The training room resounded with distant metallic echoes, like an old refurbished hangar, vast and cold. The glossy floor betrayed hours of intense traffic, and the lighting diffused by light panels on the ceiling gave an almost clinical atmosphere, contrasting with the raw energy that the space gave off.

  It was far from the reassuring rooms generally used by insiders. This room was old, can be modernized, and located away from the frequented areas of the temple.

  The air still carried the sweat and effort of the previous sessions. Tola, followed by the other members of the SnakeClan, entered with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

  She was proud to have convinced Komari to coach Zang, Tobias and Lilou. Winning the Komari Agreement had not been so difficult. Convincing others, on the other hand, was a feat. By dint of persuasion, vague promises, and passionate arguments, she had ended up dragging them here, although they seemed to regret their choice at every step.

  Komari had a bad reputation in the Temple. Some, the most impressionable, claimed that she would flirt with the dark side. That she had that wild look, that fierce energy that didn't fit the image of the Jedi.

  And it was true that she loved to fight, despised the rules, and didn't care about the morals taught by the Order. But she was not cruel. Violent, yes. Intense. But not malicious. Tola knew that some of this savagery had been forged by survival, not hatred. Moreover, since his arrival at the Temple, this violence had even diminished, as if Komari was learning to channel this inner fire

  To her surprise, Komari was not alone in the room. A young man, obviously a nobleman, or at least the son of a good family, judging by his elegant dress and confident posture, stood near the stands.

  "Hello! You must be Komari's comrades. I am Bail Organa, a sad fellow student, subjected to the most terrible tortures of learning galactic politics," he says, giving them a relaxed greeting.

  "Galactic politics is torture?" asked Tola, intrigued.

  Bail nodded, exaggerating a grimace of pain. "So complex that I sometimes feel like my poor brain is going to liquefy." He pointed to Komari, who was training further away, indifferent. "Because of her, my teachers become ruthless. They keep saying that it will overtake me in a few months if I continue to hang around. How does she manage to assimilate so quickly?! ?

  Tola smiled, touched by Bail's sincerity. She understood this feeling of being left behind. At times, she even envied Komari's ease in the Organa courts. Perhaps because they offered it a more flexible, more open framework than that of the Temple.

  In any case, Komari seemed to flourish more in these kinds of studies than in those of the Temple. And if that was the case, Tola could only support her,

  On the other side of the room, Komari was training alone, eyes half-closed, her stick spinning in a rhythmic and precise ballet. She felt their presences approaching not only by ear or sight, but by the Force.

  The Force vibrated around her, a fine sensory web that subtly warned her of the arrival of others.

  His imaginary opponent of the day was Plo Koon. She had made it a habit, training against silhouettes from her memories or her fear.

  She visualized it accurately, reliving their last training duel. His speed, his defensive style, his unpredictable attacks. Komari struck fast, relentlessly. But faced with an opponent like him, she knew that the slightest attempt at a reckless attack was her end. Even in a fictitious fight, she didn't take victory lightly.

  When she stopped her movements, panting, her gaze slid towards the arrivals. A nervous Nautolan, a Twi'lek with tender green skin, and a Sullustan who stared at the walls as if looking for a way out. Komari smiled. This kind of recruit would not have lasted two days on Nar Shaddaa.

  "Welcome. Tola has convinced me to train you, but I see that you are hesitating. Do you prefer to join the service corps? She said smirkingly.

  Tola sighed inwardly. Not exactly what I had in mind to put them at ease.

  Lilou, stung to the quick, stepped forward and puffed out her chest. But faced with Komari's feline and piercing gaze, she immediately lost all confidence.

  Zang stammered, "We... We don't want to end up as farmers on a lost world... ?.

  Komari clapped his hands. The sound cracked like a whiplash, and Zang jumped, letting out a small cry.

  "Good. I'm going to push you to your limits. ?

  She unhooked a series of training sticks from the wall and threw them to each one.

  "The Temple considers these weapons to be outdated. I think they forge the mind and the posture. ?

  Tobias groaned as he weighed the stick he had in his hand, "It's too heavy."

  "Precisely. Heavier than your sabers. It forces you to be precise. No unnecessary reels. Bail is here to watch you. He's a fanatic of the Order, so put on a nice show for him. Maybe he'll pay for dinner tonight. ?

  Without warning, Komari attacked. Zang and Lilou screamed, believing it to be a real attack. Tobias dropped his staff and ran for cover. Only Tola had the reflex to parry the blow.

  "Wait! Shouldn't you explain the session to us?! She shouted.

  Komari stopped, tapped his stick against the ground. "Ah, yes. The session. I don't just have to crush you. Good... One rule: survive for five minutes. The eliminated go to the side. And without rancour."

  The fight began. Bail burst out laughing.

  Komari swooped down on Lilou, who tried to defend himself despite his terror. The stick was heavy, unbalanced. Each blow destabilized her.

  However, after two or three assaults, she managed to make a clear save. Surprised, a shiver of satisfaction ran through her. I did it... she thought. A rush of adrenaline accompanied the next movement. She blocked another attack.

