Hey everyone, I'm coming at you rather quickly with another chapter. This one is probably going to be a bit short, it's just a bit of a breather chapter between arcs, I'll probably throw these chapters in every once in a while just to allow us to get a glimpse of smaller, more contained episodes of Nitai's time in the temple, it'll also give us an opportunity to see the down-time between major campaigns, after all a war isn't nonstop fighting, their are lull-periods, and I imagine that Jedi probably need some periods of rest every now and again, considering how frequently they're on the front lines or engaging in perilous missions.
Also, before anyone goes saying that the lake level of the Jedi Temple seems odd or out of place, it's actually canon (or at least was canon before the whole Disney thing, now it's in a weird sort of Schrodinger's canon)
Today's recommendation is a manga called Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu, it's about a boy who befriends the cool, elegant girl at his school that everyone thinks is just stoic and reserved, only to find out that the reason she seems so withdrawn is because she is terrified of talking to other people, to the point that she seems like she just straight up can't speak. He promises to help her gain friends, and hijinks ensue. It's a very cute, cozy little series.
But enough about that, let's get on with the story.
Walking a Tightrope Chapter 7 (V. 1)
Thankfully, Nitai's wish was granted and after reporting the destruction of the Malevolence Anakin, Nitai, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka, were all instructed to return to Coruscant with their fleets so that they, and their troops, could enjoy some well-deserved rest.
This had also provided him with an excellent opportunity to further explore the Jedi Temple, along with the surrounding Temple District, and soon the sight of the red-skinned Padawan wandering through the halls of the Temple became a very regular one. However, he would only discover one of the more impressive sights of the Temple after being summoned by Master Kenobi to meet him near the main entrance of the Temple.
He saw his Master waiting near the entrance of the Temple and grinned as he suppressed his presence in the Force before walking up silently behind him. "You called for me Master Kenobi?" He said once he had stopped only about a foot away, and the unexpected sound of his voice caused the Jedi to startle slightly.
"Oh, Nitai, I didn't feel you arrive." Obi-Wan said as he turned to face his grinning Padawan. "That's to be expected Master, I'm very good at not being noticed when I don't want to be." Nitai responded before tilting his head quizzically as Obi-Wan handed him a lightsaber.
"Well, Anakin and I have decided that now would be a good time to test you and Ahsoka on your skills with a lightsaber so we can get an adequate assessment of your abilities. Of course, we don't want you to end up cutting each other, so we've procured some training sabers for you to use, they'll give you a shock, but won't do any serious damage." He said as Nitai took the blade and quickly ignited it, giving a few swings to test it out before deactivating it and slipping it onto his hip next to his real saber.
"Very well, Master, but where will we be doing this assessment?" Nitai asked as he began to follow Obi-Wan down a corridor that he hadn't had the chance to explore yet. "We'll be going to the lake level." Obi-Wan said, before catching the young Padawan's look of confusion and reminding himself that he hadn't spent a great deal of time in the Temple. "The lake level is a five-story complex inside the Temple, it's meant to serve as a meditative retreat, and a place to rest and relax. It feels like you're actually walking on the surface of a planet, and many apprentices like to visit between classes in order to swim in the lake or relax on the beach. Even some of the older Jedi like to spend time there, as it's a very tranquil place." Obi-Wan explained and Nitai nodded slightly in understanding. Back at his academy on Uostas more than a few meditation classes were held outside, to allow the students to more easily tap into the flow of the Force.
"I'm also interested in the style that you used against Ventress during that mission to rescue Jabba's son. The way that you turned your lightsaber on and off to slip past her guard reminded me of the Trakata style, an interesting choice. How exactly did you come to learn that style?" Obi-Wan asked, Trakata had initially been developed by a Jedi long ago, and was a very rarely used style, although some Jedi, such as Obi-Wan himself, had taken some of the moves from it, it was not very popular to learn as a primary style, since most Jedi did not want to rely on the large amounts of deception that were necessary to make the style effective.
