Chapter 8
"Good morning," said Siri as Arryn entered the training room.
"Hi." Arryn stood somewhat timidly in the doorway. "What are we doing today?"
Siri looked up and smiled. She grasped a clip in her teeth and wound her long hair into a spiral. Instead of it being her natural blonde, Siri had dyed her hair brown for a previous undercover mission and had decided to keep the color change for a time. "Well, I was going to show you some of the Bondori fighting styles. I thought it would be an interesting way to incorporate the Bondorian culture into some physical activity."
Arryn nodded, liking the sound of what Siri had planned.
"The Bondori people fight with an incredible grace, as if doing a dance with their opponent." Siri showed a hologram with two Bondori warriors reenacting a famous battle. "Notice how they keep a strong center and how graceful it appears?" The projector clicked off.
"There are five basic attacks and parries. Before I show them to you, lets warm up," said Siri. Arryn did enough sit-ups and stretches that she was warm before she had even started on the combat lessons. Arryn didn't mind in the least. At the Temple, she was accustomed to an intense warm up. Arryn was at the top of her class in the physical portion of her training. She spent much of her free time practicing the technique and skills from classes and could easily beat any of her classmates. Siri, one of the strongest Knights at the Temple, showed each attack and parry stance and made Arryn repeat them until they perfectly matched the ones shown on the holoprojector. Three hours later, Arryn was given a short break. Anaria and Elantra were right. Siri Tachi was a very hard teacher. When her break was over, Arryn and Siri practiced each attack and parry with lightsabers. They put the movements into drills and practiced against each other. Siri was incredibly strong, but Arryn was able to keep up.
The door to the makeshift training room opened and Obi-Wan walked in. "We are landing in thirty standard minutes."
Siri stood up from her lunged attack position and casually switched off her lightsaber. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. We just finished. Your Padawan has quite an attack," said Siri. "She was a formidable opponent." Obi-Wan gave Arryn a rare smile and she turned crimson as she deactivated her lightsaber and followed the two Jedi to the bridge where the rest of the team was assembled.
Once on the bridge, Arryn stared intently at the viewport as the ship exited hyperspace and Bondori came into view.
"It's…lovely!" She breathed in awe.
Bondori was a rich sky blue. Several areas of green were visible in the massive oceans, but seemed incredibly tiny in the enveloping blueness. As they neared the atmosphere of the planet, the ship shuddered as its shields held through the rocky descent. When the hazy glow finally cleared, the landscape below was visible. The continent bore the appearance of a smooth carpet of long grasses. As the ship neared the city, the greenery became sparse, but never fully disappeared. The city of Bondor slowly appeared with buildings becoming more and more prominent. The center of Bondor was built around an elaborate, several hundred meters high fountain.
"That must be the Fountain of Knowledge," said Darsha, who was standing beside Arryn. "It is famous throughout the galaxy because many planets contributed to its structure, marking the unity between Bondor and the rest of the galaxy."
Massive waterfalls spanned around one side of the city, giving the ambience of beauty, even in the crowded city.
"This is Bondori landing control. Please identify yourself," came a voice over the intercom.
Obi-Wan answered, "This is the cruiser Nova requesting docking permission."
A momentary pause came. "You are cleared to land. Please proceed to the following coordinates." Arryn watched as Siri and Obi-Wan smoothly landed the ship at one of the bays in the spaceport.
"Are we going to be met by one of the people here?" Anaria asked.
"Yes. Governor Ballastiodes has arranged for a guide to take us to our quarters on the planet," said Darsha.
"When do we get to see the Sith inscriptions on the buildings?" asked Arryn, joining the conversation.
"We will see them later on tonight. We will use the day to acquaint ourselves with the territory and the people. We will decide our next course of action after we see the inscriptions," replied Obi-Wan. He changed the subject. "Gather your packs and we will meet our guide."