First Day: Beginner's Luck? (Yoghurt)

[imported_Bandage]

Bandage followed the directions given to him on the datapad, slowing gathering in the sights of the GJO before he made his way alone to meet Master Yoghurt to report for his first training session as a Padawan Learner of the Greater Jedi Order. After a few minutes of winding through endless hallways and corridors, Bandage found the indicated room he was looking for. Opening the doors, he entered into the room.

He was shocked to find the room bare, empty, save for a large table in the very center of it. On top of that table were several cylindrical objects, maybe even twenty or thirty of them, lined up neatly on the table. Crossing the distance, Bandage stopped at the center of the table, letting his gaze trail around. The room was indeed bare, the only objects or furniture placed before him. Letting himself wander, he walked completely around the table, looking around the room, before he closed his eyes, and reached out, to touch one of the cylinders. He stopped short when he realized that something hit his palm. He looked down, and noticed that one of the cylinders, a longer one than most, was tilted, nose end resting on the table surface, the butt of it resting underneath his palm, suspended by absolutely nothing. Bandage, startled, took his hand away, his breath slightly quickened. The cylinder dropped back onto the table with a light clank, back in perfect alignment. Gathering himself, he closed his eyes, and let his hand trail around the table again. A cylinder struck his open and faced-down palm again. When Bandage opened his eyes, he was shocked to see that it was the very same one! It was slightly longer than the others, and a little thicker, though not too much. It looked absolutely perfect for his big hands, being a little over the average height. He gripped it in his hands, looking at it intensely. It was a sight to see, shiny in silver, the handle black and perfectly grooved for his hand. It was weighted, but perfectly balanced, as Bandage set it on his fingertips and held it there. It simply did not move, no teetering or wavering. Instinctively he let it go, and as it dropped, he caught it in his other hand, spinning it between the two. As he did so, it ignited, with a loud hiss and a hum as a phosphorescent red glowing shaft emitted from the head. He almost dropped it, but could not, for he gripped it too tightly. So that's what they were! They were lightsabers, the legendary weapons of the Jedi! Incredible! Bandage stood in awe, gazing at the weapon in the absolute silence, the only sounds registering being his breathing and the light hum of the saber as he held it shakily in his hands. A single word escaped his lips.........

"Remarkable."

[Master Yoghurt]

Suddenly, two set of doors slid open, and in entered the old man Bandage had been <a href=http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38291>talking to earlier</a>, Yoghurt. The Jedi Master studied the blade and his Padawans slightly startled posture holding the lightsabre.

"I see you allready found a lightsabre for your training. Careful.. as elegant and beautiful the blade is, the beam is deadly and can cut through most things; even metal! Its a precise weapon, and demands composure as you handle it. Its a precise weapon for a more civilized time.. not as clumsy as a blaster!"

Yog extended his open palmed hand in a gesture, signalling to Bandage that he should swing the blade through the air, to get familiar with how the lightsabre handles..

[imported_Bandage]

Bandage nodded, taking his time to try to swing the blade about. It hummed as he slashed horizontally. The momentum and the gyroscopic effect of the blade almost spun him around. But, before his feet became entangled, Bandage composed himself, moving his saber back and forth, soon becoming a little better with the general handling.

"This is unlike anything I have ever done before....Incredible."

[Master Yoghurt]

The Jedi Master watched attentively as Bandage started to become more confident handling the lightsabre

"Jedi channel the force through the use of lightsabres. While you train handling the lightsabre, you develop a more acute sense of your surroundings. You learn how to anticipate and foresee events that is yet to happen. That is an essential ability when fighting, predicting your opponents moves. You dont as much guide the Force, but let the Force guide you, flowing through you freely. The Force becomes a part of you."

Yog pulled up a remote control from his robes, and clicked a button. A panel of the wall quietly opened up, and a spherical droid emerged from the opening, hovering towards the center of the room. The drone made a humming sound and monitored Bandage carefully with its camera eye lenses.

"Always be prepared for surprises.."

No sooner had Yog said that, before the drone aimed and shot out a tiny beam at Bandage!

[imported_Bandage]

No sooner than it had fired the beam at him, Bandage dropped to the floor, and the beam skimmed him, lighting his coattails on fire. He had expected something of the drone, but not that! Beating at his coattails, the flames were soon out. Now focused, he wondered what had happened to the lightsaber in his hand. Could he have deflected the beam with his blade? The thought only occured to him at that moment. Looking down at the cylindrical shape in his hand, the blade was no longer activated. It merely looked like a molded handle of metal in his hand. Puzzled, Bandage spoke.

