28 BBY

The thing was, the first three years of lessons did not actually differ all that greatly from the standard padawan lessons. As it turns out, after her last two had some... well, fatal encounters with criminals shortly after they were knighted, Mistress Shaak Ti was planning on delaying the trip to Shili to teach me there. She was... remarkably up front about what she was planning, some of the goals she had in mind for my overall education and how it was going to differ from her previous attempts due to the fact that she was not able to provide the required skills.

She even sat me down with the details of the missions that Gov Irlakos and Fe Sun had died on, what they did and what skills and experiences she could have trained them in to have survived better. "However, truthfully my padawan? I have come to the realization that while I had trained them and given them all the skills they needed, I had failed to give them the experience they needed to use those skills, to have them come together into a cohesive whole. As such, particularly as you have given me such a regard gift, I will have some adjustments this time."

Which honestly was far less ominous than it would first sound when she reminded me that I had, yeah, effectively gifted myself to her and as such, even beyond the normal levels of being my Jedi Master, she owned my ass. And as such, the academic load I was under tripled on top of the basic combat and mediation training. Oh, in addition of course to the exercise routine, diet plan and learning the ins and outs of domestic work alongside languages, several cultural practices and both therapeutic and recreational massage.

Which was actually more complicated than you might at first assume, because there were differences between various species, even if some had the marker of 'near human' on them in the system. But it was those little things that needed to be accounted for. Which is also how I was introduced to some of those she was on good terms with for a number of reasons. Because as she said, there were practical sides, as I kneaded flesh, massaging away stress and tightness in the muscles of a Twi'lek knight, He Vi (hey, there were more members of the order than whose names got listed in the movies and books). Making sure of course, to avoid her leeku, as it was not meant to be an erotic massage.

No, even as she gave a soft moan, some of the other women looking on with faint smiles... yeah. I was to give a full massage to each of the five knights and three masters (thankfully all female), while only speaking to them in the native language of their species or planet of origin. Frequently, and responding to each as they addressed me, not merely the woman I was attending to at the moment as they softly and gently teased me.

Truthfully, as I breathed in a pattern, as I controlled my bodies responses to having my hands on their bodies... this was a preview of a certain kind of hell.

After my practical, I had just went to the fresher and then went to help the younglings with blade practice, as teaching would help my fundamentals and Mistress Shaak Ti wanted me to be reasonable with a blade... and unarmed combat. Largely so that I would never be unarmed, or could at least disarm or disable attackers at close range if need be.

But, as I sat at her feet again, there was a soft smile on her face. "You passed an important, but personal, test this morning." She reached down, patting me on the head. "You will of course note that there has been nothing overtly sexual in your lessons thus far." Wait, was this what I thought was... "However, I will remind you that you gifted yourself to me, for me to use as I see fit. As such, your pleasure will come of service to me until you have proven that you have achieved some wisdom."

There was a twitch to her lips as she looked down at me. "However. Your training in the more... erotic side of things will have to wait until we have completed your first mission. A cooperative venture with Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan learner Anakin Skywalker, investigating some reports on Naran-Shiv."

Anakin Skywalker

On the one hand, he did not expect to meet up with Matt again. Sure, the guy was... okay. The other guy just felt weird. At once there and not, a sort of ripple that was loud enough even as the music was made of silence and empty places. It was, as could be said, to be weird and he had the feeling that the force wanted to poke his fellow Padawan with something, while just watching to see what the reaction was. And from how he seemed to look with his actual eyes (not the flesh and blood ones), he had the feeling that maybe Matt would understand, even if he was strange.

Granted, there were close in age, which is probably why the masters had them working together. "So, have any idea what's going on?"

Because Matt sort of gave that impression, like he knew your secrets without needing to be told them. Or maybe that was just him, as those eyes looked at him, as the other boy seemed to weight things. "Well. Before this, I figured that it would be something... odd but not that complicated or dangerous. Now that the Force's drama magnets are here..." Matt paused and nodded, even as he felt offended, the force laughing around them. "Well, it is going to be something complicated and dramatic enough to warrant at least a youth adventure novel or the episode in a action holo program."

It was that matter of fact way that he said that, even as the boy nodded. "Still, I look forward to doing my best to surviving and enjoying the experience." And the thing was, given his smile and feeling in the force... the other boy meant it. "As it is, up for sparring some time?"

Now, he did not accept because he wanted to vent some frustration, as that was bad, and he had to be a good jedi for the masters, particular as how there was a Master on the mission watching over them.

Now, as they were all looking at him, the pit behind them on fire and the screams of the unnatural things that only he seemed unsurprised about (as he had just pulled out some kind of flaming weapon that tickled along his senses, linked to the force?) and started roasting the... not really living spiders and worms. And had, as Anakin fixed the mining cart to get them out of there, somehow assembled a bomb that exploded in flames that sang of crusades and righteousness and burning the unclean.

Loudly.

And off key.

Which of course is just why Master Shaak Ti and Obi-Wan were looking at him with unimpressed raised eyebrows. "Tell me my Padawan. Why exactly did you prepare something like..." She paused, as a gout of flame, on which a screaming skeletal thing was impaled, erupted from the earth near them and was dragged back down. "This. I hesitate to..."

They looked at him as he opened his coat, and there were a number of talismans and things that resembled what he used to call those flames... but no dark touched them. Just merciless and uncaring light. And then he started listing off... well, it sounded like things he had encountered on various missions? " And of course, purifying flames to purge an undead army. Because we are on a mission with the disaster linage, so yes, I am going to prepare for whatever disaster we stumble across."

Which prompted a lecture on why 'summoning elemental forces was bad' and 'you are not supposed to say things like that about your fellow jedi.' Even if... he resembled the remark. And wondered, as he looked at Obi-Wan... did that mean that this was more than just them that this kind of thing happened to? And... it wasn't normal?

That just seemed even weirder than everything else to be entirely honest. In the end however, they all agreed to never speak of what happened in those mines ever again.