[center][h2]~| The Jedi Temple on Coruscant |~
~| Day 1, 11[sup]th[/sup] hour |~[/h2][/center]

Khan circled his Master with his lightsaber in his hand, extended outward but not yet switched on. He kept his stance light, relaxed, almost curious rather than guarded and serious despite the training match they were supposed to be engaged in at the moment.

“Master, I am admittedly confused. I thought our time on Coruscant was supposed to be a brief period of rest from the battlefield. You know I always enjoy combat training, but won’t we have ample amounts of time to spend on it later?” 

While it was true that the young Echani relished any chance to test his skills against and read further into his Master via their numerous sparring sessions, he’d also definitely been looking forward to getting to spend some time on Coruscant. The Temple meant a chance to further refine his Makashi techniques with a proper tutor well-versed in the style. More important than that, if anyone could believe he found anything more important, was that Coruscant itself hosted a variety of interesting life forms adapted to its sprawling urban terrain, especially on the poorly regarded lower levels. 

Ever since he’d learned that they were due for this trip, Khan had been itching for a chance to slip away down there to study them. Well, he supposed he didn’t actually ‘itch’, but he’d been told there was a sort of imaginary brain-itching one meant with that phrase that fit his feeling exactly. All of which he tried very hard not to convey with his stance, regardless of most being’s relative inability to detect such things. Instead he ignited his saber and tried to look eager to spar. Not too hard, since a good fight was always something he loved.

“Patience my padawan, the day is still young. We’re not going to do anything extreme right now. Did you have something else in mind, Khan?” Denso stated calmly as he clenched one of his lightsabers, his other one clipped to his hip.

At the moment the Temple on Coruscant was quiet as usual, they stood in an open area within the massive building. Around the duo a few other Jedi milled, some training, others just watching. The Kiffar watched Khan circle around him, apparently at ease and brimming with curiosity judging from the young man’s stance.

His Echani apprentice was still a child, but reminded him of himself in certain ways. Already a proficient swordsman with a lightsaber, so eager to get stronger and do much more. A boundless ball of energy, he turned out to be the perfect training partner. A smirk appeared on Denso’s tattooed face as he quickly shot up his free hand, using the Force to yank Khan’s lightsaber from his hand. He then sheathed his own weapon, holding up the Echani’s weapon to the apprentice.

“First rule of sparring, never let your guard down, boy. Try to get your lightsaber back from me.” Denso said with a smirk, his usual wit shining through in his words.

Khan recovered from the initial shock of having his lightsaber yanked from his hand quickly enough. It served him right for not taking the exercise seriously, he supposed. He came up with a plan and tried to pry his lightsaber’s handle out of Denso’s fingers, but he knew he likely wouldn’t be able to get it back with sheer power. Instead as he yanked at the lightsaber to pull it and his Master towards himself and off balance, he pushed off on one foot with all of his Force-enhanced speed and power in a burst of speed and practically launched himself low along the ground, reaching for the handle in a sliding, skidding dash.

Denso watched as Khan first tried with pure strength to pry the lightsaber from his hand. He quickly abandoned the maneuver, realizing it wouldn’t get the job done. The boy was strong physically but not yet on his master’s level. He blinked as Khan used the Force in an unexpected move which almost caught the older Jedi off guard. As soon as he felt his body start to move, he shot his free hand out towards the Echani. 

“Nice try, gotta be quicker than that though,” Denso playfully taunted as he used the Force to lightly push Khan away, onto the grass covered floor. 

“We’re both in our armor still, Khan. Try to get me off my feet. Show me some of those Echani hand to hand moves.” He added, lightly tapping against the strong plating on his chest. The sound echoing the brief distance between the master and his apprentice. Then he changed his stance, into a more defensive one. The lightsaber still clenched unlit between his fingers.

Khan had hoped that a simple dash and some leverage might have caught his mentor off-guard. No such luck there. Well, Master was right that they were both armored. Strikes and some minor throws probably wouldn’t injure him much if at all. Besides, his Master outclassed him overall in both strength and skill, even if Khan sometimes wondered if he had less hand-to-hand training. He doubted he would seriously hurt the older Jedi either way. 

“Well, if you insist, I think I have a few to try.”

Khan sized Denso up again for just a moment, then lunged forward with his right hand thrusting out in a palm strike against his Master’s armored chest to try and throw him off balance, stepping in again in almost one continuous motion as he snapped from that strike into a close-in shove driven with the point of his elbow. He tried to hook his foot around the older Jedi’s ankle as he did so, tripping him, all as fluidly as the Padawan could manage. 

Denso’s smirk went away as Khan launched himself at him, the strike to his chest did not hurt but the strength of it shocked him. His leg was hooked by the padawan and he began to fall himself slipping towards the ground. As he started to fall he used to Force, bringing his hands against the ground and pushing himself backwards. Doing a backwards roll which put him a few meters away from Khan.

