[NABOO] Learning the arts of defense and Jedi Phylosophy

[Sirocco]

Jade's execution of Soresu was well executed if not perfect no doubt because of her knowledge of Niman. Niman, to those that knew the form, was a form that drew knowledge of all the saber forms and Soresu was no exception. Soresu seemed to come to Jade as if she already knew the form almost like instinct, perhaps she already had a strong foundation of the form's critical aspects and so executed the form with out flaw. Her moves were disciplined, crisp, tight and focused as her movements were simple jet accurate. She protected her body zones with air tight efficiency to the point of seeming like a fortress of light, the very personification of Soresu. He could even see her execute the critical component of meditation that was the heart of the form as she showed her skill at every time she increased the difficulty only to meet the challenge head on and unmoved. Watching her was almost....inspiring, feeling like he could could almost devote future time to hone his execution of Soresu which he had academically mastered but not honed in itself. She was literally the eye of the storm and the idea of her applying Teras Kasi with such an effective application of Soresu was almost scary.

Her fellow padawan were not fairing quite as well unfortunately as they both suffered from the same weakness that held them back.

Jax's heart was in the right place as Ataru and Soresu were almost made for each other, when one blended the forms correctly, one became a terrifying duelist. Jax's problem was that he was trying to apply Soresu's mentality with his Ataru in blaster deflection, a feat to be near impossible. Ataru was a form incapable of blaster deflection because it was simply too dynamic and physically demanding, lacking the accuracy and type of focus Soresu asked for. To apply a defensive mentality into a highly offensive form was like trying to breath under water. What he was striving for was by no means impossible but he was going about it all wrong.

"all remotes but those targeting Jade, stop" with the command, the remotes stoped fireing and went to stand by.

Looking at Shard, he also failed to understand that Soresu and Makashii could not be one in the same. Wile Soresu did borrow elements from Makasii, they were entirely different kinds of forms with only the tight and economic mentality being the similarity. Makashii was notorious for its great weakness in blaster bolt deflection and only the absolute masters could do so. Perhaps Shard's momentary success was that he was having an easier time separating the form mentalities from each other and if so, he could be on par with Jade if he learned to not use Makashii at the moment. Cound Dooku was a well known and respected master of Makashii but even he knew of the weaknesses of his preferred form. His chose of saber, the curved hilt, was an even greater hindered to his execution for its curved shape hindering the blaster bolt deflection a more traditional hilt brought. Dooku was a known expert at blaster bolt deflection, yes, but it was because he took years of training to hone his form to surpass its weaknesses and even then was he not a skilled defender as a Soresu master. Dooku, Makashii and the curved hilt are primarily duel centered things and in that sense, focused more in dueling then in deflection. Dooku was not with out his flaws brought about by his arrogance.....but that was a class for another day.

"You are anchored, limited by your drastic preference for your forms as you try to apply a defensive mentality of a fortress with an offensive dueling mentality. Cast aside Makashii and Ataru for now, they are too duel-centric and dynamic to become the unyielding fortress you seek to be. Instead of using your preferred forms entirely, borrow from them into your Soresu blade work. Watch Jade move, she is barely unmoved and unflinching as she incorporates the very mentality of Soresu. Stand firm and defensive, become the eye of the strom and not the storm itself. Let the universe around you rage and trash about you, tiring and weakening as the remain in your impassable fortress of saber executions"

 

[Undine]

Jade listened as Raleigh spoke of each of their performances in turn. He disengaged the remotes of both Shard and Jax, leaving Jade practicing alone while the three males watched her. She was slightly nervous at first at this attention, but she was too focused to be bothered in any way. She dodged and redirected blots here and there with minimal difficulty as the longer she went the easier it became.

After a few more moments of this, another bolt came within her guard, hitting the side of her left ankle. Jade lost her footing and nearly tripped. Catching herself drew her focus out of her semi-trance making it extremely difficult to keep up with all three remotes at once. Her instincts came over her and she began to duck and dodge incoming bolts instead of redirect them with her saber. While she was clearly better as evading the bolts than blocking them, this did not last long. Her muscles quickly began to strain as she twirled and out maneuvered the bolts. This form of defense was extremely useful in duals even against two or more opponents, but held against the unpredictable bolts of the remotes is was hardly useful.

