Life's Lessons: Chapter I
Summery: Obi-Wan competes to get chosen as a Padawan
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns all. If he sued me he would get $3.15
Obi-Wan was very excited. Word travels fast among the pre-Padawan Jedi. A Trial was going to be held. All initiates 11-13 years in age were to report to the training center at the 10th hour in two days time. It wasn't said, but unattached Masters would be there, and the chance of someone being chosen was high. Obi-Wan was 12. This wasn't his last chance, but that was rapidly approaching. He silently vowed that he would be chosen this time. He then moved off to prepare. He was going to spend every waking moment in the Lightsaber spar area, challenging everyone who could fight to fight.
Obi-Wan, finishing his 4th fight and drenched in sweat decided it was time to rest a little. He moved to a bench and dropped onto it, leaning back and toweling his face and neck off. "Oh Force." he muttered. The ginger haired Jedi had aches in places he never knew existed. "I will not fail. I will be chosen," he repeated to himself, almost as if it was a mantra of the code. He stretched, got up and walked out onto the mat. Obi-Wan looked about for a sparing partner. He saw Garen. "Hey Garen!" Obi-Wan called out.
"Yeah, Obi?" Garen looked up at him.
"Wanna spar?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I'm kinda hungry, but alright." Garen said, taking a training saber from the rack.
"Your always hungry, Garen. I'm surprised you can still fit through the auto-doors the way you eat." Obi-Wan joked.
"What can I say? The healers say I got a fast mataba-something or other."
"Yeah, yeah. Enough talk, more sparing." The young Jedi said, in his inner core accent.
Obi-Wan moved to a high stance, lightsaber almost over and behind his head, while Garen held his low, pointing towards the ground. Obi-Wan, being the more aggressive of the two moved first, bringing his saber down at Garen. The smaller Jedi merely moved his saber up, blocking the blow and forcing it away. Obi-Wan had expected that and allowed the momentum to bring his saber around in a 360 spin move above his head to a diagonal slash. Garen countered once more and then they began fighting with more vigor. The lightning fast moves were only recognizable because of the light trial the sabers made. Blue clashed upon yellow again and again. Obi-Wan made the next move and leapt upon a catwalk suspended from the ceiling.
Garen followed, but not as advanced as Obi-Wan in Ariel maneuvers, his leap looked more like a force enhanced shove up. Obi-Wan brought his saber down so it was held out and horizontally in front of him. Garen smirked and moved forward, his yellow blade flashing at Obi-Wan. The two locked blades again, faces inches apart. By then the whole room had gone quite and the two were attracting a large audience. They pushed away from each other and Garen went on the offensive, sending Obi-Wan reeling back from his quick, and calculated blows. Obi-Wan brought his blade at Garen with equal power. Obi-Wan ducked a swing and Garen's blade cut a support in half, making one side sag. The other support broke free from the ceiling and one side was sagging deeply, and waving slightly in the air. But still they fought.
"Wow! I've never seen anything like that." An older Padawan observed.
"Yeah, look how they almost automatically compensate for every change..." Another said.
"They are so young... not even Padawans!" A Knight exclaimed.
Obi-Wan and Garen heard nothing of it, they were "in the zone" so to speak. The concentrated on nothing but each other. Parry, block, counter, parry, attack. They were a whirling blur of motion until Garen had made the fatal mistake. He had over extended himself too far and when Obi-Wan ducked it he moved his saber tip till it hovered just under his chin.
"Yield?" Obi-Wan asked, mock drama in his voice.
"Yield." Garen responded. The sabers shut off and the quasi-large audience roared with applause. Both of the young Jedi looked down and smiled.
Obi-Wan crawled into bed an aching mass of bruises and muscles so spent that he thought he would sleep the two days till the Trial. His eyes shut. Then opened. Light was streaming though the window. He sat up quickly and jerked his head to the chorno. It was the tenth hour. He was extremely late for his first class. "Sith!" He jumped up and darted into the shower. When he stopped he immediately regretted all his quick actions. He was aching all over. He walked stiffly along to his next class, getting there early.
"Master Kinbu," Obi-Wan greeted.
"Ahh, Mr. Kenobi. I received word from your Math teacher that you missed her class. Care to explain?"
"I over slept Master." Obi-Wan offered.
"I see. Well, I will pass that along to Master Mah. Take you seat."
And so began another history class.
Obi-Wan crawled into his room late that night. "Oh Sith... another day of saber training. Soon. So soon I will be chosen." He drifted off into a deep sleep.
It was the day. The trial was going to held today. Obi-Wan woke at the 8th hour and spent a half-hour in the fresher, even though he was going to get sweaty and nasty. He then dressed in his best workout tunic and feet wraps, not as sturdy as boots, but better for gripping the stone floor. He then used the force to call his saber to his hand, and hooked it upon his belt.
"Here goes nothing." He smiled into the mirror and ran out, moving with speed to the arena.
The doors opened for him and he took in what was before him in a calculated manner. He saw many human hopefuls. Wookies where scattered around, as well as Twi'leks. He thought he saw a few Bothans. He spied his friend Garen along with Reeft and Bant.
"Hey, guys! I'm here!" Obi-Wan said.
They all turned and smiled at him. "Hey Obi." Bant said.
"Who are the masters that are going to be here?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No one knows. They kept it all in the dark." Garen said.
"Interesting." Obi-Wan said.
"Yeah, well lets go. The first fights are soon."
