The Galactic Republic

“In many ways, some have described it as a surrender to the Force and to chaos, to strike at an opponent with such speed and angles of attack that they have difficulty countering it. [...] But in surrendering to the Force in such a way reduces your ability to resist its effects…”

The Way of the Vornskyr. Otherwise known as the Ferocity Form. As an Order, we hesitate and usually refuse to teach, learn, or employ this form. Master Yoda once said: “Powerful form it is. Deadliest of all. But dangerous it is, for its master as well as its opponent. Few have studied.” And I am inclined to agree. Juyo is first and foremost, a gateway to the Darkside.

The key to understanding Juyo is to understand people and the most basic of emotions. One that lies at the core foundation of all living beings. Fight or flight. Utilising these emotions and letting them rage like a storm within is the Way of the Vornskyr, while retaining an external calm appearance. For Juyo to work, one must utilise their deepest, strongest inner emotions; and then the user must go through the deepest of struggles, to focus and retain such emotions through their bladework.

Juyo is said to be filled with both fury and "malignant grace”, and with the knowledge of my own experimentation with the form, I am inclined to agree. Juyo is designed for one-on-one lightsaber combat, it thrives in it like a disease in an open wound. However, it is also useful against blasters and multiple opponents as well.

Bold, direct motions are the foundation of Juyo, much more open and kinetic than Form V; but with less bold and performance-like moves that Ataru embodies. The tactics used for Juyo are nowhere near as graceful or linked as the moves of Ataru, rather they are as Cin described: "seemingly unconnected staccato sequences”. One of, if not the greatest strength of Juyo, is its unpredictability.

However, there are downsides to this form. Juyo is an overly aggressive form that is extremely easy to lose control over. This leaves many potential openings just ripe for the taking by a level headed, patient opponent. Juyo also has a massive energy drain effect, both physically and emotionally. More so than Form V, a Juyo user will likely collapse after continued use of the form.

The Dark Side of the Force. When one is able to wield the Force, the first defence against the Dark Side is to compartmentalise your emotions; remaining detached and firmly clear-headed during combat. Juyo is the antithesis of this philosophy and defence. It demands Jedi bring their emotions into battle, as a companion and a source of strength and power. Use of Juyo brings the rightful fear and worry on how one might easily turn to the Darkside, as they are so used to using their negative emotions and their desire to win as a source of power. This is why the form is readily embraced by the Sith.

I have felt the call of victory, smiling when I engage in saber combat with another. When I was younger, the call of battle was all I knew. It was my fatal weakness, my call to the Dark Side. I needed to channel my darkness to serve the light. So, I created Vaapad.

Vaapad:

I have stated on record many times that Vaapad is not a form of lightsaber combat, it is more of a state of mind. Vaapad channels my own inner darkness to serve the light, it uses it as a fuel as I skim on the edges of the Dark, but never casting myself in it. And I thought that was all there was to Vaapad, it’s only strength and ability. Until Concordia.

The vaapad is a creature native to the planet of Sarapin. A deadly predator that drains the energy from life forms with such terrifying simplicity. A vaapad attacks by striking its prey with its tentacles so quickly that they were nothing but a blur to the naked eye. There was no way to know how many tentacles the vaapad has until the prey is dead. In the case of the lightsaber form, the user's arms are the tentacles. Vaapad could appear to an opponent as though the wielder were striking with many lightsabers at once, attacking from all angles simultaneously.

On the Mandalorian moon of Concordia during the Republic invasion of Mandalore, I engaged the Sith Lord Jar Jar in battle, formerly known as Representative Binks. Before that point, Vaapad had never been tested; nor had it ever been pushed to the limit. I remember, after having rescued some members of the 415th Battalion from a mishap with a rockslide, arriving on the battlefield. Master Tapal was looking nearly down for the count, and Knight Secura was barely hanging on by the skin of her teeth. I engaged the Sith in battle, and something changed. Something which I had only theorised and written in my most private of combat journals.

A superconductive loop between the Sith Lord and I, finally completing Vaapad in the way it was meant to be completed. The Sith’s fear and aggression, something he had used as weapons to harm my Jedi companions around me, had become a weapon of strength. They were reflected back at him. From my perspective, it was as though I was simply letting the blade autonomously seek out my opponent’s points of greatest vulnerability, until eventually the building pressure simply caused the Sith to give out.

I did not know how much time had passed. But there he stood, lying at my feet. I must have been as shocked as he was, so shocked that he was able to escape. And there I learnt the secret to Vaapad. The Dark Side is not to be feared, for I am anchored in the Force. I remain but a mirror for what the Dark sees, a weapon of the Light. The quintessential insight of Vaapad is that fighting is an emotional experience, and a Jedi should not try to deny that - but, in acknowledging it, can avoid being ruled by it.

The heavier the opponent is immersed in the Dark Side, the swifter and deadlier the Vaapad trance becomes. As long as the opponent is exuding their sickly presence, the Vaapad user can fight forever and get stronger every second. Such is the Way of the Vornskyr.

To Summarise for Juyo:

Juyo is unpredictable, with a flurry of seemingly unrelated attacks.

Designed for one-on-one combat, but can be used in many situations.

One must utilise their deepest, most primal emotions. To win is the goal, and to have a hurricane of emotions within is key; while not showing it on the outside.

A path to the Dark Side. The emotional intensity of Juyo means continued or even single-use can make a user be more susceptible or even fall to the Dark Side. There is a reason many refer to it as the “Sith Form”

Exhausting. Extended use could result in exhaustion and even passing out.

Leaves your defences open. The open aggression of Juyo means a level-headed opponent can exploit open and obvious weakness, especially from the Force.

To Summarise for Vaapad:

A superconductive loop. One can fight forever and get continuously stronger, feeding off the opponent's darkness.

The vaapad creature. Vaapad allows the user to move so quickly it looks as if dozens of arms are attacking the opponent at once.

While many of Juyo’s weaknesses fall away with Vaapad, it still holds the same key fatal flaw.

The Dark Side of the Force. Without learning to not fear the Dark Side, and remaining in emotional control, one is guaranteed to fall to the Dark. As with Sora Bulq, he did not master Vaapad; Vaapad mastered him.

Needs to complete the loop. The less one’s opponent depends on the Dark Side, the less effective this technique would be.