Chapter Six:
"Focus. Don't rely on your eyes so much- they can be decieved. They can be tricked. Don't trust them. Your feelings, your instincts, they cannot be so easily twisted against you. Make use of that."
Qui-gon and Trip circled eachother slowly, the long wooden sticks they'd designed to serve as swords held defensively before them.
With most all of the winter work done they'd found themselves with a large amount of free time.
Trip had expressed a willingness to learn anything that Qui-gon could teach her. So they'd taken to sparring in the late afternoon, when most chores were usually done, and nights were spent on discussing the galaxy.
Earth's usually clear sky was perfect for such lessons.
"Eh, easy for you to say. You've got the Force to help you. All I've got is bad intuition. If I don't use my eyes, how am I supposed to see?"
She launched forward fienting right and at the last moment turning to strike at his left shoulder. He parried it easily.
"Sight is not your only sence."
He launched an attack of his own.
"It is merely your strongest. it is a common human flaw to place all their trust in their eye sight. But what of a blind person? How are they to defend themselves if they can not see?"
Trip shrugged, backing away again. "If they can not see then they should be protected."
"What if they are left alone? What are they to do then?"
"Die I suppose."
Qui-gon shook his head. "No. They improvise." he pulled a long piece of cloth from his belt. "Come here."
Trip was uncertain. "What's that for?"
"You said you wanted to learn didn't you? It is a common practice amung Jedi to have students fight blindfolded. It helps them to learn to use other sences than sight. Now come here."
She allowed him to tye it around her eyes tightly. Once he was sure she couldn't see, he backed away.
"Focus. Focus on what's around you. Listen. Listen for the sound of my footsteps, for my breathing. Such things are dead give aways for were an opponent is."
Qui-gon circled around her slowly. She raised her stick defensively, faced in completely the wrong direction.
This was going to take some work.
He attacked. She just barely managed to parry his blows, moving slowly, unsure of herself.
"Come now. Surely you can do better."
"Is it common for sighted Jedi to attack those who aren't?"
Qui-gon laughed. "No, only when they are trying to teach a lesson."
They continued for several more moments untill Qui-gon finally nocked her stick out of her hand.
Trip pulled the blind-fold off, breathing hard. "If all Jedi are as skilled as you, I should hate to ever face a large group of you."
Qui-gon just smiled. "Years of training, nothing more. And I do believe you've improved. Give it time."
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I do better with ranged weapons."
"Which is why we're working on melee skills. Care to walk to the stream with me? Last I saw Kit was there."
"Sure, why not."
They walked in silence for a few moments.
"Kit's taken a real liking to you Quiggy."
He grinned. "I noticed. Can't hardly go anywere without him tagging after me. How exactly did you come by him? I thought all the wild life here was dead?"
Trip shrugged her shoulders. "Not all. Just most. There was a whole group of tigers living here when we got here, just not in this section of the valley. We didn't know about em' for a long time and when we finally did it was too late to do em' much good. Kit's the last of his kind."
"Oh."
"Yeah, it's kinda' sad really. He's happy though."
A few more moments were spent in silence.
"Qui-gon?"
He looked at her in surprise. It was the first time he'd ever heard her use his real name.
"Yeah?"
"What are you going to do if.... if Father never finds a way for you to get out of here?"
Qui-gon was a bit taken aback. He hadn't really thought about it that much. He'd been living on the assumption they'd eventually come up with a solution to his problem.
"I don't know. There's not much I could do. Stay here I guess. I'm hoping he'll come up with something."
Trip seemed..... unhappy.
"Yeah, he'll figure it out. He's been trying to come up with a plan to contact off-worlders even before you came."
"Really? Why?"
"No clue. But Quiggy I...." she paused, searching for the right words. "I..... never mind. I'll see you later. I've gotta.... uh, I've gotta go do something."
With that she took off running in the other direction, leaving Qui-gon to stare after her in confussion.
