The Jedi Adventure –
Chapter
--sparkvallen
As usual, Lucasfilm owns any of the regular Jedi folk and characters/places you'd find in Star Wars. I have permission to borrow on the likenesses of everyone else!
It became readily apparent to the Jedi Knights that schooling in the ways of the "rest" of the galaxy was needed before the new trainees were going to be able to absorb the Jedi Way. As Sapharin had learned in her own apartment, there were items similar to what they were all familiar with… but with very different names. Instead of coffee, there was a stimcaf – or caf – brewer in the galley. The fact that their native tongue was spoken by the Jedi was also curious, though they referred to the language as Basic as compared with other tongues they would someday hear. Several hours were spent in labeling items in Basic to learn the language where it differed before the trainees were able to begin.
Still, it wasn't easy. Only days into their hyperspace journey aboard the cramped shuttle and many of the Jedi hopefuls were second-guessing their decision.
"This was a bad idea…" Ebony's voice was strong and determined in her comment.
Z'Trooper and Spark looked up at her. Everyone sat so close together, their knees were touching. Z'Trooper had been another trainee discovered on their homeworld – a friend of Spark's and Ebony's, they'd missed each other when they'd all boarded the shuttle but found one another a short time into the journey with some surprise.
"A bad idea? How can you think that?" Z'Trooper replied.
Ebony shook her head. "Mom's back home… the rest of my family… how could I be so selfish to go and leave them?"
Before either Z'Trooper or Spark could respond, Joni sat down beside the trio with a plate of –what was to them- exotic foods. He waved the foreign but tantalizing items before them with a smile. "Ebony, you're on a fantastic new journey, my friend. There are bound to be some 'funny feelings' about this, of course. Think of who you'll be though when you return to your family!"
Ebony favored him with a cynical stare. "How many of us will be returning, Joni? Honestly? Would they—" She pointed toward the cockpit where many of the Jedi were in conference, "—have come for us if they wanted us to then return to our own… homeworld with this new awareness or whatever they have planned?"
Z'Trooper offered Joni a wry grin. "Best not to argue with her. Trust me on that."
Ebony just stared at him and Z'Trooper looked away.
Spark admitted, "I'm trying to think of this as being no different than if I'd gone away to college. If I'd gone where I had wanted to… I wouldn't have seen friends or family I'd known in my own area for a long time."
Sapharin – who'd been silent through most of the exchange as she thought of the life she too had left behind – snatched up a snack that Joni had brought them and chewed thoughtfully. "Jedi Horn did tell me that our family would be able to join us… or that accommodations would be made for them… on a very soon return trip to our world. Maybe the separation won't be as long as we're thinking right now."
Ebony nodded, her gaze distant on the bulkhead across from them.
The Jedi who had found Falco – Kam Solusar – slowed as he passed by the group huddled there in the common area. He listened for a moment to their conversation, his eyes trailing from one trainee to the next.
"You're going to find that many ideas you've clung to will be unlearned with the training. Right now, you fear the attachments you've had all your lives. Which is understandable. With time however, you'll see that the Jedi Way offers you a deeper connection to those you love."
Everyone looked at eachother, mostly mystified by Kam's unattainable guidance.
"With time," he admitted, "that'll make more sense."
As Joni launched into his thoughts on the Jedi Way as they were seeing it truly in action (instead of in fiction), Ebony stood and excused herself from the discussion. She glanced at Spark and encouraged her to stay put, then did the same for Z'Trooper. They nodded and tuned into what Joni was saying. Sapharin – though she was intrigued by her friend's ideas on the reality of the Jedi as they could observe it now – decided that Ebony could use a friend, for all that she'd suggested the other two should stay put. Excusing herself as well, she followed Ebony.
"I'm with you that this is hard…"
Ebony had been staring at nothingness, sitting in an open seat in the galley. She turned her brown eyes on Sapharin's and raised an eyebrow.
"I miss my family too."
"I keep thinking that I've made the wrong choice, Saph. That I should've just stayed where I was. Too late now, though, hm?" Ebony said.
Sapharin nodded. "For many of us, this is a dream come true. Since you weren't all that of a fan to begin with, you probably don't have the same sense of awe which is understandable. We will get back home though."