Jade was hit with more than a few bolts falling to a knee under the fire, finally putting her left hand in the air and waving the remotes away from her using the Force. "Forgive me Master Raleigh, I should have held my focus and concentrated on my bladework not my acrobatics." She stood back up, and held the disengaged training saber in her hand. Soresu definitely held a higher level defense than she already possessed.​

 

[Stel Starkiller]

Jax turned off his lightsaber as Raleigh called the remotes away. As Raleigh spoke Jax let his words sink in and thought back to the drill he had just done. Thinking on it, he could feel that using Ataru wasn't going to help him right now. Although on the plus side he was at least learning what not to do.

Jax watched Jade's movements carefully. The ease with which she dodged and redirected the blaster bolts impressed Jax. As far as he knew this was Jade's first use of Soresu, and to do it so well. After a minute she got caught off guard as shooed away the remotes. Well she had done better than Jax, not that it was a competition.

After studying Jade's movements Jax felt that he had a slightly better chance. He them remembered Raleigh had shown them a Soresu stance. Maybe he'd have a better time next attempt.

 

[Solence]

Shard mulled it over as he deactivated his weapon, watching Jade move. It was clear that her natural abilities in martial arts were helping her get a quicker grasp of Soresu. He reflected on Raleigh's words as he watched, thinking of the way he was moving. Perhaps he was giving himself a disadvantage, trying to turn Makashi into something that it wasn't. He'd had a limited amount of success purely because he was well-trained, and his reflexes had been holding up. And yet, he'd missed the point of the exercise entirely, trying to treat it like a duel instead of turning himself into an impregnable fortress.

He looked down at his lightsaber, at the curved hilt that rested so familiarly in the palm of his hand. Perhaps it wasn't suited for this style, since the curve in the hilt was designed to be useful to Form II and V users, aiding in fine control and powerful swings. Perhaps he needed to build a second lightsaber, if he could gather the materials. One that would allow him to more easily implement other styles. But for now, he knew this weapon, inside and out. He'd constructed it himself, and it was the mindset of Makashi that he'd need to strip himself of to accomplish this exercise. Continuing to watch Jade, he knew that he couldn't rely on an aggressive or contentious strategy, but to be like water, passive in all things, letting the attack come to you and then let it slip by. He waited for the next instructions to come. This time, perhaps he'd fare better.

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh disactivated the remotes and telekeneticly willed them over as they seemed to need new perimeters in their training program to stop when the padawan was not in battle stance. A lock in the level a padawan could ask for would probably be a very good idea, it was obvious that they became a little over zealous and over extended themselves in their deflection training.

Thinking about giving them the fixes they needed later, Raleigh walked over to the padawans and wave them over so he could heal their wounds. Calling upon the force to flow through him with a gentle and warm breeze before concentrating in his hands in a warm and comfortable light, Raleigh proceeded to heal Jade's minor burns with the force with his hand hovering over her little burns. Keeping his eyes closed, Raleigh used the other hand to heal Jax's burns with his free hand as he called on the preserving and warm power of the light side to bring ease and healing to their body.

"Jade you did well in applying the ultimate defense of Soresu in your blade work, how ever, you need more training in your focus as it only took our attention to unbalance you. I know you can do it and I have my out most faith in each and every one of you so do not be discouraged and train practice hard. Jax and Shard, you two need to allow yourself to step from your comfort zones of your preferred forms and to embrace Soresu's teachings of defense. To learn and employ your forms effectively, you must not limit your use of one or the other. You must blend them into your blade work with constant training so as to make it a second nature in their use.....like walking and running and jumping. With training in the form and your blade work, you will learn to fit Soresu with your Ataru or your Makashii or your Niman into the grand art piece that is your blade work and create a master piece....like blending blues and reds and purples to create an image that is almost life like. To let your will move through your saber and in turn make it become an extension of your very being and become one with your jedi tool" Raleigh explained as he moved to Shard to heal him of his burns.

