28.8 BBY, Coruscant, Jedi Temple (33 Days Later)
Watching from the observation tier a dozen feet above the sparring-ring, I studied sixteen year old Tutso Mara/Legends as he and my apprentice bowed to each other prior to the match's beginning.
Already tall for his age and beginning to fill out with a little muscle at six feet flat and one hundred sixty-five pounds, Tutso's economy of motion also hinted at excellent physical coordination.
At five feet eight inches, Anakin was also quite tall for one so young, but the little muscle stretched over his one hundred and forty pound frame was the result of a physical regimen some might call unduly harsh.
Some of Tutso's muscle mass was simply a matter of testosterone and oncoming manhood. Whereas his adversary had (sometimes literally) bled for every ounce of power and stamina he'd packed into a body which was only now beginning to develop.
Height, reach, strength, and additional years of experience all favored the older Padawan. In contrast, Anakin's unaugmented, baseline reflexes weren't among the best I'd seen in nearly eighty years of service to the Jedi Order. They were the best I'd ever seen even compared with preternaturally quick near-humans.
Adding insult to an opponent's injury, he was also extremely fast and very coordinated for a youth whose body was changing so rapidly.
The awkward clumsiness that plagued so many swiftly growing boys seemed to have passed him by entirely. Still, speed, agility, and dexterity weren't everything you could wish for when you received no mass-assist from your weapon.
Assuming I kept him alive long enough, the day would come my apprentice would not need to be concerned by a blade-lock, but that day was not today. Worse still, Tutso wasn't by any means slow. Before encountering Aurra and Anakin, I would have even called the young man fast.
His own speed, agility, and overall reflexes bit significantly into one of his opponent's only two clear physical advantages. Meaning speed alone wasn't going to win the day for my Padawan.
No, if Anakin Skywalker was going to beat Tutso Mara, then he was going to do it with his wits, technique, and the tireless endurance provided by Matukai training.
This was by no means his first sparring match in the Temple, however, so that incredible stamina wouldn't come as any sort of surprise to a skilled and perceptive Padawan like Mara. It was an interesting challenge for my young apprentice, and one I was quite looking forward to seeing him meet.
My close scrutiny of the match's beginning was interrupted by the voice of the man who'd glided over to stand at my right elbow.
I'd been hoping the Battlemaster would wait until the conclusion of the match to bring to me the concerns he'd already raised (unsuccessfully) with at least one member of the Council of First Knowledge/Legends .
When I saw him open his mouth to speak and begin marring my ongoing analysis of the spar in progress, however, I knew that hope had been in vain.
"My apprentice has spent the last month confined to an educational environment which would have been appropriate for him when he was eight.
Rather than allow himself to grow bored, or demonstrate an unseemly arrogance due to his prodigal status, Anakin has spent his time helping those few Padawans his age not intent on excluding him as the majority has.
Sparring with the older Padawans has been the one thing he's found personally rather than altruistically stimulating this month. Don't ask me to deprive him of that for the remainder of our stay, because I won't do it. Not simply to satisfy the Temple's absurd notions concerning appropriate homogeneity of training.
If you want the bouts stopped, you're going to have to publicly exercise your perogative as Battlemaster to do so. At which point I will file a grievance before the Council of First Knowledge. Asking you to show or demonstrate the harm or potential harm to apprentice education. Something I'm sure Master Piell already warned you this is what I'd do.
Never having had the least respect for rank and position, you see" I was perhaps a trifle more curt in offering this explanation than I'd needed to be, but dealing with the ridiculous restrictions that bound up every aspect of life within the Temple always set my teeth on edge.
Cin Drallig's craggy, lined features twisted into an exasperated scowl as he opened his mouth to retort, but this time it wasn't me who cut him off.
"While I am hesitant to opine too strongly as to specifics I comprehend imperfectly, I must say that in general, I have never agreed with the practice of holding excellence back to satisfy some abstract notion of normal among the majority.
Our best minds and talents in every field of endeavor must be afforded every reasonable aid in realizing their full potential, because it is these luminaries which make a disproportionate impact upon the common good." Turning, I saw the words offered with elegant sophistication by a smiling, middle-aged man of middling height and weight.
The speaker's short silver hair and formal crimson robes trimmed in black were meticulously maintained, yet this attention to his appearance only added to the figure's affable sort of dignity rather than making him seem foppish.
When he stepped from the shadows of the archway at the top of the stairwell and onto the observation tier proper, I brutally suppressed the impulse to gasp. I hadn't recognized the voice because I confined my use of the HoloNet to very particular subjects, but the Supreme Chancellor's face appeared on the heading of innumerable entries upon the 'Net.
Recovering from my surprise before the Battlemaster found his own voice, I inclined my head with respect in the direction of the Republic's charismatic leader, then calmly replied "It so happens I agree with you, Chancellor.
I don't mean to imply any sort of elitism, of course, but it's as you said. When someone reaches their full potential, their impact on society exceeds any number of individuals moving forward with only a small fraction of personally realized potential.
These pathfinders then become leading lights to guide many toward aiding in the realization of all the Republic's greatest achievements."
