Starkiller: The Clone Wars
Arrival: Part One
The blast of force lightning from behind shouldn't have surprised him. He had even warned Kota that the Emperor was still powerful, even in defeat. But still, attack had surprised him. But years of brutal training at the hands of Darth Vader had conditioned him to act swiftly in any circumstance; and this was no exception.
Leaping into the path of the Emperor's force attack, Galen channelled the force around him into the singular purpose of preventing the Sith Lord's attack from harming anybody else, enabling him to block the force lighting with his own hands.
"Go, hurry!" he shouted to Kota. Urging him with all his will to get to the Rouge Shadow and escape before it was too late. "Protect the senators!"
Turning his back on his friend and mentor, Galen once again faced the Emperor. His foe's face was contorted in a grotesque mix of hatred and enjoyment as he forced more power into his attack.
As he stared into the wrathful eyes of the tyrannical ruler of the Galaxy, Galen realised that he only had one option if he was to give the rebels enough time to escape with there lives. He had to stop the Emperor and his Imperial servants from preventing the Rogue Shadow to escape.
And to do that, he would have to sacrifice himself.
Knowing that this would his be his final and greatest act, Galen forced all of his will and power into closing the gap between him and the Emperor. His focus completely on his opponent, he barely even noticed as storm troopers piled into the room and opened fire on the fleeing rebels. However the knowledge of their presence gave him the impetus to take the next step forwards.
The concentration of force energy between them was reaching critical mass, and so ferocious was their battle of wills that when, with a mighty war cry, Galen finally reached the Emperor the resulting explosion sent everyone within the room flying away from the epicentre.
Time seemed to slow as he was thrown through the air. Maybe it's the adrenaline, he mused to himself as he hurtled at high velocity towards what would undoubtedly be his death. I only hope the others have time to escape, he thought as he caught a glimpse of the Rogue Shadow taking off in the wake of the force explosion.
Then his body impacted with the floor, and he knew no more.
...~SW~...
...~SW~...
Galen returned to consciousness with a sudden jolt, causing him to topple unceremoniously from the padded stool he had been meditating on.
"What the kriff?" he mumbled to himself as he pulled himself up from the floor. Looking around, he recognised the room he was in as one of the many quiet rooms used for meditation throughout the Jedi Temple. Thankfully, he was the only person in the room.
Shaking his head, he tried to recall the vision he had been having before falling from his seat. He caught flashes of it; brief, unconnected moments, none of which seemed to make sense. There was a tunnel, some green light, the familiar hum of lightsabers, and a strange deep breathing noise.
"Argh! This is why I hate meditation," he moaned as he sat back down on the edge of the stool, head bent down with his hands covering his face.
It had been like this for as long as he could remember. The visions. The half remembered dreams. The sense that there was something more that he was missing.
And then there was the Dark side; the foreboding presence in the back of his mind that hinted at limitless power, and the knowledge of how to use it. Galen didn't know why he felt the Dark presence, and he knew it was not something experienced by the other Jedi. Yet there it was; lurking and waiting, a temptation that he knew he must never give in to.
Galen leaned back and took in a great gulp of air, trying to clear his mind of the visions that had assailed him. In times gone by, he had kept a diary of all these visions, but after years of that revealing nothing he had given up on that avenue of discovery. Now he was focusing more on accessing them through meditation, hoping that he would gain insight that way rather than through his dreams.
"A fat lot of good that's done me," he groused in annoyance. The visions came and went as they always had, leaving but vague memories and feelings, but no real understanding.
"Maybe that's just because you need more practice, boy."
Galen jerked up from his seat, standing to attention as he looked towards the doorway where the voice had come from.
"Master Kota," he said embarrassedly, flicking a glance at the chuckling master. "I didn't realise that you were there."
"I only just arrived," the older Jedi waved him off as he moved into the room to sit on one of the other stools. "I take it you are still having trouble with your visions?"
"Yes, Master," Galen admitted, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture. He had always been loath to admit weakness. "They are just as undecipherable as ever, even with meditation."