  "Good. Move more, Lilou! Komari encouraged him. But Lilou, already exhausted, hesitated. A shot suddenly appears, coming from behind.

  Hit in the back, she froze.

  "Lease?!" exclaimed Tola.

  The nobleman innocently raised his hand. "Crazy shooter, it was planned."

  Komari pointed at Lilou with the end of his stick.

  "Eliminated."

  Before Lilou could even protest, Komari was already swooping down on Zang, who waved his staff in front of him like a paltry talisman. But she passed him without slowing down, continuing her movement towards Tobias, who had, in panic, dropped his weapon.

  She grabbed him by the tunic and, with a sharp gesture, sent him rolling to the ground... right on Tola. The latter tried to dodge Zang, but she immediately understood that this was exactly what Komari wanted: to throw her off balance. She didn't have time to reposition herself.

  "Eliminated."

  Komari's attention then turned to Zang, who was helping Tobias to his feet. She cracked the back of her neck, slowly, then faced them. Stick in hand, she took a step forward, confident.

  "Move a little, brats. Two against one, it shouldn't be a problem for you, right? ?

  She had said this in an almost encouraging tone... But his sadistic smile was not reassuring.

  Zang hurried Tobias back to his feet and prepared for the assault that would soon come. He was so focused on Komari that he didn't see Bail's shot fly.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The drive beam hit him in the ribs. He let out a little cry of surprise.

  "Eliminated," Bail said almost solemnly.

  Komari tapped the ground twice with his stick. Then, slowly, she began to move towards Tobias. Each step was accompanied by a sharp blow of the stick on the ground — a steady, almost ceremonial rhythm. It was the trandoshan combat dance, a ritualized sequence she had learned in the underbelly of Nar Shaddaa. The sound of wood echoed through the room, like a drum announcing battle.

  "Dodge!" yelled Tola as Komari launched himself at Tobias.

  He jumped to the side just in time. The staff slammed into the ground where it had stood a moment before.

  "Pretty! But be careful about your surroundings," Komari warned, nodding to Bail, who was already ready to fire.

  Although panicked, Tobias managed to intercept the shots with his stick, clumsily but effectively. He repositioned himself as quickly as he could, just in time to parry Komari's new attack. This time she pushed him away, but he remained standing.

  "Keep your support, in all circumstances," she said calmly, almost like advice. She attacked again.

  He blocked. The shock was severe, but it held firm.

  "Don't stay on defense! Attack! Tola and the others encouraged him from the edge of the room.

  But Tobias was blocked. Everything he had learned—katas, codified postures—was useless in the face of Komari. It left no opening. He felt like he was caught in a storm, forced to survive second by second.

  Hurried, cornered, he gave in to panic. With an instinctive gesture, he launched a surge of Force. Powerful, uncontrolled, she threw Komari backwards without hurting her, but with enough force to make her take several steps back.

  "Sorry! I'm sorry, Komari! I didn't do it on purpose! He panicked as he dropped his staff.

  Komari, who had already regained his balance, shook his head with a quiet smile.

  "Don't worry. It was really good. ?

  She motioned for them to gather around her.

  "Good. My only advice, at this stage? Don't worry about it. Face me with what you have. Don't try to replicate what you've been taught in class. ?

  Lilou timidly raised her hand.

  "But... Why shouldn't we do what we learn during training? ?

  The question seemed to echo in the others, who nodded, curious.

  Komari scratched his head, searching for his words.

  "Because nothing you are taught here stands up to reality. Neither to the unexpected, nor to the diversity of threats. You have to adapt. Follow your instincts. This is something that your future Masters will surely teach you. I'll show you right now. ?

  She gestured broadly to the room around them.

  "Bail can shoot you at any time. I attack you without warning. But that's not all. Tobias dropped his stick, it bothered Tola. Zang almost slipped while stepping on it. The environment is also an adversary. ?

  She looked at them one by one.

  "You have been used to clean, codified duels. But the actual combat is unlike anything you are shown in the Temple. It is dirty, unpredictable, and sometimes unfair. ?

  She tapped the ground with her stick twice.

  "We're starting again. This time, Tola becomes the striker. ?.

  They changed attackers several times, which forced them to constantly adapt to each other's style. If Komari hit with calculated aggressiveness, Tola was not to be outdone. She mercilessly chained a series of precise blows that her friends struggled to take.

  But the real surprise came from Zang. Once his fear and shyness were overcome, he revealed unexpected mastery. His movements were fluid, his attacks measured. He was no longer content with defending himself: he took the initiative, with a new assurance.

  Gradually, as the session progressed, the young outcasts of the SerpentClan began to overcome their fears. They let go, ceasing to wait for perfect openings to let their instincts speak. It was still awkward, far from satisfying from Komari's point of view—but she was careful not to tell them. They had broken through a mental barrier. It was not going to slow down their momentum.

  To make the exercise more enjoyable... At least according to his own logic, Komari announced a change in the rules.

  "We are moving on to the exercise that I call mass attack."

  The apprentices exchanged puzzled glances.

