Glimpsing Down the Rabbit Hole

[Saul Perth]

Saul Perth had been a lot of things. As a boy he'd been something of a troublemaker, sneaking out of the house to explore the lower levels of Coruscant. Then he was discovered, and brought to the Jedi temple, where he took up the role of student. As he finished his training he took to the battlefield in the name of the Jedi and the Alliance, he was a soldier, a warrior. After the fall of Coruscant, he fled to Nar Shaddaa and found work as a bounty hunter. After he made contact with the Rebellion and proved himself, he was tasked with more that fighting, he had to lead, to command. But never before had he attempted to be a teacher, it was something he took very seriously. He noticed that he was actually slightly nervous, which brought a small chuckle out of him. He'd lost count of how many people he'd killed over the years, it must be into the hundreds. After all the wars, all the times he faced death, this made him nervous, another chuckle.

The former Jedi sat on the corner of his bed and looked over the training room for today, his private quarters aboard the Kanaris. While spartan by most standards, consisting of only a bed pushed into a corner, a small nightstand, a simple table with two chairs, a refrigerator, and a heating plate, it was private, which was more than could be said for the vast majority of the other crew housing. A dufflebag sat next to him on the bed with the supplies he needed for his student's first lesson, while the table had been pushed aside for a bit of extra space.

His student was a Duros named Forim Viridux. Forim was signed on with the Kanaris as a pilot, although Saul had experience with him on the ground as well. He was crucial in developing a plan to capture a small fleet of the scattered Durosian Navy which had turned to piracy. When things got hectic on the flagship, Forim kept his head on straight and saw the mission through to completion, and even put himself at greater risk when he suggested one of his team who was not as able in combat as he was to stay back and keep safe, despite already bad odds. Most importantly, he had the spark of Force sensitivity within him. However, if that spark was to ever grow, he'd need training, training which began today.

 

[Minuteman75]

Forim sighed as he reached the door to Commander Perth's quarters. This was a big step for the Durosian rebel it had not been too long since discovering he was force sensitive. Initially he avoided the issue and went about his work as best he could in denial. Now though the pilot had come to realization that there was no hiding from it. The all powerful mystic energy known as the Force once fasciated him when younger watching Holoflims about Jedi vs Sith.

But that changed after personally witnessing the Sith's carnage in using the Force during the Duros genocide. Needless to say it had became a great source of confusion and discomfort for Viridux. To be fair, he saw also the several Jedi in action in the genocide defending him and his people but in the end the Sith killed them despite their best efforts. Remembering that and now knowing what he is, Forim was worried about could happen to him. The last thing he wanted was to become a monster like the Sith but he wasn't sure if the Jedi way was effective.

The fact of the matter is however no matter his feelings and fears on the subject, Forim came to the decision that he must make the best of it for the good of the Rebellion. Of course, he wasn't plan on becoming a peacekeeper but at least learn enough to be more useful in the fight against the Empire. Which is why he sought out Commander Saul Perth for training, since the veteran officer is a Ex-Jedi. The twenty year old insurgent took solace in that he was going to be mentored by someone he fought beside with and trusted. Viridux open the door and entered the room with a hesitant look.

Spotting Saul at a bed with duffle-bag, Forim wearing tan combat fatigues approach with a mountain of conflicted tension hanging over him before stopping several feet away.


"Commander" Viridux simply said with his hands folded to his back awaiting Saul Perth's reply.

 

[Saul Perth]

"Good to see you Forim.", replied Saul, relaxing the formal tone a bit.

"Before we get started, I have a present for you.", the Commander reached into his dufflebag, produced a metallic cylinder and tossed it to the Duros.

"It's not a real one, hardly more than a glorified flashlight. Trust me though, it's for the best. If I had started with a real blade, I'd have cut my own head off within half a minute. You'll get there though, with enough practice."

Saul ruffled through the bag again and produced another metallic shape, this one a sphere. "So let's start practicing. We're going to start with something you've been doing your whole life, even if you didn't realize it."

He tossed the sphere into the air, it halted itself and began hovering roughly a meter in front of Forim.

"Now, activate your blade and take a stance like me."

The Knight drew his own blade and assumed a simple ready stance. Left foot forward, body angled at roughly forty five degrees, with his shoulders squared. His blade was pointed slightly forward and to the left, held low off his right hip so the blue beam crossed his entire frame. His grip was close for control, with his left hand directly under his right.

"This is a good defensive stance against blasters, it makes your profile slightly smaller while still allowing you full protection with a solid grip."

He deactivated his blade before continuing.

"Your entire life you've felt a touch of the influence of the Force, guiding everything you do down to the most minute task. You probably noticed it while flying combat, that sudden sense of clarity when your hands seem to cut your fighter to the side of their own will, dodging certain death by a hair. The sensation is hard to describe in words, but you know it, you've felt it, an inexplicable combination of focus and relaxation.

This is an exercise in prolonging that sensation to beyond an instant, it's going to take practice so let's get started, in 3... 2... 1... Begin."

The training remote activated as he finished, whisking through the air as it fired a bolt of mostly harmless light at Forim.

