3
The Messenger
The last duel was between two kids that Zeph didn't know so he didn't pay any attention to them. Instead he talked to Vendalla and Wotapuk about their duels. "He was really stupid. I mean, he actually dropped his lightsaber and pretended to faint. He really thought he would fool me. I poked him in the neck and he started screaming."
Wotapuk told of his battle in his language. It turned out that the kid he was paired with was one of the best duelers in the academy. He lost in less than three minutes. Zeph was about to tell them about his battle with Kye when the final duelers walked over.
Luke stood from his meditative stance and smiled. "Well, that's all for tonight. You all did well. Next month we will do this again. You are dismissed." As the students stated standing and leaving the room, Luke walked over to Zeph. "Zeph can I see you for a minute?"
"Um, sure, sir. See you guys later." He said to his friends as they left the room.
"Follow me" said Luke. Luke led Zeph to the second floor of the main hall. They entered a room that was decorated with absolutely nothing. There was not a single item in the room. Luke kept walking until he reached the wall. He waved his hand to the side and they wall split opened, like the secret garden entrance. Luke stepped through and Zeph followed. They had entered a room that looked more like an office. Luke walked to a stone chair and sat down. He waved his hand casually and a second chair slid across the floor. "Sit down, please." Said Luke politely; "I watched your duel with Mr. Lorr a little while ago. You did very well. But you still did not achieve your goal of defeating him? I'm curious, do you know why you where defeated, Mr. Mardone."
"Well, he cheated, sir." As soon as Zeph heard his own words he realized how childish they sounded.
Luke studied him for a moment. "Let's say that you where dueling Mr. Lorr and you were trying to kill each other. Pretend that this was a battle that might happen if you were a Jedi Knight on a mission. What would you do if he cheated?"
Zeph knew where this was going. "I wouldn't be able to do any thing about it. If he had been a sith or something he would do anything to win."
"Exactly. I understand that you and Mr. Lorr are somewhat rivals. I get the feeling that you think he is a cheater and that the way he duels should not be allowed." Luke said in a friendly voice. He didn't want to discourage him but encourage him. "But I see his fighting technique as clever, not evil. He uses not only his speed and talent with a lightsaber but his wits and thinking power. He is doing what I want all of you to do. Use every ounce of your strength, and every idea you have. Do you understand my logic?"
Zeph thought about what Master Skywalker had said. "You want me to learn to, well, "cheat"."
"Yes. Use your environment. Plan ahead. Be prepared. And most of all don't use these tactics out of hate. Hate only leads to the Dark Side.
Zeph thought or a second. "I understand Master."
"Then you are dismissed." Luke said kindly.
The forest was thick with life. There were animals all over. A small mammal hurried down a trail. The odd thing about this was that there were no trails in the thick, Yavin forest. The "trail" was made up of an approximately three fourths of a kilometer of land that looked as if some thing forced it's way through everything. Trees were knocked over. The earth seemed to be flowing in one direction. At the end of this "trail" was Pod 1 from the Razor. It seemed to have taken a lot of damage upon landing.
Bang! Bang! The door had been jammed during landing. Bang! The door was forced open. A cloaked man crawled out. He stood up and studied his surroundings. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He pressed a few buttons on it and it beeped. Continuing to look at it, he turned around and started walking.
He walked for a few hours and did not look up from the device. When he reached a clearing. The clearing was home to what seemed ancient rune stones and markings on the trees surrounding. This would suffice.
The man pulled out his blaster and fired off a few shots at a nearby tree. A tree limb fell on the ground. The man walked over and dragged the man-sized limb back to the middle of the clearing. He pulled another device from his pocket and pointed it at the limb. The device beeped and a small tube ejected from it. The tube sped ashes on to the limb and it caught fire.
The man put the devices back into his pocket. The man continued to make camp and spent the night here. The next day, the man woke up before dawn. He pulled out his device and continued following. The next few hours were uneventful and he continued to watch his device. After noon had passed he reached the top of a hill. He looked up and could see his destination, which was taller than the trees. The man continued down the hill.
He heard a sound and stopped. He listened intently. He heard another click. He dove and rolled behind the closet tree. He peered out. Something was standing where he was seconds ago. It had some kind of protective gear covering its body. Except for its head. It was a species he had never seen before. He needed to avoid it for he knew what it was. A bounty hunter, hired to prevent him getting to his destination.
The man pulled out his blaster and crept away. He walked back wards and kept his eye on the creature. It seemed to be looking. For him.
The bounty hunter stopped. The man stopped too. The hunter was listening. It spun around and fired three blaster bolts in the man's direction. The man walked out into plain view.
The bounty hunter spoke in Rodian. "I don't think so." Said the man. He sounded like he was middle-aged, but extremely tired from his journey thus far. The bounty hunter smiled and fired his blaster.
The man rolled to the side and started shooting. He used the trees as cover but his enemy did they same. The man ran through the brush of the forest while shooting at his enemy. He needed to get out of here. He started running towards his destination, guarded by the trees. But the hunter ran after him. The man fired a few shots behind him. He came up to a large boulder. He ran behind it and started to climb it. The bounty Hunter ran past it. The man took aim and fired. The bounty hunter collapsed on to the swampy floor. The man jumped off the boulder and ran to the hunter.
"Assassins" he said with a sigh. He turned around and headed for his destination. The Jedi Academy.