Master Kota just sat there, looking at him for a few moments, a contemplative look on his face. "Then perhaps it is the will of the Force that you do not know the meaning behind these visions," he said at length.
"But what use is that to me now?" Galen retorted, vexed by his lack of understanding.
"None whatsoever," Kota replied with a chuckle. "Be mindful that your frustration at the situation does not lead you to anger..."
"Because anger is a path to the Dark side, etcetera etcetera," Galen finished the popular Jedi saying.
"Exactly," Kota grinned. "It's good to see that Master Yoda's teachings haven't gone to waste on the younger generations."
"Only because it has been repeated so often that it's drilled into my skull, old man," Galen replied with his own grin, Kota's jovial attitude helping him to break out of his bad mood.
"Just try to keep up with your meditations," Kota added more seriously. "You never know, perseverance may yet bring you what you seek."
"Yes, Master."
"That said, I think that you've had more than enough meditation for today," Kota said with yet another mischievous grin. "Now that you've spent the best part of the morning sitting around, I feel that it's high time for some Lightsaber training."
"And here I thought the Jedi lifestyle was one of peace," Galen quipped as he stood up and stretched, treating the tension in his back from sitting around for so long.
"Alas that we two are men of action," Kota laughed as they headed to the door. "Now you get yourself down to the training room for lessons with Master Drallig."
"But Master Drallig refuses to train me in Juyo," Galen complained.
"He rarely teaches anyone Juyo," Kota pointed out. "Which is exactly why I've been tutoring you in it's usage. Besides, your a natural when it comes to Lightsaber combat, even if you do insist on using that silly reverse Grip."
"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's in any way inferior," Galen pointed out with a smirk. "And my point still stands; why bother practising with Master Drallig if he won't teach the form I'm learning?"
"Because there's nobody else available that has any knowledge of form seven," Kota replied. "I'd spar with you myself – Force knows I need something fun to do right now – but, unfortunately, I must attend a meeting with the Council about our next deployment."
"I take it we'll be leaving soon then?" Galen arched an eyebrow at his Master. "We off to anywhere interesting?"
"Seems that way, though I have no idea where we'll be headed," Kota admitted. "Although from what I've heard, General Grievous has launched a fresh assault upon the Bothan sector, so we could well end up heading there."
"Sounds good, I have to admit, I miss being able to join in on the action."
"Weren't you only just telling me the Jedi were meant to be peaceful?" Kota smirked good naturedly at him.
"Shut up, Master," Galen responded with an equally sardonic smile.
"Watch your cheek, boy. Now get on over to Master Drallig," Kota ordered him as they reached the point where they would part ways. "I'll not have it said that my apprentice backs down from a challenge. If Master Drallig doesn't want to teach you Juyo then tell him he's a son of a Hutt then beat the snot out of him."
"I'll get right on it, Master," Galen acknowledged, bowing his head slightly in a respectful farewell. "Enjoy your meeting."
"Try not to lose too badly," Kota replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'll see you soon."
With that, the older Jedi headed into an upwards bound elevator while Galen began his journey down to the lower levels to find Cin Drallig, the resident master and primary tutor of Lightsaber combat.
...~SW~...
...~SW~...
Galen stood back as a group of Initiates walked across the corridor he was traversing. The smiling faces and excitement as the Younglings moved off to their lessons reminded him of his own time as an Initiate, here at the Temple.
He had been a peculiar case, never quite fitting in with the other students. Some of the older Jedi, such as his teachers, had speculated that it was due to his advanced ability. Others had thought it was because of his tendency towards unsociability, as he would often ignore other children in favour of spending time alone. He himself thought it was more due to the Dark presence in the back of his mind; a force that he was constantly fighting on either a conscious or instinctual level to hold in check.
Whatever it was, these smiling faces were both reminiscent of him, yet completely different.
The Temple itself was exactly the same as it had been for the past decade and a half; the halls were lofty, grand, and filled with light. All the surfaces wither were smooth and polished to the point where, despite its beauty, the Temple felt as if it lacked personality. Having been at the temple since he was a toddler, Galen could remember little of whatever home he'd had before joining the order.
