Tossing his robe to the side, Marek positioned himself roughly six meters from Ben and faced him.
"Ben, I was there on Telos when you fought with Mira," he revealed, unclipping his saber from his belt.
Though as startling as the revelation was, Ben maintained his composure and remained trained on the other Jedi.
"I watched your duel with her and I must confess, you were lucky to have survived the ordeal." Marek didn't want to come off as preachy considering his own saber skills were mediocre at best, but he thought it was in Ben's best interest to understand where he stood in the wake of things.
"Don't be discouraged, the fact that you did survive, does count for something. But you'll have to be ready if you are to match blades with her again."
"What do you suggest then?" Ben questioned
"Well, to begin with, you need to understand your opponent. Those who weld the power of the dark side, as she does, are governed by their passion. They need it, they feed off of it. They exist under the thumbnail of its will" Marek’s voice began to rise in volume "and it just so happens to be their biggest weakness!" Marek was regurgitating the information he had so diligently sought out during his earlier days in the Jedi Temple. "They'll risk their footing for a killing strike and if your patient and persistent enough, you can capitalize on it."
Ben nodded as Marek lectured on, no doubt awaiting the point that they'd actually spar.
"Skill with a light saber is one thing, but if your smarter than the person your fighting," as he spoke he tapped his forehead with the index finger of his free hand, which just happened to be his left,” no skill level in the galaxy is going to defeat you. But and this is a big BUT, the instance you lose your focus, your done for." Marek inwardly hoped he'd be able to take his own words to heart.
"Ignite your Saber and attack me," the old pirate commanded, "I'll show you what I mean."
Ben did exactly that, surprisingly enough, alot faster than Marek had anticipated. Darting straight ahead at incredible speed, Marek met Ben's advancing saber just in the nick of time and parried the blow. Ben followed with a swing that Marek batted away and countered with a swing of his own. Narrowly escaping it, Ben ducked as the saber nearly buzzed the top of his head. Following up from a crouched position, Ben then tried to thrust his saber, only to have it met by yet another block from Marek. This type of activity continued for several minutes as the younger slashed at the elder and as it continued, the clashing of their green blades became almost rhythmic as if it were set to its own cosmic beat.
"You’re doing well Ben, keep focusing on my movements, and observe how I seem to match your advances without exerting as much energy, as you are attacking with." Marek complimented the other man. It was obvious that fatigue was beginning to set in already, as Ben continued his assault, while Marek gave the appearance of only just started the battle. "That’s what will happen, if you’re mindful of your opponent’s advances, you can continue on, long after they've tired themselves out. Your smarter than they are, remember that."
Though as noble as his efforts were, Ben was becoming sloppy with his strikes and in one such case, Marek was able to disarm him before the other knew what had happened.
"So a good defense is the best offense? Is that what you’re saying?" Ben questioned over-top heavy breathing, now kneeling before Marek. Not that he was humbling himself, the guy was just trying to catch his breath and collect his bearings.
"More or less," the other answered. "At least for now anyways. I'm still working at it myself. But it appears to work quite nicely wouldn't you agree?"
Ben nodded once more.
"Catch your breath, and we'll go again. I'm sure we still have some time before we reach our destination."
