"What was that about you making me pay?" Kai asked coyly as he stood at ease while Mical once again walked over to pick his vibroblade. "You know, I hear chain dancers are in high demand on Nal-Hutta right now."
"While I'm sure you could teach me all I would need to know for it, Kai, no thanks," Mical grumbled as he walked back to his starting position.
Lugo chuckled in amusement. "Well at least your ability to think of a comeback is improving if nothing else."
The pair of friends had been practicing blocks for near half-an-hour now, with the raven-haired Guardian relentlessly putting the pressure on Mical to keep his guard up.
"Alright, your best is three consecutive blocks," Kai remarked as he lifted his own weapon up from his side. "Think you can get to four before your blade flies from your hands?"
"Only if you quit cheating."
"Cheating? How am I cheating?"
"You keep circling me while you attack. How am I supposed to properly block your blade when I can't see where it's coming from half the time?"
"Oh-for-the-love-of... what do you want me to do, Mical? Approach you slowly from the front and attack you from the same position every time?"
"Is that so much to ask?"
"I don't know. When next you're about to be engaged by someone who's trying to kill you, you ask them to be fair and predictable and see how they react. Maybe they'll also be generous enough to turn off any shields they have on as well."
Sometimes it felt like this kid deserved to be flicked on the head until the skin between his eyes went raw. "Are you ready yet or not?"
"I'm ready, I'm ready," Mical shot back, falling again into his stance. "I'll get four blocks this time."
"Yeah right, and I'll make Master by the end of the week," Lugo countered as he prepared to attack once again.
"Excuse me," a voice cut in before they two friends could commence.
Turning about, Kai found a Padawan near his own age standing behind him – a girl with long, dark-red hair and deep-brown eyes. "Yes?"
The girl seemed to become standoffish from the sound of the young Guardian's voice. "I... uh... your name is Kai Lugo, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Kai replied evenly, unsure of what this was about. "Can I help you?"
"No... uh," she brought her arms before her and began to intertwine her fingers, as though she was extremely anxious about something. "I... I'm Ryala, and I... we-"
She then looked off to the side of the room at a pair of female students standing together who were apparently watching them. Almost as immediately as Kai noticed them, the pair seemed to retract from his attention, lowering their eyes and turning their heads as if his gaze somehow made them uncomfortable.
"We saw your match the other day against Revan," Ryala continued, a tremble within her voice proclaiming her hesitance to speak. "And we... well – we wanted to say, um..."
Lugo suddenly thought he knew what this was about. "I see..."
The girl's eyes jumped up then. "Huh?"
"I am sorry about what happened," Kai added, feeling as though he understood why he was being approached like this.
"Sorry?" Ryala muttered, now seeming to be the confused one. "Sorry for what?"
"For having done something so reckless and dangerous," Kai replied evenly. "We shouldn't have taken it to such a level, and I'm sorry if it bothered you or anyone else."
The teenage girl looked upon Lugo with a taken-aback gaze in her eyes. Her expression quickly changed into an amused smile as she covered her mouth in order restrain her laughter.
Kai could not think what it was that she found so funny.
"That's not it," she explained. "We just wanted to say that you were pretty amazing during that fight - the way you held your own so adamantly."
The girl seemed to become very anxious then as she realized what she had said. "I mean...! It was an amazing match – with you being one of the strongest-! I mean... not that it matters! Jedi aren't about being strong! There about being wise and smart and... ! But you are amazing for a Padawan. And brave, the way you defended your friend against Bandon that time."
Kai remained silent with crooked eyebrows as the girl continued, not for the life of him having any idea what it was that she was trying to say.
"I mean...! It was a kind thing for you to do! Not that Jedi aren't expected to defend their friends! Well, not from other Jedi, but it was really brave of you to stand up to Bandon the way you did that time – even though you apparently were so much stronger than him, given your fight with Revan. But it was still nice."
She didn't seem to want to stop talking long enough for him to get a word in – going from one mangled sentence to the next without pause. All-the-while, Kai continued to look at her with confusion in his expression.
"And we couldn't believe that match you had the other day – with you and Revan fighting the way you did, and how you managed to stand up to him. He's actually a nice person, but a little self-absorbed most of the time, training alone at night rather than with anyone. I guess that's to be expected, since he's one of the prodigal students here."
"O... kay..." Did she approach him just to talk about Revan? "I... don't mean to be rude, but I really need to get back to training-"
"- actually, that's why we wanted to talk to you," Ryala immediately said without missing a beat. "We were wondering if you... um, well if you would like us- I mean! Not that you like us, what I meant was... would you like training... with your friend too. It would be really nice, really, and you're really good, and we'd like to, and you're really cute, and we never get... never get, uh..."
Ryala's expression changed right then from being extremely anxious to being utterly shocked, a redness suddenly crawling it's way up her neck to fill her face. "I... uh... I got to..."
Without another word, the teenage girl turned on her heel and quickly walked off in the direction of her friends, who huddled around her once she reached them.
Kai merely stared blankly in her direction for a long moment, completely dumbfounded as to what had just happened. She had started to ramble on to the point that Lugo was losing his ability to follow what she had been saying, and before he knew what to think, she walked away in a hurried pace.
"What was that about?" Mical asked as he walked up to his friend, having been waiting patiently the whole time at a hearing distance.
"I have no idea," Lugo replied in all honesty. He then proceeded to turn back around, intent on continuing where they had left off. As he did though, his eyes caught sight of something a bit strange.
