Chapter 17: Jedi Training
Okay, another round of long notes I prepared beforehand regarding the lightsaber form of a character in this case it would be Calak (or You-Know-Who if you've played the game). I'm going by what Wookiepedia says to a great extent here. I believe the words are "Though he was skilled in all of them he was more a generalist then a specialist). Though I think he was more than a generalist. He was a very good lightsaber duelist I believe. Probably a master of the blade. He was described as being acrobatic, and very skilled in blaster deflection. So Ataru and Soresu are safe bets for sure with that description. I would also put in Shien or Djem-So as the canon… version is a SOLDIER under Bastila's command and is described as a warrior among Jedi and therefore is a Guardian. The soldier class is always given a good level of strength and starts out with the power attack automatically. So, he is pretty much able to do every style in the game. A True Jack of All Trades. Maybe not a master of all of them, but pretty damn close, I'd say. Above generalist probably. So, he'd use a very advanced version of Niman which incorporated traits of all forms and a skilled user could adapt the style to match the situation at hand. So, he'll have training in all the lightsaber forms (though I might exclude at least Makashi as in the game the only move I see that comes close to that is a simple stab move). I know in the sequel game you are able to pick different forms but it only affects how much defense or damage you can block or inflict and not the moves and there is no visible change in the fighting style. It would be cool if when you did Makashi you did a one-handed style like Malak (he definitely uses Makashi in his style, no doubt of that. Ah well. Maybe I'll just have Calak learn some of everything. He'll have his companions help as well to perfect his skills on the way.
The Ebon Hawk came in for a landing, it docked in the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. Calak and the others headed outside. Bastila went to report to the council while Calak and the rest of the crew took a look around the immediate area. They'd landed in an open landing pad on the south side of the enclave. There was an aratech mercantile nearby as well as a dining area. They headed there to sate their appetites and pass the time.
Finally, Bastila arrived back at the ship as Calak and Carth waited for her. The others had gone back on board now. She approached them, looking at Calak.
"I've spoken briefly with the Jedi Council," she said. "They request an audience with you."
Calak's eyes widened. The Jedi Council wanted to speak to him?
"An audience with the Jedi Council?" Carth asked. "That's pretty unusual for someone that isn't even a Jedi isn't it?"
"I must ask you to trust me, Carth," Bastila said. "This maybe our only chance."
Calak didn't know he could make such a difference. He was just a simple soldier… with force sensitivity. But could he really make that much of a difference?
"Alright, lead on," he said.
Bastila led them out of the landing pad into a hallway going north through the enclave. It opened into a courtyard with a large tree in the center. They saw several Jedi as they walked, all of whom wore robes of brown, blue, or even red shades.
As they walked, a nearby young female Jedi with pulled back brown hair looked at them, or rather at Calak. She frowned.
"You there, Padawan!" she said in a scolding manner. "Why are you not wearing the customary robes of the Jedi? Do you mock the honored traditions of our order?"
Calak frowned at the uncalled-for reprimanding. "Hey back off, I'm not a Jedi!"
"And its not entirely required for us to wear the robes," Bastila said.
The other Jedi frowned at her. "Your attire is not very traditional itself."
"How dare you!" Bastila said. "Do you know who I am?"
"A padawan who does not value tradition," the Jedi said.
"I am Bastila Shan!" Bastila said.
The other Jedi's eyes widened. "Oh, my apologies Bastila. Of course, you would likely want to have clothes that would not label you as an obvious Jedi since Darth Malak has been hunting you."
She then turned to Calak. "But as for you, you claim you are not a padawan? I find this hard to believe, the force is exceptionally strong with you. Perhaps the strongest I've ever felt."
"I'm telling you the truth," Calak said in an agitated voice.
"Please forgive me for my abruptness," the Jedi said. "I'm Belaya, my master often warns me that I don't have enough self-control. Carry on."
They did so, Bastila led Calak and Carth along the path and to a door nearby. She then looked at Carth.
"This is for Calak only," Bastila said. "Perhaps you can meet the council another time, Carth."
The veteran frowned. "Fine."
Bastila opened the door and she and Calak walked in. The council in charge of Dantooine was composed of four members. Two old humans, one dark skinned the other light, a purple Twilek in a blue robe, and a small green skinned alien with long goblin like ears.
