I'm beginning to regret my desire to seek training with the Matukai, and accepting the Council's offer of coming here to train.
Muscles scream in pain as I maintain the handstand, I'm much more athletic than I was in my old life, necessity as much as anything else, but even still this is so difficult. Even more so to focus on my meditation. At first it was easy but eventually focusing became all but impossible. It doesn't help that this asshole next to me is just fine.
It's been an hour and he looks completely fine. What's more is that he must be in his fifties or sixties but Del Kimer looks at least twenty years younger. He's in perfect shape, and a bright spot in the Force. I don't know how to explain it better than that.
"Tiring Jedi? I'm not surprised, it's not what you're used to is it?" His voice is calm and level, no sign of fatigue at all. Beside me, Master Tavik is sweating. He's done better than me, but this is straining even him.
"Yes, just a little bit. We're no strangers to physical training but I've never thought to combine it with meditation." He says and I wonder why. Did no Jedi ever think to combine those two methods of training, or have the Matukai just found a super special way to do it?
Regardless, here we are, on Karvoss II, learning from the Matukai. A temperate world in the Core, Karvoss II is surprisingly sparse. A population of 600 million concentrated in several urban zones. It's also the headquarters of the Matukai order.
Granted there weren't more than two dozen people when we arrived there, several of them apprentices. How did it take that long for the Jedi to notice them and send a diplomatic party? Whatever, I'm just glad that they were willing to accept Jedi students, only two though. Master Tavik and I are technically here to form a stronger tie with the Matukai, but really, we're here to learn their techniques and bring them back to the Order.
I'm reasonably sure Del knows this but he doesn't seem to care that much. He's the current 'leader' of the Matukai and after a moment I remembered where I'd heard his name. That story of his encounter with Thame and Dooku was a lot funnier from his end than Qui-Gon's.
"How about you, padawan? Are you holding up?" I don't really trust myself to reply without falling over or letting my arms give out so I settle for breathing a little faster. Del chuckles and shakes his head, still fine.
"If you're tired, drop. There's no point to damaging your body out of desire to impress." Okay, I drop and let my tired muscles rest, oh yay! Master Tavik is still going and Del as before, is showing no signs of even tiring. I reach around for the special water bottle they gave us for the duration of our training but Ehruss grabs it first. She holds it over to me and I gladly take it. I don't know what's in the water exactly, but it's supposed to be good for soothing muscles and building them back up.
I drink half of the bottle in one go and achingly sit up to watch the two of them practice. I'd normally be a little worried about losing out on training but according to the Council we have a year before we're needed back, so there's plenty of time to learn.
Ehruss is standing beside me, weapon resting in her hands, she's taken her life debt very seriously. The Council decided in the end to allow her to follow me around but as I have been told, whatever legal problems she cause are mine. I'm fine with that, I've grown to like her company.
The Matukai headquarters is located on a strip of land about sixty miles from the nearest settlement. About forty miles to the north is a small mountain range that gets deep snow in the winter and thirty miles to the east is a gigantic lake. The Matukai compound is open with sets of interconnected housing blocs, dojos, a mess hall and infirmary. Despite that, there aren't a lot of people here.
Del said that some of their order spend most of their time out abroad in the galaxy but still the numbers he mentioned are tiny. If he's correct then there aren't more than sixty Matukai right now. Ridiculous is what it is, granted how many people know the Matukai exist, besides the Jedi?
That said, there seems to be a divide between the Matukai in terms of age. There are at least three Matukai I've seen here who look close to sixteen like me, a higher number in their twenties and the rest in the forties to sixties range. I don't understand why that is, but who knows maybe the Matukai off world balance it out.
On the other hand, though, Billibango came here! I know I told him about this place but I can't believe he made it. He's off travelling with his teacher right now, but if I'm lucky he'll pop back in later and I can say hi.
The time away from the Temple has given me to reflect on certain things. Which is good, because I've needed it.
I'm sixteen now, or at least the body I reside in is, I'm still not sure how to view myself right now. More and more my previous life seems to become distant. I've changed so much since coming here that the original me seems more and more a stranger. I'm technically forty years old, or my memories go that far back at least.
That leads me to another, depressing problem. Puberty sucks! I went through it once already and now it's in full swing again. Last year Master Che gathered the girls of my year together to instruct us in several techniques to use the Force to deal with maturity kicking in and for that I'm so grateful.
Seriously, I almost kissed her for all the benefit her lessons gave me. I'm getting taller though! I'm already more than five and a half feet tall, taller than my old life, yay. Of course, I've got another problem and being here has only made it worse
Water, water everywhere but none fit to drink! I am surrounded by men and women who are the pinnacle of athleticism, and I can only watch. Goddamn these hormones, If I have to continue avoiding staring at sweat-soaked, muscular bodies in form-fitting dress, I'll go insane! Granted, I'm not really that interested in pursuing a relationship for several reasons but this is an exercise of my patience and restraint.