More than a few of the other students were looking in his direction, but quickly turned away once they noticed his attention.
Kai could only continue to furrow his brow in confusion, at a loss as to why this day just seemed to be getting weirder by the minute. He decided to ignore it. "Let's just get back to it, Mical."
"Yeah, sure," the youngling agreed, turning about and walking back to his starting position. He then raised his weapon to the ready. "Four it is this time."
Kai twirled his vibrostaff for a second, getting the blood flowing withing his muscles once again and his mind back on the task at hand, then fell within his own stance. "Alright, here we-"
"Excuse me, Kai Lugo?" Another voice cut into the young Guardian's train of thought, causing him to grumble under his breath. This was getting annoying really quick.
Once again turning about, Lugo, to his surprise, came to find a group of five students waiting for him. The one who called out to him stood in front of the rest, a teenage Zeltron, his skin of almost a blood-red hue.
"Nice to meet you, Kai. I'm Rad Teizz," the young alien proclaimed with a confident tone and a cheerful demeanor, bluntly sticking his hand out at the young Guardian.
Kai paused for a moment before slowly raising his hand to shake the Zeltron's, eying the other students in the group as he did: two human boys, a girl, and a female Nagai.
"We wanted to say congrats on that fight of yours with Revan. That was really impressive, the way you managed to handle yourself against him," Rad added. "So is it true what they've been saying – that you've been trained in combat by Master Kavar on Coruscant?"
The way he spoke Kavar's name – it almost seemed to imply a sense of reverence for the Jedi Master. "I learned what I know of combat from Kavar, yes."
"I knew it," one of the boys replied with vindication. "I knew it was true."
"I can't believe it," the other one stated with a shake of his head. "Even I've partitioned for combat training under him. He never accepted."
"Obviously our friend here was more up to his standard," the Zeltron replied with surety in his conclusion as he looked back upon Lugo. "Given what we saw in the arena, I'm not surprised."
This again? First Mical, then that girl Ryala, and now this? Why was everyone making a big deal out of that match he had against Revan? It was a stupid, meaningless fight, nothing more. "Listen, uh, we really need to get back to our training."
"Training, yes!" Teizz stated with zest in his voice. "That's what we wanted to ask you about. We were hoping you would be willing to training with us."
"Train with you?" Kai echoed back, at a loss for why he was being approached like this.
"Actually," the Nagai interjected, seeming a bit standoffish, "We were hoping that you might be able to provide us some guidance."
"What, I..." Kai suddenly noted the flare of enthusiasm that sparked with the eyes of the group. They apparently really wanted this. "I'm not a-"
"We're not asking you to give us a full lesson," Rad quickly clarified, holding his open hands out in front of him as to appear less invasive in his mannerisms, something Kai appreciated as he was uncomfortable from such forceful attention. "Just, you know, maybe show us how you did some of the things you did during that match you had."
Why were people bringing it up as if it was something to be impressed by? So he hold his own in a scruff... who cared? It was not as if he was particularly skilled in the ways of the Force, or the ways of the Jedi. Regardless, he was not interested in playing tutor anymore today, having had enough of it this morning.
"I'd like that too," interjected a small voice.
Kai spun around to find Mical standing idly behind him, looking up at him with a somewhat excited expression, which left the green-eyed Guardian even more perplexed. "Wait, what about your training?"
"We can continue with it tomorrow," the young boy replied dismissively towards the concern. "And I'd really like to try something different."
Different? The kid couldn't hold his weapon after three strong attacks, and already he wanted to move on to something else?"
"There, you see – no problem," Rad added. "So what do you say? One lesson?"
Looking back upon his young friend and then upon the Zeltron and his companions, Lugo breathed out a heavy sigh of defeat. He couldn't say he really wanted to do this, but with even Mical vying for it. "Alright, everyone grab a vibroblade and follow me. We're going to need some room."
The group of five students quickly walked off towards the nearest weapon stand, leaving Kai and Mical alone once again for a moment.
"You just couldn't make it to four, could you?"
The youngling looked up upon his sempai, his eyes even and steady. But the grin on his lips gave him away.
"Go put this away," Lugo commanded with superiority in his voice as he lightly tossed his own vibroblade to the child.
{(-)}
"Come to Dantooine?"
Even though Kavar stood as nothing more than a translucent, bluish figure on Quatra's desk, the uncertainty in his expression was easy to make out even in his miniature proportion. For Quatra was telling him that he was needed at the Enclave.
That could not bode well for the young Guardian.
"What happened?"
"We're not certain," the young woman replied, the stress evident in her voice. As she sat at her desk, the young Master fumbled with a note in her hands. "Atris has retreated to the Enclave's temple and is refusing any visitors at the time. She has stated that something distressing has befallen her and requires isolation until she can come to terms with it."
"Something distressing? What does that mean?"
"She didn't say. She only states that it is something she must deal with on her own."
Quatra looked away then, the stress on her face increasing ever slightly, enough for the Guardian to notice. "She also says that..."
"What?"
The young teacher looked back upon her friend then. "That Kai is responsible for this somehow... and that he needs to be kept away from her..."
Kavar's eyes became grave as his expression became hard. A worrisome silence fell between the two Jedi Masters as they contemplated the consequences of such words. Severe consequences...
"I'll be on a shuttle within the hour."
With that, the hologram of the warrior faded out, leaving Quatra sitting the darkness of her room alone. Alone to think on what was to come now when the other Masters learned of this.
