When my transport landed on the large field by the Great Massassi Temple that served as the main training center of the Jedi Order, the first thing that struck me was sheer life of the place. Having spent most of my life on Coruscant, save for those few times I went on assignment that took me elsewhere, I was accustomed to being surrounded by technology and people. But on that lone moon, there was neither technology nor people, at least not enough to dull out what the world decided we should see, hear, smell, and feel.
Waiting at the bottom of the ramp, was Kam Solusar. I was expecting to be met by the Master himself, for some odd reason. Then I was kicking myself for even thinking that he would be here, to meet me, just another person in this enormous galaxy that he dealt in. My private recriminations must have shown on my face, because the Jedi before me explained that the Master was suddenly and inexplicably called away on business, and would be unavailable for some time. And then he assured me that, no, nothing had shown on my face.
I went numb at that revelation, and I can only imagine the look of horror that must have spread itself over my face. He then got a wry look on his face and told me that all the trainees had been instructed to shut off their Force senses during my stay, so they wouldn't intrude on my privacy, just like I wasn't going to do to them. I told him that that sounded like something difficult to try; that after all the time and effort they'd put into sensing those things and now told to not do it...
Jedi Solusar then said to me, "Master Skywalker's first and last lesson is 'Do or do not. There is no try.' And it's one that he drills into each and every trainee, from their first lesson to their last day here."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him, wondering how a single lesson can be taught twice. I mean, if you've been taught it before, how can you be taught it again? The Jedi looked at me and smiled.
"That's what I've been asking myself ever since he trained me," was the response he gave. I was about to ask him some more when he gestured at my bags, and they lifted off the ground of their own accord. "Come," he said, turning to one side, "let me show you to your room." I admit, it was more than a little disturbing to see such power used so trivially, and I said as much. "It serves to keep in practice, as well as making our journey a little easier on both of us."
When I asked where I'd be staying, I was informed that I was given a room on the same level as the trainees' rooms as well as the mess hall. Along the trip, I was given a general description of the Great Temple, and its various levels and their uses. He also pointed out all the uses of the other, lesser temples that surrounded the large one. I inquired as to where the Master kept his chambers.
"Apartment," the Jedi corrected. "They're not his chambers, it's their apartment. Even before he got married to Mara Jade, he did not like them called his chambers, but he tolerated it. Then he got married, and she asked that they not be called that. When we asked her why, she said that we weren't at some court, and that the Master wasn't some god or king. He was just a teacher, and a Jedi."
I asked why that wasn't enough. This was the man who is responsible for a great amount of the peace that exists today, no matter how indirect his help was. I was told that that question would be better asked of the Master's wife.
When we finally rounded the corner of the temple, and started into it, I caught a sight that I would've missed if I hadn't turned my head to speak with the Jedi Knight. My words caught in my throat when I saw fifteen or twenty trainees in an open field, all in their early teens or younger, I figured, all moving in perfect unison. They were crouched over, on both feet, and were slowly moving upwards. They reached the apex of their movement, and they started to lift their knee up to their chest. They then started to stretch their leg outwards, at right angles to their bodies. All of these movements were done so slowly that I could almost feel my own muscles aching.
I think I stared for a few minutes in stunned silence, just watching them go through it. It was only a short routine, and they repeated it several times, each time slower than the one before it. I wondered how they all managed to do it while staying perfectly synchronized, and I asked the Jedi beside me.
"The movements themselves are a matter of simple training. As you have guessed, staying in time with the others in the group is the hard part. They do it, partly by staying aware of their surroundings, and partly through sensing each other in the Force. It is no simple matter, I assure you," he answered, a hint of humour entering his voice. Next I asked him why they were doing it. It seemed so... odd for Jedi to be doing something like that.
"It was an idea that Master Skywalker has been contemplating for some time, even before his first group of trainees, including myself. It was at Corran Horn's suggestion, and my agreement, that we started teaching hand-to-hand combat to the apprentices. But the Master was somewhat... dissatisfied with what we taught. So, from that day on, he refined, redirected, and redesigned it into something that he thought was acceptable for his Jedi to learn." I thought that was a little... egotistical, and said as much, though in much more politically correct terms.
