Part 7: Departure
With the brush of his hand, Nico swept his hair out of his face. He was tending to the crops and desperately wished that he had a hair tie of some sort in order to help him control his golden mane. A few days ago, Nico checked his ships time piece. He had been on this planet for about a year and a month. During that time, Nicodemus had grown very attached to his master, Mottikazzuk and respected him fiercely. Also, using his empathy and the insight that he was developing, he noted that Mottikazzuk also began to respect Nico. They had always been on good terms with each other, and rarely argued about anything, but there was also a comradery between them that Nico had noticed, and was sure hadn’t gone beyond Mottikazzuk’s notice. He smiled fondly to himself as he remembered when he came back from the cave with his crystal a few months ago.
Mottikazzuk had taken Nico and set him down in the hut, handing him back his gem. He them removed a elongated piece of metal and showed it to Nico. “I have been working on this,” he began, “while you did your chores and slept. It has taken me a few months, but there was really nothing to it. This, my boy, is to be your first lightsaber.” Nicodemus had blinked at it, taking it gingerly. It felt very light, and when inspected, found it to be a simple housing, devoid of any electronics. Mottikazzuk noted his look and shrugged simply. Well, I can’t rightfully make the whole thing for you. Most of the parts aren’t so complicated anyways, the gem or crystal being the most important. You will be on your way in no time.”
His master had proven to be right, and within a week, Nico had scrounged the electronics fro excess survival gear and components from his ship. Mottikazzuk had shown him how it all worked, and Nico paid careful attention. When it was near completion, Mottikazzuk gave him some final instructions and stepped back, letting Nico discover his own way to craft his weapon. Nico meditated over his weapon some time later, and without even turning it on, presented it to Mottikazzuk as finished. Mottikazzuk nodded and closed his eyes, sensing the aura around the lightsaber before nodding again. “It is a fine weapon.” Mottikazzuk declared finally. “Let’s not fool ourselves and say that it is the greatest ever made, but it is more than adequate for training purposes.” He then handed the competed hilt back to Nicodemus. “Listen to me, student, for I am going to tell you something that was told to me when I was training. Having such a thing is of immense use as a tool, but remember: If a Jedi ignites his lightsaber, he must be ready to take a life. If he is not so prepared, he must keep his weapon at his side. Those words will serve you well. Go meditate on them and on what a truly big step this is for you, and then we will practice.”
Meditation, Nico had learned, was a truly important aspect of the force. His control over his senses made him cunning, he was told. If he could recognize the force as it worked in the universe outside of himself, then he would be able to draw upon it to gain information about the world. Through his meditation on internal workings, and external issues, he felt connected to the rest of the universe and all it’s life. The tasks that he would have to meditate on grew increasingly more complicated as he practiced. Eventually, Mottikazzuk was having him meditate over matters that had no solution at all.
“Why do you have me rack my patience and understanding over such things?” He had once asked his master after a particularly confusing and unsolvable situation.
“Because, if you only concern yourself with matters you understand and never push the limit of your thinking, then your training is already over. A Jedi’s training is never over, Nicodemus. He can never learn enough about the force. You must try to expand your understanding.” With a wry smile, Mottikazzuk patted Nico on the shoulder. “Now, go meditate over that.”
The next day Nico stood facing his master. Nico had a reserved look to him. He appeared calm and collective, but with a thought, Mottikazzuk detected his reservations. Nico held the hilt of his lightsaber in one hand. It was still rather light, and fit his grip almost perfectly. The steal was a cold, light silver that tapered downward toward the end, giving it a flowing quality. While constructing it, Nico had taken the time to etch into the metal. The design was elegant and refined, showing the work of a steady hand and thoughtful planning. Mottikazzuk held his weapon in front of him, resting in his palm. It was a copper color and it’s style was much like Nico’s. It was larger and longer, but the curves where his fingers rested while holding it were gentle and elegant. The parallel between the two was not unnoticeable.
Mottikazzuk Turned his wrist and ignited his saber. A beam of pure yellow energy sprung from the hilt. As if he hadn’t held the weapon in some time, he took a few, gentle practice arcs, getting a feel for the weapon again. Nico rose the hilt in front of himself and ignited his weapon. A fine, pale blue beam erupted from the hilt with a voosh. Nicodemus also tested the weapon on the air. He was interrupted when his master told him to prepare himself.
“What we are going to do today is going to be incredibly slow. As you become more able to fight...” Mottikazzuk’s voice tapered off before it picked back up again. “We will practice harder later. For now, concentrate on my form and my movements.” With that, Nico’s master engaged him. Nico adapted his fighting style to perry the strokes that his master swung at him. Several times, Mottikazzuk had to pull his blows to avoid catching his student with the blade. After an hour of practice, the both disengaged.
“Very good.” Mottikazzuk said, inspecting his weapon. “But what was I thinking as I fought you?”
Nico turned a shade of red and lowered his head. “I’m sorry master, I did not think to try to read your mind or actions as we fought.”