It doesn't help that I asked Ehruss for advice on restraint, in a moment of weakness, and she has been remarkably unhelpful. I had to very quickly explain to Master Tavik why she was evaluating potential candidates for me. Even though he believed me when I told him it had been a misunderstanding, I still had to listen to him lecture on non-attachment.
Alright, I need to distract myself, back to training I go. I don't trust my arms to hold me up anymore, but I can still use my legs. Basic Matukai training is centered around the melding of physical and spiritual components. There's a lot of somatic rituals involved but one of their major training exercises is to adopt some physical position that is uncomfortable and focus on meditating through it.
I've got a lot of practice meditating but it's the uncomfortable position that's harder. I've been here three days and it's all been meditation so far. Alright, I lift one leg and place it against the other, holding it in place.
It's a bit of a balancing act, but that's easy for me. I couldn't hope to use the Ataru form if I didn't have good balance. Now, I turn my focus inwards, steadying my breathing to begin meditation. The Force is vibrant without me, sunlight warming me to my core, heat going up through the coils and veins of my very being.
An…idea has been taking shape within me, something that I only realized the true significance of now that I'm here. The Matukai do have the ability to strengthen one's connection to the Force. And the strength of such connections is important, because no matter how much Yoda stressed there is no try, you need a strong connection to the Force to be able to use it to the extent most Jedi and Sith do.
The Matukai usually get their members from people who weren't strong enough in the Force to attract Jedi attention and yet everyone I've sensed here has a good connection to the Force. They could do the flips, levitation and other Jedi stuff I do with training. And that gave me an exciting, and simultaneously terrifying thought.
Could I convince some of the Matukai to go to Alpheridies? There are, according to the last census, over a hundred million Miraluka living on Alpheridies. They're all Force sensitive but obviously not enough to be considered Jedi candidates.
But what if they could be? Would Matukai training be effective for the Miraluka as a society? I can't imagine why it wouldn't work on them, certainly it'd be generations before the expansive changes happened but just imagining millions of Miraluka strong in the Force is stunning.
The Miraluka as a society also have a natural shift towards the Light Side, apparently, it's something to do with our species ability to see with the Force and the collective, community-oriented culture. It's easy to spot a person being influenced by the Dark Side, unless they've learned to shield themselves, and work on fixing the issue, whatever it may be. So, I'm not too worried about countless Sith lords and other Dark Side adepts.
And if I could get Jedi training to them? I can't even imagine the effects Jedi numbering in the millions would have on the galaxy. There could be Jedi academies in every sector of the known galaxy, Jedi hunting down dark siders, acting as service corps assisting in every matter imaginable.
I just need to find a way to get the Matukai to go there, and get in contact with Master Altis and see if he's interested in the idea. Maybe see if I can find Master Aqinos and the Iron Knights. I think they went somewhere in the Rim, I'll need to see if there's any data on where he went.
"Ah, Master Kimer, may I ask a question?" He sighs and nods his head.
"Don't call me Master, I'm not a Jedi, but sure ask away kid."
"Why are there so few of you?" I'm really interested in knowing why they haven't gone to Alpheridies and become widespread enough to have enclaves on every planet.
"Because even though we can recruit from a wider pool than you Jedi doesn't mean there's a lot to go around. We find members where we can, and sometimes they come to us, but there just aren't a lot of Force sensitives that don't go to the Jedi." He sighs and I have to hold back my disbelief.
"You haven't thought to go to Alphredies? There's over a hundred million Miraluka there, all Force sensitive. You would never run out of members to train." How is it that the one Force using organization that can boost any Force sensitive never tried to work with the entirely Force-sensitive species?
By the look on his face and the shift in his aura, I imagine that he's just come to the same realization I did. He falls forward, his concentration broken and I sigh. I admit that with my meta knowledge that's an easier connection for me to make but really? Master Tavik seems to have come to the same realization.
"That's… I don't even know what to say to that padawan. It's an interesting idea, the thought of Alpheridies becoming a Force Nexus is a bit unnerving though." Ah, he does have a point. The presence of so many Force sensitives with such a strong connection to the Force would do odd things to the planet.
Granted, having a Light Side version of Korriban, though not so dead hopefully, has its appeal. The real problem is having the planet be a target for the Sith. Weighing the odds on that, I suppose. Maybe we could set up a system of Temple planting across the galaxy.
A Jedi Temple on every habitable planet sounds cool. Fuck you Sidious, Del starts laughing and I focus back on the present. No daydreaming, focus on the now.
