I walked over to where Delia's parents were watching their daughter run laps with sad smiles on their faces. Her father had not in fact been thrilled, but between his wife and daughter the man had eventually folded like cardboard.
So far, I was impressed. Her Matukai forms were alright, though there had been a number of small flaws I needed to correct. It was good to know what from my lessons needed clarification. I'd probably enlist her help to make a video about those details later. For now, just getting a skill and physical baseline was a good start.
"She's put in a lot of work, hasn't she?"
"She always does, but only if it's something she really wants." Her father, Grigor, answered fondly. "Most of her school grades are good, but she only excels if it's something she finds interesting."
"But when it is something she wants," her mother, Anwen, chimed in, "nothing stops her. She's like a sponge, soaking up whatever information she can and applying it." I nodded absently.
"Hey kid, that's enough for now!" Delia slowed to a walk and ambled over breathing heavily.
"How'd I do, teach?" She asked with her usual cheek, in spite of her shortness of breath.
"Not bad." I shrugged, "Got a long way to go yet, but that'll come with time. For a month's practice you're pretty good." I glanced over at her family, "You and your family are welcome to hang around or swing by whenever. But you've got what you're bringing moved onto the ship, and I've seen where you're at… I'd say you should get out of here and spend time with your family. If they're leaving in five days you should make the most of it. I know I promised we would head their way for your computer, or that I'll let you off if you come to your senses…" She rolled her eyes, and her parents shared fondly exasperated grins, "but that could be a couple months. You should make the most of this."
The girl just gave me one of those beaming smiles I was coming to recognize as her trademark before dropping down next to her mother. Which was about when I noticed Obi-Wan heading my way with that grin that promised burn marks from training sabers, and the venting of his annoyance. That was fine though. Even if the Jedi weren't hunting me down just yet the option was still very much a future possibility. This was my first chance to get some practice against another person wielding a lightsaber since I left the temple. If worst came to worst the practice could be priceless.
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Obi-Wan raised a curious eyebrow as I settled into a Makashi stance. Form two was pretty uncommon among the jedi given that it's only real use was in fighting opponents with lightsabers. I'd only gotten instruction in some of the bare basics of the style before leaving. Most practice sessions had focused heavily on Shii-Cho and Soresu. But I'd had the basics, and I'd picked up some more advanced tricks from a sport that developed out of old sword duels.
The sport was based around with what might as well have been a long, thin, pointy piece of metal, held one handed. The whole idea was to keep opponents at a distance and score small wounds. If you wanted to actually kill someone it took a certain degree of precision. Then again even small or shallow wounds from a lightsaber could be debilitating. Better, for someone in my unique position of having no one to train against, and limited space to practice in, the linear in and out style was easier to practice in the confines of my ship. Tweaking it to include small slashes which took full advantage of the blade's ability to cut regardless of direction was just gravy. It fit well with what little I knew of Makashi before leaving the temple and I'd practiced it on and off over the years in case the Jedi ever decided to send someone after me.
Until I'd started making my videos it had been an irrational fear. But as the idea had come together and I'd grown more committed to it, I had practiced more and more often. My bastardized hybrid style was theoretically sound, but untested in combat. I'd had marginally more luck adapting Soresu to be used with one hand. Not as controlled, as the original, and it made bouncing back blaster fire a lot harder. But so long as the attacks only came from the front? Well, turning my body reduced the target area they could shoot for anyway, so it worked, more or less. A free hand could go to my lightsaber or to something else as needed that way, and I liked having options.
"Your lightsaber and your stance are… unusual." Obi-wan commented neutrally. I glanced down and ran a thumb fondly over the activation switch.
The handle was curved, which made it easier to control for a one handed style like mine. I'd wrapped it in black nerf leather for a better grip. Wrapping handles in leather was a custom lost to history for most cultures, but it still saw some use in traditionalist groups, and with primitive species that hadn't yet developed to the point where melee weapons became obsolete. It was probably my favorite addition from when I decided to make myself a new blade.
"Bounce around the galaxy long enough and you'll come across all kinds of different ideas." I answered while dodging the unasked question, "Learning new things is half the reason I left the order after all."
