Force Combat

[RobertCore]

Sky had finally reached a harmony with the surrounding energies when he felt his brothers distress. Sun tried to grab his saber that had flipped off his back, but it was gone in an instant. "Calm your self brother." commented Sky silently in Sun's head.

"Where did she go?"

"Follow, hold nothing back."

"Ha? wait what!" Sky had leaped into the tree tops in pursuit of Master Ashara, just behind a few other students, "arg!" Sun exerted himself to catch up, his own physical training allowed him to catch up to his brother, who at this point was depending on the force almost entirely to move. Through their bond, Sun was able to keep up without draining himself too much, eventually they reached the clearing again, Sun could feel just how draining it had been on his brother as Sky attempted to lean on Sun's remaining strength, he put up no resistance to allow Sky to regain some strength as they began to meditate with the master and the class.

---

Now with his heart rate nearly as chaotic as the surrounding energies, Sky was able to center himself much faster than he was before and his breathing soon calmed as the force feed him strength.

Sun had more difficulties with meditation, and Sky who had sunk into a deep trans was preventing him from forcing a personality switch and escaping the 'boring' side of training. Reluctantly Sun sat down and crossed his legs. He tried to find aid from his brother, but was left to his own means, the strongest connection he had ever felt to the force was through the bond with his brother so he began there. Sun could sense his brothers presence, his heart rate slowing, soon Sun felt the onslaught of energies his brother had a few minutes ago and struggled to find concentration in it.

---

At first Sky felt the onset of the cold in his toes and figures, as Master Ahsara described the techniques to remain warm, however vaguely, it became more apparent that he was more effected by it than he had first felt. "the force is a voice, listen and it will guide you" a holocron had told him this, the masters name eluded him now but he followed its advice. Sky felt the heat of the force, he cupped his hands as if to spawn a flame, as Sky focused the force between his hands the air began to heat. Eventually the drops of rain that hit his hands were warm to the touch, and Sky knew he had to hold back, that a flame was not going to happen now, and he became content with the heat radiating form his focal point.

Sun was hardly taming his concentration when the cold became almost too much to bare, Sky was beginning to make some heat, but it was not enough to warm them both. Master Vashee's explanation left much to be answered, "Listen to the force" came his brothers voice just before Sun stood to ask out loud for a deeper explanation.

"You know I'm not really used to that." replied Sun through the force.

"You are used to listing to my thoughts are you not? I assure you there is little difference, step from the comfort of our bond and hear the force." came Sky's reply.

Knowing no other advice would be given Sun found focus again, breaking for shivering spasm, but eventually finding the voice that lead him to feel a warmth from his stomach. After much more effort, Sun could feel his chest and belly warming up, he kept trying to push the warmth to his arms and legs but with each attempt jeopardized the stability of the heat he had.

 

[Dnarion]

Master Vashee had called a class together on the use of the Force in combat. It was something Dnarion had wished he had learned before confronting Valkyrie at the moon base on his first mission. Had Loogo not been present to aid him - the result might have had a far deadlier outcome for him. The cascading rain had extended even in to the night, but it did not deter Dnarion from coming to the end of the class. He had wanted to arrive at the beginning, but his meditation had lasted the better part of the day. Indeed, he had been practically carried away by the Force the majority of the day.

In that time, Dnarion had seen a great many disturbing things concerning the Jedi and Galactic Alliance. Their enemy was on the move...death and destruction stalked all that Luke Skywalker and his companions had fought to create. None of was immensely clear, except that the Jedi and Galactic Alliance were losing. The Sith and their allies were having at them, and while the powers of light fought valiantly and even smartly - defeat seemed inevitable. One thing stood out more than others in all the fighting he saw...Tython. The Temple at Tython was smoking as it fell under attack from the Dark Side. It had brought tears to his eyes as he watched the havoc and destruction brought down upon his first home among the Jedi - no matter how short of a time he had spent there. The Dark Side was closing in on that which he had just started learning to be a part of. The Enemy was merciless, ruthless, deadly, strong, but there was hope...somewhere. Where was beyond Dnarion's ability to figure out in details, but whatever the hope was - it lay in learning more about becoming a Jedi. To this, the Sage Master would have to be his guide - as would any others in the Order he could learn from. Yet, he felt a special connection to the Sage Master, and that connection had never wavered since their first meeting in her office on Tython.

When he had finally come out of his meditation it had gone from early morning to late evening. Even so, he would not miss Master Vashee's class completely. Yes, he was late - a new thing for him since he was never late, but then he was not used to the Force calling so strongly. As he walked to the meeting place it was more my feel than sight and true knowledge. He could feel the presence of Master Vashee...it was like a beacon that called out to the very core of his soul, and via the Force was able to find his way there. At first, he was simply walking towards where the rest would meet her, but he sensed something more. There was a lot of left over Force energy as he drew closer and closer to the class area. They had been hard at work it seemed, but he did not know in what manner that had been. He stopped and closed his eyes as he focused on the left over energies of so many people. One was clearly that of Master Vashee...it clearly had her Force signature to it. One was a Jedi Knight by the strength...so much more focused than the rest save the Sage Master's. For a moment, with his eyes closed - Dnarion could see the group of Jedi dashing off and making incredible leaps in the Force...running and making fantastic moves with sharp turns. In this weather, it made it all the more interesting and awe inspiring to the young Hapan padawan.

Just that fast, the vision was gone, and so Dnarion opened his eyes...gathering the Force around him. He had only the most basic of training where such moves where the Force was concerned. Yet, the challenge rang in his soul - a challenge from the Sage Master. Dnarion took a deep breath as he let the Force flow through him of the surroundings. It was raining...wet...dark, but though there was fear in messing this up; Dnarion exhaled that fear out in to the Force. Fear had no place when using the Force...it could cloud your judgement and perceptions. After a full minute of meditating on the trial ahead; Dnarion took a long slow deep breath...and then burst in to action....

Off he ran, the Force his strength as it was gathered from every living thing...plants, trees, animals, insects, even the very dirt and rain of the night. He was faster than he ever had been, and pushed himself harder than had ever dared before. A branch ahead among the trees was nine feet up, and Dnarion let the Force flow through him as he leaped to the very top of it...landing perfectly balanced...barely touching it, and then leaped away in to the rainy night on the narrow path below. The landing below was not as perfect, but Dnarion didn't break stride. He sped faster and faster as he jumped over tall groups of broken branches, huge logs, and other obstacles. Out of pure connection to the Force, Dnarion changed his course sharply...the Force allowing him to not slip in the leaves and mud. Zigging and zagging in daring patterns - on he continued until he had made a complete circle around the encamped class. Only by the time he had come to the gathering place had he completed his circuit.

