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For the first time in many standard months the Negotiator and the Resolute were due back to Coruscant for repairs and restocking of supplies. After their long campaigns in several systems, Obi-Wan and Anakin were more than happy to accept the orders to return to the Jedi Temple for some rest and recharging. The initial few days of their time away from the front was used for mostly sleeping, eating, and learning how to re-integrate with the society of Temple life.
Obi-Wan felt almost strange not being woken up at odd hours for different reports or alerts leading to his sleep to be fit-ful. Anakin struggled some with relaxing, feeling anxious over not having anything to do, almost like his body had grown addicted to the fast-paced and high-stress nature of the frontlines. Ahsoka also had some antsiness, but hers revealed itself in a self-enforced pressure to not waste her time at the Temple, instead using every spare moment to learn more from the other Jedi there and to perfect her techniques.
Overall they were a prime example of some of the symptoms of the war’s toll on the Jedi who fought in it. All three of them were experiencing restlessness and it resulted in some intense and unorthodox sparring sessions to relieve some of the tension that was building up in their bones.
For many days in a row they would meet in one of the larger training rooms to keep their battle skills honed and their minds clear. Obi-Wan generally helped with either being a stand-in for when Anakin was showing a new move or as a critique of Anakin and Ahsoka’s spars. They took his advice seriously and would apply it as best as they could. Occasionally he would spar with Anakin some to help his former padawan practice and have a fairer challenge. They oscillated through different forms depending on which one Ahsoka shouted out at them, making it a kind of game for her when in truth she was soaking up as much information as she could from the two general’s fights.
Today was one of the days where Anakin was showing a different method of Form V since that seemed to be the form Ahsoka was learning to favor. She was very adept in the reverse-grip side of Djem So but still needed a lot of improvement. Anakin was attempting to show some of the pros and cons to the reverse versus the normal grip.
After about the third attempt at explaining the faults of a particular usage Anakin let out a frustrated huff and looked at Obi-Wan who was calmly going through some kata’s close by.
“Alright Obi-Wan, you’re up. I need to show the reverse-grip’s potential weakness to powerful overhead strikes on the distal end of the saber.”
Before Obi-Wan could reply though a voice spoke up from behind Anakin.
“How about I give it a shot Skywalker.” The voice belonged to none other than Mace Windu. He apparently had snuck in at some point during Anakin’s poor attempt at explanation.
“Uh, of course Master Windu,” Anakin said somewhat hesitantly.
Master Windu never offers to spar with other Jedi, he thought with a small amount of worry.
Mace nodded and proceeded to grab a training saber before readying himself. It took a minute or two for him to retrieve the saber, more than enough time for Ahsoka to tease him.
“You ready to get your butt whooped, Master?” She said cheekily, clearly taking too much joy out of what would certainly be Anakin’s loss.
“You say that now Snips, but I prefer to think of this as the perfect learning opportunity for both of us. Master Windu doesn’t just spar with anyone, clearly he must think I’m up to the task.” Anakin said it with his usual dose of confidence, but even he wasn’t going to dissuade her entirely from the notion that he would lose.
Mace was a master of Form VII, a very aggressive form that required a whole different level of control over one’s emotions than Djem So. His level of power behind his attacks would be more than sufficient to show the pit-falls of the reverse-grip against a stronger opponent if done incorrectly.
Still, maybe Anakin had a chance. He had never actually faced Mace in combat before, just seen him take down droids and enemies alike with hardly any effort. Supposedly he used to spar with Count Dooku before he fell to the darkside and with Dooku being a master swordsman it pointed towards Mace being one as well.
Whatever the case, I can at least have a little pride in the fact that he chose to help me teach my padawan some lightsaber techniques. Snips better appreciate this, he thought amusedly, letting some of it leak into the bond between him and his padawan as he smiled at her.
“Ready for this?” Master Windu asked.
Anakin nodded and the two Jedi moved to bow to one another before stepping back and getting into their stances.
Mace got himself into the classic Vaapad beginning position with his right arm held high above his head and the saber ignited and pointed towards his opponent at a downward angle. His left hand was down and to the side, hovering as if poised to force push Anakin at a moment’s notice. All in all it was a beautiful and terrifying thing to see as Anakin got into his Djem So stance, reminding himself to use reverse-grip so Ahsoka would see exactly what he was talking about.
