Talan sat crossed legged on the floor of the training room staring at small orange ball sitting on the pedestal in the middle of the room. For the last two hours he had been trying to channel the force to make the ball move, but all he had accomplished was giving himself a headache. For the last two weeks he had undergone training designed to help him channel his dormant force powers.
This was ridiculous. It did not matter what the Council said, he was not a Jedi and no amount of training would change that fact. He was a common soldier, nothing more. What were they hoping to accomplish by training him? And what could possibly be running through their minds that they thought it would be a good idea that once he had reached the level of Padawan that he would be ready to go and take on a Sith Lord? Bastila was constantly telling him to trust in their wisdom, but all Talan saw was insanity.
"Hard at work I see." Came Bastila's voice. Talan was surprised that her tone was not critical but almost joking.
"I'm hoping if I sit here long enough the ball will get bored and roll away on its own accord."
Bastila sat next to him and imitated his posture by crossing her legs. She stared at the ball and within seconds it was in the air making a full circle around the pedestal before returning to the center.
"You make it look so easy." Talan said.
"Believe me it was not always like this. When I first began training I was little better off than you are now. My instructors constantly told me I was too emotional and I needed to control my emotions if I ever hoped to be successful. I remember I used to sneak in here after hours just to get some more training in. After the third night I became furious, and without trying to I managed to knock over one of the stands holding the practice swords. I was sure I woke the entire enclave."
Talan sat in silence, grateful for the distraction. It wasn't that he was happy to just focus his attention on something other than that damn ball, but when Bastila wasn't being a high and mighty Jedi, he actually enjoyed spending time with her. Granted, these moments were few and far between, but that just made him appreciate these moments even more.
"Thankfully, only Master Zhar heard the noise. When he came in and saw what I had done he offered a small smile. He told me that my biggest weakness was my anger, and that I should turn my weakest asset into my strongest."
"Well, I think my biggest weakness is boredom." Talan said getting to his feet. "Care to take a break?"
Bastila scoffed. "Because you have been working so hard by sitting here?"
Talan grinned "You have no idea the restraint it took to not fall asleep. Come on it will be fun."
"This is your idea of fun?" Bastila said as they entered the sparring room a few minutes later.
"Absolutely." Talan said happily.
The rest of their party was already here which was not surprising as this was one of the few distractions that this planet provided. Canderous and Carth had just finished sparring and judging by their heated discussion Carth was convinced the other man had cheated.
"Face it Onasi, you just can't compete with a Mandalorian's skill."
"You call it skill to take a cheap shot like that?"
"I would hardly call that a 'cheap shot'. It's not my fault you can't even black a simple attack."
"Yes fly-boy, how could you not simultaneously block a sword coming at your head and a foot coming at your shin?" Ice said from the other end of the room.
"You know what I think would be fun?" Canderous said putting away his sparring sword.
"Genocide?" Ice said through a huge yawn.
"Exactly, let's start with you." Came Canderous' reply. "I was thinking, with the tension between these two there's a chance the planet will implode on itself before we can escape. Why don't we put the Tantrum Twins in the ring and let them duke it out in a place where they won't actually kill each other?"
"I hardly think that is necessary." Bastila said haughtily.
Ice on the other hand took a very different view point. "Oh, come now sister, surely someone of your ability would have no problem besting me in the ring. You lack the ability to beat me in a verbal spar so why not see how you are with a blade?"
Bastila raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "You cannot be serious."
"Why not? Come on, like Canderous said, it will be fun."
Bastila thought for a moment and a small grin spread across her face. "All right, let's see if your reflexes are as quick as your mouth."
"Excellent." Ice seemed almost excited as she walked over to the rack holding the swords. She grabbed two and tossed one over to Bastila who caught it effortlessly. "Do I even need to mention no force powers or would that be hindering your abilities too much?"
Bastila grinned. "Have no worries sister, I do not need the force to out-spar someone who's abilities were learned in the alleyway of some backwater planet."
"Ten credits on Ice." Carth said next to Canderous.
"Ha! You're on!"
The two sisters began circling each other on the ring, both wearing the same determined expression.
Bastila moved first, lunging at Ice who easily deflected her attack.
"What was that?" Ice said smirking. "It was like you're swatting at a fly."
"Or a pest of another sort."
Ice spun around bringing her sword around with impressive speed. Bastila stepped backward and blocked the attack. The two stood with their swords locked staring daggers at each other.
"Not bad." Bastila said. "It seems you possess some talent after all."
"You're too kind." Ice replied pushing her weight into Bastila causing her to stumble backwards. She quickly regained her balance and lunged forward causing Ice to side step to avoid her attack.
"That is far more like it." Ice said quickly countering the attack. The two women were now fully engaged, their blades colliding with impressive strength and speed. When one attacked the other countered just as quickly.
"Tell me," Bastila said swinging her sword causing Ice to jump back to avoid her attack. "Where does one learn to fight with such skill without having any proper training?"
Ice brought her blade down over her head which Bastila blocked. They both winced as the impact stung their wrists. "You and I have very different ideas of what 'proper training' entails."
"Indeed?" Bastila said twirling her blade as they circled each other again. "I was trained by the best swordsmen in the academy. And you were..."
"Scuffling with low lives and street thugs in a dirty back alley."
"Did they have street gangs on Natera?" Mission piped up from the sidelines.
"Mission!" Ice shouted angrily.
Bastila took advantage of the distraction and lunged forward causing Ice to stumble backwards and fall hard on the floor.
"Natera?" Carth said looking at Mission.
"What were you doing on Natera?" Bastila asked looking down at Ice.
"I fail to see how that concerns you."
"Natera was destroyed by the Mandalorians during the war." Carth said looking from Ice to Canderous.
"Thank you for the history lesson." Ice said rising to her feet.
"That's how you two know each other." Talan said looking at Canderous.
"No." Said Ice.
"Yes." Said Candeorus.
"Shut your mouth." Ice said glaring at Canderous.
"Let it go kid, it's gonna come out eventually."
"What's going on Canderous?" Carth demanded.
"Ice was a Mandalorian slave during the war. She somehow managed to escape one of our camps and made her way to Natera. Our scouts tracked her to the planet and attacked, thinking the blast would kill her along with the planet. I found her right before the explosion and stowed her away on my ship and brought her to Onderon."
"That is the last time I try to be comforting." She said looking at Mission.
"I didn't know it was a secret!"
"You were a slave?" Bastila said incredulously.
Ice sighed. "That last expedition with Father, you know when I abandoned him and Mother? I was captured in the desert and sold to the Mandalorians, for an insulting amount I might add."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Bastila asked.
"And say what? 'I was a prisoner, please pity me.' I didn't need you to save me then, and I don't need you to save me now. Let Mother and Father believe whatever story they wish, sometimes it's better to believe your own truth than to hear the real one."
"That's why you hate the Jedi?" Carth asked
"No." Ice said shaking her head. "I hate the Jedi because they have no idea what it's like to watch your friends burn around you and wait for a rescue that would never come. That if someone would have just acted millions of innocent people would still be alive. At least Revan took the initiative to make a difference."
Ice threw her sword off to the side and headed for the exit leaving the rest of the stunned party in the room.
"You still owe me ten credits." Canderous said holding his hand out to Carth.