Wrath of Trandosha

Chapter 21 - Treason

After the incident with Skaar and Joi they had come back to the meditation tower, the two students made up not wanting to ruin this opportunity because of a mistake. Skaar's vision had terrified him but something about it made him want to find out more.

That day both students had quickly become proficient in form one lightsaber combat and now Valon wanted to move on, seeing that they were learning so fast. He would teach them a new style called Makashi or form two, it relies heavily on precision and efficiency over Shii Cho's wild, sweeping motions.

Valon desperately wanted to teach them this, it addressed the problems with form one because form two was designed for lightsaber dueling and required focus over strength. It would be important for them to learn, so that they could become more independent with their training, being able to practice with each other.

The next day, the frozen air of the desert disintegrated as the giant sun rose towards the sky, it's golden light stretching across the dune sea and up into the mountains. Valon woke up putting on his robes and grabbing his saber, as he got closer he could hear the clattering of wood.

His apprentices were fixed in a ferocious battle, using the long sweeping strikes and defensive parries they had learnt the day before. Valon was an excellent teacher, although he had not completed his training, he was skilled with a lightsaber. Having twelve years of experience aided him, he was stern yet fair and didn't look down on his padawans.

Their skill and style was limited, despite this they were fixated in an epic duel, their teacher had drilled the techniques into their minds and bodies. Form one was not designed for this, however it taught them basic moves, which seemed to be working.

Skaar was no longer shy, the vision had scared him but now he was driven, using his passion to overwhelm his opponent. This concerned Valon, a Jedi must be humble and calm, instead Skaar used anger. That was the way of the Sith.

Master Valon watched on for a while, observing each swing, each foot placement. Joi was not suited to combat however she would do anything to remain with her new family, Valon admired her, she put up a good fight.

Skaar's talons scraped across the training grounds, his harsh swings battering Joi into the corner, her parries useless against a heavy onslaught. Valon intervened, snapping his training staff under Skaar's single bladed stick, he stopped the attack.

"A Jedi does not fight with passion, they fight with skill." said Valon, looking at his young padawan.

Skaar slid his wooden sword out of Valon's hold, swinging up in anger towards his adversaries face, he wanted to test whether Valon was right. Skaar stabbed up violently, a move that Valon deflected with ease, both warriors stood in the ready position.

The young padawan lunged out, hammering down blow after blow onto his Master's staff, using the vast strikes he had studied. Skaar's knowledge in battle was good but no match for a Jedi, despite this he continued his attack. He sliced left to right, right to left, then slamming an overhead strike against his Master.

Valon blocked, thrusting his staff up horizontally, the training saber crashing down, between his clenched hands. This combination continued; left, right, right, left, overhead, until Skaar's Master was pushed to the jagged cliff edge.

Jumping straight into the air, Valon landed behind a confused Skaar, his staff dug into the sand by Skaar's foot. Then sliding it across the floor, his Master sent him to the ground, placing the stick on his chest.

"If you are to become a Jedi, you must be patient, never let your anger take control of you." said Valon.

"On Wasskah, we were taught to fight with anger, to use our aggression." replied Skaar.