Chapter 11

Danny

The day after Jazz had started learning how to use a lightsaber was a Saturday, and Danny used that to his advantage to sleep in before going downstairs for breakfast. He saw that Jazz was already gone; probably training, and his Mom and Dad were talking in the living room. "It's got to be a boy that she knows we won't approve of," he heard his Dad say, "It explains all the time out, her falling grades, her coming back all sweaty like yesterday." "I don't know Jack, I looked into her room and I didn't see anything that looked like she was looking for a guy. And plus she isn't getting ready for dates, no extra makeup, no shopping, I don't think it's a boy," Danny heard his Mom say. Danny turned invisible and looked at his parents talking.

His Dad rubbed the back of his neck and finally said, "Could it be a girl?" Danny had to hold his hands to his mouth to keep from laughing. "I mean she hasn't dated a lot of boys, maybe that's why and she doesn't know how to tell us?" Jack continued. "That…kind of makes sense, I heard it was genetic and you remember my Uncle Lewis?" Maddie said. "Oh yeah, I forgot about him, maybe we should call him and ask him about how to handle this," Jack said then his parents went down to their Lab. Danny went into the kitchen chuckling the whole time. Well they are kind of right…if you count being trained to be a Space Wizard/Police Officer by an alien woman as 'dating'. Danny fixed his breakfast and got ready for the day.

As he was heading out his Dad came out of the Lab and yelled, "Danny my boy, you have got to see this, this may be one of our best inventions yet!" Before Danny could respond Jack wrapped a massive arm around his son and practically carried him into the Lab. "Okay Dad, what is it this time, a portal to another galaxy?" Danny fake excitedly asked. "Not yet, but its something a little more practical, Jack said. Maddie walked up holding a small metal ball with a green glowing slit looking like it sliced it in half. "This little baby can create an indestructible laser shield to protect from ghost or human attacks. I call it: the Fento-sphere," Jack proudly told his son. "Does it work?" Danny asked. "Of course it works, watch," Jack said, and Maddie turned the top half of the sphere around counterclockwise.

A half-sphere of green energy going out three feet all around Maddie appeared. Jack then hefted a small ecto-gun and said, "Ready Maddie?" "Ready Jack," Danny's Mom told him and Jack fired ten shots, none of them pierced the energy sphere. Jack then picked up a larger ecto-rifle and fired ten more shots with the same result. He then got out a Fenton Bazooka and fired three times, still nothing. "WOW!" Danny said, for once Dad's invention works the first time. Jack finally dug out the Ghost Gloves and powered them up. He charge forward ready to unleash one mother of a punch when suddenly the energy sphere disappeared!

Maddie quickly dropped the sphere and ducked under Jack's wayward punch. "OH MAMMA THAT WAS CLOSE!" Jack exclaimed in shock. "Yeah, I was timing it, it looks like the Fento-sphere can only work for two and a half minutes before it shorts out," Maddie told him. "Oh well, that's what we get for miniaturizing the Fenton Ghost Shield surrounding the house, smaller size, less power to burn," Jack said. "But that's still pretty good," Danny told them, "I mean if there's another Ghost Invasion or something that can really help, like say you gotta I don't know, guard a doorway or something?" "Good point, but we can always do better," Jack told him. "Umm…Can you shoot out of the Fento-shphere?" Danny asked. Maddie and Jack looked at each other and Maddie finally said, "We never thought about that…should we test it?" "Definitely, but Danny, you should leave, it's too dangerous for a minor to be here," Jack said, and shooed Danny out of the Lab.

Jof

Jof watched as Jazz went through Form 1: Shii-Cho. She's a natural at the more martial applications of the Force, Jof thought as she watched her padawan repeat the form three more times without stopping. "Very good, Jazz, now I feel it is time that I teach you about defense," Jof then tore a piece off her bag before continuing. "There are Three Rings of Defense in lightsaber combat; the Outer Ring, the Middle Ring, and the Inner Ring. The Outer Ring is primarily used for attacking and relies on power; the Middle Ring is used for much faster attacks and is especially good for deflecting blaster shots and overall defense, while the Inner Ring is your last defense, used to parry blows and opening up the opponent for a counter attack, observe."

Jof then immediately demonstrated the Outer Ring with broad sweeping and powerful strikes and blocks, then greatly increased her speed for the Middle Ring before at last showing the Inner Ring with small subtle parries and counter strikes. Jof then took the small strip she tore off her bag and tied it around her eyes, "Now, try to attack me." Jof heard Jazz gulp before she took a deep breath. Jof lifted up her training pole to the upper left guard. Jof did not see with her eyes, but sensed Jazz's movements through the Force. Jazz went straight for a lunge; Jof struck it down and raised her pole to Jazz's throat, "You hesitate; fear is controlling your movements. You must dispel your fears and allow the Force to direct your movements. Try again."

