swing the staff out towards the opponent, it comes out, essentially, underhanded, in an underhand sweep. The thumb is near the tip, while the staff extends out from the bottom of the hand, and gets swept around in a big fast sweep from right to left, where the left hand can now catch the staff directly under the right, and using its incoming momentum, sweep it right back out in the opposite direction in the same 'backhanded' style. It is all one move and as fast as lightning in the hands of masters. The underhand sweep is the predominant offensive move and it can come from the side or up and under. And its momentum allows for easy switch from left to right.
This is exactly what both Nayaa and Andee are doing, and doing it at insanely fast speeds. Going back and forth, from hand to hand in this way, both are creating fast figure eights in the air amplified by the haunting sounds of the sweeping staffs. It's another show of skill, but once again Nayaa is first to attack. The two commence a battle of epic proportions. The noise of the staffs crackling against each other, and the wooden forearm guards, sound like a hundred fireworks going off all at the same time. Their movements are so fast they are mostly a blur. Only the crackling is a hint of contact made, but it means contact deflected. In watching their sparing match one thing becomes immediately clear. Those may be sticks in their hands, but the way they yield them, their speed, skill, and precision, in their hands those are not mere sticks but weapons of deadly destruction. Anyone with half their skill, never mind no skill at all, would be broken, battered, bruised, and even killed by their speed, power, and skill. These two are in fact real warriors.
"Break!" Master Sensei shouts. Andee and Nayaa stop and gently place their staffs vertically in the ground in front of their feet.
"Salutations." Master Sensei orders calmly. Both gently bow to each other, than to Master Sensei. The kids roar into applause and cheers.
"Can we see your Parza staffs?" Several kids yell out as they rush the two young Parza masters. The kids huddle around, and both Nayaa and Andee hand them their weapons. The kids pass them around inspecting the staffs with awe and admiration.
Both are identical, made of three wooden segments joined together with two metal joints. After being asked, Nayaa twists the two end segments, in opposite directions, witch unlocks the metal joints allowing for the three pieces to be folded together forming a three bundle baton, if seen on end. Holding it from the center segment, with a strong flick or her wrist, Nayaa snaps it back open.
"Can I try?" One of the apprentices asks excited.
"Sure." And Nayaa hands him her staff. He twists the ends and folds it closed with no problem. He then grabs it by the middle segment, snaps his wrist like Nayaa... well almost like her. He doesn't have the power and speed. Nothing happens. He tries several times. The other kids start to giggle.
Nayaa first pouts mockingly and than smiles at the kid.
"How do you do it?" He asks more curious than disappointed as he hands it back.
"Like this." Nayaa grabs it and instantly snaps it open.
"Woooo..." The kids cheer in unison.
"It's not easy. It looks easy when I do it because I have lots of practice. It took me months to get it right. And even now, one side or the other, won't snap open completely sometimes." The kids all nod satisfied.
"Did you build this yourself?" Another one of the apprentices asks.
"Yes I did. Well with his help." Nudging to Andee.
"We build ours together." Andee chimes in.
"Why is yours look like rope?" One of the kids asks pointing to Andee's still open staff.
"To start the Parza ceremony you first have to come up with your own design. This is something that will be yours forever and represent all that you know and the hard work you put into it, so it must be yours completely. Picking a design is not easy. At first I had many ideas. In fact, for years while training, I kept coming up with different elaborate ideas, but when it came to carving it, this was the only one that made sense to me."
"Why?" The same kid asks.
"I like the contradiction. It looks soft and weak, like it's supposed to bend and fall apart in a fight, but in reality it's as hard as rock."
"It's important the design represent you." Nayaa ads. "So Andee's represents him perfectly. He's soft and pudgy on the outside." She pokes him with her finger. The kids giggle. "And he's got rocks for brains on the inside." The kids howl with laughter.
Andee gives her a coy smirk as he taps his staff vertically into the ground. It truly does look like rope, with two metal notches. In fact, the color and rough carving technique he used makes it look exactly like a piece of rope, making its stiffness and perfectly straight line seem almost surreal.
Nayaa's staff is much more heavily ornamented, but also hectic. It is carved with organic shapes, mostly abstract, but a few that look like plants or even animals. Both staffs are dark brown and the wood looks treated and extremely strong.
"How did you make yours?" A little girl asks Nayaa.
"It took me six months to carve the designs. Unlike Andee's, mine is far more complex, and it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted, and then to carve it."
"Was it hard?" The little girl asks again.
"No, it was challenging. And I'm always up for a challenge."
"And then?" Another kid chimes in.
"Then you have to strengthen it." Andee adds.