“Almost got me there, Khan.” The Jedi said as he held up the lightsaber, tossing it up in the air once before he caught it again. He then lifted his other hand up, and motioned with two fingers for the Echani to try again. 
Khan’s mouth quirked into a smile at the corner before he quickly smoothed it back over. He’d spent most of his life now away from other Echani, but it still felt embarrassing to be prone to such wildly exaggerated displays of emotion. 

“A non-Force User would’ve gone down, Master.” Khan wasn’t sure whether he meant it as a complaint, a compliment or just a notation for later use. 

Rather than reflect on it, he accepted Denso’s invitation, this time more blatantly using Force Speed to rush him and unleash a series of punches in a quick burst of three, one to each shoulder and one to the solar plexus to try and destroy his balance. On the last strike he tried to use the Force to yank the lightsaber from his Master’s  fingers again now that he was hopefully distracted.

Denso braced himself for each hit, rising his hands to catch each blow. He had trained in unarmed combat before with his padawan, still he was better with a lightsaber. He was slow in reacting to the last hit, his hand arriving to late as he felt the hit impact into him.  He grunted as the lightsaber shot out of his hand and bounced across the ground.

“That was excellent Khan! The fun isn't over though.” Denso said with another smile as he dashed towards the lightsaber, aiming to scoop it up and continue the game of keepaway.

Khan raced after the fallen lightsaber the instant he felt his Master’s posture shift to pursue it, but his shorter legs meant he was at a disadvantage compared to Denso in a foot race. He tried to take a note from the Kiffar, reaching out with his right hand and the Force in order to bring the Lightsaber to himself even as they raced for it instead of relying on brawn or speed. Khan’s telekinesis never seemed to have the sort of raw, overwhelming power he knew some Jedi to possess, but he had something of a knack for performing small manipulations quickly and well, or so he thought.

Denso saw the lightsaber shake on the ground then shoot towards him as Khan dashed slightly behind him. He snatched it out of the air, then did another roll to get distance between his padawan and him. 

“So close, you s-” Denso’s words were interrupted by the sound of blaster fire, which grew louder. Then several explosions outside of the Temple. He stared upwards as the tension in the area seemed to increase. Something strange was happening, the sounds reminded him of war. Was he hallucinating? No, others around him and Khan were reacting, some were even running away.

“Khan look out!” He shouted as an explosion rocketed the wall near them, showering debris all over the place. Denso had sprinted towards Khan, yanking him by the hand and pulling his apprentice away from the sudden chaos. 

“What is happening?” His voice raised as he looked around rapidly, then handed Khan back his lightsaber. 

Was the Temple under attack? Had the Sith somehow broken through? The very thought deeply affected even the hardened Jedi knight. He heard more explosions and more blaster fire, now even screams of terror and the scent of smoke in the air. Denso drew both his lightsabers, each sliding into his palms, momentarily unlit.

Khan gripped his lightsaber tightly in one hand, though his white-skinned knuckles couldn’t get any paler. It was an attack, it had to be an attack, but how was that possible? The Temple on Coruscant was supposed to be the safest place in the Galaxy. Then again, Khan’s mother had always told him that being prepared to redefine what was possible was part of what made a great strategist. In which case, this was the most insane and daring plan the young Echani had ever witnessed.

He barely had time to process the fact that he’d almost been killed in some kind of explosion before Denso had pulled him out of the way. Instead he was focusing on digesting information in little easy to swallow bits to try and form a plan and react. There were screams nearby, and blaster shots. People were running, though not everyone seemed to know where they were supposed to run. He was covered in dust from the debris of a nearby wall. He had been handed back his lightsaber and was gripping it tightly in his right hand.

All of this meant, in Khan’s mind, that they at least knew the general location of their attackers and that he was currently armed. There was only one reasonable conclusion to make.

“Master...I think...we may have to go fight off an invasion now.” He said,  his voice rather tight, flat, and broken by coughing away the dust. Still though, he gained some solidity and determination in his stance as he said it.

It took Denso a moment to reply. He let out a deep breath, realization that their home was under attack. A beacon of peace and knowledge in the Galaxy besieged by the Sith. It had to be them, he could sense the dark side nearing, infesting the Temple. It was a bold, desperate move by the Empire but he expected no less from them. 

“We have to. There's children in the Temple, civilians around it. It's our duty to protect them, follow me Khan.” Denso said as he took one more glance towards his padawan, then ran off towards where the sounds of chaos were the loudest. His lightsabers clenched in each hand. There were people they needed to help, Sith weren't known for their mercy even against the defenseless.

Khan followed after his Master at top speed. He had seen his fair share of battlefields for such a young Padawan, but he still wasn’t sure what to expect from an attack on the Temple itself. Either way, it was their duty to help and protect the Temple’s residents from the Sith.