Panting heavily from the exertion - he let go of the majority of his focus on the Force. Never had he been so tired before...not even after his deadly brief fight with Valkyrie. It had taken him longer to complete the trek than the rest of the class, but it was done all the same. He noticed that the class was in deep meditation, and he dared not disturb them. Thus, the young Hapan padawan sat down as he attempted to bring his breathing under control. This was not easy for him as he had never pushed himself so hard physically or in the Force before, but he would not yield to exhaustion. The memory of the visions during his meditation earlier still remained fresh in his mind. He had to learn, to grow, and to prepare for the conflicts ahead. Dnarion sat there quietly...his breathing slowly returning to normal, and then even slower as he once more entered a meditative trance. He was soaking wet and had not ate since the night before, but neither of these were important. What was important was learning control...yes, control was massively important.

~Calm, Dnarion, calm...focus on the control...let the Force flow and sooth you from the trial, the rain, the lack of food,~ Dnarion thought to himself as he meditated quietly in the back.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von was a bit surprised when the Sage Master pulled her lightsaber away from her. Not because of the action itself, but because of the reasoning. She thought that Jedi were to always have their lightsabers. Something about "this lightsaber is your life," or something or other. Her connection with the Permafrost crystal, however, was not severed, and it served to calm her anxiety at its departure.

Still, Von prepared herself to adapt to this Jedi's new teaching, and was only a little surprised by the aged woman's startling speed. Von could feel her instincts kick-in, the ones that had been trained to chase down a target. She was moving before she fully realized what was going on, the Force flowing through her like a raging current. She saw the dark-looking Jedi Knight and the little Kushiban rush ahead along with her, and felt them both through the Force. The Knight felt a bit intense, while the little Padawan felt strange to her. His connection to the Living Force was very strong, and the fact that it had chosen such a small and relatively unassuming creature brightened Von's mood.

Refocusing back on chasing down the Jedi Master, Von waded deeper into the Force, and doubled her efforts. She felt like she was back in the dense jungles of Endor as she wove through branches and trees, sprinting a fast as she could. Her increased strength served her well as the chase led all throughout the forest. The problem she quickly faced was the lack of traction due to the rainfall. Her weight helped in some aspects, but in a lot of areas, it was quite hindering, especially in the mud. As she rolled out from a particularly graceful flip off of a high tree branch, she sensed a massive mud hole beneath her.

Instinctively she reached into the Force, and it showed her several possible actions to take. To her left was a fallen tree that looked like it'd been cut down by a lightning strike. She pulled it with the Force onto the mud pit, and it was just hollow enough to float. Rolling as she landed, she felt a spike of pain as her back came in contact with one of the larger knots on the tree's surface, but Von pushed the pain aside and leaped off the log.

As the merry chase led them back to the clearing, Von let out a little laugh as the Sage Master simply stood there as if nothing had happened. This woman was clearly more than appearances let on. Von stretched out and listened to the Sage Master's words. She could feel the words echo in her mind as Von made the mental connections to her previous training. When Master Ashara began to meditate, Von calmed her mind and sat down to do so as well.

As soon as she did, Von felt the immense ocean of the Unifying Force, and the powerful river of the Living Force. She could see where they interconnected, the river flowing from the ocean, then back around to empty into the ocean. Then that clarity was lost as she was bombarded by visions. Several visions that she'd had previously came rushing back. The fight with the dark man. Leading soldiers into battle on a war-torn world. Piloting a starfighter amid a clash in the stars. Then Von encountered a new one. She could see herself fighting men in armor. There was someone else there, as well. Someone that she had to protect. The vision then passed and she was thrown back into the present. Even with the cooling rain, Von felt a palpable sweat that had not been formed by exertion.

Calming herself down again, Von shook her head and tried to meditate once again.

---

As the minutes turned to hours, Von's mind drifted in the powerful sea of the Force. The Padawan felt some of the cold, but merely accepted it as a part of life. Her time on Hoth had trained her to manage her internal temperatures, but she still wasn't entirely proficient in it. The Sage Master's teachings did strike a chord inside Von, and she worked to manipulate the heat.

Von waded further into the Force, and could feel her hesitations mount, and they proved to be well-founded. The heat, instead of being restrained to her, began to radiate out from her intensely. Fear nearly overwhelmed her, but Von reminded herself of Master Armstrong's words. The Weapons Master's teachings allowed her to regain control, and suppress the energy into a calm soothing heat to keep away the chill.

"There we go," she thought to herself.

 

[Master Maverick]

Night would pass and it would be the next morning. The group would still be meditating and working on the ability known as Tapas. Well, at least that was her intention. Whatever it was that kept them warm would be well enough.

Stomachs would be growling as nothing had been eaten the day before since before all arrived. The Sage Master had prepared herself for such a test, but the younger Jedi couldn't have known she would push them like this right off the bat.

Given that they all had been utilizing the Force all night, albeit rather lightly, after the exertion of yesterday, the strain might be starting to set in upon their minds and bodies. Ashara was well enough at this point, but even she would need food at some point today if she hoped to keep this group going as she wanted.

The star had only just risen in the sky, the ceiling of the world taking a fantastic orange, pink hue through the foliage of the trees and shining dim beams through these. "Time for the warm up. Everyone, follow me exactly." She'd wait until they all rose, her hardened voice probably startling some of them from their conscious rest.

As yesterday, she'd dart out into the forest. However, this time she would go only so fast as the slowest individual could keep up. Modest jumps, rolls, dashes and turns were utilized this time. The more agile Padawans wouldn't have much of a problem, but she hoped to push the younger or newer Initiates to a better place. There was little hope they would catch up in these few short weeks, but they would at least have the knowledge to better themselves on their own.

This time it would last for twenty minutes, keeping the pace consistent and the difficulty at a steady level. They would, again, end up in the clearing where they all started the previous morning.

"Now," she called out, only moments after everyone had fallen in, "Go find a stone of any size and use the Force to hold it at eye level. At no point are you to touch it physically by any means. Return back here, form a circle and and keep it perfectly steady until I return." She'd watch as they walked off to find their stone. Once she was confident that they were all following orders, she went off to find some food. It would have to be an omnivorous diet, given Ashara could not handle too much vegetation.