"Quite, Master- Oh, I don't believe we've been introduced. Please, forgive my atrocious manners, Master Jedi. It's been a very long and trying day. Closeted with several contrary and quarrelsome Senators, and all of them arguing at cross-purposes.
It's days like this one I find myself forever grateful to Master Yoda for permitting me to take part in the peace and serenity of the Temple" Chancellor Palpatine immediately apologized.
Seldom having had positive experiences with the politicians I'd encountered during thousands of missions, I nevertheless found myself liking this genteel, soft-spoken, and self-effacing man in whom so much power had been vested.
The Order's profile on the man indicated he was an extremely clever and highly capable politician, but his present rank made such a conclusion self-evident.
Still, he had a certain understated something that inspired confidence in him. An impossible to quantify "X-Factor" he'd undoubtedly made great use of during his career.
"It's Master Dark Woman, Chancellor. I gave up my personal name long ago, as part of an ongoing effort to remain detached and serve the Force" I politely explained.
It troubled me to turn my attention from Anakin's bout, but even I wasn't iconoclast enough to offend the leader of the Republic by ignoring him in favor of my Padawan.
The conversation went on in a light and fairly inconsequential vein for the next several minutes, but the Chancellor's frequent glances down into the ring and his air of expectation clued me in to the real reason for the man's presence.
It wasn't exactly an uncommon or inexplicable occurrence, after all. Though this was the first time a non-Jedi had grown so interested in my "Chosen One" of an apprentice.
"Hmm, I seem to remember John (Antilles) telling me something about his old friend, Master Ronhar Kim being an intimate of the Chancellor. Probably explains his curiosity about Anakin. I swear these younger Masters don't even know the meaning of the word discretion."
I silently mused. Managing to take in the final exchange between my Padawan and Mara. The older, stronger boy had managed to force his smaller adversary up against the boundary line.
Leaving Anakin the unenviable alternatives of disqualification by ring-out, or playing Tutso's game and getting caught in the blade-lock sure to follow his cross-wise high parry against the downward cut of the taller boy's saber.
It happened so fast, I could have missed it if I hadn't been the one to teach him the "dishonest" maneuver.
The energy shroud of Anakin's training-saber suddenly blinked out of existence as he deactivated it, then dove forward using a brief burst of Force Speed beneath his suddenly off-balance opponent's guard to drive his left shoulder into the ball of Tutso's right hip.
Sending the teen staggering as my Padawan's saber hissed back to life and tapped Mara across the belly despite a staggered attempt to backpedal.
It would have been enough to prevent his being bisected, but was too little to keep the contents of his abdomen from being carbonized if this had been for real. It wasn't a perfect victory by any means, but it was a victory, and one my young apprentice could rightly be proud of.
I studied the other Padawan's face for any sign he resented losing to someone four years his junior, but saw that Tutso's congratulations and shared enthusiasm for the bout just past seemed admirably genuine.
It brought a smile to my face, because Tutso Mara had been one of the few who seemed to really try and befriend Anakin once his gifts, numerous natural aptitudes, and frankly unusual maturity level had become apparent.
"Are results like this one fairly commonplace? Where the younger, smaller duelist manages to overcome his older, larger adversary? I once inquired of Master Windu what it was like to wield such an unusual weapon, but my limited comprehension of his answer is something I find a trifle embarrassing to admit to" Palpatine alternately asked and remarked.
His dark blue eyes met mine as he awaited my reply with what seemed like a genuine interest in the subject, so I tried not to disappoint in the interests of diplomacy.
"Actually, Anakin possesses an unusual aptitude for all aspects of lightsaber combat. It affords him a significant advantage when compared with other students his age.
The Jedi Order is fortunate enough to locate a few such prodigies in every generation. It simply happens to be my honor, privilege and responsibility to be the primary trainer of this one.
That's the more general answer to your question, Chancellor. Specifically, no, I'm confident in stating the older Padawan you observed could prevail alone against any three other twelve year old apprentices presently being trained.
Unlike his peers, Anakin is being taught as the majority of Jedi were trained ten or twelve generations ago. Meaning he's benefited from one-on-one instruction since he was barely old enough to walk.
The combination of those additional years of individual instruction with his natural gifts gives him an advantage that makes his real peers the older apprentices."
It was an exhaustive explanation of the physical dynamic. One which I hoped would simultaneously satisfy the Chancellor and distract him from questioning whether or not there was anything else unusual about my apprentice.
"Would it be possible to get the young victor's opinion? In the course of the Republic's business, I converse with the Order's upper echelon on an almost daily basis, but I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with a Jedi-in-training.
It would, I think, give me additional insight into the Order. Unless contact between outsiders and your trainees is proscribed?" It was a reasonable enough request on the part of a politician who seemed to fit the profile of what we called a "Wish-I-Was" when I was a Padawan.
The term referred to a certain sort of person who wasn't Force-sensitive and so romanticized the status. Why, then, was I suddenly uncomfortable with introducing Anakin to a man I found myself liking and, much to my surprise, already beginning to respect?
Shaking off my Master's possessiveness while administering some serious, albeit silent self-castigation, I leaned over the railing and called out.
"Anakin, would you join me up here? There's someone I'd like for you to meet."
...
I'll appreciate if you guys can throw some power stones to keep the story going.
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