The next day was spent almost entirely in a field outside the city proper. I had promised Canderous some time ago that I would try and teach him the technique of hyper-awareness while fighting; turned out most of the honor guard wanted to learn it too. I regretted Jarxel wasn't here for the lesson, but there was plenty of time to catch him up. We ran in to Mira and Dax as we were leaving the hotel, and they tagged along. Canderous and I were more than willing to excuse Dax for the day, but Mira said she was interested in learning as well, and I knew Dax found the idea intriguing. Just as we were about to head out, Bao Dur arrived with Danni and Jarxel.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Canderous demanded when he saw his XO.
"I can't take a day off once in a while?" Jarxel growled. "The camp is fine, Mandalore, the Elders are there and the men don't need a babysitter. I wanted to report that the battlefield for the final test is ready. And I wanted to prepare some things for the wedding. As primary witness for the groom, I have a few responsibilities," he said pointedly.
I turned to Bao Dur while Canderous and Jarxel bickered. I smiled at Danni, who actually shyly smiled back before ducking her head and leaning against the Iridonian.
Taking him aside, I asked low, "Did Atton tell you about the Phoenix?"
Bao Dur nodded, eyes shining. "Can't wait to see her. I thought I'd take today to check her out, see what I can do by way of improvements. And Danni missed her mother," he added softly, placing one hand on the little girl's head. She glowed a little at his touch, and I smiled to see it.
Megari showed up then, along with Visas, Ladria and Atton. Bao Dur had apparently commed ahead of his and Danni's arrival. Mother and daughter reunion made my throat thicken a little, and I saw Bao Dur's eyes brighten suspiciously. A short discussion later, he, Megari, Ladria, and Atton were headed to the docks. Visas decided to stay at the hotel.
"Sure you won't be lonely?" I asked curiously. "You're welcome to come along with us."
"I enjoy spending time with you and Canderous, of course," Visas said graciously. "And I enjoy Jarxel's company as well. Mandalorians are…refreshing," she said with a smile. "But I enjoy my own company from time to time, and I've missed it."
"I hear you there," I said sincerely. "Good for you."
Jarxel and Canderous had quit their squabbling, and the craggy XO had decided he could accomplish his errands easily enough later in the day, once he was told about our intentions.
Bidding Visas a good day, we trooped out into the street. Canderous led us to a public park he knew of that had fields commonly used for militia drills. It was quiet, and private, off the beaten path. It wasn't part of the main park, so we wouldn't have to deal with stray citizens wandering in; for a small fee we could rent the space all day. Once we got there, I told everyone to sit comfortably. There was a general shuffle of bodies, and everyone looked at me expectantly.
"The first step is learning how to listen," I told my little class. "Not just to voices or the noises all around you, but everything. Who here meditates?"
To my surprise, everyone raised their hand, not just Mira, as I had expected. I looked at Canderous and he grinned back.
"Jetti aren't the only ones who know it's an advantage for warriors to center themselves," he said smugly. "We call it keeping vigil, but it's the same thing."
"I don't know why I'm surprised," I said, smiling. "Your race is renowned for its fighting skills; without some sort of meditation, it's difficult to achieve that level of ability. This is great; it's going to make my job a lot easier."
I instructed them to meditate, and concentrate first on their own bodies, becoming intimately aware of every breath, to relax every muscle, feel every organ. The rush of blood being pumped through the heart and the path of their veins, bringing life to every cell. From there, I told them to expand that outward, feel each other's life force, the wind on their skin, the weight of the sunlight. I spoke softly, pitching my voice to penetrate but not distract. I opened my own senses and tuned in to each of them, feeling the various levels of awareness.
When I felt they were all sufficiently centered, I said quietly, "Now open your eyes."
There was a murmur of surprise from everyone but Mira and Canderous. I was proud of her especially, because she was strong in the Force and could achieve this state much easier than the others, but had not drawn on it to assist her. I motioned to Tagren to stand up. He did so slowly, as if afraid that movement would break the spell.
"Now," I said, "block me."
I whipped a fist toward Tagren's jaw. His hand came up barely in time to stop it. He was so surprised he simply started at my fist captured in his own big paw. Then he shook his head and let go.
"It's gone now," he said. "But your hand looked like it was moving in slow motion."
"Who else saw that?" I asked generally. I was pleased when it seemed that everyone had. "The real trick of this is to be able to shift instantly into this awareness, maintain it, and learn to move to accommodate. The meditation teaches you what state of mind is necessary. With practice, it will simply be there when you need it."
