Training in the Rain

[Ral]

Mimban
Expansion Region
1100 Local Time

The rain came pelting down through the high forest trees of the dimly lit forest on the planet of Mimban. The thick clouds and heavy mist made it hard to tell if it was day or night, and the heavy rains only helped in making the planet more uncomfortable; it would be the perfect place for Jedi Knight Kai Sera to continue the training of his young Padawan Saerina Avrikana. Kai had known of this planet for some time, but he hadn't gotten around to coming to it before. Now, he was trudging through the rain-soaked ground of the dark world. With each step, Kai's knee-high boots sank down up to his mid-calf in soggy mud. Yes, this will be an excellent place for us to continue our training.

Turning about, the young dark-haired Jedi looked to the diminutive female standing behind him huddled in her brown robes. With cold rain water rolling down his face and soaking his black hair Kai grinned at Saerina with the goofy smile of a young man who was enjoying himself a little too much (Kai really enjoys the rain). They had landed only an hour before in a clearing large enough for the small transport they had taken off of Naboo. Kai hoped Saerina had enjoyed herself and the trip to the planet; he wanted her training to be enjoyable and memorable. He wondered how she was dealing with the rain, mud, and general mugginess of Mimban. "Well Saerina, what do you think so far of Mimban? Do you think it's interesting? Reach out with your senses, feel the Force! Can you feel the energy all around us? How everything feels alive? It's different than Naboo, huh?"

Looking away the knight smiled a little as he closed his eyes and extended outwards with his senses to feel everything around him through that mystical energy that permeated all things. After a few seconds he opened his charcoal grey eyes again and glanced back at the girl who was how Padawan wondering if she felt everything like he did; he knew that her sensitivity to the Force was still in development, but he wondered if she could sense it enough to be amazed by the energy of the Force. Inhaling, he gave her a warm smirk. "Okay Saerina, my young apprentice. It is time for you to impress me with what you can do. As you can see it is quite wet out here, so for our first exercise I want you to reach out with your senses, listen to the Force, let it guide you to a place where we can train together without worrying too much about sliding around in a mud slick. Sound good?"

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina was somewhat surprised that Kai had chosen this soggy planet to continue her training- but then again, she wasn't. Though her master wasn't hard to please, he did want to push her, so she wasn't surprised that he had picked a challenging environment to work with. The cool temperature was unpleasant to her now, but she figured it would come in handy if they ended up working very hard on a lightsaber form or something. The Padawan had to expend some extra energy to keep up with her master- she had a very petite build, and where the mud went up to his mid-calf it almost went up to her knees! She found it amusing that Kai seemed to like the rain quite a bit. Saerina didn't mind it too much, but she definitely preferred dry weather.

"It's interesting to say the least," she replied with half a smile, drawing her cloak closer around her shoulders. "It's not the most comfortable place ever! But it's very unique. I've not seen very many of these plants that grow here. What do you think of this planet?" When Kai asked her to reach out and feel the Force, as usual it took her a moment to quiet her busy mind down. All her observations about the muggy planet, all of her curiosity of what this training session had in store for them, all of her eagerness to learn Soresu had to go. There was only room for the Force right now. Once Saerina's mind was focused on the Force, immediately she was surprised by all the movement and vigor, all the life, there seemed to be in the Force right now. "Everything is growing and full of potential," she observed. "It may not look like much, but there is a lot happening on this planet. I agree, it is very different from Naboo, where everything was still and serene."

The Padawan's eyes were still closed and she was still concentrating when Kai asked her to find some decent ground for them to work on. Immediately she frowned, wondering how she could do that. It was hard for her to sense exactly what the ground was like beneath its surface- to the ordinary person it all looked the same, and even to a Jedi Padawan it was still difficult to figure out where they should go. But then she realized she was overthinking it, and she wasn't thinking about the most important part. "Let the Force guide you," her master had said. That meant she had to concentrate even more. Saerina waited for a minute, settling her mind down once again. When she felt ready, she trudged forward towards where she sensed the Force was leading her. At first she was worried because the ground got even soggier at first, and she sank down even deeper for a short time. But they seemed to be coming out of a small valley of some sort, and after several minutes the mud wasn't nearly as deep.

 

[Ral]

"It feels very primal; untapped. As you said, there is a lot of potential to it, a lot of possibility, a lot of energy." He said quietly, his voice thoughtful and meditative, just loud enough for Saerina to to hear her master over the sound of the rain. Kai could feel her focus as she attempted to do what he asked, reaching out and sensing the jungles around them with the Force. The knight could tell that she was a little uncomfortable just by watching her as she stood there; no doubt the cold rain was making her less than comfortable which was to be expected. He hadn't chosen Mimban because it was a beautiful resort world, he chose it because it would challenge Saerina and help her push her limits. He suspected that she might have figured that out already, but it didn't matter, it wasn't a secret after all. When she finally spoke the older Jedi nodded, "Yes, yes, I sense it too. The difference is important, try to remember that, remember what the difference feels like. It may serve you well in the future. Tell me, what do you prefer? The energy or the stillness?"

