Savior_of_the_Sith

"Yes, very good. We will do more of these exercises in the future, to exact your ability to rely only the Force." Sahv took Cal's blast visor and set it down on an adjacent table. "So far we have looked at what I will call the 'gateway' schools of lightsaber combat. To be fully proficient in the fighting arts, you must have at least a basic understanding in each of the forms. Forms, I, II, and III are components of each of the rest: forms IV, V, VI, and VII. With form I, you learn the basic stances and offensive and defensivce movements. Through form II, you learned how to vary your intensity and precision, and form III teaches the defensive potential of the lightsaber. While these are complete forms in themselves, the others are extensions, composing of combinations or utilizing specific tactics." Sahv stood up to stretch his legs and prepare for a demonstration. "I myself am fluent in Form II, and can attest the the completeness of these first forms; the latter are merely variations and specialized strategies."

"Use the Force, Cal." Sahv's tone was serious, though to a naive onlooker, the scene may have been strange... a blind swordfighter expecting to hit on target... "Search the space around you, and you will find all that you need. You can do it." Sahv said. The Jedi watched as Cal attempted to deflect the first round of shots, with minimal success. "Always keep your elbows in, so that they may serve the defensive posture more efficiently." As Cal confronted the second volley, he met with much more success...

"Certainly... this droid will create artificial blasterfire." Sahv released from the palm of his hand a small object. It bounced up and extended silver arms. After detecting the lightsaber Cal was holding, it went to work, first emitting a sort of alarm indicating that it was about to begin fire. "Don't worry, these aren't real shots, but they will sting a little, so be on your toes." Sahv knew that Cal hadn't seen the droid before, and that this would be a new experience for him. Nevertheless, he knew that the blaster simulator was the sure way to understanding the challenges posed by Form III, save getting into real combat, as well as the spontaneity that comes with it. After several minutes, Sahv posed a question for Cal. "When you are in the basic stance for this defensive school, do you feel confidant? Or do you feel secure in your ability to deflect blaster shots..." Sahv held in his hand a blast shield visor, and knew that Cal's challenge laid yet ahead.

Sahv bounced his saber against Cal's, mimicking the physics of blaster shots and hastily-executed sword jabs. "Always keep a tight grip on the hilt, especially in these next schools of lightsaber combat, which have more to do with strength and agility than precision and wit." Sahv responded to Cal's inquiry... "We are currently on standby, but, esentially yes, we are still searching for our relic." Sahv unlit his weapon. "The balance that once characterized the Force's role in the galaxy is shifting -- perhaps against us. I was once the son of a wealthy industrialist, and knew nothing of such things. When I joined the Jedi, my eyes and senses became -- attuned -- to the Force. You will also come to understand this in time." Sahv sat down at a table, and activated the computer terminal there. Accessing a few files from a data chip he had imput, he brought up a map of the galaxy. "These --" the Jedi pointed toward areas shaded in red... "were the territories under the control of the Alliance ten years ago. We are essentially a part of that movement." Sahv pushed a button to alter the landscape of the map... "This is the galaxy now. As you can see, the influence of the Alliance has spread, in large part due to the work of the Jedi and their allies." "But... do not let this decieve you. The dark side does not follow with the trends and status of governments. The situation is far worse on that front, i'm afraid. Indeed, the Sith have much influence which cannot be measured fully by charts and graphs." Sahv stood up once more... "Now, let us prepare for when we meet this challenge."

Cal Regium and Sahv Yorr boarded the Myddrin and left Helix Station for an unknown location... On board, the two Jedi put away their things, and prepared for a training session. "Cal, you are reasonably fluent in forms I and II of lightsaber combat, and have some knowledge of form III. These are the 'gateway forms,' in a sense. From these, you can move to the others. From form I, we learn the essentials of stance, target zones, and basic parry maneuvers. From II, if you remember, challenged the user to be more reserved, and thus more precise in his blade movements." Sahv ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade warming the overall color of the room... "Form III provides defensive options. In a galaxy full of blasters, this is essential. Not all of our enemies use lightsabers" Sahv offered a concerning look, remembering the Jedi he'd seen on Coruscant killed by blaster fire. "Here, and ... here..." Sahv positioned his blade in the two prominent defensive postures. "These are the most popular placements for deflecting a blaster shot. Flicking the blade like so... allows a semi-controlled deflection." Repeating the blade's movement from each position, Sahv motioned for Cal to join him. "Furthermore, a lightsaber blade may be bounced off of your own blade if you move the wrist outward... this is best used if you know a light blow is coming... and best taken advantage of if you use the moment of chaos caused by the deflection to return a striking blow at the opposite target zone."

