The day began as most any would; staff moving around, Jedi on missons or walking the halls seeking inner peace.
Waza began his day with a plan, secure a training room he can use for a better part of the day. After contacting the training staff and securing a room in the least used wing he visited room 1138 to see what he would need to bring in. He spent the next few hours before sunrise collecting objects increasing in size and weight. Satisfied with his rocks, chairs and various things he found a holo terminal and recorded a message to Wenet.
“Greetings Wenet I’ve had a sense of a need that you have, if I’m wrong ignore this message but if I’m right and you seek knowledge to help you on your journey; come to training room 1138 in the east wing of the academy. Bring only your light saber and a thirst for knowledge. I’ll be here all day.”
The holo shut down and he pressed send.
Moving to the center of the room Waza sat and began meditating until Wenet either came in or the training director told him his time was up.
Wenet was in the library, gazing over the pages of a book about saber forms. It was indeed just staring as her attention span had already depleted ten minutes prior. She just sat there looking at the pictures in the book, thinking about something completely different. Her mind lingered on the day she visited the Tipsy Tuskan Cantina, the people she met and one in particular.
Her thoughts however, were interrupted by her comlink buzzing. “a message from Waza?” she was surprised, “maybe it’s about the Boonta eve trip” she thought and smiled, remembering that a certain someone also said they would come. Wenet opend the holomessage, it wasn’t about their trip but about “Oh training!” in her excitement she forgot that she was in a library and immediately other students told her to “Shhhhhhh” “oops… sorry” the Kushiban replied and closed the book. She didn’t even return in, she left quickly to meet Waza in the training room..
Waza smiled inwardly as he could sens the bundle of energy barreling down the hallway, part excitement and part curiosity. Waza could remember the early years in the academy for him.
Sitting in the floor lifting several rocks in the air Waza waited for the door to fly open. Not sure if she would join the meditation or start asking questions.
The first lesson would be control, and maybe patients.
The door flew open as Wenet entered.
“Good morning Padawan this is your first test. What do you do now?”
Waza never opened his eyes but could sense the Kushiban stare for a minute looking around the room.
Wenet stared at Waza as he sat in a meditative pose on the floor. She raised her eyebrows as she glanced at all the floating rocks. “are you doing that?” she asked with obviously surprise in voice. “Indeed I am” Waza replied with his eyes still shut. “Why?” the Kushiban immediately asked like a curious child.
“Its is an exercise in control, the more powerful you grow in the force the more things you can do.” Waza said. Setting the rocks down on the ground.
Opening his eyes he looked at his friend and smiled. “Sit with me and clear your mind, concentrate on one of the rocks and picture it floating about half a meter off the floor. Make that the only thing you focus on.” Waza watched as she sat down expecting more questions.
“When you gain control you can opens your senses to broader areas and that will improve your awareness and increase your combat abilities.”
Waza watches as one of the rocks shift in place and shakes.
“Good first go around, you were able to feel the rock and its place in the force, you affected its place in the physical world and in the force. Relax your mind and clear frustration away. You can do this.”
Wenet did as instructed, she sat down on the floor and closed her eyes. The next part was more difficult, ‘emptying’ her mind, whatever that meant. *“what does that even mean” she thought but she still tried her very best.
Picturing lifting the rock off the floor she began to tap into the Force. She tried to reach out to the rock. When she heard something move she peeked with with one eye, the one Waza couldn’t see from where he was sitting.
Waza spoke, guiding her. Once more she closed her eyes and began to focus on that rock. Reaching out through the Force, imagining lifting it. Again she heard something move but this time she didn’t break her concentration, she kept trying and the rock lifted off the floor, higher and higher.
“Very good, you got it in the air on your second attempt. You have potential to grow into. Now reach out with the force to that chair half way across the room, tilt it up on one leg and hold both the rock and the chair up.” Waza said smiling, he knew she could do it.
“Control is more than just commanding physical objects, control is internal control over emotions and distractions.” Waza got up and began moving around the room. “As you practice the art of clearing the mind of worry, pressing agendas, what you have to do. Letting all of those things fall to the side and opening yourself to the force the easier it will be to tap into it and not have to block out other thoughts.”
Waza watches the rock spin and bob in air but suddenly the chair flips end over end flinging across the room.