Kai was glad to see the young Saerina taking a moment to concentrate on the Force. Seeing her frown made him slightly discouraged, but that swiftly passed as she began to trust in the Force. After about a minute the girl began walking again and they headed off through the woods. As they walked Kai enjoyed the feeling of the rain on his face and didn't mind the feeling of wet cloth on his skin. He could feel a little bit of the anxiety from Saerina as they began walking; she wasn't sure she was doing the right thing, but Kai didn't want to say anything; he wanted her to trust in the Force and herself. The knight wouldn't be there to comfort and reassure her all the time after all. They eventually came to a bit of deeper mud, and Kai chuckled as the petite girl seemed sink down past her thighs; he hoped that she wouldn't get stuck in the mud and he'd have to get them both out, but luckily she continued to power on through the deep mud until the eventually came out of it to a part that wasn't so deep.

Kai kept quiet for their walk as they eventually made their way to a piece of rocky high ground surrounded by tall trees. It seemed to be a bit of a stone plateau ringed by trees. Perfect, Kai thought, This will do nicely for training. It was then Saerina paused, and the knight smiled before exhaling. The rain fall lightened considerably here and the young man was sure that his apprentice would appreciate the reprieve from the heavier rain they experiencing earlier. Stopping, Kai set down the pack he had been carrying on his back this whole time. "This place will do nicely, Saerina. Good job on leading us here! Now, I suppose it's time we start our lesson, yes? Unless you need to do or say something before we get started?" He smirked as he began to move a few things out of his bag and onto the hard, yet still yet, ground. Once everything was out, he motioned to Saerina to sit down before joining her, "Now, let us begin by meditating to center our minds. Once you're ready and feel focused, let's start with a sensing exercise. Try and sense what I'm feeling, and if you're feeling really bold, my surface thoughts." Kai knew it might be a tall order for the Padawan, but so long as she gave her best effort and pushed herself he would be satisfied no matter what happened. When they started, he began focusing on the warmth provided to him by the Force.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

As always, Saerina was glad that her observations matched her master's, even though there was no reason why they shouldn't. She just liked confirmation that she was on the right track. It was also interesting to her that knowing the difference in the nature of the Force between two different places would be important at all; she hadn't really thought of it that way before. "I'm not sure which I like better," she admitted in answer to Kai's question. "I suppose the energy makes it more interesting to study and to be around, even though the stillness is very calm and soothing. Which do you prefer?"

The Padawan sighed in relief when they reached the more solid ground- the Force hadn't failed her after all. But she corrected herself- the Force never failed anyone, it was people who failed to use it correctly. She also was glad that the rain wasn't nearly so intense. Why Jedi didn't get waterproof cloaks, Saerina had never understood. As her master spoke, she took a minute to catch her breath. Struggling against that much mud hadn't been easy for her slight body. She was glad to have the opportunity to build some much-needed stamina, though. "Thank you, Master," she said, appreciative as always of his approval. "I'm ready to get started whenever you are."

But again, Saerina felt a slight amount of worry when Kai asked her to do this rather new and somewhat difficult Force exercise. Being able to concentrate on the Force was not a strength of hers, and she doubted her senses could really take her that deep. But she shoved the doubt aside as they meditated, and fortunately it didn't take her very long to be connected to the Force, since she had just done that other Force exercise. She could sense multiple things- the energy of the environment, the life of creatures native to the planet, and her master's presence. The Padawan directed her concentration towards that. The first thing she could tell was that the Force was all around him; he was concentrating on it as well. For a minute, that was all she could feel; she had to concentrate harder in order to get more information. After a minute, she observed, "I can feel the Force all around you, becoming a part of you, so you must be concentrating on it. Also, I can sense that you're... enthusiastic. About the planet, about the things we're going to be doing." Now, his surface thoughts? That was quite a bit harder! Unfortunately, Saerina's nerves caused her to break concentration for an instant, and she had to take a moment to get back into it. Even after she regained her concentration and was able to listen on a deeper level, she couldn't really make sense of everything she could feel in the Force. After another few minutes of trying to listen to the Force, she got the same result and opened her eyes with a sigh. "I almost got it," she said sheepishly, hoping her master would understand.