It would be a few hours before she returned. If they all weren't doing as she directed when she returned, then she'd chase them out in the forest with her lightsaber on a low setting to burn them when she caught them until she was satisfied. After they would have to return to holding the stone as previously commanded.

 

[Fang.]

Fang sat, the heat of convection flowing through him, the occasional wisp of a flame from purokenisis flickering off from him before dissapating. Time had no meaning within the force, and thus, in this state of meditation, Time had no meaning to him. Fang sat meditating continually reaching farther out and connecting himself with the force. Eventually, the Sage Master spoke, and Fang exited his meditation opening his eyes. again, The master sprinted off, though at a lighter pace this time, and agian, Fang followed her in a similair manner as he had before, still arriving moments after master Ashara, and only then, noticing that he was hungry. But Fang trusted that the master would not starve them, or if she was going to, it was with a purpose. after everyone arrived back at the clearing, she told them to find a stone and to levitate it at eye level when they returned. Fang was mildly annoyed but understood that it was more for the padawans than for him. So he nodded in response and began to walk through the forest, not activly looking for a stone, for the force would lead him to one, but rather enjoyed his walk through the forest. eventually he found what he was looking for at a small water spring in the forest, it was about one fist in width and two in length, Fang picked it up out of the water, with the force, focusing on it and took a breath, enjoying the beuty of the spring before turning around and returning to the clearing, the walk back being slightly slower than his walk to the spring as he was focusing on levitating the rock just off to teh side of him at eye level with the force. he returned to his spot and sat down. Moving the rock with the force two feet infront of him at eye level Fang once again, closed his eyes. the rock sat there gently spinning in space as FAng returned to his meditaitons

 

[The Derp of Hooves]

Yuunda smiled, this was more like a Jedi boot camp than learning force combat like he had originally thought but he was still pleased. This would still test his endurance to the his considerable limits. As the night turned into day, he had let up on his force usage a bit, he didn't want to exhaust himself too early here. When the sun barely risen, they were off again into the forest this time much more slowly. As they darted in and out, up and down the trees, he was able to use less force power this time and more of his own strength to complete the obstacle course. The lack of food had hardly bothered him, being raised in a desert, having suffered on the receiving end of a Tusken Raider blood rite ceremony, had led him to near starvation before.

When they arrived back in the clearing, it was to find that there was more training to be done. More meditation, this time though the class was to hold a stone at eye level as they meditated. Yuunda had found a nice round fist sized stone and brought it to the clearing sitting next to Fang. Instead of not having anything to concentrate on like his last meditation, he concentrated fully on keeping the stone in place and meditated on the stone, much as he would if he was meditating on a lightsaber crystal.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von jumped a bit at Master Ashara's voice. She quickly hopped to her feet, her muscles complaining a bit as she did so. Stretching a little first, Von set off after the Jedi Master quickly. She knew that this was not her strength that allowed such a feat, but that of the Force. Still, the super-dense muscles helped. It was after a couple minutes that she noticed the angry growls of her stomach, and she realized that she'd not eaten at all since before the training began.

Her strength began to ebb ten minutes into the run, and around the nineteen-minute mark, nearly failed entirely. Her exhaustion caused a bit of clumsiness that Von had never experienced before. Her early training had been tough, but it had not prepared her fully for the mental exhaustion coupled with the physical that she felt now. As a result, Von tripped a bit on a log, and crashed into a tree. Her weight coupled with the force of the impact sent the gnarled and rotted old wood crashing to the ground. The Padawan rolled off the rotted tree-now-log, and brushed herself off. Her embarrassment raised her anxiety, and she felt her connection to the Force waiver. Running the last minute or so with practically no Force-given strength to sustain her, Von practically crawled back into the clearing.

Von slowly staggered back to the group, and listened to Ashara's instructions. Pick up a rock without touching it, Von thought. Normally it would be a piece of ryshcate, but in her condition, Von was a bit worried.

As the other students moved off to find some stones. She saw that several were getting some larger stones, and felt her disappointment growing. There was no way she could lift rocks that large. For one, her metabolism was extremely high, thus the hunger was clearly taking its toll on her more than the other students. Secondly, Von's anxiety was still suppressing her connection to the Force. She could feel her worry building. The Jedi Master and other students would be back soon, and Von could barely hold herself up, let alone lift a rock of any size.

"Wait," she muttered softly, "Of any size..."

Her worries a bit nullified by her sudden revelation, Von began to rip at the ground, pulling up grass to reach the dirt underneath without actually touching the dirt. With the dirt exposed, Von began meditating, drawing in the Force again. She turned her focus to the dirt, and began sifting through the top layer. Eventually, she found what she was looking for. A small rock no larger than an ant floated up in front of her before coming to a stop at eye-level. Maintaining her focus, Von carefully balanced the rock in mid-air, and waited for the Jedi Master to return.

 

[RobertCore]

As day brook, Sky could feel the warmth of the mourning sun and cooled his heat source until he no longer needed it. Sun was glad to feel the cool slipping away, with tapas no longer draining his focus he began to truly connect with the force in a way he had never done before. Hunger that had been gripping him slowly over the night hours seemed almost nothing, and the fact the he had not actually slept did not dampen his energy. Master Vashee's instruction came far too soon, and Sun's concentration fell apart as he brook his meditation. With their teacher off leading another run, Sky turned to see Sun gripping his stomach as he readied to give chase. A firm hand stopped Sun from launching into the air, "Eat this Brother, it will help for a time." Sun looked down at the open hand, he took the food capsule and swallowed it, the hunger pains subsided and he dart off, with Sky close in foot.

---

Sky had no problem keeping up now that he had connected with the rythem of the forest, making it easy to draw strength and separate the energies into Master Ashara and not master Ashara, and the result was a well mimicked run, though it was not without its trips and stumbles. Sun was able to keep ahead of Sky, though with a much less graceful coordination. At one point a student ahead hit a tree and sent it crashing to the ground, as Sun began to laugh at the sight, a branch sneaked up on him and slammed into his stomach bringing him to a fast stop. Sky landed on the branch, "Focus on what you are doing Brother." he said as he helped Sun climb onto the branch, agreeing to the humbling experience the two continued the chase and came back to the clearing.

---

Master Vashee waited until the remaining students returned and gave them the next instructions, Sky knew the benefit of the exerciser and went off to find a nice sized rock he had seen on the way to the class that had caught his mind to be one that would be fun to lift. By the time Sky had returned Sun was already lifting his rock, one slightly bigger than his fist. Sky could not refute the tasks instructions despite his desire to challenge his brother, there had to be a starting point. Shrugging off his Sun's surprising cunning Sky took his place next to him and brought his rock, not bigger than a few feet in diameter, to eye level. It didn't take long to bring himself back to his concentration, and after a quick telepathic hint to Sun, to help he reach it himself, the two held the rocks as instructed, and waited.

