STAR WARS : MASTERS OF THE NEW WAY
Story and cover art By Xolotlだよ
Star Wars originally created by George Lucas
CHAPTER I – THE GROUP
The sun was high and a young man sat on the edge of a rounded metal mound. He looked out at a small beach cove where crystal clear waves splashed against the shore. He fell into the Force in meditation and let all of the life soothe his spirit and sore muscles.
Ahsoka Tano was cloaked in a white hooded robe which draped over her lightly armored frame. She walked confidently with the wisdom of age and experience. She reached out into the Force to project her presence. Kei-Ron Olmo kept his gaze on the shore and gently crashing waves as Ahsoka approached. Once she was within arm's length of him, Kei turned to face his master. His expression was calm and unchanging.
Ahsoka let out an audible quizzical sound. Kei looked at Ahsoka and a hint of a smile crossed his face. His hair hung low over parts of his face and he had crossed scars over his left eye, cheek and throat. His left pupil was milky and obviously blind. He could not speak, but could communicate with Ahsoka in her mind using the Force.
She reached out and felt his calmness, yet there was still a hint of conflict. It was only natural, she thought. She had left him here alone for two years to train in the ways of the Force she had shown him as well as the teachings of his ancestors. She had wanted to be sure that he did not become influenced by the conflicts in the galaxy that had been raging for generations before they had met.
Such thinking would have infuriated her younger self, but she had been determined to start a new way outside of how groups like the Jedi and Sith tried to hold ownership of the Force and the imbalance it always brought. She wasn't the only one in the galaxy to have this idea, but she was able to put her new philosophies and knowledge to use by sharing them with this individual and watching him blossom away from the conflict.
At least that's what she told herself. She had returned to see if it was true. Ahsoka walked over and sat next to Kei on the flat section surface of the metal mound coming out of the sand. She placed a warm hand on his shoulder and he looked into her eyes comfortably. She removed her hand, but kept her eyes on him before speaking. "Show me".
They both closed their eyes, fell into the Force and faced each other on a plane in their minds which stretched as far as the eye could see. The Force Plane suddenly took the form of their actual surroundings on the beach. They both stood in battle poses before Kei ignited his twin lightsabers, green blades emerging from the hilts. Ahsoka's eyes narrowed slightly as she took a split second to look at the new sabers Kei had constructed. She noted that they looked a lot like the ones on her weapons. Her thoughts disintegrated and both warriors lunged at each other with lightning speed.
Ahsoka waited until she was about an inch away from Kei before igniting her white lightsabers. The force of Ahsoka's charge caused Kei to slide to the left and their blades locked together in fierce combat. The first three blows were so hard that the ground shook beneath them. Sand flowed and shot up like waves as they moved quicker and quicker around the beach. They blocked and returned blows swiftly with neither of them losing ground. Their last exchange pushed Kei away from where they were fighting. Neither warrior lost their composure.
Ahsoka flipped backwards gracefully onto the flat surface of the metal mound. Kei appeared right behind her and struck with his left blade. Ahsoka crossed her sabers to cover her back and effortlessly blocked the strike, moving quickly into a sliding half-circle as she used the distance to dodge the attack from the blade in Kei's right hand.
Ahsoka kicked Kei in the face which he reacted to by sending several invisible Force "bullets" or shockwaves towards her. She sent the hilt of her right saber flying to knock Kei's arm down and the saber zoomed back into her hand. The shockwaves missed their target, pelted the top of the metal mound and left about a dozen small dents on its surface.
Ahsoka confidently stood up straight and deactivated her sabers, all the while walking around Kei with a menacingly calm demeanor. He stayed in fighting position, his right eye following her and burning with concentration. She feinted throwing a kick. He did not flinch or move, but stayed in his defensive pose, one blade in front of him, the other behind his back.
Ahsoka pressed him, "Impressive…You've managed to expand upon the Ataru form I taught you and you've learned to augment your speed and strength better without getting tired…but this isn't anything I didn't already expect from you by now. Where is this breakthrough you've made? I sensed it in your intentions when I arrived. At least your concentration has improved. You're still holding onto something though. Why the conflict? Do you resent me for leaving you?"
