LordDarthYoda - Them being interrupted by a Master would have been interesting, but they were always going to run into Sascha and that was the most important interaction.
SpeechBubbleMe- Glad you liked it! I could have always written Tyra and Nara to just be friends, but this was more fun to have them have a conflict and then have them resolve it. It makes it a more fulfilling friendship as the readers now know what its founded on. As for Nara's flirting tips, I was actually going to write a whole scene, which, while a lot of fun, actually does nothing for the characters. I still included some amusing anecdotes though :p
A/N - I have nothing.
As always, Please enjoy the next chapter.
Chapter 18: A Chosen One
Sascha Whitestar was not in a great mood the following morning. Watching Tyra and Nara beat the heck out of each other yesterday had left a real sour taste in his mouth. He had thought that he could fully trust his friends to...be, well, friends, but they apparently were too immature to do just that. He was going to have trouble trusting them to the same degree he had before. Maybe it would be good to get away from both of them for a while, he mused. He had been hoping for a long stay at the Temple after being away for so long, now he almost wanted to get away immediately.
He entered his favourite refectory, hearing laughter and giggling coming from one of the distant corners of the room. Sascha rolled his eyes and grabbed a breakfast from the front table. When he finally spotted who was laughing in the corner, he almost dropped his plate. For sitting at the corner table was Tyra, Nara, Eida Nascal and Aalya Secura, all laughing and smiling.
Tyra noticed that he was around and waved to him, "Hey Sascha, come join us. We are telling stories about boys, and we could use a male around for feedback."
Sascha was still frozen in his tracks. Tyra looked totally carefree and happy to have Nara sitting beside her, and Nara seemed the same. Tyra's hair was even down. It used to be a common joke that Tyra only knew how to do one hairstyle, her severe ponytail. But today her hair was loose and free. She even had bangs. Overall it certainly made Tyra look friendlier, and less intimidating.
"Yeah, I'll join you, I guess."
Sascha grabbed one of the few free seats remaining at the table and nodded a greeting to both Eida and Aalya. Eida was from Dragon clan and he knew her pretty well. Quiet and unassuming, Eida was a healer that was showing good promise. Aalya Secura, was the same age as he, Tyra and Eida (with Nara being a year younger), and was something of a former rival to Tyra Harker. As outstanding, talented, Padawans they often found themselves pitted against each other. Sascha knew that Tyra wasn't particularly friendly towards Aalya, and he was surprised that she was here at all. Maybe Tyra was letting go all of her grudges at once. Aalya was, well, beautiful, but she carried it well, and he had always found her to be friendly, though to be fair, their paths hadn't crossed much.
"So, you were talking to the cute guys at Foda's," said Aalya, clearly prompting Tyra and Nara to continue with their story.
Nara, who was clearly in a good mood, spoke with a smile adorning her face, "Okay, so we dance together, Tyra and I, and then I notice that there are two cute guys checking us out. So we go back to our booth, and as I hoped, they followed shortly after." Nara flashed a quick smile at Tyra, "And genius over here didn't want to let them join us!"
"I didn't see how cute they were!" Tyra said defensively, but with a grin on her face as well. "The lighting in there was not good."
Nara rolled her eyes, "Anyways, we get the cute guys in the booth with us and we start the small talk. Tyra doesn't say ANYTHING for at least three minutes, despite my repeated cues to speak up. There's a cute guy..."
"...really cute guy," interjected Tyra.
"...cute guy beside her waiting for her to say anything so he can make some sort of move, but she's just a statue. Meanwhile, the guy beside me, is a bit too...eager to get things started. And he's cute, no doubt, and a smooth talker...so I'm into it, but I need to get Tyra to do...something, otherwise the other guy is going to lose interest in her."
"So that's why you got up to dance with that guy?" asked an incredulous Tyra.
Nara's cheeks warmed slightly, showing off a slight amount of red on her purple skin, "Well, I figured if you two were alone something was going to happen."
"And you wanted to dance with your cute guy," Tyra said accusingly.
"Guilty as charged," said Nara. "I gave you all the tips you needed."
"You hoped," quipped Aalya.
