"My apologies for my tardiness masters." The voice of Obi-wan rang out across the bridge, both Anakin and Ashoka were out of range of the hologram, yet looked on in a poorly covered attempt to listen in.
"Its no worry, we are still trying discussing a solution to our, uh," Master Mundi paused, "troublesome learner."
Anakin and Ahsoka shared a look of confusion, this being the first they're hearing of such a thing.
"I've had little time to think over the matter, admittedly."
"It's no matter, we believe we have come to an answer for our dilemma." The hologram of the council replied.
"I'm interested as to hear what you have."
"We have decided to allow him to take the Padawan trials, from which, if he passes, he will be assigned to one of us on this council."
"If he fails?"
"He will be expelled from the order, and returned to his people."
"Expelled?" Kenobi asked, shock evident.
"He's already caused enough problems, if he fails, it gives us fair grounds upon which to get rid of him."
Anakin and Ahsoka again turned to each other, frowning this time.
"I'd believe I would like to be present to see these trials."
"Very well, I believe that you and Skywalker are due for a break."
It was a colder morning when they landed on the temple landing pad, the cold air nipped at Ahsoka's skin. The whine of the gunship's engine slowly faded out as it flew away. Obi-wan brushed past both Anakin and Padawan, both sensing his terseness. The rest of the council waited at the end of the platform gazing on. Obi-wans pace increased to meet the council, before they paced off into the temple.
"Lets follow them. I want to see what this is all about." Her master comments, following the gaggle of councilors through the temple. They arrived at the training rooms, and moved to the opposite spectator room than the council had.
"Okay, we can watch, but we don't know what theyre saying?" Ahsoka asked, turning to Anakin.
A smug grin met her. "Oh really? I just happen to maaybe think that master Obi Wan Kenobi has left his comlink on." He said, tapping the button on his wrist to activate his own.
I thought you said he was going to take the trials, not a combat test. Ahsoka recognized the voice of master Kenobi.
You were correct, but you can see how his fighting form has changed, he's moving further from our taught forms. Windu's authoritative voice rang out.
The door to the room opened, and a boy was escorted in by two temple guards, being shoved into the centre of the room before he batted the others hands off him.
Ahsoka analyzed the newcomer, committing his features to memory. He had modest length black hair, reaching down to his jaw, strong facial features, and silver eyes. It was what he wore that truly surprised her. Darkened slate grey beskar adorned his body, finished with minimal golden highlights. It was clearly crafted by masterful hands, and she failed to find a fault on it.
The door on the other of the room opened, and another figure stepped out, a padawan, if their braid was anything to go by. He took stance at the end of the dueling mat, and ignited a green saber. The beskar adorned boy took his own stance, taking a hilt from his belt and holding it at his side before igniting a cross guarded orange saber. Judging from Anakin's confusion, alongside the apparent discomfort of the masters, it wasn't a jedi form.
They began circling each other, the padawan was tense, his opponent deceivingly relaxed. Growing impatient, the Orange sabered boy rushed towards the padawan, lashing his saber around his body in a lethal arc. The older opponent stumbled back to avoid the swing, panickily throwing himself backwards and clumsily swinging his own saber to clash against the aggressor's.
The beskar warrior pressed his advantage forcing the padawan to go defensive against the onslaught of attacks being brought down upon him. The black haired boy unleashed more and more heavier attacks, wearing the green saber wielding boy down with each heavy hit. He quickly pushed himself up and dodged another swing, allowing him to press an opening presented. The silver eyed boy crouched under the swing, and countered, bringing his saber to a halt next to his opponents neck, slicing his padawan braid off, leaving Anakin and Ahsoka in shock at the disrespect shown.
The boy is impertinent. Master Ti's voice was heard through the comm connection.
Hmm, conflict there is, within him. A battle of his people's tradition and our own. Master Yoda commented. Another opponent, send in.
Anakin turned to Ahsoka, who was no longer present it appeared. He looked around wondering how she had snuck off, yet his attention was brought back to the door of the training room, where the defeated unknown stepped out, only to be replaced by his unruly apprentice.
Ahsoka? Obi-wans questioning voice was heard, This should be interesting.
The boy looked her up and down, assessing his opponent, before taking a different stance than his previous duel, an actual jedi form it appeared, Form IV, Ataru if he wasn't mistaken. Ahsoka flicked on her own saber, the boy mirroring her. Ahsoka, being Ahsoka, immediately attacked, forcing the boy on the backfoot. She barraged his defenses and grew increasingly annoyed that she was unable to crack him.
