A New Jedi in an Old Republic

Jedi High Council Chambers

Battlemaster Drallig often reported to the Council concerning those Padawans and Knights undertaking the Test of Skill, or for general training of the people in the Temple. This was at the same time familiar and unfamiliar.

"Masters," he greeted the present members of the Council – some attending via hologram, others unable to at all.

"Master Drallig," Mace Windu said, a small smile on his face. "How went your day?"

"Quite at odds with my usual routine," he replied. "I must say that quite a few Initiates and Padawans were distracted."

"So we have heard," Ki-Adi-Mundi commented. "But it is not their impressions we want, it is yours."

The Knight-Errant Katarn, as he was called by people who refused his offer to simply call him 'Kyle' was on one hand, a massive enigma in terms of his training and skills, yet there was enough about him that was familiar that the Battle Master found himself almost enjoying his testing. In a purely professional capacity of course.

"Katarn is a powerful Force user, easily equal to any member of this Council." He had to say that first, that the rest of his report would be accepted with little consequence. "However, he is unskilled when compared to many Knights, and I suspect that his training has been... short."

"What makes you say that?" the Hologram of Shaak Ti said from Kamino.

"When he performed the lift test, he took seven minutes to lift the second to last block, then twenty for the final one."

"What about the tractor beam installed under the last one?" Eeth Koth wondered.

"It was primed, but did not active," Cin reported. "I have to caution this Council though that his failure to trigger the fail-safe in that test is not indicative of a failure, but rather his telekinetic prowess is more optimized for sudden impulse, rather than constant effort."

"We understand," Billaba nodded. "His other skills?"

Cin reported what he knew, and what he could conclude through observations. That Katarn had an excellent grasp of the fundamentals, his advanced skills were haphazard at best. And he often resorted to carefully controlled overkill in terms of Force usage, rather than use a technique that would take less power.

"What of the Dark Side?" Mace asked. "It can be no secret he has touched it."

"From my senses," Cin admitted, "he does not call upon the Dark Side when performing his feats. If anything, it is simply... there." He shook his head. "I do not have the words to properly describe it. It is as if the Dark Side exists without function, like it lay dormant, but he can still draw strength when called upon."

"Any signs of Vaapad?" Mace asked, curious and worried.

"None, though we did not engage in a practice battle."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Yoda mused. "Ready for battle, you are?"

Cin straightened. "Always, Master Yoda."

"Heard enough, we have." Yoda bowed his head in thanks. ""Amongst ourselves, we will speak." He dismissed the Battlemaster gently. Once he was gone, the venerable Grand Master spoke again. "Your minds, speak."

"I would know where his Sect has been hiding," Kit Fisto spoke. "Your description of this apparition in the Force is not something we were prepared for. Do you think Katarn has knowledge of this technique?"

"Ask him, we shall." Yoda agreed. "Obvious it is, knowledge of the Force, incomplete, ours is."

"Out of curiosity," Plo Koon mused aloud, "what would we have done had he come to us not in a time of war?"

"Sent him away," Ki-Adi-Mundi replied. "He is not of the Order. Yet times are different now, we cannot turn away help because they are not like us. And now with knowing his sect knows things we do not, that are not tied to the Darkness, we would be obliged to learn them none the less."

"Yet, is there anything we have heard or seen that would bar him from further testing?" Windu asked, cutting through another round of circular arguments.

There was no objections.

Raven's Claw

"Kyle?" Jan stepped up the ramp into the dark interior of their shuttle. "You in here?"

Sounds of... something came from the sleeping berths, and suspecting that Kyle had a more exhausting day than she had, she checked the lower bunk.

Kyle was asleep, laying flat out on the thin mat, with his saber and pistol sitting of to the side of his pillow. He snored gently, and with a smile, Jan pulled a blanket out of a cubby and lay it over him. "Night, Kyle."

"Night, Jan." He said through a moment's wakefulness, before dropping back into deep sleep.

