Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars at all! It belongs to Lucasarts (which has been bought by Disney), not me!
The sound of lightsabers could hear throughout one of the Temple's training facilities as two Jedi sparred with one another. The training facilities within the Temple ranged in sizes and shapes, but this one in particular looked more like a combat arena with the circular walls and observations decks placed on the side for spectators.
Such training facilities were used for Jedi to hone their skills with the lightsaber and the Force. They were often reserved for Jedi Masters and Knights, but the young Padawans used them most of the time to prepare themselves for the trials that would make them a Jedi Knight. With the Clone Wars raging in the galaxy, it was imperative for Padawans to succeed the trials and become Jedi Knights who would lead the Republic soldiers into battle.
In the middle of the facility, a blue blade clashed against a green one before parrying a shorter yellow blade of a shoto lightsaber. The green blade tried to slash left, but missed it mark when the blue blade smacked it away.
The owner of the blue lightsaber was Obi-Wan's Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. He was well rested after returning from the Outer Rim, his face no longer having the bags under his eyes nor the light scars he gained from battle. The young Jedi held his weapon in his right hand, preparing for another attack from his sparring partner.
The other Padawan Anakin was sparring with was a Togruta, which anyone could tell from her orange skin and headtails. Instead of wearing the typical Jedi uniform of a white tunic and brown robes, her clothes was a sleeveless, skintight uniform that covered her body. In her right hand was a typical green lightsaber, while her other held the yellow shoto blade in a reverse grip. The Padawan in question was Ahsoka Tano.
Unlike Anakin, Ahsoka had been taken into the Jedi Order when she was a toddler. She was trained ever since a youngling, and after passing her Padawn trials, Ahsoka was placed under the tutelage of the same Jedi master who found her, Plo Koon.
The Togruta Padawan dodged a jab from Anakin's lightsaber and quickly lunged at him, but he was able to block both of Ahsoka's blades in one swipe before backing away. Ahsoka saw the space between her and Anakin grew bigger as his feet stopped at the far end of the chamber. "You still haven't lost your touch, Skyguy," Ahsoka commented.
Anakin smirked at the nickname Ahsoka gave him. It was good to hear that again, after being away for so long. "I should be the one saying that to you, Snips," he shot back, teasing the Togruta with her own pet name.
A smirk appeared on Ahsoka's face before she spun her green lightsaber and caught it a reverse grip. Quick on her feet, Ahsoka sprinted towards Anakin and slashed at Anakin with her yellow blade before bringing her green lightsaber around. The older Jedi stepped back to avoid the shoto and used his blue lightsaber to block Ahsoka's. As they continued, Anakin's smile never left his face. The playfulness of the sparring was a good way to keep Anakin's mind off of the war. And being with Ahsoka helped a lot.
To Anakin, Ahsoka was like a little sister with her playful attitude and brashness. She was still a teenager, so she never had the chance to experience the field of battle, nor did she see the full devastation of the war. She was brash, but Ahsoka had an amount of respect for Anakin, even calling him "master" when he was still a simple Padawan.
As the two dueled in the training facility, they did not notice the doors sliding open and did not stop until they saw two Jedi Knights enter the training facility. The blades on Anakin and Ahsoka's lightsabers returned to their respective hilts as the two Padawans sheathed their weapons to watch the two unexpected arrivals with curiosity.
Both wore the simple brown robes of the Jedi and carried a single lightsaber hilt. One was a Twi'lek, his blue skin covered by the simple robes of the Jedi, while his friend was an Iridonian with small horns on his scalpel. The two appeared to be conversing with one another as they entered the chamber.
"Look, I'm just saying we shouldn't…" the Twi'lek told his companion, but came to a stop at the sight of the two Jedi Padawans staring at them. "Ah Sithspit. Looks like this one's taken, too."
The Twi'lek turned around to leave, but the Iridonian remained behind a little, his eyes staring at Anakin. The young Jedi felt a little uneasy as the Zabrak stared at him, almost as if he was trying to look inside of him. Fortunately, it ended when the Iridonian spoke up, easing any awkwardness Anakin felt. "Hey, I remember your face from the holonet the other day," the Iridonian Jedi recognized. "You're that Jedi who fought on Hypori, right?"
The awkwardness was replaced with fear as Anakin grimaced at the name of the rocky planet, one of the many places he did not want to remember. His mind was filled with unpleasant memories of the battle that took place on Hypori; the dead bodies littering the battlefield, the sound of exploding grenades ringing in his ears, and blaster bolts flying through the air.
Anakin could not find himself to speak for many moments, and when he did, it took him a great amount of courage to reply, "Yeah, I was."
Ahsoka's eyes traveled Anakin and were immediately filled with concern for the Jedi she respected. The tone in his voice that once had pride and spirited was replaced with fear and uncertainty, two things the Togruta Padawan was not used to seeing in Anakin. She had to be careful as to what Anakin could possibly do in this kind of situation.
The Iridonian took notice of Anakin's prosthetic and gave a curious inquiry. "What happened to your arm?"
Again, Anakin was silent at the memory, but the Twi'lek beat the young Jedi to answering the question. "Don't you listen to the holonet? He lost it on Hypori when he was running away," the Twi'lek spoke, the arrogance in his voice.
The young Jedi Padawan froze at the Twi'lek's words and he constantly remembered Obi-Wan's teachings on self-control. It was hard for Anakin not to give the Twi'lek what he deserved, but he knew better. "I was helping my men retreat. The battle was lost on Hypori," Anakin defended. "There was no way…"
The Twi'lek Jedi cut Anakin off before he could finish. "No way for you to win, I know," he spoke, unconvinced of Anakin's defense. "But you've been trained for this. There should have been some way for you to win."
Unlike his Twi'lek friend, the Iridonian was wise enough to that the conversation had gone on too far. "Hey, maybe we shouldn't…" the Iridonian tried to tell his Twi'lek friend, but it seemed like he would not listen.
"Is it also true you allowed your men to die there as well?" the Twi'lek Jedi patronized.
The calm barrier used to keep his anger at bay began to fall apart, and Anakin could feel his rage overcoming his common sense. Memories of fellow soldiers dying on the battlefield washed in his mind and the Twi'lek's words had disgraced his duty to them.
Ever since returning from the war, Anakin always had this inner turmoil that he could not let out. Now, this Jedi before him dared questioned his ability to lead and insulted his dignity. It was the perfect chance to blow off some steam. Why waste it?
AN: Please leave your thoughts in the reviews and if you have any criticism, please let it be constructive. Like the last post, this is not up for adoption.
Raika out!