Jof assumed another Outer Ring defense, this time the lower right guard. Jof sensed Jazz's emotional state, her mind was clearer than before yet she could still sense a small amount of fear inside her. She is fine with hitting the air, but when it comes to applying it she hesitates. But according to what she has told me she never hesitates to fight 'ghosts' alongside her brother. Is it only in the heat of battle that her true power shows? Jof decided to test her theory by jumping forward and attacking Jazz. Jazz clumsily but successfully blocked the blow. "Don't let fear cloud your mind. Fear is the mindkiller, those who let fear control them are no better than animals," Jof told her, then spun her pole back and around for a strike at Jazz's right shoulder. Jazz blocked the attack then attempted to stab at Jof's stomach. Jof backed away then jumped back to attack Jazz's midsection.

Jazz parried the attack and attempted her own stab. Jof blocked the attack then struck Jazz's hands, making her drop her pole before bringing her own up to Jazz's throat again. "I see now, you do not like being the aggressor. Whenever you fight, you are fighting to protect someone or something," Jof said as she took off her blindfold. "Is that bad?" Jazz asked, rubbing her hand. "No, it is a good thing. You have great potential with a lightsaber, Jazz. It is important that a Jedi knows when to use their lightsaber, and when to use diplomacy to settle disputes," Jof assured her. "Now, I will teach you the blocks for all the Rings of Defense. For the Outer Ring there are four guards you assume, your upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left guards," Jof showed all the guards to Jazz, who imitated her stances. "Yes, now the Middle Ring has four as well, but unlike the Outer Ring they are not held diagonally. The guards are upper, lower, right, and left," Jof explained as she showed the guards to Jazz. Jazz again imitated her Master and Jof finished, "The Inner Ring has only one guard, center, from which you parry your opponent's attacks."

After explaining the guards to Jazz, Jof had her go through them all ten times each from the high right guard of Outer Ring to the center guard of Inner Ring. "Now keep practicing them now in reverse order, then standard order, a Jedi must ensure that their body is ready to defend when needed, no matter where the attack comes from," Jof told her, then she sensed an evil presence in the Force. Jof tore her lightsaber off her belt and activated it just in time to block a laser strike from above. "I know you're there!" Jof yelled at her unseen attacker. Jazz dropped her pole and pulled out an ecto-gun from her backpack. "It's a ghost, it has to be," Jazz said. "Stretch out with your feelings through the Force and find him," Jof told her as she did the same. Jazz found the attacker first and blasted above Jof's left shoulder, hitting the attacker.

What looked like a large metal male appeared as if from thin air with glowing green eyes and hair. "Skulker," Jazz said. "Surrender now, alien, and I'll go easy on you," the ghost, Skulker, said. Jof felt a chill down her spine, "You're working for the Empire." "I wouldn't know about that, but the one that told me about you did look very regal," Skulker said as he raised his left hand and fired a glowing green net at her. Jof reached out and grabbed the net with the Force and flung it aside before charging forward. Skulker fired lasers at her from his wrists as he flew around behind her. Jof blocked the lasers, struggling to deflect them back at a moving target. Skulker's jetpack opened and two rockets fired out, heading right for Jof.

The Jedi Force pushed one missile to the side and into a wall that exploded into pieces and jumped up into the air to dodge the second. She then threw her lightsaber at the ghostly bounty hunter, cutting his jetpack. "NO!" Skulker yelled as he crashed into the ground. Jof used the Force to aid her descent and cut Skulker in half at the waist. "Oh come on! Do you people have any idea how much it costs to build one of these exosuits from scratch?!" Skulker yelled in exasperation before Jof cut off his exosuit's head. She then reached into the head and pulled out a little glowing green creature with red eyes and tiny arms and legs. "Who hired you," Jof said, using the Force to influence the creature's mind. "Vlad Masters, aka Vlad Plasmius and a friend of his," Skulker said.

"What is the friend's name?" Jof asked. "I don't know; he looked like a tall bald human with green eyes and wearing red armor. He had a red laser spear too," the defeated ghost said. "Did you tell them where we are?" Jof asked then sensed danger coming once again. She quickly dropped the ghost and ran to Jazz and pulled her back just in time to avoid being crushed as a white police car crashed through the Lobby and a green skinned man with black hair, red eyes, and wearing a white jumpsuit and cape with black belt boots, and gloves appeared. "I'd say he had my dear," Vlad Plasmius said with a smile as Kandall Thal walked out of the police car.

No, I don't think Jazz is gay. I just think that given her behavior it would be a logical conclusion for Jack and Maddie to make. Anyway, Things are getting pretty exciting now, aren't they?