She had only just discovered the source of Kai's unique nature, and the reason why he welcomed suffering unto himself. She had only barely begun attempting to think of how they could help him overcome it, and save him from the death he subconsciously coveted.
Was it already too late?
…
She needed to get back to the Council Chamber before the other Masters and Lugo arrived.
{(-)}
They had moved to a more open area of the training grounds – among many small groups that dotted the proximity. It was enough for them to each have enough space for practice. Mical took to a spot close to where Lugo stood at the front, visibly excited but a little nervous that this all may prove over his head.
"Alright," Kai muttered with a heavy breath, not sure exactly what he planned to do. "Was there anything specific that you wanted to try?"
Rad and the others looked amongst each other then. It took only a moment before one of the two human boys called out. "How about that first technique you used? Can we try that?"
"What one was that?" Kai asked, his own memory of the fight not really intricate in detail, as fast and as intimate as it had been.
"I remember," Mical replied, "It was when you made your first approach on Revan – where you kinda... just appeared right in front of him."
"Yeah, that's the one," the Padawan affirmed.
"Oh, that," Lugo muttered with partial disinterest in the topic. "It's not as impressive as you might think. It's a matter of taking the Force Speed technique and super-charging it for a moment. Some have called it Force Dash, but I don't think it really has a name."
Kai himself had learned of it more on a whim than anything intended, having experimented with the Force Speed ability to the point of discovering this further means of use.
"It's kinda interesting," he went on to add, "the hard part's not starting the technique. It's stopping yourself without loosing control."
The young Guardian recalled the first time he successfully attempted the maneuver, no one had informed him that he needed to use the Force to stop as well, resulting in a rather humiliating display at the Coruscant Temple of him crashing into a group of Jedi Masters that had been touring the training grounds. From what he heard, Kavar was using the incident as an example to warn other Padawans from such ill-fated attempts.
Kai looked in the direction of the student who first mentioned it. "I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."
The teenage boy seemed almost surprised that Lugo was addressing him directly. "Me? I'm Hess Terrinson." He then pointed to the girl and other boy in the group. "That's Minasa Oppar and Ectan Javere, and the Nagai is Aza Vazzieh."
"Nice to meet all of you." Lugo politely nodded to each of the other members of the group in turn. "Hess, stand about right there, facing me."
The young Guardian pointed to a spot on the ground about ten feet away from him.
The Padawan complied without question, taking to the spot and looking back at Kai.
"Alright, watch carefully." Kai then took a deep, cleansing breath before slowly bending his knees as though he were about to sprint into a run. In an act that had somewhat become second-nature to him, he gathered the energies of the Force within his body, just enough to sustain the Force Speed technique. Feeling the rumble within his muscles as the energy remained constant, he then pulled forth even more, focusing the excess into the muscles of his legs. Once he had that, he released the power in a quick burst, launching himself forward.
The ground seemed to race by beneath his feet in that single instance, though he was only partially aware of it. Almost immediately he then countered that very same momentum with the Force, effectively using it to grab at his own body and bring himself to an immediate stop, right in front of where Terrinson was stranding.
As drawn out as it may have seemed to him, to the Padawans surrounding him, it had been in the span of less than a second.
Hess jumped back in fright at finding Lugo now standing right in front of him, the force of the air hitting him in recognition of the speed in which the green-eyed student had been moving. "What the hell!"
"See?" Kai calmly spoke, holding his arms out next to him. "It's nothing too difficult, barely requiring that much more energy than what it takes to lift a fifty-pound rock in the air."
His words seemed to do little to relieve the look of amazement the younger Padawan was giving him. Turning about, Kai found the rest of the group giving him similar expressions, Mical as well.
…In fact, now that he looked closely, he spotted that more than a couple of the other students surrounding them were looking at him with the same enraptured gazes.
"Okay..." Kai said as he attempted to ignore the looks he was getting. "Now that you're seen it up close, who wants to give it a try?"
The looks of amazement he was getting from the group quickly changed then, but not for the better. They now looked at him as if he had told a bad joke.
He did not understand their hesitance. "What's wrong?"
"What makes you think we're ready to do anything like that?" Rad asked for the rest of the group.
"Hey, you're the ones who wanted me to show you how," Kai countered, "and it's not that hard. If you can do the Force Speed technique, then you'll be able to do the dash after a little practice."
Now they were looking at him like he had just missed the point.
It took him a second to realize it.
"Wait... are you saying none of you know how to use Force Speed?"
A heavy silence was all the response Kai received, along with evasive eyes.
"Well... I guess that kinda makes this lesson pointless," the young Guardian proclaimed with a sour grunt, not understanding why any of them would not know what he considered such a fundamental ability. "So what do you know then?"
"Pushing, pulling, lifting, most of the basic techniques" Minasa answered for the rest, "Though Aza's been studying how to use the Mind Trick lately."
"Really?" Kai found himself slightly intrigued by this as such a technique was not something he had much experience with. He looked over to the Nagai. "You can use the Mind Trick?"
The young alien turned her eyes downward, seemingly becoming uncomfortable as the young Guardian spoke directly to her. "Yes, I can."
"I'd like to see it, if you don't mind."
Vazzieh gracefully passed her open hand in front of her. "You don't really want to see it."
"Nevermind," Kai said with a disinterested tone. "I guess I don't really want to see it."