 

[Master Maverick]

A sack was created out of her voluminous cloak. Within it would be found various herbs, vegetables, a few fruits and two small-game animals she had managed to kill with as little pain as she could manage. Off to the northern side of the site she had set down her catch and started to gather twigs for kindling and larger pieces of wood in order to start a fire. Normally she would have done all this manually, but she practiced just as she had instructed the class. The food was carried without her touching it, same with the wood.

A modest pile was created and she sat before it, concentrating and dipping herself deep inside the Force. Her hands hovered over the stack for minutes before a spark was created and lit the pile. She had sped up the molecules so quickly that they rubbed against one another, creating a charge. The energy was released - a single, tiny spark. It was enough to get a fire started, but wore out the Togurta a bit.

Turning to face the group, a moderately sized branch was set upon the fire and she started to walk towards the circle that had formed. She was less-than pleased that they had chosen to sit, but she had not specified otherwise. The Zeltron had but a pebble. A short look at her effort indicated that the female was working herself as much as was necessary, considering all they had done. The Knight, however, disappointed her. The young Padawan, Sky... or was it Sun, had one of a similar size. As such, she decided to test him.

First she found his stone through the Force and began to pull it down. Harder and harder she'd pull, forcing it to the ground so he'd have to expend more effort in order to hold it up. It was a tug of war, of sorts. Then she decided to trick him. When their energies matched, she ended her influence. At least in that direction. After several seconds of finding an equilibrium she'd fling it up in the air. He would have been doing the same thing and it would have already traveled several feet before he could react and try to bring it back down. By that point it would be high in the air and far beyond his grasp. She'd make it arc so it would land harmlessly in the forest beyond.

Her hand indicated to him that he should stay where he was while she worked to find a stone a decent size for the human. It took only a few moments before a boulder, about five feet in diameter, was brought over to him. Ashara's head was turned down as she focused on the weight and moved it to hover over the Knight's head. He was silently instructed to keep it there. She'd lower it slowly to more obviously instruct this, and help him for a while if it was needed.

She would do this with each, trying to force them into a deep trance that depended on their lives.

___________________________________

If she did this right, then at this point, at mid-day, they should all be rather hungry. Starving, even. While they held the boulders and stones above their heads, she began to cook. The smell of the stew she was concocting might distract some of them, but she was keeping a eye on them well-enough. As before, her preparation was done without her physically doing any work. The control, the details and the minutiae of movements she had to perform were, in a way, just as difficult as lifting a heavy object, if not more so.

"You may lower them now," she announced in a passive, almost hushed tone. Ashara turned to watch them do as they were instructed, curious to see if they could do it without hurting themselves and if they might help each other if it was required.

When they were all finished, she would give them the condition of their meal. "You must resist the burn of my saber before you may eat." The blue blade erupted from its hilt in her hand. Von was motioned to approach first. Her inability cause Ashara to suspect that she would have a bit of difficulty with this lesson. This was on purpose, so the more experience Jedi could not eat as they waited for her to get it.

"Convert the heat energy into Force energy. Do not contain it within yourself. Instead, as you do unconsciously, allow it to leave your body, creating an equilibrium, your body the medium through which it flows." The Sage's blade was held out, parallel to the ground from her chest. Von was to approach willingly and do it on her own terms.

Sun would be next, then Sky, then Yuunda and finally Fang.

 

[The Kyzer]

After what seemed an eternity of holding up the pebble, Von noticed that Ashara had returned, and seemed to be cooking food. This reminded her of the endless amounts of hunger that she felt. When the Sage Master finally spoke after what appeared to be a serious testing of another Padawan, Von was slightly startled. She'd almost forgotten what another's voice sounded like.

Von then carefully put the little pebble down, and stood up to approach the Jedi Master. Her will was weak from the extensive training, so when she reached out, Von wasn't quite in the right mindset to engage even what she considered her best skill, Tutaminis. The heat of the saber was palpable, and she pulled her hand back.

Von looked at her hand, then at the saber, and took a deep breath, centering herself. Her exhaustion was a boon to her now, as it didn't allow her mind to wander into self-doubt. Reaching out again, Von felt the heat once more, but it was more dampened. The heat passed through her hand and was converted into usable Force energy. Von unconsciously used it to ease some of her aches and pains before remembering the Sage Master's instructions.

The Padawan worked to allow the energy to flow through her, and then radiate out into the environment. For several feet, the grass seemed to perk up, and even grew a little from the benevolent Force energy. Von opened her eyes and smiled a little, not noticing the grass at all, but the fact that she had succeeded.

She waited for permission, then partook of some of the food the Master had cooked.

 

[Raydo]

Reland was not doing as well as the other students. The only thing he truly succeeded in was not bringing a weapons and this was only because he did not own one. He had next to no training with the Force and while he was naturally fast had not known how to channel to Force to give him speed. He had been able to keep up so far, but barely.If the training session continued as it was he would not last much longer. The physical stress and mental stress from the running and prolonged use of the Force was taking its toll.

The night had been one of the longest nights of his life. He tried using the technique that were suggested but struggled to maintain his focus. He was about to keep himself from slipping into hypothermia but was unable to keep his clothes dry.

As day light came he thought surely the session would be over. When she said they were going on another run he stood up stiff from sitting all night. He was sore but he made himself run. He was one of the slower students but he began to be able to channel the Force better as his body grew weaker. He actually felt better than he had at the start of the run.

He had some practice with levitating as he had practiced some on his own. He had never attempted it with anything larger than a pebble. The time began to crawl by as he held the stone in the air. He cleared his mind and focused on the stone. He was still sore but it did not bother him in that moment. It was still difficult but he managed.

When Master Ashara called his name he dropped the stone. He lost control of it when he went to let it go and fell on leg as he sat on the ground. It throbbed with pain and he lost all of the focus he had been gathering. The pain of the last day rushed back to his body. He began to stand his right leg threatened to give way as he rested on his knee. He refocused his mind and he felt the feeling in his leg coming back.