"Ah, so you are the one that rescued Bastila," the Twi'lek said as they entered. "It is appropriate you are here."
That seemed strange, but then the Jedi were viewed as strange by most of the galaxy.
"We have been discussing your rather… special case," the Twi'lek continued before introducing himself. "I am Zhar, a member of the Jedi Council."
Zhar then gestured to the others. "With me are Master Vrook, Master Vandar, and of course the Chronicler of our academy, Master Dorak."
He gestured to the old light skinned man first. Vrook had a harsh look about him and gazed at Calak with uncertain… even distrustful eyes. Master Vandar was the small green alien, and Dorak was the dark-skinned human.
Calak looked at them. "So, you wanted to see me?"
Zhar nodded. "Bastila tells us you are strong in the force. We are considering you for Jedi Training."
This was the biggest surprise Calak could remember, at least a good surprise. The Sith bombing all of Taris had been the worst surprise he could remember, and both had occurred on the same day.
"I'm… honored," he said. "But don't you not take adults for training?"
"Normally no, but we believe we can make an exception this once," Zhar said.
Vrook chose that moment to speak, and it was not one in agreement. "Master Zhar speaks out of turn, perhaps. We need indisputable proof of your strong connection to the force."
"Proof?" Bastila repeated in annoyance. "Surely the entire council can feel the strength of the force within this man? And I've already relayed to you the events on Taris."
"Perhaps it was simple luck," Vrook suggested.
Zhar looked at him with a frown but spoke calmly. "We both know there is no luck. There is only the force."
Calak had a feeling there was something more than appeared to the eye.
"Why exactly are you offering to train me of all people? How can I make a difference?"
"You have an exceptionally strong connection to the force," Vandar said. "You are perhaps just as strong as Revan was in the force. With such potential, it might be our only chance to defeat Malak."
So that was it, Calak just had the raw power that was equal to the former Dark Lord.
"But didn't Bastila kill Darth Revan?" Calak asked. "Shouldn't she be able to defeat Malak?"
"Not quite," Bastila said. "And I wasn't alone when I faced Revan."
Right, she'd had at least three other Jedi with her if Calak's vision was to be believed.
"You maybe the only person who has a level equal to Revan in the force," Zhar said. "The Sith threat is different under Malak, more brutal with Revan dead-"
"Are you certain Revan is truly dead?" Vrook asked. "What if we were to train this one and the Dark Lord should return?"
"What?" Calak exclaimed.
"It would be best if we discuss this matter in private," Vandar said. "Bastila take your friend and leave us. We will summon you when we make our decision."
"As you wish Master Vandar," Bastila said with a bow.
She led Calak back outside. As she did so the soldier took the opportunity to ask.
"What did he mean by if they trained me the Dark Lord could return?"
"Oh, Master Vrook is just worried you might turn to the dark side and become the next Dark Lord," Bastila said. "One equal in power to Revan."
That made sense, Calak supposed. He and Bastila returned the ship with Carth. The sun was going down here on Dantooine. They'd gone through so much in just a few hours. Mission was probably taking the loss of her home planet pretty hard. Calak would have to talk to her when he got the chance, in a while. She probably needed some time first.
Feeling exhausted from the day's events, Calak headed into the ship and into one of the rooms on either side of the ships that had three beds. He, Carth, and Canderous all took the left side, while Bastila and Mission took the right. Zalbaar stuck in the main hold and simply lay on one of the long rows of seats as a makeshift bed. T3 merely shut himself down to recharge.
Despite being so tired, Calak didn't sleep soundly that night, not altogether at least. He tossed and turned in bed after a few hours.
He saw something, a clear image. Another vision.
Calak saw a man in a dark concealing robe and a mask paced around an ancient structure of some sort. With him was another man, taller and bald, with tattoos on his head. Calak had seen images of Darth Malak, though nowadays the Dark Lord wore a piece of armor over his lower jaw. Rumors had spread that he had actually lost part of his body in a duel against his former master Darth Revan, and that was why he wore the piece to cover it. He'd had to install a vocabulator to able to speak and needed a feeding tube to eat. But now he looked like an ordinary human.
"The dark side is strong in this place, I can feel its power!" Malak said.
Revan didn't reply, merely inspecting the wall and finding a hidden switch it seemed. A nearby door opened and they stepped in slowly.
