Mist Order Academy — Training Rooms

"What you have to understand, this isn’t a Force power to be used lightly nor you will be able to access it easily." Said Ayla looking at the older students of the Academy. Most of them were humans with a few other sentient beings. "If I have gathered you here today, because it was time, and you have been asking me to show you the application of this."

Ayla Vos, one of the Mist Order Councilors but also still held her rank within the Kiffu Guardians that were still planetside, wasn’t wearing her traditional Jedi garment that was that black color. Today, she was just sporting a black military uniform that had the markings of both her clan’s marking and the Order’s markings. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and had not gone back to the typical dreadlocks Kiffars usually sported.

The difference here nonetheless, she had not been alone in this training room, and perhaps that the students had noticed that, or perhaps not at all since the mists were very present in the room. The three people standing behind her usually had their Force signatures hidden by their lightsaber crystal.

Earlier though while she had been guiding the students to be aware of their surroundings and to connect with one another via their affinity, and their bond, Ayla had felt the presence of Atlantis, which caused her to briefly smile before she heard that fleeting thought from Horsea.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a gathering of some sort. Had been Horsea’s thought before Mace chuckled lowly under her breath, being just like her cousin, Ayla, one of the telepaths of the Order.

Forcias Kes, the ace pilot of the group, had that dubious expression on his feature not that it could be noticed by anyone as the mists were entirely covering the room. However, he had been the one to activate all the droids that were now located in the room, which surrounded the students as a whole.

Let's get this done, Atlantis isn't alone at all. Mace thought out soon enough telepathically though made it a private transmission solely to the Kiffars being present here.

"Just do not move at all, any of you." Ayla indicated with a commanding but still placid tone before she closed her eyes and increased her awareness to the Force and as she did that, she had felt soon enough being joined by her closest friends, her family, the people she shared the strongest bond with. One by one Horsea’s, Forcias’ and Mace’s presences had been revealed joining the mind meld that Ayla began to call upon.

The Kiffars had heard a few gasps when the students had realized that there were more masters this time around, and soon all of their signatures melded together to be as one under Ayla’s anchoring. The reason Ayla had called upon their assistance was simple enough. Mace had the strongest knowledge when it came to Electric Judgment, or even Ionizing. Horsea was the one with a heightened Force sense, considering that she was the one who was the expert tracker of the group, and with that came exactly seeing the deadspots on where to hit. Forcias the ace pilot but also the techie out of them exactly knew how to disable droids.

Drawing on all of their knowledge, thanks to the fact that their minds melded as one, Ayla accessed easily their knowledge without any barriers whatsoever in finding exactly where she would have to aim and redirect the stream of electricity enhanced by the mists by only targeting the droids present in the room, and thus avoid all the students present. Her Force signature combined with the others increased exponentially until the deae was done. Several clinkering on the floor could be heard while she slowly released her hold to the melding she had called upon.

Walking over to the side to press a button to dissipate the mists, Ayla waited a moment until all of their views were unobstructed and she looked at the students peacefully.

"I don't need to introduce to you the ones herewith present here who kindly assisted me to this demonstration." Ayla gestured to the three people behind her with a knowing smile. All the students in this Academy knew who Mace was, she was one of the Mist Order Councilors as well, and from time to time indeed, either she or Ayla requested Forcias assistance, or Horsea when they of course could, for a few classes here. "I trust them all, and we have unwavering ties that allowed what you have just felt in order to disable all of those droids that we couldn't see, to begin with."

Looking at Horsea, Forcias and Mace, Ayla inclined her head as a thanks notifying them that she no longer needed their assistance and if they needed, they could take their leave. They understood clearly and nodded before looking at the students warmly. Both Horsea and Forcias bowed to them before making their way to the exit of the training room as Mace lingered a little while longer.

You have felt it too, I suppose . . . Asked Mace thoughtfully before noticing her cousin blinking once, until she turned her attention to the students and inclined her head in their direction.

There was one thing that had to be known about Mace and Ayla, often times their communications weren’t verbal, their innate powers allowed them to read each other’s mind, and throughout that force meld, there was that lingering thought that occurred, which Mace knew she had to address sooner or later with the concerned party, but for now, they had other things to discuss, and also welcome someone in the process.

"Horsea, Forcias, please stay a moment, and follow me." Requested Mace as she made her way with the two of them towards the garden where she knew Atlantis might be located with someone they were all unfamiliar with, though something told her that potentially Atlantis would find their presence here as well as a fortuitous coincidence . . .