He walked over to the blade closed his eyes. He was being fully driven by the force. He had no thoughts in his head but of the blade. He reached out feeling the energy of the blade start channeling into his body he was able to direct through his body and down into the ground. After a moment he pulled his hand away and opened eyes and waited for permission to take some of the food. "Thank you" he said quietly noticing that his mouth was dry and his throat was raw. He returned to where he was sitting before and sat down. He closed his eyes again as he began to meditate

 

[RobertCore]

Now with the master gone, and distracting orders long since ordered, Sun fell into his first true meditative trance, he could feel his brothers presence like never before. 'Is this how Sky feels me all the time?' he wondered as he fell deeper into the force, becoming empowered by the life around him. Sky could feel his brother reaching out and touching the living force, it surprised him that this new experience did not throw his concentration, but Sky could feel his brothers rock hovering steadily at eye level. Happy with Sun's progress, Sky returned to his own trance, dulling his hunger as it began to creep into his mind.

After some time Sky could feel Ashara return, Sun became distressed as he tried to fight the the masters will. Sun strained, cringing as he rapidly lost focus. Despite he had lost the battle, and the stone was pushing lightly on the dirt, he didn't stop trying to return it to his eyes. Then without warning the resistance left, and the only force that acted on the stone were gravity and Sun's own force, it sent the stone rocketing above the canopy and flying away.

Sky could feel this test as it tolled his brother, and prepared as he felt Vashee's strength turned to him. He attempted a different technique than Sun and tried to shield the boulder from Vashee's influence, but as he tried to keep Vashee from manipulating it, it sank and it was inevitable that he would have to push to keep it eye level. Sky was rather pleased with him self with how long it had taken the rock to touch the ground, he began to loosen his push a split second before Ashara let hers go, but there was still enough force to launch it remarkably high. He tried to grab it but he could only graze it with his reach sending it spinning in its arch.

Master Ashara issued the condition to eat, hunger had been kept well at bay by Sky, less so by Sun, but neither could deny they needed the feel something in their stomachs, not just have the pain dulled. Sun was called first to touch the blade, Sky didn't need to see the look of hesitation on his brothers face, he could hear him doubting himself, trying to move the pain onto him. 'Brother listen.' Sun remained where he was, Vashee was in no rush, 'I can not dim your pain if you pass it on to me, I will feel it all and you will not eat. Remember how the force has felt this past day? Remember how you move it to move the rock? The blade will impart and energy into you, but an energy inside you must be no different than an energy outside you. It will enter your body and cause pain, but you can guide it away from you before it reaches your brain.' Sun listened to his brothers telepathic lecture, 'Take your time and ready your mind.' Sun nodded and took a deep breath, and approached Master Vashee. Sun calmed his mind as his hand reached out, he closed his eye and felt the heat of the blade, the energy that was coming, as it came down he felt the force surging into his body, he did his best to remove the energy, and for the most part felt little more than a minor rug burn.

Master Vahsee gave her sentence and called Sky, he stepped up to the masters saber, his mind was calm and ready for the process, though it was not a technique he was familiar with he was ready and used it with a success he could be pleased with as he could barely feel the vibration of the blade against his hand. He waited for Vashee to give permission to eat.

 

[Captain Canuck]

Let’s just say Atarek's first impressions of the class were very soon replaced. He had grown up alongside criminals and hardened thugs, but Ashara scared him more than all of them combined. He had a class with her before; she showed him the basis of the force. She had seemed kind, patient and caring, but he soon learned she could be a drill sergeant.

He had found the clearing with increased difficulty; he had a terrible sense of direction. He finally saw another Palawan and followed him there. He had come weaponless, as asked of him. He introduced himself politely and kept his eyes on the teacher, waiting for instruction.

Out of nowhere he leapt into the trees and sped off, telling them to follow. Atarek’s heart dropped. He clumsily climbed the tree and began to hop along. Usually he was quick as a fox and as slippery as an eel, but jumping from soaked branch to soaked branch at a competitive pace was a totally different story. His foot constantly slipped, causing him either a branch in the gut or a trunk in the face, each of which happened twice.
After the last fall he lay on the grass, wanting nothing more than to lay there forever.
No. He forced himself to stand up. I will not give up. If monkeys can do it, I can do.
Even with his weak self pep talk, he soon found people passing him, and he found himself in none other than dead last when he finally made it to her new clearing halfway through her speech.

Yuunda? He thought. He caught the eye of a rather familiar Jedi from across the clearing, who proceeded to wink at him.

He looked over as the master knelt down and began mediating. No problem, meditation. Finally, something he wasn't bad at.

He knelt down and began his practiced breathing methods. Every breath resulted in a slower heartbeat. Every slower heartbeat slowed the speed of his breath. He continued the simple cycle until he found himself loose and relaxed. He then reached at the back of his mind, feeling for the common tug that was the force. He dipped into it with more ease them when he first came to the temple, feeling its warmth wash over him.

He was in the ocean of the force. Every leaf, blade of grass, tree, twig, and Jedi here was connected. He felt it as if they were all underwater in a vast ocean of power known as the force. It flowed through every one of them in an uninterrupted spider web. He slowly directed his mind on a newly fallen leaf, feeling it, its essence, it's very being.

He shot out of his trance by his teacher’s voice.

Was I really out that long? A violent shiver racked his body, indicating his drenched state. He just gritted his teeth and ignored it. He knew he might get a cold, he could feel the icy grips of it creeping down to the very bone, but he had been taught to not complain and trudge on, and that's exactly what he did.

His teacher then shot off of foot, down a small path. This time Atarek smiled, this was more his style.

He instantly shot off like a laser from a blaster, trailing the Jedi. She carved quite an impressive trial, over rocks, fallen logs, and anymore obstacles she could find. He whooped in excitement as he leapt off of a rock and into the air, spreading his arms wide as if he would take flight. Even with the soaked ground, his dark boots found little trouble with grip and he easily shot along, nearly alongside the Master Jedi. Sadly, his period of enjoyment was quickly over, and the teacher stopped.

She gave them a short speech and told them to find rocks to lift, and Atarek had to hold in a groan. It was as if she was choosing all of the things he was bad at. He didn't move, simply picking a small pebble at his feet a inspecting it.

Every blemish, every crack, every speck of dirt present, he studied It all. He had to know the stone and its essence to lift it. He slowly furrowed his eyebrows and focuses on the stone, it very being, all of its components, and willed it to lift. He smiled in satisfaction as it wobbled to life and rose to his chin level. After the hard part was done, maintaining it was a breeze. It wasn’t exactly tiresome to lift a stone.

He sighed in relief anyway as his teacher came back with food. His stomach decided to make that dying whale noise all of a sudden, his cheeks flushed red and he tried to blend in to the Palawan behind him.