Clearing his mind of such distracting thoughts, Galen made his way to the training room, a large open room surrounded by statues of ancient Jedi, and with a viewing platform above the main floor.
Inside he found his quarry. Cin Drallig was busy sparring with his former apprentice, the recently Knighted Serra Keto. Galen watched from the entrance as the two Jedi danced around each other, both of them employing aspects from all seven of the classical forms of Lightsaber combat as well as adding their own distinct flairs.
Serra, for her part, was an ardent practitioner of the duel blade style of Jar'Kai and subsequently Niman style combat, which she used in conjunction with Ataru. Together, the forms allowed her to attack from just about any direction with an unrelenting flurry of strikes that would have overwhelmed most opponents in a matter of moments.
However, Cin Drallig was no lesser opponent, his own style of combat perfectly integrating aspects of Soresu for defending against Serra's more ferocious flurries with Djem So and Makashi attacks whenever she was in transition. Such was his mastery of the blade that despite Serra's unremitting offence, it always seemed as if she was the one losing ground to her former Master.
Galen was not fooled into trying to over analyse their Lightsaber styles in order to form a strategy to overcome them; he knew that both were well versed (to the point of mastery in the case of Cin Drallig) in all seven forms of Lightsaber combat and could seamlessly transition between them to best deal with any opponent.
Soon enough, however, their sparring match came to a close. Master Drallig leaping forward just as Serra went to feint to his left to strike at her with a ferocious string of Juyo attacks, forcing the Knight to adopt a much more defensive stance. With the speed and power of Drallig's attacks, Serra was effectively prevented from using Ataru, and soon the older Jedi was inside her guard, levelling precise Makashi strikes to disarm and disable his opponent.
"Ah, kriff!" the young woman swore as she bent to pick up her Lightsabers. "I thought I might have had you for a moment there."
"You need to work more on your defence," Master Drallig informed her sagely, as he clapped her on the shoulder. "But well fought, my old Padawan. That was no easy fight, and I can assure you that I was not holding back."
"Easy for you to say," she retorted with an affectionate smile for her old Master. "I'm sure I didn't get you to move an inch from where you wanted to be."
"No," Drallig admitted, "but you certainly made it difficult for me." He looked over to where Galen was leaning against the doorway. "And it seems we have a visitor."
Serra looked up too, arching an eyebrow at the young Apprentice. "Kota's Apprentice. It's Galen, right?"
"Indeed it is," he replied calmly.
"I take it your Master wants you to practice your blade work then?" Drallig interjected.
"You surmise correctly," Galen replied as he walked into the room.
"And you still have your sight set on Juyo?" the Master pressed.
Galen couldn't help but smirk a little; despite Drallig's constant refusal to train him in the seventh form, he had finally received the training he desired from Master Kota. "Indeed, my Master has been tutoring me in it's use."
Drallig made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a 'hmph' before glancing over to his former Apprentice. "In that case, why don't you pit your skills against Serra. I'm sure she'd enjoy some practice against a Juyo user."
"Force knows I need it after that last fight," Serra admitted with a light laugh.
Galen scowled at the Knight for a moment, he had really wanted to try his blade against Master Drallig. Then again, maybe it would be good practice to face off against the junior blade master.
Drawing his Lightsaber, he dialled down the settings and palmed the handle into his preferred reverse Shien grip. Opposite him, Serra readied her own blades.
While the two young Jedi prepared to face each other, Master Drallig moved off to the side so he could watch in much the same way that Galen had done earlier. "Begin!"
Galen and Serra sprang forth almost simultaneously; Galen using the force to propel himself forward as he went for a dashing strike while Serra sprang up, aiming to leap over his head and deliver a strike to his unprotected back.
Galen swung his blade behind him and twisted, only just blocking one of Serra's blades and dodging the other. The Knight swiftly capitalised on the opportunity and launched a blistering flurry of attacks while Galen was still on the defensive.