I had everyone pair off. Leading them in meditation again, I felt the awareness come to the proper level, and instructed each of them to spar.
I deliberately had not chosen Canderous as my sparring partner, and Mira had not chosen Dax. In my case, I knew our connection made it easy for him to achieve the state of mind needed, through me. I wanted him to learn it without my mental interference, and it was damned hard to block that when we're fighting. I thought it was a similar situation with Mira and Dax, if not as intense; I couldn't imagine either Mira or Dax being overly concerned about damage control from sparring with each other. So Canderous paired off with Kelborn, I took Jarxel, and Mira chose Tagren. Dax and Xarga squared off, leaving Zuka and Kex as the last pair.
I faced Jarxel, relaxed and ready. I gave him a nod, and suddenly swung at him. He blocked my fist easily, and quicker than I thought he would have without the sight. I followed with a spinning kick, and he got out of the way, making me shift to stop my own momentum and get back into position. Like Tagren had, though, he suddenly stopped and blinked.
"I've lost it," he said irritably.
"That's okay," I assured him. "You can't do this all at once. It takes time to be able to shift at will."
"Let's try it again," he grumbled, and closed his eyes for a while.
I took that time to look around and see how everyone else was doing. Mira and Tagren were both concentrating hard, although Mira clearly was having far less trouble maintaining her awareness. Canderous was doing well, but had stopped because Kelborn had lost his sight. Dax and Xarga both seemed to be losing their concentration and Kex and Zuka had degenerated into a free-for-all fistfight.
I called Canderous to help me break up the fight, and he and Jarxel took care of it by simply walking up behind the participants, snagging them by their elbows and dragging them apart.
"Hey, what was that for?" Kex demanded. "I was winning, dammit!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Canderous growled.
"Fighting, like the lass told us to," Kex said, clearly puzzled by our unreasonable behavior. Zuka nodded, grinning.
"This isn't about brawling, you fool," Canderous scowled. "It's about learning to fight like Jennet."
"Oh, I'm all for that," Kex said cheerfully.
"Then knock it off. You come with me. Zuka, take Kelborn," he ordered, and stalked off, Kex following.
Zuka shrugged, and squared up with Kelborn. The fight had broken everyone's concentration, so I directed meditation again, adding that when they lose their sight, signal their partner to stop the fight so they can try to regain their awareness. I shot fierce looks at both Zuka and Kex with these instructions. They nodded back, grinning.
Jarxel proved to be a good student, and was the second Mandalorian to be able to maintain awareness for longer than a few minutes, third of the group. Mira learned the fastest, Canderous next. Dax was right behind Jarxel, with, astonishingly, Kex not far behind him. Xarga, Zuka, Kelborn, and Tagren all were having various degrees of difficulty, but to my mind were far quicker studies than the average fighter would have been. I drilled everyone mercilessly for another hour before knocking off.
"That was a great first lesson," I said enthusiastically. "I want everyone to meditate – keep vigil, I mean," at this Canderous winked at me, "for a few minutes every morning and evening. Practice shifting your awareness at odd times of the day by looking at moving objects and trying to call up that feeling of slowed sight. When we're back at camp, we can have group sessions at least a few times a week. Remember, it takes time, and lots of practice. Don't be discouraged when it comes and goes; it's like learning any new weapon. You have to get the feel for it."
"How old were you, Lady, when you learned to do this?" Xarga asked with interest.
I looked at him, not sure what to say. But the truth is always the best way to go, especially with the Mandoa. "I honestly don't remember when I couldn't do it," I answered. "My father started teaching me fighting techniques before I was two. Not actual weapons combat until I was five, but things like this: hyper awareness, physical strength, flexibility, agility, and hand-to-eye coordination. You all know that fighting isn't just knowing how to use a weapon, pointing a blaster and taking down a target. Hand-to-hand combat is only as effective as the weapon – your body, your reasoning skills, and your instincts."
There was a loud murmur of agreement among everyone, with a shouted "You got that right, my Lady!" from Kelborn, followed by laughter. I grinned.
"All of you are in top shape, have already learned and work to maintain those skills," I said, and I saw everyone, even Mira, stand a little straighter with pride. Canderous sent me a lazy grin and casually leaned against a nearby tree. "You are all at a level of proficiency that needs no improvement to learn what I'm teaching here. You know I've felt Canderous' battle ecstasy, and he's explained that this is a state every Mandalorian experiences when fighting. This technique is very like that; when you master it I expect will heighten your battle ecstasy even more."
