Chapter Fifteen

Questions and PTSD

"Mesa heard talking so...well mesa was wondering what was going on. So whosa are yousa talking too?"

"You could hear him?"

"Ah huh. Mesa always be sensitive to that. Mesa was wondering."

"I see," Obi-Wan said rubbing his beard hearing a chuckle who he now knew as Anakin, upgrading himself from minor to major menace. "Gil-Jae...have you ever thought about being a Jedi?"

"YES!" Gil-Jae shouted excitedly before realizing that he'd done so. He smiled embarrassed. "Ah yes, mesa would muy muy love to be a bombad Jedi."

"Why didn't you train in the Praxeum?"

"Ah...Mesa...mesa no liking the students that mesa hears about so mesa family wasn't too on board. So mesa become a guard...er trainee," Gil-Jae looked a little sheepish. "Mesa still young."

"So...bad environment and bad students?"

"Mostly," Gil-Jae shrugged. "Butten Mesa would love to learn from yousa. Mesa tinking that yousa the teacher that mesa was waiting for."

"Being Jedi also entails service to others," Obi-Wan said seriously. "Compassion, care, duty and sacrifice. These are things that define a Jedi in my Order. You must be willing to dedicate yourself to a cause wholeheartedly. The will of the Force is what we follow and we dedicate ourselves to that and the service of others. Knowing this, do you still wish to be one?"

"Mesa will do it," Gil-Jae said. "Mesa always wanten to be one. If mesa has to go extra distance then mesa will."

"Very well...you do realize that Yaotl will be joining us? She wanted to be trained as well."

"Okeday," Gil-Jae said grimacing slightly but composing himself wonderfully like well a Jedi. "Yousa the Master and Mesa will listen to yousa."

Already he could hear snorting coming from a very amused ghost. "Well hopefully you'll do better to be attentive then my last apprentice, he often didn't listen to me..."

He felt an ethereal punch to his shoulder but Obi-Wan smirked instead of flinched. Good to know he could still get a jab in for his counterpart's apprentice.

"Murglak."

"Language," he muttered to the ghost.

"Whosa are yousa talking to? And...Mesa feeling someting"

"I shall explain in time," Obi-Wan said placing his hand on the youth's shoulder. "Now if you could lead me were Ventress and others are I'd appreciate it. I have training to demonstrate and perhaps you can get a better feeling for being Guardian Jedi."

"Mesa thinking theysa at the training room. Mesa show yousa."

Ventress paced. She was waiting for that imposter to show up. No matter what he said, she knew him and it was indeed Kenobi. Mullet aside everything about him screamed Kenobi. His demeanor, his posture. his...well everything. She'd seen him enough in the war that she knew him imitatively. So what was this one playing at? He had to be a copy. Like the C'baoth being that she'd heard about on her travels with Ahsoka, Alpha, Rex, Gregor and Wolffe. Obviously he wasn't he wasn't Kaminoan made...UGH! So frustrating.

Alright, let's say he isn't Kenobi. Which he is. Then the Force has the sickest sense of humor that I've ever seen.

"I do apologize for keeping you waiting," Kryze's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "I needed to meditate for a bit as well as speaking to the prisoner."

"Fine by me," Ventress brushed aside his apologies. She was eager to see how he stocked up and what his style was. There she could confirm her theories. "Now then. What is your style?"

"Ataru with a mix of several other forms such as Makashi."

Makashi. That word brought a boatload of memories making her freeze slack jawed. Of a tall imposing man with a cold disinterested look written upon his pale face framed by a white beard holding up his crimson blade in a salute. Of long nights working desperately to impress and perhaps more importantly staying alive in a cutthroat place. Where no one was friend and everyone was out for something. For Grievous, a challenge, for Durge vengeance for a past wrong...a century worth of wrong and for everyone else varying goals. All played for fools at the drop of a hat. It was enough to make her want to scream.

No, she pulled herself from the quagmire of her feelings, I will not submit or succumb. I've grown beyond that. No one form is bringing me down. Still even as she assured herself took deep breathes to calm herself down. She felt a hand on her shoulder and opening her eyes she saw...Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was him. Unchanged by the ravages of time rubbing her shoulder with comforting circle that no one. Absolutely no one had done before...Well maybe Ky Narec...Great galaxies she missed him.

"Are you alright ma'am?" Kenobi...no Kryze...(he said his name was Kryze) asked worriedly as he stood by her side. "We can do this another time if that suits you."

"No-no," she finally bite out forcing the words even as she gasped for air. Blast it why now?! "It's just...I'll be alright."

"No you most decidedly aren't," Kryze said firmly leading her to a cushion on the far side of the training room and sat her down himself. He sat on nearby cushion and kept an eye on her. "Now, you can sit here and recenter yourself. I'll demonstrate my abilities when you're ready. Besides," he gently smiled at her with such a patented Kenobi devil-may-care grin that she could swear she was back in the war once more making it a bit worse. "I need to warm up."

"There is no need to watch over her, she'll be fine. I on the other hand will be your opponent," Tano said coming into view. She'd just entered the room with the other in the entourage that weren't present in the meeting namely their medic Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy aka. Scout who quickly ran over looking over Ventress with the patented professionalism and deftness she'd come to both expect and appreciate. Even if right now she just wanted to scream.