Suddenly for a reason that was beyond Lugo, the other humans in the group and the Zeltron bursted out into intense laughter, with Minasa walking over and giving Aza a light pat on the shoulder, causing the Nagai to smile with more confidence.
"Okay..." Kai muttered, desiring to move on as everyone calmed back down. "So what else would you want to try?"
"How about one of your lightsaber forms," suggested Ectan.
"Lightsaber forms – okay." That was something he felt more comfortable trying to teach anyway. "So what one's do you already know."
"Shii-cho and Soresu, mostly" Rad replied, "We get to practice Makashi a little bit, but the Masters generally don't like Padawans learning how to fight each other."
"Alright. Any other?"
No one in the group responded then, which made it easier for Kai.
"Good, then everyone get in a spot with plenty of space and we'll get started."
The group of students obeyed, each moving to position with a decent amount of distance between each other as when they practice with their actual lightsabers.
This was easily a field of expertise in which Kai knew he had an abundant amount of knowledge, at least for a Padawan, so he would not have trouble in giving some introductory level guidance. But as he thought a bit more on it, he realized that it was probably not a good idea for him to try teaching some of the more... intense forms. Kavar had warned him before that some of the techniques he had been taught by the famed Jedi Guardian were not abilities that he should flaunt. That likely included him attempting to show them to his fellow Padawans. Still, he had other tricks.
"Everybody ready? Good." Reaching behind him and beneath his robe, Kai drew forth his own weapon. And even though they had all seen it before, the group of Padawans were each still fascinated by the double-bladed lightsaber.
"Hey, how do I get one of those," Hess asked with covetous eyes?
"By proving to your Master that you won't accidentally kill yourself with it," Kai answered flatly.
With all the training he had been doing the vibroblades as of late, Lugo honestly missed having the opportunity to use a weapon more to his preference.
"Now, I'm going to show you some basic stances and maneuvers for the style Shien, which is a form designed to deflect attacks, but with more offensive capabilities."
Kai figured it a good form to introduce, given their training in Soresu. It would be slightly familiar to them, yet also present them with something new as well.
Pressing down one of the activation plates, a single energy blade of blue light sprung forth from the young Guardian's weapon. He still wasn't a big fan of the color.
"Alright, this form can use the standard, centered stance," Kai explained, taking to the position by holding his lightsaber with both hands, placing his feet evenly apart, and holding the beam outward in front of him. "But I myself prefer the secondary stance, which involves holding the weapon behind you with only your dominant hand."
The green-eyed tutor then spun the blade about within his left hand, reversing his grip upon it and placing the blade behind his back. The group, after taking a second to study what it was that their teacher had actually done, began to attempt to mimic him, albeit without the flashy spinning of their own weapons. It took a second for some, but they each eventually took to the position.
"You'll notice that my body and feet have also shifted to where my torso is held at an angle and my legs are more horizontally apart than vertically," Kai continued, "This stance is understandably less balanced than the other, but it does come with some significant advantages if practiced with care. First and foremost, it's easier to run this way if you've got to close a long distance between you and your opponent. Secondly, it grants you a psychological tactic."
"Psychological tactic?" Hess echoed. "What psychological tactic?"
"Well, suppose I was an enemy," Kai explained, "and you are planning to attack me. Tell me – which stance would you be less indulged to attack - this," Kai quickly switched back to the standard stance. A second later he switched back to the secondary stance with the blade behind him. "Or this."
Thinking about it like that, the Padawan realized that indeed he would feel more inclined to attack when Lugo was in the second position.
"People feel less threatened when they don't see a weapon's being pointed at them, even if they are aware that you have one," Kai explained with an amused smile. "It's a feeble ruse that the untrained are likely to fall for by being overly reckless in their assaults."
From the nods the other students were giving him, apparently his explanation was resonating.
"Alright, now lets practice the basic maneuver of the form." Turning around once again, the young Guardian fell back into his stance. In a motion that he had practiced for more days than he cared to remember, the trained swordsman quickly swung the lightsaber out in front of him, spinning it about on his right and left side, then bringing it back behind him. "Once you get that maneuver down, the rest become a simple matter of combining techniques as required by your situation: whether your parrying a melee attack and countering-"
As he often did when practicing alone, Kai visualized an aggressor running up upon him and attacking with a blade. He then performed the move once again, this time shifting his body about as if deflecting an attack towards his right and following through with a wide horizontal swipe upon the imaginary enemy, and finishing off back in first position.
" -or, as is more common with this form," he continued, "facing off against a bunch of blaster wielders."
A gang of thugs now stood before the green-eyed Padawan, a weapon in each hand pointed at him. Reacting as he had trained himself to do, Kai activated the other blade of the lightsaber. The group responded in kind, letting loose a barrage of blaster bolts in his direction.
Using Shien in conjunction with the advantage of twin blades, Kai twirled his saberstaff about him, deflecting each shot and taking out two of the thugs in the process. The three still standing were prepared to lay out another series of blasts, but Kai was not about to give them the opportunity, using Force Dash to place himself crouching in front of the center bandit, and running him through in the process. The two remaining in close proximity on either side realized that their quarry had the drop on them and attempted to level off their shots. One moved faster than the other, getting his weapon leveled off fast enough to place a well-aimed blast. But Kai did not remain still long enough for it to reach him, jumping into the air and spinning his weapon about, managing to slash through the chest of the enemy to his left on his way up. He then flipped midair and quickly came back down, deflecting one last blast before slashing across the face of the final enemy and finishing back in first position of the Shien form.