  "The principle is simple," she explained. "A target. All the others attack. The defender, on the other hand, is only allowed to dodge and parry. ?

  On paper, it seemed easy. Lilou, Zang and Tobias nodded confidently.

  They were soon to become disillusioned.

  Because the defender had to stay on the move at all times if he didn't want to be overwhelmed. Half a second of stoppage, a hesitation, and blows rained down everywhere. As for the attackers, although outnumbered, they constantly bothered each other.

  Lilou was the first to pay the price. As she rushed Tobias, she caught Zang's staff in the stomach, narrowly dodged by their comrade. She let out a little cry of pain and stepped back, holding her ribs.

  "Ouch! Zang! Be careful! ?

  Zang, mortified, immediately apologized. Komari, on the other hand, says nothing. She just smiled, amused, as if this mess was an integral part of the lesson.

  As the session progressed, Tola understood what Komari was really trying to teach them. Behind the apparent chaos, the blows exchanged and the clumsiness, there was a more subtle lesson: learn to stay calm. Not to be carried away by the instinct of panic. To adapt to the unexpected, even when everything seems to be out of control.

  And the unexpected, Komari knew how to provoke it.

  Without warning, she had begun to use Tobias as a human shield, dragging him between her and the others as if nothing had happened.

  "Hey!" protested Tobias, taken aback, trying to keep his balance while the others hesitated to strike.

  A little later, exhausted, dripping with sweat and their muscles on fire, they finally ended the session.

  "Let's stop here!" said Komari, tapping the ground with his stick. "Pick up the sticks, and take towels from the closet to wash the floor."

  She reached out to help Zang get up, and he grabbed onto her, panting.

  Lilou and Tobias watched their hands in horror. Big red blisters had burst on their palms from squeezing their sticks.

  Zang, on the other hand, noticed with discomfort that Komari's hands were much worse. His skin was torn off in several places, his palms split, the blood beginning to bead.

  He turned pale. Having never seen blood in his life, he put a hand to his mouth, gagging.

  "No!" Komari warns, pointing at him. "Don't vomit. It's just a little bit of skin ripped off, look. Not even bad. ?

  To prove it—or to finish it off—she grabbed a shred of parched flesh and untied it with a sharp gesture.

  Zang turned pale and collapsed sitting on the floor, his eyes in the dark.

  Komari shrugged. "Well, at least you didn't shout. Progress. ?

  Accompanying Bail to his shuttle, the small group was happily discussing their training. The initial fear of Komari had largely dissipated. From now on, it was no longer her that they feared, but her skills.

  Despite the sore muscles, the bruises everywhere and their sore palms, they were all aware that they had progressed.

  "We didn't need to clean the training ground, Komari. There are droids for that! Tola complained, nudging him in the ribs.

  Komari took on a falsely outraged expression, his hand on his heart.

  "And that's the humility of a Jedi? Leave it to others to do what you are perfectly capable of doing yourself? ?

  "Stop, admit that you just didn't want to do it alone," Bail said with a smile, deftly dodging the kick she tried to send him to the shin.

  "My fencing masters on Nar Shaddaa have always taught me to give back what I have been entrusted with," Komari said, in a more solemn tone.

  "yes... Because it was your job to clean up, right? Tola replied with a mocking look.

  Komari grimaced. "Well, okay... Yes. But it was instructive and remunerative, you can imagine. In exchange, I could train, I worked on my footwork... And then, you can't imagine the number of silver or gold teeth I have recovered. ?

  Zang, who had been listening in silence until then, turned suddenly pale. His face decomposed at the mention of the teeth, and he instinctively put his hand to his mouth, gagging.

  "Oh no, not yet, Zang..." Komari sighed.

  "Don't worry, I sold them. And I cleaned it well, eh. ?

  Komari exchanged a glance with Bail, who nodded with a small smirk, the one he reserved for well-planned dirty tricks. A real face of an accomplice to crime.

  Tola, who was watching the scene with a suspicious eye, frowned. This look... It was clearly not subtle. She felt that something was afoot.

  She didn't have time to react.

  When the doors of Bail's private shuttle opened, he and Komari pushed their comrades inside without giving them a choice.

  "Take off, Bail!" Komari shouted as he slumped into a seat, his tone triumphant. "Head to a great restaurant!"

  In response, Bail let out a cry of joy, tapped on the controls, and the shuttle took off at full speed.

  At the back, there was panic.

  "WHAT ?!?"

  "BUT WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE TEMPLE!!"

  "I'M GOING TO GET FIRED !!"

  The screams began to mingle as Lilou, Zang and Tobias tried to understand what had just happened to them.

  Tola, on the other hand, struggled trying to free herself from Lilou and Zang who had fallen on top of her during the take-off thrust.

  "KOMARIIIIIIIIII!!" she yelled, furious, her face red with frustration breaking her impassive mask.

  She was only entitled to a big insolent smile in return.

  Komari's, his fluorescent green eyes sparkling with mischief. The smile of someone who knew she was going to be yelled at later... but that it would be well worth it.