Chapitre 27: Ch 27 New students
The next few days passed by in the blink of an eye for Ben and the girls, spending most of their time relaxing as they got caught up, exploring Coruscant and meditating.
Ben had no desire to live in the Jedi Temple, so he went out and bought a building. Because, why not? With a little bit of mind trickery, it was all very easy to get done.
He also thought that having a bit of passive income wouldn't hurt either, which is why he decided to open a night club on the lower floors.
There was still stuff to set up for his club, but he and the girls had moved from the Temple already. Setting up their living quarters was his top priority after all.
Replacing the time he'd usually sleep, he started going through all the DNA samples he has available in the Omnitrix. Listening to Aayla's explanation was insightful and all, but understanding the biology of a creature is much more useful.
Night after night, running through all the different genetic samples, using a simulation program that is already part of the watch, something he suspects Albedo messed with to make the Ultimatrix.
To his understanding, the whole premise of the Ultimatrix, was that the DNA samples were forced to evolve after experiencing years of war, increasing their overall lethality. But, that's just conjecture for now.
Doing this, he went through a few hundred of the different samples. It was very interesting, discovering all the little imperfections in their evolution up until the point of acquisition. All of their strengths and weaknesses were just handed to him on a plate.
When the next week came around though, Ben decided to go teach at the Temple. Dressed in his robes, and of course, his mask.
His three apprentices joined him of course, though they were pouting grumpily from the lack of headpats since the few they got the other day. Just because they understand why he can't do it, it doesn't mean they don't miss the affection and love that was directly transmitted to them.
In the end, they didn't make any complaints and just walked in silence. Obviously Ben knew about their discontent, he had even thought about a work around for their situation, by simply using the Force to great the sensation of touch, and choosing the emotions that would usually be transmitted and received.
However, that doesn't fix the underlying issue of them still developing an addiction to the emotional response. So, he's been hesitant to try it, but as they scaled the Temple stairs he couldn't help feeling their turbulent emotions through the Force.
Knowing that they wouldn't make any progress in training with their emotions in chaos, he decided to give his idea a shot. Reaching out with the Force, he gently stroked their head, like he had three invisible hand. He refrained for producing any emotional stimulus however.
The sudden sensation of someone touching their heads confused the girls momentarily, but then they felt Ben's presence through the touch and beaming smiles appeared on their faces. They realised that he was doing it for them, which is more than enough to show how much he cares for them.
Ben felt their emotions stabilise and smiled behind his mask, glad that his method was effective. He stopped stroking their heads after a few seconds and they continued to the top in a more pleasant atmosphere.
When they finally reached the top of those damned stairs, they were met by Aayla. "Good afternoon." She greeted them. "Is your new residence to your liking?" It was with her assistance that Ben found a place quickly, so she inquired about how they liked it.
"Yes." Ben nodded as he kept walking and she followed alongside him. "I've more or less set everything up, I just need to build some security measures. Shouldn't take long." He told her, before casually asking. "How's things with you?"
His lackadaisical tone often reminding her of her Master, Aayla smile wryly and replied. "I am well, thank you." She then looked at him more seriously. "Though, I have been instructed to enquire about your lessons by Master Yoda. Where you wish to hold them and such."
"The courtyard will suffice. I will hold a beginners class for any who wish to attend and if they can complete it, I will advance the lesson." He told her simply, before adding. "I likely won't be teaching anyone else to the degree of the girls though, so don't expect anything too amazing."
Aayla nodded in understanding. While it may not be 'fair' to anyone else under his tutelage, he was not in any way obligated to teach them to his full capacity. It's not like anyone can really complain...
They continued their way to the courtyard while exchanging small talk and when they finally arrived, Ben didn't waste any time instructing the girls.
"Okay. Thalia, you wanted to learn the trick I showed in our last spar, right?" Ben looked at the girl in question, who nodded eagerly, while the other two also listened closely. "Well the premise of it was to turn your body into a whip and cast a wide range of constantly flowing attacks. What I did was by far the most barbaric method, directly dislocating my joints with the Force, which is bound to cause a great degree of damage to most beings, given they lack the ability to restructure themselves." He stated the obvious, which caused them and Aayla to grimaced at the memory for varying reasons.
Knowing how much pain doing such a thing must cause, the girls didn't like the idea of their Master hurting himself. As for Aayla, she had always known that pain was a tool of the Dark side, and while it's not being used in the traditional sense, the pain caused by this technique is sure to be a source of power to draw from.
Ignoring their reactions, he continued. "Considering the natural flexibility of Twi'leks, it should be easier for you, as you shouldn't need to dislocate anything or go through any arduous training to increase this particular attribute." He had to praise their natural flexibility, as even with his Anodite heritage he still had to adjust his body for certain inhuman actions. Looking at his three eager again apprentices, he continued. "More integral to the technique is your speed, agility, reaction time and dexterity, which is something I want all of you to work on. So to start, begin enhancing your bodies with the Force as we've practiced and get used to holding it for a period of time, then we will move to the next step. I will begin with Aayla for the time being."
