Twelve-year-old Callista sat back on her heels. She couldn't remember a time without her Master in her life. She had lived and studied with him for as long as she could remember. He had always cared for her.
Jedi Master Mark Faulkner had lived on Corellia ever since he was knighted. His charge to serve as Guardian of the system held for as long as he lived. He had found his student when she was but a baby. Someone had left her on his doorstep. The child had taken to him immediately.
Callista finished her morning meditations just as she felt her Master call her through the bond they shared. Callista, it is time for your saber lessons. She replied in the same manner and rose from her place on the floor. Smoothing out her tunic, she retrieved her saber from its place under her pillow, clipping it to her belt.
Like many of the sabers used by padawans in the Temple, she had built hers with a training setting, as well as the normal setting. The saber was her most recent accomplishment. It had taken skill to build one with the dual modes, but she had done an amazing job. Now began her formal training in the proper use of it.
Callista stood next to her master on the training floor. She had shed her robe, and stood in her tunic and pants, saber in her left hand. Calming herself, she turned and saluted her master with her saber. He bowed, and then they ignited their sabers. Today, she learned basic blocks and parries from Form I. When she was farther in her training, she would choose a form to focus on.
Breathing hard, she wiped the sweat from her brow after yet another round of saber drills. She was determined to learn everything she could, and it showed. Master Faulkner called an end to the session and sent her off to shower and change. "Relax, contemplate what you have learned today, my Padawan. Tonight we go on patrol." Callista bowed. "Yes, Master."
The cool night air wafted through the streets of Coronet City. The two Jedi moved silently within the shadows. Jedi were scarce in the system, so the Master and Padawan tended to draw an unwanted amount of attention if they went out during the daylight hours.
Callista sensed it at the same time that her master stopped short. "I felt it, Master..." Nodding to his Padawan, they both drew their sabers, holding the hilts ready. Peeking around the corner, Callista took stock of the situation.
She saw no one but a tall man dressed in a dark cloak. It looked similar to the one her Master sometimes wore, but it was too dark to tell for sure. She reached out with her senses, but could feel nothing, who ever it was, was either not a Jedi, or if he was, he had closed himself off. Turning around to speak to her Master, she realized he was no longer there.
Stepping out into the alley, she called out, "State your business here, sir..." Before she had even finished the sentence, the man ignited his almost pure white blade, a color she had never seen before. Her master always carried a green blade. She followed suit, her pale purple blade springing to life.
She set herself in a defensive stance, waiting to see what he would do. He charged at her, his blade taking a low swing at her ankles. She jumped above the swing, surprising herself. Having avoided his strike, she took one of her own, aimed at his shoulder. He blocked it easily, casually turning it aside.
He came at her with renewed speed, his blade moving so fast she could barely see it. Reacting purely on what the Force told her, she was able to block his strikes. She got a bit distracted, and one of his strikes slipped through her saber defense, a strike aimed at her neck. It never made contact though. It stopped about two inches from her neck. She could feel him straining to move it closer, but he could not.
It was then that her attacker dropped his hood and lowered his saber, leaving her staring into the astonished face of her mentor. He seemed confused as to why his saber had not moved an inch. Then understanding dawned. "You can drop your shield now, Padawan..."
Callista stared. "What...?!" He smiled. "You have a very rare talent, my Padawan. There are very few Jedi who can project Force shields, and you are one of them. I noticed it a few weeks ago, but this is the only way I could think of to accurately test it." Callista flinched, remembering how close he had come. He smiled. "I also noticed that you have good acrobatic skills. I would like to start teaching you Form IV."
Three days had passed since the events in the alley, and Callista was still coming to grips with what had occurred. She thought back on the events of the past few months, and realized that her skill had indeed manifested itself on more than one occasion.
There had been several times during training that her Master had come really close to her with the saber, but every time he stopped. He did not baby her; he did his best to make the training sessions as real as possible. The last few times they had trained, it had been with their sabers on full power. She needed to know what to expect in combat situations. The only thing that had stopped his saber from making contact was his control and her shield.
Standing in the training room, Callista sank into a light meditation. She wanted to work on focusing her shield technique using some documentation that her master had provided. She hefted the training remote in her left hand. It was calibrated to deliver stinging bolts. It was normally used in laser deflection training, but she felt it would serve her purpose adequately.
Activating the remote, she stepped back as it hovered in the air in front of her. Holding her saber steady in a low Form IV guard, she thumbed it to life. It hummed loudly in the empty room, echoing back at her from the dimness. A little deflection training would make things all that more interesting.
The remote shot away from her, into the dim corner of the room. Setting herself in defensive stance, she reached out with her senses until she could feel the eddies that the remote created within the Force. A bight read beam lanced out of the darkness, and Callista brought her blade around to intercept.
She was just a hair too slow. The bolt hit in the shoulder, making her wince in pain. Pushing it away, she settled herself again, tightening her focus on the remote. Her world consisted solely of the remote. That was her first mistake.
She knew better than to do that, and here she just had. She was not paying attention to anything else in her surroundings, and she knew that such inattention in a battle could prove fatal.