"It might seem like that to some, I admit, but look at it from his point of view. He was trying to do something that hadn't been done before, trying to train several Jedi at once. Even though most of the old ways and teachings passed away with his teacher, Master Skywalker still heard some stories about the old ways, in between the exhausting work-outs. According to Master Yoda," here I noted that while his voice was still polite, it didn't have the same reverence that it usually held when Jedi Solusar was talking about his own instructor, "it was always a one-on-one instruction. One master taught one student, and no more. He was trying to teach half a dozen of us, on his first try, no less! I think he was busier than the whole lot of us, combined. Not only was he teaching us, he was teaching himself on how to be a teacher, and he was keeping up with his own studies and explorations of the Force."
I decided to give voice to some of my dumber thoughts. I asked him what was so hard about teaching a Jedi. I mean, you move stones, swing a lightsaber, and sense thoughts, right? What can be so hard about that? Of all the answers I was expecting, having the Jedi Knight throw his head back and laugh was not one of them.
"It is much, much harder than that. First you must get the basic ideas into the students' heads, then you must make them believe. And, trust me on this, it is much harder to believe in the Force than it sounds. When you train to become a Jedi, you must unlearn all you have learned previously and just accept what is. But, to answer your first question, the reason why the Master did it is because one of the most cardinal and immutable rules is that a Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense; never attack. What we were teaching each other were techniques that imposed attack and deception as main weapons."
In that light, it was much easier to understand why he'd changed the hand fighting, but not why he included at all. I was then told to ask the Master that, as only he could answer it. I took one final gaze at the students, now moving so slowly as to seem to be standing still, shook my head at the whole spectacle, and continued on to my room with Jedi Solusar's narration resuming during our walk.
The rest of the morning was spent getting me settled into my room, and giving me a tour of the temple, so I wouldn't get lost very often. When I argued that I wouldn't at all, the Jedi informed me that he was still finding himself in places where he didn't want to be. He then left me, saying that if I needed anything, he would either be with the students, or they would know where to find him.
When I started down towards the mess hall for lunch, I noticed something about the students. The ones that I saw earlier were the study of determination, their faces showing nothing but the desire to succeed in their tasks. I'd wondered if they were always like that, calm and always in control of their emotions. The lunch break dispelled that idea as quickly as some of my others had earlier in the day. The lunchroom was noisy, crowded, and in general, a regular eating establishment. And then all eyes turned to me, like I was something special. Now I knew how those few Jedi Knights that were out in the galaxy felt when they entered into a similar situation. Then someone coughed and the spell was broken. In a flash, all the voices and banging resumed, like it'd never stopped.
I paused to resume breathing.
Picking up a tray, I got in line with the other trainees who were still getting their own meals. Looking down the line, which wasn't hard considering I was the tallest in the room, I could see that other students were working behind the counter, spooning out the various parts of lunch. I asked the teen ahead of me why.
"Master Skywalker has us grow, prepare, and distribute our own food," she answered me. She saw the look of confusion on my face, because she started talking again. "An exercise in humility, he calls it. Besides, it serves to reinforce the idea that we depend on each other. Or," she said, an impish look spreading itself over her features, "at least our taste buds do." I laughed and she started to explain the whole process to me. I found it odd that each morning a small group of students would be assigned to the kitchen, and they would spend all day in there, cooking and serving and cleaning up afterwards. For the duration of that day, they were excused from all exercises and other functions, unless special circumstances dictated otherwise. How they prepared the meals and who got which duties was left up to them, but when mealtime came, they'd better have to meals ready to feed all the mouths.
"Or they'll have to face the rest of us," the girl said. "And, as you can see, it can get rather rowdy here at the meals. We spend a lot of time doing so many different exercises, both mental and physical, so we're usually quite hungry when the food's supposed to be here."
As we were talking, the line was steadily progressing towards the servers, and I got a good look at the food. It looked to be some sort of stew, with some bread and salad on the side. It actually look rather good, which, judging by the sighs and other complimentary noises coming from in front and behind me, was a welcome change. For a few moments, I tried to put myself into the place of the students making the food. Only having a few hours to clean, prepare, serve, and clean up between meals, I decided, was not a fun way to spend my days.