However Galen was (as Master Kota often remarked) a prodigy with a blade, and swiftly applied the principals of Djem So, to use hard parries and sweeping power attacks to dominate his foe. Soon it was Serra on the defensive, needing to use both of her Lightsabers simply to stop Galen's onslaught seriously reduced her offensive capacity.
Galen had always enjoyed combat. He didn't quite understand how or why, but when the adrenaline was flowing and he had an enemy to face, he would find himself slipping into styles of fighting that he had never been trained in. Yet despite this he was able to perfectly implement a verity of devastating attacks, such as a a swift yet powerful Shien attack that was not used by other Jedi.
His Lightsaber arced and slashed at a frightening pace as he forced Serra to give ground. He used his sheer presence and power to prevent her from attempting any of her favoured Ataru moves while at the same time switching to Juyo in order to completely overwhelm his foe.
"Shavit! You're fast!" Serra hissed as she narrowly dodged Galen's Lightsaber, immediately raising hers again in order to block his swift follow through attack.
"And you're impossible to hit!" Galen grunted as he reverted back to Djem So, launching another blistering assault.
Suddenly, Serra switched her own form to Juyo, managing to parry Galen's strike and launch her own counter attack, catching Galen off guard and forcing him to transition to Soresu in order to defend himself.
Seizing the moment, Serra leapt to the side, her blades scything through the air as she once again attempted to use the mobility of Ataru to full effect.
Realising that, despite his skill, Serra's experience and knowledge off all the forms made her a superior fighter, Galen resolved to try a different approach. From behind his solid defence, he drew the force in towards him and then, just as his focus on the force left an opening for Serra to exploit, he released the energy outwards in a powerful force repulse.
Serra was sent tumbling through the air and landed painfully on her back. Shaking her head in an attempt to make the world stop spinning, she looked up to see Galen leaping through the air towards her, Lightsaber aimed for a finishing blow. "Sithspit" she spat as she rolled to the side, swinging her Lightsabers out to block his attack.
However, Galen's attacks proved to be too much for the downed Knight and soon she found herself down to one Lightsaber. Managing to regain her feet, she attempted to summon her other blade but found, to her great shock, that Galen was using the Force to prevent her using her own powers.
They locked blades once more, and Galen pushed her back once again. Again and again they clashed until eventually Galen was able to counter one of her strikes and level a solid blow against her chest, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Breathing hard and staring down at his fallen foe, Galen was reminded of their spectator as he heard footsteps approaching him.
"Well then, Cin, it seems that my Apprentice has been holding out on us until now," Kota's said speculatively as he approached.
Galen spun around to face his Master, knocking out a respectful bow. "Master."
"Less of the formal stuff, boy," Kota waved him off in an attempt at nonchalance, although Galen could tell that beneath his calm façade, Kota was brimming with pride. "I see that you've grown strong in your knowledge of the force."
"Thank you, Master," Galen replied, relishing in the praise of his mentor.
"Indeed, you displayed great skill, young Galen," Master Drallig said more reservedly. "My only concern is that in your drive to dominate the battlefield, you stray too close to giving into anger and passion; especially with the use of Juyo."
"My Apprentice will not fall to the Dark side," Kota cut in abruptly, levelling a glare at the other Master. "I trust in his ability to moderate himself. When the time comes for him to be tested, I know he will not fall prey to the darkness."
"I meant no disrespect, Rahm," Drallig placated the other Jedi, his hands splayed in a calming position. "You have taught the boy well, and I am sure you are correct in your assessment of him. Yet, as with all things, his ultimate fate remains to be seen."
"Indeed," Kota replied flatly, arching an eyebrow and crossing his arms. "In any case, Galen and I are elsewhere. Force guide you, Master Drallig, Knight Keto." Kota nodded his farewell to the two Jedi, Galen copying him but substituted the nod for a more respectful bow.
Leaving the training hall, Kota and Galen headed towards the landing platform, both of them keeping a brisk, military pace.
"I take it our shore leave has come to an end then?" Galen questioned as they marched towards their destination.