Jade and Jax would see that their wounds had disappeared completely and that hey were but a memory and in its place was cozy warmth that the light side gifted them.

 

[Undine]

Jade listened to the Jedi Knight as he spoke of her focus and concentration. She hadn't minded or even cared at their attention, her concentration had been broken by the sting of the bolt hitting her heel. This mattered little to her however, as Raleigh healed her and Jax of the minor burns of the remotes. The small marks disappearing under the warmth of his touch. Jade found it interesting as her Force Healing ability always had more of a cooler touch to it.

Watching and listening to the Jedi Knight as he moved over to Shard, Jade wondered if they would be doing another round of bolt deflection and redirection. "Sir shall we attempt the exercise again?" The extra practice would by no means hurt their chances of developing the skill further, but Jade felt that since Soresu was the most inward of lightsaber combative forms, it might be best to dedicate some time and effort to such practices as meditation and discuss.​

 

[Stel Starkiller]

Jax walked closer to Raleigh as he waved them closer. The warmth from Raleigh's technique felt good, it was nice and soothing. He could feel the burns disappearing as the warm sensation took their place. That was a good skill to know, maybe he could learn it later.

Step out of their comfort zones? Blend their styles with Soresu? It all sounded easy but actually doing it was another matter. Well perhaps it would get easier the more they practiced. As Jade asked what he was thinking Jax slightly tightened the grip on his lightsaber. Thinking back on Raleigh's words and the stance he had shown them Jax was sure he'd do better this time.

 

[Solence]

Shard let Raleigh's healing light wash over him, the light side of the Force clearly resonating into his cells, rejuvenating them and healing his minor burns. He thought about what Raleigh had said, and decided that in order to incorporate Soresu into his swordsmanship, he'd have to admit that sometimes, Makashi did not have all the answers. Humbled and ready to learn, he nodded as Jade asked.

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh believed that Jade's focus was broken by their attention given to her because she was doing so well before, If Jade were to speak up then Raleigh would meditate on that and take her idea into consideration. Concerning the two gentleman before him, Raleigh could sense they they took his words into consideration and thus awed at their wisdom. To be honest, he expected them to rebel against his words at any pompous turn, instead they accepted his wisdom and the fact that Raleigh never set absolutes and instead encouraged meditation on the topics and creativity. Never saying they have to do this this way or that that way, he spoke of ways of light saber combat and offered an open mind to interpretation and creativity.

"Yes we will continue but this time, I want you to feel Soresu through the force. To defend not only with your eyes as your guides but with the force as well. This time, the remotes will be set to difficulties I control. And one more thing, Please express your concerns, worries and questions, I am open to you as your instructor and would love to listen. I value your points of view and your ideas and stimulate free thinking and creativity. I don't bite" Raleigh finished his words with a grin before calling over the remotes to fix them wile 3 helmets with blinders telekineticly floated to them from a box in the corner. For them to train with out their eyes by not picking, he would take away their sight all together.

Thinking that if they did well in Soresu, perhaps he would teach them the more aggressive extension the ancient masters created in answer to such a pacifistic form. A form that took the principles of Soresu and fixed them to a more offensive style of light saber combat: form V shien/Djem So. Thinking in retrospective, it was probably that this class might actually span days to teach them. He sure had the time, but did they? No matter, it was their class and they would pick it up when ever they wished at any day that was convenient to the whole class.

 

[Undine]

Jade listened to the Jedi Knight speak, grinning at his slight joke about biting. She agreed that the Force was easier to connect with when one relied more so on it than their physical senses. When a helmet floated into her hands Jade cocked her head to the side confused. "Sir I am blind by birth. This helmet cannot blind me, I have never been able to turn off my Force Sight." She spoke matter of factly, and without emotion. The truth however was that the word never left a bitter taste in her mouth. The constant usage of Force Sight had given her many headaches and nose and ear bleeds over the years of her childhood. Unlike the Miraluka, Jade had never been able to exert control over her natural ability with the skill.