He nearly fainted when the teacher asked them to touch her light saber. It could cut off his hand for Pete's sake!!

He signed and focused. Lightsaber’s were energy. The force was energy. He would touch the lightsaber, and successfully turn it into force energy. HE continued to talk to himself in this manner. He had often been told by his parents, “Whether you think you’ll fail or succeed, you’re right.” and it made perfect sense to him.
His turn had finally come; he got up and slowly walked over to the Jedi brandishing the ancient weapon. He reached out and felt the blade of the saber. He willed his body to be loose and relaxed, nothing more than a conductor for the heat. He could feel the energy of the blade, he visualized it flowing throughout his body like his veins, shifting to safe force energy. He felt his entire body flush with warmth as it did just that. His hand heated up more and more until it became unbearable, he withdrew quickly and returned to the circle.

 

[Master Maverick]

The meal eaten had no real flavor. Not much of a reward for burning oneself. However, this was a more subtle way to live the life of a Jedi. Really it was because Ashara hadn't brought any herbs or spices with her, so everything was plain. It was healthy and nutritious, but somewhat harder to stomach. At least for those with more sensitive stomach. Even so, this would simply be another lesson in the control of one's own body.

Once lunch was finished by the last Jedi she'd move on without rest. This time, though, it would be, perhaps, more fun for these youngsters. Each were paired up with another - Sun with Sky simply because she didn't want to deal with splitting them up, Alistair with Yuunda, Reland with Atarek, and Von with herself. One would be tasked with throw up debris via telekinesis while the other would push the object away. They were tested as such in their accuracy, rather than strength. She would get to that soon enough.

Keeping with the theme of wearing them out mentally and physically, she had each perform their part for one hour before switching and doing the other for an hour more. After this was completed they would switch roles again. This time, though, instead of pushing they would pull the objects. The goal was to catch whatever it was, but she knew some would be unable to do this, so as close to their body as possible. Again, this was speed and accuracy, not power. Such wouldn't matter if they couldn't hit their target. This would go on for the same amount of time as the previous exercise. Four hours passed before she took them on yet another run, trying to make all go a little faster with some tighter turns and more sudden stops, jumps and falls. It was gradual, as she knew they couldn't learn after only two sessions.

Following this, she again held out her lightsaber after preparing another bland meal while they meditated with an increasingly large stone over each of their heads. Some were tasked with moving the rock up and down, if it wasn't challenging enough. Each would have to go through her, in the same order as before, to eat dinner. Once all had finished the meal, the fire was stamped out and they were again tasked with keeping their own selves warm through the night.

This would be the routine they would complete every single day for two weeks. They would wake up from their meditation in the morning with a warm up to practice the Art of Meditation, Speed and Jump. After this would be the Pushing and Pulling exercise. For breakfast they would not have to worry about getting their hand as close as possible to her lightsaber. After breakfast they would meditate with the boulder over their head for an hour straight before doing the run again and the Push/Pull exercise. Each day they were tasked with going a little faster with more objects and better control, eventually working on the power when they were able to lift and throw heavier objects. After this they would have to get their hand as close to her blade as they could without getting burned before eating the lunch she had prepared. Following this was again the telekinetic meditation, the push/pull exercise, the running course, then a final bout of working on their skills with Tutaminis before dinner and a sleeping meditation.

By the end of this they would all be ragged. Their clothes dirtied and ripped. Their minds weary and their bodies aching. Despite this, the Force would likely be felt with more detail than before. Ashara as well was tired from it all. Never had she worked herself so hard for so long without rest. If a Sith Crusader were to happen upon them, she would be hard-pressed to keep him at bay, never mind defeat him. But now they could go back to the Temple and rest. She led them through the forest and fields, going as fast as she could. This time, though, it was as straight as she could manage, not wanting to waste time. Once back at the Temple, she instructed them all to rest for two days. On the third they were to return back to the courtyard where there was one task that remained for them all. She would not reveal what it was just yet, but it would be the true test of their skills and what they had learned.

The third morning, before the star broke the horizon, she went back out to their spot. It was worn now, though the forest was already starting to take back its control. In the middle of the small clearing she found the lightsabers and released them from the grip of the branch. It took several minutes, of course, but once she had them all, they were clipped to her waist, or wherever they could go, and she made her way back. Just as the star began to rise, she found herself in the courtyard. The others would not arrive for an hour or two yet, so she decided to meditate. Lumyn was kind enough to fetch her breakfast, which she ate sparingly. The food at the Temple shocked her taste buds now, being as tasty as it was. Of course, in the scope of the galaxy, this food was rather plain. She, however, had a different perspective now. Even in her aging years she was learning plenty about the galaxy, the Force, but most importantly herself.

 

[Raydo]

The first few days were hard for Reland but over time he was about to improve his meditation skills to the point where he no longer felt exhausted an the beginning of each day. All of his force abilities also improved over the next two weeks. He forced himself to hold bigger and bigger rocks each day. He was able to hold and even control the rock to an extent and he no longer dropped his rock after the first day. The first day he struggled with his Force Push drills. He had not gained the finesse to hold and object then throw towards an object. The deflecting part of the drill came much easier to him.

Over the next two weeks these skills improved and they came easier and easier to him. Where he didn't seem to grasp his light saber lessons, he soaked up the information regarding the Force. He was tired but enjoyed being out in the forest. As they reached the tenth day his body was beginning to weaken even more. The physical exercises they were doing began getting even harder. His mind was holding up much better but even it was starting to become foggy.

When they got back to Temple they were told they could rest for two days. Reland went to his quarters and slept on and off for the next few days. He forced himself to wake up to eat and meditate for two hours but the rest of the time he spent asleep. He woke up several hours early from the time they were supposed to meet with the Jedi Master. He went out in to the dark courtyard in front of the temple and began to meditate and prepare himself for what she had for the group next.

 

[Rom]

Alistair was, to put it mildly, exhausted. Ever the over-achiever, the young Padawan had immediately picked a boulder twice his size and kept it in a telekinetic hold above his head, dropping into a meditative stance to wait. And his strength wavered the longer time went on, with the stone dropping to eye level and remaining there, his eyes clenched shut and his small shoulders heaving with the effort as a bead of sweat trailed down his face. The Kushiban nearly dropped his stone when the sudden roar of fire echoed in his ears, and the warmth from the bramble branch reached out to caress his worn out body. He struggled with the Master's hold on his boulder, pushing himself to his feet and planting himself as he softly began to hum, the energy of the Living Force burning through his weary limbs and reinvigorating him as he fell into it's embrace.

