Chapter 13

Slowly, more and more students arrived at the temple hideout. Some looked like they hadn't had much trouble at all, while others looked like they had just been through the wringer. In the latter category was Todan, who showed up quite a while after Jyo and Salah. He had twigs in his hair, his shades were gone, his clothes were torn and covered with grass and dirt stains, and his bootless feet were covered in mud.

According to Todan, he had fallen into a shallow quicksand pit and lost his boots in there. As he picked the twigs and leaves out of his dark hair, Todan exhaustedly told them about finding himself almost trapped by trees, and having to run from little orbs that shot at him.

Tahiri gave him a questioning look, "Why didn't you use your lightsaber to protect you?"

Todan looked at her, equally baffled.

"You were only not allowed to turn on your lightsaber while inside the Jome, once you were outside it would have been perfectly all right."

Todan's jaw dropped, and he slapped his forehead. The other young Jedi there laughed, and even Tahiri shook her head and chuckled. "Todan," she said, "you're a strange one."

Cordell ran through the tree-crowded forest. Not looking back, he half focused on Tahiri's signal, and half concentrated on his surroundings. Up ahead, he saw a roadblock of trees. Cordell whipped his lightsaber out of its holster and ignited the acid yellow blade for the first time. He slowed just long enough to slice a gap in the trees. The blade cut like a warm knife through butter. After completing a circle, Cordell kicked at the piece he had carved, causing it to fall out the other side of the tree. He took off again.

More students arrived. One of which was Zeek, who, besides a few tears in his clothes and some dirt on his face, looked like he didn't have much trouble in the forest.

After another three students showed up, Denz counted everyone and got a total. "Tahiri!" He called.

"Yes, Denz?" She replied as she walked over.

"I counted seventeen students here, which leaves Cordell and someone else, right?"

Tahiri shook her head, "The only one left to arrive is Cordell. The nineteenth student, a Krison Glynt I believe, failed in his lightsaber test by igniting the blade before leaving the Jome. When I return, I will have to see what shall be done about him."

Denz nodded, and Tahiri walked away.

The days were long on Jedron, and the nights short. It had been twelve hours now since the beginning of the test, and the sun still was not completely set. Denz gestured Jyo over. The taller student rose, casting a gigantic shadow over the stone courtyard as he made his way to Denz. "Is he getting close?" Denz asked.

Jyo said nothing, but Denz could feel him reaching out toward his brother. He found Cordell almost immediately, and it didn't look like he was stopping for anything.

It was getting even harder to see in the forest, if that was possible, but Cordell was still able to spot the two orb-shaped things trying to block his path. He ignited his blade at full speed, jumped into the air, and destroyed both orbs with a single horizontal swipe. Cordell landed without losing much forward momentum and kept going as two more orbs appeared behind him. They opened fire, and Cordell half-turned, deflecting the two shots back at them. The orbs exploded simultaneously. Not even breaking his stride, Cordell turned to face forward again and grinned to himself; he was enjoying all the fun he was having.

Several students had tried to get Tahiri to tell them what would happen next, but she had firmly told them that as soon as everyone was here, she would announce the next step.

The sun was almost gone now, and Tahiri activated a generator that turned on lights all over the stone field on which they sat.

A shadowy figure suddenly burst through the underbrush, startling several students. They quickly realized that it was Cordell, and that he was still holding his lightsaber, which he deactivated and slid back in his shoulder holster. Unlike the other Jedi students, Cordell merely looked winded as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Tahiri, a little startled at Cordell's entrance, regained her composure and called everyone closer to her. "Now that we're all here," she began, "the third part of your test shall commence without further delay. I will split you up into nine pairs, and then, one at a time, you will test your lightsaber skills in battle for the first time."

All of the students cheered, save one. Jyo noticed that the expression on Cordell's face was not one of happiness or anticipation; it was a look of sheer determination.

Cordell caught Jyo staring and plastered on the most convincing smile he could. Jyo attempted to smile back, but try as he might, Jyo just couldn't. He felt trouble on the horizon.

"Something's not right." Jaina suddenly said as she stood up.

Luke raced to the computer console to check the surveillance cameras, and Kyp looked hard at Jake.

"Hey! I didn't do anything!"

"No. Not here. Something feels amiss … elsewhere."

The first match was coming to a close as Nayanll Omm's speed made her human opponent, Sy Glodder, dizzy.

"Well done, Nayanll." Tahiri called. "Enough! Sy, you must learn to follow your opponent with the Force instead of your eyes."