Ahsoka indicated the start of the spar and the flurry of blows began. Anakin was able to easily show the weaknesses of the reverse-grip against Mace before switching to his normal hold to fend off some of the powerful attacks. Mace wields his weapon so fluidly, each swing being followed through to a new attack or block. There wasn’t a single waste of movement.
Once back to his usual method of fighting, Anakin started to hold his own a little better. His own strong slices and quick jabs were almost reaching the Jedi Master, but always at the last moment the purple lightsaber would parry the blow and Anakin would be left scrambling to either mount a new attack or create some distance between them.
In what felt like ages, but was actually about ten minutes, Mace managed to surge forward unexpectedly at Anakin, forcing the Knight down onto his back and disarming him in a display of extreme precision and strength. His lightsaber hovered over Anakin's throat as he signaled the end to match.
“Nice sparring Anakin, you have gotten better with Form V since I last saw you fight,” the Jedi Master complimented, turning off his saber and offering a hand to help Anakin up.
“Thank you, being out in the field has its benefits for getting better at combat.”
Anakin accepted the hand and rose from the floor, dusting off his robes as he did so. They bowed to one another as part of the sparring etiquette and Anakin walked over to where Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were now sitting amongst a small crowd of other Knights, Masters, and padawan.
“Enjoy the show?” He asked with a grin on his face. While he didn’t beat Master Windu, it was still amazing to have fought against him - and for ten minutes too! Saber combat could be resolved in mere moments, so to last out so long was a good sign.
The compliment was a nice addition too, I think that’s the nicest thing he’s ever said to me, Anakin thought as he accepted the water canteen that his padawan handed him.
“You were amazing Master, and you definitely made your point about the reverse-grip. I’m going to need to up my wrist strength and agility to make sure my hold doesn’t collapse due to some of those heavy hits. I thought Master Windu was going to snap yours in half when he jumped and swung down right onto your block.” Ahsoka said, bouncing a little with her excitement over the lesson and the experience of seeing her Master get to fight Master Windu.
“It was a good example of areas to improve on in Djem So. You did well facing up against a master in Form VII,” Obi-Wan said, adding another praise for Anakin’s duelling.
“Why thank you very much Obi-Wan, I’m glad to see you’re humble enough to acknowledge my superiority with a saber.”
“Now I didn’t say that,” Obi-Wan interjected back.
“Yeah but you totally implied it, right Snips?”
Anakin glanced at his padawan for support.
“You know I don’t pick sides,” she stated quickly, a smile on her face betraying her amusement at their antics.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Mace has got to stop sneaking up on me, Anakin thought as he turned to face the speaker.
“Oh I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Obi-Wan tried to halt where he knew this was going.
“We haven’t sparred in ages Obi-Wan, not since you switched to Soresu really. I want to see how Form III holds up. The perfect defense against the perfect offense,” Mace cajoled in a friendly way, showing a side of him that Anakin had rarely if ever seen.
Obi-Wan looked like he might still refuse the request, so Anakin sent a small prodding through the bond to Ahsoka knowing she would understand. Without giving anything away his padawan started speaking.
“It’d be really helpful to see how Soresu handles some of the sides of the Vaapad that Djem So couldn’t Master Kenobi. I could see what could be added to my current katas that would aid in fixing some of the faults I still have with this form.” Ahsoka blinked up at her grandmaster, giving the kind of look that even Anakin couldn’t say no to.
“Fine,” Obi-Wan finally conceded, “but only because this is a teaching opportunity. I expect you both to pay close attention.” He gave them a semi-stern look as he stood up from his spot.
“Don’t expect me to go easy on you Obi-Wan,” Mace said with a dark smile on his face. “I still haven’t forgotten all the pranks you pulled when you were still a padawan. This is payback time.”
“As I am a council member, it is my duty to remind you that revenge isn’t the Jedi way,” Obi-Wan snarked back as he and Mace bowed to one another before stepping into their stances.
‘Is this their version of old-man trash talk? ’ Ahsoka asked through the bond causing Anakin to huff out a short laugh. Obi-Wan must have heard because he shot a knowing glance towards them.
