Ahsoka and I were walking down the corridor from the warehouse, looking for the parts we needed. I was still thinking about making a new lightsaber, and the Togruta clearly wanted to assemble — if not a second blade, then shoto. However, we couldn't find the necessary number of components, so we placed an order. Moreover, we didn't find the crystals that suited us in the warehouse, even though there were plenty of them there.
As we moved along the wide passage between the columns — on either side of which lay training grounds where several groups of younglings were practicing — a very familiar voice called out to us.
"Well, well, well. Where are you headed?"
"Master Drallig," Ahsoka and I turned in unison, greeting the Jedi who stood between two columns, studying us intently.
Well, what can I say? A man of average height with long dark blond hair — and a legendary lightsaber combat instructor. His skill with a blade rivaled that of most members of the Jedi Council, and for good reason: he had been trained by Grand Master Yoda himself. Some Jedi referred to him as a "Troll" for his ruthless teaching methods and his cruel, wild, merciless fighting style. Drallig specialized in only six forms of lightsaber combat — but that was more than enough for him. He could… well, not easily, but he could defeat Mace Windu and even compete with Yoda himself. It was no coincidence that he also served as the head of the Temple Guard.
Unsurprisingly, Cin Drallig had made the Temple his home, devoting himself entirely to teaching the younger generation and rarely, if ever, leaving it. Kenobi, Skywalker, and many others had studied under him — though he had only one Padawan, Serra Keto, if I remembered correctly.
Ahsoka had clearly trained with him quite a bit, given her passion for fencing. But judging by the emotions I could easily sense, once the Togruta switched to her reverse grip, her relationship with this fanatic of discipline had gone sharply downhill. My own memories were far less vivid. I wasn't such an outstanding fencer that this beast would pay much attention to me.
But now…
"Who would have thought — Padawan Tano," Drallig drawled. "Still fooling around with that reverse grip?"
"What's wrong with it?" Ahsoka shot back. "It's comfortable for me!"
"I see even you couldn't fix that," Drallig added, poking me with a finger.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," I replied calmly. "Maybe she'll invent a new lightsaber form?"
"Shut up," Drallig snorted. "To lose that badly to some Sith — that's impressive. Was it your first time holding a saber?"
"So maybe you could show me a couple of tricks?" I asked, deliberately mocking.
"Smart, huh?" Drallig looked me over, then gave a short nod. "Fine. Come on."
With that, he turned and headed deeper into the training ground.
"Master, you're screwed," Ahsoka remarked.
I shrugged. Training with a mentor like that — I'd be a fool to refuse. And as for Drallig's nasty temper… to hell with it. I'm no angel myself.
Passing between the columns, I approached Drallig, who was already standing at one end of the arena.
"Ahsoka, hold this for me, please," I said, tossing her my lightsaber. At the same time, I pulled a training blade from the nearest rack with telekinesis and slipped off my cloak.
"Shall we begin?" Drallig asked.
"Or do you need to run to the refresher first?"
I silently activated the blade — blue. Good, I'd guessed the color right — and settled into the first Shii-Cho stance. Feet shoulder-width apart, blade raised vertically above my head.
Drallig grunted.
The next moment, our blades crossed…
For the first few seconds, it felt as though Drallig would simply crush me — but that impression was deceptive. This… immensely experienced duelist instantly assessed my level and applied exactly as much force as was necessary, no more and no less — for both of us. After all, this wasn't a real fight, but a training duel.
Alternating between the six fundamental Shii-Cho techniques, I attacked and defended. Drallig used both Shi-Cho and the other five forms, shifting between them or weaving them together into his signature combinations — the hardest to counter. Gradually, our rhythm accelerated. Where at first we would separate after exchanging a few blows, now the contact grew longer and more intense.
Minutes passed, and Drallig showed no intention of stopping. It seemed he had decided to find my limit. I was curious about that myself, so I surrendered fully to the duel. Still, after a series of his attacks — especially the more treacherous ones — I was forced to demonstrate my Soresu. More precisely, the element I privately referred to as the fan. Well, I imagined blaster bolts instead of his strikes and "deflected" them accordingly.
Drallig showed no outward reaction to my efforts.
Fortunately, we barely moved around the arena — merely circling one another slowly, nothing more.
Toward the end of the duel — ten minutes had passed, maybe more; I'd honestly lost count — our movements were probably barely noticeable to an outside observer. For Drallig, however, this was clearly not the limit. The force of his blows continued to increase, and only thanks to my prosthesis was I able to withstand them. The metal prosthetic practically didn't care about his blows, but my right wrist was already aching from the repeated hard blocks. I realized the fight would soon be over.
Hmm. It would be nice to train with him more. Invaluable experience… And really, what do I have to lose?
Accelerating to my limit, I launched a rapid series of strikes — and it was over. Drallig's blade froze at my neck, while the emitter of my deactivated training saber pressed against his chest.
"Weak," Drallig said flatly, turning toward his cloak, "but there's room for improvement."
Only then did I notice that we were surrounded by a sizable crowd — mostly younglings, though a few Jedi were present as well. Among them I recognized several familiar faces. And in the front row of younglings, to my surprise, I spotted a few noteworthy figures—in particular, the small Togruta Ashla.
Ahsoka hurried over, handing me my lightsaber.
"Master, that was amazing!"
Then one of the younglings — a ten-year-old Zabrak — spoke up.
"Knight Vikt, why do you use Shii-Cho? It's… simple."
"Complexity does not always equal effectiveness," I replied calmly. "Because it is easy to learn, this form is taught first. Almost all lightsaber duelists incorporate elements of Shii-Cho into their own fighting styles. What's more, it lays the foundation for mastering more complex forms."
"But other forms are superior," one of the Jedi remarked.
"In certain situations — perhaps. But not always. Shii-Cho has its strengths. It's not called the Form of Determination for nothing."
"Knight," another youngling asked, "doesn't your hand bother you?"
"A good question. Everyone has weaknesses — your task is to turn them into strengths. Take Grand Master Yoda, for example. Many of you are already taller than he is. Does that make him weaker than you?"