Heading out of the museum, we didn't plan on finding the Mandalorian dojo, but it seemed that the Force decided otherwise.
Vila and I had only meant to track down something to eat because the sealed containers in our quarters looked edible enough, but after hours of trudging through relics and watching HK's near-meltdown, the thought of warm food and a drink that wasn't canned meat made the two of us decide to find a restaurant. So we followed the directions engraved on the access panels and descended to the lower floors, expecting to see a mess hall, a market, or something similar.
Stepping out from the turbolift, the tower changed again down here, and I could tell the moment my feet left the threshold of the lift that we didn't come to the correct floor. We passed open corridors lined with bunks, then walked past the clatter of armor being stripped and repaired as workshops were set up to deal with, most likely, military requests. Then, as we were about to give up finding anything, came the sharp sound of batons striking against each other, followed by the barks of instructors and the gasps of fighters being thrown down on a mat.
"Sounds like someone is having a bad day," Vila murmured with a grin.
"I don't think the provocative Captain you're thinking about is here, getting pummeled. This sounds more like training for the young ones..."
"One can dream," she continued, flicking her lekku at my shoulder as we turned the corner.
The wide double doors appearing ahead of us were open, light spilling out across the corridor floor. I wanted to turn around, but Vila was already in motion, so... We stepped inside...
...and the entire room came to a complete halt. Eh... Wonderful.
It was a dojo-like place, of course it was. At a glance, it was designed to be spacious and open, with the floor padded by dark mats. Around a dozen or so Mandalorians trained there, without any armor, wearing only light tunics and trousers, which, thinking about it, was... expected. I could see the heavy, wooden batons in their hands, which were probably clamoring just a moment earlier, but stopped because now every eye was glued on us.
The silence was heavy... It felt like that, and through the Force, I could sense the anticipation, challenge, pride, eagerness, and all the connected thoughts to these emotions swirling in their minds. The smell of sweat was thick, but what struck me more was the wave of intent... The longing they felt the moment they saw our robes and the hilts of our sabers hanging on our belts. The longing for a good fight... Heh... Jedi... Outsiders... Prey to test. All of those and more ran through their heads, and every soul in this dojo wanted a piece of us. But it... Well, it wasn't hostile. Not in the sense I would have thought of the word a few years ago.
"Well," Vila said softly, amusement oozing from her tone as she smiled, "Guess we found the wrong dining hall."
I didn't answer, not that I could say anything, and I didn't want to be the spark. The air was already charged, and the wrong word would light it on fire... Then, a figure stepped forward from the crowd. He was broad-shouldered, with a long scar running down the left side of his jaw, his skin showing burn marks around his right forearm. Heh... Even without armor, I recognized him because the feelings emanating from his soul... and by the way he walked. He was the Captain of the honor guard and the same guy who welcomed us on the landing pad. Trying to ascertain his age was hard, because he felt both young and experienced as a veteran... So, I just gave up on it and watched to see what his next move would be.
Stopping a meter before us, he stood tall, his arms loosened next to his body as his eyes turned sharp, scanning us with both amusement and provocation. I already knew what was coming.
"A Jedi... in a place like this... It is almost unimaginable."
"Why would it be?" Vila shot back, raising an eyebrow.
"Your fancy type is usually too noble to get down into the dirt and sweat a little."
"Yeah," Vila shrugged, rolling her eyes, "You know nothing about Jedi either..."
"I know that without your tricks," he said, his voice indicating that he was clearly speaking for everyone present, "the Jedi are little better than farmers with sticks." He tilted his head in a lazy salute, " Of course, I am willing to... Learn. If you can prove me otherwise, that is..."
I knew what this was from a star system away... Haaaah, of course they would offer a challenge, made in public, so that all could witness it. If we declined, we'd confirm every whisper about Jedi weakness and whatever else they want to add to it. If we accepted, we walked into a trial of strength on their terms... Come ooooon... This is so... cliché...
While I was visibly standing there, squinting, pinching the ridge of my nose, showing what I honestly thought of it all... and while I was about to speak up and ask if this is exactly how they try to prove Mandalorians are still barbarians or not... Vila's mouth opened before mine.
"Oh, I'll prove it. Let's do it!"
"..."
She stepped forward, her lekku swaying, hands loose at her sides, mimicking the Captain. Of course, the crowd had already shifted, separating, leaving the main mat alone as they surrounded it. Ehhh... Fiiiine... I wanted to groan, but I just walked to a somewhat empty spot, looking on with a blank stare.
"There are rules in here," The Captain's eyes flicked over her, assessing Vila from head to toe, then narrowed his eyes slightly, "First, the terms: wooden batons. No lightsabers. No Force tricks. Warrior against warrior. Second: No questioning the results."
"Fine by me," Vila said, taking off her robe and throwing it at me, along with her lightsabers.
I wasn't even surprised, so I just caught it and didn't need to say anything. Not that I should... This was inevitable. I could feel it. Whatever would happen next, the Force guided us here and remembering Grandmaster Yoda's words from that hazy dream... Its guidance is what we must have trust in.