Jarxel stepped forward, a serious look on his weathered face.
"We've all experienced this awareness at some level today," he said in his deep growl of a voice. "Would you give us a demonstration of it? We saw you fight Cressa, but you said that during that, you didn't use this slow sight you're teaching much. It might help if we can see what it looks like when you're using it."
"Sure," I said. "Who wants to volunteer to spar with me?"
All the Mandalorians looked a Canderous, who shook his head. "No, men, I wouldn't be a good choice here," he rumbled. "It works different with Jennet and me; wouldn't be a real demonstration."
"I'd like to see you two face off," Kex called, a manic gleam in his eye, and the rest of the honor guard chuckled.
"Me too," Xarga put in, with Zuka nodding behind him.
"Everyone want to see that?" Canderous asked generally, and there was a roar of agreement. "All right, Wildcat, want to spar to shut these guys up?"
"Anytime," I said sweetly. "After I've given them the demo they asked for. So who's up for that?"
Jarxel stepped forward with a grin. "I'll take you on, Lady."
I nodded, grinning back. "Come on, then."
We squared off, circling each other carefully, much as I had done with Canderous in that first fight. He was slightly shorter than Canderous, but a bit broader, and by his movement seemed to be a more thoughtful fighter. He seemed to weigh his actions against probable outcome, and plan ahead more, like playing chess. This can be a huge advantage against a less experienced fighter; you can set them up into a position to take them down. I would love to see him in battle.
His first swing came very fast but my sight saw it long before it connected. I shifted my body sideways to avoid his fist and leaped back as his other one came in low, aimed at my gut. He followed with a spinning kick, which I dove over, tumbling in a somersault and jumping to my feet. I wasn't trying to hit back at all; the point of the demonstration was to show how I could avoid damage. He was on me faster than I had anticipated when I came back up, and I ducked to avoid a solid blow aimed at my head. We traded moves a few more times, and finally he threw up his hands with a grin and a whoop.
"You're fast, Lady," He said approvingly.
"So are you," I said.
"I'd love to face you in the battle ring some time," Jarxel said. "Win or lose, it would be a privilege."
"Thank you," I smiled. "Same here."
"Hate to break up the mutual admiration society," Canderous grumbled. "You ready to fight, Wildcat?"
"Absolutely," I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "Get ready to have your ass handed to you."
"I was thinking forfeits," he gave me his best evil smile.
"That always gets you in trouble," I said, shaking a finger in mock admonition. "Look what happened last time."
"True," he growled back. "I asked for a kiss, and got a Mate. No end of trouble there."
Our little group was watching with interest, Mira smirking with amusement. Canderous bent to look me in the eye.
"If I win," he said clearly, "You won't take the Ordo tattoo when we're wed."
There was a collective gasp from the Mandalorians. My eyes narrowed.
"That," I snapped, "Is not fair, and you know it."
"Maybe not. But it's my forfeit. What say you?"
"I say I'm going to kick your ass," I said through my teeth. My glare could have melted armor.
"Go ahead and try, Wildcat," Canderous said with a steely smile.
We agreed on fists and feet only, me throwing in that he couldn't use stim. He scowled.
"You should know I wouldn't endanger you like that," he said in a voice like a vibroblade.
"I apologize then," I snapped back. "But I didn't think you'd wager the tattoo either."
He was blocking me, so I couldn't get a direct answer why he was doing this. I'd be damned before I'd ask him in front of the others.
Jarxel officiated, and we began. I didn't make the mistake of assuming he'd go easy on me for any reason; it wasn't in his nature in the first place, and there was an undercurrent I didn't understand going on here. So I put it out of my mind who I was fighting, and kept my focus on winning. He can take any damage I give him, and he knew the reverse was true.
As before, I stood there, waiting for him to come to me. I emptied my mind of everything but the task in front of me: taking this opponent down. He came at me fast, intending to barrel me over and get immediate advantage of size and mass. As he charged, I jumped smoothly straight up and he passed a scant three centimeters under my feet. I twisted in midair and landed facing him as he whipped around, fist swinging. I dropped low to avoid the crushing blow that would have been against my temple, striking hard straight into his gut with both fists. I heard a whoosh as some of the air was forced out of his lungs, but he'd tensed his muscles, anticipating that move, so it didn't do nearly the damage it should have. I deliberately dropped to the ground, rolling not away, but into his ankles. He jumped over my body, and I forced myself into a walkover, springing up to regroup.
