Chapter 11: Training an Utter Novice
I was waiting for days, unsure of what they were going to have me doing, all I knew was that I was getting bored and and uneasy, without constant combat practice and fighting. So I headed out to find the nearest training room. I don't know how long I was walking through the halls, but eventually I found the young girl, Asenath, as I had learned, training against some kind of droid.
"Do you mind if I watch you practice?" I asked.
"Go ahead," she told me.
I watched her for a few minutes, trying her best to take down the droid, and failing miserably, again and again. She'd screw up, and it'd sting her. It just kept getting funnier and funnier, so it should be of little surprise that I eventually found myself curled up on the floor laughing myself into tears at her misfortune.
She scowled at me before, jumping right back into the exercise. I had to give her props, she was unwilling to give up, even when beaten down.
I stood up and walked over to her.
"It's looking like you could use a bit of help," I told her.
"Are you offering?" she asked me?
"Absolutely!" I answered giving her, what was meant to be a reassuring grin.
"Then please, give me your pointers, O Wise One," she said giving me a grin of her own.
I walked over, gripped her arms, correcting her position, and then moved her legs to correct her stance. I looked at her and said, "You're trying to deflect multiple, fast moving bolts. You need speed, momentum, and timing on your side. So you must stay in motion. Also, you need to reach out with the force, try and sense where the bolts are going to be, before they're fired."
I sat back and watched her, she was doing vastly better than she had been. With a bit of time, she might even be able to get to my level, but without my assistance, I doubt she'd be able to.
"Very good!" I congratulated her.
"Thank you!" She said to me.
"What time is class?" I asked her, incredibly anxious.
"Not for an hour," she told me.
"Got it," I answered her.
"Would you like a turn?" she asked me.
I activated my training saber and stood in front of the droid. I wish I could say it was challenging, but in all actuality it was anything but. I simply focused on training and slowly made my way forward, continuously gaining ground towards it as the exercise progressed, I knew I could take it down in an instant by simply channeling the force forwards and outwards, but the point was to deflect the attacks with little more than my blade, before going in for the kill. At least that was what I had thought.
I was making my way and moving in for the kill, when suddenly she stopped me. I was confused and a bit put out by this new development. I then realized that I wasn't supposed to destroy the droid, simply block and defend it.
"Sorry, force of habit."
"You don't have to destroy every opponent here, you'll mostly be expected to detain them and take them in alive."
I give off a brief snort, "None of my targets were allowed to live. The only reason I was ever sent out, was to kill."
She gave off a brief sigh, "You won't be expected to kill, as long as you're here with us."
I relax, releasing my stance, and sheathing my blade.
She asks, "Can you show me how to stand again?"
I lead her into it, and let her go at it again.
She does so much better this time, and she holds out for many minutes longer than she originally has.
I grin at her and say, "Much better."
She looks up at the clock, before saying to me, "We need to get to class."
I nod, "Okay."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We then head to class, I had been expecting to be studying combat, but instead, we're studying Basic, which leaves me rather put out.
I couldn't follow along with it, I could hardly understand or speak basic.
However I got help from Asenath, which eventually got me through the class, and speaking simplistic sentences by the end of the class.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next day we were training with Luke, the Blonde boy, Ben, apparently Luke's son, went first and lasted for fifteen minutes against the droid. I went next, and lasted for twenty-five minutes, but eventually my stamina began to deteriorate and it was able to sting and disarm me. Due to all of my past experiences with training, and the usual response, when I failed an exercise, or did not match up to what was expected of me, I took of the shirt of my tunic and bowed my head away from Luke, bearing my back for the whipping that was sure to come.
Instead, when Luke approached me, he placed his hand on my shoulder and gently rested it there.
"Jun, we aren't going to hurt you here, you did well, and it was truly impressive."
After having bowed my head, I simply said in as neutral a tone as I could, "I failed, master."
"No, you defended yourself, and very well might I add. That is what this entire exercise is for, to train defense."
"Really?"
"Yes, you're safe here."
I turned to Asenath, and hoping only she would be able to hear me, I uttered a quiet, "Thank you," in Basic.
"You're welcome."
Then it was Asenath's turn and she even managed to match Ben's time. She then began talking with Luke, although I didn't manage to make out what it was about. Based on how he looked at me, and how much she had improved in such a short time, I was fairly certain of what it was. We were then dismissed from class, to go to dinner, and then to our rooms.