Jade tossed the helmet a few feet from her and stood awaiting the remotes to begin their assault. This time she made sure to focus herself within the Force, nearly reaching the trace like state she had been in the first round. She wasn't all that competitive, preferring to see her peers excel. In this instance however she also wanted to see herself do so as well.​

 

[Stel Starkiller]

Feeling Soresu through the Force? Perhaps that would be easier. After all senses can lie or be tricked but the Force? Jax trusted the Force almost absolutely. Putting on the helmet he had been handed Jax got back into position and, lowering the blinders, prepared for the next attempt. Thinking back to Raleigh's demonstration he mimicked the stance they had been shown. Legs apart, lightsaber ignited and held horizontally in front of him, elbows close to his sides, and finally he called upon the Force. He was ready and eager to try again.

 

[Solence]

Shard started forward, grasping the training helmet and donning it. His vision gone, he stretched out with the Force. He decided not to use a true Force Sight, instead doing something that really didn't come naturally to him: drawing the Force into himself, making his inner being a calm, sturdy fortress. Lightsaber stances and positions came quickly to Shard, and he mimicked Soresu's opening stance, getting low while bringing the blade up by his face in a horizontal guard. He angled the handle slightly, due to the curve in the hilt. Shard breathed steadily, harkening back to Raleigh's instructions. He would make his saber an impenetrable shield, and sacrifice all offense for the sake of letting nothing through. He would trust the Force to be his protection.

 

[Sirocco]

It was this face in the class that had them practice Soresu and the implication of force sight in the form but in a way that broadened the teachings of sense to other aspects they would need to know. Having lived blind as Jade expressed, this would likely simply be a simple review of her life long skill but Raleigh hoped she would express the patience to follow along with the others. A true jedi was not a show off or always sure of themselves and review along with the class even if they knew the topic. One could not know what could be discovered by looking into familiar paths in disciplines. It was only the way of the eightfold path to be patient and friendly to the growth of all.

Once everyone was ready and their minds empty of all distractions, Raleigh joined them in meditation as he activated a few remotes to sway back and forth but not shoot. Clearing his mind of all distractions in the galaxy; the clanking of droid feet and boots outside the door, the flutter of the bird's wings, the shatter of the street outside. All blocked and pushed aside with only the force flowing around and through him, guiding his mind and body as he effortlessly called on its aid to empower his wisdom. The force also flowing through his students as they concentrated and cleared their minds. And in main topic, the little pulses of energy the power conduit of the remotes gave off, the little clicks and noises and the energy inside its power core that fueled all systems....even the ultra low level blaster they would reflect bolts from.

"Empty your minds and let all your inhibitions flow down the river of the force, freeing you of their darkness to become serine. Let go of anger, pride, sorrow...temptations of the dark side that cloud your minds from the light side of the force and in turn welcome your ally into you. Let the force flow through you and let it guide you in the path of protection and light. Become one with Soresu, to seek to protect and safeguard all of life and its children of the force....become adamant....unmovable....the eye serine eye of the raging storm. Now extend your senses, feel the presence of the padawan beside you, see the force flow through them as it flows through you....can you see it? You will find a similar sight before you as you reach out to the remotes....feel the pulses and oscillation of energy in their parts.feel them feed power to the hovering system...the eye piece.......the blaster. feel the energy pulsing back and forth back and forth. Picture the remote and the energy flowing through it as you strengthen your senses and your ability to see beyond your wildest dreams. With this insights and knowledge, by feeling the energy flow and concentrate in the bolt of energy, you can not only see the energy but so can you predict when it will pulse into the bolt speeding t'words you. This is the basics of Soresu, the combination of mind and body into a powerful light saber form, this is the way to become one in mind and body with the form!" Raleigh spoke solemnly to Jade alone as he talked to the other two via telepathy, letting his words flow through the force as he guided them in this ability of force sight with Soresu. Jade's grasp of telepathy was still rather new and Raleigh had been informed from reports that she had a lot of stain listening and using telepathy. Raleigh would not push her most fragile limits just yet, preferring a one on one session with her because of the fears of hurting the poor girl with telepathy. It would be best to Train here in a very controlled environment for her sake.

