Star Wars: Trinity
A humble FanFic by Adam Seddon
"He is powerful, that one."
"All three of them are."
Master Lunshido folded his arms, his robes swirling at his feet. The sun fell upon the field with a warm glow, and the sky was a brilliant cloak of blue - free of cloud.
"I do not like this planet." he said, looking out across the yawning fields of swaying grass.
"It is effective." Master Fordo replied. "They are finding themselves."
"Yes." Lunshido nodded, his eyes sliding to where three apprentices sparred ahead of them in the long grass.
"She does well to keep up with them." Fordo observed. "A girl amongst two boys."
"What do you mean?" Lunshido asked, frowning. "Women are just as capable as men - there is no distinction within the Jedi."
"Yes." Fordo retreated, realising who he was talking to. "Never the less, I am particularly impressed with her progress."
"She is perhaps least talented of the three." Lunshido conceded. "But she will brook no pity - she can match them both in contest."
"Indeed." Fordo said, his voice rich with a conviction he did not feel.
Out across the grass, their feet shuffling between the blades, three students spared. Two boys and one girl, all fighting each other, thus meaning they were constantly dealing with two opponents simultaneously. They fought with wooden swords - they were too young to be building light sabres - and the rhythmic clunking seemed strangely at home amongst the sounds of the field.
"I get them confused." Fordo admitted. "The black haired one, he is Joel?"
"The brown haired one is Saul." Lunshido nodded. "The girl is Latifa."
"Latifa." Fordo mused. "A strange name."
"A strange girl. Despite a lack of physical strength she insists on pursuing with her sabre skills, and that is where her talent lies. She has a speed, that one, a speed and a lack of hesitation which makes her different from others."
Just as he spoke, Latifa managed to get inside the guard of Saul - knocking him onto his back before powering an attack on Joel that sent him head over heels into the grass.
"Do you see?" Lunshido smiled.
"I see." Fordo nodded. "I trust you will not let her develop a taste for such flamboyant displays." he added disdainfully as he helped the boys to their feet with a flourish. "The path of the Jedi is fraught with temptation, and to love your skills is to become their slave. She must grow, and understand that her skills with a sabre are a means and not an end."
"She will learn, but in her own time. They are young, Fordo, younger than you seem to credit. They will all be eighteen this year, and they have much time in which to learn such things."
The two masters stood there, watching as the three students pounded their weapons against each other with a speed that was good for their ages.
"And the boys, where are their talents?" Fordo asked, his dark eyes scrutinizing the apprentices - anticipating every move and watching their combative dance play out.
"Saul is a hard worker. He is not specialized, rather he devotes himself to whatever skill is most appropriate for the situation. He is strong in the force, but he is also strong with the sabre and so he will never be a master of either."
"Such indecision is not becoming of a Jedi."
"He sees no reason why he cannot devote himself to both schools - indeed he thinks of it as a strength."
"What of the black haired one?" Fordo asked.
"He is, different again." Lunshido said. "His sabre skills are good enough, but his strength in the force is where he impresses most. It is difficult to chart his course, harder still to try and alter it. He progresses through the trials and the training as if he has seen them all before, and yet he does them in such a way that few have ever seen in others."
"What do you mean?" Fordo frowned.
"It is as if he has already lived his life once, and this time he has decided to do things differently." Lunshido stumbled over the words, as if struggling to articulate himself. "His ambition is great, Fordo, he harbours dreams that are far beyond anything I have ever sought to achieve."
"Such as?" Fordo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He seeks to master the force. To truly master it - to learn its every crevice and understand its ever subtlety. He would become its owner, and he would bend it to his will."
"Such foolish arrogance will cripple him as a Jedi." Fordo said harshly. "He will fall."
"He is a volatile specimen." Fordo added. "So are the other two. Latifa is skilled with the sabre, but she loves it too much. Joel is powerful in the force, but he looks beyond the boarders of his own potential. Saul is humble, diligent, and a hard worker - but he is hounded by indecision and insecurity."
"Insecurity?" Lunshido asked. "How have you drawn that conclusion."
"Are you so close to them that you cannot see them?" Fordo asked, his voice carrying a cold and cutting undertone. "Combat is a form of expression, Lunshido, and as we speak here I read their innermost thoughts and desires through their sword strokes. The reason Saul does not devote himself to one school is because he harbours and infatuation for Latifa."
"You believe so?" Lunshido asked with scepticism.
"He believes he loves her, and his inability to choose his path is a symptom of his desire to please her. He wishes to be all things to her, to impress her, and as such he feels he cannot let his studies weaken in any field."
"You can tell that from his combat? I have heard of such things, but I did not know such depth of understanding could be divulged from one sparring match."
"That and more." Fordo said with a hint of pride. "Latifa has feelings for Joel. She believes him when he speaks of his great ambition, and she is entranced by what she believes is his destiny. I would hope, if I were to, that Latifa never lets Saul know of her feelings for Joel - or the tight band you have so diligently threaded together will unravel before your eyes - jealously is a terrible thing, Lunshido, and it is often the fall of a Jedi."
"I find this hard to believe." Lunshido sighed. "I have overseen their development for three years."
"Perhaps you think of them as family." Fordo suggested. "When they are not, they are hot blooded adolescents and their hearts are subject to fleeting passions. Such immaturity means it will be a long time before they become Jedi.
"It was not so long ago that you were their age." Lunshido said.
"I am of twenty five years." Fordo said proudly. "The youngest master in recent history."
"Indeed." Lunshido nodded. "Some would say you are too young, Fordo."
There was a long, dangerous pause. Fordo kept deadly still, but there was an intensity to his squared jaw and his black eyes that gave Lunshido the impression of a coiled spring. He was suddenly all too aware of the un-drawn sabre hanging at Fordo's belt.
"You may trust in my wisdom." Fordo said, and his voice - perfectly level - seemed to have a furnace bubbling beneath its surface. "And you may trust that I understand my position within the council."
"And I do." Lunshido said. "I am an old man now, Fordo, old and tired. It is not my place to make judgements on you, or any other member of the council. But I think it is only fair that you know this much; there are people here, Fordo, here on this very planet - in our own council - who would see your seat empty for a time. They believe that you are not ready for your position yet, that you need more time."
"Then they are wrong." Fordo said, and this time his eyes burned with constricted anger.
"And yet here you find yourself barely able to control your anger." Lunshido observed. "Such intensity is a path to the dark side."
"We all have emotion, Lunshido, it is merely a question of control."