"I probably could have deflected that......could I have? I mean, I know that Jedi are incredible, but can they truthfully block blaster bolts? That seems a little unlikely. And you mentioned the Force working through me as I practiced more. Is that the reason why my saber is extinguished? I'm completely baffled."

[Master Yoghurt]

"Indeed, through the Force, lightsabres can be used to block blaster bolts. A well trained Jedi may be able to anticipate and block intense blaster fire. Whats more, a Jedi could even deflect the bolts back at his attackers!"

The drone gave an electronic laugh at Bandage. It then emited a series a whistles and beeps, apparently trying to taunt Bandage. Yog raised his hand to Bandage, signalling that it would be wise to be alert and on defenses for a possible second attack..

"You will find that there is a larger world beyond blind luck or chance. Use your instincts, dont rely too much on your senses. Instead, stretch out with your feelings - your awareness of the unseen, and the Force will answer. Remember, the Force flows through everything, through the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the table, me.. you.. your lightsabre.. and that practice drone.

The drone suddenly spinned through the air in a hostile manner and aimed its laser weapon at Bandage. The camera lenses rotated to zoom on its target and triangulate direction and distance..

"Careful, its going to fire again! Dont be caught with your guard down!"

Drone: "Zzzzz... pssssht.. bzzt? Vrrrrr!!!"
<img src=http://www.thegjo.com/pics/rp/training/drone.jpg>

[imported_Bandage]

Bandage, not sure of what to do, held the saber with both hands, and closed his eyes. He reached out, as if meditating, for something, anything. What he got shocked him. He could "feel" everything! The walls, the ceiling, the table, Master Yoghurt, the drone, the saber, and finally himself. Waiting, he focused hard on the drone, waiting for the attack. It delayed, zipping forward to fake an attack, then fired a beam. Bandage did not focus on the saber, or moving it to block the attack, or even igniting it. His focus was on the droid completely, and the beam coming at him. In the blink of an eye, Bandage absently blocked the beam, striking it off course. Keeping his focus, he zeroed in on the beams themselves, as they came at him, one after another. At first Bandage's body was turning to track the droid, but after a minute or so, only the saber moved, Bandage's stance solid as he knocked back beam after beam. When the droid automatically turned up the difficulty and fired three beams at once, Bandage blocked the first two, then sent his body into a spin. Opening up the spin after a full rotation, Bandage struck the beam agressively, like one would swing at a baseball. It sailed true, striking and scorching the droid. Almost absently, Bandage spoke.

"How am I doing?"

[Master Yoghurt]

"Youre doing great! Now lets make this abit more challenging.."

Yog hit a switch, and another drone emerged from the opening in the wall! The two drones emited some buzzing sound inbetween to communicate, they were teaming up on Bandage.

"Never be overwhelmed by odds, just stay focused"

[imported_Bandage]

Taking a deep breath, Bandage focused himself, doing just as Yoghurt said. Never be overwhelmed. Stay focused. As the two zig-zagged around each other, they began firing bolts slowly at Bandage. The saber reignited once more, and the bolts zinged away. The droids began to get faster, and as they did so, so did Bandage. Soon, Bandage was a blur, a combination of spinning saber, flowing coat, and bandages. The two met together, and fired a large volley of beams. Bandage, instinctively, reached out his other hand. One of the other sabers from the table simply leapt up, and outward, landing into his hand and igniting, a blue blade casting a blueish hue around Bandage. Bandage did not even notice, he merely swung away, being a blur of red and blue light as he spun and knocked the volley of bolts back at the droids. Towards the end, Bandage noted the second saber, and was in awe. He tried then to return from the spin to his stance, but instead, unfocused and unguided by the Force, he tripped, the sabers flying away from his hands and deactivating as Bandage fell forward, right in front of Master Yoghurt. All Bandage could do, in spite of his own embarrassment, smile. If he had regular skin to blush with, he would be as red as the first saber's blade.

[Master Yoghurt]

"Interesting.. the Force is strong with you. You are learning quickly. However, you still have to learn how to control how you channel the Force. Just remember, a Jedi use his weapon for knowledge and defense, never to attack"

With those words, Yog hit a switch on his walking cane. There was a *click*, and the sound of a spring mechanism as a concealed cylindrical tube released from the cane. He grasped the hilt, and hit the activation lever. With a sizzle, a bright beam extended from the blade emitter.