The girls nodded and stepped to the side so they can focus, leaving Aayla to await her instructions from the man she had yet to figure out.
The fact that he can speak about the intricacies of the Force and how life was so special, then contradict it when expressing how he views the lives of millions as nothing but dust, yet is still the strongest Force user she has seen... It was bizarre to say the least.
"Rather than wasting time speaking, I want you to try to kill me." Ben said while looking at Aayla, then pulled one of his sabers to his hand and ignited the blade. "Or better yet, survive."
Before she had the chance to comprehend what he meant, Ben had already started to swing at her, so she quickly grabbed her own sabers and ignited them into a block.
After the first strike was blocked, Ben pulled back and then took a stance akin to Form II, derived from a fencing style. This gave Aayla a moment to compose herself and position herself into Form V, preparing for his next attack.
This was the only chance she was given, as Ben then started a ferocious onslaught that pushed her onto the defensive. Even with all her training, it only took a few strikes to show how inferior she was.
Each of the swings was done with precision and intent. She had to use both her sabers to block his one, two hands to block one, if he brought out his other saber she would already be dead.
Ben carried on with his attack, infusing each strike with the intent to kill, a horrific force when you take into account all of the bug species he exterminated...
With the feeling of death upon her, Aayla could only react instinctively, her mind unable to feel anything but fear before it's agent. There was no other description in her mind than "Death", but it is in the face of death that people show who they are. Will they turn around and flee? Freeze up? Or will they fight?
With a back handspring, Aayla want to get some breathing room, but fueled by instinct she jumped forward again and slashed at him with all her strength. She even used the Force to empower the blow, not holding anything back, doing everything in order to survive.
It was very un-Jedi like behaviour, releasing her restraints, something that Ben was happy to see as it showed she was a fighter.
That doesn't mean he would let up on his own advance, he met her counter attack with a strike of his own and effortlessly smacked her blades away, causing her expression to turn to panic as she saw him strike again.
Unguarded and vulnerable, in an instant there was only the red glow of Ben's blade filling her vision, before it seemed to pass right through her. She collapsed to her knees while breathing heavily, the fear of death in her eyes as she touched her face cautiously, her sabers having already fallen from her grip.
Withdrawing his saber, Ben waved his free hand and cast a gold glow over her head, relieving her of that feeling of death. "You'll be fine, it was just an illusion." He told her calmly, accustomed with seeing this kind of reaction. "Sit and recollect yourself, you will continue afterwards."
With that said, turned and walked a few feet away without checking on her. He had put the fear of death into her to test her will, to see how far he should bother training her to, it was much like what Ah Puch had done to him. It would all be up to her in the end.
While she was collecting herself, it gave Ben a moment to hack into the Temple's database on the Omnitrix, where he collected all of the data on the seven saber forms.
Just a few seconds later and he had already read everything thanks to his INT, which despite lagging way behind his other stats, was still above any being he'd encountered in this galaxy. Plus, there's the fact he has a skill that lets him remember everything.
Now holding all the information available on each of their techniques, along with his natural talent, he ignited his saber again and began performing each move with an almost mastered proficiency.
His Skills levels would seem to represent more than just his proficiency, but also his talent, as he can master a new weapon or fighting style in a few tries.
When he was finished with all seven styles, he went back to the first and did them again. This time there were no flaws at all, as if he had practiced them for years and hadn't stopped.
He then did the exercises a third time and took them to the next step, infusing his movements with 'Intent'. When it comes to weapons and fighting, he had stepped out of the limits of humanity in a very cultivator-like way and achieved what they would call "Sword Intent".
But simply calling it "Intent" is more accurate for him, as it is tied to his CQC skill, which include way more than just swords. It doesn't make him physically stronger, but he could throw a punch and cut someone's head off if he wanted. Or, he could use a blade to rupture their organs with a thrust.
Form VII relies on a similar principle, harnessing ones emotions with the Force to strengthen their attack, teetering along the boundaries of the Dark Side. His "Intent" is more of a manifestation of his Mastery.
It was as if the world had stopped moving in his presence, an eerie silence as the buzzing of his blade disappeared even as he began to once again cut through the air, leaving arcs of light in the tips wake. He had a chilling aura of danger around him, making his previous performance seem like he was playing around.
As a witness to the familiar, yet foreign performance, Aayla had her worries swept away by awe. Seeing the gap him and the whole order, he can "perfect" their techniques in three attempts, when they have prided themselves on the thousands of years heritage behind them.
Ben quickly completed the set of movements and then stood straight, his breathing still perfectly steady. He looked at Aayla, seeing she was impressed by his performance and therefore ready to continue.
