Chapter 4: Padawan

Chapter 4 of Burning Shadows

Thomas set his belongings down in his new room. He didn't have the best of views, considering that it overlooked the factory parts of the planet, but there was only one part about the room that Thomas cared about. The skylight. From there, he could see a clear blue sky. Something that was extremely rare back on Earth. Sometimes when he went to Courasant, he would do nothing but stare at the clean, beautiful sky. He was lost in his thoughts that he was actually startled when there was a knock on his door.
“Enter I may, yes?” It was Elzan.
“Of course master. Let me get the door for you.” Thomas made a motion with his hand and opened the door using the force. Master Elzan walked in with his cane at a slow pace.
“At home, you feel. No regrets, you seem to have.”
“I don't have any regrets master. My mother is happy, and my friends support me fully. Also, I feel like I belong here. Striving for what is right. Helping the Galaxy.”
“Young and full of hope you are, yet naive, you also are.”
“Excuse me master?”
“Protect the Galaxy, the Council does, yes, but at peace, the Galaxy has been for a millennium. Lazy, the Council has become. Turn their backs to many systems, they do. Puppets of the Republic, they almost have become.”
“Are...forgive the question master...are you one of those people. Like, the one's who are puppets of the Republic?”

“Strong, the Republic's influence is over the Council. But not that strong. Strive to break away from the Republic, few Jedi do. One of those Jedis, I am.”
“But why would the Republic want to supress the Council master?”
“Elzan, you will call me please. Address me as master you will only in front of the Council.”
“Okay Elzan, I'll be sure to remember that.”
“Answer your question, I will. Afraid the Republic is. Afraid that repeat, history will. Years past, cuased by the Jedi wars were due to the involvement of the Sith Lords. At peace we have been, but a few scrapes, not without.”
“Yes, I read about it in the papers mas...I mean Elzan. A group of Sith attacked a group of businessmen over in the market district.”
“Sith they were, yes, but Lords, they were not.”
“What? Are there other Sith other than Sith Lords?”
“Yes, but wanted by the Republic they are. No wrong have they committed, but rather, fear them the Republic do. Sith Knights they are called.”
“What sets them apart from Sith Lords Elzan?” Elzan was about to respond when something went off in the pocket of his cloak.
“Request my presence, the Chancellor has. Continue this discussion later, we will. Meet me in my quarters tonight you will. Yes?”
“Sure Elzan. I'll be there.”
“Very good. Yes. Very good. And while I am away, train your fighting skills with Master Kenobi you will. Progress, I expect, my young Padawan.” Thomas smiled as Elzan made his way out of his room.
“I will my master.”

