【ｍｉｓｓ ｔｈｅ ｍａｒｋ】| Crosshair x OC (BOOK 1 of the CHANGING WAVES series)

47 | Lessons of Forms

22 BBY, Month 9

Rylann

Rylann set aside her bag against the wall of the lightsaber dojo, removing her shoes at the door. Inside was Master Windu going through Form VII of the saber forms on the mat. His saber was like a purple streak in a volley of attacks. Rylann gulped. She wished he would go easy on her, though she wasn't too hopeful at the prospect. In the very same room, Rylann recalled Shaak Ti teaching her a valuable lesson.

Six years earlier...

Shaak Ti stood before thirteen year old Rylann, her saber hilt in her grip. She turned on her saber, holding it in front of her in a straight line. "This is the Form I stance, Shii-Cho."

"Shii-Cho," Rylann repeated, holding her own to mimic her master's. She blew a piece of her bangs out of her face. "Got it."

A smile formed on Shaak Ti's lips as she started walking through the steps slowly, jabbing with the saber as she stepped towards the training droid. "This form is about methodical and calculated movements. It is the form used by Jedi and other swordsmen alike." She parried any blow directed at her from the droid, countering each slice.

"So, you don't need the force to learn it?" Rylann asked, lowering her blade. "But we're jedi."

Shaak Ti spun on her foot, spinning the blade over her head to parry the droid's blade, disarming him. "The lack of using the force does not mean it is not as important." She picked up the hilt of the fallen saber, handing it back to the robot. "Its foundation is fundamental to all forms."

Rylann pursed her lips, not understanding. "But the other forms look nothing like that."

"Form II, Makashi," Shaak Ti stated, gracefully flowing between each move, looking less choppy and straight-forward than the Shii-Cho method. "Elegance, fluidity, thoughtfulness." She stopped the back-and-forth with the droid to make a direct hit against his defenses. "Prodding to find the weakness. An intimate dance with the duelist."

Rylann didn't understand why it was a dance. Sabers were for fighting, so why make it romanticized?

"Now, my favorite, Soresu," Shaak Ti said, "It is an intellectual approach. Defensive. Anticipate," she said this as the droid sent out two lightsaber training drones to start shooting at Shaak Ti. "It also is proficient in blaster deflection."

After she deflected the blasts, she nodded and the drones stopped shooting, hovering over the scene. "Form IV is Aturu, otherwise known as 'the aggression form,'" Shaak Ti said as she leaped into the air, flipping over the droid, pinning him with her blade. "Acrobatics and constant movement." She circled the droid, always moving the blade as she parried his attacks.

"Form V is known as Shien and Djem Sho. You keep the idea of constant movement in Form IV," she paused to deflect the blaster bolts that started to rain down on her. "Constantly moving, but with the intention of also incorporating the defense of Form III and turning an opponent's attack against them. Whether it's blaster fire—" she redirected the blasts to hit the drones, "or to redirect an enemy's weapon against them." She parried a blow that the robot threw, making it bounce back on the droid.

"Form VI is the most common nowadays, mashing together bits and pieces to combine with their force abilities," Shaak Ti said, moving in a flurry of blue. "But though it has a little bit of everything, it can never be as potent as a full-fledged mastery of a form."

Shaak Ti closed her saber, hooking it onto her belt as she bowed to the droid. "Thank you, Deepi."

"It is my pleasure," the droid's monotone voice replied.

Rylann furrowed her brows, counting on her fingers the amount of forms Shaak Ti went over. "Isn't there one more?"

Shaak Ti froze, slowly turning to face her. "There is Form VII, though it is mostly avoided since you must dabble in your emotions and passions which is a slippery slope."

Rylann gulped, eyes widening. "Have you ever used it?"

Shaak Ti nodded, averting her gaze. "Once."

"Then why is it even taught?" Rylann asked, crossing her arms. "If it could lead people to the darkside then why even allow it?"

"Windu is the only master of it since he created a spin-off of his own, but he has not taught it to another student in years."

Rylann wondered why that was but knew she shouldn't ask because of the tone in Shaak Ti's voice. "But, what is it like?"

"Raise your saber," she replied, igniting her own once more. She held the blade towards Rylann, her other hand in a fist, ready to fight. "Now attack."

Rylann took a deep breath, lunging forward in her Shii-Cho lunge, but Shaak Ti parried, pushing her blade out of the way before elbowing Rylann in the face—or at least, she almost did. She held her elbow a couple of inches from her face.

Rylann stepped away, scowling as she swished her sword in anger. "That's just dirty."

Shaak Ti nodded, placing her saber hilt on her belt. "And that's why no one does it."

Present...

"Glad you're not too tardy," Windu said, snapping Rylann from her thoughts.

Rylann bowed before entering the dojo, hand resting on the hilt of her saber that was strapped to her belt. "Master Windu."

"Tetra," he said, bowing quickly, his eyes boring holes into Rylann's skull. "Let's begin."

Without a moment's notice, Windu became a flurry of purple, his saber creating a shield around his body. Rylann didn't even know how to approach it.

"Come on, Tetra," Windu said, swinging his blade as he walked in a circle around her. "You've already died five times."

Rylann clenched her jaw. "Then try to come at me to prove it."

A smirk flashed across Windu's face. "With pleasure."

He lunged forward, swinging his saber at her in a storm of blows. Rylann could barely keep his saber off her, slowly backing up until she felt the wall grow closer to her back. Use your strengths, she remembered Crosshair telling her. The Force. She jumped into the air, flipping as she landed into a roll, before bringing her saber up in time to block his blow. He was above her and she was still on her knees. She didn't want to use the force as a crutch, instead trying to find ways to guess his attacks much like Shaak Ti had been training her.

Anticipate. He was going to strike above her left.

Deflect. She parried his blow, right where he was going to hit, stopping his attack. His brows turned down for a moment.

Redirect. She spun her blade around, knocking his saber from his hand. It flew across the room.

Rylann's jaw dropped. She slowed down and was able to disarm Windu.

He shot her a glare, tromping over to his saber. "Next time I will not underestimate you." He bowed to her, face contorted in anger. "But good job, padawan."

She bowed back. "Thank you, Master Windu." That was surely going to be her only compliment from him. Ever. And she was okay with that.