"Indeed... you must understand that the Sith are a determined breed. They will stop at nothing to achieve their ends, even if it means their demise." The walls shook slightly as the cruiser flew through space... "But... i'm sure all will be fine in time." Sahv took out his lightsaber, and inspected the hilt. It was not as shiny as it once was, but was not in need of repair or maintenance. Igniting it, he felt the same sensation he had come to know the first time he used it. "Cal, form II lightsaber combat is one of precision. Rise, and I will teach you some of the basic positionings of that school." Sahv held his lightsaber downward as he waited for his padawan. "It does not matter where you are coming from with this style of combat... only where you end up. But you must keep your reflexes at maximum capacity, perhaps even moreso than the frenzy-oriented forms that you will learn later." Sahv moved his arm up in a quick motion, slicing the bright blue blade through the air with a whizzing sound. "Your target points for form II are the same as form I. Only, now you are going in with more deliberance, knowing that what you do will have an impact on your blade, which you must keep steady always." Moving his blade back downward, the Jedi motioned for Cal to attack. Blocking his blade easily, he commented... "Use your wrist to give your defense the angle you need to not just deflect another lightsaber, but to keep the enemy weapon steady. Eventually, you may come to realize that this is meant to allow you to be able to control the opposing weapon, and perhaps use it to serve your needs."

"Cal... looking through these books would take years. No, we haven't got the time. What we do know is that we aren't the only ones looking for this... we should speak with our peers about what we have learned." Just then, a button on Sahv's communicator started beeping... "See, we are right on schedule." Sahv didn't want to waste their time, and feared that a step in the wrong direction might do that. Several questions were swirling about in his mind... Who had taken the diary? Was it even there in the first place? Where should they go from there? It was clear that a new avenue of investigation would be needed. Convening with the council would allow that. "The general alarm seems to have been sounded, but I can't get the transmission from underneath the surface. We should ascend and head back to Coruscant." The two filed passed the rows of bookcases and up to the surface. Once inside the ship, it blasted off into space...

Sahv came to a bend in the hallway of the ancient subteranean library. Turning the corner, he eyed a small reading area, secluded from the rest of the room. Approaching a shelf, Sahv dusted off the metalic surface, searching for the index that had been given him at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Clearing the dust, Sahv noticed an area which seemed to have been cleared of its ancient, decayed appearance. "This is curious..." The Jedi knew he was in the right place to find the diary, and the coordinates the librarian had dug up for him on Coruscant came through... "Look, here there is not as much tomb dust." Sahv could tell that Cal didn't know what exactly tomb dust was. "We can tell the relative age in which a subteranean area has been undisturbed by the presence of this substance. Here, the layer has been obviously broken... not yesterday or perhaps even 5 years ago... but definitely a sizeable time after the explosion that rocked this planet a millenia ago." Sahv searched with his eyes through the area he was referring to, a small crevice over which read the words "PERSONNEL DIARIES." "Well, this is the place." The Jedi checked the coordinates he'd gotten. "But... the diary is missing. It's not here." He flipped up the small journals, checking the names on each to make sure. Opening one, he briefly read of the daily activities of what appeared to be a library attendant. After a long pause, Sahv stood up and looked around at the books and materials surrounding him. The air was dry, which had allowed for the preservation of so many. Yet the item they had come to search for proved to be gone...

"Cal, there is another reason whey we are here." Sahv looked at the young Jedi with his eyebrows raised in affirmation. "When I was here last, my master provided me with the location of secret tomes." Sahv continued walking, leading Cal to a secluded corner of the library. "As long as we are here, we'd better get this taken care of befor we end get to engaged with our main task. Those other lightsaber forms... we can find that knowledge here." Sahv picked up a book that was sitting quietly on a small stool. There were no other books there, and it puzzled Sahv that he had gotten the book under the same circumstances months before. He opened the book... "This is it. Form II... One can learn the basics of lightsaber combat from nearly anyone my friend - I mean no offense to my fellow knights - but there are subtlties to the higher combat forms that require instruction that is... shall we say... intensive." He handed the book to his padawan... "Here, take this. We will look at it more thoroughly once we have the time. For now, we continue on our quest." Sahv gathered his sense of location and took a right down an isle of old, dusty bookshelves...

It had indeed been some time since Sahv had been to the temple. Approaching a small table near the center of one of the chambers, Sahv pressed his hand against the wooden surface. "I... do not know why the council has not taken up the task of securing these artifacts. I guess it is believed that some secrets are left forgotten." Sahv made a grave look of his face... "I just hope that in this case that has not proved a vital mistake." The Jedi moved into another chamber, and looked in his notepad for the coordinates of where he believed to be the autobiography section...