The Messenger
The last duel was between two kids that Zeph didn't know so he didn't pay any attention to them. Instead he talked to Vendalla and Wotapuk about their duels. "He was really stupid. I mean, he actually dropped his lightsaber and pretended to faint. He really thought he would fool me. I poked him in the neck and he started screaming."
Wotapuk told of his battle in his language. It turned out that the kid he was paired with was one of the best duelers in the academy. He lost in less than three minutes. Zeph was about to tell them about his battle with Kye when the final duelers walked over.
Luke stood from his meditative stance and smiled. "Well, that's all for tonight. You all did well. Next month we will do this again. You are dismissed." As the students stated standing and leaving the room, Luke walked over to Zeph. "Zeph can I see you for a minute?"
"Um, sure, sir. See you guys later." He said to his friends as they left the room.
"Follow me" said Luke. Luke led Zeph to the second floor of the main hall. They entered a room that was decorated with absolutely nothing. There was not a single item in the room. Luke kept walking until he reached the wall. He waved his hand to the side and they wall split opened, like the secret garden entrance. Luke stepped through and Zeph followed. They had entered a room that looked more like an office. Luke walked to a stone chair and sat down. He waved his hand casually and a second chair slid across the floor. "Sit down, please." Said Luke politely; "I watched your duel with Mr. Lorr a little while ago. You did very well. But you still did not achieve your goal of defeating him? I'm curious, do you know why you where defeated, Mr. Mardone."
"Well, he cheated, sir." As soon as Zeph heard his own words he realized how childish they sounded.
Luke studied him for a moment. "Let's say that you where dueling Mr. Lorr and you were trying to kill each other. Pretend that this was a battle that might happen if you were a Jedi Knight on a mission. What would you do if he cheated?"
Zeph knew where this was going. "I wouldn't be able to do any thing about it. If he had been a sith or something he would do anything to win."
"Exactly. I understand that you and Mr. Lorr are somewhat rivals. I get the feeling that you think he is a cheater and that the way he duels should not be allowed." Luke said in a friendly voice. He didn't want to discourage him but encourage him. "But I see his fighting technique as clever, not evil. He uses not only his speed and talent with a lightsaber but his wits and thinking power. He is doing what I want all of you to do. Use every ounce of your strength, and every idea you have. Do you understand my logic?"
Zeph thought about what Master Skywalker had said. "You want me to learn to, well, "cheat"."
"Yes. Use your environment. Plan ahead. Be prepared. And most of all don't use these tactics out of hate. Hate only leads to the Dark Side.
Zeph thought or a second. "I understand Master."
"Then you are dismissed." Luke said kindly.
The forest was thick with life. There were animals all over. A small mammal hurried down a trail. The odd thing about this was that there were no trails in the thick, Yavin forest. The "trail" was made up of an approximately three fourths of a kilometer of land that looked as if some thing forced it's way through everything. Trees were knocked over. The earth seemed to be flowing in one direction. At the end of this "trail" was Pod 1 from the Razor. It seemed to have taken a lot of damage upon landing.
Bang! Bang! The door had been jammed during landing. Bang! The door was forced open. A cloaked man crawled out. He stood up and studied his surroundings. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He pressed a few buttons on it and it beeped. Continuing to look at it, he turned around and started walking.
He walked for a few hours and did not look up from the device. When he reached a clearing. The clearing was home to what seemed ancient rune stones and markings on the trees surrounding. This would suffice.
The man pulled out his blaster and fired off a few shots at a nearby tree. A tree limb fell on the ground. The man walked over and dragged the man-sized limb back to the middle of the clearing. He pulled another device from his pocket and pointed it at the limb. The device beeped and a small tube ejected from it. The tube sped ashes on to the limb and it caught fire.
The man put the devices back into his pocket. The man continued to make camp and spent the night here. The next day, the man woke up before dawn. He pulled out his device and continued following. The next few hours were uneventful and he continued to watch his device. After noon had passed he reached the top of a hill. He looked up and could see his destination, which was taller than the trees. The man continued down the hill.
He heard a sound and stopped. He listened intently. He heard another click. He dove and rolled behind the closet tree. He peered out. Something was standing where he was seconds ago. It had some kind of protective gear covering its body. Except for its head. It was a species he had never seen before. He needed to avoid it for he knew what it was. A bounty hunter, hired to prevent him getting to his destination.
The man pulled out his blaster and crept away. He walked back wards and kept his eye on the creature. It seemed to be looking. For him.
The bounty hunter stopped. The man stopped too. The hunter was listening. It spun around and fired three blaster bolts in the man's direction. The man walked out into plain view.
The bounty hunter spoke in Rodian. "I don't think so." Said the man. He sounded like he was middle-aged, but extremely tired from his journey thus far. The bounty hunter smiled and fired his blaster.
The man rolled to the side and started shooting. He used the trees as cover but his enemy did they same. The man ran through the brush of the forest while shooting at his enemy. He needed to get out of here. He started running towards his destination, guarded by the trees. But the hunter ran after him. The man fired a few shots behind him. He came up to a large boulder. He ran behind it and started to climb it. The bounty Hunter ran past it. The man took aim and fired. The bounty hunter collapsed on to the swampy floor. The man jumped off the boulder and ran to the hunter.
"Assassins" he said with a sigh. He turned around and headed for his destination. The Jedi Academy.