"Aayla, I see you've recovered." He said with no discernible emotion in his voice and quickly switched his lightsaber into safety mode, then lightly tossed it over in her direction. As it began to fall to the ground, confusing the Jedi, a phantom clone of him appeared and grabbed it out of the air. "You can train with this Phantom, it's essentially the same as a Force Projection in Jedi records, but I altered it with the Sith's version. I can split my focus easily enough, so don't expect it to be easy. When you land a critical hit, the Phantom will disappear. Good Luck."
Following his words, the Phantom went into a ready position and waited for Aayla to do the same.
Feeling slightly nervous after the previously instilled sensation of death, Aayla was slow to get up, but she did so all the same and prepared herself to face her fear.
Meanwhile, seeing that there were no others to teach for the moment, Ben decided to step over to a corner and set up a work station to make his clubs security. Sure, he could hire some people, but machines are much more reliable and it lets him put his other skills to use.
Whenever he needed a part, he would just retrieve it from his inventory or system shop, meaning he could get custom pieces from a variety of materials. And because he wasn't buying stuff like Vibranium or Uru, it was only costing him a few hundred to low thousands SP.
With his strength and powers, he can achieve results that would normally require machinery, meaning he doesn't have to buy said machinery.
Immersing himself in building his robot security force, Ben barely noticed the time pass as he made one after another and placed the finished product into his inventory for later programming. Though, he was always aware of his surroundings.
In just an hour, he had four knock-off T-800's in his inventory, so he decided to check on everyone.
During the time he was working, Aayla had fought his phantom multiple times over and was consistently defeated. But she always stood back up to fight, so that was good.
His apprentices were using Force Enhancement, moving around and doing acrobatics. They were switching between subtle and exaggerated movements while enhanced, making sure they would use as little energy as possible and gradually fine tuning their control.
They weren't just doing that however, at some point others arrived at the courtyard for training, one of which just so happened to be a friend of the girls and had joined them.
This friend was a young female Togruta, the same age as his apprentices and a very recognisable character from the Clone Wars series, Ahsoka Tano. She is the only friend the girls have made that is actually in their age group, the rest being senior Jedi that were kind to them, and she was the one to initiate contact between them, they had gotten along since. Possibly because of the numerous similarities their races share, or their strong connections to the Force.
Looking at the four of them talking happily, Ben smiled warmly beneath his helmet, relieved that they were building bonds outside of each other.
Seeming to sense his affectionate gaze, the three Twi'lek girl's heads swivelled to him and smiled joyfully. Maila split from their group for a moment, flash stepping to Ben and grabbing his hand, pulling him back over while saying. "Master, come meet Ahsoka! You'll like her, I'm sure!"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Chuckling at his apprentice's actions, he just went along with it and let her pull him over to their little group.
When they joined the other three, the two Twi'leks smiled with pride and happiness. Meanwhile, Ahsoka turned quiet, staring at him with a mixture of awe and nervousness, having heard about him from her new friends, while catching the odd comment from the occasional passing Jedi master's.
'They're like puppies that brought home a little friend after running off.' Ben thought to himself in amusement, but seeing that they were all looking as if they're seeking some kind of approval, he greeted the young Jedi by offering her a handshake and a self introduction. "Hello, Ahsoka, it's a pleasure to meet you. I suppose you know this, but my name is Benjamin Tennyson, and I'm these girl's teacher. As their friend, you're free to call me Ben."
Looking up at the almost 6ft, masked man, then over to her joyfully smiling friends, then back to the outstretched hand. She didn't know what she was expecting from the Master of the girls that were her best friends, but she was at least relieved that he wasn't the fearsome "Dark Lord" the Jedi had made him out to be. Even if just in this monent.
Taking his hand with a friendly grin plastered on her face. "Hey! It's nice to finally meet you. You're all these three ever talk about and have been the talk of the temple since that day most of us passed out. Thanks for that by the way." Ahsoka returned the greeting, deciding to expose the girls while she's at it, and ended it off with a bit sarcasm. All in good fun of course.
"AHSOKA!!" The three other girls shouted out in embarrassment, their concentration was broken and a deep blush spread across their faces.
With a mirthful smile, Ben watched as the girls complained to the smirking Togruta about her betrayal. 'If she can keep throwing off these three, she'll be a great nurturing force in the future and I already know she has a great potential. I guess I should take her on as a student...' Feeling her presence in the Force was enough to tell him that she was worth training. 'Plus, there's something about teaching a main cast character that seems like fruitful endeavour.'
Shaking his head to free himself of his thoughts, he commented equally sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad I could help you and the rest of the Padawans get some beauty sleep." Seeing her roll her eyes, but not without a slight smile, he chuckled lightly before speaking more stoically. "Anyhow, right now isn't the time for talking."