"Oh please, Aalya, some of us girls actually need to work to get guys to notice us," retorted Nara, earning a nod of support from the other women at the table.
"I thought it was my winning personality that the boys liked," deadpanned Aalya, provoking a round of chuckles from everyone at the table.
Nara picked up the story again, "So I'm dancing with my guy, and he's got, um, active hands...so I'm trying to keep them around my waist...all the while I'm trying to keep an eye on Tyra, trying to see if she needs my help. Then this guy, Thimar, I can see he wants to touch my lekku, I mean who wouldn't," Nara said, petting her left lekku affectionately.
"You gotta ask for permission first, right?" asked Eida, speaking up for the first time. "I know Togruta are...prickly about having their lekku touched."
"If he asked I would have let him," said Nara, her eyes distant. "But his hand leaves my waist and I know where it's going so I grab it first. We make eye contact while this slow song is playing and then he slowly pulls my hand towards him and kisses my palm." Nara sighed longingly, "I just about melted."
Aalya rolled her eyes slightly, but smiled as she did it. Sascha felt like joining in, as well. He'd seen Nara flirt enough times, he didn't need to be regaled stories of her flirting.
Nara continued her story, "And when I turn around, what do I see, but Tyra Harker and her cute boy with the jet black hair kissing passionately. I have no idea how Tyra managed to go from zero to one hundred in less than thirty seconds. I thought I was supposed to be teaching her, she should be teaching me!"
Everyone at the table laughed. Eida spoke up first, "What did you say to your cute admirer?"
"I just told him that he was cute and I'd like him to kiss me," Tyra said, blushing brightly.
"That's a pretty good pickup line," Sascha drawled.
"I told you to tell them that they are cute and imply that you would like to be kissed. You aren't supposed to just say it," said Nara in mock frustration.
"I got nervous!" replied Tyra. "He was really cute!"
"Well, whatever she did, it worked," observed Eida.
"I think it was the hair," said Aalya. "Having your hair that way makes you look a lot more vulnerable. Cuter. And you give off less of a 'I can beat you up' vibe."
"I like my ponytail," said Tyra. The silence from around the table spoke volumes, "What?" asked Tyra.
"The ponytail is nice," he said, figuring it was his role as best friend to Tyra to mediate. "But it always makes you seem harsh. Having your hair down gives you a...softness that you previously lacked.
Tyra pouted exaggeratedly, "Everyone has the same opinion as Sascha, I guess?"
Everyone around the table nodded.
Tyra sighed, "I'll see if I can get used to the new haircut."
Aalya stirred what appeared to be caf with her finger, "What's everyone doing today? I'm supposed to talk to Master Kenobi about something he wants me to do. No idea what it is though."
Sascha, Tyra and Nara shared a look, "We were told to talk to Master Kenobi today as well."
Eida was the last one to speak up, "As was I."
The Padawans shared a look. "I think we've been set up," remarked Nara.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sascha joked.
The Padawans decided that they'd all go together to see Obi-wan, since all of them were apparently part of...whatever was planned for them. The four Padawans found their way to Obi-wan's room and knocked on the door. After a short pause, Obi-wan's door opened. The young Jedi Knight leaned against the door, "Can I help...all of you," he said, obviously surprised by the number of Padawans outside his door.
Aalya crossed her arms across her chest, "Yeah, you wanted to see all of us about some assignment you won't talk about. Well, spill it."
Obi-wan looked somewhat nervously at the Padawans, "Must we do this now?"
"Yes," said Tyra. Despite her new hairstyle, Tyra's voice still carried authority.
"Fine," sighed Master Kenobi. "Meet me in the sparring room I've booked in ten minutes, please."
The Padawans milled around outside Master Kenobi's room, despite the obvious dismissal. Finally, Eida waved a green hand down the hallway, "I guess we better do what the Master says."
"Thank you, Padawans, I assure you it will all make sense in a short while," said Obi-wan.
Fifteen minutes later, there was no Obi-wan Kenobi in the appointed sparring room. Aalya, unsurprisingly, was the first to voice her displeasure, "I had things that I wanted to get done today, and it was not waiting around for Obi-wan Kenobi."