"The order will surely banish us," Malak said.
Again, Revan didn't reply and walked further into the chamber toward something.
"Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable?" Malak asked. "Can its power truly be worth the risk?"
Something on the floor glowed and Calak awoke. He let out a few deep breaths and was unable to go back to sleep. Another vision, he didn't know the location, but he knew the two Jedi turned Sith Lords. He lay down for only a few minutes and then got up and dressed into his armor. Even though his ordinary clothes were a bit less cumbersome he'd not cared much for them as even they were meant for function.
He made his way out of the ship, questions running through his mind. Why was he having these visions now of all times? He'd have to ask the Jedi Council, they'd know about what was going on with him. As he walked down the ramp which was already open, he found Carth at the bottom. Apparently he wasn't the first one up. Carth looked at Calak and saw his look of confusion, his eyes widened.
"This morning getting stranger by the minute!" Carth said. "First Bastila comes out looking like she's seen a ghost and now you!"
"Bastila left already?" Calak asked.
"Yeah, she said you should meet her in the council chamber," Carth said.
"Guess I better go then," Calak said.
He made his way to the council chambers through the same pathway Bastila had led him on yesterday. Good thing it wasn't far from the landing pad.
As he entered, the masters looked at him. Bastila was there with them.
"Bastila has told us of a most unusual development," Vandar said. "She claims you and she have shared a dream. A dream about Revan and Malak here in the ancient ruins of Dantooine."
"These ruins have long been known to us," Dorak said. "But we believed them to be merely burial mounds from ancient times. We were obviously mistaken if Revan and Malak were interested in them."
Calak gaped. "How did Bastila know?"
"Bastila and many other Jedi have seen at least parts of the ruins, we take them there to let them feel the dark side of the force so they may know other place. And Bastila felt your presence in her dream as well. The two of you are connected," Vandar explained.
"But how?" Calak asked.
"The force works in mysterious ways," Zhar said. "Somehow it has formed a bond between you two. This will make you stronger together. If the force is with us, your raw potential, Bastila's abilities, the bond between you, and the visions… we may have what we need to combat the Sith."
"Yes, victory will not come through martial might," Vandar said. "Only patience and training will be enough… at least until we come up with a plan. We will train you and once you have completed it we will send you to the ruins to investigate."
Calak sighed uneasily. It wasn't that he didn't want to be a Jedi, but he felt an incredible burden was being put on his shoulders. They were now telling him that he was perhaps the biggest hope they had to defeat Malak. He'd always wanted to be soldier that could defend his people and provide them with hope. Then he'd expanded that goal to the rest of the galaxy when he left Deralia to join the Republic Army. He'd never imagined he'd be carrying the hope of the entire galaxy himself. Well not by himself.
But he had to do this. If he really was strong enough to be an equal to Revan, even though that Dark Lord had been usurped by Malak, then he needed to try.
"I'll do it," he said.
"Good," Zhar said. "The council would not normally accept an adult for training, but this is a special case."
"I can hope you will prove up to the task," Vrook said.
"But who will be his master?" Bastila asked speaking for the first time this morning.
"I will," Zhar said. "He reminds me a great deal of Revan when he was young. I trained him, I hope I can do better with this one."
The Twilek stepped forward, as did Bastila.
"I'll help as well," the young Padawan said.
"Very well, you two have a strong bond. It may benefit us," Zhar said.
He led them to a training room in the temple where he gave them a pair of unsharpened swords.
"We use these for basic training," Zhar said. "First part of training is… well, learning the first lightsaber form."
"Lightsaber form?" Calak asked.
"Every Jedi has a fighting style," Zhar explained. "We practice many, though some suit a Jedi more then others. We have seven altogether. The first form, known as Shii-Cho, was the first ever invented when the lightsaber first emerged in our order. It deals with the foundations of lightsaber combat and was the root of all other forms that preceded."
He reached for his lightsaber at his belt. The blue blade sprang to life from the hilt.
"The lightsaber is a lighter weapon then a sword, but the first form follows that transition," Zhar said. "Now Bastila, if you would help me demonstrate."
Bastila nodded and stepped forward, holding her blade casually at her side. Zhar raised his lightsaber in a stance, holding it out in front of him with it pointed at her face.
