Star Wars New Order - Volume 1 Chapter 6 Change
Feeling the atmosphere between the two of them warming up Ki-Adi-Mundi decide it was the right time to understand his padawan as much as he could.
“Young Shan now that I am your master, I will need to teach you however for this I need to know what you already know and what you want to learn. I will help you with your Force Sense, it is a key ability of a Jedi however you need to able to control it so you won’t be engulfed by the force like before and with your talent, I think we will start the Alter side soon enough. My question is for your lightsaber combat style what do you want to learn, to master?”
Hearing his master question Vaner found out that he never really thought about it, he never thought about the future be it before or after knowing the war was coming. Before all he did was enjoying his new life while after was training like a madman with for goal becoming stronger however he never had any plan for how to become stronger and he realizes that this was a problem and an important one.
Realizing this Vaner felt lost as if all his effort had been vain the spark of thirst for power that had been ignited before start flickering as if it was going to vanish. Ki-Aki-Mundi who was next to him felt the confusion then the loss of faith his disciple experiment and as he was thinking what had his question done to cause such distress he felt a tremendous change in his disciple who just like the precedent came from nowhere.
Vaner who was lost at what he was going to do, a simple question had challenged all things he had done until here. Yes, what would he learn with what would he become strong, it was totally impossible to learn everything and even if possible it would take a long time who know if he would live this long and even if he could, would he survive until that by being a jack of all trade the answer was no he would die.
This realization shook his core for a second time, this time even Yoda felt the change in the young boy and he turns himself looking at the boy who starts to feel despair. “Soon too soon is this test but clear we will be” murmured Yoda as he knew that despair led to the Darkside and Vaner seemed to already be close enough.
However surprising Master Yoda and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi the mind of the boy changed again and still has fast has ever. As despair start to gain Vaner he starts to remember all the training he had done until know searching for some light in this dark revelation when he saw it no it wasn’t him but his wild part who felt it and the spark in his heart ignite for the first time, it was a small flame as if it was still only a spark but it was there.
Vaner was remembering his training in lightsaber combat more precisely the third form also called Soresu. This form was also called the resilience form because it was the most defensive style there was. At first, Vaner didn’t see what his wild side saw in this form as it was its opposite but falling deeper in this memory he starts to feel what he felt when using this form training with other initiates and it could be resumed in three words, he felt Control, Strength and freedom. While few would understand Vaner felt it clearly countering each attack of the initiate and guiding them to the next making them do what he wanted, feeling their exhaustion and discouragement as he was free to end the dual when he wanted.
This was exactly what he wanted and with his physic who would be able to outlast him coming to this realization Vaner core stabilize before becoming stronger and stabler than it ever was before as force who flow trough him became tamer and calmer and Vaner became calmer too.
Soon Vaner opens his eyes and saw no one in front of him all the Jedi had vanished only his master was on his right meditating. Feeling his apprentice awoke from his enlightenment Ki-Adi-Mundi open his eyes and look at him.
What he saw left him baffle and he doubt how long had really pass as such transformation shouldn’t be possible in such small amount of time, only ten hours had gone by since the start of Vaner trance but the Vaner who came back was totally changed as if he spends week in meditation, not because of bodily change but because his aura had changed.
His previous aura seemed to be calm however beneath the first layer even on the first layer his fighting addiction and training madness could be felt however now the calm front was still here more resilient than ever and this calmness extends beneath and only more in his depth could you feel his love for battle. Such change was like comparing a piece of ice who seem strong but easily broken while seeing everything inside to a rock strong and opaque.
This radical change shocked the Jedi master at first but soon a smile appeared on his face knowing his disciple had succeeded in his first trial with the dark side and became stronger than before
“You did well Vaner” said Ki-Adi-Mundi to his padawan while patting his head with a joyful smile as relief filled his heart. Not really understanding what had happened Vaner just smiled at his master.
What Vaner did not know in addition to his own experience was that if Ki-Adi-Mundi was the only one left was for a simple reason if his disciple fell to the dark side it was his responsibility to keep the Sith extinct for the order so seeing his padawan succeed made him joyful and full of relief. While Vaner was not his first apprentice killing your apprentice even if he was for just a few minutes was not something anyone could do serenely, even more, when you are the cause of the change. The success of Vaner saved not only himself but his master too.
“Vaner you were in meditation for a little more than 10 hours” said Mundi
“I see so that’s why there no one else left here” said Vaner and carry on saying “Master, I want to master the third form and if possible, learn Jar’Kai too”
“Oh, then why not learn Niman, the sixth form instead” asked the Jedi master interest in the answer as Niman had a lot of common points with Jar’Kai while being a form combining the style of the precedent form one to five excluding the second one.
“Hmm How to say, the sixth form is good, but I find it to diverse to be as strong as the other at the same level of mastery. It seems to make the Jedi able to do a lot but not being able to do anything at a high level” said Vaner as he explains what he felt about the sixth form as he felt that this form was like his previous training. Good but never able to be strong.
Hearing his apprentice Ki-Adi-Mundi fell in thought, Jedi nowadays felt the sixth form was the best as an overly specialized Jedi in combat might be at a loss to resolve complex political conflict or another sensitive affair. Mundi agreed with the global idea but he felt that his apprentice was not in the wrong as in a real conflict Niman was indeed weaker than the other.
“I see, then I will teach you the third form while it isn’t my specialty I am still quite proficient with it as for Jar’Kai you will need to ask another Jedi” answered Ki-Adi-Mundi while standing to finally say “You should go back to your Clan quarter for tonight you will have your own at your return from Ilum. Also, you should speak with your friends they seemed quite worried especially the young girl” ending his phrase with a small smile before going out of the room.
Vaner was left dumbstruck as he knew the Jedi Code and love was forbidden like any form of attachment which he found weird as the were train like family from the time they were put in a clan and even during the time as a padawan the link between a master and his padawan was extremely strong. Shaking his head Vaner made his way toward his Clan quarter at a quick pace wanting to know if Bhak had succeeded.