Summary:

Jinn teaches Ezra about the warrior way of learning the Force.

Ezra finally tells Jinn he met his mother on Mortis.

Maul accepts Jinn's help restoring his body.

Slick arrives on Endor.

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35.

"Bridger wake up. It's time for practice."

The teen smuggled deeper into his bed and muttered, "Five more minutes, Kanan."

Someone grabbed Ezra by the shoulder and shook him harder and said, "Bridger, it's time to get up. Come on, young man. I've neglected your training long enough."

Ezra lifted his head and cracked open an eye. He turned around and saw Jinn. He was sitting on the edge of his bed. Ezra quickly got up and wiped the drool away from his mouth. Jinn reached out to grab Ezra by the chin and turned his head to the side.

"Hm, remind me to give you a shaving kit. It looks like you're starting to grow whiskers."

Ezra was startled and rubbed his face. "Really?"

Jinn stood up and picked up Ezra's shirt. He was about to throw it at him but paused when he smelled it. He turned his head away and wrinkled his nose. It was awful. Jinn realized he had been neglecting his apprentice a lot longer than he thought. It was fortunate that he picked up something for Ezra to change into before he left his quarters. He dropped the shirt and handed Ezra a new set of clothes.

It had been three days since he left his quarters. He spent two days sleeping. On the third day all he did was eat, wash and meditate. It was the best three days he had in a long time. He knew how unbalanced he felt till he had finally started to feel better. He finally had time to process his experience with Dooku.

He knew he couldn't have done it without Asajj's help. Her powers had grown stronger since they first met. Like Bridger, her training was incomplete. However, she had a good grasp on how to use both the Darkness and the Light in short bursts. Jinn was relying on her more emotionally than he had before. Her presence helped him come to grips his feelings of loneliness and powerlessness.

"Trust me, Bridger. If there's anything I know, it's how to grow a beard. Now, please put on those clothes."

The teen raised his brow and opened the bundle of clothes and saw it contained a white Jedi robe, a pair of grey pants and brown boots.

"I don't need these. I have clothes."

"Your clothes need laundering. Now, come on. We have a lot of material to cover."

That got Ezra's attention. He got up and started changing while Jinn turned around and preoccupied himself by looking at the cave wall.

Ezra said, "So, you're finally going to teach me some Jedi stuff?"

"It's not exactly Jedi stuff. I want to teach you how to master your control of energy. Eventually, I want you to learn how to use lightning, fire, healing and seeing. Mastering control of energy is the first step."

Ezra was excited and he quickly tied his sash around his waist and said, "Wait, isn't Force-lightning a Sith ability?"

Jinn turned to face Ezra and said, "Yes, but the ability isn't exclusive to Sith. I also want to teach you to harness both the Darkness and the Light. It will increase your power significantly. However, it won't be easy."

Jinn then approached Ezra and fixed his sash. He then picked up his belt with is lightsaber and handed it to him. Ezra noticed that Jinn looked more like himself since he disappeared. He looked well rested and his presence felt calmer. He finished looping his belt around his waist.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Jinn said, "Good, why don't you freshen up in the communal refresher and I'll meet you outside the cave."

XXX

Ezra saw Jinn waiting for him outside. It was still early, and the forest was calm and barely light. Jinn was sitting on the ground meditating. He opened his eyes when he heard Ezra approach. He got up and placed his hand on Ezra's shoulder.

"Alright, the first order of business is to find some place safe to train. Then, I'll give you a demonstration of energy control."

Jinn paused for a moment. He then reached up and rubbed his beard and then started walking deeper into the forest. Ezra followed him until they reached an open area surrounded by large old trees. The trees were huge. Their roots were twisted and waved in and out of the ground and around several large boulders. There were several smaller rocks scattered around them.

"Yes, this will do nicely. Now, the basics. I'm sure you know how to manipulate the Force already."

Ezra frowned and said, "Uh-yes?"

Jinn raised his brow when he sensed Ezra's confusion and said, "Do you know how to move rocks?"

Ezra sighed and said, "Yes, I know how to move rocks. I also know how to Force-push, Force-jumps, do Jedi mind-tricks and sense people's presence."