After she has had enough listening to the text on the Jedi Code in the library, Saoirse wanders around the academy for a bit to stretch her legs after sitting still for so long. Hearing the sounds of blaster bolts and the humming of lighstabers as she gets close to one of the training rooms, Saoirse stops in the doorway to watch as Cih and Rikki, both blindfolded, try to block what Saoirse later learns are low level stun bolts fired at them by a pair flying circular remote droids as they flit and dart around fitfully. In another part of the room Uto, not blindfolded, is blocking the blaster bolts fired towards him by a trio of droids, occasionally deflecting the bolts back towards the droids.

Nickala, walking into the training room, smiles up at Saoirse and invites her to join him and the others for their practice. Smiling back at Nickala, Saoirse gratefully accepts the offer, managing not to giggle as she remembers Atlantis describing the younglings as fierce, cute and tiny teachers. Young as he is, Saoirse finds Nickala to be a patient and knowledgeable instructor when it comes to lightsaber combat, as he spends time showing her a training lightsaber hilt and, after explaining the various parts and features, teaches her different ways to grip the hilt. After she tells Nickala that she feels comfortable with the hilt, Saoirse, excited to give the lightsaber thing a go for her first time, is a bit disappointed when Nickala says he needs to teach her some basics first, and then proceeds to teach her some basic blocks and stances.

Tach, having joined the other younglings for what is apparently a regular training session on some evenings after their classes are finished, decides to help Nickala teach Saoirse the basics of lightsaber use, and, in between his apparently habitual sarcastic comments, manages to be quite helpful in preparing Saoirse for her first session against one of the training remotes. While Nickala is pretty informative about basic lightsaber technique, it is Tach that is best able to explain that Saoirse will need to, as she will be blindfolded, focus on the Force in order to perceive where the low level stun bolts will be coming from, and that she will need to react quickly to what the Force tells her in order to block them.

Once Tach and Nickala finally deem her ready to engage in the exercise, Saoirse excitedly steps into the area they showed her and, after lowering the blindfold over her eyes, ignites the training saber, grinning as she hears the snap and hiss, and gets into the stance Nickala had taught her. Saioirse is hit by about four low level stun bolts before she manages to mostly stop trying to listen to the throbbing of the remote's repulsorlifts to determine where it is, another three before she gets focused enough to start sensing the warnings from the Force about where the next stun bolts will be coming from, and she loses count of the times she is hit by stun bolts in the arms, legs or elsewhere before she almost manages to block one.

Tach, after an obligatory sarcastic comment about her lack of success, tells Saoirse in a more supportive tone that it always takes time to get the hang of acting on what one senses on an almost instinctive level that allows for the necessary reaction time required to block the remote's incoming fire, and that she should not be discouraged. Nickala, adding his own support, tells Saoirse that she very nearly blocked the last stun bolt, and that all she needs is practice.

Thanking Tach and Nickala for their help, Saoirse tells them to get on with their own practice since she is worried they are spending too much time on teaching her. Nickala and Tach, both apparently well past the training remote stage, head over to where Uto, having moved on to doing a complicated kata of some kind, had been practicing deflecting blaster bolts back at the training droids firing them. After watching Nickala and Tach for a moment, Saoirse activates the training remote once more and, after lowering her blindfold and igniting the training lightsaber, continues practicing.

Saoirse is surprised when she hears Atlantis instructing her to stop thinking and just let the Force guide her, but not as surprised as she is by the fact that she can hear the sinister low purring of the stun beam halted in midair somewhere in front of her. Not having been aware of the fact that a skilled Force user could halt stun bolts, Saoirse is even more impressed when she hears the snap of a second bolt being fired only to be followed by the humming of it being held at bay by Atlantis, who casually informs her that he will be releasing them presently so that she can try to sense where they head when he does so.

Nodding, reminding herself of the fact that she has probably sensed the Force warning her of danger during bolo-ball games countless times without knowing that was why she sometimes instinctively, or so she thought until learning what was actually occurring, moved to evade oncoming tackles or attempts to wrest possession of the ball from her, Saoirse tries to forget about about what she can hear, and to just clear her mind in order to be ready to heed what the Force tells her. Fortunately for her, Saoirse is used to having an audience from playing bolo-ball for so long that she can forget about who is watching, so the fact that her teacher is observing her does not hinder her efforts to clear her mind.

Using a lightsaber is, of course, new to her, and so when she has the sudden sense that her left leg and right arm are in immediate danger, Saoirse does not try to block either stun bolt and instead slides her left leg back and towards her right heel while dipping her right shoulder down and closer to her body. Saoirse grins as she hears both stun bolts hissing harmlessly past her, and then cringes as she hears Cih yipping in surprise as one of them strikes her in the back.