<img src=http://www.thegjo.com/yog/Arca.gif>

The blade hummed as it changed frequency and colors from blue to green, allmost as by magic. Yog turned a knob on the lightsabre hilt to turn down the intensity for sparring, "stun" level.

"You do well against droids, I wonder though how you do against live opponents. Like I said, always be prepared.. defend yourself"

The Jedi Master raised his blade to salute, and nodded to Bandage. And in a blur of motion, he rushed towards Bandage swinging the blade towards him..

[imported_Bandage]

It was time to move! In a panic, Bandage rolled, trying to scoop up a saber. He got it in his hand, but not fast enough. He felt a zap, a pulse of electricity, and he then tried to focus. The words of Yoghurt echoed in his head.

Never be overwhelmed by the odds, just stay focused.

Bandage brought the saber to bear, slashing outward. It struck Yoghurt's saber, and gave Bandage enough time to get to his feet and on the ready.

[Master Yoghurt]

The blades locked into position for a slight second.. giving the Padawan a pause to breathe.

"The Force aids you in anticipating your opponents move, but it may also allow you to move swifter, be stronger, jump higher, fall from great heights and do other physical stunts that would normally not be possible. When fighting, the Force aids a Jedi's movements.."

The tiny old man moved with surprising speed for his age. Swinging the blade left and right, then feigned an attack at his legs. Using the Force, the Jedi Master leapt high into the air, somersaulting over the Padawans head, spinned midair and landed right behind Bandage, facing his back..

[imported_Bandage]

Focusing on Yoghurt, Bandage actually watched the display, his head cocked in Yoghurt's direction. Without any thought, only with absolute trust and focus in the Force, Bandage brought his blade to bear behind him, the red beam striking Yoghurt's saber as he landed, knocking him offbalance. Bandage, focusing to the best of his ability, spun, following up with a right slice to Yoghurt's left flanks...

[Master Yoghurt]

Yog allmost lost his footing as he was knocked out of balance for a brief split second. He regained his stance taking some steps back, and evaded Bandage's saber blows with precision and agility. Then, as the blade sliced towards his left flank at great speed, he foresaw the blade moving in the air through the Force, predicting its excact pattern..

<font color=red>ZZZzzzzz...*crackle*</font>
<img src=http://www.thegjo.com/pics/rp/battle/001.jpg>

The blades collided in a spectacle of light and heat. At first, it seemed like the blades were just going to lock, but in the very next second, he flipped over to Bandage's other side which allowed for an opening in the padawans defense. The Jedi Master trusted his left palm towards Bandage, but stopped his hand about 30 inches from the body..

<font color=yellow>SWISH!</font>

An invisible power (a force push) sent Bandage flying backwards!


"Im full of surprises..", Yog said with a smile.

[imported_Bandage]

Bandage flew back, blown off his feet. He lands back down on the ground. He looks at Yoghurt, amazed.

"You didn't even hit me! How did you do that!?"

Bandage slowly brought himself to his feet.

[Master Yoghurt]

"Its called a Force push. The ability to push a person or an object away from you. Through the Force, you may gain insight into telekinetic abilities, moving objects of various nature and size. A Jedi can also force pull, for example calling a lightsabre to his hands from distance. Like this.."

With those words, Yog stretched out his left arm with his fingers extending towards the table in the middle of the room. One of the lightsabres on top of it suddenly flew through the air towards Yogs hand. He caught it and clipped that sabre to his belt.

[imported_Bandage]

"Did I just do that, when I was training with the droids?"

Bandage looked down, staring at the blue-bladed saber grasped in his left hand.

[Master Yoghurt]

"Yes, however, you still need to learn control through practice. For the moment, you are discovering these things by chance or instinct. Stretch out with your feelings, sense your surroundings.. speaking of which"

Yog pointed his finger towards a point on the wall, reaching through the Force to a control panel. A switch that was flipped over with a *click*. The room went utter dark. One could not see a single inch ahead.

"Dont rely too much on sight. Your senses can trick you"

[imported_Bandage]

Bandage, entirely unsure of what was ahead, focused himself, breathing in and out slowly as he stretched out his emotions, trying to anticipate what would happen next. Clipping the blue saber to his side, Bandage gripped the red saber with both hands, igniting the blade and preparing himself. He paraphrased what his master said.

"Senses are a trick."