Communal Mess Hall

Kyle and Jan grabbed a table in the large room, partaking of the free food offered in the Temple. It wasn't elegant, but it served as a good breakfast. "So," Kyle said as he broke a loaf of bread and handed half to Jan, "How did things go yesterday?"

"I had to deal with bureaucracy." Jan explained, letting that single word encapsulate everything that went wrong. "I could have really used you."

"Really?" Kyle smirked. "Is that because you wanted me or my lightsaber?"

"Can't have one without the other," Jan shot back. "You would not believe the effort required to register a ship!"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Kyle didn't normally deal with that part of being a mercenary. "I mean, if worst came to worst, you could have asked Mon Mothma for help, right?"

Jan shook her head. "Need to keep ourselves independent, in case things go sour."

Kyle nodded in understanding. "Got to admit though. Food is better than back home."

"You would say that," Jan bit into her bread. "You always complain about the food."

"I don't complain about yours!"

"Because you know better." Jan lightly punched Kyle in the shoulder.

"Pardon me, is this seat taken?"

Kyle and Jan looked at the newcomer, whom Kyle identified. "Master Drallig! No, no it's not. Cin, this is Jan, my pilot and co-worker. Jan, this is Battlemaster Cin Drallig. He's been putting me through my paces yesterday and in the future."

Jan offered a hand to Cin, who shook it. "A pleasure." She didn't miss the title, being the same as Kyle's back in the future. "I hope he hasn't been giving you too much grief?"

"Only the pains in my heart that come from having a student who wants to rush through his lessons to get to what he thinks is the good stuff." Cin replied with a grin.

"I'm sitting right here" Kyle growled.

Jan feigned being charmed by the older human. She giggled. "Kyle can be like that. If he gets out of hand, just let me know. I can take care of things!"

"Jan!" Kyle said, mortified. "So, what brings you to our table, Master Drallig?"

"Well," the Battelmaster sipped some of his own broth before speaking some more. "I just wanted to let you know personally that the latter half of your Test of Skill will be this afternoon. Please be prepared."

Kyle nodded. "Right. Jan, you want to watch?"

She shook her head. "Why bother? I know you're going to win. And I've got more things to take care of today."

"What are your concerns?" Cin asked out of politeness.

So Jan explained the issues she was having with registering their ship and all the sundry details that came with legitimizing their presence on Coruscant.

"You do you that the Temple would be able to assist with that?" Cin said as soon as she had wound down. "It is not uncommon for a Jedi to return with a different ship than what they were left with, and we have the resources to properly register the new ships with the Republic. Yours included."

Jan's jaw dropped. "What."

"Yes. Were you not aware of this?"

"No!" Jan said a bit loudly for the level of conversation. "Kyle! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know!" Kyle raised his hands defensively. "If I did, I would have told you!"

Jan grumbled a bit under her breath. "Master Drallig, who would I have to speak to in order to register the Raven's Claw?"

"I do not know personally, but I would suggest checking with the person in charge of the landing bay."

Kyle wisely kept his mouth shut as Jan worked her way through her annoyance that she had wasted a day, and wasted money at the same time. "Kyle."

"Jan?"

"I'm going to be busy today. I don't think I'll be able to cheer you on this afternoon."

"I understand." Kyle said. "Would you like me to make a holo for you to watch later?"

"That won't be necessary," Jan said in return. "I know you'll win a fight or duel."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kyle finished off the last of his food. "If that's the case, I think I'll study for the other tests for a few hours, then warm up after lunch." He stood up. "Master. Jan."

"By Kyle!" "Farewell, Katarn."

Testing Hall

Cin sensed Katarn enter into the duelling arena, the upper observatory seats and walkways crammed with Initiates, Padawans, Knights and Masters. "Did Professor Huyang find a practice saber to your liking, Katarn?"

"Yep," Katarn said as he kept testing the weight and reach of his borrowed weapon. Like Cin, he was going to use a lightsaber that would not result in death or dismemberment, just nasty burns if improperly applied. "You ready for this?"