Tach, shaking his head as Saoirse turns and lifts her blindfold to see who was hit, says in his habitual sarcastic tone, "The point of the drill is to block the stun bolts, and then explains helpfully and without the snarky tone, In the field, you would want to make sure that any blaster fire you might be able to dodge did not harm allies behind or around you that don't have the Force to aid them like you do."

Nodding and waving with an apologetic smile to Cih, Saoirse tells Tach, "Understood, tiny, fierce teacher, and then, after Tack goes back to his practice after shaking his head, turns to Atlantis, deactivating the training saber and remote as she grins and says, Well, I sensed where they'd be hitting me, and was able to react in time to dodge them. That's progress, right? Looking at the training saber hilt, she adds, It'll take some time getting used to using this though. Nick and Tach showed me a few blocks and stuff, but I'm nowhere near to feeling confident with it. Shrugging, her expression and tone revealing that she is not frustrated or disappointed as she understands it takes time and practice to acquire and build any skill, Saoirse asks with a smile and without the giggling that she had succumbed to earlier, So, you have any tips or pointers for me, Master?"

"Sounds great!" Saoirse says excitedly when Atlantis, based on her idea of using something more similar to lightsabers than quarterstaffs to continue her instruction in lightsaber combat, suggests they use Shinai swords to run the blocking drills he has proposed.

After waving to the younglings, and smiling when Tach tells Atlantis he will personally make sure that everyone turns in for the night before it gets too late, Saoirse follows Atlantis to the smaller training room that Crystal apparently often uses. Grinning as she spots the punching bag that Crystal probably used earlier in the day to get her knuckles so torn up, Saoirse reminds Atlantis, "You'll have to show me some punches and kicks too, adding, Later, I mean, as she doesn't want to get distracted by anything other than the reason they have come to the smaller room in the first place. There will be, Saoirse thinks, plenty of time to learn all the things she has to learn now that her training has begun in earnest.

Accepting the wooden training sword that Atlantis offers her, Saoirse shakes her head after testing its grip and weight, "I think this'll do for starters." She can always tape the grip later if it feels as though it is necessary, Saoirse thinks as she takes the sword into the two-handed grip Tach and Nick had shown her, and then adopts the guarding stance they had shown her, the left side of her body turned towards Atlantis, her knees slightly bent and the hilt of the training sword held at the level of her waist so that she can block high or low quickly.

Once she is in what she believes is the correct opening stance, Saorise asks Atlantis, "How does this look? Tach and Nick showed me the opening stance and grip they thought was best to start with, she explains, and then, grinning excitedly, asks, So, how do we start? You said we'd drill with a set pattern, right?" Figuring that they will probably be starting at something less than the full speed Atlantis is capable of bringing to bear, Saoirse gets ready to learn the pattern of strikes and parries she assumes Atlantis will be showing her.

The confused expression on Saoirse's face when Atlantis asks if Nick or Tach had told her that the opening stance they taught her was from Form I is probably answer enough, but she shakes her head anyway as she says excitedly, "Nope! What is Form 1 all about? she asks as, after Atlantis demonstrates the first two strikes he will be making, she moves her training sword up into the horizontal block with the sword angled on a gentle downward diagonal slope to direct a blow away from her and deter the chances of a locking of weapons as she had been shown by the younglings and tacks on another pair of questions before answering Atlantis' question to her, Is this the right way to block a high strike? What are the other forms of lightsaber combat? Ready!" she agrees with a grin when Atlantis says they are about to begin.

With Atlantis providing the occasional criticism of her stance or the way she holds the training sword while they continue with the blocking drills at something slower than half speed to begin, Saoirse steadily begins to gain a little confidence with the two-handed grip she seems most comfortable with, and with using a sword-like weapon in general, though moving to half speed and later full speed when Atlantis deems she is ready for it makes her aware of just how much practice she will have to put in before she develops the muscle memory and instincts to truly have a feel for sword fighting.

As they drill, Atlantis, when not offering advice or correcting her form or grip as, encouraged by her progress, he adds a few more complicated strikes to their repertoire, answers Saoirse's questions about Shii Cho and lightsaber combat in general, information that she files away to be pondered or meditated upon later so that she can absorb it and integrate it with all that she is learning. Trying to confine her questions to Shii Cho and its more common moves and its overall theory to keep from getting too far off topic or from muddling her understanding of what she gets the impression is the form of lightsaber combat most of the others use as a foundation, Saoirse nonetheless wonders what form she will ultimately be trained in when she and Atlantis learn what suits her best.