"The first lesson of Shii-Cho is to memorize the target areas. There are six altogether," Zhar said. "Head."
He swung vertically at Bastila's head, stopping just above it.
"Right arm," Zhar continued moving his blade to Bastila's right arm.
"Left arm." He did the same on the other side.
"Torso or Back." He made a thrusting movement, stopping just short of Bastila's stomach once again.
"Right Leg, and Left Leg," Zhar finished.
Well, this wasn't too difficult to memorize. It was just a little different from the sequence Calak had been taught to swordfight on Deralia. Calak stepped forward, it was time to try for himself. He held his training sword out in the same stance as Zhar had, which was pretty easy since it was also a stance taught in the sword portion of the Deralia soldier training.
Calak struck thin air in front of himself as he followed the pattern of the targets. Head, arms, torso, legs.
"That's easy," Calak said with a grin.
Zhar smiled. "Your time as a soldier serves you well my young pupil. But don't think it will be easy. Overconfidence can be your undoing. Care to your abilities against Bastila?"
Calak looked at her. She nodded with a smirk.
"Alright," Calak said. "How hard could it be?"
He and Bastila faced each other, assuming the ready positions with the blades held out in front of them.
"Begin," Zhar said.
Both Jedi in training stepped forward, circling each other slowly. Then Calak went in, putting all his strength and speed behind the blow. But Bastila redirected it with only slight difficulty then before Calak could react landed a set of blocks on him, one to his head with her pommel… ow, that hurt… then touched his chest with her unsharpened blade.
She smiled. "Force sensitivity gives you an edge over the average person. But without training you can only come so far."
Zhar nodded. "The path you have chosen to talk is difficult. Intensive training will prepare you physically for the demands of the order."
"Seems I have much to learn," Calak said.
"And we have no time to lose," Zhar said.
…
For the next few weeks, Calak was drilled all day. His time was spent sparring with Bastila and Master Zhar, reading in the enclave archives to exercise his mind when his body was close to its limit, and meditating.
"Meditation will teach you to channel the power of the force," Zhar had told him.
He'd sat cross legged on his first day after the initial lightsaber lesson, trying to use the force to lift the datapad set before him.
"Reach out with your mind," Zhar had told him. "Feel the force flow. Through me, through you, through every living thing."
And Calak felt it. He felt the many lifeforms here in the enclave, and beyond. He could see the plains of Dantooine, teeming with life. Kath hounds, iriaz, and other fauna local to the planet. He felt the energy flowing through him, and called up on it before reaching out with his mind at the datapad.
Finally, after an hour of trying and only managing to lift the tool off the floor a couple inches, he raised it up all the way to head level. He moved it around for a while and soon Master Zhar returned from the latest meeting of the council.
"Ah, I see you've done it. Good," Zhar said. "Many apprentices take months or even years to learn that."
Calak smiled. He was making good progress it seemed. He then learned to apply the telekinesis to attack, knocking an opponent back with a Force Push. The data went flying toward the wall, where it broke on impact.
"Oops," Calak said. "Sorry master."
Zhar chuckled. "We have plenty of datapads and all our data is stored within the archives. It's no problem. Put please don't destroy too many."
He continued the telekinetic training by having Calak use the ability on him. Zhar was knocked off his feet several times but not always sent flying back.
"You're going to need to put more power behind if it is an actual foe," his master told him.
"But you are not my foe, master," Calak reminded him.
"No, but I want you to do your best, Calak," Zhar said. "If you would prefer I make things more difficult."
He stood there, nothing appearing to have changed to the naked eye. Calak did however, sense something change in his masters mind. Focus sharpened. Calak tried another weak force push, but it didn't even cause his master to step back.
"Force shield, a basic but most necessary ability when facing an enemy Jedi," Zhar elaborated.
"Cool," Calak said.
"Be warned though, powerful force wielders can break through a weaker ones shield. Some techniques can even crumble the defenses."
And so Calak was forced to use more power to bypass his masters defenses. It wasn't easy, but eventually he did mange to cause Zhar to fall on his back and nearly hit the wall.
"Good," the Twilek said as he got up. "Now, to truly understand the way of the Jedi, you must open your mind to knowledge. Studying is just as important as physical training, a Jedi must be intelligent as well as strong. Seek wisdom in the teachings of the wise masters of our order."