"It actually is Trakata, or rather, an outgrowth of it. My people have been separated from the rest of the galaxy for centuries, Master, and I'm far from the first Force Sensitive to be born. And my people have learned how to construct crude replicas of lightsabers. The style I utilize, well the name literally translates as 'wild' style. It was given the name because of the large, seemingly uncontrolled swings that are characteristic of it. It relies heavily on making the opponent doubt their moves while also using everything possible as a weapon. My people tend to be rather pragmatic when it comes to combat, so it's not much of a surprise that philosophy extended to lightsaber combat. Part of the reason I deactivate my blade and reactivate it is because it makes the opponent even more uncertain of which attacks are feints and which are not, although I'm far from a master. Watching a true master of the style fight is like…like watching poetry in motion, every movement has a purpose despite appearing completely random." Nitai explained.
"Hmm, you mentioned that you aren't the first Force Sensitive to be born during your people's time cut off from the rest of the galaxy, what normally happens to Force Sensitives amongst your people?" Obi-Wan asked, hoping to get a bit more information out of Nitai, his Padawan had been a bit evasive about providing any concrete details about his people, and while that was within his right, since from what he had been told his people weren't very keen on the idea of rejoining the galactic community, it still would have been nice to know a bit more about where his young Padawan came from.
"It usually depends on what they want to do. Some choose to go join a group of Force sensitive monks, called the Twilight Walkers where they do the ponder the mysteries of the universe, that sort of thing. A few others choose to use it in ways that help them in their chosen profession, we've had quite a few doctors over the centuries who rose to great prominence due to their ability to heal others using the Force. I could have probably joined the monks if I wanted to, but well, a life of staying in one place didn't exactly appeal to me, I wanted to see what was out here in the wider galaxy." Nitai said, and pretty much all of what he said was true, he just underplayed how many of his people were Force sensitive. Most tended to use it for small, mundane things, since they didn't really concern themselves too much with learning to use it beyond basic abilities such the Force Push and Force Pull. But the Twilight Walkers were those who chose to plumb the depths of the Force, pondering it in depth and spending a great deal of time meditating. "The Twilight Walkers can be a good source of wisdom, although they tend to phrase it in a rather frustrating manner. They love to ask questions that don't really have answers in order to get you to think, very frustrating the first few times you meet them, but you get used to it."
Eventually they reached the lake level, and as the doors slid open and they stepped out onto the grass, Nitai was shocked to see the greenery that suddenly surrounded them. Just as Obi-Wan had said, it was like walking out onto the surface of a planet, there were trees planted along dirt paths and near benches, and there was a large lake near the center of the massive room, there were even lights placed strategically overhead to mimic the amount of light that there was outside.
"Master, good to see you didn't keep us waiting." Anakin said with a confident grin as he waved the two Jedi over. He and Ahsoka were waiting on a stretch of sandy beach near the edge of the lake, Nitai could see a few young Jedi lounging in the distance, skipping rocks along the water's surface, while several older Jedi sat beneath the shade of the trees, meditating.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Anakin. Nitai, why don't you and Ahsoka go and get ready, we'll tell you when to begin." The two young Padawns nodded and took up position about a dozen feet from one another.
"Don't even think of going easy on me, Red, because I certainly won't." Ahsoka said with a smile as she dropped into her stance and ignited her training saber. "Wouldn't dream of it, Soka, and I'd be insulted if you did." He retorted as he ignited his saber and gripped it loosely in his right hand. "Soka, couldn't think of anything better?" She said jokingly. "I put about as much effort into yours as you put into mine." He teased.
"On my mark, 3, 2, 1, begin!" Anakin shouted, and the two young Padawans rushed towards one another. Once they were close enough Ahsoka opened up by bring her lightsaber towards him in a sweeping slash, but when he raised his lightsaber to block he suddenly switched it off and instead ducked underneath the swipe while sidestepping her, coming back up behind her before pivoting and reigniting his saber and thrusting it towards her back as she stumbled forward, not having met the resistance that she had been anticipating. However, instead of trying to halt her momentum she instead continued forward, somersaulting forward to avoid his thrust and coming back up to her feet before turning around, just in time to block a swipe his saber. "That was a dirty trick, Red." She said as their blades locked. "Oh, far from my dirtiest, I can assure you." He chirped happily before they both broke the lock and jumped back, slowly circling one another.
"Hmm, that's unusual." Obi-Wan said as he and Anakin watched their students close in and begin to strike at each other. "What is it, Master?" Anakin asked, he hadn't noticed anything particularly unusual about the duel aside from Nitai's style, which admittedly did seem rather odd, it looked like the flailings of a complete amateur, yet every time Ahsoka tried to exploit them, she found her swings being either blocked or dodged.
