The peculiar beep of the communicator brought the young padawan out of his deep sleep. That night he had slept like never before, finally being able to rest in peace as he felt freed from a great burden. At least, one of them.

Roy was a reliable warrior in battle. The best of his kind in many ways, but outside of confrontation he lacked self-confidence. Although he had no problem interacting with other intelligent beings, he was not the one who went through life making friends around every corner. He was reserved and above all, he trusted others very little. The complete opposite of his teacher.

Pablo, despite looking terrifying to many, was probably one of the most charismatic Jedi in the order. His friendly character reached people very easily, yet, as far as the arts of learning the ways of the Force were concerned, he was strict and square-minded. Reasons why it was so difficult for him to connect with his Padawan. Master Yoda must have had a lot of fun when he assigned these two as master and apprentice without a doubt. After all, they were like oil and water.

Roy rubbed his eyes regretfully and hurried to answer the call from the communicator, which was resting on the nightstand right next to his bed.

Roy: - Yes? -

Official: - Lieutenant Roy, the general wants to see you in the training room. -

Roy: - Got it. -

Officer: - Good luck, lieutenant. -

What a way to start the day. He barely got up and they were already waiting for him to train, and he couldn't even have breakfast. But hey, that was partly the young man's own fault for not setting an alarm and waking up mid-morning. He supposed that sleeping so much isn't always good.

Roy quickly cleaned himself up and headed to the training room, where his teacher, Pablo-Jill, was waiting for him sitting in a meditation pose. The Jedi said nothing when he noticed their presence, not even when the sound of the hatch opening and closing signaled his arrival. Roy simply walked over and sat in front of his teacher, careful not to make a sound. He didn't know if he was waiting or meditating, in any case, it was always better to wait patiently.

Pablo: - Tell me, young Padawan... What do you think it means to be a Jedi? -

Roy: - "Jedi lend aid to support and defend the weak; compassion is needed, as it is one of a Jedi's greatest tools. The rules of engagement include notions such as understanding the darkness and light in all things, learning to "see accurately, open your eyes to what was not obvious, and exercise caution, even in trivial matters. Above all, the Jedi fulfilled their duty to the Republic and embraced the Force."

Pablo: - Mmmm... An answer typical of textbooks. But that's not exactly what I asked you. I asked you what YOU think it means to be a Jedi. -

The young man crossed his arms and thought about it for a moment. He couldn't think of any other answer beyond the knowledge he had of the temple books. Although... There were some words that I would never forget.

Roy: - "Guardians of Peace" -

Pablo: - That is correct, my young padawan... You keep repeating phrases from books but... I understand that those are the teachings that we must follow. -

Roy: - Master, I don't understand what point you want to get to with this. -

Pablo finally opened his eyes since Roy sat next to him. His gaze was neutral, lacking total expression or emotion, but little by little he let out a slight smile. The Jedi stood up and walked around his student, his steps were slow but steady, a situation that made the young human somewhat nervous.

Pablo: - You said it yourself, young Padawan. The mission and sense of being of the Jedi is to be "guardians of peace." How or what methods to use to obtain par are not described, although we always avoid using the path of violence. Something that, in these times of war, is almost impossible to achieve. The Force is the greatest ally of the Jedi, but also of the Sith, as well as the lightsaber itself... -

Roy: - Master, you don't think that I... -

Pablo: - I didn't say anything, young Padawan. -His interruption was harsh and forceful. - The lightsaber is our last resort in an unusual situation. But... - He paused dramatically and sat down again in front of his pupil. - If you are going to be a great swordsman... I will make sure you are the best of all. -

The young face had no comparison. His astonishment and bewilderment alike were perfectly visible on his face at his master's completely sincere smile. Pablo-Jill wasn't lying. It never did and never will. If those were his words, then that's how he was going to do it. Starting right now. The Jedi stood up once more, and pushed him away, igniting his lightsaber as he got into a combat stance.

Roy: - Master... Will we use the lightsabers to train? -

Pablo: - What's wrong, Padawan? Scared? I thought you were more than that. -

Roy: - I'm not scared... It's just...