"Alright which style are you familiar with?" Kryze asked turning to face Ahsoka while Scout continued to examine her. Ventress glared at her making her back away. She wasn't fragile, it was just a spell that would pass.

"Djem So," Tano said with a smile. "Also I do Jar'Kai wielding so be warned."

"Very well, we shall start with Shii-Cho, from there we can bounce around the various forms," he said getting up and pulling his lightsaber into his hand.

"Shii-Cho?" Tano raised an eye ridge up readying herself for the attack she'd grabbed Scout's blade which she handed to her. "What am I? A youngling?"

"I mean absolutely no disrespect to your skills think of this as just as a refresher," Kryze assured her. "Also I need a warm up."

"Fine by me," Tano said. "Let's go."

Scout watched the so-called Guardian Jedi with a critical eye. If there was one thing she'd learned with hanging around Ahsoka and Ventress's company was things were rarely what they seemed to be. She'd learned that the hard way with the Kyrimorut incident...How could she have been so stupid. To fall in so much only to barely escape being inducted into more or less a cult. Scout had felt guilty for allowing her companion be mind wiped but really she had a feeling that the Kaminoan wouldn't have cared...She still wasn't sure if she was a Jedi considering that previously they hadn't heard of Kamino until the Clone Wars...Odd you'd think there'd be a record of a Jedi from that world.

Still she'd put her knowledge of first aid techniques learned from there into good usage while being the one that patched up Ventress when she got in over her head...Also when Gregor tried something stupid which was often. So watching this should be interesting since supposedly this guy was from one of the many offshoots of the Order she once and still did in her heart proudly served and still called family...even if some of the members were estranged from her now. Especially Bardan Jusik...

He pulled out his lightsaber and activated it did start with a good Shii-Cho form easily deflecting Ahsoka's attack from her borrowed lightsaber...namely hers since she was really the only one that carried one around now...well two actually since she'd found that other one on Mandalore that she'd been working on...

He then switched to what looked like to Niman with a touch of Soresu. He stood his ground against the various strikes that Ahsoka launched at him making him look a metaphorical mountain against a raging wind as she twirled and jumped through the air clashing against his blade. It was like watching the Masters of old she'd remembered seeing in the Temple before...the time when she'd escaped with some younglings before being separated. She felt her shame increase at the thought. It wasn't a moment that she liked recalling. She was deeply ashamed that she'd been separated and for that matter for allowing the younglings to perish. She knew in her heart of hearts that was survivor's guilt talking but she always felt it. That was the tipping point that had inspired her to leave when she'd found out they'd callously shot at the Padawans on the bridge...the ones that were from her creche they'd shot in cold blood with no remorse for the flimsy excuse of Etain dying although her questions on why was it that Etain didn't just leave since it was clear the Padawan's would've been killed either way lead to no answers...Still there was positive since that brought to her attention that one of them had skinned a sentient being wearing their skin as gloves. It was at the moment then that she knew that she couldn't stay with them anymore. Well it was that and the general attitude. All of it equaled into a toxic environment that she knew she couldn't stay in. Sev finding her was a relief at that point as well as the other non-human leaving with her when that task was made clear.

Ahsoka tried an overhead strike which was easily countered with a counter that screamed the Ataru style. He really was good cycling through each style but never fully committing to one keeping Ahsoka off balance. Although if she was honest it looked like Soresu was the one he was most comfortable with with Ataru being a close second. He then finished the due with a disarming maneuver that pinned Ahsoka to the group. She tapped the floor in proper Temple decorum which made him nod as he switched off his blade.

"By the Force it's him," Ventress whispered. "It has to be."

"Who?" She whispered back.

"Obi-Wan," she said giving her a hard look. "It's Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"He said..."

"I know what he said, but I know him," she looked at Scout's eyes. "You weren't there little one but I've fought him more times then you can count and it's him. Tano doesn't know but she suspects."

"Then why not say so?"

"Because what I want to know is why." Ventress said. "Why did he work so hard to save me?"

"He saw..."

"I know what you'll say, but I want to hear it from him," Ventress said. "I want to know once and for all what was it that made him want to save me."

Scout couldn't answer her instead turning her gaze towards Ben Kryze. She took a look at him. A really deep look...he did resemble Obi-Wan Kenobi...But how could this be? She'd seen cloning. Studied it and he...Something else was going on here. Well she'd have time to analyze this. And analyze it she would.

Information for Those Not in the Know

Lightsaber Forms

Form 1- Shii-Cho- the most basic of combats that involves lunges and positioning. First taught to younglings

Form 2- Makashi- lightsaber to lightsaber combat. Highly favored during the time of the Sith. Dooku's signature fighting style.

Form 3- Soresu- a defensive art made for blocking be it blaster bolts or other weapons. Take a guess who uses this one...

Form 4- Djem So or Shien- a kinetic art that focuses on power and overwhelming the opponent either through the Force or strength. Anakin's favored style.

Form 5- Ataru- the acrobatic combat that allows for jumps and flips to gain mobility. Master Yoda's style.

Form 6- Niman- a more precise and balanced form that was concerned with mixing the previous forms into something of a jack of all trades effect. Can be used for double lightsaber staffs. Maul's preferred form.

Form 7- Juyo or Vaapad- much more aggressive combat that draws upon the inner darkness of the user to channel it into constructive means. Very difficult to learn. Master Mace Windu was the one that took Juyo and refined it to Vaapad.