In the mornings, I had classes with Ahsoka; at midday, procedures in the Healing Halls; and afterward, training with Cin Drallig. Sometimes the training sessions took place in the morning as well. Five whole days passed in this manner…
For me, these duels were not merely duels, but full-fledged lessons. Drallig understood this perfectly and truly taught me, rather than simply waving his lightsaber around. Although — what am I saying? Give this fanatic even the slightest excuse to teach, and he'll teach you anything. And I didn't mind in the least — you won't find a mentor like him anywhere else.
We trained without a rigid plan. Our main focus was, of course, my Shii-Cho. Drallig, it seemed to me, was impressed by my dedication to this form, so he turned a blind eye to the elements I borrowed from Soresu, accepting them as a necessity dictated by the realities of the current war. The Master was clearly no fool; he understood perfectly well that Soresu was the best move against crowds of blaster-armed droids.
At the same time, we didn't neglect duels against Force gifted opponents. And Drallig couldn't care less that Shii-Cho was widely considered unsuitable for lightsaber-on-lightsaber combat. The most frustrating sessions were those where Drallig stood against me alongside Ahsoka. The longest I managed to last against the two of them was forty-seven seconds.
Well… when Ahsoka and I were paired together against Drallig, that was considerably more fun.
We also found common ground with the Master surprisingly quickly. I didn't feel any special reverence for him — I have a personality to match — so I responded in kind to his taunts and sarcasm. "Grandpa" and "rotten stump" were among the more flattering nicknames I bestowed upon him. They didn't bother him much, though — unlike "fossil." After that one, he started giving me strange looks.
As for Drallig himself…
"Younglings, disperse — the teaching aid has arrived."
"Move your feet — why are you hopping around like a pregnant Bantha?"
"Weakling. Any youngling wields a wooden sword better than you wield a lightsaber."
…That was his repertoire. Damn it.
After one of the sessions, I made an unscheduled visit to MedCorps. I repaired and slightly upgraded my prosthesis: replaced the joints with newer models, reinforced several components, and added a special switch. In its normal position, the artificial muscles operated at standard output, but now it was possible to increase the applied force. This mode, however, quickly wore down both the joints and the prosthesis itself.
That was how we trained.
Ahsoka also joined our sessions with Drallig and kept pace with us, though for her the duel was still mostly just a duel. Even so, she refined her Ataru and tried to experimented with Shien. Although, judging by what I knew of her, she would have preferred the second variant of the Fifth Form — Djem So…
That was why the call from Master Yoda on the morning of the sixth day came as a complete surprise.
Ahsoka and I hurried to the Jedi Temple Atrium, where the Grand Master had summoned us.
"Good morning, Master Yoda," we greeted him in unison, addressing the green… uh… what was his species called again? My memory failed me entirely at that moment.
"On time, you are," Yoda said. "A task for you, there is, Knight Vikt."
"A task? But what…?"
"Related to the war, it is not. Not at all."
What, escorting another senator? But Yoda's next words completely stunned me.
"Escort a group of younglings to Ilum, you must."
Seeing such utter incomprehension on my face, the Grand Master explained calmly:
"An excursion it will be — to familiarize them with this place. You and your Padawan will accompany them. Skill in dealing with young Jedi, you have shown…"
"When?" I asked resignedly. "And how many?"
"This evening, the ship departs. On a Temple corvette, you will travel. Twenty younglings there are."
I nodded. Well… Ilum is Ilum. I'll look for a crystal while I'm there… maybe Ahsoka will find something for her shoto.
Then it hit me.
Wait… Something's not right. Ilum… I remember something about Ilum. It seems there was some kind of commotion there. Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee were definitely involved, but now they are clearly not to be seen here. Or?… Fuck, there was no sadness...
"Something troubles you, Knight?" Yoda asked.
Well," I shrugged. "Nothing specific. But it's better to be safe than sorry."
Well then, we'll need a captain for the corvette — I think O'Connor will do. A couple of specialists — Puck and Lucky; they've had time to cool off. A dozen or two clones — no fewer. That should be enough. Nothing serious has happened there, as far as I can tell.
***
Asajj Ventress strode swiftly down the ship's corridor. Only minutes ago, her shuttle had docked in one of the hangars of the Munificent, and now she was hurrying to meet her Master.
Soon she reached the bridge.
"I have completed your assignment. The Jedi is dead. However, Republic ships repelled the attack…"
"That was not your fault," came the calm reply. "You fulfilled your role perfectly."
Count Dooku stepped closer.
"I am pleased with your progress, my apprentice. Circumstances prevent me from continuing your training personally, however." With these words, he handed her a small pyramid glowing with a crimson light. "This holocron will aid you. It has no keeper, but it contains a vast archive of knowledge and training exercises. Use it wisely."
Ventress knelt and accepted the relic with reverent care.
"I will not disappoint you, Master."