"I know how, by burning it." Another kid yells
"It's more than that." Andee continues. "First you have to place fist sized black or graystones into the fire. Than take the three carved pieces, already joined with the metal elbows, and you boil it in hard water for six hours."
"How does water make it hard." One of the little girls asks.
"Yeah good question. How?" Nayaa ads with an inquisitive glare.
"It's not the water but the minerals." Master Sensei cuts in. "It's called hard water because is full of very tiny dust called minerals. When you boil the staff in it, all that water replaces the natural moisture in the wood with minerals, and then it's the next step that makes it hard." Nodding to Andee.
"Yes, and the next step is the baking. After boiling, while still hot you wrap the sticks in the large leaves of the Pond Plant. Then you bury them in the extremely hot rocks that you put in the fire You have to make sure the bundle is completely covered by the red hot rocks. Then you cover the hot rocks with sand, and you leave them like that for two days. On the third morning you take out your Parza staff and let it dry in the sun for two more weeks. It makes the wood light but hard as rock, yet it retains its flexibility.
"How about the arm guards?"
"Same with those. We made ours later, but used the same procedure."
"Alright kids, that's all for today." Master Sensei interjects. "And please don't use their shortcut. Use the tunnels." Master Sensei excuses the class than turns to Andee. "So what's on your mind. You said you wanted to ask me something."
"Yeah, I do, I do." Andee nudges with his head for Sensei to follow. They walk away. Nayaa stays behind. She's already screwing around with the kids. They are having a hoot laughing as she fumbles and stumbles, tripping and tricking them, while they try to take away her staff. She is training them in her own special way.
Andee walks with Master Sensei to the edge of the opening overlooking the Eastern Flatlands. At a stone ledge, strategically carved into the rock to take advantage of the view, Andee and Master Sensei have a seat.
"You know Old Tom pretty well don't you?" Andee asks after they seat.
"I do indeed. We go back a long time."
"Who is he really?"
Sensei gives him a long look. "Ask him."
"I have, but he refuses to talk about it."
"That's his right."
Andee releases a deep breath and looks down. "Do you think, I mean, is there any chance that Old Tom may be a spy?" Andee looks up saddened while Master Sensei reacts with a shudder, so shocked he can't even speak. "I'm sorry, I know you're old friends but he's been real
weird lately." Andee continues.
"I-I I'm stunned to hear you say that. I can't even conceive of such a thing."
"See, neither can I, and that's what's got me so baffled."
"What would even make you think such a thought?"
"It's complicated, but it started a few weeks ago." Andee tells Master Sensei about the rescue, Mykee's white panel and ship schematics, his reward from Ricio, everything. Master Sensei listens quietly but towards the end looks a bit stunned.
"Wow. What have you been up to Andee?" Master Sensei asks looking very concerned.
Andee shakes his head. "I don't mean to be rude Master Sensei but you've got the same look on your face Old Tom has. What the hell is going on here? Am I really a Starfighter? Is that the real issue?"
"What do you mean you're a Starfighter?" Master Sensei asks with a squint. Andee then recounts the story told to him about the Starfighters, and his personal experiences at the Friendship Center and Ricio's lack of knowledge of them.
Master Sensei listens carefully without changing his expression or any sort of reaction
"So am I a Starfighter?" Andee asks raising his tone slightly and looking hard at Sensei, but the Master is looking ahead, seemingly lost in thought. Andee jumps to his feet. "Is my father a Starfighter? Is that why he's gone?" Andee raises his voice almost shouting.
"Sit. Sit down." Master Sensei requests calmly looking up at Andee. With a heavy deep breath Andee sits.
"It's complicated. Things were very different in the past... before the Purge."
"That's when they got rid of the Starfighters?"
"Yes, but it was a lot more than that. They got rid of anyone they thought were troublemakers. Even people that weren't but maybe helped them, whether they knew they were helping or not. Because Old Tom trades in parts, back in the day a lot of Bitani tech passed through his hands, so he was nearly banished himself."
"OK, but still..."
"He had lots of troubles. So he had to get rid of a lot of stuff, bribe people, do what he had to do to guarantee his safety, but also your father's."
"Because my father worked for him."
"Yes. And whether he was a troublemaker or not, from the Bitani point of view, he was dealing in stolen tech, so that made him, and Old Tom, and your whole family, troublemakers."
"But we..."
"It doesn't matter if you were involved or not. The Purge was ruthless. They got rid of everyone they thought was a problem, or might be a problem in the future."
"So then my father was banished."
"I don't know."
"Old Tom says he just disappeared one day. Left, and never came back."