Obi-Wan leaped and dodged. 'It figures.' He thought to himself. He pushed his feet into the stone and pushed off, back flipping away from the searing yellow blade. 'Figures I'd have to fight a Wookie, my first battle.' He stopped and dug his feet in one more time. The blue-eyed Jedi dodged one blow and blocked another. He backed up, giving ground to the large Wookie's size and power. Obi-Wan smiled and made a gamble. He attacked quickly and then moved in, burning the Wookie's shoulder. It growled and lunged at Obi-Wan, who threw himself out of the way and swung his saber in a wide arc, it's tip touching the back of the Wookie's neck. The Wookie stopped, and turned. He bowed and conceded to the victor.
Obi-Wan breathed hard, shutting his saber down and bowed to him. 'Hopefully it will get better.'
He was wrong.
About another 2 hours later it was the finals. Obi-Wan against Sha-Rea, a 17 year old Padawan. She was the best saber fighter in her level. Obi-Wan looked at her, and winced inwardly. On top of having skill and prowess with the saber she was stunningly beautiful. Long brown hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to radiate with the force. Obi-Wan brought his saber back almost behind his head, shifting the right foot forward, and the left directly under him. Sha-Rea smiled, moving her saber down, level with her waist, angled up at Obi-Wan's face.
Obi-Wan centered on the force, and struck. Soon he was a whirlwind of motion and color as he lost himself within the dance. Sha-Rea was surprised at this young initiate. She recognized moves from almost every kata practiced in the initiate training program. He was making a patchwork offense/defense out of them.
"Much potential he has. With the right Master he will be the greatest of the Jedi." Yoda spoke to his tall companion.
The bitterness rose within Qui-Gon Jinn. "I will not have another apprentice. I have failed once. Never again."
"You have performed well in all missions assigned to you. Yet, you seem to be hollow. Almost as if you were a droid." Count Dooku spoke then, moving into the light, the curved hilt of his saber flashing in the dim light.
"Master, please. I will take an apprentice when I feel I am ready." Qui- Gon spoke, a hint of agitation in his voice.
"Qui-Gon it was not your fault Xanatos turned. It was always there. We just couldn't sense it right away." Dooku said gently.
Qui-Gon said nothing. He turned and walked away.
Dooku looked up at the other senior Jedi in the room. Many were paying close attention the fight, but Master Gallia was watching it was great interest.
"Master Yoda, what of Master Gallia? I believe she would be an exceptional Master to young Kenobi."
"Yes, learn from each other they can." Yoda nodded seriously.
An outcry rose from the arena.
Obi-Wan hit the ground hard, on his shoulder, using his momentum to push onto his feet. His tunic was a complete loss. It was cut from right shoulder to his left hip. But he was not hit. The fight was paused and a healer examined him. The blade never touched his skin. A collective gasp rose from the shadows on the outside of the combat area. Even Sha-Rea's eyes widened in surprise. He shrugged the tunic off and stoode there bare-chested. Even as young as he was his body was slim and ripped. He centered himself and looked at Sha-Rea. He grinned slightly and set his feet.
Obi-Wan moved into a defensive position and sighed, letting himself back into the flow. Sha-Rea attacked. Obi-Wan parried and moved in with a counter.
Jedi Master Adi Gallia quickly called up the monitor droid's video feed. She ran that section again, playing it in slow motion. A heavy blow from Sha-Rea sent Kenobi's hand back, leaving him wide open, yet even as she swung down, going for the kill, Obi-Wan had twisted himself away from the blade, spinning in the air to land away from her. It was a move of desperation, but it was effective nonetheless.
Sha-Rea could not believe it. A 12 year old doing this? Time to end this. She moved aggressively then, attacking and retreating in turn, a blur as her yellow blade flashed. Each time she sought to break his guard he had his saber there. He was doing amazingly well.
Obi-Wan was tired. Yet he still willed his muscles to work. 'I must win.' he said silently, his conviction showing in his eyes, no, burning in his eyes. It happened then. He ducked a swing, and saw his opening, it seemed to happen in slow motion, time screeching to a halt. He moved to thrust his saber at his opponent's midsection, but she was already twisting away, at the same time he felt the sizzling heat rake across his back.
Master Yoda nodded in approval. Kenobi had done very well. But it came down to experience. The finishing move had happened in about three seconds. Sha-Rea had done very well also. She is champion twice in a row now.
Obi-Wan dropped to his knees, and then back, his legs no longer supporting him. His saber hilt rolled from his grip less hand. He stared at the ceiling. Soon a face was above him. It was Sha-Rea. "Amazing. Simply amazing." She said.
"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind I'm going to sleep for a week." He said in his cultured accent.
Sha-Rea smiled. Obi-Wan noticed she had a slight gap between her two front teeth before he passed out.
Obi-Wan awoke to a room in the healers' section of the temple. He moved his head to the right, and saw an IV in his arm. He then looked in front of him and saw two figures. Both were human. One male, the other female. He then turned to the left, and saw Yoda.
"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said, his voice croaking.
"Yes, young Kenobi. Very well, you did."
"Thank you."
"Yes, well enough to impress someone." Mace Windu stepped forward.
"Who did I impress, Master Windu?" Obi-Wan asked.
"You impressed me." Adi Gallia stepped forward and to the right, coming to the die of his bed.
"Master Gallia?" Obi-Wan asked, somewhat confused.
"Young Kenobi, I see great potential in you. And from what I saw on the arena floor you will be a fine Jedi. I ask you to be my Padawan Learner. Do you accept?" She waited for his answer.
Obi-Wan felt dizzy. It was all he wanted. This was a culmination of his first 12 years of life. He worked long and hard, striving to be the best at everything. "I..." He coughed. "I accept."
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