He was right in front of me, and it almost cost me the fight. His foot was coming at me unbelievably fast. I just barely managed to duck and didn't have enough time to counter before he whirled away. Two swift blows aimed at my head and stomach, followed by a kick meant to knock me off my feet. He hadn't landed anything yet, but I was on pure defensive and getting cranky about it. I stepped closer, avoiding his leg, and managed a solid blow just under the jaw. He grunted, but didn't go down. I slipped out as his arms tried to encircle me to hold me down, springing into a back flip. One foot caught a glancing blow to his face as I did. Feet under me, I whirled into a spinning back kick, and he caught me as my back was to him. I recalled our first fight, and grinned, changing the direction of my kick straight up to smash into his face.
But as fast as I was, he was faster, and caught my ankle in one big hand mere millimeters before my foot hit his face. I was now in an extremely awkward position; one leg practically over my shoulder, the other on the ground. Fortunately, Canderous only has two hands, meaning only one had a grip on my left arm; I used my right elbow to great advantage, slamming it as hard as I could into his rib. He didn't break his grip, but I heard him suck in his breath with a hiss of pain. Not having the slightest idea how to get out of this predicament, I did the only thing I could think of: I shoved against the ground with my untrapped leg and wrenched it up, forcing him to take all my weight. Not that for him, it was that much of a burden, but the suddenness of bearing me by one arm and ankle caused him to drop both.
I fell with a thud literally on my ass but didn't take time to care; as soon as I hit, I rolled back. His legs were about shoulder width apart, but Canderous has big shoulders. My feet landed right where it hurts men most, and I shoved hard as he involuntarily roared in pain, reaching down to try and snag me. But I had my hands firmly on the ground and between that and my feet I was able to spring away before he could catch me. I jumped up, whipping into another spinning kick, and caught him on the side of the head as he was still bent over. He went down, rolling to one side and jumping back up. To my astonishment, he was grinning, his blue eyes almost sparking at me. It was a ferocious grimace of a smile, and I found myself almost mesmerized as he charged so fast I almost didn't get out of the way. One arm caught me a glancing blow as he passed, and instead of whizzing right by me as I expected, he suddenly spun on one foot and kicked me hard. I felt a rib crack and fell.
This whole time, our sense of each other was gradually returning. He'd been blocking me to start with, and I had responded in kind. It made the fight both easier and harder. There was less distraction from each other's thoughts, but far less anticipation of moves. I still couldn't hear him, but I could feel him now, and knew he could feel me. Unlike when we're fighting together, our senses didn't merge, although I could feel his battle ecstasy like a dim hum in the background. He could feel my Force energy flowing as well, but had no access to it. I had no time to sort out these sensations, and was just incorporating them into the fight as best I could, or ignoring them if I couldn't. Dimly, I made a mental note to analyze this new development later.
I also had no time to heal my broken rib, so I blocked the pain and rolled out of the way of Canderous' flailing feet. He aimed another at me as I sprang up, and I stopped it cold by catching his foot in both hands. I yanked hard, dropped to one knee, and brought his leg hard across my other. Stupid move; he was too big for it to break on my smaller leg. I ended up hurting my own and barely bothering him. But he was down, and I gave the foot a twist as I dropped it. I heard bone crunch and knew I'd broken his ankle.
He didn't bellow, but he did, somehow, manage to get up. His mouth in a grim line of pain, he actually stood on both feet. Instead of calling the fight as I had expected, he suddenly sprang forward using his good leg, and shot out his bad leg. He probably wouldn't have managed to hit me if I hadn't been stupidly off guard, expecting him to cry uncle. I felt not just my own pain, but the agony of his as his broken ankle bones ground together while his boot connected with my own ankle. I felt the snap of bone and we both were down.
We lay on the grass a minute, breathing hard and counting bruises. He was just far enough away that I couldn't reach him with either fist or foot, and I didn't much want to anyway. He might have been able to hit me, but it looked like that blow to the nuts had caught up, and he wasn't in any real shape to do more damage.
"You give up, Wildcat?" he panted at me, barely containing his groan of pain.
"Hell no," I panted back.
"Good," he said. "Neither do I."
"Call it a draw?" we said together, and laughed. Carefully.
"Heal us, Wildcat," Canderous said. "This fucking hurts."