Forms

U can support me on Pa tre on. com/JediCO

20+ chapter ahead. ----------------------------------------------

There was also the matter of fencing. After a week of Ahsoka's bragging, Drallig finally declared that my Shi-Cho knowledge was sufficient to move to the next level and begin training in other Forms. But, as it turns out, it's not that simple with me. Nothing wrong with that, it's just that my choices are, according to Drallig, a bit higher than those of the usual junlings. It's all the same Forms, but if I choose the wrong path, it's a waste of time. It always is, only I have potential, you see, and it would be a shame if I wasted my time.

- But you have to have a different kind of training anyway," I said.

- What makes you say that? - I wondered. - Of course it wouldn't hurt, but what does that have to do with anything?

- Well, I... sort of... - I hesitated. After all, he knows best.

- You have to concentrate on what will be your style in the future," he said, putting his hands behind his back. And then gradually broaden your horizons. The problem, though, is that I still don't know what's best for you. That's normal for a tutor, seeing as you've never done anything other than the first form, but I'm used to being one of the best. Chisty! - He called out to one of the practicing kids out of the blue. - Twenty laps! On your hands! - And turning to me again: -Finally you're physically fit to study any style, but psychologically...

- Um... Master Drallig, but isn't every Form meant for something special? Isn't that the starting point?

- Dakari," he frowned, "how many times do I have to tell you? When you have achieved a high in a particular form, most of the disadvantages of that form are smoothed over. You ever hear of the Jedi Dooku?

- A... yes.

- He is a master of the Second Form, and Makashi, as you know, is meant for dueling. A one-on-one duel. It's considered weak against multiple opponents, as it is for repelling blaster shots, by the way. So? Even without taking the other Forms that Dooku knows, even with one Makashi, he is free to fight multiple opponents. And win. About the reflection of the shots, I'm not talking at all. He is a master, one of the best, in his hands the second form becomes dangerous for anyone. And it doesn't matter what style anyone practices. If it was like you... think ... then the practitioners of the third form would be unkillable. You see," he closed his eyes for a moment, "you're fixating on the minuses, and that's wrong. No one would create a fighting style that would be blatantly weak in any given situation. Mm-hmm. Not on purpose. But even so, what has been created... for, say, conventional metal swords and taken as the basis for lightsabers, will somehow or another be optimized over time to repel blaster shots. The Jedi have been honing their lightsaber fighting styles for thousands of years, and now it's worth saying, not weak at something, but strong there. That's what I'm trying to see in you, exactly what you're strong at. And psychology is important here, too. If you have excellent skills in combat anticipation, outstanding reactions, and nerves of steel that help you stand up under barrage of enemy fire, it won't mean anything if you'd rather just jump aside. Take Shi-Cho, for example. You have an amazing ability for this particular Form, but you don't like it, and that cuts into half of its effectiveness.

Standing, they were silent. Drallig was probably giving me time to absorb what he was saying, and I was just waiting for him to continue the conversation. We still hadn't decided which Form I should study.

- Ahem. - I said, "I can't stand it. - What am I supposed to study now?

- Oh. That's a good question," nodded Drallig. - If you follow my standard, everything. - You mock, you white-haired brute. - So that when you're taken as a Padawan, you have a base on which to base your teacher's training. No one knows who it will be, so no one knows what kind of form you will be taught. But a teacher doesn't always teach a Padawan EVERYTHING" he said. - So you're not bound to anything," he scratched his nose thoughtfully. - You have two choices. The first is to study everything. Not in detail, of course, but in the time left until you become a Padawan, we could go through all the Seven Forms and find one that suits you. I might even be able to teach you an in depth part of that Form," he thought for a moment. - You don't like Shi-Cho, and I don't know Juyo very well, and... Never mind," he shook his head. - That leaves the five forms from the second to the sixth. Yes, I think we can make it. Besides... no, not yet..." he shook his head. - he shook his head, seemingly oblivious to me. - Ahem... Well," Drellig raised his head, turning his attention back to me, "there's a second way," and he stopped talking, thinking again.

- Which way is that, tutor? - I couldn't help hurrying him up.

- The way? Niman.

- The Sixth Form? - I put on a skeptical face. - But it's.... Oh... I see. Is this, like, so you don't have to go through all the Forms? Niman's got all the styles, if I'm not mistaken?

- No," Drallig answered. - Only the first, third, fourth and fifth Form. And no, not for that. The sixth Form, though assembled from the others... although that's debatable... is still more than self-sufficient. If it were otherwise, and quite possibly the Junlings would be studying Niman rather than Shi-Cho.

- Then I don't get it. What I don't want to study is the "average" Form.

- Oh, Dakari... - Shook his head. - I'm tired of telling you not to judge superficially. That was my own fault though, I should have told you more about the other Forms.

- Well... I read about Niman in the Archives," I said.

- Oh yes?" the man grinned. - "The Archives are great. So much information, so much knowledge. But it's hard to find what you want. Tell me what you know about Nieman.

- Mm-mm.... - I gathered my thoughts. - Form Six: Niman, aka the Rancor Way, aka the Moderation Form, aka the Diplomatic Form. It is based on elements from the other Forms, chosen to remove Niman's pronounced weaknesses. As a result, the strengths are also gone. However, many say that it is the strength of the Form that allows one to feel confident in any situation. More often than not, it is on the basis of Nieman that one creates his own styles. It is also the quickest way to learn Jar'Kai's two-blade style. Quicker and easier," I added.