"Me too," said Tyra. "Nara and I had plans to do coursework together."
Sascha, though he probably should have been annoyed that plans were made by his friend without him, just smiled. Tyra and Nara's friendship was clearly on the upswing. His two friends had been chatting back and forth almost nonstop since he had seen them at breakfast. There was an openness there between them that suggested that the two would not just be friends, but good friends. He decided that he could take a back seat for a bit while that friendship blossomed. It wasn't like he was going to be pushed away.
Four sets of eyes turned to the door as it opened, only for four Padawans to groan when two more Padawans walked through the door.
"Thank you, thank you, for that warm reception," said Trig, bowing mockingly.
"You are all too kind," said Doro.
Doro Roa and Trig Daniel, the joking, jovial Padawans that he had grown up with as members of his clan were welcome additions to his life anytime they were around. While both young men were serious when they were out in public, when they were with their friends, they were known as practical jokers, hence the reception they had gotten.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?" asked Tyra.
"Master Kenobi told us to come here, so we did," replied Doro.
Aalya groaned, "If he doesn't show up in the next five minutes, I'm leaving."
"What? You don't want to sit here and have a talk with Doro and I?" said Trig, clearly not serious.
Aalya sighed, "And you wonder why my clan always beat Dragon clan when we were Initiates?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Tyra. "You didn't always beat us..."
"It was just the majority of the time," Sascha quipped.
The Twi'lek smiled, "Of course, my mistake."
Doro and Trig looked around, "So when are we expecting Master Kenobi to grace us with his presence?"
"Soon," said Aalya. "Otherwise I'm going to go to his room and drag him here myself."
"That, I would pay to see," remarked Trig.
"Let's give him five more minutes," said Tyra.
Almost exactly five minutes later, a harried looking Obi-Wan Kenobi entered the sparring chamber, his robes flapping slightly. "Sorry, I was held up by an...unexpected situation," Obi-wan said. He glanced around, "I'm glad you are all here."
"We're glad you could join us," joked Doro.
Obi-wan scratched the back of his head, "I won't be staying long. I'll just be checking on with you throughout the morning and afternoon."
Sascha rolled his eyes discreetly. This was the big event that Obi-wan wanted them all here for? Something he wasn't even going to stay for? What the heck was the point.
"I've talked with all of your Masters," continued Obi-wan. "They all agree that you all deserve some time to relax. So this is what today is. You'll be doing a Suepbali."
"Really? A fun Suepbali or a competitive one?" asked Eida.
"I'll leave that up to you. But I suggest that you see this as fun. This room is booked until mid afternoon, and I expect you to use it until then, though feel free to meditate and take lunch." Obi-wan looked at each Padawan, "Any questions?"
There were none.
"Okay I will check in with you from time to time. Maybe I'll see if there's another Padawan that deserves to join you." Obi-wan then turned and left. The door closed behind him.
"I don't get it," said Nara.
"I do," replied Tyra. "I bet you a thousand credits that when Obi-wan comes back to see us, he brings along his little Padawan, Skywalker."
As a unit, the other Padawans groaned. Anakin Skywalker was not a particularly popular Padawan. Young, brash and arrogant, his moodiness was only matched by his pure talent. While the jury was still out on whether or not he was the chosen one, there was no denying the level of special treatment that Anakin got. Anakin seemingly went from Jedi Master to Jedi Master, each one teaching him their specialty. Sascha had even heard rumours that Anakin had been given one-on-one training sessions in lightsaber combat from Mace Windu, which was unheard of for any Padawan. The long and short of it was the Anakin Skywalker was being treated differently, and that simple fact had made it hard for him to make friends, so Skywalker was seen as something of a loner.
"I hear Anakin spars with, and beats Jedi Knights in lightsaber combat," said Doro.
"What? A thirteen year old beating a Jedi Knight?" said Nara incredulously.
"He's very talented," said Aalya. "Some say he might even have more raw power in the Force than Master Yoda."
"I don't believe that for a moment," said Trig.
