Chapter 6

"Train me in the Force?" Trent said skeptically, standing up. "Mace, I don't see how that's possible. Just because I can disappear in a crowd can't mean that I can use the Force."

Mace stood up as well. "But it can. In my experience there have been many with Force potential who have used it unknowingly. One I know used it to predict where his opponents would be next, giving him an advantage over his opponents."

"Who was it?" Trent asked.

"No one important," Mace said. "But what you must realize that with the proper training you can develop this ability into something you would never have dreamed of."

"But aren't I too old for training?" Trent asked. "I remember hearing somewhere that a person can't be trained as a Jedi f they're too old. That's why the Jedi always looked for babies with the Force"

"That is true, but we have made exceptions in the past, in really special cases."

"So what's so special about my case?" Trent asked.

Mace's face suddenly appeared much older and haggard than it had appeared before. "Because there are so few Jedi left, we need all we can train. The Jedi were for protecting the galaxy. We were the guardians of peace and justice but now, as far as I know, it is just me," Mace paused. "And hopefully, you."

"But-" Trent said.

"No, Trent," Mace said. "They're must be no more hesitation. You either will, or you will not, accept my proposition."

Trent paused, not sure what to say, his mind racing with all that had occurred in such a short time.

"The galaxy needs you Trent," Mace said. "I know we have not known each other for long, but this is crucial. Will you help me?"

"Yes, Mace, I will." Trent said after a moment.

"Very good," Mace said, his depressed appearance lighting up a little. "But we must act quickly. We have much to cover in only a short amount of time. The process to become a Jedi cannot be rushed, but we will have to make adjustments to the normal course."

Trent continued listening.

"Unfortunately, though it has been over twenty years, the wounds I received from Darth Sidious have never fully healed. In a way I have been crippled in the Force and have never been able to recover my full strength, so I will not be able to show you the way to detect shatterpoints in the Force, nor my fighting technique. But with what I will teach you will not need to know those things."

Trent still did not speak.

"Now it is time we begin. First, from now on no longer address me as 'Mace'. Because you are now my Padawan, you must address me as 'Master Windu', as it is said in the Jedi protocols."

"Yes, Master Windu." Trent said at last.

"Let us begin," Mace said. "Close your eyes. Though you cannot feel it the Force is all around you. You must open up your mind to. Everything you see is affected by the Force and the Force is affected by those things as well. Plants, animals, even machines are tied to the Force in their own way. Open your eyes."

Trent's eyes snapped open.

"There are two sides to the Force: the Light and the Dark. The Jedi use the Light side of the Force to protect and serve the galaxy. To the Jedi, the Force brings calm and knowledge. It guides their actions to serve those who need help and to think of others above themselves. The Sith, and Dark Jedi, however use the Dark side of the Force for their own inner purposes. They think only about themselves and how to gain more power, corrupting themselves and others in the process. The Dark side also gives knowledge and support to the corrupted, but it is an evil kind. You must know and identify the Dark side and never succumb to it. Anger, fear, aggression, hate, jealousy; these feelings lead to the dark side. You must let go of these feelings if you wish to master the Force."

Mace paused for a moment, allowing Trent to process all he said.

"Now," Mace began again. "Close you eyes."

--

"Open your eyes," Mace said. "What did you feel?"

"I felt the Force, Master," Trent said, completing another part of his training. "I saw, felt, the Force everywhere, in everything. It felt exactly like last time."

"Good, Trent," Mace said. "You have developed your abilites very well."

Three years have passed since Mace's rescue of Trent, and Trent's power's have grown much since then.

"The mysteries of the Force are great, but you need not comprehend all of it." Mace said.

"Yes, Master." Trent said.

"You completed much of your training already, and in such a short time for a Jedi Padawan. This is good because we can now finish the training and you can begin working to becoming a true Jedi."

"Thank you, Master." Trent said.

"Now you will begin what may be your hardest test: constructing your lightsaber. For years I have been scrounging around, looking for the pieces to build a lightsaber. I knew I would train you one day, from the moment I saw you, and immediately I began looking for the right components. I have all pieces required and you shall receive them soon, but first you must take this." Mace reached into a pocket in his clothes and brought out something small and curved. "This is the focusing crystal you will need to finish your lightsaber. Take it." Mace handed the stone to Trent. "And after you have completed building you lightsaber and we review the necessary training with it, we will begin our first mission together."

"What do you mean, Master?" Trent asked, after putting the stone away.

"Things in the galaxy are changing, and I feel it is for the better," Mace said. "But because of our isolation, we are not currently up to date on the current galactic situation. However there is a place I know of, that I have frequently visited in the past before I took you on as my apprentice. There I have found out about the Rebels and the Rebellion. But though things are changing for the better, thanks to the Rebels, it might not last. This place I have visited is an Imperial facility where I have discovered they are planning something. I do not know what it is yet but if the Empire is involved it can only be for evil. We must infiltrate this facility and discover what it's true purpose is, a purpose even I have yet not discovered."

"What will we do in the facility?" Trent asked.

"We must infiltrate the facility and spy on what is occurring with in. Something important is happing and I feel we are the only two that can stop it." Mace paused. "But immediately we must concentrate on the here and now and not keep looking ahead toward the future. You have the lightsaber pieces that you need, and it is time you got started."