Kei's eye continued to follow her. Ahsoka continued her lesson, "Are you still holding onto old ideas of the light?" Kei closed his eyes, his composure and concentration unbroken. For a second he felt a strong presence in the Force from further up the beach, outside of the Force Plane. He tried to shake it from his mind.
Ahsoka chuckled, "No, that's definitely not it. What about the dark? Do you still fear it? Have you learned to let it touch you without being consum…" Kei let out a huge burst of green aura that consumed the scenery around them. Ahsoka stood unnaturally frozen. For a moment, she felt her mind become pierced by the green energy. She felt all of the natural elements of the planet unite. Their energy created a musical chord that held for several seconds. The ghosts of ancient Force users from Harlu appeared in different places around them and began singing a second chord in unison that harmonized with the one created by the elements of the planet. Ahsoka reached out in the Force and realized that these were not Jedi or Sith, but something different. A tear came down Ahsoka's cheek and she nearly dropped to the floor as the music pierced her very soul.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, fighting more tears as her body nearly lost itself to a fit of trembling. She spun upward in a circle as her right leg began to turn into ash. Droplets of water splashed off of her as she spun, her figure deteriorating into nature. Kei paused and stumbled for a quick moment before attempting to launch his body away from his master's graceful attack. Her first strike cut him in half. Ahsoka deactivated her lightsaber right before the second strike landed and grabbed onto Kei's clothing. Her leg re-materialized and the water droplets and other elements began to pour away from her. They consumed Kei as they came off Ahsoka's body. He disintegrated into the wind.
Back on the beach, Kei's eyes opened wide and he began breathing rapidly. He noticed Ahsoka's eyes were open now too and he feigned his composure. He had never felt like his mind had almost been torn apart during image training before. He suddenly felt foolish for sharing the ability he had displayed during their battle. Just as he lingered on though, he felt a strong presence in the Force that almost drowned out his master's words.
"I knew from your green sabers that you learned to change the fate of the Kyber in them. So that was it…That ability you displayed…it came from studying the teachings of this world and your ancestors. I'm very proud of y…" Kei stood up and exclaimed, "That presence! There's someone here. I could feel their energy even on the Force plane." Ahsoka smirked calmly, "So that's what broke your concentration…we were so busy catching up I had forgotten to mention that we have guests."
A slender but muscular woman with shoulder-length brown hair walked through the clearing of palm trees that lead to the metal mound. She was accompanied by another young woman with curly hair tied into twin buns. They walked toward Kei and Ahsoka and a calm smile crossed the brown-haired woman's face. Kei noticed that both of them had lightsabers attached to their belts with hilts that looked nothing like any he had seen before.
Ahsoka stood up and pulled back the hood of her flowing white cloak before starting the introductions. "Kei-Ron, this is Jedi Master Rey Skywalker and her padawan Mina Lardte. They're going to be visiting us for a while. You and Mina will be training together. Today, we start a new way."
Ahsoka walked over to meet Rey and her padawan near the side of the mound. She spoke telepathically with Kei as she passed him. "We can answer the questions we have for each other later." As the two masters met, they smiled at each other confidently and Ahsoka nodded her head. Rey walked over to Kei and greeted him. Kei stood up slowly and tried to brush off the shakiness he felt from "dying" during image training on the Force Plane. Something about her presence made him feel comfortable and terrified at the same time. His master was incredibly strong with the Force, but knew how to conceal her true power, this woman did not suppress her strength at all. The effortless balance in all of it was what made him uneasy. It made him feel as if the true balance that he felt he had been achieving over the past year was so far removed from anything based in reality. Kei began to feel resentful. A feeling he knew his master could sense. He stopped himself and chose to admire her energy instead. Rey sensed his sudden change in mood and spoke to him telepathically, which surprised Kei.
"I've heard a lot about you Kei-Ron. Your master speaks highly of you". Kei stared at Rey intently after hearing this. She continued, "In fact, it was Master Tano who taught me this ability to speak through the mind. My padawan can do it as well. Ahsoka has told me that you all have acquired a vast amount of knowledge from your ancestors and ancient Force users of this world. That's what we've come to study. My padawan wishes to become truly balanced in the force as you have been attempting to do."