Looking around, I saw Kam Solusar and his wife, Tionne, standing in line with the rest of the students, engaged in light conversation with those surrounding them. Tionne said something, and the entire group around dissolved into laughter. With my mind so filled of the stories of how Jedi are able to control their emotions to the point of apparently not having them, I had feared that lunch would be a solemn, sober time. I was quite relieved to be wrong.
Then Tionne's head snapped up, saw me watching her, shook her head, and waved a hand around the room, indicating that I should mingle, and not wait for her and her husband. I nodded, and set off in search of some meal companions. Allowing my eyes to dart around the large room for a while, I finally settled on a table that seemed to be composed entirely of older teens. When I got closer, I could hear snippets of their conversation. They were talking about some of their classes, and I couldn't believe that they were taking things like galactic history, history of the major worlds, diplomacy, piloting of ships, mechanics, survival, cooking, naturally enough, and other courses like that.
When I got close to them, one of them looked at me, and I asked if I could join them. The looked amongst themselves for a short while, nodded their heads, and shuffled around, making room for me. I asked them why they had classes like the ones they were discussing.
"Because Jedi are often called into arbitration of disputes, we need to know how to settle them. When we asked why he'd originally made room for those courses in his Academy, Master Skywalker told us a story about how he'd been asked to settle a small dispute between a Rodan and a Barabel. He found that while he had no official standing in the security force there, all the people in the bar trusted him and his judgment enough that whatever he said would be used. He had no training in this area, and had to improvise along the way. It turned out not that badly, but only because several other factors helped him out. When he got around to making this Academy, he made absolutely certain that no one else would have to take a chance like that. He's even managed to arrange for his sister, High Counselor Organa Solo, to spend some time here each semester, lecturing on diplomacy, both on large scales and small."
Which makes perfect sense, I suppose. I mean, the Jedi have to learn how to do that somehow and why not here? Then I saw the teens at my table looking around to room, for something or someone. I asked what she was looking for.
"Master Skywalker. He usually eats lunch down here with his wife," a girl said, still looking. It amazed me that Luke Skywalker, living legend, would actually eat lunch down here, with the rest of the Jedi. But, once again, I kicked myself. These were his students, and he probably wanted to make a good impression on them. I told them about the business that'd called him away, and started asking them more questions. I found that most of them had started training to be Jedi when they were young, around ten or so. I also found out that, contrary to popular belief, they aren't shuttered away from life and their families while here. They were free to call their families at any point during their free time. They had a small room set up to receive some entertainment, though that was more for the children than the senior apprentices.
As time went on, and our conversations wandered from one topic to the next, I was reminded of my own time in university. It was like every other I'd been to or seen. The only difference was this one was extremely special in the fact that it was the only one of its kind; the only one that taught the ethereal skills of the Jedi. All in all, I think it was an enjoyable lunch.
Walking over to where the other students were putting their trays, I caught a face that I'd seen behind the counter before. He was looking at the stack to trays and plates and cutlery, with a look of complete disgust working its way across his features. He looked up at me and said, "It's almost enough to make you want to be doing the exercises." Seeing the amount of work that was greeting him, I couldn't agree more.
Wandering over to where Administrator Tionne was sitting, I asked if I might have some of her time. She looked up at me, thought about it for a few moments, and told me that she was busy for the next little while, but could talk to me in an hour or so. So I spent the hour just wandering around, exploring the Great Temple on my own. I saw large rooms with mats on them, training rooms apparently. Other rooms with desks and tables in them, classrooms, I supposed. It turned out that Jedi Solusar was right, it was possible to get lost in that massive design of stone and workmanship.
But I stopped exploring when the hour was up, and I went to see Tionne Solusar, more questions frothing at the front of my mind. A passing student directed me to her office. I had no idea what I was going to see there, but none of my expectations prepared me for the reality of her office. A large desk dominated the tiny room, though there was room for a small couch on the far wall. I noticed that there were objects in her office. A picture of her husband was on her desk. A display off to one side. A wall chrono. A calendar on the wall, with many of the days having red writing scribbled on them. A regular office, from what I could see.
We shook hands, sat down, and got to the questions.
Q: How hard is it to run an academy like this?
TS: No harder than running any other university, I imagine.
Q: You imagine?
TS: I've never done this before, to tell you the truth. I came here when Master Skywalker had called for his first group of students, and I just stayed on. He picked me to run the academy when he had other things to do. I do it jointly with my husband, Kam.