"And that's all there is to it." Deactivating his weapon and taking a relaxed stance, Kai smiled slightly to himself, feeling that he had provided a good example of how versatile the Shien form could prove.
Turning back around though, he found that group's reaction was not what he expected. Almost every one of them stood stiff with the mouths slightly open and their eyes wide, save for the Nagai who was self-aware enough to keep her mouth closed.
Not only that, but apparently several other students had walked over and joined the bunch, Ryala and her two friends among them, whilst Lugo had been preoccupied, taking the congregation to eleven, each of which also carried a practice blade indicating that they intended to take part, and most of which shared in the reaction of the original six.
"Uh," Kai murmured in anxiety at such attention. "Is something wrong?"
"What do you think you're doing?"
People seemed to have a thing for coming up and talking to his turned back, Kai begrudgingly noted as he now turned about to face yet another individual who deigned to invade upon him with such an aggressive query.
Of course it was yet another Padawan – a teenage boy with rustic hair and a rather sour demeanor – standing with his arms at his side and a surprisingly aversive gaze for someone Lugo had never met before.
"This isn't a place for exhibition," the unknown student added with just as much venom in his voice. "Stop being a distraction."
"Oh, knock it off, Reiko," Rad spoke up, "did you see what he did?"
"I saw, and I also saw a bunch of students standing around gawking when they should be working on their own forms and technique."
Who was this guy, Kai silently asked himself while casting the interloper a distasteful look? Presenting himself as stern and superior, and looking upon the young Guardian and the rest as though they were somehow at fault. Kai almost found himself drawing a comparison between this one and Atris, but was reluctant as even Atris had more class in her manner than this one expressed. If she had spoken against them for such a thing, Lugo knew she would have done so with the interest of holding to a standard of how Jedi should act. Yet Kai got the sense that this guy just wanted to badmouth them.
"They wanted me to show them a few different techniques," the Kai calmly replied. However the rusty-haired Padawan seemed almost insulted that he had spoken at all.
"Are you a knight, or a Master then," Reiko shot back in a belittling tone. "Are you qualified to be attempting to teach anyone anything? Have you been given permission to teach such techniques to other students, or even to childishly show them off?"
This guy was getting on Kai's nerves surprisingly quick. "I'm not teaching them anything. All I did was show some of the more advanced forms. I don't need permission for that."
"No, you just do whatever you feel like, isn't that right," the hazel-eyed Padawan shot back, "You and Revan, fighting each other like animals for no reason other than to indulge your aggression... That he is also an Apprentice to one of the Council Members perplexes me to no end. He does not deserve such recognition, and neither do you for your simpleminded ways."
Simpleminded? Who the hell did this guy - wait... "You're an Apprentice to one of the Masters?"
"He is Vrook's Padawan - Reiko Vynn," Aza answered. "He has been the Jedi Master's student for over three years now, I believe."
"Three and a half, Nagai," Vynn sternly corrected, keeping his attention focused directly on Lugo.
Kai's expression twisted to one of uncertainty. "Vrook has an Apprentice...?"
"Indeed," Reiko's eyes sharpened in response, glaring at the young Guardian as though it were such an imbecilic question. "My Master chose me from among many who desired his personal instruction, and I am honored by his guidance."
He was no Revan, that much was certain, but Kai was unsure if that was a good thing. He was certainly more annoying than the prodigal student proved to be, and with a much more potent ego.
"All of you should get back to your individual studies," the command came forth from Vynn as though he expected others to listen to him without question. He then looked back at Lugo. "And as for you – you've been a major distraction more than once. Stop it or the Masters will be informed of how you chronically interfere in our training sessions. Am I clear?"
Now the guy was threatening him? Kai was not one to take to anger, but this Apprentice was really rubbing him the wrong way. "Hey, if someone important has a problem with what we're doing, I'd like for them to tell me instead of some Padawan who probably forgets half the time which end of a lightsaber is up."
Though it had not been Kai's intention, the group standing behind him broke out into snickering, knowing that they should not take amusement from such statements, but unable to stop themselves completely from laughing.
Reiko's face hardened for a moment, obviously angered by such a slanderous remark, but he attempted to hide it behind cold, motionless eyes. "Such immature mockery only shows your own failings as a Jedi, Padawan Lugo."
"Is that so?" Kai shot back, "well, so far, you've called all of us childish, reckless, irresponsible, and pretty much downright idiotic. Not in so few words, but through cowardly implication, like someone too afraid to say what they really mean."
No one laughed this time. Teasing was one thing – calling someone a coward was quite another.
Distaste quickly changed to barely suppressed rage within Reiko's eyes, to which Kai showed no response physically or otherwise. He cared nothing for what anger this Apprentice of Vrook felt towards him, only that he presumed to belittle the lot of them on the basis that he did not approve of what they were doing. Did he believe that being the Apprentice of one of the Council Members afforded him such arrogance? Indeed, he was no Revan.
"Excuse me, Padawan Lugo."
The entire lot of students looked over at the sound of the mechanical voice, only then realizing that a protocol droid had walked up upon them.
"Yes?" Kai replied calmly.
"I am here to inform you that Master Vandar has instructed you to head to the council chamber immediately."
A deep silence passed among the small crowd of Padawans as each contemplated what such a thing meant. And for all the possibilities that they imagined, Kai himself found himself at a loss of any, but knew that such a summons was an irregularity, which did not bode well. "Did he say what this is about?"