- Is that all? - Drallig asked.

- Well, that's just the basics. Just a little something to say. - Oh, really, what am I doing? My future depends on it. - Yes, that's all," I lowered my head.

- Well, here's another lesson for you. I hope it will at least make a certain Rain Dacari look into the essence of the question more often. To understand what the sixth form is, you have to look back in history. The Niman style," Drallig began, putting his hands behind his back and looking behind me, "was developed by the Royal Machetero some twenty-four and a half thousand years ago, before the First Great Schism. - Then he looked at me and asked: - I hope you know about him.

- The First Great Schism, begun by the Legions of Lettow, made up of Jedi who had fallen to the Darkness," I said briskly.

- Yes," Drallig looked unfocused again. - One of the many points of contention in the Order's history. The Legions were the first to adopt the Niman style. - Heh, maybe that's why they lost. - And it was so good that after the victory, the Jedi borrowed it for themselves, transforming it over time into the classic sixth form. - Yeah, I jumped the gun on that one. - The only one of the seven.

Oh, my gosh. That's the first time I've ever heard that.

- What about... well...

- It's confusing. Niman is Jar'kai, it's like the fifth form of Sheehan-Jem So. It's just that over time it's Jar'kai that has become associated with two-handed combat. Although to be fair it is worth noting that originally they were two different styles. Intertwined over the millennia into a single form. But the original Jar'qai, developed by the Jovshin swordsmen, has little to do with the modern one. Much like Soresu and Sheen. The core is the same, but the forms are different.

The Niman," Drallig went on, "the one you and most Jedi know is the result of the Ruusan Reform, after which many things have been forgotten. And," he sighed, "not necessarily restored. Most of the Jedi died in that battle on Ruusan, almost the entire military force of the Order. And those who remained were mediocre swordsmen. Not surprisingly, they considered the first level of Niman the entire Form. And the Jedi who replaced them were ineffective and inferior. Interestingly enough, because of this opinion, Niman has been refined and improved over the centuries, so that even the first level is now a full-fledged Form. And all these refinements not only strengthened the first level, but also harmoniously superimposed on the entire Nieman in general. Unfortunately, diplomats and other Jedi of peaceful professions, who mostly study this style, do not go beyond the first level, so the reputation of this Form... is somewhat misleading. Ridiculous, in a way. Agree, it's pretty funny to consider a style designed for war, adopted by the Jedi because of its high combat potential and honed by thousands of years of warfare to be diplomatic. The Order has an interesting style of diplomacy. - It's really quite ironic. - The Sixth Form is primarily an attacking style, using two-handed combat. It so happens that over the past thousand years Jar'kai has become the style of two-handed combat, while Niman has fallen to the pathetic basics from which they are supposed to create their own style," Drallig sighed. - Or rather, it's supposed to be the easiest thing to do. I think they're just trying to show you how good this truncated Niman is. You can learn it, you've got your own style, no minuses, and Jar'kai.

God, it's so interesting. Who'd have thought Niman, that pathetic Niman, would hide such a thing? Still, Drallig knows how to arouse curiosity about his subject.

- I want to.

- A?

- I want to study the sixth form.

- Oh. Don't you even want to think about it? There's a lot of upside to learning all the styles in a systematic way," he told me, chuckling.

- Oh no," I said. - It's no use. I could only do the basics, that's all I could learn.

- Oh, no," he shook his head. - Not true," he shook his head. "With normal kids it's possible. Yes, they are. So it is with me. But it's a little different with you. I don't like to praise my students, but you're... you have some abnormal swordsmanship skills. - Damn, that feels good. - It's not even a compliment, it's a statement of fact. In fact... - he paused for a few moments, searching for words, "You're my painting. The picture I paint. You, Dakari, are about to swallow everything you can fit into you, and it's up to me to see how strong you'll be by your thirteenth birthday. My pride and my vanity. Though those feelings are not proper for a Jedi.

Quite frankly. What if I were an ordinary child? I'd be a fool.

- Aren't you afraid that I'm going to think I don't know anything about myself?

- I've gotten to know you well enough not to be afraid of it. Tested you on all sides, so to speak. You, Dacari, are my challenge, my test. What I could bring you up in the remaining six or six and a half years. And rest assured, I wouldn't have taken the job if you were just a superpowered child.

By the way, I noticed that he does avoid the word "genius". What does that mean? Either he's afraid to give me vanity, or I'm not a genius after all. Eh. Better, of course, the first, but, most likely, the second. Although...

- Mentor, am I a genius?

- Ahem... - he choked. - Ahem," he cleared his throat. He grunted and then said: - Yes, you are a genius.

Ha! Um...

- And Skywalker? - Even the younglings know about that jerk now.

- So does he," Drallig grimaced. - But he's... versatile, and you are highly specialized.

- What's better?

- When your knowledge and experience are roughly equal, you'll be a much better swordsman. But I doubt you'll be as good a pilot, as good at using the Force, as good at shooting, at knowing technique, and so on. Though I don't know much about your other accomplishments, but I think you get the point.

It turns out that I can't handle Skywalker, but I can kick Darth Vader's baked ass.

- Yeah, I get it. And I'm fine with that.