"I know."
"And in the meantime, you've got your best friends here to help you through this." She reached out and put a hand over Ebony's.
Ebony smiled wanly. "I'll be alright… this is just a lot to get used to."
Shuttle cockpit
"I'm beginning to wonder if we've made the right decision in this, Luke." Kam Solusar's scarred and battle-worn face was full of concern as he sat in the navigator's seat, angling the chair to look at the Jedi Master.
Luke's blue eyes searched Kam's face. "Explain."
"Already, the new hopefuls are anxious and distressed at being away from their homeworld. I wonder if we made a mistake in going to the Unknown Regions for these to-be Jedi."
Luke's expression was serene despite the tension he too had felt aboard the shuttle. He folded his hands in his lap as he considered Kam's comments. "You wonder if it's too much for them to know that their fantasy is reality? If the truth that the galaxy is much larger and grander than they could have dreamed is too much?"
"That… and whether these fears they feel will hamper their ability to train."
The Jedi Master knew that Kam was thinking of other trainees who'd fallen to the Darkside because of fears they carried within. And those persons had come from the known galaxy and had easier access back "home."
In a quiet voice, Skywalker said, "You know as well as I that we were drawn to these dwellers of the Unknown Region for their Force signatures. They were a beacon across space, calling to us."
"I realize that, Luke. Even so…"
Luke shook his head, certain that his visions and the strength of their raw Force potential were signs. "We'll be cautious with them and give these new students time to adjust, certainly. But I feel that we were meant to find them and train them."
Kam had only wished to alert Luke to the fears that he was hearing, if the Master weren't already aware. With that, he nodded and set his gaze on the starlines outside the cockpit's viewport.
Yavin IV – Jedi Academy
After what seemed like an eternity aboard the shuttle, the Jedi and their trainees finally reached the jungle moon dubbed Yavin IV. As the hatch opened to morning on the humid moon, the trainees burst from the recycled air of the ship and onto the landing pad with their belongings.
"Oh. My. Gosh. This is so Yavin IV!" Falco exclaimed.
Everyone else echoed Falco's exclamation as they stared up at the massive Massassi trees and the incredible Great Temple that loomed past the landing pad. People huddled in the groups they'd formed even before the shuttle journey. In particular, Ebony, Spark, Sapharin, Falco, Joni, and Z'Trooper stood together, staring in wonder at their surroundings.
Skywalker came down the ramp from the shuttle and made his way through the clusters of new students to stand before them. His backdrop was the Great Temple itself with its earthy stonework pointing high in the sky.
"Oh behalf of all of us and the New Republic itself, welcome to Yavin IV," he said. "I know that this place is very familiar to you from the imaginations of your homeworld. I'd even go so far as to guess that for some of you, you'd know your way around the grounds and the Temple as well as I do."
This brought a chuckle from several of the diehard fans. Silently, Kam, Corran and the other Jedi hosts stepped in line beside Luke.
"Today, we'll have you get settled and officially learn your way around the Great Temple where we live and train," Luke explained. "The day will be yours to begin to get acclimated to the academy. Tomorrow, we'll begin the actual group work and study of the Jedi Arts."
A pin could have dropped and everyone would have heard its noise as silent as the trainees were. The only sound that could be heard was that of the native jungle creatures rustling in the trees and foliage. When there was a voice heard, it was Joni's in a whisper: "Everyone… you've taken your first step into a larger universe…"
There were smiles in reply, everyone knowing the source and significance of the comment.
Skywalker and the Jedi Knights led the newly transported students along the jungle path that led toward the clearing before the Great Temple. Once there, Kam was the one to speak on the dormitory arrangements within the Temple. Of the multiple levels inside, the third and fourth floors were designated specifically as sleep quarters, small Spartan apartments. As they proceeded inside, people picked out their rooms within close proximity to one another. With this all being so new, it was clear that they weren't ready to be separated. Spark, Ebony and Sapharin opted to take one of the largest rooms and bunk together as roommates. Falco, Joni, and Z'Trooper took rooms just across the hall, all three in a row. The other students who'd traveled with them filled up rooms along that third floor corridor and above them on the fourth.
