Year: 22 BBY
Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant
In the Jedi Temple, on Coruscant, two young Jedi Initiates stand opposite one another. One of them is a female Togruta who holds a green lightsaber in a reverse grip. The second is a human boy, holding his blue lightsaber. The girl attacks first, striking towards the boy. Despite being three years younger and having a slightly smaller build, the boy is by no means weaker or slower. Quite the contrary, actually. The boy gets into a rhythm and uses Form III of lightsaber combat, also known as Soresu.
Form III prioritises survival, allowing the wielder to deflect blaster bolts and wait out opponents, striking only when an opportunity presents itself. The young Togruta utilises her impressive acrobatic skills to attack the boy with fast and precise strikes, employing a modified version of Form I, Shii-Cho. Form I is the first lightsaber form taught to all Jedi Younglings. But she has no luck getting through the boy's defence as he is showing impeccable form.
After he notices the moment of weakness, the boy suddenly changes his form to Form II, Makashi. Form II is tailored for duelling with other lightsaber wielders. It emphasises precision, control, and the use of minimal movements to exploit an opponent's vulnerabilities. Makashi practitioners often use one hand to wield the saber, allowing for elegant, targeted strikes designed to penetrate an opponent's defences.
The boy moves forward, striking left and then feinting from the right, causing the girl to overextend and slightly lose her balance. He moves forward, into her guard, attacking faster and aiming to capitalise on his advantage, which grows by the second. He sees the moment as clear as day; his winning condition, and slashes his lightsaber from the top, hitting hers out of her hand and winning the duel.
"Come on, Caleb!! How can you still beat me so easily?! It's infuriating!"
"I thought it was logical. You have a rather energetic lightsaber form, Ashoka. By using Form III, I only have to wait for you to present me with an opening, which you always do. And after a quick use of Form II, here we are," Caleb says, placing his lightsaber back on his hip.
"True, Caleb's words are. More patience you need, Youngling."
The two turn around and see the Jedi Grandmaster Yoda walk into the training room. The old Grandmaster has observed their fight and is impressed with what he saw from Caleb's side. What surprised Yoda was not that Caleb could use Form II and III, or that he knew when to use them. Rather, it was the perfect execution of both lightsaber forms that surprised him. Yoda knows only one other man in the galaxy who could use Form II, Makashi as well as Caleb did, and that's his former Padawan, turned Sith, Count Dooku.
"Grandmaster Yoda!"
"What brings you here today, Grandmaster Yoda?" Caleb asks.
"Come for Youngling Tano, I have. Decided on a Jedi Master for you, the Council has," the Grandmaster says.
"Really?! Who is it?" she asks.
"Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker, your master will be. Leave for Christophosis at once, you must."
"Christophosis? Why there?" Ahsoka asks.
"A great problem occurred, it has. You must inform Master Kenobi and Skywalker."
"I see. I'll leave at once, Master. See you later, Caleb."
Ahsoka runs off, eager to finally meet her Jedi Master. Caleb looks after his friend and sparing partner, thinking how dull it would get now that she is gone. At 10 years old, Caleb might be the greatest prodigy the Jedi Order has ever seen in terms of lightsaber combat, but he was nowhere near old enough to be a Padawan. The Jedi Order was stiff, and while even Younglings like Ahsoka at the age of 13 were placed on the front, 10 was still too young, even during the Clone Wars.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Master?" Caleb asks.
"Tired are you, young Caleb, hmm?"
"No, but if there is nothing else, I shall continue my training."
"Ahh, training, yes. A good idea, it is. But take enough rests, you should," Yoda says.
"I understand. Thank you, Master."
Yoda leaves the room again, leaving Caleb to his training. In truth, the only sensible way for Caleb to train is by seeing actual combat. He has found out that he is special among the Jedi Younglings and even the entire Jedi Order. His Force-sensitivity isn't anything truly remarkable, but not bad either, sitting at almost 14'000 midi-chlorians per cell.