"Focus. Don't rely on your eyes so much- they can be decieved. They can be tricked. Don't trust them. Your feelings, your instincts, they cannot be so easily twisted against you. Make use of that."
Qui-gon and Trip circled eachother slowly, the long wooden sticks they'd designed to serve as swords held defensively before them.
With most all of the winter work done they'd found themselves with a large amount of free time.
Trip had expressed a willingness to learn anything that Qui-gon could teach her. So they'd taken to sparring in the late afternoon, when most chores were usually done, and nights were spent on discussing the galaxy.
Earth's usually clear sky was perfect for such lessons.
"Eh, easy for you to say. You've got the Force to help you. All I've got is bad intuition. If I don't use my eyes, how am I supposed to see?"
She launched forward fienting right and at the last moment turning to strike at his left shoulder. He parried it easily.
"Sight is not your only sence."
He launched an attack of his own.
"It is merely your strongest. it is a common human flaw to place all their trust in their eye sight. But what of a blind person? How are they to defend themselves if they can not see?"
Trip shrugged, backing away again. "If they can not see then they should be protected."
"What if they are left alone? What are they to do then?"
"Die I suppose."
Qui-gon shook his head. "No. They improvise." he pulled a long piece of cloth from his belt. "Come here."
Trip was uncertain. "What's that for?"
"You said you wanted to learn didn't you? It is a common practice amung Jedi to have students fight blindfolded. It helps them to learn to use other sences than sight. Now come here."
She allowed him to tye it around her eyes tightly. Once he was sure she couldn't see, he backed away.
"Focus. Focus on what's around you. Listen. Listen for the sound of my footsteps, for my breathing. Such things are dead give aways for were an opponent is."
Qui-gon circled around her slowly. She raised her stick defensively, faced in completely the wrong direction.
This was going to take some work.
He attacked. She just barely managed to parry his blows, moving slowly, unsure of herself.
"Come now. Surely you can do better."
"Is it common for sighted Jedi to attack those who aren't?"
Qui-gon laughed. "No, only when they are trying to teach a lesson."
They continued for several more moments untill Qui-gon finally nocked her stick out of her hand.
Trip pulled the blind-fold off, breathing hard. "If all Jedi are as skilled as you, I should hate to ever face a large group of you."
Qui-gon just smiled. "Years of training, nothing more. And I do believe you've improved. Give it time."
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I do better with ranged weapons."
"Which is why we're working on melee skills. Care to walk to the stream with me? Last I saw Kit was there."
"Sure, why not."
They walked in silence for a few moments.
"Kit's taken a real liking to you Quiggy."
He grinned. "I noticed. Can't hardly go anywere without him tagging after me. How exactly did you come by him? I thought all the wild life here was dead?"
Trip shrugged her shoulders. "Not all. Just most. There was a whole group of tigers living here when we got here, just not in this section of the valley. We didn't know about em' for a long time and when we finally did it was too late to do em' much good. Kit's the last of his kind."
"Oh."
"Yeah, it's kinda' sad really. He's happy though."
A few more moments were spent in silence.
"Qui-gon?"
He looked at her in surprise. It was the first time he'd ever heard her use his real name.
"Yeah?"
"What are you going to do if.... if Father never finds a way for you to get out of here?"
Qui-gon was a bit taken aback. He hadn't really thought about it that much. He'd been living on the assumption they'd eventually come up with a solution to his problem.
"I don't know. There's not much I could do. Stay here I guess. I'm hoping he'll come up with something."
Trip seemed..... unhappy.
"Yeah, he'll figure it out. He's been trying to come up with a plan to contact off-worlders even before you came."
"Really? Why?"
"No clue. But Quiggy I...." she paused, searching for the right words. "I..... never mind. I'll see you later. I've gotta.... uh, I've gotta go do something."
With that she took off running in the other direction, leaving Qui-gon to stare after her in confussion.