 

[Undine]

Jade stood awaiting the remotes to activate, listening to Raleigh as he guided them in the art of Soresu. The Jedi Knight's words painting a picture for the young padawan that she couldn't resist but to love. Finding herself questioning the wisdom of learning Niman over Form III. "Perhaps I can intertwine both forms alongside my Teräs Käsi, further developing my own style." She let the ideas move her as they may, until she knew what she wanted to do in the future.

Pushing the thought aside she focused her attention on the remote nearest her. She could see the intricacies of the device clearly, but she was unable to clear her mind of everything else within her field of vision. Seeing everything so intimately was a huge advantage in combat and many other situations, but few even thought about what it must be like to constantly have your mind flooded with information. Jade stood ready, focused, and relaxed, awaiting the continuation of the exercise. She could only wonder what it must be like for her fellow padawans to struggle to see through the Force, for she had no memory of such things.​

 

[Stel Starkiller]

As Raleigh spoke Jax tried to deepen his connection to the Force. He tried to focus on remaining calm. When the training resumed he didn't want to slip back into Ataru. Expanding his senses Jax could clearly see everything Raleigh described. Not only that but he could feel it. Through the Force he could see Jade on his left and Shard on his right and he could feel the Force flowing through them. Jax then refocused on the remotes, feeling their movements and the energy flowing to the blasters. He tightened the grip on his lightsaber and prepared to defend.

 

[Solence]

Hearing Raleigh's words, Shard continued to feel the Force flow into him and through him, drawing from the strength that the others were giving him. He pictured his mind being shielded by a crystalline, diamond cocoon of Force protection, a bulwark of impenetrable strength. No leverage, no advantage or pressing the attack, only containing an enemy's power by deflecting their blows.

Shard maintained his Soresu opening stance. He had initially had little trouble going through the motions physically... now he was beginning to understand Soresu's mentality. Above all, defense through the Force.

 

[Sirocco]

Seeing and feeling heir minds ready for the next step in their training of Soresu as he first controlled the remotes to power up their blasters slowly so that the padawans could see. Energy slowly building up in the blaster of the remote, how ever minute and absolutely harmless it was, it build up until it could not be held back in that level and suddenly burst out in a bolt to each other remote's respective jedi. Aiming all body zones in a randomized patter wile sparing the face, the bolts came like a slowed synchronize machine; zap..........zap...........zap when the blasts in a slow but steady motion set for them to easily block the bolts.

As they got the hang of feeling the energy glow in the blaster and using the force to predict the attack before it came, the blasts increased in speed. zap.......zap......zap......zap when the blasts as it gradually increased in tandem to their apparent skill in their execution. "can you feel the energy build in the blaster and then feel the bolt fly through the air t'words your leg or chest or shoulder? Focus and feel...see through the force. If you believe this is amazing, think of the skill you will wield once you have refined your ability to implement it using ALL of your senses. You can now see yourself stepping into the path to a bigger world" Raleigh coached as they remained steady and firm in the firing range so that they could get a grasp of things before increasing the speed of the blaster which would lead to a more randomized firing pattern.

After plenty of time hoening their skill did the bolts come faster, nudging the dificulty a bit more as their skill and understanding increased with it. Zap...zap...zap...zap...zap zao...zap zap zap...zap....zap zap zap zap...zap zap when the steady increase in firing rate and randomization progressing with their skill. Raleigh kept them on their toes but he was fair to not put them through the bitter fazes of their training waiting for them next week at most if they progressed well. It was now that the padawan's would prove their mettle, wisdom and skill in this class, braking their chains of specialization for the more balanced integration of skills into one powerful application.

