Chapter 4: The Duel
~RR~
The next day, Tallen walked with Zera to their first class, on a bright a sunny day through the main halls. From a distance, they could see all of their classmates gathered around something, and Zera and Tallen could only look to one another with curiosity before running to see what the commotion was about. A few other students giggled and pointed at them when they arrived, which only prompted further confusion.
"I sense something," Zera furrowed her brow anxiously. "I don't know what, but I think it has something to do with me."
Tallen grew serious.
"Wait here," he commanded with an authoritative arm. He parted his way through the crowd as Zera lingered behind.
"What's going on?" Tallen demanded to know. Shem, the classmate in front and center, held a small handheld tablet, with some files marking the screen. He turned it to show Tallen.
"My Master granted me special access to the Initiate files," Shem boasted with his head held high.
A closer look at the screen, and Tallen could now see it was a picture of Zera of when she first arrived at the Temple.
"I didn't know they plucked up your friend Zera from the pleasure district in the Outer Rim… When were you going to tell us she was a slave?"
A few more laughs were heard, and Shem smiled cockily. Tallen was visibly fuming. That stupid grin on his face, taunting him. Tallen could feel the burning in his chest, growing until he wanted to explode.
Calmly, Tallen motioned for Shem to give him the tablet. Shem seemed hesitant at first, but after Tallen nodded reassuringly, gesturing some more, Shem slowly handed it over. The moment that the tablet left the hold of Shem's fingertips, Tallen threw a swing square into Shem's eye.
Shem fell backward with a loud crash, even though a gasping hush swept the gathered crowd. Tallen then lifted the tablet with both hands, and brought it crashing down onto his knee, causing it to shatter in half. Shem jumped back in surprise, looking at Tallen incredulously.
"Your access has been revoked," Tallen explained, tossing the two broken pieces onto Shem's torso. The two pieces sparked and smoked in protest on the floor.
"What did you do that for?" Shem huffed, holding his hurt eye. "Sheesh, I was only teasing, Tallen! Calm yourself!"
"You will not speak of this ever again," Tallen warned, then turned to the small gathered crowd. "This is your fellow classmate and I will not stand for her being demeaned."
Tallen roughly pushed past the last remaining students in his way and headed back for Zera waiting for him in the distance.
"What was that all about?" Zera asked with bewilderment.
"Nothing," Tallen lied, eyeing Shem from across the hall.
In the distance, Master Shaak Ti was barreling down a hallway towards them, and the students dispersed into the classroom quickly. Tallen stood still. He knew she was marching for him.
"You," she said with a stern voice and a finger pointed at his nose. "Go immediately to the Detention Hall. Lots more chores for you today. Someday, you'll actually get to have a lesson with me, Mister Dantes."
~RR~
Tallen scrubbed at the droids in the dark underground of the Temple tunnels, where the droids would go to power down for the night. He was on his sixth droid, and he had fourteen more to do before he was allowed to return to training, return to his friends, or even get food.
He despised this tedious work, as the Jedi Master clearly could afford to buy a droid wash system, but kept this medieval way of cleaning their robotics slaves in order to 'build character' for the more tempestuous students like himself. He knew they would be checking every nook and cranny on their metal for any sign of a spot he missed, or they would add to the number of droids he had to clean, so he had to be sure he was thorough.
He sensed him before he was present. It was his Master, Plo Koon. Tallen paused in his furious scrubbing, to hide his face in embarrassment of being caught down here again.
Master Koon grabbed a nearby crate and turned it over in order to take a seat down on it. Tallen could hear his long, unnatural breath underneath his mask, letting the silence dominate the room for a moment before he spoke.
"We've had this conversation many times before."
Tallen didn't speak, just waited for his Master to go on.
"Do you remember when you were a Youngling, and you had such a clear disdain for being at the Temple that no Master would take you as a Padawan?"
"They were going to reassign me to the Service Corps.," Tallen hotly replied through his shame.
"That's it…" Master Koon nodded as if remembering for himself, though Tallen knew him well enough to know that this was a ruse he played at to lure him into a conversation. He fell for it every time.
"Do you remember why?"
Tallen hung his head. This was a conversation they had at least four times a year. Usually, in this exact spot.
"They said I was unfit for the Jedi Path," Tallen rattled off with impatience, going back to his scrubbing with a renewed sense of vigor. "But you said I had too much potential to waste."
"They said you were too arrogant," Master Koon corrected, and even though Tallen couldn't see his face through his breathing apparatus, he could sense his smiling. "Too angry. You threw a tantrum when Master Windu chose Zera and not you. You made it extremely known that being Force sensitive was a curse to you, and that the Temple was the last place you wanted to be. It seemed obvious to assume you would wander the darker path. But you know why I chose you."