Pablo: - Ah. The doubt. Doubt in combat is an enemy even more powerful than your own adversary. -

Roy: - Yes... I know. - He stood up and grabbed his blue lightsaber. - It's just... Isn't that too hasty? -

Pablo: - Hasty? Ha. What modesty for someone who was able to stop an entire battalion of droids by himself? -

Roy: - How come...? -

Pablo: - What do I know? This is war boy. There are reports that no one can falsify. And all the officers of the 194th and 212th agree with their opinions. So come on... Show me what you're really capable of. -

A defiant smile appeared on the Padawan's face, at least a smile that Pablo could identify as real. With such a small and agile body, fast and acrobatic movements, it was not very difficult to establish a combat in the master's mind. The Ataru. A classic among the most restless Padawans, but extremely lethal when perfected to such a degree that it becomes part of oneself. Master Yoda himself was a master of this form, and Pablo was immediately able to identify a certain kinship. Had Yoda himself personally taught young Roy?

Despite having speed and agility far superior to a human of his age, Roy was far from mastery, and a stance rigid as a mountain was able to stop the downward attack of his opponent's lightsaber. Once again, his blow was much more powerful than Pablo would expect for someone his age, but the hardness of his grip on the hilt of his weapon also showed no common competence.

"The Ataru is a great style, without a doubt, one that humans do not usually master given their own anatomy. But you are more than clear that that was not the technique you used to block hundreds of shots at the same time, young padawan. Soresu perhaps? Or perhaps something else? What else is he hiding from me, my young pupil?" The Jedi master thought to himself.

The pace of the combat was set by Roy himself. The young man was the one they were trying to find a gap in the master's defense, but someone who masters forms two and three rarely falls for cheap tricks like feints or good footwork. Especially when Pablo maintains a form of combat as defensive as the one he carried out to block all of the Padawan's attacks.

It didn't take long for Roy to realize this, and even Pablo himself was surprised to see how quickly his Padawan switched to a different combat style. The Shien/Djem So was very different from what I had seen before. Roy's movements were no longer acrobatic, but quite the opposite. Solid as a rock, but too aggressive for the tastes of a Jedi as conservative as Pablo was.

Roy's punches were now almost twice as powerful, something that seemed impossible for someone with his build. Pablo had to give ground and retreat after each slash from the Padawan or he would be outmatched in physical strength. He was even stronger than many of the Jedi masters Pablo had trained against, and Roy wasn't even using the force to power his attacks. It was pure brute force, he shaped dangerously with technique and training.

Staying on the defensive was no longer an option, and they both knew it. This time Pablo tried to attack with a thrust, but Roy managed to deflect it to counterattack, even so, this did not take the Jedi by surprise, managing to stop his student's slashes with great precision, repeating the process over and over again while they shared a struggle to test which of the two was stronger. To the teacher's surprise, his student surpassed him.

Still, Roy was still a young man, and after thirty minutes he was already beginning to feel fatigued. Or at least tired enough for Pablo to call it a day, although he did his best to hold his ground despite the fact that he too was fatigued.

Pablo: - Not bad, young Padawan. I can see that the clone reports were not wrong. -

Roy: - Thank you... teacher. -

Pablo: - Even so, there is still a lot to learn. Rest for today. I need time and... help to map out a suitable workout for you. -

Roy: - Think about contacting Master Yoda. -

Pablo: - No. Master Yoda made it clear to me that I had to find out how to train you on my own. But I'm not going to lie to myself, I know my limitations myself. -

Roy: - So... Are you going to disobey an order? -

Pablo: - Coming from you, I don't know if it's a compliment or an insult. - Insightful comment that managed to make both of us laugh, a real laugh. - No no. I'm going to ask someone much younger actually. Someone who is almost as hard-headed as you. -

Roy: - Okay... I didn't think there was anyone who could challenge me. -

Pablo: - Challenge you!? - The teacher laughed so outrageously that even Roy himself was a little scared. - My young padawan. Your actions are mischief compared to Anakin Skywalker's. I still don't know how Obi-Wan still stays sane by his side. He has a padawan too, I guess some advice from him would be helpful. -

Roy: - This is Ahsoka. She was my friend in the temple. Do you think I can talk to her later? - The young man's face showed an illusion... worrying.

Pablo: - Without attachments... young padawan. -

Roy: - I... I'm sorry... teacher. -

Pablo: - Okay. Go to your room. -

Roy: - But... -

Pablo: - Go. -

His teacher's response was forceful. She really wanted to talk to her old friend from the temple again, but she figured that wasn't going to happen that day. Even so, he left the training room with his shoulders slumped.

Pablo, on the other hand, could smile with satisfaction watching his student leave. It took time and effort, and many changes in his way of thinking, but he finally felt like he was able to connect with his Padawan in some way. Connect seriously. He could see a part of the facade that Roy was hiding from everyone. A mysterious young man who still kept many secrets. Secrets that Pablo had to discover little by little.