 

[Ral]

"I enjoy the energy. It makes it easy to feel how alive nature can be with the Force. However, I don't have a true preference. There is a time for both places; sometimes the peace and quiet can be exactly what the soul needs. Though, to give you a more direct answer I spent my entire early life on Naboo, so I enjoy the change of scenery when I can get it." He smiled as he spoke to the girl recalling his days growing up on the peaceful world of Naboo.

Hearing that she was ready to start their exercise at sensing, Kai nodded and waited while meditating on the Force around him. He could feel a slight amount of uncertainty and anxiety coming from the young Padawan at the task, though he was slowly becoming used to feeling that from her whenever he asked her to use the Force. It almost made him sigh but he stifled the desire; it wouldn't help her, only more practice would help until they found a better method of training. In his mind Saerina simply needed to expand her training routine until she was comfortable with using the Force; he wasn't going to expect her to be good at it, but he wouldn't let her continue to worry about using the power she had access to just because it didn't come as naturally to her as it did to others. With his legs crossed, the knight continued to patiently wait for Saerina to complete the exercise. He observed her attempts through the Force, and when she spoke the young man found himself rather pleased with what she said. It wasn't much, but it was true, and that meant she was doing what he asked. She admitted not being able to detect his surface thoughts causing him to frown a little, but he understood.

With a bit of a sigh Kai nodded, "Alright, we'll give it one more shot then. Just as you were doing before I want you to feel the Force around you. Connect to it, and let it flow through you. Feel the energy all around us, listen to it, then let it fade away, focus on what's left. Listen to my energy, feel how the Force flows through me then let all the background noise fade away, let yourself relax and follow your instincts. I don't want you to try too hard at this, take your time and let it come naturally. This isn't a race; you can't rush perfection, and you can't rush skill." Taking a breath Kai waited for Saerina to give it her best shot. Whether she succeeded or not, Kai was ready to move on after that exercise. Kai knew that Saerina needed to practice other powers, preferably ones she would need and hopefully be good at. With the last exercise done, Kai stood up and looked to the girl. "We are going to practice the basics of speed and acrobatics. To start, focus on the Force and bring it into you. Draw it into your legs. When you're ready I want you to jump. Use the power in your legs to get you off the ground, then like when you use the Force to lift an object telekinetically, use it to keep you moving until you reach where you want to be. Try and get to one of the lower branches."

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Since she was still mostly connected to the Force, Saerina could sense Kai's approval once again, even though Saerina knew it was rather a basic task. Nevertheless, she was glad to have gotten that far. But, when she failed to sense his surface thoughts, she could feel his disappointment. Even though he seemed to be calm about it, as always, and not critical or harsh, anyone's disappointment was a sting to the Padawan's pride. She would do better this time, she told herself.

As Kai spoke, Saerina was finally able to realize what she had done wrong- and what her general difficulty was with using the Force in general. He told her to let all that background noise fade away; she had been trying too hard to make sense of the background noise. No wonder she hadn't been able to make sense of what the Force had told her- she had been trying to listen to everything! With some relief, new clarity and hope, and a little more confidence, she tried the exercise again. This time, when she was able to sense details from the Force and all that noise came, she followed Kai's instructions and directed her concentration towards him, not all the sensations from the Force. It took a moment, but his surface thoughts then became clear to the Padawan. With a little sigh of relief, she told him what she had discovered.

Saerina's pale blue eyes lit up when Kai mentioned the speed and acrobatics training. This was something she had always wanted to improve in to aid in her lightsaber combat skills, since she hoped to one day learn Ataru if she ever became a Master. Using the Force in physical movement was always easier for her than just things like telekinesis or Force sense, which only required a lot of mental concentration. Moving her body seemed to make it easier for her to concentrate in her mind. But the Padawan was a little too eager to get started on that, and when she focused on the Force she didn't draw in enough power to get her as high as Kai had instructed. She shook her head, embarrassed at herself, and quickly tried the maneuver again, knowing she could have done it right away if she had just been more patient. Lack of patience wasn't usually a problem of hers! Determined to correct her mistake, Saerina took more time to focus and draw the amount of energy she actually needed. From there, she was easily able to use the Force to keep herself moving (since she was so light anyway) and landed on one of the lower branches. "Better?" she called down to her master, smiling slightly.

 

[Ral]

Happy to see that Saerina had given sensing his surface thoughts another shot, Kai waited and was pleased that she seemed to be able to do successfully. Good, Kai thought to himself. She's learning. Hopefully she will gain some more confidence in herself and her Force abilities.