"I am sorry. I do not have that information at my disposal."
The droid did not know – that boded even worse. Had he done something to upset the Masters?
"It seems you may have already dug yourself into a hole, Lugo," Vynn remarked with affirmation in his voice.
Kai passed the teenager only a passive look of aversion, not wanting to deal with him anymore today or on any other. He then turned towards the rest of the group, and saw looks of uncertainty and concern upon nearly each and every face, as though they honestly were speculating that this little unorthodox session had, in less than ten minutes into it, somehow gotten him into trouble. That thought made him smile a bit, to think of the Masters as being so omniscient as to predict he would take part in something like this even before he knew. He gave a nod of acknowledgment to the bunch, if only to say he had enjoyed this more than he had expected he would.
And then Mical. The young boy looked up at the raven-haired swordsman with a mix of annoyance and disappointment in his eyes. "Do you ever get to train without having an interruption?"
"You want me to tell the Master Vandar that I'm not available, then?"
The child smirked in humor, but sighed in disappointment as well. "I guess... I'll see you tomorrow then."
It was then that the two boys silently stared at each other for a long moment, and Kai's expression slowly became somewhat distressed as he began to realize something that had not occurred to him until now.
Tomorrow was likely the last day that they were going to see each other...
It seemed such an obvious thing, and yet Lugo found himself only realizing it now. Their week on Dantooine was nearly up – Atris having kept to her claim of being able to finish her analysis of the ancient ruins within such a short timespan – and soon they would be heading back to Coruscant, leaving the Enclave behind them along with everyone in it.
Master Vandar, Master Quatra, Mical...
It somewhat worried the young Guardian; the thought of leaving the little Padawan to his own once again. Would the child regress back to being the shy boy who spent his days hiding in the archives, swinging his practice blade without discipline, and barely saying a word to anyone? He deserved better than that.
Thank the Council at least that Bandon had been transferred to another Academy, sparing Mical the brute's wrath.
… the Council! Kai realized he had been standing around lost in thought for too long.
"I'll... see you later." Lugo muttered to the young boy standing before him. After all that had happened in that short period of time they had known each other, after all the hours they had spent together, training, studying, and having fun, it felt so insufficient to say such a thing. But it was all someone like Kai – a person who never learned how to truly welcome others into his life – had to offer.
The raven-haired Guardian turned and walked away then, leaving behind the training grounds, the group of Padawans who sought his guidance, and a young Hopeful who valued his friendship deeper than he could have realized, and who watched him leave, stiff lipped and with tears in his eyes.
{(-)}
It was usual for the Council to silently reflect for several minutes before meeting with anyone or before beginning their discussions. But it was not tradition that evoked the silence that echoed amongst them at this moment in time.
It was the uncertainty, the doubts, and the tension that consumed their minds that made them take to the quiet.
Master Vandar had beckoned for the other Masters to join him and Master Quatra before Kai arrived. In the few minutes they had, the Master of the Enclave had explained the situation to his peers – of Atris, of Kai, and of the note. The whole time Quatra had remained silent, offering no insight into the matter, or into any other – a choice that Vandar chose to respect as hers alone for now.
Beyond sharing the details of the situation, there had been little else said between the five veteran Jedi. What else was there to say? They each knew what such a situation implicated. And they knew how this day might end for Lugo if the answers he gave did not satisfy them.
Even in their silence, the Masters revealed much concerning their thoughts. Zhar and Dorak were calm and indifferent in their mannerisms, handling the situation as they would any other. Though the matter may have been dire in perception, neither of the pair showed any sign of personal investment in it. All that concerned either of them was how little they knew of what had happened.
Vrook, on the other hand, was something much different to behold, his arms at his sides with his hands interlocked in front of his lowered face. Several more wrinkles appeared in accompaniment to the usual grouping that dawned his scrunched brow, him obviously being very tense concerning this matter, as though he blamed himself, or some of the others, for the situation as if they should have forseen it's eventuality.
Vandar was, as always, emotionless in his ponderings, despite what concerns, fears, or other emotions he felt. An epitome of Jedi philosophy, the little green alien kept his mind clear and focused on the questions that filled his thoughts, delving deeply into his memories of Kai and Atris and seeking what answers he could from within.
As for Quatra, the youngest of the Masters had managed to improve her persona before the others had congregated, but she was very tired and drained, the exhaustion evident upon her down-turned face and heavy eyes. And unlike the others, she was doing her utmost not to think of the young Guardian. If she thought of him, then she would think of what she had discovered. And if she did that, she knew it would tear at her as violently as it had before. And she could not run to her quarters this time.
So, for now, she tried to think of nothing – to clear her mind of all emotion and all uncertainties, and just focus on the Force and on herself, hoping to find her center and return balance to her ravaged mind.
Based on Atris' letter, Quatra imagined the Echani knight was currently attempting to do the same thing within the Enclave's temple, hidden away from the rest of the compound in a place none approached save for those who sought it out.
What happened to her? Why had she absconded, forsaking her duties and responsibilities, demanding that she be left to her own until she said otherwise?
And why did she make it sound as if Kai was responsible for all of it? What could he have possibly done to affect her like this?
Damn it, Atris... did she have any idea what this might mean for Lugo?
So many questions, and so few answers...
Suddenly Quatra raised her head, and the other Masters stirred from their pondering. The Padawan had arrived.