The Jedi student nodded dizzily as he sat down heavily and held his head, trying to make the world stop spinning.

"Next up will be …" Tahiri thought for a moment, "Todan and Salah!"

Salah hopped up, ready to go, while Todan slowly climbed to his feet. Without his boots, he was about the same height as Salah. She even offered to remove her boots to make it even.

Todan held up a hand, "It is not your fault that I don't have any boots, and it would only be unfair if I let you fight without yours."

The arena was well lit by the lights around its perimeter, allowing the spectators to see every move.

Salah tossed her outer cloak aside, reached behind her back, brought out her lightsaber, which she held at eye level, and pointed it at Todan. Salah depressed the power stud, activating the fuchsia blade.

Todan shrugged his pack off after removing his lightsaber. He turned sideways, his weapon held in his right hand behind him, and his left hand outstretched in front of him. Todan ignited the bright orange beam, its humming matching that of Salah's. That is, until it suddenly went out.

Salah lowered her weapon and gave Todan a questioning look. Todan didn't seem to know what was going on either, until he saw a little bit of mud drip out the end of the hilt.

Everyone stared in amused shock as Todan shook his lightsaber up and down and hit it on the side, causing more mud to fall out. When he was finally satisfied that he had gotten it all out, Todan attempted to reactivated it. With a snap-hiss the orange blade was back, and Todan cheered, "All right!" He looked around and noticed everyone looking at him like he was crazy. "What?" He asked.

Salah snapped out of her shock and cleared her throat, getting Todan's attention.

He resumed his initial position, and the two of them stood at the ready for about a minute before Tahiri realized that they were waiting for her to start it. "Begin," she said quickly.

"All areas are clear," Luke said from in front of the computer. "Did you say you felt something elsewhere?"

Jaina nodded, "It could be nothing, but …"

"How far away is 'elsewhere'?" Kyp asked.

"Not on this planet, that's for sure. It felt like it came from a Core World."

"The kids?"

"Like I said, it's probably nothing …"

Luke interrupted, "The Force doesn't cause things to happen for no reason. I'll attempt to contact Jedron via a secure Holonet connection. Until then, we'll just have to hope it really was nothing."

Salah rushed in with a one-handed thrust, and Todan brought his blade around to parry the attack to the side. Salah used the momentum from the counter to spin herself around. Coming full circle, she swung horizontally, which Todan ducked and then rolled out of the way. He regained his feet and held his lightsaber out in front of him now. Salah attempted a few jabs, but he deflected each one. Salah backed off to try and think of a new strategy.

Now it was Todan's turn to go on the offensive. He swung downward at Salah, who raised her fuchsia blade to block. Todan attempted several quick attacks at different locations, looking for an opening. Before he could not find one, Salah went on the attack again. This time she focused on putting more power behind her blows. Todan's arms became tired quicker than he thought they would as he blocked and parried Salah's attacks with his orange lightsaber. Todan attempted a few dodges instead, only to find that, in his bare feet, he did not have enough traction to start and stop quickly. He felt it was a losing battle, but continued to block and defend until he could defend and block no more. Salah swung up in one final blow, knocking Todan's lightsaber from his hands.

"Enough!" Tahiri called.

Todan collapsed and rubbed his exhausted arms, while Salah turned off her lightsaber and bent over to catch her breath. The way she breathed made it sound like she had been punched in the stomach.

"While Salah was the victor in the end, this was clearly a match of endurance. Neither one was willing to give up until the other did. They pushed themselves to the limit, until their bodies could take no more. You have both proven to be capable of handling your lightsabers. Congratulations!"

The Jedi students clapped and cheered for the two combatants. Salah felt tears forming in her eyes and tried to wipe them away. Todan just fainted from the excitement and his exhaustion.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jyo saw Cordell clapping, but his expression, if anything, seemed even dourer than before. He didn't have time to inquire as to what Cordell's problem was though. After Salah came to sit with him and the others, and Todan had been dragged off the field; Tahiri called his and Zeek's names!

"Really, Uncle Luke, you shouldn't endanger your mission just because I had a bad feeling!" Jaina was protesting.

"First of all," Luke countered, "my mission is your mission now, and secondly, I've been meaning to check on the progress of the students there. Besides," he added, "the only ones looking for us are the Vong, and I doubt they could track this call."

The computer bleeped, indicating that a connection had been made with the Jedi planet. After a moment of waiting, the hairy upper body of Lowbacca appeared on screen, and he roared his surprise to see them.