Q: Why did he pick you?
TS: I don't know. I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that I wanted nothing more than to be a Jedi. But I wasn't sensitive enough to the Force to be one, in the usual sense.
Q: What do you mean, usual sense?
TS: My limited sensitivity to the Force wasn't enough to allow me to go around the galaxy, helping people. But it was enough so that I was more than prepared to do this. So I became a Jedi historian of sorts. I spent all my time digging through legends and things like that.
Q: So you're not a Jedi?
TS: I am, although my talents lie more in the administrative areas than the ones normally associated with Jedi.
Q: What exactly do you do?
TS: I coordinate all the major functions and external workings of the Academy. I report on the status of the trainees to the New Republic on the occasion that they ask. I arrange for the funds that allow this praxeum to run. I arrange for the families of the students to come by, during the breaks and such.
Q: And what does your husband do?
TS: He actually does the teaching end of things. He implements the curriculum that the Master has created, and inducts any changes he might make to it.
Q: So Master Skywalker doesn't actually teach?
TS: Not full time. Not any longer. Though he does take some of the harder lessons and personally instructs on those. He also personally instructs the first few lessons to each new class, usually spending a week or so with them before leaving them to the rest of us. But he leaves the teaching up to us, for the most part.
That intrigued me. Luke Skywalker was the head of the Order, the Jedi that all are learning from, and he doesn't teach full time?
Q: Why doesn't he teach?
TS: (small smile) Well, I suppose the fact that he's married might have something to do with it. But that's not everything. Up until a few years ago, he was under the opinion that he had to save the galaxy himself, that he was the only one who could take on the really big problems. Add to that trying to run this place, lead the Order and the new Knights that graduate every year... Well, you get my point.
Q: And now?
TS: Now? For some reason, and I think we all have Mistress Skywalker to thank for this, he's actually slowed down on all his work. He let's Kam and myself do most of the work at this Academy. Before I never knew just how... administrative it was running this place. He's stopped teaching full time, as I told you, and he's started to devote his energies to his family and to his explorations of the Force. But that's not all. Now we finally some Jedi Knights in the galaxy. Knights that need a master, someone they can ask for help or guidance. Master Skywalker has again taken on that role.
I admit, when it was put in that light, it was easy to understand why he'd stopped teaching full time.
Q: But you said that he still does some teaching?
TS: Yes. He teaches some of the harder lessons, which I cannot tell you about, and the beginning of the new classes. I think the students find him more intimidating than some of the other teachers, simply because of who he is and the fact that he is the only master here-
Q: Wait a moment. The only master?
TS: Yes. None other than he has the rank of Jedi Master. That's why, when you actually see some of the students training, you won't hear them call their teacher by "Master". Only he has that rank and responsibility.
Q: What do you mean, "responsibility"?
TS: He is the one who is responsible for all the Knights that leave this Academy as well as those who stay behind. Those that teach here are like myself, Knights in the respect that they have been granted the title, but felt it their duty to come back and teach the next generation of Jedi. But he is the only Master, and he is the one that all look to for guidance and help.
So, one more thing to add to his list of accomplishments, I guessed. Hero of the Rebellion, Head of the Jedi Order, husband of Mara Jade, and sole Jedi Master. I was beginning to wonder what he'd be like when I finally met him. From all that I was hearing, he was even more enigmatical that I first thought or the rumors made him to be.
Q: What do your students do besides train? I mean, they must have some time off.
TS: They talk with their families, play with their friends here at the Academy, do their homework; things like that. One of Master Skywalker's most adamant positions about this Academy is that everyone here must have some life. Especially the children. That's why we have those entertainment centres and play rooms. Even though they have the ability to use the Force, even though they are going to be Jedi Knights, even though they are going to be protectors of the galaxy, at the moment they're only children, and they must be allowed to be children. They will have a childhood while here, I assure you of that.
Q: But, from what I hear, the Jedi of the Old Republic were identified and their training was started before they were even six months old.
TS: Yes, but we are not the Jedi of old. We are the new, of which Master Skywalker is the first. Even though we search for the old ways and artifacts of that time, there are some things that should and have been relegated to the past. And, I must say, I support his position on that matter with all my heart. And not just because he's the head of the Order, but also because I believe that it's right.