"Let's not worry about it," he said, standing up to emphasize his point, "We've been given permission to do a fun Suepbali. Lets not waste it. "I say we set the computer to its lowest setting and then have fun."
There were nods from the other Padawans.
Suepbali was the name for a game that they had all played as Initiates, well...it was less a game, and more of a set of rules. Basically what happened was that the computer picked two people to start and picked a random form of combat for the two to compete in. When one person won, that person would continue to stay on to compete against another opponent randomly selected by the computer. If a person managed to beat all of the other competitors, they would be the winner. It was generally hard to do, because beating several consecutive 'fresh' opponents in wildly disparate disciplines was quite a task.
But while a Suepbali could be used as a training tool, it could be a lot of fun too. When the computer was instructed to pick from obscure combat rules, things could end up getting pretty lively. Some of the most fun he'd had as an Initiate were the days where they would just be in a sparring room for hours, laughing and sparring with each other. When everyone agreed to have fun instead of fighting seriously, much fun could be had.
"Lets set it to setting two," he said. "That should keep it fun while being somewhat less than ridiculous."
"What, you don't want to do Prsivian mud fighting, where you can only have one foot on the ground at a time?" asked Tyra mockingly.
"Yeah, particularly would like to avoid that. Last time we fought under those rules, I remember you almost putting a boot through my midsection," he retorted. He had been about thirteen and experiencing some of the disorientation of puberty that had thrown of his (usually good) balance. Tyra had absolutely, and probably unintentionally, nailed him with a great kick to his midsection. It had hurt so much that it had ruined his appetite for dinner.
Tyra smiled at him, "I dunno, I enjoyed it."
"I enjoyed watching it," said Trig.
"Me too," chimed in Doro.
Sascha facepalmed, "Computer, lets get this started."
A computerized voice spoke, echoing through the room, "First competition, Tyra Harker against Nara Nalto, Egyolian wrestling. Only method of victory is pinning your opponent's shoulders to the ground."
"Oh baby some girl on girl wrestling," Trig deadpanned.
"Someone shoot him," remarked Tyra.
Doro grabbed Trig and flung him (gently enough) to the ground. Trig made a meal of it, pretending like he had been hurt. Of course, all the Padawans in the room were wise to Trig and his games.
Tyra and Nara moved to the centre of the room, while the other Padawans moved respectfully to the side. Sascha watched on with a little trepidation. While Nara and Tyra seemed to have resolved their animosity, there was nothing like hand to hand competition that could bring out emotions that once were buried..
Sascha's anxiety proved to be unfounded. The only drama to be found in the Nara/Tyra wrestling match was which Padawan wanted to lose more. To any educated observer, both Nara and Tyra left tons of different openings for the other to take advantage of, yet they both refused to take advantage.
"Booo!" yelled Aalya, mocking the two competitors. Doro, Trig and Eida, joined in with similarly mocking jeers.
Finally, Tyra grabbed a headlock on Nara, conspicuously being careful not to harm her Montrals or lekku, and tripped her to the ground. After a brief scramble, Nara's shoulder both landed on the floor and the 'fight' was over. Tyra bounced to her feet quickly and offered a hand which Nara accepted, pulling herself to her feet. The two new friends grinned widely at each other, before Nara stepped away. Whatever animosity had existed between the two young women was clearly gone.
"Okay computer, next challenge," announced Tyra.
After a couple of hours of playing, the Padawans returned to their sparring room after eating lunch and having a nice long meditation session together. Sascha was thoroughly enjoying this relaxing day with his friends. It had been a long time since all of them had been together at once and those that were not sparring were swapping stories of their various adventures.
Currently, Doro was regaling them of a story while Aalya and Nara were sparring under Harokiri rules, where the object was to throw your opponent to the ground. Nara was going to be thrown in a few moments, Sascha could see that Aalya was managing to secure just enough leverage over Nara that the Togruta was going to be at the Twi'lek's mercy. Nara being Nara was fighting for everything she was worth though.