Her danger sense flared as another bolt flew out of the darkness. This one was aimed low towards her feet. Reversing her grip, she flipped the saber so that the tip was pointed towards the floor. The energy bolt hit about an inch above the tip of the blade, causing the blade to brighten slightly.
Rotating the saber so the hilt rode the inside of her forearm, she dropped into a crouch. She could feel the remote on the other side of the room, moving slowly in the shadows as it prepared to strike. The buildup of power was slight, but she felt the shift. Extending her arm behind her, she caught the blast on the tip of her blade, flicking it away from her. It went wild, careening around the room, and she felt another presence just as a bright green blade intercepted the errant laser, and a voice called, "Remote, pause!"
Glancing up in surprise, she looked straight into her Master's bright blue eyes. They were dancing with laughter as he looked at her. "You seem to be in a predicament, Padawan. Would you care for assistance?" Giggling as she realized how ridiculous her stance looked, she quickly stood up.
"I noticed that you have been studying up on Form IV, Padawan. May I ask why you are training with a remote so soon?"
Callista blushed. "I thought it would be a good way to further test my shielding skills..."
Nodding slowly, he looked at her. "You pulled your focus too tight. That is dangerous."
Blushing once more, Callista looked down. "I know..."
He gently tilted her face up so she was looking at him, his face softened. "Padawan, I was not chastising you, I was just helping you see it for next time. Shall we go at it again, this time together?" She nodded, stepping up beside him as he reactivated the remote. They fought together far into the night.
Rising early the following morning, Callista did her morning meditation to prepare herself for the day. Life with Master Faulkner was never dull, that was for sure! As she made her way out to breakfast, she tucked her lightsaber into her belt.
Her Master looked up from the breakfast preparations to greet her. "Good Morning, Padawan, I trust you slept well?"
Nodding, Callista made her way to the counter. "I did, Master."
He smiled. "I wanted to let you know that we will be having a guest today..." Callista glanced up at that statement, and he continued, "...Master Steffan Karrde will be here on business, and I invited him to participate in your training today."
"I would be honored, Master." She finished her breakfast quickly, and went to prepare for the day. As she entered her room, she heard the door chime, and her master went to answer it. "Ah, Master Karrde, it was kind of you to accept my invitation at this early hour. Please, come in."
"It was my pleasure," Steffan Karrde said with a smile as he bowed to his fellow. "I'm glad to see things have been well with you, my friend." He looked over to the young lady, "and I take it that this is your new student?" Her Master smiled. "Master Karrde, may I introduce my Padawan, Callista Gseran." Callista bowed in respect. "Fair morning, Master Karrde."
"And to you," Steffan said as he looked at her closely. "I sense a lot of spirit in you, my lady. You are starting to remind me of my daughter already." "Well," he said as he looked over to her master. "When would you like to begin?"
Her Master chuckled. "Not even in the door five minutes, and already down to business, Steffan? I think right now would be fine, if Callista is ready?" She nodded. "Well then, let us adjourn to the training room then."
Steffan nodded and followed them to the room and looked over the settings. Smiling in approval, he removed his robe and laid it aside then motioned to the padawan. "If I may, Callista?" She offered her lightsaber handle to him and Steffan carefully looked it over. "For her first time, the craftsmanship is impressive," Steffan said with a nod as he handed her the hilt. "Nicely done, my dear."
Callista blushed. "Thank you, Master Karrde. I have actually been considering constructing a second to match." She could feel her master's surprise at that statement. She turned to look at her Master. "My apologies, Master, I had intended to tell you, but it seemed appropriate."
"Maybe a little ambitious," Master Karrde said as he regarded her. "Its important to master the one before moving on. Well, shall we? "He drew his hilt and ignited a silver-blue blade and saluted the girl. Callista did likewise, drawing her saber and igniting its brilliant purple blade. Saluting Master Karrde, she stepped back several paces.
Steffan came forward and feinted to the left before coming around to his true target, but kept himself on a level that Callista would be more capable to defend against. He wasn't disappointed with her block and sudden parrying of his blade before she attempted to counter with her own move, which he quickly blocked. He kept the moves the same for a few minutes to get the feel of her actions.
Slightly surprised at the speed of his attack, she backed up a step. They traded blows back and forth quickly, getting a feel for each other's style, before he called a break. "Very nice form indeed," he said softly during a break. "The Fourth Form suits you, I believe."
"How long has she been studying the form?" Steffan asked her teacher as he relaxed for a few moments.
"A week..." her Master replied.
Steffan was surprised with that bit of information. "I'd say you have a fast learner on your hands," he said with a grin. "Though I'm not a master of this form, I would say it would suit her greatly, much as with my daughter. Well, I'm convinced of her skills unless you would like to have another go at it, my friend." She smiled. "Thank you, Master Karrde. I would love to."
Master Faulkner sat in his room, reviewing the events of the day. His Padawan was a fast learner. Normally, it would take a student a month to learn as much as she had learned in a week of studying Form IV. She had a strong dedication to her studies, and it showed. The previous evening, he had silently watched her practice, and was amazed at her focus and knowledge of the form in so short a time. He knew that with time and training, she would become more confident.