With this latest discussion, I took my leave of the Administrator, not envying her position one bit. Not only trying to keep the Academy running smoothly, but to also have to answer to Luke Skywalker about the status of this branch of the Order of the Jedi, his life's work.
I spent the rest of the day wandering around the Academy grounds, looking at all the marvels there, wondering if, as I thought, there couldn't be a better place for the Jedi, even if it was built for them.
The next few days were spent watching the Jedi train, both using their Force skills and other classes. I was actually given a chance to sit in on some of their other classes, the ones about the history of the Galaxy, including the Old Republic and the Empire, both before the Battle of Endor and after. They didn't play fast and loose with the truth. Yes, the Empire was evil and oppressive, but it also had some measure of stability. It was only at the behest of the Emperor that it became the machine of evil that it did.
I was allowed to watch some of their training classes. It was rather odd watching the little kids doing throws on the adult instructors. I saw Jedi Solusar standing off to one side, watching the mock duels. First in order was the hand to hand combat that I'd witnessed part of earlier. This time, it wasn't patterns or practice, but real, actual fights between the apprentices. They would walk toward each other and grab their opponents lapels. They would then try to throw each other, or try to get a joint lock on their opponent. And, though it was fighting, there was never a higher concern than that for their opponent. Once the throw or lock was completed, the pressure was immediately taken off and they got up and did the whole thing again.
As the day went on, I saw the youngest children do simple moves and throws. Then came the more advanced students working on difficult throws and even mixing some of their Force skills into the simpler ones. As time went on, the younger students left, their training completed for the day. And then, at the end of the day, when only the senior most trainees remained, I saw Kam Solusar open a wood panel that'd been off to one side, and take out some lengths of the local wood, looking everything like wooden lightsabers. Then the students took them and paired off, making practice cuts and parries, getting used to using such archaic means of combat, in this day and age of blasters and turbolasers. The practice went on for hours, and I could see the sweat developing on their skin as time wore on.
And then, when it was well into the night, Jedi Solusar clapped his hands together once, and all the remaining students immediately stopped what they were doing, and lined up before him, on their knees, and waited. He stared at the line, going from oldest apprentice to the youngest, and gestured at the oldest, who instantly got to her feet, moved before the Knight, and bowed deeply.
The Jedi reached behind and picked up something and then handed it to the trainee. It was the hilt of a lightsaber. The apprentice looked at it carefully, as if she was afraid of it. Kam Solusar then reached to his waist, and drew his own saber. He ignited it, and told the student to do the same. And together, they slowly squatted down, their sabers held out at right angles from their waists. They straightened, and very slowly Jedi Solusar extended his blade in an overhead chop at the student's head. She parried, just as slow, and was even slower on her return of the same move.
For close to an hour, the two Jedi practiced the basic moves of lightsaber combat, slowly so not to harm either person. Then they stopped, squatted again, stood up, and closed down their blades at the same time. The instructor then clapped his hands again, and the whole row of students got up off their knees and slowly made their way out of the room, looking pained all over. No, I did not envy any of them.
I also watched the students work on telekinesis, enhanced senses and muscles, and other things of the like. But then I was told that Mara Jade Skywalker was available for the interview I'd requested. And, also as I'd requested, she would be alone, without the Master. When we met in one of the converted rooms, the first thing I noticed about her was they way her eyes flicked over everything in the room, myself included, watching for anything that might be out of place, I supposed. We shook hands, and sat down.
Q: Thank you for your time, Mistress Skywalker-
MJS: Mara. My name is Mara. Please call me that. I get enough of that 'Mistress Skywalker' stuff as it is.
Judging by the tone of her voice, which promised nothing but trouble if I pressed the issue, I took her advice and changed tracks.
Q: Are you a Jedi?
MJS: Yes, now. I wasn't for the longest time, having some Force skills, but not enough to be granted the title of Knight.
Q: When were you Knighted?
MJS: Just before I married Luke.
Q: Speaking of which, when you got married, you decided to keep your maiden name, in part.
MJS: I knew that already.
Q: Well, yes, but I was wondering why.
MJS: Because while I'd changed enough to fall in love with and marry Luke, I wanted everyone, including him, be sure that I haven't forgotten who and what I was.