They moved onto what Kai would have described as the introduction to the art of movement. The knight could sense the young petite girl's excitement at doing something different, or perhaps it was something she was good at? He couldn't be certain as to why only that she was excited. When he gave her permission to start he was rather slightly surprised to see her attempt to do the jump almost right away. It was a good leap, compared to a non-augmented leap it was quite impressive, but Saerina had been too hasty and had not drawn on enough of the Force to make the jump causing her to fall short. Kai had to stifle a laugh as she landed seemingly embarrassed. The girl attempted a jump a second time and he smirked when she called down to him. "Well, you're up in the tree now, so yes. Next time don't be so hasty, though. You might not get a second chance to jump. Had you tried to jump to reach a ledge on a chasm we wouldn't be having this conversation." Leaping up to a nearby branch, Kai smiled. "We're going to start some art of movement. It's a basic application of both speed and jump. I want you to use them to maneuver through the branches without falling or touching the ground. See if you can keep up with me!" With that Kai smiled and started off leaping through the lower branches at a conservative pace so he wouldn't leave his apprentice behind.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina nodded, still feeling the sting of embarrassment from her mistake. "I understand, and I won't be doing that again," she said sheepishly. "That's not a mistake I'm normally prone to making, which is odd." But she forced herself to move on; that little experience would only ensure better performance next time. It wouldn't do her any good to be dwelling on it, as she was slowly but surely beginning to learn.

The next exercise that her master described seemed challenging enough. It would certainly require a good amount of concentration in order to stay properly connected to the Force, but at least it was similar to lightsaber dueling in the sense that it also required precise physical movements. This time, the Padawan took a moment to make sure that she could feel the Force, that it was flowing through her, before she took off after her master. At first, she moved fairly slowly, making sure that the Force was guiding her movements properly, helping her judge the distances and giving her the sufficient power to do so. At first, Saerina lagged behind Kai a little bit, but as she got used to the exercise she gradually started to pick up speed. And soon enough, she was beginning to enjoy the exercise- the energy of it, the activity from the graceful movements.

 

[Ral]

Nodding, the knight gave his young Padawan a smirk at her response. What she said was good, but nobody was perfect, and she would have to make sure that such mishaps would not happen again in the future. "I'm glad to hear that, Saerina. I hope that is indeed true, but you must remember it always, don't let complacency get the better of you as it has with so many of our Order." He gave the girl a polite nod, not wanting to discourage her, but somehow he knew she would probably only come back stronger for it.

Kai proceeded to lead his Padawan on a merry chase through the canopy and over brush making sure to pick routes through the trees that would be plenty difficult for the girl following him, but not so hard that she would give up, and only fall if she wasn't paying attention. The two continued through the trees using the Force to propel themselves through the air from branch to branch like birds or gliding squirrels. As they finally loops back around to the clearing, Kai stopped on one of the thicker branches. He had noted that Saerina seemed to be a little unsure at first about it, lagging behind a little as she got used to using the Force in such a way, but once she got comfortable with it she had relatively no problems keeping up with him allowing him to go through the more difficult parts of the canopy. Now, with them back, Kai decided it was time for some practical application for the skill they had just practiced as well. Once Saerina was with him, Kai stood and waited for her to catch her breath. Once she was ready he grinned at her as he removed the hilt of his lightsaber. "It's time for us to practice some bladework, Saerina. Art of movement is best used in conjunction with combat situations. Same rules as before, you can't fall off or touch the ground. Now, when you're ready we shall begin!"

Kai never stopped grinning, when he finished he activated his blade, the familiar snap-hiss ringing out amongst the trees. When Saerina gave him the signal, he began their spar. Leaping through the air, Kai rebounded off a nearby branch and soared at her prepared to bring down and overhead strike.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

"I will, Master," Saerina murmured. A lot of people forgot about their previous mistakes easily, but Saerina never did. Maybe it was a good thing because it would help her learn faster, but maybe it was a bad thing because she was so critical of herself. But as soon as they started the next exercise, it was enough for her to think about that she was able to push this to the back of her mind.

Saerina had to put all her concentration effort into following this difficult path that her master had chosen. Not that she didn't like the challenge, of course. But some of the jumps were very long and wouldn't have been possible for her without the Force, given her small body size. So she found herself having to rely completely in the Force for most of the exercise, which she figured was the purpose of it. By the end, she found herself having rather enjoyed the exercise.