After a supper of exotic, flavorful stew and fresh bread, the trainees settled in for the night. They'd all been provided with the plain light-colored tunic and pants with their own Jedi robes, another dose of reality that set many of them to giggling. As night fell over Yavin IV, most everyone opted to make an early evening of it with their first day of actual Jedi training to commence in the morning.
Dawn. Loud raps on the doors of the students' apartments signaled that the day would begin early. The evening before, the trainees had been assigned their Jedi teacher with whom they'd study for the duration in small groups. Spark was thrilled that the friends she'd known for so long were also her fellow trainees… all together under Master Skywalker.
Spark beamed at Sapharin and Ebony in their off-white outfits, the very clothing of Jedi that they knew so well.
"Can you believe this is us?"
"Not at all," Saph admitted, with an as wide grin.
Ebony seemed more refreshed and at ease with her environment now that they were off the shuttle and had had a decent night's rest in their shared apartment. She tied back her brown hair highlighted with caramel hues and looked ready for the day.
"You two ready?" she asked.
Sapharin and Spark nodded eagerly. The trio made their way down the turbolift to the grounds outside the main temple as they'd been instructed. Their smiles grew ever wider as they saw Joni, Falco and Z'Trooper standing in their own Jedi garments – the sight was rather surreal. Z'Trooper did a little "ta da!" pirouette for them which brought about laughter again.
The morning was cool and damp, making them glad for their robes. Luke joined the trainees there at the base of the Great Temple and bowed. They followed suit and returned the gesture.
"Have a seat," he instructed.
Rather than sit in the dewy grass, the trainees opted for the outcroppings of the structure, sitting down on the chilly stones.
"Close your eyes and simply listen to nature all around us here," Luke said in a hushed voice. "Focus on what you hear and the beat of your own heart. Clear your mind of all thoughts… Should you think at all, note the thought and then let it go…"
For Spark, it was easy to let conscious thought drift away and be carried by the foreign sounds of creatures scuttling about the jungle. She could even hear how the cool morning wind rustled the smaller leaves though she endeavored to not think about what she was hearing.
"As you feel calm and peace settle within, you begin to touch the Force consciously," came Skywalker's voice. He spoke softly, his words not being intrusive to the meditative calm the trainees were reaching. "The Force is all around you, within each of you. The Force guides our instincts and grants us awareness and gifts beyond what's considered 'normal'…"
For how long Luke had the trainees remain in that meditative state, they never knew for certain. He guided them back to full consciousness with his words. Everyone blinked at the bright sunlight of day. They'd discovered that he had placed a small rock before each of them, down in the grass.
"Now that you know how to feel the Force consciously, I'd like you to touch it on your own," he instructed. "You need not meditate. The feeling is the same if you clear your mind of thoughts and simply concentrate on feeling the Force. When your connection is strong, reach out with your mind to the rock in front of you and lift it with your mind."
Z'trooper was the first to make his rock levitate, bringing it a few feet off the ground. He breathed a soft "Woohoo!" at his success. Following his achievement was Sapharin, then Joni and Ebony – for their rocks, they bobbed up and down unsteadily at first before becoming more steady in their hold.
They heard a panicked "Uh-oh" which was the only warning before Falco's rock shot up from its spot in the grass like a missile. It went sailing into the trees some distance away. He stared at the Jedi Master in horror and fumbled an apology.
"You were just a little enthusiastic, Falco," Luke joked. "Here. Try it again and focus on moving the rock slowly."
While Falco repeated the process a second time before getting his third rock under control and the others continued to experiment by raising and lowering their rocks with the Force, Spark stared with mounting frustration at hers.
"Master Skywalker, I think my rock is broken," she said, attempting to make light of her evident failure.
Luke reached out with the Force to study Spark as she tried again to levitate the rock in front of her. He could clearly feel her energy and felt how she was reaching out properly toward the rock, but…
"You must experience the force in the same way that Corran does," Luke decided, referring to the Jedi Knight who had first come to Sapharin's doorstep. "Your gifts must lie in another area than telekinesis, to put it simply."
Spark's face drooped at this news.
Seeing her expression, Luke quickly added, "That only means that your gifts must lie in other areas of Force use, Spark."