Cin was prepared. "Of course." He indicated the practice area, and took one corner, watching as the Knight-Errant went for the opposite. "First test will be your skills. Saber only, no Force, first to three hits." He ignited his practice weapon, the white blade reaching out to slightly longer than his accustomed length. But he was too good to let that bother him. Advancing to his mark, he took up the basic defensive stance of Form I.

He watched as Katarn walked up to his own mark, checking his toes before leaving his saber unignited. "I don't suppose we could just talk our way out of this?" He asked with a sly smile. "We really don't have to fight."

"While I appreciate your choice to try diplomacy," Cin was certain this would encourage some members of the Council to approve of him, "this is not the time or place for it. And we are not truly fighting, rather we are practicing."

"Eh, I get that." the other human snapped his weapon into existence and took a ready stance, "I just had to try first."

Cin watched Katarn for a moment, examining his stance. It was open, but guarded, his saber guarding his body at an angle. In short, a good baseline defence, much as his own.

He stepped in with a Makashi sweep, a cut that would slice across Katarn parallel to his saber. Instead of stepping back, as Cin thought Katarn would do, or block the strike given his natural strength, Katarn stepped into the strike and rotated his body to keep his weapon facing Cin's strike, although he did adjust his guard to better catch Cin's blade.

The two hopped back, the simple motions recognized by both as necessary stepping stones to see where the others limits lay. And with Cin having made the first move, it was Katarn's turn to attack. He circled around Cin for a moment, forcing the Battlemaster to reposition himself to avoid a flank attack. He watched Katarn's footwork, noting that it was solid, like the rest of his stance, rather than lighter, more motive or more acrobatic in nature.

Which is why he was caught surprised when Katarn's guard became a long lunge, a quick thrust of the blade at maximum extension that came as he gripped the weapon in his right hand, turning and stepping forward at the same time to reach as far as he could without actually advancing.

It was aggressive Makashi, and Cin wondered as he batted away the tip with ease if it was in response to his own use of the form. He watched as Katarn closed up his guard, this time being a bit more mobile in his footwork. No words needed to be said, not yet. And crowd above the two of them was talking in hushed whispers.

Cin launched a quick series of strikes in the Djem So style, seeking not to score a hit, but to examine Katarns defenses. But the Knight-Errant evaded with both body, feet and deflecting the blade with his own saber rather than give up a single weak point that Cin could exploit.

This man, he concluded, was no stranger to combat. A more serious approach was needed. But now it was his turn to go on the defense as Katarn started with an advancing overhead swing, which Cin redirected to his side with practiced form. What wasn't in form was Katarn's counter strike as the two blades would have normally circled around the two duelists until the baldes locked and they were forced into a competition of strength.

Rather, once the two blades dipped into the ground, skittering along the solid stone, Kyle took the momentum from Cin's counter and closed the circle in a very fast sweep that saw him rotate his saber with his wists, rather than his arms and aimed at Cin's left side.

The Battlemaster blocked the strike, but not perfectly as he had hoped. Katarn stepped back to yield the initiative and Cin kept up the pressure, bringing his blade up in a low sweep to the hips, which Katarn stepped back to evade before responding with an overhead strike to the shoulders. Din hardblocked the strike, but the weight of the blow and Katarn's superior physical strength slowly forced the blade closer to making a contact point.

So Cin took a page from his opponent's playstyle, and the Fourth Form to buckle and roll forward, turning off his saber as he rolled over it past Katarn's legs before reigniting it with a low slash that Katarn jumped backwards to avoid.

"Tricky, tricky." Katarn said as he repositioned his guard.

Cin said nothing in return. He was forced to focus on his defense as Katarn stepped up and quickly began to batter at Cin's guard, bringing his strength into play more and more until the Jedi Battlemaster was forced to give ground.

His impressions were right, Katarn was a power fighter for the most part, and while skilled, was not to his own level in that regard.

He dipped around another hard swing, and countered with a Makashi lunge, much like Katarn's own first strike. This one was blocked with a quickly reversed blade, and Katarn frowned as the two of them were at a momentary impasse. "If this wasn't practice," Katarn complained as he kept the blades locked with one hand, "things would be a whole lot different."