Caleb makes his way to another training area, where Jedi of any category can train their usage of the Force. The room is filled with stones of different sizes and weights. He makes his way to the first few stones, which are no bigger than his head and starts to lift the first one. He is sitting on the ground in a meditative position, allowing the Force to flow through him, guiding him in what he wants to do. He lifts the stone and then moves to the second one, adding it to the first one. He doesn't stop there and lifts another on and another. After he has 7 of them in the air, he feels the difficulty. The largest stone is about the size of his head.
Slowly, Caleb starts to move the differently sized stones through the air, creating a ring out of them, which flows around him. As he feels the movement is smooth, Caleb increases the speed slightly, making it harder on him. He feels his mind working, and the control over the stones settles again. Success is what drives him forward, and his mind, which doesn't allow him to stop, once he sets out to do something. The stones fly faster around him. After a while, Caleb divides the seven stones into a group of three and four.
He has a group of three fly around him at a different angle than the group of four. To make it even harder, he has the group of three fly in the opposite direction.
Caleb can feel himself getting better at doing this with each training session. After turning 10 years old, he finally went through the rite of passage known as The Gathering. It is something that the Jedi Order has done for millennia, meant to teach Jedi Initiates how to overcome their fears and failings, and to find a Kyber Crystal in the Crystal Caves of Ilum. Caleb didn't see anything special in the experience. He went in and out again in a few minutes. According to Yoda, who was there at the time, he was swift. It was all thanks to Caleb's warrior mentality that enabled him to tackle tasks head-on and do what was needed to succeed. Fear, anger or other such emotions were inconsequential; only the moment counted.
But Caleb was by no means happy in the Jedi Order. There was a lack of 'life' that bothered him. Everything was prearranged; they weren't supposed to feel any emotions, but they still had to show compassion. That in itself is impossible in Caleb's eyes. Then there was the Jedi Code.
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
No emotion, no passion, and, of course, no chaos. Jedi Younglings were taught to suppress their emotions and bury them deep, never allowing them to rise to the surface. But that is impossible. It goes against the natural development of a living being. Emotions were as much a part of life as they were part of biology itself. Caleb saw this as the Jedi turning themselves into the very droids they were currently fighting. All the Jedi had was the moral high ground from their perspective. If one thought about it, the CIS had a point and that bothered Caleb.
.
Caleb is in his room, playing around with parts of a droid, which he has been building for a while now. Technology is a hobby of his, since he has no one to talk to other than Ahsoka, honestly. So he has taken up learning about technology as much as he can, and since he learns anything with a glance, he has made tremendous progress. And now, he is trying to put what he learned to use. Someone enters his room after knocking.
"Caleb? Ah, here you are."
"Master Drallig, what are you doing here?" Caleb asks, standing up from the ground.
"I'm looking for you. I met Ahsoka a few days ago, as she was running along, and she told me that you beat her again. You are getting rather skilled, aren't you?" Cin Drallig smiles.
Cin Drallig is a legendary male Jedi Master of the Jedi Order who serves as Battlemaster and head of security at the Coruscant Jedi Temple. He is one of the two Jedi who have mastered all lightsaber forms. Cin Drallig also has a soft spot for Caleb, since he is such a brilliant lightsaber combatant at his tender age.
"I can't tell, Master, since all I know is to fight fellow Younglings. A real battle is incomparable to what I experience here."
"A wise observation. Then, how about we change that?"
"Hm?"
.
Inside one of the Jedi Temple's dojos, Caleb stood in the middle of the room with Jedi Master Cin Drallig and Jedi Master Tera Sinube standing at the side.
"You are familiar with the Marksman-H training remotes, so the idea behind this exercise is obvious. I know how good you are at using almost all seven lightsaber forms, and Form III is one you have spent a lot of time on. We will start slowly, and over time, it will become more challenging. Any questions?" Drallig asks.
"No, Master."
"Good, then Master Sinube, if you will."
Caleb activates his lightsaber, entering the stance for Form III. He is always prepared for a fight, regardless of the time. Tera Sinube activates the training remotes, and three of them descend from the ceiling. The remotes begin firing their non-lethal variants of blaster bolts. Caleb senses where they will hit and swings his lightsaber to intercept them. But he goes further and, after several moments, reflects the bolts, hitting the remotes with perfect accuracy.
Cin Drallig nods at Sinube, who activates more droids.