{(-)}
"Sorry it took me so long, Master Vandar," Kai stated as he entered the Council Chamber, looking down the whole time as he attempted to straighten his robes, having rumpled them a little bit whilst training with Mical. "The busy life a Padawan never seems to-"
The young Guardian came to a hard and sudden stop in his approach, his eyes going wide and the anxiety exploding within his chest as he raised his head and saw himself in the presence of not just the one Master that he expected, but the entire Council.
They were all present, and looking at him with focused eyes. And the fleeting fears and paranoia that had touched upon him in the training grounds now exploded within his mind.
Something was very wrong, the raven-haired student realized, and he was at the center of it.
"Padawan Lugo."
It was Vrook who called out to him, in a tone much harder than what he had used towards Kai last time. This one bordered on angry. "Step forward."
Hesitant to face the unknown, but compliant to the will of the Masters, the teenage boy slowly made his way closer, eying each of them for some sign as to what this was about. But he found no answers in the looks that they were giving him. In fact, if anything, their expressions were demanding, as though they believed he was hiding something from them.
And then there was Quatra. Kai looked upon the young teacher, his instructor whilst on Dantooine, for a period longer than he knew was prudent, but found himself drawn to the way she was responding to his presence – by not looking back at him. She kept her face partially lowered, her eyes diverted, passively implying to the young Guardian that she did not want to look at him.
Why? Had he done something so terrible that she could not even bear to look at him? What could he have possibly done!
"That's close enough." Lamar called out, pulling Kai out of his thoughts and making him realize that he had stepped closer to the gathering of Masters than was respectful. He quickly took a step back to compensate. At this point, Kai felt compelled to ask what this was all about, but that compulsion quivered in the back of his mind, overpowered by the strong figures that surrounded and watched him, making him unable to speak.
It brought a small sense of relief to the Padawan that Vandar was the one to address him, though his voice was heavy in both seriousness and concern. "Young Kai."
"Yes, Master Vandar?" Lugo immediately replied, turning fully in the direction of the little green alien. It tore at the young Guardian, the thought that Master Vandar was somehow angry or disappointed with him. The elderly Jedi had given him so much.
"Tell me, young one – when was the last time you spoke with Atris today?"
Kai's brow shriveled slightly, still completely at a loss for what all of this was about. "Atris? I suppose... it was when she went to teach the higher-level students after her lecture; when she left me to attend the younger Hopefuls during their activity class."
"I see," Vandar replied contently, as if he had been concerned that the Padawan would say something else. "And did you notice anything... strange about her when she left your company?"
"Strange?" What did that mean? Why were they asking him questions about Atris? "Not that I can think of, Master."
"What was the last thing that was said between the two of you when you parted?" Zhar asked next with a tone of thoughtful inquisition.
Kai looked over to the Master, quickly trying to find his answer. "Something along the lines of that I would be able to handle giving guidance to the students during the lesson, I believe. I... it was nothing that stood out in my mind though. We parted mutually, as far as I'm concerned."
Had Atris said otherwise? Had she accused him of some wrongdoing or inappropriateness that he was completely oblivious to? Could it have been their... talk near the old ruins? As unusual an event as it had been for both of them, to speak on things so personal, Kai could not imagine the Echani Knight being upset over it. As outspoken as she was, wouldn't she at least have told him about it before going to the Council?
"This is getting us nowhere," Vrook suddenly spoke up amidst the moment of silence. "We're dancing around the matter when we should be direct."
Much to Kai's discomfort, it seemed that Vrook would now be the one probing him with questions. Yet when the aged Master opened his mouth to speak again, another voice cut in front of his.
"Kai..."
The teenage boy immediately looked over his shoulder in the direction of the voice, finding that Master Quatra had at last raised her head to look at him. And he saw the exhaustion in her eyes and features then, and was left speechless by the sight, caught off guard by the sudden change in the woman's appearance when she had been her usual vibrant, strong self not an hour ago.
"Master Quatra... are you-"
"-Knight Atris has retreated to the sanctuary of the Enclave's temple," Quatra quickly interrupted, knowing what the young Guardian wanted to say and knowing that she needed to drive this matter through if she hoped to keep her focus off... other concerns. She held up the scrap of paper then that she had been keeping within her hand. "She says that she has suffered a dire event and demands to be left to her meditations until she can resolve the matter herself."
"Dire event?" Kai repeated back in complete bafflement. "What dire event?"
"We were hoping that you could tell us," Vrook managed to say before Quatra could continue. "She clearly indicates you as being somehow responsible for it."
To that, Kai had no response beyond looking back at the Master, slack-jawed and silent.
"Padawan, please think carefully," Vandar calmly spoke next, "can you think of anything that has happened recently that might have upset or bothered Atris."
"I..." Lugo's eyes turned down for a moment, delving into his memories of the time he had spent with Atris while on Dantooine. "No... nothing, nothing at all. We haven't fought with each other, or done really much of anything beyond the norm. She left the activity center without complaint, so I can't see how-"
"-Then you are obviously missing something," Vrook interjected, "And I doubt you can help us discover what it is."
Riled by the thought that Atris was in trouble, and that he was somehow responsible for it, in an unheard of act for him, Kai talked back. "Why are you asking me about this? Why don't you go ask Atris what happened, since I obviously missed something."
None of the Masters missed the aggression and frustration that filled the Padawan's tone, and most were quite shocked by it as they did not expect to hear such disrespect from the boy.