Waza reaches out with the force catching the chair and brings it back to place.
“good job on finding the chair.” impress at the strength she has.
“Just concentrate on tilting it”
“Right… concentrate” Wenet muttered to herself. It was easier said than done for the little Kushiban. Just like her, her attention span wasnt very big but still she tried her very best.
She took a deep breath, pushing all distractive thoughts out of her mind, focusing solely on the rock and the darn chair..
“Tilting it, not throwing it” was her mantra as she reached our to through the Force. She imagined holding the rock steady in one hand whilst using her other imaginative hand to tilt the chair.
The chair began to vibrate, dancing on the spot as she tried to grab it. Then finally, two of its leg lifted into the air, tilting it backwards..
“Very good, Wenet. Now that is something you can practice on your own at anytime you feel like it. The better you become at focusing on just doing that you’ll be able to do it with out just focusing on lifting.” Waza said as he paced in circles around Wenet so his voice kept changing location causing her to maintain control and think.
“Now while you keep your eyes close, using only the force to see with, Find me. I want you to begin throwing rocks at me. This will build two things at once, your ability to sense in the force and the control to throw an object at a target.”
Her ears twitched when the old man told her to try hit him with stones. “well.. you asked for it” she whispered to herself and kept her eyes closed.
Automatically she used her ears, but immediately told herself “no… use the Force.” it wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be, she’d been relying on her ears since she was born. But eventually she did manage to find Waza through the force..
When she found him she tried to grab a stone, again using only the force. It moved slightly, wiggling on the spot before she manage to lift it and then she threw it at her target..
Waza bats the rock to the side. “Very good Wenet, do that again.” Waza says and takes off at a jog to make the himself a moving target.
Wenet grabbed her ears and pulled them down, closing them to avoid relying on her ears.
She focused on Waza’s Force-signature attempting to lock on. The moment she did she picked up another rock and threw it the Old Man..
Waza watched as Wenet covered her ears to focus on the force and very quickly another rock shot up from the floor. Speeding his direction. Waza deflected it again sending it off to the side.
He stopped jogging and reached out to Wenets mind asking her to open her eyes. As he stood in front of her looking into her eyes Waza said. “Think about this, you held the chair in place along with the rock you already had in the air; found me in the force and threw two rocks at me. You’ve made great progress. As with anything practice and discipline make you stronger and better.”
Waza removed his saber from his belt.
“On the Saber you have is a stun setting, it’s not enough to incapacitate its more of a training stun. You’ll feel it not like it. Now let’s see where you are with your dueling skills. Draw your saber and defend yourself.” Waza ignited his saber and stood in the salute pose waiting for Wenet.
Wenet opened her eyes and released her ears. There was a small smirk of pride on her face when Waza complimented her on the quick progress.
When she saw Waza take out his saber her eyes began to sparkle with excitement. She took out her saber and looked at the settings. After changing it to stun she switched it on. With a loud crackle and a hum, a blue blade ignites from the hilt. It was a lot shorter than Waza’s, adjusted to her size. She hoped that maybe one day she would get a saber pike.
“ok.. I’m ready” Wenet said without a hint of nerves, she was confident maybe too confident.
She started slowly circling Waza, stalking him like a prey. Then without further wary she darted forward, she jumped and attempted to strike him with a horizontal slash to the waist. When she landed she immediately tried to hack at his ankles.
Waza circle opposite of Wenet ready for a quick strike. Having seen her fight before he knew she was a force to be reckoned with. Her movements and style were not common among duelists or Sith. Moving into high guard expecting a leap and higher strikes thinking she would go for a head shot and a quick kill. Slipping into Vaapad Waza knew he had guessed wrong as her flip and strike at his waist was parried away but she didn’t continue on an arc instead she landed and he was just able to move enough her second strike landed on the bottom of his foot sending a shock up through his leg.
Waza shook his leg and laughed, “Very good, I knew you’d get through my defenses at some point but not this early.” Waza saluted her again and brought his saber down in a strike towards her left shoulder.
Not for a moment did Wenet break her concentration, not even when Waza complimented her again. So when the saber came down she dodged it by jumping forwards between the old man’s legs.. “ha ha” she said standing behind him. Now she attempted to strike him at the knees with another horizontal slash..