'You can do this Alistair... you can do this.'

The silent mantra continued as the sun continued to rise above their heads, and Alistair had fallen so deeply into meditation to keep his boulder at eye height that he had to be shaken by one of the other Padawans to realize that he had been called to set his stone down. The smell of food wafted through the air, making the small furry Jedi nearly drool before he caught sight of the blue blade being held before him. Tutaminas.. a skill that Alistair had never been very good at. It was one of the reasons he excelled at Alter Environment; he was very capable of feeling and manipulating the living energy around him, but not through another medium such as a person; namely himself.

He reached out twice, and both times had to pull his paw back as the heat of the saber and the smell of burnt fur wafted through the clearing. Finally, the Kushiban reached out and began to manipulate the heat energy, imagining himself as a series of pipes and ducts through which the energy could flow through and then out of him into the surroundings. Grass started to perk up and brighten in color... and then a bush caught fire. Ducking his head as he quickly pulled at the moist air of the forest to create a small amount of water, he dumped it on the burning vegetation and turned back to the Master with his ears low and paw rubbing the back of his head.... he was clearly embarrassed.

After his meal, which the Kushiban ate slowly to savor as he sent a little thrum of healing energy into his body to help it process the food better, Alistair let out a groan and went running after the Jedi Master, something telling him the next few weeks were going to be a nightmare on his small frame.....

The Force Pull drills were the hardest for him, as his telekinesis had alot of power but not as much control as was required. Several times he was bowled over from the debris and had to start over, but he continued to persevere despite the challenges, and several weeks later it showed.

What little fat had been on his frame was gone, leaving him with honed muscles (for his kind) and a strong stance. His ability in moving through the Force had exceeded his wildest expectations, the jungle runs through the forest could nearly be done with his eyes closed, the force spoke to him so clearly in how he should move. His control over heating and cooling the air around him through Alter Environment had gotten much finer with it's near constant use, as had his initial forays into drawing water from the air, and his telekinetic finesse had also increased. His most improved skill was Tutaminas, having gone from being completely unable to convert the energy to pouring himself into the process, using it to fuel his environment altering skill. It had been a wonderful experience so far, and he was almost sad to see it end when they returned to the Temple and told to take two days to rest.

Forgoing the comforts of a bed or the delicacies of the kitchens, the Padawan continued to live outside at the edge of the forest, foraging for edibile herbs and roots and meditating on the nature of the Force. Something about being out among nature, where the Living Force was strongest, felt right and made him feel more refreshed than any time on a feather mattress could ever have done. On the third day he climbed from his hollow halfway up a tree and made his way towards the courtyard, his connection with his saber crystals singing as he caught sight of the hilt, smaller than the others, sitting on her belt.

Knowing from previous experience that she would not speak until they were all gathered, the Padawan fell into a kneeling position to her right and fell into a light meditation, waiting to find out what their last lesson would be.

 

[RobertCore]

The food was handed out accordingly, Sun sat to eat his while Sky tried to test his focus, attempting to float and levitate to food into his mouth. "This isn't going to end well." noted Sun as the first spoon full lifted from the bowl.

The spoon hovered in front of Sky's face, eyes closed, "I've reached a new level of focus after this class, I don't want to loose it and practice is how one maintains ones skills." the he held his mouth open and took a bit. Sun rolled his eyes, unaware how much he would come to understand 'practice is how one maintains ones skill', Master Vashee gave the instructions for the next task, Sky took the role of levitating while he made Sun try to push. His accuracy was less than stellar as Sky tried to block his attempts at linking his motions. Sky had been doing this for a near a day, far longer than he had tried such a task, and after some time his ability wavered and Sun began to succeed more and more.

Soon enough it was time to switch roles, Sky would have liked a greater challenge as his brother couldn't make the rocks move too fast. His accuracy would rank much higher than his brothers by the end of the day though, and Sky accepted a new found confidence in his ability to move in a fight, though he knew there was a difference between a fight and training in a forest. Sun enjoyed the evening run, but grew concerned as Master Vashee gave the command to survive another nigh, just how long were they going to stay out here?

Both followed Ashara's orders, but with out Sky keeping their personalities stable, they had their share of switches. By the end of the session they had benefited greatly, as themselves and their alternate personalities. They returned to the temple and found room to sleep.

"Hmm."

"What's the matter?" asked Sun as he walked into their room.

"You're taking this better than I thought you would?"

"Taking what?" Sky just raised his eye brow, "Fine be that way." Sun climbed into bed while Sky sat cross legged on the floor. "You've been doing that for two weeks, sleep." Sky shook off the suggestion and went into a meditative sleep, reveling in his new found connection to the force. A few hours past, the peace of the room was broken by Sun jumping out of bed, "SHE STILL HAS OUR SABERS!!!" he yelled, "haa. . ." he looked down at his brother still meditating, focus unbroken. "That's not good you know," he said calmly, "What if that was an artillery attack?"

"An artillery attack does not talk." replied Sky, a murmur from a surfacing thought. Sun ignored the remark and went back to sleep.

The day came when they were to meet in the courtyard, Sky shook his brother wake, and handed him breakfast, "I have already eaten." Sky said as he left the room, Sun finished the meal and darted out into the hall, Sky was long gone.

He made his way to courtyard were most of the students had assembled around master Vashee, his saw his saber, "She hasn't past them out yet?" he asked Sky as he joined the group. Sky shook his head, silent, they waited as the remainder of the students arrived.

 

[The Kyzer]

Von cherished the food as she slowly chewed it. It wasn't that it tasted good at all. In fact, it was quite bland, but the fact that it was food made it worth more to her than a million credits. Her aching stomach crushed the morsels with great intensity, her body seeking to squeeze every bit of nutrition out of it.

When the Sage Master began dividing the group into pairs, her social anxiety got the better of her and a bit of sadness crept in. There was an odd-number of Padawans, and she was left out. One can only imagine her surprise when Ashara chose to practice with her.

However, the challenge of the exercise was a different story. Von's strength lie in powerful blasts, not short accurate ones. When the Jedi Master began throwing random debris like clods of dirt and sticks, Von was hard-pressed to resist slamming every one with all of her might. After a half-hour, Von's patience wore thin, and when Ashara hurled a small dead log, her aggravation caused her to crush the wooden object into a cloud of small splinters and dust. The Jedi Master looked at her sternly, but didn't say anything. Still, the look was enough, and Von's embarrassment caused her already pink cheeks to deepen to a rose-color.