"Your dad used to do what Mirceu does now. Go out there and collect parts after crashes, and one day he never returned."
"Then he must have gotten caught and banished, because there is no way he would just leave us." Master Sensei is gently nodding his head as he once again looks lost in deep thought. There is a long moment of silence until Andee cuts in. "What's wrong Master Sensei?"
Master Sensei turns to Andee. "Tom feels like he failed your father. And I'm sure he feels that he'll fail you too."
"But, I don't understand. It doesn't make any sense. I'm not out there collecting parts risking getting caught. Mirceu's out there, and no one dares touch him."
"Sure, but the Bitani know who you are. You can't hide your face. Many may see you as a hero now, but if you keep poking around, they'll turn on you. Even your new friend."
"No way. Not Ricio. He's as guilty as I am. He showed me his house. Gave me his tech."
"With his father's permission?" Andee looks hard at Sensei than turns his glare to the earth at his feet. "People are complicated. Friends today can turn enemies tomorrow. Tom's concerned. Your mom's concerned, and now so am I."
Looking back up at Master Sensei with confidence. "I can take care of myself. You thought me well."
"If it was that simple."
"But it is that simple. We had no problem taking care of those two sentinels at the warehouse, and we didn't even know what they were. Had we known, it would have been even easier. That's what's killing me. Why keep these things from us when knowing would help. What else is out there that I don't know?"
Mater Sensei takes a deep breath. "Maybe things will change in the future."
"Did they change in your lifetime?"
"They did."
"They did?" Andee repeats surprised.
"There were times when things were worse, but also times when things were better."
"Was there a time when you could visit the city? Know about Bitani tech?"
"No, there was never such a time. Not in my lifetime."
"See, it won't change, unless we change it."
"That thought keep to yourself. Do that for me Andee. Please." Andee nods his head.
"And your meetings with Ricio, and the tech you got. Don't tell anyone about it."
"I won't. And I know that's why Old Tom is so freaked out, but why doesn't he trust me?"
"Son, it's not about trust. You don't understand what it was like during the purge. You were still a little boy. It put the fear of death into us all. During the purge everyone over ten was interrogated and threatened with banishment if they talked about hoppers, the troublemakers, even sentinels like the ones you saw at the fence."
"Why?"
"They wanted the new generation, you guys, to grow up in a world where you don't know of these things."
"I still don't understand, why?"
"Before the purge things got out of hand. With Hektor becoming a champion, and many other Carpati joining the races, many learned how Bitani tech worked, and many started to rebel. Back then we had Sentinels patrolling the streets on their little hover-peds. Hoppers used to fly over carrying goods from the warehouses to the city. Some Carpati even had lightships that they used daily for..."
"Are you serious?" Andee interrupts Master Sensei with a stunned look on his face. Sensei just nods his head up and down.
"It really was a different world back then. Older Carpati were allowed to move into the city to work, but more and more started attacking the Bitani, stole things, and essentially caused a lot of trouble up there. There was even a big explosion in the city. They said it was sabotage by Carpati troublemakers. It was after that the Bitani purged everyone they saw as a troublemakers, including their leader, the Starfighter and all his family, and to make sure it did not happened again they decided that it would be best if the new generation, your generation, knew as little as possible about tech, their army of sentinels, and other things."
"What other things?"
"Take what we do, the Art of Parza. When I was an apprentice we practiced in the open. But during the purge it was banned. This is why I teach so few and only here in the elbow. And why your first lesson, and the first lesson of every student, is to keep this place and what we do a secret."
Andee is looking at the ground shaking his head, eyes hard and frustrated. "Man, I thought I hated the Bitani before, but I hate them even more now."
"And what are you going to get out of it?"
"What?" Andee responds surprised by the sudden change in topic.
"Hate? How is that helping you in life?"
"How can I not hate people that take so much from me?"
"Remember the first rule of discipline. You either own your emotion, or your emotion owns you."
"Yeah, I know." Andee responds deflated, kicking up dirt with is foot.
"I know you've heard this a hundred times but I'll remind you again. You can't be a master without first mastering your emotions, and hate becomes an emotional cancer if let loose. It will eat you up from the inside and destroy you. You can't harm your enemies with hate, but you will most certainly harm yourself."
"I know Master Sensei, I know. But it's so hard... not to hate."
"You don't have a choice. You already have a real enemy out there. You can't afford a second enemy in here." Tapping on Andee's c
hest. "An enemy far worse than anything out there." Andee looks at him with a long glare. Then they both look out over the Eastern expanse in quiet meditation.
End of Chapter 8 next Chapter 9 : Doggstar
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