"That's, hah, you know? I forgot that every Miraluka is Force-sensitive. They're either insular or nomadic." Alright, but now you know so what do you plan to do?
"And? Now that you know about this one step process to acquiring new potential members and or people to teach your techniques?" My body's alight with anticipation, it's hard to even comprehend the potential effects of this, for good or ill.
"I'll have to talk to the others about this, we're a pretty free-spirited group. If anyone's interested in the idea, I imagine they'll give it a go but I'm hardly going to make them." I shrug, fair enough, but the idea is there. Master Tavik seems amused.
"Huh, the Council will be debating that issue to the end of time, I imagine." He falls forward and gracefully flips to stand upright and Del does likewise.
"Why? You think they'll raise a fuss about it?" Oh, right, good point. Master Tavik shrugs and stretches his arms out idly.
"I can't say for sure, but probably not, the Academy on Alpheridies will be there to keep an eye on things but if you're even half as successful as you could be, it'll require some debate on how to go forward." Master Tavik says and I have to think a moment before I get what he's saying.
How would the Order's typical recruitment method work when a majority of the planet's population starts being born strong in the Force? There would have to be an allowance for the entire Miraluka species, so as to avoid depopulation. Granted, if we're lucky, that whole 'take children from their parents' provision will be gone by then.
I wonder if I could convince Ranulph, to try and end that? It'd be funny to see how Palpatine tries to work with that. It'd be a short-term loss for long term gain in the best outcome.
But this seems to be the end of training for the day, I put my leg down and groan softly at the soreness, that's going to hurt tomorrow. Del stretches, still not showing any sign of discomfort and I have to marvel at the level of stamina he possesses.
"Alright then, we'll pick up some more training tomorrow morning. You should get some rest, you'll need it." As if he needs to tell us, after today, sleep will be the sweetest relief. Master Tavik gives him a short bow and I mirror the action.
"We will, thank you Del." Master Tavik and I begin walking back to our room. Ehruss is right behind us, scanning the terrain for threats. I really need to find something for her to do for fun. Master Tavik sighs after a moment and speaks.
"I hope your idea works Padawan, it won't be a problem for my lifetime, or yours but more Force sensitives means more potential for them to fall to the Dark Side. I'll have to tell the Council about this so they can be prepared, but I won't mention your name. I'll spare you having to explain your reasoning before the Council." That's fair, there's plenty of things that could go wrong in the future, I'm just banking on the Miraluka's tendency to the Light helping.
"Thank you, Master, it's a toss of the dice I imagine but hey, if the Council knows about it in advance they can plan for it. Things will work out I imagine, they always do." He snorts and I resist laughing, things work out only after they go wrong.
Three weeks later and I'm feeling so much better and so much worse at the same time. Contradictions ahoy. Our training these three weeks has been mostly nonstop doing the same thing over and over. But I've been getting better at it, slightly. Ha hah, progress! Now it takes slightly longer for me to become exhausted to the point of dropping.
Del says we'll be moving on to martial arts introduction in about a week or two, and boy am I not ready to get my ass kicked repeatedly. On the other hand, when we go back to the Temple, I can finally beat Ilena at hand to hand. That is going to be exciting.
"My friend!" my cry is cut off as the air is squeezed out of me by four arms wrapped around me in what I'm sure is supposed to be a hug but is actually a slow method of torture.
Billibango doesn't seem to notice when I have to gasp for air after he releases me, or maybe he's ignoring it. I'm going to assume the former, just for his sake. I offer the Xexto man a smile and manage not to wince from the pain in my legs and arms.
"Good to see you again, Billibango. I know I told you about the Matukai but I didn't think you'd have made it here so quickly." He grins and nods enthusiastically.
"Indeed, after Troiken I made the trip here as fast as I could, Del Kimer allowed me to join and my teacher Xellon has been a dutiful instructor." He wanted to be a Jedi, right? I remember sending him this way because he wasn't nearly Force sensitive enough to make the attempt at the Almas Academy.
And boy has he changed, it's even more glaring looking at someone I knew before. He is strong in the Force now, not as sensitive as Master Tavik but he could easily be a Jedi with this level of sensitivity. So, the training works.
What is it going to do to me and Master Tavik then? I'm a bit concerned about that, would it be enough to put me on the radar of the Sith? I don't see why it would but the last thing I need is Sidious or Plagueis taking an interest in an up and coming Jedi padawan, for any reason.
"Del has also asked me to aid in your instruction my friend, I will be practicing the Matukai martial arts with you." Wait what? Me against the four armed, already trained martial arts guy? Oh, boy.
I am not prepared for this, but if it goes well, this could easily be the most productive training I ever get.