan's blade for a split second. Even for Chester, such maneuvers were far too flashy.

Chester waited patiently as the Padawan lunged at the left side of his chest. The Jedi Master was surprised when his pupil followed up with his movements. Instead of striking right when he went left, he struck left. Interesting. Chester allowed his student's attack to get within several inches of him before swerving his entire upper body to the right, twisting it to the side while keeping his feet planted. This motion allowed the blade's thrust to continue, without actually hitting its intended target. Chester performed a lithe, quick jab at his Padawan's left side with his sword, which was entirely exposed due to the fact Krug's weapon was extended far from his body. Just in case his apprentice managed to avoid the attack, the Jedi Master performed a low, but powerful, kick at the Zabrak's right ankle, intending to knock him off balance.

 

[McFisticuff]

Krug knew he was trapped. He rolled to the left as fast as he could but he still got nicked in the side. it was a small cut, but a cut nonetheless. As he got up he clutched his side. He wouldn't accept defeat, he knew he was better than his master. He had to be. He had beaten everyone he had ever fought. He spun around and swung the blade in a sweeping motion towards his master's knees.

 

[JM76]

The Jedi Master took notice of the fact that Krug was beginning to get more frustrated. While not surprising, it did make his student's movements more readable and easier to detect.

When Krug attacked yet again, Chester leapt over his Padawan's attack, and landed on one of the balcony's ledges. From there, he got enough height to quickly leap clear over his Padawan, swinging his sword in two rapid motions - one strike for each of the Zabrak's shoulders - and land behind him, where he put up a defensive stance, just in case.

 

[McFisticuff]

Krug grunted. He had two cuts on his shoulders and he knew he was beaten. He bowed to his master and dropped his sword. With a scowl, he said "You win, master." It took a tremendous amount of effort for Krug to say it.