p class="p1"emspan class="s1"Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get up, I've had a busy couple of weeks. Please tell me what you think!/span/em/p
p class="p1"span class="s1".../span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I was always the first person to arrive on training days. I liked to make sure I was on time, and I wanted to make sure I got the tools that I needed for a successful workout. I typically used my own staff, but I often needed a practice dummy or a punching bag. Punching bags were usually the first items in the gym to go. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The first day of special training was no different. I stepped into the private rooms and found an instructor standing on the center mat, waiting patiently. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The training gym had a network of dojo rooms that scaled deep behind the walls of the main gym. My team was assigned to a collection of five rooms, all rooms connected via a lack of wall on one or more sides. The center room was the largest, with no walls and only rooms connected to it. One would enter through a secondary room. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I looked about the mat in search of a more ominous figure that was so promised to appear, but only the instructor filled my view. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Where is Master Ren?"/span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Master Ren is sorting out some business on Naboo and will be unable to train until he returns. I am here to make sure you all are in top physical condition upon his arrival. May I presume that you are Rey?" I nodded. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Excellent. Debriefing will commence as soon as the rest of your party arrives." /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The first few Knights entered the room as he spoke, and the rest dribbled in shortly after. I had hand selected each of these Knights and I had made sure that these were the fastest, strongest, and most coordinated of the specimen. As they filled into the room, they formed little groups of two or three and mumbled amongst themselves until the instructor cleared his throat. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"He explained that until Ren returned, we would undergo basic physical training. This was frustrating and seemed elementary, but I complied. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"We spent most of the day lifting weights and practicing our skills in the force, and after lunch we ran for awhile. This was how each day went, except for Fridays. On Fridays we were allowed to leave after lunch and do as we pleased, an earlier release than the 8 PM release we were allotted on most days. On these days I usually sought out extra training or found myself in my quarters drinking Corellian Rum and examining holovids of the clone wars./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"On the second Friday of dismal physical pursuits, I found myself still at the track despite the lack of companions. I planned for a shorter run, and as I started on the track, I felt a little tug at my skull. I glanced upward at the windows similar to those in the main gym and caught a glimpse of a dark silhouette./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"It appeared that Master Ren had returned. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"…./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Saturday morning I had expected to see Master Ren in place of the instructor, however the rumbling fueled by anticipation that churned about in my stomach was soon ceased. I didn't bother asking why he hadn't come to instruct us, they wouldn't tell me anyway. Ren had much more important things to do than teach the Knights what they should already know./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1".../span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I entered the dojos 5 minutes prior to 7AM, the same time as every other morning, but found the instructor with a look that was more serious than usual. I sensed his heart beating a hair faster than it had been the previous morning. A few other Knights entered moments later, and when they all had arrived, he addressed the group. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Good morning." He hadn't spoken to us in a couple of weeks, when we first started training. We did the same things every day, and telling us what to do would be redundant. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""We will be doing something new from now on. Once the last man has entered the room, you will spar with one another until given further instructions. You may begin." He announced./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I began sparring with Syan, and as I started to say something to him, I was cut off. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1" "gah!" I felt an immense pressure in my skull. I stumbled backwards slightly, dropping my staff and using all of my energy to push against the feeling that made my head want to cave in on itself. I yelped again and managed to contain it enough to catch my breath. I looked up at the other Knights and they all stared at me. A few had taken off their helmets in surprise. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I apologize, I-" The doors behind the Knights, the ones they had closed when the last man entered, swung open and Master Ren stalked through the doors. It was his signature, I realized, that had pounded so violently against my head. It increased as he got closer to me and I stumbled aside as he strode forward. He approached the instructor, who said something to him and then hurried out of the room. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Continue sparring. Force training will begin shortly." Ren barked, his voice deeper and more mechanic in comparison to most of the Knights' filters. Everyone continued again, but I didn't move. The pounding against my brain hadn't ceased, and it was becoming hard to keep myself on my feet. Ren turned in my direction and I felt the fires of his signature die slightly, as if he sensed my lack of oxygen. Did he pity me?/span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I slowly bent down and picked up my staff with the feeling that my head was about to go careening into floor. I rose up into a stance and motioned to Syan, but his body paused./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Should you fight, Rey?" He asked through masked lips./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yes, I'm fine. Approach me." I replied, and he took a step forward. As the light of Ren's signature dimmed a little more I was able to take a few shots on Syan. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"As I regained focus, I found myself more able to practice my shots. I was getting very into it until I felt a slight spark in my skull and I watched Syan freeze. Suddenly a black gloved hand appeared from behind me and grabbed the upper ridge of my staff. The hand thrusted it up, and I heard a click./span/p
p class="p2""Keep your chest protected." grumbled the owner of the hand that had suddenly disappeared. I looked up at Syan and felt more than saw the shock he was feeling. I gulped and hesitantly planted my feet. Syan took a shot when Master Ren's presence was no longer felt./p