Short and accurate, Von thought over and over again. Finally, an idea rose to the surface of her thoughts.

Raising her right arm, Von nodded to the Jedi Master that she was ready again. When Master Vashee tossed a small rock with the Force, Von focused her telekinetic energy into her index finger, using it as a focus-point for her Force powers. With a small flick, the pebble rocketed off. For a split-second, Von thought she saw the corners of the Sage Master's mouth curl into a grin before regaining her composure, but she wasn't sure. For the last twenty minutes or so of the exercise, Von utilized this new tactic, and it worked without fail.

When it was time for them to switch, Von hurled a small rock with the Force straight up, only to see it hurtle away with blinding speed. What was surprising to the Padawan was that Master Ashara had not moved at all to her eyes. Clearly, this Jedi was skilled. Von's slightly mischievousness reared its ugly head as she threw up two objects, a stick and a clod of dirt. Both were sent sailing as soon as they reached a certain height. Von then sent up three, then four, then at last five objects. Each time, once they reached the aforementioned point in the air, all the objects went flying away. Von knew she couldn't keep doing this, as the quirky Jedi Master would doubtlessly test her further, so she resorted to the standard one object at a time.

Then the training exercise changed to pulling with the Force, not pushing. Still, her original tactic of using her single finger as a focus helped, but it was soon clear that she'd need to relax this restraint slightly when the object in question, a grass-covered ball of dirt, only came about halfway between where Ashara had lifted it and Von. Changing the tactic to utilizing her entire hand, bending it at the wrist, the next object, a rock, flew at her so quickly that she barely had time to catch it with her hand. The sting of the rock slapping her open palm was sufficient to alter the strategy one more time. Only motioning with her outstretched fingers, Von called Master Ashara's next projectile, a branch, to her hand quickly, but not so hard as to hurt.

Switching after the hour, Von resisted the urge to test Ashara's skills again, and simply lifted an assortment of debris over the course of the hour. Finally, after the fourth hour of the entire exercise, Master Ashara took off into the forest once again. Von was easily passed by Alistair, which she recognized by the little Kushiban's blur of fur, but was similarly unsurprised by this. The Jedi Master's run was a little more difficult this time, but Von's exhaustion simply allowed her to tap into the Force a little less hesitantly. Her body ached though, and her mind was running on instinct more or less, but she made it through.

Von was then given a rock and told to meditate while holding it above her head. This rock was much bigger than the small pebble from before. In fact, it was a little larger than her head. And, as she was tasked with lifting it up and down, a punishment Von suspected because of her earlier failure with the pushing/pulling exercise and her trickery, Von was nearly ready to succumb to unconsciousness when Ashara called them to claim their food. The Padawan seriously wanted to simply crawl over to the Jedi Master, but her small amount of dignity prevented her from doing so. The energy from her lightsaber's blade was intense, but Von simply used it to restore her own energy. The food was wonderful as well, though still very bland. The blackness of sleep tried to claim Von, but she strove to enter a deep trance instead, allowing her body to recuperate while still retaining its heat with Tapas.

---

For two weeks, the Sage Master put them through this rigorous training regime. Each day the difficulty grew higher and higher. And each day, surprisingly, Von succeeded in spite of herself. A week into the training, Von even went so far as to nearly grasp Master Ashara's lightsaber. It had required a bit of energy on Von's part, and she doubted that she'd be able to do so against a moving blade, but she did think that she saw Master Ashara smirk again...just for a moment. Then again, after the training they went through night and day, Von's mind could have just been playing tricks on her. When Master Ashara finally led them back to the temple, Von finally took a look at herself. Her hair was matted, and her pinkish skin had been darkened by dirt and grime. Her robes were a veritable mess, as were her pants and boots.

Retiring to her quarters, Von slept through the entire first day. When she awoke sometime in the afternoon of the second, the Zelton-hybrid made her way to the mess hall. Gathering a mountain of food, Von ate with a gusto that she'd never known before. Where once this food had seemed boring and plain, it had become exotic and wondrous. The woman looked at her hands as she ate, and noticed that they'd become more hardy, ones befitting a dock worker than a scholar. Her muscles ached, but it was a dull rewarding sort, the kind that came from a hard day's work...or a pair of weeks'.

Her sleep that night was quite restful, and she awoke a little before dawn. She picked up a quick breakfast-to-go and ate it out in the forest...the forest that had become more of her home for the past two weeks than the temple itself.

When Von finally approached the clearing where they had been training, she felt truly at peace. A week or two ago, the Padawan would have stressed about the coming test that the Master had spoken of, but she had faith in her skills. She felt like she belonged here, at this time, and at this place.

Thinking of the coming test, Von's only real thought was, I am a Jedi.

 

[Master Maverick]

"Wecome back," she started. "I trust you are all rested?" This was all, of course, after a somewhat lengthy pause, looking at those that had assembled. She started with quite a few Jedi and now was left with Five. These had proven themselves above the others. Honestly she was disappointed that not all stayed. Realistically she was glad that this many had stuck it out.

"This will be a test of what you have learned. A real world application of your skill and control." There was yet another pause simply to build up the tension. "We will spar with one another using only the Force." While they gathered their wits about it and prepared themselves mentally for what was about to come, Ashara watched emotionless while they shuffled or mumbled or whatever they chose to do in reaction to this announcement.

"Alistair, you will be up against Sky. Please take your position to the northern edge of the courtyard." She pointed to her right as she faced the group and waited for them to begin their walk to the specified location before the next pairing was made.

"Von and Sun, take your positions to the south" A motion to her left was made and they were to make their way there.

This only left Reland. She purposefully paired him up against herself. She wanted to see for herself how much he had learned in such a short amount of time. An expectant look was offered to the human and he was led towards the edge of the courtyard straight out, between the other two pairs. On the grass her feet dug into the grass, toes curling in with the grass and dirt. Her skirt shifted gracefully when she stopped and turned to face the young Jedi she would be testing.

"The goal here is to land as many hits on your opponent as possible. Refrain from excessive force or unreasonable pain. This is merely practice with your fellow Jedi." She spoke loud enough for all to here.

They would not enjoy themselves if the Sage Master had to get herself involved, truth be told.

"You may begin when ready!" A nod was offered to Reland and he would, not surprisingly, be given the first move. It was only polite, after all.

Reland v. Ashara
Von v. Sun
Alistair v. Sky​