Q: What do you mean, "changed"?
MJS: (short laugh) Would you believe that the first thing I wanted to do when I met him was kill him? I wanted that more than any thing in this galaxy. It'd pretty hard to go from that to loving him, don't you think?
I recalled that this woman before me used to the Emperor's Hand, his personal agent and assassin. It's no wonder that she wanted to kill Master Skywalker.
Q: I imagine. When did you decide that you loved him, or wanted to marry him?
MJS: That's a little personal, don't you think?
Q: Yes, I suppose so, but you must admit that it's a reasonable question, given what you just told me.
I sent another silent prayer to whatever powers that be that she wouldn't attack me or take extreme exception to what I just said, and then tell the Master, and….
MJS: I guess so, yes. We were fighting some droids in a mission to the Outer Rim and we got very close, he and I. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to marry him.
Q: What do you mean, close?
MJS: During that fight, we somehow… merged, is the term, I'd guess. You know that people have all sorts of mental shields? We do. All of us do, and it's those shields that keep us from reading each other's thoughts. Jedi simply have more and heavier shielding than that as well as the ability to bypass those shields. Well, during that fight, all those walls between Luke and myself fell away. It was as if all the barriers between us had been bundled up and thrown away. I had his entire life laid out in front of me, all his memories, his hopes, his dreams, his ideas for the Jedi; all of it. And I knew he could see the same from me. It was... nice. At that time, I could've told you what he had for breakfast three weeks beforehand.
I'd never known that that was possible. To think that she could see all of that in him... no wonder they fell in love so quickly after that.
Q: So, when did you fall in love with him?
MJS: Oh, I fell for him years before that. It just took me until then to realize it, and even longer to admit it.
Q So you are pleased with your marriage?
MJS: (grins) Very.
I tried not to read anything more into her smile than the obvious.
Q: What's been the hardest thing about being married to Master Skywalker?
MJS: The hardest thing? Trying to get Skywalker to actually look after himself.
Though I was appalled by her apparent lack of respect for the Master, I pressed onward.
Q: What do you mean, look after himself?
MJS: That farm boy never uses his head when it comes to his own safety. He thinks that he has to save the galaxy all by himself, and he doesn't care what he has to give up to do it. At least, that's how he used to think. Now... I don't know. He might be changing. I can only hope.
Q: I know this might be bordering on the rude and insensitive, but why are you so disrespectful to him? I mean, you speak of him like he's just anyone.
MJS: To me, he is. To me, he's not some omnipotent being, or god. He's just a man. Well, actually, he's the only man that I've loved, and the only one I've married.
Q: What about the stories about you and Lando Calrissian?
MJS: Don't believe everything you hear.
Q: What do you mean?
MJS: That's a little too personal. Let's move on to something else.
Q: What's the hardest thing about being married to a Jedi, whomever he is?
MJS: Sneaking up on him, and keeping something from him.
I could guess about the former, but the latter intrigued me.
Q: Why would you want to keep something from him?
MJS: Surprises, privacy, (smiles) and just to keep him guessing. You see, it's even harder in my case because, like I told you, at one point all the mental walls between us broke down. Ever since then, they've come back, but not nearly as strong. There's still a part of me in his head, and part of him in mine. He's always... a comfortable presence in the back of my mind. Now, I have difficulty blocking him out instead of letting him in.
Q: Why would you want to block him out?
MJS: I already told you why. Surprises, privacy, and just to keep him guessing. Though there are times where I just want to be myself, Mara Jade.
Q: Understandable. Why did it take you so long to complete your training?
MJS: (sighing) I've been asking myself that ever since I was Knighted. I mean, I know I was busy with the Smuggler's Alliance and working for Talon Karrde, but somehow it seems a pale excuse for not getting it done sooner. I knew that I didn't like this Academy, or at least, I didn't like the thought of going through it. But I knew that if I'd asked, he would've taught me personally, like they used to do in the old Order. (Shrugs slightly) I don't know why I didn't ask.
Q: What do you plan for your immediate future?
MJS: Stay happily married, help Luke to save the galaxy from itself who knows how many times, play referee between Solo and Leia while trying to help them keep track of their kids. (shrugs) The usual stuff, in other words.
Q: Oh. What do you do?