"So Trig and I go back to the governor, who we have just rescued from the assassination attempt and he berates us for not saving him sooner! He said if we had managed to warn him earlier he could have saved some of his precious jewels. I tried to explain very diplomatically that we did the best that we could and that we had only discovered the assassin's target minutes before and that we just captured this galaxy renown assassin. But he just kept going on and on about how the Jedi were embarrassing him and only doing the bare minimum to keep him alive. I really wanted to sock him right in the face," said Doro, who was still clearly annoyed by the whole episode. That was pretty unlike Doro. He might have been a bit of a practical joker, but he was a pretty logic driven Jedi in general.
Over in the sparring ring, Aalya had a hold of Nara's leg and was positioning her for a throw. Accepting her fate, Nara gave in to Aalya and she let the blue-skinned Twi'lek throw her on to her back, with the Twi'lek landing just to her side, careful not to hurt Nara as she came down.
"Urgh..." moaned Nara who laid in a daze on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "Darn you and your amazing balance Aalya."
Aalya bounced enthusiastically to her feet in a smooth motion, "I have my Twi'lek genetics to thank for that. That's where I get my sweet dance moves too." Aalya put her hands in the air and did a short dance (which Sascha found very entrancing). The Twi'lek then lent a hand to Nara and helped her to her feet, which Nara accepted easily.
"That's three in a row for Aalya," remarked Eida. "Someone's got to stop her soon or she'll win the whole thing"
"Computer, present me my next challenger," said Aalya confidently.
"Opponent: Sascha Whitestar. Combat rules: Kitharan kickboxing."
Doro held a hand up, "If I can be serious here for a minute. Has anyone else been experiencing the same thing that I have? That people are taking us for granted? That even when we pull off the incredible, the amazing, the downright impossible, that people react with a shrug?"
"It does feel like people don't respect the Jedi the way they used to," said Eida. "When I volunteer my time at the hospitals on Coruscant, it feels like people expect me to be able to diagnose and heal every patient after the shortest of examinations. It is kind of grating."
"I think we tend to remember the negative experiences more than the positive ones," pointed out Tyra.
"That's true," said Nara. "We get so much positive reinforcement it gets lost in the shuffle. People say thank you to me and it barely registers. People make a snide comment to me and I remember it for weeks afterward."
Sascha, as he prepared himself to engage with Aalya, Sascha thought that Nara was right. Positive comments, because they were so numerous, they just got left in the shuffle. As he faced off across from Aalya, he smiled at the Twi'lek, "Take it easy on me, okay?"
"Yeah, no." Aalya replied jokingly. "You don't get to play the, "I'm just a weak Padawan excuse anymore. That ended last year sometime."
"Darn," he said, bouncing lightly on his toes to get his blood flowing. His tactic for this 'fight' was going to be simple, there were two ways to win a match of Kitharan kickboxing, the first was four strikes landing to the opponent's midsection or legs (no blows above the chest were allowed), the second was to put the opponent on the ground with a trip. That was his best chance of winning, Aalya was simply too fast and too good for him otherwise.
"Ready?" he asked the Twi'lek.
Aalya settled into a combat stance and nodded.
Nara, still smarting a bit from losing to Aalya (she had gotten better at swallowing her pride, but she still didn't like to lose) watched as Sascha circled Aalya.
She had come to admire the way that Sascha fought over the years of sparring with him. His talent for fighting was marginal, certainly not amongst the best of their age. But Sascha was a capable fighter because he fought smart and he used all of his skills to their best effect. Even his verbal skills. By playing down his talents and using his usual 'aw-shucks' demeanor, he had already planted a seed in Aalya's mind that maybe she should be taking it easy on her opponent.
It was an effective tactic. About a year ago, she had lost a string of sparring sessions to Sascha and she had been befuddled as to why that was. She lost to Sascha, on occasion, but she tended to dominate their sparring sessions (admittedly, most sessions ended as draws). But to lose so many in a row was clearly not a coincidence, especially as she had been faring well against other opponents. She had discussed the matter with her Master, because she thought that she might have been doing something wrong. Tiplee had smiled at her and said that there was no problem with her technique, she was simply taking it easy on her friend because she thought that he was below her in skill level. Plus, she hadn't want edto damage their friendship, so she 'let' Sascha win his fair share of their encounters. It hadn't even been something that she was consciously aware of, but now that she had been made aware...she went back to defeating Sascha on a more regular basis again.
