"Focus, Focus..." Master Yothalt said from behind Ronin. Ronin sat in the middle of the room, concentrating on the twenty marbles on the table before him. Just before Ronin could place the twentieth marble onto the stack of floating marbles, the stack fell apart, and marbles scattered across the floor.
"Dank Farrik!" Ronin cursed.
"Padawan! We do not use that language here!" Master Yothalt scolded.
"Sorry, master. I got frustrated. It was my thirty-seventh attempt, after all," Ronin said with his head downcast.
"While that may be true, it does not excuse the use of curse words within these walls." Master Yothalt said as he paced behind Ronin.
"Again."
Ronin groaned internally but continued as he was told.
After the marble stack scattered across the floor for the fortieth time that morning, Master Yothalt walked around the room, facing Ronin. "Let's try this again later."
"Thank you, master. But I thought there was no such thing as try. At least that's what Master Yoda says."
"Good catch, Ronin. Then let's "do" this later." Master Yothalt said with a chuckle.
"Agreed," Ronin said with a sigh of relief.
"So what are we going to do next? Lightsaber combat?"
"If I have learned anything as your teacher, you are already more than proficient at lightsaber combat for your age. We are going to review the fundamentals of the order."
"Oh," Ronin said, failing to hide his disappointment in his tone and posture.
"You fail to mask your lack of enthusiasm, my young apprentice, but you must realize that understanding the order and its branches is fundamental to who we are as Jedi."
"Yes, master," Ronin said, again with a rather unenthusiastic tone.
"Now, what is the Jedi code?"
"There is no emotion. There is peace. Through peace, I find clarity. There is no ignorance. There is knowledge. Through knowledge, I find compassion. There is no chaos. There is harmony. Through harmony, I find tranquility. There is no passion. There is serenity. Through serenity, I find balance. There is no death. There is the Force. Through the Force, I find myself. The Force is with me, and I am one with the Force. I am a Jedi." Ronin recited as if he were in a trance.
"What are the four branches of the Jedi service corps?"
"The Agricultural Corps, Medical Corps, the Educational Corps, and the Exploration Corps."
"And who do those branches consist of?"
"The Agricultural branch is the orders farmers and caretakers; the Medical branch is the order's doctors and healers; the Educational branch is the order's teachers and librarians; and the Exploration branch is the orders archaeologists and cartographers."
"Very good; now, what are the four councils of the Jedi order?"
"The Jedi High Council, the Council of First Knowledge, the Council of Reassignment, and the Council of Reconciliation."
"And what does each council do?"
"First Knowledge advises on ancient Jedi wisdom, Reassignment reassigns initiates that failed the trials into one of the four service branches, Reconciliation settles interplanetary disputes, and the High Council oversees the entirety of the Jedi order," Ronin recalled.
"What are the seven central lightsaber forms?"
Form I: Shii-Cho, Form II: Makashi, Form III: Soresu, Form IV: Ataru, Form V: Shien & Djem So, Form VI: Niman, Form VII: Juyo & Vaapad." Ronin recalled a little more quickly and enthusiastically than the questions before.
"And what are the three central types of Jedi in the order?"
"Jedi Consular, Jedi Guardian, and Jedi Sentinel."
"What does each Jedi type do?
"Consulars are primarily scholars and teachers, strong in the Force, and commonly marked as so by a green saber. Guardians are primarily peacekeepers and combatants, marked but not limited to a blue saber. Sentinels are a mix of the two and are usually seen with a yellow saber."
"And what are you and I?"
"I am a Jedi Guardian Padawan learner in the central branch of the order. You are a Jedi Sentinel Master in that same branch."
"Well done, apprentice! Not a single mistake." Master Yothalt stated proudly.
"Thank you, master," Ronin said, slightly out of breath from the reciting.
"Now, how about we get back to our lesson on balance?" Master Yothalt said as he looked down at his apprentice. Ronin tried his best to look enthusiastic about balancing a bunch of glass balls but failed miserably.
"I know that you struggle with force mastery, but you will succeed in time with practice and discipline," Yothalt said encouragingly.
"I will do my best, master," Ronin said as they returned to the table.
"Perhaps, we can practice our lightsaber forms after you finish your lesson on balance, eh?" Master Yothalt said, raising an eyebrow down at Ronin, who grinned in reply.
"Sounds good to me!" Ronin said as he knelt by the table, focusing on balancing the marbles and his mind.
After finally balancing the marbles, Ronin practiced his primary lightsaber forms with Master Yothalt. After another hour of drills, Ronin was given the rest of the day off as a reward for completing his training for the day. Ronin then decided he was going to look for Padawan Skywalker. Sometime Later, Ronin was strolling through the halls of the Jedi temple when he noticed Anakin walking along the corridor with Master Kenobi.
"Master Skywalker, Master Kenobi!" Ronin called down the hall, running to catch up with the pair.
"Padawan Darius, It's good to see you," Anakin replied lightly.
"It is indeed," Kenobi added.
"And to both of you as well," Ronin said with a smile.
"Now, what was it that you wanted to ask?" Anakin said with a smile.
"How'd you know I was going to ask you something? Ronin asked.
"Call it a hunch," Anakin said.
"Or you running down the hallway trying to get my Padawan's attention," Kenobi said with a smirk.
"Oh. That would give it away, I suppose. Anyways, Master Skywalker, I was wondering if you could teach me that move you used to disarm me?" Ronin asked.
"Well, fortunately for you, Master Kenobi and I just finished training for the day, So I see no reason why not," Anakin replied with a smile.
"Really? That'd be awesome!" Ronin exclaimed.
"Anakin, you know we were still going to review Revan's fall, right?" Kenobi asked.