‘Maybe our bond isn’t as secure as I thought,’ Anakin sent back. While there was no way Obi-Wan could have tapped into the training bond, he probably could tell just from their general auras in the Force right now what they were thinking. It’s hard to hide amusement from someone who knows them so well.
Returning to the present moment, Anakin indicated the start of the match and watched as the two Council members began their spar.
At first neither moved at all. Their bodies remained in their place, sabers hovering in the air, and their eyes boring into each other’s skulls. A small amount of anticipation filled the air from those watching the spar. Everyone was waiting to see which of these two Masters would win.
Then suddenly, without warning, Mace sent a powerful force push at Obi-Wan and the spell was broken. Obi-Wan jumped to the side to avoid the push and had to quickly go on the defensive as Mace leaped across the space swinging his lightsaber in a whirl of purple only to be halted by the sapphire blue of Obi-Wan’s saber. And that’s how it continued to go. Mace would swing, slice and jab, following through on each of his attacks to create an efficient barrage of offensive power. Obi-Wan, in turn, would block, parry, and redirect each hit, using some of Mace’s momentum against him while using the least amount of his own energy.
It was truly a spectacle to witness. When the spar passed the five minute mark, Anakin was impressed by both the Master Jedi. The amount of offensive and defensive output that both were doing was insane. Master Windu’s movements were extremely fast, creating a slight trailing after-glow wherever his saber went. It almost looked like his blade was everywhere at once. Obi-Wan’s was solid and never wavering; no matter the level of power Mace put into his attacks, Obi-Wan's blocks never faltered. His own attacks were precise and well thought out, aiming for openings in Mace’s onslaught that Anakin couldn’t even begin to identify from the sidelines.
Sure when you’re in the thick of it you get into a kind of zone, your focus sharpened and your thoughts clear, but Mace was moving so fast that Anakin couldn’t figure out how Obi-Wan had time to think.
With his spar using Djem So, Anakin and Mace had oscillated between attacking and defending. Obi-Wan was basically only defending, taking a few well placed jabs and slices at random. He would never get relief from the barrage of swings that Mace sent his way. Of course, that was how Obi-Wan liked it.
He had once told Anakin that his years and years of training him had resulted in Obi-Wan having infinite patience.
“I used to have to wait out your tantrums and your phases, it seemed to work on you perfectly fine, might as well use it in combat,” he had said.
Naturally it was a joke, but it did hold some truth. Obi-Wan had learned to wait out his opponents, knowing eventually they would tire out and give him what he wanted: an opening.
When the ten minute mark of the match flew by, Anakin was starting to wonder how he himself had even lasted out that long. More Jedi had filtered into the room since the start of the match and they now had quite a large audience. Word must have traveled fast.
“How long do you think this will go on, Master? They don’t even look like they're slowing down at all,” Ahsoka said quietly.
“I don’t know Ahsoka,” he replied, watching as Mace performed another endless combination of moves. Obi-Wan didn’t even flinch when he jumped over him and attempted to slash from behind. Obi-Wan simply spun and parried without any hesitation.
Anakin’s eyes widened with realization. They weren’t even really fighting yet, they were toying with each other. His hypothesis was proven minutes later when both Jedi broke apart and jumped back, creating some distance between them.
“Are you ready to do this for real, or do you still need to warm-up?” Mace asked, a bit of challenge hidden in the statement.
“Oh was that the warm-up, I thought that was you trying to remember how to swing a saber. You’ve gotten rusty from sitting in your council chair too long.”
No one in the audience could believe he said that, but Mace just chuckled in response.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t lost any of your wit being away so long with only Skywalker to verbally spar with. Let’s see if your lightsaber abilities have been preserved as well.”
“Your move,” Obi-Wan says, returning to the iconic Soresu stance with his index and middle finger pointed at Mace and his saber above his head ready to stop any attack.
“I would say their trash talk is cringe-worthy but Obi-Wan definitely got Master Windu with that comment about the Council chair,” Ahsoka whispered to Anakin. He was still put out by the insult Mace had leveled at him for his wit.
