8 Chapter 7: Academy Days Episode VII

Finding ourselves in one of the temples many training rooms my clanmates and I stood in a circle.

Our backs to each other and our senses on high alert, as we held our training lightsabers in our hands and paid close attention to the several Marksman-H training remotes floating in the air around us.

While Komari was leaning against the wall of the room next to its door, a smirk on her face.

A smirk I want to very much wipe off her face.

Especially given the training she is putting me and my clanmates through at the moment.

Now we've deflected blasts from the training remotes before. That's not an issue for any of us. No, the issue comes from the "extra's" Komari decided to add into this training remote session.

The training remotes continued to float around my group.

Then all of a sudden they fired stun blasts in our direction, and immediately as they did so the lights in the room shut off and various loud bangs filled our ears. For Komari has somehow rigged the com system in the room to play recordings of explosions and the lights to flick on and off at random intervals.

Sometimes those events happen together at the same time, and other times they happen individually. But the one thing they have in common is that both the simulated explosions and lights flickering are always random. Same with the stun bolt fire from the training remotes.

Making this training much harder than it usually is.

But honestly I don't mind it one bit.

In fact I relish such a challenge.

Raising up my training saber I opened myself up to the Force and received several precognitive visions that allowed me to deflect the incoming stun blasts, while also avoiding hitting my clanmates with my training saber.

My clanmates doing the same thing.

Just as we finished deflecting the last of the stun blast the lights in the room came back on.

Then several recordings of explosions exploded over the com systems.

A few seconds after they did so the training remotes started firing off stun blasts at us again.

Using the Force to focus my mind I worked to deflect the stun blasts.

As I deflected another one the lights turned off, yet the stun blasts didn't stop.

Keeping my focus I made sure to deflect all the stun blasts, a smile forming on my face in the process.

The stun blasts continued coming as the recording of the explosions stopped and the room lights turned back on simultaneously.

"Agh!"

When they did so I heard Aayla give a short cry.

Looking at her out of the corner of my eye I saw she was on her knees, definitely do to a stun blast hitting her.

She worked to stand to her feet, but as she did the explosion recordings blared over the com system and the rate of training remote stun blast fire increased.

Seeing Aayla's delayed reaction I knew she was about to get hit by stun blasts again. So I decided to help her out. I moved to stand in front of her and direct the blasts heading towards her. Yennali ending up doing the exact same thing and joining me.

The two of us said nothing as we worked in perfect sync to protect Aayla until she was able to stand to her feet.

Once she did Yennali and I moved out of her way and she went back to deflecting the stun blasts on her own.

My clanmates and I continued to do this for some time, until finally Komari decided we had enough.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today." She said.

Komari then used the Force to deactivate the training remotes.

When we saw she did we deactivated our training lightsabers.

The second after we did so the doors to the training room open and three people entered.

Dooku, Drallig, and finally jedi master Sifo-Dyas.

[Insert Image of Sifo-Dyas here]

The first two are wearing stern expressions on their faces, while master Sifo-Dyas has a smile on his face.

"Padawan Vosa, for what reason did you hijack my younglings?" Master Drallig asked her.

"Master Drallig I already told my reasons to master Dooku. I wanted to give these younglings some instruction in lightsaber combat that wasn't the boring repetition they do every single day." Komari explained.

"Repetition is how younglings learn lightsaber combat Padawan Vosa." Drallig replied.

"Yes, and they can go back to doing that tomorrow, master Drallig." Komari said. Giving Drallig a pointed look after she did.

Though he didn't back down from it.

"Alright, alright, no need to escalate things. The younglings got there training and although it was in a unique manner I'm sure they learned quite a bit. Right younglings?" Sifo-Dyas spoke.

"Yes master, we learned quite a bit today." Marcellus spoke.

"Yep, it was fun." Serra added.

The other clanmates and I agreeing with them.

"See, everything is fine." Sifo-Dyas spoke.

"Yes, this time." Dooku said. Sighing after he did. "But in the future Komari if you wish to instruct a group of younglings in the ways of lightsaber combat go through the proper channels."

"Sure, no problem master." Komari replied.

Once she did my friends and I explained our training experience with Komari to Drallig before leaving the training room.

The battlemaster and Dooku starting to scold Komari a bit, while Sifo-Dyas tried to mitigate the discussion as we did.

Taking note of this my thoughts filled with a certain dread because of what I knew would happen to Sifo-Dyas and Komari in the not so distant future.

Both would end up dead at the hands of Dooku, a man they both trusted and respected all due to the machinations of Palpatine.

Just thinking of it made my blood boil a bit.

As well as impressed upon me just how much the power of the dark side of the force can change a person. Which makes it even more apparent to me I need to be extra cautious when I started tapping into the dark side of the force myself one day.

Feeling a tug on my sleeve I stopped in my tracks. I then turned to the person who tugged my sleeve and saw it was Aayla. "Yes, Aayla?"

"About before, thank you." She quietly said.

"Hey Aayla it was nothing. We all watch each others backs, right?"

"Yes, you're right Van." Aayla said.

She then walked off and thanked Yennali as well.

Making it hard for me to imagine this shy and timid girl as the super sexy and fearless Jedi she will become in the future.

Well I guess it's as they say: Time changes all.

Picking up my pace I rejoined my friends.

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Time passed on and I continued my training, while also familiarizing myself with my new world. Then before I knew it the new year, 39 BBY, began.

Which brought forth the first of the numerous butterfly effects I knew my presence and actions would cause.