When she joined Kai on the thicker branch, she was excited, of course, to start the bladework. She had never gotten the opportunity before now to practice lightsaber combat with this level of activity. It had always just been standing on the ground, blocking and attacking, all those days she had spent practicing Shii-Cho. "One blade or two?" she asked Kai. She assumed it would be one since she was trying something new, but she wondered when she would finally get to practice with her second blade. When he replied, she did as he told and said she was ready. The Padawan could sense the attack coming and was ready with a high block when her master came down with the heavy strike. Letting the Force guide her movements instead of strictly adhering to Shii-Cho, she held her blade locked with Kai's for a moment before jumping backwards onto another branch. She hoped that the maneuver would cause Kai to lose balance, or at least be surprised, because she had suddenly jumped backwards. Thanks to the Force, she was able to keep her balance and jump forwards again so she could reach him with her lightsaber. Then she swung at his left side, hoping that area would be open since he had just done an overhead strike.

 

[Ral]

"One for now," He answered the girl's question without a smirk or frown on his face. His lips were drawn tightly across in a flat line that betrayed no emotion. It did give him an idea he might have to try with his Padawan for later when he had the chance; only when she had more training with the blade, though. His attack was fast and flowed smoothly and swiftly like rushing water. The knight was happy to see that Saerina didn't stand there and just take it, but her choice of movement seemed odd to him. Jumping back and forth from the branches was a peculiar tactic, it didn't seem like something he would do normally, but Kai was curious to see how it would work out for her. At the very least he was pleased that she was using the Force and her own athleticism in concert with each other to increase her own effectiveness in a fight.

Saerina's next attack was fairly obvious to him, enough so that he waited until the last second before dodging to the right outside of the arc of the girl's swing, but he brought his blade up to cover his side just in case the girl somehow managed to bring her blade within range even after his dodge. The young dark-haired knight fought the urge to use the Force to throw the Padawan a little, he knew that he needed to train her properly; countering Force techniques would have to come later once they'd established a broader, more flexible and in depth base for her blade work. Stepping in close, Kai prepared to strike at Saerina, his silver blade flashing as he swung down to strike at her left knee, but instead of actually slashing Kai pulled his blade back towards him as he stepped back for a momental to give him and his blade clearance. The idea was to make it appear like he was going to attack her legs before passing his blade in an arc coming out of it in a strike towards her right shoulder ta king a step towards her. After slashing at her shoulder he'd pull his blade back towards him before thrusting at Saerina's chest, and out of that he spun his blade around downward in a counter-clockwise motion so the blade would finish its motion attacking her head again as he stepped in again. Kai was curious to see how Saerina would deal with that; he was sure she could do it, but he wanted to read how she'd react, how she'd use the Force. To this end, Kai purposefully sent the Force into the branch attempting to shake it and unbalance her with each step he took. "Now, use your second blade! Let me see what you can do with both of your blades girl! Impress me!" He said with a smile.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina could sense her master's surprise at the very least. When she realized how odd her maneuver might have seemed to him, she couldn't help but grin slightly, amused. It had served her purpose- gotten her away from the powerful strike and returned her to a close enough location to counter attack.

Kai seemed to block Saerina's strike effortlessly. She had expected that, in a way, and as soon as she saw that he was moving to the right, she followed her instincts and immediately swung towards his right side. He would probably expect that, too, but Saerina was curious to see how Kai would react nonetheless. She could sense his strike towards her knee coming and easily moved to block it, but almost instantly afterwards, she could sense that it was a trick. By the time Kai's lightsaber was at her shoulder, it was too late for her to block, but she turned her body sideways to sidestep the strike. She had left her lightsaber in a low guard position, so she had to swing it far up, but in a single, graceful stroke, to parry Kai's thrust. Though all this, the Padawan realized she hadn't gotten a single opportunity to make an offensive move.

So when he swung at her head, she decided to move again so she would get an opportunity to strike. Ducking to avoid the strike, Saerina jumped to a lower branch to make sure she would become completely out of range. She had jumped to the same branch again, but some distance from Kai, and was about to execute her next move when he told her to activate her second blade. The Padawan did so, feeling a little rush of excitement. She hadn't done much training with her double blade, and was excited to see what would come out of this.

Now, though, Kai had presented her a challenge by using the Force to shake the branch she was standing on. Saerina moved carefully towards him, using the Force to maintain her balance. Finally, she was close enough to him to swing at his left shoulder with one blade, and then she quickly stepped back with her right foot, making room to turn the lightsaber around and immediately attack his right shoulder. She loved using her lightsaber at its full length; when held upright it was nearly as long as she was tall.

 

[Ral]

Silver light flashed as Kai's blade moved to block Saerina's desperate strike after he moved out of the way, their blades clashed for a moment in a brilliant flash of light and crackling energy before Kai resumed his counter attack. As Saerina jumped down to a lower branch away from him to avoid his final attack towards her head. On the other branch she activated her second blade and Kai smiled for a moment at her waiting to see what she would do. He held his silver blade behind and downward, tip pointing away towards the branch, left hand forward with the palm facing up in a beckoning gesture. During this moment the young man made sure to reach out with his feelings and sense the trees and branches around him getting an idea of what there was.