Thumbing the activation switch the white blade snapped into existence with a familiar hiss. I settled deeper into my stance and let the Force flow through me, enhancing my abilities. Clearing my mind and focusing on my opponent I let the Force whisper in the back of my mind, not enough to control my actions like I might if I wanted to try deflecting blasters bolts, but enough to let it nudge my aim, and hopefully sense feints coming before they happened.
Obi-Wan raised a curious eyebrow at the color of my blade before activating his own blue blade and settling into a Soresu stance. A stable stance with his blade in front of his body ready to be swept from side to side in short sharp movements meant for deflecting blaster fire. I internally growled at his choice. The defensive style was one of the better choices for defending against my bastardized version of Makashi. Well, unless he practiced Makashi, or Ataru. A more experienced practitioner could likely pick me apart. And I had no idea how to deal with someone bouncing around attacking me from every angle like some demented hawk bat. That was the kind of insanity that was only possible thanks to the Force. Much as I normally appreciated things that were only possible through the Force, I didn't want to face most of those things in a fight.
Firming up my resolve I lunged forward, blade stabbing out ahead of me. As expected, Obi-Wan deflected it to the side. Not giving him time to counter attack, I pulled back and lunged again before he could make a swipe of his own. Obi-Wan's face scrunched up as he deflected thrust after thrust.
Twenty seconds of that and Obi-Wan managed to swat the tip of my blade well out to the side and stepped in to make a counter strike. I gave ground, immediately backing away even as I brought my blade to bear again forcing him to halt his advance so as not to simply walk into it.
"For someone self taught you are better than expected, Captain." He said as he wearily eyed the tip of my blade.
"Can't really take credit for it, I'm afraid. I got most of it from a sport that's popular on Lantillies. I just mixed it with what little of knew about Makashi."
Shifting my wrist, I brought the tip of the blade up slightly and lunged in again with a small slash aimed for Obi-Wan's shoulder. When he deflected it, I used the gained momentum to swing the blade up and around in a tight arc as I stepped in for a strike at his neck. Wide eyed he blocked that as well and quickly fell into a retreating defense as I pushed my attack with more small swipes and lunges. First blood, metaphorically, went to me as I abruptly changed targets and tagged his left hand. The training mode we had our sabers set to ensured that it would only sting for a bit. I pulled back and gave him a chance to shake it off.
"An interesting adaptation." Obi-Wan settled into a different, more aggressive, stance. "Let's see how it performs against someone on the offensive, shall we?" His new stance had his blade held high over his head ready to bring it down in a powerful slash. I thought it might be Djem-So. It had been a long time since I last saw some of the classic styles in action though.
Rather than letting him set the pace I lunged in again with a stab for his face. He countered by bringing his blade down in a slash. Twitching my blade about six inches to the left I kept the blades from colliding. I sidestepped his slash before lunging in again. With his blade out of position Obi-Wan couldn't block it. He was however in an excellent position to reverse the arc of his blade and smack me in the side at about the same time I nicked his collarbone. I stepped back and gingerly rubbed my side. I'd forgotten how much that stung.
"Think I'll give you that one. Double hit or not, I'd have come off worse from that one."
"Not by much." Obi-Wan admitted rubbing the spot I'd struck, "That was far too close to my neck for comfort.
A minute later we reset our stances and got back to perfecting the ancient art of killing another person without dying in the attempt.
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"Captain, I must admit, your style isn't half bad for all that it is self taught." The compliment rang a bit hollow considering how quickly he had adapted. I'd given him a few stings to think about, but after a bit of time to adjust he'd more than payed me back. Worse still towards the end he'd started experimenting with bits of my style himself. Well I'd gotten him back as his endurance started to run out. I wasn't a Matukai master, but my endurance had certainly benefited from practicing their style.
"It works." I agreed as I gingerly stretched my singed arm, "It would work a lot better if I practiced more regularly. And would you just call me John already. Formality is overrated."
That earned a chuckle from my sparring partner.
"Would you be interested in a trade? More sparing matches and some pointers in exchange for Matukai lessons? I'll admit I was skeptical about your claims that they could fight for hours on end before this, but your endurance is giving me second thoughts."