Sahv shot a sly look Cal's way... "How do we open it, you ask? Why, we don't." The Jedi Knight motioned for his padawan to follow him, and the two walked a short distance eastward until they reached a large crack in the gound. The crevice had been caused by the quakes which had rocked the surface of Ossus since the planet was made unstable many centuries ago. "Ossus was essentially destroyed by... something or another. Since then it has been uninhabited by humanoid life, I believe. We can't go in the front door, so I hope we don't offend anyone by entering through... different... means." Jumping down two meters and landing on a material different from the rock above, Sahv continued on. It was obviously some sort of symthetic concrete which constituted the new ground, and after a minute of walking in a darkened tunnel, the two reached the east wing of the library proper. Waiting up for Cal, Sahv searched for anything that looked recognizable. "I have been here once before," he began, "when I was apprentice under Locke and Kirana." Finally sensing where he was, he continued down the damp hallway. "This way, the main entrance to the book room is here..."

The Myddrin arrived at the planet Ossus, and a trail of vapor followed its descent to the rocky ground... "Many centuries ago, this planet hosted the finest library in the Order. It has since fallen to disrepair and is all but abandoned, though some Jedi come browse is still-stocked halls. It is enamored by the lightside, and houses many answers to its mysteries. We will begin our search here, just as the diary has indicated." Sahv pointed to an outcropping of ruins as Cal piloted the ship down... "We will continue our survey of lightsaber combat forms soon, but for now we have some work to do." Sahv stated as he gathered his cloak and belongings.

"You... ask a good question," Sahv replied. "As I'm sure you've come to know with your time as an Alliance officer, the key to winning a conflict is control. Dominance. The ability to turn the direction your way, or to your enemy's way, as the case may be. Most weapons are geared toward certain aspects of this, but are unable to encompass the full range of required battle strategies, such as attacking, and defending." Sahv lit his lightsaber and held it in front of him. He stared at the blade before him and spoke... "This weapon has the potential to do damage, and to prevent it. A blaster can provide long-range offensive moves, but it cannot defend the user. The lightsaber is a more personable weapon; it forces the wielder to become intimate with his enemy, to know preceisely what he is doing and to do it well. The penetrating potential of the blade is strong enough to hold off attackers, be they wielding blasters or swords, or even other lightsabers." "But our assessment of the other forms of lightsaber combat may answer your initial question of the lightsaber's applicability. We will get to that a little later. For now, you must master Form I, for the other forms rely heavily on its lessons, both obvious and subtle."

"Next, we practice." Sahv replied, knowing full well that it would take Cal many hours of working the moves over and over to become comfortable with Form I. "You must also gain a sense of when to act - that is, when to block and when to perform the striking move. But, I will add another move to your reportoir." Sahv took his lightsaber and moved the tip forward in a sudden thrust. "This 'jab', i'll call it, adds a sense of three-dimensionality to the other movements. You must be aware of all that is around you, as in all things. And with this move, one is forced to do so. Be careful - make sure you have plenty of space to practice, and start puting these moves to a regular practice regiment."

"Don't be so quick to change the subject, padawan... you underestimate the power of the Vornskyr. Though it is a bit smaller, the two of them together can easily defeat a bantha - that is if they plan properly." Sahv moved his hand around to provide a visual... "For instance - and i'm no expert on maneuvering in such ways - the smaller enemies can use their speed and agility to outrun or tire or daze the larger. But, I have only what i've read; you are the resident expert on vornskyrs." "As for the relic..." Sahv was even less sure about that than vornskyrs and banthas, "the diary I found made no mention of what it was, only that is was able to harness strong energies. It made mere allusions, perhaps assuming that any reader might know to what he was refering." Sahv thought for a moment... "Then again, Ossus was practically destroyed - made devoid of life and possible habitation." Sahv sensed Cal's curiosity and jumped in before he could ask, "that was a thousand years ago. The gases that ruined Ossus have since receded, but the surface is mared by evidence of the explosions. Soon, you will see for yourself. ... Perhaps the object is a weapon of some sort, or a ritualistic artifact. When I was initially briefed on the issue, the Jedi Council went out of its way to make no assumptions." Sahv stood up and asked Cal to join him in the antechamber lounge. "By now, you must know that lightsaber mastery is no easy task. In fact, it is quite difficult, and not every Jedi survives every battle, as you are aware of i'm sure. There are, accordingly, certain strategies that are employed by the swordsman. You have read that there are certain forms of lightsaber combat and uses, some defensive in nature, some offensive, and some a mix of the two. We will look at one such form now." Sahv took out his lightsaber and fliped the internal switch, igniting it a safe distance from Cal. "We must start with the most basic lightsaber style: Form I. This is very important to master before moving on to the more advanced styles, since every one contains strategies, terms, and moves employed by Form I. In learning the first lightsaber techniques, you must become familiar with two things..." Sahv extended his arm outward and swung the blade of his saber across in a diagonal fashion. "This basic slice downward is an offensive move. ... Holding the hilt with both hands, you can create a similar defensive block. Why don't you give it a try?"