Back in your cabin, you shed your armor and get into workout clothes. The dojo isn't far, but as you walk in Karim is already there. You cross the mat and lower into a fighting stance, fists up.
"Any time you're ready, sir."
"I like your enthusiasm," he says, "but in reality, if we troopers wind up fighting with our fists, we're in big trouble."
He reaches over to a rack against the wall and pulls out a pair of wooden sticks shaped vaguely like assault rifles. He tosses one to you.
"Remember, your rifle is your primary weapon both at long range and in-close."
"I haven't done this sort of fighting before," you admit, gripping the stick closely.
"No worries," he says. "Today isn't a competition—I'm actually going to teach you."
You hold the stick in both hands like you would your rifle, and Karim shows you how to shift your grip to transform the weapon from a rifle into a club. Or a quarterstaff, you're not sure what the best medieval analogy would be. Karim walks you through the basics of blocking and striking, and you see how the motions tie into the martial arts movements you've been learning for years at the Astral College.
"Does it all make sense?" he asks as he leads you through another series of blocks.
"Yes," you reply, "but it seems a little cumbersome. Surely a punch would be a lot faster."
Karim suddenly lashes out and cracks you on the left knee with the small end of the stick. You stagger back, gasping at the pain. He was so quick you never even saw it coming. He steps back, arching one eyebrow at you.
"Okay," you say, "that's plenty fast."
"And you still keep your distance," he says, "and you don't risk breaking your hand."
You have to favor your left leg, but you move up into your stance again, holding the rifle-stick in a defensive pose. Karim takes you through another round of blocks, then invites you to try the attacks. Apparently, there are twelve different strikes, but he eases you in with just the first six. You swing the stick, then lunge, then side-step and swing again. He parries easily but has to give ground. After another few rounds, you're both glistening from the exertion.
"Want to try the other six strikes?" he asks.