I mulled the offer over before nodding. Considering he could just watch my videos to get those lessons regardless getting more sparring practice in exchange for some hands on lessons was a good deal.
Before we could discuss things in greater detail, we were set upon by a pair of overly excited… no, that's not right. Anakin might be a Padawan, but I didn't have a title for Delia. Not that there really needed to be one of course, but it would feel weird if I didn't give her some designation. Then again, student, is a generic and non offensive title. That it also lacked the dramatic flair of padawan or apprentice made it all the more appealing.
"That was so cool!" Delia cheered, "When can I make a lightsaber, what colors can it be? Do I have to learn to fight with your style? Can I learn other styles? Oh, oh, can I invent my own style?!"
"You are not getting a lightsaber anytime soon. And if I do show you how to make one you had better believe that it won't be until you've shown a good deal of skill with the Force, and responsibility. We'll get you a blaster pistol once we're off of this overly peaceful tourist trap though." I hesitated, then shrugged. "Probably some vibro knives too. Those can come in handy."
She blinked, tilted her head, then grinned wide and pulled out her datapad from her satchel. A moment later she was lost to the outside world as she started looking up blaster models.
"That was pretty cool." Anakin chipped in, "Form two is pretty rare, and that wasn't quite the same."
"Like I told Obi-Wan, it's blended with something I picked up from a fighting sport. I've been working on it on and off for a few years now. I haven't had anyone to practice against though, so I've just been working off of a few books and vids. I'll show you the files later if you want to look them over." I directed the offer at Obi-Wan as much as Anakin.
"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, stroking his beard. "I'm rather curious about it. You clearly need practice, but you gave a much better showing than I had expected." Which I guessed was as close as I'd ever get to him admitting he had been looking forward to a chance to smack me around a bit.
I nodded absently before returning my attention to my student.
"Didn't I tell you to get out of here and spend time with your family?" I asked Delia. She waved the questions off.
"Yeah, but then you broke out lightsabers, and we all wanted to stay and watch." She answered without so much as looking up from a list of technical details for some chromed blaster pistol. A little curious in spite of myself I looked over the things listed stats and shook my head.
"You're probably going to want something a bit more rugged." She glanced up curiously, "It's not always true, but some companies that make their guns look sleek and shiny are more concerned with appearance than reliability." I shrugged, "Of course, more rugged looking blasters are sometimes made to scam desperate lower income individuals. Pay attention to the reviews, and check beyond what the company advertises."
She hummed a vague acknowledgment.
"Captain," Grigor said as he and his wife walked over, "Would you like to join our family for some lunch?" I grinned at the suggestion of food before catching a whiff of myself.
"Ah, well I'd love to, but I think Obi-Wan and I both need to visit a fresher before we inflict ourselves on anyone." I offered with a grin. "If you'd like to meet up somewhere in a bit?"
Plans were quickly made and we were off.
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"I was hoping to ask you about your lightsaber." Obi-Wan said leadingly as I bit into my food. I took time chewing on both my answer, and my food. That the rest of the table was paying attention now was… slightly annoying, but whatever. I was proud of my blade.
"What about it? I doubt you want me to bore the Dharam's with every detail?"
"The color of your blade mostly. I've never seen a white lightsaber before."
"Well, when I decided to make a new blade, oh, three years back? I wanted to start entirely fresh. I've still got my old blade tucked away, but I wanted a new blade for a new start. Problem is unless you're a Jedi it can be a real pain to get a crystal from the usual caves. And I didn't want to spend years searching caves all over the galaxy hoping to get lucky… So, I paid someone to synth one up."
Obi-Wan and Anakin gaped at me.
"There isn't a lot of need for kyber crystals, but they do get used for a few things. I didn't really want a red blade though, that's just asking for trouble, and it turned out the cheapest color not affiliated with the Jedi or the Sith was white."
I grinned around my food as Obi-Wan tried to wrap his head around me admitting to taking the quick and easy path while Delia looked to once again be contemplating lightsaber colors.
"So, what are your plans for the rest of your vacation?" I asked the Dharam's, "Assuming you can get your daughter to stop wandering off after me." I gave Delia a pointed look which she missed as she listened to Anakin's explanation about why my synthesizing a crystal was considered taboo.