Saerina moved slowly towards him, careful to maintain her balance, until she was in range. Her strike came quickly towards his left shoulder which he quickly blocked by simply moving his own blade to intercept. Her second attack came as expected, the attack with both ends of a saberstaff was a common combination. Just as the attack started, the knight used his Force enhanced reflexes to react with preternatural speed. Ducking down Kai spun around as he attacked Saerina's legs while her blue blade would course through the air where his head would have been only a moment before. But Kai didn't stop there, half way through his strike he brought his blade directly up as he jumped into the air. He soared until he reached a higher branch, one that was incredibly thin and narrow. Once on this branch Kai would wait and watch to see how the petite girl would reach, curious as to see what she would do in response to his sudden withdraw from combat.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

As soon as Saerina sensed Kai ducking, bringing his blade down low towards her legs, she summoned the Force into her legs to give her enough power to jump above his blade and land smoothly in the exact same spot. Though, since the branch was still unstable, she nearly lost her balance, but forced herself to stay calm and let the Force guide her back into her center of balance. Immediately, Kai began a high strike from his low position. Saerina sensed it coming just in time and was able to parry it using one side of her saberstaff. When she saw her master retreat to the high branch, she couldn't help being slightly surprised that he had chosen such a thin, fragile one.

Deciding it wouldn't be safe to try to get to that branch- it most likely would not hold them both, as light as Saerina was- she used the Force to get a feel of the surroundings. The Padawan realized there was another small branch just a little higher than the one Kai was standing on, and it was slightly thinner, too. But she was sure it would support her, and even if it didn't, she was mentally prepared to jump to another one. Using the Force again, Saerina jumped to two or three other branches before arriving at the one she had picked. Since it was just a little higher than Kai's branch, Saerina was now eye-to-eye with her master. With one side of her blade, she used a low, sweeping motion aimed below his knees, hoping to make him jump. Then she changed the course of her blade, pulling the one she had just used back towards her and angling the second blade into a diagonal motion towards his shoulder, since he hopefully would be up in the air at this point.

 

[Ral]

So, it seemed as though Saerina thought it best to follow him up to the high branch. Kai hummed to himself as he watched her ascent through the branches and the trees. At least she wasn't foolish enough to actually try and land on the same branch Kai was currently standing on, but it was clear as she soared through the air upward that she was going to a nearby branch where she would be close enough to strike at him. And that was a poor choice, as she did so Kai could have cut the branch as she landed, thrown his saber at her just before she made it onto the branch and thus not have the proper footing to block, or outright blast her with the Force. Thus were the principles and advantages of Sokan; to be aware of one's surroundings and to use them as an advantage, something he was teaching her of this very moment even if she didn't know it.

His mind was calm, his face stern as Saerina reached the target branch. While there were perhaps easier ways to strike at her, he didn't want to cut their practice short. Naturally, Kai would mention the vulnerability of her move later when the reviewed their spar, but for now he would test her reflexes and her improvisational skills. As she landed Kai lashed out with his silver blade striking at her knees, his goal to throw her off balance before she could attack him in turn. If her attack continued through Kai would block her first strike by bringing his own saber to bear, intercepting the sweep mid swing as he used the Force to help augment his block and maintain his balance. Her next attack he would dodge to the side ducking under the swing so he would be on the outside. As he dodged he would quickly bring his blade around in a spin pressing into the side of Saerina's blade, forcing it to continue on its diagonal course away from him and hopefully preventing her from bringing the other side around easily. Then, he would make his move with lightning fast speed. As he moved his blade with great alacrity to be on the inside of her blade, between her saber and herself, Kai launched himself forward with the Force slashing at her chest as he flew on by like a hurricane. His goal was to get in between her remarkable defenses make a hit-and-run style attack, aimed to keep her off balance. After flying past her Kai would descend through the canopy until he landed on a thick branch just a little over the ground.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina was forced to defend herself from Kai's energetic attack instead of striking at him as she had intended. Ironically, his strike was essentially the same one she had intended to do. But this ended up working to her advantage since she had already been thinking about the move ahead of time. She Force jumped to avoid the strike and tried to land as carefully as she could, but the branch still shook slightly as she did so. Then she was able to execute her attack, even though Kai had already anticipated it by now. But there was no harm in trying. Sure enough, he blocked her mid sweep easily, so she immediately redirected her blade towards his shoulder, but he dodged it gracefully.