"Right in one, boy," Kota replied. "We've been ordered to take the militia to Bothawui to assist General Skywalker in repelling the CIS forces attacking the planet."
"So your hunch about being sent to the Bothan sector was correct," Galen noted.
"Indeed it was," Kota acknowledged, his lips flicking upwards in a brief smile. "Best thing about all this is that we've finally been given a proper cruiser; a Venator."
"Sweet," Galen grinned. Kota's refusal to lead clones into battle had meant they were forced to rely on upgraded civilian class ships to move the militia from battle to battle. This was due largely to the Navy's reluctance to let go of one if its Star Destroyers to someone who wouldn't work with clones. It had been a problem that vexed Kota (and Galen by extension) to no end. "How'd you manage to wrangle that one?"
"Almost all the maintenance and gunnery crews are clones," Kota admitted with a frown. "About half the bridge staff, too."
"Well that sucks," Galan said. He wholly agreed with his Master's assessment of clone soldiers. Sure, they were smart, well trained, and loyal. But they lacked the ability to criticize their commanders when a bad call was made, and they were too stringent (almost droid like, not that you'd tell them that) in following orders and protocol. Also, due to there identical nature, once you learned how to beat one clone, you'd effectively figured out the weakness of the entire army.
"I'm sure it will be perfectly horrid," Kota grumbled. "I've already been forced to promise the Council not to discus the moral implications of the clone army with any of the bridge staff!"
"What a pity," Galen rolled his eyes. Another reason Kota didn't like the clones was because he felt the creation of living beings bred for the sole purpose of dying in a war they had no stake in was unethical to the highest degree. Although Galen could see his Master's point, he wasn't so up in arms about it, he was simply content not to fight at the head of a clone squad.
"Less cheek, boy," Kota levelled a mock scowl at him as they reached the hanger bay. Looking about they locked onto a (relatively) flashy looking speeder and had a quick game of Hutt, Trandoshan, Wookie (Hutt buys Trandoshan, which skins Wookie, which rips the arms off Hutt) in which Kota won the right to pilot the vehicle.
"So what do you know about General Skywalker?" Galen asked as they flew away from the Temple.
"He's got a reputation for getting the job done. He uses unconventional, high risk tactics that either work out extremely well, or kill off half of his troops. While the Council believes he's highly reckless, he has more than enough raw power to back up most of his actions." Kota answered as they sped through the Coruscant air.
"And your personal opinion?"
"Can wait until I've actually met him," Kota said firmly. "Despite any reservations about his character and leadership style, the fact remains that he and the 501st legion have an excellent track record."
"Fair enough," Galen shrugged. "At least he should make things interesting."
"We'll see about that," Kota smirked. "Speaking of interesting, I hear that his Padawan uses the same ridiculous reverse grip as you do."
"You're just jealous because you suck at Shien," Galen teased his mentor.
"Envy leads to the Dark side," Kota retorted with a smile.
"Sure thing, Master Yoda," Galen rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, I think you should get to know Skywalker's Padawan. Go make flower chains, or whatever it is you kids do with your time," Kota picked up on his earlier thread, flicking an amused glance at his Apprentice.
"You're such a dick, Master," Galen retorted, once again rolling his eyes at his mentor's attempt at humour.
"And you're completely flaccid," Kota said amusedly, picking up on a whole new line of silliness (and causing Galen to facepalm).
"Forget it! Forget it," Galen knew from experience that it was best to stop Kota before he got ahead of himself. "What's this Padawan's name, anyway?"
"Tano. Ahsoka Tano."
...~SW~...
...~SW~...
Author's Note
Thanks for all those who read to the end of this chapter. This is my first foray into writing Star Wars fanfic, so tell me what I did wrong (or right, for that matter). I'd particularly appreciate any advice on how to write Lightsaber battles; so be sure to leave a review.
I've read a couple of Galen/Ahsoka fics before and thought I'd try my hand at it. I have a full plan for a 28 chapter story and hope to break some new ground (conceptually at least) over the course of this fic.
Thanks again,
blddmn