As Wenet dodges between his legs Waza expects an attack at his legs again. Leaping back and over her Waza kicks at her legs and swings his saber just above her head blocking that means of escape keeping her on the ground where she cant utilize the jumping and maneuverability of her style.
Wenet attempts to evade the kick by jumping backwards, but as she does that his saber hits her ears Zap “Kark!” Wenet exclaims and rubs her ear “that actually does hurt” she says.
She quickly takes a stance again and thinks about her next move. The Old man is trying to keep her grounded, but that’s not going to stop her. Wenet dashes forwards and at the last moment she drops, sliding across the floor with her saber to the side. Shes aiming for his ankles.. coz sometimes being small has its benefits
Waza side steps the attack at his feet, he flicks his hand in her direction to slide her further than she intended to throw he off balance. Squaring off in mid guard Waza prepares for the next charge.
Wenet can feel the telekinetic push and she misses her target. She’s thrown off balance but then rolls herself up in a ball, rolling on the floor before using the momentum to jump back onto her feet. She turns around, facing Waza again, but this time she also scans the room for anything she could use. He noticed the chair behind the old man.
Using the Force she pulls it towards Waza, in an attempt to throw him off guard. Then she leapes forward, she pretends to attack low again but at the last moment she jumps and strikes at his left shoulder.
Waza senses the chair move towards him from behind, he smiles at the use of the environment in Wenet’s tactics. He dodges to the right ducking out of the way of her strike and the chair. As Wenet flies by Waza brings his saber up to strike at her side, realizing if he does hit he is out of position for a solid strike but to barely tap her with the tip of his blade.
To her frustration the old man managed to dodge her attack. The Kushiban flew by her target and felt a small zap of the tip of his blade. Wenet landed on her feet and quickly turned to face him again. “how you do that?” she asked… “how you know where I’m gonna strike before i do it?”
“Wenet the force in a powerful ally, it can give you seconds of warning or a vision of the future. In combat,” Waza stops moving and lowers his guard. “The force is a tool for offense and defense. As you grow in power and knowledge, you will expand your abilities. If you become strong enough you may follow a path where you will not need a weapon at all. The force is your ally but you must nurture its growth.” Waza circled to the left around wenet.
“I’d like to be part of your learning until there is nothing left for me to teach you. I still learn every day; the masters will tell you learn everyday keep the mind sharp.”
Keeping her blade ready, she followed Waza’s movement. Turning, to stay facing him him, she listens to his explanation. “I think I might have felt it” she answered, thinking about the times she fought against enemies. “that feeling of knowing where someone will strike… never thought about it, assumed it was intuition or something” she said and began to lower her weapon.
“really? You want to train me?” she smiled and began to nod “I’d like that very much” she answered.
“Yes I’d like to train you and help you grow in the force.” Waza said. “We have a few more minutes left in our time here today. One more pass?” Waza asked bringing his saber to mid guard. He moved at Wenet at full speed. Just as he got close Waza dropped to the floor sliding towards her legs swinging his blade in and upward arc.
When she sees Waza coming at her at full speed she immediately takes a defensive stance. He drops and slides towards her. Wenet jumps forward in an attempt to jump over the incoming blade. But she doesn’t jump high enough and feels the tip hit her leg.. “Aargh!” its zaps her causing her to lose balance when she lands. “that was my move” she says as she gets back on her feet and doesn’t waste a moment to strike Waza while he’s still on the floor. With a downwards chopping motion she attempts to his him on his shoulder.
The short blue blade hits Waza on his shoulder. Being on stun mode the Old man would only feel a zap. “ha ha! I got you!” Wenet says proudly.. *“you’d be missing an arm if it wasn’t on training mode” she chuckled
Waza slides across the floor stealing her move, going for a duel ending strike. Instead she leaps forward just grazing his blade, a small shock but not disabling, as Wenet lands he sees her spin bringing her saber down.
His vision flashes his head bounces off the floor.
Waza lay there motionless for a moment.
Wenet cheers her strike, Waza smiles..
Rolling backwards and landing on his feet.
“Good first lesson my padawan, now for the second lesson, help me clean up this mess we made” Waza said smiling.
“Boonta Eve is in two weeks, lets go shopping and find some options for your fancy dress.” Waza says as he picks up the chair