The intermission lasted for only a moment more before Mace surged across the room. The only difference from the start of the spar was that Obi-Wan moved forward to meet him, their blades clashing in a flash of light. It was like Obi-Wan’s method of fighting changed, it was stil Form III, just a side of it the Anakin had rarely seen.
Instead of waiting for Mace to fully attack him, Obi-Wan met the purple lightsaber midway through each slash, stopping any momentum from forming and making Mace have to either move faster or rethink his attacks.
Mace’s response was to speed up, creating what looked like a sphere of purple around himself as he performed each strike rapidly. An unstoppable force aimed for an immovable object. It was a ferocious dance, defining a whole new standard of what it meant to be a Master of a form.
The fight continued, each side giving and taking, an oscillation of push and pull that only the opponents could see. Obi-Wan returned to his more conservative fighting style, using less time predicting moves and more time driving his adversary into weariness.
Mace even began to slow down some, but what he lost in speed he gained in power. With each swing Anakin could feel the gusts of air being displaced at the strength of the move.
This is never going to end , he thought a little in awe.
But it eventually had to. Mace was clearly starting to flag some, his attacks becoming more precise but less frequent. Soresu was taking its toll on him, just as it was designed to. He also appeared to recognize that, channeling more Force pushes and pulls to try and corral Obi-Wan into a position that couldn’t defend the attack, a checkmate of sorts.
Mace cornered him between himself and the wall of the training room across from where everyone sat. Even with the walls closing in and defeat in sight, Obi-Wan’s movements belied no panic or loss of focus.
Then Mace went in for a final combo, slicing on both sides of Obi-Wan to maintain his containment of him before surging forward for a low sweep. It was a burst of speed that Anakin would not have bet the Master still had in him.
The more shocking result was Obi-Wan darting above the attack in an agile flip, landing behind Mace, and managing his own slash at the other Master.
No one else noticed it, but Anakin knew Obi-Wan well enough to recognize when he hesitates. It was a small thing, so miniscule that Anakin almost missed it. Something about this move caused Obi-Wan to pause, for his hand to waver slightly, before attempting to follow through with the rest of the movement.
It gave Mace the time he needed to jump to the side and level his lightsaber at Obi-Wan’s neck, Obi-Wan’s own blue saber less than a foot away from reaching its mark.
The moment lasted in silence until the end of the match fully registered with the occupants in the room. Several Jedi actually applauded some as the two Masters broke out of the final pose of their dance. They bowed as was customary and exchanged some words that Anakin couldn’t hear. He had hoped Obi-Wan would rejoin him and Ahsoka, but those hopes were dashed as he and Mace Windu walked to return their training sabers and away from the crowd of star-gazed padawan and Jedi.
“I guess Obi-Wan will join us later,” Ahsoka said with a hint of disappointment. He and Ahsoka were so used to monopolizing most of Obi-Wan’s free time, it did sting just a little to be forgotten after such a match.
Something about that wasn’t right , Anakin thought to himself, but brushed it aside for now. Obi-Wan would tell him if he felt anything was amiss, he always did.
“I bet Master Windu was just dragging him to another boring Council meeting, nothing we would want to join for anyway, Snips. Now that you’ve had such an exciting morning, are you ready for some lunch?”
“You bet Skyguy, I’m surprised you didn’t hear my stomach growling while we were watching the fight. I was afraid the Knight sitting next to me was going to ‘shush’ me; it was so loud.” The rumble that followed her statement led to a chuckle from both of them. They rose and began their trek to the mess hall, the crowd around them dissipating as everyone returned to their previous plans. But still, the concern did not leave him, remaining like a nagging thought in the back of his head: Obi-Wan would tell him if something was wrong, wouldn’t he?
Obi-wan as he walked with Mace away from the training room had his mind completely focused on that moment in the fight. When he had flipped over Mace, so reminiscent of his fight against Darth Maul, he had felt a terrible sense of foreboding. In his mind’s eye he had, for an instant, seen a planet covered in junk and trash with the distant sound of metal slamming into metal echoing out and a scream so animalistic it tore through his mind.
Something was coming, and he had a bad feeling about it. But as with most things with the Force, he would have to wait and see what all it had in store for him.
~fin~
<cue Star Wars: The Clone Wars Outro music>