Sascha approached Aalya flatfooted, which implied that he was going for a trip – you wanted to be on your toes if you wanted to launch kicks. The Twi'lek bounced lightly on her feet, and moved away from the advancing human. This was probably not going to go well for Sascha. In terms of pure quickness, he was slower than Aalya, who was not powerful, but was very quick. Aalya lashed out with a quick kick that caught Sascha below the knee. One point for Aalya.
Aalya scored the second point quickly thereafter, as Sascha's kick sailed wide. Feeling confident, Aalya tried another kick at Alex's hip. This one, Sascha caught. Aalya's eyes widened as she was forced to bounce on her other foot to maintain her balance. Sascha smiled, "Surrender?"
"Not...yet."
Sascha shrugged and lifted Aalya clean off the ground and then slammed her (as gently as possible) to the ground.
"Aalya's lucky the floor is padded," observed Tyra.
"Aalya is too proud for her own good," observed the Twi-lek from the floor of the sparring room as she stared up at its ceiling. "Aalya needs to know to surrender when she is beaten."
"Aalya should probably stop talking in third person," suggested Nara.
Aalya picked herself up off the floor with a groan, "My lekku are still prettier than yours, Togruta."
She primped her left lekku, "Now why do you have to go around telling lies, Aalya?"
The Padawans all laughed. Everyone was enjoying the playful banter between the various Jedi. This was an easy, laid back day, so far, one of the few she could remember for a long time.
Sascha looked like was about to ask for his next challenger when the door to their room opened. All eyes turned to focus on the two new arrivals. One was Obi-wan Kenobi. The other, was Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin looked somewhat awkward looking, as most thirteen year olds did. With short brown hair and a short Padawan braid, he was dressed in a brown Jedi robe, with hints of black, which seemed like an odd choice of colours for a Jedi. The other thing that was obvious to Nara was that Anakin did not want to be here. Anakin's expression was one of disinterest and almost contempt. Not exactly a great first impression.
"How are you enjoying your Suepbali, Padawans?" asked Obi-wan.
"It's fine," said Tyra in a slightly cold tone of voice.
"Mind if Anakin joins in?" asked Obi-wan.
While the Padawans were too polite to groan or make any outward sign of displeasure, the fact that no one spoke up immediately was something of a sign that Anakin was not exactly welcomed. Nara didn't blame them. For one, Anakin was far younger than them (nearly five years their junior), and none of them would claim to be his friend.
"He can join," said Sascha. "I'm the current champion, so Anakin, because he is a late entrant, will have to spar with me first."
Anakin bowed his head slightly, "It will be my pleasure."
"Oh," said Obi-wan. "Can we change the setting back to something more serious, I want Anakin to work on technique."
Off to her left, Nara could almost hear Tyra's teeth grinding. Fortunately, willing to play the diplomat was Eida, "I think we've had enough of exotic combat styles for today," she said.
The computer accepted the changes from Obi-wan and announced in its robotic voice, "Sascha Whitestar will face Anakin Skywalker. Form of combat, lightsaber – form IV moves only."
Anakin walked towards Sascha and bowed. Sascha returned the bow. Then they both ignited their lightsabers and it was on. First one to score a hit with their lightsaber would be the victor.
It didn't take long for the mismatch to become obvious. Yet, there were mismatches and then there was Sascha Whitestar trying to duel Anakin Skywalker in Form IV. Sascha was limited when it came to lightsaber combat. Everyone knew that. Sascha knew that. So he used what skills he had and he utilized a style that worked best to his strengths. And though it wasn't anything overwhelming, when Sascha was fighting in his form III style, he was tough to beat. Force him out of that style though...
Within twenty seconds, Anakin had already forced Sascha into two desperate parries, and it didn't look like Sascha was going to 'figure out' Anakin anytime soon. After a couple more parries, Anakin danced away from Sascha and flipped over the top of him, kicking him in the rear-end as he did it.
