Wrath of Trandosha

Chapter 22 - Kyber

For one month Valon trained his young padawans, turning them into skillful Jedi, over that time both of them learned the basics of the seven forms of lightsaber combat. Joi was more confident, she showed kindness and compassion, combined with adequate combat skills. Skaar on the other hand excelled, he had been trained by Valon in the day and in the night Darth Sidious had revealed the mysterious secrets of the Sith, Skaar was becoming powerful.

It was an early morning, standard for the training Jedi. Joi and Skaar raced through a narrow canyon, their boots pounding down on the rough sand, the canyon cut through the planet's crust like a vein. Ten metres above, Valon stalked his students, pacing quickly along the ridge.

They reached the end of the shallow valley, sprinting the last few metres to the end, both padawans wheezing. A blood red laser beam shot down, landing inches in front of them, they stopped in their tracks looking up. Reg stood on the ridge just before the exit, holding his powerful blaster, the barrel smoke rose into the air dancing as it evaporated.

Skaar sensed something behind them, he twisted around, drawing his training saber. Valon leapt down from the ridge, the rising sun covering his attack, his wooden staff clashed with Skaars with a mighty crack. Skaar and Joi confronted their attacker, taking turns to strike at his staff, Joi's elegant twirls and jumps made it hard to hit her.

Valon had an erratic style which was challenging for defensive opponents to block, he used short jabs with his staff, making it difficult for his padawans to find an opening. Over the last month Skaar had trained tirelessly in the style of Djem So, it focused on using natural strength to overwhelm an opponent, a perfect fit for the aggressive padawan.

Joi on the other hand used Ataru, a style that utilized the force, to achieve high-speed attacks. She could channel the force to leap and twirl through the air, making for an impossible target however it used a tonne of energy. Both padawans suited their styles, which they were learning fast, Valon was one of best remaining duelists to teach them.

The battle raged on as Valon curled his staff, twisting it around his body to disorientate his students, occasionally launching an outward strike against them. Skaar blocked his Masters attacks, using the energy to fire back destructive hits, Valon was surprised at his mastery. As Valon pushed his students back, Skaar would block, then counter attacking twice with that energy. Joi was on the offensive, jumping and spinning to deliver devastating blows, her technique looked like a wild rush of untamed movement.

Reg opened fire, using his blaster to distract Skaar, who turned to deflect them. Lasers bounced off the training saber, ricocheting into the sandstone walls, leaving coal black scorch marks behind. While Skaar dealt with Reg, Valon and Joi clashed, the sound of smacking wood echoing around them. Joi quickly became pinned, her master's swift movements proved too difficult to block.

She jumped, pushing off the wall behind her and leaping to the other side. On the opposite wall she pushed off again with great force, her blindingly agile movement, stunning Valon. Her master spun around, Joi's outsteched foot, met with Valons face. His nose ran with blood like a waterfall, he looked up in shock, his padawan was striking once again.

Valon rolled away disarmed, she used long sweeping motions, which Valon quickly avoided. She was winning, besting her skilled Master, or so she thought. He looked behind her, his wooden staff lay in the course sand, out of reach. As fast as he could, Valon force pulled it towards him, it shook and then flew at her legs.

The horizontal saber smacked the back of her shins, tripping onto her back, Valon grabbed his staff and quickly placed it firmly on her chest. She had been defeated. Skaar saw Joi's defeat so he ran at Reg, corkscrewing in midair, disarming the stunned droid. His blaster crumbled, the powerful strike, destroying it.