Jinn said, "Do you know how to hide your presence?"

Ezra said, "I know how to make people not see me."

The amber Jedi crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "It's not the same thing. Here let me show you. Concentrate on my presence."

Ezra shrugged and said, "Okay."

The teen closed his eyes and focused on Jinn's presence. His presence was soothing and warm. Then, a second later his presence was gone. It just vanished. It was like he disappeared. Ezra opened his eyes and saw that Jinn was still standing in front of him.

"Whoa! How did you do that?"

"Close your eyes again and step into the Force-world where we bonded."

Ezra did as he was instructed. He stepped into the Force-world and saw Jinn had already stepped away from his Force-presence. Ezra saw that Jinn's Force-presence was small. It somehow shrank to the point that it could fit inside the palm of his hand. Normally, it was the size of Jinn's body.

"It's so small. How did you do it?"

Jinn replied, "This might sound strange, but it's like flexing a muscle. You sort of picture your Force-presence in your mind and then change its shape. It's like flexing because you have to hold it back from returning to its original form."

Ezra said, "I get what you're saying, but I still don't get how you did it."

Jinn sighed and said, "Try feeling my Force-presence through the training bond. Perhaps experiencing it will be better than describing it."

Ezra raised his hand towards the training bond and focused. The silver thread that connected them together started to glow blue. Ezra could feel Jinn's small Force-presence. It was like making a fist. The aura was compressed and tight. It was like wearing clothes that were too small.

Before, he knew it, Jinn released his Force-presence. The tension was gone. Jinn's aura exploded out into its original size. Ezra felt instant relief. However, Jinn's Force-presence looked different from when Ezra first saw it. It wasn't a glowing ring of energy. Instead, it was golden and misty like his.

"Why does your Force-presence look different?"

"That's because I'm not channeling the Darkness and the Light."

Stunned, Ezra said, "You mean you're constantly channeling both Forces all the time?"

"Yes, practice makes it easier over time. Though, I won't hold you to the same standards."

"Why not?"

"Bridger, you're just starting to learn this skill. Give yourself time. It took me years to get where I am today."

Ezra lowered his gaze and said, "Yeah, I get it, but I've never met anyone with your abilities before. Is it really your warrior training that makes you so strong?"

Jinn replied, "It's partly my training and it's partly my midichlorian count. It's what gives us our Force-abilities. It's in our blood. However, the amount varies between person to person. Though, I'm far from the strongest Force-user alive. Skywalker is a lot stronger than I am. However, raw strength isn't everything. For example, wielding a sword without training won't do you any good."

The teen raised his hand to his chin and nodded his head. "I think I get it. It's not about strength. It's about knowing how to use the strength you have. It's why you said imagination is important."

Jinn smiled and said, "Yes, very good, Bridger. Now, why don't you try hiding your presence?"

Ezra narrowed his brow and said, "Okay, here goes."

The teen stepped away from his Force-presence, so he could see it. He focused on his blue Force-presence and tried to shrink it down. It felt weird. It was like trying to squeeze something inside himself. It took a while, but eventually he got it down small enough to fit into his palm.

He huffed and wiped his brow and said, "Alright, I did it."

"Good. Now, release it and do it again."

Ezra pressed his lips and did what Jinn instructed. He raised his hands towards his Force-presence again. He did it a few more times until he was confident, he had the skill down.

"Alright, I think you've got the hang of it. Let's go back and-"

"Wait," interrupted the teen. "Can you show me how you channel the Force?"

"I don't know if you're ready for that, Bridger."

Ezra raised his hands and said, "I won't try it. I know I'm not ready. I just want to see how you do it."

Jinn relented with a sigh. "Very well."

Ezra watched as Jinn's golden Force-presence began to swirl. It started to spin and grow brighter. It almost looked like it was on fire. Suddenly, all around it appeared particles of Darkness and Light. They were drawn into the fiery swirl. The swirl forced the two opposing Forces together. Then without warning, a blast of light and wind exploded within the blackness.