p class="p1"span class="s1".../span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I was always the first person to arrive on training days. I liked to make sure I was on time, and I wanted to make sure I got the tools that I needed for a successful workout. I typically used my own staff, but I often needed a practice dummy or a punching bag. Punching bags were usually the first items in the gym to go. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The first day of special training was no different. I stepped into the private rooms and found an instructor standing on the center mat, waiting patiently. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The training gym had a network of dojo rooms that scaled deep behind the walls of the main gym. My team was assigned to a collection of five rooms, all rooms connected via a lack of wall on one or more sides. The center room was the largest, with no walls and only rooms connected to it. One would enter through a secondary room. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I looked about the mat in search of a more ominous figure that was so promised to appear, but only the instructor filled my view. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Where is Master Ren?"/span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Master Ren is sorting out some business on Naboo and will be unable to train until he returns. I am here to make sure you all are in top physical condition upon his arrival. May I presume that you are Rey?" I nodded. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Excellent. Debriefing will commence as soon as the rest of your party arrives." /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The first few Knights entered the room as he spoke, and the rest dribbled in shortly after. I had hand selected each of these Knights and I had made sure that these were the fastest, strongest, and most coordinated of the specimen. As they filled into the room, they formed little groups of two or three and mumbled amongst themselves until the instructor cleared his throat. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"He explained that until Ren returned, we would undergo basic physical training. This was frustrating and seemed elementary, but I complied. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"We spent most of the day lifting weights and practicing our skills in the force, and after lunch we ran for awhile. This was how each day went, except for Fridays. On Fridays we were allowed to leave after lunch and do as we pleased, an earlier release than the 8 PM release we were allotted on most days. On these days I usually sought out extra training or found myself in my quarters drinking Corellian Rum and examining holovids of the clone wars./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"On the second Friday of dismal physical pursuits, I found myself still at the track despite the lack of companions. I planned for a shorter run, and as I started on the track, I felt a little tug at my skull. I glanced upward at the windows similar to those in the main gym and caught a glimpse of a dark silhouette./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"It appeared that Master Ren had returned. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"…./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Saturday morning I had expected to see Master Ren in place of the instructor, however the rumbling fueled by anticipation that churned about in my stomach was soon ceased. I didn't bother asking why he hadn't come to instruct us, they wouldn't tell me anyway. Ren had much more important things to do than teach the Knights what they should already know./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1".../span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I entered the dojos 5 minutes prior to 7AM, the same time as every other morning, but found the instructor with a look that was more serious than usual. I sensed his heart beating a hair faster than it had been the previous morning. A few other Knights entered moments later, and when they all had arrived, he addressed the group. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Good morning." He hadn't spoken to us in a couple of weeks, when we first started training. We did the same things every day, and telling us what to do would be redundant. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""We will be doing something new from now on. Once the last man has entered the room, you will spar with one another until given further instructions. You may begin." He announced./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I began sparring with Syan, and as I started to say something to him, I was cut off. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1" "gah!" I felt an immense pressure in my skull. I stumbled backwards slightly, dropping my staff and using all of my energy to push against the feeling that made my head want to cave in on itself. I yelped again and managed to contain it enough to catch my breath. I looked up at the other Knights and they all stared at me. A few had taken off their helmets in surprise. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I apologize, I-" The doors behind the Knights, the ones they had closed when the last man entered, swung open and Master Ren stalked through the doors. It was his signature, I realized, that had pounded so violently against my head. It increased as he got closer to me and I stumbled aside as he strode forward. He approached the instructor, who said something to him and then hurried out of the room. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Continue sparring. Force training will begin shortly." Ren barked, his voice deeper and more mechanic in comparison to most of the Knights' filters. Everyone continued again, but I didn't move. The pounding against my brain hadn't ceased, and it was becoming hard to keep myself on my feet. Ren turned in my direction and I felt the fires of his signature die slightly, as if he sensed my lack of oxygen. Did he pity me?/span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"I slowly bent down and picked up my staff with the feeling that my head was about to go careening into floor. I rose up into a stance and motioned to Syan, but his body paused./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Should you fight, Rey?" He asked through masked lips./span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yes, I'm fine. Approach me." I replied, and he took a step forward. As the light of Ren's signature dimmed a little more I was able to take a few shots on Syan. /span/p
p class="p1"span class="s1"As I regained focus, I found myself more able to practice my shots. I was getting very into it until I felt a slight spark in my skull and I watched Syan freeze. Suddenly a black gloved hand appeared from behind me and grabbed the upper ridge of my staff. The hand thrusted it up, and I heard a click./span/p
p class="p2""Keep your chest protected." grumbled the owner of the hand that had suddenly disappeared. I looked up at Syan and felt more than saw the shock he was feeling. I gulped and hesitantly planted my feet. Syan took a shot when Master Ren's presence was no longer felt./p