Even though Atlantis is never truly aggressive, mindful as he is of not actually hitting Saoirse even when they move on to full speed and unscripted, at times multiple strikes for her to block or parry, Saoirse can see why he had told her that Shii Cho is a raw and simplistic form, and could invite an emotionally-heated mindset that one would need to be mindful of if they were to adhere to the form's purpose of disarming an opponent without injuring them too much. Used to feeling the occasional pull to be more aggressive on the field when bolo-balls games become heated, Saoirse is familiar enough with restraining herself when the temptation to resort to violence is incited by some situations, and she trusts that she will be able to walk a similar line as she learns more about lightsaber combat.

Tossing Atlantis a towel after he decides to call the training session to an end, Saoirse wipes the sweat from her face and neck as she grins happily even though her muscles are aching and she is practically drenched in sweat, asking, "How'd I do? I started feeling pretty comfortable with things towards the end there, she crinkles her nose as she amends her statement, Until we abandoned the script anyway." It had been a bit harder, initially, to put everything she had learned up to that point together when Atlantis had started striking without announcing how he would be doing so beforehand, but Saoirse feels like more practice will help develop her instincts and skill, and so does not seem discouraged by the fact she was only able to successfully block, parry or dodge a fraction of the strikes or combinations of strikes Atlantis had sent towards her at full speed, always able to halt or draw his weapon back before he hit her when she failed to do so.

As tempting as the idea of soaking in a bath sounds at the moment, Saoirse has always believed firmly in the idea of continually pushing herself, a habit instilled in her by her love of bolo-ball, just as Atlantis had noted, and so, grinning as she nods towards the punching bag, she says, "Let 'em scream, I'm up for those punches and kicks. Standing in front of the bag, head tilted to the side, she asks, So, do I use the same kind of stance as we did for the swords, or is there a better one for hand to hand?"

As she waits for Atlantis' instruction, Saorise thinks back on all that he had said while they practiced with the swords, doing her best to commit the criticisms and suggestions he had offered to memory so that, as she continues to hone her skills, she bears them firmly in mind. As eager as she is to advance in her training, Saoirse knows that rushing ahead heedlessly will not do her any good in the long run, and resolves to learn the basics as well as she can.

Maintaining an awareness of the Force, and what doing so can reveal to her, is something Atlantis has pointed out the value of on more than one occasion, and so, to challenge herself and to practice being mindful of the Force, as she listens and watches Atlantis beginning to instruct her in how to punch and kick, Saoirse keeps one part of her mind focused on sensing the Force around her. Dividing her focus is, naturally, not as easy as it sounds, and so Saoirse does not let herself get discouraged as she occasionally loses her focus on sensing the Force as she follows Atlantis' instructions about the stance she should use when hitting the bag, and later how to perform various punches and kicks. As they continue with her lesson, moving on to some basic footwork to incorporate into the punches and kicks, Saoirse finds it a bit easier to keep one corner of her mind tasked with staying aware of the Force around her, and feels encouraged by the idea that, in time, she might find it almost instinctive to do so so long as she continues practicing.

Saoirse, listening to all of the advice and critiques that Atlantis offers as she jabs, punches, and kicks the bag as he holds it in place, feels pretty comfortable with the kicks he had shown her by the time he calls an end to the session, and only marginally less so with the punches. The muscles in her back, sides and shoulders are sore, having been used in ways they aren't typically used, and Saoirse can understand now how punching and kicking a bag can be a workout on its own. Rolling her neck and picking up a towel to wipe the sweat from her face, Saoirse grins as she answers Atlantis' question about how she feels, "Sore all over, but in a good way. Guessing he was asking more about what she has learned, Saoirse adds, The kicks feel a bit more natural, and I am getting more power behind them than the punches. For now anyway," she grins, confident that continued practice will make the punches, jabs and uppercuts come both more naturally and with more strength behind them.

Throwing Atlantis a towel, Saoirse smiles as she says, "Of course, like you said, hitting a stationary bag and an actual opponent are two very different things, so I'll have to find a partner willing to hit back sooner or later if I 'm going to be able to work on putting things together with the observing and anticipating and being open to the Force to use it and sense what it can tell me. Remembering that Atlantis had mentioned another teacher at the academy that is currently out with the older students, Saoirse asks, Do you know of any of the older students who might be looking for sparring partners? It would be good to have others to practice with when an instructor isn't available, she explains, then grins as she adds, I know Tach is willing to hit back, but I think I'd have your issue with hitting women where it comes to hitting kids, even smart-alecky ones."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Saoirse smiles as she says, "That soaking in a hot bath you mentioned earlier sounds reeeeallly good about now, and then asks, Do you have any more lessons planned for tonight, or am I free until dinner, Master? Tilting her head to the side, she asks, Is dinner usually a scheduled thing, or do we fend for ourselves unless there's a special occasion?"