Five remotes descend from the ceiling and begin firing. Caleb repeats the same thing he did before. First, he uses the moment to train as much as possible. He has started to see these simple exercises as a way to improve his basics. No matter how boring it may be for him, he goes through with it, knowing that it will get harder soon enough. With almost no energy and movement, Caleb takes the remotes out again.
"Well, this was to be expected. But you said you wanted a simulation of a real-life scenario. So let's see how you handle this," Drallig says.
Again, Drallig nods at Sinube.
However, instead of more remotes, the same number of five descend and begin firing right away. Suddenly, Caleb senses danger and reacts to it instinctively. Caleb's and Master Drallig's lightsabers clash. This is the Jedi Master's way of giving the test a real feeling.
"Your precognition is outstanding, Caleb. Truly," Drallig praises.
Caleb moves back and deflects the blaster fire from the remotes again. He is just about to take out the remotes when Master Drallig attacks once more. Caleb blocks the attack. He is not scared or overwhelmed that a Jedi Master renowned for his skill in lightsaber combat is pushing him this way. On the contrary, this is what Caleb thrives in. He goes on the defensive for now, getting a read on the flow of this exchange. He takes another step to the side, dodging a blaster and then deflecting others as he did.
Master Drallig attacks again, striking high and forcing Caleb to block his attack and three blaster shots in rapid succession. Finally, he sees his way to complete this test and changes his lightsaber style. Cin Drallig has mastered all lightsaber forms, so taking advantage by using one that counters his is impossible, but that's not the idea behind this test.
Caleb shifts to Form V, Shien and Djem-So. Shien is designed to redirect blaster fire and handle multiple foes, while Djem-So is built for strength-based saber duels. Where Soresu encourages practitioners to wait for an opening, Form V answers with boldness: create your own. The form fuses defence with overwhelming counterattacks, turning an opponent's aggression against them and forcing a shift in momentum.
Caleb deflects the blaster fire from the remotes and the attack from Master Drallig. The Jedi Master has started to smile, seeing Caleb not remain defensive, but go and try to create an opening himself. It was the purpose of this exercise. Drallig covered the weaknesses of the mechanical remotes and added a human aspect to them. Whenever Caleb would have attacked the droids, he attacked to stop this. Therefore, Caleb would have been fighting forever, but by changing his form and using Form V, he has a real chance, and the Jedi Master can already see it.
The blaster bolts are redirected not only at the remotes but also at Master Drallig, surprising the man. The minuscule moment gives Caleb enough time to redirect the other blaster bolts towards the remotes and take them out. This only leaves the Master and Youngling. Cin Drallig attacks again, using his refined version of Form II, attacking Caleb. Reacting to this, Caleb switches back to Form II, since now only Master Drallig remains, giving him time to wait for a counterattack. Or so he wants it to appear. Because a second later, Caleb feints an attack. He reaches out his left hand and pulls Master Drallig's left leg towards him using the Force. With seamless effort, he shifts into Form VI, Niman and charges forward, slashing his lightsaber through he air and striking high and low.
Drallig, much to his, Tera Sinube's and the other viewer's surprise, falls for this surprise. His left leg is pulled, causing him to lose his balance and lose his stance. He sees the immediate shift in Caleb's form and commits to his position. He pushes his left leg forward and performs a split. Caleb's high strike is dodged this way, and the second strike is blocked by Drallig's lightsaber. The experienced Jedi uses the Force as well and pushes Caleb away from him. He flips and stands back up, looking at the young boy, who, despite everything, is still a Jedi Youngling.
"Hahahahaha. That was very impressive, Caleb. Truly," Master Drallig praises the young man.
"Indeed. Very impressive it was, young Caleb," Master Yoda, who has come to spectate the spar, says with a small smile.
"Thank you, Master Drallig and Master Yoda."
"Arrived have I, with a proposition for you," Yoda says.
"Yes?"
"Leave the Temple you like, and accompany me to a political meeting you wish, hmm?"
"A political meeting, Master?" Caleb asks.
"Yes. To the moon of Rugosa, we will go."
"I would love to accompany you, Master Yoda," Caleb says.