"Mind your emotions, Padawan," Dorak spoke in an even tone, having kept silent until now as he preferred to just spectate for the time. "Atris has requested that she be left to her own until she is ready to speak to us. As she is a Knight, we must respect her wishes for the time being."
"Fine," Kai replied calmly, but with drive, "then I'll go talk to her, myself."
Without their concession to depart, Kai immediately turned about and started for the exit. For several moments, the Council watched silently in disbelief, unused to such behavior in a student. Vrook, finding his thoughts torn each and every way, called out. "You were not dismissed, Padawan!"
The teenage boy halted his steps, but only turned half-way back around to face the Council from across the distance. Yet even from a distance, everyone of the Jedi Masters could see the intensity within Kai's features, and could feel the drive burning strongly within him. It left many of them stunned to see such strength of will come from one of Lugo's age. For a moment, they lost themselves within it, unable to think of what to say next. And that he had such an effect upon them... bothered some.
Vandar was not as overwhelmed as the rest. "Young Kai, I know you feel strongly about this, and I can understand those feelings, but you cannot let them cloud your senses."
"I was appointed her Guardian while on Dantooine, Master Vandar," Kai replied, sounding almost ashamed within his voice, as though he blamed himself for this matter regardless of whether he understood it. "Master Kavar entrusted me with her protection. Atris... placed her trust in me, and I am not going to forsake it. If she is in trouble, then I'm going to do whatever I can to help her."
Such power and conviction behind his words.
"You must understand that right now she does not feel that you can help her. And you must respect that, even if you do not agree," the little alien explained, "this may be something that only Atris can deal with herself, and if so we are going to have to have faith that she can handle the matter."
Lugo continued to look back directly at the elderly Master for a long moment, almost appearing oblivious to all the others that were currently staring at him. Slowly the fire within him began to weaken, and his expression softened. "I... understand, Master."
"Good. Then until we hear from Atris, or decide otherwise, you are to continue with your daily routines and exercises. We will keep you informed of what happens. May the Force be with you."
The teenage boy only nodded this time, preventing himself from revealing whatever emotions might escape within his voice, then turned back around and left without another word, leaving the Masters to their silence – some in contemplation, some in awe, and some in great dissatisfaction.
For Quatra, it was something different. She recalled seeing that fire within Kai before, when she had told him about his self-endangering nature within her meditation chamber, and how amazed she had been by it. In comparison, what she had felt back then had only been a flickering candle. What she had just seen, what they had all just seen, was a massive and unconquerable blaze, both bright and strong. And above all else – frightening.
That Kai could have such drive within him; it was hard for the young teacher to fathom how such a thing came about, even with his life before the Order.
And to know that that will was completely focused on providing strength for others, and devoid of any care or compassion for the boy it laid within...
-No! Quatra screamed at herself within her mind. She would not succumb to her grief or shame again! If she wanted to help Kai, then she knew she needed to do more than feel sorry for him or dwell on past failures. He was still alive, still a member of the Order, and still under her authority. And she refused to believe that there was nothing she could do for him.
He was her student, and she was going to help him.
For now, it would be by taking part in the Council's discussions. After all this, the young teacher was certain that some of them had much to say.
{(-)}
"Argh!"
Kai managed to keep from screaming loudly as he smashed his fist into the nearby wall, having made sure to be somewhere where no one would hear him. The pain of the impact surged through his hand and up his arm, causing him to grab at the anguishing limb and grunt under his breath until it went numb.
He couldn't stand this! Feeling so... helpless! Something had happened to Atris, something that would make her run from everything and everyone, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it!
"Why, Atris? Why wouldn't you come to me! Why wouldn't you tell me!"
That Atris would claim that he was somehow responsible for whatever was afflicting her, and yet not tell him... it didn't make sense! Not a day went by where she did not criticize or nitpick at him. She always made sure to inform him of his flaws and mistakes, to the point of nearly driving him insane! So why wouldn't she tell him about this?
And what could he have possibly done? Beyond the usual sparring of verbal jabs, he never did anything to her. Certainly nothing that would result in this.
But...
But Atris does not lie. She never stretched the truth or gave false accounts. And if she said that he had done something to hurt her...
Kai found the stress of such thoughts overpowering, forcing him to place his back against the wall and slowly slide down it until he was nearly sitting on the ground.
What had he done? The question echoed through his mind over and over again, forcing him to examine every word he could remember sharing with Atris in the last few days, meticulously searching for... something!
He placed his hands atop his skull then, feeling as though his mind was going to snap under the pressure.
"What was it? What did I do wrong, Atris?"
Unexpectedly, a small voice came to answer him. "Excuse me, sir?"
Kai lifted his head from his hands to find a young Padawan boy standing in front of him.
"I'm... sorry to bother you," the child mumbled, obviously uncomfortable in approaching the teenager who seemed indisposed of at the moment. "But, you are Kai Lugo, yes? The Guardian assigned to Knight Atris?"
Taking a deep breath and raising himself from the ground, Kai nodded softly with an exhausted expression. "Yes, that's correct."
"I was looking for you," the child continued, "I wanted to ask whether we would have a chance to finish the lesson on Force Listening she was giving us."
"Finish the lesson?" Kai looked harder at the young boy. "You mean you did not get to finish your lesson under her?"
"No, sir. Atris had left before finishing. She didn't say why, but after she had talked with Revan, she-"
"Revan?"
Kai's eyes jumped wide open then, his senses becoming very alert. He knelt down then, bringing him eye-level with the child.
"What was Revan doing there?"