MJS: What do you mean?
Q: I mean, I've been told be people around here that Master Skywalker doesn't teach full-time any longer, but he does still teach. What do you do?
MJS: I help him teach, occasionally. I take the students out on their exercises, fill in for him when he's gone or unavailable, play hostess whenever we get picked to host those idiotic social irritations, and I still have a lot to learn and study. Luke and I work on that privately, and we've come with some rather interesting lightsaber techniques.
Q: Fill in for him? I thought Administrator Tionne and Jedi Solusar ran this Academy.
MJS: Tionne and Kam run this Academy, but not the Order itself. That's still Luke's department, and believe me, it's not as easy as it looks.
Q: Why? What can be so hard about running this Order? It seems simple enough-
MJS: (interrupting, voice cold) Don't even finish that thought. You have no idea of the sort of pressures he's under. Every Knight we have looks to him for guidance when they can't see the solution themselves; they all look to him for leadership. Every time something happens to the galaxy that they can't handle themselves, the people call Luke and not the nearest Jedi available. Why? Because he's a hero of the Rebellion, Jedi Master, and all that other stuff, and he goes and helps them. No matter what else he has to do, no matter what other responsibilities he may have at the moment. Even though he does take the Jedi nearest to the trouble spot, he still goes himself to fix it. Make it better somehow. And you know what makes me sick? The fact that everyone in this galaxy expects miracles from him. He's not a miracle worker! He's just a man. But somehow he rises to the occasion and serves up these miracles each and every time. So, I ask you, what happens when the miracle doesn't come?
I had no answer for that, which turned out all right, because she didn't wait for one.
MJS: I'll tell you what. The people will stop trying. 'If the great Jedi Master can't do it, why should we even try?' is what they'll think. And I tell you; he won't survive making that mistake. He's not the type to leave the job half done. If he fails in something, it won't because he didn't try hard enough, it will be because something killed him.
Q: But he can't die! He's been through so many different life-ending situations already. He's not only too important to die, being the only Jedi Master, but he's a hero of the Rebellion and a Jedi. He won't allow himself to die, he has too much to do!
MJS: (getting angry) You understand nothing. He'd gladly lay down his life for a single person, no matter who they are. Prince or beggar, diplomat or gambler, drunkard or dancer, employer or worker, husband or wife, adult or child, human or non; it doesn't matter to him! This man has borne the weight of an entire galaxy on his shoulders and has never, ever asked for anything in return!
The speech was almost as disconcerting as the tone of her voice. I could hear the censure in it, but only directed towards myself. Absolutely none of it was directed towards her husband, though I could see how those actions might put a strain on his relationship with her. I took several moments, both to collect my thoughts and to let her cool down.
Q: Do you go with him on these missions?
MJS: You think I'd let him place his life on the line alone? Let me tell you something, if anyone's going to kill him, it's going to be me. And I don't plan on killing him at all. So, if anyone even tries to hurt him, they'll have to deal with me. And I'm nowhere near as lenient as he is. Not by far.
If I thought her earlier smile was suggestive, this one was ice cold. I pity whoever angers this woman. A few moments passed while we both collected our thoughts.
Q: Earlier you said that you occasionally fill in for him, as head of the Order, when he's gone. How can you do that, if he's the only Master?
MJS: I told you about our link through the Force. I also told you about our merging. Because of those things I know almost everything he does, now. And I know he's just the same with my knowledge. So, to answer you question, I am more than knowledgeable enough to fill in for him. But only fill in. I don't have enough practical experience in the Force yet for anything other than that.
Q: Then why don't the two of you push to have the Jedi used in regular security forces? You must admit, they would be ideally suited to that job.
MJS: That would be like using a Death Star to dig up a green root. It's not our job to police the people; it's to help those who cannot help themselves.
While I sat there, thinking of my next question, the woman before me got a far away look on her face, like she was reading something over my shoulder. She suddenly stood up, a weary look coming over her face. "I have to call this meeting short. There's now something that demands my attention," she said, and stood up without waiting for any comment from me. She started toward the door, when she paused, cocked her head to one side, and then eventually turned back to me. "Do you want to come with me? This involves the students, and may prove good for your article." I got the feeling that she wasn't enthusiastic about my going with her, but I nodded eagerly anyway.