Cin did not speak, thinking it unnecessary as he plotted his next moves. He finally saw through Katarns strong offense, and into the nature of his defense. It was almost classical 'Three Rings', which was interesting in of itself, given that it wasn't seriously taught in the Order in favour of the Forms.

His reflections were halted when the Force warned him of danger, and he returned his focus to the connection of the two blades. He knew Katarn was stronger than the pressure he was putting on, though it seemed that he couldn't apply all of it with a single hand on his borrowed weapon, so where was the danger?

A snap-hiss hit his ears at the same moment that a sharp heated strike hit his side. Startled, he looked down at the second saber in Katarn's other hand. It was small, just big enough to fit in Katarn's hand and no further, with a blade proportionally small.

"Point," Katarn said as he carefully released the pressure of his block and turned off his second weapon. He allowed Cin to check his wound, but it was just superficial. The pain was already fading.

Waggling the smaller weapon in his off hand, Katarn smirked at him. "Always have a back up. Or a hold out." He slipped the spare weapon into a pocket and took up his ready stance again. "Ready?"

"Very underhanded," Cin admitted. "But not your style."

"Oh, it is." Kyle said as he shifted his stance a little. "You just don't know it yet."

Up in the observation Gallery, Obi-wan and Anakin watched with concern. "He's good," Anakin observed as the two duellists manoeuvred around each other.

Obi-wan had to agree, but still found ground to object. "The second strike was deceitful," he pointed out. "And Master Drallig has yet to fight seriously."

"You said he claimed to have fought and killed Dark Jedi in the past," Anakin gently massaged his replacement arm, the ghost pain still bothersome. "I suspect that Master Kyle hasn't shown what he can do yet either."

"He is not a Master," Obi-wan admonished his former apprentice. "And we shall see."

"Perhaps a little wager, Master?" Anakin prodded Obi-wan gently. "Something to make us more assure of our words?"

"No gambling, Anakin. I taught you better than that."

Back on the floor, Cin was forced to respect his opponent's skill and craftiness. Once he had used that trump card, the Battlemaster was forced to evaluate every option as though Katarn would suddenly switch into a dual-wielding form. And his own expectations of Kyle's strong offence were shattered when the effort for the second point resulted in him pulling out a very light and fast style, full of sweeps, jabs and combos, strung together without regard for actually hitting him, and more for keeping him off balance.

His own forms were pressed to keep Katarn from scoring his second point, and when he got a grip on Katarn's current style, he switched out. But as he watched, he saw that the number three came up again and again. Three Rings of Defence, and he saw that Katarn had three different forms for his attacks, light and fast, strong and brutal, with a moderate middle. He could flow through them as easily as Cin could through his Forms, but the basic unfamiliarity with the specifics gnawed him.

He should know this! There was enough familiarity about them that as they sparred, he could see flashed of the Seven Forms in them, a moment where he saw a stance or motion which he knew perfectly and had a ready counter for, only for something else to appear instead.

At least, he consoled himself, Katarn hadn't scored a second point either. They were matched in terms of technical skill, just different enough that neither one could properly overcome the other without resorting to tricks.

They stopped, a mutual moment to relax and prepare for the next round when Cin took advantage of his position and lowered his blade, turning it off. "That's enough," he said. "In this format, we are even, and even with the training weapons, any more serious and we could injure the other."

Kyle lowered his guard as well, though he kept his weapon active. "I get that impression as well."

"Your training is unorthodox," Cin asked, trying to pry some information from Katarn. "Did Master Tal teach you?"

"Mostly, yes. Had to do a bit of self-education as well," Katarn admitted to Cin's direct questioning. "I see you've been talking to the Council."

"Many people have been talking about you." Cin admitted. "Once you have your breath caught, I think I will let you fight against some practice droids with your own saber. Master Paradus has been looking for ways to improve them with the Confederation using Droids for their armies, and your unorthodox skills should prove beneficial to him."

Kyle nodded, finally turning off his borrowed weapon. "So, a drink of water first?"

"Of course."