Ezra raised his hand to shield his eyes as the power radiated out from it in waves. He had never seen anything like it before. Yet, gradually the light and wind disappeared. Slowly, the chaos calmed and, in its place, spun a golden ring of light. It was beautiful but the power it gave off was intense.

When he finally lowered his hand, he curiously reached out to touch it. However, just before he could, Jinn caught his wrist.

"That would be rather rude, Bridger."

"Huh?"

"You're trying to poke my Force-presence without my permission."

Ezra cringed and draw his hand away and said, "Oh, right. Sorry. But I was just wondering, what would happen if somebody else did touch your Force-presence? When I touched your Force-presence when we created the training-bond, it felt warm and soothing."

Jinn stroked his beard in thought and said, "Well, that's because of our relationship. As your mentor I want to guide you so that's why I felt warm and soothing to you." The amber Jedi then gave the teenager a mischievous grin and said, "Though, with the right person it can be very sensual."

In response, Ezra immediately made a face and said, "Ew, gross."

Jinn laughed and said, "On the other hand, if it were someone trying to hurt me then it can be very painful. Perhaps even life threatening. Though, my mother was very skilled at manipulating Force-energy. If she wanted to, she could siphon energy away from her subordinates and boost her power. However, not everyone can contain more power than they already have. It's one of the reasons why she was granted her title."

Ezra was startled and said, "Wait, your mom has a title?"

Jinn was embarrassed and diverted his gaze and said, "Yes. My mother is a lady. She believed that revealing close relationships to an enemy could be exploited. In public, I had to address her by her title."

Ezra lifted his brow and said, "Wow, that explains why you're always so formal. She didn't seem all that strict in the portal-world."

"What?"

The teen sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Oh, right. I might have forgotten to mention that I met your mother in the portal-world on Mortis."

Stunned, Jinn said, "Y-You met my mother?"

"Yeah, she's kinda scary, but she helped us escape Mortis."

Jinn rushed to Ezra and grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "What did she say?"

The teen grabbed hold of Jinn's wrist because he was holding his shoulder so tight that it was starting to hurt. He said, "S-She said she's been looking for you for a long time. She said she's glad you have friends and that you're not alone. She said she loves you."

Jinn instantly let go of Ezra and turned his back to him. The young man was startled to see that they had returned to the normal world again. At first, Ezra was disoriented by the suddenly change. He paused for a moment to shake his head.

"Whoa! Next time, warn me before you do that."

However, Jinn didn't response. He kept his back towards him and remained silent. Concerned, Ezra walked around to face him.

"Jinn? Are you okay?"

Ezra was startled to see that Jinn was silently crying while he kept an iron grip on the hilt of his black sword. The teen frowned and reached up to place his hand on his arm.

He softly said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Jinn closed his eyes and let another tear roll down his face and said, "I haven't seen my family in over 30 years. I've been gone for so long that I wouldn't blamed them for thinking that I'm dead. Once, getting back to them was all I could think about. I was alone for a long time. I'm happy that my family knows that I'm alive. I feel like a great burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Thank you, Ezra."

The teen shyly looked away from him and said, "Oh, no problem." He then paused and said, "Wait a minute, you're been gone for over 30 years? Just how old are you?"

"I'm about 60 years old."

Ezra opened his mouth in shock and said, "You don't look like you're 60 years old."

Jinn smiled mischievously and said, "That's because I'm only half human. Now, the next thing I want to teach you is how to start a fire."

Ezra grinned and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. He then tossed it into the air and caught it with one hand and said, "Sure, that's easy."

The amber Jedi shook his head and said, "No, I mean I want to teach you to start a fire with the Force. You need to practice controlling energy but, first things first, we need to do this safely. Gather some firewood and I'll gather some stones to make a safe campfire."

"Oh, right. I can do that, old man."

Jinn nearly dropped a rock on his foot when he heard Ezra call him an old man. He glared and said, "I am not an old man. I'm not even middle aged yet!"

Ezra smiled as he walked away to go pick up firewood and said, "Sure, whatever you say, old man."

"Then you should learn to respect your elders, Bridger."

XXX

However, Ezra was already out of range when Jinn made his last remark. Jinn shook his head and returned to collecting stones for the campfire. Though, a second later he saw someone coming towards him. It was easy to figure out who it was by the horns.

