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The crack of lightsabers rang through the training room. The green and blue blades were a blur as they slashed at each other. Fral grunted. He had tried to deflect the green blade and reply with a counterattack, but the force of the blow had eliminated any chance of countering. He was even more taken aback by the power and precision the opponent was fighting with. They had been going nonstop for over an hour, and even with the enhanced stamina he got from using the Force, the stamina the opponent had was impressive.

They heard the door close and the lightsabers immediately stopped in mid air. They both sheathed their sabers and turned their attention to Grand Master Sorsee, who smiled wryly.

"It seems the apprentice has become a match for the master."

Fral glanced at his opponent, who was covered with sweat. "He's a gifted duelist."

"Thank you Master."

"He is indeed. Master Joren, the SA has established a blockade around the Noreno system. We need your fleet to reestablish trade routes to ensure the people don't align with them."

"Can I help?"

"Darin, we go over this every time. No. Your Force powers are too weak."

"But I've worked on my lightsaber skill. I can-"

"NO. Jedi are Generals. And they have decided against letting you be a General."

Darin lowered his head. "I understand."

Grand Master Sorsee beckoned for Joren to follow him, and they both left the room.

"You need to discipline him. I would never allow a former apprentice to argue with me."

Fral sighed. "I understand. He means well."

"Meaning well is no excuse for acting poorly. It was a mistake to take him in. He's a danger."

"What danger could he pose? Barely any Force ability, no family, and no real friends here. He's an outsider."

"Not a danger to us. Only himself."

-Darin-

I stood in place and watched as the door closed behind the two Jedi. Fral Joren and Prale Sorsee don't have a clue. Why take me in if I wasn't allowed to fight? Why train me if it was all gonna go to waste? And why do I even bother practicing?

I picked up the practice sabers. I resent them at times. I know I'm not powerful with the Force. But I'm the most intelligent scholar they have, and the whole line about me being too weak to lead the clones is utter malarkey. I've excelled at dueling. I'm a smart guy. Pretty sure that qualifies me as having the capacity to be a good general.

I placed the sabers on the floor and concentrated, trying to use the Force to put them away. I've worked hard on my Force powers. The sabers wobbled on the floor, raised up a few feet, then dropped. I tried again and again, with the same result each time. Sighing, I put away the sabers and headed for the library.

The library was a vast room with massive shelves stretching from wall to wall and reaching all the way to the ceiling. The shelves seemed to have been added over time, which has resulted in a kind of maze one had to navigate. It had many desks stationed around the entrance where one could usually find Jedi younglings studying or learning about rituals, politics, and anything else one could think of. In the back was a set of intricately designed double doors which guarded the entrance to the holocron room.

I navigated through the maze of shelves until I found a table with documents littered around, a holoscreen with multiple pages on it, a new data file, and a lamp which was switched on. This was my corner. I could be isolated from the people and allowed to focus on research. Plus it acted as a way to avoid the stares I got from the majority of Jedi.

I grabbed the data file and opened it. It was a detailed report of the TAC that I had requested the droids put together for me. The Tactical Assault Cruiser, or TAC, was one of the newer vehicles that the Jedi had created. They claimed it was an upgrade from their old cruisers as it had more weapons and stronger armor. I call keck. I've seen the wreckage. They all fail similarly. I want to find out why.

The warning Master Joren gave me about asking too many questions and being too nosy suddenly ran through my head. I quickly dismissed it. I wasn't raised from birth in these halls. I was about 7 when I was found. I couldn't just 'not ask questions'. Sure it wasn't the Jedi way, but it was my way. I look at the blueprints and the explanation of the different components. It was definitely well armored. And the guns were top of the line. Looking through the descriptions, I couldn't really find a flaw. It had short legs, giving it better balance, a lower profile, and a solid center of gravity. It had very well centered weight, allowing it to have good balance and to fire some of it's much more powerful cannons while suffering less from the recoil. It even protected the underside. The back was where they deployed troops. They had a dual door system, where the inner door opened, troops went into the area, inner doors closed, and outer doors opened. It was slower, but was better protected from some of the SSA's attacks, which would involve attacking while the back was opened. I kept staring at the design, hoping something would pop out to me.

"Kravhenn!"

I jumped and found Gwel So, the librarian, standing right over me. She always did that. No sense of personal space.

"Yes ma'am?" The elderly Kel Dor beckoned for me to follow her.

"Pack your papers! You have a new workspace!"

Gwel was one of the few Jedi who liked me. And by liked I mean didn't completely write me off as an embarrassment to the Order. I quickly packed the papers into a folder, downloaded the holoscreen contents onto a data file, and shoved all the data files in a sack. I followed as she briskly maneuvered through the maze of shelves. Gwel was the head librarian and new the way around inside and out. Upon emerging from the maze, she led me to the main terminal.

"You got your card!?"

I pulled out my access card and she snatched it out of my hand. I watched as she slid it into a monitor and started pushing buttons. She yelled at everybody. Not necessarily because she hated everyone, though I suspect that may be a factor. No, she's just got partial hearing loss. It's a struggle for her to hear certain frequencies. It's why I can speak at my normal volume but she yells everything she says. She just can't hear herself speak.

The monitor let out a satisfying ding and she pulled out the access card.

"Congratulations! You've been promoted!"

I took the card and checked it out. Chief Scholar. It wasn't a huge step up, but it was still really cool. Instead of being the bottom of the ladder, I was now the top of the bottom.

Gwel pointed at the double doors that contained the holocrons.

"That's your workspace now! Nobody ever goes in there, so you'll still be a hermit!"

I nodded and walked over to the doors. I took a brief moment to stand and let it sink in. I got to be here. I earned this. I took a deep breath, and opened the doors.