Thomas made his way past the many different sparring rooms as he saw the many different Jedi Masters and their Padawans training in different lightsaber combat techniques. Every Padawan is trained in every form of saber combat from dual-wield style to two bladed weapons. This is usually done to help Jedi find the advantage against an opponent depending on their style of combat. If an opponent is using dual-wield, then a style that relies solely on speed and keeping the opponent off-balance would be the key. The Jedi Academy didn't really enforce techniques such as this in order to get a fair evaluation of all the different younglings wishing to make it into the University. Thomas found Master Novi Wan Kenobi, waiting impatiently with his arms folded.
“Padawan, you are late for practice.”
“Late? I was supposed to arrive five minutes later from now.”
“Stupid Earth scum...just get into the training room with me.” Master Kenobi opened the door into the room. It was shaped similar to a boxing ring on Earth, but with force fields rather than ropes to keep combatants in. As they made their way into the ring, a droid dropped from the celling with a large assortment of training lightsabers to choose from. Master Kenobi grabbed a single-bladed two handed weapon, then made his way to his corner.
“So Earth boy, choose your weapon, your fight style, and try to defeat me.” Master Kenobi said as he ignited his lightsaber. Thomas was a bit nervous. He wasn't going to just have some kind of crash course to lightsaber training, he was going to go all-out with a Jedi Master right from the get-go. Not know which style he wanted to work with, he decided to just go with what the style the Academy taught him with. He grabbed a green lightsaber with the same qualities as Master Kenobi's. As he ignited his own lightsaber, the droid retreated back to the celling and Master Kenobi charged right at Thomas. Reacting quickly, Thomas used a controlled force push to knock the master off balance. He then rushed towards him, and as Kenobi got his bearings back, he managed to block a vertical slice towards his head.
“Not bad...for a worm.” Kenobi said as he used a skillful move with his lightsaber to push Thomas back. They began sparring for several minutes, each fighter using their skill with a lightsaber and the force to try and gain the upper hand. It was a deadlock for nearly seven minutes when finally, Kenobi disarmed Thomas and pinned him to the ground.
“Victory is mine, fool. If you can be defeated so easily, then you shouldn't be a Jedi. Earth scum should stay on that rotting planet where they belong! You don't have what it takes to be a Jedi Knight of the Council!”
“Have the skill, not yet he has.” Thomas looked up to see Elzan standing right outside the arena. He also noticed that several Padawans and Masters were looking at them with stunned looks on their faces.
“But talent, he does. Fought against you for seven minutes he did Kenobi. Never happened this has in the history of the Jedi Order. Perhaps, to quick to judge you are.” Elzan used the force to help Thomas back to his feet while Master Kenobi was completely stunned.
“What...? But...how...me....lose to somebody from EARTH?!”
“What do you have against Earth anyway Master Kenobi?” Thomas asked.
“The planet is a trashball, and with it, all the people on it! They don't deserve to be Jedi. They don't even deserve to be a part of the Republic!” Master Kenobi then stormed off out of the Sparring Hall, leaving everybody else to applaud Thomas for his performance.
“He seems like a nice guy.” Thomas remarked.
“Anger he feels for the planet you and I once called home. The reason for his hate, I know not. It will be fine though. A good Jedi he is, but racial problems, he does have.” Thomas and Elzan began walking out of the Sparring Hall back to Elzan's quarters.
“Shouldn't we be concerned at all master?”
“Concerned? Why be concerned? Concern leads to mistrust. Mistrust leads to disorder.”
“I just figured, if he is full of rage, doesn't that mean he could be in danger of turning to the Dark Side of the Force?”
“Have it's dark and powerful sides, the Force does, but there is no difference between Light and Dark when using the Force. Come. Come. Explain to you I will in my chambers.”

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think of each chapter with a review. Thank you! Hope you are enjoying the book!

Reviews

[New Theory]

The story is progressing very well and I think the characters and dialogues are awesome.

Regarding this chapter I have only two things which I did not completely agree with but its your book so you don't have to feel bad or anything, its just my opinion as a reader and I think being completely honest with you is the best I can do.
1) Master Elzan should always be called Master Elzan and Thomas should address him that way, he is his master after all even when he acts like a friend Master is something which defines his relation better with Thomas.

2) During the first fight with Master Kenobi, instead of Thomas having a dead lock you can write that somehow Thomas managed till 7 minutes, and Master Kenobi not taking him that seriously as an opponent. He is a master, he ought to be very very good, a newbie like Thomas no matter how talented would still falter against him. You can write like Master Kenobi first didnt take him seriously and it went for 7 minutes when he realised that the kid is actually having some potential and it enrages him because Thomas is from earth and in one swift move he disarms Thomas.

[Miles W.]

Thanks for the feedback! I think your notes on Master Kenobi make sense, and I will definitely implement it after I finish the first draft. As for the Master Elzan note, when I first started writing this, I didn't like the fact that in the movies, the Padawans always addressed their masters as Master. If the two of them are like Obi Wan and Anakin where they are almost brothers, they would probably just address themselves by just their names. In public, it makes sense but if they are good friends, then I feel like they can be comfortable by just talking to each other normally without the formal title. Now perhaps I did make the jump to friendship for Thomas and Elzan a bit to quickly, but I can fix that when I finish the first draft.

[New Theory]

You are welcome and thanks for taking the review sportively bud. :). Yes if it the friendship is built a little more , it would be more convincing..:)