Kei's resentment swelled back up again at the sound of Rey's words. He suppressed it as quickly as it came. Rey did not show any signs of noticing this, but he was certain she sensed it. Rey walked away towards Ahsoka and turned her head slightly to look back at Kei and smiled warmly, her grey cloak billowing in the wind.
Rey's padawan Mina stood stoic near the opposite edge of the metal mound and glared at him. She was very beautiful. Kei did not feel anything from her at first; it was as if her spirit was a shadow in the Force itself. He suddenly sensed a lightning quick flair of resentment in her. This was not the flawed, uncontrollable resentment he felt in himself when he spoke with Rey, but more of a taunt. It was as if she wanted him to feel the sting of her resentment as it burned within her spirit. It flared in and out of the Force. He knew what it was. It was the power of the Dark Side. Just as he felt the sting, it went away and was replaced by clean calm energy, then back to the shadow. She looked away from him, smiling somewhat mischievously as she did so, and walked towards Ahsoka and Rey. Kei noted the intense look of concentration on his face and felt foolish, knowing that she had gotten to him.
Ahsoka gathered everyone together. "Since we will all be studying and learning together, I would like the students to get to know each other. Kei-Ron and Mina must show their dueling skill and strength on the Force Plane." Kei felt himself almost wince at the thought of dueling on the Force Plane again. He cleared his mind and charged his warrior's spirit. That padawan certainly was a mystery, but there was no way her power rivaled his.
Kei, Mina and the two masters walked to the same edge of the mound. There was an odd tension between the students. Ahsoka and Rey sensed this, but chose not to acknowledge it. The masters joined their students seated on the mound with Ahsoka next to Kei and Rey next to Mina. They closed their eyes together.
They all stood on the Force plane as the scenery changed from the warm beach to a snowy forest with huge juts of stone in the terrain where it appeared as if the planet had split apart at one point.
Rey spoke, "I chose this place because neither of you have been here before. Therefore, neither of you will have the advantage of being familiar with the terrain and its perils. Just as neither of you are aware of each other's true abilities".
Ahsoka picked up where Rey left off, "When I give the signal, you'll begin your duel. Don't hold back. Unleash your full unrestrained power. This is the only time we will allow you to do this, so don't waste each other's time." Ahsoka & Rey spoke as one, "May the Force be with you. Begin!"
Kei and Mina stared straight into each other's eyes and as they heard the words, both erupted with surges in the Force that blew debris in every direction. They stood for a few moments in their battle poses, eyes locked on each other before leaping high into the top of a tree.
Kei waited until the last moment to ignite his twin green sabers and struck through the top of the tree's trunk. He sent several force shockwaves into the severed section of the tree, causing it to explode and splinter in Mina's face. She dropped back down towards the ground in the blink of an eye, seemingly un-phased by the attack. Kei followed. He stayed on the offensive, striking furiously with Mina managing to keep the trunk of the tree between them at all times. Not once did Mina ignite her lightsaber as they quickly approached the ground. Kei recognized this as a tactic to get him off-balance and kept his composure.
As they both reached the ground, they dashed sideways at a furious pace, staring each other square in the eyes. Kei decided to break the pace with a single quick strike. Mina easily dodged the strike and force-pushed Kei's leg so that he would tumble. Kei was un-phased, but feinted losing his balance and tossed one of his sabers as if it had happened due to the push.
Mina continued to dash through the trees into a treacherous rocky area that seemed to be heaving with steam vents in the snowy rocks. Kei dashed backwards as his the saber he threw came back flying at Mina from behind. As it was about to take her head, she ignited her own lightsaber to block it. It was a double-bladed weapon with faint red, almost pink blades.
Kei called his blade back to his hand and used the Force to make the molten vent in front of him open even more. Steam burst out and kept Mina from lunging forward. Mina slid backwards and then flipped over him gracefully, unleashing a quick slash combination as she did so. Kei crossed his sabers across his back just in time to block several more blows from Mina. He had never dueled with someone who moved this fast. He knew that Ahsoka went easy on him sometimes during their training, but could this girl be even quicker than his master? He discarded the thought and cleared his mind.