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Delia had settled into the ship after her parents left in a constant buzz of curiosity. She asked a seemingly endless stream of questions, as if trying to learn everything she possibly could as fast as she could. If nothing else I'd admit that she was a hell of an actor. If I couldn't sense the melancholy nipping at her heels, I'd have believed she was just that interested in learning. And to an extent she was. But more than that she was trying very hard to distract herself from the fact she was already missing her family.
"Come on, Delia." I called dragging her away from whatever system she was trying to memorize. "Time to introduce you to the fans." Sure, it was just another distraction, but hopefully it would be more enjoyable than the minute of the hyperdrive generator.
"Wait, really?!" She spun to face me, wide eyed.
"Yup, come on. Hey, R3!" I shouted, "Time for another video."
"Coming, boss!" Droid and student followed me off of the ship with notable excitement.
"Alright R3, start it up." The droid gave one of its classic electronic trills and a little light on its head started to blink. "Ladies, gentlemen, assorted non binaries, today's class is two fold. The first portion is about something I should have explained earlier, and the second is going to be a more detailed review of the Matukai forms which will hopefully clear up any misunderstanding or confusion. So, without further ado let me introduce all of you to Delia."
The girl grinned a megawatt smile and waved happily at R3.
"Hello galaxy! Shade, Flicker, I told you I found him! I'll be in touch when we're not in hyperspace, so don't go solving all our challenges without me, you hear!"
I shook my head bemused at her casual attitude.
"Right, so, in one of my video's I mentioned that sometimes the Force can nudge you to do things. A better description might be to call the Force a meddlesome, doting mother, who pays special attention to those of us who can sense it." I deadpanned, "I've occasionally had urges to just go places, or do things. On one occasion I managed to save a pickpocket from getting arrested just by standing where the Force wanted me to. I did that by getting bowled over by the LEO chasing the kid. Never found out what the hell that was about, but it happened. On another occasion it pushed me into the perfect position to violently interrupt a kidnapping."
I grinned a bit at Delia's incredulous look.
"Force users are trouble magnets. Either it's drawn to us, or we get drawn to it. Either way, that's just how it works sometimes. Most recently Delia here, who had been following my videos from within a week of when I posted the first one, happened to be on vacation with her family on a planet where I was dropping off passengers. She then found out I was here, tracked me down, and talked her way onto my crew. It's the kind of coincidence that defies logic, and just reeks of the Force meddling. Please do not follow her example. My ship has already filled it's crew quota."
"I'm not saying it's like that all the time. I usually go months without anything particularly interesting happening to me. But if you really want to make a study of the Force, be prepared for similar things to happen to you. Honestly, I think it might be the best explanation for how the Jedi ended up as peacekeepers. They couldn't avoid getting pulled into things, so they just gave up and made it their duty." I grinned wryly.
"Maybe with a little luck all of you will help to make this galaxy an even better place." I smiled honestly, "Or maybe you'll all prove me wrong and have perfectly normal lives with the addition of a few cool tricks you can use to wow your friends that are too lazy to put in the time required to learn what I'm teaching. Regardless, it's something you should all be aware of, and now you are."
Dusting my hands, I shooed Delia back a couple of steps.
"Now, after seeing Delia run through the Matukai forms I realized that I didn't do as good a job of describing things as I thought. So, my lovely assistant will demonstrate the forms, and I'll be pointing out details I failed to make clear in the previous videos."
Delia lit up and slipped into the first stance, and that was how we spent the evening.
AN: The curved grip is the traditional choice for one handed lightsaber styles, and while not quite matching up with my fencing experience, it's close enough for me to roll with it. I went with wrapping the hilt in leather because this just makes sense to me. The more modern version is to use rubber, but meh, leather is the classic choice. It's really just there to give you a better grip, and the lack of such on lightsabers confuses me.
Blade color. There's a lot of meaning tied up in blade color, or none at all depending on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, and how much you read into it. In the end I couldn't decide so I just left it up to a pole on Sufficient Velocity. Where someone made a very convincing argument for White based on its affiliation with a force sect I'd never even heard of before.