A moment later, two new batons were brought forward, both of them smooth and freshly polished, heavy enough to crack bone or cave skulls in with them, so... It wasn't precisely an injury-free weapon. When they were thrown forward, Vila caught hers easily, spinning it once to test the weight and finding the proper grip for her stance, which was still mimicking Ataru's basic form. Watching her, the Captain twirled his as well, becoming a blur of movement that spoke of the years of constant practice he had with the weapon.
There was no starting shout or a command to indicate the match was on... They just squared off at the center of the mat, already in a state of battle. While I watched, I noticed that the crowd had circled them, now closed, cutting off any way to retreat from the challenge. Through the Force, I felt Vila's energy, bubbling in excitement, while I also could tell that multiple eyes were looking at me... I could find their source easily, and whenever our eyes met, they didn't look away. They were afraid I would interfere if Vila was losing... Who do they think a Jedi is? Hmph!
But I dropped the thoughts as both of them moved at the same time, and the thundering boom of the crack of wood on wood echoed through the dojo.
Vila was fast, still just as fluid as with her lightsaber, but I could tell that she could be even more rapid. She was simply refusing to tap into the Force, restraining herself. I wondered... Do the Mandalorians realize this? That to fight in their little pity match... Vila needs to disadvantage herself? Haah... Probably not. Still, her strikes came like water, flowing from high to low, just as when we were sparring. She included feints and flicks that forced her opponent to guard every angle, things that she came up with to break through my Makashi, and how I usually played a more defensive role when facing her. Her lekku twitched with each movement, as I could tell, she was trying out some new things she probably made up to counter my style of bladework... heh! You little imp! Are you using this to test some ideas you have against me? A future spanking was in order.
Turning my eyes, I began watching and examining the Captain. He was strong, physically speaking. He was also very direct. His blocks were solid, his counters heavy, much more than my kind of rhythmic, snapping attacks. Where I usually stringed multiple sequences together, the Mandalorian was doing only one. Their styles clashed, not just in the fight, but now her unpredictability was going against his discipline.
The crowd roared with each exchange by then, because it was a pretty... even exchange. In my senses, though, there was more than just their sparring. The Force moved with them, flowing back and forth even if Vila didn't access it. When she bent low, sweeping his leg, he shifted his weight, blocking with a downward strike that was then followed by a lunge, his baton becoming a blur as it approached her ribs. But it missed as she twisted aside, the wood grazing her tunic and doing nothing else.
But all of it was flowing along the way, following how the Force twirled between them. It was an... interesting feeling to behold. With another strike, their batons cracked together again, the sound ringing like a drumbeat. It was like a Mandalorian warsong... By the fifth minute, sweat ran down their faces, and I could see how their arms were flexing with effort... But neither of them yielded any ground. Heh... Persistent... both of them.
"Hey!" Vila laughed all of a sudden, breathless and exhilarated, "Is this all you've got?"
"Tsk..." He smacked his lips in answer, "Not yet."
Then he surged forward, a flurry of strikes that forced her back three steps. The crowd roared louder this time around, pounding fists on their chest... But Vila held out, blocking high, bending low, and turning his strength against him with quick sidesteps, returning a counter that forced the Captain to abort his sequence and retreat to a defensive stance...
The duel stretched on like that... for what felt like an eternity. Yet, when I was getting the sense that Vila would come out on top, at last, they broke apart, both panting, sweat darkening their clothes. Of course, it wasn't the end, so they circled each other, batons raised, their eyes locked... I could tell that the Captain was more tired... Vila's stamina was above his... I expected her to attack because she also realized it, but...
Vila twirled her baton once, then lowered it.
"Call it a tie?" she offered, still smiling, but her eyes were steady.
A murmur rippled through the crowd, one that also surprised me. I... Did not expect that. I could see how the Captain froze, his baton still raised defensively. I felt the calculation in him... He also had the full knowledge that pressing further risked his defeat, one that would yield outright dishonor. A tie was a peace-offering... An honorable out. I watched as he studied her for a long moment... Then lowered his baton.
"Tie," he said, nodding.
Around me, the crowd exhaled, some looking disappointed, while others murmured approval. I could now sense some respect, grudging one but a real one, as it shifted through the Force. Still grinning, Vila tossed her baton to him, and he caught it without flinching, eyes narrowing in something that wasn't quite a smile, but wasn't outright hostility either.
As a salute, he touched his chest briefly, then turned back to his men. And it was over... and the dojo stirred again, the crowd breaking into chatter, some slapping their Captain on the back, others glancing at Vila with new eyes, while the rest went back to training.
"Hehehehehe," She sauntered back to me, sweat shining on her brow, her grin as wide as her face, "See? Told you I could play nice."
"Even you can learn, hm?" I exhaled slowly, the tension I hadn't noticed easing from my shoulders. "Come here..." I muttered, beginning to wipe her face down that she let me do, even enjoying it, almost starting to purr.
"Now I am super hungry..." She moaned, "We need some good food... and a bath!"
"Yeah, a bath sounds good. You are soaked."
"Do I smell?" She started to sniff herself, but I flicked her forehead.
"Let's head back," I said, throwing her robe around her shoulders. "While you clean yourself up, I will make some proper food from what we have in the room." I smiled as we left the dojo, and I made sure not to look back, not wanting to start a second round with the eyes that I could feel drilling into my back.