He remembered her blatant use of the Dark Side earlier when they had met and knew that she would not be above using confusion to cloud his judgment and belief in his abilities. He knew these methods well, but did not let them consume him. Instead, he used his passion to move freely and fluidly as they parried blows. Jumping from rock to rock, avoiding steam vents and cutting through tree trunks. Defiling nature always bothered Kei, but they were in a fight for their lives. He used nature's pain as a tool to augment his strength. It seemed Mina was doing the same. A genuine smile crossed his face for the first time in a long while. There was no way in the galaxy that a mere padawan could be faster than his master. The fact that it even has crossed his mind...
Mina blocked and returned Kei's strikes. She felt his passion and freedom of movement and it invigorated her. Her overconfidence had once been a weakness, but now she used the ghosts of those feelings to overpower the mental defenses of her enemies. She was not afraid of embracing the Dark and had grown addicted to the feeling of almost losing herself in it completely before returning to the light. The Dark always welcomed her with open arms and cured everything that caused her pain. As if she was born to be cloaked in it. Her master acknowledged these feelings but taught her to channel that passion into nurturing her abilities in the Light. Rey too understood what it meant. How it felt.
This was the first opponent she had that did not lose their focus when faced with her techniques and there was something comforting in this. Was this the sense of balance that her master had brought her here to find? This was not like the overwhelming duality of her master's presence. This was something different.
She cleared her mind as she realized that this comfort was also a battle tactic he was using on her. She welcomed it, if only for a second and then used her anger to move quicker than she had before and struck Kei with her knee. She felt his rib crack as he flew sideways and slid across the ground, the friction of his boots and lightsaber melting the snow on the ground in three large streaks.
Mina Force pushed Kei with an incredible blow to the spot on his ribs that she had just broken. Kei used the pain to bring out more power. A green aura burst around him, stopping him from being pushed back any further. The charge caused rocks to fly in every direction and several steam vents opened between where they faced each other. Mina began to tremble uncontrollably as the planet began to sing. The song was shorter and quieter than before and no ancient Force users appeared. This broke his concentration and Kei wasted no time with moving in for the killing blow.
Mina could not move for a moment. Her mind felt as if it was being ripped apart, then she felt the elements of the planet begin to unite in the Force. Strange that she did not feel the Dark side in this energy. The attack seemed to come from hatred and frustration, but the power behind it was distant, almost as if it was being summoned from somewhere else entirely. It disappeared just as she was about to become overwhelmed. She let the feeling of unity she sensed wash over her and she fell deep into the Light side of the force. This was where she wanted to be at this moment, but it didn't last. A swell of anger rose in her and consumed her spirit. Once it started, it did not stop.
Just as Kei's blades swung to take Mina's head, she dropped her lightsaber and clenched both fists, her body trembling violently as she began to rise off the ground. Kei dropped to his knees and pressed his hands over his eyes, screaming. Mina's fists clenched even tighter and let out a truly wicked scream. Kei shrieked in agony as both of his eyes exploded. Blood burst through the spaces between his fingers and the green aura surrounding him was sucked back into his body.
The pain was excruciating and paralyzing. He centered himself and used every shard of pain to soothe and give himself power. He could feel the green aura swirling inside him and his body began to move without thinking. Kei got back on his feet and began walking slowly towards Mina as she fell back to the floor. His body burned with white-hot heat as his boots left molten footprints in the rocks below him, his hands melting into the hilts of his sabers as he gripped them tightly.
Mina looked up at Kei, blood trickling from her ears as she called her saber to her. Kei crossed his sabers to strike, but his hands had melted through the hilts by this point which caused both blades to deactivate. Molten metal pieces and two kyber crystals fell onto the snowy ground. Mina moved to strike, but Kei managed to grab the center of her lightsaber hilt and began applying pressure in order to melt through it.
Mina looked into Kei's eyes, disdain crossing her face. She she dropped her saber, which caught Kei off balance and caused him to stumble forward slightly. She grabbed his head and pulled him close to her body, her skin smoldering and smoking from the heat. Kei's head sunk deep into her chest. Mina let out a horrifying shriek as she exploded into a giant red ball of fire and electricity, disintegrating both of them.
Everyone opened their eyes at the same time, but Kei and Mina were no longer seated on the edge of the mound with their masters. Instead, they were on the ground vomiting into the sand.