 

[Undine]

Returning from her internal thoughts, Jade refocused on the task at hand. The remotes began to fire once again, the first flying past her elbow as she maneuvered away from it with ease. The bolts came slow at first, giving Jade no reason to even utilize her lightsaber, instead moving out of the way like a slow and graceful dancer. She saw the bolts coming before they were even shot, moving out of the way just as they flew past her.

Becoming more and more focused, Jade began to fall into a similar trance like state as before. Another bolt from the remote before her aimed at the back of her neck, followed quickly by a secondary bolt to the right shoulder. Utilizing her training in art of movement, Jade was able to dispel both bolts of energy with one arching sweep. Noting this motion the remote flew around to what, Jade guessed, it thought was her blind side. As it let off three bolts, Jade danced her way out of the trajectory of one while blocking the other two with her lightsaber.

The speed and difficulty was clearly being pressed as Raleigh spoke to them regarding their practice. Jade could barely make out what he was saying as she was far more focused on the remote. She stopped trying to move her body and instead focused more intently on the remote circling her, letting her body move as it willed.

As it became apparent to Jade that such focus would be necessary to successfully rebuke the next round of bolts, due to the fact that they began to fire much faster and with a higher ferocity it seemed. Using the Force, she called forth her personal lightsaber from within her robes, wielding it off hand. She did not need much practice in duel wielding do to her Force Sight making sure she knew the exact location of her weapons at all time.

Time slowed, her sight was second nature, her movements natural and fluid, her mind relaxed and sharp. She was the embodiment of serenity within combat. If her peers could have seen her at that moment she would have appeared little more than a dancing sprite or faerie of some kind. Regardless of this feat however, she had to catch her breath and her limbs tired, for she had yet to develop the endurance required to fight in such a manner for so long. After the blockade of energized bolts fell so to did she, exhaustion and a moment of clarity left in her wake. As she opened her eyes, a faint bluish-white light could be seen before shortly fading.​

 

[Stel Starkiller]

The remotes began to build power and fired three shots. Each one was slow and yet aimed at a random zone. While they were slow enough to be avoided Jax decided to block them with his lightsaber. Two of the bolts had been aimed at his chest while the third had been aimed at his right thigh. As he blocked the shots Jax could feel them hitting his blade. He was starting to get used to the training somewhat.

The remote fired again this time four shots were fired. These shots were faster then before. Two at his chest, one at his left knee, and one at his right shoulder. Jax blocked the first two shots and dodged the second two. Calling upon the Force and using Force Speed Jax prepared for the next wave.

Once again the bolts increased in speed and number. As the shots fired randomly Jax relied on his instincts and reflexes to either dodge the shots or block them. A whirlwind of green surrounded Jax as he used his lightsaber to block the majority of the shots. He was doing drastically better than his first attempt. After the final shot was blocked Jax could feel the remote powering down. Taking off his helmet Jax blinked a bit and looked around.

 

[Solence]

Shard breathed out in a -whoosh- of concentration as the remotes started circling once more, firing their bolts of crimson light at his shoulder, knees and torso. His instincts told him to avoid them with a pivot, but the new training was beginning to take hold of him. He kept his elbows tight, utilizing Soresu's movements to catch the bolts on his blade. Turquoise met red as his blade swirled gracefully- once, twice, thrice! And in the span of a second, he had returned to Soresu's resting stance, waiting for the next round of bolts.

Anticipating an attack to his right arm, Shard began to smile as he felt the light side of the Force flow through him, guiding his blade. There was no contention in his movements, only an acceptance and a turning aside of the attacks' energy. Shard was beginning to utilize his curved hilt to his advantage in this style; a shot to his front was blocked easily, but following on its tail was a bolt fired at his neck from behind that was extremely quick. Twisting his saber behind his back without looking, the curve let Shard protect the small of his back where the bolt was destined for, allowing him to maintain his defensive posture. After feeling the other Padawans' presence in the Force increase, their strength began to surge through Shard, and he too was moving faster, seeing what could not be seen, predicting the remotes' firings better than he ever had before. When they ceased, he smiled as he removed his helmet. He understood now, what defense was truly about.