 

[Minuteman75]

Forim admitted to himself this was not what he expected for force training session would start out as. When given the cylinder and explained what it really, he was a little bit disappointed. Though a part of him was glad that it wasn't a real lightsaber especially Saul mentioned dismemberment. Then the Ex-Jedi brought out of another object out of his bag a sphere. Viridux kept his eyes on it when the metallic object was tossed into the air.

As instructed Forim turned on his practice weapon and its saber glow into existence. Real blade or not lightsabers had always interest the Duroisan. Staring at the saber in excitement, Forim nearly miss Saul's next of instructions, in realization he hastily and clumsily tried to copy the stance his trainer was already in. Needless to say Forim's imitation was eager one but still a shoddy comparison. Focusing on the training above, Viridux ready himself accidentally ignoring the last part of Saul's speech.

So when the sphere began its fast movement in front of him, Forim keep his focus strictly on it. The remote fired a bolt straight at him. Forim raised the saber upward to his shoulders but instead it hit him in left leg. It was mostly harmless but it still sting and he jerked back in reaction. But the worst thing for the Duros pilot was how he screwed up this earlier, he lowered his head for a second, then swear in Durese, his native tongue.

Finally he look back up in embarrassment toward Commander Perth.

 

[Saul Perth]

"You're too tense, as weird as this sounds you'll never actually do it if you try. Just relax, for now just ignore everything around you, let your instincts handle this. Here, this will help."

Saul reached into his bag and removed the bulkiest item.

"This helmet is specially designed to eliminate all outside sound, and now...", he snapped the blast shield down, "you won't have to worry about sight either."

"This probably seems like the strangest thing you've ever heard, but what we're really trying to accomplish with this exercise has hardly anything to do with defense against blasters. This is about honing a whole new sixth sense, and it's easiest to do that with your other senses out of the picture. Seem a little less crazy now?"

Saul handed the helmet over to Forim.

"Put that on and get back in your stance, only this time, keep your hands closer to your waist. If you hold the blade out like that you put tension on your arms. Just relax and remember that you've done this before, and have been doing it your whole life, even if you didn't realize it."

 

[Minuteman75]

This time, Forim listen most carefully to what Saul was saying. The former Jedi was right his advice did sounded crazy but yet it made some-kind of sense. Despite his very, very, very, limited knowledge of the Force the Duros rebel had experienced it at times like in races where he could've suffer crashes or even death in a spilt second if were not for utilizing his force sense without being aware he was. Saul brought out a helmet and for a second Forim was confused until Saul explained its purpose for this exercise and snapping its blast shield downward and then handed to him

"If you say so Saul."

Viridux replied while grabbing the blinded helmet as his teacher gave further advice on how to hold his new lightsaber. Once he put helmet his vision and hearing was gone, Forim got in the instructed stance again and turn on the lightsaber and even kept his hands to the waist as told. Still the lack of vision and hearing made him a bit unnerved and for several seconds he had to resisted the strong temptation to take off the helmet but that cost his focus to which he was punished with another sting from the unseen training remote that struck him in the right shoulder.

Shaking off the irritation Forim gave a frustrated grunt and nearly got out of the stance when stopping himself.

No I won't quit. Just relax and remember what you're suppose to do.

With that thought in his mind, Forim ready himself again and all sudden he sense danger as the remote fired again. Forim swing the saber to his left side and knock the bolt away but the little sphere wasn't finished and frankly neither was he. Standing his ground and using his only means of sense, Viridux arched his lightsaber to his center and shielded it from the next shot. Growing more confidant, Forim kept at it, blocking as he could against an increasing barrage from the remote from various angles in his front.

Still half of the time he got hit due to his unrefined use of the lightsaber but he persist and for the first time in his life, Forim Viridux knowingly let the Force completely direct him. Finally after some-time Forim stopped, shut off his weapon and lifted the helmet to see and hear again.

He was greatly sweating and felt a few bruises over his body but he like a champ nonetheless when smiling back to Saul.

 

[Saul Perth]

((OOC: Sorry that it took so long for me to get around to replying, since I've been home I've been running around like crazy. Even now I'm dead tired so this'll probably be a short post to end the thread. Once my schedule has calmed down a bit, we can do another thread set a few days/weeks later, giving Forim plenty of time to practice.))

Saul simply leaned against one of the four equally dull durasteel walls of his quarters as he watched Forim's progression. He offered small tidbits of praise or advice between sets with the training remote. Once he was certain Forim could continue practicing on his own, he brought the session to a close.

"Good work today Forim," he said to the Duros, "Take that remote and helmet with you and keep practicing. That training saber is yours to keep too of course, but you'll have to decide if you want to wear it openly in the halls or not. Here", Saul placed the remote back in the dufflebag and handed it over to his student. "There's a second remote packed in there, for when the first starts getting too easy. I'll get a hold of you when I can spare some more time for training, but for now I got to go oversee PT for my marines. Keep up the good work and I'll see you again soon."

Saul finished with a curt nod and was nearly out the door, before halting and turning on his heel to face Forim again.

"I almost forgot, welcome to the life of a Jedi."