In a rather unorthodox yet rather ingenious move if Anakin admitted, she drew him into a saber lock, before bringing up her knee to the hilt of the boy's saber. Caught off guard by the move, it flew from his grasp and he ducked under the lightning fast swing that followed. She followed up again, and the boy brought his forearms together to block the strike, leaving Ahsoka's blade to bounce off the mandalorian steel.
Taking the initiative, he jabbed an elbow into her side, eliciting a grunt from the togrutan. He grabbed her wrist and threw her over his shoulder, laying her out on the floor, the impact sending her saber across the room, leaving both fighters to into a tough fistfight. Ahsoka pushed him back, before running and drop kicking him, bringing and oomph from the boy. She lunged at him, with the boy bringing his feet to push her over his head.
Both fighters, seeing their opening, pulled their sabers towards them, igniting, and stopping short of each others necks. A tense silence reigned, only disturbed by their haggard breathing.
"Draw?" He proposed.
"Draw." She agreed.
Both fighters then promptly sagged to the floor, spent.
I Believe I have solution to our problem. Master Kenobi's proposed.
The boy in front of him studied him, his eyes inquisitive. Obi-wan returned a neutral gaze.
The auburn jedi master had heard lots about Ash Valinn. Hailing from Kalevala, in mandalorian space, he was the heir to clan Valinn, a group of mandalorians that still practiced their warrior traditions. He was the subject of frequent council discussion and the bane of many masters who sat upon it. He was invited into the order by that of master Yoda, who sought to fix the shaky past between the two.
"Well, Ash, or should I say padawan Valinn."
"Padawan?"
"Oh yes, congratulations on your promotion to my padawan."
"Your Padawan? what's the catch?"
"I watch over you to make sure that you don't uh stray from the code." Ash nodded. "Come, let us walk."
The tall windows of the temple cast light far into grand halls, the light catching Ash's armor a few times. His attire drew looks, but it was something that he had grown used too, it was interesting to deduce the looks as well, he found. You can tell the scholars from the common jedi as they gave glares instead, clearly understanding the terse history between the two peoples.
He followed his robed master until they reached the meditation rooms, where he sat himself down on the cushioned chairs they had. He reached out, trying to take control of the force. Obi-wan sensed the tug in the force, his face shifting in slight worry as the felt the methods used within his meditation.
"Ash." The tense grip on the force slackened.
"yes?"
"Yes master, please use etiquette." He corrected.
he scowled for half a second. "Yes master?"
"Your meditation methods are, disturbing to say the least."
"Why? What's wrong with them?"
"you must relax and let the force flow through you, pulling out in is not how meditation works."
"How can you use the force if you don't have control of it?"
"You must open yourself to the force, and allow it the flow through you as a conduit, from there upon which you guide it." The master explained.
Ash took a deep breath, and exhaled,clearing his mind and relaxing his muscles, before he fell into a meditative trance.
It was dark out by the time he awoke, now alone in the cushioned room. He quickly set out from the temple, finding one of the many open gardens that line the perimeter of the temple. He rested over the the edge of railing, looking out over the busting coruscant sky, the lights of air speeders in the and those of the top level high rises jutting out over the sky mind him melancholic.
He recognised a presence behind him. "I don't think that I'll ever get used to this you know."
"To what, the temple?" Ahsoka replied, in truth she was surprised to see him out here, Ash didn't seem like the type to appreciate a view.
"Well, kind of. More so how busy everything here is, my home is a lot quieter."
"Your home?"
"From what I've gathered my circumstances here are rather different to that than everyone else."
"How so?" She asked leaning on the railing next to him, her eyes also on the busy horizon.
"I was taken from my clan only a couple years ago, from my understanding it was master Yoda's idea, in order to try and repair the treacherous past between mandalore and the Jedi."
"so what, you miss your own planet because you still remember it?"
"Kind of. I still go back there every so often, I'm the heir of clan Valinn."
"So what? Is it a quiet planet there?"
"Very."
"So what happened after our little duel then?"
"Well, I'm officially master Kenobi's padawan now."
"You don't have the braid yet though." She pointed out.
"Yeah, I uh, don't know how to do that kinda stuff."
She smirked at him. "Come here, I can." She offered.
"You? You don't even have hair."
She scowled, "doesn't mean I can't do it, idiot." She reached over and yanked him over by his black locks, before beginning his braid.
"Ow"
"Grow up" she smiled to herself, before yanking on his hair again.
"Ow! That was deliberate!"
She laughed, "don't whine, it's unbecoming of royalty." She mock lectured.
He scoffed in utter disbelief. "You sound worse the Obi-wan." He deadpanned, a remark that earned him a smack upside the head.
"For all this abuse you're doling out to me don't I at least get to know your name?"
"Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano. Master Skywalker's padawan"
"Ash Valinn, of clan Valinn. Master Kenobi's padawan."
She huffed, "I know."