Kai forced Saerina's blade on a path away from him, and she started to do what she had done on their first training session- letting the blade go on that path for a little bit before gradually redirecting it in her own direction. But her master made his next attack very quickly, before the Padawan had enough time to complete her second strike. The next thing she knew, Kai's silver blade was between her own blue one and herself. How exactly that happened, she wasn't sure, but it was bad. Very bad. Keeping focused on the Force, she drew the Force's power into her legs and jumped up high, figuring that was the only way to get out of the position. But the attack had startled her enough that she lost her balance when she landed on a nearby branch, and for a terrifying second she was free-falling. Fortunately she allowed the Force to guide her back into an upright position and landed smoothly on a much sturdier branch below. Kai had landed farther below. "Nice attack," she said in a small voice, taking a second to regain her balance and composure.

Then Saerina tried something new. Seeing a thick branch above Kai, Saerina cut it with her lightsaber and Forced it down at him, hoping to get him to move away from his current position. She realized she would have to play this carefully; otherwise, he would simply Force it back at her. The Padawan made a mental note to stay aware of that branch as she jumped down to the lower branches after him.

 

[Ral]

With a bit of a sigh, Kai noted approvingly that Saerina had attempted to send the tree branch down on top of him. At least she was thinking a bit more creatively now and using her environment to her surroundings. Launching himself upwards, Kai sliced the branch in two and through it apart with a powerful burst of Force energy. Sailing through the air he landed on another large branch. As she followed him down, Kai decided that he would use one more technique against her before calling their sparring session so he could focus on actual training. Reaching deep into the Force, Kai waited for Saerina to jump to a branch. As she did so, the knight channeled the Force around him and willed the branch to bend to the side as though a great gale had just blown through the trees causing it to sway. At the same time, Kai threw the Force at Saerina in the opposite direction. So while he pulled the branch she was attempting to land on towards him, he attempted to push her away. He wanted her to think fast when something possibly very dangerous happened.

Whatever happened after that, Kai would reach into her mind and send her a message through his power of telepathy. "Very good, Saerina. You have done quite well, but it is time we move on to other things. Meet me on the forest floor." He stated before jumping off of his tree. It only took him a minute to reach the clearing Saerina had found. Once she arrived, he'd give her an approving nod. "Now, before we move on to Soresu tell me, what did you do well, and what did you do poorly?" The knight asked, his tone patient and curious. He'd listen for her answer before speaking. Once she was done, he opened up his pack and pulled out a trio of training remotes. "Now, onto Soresu. Since this is a defensive form we'll start with blaster bolt defense and then I'll show you the way to defend from lightsabers. When you're ready I'll release the remotes. These ones have been modified to attempt to overwhelm you with fast light shots. What more I want you to do this with your eyes closed. Let's see how you do!"

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina was glad that Kai destroyed the branch with the Force instead of throwing it back at her. She had been prepared to dodge it or cut it into pieces if he did, but it was nice that she didn't have to. However, as she jumped down towards him, she could sense a sudden surge in the Force, and then she realized her master was pulling on her branch and pushing on her simultaneously. For a terrifying instant, her mind seemed to blank- she hadn't been taught much about countering Force attacks, and Kai knew that. How could she possibly respond to this? The Padawan ended up simply trying to surround herself with energy from the Force. Since it was something she had never done before, it didn't do much to block Kai's Force attack, and she still fell from the branch. Then, she only worried about landing upright- and she did, fortunately, but the landing was still a little shaky and awkward.

Saerina hurried over to where Kai was after he told her through the Force to do so. Once again, she felt a little uncomfortable discussing what she had done well- she still felt like it was being arrogant, somehow. But she shoved the feeling aside and replied, "I was able to let the Force guide my movements instead of relying on my own skills, and I tried to use my surroundings to my advantage." She was about to say something more general like that in response to what she had done poorly, but with a feeling of chagrin, she realized a specific incident that would have went wrong in an actual fight. "And... when I was standing on that other branch at eye level with you, you could have just cut it, I now realize," she said sheepishly, and hurriedly went on, "I wasn't thinking about that at the time. And, well, I'm not very good at countering Force attacks, as you probably figured out!"

The Padawan was glad to be moving on to Soresu, a lightsaber form she had been eager to learn for such a long time. When Kai got out the training remotes, Saerina activated one blade (she would use the second only if he told her to), reached into the Force to make sure she had a feel for it, closed her eyes and said she was ready. As Kai had explained, the blasts from the remotes came very quickly, and there were lots of them. She didn't have difficulty knowing where the blasts were, since she had done enough lightsaber training incorporating the Force at this point. Saerina started out by letting the Force guide her movements and blocking the blasts with as small strokes as she could muster. But since there were so many blasts at different areas, her strokes grew larger and more rushed. It became more and more difficult to anticipate the timing of the blasts as well. This was not what Soresu was supposed to be like! "Obviously I'm missing something," she sighed, hoping her master could tell her exactly what was wrong so she could fix it.