Upon hearing his tone, the three apprentices stiffened and stood at attention, having been almost conditioned to pay full attention when hearing this tone. Ahsoka, not used to such a thing, was confused... She just watched as her friends switched gears and looked at their Master.
Holding out his hand, Ben produced in his palm, a few weighted items, like shoes, wristband and anklets. Another few hundred SP. "Take a set each and wear them at all times." Nodding their heads, Vette and her sisters quickly took the gifts, only to almost drop them as they didn't realise the weight. "The boots and wristbands are 15kg's each, while the anklets are 10kg's. Keep up the Enhancement training, I will be speaking with Ahsoka for a moment."
The girls reinforced their Force Enhancement so they could hold them steadily, then sat down to put them on, before hurrying to continue training.
Ahsoka looked at them as if they were crazy for willingly putting 80kg's on to carry around, but then had her attention drawn to the daunting figure that she was suddenly alone with.
"Now, I have an offer for you, young Jedi." Ben suddenly said, directing his analytical gaze at her. "You have a lot of potential with the Force and I would be happy to help you surpass it. Basically, would you like to become my student."
He stared at her and waited for his words to sink in, watching the look of bewilderment take over her face, which was quickly switched with giddiness and joy.
"Really!!?" Ashoka asked excitedly. By no means was she power hungry, but being friends with the three sisters had opened her eyes to a lot of things.
For example, how much freedom there was outside of the Jedi Order. From their stories, Ben had never restricted them in anything and took them on fun adventures. So long as they were safe, they were allowed to do whatever they want. And to be safe, one had to be strong.
The main thing the girls talked about was how strong and great their Master is, and their own strength was evidence of his training. It was almost as if the girls were trying to indoctrinate her and she was all for it...
"However, as you are a Jedi, I cannot teach you everything I taught the girls, like sapping peoples life force and stuff..." He told her with an annoyed tone. "I mean, I would... But then those fools in their council would start yapping, and then I would start removing heads. Though, saying it out loud..."
When he started trailing off, those in earshot looked at him in fear, knowing that he was probably considering it.
Ahsoka was also kind of freaked out by this, so she quickly started waving her arms around in front of her. "No, no! It's fine! I don't need to learn anything like that!" The last thing she wanted was to be the reason a bunch of people die.
"Hmm... Shame." Ben replied and looked at her. Seeing the panicked expression, he chuckled in amusement. "Relax. Just a joke."
"Hahaha!!" A small distance away, the girls were giggling away, finding it hilarious that everyone got so worried. Even Aayla faulted and was hit on the head with a saber hilt.
After sighing in relief, not knowing that he was only half joking, Ahsoka looked at him angrily and pouted. "That's not funny!" She tried to look fierce, but she just looked kind of adorable.
"That's debatable, but whatever." He said with amusement, finding entertainment in her reactions. But, she had already expressed her interest to learn, so he decided to follow on with the original topic. "Anyhow, if you are fine with the bare minimum, then that works out for everyone. Let's get started on your lessons, shall we."
Flipping back to being excited again, Ahsoka quickly nodded and the lessons began. Ben fought her for a few minutes to get a better grasp on her abilities, then started helping her refine her form while fighting and followed with a course on Force Healing.
Even though it's thought to require a natural affinity for the subject, it was still something that could be learned by any that work hard enough. Or those that work smart enough, as his lesson's would prove.
Although he didn't go easy on her and pushed her limits, Ahsoka didn't back down and continued to follow his instructions without complaint. Still, when it finally came to an end after Healing practice, she wanted nothing more than to go to her dorm room and sleep.
It was just fortunate she didn't get the chance, thanks to Maila dragging her away, as she would have missed the best meal of her life otherwise.
When she did get to bed, she had the best sleep in her life.
______
[Status
Name - Ben
Lv - 69 (123,060/245,000)
Title - Wielder of the Omnitrix, Anti-Hero, Idol Slayer
State - Healthy MP - 440,400
STR - 3633
END - 3734
AGI - 3633
CHA - 3635
INT - 308
LUK - 777
AP - 0 SP - 1,705,200
Primary Skills: CQC Lv-5, Marksmanship Lv-5, Intimidation Lv-5, Danger Sense Lv-4, Sneak Lv-4, Mana Manipulation Lv-3
Secondary Skills: Drawing Lv-3, Math Lv-4, Science Lv-4, Writing/Literacy Lv-4, Maneuvering Lv-5, Driving Lv-4, Engineering Lv-5, Cooking Lv-4, Pain Tolerance Lv-9, Bioengineering Lv-5, Programming Lv-5, Torture Lv-5, Acting Lv-4, Enchanting Lv-3
Unique Skill: Wrath, Love and Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Omnilingualism, Eidetic Memory, Analyse, Night Vision, The Force]
(0 Recoveries Stored)
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