Thoroughly embarrassed, Sascha held on, but Anakin refused to end the fight, drawing out the contest for another minute before finally slicing his lightsaber across Sascha's ankle.
Sascha grimaced and walked back towards the small circle of Padawans gnawing on his lip and looking thoroughly discouraged. Being beaten by someone that young would probably do that.
Anakin Skywalker dominated the next few stages of the Suepbali. Aalya was able to defeat him the first time, managing to best him in a spirited duel after he had vanquished both Doro and Trig in short order. Anakin sulked back to the corner of the room and had to be talked to by Obi-wan.
Nara didn't necessarily resent Anakin the way many did. In fact, she saw him as something of a kindred spirit. But Anakin didn't help himself. He could have easily joined their little group with some light humor or even introduced himself. But Anakin held himself back from his fellow Padawans, who were theoretically his equals. Yet Anakin didn't exactly comport himself as such.
Anakin's second defeat went to Tyra. It had been a truly breathtaking duel, and had it been comported in lightsaber combat, Tyra probably would have lost. But in hand-to-hand combat, as the computer had randomly picked, Tyra was stronger than thirteen year old Anakin Skywalker. And of course, Tyra knew how to handle herself in unarmed combat.
The only person that was yet to face Anakin was her. But her turn came in the end.
Anakin had been on a roll, defeating, Tyra, Sascha, Aalya and Doro. So if she wanted to prevent Anakin from 'winning' this game, she would probably have to win. She bounced lightly to her feet as the computer announced, "Style of combat: Form II, Makashi."
Nara groaned out loud. Makashi was the style of 'pure' dueling. It was a style that was rarely used these days, partially because it was only helpful in lightsaber v.. lightsaber combat, which was something that didn't happen very often. It's emphasis on precise footwork and attacking from angles was not her style. She liked to be wild, unpredictable. But she'd suck it up, because she really wanted to knock the smirtk off of Anakin Skywalker's face.
She got herself ready, bouncing on her toes, getting the blood flowing before combat. She would try to take the measure of Anakin before really going on the attack, she decided at that moment. She then ignited her blade and smiled at Anakin, "I'm ready."
The young human twirled his lightsaber with a flourish and then settled into a traditional form II pose. He held that pose only long enough for his Master to see that he knew that pose and attacked.
Nara's first impression was that no one Anakin's age should be this good. Anakin was quick and showcased some good footwork as he forced her backwards. Nara stumbled slightly and then planted her feet, swiping away Anakin's lunging, one-handed attacks. She nodded slightly to herself, it was often easier for young Jedi to learn the art of attacking, then it was to learn defence, so it was time to put Anakin on the back foot.
She stepped towards Anakin, then feinted an attack, stepping quickly to the side and looking for an opening. She didn't find one. Anakin had neatly pivoted on his feet to keep his body parallel to hers. Nara repeated with a similar move, only to see Anakin equal to the task. Needing a new plan, Nara kept up her guard and decided that she would play on the counterattack.
Nara's passive plan almost immediately came undone as Anakin, using his lightsaber like a rapier, forced her into several untidy exchanges. Nara got to the point where she would have backflipped away, but then paused. A backflip was not a form II move. Form II wanted you to keep your feet on the ground, so Nara grit her teeth and dug in.
Nara held on, playing defensively, something that normally didn't suit her. But Anakin had just fought three other Padawans, he was likely to become fatigued before she was. Nara became elusive, denying Anakin any straight up fights, merely keeping him at range and not allowing him to get into a position where he could actually land a blow on her body. She was stalling, sure, but it was the only plan she had at the moment. In a straight up fight, she had no illusions about who would win.
Nara smiled at Anakin, taunting him. Anakin's eyes flashed with anger, and he redoubled his efforts to track her down and get his blade through her defences. Her defence was up to the task though. But slowly and surely it started to crumble. Then without warning it broke.
Anakin stepped forward and bashed her lightsaber away from her body, before swinging his blade back towards her head in a wild, undisciplined slash.
Nara saw a bright flash of blue light burn across her eyes, and then she felt a shockwave of pain go through her entire body as she screamed and dropped to the ground. Then, she only saw darkness.