"Nitai is using his saber in his right hand, but on Christophsis and against Ventress he held it in his left." Obi-Wan explained, and as if on cue, Nitai switched his blade from his right hand to his left and renewed his assault, his strikes coming much faster and more precisely now that he was using his dominant hand.
"He let her fall into a rhythm while using his right hand, then switched it up by passing it to his dominant hand, an impressive strategy, but risky." Anakin commented, rather impressed by the young Padawan's thinking, by deliberately using his offhand he allowed Ahsoka to think she had an idea of how fast he was, and so the sudden increase in speed when switching to his dominant hand would come as a surprise. Indeed, the Togruta slowly began to give ground as she tried to adjust to the new rhythm of his attacks, although now he seemed to also be switching that up as well, deliberately trying to keep her off balance by using a series of feints with his saber. "And of course, there's the advantage that comes with being left-handed." Obi-Wan added, most species in the galaxy tended to be predominantly right-handed, and so most Jedi were trained under the assumption that their opponent would be right-handed as well, which could leave them at a distinct disadvantage when facing a left-handed opponent, who would typically also be trained to fight right-handed individuals.
However, despite his unusual style and Ahsoka's inexperience fighting left-handed opponents he was still unable to land any solid hits on her, his lightsaber grazed near her several times, but her superior flexibility and acrobatic fighting style made her difficult to land a hit on. In addition, he hadn't had much experience fighting opponents that were as agile as her, and he had to bend into some very awkward positions when she leapt over him at several points in their spar and swiped towards his head.
The spar continued for nearly a quarter of an hour, as the two young Jedi were just skilled enough from keeping one another from landing any solid hits. But eventually, their bodies began to tire, Nitai saw an opening in Ahsoka's defense and swung at her, switching his lightsaber off just long enough to slip past her defenses before reigniting it, however as he did so she also thrust her lightsaber forwards, both Padawans paused just before their blades connected, his lightsaber hover beside her midsection and the tip of her saber not even half an inch away from his throat. The two of them were breathing heavily and their gazes were locked, determination blazing in their eyes. However, after a while, a smile broke out over Nitai's face, and it wasn't long before Ahsoka mirrored that. The two deactivating their sabers as they slumped to the floor, laughing, the tension finally dissolving as they both realized that they had just spent nearly a quarter of an hour sparring, using pretty much every trick they could think of, only to end in a draw.
"Good show, you two. You put in a very impressive display of your skills." Obi-Wan said as he and Anakin approached their exhausted apprentices. "Indeed, now that we have an idea of how you fight we'll be able to work on improving your weak points." Anakin agreed, although his tone sounded a bit disappointed.
"Ha…ha…ha, is something wrong, Master?" Ahsoka said as she and Nitai slowly recovered from their laughing fit. Anakin and Obi-Wan had the decency to look slightly abashed as Anakin admitted. "Well…Obi-Wan and I decided that whoever's Padawan ended up losing, their Master would have to pay for dinner at a rather nice restaurant that Padme recommended to us."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Master, so shameful to be on a fair, innocent spar between two Padawans." Nitai said as he crawled back to his feet, brushing the sand off his robes as he did so. "I agree, what would the Council think of such shameful behavior?" Ahsoka chimed in, although the two Padawan's shared a conspiratorial look. "In fact, since the duel ended in a draw neither of you won, but I think you should find a way to repay us for this little deception." Nitai said, and the two Masters exchanged a nervous look, they recognized that tone, that was a 'we're about to blackmail you shamelessly' tone. "Indeed, perhaps they should take us out to this restaurant, and pay for us." Nitai added before Ahsoka spoke up again. "I agree, a rather light punishment for deceiving us innocent, naïve Padawans for such wicked purposes." The two Padawans grinned at their Masters, who just sighed in defeat.
"It seems we've allowed ourselves to be outmaneuvered on this one, Anakin." Obi-Wan said as he and Anakin shared another look. "I think our Padawans are picking some things up a bit too fast." Anakin replied.
"Don't worry Master, we'll make sure not to order anything too expensive." Ahsoka said, although both Anakin and Obi-Wan could tell by the mischievous gleam in their eyes that the two Padawans probably weren't going to stick to that promise.