“I know you didn’t think to do that. That is part of today’s lesson. If you must fight another, you can not abandon all your other training. Fighting like this, while perhaps not as critical of your other studies, is not separate. You must use what you have already learned.” Mottikazzuk looked at Nicodemus fondly. “You must understand, the training I will give you in defending yourself with this,” he indicated to the lightsaber, “will be substantially inferior to defending yourself with these,” he said, indicating to Nico head and then his heart. “When you use all the tools you have at the same time, then perhaps your lightsaber will be unnecessary. If, however, you find yourself in a fight, use all the weapons at your disposal.”
For the next month, Nico trained with his lightsaber. His focus, however, was to practice his mental cunning at the same time he practiced his form with the lightsaber. His fighting style, he was told, was that of a more elegant school. When in his stance, Nico’s saber was held with one hand, extended in front of him and pointing slightly upward. His body was turned so his side was facing his opponent and his feet were positioned in a line under him. While training, Mottikazzuk would try attacking using other styles of fighting to give his pupil a flavor of what he might encounter. Admittedly, however, his swordplay was weak as well, and his knowledge of other fighting styles was lacking.
When training, Nico would perry the attacks as they were presented, and also use the force to anticipate where the next attack would come from. In some cases, he was able to get a glimpse of the near future and adjust his actions accordingly. When he meditated on the issue, he concluded the only thing that really made him a decent fighter was his use of other abilities. His swordplay was passable, but nothing very strong. He only learned a few attacks, and was told that he should be concerned with his defense primarily. During this time, he was still to focus on his meditation and practice his other abilities.
Nico sighed deeply as he remembered those days leading up to the present. He had sensed this morning that he would be leaving this place and Mottikazzuk soon. He had not talked to him about it, but concluded that he shouldn’t need to. After finishing his chore, Nico walked back into the hut. Mottikazzuk was waiting for him and eating some breakfast.
“The chores are done, master.” Nico said while slumping down onto his sleeping mat. Mottikazzuk simply nodded and looked at his student.
“Nicodemus, there is something I want you to have.”
Nico looked surprised for a moment. There were hardly any surprises left in these caves, so he couldn’t imagine what it could be. Mottikazzuk set down his bowl and look at Nico for a while.
“You see, if there has been one thing that has disturbed me since we met, it was trying to understand how you could continue functioning for any length of time with no memory of your past. As your master, I have come to understand how important it is for any student to have a memory of their lives. Memories serve as examples and lessons to us all. They dictate morality and help us understand the present world we live in.”
Nico knew exactly what he meant and nodded once. He could sense what was coming and bowed his head.
“Nicodemus, you will be the last student that I ever train. I have seen this with as much certainty as I could expect. You have learned everything that I have presented you, and still have a vicious drive to learn more and better yourself. Your mind is sharp and cunning... and as your master and friend, I feel a responsibility to help you achieve your full potential.”
Keeping his eyes closed, Nico began to get a vision. He was not sure exactly what was happening, but he concentrated heavily on opening his mind to the vision. When it was completed, the memory he had was shockingly realistic. It was more tangible than any holo video, as he could sense the smells and feels of the image. It was just a snippet of a full memory, but it nearly brought tears to Nico’s eyes as he studied it.
“This,” responded Mottikazzuk, “is a memnii. It is a memory that we caamasi have that is so vivid, it stays with us forever. This one is of family. This is what it is like to have relatives to care for deeply.”
The day progressed and Mottikazzuk continued to share his life with Nico. He would explain each memory after Nico had time to assess it. After the day was over, and both were exhausted with their efforts, Mottikazzuk explained one final lesson to Nico.
“You must understand, memories do not dictate a persons’ present or their future. They simple serve as a constant reminder of what we work for. Now that you have these with you, you can remember them and use them to serve as examples to you. A Jedi can not attempt to protect what he does not have understanding of. That is why you now remember peace, family, and much more. Besides, I don’t think it would be right to take all those wonderful memories to the grave with me.” After this, they both rested until morning.
That morning, Nico quietly packed his things while Mottikazzuk watched him. Without a word, Nico boarded his ship and packed his things away.
“Do you think you are going to be alright here by yourself again?” Nico inquired as he was getting ready to leave.
“My boy, I was here a long time by myself before you came. I will be fine. Don’t worry about me anyway.”
“I know. I will not forget what you taught me.”
“I know.” Mottikazzuk smiled fondly at Nicodemus. He kept his emotions in check, but was able to appreciate the bitter sweetness of the situation. “I fear that I will not see you again. I have tried to foresee it, but your adventures yet to come obscure any clear visions.”
“I will see you again.” Nico said with certainty in his voice as be walked backward up the ramp of his ship. “After all, I still owe you one day.”
Nico words nearly brought tears to Mottikazzuk’s eyes as he recalled all the time they had spent learning from each other. Nico bowed once to his master as the ramp began to close.
Mottikazzuk called out to Nico, “The force will be with you!” The ramp closed and sealed, and Nico pressed his hand against the inside of the ship before mouthing the word “always.”
Mottikazzuk stood outside for a moment, watching the ship zip away through the atmosphere. He nodded once more to himself and retired to his small hut with a wooden fence made of driftwood surrounding it.
Continue onto Part 8
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