Alex Rider: Mission Jedi
Jedi Goat
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Alex Rider.
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Chapter 4: May the Force be with You
The silence reigned as Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Alex took the elevator up. Alex wasn't quite sure how to behave around the Jedi; he'd read that they had a strict code of discipline and he wondered if they'd be like Alan Blunt.
"Where are we going?" Alex finally dared to ask.
Qui-Gon responded, "To the ship. It's parked on the roof."
Alex could help but wonder, "Wouldn't someone see it?"
Qui-Gon chuckled. "It is concealed, of course."
Alex didn't know how this was possible, and seeing that the Jedi Master didn't seem to mind his questions, Alex continued. "How?"
"A cloaking device. It hides the presence of the ship so no one can see it."
"Then how do we find it?"
Glancing sideways, Alex noticed that he'd finally gotten a smile out of the more aloof Jedi Padawan.
"We have pilots in the ship," Obi-Wan explained, trying but failing to hide his amusement. "They'll lower the cloak for us."
"Okay." At that moment, the doors opened and the trio stepped outside. Alex looked around. For a moment, it appeared as if the roof was empty of any ship. Then, a glint of silver caught the sun as a small space ship appeared out of nowhere.
Alex followed behind the Jedi as they strode up a ramp into the ship. Alex gaped at the ship's interior. They were in a cockpit, surrounded by blinking and flashing buttons. Two pilots sat in the front chairs. Now that he thought about it, the ship looked a lot like an airplane.
The Jedi were taking their seats behind the pilots, and Alex did the same. As the pilots ran their pre-flight check, Obi-Wan leaned over and quietly explained to Alex, "After we're in hyperspace we can go in the back and start your Force-training."
Alex nodded; he didn't know what hyperspace was but decided to wait to ask about it, as the ship was already lifting off.
Alex gripped the arms of his chair nervously as the ship drifted away from Royal & General Bank.
"Cloak up," one of the pilots stated.
"Check," the other replied, flicking a switch. I wonder how they know which is which.
The ship gathered speed as it headed straight up in the sky. The clouds whipped by at lightning speed and Alex gritted his teeth. Faster, faster…the ship shot through the air. And then, very suddenly, they were out of the atmosphere and flying through space. The ship slowed down to a bearable speed and Alex relaxed, sighing with relief.
"Prepare to enter hyperspace," a pilot commanded, typing in some coordinates. He pulled a level and suddenly the stars outside were blurring together. Alex watched in shock as the ship entered a white void.
"This is hyperspace," Obi-Wan explained.
Alex noted, "Not much to see."
"Padawan."
Obi-Wan turned to address Qui-Gon. "Yes, Master?"
"I want you to give Alex his first lesson. It will be a good challenge for you."
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan unhooked his seatbelt and stood up. "This way, Alex."
Alex tested the ship's floor nervously. Seeing that it was stable, he set off after the Jedi Padawan.
The back room was relatively small, with two bunk beds pushed against either wall. A hammock was slung between them. Alex presumed it was for him. He stashed his backpack under the hammock.
Obi-Wan sat cross-legged on the floor. Alex sat down across from him. For a moment the Jedi Padawan was silent, thinking. Then he asked, "Have you ever felt the Force, Alex?"
"The Force binds-" Alex began, but Obi-Wan held up a hand.
"I know what the Force is. Anyone can know. But can you sense it?"
Alex blinked. "I don't know."
"Then let's review. The Force is always present. Sometimes we can command the Force to do things for us. More often than not it is the Force that controls us and speaks to us."
Alex closed his eyes, deep in thought. Come on, Alex, think! Use your spy powers of deduction!
"I'm good at figuring things out?" Alex suggested blankly.
Obi-Wan frowned. "That's more of a skill you have, I think. Try to think of a time when you might have used the Force, or the Force used you."
Alex thought back to yesterday when M16 had briefed him on his new mission. Then he remembered the gun, how it had suddenly appeared in his hand.
Grimacing with the memory, Alex said, "How about this?"
Alex retold the incident in the alley, from when he had been heading to M16 headquarters up to when he'd killed the thug. Obi-Wan listened attentively, waiting until the end to speak.
"When did you use the Force?"
"When I got the gun. I don't remember taking it from the man, it just – appeared. And before I attacked, I had been thinking about how I needed to get the gun."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. But you used the Force before that."
"How?"
"Why did you go in the alley?"
Then Alex remembered. "I had this weird feeling, like a warning, telling me to look behind me. Then I saw the thugs."
Obi-Wan nodded, satisfied. "It appears the Force wanted you to go in the alley."
"Yeah...I guess."
"Now, it's time for you to learn how to meditate. Meditation is an important part of Jedi life. It reinforces our connection with the Force."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. His muscles relaxed. Alex waited a moment, but the Padawan gave no further instructions. I'm supposed to meditate, Alex realized. But how?
With a sigh, he imitated Obi-Wan posture and closed his eyes. Darkness flooded his senses. Now what? Hello, Force, I'm over here?
Alex was quickly getting bored. His mind was wandering. This definitely isn't meditation. Finally, Alex decided to focus on one thing. He opened his eyes, removed one shoe, and stared at it. He was memorizing the grooves and all the specks of dirt along the side when, abruptly, a deep feeling of calm washed over him. He felt so relaxed, it was like sleeping, but he was wide awake. And the shoe...he could sense the shoe! He could sense the Force flowing through the shoe; he could even sense the distant presence of the beings who had created his shoe.
Now Alex closed his eyes. He could still feel the shoe's presence, but now, without all his focus on the shoe, he could sense other things. He could feel the Force filling the air around him, moving through the bunk beds, the hammock, and even Obi-Wan. Alex could sense the powerful gathering of the Force around the Jedi Padawan.
Eventually Alex opened his eyes again, releasing the Force. His elite sense of everything faded away.
"Good. Very good," Obi-Wan praised. Alex looked up, smiling slightly. "I sensed you were meditating – the Force grows stronger around you when you do. When you become more skilled at meditating, you'll be able to focus on different things; your mission, for example."
"That was cool," Alex murmured. "I could sense everything."
Obi-Wan stood up, smiling. "Where does the Force come from?"
"Everything," Alex blurted. He knew it made sense; the Force had been everywhere.
Obi-Wan's smile broadened. "Congratulations, Alex. You've passed your first lesson."
To be continued...
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Author's Note: The meditation is my own interpretation of what the Force is like.