We started out the door, and she was one step shy of stalking to her destination. I vaguely recognized our direction: she was leading us back to the training rooms. We got there in a hurry; no one was in our way because it was lunch time. When we got to the room, I saw an older student standing in the middle of the room, holding a lit lightsaber. He was grinning widely, and talking at the same time.
"I issue an open challenge! I'll take anyone on!" Apparently he just learned some new technique in fighting with lightsabers. I saw Mistress Skywalker slowly reach to her own weapon, ready to accept that challenge, when another voice called across the room.
"I accept that challenge." It was said with such calm that only a Jedi could say it. All heads turned to face the voice. I was expecting some tall, massive mountain of muscle to accept the duel, seeing as the student himself was heavily built. But all I saw was an average man, with hair the colour of sand and a slim build. It took me a moment to realize who I was looking at: Master Skywalker.
Even though he wasn't physically impressive, there was something about him that simply commanded respect. His reputation and status had something to do with it, sure. But there was something... else. And I wasn't the only one who noticed. The smile slowly fell off the student's face as he realized just what he'd gotten himself into.
"But... Master. I wasn't challenging you! I meant-"
"What you meant was that you were challenging anyone who would take it. I accept. Defend yourself." With that the Master started walking towards the student, whose face was quickly cycling through outrage, disbelief, fear, and an attempt at calm. He raised his weapon in both hands, stretched out into solid-looking stance, and set his arms.
By contrast, Master Skywalker simply continued walking towards him, with no visible weapon; perhaps he was trying to take the student by surprise? Suddenly unable to wait any longer, the student darted forward in a quick burst of speed, chopping down with his brilliant blade. The older man did nothing, didn't ignite his own blade, dive to the side, or move at all. Nothing. He didn't move until the last second, when he twisted to the side, just enough to avoid the blade by a hair's breadth. Trying to correct the mistake of missing, the student attempted a backhand attack. Again, the Master simply moved out of the way just enough to avoid being hit, but not enough to necessitate moving from his chosen spot of land.
Time and again, every time the student tried to hit, Master Skywalker simply leaned back, ducked to one side or the other, or twitched his head just enough to miss the blade of energy. Even I could see the frustration building on the student's face, and he growled and lunged right at the Master, who suddenly sprang into motion. In a blur, he slid under the student's blade, around behind him, and clipped him in the back of the head with something. The student fell forward, and the Master revealed the weapon to be a... spoon? He'd hit the student with a spoon!
Regaining his balance, the student also couldn't believe it. He charged forward again, this time determined to puncture his instructor. This time, Master Skywalker dodged under the blade, slid close to the student, thrust the spoon up into his opponent's armpit, and twisted. The student howled in pain and dropped the lightsaber. The blade automatically extinguished when it was released; a safety feature. While the student recoiled in pain, Master Skywalker twisted around and smacked the student in the back of the knee. The student dropped to the floor flat on his back. The Master dropped to his knee and brought the spoon down in a blur of motion to the student's head, stopping it just barely above the nose. It looked like it would've been extremely painful if it'd landed, possibly breaking the student's nose.
The Master stayed still for a moment, before removing his own weapon and standing up. He looked over at me for a brief moment before shifting his gaze over to his wife. They locked gazes for a moment before he turned around and left the room.
The student picked himself up off the floor, slowly, and I could see his shoulders were bowed, his face downcast. A much smaller man who was armed with a spoon of all things had just beaten him! I could feel my mouth working up and down, trying to formulate a coherent thought, when Mistress Skywalker interrupted.
"That takes skill. Now you can see what a Jedi Master can do. Anyone can draw and use a lightsaber. Not everyone can fight without one." I wondered what sort of punishment would be levied against the brash youth. "He'll have more exercises added to his own schedule. He can now expect to spend about twice as much time working out than his peers." I blinked. That's it? But before I could ask the question, I was again interrupted. "Nothing more need be done. A much smaller person who didn't use a lightsaber, and isn't even breathing hard after all the exertion has already beaten him. The news of this, as well as his somewhat... caviler attitude will work its way down the grapevine, and soon it'll be all over the Academy. Nothing more need be done."
I just stood speechless as she made her away from me. There was definitely more than met the eye where the Jedi are concerned.