The Duel
An original story based on the Star Wars characters
and galaxy created by George Lucas.
Author's Note: In this
story, the lightsabres are glowing laser blades, like swords, that can be
ignited. Obi-wan Kenobi and Shen Ly'an
are both Jedi apprentices, and Master Yoda is their teacher who instructs them
as they learn about the Force, a source of power that can be drawn upon.
Obi-wan Kenobi ignited his
blade with a snap-hiss, his eyes on his opponent. In the opposite corner of the training room stood Shen Ly'an, a
strapping young Bothan with violet eyes.
With fluid grace, the Bothan Padawan Apprentice unsheathed his yellow
lightsabre.
"Let
the duel begin," Master Yoda's soft voice echoed through the high-ceilinged
room.
Both
Jedi Apprentices stepped forward, each saluting the other with his
lightsabre. Obi-wan dropped into a
fighting crouch, his intense blue eyes keenly fixed on Shen. The Bothan's muscles rippled under his cream
and tan furred coat as he crouched silently, baring his sharp teeth in a feral
grin.
Obi-wan's
bright blue lightsabre hummed reassuringly in his hands as he raised it up in
front of him. Shen imitated Obi-wan's
move. For a moment, both stood staring
fixedly into each other's eyes, then, Shen twisted his lightsabre in a graceful
arc and attacked with swift ferocity.
Obi-wan parried the blow then ducked to avoid a second, rolling away
from his opponent. He raised his weapon
quickly, then lunged at Shen. The
creature side-stepped nimbly, swinging his yellow blade at Obi-wan, who was
prepared for the attack. The boy jumped
high over Shen's lightsabre, then slashed downwards at the Bothan alien.
Shen
growled in surprise as the training sabre singed his fur and brushed painfully
against his skin. He instinctively took
a step back. Obi-wan landed and thrust
at his opponent, who twisted away and blocked the blow efficiently. Their lightsabres tangled with a sizzling
sound, Obi-wan pressing his lightsabre against Shen's.
Suddenly,
the Bothan switched off his lightsabre and Obi-wan lost balance as he swung his
weapon sideways. Shen Ly'an stepped
back. Embarrassed at his clumsiness,
Obi-wan hefted his weapon and slashed wildly at his opponent. Shen grinned, blocked the blow, and twisted
his weapon, forcing Obi-wan's sabre to the ground.
Sweat
stung his eyes as Obi-wan Kenobi pulled his weapon back and up. Giving his opponent no time to recover, Shen
attacked in a series of quick thrusts and swings, leaving Obi-wan breathless as
he blocked each blow. The boy fought
his frustration as Shen circled him.
Then he reached out to the Force, letting it wrap around him and invade
the sub-conscious part of his mind.
Although it seemed to take forever, Obi-wan managed this in a
split-second.
As
Shen swung his lightsabre again, Obi-wan blocked it swiftly, tangling their
weapons. He pulled his own sabre away
then thrust it at Shen. Shen snarled as
the bright blue blade singed his skin.
He dealt Obi-wan a glancing blow to the shoulder. Gritting his teeth in pain, the boy twisted
away and assumed a defensive stance, gripping his lightsabre with two
hands. His tunic was soaked with sweat.
When
you have to defend, the best way \is to attack. Obi-wan's mentor's advice surfaced in the boy's mind. As Shen launched himself at Obi-wan, the boy
leapt towards his opponent. They
tangled lightsabres as Shen twisted away to avoid a collision. Obi-wan landed lightly, then used a
two-handed blow to attack Shen. The
Bothan blocked the blow, violet eyes blazing with anger. Obi-wan disengaged his weapon, then dealt a
sideways kick to Shen's legs, clicking the Bothan's ankles together and almost
causing the creature to fall. Obi-wan
could feel his opponent's anger as a dark current in the Force while they
locked lightsabres yet again.
Time
seemed to slow down as Obi-wan drew once again on the light side of the
Force. He knew Shen's movements before
the Bothan made them. Shen feinted
desperately to the left then charged at Obi-wan with a furious cry. Ripples in the Force told Obi-wan to duck as
Shen attacked furiously and aimed a blow for the boy's head.
Obi-wan
Kenobi slashed at Shen Ly'an's legs, forcing his opponent to jump up into the
air. With a flick of his wrist, Obi-wan
touched the tip of his pulsing blue blade to Shen's neck as the Bothan landed
heavily.
"Enough!" Master Yoda called a stop to the
contest. Shen and Obi-wan retracted
their lightsabres and stood facing each other, breathing hard. Obi-wan bowed to his opponent and the Bothan
returned the bow, then they turned and bowed to Master Yoda before leaving the
room. As they left, Shen Ly'an grinned
playfully at Obi-wan Kenobi. "You make
a good fighter," the Bothan said.
"So
do you," Obi-wan replied with a smile.
By Mabel Ang, Sec 2e
The
Duel (Written:15/1/2001 to 17/1/2001)
Many people have told me that if I could use
my writing skills to write about people, my stories would be better than if I
wrote about horses, because who wants to read about horses anyway? To 'transfer' from writing about horses and
animals to writing about people, I decided to write a story based on Star Wars
characters, since this is creative writing and since I am a fan of Star Wars
and have more ideas based on Star Wars characters. I chose to write about a duel between two of the characters
because it would be easier to write about than say, a trip to the beach, and
because it would let me use plenty of descriptive phrases and passages.