 

[Ral]

"Good, good. Then you realized some things you did wrong. Always be aware of your terrain, use it to your advantage, and try to deny your opponent the ability to use it to their advantage. When you fight a Sith you cannot take a half measure, Saerina. Don't just see a branch and think it'll put you into a good positioning, let the Force guide you to the right one. Your instincts should tell you if what you're doing is right, but you have to open yourself up to the Force and listen to them. And remember, the Force is as much of a weapon to a Jedi as it is an ally, just as a lightsaber is. If you train yourself only to defend against one kind of weapon then you're training to eventually be bested." Kai took a moment to pause from his lecturing to see how his pupil was taking it. Hopefully not too bad, he hoped it didn't come off as scathing or dismissive. After all, he was just trying to make her into a better Jedi. One who could serve the Order and make the Galaxy a better place. Kai would go on to compliment her a bit more on what he thought she did well with, then he moved on to Soresu training.

Seeing her only draw one blade for the session Kai grinned for a moment before smothering it as he looked on. The girl would only be making it harder on herself to not use the second blade, but perhaps it was best this way. First she would need to learn how to defend properly with one, only then could she learn how to defend properly with two blades. The knight watched as the young girl attempted to block the shots that came at her. At first she was doing well, but he could notice that she wasn't doing as well as she could have been. There were some errors with her form, and she used more movement, more energy than she needed to. Finally, she deactivated her lightsaber and admitted to be missing something. Now, Kai would speak. "Indeed, though you didn't do too bad for your first time. It's an acquired skill after all! If you got it right the first time I would be wondering what you're doing learning from me at all!" He teased the girl with a smile and a pat on the head before stepping up next to her, his hilt in his hands.

"Soresu is all about economy of movement, and economy of the Force. You must learn how to use the Force to sense the bolts coming and try and see the patterns, the openings. In doing so, you will simply be able to twist your body out of the way, or side step slightly, bringing your blade calmly into the bath of the bolts." Kai activated the remotes and began to show Saerina how he practiced with them. The remotes floated around for a few second before beginning to attack him, blaster bolts flying at him. With the Force surrounding him, Kai spun his silver blade about in an arc as he stepped to the side, turning his body, and bringing his blade in place to block the last three shots. "With Soresu, just get the blade into position, don't swing it around like a bat or club, or heavy sword. You're not trying to deflect the bolts back like in Shien. All you need to do is stop them from hitting you. All that means is get your blade in the way before it's too late and you're hit. Don't over think it, just use the Force and sense the droids. Reach out with your feelings and see the bolts coming. Now, once more! Try it again!"

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

What Kai was saying was true, as always. Saerina always took criticism hard and internalized it, but this didn't feel like criticism- it was just advice. She nodded to show she was listening, and made a mental note not to use her own judgment instead of the Force again, if she could help it. "It's easy to talk about," she remarked, "but it's a lot harder to remember in the middle of the action. But, now that I've made that mistake already, I don't think I'll do it again so easily!"

The more competitive part of Saerina wanted to know how well she had done in comparison to most Padawans, but in her mind, it was a rather arrogant question so she kept it to herself. Soresu will come more naturally to me with practice, she told herself. Kai is right. It doesn't have to be perfect right away. Aloud she said in response to his teasing, "Yes, I suppose I'd be teaching myself if that were the case!" She had wanted a Master in the first place because things always made more sense to her when taught by someone else.

Something that stood out to her in Kai's words was that Soresu was about economy of the Force, not just energy. She realized that this was what she was missing. Just now, her attention had been everywhere, focused on all the various blaster bolts. "Master," she said, activating her blade once more, "I think it might help if I concentrated on the overall picture, not just where each specific bolt is going." That idea seemed to go hand-in-hand with trying to figure out the patterns and not overthinking it. Saerina made it her goal to imitate what Kai had just done- the fluid, precise movements. She raised her blade, and as the droids circled around her she reached out with the Force, trying to "take a step back" and look at the whole picture. The blasts came in a seemingly random pattern, but the Padawan let the Force guide her blade, but not until the very last second. With pleasure, she realized she had barely moved her lightsaber an inch to block the first blast. The next one, she sensed, was too far away from her blade, so she turned away from it instead of turning her blade all the way around. Saerina went on this way for the next blasts, though not every movement she made was very graceful. But that first one felt like what Soresu was supposed to be, so she was glad she did it at least once.