"Listen, Lowbacca. I don't want to stay on too long," Luke began, "I would just like for you to tell me what's going on over there right now."

Neither young Jedi removed their outer cloak. Zeek stood with his hands clasped behind his back, as Jyo adjusted his glasses to eliminate the glare from the lights around the field. Once satisfied, Jyo grinned at Zeek as he detached his lightsaber from his side and activated the lavender blade. He held the blade at his side, ready to begin.

As soon as Jyo had activated his weapon, Zeek brought his out from behind his back and ignited the light blue blade as he swung it around and positioned it in front of him. Zeek held his lightsaber vertically with one hand, and the other was open-palmed, facing his opponent.

Tahiri called for them to start, and the two friends engaged in battle. Jyo tested Zeek with a few quick attacks. Zeek easily blocked these and countered with some of his own. They continued in this manner for another minute until an unseen signal was given, and the two began going all out.

Jyo attempted to use his strength as an advantage, trying to get Zeek into a lightsaber lock as often as possible to wear Zeek down. The younger Jedi did not fall for this though. After the second time he and Jyo locked blades, Zeek no longer blocked his attacks but dodged them instead. As a result, Jyo became exhausted trying to keep up with Zeek.

When Zeek noticed that Jyo was starting to lag, he quickly switched from defensive to attack. He charged in on the now almost stationary Jyo. Zeek attacked down low, across the middle, and up near Jyo's head, looking for an opening. Jyo easily protected himself from Zeek's attacks, which were none too powerful, giving him time to catch his breath.

Taking Zeek by surprise, Jyo suddenly went on the offensive again. Jyo's attacks were relentless and well aimed. Zeek had a hard time defending against the onslaught. He began to sweat; I can't keep this up much longer, he thought to himself. Still trying to defend, Zeek gathered the Force and launched himself backward about twenty feet, putting some distance between him and Jyo.

This move surprised everyone, including Jyo. No one had expected Force use during a lightsaber duel. Tahiri, silently impressed, smiled to herself.

Jyo didn't have time to press his advantage any further. As soon as Zeek steadied himself, he raised his light blue lightsaber and held it horizontally in front of his face, just below eye level. Then he started running, straight toward Jyo. Jyo set himself, but didn't expect much power behind the coming blow, even with a running start. Zeek swung his weapon like a baseball bat when he was within range and struck Jyo's vertical blade. There was a bright flash as the weapons connected. The impact jarred Jyo, causing him to close his eyes and grit his teeth. He felt the ground moving beneath his feet, but when he opened his eyes he saw that it wasn't the ground that had moved; it was he! On the stone floor were two black skid marks made by Jyo's boots as he slid backward about ten feet. Before Jyo could compute what had just happened, Zeek set himself again and charged. Thinking he had merely underestimated the attack, Jyo set himself more firmly, but once again he found himself unable to stop his ten to twelve foot slide backward when Zeek's attack connected.

Tahiri, Denz, Salah, and Cordell were among the few that knew what Zeek was doing. He was doubling his attack power by adding Force power to physical power; like an amplifier.

When Jyo realized how Zeek was landing such powerful blows, he knew there was no way he would be able to block them. Instead, he followed Zeek's example and started to dodge when things got tough.

Zeek wasn't about to fall for his own trick though. As he kept up his Force enhanced attacks, Zeek carefully watched Jyo's dodging for a pattern. Finding one, he attacked again, and when Jyo dodged this time, he landed on top of a bunch of loose gravel and pebbles causing him to slip and fall.

Zeek's face flashed surprise for a millisecond and then turned to a victorious grin as he stood over Jyo and pointed his blue lightsaber at him.

"It's over!" Tahiri called to them.

Zeek turned off his weapon, and Jyo followed suit.

After Jyo climbed to his feet, Tahiri congratulated them both on a most impressive display of both strategy and power.

As the two friends walked back over to where they had previously sat, Jyo quietly commented to Zeek on how he was lucky that Jyo had slipped and fallen.

Zeek stared at him, "What do you mean 'lucky'? I put that stuff there for you to trip on!"

"Right."

Zeek continued to try to convince Jyo that his tripping was planned, but he wasn't listening. Jyo had suddenly felt a strong premonition that told him who the next match would be between even before Tahiri announced it. Whatever that feeling meant, it definitely had something to do with this upcoming duel.

"They're having duels already?" Luke asked incredulously.

Lowbacca nodded his head and moaned.

"Are you aware of their status?"

The Wookiee Jedi groaned a reply.

"Well, can you find out?"