Calak was given a new datapad to study from in the archives. He worked to memorize the Jedi Code and philosophies. The Jedi believed that emotion was a lure to the dark side, anger, hatred, fear aggression, even love.
Fear is a path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. A Jedi must have a clear mind, not tainted by hate. Attachment leads to jealousy, which is the shadow of greed.
Calak looked at the teachings, finding some he agreed with, but others he didn't. Love couldn't really be bad, could it? Maybe if one were willing to do anything for love, like slaughter innocents if a loved one like a wicked monarch wished something. That had happened on Deralia, a ruling governor had stripped a village of a precious metal they needed to trade for his wife. Perhaps even good emotions, or intentions could have bad consequences. But if one learned to recognize the potential consequences, that could prevented. Outright eliminating emotion, that felt wrong, and unrealistic. What was a person without emotion? A stone, an empty shell?
Calak studied the code though, and memorized it. He learned to channel the power of the force in several ways, making his body stronger. He was even allowed to test his abilities on hapless… or happy settlers that came to the enclave at the councils request or if they needed help.
"You wish to donate to the Jedi," Calak said to a farmer raising his hand and reaching out with the force to touch the farmer's mind.
"I wish to donate to the Jedi," the farmer said, succumbing to the Jedi Mind Trick.
"That's okay, thank you for your time, its all I need," Calak said.
"It is all you need," the farmer said.
"You will have a good day."
"I will have a good day."
Zhar smiled at him, though he noticed Calak's emotion as he focused on him in their training one day.
"You are troubled, I can sense it," Zhar said.
Calak nodded. "I just feel a little overwhelmed and out of place. All the others have been trained since they were practically infants. I feel a bit alone."
"A Jedi is never alone," Zhar said. "You may be different, but are still one of us."
Then Calak went into the enclave infirmary where some wounded settlers had been brought in after a Kath Hound attack. Rumor had it they were getting more aggressive lately. Calak put his hand over the bite wound that had been bandaged as Bastila watched and offered guidance.
"You and Bastila share a special bond, do not be afraid to turn to her when you need help in your training."
She'd decided to help him learn a new skill in the form of Force Heal. It took some time, and not all of them were healed by Calak. He had to watch Bastila do it a few times to get the hang of it. But by the end of the healing training that day he'd managed to treat half of the settlers while Bastila tended to the other half.
And his saber training came a long way as well, once he got the hang of using the force to increase his speed. He was able to hold his own against Bastila evenly. Their training swords clashed with Bastila on the offensive toward the end, seemingly sure she could still win. But Calak spun his blade and struck her on the hand. That would have cut it clean off and disarmed her if it had been an actual lightsaber
"Finally," he said with a bit of a taunting grin.
She sighed in defeat. "You beat me."
"Took me long enough, we've been at this over two weeks," Calak said.
"The way of the Jedi is difficult," Zhar reminded him as he oversaw their training. "It requires great discipline. Yet even though you are a mere apprentice, your potential is unlimited, and your progress amazing."
Once he mastered Shii-Cho, Zhar began instructing him the ways of the other forms. He trained Calak in the use of Soresu, Ataru, and Djem So; the third, fourth, and fifth lightsaber form respectively. Soresu was a defensive form that was excellent against single or multiple opponents and defending against blasters, which were common among the galaxy. Ataru allowed for quick and acrobatic attacks, and Djem So employed the used of tremendous strength. Once he got a basic grasp of each, Zhar had him combine them into one, which the principle of Form VI, Niman. A hybrid form that incorporated aspects of nearly every form. Though by itself Niman didn't have the full potential of the preceding forms, however, take of the true strengths of the forms and incorporate them into Niman, one could become the ultimate Jedi.
It took some time, and a lot of practice, but Calak was to memorize a good deal. He'd also come a long way in telekinesis, when he meditated now he could levitate not just a datapad but also himself above the floor, as well as a pair of chairs. Another two weeks passed by as he furthered his abilities and got the hang of every aspect of the basic training.
Finally, he stood before the great tree in the courtyard with Zhar and Bastila.
"In all my years, I've never seen one who has mastered the initial training so quickly," the master praised. "You have done in weeks, what many cannot do in years."
He then shook Calak's hand. "I'm honored to welcome you fully into the Jedi Order."
He was almost a Jedi, at least a Jedi Padawan.