"Oh, about that master, I finished writing my review report on it and the Holocron of Old Republic politics," Anakin said confidently.
"Did you now?' Kenobi said with a slight raise of his right eyebrow, indicating he didn't believe him.
"I did," Anakin said with folded arms.
"Alright then, carry on. I will be in the library if you need me. Enjoy the rest of the day, you two." Obi-Wan chirped as he continued walking down the hall.
"So where to?" Ronin asked, trying to contain his excitement.
"I happen to know of a training room six halls down from here; it's almost always vacant," Anakin said, smiling down at Ronin.
"Excellent, well, lead the way," Ronin replied.
As they walked down the corridor. The two of them continued in conversation.
"So, how are you feeling? Being a padawan now and all?" Anakin asked.
"It's been bizarre, honestly. And quite overwhelming. So much responsibility all at once. I didn't think it would happen so soon."
"Tell me about it," Anakin said with a sigh.
"Did it feel like that for you too?" Ronin queried.
"Oh, yes, I was brought to the temple when I was nine and became Obi-Wan's Padawan immediately upon arriving at the temple," Anakin said.
"Woah, I guess that's what happens when you're the chosen one, huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"How does it feel?"
"It's really strange if I'm being honest. Master Qui-Gon insisted that I was the chosen one upon meeting me, and then I was brought here to train under Obi-Wan after his passing. I wasn't sure what he meant then, and even now, I'm still unsure if Master Qui-Gon was right," Anakin said.
"Well, I'll guess you'll find out eventually either way, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were right," Ronin said.
"What makes you say that?" Anakin asked.
"What makes me say that? Um... Well, I'm not sure if you know this, but you're half of everything the initiates talk about—the chosen one. A lot of us look up to you, Master Skywalker. And after attempting to duel you in person, I'd say most of what I've heard is true.
"Well, thanks, Ronin. I appreciate it. Also, you do realize you don't have to call me master, right? Technically we are both Padawans at the moment.
"Oh, right, sorry, Master Skywalker, I mean Padawan Skywalker." Ronin corrected himself.
Anakin chuckled a bit. "Looks like we're here," Anakin said as he walked past a pair of automatic doors and into a training room With Ronin right behind him.
"Here it is," Anakin said with his arms outstretched.
"Why don't you grab two practice sabers off the wall rack, and we can begin."
After a couple of minutes of Anaking disarming Ronin, Anakin explained to Ronin how to perform his disarming maneuver.
"What you want to do is wait for an opponent's palm to be facing upwards and for them only to have one hand currently holding a firm grip on their saber. You can look for this based on their stance. If it's offensive, the more likely it is for them to have a loser grip. Never attempt this disarm if the opponent is on the defensive, as it will backfire. But if they are in the stance I mentioned, you want to swing your saber underhand and upwards against theirs with a lot of Force. If you apply enough Force and their grip is loose enough, it should knock it out of their hands or at least cause them to readjust." Anakin explained.
"Isn't that a little aggressive? It would be easy to get yourself stabbed, leaving yourself so open like that. Master Yothalt has taught me that as Jedi, we must avoid using overly aggressive and high-risk/high-reward techniques." Ronin said, unsure of himself.
"Yes, but that's why this is only used when your a one hundred percent sure of yourself. And besides, a war is coming upon us. The council has foreseen it. It is techniques like this that might save your life one day."
"You're right. Sorry, I doubted." Ronin said, hanging his head a little.
"Hey, don't sweat it. All part of learning, right?"
"Right."
"Padawan Skywalker, can I ask you something?" Ronin blurted out.
A bit taken aback, Anakin replied that he could.
"Did you go easy on me when I dueled you for my trial?"
"Maybe a little, but I'd say I gave It about eighty percent," Anakin replied.
"You're not lying?" Ronin asked once more.
"No, why would I?" Anakin replied.
"Uh, I don't know."
"How come you asked?"
"I just wanted to know. I wondered if you had gone easy on me, and I felt that maybe I shouldn't be a Padawan." Ronin said.
"Don't say that, Ronin. You are more than ready to be a Padawan. The order wouldn't have granted you that title for no reason. They don't do that. But I understand wanting to be sure of your place. That's an admirable quality Ronin." Anakin stated firmly.
"Thanks, Padawan Skywalker. And, sorry to bother you about that," Ronin replied.
"No problem. Now, how about we practice some more?" Anakin asked.
"Right on," Ronin said.
After several failed attempts, Ronin disarmed Anakin, sending his practice saber flying.
"Nice one!" I told you you'd get it! With my instruction, of course!" Anakin said with a smile and his hands on his hips as he brought the lightsaber back to his hand with the Force.
"Thanks, Padawan Skywalker!" Ronin replied eagerly.
"You don't always have to call me by my title Ronin. Feel free to call me Anakin if you like."
"But Master Yothalt said we should always address others by their title," Ronin said.
"Do you do everything your master tells you to do?" Anakin asked.
"Um... yeah?"
"Ronin, masters are supposed to guide and teach us. Not order and control us." Anakin said, putting his hands on Ronin's shoulders. "You don't have to do everything your master tells you to do."
"I don't?"
"No, of course not. Sometimes we need to make decisions for ourselves and go our own way. That's not to say we should disrespect our masters, but we should still have our own will. Does that make sense to you?" Anakin asked as he looked into Ronin's eyes.
"That does make a lot of sense," Ronin replied.
"It sounds like Master Yothalt is pretty strict. I know Obi-Wan can be at times."
"Oh, strict is Master Yothalt's middle name," Ronin said, causing him and Anakin to laugh.
"Well, don't tell him that. Now how about we practice the disarm technique a few more times?"
Anakin said as he ignited his saber again.
"Copy that," Ronin said as he ignited his saber in return.