Lowbacca went off screen for a few moments, and Luke sighed with frustration.

The hairy Jedi Knight returned to the screen and shrugged as he roared an answer.

"Tahiri! Why don't you have your comlink on?" Luke said to himself. "I don't want to push my luck, Lowbacca so I'm going to sign off now. But promise me that if anything happens, you'll send a message to the Holonet address on your screen."

Lowbacca nodded and gave Luke a quick salute. M-TD appeared behind Lowbacca and added, "I'll be sure to keep reminding Master Lowbacca of your request, seeing as his memory is dreadfully poor."

The Wookiee rolled his yellow eyes, and Luke saw him reach over and deactivate M-TD before the connection was terminated.

As Jyo had thought, Denz and Cordell were next. Denz ignited his turquoise blade before he was even ready and started to spin and twirl it in a showy display.

Cordell was not impressed, however. If anything, his disposition was made worse by this. He activated his golden blade without a word and held it above his head, ready to begin.

Denz took the silent hint and, with his lightsaber in his right hand, assumed his ready position holding his weapon diagonally across his body.

"Begin!" Tahiri said without hesitation.

Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this? Jyo wondered.

There was no warm up. No testing of each other's skills. As soon as Tahiri announced the start, Cordell attacked using his great speed to his advantage.

This was fine with Denz, though. He didn't want the fight to be boring. And boring it certainly wasn't. One thought continued to circulate through Cordell's mind: I MUST WIN!

The thought hit Jyo like a ton of bricks. He was amazed at the intensity of it.

As Denz, still using only one hand, blocked and parried all of Cordell's two-handed attacks, another thought was added on to the original: AT ANY COST!

If Jyo had been standing, he surely would have been knocked over from the force of the thought. In a single moment that seemed to last a lifetime, everything changed.

Denz began to lose his nerve and started using two hands to defend himself. The speed of Cordell's attacks left no opening for a counter attack. He was relentless in his assault. Denz then began to lose ground, moving slowly away as Cordell pushed him back with an onslaught of slashes.

Jyo couldn't think. He couldn't move. He sat paralyzed from what he had just seen. Was he the only one? Had no one else seen it? Jyo suddenly realized that what he had just seen had not happened yet. Did that mean he would have to watch in horror a second time?

It did….

Cordell had forced Denz to the edge of the arena. Having nowhere else to go, Denz desperately dodged to the side, and before Cordell could turn, Denz brought his lightsaber down in an overhead attack.

Jyo knew what was coming. He had seen it once before. But the shock from seeing it one time already had stolen his voice, and his body would not respond. He was powerless to change the future he had foreseen. This realization made Jyo want to close his eyes, but he was not even allowed that simple pleasure. He was destined to watch the same terrible event twice, and most likely many more times over in his mind.

Then it happened. Cordell stopped Denz's attack mid-swing, but not with his lightsaber. With his left hand, Cordell had grabbed Denz's right wrist, stopping the attack cold.

Jyo vaguely heard Tahiri call out an end to the match, but he knew it was not over.

Cordell did not release his hold on Denz. He did not even turn and acknowledge Tahiri. His cold, emotionless eyes bore into Denz's, filled with confusion and worry. Cordell grinned, and you could hear the cracking of bone as with one quick motion, he broke Denz's wrist. The turquoise lightsaber clattered to the stone floor and shut off, as Denz groaned in pain. Tahiri called again for Cordell to stop, as she stood, a little uncertain as to what she should do.

Cordell didn't move for a moment, and everything was silent. Then the quiet was broken by a laugh. It came from Cordell. Not a laugh of joy or insanity, but a laugh of satisfaction.

Denz knew what was coming. Not because he had foreseen it like Jyo had, but because when he had looked into Cordell's eyes, he had not seen his friend, but someone else. With whom there would be no pleading or voice of reason. Denz thought of what his future could have been like, instead of what it was going to be … nonexistent.

In what seemed like slow motion, Cordell swung his golden blade in a long upward arc that picked Denz up and threw him several feet away, a smoldering black mark from his left hip, almost strait up to just right of his neck.

His Jedi garb was quickly drenched in blood seeping from the gaping wound, as Denz lay unconscious on his back.

When Cordell turned to look at what he had done, he acted surprised and repulsed, the exact same reaction as everyone else who had witnessed it. Cordell fell to his knees and deactivated his lightsaber. He knelt there and stared at his weapon as things he did not acknowledge, went on around him. What have I done? was a thought that went through his mind, but it was overpowered by another idea: Look at what I have the power to do!