Tallen froze. Master Koon reached over and grabbed the scrubbing towel out of his hands and put it back into the wash bucket. Tallen rolled his eyes and clenched his fists again.
"You said that 'to give me up to the groundskeepers without at least a try at making you see the benefits of balance would have been an awful waste'."
"Yes, Tallen," Plo Koon nodded. "You know the story well enough by now. I heard what you did today, in defense of your friend. When will you learn that hurting others will not take away your own hurt?"
Tallen leaned his head onto the metal of the astro droid for support, and went silent once again. Master Koon stood and motioned for Tallen to follow him.
"Come along. You are dismissed from detention for the day."
Tallen looked to his Master with surprise, but didn't question it. He just left with him before he could change his mind.
~RR~
Tallen ran through the courtyard in search of Zera, but hadn't been able to find her all morning. He finally spotted her on the roof of the astronomy building, in the meditation area. Usually, this area was filled with other Padawans meditating together in silence, but for once the scenic spot was empty save for Zera. Tallen guessed everyone else must be knee-deep in books studying, it being close to the end of year testings.
"Something's on your mind," Tallen could easily assume. She peeked open her eyes for a moment, before sighing audibly and gathering herself to stand.
"I have to duel with Anakin later today," Zera informed. "Why would they match me against the Chosen One? I am way out of my league and I'll only embarrass myself."
She gripped her forehead in frustration, and Tallen immediately put her hand down from her face.
"Why wouldn't it be you?" Tallen countered. "You practice your trainings about a thousand times a day. I think Anakin should be the one scared, not you."
Zera looked to Tallen with grateful eyes, the edges of her serious mouth poking out to a smile, something she didn't easily give out.
Zera held her training saber loosely in her grasp, twirling it to get reacquainted with the weight. Anakin smiled tauntingly at her, his confidence purposefully intimidating her. She kept her fade straight, devoid of expression, and concentrated on the duel. Many eyes watched with full attention from the area seating, some leaning forward with interest and some eating nonchalantly. Zera could swear she saw credits get passed between one pair. Even her own Master had shown up to watch, his brow furrowed in concentration. Tallen looked very anxious, which is exactly how she felt.
She felt the sweat gathering in her palms around the hilt of the saber. These were Level Three training sabers, the most dangerous kind, and she was well aware that they would hurt greatly if they connected. She waited for Master Kenobi's word to fight. She tried to focus herself, feeling the Force drifting in the air around her, filling her lungs as she breathed it in.
She felt Anakin move to strike before he even reached for his lightsaber. She blocked him with ease, as defense had always been her strongest point. But he left no opening for attack himself. She parried and kept her eyes open, jumping back when she had to, going in for the lunges when she saw them.
But he was fast, and she was quickly realizing that there was something surrounding him that was inhibiting her judgment. An aura of projected confusion, almost like the weight she felt when a Sith Inquisitor was near.
He was started to overwhelm her and panic began to poke at her brain. She fought to keep it away, to maintain her center, but he was so fast…
Tallen bit his nails with worry, watching Anakin come at Zera like was truly attempting to kill her. Surely, this wasn't how the duels were supposed to be held. Surely, Anakin was going at this all wrong, taking it a bit too far. The intent in his eyes was terrifying, and Tallen knew those Level Threes could do some real harm to Zera. Anakin was starting to yell as he hammered down strike after strike on Zera, and it was all she could do to defend herself.
Until, Anakin finally connected with her, and Zera wailed out in pain. Through her scream, Tallen flew to his feet, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"ZERA!"
A hush fell over the crowd. Every Master in the room exchanged glances at one another, as if having important conversations with their eyes. Tallen began to regret his dramatic reaction, but still indignantly persisted as Zera did not rise from the floor, angrily shoving his way through the crowd.
Master Koon rushed to his Padawan, pushing on his shoulders to try and get him to sit back down in a seat, but Tallen wouldn't have it.
"Why do you coerce your students into hurting another student—this is ludicrous!" Tallen yelled.
"Tallen, sit down," Plo Koon said gently.
"Can't you see how ridiculous this is!" Tallen insisted, and now Master Koon stepped in front of him authoritatively.
"Tallen Dantes, SIT. DOWN."
Tallen slowly relaxed his white knuckled fists, feeling his Master inducing a calming effect over him, one of his specialties.
Tallen finally glanced around the room, realizing all eyes were on him. He locked gazes with Zera, who was bleeding purple blood from the strike to the head, but was holding a cloth to the wound, surrounded by medics. She never looked more concerned before.
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-RedRogue