"Hello, Master Maul."

Jinn didn't wait for Maul to respond. He continued to pick up stones and dropped off what he collected into a pile. Maul gave Jinn a questioning look as he watched him work.

"What are you doing?"

"Collecting stones."

"Yes, I can see that. Why?"

"It's for training my apprentice. Is there something you want?"

Maul folded his hands behind his back as he watched Jinn bend down and start arranging the stones into a circle. He then stared to dig a shallow pit in the center with a branch.

"I've considered your offer."

"And?"

"I've decided to trust you for now. I'll go through with your treatment to restore my body."

Jinn got up and brushed off his hands. He turned to face Maul and said, "Well, that's excellent news. I'll have the medic team start the process tomorrow morning."

Maul narrowed his brow and said, "I am curious. Aren't you concern that Master Obi-Wan will see you helping me as a betrayal?"

"Perhaps, but I see it as gaining the trust of an ally. Besides, fighting only half a man isn't exactly a fair. I'm only evening the odds."

The Sith stalked closer and said, "Yes, but to my favor."

The amber Jedi grinned and said, "Yes, but the more dangerous the foe, the greater the victory."

Maul laughed and said, "It's refreshing to hear a Jedi talk like a Sith. Perhaps you and I are alike. Tell me Jedi, just how Dark are you?"

"As I said before, I am not a Jedi nor am I a Sith."

Maul raised his brow and said, "Are you claiming to be balanced?"

Jinn replied, "Balance, like everything else is a temporary state. My nature tends to drift a shade darker than most. Though, since you're here, why don't we spar?"

Maul rubbed his chin and said, "Interesting. How will we determine the winner?"

"We'll do points for each move that would otherwise result in death in real combat. Shall we say the best of three?"

Maul smirked and ignited his dual lightsaber and said, "As you wish, Master Jinn."

The Sith was intrigued by the Dark Jedi. He hadn't been able yet to assess his skill or sense his power. He wondered if Master Jinn shared Master Obi-Wan's fighting technique. He watched as Jinn drew both his sword and saber. Then, without warning, he quickly drew close with his sword acting as a shield and deactivated his lightsaber and pressed the warm hilt under his chin. Maul glared at Jinn's smiled. Jinn then lowered his weapon and took a step back.

"That's one point to me, Master Maul."

Maul sneered and rubbed his throat. His heart was racing. If it had been a real match, then he'd be dead. It appeared that Master Jinn fought like a Sith. He was cunning and wasn't afraid to make killing blows. There was no hesitation. No doubt. No remorse.

"You fight ruthlessly, Master Jinn."

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

"Oh, you should. I have never met a Jedi who fights like a Sith before. And don't deny that you aren't a Jedi. You surround yourself with Jedi followers. It's clear to me which side you truly support."

"Now, now, Master Maul. You are not a Jedi follower, yet you are at my side."

Maul lunged forward with his dual lightsaber and tried to disarm Jinn. The amber Jedi used his sword to draw closer again. His black sword scorched and sparked as it brushed against Maul's red lightsaber. Yet, Maul was able to shove Jinn back.

"Why do you deny that you are Jedi?"

"I told you before, the Order won't accept someone like me. And besides, what they offer isn't very appealing. I have no desire to be a celibate wizard monk at the service of a militant government."

"Ah, yes. You are not celibate. You are attachment."

Maul then closed the distance between them. At the last minute, he spun and ducked down to kick Jinn's leg out from under him and hovered the end of his lightsaber at his head.

"That's a point for me, Master Jinn."

Jinn smiled and said, "One more will break our tie."

The two men straightened up and put distance between them again. Maul grinned. He was enjoying their sparring match. He sensed he touched on a sensitive subject with Master Jinn.

"It's no secret who you are attached with. I'm surprised that you would allow yourself such a weakness."

"Miss Ventress is hardly weak."

"Is that why you chose a Dathomirian woman as your partner?"

"What can I say? Dathomirians are very beautiful."

Maul was irked by Master Jinn's comment. He was clearly mocking him. He knew all too well what others thought of his appearance. He let his anger fuel his power. He would defeat Master Jinn and force him to respect his strength. He refused to be a mere tool for another man's gain ever again.

With rage, Maul attacked Jinn with his dual lightsaber. He forced Jinn back. Jinn had to get serious. He changed his fighting stance and without thinking, he stood in Obi-Wan's favored style of fighting. Jinn extended his left arm with his black sword with two fingers extend out while his right arm was drawn back by his head with his blue lightsaber in hand.

"Maul!" shouted Ezra. "I knew you couldn't be trusted."

The young Jedi rushed over to Jinn with his lightsaber drawn. In response, Jinn deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it onto his belt and placed his hand on Ezra's shoulder.

"Bridger, it's alright. Master Maul was gracious enough to spar with me."

Ezra was suspicious but deactivated his lightsaber as well. He gave Maul a glare and said, "Fine, but why do you keep calling him Master Maul for? He isn't a Jedi."

Jinn sighed and said, "I see we have to work on your etiquette, my young friend. It's a sign of respect to address another fully trained Force-user with the title of master."

Maul lowered his gaze and looked away from them. He had no idea that Master Jinn was showing him respect. He was so sure that he was mocking him. He didn't know that the Dark Jedi was addressing him as a master out of respect. He turned and deactivated his dual lightsaber.

"We'll continue our sparring match another time, Master Jinn. I'm sure your apprentice has much to learn."

XXX

Meanwhile, Slick finally arrived on Endor with his men, Chopper, Gus, Jester, Punch and Sketch. He had received a message on the Clone Network that Captain Rex needed his help for a recon mission. He didn't know why the Captain didn't send the message through proper channels or why he'd want him to go the Endor in the first place. Endor was in the Outer Rim and nowhere near the Separatists. Slick suspected that the mission wasn't on the level.

Gus looked around the forest and rocky terrain and said, "Is this the place?"

Slick said, "This is where Captain Rex said to meet him."

"Hey, Slick! Glad you could make it."

Slick looked and saw Fives. The ARC trooper was wearing Mandalorian armor and waving at them with a big dumb smile on his face. He saw that Fives wasn't alone. Standing beside him was the Sith woman, Ventress. She wasn't smiling.

"Fives, I didn't expect to see you here and with her."

Fives said, "Relax, Slick. Ventress is on our side."

Slick sneered and said, "If she's not a clone then she isn't on our side."

Ventress glared at him and said, "I'd watch your tone if I were you, clone."

Slick said, "I don't need to watch my tone around a Separatists witch. You're only here because you're involved with that Jedi, Jinn. Oh, wait. He isn't a Jedi. He's just an advisor."

Fives narrowed his brow and said, "Slick, watch it. I'm warning you-"

Slick interrupted him and said, "So, she's got you dancing to her tune too? You make me sick-AH!"

Ventress used the Force to grab hold of Slick and dangle him upside down in the air. She smiled as she watched him panic and kick. In response, Fives started to laugh. He approached Slick as he dangled like a ragdoll and poked him on the forehead.

"I was trying to warn you about her. I thought you'd know better than to insult a Force-user to their face. Now, listen. Rex called you fellas here so you can help us distribute the cure to our brothers. We're doing it without GAR permission. As far as the GAR is concerned, we're deserters. Got it?"

Slick's men paused and shared looks with one another. This was the first time they even heard about a cure. Gus stepped forward and said, "What's the cure for, Fives?"

The ARC trooper smiled and said, "It's the cure to rapid aging. With it we can live normal lives. So, are you in?"

Gus replied, "If it means helping our brothers then I think I can speak for everyone that you can count us in."

Fives patted Gus on the shoulder and then turned to face Slick and said, "So, what about you Slick? You on board?"

Slick said, "Yes, now call off your Force-user."

Ventress dropped Slick onto the ground. He got up and shook himself before giving her a glare. "You might have convinced Fives, but I don't trust you. I know you don't give two freks about clones, so why are you here helping us? What's your agenda?"

The ex-assassin said, "You're right. I don't care about clones and I don't need to tell you my reasons. Now, get up. There's work to be done."

XXX

TBC

XXX

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